Issue 14

CHANGES COMING TO UBCSUO STAFF STRUCTURE? P8 HEAT WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL RECAP P18

UBCO’s Student Newspaper

March 10th, 2014 | Vol. 25 Issue 14

THE WOODY ALLEN CONTROVERSY EXPLAINED P20

...still broke since 1989

HEAD FOR

THE HILLS

WINTER MAY BE OVER, BUT SKI SEASON IS IN FULL SWING AT UBCO P13-17

ROCKY KIM ELECTED PRESIDENT

FULL ELECTION RESULTS INSIDE p3

NEWS

FEATURES

COVER A new UBCSUO staff structure that could cost $100k p.6

LIFE

As a young school, a common complaint is that UBCO lacks its own culture. Mountain riding is one of the growing cultures at UBCO that stands out from the rest. Many students came here just for the mountains. If you’d rather be sitting on this chairlift than a seat in class, this feature is for you. Photo by Jake Sherman.

20 An overview of the Woody Allen controversy p.20

OPINIONS

SPORTS

Harper’s policy on Anti-Semitism is scary p.16

18 Heat women’s volleyball season recap p.18

Editor-in-chief

Managing Editor

Phone: 250-807-9296 Fax: 250-807-8431 thephoenixnews.com

Alex Eastman ads@thephoenixnews.com

Creative Director

Cameron Welch creative@thephoenixnews.com

Copy Editor

Lauren Wintle copy@thephoenixnews.com

Photo Editor

Kelsi Barkved photo@thephoenixnews.com

Events Editor

Hanss Lujan events@thephoenixnews.com

ARTS

Take heart, UBCO - the 201314 project p.10 Who had the best election fashion? p.11

Dave Nixon eic@thephoenixnews.com

Room 109 University Center 3333 University Way Kelowna, BC Canada V1Y 5N3

What it’s like being a sponsored boarder p.17 A visit from the Goon Squad p.15 Big White vs Whistler p.12

Interim News Editor

David Nixon news@thephoenixnews.com

Arts Editor

Laura Scarpelletti arts@thephoenixnews.com

Sports Editor

Kaeleigh Phillips sports@thephoenixnews.com

Features Editor

Matt Lauzon features@thephoenixnews.com

Life Editors

Maranda Wilson Sasha Curry life@thephoenixnews.com

Opinions Editor

Kayti Barkved opinions@thephoenixnews.com

Staff Writers/Reporters

Emma Partridge, Alex Barbereis, Brianna Ferguson

The Phoenix is the UBCO students’ free

Staff Illustrator

Union Okanagan (UBCSUO) and from the

Asher Klassen

Staff Photographers Ali Young

Production Assistants

Lindsay Smith, Maria McCliggott, Lynnette Oon

Contributors

Katarina Trapara Nathan Jake Sherman Hartley Vibert Mirella Cullen Francine Lingad Samantha Steenwyk

press. Editorial content is separate from the University of British Columbia Students’ UBC 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).

The Phoenix is published, in part, by the UBCSUO and is an active member of the Canadian University Press

30

The Phoenix |

August 29th, 2013

NEWS

Photos by Dave Nixon

ROCKY KIM WINS PRESIDENCY WITH 389 VOTES Rocky Kim will be the UBCSUO’s first president. It was tough to know who would come out ahead - Kim had a lot working against him, but students have chosen to look past his arrest in the Vancouver riots as well as his three campaign violations which nearly resulted in his disqualification. These violations and other complications hamstrung his campaign time too.

Kim had remained behind until 2 a.m. when the election results were announced. “Two failed midterms, couple missed quizzes, lots of late labs, and it was worth it. I’m so stoked right now,” said Kim, minutes after the announcement.

The results we are listing here are not official yet they must be ratified by the board of directors first.

ELECTION RESULTS

August 29th, 2013

| The Phoenix

29

UBCSUO BOARD President

389 votes Rocky Kim

281 Katelynn Fujii 152 Lauren Ruttle-Soon

Director-at-Large

411 Kelly Panchyshyn

360 Leo Tan

Vice-President External

469 Shaman Mclean

333 David Xu Vice-President Internal Jagmeet Khabra

676 yes 107 no Vice-President Services Layne Richardson

684 yes 99 no Vice-President Finance and Operations Sam Chang

695 yes 85 no

325 Ryan Singh Kalia

317 Beau Loomer

266 Arsalan Khan Faculty of Arts and Science Representative (Science)

142

Felisha Truong

100 Harveer Singh Dhupar

58 Raziya Merani

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The Phoenix |

August 29th, 2013

ELECTION RESULTS

UBCO SENATE Senator-at-Large

391 Jeff Krupa

385 Natalie Wong

341 Lina Gomez

UBC Board of Governors Rep Robyn Giffen

723 yes 77 no Graduate rep

14 yes 2 no 245 Shira Sneg

231 Raziya Merani Faculty of Applied Sciences rep

330 Katelyn Fujii

306 David Xu

301 Kelly Panchyshyn

220 Robyn Wenger 227 Suresh Kumar

Wesley McLean

105 yes 10 no Faculty of Management rep Aalisha Lakdawala

105 yes 10 no Faculty of Health and Social Sciences rep Sarah Loreen Smith

74 yes 4 no

NEWS

UPCOMING March 10 - 15 5 Days for the Homeless Campaign UBC Okanagan

Management student-lead fundraising campaign in support of Hope Outreach.

March 14 Alterknowledge Discussion Series: The White Man’s Last Burden 7:30 - 8:30 p.m. / Alternator Centre

Office of the Associate Vice Principal of Students. File Photo/David Nixon.

UBCO counselling services underfunded; graduate students feel ignored, says review David Nixon

Editor-in-Chief

The Associate Vice Principle of Students review cites concerns with graduate students being ignored, disconnects in academic advising, a need for more attention to graduate students, and a lack of funding for counselling services.

Specifically, the report cites twoweek wait times for counselling services. Ian Cull, Associate Vice Principle of Students, runs the portfolio that was under review, and says part of that is correct and part of it is not.

Cull said students with emergencies are “always accommodated”; two week wait times are for follow-up appointments or long term issues.

“That could be of little comfort to someone with an ongoing issue who is having to wait between appointments longer than they’d like,” said Cull. He says the budget that will be public on April 1 will include funding for one full-time counselling employee, and some for acute health resources. Cull said we would have to wait for the April 1 budget to know exactly how much.

With regards to the other recommendations, Cull called the graduate students priority number one.

“I think student life for undergraduates on campus is pretty robust, [but] I think graduate students lead, in a lot of ways, pretty lonely

“I think graduate students lead, in a lot of ways, pretty lonely lives and don’t get a lot of attention,” -Ian Cull lives and don’t get a lot of attention,” said Cull.

“What we need to understand is the range of concerns… I need to hear them articulate exactly what [those are].” Cull said the deficiencies would be over a range of areas, and would have to be addressed by his portfolio, the college of graduate studies, and individual faculties.

Cull’s second priority was academic advising. The review had identified disconnects in the current structure, which Cull says he began addressing a year ago: “We’re a good way through but we’re not done yet… it won’t take much to finish it.”

The third issue goes back to a larger question at UBCO: what is its relationship to UBC Vancouver?

For four years since UBCO’s start in 2005, Cull reported to the Deputy Vice Chancellor (DVC) at UBCO as well as the VP of students in Vancouver. In 2009, a review recommended that the reporting structure be severed, and it was.

Now, the opposite is being recommended out of this review.

“We’ve come full circle,” said Cull, “and I think that it would be helpful to have a partnership relationship with our colleagues in Vancouver that’s stronger than it is.”

“I think it reflects the evolution of our campus,” said Cull, “in the original thinking of the campus, the Okanagan campus was going to be really closely tied to the Vancouver campus. And its level of autonomy would be quite minimal.

“At some point in the creation of the campus, we got our own senate and as soon as you have your own senate you have your own set of academic rules, and it creates a level of differentiation. Then that differentiation has sort of driven the growth of the campus.”

Despite that difference, Cull says the recommendation makes sense since there are so many shared programs: The HR systems, finance systems, and programs like Go Global are shared between campuses, among others.

He also pointed to the report from UBC Vancouver on the recent sexual assaults: that will affect policy at UBC, which will affect how UBCO runs things as well. The earlier Sauder rape chant controversy would affect UBCO as well.

“If you’re a UBC student,” said Cull, “there’s some experiences we want to guarantee you at the 10,000 foot level.”

The review was published February 20, 2014. DVC Deborah Buszard commissioned it, and it included an internal review and an external review report.

Following a screening of Schooling the World: The White Man’s Last Burden, a 65- minute documentary directed by Carol Black, David Jefferess will facilitate a discussion on the role of formal education as a means of alleviating poverty in the Global South.

March 17 Rule Out Racism panel discussion: “I’m not racist, but...”

2:00 - 4:00 p.m. / Ballroom UNC 2000

Join leading academics and distinguished guests when they discuss the topic of structural and everyday racism in our community.

March 18 An Embrace Aging event: Elder Abuse Prevention

4:00 - 5:00 p.m. / ART 218 Presented by the Institute for Healthy Living and Chronic Disease Prevention, Faculty of Health and Social Development, UBC’s Okanagan campus; and Interior Health.

Attend in person, webinar or teleconference.

How (and how much) will the incoming UBCSUO board be paid?

Three suggestions for new pay structure for the UBCSUO board include needs based grants, salary, and lump-sums.

Emma Partridge Staff Reporter The way student leaders are paid in the UBCSUO may be changing.

“There are some things everybody’s agreed upon. We know there are problems with the old system,” said Services Coordinator Nick Dodds, who has been working on proposals for a new structure.

Executives and directors are currently paid by honoraria, which are awarded monthly based on performance. This system has problems, however. “The problems are that almost everybody gets 100 percent because you’re voting every month…even if they don’t deserve 100 percent, it creates a

lot of animosity trying to figure 100 percent this month, and some1. A “needs-based” sum or rethat out.” times I’m not even sure the hours ward that would remove the barriFull monthly honoraria are cur- were in fact put in, so I’m super un- er for students in financial need “to rently at $1,350 for executives, $155 comfortable with that.” pay for tuition to members elected for directors and advocacy reps, Doling out 100 percent hono- as executives”. $140 for the meeting chair, and $75 raria may prevent animosity, but 2. Something that would resemfor the executive chair. that doesn’t mean it’s deserved. ble a wage, or salary. This would Financial Coordinator Rocky As Dodds notes, right now the replace the voting system and be Kim said that board members are students “get better value if we based on the number of hours required to work a minimum of 25 are paying somebody who doesn’t worked, so that “there won’t be as hours a week, not including 5 hours deserve to be paid to avoid the ani- much animosity, it will just be: you of non-board meeting work, which mosity that stops us from function- worked this number of hours or is roughly 100 hours per month. ing well, rather than creating that you did not…there will be a miniDespite having guidelines about animosity and not giving them an mum in terms of policy – you’ll get a minimum number of hours in extra couple hundred bucks.” paid for the number of hours that the office, Dodds said there is diffiThere are three ideas that you work, [and] policy will say that culty when it comes to denying col- Dodds has envisioned for the you have to work so many hours.” leagues extra money. “Every time future, and would like to see 3. A lump-sum honoraria at the everybody gets 100 percent I think all three enacted collectively, end of the school year to incentiv0427 no RPGP Prevention - Aboriginal Focused AD -Individualized - Janice Murphy Wide x 6in High have like, there’s wayRN everyone gave if possible: ize the- 10.44in elected.

“We [could] (Includes the printing of black boarder) - 02 Final Press Ready PDF

Photo by Kelsi Barkved a checklist of things that you get honoraria for… and then it will add up to like a lump sum honoraria. That is an incentive throughout the year.”

The idea of moving away from the current structure resonates with other executives. All presidential candidates have indicated they support an evaluation of the pay structure. “I would like to see us move towards a different system,” said Kim “I’d like to see it be a little bit more transparent. I’d like to see us move maybe even towards a salary or wage- based system where deductions are taken off your check and you;re paid hourly… rather than kind of a subjective thank-you.”

Maintaining Balance: Education, Awareness & Change Responsible & Problem Gambling Program Free gambling awareness, education and counselling for Indigenous Peoples.

For free services call Janice Mercredi Murphy. 250.308.9956 | 1-855-437-8521 janmurphymercredi@gmail.com Funded by the Province of British Columbia

Edited and Formatted by Gary Leung 2014 604 267 2113

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The Phoenix |

March 10th, 2014

WILL THE UBCSUO CHANGE Current Structure Yearly cost: $296,900

Existing positions

New positions

General Manager

Projects Manager

Exec Assistant

Green Well Text Man- Manager ager Alex Barberis

Finance Manager

Green Bean Manager

Health & Dental Coord.

Health & Dental Coord.

Bookkeeper

Financial Assistant

Staff Reporter

On January 13, 2014, the UBCSUO’s Services Coordinator, Nick Dodds, put forth the motion to change the staff structure operating within the Student’s Union.

The full-time staff of the students’ union consists of a General Manager; Finance Manager; Managers for the businesses of the Students’ Union such as the Well, Green Bean, and Green Text Bookstore; Health and Dental Coordinators; Bookkeeper; Financial Assistant; Project Manager; and Executive Assistant and Governance Manager; not including part-time staff and student positions such as Well cooks and student baristas.

Many committee meetings have been held in order to get as much possible feedback about the nature of these changes to staff structure

“If the proposed motion were passed and implemented in the summer, the following four additional jobs would be added to the list of the current staff, and the Projects Manager would have their job description changed.”

, but no final structure has been crafted and approved. The final proposal for the new staff structure is on the agenda for approval for the next board of directors meeting on March 10, 2014 according to Meeting Chair, Lina Gomez.

If the proposed motion were passed and implemented in the summer, the following four additional jobs would be added to the list of the current staff, and the Projects Manager would have their job description changed.

elected executive team to the next.

This individual reports directly to the General Manager and also removes some of the pressure from the General Manager by liaising with the Executives. Additionally, the Executive Director is responsible for managing the Projects team, whose projects are developed in conjunction with the Executive team.

Executive Director – Full Time, Long Term Contract, Manager

The Projects Manager carries out routine tasks that may not be part of daily operations. The Projects Manager reports directly to the Executive Director. The Projects Manager will work on implementing projects with the executive committee that do not necessarily fall under the realm of other team

The Executive Director’s main responsibility is to advise the Executive members, specifically the President, in their duties. The hope is that this position will minimize the knowledege lost between one

Projects Manager – Full Time, Permanent

members. Additionally, in cooperation with the lead executive on the project, the Projects Manager will oversee student volunteers, personnel from the university, or personnel from external organizations. Individuals occupying this position are additionally responsible for student handbooks, sponsorship, Student Union swag, the Student Union website, google domain, free tax services, AGM implementation, elections implementation and various other projects.

Student Association Coordinator – Full Time, Permanent The Student Association Coordinator is responsible for overseeing and supporting all UBCSUO student associations. Student associations include clubs, course unions, and larger organizations like the

March 10th, 2014

ITS STAFF STRUCTURE?

| The Phoenix

9

Proposed Structure

Estimated yearly cost: ~$396,900 General Manager Exec.

Director Projects Manager

Exec Assistant

Green Well Text Man- Manager ager MSA. The duties of the Student Association Coordinator involve engaging with executives of student associations, communicating important information, and providing direct support to them.

This individual is responsible for enforcing policies and providing student association executives with regular orientations and workshops. The Student Association Coordinator will work with the Financial Manager and Finance Assistant to aid student association finances, and the General Manager to facilitate insurance for student associations. Finally, the Student Association Coordinator will work closely with the VP Services and is responsible for mediating and advocating between the Board of Directors and student associations.

Events Coordinator

Green Bean Manager

Student Association Coord.

Health & Dental Coord.

Health & Dental Coord.

Events Coordinator – Part Time, Student

the UBCSUO; and assist student associations in executing their events while working directly under the Executive Director and cooperatively with the VP Services.

The Events Coordinator is expected to liaise with campus partners such as Campus Life, Campus Security, etc. Additionally, the Events Coordinator is required to engage with external partners and organizations for the means of sponsorships, hired companies for safety equipment, hired performers, etc.

Work performed by the Events Coordinator may include event planning, event logistics, event promotion, budgeting and sales, set-up and take down, and volunteer coordination.

The responsibilities of the Events Coordinator are to assist in planning and executing the events of

Of these positions, all will be unionized except those of the General Manager and the Executive Di-

Meeting Secretary – Part Time, Permanent The Meeting Secretary is to maintain accurate records of all governance activities. This individual’s main responsibilities consist of preparing agendas for, attending, and producing minutes for all Board of Directors, Executive, and Committee Meetings. The Meeting Secretary will also receive attachments or reports for the agenda of these meetings, and ensure that these reports and minutes are included in their respective agendas in a timely manner.

Meeting Secretary

Finance Manager

Bookkeeper

rector due to the fact that they are contracted employees.

Considering all these changes, Gomez, Meeting Chair for the Board of Directors meetings, assures students that they can afford these new staff positions with a minimal hit to their wallets.

“It really depends on which position goes through ” said Gomez, “but I think the highball number is $100,000 […] I think there’s only two or three positions that actually have extra money to them, and it doesn’t pass 100 [thousand]”.

Gomez also commented that the change in staff structure may take money from the surplus that the Student Union hasn’t used over the last few years.

“I think really students shouldn’t have to worry about [higher fees] because we do have a lot of money surplus that students hadn’t used,”

Financial Assistant

said Gomez, “And so, speaking to [General Manager Bob Drunkemole], he said that financially we can afford this and not hit students pockets.”

Financial Coordinator Rocky Kim has been a big proponent of re-evaluating the $1.9m in term deposits that the UBCSUO holds as well.

All staff structure discussion has happened in closed meetings, as a result of the collective agreement that the UBCSUO has with its staff.

LIFE

The 201314 Project shows UBCO some love Rita Yu and the rest of the 201314 Project team are closing in on their goal of collecting 1,314 pictures of students making a heart symbol with their hands. The project began on Chinese New Year, inspired by the similarity of the Mandarin symbols for “20 13 14” and the symbols for “love forever”.

After over a month of tabling on campus asking passing students to pose for photos, the team has hit 1,037 pictures. But Yu and company have also expanded the project, reaching out to campus organizations like the Green Thread Market and Housing Office to create collages of staff to be posted in the workplaces.

“Our project is a love project,” Yu explained, “and we don’t want the project to be just limited to the 1314 photos. We want it to really put [love] in our daily life. That’s why we did it with the food service, we took the photos of the staff and we want to post it in front of their workplace so when people order their food they will see the people in the photo [and see] another face of them.”

“And maybe after one day at work the staff is tired, when people see the photo they were smiling so happily in the

photo maybe they will try to encourage them and make their day,” she continued, “we just want people to feel closer to each other in their community.”

Yu, a first-year Management student, hopes to bridge the gap between students and other members of the campus community by making everyone more aware of those who work behind the scenes here. “When I do this project I realized even in the Green Thread Market you only see a few people work for you,” she recalled, “but they have really many people who work behind like washing dishes […] they do so much work to provide a better life for us.”

The Nursing faculty, Green Bean, and Koi Sushi Market are also in the process of having collages made, but the project has had difficulty setting up all the partnerships, gathering all the required photos, and locating sources of funding or other assistance. Yu hopes that once the final 1,314-person collage is complete UBC will take notice and help connect the 201314 Project with other departments and groups around campus.

A proposed collage piece for the Bookstore fell through because this branch’s decisions have to be in sync with the main

Cameron Welch Creative Director Photos provided by 201314 Project

Bookstore at UBC Van, but the project hopes to expand to the Vancouver campus in the fall semester.

“We want the project to become bigger and bigger,” Yu said, “and maybe from UBCO to UBC and then to Canada and all over the world, because it’s something really positive.”

The team has received interest from the EAP (English for Academic Purposes) and Get Involved programs, who want to promote the project as an example of first-year campus involvement. Yu also hopes to pursue a video about UBCO in the future, but for the time being she is focused on completing the project this semester and spreading it through the school.

“Maybe we’ll also do it with professors so students see the photo of their professor [and can] feel closer to their professor - because usually the professors, they are so serious in the class. We just want students to feel closer and we really want [the people here to] feel comfortable so every culture can be mixed in this community, because, we say, only love is boundary-less.”

201314 will be taking pictures in the Arts foyer from 11-4 on Tuesday March 11 and in Fipke from 11-2 on Thursday March 13.

March 10th, 2014

FASHION Election fashion DOs and DON’Ts Life Editor

When you’re trying to get people to vote for you, say, in an election, how you look can play a big part in your brand and your campaign.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at what some candidates did well and some...not so well, in this year’s election campaign period.

Good ideas: Using Colours to Identify Self: Having and consistently wearing campaign colours to identify oneself is powerful. However, there can also be issues with that too (see below).

Similarly, wearing UBC clothing, although not the most dressed up option, does associate one with the exact cause they were running for.

Watches: Not many people wear watches anymore, especially when suiting up. With that being said, when someone does add a proper watch to their outfit, it really classes things up.

Dressing Down the “Dress Up” Many candidates did a great job of being appropriately dressed up without being overly formal. This was achieved by mixing jeans with suit jackets, or sweaters and skirts.

Bad ideas: Monochromatic Colours: When expected to dress up, the general population assumes they are limited to black, white, navy blue, and fifty shades of gray. Unless you’re going to a formal business meeting or a funeral, I don’t

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UPCOMING

Campaigning with your clothes Maranda Wilson

| The Phoenix

March 12 Women in Science & Engineering: Keep the Job & Get a Life

5:30 - 7:30 p.m./ SCI 306

see why candidates can’t rock a little colour for a university election.

Ill-Fitting Suits: If you’re going to go full out with a suit, at least make sure it fits you.

Same goes for women’s blazers.

Nothing is worse than trying to look sharp, but your pants look like they’re suffocating your thighs.

Hoodies: I understand that this is an election for students, and that doesn’t call for tuxedos and bowties, but at least try to look your best. By your best, I mean no sweaters with a zipper. All we are asking for is a little effort.

The Top Half Dress Up: Some candidates felt that if they wore a v-neck or dress shirt that that would be enough. However, the bottom half of the outfit matters

Top Fashion Picks

too. Don’t be looking sharp on top only to take away from the whole outfit with baggy jeans… especially with white stitching. I’m not saying jeans aren’t okay, but fitted dark wash denim would’ve been a better choice.

Awkward Colour Schemes: Wearing your campaign colours is a great way to identify and promote yourself, however, certain colours are not meant to be worn together. Unless it’s an attempt at modern colour blocking, certain campaign colour combinations just make it appear you have really bad colour coordination (although you don’t intend it to be). Unless these colours are very clearly your campaign colours, it can easily lead to confusion. The key is consistency and making this very clear in ones posters and general campaign.

A panel of professionals will discuss issues related to maintaining a work-life balance, seeking an experienced mentor and more! $5 cover, dinner included.

March 17 Helping Students Learn How to Learn

1:30 - 2:30 p.m. / SCI 331

This session will look at how faculty can assist students in becoming lifelong learners.

March 19 UBC Law School Information Session

1:00 - 2:30 p.m. / SCI 333

Interested in going to Law School at UBC? Come to this information session to find out more about the admission requirements, the program, and the career possibilities.

FCCS Research Series: Emerging Visions: Digital Media and Culture 2:00 3:30 p.m. / CCS 142

Photo taken from Facebook.

From early cinema to video games, history has shown that new technologies play a critical role in shaping how Aboriginal people are perceived by Western culture. In this talk, “Indigenous Digital Media and the Post-Colonial Imagination,” Jason Lewis and Stephen Foster will discuss their current research.

March 20 Photo taken from Phoenix video of All Candidates Forum.

Kelly Panchyshyn Kelly’s relaxed blazer, beige silk top, cropped pants, and black heels were a great choice for the All Candidates Forum. Her overall style is sophisticated and very professional, while still being on top of current trends (cropped pants) as well as wearing clothing that properly fits her body.

Discovery Career Conference 2014

Photo taken from Phoenix video of All Candidates Forum.

5:30 - 8:30 p.m. / EME

Beau Loomer Beau does a great job of balancing being appropriately dressed and maintaining his own personal style. At the All Candidates Forum, he wore a black vest and tie with a blue plaid shirt. The vest and loafers kept his outfit from being too formal.

Rocky Kim: The only way I can describe Rocky’s style is: Simplified Simon Bullock. Rocky is often suited up, but uses patterned socks and colorful ties to bring the formal factor down a notch.

The Faculty of Management presents a speaker panel & networking event. The evening will feature four interactive panel discussions with professionals sharing personal career stories and insight into various industry sectors, and will allow students to discover career possibilities and build their professional contacts.

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The Phoenix |

March 10th, 2014

March 10th, 2014

Whistler Height: 2240 metres

Whistler Distance from UBC: 132 km

Whistler Lifts & Runs: 37 lifts 200+ runs

BIG WHITE & UBCO VERSUS WHISTLER & UBC VAN:

Hartley Vibert

Contributor

It’s no secret many of us UBCO students chose this school because of its proximity to world-class skiing, namely, Big White Ski Resort.This wicked hill presents itself at a decent price and is very close to the school. Our bigger, flashier sibling over in Vancouver has a similar relationship with the bigger, flashier Whistler-Blackcomb.

To compare Big White to Whistler may seem like an unfair fight, but in many ways, the two resorts reflect the differences which separate UBC Vancouver and UBC Okanagan. On one hand, Whistler is internationally-recognized, highly populated, and expensive.

On the other, Big White is a more charming, quiet, and slightly more affordable reality. Both offer a wide variety of terrain that can cater to anyone’s interests and abilities, and there are valid reasons to prefer or dislike either one. It begs the question: Where is the

best place to neglect your assignments, empty your bank account, ruin your knees, and have a great time enjoying the geography of British Columbia?

Let’s start with the cold, hard-groomed facts, which weigh heavily in Whistler’s favour. Whistler’s vertical drop is 1,587 vertical metres, from 2,240m at the top of 7th Heaven to 653m at the bottom of the Creekside Gondola. Big White’s drop is a paltry 774 metres, from the 2,285m at the T-bar to the base of the Gem Lake Express at 1,511m. The chairlift-accessible peak of Big White is actually higher but you have little over half as much distance to the bottom of the skiable terrain. That means Big White’s longest run is 7.2km, compared to 11km from top to bottom at Whistler.

And as for skiable terrain, Whistler once again embarrasses Big White. There’s 4,757 acres available between the two coastal peaks of Whistler-Blackcomb,

Big White Height: 2285 metres

whilst Big White can only stretch its limbs 2,765 acres.

This results in Whistler having 37 lifts, on two mountains, servicing more than 200 runs, while Big White has 16 lifts for 118 runs. It’s easy to get the picture, Whistler is pretty much twice as large.

Graciously, Whistler does not charge students twice as much for this terrain, as they unfortunately do for the adults. An early bird seasons pass for students is $519, compared to $1,899 for the saps. Big White offers its early bird student deal at a manageable $460.

It’s a matter of opinion how far that $59 gap should go, but it certainly does not match the discrepancy in sheer space.

Now that we have the raw facts out of the way, we should remember, a skier or snowboarder can only occupy one acre at a time, ski one run at a time, ride one lift. One of Big White’s greatest virtues is that it’s far less busy than Whistler.

Big White Lifts & Runs: 16 lifts 118 runs

| The Phoenix

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Whistler Student Deals $519/year $84/day

Which campus is a better destination for skiers and snowboarders

Connor Elliot, a UBCO skier with a seasons pass to Big White who visited Whistler over reading break, claimed that “The lift-lines in Whistler are huge, you never see that at Big White.”

Nobody enjoys waiting in line, but in some cases crowds can be good. Elliot went on to explain how he had come to Whistler for the break because of how many friends he had living there and, “because there’s such a big party scene at Whistler,” something which Big White lacks in comparison. With lots of people and lots of space, Whistler has numerous bars and nightclubs that are regularly full, while Big White’s Snowshoe Sam’s and Raakel’s are quite tame.

There’s a balance between feeling like you have a mountain to yourself to enjoy all day, and feeling lonely at night. Whistler and Big White occupy two

distinct ends of the spectrum.

For the most part in the mountain-descending community, dryer snow is considered better because it is lighter and therefore easier to maneuver in. Whistler’s precipitation is heavily influenced by the Pacific and can be “wet, heavy mush” at the worst of times, according to Cole Vibert, a snowboarder and threeyear local to Whistler.

“Up top it’s way lighter, but down in the valley, that’s what makes you a man,” Vibert said, in reference to the strength it takes to push the snow around. At Big White, with the higher average elevation of the mountain and generally dryer air, the snow is far more consistent and soft. For most skiers and boarders, lighter and more granular snow is more forgiving, but it can come down to preference.

But getting to the mountain is hardly a matter of

Big White Distance from UBCO: 57 km

preference: everyone wants to be there fast, early, and without spending too much. The drive from the UBC Vancouver campus to Whistler is 132km, or a little under two hours, since a lot of the first part is weaving through Vancouver traffic. Big White is only 57km, or under an hour, from the UBCO campus. If you aren’t driving your own car, taking the bus to Big White is cheaper by $11, and Whister does not offer the option to buy a seasonal bus pass.

Get to the mountain and don’t want to come home?

UBC owns a hostel at Whistler that charges $35 a night per person and you get charged $4 for bedding your first night. Big White comes in a little cheaper with the $30 per night rates at the Urban Retreat Hostel.

From the UBCO campus, Revelstoke and Silverstar mountains are both close by as well, which adds to the appeal of the valley as an overall ski destination.

Big White: Student Deals $460/year $67/day

About the same distance as Big White is from Kelowna, the north shore of Vancouver offers three minor mountains, Cypress, Grouse, and Seymour. While these mountains are convenient and slightly cheaper than average, they do not come close to rivalling the expert-level skiing that can be found at Silverstar, and especially at Revelstoke.

Whistler is unquestionably the larger, better-equipped complex of alpine culture from lifts to bars. Big White is more affordable and the skiing (flake by flake) could be better to many. For students, ease of access and price weigh hugely, and Big White comes out on top in these respects. The differences are much narrower than the statistics show. Each mountain offers something for the snow-savouring student, and the ease of access and smaller size of UBCO means that the concentration of mountain lovers and the visibility of mountain culture is higher here, even if Whister does attract students to UBC Van.

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The Phoenix |

August 29th, 2013

14

WHY THERE ARE SO MANY AUSTRALIANS ON THE HILL Kaeleigh Philllips

When entering any ski resort across British Columbia, one thing becomes apparent besides the postcard-perfect, snow-capped hills: Australian accents abound.

Australians, or Aussies as they are fondly dubbed, seem to have taken over ski culture in western Canada by taking on jobs from the ski liftee to the front desk receptionist.

I began to wonder about the Aussie presence when I visited Silver Star in a vain attempt to avoid my homework during reading break. I met several Australians in the hostel I stayed at and asked them about their interest in Canadian skiing

Desire for the unattainable Australia’s lowest average annual temperature is 16 degrees Celsius, which sounds like a dream for all the Canadians trudging through the cold winter months.

But the Australians dream of being able to make snow angels and ride down snow-capped hills.

I had never seen mountains or snow,” said Izzy Batka of Perth, “so it was all a shock to me. The first day I got here, I thought it was so cute and magical with all the snow and the cute little village [Silver Star]”. It only seems natural to be curious about the winter lifestyle, and Canada provides a tourist attraction created exactly for people looking to take advantage of living in a winter wonderland. The slow economy in Australia at the moment has also prompted travel.

“Work has been hard to come by for new graduates in Australia,” explained Michael Walters, who migrated from Zimbabwe to Australia in his teens, “so I was looking for a way of beating the slow period back home. In addition, I always wanted to learn to ski/snowboard, however prior to November I had never seen snow. So I jumped at [the] opportunity to work on a ski hill in Canada.”

Sports Editor

Working Holiday Visas Canada has a reciprocal working holiday visa with Australia that allows young Australians to come to Canada quite easily.

“Canada and Aus have a strong international affiliation, so the process was heaps easier than with other countries,” explained Karey Taylor, an Aussie from Melbourne with an amazing afro.

The visa is limited to ages 18-31 for 24 months, and similar age restrictions apply to Canadians looking to venture down under as well.

You aren’t required to have a job prior to leaving Australia, which is required to obtain a normal working visa over the age of 31, though you must have at least $2,500 saved up before you leave. It’s necessary to be enrolled in a post-secondary institution to receive the working holiday visa, but you can defer your studies to travel if you wish.

A home away from home Canada is the cold to Australia’s heat and the two are often called ying yangs of the earth. Canadian culture is quite similar to Australian culture in many respects, considering our shared colonial history, the English language, and westernized cultural influences.

As Karey described, “Canada’s pretty similar to Aus: Englishspeaking and Westernized, so relatively comparable nightlife”.

Aussies told me that Canada is a good place to gain travel experience before venturing onwards to countries with a different language and differing customs from home.

Canadian Babes As we all well know, Canadian guys and gals can boast of being true northern beauties. It is only natural that we would attract these tanned southerners to our icy waters for a good time (wink-wink).

Overall, the Australian fascination with snow culture is a welcome cultural phenomenon to Canadians, as it gives locals a chance to get to know their southern brothers and sisters without having to leave the country. The new friendships that are created between Canadians and Aussies in mountain culture also promote worldwide networking and create opportunities for learning and travelling together.

And at the end of the day, Australians just like snowboarding.

“My favourite part would be learning how to snowboard and getting better and better each time I do it,” said Izzy Bakta, a prime example of Australian warmth. “Also all the views and sites I’ve seen which I could never see anywhere else except here and of course making friends that I will have for the rest of my life”.

CYPRESS

Photo by Difei Li (flickr)

Host to all of the snowboarding and freestyle skiing events of the 2010 Winter Olympics, Cypress Mountain is the largest of the North Shore offerings. A short 38km jaunt through downtown Vancouver, then up the North Shore, Cypress takes slightly less time to get to than Big White. Cypress has 610m of vertical drop, 600 acres of terrain, six lifts and 53 runs. $62 lets you ski from 9am until 9pm, a very reasonable price for a surprisingly large mountain.

Photo by Dave Rutt (flickr)

August 29th, 2013

| The Phoenix

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15

The Goon Squad at their Hagoona Matata event at the Well

Photo by Concer Properties (flickr)

A VISIT FROM THE GOON SQUAD

UBCO’s mountain riding subculture epitomized by a Squad of Goons WE ARE A GROUP OF LIKEMINDED INDIVIDUALS WHO FIND THE ULTIMATE HIGH IN LIFE FROM CRUISING DOWN A MOUNTAIN WITH OUR BEST FRIENDS. SIMPLY PUT, WE LIKE TO HAVE AS MUCH FUN AS POSSIBLE AND NOT WORRY ABOUT THE BULLSHIT IN LIFE” -TAKEN FROM THE GOON SQUAD FACEBOOK PAGE

Sasha Curry

Life Editor

UBCO’s mountain riding subculture is reflected in our campus clubs and our students’ hobbies, as well as their language and way of dress.

Our school doesn’t have snow bunnies - we have chicks that ride. One student told me, “The ski/snowboard culture is the only real culture that [their] school has.” And another: “Well, look at all of the mountains we’re surrounded by, it’s no wonder they’ve influenced us.”

The Goon Squad is a group of guys that really epitomize this subculture.

You may recognize their name from The Well’s recent “Hagoona Matata” event that they hosted, or their faces from ski edits shared

amongst student Facebook pages.

These goons are all about the shaggy hair, GoPro’s, and pulling crazy stunts on (and off) the mountain.

Jay Starnino, Austen Hunter, Gavin Kramer and about twelve others who do not attend UBCO began The Goon Squad in their high school years. The majority of the group attended a national sports school in Calgary together where they decided to start an official “crew” of friends who ride, compete, and party together.

Although the members are now divided between Calgary, Kelowna, Revelstoke and Whistler, they collectively manage a website (goonsqd.ca), Facebook page, Instagram, Vimeo channel, brand of apparel, and are sponsored by Alberta beer company “Bone Beer”.

Last summer, the majority of the group lived in a house in Whistler together. “The pact has continued on for years and we still live and shred together. It’s more of a family than anything.” said Jay. Most of the squad (it seems to keep growing) have competed this year “getting results in the XGames and World Cup competitions.” They also claim to fame by association: the guys’ close friends Noah Bowman and Jenna Blasman competed in the Olympics this year, according to Jay. The boys compare themselves to other sports teams Super Proof from Whistler and 4bi9 from Colorado. Accordingly, The Goon Squad’s Facebook page description fits their style perfectly: “Professional Sports Team. Canada Eh. Snow Sliders. Beer Gunners.”

GROUSE MOUNTAIN

SILVER STAR

Grouse ranks in the middle in terms of size between the North Shore mountains. 212 acres of terrain spread across 26 runs serviced by five lifts is what’s available at Grouse. Open year round, the Skyride is a tram that transports adventurists of all kinds from the parking lots to the base of Grouse’s lifts. Admission to the Skyride is included in the lift ticket price.

Pick up a season’s pass with a student discount for only $279, or a day and night ticket for $58.

Only 15km further from UBCO than Big White, and in a completely different direction, you find Silver Star Mountain Resort. Similar to Big White in many ways, Silver Star has wellrounded terrain, a 760m vertical drop and just over 3,000 skiable acres. Silver Star does have slightly more steep stuff, with an even 30% of their runs being expert or higher compared to 27% at Big White. The student discount at Silver Star gets you a season’s pass for $479, or a day ticket for $67.

Photo by Concer Properties (flickr)

16

E L I F O R DENT P

STU

“The half pipe dream”: an account of mountain riding at Revelstoke Words and photo by

Jake Sherman

Contributor

Nestled between the majestic Selkirk and Monashee mountains, and boasting the most vertical in North America, Revelstoke Mountain Resort is truly Canada’s ski mecca.

With some of the most extreme on-piste terrain anywhere on earth, and epic panoramic views of the Columbia River and the mountains surrounding it, Revelstoke is nothing less than a site of pilgrimage for our provinces’ beautiful mountain culture.

That said, it’s certainly not a place for those just trying to figure out how to slide on snow.

With only two green runs on the mountain, minimal groomers, and huge cliffs (sometimes unmarked), it’s a mountain that demands serious respect.

Those who live around Revelstoke and partake in its beautiful rituals are not only cognizant of the grave danger that surrounds them, but use it as an anchor around which they learn from mother nature, and help to keep themselves humble and grounded. From the perspective of a summit at 7,677 feet, it’s hard not to ponder inwards.

The mountains have become, for all of us who enjoy them in the Monashee and Selkirk ranges, far more than about just sport.

At just 6 years young, the resort has already made its mark as a staple amongst the extreme skiing and snowboard community, holding one of only two coveted Freeride World Tour events in North America.

This year, the World Tour stops in March 10th to 15th and promises to showcase “the world best” and set the town ablaze. With events happening all around Revelstoke throughout the week, it’s an event not to be missed if you take skiing and snowboarding seriously, and hold a sincere stake in big mountain culture.

Austin Hunter Program: 2nd year Engineering “I don’t remember not skiing, ever.”

You may have seen this shaggyhaired engineer power studying in the EME, adorned in his sponsor Ehotodesign clothing, or in his skis showing up the rest of Big White on the slopes. Known by most on campus as “Auzzy”, this overall well -rounded guy possesses an incredible talent and drive.

As a teenager, Auzzy attended a national sports school in Calgary, Alberta competing as a member of the school’s mogul team for five years, before quitting at the age of eighteen. Auzzy then switched to slope style before sadly blowing his knee that summer. The result of this temporarily life-altering injury? “I

decided to enroll in Engineering at UBCO.” One year at UBCO, and a partially healed knee later, this athletic fiend quit studying, and moved to Whistler to do what he loves most. From May 21st 2012 – May 21st 2013, Austen skied every 2.7 days.

Last year, Auzzy competed in slopes, making a goal in July that he would make it on the national team that was starting just months down the road, after the Olympics.

He blew his knee a month later – the reason for him being back at UBCO this year. His plans for next year? “For the first time, taking full time (3rd year engineering) classes, while also skiing.”

Interview by Sasha Curry Photo by Kelsi Barkved

What do you hope to do after university?

“Get a job that can support my lifestyle as a skier.”

What injury?

was

your

worst

“I’ve had three ASL surgeries – four knee surgeries in total. Those were probably my worst injuries.”

Do you have a signature move on the mountain?

(After pondering for some time) “A cork 9 on crosstails.”

And in case anyone else is wondering, when asked where we could find Auzzy on a typical Saturday night he responded: “At O’Flannigans – havin’ brews with the boys.”

E K I L T I S AT’

17

WH

Left: Solty poses with his sponsored gear and nothing else Below: The fruits of Solty’s sponsorship Photos by Sasha Curry

WHAT’S IT LIKE TO BE A SPONSORED SKIER / SNOWBOARDER “The sickest thing ever.” – Mike Solty, 3rd-year Management Student Sasha Curry

Life Editor

So my friend Mike provided a substantial amount of Rockstar Energy drinks, and Pabst beers on a recent weekend trip to Revelstoke that we took. I’m talking 225 free beers, and enough energy drinks to impede me from sleeping more than five hours for the entire weekend.

“How do you get all of this free stuff, all of the time?” I asked him.

“My sponsors.” Mike informed me. I remember watching the Olympics last month and noticing how many sponsors the snowboarders had. Jamie Anderson, who recently won gold in the inaugural Women’s Slopestyle Event in Sochi, is currently sponsored by five companies, including Billabong and Monster Energy. Finding

out that my own school peers were also sponsored had me curious, so I sat down with Mike to ask, “What’s it like?”

“Christmas every week,” Mike Solty responded, explaining that he is currently sponsored by “Smith, K2, Outdoor Technology, Rockstar Energy, Fresh Air, and [his] parents.”

So why is it that snowboarders and skiers in particular get to wake up to brand new apparel waiting in a box on their doorstep?

“Basically, snowboarding is full of rich kids,” Mike explained, “whose parents buy them the latest stuff for the mountain. It’s also a lot about the style; the steeze you have. Companies outfit competitive snowboarders/ skiiers in their apparel. Other snowboarders and skiers keep their eyes open for

what boots, boards, bindings, goggles etc., are cool, and are inspired to buy them for themselves.”

So because of the attraction to steeze, and the disposable income of riders (or their parents), athletic companies have an incentive to show off their products on the best riders and skiiers on the mountain.

Besides the obvious athletic gear being boots, boards, and bindings given by companies for wearing in competition, Solty also receives clothing, speakers, and headphones, as well as equipment maintenance from his sponsors.

Not a bad home–delivered goody bag for doing what he loves most.

The most exciting aspect of being a sponsored athlete is the opportunity to meet other influential athletes during networking events that these companies host. More

meaningful than the free products that you receive as a snowboarder, according to Solty, is the experience of mingling with other successful athletes, for example “Shaking hands and going for free drinks and food with people like (Olympian) Derek Livingston.”

Getting picked to receive a company’s sponsorship is an opportunity to project yourself out into the world as an athlete, as well as mingle with other athletes alike. “Just meeting people with sick mindsets.

It’s these people that have shaped the way that I’ve grown over the years.”

As surreal as it sounds to receive free “swag” and rub shoulders with elite athletes on a regular basis, it didn’t come easy for Solty.

Six am is the regular weekend wakeup time for Mike’s mountain

riding routine. During his first year of university, this routine included catching a bus to get to the mountain from campus. Mike has been training since he was eight years old, spending hours every week not only riding but also in travelling to and from the slopes.

So how does Mike prioritize his day between schoolwork and training? “One hour a day on school work – the rest of the day training/ snowboarding.” Solty also shared his advice for other young athletes training in extreme sports and hoping to get to where he’s at. When sensing any feelings of self-doubt or fear while staring down a half-pipe, he states that his tactic for success is the ability to abolish this mindset and simply say, “Fuck it.”

SPORTS Brianna Beamish Outside Hitter

Kailin Jones Libero / Middle

Katy Klomps Middle Blocker

A decorated high school player, Beamish has had tremendous success on the court since her first Heat season (20112012). 2013-2014 saw Beamish play more sets than any of her previous seasons and have her best year yet.

She recorded a careerhigh 14 kills versus Mount Royal on Nov 2, and finished third on the team in kills (154).

Not only relied on for her offensive power, Beamish tied for third in digs/set at 1.81.

Fifth year Kailin Jones will return to the Heat next season as the team’s primary libero.

Capturing a gold medal in the Heat’s final season as a part of the British Columbia Colleges’ Athletic Association (BCCAA) in 2010-2011, Jones was redshirted for the 2013-2014 season.

Recording a total of 252 digs for the team, Jones will look to have a repeat of her 20112012 season where she tallied a career high 111 digs.

Entering her fourth season with the Heat next year, Katy Klomps has maintained her starting role as the middle blocker since her rookie season. After an outstanding past year, Klomps became the second Heat player ever to represent UBCO on the CanWest All Star Team. The recognition stemmed from Klomps’ powerful and consistent play; she finished second in the country in bocks (108) and led the Heat in points (222).

Kaitlynn Given Outside Hitter Kelowna native Kaitlynn Given has also had a breakthrough second season, recording the highest kills per set ratio at 2.58. Given is another outside hitter who’s skills are not limited to just one end of the spectrum, finishing second on the team in digs per set at 2.57.

Emily Oxland Setter With her 2 years spent with the Heat, Emily Oxland has managed to play in every Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) match that has come her way. 44 matches later, you’re looking at the team’s strongest setter the past 2 seasons with a total of 1288 assists, more than any other active Heat player.

Megan Festival Outside Hitter Competing in all 44 CIS games in her two years with UBCO, Megan Festival put up big numbers this season for her team. She finished first on the team in terms of kills (179) and service aces (25). Improvements in her stats across the board in her second season shows her growth on the court as a new campaign rolls around.

The Future of Women’s Volleyball: the superwomen team that will lead the Heat to Canada West victory Mirella Cullen

Contributor Kelsi Barkved Photo illustration

Even after losing their final games, first against UBC and then in the bronze medal match against Trinity Western, the Heat Women’s Volleyball team did not have a disappointing season. These two losses did prevent the Heat from advancing to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) National Finals in Regina, but they showed that they were capable of competing with the nation’s best teams, and their success shows no indication of slowing down.

The loss of outside hitter Jillian Festival and libero Lenai Schmidt will be a blow to the starting lineup. Some of the Heat’s bench players, though, will come off the

back burner and be able to supply the spark needed on the court.

Kailin Jones will be returning to the squad after being red-shirted this past season, and Kaitlynn Given, Brianna Beamish, and Megan Festival will be looked to continue their amazing play, along with setter Emily Oxland.

The Heat are one of the youngest teams in Canada West, and after their performance this season, one can only suspect with more experience and growth they will become top contenders in the highly competitive Canada West conference. For the majority of the 2013-2014 season, the CIS West made up half of the top 10 nationally-ranked teams, with the Heat themselves in the top 10 in

all but the final week of the regular season. This is arguably the most difficult conference, but the Heat’s standout season coming in only their third year in the league is impressive.

After the Heat were denied a bronze medal in Vancouver, the UBC Thunderbirds and the University of Manitoba Bisons squared off for the Canada West gold medal. The Bisons did not scare UBC off, as the Thunderbirds cleaned up quickly in 3 straight sets (25-17, 25-21, 25-23).

But when the teams met a week later at the National Championship, Manitoba reconfigured their game plan and shut the Thunderbirds out 3 sets to none (25-22, 2522, 25-20).

Manitoba’s surge to the top is both alarming and somewhat comforting at the same time.

On one hand, it’s concerning to have a new championship-calibre team to contend with other than the usual UBC Van. On the other hand, Manitoba is a young team like UBC, and has shown that experience does not guarantee a National Championship and that the Thunderbirds are beatable.

UBC and Trinity Western have been dominant in Women’s Volleyball in the West for years, but their time may be up. With an abundance of starting players leaving this season and next, aging teams like these will begin to struggle. Teams such as UBCO and Manitoba that will not lose

their entire starting lineup within a few graduation classes may find themselves propelled to the top.

That is not to say that the topranked schools in the West that are losing players will not be able to replace them with solid recruiting this off-season. The Heat do not find themselves as reliant on recruiting though, since the young team will be able to focus on developing the players presently with them. It will work to the advantage of the UBCO ladies, who will now be able to build directly on the foundations of this year’s success, and this very capable team should go far next season.

Eligibility years of top CanWest teams’ best players Although the Heat women just missed out on a berth at Nationals, they aren’t losing any top players to graduation. We looked at the eligibility years of each of the top Canada West teams’ highest-scoring players to determine when UBCO will have its best chance to win the conference.

Because its six strongest players are in their second and third years of eligibility, UBCO has an advantage as they have nearly half of their careers left to build a strong team and dominate in Canada West. Manitoba, the CIS winners of Nationals this season, have a strong advantage as well as their six strongest players are in their third year of play. This indicates that they have two years left with a team that has already won Nationals.

UBC’s four strongest players will be in their final year of eligibility next year. Brandon and Trinity Western ‘s top four have two more years, although their other two are spread out well, so a dropoff could be mitigated by consistent recruiting.

UBCO’s window of opportunity should be the season after next, when their strongest current players are in their last 2 years and other teams’ top players have graduated. However, the team that just won Nationals, the Manitoba Bisons, had a top 6 of all 3rd-year players, meaning the Heat will still have to get past Manitoba.

YEAR 2

YEAR 3

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The Phoenix |

ARTS

March 10th, 2014

DIGGING UP THE PAST Laura Scarpelletti Arts Editor Asher Klassen

Illustration by

Whether you are a fan of Woody Allen’s films and have been aware of his past scandals or not, recently his past allegations have become impossible to ignore. Twenty-one years after his former partner and muse Mia Farrow found naked pictures of her adopted daughter, twenty-year-old Soon-Yi Previn, in Allen’s room—which launched a cutthroat custody battle—the story has catapulted back into the spotlight. Farrow and her daughter Dylan claimed that Allen had molested the then-seven year old girl during the custody battle, and Dylan has recently repeated the allegations. Both Dylan and Allen have published open letters in The New York Times in response to each other. Now that both parties have had a chance to speak, and friends and children have spoken out as well, we can now approach the question: can we still watch Allen’s films and award him for them?

How it all began

1985

Commentary against Allen

Fans of Allen’s work are no doubt aware of his views on traditional romantic relationships. Allen is a man who picks muses that last for years, from Diane Keaton to Farrow to Scarlett Johansson. All of the storylines and characters that have been birthed from partnerships with those muses have avoided standard representations of couples. If you look at his films as hints of what was to come, Manhattan is the most important.

In the Oscar-winning love letter to his favourite city, New York, Allen plays a character who has a sexual relationship and eventually falls deeply in love with a seventeen-year-old girl named Tracy. Infidelity is possibly the most common theme in his films, as seen in highly acclaimed movies like Hannah and her Sisters and Matchpoint. Allen sees romance as something that shouldn’t be restrained or limited to a single person.

His strong liberal views weave through the characters he constructs, as well as the plots and the dialogue. Allen himself has won four Oscars, and his films have garnered many in numerous categories. Being well known for writing and directing films that get actors Oscars, actors covet roles in his films. His constant and timeless success has bothered Dylan—needless to say—and when his most recent film Blue Jasmine received numerous nominations for this awards season, she decided to speak out once again, this time as an adult.

Dec. 1987Farrow and Allen’s son Ronan is born.

Farrow and Allen start dating

1980

Themes in Allen’s films

Farrow and Allen began dating in 1980, and made numerous films together up until their falling out. It is important to note that they never married, nor did they ever live together. Allen eventually adopted Farrow’s children Dylan and Moses—whom she herself had adopted—but never adopted Soon-Yi. He saw her much less than the younger children. Once Farrow found out about Allen and Soon-Yi, she filed for custody of the children and launched the allegations that Allen had molested Dylan. The press had a field day with this, and Allen eventually lost custody.

The resurfacing of the Allen and Farrow drama began in October 2013 after Farrow exclusively told Vanity Fair that her son Ronan Farrow—the child she had with Allen—may actually be Frank Sinatra’s son. No one knows why she chose to admit this, but it somehow led to the re-release of molestation allegations against Allen.

Dec. 1991 Allen officially adopts Dylan and Moses, two of Farrow’s adopted children.

1990

Jan. 1992 Farrow finds naked photos of Soon-Yi Previn.

Allen admits to the affair.

Dylan’s open letter is difficult to read, as she obviously has spent most of her life traumatized by the events of the early ‘90s. Support for the now-grown woman is strong.

“Last week, Woody Allen was nominated for his latest Oscar. But this time, I refuse to fall apart,” Dylan said in her letter. “…What if it had been your child, Cate Blanchett? Louis CK? Alec Baldwin? What if it had been you, Emma Stone? Or you, Scarlett Johansson? You knew me when I was a little girl, Diane Keaton. Have you forgotten me?” Blanchett has since won the Best Actress Academy Award for her performance in Blue Jasmine. Despite the controversy, Blanchett thanked director/writer Allen in her acceptance speech. Allen did not win for the category he was nominated in.

After the open letter was published, the media and online world erupted in anger against Allen, horrified by Dylan’s account of the sexual abuse. Many have called for a boycott of his films, and positive discourse of his work has slowed down significantly. His history with Soon-Yi and attitude towards relationships with underage women (see above) certainly does not help his case.

Allen has generally been quiet about the scandal over the years. Avoidance of the press and discussing matters unrelated to his films is typical of him, and has been under fire this year throughout the controversy. His silence could be seen as manipulative in itself, although by this point the press would use anything he says against him.

Aug. 1992 Farrow claims Allen sexually assaulted Dylan.

Jun.1993 Farrow wins custody of Moses, Dylan, and Ronan.

Sept. 1993 The Dylan case is dropped due to inconclusive charges.

1995

Dec. 1997 Allen and Previn marry.

March 10th, 2014

| The Phoenix

21

CULTURE

Dylan Farrow speaks up after 21 years

Soon-Yi Previn and Woody Allen at the 2009 Whatever Works film premiere

Allen’s ex Mia Farrow

Looking at the allegations against Woody Allen in the midst of his continued filmmaking success Commentary against Farrow Best known for her role in Roman Polanski’s Rosemary’s Baby, Farrow is a critically acclaimed actress, as well as a respected activist. She has shone in each of Allen’s films, and has a lasting status as a sixties ‘It Girl.’ However, many have spoken out about her alleged manipulative personality. Allen has referred to her as a “woman scorned,” and her son Moses Farrow was quoted at age fourteen saying, “My mother drummed it into me to hate my father for tearing apart the family and sexually molesting my sister. Of course Woody did not molest my sister. She loved him and looked forward to seeing him when he would visit. She never hid from him until our mother succeeded in creating the atmosphere of fear and hate towards him.”

Moses is now a family therapist, and still stands with his original statement concerning the scandal.

During the custody battle, Allen showed on television program 60 Minutes a Valentine’s card Farrow had given him showing a photo of her family with needles and a steak knife jabbed through the

2000

Does Hollywood forgive?

children at the center of the card.

This was allegedly retaliation for Allen falling for Soon-Yi Previn, and suggests a very bitter and unreasonable Farrow.

Near the end of the court case back in 1993, the Child Sexual Abuse Clinic of the Yale-New Haven Hospital released the following statement after observing Dylan for signs of molestation: “Could it be any clearer? Mr. Allen did not abuse Dylan; most likely a vulnerable, stressed-out 7-year-old was coached by Mia Farrow.”

Allen also says this, repeating what Moses said about Farrow’s tendency towards manipulation.

“Twenty-one years ago, when I first heard Mia Farrow had accused me of child molestation, I found the idea so ludicrous I didn’t give it a second thought,” said Allen in his open letter response to Dylan’s renewed allegations. “….Of course, I did not molest Dylan. I loved her and hope one day she will grasp how she has been cheated out of having a loving father and exploited by a mother more interested in her own festering anger than her daughter’s well-being.”

2005

In 1977, director Roman Polanski was arrested for the statutory rape of a 13-year-old girl. He pleaded guilty, and fled to London in order to avoid sentencing. He currently resides in France, and continues to work in the film industry. Despite his horrific transgression, Polanski is still widely regarded as a well respected writer and director, working with such highly acclaimed actors as Kate Winslet, Jodie Foster, and Adrian Brody. His 2002 film The Pianist won three Academy Awards, including Best Director.

Clearly, Hollywood is okay with awarding this man, and Allen— who has not even been proven guilty—may receive the same treatment. However, Polanski had years to make his way back into the hearts of filmgoers. Allen—now age 78—does not have time on his side. Dylan came forward in light of his most recent Oscar nominations, and the effects of the scandal will be seen if his critical acclaim does not continue.

No conclusion Understandably, people are on Dylan’s side, as they should be. She is the true victim here, whether Allen molested her or Farrow manipulated her. Allen’s denial of Dylan and Farrow’s allegations leaves us without answers. The allegations are so horrific, that we should be wary of Allen as he could very well be the next Polanski.

Addressing his relationship with Soon-Yi, the length of their marriage hints that they did indeed have strong feelings for each other that simply went beyond their respective relationships with Farrow and their concern for the reaction of the public. Whether Farrow’s reaction to the heartbreak prompted the manipulation of a young impres-

Nov. 2013 Farrow states in an interview with Vanity Fair that Ronan may in fact be Frank Sinatra’s son, rather than Allen’s.

2010

sionable Dylan, or Allen did indeed molest the child, no concrete proof has been provided and we are left to our own devices. Blanchett’s win at the Academy Awards proves that the public is still willing to acknowledge his films, even if they are honouring the specific actress’s skills. It will be up to viewers to decide whether they can separate the man from the art, and we are often persuaded by the press. With no conclusion and Dylan, Farrow and Allen’s responses accessible, the viewer is faced with the challenge of deciding for themselves what they are to believe. The dark side of the film world will always be a mystery to the public, unfortunately for victims like Dylan.

Feb. 1 2014 Dylan comes forward, once again stating allegations against Allen in an open letter published in The New York Times.

Feb. 7 2014 Allen releases a response in The New York Times to Dylan’s allegations, denying having molested her.

OPINIONS

The “sickening logic” of Harper’s new definition of anti-Semitism

Katarina Trapara

Illustration by

Asher Klassen

Contributor

On January 20, 2014, Prime Minister Stephen Harper delivered a controversial speech in Jerusalem’s 120-seat Knesset (Israeli government’s legislative branch) – the first ever by a Canadian prime minister.

Here, Harper extended the definition of anti-Semitism to include all criticisms of Israeli foreign policy – yes; this includes criticism of Israel’s unjustifiable attacks on Gaza during the 2008-2009 Gaza War. This brutal and asymmetric war killed an estimated 1,116 to 1,417 Palestinians and 13 Israelis; the International Red Cross said the situation in Gaza was a “full blown hu-

manitarian crisis.”

“What else can we call criticism that selectively condemns only the Jewish state and effectively denies its right to defend itself while systematically ignoring or excusing the violence and oppression all around it?" According to Harper, we call this anti-Semitism. Similarly, the state of Israel claimed its rationale for attacking the Gaza Strip was to stop rocket fire into Israel and arms import into the Gaza Strip.

However, I argue that these attacks on Palestinians can be and should be rationally condemned and deemed unjustifiable. This is

not to deny Israeli self-defence, which is certainly an inherent right of sovereign states, but to note that the principle of proportionality in self-defence that underlies international legal order was not adhered to. A striking 1,116 – 1,417 Palestinian deaths is not proportional to 13 Israeli deaths and therefore must be condemned; this kind of backward government policy cannot be tolerated in the international arena.

Indeed, Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann, president of the UN General Assembly, had accused Israel of genocide in Gaza. Is the president of the UN General Assembly, then,

an anti-Semite? Are hundreds of boycotts against Israel anti-Semitic, or are they conduits for peace and negotiations?

Indeed, Harper’s flawed logic is detrimental to hopes of international peace and conflict resolution between Palestine and Israel. It nullifies and de-legitimizes Palestinian suffering as a result of Israeli policy – whether it be outright murder, the squalid conditions of refugee camps, or the “micromanagement of daily life,” where Israeli occupation of the West Bank means that Palestinians must ask for a permit in order to leave with one’s fam-

ily, to farm one’s own land, to dig a well, to go to work, to school, to a hospital, etc.

These ocurrences may seem reminiscent of those of the Apartheid state in South Africa, and indeed, many parallels have been drawn by prominent intellectuals such as Noam Chomsky and even United Nations members – parallels that Harper calls “sickening logic.”

What is “sickening” is Harper’s attempt to obfuscate international law and render Palestinian struggles invisible, denying them fundamental freedom; all points that we as Canadians must challenge.

What is a global citizen?

Francine Lingad & Samantha Steenwyk Contributors

What is a global citizen? This question was the center of discussion at the AlterKnowledge discussion back in January of this year, as Dr. Jefferess and a few students presented a collaborative student project that provided a critical analysis of the Global Citizen Kelowna (GCK) initiative.

The definition of global citizenship that was presented to the participants at the discussion was as follows: “A global citizen is a citizen who identifies with their local community but also believes in the interconnectedness of the world.” For GCK, global citizenship is more narrowly defined in terms of humanitarianism. The various components of GCK, including a Millennium Development Challenge for high school students and a Global School House directed at grade 6 students, all focus on how people in Canada should “help” people in the Global South to “develop.”

We determined that GCK promotes “soft” global citizenship, rather than “critical” global citizenship. This distinction comes from the analysis of education scholar Vanessa Andreotti. The “soft” method of global citizenship focuses on how people in the Global South are “poor” and “lack,” and how the global citizen is a “helper”; the problem of “their” poverty can be solved by “us” donating money. This outlook on global citizenship is very problematic as it “others” people living in the Global South as “undeveloped,” “needy” and incapable.

Critical global citizenship education focuses on the structures that produce inequality, and teaches that we need to understand our positions in global power. The goal of critical global citizenship is to challenge and transform structural inequality.

Global Citizen Kelowna was organized to “bring awareness” of issues like global poverty, literacy, environmental sustainability and the spread of infectious diseases. Browsing the GCK website, it becomes clear that the solutions to such issues are understood as what “we”—that is, residents of developed coun-

Photo by Kelsi Barkved

tries like Canada—can do for those in developing countries. The initiative largely ignores the voices of people from the Global South.

The Millennium Development Challenge, for instance, is promoted for the way it will “empower” the students who are involved and for how much the Kelowna youth will learn.

There is no mention of the people they proposed to help though. There is a tacit assumption that those affected by poverty are not able to help themselves and that we have nothing to learn from the social movements for justice in the Global South.

Of course, GCK is not unique in representing people in the Global South this way. To provide one example, Tony Blair’s Commission for Africa describes African governance as poor, which ignores the historical and social contexts for African governance.

Looking at the United Nations-proposed Millennium Development Goals, the basis of the MDC, the solution to poverty appears to be to identify areas where health, education and working conditions can be “fixed,” based on standards set by developing countries. From there, the solution is, once again, aid. Again, we see a tacit comparison where living conditions in the developed world are presumed to be optimal, and developing countries such as Africa need assistance to achieve these conditions, or catch up, if you will. Well-meaning intentions aside, these proposed “solutions” are problematic because, first, it presumes global hierarchy where developed nations rule; and second, because it fails to address the root causes of global inequality that may find these developed nations guilty for causing issues like poverty. Purportedly well-meaning initiatives, like Global Citizen Kelowna, unwittingly reinforce a world order based on hierarchy.

Nobody wants to think of themselves as part of a global problem, and many well-meaning initiatives similar to GCK exist on our campus.

But maybe, before we can look at solutions, we should strive to learn about the causes of global concerns.

2014-15 Academic Year Application deadline: April 7th

August 29th, 2013

| The Phoenix

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