Issue 7 - January 13, 2015

UBCO’s Student Newspaper

Januaty 12th, 2015 | Vol 27, Issue 7

...back at NASH since 1989

Sun buried by Snow International Students AND SEASONAL AFFECTIVE DISORDER PAGE 12

IN THIS ISSUE: Your guide to the MSA Elections The timeline of life at UBCO in 2014 The most 2014 show, wideo game, movie and more of 2014 The HIstory of the Heat’s transition from college league to Canada West

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thephoenixnews.com

IN THIS ISSUE

From Malaysia to Banff, we look into how UBCO’s students are differentially surviving the dreaded winter months in Kelowna’s snow plowed city. Exploring how a simple case of the winter blues might require therapy, in this issue, we explain Seasonal Affective Disorder and its correlation with the international student community.

NEWS

LIFE

ARTS

SPORTS

OPINIONS

MSA Elections: Elections info & meet the candidates - page 4 & 5

2014 UBCO Life Roundup - page 14 & 15

SonReal brings the heat to the Well - page 7

Highlights of the VOCO winter trips -page 17

Resolve to make more resolutions - page 22

How to Survive the Okanagan Winter - page 16

Most 2014 of 2014 - page 8 -11

The Heat’s transition from college league to Canada West - page 18

The divide between art and entertainment - page 23

Taco Del Mar finally opens - page 6

University Centre 3333 University Way Kelowna, BC, Canada V1Y 5N3 Phone: 250-807-9296 thephoenixnews.com Cover and Feature images by Sarah James

News Editor Alex Barberis

news@thephoenixnews.com

Life Editor Maranda Wilson

life@thephoenixnews.com

Features Editor Sasha Curry

features@thephoenixnews.com

Sports Editor Position Available

Opinions Editor Position Available Creative Director Cameron Welch

creative@thephoenixnews.com

Visuals Editor Sarah James

Arts Editor Jeff Bulmer

arts@thephoenixnews.com

Web Editor Justin Kroeker

web@thephoenixnews.com

artdirector@thephoenixnews.com

Photo Editor Kelsi Barkved

Copy Editor Lauren Wintle

Contributors

wintle@thephoenixnews.com

photo@thephoenixnews.com Kaeleigh Phillips, Lynette Oon, Lyndon Duncan, Mike Ros, Brittni Mackenzie-Dale, Keera Cabrais

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.

The editorial staff encourages everyone to submit material to the Phoenix but reserves the right to withdraw submissions from publication for any reason.

“Any reason” could be material deemed to be sexist, racist, homophobic, or of poor taste or quality. The Phoenix will not publish materials which condone, promote, or express actions which are illegal under current laws. This does not include articles which provide an in-depth examination of both sides of a controversial subject (e.g. legalizing marijuana).

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

News Editor: Alexandra Barberis|news@thephoenixnews.com | The Phoenix | January 12, 2015

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NEWS

to write for The Phoenix? Send a writing * Want sample and what topics you’re interested in writing about to news@thphoenixnews.com

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Projects Finished

1213

Cups of Coffee

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Pizzas Ordered Above: numbers from festfeed.com Photo: The Festfeed Team. Pictured from left to right: Devin Spence, Matt Stefan, Jordan Romero-Porter, Hilton Routley, Kelsey Maes, Las Lucyk

ubco students create nEW concert app - festfeed UBC Okanagan students create an app that plans to change the way you experience concerts and events.

Alex Barberis News Editor Two UBCO students plan to change the way you experience concerts and events through the creation of their app, Festfeed.

“The way that we initially had it was music festivals, but we’ve really opened it up to anyone that’s doing any event.” said Matt Stefan, Co-Founder of Festfeed. “This is taking a community of people, no matter what size, based around specific events, and making it easier for people to connect. Take like a Facebook event page then put it on steroids and specialize it.”

NEWS BRIEFS Lyndon Duncan Contributor

Unlike Facebook’s event page that offers users a multitude of features, Festfeed allows users to use over 50 basic feature like customize their own musically oriented profile, connect with their like-minded list of fellow event goers in the form of followers, follow their favourite events, and directly communicate with fellow event goers at an enhanced level. An easy-to-use user interface allows for little to no learning curve.

Hilton Routley, Co-Founder and CEO of Festfeed, initially created the app after noticing a need through a community of people searching for a way to appreciate an experience with fellow music lovers. After years of developing the app, fostering networked relationships, and a growing staff to make the dream a reality, the hard work paid off for the boys in an invitation to the Google compound in San Fran-

cisco.

“I think that trip just changed our lives so much that we all coming back were like, “we need to do this – now.” said Stefan.

Following the beta release in February 2015, the team hopes to perfect the app for an official launch for the summer of 2015. Multiple summer music festivals like Kelowna’s own Center of Gravity festival are lined up following the summer release. The team hopes to eventually have the app working at UBC Vancouver’s annual block party in order to secure a large amount of users.

The pair mentioned how they wished UBC would recognize and assist young entrepreneurs more.

“I wish there was a prof that I could talk to and be like, “Hey look, I’m doing my own start-up. Can I do my year end marketing plan for my company?” said Stefan. “I wish there was that feel, but

“Take a Facebook event page, then put it on steroids and specialize it.”

Matt Stefan Co-founder of festfeed it’s just not realistic.”

“It’s more like being able to use their resources available and help in that way, “ said Routley. “There could be many things they could do,

Local $60 tax increase proposed for Kelowna Residents Property owners in Kelowna could see an increase in their property taxes this year. This proposed 3.5% tax hike has been brought forth by Mayor Colin Basran as a way of funding new public works. Half of this new increase will be marked for a new RCMP building on Clement Avenue as well

like helping us with trying out events where we could even have a staggered beta platform…. there’s lots of different things we could suggest.”

Fast approaching the mid-way point their partnership with Accelerate Okanagan, an 8-month program that pushes tech start-up companies to completion, the boys reflect on the best piece of advice they’ve been given thus far.

“We kinda learnt from the beginning that no one was going to do it for us,” said Routley. “We’ve just got to do it… but networking and getting out there was the best thing for us.”

While you wait for the official release on the app store in summer 2015, check out festfeed.com for updates on their progress.

2.7% percent wage boost for officers as mandated by Ottawa.

The other half of the tax will go towards other public works or programs that the city council has decided upon. The average home owner will see an average $60 dollars with this new tax.

Photo: joel cartmell/Creative Commons

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News Editor: Alexandra Barberis|news@thephoenixnews.com | The Phoenix | January 12th, 2015

Cat

Erik

Jenna

Brad

Douglas

Kelly

Regina

Kevin

Param

Jessica

President

VP Academics

VP Corporate Relations

VP Events

• •

•

•

•

• •

Chair executive meetings Liase between MSA and facult Supervise, direct, and assign the duties of the Executive Council memberes Be the official spokesperson for the MSA

• •

Liase between MSA and UBCSUO, Career Centre, and Students Appoint and manage all club directors Responsible for academic and career driven workshops organized and conducted by the MSA

Lola

Travis

Param

• •

Be responsible for all external sponsorship and fundraising Act as liason between the MSA and Alumni Responsible for meeting the MSA’s budget for corporate sponsorships

• •

Be responsible for all external sponsorship and fundraising Act as liason between the MSA and Alumni Responsible for meeting the MSA’s budget for corporate sponsorships

VP Marketing • • • •

Responsible for MSA digital content Creation and distribution of all promotional materials Upkeep and marketing of the MSA website Responsible for MSA and club branding initiatives

MANAGEMENT STUDENT ASSOCIATION (MSA) ELECTION ROUNDUP Campaigning has begun for the 2015/2016 MSA Executive Team Voting takes place on Jan 28 & 29 View a full list of candidate proflies on thephoenixnews.com Alex Barberis News Editor Beginning January 7th at 6:00pm, campaigning has officially opened for the 2015/2016 Management Student Association Executive Team (MSA).

The MSA is a non-profit organization that represents 800+ students studying in the Faculty of Management. The MSA connects students with

a nation-wide network of academic and professional development opportunities. The executive support 6 interestspecific clubs, send delegations to over 10 conferences & case competitions, and provide networking opportunities for students.

This year’s elections have the largest pool of candidates the MSA elections have ever seen: 18 candidates, including 2 full slates, vying for 7 positions (President, VP Academics, VP Corporate Relations, VP Events, VP Finance, VP Marketing, and VP Student Resources).

Victorious Secret consisting of students, Kelly Taverner, Jenna Stasuk, Parampreet Nahal, Jessica Fortier, Alan Blackwell, Bradley Curtiss, and Brandon Novak, are directly competing again opposing yourMSA’s Douglas Canning, Erik Paulsen, Shay White, Kevin Burns, Davis Yates, Cat Bootle,

and Regina Gonzalez. Candidates running independent of a slate are Travis Hughson, John Martin, Lola Popova, and Daman Bual. For a full list of candidate profiles visit thephoenixnews. com or elections.msaubco.ca.

“It is my hope that the newly elected MSA executive team will bring a renewed focus on ensuring our organization is fiscally sustainable in the future and that they will be inspired to develop innovative and unique methods to provide the best possible value for all Management students.” Said Cody MacKay, Vice President of Marketing for the MSA. For students wishing to hear the platforms of many of the candidates, visit the All Candidates Forum on January 21st from 2:00-3:30pm.

Before heading to the ballot box, McKay has one piece of advice for eligible voters.

National

Dalhousie Dental Students may still return to class 13 dentistry students enrolled at Dalhousie University may still attend class despite university investigation into misogynistic Facebook posts. This has sparked massive backlash from the female student population with protests against this action.

The investigation comes after the students closed the

“The candidates who have the best chance of keeping those promises are those whose plans have detailed, timely, and realistic goals & objectives.”

CODY MACKAY MSA’S VP MARKETING

group “2015 DDS Gentlemen’s Club” The Facebook posts were released by CBC and the Coast news. After this release 4 professors submitted a formal complaint using the Student Code of Conduct.. University president Richard Florizone has condemned the behavior and is quoted as saying “there must be significant consequences for those that endorse and enable misogyny on campus.”

Florizone has also stated consequences may include academic dismissal.

Photo Credit: Tom Flemming/Creative Commons

“I encourage students to ask each candidate the tough questions, and critically analyze their strategies and plans, said McKay. “At the end of the day, candidates can promise all kinds of things, but the candidates who have the best chance of keeping those promises are those whose plans have detailed, timely, and realistic goals & objectives.”

If you’re a Management student who is eligible to vote, voting commences on January 28th and 29th, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM in EME 1161 (the MSA office).

Bring your student identification.

The candidates are listed above, with Victorious Secret slate in red, yourMSA slate in blue, and independents in beige.

January 12th, 2015 | The Phoenix |news@thephoenixnews.com | News Editor: Alexandra Barberis

John

Daman

Davis

Shay

Brandon

VP Finance

• •

Act as a treasurer for the MSA Preperation and consistent mainence of the MSA budget Audit and approve all club budgets Make public MSAIncome Statements Act as a signing authority

• • •

Alan

VP Student Resources • • • • •

Victorious Secret victorioussecretformsa.com 1. Creating Value • •

improving clubs bi-weekly events such guest speakers from the community

2. Engaging Students • •

raise awareness of the opportunities that the MSA offers build a business case about the MSA for students to break down in the required course

1. Short Term Investing •

sible to first and second year students

4. Long Term Fiscal Growth

generating new revenue streams and develop new partnerships.

investi in six month GIC’s to counter the effects of inflation, maintain sustainability for future management students

2. Developing Revenue Stream •

•

Management 100

bridging the gap between lower and upper level student by facilitating opportunities and experiences that are unintimidating and acces-

Organizing and formating all MSA documentaion Form relationships with other student organizations Document executive meetings Liason for the executive and general membership Responsible for maintaing student participation in the MSA

yourMSA http://yourmsa.wix.com/your-msa

3. Building Community •

developing new streams of revenue to reduce dependence on the student levy & sponsorship in order to separate from UBCSUO developing the products MSA can provide students, expanding customer base beyond Management Students, and focus on planning for inquisition of future assets to become sustainable.

3. Board of Directors •

find a lawyer, an accountant, a MSA Alumni, marketing professional and financiial analyst to provide guidance to the MSA

4. Sucession •

“vision documents” in order to continue building upon the achievements of the year before

International Charlie Hebdo

Gunfire erupted in the offices of the French magazine Charlie Hebdo during the day on Wednesday January 7th.

2 gunmen entered the offices and opened fire after the magazine published an image of a presumably Muslim man kissing a cartoonist. 12 people were killed in the attack including 2 police officers that rushed to the victims aid after shots rang

COME JOIN THE NEST

out.

After the gunmen had completed their attack, they fled and stole a car. This lead to a hostage situation 2 days later in which both attackers were killed.

Photo Credit: Finn Frode/Creative Commons

WE’RE HIRING For the new semester, The Phoenix is hiring two new staff. If you’re interested in pursuing journalism, or just want to be more involved on campus, send a resume, cover letter / platform, and work sample to news@thephoenixnews.com

Sports Editor

The Sports section must provide frequent coverage of the Heat varsity teams, including weekend game recaps, athlete profiles, and statistical analysis. It also includes additional content on lifestyle sports, intramurals, fitness, local sports, and pro sports.

An editor oversees their section in both print and online, providing thorough coverage of issues and perspectives through both a team of contributors/ columnists and their own writing & reporting. The editor also attends meetings once a week, does basic layout every two weeks, & uploads articles regularly.

Production Assistant

Help during production weekends with completing layouts an creating graphics for the biweekly print edition. Familiarity with Adobe Creative Suite (Indesign, Photoshop, Illustrator) are the main qualifications, but skills in illustration, Wordpress, familiarity with photography, video, or statistics is also an asset.

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January 12, 2015| The Phoenix |news@thephoenixnews.com | News Editor: Alexandra Barberis you have any interesting * Ifpeople you’d like to see us

have any interest* Ifingyoustories or events from

interview, let us know!

campus, send us an email at news@thephoenixnews.com!

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have any interest* Ifingyoustories or events from

campus, send us an email at news@thephoenixnews.com!

Events January 16th

Alterknowledge: How Just is Fair Trade

7:00 PM - 8:30 PM/ FREE /431 Cawston Ave Students from UBC’s Okanagan campus will present a brief overview of the findings of their project on just how fair Fair Trade products are, and the availability and consumer perceptions of Fair Trade in Kelowna.

January 19th

Last day for changes in registration and for withdrawal from most Term 2 courses without a ‘W’ and to receive a 100% refund of tuition fees

January 21st Denim Day

Photo by Sarah James

Taco del mar NOW (Mostly) open after delays Taco Del Mar opens to students as of January 4th after construction delays since September 3rd The service is currently incompatible with the Student Meal Plan until approximately early February.

Alex Barberis News Editor Taco Del Mar has officially opened in the UBC Okanagan University Centre (UNC).

The opening was officially announced through the UBCSUO President Rocky Kim’s snapchat on January 4th – just in time for the beginning of second term.

This alternative food source was expected to open at the beginning of the fall semester on September 3rd 2014,

but was pushed back to this later opening date after experiencing major construction delays.

Taco Del Mar is now serving food, but is not currently compatible with the Student Meal Plan- essentially closing it to first year students . Integration with that service is expected to begin in early February and has many students disgruntled.

The new Taco Del Mar hosts a variety of vegan and vegetarian food option expanding the options for UBCO students.

“The soft taco’s leave a lot to be desired but I spent more time trying to figure out how to eat it than actually eating it.” said the Phoenix’s resident taco expert, Jeff Bulmer.

With the completion of the Taco Del Mar project, the Students Union have held true to many promises made last

year at elections time.

“The implementation of a new food vendor on campus, marks the final phase of the UBCSUO’s commitment to viable, tangible change and progress that students can see, feel, and taste”, said Kim in an open letter to students posted on the UBCSUO Facebook Page. “With creative problem solving, a little shuffling, and working closely with the University, Taco Del Mar franchise, our general manager – Bob Drunkemolle, and support of our Board of Directors we were able to bring into fruition our vision for forward progress.”

January 26th

Last day for changes in registration and for withdrawal from most Term 2 courses to receive a 50% refund of tuition fees

January 28th

Public Open House UBC Okanagan Master Plan Update

10:00 AM - 2:00 PM/ FREE /Fipke Centre Join us to find out more about the Master Plan, and to provide your input on the draft Master Plan update. Planning staff will be on hand to answer your questions.

Jan 30-Feb 1st

UBCO Model United Nations Conference Full

Weekend Conference/ $15 /EME The model club is hosted it’s 2nd annual conference on our campus. We invite you to experience a weekend full of international diplomacy, heated debates and unforgettable memories. ubcomun.org

Provincial

Earthquake off the coast of Vancouver Island Residents of Vancouver Island in the Courtney – Campbell River area experienced a 4.8 magnitude earthquake on Wednesday January 7th. Residents reported dishes shaking as well as windows rattling at 6pm on the Wednesday. This earthquake is the latest in a series of quakes that have oc-

All Day/ FREE Stand up for a respectful campus and ask the same of your friends.

Wear denim, a Denim Day sticker, or both on January 21 to stand against sexual assault.

curred off the coast of B.C. over the last week. Friday and Saturday saw separate quakes hitting 200km off the coast of Port Hardy coming in at magnitudes of 5.2 and 4.5 respectively.

Photo: Ocean Networks Canada/Creative Comons

January 12th, 2015 | The Phoenix | arts@thephoenixnews.com | Arts Editor: Jeff Bulmer

ARTS

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EVENTS

Until January 16th

Intermission Presents: Art on the Line

FREE / Alternator Centre for Contemporary Artl Get your first look at Art on the Line at the Alternator

January 15 Spoken Word Night

8:35 pm / FREE / The Well The Creative Writing Course Union holds their first Spoken Word Night of the year at the Well

Bryan Adams

8PM / Tickets start at $19.69 / Prospera Place The Canadian legend celebrates 30 years of Reckless with a Kelowna show in the Winter of ’15.

Photo from SonReal facebook page

SONREAL BRINGS THE HEAT TO THE WELL Local rappers SonReal and Immaculate make January 7th, 2015 a Well Wednesday to Remember Keera Cabrias

Contributor

Just days after what many Kelownians consider the snowfall of the decade, students trekked from on and off campus, with turntables in their eyes, to see Vernon-born and Vancouver-based MC SonReal.

The doors of the Well opened at 9pm, and a mass of fans flooded in.

The night began with local DJ Invizible.

The venue’s energy escalated as the DJ doused the crowd with the anthems of old school hip-hop bedazzled with hard hitting electro and dancehall beats.

Soon, opening act Immaculate leapt

onstage and the audience moved toward the stage in eager curiosity. The rapper opened with his song “Loud” and already the crowd was becoming lively. Immaculate’s charisma pulled even the pool players and wallflowers from the back of the bar. By the third track, what was an audience of attentive observers was becoming a dance floor.

The local artist delivered his raw, selfreflective lyrics over a mix of piano riffs and samples of soulful female vocalist.

Showcasing his precision, Immaculate graced the crowd with an acapella freestyle rap, killing it from beginning to end. Near the end of the performance, a brave female fan managed to steal a kiss, the MC proclaiming “I guess that makes me famous”.

With the venue successfully warmed up, Rich-A, SonReal’s official DJ, took the stage. The bar was at capacity, its inhabitants standing shoulder to shoulder

Filbert Cartoons Anthony Labonté For more comics FilbertCartoons.com

and

Contributor animations,

visit

eagerly awaiting the hometown hero.

At around 11pm, SonReal made his entrance. He was energetic and versatile, demonstrating his skill with high tempo, bass-heavy tracks like “Halle Berry,” but always returning to insightful and introspective hymns like “Everything I Am”. Despite the pub’s acoustic limitations, the concert flowed as affluently as the drinks.

The audience hung over the edge of the stage and a sea of hands reached out towards the MC. A combination of SonReal’s undeniable aptitude and his loyal and impressively rowdy fan-base made for a wild night. When SonReal pulled out his track “Hometown” – an anthem paying homage to his Okanagan roots – the young musician had no problems getting the crowd swaying and jumping in unison. The whole venue chimed in for the chorus, yelling “I do it for my hometown”. Finally, the bass

January 16th It’s Going to get Worse and Worse My Friend…

8PM / $15 / Rotary Centre for the Arts The FCCS Performance Series brings in dancer Lisbeth Gruwez for a show combining choreography and light with fragments of speech by American televangelist Jimmy Swaggert. Encore performance January 17th. .

dropped climactically for SonReal’s hit “Everywhere We Go”. The floor shook as he delivered an adrenaline-charged performance, throwing himself into the crowd mid-chorus. The rapper was consumed by the audience and had to shove through the molasses of fans to return to the stage before the end of the track.

The Well chanted “one more song” Excision and the MC was obliged to re-enter, 9PM / $30 / Flashbacks embellishing the night with a two track encore. The performer conducted himSLocal DJ and producer Excision self with teeming charisma and style, comes home, and brings Maestoso and everything was on cue. Physically and Stereohype with him. Promodrained and beaming with afterglow, tional material describes his shows the rapper handed out a few hugs and as “a virtual apocalypse of twisting took his leave. and morphing sounds [that turn] massive crowds into a frenzy.”

January 23rd

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Arts Editor: Jeff Bulmer| arts@thephoenixnews.com | The Phoenix | January 12th, 2015

YEAR IN REVIEW

our 2014 retrospective, we * For asked some of our contributors to tell us their top 5 movies, games, books, albums and songs of the year.

TUSK 2014

MOST 2014 MOVIE OF 2014: TUSK Every aspect of Kevin Smith’s latest movie is bizarre. Tusk began life as a joke ad on Gumtree, a British apartment-hunting website. Smith collaborator Scott Mosier read the ad on Episode 259 of their SModcast podcast, leading to an hour-long conversation in which the two conceptualized the movie “The Walrus and the Carpenter.”

At the end of the podcast, Smith asked listeners to tweet whether they would be interested in seeing the pitched film.

The response was an overwhelming number of #WalrusYes tweets, and a single #WalrusNo. A year later, the world was gifted with Tusk, a movie seeking to answer the question “is man indeed a walrus?”

What’s more: the movie stars Johnny Depp, Michael Parks, Justin Long and that kid from The Sixth Sense.

MOVIE REVIEW: INTO THE WOODS 2014’s last major movie release A visually striking, well-exectued blockbuster musical offering a fresh take on classic fairytales.

Jeff Bulmer Arts Editor

To recap: 1. Some person in Brighton posts a joke ad on an obscure British website 2. Kevin Smith turns ad into movie pitch on a podcast.

3. A massive and immediate Twitter campaign inspires Kevin Smith to actually make the movie.

4. A-List actors join a low-budget horror movie based on a podcast based on a Gumtree ad.

5. That movie premieres at TIFF and is picked up for international distribution by Sony The only other piece of entertainment with anything resembling that chain of events is $#*! My Dad Says – based on a popular Twitter feed and starring at least two big names – but that got cancelled after half a season.

Meanwhile, remarkably, Tusk is actually decent. It even has two spin-offs announced.

In the past, series like Veronica Mars and Arrested Development have experienced rebirths thanks to Internet campaigns. The Internet has also been a source of material for projects like Snakes on a Plane and Grumpy Cat. But every example listed so far has been a pre-existing property; Tusk was developed from inception to theatrical premiere in full view of the audience.

Perhaps most astoundingly, despite Smith’s fanbase’s never-ending support, the entire process happened with almost no fanfare.

It pretty much flew under the public’s radar. We now live in a world where the aforementioned entirely insane series of events is unremarkable.

Not only that, Tusk isn’t a one-off either: in 2015, we’ll see Yoga Hosers; and in 2016, Moose Jaws, both also based on Smith’s podcasts.

2015 will also give us The Hateful Eight, a movie from Quentin Tarantino with a similar history of audience interaction. When the script was leaked online, Tarantino originally cancelled the project – only to realize that his small, dialogue-heavy two-act Western was now guaranteed an audience it may never have gotten had people not seen the leaked script.

With the rise of sites like Kickstarter and IndieGoGo, the gap between audiences and filmmakers has been rapidly shrinking. In 2014, with Tusk released and The Hateful Eight on the way, that gap is now gone.

Neither a sprawling epic about space and time, nor Disney’s latest superhero flick, can truly sum up 2014 in a movie.

To do that, one needs to look to Kevin Smith’s silly horror movie about a man and his walrus.

Into the Woods centres on a Baker (James Corden) and his wife (Emily Blunt), sent on a scavenger hunt by a Witch (Meryl Streep), to lift a curse on their house.

Along the way, they encounter a star-studded cast of morally-bankrupt characters including the indecisive Cinderella (Anna Kendrick) and her playboy prince (Chris Pine); kleptomaniac Red Riding Hood (Lilla Crawford) and the delightfully perverted Wolf (Johnny Depp); and Jack (Daniel Huttlestone), best known for being a thorn in giants’ sides.

Woods is a visual spectacle to behold. Epic wide-shots of the “Woods” (which must be about the size of Southern Germany) close out several musical numbers, while fantastic

A-List actors join a low-budget horror movie based on a podcast based on a Gumtree ad ... it even has two sequels announced

CGI creates the best on-screen witchcraft since Harry Potter.

Despite all that, the movie never loses the essential feeling of being a play, with equal attention paid to practical effects: blood is often represented by ribbons, Depp’s “Wolf ” is all costuming, to name some examples.

Woods fantastic cast, striking visuals, and classic source material make a brilliant movie that will appeal to and surprise fans and those unfamiliar with the original in equal measure.

Shortened for print. Read the full version online.

January 12th, 2015 | The Phoenix | arts@thephoenixnews.com | Arts Editor: Jeff Bulmer

* Top 5 Movies - Jeff Bulmer

1. Birdman (or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) 2. John Wick 3. Captain America: The Winter Soldier 4. The Grand Budapest Hotel 5. Nightcrawler

* Top 5 Video Games - Liam Leppard

1. Dark Souls 2 2. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U 3. The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth 4. Mario Kart 8 5. Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth

B O J A C K HORSEMAN 2 0 1 4 MOST 2014 SHOW OF 2014: BOJACK HORSEMAN BoJack Horseman is Netflix latest original series, and honestly one of the best. Taking cues from animated sitcoms like American Dad, Family Guy, and Ugly Americans, Horseman is consistently hilarious while somehow still managing to convey a sobering message about the nature of celebrity.

Horseman is also an example of a completely new form of storytelling that has become incredibly common, but is often left unacknowledged.

Alongside series like House of Cards, Orange is the New Black, and Hemlock Grove, Horseman is a show made specifically to cater to binge-watchers, playing out much more like a very long movie than a weekly sitcom, or even a serial or miniseries.

Despite being hilarious, at times heartfelt, and more than engaging

ALBUM REVIEW: DRUGS & GUNS FOR EVERYONE Start the year off right: with Drugs & Guns 2014’s most underappreciated album

Jeff Bulmer Arts Editor

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enough to be worth the audience’s time, BoJack Horseman is a series that simply wouldn’t work on regular television. And yet it represents an increasingly common approach to filmmaking. In an interview about the upcoming Netflix-Marvel collaborations, Daredevil showrunner Joe Quesada spoke to the differences between Netflix and television shows: “With weekly TV, you sit there and go, ‘The audience may not want to wait two or three weeks to get this particular bit of information.’ … with Netflix, we might be able to hold onto a particular piece of information, because they may just watch it two hours later.”

That’s not just an empty quote: BoJack Horseman shows exactly that in practice. On a TV sitcom, like American Dad, a reference might be made to a previous episode every now and

then, but anyone can watch any episode in any order and should have no problem understanding the basic gist.

Horseman, however, ties every episode together in a way that bars late entry into the series, no matter how silly or straightforward the current episode.

Sure, 2012 had Lilyhammer and 2013 had House of Cards, Orange is the New Black, and Hemlock Grove, but each of those had miniseries feel to them. With Horseman, Netflix has fused the miniseries aspect of their original series with sitcom elements, and established an entirely new narrative genre that can hold its own against film and television.

And for that reason, BoJack Horseman is 2014’s most 2014 TV Show. If it can even be called that.

Drugs & Guns for Everyone, the third album by Brooklyn duo That Handsome Devil, is a collection of twelve tracks of genre-stew that make up simultaneously one of the greatest and most bizarre releases of 2014.

Every song on the album stands out in some way. Opener “No Roots” is a funky alt-rock groove supplemented with gospel-style backing vocals; follow-up “The Cops!” somehow manages to be both epic and lethargic; “Party Mom and the Invisible Dad” sounds like an upbeat mall-tune; “Goldfish Brain” schizophrenically mixes spooky synths and syncopated drums with singer Godforbid’s crazy-person ravings and elements of Bach’s “Hallelujah.”

Equally worth mentioning are the song transitions. Almost

Best-reviewed widerelease movies: 1. Boyhood 2. Selma 3. Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) 4. The Grand Budapest Hotel 5. The LEGO Movie 6. Top Five 7. Gone Girl 8. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes 9. How to Train Your Dragon 2 10. Wild

Biggest box office: 1. Transformers: Age of Extinction 2. Guardians of the Galaxy 3. Maleficent 4. X-Men: Days of Future Past 5. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies 6. Captain America: The Winter Soldier 7. The Amazing SpiderMan 2 8. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes 9. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 10. Interstellar

every song on Drugs flows effortlessly into the next. Some do so simply by composition, others rely on samples of oldtimey radio announcers or movie quotes, usually introducing the subject matter of the next song. For example, the outro to “Party Mom and the Invisible Dad” informs us that “The family as an institution has changed greatly, but it still carries out its essential function...”

That Handsome Devil are hardly a household name, but that didn’t stop them from releasing something truly remarkable for the holidays. Drugs was a hell of a Christmas present.

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Arts Editor: Jeff Bulmer| arts@thephoenixnews.com | The Phoenix | January 12th, 2015

YEAR IN REVIEW

* Top 5 Books - Brittni MacKenzie-Dale

1. A Tale for the Time Being - Ruth Ozeki 2. The Troop – Nick Cutter 3. Revival – Stephen King 4. All the Light We Cannot See – Anthony Doerr 5. Yes Please – Amy Poehler

MOST 2014 OF 2014: SUPER SMASH BROS FOR WII U AND 3DS Super Smash Bros for Wii U is the highest-profile game ever released with competitive gaming in mind SSB4 paves the way for the incorporation of e-sports into mainstream game development Jeff Bulmer

Arts Editor

For the last two years, countless people all over the world started each day the same way: checking smashbros. com for Masahiro Sakurai’s Pic of the Day. The rest was spent overanalyzing that picture for evidence of yet-unannounced features.

Between Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS (SSB4) initial announcement

MOVIE REVIEW: FURY What we thought of one of 2014’s most talked about movies “This is War” Fury screams, “and it’s not pretty.”

Brittni MacKenzie-Dale Contributor

(in 2011, two years before the first trailer) and its release, expectations were set impossibly high, while the Cult of Personality around Sakurai propelled him into the pantheon of Internet-Gods.

“Prophets,” – internet users claiming to have insight into the game’s development – rose and fell as the community split increasingly between those furiously speculating about new characters and stages, and those more concerned with the mechanics of the new game.

The latter group must have surprised Nintendo the most. While SSB has traditionally been developed as a casual party game, in recent years it’s become a favourite among professional gamers. The competitive Smash community has its own tournaments, celebrities, documentaries, even custom builds of previous incarnations. But while the community has thrived, Nintendo has never acknowledged its existence.

Until this year.

At E3 2014, Nintendo hosted the Super Smash Bros. Invitational, not only recognizing, but also incorporating the competitive Smash community in the company’s first ever official tournament. Sixteen professional Smash-ers were brought in to play the yet-unreleased game, as thousands tuned in over YouTube and Twitch.tv, more than happy to provide their own feedback.

Nintendo took note, and the finished product is the company’s first major release made with the e-sports community in mind.

SSB4 is the highest-profile game ever released with competitive gaming in mind. Undeniably, games like Street Fighter are competitive minded projects with healthy relationships to their communities. That said, when Nintendo does something, the industry reacts differently than for Capcom.

Smash Bros ... legitimizes e-sports

While there are much larger competitive gaming scenes like StarCraft and League of Legends, Smash Bros marks the first time a major pre-existing franchise has factored such communities into its fundamental development.

Nintendo has always been at the forefront of video-gaming trends, and if they succeed, people notice.

Set in April 1945, Fury revolves around Wardaddy (Brad Pitt) and his ragtag Sherman-tank crew: God-fearing Boyd (Shia LaBeouf), goofy ‘sidekick’ Garcia (Michael Pena), hardass redneck Grady (Jon Bernthal), and shy guy Norman (Logan Lerman).

Even at two hours and fifteen minutes, the movie never feels long. However, some motivation behind the scenes felt implausible; for example, in the tense and climactic end battle, the crew inexplicably takes on an S.S. Platoon of 200-300 men. Although it does have poetic resonance: Wardaddy says earlier in the film that the tank is his home so it makes sense that he would rather die defending it, even if the odds are severely against him.

When Nintendo introduced motion controls with the Wii, Sony and Microsoft quickly integrated the feature into their own consoles. Nintendo’s experiments with touch-screen gaming predate even the iPod Touch.

With Nintendo embracing the esports community – in the game’s development, as well as their recent partnership with Apex (the largest Smash Bros tournament worldwide) – it’s only a matter of time before other major players follow suit. If there was any doubt that e-sports are absolutely a thing, it’s gone now.

SSB4 is the most 2014 game of 2014 not because it lived up to the hype, or because it represents a major step in the life of the series, or even because it signifies a major step for one of the biggest companies on Earth. SSB4 is 2014’s most 2014 game because it single-handedly legitimizes e-sports.

I couldn’t shake the feeling that the portrayal of grim survival in war is played up so that when Ayer has his battle scenes he can pretend that it’s okay to pick a side. It’s all far too black-and-white for me. At times, it’s almost like watching a first person shooter video game; the results are unnerving, but perhaps not in the way they should be. Lerman’s character—Norman, the innocent amateur—is inevitably going to become hardened. There was no other direction for his character to go and when Norman does become war-grizzled, we are supposed to mourn the loss of his innocence. But we’re also supposed to think: at least he’s shooting the goddamn Nazis! There’s no room in Ayer’s WWII for moral greys at all.

Thankfully there is an ending scene where a German soldier

January 12th, 2015 | The Phoenix | arts@thephoenixnews.com | Arts Editor: Jeff Bulmer

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* Top 5 Songs - Jeff Bulmer

* Top 5 Albums - Mike Ros

1. “Love” – Sonata Arctica (from Pariah Child) 2. “Shake It Off” – Taylor Swift (from 1989) 3. “Candyman” – Primus (from Primus & the Chocolate Factory) 4. “Timber” – Pitbull feat. Ke$ha (from Global Warming) 5. “Killing Strangers” – Marilyn Manson (from John Wick)

1. Ultraviolence – Lana Del Rey 2. Here to Everywhere – Cloud Nothings 3. Lazaretto – Jack White 4. Alvvays – Alvvays 5. St. Vincent – St. Vincent

ARCTIC MONKEYS AM (2013) - THE BEST ALBUM OF 2014?

BIGGEST ALBUM OF THE YEAR

TAYLOR SWIFT REINVENTS HERSELF AGAIN

Beyoncé’s self-titled album is the only album released since last November to have a Metacritic score over 80, while also being in the top 10 highest-selling albums of 2014, sitting comfortably at #2 on Billboard’s Top 200 for the year (behind the soundtrack to Frozen). Universal Acclaim, sales, and the much-talked about surprise release make this the clear choice for biggest album of the year.

The runner up? D’Angelo’s first album in 14 years, last month’s Black Messiah, is the only album of the year to receive a Metacritic score over 90 (when adjusted to include only albums with more than 12 reviews).

Taylor Swift sold over a million records in the first week alone, and her 76 Metascore almost qualified her for the Top 40 / Universal Acclaim club (Editor’s Note: This sentence copied and pasted from our 2012 Year in Review, because it’s still relevant).

Her newest album also notably saw Swift shifting away from her country background to the more pop-oriented sound of our Arts Editor’s #2 best song of the year “Shake It Off.” And now that song is stuck in your head. Again.

HIGHEST-SELLING ALBUMS

CHART SURPRISES

1. Beyoncé - Beyoncé 2. 1989 - Taylor Swift 3. Midnight Memories – One Direction 4. The Marshall Mathers LP 2 – Eminem 5. Blame it all on my Roots – Garth Brooks 6. In the Lonely Hour – Sam Smith 7. The Outsiders – Eric Church 8. Ghost Stories – Coldplay 9. Just As I Am – Brantley Gilbert 10. Guardians of the Galaxy: Awesome Mix #1 – Soundtrack

Bloodstone and Diamonds and The Satanist, the latest from Machine Head and Behemoth, hit #1 and #4 on Metacritic’s highest-rated albums of the year. Good news for metal fans… until you realize those scores are based on 5 and 10 reviews respectively. Still not bad, though.

MOST ACCLAIMED ALBUMS 1. Black Messiah – D’Angelo 2. St. Vincent – St. Vincent 3. RTJ2 – Run the Jewels 4. To Be Kind – Swans 5. Foundations of Burden – Pallbearer 6. You’re Dead! – Flying Lotus 7. The River & The Thread – Rosanne Cash 8. Too Bright – Perfume Genius 9. Are We There – Sharon Van Etten 10. Syro – Aphex Twin

Michael Jackson came in posthumously as #20 on Billboard’s Top Artists of the year based on album sales. While he’s been on the list consistently since 2009 (where he came in at #22), 2014 was the King of Pop’s best performance since his death.

People still aren’t sick of Passenger, apparently. The “indie” musician’s song “Let Her Go” still comes in at #19 on Billboard’s Top Songs of the year, while his album All the Little Lights still made the top 200 of the year at #83.

sees Norman on the battlefield but chooses to let him live instead of giving him up to the Nazis; the other side needed this bit of humanizing. Sadly, it’s too little and too late.

LeBeouf and Lerman are absolutely amazing. They blew the others out of the water and that’s including –and perhaps especially – Pitt, who is doing no more here than playing a watered-down version of his character in Inglorious Basterds.

From the looks of it, Lerman is going to keep scoring big roles like this; he’s impressively versatile. All in all, the movie was really good. Unfortunately, troubling ethical viewpoints kept it from being a truly great film for me.

Mike Ros

Contributor

In the ever-changing game of rock, guitars, and hype, AM, the fifth LP from the Arctic Monkeys, released September 2013, proved to be the most important, exciting, and game-changing album of 2014. The Arctic Monkeys are now the biggest band in the world, and the only question that remains is whether or not this is just the start – the Rubber Soul of their discography - or if this is the end, and AM has effectively broke the band.

When you listen to 'AM' you have to imagine a proper dance floor in the desert. A rock record hasn't garnered this much press or hype since the Strokes released Is This It in 2001, before fizzling out and disappointing masses recently with the lukewarm-received Angles or 2013's Comedown Machine.

And how many rock bands are left? Queens of the Stone Age continue to rumble with Like Clockwork..., paced to the minute hand of a clock.

Foo Fighters receive a passing grade with Sonic Highways. Dave Grohl, in fact, recently took to singing the praises of the assets of overseas Sheffield, the British town in which the Arctics hail, saying “They are fucking awesome. They're taking over America ... Alex Turner ... he's a rock star.

I'll see a young band like them become that popular and think, 'Please God, don't let them self-destruct'. Because it happens, you know.”

And of course, AM also sounds good in the car. Much of its modern success can be attributed to the exploratory depths of the album, relevant to 2014 and modern youth. Remember that 'rock is dead' and the scene is 'post-guitar' when listening to the guitars in “R U Mine?” Turner sings “R U Mine tomorrow, or just mine tonight,” an entire liftetime of love condensed into a text, each syllable sang at the speed it would typically take to type.

In a different way from any other band today, the Arctic Monkeys have created a perfectly interpretive record.

The cover could be frequency waves or a bra or sunglasses or carefully arranged lines of white cocaine on a blackface table. AM has a certain chemistry that you can't put your finger on – you can only admire. It's deceptively new. It sounds like pomade and gasoline and sweat and alcohol and sex. NME recently named it the greatest album of the decade so far, which is a stunning invitation for everyone to sit up and ask “Why?” It is a paranoid and haunted record. It is operatic and theatrical, with a snake-rock groove and a collar-popped colour palette. No other release in 2014 came close. Arctic Monkeys are about to own the decade.

Shortened for print. Read the full version online

ON THE WEB Check out thephoenixnews.com for more of the Best of 2014 and beyond, including full reviews of Into the Woods and Inherent Vice, as well as The Grand Budapest Hotel in our ongoing series Are You Still Watching?

Coming soon: our entire Year in Review, January album releases, concerts, and event coverage

SUN BURIED BY SNOW: INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS SUFFERING FROM S.A.D.

Are you SAD? How UBCO’s international students cope with Kelowna’s dreary winter months Seasonal Affective Disorder: Escaping the Winter

UBCO hosts an international student community comprised of those who consider home to be Bali, Hawaii, India, Mexico, the Cayman Islands, California and many other beautiful vacation hot spots around the globe. These students, now shoveling snow out of their driveways between classes and shopping at Canadian Tire for boot treads must adjust their lifestyles for coping with snow instead of sunshine.

“During the winter I try to leave my house as rarely as possible, and definitely don’t socialize with my friends as often as I would during the rest of the year.” Explained one third-year UBCO student whose hometown, Calgary, is currently covered by more snow than Kelowna. As most Canadians experience some version of the winter blues, living in a

climate that hosts characteristically dark and dreary winters, others suffer from a more extreme version of this snowinduced funk - especially those new to the dark climate. How does one establish a link between holiday-induced grumpiness and a clinical mental illness? According to an article co-written by Dr. Lam, the director of the Seasonal Mood Clinic at UBC Vancouver, there are defining symptoms to watch for. Changes in one’s mood, sleep, appetite, and energy between winter and summer was formerly recognized as being the winter blues. It wasn’t until the late 19th century that these symptoms were assigned to an illness termed Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) and recognized by the National Institute of Mental Health. Untreated, SAD can result in any or all of the following complications: major depressive disorder, bipolar I and II disorders that do not have a seasonal pattern, cyclothymic disorder, dysthymic disorder, chronic fatigue syndrome, hypothyroidism, and drug or alcohol abuse.* A weight gain of 5 to 15kg each winter is common, and seasonal mood and energy symptoms are reported by most people, however Seasonal Affective Disorder is a recognized clinical subset of mood disorders linked to the seasons, as well as the amount of environmental light. In accordance to Lam, recent research interest in SAD has been particularly influenced by the discovery of a dramatic response of SAD patients to light therapy. “I take vitamin D pills daily in the winter time, and try to stay indoors a lot,” a 4th-year UBCO student from Banff confesses. “I guess I avoid being social to some extent. It’s definitely not SAD, though.”

If domestic students are feeling the winter blues, how

Beachside in the tropics - “The Game of Congkak” photo by Fadzly Mubin (Flickr)

do those who have come to UBCO from sunnier spots in the world experience our winters? Furthermore, would a seasonal illness such as SAD exist in geographic locations missing a winter season altogether? Several of UBCO’s international students confirmed that the existance of such a mental illness hadn’t been brought to their attention until experiencing Canadian winters. A college student from Isla Mujeres, Mexico – an island off of the coast of the Mayan Riviera -admitted, confused, that he had never heard of SAD before. “It’s too hot here, we don’t want to be in the sun. We’d rather be in the shade.”

International students cope with the dark, dreary winter months in various ways – some more successfully than others. In search of an outlet to experience Canadian winters positively, Adrian Perez Ara, a 4th year UBCO student from Venezuela, discovered his love for the ski hill. He says that to cope with the depressing winter months, he now snowboards: “I use snowboarding in order to feel excited about the snow.” Alberto Malave from San Diego explains that the winters in Kelowna drastically affect his energy levels and otherwise positive mood. “I feel like Droopy the Dog during the winter.” He explains that exercise is his only coping method, but that he is looking to learn additional ways to alleviate his winter depression. Tate Kindrick, from Mauii, Hawaii, confirms that, “Yes I experience it. I didn’t realize that I was suffering from SAD right away though – not until I had been away from home for a long time.” Another student from Malaysia shares her experience as an international student, coping with SAD:

Dreaming of the summer months that seem so far away to UBCO students

2 - 5 % of Canadians Suffer from a Severe Seasonal Depression 10 - 15 % Suffer from Mild Seasonal Depression 25 - 35% Suffer from the Winter Blues 80% of Women Suffer 20% OF Men Suffer

“My first year, we had a late winter with lots of snow. It was fun for the first couple days as it was a relatively new and amazing experience but it quickly got old. I come from Malaysia where the temperature rarely dips below 26 degrees, roads are superbly lit with street lights and shops stay open till midnight. Shops here were closed by 8pm - if not 6pm -roads were dark and there wasn’t much to do at night except go to pubs and clubs. I started hiding in my room more, shutting myself inside and away from the cold.

I started noticing bad mood swings. I lost interest in my classes and skipped a lot of the early ones because it was too cold outside. When winter break rolled around, everyone was excited to go home. That’s when it hit me the hardest.

I was home sick and stuck on campus while all my friends were elsewhere. Christmas time was even worse. Despite being invited to join some of my friends and their families for dinner, I decided to stay at home alone instead.January rolled around and my RA noticed that I was not in the best condition. She convinced me to see a doctor about my condition. I was advised to go on anti-depressants immediately.

I did not take the route but decided to find alternate ways to help improve my moods. I got involved on campus, I went to the gym whenever I started feeling depressed and I was able to pull myself out of my funk.”

Treatment options proven to be successful exist for those coping with Seasonal Affective Disorder. Light therapy, pharmacotherapy, and cognitive behavior therapy have proven to relieve symtoms equally as effectively. Light therapy,

Maui, Hawaii, Road to Hana, Ho’Okipa Beach - Allie Caulfield (Flickr)

a treatment that consists of patients sitting in front of a fluorescent light in daily sessions is explored in the article, Seasonal Affective Disorder by Stuart L Kurlansik - its clinical practice guidelines outlined. Accordingly, patients should be positioned 12 to 18 inches from a white, fluorescent light source at a standard dosage of 10, 000 lux for thirty minutes per day in the early morning. They must be awake with their eyes open, but are not required to look directly into the light (doing any preferred activity, such as reading, as long as light enters the pupil). If discontinued, most patients relapse after a similar time period that it took them to improve (1-2 weeks). Light therapy treatment must continue until spring or summer - the patient’s usual remission time. Alternatively to visiting a physician’s office for therapy, light therapy units may be purchased from online retailers, drugstores, and some hardware stores, their average cost being $250. Very few negative side effects are associated with this type of therapy, these effects being mild headaches or eyestrain.

Lifestyle adjustments to prevent SAD symptoms are often recommended by experts. These adjustments include “exercising more often, increasing light in the home, practicing relaxation and stress management techniques, spending more time outside, and visiting sunnier, warmer climates.” Taking a mild medication such as Tryptophan has also proven to relieve symptoms of SAD. Dr. Bulmer, a family physician who agreed to speak with The Phoenix on the subject of coping with SAD as a student explained that overall, the illness is thought to be caused by a

disruption of the circadian rhythm and decrease in serotonin and melatonin. She added that SAD is found in higher percentages the farther north you are and the shorter the days become. Other risk factors include young age, female sex and family history.

“For college students, I would differently recommend spending time in brightly lit areas and also taking vitamin D.” Bulmer adds that when your body lacks sufficient levels of vitamin D, as it often does in the winter time, aches and pains are often experienced.

If you’re feeling signs of depression during winter, it’s important to get assessed by a physician in order to gage the severity of a possible illness. Specifically as a UBCO student, the Health and Wellness center located in UNC 309 has a tranquility space where students use a SAD lamp as well as physicians who can provide aid.

Notes Seasonal Affective Disorder, by Kurlansik, Stuart L. American family Physician Journal (2012) Ed note: Dr. Bulmer is the mother of Arts Editor Jeff Bulmer

Wistfully Googling images of home - UBCO photos by Sarah James

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Life Editor: Maranda Wilson | The Phoenix | life@thphoenixnews.com | January 12th, 2015 you have or know of someone with a sweet crib? * Do Email life@thephoenixnews.com and let us know. You

may be featured in our upcoming UBCO Cribs feature.

2014 UBCO LIFE ROUND UP A lot of stuff (both good, eh, and bad) happened in 2014 here at UBCO. Let’s take a trip down memory lane and recap the year.

JAN: NASH I don’t know what y’all did, but The Phoenix staff hit up NASH 76, a Canada-wide student journalism conference, in Edmonton, Alberta. During this four day long conference, we attended seminars and listened to keynote speakers such as Ezra Levant -- who personally insulted our then photo editor by calling her a “shouty women’s studies major”.

We also got our photo taken by The Edmonton Journal and made the front page of their “Social Seen”. #wemadeit.

JAN: Theatre Reno The theatre renovations proposed in November 2013 were finally completed and unveiled early January. 53 thousand two hundred dollars later, the theatre is equipped with new speakers, projector, and Xbox hook-ups.

Too bad the theatre is pretty much always empty, but hey, The Phoenix staff find it a great place to hold weekly meetings.

Photo: Alex Barberis

Photo: The Edmonton Journal

FEB: Neknomination Neknominations, the binge drinking and competition fueled stunt posted on social media, dominated Facebook and Instagram feeds for weeks. Like many other university campuses, many UBCO students partook in this cyber trend, many of which were filmed on campus. Unfortunately, this fad resulted in a couple deaths around the world, but thankfully, none at UBCO. Good thing this stupidity only lasted less than a month because watching someone chug a beer got old real fast.

Photo: Jesse Kitteridge

FEB: Olympics Most of us watched a fair bit of the Sochi 2014 games from our couches at home during reading break, but campus still embraced the games to cheer on team Canada. Many of the events were screened on televisions throughout campus and many students were proud to wear their countries’ gear and colours.

Photo: Flickr/TofflerAnn

Maranda Wilson Life Editor

Is it just me or did 2014 just fly by? It felt like just yesterday when campus was visited by the @UBCOcougar (which by the way, happened late 2012/ early 2013 – a solid two years ago!). Regardless of whether you had the best, worst or meh 2014, UBCO had some memorable moments on campus. Let us at The Phoenix jog your memories with a recap of the year…

AUG: Phoenix Gets Kicked Off Campus A combo of financial issues and space allocations forced The Phoenix out from our office space in UNC 109 (now occupied by the Women’s Resource Centre, Pride Centre, and The Peer Support Network). The move was one of the first of its kind for a university paper in Canada (like c’mon, how do you expect to run a paper from somebody’s living room?). Long story short, we were “straight out of Rutland since 1989” for a while.

SEPT: Steve-O Makes an Appearance at UBCO If I were to repeat what he said here, it would look something like this: ************************** ******************* He’s from Jackass, what did you expect?

Photo: Tanner Stolle w

SEPT: FROSH Also known as the “Week of Welcome” -- but really is an excuse to party and make bad choices—the event was held in partnership with MSA and Blueprint.

The concert held in the commons fields featured performances by Classified, Downlink, and Keys ‘N Krates. The pretty much sold out event is a yearly UBCO tradition that never fails to disappoint.

Photo: Facebook/UBCSUO

Photo: David Nixon

How to bake cookies So it’s back to school and it’s time to cook for yourself again if you live away from home. No more coming home to freshly baked cookies.

Grow up and learn to make your own in this issue’s Shit Your Parents Should’ve Taught You

Maranda Wilson

Life Editor

OCT: #BUILDUBC/ #MORELIBRARY A campaign initiated by the UBCSUO to expand the library study spaces proposed student fees be increased by $70 dollars per academic year ($35 per term).

This project is estimated to be between $24-30 million dollars-most of which will be funded by students who will be alumni of UBC by the time this project is completed. Despite the cons, many students saw the expansion as important and voted “yes”.

Photo: Facebook/BUILDUBC

You’ll need: 3/4 cup granulated sugar 3/4 cup packed brown sugar 1 cup butter; softened 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 large egg 2 1/4 cups all purpose-flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

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January12th, 2015 | The Phoenix | life@thphoenixnews.com | Life Editor: Maranda Wilson we miss anything in our 2014 campus life round-up? * Did Tweet us at @ubcophoenix.

MAR: Elections The best two ways to get students to vote: Ryan Gosling and free condoms. If Ryan Gosling can’t convince UBCO to vote, nobody else can. After seeing his face and other campaign posters around campus for a couple weeks, Rocky Kim was voted in as the first President of the UBCSUO with 389 votes. As for the referendum, changes to the constitution passed, while the media fee did not (sad times for The Phoenix News).

APR: Recess UBCO hosted its first outdoor year end party with a 3,000 person capacity on the last day of classes. In partnership with Flipside entertainment, the lineup included Down With Webster, Action Bronson (who was replaced last minute by Joey Bada$s), The M Machine, Will Sparks, and Botnek. The event was sold out and reviews of the event on social media ranged from “unreal night” to “best night of my life” and plenty of hashtags #wasted #drunk.

Photo: David Nixon

Photo: Facebook/UBCSUO

OCT: Double Rainbow

OCT: #8 Bus Stabbing

“OMG, it’s a full on complete double rainbow all the way across the sky!”

I think UBCO students almost crashed Twitter and Instagram with photos of the magestic double rainbow.

Chill, guys.

Photo: Facebook/UBCO Snaps

On October 30th a 55 year-old victim was fatally stabbed at random on the University #8. The bus driver and passengers witnessed the attack and suspect flee. The suspect was identified and arrested a couple of days later, but the chilling attack left many riders, many of whom are UBCO students, anxious about their safety on public transit. The 8 bus is frequently taken by students for service to and from the Rutland area.

Photo: Wikipedia/ Futongrab

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Cream together butter and flour using a hand mixer or wooden spoon. Beat in egg and vanilla extract.

2. Stir in flour, salt, and baking soda.

Once the dough is stiff, mix in chocolate chips.

APR: 2048

APR: Accounting Scandal If it happened over text...

Three fourth year accounting courses are cut.

April 7:*Parents and reporters have been added into the conversation* Roger Sugden: I’m only discussing this matter with students. kthxbye. *Roger Sugden has left the conversation* Student: You’re embarrassing, Roger! (angry emoji) April 14:*Roger Sugden has been added into the conversation* Roger Sugden: JK guys. (sassy girl emoji)

The Angry Birds of 2014, the 2048 game frenzy helped us all pass the time during boring lectures. Somehow strategic swiping with a dash of luck is worthy of a screenshot and bragging rights on social media when the magic “2048” is reached. You go, Glen Coco.

Photo: Flickr/ Xiatong Liu

Photo: Faculty of Management

NOV: Okanagan’s Largest Dodgeball Game?

NOV: The Phoenix Gets an Office Back On Campus

For weeks the UBC United Way committee promoted the Largest Dodgeball Game in the Okanagan on November 18 to raise money for charity. The winner of the event, Landon Lacroix, walked away with $1000 dollars, which he happily donated $250 back to charity. Although the event meant well, the participant turn out was approximately 20.

There is always next year.

We were finally given the keys to our new office (the former Pride Centre) early November.

However, we are still missing our white board and I personally really want it back. If you love The Phoenix, feel free to drop off decorations and shit because it’s really bare in here.

May/June/July/Aug: UBCO Acceptances School’s Out For Summer #kelownafornia Course Registration Woes So many students, so little seats.

Struggle for Parking Passes Impatient students, crashing systems and heat don’t mix.

Thankfully, the UBCSUO were on standby to hand out water to those waiting in line. Some students waited in line for as long as four hours.

Photo: Maranda Wilson

DEC: UBCO Isn’t Real Alas, it has been revealed by the Ubyssey that UBCO isn’t real. I’m really glad they were able to clear that up because I was convinced we were still a part of UBC... well, the hotter, younger version of UBC. Photo: Conspiryssey

Photo: Maranda Wilson

Photo: Alex Barberis

3. Roll into tablespoon sized balls and place two inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

4. Bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes and cool for 2 minutes (although it’s tempting to dig in right away). Enjoy!

Recipe inspired by www.pillsbury.com

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January 12, 2015 | The Phoenix | life@thphoenixnews.com | Life Editor: Maranda Wilson any helpful winter tips? * Got Tweet us at @ubcophoenix

Public Open House - January 28 Updating UBC’s Okanagan Master Plan

Student enrolment has more than doubled, and campus floor space has nearly tripled since the current UBC-O Master Plan was adopted in 2009. An update to the Master Plan is underway to accommodate the capacity for future growth over the next 20 years.

Join us to find out more about the Master Plan, and to provide your input on the draft Master Plan update. Planning staff will be on hand to answer your questions.

Date: Wednesday, January 28th, 2015 Time: 10:00am – 2:00pm Place: Fipke Centre, Main Level Foyer, 3247 University Way

Can’t attend in person?

Participate online from January 26th – February 6th or sign up for a Master Plan Ideas Workshop to explore elements of the Master Plan in more detail at www.planning.ubc.ca.

Workshops will be taking place on February 5th.

For more information, contact Abigail Riley: abigail.riley@ubc.ca

Photo by Alex Barberis

HOW TO SURVIVE THE OKANAGAN WINTER It’s safe to say most of us weren’t ready for last week’s record snowfall.

The Faces of Homelessness It is estimated that 235,000 Canadians experience homelessness each year.

The Faces of Homelessness is an on-campus educational event highlighting the many faces of homelessness and related impacts from a variety of different local perspectives; including economic development, social planning, policing and alumni.

You may be surprised to learn who actually experiences homelessness in the Central Okanagan, and what you can do right now to have a positive impact.

Keep your green out of the red with these money-saving winter hacks.

Lynnette Oon Contributor

Lip Balm

Lip balm can do wonders not only for lips but also when applied to dry and chapped skin on your hands.

You can also apply tiny amounts to split ends or to tame stray flyaways after removing your toque.

Dry socks

You know that feeling you get when you accidentally step into slush on the side of the road? That’s your socks getting soaked and your heart regretting wearing those cute boots. Keep your socks dry by wrapping your feet in a freezer bag or a small garbage bag before slipping them into your boots. That will keep your socks dry for the rest of the day.

Homemade Heat Packs

Instead of purchasing disposable hand warmers, why not make your own cute little reusable ones? Use that one sock that you just can’t find the other side to and just make sure there’re no holes in it before filling it up with rice. Then you can tie the ends up with a hair tie or simply sew it closed. Heat them up in the microwave (which are available in most buildings on campus) and enjoy. P.S. please do not use Uncle Ben’s minute rice.

Stay toasty

As Katy Perry sings, “you’re hot then you’re cold”.

You’ve bundled up for the outside then you get into your class and it is hot in the kitchen, like a thousand degrees. You peel the first layer off and then you’re stuck with that thick sweater you wore underneath.

Layer up like an onion, keeping in mind that you will want to at some point peel those layers off.

Beeswax

Rubbing beeswax all over canvas shoes can make them waterproof. Heat the shoes gently with a hairdryer to seal the beeswax in after application. Keeping water out also means keeping water in. Because your canvas shoes will not be the same, make sure you use a pair you are only planning to wear during the winter season.

Please join us at The Faces of Homelessness, you can make a difference.

When: January 21st, 2015 1 - 3 pm Where: UBC Okanagan - UNC Ballroom A poster board presentation with information on groups at risk of homelessness in the Central Okanagan will be held from 12 - 1 pm (UNC Ballroom).

ON THE WEB

Check out thephoenixnews.com this week for teh debut of our UBCO CRIBS series, in which we check out the home sweet homes of prominent students on campus.

We’ll also have new instalments of regular features like restaurant reviews, UBCOcial media, and pieces on school, dorms, events, and everything else in UBCO student life.

Interim Sports Editor: Cam Welch|sports@thephoenixnews.com |

SPORTS VOCO’S WINTER BREAK

Over the break, UBCO’s Varsity Outdoor Club enjoyed the great outdoors in the Colorado backcountry of the San Juans and took on the Red Rock Expedition rock climbing in Nevada. Photos provided by Tig Moore (Colorado) and Nikita Taylor (Nevada).

ON THE WEB

Check out thephoenixnews.com this week for athlete profiles of Aldrich Berrios, Sarah Allison, Enzo Paal, Katie Wuttunnee, and more.

Plus game recaps, interviews with the Heat coaches, and updates on the national top 10 rankings.

Men’s Rugby team wins Hindson Cup The Heat men’s Rugby team hosted the 4th annual Hindson Cup on October 25th in Kelowna’s City Park, and once again kept the trophy in town with a 25-10 win over the University of Calgary Dinos.

UBCO and Calgary have met in each of the Cup’s four finals, with UBCO winning the battle in every year but 2012.

Robert Hindson is a former national rubgy team player who was inducted into the BC Sports Hall of Fame. The tournament in his name was started by Heat women’s rugby coach Rob O’Brien.

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Interim Sports Editor: Cam Welch|sports@thephoenixnews.com | The Phoenix | January 12, 2015

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MEN’s VBALL

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A JUMP IN TEMPERATURE

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OUR HISTORY OF THE UBCO HEAT’S JUMP FROM THE COLLEGE LEAGUES TO THE MOST COMPETITIVE UNIVERSITY CONFERENCE IN THE COUNTRY PROVINCIAL FINISH

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NATIONAL FINISH

As UBCO enters its fourth year in Canada West, we look at the decade of work that’s led us here After fighting to get into the league, the Heat have (like all new teams) struggled in their early years But the new league has brought a host of benefits, including facilities, full-time staff, and prestige Cam Welch Interim Sports Editor It’s been four years since UBCO made the jump to their current conference, meaning that most of the students enrolled here don’t remember a time when the Heat were winning Canadian championships every year

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PLAYER OF THE YEAR

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in the college league. They don’t rememebr the national playoffs on our home turf, and they definitely don’t remember the change from the Lakers to the Heat, way back in 2008. But the coaches and staff of UBCO Atheltics remember - they remember the training and the researching and the hiring and the waiting, in their push to take the new Okanagan campus of UBC into the nation’s top varsity league.

Here is the history of that transition, from the PACWEST division of the CCAA to the Canada West division of the CIS - arguably the most competitive conference in the nation - as told by the people who were there for it.

The push The push to enter the university league was underway as soon as UBCO was itself a university (according to WVB coach Steve Manuel, discussions about making the jump date back even further than that).

UBCO Athletics initially expected

WINNING PERCENTAGES BEFORE AND AFTER

2007-2008 the transition to be a couple years, but the move ultimately took more than half a decade. First, UBCO was stymied by a league-wide moratorium on adding new teams between 2006 and 2008. At the time, new additions TRU and UFV were being destroyed in most sports, but Heat Sports Information Director Cary Mellon says that wasn’t the primary reason for the ban.

“When we applied, UNBC applied, VIU applied, Mt. Royal was going to apply, and MacEwan was going to apply,” he said, “they just didn’t know what do with all the teams.”

After the moratorium, UBCO entered an evaluation period of two years, and submitted a proposal to the league. But at CanWest’s February 2009 board meeting the decision on new membership was pushed back from that May to May of 2010. This postponement was to allow the league “time to complete work on a report exploring a possible division of the conference,” explains current Canada

“UNBC applied, VIU applied, Mt. Royal was going to apply, MacEwan was going to apply...

They just didn’t know what do with all the new teams” CARY MELLON UBCO SPORTS INFO DIRECTOR

2008-2009 West communications coordinator Piccolo Ocampo.

The Heat were granted probationary membership in 2010, which entailed playing one more season of CCAA and then two trial years of CIS. During the wait, the teams kept improving, with the volleyball teams perennially bringing home national medals and the basketball teams appearing in the national playoffs. Once the plan to make the jump was underway, winning became paramount.

“There was a real change,” women’s volleyball head coach Steve Manuel said, “between ‘go out and put together a team and compete real hard and represent OUC’ [to] ‘we’re gonna be a leader and a dominant force in the athletics field’.”

In the four years leading up to their Canada West debut, the four teams had won 11 provincial medals, been to nationals 10 times, and captured 2 Canadian championships, with 3 national Coach of the Year awards and 2 Player

68%

71%

80%

4 YEARS BEFORE CIS

3 YEARS BEFORE CIS

2 YEARS BEFORE CIS

Combined record of the UBCO Heat (including soccer) in the seasons before and after the jump from PACWEST to Canada West

19

January 12, 2015 | The Phoenix |sports@thephoenixnews.com | Interim Sports Editor: Cam Welch

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2009-2010 of the Year awards.

On October 28th 2011, the men’s and women’s volleyball teams played their first regular-season games in the CIS, followed on November 11th by the basketball teams. That season, the Heat won 19 games and lost 57.

The application In the application, Canada West evaluated what supports were in place in terms of academics, athletics, sports medicine, sport science, performance training, media communications, and facilities. UBCO was lacking when it came to that last item, but through the recession-era Western Economic Plan stimulus, it was able to fund upgrades including team rooms and a concession station.

The application had to overcome not only the specific requirements, but also the league’s general hesitancy toward adding new teams. Creating more locations in the conference increases costs for everyone, and makes it harder

73% 1 YEAR BEFORE CIS

2010-2011 for existing members to pick up Western Canada’s top talents, so existing schools are reluctant to add more.

“We had watched very carefully the other people who had applied,” said Athletics Director Robert Johnson, who led the initiative, “[and we] really tried to build our strategy around strengthening up where we saw they were falling down.” the delay Johnson and Mellon both feel that although it was a setback, the delay helped them shore up the application to ensure they were doing everything right On the court, though, the delay was both a positive and a negative. On one hand, the Heat were able to dominate the CCAA for a couple more seasons, and reap the rewards of that dominance. On the other hand, though, teams that had been built to be at their best for the new league began to lose personnel. Top players such as Greg

2011-2012

“I had to opportunity to serve for championship point on home court for Provincials, which could be my fondest memory of my career.”

NATE SPEIJER ON THE BENEFITS OF THE DELAY

2012-2013

2013-2014

Niemantsverdreit, Preston Tucker, and Caitlin Nyhus graduated before or immediately after the first CIS season.

“A few players cycled out and then a couple actually decided to transfer because they didn’t want [to wait and] play another year in college,” Heat MVB head coach Greg Poitras said, “so our depth going into Canada West was not very high.

“At the time I was upset,” recalled former Heat volleyball star Nate Speijer, “That was a time where the team was full of veterans and we had always [played against CIS teams in] preseason and had success. In hindsight I’m happy we did in order for the younger players to get more court experience in games.”

“We lost a couple of key players,” Steve Manuel explained, ”[but] there were two or three top university-level players coming out of high school who looked at us and said ‘you know what, I can step right into that Canada West program and make a difference right

away.’”

For Manuel’s team, those young players’ leap of faith allowed the Heat not only to improve but to close the gap between their talent level and other teams’. “It’s a two for one almost,” he says, “it’s not just the fact that we have [Katy Klomps] - we also don’t have to play against her.” “a leap of faith” - recruiting as a new school As a new entrant, UBCO didn’t have the clout or the winning tradition of most of their more-established competition. But the Heat were able to sell potential recruits on other aspects.

For younger athletes, the chance to start. And for their former PacWest competitors, the chance to play at the highest level before graduating.

“Being recruited from Capilano was an amazing feeling,” recalled former ballplayer Mike Zayonc, “knowing that my hard work in the college league had paid off and that I was being recog-

28%

32%

26%

45%

1ST YEAR OF CIS

2ND YEAR OF CIS

3RD YEAR OF CIS

4TH YEAR OF CIS

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Interim Sports Editor: Cam Welch|sports@thephoenixnews.com | The Phoenix | January 12, 2015

PACWEST

CANADA WEST

WINNING PERCENTAGE BEFORE AND AFTER TEH JUMP

1.000

.500 HEAT BASKETBALL OTHER PACWEST TO CANADA WEST TEAMS

000

nized by a CIS program.”

“The team went from a big fish in a small pond to the little fish in a big pond,” said former Heat basketball player Krystal Shouten, who came over from Quest University. “[That jump] was a large factor in my personal decision to transfer to UBCO.” Welcome to the new age While the women’s volleyball team is now in the national top five and the men’s Volleyball and Soccer teams made the playoffs in their debut seasons, UBCO has, like almost all new Canada West entrants, struggled in its first several years of play. Teams in their first three seasons typically cluster around the .250 mark, with some lower at only a couple wins a year, some higher with slightly more losses than wins, and a select few outliers becoming solid playoff teams.

The Heat MVB team started as one of those outliers, making the CanWest playoffs in their first year - one of the few expansion teams to ever do so. But

they struggled afterward, going 6 and 37 the next two years. Poitras concedes that that veteran team’s success may have hindered younger players’ development, but argues that at the same time the playoff appearance helped them recruit better young players. This season, MVB started the season by losing 12 straight games (against some of Canada’s best teams) but has rebounded with a 6-game win streak.

“We try to tell our players to not get bogged down by the record,” Poitras said during the losing streak “and they’re not. Because we keep hammering them over the heads with the facts that [they] need to get better.”

Poitras went on to explain that the traditional powerhouse teams have a bench full of the program’s future stars, whereas newer teams don’t have that same depth to help withstand the season-long grind.

Most newer teams, that is. The exception is Steve Manuel’s women’s squad, currently the second-best team in teh country. After losing two thirds of their games in the first season, the

“[The players] want to get out of Canada West and compete for a national championship, and for them that’s attainable.”

STEVE MANUEL WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL HEAD COACH

team made playoffs both subsequent years and is currently the 2nd-ranked team in Canada. “[We] were playing CIS teams towards the end of our CCAA career and having a fair bit of success,” Manuel said, “I was hoping that this first group of student athletes that we brought through as CIS recruits would lay the building blocks for our progress to [becoming elite]. I thought it would take a good four or five years, but after three years we’re already competing with the best teams in the country.”

The off-the-court effects Varsity athletics are sometimes called the front porch of an institution: the games that are televised and written about are often the first and foremost encounter that people have with a university. And when it comes to the perception of that university, being in the big league matters.

“A number of schools have joined specifically only for that reason, to gain credibility,” Johnson says, “I don’t

believe we’re one of those schools but [often former university-colleges] are struggling to find an identity so they’re looking to establish themselves as a research institution, as a quote unquote real university.”

Beyond prestige, though, the upgrade has provided UBCO with more tangible benefits in its athletics department.

“The jump changed a lot things for the better,” says former Heat basketball player Yassine Ghomari, “It allowed for the hiring of new staff (athletic therapist and strength and conditioning coaches). [And] the athletes now have their own weight room to keep up with CIS standard.”

Those benefits come at a cost though: the school now employs half a dozen full-time coaches in addition to more support staff. Membership fees themselves are also significantly higher; the CIS has national and regional offices and employees that its members fund.

Another expense is the increased scholarship budget, but Mellon says

HEAT CCAA HALL OF FAME

AWARDS WON IN LAST 4 CCAA YEARS NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR: PRESTON TUCKER (MVB, 2011) ALEX BASSO (WVB, 2010) NATIONAL COACH OF THE YEAR STEVE MANUEL (WVB, 2008, 2011) GREG POITRAS (2010)

January 12, 2015 | The Phoenix |sports@thephoenixnews.com | Interim Sports Editor: Cam Welch

PACWEST

UBCO ATHLETICS PERSONNEL IN THIS ARTICLE

CANADA WEST HEAT VOLLEYBALL OTHER PACWEST TO CANADA WEST TEAMS

CARY MELLON SPORTS INFORMATION DIRECTOR

ROBERT JOHNSON ATHLETICS DIRECTOR

that playing at the highest level also makes it easier to fundraise for those scholarships. Donors have also enabled facility upgrades, including the $1.2 mil Nonis field in 2010 and the $4.1 mil Hangar fitness facility in 2013.

The jump brought those upgrades, it also brought frequent losses instead of constant wins, and crowd support dipped in the first years even as the school’s population rose.

“Students generally liked coming to the winning games and they didn’t care if we were playing Columbia Bible College,” Cary Mellon recalls, “They kinda liked cheering and taunting the other team and when you’re losing by 30 to Victoria or something it’s not necessarily as good a time. [But] now that our volleyball teams are winning you can see that again.”

Last year students started a Heat support crew, the Fire Brigade, and travelled with the team to Vancouver for the inter-UBC games. After the trip, “UBCO” stickers were found to have mysteriously appeared all around the Point Grey campus.

“Location, location, location.

That’s one thing that we sell, is who doesn’t want to live in Kelowna and go to UBCO?” GREG POITRAS MEN’S VOLLEYBALL HEAD COACH

NATIONAL ALL-STAR SELECTIONS IN LAST 4 CCAA YEARS PRESTON TUCKER, NATE SPEIJER ALEX BASSO, SHEILA MCKNEE, TAMMY THOMAS, CAITLIN NYHUS, LEIGH DREGER JENNA KATZ

“We sell what we have and don’t worry about the rest” Recruiting as a small school Despite its gains, UBCO will still be a small university even when it isn’t a new one. It doesn’t have the number of students or teams that UBC Van has, or the sports medicine and physiotherapy clinics, or the extensive grad programs to retain students or the multiple gyms for them to practice exclusively in. And so the challenge for the Heat is to convince recruits that bigger isn’t always better.

Some students simply want to go to a big school, whether for the larger range of academic programs, the proximity to a large city, or the glory of having a bigger stage for their athletic achievements. But other students are looking for a more communal smallschool experience, and those are the athletes the Heat sell UBCO to. “[We’ll] get the student athlete that goes ‘I don’t wanna get lost in Vancouver on the UBC campu - I want to go to a smaller campus and more community, and I want my profs to know

who I am,” says Manuel.

“I don’t feel we’re at a disadvantage,” he continued, “it’s different and we just have to sell what’s great about here. We’re in a great place, we have a great campus, and everything’s brand-spanking new here.”

Mellon adds that many prospective non-local players have relatives in the Okanagan, and it can’t hurt that people who’ve visited Kelowna likely did so during tourist season, leaving them with fun summer memories of the place.

Beyond location, the main advantage UBCO has over similarly-sized schools is the name: a global top-40 degree from a school of only 8,500.

“I think you have to go pretty far to beat an opportunity to play at an institution like UBC,” says Heather Semenuik, “This is what’s gonna take you through your life. The experience in basketball will be a memory forever, but the education is what you have in your back pocket.”

GREG POITRAS MEN’S VOLLEYBALL HEAD COACH

STEVE MANUEL WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL HEAD COACH

With files from Kaeleigh Phillips

HEATHER SEMENUIK WOMEN’S BASKETBALL HEAD COACH

January 12th, 2015 | The Phoenix |opinions@thephoenixnews.com | Opinion Editor: The Phoenix News

OPINIONS

22

to write an opinions piece? Email us at * Want opinions@thephoenixnews.com

TOP 3 New Years Resolutions # 1 Lose Weight

This explains all the newbies in the gym come January 1st.

# 2 Get Organized

Time for an overhaul. Throw out those old clothes, clean up the pile of junk

# 3 Spend Less, Save More

If you’re looking back at the 2014 budget and it’s making your stomach turn, maybe it’s time to put a leash on your wallet.

Shop at costco, try out some thrift stores, and make your own foods are great ways to spend less and save more.

Photo by MacMale/ Creative Commons

RESOLVE TO MAKE MORE RESOLUTIONS What’s the point of making those new years resolutions if you’re just going to break them?

Take life by the horns and capitalize on the time you have today.

Marc Kitteringham The Griff I’m usually a pretty cynical person.

I tend to look on the rougher side of issues. I take the bad (and some of the good) and usually make up my worldview from there. It kind of comes with the job, I guess. For the past few years, I haven’t made any New Year’s resolutions.

I figured it was a trite way for people to have an overconfident look at themselves as the year started, and slowly fall back into the same habits. I figured why

bother? Why should I make a promise to myself that I know I won’t keep just because it is a half-baked tradition that we follow?

Resolutions have been around for almost as long as people have been. It has always been tradition to choose an arbitrary start date to make amends for yourself, and to try to change throughout the year. It was something to believe in that made it easy to change, to improve oneself over the year and hopefully emerge at the end of it a better person.

These original resolutions were most often religious, and had stakes attached if you didn’t follow through. According to Now You Know Big Book Of Answers

by Doug Lennox, The ancient Babylonians believed that they had to make promises to their gods at the start of the year to repay any debts. Lennox also wrote that knights had to re-take their vow of chivalry at the beginning of the year in order to maintain their code of honour.

“It wasnt anything complicated or farfetched, just a simple choice to be happy about things.”

Unfortunately, these traditions have fallen to people promising to lose weight and to drink less, with no stakes attached if they fail.

My jadedness towards resolutions comes from this shallow, stake-less kind of resolution. In the old days, a promise meant something and people took that seriously. Now, it is just a tradition to make people feel better about themselves for a week until they fall into their old habits.

Yes, it is easy to see it as a fluffy, happy way to make it seem like you are improving as a person, only to remain the same way a week into the year. But then I remembered the last time I made a resolution.

A few years ago, I resolved to be happy. It wasn’t anything complicated or farfetched, just a simple choice to be happy about things. That turned out to be one of the better years of my life. Since then, I haven’t made any resolutions, and I’ve gotten more and more grumpy and cyn-

ical and unhappy. That isn’t to say that I’m always mad at everything. I often have really great days and am a generally happy person. I am, however, less happy than I was those few years ago. I think that means something.

So this year, instead of being a jaded grump, I decided to make a resolution.

No, it doesn’t have any material stakes involved. I won’t be stricken from a secret brotherhood or smote by an angry god, but hopefully I will be a bit happier.

That is what the tradition is all about, and it is easy to forget it sometimes.

UBCO Problems indeed

Time to party!

#StudentBudget

I’m sorry to whichever gods church I puked in last night [prayer hands emoji] #eighthdeadlysin #blackout

Max Power @_Swagner_

Jacob Lusted @jacoblusted

Taco Del Mar might be the worst thing that’s ever happened to me while at UBCO...#futureunit @UBCOProblems

Caitlin Herdman @cmherdman Somehow still waiting on final grades..

Thanks for being prompt UBCO @UBCOProblems

Hayley Smith @haayleyjane

Kelsey DesRoches @k4kelss

Haven’t been this drunk since Nam

merrin olson @merrinolson

university is just one big eternal hangover

Photo Cred: UBCO Snaps

23

Opinions Editor: The Phoenix News|opinions@thephoenixnews.com | The Phoenix | January 12th, 2015

Other “Interactive Art”: Proteus Lose/Lose Monument Valley Shader Noby Noby Boy Photos Torley/Creative Commons

THE DIVIDE BETWEEN ART AND ENTERTAINMENT Art and Entertainment: discussing the relationship between the two Christian Trout Contributor Art is a form of communication.

It’s not always a very explicit dialogue but there is always some form of sharing and communication. We can imply that something that has entertainment value doesn’t necessarily always have artistic value, and vice versa. They might overlap, but that certainly isn’t always the case.

Consider the medium of video games having the potential for artistic expression. Video games have generally really only had one goal in mind: to entertain. This doesn’t exclude the

UBCOcial MEDIA Alex Barberis

News Editor

A recap of what UBCO students are saying on Twitter

possibility of the medium having the potential for artistic expression. For example, during the Middle Ages, painters were considered “artisans”, craftsmen to be commissioned to create decorations that were displays of wealth. It is for this reason that I strongly believe we are witnessing the birth of a potential new medium.

Indeed some have already started: Journey by thatgamecompany is an example of a growing number of games that are beginning to focus more on delivering beautiful and meaningful experiences, rather than simply entertainment.

I have not had the chance to experience Journey for myself, but one can quickly surmise that it delivers a more meaningful experience than most traditional games today. You are

“What seems to characterize this new medium is its capacity for complex interaction. ”

invited to explore and learn about its beautifully crafted world for the sake of it – not for the shiny loot at the end. They call upon your curiosity for discovery, not your want for instant gratification. This wonderful design seems to be extended across all facets of the game, the most intriguing of all being the multiplayer aspect. Players are anonymously paired up; they run into each other during their travels and they have no way of identifying one another and no way of communicating, except through expressive ‘chirps’ that your persona can make.

The relationship between players is not one of a game: they are not teammates who need one another to ‘beat’ the game and they are not opponents; rather, they are simply companions, sharing an experience of exploration

Beginning of semester reflections:

Holy Snow, Batman!

WHY DOES UBCO HAVE TO MAKE EVERYTHING SO HARD

I swear I’m here for school not skiiing

[peace sign]tc @tcoonster

Alyssa Ready @readyalyssa

Still hasn’t hit me that I am back at school. But today my prof made fun of Stephen Harper, so that made it a tad better. #Canada

Logan @1loganellis

Awkwardly attending a class then being removed because you don’t have to prerequiste. Check.

Andrew Martin @martinandrew7 Komal Hundal @komalhundal_

More snow for Kelowna [gun emoji][dead face emoji]

natalia betancourt @nattbetancourt

Kelowna you’ve never looked so good [in love emoji][in love emoji] #HOME

together.

The game is short (2 to 3 hours or so) in relation to traditional games, and is not challenging, but I’m neither surprised nor disappointed by that. It wasn’t designed to be games but rather to be art pieces.

I propose the name for programs whose primary goal is artistic expression: to be “Interactive Art”. What seems to characterize this new medium most is its capacity for complex interaction. Imagine you could recite a poem but make the verses adapt to your audience’s reaction. Imagine you could paint a moving picture that changed tone depending on your audience’s motions. Those are just some of the possibilities the computer medium allows for. I can’t wait to see people get really creative with it.