UBCO to leave CFS? Page 6
UBCO’s Student Newspaper
February 25th, 2013 | Vol. 24 Issue 12
Feels like fire since 1989
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The Phoenix |
IN THIS ISSUE
February 25th, 2013
News
BC budget cuts $45 million from education - Page 5 UBCSUO not happy with CFS -Page 6
Room 109, University Center 3333 University Way Kelowna, BC Canada V1Y 5N3 Phone: 250-807-9296 Fax: 250-807-8431 thephoenixnews.com
Arts
Editor-in-chief: Cameron Welch
editorinchief@thephoenixnews.com
Art Director: Nadine Bradshaw artdirector@thephoenixnews.com
Video game columns for a change -Page 8 Gangam Style parodies, Harlem Shakes, and the dead end of internet popular culture -Page 9 Donald Glover adds some colour to Girls -Page 10 Checking out Paul’s Tomb -Page 12
Creative Director: Aidan Whiteley creativedirector@thephoenixnews.com Photo Editor: Hanss Lujan
Feature
India’s patriarchy and the Delhi rape case -Page 22
photo@thephoenixnews.com
Copy Editor: Katie Norman
Elections
copy@thephoenixnews.com
UBCO election history and format -Page 13 Meet this year’s candidates -Page 15
News Editor: David Nixon
news@thephoenixnews.com
Features Editor: Rumnique Nannar features@thephoenixnews.com
Sports
Arts Editor: Janelle Sheppard arts@thephoenixnews.com
Events Editor: Laura Sciarpelletti events@thephoenixnews.com
Women’s V-Ball eliminated from CIS playoffs -Page 25 Heat end seasons on high note -Page 26
Sports Editor: Jesse Shopa
Opinions
sports@thephoenixnews.com
Opinions Editor: Matt Lauzon
opinions@thephoenixnews.com
Playstation 4 announcement sucked -Page 30 Pope retires to live chill life -Page 29
Staff Writer: Brandon Taylor writer@thephoenixnews.com Ad Sales Rep: Brendan Savage ads@thephoenixnews.com
Managing Editor: Alex Eastman
managingeditor@thephoenixnews.com
Staff Illustrator: Asher Klassen Contributors: Oliver Eberle, Ali Young, Daniel Vineberg Cover image by Hanss Lujan
The Phoenix is the UBC-O students’ free press. Editorial content is separate from the Student’s Governing Body (UBCSUO) and from the institution at large. The editorial staff encourages everyone to submit material to the Phoenix but reserves the right to withdraw submissions from publication for any reason. “Any reason” could be material deemed to be sexist, racist, homophobic, or of poor taste or quality.
The Phoenix
will not publish materials which condone, promote, or express actions which are illegal under current laws. This does not include articles which provide an in-depth examination of both sides of a controversial subject (e.g. legalising marijuana). We welcome letters: Letters should be typed, doublespaced, under 300 words, and either left with or mailed to the Phoenix office. Your name and phone number must be included. Anonymity may be granted at the discretion of the editorial staff of the Phoenix. Electronic Submissions:
Submissions on disk should
include a hard copy. We ask that you save contributions on disk in “Text Only” or “RTF” formats, or attach documents to an email. The Phoenix is published, in part by: The University of British Columbia Students’ Union Okanagan (UBCSUO) and is an active member of the Canadian University Press
www.ubcsuo.ca
www.cup.ca
Cardboard Fox
Hanss Lujan Photo Editor
Fourth year Visual Arts student Corie Waugh (pictured above) continues her artistic over Kelowna with her latest contribution, Carboard Fox, a makeshft community arts iniviative project. What started out as a project for her sculpture class evolved into an afternoon of art, music and performance. Featuring about a dozen artists, Carboard Fox festival unpacked Saturday February 23 at (Beyonce) Knowles Herritage Park on the corner of Ethel and Bernard. Waugh spend a week making a giant cardboard box and erected it in under an hour after announcing the location over Facebook. Advertised only through social media and word of mouth, the event had a decent turnout despite the rain and hail, and continued from noon to 5 pm until the cops came and shut it down. Given the enthusiasm peopel showed for the event, Waugh told us she put on a similar event if others want to join in the planning and artwork.
NEWS
Dave Nixon
News@thephoenixnews.com
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Campus Pulse Dave Nixon News Editor
Ambulances on campus
UNC theatre enforces food restrictions
Last Wednesday, February 20, an ambulance arrived at the UBCO gym. A student had been working out and feinted for unkown reasons. The student was unresponsive to initial revival attempts, so the paramedics were called. They called it a “routine medical situation,” and administered okyxgen for precautionary measures. The student has recovered fully. Just over a week ago, another ambulence had rushed to campus to rescue a construction worker at the hanger centre (gym) who was having a diabetic reaction. He has also recovered. The identity of both patients is not disclosed.
UBCSUO has recently posted notice that the only food to be allowed in the UNC theatre will be that purchased from UBCSUO businesses. This follows the commercial theatre tradition of barring outside food in order to increase revenue of complementary products such as popcorn. This is sure to make students on a tight budget unhappy, but on the bright side anything you spend at a UBCSUO businesses goes back to your Student’s Union for reinvestment, and with the Green Bean, Cinesnax and Koi Sushi, you have much better selection than a typical theatre would provide.
Theta Phi Sorority campaigns to create a good image for Greek life
Theta Phi coat of arms Dave Nixon
Photo from ubcogreeklife.com
News Editor
Over three years since the referendum that shut down Greek Life’s ability to be recognized by the UBCSUO, Theta Phi has reignited the debate with a presentation at the last board meeting on February 11. Their goal was to convey the measurable benefits that Theta Phi has provided its members and community and the strict standards to which its members are held. Theta Phi referenced the controversial referendum, which they claim had only 4% of the student population turning out, and was corrupted with bias from that year’s UBCSUO. We could not locate turn out numbers for the 2009 referendum, but none of the directors questioned these assertions during the discussion period. In 2011, the sorority logged 856 volunteer hours, and raised $3,252 for their chosen charities. So far this year they have raised $1,250 and volunteered 500 hours. They require each pledge to donate 20 hours per semester, and each member must commit 10. They currently have 67 members, consisting of a variety of people including girls who are
Residence Advisors, peer mentors, campus club leaders and members, and Teaching Assistants. As for the controversial Rush, Theta Phi maintains that it is nothing like what is portrayed by film. The only pledge requirements during this period are to attend four seminars, attend 80% of all events, volunteer 20 hours of time, 10 of which are off campus, learn the Greek alphabet and achieve at least 80% on the constitution questionaire. With the recent addition of Student Interest Groups, sororities are now technically permitted under the UBCSUO since this new type of group allows them to turn away prospective members, which regular clubs are mandated not to do. The caveat with this new type of group is that they are not allowed to request funding from the UBCSUO. The central question raised by directors is whether or not to allow Theta Phi through under the Special Interest Group banner, or to hold a second referendum in order to remain consistent. No decision has been reached at this point.
UBCO Model UN club sees explosive growth; sending 29 students to three conferences in North America
Delegation for the New York Model UN Conference
Photo from Oliver Eberle
A group of UBCSO students has recently returned from the Harvard National Model United Nations conference in Boston from February 14-17. They joined 3,000 students at this event participating in representing approximately 40 countries. The skills that students learn in the Model UN club train them to be leaders of tomorrow. “Through the Model U.N experience... students develop an appreciation of various cultural perspectives, the frustration of negotiation, the rewards of cooperation, and an overall in-depth glance of international
relations and diplomacy,” said Oliver Eberle, President of the UBCO Model UN Club. The club is quickly becoming a strong presence on campus after its founding in the fall of 2011. That year they sent eight delegates to the World Model United Nations sponsored by Harvard and UBC, and this year 29 students will participate in Model UN conferences. Two of these have already happened: Vancouver and Boston, and the delegation featured above is ready to attend the third conference on March 17 in New York.
Student evaluations do little for accountability
MSA elections are complete; Slate takes all positions but one
Student evaluations are under review, and they should be, as it turns out that those evaluations are only made available to the professor that they are written about. Professors then get to choose which evaluations to show their supervising dean, which clearly allows for bias in the review process. The evaluations are still helpful to professors who genuinely seek to take the opinions of students into consideration and improve the value that future students receive from their classes, but they do little for real accountability. There are issues at stake such as bias from students based on their grades and other factors, but the UBCO Senate has expressed an interest in using the process in a controlled manner to provide fair and transparent reviews of professors for students considering their course decisions. The goal here is to provide a reliable resource that would better represent student’s perspective of a course than sites such as www.ratemyprofessor.com. Advocacy Representative Sarah Smith is currently working on this issue with the university. For now, the important thing is for students to understand exactly how the evaluations are used so that they are not writing them under false expectations.
The February 13 election results are in. The President, VP Corporate Relations, VP Marketing, and VP Finance roles were uncontested, but the official results are below. President: Scott Courtney VP Academics: Cynthia Mennear VP Events: Haley Parrent VP Corporate Relations: Claire Gontard VP Marketing: Daniel Ballingall VP Finance: Simon Bullock VP Student Relations: Sonja Nordman The slate almost won a full sweep: the only successful candidate who was not running as a part of it was Sonja Nordman. The current MSA will continue to work over the next few months and the newly elected team will take over in April.
UBCO Chinese New Year party sells out... In its second year at UBCO, the Chinese Students and Scholars Association sold out its Chinese New Years party at 240 people, making it a huge success, and a massive party by any UBCO standards. It is the year of the snake, so for those of you born in 1989, this is your year of luck. Red is your color!
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The Phoenix |
February 25th, 2013
VOICE team seeks to reach consensus on health issues to create lasting chang
NEWS
Dave Nixon
“Everybody on campus has something to add to the story”, said Melissa Feddersen, a nurse clinician and team leader of the Voice study. That captures the mission of VOICE: to hear the opinion of everyone involved in the campus community and find a consensus to reach healthy campus development. This is the third round of VOICE, and this year Fedderson says they are putting a focus on implementing concrete actions, both those that can be done immediately and those that take more finesse and long term planning. In the fall the VOICE team engaged the campus from top to bottom, recruiting 115 co-researchers: some volunteers, some as part of classes and some practicum students. Then they began a photo assessment, and had students go out with cameras to document their life: what was healthy about it, what was not. From those pictures they came up with 20 priorities (see graphic below). All participants overwhelmingly picked food, but students living off campus focused on study space, as they want to be able to work here when they come to school. “We immediately try to work on things that students are talking about, and we do that through the formation of action groups,” continued Fedderson. Currently there is a food action group and a substance action group. The substance action group is not focusing on abuse, but instead on reaching a consensus among so many different views on the roles of various substances and how they should be treated. Fedderson also said they are interested in the differences of opinions based on specific groups within the campus community. “We’re now looking at doing focus groups: student athletes, graduate students, lgbtq community, aboriginal students and international students.” If you want to be a part of one of these, email Fedderser at melissa. feddersen@ubc.ca; drinks and snacks will be provided during the 60-90 minute sessions. In the spring VOICE will be looking at personal health and safety issues such as whether or not students feel secure or have been insulted and hurt on campus. VOICE is in the plan and act phase right now, which is the last stage before ‘reflect and celebrate’ in April, then ‘renew and sustain’ which is set for May-August.
Campus trail upgrades If you have seen the posters down by the bus stop regarding trail maps, that is one of the examples of immediate action that VOICE has took. Students wanted to volunteer so we did some trail clean up, maintenance and added or remade markers. “Those were the things that students addressed regarding safety of trails that we could immediately act upon,” said Feddersen.
A smokey debate
Priority Interests of All Respondents (n=3046) % of students citing concern
News Editor
60 50 40 30 20 10 0
Photo by Hanss Lujan
Not everyone agrees on which direction a healthy campus must go. One such issue is the conflict between smokers and nonsmokers, which may soon involve the relocation of smoking area(s). The question Melissa Federsen, Campus Health Team Leader, says they are asking is “Can we move one of the gazebos into a less busy place that’s still usable by smokers?” VOICE’s focus is on taking action as soon as possible this year, and they hope this may be one of the quick fixes that solve a problem from both sides of the debate. One of the interesting issues in the smoking debate is the rights of each person involved. “You’ve got a strong rights person who doesn’t want their rights restricted (as a smoker) next to a person who had to drop out of class because [they] are so allergic to smoke,” said Feddersen. VOICE’s job is to help them hear each other’s opinions instead of leaving each to feel as if an invisible force is trying to restrict their rights. It shifts the perspective to a collaborate approach towards a consensus rather than either side remaining filled with resentment and viewing the debate as black and white.
Community Dialog Sample
Nonstudent n=184 Student n=3024
24% 76%
Live on campus
Live off campus
NEWS
February 25th, 2013
Post-secondary core funding cut by 45M
Newly released BC budget paints a bleak future for students already shouldering heavy debt Dave Nixon News Editor
| The Phoenix
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UBCO KULA club addresses deadly discrimination targeting people with albinism
KULA club has raised $666 so far towards their $1,200 goal to pay for safe schooling of children with albinism Ali Young
Contributor
How we imagine the BC liberals responding to our complaints Little relief is to come for students and post secondary institutions in light of Tuesday’s release of the BC budget by the BC Liberals. Approximately $45 million in cuts are to affect core-funding over the next two to three years. “Core-funding represents 58% of universities’ operating budgets,” says Abdul Alnaar, Director at Large, Provincial Executive Representative, and nominee for next year’s External Coordinator. “Post secondary institutions, like ours, depend on core funding from the BC government to fund our dayto-day operations.” This news has wider implications for BC and Canada. A September 2012 report by the Business Council of British Columbia stated that by 2020, demand for workers in BC would exceed supply by approximately 62,000 people. These consist of 15,000 that will require a university degree and 17,000 that will require a two-year college diploma or trade certificate. BC’s public seems to realize the link between post-secondary educa-
tion and a healthy economy, even if the BC Government does not. A recent Ipsos-Reid poll, for example, reported that eight in ten British Columbians view post-secondary education as the path to improving job prospects for our young people. The Research Universities’ Council of BC and the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) have also published studies that demonstrate a similar link. The budget includes a $1,200 saving plan for Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP) contributions, but the CFS all but called it a joke, saying it is an inferior program to the student grant program the BC Liberals cut eight years ago. "Students are paying more and getting less every year. Tuition fees are going up while class sizes increase, equipment becomes outdated, and building maintenance is ignored," said Katie Marocchi, Chairperson of the CFS BC. The budget also included a second year freeze of $4.7 billion of block funding to public schools; investment in education is bleak across the board in BC.
CSSA club reaches 200 members Dave Nixon News Editor
The Chinese community on campus recently celebrated the Chinese New Year, hosted by the Okanagan Chinese Canadians Association in Kelowna. The event hosted approximately 240 people, many of whom were from the UBCO Chinese Students and Scholars Association (CSSA), which is a global organization that Will Wei founded a chapter through last year. It now has over 200 members, including 14 graduate students and 5 professors. The Chinese population at UBCO makes up about 20% of the international population, approximately 300 students, and the
international student population here is approximately 1,500 students, which is almost 8% of the overall student population at UBCO. This is an impressive statistic when you consider that UBC Vancouver’s student population consists of only 7% international students. Will Wei is completing his first degree at UBCO, but second degree in total, in economics, and says that he is impressed by the diversity of UBCO’s campus, and he is very grateful to be here. The highest population of international students are Chinese, Iranians, and Bangladeshi.
Ali Young presenting the CEO of UTSS On Tuesday, February 12 2013, the KULA club welcomed Peter Ash, the founder and current CEO of Under the Same Sun (UTSS) to speak on behalf of the organization on the topic of Albinism and the sale of albino body parts. UTSS is a Canadian charity based out of Surrey, BC. UTSS is investing significantly within Tanzania to improve the lives of Persons with Albinism (PWA). Albinism is a rare, non-contagious, genetically inherited condition occurring in both genders regardless of ethnicity. The condition results in a lack of pigmentation in the hair, skin and eyes, causing vulnerability to sun exposure and bright light. In Tanzania, PWA face the horror of a rapidly growing industry for the sale of albino body parts: a brutal practice that is fueled by powerful myths surrounding albinism and the belief that these body parts can provide good fortune and prosperity. Albinism is much less prevalent in North America compared to Eastern Africa; about 1 in 20, 000 versus approximately 1 in 1,400. The problem is that 90% of the population within Eastern Africa believes in witch doctors. These ‘healers’ promote that PWA are ghosts, curses, have magical powers, and that when they die they vanish. Each of these distinctions de-humanizes the person, making them a susceptible target for violent attacks. UTSS is attempting to combat the deadly discrimination against PWA in numerous ways. Their main focus is awareness; by in-
Photo submitted by Ali Young
creasing the public’s knowledge of the simple biological reasoning for albinism, UTSS hopes greater societal acceptance will be achieved. One way they have pursued this goal is by creating a documentary film called “White and Black: Crimes of Color”. This film interviews many surviving victims of attacks, victims’ families, and follows a journalist (Vicky Ntetema) undercover in an attempt to record a witch doctor willing to gather albino body parts for her purchase. While these dvds are available within North America, they were made for film screenings in the villages from which reports of attacks have surfaced. These screenings were met with vast crowds and many encouraging responses of a re-evaluation of ones’ own discrimination due to misinformation. This guest lecture served as the kickoff for the weeklong fundraising/awareness campaign led by KULA. By the end of the week KULA had raised about $666, just over half of their $1,200 goal. This $1,200 pays for the safe schooling of a child with albinism for an entire year; KULA was able to make this donation last year and hopes to be able to continue this annual contribution. To donate go to: www.facebook.com/kulaubco. Tax receipts are available for any donation over $20. The link for the lecture video will be available on the Phoenix website. For more information about Under the Same Sun visit: www.underthesamesun.com or www.facebook.com/underthesamesun.
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The Phoenix |
NEWS
February 25th, 2013
UBCSUO dissatisfied with Canadian Federation of Students; petition to leave may circulate after student elections Dave Nixon News Editor
An anonymous source has told The Phoenix that efforts will be made to begin the steps to leave the CFS after the chaos of UBCSUO elections settle down. In the meantime, the official relationship of the UBCSUO with the CFS can be described as one of ‘dissatisfaction’. Abdul Alnaar (Director at Large), Sabrina Tikhomiroff (Internal Coordinator), and Curtis Tse (Financial Coordinator) all agree that this is a fair description. Since the beginning of this executive term in 2012, many actions have been taken to distance themselves from the
CFS: cutting web services and removing CFS branding. The only services UBCSUO takes advantage of now are the bulk buy discounts and the International Student Identity Cards (ISIC) Building on these steps, the next logical move is to leave the organization. Would students lose any benefit from leaving the CFS? Tse does not think so. Once the bulk-buy service and agendas are opted out of, the only services UBCSUO will be using are the ISIC and the Student Saver Cards. ISICs aren’t used too much, but are
invaluable for international student identification. Tse says there would be room in the UBCSUO budget to offer a similar service for students who need it. Tse’s opinion of the student saver cards is very low, as he says most of the businesses listed on there will give a student the same discount by just presenting their student cards. This means that the remaining valuable service offered by CFS is only its lobbying efforts. But Alnaar feels that they have failed to execute this mission effecitvely. He pointed to UBCSUO’s ability to meet with the new
Minister of Advanced Education, John Yap, before the CFS did so. Other students in BC are dissatisfied as well, leading to the formation of the Where’s the Funding Campaign?!, which has now become the Alliance of BC Students (ABCS). Sam Chang, Internal Coordinator, has sat in on meetings with the group, though UBCSUO is not committed to joining at this point. ABCS represents eight student organizations and 160,000 students, which undermines the value of CFS BC as the only provincial lobbying group.
$1,084,608
UBCSUO’s total expected membership fees to be collected this year.
The amount above our regular student fees plus the $139,608 CFS fees. The graphic (right) demonstrates that CFS fees are equivalent to 15% of our total student fees. Our university desperately needs tangible services such as study space and a library. If this money were used for that, it would help encourage donors to match and surpass it, and at the very least the money could be put in a interest bearing savings account, and use the interest to help pay off the UNC mortgage to free up funds for improved services. What is the better investment?
$139,608
Amount collected from UBCO students this year to remit to the CFS.
Brief on the UBCSUO’s history with the CFS
Where are your CFS dollars going? At least in part to legal fees used to keep you in the CFS
Abdul Alnaar returned from the CFS AGM in November disenchanted with the organization. He and other students’ associations who attended had thought that the secretive nature of the CFS needed reform: meeting minutes are not available, budget information is not online, CFS refuses to disclose its extensive legal expenses, and the process for leaving the federation is redundant, slow, and discouraging. Alnaar was personally attacked for his support of these motions, accused of having a right wing agenda, of being a communist, a racist, and possessing motive to break down students unions. This is not an isolated event. The press coverage of the CFS has been very negative, and many student unions have spoken out against them. UBCSUO’s current executive were elected on a platform of transparency, and they disagree with the way the CFS is run. As a result, they have distanced themselves from the federation throughout the year.
In 2009 the Honorable Mr. Justice Blair pointed out that spending student money on legal fees is only hurting Canada’s students, especially now in the climate of constant tuition hikes and funding cuts across the board. “The cost of this litigation, no matter which party or parties are successful, will be borne by postsecondary students enrolled at SFU, as well as by students at those institutions which are members of the CFS. Tuition, books, accommodation and meals already impose a significant burden on post-secondary students without requiring them to contribute further to the costs of resolving the parties’ dispute. I would anticipate that the student fees paid to the SFSS and the CFS can be used more productively for programs directly benefiting those students rather than being consumed in more litigation.” These legal disputes mostly arise from CFS refusing to recognize the legitimacy of referendums held by individual uni-
versities who vote to de-federate. Unfortunately, it seems the Judge’s words fell on deaf ears, as litigation has continued since then. In January 2012, The Peak wrote that SFU spent three years and over $450,000 in legal fees to finally end their membership in the CFS. Since the CFS has refused to disclose all the details of its legal actions, the total amount in legal fees paid by the organization is unknown. They must be high though: SFU is not alone in its legal battles. The Concordia Students’ Union (CSU) is now embroiled along with its Graduate Students’ Association. The dissatisfaction of these members is plain, and the legal costs take a toll on everyone involved with CFS. Taking into consideration the heavy cuts to post-secondary education that the new BC budget includes, BC students cannot afford to waste money on litigation.
CFS’s most recent member desertion CFS BC has recommended a motion to expel UVSS from the organization. This was after a court ruled that UVSS’s successful departure from CFS did not automatically do the same for its membership in the provincial branch of CFS. This move came as a surprise to many UBCSUO board members, as CFS has set a precedent for itself through the aforementioned legal struggles, which would have drawn out the process of UVSS leaving the CFS BC The Phoenix contacted CFS BC to get a comment on how they came to recommend the expulsion of UVSS, but after an initial phone conversation, a promised callback was not received. Curtis Tse, Financial Coordinator, believes that CFS BC may have decided to expel UVSS because they are aware of tension building among their other largest members: Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Capilano University, and UBC Okanagan, and does not want to provoke continued loss of membership.
ARTS
Janelle Sheppard
features@thephoenixnews.com
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World Traveling Film Fest comes to town
DIY ▼
Make your own personalized journal
Rumnique Nannar Features Editor
Photos by Laura Sciarpelletti
Laura Sciarpelletti Events Editor
Journaling is a great way to get inspiration. Simply writing down what happened in your day can be useful when looking back. I myself have not missed a single day of journaling since August of my grade 8 year. It has become somewhat defining of my character. So why not make the physical journal a personal creation as well? Journals can be expensive. My last one cost me $17 at Chapters, and that was one of the cheaper ones. So instead, follow these easy steps to construct your own personal diary
First you will need to make your book cover. Cut the thick paper to the size you want your journal to be. Take into consideration the size of the writing paper you will have within the journal. I also suggest folding down the sides of the thick paper and either gluing or stitching them together in order to have a nicer looking binding. On the insides of your cover, glue envelopes (either already-made envelopes or ones you have made) in order to store things you find and want to keep, such as pressed flowers and ticket stubs. Place your writing paper within your journal, placing other types of paper through out for more envelopes and general variety. For binding, staple your journal together at the center. I suggest cutting out images and texts from books or magazines you like and pasting them on the cover and on the insides in order to personalize your diary.
You will need: • Thick paper • Stapler • Magazines or books (that you are willing to cut up) • Scissors • Glue • Writing paper (lined or blank) • Any other paper you’d like in your diary
One of the most exciting festivals in Kelowna is back this year, as the World Community Travelling Film Festival readies its lineup of thought-provoking and important documentaries for this week’s screenings. UBCO will also be featuring two days’ worth of documentaries on March 7th and 8th of this week, and completely free. This year’s festival will be showcasing over 43 films, with local filmmakers in attendance. The films at UBCO take place on the 7th in Theatre 26 and the UNC Theatre, starting at 5pm, and same places but at 3pm on the 8th. Yet for UBCO, there are a whole range of documentaries that will spark some change and offer a new perspective on the environment, human rights, and global issues. The festival will feature a wide range of issues including the feminism movement coinciding with International Women’s Day (March 8th), Sing your Song about Harry Belafonte’s activism, and even one about chocolate production and its politics. The festival offers a great variety of films for the UBCO viewer. Belatedly for Black History Month, the festival will be screening the widely acclaimed ‘Freedom Riders’ which spotlights many of the civil rights activists during the bus boycott across America. The festival started 9 years ago, with many keen volunteers, which in part made this organization the largest documentary festival in BC. As key organizer Michelle Brugger states, “Sitting in a theatre with all those films from all over the world for an extended period of time makes you sensitive. Rightfully so, some of the most beautiful and ugly pictures humanity has to offer. Every year I have taken part in this event and volunteered my time hoping to help a struggling organization that is so needed in our community.” Some of this year’s films come from all over the globe like Europe, Israel, Africa, and the US. The film festival will also be featuring local food and catering, with donations going towards the KI-LOW-NA Friendship Society, and Inn for the Cold. The funds toward this thriving film festival are all by donation and grants which enable the group to showcase these films all across the province. Quite simply, this festival highlights a number of interesting issues that plague our world today, and to miss out would be nuts! For a full schedule of the events at UBCO and Okanagan College, check the website: www.worldfilmfestkelowna.net
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The Phoenix |
ARTS
February 25th, 2013
ARTS
CULTURE CLUB
February 25th, 2013
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Harlem Shake! Girls (the show)! Cam and Rumnique talk about popular things
Gangam Style parodies were the dead end of our culture
Racial tension and the nice black boyfriend! Season 2 of HBO’s Girls tackles the show’s whiteness problem
Will the Harlem Shake save us or make things worse? Cameron Welch
Runmique Nannar
Editor-in-chief
The horsememes of the apopcalypse Gangam Style should have lasted two weeks, not five months. Gangam Style is a fun song and a pretty funny video. It’s catchy as h*ck. It’s unique, it’s over the top, it’s foreign but accessible. It makes you want to dance and party, but it’s also not simply another song about dancing and partying. In some ways it’s a perfect hit, and sure, hits stay popular for way too long. So five months of it playing in the club is fair enough. The problem with Gangam Style’s place in popular culture isn’t its popularity as a song, or even as a viral video. It’s with the abomination it produced as a meme. The wave of Gangam Style “parodies” produced nothing of value for humanity. Except for maybe Romney Style, not a single one added any content, any clever spin on it. The point was always just “look! We are doing the Gangam Style! At a college! In a pool! At another college!” The point became just participation in thr meme, rather than actually doing anything with it. Gangam Style parodies were dead on arrival because Gangam’s a distinctive bigbudget video made by one artist and his friends, and it’s entertaining because of what that artist did. No random person can replicate its effect by doing it, just like five teenagers remaking an Anchorman scene on their SLR wouldn’t add anything to it. The Harlem Shake, on the other hand, is the ideal video meme. It’s deliberately user-generated and low-production-value.
| The Phoenix
It’s short, spontaneous, has a recognizable formula, it’s fun to do and see, and each one is (theoretically) unique. People can add something to it. Because it’s near-impossible for most white people to look genuinely cool or smooth while dancing, the best thing for a white person – or anyone, for that matter – to do on a dance floor is to wyle, i.e to dance as vigorously, ridiculously, and scandalously as possible. Wyling, also known as wylin’ out or getting turnt, is a pure and noble art passed down to us from our forefathers and foremothers and foreoldersiblings, and the point of Harlem Shaking is not to go from one person to a crowd - it’s to go from prewyling to WYLING. The four dudes in the original video come out goin hard, but at the 15-second mark they take it to a nother level. And when they do it they’re clearly having - pardon my French - a dang good time with friends. The problem with most Shakes is that people just kinda dance. They don’t wyle. The other point of a Harlem Shake video is the inventiveness of the wyling. The video becomes a moving Where’s Waldo in which the viewer looks for the most amusing and novel figures in the tableau. (another reason big crowd Shakes suck is that you can’t see these individual wylers or how they’ve changed after the drop) In the first warehouse video, a man just punches an inflatable giraffe. Two people
Collage by Hanss Lujan
are on the ground writhing. Everyone is absorbed in their own task. They know that for their individual ridiculousness to work, they have to fully commit to it. They truly wyle, and they are pure of heart. But the flip side to this, unfortunately, is when people just act “random”. A chicken suit! Neon and ski goggles! Lol so random! This supposed randomness is too contrived to be true wyling, and should be considered a crime and a sin. Why do people ruin something good and true with played-out bullshit like this? Because, like with Gangam parodies, they want to do the cool thing that’s spreading through culture. Witness every university’s personalized version. Witness the Today Show’s truly despicable attempt. Witness Pepsi’s two (2) “viral video” versions. The benefit of such a simple, applicable framework is that it’s easy to be creative with it (e.g the brick-in-a-washing-machine Shake). The nature of such a meme should allow for the internet to produce countless mutations, from which the cleverest or at least catchiest will proliferate. The reference will burn out quickly, but we’ll squeeze every drop of humour, variety, and cross-reference out of it. It’s no surprise that mass access to content and to the means to produce it will produce a lot of shitty work. Most people aren’t super clever or super funny or super cutting-edge. But the best stuff should rise to the top. That’s the advantage of the
democratic, (sort of) meritocratic internet. Yet instead of putting their own spin on the format, folks make the same thing as everyone else. And other folks watch it. We have legions of shitty-content producers and legions of shitty-content consumers. and instead of liberating us from usual dragged-out radio / tv popularity, internet popularity allows ubiquity to be even more total and wear their welcome out even more. Plenty of popular things are dumb, boring, and/or bad. But why we want our Internet Things, which we have free choice to pick and choose from, to be all those? Mostly because the internet lets us be lazy. It makes it extremely easy to be mildly, familiarly entertained all the time. I hate that youtube always recommends me videos I already like... but dammit I do want to listen to Ignition Remix again. The easiest thing to get people to click on always wins But have hope, good people. Harlem Shake might have actually saved us all… by dying. “It is nobler in the meme to take arms against a sea of terrible parodies and by opposing end them”- Hamlet. The Harlem Shake is over. Once it started being wack, folks stopped liking it. It lasted two weeks, not five months, and that’s really all we can ask of dumb things on the internet. The Harlem Shake is dead. Long live the Harlem Shake.
Lena Dunham and Donald Glover share an interracial smooch on the season opener After a slew of Emmys and Golden Globes, and a recent Rolling Stone cover story, Lena Dunham and her show Girls have been added to the pop culture canon of ‘generational’ programming. Often the storylines are relatable, accessible, and cringingly accurate to female experience. Yet the show was and still is plagued by the issues of diverse casting. Much of the critiques centred on the show following the general under-representation of diversity on television and that the ‘generational’ moniker that Dunham had inadvertently taken up. It has so much potential to address the multitude of voices that were left outside this conversation. However, Dunham and her writers addressed the critics and fans this season with the inclusion of Donald Glover as Hannah’s boyfriend. I did raise my expectations for Glover’s entry into the show. There was the small hope that he would not become one of the interchangeable love interests that Friends created with Aisha Tyler and Gabrielle Union. Glover plays Sandy, Hannah’s new beau who is an interesting character, because he’s given more to work with than the usual token character. He’s a handsome, quirky, and studious law student, whose only downside in this Girls universe is his Republicanism. But he is the character through which Dunham and showrunner Jenni Konner can address race and how it affects their relationship. By episode two, the lovers have reached a signif-
icant level where Hannah gives Sandy one of her “voice of a generation” essays that he fobs off until their climactic fight. Since Hannah’s self-worth is tied to her staunch belief in her writing, the fact that Sandy tells her “it wasn’t really for me” is a criticism she hasn’t faced before and therefore he cannot be with her. She later cites his quietened conservatism as the reason for their breakup but their heated exchange suggest quite a role-reversal. Hannah raises the issue of race by way of an awkward rejoinder, “Did you know that two out of three men on Death Row are black?” He retorts back with, “Wow, Hannah. I didn’t know that. Thank you for enlightening me that things are tougher for minorities.” But the most biting monologue that Glover delivers is an important one: “Oh, I’m a white girl and I moved to New York and I’m having a great time and I got a fixed gear bike and I’m gonna date a black guy and we’re gonna go to a dangerous part of town. And then they can’t deal with who I am.” She tries to deflect the accusation and argues that he fetishizes her and she reminds us of her post-racial stance that she never noticed his skin colour. “That’s insane.” Sandy tells her. “You should, because that’s what I am.” In a sense, we can see that Hannah is the rigid conservative where anyone that does not align with her brilliant essays is canned and sent out the door. I watched the episode with friends, and
Features Editor
Screenshot from Colorlines.com
we each were taken aback by the show’s willingness to broach such a thorny issue. It was an experience that rang true and its effectiveness left us feeling unsettled and rattled. However shrewdly accurate it was, the exchange was left unresolved, and that was the last we saw of Sandy. There would have been more backlash if they had aligned with the post-racial view like Hannah’s and cast a successful actor like Glover without touching on the issue that plagued it from the beginning. It was a heartening acceptance on Dunham and Konner’s part in addressing the obliviousness and privilege of their white characters through this tense fight. It allowed them to question their own responsibility as showrunners. In confronting Hannah’s post-racialism, the show manages to acknowledge the hipster racism that it was accused of earlier in season one. Though it hardly resolves these instances, Dunham acknowledge the show’s blind spots in terms of diversity. It is a tricky double bind that the safe inclusion of diverse characters into a popular show. Either she is tokenizing with Glover, or window-dressing with the new diversity in the neighbourhood. What feels different about this encounter is that Dunham addressed the controversies within the context of the show and its oblivious characters. It was meta and it challenged the social mileiu that the show portrays. Though it didn’t resolve the show’s over-
riding whiteness, it brought race into the conversation in a way that felt unsettling but improved the show for the better.It was one of those heartening and awkward conversations. It is unfortunate that as soon as we start to like Hannah and Sandy as a couple that he immediately disappears. However, charged and thoughtful exchange it was, it does not make the show any less problematic than before. The season premiere feature more black and brown people at Hannah’s party, which was simple appeasement of ‘diversity for diversity’s sake.’ That is just as bad since Dunham is making a more pronounced effort to say ‘HEY! Look at all the friends we’ve made in Brooklyn!” Sandy is the only substantial character of colour in the narrative, which provided a more nuanced quick-fix solution to the race problem of the show. Finally, the show at least touched the surface of a problem that troubles its addition to a slew of shows in a whitewashed New York. It may have featured a token character with a bit more edge. Yet, it feels like an opportunity was ultimately squandered, because Glover deserved more of an arc that explored Hannah with a new guy. I’ll keep watching the show and keep wincing along when I recognize the girls going through familiar situations, but I still won’t see stronger characters of colour.
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The Phoenix |
ARTS
February 25th, 2013
VIDEO GAMES ▼
Alex Eastman Managing Editor
Phoenix Wright is right for writers How things end for Mass Effect’s Sheppard depends on you.
Photo by psygeist(flickr)
Your story: narrative video game endings In Issue 9 of The Phoenix, Rumnique talked about how films struggle to find a satisfying ending. For the first print edition of ABAB START, I’m going to delve into how video games deal with their endings. Train wrecks, golden endings and obvious spoiler warnings ahead, so don’t read on about a game if you haven’t yet completed it. Games are a unique experience compared to movies and television because, generally, they position the audience in a narrative as the central actor(s), or at least as their puppeteer. The player must steer the game forward to its conclusion, and the resulting ending can even vary based on player choice. These factors influence how a game’s writers will frame the ending. A controlled narrative, which is a narrative-driven game whose plot and events cannot be changed by player choice, functions very similar to a film, with one major difference: the climax of just about any narrative in a video game is rooted in action. A final boss, level, race, or other form of competition takes the emotional strings and plot threads that have been tugged and unraveled and ties them into a giant knot. This makes for an engrossing final battle that leaves the player satisfied both as an observer and as a player overcoming obstacles (not just seeing the plot resolve). This formula was perfected by Eastern RPGs such as the early entries in the Final Fantasy series. Many North American narrative-driven games use a different approach to their endings, favouring multiple endings with distinct results based on player perfor-
mance and decisions made throughout the game’s plot. Resolving conflicts in their own ways give the player a personal attachment to the resolution of those conflicts, an emotional investment that pays off in satisfying ending. In order for games to succeed in framing an ending this way, the different permutations need to feel legitimate. Bioware’s Mass Effect 3 and Bethesda’s Fallout 3 fell under criticism for providing endings that didn’t represent the level of choice the series had become known for in more effective iterations of the structure, like Mass Effect 2. Even in games where there is no established narrative or plot, like sports games or other multiplayer games, arriving at an ending to play is an important part of the experience. Screens that show scores, who won and by how many, presented clearly and effectively, enhance the atmosphere of group play. A key thing to remember when looking at endings in video games is that games can have anywhere from fifteen minutes to sixty hours in length. What percentage of the game’s content is built into the ending and how much payoff the player will get are, to an extent, determined by the game’s length. Of course, without the obligation of a movie theatre or a night with a friend or significant other on the couch, video games have to keep interest long enough to even get to the game’s ending in the first place. ABAB START is an online blog and (hopefully) regular column. Alex is well aware that his blog title is not the correct Konami cheat code.
Logan Saunders Contributor
Do you object? I PRESENT to you Phoenix Wright which is, aside from Big Brother USA, one of the best scripted works in today’s world. Phoenix Wright is a video game series following underdog attorney Phoenix Wright. Its trial run originally began in 2001, and over the past twelve years has grown to worldwide popularity but never ceases in its quest to tease the Western audience. Luckily, we have seen four of these games reach the West, as well as nine of its ten manga releases, and a film that you’re on your own trying to find an English subtitled version of. As someone preparing to finish his Creative Writing degree by pushing SNES games, movies, TV shows, music, and enjoyable books to the side, I reflect on what has been my most worthwhile investment as a writer. I think Phoenix Wright is at the top. Sorry, Douglas Coupland’s jPod. Why a video game series? Well, lucky for you, I care to elaborate:
Plot MOVEs quickly
There are only twenty backgrounds you will see in the whole game. Nothing shifts. No 3-D environment until we reach its spin-off series. Many silent periods in the game where sound only appears when it is critical. Therefore, the only device that is in constant fluid motion is plot. In a game that runs for approximately 50-60 hours (without using an online walkthrough— my suburb is designated by City Council a spoiler free zone), you will not go more than twenty minutes without the plot changing. Any writer who writes their
Photo from comicvine.com
stories in a laundry list fashion needs to think “What would Phoenix Wright do?” and SEARCH for the next event relevant to their narrative and put it down on paper.
Amusing and witty dialogue
Unlike most creative works imported from Japan, the sense of humour is translated perfectly. Gone are the days of “Bimmy and Jimmy, Thou Hath Discovered”, or “I Am Error”. Yeah, I watch AVGN. The dialogue in Phoenix Wright will have you LOLing/LAWLing/ROFLing. If you go for jokes that are bad enough to be supplemented by a laugh track or fool the audience into thinking it is a dramatic novel, you really need to EXAMINE the set-up in Phoenix Wright.
Consistent Characters
Have you seen how the characters speak in text? In a game without voice acting except for the magic five words, you rely entirely on the written dialogue. I always find issues with making my characters distinct, and Phoenix Wright attaches objects such as whips (not what you think), bandaids (not Nelly), and hair styles (I wait for Sanjaya Malakar—Ace Singer), it teaches an important lesson that good writing means distinct characters. Phoenix Wright only wastes its most generic appearances and dialogue on the nameless characters. Do I need any more EVIDENCE to support this claim? If you are in a writer’s funk, and you need to CHECK out a work to put you on the right track, Phoenix Wright should be your next visit.
ARTS
February 25th, 2013
| The Phoenix
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Elder actor roles and
waistlines on the rise
Veteran actors are experiencing a flood of job offers
Laura Sciarpelletti
Illustrationa by Asher Klassen
Events Editor
Older actors are high in demand right now; Betty White is one of the busiest actors around, featured in commercials, her television shows Hot in Cleveland and Off Their Rockers, and numerous hosting and interview gigs. There seems to be a special demand for older comedic actors especially. I couldn’t be happier about this, as we are seeing fantastic performers have their careers lengthened by decades. My absolute favorite commercials are the TD Canada Trust spots starring two elder grumpy fellows played by veteran actors Ian Downie and Ben Hammer. Truthfully, those are the only commercials I will sit through. Right now we’re seeing an influx of comedy films starring actors that used to make their living playing mob men and killers. Now they are being hired mostly for the comedic flare that apparently comes with passing sixty. A few weeks ago my boyfriend and I went to watch Stand Up Guys after we passed Paramount theatre and I had a slight freak out over the poster. “OH MY GOD. Christopher Walken, Alan Arkin and Al Pacino in a movie TOGETHER? Is this real? What genius casting agent worked on this film?”
Most people our age are not strangers to Walken’s comedic capabilities. The actor has been featured on SNL more times than I remember, and his voice does half the work. Remember the cowbell? Or how about his genius rendition of Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face?” “Oooohh! Oh oh ooohhhh oh oh!” I have especially been enjoying Arkin’s comedic performances lately, from Little Miss Sunshine to Argo. His dead pan deliverance and swagger account for a lot of the overall charm in the films he is involved in. Stand Up Guys had him driving his fellow seniors around in a sports car like a madman, and making two hookers fall in love with him. Pacino—whose Godfather character Michael Corleone put him on the map at the beginning of his career—is looking haggard lately, appearing fuzzyfaced and raspy-voiced. However, his devil-may-care attitude is allowing him comedic roles. One of the best parts of Stand Up Guys is when he swallows a fist full of Viagra, resulting in a brutal erection that sends Pacino to the hospital claiming that he’s going to die. We also get to see him snort Walken’s blood pressure medication
in a desperate attempt to “fuckin’ party.” Roles like Pacino’s hint that Hollywood finds older performers acting youthful and reckless to be comedic gold; from White swearing and hitting on young men, to Walken and Pacino hitting up young ladies at bars. James Garner, of Rockford Files and The Great Escape fame, took a comedic turn with the television show 8 Simple Rules. His “grandfather” character needed more lecturing and scolding than the actual teenaged characters. And then there are the pants. As hairlines recede, pants waistlines rise, and rise, and rise, and rise. From Walken to Clint Eastwood, some older actors do not even have to try to be funny with such already hilarious apparel. Some may see Hollywood pushing elder actors to comedic roles and demeaning, but it is evident that the talent enjoy it. And actors like Robert DeNiro and Jack Nicolson are able to bounce between serious and comedic roles with ease. The results are films that are accessible for both older and younger viewers, as they offer timeless entertainment.
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ARTS
February 25th, 2013
A hike through time in Kelowna’s North End
A short history on Rembler Paul on a scenic winter walk to his tomb Daniel Vineberg Contributor
For more information about Rembler Paul, search for “The Legendary Rembler Paul”. It’s an article written by Lynda Doyle, Paul’s great, great granddaughter.
Head North up Ellis to the foot of Knox Mountain.
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Poplar Point Ellis St
Nearly a hundred years ago, a man and his wife were put to rest in a tomb built into the side of Knox Mountain. The man wore a mighty white beard, and gave gifts to children on Christmas day. Wait, hold on, there’s no need for alarm – Kelowna is not responsible for the death of Mr. and Mrs. Clause. The tomb is the final resting place of Rembler Paul and his wife Elizabeth. Rembler was an eccentric and much admired pioneer of Western Canada, and yes, the Christmas detail is true – he delivered presents on a horse-drawn wagon. Paul was born in Montreal in 1832. He later moved to Toronto, where at age twenty he married Elizabeth Davis. The couple moved West, where Paul made his fortune in mining and real estate speculation. He is remembered as being one of the first white settlers to explore West of the Rockies. Paul owned eight acres of Kelowna, north from what is now Bernard Avenue. Paul left this land to the emerging municipality of Kelowna, so if you’ve ever enjoyed an evening at Flashbacks or Prospera Place, you know who to thank. Paul’s Tomb can still be visited. Though most of it has long since been buried over by dirt, to prevent vandalism, the top of the tomb is still visible. It’s also a short hike in a beautiful part of town. I did it myself this winter, and would recommend it to anyone who’s interested in taking a walk into Kelowna’s past.
4 Knox Mountain Park
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Downtown Kelowna
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Stay on the main gravel walkway until you come to a large clearing with a couple of park signs. From there, to the East you’ll see the hillside that a foot or two of Paul’s Tomb is poking out of. If you look to the West, you’ll see a couple of trails through the trees that head to a little secluded beach down by the water. Win-win!
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From there about a twenty-minute walk North, but give yourself thirty if you want to hit up your instagram, as there are plenty of beautiful views of the lake.
Swing a left on Poplar Point, a windy road the hugs the edge of the mountain, just beside Lake Okanagan. It’s a five-minute drive, and after that you will find a walking path that’s blocked off to vehicles. There’s parking in the gravel. The other access to the trail is from the first lookout on Knox Mountain Drive. Drive up into Knox Mountain from Ellis Street up to the first parking area. Follow the gently sloping trail exiting from the parking area.
Erìn Moure makes the rounds
Laura Sciarpelletti Events Editor
This year’s Writer in Residence speaks on the importance and flexibility of language. Each year UBCO brings in a Writer in Residence. Last year’s was Karen Connolly, a Canadian writer and poet. This year the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies brought in highly acclaimed poet and translator Erìn Moure. The successful writer, originally from Calgary, has both been nominated for and won many awards for writing as well as translation. These include the Pat Lowther Memorial Award, the Governor General’s Award for poetry, and the A.M. Klein Prize for Poetry. Moure was on campus for one week, which kicked off with an introduction talk at the Platypus House. Throughout the week Moure met with numerous Creative Writing students, held a translation workshop and attended English and writing classes as a guest speaker. Tuesday, February 12th was Erìn Moure day for me. At noon I had a private meeting with her, during which she critiqued my poetry and gave suggestions on how to make it stronger. “Poetry is pushed by language,” says Moure. “A strong poem depends on how strong the language is.”
Moure’s fascination with the mechanics of language is evident in elements of her career, especially with translation. She works with the languages French, Galician, Portuguese and Spanish, all the while struggling to maintain the original writer’s meaning and voice. In the afternoon, Moure attended my class with Professor Karis Shearer—along with Okanagan College Creative Writing professors Jake Kennedy and Kevin McPherson—to discuss poetry performance and her personal style of writing. A few hours later she attended my class with her fellow Governor General’s Award nominee Sharon Thesen to answer questions on language, writer’s block and selfeducation. One of Moure’s most interesting traits is that she spends a great deal of time educating herself through online courses and research, much like Jack London’s character Martin Eden. And finally, Moure finished off her very busy day with an FCCS Visiting Author Series reading. Moure’s writing has been described as difficult, and can certainly be challenging, as it is more on the critical side. Her work can be seen as a
comment on poetry and language, as she enjoys playing with the language more so than focusing on story elements. After the reading, the floor was opened for questions from the audience. Moure commented on linguistic and phonetic elements of poetry, while also discussing language’s relationship with the body. “Language is not all spoken in the same places in the mouth, so my relation to my body changes,” says Moure, who is also very interested in sign language. Throughout this school year, we have seen the FCCS bring in a great variety of writers, but none as adamant on the flexibility and playfulness of language. Moure’s body of work is a testament to her quest to study the ins and outs of language, while using poetry as a vessel for her findings and experiments. Moure’s thoroughness and busy timetable throughout her visit was very helpful to English and Creative Writing students. But it is her blunt and confident method of speaking and sharing her knowledge that makes her a worthwhile Writer in Residence.
Erìn Moure
Photo by Steve McLaughlin
Elections
February 25th, 2013
| The Phoenix
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Slates abolished and turbulence in executive Your need-to-know information on what happened throughout the 2012/2013 UBCSUO term Slates Abolished
Turbulence in the executive
Illustration by Hanss Lujan
Slates have always been part of UBCSUO elections. Their abolishment was a historic change proposed and ratified by Tim Krupa in this year’s AGM. The motion was ratified as a by-law, which means that it takes another AGM in order to vote on changing it. The dominance of one slate for nine years: S4S/S4U, is an example of the effect a slate can have. It brands individuals to the name of their slate, and so voters begin to associate what they know of the slate with each representative. The advantages of a slate are supposed to be a unified vision and reduced conflict within the executive/council. A disadvantage is that it may discourage independants from running, as a slate has more campaigning power than a single person. The solidarity of a slate may also become a disadvantage in the eyes of voters, as a council that does not have a diversity of opinion may not fully represent the student population. A ‘yes’ board is one that allows the executive to do as they please without heavy scrutiny, and students may have felt that this had gotten out of hand after nine years of S4S/S4U. This year is the first election campaign without slates, and while the volume of candidates is similar, the concentration on certain positions is higher, allowing for competition over key positions. The category of Advocacy Representative is vacant this year, but it is likely that those who are not elected to their desired position may apply to be appointed by the board at a later date, so positions will be filled either way.
Other successes
-Largest frosh hosted to date -Waterstops installed -Negotiated to sell hot food at the Green Bean -Opened up the UNC Theatre -Cooperating with the university in pursuit of an Ombudsmen almost complete
UBCSUO significantly improves transparency and distances itself from CFS as promised Steps taken towards transparency: budget, policies, and bylaws are all posted online. Board members now give statements in board meetings on their work for each semester when they claim their honoraria, so there is a record for students to view. While pursuing their platform of transparency and focus on UBCO issues, the UBCSUO has distanced itself from the CFS by phasing out branding and the use of services offered by the federation. An anonymous source informed us that we can expect to see the petition to leave the CFS circulate soon after elections, which is the first step in a lengthy process to defederate. See our CFS coverage this issue on page for more information.
UBCSUO executive honoraria increased; class requirements restrained Executive honoraria were increased by a board vote, and executives have placed a limit on the number of courses a prospective executive can enroll in, to ensure they have more time to dedicate to the heavy workload
Jesse Baxter resigns as Services Coordinator; replaced by Nick Dodds
Staff problems: replacement of General Manager and unfilled Organizer staff position
Jesse Baxter, a third year management student, resigned after completing the largest Frosh in UBCSUO’s history and the first ever club training day. His heavy workload in third year management was complicated by a broken leg, and he felt that he was unable to meet the demands on him under his condition. Nick Dodds ran uncontested in a byelection after Jesse Baxter resigned. Baxter felt that he couldn’t perform the job to the level he hoped to in light of his broken leg tacked onto an already heavy schedule. Dodds had been an S4S delegate in the last election. Executives claimed that there were no hard feelings, and they were looking forward to working with Dodds. The consequence of this change was that Dodds had to play catch up. His first few board meetings were unorganized, though this is natural in any such a shift.
Organization suffered this year from the absence of Mark Norris, the former SU Organizer, and the failure to find a competent candidate for the job to replace him. This created a lack of continuity in the UBCSUO this year, as the Organizer position is supposed to ensure continuity. As a result, there have been failures to have agendas and meeting advertisements posted in the times that UBCSUO is mandated to provide them. It is difficult to measure exactly how the disorganization has affected the UBCSUO as a whole
Dodds successfully passes motion to replace Tse with Sam Chang as Executive Chair
In an executive meeting after returning from Christmas break, Tse (Financial Coordinator) was officially replaced by Chang (Internal Coordinator) for the Executive Chair position. Executive Chair is an appointed role within the elected executive. Its job is organizational: he/she must prepare agendas for executive meetings. According to other executives, Tse was not performing his duties adequately. Various reasons were cited including Tse’s encounter with Norovirus and his heavy workload as a student senator plus third year management course work. He asked for more time to improve, but the other executives denied him that chance, which implied that it had been going on for a while. Executives confirmed that written warning had been issued to Tse in the past, but they did not provide the document in question.
Business managers unable to provide basic information on product margins The replacement of a new GM further disrupted continuity, as Tse fired the former GM. Claude Guerette took over early in the summer. There has recently been more tension as Tse questioned why Guerette and business managers have been unable to provide him and students with individual product margins to understand mark ups that have occurred this year. The issue came to light as students complained to their representatives regarding the higher price of food. Guerette defended the mark ups by saying that supplier costs had gone up for various reasons. Tse claimed that business managers had simply told him that they would not do that when he had addressed them individually. Product costing is a basic tool for business management, and it is unknown how managers properly run their business and know which of their products are profitable without this information. Guerette has promised this information by late March 2013 now. He is currently on a leave of absence for undisclosed reasons
Attempts to restructure executive structure and board fails At this year’s AGM a motion was proposed to change the current four coordinator executive into a presidential system, as many large universities have done. The yes vote was over 50%, but a more substantial majority was required to ratify the motion. It would have also seen a substantial change to the make up of the board representation. See Issue 8’s article “Proposed governance reorganization…” online for more information.
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Elections
February 25th, 2013
How the S4S/S4U slate lost last year’s election A brief history on how and why the current UBCSUO was voted in
The landscape of the UBCSUO changed drastically when the incumbent S4S/S4U saw the end of its nine year consecutive win streak. The historic vote happened March 6/7, 2012: students voted overwhelmingly in favor of electing the new Students/Senate for Action slate, sweeping every single S4S/S4U candidate out. The election had a record 25% student population turnout, which implied a significant interest by the student population in the process of student governance. There are a number of reasons for the student dissatisfaction that led to such a big regime change. The progression of the main issues are illustrated below:
Complaints against S4S/S4U National Day of Action, February 1:2012
A firestorm of complaints were launched against the SU over the purchases including a bouncy castle and tug of war, were seen as misrepresenting the message of the day. The event backfired doubly: on one hand, if it was taken as just a fun school spirit day, the campaigning was seen as an ideological imposition. On the other hand, if the event was seen as an issues rally for concrete results on debt, the funevents were seen as shamelessly populist and dstracting from any real actions. As well, since student money was used to fund the events, it was widely seen as wasteful and overblown. The backlash was crystalized in an open letter to the SU written by UBCO student Amanda Davidson, posted on Kevin Craig’s website and later here in the Phoenix. S4S had held office for a decade, and while similar issues had been raised before and various counter-slates (usually made up of PoliSci students and active S4S critics) had been attempted, the Day of Action was the tipping point that turned popular opinion against S4S.
Transparency of UBCSUO was criticized This had been a common criticism of the UBCSUO. Vital governing documents were not published online for students to see. Defendents of this measure argued that the budget would be baffling for the average student. This argument came off as condescending, and did not do anything to appease critics.
Students/Senators for Action is created in opposition to S4S/S4U Dissatisfaction with priorities of the SU:
Tse believes they should not be following the example set by the Canadian Federation of Students, which had the UBCSUO flying to Gatineau, Quebec, on UBCO student dime to shout support for a CUPW strike. UBCSUO executives also funded executives from another school’s council to attend a CFS meeting. Tse feels that there is too much focus on supporting other schools and unions rather than supporting UBCO needs and improving the function of our own student government. The new slate reflects this belief.
Internal conflict from defection: Tse describes the environment in the SU office as becoming “hostile” when awareness spread of his role in creating the Students/Senators for Action slate.. Other outgoing executives accuse Tse of failing to complete his duties as Services Coordinator. Tse argues that he finds it hard to continue hosting events that he does not believe in. Tse is also criticized about a lack of effort to enacting change constructively from within rather than creating an opposing slate. “it was difficult trying to pass ideas that weren’t CFS inclined,” Tse said in response. He felt that wholesale change change, rather than a split counsel, was the only way to effect positive change. At that time the executive brought in Spencer Robins, a former executive, to run events that Tse was not doing.
2012 Campaign advertisement for S4A
Photo from www.facebook.com
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Action’s beginning
Curtis Tse Defects The Services Coordinator, Curtis Tse, gathers a slate called Students/Senators for Action for the next election. Tse disagrees with the goals and operations of the S4S, and speaks out against their lack of transparency himself.
Tse’s Action slate was deliberately composed of students from various corners of UBCO involvement to ensure that candidates who would be qualified and wellknown would stand together because of issues rather than personal association. Action hit the ground running with physical and internet campaigns, producing content and gaining online student endorsement more quickly and more substantially than S4S.
hrblock.ca | 800-HRBLOCK (472-5625) © 2013 H&R Block Canada, Inc. *Average is based on all student returns prepared at H&R Block in Canada for 2010 tax returns. The average refund amount calculated for students was over $1,100, cannot be guaranteed and varies based on each individual tax situation. $29.95 valid for student tax preparation only. To qualify, student must present either (i) a T2202a documenting 4 or more months of full-time attendance at a college or university during the applicable tax year or (ii) a valid high school ID card. Students pay $79.99 for Complex/Premier return. Expires 12/31/2013. Valid only at participating locations. Additional fees apply. SPC cards available at participating locations in Canada only. Offers may vary, restrictions may apply. For full terms see www.spccard.ca.
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Candidate Profiles Financial Coordinator
Eric Broder Financial Coordinator Growing up in Toronto, my leadership skills were honed working part-time as a Cineplex supervisor, playing four school sports and helping classmates with academ-
ics. A short experience with international modelling was a humbling experience, but taught me how to manage finances and spun me back in the direction of an education. My summers have been spent working for a large student housing provider in Ontario. Graduating next year from Management (finance), I have the skills and background to excel as financial coordinator, the time to dedicate to improving student life and concrete ideas on how to do so. As Financial Coordinator I seek to: • Spend money wisely on
what matters to you • Improve environmental sustainability in a businesssavvy way As Executive member I will aim to: •Keep you informed about what union is doing for you •Improve relationships between community, students, university •Work with landlords to improve access to housing for students Tell me what matters to you: ericnbroder@gmail.com tive member of many campus clubs and recently co-founded UBCO’s first Photo Club
of Bahrain, and since then, I have not regretted my time here. I have been involved in many leadership positions on campus, from being a Residence Advisor, Student Ambassador, to working with International Students, and as Director at Large with the UBCSUO. I believe that students at UBCO have a magnificent talent to bring out the best in each other – and I am running for External Coordinator.
to get an interest free loan. Also, I’m going to continue to fight so that you have more time to pay that back. An affordable, accessible, high quality public post secondary system can be achieved. Bringing back sensible lobbying efforts is what I aspire to – and I’ll ensure that our politicians hear us.
Tim Krupa Financial Coordinator Tim Krupa is a fourth year science student at UBC’s Okanagan campus. He currently serves as a Governor of UBC and Senator-at-large of UBC Okanagan. Tim has an extensive record of involvement and a respected reputation as a leader. His experiences include being a residence advisor, founder and two-time head delegate for the Model United Nations Club, president of the Young Liberals
of Canada, physics teaching assistant, and undergraduate researcher. These experiences, among others, have given Tim a solid foundation and firsthand perspective of the challenges and opportunities facing our university. Above all, Tim is here to
serve students at UBC’s Okanagan campus. He will advocate diplomatically and professionally and prioritize student life, learning, and leadership. He will invest in and focus on students, not politics. He looks forward to bringing his well-known energy and passion to representing students as UBCSUO Financial Coordinator. For details about Tim’s platform, please 1) visit timkrupa.ca, 2) explore fb.com/ TimKrupaUBC, and 3) Tweet @tim_krupa. Vote Tim Krupa for experience, vision, and leadership.
External Coordinator
Abdul Alnaar External Coordinator My name is Abdul Alnaar, and I am currently a 4th year Political Science & Economics student. I came to UBC’s Okanagan campus 4 years ago as an International Student from the Kingdom
Alex Gula External Coordinator A Second year human kinetics student with experience with working with the student union in 2011 – 2012 organizing events that bring the UBCO community together for example The Dirty Dash, and many of the Well events.
If elected, I will push with you to reform StudentAidBC, making it possible for students like you who need it,
Is currently the Events Coordinator for the second largest club on campus The Varsity Outdoors Club Okanagan running events that cater to the needs of the members and assisting in strengthening the relationship between Ubco students and the city of Kelowna. Alex is focusing on reducing the pollution in our parking lots by improving the transit system and making our campus more accessible by bicycles this allowing more space for commuters from the out-of-town areas. Looking to work around important subjects as to
make affordable student housing more obtainable and reliable, the elimination of Bottled Water on Campus, the expansion of study areas on campus, and reducing the student fees at recreation facilities on campus and off-campus.
federal politics, having held a multitude of executive positions over his years of volunteering. Originally at UCBO to study economics, Shaman quickly fell in love with the university and the many of clubs available. Shaman is an chair member of a number of clubs on campus, including UBCO Young Liberals. Helping the club achieve the award for LPCBC’s “Campus Club of the Year,” is one of his proudest achievements. Shaman will strongly advocate for increased transparency in the union, more efficient student advocacy
and higher level of student engagement.student involvement and school spirit as well as unify Kelowna and campus communities.
External Coordinator Shira Sneg internal coordinator Since she was young, Shira had a passion for helping others, giving them a voice, and bringing people together into a community. Shira served as a president in her youth group as well as a youth representative in her community centre, and has received several awards for her volunteer work during high school. Nowadays, she works in the campus library, is a presenter at the 2013 Canadian Conference on Student Leadership, a mem-
ber of the PATH Leadership Program, and volunteers whenever she can. In her spare time, Shira likes to bakes cupcakes and give them to other students – just because. As an internal coordinator, Shira will seek to make
student better aware of the services offered by the students’ union, as well as combine different resources available to students around campus so that students will be able to receive the most out of their time at UBC Okanagan. Shira also hopes to increase the library’s hours and have the Student Evaluations of Teaching results available to students online. drink, have to drive home that night or don’t want to be hungover the next daytive member of many campus clubs and recently co-founded UBCO’s first Photo Club
Shaman McLean Internal Coordinator Born and raised in British Columbia, Shaman McLean grew up on the shores of the North Shuswap, in the small town of Scotch Creek. He is actively involved in
Grad Student Reresentative
Services Coordinator Rebecca Wyllie
NIck Dodds Services Coordinator Since beginning at UBC-O, I have had a diverse set of experiences. I’ve lived on and off campus; failed a complete semester of courses; held an A average; been both a Science and Arts student; participated in a number of clubs and campus groups; and I’ve worked as an RA, a Lifeguard, and as our Services Coordinator. These experiences have deepened my understanding what it means to be a UBC-O student. Many of them helped create the excitement I have for our school’s potential, as well as the passion I have to see that potential achieved. As your Services Coordina-
tor, I will create solutions to overcome the barriers inhibiting our potential as a campus community. Solutions including cheap and healthy food options; better using available space; developing a supportive structure for clubs and course unions, promoting student involvement and a vibrant campus life; and supporting projects that contribute to the fabric of UBC-O. In doing so, I hope to empower us as students. For my full platform visit “Nick Dodds for Services” on Facebook.
Vancouver and grew up in Chilliwack, B.C. Growing up she was extensively involved Services Coordinator in school and community With great communication, leadership programs. This organization and teamwork provided her with the skillset the students’ union will suc- to be a leader and also work ceed in its upcoming year. well with diverse groups. Electing Rebecca Wyllie The new council would as your Executive Services benefit from her social skills, Coordinator will provide innate leadership qualities, these assets to your new passion for teamwork, and council. Wyllie believes that positivity. She has the ability there should be a change in to organize, lead and comexecutives year after year as municate in any means or it is such a valuable opportu- circumstance. With Rebecca nity and experience to repre- Wyllie’s passion for people, sent the students and to be determination and outgoing their voice while improving personality she will be the their university experience. change that you want to see Different individuals provide in your Executive Services different qualities and the Coordinator. students of our university deserve diversity. Rebecca Wyllie is 20 years old, born in North
Blake Edwards Services Coordinator Blake Edwards is unbelievably excited for this year’s election. He grew up in Castlegar, British Columbia, before moving to Kelowna in 2011 to pursue a degree in International Relations. During his time at UBC Okanagan, Blake has had the opportunity of working with residence life, campus life, and various clubs on campus and in the com-
Director at large
munity. He is excited to have the opportunity to run in this year’s election for Services Coordinator and bring his enthusiasm and experience to the Students’ Union. If elected as Services Coordinator, I will focus next year on continuing to enrich the opportunities available to UBC Okanagan students. Firstly, I will be actively involved with the clubs and course unions on campus, helping them become more successful in their endeavours. My primary focus will be mentorships, new policies to help with annual club transition, and creating a relationship with the Students’ Union., campus partners, and the community. I will strive for an increase in student involvement and school spirit as well as unify Kelowna and campus communities.
Robyn Giffen Grad Student Representative Robyn is currently in her fourth year of a Bachelor of Arts Degree, with an Anthropology Major and English Minor and will be beginning her Master’s Degree in
Board of Directors
Anthropology in May. Robyn has been actively involved as a student leader on campus during her undergraduate degree working as a Senior Residence Advisor, a Collegia Assistant, and a Teaching Assistant. Robyn is committed to ensuring that the graduate population has a voice and Robyn is looking forward to getting to know as many graduate students as possible so that she can best represent the graduate student population in the Student’s Union
Layne Richardson Director at large Layne Richardson is a proven leader, both on and off campus. He was able to get a few hundred people together in 48 hours to produce one of the best “Harlem Shake” videos on Youtube, getting tens of thousands of views in the
Sara Wahedi Director at Large My name is Sara Wahedi and I am a first-year Arts student running for a Director at Large position within the UBCSUO. My motivation
to run for this position comes from my passion for student leadership complemented by the experiences I have acquired while being Chair of the ‘Mosaic’ Youth Initiative Program in Vancouver and a Senate member for the Vancouver District Student’s Council. My platform is based around two pillars, Outreach and Student Services; ensuring better communication between students and the Services
Senator at large
Coordinator through means of Social Media and biweekly discussions, as well as raising higher levels of engagement within the student body by developing strong projects and events
NIck Dodds Senator at large Bio listed under Services Coordinator
Alejandra García Director at Large
Sarah Trudeau Director at large Sarah Trudeau was born in Vancouver and graduated from Hugh McRoberts Secondary in 2011. She is currently working towards her bachelors in Management and hopes to one day open her own business. As Director at Large Sarah intends to facilitate better advertisement and communication regarding Student
Union events to ensure a better turnout. She will also devote her time to planning more game nights or tournaments (for example: trivia night) for those who want to blow off some steam but prefer not to drink, have
to drive home that night or don’t want to be hungover the next daytive member of many campus clubs and recently co-founded UBCO’s first Photo Club
I’m Alejandra García a first year student majoring in Economics, born and raised in El Salvador. I am a deeply caring, passionate, and optimistic person who has enjoyed being enrolled with the student council and in community service through my student life. I aspire to be your Director at Large because I believe UBCO provides us with a great education and environment, and I want to make every student’s experience
Cody MacKay Senator at large even better. I am willing to get to know you, your concerns and suggestions, to improve the characteristics of our campus and events that are not satisfying you.
Board of governors For years now, Tom Macauley has been advocating for political action around education and increased access to post-secondary education. Growing up in poverty in Los Angeles as a
Curtis Tse Board of Govenors Curtis Tse is in his fourth year on the Okanagan campus with the Faculty of Management. He has been involved on campus since his first year at UBCO, and has been an advocate for students while providing
tangible results. Curtis has been involved with the MSA, UBCSUO, and UBC Senate and has successfully lobbied the university for more study space, recreational space, funding for student initiatives, and fairness and equity when handling student affairs. Curtis has an extreme passion for our school and community and while serving on Board of Governors he will always put the interest of students first.
Student representative at large Trophy Ewila
first 24 hours it was up. He has also shown his leadership capabilities on the provincial and Heat Cross Country teams, as well as when volunteering in Tanzania two times, and Ecuador once. On top of all this, Layne is a BCHL and KIJHL linesman while maintaining a high grade point average in the Faculty of Science
Tom Macauley
missionary with his family he became uniquely experienced and became very active politically and socially. By high school Tom was serving as a delegate to the school district offices representing the interests of over one million students during the Budget Crisis of 200809. Once in the Okanagan, he volunteered with the students’ union and became the UBCO representative to the CFS. His experience working with school and local officials would be an asset to the Board of Governors.
Cody is a second year student from Sechelt, BC, and is pursuing a Bachelor of Management with a minor in Economics. In his first year, he got involved on campus early in a program called RezLead. Through
I am from Uganda, East Africa, currently living my dream being at UBC as a first year student in the faculty of arts. I presently serve as co-chairman of the African Students Club. Opportunities that cater to my passions naturally gravitate towards me, particularly for creating a positive environment for students to enjoy their educational experience. These passions have enabled students to entrust me
RezLead, he gained experience in planning, promoting, and executing various events such as the annual Snowball dance. This year, Cody became a Residence Advisor in order to make a greater impact on fellow students and welcome them to UBCO in the best possible fashion. Cody has been an active member of many campus clubs and recently co-founded UBCO’s first Photo Club
Alexa Geddes
with student leadership roles since primary school. I am a fun-loving person and a football (soccer) and sports fanatic who appreciates the value of a strong sense of community however, my favourite hobby is sleeping ☺.
Senator at large
Blake Edwards Services Coordinator Bio listed under Services Coordinator
Alexa is a third year science student pursuing a major in biology and a minor in psychology. She is actively engaged on campus as a senior residence advisor, biology teaching assistant, and undergraduate researcher. She is also a leader in the community as a volunteer with UBCO’s VOICE study and children’s happiness research project in Zambia. Alexa wishes to apply these skills and experiences, particularly in academia, to advocate for students on the Okanagan Senate. As a student representative, Alexa’s focus will be awards, curriculum,
and research to promote education vitality at UBC’s Okanagan campus.be mentorships, new policies to help with annual club transition, and creating a relationship with the Students’ Union., campus partners, and the community. I will strive for an increase in student involvement and school spirit as well as unify Kelowna and campus communities.
Faculty representative Simon Bullock
Shira Sneg
Faculty representative
Curtis Tse Senator at large Bio listed under Internal Coordinator Board of Goveners
My name is Simon Bullock and I am third year management student who is passionate about this university and representing the great students who attend it. I have had the opportunity be a part of many great organizations and developed strong relationships with many diverse student groups. I love to work for student interests and create positive changes
Faculty representative Bio listed under Internal Coordinator
for our members. I will use skills gained as a Senator for the university, Director for the union, and Advisor for housing to voice the needs and concerns of the management student body to the UBC senate in the 2013/14 academic year.
Candidates whose biographies were not recieverd
Anthony Saric
Brian Howard
Rebecca Harrison
Director at large
Director at large
Director at large
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ELECTION SUPPLEMENT 15-18 COUNCIL AND SENATE CANDIDATE PROFILES 14 & 19 A BRIEF HISTORY OF RECENT UBCO ELECTIONS
EVENTS & GAMES
Laura Sciarpelletti
features@thephoenixnews.com
E
FEBRUARY 25 TO MARCH 10 Nominating Meeting: The Vote Feb 26, 6 PM Rutland Centennial Hall Come support NDP hopeful and UBCO student Tom Macauley.
Studio One11 Zine Release Feb 28, 7 PM The Alternator Join UBCO artists at a belated celebration of Sir Charles Darwin’s 204th birthday with low budget art and installations.
Andrew Judah Band Live Feb 28, 8 PM The Minstrel Cafe NO CATS ALLOWED.
Exhibition from the InBetween World March 1, 7 PM 702 Bernard Avenue The UBCO Visual Arts Course Union presents an evening of live music and art.
Last Day for Graduation Applications Feb 28 UBCO Applications should be submitted to Enrolment Services online. Global Music Fest 2013 March 1 to 3, 8 PM Laurel Packinghouse Three days of ethnic music featuring the always enjoyable Boom Booms, the Latin dance band Mazacote, and others.
Sarah Slean Live Concert March 5, 8 PM Kelowna Community Theatre KeyNote Productions presents Canadian singer and songwriter Sarah Slean.
Oook & A-OK present Trust (feat. part of Austra) w/ ERAAS + Little Jungles March 6, 8 PM The Habitat Tickets: $8 advance, $10 at door
Tom Green Live March 7, 8 PM Kelowna Community Theatre Daddy would you like some sausage, Daddy would you like some sausage...
RL Grime Live Show Feb 28, 9 PM Flashbacks Nite Club Electronic dance music paired with southern hip hop. Advance tickets at Hemp City.
Visiting Artist James Luna Public Talk Feb 28, 7 PM University Theatre ADM 026 Insallation artist mixes political commentary with art for unique narrative presentation.
Okanagan Arts Awards March 2, 6 PM Kelowna Community Theatre Come see who the best of the best of the Okanagan were this year.
SPIN Farming Workshop March 3, 9 AM UBCO Campus People of the land; those with dirt beneath their fingernails; treehuggers: UNITE!
Minds and Music: Daniel Bolshoy March 8, 2 PM University Theatre UBC Vancouver classical guitarist Daniel Bolshoyat gives a public concert.
Live Comedy Improv March 8-9, 8 PM University Theatre Come see who got the most laughs! Canadian Comedy Awards: Best Improv Troupe
Shake the EME Text by
Cameron Welch
Photos by
Ali Young
Editor in Chief Contributor
On Thursday February 14th, UBCO jumped on the Harlem Shake bandwagon with a massive dance session in the EME building. With over hundreds people dancing and watching, the Shake was one of the largest on-campus events this semester. “You see how much fun the other universities are having [with Harlem Shakes], and all the pride they show in their school, so I thought ‘why can’t that be our school?’” Layne and his friends created the UBCO Harlem Shake facebook page two days before the event and over 500 people confirmed and then - unlike most Facebook event confirmers - actually showed up for the event. “It’s simple little events like this that make us feel like we’re a part of something,” said UBCSUO Services exec Nick Dodds, “It also made something very clear, students want to feel like a part of this campus, or at least there’s a couple hundred that do. The evidence for that is even stronger when you look at the online communities, where Ubco Confessions has more friends on their page than the UBCSUO page has likes. So the idea that there’s no sense of school spirit or community at UBCO is just clearly wrong.” The UBCO Harlem Shake video can be found on youtube (duh), along with an extended and making-of version. They have 40,000 views altogether, and a separate Shake filmed in the UNC cafeteria has another 17,000.
FE ATURES
Rumnique Nannar
features@thephoenixnews.com
22
FEATURES
February 25th, 2013
| The Phoenix
23
Lampost activists at Raisina Hill in New Delhi on December 22nd, six days after the brutal rape in New Delhi. photos by Nilanjana Roy (wiki commons) A candle light vigil at the Jayanagar bus terminal held in Bangalore. photo by zehawk (flikr)
Whose protest is it anyways?
Rumnique Nannar Features Editor
She had many names: Nirbhaya (Fearless one), Amanat (Treasure), Jagruti (Awareness) and Damini (Lightning). The 23-year-old woman studying to be a physiotherapist, who was raped on a moving bus in New Delhi by five men and a minor, and died 13 days later in a clinic in Singapore from the gruesome injuries, acquired these names from media outlets and waves of outraged Indian citizens. The accused and witnesses take the stands this month, and the Delhi rape case’s impact is far from over. The woman and her legacy have allowed Indians to question the legal system and patriarchy ingrained within their country.
It took the awful rape of this young woman for the country to awaken itself to the painful realization of its frequency in Delhi and that it could happen to someone they knew. The protests grew in December across the country from Delhi to Kashmir. The young middle-classes and everyday citizens were angry and rising up to combat the view of justice being denied. The placards advocated that the police ‘hang the rapists’ and proclaimed ‘Don’t tell your daughter not to go out, tell your son to behave.’ However, internal tensions grew in what these movements were underlining: women’s rights, or a universal outcry for safety and justice The movements became fractured after polarizing comments from politicians, like the Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit’s claim that “the rape never happened on a DTC bus” or spiritual guru Asaram Bapu’s remark that the victim should have “chanted God’s name and fallen at the feet of the attackers” to prevent the attack. This spurred feminist groups into action, especially during the New Year’s Eve protest, where the feminist activists asserted a more political edge than before. These later protests were much smaller, with less everyday advocates and more activists coming to the fore and challenging the previous rhetoric of “protect and respect.” Dr. Ruchika Kumar told Open Magazine that, “We need a political language to fight this fight, it cannot be apolitical. We have our ideas and ideology in place. We want
Power and patriarchy at the forefront equality and freedom, not respect. And I emphasise that we are not situated in isolation as we derive our strength from the women’s movement and its history.” The political beliefs of the feminists have divided the masses since they have opened the country’s eyes to the patriarchy underpinning this incident. Patriarchy is an immensely difficult subject to speak about, especially when it confronts the very idea of the complicity on all fronts. The feminists continue the fight with candle-light marches, and protests recently in the Punjab, Bangalore, and Mumbai seek to keep the victim’s memory in the public consciousness. Since it was a collective grief, the activist groups are calling attention to the masses to educate themselves about the structures in which rape and its culture are made possible. Of course, one can fight the universal need for more justice and respect for women without being “political”, but as the various groups are suggesting, Indian society needs to take a hard look at the patriarchy in their society. An anonymous female student at Delhi University tells me, “We said through protests that the streets need to be safer for all women and that the police need to be more responsible in filing the cases and getting justice done without bribes and bureaucracies. If someone dares eve-tease (a Hindi term that means to sexually harass) me, I tell them off. It doesn’t become fodder for my reasons to march” She echoes the
divided sentiments of many apolitical protesters who want to make a difference in their country. Protesters from all political sides spurred the Congress to appoint the Justice Verma committee to recommend legal changes to ensure the safety of women. The committee was spearheaded by Justice Verma, Gopal Subramaniam former Solicitor General, and Leila Seth, retired Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh. Unusually, the committee submitted their report in only 29 days - a significant feat in a country where such proceedings are exasperatingly slow and deliberately delayed. The committee saw its mandate as shaping the framework of the constitution with its 80,000 submissions from the public, politicians, and activist groups. They submitted a 631-page report on January 23 with recommendations on reforms and ruling out the death penalty for such cases.
We look at the varied responses that the nation wide protests have spurred and its aftermath.
The international criticism of India’s rape crisis has been provocative in painting this issue as a simple ‘cultural problem.’ Editorials from Foreign Policy, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, and other publications have argued the India has a “woman problem” where Indian men are culturally backward and cruel. From this western oversimplification to the hysterical rabble-rousing from Indian TV and media outlets calling for hanging or chemically castrating the accused men, demonizing Indian men and their failings is the wrong way to combat this problem. The case has exposed the patriarchy that defines India’s anxieties over women’s agency and freedoms. Broadly speaking, it defines the family structure of a household run by men and extends to the social world that allows women’s rights to be undervalued. The changes that protesters and activists want are harder to actualize when patriarchy is so embedded in attitudes towards women. The violence of patriarchy involves men and women who can be unaware of their complicity. They can shelter the man at the expense of the women, which highlights a larger violence in attitudes: the female body as property. Protest rhetoric has been problematic with women as possession that men are “responsible for and segregation has been suggested. Separating women from men has not helped the unsolved 600 rape cases that were registered in Delhi last year, of which only one man was convicted. Protesters
Bollywood and its social impacts screamed the slogan “Nari Mukti, Sabki Mukti” (Female liberation is liberation for all) to assert that the rigid patriarchal language concerning a woman’s body extends to every other abject body that is rigidly policed by notions of class, caste, and race in the country. Rape is often considered a robbing of honour and pride, not of the woman’s identity, but of the man who is responsible for her honour. The Verma Committee report is considered laudable, because it brings marital rape into the conversation like never before. Marital rape is often dismissed in the context of law, where the woman often is not to be trusted because the man’s word is more reliable. It is relegated to the private sphere along with dowry and domestic violence, where the proof must come with a forthright confession, forensics, and injuries. These cases are often thrown out of court due to a lack of evidence. Meanwhile, if a woman asserts her sexual agency outside of marriage, she is either considered “crossing limits” of acceptable decorum and is available for men to make her their property in a patriarchal culture.
The Delhi rape victim and her male companion were coming home from watching Life of Pi that fateful night. During the protests, politicians, and newspapers were keen to blame the Indian film industry for socializing the way that gender relations and courtship is enacted in real life. This is a valid claim, as many love stories in Bollywood lead from courtship to the inevitable conclusion of a fairy-tale marriage. Yet in these earlier films, sex is usually not depicted since the heroine has to maintain that purity and virginity, because only the married woman can have sex. Erotic titillation was not out of bounds, though, and often rape was used as a motif for this whereby a woman’s honour must be saved by the hero intervening and winning her over. Masala films are those that blend in the action, drama, thrills and romance, to which the rape scene was added to spice them up. Sex could only be depicted (negatively) as rape. Shivanand Tiwari of the JDU political party recently said, “In the present age of market-driven westernisation, the projection of women in films and advertisements is contributing to the rise in crimes against them…Likewise, the item dances are polluting the minds of the younger generation.” The item numbers are the sexier songs that break up the narrative tension within the film. Tiwari makes a bold claim, there has been more debate concerning the depiction of women in contemporary Indian cinema. The rape scenes evapo-
rated when heroines were able to assert that sexuality as part of the globalization of the medium. Yet, they were still stalked and harassed by their heroes in the lead-up to their love story. While these scenes may take their roots from the Krishna parables of the blue god chasing and teasing the maidens, the industry is certainly responsible in reinforcing the pervasive misogyny. The films have evolved since their predecessors but the attack has raised public consciousness in a way that defies earlier conventions. Controversial rapper Honey Singh, whose crude lyrics of beating and harassing women, had concerts shut down. The censor board has curbed item numbers and films featuring them receive Adult ratings. There is a tricky double bind with attributing cinema as a mirror to society, since society absorbs much of its attitudes from cinema. In a society where women are considered lesser than men, filmmakers do have the responsibility in how they depict women. Item songs that compare women to tandoori chicken or commodities are routinely sung by children without understanding the objectified meanings. Bollywood needs to break this chain of embedded oppression and take responsibility. wAlthough she cannot bear witness, the victim of the attack has become a cultural symbol and her many names have allowed the public to keep her memory alive. Her family has released her name and it speaks to much of her important impact in the country’s discourse, Jyoti (light).
32
The Phoenix |
February 25th, 2013
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SPORTS
Jesse Shopa
sports@thephoenixnews.com
BY THE NUMBERS ▼
THE GRADUATES ▼
BASSO
ALL-STAR ▼
899
MCFARLAND
S
All-time leading scoring record now set in stone for Heat women’s basketball by fifthyear forward Roslyn Huber. The Kelowna product smashed Jenna Kantz’s school record of 862 points and now sits atop the women’s basketball perch as UBC Okanagan’s all-time leading scorer
13.4
HUBER
MACKAY
Points per game total for guard Mitch Goodwin, tops among rookies in Canada West. Since getting the start on November 16th vs. UNBC, Mitch Goodwin has taken the conference by storm. Next season will be Mitch’s second; a scary thought for conference opponents
46
Total service aces in the 2012/2013 Canada West season by Heat rookie setter Emily Oxland. With 46, Oxland set the record for serving aces total in a single season. This total was not only tops in Canada West, but was good for second in all of the CIS.
KLER
UNIAT
Emily Oxland’s tremendous season has translated itself into her first Canada West All-Star nod, which is also the first of any athlete at UBC Okanagan. Arguably the most important driving force behind the Heat’s 15-7 season and 4th seed in the Canada West, Oxland’s accomplishments are even more impressive considering she is only in her rookie season. She recorded 804 total assists - the highest total ever since 08/09, while also serving to the tune of 46 service aces. Her serving aces total was not only tops in Canada West and second in the CIS, but it becomes the highest season total in Canada West of all-time. Oxland was also extremely durable, playing in every one of the Heat’s 88 total sets (the most in CIS). Congratulations to Emily Oxland on an impressive season and what is shaping up to already be a great career at UBC Okanagan.
SOUNDBITES ▼ “It’s the way I should go out you know? I thought it was appropriate” Graduating Heat men’s basketball player Dave Mackay commenting on his final game at UBCO, in which he fouled out with 1:39 remaining in the fouth.
“Teammates for five years, friends for life.” Heat women’s basketball coach Heather Seminuik reflecting on her three graduating stars (Madison Kaneda, Roslyn Huber, Melissa Irish) who now graciously exit the program after five years service.
IRISH
KANEDA
“When I think back about this experience, it won’t be so much about the volleyball. It will be about the relationships I’ve made with all the people here at UBCO The Heat’s Brett Uniat on his tenure not only on the men’s volleyball team, but at UBCO
SPORTS
February 25th, 2013
| The Phoenix
25
Quarter-final slugfest lasts ten sets Host Heat unable to settle old scores in series loss
Fifth-year graduating outside hitter Alex Basso had 26 kills in the quarterfinal series, but it was not enough to power her team to victory
Jesse Shopa Sports Editor
An attack error by Oliva Grecu (4th year, Calgary, AB) of Mount Royal handed the Heat the second set 25-22, and as both teams broke the huddle to begin the third set, it seemed as if the Heat had finally rid themselves of any doubt that lingered after a deflating five-set loss the night before. But then MRU came alive. Defensively, the Cougars frustrated the Heat attack over the final three sets, as open court was hard to come by for the host team. Mount Royal built momentum in that third set and were able to just barely hold on in a come-frombehind five-set victory 3-2 (25-21, 22-25, 1525, 25-21, 15-13), to take the game and the series two games to none. As expected, the second post-season meeting between both clubs played out like the first, as both teams played point-for-point for almost the entirety of the match. Long rallies extended by unfathomable digs would be the theme on this night, as both teams refused to break defensively. However, Mount Royal’s 80 digs to the Heat’s 71 proved to be the difference, as the battle of attrition was barely won out by the Cougars. For the second night in a row, Katie Wuttunee (2nd year, North Vancouver, BC) played her best volleyball of the season, connecting on 11 kills while also adding 4 blocks on the defensive side. Katy Klomps (2nd year, Surrey, BC), after only playing two sets the previous night, played all five and anchored the Heat front-line with nine blocks assists and two solo blocks to go along with four kills. The graduating Alex Basso (5th year, Kelowna, BC), in what will now be the final game of her storied career at UBC Okanagan, finished with a team-high 13 kills and an inspired 20 digs for the program she helped build into the success it is today. Her effort over the past five years did not go unnoticed either and it showed, as fans of not only the Heat but of Alex Basso came out in droves to try and help stave off a Mount Royal
victory. After falling into a lull in the third and fourth sets, the crowd erupted in the fifth after a Basso bomb from the outside put her team ahead 1-0. Chants of “Basso” rang throughout the gymnasium to honour what has been an incredible career for the hometown product. While the loss will inevitably be difficult to deal with, it does not tarnish what was otherwise a hugely successful 2012/2013 season by the UBCO Heat. Not only did the Heat sweep the sixthranked Manitoba Bisons, they were able to dethrone the number one team in the nation, Trinity Western. When asked about her time here at UBC Okanagan, an emotional Basso was quick to direct attention away from herself. “I love all my teammates and my head coach. It’s been an amazing ride and I couldn’t have asked for a better time.” Steve Manuel could not say enough about his graduating outside hitter. “She’s probably one of the most decorated college players ever,” said Manuel. If you look at individual awards won and the number of national championships won by her, I think that makes for a pretty strong argument that she is one of the best ever. I will be forever grateful to her contributions to this program.” A 15-7 season, however, has come to an end. The Heat will now graciously exit the Canada West post-season and will look to next season as a new beginning in what should be an even more exciting season of volleyball here at UBC Okanagan. However, it will be the Mount Royal Cougars moving on to the Canada West Final Four, as MRU refused to break defensively over the course of the match. With the win, the Cougars will move on to the Canada West Final Four in Vancouver at War Memorial Gymnasium, joining the No. 1 UBC Thunderbirds and the No. 2 Trinity Western Spartans who have already earned berths.
Photo by Dale Abbey
One of the Best: Alex
Basso’s Career Highlights
Three-time BCCAA Provincial Gold Medalist Two-time CCAA National Gold Medalist One-time CCAA National Bronze Medalist Two-time CCAA All Canadian BCCAA Provincial Tournament MVP (2009/2010) CCAA National Tournament MVP (2009/2010) BCCAA Player of the Year (2009/2010) CCAA Player of the Year (2009/2010) BC College Athlete of the Year (2009/2010) 64-24 Career Record Head coach Steve Manuel and Alex Basso embrace after a commemorative speech given by Manuel to honour Basso’s career at UBC Okanagan
Photo by Dale Abbey
26
The Phoenix |
SPORTS
February 25th, 2013
Pair of late-game threes end Heat seasons on high note Kevin Ilomin
Sports Contributor
Kaneda nails triple to cap off career Fifth-year Madison Kaneda (Vernon, BC) hit a three-pointer with three seconds left to finally put away the Thompson Rivers University Wolfpack 68-63. The victory marked the Heat’s sixth win of the season and sent its three graduating seniors out on a high note. “It’s definitely going to take a little bit to sink in,” commented fifth-year Roslyn Huber (Kelowna, BC) when asked to reflect on the final game of her career. “We just wanted to come into this like any other game.” But they did more than that, and you could tell it was a special game indeed as the Heat got out to an early start and did not trail until two minutes into the fourthquarter. The last quarter was physical right down to the last minute, until Kaneda hit the last basket of the game to sink TRU. Second-year guard Sarah Allison (South Surrey, BC) paced her team with a gamehigh 23 points that included 6-9 from beyond the arc. Third-year post Krystal Schouten (Winnipeg, MB) was effective for the Heat in the paint which led to a gamehigh eight rebounds along with 14 points. The win solidifies the Heat’s 2012-13 record at 6-14, up four wins from last year’s inaugural campaign. Heat athletics honored Kaneda and fellow graduates Roslyn Huber (Kelowna, BC) and Melissa Irish (Victoria, BC) in a ceremony following the game. All three girls have had storied careers for the program and were instrumental in the team’s bid into the CIS. Their coach, Heather Semeniuk, said it best during a speech given after the game: “Teammates for five years, friends for life.”
The family oriented attitude has been staple for Semeniuk’s teams, and the bonds built amongst her teammates have been pivotal in the teams’ success. “They’re unique because they understand each other so well,” Semeniuk went on to say about her players. “And when you can get them playing with each other, supporting each other and depending on each other, that’s when we play our best basketball.” Semeniuk went on to say: “Truly, they’re genuine good people with a good set of values. They come here education-oriented and they love the game. There’s no better combination when you’re coaching kids. It’s been a real joy.” The aforementioned trio of fifthyears gave their own comments and perspectives on their respective careers and seasons after the game. Huber: “I feel so fortunate to be able to do my five years here. Everything has been more than I could have imagined. In my first year I knew that these are the friendships that you’re going to hold onto for the rest of your life. And I think this is definitely a special group.” Irish: “It hasn’t sunk in quite yet that I’m done. It’s great because every year is so different. You have new girls coming through and some girls don’t come back, and you still keep those friendships.” Kaneda: “My team’s amazing, my coaches are amazing … They’re not just my teammates anymore. They’re family. I’m so happy and blessed to have had the experience I’ve had the last five years. It was great to go out like this.”
Goodwin’s late three seals the deal Rookie guard Mitch Goodwin (Kelowna, BC) hit a three-pointer with 1:17 remaining in overtime that deflate the visiting Thompson Rivers WolfPack, 86-77. The Heat were off to an excellent start as they held the WolfPack to just 28 points in the first half resulting in an 11 point Heat lead at half. However, coming out of halftime, the WolfPack were able to find a rhythm against the Heat’s pesky backcourt combo of Goodwin and fourth-year guard Yassine Ghomari (Vancouver, BC). It looked like the Heat would take the final lead of the game when fourth-year forward Ed Dane Medi (Rome, IT) got a good look and converted the basket in the waning seconds of the fourth-quarter. He was called for travelling, however, and his basket did not count as the game headed into overtime 73-73. The Heat came out strong in the extra frame, though, and several defensive stops led to maintaining their lead from 3:35 remaining and onward. Goodwin’s threeball, the tenth on the night for the hosts, put the Heat out of reach for good and the home crowd stood in ovation and applause for the win and the season’s effort. Yassine Ghomari (4th year, Vancouver, BC) was the Heat Player of the Game after pouring in a game-high 26 points. Goodwin finished with 18 points and 6 rebounds. Graduate Dave Mackay (fourth-year, Vancouver, BC) suffered from foul trouble but provided a lot of heart and effort on the defensive end before fouling out with 1:39 remaining in the fourth. He contributed four points and two rebounds in the effort. “It’s the way I should go out you know?
I thought it was appropriate,” Mackay jokingly said postgame, full tongue in cheek. On a more serious tone, Mackay proceeded to reflect on his surprise return to a Heat uniform after a year off to focus on school: “It’s been good, it’s been a grind. I didn’t know I was going to play this year. [I] decided to play and talked to Pete. And it’s been great playing for Pete, I mean, he’s an amazing coach.” Coach Pete Guarasci gushed over his lone grad after the game: “You guys see him in games but I see him in the locker room, I see him on the bus, I see him in practice, and what he’s brought to the team this year for my first year coaching … I don’t think you can put a price on that.” Asked to reflect on his first season coaching the team, Guarasci was not at a loss of words: “I like this group and although the results don’t show it, just the fact that we progressed the way we progressed; there’s something about it that I feel pretty good about. Their mental focus throughout the year was always just to improve and get better in practice and get better in games. Our goal was to improve as a team throughout the year and I think we’ve definitely accomplished that.” Looking forward, Pete sees a bright future for a core that will remain largely intact for next season. “If they put in that good off-season of training that we can come in at the end of September and start off where we are now,”
26
The Phoenix |
SPORTS
February 25th, 2013
Pair of late-game threes end Heat seasons on high note Kevin Ilomin
Sports Contributor
Kaneda nails triple to cap off career Fifth-year Madison Kaneda (Vernon, BC) hit a three-pointer with three seconds left to finally put away the Thompson Rivers University Wolfpack 68-63. The victory marked the Heat’s sixth win of the season and sent its three graduating seniors out on a high note. “It’s definitely going to take a little bit to sink in,” commented fifth-year Roslyn Huber (Kelowna, BC) when asked to reflect on the final game of her career. “We just wanted to come into this like any other game.” But they did more than that, and you could tell it was a special game indeed as the Heat got out to an early start and did not trail until two minutes into the fourthquarter. The last quarter was physical right down to the last minute, until Kaneda hit the last basket of the game to sink TRU. Second-year guard Sarah Allison (South Surrey, BC) paced her team with a gamehigh 23 points that included 6-9 from beyond the arc. Third-year post Krystal Schouten (Winnipeg, MB) was effective for the Heat in the paint which led to a gamehigh eight rebounds along with 14 points. The win solidifies the Heat’s 2012-13 record at 6-14, up four wins from last year’s inaugural campaign. Heat athletics honored Kaneda and fellow graduates Roslyn Huber (Kelowna, BC) and Melissa Irish (Victoria, BC) in a ceremony following the game. All three girls have had storied careers for the program and were instrumental in the team’s bid into the CIS. Their coach, Heather Semeniuk, said it best during a speech given after the game: “Teammates for five years, friends for life.”
The family oriented attitude has been staple for Semeniuk’s teams, and the bonds built amongst her teammates have been pivotal in the teams’ success. “They’re unique because they understand each other so well,” Semeniuk went on to say about her players. “And when you can get them playing with each other, supporting each other and depending on each other, that’s when we play our best basketball.” Semeniuk went on to say: “Truly, they’re genuine good people with a good set of values. They come here education-oriented and they love the game. There’s no better combination when you’re coaching kids. It’s been a real joy.” The aforementioned trio of fifthyears gave their own comments and perspectives on their respective careers and seasons after the game. Huber: “I feel so fortunate to be able to do my five years here. Everything has been more than I could have imagined. In my first year I knew that these are the friendships that you’re going to hold onto for the rest of your life. And I think this is definitely a special group.” Irish: “It hasn’t sunk in quite yet that I’m done. It’s great because every year is so different. You have new girls coming through and some girls don’t come back, and you still keep those friendships.” Kaneda: “My team’s amazing, my coaches are amazing … They’re not just my teammates anymore. They’re family. I’m so happy and blessed to have had the experience I’ve had the last five years. It was great to go out like this.”
Goodwin’s late three seals the deal Rookie guard Mitch Goodwin (Kelowna, BC) hit a three-pointer with 1:17 remaining in overtime that deflate the visiting Thompson Rivers WolfPack, 86-77. The Heat were off to an excellent start as they held the WolfPack to just 28 points in the first half resulting in an 11 point Heat lead at half. However, coming out of halftime, the WolfPack were able to find a rhythm against the Heat’s pesky backcourt combo of Goodwin and fourth-year guard Yassine Ghomari (Vancouver, BC). It looked like the Heat would take the final lead of the game when fourth-year forward Ed Dane Medi (Rome, IT) got a good look and converted the basket in the waning seconds of the fourth-quarter. He was called for travelling, however, and his basket did not count as the game headed into overtime 73-73. The Heat came out strong in the extra frame, though, and several defensive stops led to maintaining their lead from 3:35 remaining and onward. Goodwin’s threeball, the tenth on the night for the hosts, put the Heat out of reach for good and the home crowd stood in ovation and applause for the win and the season’s effort. Yassine Ghomari (4th year, Vancouver, BC) was the Heat Player of the Game after pouring in a game-high 26 points. Goodwin finished with 18 points and 6 rebounds. Graduate Dave Mackay (fourth-year, Vancouver, BC) suffered from foul trouble but provided a lot of heart and effort on the defensive end before fouling out with 1:39 remaining in the fourth. He contributed four points and two rebounds in the effort. “It’s the way I should go out you know?
I thought it was appropriate,” Mackay jokingly said postgame, full tongue in cheek. On a more serious tone, Mackay proceeded to reflect on his surprise return to a Heat uniform after a year off to focus on school: “It’s been good, it’s been a grind. I didn’t know I was going to play this year. [I] decided to play and talked to Pete. And it’s been great playing for Pete, I mean, he’s an amazing coach.” Coach Pete Guarasci gushed over his lone grad after the game: “You guys see him in games but I see him in the locker room, I see him on the bus, I see him in practice, and what he’s brought to the team this year for my first year coaching … I don’t think you can put a price on that.” Asked to reflect on his first season coaching the team, Guarasci was not at a loss of words: “I like this group and although the results don’t show it, just the fact that we progressed the way we progressed; there’s something about it that I feel pretty good about. Their mental focus throughout the year was always just to improve and get better in practice and get better in games. Our goal was to improve as a team throughout the year and I think we’ve definitely accomplished that.” Looking forward, Pete sees a bright future for a core that will remain largely intact for next season. “If they put in that good off-season of training that we can come in at the end of September and start off where we are now,”
SPORTS
February 25th, 2013
| The Phoenix
27
McFarland refuses to Steve Manuel: go awaxy quietly in Canada West Coach final career game of the Year Jesse Shopa
Cary Mellon
Riley McFarland feasted on the Bobcat defense to the tune of 26 kills in his final game as a member of the Heat Photo by Dale Abbey
No stranger to coaching awards, Manuel wins Canada West Coach of the Year honours in only his second season in CIS Photo by Dale Abbey
Sports Editor
Senior outside-hitter Riley McFarland (Surrey, BC) wouldn’t go away quietly as he tried to will his team back into the fourth set but, ultimately, the Heat were unable to catch the visiting Brandon Bobcats in a four set loss (25-16, 22-25, 28-26, 25-20). Garret Popplestone was the story of the game for the Bobcats, playing an extremely efficient puppeteer from his setter position. He would finish with 45 assists. Rookie Roy Ching from Nelson, New Zealand recorded a team-high 19 kills while Brandon put up an impressive 14.0 team blocks to the Heat’s 4.0. “They are a good team with big, strong middles,” commented graduating Heat libero Jeremy Kler. “We were unable to adjust.” The Heat found success in the second set with a lineup of Jon Russo (secondyear, Lake Country, BC), McFarland, Greg Niemantsverdriet (fourth-year, Vernon, BC), Kristoff Schlagintweit (firstyear, Abbotsford, BC), Leo Schober (second-year, Kelowna, BC) and Alex Swiatlowski (Victoria, BC), a youth-laden group that led to a win. The team could not keep its consistency as it would eventually fall in only four sets. McFarland was on pace for his third 30+ kill night of this season, but came up short with 26 in the four set effort. He also contributed 10 digs in a Herculean effort to end his career on a sweet note. Heat coach Greg Poitras opted to keep rookie setter Kristof in all game after a half-and-half dose of him and fourth-year setter Davis Proch (Kelowna, BC) last night. Kristof set
Sports Information Director at UBC Okanagan
up his teammates to the tune of 44 assists. Director of Athletics and Recreation at UBC Okanagan, Rob Johnson, honoured the three graduating players for the Heat just before game. McFarland, middle Brett Uniat (Cochrane, AB) and Jeremy Kler (Vernon, BC) are all fifth-years who are graduating and will not return to the program. All three players have been instrumental for the program’s leap from the college leagues into the CIS during their storied careers. When asked about their time here at UBC Okanagan and the obvious emotions that come with graduating from the program, all were quick to characterize the feeling as “bittersweet”. “It’s tough to go out this way, but I’ve enjoyed my time here,” added Kler. “I’m going to miss my teammates.” Brett Uniat felt much the same: “When I think back about this experience, it won’t be so much about the volleyball. It will be about the relationships I’ve made with all the people here at UBCO, from the coaches to my teammates.” Riley McFarland summed the experience up best, stating: “It’s been such a big part of my life, these past few years have. It’s going to suck, but it’s time to move on to new things I guess.” All graduating players stuck around following the game, catching up with friends and family who were in attendance to cheer them on for one last time. However, as the lights began to dim, all three remained in the gym; not quite ready to leave just yet.
UBC Okanagan Heat head coach Steve Manuel has won the Coach of the Year Award in just his second year of play in the ultra-competitive Canada West conference. Coach Manuel guided his team to a 15-7 record, nine wins better than 2011-12 and good enough for a fourth place finish with the chance to host a conference quarter-final.. With a chance at the host spot Manuel guided his team to four straight wins to close out this season knocking two teams out of the playoffs in the process. Manuel’s team’s knocked off then No. 1 Trinity Western in December and finished in the CIS top ten eight of the last nine weeks. In his twelfth season at the helm of the Heat Manuel is no stranger to the coach of the year award, having earned that honour in five of his ten years in the BCCAA (now known as the PACWEST), and a three time winner of the national coach of the year in the CCAA (Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association). “UBC Okanagan is very fortunate to have Steve Manuel leading our women’s volleyball program,” says Rob Johnson, director of athletics and recreation at UBC’s Okanagan campus. “He is a great example of a professional coach - thorough technical knowledge of his sport, a gifted instructor and communicator, an honest and successful recruiter, a caring mentor of his student athletes, and administratively very organized. Steve is without a doubt, one of the finest coaches in the CIS.” Steve’s team this year finished top three in the standings, but unlike the other three
teams at the top of the league his squad was not anchored by a bevy of all-stars, placing just one player on the team, in rookie setter Emily Oxland. Coach Manuel deftly used his entire roster to produce wins, going with the ‘hot hand’ and finding the right player to come in and serve at just the right time. As Steve said his team “played by committee and won by committee.” Utilizing lineups that would mix senior players: like Alex Basso, Kendra Wayling, Jill Festival and Myrte Schön, with a strong group of young players that consistently saw floor time such as the pair of second year middle’s: Katy Klomps and Katie Wuttunee or fist year setter Emily Oxland, and he then sprinkled in stellar performances from first or second year players: Megan Festival, Brianna Beamish and Kaitlynn Given. The Heat’s calling card this season was their defense, as Manuel rotated his two liberos, Kailin Jones and Lenai Schmidt, to produce tremendous results. As a team UBC Okanagan was fourth in digs at 13.53 per set and third in opponent’s hitting percentage at .140. The Heat were also one of the fiercest at the net, averaging 2.10 blocks per set for the season. Things look good going forward for coach Manuel and his team as they lose only one player, Alex Basso, from this year’s squad, and will return a strong contingent of second and third year players ready to push farther in the Canada West playoffs in 2013-14 - with an eye on a chance at the final eight.
OPINIONS Global Children’s Village: The Other in the slums
As I walked around the slum as part of Global Citizen Week at New Life Church, there were children holding out their hands saying “Paisa, Paisa”. This caught me off guard, as paisa is the Hindi word for money and this model slum was supposed to be representative of anywhere in the world. The slum, full of actors with patches of brown and torn clothing to indicate their dirtiness and poor living conditions, was one of many events in Global Citizens Week, an initiative created to raise awareness about poverty and highlight Kelowna citizens’ international humanitarian efforts. Granted, the Global Children’s Village caters towards education for children and therefore it has to make issues of poverty and aid in a more watered-down form. It was organized in two rooms where the observer walked into the more obvious of slums with open sewage, rough shanty houses, and adults and children begging. This opens up to the second room in the grand hall of the church, where the ‘hopeful’ slum emerges once participants have done activities and used fake coins to raise mon-
ey. Gradually the leaves are swept up and an outhouse and AIDS clinic are brought in.UBCO Fine Arts student Dylan Rainey is a volunteer and actor at the event and said, “We didn’t portray a specific community or place. We were just trying to show the diversity of poverty that it’s not unreachable issue. What we are trying to teach kids is that there are people in the world in a lot of pain, not doing as well as they are. But that should not make them sad but instead show them what they can do to change it, so that was the main mission.” The organization released a promo video a few weeks ago that reinforces its savior complex and heavy-handed message. Children are begging to the camera, and we get a glimpse into the rooms that make up the simulated slums. In an incredibly offensive portion, we see a young boy and a man begging, but in blackface (or, perhaps, so much dirt that it at least looks like blackface). The assumption is that they are meant to look dirty and shabby to reflect the conditions of the universal slum they inhabit. However, it’s just ridiculous that this is the message that is being shown to supposedly educate
Matt Lauzon
opinions@thephoenixnews.com
children. It associates race with poverty, making their message clearer than if it was a white child in the same danger. The video seems to reinforce that same distancing for observers that this universal slum is one that can only occur overseas where this darker ‘Other’ lives. I understand that intentions were noble and well intentioned, but it is the handling of this event that is problematic. While the video and event argues to uphold the dignity of those in suffering, some participants cannot see the message until it is boiled down to racial terms. The event sets out to educate children and adults about the living conditions in slums across the world, but it positions them in an us/them dichotomy. The video claims participants can see how we put ourselves in these “shoes” but this is only through the model of evoking empathy for those poor ‘Others’. This is not depicted in the video or the event, because it depicts more of a visibility of poverty. We have to see and feel these conditions in order for us to act and offer a ready-made solution. This invokes more of a spectatorship role in the event, as
O
Rumnique Nannar Features Editor
Model slum photos by Hanss Lujan Bottom left screenshot from GlobalCitizenKelowna youtube channel
actors have to perform this version of the ‘Other’ who is lacking, in order for children to feel sympathy and want to offer aid. The events seek to raise awareness but do not consider the ways in which they reproduces this savior narrative. It’s never that simple, even if it is for children. They don’t deserve to be misinformed about the conditions that create slums, since they do not know how they in the West are positioned in relation to the ‘Other’ in the Global South, especially in their privilege. The events still perpetuate the idea that we need to ‘save’ the people in slums, without ever considering how the money is used or the conditions that produce it. The slum of Dharavi or Shantytown are presented as just there, where we need raise funds and fling it at them in the hope that it all gets better. Global Citizens Week could have done so much more with their resources and time. That it’s the 9th annual event suggest that this savior narrative is not going to die down. Noble intentions and blackface does not a global activist make.
OPINIONS
February 25th, 2013
| The Phoenix
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When the going gets tough, just quit The Pope retires to focus on prayer, aka playing Halo and hanging out
No fun allowed
Matt Lauzon Opnions Editor “Peace out, losers” - the Pope
Photo by Catholic Church (England and Wales)
in Parliament The importance of the pointless but entertaining things that make bureaucracy (and cross-country flights) more bearable Matt Lauzon Opnions Editor
If you’re stuck in a religion or spiritual belief that you don’t want to be a part of, you’re in luck! The Pope’s impending retirement from the church (the first in almost 600 years) marks a new age, and makes us question Catholicism and its morals. His Holiness, Vicar of Jesus Christ, Servant of the Servants of God, and Patriarch of the West, Benedict XVI, Pontifex Maximus quit. He quit! One March 1st, he’ll only be Joseph Ratzinger, the guy who devoted his whole life to the church and only made it to being a cardinal. A cardinal with allegations of being a Nazi sympathizer, and some other scandalous activity. That doesn’t matter though, he quit! When his statement cited his deteriorating strength due to old age and the physical and mental demands of the papacy would be the cause of his retirement, and that he would serve through a life dedicated to prayer, I thought I was reading his application for the pontiff. I always assumed that the most devout spiritualists were like Stephen Hawking: all mind no body, just an intense mental being--not the track star he assumes he has to be to do his duties. Remember John Paul II and how lethargic he became toward the end? That was a man of God. He was so spiritual and connected to the divine, movement and the physical world were just distractions and otherwise unimportant--he got the message out and inspired millions. Ratzinger? The guy’s like the Emperor in Return of the Jedi, except instead of wielding his otherworldly demonic powers over Luke and Anakin until his dying breath, he simply got up from his chair and took
a cruiser to the Mustafar system, leaving Luke, Vader, and other Imperial generals to battle over votes in conclave. It’s boring! Even more boring than the prequels. I’ll admit the above analogy doesn’t work because this way he doesn’t wither on his throne and suffer a beating from a silver hammer, but the guy looks an awful lot like the cloaked Emperor. Maybe he’s planning on a cameo in the upcoming Episode VII, we’ll see. Anyway the guy’s making a precedent and--even though Pope’s have retired before he’s the first to do so this century--there are going to be a lot of changes throughout the church. A ton of good changes for you hesitant members. In accordance with Papal infallibility, wherein the Pope is preserved from the possibility of error, and he defines a doctrine concerning faith or morals to be held by the whole church, the Pope set into motion a new face for the Church, and by extension its members. For all the times your mom said to get off the internet or Twitter, be sure to cite His Holiness’ latest Tweets; when you don’t want to go to the Sunday mass, remember to walk away and say you’re taking a retirement from the Church, and are still living a life of prayer--your family will understand your bravery and encourage your path to enlightenment. Note to self: Seriously consider the physical and mental demands that come with being a part of the family. There’s gonna be a point where my deteriorating strength will reach the breaking point, and I’ll have to retire from their kinship. Check back every week, just to make sure.
No doubt everyone already saw when Winnipeg Member of Parliament Pat Martin raised the issue of zombies, and whether Foreign Affairs Minister, John Baird, had adequately prepared a contingency plan on the off-chance of the apocalypse in Canada. Within whatever amount of time, the video of this proposition spread through Facebook and Twitter, and even reached audiences abroad in the United States and Commonwealth. While it was pretty funny, and probably shocking to the average MP, some people actually got angry when they watched the video. “Why are they wasting their time?” “What a waste of taxpayer dollars!” “We really have nothing better to talk about or trying to fix in this day and age?” In all honesty though who cares? They had fun. Last week when I flew back to Ontario, after a stop in Calgary I had to re-board, retake my seat, re-turn off my cell phone and all electronics, and re-watch that safety dance all airlines must perform so I know what to do if the plane plummets from 30,000 feet in the air to a hot fiery wreckage on the cold, cold ground. I’ve seen their performance countless times, I know I’ll probably die if there’s an emergency (unless the pilot is drunk enough to flip the plane upside down and bring us down onto one of the numerous prairie farmlands), so why do I care to watch a vague arm waves, and instructions on unbuckling my seatbelt? Everything started up as usual: I juggled coats, boarding passes, wallets, and ID cards; I squeezed into seats, played Tetris with the overhead compartments, and waited as ev-
eryone else did the same. This time was different though. Instead of the boring old “here’s how you open a pamphlet, and here’s how you put a mask over your face,” our flight got an entertaining performance from a very chipper attendant. Her name was Kyra (or something). Instead of the monotony, Kyra broke out into a dance--almost a show tune. She couldn’t figure out how to unfold a pamphet, struggled to unbuckle the seatbelt (as the airline thinks we do by default), and tugged for the gas mask for dear life. When the french voice-over came on, she pretended to twirl a long curly mustache, read the pamphlet with a sneer and eye roll, and even lip-synched the voice-over word for word with a snooty demeanor. How could you hate a change like that? It was stupid, sure, but it was dinnertime, we were getting to Ottawa at midnight, and it was surely nobody’s first flight of the day. She actually got us to watch the stupid safety dance--it was funny! The same thing happened in Parliament last week. Nobody knew where it came from, people laughed, and it lightened the atmosphere. If you get upset watching people have fun in their jobs for 5 minutes, and aren’t constantly battling back and forth, then work as a flight attendant or MP--you’ll be neck deep in the bullshit that people in the field have to put up with and wish could go back to paying attention only when something unexpected happens.
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The Phoenix |
OPINIONS
February 25th, 2013
UBCOcial media
Playstation 4 announcement flops Sony blunders into gaming’s eighth generation with a brutal presentation Matt Lauzon and Alex Eastman Off the PS4 bandwagon
When Sony made their teaser for their PS4 announcement, they said to the world “we’re making a system, and you’re going to want to buy it.” What they showed, ten months before the system’s November release, wasn’t a system, and we don’t want to buy it. What did they show? Sony revealed a brand new controller featuring a touch screen and a button exclusively for sharing your gaming experiences online. They unveiled a few games, most of which didn’t even show gameplay but pre-rendered cutscenes. David Cage (of Heavy Rain fame), showed off a video of an old man with gorgeous eyes and we also saw more footage of Watch Dogs, A highly anticipated title. They followed with more graphicallycentered content and… ended the show. They didn’t even show the system or what it costs! And even their new features they did show weren’t even well showcased. While it’s a given they’re going to try to appeal to the widest demographic possible, they didn’t actually appeal to the people who watched the actual presentation--the people concerned only with the games. The people that are concerned with the social aspect and new buyers? Those are the people looking up online after the fact for a rundown of what was shown, and wouldn’t bother sitting in a theatre for two hours. Sony didn’t convince anyone with this presentation, not because of lack of features, but because everything was just a mess of vague information that left people all over the gaming demographic clueless. With ten months to release, the PS3 faring the worst of the three major systems in North America (trailing the Wii and Xbox 360) and the Playstation Vita handheld bombing, the company has to be feeling the pressure. Sony needs to kill it when they present a console. It needs to excel at being streamlined, having superior processing power, better ease of use, and a competitive game library that showcases both Playstation ex-
clusive games and multi-platform games. They didn’t show either of those things, so the jury is still out on the PS4. Sony failed the “non-gamers” that enjoyed the Wii because of the simplicity of its controller (can be held in one hand, less buttons, looks like a remote), when they unveiled a controller with just as many buttons as the older version PLUS a touchscreen. Sony failed the socialites when they implied you can be social, while showing a recording feature that seems tailored to youtube accounts and game journalists. Sony failed the graphic whores when they only showed pre-rendered cutscenes that could have been shown on current-gen systems, and even showed games that have already been announced for current-gen systems. Worst of all, Sony failed the Playstation-apathetic gamers who enjoy games for being games: the lack of backwards compatibility means you can’t use PS3 controllers like you can use Gamecube controllers on the Wii or even Wii U, you can’t play PS3 discs, or even play games bought on the Playstation Network, and we don’t know what it looks like, how quickly you can navigate between media, or how much the thing costs. Sony’s weak presentation has placed it in a position where unannounced alternatives are already looking better. The people in the audience didn’t even clap for most of the presentation, and that’s hanging over the PS4 like a damning cloud of distrust. If the last generation taught us anything about gaming it’s that the graphically-impressive, movie-like experiences being sold for $60 a pop are selling to a proportionally small group of people who play video games, and so competition is tight. The PS4 will ultimately have to compete with Microsoft’s next console (what everyone calls the Xbox 720) and PC games for a percentage of that minority percentage, and with a presentation like the one they just had, Sony has dropped the ball before the race has even begun.
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February 25th, 2013
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