February 10, 2015 by The Ubyssey

FEBRUARY 10, 2015 | VOLUME XCVI | ISSUE XXXIX TITTIES IN YO FACE SINCE 1918

STUDENT COURT

THE HATCH

LAST WORDS

Yet more mediation ahead: AMS brings back Student Court.

The Art Gallery has undergone a name change of another avian variety.

Ubyssey editors talk about all the different bird puns the AMS can make.

UPCOMING T-BIRDS GAMES And an explanation of why you should watch them.

An island paradise is a ferry ride away, but what do you do when you get there?

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2015 |

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Anthropology prof Wade Davis describes the natural beauty of the Sacred Headwaters in Northern B.C. and discusses the threats it faces from industry and the response from First Nations and other communities. Free

THURSDAY

BEYOND BINARIES

John Zollars is a drummer in the UBC Marching Band.

As part of Outweek, Pride UBC is hosting an interactive discussion of gender diversity and trans issues. Share and listen to personal experiences and watch topical films. Free

John Zollars marches to the beat of his own drum

1:00 P.M. @ DODSON ROOM, IKB LEARNING CENTRE

THURSDAY

Olivia Law Senior staff writer

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Federal Green Party leader and Member of Parliament Elizabeth May will be giving a lecture at this Vancouver School of Theology event. Learn about and discuss her platform and environmental issues at this free talk.

ON THE COVER

When there’s no other instruments playing, it’s just us, and we have to keep playing in order to keep everyone in rhythm; as a drummer you constantly have to be alert.”

This was the last photo this camera ever took. It had nothing to do with the fact that it’s a brewery... - Photo Mackenzie Walker

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The UBC marching band is an element of life on campus that is familiar to most students. Playing at least one game each week, and practicing twice weekly, John Zollars is an integral part of this tradition. Beginning two years ago as the bass drummer of the band, Zollars is now the snare drum player and is critical in keeping the players and marchers on track. A fourth-year anthropology major, Zollars had zero marching band practice prior to UBC, even though he hails from the States, the marching band centre of the world. “You kind of develop a fondness over time,” said Zollars on the ‘Hail UBC’ anthem and rhythmic drum cadences. “It’s a finely oiled machine when you get to that point.”

John Zollars Fourth-year anthropology major and marching band drummer

FEBRUARY 10, 2015 | VOLUME XCVI | ISSUE XXXIX

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Evidently a drummer to the heart and soul, Zollars taps out rhythms at different points throughout conversation — whether conversing about the music or otherwise. As part of the percussion section, keeping to the beat is his key role in the band. “It’s more difficult — not to belittle any other instruments —

if you’re percussion because, for one, our equipment is just heavier,” said Zollars. “Also, you’ve probably heard it: when there’s no other instruments playing, it’s just us, and we have to keep playing in order to keep everyone in rhythm; as a drummer you constantly have to be alert.”

Usually on the way back when we’re walking we’ll all goof around — I came up with a thing where if everyone is dragging, I’ll stop, and we’ll yell ‘Hammer Time’ and everyone just plays ‘Can’t Touch This,’ which is really fun.” At least five times each semester, the marching band make their way down to the Thunderbird Arena, playing ‘Hail UBC’ and other crowd-revving themes before varsity games. “It’s fun,” promised Zollars. “Usually on the way back when we’re walking we’ll all goof around — I came up with a thing where if everyone is dragging, I’ll stop, and we’ll yell ‘Hammer Time’ and everyone just plays ‘Can’t Touch This,’ which is really fun.” With up to around 30 people at each practice and game, there’s a great camaraderie amongst the group, which is one of the reasons Zollars keeps returning year after year. With games like the recent Winter Classic, the band are encouraged by the huge turnouts. “We love that kind of atmosphere, it really motivates us to play. There’s definitely an energy

PHOTO CHERIHAN HASSUN/THE UBYSSEY

we feed off and we’ve been thanked a couple times from coaches,” said Zollars on the comradeship between UBC Athletics and the band. “Everyone’s benefitting.”

We’re still fairly new, so I think we all kind of recognize that we’ve rejuvenated what used to be there, and athletics is definitely hoping we can keep it going.” When asked about the rehearsal procedures for such a prominent band (in stature and volume) Zollars recounts many occasions where he has been asked to play quieter or move rooms. “One time we were scheduled in a room in the SUB, and unbeknownst to us, we were right next to a yoga class,” remembered Zollars. “We had to drum on chairs and things that wouldn’t reverberate a lot of sound.” Another time during finals, members of the band were practicing outside the SUB, and received noise complaints from studiers in IKB. “It’s one of those things where you don’t know how loud you’re being until everyone else tells you.” Marching band isn’t something Zollars saw himself partaking in when he joined UBC as a first year. But being involved with the band is infectious, and Zollars is keen to keep building the profile year on year. “We’re still fairly new, so I think we all kind of recognize that we’ve rejuvenated what used to be there, and athletics is definitely hoping we can keep it going.” U

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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2015 |

EDITORS JOVANA VRANIC + VERONIKA BONDARENKO

AMS >>

Student court for conflict mediation to be reinstated

FILE PHOTO GEOFF LISTER/THE UBYSSEY

The AMS student court was first started in the mid 1970s.

Veronika Bondarenko News Editor

The AMS plans to bring back their student court in the upcoming weeks. The student court, which has been around since the mid-1970s but has not been filled since 2009, aims to bring together a diverse group of students to mediate disputes and resolve interpersonal issues between students, clubs and AMS mem-

bers and make suggestions on the position that the AMS should take in specific instances. This was also before the AMS instated an official ombudsperson position for conflict management and resolution. The AMS is still in the process of figuring out how the two will work alongside each other. In June, the AMS Council decided to bring back the original student court structure to work

alongside the current ombudsperson but did not act upon it until recently when they announced that they would be posting the positions for the court at the February 4 council meeting. AMS President Tanner Bokor said that since the student court was never officially dissolved, council felt that it was necessary to continue filling it each year. “Student Court is to be a standing body in the AMS By-

laws, and should have been called sooner. We’re now just following the necessary processes to comply with our bylaws as set by students, and that process took time,” said Bokor. The AMS will hire several students to serve as judges at the court and be called in on a per-case basis when mediation is requested. The rest of the court will be selected among current UBC students. According to Bokor, the idea behind student court was to have a representative group of students who can critically and objectively examine situations that may come up among students and will require a response from the AMS. “[The court] can objectively take a look at a circumstance and report to Council on how they would recommend following that, so that’s really where their function lies now,” said Bokor. At the same time, Bokor stressed that while the student court will serve as advisors to the society, they will not have the power to mandate specific actions or decisions. AMS Council would still need to vote whether to act upon the recommendations of the student court. “If decisions would break our code or by-laws or anything there or even the law, then it would be the responsibility of the directors to say ‘Nope, we can’t go for this,’” said Bokor. “But it depends on the circumstance because we really do view student court as that neutral third party.” U

ACADEMICS >>

Policy that restricts syllabi changes a priority for VP Academic Mateo Ospina Senior Staff Writer

The first lecture of every class usually starts with the introduction of a syllabus, but there is no official policy that requires professors to stick with it for the rest of the term. While professors tend to follow the syllabi they hand out at the beginning of the course more often than not, the lack of official university regulation on the subject is an issue that AMS VP Academic Anne Kessler hopes to tackle. Currently, the group in charge of academic regulations, the UBC Senate, requires professors to include information detailing a description of the course structure, operation of the course, prerequisites, statement of learning objectives, a mark breakdown, a course schedule and a description of the grading system in their curriculum guide. Professors are only recommended to include information on academic integrity. Kessler’s desire for a syllabi policy comes from a combination of her personal experience observing friends who saw professors make larger curriculum changes in the middle of the term, and her communication with peers from other universities that already have syllabi policies in place. “A syllabus should be a contract between a professor and a student about what the class is going to look like,” said Kessler. Commerce student Lauren Telford described an incident when her oral communication professor assigned weekly journal entries that would be due at the end of the term for 15 per cent of the grade. One week before the due date, the assignment was changed to a reflective essay on the journal entries. Although this incident was eventually resolved, Telford believes occurrences like it are a sign of the

UBC currently has no policy governing syllabi procedures.

weaknesses of UBC not having an official syllabus policy. “Just like a budget lays out our money, a syllabus lays out our time — and once approved shouldn’t be changed,” said Telford. “I don’t want to do more work so a paid professor can suddenly decide that they want to do less.” Other students feel that pre-structured syllabi restrict professors from adapting to the needs of their class. First-year Sauder student Amy Wu had a professor change the pace of a class dramatically in order to keep up with the schedule of the syllabus. “The speed-up caused a lot of people to drop behind,” said Wu. Kessler believes that uncertainty in the management of a course negatively affects student

success. She is currently holding discussions with other university officials about timelines and agreements for a new syllabi policy she hopes to put in place in the next few months. Some of these plans include a requirement for professors to put up syllabi two weeks prior to the beginning of a class. This would allow students to have a better understanding of the expectations and work level of a class before actually showing up on the first day. The syllabus for each course would also be posted alongside the short blurbs that are currently listed as information about classes on the SSC. “We joke about the 140 characters that are on the student service centre,” said Kessler.

PHOTO CHERIHAN HASSUN/THE UBYSSEY

Kessler also hopes to include mental health resources on syllabi, including resources that will help students who are struggling to keep up with class work or are overburdened by stress. Reinforcing information about academic misconduct and plagiarism will be another one of her focus points. Kessler is aware of how these extra requirements will affect professors and hopes that the discussions she is hosting over the next few months will allow her to make a policy that reflects the needs of the students while being mindful of the work professors will need to put into it. “We definitely require a lot more from professors,” said Kessler. “We don’t want to add an extra burden.” U

SOCIOLOGY >>

UBC-O to offer course on soccer superstar Cristiano Ronaldo

PHOTO JAN SOLO/FLICKR

UBC-O will be offering its course on Cristiano Ronaldo under the department of sociology.

Kelley Lin Senior Staff Writer

UBC Okanagan is offering a whole course on Portuguese soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo. Luis Aguiar, associate professor of sociology at UBC Okanagan’s Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences, has created a fourth-year course focusing on the sociology of the famous soccer player. “I’m Portuguese so I was curious about Ronaldo and Ronaldo’s sort of representation in Portugal itself,” said Aguiar. “Ronaldo has the most visibility of any of the soccer players and probably any other athlete in the globe, so that makes it interesting to investigate why [and] what he means for Portuguese communities, not only in Portugal, but [also] outside Portugal.” Like many other courses, this one currently consists of lectures, student discussions and required readings, but Aguiar also hopes to be able to bring in guest speakers to expand the course in the future. According to Aguiar, the purpose of the course is not to talk about Ronaldo’s soccer goals, magazine features or clothing line, but to discuss the social, cultural and psychological subjects that his fame can provoke in the classroom. “It’s not really about the skills and abilities of Ronaldo on the soccer field,” said Aguiar. “In general, we talk about Ronaldo, but we also talk about issues [such as] race and the early commodification of children into the professional ranks of athletes, so students get pretty riled up about that kind of discussion and information.” In fact, students currently enrolled in the course this term were not even aware that the sociology course was focused on Ronaldo when they registered because of technical issues with the course registration website. According to Aguiar, he hasn’t yet decided exactly how the course will develop in the future, but he hopes to teach it again. Potential plans include the possibility of implementing studying abroad into the course, as well as trying to reach those who are close to Ronaldo, or even Ronaldo himself to be potential guest speakers in the classroom. “This was one of those ‘what if’ kind of moments of inspiration,” said Aguiar. “My focus beyond him is to explore a bit about how he’s positioned with Portugal and touch upon Portuguese contemporary society and culture, so this was a good thing for me to do.” U

4 | NEWS |

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2015

HEALTH >>

Eating disorders: dietician talks triggers, signs and resources

PHOTO CHERIHAN HASSUN/THE UBYSSEY

According to UBC dietician Kara Vogt, stress can be a significant factor in developing an eating disorder.

Jovana Vranic News Editor

Though there aren’t many known causes of eating disorders, it is certain that stress can be a significant factor for developing one. According to clinical instructor and head of UBC’s dietetics program, Kara Vogt, students with tendencies towards unhealthy eating habits can be at risk for developing an eating disorder during their studies. “Student life is really busy and stressful, and it’s a big period of transition in life, so it can leave people vulnerable to struggling with their eating,” she said. It can be difficult to identify an eating disorder as a student,

according to Vogt. But despite not having an official diagnosis, it is crucial to keep an eye out for “unhealthy relationship[s] with food.” For students who notice obsessions with their food intake, such as compulsive calorie counting, restrictive dieting, regular binge eating or just a general need to have constant control over their eating, Vogt suggests there may be a form of eating disorder present. The diagnoses of eating disorders are categorized into three broad categories: anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and the catch-all category of eating disorders not otherwise specified.

Despite this classification, however, individuals can experience features of multiple categories of the illness. “I think that’s something that not everyone realizes — those stigmas around diagnoses,” said Vogt. “People can still be suffering with a spectrum of disordered eating, even if they don’t have those official labels diagnosed by a physician.” Another thing to look out for as a sign of risk for disordered eating is changes in mood, such as irritability, anxiousness and social withdrawal. According to Vogt, the way we deal with our emotions can greatly affect our relationships with food.

“Eating disorders are not always about food — I know that sounds a bit funny,” she said. “Some warning signs for someone who might be struggling is if they’re having a difficult time coping with stress or emotions … controlling their food intake might be one way of managing [this].” Of course, many of these emotional changes can come as a response to triggers in everyday life. Vogt pointed out academics, social pressures, self-realization and media influences as some of the major triggers affecting students. If students are noticing signs of disordered eating, Vogt recommended drop-ins to the UBC Student Health or Counselling Services, where they can receive referrals to treatment programs. “They’re a great first stop,” she said. However, if students are looking for more immediate information on disordered eating and its treatment, Vogt suggests visiting the Kelty Mental Health or Looking Glass Foundation websites. Kelty Mental Health offers many online resources, and information on how to get referred for any of the eating disorders programs in B.C. The non-profit Looking Glass Foundation provides support groups and further information online. Sending links to online resources like these can also be helpful in communicating concerns students may have about their friends’ eating habits. Gentle approaches to talking about disordered eating — like using “I” statements — work much better than accusatory or confrontational tactics, said Vogt. According to Vogt, the most important step in identifying and tackling disordered eating is the process of self-reflection. “When you notice you may be gravitating towards unhealthy behaviours, whether it’s eating or something else, just sort of step back and check in with yourself about what’s going on,” said Vogt. U

Eating disorder resources UBC Student Health Services students.ubc.ca/livewell/ services/student-healthservice

UBC Counselling Services students.ubc.ca/livewell/ services/counselling-services

Kelty Mental Health keltymentalhealth.ca

The Looking Glass Foundation lookingglassbc.com

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| NEWS | 5

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2015 |

EDITOR JENICA MONTGOMERY

CHARITY >>

NETFLIX >>

Clubs go head-to-head to raise funds for Grace Rwanda Bottom of the Queue: Grabbers

COURTESY AAI

AAI members Joy Richu, Kome Eto, Elizabeth Johnson, Amarachi Chukwu and Amartei Amar (left to right).

Andrea Gonzalez

Contributor

The old SFU versus UBC rivalry is back in full force this month as UBC’s own African Awareness Initiative (AAI) competes with SFU’s African Students Association (ASA) in a drive to raise funds for Grace Rwanda. A non-profit organization based in Canada, Grace Rwanda aims to provide educational support for the youth of Rwanda by providing literacy materials and raising awareness about Rwanda in North America. “Grace Rwanda stands for improving literacy and education to broaden the opportunities for the children in Rwanda. As Africans doing just that here at UBC, it’s really a mirror of our lives, so it’s something we can

relate to,” said UBC AAI’s VP Finance Kome Eto, who aided in coordinating with Grace Rwanda to come up with an innovative way to raise funds to accomplish the organization’s mission. He also stressed that this was an opportunity to show the Rwanda of today rather than the country’s infamous recent history. With SFU and UBC, AAI saw an opportunity to channel students’ energy towards a good cause, so they reached out to SFU’s ASA to partner with them in their fundraising efforts. The AAI already had a good relationship with SFU’s ASA, “they were more than glad to join hands with us on this project and hopefully we can do a good thing for the children of Rwanda. Hopefully AAI can donate more

than ASA so that we can have the bragging rights,” said Eto. Throughout the month of February, students will have the opportunity to donate to their favorite team online or directly to AAI or ASA. People can donate online, through the Grace Rwanda website which is linked on the Facebook page, or in person. There will be booths at the SUB and collections at the member’s meeting at the end of the month. This is for everyone at UBC not just for Africans, said Eto. All the funds raised during the competition will go directly to support literacy programs run by Grace Rwanda, including the purchase of books and e-readers for the organization’s youth center community library. According to Eto, any donations to support Grace Rwanda’s mission can help to effect significant change in the educational hopes of Rwanda’s youth. “The Giving Competition is important so that students know that they can give back, even without a full time-job. Having graduated, you know that you can still make a difference,” said Eto. In addition to generating greater awareness about Rwanda, the Giving Competition offers the platform for all students at UBC and SFU to donate funds to help create these communities, by targeting the most crucial area for the people of Rwanda to prosper socially and economically: education. “Our club actually came about because there isn’t enough talk about Africa at UBC. We believe that if the campus can see that there are students here who have close ties with Africa. They will see that people in Africa are trying to make a difference for themselves,” said Eto. U

OPERA >>

GRAPHIC MING WONG/THE UBYSSEY

Sam Fruitman

Staff Writer

This is a severely misleading film. Deceived by the weird — mind you, very entertaining — sounding plot synopsis and low-budget-looking poster, we thought Grabbers would be a logical choice for this week’s review. How pleasantly surprised we were. This film isn’t terrible in any sense of the word! Dare we say it was actually a good film. Shot in beautiful Belfast, Northern Ireland — the same location where Game of Thrones was filmed — the film is about a Garda (an Irish police officer) who arrives in a quaint, seaside town to fill in for a colleague on holiday. Queue the arrival of nasty-looking, tentacled aliens with a thirst for human blood, and things start getting real. The only thing stopping these aliens? Belligerent drunkenness. The townsfolk must fight the beasts </em>

while simultaneously fighting to stay upright. As we said before, outside of the poster and plot synopsis, this film doesn’t really exhibit any characteristics of a bad movie. The acting isn’t cringe-worthy, but pleasing to watch. Director Jon Wright actually took the two lead actors out drinking and filmed them plastered, to help their performances. And it shows! The rest of the cast is entertaining to watch as well. It’s also hard not to love an Irish accent. With a film like this, it would be easy to overuse CGI — as most bad films do — but this film rarely shows the aliens, waiting till the halfway mark to really show anything, a technique which effectively build suspense. It was also nice to see some quality CGI for the times they did show the monsters. The Bottom Line: With satisfying effects, acting and story, this film should be closer to the top of your Netflix queue, rather than the bottom. U

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Traditional opera still lives up to its fame with The Marriage of Figaro

The Opera Ensemble showed UBC why theatre isn’t a dead art.

Gabriel Germaix

Senior Staff Writer Many aspects of The Marriage of Figaro could easily be adapted to fit the 21st century, but UBC Opera Ensemble’s cast took more than three hours to demonstrate why </em>

they shouldn’t be. If daring takes on major works of art appear to refresh the sterner operas, the Mozart opera certainly doesn’t need more than a solid interpretation to appeal to the viewer. The solidity of the cast and musicians of the ensemble is what

PHOTO CHERIHAN HASSUN/THE UBYSSEY

audiences will remember of the opening performance of the newest UBC Opera production. It started with Director Nancy Hermiston dedicating the opera to Irving Guttman, who passed away in early December. The founding father of the Vancouver Opera

was a benefactor to UBC School of Music. Hermiston celebrated the new generation of singers who will perpetuate Guttman’s passion and dedication to opera and awarded the Guttman-Dales scholarship to Laura Widget, the Countess in the night’s cast, and Tamar Simon, who played Susanna. A new collaborative agreement between the school of music and the Vancouver Opera was also announced. “It is not always that we have such a close relationship between the professional and the academic side of opera,” said Hermiston. Then dark came, and with it the first notes of the opera. On the scene, a traditional set ornamented with light baroque paintings hinted that the cast was not to break any standards of opera. It sought to make the audience feel at ease, as if it were already part of the house of servants and masters that were to storm in. “Cinque ... Dieci ... Venti ...,” Figaro’s voice resonated, and all distance was abolished. The power of Mozart’s opera, despite its beauty, relies in its ability to engage its audience in a circle of characters who, despite their antagonisms, always feel like a big family, and UBC’s opera cast managed to pull it of with panache. The round and full voices of the talented cast had the audience convinced that despite the Count’s claim on Susanna, Figaro’s soon-to-be wife, all would be alright in the end. In the game of simplicity and affection-winning, Guttman-Dales

scholarship recipient and lead singer Tamar Simon managed better than anyone else. Her round soprano voice enchanted the audience as her character, Susanna, tried to escape the Count and helped the Countess play her unfaithful husband. In addition, the comic role of Cherubino was not overplayed as it is occasionally, and overall, the cast kept a sobriety that makes the humour of the play that much more appreciated. Unsurprisingly, the technical heights of the score didn’t seem to prove a problem for the cast. Though some notes of the male cast lacked depth at times, the quality of the singing was more than enough to content the audience. The famous arias, Cherubino’s “Voi Che Sapete” and the duet “Sull’aria” were duly applauded as they echoed in the memories of the audience. A good part of the audience laughed hard at the plot twists making it seem like they knew the opera by heart, once again proving that it does not take a jury of 70-year-old Mozart experts to enjoy a balanced staging of The Marriage of Figaro . Of course, it lacks the frenzy of modern cinema but it still engages the viewer in a way that sometimes makes us forget that the artists are singing all the while. The story lives, the melody remains, and there is little reason for changing what has worked for more than 200 years. All it takes is a solid cast and talented musicians. U </em>

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2015

| CULTURE | 7

ART >>

Council votes to change AMS Art Gallery name to the Hatch

POSTGRADUATE CERTIFICATE

FROM ARBITRATION TO COMMUNITY OUTREACH, THIS PROGRAM OFFERS THE UNIQUE SKILLS YOU WILL NEED TO LAUNCH YOUR CAREER The AMS Art Gallery will be called the Hatch, when it opens in the Nest.

Jenica Montgomery

Culture Editor

With a majority vote from the AMS Council, the AMS Art Gallery is getting a new name with its move into the new SUB in the coming months. When the Nest opens in April, the AMS Art Gallery will be renamed the Hatch, fitting with the bird theme the AMS has established. “It was sort of an afterthought, but we realized afterwards it works quite well,” said Josh Bokor, SAC art gallery commissioner. “Hatch is like a term … like hatching an egg, bringing life to. We want to start helping out more with artistic endeavours on campus. Also think of us like a doorway, Hatch into a new area, a new artistic sphere.” The original idea for the name was the “Arts Incubator.”

“[It’s] sort of a new up and coming term in various places. Sort of fostering artistic expression and growth ... but we thought that incubator was going to be a bit too sterile, so we actually came up with ‘well what about hatch?’ It has the same connotations, and it also, surprisingly, goes very well with the new building — the Nest,” said Bokor. The AMS Art Gallery is currently located on the main floor of the SUB and focuses on student artworks and UBC-centric exhibits, the upcoming changes to the art gallery, including the name, will serve only to enhance this focus. The reason for the change is to solidify the the gallery’s identity, attract a larger audience and foster a stronger art gallery on campus.

PHOTO CHERIHAN HASSUN/THE UBYSSEY

“The art gallery, in one sense has never had an official name, and in another sense had way too many names … it gets a little confusing for people, especially when we’re working with external bodies … so we want to have an identity of our own that people can actually latch onto and know us as something,” said Bokor. The name change won’t be the only difference from the old SUB’s art gallery: the Hatch will be an improved space with moveable walls, better AV fixtures and a sliding glass front door. According to Bokor, the art gallery also wants to look into different programming and exhibit versatility. The first exhibit in the new building will be on the different Student Union buildings throughout the university’s life — including the Nest. U

AS AN ARBITRATOR, CONCILIATOR, EMPLOYEE RELATIONS OFFICER, MEDIATOR AND MANY OTHER EXCITING CAREER OPTIONS.

business.humber.ca/postgrad

PERFORMANCE >>

Small Stage point 5 unites cultures

Olivia Law

Senior Staff Writer Pair five musicians with five dancers, none of whom know each other, all of whom have completely different backgrounds in the arts world, and what do you get? Small Stage point 5, explosive collaborations set to stun audiences on a visual, emotional and artistic level. Each pairing of dancer and musician has five to seven minutes to create a work of creative talent on the small, eight by eight foot stage of The Emerald theatre. Between each performance, audiences will be entertained by emcee Billy Marchenski, a “comically inappropriate Cupid,” sure to invite controversy and laughs. Small Stage point 5 is co-curated by UBC creative writing professor Tariq Hussain. Also as one of the performers, Tariq has been essential in the collaborations of the musicians. “It’s mostly people who are from my own musical network,” said Hussain on where he found such a variety of performers. A Juno nominated songwriter and Brasstronaut band member, Hussain is evidently well connected in the music of Vancouver.

Bringing in pop-rock singer-songwriter Louise Burns, lead singer of The Belle Game Andrea Lo, Euro-sounding band Woodpigeon member Mark Hamilton and Tarun Tspoon, Delhi 2 Dublin DJ, Small Stage point 5 is set to be an evening of firsts. The final outcome of these diverse pairings and genres is unknown as of yet, even for those involved. “Who knows what those guys are all working on,” said Hussain. “They could come up with anything eclectic and wild.” The dance styles are also from a wide range of origins. Burns is paired with burlesque dancer Burgundy Brixx, Hamilton is paired with “waaking” dancer Clarence Tang and Hussain himself is matched with a dancer with a traditional Chinese dance background. “It’ll be interesting because obviously I don’t play this style of music,” said Hussain. “The music I’m going to do is going to have my more folky, sentimental style to it, mixed with what he’s doing.” Not only are the collaborations highlighting different music and dance genres, they are fusing different cultures together. Hussain highlighted the importance of

PHOTO COURTESY WAYNE HOECHERL

Small Stage point 5 will bring different performers together to create unique performances.

discussion and communication through the rehearsal process, learning the background history of your partner and infusing different visual elements. “We talked about lanterns, Chinese lanterns, as there’s not a lot of lighting options in the theatre,” said Hussain. “You can certainly create a difference between light and absence of light, which is cool to play with. You’re thinking about the visual stuff, you’re thinking

about what people can see from where they’re sitting, there’s a lot of different things to consider.” The creativity required to perform with a stranger of an extremely different background is an exciting and innovative concept. The limitations of technical modernisms in the theatre, the small stage and time constraints are stimulating to the performers, forcing them to think outside of the box to create pieces of artistic movement.

Doubtless, MovEnt’s Small Stage point 5 is going to be an exciting piece of theatre. It will expose and highlight different themes, ideas and genres in the world of performance, and is sure to keep the audience on their toes. MovEnt’s Small Stage point 5 will be taking place from February 12-15 at 8 p.m. at The Emerald. Tickets are available online and at the door, cash only. U

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2015 |

STUDENT VOICE. COMMUNITY REACH.

LAST WORDS >>

LETTER >>

Do we still need black history month?

BOLUWAJI OGUNYEMI

Letter

ILLUSTRATION JULIAN YU/THE UBYSSEY

LAST WORDS THE AMS IS BECOMING AN AVIARY The AMS has been the early bird when it comes to rebranding student society institutions, and the Hatch — the new name for the AMS Art Gallery — is just another chicken in their hen house. We get it, you love birds. So do we, but eventually you’re going to have to put a cap on that eagle and stop with the bird puns. First the Coop, then the Nest, the Perch and now the Hatch, when will the AMS just let it fly south for the winter? We know the AMS is just trying to spread its wings with the opening of the Nest, but there’s only so many bird references this university can take. We’ve run out of bird puns, but you get it. Continuing with the aviary theme is simply a birdbrained move. Seriously guys, it’s getting hawkward.

SNOBBY SALESPEOPLE SUPERCEDE SUCKUPS Have you ever walked into a store selling expensive wares and immediately felt judged by the sales

PARTING SHOTS AND SNAP JUDGEMENTS FROM THE UBYSSEY EDITORIAL BOARD

people? Well apparently those rude people sell more than the nice ones, which completely contradicts most people’s experiences. In some senses sure, having snobby workers could boost the aesthetic appeal of the luxury items the customer is purchasing, that doesn’t mean people enjoy rude staff. That said, nobody likes an overly enthusiastic and peppy worker either. Being constantly asked “do you need any help?” can become a nuisance. A general rule of thumb when it comes to being a sales associate, leave the customer alone unless they look desperate for help, and when they do, be kind.

THE AMS IS COURTING ITSELF WITH THE STUDENT COURT The AMS’ decision to bring back their student court in the hopes of having an disinterested group of students resolve disputes and controversial issues is an especially confusing one, especially considering the fact that the role of their ombudsperson is to do exactly that.

Ask Natalie: On staying motivated NATALIE MORRIS

Advice Columnist

“Dear Natalie, I can feel myself losing momentum from the beginning of the term; how do I force myself to stay on top of school even when I want to sleep all the time?” Keeping your steam going after a month of school is hard, especially in the second term. I have some (hopefully useful) ideas that can help you push through the term. Set weekly goals for yourself. Include not just school related goals (do all your readings, start essay, go to a study group meeting,) but also personal and fitness goals (pick up groceries, research new printers, go for a run). Check them off as you finish them and if you think you’ve finished a good amount — whatever that is to you — treat yourself to something nice. You can also try different studying methods from the one you’re currently using, until you find a new one that works for you. Taking frequent study breaks while tackling new material is one method that works for a lot of people. Half-hour or hour-long

breaks for every two hours of studying or for each chapter can break up a large batch of readings, though this only works if you actually follow this pattern. There are also apps that can block certain websites from your computer during certain times if you find that you are spending too much time on Facebook or another website. If getting started is your problem, you could try easing into studying when you know you have a lot ahead of you by reviewing your textbook’s vocabulary or glossary section. Make sure you know and understand the basics of what you’re learning before you jump into the more advanced concepts. Reviewing something you’re not 100 per cent on yet can also get you through the first hump of studying. You can also do things like making flashcards, playing studying games and studying in groups to help revive your studying gusto. It is important to stay on top of school since it can be a slippery slope that will bite you in the butt when exams roll up. . Need advice? Write to Natalie anonymously at asknatalie@ ubyssey.ca and have your questions answered in an upcoming issue of The Ubyssey. U

It sounds like the AMS still hasn’t quite figured out how the two of them will work together, but it looks like this student court idea is shaping out to be yet another rung in the convoluted ladder of bureaucracy that anyone who deals with the organization has to climb on the daily. As the AMS openly admits that the student court will not have any real power (Council will still have to vote to approve anything they suggest), this naturally begs the question of what they are even there for. If it’s simply to play court and provide suggestions through a student voice, there are already ample other opportunities for this to happen through other mediums — in fact, that’s what Council is supposed to be in the first place. If they do set up the court in such a way that it both has some real influence and actually provides something that existing services don’t, then we can revisit its value. U

Every year with the celebration of Black History Month in February comes the argument of whether we still need to recognize black history month. This is especially true for those who consider North America to be a “post-racial” society. It is asserted that black history should be taught along with the rest of North American history and that relegating 28 (or 29) days for the history of those of the African diaspora does not reflect a position of empowerment and, in fact, makes it acceptable to ignore black history for the remaining 11 months of the year. I argue that Canadians and Americans alike still stand to benefit from the official recognition of Black History Month. In its 15th year as an organization, the UBC Caribbean African Association (CAA) held its second annual Afrofest Gala on February 7. The group’s flagship event included music, dancing, Ethiopian food, a small live auction, spoken word poetry performances and a fashion show. Black History Month is still needed because, as a society, we can learn from both the teachings and the historical struggles of black Canadians and black Americans to fully understand the relations between history and the present situation of people of the African diaspora. Though much of Afrofest Gala and other events centred on Afro-Carribean topics are focused around the celebration of culture and contributions by those of the African diaspora, the event served as an avenue to creatively discuss some ongoing issues. Black History Month is needed to recognize contributions and struggles such as those of the late

Vivien Thomas, cardiac surgery pioneer at Johns Hopkins University. He was denied training in medicine not for the content of his character but because of the color of his skin. Confronting and discussing the history and experience of the African diaspora is occuring on the UBC Campus. Both CAA and Color Connected Against Racism, another student-run organization, regularly host film screenings and discussions. When the majority of history that is taught in North American schools is written from the perspective of European males and those of European descent, we should acknowledge that the stories of those of Asian, African and other backgrounds are systematically silenced. We need to be reminded to seek our history. In a similar vein, CAA President Denise Preira stated that “Afrofest seeks to change the negative metanarrative of the African continent as dark and corrupt” and to emphasize its “beauty, diversity and vivacity.” I do believe that a reframing of Black History Month would prove useful. I think that a token recital of a number of prominent historical black figures does not do justice to the historical experiences of black peoples and how this relates to the present. Unlike our neighbours below the 49th parallel, most black individuals in Canada are immigrants or children of immigrants. African history and Canadian Black history is unique and worth learning. In this multicultural nation, the achievements and struggles of many different minority groups should be highlighted regularly. I think we can consider Black History Month as a reminder to try to be more inclusive and broad-minded of the history about which we seek to learn. Boluwaji Ogunyemi is a dermatology resident physician at UBC. U

Notice of Public Open House Cancellation - DP 15001

Public Open House

Wesbrook Place Lots 27 & 29 Faculty & Staff Rental Housing You are invited to attend an Open House on Tuesday, February 17 to view and comment on the proposed faculty & staff rental residential development in consolidated Lots 27 & 29 in Wesbrook Place. Plans will be displayed for two adjacent 6-storey residential buildings, with a total gross floor area of 18,312m2.

Date: Tuesday, February 17, 2015 Time: 4:30 - 6:00 PM Place: Wesbrook Village Welcome Centre, 3378 Wesbrook Mall Representatives from the project team and Campus + Community Planning will be available to provide information and respond to inquiries about this project. The public is also invited to attend: Development Permit Board Meeting Date + Time: March 18 from 5:00-6:30pm Location: Classroom, Tapestry Building 3338 Wesbrook Mall For more information on this project, please visit: planning.ubc.ca/vancouver/projects-consultations For further information: Please direct questions to Karen Russell, Manager Development Services karen.russell@ubc.ca 604-822-1586 This event is wheelchair accessible.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2015 |

EDITOR JACK HAUEN

VARSITY >>

— and why you should go

Men’s Basketball

Women’s Basketball

Feb 13/14

8/7 p.m.

6/5 p.m.

U Manitoba (9-9)

UBC (10-6)

The UBC men’s basketball team is among the hottest in the CIS right now. After an abysmal start to their season, they’ve won eight out of the past 10 games, including a split weekend against the Calgary Dinos last weekend. This is the only matchup between the Bisons and the T-Birds this season, and both teams are fighting for the final three playoff spots in the Pioneers Division.

UBC (13-3)

U Manitoba (1-17)

The women’s squad has been absolutely dominant this season. They’re currently riding an eight game winning streak, and are perched first overall in the Pioneers Division. Manitoba, however, is on an eight-game streak of their own — just in the opposite direction. It’ll be a fairly lopsided matchup and should be a ton of fun to watch. Unless you’re a Bisons fan.

Men’s Hockey

Women’s Hockey

Feb 20-22

Feb 27-Mar 1

Times TBA

UBC (13-10-5)

? U Manitoba (15-13-0)

This series is a big deal — the men’s T-Bird squad took a step forward and secured a home playoff date for the first time since 1971. They’ll be facing off in a best-of-three series against the fifth-place University of Manitoba, who they’ve had some trouble with — the ‘Birds are 1-3 against the Bisons in four games this season. In the three losses the teams combined for 11 goals, and the one win came in an 8-6 bonanza. UBC might have to blow these games open to survive.

Times TBA

TBA (bye to semifinals)

UBC (17-5-4)

With two wins over the Bisons this weekend, the women’s squad is currently second in the conference with no way to fall. The top two teams get a bye to the semifinals, and home ice advantage. They’re three points back of #1 seed Alberta with two games to go, and the only thing up for grabs at this point is bragging rights heading into the playoffs. When the semis begin, get ready for a show as the Thunderbirds will face off against a lower-seeded team hot off a playoff win and hungry for more.

Terri Lyne Carrington’s Mosaic Project and Cécile McLorin Salvant SUN FEB 15 2015 / 7pm C H A N C E N T R E AT U B C Tickets and info chancentre.com

$15 Student Tickets

chancentre.com/students