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the ubyssey
FEBRUARY 07, 2011 volume 92, number xxxviii room 24, student union building published mondays and thursdays feedback@ubyssey.ca
The Steam Tunnels
Follow us inside on page 5 Justin McElroy weighs in on UBC’s NCAA decision and the future of UBC Athletics PAGE 7 Blair Bann puts in his 1000th dig against Regina to push the Thunderbirds to the playoffs PAGE 4
2 / u b y s s e y. c a / e v e n t s / 2 0 11 . 0 2 . 0 7 february 07, 2011 volume xcii, no xxxviii editorial
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ongoing events
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contributors Noah Burshtein Drake Fenton Carli Vierke Tim Blonk
Mike Dickson Charles To Jeff Jardine David Elop
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 Please include your phone number, student number and signature (not for publication) as well as your year and faculty with all submissions.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. “Perspectives” are opinion pieces over 300 words but under 750 words and are run according to space. “Freestyles” are opinion pieces written by Ubyssey staff members. Priority will be given to letters and perspectives over freestyles unless the latter is time sensitive. Opinion pieces will not be run until the identity of the writer has been verified. 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.
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us create this baby! Learn about layout and editing. Expect to be fed. • Every Sunday and Wednesday, 2pm.
resource groups • Are you working
on a progressive project, but need funding? Do you have an idea, but can’t get it off the ground? Apply to the Resource Groups for funding! Come in, pitch your idea to us and we will consider fully or partially funding your project. • Every Monday, 11am in SUB 245 (second floor, northeast corner). For more info email resourcegroups.ams@gmail.com.
Alpha Omicron Pi recruitment event • UBC’s newest sorority,
Alpha Omicron Pi, is looking for more members to join its colony class! There are opportunities to take on leadership roles, volunteer and gain service hours, create lasting bonds of sisterhood and friendship, socialize within the Greek system, network with women with similar interests all over the world and enrich your overall UBC experience. • Informal
recruitment events on Feb. 5 and 27, email ubcaoiirecruitment@ gmail.com for more information.
tuesday, feb. 8 lunar new year celebration •
Celebrate the Lunar New Year at UBC, which includes a food sale (Sri Lankan, Korean, Vietnamese and assorted desserts), all the tea you can drink, a live music performance and a silent auction of framed artwork (cash or cheque only). • 11:30am–2pm, CK Choi Building Lounge.
wednesday, feb. 9 Double Double Foil and Fumble • Double Double Foil and Fum-
ble is a joint production between UBC Theatre and Creative Writing faculties. It follows the story of five university-aged friends as they get together to weave some magic; only none of them know what they’re doing, half of them don’t believe in magic and some of them have ulterior motives. • Runs until Feb. 12, Dorothy Somerset Studios, tickets by donation, proceeds go to Pride UBC.
HMS pinafore • The Gilbert and Sullivan Society of UBC returns to the newly renovated UBC Old Auditorium with HMS Pinafore, a lively and anachronistic staging of one of the bestknown operettas in the English language. Join the high-kicking sailor crew and their gaggle of giggling schoolgirls. • Feb. 9–11, 8pm, Feb. 12, 2pm, $15, $10 for students, email info@gsubc.com for reservations. valentine’s day fair • Don’t
know what to get your special someone for Valentine’s Day? Come by the AMS Sweet Valentine’s Fair and choose from jewelry, clothing, gifts and so much more! • Runs until Feb. 11, 10am–5:30pm, SUB Main Concourse.
ubc film society: a clockwork orange • The UBC Film Soci-
ety will be showing A Clockwork Orange, the celebrated film from director Stanley Kubrick. In future Britain, charismatic delinquent Alex DeLarge is jailed and volunteers for an experimental aversion therapy developed by the
government in an effort to solve society’s crime problem... but not all goes to plan. • Runs until Feb. 14, 9:30–11:30pm, Norm Theatre, $5 non-members, $2.50 members.
thursday, feb. 10 date search • UBC Canadian Liver Foundation presents their fundraiser event, Date Search. Guys and girls will be auctioning themselves off as dates for the night. All donations and money raised will go to the Canadian Liver Foundation of BC and Yukon for liver research and for helping liver disease patients. • 9pm–1am, Pit Pub, email ubc.clf@gmail.com for more information. Clyde Hertzman: early child development lecture • The
UBC School of Population & Public Health (SPPH) presents a free public lecture by Dr. Clyde Hertzman, “Simple stats & sad stories: early child survival and development in Canada.” • 4:3 0 pm, Michael Smith Laboratories. A reception will follow at 5:30pm.
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sports
editor MARIE VONDRACEK » sports@ubyssey.ca
UBC sweeps Regina out of War
bird droppings ‘Birds ahead, but Saskatchewan responded four minutes later to bring the game to 3-3 with seven and a half minutes to go. Backup goalie Hilary Talbot, who started, made a total of 25 saves that night to hold the ‘Birds in there until 39 seconds to go, ending the night 4-3 in favour of the dogs. “I’m obviously disappointed with the outcome,” said UBC head coach Nancy Wilson. “Our effort was great tonight and I thought we deserved a better fate.”
Third time ‘Birds crack 100 points
Nathan Yu, a step above the competition. David elop/The Ubyssey
noah burshtein Contributor Within two minutes of Friday night’s tip-off, the UBC Thunderbirds had jumped out to a 9-0 lead over the Regina Cougars. Unfortunately for Regina, the red-hot T-Birds, winners of 13 games in a row coming into the weekend, never looked back. UBC dominated the Cougars both Friday and Saturday, outscoring Regina by 126 points over the weekend, as Regina could not seem to get past UBC’s defense. The T-Birds seemed committed to locking down their defensive end and not giving up any easy buckets or rebound, a great sign for a team that occasionally suffers from mental lapses. UBC head coach Kevin Hansen had not h i n g but good things to say after the weekend sweep, giving credit to the T-Birds’ “great defensive intensity which allowed us to make scores in transitions [in which] we set the tone early for the rest of the game.” UBC hit triple digits for the third straight game with Friday’s 111-67 victory, clearly displaying the comfort level their players have reached in Coach Hansen’s offence. Sixth man extraordinaire Nathan Yu led UBC with 22 points on Friday night as he continued his offensive tear, but the story of the weekend was fifth-year senior Brent Malish, who went off for 15 and 33 points during the weekend.
Malish was an absolute beast on the boards Saturday night, pulling down 12 rebounds against Regina’s front line. His 33 points mark a personal season high and helped take all the drama out of Saturday night’s affair. “In the first half of the year, I’m not sure we had an identity but now our guys are starting to understand and adapt to their roles,” Hansen declared, looking towards UBC’s now-stifling defence and fast-paced offence which have become Thunderbird staples. “We’re moving in the right direction with playoffs only a few weeks away,” Hansen pointed out, clearly quite pleased with his team’s recent performance. Regina did experience one bright spot during the weekend, as talented senior Jeff Lukomski moved past Glen Nelson on a three-pointer in the second quarter of Friday night’s action to become Regina’s all-time leading scorer. The positives ended there for Regina, as with the two losses the Cougars fell to 12-8 and now have little chance of advancing any higher in the standings before playoff time. As for the T-Birds, who currently hold first place in the Canada West, a mere four games stand between them and the conference title, an accomplishment that has been on their radar all year long. With only a few weeks remaining until the end of the regular season, UBC now heads home to Vancouver to face the 4-18
Thompson Rivers Wolfpack. The Thunderbirds will surely use these games to tune up for the looming playoffs, as they continue along their path towards their final goal, the national championship. U
Backup Hilary Talbot jumped in Saturday. David Elop/The Ubyssey
Basketball comeback thwarted Both nights
‘Birds leave hearts on Saskatchewan ice
The Regina Cougars managed to dodge the unrelenting divebombing of the Thunderbirds this weekend, surviving back-toback comeback efforts. Regina started strong with a 15-point lead in the first quarter. UBC battled it down to 45-42 during the third quarter, driven in part by Zara Huntley’s 19 point and 12 rebound performance, only to lose the battle 85-54 after 40 minutes. “We generated some good looks, but there was just no finish. Zara was our only bright light but otherwise we struggled,” said UBC head coach Deb Huband. For the second consecutive night Regina jumped to a big first half lead of 43-31 and the Birds’ retaliatory attack fell short. The second half was 38-32 in favour of the ‘Birds, but the Cougars had woken up earlier and were too far ahead, resulting in a final score of 75-69. “We were really pleased with how we bounced back after last night. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the win, but I like what I saw in terms of our heart and our willingness to battle all game long,” said Huband. With the weekend sweep, UBC falls to 13-7, good enough for a sixth place standing and a clinched playoff spot as they prepare for their final home game of the season. U
The Thunderbird women’s hockey team suffered back-toback heartbreaker losses this weekend in Saskatchewan. After battling on Friday to get to a 2-2 tie which lasted for 21 minutes, the Huskies simply tapped a cross-crease pass into an open net. This came after Kaylee Chanakos beat a Husky through the five-hole at 8:01 and was equalled on the power play with 2:34 left in the first. The Huskies pulled ahead upon a deflection of Courtney Hillman’s and shot once again on the power play, to which Brown transfer player and current T-Bird Amanda Asay responded with her fourth goal in three games. Another tug - of-war was fought on Saturday with secondyear consistent forward Kelsey Kirkham pulling ahead first with a hand from both Kirsten Mihalcheon and Asay. However, the Huskies potted two quick goals in reprisal to end the first period a mark ahead. No gain was made either way in the second but Kirkham scored once again with help from Mihalcheon and Chanakos. Tamara Pickford scored her third goal in three games to pull the
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Thunderbird Athlete Council
athlete of the week
Savannah King
‘Birds bound for playoffs Men’s volleyball sweeps Regina to clinch spot
courtesy of richard lamb/ubc athletics
Savannah King, a first-year student who competed in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, is athlete of the week for her performance at the 2011 Canada West swimming Championships held last week at UBC. King took gold in the 400m freestyle (4:11.51), contributing to the UBC Women’s nail-biting win over the Calgary Dinos (1014–999) and earning her CanWest rookie of the year honours. King and the rest of the UBC Swim team will be looking to finish on top once again at the 2011 CIS national championships, to be held in Calgary on February 24-26. U
—Amelia Rajala
The ‘Birds (7–9) swept the Cougars this weekend in the War Memorial Gym. charles to Photo/The Ubyssey
Mike Dickson Contributor The UBC men’s volleyball team is officially in the Canada West playoffs thanks to a pair of 3–1 victories over the Regina Cougars this weekend at the War Memorial Gym. The Thunderbirds (7–9) executed their game plan against
the Cougars (2–14) to perfection, marked by timely kills, smart blocking and effective passing. It’s that style of play that has led them into the playoffs and head coach Richard Schick believes it’s the key to their success moving forwards. “The discipline, the smarts and the work is what’s gotten us to this point,” he said after
Reading week: Baseball goes to Concordia and Redlands. Softball goes to Idaho. Golf goes to Utah. Wish to write about any of these? Please email. marie vondracek sports@ubyssey.ca
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the game. “We’re undersized compared to a lot of teams in the CIS, so for us to have success we have to be disciplined, outwork and outsmart our opponents.” Demijan Savija led a balanced UBC attack with 12 kills on Saturday, with Tanner Kozak bagging eleven of his own and turning his serve into a weapon with four aces that night. After eliminating Regina from contention on Friday in addition to clinching a playoff spot, Saturday saw reigning CIS Libero of the Year Blair Bann set a new Canada West record for digs, recording his 1000 th career dig in the process. “He’s been a pillar of strength for us back there,” Schick said of his prized back-court specialist. “Game in and game out he’s our most consistent player.” UBC also had big nights from setter Ryan Zwarich and smart block in g from m idd le Ya ri Kozel. The seventh-place Thunderbirds are going to need big nights from everyone as they begin preparing for a likely playoff clash in the first round against a bigger conference powerhouses like Alberta, Trinity Western or Manitoba. “It’s going to be time to step up,” Schick said. “It’s been a different guy stepping up every night all season long; we’re going to need everyone to step up if we’re going to play our game and do some damage in the playoffs. We have to play with more of a chip on our shoulder.” After last season’s disap pointing 4–14 season, UBC set a goal of making the playoffs this season. With that goal complete, now it’s a matter of finetuning their execution to become the team no one wants to face during the conference playoffs, a team Schick knows they can be. “We need to bound over a couple of stairs to get where we want to be, but I think we’re a team you don’t want to play in the playoffs,” he said. “The belief in what we’re doing is there, and we’ll be going out there with nothing to lose; I think we’re a dangerous team.” U
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culture
editorS BRYCE WARNES & JONNY WAKEFIELD » culture@ubyssey.ca SENIOR WRITER GINNY MONACO » gmonaco@ubyssey.ca ILLUSTRATOR INDIANA JOEL » ijoel@ubyssey.ca
Notes from the underground exploring ubc’s steam tunnels more than a pipe dream by bryce warnes Most students have probably passed the entrance to the tunnels before. It’s located in the middle of campus, on a major thoroughfare. I had tried a couple of times to get into the steam tunnels with my friends and failed. Just when we felt we were making progress, Campus Police or the RCMP would show up and we’d have to withdraw. Maybe it was the hoods and dark clothing that made us stand out. Maybe it was the crowbar. When we were almost ready to give up, we finally made it, thanks to the help of strangers. “Hey, you guys trying to get in the tunnels?” “Yeah,” I replied. “Is that what you’re trying to do?” Four guys joined our party. They’d been trying to get into the tunnels earlier that night, but had come up against technical difficulties. “We saw you guys standing around looking at the ground, and we were like , ‘Are they doing exactly what we were doing half an hour ago?’” said one of them with a laugh. They led us to an entrance that they promised would work, even though it was out in the open and the eight of us cut a suspicious profile. It was a moonless Saturday night, with only a few stragglers from the late 99 passing by. We worked quickly. The crowbar was hardly necessary. A few sets of fingers were all that was needed. As soon as we had it open, I shimmied down the ladder. The strangers who had helped us get in opted out of the adventure. As the last of my three companions hopped off the ladder onto the metal grating below, the opening above scraped shut.
We were standing on the second level of a sort of junction room, with tunnels running in opposite directions. One of them was darker than the other. We decided to explore that one first. The tunnels serve as a means for maintenance workers to access the pipes that carry steam from UBC’s power plant to the rest of campus. The main tunnels are round cement tubes, a little over six feet in diameter, lined with hot metal pipes at eye level. As our flashlights grazed the walls, they revealed patches of graffiti. There were lots of indecipherable tags and unsteady outlines. A few pieces stood out. “Samuel,” scrawled in red letters. “East Vandals 2000.” “King Rat.” One read“10-667 Class III.” An artifact, perhaps, of explorers from the hippie era? It’s the knowledge that a select group have gone before you that makes the tunnels so alluring. Because a certain amount of insider knowledge (many assume you need to be in engineering or a frat to gain entrance) and risk are necessary to access UBC’s steam tunnels, they are—and always will be—exclusive. The tunnels are out of bounds. You are actively prevented from getting into them, and when you do, it has to be a covert operation. I get kicks from trespassing. Plenty of people do. But the deeper pleasure comes from trespassing on the same ground— cement, really—generations of intrepid UBC students have set foot upon. Regardless of whether you care about school history or spirit, the tunnels themselves are worth the effort it takes to enter them. UBC’s steam tunnels are at once mundane and totally alien. They serve a practical purpose, but unless you’re a Plant Ops employee, it’s hard to know what to expect down there. Exploring the
full length of the tunnels means traversing metal platforms and ladders, shuffling down cramped, lightless passages and ducking around searingly hot pipes and valves. A complete tour of the tunnels took us about an hour. We were cut off from all sounds above. No distant rumble of traffic, no breeze. White machine-made noise filled the air, muting our voices and playing tricks on the ear. The pipes in different parts of the tunnel variously popped, hissed and grunted as we passed them. We turned off our flashlights and the darkness and the drone became a canvas on which we painted our anxieties. We heard voices, saw maintenance workers and other travelers. Sometimes I thought I could hear the pitter patter of rat feet and the whisper of scaly tails. But aside from a few tiny spiders, the tunnels were seemingly devoid of life. Both tunnels leading from the junction brought us to dead ends. The first one we took was shortest. As we progressed through the darkness, the air grew heavy and warm. I took off my jacket and sweater. Half way to the end, air cold as ghost rushed in from a side tunnel. The climate went from greenhouse to meat locker in the span of a few steps. One of my friends, braver and nimbler than I, crawled down the smaller tunnel and determined that it led up to an air vent near a faculty building. Past the cold spot, the air got hot again, unbearably so. By the time we reached the lit end-junction, below a locked surface entrance, I was sweating and having trouble catching my breath. Some towels, Dos Equis and a couple cigars would have made it a trip to the sauna. This was a night of student hijinks, though, not a spa trip. We headed back the way we had come, vowing to make a future visit with provisions.
The tunnel in the opposite direction was better lit than the first, but about the same length. At the end, it took a sharp right. We picked our way through a forest of flywheels and pressure gauges and entered a dark, rectangular passage, about half the height of the main tunnels. The floor and walls were dusty. Bent almost double, we crept wordlessly down its length. At one point, at this part of the adventure, with my head scraping the ceiling and my friends’ flashlight beams drawing away, I was distinctly aware of the thousands of tons of dirt and rock pressing in at all sides, of the stale air and the ominous hissing of the pipes. If something went wrong, there was only one way out—back the way we had come. I wasn’t even sure if I had room to turn all the way around. We soon took a second turn, to the left. The tunnel ended in an annex room at a rusted gate with a heavy padlock. Through the bars of the gate we could see more passages. By our estimates, we were close the basement of a major faculty building. “I have Naylor’s hat,” was spray-painted on the wall. Student politics had beat us here. Standing straight, I could almost hear my spine sighing with relief. Exploring the steam tunnels is an activity for the young, stupid and physically fit. I was glad I’d had the chance to give it a go before the onset of arthritis or wisdom. As we turned to head back down the passage whence we came, I looked forward to the sweet cool air that awaited us above ground. But more than anything, I looked forward to the beginning of the week, when I would walk over these tunnels on the way to class and be able to picture, in my head, what lay beneath my feet. U
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Feds to overturn CRTC decisions Hilary Paige Smith The Brunswickan (University of New Brunswick) F R E DE R IC T ON (C U P) — It seems the government is listening to the thousands of people nationwide who are calling out for the Canadian Radio-telev ision Telecommunicat ions Commission (CRTC) to “Stop the meter.” The government is now demanding the CRTC reverse its recent decision to allow Bell Canada, one of the country’s largest internet service providers, to pass usage-based billing onto both their wholesale and retail customers. This means independent service providers, who rent online space from Bell, are essentially forced to cap the services they offer. As well, any consumers who use more than the data they’re allocated may have to reach deeper into their pockets and shell out cash.
This is one of the biggest online petitions in Canadian history. It will soon be the largest at this rate we’re growing Paul Bucci Broke guy
“The CRTC should be under no illusion—the prime minister and minister of industry will
geoff lister graphic/the ubyssey
reverse this decision unless the CRTC does it itself,” a senior government official told media on February 2. Internet consumers and online media advocates have been creating a storm online since the January 25 announcement, including a massive petition signed by hundreds of thousands of Canadians. The news raised concern from students in particular, many of whom do high-bandwidth activities online, like downloading music, streaming video and using Skype to keep in touch with loved ones back home. Lindsey Pinto is the communications manager for OpenMedia.ca, the citizen engagementbased accessible media advocacy group responsible for the online petition. She said the CRTC regulations go against OpenMedia’s mandate, which is “to advance and support a media communications system in Canada that adheres to the principles
of access, choice, diversity, innovation and openness.” “It basically prevents the Internet from being as affordable to people as it ought to be,” Pinto said. “It’s this kind of decision that makes the Internet cost more for less and penalizes for over-usage, or what telecom companies deem over-usage. This decision is just going to exacerbate that.” OpenMedia’s online petition went live on October 1 of last year while the CRTC was in an appeal period regarding the decision. Since the decision was made official, signatures have climbed from just 40,000, to over 350,000 as of February 3. Julian Williams, a secondyear law student at UNB, is one of many students who signed the petition. Williams has also sent letters to his MP and MLA. “I think that, essentially, the [CRTC] is giving into big service providers and giving [them] way too much power,” he said. Williams also used the recent Internet outage over citizen protests in Egypt as an example of shifting too much online power into just a few hands. “In Egypt, their Internet got shut off by a couple of phone calls going to five companies. They shut off the Internet and then 90 per cent of the population no longer had access.” Pinto said she is happy with the progress being made so far and is confident Canadians “will win” this one. “We’ve done more with less. I’m terribly optimistic about this. This is one of the biggest online petitions in Canadian history. It will soon be the largest at the rate we’re growing,” she said. “We’re going to win—we’re going to get this.”
NEWS BRIEFS UBC study toasts coffee roasts When it comes to coffee beans, it’s better to be roasted. That’s the finding of a new UBC study set to be printed in Food Research International, which finds that roasting coffee beans creates a wide variety of antioxidants, which help protect cells from damage. The study, written by professor David Kitts and Land and Food Systems Master’s student Yazheng Liu, shows that while antioxidants are burned off during the roasting process, new ones are replenished. However, according to the study, one shouldn’t go overboard. It’s medium, not dark roast, that produces the most antioxidants. miners do it better UBC’s E-Week wrapped up Saturday night with the Engineers’ Ball held at the Croatian Cultural Centre. The annual event is the traditional end to engineering week, which celebrates the spirit and accomplishments of UBC engineers through a variety of competitions, where points are awarded to students representing different branches of the department. The winners were the mining engineers, who narrowly defeated the geological engineers. sources say china and ubc relationship to grow stronger One of China’s largest property developers is partnering up with UBC. Modern Green Development Co., which has developed more
than 10 million square feet of green buildings in China and Australia, has made a $3.5 million donation to UBC’s Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability, which will open this fall with the hopes of being “the greenest building in North America.” “Over the next 20 years, the world’s urban population is projected to increase by two billion people, so it is crucial that we dramatically improve the sustainability of the buildings we work and live in,” said UBC President Stephen Toope in a press release. “This partnership helps place UBC and Modern Green at the forefront of these efforts, accelerating the development of sustainable urban infrastructure and green building practices.” Rebane takes CUS presidency Joha n nes Reba ne has been elected President of the Commerce Undergraduate Society (CUS). Rebane, who was AMS VP Academic and University Affairs in 2009–2010, defeated four other candidates to lead the CUS, which has the largest budget of any undergraduate society at UBC, receiving just over a million dollars in revenue last year. Rebane’s campaign focused on breathing new life into CUS culture and using his experience and leadership at UBC to ensure a more functional organization. 1100 students cast votes in the election (which included races for AMS Representative and CUS Senator, among others), resulting in a turnout of 38.6 per cent within the faculty.
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editorial UNA needs to add a student housing rep If you read a recent issue of The Campus Resident, the University Neighbourhoods Assocations monthly paper (and what engaged student doesn’t regularly pore over The Resident?), you may have noticed that it has a certain, ahem, tenor. Most of the content for this issue focused on the Land Use Public Hearing that was held on November 30. And according to The Resident, just about everyone who attended the hearing was completely behind UBC’s proposals (except for those dastardly folks from Point Grey and Dunbar!). This is, of course, far from the truth. But let’s not get caught up in old arguments about land use. Instead, what this demonstrates is that the UNA has a very specific viewpoint that is not representative of all of those who live on campus. That’s their prerogative, of course—the status quo works for them, UBC treats them with respect, so why change? However, for all of its notions that it’s a municipal government-in-waiting, the UNA is a very limited organization that only represents those residents who live in five UBC neighbourhoods. That they get a separate unique organization which gets independence, a pile of money and a large platform to advocate for their residents is curious when you consider who is excluded. And indeed, the biggest group excluded is those students who live in residence, which UBC considers “academic land.” This would come as a bit of a surprise to students who considered academic spaces on campus to be confined to classrooms and not their bedrooms. So why aren’t students living in residences considered part of the UNA? Many would argue that students should not be in the UNA because their interests are already represented by the AMS. And for the time, that’s true. However, the debate over what municipal governance at UBC will look like is starting now and the UNA needs to consider what sort of organization it wishes to be. If the UNA wishes to be the local government of UBC, which its rhetoric certainly suggests, then it should represent all of those who live on land owned by UBC, including those in the residences and in other neighbourhoods. The AMS already has a seat on the UNA board, but this relationship will inevitably be one subject to scrutiny as the governance debate heats up. Further, the AMS represents students in general, not students who live in the UBC residences. How the incoming executive chooses to deal with this thorny issue will be an interesting test of how forcefully they will advocate for students on land-use issues in the upcoming year. SOME OF US still THINK THE THEATRE IS AN OCCASION At a recent showing of the Broadway musical Avenue Q, certain members of our editorial staff ience wearing what might be described as “casual wear”—or more accurately, “grubbies”: ripped and torn jeans; sweatpants sagging in unflattering regions; Uggs. Curmudgeons and old maids that we are, we would further describe this attire as “singularly disrespectful.” At the risk of our mailboxes being inundated with letters proclaiming your right to wear that Old Faithful Band Camp Sweatshirt wherever the hell you want, let us clarify. The theatre is for everyone and Avenue Q is by no means high opera. It would be ridiculous to expect anyone to wear coat and tails to a three-hour show about filthyminded puppets (except that one guy who brought his own puppet). But the fact remains that dress communicates, among other things, the respect you may or may not have for the performers you’ve shelled out fifty bones to see. And respect is indicated, in this case, by wearing clothes at least as good as those you’d put on for class. Judging by anecdotal evidence on Twitter and Facebook, the vast majority of student attendees enjoyed the living piss out of Avenue Q. You had glowing things to say about its performers and musical numbers. We can only hope that you communicated this glee and respect when you attended the performance as well. Now, where’s our prune juice and our back issues of Reader’s Digest? U
Bryce Warnes Illustration/the ubyssey
opinions
Fourth time’s the charm Justin McElroy coordinating@ubyssey.ca Amazingly, this is the fourth straight year I’ve written a column in February about UBC’s choice on whether to join NCAA Division II for athletics, or stay in Canada. Which tells you two things: one, UBC has dragged this decision out longer than the consummation of a romance in a bad sitcom, and two, I need to graduate. But the average student cares about the NCAA issue exactly as much as they care about athletics at UBC generally—which is to say, none, and it’s a shame. Where we decide to go, whether to stay with the CIS or move on to bigger and better things will determine more than who we play on Friday nights. It’ll say a lot about UBC, where we fit in Canada and what our values are. For starters, there’s the ideological issue: should UBC give full-ride scholarships to people whose greatest skill is being able to put a ball/puck into a hoop/net? Right now, they, and every other university not named SFU can’t. Athletic scholarships can only
cover tuition and mandatory fees, and you have to maintain at least a 70 per cent average throughout your degree. UBC Athletics has long argued that they need larger scholarships to get the best Canadian student-athletes to UBC and while a move to Division II wouldn’t get them the next Steve Nash, it could keep a couple dozen extra athletes here each year. Is the moral trade-off worth it? Next, there’s the question of what exactly we would get from the NCAA. UBC wants to make sure people get fanciful visions of the Rose Bowl, packed stadiums and giant TV deals out of their heads, because while Division II would allow UBC to play in the elite leagues in one sport—which would be hockey—for everything else, we would play against the Dixie State College and Central Washington Universities of the world. The competition would be greater, but it would do little to change the dynamic between students and their sports teams. Finally, there’s the fact that going to the NCAA requires us to leave the CIS, an increasingly loveless marriage UBC has been in for decades. Like any
organization that has to accommodate the needs and wishes of such a diverse group of members, it moves at a pace a snail would find slow. UBC is fairly certain at this point that the things they want—scholarship flexibility and tiered conferencing for better competition—won’t be happening anytime soon. The T-Birds will be stuck playing inferior teams from Thompson Rivers and Fraser Valley a few times each year for some time to come, and if we stay in the CIS, we’ll have to accept that. However you stand, one thing is for sure—UBC wants you to make a decision for them in this upcoming round of consultations. They’ve been sitting on this issue for upwards of two years, trying to find solutions, but the truth is they don’t really know where the campus community stands. In 2009, with a muddled report and a lack of clarity, 52 per cent of survey respondents were against a move to the NCAA. They don’t care whether goes up or down this time, only that it does so a lot. So when it comes to whether UBC joins the NCAA or not, your voice matters a little more than usual. U
is a complicated one. I find it difficult to unconditionally celebrate a reform that gives gay people a more prominent status in one of the most repressive, violent and dehumanizing institutions in the world. To create effective combat units, the American armed forces strive to destroy the individuality of their service members and to suppress their empathy for fellow human beings, such as the Afghans and Iraqis whom they are asked to kill. It is an organization that tortures prisoners, often through sexual humiliation, threats and violence. It is an organization that counts among its members an alarming number of victims and perpetrators of rape, and it does a shamefully poor job of prosecuting rapists and caring for survivors of sexual assault. And, most significantly, it is an institution that visits untold
misery upon foreign populations in the name of American freedom. As Ryan Clayton points out, human rights struggles take a variety of forms. I urge North American LGBTQ activists to view their struggle not just as an attempt to gain equal status with heterosexuals, but also as part of a larger fight against dehumanization and violence. In this broader context of human rights, the repeal of DADT does not seem to be such a clear cause for celebration. By recognizing the links between the struggles of North American LGBTQ communities and those of other vulnerable groups both within and beyond the ‘developed world,’ we can ensure that further growth comes from this conflicted, ambiguous achievement.
letter RE: ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell’ has been repealed” As Ryan Clayton writes, the repeal of “Don’t ask, don’t tell” (DADT) is a historic moment for American GLBTQ people. It was hateful, demeaning and damaging to demand that gay and lesbian service members conceal their sexual identities. With the end of DADT, the contributions of openly gay people to American wars may challenge negative stereotypes, such as the supposedly effeminate nature of gay men. Perhaps the service and sacrifices of gay people on behalf of their country, which can now be recognized more explicitly, will improve the status of the GLBTQ population throughout American society. Nevertheless, if the repeal of DADT is a victory for the gay community, it
—Jeff Jardine
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Justin McElroy coordinating@ubyssey.ca Max Grassi can only look on and smile as another scoring opportunity goes for naught in a 3–0 loss to the Saskatchewan Huskies on Friday at Thunderbird Arena. The men’s hockey team, which went on to lose 4–1 to the Huskies Saturday, has now lost four straight. This puts them at sixth-place in the seven-team Canada West conference, with only four teams making the playoffs. With just four games remaining, the ‘Birds will need to sweep the fourth-place Manitoba Bisons next weekend to remain in the playoff hunt. U tim blonk photo/ the ubyssey
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