March 20, 2018

MARCH 20, 2018 | VOLUME XCIX | ISSUE XXVIII SINGO SINCE 1918

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THE UBYSSEY

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NEWS

CULTURE

FEATURES

OPINION

SPORTS

Letter: I still don’t feel safe on campus

A national title for men’s volleyball (SPORTS!!!)

BC budget brings ANSO used to have Engineering co-op some wins for some pretty cool undergoes seismic students cannons upgrades

SO M

F E O

MEET YOUR

IRON PEOPLE

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MARCH 20, 2018 TUESDAY

YOUR GUIDE TO UBC EVENTS & PEOPLE

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EVENTS

OUR CAMPUS

TUESDAY, MARCH 20

Dr. Jaymie Matthews ‘translates the language of the universe,’ from the classroom to Sophie’s Cosmic Café

REALITIES OF RACISM 5 P.M. @ PLACE VANIER RESIDENCE, SHRUM LOUNGE (Mis)representation of race in the media FREE

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21 LUNCHTIME INSTANT CHOIR AT UBC! SING ADELE! 12 P.M. @ BUCHANAN PENTHOUSE You’re invited to de-stress at lunchtime! $5 Matthews, a professor of astronomy and physics at UBC, assured me that the chaos is intentional.

Andrea Garza Senior Staff Writer

MARCH 25 - MARCH 28 STORM THE WALL OUTSIDE THE NEST You won’t want to miss out on this fun and exciting UBC tradition.

ON THE COVER COVER BY Natalie Morris, Elizabeth Wang and Saman Shariati “Those knees are the peak of my career.”

Want to see more events or see your event listed here? ubyssey.ca/events

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EDITORIAL

STAFF

Coordinating Editor Sophie Sutcliffe, Joshua Azizi, Jack Lamming, Jack Hauen coordinating@ubyssey.ca Tristan Wheeler, Zubair H i r j i , Z a k Ve s c e r a , Charlotte Beaulieu, Iyanu Design Editor Owolabi, Clare Skillman, Natalie Morris printeditor@ubyssey.ca Olamide Olaniyan, Negin Nia, S alomon Micko Benrimoh, Samantha News Editors Searle, Kristine Ho, Bill Samantha McCabe & Situ, Divija Madhani, Alex Nguyen Lawrence Ge, Veronica news@ubyssey.ca Ciastko, Danielle Olusanya, Liz Wang, Ryan Culture Editor Neale, Mitchell Ballachay, Samuel Du Bois Shelby Rogers, James culture@ubyssey.ca Vogl, Aziz Sonawa, Jordan Byrum, Lua Presídio, Aiken Sports + Rec Editor Lao, Emma Livingstone, Lucy Fox Claire Lloyd, Ashley Dhanda, Saman Shariati, sports@ubyssey.ca Tiffany Ou, Joseph Kennel, Andrea Garza, Sarah Video Producer Neubauer, Thea Udwadia, Kate Colenbrander Ryan Patrick Jones, Jacob video@ubyssey.ca White, Patrick Hatch, Grace Young, Allison Opinion + Blog Editor Gacad, Alison Knill, Emma Emma Hicks Ng, Novera Sayed, Jenny opinion@ubyssey.ca Xu, Koby Michaels, Aidan Tong, Bridget Chase, Science Editor Henry Anderson, Gabriel Nivretta Thatra Robinson-Leith, Julia science@ubyssey.ca Burnham, Scott Young, Chimedum Ohaegbu, Photo Editor Olivia Johnson, Angela Partick Gillin O’Donnell, Pawan Minhas photos@ubyssey.ca Features Editor Moira Wyton features@ubyssey.ca

MARCH 20, 2018 | VOLUME XCIX| ISSUE XXVIII

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LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT We would like to acknowledge that this paper and the land on which we study and work is the traditional, occupied, unceded territory of the Coast Salish peoples, including the territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), Stó:lō and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/ Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.

When you walk into the office of Dr. Jaymie Matthews, you’ll need a moment to take everything in. It is filled to the brim with knickknacks of every shape and size, and the floor is barely visible in places.

Matthews, a professor of astronomy and physics at UBC, assured me that the chaos is intentional.

“It kind of just reflects my character. People think on the surface that it’s all sci-fi, but … it’s a wide variety of things,” he said. “I have an eclectic style in terms of my fashion. The pattern is very difficult for people to discern.”

The items include a Darth Vader marionette from Mexico, a motionsensor at the door that makes the sound of the USS enterprise as you enter, a signed photo of John Cleese from the actor himself, a poster from a now-defunct pub in Vienna and a photocopy of a bottle of “dehydrated water” — and there are stories behind every single item.

Matthews’s eclecticism continues in his attire — he was notably wearing a plastic banana around his neck on the day of the interview — and his weekend activities. For many years, he has been running the Sunday afternoon trivia at Sophie’s Cosmic Café.

“I kind of became the resident rocket scientist, who puts a little extra ‘cosmic’ in the Cosmic Café,” he said. These trivia events are not just about science, but are also about current events in Canada and around the world.

“Getting the right answer is a combination of sometimes knowledge, often luck and a little bit of wackiness,” said Matthews.

Though ‘wackiness’ is clearly something that pervades Matthews’s life, science is just as important. Besides teaching in the department of astronomy

and physics at UBC, he is an accomplished researcher and astrophysicist with credits from around the world, including the Order of Canada in 2006. He also serves as the lead on the Microvariability and Oscillations of STars (MOST) telescope project, Canada’s first and only space telescope, and as an executive member of other research projects like NASA’s Kepler mission and the BRITE Constellation satellite.

Matthews’s interest in the universe, however, began long before his many research accomplishments came to fruition.

“It all started about 13.7 billion years ago in something we call the Big Bang. But we’ll fast-forward through most of that … it’s not very interesting,” he said, as he began to summarize his career. “I was into astronomy and science from my earliest memories. Literally, my earliest memories from around age two are of looking up at the points of light in the sky and wondering what they were.”

Matthews grew up in Chatham, Ontario. After skipping a year of high school, he began attending the University of Toronto at age 16 to get his undergraduate degree in physics and astronomy. With the support of his mentor, astronomer Dr. John Percy, Matthews was an author on three scientific papers before graduating with his B.Sc. Since his work with Percy, Matthews has been interested in the fields of stellar seismology, which uses the surface vibrations of stars to study their interiors, and in exoplanet research — planets outside of our solar system. But besides his own research interests, Matthews takes his role as an educator very seriously.

“It’s very satisfying that I can offer to students today the kind of opportunities that John Percy

COURTESY JAYMIE MATTHEWS

offered to me when I was an undergraduate,” he said.

Of the many research papers that have come out of the MOST research program that Matthews leads, 13 of them have undergraduate students as first authors. He is currently mentoring graduate student Michelle Kunimoto, who in 2017 was named one of Forbes’s 30 Under 30 in science for her discovery of four new exoplanets while she was still an undergraduate.

“I became a professor to be a research scientist because I’m curious,” said Matthews. “But education and outreach are incredibly important parts of my life, and I really enjoy doing it.”

Matthews’s curiosity and his love of science are driving forces in his life. He has progressed from looking up at the stars at age two and wondering what they were, to being one of the leading experts on astrophysics in the world.

“I can look at a particular [star] … and I can close my eyes and I can picture it as a real place … with three-dimensional worlds whirling around it,” he said. “I can also take you out and I can describe it to you.

And then you can be out on a clear night … and close your eyes, and you can see what I see. And then you can do that with a friend, and then they’ll be able to do it.”

Matthews has been privy to first-time scientific discoveries throughout his career, such as the discoveries of several exoplanets, but he emphasizes that it’s not just first-time discoveries that make science rewarding. He stresses the importance of curiosity, learning for its own sake and scientific literacy.

“Science is storytelling, and we’re all storytellers,” he said.

“It’s just that [scientists] are trying to figure out the language that the universe speaks … and translate it into languages that everyone can understand.” U

NEWS

MARCH 20, 2018 TUESDAY

EDITORS SAMANTHA MCCABE + ALEX NGUYEN

EQUITY //

3

BC BUDGET //

BC invests hundreds of millions in student housing — exact amount for UBC unclear STEPHANIE WOOD

Universities have a responsibility to enable social change, says UBC gender and race panel Stephanie Wood Contributor

“My mom would say, ‘Women are too busy and too important to be chiefs,’ which is kind of a joke, but not really,” said Canada’s Minister of Justice Jody Wilson-Raybould at a panel on gender and race equity, hosted at the Robert H. Lee Alumni Centre last Wednesday evening.

This anecdote summed up the mood of the “Lead, Succeed, and Inspire” event that showcased influential female changemakers, which had many laughs between serious discussions.

UBC’s Equity and Inclusion Office hosted the event in recognition of International Women’s Day (March 8) and the International Day for the Elimination of Racism (March 21).

Wilson-Raybould gave opening remarks about addressing social imbalances in her position as justice minister and attorney general. The panel was moderated

by CBC reporter Anita Bath, and was made up of Leonora C. Angeles, UBC associate professor in the Institute for Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice;

Patricia Barkaskas, instructor at the Peter A. Allard School of Law; Cicely Blain, founder of Black Lives Matter Vancouver; and Shushma Datt, owner and operator of IT Media Broadcasting.

The panelists discussed systemic racism and sexism, particularly within academia.

“The biggest thing is institutions have to be open to change,” said Barkaskas. “They have to be able to look at their history of institutionalized racism, institutionalized gender inequality, institutionalized gender normativity and be willing to say, ‘We’re going to change that.’”

Blaine said it was important for institutions to take real action — “not just having diversity as a marketing tool, as a kind of show, but having diversity as a set step, so folks feel represented and on top of that they’re able to genuinely do good work and feel valued.”

Barkaskas agreed and cited the Allard School of Law, which has one of the largest cohorts of Indigenous law students in Canada, as an example. She emphasized the importance of how

the program makes space for these students as leaders.

Barkaskas is also academic director of the Indigenous Community Legal Clinic, a program at the school that acts as a poverty pro bono clinic for Indigenous people on the Downtown Eastside.

Angeles told The Ubyssey that universities have a social responsibility to change their missions to “become relevant and by becoming relevant, [they] are training this generation and future generations of change-makers.”

She said the university has improved, particularly through the actions of the Equity and Inclusion Office. Still, she said there is more work to be done to foster an enabling environment for people at UBC to create social change regarding gender, race and environmental justice.

“There [are] a lot of changemakers in this room here — the audience,” said Angeles. “Young people, who are students, and I only wish they were on the panel to talk about the amazing things they’re doing. So, for me, I think my hopes are on the younger generation.” U

Sorry!

Not sorry Canadians apologize about a lot of things, but not about having one of the best medical schools in the world.

International students are welcome to apply to the University of Toronto’s MD Program.

Learn more. Visit uoft.me/MDYVR

MD_Program_2018_AD_6x6in_Ubyssey.indd 1

2018-02-21 12:09 PM

FILE GEOFF LISTER

BC has allotted $450 million to a program that aims to provide at least 5,000 new residence beds for students across the province.

Zak Vescera Senior Staff Writer

The provincial government announced new funding for student housing amid a Vancouver housing crisis that has made renting in the city increasingly unaffordable. But it might be awhile before UBC students see the benefits.

BC allotted $450 million to a program that aims to provide at least 5,000 new residence beds for students across the province, including a $259 million capital investment. The exact amount that UBC will receive is, however, yet to be determined.

Under the new program, postsecondary institutions like UBC will also be able to borrow money directly from the government, giving them an important source of reliable funding for future housing projects.

“The university understands the pressures the housing market puts on students looking for affordable accommodation close to campus,” said Andrew Parr, managing director of Student Housing and Hospitality Services, in an emailed statement. He had previously discussed lobbying for external borrowing as a strategy for growth.

“Enabling universities to access capital to build additional student residences is an important step toward easing those pressures for students.”

AMS VP External Sally Lin said she’s “very thankful” for the investment in student housing, but noted that the answers to how much housing will be provided — and when — will likely take time.

“It will depend on the institution’s ability to plan for student housing for campus, as well as when that funding will be coming down the line,” said Lin. “There’s a number of different factors so I can’t speak specifically to when housing will be seen.”

In addition to direct funding for students, the new budget also allocated $7 million for the Residential Tenancy Branch to close loopholes and improve the efficiency of dispute resolution.

Currently, students living on campus are not covered under the Residential Tenancy Act (RTA). And while Lin emphasized that UBC should not aim to ascribe to the RTA — since this would end the exclusive access that students enjoy to university-funded housing — she stressed that new protections for students will become increasingly necessary as campus seeks to densify.

“With $450 million coming down the line, the institution will see rapid growth on campus and rapid urbanization on campuses and an increase obviously on campus nighttime populations as more students live on campus,” she said.

“We believe that this rapid growth will pose stress on the operation capacity on the postsecondary institutions.”

As VP External, Lin continued the AMS’s Rent With Rights campaign, which made nine recommendations to the BC government for improving protections for student renters.

Some include putting an annual two per cent cap on the amount universities can raise rent and creating committees to manage tenancy appeals.

“When we visited this time, we recommended that the Ministry of Education create a policy similar to the two per cent domestic cap policy but as a housing standard policy where these nine recommendations can serve as a basis for a set of minimum standards that institutions that are receiving funding can aspire to and abide by,” she explained.

To date, the campaign has garnered over 1,400 signatures from UBC students.

Moving forward, Lin noted that the key steps will be to follow up on the exact allocation of the new funding and to continue lobbying for students.

“It will be up to the next VP External to keep up the conversation piece and highlight how important it is to have student’s tenancy rights on campus,” she said. U

4 | news | TUESDAY MARCH 20, 2018 PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT //

INDIGENEITY //

AMS “incredibly happy” Students walk out to protest systemic with newest BC budget, legal issues facing Indigenous people which set aside funding for student housing

ZUBAIR HIRJI

“So we need to see more adequate representation of our people ... in the legal system.”

Joshua Azizi & Aidan Tong Senior Staff Writer & Staff Writer

FILE PATRICK GILLIN

“I think it’s really important to acknowledge that this government has been very willing to listen to student concerns.”

Thea Udwadia Staff Writer

AMS VP External Sally Lin said the AMS is “incredibly happy” with the new provincial budget that was announced in February, as it includes AMS recommendations made last October. She’s particularly pleased with their inclusion of specific housing plans.

Citing a “drastic shortage of affordable housing” in BC, Finance Minister Carole James laid out the government’s plans to increase the supply of available housing in BC. In this 2018 budget the provincial government set aside $450 million for student housing. Part of this will be distributed to postsecondary institutions, creating approximately 5,000 new student beds.

Citing this as an “unprecedented and historical” investment in student housing, Lin believes that this is a great step in improving the housing situation on campus and also in BC. At the same time, she acknowledged that how much and when this housing will be provided remains unclear as of right now.

Other recommendations that the AMS presented to the provincial government last October include the alleviation of student loan interest rates, the provision of needs-based grants to students who are unable to bear the cost of continuing their education, facilitating graduate student scholarships, and the expansion of sexual assault care resources.

While the provincial government was responsive to the demands of student societies pertaining to student housing, other points of affordability were not given as much attention.

Regarding the government’s omission of policies that would effectively reduce student loan interest rates and the provision of grants and scholarships, Lin said “It is a slight disappointment to see that it hasn’t been enacted just yet.

“But we do believe that this is a conversation piece moving forward.”

The budget also highlighted the provision of an additional $18 million dedicated to outreach and counselling support for women and children in BC who are survivors of violence.

While Lin said that the AMS will continue to lobby for targeted funding for sexual violence on postsecondary campuses, this new investment would still have an “indirect impact” for UBC students, as it would increase the number of resources available to them in the Lower Mainland.

Besides the specific recommendations made by the AMS, Lin acknowledged the inclusion of other policies and plans in the budget which she anticipates as being helpful to current or prospective students.

This includes the investments into Indigenous skills training, as well as the allocation of funds to adult basic education and English language learning.

“These will ... address students from a marginalized background, to help them take that next step in their education,” Lin said.

She also highlighted the budget’s investment of $11 million in computer sciences, information technology and engineering in postsecondary institutions.

“Because UBC — and Vancouver — is a technology hub, we see that this investment will improve access for students at UBC to connect them with jobs in the market,” Lin said.

Lin noted the AMS’s overall satisfaction with the new budget but underscored the need to continue engaging in follow-up conversations with the provincial government.

“I think it’s really important to acknowledge that this government has been very willing to listen to student concerns,” Lin said. Moving forward, she believes that advocacy for persisting issues will be part of a continuation of the current conversation to provide feedback on what was missing from this budget round. U

A large group of students participated in a walkout organized by the UBC Indigenous Law Students Association Wednesday morning in protest of the recent acquittals of Gerald Stanley and Raymond Cormier, who were charged with the deaths of Colten Boushie and Tina Fontaine, respectively.

According to Dawn Johnson, a second-year law student and a member of the UBC Indigenous Law Students Association, the purpose of the walkout was to draw awareness to systemic inequalities within the Canadian legal system.

“It forces people to take a look and realize that this is happening and that this is very real in our society,” she said.

The students initially gathered in the Franklin Lew Forum in Allard Hall, where the Indigenous organizers played handheld drums and began to recite speeches

before being interrupted by a loud fire alarm that forced everyone to evacuate the building. With their drums in hand, the organizers then led the crowd onto the grass field outside Allard Hall, where they formed a large circle while other evacuees from the building watched from the sidelines.

Within the circle, attendees were encouraged to voice their opinions on the two cases as well as the marginalization of Indigenous people. One speaker discussed the importance of holding a walkout outside of UBC’s law school.

“We felt like this was the place we needed to gather because this is part of the greatest injustice and part of the biggest system of discrimination that our people face, and it continues,” he said.

Another aspect that he vocalized was the issue of race.

“I guarantee, and I’m not being racist, but if they were white people and the roles were reversed, I really think there would have been a different outcome,” he said. “The

Crown would have fought harder, the investigators would have done a more thorough job and made sure they crossed all their T’s and dotted all their I’s.”

Richard Rupertson, a UBC education student, discussed his experiences with the Canadian justice system as an Indigenous youth.

“As a 13-year-old, I remember being picked up by the police for something I didn’t do and then taken to the police station and made to walk home with no shoes, and they wouldn’t let me make a phone call,” he said.

Rupertson then cited his experience as an example of why Indigenous communities have a lack of faith in Canadian police departments. Reflecting on a quote from his uncle that “we’re one heart, one mind,” he encouraged the crowd to hold hands and then led them in a threepart chant to gather strength.

Moving forward, Johnson argued that there needs to more Indigenous representation within courts and juries. She criticized the jury summons selection process, which permits defendants to remove prospective jurors under certain grounds. In the Colten Boushie trial, this process resulted in the creation of an all-white jury.

“These recent acquittals have been all-white juries that are acquitting white men in the murders of Indigenous people, and that’s something that we continuously see,” she said.

“So we need to see more adequate representation of our people on juries and in the legal system.” 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!

CULTURE

MARCH 20, 2018 TUESDAY

EDITOR SAMUEL DU BOIS

5

OLD SHIT //

A brief history of ANSO: Cannons, ‘feminine pastel’ and... human remains?

Angela O’Donnell Staff Writer

I am not understanding the assignment at all, and my sociological imagination must be broken. Like all students who care too much about succeeding, I go to my prof’s office hours.

OFFICE HOURS ARE 1:15 TO 2:15 P.M. IN ANSO 240 I trek across campus, past the people taking profile pictures at the Rose Garden, dodge traffic on Marine Drive and walk up to the heavy wooden doors. This building is old.

Not old in the same way that the math building is old; more like a vintage jacket that still smells like the ’60s. The low ceiling combined with the wide entrance hall makes me feel boat-sick. There’s a table covered in back issues of obscure journals, free for the taking. There’s a lounge where students look like they’re actually studying.

I try heading down a hallway.

The wood fittings on the lights make it feel like the bunker from Lost, or one of those Italian daycares. The walls have two aesthetics: covered in socialist organization posters or completely bare. I get lost down a hall and at the end is the archeology office. Do they make you search for the archeology office to be ironic?

There’s another lounge and a set of all-glass offices. Is it a separate department? Can I walk through it?

This building is a labyrinth.

I check my phone — I’ve missed the office hours.

The Anthropology and Sociology (ANSO) building has a history almost as old as the university. The space where it and the Museum of Anthropology stand was previously an army base. Built to protect Point Grey against a Pacific attack, the project was completed almost overnight in 1939. The base was named Fort Camp, which may sound familiar because that’s also the name of the lounge in Walter Gage.

The army barracks and anti-ship batteries were bought by UBC in 1946, after it was pretty obvious that no one needed to be worrying about a Pacific attack. It was said to be just “Six long huts, a mess-hall and a few smaller buildings,” before more huts were brought from the Tofino army base to make much-needed campus housing for the post-war boom.

Yeah, you think Totem is bad?

Imagine having to stay in an army hut on the side of a cliff and heating pipes for the building only came in after Christmas. So, a cold army hut on the side of a cliff.

Some of the rooms in the bunkhouse were “six by eight feet in size” with a “ratio of space to weight only slightly better than guineapig cages.” In 1954, the residence had 399 “single men” and 156 “single women” in the new Fort Camp building. One section of the residence had 65 residents but only “two wash-basins, two mirrors and one toilet.”

One toilet... for 65 people.

Other than the obviously poor hygiene standards, legend says

One of the anti-ship batteries installed on campus.

it was a pretty #lit place. One Ubyssey article says “Students would sometimes hold parties in the tunnels.” UBC archives have a bizarre photo of some students being carried on stretchers and being doused by buckets of water titled “Fort Camp festivities.”

Maybe that was what fun was before the internet?

The building currently known as ANSO was specifically built as a set of women’s residence halls between 1950/51, with architectural drawings from 1949. The buildings were each named after women who were important to the early days of the university, including Anne Wesbrook, wife of the first university president Frank Fairchild Wesbrook, Isabel MacInnes, the first woman to be appointed to the Faculty of UBC and Mary Bollert, the first “Dean of Women” at the University. (Mary Bollert Hall is still called that and is used by the Development Office).

The rooms were painted “different shades of pastel with floor tiles in matching colours” which sounds more disorienting than calming but, you know, sort of like in a very “feminine” way. The buildings each cost $164,890 to build, which is $1,670,462.52 in today’s money.

Most of Fort Camp was destroyed to make way for the new Museum of Anthropology. Some large sections of the giant guns were kept and the museum was built around them. The Bill Reid sculpture, “The Raven and the First People,” is mounted on top of one of these gun platforms.

While the remnants of the original Fort Camp huts are gone, the women’s residence halls were kept and repurposed.

The anthropology department was established in 1947 by Harry Hawthorne. Before its founding the department was under the umbrella faculty of the department of economics, sociology and political science. The sociology department had been a part of the university since its founding in 1915 but didn’t offer a single class until 1921.

The first BA in the subject was granted to Katherine Ethel Chapman (who the Chapman Learning Commons is partially

named after) in 1937. Originally the anthropology department included sociology and criminology but then criminology joined the department of social work.

By 1958 the department had 20 faculty members and in 1959 it was officially renamed to anthropology and sociology. Classes and offices were scattered across campus, with the original Museum of Anthropology situated in the basement of what is now the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre. Faculty offices for anthropology could be found in the former Ponderosa, the Angus building and “various huts.”

The consolidation of the department came around the same time as the opening of the new MoA in 1976. The newly renovated ANSO had “three new laboratories, lounges, conference rooms, teaching and seminar rooms, and a library.”

The ’70s is when the two departments started to divide. As they each gained its own spaces, more students and faculty, the anthropology department became a “More bureaucratic, committeebased, Robert’s Rules of Order-style of democracy.”

Separation of the two departments finally came in

Student shenanigans.

PUBLIC ARCHIVES

1982 after an external review.

The separation meant increased autonomy for the sociology department but the hiring and tenure process was still conducted by the departments as a whole.

While Fort Camp was a rowdy place, ANSO also has its stories.

The building is said to be slightly haunted, with rumors of dorm suicides and questionable boxes of possible human bones in spooky dungeon-like basements.

“So I can pretty well confirm... to dispel that rumour… Now it’s just animal bones and shells,” said Brian Thom, a UBC anthropology student from 1988 to 1994 and current associate professor of anthropology at UVic. “I know that there used to be other kinds of bones there, but when the big museum renovation happened they made a special facility to store all the human remains.”

Thom talked about ANSO being a place to experience the then-new technology of email at UBC. “You had to go to a terminal on campus somewhere and log in to the Unix system. From there you could communicate by email through this archaic client called Pine.”

The terminals were not very common on campus.

“You didn’t have it in your pocket where you just check your emails … people would go into ANSO and there would be these terminals for Pine ... so you’d just sit down in the lower levels there and check your emails and other people would be down there and we’d talk to each other and it became kind of a social place around the green and black monitors, kind of like you’d see in the Matrix. Your email would come up nice and slow on it.”

When asked about the so-called spooky dungeons, Thom said: “So if you go past the swamp and down another corridor and duck your head in, you get in to this really truly basement part of the building with no windows, lights on a string kind of thing ... all the archeology lab equipment was stored down there.

The buckets and the screens and the surveying gear and boxes of soil samples [that were] all down there in this kind of creepy area that basically nobody went to other than a couple times a year when they had to deal with the lab equipment…”

Thom had a specific memory of the dungeon that stayed with him.

“So I remember going down there with Joyce Johnson, the woman who was running the archaeology lab, and ... one summer she was getting rid of all of the late Carl Borden’s archaeology equipment [and] there was this one long measuring tape it was like [a] 100 metre measuring tape in a beautiful leather case and it went into the garbage ‘cause the tape had all rotted and frayed. but I managed to pull the tape out of the garbage and string it up with a new line and I still use it to this day.”

While the Pine Terminals and pastel painted rooms are long gone, the ANSO building is still a hoppin’ place. The endlessly confusing building holds a rich history of student life, from a military camp to desperately needed housing to a studious, bunker-like department.

The light shines into the the ANSO undergraduate student lounge, giving a warm, inviting presence to the reinforced concrete building. I guess I’ll just email my professor about the assignment. U

UBC ARCHIVES PHOTOGRAPH COLLECTION

6 | culture | TUESDAY MARCH 20, 2018 WAR //

BVP’s Band Wars had some polite moshing tastes in music, to come together and create music — plain and simple.

“We all sort of have different genres that we’re really into, so when we’re writing songs they come out mixed depending on who wrote it … they’re all kind of different,” said Hayes.

“I think each of us have really different tastes in music, which kind of like, makes it come together in an interesting way,” said McGinnis.

SATAN SAID DANCE

BRIDGET BERNER

7th Row just casually making me lose my mind. So cool.

Bridget Berner Contributor

As the ominous cloud of finals season begins to make its way towards UBC’s unusually sunny campus, students and music enthusiasts alike spent last Tuesday not hunting down rapidly dwindling study space at Irving K. Barber but at the Pit for a night that I can only describe as a marvellous fusion of heavy metal, alt-rock, blues and gloomy tunes. Oh, and there was $4.75 craft beer.

Tuesday night was Blank Vinyl Project’s (BVP) second-biggest event of the year — Band Wars.

Four bands, three of which were freshly baked this past year in BVP’s musical oven, duked it out to score an opportunity that is sure to make any musician’s mouth water — a chance to perform at UBC’s only music festival and BVP’s biggest annual year-end event, Goosehunt.

This year, the honour was scooped up by 7th Row, who came in second place at last year’s Band Wars.

The night featured a lineup with a wonderful array of genres. From 7th Row’s refined heavy metal, postpunk riffs to The JRMS’s mellow Black Keys-inspired fusion of blues and alt-rock, there was something for everybody who entered the doors of the Pit.

tried to form some bands based on musical styles, like what instruments people play,” McGinnis said.

“They bring people together,” said Liam Hayes, the drummer for 7th Row. “It’s a really good idea for a club.”

“I made it a goal to build a band this year,” said Michael Karpinski-Leydier, the bassist of both fate fell short and The JRMS. “I just started emailing people and practicing with people who

were available and trying to get things going. And, lo and behold, two bands. It’s been amazing.”

“I think a lot of us played music on our own separately, but wanted a reason to play with other people.

So BVP was a cool opportunity, for sure,” said Maya Redlinger, the electric bassist of Death By Daisies.

For a membership of only $20, or $10 per semester, the tradeoff for meeting like-minded individuals is miniscule.

“They have a jam floor upstairs [in the Nest]. That drum kit and most of the gear in there belongs to BVP. They have all that for us,” said Hayes. “We can book it and practice in there, which is pretty much unheard of. We have access to free jam equipment and space.”

The beauty of Build-A-Band? It doesn’t matter what genre of music you find yourself jamming to the most. Build-A-Band enables its club members, who all have different

I came to Band Wars to get boozed on whatever beer had the highest ABV (alcohol by volume) and dance with others who also share my philosophy of getting plastered at music shows. I was not at all disappointed.

The overall vibes being emitted from the crowd that night were infectious — I could barely keep my knee from bopping up and down and failed to restrain myself from ordering way too many sleeves of IPAs. Despite the fact it was a Tuesday night, it was packed in The Pit. In the face of finals, people still managed to find a reason to keep moving their feet to groovy tunes.

Everyone seemed to be generally enthralled with their fellow students’ music, myself included.

People’s dance moves that night ranged from grooving to the Blink-182 inspired tunes of fate fell short to moshing to 7th Row’s heavy rock, which was egged on by their nimble-fingered guitarist Amir Mojtahedzadeh.

“People were moshing to us last year, so I’d like to see you guys do that again tonight!” said Mojtahedzadeh to a crowd of 20-somethings who roared in response to his request. They followed through — albeit in a bit of a gentle, overly Canadian way. U

THE ONE WHERE THE GANG BUILDS A BAND Band Wars featured the bands 7th Row, Death By Daisies, The JRMS and fate fell short. All were created in BVP’s program BuildA-Band — which The JRMS’s guitarist and vocalist Ryder McGinnis described as a “free agent list” for bandless musicians.

“They had this like ‘free agents’ where they just kind of stuck a bunch of people randomly together and

Death By Daisies — an all-around badass all-girl band consisting of college girls wanting to be in a rock band — giving us some serious Screaming Females vibes.

BRIDGET BERNER

SCIENCE

MARCH 20, 2018 TUESDAY

EDITOR NIVRETTA THATRA

7

GETTING STEAMY IN HERE //

Scientists and communicators agree — STEM needs an ‘A’ for art Jonny Warschauer Contributor

On the evening of Galileo’s 454th birthday, students, educators and alumni of UBC and other institutions gathered in the H. R. MacMillan Space Centre for a panel discussion titled “Saving Science in Fact-Free Times.” The ducks of Vanier Park sat still in their ponds, unaware of the impassioned discussion taking place nearby.

Organized by the UBC Faculty of Science, the February 15 event was moderated by assistant professor and science communicator Dr. Jennifer Gardy, who led a panel of four other scientists and communicators. On the panel was Koby Michaels, the founding editor of The Ubyssey’s science section; Michael Unger, an educator of astronomy at the MacMillan Space Centre; Peter Klein, an associate professor at UBC’s School of Journalism, and Julia Amerongen Maddison, a PhD candidate in environmental studies at the University of Victoria.

The panel members discussed how they are reaching out to encourage science literacy among their audience and in their communities, what others can do to promote scientific thinking and why doing so is so important today.

In 2014, a Pew Research Center Poll sought to find statistics on the gap between public opinion and scientific consensus in the US. A small discrepancy existed in certain areas of scientific discussion, such as the value of American investments in the International Space Station — 64 per cent of the public thought it was a good idea while 68 per cent of scientists agreed.

However, other topics of scientific research illustrated striking discrepancies, reinforcing why public conversations on science literacy and communication are so important in the modern era.

The poll found that 98 per cent of scientists believe humans have evolved over time — Gardy remarked that she strongly hoped two per cent of scientists had simply read the survey wrong — while a relatively small 65 per cent of the American public agreed. When asked about the issue of climate change, which is arguably the most pressing scientific-political conversation today, 87 per cent of scientists believed it both existed and was due to human activity while just 50 per cent of the public agreed.

Like the sitting ducks outside of the Space Centre, many people — even those in developed regions of the planet — are removed from

Even in everyday conversations, scientists can use engaging visual strategies to communicate research to lay audiences.

scientific conversations and are vulnerable because of it.

“The, ‘If I can’t see it, it’s not real’ mentality is the basis for science,” said Unger, “but that’s just the very first step. You have to go further.”

At the beginning of the night, Gardy presented a slide depicting celebrity “anti-vaxxers,” tweets by “flat Earthers,” misleading articles masquerading as peer-reviewed studies and a tweet by Donald Trump accusing China of creating the “concept” of climate change.

“I’m not even gonna get started on that last one,” said Gardy. The audience laughed uneasily.

Maddison presented a threedimensional, interactive model of a basic ecosystem and used it to emphasize art as a bridge between the lab and the world around it. Physically tangible scientific presentations, said Maddison, are a great way to reach the public by acting as a means of connecting statistics, formulas and jargondense conclusions with something not often associated with such things: visceral, artistic captivation.

For many, science can sometimes seem like a pill — important, but hard to swallow. Art, in the view of the panelists, can act as the water. If

The task of improving science literacy holds weight in many facets of society. Politics, education, arts, culture, spirituality and modern approaches to science itself were continually mentioned by the panelists as each sharing a role in encouraging public adoption of a critical, scientific mindset.

combined effectively, that water and pill can become more inviting.

Maddison’s presentation would be the first lesson in something that was repeatedly stressed throughout the evening: in order to help STEM grow and thrive, one should incorporate an “A,” for art into their scientific

outlook, creating STEAM. A critical outlook that combines creative expression for purposes of appeal without compromising scientific conclusions is vital for the promotion of science.

“A compelling narrative can help get a journal published or get an experiment funded,” said Gardy.

“If you’re a science student,” said Michaels, “take an English class, take a film production class. Learn the ways of storytelling and integrate it with your studies in order to get people excited about science.”

Klein stressed the equal importance of the artist’s role. More artistic individuals should learn the basics of modern science so as to be at least scientifically literate, at which point they can weave the once seemingly disparate threads of arts and STEM into a single tapestry of truth and beauty.

The discussion on STEAM paved the way for another topic: science as an attitude.

Klein, a journalist, at one point casually mentioned that he was not a scientist like the other individuals on the panel. Those beside him swiftly rejected his sentiment. You are a scientist — the panelists made clear — as long as you think skeptically and critically, withhold judgement and have a respect for conclusions

SHAVONNE YU

backed by hard evidence and no agenda other than a desire to know more about the nature of the universe in which we live.

Unger emphasized the impact of the MacMillan Space Centre’s “Carl Sagan Night,” as well as the legacy of the man after which it is named. He described how some of his associates questioned the importance of such an event.

But, during the event itself, some visitors came up to Unger and asked him about “flat-Earth” ideas.

“I told everyone,” said Unger, “this is why we need a Carl Sagan Night.”

He also discussed the stigma surrounding the words “I don’t know,” saying that not knowing something within a scientific mindset is exciting, not shameful or daunting. Not knowing is the recipe for curiosity and, by extension, discovery.

Michaels concluded by bringing the conversation back down to Earth. He highlighted that while the evening’s conversation had gotten pretty global and conceptual in scope, real change happens at the personal level. At the dinner table, reiterated Michaels, is where you have a genuine opportunity to convince someone that science is worth paying attention to. U

FEATURES

MARCH 20, 2018 TUESDAY

EDITOR MOIRA WYTON

8

Seismic upgrades upgrades T

he [engineering co-op] office has seen a lot of dark days in the last year or two,” said Quentin Golsteyn, Engineering Undergraduate Society (EUS) VP Academic, in a February interview with The Ubyssey.

Last year, Golsteyn was part of a group of engineering student leaders who wrote an open letter criticizing the faculty of applied science for making significant changes without adequately consulting students and staff. In particular, former co-op office director Jenny Reilly and her position itself were removed during an external review of the program.

Having only been made aware of these changes after the fact, the review committee had to abandon the study to avoid creating the perception that it caused these removals.

“We never made any such recommendation that firing anyone was necessary,” said Jakob Gattinger, a member of the external review committee and former EUS VP Academic. “[The review] actually had good recommendations for the program as to how to address some of the big-picture problems — I think that it was just a shame that in the end, we couldn’t go forward with it.”

In general, students have also expressed dissatisfaction toward the structure of the co-op office despite valuing the experiential learning experience.

While 81.5 per cent of students surveyed in the 2016 EUS co-op report described their work placements as good or very good, only 24.5 per cent of students felt the same way about the overall co-op program experience, which includes aspects like workshops and staff support. Forty per cent described these experiences as poor or very poor.

“I did the first work term through [co-op], and my experience was so disheartening I decided I would rather canvas industrial parks looking for work than deal with them again,” commented Reddit user slinkysuki.

Since then, the office is adjusting to having direct management from

the associate dean-level while conducting strategic planning to improve the program, according to Golsteyn. However, whether sufficient changes can be made during a time of such transition and turnover remains to be seen.

or it’s not. Then the next VP academic will have to continue that work because I think it’s a long process.”

MATTER OF CHANCE

PERSONNEL PROBLEMS With 50 per cent of engineering students involved in co-op, it is the largest co-op program in Western Canada — but it only has 20 staff in total whose jobs are not just to coach students but also to develop and maintain relationships with employers, according to Daria Hucal, associate director of student experience for engineering co-op.

These responsibilities result in a heavy workload for staff and lower quality of support for students.

For instance, one Reddit user made a post soliciting help for finding “good coordinators,” after a disappointing drop-in session for cover letter and resume editing.

“However to be frank, it was completely fucking useless,” reads user UBCEngineerxD’s post. “The coordinator literally told me it was ‘good’ and the only feedback I got was that I shouldn’t indent one of the bullets on my resume.”

Others also pointed out the long wait times and lack of specific feedback in the required work term reports.

“One of the most basic things that students don’t see value in are those workterm reports and a lot of time, students will wait months before getting back the results,” said Gattinger. The EUS co-op report, which he co-wrote, also indicates that only 43.2 per cent of students agree

or strongly agree that staff are able to help them, and that this was the “second most frequently cited issue with co-op” in the 2014 Academic Experience Survey.

In response, the office is hiring one new coordinator and recruiting a manager of business development — a position that only the science co-op program has at the moment — according to Hucal. Working to bring in new and diverse opportunities, this position would also ease part of the workload for the administration and student interaction teams.

But Golsteyn also stressed that these issues come from the problem that “there are too many students and not enough funding.”

According to Dr. Bhushan Golupani, associate dean of education and professional development for the faculty of applied science, the engineering co-op office is mainly funded through fees levied from students once they have secured a position — students don’t have to pay the $759.75 per term fee if they are just searching for jobs. “[It’s] great for [students] yes, but it’s hard to provide the services because we have so many students coming in,” said Hucal of the funding model. “So we’re trying to balance that out, we’re trying to maximize our opportunities.”

The office also receives some contributions from the dean’s office to aid the recent changes as well as from the government, but they remain limited.

Currently, the office has seemed to scale back on the cohort size — statistics provided

by Golupani and Hucal indicate that the program admitted 709 students in 2017 in comparison to 855 in 2015.

On the funding side, however, Golsteyn said the discussion about alternative models is still in the beginning phase — as a result, the EUS has not advocated for anything yet.

“They are still working on different models and try[ing] to inspire them off of different universities,” he said. “I expect more information in March so that we can start to really consider if it’s worthwhile

Another common complaint is the likelihood of getting a position at all, since securing a placement in their field of study — students’ main expectation of enrolling in co-op — isn’t always guaranteed.

“Unfortunately, in the recent years since 2008-09, we haven’t had as an entire program a term where there has been a 100 per cent placement rate of all students who come through the door,” said Hucal, noting that the overall enrolment in co-op work terms has increased by eight per cent since 2010. “That just hasn’t been possible because we have so many students in the program and only so many positions, so there is competition for that.”

But while a significant portion of this issue, like market shocks, is outside of the co-op office’s control, the office has been able to continue creating placements at an average of over six per cent increase from term to term, according to Hucal.

“Most economies in the advanced world grow at about two or three per cent annually ... so in a sense we’re outperforming the economy,” Golupani added.

However, students from different disciplines of engineering continue to have vastly different experiences.

“The greatest disparity in [the placement metric] was along the lines of department or program the students are in,” said Gattinger. “I think that makes sense because natural resources, which employ a lot of students in engineering, have not been great in recent times.”

Third-year computer engineering student Alex Driedger agreed, adding that there is a disproportionately large number of software jobs on the co-op job board in comparison to the population of computer engineering students.

However, the biggest determining factor is undoubtedly the level of experience of the student.

MARCH 20, 2018 TUESDAY | features | 9

Problems continue to plague engineering co-op amidst structural changes

Words by Alex Nguyen & Moira Wyton Art by Christine Shan

According to Hucal, only 47 per cent of junior co-op students found a placement last fall term, while 100 per cent of senior students found one.

“After your first or second co-op, the value of co-op is exponentially decayed,” Driedger said, recommending those who want to look beyond co-op for jobs to attend career fairs and talk to recruiters directly instead. While he expressed satisfaction with his overall co-op experience, Driedger doesn’t think the program’s presentations give firstyear students an accurate image of its placement rates.

“My personal beef with co-op is that I don’t think they are honest with firstyear engineering students,” he said.

“They will show you nice upward trending graphs of people who get placement — it doesn’t matter because they are just accepting more people in so you still have the same placement rate … There are a lot of second years who don’t get co-op jobs because there aren’t enough jobs and there were more qualified people in upper years.”

Golsteyn agreed with the assessment of the co-op office giving misleading statistics in the past — where they were presented as higher than the actual 40 per cent placement range — but also noted that this practice has changed.

“I remember in my first year, co-op was advertised as this magnificent thing,” he said.

“Now they are more realistic about what

the program is — I think the number has been lowered this year.”

THE ‘CO-OP EXPERIENCE’ In addition to placement and funding concerns, differing views of the ‘co-op experience’ also reveal fundamental dissonance between what students want and what co-op can and wants to deliver — educationally and financially.

“It’s a structured program, complementing a university education, so we are an academic program, not a job placement service,” said Hucal, noting that recent structural changes to the program’s team have focused on having more intense academic oversight.

Despite its branding as an “experiential learning program” by UBC, students continue to have issues with regulations the co-op office enforces with the intention of focusing students on the academic side of working a co-op term when it is often the professional side that matters most to them, according to Golsteyn.

“The student’s perception of the co-op program is a job placement program while the co-op office has a different vision, where it’s a learning experience,” he said.

“On the student side, they want the flexibility … [and they] get frustrated because of the very large amount of terms and procedures.”

Third-year mechanical engineering student Wilson Hsu experienced this firsthand when he decided to accept an internship position with Tesla — “an opportunity of a lifetime” since he was also the captain of UBC Solar, a solar powered electric vehicle design team — while being in a 12-month contract with another co-op placement with which he was unsatisfied.

According to Hsu, his contract with that company allows either party to “break the contract at any time without given notice and without any consequence.”

But the co-op terms and conditions said that students would be failed for ending a work term without the office’s permission and could also be removed from the program. In Hsu’s case, beside initially being failed for two terms, he also alleged that he was being talked to in a demeaning manner and given contradicting information.

“When I first joined the program, I was not aware of the detailed terms and conditions for employment and I was also under the impression that the coordinators would act on the interest of the student,” Hsu wrote in his January 22 appeal letter to Golupani.

salary — so that they can present themselves in the “best light possible” in the job searching process.

“Some employers will come to the program and say, ‘I’m here to educate the student, I don’t want them applying to me or selecting me just for salary, I want them to come and work for us because they want the experience,’” she said. “[Employers] really see themselves as an educational partner, so [for them] salaries shouldn’t be a factor.”

Gattinger disagrees, pointing out that negotiating salaries “is such a fundamental thing when [students] graduate” that it should be part of the learning experience of co-op.

SEISMIC SHIFTS

“However, this is evidently not the case and I do admit that I may have broken some policies, but it was not intentional, and it was definitely not to defame the co-op office.”

At the end of February, they reached the agreement to only fail him for one term and remove him from the co-op program, but he would also have to pay for four co-op terms while only completing three — totalling around $3,000.

In the future, the number of requirements to be in the program could change with a new funding model, said Golsteyn, referring to the incentives to keep students enrolled created by the current student fee-heavy model. Another aspect of disagreement within the co-op rules is that students are not allowed to negotiate their salaries.

For Hucal, who noted that co-op asks all employers to include salary ranges with each job posting, this regulation allows for students to focus on the educational aspects of the program — rather than

Aside from considering these policy issues, both the faculty of applied science and students have acknowledged that open consultation will be an important part in the quest to improve engineering co-op.

However, past events have demonstrated that this is harder to commit to in practice.

Previously, the co-op office had floated the idea of trying an “open co-op” model that would allow extracurricular activities and unpaid positions to count as co-op credits, but that idea is no longer being pursued, according to Hucal and Gopaluni.

Golsteyn and Gattinger raised concerns about how students were consulted when that idea was entertained, since it could have potentially risked the program’s accreditation — and because 73.1 per cent of students who responded to a call for consultation would not be willing to accept an unpaid position.

Still, both Gopaluni and Hucal are optimistic about the potential for improvement that new staffing changes and academic reorientation taking place within the co-op program can bring.

“We all feel that experiential learning is the centre of how we’re trying to prepare students and engineers for the 21st century,” said Gopaluni. “The future of engineering co-op is very very bright.”

Golsteyn is, however, more cautious.

“This year, we have seen some changes — the faculty is interested in improving the program [and] they are reducing the number of students in the program with the goal of improving things,” he said.

“Will this work? I’m not sure yet — I think it would take a couple of years to see the positive change.” U

OPINIONS

MARCH 20, 2018 TUESDAY

EDITOR EMMA HICKS

POLICY 131 //

10

CAMPUS //

Letter: I should not have to Letter in response: Free Speech Club rely on my membership to an attendance at Healthier Masculinities institution to be protected discussion not as controversial as

The Ubyssey wants you to believe Jordan Schroeder Contributor

“I am deeply grateful to the Sexual Assault Support Centre (SASC) for helping me find a solution.”

Kirsten Tarasoff Contributor

I spent a long time pondering how I should approach this issue, mainly in terms of thinking about the safety of myself and the failure of authorities to take claims of harassment seriously.

Recently, I experienced being stalked at UBC, directly fitting Policy 131’s definition of “engaging in conduct that causes an individual to fear for their physical or psychological safety, such as repeatedly following or communicating through any means with someone, engaging in threatening conduct, or keeping watch over the place where the individual happens to be” (8.1.3).

This occurred to me in the form of having an individual message me dozens of times a day, finding different platforms to contact me even after being blocked, turning hostile and angry when I rejected advances, joining all clubs’ events I was involved in and attempting to find out from others where I lived.

To say the least, I was stressed and scared, but had hoped that with an array of witnesses, as well as documented proof of many incidents, that the authorities would take me seriously.

After contacting the police, I realized I was wrong. My experience was brushed off as not serious, since the perpetrator had never directly threatened or committed violence against me.

While said person was contacted by the police, this failed to change his behaviour, and I was advised to “just ignore it” and make sure I “state communication is unwanted” in the future, despite having already tried this. This raises the question, at what point do we consider harassment violence, and at what point is it “dangerous enough” to do something about it?

When doing some research on harassment, I found that I am not

FILE PATRICK GILLIN

alone — 41 per cent of people that went to police were dissatisfied with how their case was handled, 71 per cent of women who reported sexual assault to police said their experience was negative, and people who report assault or harassment can experience revictimization.

This does not mean premature prosecution, but I believe there is no such thing as premature protection.

By classifying events as not “bad enough” to be taken seriously, authorities put community members, particularly female-identifying ones, at serious risk. It should not have to take violence for an issue to be resolved, or even considered.

Furthermore, public institutions that are paid for by citizens should serve to protect citizens.

There are possibilities other than prosecution when stalking has been confirmed, such as risk management, specialized treatment, supervision and victim safety planning. There is also support that can, and should be offered, for victims who likely feel frightened, isolated and powerless. None of this was done for me by the police.

To this end, I am deeply grateful to the Sexual Assault Support Centre (SASC) for helping me find a solution and providing me a place of refuge, but I continue to hold the view that safety and security should not be exclusively provided because of membership to an organization not available to everyone.

Specifically, I pay just under $45 a year to belong to the AMS and have access to the SASC — this resource is not available to people who find themselves in a similar situation to me but do not go to UBC. There needs to be better training for police on the issues of gendered violence, and proactive rather than reactive stances need to be taken to ensure safety. U Kirsten Tarasoff is a second-year gender, race, sexuality & social justice student.

The most recent article from The Ubyssey on the Free Speech Club (FSC) is an example of poor quality journalism, valuing clicks over honest reporting. I infer that part of this is because of the amount of attention that articles about the FSC generate. As of my writing this, a recent article on UBC’s baseball team (we have one of those?) has garnered zero reactions and zero shares, whereas the more recent article on the FSC’s attendance has garnered 82 reactions and 4 shares.

The headline contains two examples of valuing clicks over quality journalism. First, it states that the FSC “crashed” an event.

This is inaccurate because we had been invited by somebody who held themselves out as a member of the Healthier Masculinities (HM) program. The person who extended the invitation to me in a private message referred to “our” role when telling me about the mandate of the HM program.

It’s also worth noting that even if we had not been directly invited, it was a public event where one could argue that any UBC student was invited. As one of the FSC attendees stated to me, “I’m a man, I’m a university student with opinions on masculinity.” That statement could apply to many members of the FSC. The second area in which the headline appears to value clicks over the truth is The Ubyssey’s decision to say that the discussion

was hosted by the Sexual Assault Support Centre (SASC) instead of the HM program. While it is true that HM is a branch of the SASC, one should wonder why The Ubyssey would choose a headline highlighting the more general parent-group rather than the more specific program that was directly hosting it. Perhaps it is because The Ubyssey knew that the image of FSC members “crashing” a meeting filled with sex assault victims and demanding men’s “rights” would do a tremendous amount for the article’s traffic — far more than a headline saying they attended a discussion hosted by a discussion group on media portrayals of gender.

The biggest complaint within the article, coming from the HM facilitators, is that these three members “derailed” the discussion. However, it’s clear that the viewpoint from which the FSC members were approaching the discussion question — masculinity in the media — was very different from the viewpoint from which HM addresses the question. That stark difference in viewpoints no doubt requires some discourse to establish and fully understand what the differences are. The discourse must be civil, of course, but there is nothing in the article that suggests it was not — and further discussions I have had with the FSC attendees confirmed as much. They even stated that when discussion leaders requested that the discussion move along to a new topic, they acquiesced. I’m sure they weren’t perfect. I’m sure it

“The more recent article on the FSC’s attendance has garnered 82 reactions and 4 shares.”

may have been uncomfortable. But instead of using the term “derailed” to describe the members’ participation in the discussion, perhaps it would be more accurate to say that they participated in the discussion and that the participation was somewhat challenging at times because of the stark difference in perspectives.

But it’s hard to see why people participating in a difficult discussion held by HM should be considered so terrible. Ever since the Advocacy for Men and Boy’s Club (AMB) was rejected by the AMS, HM has been given a monopoly on the institutional conversation around men’s issues. If they’re being granted that monopoly by our student government, do they not have an obligation to provide space for contrasting viewpoints on the issue? And if they don’t have an obligation to do so, then perhaps the mandates of HM and the AMB do not “overlap” as much as the AMS claims.

When all of this is put together, one can quickly see that the truth is not worthy of so much attention: three people attended and participated in a discussion on masculinity held by a group whose purpose is to discuss masculinity, and that group didn’t agree with their perspective. The Ubyssey could have reported as much, but then zero clicks would have been had that day. U Jordan Schroeder is a thirdyear law student. He is also the president of the Free Speech Club.

ZUBAIR HIRJI

MARCH 20, 2018 TUESDAY | opinions | 11 WELLNESS //

Mind your mind: Social media malaise Peggy Liu Contributor

Hello, hello, hello! For those of you who don’t know, that was a reference to RuPaul’s Drag Race — a show I’ve been binge-watching like a madwoman to escape the inordinate number of existential crises that only come with the prospect of approaching graduation. #RealWorldRealness Speaking of hashtags, I’m going to get real and talk about the debilitating effects of social media.

I’ve touched on this topic before when I wrote about not buying into the superficial portrayal of selfcare on platforms like Instagram, but for this week’s article, I’m going to talk about going the extra mile in removing the source of anxiety by unplugging yourself from social media entirely.

Now, before anyone freaks out or gets offended at the prospect of wiping out their online existence, I want to clarify that I’m advising you to merely unplug every so often or to simply lessen the time you spend online.

Social media, like everything else, has its pros and cons.

The pros? It allows you to connect with people all over the world, glimpse into places you’ve never been, create a presence for yourself, get inspired or creative and most of all, stay connected to various communities without

“Have experiences that are solely yours.”

having to physically be in multiple places at once.

The cons? All of this comes with the anxiety and discontent created by existing too much online. How often do you impatiently check your phone for emails, texts, or likes that aren’t there? How

FILE STEPHANIE WU

many times have you scrolled through Instagram and Facebook comparing your life with the photos of other lives? How often do you text your friends instead of having a conversation where you can hear their voice? These days, we’re living life vicariously through

our phones, photos, tweets and Snapchat stories.

Not that humans haven’t always been preoccupied with these matters, but an increasing trend of valuing superficiality and vanity has arisen out of creating online personas. Texting has become the dominant method of communication over actually talking in person. Snapchat story views and Instagram likes have become the new social stamps of approval and validation, while Snap streaks are a new measure of friendship. It’s a reality we can’t really escape from when we live in a digitalized world, but it’s frighteningly easy to become too mentally invested in living online.

The process of doing things purely for the sake of satisfaction and human connection — like enjoying a date night or watching a beautiful sunset or eating an excellent meal — slowly become irrelevant when there’s such a prevalent mentality of “pics or it didn’t happen.”

This social demand for you to prove yourself then brings you to skipping the savouring process and focusing on the resulting digital content: you order food you don’t necessarily want so you can take an impressive Instagram photo.

You go out even though you don’t want to so you can post a 10-second Snapchat story of you “having a good time.” Instead of enjoying life, you end up finding yourself laden with the unnecessary pressure to prove you’re enjoying life.

Let me just tell you right now — whether you believe me or not — that at the end of the day, the validation you get from social media will be as empty as a wine bottle on a Friday night. And let’s be real, you probably downed the entire thing because you’re unhappy from the pressure of sustaining your online presence and relationships!

So, save yourself any unnecessary anxiety or blows to your self-esteem by turning off your phone once in a while. It’s surprising how much turning it off will shut off the part of your mind that’s connected to everything and allow you to enjoy what’s directly in front of you.

Uninstall any social media apps if you feel like they’re not good for your mental and emotional wellbeing. Disconnect for a few days, a week or however long you need to, and do something you enjoy without feeling the need to take a photo and prove to others that you’re doing it. You aren’t obligated to share every experience with other people.

Have experiences that are solely yours — you’d be surprised at how much more fulfilling life will be then. U The author of this column is not a mental health professional. If you need additional support, please contact Student Health Services, Sexual Assault Support Centre and/ or the Wellness Centre. In the case of an emergency, please call 911.

FROM THE BLOG ANIMALS //

MARCH 20, 2018 TUESDAY

EDITOR EMMA HICKS

12

GET OUTSIDE //

There will Spring activities to will warm weather into existence be horses on campus Wednesday UBC BOTANICAL GARDENS

Located on the southwest side of campus, the UBC Botanical Gardens are free for UBC staff and students to spend an afternoon — though there are some guided tours that you can take for an extra fee. The Gardens boast an array of plant life from all around the West Coast for your enjoyment and set a great backdrop for a new profile picture.

Joshua Azizi Senior Staff Writer

UBC is home to many animals — squirrels, raccoons, birds, snakes and even a coyote — but horses are not exactly one of them. However, once in a blue moon they do make cameos on campus. Every March the UBC Equestrian Club hosts a “Horses on Campus” event.

This year’s event is happening Wednesday, March 21 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. outside the Nest on the knoll.

The purpose of the event is to raise funds and awareness for the Equestrian Club. According to the page, “activities will involve horses, carrots, polaroids and also a raffle for a free riding lesson!”

If you’re too swamped in schoolwork to participate in the event, you can at least marvel at the horses when walking by the Nest on your way to get lunch.

There’s nothing like losing yourself gazing at a beautiful horse to help you momentarily forget about midterms, essays, post-graduation anxieties or anything else weighing on your mind. U

GO FOR A WALK THROUGH PACIFIC SPIRIT PARK

FILE KOSTA PRODANOVIC

Get out and enjoy the sun!

Zubair Hirji Senior Staff Writer

Spring is just a few days away and Vancouver is about to become less of a grey mess and more of a beautiful paradise. There is lots to do, so here are our recommendations for spring activities in and around campus.

NORTH SHORE MOUNTAIN HIKES The North Shore mountains — Grouse, Cypress, Goat and Crown mountains, amongst many more — are only an hour away by bus.

They are a great place to get some fresh air and some awesome content for Instagram. However, be sure to check the weather beforehand, as there is still snow at higher elevations.

Do some yoga up Grouse, hike to the top of Goat Mountain or rock climb to the peak of Crown — either way you’ll have a fantastic time.

VANCOUVER SEA WALL You can walk, skate or bike from the Vancouver harbour flight centre, around Stanley Park, down English Bay to Sunset

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Beach and back to Kits for some well-earned dinner. Bikes rentals are also available nearby for about $9 an hour.

GO PADDLE BOARDING OR KAYAKING AT KITS BEACH Grab a Groupon and take some friends paddle boarding or kayaking along Kits beach, English Bay or into False Creek.

It’s a great way to see just how well you can balance or just how long you can stay dry. It’s one of the best places to watch the ocean waves and the sunset.

Bordering campus is one of Vancouver’s largest parks and UBC’s endowment lands ecological reserve.

The park is right in the middle of the city so you can enjoy the sounds of nature without having to go too far. If you need a dose of the outdoors and the smell of fresh pine air without having to take the bus for an hour, the park is the perfect place to go.

WRECK BEACH Wreck Beach is the perfect place to go if you want to watch the sunset. Grab a bottle of wine or a few beers, and play some frisbee as the sun goes down. You’re bound to meet some interesting characters, whether it be a naked man trying to sell you “brownies” or a new dog friend. Bonus points if you go the clothing-optional route. U

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SPORTS+REC

MARCH 20, 2018 TUESDAY

EDITOR LUCY FOX

13

VOLLEYBALL //

Kings of Canada: Thunderbirds win nationals for first time in 35 years

Elizabeth Wang & Lucy Fox Staff Writer & Sports Editor

UBC men’s volleyball are U Sports champions.

Over a hard-fought three days of games, the Thunderbirds claimed their first gold medal in 35 years at the U Sports national championships at McMaster University on Sunday afternoon.

After upsetting the University of Alberta Golden Bears in the semifinal on Saturday, the Thunderbirds put on another great show against their Lower Mainland rival, the top-ranked Trinity Western University Spartans — taking down the volleyball giants in straight sets.

The T-Birds ended a two-year title streak for the Spartans.

What’s more, the result was in stark contrast to how UBC fared last year at the same tournament, when they were ousted by the Brandon Bobcats in the semifinals. In less than a year, the Thunderbirds have moved from a top-four team to the team to beat.

The two teams showed utterly different playing styles in the game on Sunday afternoon. While the Spartans were keen on their systematic gameplay, the T-Birds generated a creative and diverse strategy, alongside some destructive plays from the service line. It was a test of strength throughout, in which UBC came out on top.

GRANT HOLT / THE SILHOUETTE

The T-Birds were firing on all cylinders as they opened the match with a 5-3 lead. UBC veteran setter Byron Keturakis spread out the attack from the front line and suppressed the opponent’s hitting percentage to 32 per cent — their lowest percentage of the weekend.

Collaboratively, the T-Birds contributed 18 kills in the first set and took the frame 25-22.

The second frame continued in the T-Birds’ favour, with a wellorganized blocking system playing a large role in their success. The Thunderbirds gained control of the court at the beginning of the set with four hard blocks, taking them to a 7-5 lead. Although the Spartans used up their two timeouts early in the set, they still failed to break the high defensive wall of the ’Birds which included the likes of Keith West, Jordan Deshane and Fynn McCarthy. Later on, McCarthy’s one-onone blocking became an

unstoppable force on the court and widened up UBC’s lead to 23-16.

Finally, the Thunderbirds ended the set at 25-18.

Entering into the third frame, the Spartans felt the must-win pressure on the court and bounced back hard out of the gate. With increased offence from Eric Leoppky and Jackson Howe, the Spartans were able to take a 14-10 lead midway of the game. However, the Thunderbirds quickly caught back up with kills from Deshane and service aces from team captain Irvan Brar and West respectively, getting them within a point at 2019 for the Spartans.

Though an attack error and service error from Brar and Keturakis would put Trinity into the home stretch, again UBC would take the lead at 24-23 with Deshane on the service line. Under intense pressure with the game on the line,

the Spartans fought hard in the dying points of the set. They would even get the chance to end it all ahead 25-24, but a kill from UBC’s West would be the iceberg to Trinity’s Titanic. A service ace from Fynn McCarthy set the ’Birds up to take the win, and a not-to-be-missed kill from West hammered the final nail in the coffin for the Spartans.

With a 27-25 set win, UBC would take the national championship title with a 3-0 win over the Spartans.

Post-game, multiple Thunderbirds were recognized for their excellent performances both on the night and throughout the tournament: McCarthy was awarded player of the game, setter Keturakis was named the most valuable player in the U Sports championship and Brar was given the fair play award.

The win puts an end to a memorable season for the T-Birds, who came into the national tournament as the third seed in the nation behind fellow Canada West teams the Spartans and the Golden Bears.

Throughout the season, they had a 20-4 conference record, putting them in second position as the regular season closed

out in Canada West. They had 12 straight-set wins overall — including three in the postseason. Brar, libero Tyson Smith, McCarthy, Keturakis and West all featured on the Canada West topten lists for various statistics.

Most importantly, their year was one that saw the team solidify their lineup into a force to be reckoned with. Veterans like Brar, Keturakis, West, Regehr, Ben Chow and Mat Guidi — who was sidelined due to an injury earlier in the season, but was a steady presence coming off the bench for the ’Birds in the closing stages of the regular season and throughout playoffs — complimented the likes of younger blood like McCarthy, Deshane and Coltyn Liu. Danny Aspenlieder provided solid service coverage when called into play for the T-Birds. Smith held steady as the team’s go-to libero.

Everything worked as it needed to this year for the men’s volleyball team — and their result showed it.

Head coach Kerry MacDonald, who only started with the team last season, has made them into the best team in the country.

Now we will all have to wait to see what the next chapter will be for the T-Birds. U

14 | SPORTS+REC | TUESDAY MARCH 20, 2018 CAMPUS WARRIORS //

Storm the Wall is a fun tradition for Jean-Matthieu J ean-Matthieu Jamet’s Storm the Wall experience started back in France, before he even received his UBC letter of admission.

“I went to this info session at my [high] school and … they mentioned [Storm the Wall]. I was like, ‘This is the kind of stuff that really excites me.’ I didn’t even know what it was, but it was the idea that really resonated with me.”

Jamet, a third-year student in Sauder, brought that memory with him to his first year at UBC where he took on the challenge as an Iron Man. “[In] first year I was scared of doing the individual [race], and I was looking at making a team.

But, a friend of mine convinced me to do it with him in the same heat. I was pretty stressed — I only wanted to finish, that was my goal.

I wanted to not embarrass myself!

“But I ended up advancing somehow … to the semis and then to the finals and I was like, ‘oh, I guess I can do it!’”

Taking third place in his first year and second place in his second year, it only makes sense to Jamet that this is his year to finally win the gold. “I’m looking to get that trophy.”

As a former high school track athlete, Jamet excels during the run and the sprint event at Storm the Wall. “I love all sports where I have to run. I have a background in the 1500 meters. “[In elementary school] I wouldn’t play sports, [and] my

parents were not really sporty.

But then when I got to middle school, I had access to the soccer pitch. My friends and I would go before class in the morning, at morning break, lunch break, afternoon break and before going home. Every day, all the time, rain or shine, we brought mud in the classroom. And after a few years of doing that, we started doing track in P.E. and I realized that I was actually not [a] bad [athlete].

I was running with people who I thought were really athletic. When I entered high school … I went to nationals. Track is my thing.”

With that in mind, he does admit that the swim is the toughest leg of his race, and might be for others attempting the event too.

“Don’t underestimate the swim. A lot of people do, they think it’s short or it’s easier than the sprint. You know, ‘respect the sea?’ Yeah, ‘respect the pool!’ … In my first year, I got out of the pool seventh [out of eight]. I’m not a terrible swimmer but I’m not a very good swimmer, which leaves me getting out of the pool last or second to last and I have to make up that time.”

Like many others who tackle Storm the Wall, Jamet had issues dealing with the weather. In his first year, the rain became an obstacle of its own.

“It was funny, I had a pair of sweatpants for after the race to have warm, dry clothes. [But]

Daniel Duncombe

Duncombe has competed in Storm the Wall since his first year at UBC.

ELIZABETH WANG

after three or four minutes [at the wall] … my arm was slippery.

Even if I could reach [Owen, my wall person], both our arms were slippery.”

He explained that the wet wall wasn’t the biggest issue, it was the lack of grip on his wall partner’s arm. So, Jamet had to find a DIY solution. “I took that pair of sweatpants and I started trying to dry the area of the wall where I was going to jump, drying my arm, his arm, and then going for the jump right after that. And that’s how I got over it.”

Jamet believes Storm the Wall is something everyone should experience, and that it is more than just a UBC tradition.

“When you’re over the wall, especially when you struggle to make it over, it’s the best feeling. You literally got over this obstacle. You’re sitting on top of it. You can’t sit for a long time, because they will ask you to move, but you want your moment and I think that’s why a lot of people do Storm the Wall.”

Believing that it is more than just bragging rights, Jamet added that “it’s not just about getting to say [you did it], you feel it. You got over this huge obstacle, this 12-foot wall, it’s a big thing.

“I think it’s something you have to do before graduating from UBC, I think it’s a must. It’s more than just tradition, [the whole atmosphere of Storm the Wall is] something that is just so much fun.” U

F

or many, the thought of competing in Storm the Wall may be intimidating.

For fifth-year business student Daniel Duncombe, one race just isn’t enough.

“In my second year [at UBC], I did a men’s team, a co-rec team and Iron Man.… I actually did Iron Man, won, and then I had to go pretty much straight back to the pool and swim for my co-rec team in the final. I was pretty tired after that.”

Duncombe has been participating in Storm the Wall in some capacity since his first year at UBC. “I made a team with some of my buddies from Vanier … We had a flat tire on our bike so that kind of hindered our performance, but besides that it was a good start to the Storm the Wall experience.”

His interest in attempting the UBC challenge doesn't come as a huge surprise either, given his history in sport. Alongside volleyball, which he dedicated much of his athletic career to in middle school and high school, Duncombe was also a swimmer growing up.

“I’ve been involved in swimming my whole life, I’ve done some [triathlons] in the past way back when I was younger. I was never a huge fan, so I never pursued it,” Duncombe said. “Storm the Wall is an easier type of triathlon since it’s a succession of sprints in a row more than a long distance.”

Following his first-place finish in the 2015 Iron Man race, he has tackled the personal challenge every year since.

“I thought [Iron Man] would be fun because … I could do it by

Jamet

Perhaps the third time is the charm for Jamet.

myself. I think the main reason why people do Storm the Wall is to see if they can get over that wall at the end … and I was pretty happy when I was able to do that [alone].”

Duncombe explained that his first-place finish came with a sense of disbelief. Remembering the feeling of success, he added, “it feels pretty good, especially on top of a 12-foot wall.”

In Duncombe’s third year competing, he was met with an unexpected obstacle: Vancouver’s climate.

“There was a downpour and I didn’t know how to jump at the wall in the rain, so I lost.”

After that, he used video tutorials to improve his chances for next year. “I saw a lot of parkour guys [competing] and they had really good technique.

So I [searched] ‘parkour jumping at a wall’ [on YouTube] and I just changed up my technique on how I jumped. That gave me some extra height. Especially in the rain, when the wall was slippery. It was weird because if you’re doing it correctly, the rain shouldn’t hurt you too much. You’re pretty much pushing directly off [the wall] because you’re running up. It’s the physics of it.”

As if just racing wasn’t enough, Duncombe created his own minor hurdle last year by participating in his fourth-year Sauder Grad Night just hours before the race.

“The night before my first heat, I went out until two or three a.m. and woke up the next day and had a race at 12 p.m. I guess when I was racing, during the run, I could tell I had drank pretty heavily the night before,” he laughed.

SAMAN SHARIATI

“It was a little bit more of a challenge, just the feeling in your stomach of it bouncing around.”

Despite this, Duncombe took first place again as Iron Man. Now in his last year at UBC and going into his last chance at Storm the Wall, he has different plans.

“I’m going to do a men’s team [this year] for sure. I’m probably not going to do Iron Man again because I’ve done it so many times. I’m checking out [Iron Legend] though.

Maybe I just want to go at the wall by myself, just for the fun of it, to see how high I can get. I just want to mix it up.”

As for advice, Duncombe suggests getting involved in Storm the Wall at whatever capacity suits your personal goals.

“A lot of people do [Iron Person] for fun, to see if they can do it. I think that’s honourable; it’s a pretty hard little race so if you want to see if you can do it by yourself, more power to you.

If you’re just looking for the enjoyment of it, you can always do a ‘Just for Fun’ team, since it’s very low pressure. You can’t get disqualified!” said Duncombe.

“The original hurdle of signing up for [Storm the Wall] is the hardest part. [People think]: ‘I don’t know if I can do it, the wall is 12 feet, I don’t think I can get over it,’ and so I think it’s just giving yourself the benefit of the doubt that you can put your mind towards something and actually achieve the goal that you’re going for.

“Don’t let your pre-disposed biases get in the way [before you actually do the race] and impede you from doing something you’re probably capable of,” he added. U

MARCH 20, 2018 TUESDAY | SPORTS+REC | 15

some, a challenge for others F Jane Velghe Words by Bridget Chase Photos by Elizabeth Wang and Saman Shariati

or Jane Velghe, competing in the 2017 Storm the Wall as a super Iron Woman came with a number of obstacles — the 12-foot wall being the least daunting. From being pinned amidst two cars only four days earlier to tearing two ligaments in her ankle mid-race, Velghe’s first ever Storm the Wall last year was an uphill battle.

“The weekend before Storm the Wall, I was supposed to sail at the University of Victoria," said Velghe, who is also a club lead for UBC sailing this season. "Saturday morning, we woke up and we were loading the cars with our gear. I was putting my bag in the truck and the car behind me … rolled down the hill into me and my legs. I was pinned [between the two cars] for about ten seconds. My right leg was stuck between the bumpers.

“I was just frozen saying ‘back up, back up, back up,’” Velghe recalled. “The first thing I noticed was the rush of confusion when the blood circulated back to my thigh.

Everything was orange and green.”

While Velghe tried not to worry her teammates before their competition, she eventually gave in and went to the emergency room. “[I knew that] it was definitely not a fracture — it [was] going to be muscle damage. [But] we went to the hospital and got an X-ray, and then they lost my X-Ray … I was there for six hours.”

After seeing two separate doctors, she was finally told that she had a compression injury that left the fibres in her muscle compacted down around the bone.

The doctors told her not to do anything for the next two weeks.

Since Storm the Wall registration only costs $10, many people may have cut their losses

and vowed to try again next year.

Instead, Velghe pressed onwards.

“Tuesday night, things were a little bit better. I wasn’t in an excruciating amount of pain walking around," she said. Feeling like it was still possible, Velghe showed up on Wednesday for her Storm the Wall heat with her right leg taped up and ready to race.

Velghe’s strategy was to start strong in the swim, using mainly her arms in order to conserve energy in her leg. After the pool came the 500 metre uphill sprint and then the biking portion. The bike she used was borrowed from a teammate, which gave her a bit of trouble.

“I almost completely wiped out a couple of times because it was my first time ever on a road bike. I straight up went off the Main Mall walkway into the mud.”

The last challenge before the fateful wall was the run. “The biking was pretty chill, but going from one muscle group to a slightly different set of muscles [for the run] is weird. Your legs feel like Jell-O [and] it just builds from that sprint and being in the water. By the time I got to the wall, I was fairly energized. I knew I was almost done … Well, I thought I was almost done. I definitely was not almost done.”

After watching the first place winner climb up her wall partner, Velghe made her attempt at running up the wall. But only 15 minutes in, she hit a patch of uneven mulch and felt her ankle roll. She would later find that she had torn her anterior talofibular ligament and posterior talofibular ligament.

“My left leg had to compensate for my right leg, especially with the wall. That definitely didn’t help prevent the ankle injury.” It was lucky that she had a friendly face in

Velghe celebrates making it to the top of the wall.

the front row — the student trainer for the men’s volleyball team. “She said ‘walk it off and get over the wall.’

It really pushed me to keep going.”

Velghe — now with two lowerbody injuries — was having trouble making the jump. She tried having her wall partner, Roger Milne, hang down over the wall, so she could climb up him like the first place winner did. “After the second time [trying to scale Milne] he told me it was very physically demanding.

But the girl that got over first came over with her wall partner [George Hill] and … walked me through … [the] methodology to it.”

Hill even volunteered to take over for the now exhausted Milne.

“It took me a long time to climb [him] and it wasn’t cool like the girl before me. I kept saying ‘I am so sorry, thank you so much for this opportunity’ and he was like 'It’s okay, just keep climbing!’”

Finally, she reached the top. “I just plopped over like a beached whale, it was super not graceful.

It was the first time I’d sat in over an hour. One guy said ‘take it all in’ and I didn’t even realize how many [people] there were. You don’t notice individual shouts, you don’t notice individual people, but you notice the net noise behind you … That’s the first time I realized that there were so many people who stuck around to watch and cheer people on.”

Looking back, Velghe regrets nothing and plans to tackle the challenge again this year — hopefully with fewer injuries, and with more time to train.

“Knowing the race course is important. If you can practice the full thing, do that because it definitely makes a difference. But at best … practice pairing up the different transitions and going from one to the other with no break.” U

Velghe plans to attempt Storm the Wall solo again this year.

ELIZABETH WANG

COURTESY STEPHANIE OEY/UBC RECREAIION INTRAMURALS

16 | GAMES | TUESDAY MARCH 20, 2018

COURTESY KRAZYDAD.COM

COURTESY BESTCROSSWORDS.COM

CROSSWORD PUZZLE ACROSS 1- Driving aids; 5- Writers of verse; 10- On ___ with; 14- Heavenly strings; 15- Cookwear; 16- Alley; 17- Meat-grading org.; 18- Earth; 19- Tolstoy and Gorcey; 20- Letter opener;

22- Pacify; 24- Related to the kidneys; 26- Sigil; 27- Lady of Spain; 30- Doorkeeper; 32- Conductor Seiji; 33- Butter substitute; 34- Is in the red; 38- AMA members; 39- Quarantine; 42- Malt beverage; 43- Swedish import;

45- Collections of anecdotes; 46- Physician to Marcus Aurelius; 48- Take ___ at (try); 50- Period of five years; 51- Capital of the Bahamas; 54- Brewer’s need; 56- Art of public speaking; 58- Not set in stone; 62- Singer Braxton; 63- Author of fables; 65- Dove sounds; 66- This, in Tijuana;

67- Govt. security; 68- 401(k) cousins; 69- Penn name; 70- Perfume compound; 71- Florida’s Miami-___ County; DOWN 1- Dull sound; 2- Facilitate; 3- Mother of the Valkyries; 4- Songbird; 5- Film on copper; 6- Musical drama; 7- Blunder; 8- When said three times, a 1970 war movie; 9- Photograph; 10- Rapid in tempo; 11- Song of joy; 12- Win by ___; 13- Bowler’s button; 21- Caravansary; 23- Filled pastry crust; 25- Cradlesong; 27- Lays down the lawn;

28- Poet Pound; 29- American space agency; 31- Mariners can sail on seven of these; 33- A Chaplin; 35- Mickey’s creator; 36- Zeno of ___; 37- Transmit; 40- Soak; 41- Discharge; 44- Fortified place; 47- Tums, e.g.; 49- ___ Paulo; 50- Very poor person; 51- Short letters; 52- “______ by any other name…“; 53- Vixen’s master; 55- Chew the scenery; 57- Longings; 59- Repeated, an island of French Polynesia; 60- Mutual fund fee; 61- Latin being; 64- Boozehound;

MARCH 13 ANSWERS

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