CONSRUCTION DELAYS LEAVE STUDENTS HOMELESS p3
ONLY HALf THE POSITIONS IN THE UBCSUO ARE FILLED BY PEOPLE WE ELECTED p4
RIDE UBCO’s Student Newspaper
September 23rd, 2013 | Vol. 25 Issue 2
riding the bull since 1989
THE TRANSIT ISSUE
GET IN. GET OUT. GET TO CLASS ON TIME.
THE PHOENIX TRANSIT PROJECT BEGINS INSIDE ON PAGE13
THE UBCO STUDENTS WHO CREATED THE KELOHA PYRAMIDS p22-23 THE UBCO PROFESSOR WHO CREATED KRYPTONIAN p11-12
NEWS
FEATURES
NEWS
Toope’s last town hall p4 Clubs lose faith in UCSUO p5
The past, present, future of transit p13
LIFE
ARTS
t
B c
Academy Hill delays leave students homeless
briefs
Photo by Hanss Lujan
Tinder ignites at UBCO p10 The creator of Superman’s language Kryptonian is from UBCO p11
UBCO artists that shaped Keloha p22
OPINIONS
SPORTS
UBCSUO in violation of its own laws p18 Clubs are being choked out p19
Heat men on fire p24 Get fit on a budget p25
Editor-in-chief
David Nixon eic@thephoenixnews.com
Room 109 University Center 3333 University Way Kelowna, BC Canada V1Y 5N3 Phone: 250-807-9296 Fax: 250-807-8431 thephoenixnews.com Cover images by Hanss Lujan
Managing Editor
Academy Hill is still under construction despite a promise to be complete in August
Interim News Editor
David Nixon news@thephoenixnews.com
Arts Editor
Alex Eastman ads@thephoenixnews.com
Laura Sciarpelletti arts@thephoenixnews.com
Creative Director
Interim Sports Editor
Cameron Welch creative@thephoenixnews.com
Interim Art Director
Cameron Welch artdirector@thephoenixnews.com
Interim Visual Editor
Hanss Lujan visuals@thephoenixnews.com
Alex Eastman sports@thephoenixnews.com
Opinions Editor
Matt Lauzon opinions@thephoenixnews.com
Events Editor
Janelle Sheppard events@thephoenixnews.com
Staff Illustrator Asher Klassen
Columnists
Katie Jones & Curtis Tse & Naughty Librarian
Copy Editors
The Phoenix is the UBCO students’ free press. Editorial content is separate from the University of British Columbia Students’ Union Okanagan (UBCSUO) and from the UBC institution at large.
Katie Norman & Lauren Wintle copy@thephoenixnews.com
The editorial staff encourages everyone to
Staff Photographer
right to withdraw submissions from publication
submit material to the Phoenix but reserves the
Ali Young young@thephoenixnews.com
for any reason. “Any reason” could be material
Staff Writers
publish materials which condone, promote, or
Torin McLachlan & Sasha Curry & Stephanie Wise & Matt Husain & Emma Partridge writer@thephoenixnews.com
Contributors
Alex Levstik & Andrew Bates & Aila Stitcko & Kolton Proctor & Sean Willet & Chloe Elliott & Christine Schreyer
deemed to be sexist, racist, homophobic, or of poor taste or quality. The Phoenix will not
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
Sasha Curry
Photo by David Nixon
Staff Writer
School has been in session for three weeks now, and the Ramada Inn Hotel on Highway 97 is full of students who still have no place to call home. These students, and many more scattered across Kelowna living on couches of friends and family, purchased apartment units at the Academy Hill complex behind the UBCO campus. First the expected date had been in August. Then September 1. Now it’s promised for October 15. Many students are juggling the stress of a new school year with the struggle of not having their own home yet and the constant worry of the building not being built on time. “Not being able to move into my own room and living space has added to the stress of starting a new term. I had a roommate who could not find another place to live for the first month and a half so she found another place,” said Camille Selhorst, a third year international student. UBCO student Brooklyn Tracey
New UBCSUO club policy
checked out the sight of her future home last April – “My step-dad predicted that it wouldn’t be ready in time for September 1 at the way it was looking last spring. The realtor reassured us that it would be, and if need be the developer would bring in extra crews to get it done on time.” Tracey took a walk around the grounds of Academy Hill September 1, the promised move in date. She said the place was “missing walls still” and there was barely any sign of construction, not to mention the extra crews promised. “I’m really excited to live there, but it seems as if it isn’t even real at this point.” Monthly notifications on Academy Hills website were promised by the developer, but buyers said months went by before a written update was posted in September on the website. Another UBCO student, Shane D’Souza, was planning on living with two other roommates in the unit that his parents purchased at Academy
$1-$50
The mandatory fee to be part of any club.
2x fees
The maximum funding you can get, excluding the skills fund, is twice the sum of your collected membership fees.
Hill. All three ended up unexpectedly homeless come late August. “My family bought one of the apartments and was assured that the project would be done on time,” said D’Souza, “however we were informed in August that it would not be done ‘till the 15th of august, leaving us to scramble for a place to live in the interim. They gave us one option, the Ramada hotel at a subsidized rate, however not containing all the amenities of the apartment, also having to bus to and from campus.” D’Souza says disclosure on the progress of the project was lacking. “When we were assured the building would be ready on time, we were not informed of the delay they had already had and weren’t notified that they were already behind schedule and planned to catch up.” The cost of living at the Ramada Inn in the meantime is a subsidized $30.00/day from a rate of Ramada Inn’s $80.00/night offer for the stu-
15
The minimum number of members you now need to form a club.
Oct3
The date of the new club day, to accomodate the large amount of paperwork clubs now need to fill out. See pg 5 for details.
dents. Academy Hill says it negotiated the $80 rate. Fifty dollars a night for a month and a half adds up to $2250.00 plus expenses. Theresa Karpowich, Sales Rep. for Academy Hill, stated in an interview “[the] Developer went over and above what others would do,” which she says included alternate parking arrangements, the $30-a-night for accommodations, and a lower overall rate negotiated by Academy Hill with Ramada. Despite being hung out to dry, Selhorst is trying to make the best of the poor situation while she hopes the units are not delayed again. “Personally, I feel that it has been stressful, but these things happen, and I prefer to be excited to be living there soon, and not think too hard about the negative ways it has been a challenge to my life and my friends’ lives.” Karpowich assured us that October 15 was the final deadline.
25
Number of pages in the policy. Check out our opinions section for commentary and online for an in depth news story
The UBCSUO met with administration on Friday September 20 to discuss the prospect of students paying a third of the total cost for a library expansion. “We’re looking at a price tag of $16 million,” said Shaman Mclean, Internal Coordinator, in an a previous meeting with David Eby, MLA for the Point Grey Riding. “[but] due to the position the university is in right now and the economy as a whole, they cannot take on any new debt. So they’re looking towards students to be spearheading this process.” The idea is that if students put up funds, it is then a stronger selling point to get alumni and others to donate.
Photo from ubc.ca
The proposal for students and community to be engaged in planning the future of UBCO is about to go to Senate on September 25. Deborah Buszard, the Deputy Vice Chancellor (above), plans to have the consultations done by May. The process will establish “the foundation for looking towards future academic directions, research directions, and...campus long range physical planning.” To get involved in the process Buszard suggests looking out for emails from UBC, posters, the UBC website, and to speak to your student reps, who she hopes to have as champions of it. Some of the formats may include workshops, open houses, and online surveys/feedback forms.
4
The Phoenix |
September 23rd, 2013
September 23rd, 2013
| The Phoenix
5
UBCSUO delays club day; student leaders take matter into own hands
On the weB
thephoenixnews.com
Toope takes on rape cheer and issues key to UBCO’s future David Nixon Editor-in-chief
The new Club Policy has caused a lot of controversy. Check online for our coverage of the significant changes to the policy and our exclusive interview with its author, Services Coordinator Nick Dodds. To be published: Sept 23
“I suspect that the entire approach to what has been called frosh has to change.” After reviewing UBC’s report into Sauder rape chants, Stephen Toope questioned the notion of frosh events during his last town hall at UBC Okanagan. Toope addressed the chant first in his speech and again later when prompted by a question. But the issue, while important, shouldn’t overshadow Toope’s other comments when UBC’s Okanagan campus is at such a crucial point in its growth. “In a sense I think this campus is at an inflection point,” said Toope, “I remember well coming for my first visit here, and thinking that this was a fragile place. And it doesn’t feel fragile now.” He went on to describe today’s Okanagan campus as robust, committed, and forward looking. Toope also pointed out that he had initially been told that UBCO
was going to be a small liberal arts campus without graduate programs or a comprehensive set of courses. “I think the question now is what does that mean, and where does the campus go over the course of the next few years.” Toope fielded the predictable questions about transit and access to campus, on which he could offer little (click here for our story on the hold-up of the cyclist overpass). He also defended the investment in MOOCS, new information technology, and the animal care facility, which has not been put to use yet. He also got the chance to clear up a rumor that one student brought up about whether degrees will say “Okanagan” on them or not. “There is no intention of changing them.” As the town hall went on, Toope got more animated as topics he was more passionate about came up. One that stood out was the debate over international students being driven by financial motivations or
other motivations. “Frankly, I’m tired of that discussion…if you actually analyze the top universities around the world, one of their defining features is that they have a large proportion of international students: roughly 20% seems to be a key number,” said Toope, who also drew on anecdotal experience from time as a professor and witnessing international students in his classroom. Throughout the town hall, Toope repeatedly said engagement would be paramount for the Okanagan’s next strategic plan, which is currently being developed. But so far, the administration has failed to live up to those words. In 2012, there was a heavy tuition consultation on the Vancouver campus, but the Okanagan campus was entirely overlooked. Toope was forthcoming about this when we asked him, and made no excuses. “Let’s just accept mea culpa for me and the team. I think
we dropped the ball on the consultation process here in the Okanagan. And we know that, and it won’t happen again.” Another example of this issue was 2012’s senate outreach on publishing professor evaluations. Some faculty and staff showed up to the discussion, but no students made it. Outreach was a big part of the problem. The organizers alledged that the student’s union forgot to follow-up on promoting the event, which they had been informed of. But regardless of who was to blame, the result was still a lack of student input. Toope promised that he and Deborah Buszard, UBCO’s Deputy Vice Chancellor, would keep asking the question to ensure a “robust student consultation” as they move forward.
Emma Partridge
Staff Writer
The UBCSUO has pushed Club Day back until October due to new paperwork requirements but they are getting significant resistance from student leaders on campus. Some leaders are so confident the delay will hurt clubs that they have taken it upon themselves to promote membership themselves. “It has always been the second Wednesday every time we get back from school,” said student Board of Governors Rep and former Financial Coordinator Curtis Tse. The earlier date was chosen because it presents clubs to new students immediately, who are looking for ways to get involved. Club day is meant to give campus clubs a chance to advertise themselves, attract new members, and give students an opportunity to get involved in their campus. Nick Dodds, Services Coordina-
Your Board of Directors A student government always has a high amount of turnover. The 2013-2014 UBCSUO has had a very high amount, however, and they also have very few positions currently filled. Because of the unnaturally high turnover, The Phoenix has compiled a snapshot of the current state of the board and how they got their positions or when they were vacated. Of the filled spots, one-third are appointed. The bylaws allow for appointments, though only two executives may be appointed at one time. An appointment is a hiring decision by the board without a byelection. The board agreed to a byelection at the September 19 board meeting in order to fill the three vacant positions.
The news from Academy Hill is not all bad. Phase III, the commercial leases, is supposed to be done “sometime in the new year”, according to their Sales Rep Theresa Karpowich. They have not released the names, but it includes “most likely a coffee bar, take out restaurant or two, whether that’s pizza or asian take out, there’s the pub, [and] grocery store.” Jump online for more in-depth coverage on the first commercial area close to the university and what it means. To be published: Sept 24
A=appointed E=elected V=vacant
tor, was the main decision maker when it came to postponing club day, with support from the other executives. He admits there’s a bit of a gap that might need addressing in the future, but he thinks it’s doable. “I’ve seen a number of clubs take initiative and set up a table and let people know what they’re doing, and I don’t think it’s unrealistic to expect all the clubs to do that.” The contested issue is whether this will cause problems for clubs that need members. “They’re not going to get more grounding, if they don’t have people,” said Tse, who opposes the decision to postpone the event. “Club’s viability and survivability is dependent on its members.” Blake Edwards, Executive of PSSA, the Young Liberals and Rotaract, has similar concerns: “I’m worried that clubs aren't going
A
Financial Coordinator Rocky Kim Appointed in August after Tim Krupa resigned
E
Layne Richardson Elected in 2013
to be able to get members. Some clubs that were displayed at Create have already had events and gotten students out. They are going to be more successful.” Edwards is one of the student leaders who had such little confidence in the benefits of the coordinator’s decision that he has arranged an Involvement Day, separate from the SU. “This will allow clubs that haven't been able to finalize their club renewals to promote their clubs, course unions, and special interest groups,” said Edwards. Dodds has defended his decision as a good move for clubs. “I revised the club policy quite extensively, and those revisions affected what the constitution of the clubs would look like. So it was necessary for clubs to come in and fill out another constitution…it has always been the case that clubs would get
Services Coordinator Nick Dodds Re-elected in 2013
Alejandra Garcia Elected in 2013
A
Oliver Eberle Appointed after election
Sarah Reilander Appointed after election
Sara Wahedi, Director
“I feel that it was the best decision in regards to my studies and schedule for the upcoming year. I am absolutely certain that the UBCSUO will maintain their strong team with the remaining executives and members of the union. They have done an outstanding job thus far and it was a pleasure working with them during the short time that I was on board.”
On our radar We will continue to keep an eye on the possibility of a referendum for students on a student levy for a library as the Students’ Union discusses it with administration.
We were told last year that professor evaluations were progressing towards being published openly to students, similar to how UBC Vancouver does it. They are not, so we will look at if it was derailed or still on track.
Got a tip for one of these stories, or know something else that should be on our radar? Email us at news@thephoenixnewscom
Internal Coordinator Shaman Mclean Elected in 2013
Recent board of director resignations
E
External Coordinator Alex Gula Elected in 2013
Directors at Large
Photos by David Nixon
How will the visioning process for UBC Okanagan proceed? What will the feedback be, and will engagement among students be successful? Will UBCO really stay at its enrolment numbers like previously thought?
E
V
Last occupied by Sara Wahedi Resigned early September (see below)
Advocacy Reps
A
the establishment of new clubs such as the Quidditch Club and The Best Buddies club, and admits developing new organizations “does take a lot of time.” Dodds reminds students and club leaders that this action was not meant to take away from a club’s ability to extend its reach. “I tried to make sure every club could participate in club day. That being the case, I hope I’m not inhibiting clubs’ ability to attract new members.” But Tse is not so optimistic. “Mid -October, for a club to start, is way too far out there. Clubs are at a disadvantage. There’s no outreach, there’s no promotion, it’s a real problem. And I truly think this decision is going to hurt student life on our campus.”
Executives
E
E
a table at club day if they have renewed. I didn’t want clubs, because of the changes in paperwork, to not be able to participate in club day.” Dodds does admit that renewals are normally done by now, and the UBSCUO website would normally provide contact information, instead of saying “we are currently processing application/renewals.” Shaman Mclean, Internal Coordinator, says this move will actually improve the quality of clubs. Sarah Reilander, participant in the well-established UCM (University Christian Ministry) club and a director at large for the UBCSUO Board of Directors has said that she can see how this decision “gives clubs a chance to get organized. The beginning of school can be overwhelming. There are disadvantages, but it allows some breathing room.” Sarah is further involved in
V
Last occupied by Sara Trudeau who resigned over the summer and went to UBC Van
Grad Rep
V
Last occupied by Tom Macauley who resigned as of September 19 (see below)
E
Robyn Giffen Elected in 2013
“My time with student politics has run its course. I have learned so much and saw a side of the campus that most students never get to see or be a part of. I have made so many friends in the process and I can’t thank them enough for welcoming me and supporting me whether they agreed with me or not.” Macauley cited personal reasons for leaving.
Tom Macauley, Advocacy
UPCOMING
LIFE
September 23rd, 2013
| The Phoenix
7
A WHOLESOME HUNGER
DO IT YOURSELF On the weB
thephoenixnews.com
Sept 24 Undergraduate Research Awards
10am-4pm / UNC 106
You might not have won one.
Sept 27-28
Article and photo by
Laura Sciarpelletti Arts Editor Illustration by Kolton Procter
HopScotch
6pm / Kelowna Curling Club
After you read our Tinder article (you’ll see it in a few pages; be patient), check out extra online content where we compare Tinder to the original hookup app, Grindr. Plus, send us your most ridiculous Tinder convo screenshots and you could win a date with Tad Hamilton.
Beer and scotch samples from around the world. tickets $25..
Sept 28 Organic Okanagan festival
11am / Summerhill Winery Mmmmm...organics.
Article and photo by
Katie Jones Columnist
Juicing Part 3
Wine bottle vase I love wine, and I bet that many of you do too. After the drinking has been done, we’re left with the bottle. So let’s put it to good use and brighten up a room.
Alex & Carmen
Photo contest winners
A wine bottle
Yarn Bombing
11am-3pm Kelowna Art Gallery
Both are in their first year of Engineering. Favorite place to shop: The (super-cheap) Summerland thrift store, and Eric’s Photo Lab, a photo studio in Summerland with clothes in the front of the shop
Robert
Shops at: yearly trip to Vancouver Blazer: Club Monaco, Pants: Nudie (thrifted for $4) Shoes: Sebago from the Bay, Shirt: American Apparel
Campus style
Scissors
Ever seen a tree wearing a knitted scarf? We’ll be posting Campus Styleand People of UBCO roundups a couple times a week on our website, twitter, and instagram.
Sept 29 Traditional Japenese Tea Ceremony
The Green Monster Smoothie
A hot glue gun
2 cups baby spinach One chopped organic frozen banana
1pm-3pm / Kasugai Garden Tea anyone?
Oct 1 TED Talk: Psychology of Happiness 5pm-6:30pm Admin building 026
Guest speakers Dr Jan Cioe, Dr Tara Carpenter, and Dr Mark Holder discuss what makes us happy and what happiness even is.
Being a vegetarian, I have experimented with a few breakfast options, curious as to see which provides me with the most energy. Above all, there are two recipes,which stand as super heroes when it comes to a nutrient-dense meal. Last week I gave you Green Monster! Juice, and now it’s time ot upgrade you to the Green monster Smoothie. To make it, combine these ingredients in a blender and blend on a high setting for 30-60 seconds.
First place: S. Andreopolous’s photo reminds us that the start of semester is also the end of summer break. This inspiring shot pays tribute to bros, beaches, and UBCO all at the same time. Second place: Megan Cail with the bird’s-eye view of Create Third place: Shirley Chen understood that the true meaning of first week is getting as much free stuff as possible Runner-ups: Courtney Switlishoff changed the game by submitting a picture of goats rather than anything school-related We got several pictures of Create groups and muddy shoes, but Alyssa Miller’s crew of future nurses was the most enthusiastic and @mpushh’s shoes were muddiest Livvy Ray’s picture of a bee-on-door-handle prank was a great example of young folks having fun outside of official events The smooch:There were a lot of submissions involving people yelling at the camera at a party, but this one has everything: romance, comedy, tongues, people looking out of frame..
We sorted through the dozens of pictures tagged with #firstweekubco on instagram and twitter. Hanss, Cam, and Dave came up with a consensus top 3 and then determined the rest of the 8 prizewinners by each voting for 5 of the remaining images and then tallying up the votes for each picture. Prizes: The top 3 will have their pick of the top prizes, with first place picking first The other 5 winners will have their choice of the regular prizes based on who comes in to our office first. Stay tuned online for our next contest, where we’ll be looking for your best pictures from the city of Kelowna.
2 frozen wheat grass shots
Different colors of yarn (I use three, but feel free to use as many as you like)
As always, coverage on flickr and facebook of every UBCO event and every UBCO party. EVERY EVENT. EVERY PARTY. NO PARTY SHALL GO UNCOVERED!!!* *we may not be able to cover all events and parties
First, make sure the wine bottle has been completely cleaned out and all labels have been removed. Take your glue gun and outline the patterns you would like on the bottle, adding the yarn on top as you go along. Once you’ve completed a pattern, cut the end of the yarn and move on to the next one. When you finish the patterns you want, wrap the remainder of the bottle with yarn. Make sure the bottle is wrapped tight, and that the yarn is laid over glue while it is still hot. Don’t leave any gaps between the yarn, and use extra glue to secure that the yarn stays in its place. Once you reach the top of the bottle, cut the yarn and secure the end with glue. Make a small arrangement to put in it, or even just use a single flower.
1 TBSP Hemp hearts 1TBSP Chia Seeds 1/2 cup Frozen Mango 1/2 cup Almond or Organic Soy Milk
Dawn
Cardigan: from her friend Belt: thrifted Shops at: Share Society and Women’s Shelter thrift shop
Justin
Shops at:Value Village, skate shops, Zumez, Winners
Vanessa
Shops at: thrift stores mostly Cardigan: her sister’s Top & Skirt: thrifted Necklace: the mall (Urban Planet)
1/2 cup Coconut water 1/2 cup water, as needed
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The Phoenix |
September 23rd, 2013
UNIVERSITY
LAFFS
WATCHING LANGUAGE
Dear President Toope,
Christine Schreyer
If you were a cyborg linguistic anthropologist, which of these technology-inspired words would you vote “most likely to succeed” for the years to come?
Bitcoin digital currency in which transactions can be performed without the need for a
central bank
BYOD (bring your own device) the practice of allowing the employees of an organization to use their own computers, smartphones, or other devices for work purposes Click and Collect a shopping facility whereby a customer can buy or order goods from a store’s website and collect them from a local branch Digital detox a period of time during which a person refrains from using electronic devices such as smartphones or computers, regarded as an opportunity to reduce stress or focus on social interaction in the physical world: Emoji a small digital image or icon used to express an idea or emotion in electronic communication Hackerspace a place in which people with an interest in computing or technology can gather to work on projects while sharing ideas, equipment, and knowledge Internet of Things a proposed development of the Internet in which everyday objects have network connectivity, allowing them to send and receive data MOOC (massive open online course) a course of study made available over the Internet without charge to a very large number of people Phablet a smartphone having a screen which is intermediate in size between that of a typical smartphone and a tablet computer Selfie a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website Unlike withdraw one’s liking or approval of (a web page or posting on a social media website that one has previously liked) All words and definitions from: http://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2013/08/new-words-august-2013/
9
Formal complaint about my professor, Dr. Brown
Assistant Professor of Anthropology
The winners from 2012 included #hashtag as “word of the year”, while marriage equality (legal recognition of same-sex marriage) took the category “most likely to succeed”. Phablet (a mid-sized electronic device between a smartphone and a tablet) and YOLO (acronym for “You Only Live Once”) tied for “least likely to succeed”. But are they? Phablet, for instance, appears in the new Oxford Dictionaries Online update. Technology-related-words are constantly changing and emerging with technologies so they are often transitory in nature, but many appear in the Oxford Dictionaries Online update. Linguistic anthropologists are left wondering how culture and language will change as technologies change. We may even need to develop more “cyborg anthropology” or the study of how humans are impacted by machines.
| The Phoenix
FROM THE SYRUP TRAP
Words most likely to succeed...? Recently, Oxford Dictionaries Online announced a list of words that have been added to the free online dictionary of current English. But where do these words come from? Both the addition and deletion of words from dictionaries generally tend to cause an uproar as English speakers everywhere decry the “death of English”. Linguistic Anthropologists (and linguists too) don’t see it this way. Instead they are intrigued by the words themselves and what they can tell us about our culture and the diverse group of people speaking English around the world today. At their annual meetings, the American Dialect Society actually has a vote where their members decided on not only the “word of the year”, but also words that are “most useful”, “most creative”, “most unnecessary”, “most outrageous”, “most euphemistic”, “least likely to succeed” and “most likely to succeed”.
September 23rd, 2013
What did dinosaurs eat? Whatever they wanted. Sean Willett
Dinosaur liker and guest columnist from The Gauntlet (U of Alberta)
People have a tendency to lump dinosaurs into two broad categories: the peaceful plant-eating herbivores and the ferocious meateating carnivores. It can be nice to imagine herds of heroic Triceratops calmly chewing leaves while they aren’t defending themselves from villainous tyrannosaur aggressors but, in reality, Mesozoic life wasn’t that simple. Dinosaurs, like modern animals, probably didn’t fit into such narrowly defined dietary roles. While animals often sport adaptations that help them take advantage of a specific source of food, this doesn’t necessarily mean that they will only eat one kind of food. Take bears for example: if a person was to see the skeleton of a grizzly bear without any previous knowledge of how it lived, they might assume it was a carnivore due to its formidable teeth and claws. However, we know that grizzly bears are omnivorous, and are just as happy eating berries, roots and fish as they are eating meat. Many species alive today are successful omnivores, taking advantage of many available food sources instead of relying on a more specific dietary niche. Unfortunately, evidence for more generalized diets is hard to find in the fossil record, though there are some clues that have led paleontologists to believe certain species were dedicated omnivores. A good example of this is Troodon, a type of medium-sized, bird-like dinosaur that lived throughout western North America. At first glance, Troodon has the features of a quintessential predator — long legs, forward facing eyes, raptor-like talons — but its teeth tell a different story. While
they are pointed like the teeth of a carnivore, they are lined with large serrations similar to those of planteating iguanas. Troodons also had large brains and grasping hands, both features of modern omnivorous animals such as primates and raccoons. While some paleontologists still argue that Troodon was solely a carnivore, modern animals show that nature is rarely so black and white. Animals often eat foods that they lack any adaptations for, simply because they are easily accessible. Berries and plant material make up a significant part of a wolf’s diet, and deer won’t hesitate to eat dead birds or rodents when they find them. If a Troodon was equally capable of tearing up plant matter and catching small prey, than there is plenty of reason to believe it did both. This line of thinking has led to a handful of paleontologists suggesting that other types of dinosaurs, such as the frilled ceratopsians, may have also been opportunistic omnivores. With large, powerful beaks and rows of slicing teeth, it isn’t a stretch to imagine a hungry Triceratops tucking into some fresh carrion, or even snapping up any small animals that wandered too close — much like modern boars and hippos. Sometimes it can be easy to forget that dinosaurs were living animals, with all of the weirdness present in the creatures we share the Earth with today. There were no heroes or villains amongst dinosaurs, just animals trying their best to survive. Sean Willett runs the blog NonAvian Nerd. His column will debunk the myths and misconceptions surrounding everyone’s favourite extinct animals: dinosaurs.
Cameron Welch Creative Director
Stephen Toope explains his resignation and announces new name, “Toope Lion” At the President’s Town Hall on September 16th, UBC President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Stephen Toope explained that his resignation, effective next year, is due to his desire to go on a “spiritual and musical journey.” When Toope initially announced his resignation in an open letter on April 3rd, after seven years as UBC President, he was vague on his future plans, saying that he was stepping down to look for “a role more closely connected to my academic and professional interests in international law and international relations.” On Monday he clarified that this role will be as an internationally touring reggae performer and peace activist known as “Toope Lion.” For Toope, the changed name is intended to reflect his changed occupation and changed purpose. “Dr. Stephen J. Toope is an appropriate name for an academic,” he explained, “For a stage performer, Toope Lion is much more fitting, I feel.” The announcement came after the event’s moderator, UBCO Sociology professor and Faber Drive frontman Christopher Schneider, relayed a student’s question regarding what Toope planned to do after leaving UBC. In his lengthy and unexpectedly candid response, Toope traced his decision’s roots back over a decade and a half. He told the crowd of students and faculty that while visiting Jamaica in 1997 with the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), he developed a “profound appreciation for the people and culture, and in particular an interest in Rastafarianism and Rastafarian practices.” Toope said that that interest was reawakened during a tour of dorms last year, during which he was struck by the number of Bob Marley posters hanging on students’ walls. “It really opened my eyes,” Toope said, “my third eye in particular. I saw the influence one person was able to have on genera-
tions of unoriginal, stereotypical college students and lamented that even in my role as UBC president I have not been able to shape young minds to that degree.” After leaving UBC, Toope will immediately begin working with dancehall-influenced electronic music producer Diplo on an album entitled Rebirth. “It’s about my own rebirth, of course,” Toope explained, “but also the rebirth of our whole way of life. We’re moving toward a new era, I feel. We have to. I’ve authored numerous papers over the years on war and conflict; I’ve spoken on terrorism and military invasions. I even presented at the UN in 2005. Now the time has come to spread my findings, and my message, to the general public. No fussing, no fighting. We’re all one blood united by one love, and it’s time we acted like it.” Toope explained that while he will no longer serve as their president he still hopes to interact with UBC students through his music, as he believes strongly in the yoots of tomorrow and their ability to lead us out of the corrupted and materialistic Babylon we live in and into the promised land of Zion. Pausing during his speech and smiling in bemusement, Toope marvelled at his own transformation in recent months. “Back in January I was a 55-year-old distinguished academic who specialized in international law and hated twitter. Now I’m a 55-year-old peace activist who makes reggae music and loves everything.” In his responses to follow-up questions, Toope mentioned that there are still meaningful projects he hopes to pursue during his remaining time as UBC president, such as making red, yellow, and green the university’s official colours. He also indicated interest in working toward “changing this province’s outrageous laws regarding marijuana possession and consumption.”
I am writing to complain about Dr. Brown, who is a professor here at the University of British Columbia. On Wednesday, after his “lecture,” I approached him with a question. Seems pretty simple, right? There were other people lined up behind me; it was like any other day after class. His response, however, was rude and, well, frankly, pretty mean. He said, and I quote, that he “could not give out the email addresses of everyone in the class, no matter how relevant the material [I] wanted to distribute was.” Wow. Kick me while I’m down, why don’t you? First of all, it’s not “material.” They’re videos. Funny links that I find online. And no, they’re not “relevant.” They’re actually entertaining, unlike his so-called class. Yeah, they may not have anything to do with mathematics (unless you’re adding up all the smiles and joy they bring), but couldn’t we all use a little study break? In case you were wondering, ”Best of Fails 2012 Compilation” would’ve been the first thing on my list to send everyone.
And yeah, so what if I wanted the phone number of the girl who sits in front of me? Have we no respect for chivalry? Sure, Dr. Brown might not believe in love, but he didn’t need to say, “I do not have that information.” Wow, Dr. Brown, low blow. I mean, why humiliate me like that? I’m not even registered in the class. He should leave the abuse for his students. Sure, there may have been mention of a “death threat.” I’m not perfect. I have my flaws. I’ve made some enemies. So, therefore, some of my enemies deserve to die. Have you ever met Brian? Well, if you did, you’d side with me. But the Almighty Professor Brown seemed to be playing for the other team when he said that “there isn’t a Brian registered in this class.” Yeah, he doesn’t live here, genius. I grew up with him back in Kelowna. In conclusion, I would like to ask for access to the university’s database. Anything you have at all on the student body of UBC. You could print it out and mail it to me (I’m withholding my address for security reasons), or just upload it as an attachment. - Trent
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The Phoenix |
September 23rd, 2013
September 23rd, 2013
CULTURE
UNIVERSITY
| The Phoenix
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Creating Superman’s language
TINDER CATCHES FIRE Sasha Curry Staff Writer
“Hey babe let’s meet up,” messages Brad after I swipe his hunk of a bod across my iPhone screen to the left, signifying that I give his picture approval. Brad, along with a few other hidden gems of Kelowna, also received a leftwards swipe today on my new-found app. “Everyone has it,” insisted my roommate. So a couple of days ago, I got it too. (because if everyone’s doing it…) What is Tinder, you ask? It’s the fastest growing dating app in the U.S., according to businessweek.com. Tinder is a Los Angeles based app for smartphones, similar to the dating website-goneapp Plenty of Fish. It’s essentially Grindr for the heterosexual. With the same location-based aspect as Grindr, (click here to read our feature on Grindr) the app uses users’ current location and Facebook profile pictures along with their age and first name. That’s all. No hobbies, favourite music or walks on the beach to be shared with their fellow Tinder users. Shallow? Simple? Well, yeah. All users have to do to ”play”, is swipe other users’ pictures to
the left (interested), or right (not interested). BE WARY: This repetitive swiping action can sometimes result in a finger cramp when mad swiping in search of the perfect Tinder-er in time for a Roses night. Users are not notified of who has chosen them until they choose that same person. The two interested parties are pronounced a “match” and the option of instant messaging each other pops up on the side of the screen. So, what then? When asked if she would ever meet in person with any of her Tinder matches, one of my classmates answered, “Yeah, I’ve had sex with four Tinder guys.” Shocking? Maybe a little, but isn’t this the point of the app? I asked the same girl if she considered Tinder to be dangerous. She told me that she didn’t think so, because Tinder used its users’ Facebook pictures and a lot of users provided their Snapchat name in their profile so it seems reliable enough to her. “As long as you meet up with your Tinder friend in public,” she warned me. Most UBCO students with the app answered that it was in May
or June that they downloaded it after hearing about it from friends. Friends from BCIT and UBC mostly said they downloaded it last spring (Kelowna’s always a tad behind on the latest trends it seems). One of my girlfriends confessed that she downloaded it because she was newly single and “wanted attention.” Another girl told me that she enjoyed using it because of the “compliments” that she receives. “Would you consider dating anyone who you met on Tinder?” I asked the same group of girls. One of them answered, “not really – it’s more for people who want to hook up – people who are looking to get something out of it, not a boyfriend or girlfriend.” Not everyone seems to be a fan of Tinder, however. One second year male UBCO student told me that he doesn’t have Tinder because he “[doesn’t] like the goal of the whole thing – being to hook up with people based on their pictures. It seems very basic…” Similarly, another girl on campus told me when asked why she got Tinder, “I just got it to see what it was about. I think it’s very creepy.”
Tinder is very different from other dating sites. I sat down and swiped through Tinder users for a full minute - the outcome? Approximately 90% of them were in their twenties, or younger. “The fact that Tinder is only available via a smart phone app probably focuses its users to that of a younger crowd” one Tinder user told me. I mean, the Internet is practically a faux pas these days, right? According to businessweek.com, over 2 million matches occur on Tinder each day, you’d assume that there would be some awkward encounters/confrontations around our tiny campus. A fellow UBCO Tinder user shared her story with me from a couple of months ago: “A friend and I were in class talking about a guy that I had been messaging with back and forth on Tinder, he was pretty cute and we were discussing whether or not I was going to hook-up with him, we realized after that he was in our class – sitting right in front of us.” Okay. I’ll admit that I’ve had a couple of awkward Tinder match sightings. This morning, while checking the app, I received a “hey
what are you doing tonight?” message. Flustered from my constant lack of punctuality each morning, I ran out my door after my bus without answering. After sitting down, I looked up, panting, hair all over my face, and BAM! Tinder guy was sitting a row away, looking in my direction. Oh my god he’s real, I thought to myself. Blushing, I looked at him for a sign of recognition. Nothing. He merely looked past me and out the window. How long will the Tinder craze last – another month or two? A year? Since I began writing this article, four of my friends (who I may have forced into getting Tinder in the name of research) have already deleted the app – myself included. Many of the Tinder users I interviewed, however, say that they’re in no rush to take themselves off of the mobile dating network. The fact that the app is so shallow and simple suggests that its lifespan wont be too long as people will get tired of it. By all means though, continue Tindering, UBCO. As long as you’re all safe, it’s definitely entertainment.
Student Lounge and Arts Venue
Opens September 17, 2013 * Coffee Shop w/ $4 soup ! * TV & Fireplace Lounge * Copy Station! ! ! * Wi-Fi and Computers * Study Rooms ! * Free Laundry Machines
250.451.9696 info@thehouseonline.ca
#1-240 Lougheed Rd. thehouseonline.ca
Tues. - Thurs. 2pm - 8pm
Cam Welch Creative Director Linguistic Anthropology professor Christine Schreyer isn’t Superman (spoiler alert), but she knows what it’s like to lead a secret life where you speak Kryptonian, visit the Fortress of Solitude, and even see General Zod firsthand. During the production of Man of Steel, Schreyer was tasked with fleshing out Kryptonian from a handful of words and names into a functional language – and with keeping it all a secret. The Steel team found Schreyer through her research on Avatar’s Na’vi language and invited her in August 2011 to visit the set and enter the locked room full of the film’s secrets. “They called it The Fortress actually, because in Superman there’s the ice fortress, the Fortress of Solitude,” she explained, “So everything related to plot - all the art, pictures, everything - was in this locked room. And so before I could even enter into there I had to sign a confidentiality agreement.” Schreyer was initially a consultant brought in to help the art direction team with the Kryptonian symbols on set pieces. But her role expanded when spoken Kryptonian became a possibility for the film and the producers asked her to create a functional language.
Image from greatkrypton.com “I told a few people that I was working on the movie but I could never tell anyone exactly what I was doing. So a lot of people guessed, because obviously they know that I do created language stuff. But I couldn’t talk about any of the sounds or who would be speaking or even if anyone would be speaking or where it would appear.” Schreyer scheduled her classes on one day of the week to give herself room for the Superman-related trips to Vancouver during the semester. But the other challenge was to keep her research on the down low even when it matched up almost exactly with what her students were doing. “It was during times when [my] students were making languages,” she said, “and so it was really hard because I’d be working on one part of my language and my intro students always make languages so they’d be doing the same things.” Now that she can finally talk about it with her students, Schreyer plans to use her work with Man of Steel and the Superman canon as an example of how important it is to consider the fictional society and culture when creating a language. “Oftentimes when they’re picking the sounds they don’t really
think about who the people are,” she said, “And I had to do that right away because I had to think about character names and whether or not actors would be able to say these.” We talked to Schreyer about Kryptonian, working on Man of Steel, and creating languages. How much did you have to learn about Superman to produce a language based on its society? A lot of that was done by art department to begin with, so they were the ones that gave me the [info]. And the writer of the screenplay, David Goyer, he would give me sentences, and so oftentimes those would come from previous comic books. How much Kryptonian was already in place for you to work with? The language itself, they had done previous writings for the various comics. Smallville, the tv series, had something that had Kryptonian writing on it. But because Man of Steel was a reboot it was a re-telling of the story and so we didn’t really look at the languages, the alphabets, or anything [previous] at all.
So did you think back in Kryptonian history to determine how the language might have developed? We did think about that a lot and it was more in discussions I was having with how they were envisioning the world, because they have outposts and there’s various cities so we knew that there were other versions of Kryptonian. But [if] we look at Earth, English is only one language. There’s 7000 languages on Earth, so even if we have a different version of Kryptonian [it makes sense]. Why subject-object-verb? We didn’t want it to be too confusing for people; we wanted something fans would be able to pick up on. And so subjects because in the movie the people on Krypton have become very selfish - they’re using up their resources. So we wanted subject to remain prominent as the beginning part. And the objects had such a long history. All objects had been written on, they’d been passed down, and so objects were also very important. The writing system is flowing and curving and elegant. Dd you od same with sounds
Not really because with that we went with what was in the canon already. There’s lots of stops in Kryption; it’s not smooth at all. Was that difficult to reconcile? Sometimes but because it wasn’t spoken [in the movie] it wasn’t such a big deal because the focus was more on the writing. I know that with [Na’vi language creator] Paul Firmer from Avatar, James Cameron said it was light and airy. People fly a lot, so we want things that are light and airy. He thought about that in terms of his sounds, but that was an entirely new culture. Are you still involved with working on Kryptonian or the Superman movies? There is Man of Steel 2 coming out, but it’s Batman and Superman so that might not have a Kryptonian element. We’re still hoping to get the guide [to Kryptonian] out there for fans and it looks like that will go ahead. I’m still waiting to see what form that will go ahead in. Turn the page to learn how Christine Schreyer’s Kryptonian works, and go to thephoenixnews.com for more from our interview with her.
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The Phoenix |
September 23rd, 2013
How KRYPTONIAN WORKS There are two versions of written Kryptonian in Man of Steel: 1. Iconographic symbols that mean entire words and are used for family house symbols Superman’s “S” is one of these, and you can make your own at glyphcreator.manofsteel.com 2. A phonetic sylabbic written language in which the symbols represent consonant-vowel pairs (see below)
As shown, the lower half of the symbol rotates based on which vowel sound is being used This rotation was inspired by written Cree, a language Schreyer studies A large hook above the line indicates that the consonant is by itself
Public Info Session - October 9 Updating UBC’s Okanagan Master Plan
Over the next 18 months, UBC’s Okanagan Campus is updating its Master Plan. Since 2005, UBC’s Okanagan Campus has experienced construction of major facilities, such as student housing, academic buildings, public outdoor spaces and recreational facilities. Now having reached the target student population set out in the Campus’ current plan, it is time to update the Master Plan to address future development needs to 2030. Join us on October 9 to learn about the process to update the Master Plan and give us your thoughts and ideas on the next phase of campus development. Planning staff will be on hand throughout the Public Information Session to answer your questions.
Date: Wednesday, October 9, 2013 Time: 10:30am – 1:30pm Place: Foyer of the Administration Building, 3333 University Way UBC’s Okanagan Master Plan guides physical growth and change on the campus. It also outlines general planning and design principles, and identifies buildings, facilities, and infrastructure. Can’t attend in person? You can still participate and learn more about UBC’s Okanagan Master Plan process online from October 3 – October 17 at planning.ubc.ca.
The symbols for Kryptonian were created by graphic designer Kristen Franson The Kryptonian images used here are from Darren Doyle’s Kryptonian languages website, kryptonian.info The site has subsections for the Man of Steel language created by Schreyer as well as the Kryptonian alphabet used in Smallville and other previous incarnations of the language.
For more information on the Public Information Session or about online participation, please contact: gabrielle.armstrong@ubc.ca
Features
Ride
“There’s a hundred-thousand streets in this city. If I ride with you, you get your money. The schedule tells me where we start, where we’re going, where we’re going afterwards. You give me a time and a place, I give you a five minute window. If the bus shows up in that five minutes then I’m yours. No matter what. Anything happens a minute either side of that and I’m probably on my own. I just sit at the stop while timE is running down. I don’t have a parking pass, I don’t take a car. I ride.” Every year, there’s a change to the schedule, and every year students have problems with the buses for at least the first few weeks of school. This year, we’re launching a series of transit articles in the paper and online to address your concerns. This series is called Ride. You know, like the movie Drive, but with riding the bus to school instead of driving a car and committing acts of violence. In this issue’s feature, we kick off our transit coverage by looking ahead to see how transit will change beginning next year.
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The Phoenix |
September 23rd, 2013
September 23rd, 2013
The 25-year Plan
Frequency vs coverage
Kelowna transit changes are guided mainly by the the 25-year Transit Future Plan. Drafted in 2010 and released in 2011, the plan outlines goals for ridership increases and restructuring. In 2010 the Kelowna region had 120,000 registered vehicles and 90% of residents commuted by car. The population was expected to expand and age substantially, and improving transit was determined to be preferable to trying to add roads. We’ve gone through the official plan (available on Kelowna Transit’s website) to identify the most relevant points.
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Kelowna population:188,000 4.3 million rides Service hours: 177,000 Mode share: 2.3%
(mode share = amount of a region’s total trips that one mode of transportation accounts for)
THE TRANSIT FUTURE PLAN
2035 goal
Kelowna population: 264,000 pop 16 milion rides Service hours: 600,000 Mode share: 7%
Goals of the TFP Most relevant point: “Investigate technology for transit, including real time information displays at stations and real time information accessible from mobile phones and personal computers”
The Gordon express
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The 8 Bus loop New 97 stop
“Develop adequate spare ratios, maintenance schedules, and timetables to ensure a scheduled trip is not missed.” Goal 3: Improve transit sustainability
How far from these goals are we? Is the system meeting these goals? No. Not yet. Buses do not always leave a stop within three minutes, are sometimes early, and are sometimes late or even absent The Rapid Transit Network and Frequent Transit Network (see next page) service is not at the 15-minutes-all-day levels outlined for RTN and FTN. However, these service levels are intended to support 2035’s 264,000 population and the current population may not be enogh to need or support that level of frequency. The important development for next year is the preliminary establishment of that Frequent Transit network, which is detailed to the right >
The Plan breaks the city’s transit system down into types of service: the Rapid Transit Network, the Frequent Transit Network, the Local Transit Network, and Targeted Services.
Rapid Transit Network Very frequent service all day with fewer, further-apart stops (800m to 2km apart)
Goal 2: Deliver Operational Excellence Most relevant points: “Improve on time performance. Buses should depart within three minutes of the printed time, and should never leave early.”
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City transit is a struggle between frequency and coverage. Routes that go directly along main roads and serve a lot of riders are able to run more frequently and cost-efficiently. But in order to fully serve a region, transit also needs to provide some coverage to less-populated areas or areas not on main roads. Ideally, though, a transit system will be built around a core system of frequent, direct routes and a secondary network of coveragebased routes. The goal of the incoming changes and the 25-Year Plan as a whole is to move from a system of intermediate routes that don’t excel at frequency or coverage to a threetiered system where some routes provide frequency and others provide coverage. .
2010
Goal 1: Attract New Riders
| The Phoenix
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5 am to 1 am 7 days a week 15 min or better between 7am and 10pm 7 days a week Service extended based on demand
The RTN transports a high volumes of riders along an area’s main corridors and to that area’s main destinations. It relies on exclusive / semi-exclusive right-of-way and a low number of stops to ensure reliability and speed. An RTN can be bus or rail, but the Central Okanagan lacks the current or projected demand needed to justify a rail system like Vancouver’s Skytrain. When the Westside extension is completed, the 97 will form the RTN and “regional spine” of Kelowna / West Kelowna.
2014 North – South Corridor
The Rutland Exchange
Frequent transit network
-New 97 stops at Gordon and Richter -Gordon express route going from Cawston to the H20 Centre / CNC -Direct service to the Kelowna General Hospital using the 11 South Rutland -Okanagan College becomes node with access to three FTN routes but is no longer be directly served by the 1 Lakeshore - New Gordon Dr route with 15 minute service at peak times and 30 minute service off peak times 15 Crawford, 16 Southwest Mission, and- 1 Lakeshore Restructures to go to H20 Centre, where Gordon express ends its route and turns back. The 2 North End may take the 11’s former Sutherland Ave. coverage
- The new Rutland exchange has been completed Beginning next year, Rutland routes including the 8 will not turn at the intersection of highway 33 and Rutland Road and will instead go along Dougall and Shepherd.
Frequent service all day with frequent stops on corridor (500m apart or less) 5am to 1am 7 days a week 15 min or better between 7am and 10pm 7 days a week Service extended based on demand The FTN carries “large share of the transit system’s total ridership and for this reason justifies capital investments in transit priority, a high level of transit stop amenities and corridor branding.” The FTN’s goal is to provide servcie that doesn’t require riders to consult a schedule.
Everyone is familiar with the rushhour 97 and 8. Last week our contributor Jeff Bulmer tested the effectiveness of the Sunday service. While there aren’t as many buses as during the week, public transportation on Sundays in Kelowna is a reliable system that works. Last Sunday I set out on a bus from UBCO to find some of the places I expect to visit over the course of my first year as a student. Departing from UBCO at 12:04, my schedule had me arriving at H2O at 12:55 PM by way of Queensway Exchange. I would leave H2O at 1:30 PM, arriving next at Value Village at 2:25 PM. Next, I would catch the bus from Value Village at 3:21 PM to Orchard Park Mall, arriving at 3:29 PM before finally heading back to UBC at 4:09 PM and arriving at 4:21. The trip should get me back to UBC only 20 minutes later than the same trip made on a weekday. The first hour of my trip took me to H2O without any delays. The second leg of my trip started well, though my directions turned out to be unclear on how to get to Value Village and I arrived at Orchard Park Mall instead, about a half-hour before I had planned to be there. Catching the bus from Orchard Park back to UBCO around 3:40 PM, I arrived back on campus in less time than expected, but I had missed one of my prospective stops. My own experience, as well as those of other travellers I met along the way, indicated that the weekend bus system is a reliable system, though not a perfect one. Ann, a visitor from Vancouver, got a timetable in preparation for Sunday. “If you’re unfortunate enough to miss a bus, you have to wait a whole hour,” she said when asked about her experiences with Kelowna’s weekend bus system. A first-year student of UBCO from Surrey compared the two bus systems. “There’s a bus stop on every block” he said, “the buses are always jam-packed with people.”While he also commented that the bus stations in Kelowna are very far apart, his perception was that “Kelowna’s bus system makes a lot more sense” than Surrey’s. My experience on the buses was overall a pleasant one, and it helped that I knew my schedule in advance. “You’ve got to wait for the right time,” says Peter, a Kelowna native travelling from downtown to Mission, who uses the public transit system frequently, “if you’ve got your system down [and you know] when to catch it, [you’ll have] no problems.” That said, on a weekday, missing the bus can be inconvenient, but won’t cost you more than about ten minutes in town, twenty minutes throughout Rutland, or about thirty minutes for stops as far away as H2O. Missing the bus on Sunday, however, will cost you no less than thirty minutes (along my travelled route), and could sometimes delay your trip by as much as one hour.
CAN KELOWNA EVER HAVE AN IDEAL TRANSIT NETWORK?
Kelowna is a notoriously car-centric and unsustainable city. We asked former Phoenix staffer and onetime urban planning grad schooler Aidan Whitely if an ideal transit system is even possible here. Here’s his response. Aidan Whiteley Local legend
Despite wildly varying culture and geography, successful transit systems the world over share many characteristics. The service provided, regardless if the vehicle runs on rubber tyres or steel wheels, is frequent, fast, and legible. Frequent means a rider need not check the schedule and expect to be picked up within a short wait. Legible means the service has permanence, the service follows a logical routing, and connections to other services or modes are easy to make. Fast is relative. Fast service in Bangkok is anything faster than a tuk tuk, where in Calgary it means competing with free flowing highway traffic. Generally fast service has a dedicated right of way or even grade separation from other traffic. Kelowna’s transit system today manages to move students to and from UBC Okanagan and Okanagan College at peak periods with some success. Full buses on the 8 and 97 at 8 am and 3 pm demonstrate this clearly. Where it has failed is as a replacement for the automobile. Movement via transit outside of peak periods is painful and slow, requiring a careful reading of the schedule to determine what route and timing, if any at all, allows you to make it across town. If you need to transfer you’re faced with a very high transfer penalty due to infrequent and unreliable service—a late or early departure results in a missed connection and up to another hour wait for the next bus. Kelowna’s proposed service improvements include moving to a more grid-like system with more frequent service following major routes for their entirety, intersecting at major nodes, and connecting destinations. These changes will move the system closer to a ridership focus and allow for greater rider freedom. However, as it stands, the low density, spread out, auto-oriented built form of the city hinders the attractiveness of transit. Without the necessary population base to warrant high quality service the service is degraded to save on
operating costs, further hampering the ability of the system to attract riders leading to a downward death spiral of service reductions and far hikes. Sure Kelowna could have a high quality transit system, if political leaders and individuals made it a priority. However, the popular discourse and rhetoric in Kelowna is overwhelmingly automobilecentric, with a focus on building more interchanges and expanding highway lanes. Investment in urban auto infrastructure is counterproductive to achieving modal shift away from auto dependency, as it makes more areas further away more easily accessible by cars, and the resulting far-flung built form even more difficult to serve efficiently. So really it comes down to a matter of priorities. The money is there but the province and city continue to spend the lion’s share on locking the region into further auto dependency. Case in point, the completion of the Westside Road interchange. For the same price (41 million) the entire 97 express could likely have signal priority, fare paid stations, more busses, and enough staff to operate at twice the frequency it does today. Highway 97 through Kelowna is a classic example of auto-oriented development, with few crossings, large parking lots between the street and building, building entrances facing away from the street, large single-use developments that are too far to easily walk to or between, and high traffic speeds reducing the safety and attractiveness for pedestrians. Kelowna continues to build low-density sprawling neighbourhoods on far-flung hillsides: Wilder, Quail Ridge, Tower Ranch, Black Mountain, Upper Mission, and most of West Kelowna. These cul-desac-heavy neighbourhoods are impossible to serve as part of going somewhere else, and are unlikely to increase their density.
The ride doesn’t end here. Go to thephoenixnews.com to check out our ongoing transit coverage series and comment on The Phoenix News facebook to join the discussion. Plus, we’ll be riding the bus in the white Drive jacket for the next 2 weeks to gather student input.
Drive feature by Cam Welch with photos by Hanss Lujan graphics by Lindsay Smith and files from Sasha Curry, Sean Donahue, Maranda Wilson, and Jeff Bulmer.
Special thanks to our Driver model Jackson Stoski
Letters
OPINIONS
We have too many students, too few study spaces This year’s incoming class is the biggest UBC's Okanagan campus has seen so far. You know what isn’t the biggest? The study space available on campus. Week one, and there's already issues with finding seating in the library. The EME has reduced study space now that there's a new food outlet. A food outlet that was necessary, but if the lines are kilometres long, what's the point? Don't bother going to Timmies or Starbucks between classes, the waiting time is now at least 30 minutes. At that rate, I could make a fortune by setting up a coffee stand and selling a cup for 50 cents. They told us they would cap student population at 8,000. Well, our student body is much greater than that, and the university does not have the space to accommodate them all. You try to fit more than 400 people in our library- I'm sure there's a health code against that. Vancouver has over 20 libraries and countless study spots, Okanagan is still the ugly little sibling that people overlook when decision time comes. If we want to be on par with UBC Van, then maybe they should start treating us as UBC in the first place. - Virginie Fostroy
UBCOcial MEdia
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BOGGED DOWN The future of UBCO
I am not a child
An open letter to Christy Clark regarding BC’s age of majority
Curtis Tse
BoG representative
Curtis is the Board of Governors (BoG) Representative for UBCO’s students. He also blogs at www.votecurtistse. com, where he addresses issues that affect UBCO students)
Alexander Levstik Contributor Dear Chirsty Clark, I would like to call your attention to an issue that is of utmost importance to me and many other students my age. My name is Alexander Levstik, originally from Ontario and I am a first year student at UBCO in Kelowna. This morning I was purchasing textbooks when I came across the NDP critic for education and we chatted about student loans and other, largely monetary, topics. One vital issue that I reminded him and now hopefully you of is the issue of majority. I am 18. This may seem unremarkable to you, and was to me as well, until I came to BC. In Ontario, in Canada (Federal), and internationally, the age of majority is generally accepted to be 18. I was disappointed, irritated and outraged to discover the age of majority in BC is 19. I am compelled, as a lawabiding person of moral integrity, to once again send permission forms to my parents, who live in Ontario, to register for something as simple as a club. This was something that was acceptable when I attended high school and lived at home and my parents were only a few steps away. But, now that I live here in the scenic Okanagan Valley--and even though I consider myself an adult and live independently in residence--I cannot represent myself for something as simple as a registration waiver. This is not only inconvenient; I find this law humiliating (I am not a child), ill considered and wholly wrong. Personally, I feel oppressed and discriminated against, on the basis of age, and feel my right to liberty as guaranteed by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms has been infringed upon. Regardless of my personal feelings, this is a major problem facing any student who comes to learn at the excellent educational institutions BC has to offer. We are accustomed to the liberty, freedom and independence given to us at home and internationally, only to find it revoked as soon as we come to BC. If we are capable of understanding what is right and being criminally responsible under the adult system after our 18th birthday, then why has the age of majority not been adjusted accordingly? After speaking with the NDP critic I did some research. In 1970, the age of majority was reduced from 21 to 19, and this was reviewed again in 2012. If this was the case, I would like to know what the justification was, to retain this highly unusual, and which I also consider cruel, standard. In addition I would strongly urge you to reconsider your stance on this matter. The age of 18 may be old enough to sign a contract, but it’s old enough to vote.
4,800
increase in enrolment from 3,500 over 8 years
1,400
number of beds added to residence from 300 over 8 years
3x
the approximate increase of campus area covered by UBCO since its start
8
the number of months the consultation process for the visioning process will last
The first UBC Board of Governors meeting has come and gone; many issues were discussed, but I will focus on the Curtis Road bike path, the differentiation of a UBC degree versus a UBCO degree, and the visioning exercise for UBC’s Okanagan campus. The recent ruling of Curtis Rd. has cause a debate around safe bicycle access to campus. Many would say that safe access does not exist. The discussion of a safe bike path has come to a halt. The CN railroad is under financial trouble, so senior administration is back to square one with deliberations. Without disclosing what was said during the closed sessions, board members expressed extreme discontent with the progress, and the President has expressed similar concerns. He will be reporting back on a solution that will allow safe bicycle access to campus. I would say that students, faculty and staff should wait until the President has been able to find a solution for the next board meeting (Nov. 26), and rest assured the board understands the importance of having safe bicycle access to campus. This wasn’t discussed much by the board, but there was a question posed during the President’s Town Hall regarding rumors over a separate UBCO degree. The President was quick to shut this down. This will not happen. The President reassured the board that it is one degree, and that the board has no intent of doing anything of that sort. To offer some context, the President had prefaced many of his comments in saying that there were concerns in the past about UBC having a satellite campus and offering the same degree. Concerns primarily lied around the ‘tarnishing’ of the brand and UBC degree. However; faculty, staff and students have shown that this ‘satellite’ campus is capable of so much more. This animosity of a UBC brand being tarnished has mostly diminished, and I have no doubt in my mind that we will continue to prove it through our accomplishments and contributions to the interior, UBC, Canada, and the world. Lastly, the visioning exercise for UBCO is now underway to discuss and plan where our campus is going. We are no longer looking to grow physically and so our visioning should revolve around developing ourselves and creating our own identity as a campus. Some consensus that I heard was around the notion of UBCO needing to avoid being a campus that tries to do everything in all academic areas; we must find our niche. We must take advantage of resources that we have in the region and from UBC to develop our strengths. Throughout the year you will hear a lot about the visioning exercise on our campus, and I encourage you to participate. Student participation will really help define our campus for what it will be. Together we can define our own ‘Place of Mind’ here at UBC’s Okanagan Campus.
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The Phoenix |
September 23rd, 2013
EDITORIALS REALLY?!
with Laura and Dave
UBCUO’s level of disorganization is unacceptable The UBCSUO’s chronic disorganization is resulting in student alienation and offences under the BC Society Act. The disorganization includes informal and messy meetings, delayed meetings, failure to post agendas and failure to post or even keep proper meeting minutes. Their first board meeting of the year wasn’t until the third week of September. The meeting involved a lot of tripping over procedure as well as amendments from the executives to the agenda, which should have been ironed out prior to the meeting. A common problem at meetings is students not understanding how to participate due to the complicated rules. Which makes sense, the rules are damn complicated. But half the time it seems like the executives and board have no idea how to follow the procedures also. How can students figure it out if the representatives who are paid to host these meetings can’t? Last year the standing orders required an agenda be published in advance so students could look at it and propose their own motions in order to get involved. This wasn’t followed through with last year, though. Oh and better change your policy, since it still says students must submit their motions on Thursday, which is now the new day of the meetings. The UBCSUO should be doing everything in its power to lend a helping hand to students, including timely published agendas, meeting minutes, and even simple guides on how to participate in meetings. Meeting minutes are another huge failure of our UBCSUO. Go online and you’ll see three months of the summer sessions are missing. When asked, Nick Dodds, Services Coordinator, told us “unfortunately our documentation over the summer was not that well organized. In the transition between executive assistants we lost a lot of that information, if it was ever kept. We were unable to find it.” No previous statement on the lost minutes has been issued publicly. For example, the new club policy that has been causing some controversy among students is not recorded anywhere in the minutes that are available, which means there is no proof that it was ratified. Failure to keep minutes is a violation of bylaws, which
is an offence under the BC’s Society Act. That’s not all though - the UBCSUO is in danger of violating its own bylaws again by leaving their first meeting so late. They are required to have two board meetings per month, and, as per their current schedule, there is only one scheduled for September. In their defense, yes they’ve had difficulties. Yes, the UBCSUO fired its General Manager and is now in a wrongful dismissal suit with him; yes, they lost their Executive Assistant and hired a new one; yes, there has been a lot of turnover within the board. But the problems were happening before all that, and the bottom line is that this level of disorganization is unacceptable for an organization with a budget of over 1.2 million dollars of student money. Under the BC Society Act, the recourse available to members for offences such as those the SU has committed is legal action. It is not The Phoenix’s assertion that students take the UBCSUO to court over this, it merely illustrates how serious these issues are. To begin to fix this, it’s imperative that everything significant that was passed since the beginning of June is rerecorded and approved at the next board meeting. The publishing of agendas and meeting minutes that are accurate and on time should also become a priority. If the UBCSUO wants to walk the walk of transparency and student engagement, publishing an online guide to show how to make a proposal for a motion would help remove a signifcant barrier to student involvement. All of this is especially important in light of the new club policy. It requires meeting minutes and notice of meetings to be kept by each club, among other precise organizational policies. But the UBCSUO isn’t even doing that, and they have staff to do it for them. The UBCSUO cannot expect to hold clubs accountable to policies that they don’t follow themselves. The tone must be set at the top otherwise every student organization at UBCO will end up settling for the low bar our student leaders are setting.
Really?! with Laura and Dave is a print, and video segment inspired by Seth and Amy from SNL. Seen something dumb UBCO has done? Let us know!
Dave Welcome to UBCO, where some taps are barely dripping enough water to wash the soap off your hands, but then, surprise, others shoot out a jet of water at 100PSI. And the engineers have calculated the angle of the sinks to get the maximum water-to-clothes ratio. UBCO could you not afford plumbing so you just got fire hoses? Really UBCO?! I’m not filling my bathtub. Really, Facilities is SO busy that they haven’t had spare a moment in over 5 years to fix a problem SO stupid and obvious as fire hose faucets? Really UBCO?! It wastes water, and you want to sell yourself as sustainable. It soaks the entire area which means janitors have more work. Keep some hoes dry for Soulja Boy. I mean really. Really?!?!
Laura I try to never go into the science building already; it smells like science and there are stuffed birds. I can practically hear the souls of dissected animals haunting the halls. So of course the taps would attack you. But seriously though UBCO, really??? Is it too much to keep your students dry? Apparently this has been going on for a while and still nothing has been done to fix it. Not only does a surprising burst of water inconvenience the person using the faucet but it leaves a large pool of water in front of the sink. You will most likely leave with soaked pants. Really? Is this necessary? Because it seems like an easy fix to me.
September 23rd, 2013
CAMPUS Don’t choke out the casual club
Weekly reviews on anything. ANYTHING!
Contributor
Laura Sciarpelletti "It makes more challenges to start a club. There has to be some pool of interest on our campus," said Nick Dodds, the UBCSUO's Services Coordinator. "It is unlikely that a club will have 15 executive members, so there will always be a membership that the executive is responsible to." This is the notion that the students' union is trying to push: that there "is a lot of clutter when you're trying to find an event" and a club has to speak to a broad need on campus. They want to service clubs that are punching above their weight and ensure that clubs have stronger accountability. But this new policy, which requires a higher standard of paperwork, occurred at a meeting that nobody could find minutes for and was showed to approximately 6 of the 90 campus clubs before it hit council. Dodds said people should understand that things were fly-by-night that summer with their paid staff. Do you expect clubs, with no paid staff, to do any better? The students' union takes in around $950,000 in membership fees and clubs are one of the best ways to create lasting memories and things people care about. Yet the best we’ve seen is the occasional Well party and a barbecue. In so many other ways, the SU fails at getting people engaged. At the first meeting, 15 of 8,000 students cared about something enough to come to Council and it almost tore the whole system apart. Maybe simplify the system: delegate club approvals to a subcommittee, like saner systems do. Eliminate automatic funding altogether, leaving only the more ambitious grants, which is how the much larger club system at UBC Vancouver operates. But at any school, there needs to be a way for a bunch of friends who care about something to get together and try to convince other people to care about it too. If you don't have that, they're just going to go home, and that's a shame.
Andrew Bates has been the Editor-in-chief of the Phoenix and the managing editor, web, of the Ubyssey, for the student papers at UBC Okanagan and UBC Vancouver respectively. He's currently trying to repress his urge to start another club, and it's getting easier.
Green Thread’s cream of tomato and basil soup When you cannot pinpoint what something tastes like and have to add five packets of salt, the “soup” has failed. Further more, if that unidentified taste stays in your mouth until you finally fall asleep, that is $4 ill-spent.
Contributor
Irregular walking patterns It’s fine if you feel like walking at a slow pace, but is it really necessary to zig-zag in front of people so that they don’t know where or how to pass you? It takes up the whole sidewalk and leaves people frazzled.
44% did it for one hour. Do it your way. Study when and where you want for the amount of time that fi ts into your busy schedule. Access over 590 courses and 52 programs offered online and by distance.
MC118027
The new clubs policy treats an abundance of student life like a hassle, and I don't know how a student union can ever do that responsibly. Let's not pretend like UBC Okanagan has an abundance of organic student life. There are some clubs, faculties and organizations (like the student union!) that do great work, but there are still huge voids that waste opportunities to keep students on campus instead of going back into the city. You can barely even buy lunch here for under five dollars. A properly run club system can be more relevant to the lives of students than anything else a student union can do. That's because clubs can serve the specific interests of a broad number of students; it allows them to maintain and grow a group of friends on campus. It gives them a chance to be responsible for something and see their work pay off for the first time. The key word here is first, though. There's a reason why the students who would be in the Teaholics club aren't on the student union's services committee or have a strong grasp of accounting or Robert's Rules of Order: If they wanted to be, they would be doing that. The new policy requires them to submit one-year plans, have at least fifteen members, keep structured budgets (who among you, Teaholics, knows what amortization is?) and, worst of all, creates a mandatory membership fee. The first thing I got involved with on campus was the Literature Students' Association: our meetings were in the Well and fluctuated from four to eight people. We did not keep minutes. The LSA did use the grant funding that was available for pub nights and barbecues, but we were new at this and having fun. There was a bit of turnover, because sometimes people got stressed and needed to move on, and it was okay! We took who we could convince to show up and did what we could with that. The other club that I was in was the Vidja Games Club (Not a spelling error). There were no things to purchase, no need for grants, and low barriers to entry. We just hung out in a lecture hall on Thursdays and played video games. It was great! Would as many people have came out if we forced them to cough up even a little bit of money? Could we have kept minutes or did we even have business to conduct? No and no.
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Minute Reviews
New rules emphasize business over cool stuff with friends. Andrew Bates
| The Phoenix
1.866.949.OPEN | truopen.ca
UPCOMING
ARTS
September 23rd, 2013
On the weB
thephoenixnews.com
Sept 27 7pm-9,pm / Downtown Library
Sept 27-29 Turf the Turf
Various downtown locations Self guided bike tour highlighting art in local front yards.
Sept 28 HeArt School Open House
11am-5pm / 375 Bernard
Leslie Anne Evans 7pm / Pulp Fiction
Do you like Shakespeare? Or are you taking a class?
Sept 28-29 Nuit Blanche
9pm-4am French Cultural Centre Multidisciplinary arts all night long. Including puppets!
Oct 8 Dora the Explorer
3:30pm and 6:30pm Kelowna Community Theatre Hit the show right after your afternoon nap!
Laura Sciarpelletti
Forrest first meets “Jennaaaay” in Forrest Gump
I don’t think anyone could forget that scene where the kind-hearted boy boards the bus on his first day of school and says “My name is Forrest, Forrest Gump,” and then makes his way to the back where he meets the ill-fated and tragic love of his life for the first time.
The ridiculed principal in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
Utterly defeated in his quest to catch Ferris playing hooky, Dean Rooney is forced to take the bus home. The tattered, filthy and shamed principal makes his way to the back of the bus, and is offered some warm, soft gummy bears by a sweet little freshman. “Ohhhhh yeeeeaaah…chicka chickaaah.”
We check out the latest from Toronto-based sadboys Drake and The Weeknd and talk about the problems with how contemporary rap and R&B records are evaluated in the media.
Check out some artists doing neat things above Starbucks.
Bard on the Run
Memorable bus moments in movie history Most people have strange experiences riding the bus. It’s a place where a group of people—most of them completely different from each other—gather in a confined space all for the purpose of getting from one place to another. What’s wonderful about this is you can meet your next best friend, or share a hilarious unexpected moment. Or your experience could be a disaster. Either way, you never know what to expect from a bus ride. Many pivotal and beloved scenes in films take place on buses. We’re going to take a trip through some of the most iconic bus scenes in movies, from the panicky ones to the humorous.
Inspiring music and poetry
2pm / Harmony Honda
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Arts Editor
Inspired Word Cafe
Poetry reading and interactive poetry... whatever that means.
| The Phoenix
Kevin Jesuino interacting with a “Mating Calls” audience Photos by Laura Sciarpelletti
Sex-Ed class, Jesuino style
A fortunate accident in The Fugitive Richard Kimble, falsely accused of killing his wife, is on his way to death row, when a brawl breaks out on the bus and the vehicle is flipped. The cherry on top, of course, if when a train rams into the bus just as Kimble is jumping out of the wreck. Harrison Ford, you god you.
UBCO alum Kevin Jesuino’s performance work questions our concepts of gender and sexual orientation Laura Sciarpelletti Kevin Jesuino, a UBCO Interdisciplinary Performance alumni, returned to Kelowna on September 13th to participate in the Arts Council of the Central Okanagan’s 60 Artists in 60 Spaces. He has recently returned from a three-month working tour in Portugal, collaborating with other performance artists and completing an artist residency. Jesuino’s event, “Mating Calls,” was hosted by Theatre26 on campus, but originally kicked off at the Calgary Pride Festival. The performance piece deals with the diverse ways in which the animal kingdom procreates in order to explore the nature of attraction and mating in our ecosystem. “Porcupines, giraffes, flatworms, bonobo monkeys…we all ‘do it’ so differently!” says Jesuino. “This is the sex education class you wish you would have had back in high school!” And he isn’t wrong. The diversity of sexual practices in the animal kingdom brings to mind the ques-
Arts Editor
tion of sexual equality in human practices. The uniqueness of each species transcends the concept of gender or “normality.” This is especially made clear as Jesuino—donning a red dress and animal print neck scarf—explains how leopard slugs, who are both male, pierce each other with their florescent blue penises and impregnate each other. As with a lot of Jesuino’s past work, the audience is encouraged to actively participate. The experienced VJ also incorporates projection, video, webcam and sound into the performance. For “Mating Calls,” Jesuino created a game show like environment, having the audience members submit their phone numbers. Throughout the show, Jesuino will randomly call some of the numbers after explaining the sexual practices of a certain animal. The participant then has to choose if they believe the animal identifies as male or female, and which gender it is attracted to.
“I want people to go away and ponder how and why they box in people’s sexual orientations or gender when it’s difficult enough to do the exact same boxing in with other animals,” says Jesuino. Jesuino covers nine different animals during the performance, but states that there has been over 450 documented cases of homosexuality or non-heterosexual activity in animal species. “There are 7.112 billion people on this earth,” says Jesuino, “that’s 7.112 different sexual orientations and 7.1112 different gender identities.” “Mating Calls” travels to Nanaimo next for the Queer Arts Festival in February 2014. Jesuino will also be working with In Other Words Theatre in Nanaimo on the project “MUSE” with fellow UBCO Interdisciplinary alumni Natalia Hautala for an opening this October. After that, Jesuino will be based in Calgary. For more information on his work, visit www.kevinjesuino.com
Reviews - they’re not just for albums and movies anymore. The first of this year’s book reviews is Inferno by DaVinci Code author and most-boringly-named-man-alive Dan Brown.
Killer buses in Mean Girls
Every week we recommend an underrated movie in Buried Film.
We get some foreshadowing during the Tina Fey written film as to the danger of busses, but nothing really prepares us for what happens. Disgraced queen plastic Regina George is screaming at Caty when she is hit by a bus, shocking the whole school and causing rumors to fly more than ever before.
Attack of the geek in Sixteen Candles High school sophomore Samantha Baker is despairing after realizing that her family has forgotten her sweet sixteen, and is further depressed that she has to take the bus, the chosen meeting grounds for the “Geek Squad.” Self-proclaimed king of the geeks, Ted, makes the moves on Sam, even going so far as to ask “Do I make you hot?”
The “Tiny Dancer” sing-along in Almost Famous
There’s nothing like having a band bonding moment to the tune of Elton John. Not to mention a great way to recover after a night of being a “Golden God” and jumping off of a roof into a pool.
Wedding ditching in The Graduate After stealing the bride from a wedding, much to the horror of Mrs. Robinson, Benjamin and Elaine board a bus, laughing and high on the thrill of spontaneity and rebellion. But as the bus pulls away and the young couple leave the church behind them, both sit there in silence, and we cannot help but feel a depressing jolt of regret for them as they no doubt wonder, “now what?”
Sandra Bullock drives for her life in Speed Annie Porter has to keep the speed of the bus over 50 mph as she rips across the freeway, or a bomb will kill everyone onboard. Said our Managing Editor Alex Eastman, “I didn’t even know a bus could go over 50 miles per hour.”
MGMT (self-titled) Torin McLachlan
Staff Writer
It’s Monday and I’m off uni for the day. Blazing saddles into town with friends in the car, grab the speakers, get those beers, turn on tune in and drop out: MGMT’s new album is here. Maybe you caught them at Keloha; maybe you’ve been to a club or two; maybe you’ve got ears; you’ve probably heard you some MGMT. But what exactly have you heard? The familiar story is that MGMT are locked in a creative struggle with neon-brite party neophytes wailing at shows for early hits like “Kids” or “Time to Pretend” like it’s still 2007. And so 2010’s Congratulations was widely seen as a self-important slap in the face of fans looking for new alt anthems. If early words on MGMT hold true, it will land the roundhouse blow for Ben Goldwasser’s and Andrew VanWyngarden’s supposed mARTyrdom and overt anti-commercial weirdness. Pitchfork places it at 6.2/10, just under the current 65% Metacritic rating, with The Independent going as far as “another dilettante excursion with little to recommend it.” That is all horseshit. No doubt it’s a weird one. From the glitch-infected gothic organ-synths of “Mystery Disease” to the spectral, there-is-no-spoon Sigur Radiohead’s Lonely Hearts Club beatific “Astro-Mancy,” the album is certainly “out there.” But it’s also dense and mature, and employs a cunning mixture of deadpan farce and thousand-yard seriousness. Astral ponderousness meets flippant cynicism. On the third-last track, “I Love You Too, Death,” rhythm gently folds itself into a chattering host of motley sequencers, the mushy, clinking wraith of an Animal Collective epic, before the hush with lines “Let me know when I’m in love / Let me die when I’m in love.” Next, seedy chorus snares squelch into “Plenty of Girls in the Sea,” a twee off-Broadway sing-along wryly beginning “There’s plenty of girls in the sea / And plenty of seeds in a lemon,” before a hostile acid-flashback takeover at the midpoint which trips back into a sad can-can: “Attend to the void / Don’t just fill it.” The point is that nobody should be forced to come down on either side of this record’s deviance from prog-, pop-, psych-, or whatever-rock. MGMT has a few definite earworms, like the goofy but dialed-in “Alien Days” or the deceptively candid churner “Your Life is a Lie”(cowbell alert). It’s also got a sweet-ass cover, “Introspection,” of blip-on-the-radar 60s band Faine Jade that is half Britpop and half cornucopian Eastern arabesque. Overall, the album is varied, exciting, and cogent. It’s hilarious at times and melancholic at others, flipping between the lab and the monster. If this were MGMT’s first outing, it would be a hit. But it’s not, and sadly the newest album will probably fare about as well as Congratulations. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t pick it up. You should. You just might not hear it in the club. 8.2 / 10
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The Phoenix |
September 23rd, 2013
September 23rd, 2013
PYRAMID SCHEME
Photo by
Tyler Robbins’ pyramid Instagram by shapeandcolor
At the Keloha music festival (July 5-7th), several UBCO alumni worked on the Art Avenue. Organized this eyar by recent UBCO Fine Arts grad Brit Bachmann, Art Ave was a kid-friendly, interactive collaboration between Keloha and KBAAD , a local non-profit society that supports artsist and athletes. Bachmann co-organized the 2012 inaugural Art Ave with Karma Reine. When Reine took a maternity leave this spring, Bachmann organized the Art Walk solo and revamped the project, recruiting local artists and businesses. Vancouver-based artists Jorden and David Doody were brought on as Art Directors, and Bachmann brought in fellow UBCO 2013 Fine Arts students Lucas Glenn, Dylan Ranney, and Liz Dumontet to do art for the festival. Glenn, Ranney, and Dumontet joined with Nick Gibson to work on a project proposed by fellow local artist Tyler Robbins: the Keloha pyramids. The group acquired four fourfoot-tall pyramids and two six-foot ones and worked on them in Bachmann’s father’s backyard and at the venue before and during Keloha. One artist would do the majority of a pyramid side and would then collaborate with one or more of the others to add to it.
Brit Bachmann
cargocollective.com/britbachmann
Brit’s artistic influences teeter between pedestrian culture and derive, and voyeurism and surveillance.
“Having been raised in Kelowna, I can say with assurance that most family-friendly children’s festivals lack any sort of true intellectual stimuli. We live in a technologically advanced age where face paint booths and three-legged races just don’t cut it anymore! By merging traditional crafts with some interactive digital art, science and a few local fitness studios, I wanted to give families a broader understanding of what kinds of activities Kelowna can offer.” - Brit Bachmann
A folk craft tent overseen by Nannysitters Agency Photos by
A friendship bracelet booth by Just Be Friends
Two sun telescopes provided by the Astronomy Society of the Okanagan Observatory Sandcastle competition
Nick is a local artist and muscian. His style often includes fluorecent retrocolors and wild animals. Liz Dumontet’s pyramids Instagrams by Brit Bachmann
Liz Dumontet www.lizdumontet.com
Liz’s paintings contain traces of the abstract, weaving in elements of drawing, resulting in an amalgation of loose movements and detailed expressions. Her paintings display bold colors that represent forms and figures with heighened energy.
Chalk drawing Acrobatic performances by Okanagan Gymnastics Free grass yoga courtesy of Yoga Warehouse and Oranj Fitness Paddleboard yoga courtesy of Hot Box Paddleboard racing DIY tie-dye booth
Nick Gibson
Nick Gibson
A Twitter-activated volcano that erupts bubbles whenever someone hashtags #Keloha
A photo booth linked to social media
Photo by
Lucas Glenn
Local software artist Jay Pozo broke down how his tweeting volcano worked. Pozo did the computer component and the wiring, then worked with Brit Bachmann to make the physical volcano out of chicken wire, newspaper, and foam.
www.lucasglenn.co
Other features of Art Avenue
Live art and onsite décor by the pyramid artsists as well as a gallery featuring smaller pieces for sale.
Lucas Glenn
Lucas Glenn
Photo by Laura Sciarpelletti
Creative Director
“We were integrating our own styles at the same time as keeping with the pyramid theme and we wanted to keep the sides as cohesive as possible and so there was a lot of crossing over and style blending. Like if I knew that Tyler was really good at doing geometric shapes, I would keep that in mind while doing my own stuff so I could leave space for him to come in and do a background.” - Liz Dumontet
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HOW TO MAKE A VOLCANO TWEET
THE UBCO ARTISTS WHO MADE THE KELOHA PYRAMIDS
Cam Welch
| The Phoenix
“I was able to work with the patterns [Liz put] there, so that was really cool. I’d never done anything like that before. it was the first time for many of us collaborating with other artists.” - Nick Gibson “I came home that night and said to my roommate I feel like I just played a show with other inspiring bands. It was the same kind of feeling.” - Nick Gibson on collaborating with other artists
“My art company, Lucas Glenn Co, makes its artwork with exclusively found information. In the newly found studio I cut out minimal shapes from old discarded record sleeves, trying to glue and assemble a visual story on all sides of the pyramid. Purposefully I selected images with recording devices involved, in order to bring about ideas of documentation- and what it means to document sound. For the days of the concert, I was planning to borrow lyrics from the performers, and print them onto the pyramid. Longboarding to the concert that Friday, I had a near collision with a child on her tricycle. After violently saying hello to the concrete, I spent 6 hours in the Kelowna General Hospital with a make-shift sling and a fractured arm.
“I came back the next day with a giant black paint-marker in hand. ... I wound up on the beach lefthandedly scrawling lyrics all over my sculpture. I encouraged the other artists to do the same, and they engaged enthusiastically. Two sides wound up an absolute mess of text, with the other two well maintained and composed. All in all it was a great exercise to release control and let the artwork be vulnerable to all of the Keloha chaos.” - Lucas Glenn “Lucas’s minimalism & gallery context ... kind of makes a comment on the festival art, [suggesting it] can be something besides crazy and in your face, it can also be something that you just meditate on in a more limited way and it’s still beautiful.” - Dylan Ranney
“Nick Gibson did this one pyramid in his style which was very retro colour styles with animals and patterns on top of it and I went on top of it with more sort of rendered human eyeballs and so I sort of interrupt the soft gradation of the pyramid and pop this eyeball out” - Dylan Ranney
1 The software scans twitter for tweets containing #keloha
2 Dylan’s pyramid sides Photos by
Jay Pozo
Dylan Ranney www.dylanranney.com
Dylan is a sculptor and painter, and muralist. His paintings explore generations and nationalities. “We don’t really want to pander to the Wet Ape festival crowd, you know, the whole party people - Kelowna party people, Kelownafornia, whatever that is... I don’t really relate to it and I don’t really understand it. But I get people coming together to have a really good time and enjoy the arts. People could come and be like ‘why didn’t you paint palm trees and musicians?’ Well there’s enough signifiers here already to see that that’s what this is all about... wouldn’t it be much better to inject our own creativity as artists and put it there and let people come up to their own creativity, their own conclusions about what it means?” - Dylan Ranney
Every 40 seconds, the small linux computer in the volcano checks the queue of tweets #keloha tweets
3 The computer then triggers the bubble machine inside the volcano to blow bubbles for 30 seconds
4 As it does that, the computer also sends a pre-written tweet back to the person who used “#keloha” and lets them know that they’ve made the volcano bubble
545 1 gallon tweets handled
of bubble solution used Lucas Glenn’s preliminary sketches
UPCOMING
SPORTS
FITNESS
September 23rd, 2013
| The Phoenix
25
On the weB
thephoenixnews.com
Sept 28 Kelowna Rockets vs Victoria Royals 7:05 pm Prospera Place
Local hockey? Woo!
Oct 1
Basketball and Volleyball are fast approaching. Check out preseason game recaps and season previews.
MLB Playoffs begin Start time TBD
Get in better shape on a tight budget
Baseball is a thing.
Alex Eastman
Oct 1
Out of shape skinny nerd
NHL season begins
4:30 PM on CBC - Toronto @ Montreal It’s been too long.
Oct 6 Heat Soccer: vs TRU Wolfpack Games at Nonis Field 12:00 PM (Women) 2:00 PM (Men) UBC what?
Fitness under $20: Introduction
Austin Jones netted the winner against Langara
Mairi Horth was named “Player of the game” vs. Lanagara Photos provided by UBCO Heat
Heat men on fire
Falcons drop Heat
Undefeated in four straight, tied for Pacwest lead
Dealt first loss of 2013 season
Andrew Bates Contributor
Kevin Ilomin
If the memories of past disappointing seasons are on the minds of the Heat men’s soccer players, they certainly haven’t shown it on the pitch. The team didn’t let their lead slip away against the Langara Falcons on the 21st, and as of press time, find themselves looking down the hill at the majority of their Pacwest opposition. UBCO scored two goals early and earned a third in the second half, with Danny Chahal, Enzo Paal and Austin Jones giving the Heat a sizeable advantage. In the last 20 minutes, Langara scored twice and threatened to draw level, but the Heat held to secure a 3-2 win. Heat coach Dante Zanatta admitted that it “was not our best performance you might say,” but went on to add that sometimes you need matches like this one to learn from. “Especially some of our younger players who might have never been in these situations before,” he added. “[But] I’m proud of how the guys fought.” The September 13-14 road trip to Surrey and Coquitlam saw a scoreless draw against Kwantlen. They got a 3-0 win against the Douglas College Royals through a first-half penalty kick and the goaltending of second-year keeper Logan Ellis, who picked up his second and third clean sheets, respectively. “It was just one of those away games,” Zanatta commented after the Kwantlen game. “We created chances and didn’t finish them. They defended quite well.” A 3-1-1 record place Heat in a first-place Pacwest tie with Thompson Rivers University as of press time, with a trip to Squamish to face the Quest University Kermodes also scheduled. The next home game is against TRU on October 6th. with files from Kevin Ilomin(UBCO Heat)
Heat soccer visited the coast again this weekend to visit the Langara Falcons in Richmond on Saturday. The women’s team had so far not dropped a match over the first two weekends of the 2013 season, and they looked to extend that streak against the Falcons. However, Langara would ultimately prevail in a tough offensive outing for the Heat to claim the match 2-0 at Hugh Boyd Park. “We struggled today coming out flat and Langara did well to come after us,” said Heat coach Claire Paterson postgame. “We had a better spell in the second half but it was too little too late.” The Falcons’ Alyssa Graeme got on the board first with a shot just wide of the Heat’s keeper Christine Tallon (4th year, Kamloops, BC) in the 30th minute. The score would stand 1-0 into the half. Amrit Berar would knock in the second goal for Langara in the 70th minute to cushion the team’s lead and deflate the chances of a Heat comeback. Despite a concerted effort and several chances down the stretch, the 2-0 Falcons lead would stand through the final whistle. “Loads [of chances] in the last 20,” Paterson said of her team’s late-game efforts. “[We] couldn’t capitalize [and] the chances just didn’t sit for us.” Midfielder Mairi Horth (2nd year, Ladysmith, BC) was the Heat’s player of the game, generating her team’s best chances down the stretch of the match despite not being able to convert. The No. 10 ranked Heat are now 3-1-1 for the season and will head to Squamish Sunday for an outing against No. 12 Quest University, who are currently third in the PACWEST, just behind the Heat at 3W-2L0T. Kickoff is at 12 p.m.
Hockey season is starting up. Who should you cheer for, and why? (Hint: maybe not the Canucks.)
Heat Writer
Fitness under $20: Alex delves into the (spiritual?) world of yoga: Hot, cold, and most importantly, affordable!
I remember when I first heard about the dreaded “Freshman Fifteen,” the horror story circulated by friends and family in my life that had attended universities from UVIC to Dalhousie and everywhere in between. Looking back five years from then, I realize now that it really doesn’t matter what year you’re in, maintain fitness as a student is easier said than done. Now, there are certainly opportunities available for students to work out. The Hangar’s a great option, of course, as is the H20 centre on Gordon, or several of the downtown gyms available to anyone. But any long-time student will tell you that balancing your personal budget with your fitness commitments can be tricky, especially when getting around town isn’t always the easiest thing to do. With all this in mind, I’m setting off on a quest. A personal challenge, if you will. With a meager twenty dollars a month, I’m going to find effective, cheap fitness solutions that exist outside of the traditional, gym-centric ways of getting your body in shape. I find it easiest to keep a workout commitment going when I have at least one ingrained routine, something I can fall back on for an everyday activity. The Basic, listed to the right, is a simple set of exercises that work a range of different muscle groups, an amalgamation of things I remember doing as a kid in gym class. Feel free to add your own favourites to the mix. The Basic should be easy enough that you can do it twice in a day. Again, I’m going for simplicity here, something that gets you a bit of exercise in over the course of a long day. As with any workout routine, make sure to do a nice warm-up jog and stretch before you get going. The number of reps you do for each exercise will depend on your comfort level with the exercise and strength in that relative muscle group. check out thephoenixnews.com for more of Alex’s adventures in the strange new world of “working out” on a tight budget.
Above: Mr. T does jumping jacks correctly. Don’t cheat. Photo byPatrick Haney(flickr) Left: Push-ups are so easy you can even do them at work! Photo by Teecycle Tim (flickr)
List of exercises in The Basic: 1) Push-ups: I find the easiest way to stay honest doing a push-up is to place a marker, like a roll of packing or duct tape, or maybe even a small soup can for that matter, underneath your chest, and touch that item with your chest every time you go down. Keep your back straight, hands shoulder-width apart. 2) Sit-ups: I used to do use my arms for momentum when doing sit-ups, but apparently that is cheating. Cross them across the chest, each hand on the opposite shoulder. If you’re like me and having next to no abdominal strength, as you first get into doing these you may want to put an object on top of your toes for leverage, hook them under a couch or something. 3) Squats: make sure your feet are shoulder width apart. Don’t get too low in your squat, never below parallel. Use an actual chair for the first few reps so you get an idea of how low you need to go. Keep your hands in front, back straight. Squats baby! Yeah! Oats and squats! 4) Jumping Jacks: Probably the ultimate case of half-assing an exercise are those lazy variations on jumping jacks that only have the arms come halfway up. “Arms all the way up, maggots” said some drill sergeant somewhere once. 5) Lunges: Remember to hold each lunge position for up to five seconds. Also, proper form with a lunge has each leg at a ninety degree angle, two Lshaped legs.
The rules of the Fitness under $20 challenge: 1) No Gyms – Pretty straightforward. If you want to learn how to get the most out of your gym membership, or your pass to The Hangar, I’m not the guy to ask. If you want to find some alternatives that could be done out of your home, work, or local area, this challenge is something to consider. 2) Varied exercise focus – Strength, cardio, agility, flexibility, and more. Rather than focus on one particular area, I’m taking up an all-around workout routine that will try to strengthen all of these areas. Something here for everyone! 3) Less than $20 a month – I’m trying to figure out what can be done without equipment, or with budget-friendly solutions, onetime gear buys that can be used over and over again in weekly and daily routines.
UBCSUO pages WHAT ARE
Annual General Meetings The annual general meeting is a quintessential piece of the democratic nature of UBCSUO. It is a forum of which to hold the Board of Directors to account for actions taken through the course of their term. Students are able to submit, review and debate bylaws, policies directly with the student governors to work towards the betterment of the Union. The major items covered in each Annual General meeting are: the presentation of the auditor’s report to be voted on by the assembly, The proposed budget of the UBCSUO for the current year to be voted on by the assembly, and any motions submitted with due notice by any member of the union. This forum will take place on, November 7th in UNC 106, with signs posted in over 15 different locations around campus as well as online two weeks prior.
WHAT IS THE
Board of Directors
?
The Board of Directors is composed of thirteen elected student officials tasked with the care of the Union for exactly twelve months. Each member group has specific tasks and responsibilities delegated to it, ranging from the day-to-day operations of the Students’ Union to volunteering at events. The current structure of the Board of Directors is as follows: four Executives, four Directors at Large, four Advocacy Representatives including a Graduate Student Representative and one Meeting Chair. While each group is separate in name, all members act in the best interest of the Union, meeting bi-weekly to vote on issues, raise concerns, and make decisions necessary for the continuation and development of the union. If you are interested in auditing a Board of Directors meeting please contact UBCSUO to inquire about the date and time of the next meeting.
WHAT ARE
Elections
?
Quite often students will ask “How can I join the Students’ Union,” the answer to this is quite simple; any and all students that pay Students’ Union fees, included in your tuition, are members. However quite often the meaning of the question is far from the literal translation, students want to know how to get involved, how to become a student leader among their community. One of the best answers to this paraphrased question would be “Get involved,” while this can mean different things to each person, in the context of the Students’ Union this means volunteering or even taking the next step and running for a position on the Board of Directors during elections. Each year in second semester the Union holds begins the general election process, in which each member has the opportunity to compete in a democratic process over the course of one month to secure themselves a position for the upcoming year. All one has to do to run is complete all necessary forms post-pickup from the Students’ Union front desk and attend a mandatory meeting hosted by the Chief Returning officer for the year. All election rules are available on ubcsuo.ca within the policy manual. This year’s general election nomination process begins Friday, January 31st at 9:00am.
?
September 23rd, 2013
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The Phoenix |
September 23rd, 2013
CHANGE-OF-COVERAGE DEADLINE: SEPT. 24
New and Improved
UBCSUO HEALTH & DENTAL PLAN
Increased Coverage & Enhanced Services for UBCSUO Students You never know what the future holds. Your student Plan covers you for necessary health services and unexpected expenses that could prevent you from concentrating on your studies.
Your Benefits for 2013/2014 More Than $10,000 in Health-Care Coverage
prescription drugs, vaccinations, psychologist, massage therapist, physiotherapist, chiropractor, ambulance, and more...
Who’s Covered?
Up to $275 in Vision Coverage
Students in good standing with the University, who are members of the UBCSUO and who are taking at least one course per term, are automatically covered by the Plan.
Up to $750 in Dental Coverage
Opted Out in the Past?
NEW! eye exam, eyeglasses, and contact lenses cleanings, checkups, fillings, root canals, gum treatments, extractions, and more...
Travel Coverage up to $5,000,000 & 120 Days per Trip NEW! travel health coverage for 120 days per trip, up to $5,000,000, trip cancellation and interruption
Your circumstances may have changed since you first opted out, and you may be surprised at the new advantages that the Plan has to offer. Visit www.ihaveaplan.ca to learn more about the coverage and services available.
How Much Does it Cost?
Full-year coverage: $254.32 (Sept. 1, 2013 - Aug. 31, 2014)
Additional Perks of Your UBCSUO Plan Provider Networks help you save even more. You’re covered for the insured portion of your Plan regardless of the health practitioner you choose. By consulting a Network member, you will get additional coverage.
Change-of-Coverage Period
You can either opt out or enrol your spouse and/or dependants during the Change-of-Coverage Period from Sept. 3 - 24, 2013.
Your plan also offers your family more coverage at a lower cost. For a family enrolment, you’ll save thousands of dollars compared to similar coverage purchased on an individual basis. You can enrol your spouse and/or dependants. Common law and same-sex couples are eligible. Enrolments must be completed online during the Change-of-Coverage Period.
The Member Services Centre is there to assist you from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm on weekdays.
Toll-free: 1 877 795-4427
Already Covered by Another Plan? Weigh the Costs and Benefits Your student Health & Dental Plan may provide better value: • Being enrolled as a dependant in a parent or spouse’s employee benefit plan often requires your family member to pay additional costs to have you covered. • Most plans also have limited vision coverage and don’t cover vaccinations, which may be mandatory for your academic program. • Don’t underestimate the benefits of preventive dental care. Use the Plan to take advantage of visits to a health practitioner or dentist, which can help you perform at your peak.
• Coverage under most parents’ plans ceases once you are no longer a full-time student or when you turn 26. • You may want to check your current coverage. By combining both plans, you can maximize your overall coverage —up to 100%—and eliminate out-of-pocket costs!
My privacy. My plan. The student Plan gives you control of your private medical history and claims.