August 18, 2015

AUGUST 18, 2015 | VOLUME XCVII | ISSUE I WHAT BOARD MEETING SINCE 1918

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NEWS

CULTURE

OPINIONS

SPORTS

Board holds secret meeting

Colin Mochrie is back on Granville Island

Editorial: Board of Govenors shrouded in secrecy

The future of UBC athletics

THE UBYSSEY

PAGES 6 & 7

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TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2015

YOUR GUIDE TO UBC EVENTS & PEOPLE

EVENTS

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OUR CAMPUS

TUE 18 JURASSIC PARK DUSK @ SECOND BEACH

Watch the 1995 classic for free under the stars, then go home and check your closets for velociraptors.

$9

SAT 22 SMASH BROS 10:15 AM @ IRVING K BARBER

FILE PHOTO CHERIHAN HASSUN/THE UBYSSEY

UBC eSports Association is holding a Super Smash Bros. Melee Tournament (it’s free to watch).

$5 to register

The new SUB’s rooftop garden.

The new student union building Arno Rosenfeld Features Editor

SUN 23 FOOD CART FEST 12:00 PM 2:15 @ OLYMPIC VILLAGE Ping pong, DJs, open-air markets, a licensed live music patio and more food trucks than your stomach can handle.

Free to enter.

ON THE COVER PHOTO/ART BY Aiken Lao INSPIRED BY Krzysztof Nowak

It’s shiny, full of food, liquor and — soon — thousands of your fellow UBC students. Out of all the new buildings rising on campus, re-routing walkways and responsible for the foulsmelling piles of manure dumped seemingly everywhere, the new Student Union Building will have the greatest impact on student life.

Replacing the Old SUB, an uninspired brutalist hunk dubbed “the Fuhrer’s bunker” by a handful of faculty at the time, the new SUB features walls of glass to let natural light flow into an airy atrium ringed by exposed wooden pillars and an architecturally innovative theatre in suspension.

The wood embraces a classic Pacific Northwest aesthetic and runs in stark contrast to the bare concrete which only highlighted the overcast weather, and in recent years gave to crumbling and featured prominent water stains where gutters had drained

the Vancouver rain along the walls for decades.

“The visual environment would be rather dull if everything was just a box,” AMS designer and New SUB architect Michael Kingsmill told The Ubyssey last year. He was highlighting the embrace of curves in the new building, but it could just have easily been slipping in a knock against the building it is replacing.

The building, which serves as the primary student leisure and administration centre on campus, is a triumph for the AMS. Despite its multiple delays and cost-overruns, after seven years of planning, the $107 million, five storey “Student Nest” is a feat of logistical and financial planning on the part of Canada’s largest student union. In 2008, the AMS passed a student referendum to increase student fees by $80 per student per year in order to finance the project. Students currently pay $90, and the fee is capped at $100.

So what are we paying for? The SUB isn’t just a place to study;

numerous restaurants have opened up, from the new Pit Pub to the sitdown Grand Noodle Emporium, to the revamped Pie[R] Squared.

The ingredients and recipes have changed quite a bit, all for the better.

The New SUB will also be home to many clubs and societies, including student radio station CiTR, the AMS, and yours truly, The Ubyssey (now with windows!).

There’s even a climbing wall.

There’s also a huge, dangling orb that is immediately apparent when one walks into the SUB — that’s the AMS Performance Centre.

Also on that level is the Great Hall, the art gallery (now named the Hatch, get it?), and a slew of multi-purpose spaces. Climb or take a glass elevator to the top level to visit the Perch restaurant, a rooftop garden, and one of the best views on campus.

It costs lot. We’re still paying for it. It took too long. These problems shouldn’t be ignored.

But at the end of the day, we ended up with a hell of a student union building. U

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ourcampus@ubyssey.ca

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EDITORIAL

Opinions + Blog Editor STAFF Jack Hauen opinions@ubyssey.ca

SEPTEMBER 22, 2014 | VOLUME XCIV| ISSUE IX CONTACT BUSINESS

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FILE PHOTOS KOSTA PRODANOVIC/THE UBYSSEY

// NEWS

EDITORS EMMA PARTRIDGE + MOIRA WARBURTON

TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2015

BOARD //

FEES

PHOTO WILL MCDONALD/THE UBYSSEY

Board Chair John Montalbano being escorted from the meeting by Board Secretary Reny Kahlon to take a phone call.

Board holds secret meeting Topics of discussion included “personnel issues” in response to a recent blog post by a Sauder prof

Moira Warburton News Editor

This morning the UBC Board of Governors held an in camera unannounced Board meeting.

The Ubyssey discovered this fact when a photographer was sent over to the Robert H. Lee Alumni Centre to take a photograph for another article and was told he could not do so because a Board meeting was taking place.

When asked for comment on this, the Board secretary Reny Kahlon said “What meeting?”

At one point the fire alarm in the Alumni Centre was sounding.

At no time did fire trucks or ambu-

lances arrive on scene.

When Ubyssey reporters were allowed back in the building, they were told by Alumni Centre staff that no one was allowed on the same floor as the Board room because of a “private function.”

Reporters waited outside the board room for 40 minutes until Richard Johnston an elected faculty representative on the Board, arrived at the Alumni Centre and promptly turned around because it transpired that the meeting was currently taking place in another location. The Ubyssey then followed Johnston to the actual location of the meeting, in the Old

Administration Building.

At around 11:30 a.m., Judy Kirk of Kirk & Co., a public relations firm used by the university administration in the past, was seen entering the Board of Governors meeting room.

For the rest of the day board members occasionally entered or exited the room, all saying they were unable to comment but the university would release a statement shortly.

Speculation that the surprise Board meeting today was convened in response to the public outcry resulting from recent blog posts by Sauder professor Jennifer

Berdahl’s blog post was confirmed

by Acting President Angela Redish’s statement made after the Board meeting was closed.

Berdahl’s first post argued that Arvind Gupta’s resignation was because he felt pressure due to not being “masculine” enough for the role of president. Her next post detailed events in which various levels of the university administration attempted to limit her right as an academic to speak freely, in response to her original post.

“Universities serve society but are also established to question society, and academic freedom is the bedrock on which a university exists,” said Redish. “As such, the university has rigorous processes in place, established with the agreement of the Faculty Association, to investigate any allegation of breach of academic freedom.

It is imperative that we follow this impartial process … before pre-judging unproven and untested allegations at this time.”

Redish said that the Board welcomed this process and would not be commenting further on the allegations until the process has been concluded.

Renewed calls have been made for John Montalbano’s resignation. In response to these Redish replied that the Board “has issued its full confidence in John Montalbano and his leadership.”

Montalbano quickly left after the meeting, declining to speak with reporters.

When asked why the Board meeting took place in secret today, Redish said that “personnel issues” are always discussed in camera.

She said she was unable to speak as to when more information surrounding Gupta’s resignation will be released. “The Board made that decision before I became a member of the Board,” she said.

No statement was available from student representatives Veronica Knott and Julie van Der Valk, except that they are involved in the process and doing their best to represent students’ opinions. U

CONSTRUCTION //

Ridesharing company Uber seeks support of the AMS Emma Partridge News Editor

Over the summer, a representative from the ridesharing company Uber paid a visit to the AMS. “Uber was looking to expand into the area … and they were looking for support from different groups like students,” said AMS Vice President External Jude Crasta. “They were hoping that the students … would be able to assist them in that form of advocacy to the [provincial] government.”

Uber is a ridesharing service that allows passengers to submit a ride request through their smartphones, then be connected with a driver. Everything is done via an app — the price of the ride is calculated ahead and money is transferred electronically.

Both the rider and driver must “accept” one another after viewing each other’s picture and profile. Still, the legality and safety of a ridesharing service in which drivers are not licensed operators and the vehicle is not a registered taxi has been frequently challenged.

This year, Uber went to court with the city of Toronto as the legality of the company was disputed. Just this month, Uber drivers in Toronto received 198 charges.

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So what does the corporation want from the AMS? Policy that advocates for ridesharing in general, according to Crasta.

“Ridesharing as in the commercial ridesharing thing … like having a vendor,” said Crasta.

“That’s what they wanted us to help advocate to the provincial government for.”

However, it is not decided yet whether the AMS will be partnering with Uber. According to Crasta, a rep from Uber approached the AMS a little over a month ago. After the representative provided the relevant data, the university and external relations committee were presented with the information and are currently reviewing it.

“What I asked the committee to do is basically come back to me with an answer to say yea or nay to go ahead with drafting a policy to then bring back to the committee, have them chew it around, [then] send it to council for consultation,” said Crasta.

The data the company presented covered different categories of benefits, the main ones being to riders and drivers.

“Some of the things they were talking about with riders was the low prices for transportation, improved efficiency, reliable, average wait times being under five minutes,” said Crasta. “For

Uber may soon be coming to campus in partnership with the AMS.

the drivers they were talking about select or income opportunities, higher income.”

Now that the transit plebiscite has failed, ridesharing is one aspect of the larger conversation about transportation in Metro Vancouver. According to Crasta, in the long term the AMS does support through policy the single solution of a rapid transit system to UBC. In the short term, smaller scale solutions are needed to deal with the issue of congestion.

However, Crasta said,

PHOTO COURTESY UBER

“we’re undecided what direction we specifically want to focus our transportation efforts to. We did do a full comprehensive research report about transit solutions through our Transit U-Pass Commissioner and so we’re currently looking at [many] different things.”

Regardless, depending on how the committee responds to what information Uber has provided to the university, Uber may be partnered with the AMS in the future. U

AMS increases concert budget to almost $80,000

FILE PHOTO CHERIHAN HASSUN/THE UBYSSEY

The new concert budget was approved by the AMS council in their last meeting.

Joshua Azizi Contributor

AMS council has recently approved a motion that will increase the budget for concerts at UBC from $15,000 to $79,560.

With this budget increase, the AMS will launch a series of concerts and events held in the new student union building. These concerts and events will mostly take place in the renovated Pit and the Great Hall in the centre of the building, which can hold a capacity of almost 1,000.

The budget was submitted by the AMS events manager, who could not be reached for comment. The budget went through the budget committee, then to Council and was passed at the July 29 Council meeting.

According to AMS Vice President Finance Mateusz Miadlikowski, the goal of the increased budget is to generate a student community and enhance student life within the new SUB. “The priority of our previous year was to build the building, and now it is to build a community within the building to fill the building,” said Miadlikowski. “We’re trying to increase student life and participation of students in student life, and the AMS will throw more events and make the events a little better and more visible on campus as well.”

The budget increase will mostly go towards funding new concerts, as opposed to larger events such as Block Party or the Backyard BBQ, since these events are under a separate budget.

Miadlikowski also noted that this money could provide UBC with several DJ shows.

Although this new concert budget is significantly larger than the previous budget, Miadlikowski said that it is actually an adjusted number.

“The previously presented number was way higher, but budget committee decreased it,” said Miadlikowski. “I think it was well justified and it’s balanced with the concert revenue of almost $65,000, which includes sales of tickets and liquor sales and any potential sponsorship in addition to the $65,000.”

Ultimately, he is pleased with the final budget increase.

“With such a beautiful space, we need to make sure that the events are on par with the building,” he said. U

U

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4 | NEWS |

TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2015

BUDGET CUTS //

Alumni and faculty respond to the cancellation of ISL Emma Partridge News Editor

Since the cancellation of International Service Learning (ISL), students have been eager to make their voices heard.

“Cutting a program that creates so much value for not only the students directly enrolled in this program but also the global communities UBC promised to work with is simply irresponsible,” wrote Viet Vu, AMS representative for the Economics Undergraduate Society, in an open letter to UBC. Through International Service Learning (ISL), students offer aid to under developing countries while also getting experience in their chosen field.

“What makes ISL particularly unique is that it’s not just like an exchange or just an international placement for the sake of being in a different geography, it’s that it’s entirely community needsbased,” said Pranav Chintalapati, UBC graduate student in chemical engineering.

Chintalapati’s first placement was in Mexico, designing a solar water heating system for a community. Chintalapati’s career path was significantly influenced by his experience.

“The whole time I was working in oil [after graduating] I was still very much cognizant of the kind of global issues tied into working for a big oil corporation… Now I do research in water treatment,” he said. “Everything that could’ve been contributed to oil is now

PHOTO COURTESY PRANAV CHINTALAPATI

In ISL, students go into communities to work on projects that give them both experience and credits towards their degree.

contributed to water and that’s partially impacted by a program like ISL.” According to Janet Teasdale, Managing Director of Student Development and Services, shutting down ISL was part of a larger budgetary process where central units were asked to identify opportunities for savings.

“Although it’s facilitated valuable learning opportunities, and has made a real different in communities, the number of students who benefit was quite small,” said Susan Grossman, Director for the Centre for Community Engaged Learning.

“The costs were not sustainable.”

According to Grossman, ISL engaged 89 students last year and the budget used for the program was $240,765.

“This is not a decision about the quality of the program, the program we recognize is incredibly transformative for students, however it’s not serving a large number of students,” said Grossman.

Teasdale has not specified where the funds are to be reassigned, but said this was an investment in the University’s academic mission “by redirecting funds to strengthen Faculties and

provide greater financial support for research and learning.”

According to Teasdale, shutting down other programs was an option considered but ultimately not decided on since ISL serves a small number of students.

Charging for the program was decided to be not “self sustaining” “I feel like it was only taken into account the number of students that benefit from the program, but not necessary the mutually beneficial effects with host communities and host organizations,” said fifth year international relations student and ISL alum, Krista Knechtle.

According to Grossman, students doing their placements at the time of the announcement were notified over the summer. However, faculties were notified in May and June and alumni were contacted in July.

When asked why students had not been consulted earlier, Grossman said that “we didn’t want to notify [students on placements] in advance and the alumni were notified after because we thought… the alumni might share the news with students.”

UBC economics Professor Catherine Douglas spent the last three years developing an ISL based course.

“The news about the termination of the ISL program has been especially discouraging given that the decision was made without prior consultation with students, faculty and community partners - those of us who are actually involved and have knowledge about the value of this program,” said Douglas.

While there are other organizations that offer international experiences at UBC, both Knechtle and Chintalapati say that ISL was a unique experience.

However, Grossman says that faculties are about to begin the process of moving forward.

“We are really committed to engaging students and faculty in the process going forward… we know that they know [students] want to stay engaged in some we so we’d like to hear their perspectives on how to move forward,” she said. U

SOCIAL JUSTICE //

One student is challenging how sexual assault is handled at Explore

PHOTO DUNCAN CAIRNS-BRENNER/THE UBYSSEY

Kyla Jamieson is spearheading attempts to change the way sexual assaults are handled at the government-funded Explore program.

Moira Warburton News Editor

A UBC student is leading the charge on trying to change attitudes towards sexual assault in the government-funded French immersion program Explore.

“I thought I was going to get a Francophone, Québécois cultural experience,” said Kyla Jamieson, participant in the Explore program at the Université de Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR).

Instead, says the graduate student in creative writing, she got a healthy dose of rape culture.

The Explore program was founded in 1971 and has since been facilitating a five-week immersion program at various university campuses across seven provinces. The program is possible for many students thanks to bursaries, provided by the federal government through the Council of Ministers of Education (CMEC), that cover course fees,

accommodation and food costs.

After administrators at the UQTR campus of the program presented a skit which many found to trivialize the use of date rape drugs and sexual assaults, Jamieson spearheaded a petition aiming to “re-educate Explore.”

The skit was presented to students during one of the welcome assemblies. According to Jamieson and other audience members, two girls are at a bar and one is emphasized as pretty and

popular, the other as frumpy. Both have date rape drugs slipped into their drinks; the next scene shows a man trying to decide which unconscious girl to take home. The punch line of the skit is that the would-be rapist found one girl too unattractive to sexually assault.

Jamieson says multiple Explore administrators told her the skit was performed in response to sexual assaults that occur regularly during the program at UQTR, although when a CBC reporter later followed up on these claims, they were denied.

Jamieson ended up leaving Explore at UQTR early, after finding administrators unable to understand why she and other students were upset over the skit, as well as other incidences such as jokes made by students in class to instructors that also trivialized sexual assault.

“I know we’ve had these problems on our [UBC] campus too -- we saw the rape chants, we’ve had that series of sexual assaults and there was a debate about how we were having that conversation,” said Jamieson. “But the situation in Trois-Rivières was so different in that I talked to administrators about the date rape drug skit, and they couldn’t understand … how the skit was problematic.”

Comments on the petition started by Jamieson and other Explore participants contain allegations of a pattern of attitudes tolerant of sexual harassment at other Explore campuses.

“The skit was the smoke. Now I’m finding out about the fire,” said Jamieson. “[When] we’re choosing which Explore programs to apply to… we have no idea that the federal government is paying for us to go to these places where we’re being targeted [for sexual

harassment] and where our complaints are not taken seriously about sexual assault.”

The Ubyssey attempted to contact the authors of these comments to verify their accounts without success.

When contacted for comment, the Explore program at UQTR directed <em>The Ubyssey</em> to its policy on sexual assault and said in a emailed statement, “Our intention is not to return [to these] events.”

Louis Lizotte, interim director of CMEC, said in an email statement that CMEC is committed to ensuring that institutions offering the Explore program “provide a safe and welcoming environment that is free from discrimination and harassment.”

The work to “ensure sexual assault and anti-discrimination policies [are] in place at each institution promote and advance human rights education … has already begun,” according to Lizotte.

One outcome thus far of Jamieson’s petition is that Explore at UQTR won’t be presenting any more skits.

“That’s the easy way out,” said Nic Walry, an SFU student and participant in Explore at UQTR. In his newspaper writing module during the program, Walry wrote an article on the student protest and petition attempting to change the way sexual assaults are handled

by Explore programs. He was blocked from publishing it in the newspaper distributed to all Explore participants at UQTR by the administration.

“But come next year when they have more students, I don’t know… if they’re really going to take into mind what has gone on this past year.” U

// CULTURE

EDITOR OLIVIA LAW

TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2015

COMEDY //

Who’s Line star returns to his comedy roots Rithu Jagannath Contributor

This August, the Vancouver TheatreSports League is welcoming one of the world’s greatest improvisers to their stage. Colin Mochrie, famous from the hit show Whose Line is it Anyway, is returning to where his career began — at the Improv Centre on Granville Island.

Mochrie has a long history with Vancouver TheatreSports League, having become a member shortly after he graduated from Studio 58 theatre school alongside costar Ryan Stiles.

He began his journey with the company in 1980 and ended his tenure in 1986.

The Vancouver TheatreSports League (VTSL) was founded in 1980, and executive director Jay Ono has been involved with the company since 1983. Denise Jones joined TheatreSports in the Rookie League and became a performer on the main stage in 2003, taking on the role of artistic director two years ago.

Both will join Mochrie in performing onstage.

“We’ve done shows with Colin before and he just has such a fond appreciation of our theatre sports league. He has always loved supporting the outreach programs at our centre,” said Ono. The two shows featuring

Log into Game Writing Academy

FILE PHOTO JASON DEVAUN/FLICKR

Jamie Dee Contributor

Colin Mochrie is returning to his Improv roots on Granville Island

Mochrie are An Intimate Evening with Colin and Colin & Friends.

“It’s an experience that not many people get to have,” said Jones. “It includes a catered reception and complimentary drinks. There’s also a Q&A with Colin after the show. That one-on-one time with Colin will be absolutely amazing.”

Improv shows always involve a lot of audience participation, and the performers are all looking forward to the creativity the Vancouver audience will bring.

“I am most excited for the audience’s reactions,” said Ono. “Colin has become such an icon on the international comedy scene, so seeing him on TV and then seeing it being delivered in person will be awesome.”

“I can definitely say that he is so much fun to do a show with,” said Jones when asked what she is most looking forward to.

Mochrie is renowned for his love of working with new talent especially at Vancouver

PHOTO COURTESY VANCOUVER THEATRESPORTS

TheatreSports. He believes the key to creating amazing chemistry is the use of ensemble over “stars.”

These shows support both the Improv Institute and the Colin Mochrie Scholarship fund which helps students with partial or full financial help.

Both Ono and Jones agree that the most exciting part of TheatreSports is the growth each player goes through.

Tickets for the shows range from $70-$125 and are available online. U

Chado: an interactive cultural experience The Urasenke Foundation Vancouver Branch has been holding Japanese tea ceremony or chado demonstrations throughout the summer at the tea house in the Nitobe Memorial Garden for 20 years, according to Keith Snyder, a resident tea instructor for Urasenke Vancouver.

The Nitobe Garden was designed by Kannosuke Mori, a landscape architect and professor at Chiba University. Opened in 1960, the Japanese garden includes a tea house that was built for the practice of chado, a ritualized discipline that concerns the preparation and presentation of matcha. In 1994, the Urasenke Foundation donated to the restoration of the tea house and dispatched carpenters from Japan to undertake this task.

Hanso Soshitsu, the 15th generation Grand Tea Master of Urasenke and a UBC honorary doctorate recipient, named the tea house Ichibo-an (Hut of the Sweeping View) upon the completion of its restoration. Since then, Snyder has been volunteering his expertise to look after Ichibo-an.

Chado is a Japanese cultural icon with roots from China. According to Jessica Main, an Asian studies professor at UBC, tea was consumed for medicinal, social and religious reasons in Chinese Zen Buddhist monasteries.

“One of the really interesting things about tea is that it has caffeine in it. And if you’re a monk, who’s attempting to meditate long hours … something with caffeine

GAMING //

UBC is exploring the most current form of creative writing.

TEA //

Vicky Huang Contributor

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in it is really useful,” said Main. “[Tea] served as a way for monastics to connect with each other and to connect with people beyond the monastery.”

This tradition was confined within China until the ninth century, when Japanese monks went to China to study Buddhism and returned to Japan with the sacred substance: tea.

“Things are done very precisely in specific orders with specific reasons. [Chado is] very attuned to seasonal associations; it’s imbued with ideas in Japan about what kind of aesthetic associations are common. You learn how to walk in certain ways; you learn how to move in certain ways. It’s about learning to be graceful,” said anthropology professor Millie Creighton.

“It’s not intended to ‘be like yoga,’ but there are all these elements that are embedded. If you’ve done it a long time, you can begin to naturally incorporate gracefulness into your usual movements,” said Creighton.

The Japanese idiom ichi-go ichi-e (one life, one meeting) is central to the philosophy of chado.

This notion brings awareness to the present and reminds people to cherish time spent with each person they meet.

“Every single moment is effervescent — it’s constantly arising, and then that moment will never come again,” said Main.

“That’s one of the meanings that stresses on the Buddhist idea of impermanence and on the importance of the present.”

Creighton said that visitors should wear white tabi or white

PHOTO OLAMIDE OLANIYAN/THE UBYSSEY

Tea ceremonies are open to all in the Nitobe gardens.

socks to minimize damage to the tatami (rice straw mats) and to symbolize purity and simplicity. “[Chado is performed] in a desire to eliminate any kind of artifice, so anything that is added on, like accessories or jewellery should be removed,” said Creighton. “It’s the idea to try to reconnect with the basic inner essence of yourself.”

These etiquettes are taught in Creighton’s Japanese tea ceremony class, under the course code ANTH 403B. Believed to be the first university credit course on chado in Canada, this course differentiates itself from tea lessons offered elsewhere through its academic approach of analyzing and questioning the way chado reflects gender roles, social class and minorities’ position in Japan, according to Creighton.

“Chado attempts to incorporate

all of the senses… It’s visual, audible, and it encompasses touch, smell and taste,” said Creighton.

“It’s learning to understand and have an appreciation for aesthetics in a culturally different way.”

Snyder considered chado unique for being an art that does not distance the performer and the audience. “[Chado is like] games and sports…. It’s an interactive event [where] everyone, hosts and guests, are interacting together to make the experience happen.”

UBC is versatile in offering this interactive cultural experience: a term-long Japanese tea ceremony course, a one-hour tea demonstration at Ichibo-an, or a brief glance at the tatami and utensils displayed at the tea gallery in the Asian Centre.

Everyone is encouraged to partake in the soul-cleansing ritual of chado. U

UBC has launched a new continuing studies program — Game Writing Academy — for the growing interest in the technological industry.

The Game Writing Academy is a six-course online program where students will learn to create the soul and story behind games. Through online forums, students immerse in discussions about existing fictional characters, typical game environments and popular storylines that the general audiences love.

From these inspirations, students then generate their own ideas for games. From character profiling to extraordinary world-building and intriguing plots that may leave the audience enraptured, this program offers students the opportunity for limitless imagination.

According to Sean Smillie, instructor for the program, Game Writing Academy is “the kind of program I wish had existed dozens of years ago, when I was becoming a writer for games….

It’ll give [students] a really solid understanding of what they would be getting into if they were going to work in the industry.”

Smillie has been in the game industry for over 13 years as creative director, producer and game designer on several projects. His background experiences offer an advantage for students who are interested in joining the industry.

They can expect to receive proper guidance and be steered towards the right direction if they wish to pursue a similar career path.

Although the program appears to be geared towards students with backgrounds in computer science, it is recommended for everyone who wishes to test the waters of the game industry. Game Writing Academy serves as an introductory program for computer science students who wish to enhance their knowledge on the narrative side of game development, students who have always wanted to try entering the game industry or for anyone who wants to write fiction in a different style from other creative writing forms.

Throughout the course, students can expect assignments that challenge their innovative minds in creation, development and direction of plots. There are no requirements necessary to enter the program, nor will there be any courses directed at coding or programming.

The program aims to give students understanding of how development teams work, knowledge of the industry and a portfolio as steps towards a career path in game development. U

6 | FEATURE |

TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2015

CONFUSION, CONCERN AND CONFIDENTIALITY:

PRESIDENT ARVIND GUPTA RESIGNS Emma Partridge News Editor

All eyes have been on UBC to offer more answers in the wake of the unexpected resignation of UBC’s 13th president. On August 7, a Friday afternoon, President Arvind Gupta announced that he has resigned his position one year into a five-year mandate.

The announcement was made via a press release from the university, which didn’t provide many details as to why the president resigned. Mathematics professor and former Board of Governors member Nassif Ghoussoub wrote in a Georgia Straight article, “the lack of information and transparency in the announcement was not lost on anyone.”

“They need a few days, they say, or something for the board to convene … if they really didn’t expect anyone was going to ask any questions then they’re out to lunch,” said Ghoussoub, speaking about the Board’s lack of explanation. “It’s insulting to the people that work at this university that are supposed to work at a higher complexity level in terms of analytical thinking.”

The press release cited a focus on academic priorities as the reason for the change; many found this reason an insufficient explanation.

“This news came as a complete surprise to me, and I have spent the weekend trying to make sense of it,” wrote Mark MacLean, president of the UBC faculty association, in an open letter. “I am skeptical that the reason for it is simply that Professor Gupta wishes to return to the life of a professor of computer science.”

MacLean would not comment on the resignation at this time, saying that he is in on going conversations with the chair of the Board of Governors, John

Montalbano. Montalbano also could not be contacted for comment on the resignation. When The Ubyssey reached out to Montalbano last week, we were told he was on vacation. An interview was arranged for 7:30 a.m. yesterday, but was cancelled. Later that day, he attended a private, unscheduled board meeting.

“We understand that everyone would like a fuller explanation but must be respectful that the confidentiality arrangements were mutually entered into and both parties are bound by that arrangement,” said a letter from Montalbano to the faculty association, the senate and several student societies.

According to the new interim President, Martha Piper, she was provided with no more details about the resignation, saying that the board just told her he was resigning.

Piper said she was contacted

by Montalbano about the position “right about the time that Arvind resigned. You know, the two things were happening almost simultaneously.”

Echoing the sentiment of the general UBC community, Piper said that the announcement came as a total surprise.

The speculation about what could have prompted this sudden resignation has been fueled by some of the incidences of note during Gupta’s time in office.

During Gupta’s time as president, three vice presidents stepped down. VP Finance Pierre Ouillet left his position on September 5; UBC cited focus on academics as Ouillet’s motivation for resigning.

Then Pascal Spothelfer, VP Communications and Community Partnership, left his post. Finally, VP Academic David Farrar stepped

down from his role, becoming an advisor to the president.

According to Montalbano’s letter, the search for people to fill these interim positions will not continue during Piper’s appointment, since “these appointments, by their very nature, must be made by the new president.”

Therefore, in addition to an interim President, UBC also has an interim Provost and an interim VP External Relations and Communications, as well as a new VP Finance to replace Ouillet.

With no answers and a trail of resignations, speculations about what prompted the resignation continue to arise. According to Montalbano’s letter, the board wants “to emphasize that the rumours or speculations that have been publicly raised have contained numerous inaccuracies.”

One of the speculations put forth was by professor Jennifer Berdahl, who suggested in a blog post that Gupta lost the “masculinity contest” at UBC, resulting in his resignation. Since then, Berdahl wrote a different post detailing the way her first post was criticized by the university’s administration.

According to Berdahl, Montalbano called her to tell that her post was “incredibly hurtful, inaccurate, and greatly unfair to the Board.” Berdahl was also told by the Associate Dean of Equity and Diversity that her “blog post had done serious reputational damage to Sauder and to UBC.” The day after Berdahl’s second post, a private, unscheduled meeting was held by the board of governors. “[The meeting] dealt with issues, some of them had to do with personnel issues, and so personnel

Former VP Finance Pierre Quillet ends his time at UBC

Arvind Gupta named next UBC President

Tuition and residence fee hikes announced

September 5, 2014

March 12, 2014

July 1, 2014

Gupta officially takes office

issues, our board as all other boards deal with them in camera,” said acting president Angela Redish, when asked why the meeting was not made public.

When asked wether the meeting was sparked mainly by Berdahl’s blog post, Redish said “that was one topic of conversation but ... obviously it’s an in camera meeting so I’m not talk about [it].”

After the meeting adjourned, UBC released a statement on academic freedoms stating that all members of the UBC community “must share responsibility for supporting, safeguarding and preserving” the principle of academic freedom.

Many members of the UBC community have been voicing their dissatisfaction with how the Board responded to Berdahl, especially when the resignation itself has raised so many questions about UBC’s administration.

Gupta’s resignation is no small cost, considering the resources funnelled into hiring the new President.

“Selecting a president is a big deal. It’s a big deal. This is not just an appointment like any other appointment,” said Ghoussoub, who was involved in the search for the new president. “We had to run elections, faculty, students, staff, senate, right? Just to compose a committee of 22 people and then eight months of gruelling deliberation.”

After an international search, the committee that was headed by former UBC chancellor Sarah Morgan-Silvester chose Gupta to be president of the multi billiondollar institution. That search cost half a million dollars, according to Ghoussoub.

“There’s a substantial cost.

Now, maybe a few million dollars

Students vote against fee increases

October 28, 2014

October 7, 2014

September 12, 2014 Gupta is officially installed as the new president

is nothing for them but for this university where we are fighting for little crumbs...these are important sums,” said Ghoussoub.

“The cost is not only financial, the cost also in talent, in reputation.”

Gupta was officially named president on March 12, 2014.

Despite the fact that he didn’t have any experience in university administration, many had faith that that the former CEO and scientific director of Mitacs, which in 2013 made $10.4 million in privatesector investment, would be the right man for the job.

“He had a serious plan well under development to achieve the goals he set for himself and the University, and faculty were at the heart of his plan,” wrote MacLean.

Notably, Gupta’s resignation came a week after his performance reports were due, according to his contract.

Appointment of president Gupta could have been terminated “summarily for cause at any time without notice or pay in lieu of notice,” according to his contract.

But, UBC has stated that this is a resignation.

Gupta could have simply resigned and provided three months written notice as his contract requires, or he could have been terminated and elected to resign within 60 days of his termination notice.

The board had yet to provide details about what avenue Gupta took to exit his position.

It is known, however, that the university will continue paying Gupta a full year’s salary of $446,750.

Gupta isn’t the only president to resign in recent years; his predecessor Stephen Toope also quit before his term was officially completed. However, Toope

October 24, 2014 Student protests of fee increase begin

December 2, 2014 10 per cent international tuition increase approved

TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2015

provided notice of his resignation far in advance. Piper, who will serve as interim president while a search for the new president is conducted, also left early.

When asked how three successive early resignations impact a university, Piper said that her own exit as well as Toope’s “were done in orderly fashion, so I wouldn’t put them in the same category [as Gupta’s], but I’ll tell you, I think you always have to respect an individual’s decision to step down whenever or however it’s done.”

In the mean time UBC will welcome Piper, who served as President from 1997 to 2006, as interim president.

“I’m not here to change direction or set strategy or to create a new vision or any of that,” said Piper, when asked if she hopes to either build upon or change Gupta’s legacy.

“My goal is that we will continue to move forward on Arvind’s agenda, Dr. Gupta’s agenda, Dr. Toope’s agenda, that we will continue to move forward and provide the best learning and research environment that we are possibly able to,” she said.

However, Ghoussoub points out that “if they’re really sticking with his strategic plan, then Gupta’s vision for the university could not be what prompted his surprise resignation, it must be something else. What is something else?”

Piper was generally praised during her time as president for helping create UBC’s world class standard, for fundraising and concern with research. There were also some incidences for which she faced criticism, such as the APEC controversy.

At the time of Piper’s presidency, students protesting the APEC summit on UBC’s campus were forced back by police with pepper spray and dogs. She also faced scrutiny after a Freedom of Information request unearthed a letter sent by Piper to the province

| FEATURE | 7

requesting some action to prevent a TA strike from causing the school year to be “lost.”

This time around, UBC’s big issues have to do with increasing tuition and housing fees, among other things.

“I need to understand the issue, I need to get some background briefing on the issue and listen to the sides of the issue,” said Piper, when asked how she would manage these new problems. “You know, most issues like this the president doesn’t pronounce … we are a collegial decision-making body even though sometimes people don’t think that’s the case.”

Piper will serve as interim president from September 1, 2015 to June 30, 2016. During the transitioning leadership, Montalbano has said that the University won’t miss a beat. “They won’t miss a beat? They will miss a beat. You can say that. They will miss a beat,” said Ghoussoub.

Like Ghoussoub, UBC’s faculty association has lost faith in certain administrators at UBC. Yesterday the UBC Faculty Association released an open letter saying that they had officially lost confidence in the now infamous John Montalbano. U

Former VP Communications and Community Partnership Pascal Spothelfer resigns

David Farrar steps down as Provost and VP Academic

December 5, 2014

April 22, 2015

February 13, 2015

Board of Govenors delays decision on housing fee increases

Gupta announces resignation. Former UBC president Martha Piper to takes his place

Unscheduled (secret) in camera meeting held by Board of Govenors

August 7, 2015

June 3, 2015

$614,000 in renovations to the Norman Mackenzie House

August 17

August 16

Sauder professor, Jennifer Berdahl, writes about the criticism she received from university administration

August 17

UBC faculty assocation loses confidence in UBC Chair John Montalbano

8 | Culture |

TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2015

WINE //

Tasting the “best” of British Columbia’s wines

Gray Monk, Blasted Church and Inniskillin — three famed British Columbia wines

Miguel Santa Maria Staff Writer

If there’s one thing that keeps popping up in most conversations about British Columbia, it’s the signature wine industry. From the images of beautiful vineyards popping up on almost every BC tourist brochure, to your snooty aunt who keeps bringing up how much she bought from touring said vineyards, it is evident that wine is a big deal here.

These bragging rights are not just for show, considering that BC has the second biggest wine industry in all of Canada next to Ontario. In fact, just last week, UBC also committed to plan in collaboration with the provincial wine industry to help enhance international awareness for a market already high in local demand.

So, given that we are a paper at the home of the University of British Columbia, we felt obligated to try out some of this great locally churned alcoholic grape juice. To make things more interesting, our three volunteer wine tasters — me, our culture editor Olivia, and coordinating editor Will — are no experts in wine tasting whatsoever.

For our selection, we picked three bottles by three different local brands. We tried one Pinot Gris from Gray Monk, a popular winery from Kelowna. Another is a bottle of red Pinot Noir from Inniskilin, not only a known brand here in BC but also has a

sister estate in Ontario. Finally, a bottle of Hatfield’s Fuse from a local brand called Blasted Church which we didn’t really know much else apart from its artsy looking bottle design. Prior to tasting each wine, we read the back of each bottle, based our initial decisions on whether we’d like it on the artwork (or lack thereof ) and drank up.

GRAY MONK - PINOT GRIS (WHITE WINE) This pinot gris was one bottle of over 26,000 cases produced in the Okanagan Valley. It has an alcohol percentage of 13.3% and is from the oldest family-owned winery in British Columbia.

Apparently great with salmon dishes, this is a wine designed for summer and al fresco dining.

Miguel: If I had to introduce wine to someone that never bothered to touch it, this would be a prime example I’d use. It felt pleasantly smooth, wasn’t too strong, and had this great fruity, flowery taste and aroma. The next time I try this, I’m definitely putting it in an ice bucket first.

Olivia: This wine was my favourite. It tasted like something you’d spend a fair amount of money on in a restaurant and I can only imagine how much better it would taste chilled, after a swim in a lake, watching the sun set over the water. Definitely something I’d be proud to deem a “BC wine.”

Will: I was told this wine was supposed to have fruity tones.

ILLUSTRATION AIKEN LAO/THE UBYSSEY

I don’t have a refined enough palette to know whether that’s true, but it seemed pleasant and summery. My favourite of the three.

INNISKILLIN — PINOT NOIR (RED WINE) This pinot noir is described as “medium-bodied and fruity” and contains 12.9% alcohol. Great with fuller meals — think pork belly or blue cheese, this was perhaps not a wine for the weak.

Miguel: Maybe it’s because I’m more of a white wine person, but this was rather strong for my tastes. It has a good rosy aroma and lasting warmth upon intake. On the other hand, 70% of the flavor I tasted was akin to straight-up plain alcohol. It really “stung” me but that said it was a good sting that I did not regret because of the aforementioned details.

Olivia: When I was younger and would imagine what “wine” would taste like, it would be this.

The bottle said it would have a “lingering taste” — and it wasn’t wrong. It definitely, definitely tasted of red wine.

Will: This wine definitely tasted like alcohol — and not much else. It left a lingering feeling of having cotton balls in my mouth.

BLASTED CHURCH - HATFIELD’S FUSE (WHITE WINE) “Supercharged” with nine varieties of grapes from local

regions, this wine is described as lingering, which may or may not inspire confidence in tasting.

Paired with mild curries or white fish dishes, this could be a wine for the masses.

Miguel: I’m not really sure what happened here. This was just bland and I really did not think of much else apart from “yup, that’s white wine alright.”

That’s really all for me to say about it.

Olivia: This is the kind of bottle somebody who picks wine based purely on the bottle decoration would choose. It was very drinkable — that is to say it didn’t have much taste and I could easily imagine drinking a bottle without realizing.

Will: The bottle was the most interesting part of this wine.

Tasted mostly like water with a hint of grape. Good choice if you want to get wine-drunk but don’t particularly like wine.

So what did we learn from this experience? Mainly that, perhaps to truly experience this renowned BC wine industry to its full potential, you need to spend a lot more money than we did. We also didn’t savour the wine, the way connoisseurs are supposed to. We didn’t “look, smell, taste, feel, spit and cleanse” which is how the BC wine experts advise you to taste.

Research after the tasting showed that there are 273 wineries in BC, and the first grapes were planted in 1859.

Tours are popular, with over 1.5

million visitors to vineyards each year to see the process of the 75+ varieties of grapes from the region.

Somewhat unique to Canada, the wine industry doesn’t halt over the winter period. As a cooler climate than most wineproducing regions, BC has the ability to use the winter months to produce the “liquid gold” icewine. When temperatures reach -8°C before they can harvest the grapes.

To conclude: wines from British Columbia have a fairly long tradition of being a decent choice if you’re interested in supporting local businesses and vineyards. One of the great things about living in such an agricultural region is that there are no limitations to the numbers of local products we can consume.

Traditionally, all wine was consumed in the region of production, saving on transportation costs and allowing those involved in the making to enjoy the fruits of their labour.

Not advocating supporting local just for the sake of supporting local, the quality has to be there.There are a lot more wines from BC than the three we tried and everyone has different tastes — so head out and try some more. Base your decisions on anything: how close they are to your house, what the bottle looks like, reputation or ingredients; it doesn’t matter just as long as you tell everyone about it in detail. U

// OPINIONS

EDITOR JACK HAUEN

TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2015

ADMINISTRATION //

Gupta’s departure looks shady at best

Ubyssey Staff Editorial

The abrupt, Friday afternoon announcement of Gupta’s departure has left people asking many questions, most of which the Board of Governors doesn’t plan to answer.

FILE PHOTO CHERIHAN HASSUN/THE UBYSSEY

After calls for more transparency from the Faculty Association, Board Chair John Montalbano wrote a letter in effect saying they won’t be offering any more information, citing confidentiality agreements. But, why are there confidentiality agreements in the first place?

When former president Stephen

Toope announced his resignation in 2013, he did it at a public meeting with a year’s notice, then openly talked about why he was leaving, where he was going and how his term in office went. The Board didn’t seem to think a gag order was necessary. In Gupta’s case, the Board seems to think the more secrecy the better.

The Board is effectively saying, “We can’t be more transparent because we planned, drafted and signed agreements preventing us from being more transparent.”

When a president of a public institution resigns one year into a five-year term, there needs to be more accountability. In a time when the university is struggling financially, they will pay over $1.3 million for one year of Gupta as president (two years’ salary, plus $430,000 for the search committee that chose him). And the money isn’t even the biggest issue here.

This situation draws attention to the

enormous amount of power, coupled with little desire for transparency that is concentrated in the Board of Governors.

Gupta’s resignation happened at a secret meeting. This summer, the Board discussed a policy that would prevent recording the public parts of their meetings (though the motion was deferred without notice). No Board representative has publicly said anything about the “leadership change,” and a professor hired through a donation from Montalbano has Montalbano himself tried to prevent her from speaking about Gupta’s resignation. While taking a photo for this story, we discovered a secret Board meeting was in session.

Like most of the decisions they make, the Board is trying to keep Gupta’s sudden departure away from public scrutiny, but we shouldn’t let them get away with it. We deserve an open, accountable Board of Governors. U

ATHLETICS //

The Thunderbirds aren’t dead, but UBC isn’t helping Koby Michaels Op-ed

Armageddon has been predicted for UBC Athletics, but it has yet to arrive.

Students, faculty, coaches and the press claim the administration is completely absent, that coaches get no support and that no one has been to a Thunderbirds game in a decade. Presented with this information, one would have to think that Thunder is breathing his last breath.

And while the administration is usually absent, many coaches and teams receive virtually no support and no one goes to games, the ‘Birds keep flying.

UBC athletes just won 38 medals at the Pan Am games. The women’s swimming team has

Last words // RAPE CULTURE SKIT According to multiple administrators at the French immersion program Explore, a student skit depicting a man slipping a drug into two girls’ drinks, then choosing to take the (unconscious) prettier one home with him, was in response to accusations of sexual assault.

There has been a lot of discussion on whether rape culture can be battled with humour, but we can all agree that this was completely inappropriate. The only way the play might seem like a logical choice is if it were a) self-aware, and b) part of a larger course of action and change in dialogue that involved actual policies protecting students and rigorous education on the culture of assault.

This is rape culture in its purest form; the woman who

won the last three CIS national championships, and the men are nearly as dominant. Field hockey won back to back championships.

Almost every Thunderbird team qualified and found success in the playoffs last season. Canadian national teams for field hockey, rugby, swimming and many other sports rely heavily on UBC athletes. Put plainly, the Thunderbirds are central to Canadian athletics.

Imagine what they could achieve with better support.

An exodus of staff, poor funding, pathetic turnouts, apathetic students and an administration that doesn’t even seem to know what the CIS is all contribute to a rather poor image and hold athletes back from achieving their full potential. But a few recent steps in the right direction are a welcome change.

FILE PHOTO KOSTA PRODANOVIC/THE UBYSSEY

Last year, Athletics partnered with The Calendar and AMS Events to put on the biggest football and hockey games the university has seen in recent years. Attendance numbers broke records and showed that students can, and will, pay $2 for tickets to

PARTING SHOTS FROM THE UBYSSEY EDITORIAL BOARD is deliberately presented as attractive and fun is the one who is raped, while her frumpy friend is not in any danger.

As much as the skit tries to say to men “don’t put drugs in women’s drinks” what it is more obviously saying is “don’t go to parties when you’re too pretty and popular for your own good.”

UBER ON CAMPUS? UBC’s transit accessibility sucks, that’s just an unavoidable fact.

The AMS campaigned hard for the “Yes” side in the referendum and since that failed pretty miserably, it’s good to see that they’re on the lookout for other solutions. However, we’re not convinced Uber is one of these solutions.

What exactly would a partnership between our AMS and the rideshare company look like? An AMS bumper sticker on

Uber cars, or something more tangible, like a discount on Uber services with your student ID? Not to mention that Uber is a company notoriously plagued with legal issues, ranging from burgeoning class-action lawsuits from its drivers to accusations of sexual assaults on its customers.

The company is currently being sued by San Francisco and Los Angeles district attorneys because of its misleading safety policies, specifically its notoriously loose background checks on drivers.

So although Uber is certainly a popular alternative to taxis and may be seen by some as the Gordonian Knot solution to the problem of transport to and from UBC, we’d hope the AMS would go into any kind of partnership with Uber with an awareness of the safety concerns and a clear plan to maximize tangible benefits to students. U

see the Thunderbirds.

UBC has hired administrators to work with students and promote athletics, and an interim committee that’s in charge before a new director is hired is comprised of administrators and coaches working together. While these changes alone won’t solve Athletics’ problems, they are, at the very least, a sign UBC is looking to improve.

So what will make the Thunderbirds popular, and get the players and coaches the support they need?

Involving the students works.

Boring videos about athletes doesn’t. If you want the ‘Birds to be an athletic and economic success there is only one solution: get students excited about teams and get them out to games. And the only way to do that is to get students talking, posting on Facebook and tweeting about games.

UBC needs to get their act together and work with the AMS, the Calendar and others.

Athletics needs to be about students having fun, cheering on their fellow Thunderbirds and, of course, enjoying a few beers.

Make that happen and UBC could build a strong community.

Koby Michaels is a second-year Integrated Science major and Sports and Rec Editor at The Ubyssey. U

9

ISL //

International Service Learning shutdown sudden, unfair

Viet Vu Letter

The UBC Strategic Plan of 2012 opened with the following quote: “It’s easy enough to make a promise, but it takes commitments to see it through.”

In that plan the university made nine commitments to guide their actions and decisions, one of which stated that they will expand international service engagement options for students.

In 2013, I participated in a class called Economics of Sustainability: Interaction between Markets, Technologies and Communities.

In that class, we learned that development is not linear and it is vital for the international development organization to build relationships with partner organizations and individuals alike.

That summer, our class engaged in a three-month researchoriented International Service Learning (ISL) component as part of the class. We went to nations in South America and East Africa and engaged in building partnerships while striving to make real meaningful change in the community. We all soon learned that successful impact can only be made after a long period of working with the community, and that the relationship one can build with the community is one of the best methods to ensure the project’s survival for years to come.

Now, UBC is cutting all funding to ISL. While the president sent out a message to the university about celebrating the communities we work with, community partners and other collaborators were being informed that UBC will no longer work with them.

Worse still, no prior engagement with any stakeholders was conducted before reaching this decision. It took us — students and partner organizations — completely by surprise. We felt betrayed.

In recent years, financial constraints have been a reality.

That’s why, even though I opposed the recent tuition hikes on principle, I recognized that the university needed those funds when provincial funding is dwindling. But this is unacceptable. Cutting a program that creates so much value for not only the students directly enrolled in this program but also the global communities UBC promised to work with is simply irresponsible.

We learned a lot about donors who suddenly pull out of projects because their priorities shift — usually to something that looks better on their webpage. Isn’t that exactly what is happening here?

UBC, engage us. Speak with us about your budget pressures and what we, as students, want the priorities of this university to be.

You made a promise.

Viet Vu is a fifth-year Economics major and AMS Councillor. U

// SPORTS+REC

EDITOR KOBY MICHAELS

TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2015

10

VARSITY //

The future of the Thunderbird: a look at UBC Athletics Koby Michaels Sports and Rec Editor

Recently, the university announced the formation of two new committees to oversee the athletics and recreation department. With these new committees UBC Athletics and Recreation is looking to rebrand, remodel and grow the Thunderbirds.

UBC’s vision is to create more partnerships, draw bigger crowds, reorganize departments, hire new directors and grow UBC Athletics and Recreation into a bigger business.

A New Thunderbird David Sidoo, a former Thunderbird and member of both UBC’s Board of Governors and the 13th Man Foundation, a fundraising organization for UBC football, has been involved in the remodelling of UBC Athletics, especially with the football program and the hiring of Blake Nill, the centrepiece of athletic’s rejuvenation.

For Sidoo, the first step for the department is building successful teams.

“Winning’s winning and you engage with that,” said Sidoo.

But Thunderbird teams like swimming and soccer have been winning, big time, in the past few years. These teams still see struggling attendance and a lack of involvement from students on campus and the community at large. Beyond those teams UBC has, arguably, one of the most successful athletic programs in Canada.

Regardless, Sidoo and 13th Man see winning teams as central to building the Thunderbirds. It’s plain and simple: if you win, people will come and when people come you generate more money and can build stronger programs.

Louise Cowin, VP Students at UBC and the person ultimately in charge of everything sports and recreation, will be working with other UBC VP’s to build alumni support, presumably to drum up donations, and to better market the Thunderbirds which

PHOTO UBYSSEY/ARCHIVES

Cowin said will allow her to focus on student-athletes and better integrating athletics into life on campus.

Aaron Bailey, the current AMS president, mirrored much of the sentiment of the university, the athletic department and Sidoo. He said that he hopes to see UBC sports and the Thunderbirds become a rallying point for students on campus.

The AMS, Bailey said, is hoping to work more closely with varsity and UBC to promote games and teams. The Winter Classic which was a collaboration between the Thunderbirds, UBC, the AMS and the Calendar, was one of the most attended hockey games in decades. Bailey sees this, and other collaborations, as the model for the future.

But not everyone is so optimistic.

Athletes and coaches have been voicing their concerns in recent

years. In a recent resignation letter, Tyler Kuntz, the former men’s hockey coach, cited the exodus of staff as being a sign of a failing athletic department.

Kuntz, while proud of his Thunderbird history, said he has had enough and called for changes to be made. “Nobody should be treated with such ignorance and disrespect as my hockey program, players and staff were in the past two years....What I did not know is that we would be considered irrelevant to the university and its absent leadership,” wrote Kuntz, who indicated the failing is due to a few key people.

It is clear that UBC needs to do something about the Thunderbirds but what that something is remains unclear. Can the new committees turn athletics around? Will Nill and an exciting new football lineup reinvigorate the varsity scene? Will anything make students go to games?

The Future It is hard to tell exactly what all this means for UBC sports and each of the varsity teams; the only certainty is that there will change.

What is likely to happen and what, to some extent, has begun happening already, is teams losing funding from the university and gaining it from alumni and sponsorships. The sports review pushed alumni like Sidoo and the 13th Man Foundation to take a more involved role with the team.

While strong alumni support is uplifting to see and essential to a strong varsity program, UBC is still a public university and it needs to be (financially) responsible for its own teams.

Along with a lack of boundaries for alumni support and participation, varsity sports face the hard truth that is for most UBC sports, a David Sidoo simply

FILE PHOTO GEOFF LISTER/THE UBYSSEY

does not exist. It would be great to see alumni work together to build a successful, winning and respected football program. And while having a stellar football program could be a major boost in income, and (hopefully) attendance, it will never fund 29 varsity teams.

A varsity model that’s overly reliant on alumni support, using UBC’s own vocabulary, is unsustainable. Realistically, the Thunderbirds will never be as big as teams like Ohio State, but when 3,049 people attending a hockey game is a big story, the university has some work to do.

UBC seems to have heard the complaints piling up from athletes, coaches and the community. They’ve included coaches and sports administrators on the new committees. They are working with student groups like the AMS and the Calendar to grow student involvement. Will this work? Well, it just might. But two events a year wont give the Thunderbirds the rejuvenation they need. Students need to go to Friday night games, buy a few beers and cheer for their teams for UBC to rebuild and grow athletics. Without student participation and enthusiasm, UBC (or rather donors) can pump as much cash as they want into teams but they shouldn’t expect to draw crowds.

UBC has amazing sports teams and, historically, one of the best varsity programs in the country.

But to keep a strong tradition going, changes need to be made. UBC can build a stronger community, campus spirit and the friendly-college campus vibes it has been craving through varsity athletics and recreation but administrators, students and alumni need to step up to the plate for that dream to be realized. U

TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2015

HOCKEY //

Tyler Kuntz leaves UBC for Vancouver Giants

Kuntz coached the ‘Birds to a playoff berth last year.

Matt Langmuir Contributor

After spending 14 of the last 16 years in a variety of roles within the UBC Athletics organization, Tyler Kuntz is moving on. Kuntz, who was named head coach of the Thunderbirds men’s hockey team last year, has resigned in order to

serve as an assistant coach with the WHL’s Vancouver Giants.

“The reason I left was because I got a better job. I left for an opportunity to coach at a higher level and move my career without having to move my family,” said Kuntz.

In a resignation letter addressed to alumni, friends and supporters

FILE PHOTO MACKENZIE WALKER/THE UBYSSEY

of the hockey team, Kuntz thanks friends, staff, players, alumni and others. He finishes the letter criticizing UBC Athletics.

“All student athletes, coaches and staff at UBC must be appreciated and supported. Nobody should be treated with such ignorance and disrespect as my hockey program, players’, and staff were

in the past two years. I knew being relegated to tier 3 hybrid would be a financial challenge that we could overcome. What I did not know is that we would be considered irrelevant to the university and its absent leadership,” wrote Kuntz.

He continues by saying those responsible should stop pointing fingers and start being transparent, listening to coaches and taking responsibility.

Kuntz would not comment on the letter and instead said to talk to Louise Cowin.

“She’s at the helm, she should be answering some tough questions.”

Upon taking the position, Kuntz ends his long tenure as a member of UBC Athletics. With his departure, the number of staff that have left the organization in the last two years has reportedly reached a staggering number of 35, according to his letter.

Next season, Kuntz will coach alongside Giants head coach Lorne Molleken, who has several years of NHL experience behind the bench.

“Working under Lorne Molleken I think will be great,” said Kuntz.

Having been hired by a team that promotes hockey development, Kuntz looks forward to working with younger players and helping them develop to a higher level.

“Working in an environment where everybody loves hockey, I guess everybody’s kind of a hockey junkie. There’s lots of staff so I can focus a little more on coaching.” U

FIELD HOCKEY //

| sports | 11

MEDALS //

T-Birds soar at Pan-Am

PHOTO KOSTA PRODANOVIC/THE UBYSSEY

Luke Reilly won silver in the men’s 400 IM.

Olamide Olaniyan Contributor

On July 26, the Pan-Am Games came to a close. In the midst of Kanye West’s onstage meltdown, Instagram worthy fireworks displays and Team Canada’s record-shattering 217 medals, the UBC Thunderbirds did not go unnoticed. Between alumni and current and future UBC athletes, the ‘Birds earned themselves six gold, 19 silver and 13 bronze medals for a total of 38 medals between 32 athletes.

The following athletes won medals with their respective teams last week:

Swimming

Emily Overholt: gold in 400m freestyle, silver in 200m freestyle and bronze in 4×200 freestyle relay Yuri Kisil: silver in 4×100 freestyle relay, bronze in 4×100 medley relay, bronze in 4×200 freestyle relay Luke Reilly: silver in 400m IM. Stefan Milosevic: silver in 4×100 freestyle relay, bronze in 4×200 freestyle relay Coleman Allen: bronze in 4×100 medley relay & 4×200 freestyle relay Martha McCabe: silver in 200m breaststroke Tera Van Beilen : silver in 4×100 medley relay Erika Seltenenreich-Hodgson: bronze in 4×200 freestyle relay

Track and Field

Liz Gleadle: gold in Javelin Evan Dunfee : gold in the 20km race walk Inaki Gomez: silver in the 20km race walk Mike Mason: silver in high jump

Men’s Baseball Jeff Francis: gold

Women’s Baseball Amanda Asay: silver Claire Eccles: silver PHOTO DUNCAN CAIRNS-BRENNER/THE UBYSSEY

Virjee has won nine championships with the Thunderbirds.

Rugby

Harry Jones: gold

Field hockey coach Shiaz Virjee retires after 13 years

Rowing

Bill Situ Contributor

Men’s Hockey, silver

Shiaz Virjee, who has coached the Thunderbirds men’s field hockey for 13 years, is leaving UBC to coach at local field hockey clubs as well as teach international coaching courses for the International Hockey Federation (IHF).

“There’s a lot of coaching that needs to be done locally. There’s a lot of athletes that need toplevel coaching,” said Virjee.

Virjee is grateful to have coached field hockey and proud

of the program’s successes and achievements over the decade.

“It’s been a great opportunity for me to coach for the last 13 seasons. I’ve really enjoyed it.

We’ve developed a really solid program here at UBC,” he said.

Over his career at UBC, Virjee has been an instrumental force behind the transformation of the program from a run-of-the-mill team to winning back-to-back championships and comprising an overwhelming portion of Team Canada.

The 2008 Olympics games featured six Thunderbirds

and, more recently, this year’s Pan-American games featured nine. This number will likely increase to 10 at next year’s Olympic games, according to Virjee.

“Representing Canada at the Olympics against the best in the world, that really shows how good our athletes are and how good our program is in developing those athletes,” said Virjee.

Virjee said that the program is presently in a suitable position for a coaching transition.

Virjee’s career as a field hockey coach extends far beyond his time at UBC. Prior to coaching

the Thunderbirds, Virjee had coached both the men’s and the women’s Canadian National Teams for seven years, including the 2000 Olympic games, two Pan-American games, where he received gold and silver medals, and a best finish in the 1998 World Cup. Virjee also teaches other coaches for the International Hockey Federation.

UBC is in the process of selecting the next head coach for the men’s field hockey program and will announce their decision before the season begins in October. U

Maxwell Lattimer: gold David Carter Taylor Curran David Jameson Gordon Johnston Ben Martin Mark Pearson Matthew Sarmento Scott Tupper Paul Wharton

Women’s Hockey, bronze Kate Gillis Hannah Haughn Shanlee Johnston Sara McManus Abigail Raye Natalie Sourisseau U

12 | games |

TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2015

PHOTO OF THE DAY

PHOTO OLIVIA LAW/THE UBYSSEY

COURTESY BESTCROSSWORDS.COM

ACROSS 1- Nick and Nora’s pooch 5- Remaining out of sight 10- Worshiped one 14- Queens stadium 15- Actor Delon 16- Adopted son of Claudius 17- Sweetheart 19- Astronaut Shepard 20- Some MIT grads 21- Met highlight 22- Ascending 24- Tight swimsuit 26- Portrayal by an actor 27- Capital of Utah 33- Entreaties 36- Stomach woe

37- Corp. honcho 38- Westernmost of the Aleutians 39- Habituate 40- Actress Deborah 41- Palm Pilot, e.g.

42- Medicinal shrub 43- Eagle’s home 44- Scientific study of the planets 47- Israel’s Barak 48- Bearish 52- Rarely 55- _____ dancing is popular with cowboys!

57- Dress (up) 58- Comics canine 59- Disembowel 62- Repudiate

63- I swear!

64- Some Ivy Leaguers 65- Chip in 66- Nincompoops 67- Like a pillow DOWN 1- Barbecue leftovers?

2- Ovis aries 3- Poke fun at 4- Swiss river 5- Security round 6- K-12 7- _____ avis 8- God, in Italy 9- Intact 10- Momentarily

COURTESY KRAZYDAD.COM

11- Sandwich shop 12- Algerian port 13- Protracted 18- Triumphant cries 23- Robert of “The Sopranos” 25- Jacob’s brother 26- Pertaining to skin colour 28- Rotated 29- Grassy plain 30- Champagne bucket 31- Actress Garr 32- Days of ____ 33- Hemingway sobriquet 24- Former Fords 35- Coup d’___ 39- Covering 40- Locker openers

42- London district 43- Be of one mind 45- Night flight 46- Weights 49- Author Calvino 50- ______ I can help it!

51- Discharge 52- Pop 53- Paradise lost 54- Bits of thread 55- Taylor of “Mystic Pizza” 56- ____ soup yet?

60- Pledge 61- Hi-____ monitor