March 9, 2015

MARCH 9, 2015 | VOLUME XCVI | ISSUE XLIV RESTING BITCH FACE SINCE 1918

DEBATE RECAPS

NEWS

CULTURE BLOCK PARTY

SPORTS DAVIS CUP

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DISCORDER GOES DIGITAL The music magazine talks about preserving their history and what it means for them.

MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2015 |

YOUR GUIDE TO UBC EVENTS, PEOPLE + CAMPUS

EVENTS

OUR CAMPUS

THIS WEEK, CHECK OUT ...

WEDNESDAY

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ONE ON ONE WITH THE PEOPLE AND BUILDINGS THAT MAKE UBC

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RITS REAL JAPAN EXHIBITION 10:00 A.M. - 2:00 P.M. @ SUB 207/209

Rits Real Japan Project UBC is hosting an exhibition about Japanese culture and, specifically, about the 2011 Tohoku earthquake. Expand your cultural horizons, meet new people and enjoy some free food. Free

SUNDAY

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KAPPA ALPHA THETA’S TRIVIA NIGHT

PHOTO CHERIHAN HASSUN/THE UBYSSEY

Vivian Dong began debating in grade eight and has now been accepted to Harvard Law School.

6:00 - 8:00 P.M. @ ABDUL LADHA

UBC women’s fraternity Kappa Alpha Theta is hosting a trivia night to raise money for CASA which supports abused children by through court advocacy. Win prizes and help a good cause! $50 for team of 4-5

From UBC to Harvard Law, Vivian Dong leads an examined life

SUNDAY

Both scholarly and personable, Vivian Dong exemplifies the ideal candidate for Harvard Law School — a program to which she was recently accepted — yet she’s also a typical college student, binging on Netflix TV shows, watching The Wire and attempting to foster as many kittens as possible.

As the president of the UBC Debate Society, a club that has been around for about 100 years, Dong has travelled extensively, from attending the The World University Debate Championship in Malaysia, to debating at a prestigious event at the University of Toronto with a prize of a trip to Paris and a meeting with the Canadian ambassador to France.

But debates are not only glamorous conferences in exotic places; as Dong points out, they are also very much about outreach. “We do a lot of outreach in terms of teaching other campus organizations, including public high schools, efficient debate skills,” Dong said.

15

UBC ROWING’S ERG-A-THON

7:00 A.M. - 7:00 P.M. @ STONG’S MARKET 4560 DUNBAR

T-Bird Rowing is bringing their erg-a-thon fundraiser back for another year.

Members of the team will row in shifts for 12 hours, raising money for the B.C. Cancer Foundation. Free, but donations encouraged

ON THE COVER

Josh Sealy was one of the best debaters in the club, probably the best.... He kind of showed me what kind of person I could be here.”

Moisture is the essence of wetness, and wetness is the essence of beauty.

- Tim Hoggan

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U THE UBYSSEY EDITORIAL

STAFF

Coordinating Editor Will McDonald

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Natalie Scadden, CJ Pentland, Kosta Prodanovic, Dave Nixon, Soren Elsay, Olamide Olaniyan, Lawrence Neal Garcia, Olivia Law, Tariq Vira, Kelley Lin, Jenny Tang, Leo Soh, Mateo Ospina, Koby Michaels, Jasmine Cheng, Miguel Santa Maria, Natalie Morris, Mackenzie Walker, Sam Fruitman, Braedon Atkinson Pauze, Jacob Gershkovich, Emma Partridge, Ben Cook, Ming Wong, TammyHsieh, Chloë Lai, Mischa Milne, Aiken Lao

MARCH 9, 2015 | VOLUME XCVI | ISSUE XLIV BUSINESS

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Vivian Dong Fourth-year economics student and UBC Debate Society President

Dong knows first-hand the substantial impact these outreach events have on the lives of kids in high school. In grade eight she entered the debate club at Sir Winston Churchill high school, and was coached by UBC Debate Society volunteer Josh Sealy.

“Josh Sealy was one of the best debaters in the club, probably the best,” Dong said. “He won many national championships, did really well, and that inspired me to be very involved in debate, especially when I got to university … it was actually one of the reasons I came to UBC. He kind of showed me what kind of person I could be here.”

to push back on some preconceived notions present throughout her economics education.

“In economics, we very rarely consider matters of distribution, or the differential impact on increasing something for someone who is rich or poor. We think in terms of efficiency, but in debate, we think about things that are inherently valuated.”

Debate makes you a lot less ideologically pure.

It really pushes you to be a lot more rigorous in why you believe things.”

For me and for all the debaters I know, debate is playtime — it’s a very ambitious kind of playtime, but that’s how I have fun.”

Now in her fourth year and about to graduate with her BA in economics, Dong reflects on the academic and personal benefits she got from her involvement in debate.

“Debate makes you a lot less ideologically pure. It really pushes you to be a lot more rigorous in why you believe things,” she said.

Although debating does result in one challenging both their own and others’ beliefs, Dong feels that this results in increased confidence in the views one holds.

“I think a lot of people come to college with a certain set of political beliefs, easily categorized as liberal or conservative. But debate pushes you to think in utilitarian terms and to think about each singular belief you have and why you believe it; because the entire point of the activity is to break down how other people think,” Dong said.

“It’s really challenging in that way, but it is immensely rewarding.

It makes you a much smarter and much more rigorous and intellectually honest person,” said Dong.

Debate has also transformed her academic experience, allowing her

When asked about how she can manage a stellar academic record and so much debating, Dong says the key is managing time wisely, but also enjoying what you do.

“I really love economics so that’s never seemed like a chore to me … and for me and for all the debaters I know, debate is playtime — it’s a very ambitious kind of playtime, but that’s how I have fun,” she said.

In terms of choosing law school as her next big project, Dong said, “The honest answer is that I do not want to go to graduate school because it takes too long, and I’m not sure academia is right for me.”

“I like the idea of becoming a lawyer because it’s a service profession where we have a substantive impact and [get to see] immediate rewards and failures,” she said.

Ultimately, Dong is excited about law school as the new stage of her life. “At heart, it is also about caring intensely about the consequences of the law and the consequences of justice. [Law] seems to have a lot of the same values that I’ve acquired through practicing debate.” U

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MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2015 |

EDITORS JOVANA VRANIC + VERONIKA BONDARENKO

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STARTUPS >>

AMS >>

UBC student manages Vancouver branch of apartment subletting service

Tanner Bokor hopes to pass AMS 2030 vision on to new president

PHOTO COURTESY ANDRE AVDEENKO/FLICKR

Flatbook cleans, decorates and rents out empty apartments at hotel prices.

Olivia Law

Senior Staff Writer With a large proportion of students traveling home during the summer break, UBC Facebook groups and Craigslist sites are filled with students desperately trying to find subletters for the summer months.

Flatbook, a subletting startup from Montreal that was launched globally in 2014, has just arrived in Vancouver and is managed by UBC student Daniel Kim. Promising to offer a completely stress-free subletting experience for students, Flatbook will decorate, photograph and clean apartments to rent at hotel prices to businessmen or travellers looking for an authentic, local experience in the city.

Not every apartment or house will be accepted into Flatbook’s selection, however. Conditions such as size, duration of availability and furnishings factor into the eligibility of each residence, which ensures that not all applicants will be successful in using the startup for their summer season.

Worries about paying rent for a house you aren’t living in are a constant concern, yet Flatbook guarantees that, even if an apartment isn’t inhabited for periods of time, the full rent will be paid through the company’s profits.

Kim, a fifth year biology major, is one of the two regional managers for Vancouver, and has focused on gaining the attention and business of major internationally-focused

NEW SUB >>

New SUB set to open before exams, opening celebrations to focus on mental health

clubs on campus such as the International Student’s Association and CVC, the majority of whose members will not be in Vancouver for the summer months.

Flatbook gives tenants monthly feedback and regularly cleans the apartments, in an aim to make the experience easier for students.

“We collaborate with professional photographers, interior designers, professional cleaners, as well as local artists to make the place look like a hotel,” said Kim. “Then we can rent it out to more affluent people who can come from anywhere in the world, and pay hotel prices.”

As former president of the UBC Dollar Project and heavily involved with other projects around campus such as fundraiser UBC50K, Kim is keen to use his connections around campus to help renting students enjoy the summer without stressing about finding someone to sublet their apartment.

“There are damage policies, liability policies, there’s free storage, so it’s essentially the easiest thing for the students,” said Kim. Kim stressed that it is only on rare occasion where the subletting has been unsuccessful and attributes the success of the program to the lack of similar initiatives in the country.

According to the B.C. Landlord’s Association, the means by which your property is subletted doesn’t matter, just as long as the sublettees sign appropriate and agreed forms, and comply to the terms of residency set out in the rental contract. U

Gastroenterologist to join UBC as new Dean of Medicine Reem Yousif

Contributor

UBC is gearing up to welcome a new dean to the Faculty of Medicine.

As of September 2015, Dermot Kelleher will replace Gavin Stuart as the new Dean of Medicine.

Kelleher, who is currently the vice-president health and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Imperial College London, began his journey in Dental School at Trinity College in Dublin, where he specialized in gastroenterology.

In this field, Kelleher earned numerous scholarships and awards, PHOTO MACKENZIE WALKER/THE UBYSSEY including a Fogarty scholarship at The new SUB is scheduled to open without any more setbacks.

University of California — San Diego and Wellcome Senior Fellowship Danni Shanel While the opening celebrations back at Trinity College Dublin.

Contributor that had been planned for the On March 6, Kelleher hosted a After being delayed three times, the January opening have been toned lecture and Q&A segment at the new SUB is on track to open its doors down, the AMS still plans to have a Djavad Mowafaghian Center for to students in early April. week of festivities. As the building Brain Health.

“We are moving forward,” said is set to open just as final exams At the lecture, Kelleher’s resume VP Admin Ava Nasiri. “Progress is begin, the celebrations will focus on touched on the current state of going well and we are really working students’ mental health. civilization and emphasized the imtowards the timeline we had set “It’s about what we can provide plementation of personalized mediinitially, to be able to open the first for them to make that time easier, cine, which, according to Kelleher, little while of April.” so it’s really catered towards the “revolutionizes the challenges of Still, the official date for the open- heath and wellbeing — really cheap Precision Medicine and spans from ing has not yet been set and hangs on massages, maybe a room of puppies early discovery through to implethe balance of the final steps in the and kittens, lots of free food and mentation in the community, which construction process. different types of study spaces,” said UBC is actively and enthusiastically According to Nasiri, teams of Nasiri. taking on.” electrical engineers and carpenters Over the last couple of days, Kelleher also expressed his desire are working rapidly to make the new Nasiri has been discussing opening to modernize healthcare research building ready for students to move plans with the clubs, so that they and the curriculum at UBC and into come April. are ready for the transition in the stressed the importance of collab“It’s kind of like a big family fightupcoming weeks. oration among faculty members and ing for space at the dinner table,” Nasiri also said that the building students alike. said Nasiri. will open for students as soon as the After the lecture, Kelleher held a Nasiri also said that the last critic- AMS has final access to the building. Q&A session, where an outpouring al step before opening is a fire safety “What we would like to do is as of questions ranged from science check. This Monday, specialists will soon as we possibly can, open the communication strategies to patents be touring the building to check for doors to students, so they can flood and funding to the shift towards any hazards. in and interact with the building, translational versus general science “If anything were to hold us back, even if it’s not in its fullest final to greater recognition of females in it would be those things,” said Nasiri. form,” said Nasiri. U the industry. U

ILLUSTRATION JERRY YIN/THE UBYSSEY

AMS 2030 is a 15-year plan on AMS strategy.

Sarah Pribadi Contributor

The AMS is coming up with a long-term strategic plan to improve student life at UBC. AMS 2030 is the 15-year long plan designed by Council that aims to improve student life at UBC by restructuring how AMS operates.

The strategic plan was initiated by last year’s president Caroline Wong, who created a vision task force that correlates to the values of the AMS. During Bokor’s presidency, AMS Council then redrafted the vision task force into AMS 2030 in April 2014.

The main goals of AMS 2030 are to provide stability and continuity for their annual action plan, create a longterm vision for the society and establish a guide for the society’s operation.

According to AMS President Tanner Bokor, the strategic plan took an entire year to develop with the AMS 2030 committee. The plan going forward right now is to build the four sub-strategies that make up the master 15-year plan. So far, the strategies have been drafted and prepared and AMS council is going to see the presentation on what AMS 2030 is by the end of the term.

“It’s really collaborative process,” said Bokor. “It’s also a way to make sure that AMS is accountable

for its members, keeping all of their interest in mind as we go forward.”

Bokor also said that as previous plans by the AMS have been very broad and lacked a clear direction, Council hopes to delve deeper into specific issues. AMS has created four main strategies — Access, Engage, Invest, Divest. Each strategy consists of issues that need to be addressed, laid out in five goals and three subgoals, so that it allows the strategies to have sharper focus, more detail towards implementation and clear direction for AMS to take.

“We made lots of attempts to build strategic framework and strategic parentheses but it’s something that had been lacking direction,” said Bokor. “So I think by having [the plan], this is going to provide stability and guidance to incoming AMS execs and students. I’m sure that AMS is moving forward on clear trajectory year after year.”

Bokor had been drafting the plan with executives, staff and students who provided consultation after it was drafted.

Since he is about to leave his position, Bokor hopes to sit down with his successor and go over all the files and plans for AMS 2030 up to now.

“I’ll say to them, this is your plan now, and it will be up to the next council and the executives on how do you want to see it through,” said Bokor. U

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4 | NEWS |

MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2015

AMS ELECTIONS >>

Board of Govenors candidates talk fee increases, divestment

Presidential candidates discuss student life, tuition increases and Hunger Games

PHOTO WILL MCDONALD/THE UBYSSEY

Julie Van de Valk, Veronica Knott and Tanner Bokor (left to right) are running for two BoG spots.

Will McDonald Coordinating Editor

Three candidates running for two student representative positions on the Board of Governors squared off at their first debate today.

Julie Van de Valk, who said her work on UBC’s divestment campaign is what spurred her to run, said her main platform points are advocating for more student consultation, decreasing tuition and divesting from fossil fuels.

“I’ve learned how to advocate for students and people… I think that would make me a really strong voice for divestment, but also for any issues that would come up,” said Van de Valk.

Candidate and current AMS president Tanner Bokor argued that his experience in student government would allow him to be a reformer on the Board, particularly pushing for responsible, student-focused land use on campus and for affordable, accessible education.

“I understand UBC’s problems.

I know what students care about,” said Bokor.

Engineering Undergraduate Society president Knott said that her experience both as EUS president and with more than 30 committees would allow her to be an effective student rep on the Board.

“I’ve learned to not be afraid to speak my mind…. Once you’re a student member on the Board of Governors, you are an equal member on the Board of Governors,” said Knott.

All of the candidates took issue with the university’s fee increases this year and said they would work to improve the consultation process.

The candidates also supported divestment from fossil fuels, as long as it is done responsibly, though Knott pointed out that the Board would likely finish its work on divestment before they are in office.

Knott and Bokor clashed on the role of a student Board rep in relation to the AMS. After Bokor said the relationship should be improved, Knott brought up what she saw as lack of connections to student BoG reps under Bokor’s leadership as President.

“Our student BoG reps have reached out to us and the AMS exec walked away from the table when they had an opportunity to engage,” said Knott.

The debate wrapped up with all three candidates saying they would push for more funding for graduate students after being asked about teaching assistant strikes at the University of Toronto and York. U

U

The 2015 AMS Elections will be held Monday, March 9 through Friday, March 13. Keep an eye out for our coverage of the races, including candidate profiles, debate recaps and results.

PHOTO WILL MCDONALD/THE UBYSSEY

This year’s candidates for AMS president are Aaron Bailey, V and Cheneil Antony-Hale (left to right).

Veronika Bondarenko News Editor

the students leave university and organize a Hunger Games -style battle to decide who will have the best spaces in the new SUB. When asked about their leadership styles, Antony-Hale said that she prefers consultation and leadership while Bailey replied that, although he enjoys taking charge, he also hopes to collaborate with his executive team to bring different working styles together.

V said that he prefers to step back and let students fight things out for themselves in a deadly battle.

“As many of you might know, my leadership style is to not lead at all,” said V. “Once I’m the president, I will dissolve the executive council, let them fend for themselves and fight each other.”

Bailey brought up Antony-Hale’s lack of experience in student government by asking how her previous involvement would help her if she were to become president.

Antony-Hale replied that her experience founding UBC’s Feminist Club has taught her how to listen and lead in a way that allows people with different ideas to be heard.

“I will adjust my leadership style to make it a benefit to you and thus a benefit to the team as well because everyone knows stuff,” said Antony-Hale.

V continued to push forth the idea of staging a Hunger Gamesstyle faceoff to allocate the best <em>

The three presidential candidates faced off at their first debate on Thursday, March 5.

Student senator and former Science Undergraduate Society president Aaron Bailey pushed forth to improve student life on campus.

“My opinion in terms of what the AMS needs to do in the upcoming year is to return the ‘student’ back into ‘student politics’ by focusing on creating a memorable, positive and fun experience for its constituents,” said Bailey.

Bailey also said that while many may criticize a campaign that is focused on student life, he feels that engaging students through events and activities is imperative to creating strong communities.

Feminist Club founder Cheneil Antony-Hale had ambitious goals of providing more legal support to residents of student housing and increasing the number of student seats on the Board of Governors, however, her power to implement the latter would be severely limited.

“I’m also going to push for greater control for students over their fees and university spending by increasing the number of seats, hopefully, on the Board of Governors,” said Antony-Hale.

If elected, Antony-Hale also hopes to bring mandatory sexual assault training for residence advisors and create a resource centre for students with disabilities.

Joke candidate V pressed for his vision of a campus where all

</em>

areas of the new SUB to the most deserving.

“When something belongs to everyone, it means that it doesn’t belong to anyone at all,” said V. Antony-Hale questioned whether Bailey’s fun-centred campaign would address issues such as accessibility and diversity on campus.

Bailey said that he would support, but not interfere with, the efforts of the VP Academic, whose portfolio specifically includes working to ensure diversity and accessibility for students.

Executives also received questions on how they would build a relationship with UBC president Arvind Gupta, with both Bailey and Antony-Hale agreeing that they needed to do more to communicate to him that tuition and residence increases are a problem for students.

Antony-Hale again stressed that her top priority would be to implement mandatory sexual assault training to residence advisors, as students who have been assaulted on campus often go to them for help first.

Bailey said that, as Student Housing and Hospitality Services already provides sexual assault training to its staff, it would be better to focus such lobbying efforts on increased education about consent and sexual assault.

Antony-Hale replied that the training that SHHS provides on sexual assault is short and often taken lightly.

An audience member told Antony-Hale that, as someone who had worked as a residence advisor for two years, she had received extensive training on how to advise victims of sexual assault and was offended by Antony-Hale saying that the training they receive is insufficient.

According to Hale, her conversations with members of UBC’s Sexual Assault and Support Centre (SASC) and other residence advisors led her to believe that more training is needed.

Candidates also discussed balancing their own projects with those of other executives, transitioning to the new SUB and supporting First Nations students on campus during the debate. U

VP External candidates discuss views on tuition, transportation at debate

PHOTO WILL MCDONALD/THE UBYSSEY

Candidates Janzen Lee and Jude Crasta are both in running for VP External.

Joshua Azizi Senior Staff Writer

VP External candidates Janzen Lee and Jude Crasta met at Thursday’s debate to discuss issues including tuition costs, public transportation, student engagement and the federal election.

Lee, a third-year political science student, plans to increase transparency between the AMS and students by keeping a regularly updated blog which will get students involved with the AMS as well as keep them aware of what the VP external is doing. To address rising tuition costs, Lee

intends to give students greater access to student loans and to decrease off-campus housing.

“My campaign is based on difference,” said Lee. “There is a big problem with involvement, information and general fun for the AMS. It needs to be more representative of the students.”

Crasta, the current associate VP external, said that he is campaigning to improve issues related to rising tuition costs, the federal election and public transportation. He plans to get students involved with the federal election as well as improve legislation regarding affordable housing.

“A 20 per cent increase with winter contracts is not something that we can just stand by and take at this university,” said Crasta.

The issue of rising tuition and housing costs loomed large over Thursday’s debate. To address it, the candidates discussed how they would work with the federal government, the provincial government and the university to make UBC more affordable for students.

Lee vowed to work to decrease off-campus housing costs and to increase the accessibility of student loans in order to help students pay off their debts.

“This is an issue that has been brought up to me by many students at UBC claiming that they’re having trouble getting access to an education because they can’t access funds,” said Lee. Meanwhile, Crasta said he wants to give the federal government greater encouragement to help fund education.

He criticized the provincial government’s minimal funding for education and suggested implementing a mandate where “each province [would] have a needs-based grant system so that students could have the support that they need without having to pay back their interest.”

Crasta also pointed out that B.C. interest rates are some of the highest in the country.

During rebuttals, Lee targeted the current VP External office (of which Crasta is a part) for not making an effort to prevent the provincial government’s funding

cuts. Crasta responded that the VP external office did play a role in negotiations, but ultimately ignored them.

Crasta then asked how Lee would lower off-campus housing, to which Lee responded that he would work with figures from the municipal government and city council to increase affordability at UBC. The final question of the debate focused on student engagement with lobbying efforts.

Crasta referred to his involvement with the transit referendum and AMS events such as Coffee For Commuters, while his future plans involve engaging students in the upcoming federal election.

Lee was once again critical on this topic, calling the AMS’ involvement with student engagement “the greatest shortcoming of this office in the past few years.”

His plan to create a blog that informs students of the VP external’s activities will revolve around student feedback, where criticisms and compliments could be directed at the AMS. U

MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2015

| NEWS | 5

AMS ELECTIONS >>

Debate brings up question of audits, relevancy for Student Legal Fund Society Bill Situ Staff Writer

PHOTO WILL MCDONALD/THE UBYSSEY

Students for Accountability hopes to rule out the incumbent slate this year.

Two student slates are running against each other to control the Student Legal Fund Society next year.

On March 5, the Students for Accountability Slate and the Students for Responsible Leadership Slate debated which team would be more effective at running the SLFS. The SLFS, which collects a $1 fee from every student, is meant to provide legal assistance to students who require it. Still, most students do not know that the society exists.

The central issue of the debate revolved around improving the recognition and accessibility of the SLFS for UBC students. Since its establishment in 1998, the SLFS has largely had a reputation for being ineffective in adequately fulfilling intended services to UBC students in need of legal assistance.

Janzen Lee from the Students for Responsible Leaderships Slate and the only incumbent SLFS member, was the most active speaker among all candidates on his slate.

Having served during the past year

on the SLFS, he acknowledged that the incumbent SLFS slate has flaws, but maintained that the committee actually did tangible work.

“We have our website,” said Lee. “[You can access it] if you have a case that you believe affects a wide array of students.”

Still, Lee also said that it is students’ job to seek the services of the SLFS themselves. Last year, they dealt with a total of two cases.

“Because it was not up to us to go and find real cases that we can work with, it was up to students to fill out an application, which you can then take to the litigation committee,” said Lee. Students for Accountability, the rival slate, did not find his argument to be overly compelling.

“The SLFS does not release any regular audits, and nor do they release any information in order for the organization to effectively spend its money,” said Tanner Bokor, current AMS president and candidate for the Students for Accountability slate.

Bokor challenged Lee that it must be mandatory for the SLFS to provide audits for legal cases back to the institution. If elected for the SLFS, Bokor’s slate promised to make the release of public audits a regulation.

In addition to the history of how the SLFS has been handling its services to students, contention also emerged between the slates in terms of how the background and experiences of their respective candidates would be of benefit to the SLFS. The Students for Accountability slate consists of candidates who have all been involved with the AMS. According to Jude Krasta, his fellow candidates have the necessary experience given that they are all familiar with the operations of the society.

No candidate from the Students for Responsible Leadership slate has had any prior affiliation with the AMS. Still, candidate Nathan Ho maintained that the non-AMS credentials of his slate’s members actually place his slate at an advantage. U

COUNCIL >>

AMS disendorses BDS referendum, supports students voting ‘any way but yes’

CHERIHAN HASSUN/THE UBYSSEY

The AMS took a ‘vote-no-or-abstain’ stance on the BDS referendum.

Veronika Bondarenko News Editor

After a meeting that went on for over five hours, AMS Council voted to oppose the BDS referendum question that asks the AMS to divest from companies that support the Israeli military.

Earlier in the month, Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights (SPHR) gathered the 1,000 signatures required to hold a referendum on whether the AMS should divest from companies that support the Israeli military’s actions in Gaza and the West Bank.

On March 4, Council held an emergency meeting to discuss their action plan with the referendum.

After presentations from both SPHR and Hillel, the AMS talked about whether they should take a stance and advise students of their position.

AMS Ombudsperson Camelia Toghiani-Rizi gave a presentation in which she recommended Council to oppose the referendum, as she felt that the question put forth

by SPHR contained loaded words and an answer within itself. She also said that she heard reports of vioations during the signature collecting process, such as some students pressuring others to sign.

AMS President Tanner Bokor then clarified that, after consultation with their legal team, they found that the question did not presuppose an answer and passed the required bylaws for the language used.

According to the follow-up described in the motion, the primary reasons for the opposing vote revolved around the divisiveness of Palestine-Israel relations, the need to promote respectful dialogue on campus and the topic of international relations being outside the scope of the society’s objectives.

The exact wording of the motion reads: “BIFRT the AMS endorses any vote but a yes vote, as one of the AMS’ primary objectives, as outlined in the AMS Constitution, is to promote unity and goodwill amongst its members.”

While most councillors agreed that the AMS should encourage dialogue between members of the UBC community rather than try to make a decision for them, the main source of disagreement came on whether the best way to encourage debate and reflection on the referendum question was achieved by opposing a yes vote.

VP Admin Ava Nasiri spoke against the motion on the basis that it would divide the campus community.

“I don’t think that as the AMS we should be endorsing either side,” said Nasiri. “I think that our goal here is to do as best we can to facilitate and mediate and I think that by taking one side or the other what we’re doing is alienating a portion of the campus population.”

Bokor said that, as the question of divestment is at base a moral and geopolitical debate

with differing opinions, it was important for Council to also share their thoughts on it openly.

“If we will have any debate, it must be on the basis of each other’s idea not each other’s identities. We, as a community, must not marginalize each other because of who we are, or where we were born, or who our parents are, or what religion you follow,” said Bokor.

“We believe in providing equal opportunity and being inclusive to all voices, opinions and beliefs.”

VP External Bahareh Jokar pointed out that the AMS did not take a stance on divestment from fossil fuels a year ago since it felt that it was not their place to take a stance for students.

“It’s a matter of process,” said Jokar. “Our role here as a Council is to effectively ensure that we are providing safety for our students, providing safe and respectable space for conversation and dialogue and to ensure that the processes are adhered to.”

Still, councillor Christopher Roach said that endorsing the referendum would set a precedent of doing the same for any referendum pushed forth by students in the future.

“If we were to follow exactly what students requested us to do through a referendum, would we not disenfranchise a group of students? How are we going to act when that time comes?” said Roach.

Councillors then voted on the motion by secret ballot after Roach said that disclosing who voted for or against might put members’ safety at risk.

While a secret ballot cannot reveal the number of votes for or against the motion, the motion passed by a simple majority.

After that, Council also voted not to proceed with a formal campaign on their position, but rather to send out one email informing students of their stance.

The referendum is currently slated to take place from March 23 to 27. U

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MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2015 |

EDITOR JENICA MONTGOMERY

6

AMS >>

CITR >>

20 years of Discorder get digitized Block Party to be hosted in a parking lot

FILE PHOTO GEOFF LISTER/THE UBYSSEY

Last year’s Block Party was hosted in MacInnes field.

Jenica Montgomery Culture Editor PHOTO TIMOTHY HOGGAN/THE UBYSSEY

Discorder is a music magazine off-shoot of CiTR.

Olivia Law Senior Staff Writer

If you listen to music, go to gigs or are at all interested in Vancouver’s thriving indie-music scene, you’ll have most likely picked up an issue of Discorder , CiTR’s monthly magazine which focuses on Vancouver and B.C.-based bands and concerts.

With the future of print media continuously up for debate, more and more mediums are transferring to, or adapting themselves to the online world — and Discorder is keeping up to date with this trend.

Every issue since the magazine’s inception in 1983 was digitized over the past eight months.

Cecilia Rose, a grad student in the school of library, archival and information studies was in charge of the digitization process, as part of a work-learn.

“We started from the very first issue over 20 years ago,” said Rose. </em>

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“You can see materials from the comfort of your own home, you can browse pages, you can even search for information.”

Now, rather than searching through physical archives, music fanatics can use the complete stored archives online to access their favourite bands, concert reviews from years past and even photographs from gigs (the ones from the 80s are pure gold.)

“It’s documenting the history of the independent music scene in Vancouver,” noted Rose.

For Rose, the process of digitization disclosed hints of nostalgia.

Currently in three-man band, The Flinettes, Rose was featured on the June 2014 cover of Discorder, which can be accessed online due to her role of digitizing.

Issues include articles, reviews, photos, features, interviews and advertisements, all of which can be downloaded in PDF format and <em>

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saved for future use. Although the physical archives are still produced and available, Rose specifies the importance of these online editions, particularly when looking further into the future.

“It helps to protect the originals so people don’t have to access the original material to actually handle it, as they might be fragile.”

Although the magazine is digitizing all of its future issues, print readers will not be disappointed.

“I think that Discorder’s print existence will always be a top priority for the publication,” said Alex de Boer, editor-in-chief of Discorder .

The entire process of 20 years worth of magazines took just eight months, and are all available on the digital collections website of the UBC Library. Not only is Discorder your one-stop-shop for all things musical, cutting edge and current, now it can be an insight into the past music scene in Vancouver. U </em>

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The eighth annual AMS Block Party was announced for April 10 this past Thursday, however the capacity is 2000 people less than last year.

Block Party, which was held in MacInnes field last year, will be taking place in the parking lot next to the Technology Enterprise Facility 3 (TEF 3). The lot will hold 4800 attendees which, according to AMS programming and events manager Anna Hillar, is 2000 less than the previous year.

“We can’t have it in a big deep hole, which is currently what Macinnes field looks like, so we have been searching for a new home basically for a year and half ... so [the AMS] and the university found the biggest lot possible that was going to be safe enough to hold as many people as we could,” said Hillar.

Since construction began on Macinnes field for the new aquatic centre, Block Party and other large scale events had to find a new home on campus. This year’s location was

chosen based on what was available, cost efficient and close to the centre of campus. Hillar noted that the large football and soccer fields were unavailable for use due to the expensive nature of covering turf.

Though the event won’t be able to host as many attendees as previous years, Hillar reassures that the event will still be fun for students.

“I think it will be just as fun….

It’s going to feel intimate and awesome, so I don’t think it will affect the energy of it at all it will just be a little bit harder to get a ticket,” said Hillar.

Though they haven’t announced the artist lineup, the available food stands or the planned activities, students should be excited.

“Its really really fun, like even if you don’t like being around crazy drunk people, its not all just crazy drunk people. Some students are there solely for the music and a lot of students on campus don’t actually drink, so I just encourage everybody to come.”

Early bird tickets will be $15 and week-of tickets, if they’re still available, will be $30. U

CHAN CENTRE >>

Celtic Connections combines Celtic and Indian music traditions Rachel Levy-McLaughlin Contributor

PHOTO COURTESTY LAURA MURRAY PR

John Joe Kelly is an award winning badhran player.

Art has had an interesting history of both expressing the conventions of culture through folklore and rebelling against those conventions to create something revolutionary. It can both reinforce the envelope and push it.

Coming to the Chan Centre on Saturday, March 21 at 8 p.m. is just one demonstration of how art both pushes and forms cultural conventions.

Celtic Connections combines Celtic and Indian folk music. Zakir Hussain, a renowned Indian tabla player, has teamed up with Irish, English and Scottish musicians and percussionists to create something innovative.

“We haven’t created a new type of music here,” said John Joe Kelly, award-winning badhran player collaborating

with Hussain on this project.

“There are not new musical rhythms or new musical forms that we have composed together, but we have found a commonality between these sounds which are rarely played together.”

This project first began in 2011 with Hussain experimenting with the combination of Indian and Celtic musical styles. It was such a success in the United Kingdom that Hussain and his group were asked to perform at the London 2012 pre-Olympic performances. “[The performance] is a fusion with all the different musical languages, sounds and flavours mixing with each other and creating a really exciting whole,” said Kelly.

The bodhran, played by Kelly, is an Irish drum, played with a short wooden stick. The tabla, played by Hussain, is two small

America, Politics and Ar t Latin March 25

ália Film Screening Tropic April 2

Students gather to present on Latin America themed topics ranging from language to art. Musical performances in conjunction include Gilberto Gil and Lila Downs.

This documentary highlights the Tropicália cultural movement of the 1960s. The film, of course, includes interviews, images, archived materials and music.

hand drums each with its own timbre. Also featured in Celtic Connections are fiddles, flutes, Scottish pipers, a guitar and a bansuri (an Indian bamboo flute).

“We all still remain true to our traditions while obviously pushing boundaries in order to … find connection points and common ground between our repertoires through rhythm and melody,” said Kelly. Celtic Connections uses the tradition of folk music to create a new sound of music.

“The beauty of collaboration really is getting different musical brains in one room and working to find a common language,” said Kelly.

At one point in time, Celtic and Indian folk music might have seemed worlds apart. Now, however, they have been combined into something that is simultaneously traditional and innovative. U Gilberto Gil

April 12 Key Tropicália participant is playing a sold out show at the Chan Centre next month. This show promises to show a glimpse of brazilian history.

MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2015

NETFLIX >>

| CULTURE | 7

DEBATE >>

Bottom of the Debate club: Should the next James Bond be female?

Queue: The the selection for this year’s final was an irreverent exercise in the Coed and The highly hypothetical: should MGM You might have spent your weekend studios make the next James Bond frantically studying for that a woman?

Zombie Stoner either ever-elusive last midterm, or trying As University of Victoria debater Elba Gomez Navas Contributor

Sam Fruitman Staff Writer

Well, the title sure doesn’t leave anything to the imagination. To be honest, we really just wanted to see how a coed could ever be grouped together with a zombie stoner. More importantly, how can a zombie stoner even exist? This film glides over these important questions, providing decidedly unsatisfying answers.

We’re not sure a plot summary is even necessary for this one. It’s so ridiculous you probably won’t believe it. But here it is anyways. The film centres around a “nerdy” sorority girl (read: an attractive girl with glasses) who stumbles across a hunky zombie who smokes inhuman amounts of marijuana to turn his hunger for flesh into hunger for snacks.

Stay with us. He mistakenly bites a frat guy, and before you can say “munchies,” the campus is filled with the undead (and a lot of topless women). The nerdy sorority girl, with the help of her science professor and super stoner brother, must “smoke out the entire school before it’s too late,” as the official plot synopsis so eloquently states. We’ll give you three guesses as to who the target audience for this flick is (Hint: it isn’t zombie fans).

This film is another example of a bad movie that knows it’s bad. The problem with this one is that it’s a little too confident in its “badness.” It employs all of the standard bad movie tropes: predictable twists, nudity for the sake of nudity and acting that makes Arnold Schwarzenegger’s work Oscar worthy, but it doesn’t pave any new ground. However, it does have a couple redeeming qualities. There is a nice little reference to zombie flick 28 Days Later, as well as a cat named “Romero,” presumably after the father of zombies himself, George A. Romero. Other than that, the film doesn’t really hold up as a zombie film. The zombies themselves were little more than actors with dark makeup under their eyes.

The bottom line: If you need a film to have on in the background, this is it. If you need a film that requires very little brainpower to watch, this is it. If you’re looking for a decent zombie comedy that delivers equal scares and laughs, look somewhere else. U

to get an ephemeral reminder of what it is to have fun before finals come down full force. But for UBC debaters, this weekend meant the opportunity to take a shiny trophy home, courtesy of the McGoun Western Canadian Debate Championship.

For this weekend’s debate, the Canadian Parliamentary style was the debate method of preference. In this debate structure there’s no flying solo, given that participants pair up to compete and victory is only secured if partners work in tandem.

“A lot of it comes down to the relationship between you and your partner. Between my partner and me we had a very supportive relationship, like, it doesn’t matter if we win or loose, we’re still good people and we’ll still have fun,” said Allison Morell.

This weekend, 14 teams representing four of the largest West Coast Universities, including the University of Victoria and UBC, went through six debating rounds, arguing for or against topics ranging from whether we should eliminate the Hogwarts house system to more contentious issues such as whether internet anonymity has done more harm than good. Although the seriousness of topics varied,

and finalist Nicolas Méthot gleefully announced the final debate topic, gasps and laughs were heard across the room.

“This house as MGM studios will make the next James Bond a woman. We changed, however, only the biological sex and the fact that she identifies bodily as a woman, every other facet of James Bond’s character remains the same insofar as being an alcoholic, womanizing mysoginist … who is a super badass spy. The story line remains the same,” he said, opening the debate.

After the announcement, the opposition team had less than 10 minutes to prepare before one of the partners got on-stage to argue against MGM’s head-turning decision.

The first opposition debater was Connor Hunter, third-year Arts student, Model U.N and UBC Debate aficionado. Hunter has also won three debate tournaments this past year. After that, Méthot’s debate partner, second-year Emma Kinakin passionately argued for a new era in female leads.

Grant Bradshaw closed with the argument that women deserve to craft their own role models, rather than borrowing from a figure that has so much historical baggage

PHOTO STEVEN DURFEE/THE UBYSSEY

UBC hosted the McGoun Western Canadian Debate Championship this past weekend.

already. The winners for this year were Hunter and Bradshaw, allowing UBC to keep its title from last year’s victory.

Although this was announced at the end of the night, when interviewed after the end of the closing arguments, they both said debate — although competitive by nature — was most attractive to them because of the people they’ve met and befriended.

“Debate allows you to challenge your views and gives you the confidence and purpose to achieve real progress. For me, it’s where I have made some of my best friends,” said Shannon Hogan, previous Western Canadian Debate Champion and current French Director of UBC Debate.

For UBC Debate, the people are the bedrock of the club. That’s why so many are drawn to it. U

LITERATURE >>

Eat what you love and love what you eat

PHOTO COURTESTY FORBIDDEN FOOD

John Sloan is a doctor with UBC Medicine.

Jasmine Cheng Staff Writer

Everybody knows the secret to living a long and healthy life is to eat right. We desperately strive to make good food choices everywhere we go, from purchasing all-organic meats and produce to asking for low-fat skinny lattes at our favourite coffee shop.

The association between eating “good” food and boosting general health seems hard-wired in the

general public. Evidence suggests, however, that many of these connections are not scientifically supported at all. John Sloan, a doctor with UBC Medicine has written a new eBook called Forbidden Food which examines our obsession with healthy food and the plethora of new fad diets that have emerged in recent decades.

We are all familiar with ideas and beliefs surrounding the negative consequences of consuming

trans-fats, sugar and salt, especially in relation to the development of obesity and diabetes. But where do these beliefs, which have become so ingrained into our culture and permeated society’s collective conscious, come from?

According to research presented in Forbidden Food, the source of many of these beliefs may be a surprise to many. For instance, the idea that fats are bad was started more than 60 years ago with the observation that populations living in Europe during World War II who were on the brink of starvation on a daily basis were also observed to have lower rates of heart disease than their wealthy American counterparts.

Americans at the time who freely consumed what was considered luxury foods such as meat, which happens to contain high quantities of saturated fat, had increased risk of atherosclerosis and other types of heart disease as a result of their diet. “[It’s] only in the last 10 years or so that it’s become clear, although it certainly has not penetrated the general cultural consciousness that there is absolutely no outcome to be obtained by cutting back or otherwise modifying types of fat,” said Sloan.

The book Forbidden Food mentions several other examples of food myths that have little credible scientific backing which we frequently accept as common knowledge. Sloan uses the term ‘orthorexia’ to describe our society’s unhealthy fixation with what is considered healthy eating.

Sloan examines scientific studies of the past 50 years in his new book and said that many of the so-called healthy choices that we strive to make are merely superstitious. According to Forbidden Food even in cases where it has been proven that eating specific foods can prolong life, the net effect can be astonishingly insignificant. It turns out that even choosing healthy options over fast food over an entire lifespan would only lengthen it by a few minutes on average.

“People want to deny themselves the pleasure of eating what they enjoy, but the science doesn’t back it up. So I’m hoping with my new book to liberate people from their superstitious eating habits,” said Sloan. “It runs counter to common wisdom, of course [but] the only bad food is food that tastes bad; you should eat what you love and love what you eat.” U

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LAST WORDS >>

8

DIVESTMENT >>

Supporting BDS is a moral responsibility

SALMAN ZAFAR

Letter

ILLUSTRATION PRESTY WULANSARI/THE UBYSSEY

“Time for the BDS vote ... no peeking!”

LAST WORDS AMS ACCOUNTABILITY AND SECRET BALLOTS CAN’T GO HAND IN HAND At the last AMS Council meeting, the society, by secret ballot, voted on whether to take a formal stance opposing the BDS referendum. If we put aside the larger issues of what their stance should have been (or if they should have taken one at all), it’s pretty shocking to all of us that they did not vote on it openly.

As Tanner Bokor rightly pointed out at the meeting, transparency is just as important when dealing with sensitive subjects such as BDS as it is when voting on what to, for example, order from the pizza place. We’d venture to say that it’s even more important for an issue such as this.

Naturally, it is more comfortable for councillors to vote on sensitive issues in private, but the comfort should not trump the accountability that those who were elected owe to students.

While there are definitely times when a vote by secret ballot is necessary, it shouldn’t be an automatic shield away from sensitive topics.

In this case, the safety concerns that some of the councillors had brought up were based mainly on hypothetical scenarios rather than actual risks. The fact that councillors had the option to abstain, too, means that if they really didn’t want to take a stance on a major geopolitical issue, they could have.

The truth is, people in politics sometimes have to make difficult choices and have the public judge them because of it. But when politicians start toying with the scale of comfort versus accountability, accountability should win in almost every case.

PARTING SHOTS AND SNAP JUDGEMENTS FROM THE UBYSSEY EDITORIAL BOARD

ELECTIONS DEBATE LIVED UP TO ITS NAME It was nice to see some actual debating at the AMS elections debates on Thursday. Too many candidates in recent memory have used the debates to just agree with each other, rather than call out holes in their opponents’ platforms or take controversial stances. Candidates actually challenged each other on points that could have easily been let slide, and it’s for the best.

One of Cheneil Antony-Hale’s platform points — mandatory sexual assault-related training for residence advisors — sparked challenges from an audience member, as well as spirited debate. Agree or disagree with her point, it was nice to see candidates being challenged. Even the SLFS debate — one that is often ignored, or doesn’t happen in the first place — sparked some legitimate discussions about why SLFS matters to students. We hope this spirit of actual debate will carry on to the Great Debate on Tuesday, and more importantly, we hope it will make students look beyond the platform points on candidates’ websites and make informed choices in this year’s elections.

THE AMS NEEDS TO PLAN FOR THE LONG-RUN Tanner Bokor is heading the development of a long-term strategic plan for the AMS, and we’re impressed. Though how effective the plan will be isn’t yet certain, and we aren’t particularly hopeful based on the efficacy of long-term plans we’ve seen, it’s critical for the AMS and its student politicians to make goals and plan for the long run. The university is

going to be around for a long time, and we need to think beyond our own four or five years here.

The nature of the AMS’ governance model means that the executive can switch over entirely from year to year. Bokor seems eager to work with his successor to ensure that this plan is actually adhered to, which will hopefully result in some sort of continuity with the new government (and hopefully with many more to come). Only time will tell how much good the AMS 2030 plan will do, but at least they’re doing something.

NEW SUB CELEBRATIONS ARE LONG OVERDUE The New SUB is set to open in early April and though we can’t say that we’re optimistic, we are getting pretty excited. We’ve been in our basement office for nearly 15 years, and we’re all looking forward to a few days of natural light at work before the school year (and our work year) ends.

Students have been waiting for the New SUB for a few years now, and some have watched it go from a hole in the ground to what it is today over the course of their university careers.

Unfortunately for them, many of those who have been here for the whole process are now graduating and won’t have a whole lot of time to enjoy the new facilities.

Though an opening date of early April seems a little bizarre, given that most of us will only have a few weeks to enjoy the building before escaping UBC for the summer, it’s nice that it gives graduating students a chance to experience the building for which they suffered endless detours and paid for with their student fees.

As far as the opening itself goes, it looks like the AMS plans to make quite an event out of the new building’s first day. The focus on mental health is timely, given that it’ll be smack-dab in the middle of the most stressful period of the year for most students.

Though we are a little bit terrified by the prospect of “cheap massages” (mostly by the concern that those giving them may be newly out-of-work construction workers), it’s nice that the AMS is going to be putting in some effort to make up for the numerous delays that students anxiously anticipating the building’s opening have suffered. U

SPHR’s campaign to have the AMS include a BDS campaign against the state of Israel at the upcoming student government elections is in full swing. The reaction to that has been strong, which is expected at a university that has students from across the globe.

While there have been calls to prevent this referendum from passing, the arguments used to defend that line of action have been weak on multiple levels.

Getting into the historical question of Israel-Palestine is a long debate and one which cannot be covered in the given space. But while the complication of the issue is acknowledged, what also needs to be accepted is that Palestine’s position on the negotiation table is ridiculously weak. What also needs to be accepted is that the sheer magnitude of human loss suffered by Palestinians over the course of this conflict is significantly higher compared to what has been suffered by Israel.

This does not imply, under any circumstances, that violence by Hamas or other outfits is acceptable. But while Israel, one of the strongest military forces in the world, is able to burn Palestinian homes down to rubble and splatter streets with blood, action needs to be taken. This is precisely why a campaign that promotes to respond via economic measures makes a lot of sense.

It would be naïve to believe that the BDS campaign, if successful, will significantly harm Israel’s economy. But it will make a statement, which is what all of this is about.

Concerns from Jewish and Israeli students on campus are valid, but we need to accept the fact that every time Israel’s brutal foreign policy is criticized, it is not a sign of anti-Semitism. Every time Israel’s brutal campaign in Gaza is criticized, it is not a campaign against the global Jewish population. Similarly, a campaign on campus that aims to speak out against Israel’s foreign policy and makes an attempt towards pushing for economic harm is not a campaign against the Jewish and Israeli students. Israel’s foreign policy is separate from the people who reside in that country. That needs to be understood. It is common knowledge that there are sections within Israel that are against the country’s brutal campaign in Gaza.

All this is easier said than done, of course. The world, unfortunately, has a dark history and the fears of students on campus are perhaps justified when one looks at it from a historical perspective. But those fears need to be addressed without comprising on the principled stance of supporting the BDS. Violence is not an answer to anything; neither from Israel, nor from Palestine. But if economic harm makes a statement in the face of a brutal foreign policy, no matter how small, then it must be supported. It is our duty, not just as people who are affiliated to UBC in some capacity, but as humans, to take a stand and speak out for Palestinian voices. As Dante said, “The darkest places in hell are reserved for those who maintain their neutrality in times of moral crisis.” Let us not be those people.

Salman Zafar is a UBC staff member and also a member of Socialist Alternative Canada. U

ADVICE >>

On having a newly-Greek girlfriend

NATALIE MORRIS

Advice Columnist

“Dear Natalie, My girlfriend joined a sorority and I know it’s not rational but I hate that she’s always out with her “sisters” now and I feel like I’m always second in her life.”

I’m not in the Greek system, but I know a lot of people who are are, including one of my best friends.

Sure, there’s a certain stereotype that is thrown in with the Greek system (you know the one: preppy, high maintenance, heavy

drinking) but honestly there’s a stereotype for every club (and really that’s all sororities are at their core. Really complicated and somewhat secretive, but a club nonetheless). The lacrosse club is full of jocks, the poetry club is full of “sensitive” English majors and The Ubyssey is full of amazingly beautiful and talented people (although that last one is true.)

Just because something has the stereotype, doesn’t make it real. Sororities are for meeting new people, making friends and hanging out with them. One of my friend’s sorority events is weekly dodgeball. Does that seem like an activity you want to keep your girlfriend from? No, because dodgeball is amazing.

Get out of your pity party of one, because I’m not joining you.

So your girlfriend joined a club and is meeting new people who she seems to like and is doing lots of fun activities. What a shame.

However, you can talk to your girlfriend about feeling left out of her life. Ask for more time where she doesn’t talk about her sorority or sisters. Relationships are about communication and being able to use that communication to work through problems.

Don’t be an ass and good luck.

Need advice? Write to Natalie anonymously at asknatalie@ ubyssey.ca and have your questions answered in an upcoming issue of The Ubyssey. U

MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2015

| SPORTS | 9

BASKETBALL >>

Women’s basketball takes Canada West Championship Victories over Alberta, Saskatchewan punch T-Birds’ ticket to Quebec City

PHOTO VICTOR HOGREFE/THE UBYSSEY

Kris Young celebrates with her teammates after a hard-fought battle Friday night.

With the Saskatchewan Huskies up four points and the clock ticking down fast, Adrienne Parkin drained a huge three-pointer with 18.7 seconds remaining.

Strategically, UBC quickly used up their remaining fouls to give, sending Saskatchewan’s Kelsey Trulsrud to the free throw line.

She missed both the freebies and when Kris Young picked up the rebound, she knew exactly what to do with it. The two-time conference MVP took the ball from end-to-end, expertly used

Natalie Scadden Senior Staff Writer For the UBC Thunderbirds women’s basketball team, their 16th straight win could not have been any sweeter.

A night after securing a berth at the CIS national championship tournament, the T-Birds completed a thrilling comeback on Saturday to win the 2015 Canada West Championship by a final score of 69-68.

her body to create space and banked the ball off the glass into the basket.

With no timeouts left and six seconds remaining, the T-Birds defence was able to shut the Huskies down, the final buzzer sounding before they could get a shot off.

“Oh my god, honestly, this is a storybook ending for me,” said Young. “My last game in War [Memorial Gym], I got MVP, we won and I hit the game winner. I mean, it doesn’t get much better than this.”

Baseball

UBC was down early and often in this game. Saskatchewan was up by as many as 12 points in the first quarter and took an 11-point lead into the half.

The Huskies had been shooting 50 per cent from the field in the first half, but went ice cold in the third quarter, allowing the T-Birds to pull themselves back to a two-point deficit at the end of the frame.

At that point, one could sense that it was time for the Kris Young show. Held to just eight points on 3-of-10 shooting through the first three quarters, UBC’s all-time leading scorer was on an entirely different level in the fourth. Playing every minute of her final home game, Young hit six-of-nine shots en route to 13 points in that final frame, electrifying the crowd into loud “M-V-P” chants.

“Kris did some remarkable things down the stretch,” said UBC head coach Deb Huband. “You could see she wanted it so bad and so did her teammates. It takes a lot of courage to step up like that when the game’s on the line.”

Credit to the Huskies though, who were hitting seemingly every three down the stretch. The T-Birds only led the game for a total of 43 seconds, but had the upper hand when it mattered most.

“I think it was great for us to be challenged like that and have to answer the bell, come from behind.

[It helps] prepare us going into nationals,” said Huband.

While there was the obvious standout performance from Young — who led UBC with 21 points, eight rebounds, six assists, three blocks and three steals — as well as the game-changing triple from

Parkin, the T-Birds dug in as a team and stayed calm and composed throughout the game. They’ve got plenty of star power between Young and Harleen Sidhu, who had 18 points, but their improved depth is what’s gotten them through their current 16-game streak.

“Deb always talks about showing yourself and having different people on our team step up,” said Young. “I think that’s what has been amazing about our progression over this season. We’ve had people step up when we need it. It’s not just me and it’s not just Harleen getting buckets, it’s everybody. It’s a team game and it’s way more fun and that’s why we’re succeeding.”

The T-Birds still have a long way to go to reach their ultimate goal this year. All season long they’ve been wearing shirts with “3210” written across the chest. That’s how many kilometres it is, as the crow flies, from Vancouver to Quebec City, where nationals are being held.

“We wanted to have it in front of us all the time to know that was our end goal and know the little steps that were going to get us there,” explained Young.

But since 3,210 kilometres is actually quite a bit of an underestimate, the ‘Birds will have to go the extra distance if they want to bring home the rather ironically named “Bronze Baby Trophy” for the first time since 2008.

Thankfully, they’ve got the wind at their back.

“I think the real importance of this game was momentum,” said Young. ”We had a tough, tough win and that’s going to make us better.” U

Softball

Final, March 8

Final, March 7

Thunderbirds

5

Thunderbirds

0

Cavaliers

0

Cavaliers

9

March 7 Thunderbirds Cavaliers

2 1

March 7 Thunderbirds Cavaliers

0 1

Men’s Rugby

March 7 Thunderbirds Cavaliers

2 4

Women’s Rugby

Final, March 7

Final, March 7

Thunderbirds

12

Thunderbirds

Vikes

17

Vikes

March 7 Thunderbirds Norsemen

24 21

March 7 Thunderbirds Warriors

52 0

March 7 Thunderbirds Pronghorns

40 12

7 12 March 6 Thunderbirds Vikes

51 0

10 | SPORTS |

MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2015

1900

The year the Davis Cup began, although the idea was conceived a year earlier by four members of the Harvard University tennis team. The first tournament was held at the Longwood Cricket Club in Boston.

1913 126 4 5,200 The first time Canada participated.

countries entered in the 2015 Davis Cup.

players per team.

The seating capacity at UBC’s Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre for tennis events. It is expected to be full all three days of the Davis Cup this weekend.

Natalie Scadden Senior Staff Writer An exciting weekend of Davis Cup tennis at UBC’s Thunderbird Sports Centre came down to a fifth and final match between Vasek Pospisil and Go Soeda.

When all was said and done, the rowdy crowd was singing “Oh Canada” as the young Vancouverite sealed a 3-2 victory over Japan.

“It’s best feeling in the world right now, especially doing it here at home in Vancouver,” Pospisil said after moving Team Canada on to the World Group quarterfinals with his second win of the weekend.

With Sunday’s fifth rubber being his third match in as many days, it took Pospisil a while to get going. He needed to break Soeda’s serve in order to avoid a tiebreaker in the first set, but after that there was little Soeda could do to stop him. The match was over in straight sets (7-5, 6-3, 6-4) and lasted under two hours.

“Today I was going in with the mentality to use the crowd in the right moments and use my energy where I needed to,” said Pospisil. “I was really focused on my service games, and then I pounced at the ends of the sets.”

Prior to Pospisil’s triumph, the marquee match between Kei Nishikori and Milos Raonic lived up to all its hype. But in the end it was Nishikori who prevailed in a three-hour, five-set battle (3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4), keeping Japan alive in the tie.

“Every time [we play], it’s very competitive, a big fight for the both of us,” said Raonic. “The whole match comes down to one or two moments, and I’m happy with the way I fought, the way I competed. That’s all I can ask of myself.”

It was Raonic who struck first, overpowering Nishikori with eight of his signature aces to take the opening set 6-3. Nishikori bounced right back though, winning the second set by the same margin.

“I started a little bit shaky and I was missing easy points,” admitted Nishikori. “He got breaks easily, but in the second set I started to play well. I played a little more aggressive.”

Seizing momentum, Nishikori showed his all-court genius on some long rallies in the third set, giving himself a 2-1 lead in the match.

Raonic battled back with a strong fourth set to keep himself in it, but lost his service early in the fifth.

Digging deep, he fought off three game points for Nishikori, then won the deuce to even out the service game.

With the set tied at four, the crowd was so silent when the ball was in play that you could hear the players exhale with every shot. The match seemed destined to go to a tiebreaker, but when Raonic gave up a double fault, he conceded the break point and Nishikori put it away.

“I was waiting for one chance, and he gave me a double fault, which is a little lucky,” said Nishikori. “He’s always a tough player, especially his serve. He has one of the biggest serves on the tour. That’s why I’ve always struggled [and] had to play long matches.”

All seven head-to-head matches between Raonic and Nishikori have either involved a tiebreaker or taken five sets. With both stars still on the rise, their Davis Cup showdown could well end up being a preview of future Grand Slam finals.

Raonic has repeatedly made his goals clear: he wants to be world number one and he wants to succeed at representing Canada, which starts with winning the Davis Cup. With the depth the Canadian team showed this weekend, that may come sooner than expected.

“They are no limits for us really,” said Pospisil.

Canadian fans already know this much: anything is Pospisil. U

9

ATP World Tour events Raonic played before reaching world ranking number 37, which at that point was the highest ever by a Canadian in men’s singles.

25

Vasek Pospisil’s highest world ranking, achieved in January 2014 before he dropped to number 62 following a bout of injuries.

1

All-Canadian tennis finals in ATP history. Raonic defeated Pospisil in straight sets in the 2014 Citi Open final in Washington, D.C.

1990 249.9

The year both Raonic and Pospisil were born. Both have yet to reach their 25th birthdays.

The speed, in kilometres per hour, of Raonic’s fastest recorded tennis serve — the fifth fastest in history.

MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2015

PHOTO BOR CHERT CHRIS

GALLERY

| SPORTS | 11

12 | GAMES |

MONDAY, MARCH 9, 2015

PHOTO STEVEN DURFEE/THE UBYSSEY

Get to Kits beach before summer to beat the crowds and enjoy some city solace.

MAR 5 ANSWERS

COURTESY BESTCROSSWORDS.COM

ACROSS 1- Mischievous person 7- Actress Ward 11- Spring mo.

14- Broadway opening 15- Former partners 16- ___ kwon do 17- Supported 18- Norm 20- Books on plant life 22- Caught congers 23- May ___ excused?

24- Explosive stuff 25- Without exception 27- Currency unit in Western Samoa

29- “You are ___” 31- Ferrara family 32- Fashions 35- American space agency 37- Georgia, once: Abbr.

38- Surgical removal of stones from an organ 41- Simile center 44- First king of Israel 45- Capital on South Dakota 49- Voting-pattern predictor 51- Applaud 53- Visionary 54- Monetary unit of Mauritania 56- Authorizes 59- Munched on 60- Severe 61- External

MAR 5 ANSWERS

63- Endanger 66- Gnawing animal 67- Wreath of flowers 68- ___ a soul 69- Wide street 70- Period 71- Gas burner or Sicilian volcano 72- Cared for

DOWN 1- Burrowing rodents 2- Performer of gymnastic feats 3- Majestic 4- Caesar’s partner

COURTESY KRAZYDAD.COM

5- Concerning 6- Ushered 7- Cong. meeting 8- Office no.

9- Meadow 10- “Lou Grant” star 11- Puzzled 12- Mother and father 13- Cervus elaphus 19- Sandy tract 21- Biblical verb ending 25- German sausage 26- Greek fabulist 28- The whole shebang 30- ___ Gay 33- Frozen Wasser 34- Actor Keach 36- Parisian pal

39- Hawaiian native dance 40- Absolutely!

41- Follower of Christ 42- Guitarist J.D. 43- Country in North Africa 46- Hindmost part 47- Body of retainers 48- Put up 50- Decoy 52- Plague 55- Mindlessly stupid 57- Thai breed of cat 58- Range 61- “Only Time” singer 62- Steinbeck: East of _____ 64- Make lace 65- East ender?