MARCH 13, 2018 | VOLUME XCIX | ISSUE XXVII RADIANT SINCE 1918
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THE UBYSSEY
MARIUM HAMID ELECTED NEXT AMS PRESIDENT
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MARCH 13, 2018 TUESDAY
YOUR GUIDE TO UBC EVENTS & PEOPLE
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EVENTS
OUR CAMPUS
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14
Our Campus: ‘Humbled,’ AMS President-elect Marium Hamid prepares to take the lead
SLAMNESTY JAMNESTY - UBC SLAM X BVP X AMNESTY INTL. 7 P.M. @ THE GALLERY Sign up starts at 7 P.M.! FREE
THURSDAY, MARCH 15 TALK SOCIOLOGY: A NETWORKING NIGHT 6 P.M. @ LEV BUKHMAN LOUNGE IN THE NEST An evening of connecting. EARLY BIRD TICKET IS $8 AND INCLUDES A DRINK The campaign also saw her win a senator-at-large seat on the UBC Vancouver Senate.
FILE PATRICK GILLIN
candidates drew students to the polls and hopes that the dialogue started during the election will continue. “I couldn’t be happier that I was running against Rodney, who was advocating for something that is so needed and something that hasn’t received its due attention from — I would say — not just the AMS but from a lot of organizations and institutions across the country,” said Hamid. She hopes to conduct further consultation with Indigenous students and groups before moving forward with a plan for increased Indigenous representation in the AMS. “I really want to make sure that people like Rodney who have taken the time and the effort to be advocates for something like this are heard.” In a campaign that also saw numerous candidates reject their endorsements from the InterFraternity Council (IFC) after VP Academic Max Holmes criticized insensitive questions from the IFC regarding sexual assault, Hamid stands by her decision to reject it as well. “When I read [Holmes’s] letter, all I could think was ‘there are a lot of people who will probably relate to this and who will feel that they wish somebody had spoken up for this,’” she said. “After that, the decision to reject it was easy.” In the wake of IFC President Jeriah Newman’s resignation following Holmes’s letter, Hamid acknowledges that there is a lot of work ahead for the AMS on the issue of sexual assault. “This rejection is rather a call for accountability on [the IFC’s] part,” said Hamid. “I think that with the right conversation and the right effort, if anything this has the capability of being a positive relationship where we’re able to talk to [the IFC] and acknowledge the
fact that there are spaces and there are gaps in their system where we can be doing a lot more.” Now elected, Hamid is set on using her experience observing — and sometimes disagreeing with — current executives to take a critical look at how the AMS operates. “Throughout the year [as student services manager] I was able to see so many things that, ‘wow, I would have done that differently,’ or how I would have maybe made a decision about that if I was in that place,” said Hamid, whose platform focused on improving accessibility, communication and student experience. Her first order of business will be hiring for positions left vacant by graduating or newlyelected former AMS employees — “I can’t be expecting the AMS to be functioning at full speed if you don’t have the people in the right places” — and then she’ll move on to her campaign promises, including conducting an accessibility audit of the Nest and increasing the capacity of Block Party by 2,000 spots next year. Ultimately, Hamid wants to focus on making AMS decisions more publicized in order to allow students and advocacy groups to assess her performance in the role. “If I’m not telling people what I’m doing, then it’s hard for them to actually tell me if I’m doing a good job or not,” she said. “It sounds like a daunting task and it sounds like one that will make me very vulnerable, but I do think that the president’s role is so large in its reach that that is something that is necessary.” As for how she would measure her own success? “I hope that in some way or the other, I make life for students on this campus easier, even if it’s just one small thing.” U
Moira Wyton Features Editor
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MARCH 13, 2018 | VOLUME XCIX| ISSUE XXVII
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Marium Hamid didn’t know what the AMS was until she used Safewalk for the first time in her first year after an “unorthodox” arrival at UBC in January. Now in her fourth year, Hamid has been elected to be the next president of the AMS after one year as student services manager, overseeing the very program that introduced her to UBC’s student government in the first place. “I never would have thought that one day I would be running [Safewalk] and then one day I would be in charge of it all as AMS president,” said Hamid the morning after her win over opponents Andy Lin and Rodney Little Mustache. Despite her extensive experience with the AMS, Hamid was well aware that the campaign would be hard-fought. While Lin’s Christianity-based platform gained widespread attention on social media and generated significant controversy online and at the debates, Little Mustache’s call for an Indigenous committee in the AMS and further advocacy for Indigenous students on campus saw him gain a number of endorsements and support from students. “It was a very humbling experience for me, to just go out all day and talk to people and know what they were thinking,” Hamid said of the campaign, which also saw her win one of five senatorat-large positions on the UBC Vancouver Senate. “Talking to both groups of people and asking why or why they didn’t [vote for me] was in a lot of ways something that I think no other experience can give you because it’s quite vulnerable to put yourself in that position.” Especially in an election that saw 20.4 per cent voter turnout, Hamid was glad to see how strong
NEWS
MARCH 13, 2018 TUESDAY
EDITORS SAMANTHA MCCABE + ALEX NGUYEN
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NEST TENANCY //
STUDENT HEALTHCARE //
Replacing Qoola, an RBC ‘student centre’ is moving into the Nest
“It’s not like there’s going to be free rein on cannabis.”
FILE STEVEN DURFEE
UBCSUO to cover medical cannabis with pilot project Jack Lamming Senior Staff Writer
With a one-year pilot program launching at the start of September, the student union of UBC Okanagan (UBCSUO) will soon cover medical cannabis prescriptions under its healthcare plan. The program follows the success of students lobbying for similar coverage at the University of Waterloo in 2015. While the program’s details are still being developed, it is likely to be a two-tiered plan according to Michelle Theissen, a master’s student in clinical psychology and chair of the Canadian Students for Sensible Drug Policy Okanagan. To ensure that “students with the greatest need have priority,” the plan will have those with debilitating conditions — such as PTSD, Crohn’s disease and nausea from chemotherapy treatments — in the first tier. The requirements for the second tier are more lenient, but they remain vague at the moment.
“Given that it might be unlikely that we have a large population of students with those conditions who are actively studying, we hope to then have a tier two where it will be a little bit less conservative and give students the option to apply for coverage,” she said. According to UBCSUO President Trophy Ewila, the program can cover up to 80 per cent of prescription cost, the healthcare plan’s limit for prescription drugs. When asked if there’s a limit on how many students can partake in the program, Ewila said that there is none and the society has allocated $20,000 to start. “We don’t have any data ... and we want to see if we need to add any more,” he said. “We’ve put a certain amount [in] and we’ll see from the data what happens.” Ewila and Thiessen also stressed that the program is tailored to prevent abuse. From the administrative side, there will be a UBCSUO committee created to handle this program with
a number of members from academia and the industry. The union is also only working with governmentapproved suppliers and covering students who are authorized under the Access to Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations. Modelling parts of the project after Canada’s medical cannabis coverage for veterans, Theissen also expects the UBCSUO program to put a coverage cap on cannabis that students can buy at $8 per purchase as well as an annual cap. “We do expect to put a price cap on the cannabis that students are able to purchase so that there’s enough money to go around for everyone,” she said. “It’s not like there’s going to be free rein on cannabis.” It’s unclear if students on the Vancouver campus could see similar coverage in the near future. AMS VP Finance Alim Lakhiyalov declined to comment, citing that this discussion has not come to the AMS/GSS Health & Dental Committee. U
Sorry! Not sorry Canadians apologize about a lot of things, but not about having one of the best medical schools in the world.
Henry Anderson Staff Writer
A Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) outlet is moving into the Nest, replacing the frozen yogurt shop Qoola, which is being sued by the AMS for failing to pay over two years of rent. According to AMS President Alan Ehrenholz, the outlet will be the second of a new RBC branch model that caters specifically to students. In place of tellers and banking machines, it will have iPads for students to manage their funds and a student lounge that can be booked for events. Emanuel Emmanuel, an RBC assistant branch manager and team lead for the new outlet, echoed this description. “You know what? I almost don’t want to call this new format a bank,” he said. “I see it as more of a student centre designed to deliver a deeper, more personal experience to students.”
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“You know what? I almost don’t want to call this new format a bank.”
2018-02-21 12:09 PM
The outlet has declared three pillars of focus for its services. The first pillar, “Students at Work,” aims to help students navigate the workforce by providing career advice as well as opportunities for networking, work experience and mentorship within the industry. It also sponsors partnerships with AMS services. In particular, RBC has pledged $28,500 for the “RBC Get Seeded” program in collaboration with the AMS eHub, where students can pitch their ideas and win $500 to start their projects. The second pillar is financial literacy via drop-in advising and financial planning workshops. The last pillar revolves around student wellness. Specifically, Emmanuel said RBC will partner with established programs like the AMS Food Bank to enhance their services.
ZUBAIR HIRJI
“We want to be able to connect those who need it with those who can help however we can,” he said.
WHY AN RBC OUTLET? So far, students have expressed a lack of demand for an RBC outlet in the Nest, given the fact that the bank is not used by everyone and there is interest for bringing other businesses, like Chipotle, to campus. “I think it’s a waste of space as compared to another outlet that could serve students in some way, as opposed to a branch of one bank that’s only useful to people who bank at RBC, and on top of that people who do bank with RBC aren’t very likely to use its services daily,” commented Reddit user u/ blueish101. “Another food outlet (I’ve seen Chipotle or Nando’s mentioned before) would probably have greater benefit to students overall.” In response, Ehrenholz attributed the decision to two main reasons: expanding the diversity of businesses being offered in the Nest and guaranteeing financial security for the society. “All of our outlets are currently food-based outlets and some of our tenants are also food-based, so we really were looking for something that was different,” he said. “[And it’s important to us] to be able to predict our budget and predict part of our business contribution back to the services.” Emmanuel also clarified that the outlet won’t be only for RBC clients. “Our focus will be on students wholesale [so] it doesn’t matter who you bank with,” he said. “All we care about is supporting students on campus [and] enhancing student life on campus.” U
4 | news | TUESDAY MARCH 13, 2018 Words: Samantha McCabe, Alex Nguyen, Moira Wyton, Zak Vescera, Sophie Sutcliffe, Julia Burnham, Joshua Azizi, Henry Anderson, Lawrence Ge
THE RESULTS AR IN E Art on page 4: Claire Lloyd Photos on page 5: Top left: Choladhorn Sinrachat, top right: Saman Shariati, middle: Saman Shariati, bottom left: Annie Reuter, bottom right: Koby Michaels
All AMS elections referenda ‘pass,’ but only two receive quorum During the AMS Elections results announcements at the Pit, every question was announced as “passed,” but soon after several sources contacted The Ubyssey to insist that this was not the case. Although every referenda question received a majority of “yes” votes, there is confusion over whether all but two of the questions received the appropriate quorum. Elections Administrator Filza Raza confirmed the referenda on the U-Pass and the sustainable food access fee both passed with quorum.
Kuol Akuechbeny VP FINANCE Kuol Akuechbeny has been elected VP Finance, beating out financial systems coordinator Adam Forsgren. This makes Akuechbeny the first VP Finance in four years to not be a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity. Akuechbeny ran on a platform of club engagement and consultation, pledging a full transition from paper to electronic reimbursement for clubs. He also promised to use the VP Finance position as a political one, saying in the Great Debate, “It is your moral values that drive your business, not the other way around.” “I’m excited. I’m, really, really excited,” said Akuechbeny upon being elected. He said the first thing he’s going to work on is preparing to realize the promises he’s made during his campaign, thanking his friends and supporters for their trust. “I thank all of the people who supported me and have elected me to the AMS,” he said. “I’m going to take that trust seriously — I really appreciate that.” U
There are over 57,000 eligible voters at UBC. The referendum on the fee structuring, which had received public pushback from some of the resource groups whose funding it implicated, only received 4,296 “yes” votes and 2,577 “no” votes, 7.5 per cent of eligible voters. The referendum on the abolition of Student Court got approximately 2,961 “yes” votes and 1,479 “no” votes. These results equate to 5.2 per cent of eligible voters voting “yes.” U
Cristina Ilnitchi VP EXTERNAL Cristina Ilnitchi beat out competitors Mishal Tahir and S.G. Krishna in the race for AMS VP External. “I’m so excited — I’m overwhelmed by the opportunity,” said Ilnitchi, visibly overcome with emotion. “I thank my friends and my mentors for this opportunity to lead me and to help me out and to show me the ropes of what student advocacy actually means.” Ilnitchi ran with a platform focused on affordability, access and wellbeing, including issues such as advocating for increased funding for open educational resources, Policy 131 implementation accountability and student mental health funding. When asked what she would do first, Ilnitchi was candid. “I’m going to drink a cold one and ... get ready for an amazing year.” U
Marium Hamid Chris Hakim
Max Holmes
PRESIDENT
VP ADMIN
VP ACADEMIC
Hamid is the next president of the AMS. She has also been elected as a Senate student-at-large. “I am appreciative, super grateful and excited,” she said. Hamid ran a platform on increasing AMS communications, making the society’s services more accessible to students and engaging students in advocacy. This past year she was the AMS student services manager as well as a Senate student-at-large. “After [the announcement], I’m going to tell my parents I’m taking another year to graduate.” U
Hakim won the VP Administration race on a platform of bringing more consistency to the AMS’s operations. Hakim said that the first things he would do after getting into office would be focusing on sustainability and fixing the booking system. “We have to make sure we’re a lot more consistent with folks because it’s [really] unfair to everybody at the moment,” said Hakim. Hakim has served as an AMS counsellor, chair of the Governance Committee and also a member on the Operations, Advocacy and Student Life committees. Hakim said that he felt “pretty fucking good” about winning. “I want to do a damn good job, that’s for sure.” U
Holmes has been re-elected in the race for VP Academic. Holmes ran unopposed for this position on a campaign of survivorcentric sexual violence support, holistic student affordability, accountable limitation of UBC’s new strategic plan and a systematic approach to student mental health. “I’m humbled and honoured that students have put their support in me for another full year in office,” said Holmes. “I’m excited to be able to work on all the issues that matter to students.” U
Max Holmes, Marium Hamid, Hannah Xiao, Jakob Gattinger and Jeanie Malone SENATORS-AT-LARGE Max Holmes, Jeanie Malone, Marium Hamid, Hannah Xiao and Jakob Gattinger were all elected to be senators-at-large on UBC Vancouver’s student senate caucus. Holmes, Hamid and Gattinger were re-elected, while Malone and Xiao are new to the role of senators-at-large. “I’m just excited to get back to work, honestly,” said Gattinger, who also acclaimed to a Board of Governors seat. “So to be able to keep doing all of the things that I want to, [I will] be able to hopefully keep all of my committee appointments as I want, and just keep plugging away at the things that we’re already doing.” He ran on a platform that included pushing for a senate
governance review, a possible restructuring of exam schedules and improving academic concessions. “Since it’s my first Senate win, I’m just humbled and honoured that students decided that I’d be a great senator for the next year,” said Holmes. He only entered Senate as a member-at-large after Ian Sapollnik resigned at the end of last year. “I’m really looking forward to working on the Senate 2020 docket.” Holmes’s campaign focused on reforming academic concessions and creating survivor-centric sexual assault policies. “I am extremely excited and really looking forward to continuing the work and so happy that we have a whole new set of senators to be working with this coming year,” said Hamid,
who was also elected as AMS president. Hamid noted she’s excited to continue working on the Ad Hoc Committee for Academic Diversity and Inclusivity Xiao, who unsuccessfully ran as student senator back in 2015, was overjoyed by her win. Her platform consists of increasing senate transparency, improving the academic experience and creating better mental health support systems. “I feel amazing,” she said. “I’m going to engage the students and make sure I follow through with all my platform points.” Malone, who served on UBC’s Board of Governors last year and was re-acclaimed to that role, was unable to be reached. U
MARCH 13, 2018 TUESDAY | News | 5
6 | News | TUESDAY MARCH 13, 2018 CLIMATE JUSTICE //
‘You have to centre justice in that conversation’: UBC students host town hall on climate change Aidan Tong Staff Writer
The issue of climate change is at the forefront of the UBC community. On March 6, a collective of UBC clubs held a climate town hall conference in the lower atrium of the Nest, providing interactive booths and three discussion sessions on ways to engage with climate change and climate justice. The questions posed included what climate justice could look like at UBC, what a UBC climate hub is and how the academic curriculum could best incorporate climate change and climate justice. Foundational to the initiative was addressing the correlation between the impacts of climate change and their disproportionate effects on the world’s most marginalized communities. The event intended to show the interconnected relationship between the fight against climate change and the fight for social justice. “As you fight against climate change, you have to centre justice in that conversation,” said Grace Nosok, a PhD law student and an executive for the Environmental Law Group. “The most marginalized populations in the world will be most affected by climate change even though
they’ve done the least to contribute to the problem and they’d also be the least equipped to be able to protect themselves against the threat of climate change.” The purpose of the climate town hall event was to push UBC to become the leading university in the fight against climate change and set the tone for other secondary institutions both across Canada and the world. “UBC is a place with tons of resources, tons of knowledge and know-how and ingenuity, and if we can’t mobilize these assets to help with fighting climate change and promote climate justice, then we’ve got serious problems because we can’t expect that we shouldn’t play a role and people with fewer resources should,” said Liam Ornie, an executive for the UBC Environmental Policy Association. Vital to this objective is Indigenous history and teachings. It is not only intrinsic to the academic curriculum, but the Indigenous role would also extend to helping strategize a more environmentallyfriendly campus as well as develop UBC climate policy. “We want to really ground firstyears in Indigenous histories when they come in, just because UBC is such an international school and many people don’t know about
“Every institution needs to step up.”
the political context of this land. And so one of the things towards climate justice would be to be very explicit that our university is positioned on stolen land and that we are still at odds in trying to decolonize,” said Stephanie Glanzmann, co-facilitator of the discussion sessions. The initiative also highlighted several other important issues
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that would help UBC be at the front of this fight. Practices such as divestment from fossil fuels was a fundamental discussion, as well as the implementation of climate awareness within school curriculum and the creation of a climate hub. “We want a climate hub, a place that brings together artists and scientists and policy makers to
centre justice in the conversation and work with people across these different disciplines, and really have a home for climate on campus and climate innovation,” said Nosok. The conference also reiterated that many scientists have publicly stated the next three years will be critical in mitigating the effects of this human-made problem. “Every institution needs to step up. We’re facing an existential crisis as humanity, but we’re asking UBC to step up because it always makes sense to organize within your own community,” said Nosok. Substantiating this argument was George Hoberg, professor of environmental and natural resource policy. “If we’re going to make more progress addressing climate change, you need to rise up in the same way American youth are rising up about guns. Unless that happens, it’s hard to see how politicians are going to start taking climate change as seriously as they need to,” said Hoberg. “The only thing at the end of the day that’s going to change is if politicians believe that voters want climate action, and right now they think voters are indifferent, and so they don’t do anything about it.” U
CULTURE
MARCH 13, 2018 TUESDAY
EDITOR SAMUEL DU BOIS
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FASHION //
Common threads: What to do with your grandma’s old fur coat Samuel Du Bois Culture Editor
“I’m about to inherit one of my grandma’s old mink fur coats but am not really sure about whether or not it’s okay to take it? I don’t want to throw it out because that seems like a waste, but I am also not sure if it’d be a good thing to wear it outside.” Fur, whether we like it or not, is not going anywhere. In the United States, the amount of fur produced increased by roughly 46 per cent between 2004 and 2015, while prices (though erratic) eventually decreased by roughly 36 per cent. In 2016, Canada produced 2,143,100 mink pelts and 4,815 fox pelts, which is a marked decrease from the years prior, but not enough to show an overall trend of decreasing sales. This also doesn’t account for fur that is imported from Europe, where the industry is still booming. In fact, companies like Canada Goose, who have made “ethically sourced fur” a huge part of their marketing, have seen consistently increasing sales — let’s face it, they are almost annoyingly common around campus. So before you can make a decision about whether or not you want to accept that vintage fur coat, ask yourself why you might be opposed to it. If you take a no-death stance on these sorts
of things and refuse to use any animal byproducts like leather, then this article isn’t really for you and you’ve probably made up your mind already. If you don’t have those kinds of views, then there are a few things you should mull over before you decide what to do. A common argument for acquiring vintage fur coats is that purchasing or inheriting them doesn’t contribute to the harmful market that initially produced them. There’s definitely a sound logic to this, but a lot of animal rights activist would say that by wearing fur in public, you are still propagating the idea that fur is acceptable to have. This begs the question: is fur in and of itself ethically okay? The answer is, surprise surprise, complicated. So long as you are not diametrically opposed to the idea of using animal byproducts, owning fur should be no different to you than owning leather or eating a hamburger. Just as with meat and motorcycle jackets, not all fur is the same and it is possible to find sources that are more ethically-sound — you just have to do some research and be skeptical of marketing that claims to be “ethically sourced.” Companies such as Canada Goose market themselves as ethical but if you do a little research, you’ll find articles showing footage of |horrendous conditions for the geese that produce their
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down and coyotes who chewed their legs off after being stuck in trapper’s wire snares. But there are some clothing companies that are making conscious efforts to source fur from invasive species, roadkill or outdated fur coats. Their products do not propagate the exploitation of animals and in the case of the invasive species, they can even be considered to play a vital role in environmental conservation. Which is all to say that though most fur is unethically sourced, it doesn’t have to be this way and there are signs of change in the industry. It’s all about being a conscientious and informed shopper who does not accept marketing claims at face-value. So, unless your inherited coat comes from a tiger or polar bear, you shouldn’t really feel bad about wearing it. But if you are really uncomfortable about wearing it, there are companies that will use the fur to make the lining for other jackets, so that you can enjoy the feeling of wearing fur without having to be afraid of being called a murderer by PETA. If you are looking for clean-cut easy ethics in the production of clothing, you’re probably looking in the wrong industry. Unless you are okay spending a lot of money, buying clothes that aren’t tied to animal cruelty, poor working conditions or massive carbon footprints is a long and arduous
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Whether we like it or not, fur isn’t going anywhere.
search. Even things like denim, which seem fairly innocuous, cause immense damage to the environment. The simple and more affordable solution: thrift, inherit and don’t buy new. Wear
your grandma’s fur coat and look fabulous. U If you want to submit a question to Common Threads, email culture@ ubyssey.ca.
La médecine, un choix d’avenir
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8 | culture | TUESDAY MARCH 13, 2018 MUSIC //
After dropping out of UBC, Nostalgix is going nowhere but up Andrew Hung Contributor
A year ago, DJ Negar Hamidzadeh’s schedule was filled with lectures and assignments. Now, she is performing in shows and festivals all over Vancouver and the world while producing her own music. In January 2017, Hamidzadeh played at the Tokyo First Warriors music festival under her stage name, Nostalgix. Along with two other members of Social Sound, a collective of DJs and producers, Hamidzadeh represented some of Vancouver’s best new DJing talent and shared the stage with artists like Tiesto and Marshmello when she opened at Paradiso Festival in June 2017. Hamidzadeh started DJing as a member of the UBC EDM Club and quickly established her own style and artistic ideals, despite the overwhelming competition in the EDM industry. “My whole branding is about fun,” she said. “Nostalgix is about bringing people back to their carefree self.” Growing up, Hamidzadeh never seemed to be destined for a life in music. One of her aspirations was to be a drummer, but drum sets were too expensive to afford. “I always loved music from a young age,” she said. “But I just never thought I was good at anything to try to pursue it.” During her grade 12 year, Hamidzadeh decided to do something completely new and risky. Taking chunks of money out of her own savings, she began hosting massive, underage parties at Gorg-o-mish and Encore Nightclubs. The ventures were expensive, but it all paid off — each one of those nights sold-out. It was at these parties that Hamidzadeh first began playing music for a live audience — but in the most rudimentary way. “I didn’t know what a DJ was at the time, so I would make a little playlist on my phone and plug it in,” she said. “I remember a girl coming up to me, and saying, ‘This music’s terrible. The songs are going on for so long.’ I was like, ‘what do you mean?’ since I didn’t know what a DJ was and what mixes were.” Only in her first year at UBC did Hamidzadeh learn about EDM and DJing, through both the UBC EDM Club and learning by herself. Soon, when she least expected it, an opportunity came. The DJ at the Pit Pub was sick so Luc Briedé-Cooper, the current president of the UBC EDM Club, called Hamidzadeh an hour before the show to see if she could sub in. It was an instant yes. “I was already out, so I ran to my dorm room [and] grabbed my controllers,” she said. That first year of DJing wasn’t always easy, though. When Hamidzadeh asked one of the managers of Twisted Productions if she could play for a Halloween show, she was turned down because her mix wasn’t good enough. “For two months, I just kept teaching myself and learning more,” she said.
COURTESY OF NOSTALGIX
“Nostalgix is about bringing people back to their carefree self.”
Her music improved and eventually, Twisted Productions did book Hamidzadeh. The show unleashed a stream of gigs that she never expected, including ones with the AMS, Party Well, the Calendar, the Pit and other student parties. “The fact that I kept getting booked for more shows … was really stressful because I didn’t exactly know what I was doing,” she said. “I had to keep teaching myself so I didn’t embarrass myself.” After months of practicing in her dorm room, Hamidzadeh found her own musical style, a diverse voice that encompasses genres like trap, drum and bass, dubstep and bass house. For some listeners, Hamidzadeh’s music is a trip down memory lane. One of her latest projects is a remix of the song “Sleepyhead” by Passion Pit, which was used in the announcement trailer for the PlayStation game Little Big Planet 2. She will also be releasing a bass house track that intertwines samples from the Nintendo game Super Smash Bros. “I just want people at my shows to have a really good [time], let loose and dance,” she said. Hamidzadeh eventually decided to take her diverse sound beyond UBC, where a campus preference for pop restricted her repertoire and musical growth. “I find that playing at UBC, you have to sacrifice a little bit,” she said. With time, Hamidzadeh’s horizons made her question whether to stay in school. “It didn’t really make sense for me to be sitting in math class, when I could be using this time to produce or learn more about music,” she said. “I could coast through both [school and music], but I wasn’t going to be good at anything because I was just coasting along.” The tipping point came near the end of the 2016/17 school year, when Hamidzadeh was
in the midst of transferring into Sauder from film studies. Knowing her passion for music, one of her instructors asked her directly, “Why are you trying to get into business school if you want this? Why don’t you want to try out music first?” Those words seemed to confirm a dream that Hamidzadeh already had — for the first time in her life,
she could pursue a career in music. Quitting school might have meant less studying and fewer lectures, but being a musician was still a grind. On top of a part-time job, Hamidzadeh would often spend most of the day producing music. “I would just go sit in a Starbucks with my headphones, laptop and a coffee for eight hours,
and block everything out,” she said. But simply putting in the time doesn’t automatically make a DJ successful. “It’s hard because there are so many people in the same field, and there [are] so many people that are more talented than you,” she said. “It really comes down to a mindset and if you want [it].” Like any female DJ, Hamidzadeh has also been forced to grapple with the industry’s sexism. “Being a female DJ, if you’re onstage and you mess up one transition, everyone looks at you, and thinks, ‘you’re a girl, you can’t mix,’” she said. “That’s why I’m always on my A-game...” Despite these standards, Hamidzadeh would rather focus on the music than the gender differences. She believes that sometimes the attention is misplaced, like the practice of having specific shows designated for female DJs. “I don’t think it makes sense to have a night just for female DJs, when it should be just about talent,” she said. “It’s about the music, and not about how pretty you are. It makes female DJs sound worse than guys, because they’re not just DJs — but ‘female DJs.’” Hamidzadeh is already looking ahead and is hoping to perform in Miami. Getting some more formal training at institutes, such as the Nimbus School of Recording and Media, is also an option. But a return to school won’t be happening anytime soon. “School’s always going to be there and I can always go back,” she said. “But if I have this passion, I’d rather chase that first.” U
DR. GEMMA M.M. JONES
Dementia Care Consultant , Nurse and Co-founder of the first Alzheimer Café in the UK
FROM THE ARCHIVES
WE’RE TURNING 100 THIS YEAR. LET’S TAKE A LOOK BACK.
On March 12, 1946, we ran this amazing full-page ad for women’s clothing.
MARCH 13, 2018 TUESDAY
9
FEATURES
MARCH 13, 2018 TUESDAY
EDITOR MOIRA WYTON
10
CAN IT BE READING BREAK AGAIN PLEASE? //
Places to Go: Unscheduling my emotions in Chennai, India Nivretta Thatra Science Editor
Sometimes it is necessary to schedule an emotion — to set aside a personal sadness for after a professional meeting, or to save up celebratory joy for a birthday party. In a perhaps unconventional move, a partner and I decided to schedule a breakup, aiming to postpone our separation for a time when we both were prepared for it. No free falling into the abyss for us; our falling out would be soft and kind, as rich as the romance we had built. We chose to part ways a few days before I left for Chennai, India. This was a trip I had anticipated for months. My cousin, a dear friend who shares quirks with me that only a blood relative can, was getting married. I knew I would have two weeks there to be swept into the throng. I would get to celebrate love in the heat of the city where I spent the first five years of my life — the city of spicy chutneys, thick lentil broths and papery rice dosas. I knew my ex would get to settle back into his routine in Vancouver, exploring his native place again without me. Chennai in January was something of a dream — albeit a smoggy one — to fly into. Green deciduous trees swayed in the wind, parrots squawking in their branches. The sticky heat of the summer months — the kind that doesn’t fade no matter how many showers you take — was replaced instead with a consistently glowing, warm sun. In the evenings, the blue-tinted windows of my aunt’s balcony framed the congested roads below us while I ate my favourite buttery dessert, adhirasam. The city was friendlier, too, than in the summer. Indian flags lined the streets in anticipation of Republic Day, an annual celebration of the date on which
the Constitution of India came into effect in 1950. Gone was the uncomfortable climate that made people snippier with their words and service folks more desperate to meet their quotas. When my cell phone wouldn’t work at the Chennai airport, a lady with the same problem let me use her chauffeur’s cellphone to place my call. Later, the waitstaff of Adayar Ananda Bhavan arranged a table for all 23 of my family members, though none of us had placed a reservation. As we all zipped from grocery stores to tailor shops to relatives’ houses, preparing the necessities for the marriage ceremonies, our drivers were safe and efficient. And what a blessing that was — getting around Chennai’s winding roads without a car or an auto (a tuk-tuk) driver can be impossibly difficult for foreigners or for anyone in the midst of planning an elaborate affair like a wedding. As I expected, my mental landscape was illuminated with the thrill of being an integral part of all the ceremonies for my cousin and her husband-tobe. Though the wedding itself was technically only two hours long, other traditions occupied an entire week. My cousin and I wrapped ourselves in saris made of synthetic materials for less formal events, saving the ones made of pure silk for the most formal gatherings. I teared up often, meeting my grandmother’s similarly wet eyes as we watched my cousin bustling around in her beautiful attire, and helped her adorn her hair with malligai — jasmine flowers. In between the festivities, my nuclear family and I went shopping. In favour of a quick, no-nonsense trip, we didn’t visit bustling Pondy Bazaar in the T. Nagar district, where the small outdoor stands can take days to wander through. Instead, we
Everywhere my attention landed, there was a vibrancy that pulled me into the present.
From my aunt’s balcony, Chennai was smoggy but warm and lush.
went to Express Avenue, a multistoried mall in Royapettah. Noting the changes in salwaarkameez fashion since we had last been to India, my mom and I bought ourselves loose palazzo
VINAY ARAVIND
pants to wear under flashy kurti tops. For our friends back in the States or Canada, we picked up handmade trinkets — wooden boxes and bowls, stone candle holders, cute little animal keychains. I found a wooden fidget spinner that would make my ex laugh; I swiftly bought four, telling myself he wasn’t the only one of my friends who would appreciate a silly toy to fiddle with. Like a righteous student squirming in her seat, I paced around the handicraft shop pondering why the transition from romance to friendship is always painted as a downturn. In the same handicraft shop, my brother, 10 years younger and less prone to being inwardly waylaid, spent an hour marvelling at the gold plated Thanjavur paintings. The venue for my cousin’s wedding delighted all of us. Close family members including myself arrived early and we instantly spread out, wandering the grounds with our phones to snap pictures of the elegantly decorated spaces. True, perhaps we should have set aside the technology in order to really take in what we saw, but the desire to save the images felt equally integral. Watching the wedding was a reflection of racing through Chennai; everywhere my attention landed, there was a vibrancy that pulled me into the present. In a red silk sari and white dhoti, heavy flower
NIVRETTA THATRA
garlands weighting their necks, the bride and groom offered sacrifices of food and flowers into the holy fire. Our eyes blurred slightly with the smoke. Traditional carnatic musicians trumpeted loudly during key moments. Our ears tuned themselves to these timehonoured customs. Pressed together, my family and friends were distilled into a conglomerate, simply wishing two people well. Every time I go to India, I try so hard not to forget what happened, but it is all so constant and unpredictable. The time to leave always comes too quickly. When my cousin left for her honeymoon, I broke down. The smooth white stones underneath my feet on the balcony were dusty from the construction a block away. “Please close both the doors,” blared the elevator in the hall. My ex — a remembered intimacy, a specific ambient noise — was distant, as we both wanted. My eyes throbbed with the start of a sinus infection. Below me, the bright lights of a nearby hotel announced someone else’s wedding. My phone buzzed. “I miss you soooo much,” messaged my cousin, finding the immediacy that binds us when we are far. “I cried properly in the car and hotel. I was a mess. “I think saying bye to you was the hardest.” U
OPINIONS
MARCH 13, 2018 TUESDAY
EDITOR EMMA HICKS
11
ADVICE //
Ask Pawan: I’m almost done my first year, but still feel friendless Pawan Minhas Advice Columnist
As March rolls into UBC, there’s one thought at the forefront of many students’ minds. We’re so close to the end of the semester, with only four weeks of class left! You’ve got this in the bag. In case you don’t feel like you have this in the bag, you can always submit questions here and I will do my best to give you the advice you may need. “Dear Pawan, I’m almost done first year, but I haven’t made any real friends yet and I feel like I wasted my first year sitting in my dorm room and watching other people have the ‘first year experience.’ How can I be more outgoing?” Expectations of your first year are something of a blessing and a curse: they manage to give you an unending amount of hype for the school year to start but, once it does, you can feel that enthusiasm die off quicker than your tolerance for UBC’s weird squirrels. It can seem like the main job of any good college movie is to convince you that first year is full of gorgeous people whose main purpose is to do keg stands and become your best friend — I’m looking at you, Neighbors. While UBC is full of good looking people and it isn’t that hard to find a decent keg and a hose, those expectations are an example of things you shouldn’t put pressure on yourself to do — just because they’re part of the “wild first year” starter pack. Your first year is a fantastic time to experiment with your interests in whatever ways you’re comfortable: from joining various clubs to becoming UBC’s next Olympian, first year is a testing ground for just about anything. If you’re able to take that first
KATE COLENBRANDER
Sharing niche interests with someone is a great way to kickstart a friendship.
big step and successfully come out of your shell, it becomes that much easier to interact with the people that you share these newly discovered interests with. Sharing niche interests with someone is a great way to kickstart a friendship — and we’re lucky enough to have UBC and
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of it, so try to be more conscious of the metrics you’re judging yourself against. It’s perfectly normal to want to have a stereotypical first year experience and UBC definitely has all the tools to make it so. But it’s helpful to understand your expectations and recognize their likelihood so you aren’t setting yourself
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the AMS host a huge number of clubs, coalitions and committees on campus, not to mention the world of hobby groups living beyond University Boulevard. Being outgoing and socializing is a universal struggle, but it isn’t made any easier by adding a layer of unrealistic expectation on top
up for disappointment and souring your first-year experience by not hitting those idealized goals. U Got a problem and don’t know who to ask? Send it in anonymously to advice@ubyssey.ca or visit ubyssey. ca/advice and it may be featured in the next issue!
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FROM THE BLOG
MARCH 13, 2018 TUESDAY
EDITOR EMMA HICKS
NUTRITION //
The healthiest places to eat on campus Negin Nia Staff Writer
When you’re late for class and have to study, it’s easy to go to the nearest place on campus to have a quick bite — whether or not it’s the healthiest option. Eating healthy on campus is hard and before you know it that freshman 15 will come to haunt you throughout your years at UBC. Here are a few places to eat on campus that can help you make healthy choices:
LOOP CAFÉ Loop Café is by the Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability. According to their website, they are known to be “UBC’s most sustainable and health-conscious eatery.” They only use seasonal and local ingredients in their foods. From their wide selection of salads, pastries, drinks with herbal ingredients and gluten free goods you’re sure to make a healthy choice. A suggestion would be to try one of the stews, which are known to be one of their bestsellers.
LAUREN PARK
The Delly is a perfect place for a quick lunch.
University Boulevard and West Mall. They’re stocked up with whole grain sandwiches, salads, vegetable soups and other basic groceries or take-out meals. You can also find Harvest products in cafés across campus, and they take student cards for an added bonus.
THE DELLY
Harvest is UBC’s grocery market, which is located by Ponderosa Commons on the corner of
Located on the lower level of the Nest, the Delly is a perfect place for a quick lunch to take on the
go. They have a variety of healthy options to choose from like soups, sandwiches, salads and many vegetarian options.
definitely a great place to grab a last minute breakfast before class.
GREAT DANE
Porch is the newest vegetarian and vegan restaurant on campus, so be sure to give yourself a little extra time if you plan on going there for lunch in between classes because the line can get a little long. With “build-your-own bowl” options to pre-made sandwiches, paninis and more, it’s no wonder this place is so packed. U
Located on Walter Gage road, Great Dane is a small coffee shop that also has healthy sandwiches and snacks. They use local ingredients and have many vegetarian and gluten free options, plus have great tasting fresh juices. With their amazing coffee, it’s
PORCH
GAME NIGHT //
Where to play trivia on and off campus reward the whole teams for their speedy-processing. Questions address everything from black-and-white films to songs playing on the radio in present day. If your losing streak gets to you, this bar offers board games and huge-portion food options to distract your mind.
SIMPSONS TRIVIA WALDORF HOTEL, FIRST MONDAY OF EVERY MONTH AT 7 P.M.
If you start off with a solid team name, you will probably finish with some humble bragging.
Trivia nights are a great way to blow off some steam after a long day of classes and catch up with friends. Luckily, we have a ton of restaurants on and near campus that host weekly or monthly events that get everyone racking their brains for trivial facts. If you start off with a solid team name, you will probably finish with some humble bragging about your useless knowledge while winning a few rounds of beer.
MAHONEY & SONS — UBC CAMPUS, TUESDAYS AT 8 P.M. Personally, this is one of my favourites. The student atmosphere allows for daring and creative team names while the
INSPIRATION //
TEDxUBC provided some much-needed inspiration for powering through the rest of the term Emma Livingstone Senior Staff Writer
HARVEST
Olivia Johnson Staff Writer
12
trivia questions revolve around pop culture knowledge. Bringing together friends from different faculties will further ensure your success. The game is three-fold, with a music round, a picture identifying round and a general knowledge round. Winners are awarded a pitcher of beer, so you can’t go wrong here.
BIERCRAFT WESBROOK, THURSDAYS AT 7:30 P.M. Grab a cold one with Biercraft’s huge Belgian beer menu and test out your knowledge. Biercraft is very similar to Mahoney & Sons — each team answers three rounds of trivia and are offered discounted beer and appetizers. Free shots are awarded for the loudest, most passionate team so rest your vocal cords beforehand.
FILE COLIN CHIA
THE COLONY KITSILANO, WEDNESDAYS AT 8 P.M. This trivia location offers free entry and awesome prices on drinks and food. With a maximum of seven people per team, the loudest and funniest teams are awarded amazing prizes not offered anywhere else. First place receives a $50 gift card, which will definitely cover a round of drinks for the team.
YAGGERS KITSILANO, THURSDAYS AT 9 P.M. Here, trivia experiments with a wide spectrum of knowledge. Again, the questions are threefold with pictures, music and general questions. Shots will be randomly given to single players who can answer pop-questions while timed inquiries
Simpsons Trivia offers one of the only continually themed trivia nights in Vancouver. The questions are all based on The Simpsons television show to really separate true fans from imposters. With a small $5 entry fee, this trivia experience will not disappoint. As it stands, The Simpsons appears to be accurately predicting a lot of major events in the world right now so might as well get more informed on its history.
NERDIN’ TRIVIA STORMCROW ALEHOUSE, FIRST AND THIRD WEDNESDAY OF EACH MONTH AT 7 P.M. Join hosts Eric Fell and Mister Nickel for a night of “Nerd Trivia” at Vancouver’s favourite game bar. Held twice a month, this trivia focuses on the pop-culture scene so be sure to brush up on the latest news before joining. The next trivia night is being held on March 21, so get your team together and prepare yourselves for this instead of preparing for finals. U
It’s the time of the year when deadlines are fast approaching and motivation to get work done is fast deteriorating. But after spending a Saturday at TEDx listening to fellow students tell stories about causes they’re passionate about and experiences that changed their perspective, I left feeling inspired to get my own life together and live a little more boldly. The day started out with the presenters challenging us to leave ordinary questions like “What’s your major?” “What’s your faculty?” “Do you live on campus or commute?” behind, in favour of “What inspires you?” “What are you passionate about?” “What drives you to get out of bed in the morning?”— which seems like a bit much to ask upon first meeting someone, but at a “sharing new ideas” conference, I guess that’s what you do. The interdisciplinary conference featured talks on every subject — from environmental conservation and social justice, to community connections and technology. Students spoke about projects in technological innovation breaking the glass ceiling of the tech industry and using cryptocurrencies to breed and trade one-of-a-kind CryptoKitties. Many more shared stories of how they learned something about themselves through traveling to a new place or working for a cause they believed in. One student even deconstructed UBC Confessions to show how online forums can foster a sense of belonging to a community. Keila Stark, a fourth-year marine biology and political science student and speaker, shared her passion for environmental advocacy and ocean conservation on the TEDx stage. “I really love the TED setting because it’s more conducive to storytelling,” she said, explaining how she spent a lot of time “crafting the language” to convey her main ideas in a story format that would leave an impact. According to Stark, giving a talk is not as intimidating as it may seem. “If you think you have something worth talking about you should apply,” she advised. UBC collaborates with TEDx every year, so there’s plenty of time to mould your passion into an inspirational talk — with memes being a confirmed, valid option. U
SCIENCE
MARCH 13, 2018 TUESDAY
EDITOR NIVRETTA THATRA
13
PLEASE LET IT BE SPRING //
Hummingbirds are star subjects in UBC lab investigating complex locomotion Clare Skillman Staff Writer
Have you ever been rushing down Main Mall, trying to get to one of your classes, dodging umbrellas with students blurring by as you try to navigate the jam-packed path? Have you ever wondered how it is that you are able to move so quickly with only rare collisions or, if you are a little clumsier, how you can increase your ability to dodge the oncoming obstacles? These are precisely some of the questions that are being investigated in Dr. Douglas Altshuler’s laboratory. Instead of asking these questions of our own bodies, the UBC zoology professor poses them in the context of hummingbird flight. Altshuler’s team studies flight in two ways: through understanding movement and through investigating vision. On the movement side, they are currently working on how a bird’s ability to change the shape of their wings then lends them the ability to fly through different environments. On the vision side, they are studying how birds interpret what they see in order to develop a flight plan — or rather how to move through the world without unnecessary collisions. “The question that we’re working on there is, ‘how is it that birds interpret the information that they see in the environment as they move through it to safely guide themselves?’” said Altshuler.
The types of experiments that are conducted include having birds move along a tunnel with various visual stimuli projected on the walls. High-speed video cameras are used to observe how the birds move. You’ll mainly find Anna’s hummingbirds in these experiments in the Altshuler lab because they display a natural nectar foraging behaviour, which allows the birds to be perfect for study in the tunnel since they are very happy to be in-flight often. Furthermore, they are native to North America and an accessible organism for study. “One of the nice things about hummingbirds is that they will self-motivate, which is to say that if we put them in a tunnel where we put a perch on one side and a feeder on the other, they’ll fly back and forth down that tunnel all day long,” said Altshuler. National Geographic recently collaborated with Altshuler’s lab on an article in which the photographer captured a few images of the work from the vision side of the lab. In these images you can see hummingbirds navigating stimuli projected on the walls of a chamber in order to find the best flight path. However, hummingbirds aren’t the perfect research subjects for every question in the Altshuler lab. The movement side utilizes other bird species in order to understand the biomechanics of wing morphing since hummingbirds barely change their wing shape
— though they were led to study this topic by first investigating the manoeuvrability of hummingbirds. Through a large scale study conducted on over 25 species of hummingbirds across different countries, the Altshuler lab was able to provide an in-depth definition of manoeuvrability and how to quantify it — a task that had previously been answered more qualitatively than quantitatively. “The lab is quite interested in complex locomotion, so not simple things that you might be able to study on a treadmill,” said Altshuler. Across different bird species, the lab determined that manoeuvrability can be broken up into three classes: translations, rotations and complex turns. Translations — the speed of moving in a particular direction — were directly correlated with muscle capacity. Rotations — the ability to turn during flight — were correlated with how large the bird’s wings were in relation to its body (also termed the bird’s wing-loading capacity). Due to skeletal homology among all land-based tetrapods, this can be loosely related to how long a person’s arms are in relation to their body. The principle of rotations is similar to what figure skaters use to spin; at first their arms are stretched very wide and then they quickly bring them in to rotate faster. Complex turns — motions that do not belong to either of the first two categories — were found to largely depend on wing shape in
You will mainly find Anna’s hummingbirds in Altshuler’s lab.
birds. Longer and narrower wings afford faster execution of these turns, which is why the Altshuler lab is currently researching wing morphing in different birds. All three of these categories contribute to in-flight manoeuvrability. In order to improve on each of these categories, a bird would need to
LUA PRESIDIO
modify different aspects of their body. While there is still a lot to learn about optic flow and manoeuvrability, research from the Altshuler lab tells us that, like birds, if we want to decrease our frequency of collisions we should be vigilant of our surroundings and exercise our dodging muscles. U
SISTER SAILBOTS //
With Ada’s return home, SailBot team vows to sail around the world
Ada on display in the Engineering Student Centre, March 5.
Koby Michaels Staff Writer
Ada, 558 days after heading out to sea, is home. “It is sentimental, and crucial to building the next boat,” said UBC SailBot team captain Serena Ramley, summing up what Ada’s return means. In a private event last Monday night, the UBC SailBot team announced the initial findings into what prevented Ada from completing her goal of being the
first autonomous sailing robot to cross the Atlantic Ocean. The team also officially announced the name of their newest SailBot, Raye, named after Raye Montague, a United States naval engineer who was the first person to design a ship’s hull digitally. Raye’s initial design was unveiled, with the team vowing to build a SailBot that will sail around the world. The team reached out to Montague, and her son wrote back on her behalf to say she was “honoured to have
KOBY MICHAELS
the boat named after her.” “We consider it a great honour that she is letting us name the boat after her,” said Ramley, a fourthyear integrated engineering student. “She said it made her feel like her work in her career was worth it.” Ada was displayed in the Engineering Student Centre and showed obvious signs of her ordeal at sea. “Things literally went south,” joked Madie Melcer, a member of Ada’s design team and current member and leader on the Raye,
referring to Ada’s sudden turn south when she was a quarter of the way across the Atlantic, which was the first sign something was wrong. “She literally went through multiple category five hurricanes.” The team revealed that when Ada’s sail was ripped off (likely by high winds) it took several sensors off with it and opened numerous cracks in the hull next to a battery hatch designed to keep electronics dry. The linkage connecting the motor that controlled the rudder was also damaged and had a bolt missing. This was likely why Ada turned south unexpectedly and explains the subsequent loss of steering. Learning from the shortcomings of Ada, Ramley explained that Raye will be built with two rudders, two sails and a new power system, adding redundancy to prevent future failures. Raye will also be the first boat with a hull designed by students. In the past, Sailbot’s boats have had their hulls designed by professional boat builders. Raye’s hull will be wider — and stronger — than Ada’s. “I think it also gave closure to the team,” said Ramley of the bot’s return. Mechanical Engineering Department Head Sheldon Green congratulated the SailBot team on a job well done. “Ada is a fantastic example of what UBC engineering students can do,” said Green to the crowd of current and former SailBot team members, faculty and sponsors of Ada. “This is greater than anything
that could be done in the classroom. We are committed to creating an environment where this kind of learning can take place.” Ada’s future is still uncertain, though Ramley said they are hoping to display her in a Vancouver museum or on campus eventually. One possible location would be to place her in the mechanical engineering student lab, a space that would leave Ada visible to people walking on Main Mall. “She would be like the whale to engineers,” said Ramley. “But we are trying to decide what would be a good home for her. We will be revisiting it when Raye returns.” Green added he was looking forward to following Raye’s adventure. However, Green may have to wait a while as Ramley said the team has yet to set themselves a hard deadline to complete Raye by, but said they are still planning on entering her in the Vic-Maui Yacht Race, a competition where manned boats race from Victoria to Maui, Hawaii. Ramley also said the team had set an (eventual) goal of building a SailBot to sail around the world. Learning from Ada, and Raye eventually, Ramley is confident the team can do it. Ada’s story, it turns out, is just the beginning for this ambitious student team. “It’s about building the future of engineers,” said Ramley. U
SPORTS+REC
MARCH 13, 2018 TUESDAY
EDITOR LUCY FOX
14
THUNDERBIRDS SPORT CLUBS //
Lacrosse is looking to brave yet another frontier — the US Olamide Olaniyan Staff Writer
When the UBC Thunderbird Lacrosse Sport Club decided to compete in the US, the very thought of braving this new frontier was a little intimidating. Across the border, university-level field lacrosse is a prominent sport. “That’s where a lot of our top Canadian players go play. That’s where there [are] scholarships available. That’s where [the sport has] had a lot of success,” said head coach of the team Kyle Robinson. The Thunderbird lacrosse team has accomplished much in their short existence, including achieving Thunderbird Sport Club status in 2015. In the spring of 2016, they took first place at the BC Men’s Provincial Lacrosse Tier II Championship, and later that year took the gold medal at an invitational in Alberta. The team are also tough competitors in the local environment, playing from September to March in the very competitive Canada West Field Lacrosse League (CWFLL). Still, they wanted to see how they would fare against other university teams. While the Canadian University Field Lacrosse Association (CUFLA) exists on the east coast, universitylevel field lacrosse isn’t prominent in western Canada. Save for exhibition games against schools like Simon Fraser University (SFU) and the University of Victoria (UVic), the UBC team has few opportunities to play other college teams. That said, the team has decided to explore new possibilities by braving the Pacific Northwest Collegiate Lacrosse League (PNCLL) — the northwestern conference of the Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association (MCLA). “It was supposed to be our first taste of ... ‘is this something that might be for us?’” said Robinson. “And that’s something that we’re still assessing because it will be a significant financial burden to join that type of program or that type of league — league dues, travel, requirements in terms of jerseys, helmets, gloves, etcetera. It all adds up pretty quick. “So we have to assess: ‘Is it going to be significantly better for us?’” The league is comprised of schools based in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Montana. It also features SFU as its sole British Columbia contender. With the MCLA’s official season beginning in the spring, the team headed down in the fall of 2017 to participate in a college shootout. It was a bit of a wake up call to the calibre of lacrosse the team would be heading into. Some of the teams that they played against had up to four coaches. Some had rosters of about 30 players. The UBC team had Robinson and 19 players on the roster. “You go down there, it’ll be well-organized. It’ll have permanent coaches who, for some of them, that’s their job — to recruit
SAMAN SHARIATI
UBC lacrosse regroups after a team practice.
and coach,” said Robinson, who is in his fifth year of his chemistry PhD. After three wins in the tournament, they came up against mid-ranked MCLA Division 1 team Oregon State University (OSU), a team Robinson compared to SFU in terms of calibre. UBC had lost to SFU in the past exhibition games the two have played. Despite the odds, half-way through the game Robinson realized UBC could actually win — and they did just that, taking the game 2-0. “It was a really exciting moment,” Robinson said about the team’s eventual result. Ultimately, they realized that this new venture into MCLA could pay off. “It was a really positive experience for our program going down there.” Robinson told this story as he stood on the sidelines of Warren
Field, watching his team run through some practice drills. Having been involved with the team since 2013, he has witnessed the growth firsthand. “When you look out on this field now and you see 20 guys, all competing at a high level, in a scrimmage, in matching gear, and wearing the Thunderbird logo and everything like that, put [that] in contrast to our mix match of guys on that small field that’s now a parking lot just across the street, trying to hide under one of the lights just to get enough to see the ball,” said Robinson, referring to the field that used to be outside Thunderbird Stadium. “To see that amount of growth in such a short amount of time is something that I’m extremely proud of from a team perspective. So it’s been really cool.”
Growing has difficulties of its own for the lacrosse team though. Last year, they graduated seven players from the core group of people that helped start the program. Some of the graduates have moved on to continued leadership roles though, keeping some of the legacy alive. Former defenceman and captain Mitchell Kitt currently coaches the team and midfielder Tomas Syskakis still plays while he pursues a master’s degree at UBC. There are also opportunities for alumni to stay involved at socials and fundraisers. “A few are still local and we hold an alumni game in March. They’ll stay involved. A couple of them have been available to come out to the odd practice to help out from a coaching perspective or just to meet some of the new guys,” said Robinson. The culture that this group has fostered — the type that has
“ ... The ultimate goal in Canada could be to create a [U Sport] like environment for lacrosse.”
SAMAN SHARIATI
allowed them to grow quicky and succeed — lives on. According to Robinson, it’s a feeling of community, where players believe that they’re helping to build a bigger program. “You get 15, 20 guys who ... they’re out here, especially in our program, from 9 to 10:30 p.m. in the pouring rain, eight months of the year,” said Robinson. “Many guys have contributed so much from organizing fundraisers, to helping out on bus trips, to being captains and student leaders, helping to design jerseys and all those other things that for most programs, there might be someone who does that for you.” For now, the team will continue to play in the CWFLL this spring. They have a few games left before the provincial championships, and so they’re looking to improve their standing from last year. Then, they will head to the Annual General Meeting (AGM) for the PNCLL and after that, they hope to apply to join the league. Joining the PNCLL means a chance to grow the UBC lacrosse program. What’s more, it is a step towards one of the sports club’s major goal — a competitive university league in western Canada. “When I started ... playing in a league in the east, the CUFLA … 14 teams and a national championship at the end with the top four teams … it was really cool,” said Robinson. “So when I came back here, I knew that Simon Fraser had a team, I knew we had a team … I heard UVic had a team and we were going out to Alberta.” “I saw a lot of pieces that could come into play, where the ultimate goal in Canada could be to create a [U Sport] like environment for lacrosse,” Robinson said, referring to the Canadian inter-university sports league that includes more popular sports like hockey, basketball and soccer. This is a dream that is far away and Robinson might not even be at UBC to see it. In fact, as a PhD student in his fifth year, the head coach is aware that he is nearing the end of his university career. “I think that maybe as a fifth year student here and potentially approaching my light at the [end of the] tunnel, I get a bit reflective in thinking about how far this program has come and how much each of the guys have contributed to that,” he said. Next year, he is doing an internship when his degree ends, so it will be his first year as a nonstudent coach. He has a transition plan in mind though, so he’s hardly worried. “I’m also not sure where I’ll end up as well, like many of the alumni trying to figure out where that career takes you. If the location is Vancouver, you know I can see my involvement continuing to be prominent, whether it’s on the field or from an alumni engagement perspective,” he said. “I think the future is bright regardless.” U
MACRH 13, 2018 TUESDAY | SPORTS + REC | 15 VOLLEYBALL //
Thunderbirds headed to nationals with Canada West bronze win
Fixtures Sport
Home
Score
Away
Volleyball (W)
Calgary
3-1
UBC
Volleyball (M)
UBC
3-1
Winnipeg
Softball
UBC
7-6
Carroll
Softball
UBC
3-7
Carroll
Baseball
Corban
9-2
UBC
Baseball
Corban
13-7
UBC
Softball
UBC
10-4
Carroll
Field Hockey (M)
UBC
10-1
Victoria
Softball
UBC
1-4
Carroll
Baseball
Corban
12-2
UBC
Corban
1-4
UBC
Friday, March 9
Saturday, March 10
Sunday, March 11 Baseball Results to Note: Volleyball: Both the men’s and women’s volleyball teams have qualified for the U Sports championships this weekend. They are both ranked third going into their respective tournaments. While the men’s team head to McMaster University, the women’s side head to Université Laval.
UBC celebrates a successful play.
Elizabeth Wang Staff Writer
After a semifinal loss to the Alberta Golden Bears two weeks ago, the UBC men’s volleyball team’s place in the national championships was up in the air. They needed to win against the Winnipeg Wesmen in the bronze medal match to book their ticket to the U Sports championships — they did just that on Friday night. With a 3-1 match win, the T-Birds solidified their place in the national tournament. For UBC head coach Kerry MacDonald, the victory showed the Thunderbirds’ potential to make a real run at U Sports gold. “I think the way we played tonight and with the personnel we have, we can make a deep run in nationals. I know we had a tough weekend last weekend, but that’s a great team on the other side with Winnipeg. Our ability to be able to beat a team like that is only going to help us and bodes well for the national championship,” he said post-game. Clean, error-free gameplay gave the T-Birds a 16-12 lead midway through the first set. Thanks to a collaborative effort from Keith West, Joel Regehr and Irvan Brar, the T-Birds were able to reach their game-high tally of 17 kills. A well-positioned and efficient offence helped UBC balance out some service trouble, finally giving the Thunderbirds a 25-17 set win. The T-Birds continued their dominance in the second set. Veteran Byron Keturakis was key to UBC’s success in the frame, as he opened up the middle of Alberta’s zone with diverse setting
ELIZABETH WANG
plays. However, midway through the set, serving woes again proved to be UBC’s biggest opponent, as some errant serves gave the Wesmen an opportunity to get back into system. Winnipeg would take advantage of UBC’s lapse in focus, tying the game at 19-19 and forcing the Thunderbirds into a point rally. The two teams traded point until 26-26, when Jordan Deshane finished off the set with a powerful service ace for the 28-26 win. Feeling the pressure in the third, the Wesmen made an aggressive comeback with improved attacking efficiency. Together, Winnipeg put up a 35 per cent hitting percentage. Under the offensive onslaught of the Wesmen, the T-Birds fell to a game-low 11 per cent hitting percentage and lost the frame 25-20. Stepping into the fourth and final set of the game, the T-Birds turned it back around. The Thunderbirds reached their gamehigh hitting percentage at 60 per cent compared to the Wesmen’s 38 per cent. That said, Winnipeg kept UBC on their toes, taking them all the way to 20-20 as they exchanged points — but it would be all Thunderbirds from there. A decisive kill from veteran Keith West opened up a five-point run for the home side. Finally, with a kill from the middle of the court by Deshane, the Thunderbirds completed their last home game of the year at 25-20 and claimed their place in the national championships. Post-game, West was awarded the player of the game. He led the team with 18 kills, followed by Brar with 11 kills and McCarthy with 10 kills. For the fifth-year team veteran, he credited his team in his success on the night.
“My goal tonight was to bring as much energy as I could to make the most of what could potentially be my last game. I think our whole team played
exceptional tonight and a lot of balls came by way just with the match-ups we had ... I was able to find a lot of open court.” UBC will now head to
Hamilton, Ontario for the U Sports championships at McMaster University in the final Canada West berth. The tournament is to start on Friday, March 16. U
NOTICE OF UBYSSEY ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING The Board of Directors invites the membership of The Ubyssey Publications Society to the 2018 Annual General Meeting of the society. This meeting will take place in Michael Kingsmill Forum on the 4th floor of the Nest at 10am on March 29, 2018
Free food will be provided. Make your voice heard, all members in good standing are welcome!
16 | GAMES | TUESDAY MARCH 13, 2018
COURTESY KRAZYDAD.COM
COURTESY BESTCROSSWORDS.COM
CROSSWORD PUZZLE ACROSS 1- Roofing stone; 6- Rat-___; 10- Util. bill; 14- Vows; 15- It may turn; 16- Baby powder; 17- Deflect; 18- ___ about (roughly); 19- Fastens a knot; 20- Navigators Islands, today; 21- Care of the fingernails; 23- Air rifle ammo; 25- This ___ stickup!; 26- IRS IDs; 29- Mai ___; 32- Actress Sonia; 37- Rock producer Brian; 38- Pigsty; 39- Fiddle; 40- In spite of; 43- Coercion; 44- Strike callers; 45- Double curve;
46- Pittsburgh product; 47- Art ___; 48- Sometimes you feel like ___...; 49- Inventor Whitney; 51- Hwy.; 53- Receive an academic degree; 58- Bellowing; 62- First king of Israel; 63- Tax experts: Abbr.; 64- Menu; 65- Land in water; 66- Lease; 67- Alamogordo’s county; 68- Job detail, briefly; 69- Scots Gaelic; 70- Big rigs; DOWN 1- In order (to); 2- Molten rock; 3- Up and ___!; 4- Pulsates; 5- Founded: abbr.; 6- Mighty mite;
7- Ike’s ex; 8- Handsome young man; 9- Garr and Hatcher; 10- Caesar’s accusation; 11- Hideout; 12- Gen. Robt. ___; 13- IV units; 22- Ship apartments; 24- Cancels a dele; 26- Transmits; 27- Muzzle; 28- ___ Dame; 30- Powdery residue; 31- Magazine copy; 33- Slender bar; 34- Extraterrestrial; 35- Infomercial knife; 36- Emo anxiety; 38- Misguided; 39- Visible exhalation; 41- Itsy-bitsy; 42- HBO alternative; 47- Baby’s napkin; 48- Add fizz; 50- Monetary gain;
52- Folded food; 53- Struggle for air; 54- Dominion; 55- One of the Baldwin brothers; 56- Makes brown;
U
57- Town near Padua; 59- Utah city; 60- Longfellow’s bell town; 61- Classic cars; 62- Bro’s counterpart;
THE UBYSSEY
Make sure you’re drinking enough water. Hydration helps with energy levels and brain function, as well as preventing headaches. MARCH 5 ANSWERS
ANTHONY LABONTE
ANTHONY LABONTE