You can pick up your U-Pass in two weeks, find out how. P4
JA N
U
0
Va lid in a for nd trav at a ALL Z acro el s p re l l t i m O N E s se e s S of ntat on pro ion far o e e U-P f of lig ibi a s s l it y
J3 9
SU CO BJEC US NDIT T TO E O IO N R NS EV O F ER SE
UP AS SB C
81
Where’s my U-Pass?
JA N2 011
U
U
U
U
U
U
JAN
Valid for travel in and across ALL ZONES at all times on presentation of proof of U-Pass fare eligibility
J392810
JAN 2011
JAN
Valid for travel in and across ALL ZONES at all times on presentation of proof of U-Pass fare eligibility
J392810
JAN 2011
JAN
Valid for travel in and across ALL ZONES at all times on presentation of proof of U-Pass fare eligibility
J392810
JAN 2011
JAN
Valid for travel in and across ALL ZONES at all times on presentation of proof of U-Pass fare eligibility
J392810
JAN 2011
JAN
Valid for travel in and across ALL ZONES at all times on presentation of proof of U-Pass fare eligibility
J392810
JAN 2011
JAN
Valid for travel in and across ALL ZONES at all times on presentation of proof of U-Pass fare eligibility
J392810
JAN 2011
U
U
U
U
U
U
JAN
Valid for travel in and across ALL ZONES at all times on presentation of proof of U-Pass fare eligibility
J392810
JAN 2011
JAN
Valid for travel in and across ALL ZONES at all times on presentation of proof of U-Pass fare eligibility
J392810
JAN 2011
JAN
Valid for travel in and across ALL ZONES at all times on presentation of proof of U-Pass fare eligibility
J392810
JAN 2011
JAN
Valid for travel in and across ALL ZONES at all times on presentation of proof of U-Pass fare eligibility
J392810
JAN 2011
JAN
Valid for travel in and across ALL ZONES at all times on presentation of proof of U-Pass fare eligibility
J392810
JAN 2011
JAN
Valid for travel in and across ALL ZONES at all times on presentation of proof of U-Pass fare eligibility
J392810
JAN 2011
U
U
U
U
U
U
JAN
Valid for travel in and across ALL ZONES at all times on presentation of proof of U-Pass fare eligibility
J392810
JAN 2011
JAN
Valid for travel in and across ALL ZONES at all times on presentation of proof of U-Pass fare eligibility
J392810
JAN 2011
JAN
Valid for travel in and across ALL ZONES at all times on presentation of proof of U-Pass fare eligibility
J392810
JAN 2011
JAN
Valid for travel in and across ALL ZONES at all times on presentation of proof of U-Pass fare eligibility
J392810
JAN 2011
JAN
Valid for travel in and across ALL ZONES at all times on presentation of proof of U-Pass fare eligibility
J392810
JAN 2011
JAN
Valid for travel in and across ALL ZONES at all times on presentation of proof of U-Pass fare eligibility
J392810
JAN 2011
U
U
JAN
U
JAN
U
JAN
U
JAN
U
JAN
JAN
Valid for travel in and across ALL ZONES at all times on presentation of proof of U-Pass fare eligibility
J392810
JAN 2011
Valid for travel in and across ALL ZONES at all times on presentation of proof of U-Pass fare eligibility
J392810
JAN 2011
Valid for travel in and across ALL ZONES at all times on presentation of proof of U-Pass fare eligibility
J392810
JAN 2011
Valid for travel in and across ALL ZONES at all times on presentation of proof of U-Pass fare eligibility
J392810
JAN 2011
Valid for travel in and across ALL ZONES at all times on presentation of proof of U-Pass fare eligibility
J392810
JAN 2011
Valid for travel in and across ALL ZONES at all times on presentation of proof of U-Pass fare eligibility
J392810
JAN 2011
August 2, 2011 | Still finding rocks since 1918
U the ubyssey On Wreck in the summer, the livin’ is easy P5
MONTHLY
U-PASS lineup
We’ve
Gone (and we’re compact)
See what
GLOSSY all of the
fuss is
about
We’ve redesigned our paper—and for good reason. P6
“UBC Central”
on holD
Bookstore delays name change after backlash. P3
.
2 | Page 2 | 08.02.2011
What’s on 2
TUE
Our look at what’s happening this week on campus
Our Campus
One on one with the people who make UBC
MOA>>
Signed without Signature @ MOA
Thom Quine/Flickr
Charles and Isabella Edenshaw were two prolific Haida artists active during the late 19th century. He worked as a silversmith, and she as a basket weaver. Neither of them actually signed their works, but their masterful techniques have distinguished their pieces across generations. Their pieces will be on display until September, so now is the time to take a look at some of BC’s amazing cultural patrimony. More info at moa.ubc.ca
3
WED
Farm >>
4
thu
Tours >>
UBC Farm Market: 11:30am @ UBC Bookstore Farm fresh bounty without the trip to south campus. Grab a few ears of corn for a beachside clam bake. Compliment your bounty with some freshlypicked wild raspberries.
5
fri
UNA >>
Free outdoor show: 5-6:30 pm @ Michael Smith Park Got an hour to kill on campus in the early evening? Wander on over to the Wesbrook Place neighbourhood for a free show with The Rythmn Collective, Meet our lovely friends in the University Neighbourhood Association.
6
SAT
Campus tours: 10am and 1pm @ SUB Concourse Are you a prospective student interested in learning more about UBC? A first-year student wishing to impress all your friends with arcane trivia about campus? Or simply a grizzled fifth-year hoping to return to a time when UBC was new and magical? Try a campus tour and relearn what UBC wants to tell you about itself.
On not putting it all on the field Jonny Wakefield printeditor@ubyssey.ca
NOSTALGIA >> Sesame Street Live: 1pm @ Thunderbird Sports Centre No, we are not going to suggest that you take hallucinogens and go see a bunch of muppets dance and sing about the importance of healthy eating. There are children there, you degenerate. Saturday kicks off Sesame Street’s monthlong stint on campus. Take a younger sibling perhaps.
Cory Genereaux pauses for a moment before delivering the corner kick. He finds his man and belts it into the melee, where a frantic defence fails to keep the ball from finding the back of the net. Cory has been playing soccer most of his life. He’s also gay—a point which has rarely had any bearing on his life as an athlete. But as one of about 800 athletes who competed in the second World Outgames, a weeklong LGBTQ and allies sporting event in Vancouver, sexuality and sport do collide. “Your personal life has nothing to do with how you play in a sport,” he says. “People have a tendency to link the two when they shouldn’t.” Cory wasn’t out in high school. He attended Brentwood, one of several elite boarding schools on Vancouver Island that are ruled by rugby and rowing. “[It was] a very masculine environment,” he says. “It’s an all guys house and it’s an old English boarding school, so there’s a pressure to conform.” Cory stopped playing
UU Us National Archives
Got an event you’d like to see on this page? Send your event and your best pitch to printeditor@ubyssey.ca.
The Ubyssey August 2, 2011, Summer Volume XXVIII, No. VII
editorial
Coordinating Editor Justin McElroy
coordinating@ubyssey.ca
Features Editor Brian Platt
features@ubyssey.ca
Managing Editor, Print Video Editor David Marino Jonny Wakefield printeditor@ubyssey.ca
video@ubyssey.ca
Managing Editor, Web Web Writer Andrew Bates Arshy Mann webeditor@ubyssey.ca
abates@ubyssey.ca
News Editors Kalyeena Makortoff & Micki Cowan
Graphics Assistant Indiana Joel
news@ubyssey.ca
Art Director Geoff Lister
ijoel@ubyssey.ca
Webmaster Jeff Blake
webmaster@ubyssey.ca
art@ubyssey.ca
Culture Editor Ginny Monaco
culture@ubyssey.ca
business
Senior Culture Writer Taylor Loren
Business Manager Fernie Pereira
tloren@ubyssey.ca
business@ubyssey.ca
Sports Editor Drake Fenton
Ad Sales Alex Hoopes
sports@ubyssey.ca
advertising@ubyssey.ca
CONTACT
Business Office: Room 23 Editorial Office: Room 24 Student Union Building 6138 Student Union Blvd Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1 tel: 604.822.2301 web: www.ubyssey.ca
Print Advertising:
604.822.1654 Business Office:
604.822.6681 advertising@ubyssey.ca
feedback@ubyssey.ca
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.
Write Shoot Edit Code Drink
COME BY THE UBYSSEY OFFICE
SUB 24, FOLLOW THE SIGNS
competitively when he entered UBC, opting instead for casual games in leagues like Out for Kicks, a gay, lesbian and allies drop-in recreational team. The coach for the Outgames squad saw him play and decided to call him up when a player was injured. Cory says that regardless of where he’s played, sexuality hasn’t been a big deal on the field. “The team members that I’m still friends with from playing metro and select were still pretty cool about it. It might of been a problem when they were younger but I don’t think it would be a problem now.” But for professional athletes, he says, coming out can be a very public and ugly process. “Johnny Weir is one of the most well-known out athletes,” says Cory, referring to the American figure skater. “And just watching the Olympics, I mean, the commentator’s comments about him were like ‘oh, the strong competitor from Russia, the ever present threat from France and, oh, the flamboyant Johnny Weir!’ He’s one of the top-ranked figure skaters in the world...give the guy more credit.”
While Cory’s assist wasn’t enough to beat the tough Seattle side, after the kick, he trots back onto the field as the Vancouver side erupts in cheers. He hears a few friends congratulating him on his assist. He looks to the sky and, somewhat sheepishly, blows a kiss to the heavens. U Know a person on campus that you think deserves to be featured here? Email us at printeditor@ ubyssey.ca
Cory Genereaux Occupation Soccer player, HIV researcher at BC Centres for Disease Control Hometown Duncan, BC Area of study Animal biology, with plans to master in population and public health On Johnny Weir in heels “He looks amazing in them. Let’s be honest.”
News
08.02.2011 |
3
Editors: Kalyeena Makortoff & Micki Cowan
Liquor laws >>
Ontario university liquor bans unlikely to affect UBC, says Housing Jonny Wakefield printeditor@ubyssey.ca
While Ontario universities move to ban alcohol in residences during the first week of classes, UBC said that such a change is unnecessary for its own student housing. Queen’s University is implementing an alcohol-free residence policy during its Frosh Week following the death of two first-year students last year. The University of Guelph instituted a similar policy in 2010 to curb alcohol abuse. Queen’s policy bans
the possession of all alcohol, even if the person is of legal age. The policy states that the move “clearly signals Queen’s commitment to reducing alcohol-related harm, particularly at a critical transitional time when the risk of alcohol misuse among first-year students has been known to be high.” Janice Robinson, a spokesperson for UBC Student Housing and Hospitality Services, said that the changes made at the eastern universities will not impact UBC.
“Banning alcohol from our residences during First Week is not our policy and we’re not anticipating that this will be our policy,” she said. Robinson said that in the wake of student deaths last year, the Queen’s ban could lessen the focus on alcohol. “They’ve had some tragic circumstances to deal with, and I know they’re very serious about wanting to change their campus community culture as it relates to the over consumption of alcohol,”
she said. “It creates an opportunity for some reflection about that.” Unlike UBC, Queen’s houses primarily first-year students. According to a report in the Queen’s Journal , 92 per cent of students living in Queen’s residences are under the legal drinking age. That number is closer to 30 per cent at UBC. Some have suggested that the policy runs the risk of driving alcohol consumption out of residences and into unsafe locations. “It may drive over-consumption of
Totem Park >>
Names proposed for new Totem buildings Kalyeena Makortoff
On the names
news@ubyssey.ca
Names for the two new buildings under construction in Totem Park have been proposed. The names, “həm’ləsəm” and “q’əleχən,” were chosen by committee after consultations with students and First Nations groups, following concerns that the current names in the residence are often used in disrespectful ways. Both names are in the Musqueam language, using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) which has already been used on campus to name the Xwi7xwa Library and the S’7umux Kindergarten. The names are now awaiting approval from the Board of Governors by the residences’ grand opening at the end of August. According to a report commissioned by the naming comittee, the IPA spellings were preferred to English translation “which would be disrespectful to the Musqueam community...and would likely discourage people from learning the IPA versions.” Codes for the building names— “hmsm” and “qlxn”—will appear next to the IPA versions to ease pronunciation. “What better welcome to UBC than to arrive in a house that has a connection with the original inhabitants of the land you’re standing on?” said Spencer Lindsay, a First Nations studies student at UBC and a co-chair of the Totem Park Residence Infill Building Names Advisory Committee. It was the names of existing buildings which originally spurred a project called Decolonizing
alcohol underground. Friends may be reluctant to seek assistance for someone who has over-consumed because they don’t want them to get in trouble,” Robinson said. “It’s moving the problem,” said Alex VanDurnen, a former residence advisor in Place Vanier. “If UBC were to crack down and say ‘there’s no more drinking in rez at all,’ it would still go on, the parties would move to Wreck Beach more often, maybe they would move to parking lots. But the kids are going to drink no matter what.” U Bookstore >>
UBC Bookstore rebranding met with petition
həm’ləsəm: a site of transformation (south of Wreck Beach) where χə:l’s, the transformer who oversees social behavior, punished a greedy person for being possessive and wasteful of fresh water from the natural spring. While bent over to drink, and unwilling to share this vital resource, he was turned to rock. His chamber pot spilled and became the smaller rock beside him. Jessica Li/the ubyssey
q’əleχən: q’əleχən was a strategic fortified site (on Point Grey) where Musqueam warriors and their families resided, including warrior of renown qəyəpəlenəx w (Capilano), who is celebrated for leading war efforts protecing his people from invaders and welcoming the first western explorers, including George Vancouver, to Musqueam territory. Geoff Lister/The ubyssey
Spencer Lindsay and Sarah LIng spearhead the project ‘Decolonizing Knowledge.’
Knowledge by Lindsay and another First Nations studies student, Sarah Ling. The existing buildings bear the names of broad aboriginal groupings—Haida, Kwakuitl, and Dene, for example—some of which are outdated. “We wanted to put them into context and raise awareness about the history and background of those names...because we’ve seen a lot of misrepresentation of them in Totem Park Residence,” said Ling. Lindsay said that disrespectful use of the building names have been noted in the past. He saw this while living in Dene House, when residents were preparing for the
Day of the Longboat and dressed up like “Indians” and called themselves “The Savages.” He said that it is an issue of education. “There’s no opportunity for first years to have a deeper understanding,” Lindsay said. “People tend to make t-shirts that are offensive, for example, a t-shirt that said ‘Absolut Haida’ instead of ‘Absolut Vodka,’ and there’s indigenous students on campus who see this. “It’s not just about indigenous students, but it’s about recognizing everyone’s right to be represented accurately.” The process also included consultation with the Musqueam First
Nation. “Some of the early ideas were [that]... we were going to use Musqueam names, because it’s Musqueam traditional territory. If we use a name in their language— hǝn’q’ǝmin’ǝm’—automatically students will know this language exists, they’ll know more about it, and that it’s endangered like a lot of languages in BC,” Lindsay said. “We want to make sure the [Musqueam] community is okay with it, because in a sense it’s their cultural property,” he said. “They have a say and they have the right to be represented the way they want to be represented.” U
obtain student space that is separate, student space that we know will be ours, that’ll be a benefit to the students as well as the institution,” said Rebane.
The only other genuine photographs of the Cadborosaurus according to the BC Scientific Cryptozoology Club were taken in 1937 in the Queen Charlotte Islands.
Lock Ness video confirmed by UBC professor
BC to get new phone area code
News briefs UBC appoints VP Students
CUS to build student space
UBC has confirmed the appointment of Louise Cowin as the new VP Students. Cowin will begin her fiveyear term in October 2011, succeeding Brian Sullivan who stepped down in March after 12 years. Cowin joins UBC from the University of Toronto, where she previously served an administration position as Warden of Hart House, a student activity centre. She holds a PhD in Educational Studies from McGill, has held tenure positions at Queens and Dalhousie Universities and has taught as an instructor at UBC. The VP Student’s portfolio includes student housing, athletics and recreation, and student development.
Commerce Undergraduate Society (CUS) president Johannes Rebane confirmed that they are looking to create a student centre for commerce students. Rebane said that Commerce students used to have a space 20 years ago. The POITS Hut, named after a weekly drinking event, was condemned in the early 1980’s and demolished because of aesbestos and the CUS has been shuffled around during the renovations in Henry Angus. While CUS has been speaking with potential donors, Rebane did not rule out the possibility of holding a referendum to obtain funding from students. “If we follow the route of science and engineering and are able to
UBC Professor Emeritus Paul LeBlond has confirmed that a video of a Loch Ness-like creature, shot in an Alaskan bay last year, is genuine. LeBlonde, former head of the Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences studies cryptozoology, which refers to the search for animals whose existence has not been proven. The creature is said to possibly be the Cadborosaurus, a sea serpent living off the waters of the Pacific Northwest.
BC will be given another area code from the Canadian Radiotelevision and Telecommunications Commission. In June 2013, the 236 code will be used for new telephone numbers, adding to the 604, 778 and 250 codes that are- already in use. The entire province was under 604 until 1996, when 250 was introduced for all areas outside of the Greater Vancouver area. The 778 area code was introduced in 2001.
The UBC bookstore is one of the first stops on any new student’s campus trip.
Ming Wong Contributor
The UBC Bookstore name change to “UBC Central” has been pushed back due to negative feedback from the UBC community, including an online petition. “Some have expressed concern about the proposed name change, maintaining that books are inherently linked with academia,” said Rebecca Irani, communications manager for the UBC Bookstore. “We are postponing the name change to collect more input from our customers and the UBC community at large.” As soon as she received the campus-wide email notification of the name change, which was to happen this month, Kim Snowden, a Women’s and Gender Studies professor, began circulating an online petition against it. “Books in their basic format symbolize learning, desire for knowledge,” said Snowden. “If we take away the name bookstore, we dissociate ourselves from the fact that this is a part of what we do. Renaming it alienates from us that idea, from book culture and I think that is really crucial for a university campus.” Debbie Harvie, managing director of University Community Services, argued that the name change reflects the changing nature of the products the store sells. The bookstore has long hosted the UBC Carding Office and sold UBC merchandise, stationary and electronics, in addition to textbooks. It will also house all of the U-Pass vending machines. “The problem with ‘bookstore’ is that people aren’t buying as many books as they used to sadly, and so I don’t know if the student of tomorrow, whether the word ‘bookstore’ will have the same meaning.” said Harvie The negative feedback has prompted a new round of consultations. The bookstore will hold open houses on August 4 and 11 to discuss the name change. U
4 | News | 08.02.2011 U-Pass history The U-Pass has had a long and turbulent history. The program has undergone many changes and encountered its fair share of snags, suggesting that this current incarnation could face similar problems Not
September 1996 BC transit introduces the first 99-B line.
worth
SINCE
1918
SSEY Y B U THE
U
two
hoots
October 1996 An AMS survey finds that 67 per cent of students believe that transit service to UBC is inadequate. Then AMS VP External says “The AMS would like to see a better discount for students who take public transit.”
11 21, 20 UARY xxxv lding FEBR92, numbert union bui rsdays thu den volume24, stu days and m roo ed mon ssey.ca publishck@uby feedba
Will ass you p ass? -P the U ch
Mar
arch
M 7–
011
11, 2
polls t the on te will hi ents ks to vo -Pass, stud ee U UBC in two w ing the t fees w en rene ing stud anging rais and ch laws. by AMS rage cove . Our Page 4 on
E7 PAG OOLS E5 SCH PAG CA A EEK MN AW FRO FOR RRED IETS FE D S T AN REN IFFE VE TR D A H EE HO THR SW E ON LETE TAK C ATH ERS T UB WRIT OK A EPID | A LO INTR RTS REE SPO TH | URE CULT
1999 The AMS, university and BC Transit enter discussions about creating a mandatory student bus pass.
Andrew Bates
April 1999 TransLink replaces BC Transit as the Lower Mainland’s transportation authority.
January 2001 The Ubyssey reports that “despite three years of effort, negotiations for a mandatory student bus pass have once again faltered.” Then VPExternal Graham Senft claimed that the $29 per month fee proposed by the university was too high, saying students would only endorse a pass in the $15-20 per month range.
2003 After four years of unsuccessful negotiations with the AMS, TransLink’s annual plan pledges to “complete negotiations with UBC about a universal bus pass.” Students hope that the $63 monthly pass will be reduced to only $20.
February 2003 With record breaking voter turnout, UBC students pass the U-Pass. 10,742 students voted, with 70 per cent voting in favour. The pass cost students $20 per month.
September 2003 The U-Pass finally arrives at UBC. TransLink adds 28,000 more hours of bus service in preparation for increased ridership, but within weeks the system is pushed to the limit. “The U-Pass is being used and it’s taxing our system to the limit right now,” said a TransLink spokesperson.
March 2008 Students pass a referendum renewing the U-Pass for a three-year term.
June 2010 The Campbell government announces that the U-Pass will be extended to all publicly-funded post-secondary institutions.
February 2011 TransLink reveals plan to switch to a monthly U-Pass system, with cards distributed by machines, in an effort to curb pass fraud.
March 2011 UBC students once again pass the U-Pass, this time for a two-year term. —Jonny Wakefield
abates@ubyssey.ca
New U-Pass blues? S tudents returning to UBC in September won’t recognize their U-Pass. The U-Pass, formerly mailed out to students at the beginning of their study term, will now be picked up by students on a monthly basis at the UBC Bookstore. TransLink cited rampant fraud and the extension of the subsidized transit program to all post-secondary schools in the Lower Mainland as reasons for the change. Many students are unhappy with the change, fearing Disneyland-like lineups. Twenty machines in the corner of the bookstore will issue transit cards to all UBC students. “I’m really, really pissed. 47,000 students needing to line up each month for a pass. Brilliant,” said UBC political science student Hollman Lozano on Twitter. “As soon as the news broke, suddenly everyone’s an expert on handling one of the most administrative-heavy programs in the Metro Vancouver area,” said AMS President Jeremy McElroy. “The sense of entitlement and outrage that most students have expressed for a 60-70 per cent subsidized pass has been insulting for me. “I’m the first person to recognize that this is not an ideal system,” he said. “[But] I don’t think people realize that the program was going to disappear.” According to TransLink, these new arrangements were necessary to curb the rise in fraudulent passes. “We worked...to try and mitigate [fraud] as best as possible so that we weren’t losing those funds and we had a better way to track it,” said TransLink spokesperson Erin McConnell. Approximately ten per cent of U-Passes are reported lost or stolen, some of which are re-sold on sites like Craigslist, according to McConnell. The current program will end August 31.
U-Pass cuts U-Pass negotiations have taken place over the past year and half, ahead of the expiry of the existing deal. The Vancouver transit authority wanted the program price to increase. “TransLink had come back with a significantly higher rate than we had been expecting,” McElroy said. In June 2010, the provincial government announced that the U-Pass would be extended to all publicly-funded post-secondary institutions. McElroy said this changed the direction of those talks. The government and TransLink negotiated the new price, also ending the $3-per-student subsidy which was formerly part of UBC’s program. Fraud prevention was a sticking point, said McElroy. Potential solutions to combat fraud included cutting the lost U-Pass replacement
program and requiring institutions to punish pass fraud with non-academic misconduct. These options, however, never left the bargaining table. UBC-affiliated private institutions like Regent College, St Mark’s and the Vancouver School of Theology weren’t originally included in the plan but were eventually added.
Never-ending line ups? “A lot of program changes have been made to meet TransLink program conditions under the new [U-Pass BC] program,” UBC Transportation Planning Director Carole Jolly said. The new passes will resemble existing TransLink fare cards, without photos or any kind of identification. Students will have to carry their UBC student card and will be charged a $35 replacement fee if the U-Pass is lost. Vancouver Community College (VCC) implemented the automatic dispense station system in March. “We were worried at first,” said Tiffany Kalanj, executive director of the VCC Students’ Union. “We had the same questions, but it has actually gone quite well.” VCC serves 23,495 students with five machines on its two campuses. However, VCC’s system is more decentralized than UBC’s plan, with machines located in different areas around campus—including one in the student union space. “It has proven to be successful, so we’ve ordered the number of machines we feel will adequately meet the demand requirements,” said Jolly. “My understanding is that once we get through the first term and students kind of get the hang of it, it takes very little time to swipe the card and get your U-Pass out,” she said. UBC will use Twitter and Facebook to give advance warning of line length and help people navigate the crowds, added Debbie Harvie, managing mirector of University Community Services. Jolly said the machines will be concentrated in the bookstore for easy maintenance and security. The bookstore will have a staff support person in charge of solving difficulties and refilling the machines. Staff will also issue passes for the current month after passes for the next one go on sale on the 15th of every month. Nevertheless, the plan to centralize the stations in the bookstore has some critics warning that the system could back up. “Clearly, the new agreement is a pain in the neck,” said Mahesh Nagarajan, an associate professor in Sauder’s operations and logistics division.
As a queueing system, the changes sacrifice convenience for fraud protection. “That is part of the tradeoff,” said Nagarajan. “If you came up with a fool-proof system, what you would want to do is go [pick up your pass] as few times as possible.” “Now, what I do anticipate is that there are going to be lineups during the time of renewal. This is going to cause a bottleneck.” Nagarajan said that bottlenecks are likely to occur when students leave pass pickup to the last minute, even with passes for the next month going on sale two weeks early. “This is student behaviour,” he said. “In any queueing system, for the first few months, there are going to be long lineups towards the end of the month. I think people quickly figure out that this is not the most optimal way of doing it, and it will stabilize over time.” According to McElroy, the AMS offered to station some machines in the SUB, but UBC decided against it. “Unsupervised machines around campus lead to incredible logistical nightmares in terms of keeping track of card stock,” he said. “The cards have a lot of value to them…so we want to be sure,” Jolly said.
Will increased ridership lead to poor service? McConnell said that this year’s changes are only a temporary solution, set to be replaced by the Compass electronic card program which launches in 2013. The cards, similar to systems in London and Los Angeles, will easily be cancelled and recovered, like debit cards, according to McConnell. “That will give us the ability to provide much more certainty with respect to those passes that we are subsidizing, and provide better customer service to the students,” she said. Larry Frank, a Bombardier chair in sustainable transport at UBC, is more worried about the influence of the new program on the Vancouver transit system. “I think we have to understand that we’re getting a good deal from TransLink, relatively speaking,” he said. “It’s going to increase the demand for transit, and for someone who wants to promote transit use, that’s a great thing. But we have to have revenue to build and support...the adequate level of service.” “I think [TransLink is] really struggling for enough money to make this work, and this is one way to cut less,” he said, pointing out that it is already a two-bus wait on Broadway during peak hours. “Taking transit can be just miserable...is there a net gain in revenue? If there’s a net gain in passengers over a loss in revenue, I think it’s a big worry.” U
Culture
08.02.2011 |
5
Editor: Ginny Monaco
Wreck beach >>
Sketchy recognition out at Wreck Beach Beach denziens out in force for a family portrait day Ginny Monaco culture@ubyssey.ca
For the regulars, Wreck Beach is more than a place to get rid of tan lines. On the 30th anuual Wreck Beach Day, Wreck Beach Preservation Society chairperson Judy Williams says that what is being celebrated is the sense of community, the Wreck Beach ‘family’. “It’s my heart, it’s my soul, it’s my healer,” she says. “This is the real world.” Williams greets people coming down the trail. She invites them to join in volleyball or bocce or the sandcastle competition. She asks that, if possible, they spare some change for Rumana Monzur. Williams plans to personally match the donation. Williams also informs beach goers that at 3pm, they will take the annual Wreck Beach family photo. One assumes that on most days, a photographer is as welcome on the beach as the RCMP. But today, throngs flock to be part of the photo, to commemorate that they are part of this community. The family portrait is just that—it stays within the family. In short, we couldn’t publish it. Even so, Wreck Beach in a way defies photos. There is a sort of haziness to the whole experience—brought on by a combination of the heat, the immensity of the scene and the oft-cited chemical enhancement. A lens doesn’t come close to capturing this indescribable scene. A visit to Wreck is often little more than a sketch.
Paul Holding a halved milk jug with a newspaper clipping taped on its side,
Indiana Joel Illustration/ The Ubyssey
Paul the joint-seller approaches another sunbather. “Hey, man,” he says. When Paul smiles, his gold teeth gleam in the sun. “We’re trying to raise money for that lady that was attacked by her husband. Spare some change?” Paul points the newspaper article towards the sunbather. A few coins rattle with some crumpled bills inside the jug. The sunbather takes of his glasses to look at Paul. “Sorry man,” he responds. “I only got enough for booze and dope.” “No worries. Have a good one.” Paul moves on to the next beachgoer because, he says, “It’s good for my karma.”
David
Diana
Six years ago, while working towards a finance degree at UBC, David started selling Wreck paraphernalia down at the beach. He sells the first of his new t-shirts a little after noon. “It’s a terribly slow year because the weather’s been horrible,” he says. “No one’s been coming down to the beach. The vendors have been having a tough time.” David displays his shirts on a wooden stick that rests over his shoulder. The new design has a drawing of a streaking Calvin (of Calvin and Hobbes fame). “That was the first one I’ve sold, but I’ve only walked about a hundred feet,” he says. “It’s a long beach.”
A warm wind picks up and rattles the laminated “Massage” sign against a beach umbrella. “I’ve been coming down here for 32 years,” Diana says. The canvas top of her Bedouin-like stall dips over her face as she talks. She can’t remember exactly how long she’s been offering massages at the beach, but it’s her way of giving back. Business has been steady today, but even on days when the weather stops would-be beachgoers, Diana is here. “I kind of go with the flow,” she says.“You set up on the good days and all the other days you get time out to chill with your friends.”
John
Between stops in Calgary and Victoria, John and his partner find time for Wreck Beach. “It’s impressive,” he says, turning his head to the water, the sand, the trees. “It’s so much more than I expected.” There’s a clothing-optional beach in Toronto, where he and his partner live, but he said Wreck feels different. “I was told it was very hippy, very spiritual. There were other things we could have done today, but I had to come to down here.” U
Under review Theatre >>
Bard on the Beach | Richard III
Photo courtesy Bard on the Beach
This year’s production of Richard III at Bard on the Beach gives a convincing, bloody end to the festival’s exposition of Shakespeare’s War of the Roses cycle of plays, which began three years ago with Richard II. Bard veterans Scott Bellis and Allan Morgan played the sycophantic Duke of Buckingham and an unctuous Lord Hastings. They were joined by newcomers Melissa Dionisio, who is mesmerizing as the hapless Lady Anne, and the charming Hayden Davies and Dante Zago, who performed as Richard’s young nephews, Prince Edward and the Duke of York. Davies and Zago came from the Bard’s Young Shakespeareans program.
However, it goes without saying that the success or failure of any staging of Richard III is predicated on the strength of its lead, and longtime Bardian Bob Frazer’s ambling, arachnid Richard lifts this production to the heavens above Vanier Park—if only the more convincingly to deliver it to the hell beneath. Taking a cue from British actor Antony Sher’s 1984 Olivier awardwinning portrayal of Richard, Frazer has his deformed Duke of Gloucester turned English King slither across the stage in a pair of crutches with spiderish alacrity, perhaps as a visual realization of Queen Margaret’s line which refers to Richard as a “bottled spider.” Bard’s Richard III is a sumptuous feast for both the eyes and ears, appealing to general audiences and fastidious bardians alike. The design palette is borrowed predominantly from the red end of the spectrum, from the dandyish purples worn by Elizabeth’s faction to the blood literally running down the walls during the play’s famous nightmare sequence; the sound effects are impressionistic and menacing in the way they orient the play within the psyche of its main character. This is a side of the bard you were never told about and a side of Bard you’ve never seen. —Arman Kazemi
Photo courtesy Theatre under the stars
Anything Goes is a solid ‘B’ show, except for tap fans, who will think it’s theatrical nirvana.
musicals >>
Theatre Under the Stars | Anything Goes It’s not such a bummer summer for Theatre Under the Stars (TUTS). One might have guessed that the Vancouver institution, which mentors youth during the winter and displays their talents during the summer, would require a heavy boost from the warm weather to draw crowds. Yet the seats for Anything Goes were packed with
people on a windy, drippy July evening, all sheltering under the provided plastic ponchos. Part of TUTS’ success is the source material; if any musical could put butts in wet seats, it’s Cole Porter’s classic—especially this revival-based version, which punches up the original score with some of his best-loved standards. The comedy of errors plot—a boy-meets-girl story starring an impoverished heiress and an imposter gangster—was penned in part by English humorist
P.G. Wodehouse and is equal parts comfortingly predictable and absurdly surprising. The music represents Porter’s greatest work: no matter who’s speak-singing it, audience members will have “I Get a Kick Out of You” swimming around in their heads for days. This production of Anything Goes also, well, goes, despite some minor quibbles. For instance, there are more than enough tap numbers in this show. “Heaven Hop,” rightfully cut in most modern versions of the libretto, is back in, and although it’s charming in a sort of retro-sexy way, it, and about 20 other minutes of clickety-clickety-click, weigh down the first half. The standout of the show, on the accent mark and otherwise, was Irene Karas as nightclub singer/ evangelist Reno Sweeney. She makes a gallant attempt to channel her best Ethel Merman, funnelling a compelling and magnetic talent into a truly atrocious Nyoo Yawk accent. But by the second act, its grating tendencies have mellowed, and overall, she’s brilliant—luminous and funny and utterly show-stealing, with belts that defy logic. Anything Goes runs on even nights in August at the Malkin Bowl until August 20. —Kai Green
Opinion
08.02.2011 |
6
Editor: Brian Platt
Banning liquor to promote safety is a risky proposition Features Editor
Brian Platt
The Last Word
Indiana Joel illustration/the ubyssey
Parting shots and snap judgments on today’s issues What is this?: Welcome to the new
opinion page, now with 100% less editorials and 100% more of “The Last Word.” Instead of one or two long, faux-authoritative screeds on What We Think, you’ll now be reading shorter, to-the-point thoughts on a variety of subjects. It’s more in tune with how opinions are given in this day and age. Let’s get started.
U-Pass Machines: Much of the
recoil to the new distribution scheme for the now-monthly U-Pass through vending machines in the bookstore came from the fear that it will be a logistical nightmare. Do they really expect us to line up behind thousands of other students every month to get our new pass? Some have asked why this system has to be so centralized. Powers-thatbe have provided this explanation: the U-Passes are valuable and need to be kept in a secure place. Indeed, modern society has been unable to devise a method of distributing valuable items remotely in a secure way. It is truly a shame that no machine exists where one could insert a payment card and withdraw some item that could then be exchanged for a good or service. Such a scheme would no doubt fall prey to vandals and thieves within hours of its implementation, without the watchful eye of a campus security guard. We’ll see you in the lineups.
Student spaces: Dedicated
multi-purpose student space is one of the things most valued by both commuting students and residents. More students identify with their faculties than any other facet of the university. So, it would stand to reason that faculties and undergraduate societies would have great areas for their students to study, meet and party in. Sadly, this isn’t the case. While Science has the well-designed and excellently-located Abdul Ladha centre, Arts has a weird one-floor cement rectangle, and Engineers have but an old shack (which we love, and they’re getting a new place soon. But right now, it’s still a shack). And then there’s Commerce. They spend thousands more than the rest of us in tuition and hundreds more in student fees, but it still doesn’t guarantee them a decent space. Commerce Undergraduate Society (CUS) President Johannes Rebane has raised concerns that the space allotted to students in the renovated Angus building won’t be big enough in a few years for a variety of reasons.
Sauder students, in need of a world-class facility in which to brand themselves and exchange business cards, have taken matters into their own hands. Rebane said the CUS may be looking into building a unique student space for Sauderites sooner rather than later. As the Commerce faculty continues to grow, their students deserve a dedicated, unique area of their own—preferably independent of the faculty itself. Taking a proactive stance in building the future of the CUS is preferable to giving a blank check to their faculty. But given how much Sauderites have willingly forked over through the decades in the name of a world-class, accredited education, it’s embarrassing that they’re in this predicament.
UBC Bookstore: This UBC Bookstore renaming kerfuffle has made one thing clear: the university professionals involved live in isolated, pretend little worlds. Worlds where a UBC store that primarily sells books is somehow an issue of both marketing hobnobbery and academic debate. No doubt the marketing folks at the bookstore, based on some sort of market research and consumer analysis, imagine the following situation taking place in the minds of UBC students. Student 1: Well hello, fellow university student! I wish to buy a high-end consumer electronic device, perhaps an Apple computer! Student 2: Well, you certainly cannot do so at the UBC Bookstore, where, judging by their name, they only sell books. Student 1: Right you are! Away we go to Future Shop, where such space age devices are sold! Then the academics decided it was something worth complaining about. They, too, developed a paranoid theory, based on their ideas about what students think. Student 1: Chum! Let us acquire our texts. Glorious academic inquiry awaits! Student 2: But I don’t see any bookstore on the map. Student 1: Oh, well then, fuck books! Let us go to UBC Central, where we can load up on overpriced junk food and UBC apparel! The bookstore has been sent back to the drawing board, searching
for a solution that doesn’t undermine the primacy of the book in academia. For students, what it’s called doesn’t matter. We still call an iPhone a phone, even though the “phone” side of things is only a small part of its overall functionality. And buying books for classes doesn’t seem to be on the way out. Neither does paying an arm and a leg for them.
Bookstore, redux: It goes without
saying—but we’ll say it anyway— that the main reason the name “UBC Central” feels wrong for the bookstore is that for most students the bookstore is not, and never will be, the central meeting place for students. Heck, if anywhere deserves the term UBC Central right now, it’s Brock Hall. There, students pay bills, are provided counselling services and can find ways to get involved on campus: things far more central to the student experience than buying a UBC hoodie. Of course, the bookstore isn’t centrally controlled by UBC at all, which is part of the reason they’re doing this. They’re an ancillary service—like athletics, housing or food services. It means that they’re treated by UBC as mostly-independent entities, with an obligation to turn a profit. So rather than do things that are in the best interests of the university, they do things that are in the best interests of themselves—and the two do not always align. Of course, this is in many ways necessary for a campus so large. But we can’t help but think that this foolish rebranding as “UBC Central” wouldn’t have happened if UBC was a little bit more, well, centralized.
Pride: Pride Week in Vancouver culminated in the parade this weekend, receiving much commercial and media attention. Thus the city, and its reporters, have paid their annual salute to the LGBTQ community. Well wasn’t that fun, see you folks next year! Most Vancouver-based media (with the exception of Xtra West) are not dedicated to keeping an eye on issues of identity politics, aside from covering large-scale events, like Pride week. The news cycle keeps the media (ourselves included) tied to this kind of lazy, annual coverage, leaving the LGBTQ community under-reported for the other 51 weeks of the year. It takes diligence and a conscious effort to fight this kind of myopicaffliction. Self-criticism, hopefully, is a start. U
University students like to drink alcohol. Some drink very little and some drink a ridiculously large amount, while most of us fall somewhere in between. But this is something that laws in free countries will never change: we want to drink, we want to enjoy ourselves and we are going to do it whether the various authorities like it or not. Naturally, alcohol-related incidents on university campuses only get publicity on tragic occasions, like when two Queen’s University students fell to their deaths last year after drinking. Queen’s responded by banning alcohol in residences during Frosh Week—a weeklong party for which many Ontario universities are infamous. While this approach is designed to mitigate harm, it’s dangerous because it ignores the reality of the situation. Authorities on campus should aim to have as much drinking happen in establishments run by trained employees as possible, so that if trouble occurs, there are qualified people around to deal with it. Students should aim to have as many of these establishments on campus as possible—bars, common areas and residences—so that we have plenty of options for where to have fun and don’t have to plan big trips off campus to do so. So then why the hell are the
opposite policies usually preferred? Most of our first year students— who are often the rowdiest drinkers due to their lack of experience—are forced to hide their drinking and take it underground. If they get into trouble and require medical attention, it is much less likely they will get the help they need for fear of being thrown in the drunk tank. If the police do show up, everyone is threatened with being arrested for underage drinking, which teaches the lesson that they need to find a better hiding spot for the inevitable next time they drink. The new policy at Queen’s is to take away the safest place first year students have to drink during the most prominent week of drinking, with no alternative in place. Can anyone foresee a problem here? We can at least be thankful that UBC authorities are smarter, not making any plans to follow suit. At the same time, our student union is doing its best to ensure the rest of us have fewer places to go. At Wednesday’s AMS Council meeting, it emerged that our student union leaders are letting UBC know there should be no new bars installed in new student housing blocks. Why are both the AMS and GSS presidents dead set against new drinking establishments? They are worried their bars will make less money— which requires us to believe that this campus of 48,000 students is not vastly underserved by our current paltry drinking options. It’s a perfect storm of stupidity. And perhaps the best argument for doing a few terms in Europe. U
A new look, a new paper, a new way of thinking Print Editor
Jonny Wakefield Last year, The Ubyssey made an offer to students: pay us one more dollar as part of your annual fees and we’ll work to become the first truly multiplatform campus media organization in Canada. Enough of you decided that this seemed fair and, for this, we’re grateful. Because of your contribution, we’ve been able to employ more people during the summer than ever before; who produce issues, put out daily web content, shoot videos and are helping develop one of the most forward-thinking online strategies for a campus paper in the country. But we didn’t forget about print. Our generation gets their news from a variety of media sources. Web and social media, broadcast, radio and even the old ink-on-paper dinosaur. We all know that print has been taking a hit; that newspapers have been shedding jobs and going-under is no longer news. But while people continue to proclaim from the rooftops that print is dead, the medium continues to evolve under pressure. Designers find new ways to convey information on the printed page in ways that the web can not. New formats explore the ways that periodicals can
complement the instant-information stream. The most obvious change at The Ubyssey is the paper itself. It’s smaller and easier to hold than our old size. A minimum of eight pages per issue will be in full colour. It’s also SHINY. We’ve redesigned this thing from the ground up, taking advice from both students and some of the top design experts in the country. But the redesign goes further than just aesthetics. We’re rethinking what goes in the paper, and how we present that information to you. Take the opinion page for example: we’ve cut our editorials which were prone to being long-winded into bite-sized chunks you can read in a few seconds. Or page two, where we’ve distilled the best of campus events into a top five. We’re also launching a new series, Our Campus, in which we’ll profile UBC’s most interesting characters. The newspaper will bring depth and analysis to breaking news stories and look for fresh ways to cover sports and culture. As the year progresses, we’ll figure out what works, what doesn’t and adjust accordingly. We know that more students than ever expect to get their news by laptop and smartphone, by video and tweet, and we’ve been changing. But at our heart, we’re still a newspaper, and have been for 93 years: always evolving. We don’t plan on becoming extinct. U
Scene
08.02.2011 |
Pictures and words on your university experience
A Day at Pride
Photos by Michael Thibault
The UBC Faculty of Medicine was one of many university groups that marched in the parade Sunday.
7
Sports
08.02.2011 |
8
Editor: Drake Fenton
Canadian golf programs playing catch up Justin McElroy coordinating@ubyssey.ca
Any national championship held in Canada is as much a chance for introspection—where we neurotically evaluate our place in the sporting world—as it is for celebration. So it was for the Canadian Open last month, held at Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club, just a stone’s throw from UBC. While American Sean O’Hair emerged victorious after four rounds, much of the attention on this side of the border was focused on the 17 Canadians in the field. Five of them made the cut, with Abbotsford’s Adam Hadwin finishing fourth. It’s the latest in a series of developments that bode well for Canadian golf. Youngsters like Nick Taylor (no. 1 ranked amateur in 2009), Matt Hill (NCAA champion in 2009) and Eugene Wong (named NCAA player of the year in 2010) are just some of the reasons experts believe the future is bright for Canadian golf. “Success breeds success,” said Bob Weeks, TSN golf analyst and editor of SCOREGolf Magazine. “When Mike Weir won the masters, a lot of people went ‘I can do that
too.’ So a lot more started playing golf at a younger age. There’s now tournaments for six-year olds.” UBC assistant coach Lindsay Bernakevitch, who a decade ago studied and played golf at both UBC and Western Washington University, said the strides made in Canadian golf are impressive. “I think the kids coming out now, they’re competing at an extremely high level. From the time I started playing college golf to now, the level has risen greatly. They’re starting younger, they’re getting better coaching, they have more complete programs in training and conditioning and mental game. They have everything at their fingertips... they’re definitely ready to compete at a world stage.” But despite improvements made in developing Canadian golfers, few of the elite are choosing to hone their craft in Canada. Despite UBC’s reputation for golfing excellence— with three NAIA championships in the last decade—a favourable climate and the ability to give full scholarships has attracted top BC amateurs to play in the NCAA every year. This doesn’t bother Chris MacDonald, UBC’s golf coach.
“The bigger schools…have significant funding, and that’s always the challenge for recruiting the very top athletes for our program.” Marty Zlotnik, a long-time supporter of UBC Athletics and golf-standout in the 1960s, is also sanguine about the reality. “The [top kids] want to play for the NCAA schools. The constraints of our program are we’re playing in the NAIA. The other side is the really quality golfers going to the NCAA, we probably couldn’t attract them all due to the academic side,” he said. “We have a terrific program, given the limitations.” However, whether they stay in Canada or not, young golfers looking to make a career of the game they love need support after their degree. “There’s a gap for young professionals in getting the financing to take the next step,” said Weeks. “Some of them never will, they don’t have the talent. But some of them... need a lot of support when they learn their craft, and that’s where we don’t have a lot of resources. It’s expensive to play tournament golf. “We have a great development program...but once they turn pro, they’re kind of on their own.” U Rich Lam/UBC Athletics