January 30, 2012 | VOL. XCIII ISS. XXXVI
Finally doing the dishes SINCE 1918
SHIT UBC SAYS
U
How six students created the viral video that everyone’s talking about
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UBC-V DUNKS
THE UBYSSEY BROTHER LITTLE
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Matt Parson is the 103rd AMS President. Full results inside.
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BALANCING THE SCALES Broad-based admissions now campus-wide
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LODGE SAVED
ART GOES P7 Whistler hostel still in students’ hands
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What’s on 30 MON
This week, may we suggest...
Our Campus
One on one with the people who make UBC
LECTURES>>
Ritual, Community and Conflict Lecture: 8-9pm @ Coach House (Green College) Not getting your fill of lectures during the daytime? Come and listen to a free public lecture examining the role of ritual in social groups from an anthropological, psychological and historical perspective.
31 TUE
BIKES >>
2
THU
REC >>
Purple & Yellow Volunteer Night: 6-9pm @ Bike Kitchen Want access to the fleet of purple and yellow bikes around campus? Come to the Bike Kitchen at the SUB basement and be a volunteer mechanic for a night.
GEOFF LISTER/THE UBYSSEY
If you’ve popped into the Delly in the SUB basement for lunch, you’ve likely met the always-friendly Rajan.
At the Delly, it’s food fit for a king Brian Platt Features Editor
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WED
KNITS >>
Learn to Knit Workshop: 12-1pm @ CIRS third-floor boardroom Learn to transform yarn into various useful items for fun and profit. All wool and needles provided. Free.
3
FRI
UBC Rec Gladiator: 4pm-12am @ The Birdcoop Come watch, cheer and gawk at other people performing amazing physical feats, including mastering a giant maze and inflatable obstacles. Pre-registration required to participate.
MOVIES >> The Muppets and Amelie: 7pm and 9:15pm @ the Norm Theatre The Ubyssey strongly supports taking any possible opportunity to see, or re-see, this new Muppet movie. Stick around for Amelie after, if your daily adorableness quota isn’t filled yet.
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Got an event you’d like to see on this page? Send your event and your best pitch to printeditor@ubyssey.ca.
THE UBYSSEY
Nizar Rajan doesn’t like to draw attention to himself. When I go into the Delly and ask for an interview with the person who runs the place, Rajan points to one of the other employees. The other employees all point to Rajan. Finally, he smiles and agrees. If you’ve popped into the Delly in the SUB basement for a sandwich, soup, salad or one of their many other lunch options, you’ve likely met the always-friendly Rajan. He joined the Delly in 1992 as a manager and owner, though it’s been in the family since 1975 when it was bought by his brother, Zaher, who is now retired. The Rajans were born in Kenya, moved to Uganda and then lived in Rwanda. It was in Rwanda that Nizar and his brother got started in the restaurant business; they owned a combined restaurant, bar and cinema there. The cinema played movies every day, usually American films dubbed over in French. But the restaurant was a little different from the one he operates now. “The embassies used to come
have dinner there for their parties,” Rajan said. “When the king of Belgium came to Rwanda, the reception was held in my restaurant. The president of Tanzania came once.” In 1974, Rajan left Rwanda and came to Canada. The restaurant is still there, he said, though it doesn’t host many fancy receptions anymore. “There are so many [fancy] hotels now.” The cinema, however, is gone. “All the videos and DVDs, you know,” Rajan explained. Rajan’s brother bought the Delly in 1975, and Rajan helped get the place running. But that wasn’t his main job. Rajan decided to start a store that sold leather jackets and other leather products. In 1992, he closed the leather store and joined his brother as a full-time owner and manager of the Delly. When the Rajans first took over the Delly, it only sold submarine sandwiches. They thought it could be so much more. Today the Delly sells a large assortment of fresh sandwiches, wraps, soups, salads and pastries. Eight years ago they added curries to their menu, and they are always trying new ideas. Rajan says their
best-selling products are still the simple ones: chicken and turkey sandwiches, and also the avocado and greens sandwich. Days in the Delly begin around 6am, when the staff show up to start making all of the sandwiches and wraps that will soon be on their shelves. Many of the Delly’s 12 staff have worked there for a very long time. “One just retired after 25 years,” Rajan said. Rajan enjoys operating a business on campus, so he was very happy when the AMS recently told him that the Delly will have space in the new SUB. He’s hoping to move the business more heavily into organic foods. “Students are really into that organic, you know,” he said. “We’ve got so many ideas, but it’s so small in here. Hopefully the new place [will be bigger].” What won’t change is the casual, happy atmosphere that students have come to expect from the Delly—even when they’re jam-packed into line-ups during the Friday 3pm specials. “The students are very friendly,” he says with his usual smile. “Meeting people, meeting all the professors...that’s what makes it special.” U
January 30, 2012, Volume XCIII, Issue XXXVI
EDITORIAL
Coordinating Editor Justin McElroy
coordinating@ubyssey.ca
Managing Editor, Print Jonny Wakefield printeditor@ubyssey.ca
Managing Editor, Web Arshy Mann webeditor@ubyssey.ca
News Editors Kalyeena Makortoff & Micki Cowan news@ubyssey.ca
Copy Editor Karina Palmitesta copy@ubyssey.ca
Video Editor David Marino
video@ubyssey.ca
Senior Web Writer Andrew Bates abates@ubyssey.ca
Graphics Assistant Indiana Joel
Culture Editor Ginny Monaco
culture@ubyssey.ca
Senior Culture Writer Will Johnson wjohnson@ubyssey.ca
Sports Editor Drake Fenton
sports@ubyssey.ca
Features Editor Brian Platt
features@ubyssey.ca
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
business@ubyssey.ca
Ad Sales Ben Chen
advertising@ubyssey.ca
Accounts Sifat Hasan
accounts@ubyssey.ca
Webmaster Jeff Blake
webmaster@ubyssey.ca
STAFF
Andrew Hood, Bryce Warnes, Catherine Guan, David Elop, Jon Chiang, Josh Curran, Will McDonald, Tara Martellaro, Virginie Menard, Scott MacDonald, Anna Zoria, Peter Wojnar, Tanner Bokor, Dominic Lai, Mark-Andre Gessaroli, Natalya Kautz, Kai Jacobson, RJ Reid
WORK HARD
feedback@ubyssey.ca Print Advertising:
604.822.1654 Business Office:
604.822.6681 advertising @ubyssey.ca
ijoel@ubyssey.ca
Art Director Geoff Lister
art@ubyssey.ca
BUSINESS
Business Manager Fernie Pereira
LEGAL
The Ubyssey is the official student newspaper of the University of British Columbia. It is published every Monday and Thursday by The Ubyssey Publications Society. We are an autonomous, democratically run student organization, and all students are encouraged to participate. Editorials are chosen and written by the Ubyssey staff. They are the expressed opinion of the staff, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Ubyssey Publications Society or the University of British Columbia. All editorial content appearing in The Ubyssey is the property of The Ubyssey Publications Society. Stories, opinions, photographs and artwork contained herein cannot be reproduced without the expressed, written permission of The Ubyssey Publications Society. The Ubyssey is a founding member of Canadian University Press (CUP) and adheres to CUP’s guiding principles. Letters to the editor must be under 300 words. Please include your
phone number, student number and signature (not for publication) as well as your year and faculty with all submissions. ID will be checked when submissions are dropped off at the editorial office of The Ubyssey; otherwise verification will be done by phone. The Ubyssey reserves the right to edit submissions for length and clarity. All letters must be received by 12 noon the day before intended publication. Letters received after this point will be published in the following issue unless there is an urgent time restriction or other matter deemed relevant by the Ubyssey staff. It is agreed by all persons placing display or classified advertising that if the Ubyssey Publications Society fails to publish an advertisement or if an error in the ad occurs the liability of the UPS will not be greater than the price paid for the ad. The UPS shall not be responsible for slight changes or typographical errors that do not lessen the value or the impact of the ad.
PLAY HARD
Volunteer for The Ubyssey, party in our basement
News
01.30.2012 |
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Editors: Kalyeena Makortoff & Micki Cowan
TUITION >>
New international students hit with three per cent tuition increase Dominic Lai Staff Writer
While most UBC students can expect a two per cent increase in tuition this year, discrepancies between tuition rates of incoming and continuing international students are causing some dissent. Incoming international undergraduate students will be hit with a three per cent increase starting May 1, followed by guaranteed two per cent yearly increases until 2016. Meanwhile, international students
already attending UBC will only see a two per cent increase from 2012 to 2015—a capped guarantee for 2012 set by the Board of Governors last year. AMS President Jeremy McElroy said he expressed his disappointment about the increase. “For the first time, one international student…who started this year, and a student who started last year will pay different amounts of money for the exact same class,” said McElroy. “[The] AMS is adamantly opposed to the idea of differential
tuition. I really hope the university hears that and rethinks its decision to increase by three per cent.” Current international students also expressed their concern for the discrepancies. “That is bad news for the new international students. I haven’t heard of that plan until now...I have no idea why the school does not apply the same tuition to them,” said first-year international forestry student Jihoon Jang. But the university sees the two different increases as justified. “A fundamental principle of
international student tuition is that it accurately covers the real cost of delivering the education and does not include subsidies from domestic student tuition or the provincial grants,” wrote James Ridge, associate vice-president and registrar for UBC’s Enrolment Services, in an email to The Ubyssey. “The proposed difference for the incoming students in 2011 and 2012 simply reflects the fact that the actual cost of delivering a four year education will be greater for those entering in 2012 than for those
ADMISSIONS>>
More broad-based admissions at UBC Andrew Bates Senior Web Writer
Samia Khan graduated from Princess Margaret Secondary in Surrey and received an International Baccalaureate from Semiahmoo Secondary School. She was the president of the debate club, volunteered at the museum and worked with special needs kids on the side—and got “pretty okay” grades. This is the type of student UBC is looking for. The university announced last week that the broad-based admissions program, which was previously available in select faculties like Arts and Commerce, will spread to all faculties with a common set of questions. “We’ve had [a] positive experience with it, so what we’d really like to be able to do is expand that,” said James Ridge, UBC’s registrar and associate vice-president enrolment. Judging on more than grades reduces reliance on high school transcripts as they become more subjective, according to AMS President Jeremy McElroy. “The move away from standardized testing in high schools and...not requiring provincial exams in BC specifically changes the scope and scale of students that are applying to UBC,” he said. “With increased competition, using marks as the only metric wasn’t necessarily getting us people who would benefit most from being at UBC.” The application allows students to name up to five activities, which can either be academic, club-based, or related to employment or family responsibility. “There isn’t a right or wrong submission,” said Ridge, addressing concerns that students who had to work or help with family
entering the year before.” And while incoming international students aren’t given tuition increase guarantees throughout the entirety of their degrees, Ridge said UBC will be revisiting the issue. Before any tuition changes can take place, UBC’s Policy 71 requires a tuition consultation process, which is meant to inform students and obtain feedback. Findings from the consultation are to be presented at the April Board of Governors meeting before the increases are officially approved. U PROGRAMS >>
Gender studies institute to be created at UBC
YARA DE JONG/THE UBYSSEY
Megan Radbourne Contributor
Students balancing school, work and extracurricular activities might get a break when applying at UBC.
GEOFF LISTER/THE UBYSSEY
during school are at a disadvantage. “You simply can’t buy the best responses. There’s no way to do that. “Some of the most powerful responses I’ve seen...are students who’ve had some real adversity in their lives.” “I think that universities nowadays are looking for people who are more involved and are more diverse in their interests,” said Khan, who is in her first year in the Faculty of Arts. “The [type of] person who’s not only got good grades, but also has accomplishments in other areas.” The Sauder School of Business brought in broad-based admissions in 2004, and the Faculty of Arts
adopted it later. Other faculties like Science used to give students the option to supplement their application. Last year, before it was made mandatory, one quarter of all students were admitted through broadbased admission. According to Ridge, building a common set of questions was the first challenge. The second challenge has been the extra work. “It’s certainly a huge logistic task. I think that some faculties...are certainly having more problems than others,” he said. One set of criteria is used across all UBC faculties to score the answers to the questions, which quiz students on their challenges, their
goals and what has helped change their perspective. Some faculties, like Engineering, Land and Food Systems, Forestry and Kinesiology, are banding together to process the applications out of the same office. “We’re in the process of training up a small army of people to actually do the reading and scoring,” he said. “Just in the last week or so, we’ve trained 150 people.” McElroy hoped that admitting engaged students to UBC could help improve engagement at university. “I think the likelihood of getting involved and pursuing those further at UBC are that much greater,” he said. U
Video game programmers gather on campus
More cabs to fill weekend demand in Vancouver
Vancouver’s best young video game talents faced off this weekend at Global Game Jam 2012. Part of a 48hour programming marathon held at the UBC Life Sciences Centre, it was the third time Vancouver hosted the event and it was the largest of 90 world-wide events. One hundred and fifty game designers from universities and colleges around Metro Vancouver—80 of which were UBC students—worked around the clock to create playable video games. The weekend was a semi-competitive, junk food-filled celebration that closed with a presentation of crowd favourites.
Vancouver’s 4 major taxi services are looking to add 99 weekend cab licences to help meet demand on Friday and Saturday nights. The push comes after a study conducted by Garland Chow, an associate professor at the Sauder School of Business, that found extra weekend night service provided by 65 temporary operating permits inside Vancouver was easily absorbed by customer demand. The extra permits helped increase the overall number of trips by ten per cent. The study found a “direct correlation” between the number of cabs on the road and the trip volume reported by all four cab companies.
Chemistry prof to research plants that could help treat cancer
University students in BC still face post-grad employment problems
A $309,437 infrastructure grant has been awarded by the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) to the Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences at UBC’s Okanagan campus (UBC-O). Susan Murch, an associate professor of chemistry at UBC-O, will use the grant to purchase two pieces of equipment—a tissue culture chamber and a mass spectrometer system. She’ll be using the equipment to study the potential of plants to produce components for pharmaceutical drugs that researchers hope can be used to treat cancer and create natural health products.
While the number of available jobs in the workforce has rebounded since the 2008 global recession, BC university graduates can still expect difficulties once leaving school. By province, BC and Ontario suffered the largest drop in the number of “high-quality” jobs generated in 2011, while Alberta saw the largest number added. A recent CIBC World Markets report suggests that Canada’s employment market has not only stalled, but the quality of available jobs has also deteriorated. Salaries for many entrylevel jobs have been adjusted downward over the past three years. U
News briefs
UBC’s Centre for Women’s and Gender Studies (CWAGS) and the women’s and gender studies undergraduate program (WAGS) celebrated their 20th anniversary this past year—and announced the formation of a new institute at UBC. Gillian Creese, director of CWAGS, announced the new Institute for Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice, which will encompass the research centre, undergraduate and graduate programs. Under their new name, WAGS will continue to operate within the College of Interdisciplinary Studies and persist with a focus on how gender intersects with all other disciplines. Leila Harris, assistant professor with CWAGS, said there are “big plans” for the new institute on campus and they hope to launch several new initiatives. They will also aim to attract a number of faculty and students from different disciplines such as health, where the department has lacked strength in the past. “It’s not just women’s issues that we focus on,” said Creese, noting the name of the new institute. She encouraged more students to participate in the many courses offered. In 1991, women’s and gender studies at UBC emerged with only an undergraduate program, low enrolment and no permanent faculty. Creese said that although the program took a while to grow and is still not very large, the dedication and enthusiasm of the students makes up for its size. Harris insisted that gender studies provides an opportunity for students to think about difficult, uncomfortable questions and to confront personal assumptions and biases. “If you haven’t ever taken a women’s studies course, try one.” U
4 | News | 01.30.2012 ADMISSIONS >>
Albertan grads get grade boost
UBC adds two per cent to admissions average to correct “disadvantage” Aera Jung Contributor
In an effort to make undergraduate admissions fairer, UBC currently adds two per cent to the averages of all high school graduates from Alberta. “[It’s] not specifically about Alberta. It’s about all high school applicants who aren’t following the BC high school curriculum when they apply,” said Michael Bluhm, associate director of undergraduate admissions at UBC. The policy that allows this adjustment is UBC Senate Policy J-50, which has been in place since December 2009. Policy J-50 states, “In calculating an admission average, grades reported for secondary schools not following the BC/Yukon secondary school curriculum may be adjusted to accurately assess the grades in terms of their ability to predict future performance at the university.” The grade adjustment could potentially be applied to the grades of students outside the BC/Yukon jurisdiction, but Alberta is the only province the policy is currently being applied to. “The currency of percentage grades is different in Alberta than in BC, and we have a sufficient number of applicants from year to year from Alberta to allow for a
Currently, Alberta is the only province with a large enough data set to warrant the average boost..
statistically significant data analysis,” said Bluhm. “For example, an 86 per cent from Alberta suggests the same level of academic achievement in first- year at UBC as does an 88 per cent from BC. Therefore, if we require BC high school students to have 88 per cent for admission, we should require the Alberta student to have 86 per cent.”
Bluhm stressed that the policy itself does not specifically favour Alberta students. “The two per cent difference corrects a disadvantage to Alberta students which previously existed when percentage grades were assumed to carry the same currency.” While other provinces may be similar to Alberta in terms of
INDIANA JOEL/THE UBYSSEY
performance, only Albertan graduates make up a large enough pool to allow for a statistically significant analysis. The only other group that gets similar grade adjustments are those who took the International Baccalaureate curriculum in high school, a more advanced curriculum that uses a different grading scale.
Alberta’s two per cent grade adjustment is not explicitly stated anywhere in the UBC calendar. Bluhm said this is because of the dynamic nature of the two per cent correction. Analyses of different applicant groups are made frequently to correlate performance in first year at UBC with high school grades. Depending on future analyses, said Bluhm, this two per cent change could be increased or decreased. Thariq Badiudeen, a fourthyear UBC undergraduate and an Albertan high school graduate, did not know of this policy. “I agree with their decision to introduce this policy. I like the fact that UBC is making an effort to acknowledge and address the difference in grading scales between AB and BC high schools,” said Badiudeen. But, he acknowledged, the adjustment may not be so fair for students from other provinces who, like Albertan students, may have a grading scale different from that in British Columbia. Ultimately, Bluhm justifies the policy because it levels the playing field. “What we want is to know that we are selecting students who are equally qualified academically to succeed at UBC, in light of the competitive nature of UBC admission.” U
ADMISSIONS >>
Students march for more funding options Stephen Hargreaves The Lance
WINDSOR (CUP)—University students across the country are mobilizing in opposition to the underfunding of post-secondary education as part of a National Day of Action on February 1. “The National Day of Action is part of a nation-wide campaign called Education is a Right,” said Roxanne Dubois, national chairperson for the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS). “The main goal is to fight for an acceptable, well-funded system of post-secondary education in Canada.” Dubois points to the underfunding of education and rising tuition costs as major factors in educational inequity in Canada. “We not only need to educate people about the importance of post-secondary education, but also the importance of fair access to post-secondary education.” “Universities have been underfunded since the 1990s,” said Vajo Stajic, the education and advocacy coordinator for the University of Windsor’s Organization of Parttime University Students. “We need to pressure both the provincial and federal governments to make education a priority. Students can no longer stand by and let tuition fees rise and rise. Post-secondary education needs to be accessible for all.” According to the CFS, only 34 per cent of university and college students are eligible for the Ontario Tuition Rebate launched this month. Those not covered by the rebate are part-time students, mature students, international students and students whose parent or parents make over $160,000 annually. Students in a second entry program,
including law, medicine and teachers college, are also not included. “This is a lot of money to create a program which is very complicated and expensive to administer,” said Dubois. “It doesn’t increase access to post-secondary education, though it does give some students some help, which is important. The campaign promise [made by the Ontario Liberal Party] was a tuition fee reduction of 30 per cent. That is not what this is.” At the time the grant was announced, Minister of Training Colleges and Universities Glen Murray told The Lance , “By giving a grant to students, it reduces the cost to students but does not deny important revenue universities need to produce a high quality education.” When asked about the omission of assistance for many students, Murray said, “While we celebrate today, I am rolling up my sleeves.” According to calculations by Dubois, if the $450 million assigned to the Ontario Tuition Rebate were applied universally to all students, it would equal a 13 per cent tuition fee reduction across Ontario. “Students are calling on the Ontario government to turn their rebate into an across-the-board tuition fee cut for all students,” said Stajic. “The students being excluded by the rebate are those who are most financially at risk.” Locally, University of Windsor students will march in solidarity with students across the country in favour of affordable and equitable education. The University of Windsor Senate has granted academic amnesty to participating students, so students missing classes will not face academic penalty for being absent. U
Culture
01.30.2012 |
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Editor: Ginny Monaco
WILL JOHNSON/THE UBYSSEY
Enzo Woo (centre) said that after appearing in the “Shit UBC Says” video, people offered him directions around the Buchanan building.
MEMES>>
After 45,000 views, “Shit UBC Says” still can’t find Buchanan A
Will Johnson Senior Culture Writer
Kaveh Sarhangpour was watching “Shit Queen’s Says” on YouTube recently, and he didn’t find it very funny. “That was the first one I saw, of the collegiate ones,” he said. “I was watching it and thinking, this is probably just not funny to me because I don’t go to Queen’s. We know this meme is a bit played out, but we thought UBC at least deserved to have its own.” Sarhangpour amassed a few of his friends and colleagues and together they created “Shit UBC Says,” which has just passed 45,000 views. Compared to videos
There’s been a phenomenal response. We expected it to go big. But we didn’t know we’d have such positive feedback. Kaveh Sarhangpour created for SFU and other schools across Canada, UBC’s is the most popular. The video took the group of friends approximately six hours to film, said director and editor
Kevin Lee. “We got here around noon, quickly wrote some scripts and then said, ‘Let’s shoot this and get it done by sunset,’” Lee said. “I went home and edited it, and got it up on YouTube two days later.” The positive response exceeded their expectations. “Kaveh just called us in the afternoon and asked us if we were free to act in this thing. When we were doing it, I was like, ‘50,000 views would be awesome,’” said star David Pratt. “There’s been a phenomenal response. I mean, we expected it to go big. But we didn’t know we’d have such positive feedback,” Lee said.
“There were some haters along the way, though. There was some unwarranted criticism.” “Some people just can’t find anything funny,” said Sarhangpour. “Even some of the most popular videos on the internet have dislikes. You can’t please everyone.” Pratt said he was surprised by how quickly the video caught on. “I went and got a haircut on campus, and then the next day a friend of mine asked [where] I got a haircut,” he said. “Turned out, my hairdresser posted the video on Facebook and said ‘I cut that guy’s hair,’” he said. “It was funny and creepy at the same time.”
Enzo Woo, who also stars in the video, said he was essentially playing himself. His recurring gag involves trying to figure out which wing of the Buchanan building he is currently in. “Right away people were coming up to me to give me directions,” he said. “It’s crazy how much I got recognized.” “A lot of people say UBC has no school spirit, because we’re a commuter school,” said Sarhangpour. “But we’ve seen time and time again that if you give them a chance, people will come together. “We wanted to create a sense of cohesion, and I think we’ve accomplished that.” U
ART>>
Belkin Gallery digitizes art collection Eilidh McEwan Contributor
The Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery has decided to move some of their art exhibitions online, while still displaying work in the physical space of the gallery itself. Naomi Sawada, public programs and relations manager at the Belkin, said that the decision is a positive move. “There are upwards of 3000 pieces of artwork, from painting, photography and archival material, stored in the Belkin storage facilities that the public would normally never see,” she said. “There are also several thousands of pieces of artwork in storage facilities for the gallery offcampus in downtown Vancouver. By relocating some of this work to an online exhibition space, work that would be sitting wasting away in a dark storage room can be seen and appreciated by the viewer in the gallery, albeit in a virtual space.” Exhibits at the Belkin generally last between two and three months and attract around 1000 visitors per month. The online collection, which was launched in September 2011, has seen upwards of 1700
visitors over the past three months. Peter Gouzouasis, an associate professor in the curriculum and pedagogy department, argued that more emphasis could be placed on the number of tourists visiting the UBC campus to increase the numbers visiting the Belkin Gallery. “There are high numbers of people coming to the anthropology museum and the Belkin Gallery is only steps away, so it seems that portion of campus has three very viable art spaces,” he said. “If the Belkin Gallery was promoted more, and the artwork was moved online, simultaneously still displaying the artwork in the gallery itself—that would be fantastic.” The decision of the Belkin to move its works online has another crucial benefit for students and researchers, as it allows them to study or observe works of art world-wide that they may not have the money or time to travel to. Sherrill E. Grace, English professor and author of the book Canada and the Idea of North , said, “The ability to see the work of art online is better than no exposure to it at all.” However, she continued, “no virtual collection is going to
GEOFF LISTER/THE UBYSSEY
The Belkin has made over 3000 pieces of its collection available online.
replace the experience of going to an art gallery.” This returns to the central question of whether art can be fully and accurately portrayed online. “How can one get an aesthetic sense of a piece of artwork such as a sculpture or a painting that is heavily textured in a 2D space? It is virtually impossible,” Gouzouasis said. This issue is further highlighted by the Concrete Poetry Collection
currently on display at the Belkin Gallery, where artist Michael Morris placed mirrors inside his painting, “Los Angeles Letters.” He wanted the viewer to reconsider the work once they caught a glimpse of themselves. Though it could be argued that the display of art collections online will not capture the full original intention of the artist, the Belkin Gallery is looking to the
technology of the present and future. This will allow for increased awareness and engagement with the artwork. “Your generation is at home with the new technologies. You live it and breathe it in a way that I never will,” Grace admitted. “For the Belkin to do this with a collection or an exhibition is really to reach out to the younger generations interested in visual art.” U
6 | News | 01.30.2012
Winners
PRESIDENT >>
Condorcet races (number shown is unambiguous first-place votes)
President 1. Matt Parson—1784 2. Ben Cappellacci—1573 3. Alyssa Koehn—1028 4547 votes cast Parson defeated Cappellacci by 277 votes Cappellacci defeated Koehn by 933 votes
VP Academic 1. Kiran Mahal—1115 2. Iqbal Kassam—917 3. Carven Li—793 4. Bahador Moosavi—572 5. Party Rock—546 4155 votes cast Mahal defeated Kassam by 493 votes Kassam defeated Li by 48 votes Li defeated Moosavi by 364 votes
GEOFF LISTER/THE UBYSSEY
Incoming President Parson, seen in the centre, was immediately mobbed by his supporters in the Gallery after his victory was announced, with champagne being doused on him from above.
Parson claims victory
Moosavi defeated Party Rock by 857 votes
Micki Cowan
VP Administration
Matt Parson has been elected AMS president for 2012-2013. In the Condorcet voting system, Parson won two majorities over fellow candidates Ben Cappellacci, with 2234 votes over 1957, and Alyssa “AJ” Koehn, with 2666 votes over 1484. Cappellacci came in second, with one majority of 2552 votes over Koehn’s 1619. “It’s indescribable, I’m so excited. So much work was put into getting to this point. Just being a candidate that’s worth considering and to actually be elected, it’s unfathomable,” said Parson.
1. Caroline Wong—3053 2. Elaine Kuo—552 3667 votes cast Wong defeated Kuo by 2501 votes
VP External 1. Kyle Warwick 3161 yes votes 672 no votes
VP Finance 1. Tristan Miller
News Editor
First Past the Post races
Board of Governors
Senate 1. Justin Yang—2078 2. Kiran Mahal—2033 3. Katherine Tyson—1991 4. Montana Hunter—1683 5. Barnabas Caro—1449 6. Dawei Ji—1401 7. Malileh Noghrekar—399
SLFS Students for Responsible Leadership (5) Maria Cirstea, Jordan Stewart, Aaron Sihota, JJ Maclean, Sandy Buchanan Students Progressive Action Network (1) Gregory Williams
I have learned that maybe students are a little more apathetic than I thought. Alyssa “AJ” Koehn Third-place finisher He said he’s most excited to get started with his 1000
BOARD OF GOVERNORS>>
3622 yes votes 542 no votes
1. Mike Silley—1464 2. Sumedha Sharma—1377 3. Erik MacKinnon—1283 4. Matt Parson—1184 5. Justin Yang—820 6. Tagg Jefferson—817 7. Sean Cregten—671
Parson thought if there was one thing that secured his win, it was talking about things students care about. “I think students really respected that.”
CHRIS BORCHERT/THE UBYSSEY
VP Admin, incumbent elected to Board In perhaps the most competitive race in the AMS elections, incumbent candidate Sumedha Sharma and current VP Administration Mike Silley won the two student seats on the Board of Governors (BoG), receiving 1377 and 1464 votes respectively. Sharma said she hopes to continue the progress she made on the Board last year. “I’m definitely pleased that I get a chance to continue the things that I started on the Board and I definitely feel like I have a lot more to offer,” she said. Silley, who received the most votes of the seven candidates in the
race, said he is happy he won and looks forward to implementing his platform, which included a pledge to vote no to any tuition increases. “I feel great. All my plans are what I’ve laid out in my platform. I’m going to keep to all of them… Whatever the students want, I plan to deliver,” he said. Sharma said Silley will have a large learning curve on BoG, but they will work well together. “I definitely feel like it will be a good learning curve for him and I’m happy that I’ll be there, like [outgoing Board representative] Sean Heisler was for me, to mentor him and coach him in some regards,” she said. Erik MacKinnon came in a close third with 1283 votes. He declined comment. Matt Parson, despite winning the race for AMS president, could only muster a fourth place finish in the BoG election, with 1184 votes. Arts Undergraduate Society President Justin Yang received 820 votes and Tagg Jefferson received 817. Sean Cregten, the assistant VP Academic and University Affairs for the AMS, came in last place with 671 votes. “I’m pretty comfortable about not being elected. One of the primary reasons for me running was to get some ideas out there,” said Cregten. U —Will McDonald
Ambassadors project, where he will attempt to meet 1000 unique students throughout his presidency. Koehn said it was a tough couple of weeks, but that she is glad she ran without having a political background. “I have learned that maybe students are a little more apathetic than I thought, that maybe the elections committee needs to find new ways to engage students because the voter turnout is so low,” said Koehn. But she said while this might be the end of her involvement with the AMS, she’s still hoping to be involved with UBC. “I might be graduating, but I’m not done with the university.”
Cappellacci, who was VP Academic & University Affairs in 2010-2011, said that while his time at UBC is now over, he is glad he ran. He quoted Rudyard Kipling’s poem “If” on Facebook after the polls had closed, and said the poem is relevant to the feelings he has. “It is a completely relevant poem, I think. The emotions that you get with triumph and disaster are equal. The despair and the joy you feel when you’ve won or lost, they are equal on both ends of the spectrum,” he said. “The future of this university, the future of this campus now lies in the hands of some very capable people. I wish the executive of this coming year the best of luck.” U
SENATE>>
STUDENT LEGAL FUND>>
Five new student senators an experienced crop
SPAN squeaks onto SLFS Board
The Senate results saw Justin Yang, Kiran Mahal, Katherine Tyson, Montana Hunter and Barnabas Caro elected as the five at-large members to the UBC Vancouver Senate. Dawei Ji placed in sixth, missing out on the fifth place position by just 48 votes, and Malieh Noghrekar picked up 3.6 per cent of the vote. “We had some really, really great candidates. I’m looking forward to working with all of them,” said Mahal, who got 18.4 per cent of the vote with 2033 votes. “I think we overlap in a lot of issues, which is amazing, because we can have a really cohesive Student Senate Caucus and really push through these issues that we are passionate about.” “I’m happy for the new senators. Honestly, it’s a good bunch,” said Yang, the only incumbent in the race. He placed first among candidates with 2078 votes, collecting 18.8 per cent. “I think I campaigned really, really hard and I think I deserved what I got,” said Caro, whose 1449 votes—13.1 per cent—put him in fifth just ahead of Ji at 1401. On April 1, the new senators will join the 18-seat student caucus on the Vancouver Senate, which has 91 seats composed of deans, convocation senators and elected faculty representatives, among others. U —Andrew Bates
For the first time in recent history, the Student Legal Fund Society will have members of two slates on their board. Students for Responsible Leadership (SRL) won five of the six seats, with the Students for Progressive Action Network (SPAN) taking one seat. SRL candidate Maria Cirstea received the most votes in the race with 1226 votes. She was followed by four SRL slate members, incumbent Jordan Stewart (1081), incumbent Aaron Sihota (990), incumbent JJ Maclean (959) and Sandy Buchanan (947). Gregory Williams of SPAN took the last seat with 872 votes. While receiving the least amount of votes of the six successful candidates, Gregory Williams’s win brings the biggest change to the Students Legal Fund Society. SRL has been the only slate in the race after slates were re-introduced to the SLFS race in 2009-2010—meaning that the six elected seats have been filled by one slate. Maria Cirstea of SRL said she’s glad that there will be more diversity. “I definitely think that the other slate, SPAN, had really good ideas and now that Greg is on there, it won’t just be one mind. There will be representation of both sides.” Williams himself is ready to fight for SPAN’s cause. “I’m going to work day in, day out, to accomplish the points in our platform.” U —RJ Reid
01.30.2012 | News | 7 REFERENDUM>>
Lodge saved, art up for sale in referendum We definitely need to look at other options. There’s always the next U-Pass referendum, so that will be a second chance.
Justin McElroy Coordinating Editor
The results of the referendum are in, and the AMS will be selling three pieces of art from their permanent collection. They will not, however, sell the Whistler Lodge. That was the big news as elections administrator Carolee Changfoot announced the vote totals for all four questions on the ballot. While all four questions saw a majority of students vote yes, only question four, regarding the sale of the art, and question one, which reduces AMS membership fees by $2.88, had enough students vote yes to pass quorum. As set out by AMS code, quorum requires eight per cent of the total AMS population to vote in favour. “Generally happy with the results,” said VP Finance Elin Tayyar after the results were announced. “We had a plan B for each of the questions...but the art question was VP ACADEMIC/ UNIVERSITY AFFAIRS >>
Mahal wins five-way race
Elin Tayyar Outgoing VP Finance, on selling th e AMS’s Whistler property
GEOFF LISTER/THE UBYSSEY
one where we really needed it to pass, so I’m happy.” Tayyar said that next Council meeting, he will propose an “extraordinary art committee” to be
responsible for the selling of the three pieces from the permanent collection, which have not yet been chosen. “It will include a lot of experts an
people involved in the arts community at UBC,” he said. “They’ll be the driving force behind the sale.” Debate over the Whistler Lodge
VP EXTERNAL>>
VP ADMINISTRATION>>
VP FINANCE>>
Unopposed Warwick wins
Wong new VP of clubs, SUB
Money man Miller wins race
question was heated, with members of the Ski and Board Club incensed that the AMS was looking to sell a decades-old institution without discussing the matter with the club beforehand. Tayyar himself said, “I was expecting the lodge [question] to fail, realistically.” But he said the AMS can’t stop efforts to sell the lodge. “We definitely need to look at other options. There’s always the next U-Pass referendum, so that will be a second chance.” U
Referendum results Question 1
CHRIS BORCHERT/THE UBYSSEY
GEOFF LISTER/THE UBYSSEY
GEOFF LISTER/THE UBYSSEY
GEOFF LISTER/THE UBYSSEY
Mahal ran on a platform of mental health that seems to have impressed students.
Kyle Warwick celebrates his victory at the Gallery results party.
Wong’s ties to the Arts Undergraduate Society gave her an impressive volunteer base.
Poli sci student Tristan Miller is now in charge of the Society’s chequebook.
Kiran Mahal was elected the new VP Academic and University Affairs. She won four majorities against the other candidates in a race with 4155 votes cast. Mahal, who has been Science Undergraduate Society President this year, pointed to her volunteer team as the cause of her success. “I think it really was the volunteers and the people I had helping me, because I really couldn’t have done it without them.” Though she was sad to leave her current position with the SUS, Mahal was not worried. “I know I’m leaving it in very capable hands...It’s really like the best case scenario.” Carven Li, who came third in the race, was pleased with the results, as he believed Mahal to be a strong candidate. “I’m happy that [she] won.” “There’s so much you learn while campaigning,” he said, admitting there was room for improvement in his campaign. Coming in fourth was Bahador Moosavi. “I was in a tough race with a lot of really great people...It truly was a pleasure,” he said. As a current Graduate Student Society councillor, Moosavi now looks forward to finishing his degree this year. “I’m definitely going to miss the AMS, and the blast I’ve had over the past year.” However, Moosavi hoped to stay involved with UBC. “With the alumni engagement that we have at the AMS, I might still get engaged with the AMS on some level.” Joke candidate Party Rock, who got fifth place, was glad that the election period was over. “Now everyone’s partying,” he said, while passing out glow sticks to fellow candidates. U
Kyle Warwick has been elected the next VP External of the AMS. The only candidate in the race, Warwick had 3161 (82.5 per cent) votes for and 672 (17.5 per cent) votes against, with 1956 of the 5789 voters abstaining. Stunned from adrenaline, Warwick was speechless after hearing the news. “I’m very relieved, I’m excited. I wish that I could have gotten even more votes, but I’m very [happy] to have gotten the confidence of students, and I’m going to work really hard to prove myself to every student whether or not they voted for me,” said Warwick, who will take over the position from Katherine Tyson. Warwick’s platform focused on taking the AMS’s advocacy towards provincial lobbying, addressing the upcoming U-Pass contract negotiations, and advocating for a rapid transit line between the rest of Vancouver and UBC, as well as reform for student financial aid. Tyson, who herself won a seat in the UBC Senate, provided some advice to Warwick. “Learn from the portfolio,” she said. “We’re getting a new university and government relations assistant coming in next Monday. They can start the transition process together, have a close relationship, something that we didn’t have, and that can really build the portfolio.” Warwick is eager to start the process of acclimating to his new position as VP External. “I’m going to be starting work on Monday to get up to speed, to start the transition process, and I plan to hit the ground running with updating AMS policies that are outdated and need more research,” said Warwick. U
Caroline Wong will be the next AMS VP Administration after winning with 3053 votes. Her only opponent, Elaine Kuo, received 552 votes, but the landslide win was somewhat belied by 2122 abstentions, meaning over 37 per cent of voters did not vote for either candidate. Wong, the current Arts Undergraduate Society VP External, said she was nervous about the results but overjoyed to be announced as the winner. “A lot of my friends were there to support me in this campaign and I really didn’t want to let them down. I was really glad to have my friends to support me like they did tonight. “Elaine’s a very worthy opponent and we had very similar platforms. So I was nervous because I did not know what to expect.” Wong said her first priority will be to ensure a smooth, “multifaceted” transition with the rest of the new executive team; she will begin attending meetings and reading reports to prepare to take over. For her part, Kuo said she had been not been expecting to win and paid tribute to Wong. “I think Caroline was a very strong opponent and I think she’ll make an admirable VP Admin,” she said. “As far as elections go, I’m not anticipating running in another election in the future. I do hope to stay on in the AMS,” said Kuo, who is currently the student services coordinator for the Arts Undergraduate Society. Kuo said she now intends to seek the position of vice-chair of the Student Administrative Commission. U
The race for VP Finance is over— and Tristan Miller, the only candidate running in the race, has been elected. With 3622 yes votes and 542 no votes, Miller easily won, and received 461 more votes than Kyle Warwick, the only other candidate running in an uncontested race. “The number of votes was very surprising. It’s rare to see that many in uncontested races,” said Miller. “I’m really happy I got that many…I’m feeling good.” It was relatively certain that Miller was going to be elected, as only in extreme cases do uncontested candidates not win their position. The entire AMS election and results party experience was nervewracking for him nonetheless. When asked whether or not he felt stressed during it all, Miller replied, “To a degree. It was definitely a stressful time.” The trepidation he felt during this time is likely to be made up for in spades with the celebrations tonight. “I’m going to get back into this fray for a while and then probably head downtown,” said Miller in the midst of the chaos. Candidates, photographers, press, friends and onlookers all spilled out into the main foyer of the SUB in celebration, and Miller was quick to jump into the crowd and congratulate his fellow AMS executive members. He’s looking forward to next month, when he takes on his duties as VP Finance. “It’s certainly going to be a challenge but it’ll be a lot of fun as well, so I’m looking forward to it.” U
—Natalya Kautz
—Tanner Bokor
—Colin Chia
—Scott MacDonald
Do you support and approve the following changes to the AMS student membership fees? (The reduction of the current Student Spaces Fund fee by $3.88, effective September 2012, and the introduction of an annual Ombudsperson fee in the amount of $1) YES: 3966 (78.6%) NO: 1082 (21.4%) PASSED
Question Two Do you support and approve the following change to AMS Bylaw 11(2)(a): to ensure the establishment and maintenance of an endowment fund known as the “AMS Endowment Fund.” YES: 3080 (79.6%) NO: 789 (20.4%) DID NOT MEET QUORUM
Question three Do you authorize the AMS Student Council to sell the land and buildings collectively being the AMS Whistler Lodge? YES: 2512 (50.5%) NO: 2466 (49.5%) DID NOT MEET QUORUM
Question Four Do you authorize the AMS Student Council to sell a maximum of three (3) paintings owned by the AMS, such paintings to be selected at the discretion of the AMS Student Council? YES: 4166 (83.8%) NO: 808 (16.2%) PASSED
Sports
01.30.2012 |
8
Editor: Drake Fenton
BASKETBALL >>
T-Bird Standings B-Ball (W) W L East Regina Sask. Alberta Calgary Winnipeg Lethbridge Manitoba Brandon
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0 4 5 5 8 12 13 16
12 10 8 6 5 2
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West UBC Fraser Valley TWU Victoria TRU UBC- 0
B-Ball (M) W L East Sask. Alberta Lethbridge Manitoba Calgary Regina Brandon Winnipeg
West
UBC dominated UBC-O in a weekend series at War Memorial Gym, slaughtering them 77-43 on Friday and 78-48 Saturday.
GEOFF LISTER/THE UBYSSEY
‘Birds show no love for little brother, crush UBC-O Rocking the Rim CJ Pentland It may not be the most heated rivalry as of yet, but the UBC Thunderbirds and UBC Okanagan Heat planted a seed when their men’s basketball teams clashed for the first time this past weekend. With both teams heading in totally different directions this season, the intensity and drama of a series between two schools with the same academic affiliation was minimal. Rivalries always take time to develop, especially in this case, when the talent and age level in both groups is so diverse.
I’ve decided I’m not going to get any more grey hairs because of [turnovers]. If we’re going to give them ten more possessions a game, then we better be defensively ten points better than them. Kevin Hanson UBC basketball head coach However, in a few years these teams might have more similarities than just the UBC in their names.
The Heat (2-12) are experiencing growing pains in their first year in the CIS and have a roster full of talented young players. With only one senior on their roster, they are looking toward the future as they hope to build a competitive program. On the other hand, the T-Birds (122) are a team loaded with fifth-years and have been a powerhouse in the Canada West for years. They expect big results every year and are usually very successful. UBC-O clearly had it tough against such an elite opponent; UBC has the edge on them in all categories, and that disparity was evident in the weekend’s score lines. The ‘Birds were able to take control from start to finish and win by convincing scores: 77-43 on Friday night and 78-48 on Saturday. UBC is now on an eight-game winning streak and remains atop the Canada West standings. Despite the lopsided outcomes, both head coaches forecast better games between their teams in the upcoming years and look forward to more intensity. “[UBC has] nice players, guys that compete, a class act,” said UBC-O head coach Darren Semeniuk after Saturday’s game. “Hopefully it’s the start of a good rivalry, because it’ll be a good, tasteful rivalry. Hopefully we get there soon.” UBC head coach Kevin Hanson, who reached a personal milestone on Friday night with his 300th win as coach of the T-Birds, echoed the same thoughts. “I thought Darren has done a good job in a short period of
time [in developing a program]. I thought they competed hard both nights.” As much as the coaches respect each other’s program, on game days they both expect to win. These two campuses are in a unique situation in that they’re both part of UBC, and because of this there will always be bragging rights on the line. Both campuses want to prove they have the better team.
GEOFF LISTER/THE UBYSSEY
At a time when every win is crucial to the Thunderbirds, UBC could not afford to ease up on the newcomers because of their poor record. The ‘Birds know they can’t take a game off, as evidenced by the fact that one of their losses came against a lacklustre University of Calgary team. To stay on top of the Canada West standings, UBC needed to take UBC-O seriously.
Despite this, UBC was unable to play a complete game on either Friday or Saturday night. They coughed the ball up 38 times on the weekend, but once again were able to make up for the offensive miscues on the defensive end. “It’s who we are,” said Hanson. “I’ve decided I’m not going to get any more grey hair because of it. If we’re going to give them ten more possessions than us a game, then we better be defensively ten points better than them.” If not for tough play on defence, the Thunderbirds would not be the best team in the west. Most teams who are that sloppy with the ball end up paying for it on the scoreboard, but so far the ‘Birds have managed to survive. They made up for it on Saturday by holding the Heat to 29.3 per cent shooting and recording 17 steals. Whether this defence can stay strong will decide how far the team goes come playoff time. In the midst of a season where close games have been the norm, the games this weekend will probably not stick out in the minds of many of the UBC players. It was assumed that the T-Birds, with their experience and skill level, would easily come away with two wins this weekend, and that proved to be the case. But with the maturity of a young UBC-O team and with several key UBC players graduating this year, there will be a new look to the series next year. With a seed planted and familiar faces squaring off again, the fight for campus bragging rights may give way to a hard-fought rivalry. U
UBC Victoria Fraser Valley TWU TRU UBC- O
11 10 9 8 6 5 5 4
4 6 7 8 10 10 11 12
12 11 10 8 5 2
2 3 5 7 9 12
Bird Droppings Women’s volleyball unstoppable in Winnipeg This past weekend UBC’s women’s volleyball took a stranglehold grasp of first place in the Canada West by sweeping the University of Winnipeg Wesmen in back-toback games. Despite fourth-year Brina Derksen-Bergen injuring herself midway through the contest, UBC managed to beat the No. 5 ranked Wesmen 3-1 on Friday night (25-22, 25-17, 19-25, 25-17). “I was very pleased with our effort tonight, not just that we battled for the win, but that given the circumstances especially with Brina getting hurt partway through the second set,” said UBC head coach Doug Reimer. The ‘Birds were led by a dominating performance from fourth-year outside hitter Shanice Marcelle. She led the team with 20 digs and also added 15 kills. Fifth-year Kyla Richey led UBC in kills with 17. Saturday night was a similar affair for the ‘Birds, as they took down Winnipeg 3-1 (23-25, 25-13, 25-21, 2516). Marcelle was once again a beast, leading the team with 16 digs whille adding 14 kills. Second-year Lisa Barclay was UBC’s offensive sparkplug, finishing the game with a team high 15 kills. The No. 1 ranked ‘Birds moved to 15-1 on the season. U
01.30.2012 | Sports | 9 NATIONAL>>
Brock and Waterloo play in first ever CIS outdoor classic William Crothers and Matt Horner The Brock Press
ST CATHERINES (CUP)—The stage once reserved for little more than pickup games of shinny has definitely shown its value over the past decade, now permeating multiple levels of organized hockey. The NHL’s Winter Classic has become a New Year’s Day staple since being embraced in the 200708 season (after the initial success of the Canadian Heritage Classic in Edmonton in 2003). In 2010, the American Hockey League embraced the outdoor format, which ultimately set the path for this year’s partnership with the Ontario University Athletic Association (OUA) to hold both an outdoor men’s and women’s regular season game. This year’s festivities were hosted at Ivor Wynne Stadium in Hamilton, Ontario, home of the Canadian Football League’s Hamilton Tigercats. The featured game was between the Hamilton Bulldogs and Toronto Marlies on January 21, dubbed “The Steeltown Showdown,” which drew a record 20,565 fans. The showcase also featured a Toronto Maple LeafsMontréal Canadiens alumni game, and open ice sessions for the public. Attendance for the OUA games was a fraction of the AHL showcase, but made for a unique experience and cherished memories for Brock, Waterloo and University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) hockey players. “The event marked the first time in 70 years that an OUA team played outdoors,” said Robert Hilson, athletic director at Brock University. “In 20 years, our student athletes might not remember their 2011–12 record, or the score of the game, but they will always
Waterloo’s men’s team defeated Brock 3-1. Brock’s women’s team took down UOIT 3-2.
remember playing these games outdoors.” Hilson explained it was somewhat a combination of initiative and luck that allowed for Brock’s participation in both the games. “Ontario University Athletics approached the Brock men’s hockey team to play Waterloo on Sunday [January 22]. There were only two OUA games scheduled on that week, and the other game was in Ottawa. “Brock Athletics [then] proposed that the OUA include a women’s game on the Thursday. The University of Ontario Institute of
Technology jumped on board immediately,” he said. The chance to play outdoor hockey was something everyone on the team was looking forward to. “I think everybody is really excited and it’s a great opportunity, obviously,” said Brock men’s head coach Murray Nystrom. “Probably a once-in-a-lifetime [experience] to be a part of it.” The different conditions offer their own challenges, some of which can’t be simulated in practice. Outdoor game temperatures are rarely ideal, whether they’re too cold or too hot.
COURTESY OF MICHAEL P. HALL OUA
Too warm, and ice conditions deteriorate; too cold, and—well, it’s cold. The boards are less stable, the brightness of natural sunlight reflected off the snow and ice affects vision and the ice in general needs more repairs mid-game. It was evident by Sunday that the ice around the goalpost pegs had deteriorated, as evidenced by several nets being knocked off with very little contact. Outdoor cardio and practicing with an extra layer of clothing can help, but unless you have some very high-end outdoor facilities, there are just some conditions that teams cannot duplicate.
It makes for a choppier game, necessitating a simpler, safer style of play. But if you asked any player, coach, referee or fan about their experience, you would be hard-pressed to find someone who regretted playing or watching. For players who spent their childhood honing their game on ponds and outdoor rinks, playing in the outdoor classic is what dreams are made of. “I’m from Alberta originally and it gets pretty cold,” said Brock forward Ryan Allen, who hails from Fort McMurray, Alberta. “[There’s] a lot of ponds and a lot of outdoor rinks and that’s all you did as a kid, play on the outdoor ponds and dream about doing it one day as a part of an organized game.” On January 19, Brock’s women took down the UOIT Ridgebacks by a score of 3-2, coming back from a 2-1 third period deficit. The aesthetic beauty of the outdoor game, which saw just about every kind of winter weather, was not lost on Hilson. “The women’s hockey game was out of a fairy tale. An outdoor rink, snow and the sun in the second period. It was absolutely perfect.” For the men’s game, three busloads of Brock fans created a home away from home for the Badgers, singing the national anthem over the music, eating turkey legs in the stands and watching an impromptu “mascot” fight between two fans dressed as a hot dog and a bear. “The atmosphere was electric and when the national anthem didn’t work and the fans took over—well, I don’t think I have ever been that fired up before a game in my entire career,” said Brock defenceman Isaac Smeltzer. “I found myself hoping that each period would never end.” Waterloo won the men’s game 3-1. U
HOCKEY >>
UBC shuts out first place Alberta
Huge effort by goaltender Jordan White clinches T-Bird playoff spot, home ice advantage still possible Colin Chia Staff Writer
GEOFF LISTER/THE UBYSSEY
UBC’s Marc Desloges fires a puck at the net during Saturday’s game. UBC beat Alberta 1-0.
Goaltender Jordan White was the hero as the UBC Thunderbirds won 1-0 against the University of Alberta in a tough-fought match at Doug Mitchell Arena Saturday night. White made 25 saves for the shutout as UBC bounced back from a loss to split their home series against the Canada West league leaders. UBC displayed plenty of grit 24 hours after head coach Milan Dragicevic took the T-Birds to task for a lack of intensity in a 3-1 loss on Friday night. “We challenged our guys quite a bit before the game. There was a battle out there today and I thought our guys did a really good job as far as battling and fighting for pucks and playing to our identity,” Dragicevic said. The low-scoring game wasn’t lacking in excitement as both teams kept up the tempo. White made some critical saves to keep the game scoreless through two fairly even periods in which Alberta had the better scoring chances. One of White’s most important saves came with 6:16 remaining in the second period. With Alberta
on the powerplay and applying pressure, White successfully made a sprawling save. Alberta pushed hard at the start of the third period but White denied Kruise Reddick and Johnny Lazo in the first five minutes of the final frame. “Jordan [White] was great. There wasn’t any second or third shots and he played the puck behind the net very well. He gave us that opportunity to win and he’s been great for us all season,” said Dragicevic. “The guys want to work hard for him and the guys want to win for him. He’s a leader, even though he’s a goalie.” Dragicevic added that he thought White was in the running for league MVP. “For us to be successful, we need him to be like that down the stretch.” UBC got the only goal of the game when Jordan Inglis dug the puck out of corner on the right wing and found Nate Fleming open in the slot. Fleming then backhanded the puck past Alberta goalie Réal Cyr with 13:51 left in the game. The forward line of Inglis, Fleming and Wyatt Hamilton got some praise from Dragicevic. “That whole line was rewarded [by] getting the game-winning goal. They just work so hard and they keep
things so simple and that’s the key to their success,” he said. In a similar play, UBC nearly got a second goal with 9:32 remaining as Scott Wasden passed it to Max Grassi on the doorstep of the goal, but Cyr came up with a brilliant save. Alberta had a shorthanded chance with 2:46 left, but centre Sean Ringrose couldn’t beat Jordan White. In the final minute, Alberta threw on an extra attacker and pinned the T-Birds in their own zone looking for the equalizer, but UBC managed to hold on. The win clinched a playoff spot and keeps UBC firmly in fourth place as they seek to ensure home ice advantage. “Our goal hasn’t changed, we still want to finish in the top four to host. We’re in control of our own destiny,” Dragicevic said. While it was important to get a victory over Canada West’s top team, Dragicevic emphasized that beating Alberta just shows that the T-Birds have to work hard every game. “It just solidifies the fact that we want to play like that. That’s the way we have to play for us to be successful, and it doesn’t matter if we’re playing against the firstplace team or the last-place team, we have to play the same way.” U
Opinion
01.30.2012 |
10
Editor: Brian Platt
A simple and effective scholarship is gone Editor’s Notebook Arshy Mann
The Last Word Parting shots and snap judgments on today’s issues “Shit UBC Says” a welcome but rare addition to campus culture We watched “Shit UBC Says” in our office when it started to go viral on Twitter, and were happy to see a few students had taken it upon themselves to produce a local version of the ever-expanding meme. (See our story on this in the culture section.) But what we also noted was that videos like this are the exception, not the rule, at UBC. Nearly 50,000 students attend our school, and yet the level of internet culture—blogs, discussion boards and silly YouTube creations—is really quite low. Of course, this is essentially a reflection of the lack of vibrant student culture on the whole. So we hope to see many more videos that play up our university’s quirks, and encourage anyone with the germ of an idea to just put it out there. It’s really not that hard to do if you have a few basic editing skills. Yes, we’ll see a few cringe-worthy productions—but that sure beats nothing, which is what we’ve got a whole lot of now. Of course, we’ll still be producing as many of our own videos as possible. And it’s pronounced “YOUbuh-see,” for the record.
The AMS should be watching Belkin’s digitization project It is great that the Belkin Gallery is putting its collection online, a move that has already been made by many of the top art museums around the world. As their public programs and relations manager says, there are many pieces in that collection that normally sit in storage, out of sight and mind of the Belkin’s visitors. Viewing artwork online will surely never match the experience of seeing it in person, but that’s not the point. This isn’t a choice between seeing it online or in the gallery itself; it’s a choice between seeing it online or not at all—remember, these pieces are otherwise sitting in storage, except for the odd showing. Does this remind you of anything else? Oh right: the AMS! Students have just overwhelmingly voted to give the AMS permission to sell three of its most valuable paintings. One of the main reasons why the
AMS wants to sell some of its artwork is that it can’t afford to properly display them. Having them online would be a fairly easy way to raise awareness about these paintings and increase public accessibility to them—and the Belkin could give the AMS advice based on its experience with digitizing its collection. We hope the AMS keeps this in mind when making choices about what to do with the paintings that are not sold off.
It takes guts to run in an election Another AMS election season has come and gone, which customarily means we congratulate those who emerged victorious from the messy sandbox that is student campaigning. But really, congratulations should be extended to all candidates. Putting yourself in the spotlight, believing that you are equipped to represent 45,000 students in positions with considerable authority requires a certain amount of hubris. Yet it also requires a great degree of courage. Most of the people who ran in this election were interacting with a giant populace in a public way for the first time in their lives. They were challenged, questioned and occasionally mocked—sometimes by this newspaper. Politics, even at the student level—make that especially at the student level—is a nasty business that turns away many decent people. Those that put themselves through it deserve congratulations, regardless of vote total.
Congratulations to Parson—and now the work begins However, a hearty congratulations should also be extended to those who did manage to convince the most students to vote for them. They will run the AMS and be your representatives at the highest rungs of power at UBC next year. If housing is to become more affordable on campus, if instructors are going to be more accountable, if local government is going to become more representative, if clubs are going to have more resources—they will have played a large role in it. Much of this will fall on the shoulders of Matt Parson, the newly
elected president. Being AMS president is a stress-filled job where most work is unacknowledged and most students will only have an opinion about you if you do something embarrassing. But Parson, like presidents before him, will be the person who leads his team of executives and attempts to make the AMS more important to all students. He will work with the university to find ways to improve the mental health of students and make UBC’s land use decisions more accountable. And as part of his platform, he’ll be out there every day, talking to students about what matters to them— or else he’ll dock his salary (and trust us, we’ll hold him to that pledge). It’s a tough task, but if he succeeds, all students will be better off for his work. We wish him well.
If we want more voters, they’ll need to have choices to make According to voter turnout, 88.4 per cent of you apparently don’t care who runs your student union. We had 5789 students voting in this election, and while this isn’t a terrible number, it’s indicative of the lack of engagement on broad, campus-based issues. This happens for a lot of reasons—the number of commuter students, the focus on academics, and so on—but we think it also happens because candidates aren’t really talking about issues that galvanize students. Let’s take the race for president. The biggest issue for Alyssa Koehn was “engaging” the campus, the biggest pledge from Matt Parson was “communicating” with ordinary students, and the biggest promise from Ben Cappellacci was creating a lobbying group. And while agreeing to talk to people is a worthy cause, it’s also something that isn’t going to make students come out and vote. The fact that over 5000 students voted in an election where publicity was low and most candidates refused to draw contrasts with their competitors is a good sign. But to those considering running next year, we ask you to give students more concrete reasons to vote for you—and to potentially disagree with you. Who knows, you might actually win. U
When I was a bright-eyed 18-yearold applying to universities, there were two reasons I chose to come to UBC. The first was a summertime tour of campus that made the university look like the Garden of Eden. (Little did I know that during the winter, UBC goes from paradise to puddle.) The second was much more tangible: a $4000 scholarship that I automatically qualified for because of my admission average. But students applying to UBC this year won’t have the same option. Last week, UBC announced that they will be cancelling the President’s Entrance Scholarship (PES) and diverting that money towards major entrance scholarships, bursaries, Work Study and Go Global. The $6 million will be going towards good causes. Being able to give more students major entrance scholarships means more students can graduate debt-free. And programs that enrich the student experience are vital to a full education. But the trade-off is that a larger number of students will have trouble paying their tuition. The main reasoning behind the PES was not to increase
accessibility, but rather to convince students to choose UBC over other universities. But the PES made sure that students who worked hard in high school and focused on their academics got a little bit of help right in their first year. Many students choose to go to a college for the first two years of their degree simply because it’s cheaper. Many of them have the grades, but don’t have the money. It may swing them back towards choosing university if they know that their high school academic achievements will give them financial relief. But reliability wasn’t the only thing that made the PES great; it was also the simplicity. You didn’t have to fill out forms, write bad essays about your trip to Rwanda or beg history teachers for references. If you got the grades, you got the money. Furthermore, the application process is often daunting for those who may have the skills and experience to qualify for other scholarships—especially when they’re busy enough with the university applications alone. More investment in bursaries is a good thing, but many students don’t know that those resources are available. At the very least, I hope UBC advertises these new funds better. The PES was simple, effective and helped a broad range of students. Incoming students don’t know what they’re missing. U
When the AMS meets student development Letters Re: “Students Under Development,” January 23 While student development and the AMS have overlapping goals at times, they have different purposes. The purpose of the VP Students office is to raise UBC’s reputation in non-research areas. Increasingly in post-secondary circles, this includes wellness and student perception surveys (the largest, the National Survey of Student Engagement, has only existed since 1998). The purpose of student unions is to lead the voice of the student body (a tradition borrowed from Britain just following confederation). Efforts like student development are a needed step as Canada deindustrializes its universities away from degree mills, but student leaders must not misinterpret these new resources as genuine leadership. Vision on campus will always come from those with highest stakes and the least to lose—the students organizing for themselves. —Alex Lougheed Former VP Academic of the AMS As someone who refers to the Centre for Student Involvement as her second home, spending more time there than anywhere else on campus the last two years, I really appreciate the thoughtful piece written on the connections between student development and student politics. When I ran for president I really wanted to show that these two communities can, and should, overlap.
But what was missing from the article was a discussion of how student development, beyond its benefits of institutional history and engaging students with the university administration, contributes to effective student leadership. At one point, an interviewee describes student politics as a place of student support and student development as one of staff support. I think this separation is inherently incorrect. The greatest benefit of working with student development is the training and guidance you are given on how to support your peers. The staff is well versed in theory, research and practice on how to provide resources to students that allow them to grow as leaders. Yes, the staff will be there to catch your projects should you fail, but their true support is in helping their students learn to be stronger leaders, to better facilitate teams and to be wellrounded people. The student support in this department is the strongest I have ever known. These resources are what I have often found lacking in student societies. The benefit of this training is invaluable, providing students with all levels of leadership experience and new skills to better put their ideas into action. I am excited for more students with student development backgrounds to engage in student politics and I also hope that our student societies will seek to provide these same types of resources to their councillors and executives. Both communities can do even greater things by engaging with each other. —Alyssa Koehn 2012 AMS presidential candidate
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Pictures and words on your university experience
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How to avoid visiting the doc during flu season Skip the exorbitant prices of drugstore medicine by using homemade recipes Happy Healthy Horny
Raeven GeistDeschamps Maybe some of us had to fly across the country and share an enclosed space with coughing individuals. Maybe someone sneezed on us on the 99 B-Line. Maybe our houses are so dirty, they might be harbouring hopeful bacteria. In any case, everyone’s a-snifflin’ at UBC and blaming the bone-licking cold. As a student with one part-time job of gratefully received but symptomatically minimal revenue, I’ve never, ever wanted to spend money at Shopper’s Drug Mart for your average Tylenol Sinus or knockyou-out-cold NeoCitron. Non merci! Sparing pennies is ever so beautiful, so I’ve come up with the briefest of lists to emerge from the depths of lung-rattling colds which should cost you very little compared to your average painkiller. Linus Pauling, as well as winning a couple of Nobel Peace Prizes, was the only scientist to ever launch a long-term study on the value of Vitamin C as a supplement. Cited in Harri Hemila’s “Common Cold,” strong doses of your average supplement or citrus beverage will both alleviate cold symptoms and shorten its duration if taken at the start. So yes, downing hot toddies— that delicious beverage with scotch, lemon or orange and honey—is on
the list, as well as sipping OJ, slurping grapefruit cocktails and eating lemons without the rinds (a less exciting but equally plausible option). Apitherapy (honey) is also an antiviral and antibacterial, and is claimed to improve blood circulation and alleviate muscular tension. Aged garlic, perhaps stored and forgotten in a closet, is also supposed to have amazing antioxidative activities. Ginger can reduce lung inflammation and is known to relax the smooth muscles of the body, like those in our respiratory tract.
Aged garlic is supposed to have amazing antioxidative activities, and ginger can reduce lung inflammation and is known to relax the smooth muscles of the body, like those in our respiratory tract. Hemila, a Swiss physician, claims antibiotics are not the most effective way to treat a cold. In the realm of the completely anecdotal, I’ve been told by a mother of eight that warm, damp cotton socks inside
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YES, IT’S FREUDIAN
Take photos for The Ubyssey Geoff Lister | art@ubyssey.ca
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Home remedies like ginger and raw garlic can provide the same sort of congestion relief as over-the-counter cold medicine.
a second pair of socks relieves all kinds of congestion, both nasal and intestinal. This same woman lauded the bacteria-attracting capacities of onions, which should draw them all out, if put close to your ear when you have an earache. I wouldn’t suggest ingesting it afterwards, though.
I’m of the belief that we often become ill because we require rest. When my immune system is shutting down, everything that is important becomes the priority and all the fluff I stress about has a tendency to gently disappear. This may not be your experience, but I’ll guarantee napping will make everything better.
However, if you are in Conquering UBC in 2012 mode and you have no time to rest, know that exercise, a full night’s rest and the hot/cold flush are really key in nipping a cold in the bud. Between jumping into the pool and running to the steam room, you should feel better in no time. U
12 | Games | 01.30.2012 43- Olds model 45- Former nuclear agcy. 46- Filament 48- High-speed skiing 50- Always 51- Blend 52- Center Ming 54- Psychokinesis 61- “ ____ quam videri” (North Carolina’s motto) 63- Draw a bead on 64- City near Phoenix 65- Arguing 66- Thin glutinous mud 67- Friends 68- Sibilate 69- Part of TNT 70- Very, in Versailles Down
(CUP) — Puzzles provided by BestCrosswords.com. Used with permission.
Across 1- Soviet news service 5- Narc’s employer 8- Copied 12- Dos cubed 13- Boarded 15- Mex. miss 16- Caspian Sea feeder 17- Appliance brand 18- Mariners can sail on seven of these 19- Merciless
22- Advanced degree? 23- Pinch 24- Westernmost of the Aleutians 26- Scottish pudding 29- Drowsy 31- Equinox mo. 32- Grind together 34- Alma _____ 36- Glimpse 38- Stare angrily 40- Jester 41- Bottom line
1- Travel from place to place 2- 160 square rods 3- Counterfeit 4- “Farewell!” 5- Cupola 6- Bibliography abbr. 7- Bang-up 8- Balaam’s mount 9- Before marriage 10- Coup d’ ____ 11- Morse element 13- Breathless 14- Like Fran Drescher’s voice 20- Diana of “The Avengers” 21- Flower part 25- Side 26- Serf 27- The ideal example 28- Cobb, e.g. 29- Termagant 30- Arabian republic 31- Cpl.’s superior 33- Gal of song 35- VCR button 37- Sportscaster Albert 39- Recluse
42- Internet writing system that popularized “pwn3d” and “n00b 44- Thor’s father 47- Bailiwicks 49- Free from an obligation 52- Casual assent 53- Italian wine city 55- Light air 56- Chieftain, usually in Africa 57- Animistic god or spirit 58- Scorch 59- Archipelago part 60- Back talk 62- Aliens, for short