2011.03.07

Vote

U The Ubyssey

Yes

on the fee question

What kind of campus do we want?

A university offers classes, funds research and grants degrees. A campus is the culture that binds that place together, making it more than just a stepping-stone to a career. The most vibrant campuses, those that make a university more than simply the sum of its parts, are those where students lead what happens outside of class.

Where they take charge and organize events. Where those with a project and passion can do just about anything.

But to make UBC that sort of campus, we need to have the means to do so.

That’s the choice you face this week when you vote in the referendum. There are questions on the U-Pass—which obviously need to be extended—and other questions on bylaw changes and tuition policies for the AMS. But the main question is changing the student fee structure. It would raise fees by $5 for full-time students and $19 for those that opt out of the health care plan.

We urge you to vote yes.

The AMS’s membership fee of $12.50 is the lowest in Canada for any university over 20,000 students. Almost no other school comes close. It’s a fee that hasn’t changed since 1982.

And when UBC was still expanding, and your student union had a near-monopoly on food and catering services, this was fine. They piled up profits year after year from their businesses, which in turn made low mandatory fees financially feasible.

Those days are long gone. The AMS ran a six-figure deficit last year, will run another this year, and is cutting services to the bone. Voting yes would take their fee to $21—and take your student union out of financial crisis.

It may seem like a lot, but three years ago, students decided they wanted a better campus when they voted to fund a new $110 million Student Union Building. That building will be ready in September 2014, but will the group running it be able to offer more than just minimum services inside of it?

Your student union isn’t perfect. You only have to glance at our front pages to see that. They aren’t asking for money they want, though—they’re asking for money they need. Without this increase, they’re going be less and less effective in advocating for students, administrating services and overseeing clubs.

This fee increase isn’t just about empowering the AMS. It’s about empowering students to do more.

Voting yes gives clubs access to an annual $70,000 pool of money, and if you’ve ever been part of a campus club, you know that a little money goes a long way. This fund would be there for you.

Voting yes creates a $100,000 sustainability fund, the same type that exists at UVic, SFU, Queen’s and McGill, allowing even one student with an idea the chance to make our campus a more sustainable place in a direct way.

Voting yes transfers $1 from every student to a childcare endowment fund, supporting student-parents by creating quality, affordable spaces right here at UBC. Voting yes means more affordable tutoring from AMS Services, free DJ lessons from CiTR, and 24/7 news reporting from The Ubyssey.

And voting yes means that we are taking an active step in shaping this university by directly funding organizations and ideas that we believe are important.

All this, for $5. Even if you opt out of the health plan and pay $19, it’s still a good deal, and a deal we badly need.

Without it, building the new SUB will putter along and students will still come together to put on events. Life will go on per usual.

But this week, you can make a choice for change.

There are times where UBC students have risen up to shape our campus—saving the UBC Farm, building the new SUB, funding construction of War Memorial Gym, even convincing the government to start construction on the Point Grey campus in 1924. This week could be one of those times.

Let’s make this happen. U

2 / u b y s s e y. c a / e v e n t s / 2 0 11 . 0 3 . 0 7 march 07, 2011 volume xcii, no xxxix editorial coordinating editor

Justin McElroy : coordinating@ubyssey.ca

news editor

Arshy Mann : news@ubyssey.ca

assistant news editor

Kalyeena Makortoff : kmakortoff@ubyssey.ca

senior news writer

Micki Cowan : mcowan@ubyssey.ca

culture editors

Jonny Wakefield & Bryce Warnes : culture@ubyssey.ca

senior culture writer

Ginny Monaco : gmonaco@ubyssey.ca

culture illustrator Indiana Joel : ijoel@ubyssey.ca

sports editor

Marie Vondracek : sports@ubyssey.ca

features editor

events classified Found: Black iPod Video near SWNG Building. Contact Daniel at macho_man_dan@hotmail.com to identify.

ongoing events Ubyssey Production • Come

help us create this baby! Learn about layout and editing. Expect to be fed. • Every Sunday and Wednesday, 2pm.

David Marino : video@ubyssey.ca

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, north-east corner). For more info email resourcegroups.ams@ gmail.com.

Jeff Blake : webmaster@ubyssey.ca

monday, mar. 7

Room 24, Student Union Building 6138 Student Union Boulevard Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1 tel: 604.822.2301 web: www.ubyssey.ca e-mail: feedback@ubyssey.ca

citr radio volunteer orientation • Interested in getting involved

Trevor Record : features@ubyssey.ca

photo editor

Geoff Lister : photos@ubyssey.ca

production manager

Virginie Ménard : production@ubyssey.ca

copy editor

Kai Green : copy@ubyssey.ca

multimedia editor

Tara Martellaro : multimedia@ubyssey.ca

associate multimedia editor Stephanie Warren : associate.multimedia@ubyssey.ca

video editor webmaster

business Room 23, Student Union Building print advertising: 604.822.1654 business office: 604.822.6681 web advertising: 604.822.1658 e-mail: advertising@ubyssey.ca

business manager

Fernie Pereira : business@ubyssey.ca

print ad sales

Kathy Yan Li : advertising@ubyssey.ca

web ad sales

Paul Bucci : webads@ubyssey.ca

accounts

Alex Hoopes : accounts@ubyssey,ca

contributors

with CiTR? Swing by our monthly volunteer orientation session. It’s a chance for you to learn about what’s going on for volunteers at CiTR, and get to know people involved with the station. • 6:30– 7:30pm, CiTR Lounge, Room 233, SUB. For more info, email Andrew at volunteer@citr.ca. ubc beads and crafts fundraising sale • The UBC Beads and

Crafts Club is holding a fundraising sale with large bouquets of foam roses, cute sushi cell phone straps and a large choice of earrings. You can even customize your own earrings! • Mar. 7–8, 10am–4pm, SUB, in front of Blue Chip Cookies. Go to ubcbeadsandcrafts.com for more info.

tuesday, mar. 8 UNICEF UBC: casino royale • Unicef UBC and Deke are hosting their charity event, “Casino Royale.”

There will be poker, blackjack and a cash bar. All of the proceeds will go to the Pakistan Relief Fund. • 6–11pm, UBC Global Lounge, email unicef.ubc.ams@ gmail.com for more information.

wednesday, mar. 9 coastal first nations dance festival • This festival highlights the

richness and diversity of traditional First Nations dance groups from coastal BC through public performances, ticketed events and special school programs.

• Runs until Mar 13, 10am– 5pm, Museum of Anthropology, $14/$12 + HST. For a full schedule of events, please visit moa.ubc.ca/events or contact (604) 822-5978 or programs@ moa.ubc.ca.

ubc film societ y screening: tangled • The UBC Film Soci-

ety will be showing Tangled, the latest film from Disney.

The magically long-haired Rapunzel has spent her entire life in a tower, but now that a runaway thief has stumbled upon her, she is about to discover the world for the first time, and who she really is. • Runs until Mar 13, 7–9pm, Norm Theatre, SUB. $2.50 members, $5 non-members.

Roommate Meet Up • Moving

off- campus next year? Still looking for that perfect roommate? Speed Renting and UBC Residence Life are pleased to offer UBC students a unique and personalized roommate meet-up event. These events offer an informal, relaxed atmosphere where you have the opportunity to meet and mingle

with fellow students! Free food and refreshments provided. • 5:30–7pm, Marine Drive Residence Commonsblock, $8 entrance fee.

thursday, mar. 10

the way they encounter dragons, dwarves, merfolk and a band of lost warriors before reaching the edge of the world. • Runs until Mar. 13, 9–11pm, Norm Theatre, SUB. $2.50 members, $5 non-members.

hungry 4 change • Oxfam UBC

cultural night • The Liu Insti-

presents Hungry 4 Change, an annual dinner organized and hosted by UBC students that gathers together the community for a taste of the reality of food distribution inequality.

Featuring speakers from Oxfam Canada as well as a special guest. • 6:30pm, Heritage Hall, 3102 Main St, $25, $15 for students. For tickets, visit oxfamubc.rezgo.com or email oxfamubc.h4c@gmail.com.

issues on ref ugee he a lt h •

STAND UBC is hosting an exciting upcoming event, “Issues on Refugee Health,” a presentation and discussion on the health of refugees in Darfur.

This seminar will also feature guest speaker and Sudanese refugee Abit Adit Elizabeth. It will open with an introduction on the health situation of Darfur, followed by a case study on the impact of the forced removal of humanitarian workers.

• 5–6pm, Global Lounge, Marine Drive Bldg 1, free.

friday, mar. 11 UBC Film Societ y Screening: CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER • The UBC

Film Society will be showing The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the third film in the Narnia series.

Lucy and Edmund Pevensie return to Narnia with their cousin Eustace, where they meet up with Prince Caspian for a trip across the sea aboard the royal ship The Dawn Treader. Along

tute will be hosting a cultural night with the Africa Awareness Initiative, showcasing cultures from around the world with an emphasis on Africa.

Bring traditional dishes! If you bring a dish for 7-8 people, you get in free. • 6–8:30pm, Liu Institute for Global Issues, $10 non-members, $7 members, $5 VIP members.

saturday, mar. 12 amnest y international ubc conference • Amnesty Inter-

national UBC is hosting their conference, “When is a Democracy not a Democracy?”

This small scale conference provides the perfect environment for discussion and networking amongst students, professors, speakers and other members of the community. Dress code is business casual. • 1:30–6:30pm, Lillooet Room (301), Chapman Learning Centre, Irving K Barber. Order tickets via eventbrite.com. hugh masekela • The Independent legendary South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela is an innovator in the world music and jazz scene and is active as a performer, composer, producer and activist. His tour in support of his latest album, Phola, brings him (on flugelhorn) to UBC, where he will combine with five other superb South African musicians to explore his incredible musical history. • 8pm, Chan Centre, $55.25–$73.25.

Karina Palmitesta Kait Bolongaro Will MacDonald Dylan Wall Nick Frank Amelia Rajala Mike Dickson Drake Fenton Jon Chiang Ragnahild Marie Valstad David Elop

Richard Lam Chris Borchert Front cover graphic by Paul Bucci

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.

Send us your events on Wednesdays and Sundays before noon! That’s the deadline! events@ubyssey.ca

Canada Post Sales Agreement #0040878022

U theubyssey.ca

2 011 . 0 3 . 0 7/ u by s s e y. c a / n e w s / 3

News

editor ARSHY MANN » news@ubyssey.ca assistant editor KALYEENA MAKORTOFF » kmakortoff@ubyssey.ca SENIOR WRITER MICKI COWAN » mcowan@ubyssey.ca

Referendum question brings tuition to forefront 5000

4000

3000

Adjusted for inflation

2000

1000 Actual Dollars 0

1935

1940

1950

1960

1970

1980

1990

2000

2010

The changes in tuition rates, both in nominal and real terms, since 1935. Geoff Lister Graphic/The Ubyssey

Micki Cowan mcowan@ubyssey.ca After successfully getting 1200 student signatures within only a few hours, a new question will be added to this week’s referendum—”Do you think that the AMS should lobby for lower tuition for domestic and international students?”

Ashley Zarbatany is one of the students who were gathering the necessary signatures to qualify the question for the ballot. An active member of the Social Justice Centre, she said that lowering tuition should be a priority for the AMS.

“[Students] are too busy juggling all the demands of having student loans and having work, so they can’t go out and protest and lobby for themselves. They obviously want an AMS that will do that for them.”

But AMS President Jeremy McElroy said that voting yes for the question won’t directly affect the AMS’s decision-making.

“Students aren’t voting on a policy. They’re voting on a question that will ultimately shape policy,” he said.

“It’s just a question. Whether it passes, fails, meets the quorum threshold or not, it’s an indication to the AMS of what

students ultimately want them to do. At that point it’s up to Council to revisit its policy on tuition, and essentially just to have that conversation.”

McElroy feels the question is more about semantics, as the AMS has already been lobbying for lower tuition.

“We’ve been advocating federally,” said McElroy. “We’ve had an advocacy arm for increased access and more affordable education. We’re always lobbying for [lower tuition], whether explicitly or implicitly.”

However, former AMS President Bla ke Frederick said

the referendum question is a chance to send a message to the government and university.

“We need to stand up in a unified voice and make it quite clear that we need financial relief,” he said. “It’s about sending a message to the student society, sending a message to the provincial government.

There are roughly 46,000 students who attend UBC—that has a huge political impact when the government is making decisions around education policy.”

During his presidency, Frederick filed a human rights complaint to t he United Nation about the cost of education.

He was subsequently censored

by Council for acting without their consent and was nearly impeached.

Zarbatany said that students were enthusiastic to sign the petition.

“In a few hours we got over 1000 signatures,” she said.

“A s soon a s we sa id t he words ‘lower tuition,’ everyone jumped on board. I talked to about 450 students and maybe 30 of them were against it,” she said. “Everyone else, when they heard that they were shocked—’How could anyone be against it’—I’ve heard that multiple times.”

A similar question was supported on the referendum ballot last year, but failed to meet quorum.

McElroy said the problem is not the AMS’s position on tuition, but that the current political climate is not receptive to reducing tuition due to “passing of the buck” between federal, provincial and university bureaucracies.

“Lobbying could be a phone ca l l, a postcard, a letter, a march, a rally, an online campaign—but who do you direct it at?”

Frederick disagreed.

“We can, if we want to, effectively convince the government to change their stance on higher education,” said Frederick. “We just need a student society that will step up to the plate and recognize that’s one of the most important things facing students today.” U —With files from the AMS VP External Office

Liquor law changes mean massive fines for violators AMS uncertain what effect changes will have on campus parties Arshy Mann news@ubyssey.ca The Province has made changes to laws surrounding Special Occasion Licenses (SOLs) which are certain to have a large impact on the way liquor laws are enforced at UBC. An SOL is a license that is given to any group that wants to hold either a private or a public event that will be serving alcohol. Therefore, any campus party that is not held in a licensed premise such as the Pit or Koerner’s must have an SOL. According to a press release from the liquor control branch of the Ministry of Public Safety, SOL holders will be subject to the same enforcement penalties as permanent license holders such as bars and restaurants.

This means that instead of the event simply being closed down if it’s found to be violating liquor laws, the group running the event can be fined between $5000 and $10,000—much more than most clubs or undergraduate societies can afford.

“It certainly puts a lot more onus on the person that’s taking them out to make sure everything is complied with,” said Staff Sergeant Kevin Kenna, the head of the university division of the RCMP. However, the AMS is legally liable for all clubs and undergraduate societies, which make up a large portion of SOLs applied for on campus.

“All clubs and organizations on campus are legally under the umbrella of the AMS, so as an organization we take liability for SOLs,” said AMS President Jeremy McElroy.

He went on to say that the AMS is currently meeting with their lawyers, the university and the RCMP to figure out the implications of this new legislation. They hope to come to a conclusion by the end of the week.

McElroy said that the AMS was only informed about the changes two weeks ago, despite the fact that the Ministry of Public Safety sent a letter to UBC in November regarding the new legislation.

“[We’re] quite frustrated with the lack of communication here, both between the liquor board and UBC, the liquor Board and the AMS, as well as UBC and the AMS,” said McElroy.

The AMS has yet to inform clubs and constituencies about the changes, but will do so after the legal implications are made clear.

Accord i n g t o Ken n a, a lthough the new legislation is much stricter, there have been very few SOL violations over the past few months.

“It’s been some time since we’ve had any [violations] of any significance and we check a lot of places,” he said. “For the most part, most of them have been pretty damn good about it.”

Kenna said that the RCMP will continue to have discret ion i n i mplement i n g t h is new legislation and approach each situation on a case-bycase basis.

He went on to say that the new laws will go into effect immediately. U

An open keg may become a very rare thing on this campus.

Geoff Lister Photo Illustration/The Ubyssey

4/u byssey.ca / nationa l/2011.03.07

national

editor ARSHY MANN » news@ubyssey.ca

Animal testing facility being built at Okanagan campus University tight-lipped about project due to safety concerns Robyn Travis & arshy mann news@ubyssey.ca The controversy surrounding UBC’s animal testing program is moving east to Kelowna.

Amidst an escalating activist campaign against UBC’s animal testing program, a new care centre is under construction at UBC’s Okanagan campus. The In Vivo Research Facility is being built in the basement of the Arts and Sciences II building and is scheduled to be open by September.

According to Scott Reid, a professor of biology at the Okanagan campus and the acting facility manager of In Vivo, the university wanted to keep the project low profile in order to protect the safety of the facility and researchers from those opposed to animal research.

“The animal care facilities on any research campus are designed with a couple of things in mind; one is to ensure the health and safety of the animals in the facility and also the health, safety and security of the people that work in the facility,” he said. “You normally would not find such facilities labeled on any map, for the protection of both those things.”

The construction of an animal research facility must go through many processes, with all aspects being overlooked

by organizations such as the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC).

Reid said that although it is not well known, animal research is already happening on the Okanagan campus.

“We have an existing animal care facility and we have students who work with animals at all levels. We have students who work with wildlife…animals, just not in the research facility on campus.” According to Reid, the new facility’s construction is meant to meet the growing needs of this education and research experience.

Scott Macrae, director of UBC public affairs, could not be reached for comment before press time.

This growth of UBC’s animal testing capabilities comes at a time when the university is once again coming under fire for its research programs.

Last week, The Vancouver Sun ran an article detailing a research project that will see the killing of a number of endangered sea turtles.

“They were brought in for t hese experiments [at UBC] and as part of those experiments, it requires harvesting the tissues,” Bill Milsom, head of UBC’s zoology department, told the Sun. “The final experiments require major surgery,” he said.

They are necessary to “help us understand why these animals have such high mortality when caught in trawl nets in warming oceans.”

The turtle experiments have garnered international attention and were featured prominently in The Huffington Post.

Last December, UBC President Stephen Toope told The Ubyssey that he isn’t concerned by the level of media attention that UBC’s animal research program is recieving “Top universities around the world, in order to accomplish what they’re trying to [do] in research, sometimes have to use animals,” he said. “UBC is no different than a thousand universities in that respect.

“Frankly, what tends to happen with animal rights activists is they go around and target different institutions at different times.

“It happens to be our time, but universities throughout the US and UK and Europe have all experienced this. Frankly, it’s nothing unusual, and I don’t think the university needs to overreact.

“I actually think the system is not broken, it functions extremely well, it’s very rigorous and we’re meeting all of our obligations, so I would simply say I don’t think there’s any need for further regulation.” U

The location of the prospective In Vivo Research Facility.

Robyn travis Photo/The phoenix

Bunnies chased off of University of Victoria campus Dorian Geiger & Jon-Paul Zacharias The Martlet VICTORIA (CUP) — The University of Victoria will soon be rabbit-free.

Over the winter months, the campus’ rabbits have undergone a noticeable population decline. In fact, the university reports that less than ten rabbits remain on campus today—quite a decline from the estimated population of 1400– 1600 who called UVic home just a year ago.

The universit y’s grounds workers have been diligently working to capture the few elusive rabbits that remain. Private individuals have permits to remove and relocate the animals up until March 31.

Rabbits are Schedule C wildlife—invasive species—according to the Ministry of Environment, and regulations prohibit their relocation without permits, sterilization and fencing.

The two principal permit holders are Laura Leah Shaw, who facilitated the movement of about 285 rabbits to Whitehouse, Texas, and Susan Vickery, who moved over 500 to her own property in Coombs, BC. The first action to decrease numbers was a cull of 102 rabbits in May 2010 after incidents of athletes twisting their ankles in rabbit holes. Accordingly, the cull sought to eliminate

Poor, poor bunny. Gemma Karstens-Smith Photo/The martlet

all the rabbits in the athletic fields. No other parts of campus were affected.

Many community members opposed t he cu l l, resu lt ing in a loca l effort to relocate a la rge por t ion of t he rab bit popu lat ion. A pla n was formed in June 2010 to move the rabbits off campus. UVic a g reed t o t rap t he rabbit s,

leaving t he responsibilities of transport, sterilization and eventual housing to the permit holders.

Trapping began in September 2010. Tom Smith, facilities management director at UVic, said the university wanted to begin in the summer before residence students became attached to the rabbits,

but legalities delayed the trapping until after classes had begun.

Before t he t rapping commenced, Vickery made her proposal for relocating the rabbits to her property, but stated that she would only be able to do this if community support existed.

“My first wish was for a trapand-release plan,” said Vickery.

Such a policy would have seen sterilized rabbits re-released on campus. “But the problem was creating the community pressure to push for this.”

The university initially offered potential support for a continuing rabbit population of about 200 on campus, and invited volunteers to manage such a population. The UVic communications website posted notices to this effect.

“But no one came forward,” Smith said.

Despite rumours to the contrary, Smith said culls by the university administration did not occur prior to 2010.

“Never,” he said. “Gardeners who found them… would capture them and then release them to the opposite side of campus, even though they usually just came back.”

Support of rabbit removal also came from nearby residents, who would sometimes call the administration and request that rabbits be removed from their yards.

The university’s communicat ion’s website now states that any rabbits found on campus after February 28 will be euthanized.

“Wel l, we’re going to use common sense,” said Smith, including not killing any baby rabbits that are emerging from their dens.

“The grounds staff know where all the remaining rabbits are,” Smith said, adding that the plan is to have these rabbits relocated via permit holders.

Any new rabbits that appear, however—such as newly deposited pets—will be killed.

“We cannot be a pass-through for people who are abandoning pets,” said Smith.

A total of 927 rabbits, including the 102 that were killed, have been removed by the university administration.

“Initially, we’d catch up to 60 per day, and sometimes 3 at once,” said Smith.

As the rabbits became less numerous, as few as two were caught in one day. Smith believes the remaining 400-600 were killed by predators.

Smith said the rabbits will never return to campus. Part of the reason is their presence on campus, as invasive species, was always technically illegal, he said.

“If people bring rabbits here again, we’ll have no choice but to kill them,” he said. “And that’s what we want to avoid at all costs.”

2011.03.07/ubyssey.ca/advertisement/5

6/ u bys s e y.c a /c u ltu r e /2 011. 0 3. 0 7

culture

editorS BRYCE WARNES & JONNY WAKEFIELD » culture@ubyssey.ca SENIOR WRITER GINNY MONACO » gmonaco@ubyssey.ca ILLUSTRATOR INDIANA JOEL » ijoel@ubyssey.ca

Keeping up with the Flintstones

Series

Part two of our series on lifestyle eating: the paleo diet Bryce Warnes culture@ubyssey.ca I am not the caviest of men.

There are few benefits of living in a civilized society that I could go without. Roads? Essential. Electricity? A must-have.

HBO? Couldn’t live without it.

So the paleo diet didn’t seem like an obvious fit for me. It tries to emulate the nutritional intake of humans before the invention of agriculture. Just thinking about the fact that agriculture had to be invented rearranged my perspective on food. Grains, dairy, sugar, legumes and the sweeter varieties of fruit are all parts of my daily diet that originated 12,000 years ago with some dudes near the Tigris and Euphrates figuring out how seeds worked. Sudden ly, Breaking Bad seemed less fundamental to my way of life.

I’d gotten into the habit of grabbing lunch or dinner at work or between classes, usually something from the Delly or another SUB food outlet. But the kinds of food I could grab on the go don’t fit into hunter-gatherer feeding habits, so I started preparing food every night for the day to come. I might make a couple of hamburger patties to put in the fridge, which I could fry in the morning and take for lunch, plus a salad of spinach and tomatoes and an avocado (Tomatoes are a no-go, say some paleo-dieters, because they’re from the New World and wouldn’t have

Pork shoulder generally tastes better than it looks.

David Marino Photo/The Ubyssey

been available to our ancestors.

I say they’re Eurocentric). Avocados were a godsend: portable pockets of complex fat that didn’t need to be cooked. I’d never been a fan of the fruit outside guacamole, but that changed over the course of this experiment.

Early in t he week I slowcooked a pork shoulder and roasted some carrots and beets.

That chunk of pig kept me going for three days, serving either as lunch, dinner or both. Fat gives meat a lot of its flavour, but I’d never actually made a point of eating it as a source of energy.

With most of my calories coming from animal protein and the

few carbohydrates I could eke out of root vegetables, I began going out of my way to eat the squishy white bits of the animal.

I’d feel full for about half an hour after eating a plate of eggs, a slab of pork roast or a couple of hamburger patties; after that, though, I’d be hankering for something else to eat. The greatest change I noticed from this diet was the way my blood sugar stabilized.

Following my regular eating habits, I tend to spike violently—maybe a little hypoglycemically—between stuffed and starved, with little room in between. With the paleo diet, I was faintly hungry most of the

time, but not in a way that was distracting or sapped my energy. According to a July 2010 article from the Globe and Mail, the first two weeks on a paleo diet are the most uncomfortable, after which point appetite begins to wane and it becomes comfortable to go long periods without eating. Since this experiment fell well within that time limit, I can’t speak for the long-term effects of a caveman diet.

Also, you’re not supposed to drink alcohol when you’re on the paleo diet. I gave up on that part early on. You’d be amazed by how much a few shots of vodka can make you not care about abstaining from sandwiches.

Avoiding booze is supposed to be better for your health, but teetotalling has ulterior benefits. When you’ve been drinking, it’s easier to bend the rules.

I ruined my almost flawless record by sneaking a bag of Doritos while having beers at the Pit. Paleo is the Fight Club of diets. Nutritional theories aside, most of its appeal is built on the fact that it harkens back to a mythical proto-masculinity that revolves around physical mastery of one’s environment and killing things with sticks. Even the most devoted paleo disciples are buying t heir grassfed hormone-free heirloom beef products from Whole Foods or enviro-conscious butchers, and kicking it with their cave-pals at the local CrossFit gym rather than crouching around a fire

ringed by the shining eyes of predatory animals.

The reported effects of the paleo diet are subjective at best, and there’s no evidence that it benefits a human’s health in the long-run. Cutting refined sugars and processed food from your diet and limiting your intake of starches while exercising on at least a semi-regular basis is bound to have positive effects on your health. You’ll probably lose weight, too. But a radical change in “lifestyle” isn’t necessarily, well, necessary. If you’re really attached to the idea of a pre-agricultural lifestyle, you could try chasing down a young deer and bludgeoning it to death with a sharp rock, living in a tent made of hides and dying of a nosebleed at the age of 24. Personally, I’d rather just avoid eating junk food and go for a run once and a while. That’s the civilized way to go about it. U

Paleo Staples Unprocessed meat Seeds Avocados Spinach

Judging CiTR’s new vinyl comp by its cover Ginny Monaco gmonaco@ubyssey.ca It began as a clandestine meeting at Dairy Queen.

On Februrary 24, CiTR and Mint Records released Pop Alliance Compilation, a vinyl collection of Vancouver indie bands.

Work on the project started last July as a discussion between Duncan McHugh and Shena Yoshida over Blizzards.

“The vinyl was ... unique,” says McHugh, host of CiTR’s Duncan’s Donuts. “It’s been a long-time dream of CiTR record nerds to try and put out a record, but it’s quite expensive. [Mint] had some funding and so they bankrolled the whole thing. They said, ‘You guys pick the bands and we’ll take care of the expenses.’”

The final selection includes Fine Mist, No Kids and Slam Dunk, groups that can often be heard on McHugh’s show. “The whole idea was t hat there is a tremendous metal scene in Vancouver, there’s a great noise scene, a great hardcore scene.

There’s so many bands doing all sorts of niches that we want to focus on pop.”

There is no doubt that the vinyl record as a medium is experiencing a resurgence. McHugh feels it is more than an Urban Outfitters novelty. “There’s a warmth to records that you don’t get any other way. There’s just a permanence to putting something on vinyl that doesn’t exist in any other format.

“Music fans are flocking to it and it’s not because it’s easy to walk around with records. You have to want to own a record to buy one.”

A large part of McHugh’s love of the record format is the artwork and, coincidentally, that’s where Pop Alliance Compilation has drawn the most criticism.

David Barclay’s cover art features an appropriation of the Ellen Neel Kwakiutl totem pole outside Brock Hall. The image is superimposed with the likenesses of Dan Behar, Tim Hecker, Nardwuar and other notable figures from Vancouver’s musical community.

Each copy of the record includes Barclay’s artist statement, which begins, “For over 50 years, ‘college rock’ has been dominated by an elitist cultural

Ragnahild Marie Valstad photo/The Ubyssey

lexicon, reinforced by the institutionalized racism of the postsecondary education system in Canada and the US.” Barclay goes on to speak of CiTR’s support for “unlikely artistic voices that have become iconic local anti-corporate, anti-racist figures.” The statement then suggests to people, “Contact

the UBC President Stephen J. Toope about the university’s diversity, land use and artifact re-appropriation.”

As to the criticism, McHugh says, “They’re entitled to their opinions. I stand by the art. I certainly had hesitations about using that symbol but he convinced me it was a worthwhile use of it.” U

music

“Representing the CiTR community as a Northwest Coast-style totem pole...is a deliberate combination of both the uneasiness and the splendor of the station’s contemporary cultural history. CiTR has encouraged and supported unlikely artistic voices that have become iconic local anti-corporate, anti-racist figures (Joey Shithead) and important songwriters and musical innovators (Dan Bejar)...” a r t i s t ’ s s tat e m e n t, dav i d barclay

2 011. 0 3. 0 7/ u bys s e y.c a /c u ltu r e / 7

Radio station banned from BC university

News

Vancouver Island University says rowdy party was enough to give station the boot Danielle Pope C U P We s t e r n B u r e a u C h i e f

image courtesy Radio Malaspina Society

VICTORIA (CUP) — One British Columbia university has received a lot of static as of late after its student radio station was banned from hosting events on campus.

R adio Ma laspi na Societ y (RMS), known in Nanaimo as CHLY 101.7 FM, was recently banned from campus for hosting a party last October that resulted in “the destruction of property, trespassing, illegal alcohol and drug use, disrespecting security and general debauchery,” according to Vancouver Island University officials.

On December 8, Ric Kelm, VIU infrastructure and ancillary services executive director, sent t he station an official letter saying they would be banned from campus for one year, with the organization’s standing on campus under review.

“Radio Malaspina was issued written requirements, verbally and via email, regarding expected conduct at this event,” Kelm said in the letter.

“The signature on the contract indicates that expected conduct and behaviour were made aware to all parties involved.”

Because R MS operates at an off-campus office, the station is not being physically removed from any on-campus facility. Still, the inability to host student events could severely impact the station in a number of ways—namely, the ability to draw their needed 60 per cent student representation on the RMS board of directors, which would breach the BC Society Act and possibly jeopardize the station’s license to broadcast with the Canadian Radio-Television Telecommunications Commission.

Simon Schachner, president of the RMS board of directors, thinks the university is being heav y-handed with the issue and t hat many of t he prob lems have stemmed from a lack of clarit y surrounding the incident in question.

He a l so say s t he n at u re of such an event—a Halloween dance that was approved

by VIU officials to run until 4am—should have been an indicator to the university that rowdy behaviour was possible and that people may consume alcohol before coming to such an event.

“It seems like t he university was not prepared to host an event like this on campus, which is a learning experience for all of us,” said Schachner.

“We do understand their concerns, and we’ve learned that their space is not appropriate for n ig ht t ime event s. But I think it would be more appropriate to say, ‘No more night events’ than to ban us from campus altogether.”

In addition to the October party, the radio station also host s day t i me com mu n it y concerts, DJ and film showcases, sponsor and fundraising events and student-participation activities, all trad it ion a l ly on ca mpu s. The station a lso offers students a chance to get involved with broadcast radio and even host their own shows.

Toni O’Keeffe, communications director for the university, maintained that because the event was approved as a noalcohol activity, station members both broke and disregarded their agreement.

“We have many third-party organizations use our facilities, and never before have we seen our property left in such a disarray,” said O’Keeffe. “We have verbal reports from staff and students saying the whole thing was a gong show.”

While VIU officials have listed the accounts against the station, when RMS asked the university to provide evidence for the allegations, the university refused to do so.

“We don’t have to prove to them this evidence was true,” said O’Keeffe. “It’s all right there, and we have testimonials from our staff and security.

“This is a private property, and they broke the agreement to use our propert y in a respectful manner. It’s their own actions that got them here.”

O’Keeffe says the ban is, in part, to take a stance against “inappropriate behaviour” the university does not agree with.

“We have a responsibilit y to rent our facilities to organizations and groups with likeminded values, and we don’t want to convey that we support these destructive values,” O’Keeffe said.

She said the university does recognize the station’s value on campus a nd added t hat VIU officials have offered to meet with the station to further resolve the issue, though no meeting had occurred as of press time. She said removal of the ban will be based solely on the results of such a meeting and a declaration of goodwill from RMS towards t he university.

St even Bea sley, V I U st udents’ union executive director, said that while the radio station operates independently of the students’ union, the students are taking a supportive official stance.

“We support lifting the ban [on RMS] and believe they add something integral to the campus and community,” said Beasley. “The university does present a legitimate case, in terms of their concerns for a high level of safety, but... we think it’s important for student opportunities that the radio station maintains a presence on campus.”

Beasley sa id he bel ieves both sides can come together to solve the problem—and remove the ban—as soon as the parties sit down and negotiate.

However, he said the facilities themselves could be the biggest problem in the mix.

“The university does not have very good facilities for this kind of event [the October RMS party],” said Beasley. “The cafeteria where the event was held is a multi-use facility. It’s as much of a classroom as it is a café.”

Whi le Beasley was not at the October event, he believes there should be more transparency around t he accusations against RMS, and that this should be an opportunity for the university and radio station to find out what type of events currently do and don’t work on campus.

8/ u bys s e y.c a /c u ltu r e /2 011. 0 3. 0 7

beer: the real universal language?

For all you do, this supplement’s for you Jonny Wakefield culture@ubyssey.ca T h e re a re a couple of key talking points in any discussion of Canadian nationalism: bilingualism, multiculturalism, hockey and beer among them. The last one has been the topic of a considerable amount of scholarly research, to the point that it seems any introductory politics or history course requires a discussion of Molson’s “I am Canadian.” Grant McCracken, author of “Advertising: Meaning or Information?” says that consumers turn to such ads is search of “concepts of what it is to be...a member of a community or a country.”

So what does it mean when the most persistent answer to that tiresome “what is Canada” question is a ten-year-old commercial in which peace, order and good government are deployed to sell beer?

It’s a particularly interesting question on an international university campus like UBC, where most of the biggest intra-faculty and campus wide events involve kegs, and the occasional Molson sponsorship. In the next few articles, we’ll look at the question from a few angles we find interesting. In Russia, for example, beer was essentially a soda, classified as a foodstuff. Now Putin is moving to reclassify beer as alcohol. We had UBC professors and students from Russia weigh in on the role of alcohol in that country’s self definition.

We also talked to students who choose not to define the university experience by beer.

We spoke to Aiman Erbad, a director of the Muslim Student Association from Qatar, and asked if Canada or the university environment had tested his beliefs about alcohol. He said no. Kind of an open and shut case there.

And we took a look at the Brewers’ Association of Canada, a shadowy trust-like organization that lobbies for 97 per cent of breweries in Canada.

They were fairly forthcoming.

Still, is this big fish defining beer, and consequently Canada, in its own image? Reporter Mike Dickson says maybe.

So sit back and spend a few minutes with these articles.

Have a cold one. Or don’t. Regardless, cheers. U

Brewers’ Association of Canada: A quick primer Mike Dickson Contributor Quick, name the organization that represents a whopping 97 per cent of t he volume of beer sold and consumed in Canada.

Exactly.

The Brewers’ Association of Canada was formed in 1943 when brewers realized t here were adva nt ages to be ga ined by banding toget her to promote the interests of the industry, especially when it comes to government relations.

“We talk with t he gover n ment about a wide range of issues, a ny t h i n g we find t hat can affect our members,” said Andre Fortin, director of Public Affairs for the BAC. “These issues can be everything from corporate taxes to labelling initiatives.”

The lobbying power of the BAC was on display recently when the beer industry

dodged a bullet by winning an exempt ion to Ca nada’s new label lin g regu lat ions. They require food and beverages to show any hidden a l lergens, glutens or sulphites in their product— which the BAC successfully argued was akin to stating the obvious for a beverage made from barley. Wine and spirits are still prone to the new regulations.

Though the Conservatives’ well-publicized cutting of c or p ora t e t a x e s has been well-received by BAC cornerstones Labatt and Molson—who, together with Sleeman and Moosehead, comprise the majorit y of beer volume represented by t he lobby— Canadian beer is t he second highest-taxed in the world.

Those worried about little-guy microbreweries t hat make up t he ot her t hree per cent shou ld know t hat t hough t hey st and apart from ‘Big Beer,’ t hey a lso reap the benefits of the BAC’s activities.

The Conservatives’ cutting of corporate taxes has been well-received by the BAC: Canadian beer is the second highest-taxed in the world.

Arguably the biggest advantage t hey offer is the usage of the industry standard bottle.

Bottles are recycled, the glass is re-used and breweries can buy a share in the operation to greatly cut down on bottling costs.

“Smaller breweries often occupy a larger portion of t he consumer headspace than large ones,” said Mark Simpson, a brewing consultant for Dockside Brewers. “I think the Brewers Association of Canada’s activities are positive, a benefit to the entire industry and I respect what they do.” U

2 011. 0 3. 0 7/ u bys s e y.c a /c u ltu r e /9

In Russia, beer=food. Until last month.

Kait Bolongaro Contributor

In a bill adopted by the Russian State Duma last week, beer will now be classified as alcohol. Since 2005, beer was officially a foodstuff in the former Soviet Union and widely available for purchase at kiosks and near schools. The beverage is the most popular in Russia due to its widespread availability and it is consumed by people of all ages.

In fact, most Russians don’t even think of beer as alcohol.

“Beer isn’t considered alcohol,” said Peter Petro, a professor in the Central,

Eastern and Northern European Studies (CENES) department. “It’s like pop and costs the same [as pop]. Vodka and hard liquors are considered alcohol. If you ask for alcohol on a train, the [steward] will tell you there is no alcohol and offer you beer or wine instead.”

“Ten years ago, people could drink it on the streets,” said Irina Goundareva, a Russian-Canadian Masters student in the French, Italian and Hispanic Studies department. “It is very common for people to drink beer, especially in the summer when it’s refreshing on the beach and in the parks. Even in the zoo, beer is sold.”

The Kremlin claimed introduction of the bill was due to a severe health crisis due to the large amount of liquor consumed in Russia. The World Health Organization estimates that Russians consume 32 pints of pure alcohol per capita per year, more than double the recommended maximum.

There are accusations that Putin is simply using new concern over health as a mechanism to increase state revenue through higher taxation on beer and create higher profits for beer companies in Russia.

However, Petro and Goundareva disagree.

“This is a big health concern,” said Petro.

“I don’t see much of a personal agenda. Russia is the largest natural gas producer in the world. [Russia] has paid off its foreign debt and is enjoying high economic growth. It’s in a good position compared to other countries who have mortgaged their grandchildren’s future.”

“Putin might just pocket the revenue and show it’s better for the [Russian] people,” says Goundareva. “[New regulations] are better to protect young people because kids as young as 13 were drinking it and alcohol impacts the development of the nervous system and the brain. If the government cares about the people, they should limit its consumption.” U

Jonny Wakefield Illustration/The Ubyssey

Not imbibing an easy—and religious—choice for some Ginny Monaco gmonaco@ubyssey.ca In North America, many people associate university with books and beer. But the promise of alcohol that attracts certain students to faculty and AMS events is the very same thing that keeps others away.

“I don’t like those events,” said PhD candidate Aiman Erbad, Director of Education of the Muslim Student’s Association. “It throws me off, being in the company of those that are drinking is not something that I usually

do. I think it’s wasting my tuition money.”

Erbad is originally from Qatar, a country that has banned the importation of alcohol. It is illegal to drink or be drunk in public, though alcohol is sold in licensed hotel bars and restaurants and is legal with a permit.

Erbad’s first introduction to alcohol came with his move to the University of Washington in 2004.

“It was a big change when I moved to the dorms,” he says. “There is a big drinking culture, especially freshman year. It was a little bit

weird. I shared my room with a roommate and he used to drink.

The smell was a little funny.”

Despite his discomfort with alcohol, Erbad accepts that, for many students, it is a large part of the university experience. His sense of UBC community is fostered through involvement with the Muslim Student’s Association.

“I think we can’t really push for people to change simply because we don’t accept it. It’s part of the society that we live in here. But this is something that doesn’t represent us.” U

10/ubyssey.ca/referendum/2011.03.07

five questions, five choices: what you’ll be voting on this week

Tuition Question

U-pass Question Do you support and approve a $30.00 monthly U-Pass fee, beginning 1 September, 2011, ending 31 March, 2013?

This question is required by the provincial government for UBC students to join the Lower Mainland-wide U-Pass program. The fee was negotiated between the AMS, UBC and the provincial government and Translink. UBC does not have the option of keeping the current rate of $23.75 per month beyond August 2011. It will require students to show their student card as well as their pass when entering a bus.

Students will also have to pick up a new pass each month.

From now on should the AMS lobby for reduced tuition fees for both domestic and international students?

Created by petitioners who gathered 1200 signatures, the question asks for the AMS to re-examine their policy on tuition increases. Currently, the AMS’s stance is that increases to tuition are fine as long as they are due to inflation. If this question passes, it would require the AMS to revisit that policy and lobby both the government and university to reduce tuition. Whether it passes or fails is a message from students on how they want the AMS to handle fees.

Fee Question

AMS Membership Student Spaces Fund Resource Groups External and University Lobbying and Advocacy AMS Refugee Student Fund Sexual Assault Support Services Fund Student Services citr Sustainability Projects Fund International Projects Fund Student Clubs Benefit Fund Childcare Bursary Fund Student Legal Fund AMS Financial Assistance Fund Ubyssey Publication Society AMS Athletics and Intramurals Benefit AMS Health and Dental Plan Fund Total

total fee change Full-time students paying all fees will see a fee increase of $5 a year; while those who opt out of the health plan will see an increase of $19. With the exception of the Student Legal Fund, Financial Assistance Fund and Athletics and Intramurals Fund, all fees will be indexed to inflation.

Under the new structure, three per cent of AMSspecific fees collected will be placed into a fund

How to vote

Step 1 Log into the Student Service Centre using your Campus Wide Login.

Do you support and approv to the AMS Bylaw 1. Executive turnover/Elections: Moving Executive turnover from February to May 1. Moving Executive elections from January to a date between February 15 and March 15.

2. Lowering quorum: Reducing quorum at general meetings from 1000 students or 2% of AMS members (whichever is less) to 500 or 1% (whichever is more; i.e., quorum will never be less than 500) in the hope of achieving quorum more easily and thereby being able to conduct business at annual general meetings.

3. Removing Executives: Changing the procedures for removing Executives (and also Council Senators) to accord with the Society Act. Eliminating the power of Council to remove Executives (and Senate Caucus to remove Council Senators).

Executives and Council Senators will only be able to be removed by a 75% vote at a general meeting or in a referendum.

4. Executive remuneration and status: Stating that remuneration for Executives (and other elected and appointed officeholders) shall be determined by Council in the Code and deleting references to outdated honorarium payment levels currently in the Bylaws. Clarifying that Executives are not employees.

Bylaw Que

Do you support and accept adopting the student fee structure as presented?

fee

Bylaw Qu

Do you support and app changes to the AMS By

oldz fees

new fees

$ $ $ $ $ $

12.50 15.00 1.50 3.50 2.50 3.00

$

9.00

$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

1.00 12.00 5.00 21.00 228.37 314.37

$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

21.00 15.75 1.50 4.00 2.50 3.25 7.00 5.00 2.25 0.25 1.50 1.00 1.00 12.00 6.00 21.00 214.37 319.37

$5.00 so that students with financial need can apply to have their fees reimbursed. Students can opt-out of paying for the Health and Dental Plan, as well as Resource Groups, CiTR and Ubyssey fees. All students will pay the same amount regardless of classes taken should the question pass. If this referendum question fails, the current structure will stay in place.

Step 2 Click on “web-vote” under the “grades and records” heading.

Step 3 Click “vote” on each of the individual questions.

1. Renaming five positions: To comply with current practice, the four current Executive positions other than President will be renamed so that they will all be called Vice-Presidents (e.g., Director of Finance will become Vice-President Finance).

Also, “Secretary of SAC” will become “SAC Vice-Chair.”

2. Other name changes: “General Office” will change to “Administration Office,” “Registration Number” to “Student Number,” and “alternate” to “proxy.”

3. Gender neutrality: Replacing “he” with “they” or “he or she” or the title of the position held.

4. Minor editing: Changing “the Council” to “Council.” Removing unusual capitals and unnecessary commas. Correcting typographical, grammatical and numbering errors.

5. Summer School Association: Deleting references to this defunct association.

6. Constituency names: Updating the list of Constituencies to reflect the addition and removal of Schools and Faculties, and changes in their names.

7. Clarifications: Clarifying the meaning of “Special Resolution” by stating it means a resolution as defined under the Society Act passed by a 75% majority. Clarifying that “the Clerk” means the Clerk of Student Court.

8. Using the AMS website and newspapers besides The Ubyssey: Allowing notices to members to go on the AMS website or other

2011.03.07/ubyssey.ca/referendum/11

bottom Of the barrel:

ubc’s student union fees dead last

There are 16 English-speaking universities with more than 15,000 full-time students in Canada that have publicly available detailed information on the amount of money their student unions manage. UBC currently has the lowest fees. The totals were based on a student taking two terms of 15 credits per year and is the total of general student union fees, building maintenance, student newspapers and radio stations, sexual assault support services, resource groups and student services with an AMS equivalent, and sustainability and clubs fees. If the referendum passes, fees at UBC going to student unions/newspapers/radio stations will be the second lowest, after York. See www. ubyssey.ca for a full breakdown of the fees. Ryerson, Carleton and the University of Toronto were not included due to a lack of posted information.

uestion #1

rove the substantive changes ws as presented?

5. Public relations: Stating that the meaning of “public relations” will be as defined by Council in the Code in order to clarify the scope of the President’s role with respect to public relations.

6. VP Responsibilities: Giving the VP Academic the additional responsibility of working on such matters as academic development and campus planning; moving the duty to receive job applications from the VP Academic to the VP Administration; changing the VP Administration to the VP Student Affairs and giving that Executive the additional duties of promoting AMS events and generally improving student life. Also changing the titles of the four Executives besides the President to call them Vice-Presidents.

7. Records restrictions: Altering the current bylaw allowing all AMS members to view all AMS records to permit Council to adopt a policy pursuant to which records can be kept confidential where disclosure would be harmful to the financial or economic interests of the AMS or the security of the SUB or a computer or communications system, as well as where disclosure would disrupt an ongoing investigation, violate solicitor-client privilege, or reveal in camera discussions.

estion #2

prove the housekeeping ylaws as presented? electronic notice boards in addition to the established methods of giving notice. Allowing other campus publications to be used to give notice instead of The Ubyssey. Allowing the AMS budget to be published on the AMS website or other electronic notice board or any campus publication instead of in the first issue of The Ubyssey after approval of the budget.

9. Changing when Council members take office: Removing the requirement that Council members representing Constituencies take office at the time of the AMS annual general meeting (something that never happens). Stating that the student Board of Governors (BoG) representatives become Council members after they attend either a BoG committee meeting, a BoG retreat, or a full BoG meeting (and not just a full BoG meeting).

10. Changing the VP on Senate Caucus: Changing it from the VP External to the VP Academic, Caucus being more connected to the VP Academic portfolio.

11. SAC non-voting members: Allowing representatives of the General Manager and the VP Finance instead of the GM and VP Finance themselves to attend SAC meetings.

12. Records: Altering the current bylaw allowing all AMS members to view all AMS records by saying that access will be subject to applicable privacy laws and other laws.

Also allowing records to be moved out of the main AMS office.

1. McMaster $110.05 “Organization fee” doesn’t include health care or transit pass

2. SFU Includes $4 fee for “Sustainable SFU” fund

3. McGill Includes $2.50 for “Environment Fee” and $4 for “Campus Life Fund”

4. Western Includes $9.30 for the Gazette newspaper, which prints four times a week

5. Queen’s Fees for the Environment Fund and clubs are opt-outable

6. UVic Includes $5 fee for “Club and Course Unions” fund

7. Guelph Not included are fees for clubs, including 12 cents to “Science for Peace”

8. Ottawa Includes $4 fee for “Sustainable Development” and a $2.12 club fee

9. Concordia At $7.50 each, their sustainability and club fees are the largest in Canada

10. Waterloo Their student union is called “FEDS.” There’s no W in that!

11. Calgary Their executives are among the highest paid in Canada, making $35,160 each in 2009.

12. Alberta Not included is the $17.99 students pay towards bursaries

13. Saskatchewan Students also pay a $110 Infrastructure Fee for their new building

14. Manitoba Includes $2.50 fee to the University Recycling and Environment Group

15. York If UBC passes the fee question, York will will have the lowest fees for their student union in the country

16. UBC Unlike most schools on this list, UBC’s fees aren’t set to inflation

$127.35

$117.28

$107.02

$105.30

$100.60

$98.90

$91.78

$89.26

$87.90

$84.50

$84

$81.36

$74.56

$73.50

$53.70

$49.50

$17.25

1 2 / u b y s s e y. c a / g a m e s / 2 0 11 . 0 3 . 0 7

games & comics comicmaster, by maria cirstea

crossword

blundergrads, by phil flickinger (blundergrads.com)

Puzzles provided by BestCrosswords.com. Used with permission.

ski ninjas, by kyle lees (the argus)

suscomic.com, by mike bround

Across

Down

1. Spanish river 6. Gives up 11. Besides 14. Icon 15. Bloodsucking worm 16. It breaks daily 17. Turkish title 18. Metallic mixture 19. Actress Balin 20. Lean and sinewy 22. Sudden impact 24. Roast 28. Dull 30. Speaks publicly 31. Staggering 32. Favored 33. Capable of being generated 37. Bill’s partner 38. Band 39. Black gold 40. Revocation 43. Abu ___ 45. Chairs 46. Rubbed out 47. Yellowish brown pigment 49. Clattering noise 50. Italian composer 51. Mil. leaders 52. Nabokov novel 53. Large wave caused by tidal flow 56. Earth 61. Convened 62. Low point 63. Atoll unit 64. Chemical ending 65. Delicious 66. Brahmin, e.g.

1. Apex 2. Doc bloc 3. Beetle juice?

4. Exclamation of disgust 5. Kelp 6. Strongly fragrant sage 7. Hard to hold 8. Singer Shannon 9. Author Umberto 10. Unprofessional lawyer 11. “Farewell!”

12. John Garner 13. Aborigine of Borneo 21. Conditions 23. Hawaiian native dance 24. Puccini heroine 25. Betelgeuse’s constellation 26. Radioactive gas 27. Hwy. 28. Ready...

29. High-pitched tone 31. Ages 33. Actress Scacchi 34. Brag 35. Defamation 36. Exclude, remove 38. Counterfeiter catcher 41. Not new 42. Not strict 43. Severe 44. Covering for the head 46. Directional ending 47. Four-door 48. Angry 49. Drunken 50. Flower holder 51. Pluck 54. Battery size 55. Mdse.

57. Conductor ___-Pekka Salonen 58. Treasure Island monogram 59. Emeritus: Abbr.

60. Broke bread

Likealittle Weekly Top Five Flirts At Buchanan A: Female, Black hair. To the cute asian girl (I know my description sucks), who has a class in the room right after my poli class. I’m too shy to tell you this in person so I hope you see this post somehow. Just seeing you for those few seconds every Monday, Wednesday and Friday makes attending the lecture worth it.

At 41 Bus: Female, Brunette.

Yesterday, Saturday, I saw you on the 41 and you got off at Cambie before I could get the nerve to say hi. You were wearing white headphones over a blue toque and a beige pea-coat.

Your wavy hair framed your angelic face, my friend also offered you a seat before you got off. I was sitting right in front of you.

At Between Irving & Koerner: Male, Redhead. Rupert Grint lookalike, please take the portkey to my heart.

At Life Sciences Centre: Male, Brunette. You were at the “Choose Your Major” science workshop last night, sitting near

the top, wearing a grey shirt. I was in the row above you and you looked up and we made eye contact and you were sooo cute :) At Chemistry Building: Female, Brunette. You have the prettiest eyes and your smile makes me melt inside. I love the way you play with your curly hair.

I’m looking for the right opportunity to say hi. You seem like such a genuine person. I’d do anything to get to know you. It’s so hard these days to introduce yourself without being creepy.

solution

Submit your comics to our website at ubyssey.ca/volunteer/ submit-a-comic. virginie menard | production@ubyssey.ca

U theubyssey.ca

2011.03.07/ubyssey.ca/advertisement/13

14 / u b y s s e y. c a / s p o r t s / 2 011 . 0 3 . 0 7

sports

editor MARIE VONDRACEK » sports@ubyssey.ca

UBC wins fourth straight national banner T-Birds become most decorated CIS volleyball team ever

The T-Birds jump with national domination-sized joy for the fourth straight time. Yan Doublet Courtesy of the CIS

marie vondracek sports@ubyssey.ca The Thunderbirds became the most decorated team in CIS women’s vol leyba l l histor y thanks to a dominating gold medal win over tournament host the Laval Rouge et Or in straight sets (25-16, 25-18 and 25-14).

UBC’s four-year championship run is the third-longest

in history, trailing only the six consecutive banners won by Alberta (1995-2000) and Winnipeg (1983-1988). It marked the eighth national title for the T-Birds since the inaugural CIS championship in 1970, one more t han A lberta and Winnipeg.

“Looking back over these last four years, we’re very thankful and very grateful. If you look at it, there were a whole number

of years where we had a reputation as a good program with good people but always falling that little bit short,” said T-Birds head coach Doug Reimer. “The success the team is having now wouldn’t have happened without everything we’ve done over the last 15 years. This culture began more than four years ago.”

The whole bench brought something to the table all weekend, a necessary trait due to the

loss of middle Jessica von Schilling, who fell to a leg injury in the week prior to the nationals.

Rookie middle Mariah Bruinsma took her place in the rotation and received support from her teammates all across the floor throughout the weekend.

“I think we’re growing right now. These last two weeks have been special. It’s absolutely rewarding,” said Reimer, prior to arriving in Québec City. “A lot of these players have had a taste of nat iona l championships, and once you have a taste you want more.”

The palate-wetting began w it h a toug h qua rter -fina l matchup a ga i nst t he Sher brooke Vert et Or. UBC jumped out to an impressive start, piling up 15 kills on .379 hitting while holding Sherbrooke to -.091 and just five kills, but the Vert et Or responded with 10 kills on .200 hitting to take the third set 25-23.

“All of t he Québec teams, when they get on a roll and play good defence, are tough to play against. We’ve seen it before at nationals,” said Reimer after the match. “The middle part of the match they out-served and out-passed us. They also gained confidence the longer they were playing, so it was important for us to come out with a good effort like we did in the fourth set.”

The T-Birds responded to the challenge with another strong fourth set to take the match 3-1 (25-13, 25-18, 23-25, 25-12). Rayel Quiring had a big match for UBC with 10 kills on .304 hitting to go along with five service aces.

“I thought Rayel had a very good game energy wise. She did a lot for us,” said Reimer. “She’s just one player that can take a lot of positives away from today’s match. For a lot of our players, it’s their first time playing significant minutes at the national championship. Even for our veterans, it’s still the first round

and it’s definitely a different atmosphere here.”

Despite the third set lapse, Reimer was happy that his team showed the character he knew it had. “Our expectation of how the first round should go is sometimes not the most realistic and it’s probably better to struggle a little bit and then come back tomorrow even more focused,” said Reimer. “We’re happy that we bounced back from a bad set, like we did in the Canada West final, and that we can be comfortable making some in-game adjustments.”

In the semi-final 3-0 sweep of Alberta (25-17, 25-15 and 2522), UBC created a gap that was almost impossible to overcome.

“I was prepared for a very long and tough match—that was my expectation. I don’t have the feeling that Alberta didn’t show up to play. I think we won that match,” observed Reimer after the key win.

With the win, the Thunderbirds earned a seat in the final game of the tournament for the sixth time in the last seven years, with a chance to be the best in the country and in history.

In the Sunday afternoon final, UBC hit .352 as a team while holding Laval to .034. UBC also out-blocked Laval 8-1. Playing in the final match of her stellar university career, UBC’s Canadian national team member Jen Hinze was named game MVP for the winning side. Hinze put in eight points and fellow national team member Kyla Richey led the ‘Birds with points in the final with 18 points and 16 kills.

CIS player of the year Shanice Marcelle added 13 kills in the banner win and expressed exhilaration after the match.

“It’s just an incredible feeling to win with 18 of my best friends. Everyone contributed this weekend, it really was a group effort and an amazing end to a great season.” U

Thunderbird Athlete Council

athlete of the week

Shanice Marcelle Shanice Marcelle has earned athlete of the week honours for her performance at the CanWest final four championship last week here at UBC. Marcelle was recently named CanWest MVP and last weekend she certainly proved why. In the semi-final game against Manitoba, the ‘Birds won 3-0 and Marcelle had 12 kills on .440 hitting and an impressive four aces.

In the CanWest final the following night, Marcelle executed some crucial plays to lead the team from being behind at 2-1, onwards to a 3-2 win, earning the ‘Birds their third straight CanWest victory. The team competed this weekend in the finals at nationals in Québec City, where they won their fourth straight national championship banner. U —Amelia Rajala

CIS player of the year. Yan Droulet Courtesy of the CIS

2 011 . 0 3 . 0 7/ u b y s s e y. c a / s p o r t s /1 5

Basketball domination in fourth straight CanWest title Drake Fenton Contributor

Alex Murphy played the game of his life in his final match as a Thunderbird at War Memorial on Saturday. Geoff lister Photo/The Ubyssey

Saturday night the UBC men’s basketball team certified its ranking as one of the top programs in the country, defeating the University of Saskatchewan Huskies 107-100 to win the Canada West championship.

During the last eight years UBC has been a perennial powerhouse in CIS basketball, and Saturday’s victory garnered them their fourth Canada West title in that span. Though the victory was special for the team as a collective whole, the crowd of 1743 people at War Memorial Gym knew the night truly belonged to fifth-year guard Alex Murphy and his career-high 34-point evening.

“Alex Murphy...what an unbelievable performance,” said UBC head coach Kevin Hanson.

Moments after t he game concluded, an ecstatic Hanson pulled Murphy to the sideline for a hug and whispered into his ear.

Chuckling while he recalled the moment, Hanson relayed what he told Murphy: “I asked him if he wanted [the gym] to be renamed ‘The Alex Murphy Court.’”

The praise Hanson loaded on Murphy was by no means undeserved. Along with his 34 points, Murphy added eight assists and four steals. More astonishing, however, was his spectacular 21 for 22 from the foul line. Murphy’s versatility Saturday night even extended off the court; at one point, midway through the game, he grabbed a mop and began wiping sweat

off the court. His performance was a fitting end to a five-year career, as Saturday marked the last time he would play for UBC at War Memorial.

“It’s an emotional [experience] more than anything else; I’ve put in a lot of time here. It feels great right now,” said Murphy.

Post-game, Murphy and his teammates may have been emotional, but maintaining poise in clutch situations was what defined their play for the majority of the contest.

In the third quarter, with 20 seconds left on the clock, UBC held a narrow 67-66 advantage.

Following a Balraj Bains foul, Saskatchewan’s Nolan Brudehl stepped to the line with an opportunity to drain two shots and propelled the Huskies to their first lead of the night.

Perhaps it was the roaring crowd, or perhaps his nerves got to him. Whatever the case, Brudehl faltered and missed both of his shots. UBC’s Graham Bath scooped up the rebound after the second shot and moments later he was down the court driving the lane. Bath’s lay-up didn’t find any netting, but he was able to rebound his own shot. On his second chance he capitalized. The basket closed the quarter and put UBC up 6966. It was the closest Saskatchewan came to a lead that night.

Burdehl’s missed foul shots came to define the Huskies’ night. They went 24 for 38 (63 per cent) from the foul line and an abysmal 11 for 20 in the second half. UBC, on the other hand, went 34-40 (85 per cent) on the evening.

A lack of consistency and poise in the clutch might have hurt the Huskies’ chances at victory, but their all-out effort kept the game within an arm’s reach throughout the night. Guard Jamelle Barrett, who was named the conference’s MVP the night before, ended the match with 35 points. “[Barrett] was single-handedly keeping them in the game. We tried to double-team him but he got through double teams and he got through triple teams. I was running out of ideas, as a coach, for what to do with him,” Hanson commented.

With stopping Barrett proving exceedingly troublesome and big men Kamar Burke and Balraj Bains both fouled out of the game, UBC responded in the fourth quarter in the only way that seemed applicable—a relentless offensive attack.

“We ended up going small ball at the end, with five guards playing out there,” said Hanson.

Guard Doug Plumb chipped in 10 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter and 11 of Murphy’s points came in the final frame. UBC finished the quarter with a game-high 38 points. The Huskies were unable to match UBC’s pace and t he T-Birds’ “small ball” produced lighting quick transitions down court that proved too arduous for Saskatchewan’s defence.

The Alex Murphy-led ‘Birds will be heading to the CIS national championships next week in Halifax as the No. 1 ranked team in the nation. UBC will be looking to avenge their second place finishes in the previous two years. U

Harry Jones—an inspiring rugby student-athlete Drake Fenton Contributor O vercom i n g adversit y has been something that UBC rugby product Harry Jones has become quite used to in his athletic career. He has represented Canada three times at the junior national level as well as playing nationally with the senior men’s seven’s roster. Compared to the competition overseas—Australia, New Zealand, South Africa—Canada is not a rugby superpower. Thus Jones has played and battled against opponents with much more invested and developed programs.

In 2009, when Harry travelled to Japan with the U20 national team which he captained, the skill level of his opposition was readily apparent.

“We played a team from Australia and a lot of their guys played in Australia’s Super 14 league. That’s arguably one of the best rugby leagues in the world; obviously, playing against guys at that level is tough,” Jones said.

National accomplishments and accolades aside, Jones is first and foremost a UBC student. He is a fourth-year student in the Sauder School of Business. It’s with the varsity men’s rugby team during the school year where he has perhaps faced the biggest adversity of his career.

For the last year and half, up until this semester, Jones has been forced to act as a cheerleader on the sideline rather than a game changer on the field. He was diagnosed with Osteitis pubis—an injury caused by inflammation of the joints in the pelvic region, causing acute and chronic groin pain. Performing sustained physical activity

with this type of injury eventually becomes impossible.

I n it i a l l y, Jon e s b a t t l e d through the pain and played with the injury. He suffered through it while playing in Japan with the U20 national team, and continued to play with it while representing Team BC (in the summer of 2009) in a senior men’s national competition.

By the end of the competition, Jones had nothing left in the tank. “My body was physically unable to handle it any more,” he said. “After the end of the [Team BC] competition I was unable to do anything for about five months. I couldn’t work out, I couldn’t run, all I could do was rest. During that time watching [UBC games] was really hard and frustrating; I wanted to be out there with the guys.” A year after that, which consisted of nothing but rest, rehab and school, Harry was medically cleared to play again.

Bram Newman, the rugby team’s head medical trainer, described why the injury left Jones out of rugby for such an extended period.

“It is somet hing t hat has a fast onset with pain, and it is something that can linger around for a long, long time if not treated properly from the get-go. With Harry’s case there were a few road bumps [in diagnosing the injury] but once we figured out exactly what was wrong we immediately began focusing on getting him healthy.”

Since returning from injury, Jones has proven that his presence was worth waiting for. He has produced tries in three of the four games he has played. His return to the field is one UBC head coach Spence McTavish is excited about. “Harry’s always been one of our top

players,” said McTavish. “We’re glad to have him back in the line-up, he’s a big help. There’s a noticeable difference with him out. He’s a guy out there that has some pace and decision-making abilities and that makes him a big addition.”

Yet a successful recovery and a return to rugby is hardly surprising in Harry’s case; toughness and the ability to overcome adversity run in his blood.

Harry has twin brothers, Ben and Charley, who are two years his senior. For over five years, while completing undergraduate and graduate work, each has predominately played for the varsity squad. Like Harry, each has suffered debilitating injuries which they’ve had to overcome. Ben has torn his ACL (knee ligament) three times, most recently at the beginning of this season. He expects to return to play again next year. Likewise, Charley has torn ligaments in his knee and has also suffered intensive pelvic injuries. On two separate occasions his season has been cut short by injuries.

He currently captains the UBC squad.

Charley, who plays in the back line with Harry, is excited to once again be reunited with his brother. “We read the game the same way. A lot of the times we pick what the other person is going to do and feed off that.

It really makes it a lot easier to play.” When on the field together you might compare them to the Sedins—minus, of course, the red hair, goatees and Swedish passports.

UBC will shortly enter the heart of its season flying down to California to play archrival Berkeley.

Harry expects to be healthy and ready for the contest. His

Jones out of reach of his competition. Richard Lam Photo/UBC athletics

plan for keeping his body fresh?

It’s not your typical male sports cliché.

“I didn’t want to admit this... but I recently started doing yoga.

It rejuvenates the body after the beatings we take on game day.”

Jones’s yoga will come in handy as he and his team compete

in the National Invitational University Rugby Sevens Championship, which will take place at UBC at Thunderbird Stadium from March 11-12. UBC students with their student cards will get free entry to all matches. For the full schedule, go to www.rugbycanada.ca. U

16 / u b y s s e y. c a / s p o r t s / 2 011 . 0 3 . 0 7

Mike Liambas leaves UBC for the pros

Upon a two game suspension, Liambas pursues ECHL contract Marie Vondracek sports@ubyssey.ca Mike Liambas will be playing hockey next year—but he won’t be doing it for the UBC Thunderbirds.

His UBC coach, Mi lan Dragicevic, confirmed to the Vancouver Sun on Thursday that Liambas would pursue opportunities in the East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) and stressed that he was not condoning Liambas’s actions. Dragicevic felt that any further penalties against Liambas would be unfair after his two-game suspension for causing an injury to Alberta Golden Bears captain Eric Hunter last weekend.

“If this was any other player besides Mike Liambas, if this had happened to anyone else in our league, he would have got the two game-suspension and it would be a done deal,” said Dragicevic. “But because it’s Mike Liambas, with his past and his reputation, they are making this into a big deal.

There is nothing in the referee’s report that says Mike did anything besides instigate a fight.”

Liambas came to UBC with an infamous reputation, having been banned from the OHL for a hit that resulted in a skull fracture for Ben Fanelli of the Erie Otters. After being cut by the Toronto Maple Leafs in training camp last September, he came to UBC for a chance to play hockey while pursuing his education.

“When we recruited him last year, we recruited him because he was a character player,” said Dragicevic. “We understood he was dealing with an extremely difficult situation,” referring to Liambas’s ban from OHL hockey. “But he was a leader on all the teams he’s played on and he has a passion to play hockey, all of which we are looking for in a player on our team.”

Now t hat Lia mbas is no longer a Thunderbird, he has signed a contract with the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL, playing in his first game Saturday against the Toledo Walleyes and racking up two shots and seven penalty minutes—including one fight. Though Liambas has declined all comment and his teammates have refused to speculate on his motives for

Liambas, number 24, squeezed out of the CIS. David Elop photo/The Ubyssey

leaving, he has the support of his team.

“He knows what direction he wants to go in, one where he’s pursuing professional hockey in the minor leagues,” said veteran fifth-year teammate Max Gordichuk. “If that’s what he wants to do, it’s what he’s gotta do. If he doesn’t want to be in school right now then he needs to do what will be good for him.”

Dragicevic felt that Liambas’s time with the ‘Birds had helped prepare him for future hockey endeavours. “Over his six months playing with us he’s really improved on his play.

He’s learned a lot and worked his way into the line up, even

playing on the penalty kill and the power play for us.”

Gordichuk expressed joy in playing with Liambas. “He’s an extremely nice guy with a tremendous work ethic. He’s also a great student but most importantly, he simply loves hockey.”

Two weeks ago Friday, many described Liambas’ actions as an attack, saying that he sucker-punched Hunter’s blind side from behind and drove him into the ice, resulting in facial cuts and a ‘concussion.’

On Tuesday, Hunter said to an Edmonton journal reporter, “I think the concussion side of it was precautionary. There were a lot of symptoms when

it happened, subtle symptoms on Saturday and they started to dissipate from there.

“To say if it was a concussion or if it wasn’t a concussion, I’d say it probably wasn’t, just seeing where I’m at right now. But you have to sort of take those precautionary steps when it happens.”

The details of Liambas and Hunter’s altercation are still contested, since game footage didn’t capture the incident in its entirety.

“A l l you cou ld see is t he gloves come off and then the film follows the puck,” Canada West men’s hockey convenor Bill Seymour said.

“So you don’t see anything.

Then (the camera) comes back and Liambas is on top of him… it’s not a very good video; we don’t have six cameras like the NHL. “Liambas certainly has his reputation and his past will certainly play a part,” he added.

Though he may now be in Cincinnati, UBC head coach Milan Dragicevic stood beside his passionate former player. “There was no pre-meditation. Our player got speared, there was no call and he retaliated.

“We support Mike Liambas as a person 100 per cent and we are going to support him through this as well.” U

More sports funding in NCAA move? Probably not.

Equal male and female scholarship allowance will create three possible scenarios Dylan Wall Contributor ‘Moving to the NCAA will offer our athletes more opportunity for competition and scholarship and help keep Canadians from moving south of the border.’ That is the argument to move to the NCAA, but that belief is not shared with all UBC varsity athletes.

Although most believe the switch will foster more competition, some disagree that cha n gin g to t he NCA A w i l l resu lt in more schola rsh ip funding.

“If UBC were in the NCAA there would be more competition, at least for volleyball any ways,” said Garret LaValley, T- bi rd vol leyba l l play er. “Our volleyball team has

played games against Hawaii in the past and won, and Hawa i i has norma l ly been i n the middle of the pack in the NCA A .” Cer t a i n ly it wou ld be more competitive than in Canada, where UBC’s volleyball program has consistently been one of the best in the country.

But when it came to scholarships, he was doubtful. “I don’t know whether or not it would change the amount of funding for athletes.”

He has good reason to be uncertain. According to the UBC Review Committee Repor t , r e lea sed i n Ja nu a r y 2011, t he universit y spends 80 per cent of its scholarship limit for CIS sports and only 32 per cent for NAIA sports.

The limit in the CIS is $5500

per athlete given to a maximum of 70 per cent of the athletes in each sport. Similarly, the NAIA also caps its number of scholarships and places a $16,000 limit on each athlete.

The move from the CIS to t he NCA A Division II would allow individual scholarships to increase up to $16,000 and extend from 175 athletes (70 per cent of UBC at hletes) to 203.5 (109 for males and 97.5 for females). However, if the limit is expanded, will that actually result in more funding from the university?

At h let es a re skept ica l. A football player who asked to remain anonymous said, “I don’t know if it would mean an overall increase [of scholarship funding]. We haven’t talked about it at all, really.

But I think you may see more money go to star athletes and there will be less left for average players.”

He went on to say the move to the NCAA may attract more American players. And, “in football, there is a stigma that American players are better. I think you may see more scholarships go to Americans and actually be taken away from Canadian athletes.” This would be counter-productive in trying to keep athletes from moving to the States.

Finally, the NCAA has limit s t o t he nu mber of m a le scholarships in comparison to female scholarships. From a dist ance t h is looks good: e q u a l it y a m on g m e n a n d women. However, in varsity sports, there tend to be many

more male at hletes. This is largely due to football, which at UBC involves almost 100 athletes.

SFU swimmer Sara Pfeifer put it best: “Scholarships for males have to equal those for females. Since there are way more male athletes than females, [UBC] has three options: add female sports, offer more money to females, or cut male funding.” Most schools in the USA have done a combination of the three.

But more importantly, if university funding does not increase at UBC, male scholarship funding would have to decrease. When it comes to supporting Canadian student athletes, the switch to the NCAA may actually do more harm than good. U

2011.03.07/ubyssey.ca/referendum/17

referendum letters On Ubyssey and CitR Bias This week’s AMS referendum has highlighted serious concerns with the independence of our major media. Both CiTR radio and The Ubyssey newspaper are tied into the same fee question as the ones for the AMS. Although they are incorporated independently, the fee question on the ballot requires you agree to fees for all or none. But why? The radio and the newspaper have a fair amount of influence on campus. If the AMS had separated the fee question for the media, then the media would not have to make a strong case for the AMS fees. But tying them together has already shown that the AMS’s strategy is working.

The CiTR radio has been pumping the vote-yes message. The Ubyssey paper has produced a video advertising the random slush funds that the AMS is proposing. They know that if students vote against the new fee structure, the media will not receive any funding. But if the media are not covering the referendum critically, do they even deserve extra funding?

When independent media give into bribes by the leadership, the community does not get the critical perspectives it deserves.

The media had the choice of separating itself from the AMS on the ballot and should have done that. I will consider giving them extra funding when they maintain their independence and bring a critical perspective on issues on campus. Until then, I am voting yes only for the U-Pass.

— Rael Katz quorum should be high I was surprised to see that the AMS is trying to lower the number of students required to pass bylaws in an annual general meeting from 1000 to 500. For an organization that represents more than 48,000 students, how can

the AMS expect to change its bylaws with the votes of merely 500?

Bylaws of the AMS act like the constitution of a country. They protect the community against personal political agenda of the leadership. Just like every country has a formula to change its constitution, the AMS’s current bylaws require that at least 1,000 students show up to a special meeting or that AMS runs a campus-wide referendum with over eight per cent of students voting and more than 50 per cent of voters vote in favour.

In the past, AMS has only managed to change bylaws by running a campus-wide referendum—a democratic process. That’s because the AMS has never been able to bring 1000 students to a special meeting. But the AMS is now trying to change its bylawchanging formula to by-pass the uninvolved students.

The AMS is running a referendum to get students to reduce the number of students required to pass a bylaw in an annual general meeting from 1000 to 500.

That’s the average number of students paying attention to the AMS regularly!

AMS is a multi-million dollar organization that levies fees on 48,000+ students and speaks on our behalf to the government and UBC, so it has to be accountable to us all. A mere 500 quorum is too small for changing the bylaws. If the AMS is having trouble bringing 1,000 students (that’s less than .02 per cent of us) to a meeting, it should do a better job in communication and making itself more present instead of just lowering the quorum.

—Rebecca Souchuns health plan changes risky The AMS has delivered on two things very well so far: the U-Pass program and the Health and Dental insurance. I am pleased with both, but I don’t like the risks that the proposed fee referendum

exposes our health insurance plan to. Firstly, let me say that I’m disappointed that the AMS has not made it clear in its voteyes campaign that students don’t have to vote yes for the proposed AMS fees to keep their U-Pass. UPass and fees are separate questions on the ballot!

Secondly, the AMS is taking $14 per student out of the current Health and Dental Plan and shifting it into other funds—some random funds without very good definition or relevance to regular students. The AMS says that it has negotiated a deal with its insurance-provider for the same coverage at a lower price. Very welldone, but they are not telling us about the other relevant annual negotiation.

The AMS negotiates with its insurance-provider an annual payment based on students’ usage, which varies yearly. In the past, when the AMS paid the insurance provider less than the total it collected from students, the rest was saved in a designated reserve fund. In other years, when the AMS had to pay more, it took it out of the reserve.

The new fee structure essentially eliminates the designated reserve fund. That means that in a year when students use their coverage a lot more, the AMS has to either cut coverage or increase fees in the following year.

Unacceptable!

I am grateful for my U-Pass and I am voting in favour of it. I am voting against the new fees, because I am not willing to risk lowering my insurance coverage in return for random funds that only benefit a small group of students.

—Eric Goldstein Why I Support the AMS Referendum Questions The last general fee increase by the Alma Mater Society of UBC Vancouver occurred in 1982.

The fee is not tied to inflation,

meaning it is now worth less than half its original amount.

Despite the decreasing value of the fee, services and resources that the AMS runs have increased over the past 30 years.

In fact, the AMS provides services that are usually offered by university administrations.

From the Sexual Assault Support Centre to the Advocacy Office to the AMS Foodbank, the AMS runs services that help students in times of need. Additionally, the AMS provides space and funding for over 350 clubs, lobbies on behalf of students to create joint programs like the U-Pass, provides subsidies for students in financial need and employs hundreds of students in its variety of food and beverage outlets in the SUB. The purpose of the referendum is to allow the AMS to maintain these services and the level of support it provides to students. It also allows the Society to grow and better meet student needs. The AMS resource groups and the related fee increase are not “slush funds”; they represent and support the diverse backgrounds of AMS members.

If the referendum fails, there will be significant funding cuts to the valuable services listed above. Voting yes for the new fee structure and the more efficient bylaws will make the AMS a sustainable organization that can increase the availability of resources students demand.

It’s unfortunate that the important day-to-day work of the AMS has been overshadowed by a few negative highlights in recent history. I chose to coordinate this referendum because I know that these changes will allow UBC’s student society to function more efficiently and provide the greatest support to students.

—Alyssa Koehn Head of the Vote Yes Committee Vote yes for U-Pass, No for Fees and Bylaws The U-Pass is a great deal and is a separate question on the ballot, so you can vote in favour of it while voting against the new fees and bylaws—something that the AMS’s vote yes campaign is not explicitly telling us!

The substantive changes undermine democracy as the AMS is proposing to lower the number of students needed to change future bylaws from 1000 to 500!

Allowing the AMS to rely on merely 500 students to change its bylaws, which are fundamental to protecting us against the personal agendas of AMS leaders, is irresponsible and undemocratic. How can the AMS call it representative for 500 insiders to determine the fate of 48,000+ students?

Having met with the new AMS Executives, I’ve concluded that despite their good intentions, they rushed into creating a fee structure without consulting students. They did consult, but only with those who directly benefit from the new funds.

In my investigations, I also learned that the AMS’s so-called deficit is only an “accounting” deficit and not a real one. And even the “accounting” deficit is projected to be at $140,000, so I asked why the AMS was asking for an extra $800,000. It turned out to be a strategy to drum up support!

As you can see from the fee table, it creates random slush funds without any detailed definition on who will decide how the funds will be spent and for what—contrary to how the AMS’s previous funds in previous referendums were presented. Most notably, all fees are tied together so students can’t choose. This forces those benefiting from the funds to push for them. The Ubyssey newspaper is already pumping it strongly as they’re receiving fees. The total fee adds up to $19/student, which AMS considered to be unappealing to voters. So they transferred $14 out of the Health and Dental plan to these new funds in order to reduce the payable extra fee to $5—although you’ll pay the full $19 if you opted out of the insurance plan.

But this shift of funding severely exposes our Health and Dental plan coverage to the risk of being cut substantially in the future. I’ve explained it in detail on www.noQuickBuck.ca.

Additionally, discussions at AMS Council confirmed that most funds have no plans attached to them. Most discussed was the sustainability fund ($100,000), present because students are said to care about “sustainability.”

Finally, the AMS wants more money for its services but it has not optimized them recently. For example, the cost of Safewalk is currently higher than transporting the same people in a limousine! Why has AMS not found a better way of addressing safety?

Or running Safewalk with volunteers like the rest of Canadian campuses do?

The AMS needs to start over and create a better fee structure in consultation with students.

Details on my investigation and an entertaining video of an AMS President impersonator are at www.noQuickBuck.ca.

—Nick Frank Head of the Vote No Committee

The “no” side outlettered the “yes” side five to one this week (the other two will be posted online). Can the yes side recover?

Tune in Thursday! Or, alternatively, email us your 300-word or less letter to feedback@ ubyssey.ca.

Justin McElroy coordinating@ubyssey.ca

U theubyssey.ca

18/ u bys sey.ca / fe atu r e/2 011.03.07

Student depression on the rise: How is UBC coping?

Jonny Wakefield culture@ubyssey.ca Like any student, Joanna Chiu was nervous when she was entering university. She was anxious about doing well, about living on her own and about meeting new people. She lived in Vanier and started going to parties around rez.

Things started to get heav y.

“I started drinking and experimenting with drugs for the first t ime,” she said. “It was ver y overwhelming.”

Joanna, who said she was sheltered during high school, was unsure of how to control herself in an environment she called a “hook-up culture.” She was sexually assaulted and developed an eating disorder. For Joanna, all the stresses of university were compounded by an overwhelming sense of guilt.

By the middle of second year, she was at the end of her rope and felt like dropping out.

“It led to a prolonged emotional hangover,” she said.

More students than we may think find themselves in similar situations. Recently, a pair of studies looking at mental health on university campuses revealed just how common problems of depression and stress-related mental illness are among students.

The National College Health Assessment (NCHA) generally gets the most attention. The NCHA is a comprehensive health survey for university students compiled by the American College Health Association and usually has around 300 schools in the US and Canada participating. The numbers are startling.

Across the board, students reported feeling more and more depressed each year, with the numbers for UBC students notably high.

Thirty-six per cent of UBC students who took the 2009 survey said that in the last year they had felt so depressed that it was difficult to function—compared to an average of around 30 per cent for university students in general. Fiftyseven per cent of UBC respondents said they had felt that things were hopeless—the survey–wide average on that question was around 45 per cent.

The numbers for students diagnosed with depression are increasing as well. In 2000, ten per cent of NCHA respondents had been diagnosed with depression in the last year. In 2008 that number was 18 per cent.

Why are today’s university students showing such high levels of depressive symptoms? And why does it seem as though students who go to UBC are more depressed than at other universities?

Dreams unfulfilled, graduate unskilled One theory is that increased stress and depression is due to a perceived lack of opportunity after graduation. The National Post suggested that “the reasons behind the problems may include the pressures of a society that no longer

guarantees success to young university graduates,” when discussing the NCHA. Dr Elizabeth Saewyc, a professor at the UBC School of Nursing and an author of a survey on the mental health of students who used campus health services, said that stress definitely is a factor.

“There’s a lot of pressure on doing well in university,” said Saewyc. “Long-term, it does affect your abilities—moreso than ever.”

However, she said that anecdotal evidence that students become more stressed when they draw closer to graduating wasn’t validated by her study.

“We didn’t find that. We actually found higher rates of depressive symptoms among those in the first year of going to university.”

Saewyc said student depression may be largely due to another ailment—homesickness. “When distressing things happen [as a new student], you don’t have your social network that has been there immediately at hand,” she said.

“You’ll be developing a new one— but that will take a while. And that can be stressful.”

Cory, a t hird-year Arts student, struggled with depression in his second year. He said that the culture in Gage Towers made it difficult to develop a supportive network.

“First year, you’re really integrated and the RAs try and get you into stuff,” he said. “But as soon as you hit second year and you’re outside of that environment...there’s no social aspect to university.”

Stigma Dr Patricia Mirwaldt, head of UBC Student Health Services, said that rates of depression—which appear to be up across all facets of society—could be explained partly by reduced stigma. In essence, it may be that the number of individuals who suffer from depression has remained the same but there is a higher rate of reporting now.

“Fifteen years ago if you were depressed it was pretty unlikely that you would see a doctor for it,” said Mirwaldt. “People would really suffer in silence.”

Though society at large has perhaps made strides towards understanding depression and anxiety, for those who experience these disorders, the stigma is still very real. Joanna said that this stigma was a major factor for her in deciding whether or not to seek professional help.

“I think depression and anxiety problems are very misunderstood,” she said. “In general, people think it’s kind of a privileged [person’s] disease or disorder— something that people should get over and not even have to seek help for.”

Cory agreed that the stigma surrounding depression was intense and made it difficult to seek help.

“You’re pretty much alienated. It happened with my roommates.

As soon as they found out I went through these periods where I

didn’t want to talk to anyone, they just kind of shut down.”

When Saewyc saw that UBC’s rates of actua lly diagnosed depression were higher than the NCHA average—16 to 17 per cent compared with 11 to 12—she argued it’s possible that it could be connected to this kind of reduced stigma.

“What that would sort of suggest is that UBC is a little better at reaching out and getting help for their students,” she said.

Reevaluating Saewyc’s study found that those who used campus health clinics were twice as likely to consider suicide than the rest of the student population. Partly because of this, UBC is in the process of reevaluating how it deals with student mental health.

According to Cheryl Washburn, head of Counselling Services, the UBC VP Students office made mental health a priority in 2009.

They’ve implemented a number of new programs focused on prevention, including a website, livewelllearnwell.ca, and an early alert system so students, faculty and staff can report students who seem to be struggling.

Additionally, the system for appointments and referrals has been streamlined—the vast majority of counselling appointments are now same-day, she said. Counselling Services employs a total of seven full time counselors and six part time, some of whom are pre or post-doctoral interns.

Other schools Other schools are having a very difficult time meeting the demand for counseling services. Dr Ellen Taylor, head of Counselling Services at the University of Washington, said they are now operating at full capacity following a huge increase in first-time users.

From fall of 2009 to fall of 2010, first-time appointments went up 30 per cent.

“It was at 30 per cent but I think that’s because we couldn’t get them in any more. It was a tremendous increase,” said Taylor.

The result is increased wait times for appointments.

“During our peak time, [wait times] get up to three to four weeks for a first appointment,” she said. “That’s unacceptable to most health care professionals, students and staff.”

Stretched to the limit With huge cuts to the social safety net in Washington looming, UW is just trying to maintain current levels of service. “UW has consistently tried to prioritize that safety net for students, but in the current budget climate, I think it’s trying to hold as steady as possible,” said Taylor.

The numbers suggest that UBC Counselling is also operating at capacity. Both Washburn and Taylor said that increases in staff are followed almost immediately by increases in the number of students accessing services. So with so many students in crisis, why don’t universities simply allocate more resources to their counselling services? Taylor said that the argument isn’t that easy.

“Trying to identify the actual demand is almost impossible, because it is so influenced by our capacity to meet that demand,” she said. “It’s a matter of weighing pros and cons, because if you give resources to mental health then you’re not giving them to something else.”

“I think that [Counselling Services] is doing a really excellent job with the resources we have,” said Washburn. “We certainly would benefit from increased resources, there’s no question about that.”

Visibility When it comes to getting help for students who are struggling with depression, providing resources is only half the battle. continued page 19...

2 011.03.07/ u bys sey.ca / fe atu r e/19

For one, students need to know that those resources exist. Many students struggle wit h mental healt h concerns without even knowing that the university offers counsellors free of charge to students. Cory said a combination of stigma and lack of knowledge of university services led him to rule out speaking with a counsellor as an option.

Students also have to feel like the treatments offered are worth their time. When Joanna was feeling especially distressed, she made an appointment with a UBC counsellor. It didn’t go well.

“I talked to a Masters student, and I [felt] he wasn’t that professional,” she said, adding that the counsellor seemed ill-equipped to discuss sexual

assault and eating disorders. “That first experience with a counsellor has to be really good for the student to want to continue treatment. I didn’t see anyone after that. I didn’t think it was helpful.”

Structural Concerns Giving students resources can only do so much. There may be something about UBC itself that makes students more stressed, anxious and depressed.

For one, the majority of UBC students have to commute to campus.

Both Washburn and Taylor acknowledged that a commute can be a major cause of stress.

“I think that students who live on campus would have more ready access to connections with other students

According to the fall 2009 NCHA, students reported that over the past 12 months they:

and resources,” said Washburn. “We may be less successful at effectively connecting commuter students to resources and supports.”

Commute lengths may also be a part of UBC’s higher rates of depression and depressive symptoms, she said. “[The commute] takes a certain amount of time out of your day. It limits the degree to which you can engage in some of the activity that you might otherwise be able to take advantage of on campus. It’s a very real kind of challenge.”

UBC’s status as an international school also makes it hard on some students, said Saewyc, whose study found Asian males had a higher risk of depression. “[UBC has students] moving from totally different countries. Struggling with culture, struggling with being very far away from all your friends and family can create some challenges.”

The Cost

survey-wide average

Ubc

Felt so depressed it was difficult to function

30%

36%

Felt things were helpless

45%

57%

Had been diagnosed with depression

12-13%

16-17%

Though more students are reporting feeling depressed, many are still not getting help.

“In our study, of those who reported enough symptoms that they would probably qualify for depression, a third had not gotten help,” said Saewyc.

The costs of not getting help are high. “Diagnosed depression [has

been] associated with everything from increased risk of self inflicted injury, dropping out, attempting committing suicide and accumulation of credit card debt,” the study found.

The university has its own concerns. The NCHA has found t hat stress, depression and anxiety are consistently ranked in the top ten factors negatively affecting academic performance.

“Depression isn’t something you have to live with, but it can have a big impact on your schooling, your ability to get a good job, if you don’t get help for the distress you’re feeling right now,” said Saewyc.

Both Cory and Joanna said they no lon ger feel depressed. A f t er weathering the storm of university pressures, they said they were able to find a better menta l ba lance. But succumbing to the anxieties of university is an increasingly common story, and Saew yc said she is worried that not enough is being done.

“If rates of depression and distress are increasing in university‚then obviously we need to do more to figure out what’s going on that makes universities a more stressful place than they used to be,” she said.

“Doing well in university costs more. There’s more on the line.” U

Volunteer at The Ubyssey: only twelve more issues left this semester! justin mcelroy | coordinating@ubyssey.ca

U theubyssey.ca

20/ubyssey.ca/our campus/2011.03.07

justin mcelroy coordinating@ubyssey.ca Branding itself as “North America’s largest indoor triathlon,” UBC Rec held its annual Triathlon-Duathlon.

The winner in the overall Olympic Triathlon was Ben Cotter, who finished the 1.5 km swim in 22:06, the 40km bike route in 1:04:54 and the 10km run in 39:26 for a total time of 2:06:25.6. U chris borchert photo/ the ubyssey

our campus