OCTOBER 21, 2026
ISSN 3111-3354 (PRINT) ISSN 3111-3362 (Online)
VOL. 34 // ISSUE 13
Your friendly neighbourhood coven since 1993
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REMAINING OPTIMISTIC!
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NEWS
2026 OCTOBER SENATE
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CULTURE
Q&A: BARBARA NICKEL
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ARTS
RESIDENT EVIL REVIEW
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2026
NEWS
Editor-in-Chief
Managing Editor
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Business Manager
Creative Director
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Production Assistant Anayat Sandhu anayat@ufvcascade.ca
OPINION
News Editor
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Darien Johnsen darien@ufvcascade.ca
Aneesha Narang aneesha@ufvcascade.ca
Production Manager
Anna McCausland anna@ufvcascade.ca
Features Editor
Caitlyn Carr caitlyn@ufvcascade.ca
Cassie Williams cassie@ufvcascade.ca
Gabriela Gonzalez gabriela@ufvcascade.ca
Rachel Tait rachel@ufvcascade.ca
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Opinion Editor
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Zackery Fitzpatrick fitz@ufvcascade.ca
Sky Terrones sky@ufvcascade.ca
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Jasleen Sandhu jasleen@ufvcascade.cai
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Liam Pyper
Staff Writer
Kara Dunbar
Natalia Toscano Murua natalia@ufvcascade.ca Natalia Toscano Murua natalia@ufvcascade.ca
Digital Media Assistant
News Briefs October 2026 Senate recap 2026 Mission Municipal All Candidates Meeting Carney’s newest policies on Gaza are not enough
Exploring Halloween in the Valley 7 As I grieve, I grow 8 The Environmentalist: food for thought 6,5,7,8 Snapshots
Illustrator
FEATURE
Illustrator
9-11 The glass is half full
Reza Keshavarz
Thea Van Agteren Hannah Bricknell
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Cassie Williams
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CONTRIBUTORS Indie McPhee Wren.Dalman Marley Penner
W W W.UFVC ASC ADE .C A I N S TAG R A M . CO M T H E C A S C A D E U F V TIKTOK CASCADE_ FY Volume 34 · Issue 13 Room S2111-33844 King Road Abbotsford, BC,V2S 7M8 604.854.4529 ISSN 3111-3354 (Print) · ISSN 3111-3362 (Online) The Cascade is UFV’s autonomous student newspaper and alternative press for the Fraser Valley. It originated under its current name in 1993, and achieved autonomy from the university and the Student Union Society in 2002. The Cascade is funded with UFV student funds, is a forum for UFV students to have their journalism published in an entirely student-run setting and is overseen by The Cascade Journalism Society Board, a body run by a student majority.The Cascade is published every other Wednesday with a print circulation of 800 and is distributed at Abbotsford, Chilliwack (CEP), Clearbrook, and Mission UFV campuses and throughout the surrounding communities.
SPORTS 12 Slapshot 12 Cascades men’s soccer makes top 10
CULTURE 13 A published author’s advice on writing 13 Cascade Kitchen: blackberry apple brie melt 14 Campus Fashion: bold and rich colours 15 UFV’s Little Free Library is here to stay
ARTS 16 Reviewing East of Eden 16 Resident Evil: horror/ comedy perfection 17 Brat summer? Weird girl fall! 18 Dressmaker spotlight 19 Five Anne Hathaway movies later… 18,19 Cass-cade Shuffle & Charts
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Editorial //
Why impermanence is a blessing I’m not sure about everyone else, but this semester has felt straight out of hell so far. I’m a fairly spiritual person so I believe in all that “everything happens for a reason,” stuff, etc, etc. But does that reason erase the pain of the process? Does it make everything alright? If I knew what was coming would I have still gotten out of bed? These are the wonderful existential questions that run through my brain while I’m studying for three midterms and writing two papers. Anyways, in light of the oftentimes suffocating dark I’ve found myself in lately, I’ve also really latched onto the idea of impermanence. It can be a scary thought that nothing lasts forever, but it’s also beautiful when you redirect the meaning. Sure, you won’t always be on vacation or in your prime, but that also means that assignment won’t always be due and those suffocating feelings will fade. We like to think we have control but really there’s no predictability to life. Each moment is fleeting so why bend over backwards and rip hair out trying to reverse a past mistake or living through memories long past. When we focus on the evanescence of life, we can also focus on… Priorities. We’re constantly bombarded with pressure and expectations, from peers, from family, from social media, to be better and do big things, do everything. But the truth is, you can’t. No one can maintain a social life, full time work, courseload, gym routine, cooking at home, cleaning every day, and so on. However, with all this pressure it can be really easy to fall into the mindset that you’re behind in some facet. The reality is that everyone is on their own timeline, and one is not necessarily right from the other. Some people publish a novel at 16, some people go back to school at 50, there. is. no. right. time. In fact, everyone’s so worried about everything they haven’t done yet or everything they should have done way back when, that the present slips away. And soon we’re not grateful for any of the things that are actually going right in our lives. A lot of things don’t feel rare in the moment, but they become rare when you realize the version of you from those moments is gone. You might be back talking with your friends again, but those people will all be changed. Homer says in The Iliad, “Everything is more beautiful because we are doomed … We will never be here again.” Place priority on the things that actually matter in your life, the things you can do to make your present more peaceful and enjoyable. If everything’s temporary, then yes the good won’t last forever, but neither will the bad. And that’s something to hold onto. In honour of her recent Nobel Prize, here are a few lines from Anne Carson’s poem, “VII. Change”: “the bus … came fast around the corner of the platform and there it was one of those moments that is the opposite of blindness. The world poured back and forth between their eyes once or twice.” Trying to heal amongst constant noise is no small task. Fighting burnout and regulating a worse for wear nervous system is a lot to manage on top of studies. Prioritize your health and well-being above an on-time assignment this semester. Take what you will from this, maybe I’m just writing what I need to hear, but I hope it can help some of you too in the midst of midterms and mindfucks. If for nothing else, to feel less alone. With love from the trenches,
In order to be published in the newspaper, all work must first be approved by The Cascade’s editor-in-chief and the corresponding section editor. The Cascade reserves the right to edit submissions for clarity and length and will not print any articles or be a platform for any contributor or contractor who has shared racist, sexist, homophobic, or libellous content online in any form. Letters to the editor, while held to the same standard, are unedited, and should be under 200 words. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect that of UFV, The Cascade’s staff and collective, or associated members. The Cascade is published on the traditional, unceded territory of the Stó:lō peoples. We are grateful to be able to work and learn on this beautiful land.
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Cassie Williams Illustration by Gabriela Gonzalez
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2026
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news@ufvcascade.ca News Editor — Rachel Tait
NEWS N E W S
B R I E F S
LOCAL //
PROVINCIAL //
NATIONAL //
INTERNATIONAL //
Mission mayor urges province to help with railway encampment
Confusion due to overlapping elections
Anne Carson awarded Nobel Prize laureate
Execution to be livestreamed
In an official letter dated on Sept. 25, Mission Mayor Paul Horn wrote to the provincial government in light of the recent death and injury caused by a train strike on the railway that are connected to a notable encampment near the Fraser River. He stated that these train deaths are a “tragic consequence” of the uptick of homelessness in the city. The letter points to “the dramatic increase of homelessness in Mission” being caused by the extraction of large camps in Abbotsford and Chilliwack, inadequate supportive housing, and “the loss of low-cost accommodation.” Horn outlined that some of the challenges being faced are due to the land being owned by the provincial and federal governments, and private organizations. “Provincial policy, based on a court precedent, stipulates that people cannot simply be moved off of that property. They have to be relocated to appropriate housing. We’ve called upon the province to help us with that.” Transport Canada has communicated that train speeds throughout Mission “will be reduced to 20 mph, with additional whistling and bell signalling” to be implemented due to the recent death and hospitalization. These speed changes could negatively affect the schedules of West Coast Express. With files from Mission City Record, Maple Ridge News, and the City of Mission.
Candidates running in B.C.’s upcoming municipal and provincial elections have expressed concerns that the timing of Premier David Eby’s snap election has confused voters. Municipal elections covering the positions of mayors, school trustees, and other local officials will take place on Oct 17. Just one week later on Oct. 24, British Columbians will head back to the ballot boxes to elect their provincial representatives and decide who will lead B.C. While separate, the municipal elections will have some overlap with the advanced voting for B.C.’s provincial elections. Calling a snap election so close to municipal elections, while not illegal, is abnormal and not the usual practice. The move also drew condemnation from the Union of BC Municipalities. Former Union President Cori Ramsay explained as quoted by CBC: “I’m hearing candidates going door-to-door for the municipal election being told that ‘I can’t vote for you because I’m voting for our MLA.’” CBC also heard from multiple other candidates from both of the elections, many of whom voiced a similar concern. Whether this confusion will aid or hinder Eby’s attempt to secure a majority government remains to be seen. With files from the CBC.
On Oct. 8, 2026, the Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to Canadian poet, essayist, and academic, Anne Carson. Making her the first Canadian to win since Alice Munro in 2013. Carson is no stranger to high acclaim. She recently won the National Book Critics Award for Poetry for Wrong Norma in 2024, and the 2020 Governor General’s Literary Award for Norma Jean Baker of Troy (2019). She has also won the Griffin Poetry Prize twice, once in 2014 and the second in 2001. Carson was the first female to receive the TS Eliot Prize for Poetry. The Nobel Prize committee said that their motivation for choosing Carson for the prize came down to: “Her bold and inventive oeuvre that, in playful dialogue with the classical tradition, has created new forms for contemporary literature.” 119 literature prizes have been awarded in the history of the Nobel Prize. Carson joins 18 other women in accepting the award. With files from CBC and The Guardian.
On Dec. 3, Nidal Hasan, a convicted gunman, will be executed by firing squad. This will be livestreamed to the public and marks the first execution by firing squad in the United States since 1945 and the first public execution since 1936. In 2009, Hasan walked into Fort Hood army hospital with a handgun, killing 12 military personnel and one civilian, while also injuring an additional 33 army personnel. Hasan’s motive remains unclear, and he was tried in military court and sentenced to death in 2013. The method of execution came at the request of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, and he received approval from President Donald Trump on Oct. 5. Hegseth later announced that the execution would be livestreamed, “We’ll make sure that people are able to watch it, that it’s public.” he said, according to Reuters. Also, experts interviewed by Reuters said that livestreaming an execution is highly unusual and potentially the first instance of a state sponsored execution being officially livestreamed. Hasan would need to sue in the federal court to try to prevent his execution from being made public. However, when asked about such a possibility, Hegseth responded: “Don’t c are. We’ll see him on December 3.”
ANNA MCCAUSLAND
LIAM PYPER
LIAM PYPER
KARA DUNBAR
UFV //
October 2026 Senate recap Two new Schools of Arts and the Integrated Strategic Plan update RACHEL TAIT Senate is the academic governing body of UFV, responsible for making decisions that impact the daily lives of both students and faculty. The Board of Governors, which looks at the business side of the university, is advised by Senate on matters of mutual interest. All at the university are welcome to attend Senate’s public meetings, which are held once a month. This article will recap the main agenda items of the hybrid Senate meeting which occurred on Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. Dr. Tracy Ryder Glass, provost and vice-president academic, made a motion to have the College of Arts disbanded and replaced by two new schools called “the
School of Design, Media Arts, Theatre & Performance” and the “School of Art and Creative Scholarship.” According to a memo to senate from Dr. Sylvie Murray, dean of the College of Arts, programs such as the Bachelor of Media Arts, Theatre, and Graphic and Digital Design, both of which include their major, minor, extended minor and diploma programs, will all now fall under the School of Design, Media Arts, Theatre, and Performance. Similarly, the Visual Arts program, which includes the major, minor, extended minor and diploma, as well as the Indigenous Arts Certificate and the Art History minor and extended minor
programs shall now be part of the School of Art and Creative Scholarship (SoACS). “This shift creates better balance between the units … and will promote new synergies across the creative arts and design area, building on the interdisciplinary work done thus far in SOCA, and respecting each discipline’s distinct identity. An explicit commitment to strong collaboration between the two schools will ensure more efficiency in the use of technical and staff resources, and will enhance the impact of public-facing events and engagement.” The motion was voted on and approved by the Senate and these changes are set to occur on May 1, 2027.
Dr. James Mandigo, president and vice-chancellor, gave an in-depth presentation concerning changes being made to the Integrated Strategic Plan (ISP) with the goal to update the plan instead of completely revamping it. Dr. Mandigo made it clear that many of the same goals and mandates are the same, including maintaining a student ready environment at the university. Mandigo wrote in his President’s report that a massive survey was given out under the leadership of Lorne Mackenzie, associate professor from the School of Business. In total, there were 35 focus groups involved, with 494 responses CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 3
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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 received with feedback on the ISP. This included faculty, senior administrators, students, alumni, and staff. “The responses were consistent with the direction of the Board and Senate that UFV does not need a wholesale change in institutional purpose. However, the evidence suggested that the next plan must be more focused, more actionable, and more accountable. The strongest shared evidence supports a plan that is student-centred, applied, community-engaged, financially and academically sustainable, AI-ready, Indigenous-informed, flexible, and measurable.”
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Some of the areas in which Mandigo recognized a need for improvement included bringing down the number of students facing barriers to graduating from their programs and ensuring more students fresh out of high school are coming to UFV versus other institutions in the Fraser Valley. “More students are choosing to go to post-secondary, but the share of those students coming to UFV has gone down.” Mandigo outlined that the plan is for the ISP 2.0 draft to be presented to senate during the public senate meeting on Oct. 16, and soon after it will be released to the larger university community on Oct. 19, where feedback can be given until Nov.
20. By Jan. 15, 2027, the Senate’s goal is to present a nearly finished draft of the ISP framework for feedback at the Joint Board and Senate Education session. In her Provost report, Dr. Ryder Glass gave an updated account of enrolment numbers and statistics concerning the international student population for Fall 2026. “UFV International welcomed 229 international students who had arrived and registered as of Sept. 22, including 42 exchange students. Approximately 75 per cent of new international students attended Fall Orientation, and a further 44 received individual check-in and settlement support. Development of the
SOAR pre-arrival course is complete, and a pilot with 20 students in India is now scheduled for October 2026.” Ryder Glass also mentioned in her report about the much anticipated yearly Open House event that occurred on Saturday, Oct. 17 from 10:00 – 2:00 p.m. in Abbotsford. There were tours and different clubs, associations, and departments were tabling to make connections with prospective students coming to learn more about the university’s offerings and resources. With files from UFV and permission to record from UFV senate board.
Local //
Mission council candidates gather for meeting Council candidates on budgets, red tape, and what they learned from each other KARA DUNBAR On Oct. 8 the Mission Regional Chamber of Commerce hosted the 2026 Mission Municipal All Candidates Meeting at the Clarke Theatre. The event started with a meet and greet of the candidates at 4:30 p.m., with the debate starting at 6:00 p.m., it was slotted to end at 9:00 p.m., but the event wrapped up around 8:20 p.m. All candidates were invited to attend and seven of the 27 candidates for council were absent, including Adam Boyd, Ramneek Kaloya, Aman Khera, Kary Maxwell, Inder Narwal, Gary Sanghera, and Akanshaa Saxsena. Mission realtor Manny Deohl served as the moderator. The event was also live streamed to the Chambers Youtube Channel, and is now available to watch online. Due to numbers, candidates were sorted into three groups of five to eight members. Each group was given six
Comic //
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questions each. There were five random questions around similar themes, and one question selected by Mayor-elect Jag Gill. The questions centred around budget, red-tape, large spending projects, trust in council, and city services. The question posed by Mayor-elect Jag Gill that all candidates were required to answer was “What did you hear about tonight from another candidate that you like and would like to build on?” This prompted candidates to compliment each other, and brought a friendly tone to the evening. In response to this question, candidate Martin Marinutti said, “It’s like picking a team, we’re not all forwards and we’re not all defencemen.” The first group included Earl Babich, Steve McLay, Norm Macleod, Danny Plecas, Dave Hartnell, Maria Polouine, and Nelson Tilbury. Notable questions included if large borrowing should go out to public votes or remain a responsibility of the council, and what information on
council decisions and spending should be freely accessible. In the second group were Candace Koch, Rav Sanghera, Jash Bains, Manny Rai, Ken Herar, Kostas Papadopoulos, Martin Marinutti, and Dave Perritt. During their third question, they were asked how they would navigate new developments and neighbourhood consultation. In response, many candidates brought up the Cade Barr Business Park in the Cedar Valley area, and how its location has not been as successful as anticipated, emphasizing how alternative uses of the land could have better served the population of Cedar Valley. The third group included five candidates, Mark Davies, Jay Matte, Lucas McKinnon, Sharon Sandhu, and Rob Jackson. During their fifth question, they were asked about how they would assist with issues surrounding the chronic closures at Mission Memorial Hospital. The candidates answers centred around
similar lines about the limits that local governments have when there are problems around healthcare and responses came back to a role of persistently advocating for the hospital, and keeping an ongoing dialogue with the provincial government. Voter turnout in Mission the last election in 2022 was 22.2 per cent, not unusual for Missions elections with turnout numbers ranging between 17.2 per cent and 32.4 per cent from 2008 to 2022. This number did not differ largely from Abbotsford turnout in 2022, which was 23.62 per cent There were 27 council candidates in this 2026 election, with three incumbents running. Mission City Council has a total of six members of council and the general voting day for municipal elections took place on Oct. 17. The new Mission City Council consists of Candace Koch, Norm Macleod, Ken Herar, Sharon Sandhu, Steve McLay, and Mark Davies.
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NEWS SNAPSHOT Hey, You… Hey, hey you. You with the sweetest yet saddest eyes. Take a long, deep breath. Now let it go. Feel the air escape with the unsurprising weight of sorrow. I miss you. I know you’re here, but I still miss you. It’s okay to miss yourself too. It’s okay if you’ve gone away. Sometimes gathering the strength to come back demands leaving first. Life is… life. It’s alright that there isn’t an explanation. It’s alright if you hate it here sometimes. All the time. You hesitate when someone asks if you’re okay. Whisper it. It’s easy to feel like a burden when no one ever gave you permission to just be. But I want to know. It’s okay to look miserable if that’s how you feel. It’s okay to smile too, even on days it feels more necessary than genuine. I see you. I see you surviving. You feel alone, but you’re not. Knowing that isn’t enough, I know. But you’re not. Reach out. You’re not. It takes time, but you’re trying, and that is its own kind of magic. Look at you. You’re so very brave. Thank you. Thank you for seeing me, and thank you for seeing yourself.
BY SKY S. TERRONES
World //
Federal government’s newest policies on Palestine “clearly inadequate” — says UFV professor The impact of advocacy and Carney’s new policies ABBY HANSEN Professor Colter Louwerse is a sessional instructor in the department of Political Science at the University of the Fraser Valley. On Sept. 22, 2026, Prime Minister Mark Carney made a pledge of $100 million CAD to Palestine and sanctions against illegal Israeli settlements. Professor Louwerse spoke with The Cascade on the importance of advocacy, especially in regards to Carney’s recent pledge to Palestine and he argued that although it’s a step in the right direction, they are “clearly inadequate” in helping those most affected by the genocide. “Of course, nobody should be opposed to that [pledge]. That’s a good thing. But then we have to ask, in terms of the lives of the people in Gaza who are the ones who most desperately need that aid. Is it going to make any difference? Well, we’ve had a ‘ceasefire’ in place in Gaza… for almost a year now. And has any reconstruction gone on in Gaza? The answer to that is no.” A ceasefire was originally announced and implemented on Oct. 10, 2025 by the United States President, Donald Trump. However, Al Jazeera reported that the Israeli government has breached the ceasefire a minimum of 5,147 times between Oct. 10, 2025 and Sept. 29, 2026. Louwerse brought up that the Israeli government claimed that they refuse to allow reconstruction in the Gaza Strip due to Hamas’ refusal to disarm — countering that Hamas has offered to do so,
however the Israeli government refused to accept the terms put forward by Hamas. “Israel did not spend three years bringing down 80 per cent of the homes in Gaza simply to allow it all to be rebuilt again. They want the Palestinians in Gaza out. Aid on its own is simply not going to reach the people who need it.” In regards to the sanctions against illegal Israeli settlements, Louwerse explained that these new policies try to treat illegal Israeli settlements and the Israeli government as though they are separate entities. He claimed that in reality, the two are “deeply interwoven with one another.” He also brought up how many of these settlements are subsidized by the Israeli government. “Many Israelis living in the settlements don’t know they’re living in a settlement because [of] the border between the Palestinian West Bank and what’s now the state of Israel — that border exists on a map, but it doesn’t exist in practice. The settlements are completely integrated into the modern state of Israel, the water, the electricity, the road system — it’s all effectively a part of the state of Israel.” Despite these criticisms, Louwerse still views these new policies as a step in the right direction, attributing the role of activists in this progress, such as Canada, France, and Britain. He also explained why he thinks these different countries are embracing these policies today. “The answer to that, I think, is that it’s a concession to public pressure. Now, these policies… just a few years ago
would have been unimaginable coming out of our current Liberal government or really any Canadian government, but are now made possible because public opinion in Canada, as well as across much of the Western world, has dramatically shifted on the question of Palestine.” Louwerse added that activists can now use this shift in public perspective to their advantage as a “pressure point” in their advocacy. Pointing out that if the Canadian government claims to enforce international law, that’s a win, but there’s still more work to do. He added that protesters need to push for not just Israel to cease building new settlements, but to also withdraw current settlers from occupied Palestinian territories — allowing Palestinians self-determination. “The sanctions, the economic punishments should be, as it was in South Africa a few decades ago, applied to the state of Israel as a whole.” Louwerse also mentioned that one meaningful action the Canadian government can do is enact a full arms embargo by closing the loopholes in the current one — effectively putting more pressure on the Israeli government to comply with international law. “I think an important thing to emphasize as well is that activists are not fundamentally asking for the world or asking for something that is extreme or radical, but rather are asking for states, including … Canada, to adhere to the legal principles that they say they adhere to.”
Written by Darien Johnsen / Illustrated by Hannah Bricknell 5
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OPINION
opinion@ufvcascade.ca Opinion Editor — Natalia Toscano Murua
Seasonal //
Last minute Halloween activities It’s a great time to explore locally for some autumn entertainment INDIE MCPHEE Halloween season is among us! There are quite a few places you can go if you’re still trying to cram in some fall fun. When you live in your hometown long enough, finding new stuff to do can feel like a challenge. But fear not! This is your guide into the unknown — or familiar — to help you see spooky fall activities from a new perspective. There’s a place for everyone to experience before Halloween is over. The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a great show to see if you’re looking for an exhilarating experience. This interactive play gained popularity because of audience participation. There are specific cues or call-backs for when you can say or do something; for example, throwing rice during the opening wedding scene. People who first attend this play may be referred to as “virgins” and may be teased by other audience members. I suggest you check out the show’s virgin guide before attending! Dressing up as characters from the movie is also encouraged; many go as the iconic Dr. Frank-N-Furter, but feel free to dress in streetwear. After all, you’re there to have fun and be comfortable. Overall, it’s a fun activity that matches the Halloween vibes, and you can find it within the Fraser Valley! A screening will be hosted at the Chilliwack Cultural Centre on Oct. 31 at 2:00 p.m., so you have more time for nighttime Halloween festivities. Perhaps afterwards you’ll want to head somewhere spookier when dusk falls. If you’re looking to be quaking in your boots, Reapers: Maze of Terror is the perfect place to be. Filled with frightening characters, this horror maze will have your heart racing from start to finish. One of the only rules is that you’re not allowed to run, which makes the trip even more terrifying. The characters that stalk you range from deranged, killer clowns to crawling rag dolls, so watch every step around those dark corners. Navigate your way as you hear blood curdling screams echo from all around you. It’s easy to lose hope, so try to travel in a group. I find that it’s best to stay together. Before I arrived at Reapers last year with my siblings, I agreed that I would be leading the group. Let’s just say that quickly changed when we entered the maze. It’s the perfect place if you want to feel pure fear and depend on your natural instincts. It’s open every day, but Monday, until Halloween, and located in Chilliwack. Looking for some rest from all the scary excitement? Take a step into Greendale Arcs and you’ll feel right at 6
home. It’s a farm with a variety of activities for all ages, so it’s great if you want to bring your younger family members. Another outdoor activity worth giving a try is the corn maze. Filled with questions for hints, you can enjoy the beautiful autumn weather while wandering with friends or family. Afterward, curl up beside your own rented firepit and roast marshmallows; s’mores packs are for sale nearby. As long as it’s not raining, you and your friends can also try the giant jumping pillow! View the fun around you as you jump higher and higher. While you’re up there, look at the colorful range of flowers you can pick yourself. Additionally, they sell pumpkins and fruits of all sizes — grown right on the farm. Don’t trust the staff to pick the right ones for you? Pick your own! The fresh
apple trees are waiting just for you; all you need is a provided basket. When I went with my friends this October, I brought change and was able to feed the animals! Just for 25 cents, you can feed animals like llamas, chickens, goats, and pigs. If I’m being honest, this is the only reason I went. Take a deep breath and chill with nature while the beautiful weather is still here. Whether you want to relax by a firepit, throw things, or get jump scared, there’s a fall event for everyone. Even if you’re not a huge fan of Halloween, it’s important to get involved in your community. Many people feel isolated when the weather gets cold, so make sure you step outside before autumn is over.
SNAPSHOT Yes it can be a headache, yes you should vote anyways
Illustration by Iryna Presley As a political science major I believe that I am somewhat more entitled than others to say: politics give me a headache. Ignorance really is bliss sometimes. Especially with the recent chaos of politics in Abbotsford-Mission and the controversy around us even having a provincial snap election (on Saturday, Oct 24.), I have a lot of sympathy for those who just don’t have the energy to engage at all. Yet, I cannot emphasize this enough — please go vote. It is one of the easiest tools that we have to engage with our government. If you don’t like any of the candidates, go into the voting booth and spoil your ballot. It is counted, and you know what it shows? That you still showed up. That you’re still paying attention, and that you know these people work for you. If you’re unhappy with all of them, tell them that. Just pull up for democracy please. More information on how to vote can be found at the Elections BC official website.
BY KARA DUNBAR
Chilliwack Cultural Centre promotional poster
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2026
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OPINION Lifestyle //
Grief, identity, and non-linear growth SNAPSHOT Tell people you love them!
Illustration by Iryna Presley I hate the idea that saying “I love you” is reserved for special occasions. That if you say the words too much, you’ll wear them out. No! I think the point is to say them as often as you can. We have this twisted notion that vulnerability and sincerity are cringe. Where did that idea come from? Telling people you love them is an act of bravery. It’s about being honest and showing that you care. I don’t care how many times I tell my friends that I love them and I get hit with the underwhelming “love you” or a bashful “stop!” I refuse to stop telling people I love them. I’m only here for so long and I don’t want anyone to leave without knowing that they’re loved. Love isn’t simply stored in those three words; it’s about acting on them. I tell my friends I love them and I show it by getting them food when they’re hungry, driving them places when they need a ride, and lending a listening ear when they need to talk. So, yeah, I’ll continue to say “I love you” without hearing it back. If you’re reading this, human-to-human, I love you.
A profound, stripped, and honest look at where inner growth happens NATALIA TOSCANO MURUA Recently, I texted my sister well past midnight, fully expecting her to be asleep, but desperately wanting the relief of getting it off my chest. I sent her two short messages: I miss her. Every day since then. I was crying so deeply that it was hard to keep silent, and even harder to try and breathe correctly. I was grieving again — as if only a week had passed as opposed to almost six months now. At times like this, it can feel as if all the progress made in navigating this grief is thrown out the window, regression, shrinkage instead of growth. But deep down I believe that is not true; growing is non-linear, and it looks different for everybody. I think it constitutes your very essence, and it evolves continuously with you. I used to feel like every time I fell back into a place I thought I had already conquered, I was undoing all of the inner growth it had taken me to leave it behind. The frustration that inundated me was suffocating — it felt as if I had gone nowhere, and I was right back at square one. I discovered that perhaps I had it all wrong; that it wasn’t that I was not learning from the experiences and growing, it was that I had misunderstood what growth looks like for me. And I believe it looks differently for everyone. It is possible you’ve heard about people committing the same mistake multiple times, as they say, tripping over the same rock. According to Exploring
your mind, habit and comfort go hand in hand, becoming key factors that influence the way we go about life. It means that you may end up traversing familiar paths multiple times, although this is not necessarily a bad thing, you are walking forward in the timeline of life nonetheless. This can be applicable to the way we deal with challenges and potential mistakes when they arise, but I’ve found that it is within these challenges that the magic happens. As expressed in A Change of Mind’s article, the first step to change is becoming aware. If you find yourself in a hard spot — one that you feel like you’ve been in before — then you are already becoming aware of it, and growth may already be happening. I feel that whenever awareness comes into play, your mind has the option to create a new assessment of the situation, where it can pull in any new racked up knowledge to tackle the challenge differently even if it does not feel noticeable. For me, the wave of grief that hit me at midnight felt like I was falling back on all the progress and healing I had made… But I remembered that navigating that familiar state is not synonymous to retrogress. Rather, it is that my mind and body process emotion and grief differently, just as everyone grieves differently. Legacy Touch presented it beautifully in their article; we all grieve and feel emotions, but we do so in an undeniably personal manner. This is why who you are is a massive influence over your grief, and it also directly correlates to how you grow.
No two people are the same, so no two people will ever grieve the same — it is something delicately tied to your identity. I invite you to be aware of this, even if not for grief precisely, but for any challenge you encounter at any point of your life. If it feels like you’ve been there before, giving you the impression that you regressed, please remember that by being aware of it, you’ve already taken a step forward. The next time you feel that you are tripping over the same rock twice, remember that this is a rock unique to you that may show up more than once, and that by becoming aware that it exists, you will pick yourself up again differently each time. Wiser, more resilient, more aware. The grief I am experiencing is deeply personal, but each time I traverse it, I try to remember that I’m bringing something different to it. I am aware that its personal nature is woven into the fabric of who I am; a fabric that continues to grow with a new stitch for every new experience. My wish is for people to not feel ashamed of their challenges and feeling like they have not moved forward, because as soon as awareness comes into play, growth starts happening. Every journey is unique, your challenges are unique to you, and growing can mean retracing familiar patterns with a changed perspective. I am sure that today I am different from the person that first experienced this grief six months ago, even if it felt similar, I know I’ve kept healing and growing.
BY JASLEEN SANDHU
Pierre Andrieu (French, 1821–1892), Wounded Lioness, 1845–1855, oil on canvas. Henry Field Memorial Collection, Art Institute of Chicago. CC0 Public Domain. 7
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2026
VOL. 34 // ISSUE 13
OPINION
THE ENVIRONMENTALIST: where our food goes This World Food Day, let’s rethink how we feed the world
SNAPSHOT Your first altar
FA B I O L A CR UZ A L D E R E T E
Welcome to The Environmentalist, your column for understanding the natural world. This column commemorates World Food Day by asking: how can a world that produces so much food still leave millions of people hungry? Every year, since 1979, on Oct. 16 we celebrate World Food Day, an event established by the member countries of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to commemorate the organization’s founding in 1945. The day is meant to raise awareness about global hunger, malnutrition, and food insecurity. Most importantly, it encourages international cooperation toward a more sustainable and equitable food system. This year’s theme, “Innovate today. Nourish tomorrow,” emphasizes the importance of forward-thinking solutions that are deeply connected with traditional knowledge and inclusive approaches. Yet, improvements are needed in food security at all levels. A great example is our university community; according to UFV’s student wellness during the 2025/26 academic year, UFV distributed 549 food hampers across five campuses and provided more than 31, 500 grab-and-go breakfast snacks. Country wide statistics reported that approximately 9.8 million Canadians — or 24 per cent of the population — lived in food-insecure households during 2024. In an agricultural region like the Fraser Valley, where a 2022 study estimated that the region — including metro Vancouver — produces approximately 167,000 metric tonnes of selected fruits and vegetables annually, these figures raise an important question: how come we produce so much food, yet so many people struggle to access it? Much of the food we produce is not for people to eat. A 2026 study in IOPscience by Paul C. West et al found that approximately 40 per cent of the calories produced on the world’s croplands in 2020 were used as livestock feed, and another 15 per cent went toward biofuels and other non-food products. After considering the calories made available through animal products, only about half of the cropland grown calories around the world were available for human consumption. Meanwhile, the cost of healthy food continues to rise. The United Nations reports that 2.69 billion people could not afford a healthy diet in 2025. Rather than just producing enough food to sustain people on the planet, there is the matter of where the produced food goes, who profits from it, and who can afford it. But even food that’s meant to be eaten can get lost along the way. According to the United Nations Environment Programme, 1.05 billion tonnes of food were wasted by households, retailers and food services
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Illustration by Iryna Presley
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Illustration by Hannah Bricknell / The Cascade in 2022. Along with it, we must consider the water, land and energy used to produce that food were also wasted. Food loss and waste account for an estimated eight to 10 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. With so many environmental challenges seemingly only getting worse, it can be difficult to know where to start. From Oct. 19 to Nov. 1, EcoChallenge’s “Waste Less, Wherever You Are” offers an opportunity to take action. Join the UFV team for a chance to win prizes from the Office of Sustainability! Visit UFV Sustainability’s social media for details. As the Lorax once said, “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better.” So, let’s care.
It’s been almost six months, and sometimes, it feels like it’s just been a week. This year it is your first altar for the Day of the Dead. A bittersweet thought, isn’t it? I get to prepare some matcha for us, because I know you wouldn’t have it any other way unless it was poured from my glass and into a tiny cup, for you. I’d place your favourite orange ball toy, if I had it with me. I’m sure my family in Mexico will put you up on the altar too, I bet you’ll find your ball there. What I can do is grab a packet of tuna treats — you can enjoy it worry free this time. I still need to print a photo of you. Although I’ve compiled the hundreds of photos I have and look through them every single day, I still don’t know which one to choose. Not a day has gone by when I don’t think of you, Chai. I’m excited at the prospect of your visit to the realm of the living, I hope you are too. If we reunite in a dream soon, it would make my entire year.
BY NATALIA TOSCANO MURUA
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2026
VOL. 34 // ISSUE 13
FEATURE
feature@ufvcascade.ca Features Editor — Caitlyn Carr
Being an optimist takes courage I’d rather deal with the heartbreak of hoping too much than not at all JASLEEN SANDHU
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he nights are getting longer and midterm comes with being an optimist. You have to actively labour, my dad was a janitor. It took being optimistic season is upon us. There’s so much to keep looking for the good, and if it’s not there, you have about my life prospects to move up in the world. complain and worry about. It’s easy to get to create it yourself. It’s not always easy, but it’s worth There’s no sort of obvious route from second generation down in the dumps when the rain becomes the effort. Cambodian-American. I had to be optimistic about my relentless and all of your days are spent studying, but ability to study and then grow my knowledge through What does it mean to be an guess what? Eventually, midterms will be over, and dedicated study. I needed [optimism] to get to where I optimist? you’ll be able to look at the work you’ve done and feel am now. To arrive here, at this beautiful place, UFV, proud that you put in effort. One day, you’ll be crossing to get this job. Optimism, even before I learned all the In a world full of grief and rage, optimism is rebellion. the stage at graduation and know that you succeeded. philosophy, then informed my philosophy.” It’s not about blindly searching for light in the darkness, It’s not easy, but the temporary discomfort is worth it. There’s no one way to live. It’s difficult to anticipate but about creating a spark yourself, no matter how Optimism is misunderstood. I find that the what shape our lives will take, because circumstances small. Recently, I came across a video of Ukrainians conventional definition of it doesn’t encapsulate its constantly change. As an optimist, I’ve found a sense in Kyiv doing ballet during a blackout, in the midst of entire philosophy. Optimism is not about maintaining of grounding, allowing me to navigate the world with their war with Russia. That, to me, is optimism. To keep a happy-go-lucky demeanour and living in delusion. hope, and even confidence. Believing in something living and doing things that are profoundly human even Optimism is acknowledging that there may be a great doesn’t have to be religious, but it can be something when it’s challenging. deal of hurt and suffering, but still continuing to live individual, something more personal. Optimism can teach us how to live. I got the chance with hope and choosing to believe that there is also Optimism isn’t a mere opposition to pessimism; it to speak with Dr. Alexander Pho, an assistant professor good in the world despite evidence to the contrary. By has its own role. It has the power to inform how someof philosophy at UFV. Pho commented on how optiadopting optimism, I’ve become more resilient. one can think and behave. One of UFV psychology’s mism can help us not only to survive, but thrive. When I was 10-years-old, my mom was diagnosed assistant professors, Dr. Valentina Proietti, expanded on “I had to be optimistic to have survived and thrive with a psychotic disorder. At the time, I didn’t exactly this idea: in this world … I’m the child understand the gravity of the situation, but when I saw “Based on some theories, optimism is of refugees from Cambodia, her agitated and crying, reaching out for me before they thought to be like ut cre so I grew up with parents atin all. took her away in the ambulance, I knew an irrevocable g a who lacked almost all formal how sm r spark e shift had occurred that would inform the rest of my life. yourself, no matt education. They worked 13 years later, my mom still has a psychotic disorder, because there is no cure. But, now, I don’t feel so helpless anymore. There are days that are still incredibly hard, but I know that I’m doing more for her now than I was ever capable of before. rk Part of my developing abilities to take care of my the da n i t mom, and myself, is the adoption of an optimistic gh i outlook. The kind of optimism I subscribe to is the belief that there’s so much to hope for. I’m aware that there’s despair and pain too — optimism shouldn’t deny any of that; but it’s making the difficult choice to keep going and believing that things will be okay, that where there may be one person full of hate, there are 10 people full of love. It may be easier to be pessimistic, to get bogged down by the things that have hurt you, but I don’t want to live that way. Why would I wait for the other shoe to drop? I don’t have time for ot a that! Even if I trip over myself, I’m going bout to tie up my laces and walk forth. Optimism is built upon a foundation of courage. There’s a great deal of work that
Illustration by Thea Van Agteren / The Cascade 9
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2026
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I’ll admit, while optimism can be resourceful, it doesn’t capture all the complexities of the world. We’re all informed by what we know. How we grow up informs how we act and react, and sometimes that’s positive, sometimes it’s negative. It’s important to recognize that every situation calls for something different. Optimism, pessimism, realism, and idealism aren’t individual answers to each situation — sometimes a mix of them is required. When asked how to strive for a balance, Pho emphasized strategic pessimism. “If you want to be a good pessimist, you need optimism first. I like to go with the Xunzi view about human nature … It’s a sensible pessimism … It does suggest that by nature, people aren’t going to tend to become morally virtuous without guidance. [However, Xunzi] is optimistic still in the sense that he says, just because they don’t spontaneously become virtuous doesn’t mean they cannot become virtuous. I think you only get to that kind of pessimism, that affected pessimism, if you start from a kind of optimism.” Proietti believes that finding a middle-ground requires some self-awareness, using an example to share how pl hope can coexist with realistic m w i s i l g s l n expectations. hi
As an optimist, I identify with the likes of Paddington and Leslie Knope from Parks and Recreation (2009– 2015), but even my role models have their limits. One of the important lessons I’ve learned from these fictional characters, and my own experiences, is that we can’t just keep pushing against a wall; instead, we need to go around it.
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Proietti explained the importance of embracing all of your emotions. “Too much optimism can be harmful. … There is a phenomenon that is toxic positivity: ‘good vibes only and be well.’ While they have good intent, they undermine and downplay the fact that life can be hard and you should accept those negative emotions.” It’s important to realize that life will, and at times does, deal us a terrible hand. Unlike toxic positivity, optimism provides the tools for dealing with these situations. Optimism isn’t about passive acceptance and feeding into a false belief that things will simply work out; rather, it’s about navigating situations and learning how to carry forward. Pho admitted that reality can be harsh, and it can be easier to submit to hopelessness, but insisted that maintaining optimism is essential. “If I run into someone who’s apathetic, or even worse, vicious … it could be very deflating, that’s hard to recover from. Maybe, if you’re a pessimist and you have lower expectations about what people are [going to] be like and how much justice can prevail in the world … it might not be as much a shock to your system. Honestly, I think it’s a cost worth paying to be an optimist.” An aspect of optimism that’s misunderstood is that it comes easy. Optimism is a choice. It’s an exercise of virtues: patience, hope, and empathy. Optimism is a viewpoint that demands to be put into practice.
“O p
a personality trait. We’re born with it. Some people are born with more optimism. The idea is … that we expect positive things to happen to us. Some people are just more likely to embrace this point of view and other people are less likely based on how they’re born. There’s a gene-based and family [component].” Optimism can be innate for some, but there are factors that can push others toward optimism instead of another perspective. Proietti explained this type of optimism: “Attributional [optimism] … is how we think about ourselves, our world around us, and others. … When someone has a positive attributional style, say, something good happens to you … you see that as a permanent event … you extend and generalize that event to the future as well.” For each person, there’s a different way of approaching optimism. Both of the professors I spoke with, to my pleasant surprise, defined themselves as optimists, but they answered my question of “would you describe yourself as an optimist?” in different ways. Proietti explained that her optimism is rooted in balancing optimism with realism. “I’m an optimist, but in the boundaries of what I know is actually possible. I’m not an extreme optimist. I tend to be very self aware and within the boundaries of reality.” Pho’s optimism, on the other hand, is informed by Confucianism and the belief that people are and can be good. “I’m an optimist, at least in the sense that I think that people deep down could be turned into morally just, righteous, and virtuous people, if under the right influences. … One thing that really inspires me personally … is that in the Confucian tradition, there’s this idea that, deep down, people have a tendency to become morally virtuous. It’s an inborn sort of thing. “The [Confucian] philosopher Mencius has this famous thought experiment where he asks us to think about, if you see a kid about to fall into a well and potentially drown in that, don’t you have this sort of instinctual reaction to go and rescue the child? And that’s the sprout of moral virtue. Pretty much all of us have that. I really draw into that sort of view. I think that, in the contemporary world, we can quickly bring up sociopaths, psychopaths, potential counterexamples to this sort of thinking, but those complications aside, this idea that the vast majority of us human beings have that kind of instinctual reaction to want to save the child. I think that is something. Like a seed of virtue in all of us.”
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The difference between optimism and toxic positivity Now, I acknowledge that I might be too optimistic at times. I’m at risk of the glass being so full that it overflows. Too much of anything is never a good thing — the same applies to optimism. While I may need to find the balance between optimism and looking at the world practically, I genuinely do find the good in everything. No matter how difficult, scary, or irritating something may be, I know that a lesson can be learned from it, and I apply that to every situation. I always look for a silver lining. Still, despite my attempts at constantly trying to lift the spirits of everyone around me, including my own, it’s no surprise that sometimes you just have to feel upset.
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Illustration by Thea Van Agteren / The Cascade
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“Let’s say I’m a B student, and I studied as I’ve always studied in the past, and historically, I always get a B. It’s unrealistic to think that next time, I’ll get an A. You can hope for it, but realistically, maybe you should stay more in the middle and think ‘I’m going to try to push it with B+.’ It takes self-awareness. It takes critical thinking in terms of you have to analyze … It takes a bit more reflecting. … Being confident in the fact that you can do well, and also having self-efficacy … Those are good mindsets to have in the realm of what’s possible, but looking at the positive side.” Balance can be difficult to attain, especially if you’ve dealt with most situations in just one way or only through one perspective. It’s essential to learn how to strike a balance. Sometimes, it helps to anticipate disappointment, but at other times we need to believe that things will turn out. Sometimes, we need to be hopeful, while understanding that the result might not be what we expect.
life, I’ve instead come to the conclusion that things can definitely suck, but they can also be fantastic. Yes, there is so much grief and rage in the world, and I’m not immune to it, but I’ve made a vow to myself to not live in despair. I don’t want to succumb to the idea that “this is just how things are,” because they don’t have to be. Mary Oliver has a line in her poem “October” that, I feel, captures the foundation of optimism.
“I want to love this world / as though it’s the last chance I’m ever going to get / to be alive / and know it.” It captures something deep about optimism. Being aware of your mortality, and choosing to live with love, because you know that you’re only here for a brief amount of time. Optimism gets less credit than it deserves. Sure, life can be defined by negative connotations, but it’s also beautiful, remarkable, and grand. There’s war in many parts of the world, but there are still people who care and want to make a change. Many of us are doing what we can: some of us donate to charities, some of us protest to spread awareness, some of us pray for others. Sometimes we aren’t able to make first-hand, direct changes to our institutions, but these acts are an extension of love; they show that we care about the world and the people in it. Things will never be perfect: there will be people who don’t care about strangers, there will be floods and famine, and there will be interpersonal conflict. Despite all of that, each night, I encourage you to continue to reflect on your day and think about how you can be a better person tomorrow, and the day after that. Optimism isn’t a result of naivety; I think it’s the opposite — it’s knowing that even when you’re in the dark, there’s a chance the dawn will eventually break. In his The Brothers Karamazov (1878), Fyodor Dostoevsky touches on something that profoundly captures the very idea of what it means to be optimistic: “‘I exist.’ In thousands of agonies — I exist. I’m tormented on the rack — but I exist! Though I sit alone in a pillar — I exist! I see the sun, and if I don’t see the sun, I know it’s there. And there’s a whole life in that, in knowing that the sun is there.”
Optimism is a way of life Optimism can’t be a mere label for someone’s personality — it has to take action. Last year, I had an encounter with a cashier who was less-than-nice to me, but I gave her the benefit of the doubt that maybe she had a bad day. I chose to be polite, because I don’t want her to feel the way she made me feel. As an optimist, there’s a conscious willingness, for me, to be optimistic every day. Still, adopting optimism and assuming that everything is sunshine and daisies even when there’s a hailstorm outside doesn’t capture the view accurately. Optimism isn’t conventionally synonymous with fortitude and grit, but that’s how I choose to view it. It’s about acknowledging that reality can be hard, but still continuing to hope for the best. I genuinely believe that optimism has saved my life countless times. If I wasn’t an optimist, I would, very possibly, be a pessimist. I would look at the news, ruminate on my present, consider my future, and come to the conclusion that things are horrible. In my 22 years of
Illustration by Thea Van Agteren / The Cascade
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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2026
SPORTS
SLAP SHOT CrossFit was freaking great
Illustration by Iryna Presley One of the greatest things to have ever happened to me during high school was enrolling in a CrossFit gym. It came at a time of my life where I wanted to become part of a community where people worked on improving their condition, while also having a blast in the process. No judgement, only encouragement and celebration. And I’m happy that it was precisely what I was looking for: a place where I felt comfortable challenging myself physically while also celebrating others, and getting encouragement from them too. I loved the scheduled class format. Every hour, a new rotation would start with a round of warmup games, then we would get a breakdown of the Workout of the Day (WOD), and we got to work on them at our own pace — but we did it together. As many rounds as possible (AMRAP), every minute on the minute (EMOM), Tabatas of eight segments of 20 rigorous seconds of exercises, trying out a new deadlift personal best… Ah, it was just so much fun. I miss it. Perhaps one day I will find a new CrossFit gym with a community as beautiful as the one I found there.
VOL. 34 // ISSUE 13 sports@ufvcascade.ca Sports — Natalia Toscano Murua
Soccer //
The Cascades maiden break through top 10 ranking Unprecedented high ranking lands the team on U Sports’ top 10 for the first time NATALIA TOSCANO MURUA On Oct. 5, U Sports released their weekly ranking results in one of their social media posts, and for the first time since their introduction to the university sports platform — as reported by Mission Record’s Ben Lykpa —UFV’s Cascades men’s soccer team made it to the top 10 list. This exciting milestone came as a result of a winning streak during the Canada West regular season matches of 2026, having played games against the University of Calgary’s Dinos, the University of Alberta’s Pandas, the University of Victoria’s Vikes, and the University of British Columbia Okanagan Campus’ Heat. This achievement serves as the perfect opportunity to revisit the matches leading up to and following the Cascades’ victorious placement among the top 10 weekly U Sports list. Hard work, sweat, and pure sportsmanship were surely at the core of every match! Starting off with the match that took place on Oct. 2, the Cascades faced off against the Dinos in a game that led to a scoreless, yet exhilarating, highly skilled match. As reported by the Cascades official site, both teams kept each other at their
toes — offensive play was the name of the game during the first half of the match. In the latter half of the game, the Dinos got dangerously close to scoring a goal, only to be stopped by the Cascades on a close call. Despite no goals having been scored, this did not deter the Cascades from pushing on with might with their next matches. Next, came the match against the Pandas, a game held on Oct. 4 that ended in a bright 2-1 victory favouring the Cascades. According to the Cascades’ original report, the team went for an early opportunity for a goal on minute 17 — successfully shooting directly into the Pandas’ net. The Cascades expertly maneuvered around the Pandas’ defensive line to exploit yet another opening that led to the team’s second score of the day on minute 42. The Pandas did not leave the field without a fight, as they scored a goal against the Cascades in minute 74, but it was ultimately the Cascades that took the victory. The game that followed on Oct. 9 was against the Vikes, who stood in eighth place in the weekly standings that had just been released four days prior. As the Cascades webpage wrote, the first goal of the game came from the Cascades during the sixth minute of the match — only for
the Vikes to respond with one score of their own less than 10 minutes after. The marker remained at a tie for the rest of the match, with both teams matching on skill and delivery. Finally, their most recent match on Oct. 11 was against UBC’s Heat. The Cascades took every opportunity possible, according to the summary written on their official site, the attempts to strike Heat’s arch were relentless. It was after 38 minutes of play that the Cascades were able to blast through and score the only game of the match, giving them the victory. The Cascades’ might placed them at an advantage from early on, with the only close attempt at a goal from Heat ultimately falling through. The path ahead of the recently acclimated Cascades will continue to put their capabilities to the test, with another Vikes match coming their way on Oct. 25, and by then, they would have faced off against Trinity Western University’s Spartans on Oct. 23. The Cascades men’s soccer team has proven that they’ve got what is needed to stand out in the rankings, and with their recent achievements, nothing feels impossible. Perhaps even greater results are just on the horizon! Go Cascades go!
BY NATALIA TOSCANO MURUA
Photo courtesy of UFV Cascades 12
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2026
VOL. 34 // ISSUE 13
CULTURE
culture@ufvcascade.ca Culture Editor — Jasleen Sandhu
Cascade Kitchen: blackberry apple brie melt DARIEN JOHNSEN My favourite thing about fall is that finally, after a long smokey summer, the rain’s come and dampened the forest, and lo and behold! No more fire ban. As such, it is customary to immediately organize a fire with friends. Which is exactly what my friends and I did this past weekend for an engagement party. I decided to experiment with the idea of savoury s’mores and came out with a lovely (and pretty) brie melt. So, here’s a template for your own experiment. Recipe: 1. Slice and sprinkle the apples with cinnamon, then soften in a pan with oil, until still somewhat firm (to prevent mushing when you heat the dish later). Cover it with a lid to let all the cinnamon apple goodness ferment. 2. Cut the brie into quarters, but don’t cut all the way to the bottom (I cut about 26 quarters, since I had a huge Costco-sized wheel). Then, using a cup rim, cut out a circle in the centre for the salami rose and remove the excess. 3. Layer some of the apples in the bottom of the pot or dish you’re using, add pieces of rosemary, blackberries, and generously drizzle with honey.
Ingredients: 1 big old wheel of brie 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary 2 apples Wide slices of salami (enough to feed however many people you are feeding) Cup of blackberries 2-3 tsp. cinnamon (honestly I measured using vibes) Hot honey Photo by Darien Johnsen
A fire-safe deep dish or pan
4. Plop the brie in and wedge more apples between the quartered pieces, you might need to pull some of the quarters out to make this work. 5. Make a salami rose (If you’ve never done this, fear not, YouTube is a friend and it’s very easy). 6. Place salami rose in the centre of the brie where you cut the hole, add more blackberries and rosemary, and drizzle with ample honey. 7. Cover, and place over the fire to warm (you’ll need a rack of some sort) or in the oven at a low temperature (300F is safe) until the cheese just starts to melt. The brie can quickly liquefy which, although tasty, isn’t ideal. You want it softened, but still holding shape. Enjoy with soft bread or crackers!
Q&A //
Barbara Nickel on the importance of reading and writing A discussion on creative writing programs, professional writing, and the processes of both coming out, and I’m writing that together with a co-author. … This is non-fiction. Memoir. My career isn’t just limited to Barbara Nickel is a Canadian author writing. I also do some teaching, presenand poet who writes for adults and youth. tations. As a children’s writer, I present in Her most recent work, co-written with classrooms to students about my books. Ian Hampton, is Jan’s Quodlibet: A Year in Music (2026). Nickel recently visited What was your experience like as a some of UFV’s creative writing classes creative writing student? and spoke with The Cascade about her It was a very exciting time of my life. I experience. was in the MFA program at UBC and they How would you describe your career were the two happiest years of my life. I was in a community of other writers and as a writer? mentors. I was able to give myself full I’m a multi-genre writer. I’m considered time to writing. I had never done that a poet. I write poetry for all. … I write before in my life. It was a real revelation for children and young adults, and publish to be able to do that, just to focus on writseveral books in that genre. Sometimes, I ing. I found that my identity changed. … use my poetry in my writing for children. Even though I had been published as an I have a picture book that’s written in undergrad, in magazine features, I went poetry. I have a picture book forthcoming, from being someone who liked to write for young children, that’s in verse. That’s to a writer, and that’s when I started to another aspect. Then I have this new book
pursue publishing. It was a lot. Lots of big life changes in those two years. … A whole new world [opened] up to me. The possibilities that I could actually make a life out of this.
JASLEEN SANDHU
Is there a natural balance between writing for adults and youth, or do you have to shift your voice? I have to shift. … Shifting gears can be hard. … I’m trying to focus on my adult poetry book and give time to that, but then I have ideas for kids [books] that I haven’t been able to sit down … and sort through yet. I definitely do that, I have been known to do that, where I’ll shift gears within a day. I’ll make a schedule for myself. I’ll work on poetry in the morning and then … I like to separate the business of writing from writing. Because they’re two Submitted by Barbara Nickel
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CULTURE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13 different worlds. … Then I’ll actually try and work on some kids’ [work] too. And there’s nonfiction. … It’s tricky being a multi-genre writer sometimes. Just to find the time for everything.
What does spending the day with students and getting to share your expertise mean to you as a writer? Such a gift. … It causes me to look back on my journey as a writer, and it’s helpful to do that once in a while. You spend so much time alone as a writer in your
own little bubble. You spend time just on your own, your research, your project. To actually bring that out, and talk about it … it’s really energizing. And people ask great questions. It makes me think about my process, and think about the things I’m doing, and it makes me excited about my life.
world and everything that demands. As a practical thing, something that has been important to me, is to find a safe writing space that’s WiFi-free. That’s important for me. Just create time for yourself. Give your project priority. That would be my number one advice. My number two advice would be, give yourself a community. Writing peers, trusted readWhat advice would you give to any ers, people to read your work, because student that is pursuing creative these kinds of programs don’t last forever. writing? You’re not always going to have strucPrioritize your writing because there’s tured classes. You might be on your own so many things in this world competing as a self-employed writer. And then you for your time. Even the whole online
have to rely on people, friends that you’ve made.
Is there anything you want to add? The other thing I would say is, the importance of reading. I really feel, as a writer, that they go hand in hand: reading and writing. To develop a sense of your voice and what you like. That’s really important. Because it can inform your voice. Q&A has been edited for length and clarity.
Campus Fashion: the colours of fall 2026 Dressing in the colours of autumn RACHEL TAIT This is Campus Fashion, your source of inspiration for seasonal trends, cool finds, and wardrobe basics to keep you looking stylish throughout the year. Fall is all about amazing colours from the changing of the leaves, to entering a different fashion palette. This fall features an array of bright yellows, oranges, and reds that is offset by the richer tones of dark green, blue, brown, and burgundy. The Cascade explores some of the most popular fall colours of the season.
Light pink A surprising colour for the fall, pink is still very much a popular choice even for the cooler months. Add a touch of pink this season by wearing a pink cable knit sweater, with light wash jeans, a cream shearling coat, and tall brown Ugg boots. For a fun night out with friends, wear a pink sheath midi dress, dark brown faux fur coat, a pink clutch purse, and pink heels.
Photos by Anjali Randhawa / The Cascade
Bright yellow Yellow is an ideal colour reminiscent of all that is glorious about the fall season. Add a yellow sweater to a dark wash pair of jeans, white polo shirt, and a trucker denim jacket with a Sherpa collar. For a day at the pumpkin patch, try wearing a yellow floral dress, brown cowboy boots, and an oversized, oatmeal coloured cardigan
Blue Blue is another popular hue this season that adds a fun pop of colour to any outfit. Try wearing a royal blue sweater with a pair of black jeans, black leather boots, and a khaki trench coat. For an evening out, wear a navy blue sweater dress with navy pumps, a white wool coat, and a navy clutch purse.
Red A flattering and rich colour, red looks great paired with black and denim. Try wearing a dark red cardigan with a black turtleneck, indigo jeans, and black ankle boots. For a bold and elegant look, wear a dark red wool coat Photos by Anjali Randhawa / The Cascade over a red silk dress and knee high black leather boots.
Purple Forest green Dark and versatile, forest green is another colour that is popping up this season. Try wearing a forest green hoodie and matching sweatpants with white running shoes and a white crewneck T-shirt. For a more formal look, pair a forest green knit blazer with black dress pants, a white freestocks.org freestocks, CC0, via Wikimedia button down shirt with black pumps, and a forest green Commons purse to match.
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A deep purple adds richness to any outfit for the fall. Add a plum purple merino sweater over a black collared shirt, an indigo denim skirt, and black ballet flats. Wear a silky, dark purple dress, black heels, a dark purple beaded clutch purse, and a black wool overcoat. There you have it, a compilation of amazing fall colours that will be sure to carry you through the semester in style. May you thrive on campus in technicolour!
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CULTURE UFV //
Little Free Library taking campus by storm Valerie Molinelli expresses the importance of literature and the need for community JASLEEN SANDHU Did you know that UFV has its own community library cozily tucked in Building G? It’s a space for both book-lovers and those simply curious about what they could stumble upon in the world of literature. Valerie Molinelli, a support academic advisor at UFV’s Success Centre, is the mind behind the idea. The Little Free Library began in the spring and has been a part of the campus ever since. Molinelli shared with The Cascade how the Little Free Library came to be. “Back in December, I started a new role and there was a big bookshelf in the office that I was given, and I wanted to get rid of it, because it didn’t fit in that space. I was like, ‘What can I do with this bookshelf?’ … I thought, ‘Well, I’ve got this cool little space right outside my office. What if I turned it into a little free library, and then just had people come pick up books if they wanted to?’ That’s where that started.” The library is stocked with books from Molinelli’s vast collection. It also has ties to the broader community through donations. “A lot of the books on the shelf are from my personal collection. The other place that I’ve been getting books is The Book Man … which has been incredibly generous [in] offering me donations. They’ve been lovely to support this project.” Starting up the library, Molinelli didn’t deal with bureaucratic processes. “I asked for forgiveness rather than permission. I just put the bookshelf out and I was like, ‘Okay, it’s a bookshop.’” The library was created with community in mind. Molinelli’s hope was to add a bit of comfort and whimsy to the halls of the university. “University can be a really stressful place. It can be really busy, and it’s nice to offer something to do for students that, hopefully, makes their life more fun and enjoyable on campus.” How the library works is that students can drop off books that they no longer
want or need and they can also take a book that interests them. When asked if she had a favourite text that’s been left at the library, Molinelli expressed her enthusiasm for how broad the collection has become over the months. “I really love that there are some books that aren’t in English that are showing up. We’ve had a couple of French books. … These are things coming from people who have different life experiences, cultural backgrounds than me. It’s a really eclectic collection. Memoir, poetry, short fiction, novels, non-fiction. A bit of everything.” Molinelli commented on how the varied works in the library speak to the culture of UFV. “I think it’s a nice reflection of our campus, which is a diverse and inclusive place. It’s cool to see that being reflected in the books.” The library, while it’s only been around for a few months, is seeing steady engagement. “[It] started off a little bit slow, especially over the summer, because there’s not that many people on campus. But now that things have picked up with the fall semester, I’m seeing people at it all the time.” Through the library, Molinelli hopes to create a stronger connection between students and what’s available at UFV. “[We’ve had some copies of] Louden Singletree. I figure if there are students who are coming to pick up books, they might also be interested in being engaged with their campus’ literary community. That’s a really great way to do that, to read some of the stuff that’s coming out of the community.” Molinelli shared some of her wishes for the library’s future. “My hope is that it continues to grow, that it becomes a fun place for people to read something. They can take the books, keep them, bring them back, if they want to. I love to see people engaging with it.” Image of the Little Free Library located in Building G. The community library can only Submitted by Valerie Molinelli endure if students engage with it, so if you have any hesitations, Molinelli assures “Help yourself. You don’t have to as you want. If you have books at home, that the library is to be used. bring books back. You can take as many I’d love it if you brought them in and kept it going that way.”
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ARTS
arts@ufvcascade.ca Arts Editor — Sky Terrones
Television //
Free will or circumstance? East of Eden asks about your morality A series to provoke your next late night existential crisis KARA DUNBAR East of Eden (2026) was an unexpected meditation. When the series premiered on Netflix on Oct. 1, I wasn’t planning on watching it. I had barely heard of it beyond a passing mention when my high school English class read Of Mice and Men (1937). But with Florence Pugh attached and a free Thanksgiving weekend ahead of me, I decided to give it a chance. Seven hours later, I found myself compelled and trapped in this world, with my thoughts repeatedly drifting back to the questions the characters posed long after each episode ended. Spanning seven hour-long episodes, the mini series follows the life of half-brothers Charles(Mike Faist) and Adam Trask (Christopher Abbott), the enigmatic Cathy Ames (Florence Pugh), and their sons Caleb “Cal” (Joseph Zada) and Aron (Joe Anders). Set between the late 19th century and the First World War, the story unfolds across Connecticut and California’s Salinas Valley, tracing lives shaped by love, betrayal and the burden of history. Directed by Zoe Kazan, it is a series with subtle storytelling, layered mystery, and considerable moral weight. The adaptation carries a personal legacy for Kazan,
whose grandfather, Elia Kazan, directed the acclaimed 1955 film adaptation starring James Dean. Both works are based on the classic 1952 novel by John Steinbeck, which is full of Biblical allegory. Across generations, characters reenact echoes of the fall of Adam and Eve and the deadly rivalry of Cain and Abel. This gives both a simplicity and richness to a story of family and brokenness. The first episode provided an expert introduction, grabbing me from the onset. The series unfolds with such confidence that even the narrative detours that initially feel out of place reveal their purpose by the finale. While Zada’s performance led me to favour the latter episodes, it’s difficult to pick a favourite when every chapter so deliberately builds on the central questions of identity, inheritance, and choice. Of course, Pugh and Faist are wonderful, bringing nuance and empathy to characters who never shy away from their own darkness. The stand out performance for me, however, is Zada’s portrayal of Cal Trask, a young man caught between who he is and who he fears he’s destined to become. His struggle against his own perceived nature is executed with heartbreaking sincerity. With Zada set to play a young Haymitch Abernathy in
the upcoming Hunger Games prequel, Sunrise on the Reaping (2026), East of Edenhas only solidified my high expectations for his performance in said franchise. I could never form a solid opinion on any of these characters. There are no easy answers here, only an engaging conversation. The question of free will at the centre of Steinbeck’s story is thought-provoking to say the least. This show has prompted me to resolve the matter of my not reading the original text. This is art that made me feel ugly. It made me relate to people who did horrible things. It forced me to confront parts of my heart that I’d rather ignore. It reminded me of decisions I regret and it revealed the distance between who I am and who I want to be. More importantly, it showed just how wide that distance can become. Yet it also offered redemption. It asked how much of who I am is simply a story I’ve been told and how much I’ve actually written myself. It asked what goodness is worth, if such a thing truly exists. It asked whether I’m a good person, and perhaps more unsettling, whether I know that I have a choice in the matter.
Picture Credit: Netflix The questions at the heart of East of Eden have no expiry date. Free will, good and evil, autonomy, nature versus nurture; these are debates humanity will always go in circles about. Are we born good or bad? How much say do we have in the matter? Are we victims of circumstance, or authors of our own fate? I suppose that’s yours to decide.
Movies //
Surviving zombies is hard. Ignoring Austin Abrams is harder. Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil is horror/comedy perfection ANNA MCCAUSLAND Horror and comedy are two sides of the same coin. Each beat, each joke, and each jumpscare have to be timed to perfection to elicit the right reaction from the audience. Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil (2026) manages to capture that sentiment to a tee. Between jumpscares, Cregger takes advantage of a sort of desperate comedy by putting his main character, Bryan (played by the insatiable Austin Abrams), into countless hopeless situations and letting him be the bubbling buffoon who keeps fucking it all up. Organ courier Bryan, wanting to delay a hard conversation with his girlfriend Michelle (voiced by the one and only Sarah Paxton; Aquamarine (2006) fans, 16
you get me), takes on a job delivering a package to the next town over. Driving through snow and wind without chains or even snow tires (tsk tsk), Bryan has the unfortunate luck of hitting a woman with his car. What should be a fatal accident instead leads to a series of deeply unfortunate events that leave Bryan undoubtedly traumatized. Which is why I maintain that if I hit anything on a snowy road in the middle of the night, it’s simply not my business. Whatever you do, just stop getting out of the car. The movie pays great homage to the story’s earlier life as a series of video games of the same name. Cregger takes great care with his camera work, giving us first-person shooter-style POVs, layered shots that keep previous locations
visible in the background, and third-person tracking shots that guide viewers through a series of alleys. These choices definitely made it feel like I was watching a playthrough. All I needed was a tiny square in the corner with [insert your favourite playthrough YouTuber here]. Cregger and Shay Hatten’s plot also moves in a level-based sequence. It’s very reminiscent of a video game. Throughout the film, we watch Bryan slowly build up to the “final boss,” all while leveling up and struggling against literal padlocks that keep him from advancing. It’s an interesting way to tell the story. That said, I think the nature of the structure also means a lot gets crammed into a relatively short amount of time. There is hardly a moment to really focus on one
“level” or traumatic event. Eventually, it just got to a point where the formula felt tiresome. Like we were getting the same thing over and over again without much change except in whatever gun Bryan was loaded with. Speaking of Bryan, we should spend a few moments talking about the absolutely insane performance Abrams gave. Now, I primarily know him from Netflix projects like Do Revenge (2022), Dash & Lily (2020), and of course Euphoria (2019–2026) but this isn’t Abrams’ first collaboration with Cregger. Weapons (2025) marked the first time the two creatives teamed up for an epic horror CONTINUED ON PAGE 17
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ARTS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 16 film, and let’s just say I’ll be totally ready for more in the future. There’s something incredibly vulnerable and, at the same time, deeply comedic about Abrams’ performance. He disarms the audience with his charm and general clumsiness which has you rooting for Bryan the entire film. After all, he’s just a normal guy, who’s terrified, and with a shit ton of adrenaline coursing through his system. My co-worker told me his performance makes the film, and I couldn’t agree more. Without those sad eyes, charming smile, hoop earring, and low-key loaded biceps (that’s right, there is a shirtless scene), the movie wouldn’t be nearly as gut-punching and heartfelt. Nor as funny. I went into this movie armed with a handful of Austin Abrams fan edits
(thanks, Ava), the knowledge that it was based on a video game, and little else. My expectations weren’t the highest and I came away a little scared, a little sad, and a whole lot in love with Abrams (that part was indeed expected). But I also left contemplating a more interesting question: at what point does human resilience finally give out? When do we surrender in the face of impossibility after impossibility? My friend and I joked about how we wouldn’t have made it nearly as far as Bryan without ending everything, but in reality, hopped on adrenaline, what won’t a person do to survive? How far can we push ourselves for the people we love, for our own lives, or for humanity in general? Bryan finds out just how far he’s willing to go. Will you?
© Sony Pictures.
Movies //
You’ve heard of the final girl, what about the weird girl? Five (and a half ) spooky girls to spook your ‘ween DARIEN JOHNSEN As a certified weird girlTM I feel qualified to not only spot a fellow weird girl, but to spot a real good one. In recent years, I’ve become obsessed with feminist horror, which eventually led me to the niche genre of weird girl horror. Most people have no clue what I mean when I bring it up, so I’ve come up with my own definition. Weird girl horror is a genre of film that features a particularly quirky or odd female lead. Usually, the protagonist is also the antagonist, making for a dynamic and cerebral viewing experience (think Pearl (2022)). Women and girls are vastly interesting; our experience in the world is a horror movie in itself. It makes sense, then, that women are dominating the horror genre more and more. But I often find it hard to relate to these pretty, resilient, ultimately “good” women who usually end up overcoming whatever obstacle a horror movie throws at them. The protagonists that resonate with me are girls who are unlikable, not entirely relatable, and difficult to parse. Sadly, even most “weird” girl horror films the internet recommends to me feature girls who just aren’t weird enough. So I sent myself on a quest to find the weirdest girls in horror I could find. Without further ado, here’s a nowhere-near-exhaustive list of the best weird girl horror films.
first viewing, totally enchanted by our odd little May — an outcast with a lazy eye who falls head over heels in love with a boy’s hands. From there, we watch as her infatuation triggers and slowly transforms her into something terrifying, and the repressed years of loneliness manifest in very strange ways. This movie gets bonus points for queer representation and proving that every guy wants an eccentric girlfriend until he actually gets one (girl, just be gay).
Ginger Snaps 2: Unleashed (2004) While the first Ginger Snaps (2000) could easily claim a spot on this list, this terrific sequel takes its place here due to the second protagonist: Ghost. Young Ghost is a delightfully twisted orphan who speaks mostly in riddles and has a fascination with horror comics. I will admit, the movie does get derailed by her storyline, practically abandoning the narrative carried over from the first film. But there is never a limit to how many weird girls can come from a single franchise and I, for one, would like another movie featuring Ghost because wow!
Spider Baby or, The Maddest Story Ever Told (1967)
Strap in for this one, viewers, and try to get past the first 20 minutes or so, because off the bat this movie is odd, proving that low-budget horror was a thing in 1967 (mad respect). The film features not one, May (2002) but two weird girls in a very, shall we This was my first introduction to weird say, quirky family. Though the real star girl horror, and as such, sits at the top of is clearly Virginia, who deeply identimy list. I was riveted during my entire fies with spiders and takes great joy in
Photo © Lions Gate Films catching victims in her web. Truly, I need not say more. It’s a wildly twisted, unserious romp perfect for Halloween. The Addams Family (1964-1966) can quite literally eat it.
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014) If you’re squeamish, but still like a good spooky vibe, this visually stunning blackand-white film set in Iran is the one for you. The protagonist is an unnamed vampire woman who haunts the men and boys of “Bad City” at night. I hesitated to include this creature feature because I’m usually more interested in the tangible, real-world weird girl, but it’s a sweet little romantic vampire flick, so here she is in all her strangeness.
Excision (2012) Okay, we’ve fully crested into bizarro territory with this one, and although it’s nowhere near a favourite of mine, it has
to be included because the protagonist is a deeply disturbed teenage girl obsessed with becoming a surgeon. It’s not very scary, but it is really gory, and I’ve never seen a horror movie quite like it. Honestly, be prepared to walk away emotionally horrified. As an honourable mention, I do feel the need to mention Possession (1981), though I’m not sure I see the protagonist Anna as a cut-and-dry weird girl. Her erratic behaviour feels less inherent to her personality and more like an abstract externalization of the turmoil she experiences in a world that has robbed her of power and choice (not unlike many of the aforementioned films). Regardless, if you’re looking for a weird horror movie, look no further. Every single character except the child is… peculiar. Happy spooky-ween everybody! Nothing is more terrifying than girlhood, so enjoy!
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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2026
TH E C A S S - C ADE S H U FFLE CASSIE WILLIAMS At least once a week, I think about teleporting. And it’s always right before my commute home from the UFV Abbotsford campus. I live in Chilliwack, so it’s not an atrocious amount of time, but those 32 minutes getting home after a full day of classes really take it out of me. So, join me in my commute with the top played songs in my car that have been accompanying my feverish drives home this week. OliviaRodrigo – “vampire”/“traitor” Recent breakup, anyone? No? Well, listen to some Olivia anyway and come be feral with me because “you gotta laugh at the stupidity.” Tame Impala – “Loser” Love me a little Spider-Man cosplay on the way home from back-to-back classes. Winyah – “Lot To Learn” If you want to feel all main-character-y, like you’re (somewhat?) on the right track with your life, this song’s for you. “Feel It All Again” by this band is a recent addition to my drive that also hits the sappy, nostalgic notes. Rico Nasty – “OHFR?” This one may not seem like it fits in this mix, but if you know me, it makes sense. And yes, I’m fine. Noah Kahan – “23” Honestly, Kahan’s entire discography accompanies me at all times, but “23” has really been hittin’ lately. Other honourable mentions from his wonderful album The Great Divide: The Last Of The Bugs (2026), which simultaneously destroyed and healed me, are “Doors,” “Staying Still,” and “Downfall” (heavy on that last one). Joshua Sloane – “Shark Attack” Seeing him live in Seattle altered my brain chemistry, and this is his happiest sad song by far. Kendrick Lamar – “DNA.” Closing out with a little Kendrick to wake you up and make you feel ready (ha) to tackle the mountain of work still waiting once you park your car.
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ARTS Video Games //
A cut above the others How the new game Dressmaker weaves together accessibility with gameplay ABBY HANSEN I’ve been on a binge of overstimulating games as of late, mostly playing fairly intense, fast-paced, action-adventure gems like God of War: Ragnarök (2022), The Outlast Trials (2023), and Helldivers (2024). However, amid the fights with Norse gods, profane puzzles, and bug-infested battlegrounds sits a game that stands out from the crowd in the best possible way. On Sept. 21, indie developer Cozy Lives released Dressmaker, a cutesy, fashion design game set in a fictional, Edwardian era-inspired world, where players complete commissions for clients. Stepping into the role of the town’s newest dressmaker, you can design a variety of gorgeous — or hideous if you dislike the client — gowns and dresses. Behind the fancy fabrics and glamorous designs lies a surprisingly heartwarming origin story. Lead developer Jonathan Hau-Yoon’s partner, Sabrina Becker, served as the inspiration for the game. According to an article by The Guardian, Becker was studying costume design when Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS) forced her to step back from the craft. Hau-Yoon wanted to make the game to give her a way to sew again. hEDS is one of 13 types of genetic disorder that affects the body’s connective tissue, which makes up nearly every structure in the human body. This causes numerous comorbidities, including POTS, chronic fatigue syndrome, and chronic pain. With Becker’s guidance, Hau-Yoon developed the cozy sewing game. The reasons behind its creation hit close to home for me. I also have hEDS, and while symptoms present differently for everyone, I can see how Dressmaker allows people with disabilities to reconnect with anart form that might otherwise become inaccessible. It also gives me a unique perspective on many of the game’s design choices. With that in mind, I wanted to explore just how accessible the game really is. One common issue many people with chronic illnesses face is that stress can often make symptoms worse. In my experience, hectic gameplay with countless factors to consider only adds to the anxiety. Luckily, Dressmaker does an amazing job of seamlessly stitching realism and fun together. It takes many of the overly tedious elements of sewing and simplifies them while still providing players with a satisfying challenge. Instead of painstakingly cutting out every gorgeous piece of fabric, the game
opts for a Tetris-like minigame where players align patterns before slicing through the material with a simple snip of the scissors. Numerous measurements that have to be taken for sewing a dress in real life, the game only requires three. The result is a gameplay loop that feels satisfying rather than overwhelming, giving players the fantasy of dressmaking without burying them in the realities of it. Another common symptom of hEDS is chronic pain. It’s clear for many reasons that the game was designed with this in mind. Nothing in the game’s mechanics requires complicated controls,something that becomes increasingly important on days when pain limits movement. One thing I personally appreciated was the adjustments that can be made to the sewing machine. Not only can the speed of the needle be changed, there’s also an autosew option that assists with moving the fabric while stitching the pieces together. The colours of the threads on the sewing machine can also be changed, but it doesn’t show up on the final product at all. Mixing and matching different colours of thread to different fabrics has no bearing on the overall look and quality stats of the dresses. Originally, I was confused by that decision, but with further consideration, I realized something. High colour contrast is needed for people
with impaired vision or colourblindness, allowing players with these disabilities to properly visualize. The game already lists the colour and stats of each fabric, so the option to change the colour of the thread on the sewing machine is an effective way for players to change settings without breaking the immersion. The one criticism I have of the game is so minor I almost feel bad bringing it up. Although the game opens with a tutorial, some minor things are still left unexplained. For example, the ability to return any item you’re holding to its original place by right-clicking is never mentioned — a simple thing, but knowing it saves a lot of time. I only found out about it thanks to a friend who also plays the game, so hopefully this tip will save you some time too! That being said, if the point of the game was to make dressmaking accessible and accommodating to people with disabilities, then Dressmaker passes with flying colours. While most games tuck accessibility away in a settings menu, Dressmaker weaves it directly into its design. What emerges is a warm, creative experience that captures the joy of dressmaking without the frustrations that may hold players back. Fabricating a fun and welcoming experience for all gamers.
Illustration: Cozy Lives/Free Lives
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ARTS
ARTS
Movies //
Operation: Hathaway In the name of journalism, I watched every Anne Hathaway movie released in 2026. You’re welcome. SKY S. TERRONES ‘Tis finally time. After months of cinema excursions, I’m ready to report back on my latest listicle mission. Earlier this year, film buffs noticed that several actors were working overtime. While nobody came close to Sir Christopher Lee’s insane record of 10 films in a single year, a handful of stars still managed four or five releases in 2026. The busiest among them just so happened to be one of my favourite Hollywood darlings: Anne Hathaway. With five films released this year, the Queen of Genovia herself gave me the perfect excuse to watch every single one. And no, this isn’t a ranking of the movies themselves. This is a ranking of Hathaway’s performances. Without further ado...
5. The Devil Wears Prada 2 Now, I know Andy Sachs is an iconic role. And while this sequel never quite reaches the heights of the original, it still benefits from a stellar cast, including the ever-reliable Hathaway. I’m also not saying this is a bad performance because, quite frankly, I don’t think that’s even possible for her. But let’s be honest: when it comes to range, this role simply doesn’t give Hathaway as much to work with as some of the others on this list. There’s only so much you can do when the character arc has already been explored. Still, massive props for holding her own opposite the GOAT, Meryl Streep.
4. Verity Based on a novel by a controversial author and starring Dakota Johnson alongside Hathaway, Verity certainly sounded intriguing on paper. Was it any good, though? Eeeerrr... To each their own. Regardless, the performances do a lot of the heavy lifting. Hathaway spends much of the movie confined to a wheelchair, with limited opportunities for traditional emotional expression. Some viewers might think she isn’t doing much, but portraying that stillness convincingly is incredibly difficult work. The way Hathaway shifts from unreadable stares to brief flashes of expression is worth the price of admission alone. I left the theatre a little frustrated with the movie itself, but with nothing but praise for Hathaway and Johnson.
Illustration by Marley Penner / The Cascade
3. The End of Oak Street Whaaat? A dinosaur movie that’s not Jurassic Park (1993) or Jurassic World (2015) in 2026? We’ve been blessed. As a certified dinosaur enthusiast, I’m always happy to see more prehistoric creatures on the big screen. The End of Oak Street isn’t exactly reinventing the wheel, but it’s a fun ride if you know what you’re signing up for. Yet again, Hathaway steals the show. Watching her transform from a tightly wound suburban mother into a woman pushed completely over the edge is genuinely fascinating. She doesn’t get many opportunities to shine, but she makes every single one count. Ironically, one of my issues with the film was that the rest of the cast struggled to keep up. Not because they’re bad, but because Hathaway is operating on an entirely different level. Suffice it to say, I was crying by the end.
2. The Odyssey Fess up. Who thought The Odyssey was going to take the number one spot? Trust me, nobody was more surprised than I was. Hathaway doesn’t have a tremendous amount of screen time here, and many of her scenes place an additional physical barrier between her and the audience. Just imagining how difficult it is to convey emotion under those circumstances makes me respect the performance even more. It’s one thing to showcase your talent through emotional breakdowns. It’s another thing entirely to communicate
so much through restraint, subtlety, and silence. Despite her limited appearances, Hathaway leaves a lasting impression every time she’s on screen. And that speech in IMAX 70mm? It’s going to live rent-free in my head for a very long time.
1. Mother Mary The only way I can describe my experience watching Mother Mary is this: the moment it began, my jaw dropped somewhere between awe and complete confusion. Knowing its director previously made A Ghost Story (2017), I expected something surreal and philosophical. I did not expect a high-level pop star performance. This is an extraordinarily complex role, packed with nuance in every line delivery, glance, and movement. Opposite Michaela Coel, Hathaway engages in what feels like an equal battle of wits, resulting in some of the most captivating acting either performer has delivered. What impressed me most is how much of the performance exists beneath the surface. Every interaction feels loaded with years of history and unresolved, sapphic (I’ll die on this hill) tension, and Hathaway rises to the challenge at every turn. Mother Mary certainly won’t be for everyone. But for yours truly, it delivered the most fascinating, challenging, and impressive performance of Hathaway’s entire 2026 run. And considering I watched five movies just to answer that question, I’d say the mission was a success.
CHARTS 01. WINE LIPS TV Dinner 02. NORTHERN DARKHORSE Northern Darkhorse 03. LOV Iskwew 04. MAGI MERLIN POWER HOUSE 05. DOOHICKEY CUBICLE Good At It 06. KRISTIN WITKO Lavender Town 07. NICKY MACKENZIE Morals 08. LAURA ROY Late Bloomer Season 09. PRAIRIE GAMBLE Prairie Gamble 10. SONREAL Here Goes Nothing 11. THE DELLA KIT Dreams Speaking in Colour 12. EMPANADAS ILEGALES LABORATORIO TROPICAL 13. TAXI GIRLS STATIC 14. TRUE MOUNTAIN LAUREL ANGEL SO BAD 15. TRUCK VIOLENCE Theweathervaneismybody 16. LA SÉCURITÉ Bingo 17. OLIVIA PENALVA Exit Wounds 18. DYLAN SINCLAIR Make You Feel 19. ADA LEA the end is a wave 20. PHOEBE BRIDGERS Lost Weekend
Where your music taste matters by CIVL’s Music Director, Stephen Munga.
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CATCH A BREAK Crossword What your favourite scary movie?
Horrorscopes By: Lilith of Rhiannon Aries - Mar. 21 to Apr. 19 During this fortnight leading up to Samhain, consider channelling the spirits of the deceased and lie face down in a ditch.
Taurus - Apr. 20 to May 20 So you’re looking for that perfect someone to spend All Hallows Eve with. Have you considered slaughtering your enemies, bathing in their blood, and using the scent of fresh death to attract the perfect mate?
Gemini - May 21 to Jun. 21 You’re not the sorcerer, you’re the apprentice. Quit casting spells and flooding the damn basement. It’s not good for the foundation.
Cancer - Jun. 22 to Jul. 22 A dirt nap in a pet cemetery isn’t a bad thing. The malevolent forces are rumoured to reanimate the cerebral cortex so all your hideous memories will still exist, you’ll just be a terribly disfigured living corpse. But hey, bury yourself now and you won’t have to worry about buying a Halloween costume.
Leo - Jul. 23 to Aug. 22 The ship of the damned is calling your name. The ghoulish pirate fiends who hoard the wealth of the seven seas want you as their leader. Consider joining them! I hear they’ve made pretty good headway in the fight against scurvy.
Credits- Jasleen Sandhu
Virgo - Aug. 23 to Sept. 22 The devil is a great lover, he can teach you all sorts of fun tricks to enchant that special someone (take it from someone who knows). All you have to do is sacrifice the head of a goat and offer it up on an alter in your bedroom (pro tip: the fresher the head the better).
Libra - Sept. 23 to Oct. 23 A dark coven with the boys? Sounds like a cure for the male loneliness epidemic. Count me in!
Scorpio - Oct. 24 to Nov. 21 The need to grieve is a lie sold to you by Big TherapyTM. Extract vengeance upon the people who’ve scorned you by summoning the power of Satan this Samhain. What could possibly go wrong?
Sagittarius - Nov. 22 to Dec. 21 Charles Manson was on to something with his band of followers. You’ve been scorned, life’s spoils have been stripped away from you even though they are rightfully yours. Are you going to let the world get away with that? Or will you amass a vast cult of followers with your dark magic and take what is rightfully yours? Choice is yours.
Sudoku
Capricorn - Dec. 22 to Jan. 19 Digits must strictly increase from the bulb. Squares must be even digits
Something wicked this way comes. Luckily you’ve been bequeathed an amulet enchanted with the dark forces of evil. All you must do is smash it open, light it on fire, and bless your hellish crusade to greatness.
Aquarius - Jan. 20 to Feb. 18 The dead soulless torture chamber of your mind doesn’t have to stay that way. You’re massively intelligent, lean into that. The children of the corn await your leadership.
Pisces - Feb. 19 to Mar. 20 Wash your mind and free yourself of all that you previously thought you knew. Insanity beckons. Step forward into the realm of the spirits as the veil between the underworld thins this Halloween. Embrace your deepest, most primal instincts. All the moral progress of man needs to be destroyed for the underworld to reign supreme once again. Come hence! Queen of the damned!
Credits- wren.dalman