February 6, 2012 | VOL. XCIII ISS. XXXVIII
Focusing on Fridays SINCE 1918
U
UBC pledges Names Not Numbers with new advising program
P3
PLAYOFF
THE UBYSSEY BOUND P6 Men’s volleyball aces Brandon U to clinch playoff spot
HOP
TO GO
Brewery on track for next student union building
P5 CHEDDAR
FOR NEW
CHEEZE Design set for engineer student space
P4
FAMILY MATTERS P8 Suburban Motel series unravels relationships
2 | Page 2 | 02.06.2012
What’s on 6 MON
This week, may we suggest...
Our Campus
One on one with the people who make UBC
FILM>>
Father’s Day: MFA Screening Event: 7:30pm @ the Norm Theatre MFA student Matt Kennedy’s fake trailer about Father’s Day has been turned into a feature film. Watch a group of misfit vigilantes on their quest to hunt down the mysterious “Father’s Day Killer.” Sounds like somebody got dad socks again for Father’s Day…
7 TUES
SCIENCE >>
8 WED
CULTURE >>
Chemistry Touching Our Senses: 12:45-2pm @ TRIUMF Wondering why some cologne smells so good? Wondering why Axe smells so bad? Learn about the challenges flavour and fragrance companies face on a daily basis to tantalize your senses.
9 THUR
FILM >>
Orgasm Inc. screening: 7:30pm @ Royal Bank Cinema Who doesn’t love an orgasm? Apparently greedy pharmaceutical companies taking advantage of them for profit! Take a look inside the money-mongering industry and see how it is reshaping ideas about health, illness and desire.
10 FRI
Olson plays the arcade machine in the Cheeze, the EUS’s venerable student space.
Celebrating Lunar New Year: 12-2pm @ CK Choi Building Are you a tea fanatic? Interested in Asian culture? In the mood for free food? Check out a tea tasting in honour of the Lunar New Year, where you can sample a variety of teas paired with Asian desserts and learn about the history of tea brewing. Coffee fans need not attend. RSVP online as seats are limited.
EUS >> E-Week Ball Model Judging: 2pm @ The Cheeze Factory One of the oldest and most prestigious traditions of E-Week, watch as each department presents their different model to proclaim their awesomeness (or lack thereof). Apparently some contain beerrelated secret treasures.
U
Got an event you’d like to see on this page? Send your event and your best pitch to printeditor@ubyssey.ca.
THE UBYSSEY Febuary 6, 2012, Volume XCIII, Issue XXXVIII
EDITORIAL
Coordinating Editor Justin McElroy
coordinating@ubyssey.ca
Managing Editor, Print Jonny Wakefield printeditor@ubyssey.ca
Managing Editor, Web Arshy Mann webeditor@ubyssey.ca
News Editors Kalyeena Makortoff & Micki Cowan news@ubyssey.ca
Art Director Geoff Lister
art@ubyssey.ca
Culture Editor Ginny Monaco
culture@ubyssey.ca
Senior Culture Writer Will Johnson wjohnson@ubyssey.ca
Sports Editor Drake Fenton
sports@ubyssey.ca
Features Editor Brian Platt
features@ubyssey.ca
Copy Editor Karina Palmitesta copy@ubyssey.ca
Video Editor David Marino
video@ubyssey.ca
Senior Web Writer Andrew Bates abates@ubyssey.ca
Graphics Assistant Indiana Joel
BUSINESS
CONTACT
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Business Office: Room 23 Editorial Office: Room 24 Student Union Building 6138 Student Union Blvd Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1 tel: 604.822.2301 web: www.ubyssey.ca
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advertising@ubyssey.ca
Accounts Sifat Hasan
accounts@ubyssey.ca
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STAFF
Andrew Hood, Bryce Warnes, Catherine Guan, David Elop, Jon Chiang, Josh Curran, Will McDonald, Tara Martellaro, Virginie Menard, Scott MacDonald, Anna Zoria, Peter Wojnar, Tanner Bokor, Dominic Lai, Mark-Andre Gessaroli, Natalya Kautz, Kai Jacobson, RJ Reid
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LEGAL
The Ubyssey is the official student newspaper of the University of British Columbia. It is published every Monday and Thursday by The Ubyssey Publications Society. We are an autonomous, democratically run student organization, and all students are encouraged to participate. Editorials are chosen and written by the Ubyssey staff. They are the expressed opinion of the staff, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Ubyssey Publications Society or the University of British Columbia. All editorial content appearing in The Ubyssey is the property of The Ubyssey Publications Society. Stories, opinions, photographs and artwork contained herein cannot be reproduced without the expressed, written permission of The Ubyssey Publications Society. The Ubyssey is a founding member of Canadian University Press (CUP) and adheres to CUP’s guiding principles. Letters to the editor must be under 300 words. Please include your
phone number, student number and signature (not for publication) as well as your year and faculty with all submissions. ID will be checked when submissions are dropped off at the editorial office of The Ubyssey; otherwise verification will be done by phone. The Ubyssey reserves the right to edit submissions for length and clarity. All letters must be received by 12 noon the day before intended publication. Letters received after this point will be published in the following issue unless there is an urgent time restriction or other matter deemed relevant by the Ubyssey staff. It is agreed by all persons placing display or classified advertising that if the Ubyssey Publications Society fails to publish an advertisement or if an error in the ad occurs the liability of the UPS will not be greater than the price paid for the ad. The UPS shall not be responsible for slight changes or typographical errors that do not lessen the value or the impact of the ad.
GEOFF LISTER/THE UBYSSEY
Dan Olson: Deadhead, wandering entrepreneur and EUS president Laura Rodgers Contributor
“Physically, I’m 38, my liver’s 78, and maturity, probably 23-24.” This is Engineering Undergraduate Society President Dan Olson’s response when I ask him about his age. He may be older than your average undergraduate, but that doesn’t mean he’s had any trouble keeping up with the rest of the student society he runs. “Really, it’s a trick for them to keep up with me,” he said. With his patch-covered Red Jacket and well-known love for beer, he might appear to bleed UBC Engineers red, but it took him stints as an itinerant grilledcheese salesman, a high-tech entrepreneur and a volunteer abroad before finally settling on chemical engineering. His first crack at university began in 1991, as a bright-eyed pre-med student at Utah State University. But after three years of studying biochemistry, Olson decided he needed some time off. “I realized I’d been going to school so long that I wanted a break, so I was going to take one year off and then finish up and go right to med school,” said Olson. His respite from the academic grind wound up taking him him from pre-med to Deadhead. “For a few years, I travelled and followed the Grateful Dead,” said Olson. “I lived out of my Volkswagen van most of the time, but there’d always be a pretty bustling
U
Talk to interesting people
Write for Our Campus Jonny Wakefield printeditor@ubyssey.ca
parking lot scene. So I could sell grilled cheese sandwiches or beer out of a cooler. You’d actually make enough money that you could buy a ticket and get gas money to the next city. “Then Jerry Garcia died, so I went and lived in Austria for a couple years,” said Olson. “I was involved in a lot of service projects...building houses, and things like that.” Next, Olson returned to the United States, and was met with another stroke of luck. “My brother and some of his friends went to Olympia, Washington and started an internet service provider,” he said. “As part of the dot-com boom, we got bought out by a big [telecommunications] company out of California, so I kind of went into semi-retirement for three or four years with my stock options and severance pay. “When that money ran out, I realized if I was ever going to go back to school, I should do it now.” No longer interested in medicine, Olson decided to give engineering a try. “My oldest brother went through UBC engineering; he graduated in 2002,” said Olson with trademark confidence. “I figured if he could do it, I was way better at math and science, so I should have no problem.” Olson has held two positions on the EUS, last year as VP External and this year as president. He credits UBC engineers’ legendary school spirit and strong ties with
alumni. Olson plans to continue being involved here after he graduates in May. “The alumni like to come back and tell stories of the pranks they were pulling off, and how things were back in the day.” Olson doesn’t admit to any involvement in any of the UBC engineers’ famous “stunts,” however, which in past years have included hanging a Volkswagen Beetle off of the Lions Gate Bridge. “I’ve actually not been involved in any of the pranks...We just kind of hear about them the next day, and hopefully they’re creative and don’t involve too much vandalism.” Olson is currently preparing for E-Week, the EUS’s yearly celebration, taking place this week. When asked what event he was most excited about, he almost didn’t know where to start. The week’s most anticipated events, in Olson’s mind, are probably the E-Ball, a formal dance ending the week, and Red Night, a “ridiculous” party at the Cheeze. “It’s the big party for E-Week, and if you’re wearing your red jacket, red cardigan, or one of the E-Week 2012 shirts, you end up getting [lots of] cheap beer.” Red Night may pose an opportunity for Olson to show off one of his best-known skills: his ability to polish off an entire pitcher of beer at frightening speed. “Just under 12 seconds,” bragged Olson. “Somehow, I have a great natural ability to drink very fast.” U
News
02.06.2012 |
3
Editors: Kalyeena Makortoff & Micki Cowan
CAR-SHARING >>
Car2go expands to campus, but services limited to Wesbrook Place Laura Rodgers Contributor
Students who opt for car-sharing as a transportation option now have new vehicles available on campus, but they might have to do some walking before they can drive them. Car2go, a car-sharing service which uses Smart Cars exclusively, just expanded its service area to UBC campus as of February 1. But so far, spots have only opened in Wesbrook Place in South Campus.
Prior to February 1, the cars could only be picked up or dropped off at locations east of Blanca Street. “We have a lot of Car2go members who are also UBC students,” said Katie Stafford, the Car2go communications manager. “Many people contact[ed] us ...that they’d like us to be on campus, and we’ve listened to those requests,” added Stafford. UBC student Avery Titchkosky was one of those students. Titchkosky contacted the company
about expanding their service to UBC less than a week before the new parking spots were announced, and was not told of the impending expansion. “I just wanted to suggest expanding the operating zone to include the UBC campus. This service is excellent for students, but it makes it very difficult to use it when we can’t end a reservation on campus,” wrote Titchkosky in an email to Car2go customer service. “Despite our best efforts, the UBC
administration has not been interested in working with us on a parking solution,” a Car2go customer service representative responded to Titchkosky in an email on January 27. “In the meantime, I would encourage you to contact UBC and express your interest in having Car2go vehicles available on campus,” the representative added. Stafford did not comment to The Ubyssey regarding why Titchkosky was not told of the impending launch.
Car2go intends to expand to further locations on campus in the future. “[We’re] hopefully expanding to have more parking available [on campus],” said Stafford. Customers are appreciative, but some would prefer it if the parking spots were more convenient. “I think this location is much too far from the majority of student housing. Gage, Marine, Totem or Vanier [are] at least 15 minutes [away] by foot,” Titchkosky said to The Ubyssey in an email. U
ADVISING >>
GAGE SOUTH >>
Natalya Kautz
BoG postpones Gage South consultation report
UBC personalizes financial advising Staff Writer
There’s a new mantra in Enrolment Services: Names not Numbers. Incoming UBC students, and eventually the entire student population, will see a new personalized approach for student support. Enrolment Service Professionals (ESP) will be assigned to all undergraduate students when they arrive at UBC, and will stay with them through their entire degree. Each ESP is expected to be responsible for 250 to 300 students. Lisa Collins, project director of the redesign at Enrolment Services, said that the model was directly motivated from within their department. “The desire from our staff, being service-oriented individuals... felt the structure wasn’t organized the best way possible.” Student criticism also played a large part in the redesign. “We do receive feedback from students that they...travel counter to counter in Brock Hall. When we do a referral, they feel like they’re being bounced a little bit,” said Collins. Fourth-year student Robert Simpson said he has experienced the flaws of the referral process. “There are certain overlaps with academic advising, where they want you to go talk to someone in another building. Most of the time they’re pretty good about it, but you can get hung up on the technicalities, and be bouncing back and forth.” Simpson hoped that the ESP program would help “solidify” the services provided, which include student recruitment, admissions and registrations, tuition, fees and financial support. Collins stressed that the ESP
GEOFF LISTER/THE UBYSSEY
Kalyeena Makortoff News Editor
Students stand in line at Brock Hall to have their financial needs questions answered.
GEOFF LISTER/THE UBYSSEY
model would be “a change to the service delivery, not the services themselves.” However, training for the new ESPs will be increased from the amount that current advisors recieve. Each will train full-time for six weeks, aiming to become familiar with the intricacies of student services. “Because there is so much self-service out there and students can access that 24/7, when a student comes to see us, chances are that their problems are multi-faceted and that it takes more than one of our points of service to solve,” said Collins. The Academic Advising and counselling offices won’t be changing their current service structure
and will remain distinct from the ESPs. However, Collins said ESPs could still help monitor students for mental health issues. “Because of the longitudinal relationship between the ESP and the student, that ESP would be in a better position than anyone in Enrolment Services is now to identify a student who might need the university to reach out to them.” Third-year student Becky Sidow hoped that the ESPs would be proactive with their assigned students. “It would be good to have some sort of encouragement [for financial support], and someone to direct you where you should go. It will be nice to have someone like a financial
advisor who sort of looks after you… Someone to weed out all the problems,” she said. Collins said that the new model was designed to complement other new services at UBC, like broadbased admissions. “We looked at our model and decided that it wasn’t the most holistic approach.” Though the ESP program is currently only for undergraduate students, Enrolment Services is looking into assigning ESPs for graduate students. They will be assigned to first-year students in June 2012, with additional ESPs assigned in phases. Assignment for all undergraduates, including transfer students, is projected to take place by June 2013. U
Buszard named new deputy vice-chancellor of UBC-O
UBC awards $50,000 grant for student start-up
Body found in Pacific Spirit Park
Student input sought to name Vista replacement
Deborah Buszard has been named the new deputy vice-chancellor and principal of UBC’s Okanagan campus. A former professor of Environmental Science at Dalhousie University, Buszard begins her five-year term as leader of the campus, which has nearly 9000 students, on July 1. Buszard succeeds Doug Owram, who has held the position since July 2006. “We are very pleased to welcome Dr Buszard to UBC,” said Professor Stephen Toope, president and vice-chancellor of UBC. “She is a distinguished scholar and an effective leader who will provide strong support and guidance to this extraordinary campus.”
An invention developed in a joint effort between students from the Sauder School of Business and the Faculty of Engineering is the first to secure seed money from a entrepreneurship fund. Aeos Biomedical will receive a $50,000 equity investment from the new entrepreneurship UBC Seed Accelerator, an investment fund created in partnership between UBC, UBC alumni and the province. The grant was given for Aeos’ invention of Target Tape, a medical adhesive tape developed to allow doctors to make more precise incisions during surgery.
News briefs A dead body was reportedly discovered in Pacific Spirit Park on the afternoon of February 4, which resulted in police closing an area of the park near UBC. “A police incident has closed part of Pacific Spirit Park in Vancouver, near UBC. There are reports a body has been discovered in the area,” tweeted News 1130 Radio. Unconfirmed police scanner reports from the @ScanBC Twitter account identified the body as a homeless male, and that the incident occurred near 4801 NW Marine Drive. “VPD confirm the body found in [the] woods today near Spanish Banks died of natural causes and is not considered suspicious,” News 1130 added.
UBC’s current Learning Management System (LMS), WebCT Vista, has reached the end of its life cycle, promting the tranistion to a new system. Vista is used for distance or campus-based courses to discuss course topics with other students and instructors, access notes and other course resources, submit assignments or take online tests. Blackboard Learn has been selected as the new LMS and UBC is seeking student input to name the new system. Students interested can enter online at the LMS website by February 10. Participants will be entered to win a $50 gift certificate to the UBC Bookstore. U
A consultation report on Gage South was postponed at the Board of Governors (BoG) meeting last week, when members raised concerns that there was little time to review the report in full. Student BoG rep Sean Heisler said that pieces can go straight through to the Board for information, unlike reports which require approval or endorsement. Nonetheless, Board members still requested more time for review. “Given the length of the consultation report and the contention around the issues, the community planning task group felt it critical to go through the report in more depth and scrutiny than possible at a Board level,” explained Heisler. “There was no time for the Community Planning Task Group to review the 97 pages report before the Board meeting,” explained BoG member Nassif Ghoussoub. “So, I asked the Board to defer the discussion on it until the task group goes through it and provide a more distilled version.” The task group is expected to meet within the next two weeks. But Ghoussoub also took issue with the timing of the next consultations, when the majority of students leave campus. Originally, two more consultations were meant to take place in spring 2012 and the university hoped to have a draft plan ready by April. “Having a round of consultation towards the end of April when students are in transition is not a good idea,” said Ghoussoub. Changes to the consultation timeline have not been announced. The report from Campus and Community Planning outlined consultations which focused on the placement of a new Aquatic Centre and a new bus loop and parkade in Gage South, along with a proposal for a mix of student, staff and faculty housing. U
4 | News | 02.06.2012 SKATEPARK >>
Input for skatepark begins
First consultation for on-campus park draws support
SUSTAINABILITY >>
City and UBC campus collaborate on sustainability
Kate MacMillan Contributor
The first community consultation on a UBC skatepark took place last Tuesday. If approved, the facility could be the first campus based skatepark in North America, according to owner and CEO of Newline Skateparks, Kyle Dian. While attendance was small at approximately 15 people, there was general support for the project. “People have emailed me who are residents on campus who think this is a really great idea. They have kids that live here and they themselves have been skateboarders in the past and they would love to have this kind of facility,” said Dian. Newline Skateparks and Van de Zalm & Associates will be building the skatepark if it is approved, and the facility will be jointly funded by both UBC and the University Neighbourhoods Association. Newline and Van de Zalm have teamed up before, building 150 skateparks across North America. The skatepark is meant to be a multi-use area—not just for skateboarders, but for BMXing and rollerskating too. “I want to see a space that is
JOSH CURRAN/THE UBYSSEY
Conrad Compagna Contributor
YARA DE YONG/THE UBYSSEY
well-used and serves the needs of the youth on campus,” said UBC Transportation planner Adam Cooper. While the location and final budget of the park won’t be determined until a final model comes forward in April, the terrain and skatepark features will be shaped from the first round of feedback. Tyler Burke, 22, is a skateboarder himself and hopes there will be
a variety of elements incorporated into the facility. “I prefer a bit of a plaza element with bowl features integrated, or a separate bowl. Having a nice mix goes hand in hand, you can really progress at every kind of skateboarding.” The open house on March 5 will discuss the models created based on the feedback. Approval of the skatepark’s construction will come to question on March 31. U
STUDENT SPACE >>
EUS closer to buliding new Cheeze Jeff Aschkinasi Contributor
Expect to see a little bit more pride than usual from engineers during E-Week. One of the final open house events was held on Thursday for the proposed replacement of the infamous engineering student space, the Cheeze Factory. “I don’t think there is anyone who can tell you we don’t need a new one. Our [current] building is too small, it’s old, rundown, and been condemned twice...It is time for something new,” said EUS VP Finance and third-year electrical engineering student Ian Campbell. The current building is set to be demolished in the second half of this year, and the new Engineering Student Centre is expected to be finished by spring 2013. Students approved the project to replace the aging facility—which turns 93 this year—during a 2008
Engineering Undergraduate Society (EUS) referendum. Students already agreed through referendum to finance $2.6 million of the building through student fees. The final $2.6 million is meant to come from fundraising and alumni donations—$600,000 of which has already been collected. UBC’s Development and Alumni Engagement office is still actively seeking support for the shortfall, and student lead fundraiser on the project, Tagg Jefferson, said the EUS has been assured that funding will be secured. “The development office and central development have come forward and said it’s an easy project to fundraise for...It shouldn’t be a problem.” Lead architect Shelley Craig, from Vancouver-based Urban Arts Architecture, emphasized the importance of the centre to the future of campus construction. “It’s really
student-driven, and I think that is what makes it so unique,” said Craig. The building will meet the university-required LEED gold certification for sustainability. Features include a live circuit board that covers the entrance of the building, displaying current building information as well as the science behind its technology. While the Cheeze, which currently holds the title of oldest standing building on campus, will be missed, the new centre will allow more students to find their home away from home. But Campbell said the building’s replacement is bittersweet. “I think it will [be missed] by the people who hang out there regularly, but that’s also a very small subset of the population,” said Campbell. However, he noted, “I know I’ll certainly miss it just for sentimental value and the traditions it represented.” U
The City of Vancouver has been working with local campuses since May 2011 to achieve the goal of becoming the greenest city on Earth by 2020. And their newest initiative, the Campus-City Collaborative (C3), will make sure that students are part of it. C3, which had its ribbon-cutting ceremony in December, brings together students and faculty from six Vancouver post-secondary institutions—UBC, SFU, BCIT, Langara, VCC and Emily Carr—to match knowledge and training to the real-time needs of Vancouver’s green economy, which is growing nearly twice as fast as other sectors. Maura Quayle, a UBC landscape architect who was part of the group that initially brainstormed C3, is a former provincial deputy minister of advanced education. In her time in that position, she said she saw a “chasm between the post-secondary sector and government.” “Here we are at UBC. There’s all this knowledge being generated continuously. How does it leap over to 12th and Cambie and actually be used?” she said. “Taxpayers need to see that we’re collaborating and that we aren’t duplicating.” Several projects in that vein are in the works for early this year, including the Workforce Education Conference, which aims to bring schools and businesses together to discuss training needs. There is also the Research Collaboration Symposium, a “speed dating service” for scholars and professionals to match expertise to policy making-related research questions posed by city officials.
Another part of C3 is CityStudio. “The idea of CityStudio is to engage students in courses and projects that help Vancouver reach its greenest city goals,” said Lena Soots, CityStudio coordinator. “Students can put their time, energy, talent, resources and inspiration into helping make those goals happen.” CityStudio was created last fall when 14 students first completed a 6 credit pilot semester there. Since then, it has grown to hundreds, with 20 core students participating full-time for 15 credits and a range of courses in various schools affiliated and occasionally contributing. One project, which was featured in an article in The Globe and Mail, involved several students building a 30-foot Long Table that can come apart for travel around the city and be assembled to “host dialogues about the greenest city goals,” Soots said. The tree used to make the table was donated by the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation and hand milled where it had fallen naturally. It was first featured at the Seawall, where the students who built it held a discussion about water cleanliness and conservation and sold rain barrels. Joshua Welsh, a UBC architecture grad student who worked on the project, said the work experience he gained while working on the Long Table was invaluable. “I think what’s been really great is the exposure that I’ve had to how the city works and understanding the processes with such a large group,” said Welsh. “The City of Vancouver is the largest employer in Vancouver, so understanding some of the hoops you might have to jump through, the loopholes you might have to find or ways to make connections to help see a particular bylaw get pushed through [is] invaluable.” Quayle, who teaches a class through CityStudio that brings together students and young green entrepreneurs, acknowledges that students are the future. She mentioned a public dialogue on Vancouver’s greenest city goals held at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre, called Talk Green to Us. “I was the oldest person there and I didn’t know anybody, and I thought, how great is that? Not that I can step back and stop working on this stuff, but it just gave me this sense of, okay, there’s people coming who get it,” she said. U
02.06.2012 | News | 5
NEW SUB >>
Campus brewery to become reality After initial uncertainty, the AMS moves forward with brew project By RJ Reid Photos by Geoff Lister
B
eer at UBC will be cheaper and significantly more local when the new SUB opens. The AMS has committed to the construction of a fully operational brewery in the new SUB to provide beer to the UBC community, including the Pit and the Perch (two of the establishments slotted for the new building). There is also the potential for beer to be sold at other venues on campus. “If we want to make more money we have to control the cost. And how do you control the cost? You make the beer,” said AMS President Jeremy McElroy. McElroy, along with AMS VP Finance Elin Tayyar, was responsible for commissioning a feasibility report on the brewery over a year ago, partnering with First Key Consulting. “The report came back positive, saying that due to the craft beer culture in Vancouver as well as the nature of being isolated on campus and the amount of beer we go through right now, that it would be feasible to brew our own and in fact do really well while doing it,” said McElroy. Many details of the brewery still have to be finalized, including the name, the number and types of beers brewed (likely four different varieties), the hiring of a full-time brewmaster, and the locations on campus besides the Pit and the Perch that the beer will be sold. The brewery
has now been allocated an approximately 1000 square foot area in the basement of the new SUB. The AMS is in initial talks with different establishments on campus, and depending on licensing, is also hoping to provide kegs to licensed events on campus. The cost of the beer has also not been finalized but should be at a cheaper cost than commercial beer, where, as McElroy pointed out, “the majority of the mark-up is in profit and government taxes.”
The new SUB is pushing the envelope with new student spaces to begin with...Why not have a brewery? Jeremy McElroy AMS President Since the financial report, the brewery has been approved by the AMS and UBC administration, and a formal submission is currently being worked on to present to BC Liquor Control and Licensing. The AMS has also reached a partnership deal with First Key Consulting, which McElroy said will add veteran experience to the project. Other universities have attempted
similar projects, but didn’t follow through. The University of Saskatchewan Students’ Union (USSU) in 2010 looked into opening a brew pub, but found it unfeasible due to provincial regulations, cost and the lack of required infrastructure. “We didn’t really have a location to do it in which would be suitable as it was,” said Reid Nystuen, USSU vicepresident of operation and finance. “So we would have to probably do another million dollars in renovations and retrofittings to an existing space.” Adding the brewery to the construction of the new SUB substantially reduces the initial start-up cost for the AMS. “The biggest cost associated with the space is the equipment,” said McElroy, “but within a few years the equipment is paid off with the volume of beer we expect to be going through.” Overall, McElroy is proud of the project and hopes it creates “UBC’s beer.” Jill Alport, a second-year Science student, is in favour of the new addition to the SUB. “I think it’s a great idea,” said Alport. “I would definitely drink UBC beer, especially if it was cheap.” “The new SUB is pushing the envelope with new student space to begin with,” said McElroy. “Why not have a brewery?” U
Sports
02.06.2012 |
6
Editor: Drake Fenton
VOLLEYBALL >>
T-Bird Standings V-Ball (M) W L TWU Manitoba Alberta UBC Brandon Calgary Winnipeg UBC - O Sask. Regina TRU
17 16 14 10 10 9 7 6 4 4 3
1 2 4 8 8 9 13 12 14 14 15
V-Ball (w)
W L
UBC Alberta Winnipeg TWU Calgary Manitoba TRU Brandon UBC - O Regina Sask.
17 13 14 12 10 9 8 8 5 4 0
1 5 6 6 8 9 10 10 13 14 18
Hockey (W) W L OL
JOSH CURRAN/THE UBYSSEY
Despite injuries and a lack of offensive stars, UBC has played well as a team to clinch a playoff spot. After splitting with Brandon this weekend they are fighting to host a playoff game.
T-Birds vying to host playoff series
Men’s volleyball can’t capitalize on chances, splits series with Brandon Courtside Comment Justin McElroy
Volleyball, like just about any sport, is a game of inches. In the split second when the ball is set up in the air, ready to be killed, the hitter must be in correct position, spring into the air, observe the position of the blockers and be able to spike the ball down in the exact position where a point can be scored. Saturday night against the No. 8 ranked Brandon Bobcats (10-8), the UBC men’s volleyball team had plenty of opportunities near the end of the second and third sets to win critical points. But they were unable to capitalize, and a straight-set loss to the Bobcats (25-19, 32-30, 25-23) left the No. 6 ranked T-Birds (10-8) tied for fourth place in the ultra-competitive Canada West conference. The weekend wasn’t all bad for UBC—a 3-1 win (25-22,13-25, 25-22, 25-22) on Friday clinched a playoff spot for the ‘Birds—but their chances of hosting a best-of-three playoff series in the Canada West quarterfinals took a beating with the loss, and head coach Richard Schick knew his team could have done more. “It’s a very tight match, a couple sets could have gone either way,
but last night, we made plays after 20 [points], tonight we didn’t,” he said. In the second set, UBC had a chance to win the set, with the score 24-23, but were unable to capitalize. And again in the third set, UBC tied the game at 23, but a quick kill from the Bobcats’ Sam Tuivai, followed by a service ace, ended the game. “We talked about getting the opportunities, and we’re getting the opportunities…We’re working so hard in aspects of the game, but we’re not converting it.” Fifth-year senior Robert Bennett—one of seven graduating seniors the T-Birds honoured in their final regular-season home game—led UBC with 16 kills, while freshman Jarrid Ireland had 7 kills. The two of them, along with David Zeyha, have led UBC’s balanced attack this year. But this isn’t a team known for its offence—they have no players in the top 25 in the conference in hitting percentage, no player in the top 25 in aces, no player in the top 10 in assists. There isn’t a superstar who can take over the game with thunderous kill after kill when UBC needs it. But while they may not be Schick’s most talented team in his nine years as UBC coach, they may be one his toughest. Despite injuries to stalwarts Joe Cordonier and Demijan Savija, the team is relentless in team defence, constantly in
We talked about getting opportunities, and we’re getting opportunities. We’re working so hard in aspects of the game , but we’re not converting it. Richard Schick UBC volleyball coach
JOSH CURRAN/THE UBYSSEY
position to block attacks and adept at keeping rallies going. If there is a star on this team, it’s Cary Brett, who has recovered from a broken finger earlier this season to lead the team in blocks, and is second in the conference, averaging 1.41 blocks a set. As a team, the T-Birds are third in opponent hitting percentage, second in digs and second in blocks. Simply put, UBC doesn’t give up easy points very often, which has allowed them to stay competitive in a conference that has seven teams ranked in the top ten in the country. It’s a tenacity that Schick said is his team’s calling card.
“Being extremely disciplined, preparing to play and then executing,” he said. “It comes down to understanding and buying into and sticking with what we want to do defensively.” That wasn’t there on Saturday night for UBC, and as they head to top-ranked Trinity Western (17-1) for a regular-season ending two-game series, their chances of hosting a first-round playoff series is still very much in the air. But at this point in the year, as they look to make the CIS championships for the first time since 2008, Schick knows that the team he has isn’t going to change—it’s just a question of executing in those final minutes. “I think the execution on our side has to be there, but I’ve said to the guys, ‘There’s nothing new you’re going to learn in the next couple of weeks.’ We have what we have, and that’s true going forward.” U
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Bird Droppings Women’s basketball: UBC splits with Fraser Valley The Thunderbirds ended this past weekend with a hard fought victory against the University of Fraser Valley Cascades, narrowly defeating them 60-58 on Saturday night. After losing 65-57 on Friday, the ‘Birds were off to a rough start as Fraser Valley took the lead early in Saturday’s game. The two teams traded leads several times throughout the first three quarters. Fifth-year forward Zara Huntely proved to be UBC’s not-so-secret weapon, as the veteran drained two foul shots to give the ‘Birds the lead with 0.4 seconds left in the game. UBC will finish their season against Victoria next weekend.
Men’s basketball: UBC drops two games to Fraser Valley The Thunderbirds lost back-toback road games against the Univeresity of Fraser Valley (UFV) Cascades this weekend. On Friday night the No. 8 ranked Cascades upset the No. 3 ranked ‘Birds 77-72.. UFV carried that momentum into Saturday’s game, establishing an eight point lead by half time. The gap continued to build despite a fourth quarter surge from the ‘Birds, with UFV finishing off UBC 94-83. The ‘Birds will close out their season next weekend at War Memorial gym against Victoria. U
02.06.2012 | Sports | 7 RUGBY >>
Second semester filled with history for rugby team Andrew Bates Senior Web Writer
It’s a tradition that’s 91 years old. UBC’s men’s rugby team is embarking on a spring schedule of games against top North American universities. Though it’s not a regular league schedule, some of the games have almost 100 years of history. “[We] make up an exhibition schedule,” said Spence McTavish, head coach of the rugby program. “We have some games that are automatically [on], like we’ve been doing this for a billion years.” The team has already taken a trip to Central Washington University, where they won 36-0, and would have hosted the University of Oregon if it wasn’t for weather trouble. But in the next two months, the Thunderbirds will travel to St. Mary’s College in California on February 21, host the University of Utah on March 16, Stanford on March 29 and play a historical home and away series against the University of California Berkeley. “It’s a game we mark down on the calendar right at the beginning of the year,” said team captain Alex Kam. The series is called the World Cup after the now-defunct newspaper Vancouver Daily World. Played since 1921, it pits UBC against UC Berkeley, one of the top rugby schools in North America. “That competition was sorted out where UBC would play the top California school,” reminisced McTavish. “Rugby in the 20s and 30s in
JOSH CURRAN/THE UBYSSEY
A men’s rugby scrum against Old Puget Beach last weekend. The T-Birds will play in a collegiate exhibition league this semester.
California was huge and rugby here was pretty huge in the 30s and 40s. If you check out the newspapers, it’d be headlines about rugby in the sports section, that kind of stuff. “It’s a different world now. But the rivalry still continues.” According to McTavish, the World Cup game at UBC, which will be played on March 25, draws a decent crowd, and the away game in California, set for February 18, gets
a lot of attention. “After talking to some of the Cal guys after the games, most of them say the World Cup is more important than winning the NCAA for them,” Kam said. “They do bring it, and so do we, and it’s awesome.” The other big historical game is a two-game series against the University of Victoria. The first leg at UBC was won by UVic in the fall, and the away game
awaits rescheduling after weather problems. The team will also play the Canadian University Sevens Championship in Langford, BC. Sevens is not a CIS sport and this is only the second year of the competition’s existence. According to McTavish, the tournament is trying to establish itself, which isn’t easy due to travel costs. Last year, when it was
HOCKEY >>
T-Bird women drop two games to Manitoba
PETER WOJNAR FILE/THE UBYSSEY
Alison Mah Contributor
Trudging along the path of a decidedly unspectacular season, the UBC Thunderbirds women’s hockey team was swept in their weekend series against the Manitoba Bisons. Hampered by only dressing 15 skaters due to injury, the shorthanded T-Birds were shut out 4-0 on Friday. The next night, UBC surged to a 2-0 lead early in the first period, but could not sustain that energy for the remainder of the game, as Manitoba roared back with four unanswered goals to win 4-2. “We have some notable injuries,” said UBC head coach Jen Rawson. “A bit of fatigue caught up with us. But I thought for the most part it was
a pretty solid effort over the course of two days with a lot of people out of the lineup.” On Saturday night, graduating senior Amanda Asay scored her fifth goal of the season after a scramble in front of the net, and then notched her sixth minutes later. That put the ‘Birds up 2-0 less than ten minutes into the first period. The sudden output was rare territory for a UBC team that has struggled with offence all season. The Bisons then scored four unanswered goals to surge ahead 4-2. UBC goalie Samantha Langford has been a bright spot this season, but she looked ordinary on two of the four Manitoba goals. On the Bisons’ second marker she gave up a generous rebound and on Manitoba’s
fourth goal she watched a weak shot slip past her legs, effectively giving the Bisons all the insurance they needed to win the game. “I think maybe tonight there was a little bit of fatigue for [Langford], and they have one really strong line with some really strong players who scored,” said Rawson. “And there’s always mistakes in front of her too, but I think in terms of the season, despite a couple weaker goals tonight, she’s been outstanding.” The loss dropped UBC’s record to 1-19-2 and capped off the last home game in a miserable season that will end in Saskatchewan next weekend. In the span of 22 games, the Thunderbirds have scored only 19 goals for an average of 0.86 goals per game, and in that same period have
allowed 92 goals for an average of 4.2 goals against. For most of Saturday night, UBC looked timid in the offensive zone, preferring to skirt along the perimeter of the rink and often losing the puck before they could generate any sustained attack. From the latter half of the second period to the middle mark of the third, the T-Birds failed to have a shot on goal. The lone highlight of the weekend came as the team’s two graduating seniors, Amanda Asay and Tamara Pickford, were honoured before the game with their families in an on-ice ceremony. “[The presentation] was nice for them and I think a really memorable moment,” said Rawson. “We wanted it to be that, because it’s important and it was really nice for them to have their families there. “Asay is just really strong in terms of skill level, but also in her leadership and she’s just a really genuine, great teammate. Pickford has been here for five years [and] sets an example in terms of her fitness and the expectations of a high performance athlete.” Needless to say, in the next two seasons there looks to be a long, awkward growing process for a team still becoming accustomed to the changes in coach and culture. “We have six or seven rookies in our lineup, and that makes it hard to get them in the plan and the system and the process,” said Rawson. “Those things take time. And I think too there were several players last year who didn’t return to the team, so that made it a little bit difficult and that’s why we’re really actively recruiting for next year. So we’re looking forward to that, and sometimes with change in a culture you have to go through some hiccups and some bumps in order to get to the rainbow.” U
hosted at UBC, schools like Western University, McMaster University, UVic and UBC Okanagan played. Ten sides are already registered for this year’s competition on March 2 and 3. This semester’s schedule follows the BC Premiership in the fall, where UBC played against local men’s teams. The Thunderbirds finished fifth in an eight-team league. “We didn’t do as well as we wanted to because we had a few injuries right off the bat,” Kam said. “We did the best we could and it was a really good developmental season for us, prepping us for the spring.” “Our local competition would be the strongest local competition in Canada, for sure,” McTavish said. “It’s really nice to play against collegiate teams [in the spring] because we get to play against players our own age,” said Kam. “We also have a lot more road trips which are better for team bonding.” The university’s junior teams, the Braves and Totems, will play in the Northwestern Collegiate Conference against American Pacific Northwest sides and host SFU on April 7. Though Kam and McTavish said all their games are important, they’re looking forward to the World Cup game the most. “I played in the game for the last two years. We’ve lost the last few [games] but last year on the away trip we came up pretty close,” Kam said. “They’ve got the better of us the past few seasons and it would be really nice to get them this year.” U VOLLEYBALL>>
Women’s volleyball clinches first place against Brandon Drake Fenton Sports Editor
Every time the UBC women’s volleyball team hosts a series at War Memorial Gym, it is contest between David and Goliath—except Goliath wins every single time. This weekend against the University of Brandon Bobcats was no exception. The ‘Birds (17-1) powered through the Bobcats (8-10) on Friday night in straight sets (2515, 25-21, 25-14) and then came out even stronger on Saturday night in another straight set victory (25-11, 25-16, 25-13). With Saturday night’s victory, UBC improved their home record to 13-0, maintaining an immaculate streak that dates back to October 30, 2010. While the ‘Birds are a team loaded with offensive talent, they displayed against Brandon that they can take down opponents through solid defence and a total team effort. Over the two game series only one UBC player managed to have a double digit kill performance. Kyla Richey had ten on Friday night. “I thought especially [Friday] night we played real good team defence,” said UBC head coach Doug Reimer. “I think we really took Brandon out of the flow of their offence. I think the better we can be on [defence] is really going to be important for us moving forward.” UBC finishes their season next weekend with a road series against Trinity Western. They’ve already clinched first place and will host the Canada West final four at War Memorial. It will be the last chance for someone else in the conference to slay Goliath. U
Culture
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Editor: Ginny Monaco
FILM >>
Father’s Day film picks up on faux trailer’s worth
Theatre at UBC will perform two selected pieces this week, Problem Child (above) and The End of Civilization.
COURTESY UBC THEATRE
THEATRE>>
Suburban Motel plays on urban Canadian struggles
Wei Jia Qin Contributor
Acknowledged the world over as one of Canada’s most influential modern playwrights, George F. Walker’s stories of human struggle, set against an urban Canadian background, have reached audiences across continents. His series of one-act plays, titled Suburban Motel, illustrate the humanity behind the decaying atmosphere of turn-of-thecentury urban Canada. This week, Theatre at UBC will perform two selected pieces from this six-play series: Problem Child and The End of Civilization. “Some plays are more about ideas, or their elements are more of a spectacle,” said director Chris Robson, “but these [two] plays are meaningful to me because they are
about real life issues that people in Vancouver can relate to.” In Problem Child, a young couple with a troubled past struggles desperately to get their child back from a social worker. The End of Civilization is a gripping thriller about an aging couple who are grasping at their slipping social status through extralegal means. The two starkly contrasting pieces were chosen to complement each other in both theme and style. Though both plays deal with couples in life-changing crises, what Robson found most intriguing was the effect the crises had on characters’ relationships. While the young couple is brought closer together, the aging pair’s life-long connection is utterly destroyed. What may be most intriguing for the audience are the structural differences between the two pieces.
Problem Child is chronologically linear, and The End of Civilization employs flashbacks to give a decidedly more film-like experience. “People are getting two different stories in one night,” Robson said. “I didn’t want the audience to think that the two pieces were cause-and-effect, or were simply a sequel of one another.” Robson’s production of the two plays in succession introduces a new element transcending the intentions of the original playwright: the idea of linking the past and present. Each of the six plays in Suburban Motel is self-contained, but all take place in the same motel room. “I thought it would be fitting to set The End of Civilization in 2012, coinciding with the Mayan calendar’s prediction of the end of the world,” Robson joked. “In this way, the two
plays are set exactly 15 years apart, and we have the unique opportunity of recreating two different eras in the exact same setting.” For a playwright who admires the works of Beckett and Chekov, Walker’s plays have the signature characteristic of combining despair, humour and a sense of the absurdity of life. What resounds with the audience is the profound unravelling of humanity. “These people are so interesting, real and complicated. In some cases lovable, and in some cases detestable. But no doubt, we can recognize them as part of our community,” said Robson. U Suburban Motel runs from February 9-18 at the Telus Studio Theatre. $10 student tickets can be purchased from the Freddy Wood Theatre box office.
FASHION >>
Competitions offer Ryerson fashion students cash and little else Dasha Zolota The Eyeopener (Ryerson University)
TORONTO (CUP)—Competitions in Ryerson’s fashion school give students unparalleled opportunities in their industry, but students are hungry for more lasting rewards. Despite working with big names in the industry, students say the experience doesn’t boost their careers. Meagan Johnston, a third-year fashion design student and winner of the 2011 Danier Design Challenge, will see her product in select stores across Canada this fall and receive a $5000 cheque as well as a paid internship with Danier. However, competitors often have to sign contracts waiving the rights to their work, resulting in a lack of recognition, one student said. “It’s the only downside to these competitions,” said Elisabeth Huynh, a fourth-year fashion communication student. Huynh participated in challenges for McGregor Industries and Shiseido Cosmetics during her third year. “The winner will usually get around $5000—meanwhile, these companies are making so much more from our ideas,” she said. Brianne Burnell, a fourth-year student in fashion communication,
said the experience itself was what counts, but the ante needs to be upped on prizes for those in her program. “The competitions for the design students seem advantageous because if they plan on becoming independent designers, it is great self-promotion,” Burnell said. She added the contests may have nothing to do with a fashion communication student’s future career, due to the versatile nature of the program. Both students noted problems with the Shiseido competition. “The professor helped us each step along the way,” Huynh said. “But I felt like she imposed her own ideals and views onto our vision too much. In the end, I wasn’t happy with my final project.” Burnell seemed unsure of what to make of her experience. “We all busted our asses off on it, and no one won,” she explained. “No one even told us no one won, we just never heard anything, and that’s still a huge mystery. “I wish the competitions would end in something more than a spread in a magazine or money,” Burnell added. Both Huynh and Burnell said more variety in competitions and potential internships would help start careers.
UNCLE.O/FLCIKR
Ryerson fashion design and communication students sound off on industry support.
“It hasn’t been a life-changing experience. I think that experience will be presenting the creative portion of my capstone project to the judges at the end of this semester,” Burnell said. “I hope.” Lucia Dell’Agnese, associate chair of Ryerson’s School of Fashion, said the benefit of these competitions is that they teach students how to work for a specific market, how to research and how retailers function. “I think often it’s hard for students to design for someone else
other than themselves,” Dell’Agnese said. “I wish, with all my heart, more retailers would follow suit,” Dell’Agnese said. “For young designers, it’s really hard to get started. It’s expensive.” She explained that it’s a winwin situation regardless, for both retailer and student. The student gains exposure, however minimal it may be, as well as experience, and the retailer gets fresh, young perspectives.
Will Johnson Senior Culture Writer
Father’s Day started as a joke. Astron-6, a group which includes UBC film production students Matthew Kennedy and Conor Sweeney, created a faux trailer about a serial rapist who targets fathers. The group was formed in Winnipeg in 2007 by Jeremy Gillespie and Adam Brooks, and grew to include Kennedy and Sweeeney. They made the Father’s Day trailer as schlocky and gratuitous as possible, following in the tradition of recent B-movie horror flicks like Hobo with a Shotgun. Then a film distribution company, Troma, asked them if they could adapt it into a feature. “Troma saw the faux trailer and wondered if we would make it into a feature for next to nothing. We said yes and now we’ll all be dead very soon from the stress we put our bodies through,” said Kennedy. Now, the full-length movie adaptation of Father’s Day is having a free debut screening at UBC on February 6. The movie is playing at the Norm Theatre in the SUB at 7:30pm, and will be followed by a Q & A session with Kennedy and Sweeney afterwards. Variety critic Dennis Harvey called the film a “a gleefully tasteless quasi-grindhouse nasty that’s funnier than most of the many such parodic cheesefests that have been created since, well, Grindhouse.” Kennedy said any horror aficionado will appreciate their film. “I got hooked on horror from the original Friday the 13th series,” said Kennedy. “From there I branched off into all the classic horror films of the 70s and 80s. “That’s what we were raised on and it inspires a lot of what we do now.” He said the filming process was grueling. The film was mostly shot on location in Winnipeg. “It was long days and long nights of risking our lives and doing every job on set from stunts to catering,” he said. But Kennedy is passionate about being a filmmaker, and his advice for other aspiring directors was simple. “Kill yourselves for your movies. If it’s what you want to do, then go all in.” U
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Performance-based pay a po UBC’s TAs Letters
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The Last Word
Parting shots and snap judgments on today’s issues The unfortunate origins of the “UBC memes” phenomenon On January 30, in response to the “Shit UBC Says” video, our editorial page lamented the lack of similar initatives. “Nearly 50,000 students attend our school, and yet the level of internet culture—blogs, discussion boards and silly YouTube creations—is really quite low,” we said. Well, lo and behold, an outburst of internet culture broke out on Thursday evening, when “UBC memes” went viral on Facebook. Soon everyone’s news feed was filled with references to transit annoyances and Buchanan’s maze-like architecture. Unfortunately, this does not appear to be a spontaneous outburst of student creativity. A company called NoteWagon was apparently behind UBC’s page, along with the pages for many other large Canadian universities. The whole thing was a marketing tool. Yet the memes themselves were created by students, which leaves us hopeful that there is still a large well of student spirit ready to be tapped. Let’s just hope that it doesn’t take a company’s advertising efforts to start the next outburst.
“UBC memes,” you’re doing it wrong The viral growth of “UBC memes” also exposed us to the horrors that regulatory aggregators such as Reddit and 9Gag generally protect us from. These horrors included memes that were humourless, memes that were racist, and perhaps most unforgivably, people doing the memes wrong. Insanity Wolf unironically said normal things, while completely inappropriate syntax was used for memes such as the Y U No guy. Frankly, there is an art to a wellcrafted meme. Or so our video editor tells us. People who do not fully understand proper meme-iquette end up looking as technologically illiterate and awkward as your mother trying to navigate Facebook. Surely she must understand that Facebook is the incorrect platform for signing
all of her posts with her name? And surely she must understand that it is awkward to comment on her offspring’s relationship status? Alas, no. In much the same way, “UBC memes” has displayed this fundamental ignorance. Again, while it’s wonderful to see the school come together in this unconventional way, it saddens us to see proper meme form and syntax disregarded so savagely.
A strong step for UBC’s engagement with students Last week, the university announced their new “Names Not Numbers” strategy in enrolment services. Beginning with first-years in September and eventually rolling out for everyone, each student will be given an Enrolment Service Professional (ESP) that will be able to guide them through the labyrinth that is UBC throughout their entire degree. While the never-ending joy that is academic advising will stay as is, it seems the new ESPs will be given the ability to work with students on all other issues they face. Any system is only as good as its implementation. If the new ESPs are unable to help students directly, then UBC will only have increased the number of bumpers placed in front of students when they end up in a game of pinball, being bounced around to six different people when a problem comes up. But we have high hopes. For too long, the biggest complaint about UBC’s relationship with students is that people were treated as numbers first, and people second. Last week’s announcement goes a long way toward changing that dichotomy.
The Car2Go station symbolizes UBC’s governance problem Conflicts reveal character, and in the short skirmish between UBC and Car2Go, two interesting truths were revealed, and not for the first time. First, the absolute power the university can wield in absence of local
government is shown yet again. In the real world, Car2Go could appeal to a local government to let them have a station on (or close to) campus, or citizens could petition elected officials to chance a licence. But here, all they could do is sit and wait for UBC to change its mind. And when the university finally relented to opinion, where did they choose to put the station? In South Campus, which is a nice, relatively empty plot of land, but on the opposite end of where, you know, the people who pay tuition are. The decision will make UBC some money and make South Campus a more livable area—which will please the hundreds and hundreds of people who have bought million-dollar residences there—but it won’t help students as much as it could.
Good things brewing in the new SUB The plans for a brewery in the new SUB are potentially amazing. The idea, according to AMS President Jeremy McElroy, is for our student union to brew its own beer, and then sell that beer to licenced establishments on campus—and, hopefully, to student beer gardens. There are ways this can go wrong, of course. If bad management or uncontrollable economic factors turn the AMS’s brewery into a giant money hole, it will quickly become an object of scorn to everyone but the craft beer fetishists. Given the state of the Whistler Lodge, we always view AMS plans to operate new businesses with a skeptical and cautious eye. Yet if it does turn out that the AMS is able to provide its own bars and others with a cheaper source of suds, this is a win-win for students: a profitable AMS business, and locally-produced inexpensive beer. And it might be a win-win-win: assuming the AMS gets a licence for the brewery that allows it to sell kegs to student beer gardens, this will be a further incentive for the AMS to work with the RCMP to give us more sensible rules around beer gardens on campus. After all, the more beer gardens we have, the more business for the brewery. U
Andrew Bates quotes me accurately in his story—however, the situation is more complex than my statement could lead readers to believe. I stated that faculty and management have not had an increase in base salary for 2010/2011 and 2011/2012 because of the net zero per cent mandate from the BC Government. As readers of The Ubyssey may know, the BC government has held public sector employers such as UBC to specific, allowable increases for employee compensation since 1993. Actually, what has not increased is the set pay ranges for a variety of job classifications for faculty and staff. But that’s not the whole story. The Faculty Association and the Association of Administrative and Professional Staff have negotiated a compensation system that provides for performance-based pay. And
indeed, these employee groups have seen their average compensation within given pay ranges go up. Such performance-based increases are allowable under the BC Government’s zero per cent mandate. As well, many of our collective agreements also allow for step increases in salary based on service or time in the position. These step increases are consistent with the net zero per cent mandate as well. Unlike faculty and staff who have performance-based pay increases in their collective agreements, President Toope does not. His salary has not changed since he was hired in 2006. Variations in total compensation may be caused by other factors such as the university’s required contributions for statutory benefits. The university would be pleased to discuss with CUPE at the bargaining table the possibility of adopting a performance-based compensation system. —Lucie McNeill Director, UBC Public Affairs Office
It’s transition time for the CUS Perspectives >> Chad Embree
Every year around late January to early February, Sauder students are exposed to a two-week blitz marketing campaign on issues affecting their university experience. This sudden onslaught is due to the Commerce Undergraduate Society (CUS) elections. For those who don’t know much about the CUS, it is the 71-year-old student society of the Sauder School of Business. With over 1000 unique involvement opportunities and an annual budget of $1.2 million, the CUS is very relevant for all 2900 undergraduate students enrolled in Sauder. Its most significant contributions include career services through the Sauder Business Career Centre ($140,000) and a special projects fund for new student initiatives ($100,000). Only five per cent of the budget is spent on administration and volunteer recognition. Looking over all platforms this year, I see two overarching themes: student engagement and the operational strategy of the CUS. While these themes may have come up in the past, this year they translate to something more significant and meaningful as the CUS makes important transitions to keep up with the ever-changing culture of the faculty. Engagement is always a challenge for any student society. The CUS engagement problem stems from a fragmented social culture. Sauder used to be a closed community where word of mouth and a few posters were enough to reach an audience—but that doesn’t work anymore. A failure to engage students for the CUS puts more than student dollars on the line. Sponsors, business professionals and business partners see these failures firsthand
and it damages the brand of the CUS, Sauder and the Bachelor of Commerce degree. For example, one of the conferences held this past year was expected to bring 200 students together, but in the end it was only able to attract 40. Similar circumstances have occurred at other events within the past three years. The CUS needs to adapt to the new environment of its faculty and learn how to reach out to students again. The CUS has also completed a governance metamorphosis over the last three years. The society now places the greatest emphasis on the portfolio of services provided to students. But the CUS has been catering to the tastes and preferences of students six years in the past, and must now re-evaluate what services the student of today desires. This will involve more than simply cutting services and reallocating finances, but rather an increased focus on delivery of the right services. A noticeable shift has occurred from conferences to business case competition training. Data must be collected in order to make an informed decision for the future. If you are a Sauder undergraduate, you have one of three attitudes toward the CUS going into this election: invested, interested or disinterested. Invested students care about the issues at hand. Interested students are willing to listen and make informed decisions. Disinterested students are unengaged, occupied with other activities and/or unsatisfied with the CUS. If you are invested, ask critical questions and stimulate debate. If you are interested, take the time to make an informed vote. If you are disinterested, I hope this piece encourages you to consider importance of elections to your degree. U —Embree held over 20 positions in his time with the CUS from 2006 to 2011.
Scene
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Pictures and words on your university experience
VAGINA >>
The history of the clit
WEATHER >>
Because knowledge is power and power is orgasms
Anatomy! Glorious anatomy! “It’s a bit of visceral anatomy at the tips of your fingers.”
Happy Healthy Horny
Raeven GeistDeschamps My first book about puberty was called GURL. It was bright pink and illustrated such things as hair waxing, masturbation, blow jobs and sex. The most uncomfortable proposal it had, at least when I was 13, was a cartoon girl spreading her legs and looking at all of herself in a handheld mirror for “self-exploration.” Push the labia to one side, then the next, and oooh ahh! So THAT’s the clitoris! The first time I tried this, I almost wiped out in the tub. The lighting was too bright and I was less than excited about what I saw. Without the glass of wine, the bath beforehand, the candlelight and your great-grandmother’s tarnished silver mirror, your vagina can look just like...well, the organ it is. It’s a bit of visceral anatomy at the tips of your fingers. I think you bloom into appreciating its beauty. The debate on clitoral versus vaginal orgasm has raged on latenight TV shows for years, but the actual examination of the biological complexities of the female orgasm is much older. Marie Bonaparte,
Napoleon’s great-grandniece, really, really wanted to be able to orgasm vaginally, but was unable to. She hypothesized the “thumb rule,” after interviewing (and examining) hundreds of women. If the gap between the clit and the vaginal opening is equal to or less than the distance from the tip of the thumb to the first joint, the woman has a higher likelihood of coming vaginally. If the distance is longer, lovers can anticipate the necessity for creativity and acrobatics, since vaginal pleasure would be more difficult, in theory.
MRI images show these absolutely beautiful soft round shapes. Not only do women have the ability to have multiple orgasms, but they also have this elaborate structure of pleasure within them! Nonetheless, the dichotomy seems insufficient, especially since I learned that the majority of the clit is actually within the pelvis. With that fact comes the possibility
INDIANA JOEL/THE UBYSSEY
for every woman to explore pleasurable penetration, if she so desires, of course. That friendly little bulb is actually just the tip of the iceberg. It was only in the 1990s that an MRI of the area was completed, and it took until 2009 for a three-dimensional sonography to be created. There’s the corpus cavernosa—the cartilage folds that surround the vaginal opening. The corpus cavernosa also extend into the clitoral crura, which join together at the bulb of the clitoris and look like a wishbone. Under the labia majora (internally) are the clitoral vestibules which also become engorged when the woman is aroused. The glans is the part you can see, while the rest is all internal. The MRI images show these absolutely beautiful soft round shapes. Not only do women have the ability to have multiple orgasms, but they also have this elaborate structure of pleasure within them! It also leaves a lot to explore in terms of discovering how to control orgasm if you become aware of those internal structures and the different ways in which they may be sensitive within your personal anatomy. And better orgasms are good for everyone. U
GEOFF LISTER/ THE UBYSSEY
Damn, that fog on campus Saturday looked so cool. What you actually saw is called advection fog. It’s caused in part by differential heating between the land and the sea. Because of the water’s high specific heat, moist air masses over the ocean become warmer—and able to hold more water—than the atmosphere above the land. When air moves inland horizontally, it rapidly cools and becomes saturated—creating fog! —David Marino, geography major
12 | Games | 02.06.2012 52- Real estate register 54- Castle ring 56- Routine 57- Longfellow’s bell town 60- Assist 62- Risky 66- Artist’s pencil 69- Former French colony of northwestern Africa 70- Icon 71- Actress McClurg 72- Take _ from me 73- Big name in printers 74- Clairvoyant 75- Uh-uh Down
(CUP) — Puzzles provided by BestCrosswords.com. Used with permission.
Across 1- After John in the NT 5- Bore 9- Breathes fast and hard 14- Circular band 15- Abominable snowman 16- China’s Zhou _ 17- “Hard _ !” (sailor’s yell) 18- Star-shaped 20- No-goodnik 22- “Hold On Tight” band 23- For one 24- Capital of Calvados, in NW France
26- Lacking 28- Capital of Moldova 32- Observe 36- Cornerstone abbr. 37- Large cat 39- Artist Rousseau 40- First Arabic letter 42- Aromatic wood 44- Call for 45- Informs 47- Home movie medium 49- Hwy. 50- Takes by theft
1- Captain of the Pequod 2- Soft drink 3- Nailed obliquely 4- Language communication 5- Counteracting genetic improvement 6- Emeritus: Abbr. 7- Fit to _ 8- Breathing organs of fish 9- Architect I.M. 10- Detach 11- Failure 12- Casino game 13- Fool 19- It may be floated 21- Manner of walking 25- Israeli desert 27- Japanese drama 28- “Hyperion” poet 29- Atoll unit 30- Subway turner 31- Of Hindu scriptures 33- Inactive 34- El Greco’s birthplace 35- Bird that gets you down 38- “MASH” name 41- Wading bird 43- Pigment 46- _ -mo;
48- Swear words 51- Swedish auto 53- Sailor 55- Wearies 57- ...baked in _ 58- Compact by pounding 59- Narrow inlets 61- Type of ranch 63- Defense grp. since 1949 64- A good one gets you there in a hurry 65- Exclamation of fright 67- 1980’s movie starring Bo Derek and Dudley Moore 68- Sprechen _ Deutsch?