AUGUST 27, 2019 | VOLUME CI | ISSUE IV CARING FOR RACCOONS SINCE 1918
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CULTURE
FEATURES
SCIENCE
SPORTS
UBC students doing super cool things!
OPINIONS
‘The little things’ for campus’s deaf residents
Women of colour and progressive organizations
Canadian climate change education: the good and bad
’Birds cap off successful summer abroad
THE UBYSSEY
UBC CONDUCTS FIRST SEXUAL ASSAULT POLICY REVIEW 03//
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AUGUST 27, 2019 TUESDAY
YOUR GUIDE TO UBC EVENTS & PEOPLE
2
OUR CAMPUS
EVENTS
Dr. Sheryl Lightfoot says ‘the pivotal moment’ in Canada’s Indigenous affairs is now THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5 UBC LANGUAGE DAY 10 A.M. TO 4 P.M. IN FRONT OF KOERNER LIBRARY
Meet language profs, hang out with other students, maybe meet a Viking? All at UBC’s inaugural language day!
Sonia Pathak Contributor
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14 MOA’S 70TH ANNIVERSARY OPEN HOUSE 12 P.M. TO 5 P.M. @ MUSEUM OF ANTHROPOLOGY MOA is 70 years old! It’s a staple on campus that showcases over 50,000 artifacts from across Canada and the world. The MOA is a sight to see and celebrate!
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 MEET YOUR MAKER 11:30 A.M. TO 1:30 P.M. @ UBC BOOKSTORE Celebrating FairTrade Campus Week, food sustainability & ethical business practices!
ON THE COVER COVER BY Alex Vanderput
Want to see more events or see your event listed here? ubyssey.ca/events AUGUST 27, 2019 | VOLUME CI| ISSUE IV
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Dr. Sheryl Lightfoot has been involved in Indigenous activism her whole life. Growing up in Minneapolis in an urban Indigenous neighborhood in the seventies, around the time of the Alcatraz and Wounded Knee occupations, Lightfoot got to see firsthand the burgeoning civil rights and Red Power movements. “I would say, those early experiences through the seventies and the early part of the eighties were formative for me in crucial ways,” said Lightfoot. “I saw not only radical politics, but also organizational grassroots organizing, often female-led organizational development and self-determination on the ground and in practice in really a push forward historically that we haven’t seen again since those early years.” For her undergraduate degree, Lightfoot attended St. Olaf’s College before immediately going into a master’s program at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota. She and her sister were the first in their family to get undergraduate and master’s degrees. After graduating, Lightfoot immediately put her new skills to use for her people. “I was working for language revitalization institute, I was working for a research and policy center, I was working for the job training center … Wherever I could put my skills to work, that’s what was asked of me and that’s what I did,” said Lightfoot.
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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 (TsleilWaututh) Nations.
After working within her community for 15 years, Lightfoot began to consider getting a PhD. “I was involved in a number of research projects in the community — especially with one organization, which was the American Indian Policy Center. And I was chair of the board of that organization for about nine years. And it started to become clear and it was suggested by many that I should consider a PhD.” So at the age of 38, Lightfoot went to graduate school at the University of Minnesota. “I was 15 years older than everyone else in the cohort. But I have to appreciate that the political science [department]
at University of Minnesota took that chance and made that investment in me because I was a very non-conventional student and non-traditional PhD student. So for them to take that risk was appreciated, and I tried not to disappoint.” During her studies, Lightfoot maintained “a lens that always looked at Indigenous political struggles, Indigenous rights struggles, global politics for Indigenous peoples.” At the end of her PhD, Lightfoot was recruited by UBC. At the time, the Aboriginal Strategic Plan was just starting to be implemented, and UBC had announced a variety of plans for Indigenous engagement. “It was one of those chances that I took in life. So when I came here I thought, ‘Well, I’ll try this, I’ll see how it fits and I’ll stay here as long as it’s working.’ And it’s been 11 years now, so I think it’s working,” Lightfoot added with a laugh.
OLD LAND, NEW RULES The transition to Canada from the US was relatively smooth. Lightfoot’s community, the Anishinaabe nation, once lived across the shores of Lake Superior. “For thousands of years, we have been focused around Lake Superior, and the border is only about 200 years old. So that’s a new construction to us. “Our family ties and connections have crossed the border always. Actually, the border came to us, I always say,” said Lightfoot. She explained that from an Indigenous perspective, the border lacks saliency, but it maintains relevancy in the ways in which “the different policies that two governments have put into place have separated, divided historical people.” “I would say from that standpoint, there have been some challenges moving forward.”
ADJUSTING TO UBC ADMIN Lightfoot’s first year as senior advisor to the president on Indigenous affairs took some time to settle into, following Dr. Linc Kesler’s departure from the role earlier this summer. “I stepped into the role August 1 [2019], and I have 20 per cent of [Kesler’s] former position. So the position held by Linc was split into two. So I hold the senior advisor component of what he used to hold. And then the director of the First Nations House of Learning is 80 per cent of his former role, and that’s Dr. Margaret Moss.” At the time, Lightfoot and Moss received a mandate from the province to create a Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Action Plan. Meanwhile, UBC Okanagan had finalized its TRC action plan, and the following spring the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) Inquiry had finalized its report. “So we were facing, by May, a situation where we had an
overarching philosophy, but we were looking at having four or five multiple action plans in place. Our worry was this was going to get confusing for everyone around campus who’s charged with implementing it.” Lightfoot and Moss suggested streamlining all the action plans into a single, easily accessible action plan. “It’s an ambitious goal, but we’re hoping and expecting to have a finalized university-wide Indigenous Strategic Action Plan by the early part of next year. So this fall, we will be having working groups, talking circles, different consultations about how we go about taking all of these pieces and making a single, streamlined plan.”
INDIGENOUS ENGAGEMENT Lightfoot believes that both the TRC and MMIWG report’s calls to action and justice have resulted in a paradigmatic shift to approaching reconciliation. Twenty years ago, the bar was low for Indigenous engagement. Lightfoot noted that although there were pockets of Indigenous programming and student recruitment, it was neither wellcoordinated nor prioritized. “What’s expected now of Canada, since the TRC said explicitly that the framework for reconciliation in this country must be implementing new [declarations], [is] a signal that this is no longer a model of just building Indigenous pockets. Now, Indigenous engagement and Indigenous initiatives are the responsibility of everyone. “And so that is what I would call the pivotal moment. And that was also when we decided that the old Aboriginal Strategic Plan needed a revamp because it needed to reflect this new reality in a more explicit way.”
A LONG ROAD AHEAD Settling into her new role, Lightfoot intends to promote further engagement with Indigenous communities. “We, as part of this new plan, need to step forward and strengthen and deepen that engagement. And so one of the pieces that we’re doing right now is taking another look at the old Memorandum of Affiliation with Musqueam, which was signed back in 2006.” Lightfoot emphasized that it will be done in complete collaboration and conversation with the Musqueam nation. “The old model was ‘We tell communities what we’re going to do as a colonial institution.’ The new model is we sit down with those communities and decide together what it should look like.” Lightfoot’s plans for the future are to continue “building on a firm track record of success, but also recognizing this important pivotal moment in [a] philosophical shift, and trying to embrace that and get out ahead of it and hopefully take a leadership role on it.” U
NEWS
AUGUST 27, 2019 TUESDAY
EDITORS HENRY ANDERSON AND EMMA LIVINGSTONE
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TRIENNIAL REVIEW //
‘A nest of bureaucracy’: UBC to review sexual assault policy in September Thea Udwadia Contributor
Amidst last-minute changes to its membership, UBC’s review committee for the university’s standalone sexual assault policy (Policy 131) will start working in September 2019. Policy 131 was implemented in 2017, creating the Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Office (SVPRO) and Independent Investigations Office (IIO). The review is in compliance with BC Bill 23: Sexual Violence and Misconduct Policy Act, which mandates all postsecondary sexual assault policies be updated every three years. But since the policy came into place, it has been scrutinized for gaps in its writing and implementation, which the review committee hopes to address in the first iteration of the policy review. The review committee will consider feedback from campus groups and an implementation update presented to the Board of Governors (BoG) in June.
SECOND OPINIONS Since the policy’s adoption, the university has engaged in ongoing consultations to supplement its implementation. According to VP Students Ainsley Carry, the university has also been working to raise sexual assault awareness, expand their support services and and develop partnerships. During the summer of 2018, UBC Board of Governors’s People, Community and International (PCI) Committee held a series of workshops with campus groups to identify key concerns and suggestions for improving Policy 131. Participants included the Pride Collective, the Sexual Assault Support Centre (SASC), SVPRO, AMS representatives and other stakeholders. “We had a broad collection of folks in the room to tell us both how should we do things and what are we doing wrong right now,” said Jeanie Malone, chair of the PCI committee and a Vancouver BoG student representative. By the end of August 2018, participants identified 11 problem areas that were detailed in the implementation update released this past June. “I think that the intention to keep those pillars of education, response and prevention is still going to be there,” Malone said. “If anything, I would expect to see some firmer commitments on some of the things about survivorcentric approaches.”
‘CLARITY ISSUES’ According to AMS VP Academic and University Affairs Julia Burnham, one of the most important tasks is defining what the university should and should not investigate. “It becomes a clarity issue
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Policy 131 was implemented in 2017, creating the Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Office (SVPRO) and Independent Investigations Office (IIO).
because depending on who you are, you could interpret the policy differently,” Burnham said. For example, some club events take place off campus or have attendees who aren’t UBC students, but some believe these instances should still be bound by Policy 131. Malone also highlighted inconsistent language that doesn’t align with that of other UBC policies. For example, Policy 131 uses the term ‘accommodation,’ while Senate policies use the term ‘concession.’ “They’re not quite the same, although we often use them interchangeably,” she said. “It’s very complicated. We are really in a nest of bureaucracy.” Malone added that one of the issues that came out of the 2018 workshops was determining what support would be given to the respondent. Currently most respondents are referred to the Office of the Omsbudperson for advocacy services — but according to Malone, that’s not always sufficient. “When an investigation is happening, we are to some extent required … to provide the same level of support to both the survivor and the respondent,” she said. “When the question[s] of what happened and who did it and who’s to blame [are] still up in the air, you have to be able to
provide that support. “Now what that looks like and who provides that is still a big question.” Another area that needs revision, according to Burnham, is the issue of confidentiality. According to current protocol, residence advisors are mandated to report incidents of sexual assault up the chain of command to their Residence Life managers, but survivors might not want their experience shared. “[A lack of confidentiality] can be quite a barrier for students,” she said. “And that’s absolutely something that we need to look at.” Malone noted that this was also a topic of discussion at the workshops last summer. “We got into this big loop of trying to figure out whether or not Policy 131 had any implications for [Residence Life] practice,” Malone said. But because 131 overlaps with other university policies — such as Residence Life contracts, Senate policies and other Board policies — it’s difficult to discern which gets precedence. “UBC doesn’t have the best infrastructure for having all the different units we have talk to each other particularly well,” said Malone. “We exist in ... a bit of a feudal system, where we have these kingdoms of all the facilities we’re all providing, with their own different support services at different levels.”
PART OF THE CLUB Although the review committee is meant to fully represent the UBC community, its composition initially faced criticisms from elected student representatives. Appointed by the University Counsel, the review committee has 16 seats and is composed of staff, faculty and students from the UBC Vancouver and Oakanagan campuses. “The student seats have been a bit contentious,” said Malone. “[The University Counsel] have picked folks [but] I don’t really know how they came up with these people necessarily.” Although three seats are currently occupied by students, the committee had one fewer student seat when it was initially appointed in March, and no representation was provided for SASC. The first two seats were appointed to students at large. Malone stressed the importance of having SASC’s voice on the committee, given their strong presence on campus. “If you look at the numbers that the SASC is reporting and you look at the numbers that SVPRO is reporting in terms of people, the SASC is doing a lot of the work. And I will say the influx of people coming forward is probably related to a lot of the work SVPRO is doing. … But the result is that people don’t necessarily trust the university.”
According to the 2019 Academic Experience Survey, 54 per cent of students said they felt more comfortable accessing SASC than SVPRO if they are in need of support. At the same time, there was also no initial representation of an elected student representative. The AMS also had to lobby the University Counsel to get their additional seat, which is now occupied by Burnham. “Precedent generally has been for elected student leadership, typically the AMS and GSS, to have those students’ spots within committees,” said Burnham. “And it appears as though they are moving away from this precedent to include applications from students to serve on committees. “It really was a push to even make that one extra spot.” Burnham is the AMS’s sole representative and will also be representing SASC on the committee. “I do worry about moving forward and the direction of having student-at-large selection for these types of committees,” said Burnham. “Because … their viewpoints and perspectives brought to the table are not fully reflective of the student population just by essence of being a student at large.” According to University Counsel Hubert Lai, appointed students were those who “wish to contribute to the Policy’s review and the UBC community life, are interested in policy development and are able to bring to the committee the perspectives of affected students.”
‘MULTIPLE PATHWAYS’ Following the review of the written policy, the consultation period will commence in November 2019. Lai said the consultation period will be longer than normal, and it is anticipated to extend to the end of January 2020. It will also likely be supplemented with further consultation efforts as decided by the co-chair, such as the potential for student delegations to meet with the review committee. The updated version of the policy is expected to be completed by May 2020. “Having multiple pathways for robust community engagement is critical and ensures that we are not completely reliant on any one of them,” Lai wrote in a statement to The Ubyssey. Malone and Lai both stressed the importance of the consultation period. “This is a topic that campus is pretty interested in, and so we’ll probably garner a lot of feedback,” said Malone. “And I think if we aren’t necessarily reaching out to folks, we’re not doing our due diligence when it’s a topic particularly like this. “… I view [this] as the most important thing that I will ever come in contact with on the Board.” U
4 | NEWS | TUESDAY AUGUST 27, 2019 BIG TECH //
UBC and Amazon’s Cloud Innovation Centre is met with concerns from students and faculty Sonia Pathak Contributor
On July 10 during Amazon’s IMAGINE education conference in Seattle, Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced their collaboration with UBC on the Cloud Innovation Centre (CIC). But with the announcement also came pushback from members of the UBC community who voiced concerns about the company’s track record. The CIC is meant to serve as a hub for “digital transformation challenges” that will address community-based problems or opportunities through the utilization of AWS’s cloud-based expertise and technology. But what exactly does that mean? According to Dr. Simon Bates, UBC’s associate provost teaching and learning who attended the IMAGINE conference, CICs use “Amazon’s innovation methodology to tackle what they call challenges.” “Essentially anything that Amazon has an AWS web server for has the potential or the possibility to be to be utilized, in procedure, trying to solve these challenges,” he said. These challenges would be led by student teams and focus on tackling issues under the theme of community health and wellbeing. UBC’s CIC, which will officially launch in early 2020, is one of eight CICs worldwide as well as the first CIC in Canada. Other CICs include the California Polytechnic University Digital Transformation Hub in the United States, Munich University of Applied Sciences (MUAS) Digital
UBC’s CIC, which will officially launch in early 2020, is one of eight CICs worldwide as well as the first CIC in Canada.
Transformation Lab in Germany and the Sciences Po Public Innovation Lab in France. Bates cited the California Polytechnic State University’s CIC as an example of what a challenge might look like. “A group of students developed a device that will improve the way ranchers track livestock on remote branches. ... It uses very little power, it can communicate without the need for cellular connectivity — which in remote locations is pretty important — and it can be worn [around an animal’s neck] for a year without maintenance,” he said. “Now, I don’t think we’re going to be doing any cow tracking at UBC, but it’s a nice example because it actually results in something that is
tangible and useful by people.”
TURBULENCE IN THE CLOUD But some students and faculty members have voiced concerns over the partnership in regards to Amazon’s access to UBC’s health data and the lack of consultation within the community. Jonathan Turcotte-Summers, a Students Against Bigotry (SAB) member, describes the partnership as “morally indefensible.” “Considering everything that we know about Amazon, the obscene amount of wealth it generates for Jeff Bezos, how much public funding it receives, how little it pays in taxes, the awful working conditions and job security of warehouse staff, selling
FILE JOSH CURRAN
visual recognition software to police that discriminates against people of colour, its existing partnerships with ICE ... it’s pretty clear to us that this company absolutely does not deserve a home on our campus,” said Turcotte-Summers. “We would love to see a lively, substantial debate on this issue that includes students and faculty and staff.” But there won’t be any future opportunity for consultation about the partnership. According to Bates, the decision to partner with Amazon has already been finalized. “... One of the things we had to do when we were in discussions with Amazon is do this in confidence,” he explained, “so we couldn’t have a sort of broad consultation for that.”
Instead, community members’ input would be for how the CIC is run. Bates emphasized that this partnership is very much “opt-in” for students and faculty who want to get involved with the CIC. “One of the things we are committed to though is as we figure out the governance, and the way that this partnership will operate, the way that the CIC will run ... is to make sure that we do have appropriate faculty representation and student representation in there,” Bates said. He added that UBC had measures in place to prevent any potential misuse of health data, citing UBC’s data governance program. “We understand the ethical considerations, and how it needs to be anonymized and things that, we have the physical constraints that means that we cannot store personally identifiable information on servers outside of Canada,” he said. “And again, that’s something we’re very familiar with, using AWS technologies for things like Canvas.” Overall, Bates is looking forward to seeing CIC’s development. “When you give students a little bit of agency, when you give them a little bit of flexibility and freedom to work on something that they really care about … that they think has real meaningful benefit that will last beyond the the A minus or the A plus that they get for the assignment,” he said. “In my experience, I’ve seen students do fantastic things. And if you can do that with this CIC, I think it will be amazing.” U
MOVIE NIGHT //
After multiple delays, the Norm Theatre is set to open in the fall
FiILE RYAN NEALE
Back in December — while renovations at the Life Building were still taking place — $7,300 worth of equipment was stolen from the construction site, which contributed in part to the delay.
Oliver Zhang Contributor
After months of delay, the Norman Bouchard Memorial Theatre is expected to re-open to the public in the fall semester. Back in December — while renovations at the Life Building were still taking place — $7,300 worth of equipment was stolen from the construction site, which contributed in part to the delay. “Right now, we still don’t have
our stolen equipment back in there,” said Dana Correch, a UBC Film Society (FilmSoc) theatre manager. There [are] a few reasons for that; that equipment has been bought and paid for by the AMS ... but it’s just not installed in the theatre yet because there has been a whole lot of extra renovations happening that we didn’t know were going to happen.” Since December, Correch said the project has faced a host of new
challenges including changing the carpets, getting the electricity licensed and covering the entire lobby area with a new coat of paint.
NORM’S NEXT GENERATION Named after long-time FilmSoc executive Norman Bouchard, the theatre was located in the old Student Union Building (SUB) and featured “current movies, independent films, screenings, and special events including
conferences and lectures.” “In my first year, the Norm Theatre was still fully operational, and we basically had ... four screenings a week and every screening [was] a double bill [so] we were doing eight screenings [weekly],” said Correch. Once construction in the old Student Union Building began, it was assumed that the Norm would still be accessible. But according to AMS VP Administration Cole Evans, it was discovered after the construction period that the Norm was not ready to open. Evans explained that renovations to the SUB revealed the theatre to be non-compliant with building code, which required multiple items in the space to be upgraded. AMS Council recently approved the release of $16,000 in additional expenditures from the AMS contingency fund to “only be used if required by the project to ensure Safety and Building Code Upgrades.” This comes after consultation with BIRD Construction in May, which saw that the “cost is $16,000 higher than what the AMS already has allocated to Life Building Renovations.” Once completed, the Norm Theatre will gain basic functionality and then transition
over to Phase II, which will focus on expanding the potential of existing space. While Correch agreed that the AMS took on complete financial responsibility for the Norm Theatre upgrades, she also argued the project could have been better prioritized. “There’s been a lot of stuff that the AMS has been prioritizing over the theatre at the start of this academic year,” she said. “Pretty much that meant the Norm renovations took a backseat, which is why only now are we getting to a lot of these important accessibility restrictions and code restrictions that we should have gotten to earlier.” Once the theatre is open, Correach hopes to train the next generation of incoming FilmSoc executive members, including floor managers and projectionists, on how to run the theatre. “Seeing the new generation of FilmSoc exec who have never seen the theatre and how passionate they still are about getting the theatre up and running, even though they never saw it, it’s really inspiring to me,” she said. “That just makes it clear to me that this is work that needs to be prioritized, this is work that should be a big deal to the AMS because it’s a big deal to the students.” U
CULTURE
AUGUST 27, 2019 TUESDAY
EDITOR THOMAS O’DONNELL
AFRICA AWARENESS INITIATIVE //
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COMICS//
‘Decolonising the African Collections and Jack-of-all-trades UBC Displays’ takes off as MOA hires students student Nelson Leloup to revise African object descriptions is making space for
their content Adry Yap Contributor
The project is lead by Dr. David Morton, John Michael Koffi and Nuno Porto.
Katie Czenczek Contributor
Starting this year, 16 undergraduate students who have a background in African Studies will be hired to revise and research over 1,000 African objects on display at the Museum of Anthropology (MOA). This program will also run into 2020, where 16 other students will be hired on for the next year. Nuno Porto, project director and MOA curator for Africa and South America, spoke about what he hopes to accomplish through the project. “The idea was very much to think of the ways that museums have been classifying cultures as part of a colonial form of knowledge,” he said. “Our idea is collectively to open the door, to develop forms of classification which go back to the producers and heirs of the objects which exist in the collections.” The project’s main focus is on display descriptions. Specifically the project will be looking into where these objects originated from, what languages were used to describe them, and their cultural importance. The objects will be researched in present day contexts as well. The project, lead by Porto, African Awareness Initiative President John Michael Koffi and Assistant Professor of African studies Dr. David Morton were awarded $95,280 from UBC’s Program for Undergraduate Research Experience (PURE). Koffi spoke about the greater importance that this project represents, aside from job opportunities for undergrads. “[The African Awareness Initiative’s] main objective is to change the narrative surrounding Africa, Africans and people of African descent,” he said.
“One place where we communicate a lot about culture is in the museum because you have vast, tangible knowledge. As much as we are engaging the general public at UBC, in Vancouver, in Canada, it’s very important to tell stories which are truthful and which represent the continent as it is.” As it currently stands, the African objects appear to only provide baseline information about who donated the objects and a rough estimate of where it originated from. Koffi said this is not good enough and fails to highlight the cultural importance an object may have played. “I always found it quite disrespectful to have these objects on display, whose cultures are not represented,” he said. “It might be a spiritual object from a village in Cameroon and [a visitor at the MOA] doesn’t even know. It’s just been displayed to the general public when it’s not supposed to be.” Morton also highlighted how the MOA’s current displays reflect a colonial understanding of the world and history through a single lens. “Not to say that we don’t have our own bias now,” he said. “Of course we do. These biases that have shaped how African objects are displayed are glaring. It’s a matter of respect for African cultures and African histories.” Porto acknowledged this issue, and how the lack of descriptions in the MOA is a part of a larger problem. “Ignorance about the objects is a part of the colonial heritage,” said Porto. “If you look at museums on a broader scale, in North American museums alone, there are about four million objects which have no description. Today there is a
COURTESY MOA
very conscious awareness that museums can bring forward and enforce a more progressive and documented agenda.” Although this project does signify change for how museums can and should describe objects, it is simply the beginning of a much larger discussion. “There is an interest to interact more with Africa as the place where humanity originated, the place of most of the knowledge and music can be traced back to,” said Koffi. “I’m not saying that we’ll end the colonial narratives, but it’s the first step.” The Black Student Union (BSU) and Hogan’s Alley Society came onto the project as partners later on. Savannah Sutherland, co-president of the Black Student Union, said she was very excited about the project and applied for a job with them herself. “This is exactly what I am studying in school,” she said. “This is an incredible opportunity for an anthropology student to work in the MOA on African collections, which is something that I’ve asked Nuno about in the past, so I just thought that I have to do this.” Each student will be expected to revise and research a minimum of 40 objects during their term, which will coincide with the material they learn in their courses. The positions run during each term, providing around 10 hours per week of work. “A big test for this project is to see how it works with the other courses at UBC,” said Porto. “My hope is that this will be the kind of thing not dependent on competitions. In the same way that African and South American collections need work, there are other collections in the museum that could profit from this.” U
The Michaels Girls: The chosen family is non-binary French UBC student Nelson Leloup’s response to the lack of diversity and LGBT representation in children’s literature. Leloup is a jack-of-all-trades. Along with being a secondyear student, they’re a writer, producer, director, actor but above all, a creator. Initially in the film production program, they realized their true passion lies in writing. So after taking a semester of creative writing courses, including an intro to writing comic books, Leloup came to the conclusion that their vision and creativity could not be contained within a single conventional major, and they are now considering an interdisciplinary degree. After growing tired of seeing the same white, able-bodied, straight, cis-gender characters on screen, they wrote a pilot script representative of themselves, their friends and their story. However, it was shelved by their agent due to its “progressive” nature, so they recruited a Latinx illustrator to bring The Michaels Girls: The chosen family to life, in the form of a children’s queer comic book. In The Michaels Girls: The chosen family, four girls from the present must travel back in time to Paris to save their fathers who’ve been captured by an evil villain. Along the way, the four girls get into all sorts of mishaps and adventures, all the while discovering what it truly means to be a family. What is so special about this comic is the abundance of diversity and representation. This includes characters of diverse ethnicities, orientations and genders, one character with disabilities and even a transgender cat. “There’s one girl that’s disabled and Asian, one girl that’s half-Latinx and half-white and also queer, you have another that’s Black, and the last girl is… going to come out as non-binary during the book.” Throughout the book Leloup poses the question, “What really makes a family?” Inspired by the chosen family idea — a group of people one is emotionally close and consider ‘family’ even though they may not be biologically or legally related — that is prevalent in the queer community, Leloup challenges the normative definition of a family by creating characters that are unrelated, yet deeply intertwined in each other’s lives. “Blood doesn’t make a family. Love does. If you have love, you have a family and I think that’s what the book is all about.” Leloup’s main goal with the book is to entertain readers in an informed way. Leloup’s hope is for children to feel validated
ART BY ANA KARERINA GARCÍA/ COURTESY NELSON LELOUP
The book’s cover.
by seeing themselves and the people around them represented, to understand that what society projects as the norm is not the only way to be and that there are no limitations to what you can become or what you can do. This is all through a captivating story for both adults and children with vibrant colour and animated illustrations. “What’s most important is loving yourself and accepting the love of others.” Leloup credits their ability to balance both school work and writing to two things: prioritization and passion. Writing doesn’t feel like work to them. They’ve learned how to incorporate it into their daily life and consciously chooses it above all else. “I’ve learned how to write anywhere at any given moment. If I have five [minutes], I’m going to write. It’s about knowing how to balance everything.” Authenticity is paramount for Leloup, which explains their choice to self-publish. It enables them to create something that adheres to their vision, without having to compromise their artistic integrity. “I ... think there’s such a power behind self-publishing because it’s you [going] directly to your audience ... There’s something very strong about that.” To achieve the comic’s January 2020 release date, a kickstarter campaign for the book will begin on August 28. This will allow Leloup to reach their audience directly and show publishing companies that there is a demand for queer content. Leloup’s tenacity to selfpublish diverse and representative content is setting a model for queer writers and audiences everywhere. There are no limits to creativity, no normative boundaries that cannot be broken and you can be heard if you are willing to make enough noise. “Never tone down your creativity ... to please mainstream audiences,” they said. Find a platform to write on and if you can’t find one, build one.” U
6 | CULTURE | TUESDAY AUGUST 27, 2019 //
AMS Welcome Back BBQ 2019 lineup announced with A$AP Ferg and Lil Nas X headlining Thomas O’Donnell & Tristan Wheeler Culture & Blog Editors
Welcome Back BBQ is going down the “Old Town Road” this year. The line up for the 35th annual AMS Events presents: Welcome Back BBQ was announced August 15, a month later than last year’s lineup announcement. Headlining the show will be rappers A$AP Ferg and Lil Nas X. Popular as a member of the hip-hop collective A$AP Mob and for his solo work, A$AP Ferg is best known for his songs “Plain Jane,” “Shabba” and “Work REMIX.” The song “Plain Jane” peaked at 26th on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2018. Although A$AP Ferg is a suprisingly big name for the event, the announcement of Lil Nas X on the lineup overshadowed all other performers. For those of you who live
under a rock, the über-popular rapper is known for his country hit “Old Town Road.” This song has been on top of the Billboard charts for 24 weeks, breaking previous records set by Mariah Cary and Justin Beiber. He’s not just a one-trick pony though, his songs “Panini” and “C7osure (You Like)” are certified slaps. His presence will surely be a big draw for the event. Students seemed genuinely surprised at the news as UBC Reddit user Bigmaq said, “Isn’t Lil Nas X actually a pretty big deal?” Along with big American stars, the BBQ will have some Canadian perfomers as well. Boslen is a local rapper from Chilliwack. He attended University of Victoria and played for Rugby Canada. In the past he’s collaborated the rap duo Snotty Nose Rez Kids on the song “TRAPLINE.” Producer Murda Beatz is from Toronto. He’s produced music for big names like Drake, Gucci Mane
and Nicki Minaj, so he should have some good beats to dance to. Rounding out the star-studded event, What So Not — who used to perform as a duo with music producer Flume — is a hip hop producer from Sydney, Australia. And of course Welcome Back BBQ wouldn’t be Welcome Back BBQ without a set from DJ My!Gay!Husband!. The local DJ has performed at Welcome Back BBQ since at least 2015. AMS Events presents: The 35th Annual Welcome Back BBQ is an all-ages event, featuring a 19+ beer garden and “six hours of music & revelry.” Doors open at 3 p.m. with the event starting at 4 p.m. and going until 9:30 p.m. The BBQ will take place in front of the AMS Student Nest. Tickets are still available for UBC Students at $50 each. We don’t want to sound like narcs but remember, drink within your limits and stay safe. Yee-haw y’all! U
“Isn’t Lil Nas X actually a pretty big deal?”
JADE OLANIYAN
FILM//
UBC student Yuko Fedrau’s Ricecake set to premiere at Vancouver Queer Film Festival night of dance and celebration. Dior is both a drag mother of The House of Rice and founder of Vancouver’s Queer and Asian Dance Party: Ricecake. When asked about the filmmaking process, Fedrau described it as “kind of like a scrapbook of salvaging the parts that we could use.” “Our group was very inexperienced with cameras and we also didn’t own any of our own, so we had to rent out cameras from Buchanan,” she said. “It was kind of a technical train wreck and especially when we were shooting B-roll of the space ... so I think a lot of the effort was put into postproduction and editing.” This year, the Vancouver Queer Film Festival takes place from August 15-25 and is currently the “largest queer arts event in Western Canada and the secondlargest film festival in Vancouver.” Fedrau also mentioned how excited she is at the prospect of more Asian queer representation being shown at this year’s festival. Song Lang — set to premiere during the opening gala — is a filmnoir set in Vietnam and depicts the “budding desire” between a debtcollector and opera star. Another film, Yellow Peril Queer Destiny,
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Yuko Fedrau, a fourth-year art history student, directed the film as part of her Asian Canadian and Asian Migration 350 course.
Oliver Zhang Contributor
As part of “The Coast is Queer” shorts program at this year’s Vancouver Queer Arts Film Festival, Ricecake is a short documentary film scheduled to premiere at the festival’s 31st year. Yuko Fedrau, a fourth-year
art history student, directed the film as part of her Asian Canadian and Asian Migration (ACAM) 350 course. “I attended the screening of the ACAM 350 class the year before ... and so that sort of kickstarted my involvement with ACAM in general,” she said. The film is a profile of a local
drag perfromer. “Ricecake is basically a little sneak peek into Shay Dior’s life ... it’s like a portrait documentary on Shay more than anything.” Every two months, at The Clubhouse in East Vancouver, Asian queer performers ranging from DJs to drag queens as well as partygoers come together in a
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is an experimental documentary helmed by a group of filmmakers called Love Intersections. Their focus is on the identity of queer Chinese Canadians and also features members from The House of Rice. For Fedrau, her goal is to shed light on the existence of queer Asians and their own shared lived experiences. “It’s often sort of not talked about because of the grid of intersectionality in that, you talk about the Asian diaspora experience and you leave out queer people and you talk about the queer experience and you leave out Asian people,” she said. “I just want to show it’s cool to be both and there’s a space for others.” A particular moment stands out in Fedrau’s memory when one of Shay’s friends saw the documentary in advance. “He came up to me afterwards and was like, ‘Thank you so much ... if I show this documentary to my parents, then they’ll kind of understand that it’s not just me. There’s so many other people like me that exist.’” U Yuko Fedrau previously contributed to The Ubyssey as an illustrator.
FEATURES
EDITOR PAWAN MINHAS
FOLLOWING ACCOMMODATION POLICY REVIEW, DEAF AND HARD-OF-HEARING RESIDENTS STILL FEEL LIKE ‘AN AFTERTHOUGHT’ WO R DS BY A L EX N GU Y EN I L LUST R AT I O NS + D ESI G N BY LUA P R ESI D I O
AUGUST 27, 2019 TUESDAY
7
8 | FEATURES | TUESDAY AUGUST 27, 2019
Oscar Yu was asleep in his Orchard Commons dorm room when he jerked awake to flashing lights. Usually, it would have come from the strobe lights of a door signaller, an alternative door alarm for people who are deaf or hard of hearing. But Yu, a first-year science student, knew that couldn’t be right — UBC never provided him with a door signaller despite his requests for accommodation. Instead, on the early morning of April 10, three RCMP officers were surrounding his bed with flashlights, trying to communicate something that he couldn’t understand. “I woke up and I screamed so loud,” Yu said. Half-asleep and disoriented, he tried to reach out to his cochlear implant — a small device that provides support for his deafness — that was charging nearby. But the RCMP officers stopped him. “I guess they thought I was reaching for a gun or a weapon or something, and they just blocked me and they just kept yelling. I don’t know if they were yelling because I can’t hear, but I feel like they were yelling or they just kept talking,” he said. “I just kept screaming because I didn’t know why there were people in my room, and it was really, really scary.” Eventually, Yu calmed down enough to say that he was deaf. Constable Adrienne Cheung, one of the three officers present, said in a statement to The Ubyssey that the RCMP was not aware of this before entering his room. With the new information, the RCMP officers then tried to ask Yu questions — “Do you know why we’re here?” and “Are you having suicidal thoughts?” stood out in his memory — via notepad. Eventually, the officers allowed Yu to get his cochlear implant and some belongings before driving him to the hospital. After a few hours, Yu received a free taxi ride back and returned to his room at around 7 a.m. But he said the incident stuck with him and he couldn’t go back to
sleep that day. Or the next few days. “Honestly, it was the most traumatizing thing [that] has ever happened,” he said. “When I was trying to sleep after that happened, it just seemed like I was in a room and just falling into a hole … I just wanted to go sleep because I was so tired, but I couldn’t sleep for a few days because of that experience.” What Yu didn’t learn until later that day, following a Reddit post that garnered significant attention and a meeting with Residence Life, was that the incident escalated from a well-meaning intervention. Prior to the RCMP arrival, Yu had expressed suicidal thoughts in a Facebook group chat. According to what Residence Life told him during the meeting, this raised concerns that got to a residence advisor (RA). Some RAs then tried to reach him by knocking on his door, but Yu said he didn’t notice because he had already taken out his cochlear implants to charge them. Growing concerned, they eventually called 911. “Our key priorities are the safety and security of students and that student residents with disabilities have the accommodations they need,” said UBC Student Housing and Hospitality Services (SHHS) Managing Director Andrew Parr in a statement to The Ubyssey. “We also discussed the details of the incident with him and identified areas where there were misperceptions around the course of events, and how residence staff are required to respond to the needs of students who indicate a potential desire to self-harm. Residence staff followed all established protocols during this incident and that included contacting RCMP to conduct a welfare check.” While Yu called the decision “understandable,” he expressed frustration about how the RCMP involvement could have been avoided if he had been given a door signaller. Despite having requested the accommodation immediately after getting
accepted into UBC, he said the door signaller was not installed when he arrived on campus. Yu added that he followed up with SHHS about his need but to no success. “There was no door signaller … and I still don’t have that door signaller to know if someone’s at my door,” he told The Ubyssey on April 15. Parr confirmed that UBC’s Centre for Accessibility had received Yu’s request for a visual doorbell in spring 2018, but it went unfilled because a “filing error” by SHHS. “My staff have assured the student he will have the systems he needs should he choose to reside in residence this fall, which we hope he chooses to do,” he wrote. In response, Yu said he “definitely [doesn’t] want to live on campus next year” but not solely because of this likely extreme incident. For him and other residents who are deaf or hard of hearing, there are less thought-about roadblocks that can make navigating student housing challenging despite UBC improving how it accommodates students with disabilities. And in many ways, some challenges may not be easily fixed by the kind of topdown policy update the university recently approved.
SOUNDING THE ALARM Among the roadblocks discussed by deaf or hardof-hearing residents, dysfunctional visual fire alarms are a major issue due to the frequency of fire alarms ringing at UBC — despite most of them being false. Talynn English, another first-year student and Orchard Commons resident who is deaf, remembered when she slept through a fire alarm. “I remember the time — it was a 5 a.m. on a Thursday,” she said. “That’s extremely specific, but I only remember that because I woke up at 7 a.m. and I had like a zillion texts from my RA and my floor mates and they’re like,
IT'S JUST THE LITTLE THINGS THAT LIKE NOBODY THINKS TO CONSIDER “ BECAUSE PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES ARE ALWAYS LIKE AN AFTERTHOUGHT.”
— TALYNN ENGLISH
AUGUST 27, 2019 TUESDAY | FEATURES | 9
‘There is a fire alarm, please answer!’” According to English, while her room did have a visual fire alarm as requested, it was “very strangely placed.” Since the alarm was located right above the door and the bed was around a corner from the door, the strobe light could not fully reach the bed to alert her. Yu had a similar issue with the visual alarm placement in his room. “It was frustrating not being able to have a fire alarm in the washroom, so I would have to like keep my door open to see if there’s a visual fire alarm while I’m taking a shower, especially since I have cochlear implants and I can’t get them wet,” he said. “So I have to keep my door open to make sure that there’s no fire going on.” Yu added that a number of times, the visual fire alarms did not work at all. Or, there might not be enough of them to even be noticed. “In Vanier, I don’t remember there being any lights. It was just ancient bell alarms,” Brandyn Marx, a fifthyear anthropology student who is hard of hearing, recalled from his first year living in Place Vanier. “[They] don’t really work well for someone that can’t hear [them].”
CLOSING THE GAP Despite these problems, UBC is actually more equipped to provide accommodations for deaf or hard-of-hearing residents than it was in the past. According to Centre for Accessibility Director Janet Mee, there are two categories for housing accommodations: priority access and priority placement. Priority access means that even if the students with disabilities don’t win the lottery to live in UBC’s residences, they would still be assigned housing before others. Priority placement means that the students can request housing units with specific features, such as a visual fire alarm or a door signaller. Mee added that the Centre is also the central hub for fulfilling accommodation needs. “We don’t ask individual units on campus to have the expertise to make those decisions,” she said, “and we don’t want students to have to disclose or get documentation in multiple places.” But the big document that governs this whole process is Policy 73, which until recently was criticized as being severely outdated. In a move long pushed for by student advocacy groups like the AMS, the UBC Board of Governors and Senates finally reviewed the policy after almost two decades and approved a series of
alterations between December 2018 and January 2019. According to Mee, they included changes to the policy’s definition of disability, its scope and procedures to make the policy more transparent and aligned with the case law that comes out of the BC Human Rights Tribunal. Notably, its mandate has been expanded to also cover non-academic accommodations like those for student housing. “Ultimately, the entire policy has resulted in a student disability policy that is modernized and more transparent for students and faculty,” then-AMS VP Academic Academic and University Affairs Max Holmes told The Ubyssey in December 2018.
the Centre for Accessibility consolidated all the accommodation for housing to one advisor — a “closer eye” that allowed the centre to see “where the gaps really are.” She hopes this will help limit errors like the ones Yu had in the future. “Anytime there is an incident … we always take a look at our procedures and our policy, and we sit down — in this case with Housing — to talk about how we can ensure that we address that issue,” said Mee. “Certainly, we believe that some of the pieces around the project will help to address some of those things.”
I WAS TRYING “ WHEN TO SLEEP LIKE AFTER
At the same time, there are also roadblocks that might not be easily fixed through a top-down policy change. While Marx didn’t experience a lot of difficulties while living in student housing, he often avoided going to residence events because their low lighting would disrupt his ability to read lips and communicate. “The other thing is for a lot of residencesponsored events, the lighting in Vanier generally sucks,” Marx said. “You wouldn’t think that that would be a huge deal for someone who is hard of hearing, but when I’m in crowded environments where I have to read lips, I can’t do almost anything. Like the dances that they had at the venue for first years, I made a point not to go because I know it’s going to be dark. I don’t really like going to dances anyway — but even if I do go, I’m not going to understand what any of my friends say so I’m just gonna avoid that.” English similarly described the difficulties of attending events that are heavy in public speaking or have a major sound component. According to her, it is sometimes challenging to ask for support in casual settings like these because of the near invisibility of her deafness. Like Yu, English wears cochlear implants but they usually blend in with her shoulderlength hair. But she added that she doesn’t want to feel tokenized by that identity. “I think it’s harder to get people to take me seriously when I say like, ‘Oh, I can’t hear you,’” she said. “People just kind of just assume like, ‘Oh, it’s fine,’ and then I drop the ‘deaf bomb’ on them and they’re like, ‘Whoa!’ I feel sometimes when I tell people that I’m deaf, I almost feel like I’m tokenizing it as, ‘Oh, I’m deaf and that’s all that I am.’”
THAT HAPPENED, IT JUST SEEMED LIKE I WAS IN A ROOM AND JUST FALLING INTO A HOLE...
”
— OSCAR YU But, based on Yu and English’s experiences, it’s clear that some residents are still falling through this closing gap. Mee emphasized that with the recent policy updates, getting units on campus like SHHS familiarized with the revisions is going to be “an ongoing process,” which has just begun in March. “We’re in a pretty intensive phase of education around the policy and all of the procedures that kind of relate to accommodating students with disabilities,” she said. “That’s a very high priority for us to continue over the next year.” Mee also said the Centre for Accessibility is working with SHHS to look at how UBC can standardize the language for existing accommodations and create a bank of commonly needed equipment to install them more quickly. According to her, this project came up after
MISSING OUT
10 | FEATURES | TUESDAY AUGUST 27, 2019
FINDING COMMUNITY On a larger scale, this near invisibility could mean it’s more difficult for students who are deaf or hard of hearing to find their community. According to Mee, around 2 to 3 per cent of the Centre’s approximate 3,500 clients are deaf or hard of hearing, a range from between 70 to 105 on a campus with over 60,000 people. But this is likely to be an underestimate, as Mee herself admitted. ‘We only know about the people who require some form of accommodations,” she said. “But there is a much more significant group of individuals on campus who could be considered deaf or hard of hearing that we wouldn't necessarily know about.” In fact, both Marx and English pointed out how the number of deaf or hard-of-hearing students they know could be counted on one hand. “I have reached out to so many people, but it's actually a small community,” English said. “I'm actually kind of shocked by how small it is. I do know a couple people that know sign languages and I do know a couple of people that have hearing loss, but it's kind of a sprawl.” At the same time, UBC Signs — a student-run club created in 2015 to “promote awareness for sign languages and the local and distant Deaf communities” — has been decommissioned as an AMS club. According to club President Joshua Green, it has not had an event since late 2017 and is unlikely to continue in the future. “Now that UBC is officially providing a means to learn [American Sign Language], I feel that UBC Signs might no longer need to host classes,” Green wrote to The Ubyssey. “If the club were to continue I think it should be focused around providing an environment for students in LING 447H to practice signing together.” Without a central group, the interests of residents who are deaf or hard of hearing often don’t make it
into the agenda of student advocacy groups. According to Residence Hall Association (RHA) President Harresh Thayakaanthan, the RHA was not aware of Yu’s incident until The Ubyssey’s comment request on May 6. Similarly, he acknowledged that “accessibility has not been a recent advocacy topic for the RHA” but said that the association is committed to supporting residents. “The largest barrier that we face when responding to advocacy issues such as this is that they are not brought to our attention in the first place,” Thayakaanthan wrote to The Ubyssey. “We encourage all residents to continue to come forward with their experiences, as there is nothing we value more than their input as we work towards an effective solution, together.” Getting a fuller understanding of the community is also part of Marx’s work to support the AMS Equity Caucus, which was restructured in May with further plans for consultation in the upcoming school year. While there are still many moving parts, he looks forward to diversifying the idea of accessibility on campus. “[This means] increasing visibility and expanding the whole idea about ‘What does it mean to have a disability?’ and ‘What does it mean to have access?’ because a ramp isn't going to fix a problem for a deaf person,” he said. In the meantime, other deaf or hard-of-hearing residents are continuing to advocate for their needs in whatever capacity they can, wherever they are. “I want people to know that UBC Housing has some work to do,” said Yu about his decision to go public about his experience following the Reddit post, which was published under a username. “They need to take accommodations more seriously. If someone requests an accommodation, they should make sure that happens. And people who are disabled, they shouldn't have to wait and have to ask for those accommodations that they already asked [for] before.”
Meanwhile, English is focusing on making residence events more accessible with her new role as the Orchard Commons Residence Association president, While starting out small, she hopes this consideration will carve out more advocacy space for residents who are deaf or hard of hearing. “Even just events like coffee house[s] and movie nights, [it can] just be ensuring that captioning is available and that everyone is able to attend,” she said. “It's just the little things that like nobody thinks to consider because people with disabilities are always an afterthought.” U
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OPINIONS
AUGUST 27, 2019 TUESDAY
EDITOR TRISTAN WHEELER
11
A DIFFERENT LENS //
Letter: Disinviting UBC from the Vancouver Pride Parade unfairly affects Indigenous and Two-Spirit people Rodney Little Mustache Contributor
I was sent a news clip by text on July 8 and was quickly outraged as the Vancouver Pride Society (VPS) banned UBC from participating in this year’s Pride Parade “due to transphobic speaker.” It just so happened I was across the street from the VPS office. I entered the office and mentioned to Executive Director Andrea Arnot that Two-Spirits and First Nations should be exempt from this decision, as we have been fighting for inclusion on various levels at UBC. I was then told that we were allowed to march but with no UBC or AMS signage. I then informed Arnot that I had a banner for an AMS Club I am working on and a banner with the words “AMS 2Spirit/Idol No More UBC.” I was allowed to march as long as the words were covered. I left after agreeing. But, on the way home, I started looking at this decision through a different lens. With the recent release of the Murdered and Missing Women & Girls Final Report on June 3, the following words entered Canadian society: “The truth is that we live in a country whose laws and institutions perpetuate violations of basic human and Indigenous rights. These violations amount to nothing less than the deliberate, often covert campaign of genocide
against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA people. This is not what Canada is supposed to be about; it is not what it purports to stand for.” The report confirmed that the ruling parties, both federal and provincial, have policies that amount to genocide — yet they are allowed to march. Dr. Hedy Fry has been a member of parliament (MP) for 26 years, making her the longest serving female MP. But she and Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations Dr. Carolyn Bennett are members of a party whose leader, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, has had to apologize for disrespecting protestors from Grassy Narrows, a place where “experts in mercury poisoning report that 90 per cent of the population of Grassy Narrows and Wabaseemoong First Nations show signs of exposure to the toxin, including people born years after the dumping of mercury ended.” “I will prevent disease whenever I can, for prevention is preferable to cure.” Have Fry and Bennett’s party broken this modern version of the Hippocratic Oath? Canada is in a fragile place right now, as genocide and its effects affect each one of us. Like many First Nations, I woke up early on June 3 and heard these words from Commissioner Michèle Audette: “We need to
“I started looking at this decision through a different lens.”
change right now ... we are not comfortable with this word ... but to be honest, do you want to stay in that uncomfortable zone? Or do you want to be a proactive person, a change maker?” As a 50 year-old First Nations, who lived with HIV for 26 years, who is Two-Spirit, who was homeless and who has been clear of Hepatitis C for five years, I — for the first time in my life — felt that I was heard, accepted and honoured for being Two-Spirit. Yes, my family and friends treated me this way as well, but this time, it was spoken on national TV that being 2SLGBTQIA+ was something worth living for and advocating for change where needed. I felt so happy that I
woke family and friends at 5:30 a.m. to listen along with me here in Vancouver and at my home on the Piikani Nation. There are no speeches like this given by political leaders today. Yet, for almost 40 years, I have seen negative actions and nonaction by political leaders that still deny, through policy and laws, First Nations communities a chance at a real future. These policies affect Two-Spirits in such a negative way, some turn to addictions, some sadly make wrong decisions, some take their own lives and then there are those who are brutally murdered, like my best friend and cousin, without justice. It is my view that policies and laws by politicians who have never
FILE THE UBYSSEY
lived the lives we live are putting First Nations, Inuit and Métis youth at risk, on and off reserve. The theme of this year’s Pride parade is “50 years and still fighting” — we, as Two-Spirits, have been fighting for over 152 years. We have stood side by side with the LGBTQ+ community to fight for equality. Will you write the VPS and ask that politicians be disinvited to participate? U Maistoo’awaastaan (Crow Flag), also know as Rodney Little Mustache, is a third-year Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice student from the Piikani Nation of the Niitsitapi Confederacy. The opinions expressed are solely his own.
#NOTSOEQUALVOICE //
Letter: Women of colour are being pushed out of workplaces
“It’s not enough to see diverse faces included,”
Tanvi Bhatia Contributor
Women of colour are being pushed out of supposedly progressive workplaces and not enough people are asking why. As an employer, as well as a university that hosts various social justice-based clubs, groups and services, UBC needs to join the conversation. We need to talk about how social justice communities are failing women of colour, losing valuable talent and causing harm within the same populations they aim to serve. Last year, a graphic from the Centre of Community Organizations went viral on Twitter. It was called “The ‘Problem’ of Women of Colour in the Workplace” and it depicted the life cycle of a woman of colour
within an organization, from the moment she enters to the moment she leaves. The graphic made its way around the internet because it resonated with people. When I first came across it, I didn’t pay it too much attention. But a year later, after going through something similar at my own workplace, I found myself coming back to it again. I was surprised by how familiar it was, not just in relation to my own experiences but to stories I’d heard from other women of colour over the past few months who had either left their jobs or were thinking of leaving their jobs for similar reasons. When I started working at a non-profit, youth-based organization, I was passionate about the work and ready to make a change. I didn’t expect to
ELIZABETH WANG
be leaving less than a year later. But harmful behaviours from someone in power created a toxic environment in which I was unable to get work done, and my mental and physical health were being affected in a very tangible way. I spent months telling myself it wasn’t as bad as I thought it was, even going through formal reporting procedures which seemed to have little to no effect on the situation. It wasn’t until I heard the stories of others that I realized my experience was indicative of a pattern and I decided I couldn’t be a part of it anymore. Right around the time I quit my job, #NotSoEqualVoice started trending on Twitter after three women of colour were fired for from Equal Voice, an organization which aims to empower women in politics. Cherie Wong, Leila
Moumouni-Tchouassi and Shanese Steele shared their criticisms of the organization — in particular, its issues around race — both internally and externally before being fired for “harassment and defamation” of the organization and the executive director. As Wong, Moumouni-Tchouassi and Steele continued to share their experiences online, other women of colour began to chime in. Many had similar experiences: they had noticed problems in their workplace, attempted to make change through internal channels and failed to see it happen. Whether by being fired, bogged down or burned out, these women left the organizations. These aren’t isolated incidents and it’s about time we start paying attention to the systems in place that allow this to continue. There are questions we need to be asking — and loudly. How do we hold those in power or leadership positions accountable? What happens when those accountability structures fail? How do we account for the other power dynamics at play, such as — but not limited to — race and gender? UBC, like any other institution, needs to be paying attention to these dynamics and how they replicate themselves not only in workplaces within the university, but also in student societies, clubs and classrooms. We need to move beyond conversations of representation
and interrogate who actually holds power. It’s not enough to see diverse faces included. They also need to be heard, valued and have avenues for voicing criticism and feedback that may, at times, be difficult to hear. Of course, there are repercussions for those who speak up. What happened to the women at Equal Voice is perhaps a more extreme, public example of what these repercussions can look like. They are often subtler. Not being looked at for promotions, being given less responsibility, having your voice pushed further to the margins within your own organization and gaining a reputation for being “difficult” are just a few of the ways in which women of colour are punished for speaking up. Finding women of colour to speak publicly about their experiences is challenging, because it requires a great deal of risk. That doesn’t mean we aren’t talking. Listen closely next time you’re on campus and you’ll hear the whispers, shared conversations with friends over coffee or unintentional support groups in the library. Ask your racialized friends how they’re doing. Have uncomfortable conversations and listen, really listen — we have a lot to say. U Tanvi Bhatia is a MFA student entering her first year. The opinions expressed are solely her own.
FROM THE BLOG
AUGUST 27, 2019 TUESDAY
EDITOR TRISTAN WHEELER
12
DRINK WATER, IT’S FREE //
Summer skincare: How to achieve a summer glow without the sun Adry Yap Contributor
One of the best parts about going to the beach is leaving with a tanned, sun-kissed glow. But what about those of us who aren’t keen on roasting our bodies in the sun? Here are some tips and tricks to achieve J-Lo-level radiance with minimal sun exposure.
SELF-TANNERS FTW! I’ve always been a little wary of self-tanners. No one wants to look like an overly-bronzed OompaLoompa! But this summer, I decided the risk might be worth the reward. Lo and behold, the results were terrific. Self-tanners are a great way to look like you’ve gotten a little sun without getting sunburned or sundamaged. I recommend a product like Jergen’s Natural Glow Instant Sun Tanning Mousse — quite a mouthful, I know — which I picked up from Shoppers Drug Mart for $9.99! It dries in 60 seconds and naturally bronzes your skin.
HYDRATE INTERNALLY AND EXTERNALLY Having well-hydrated skin is the key to maintaining a youthful glow. One of the greatest ways to achieve this is to moisturize from within. How? Drink water! Eight glasses a day is the recommended
MAYA RODRIGO-ABDI
While beauty is not just skin deep, there’s nothing wrong with that skin being luminous.
amount, which plumps and detoxes your skin. Another great way to hydrate your skin is with serums. My go to serum is The Ordinary’s Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5. For only $6.80, you can’t go wrong! Hyaluronic acid holds 1,000 times its weight in water, making it a terrific skin hydrator. Be sure to apply it after toner and before moisturizer to reap its full benefits!
MASK ON Sheet masks are great because they create a seal, allowing your skin to really soak up the nutrients and vitamins within the serum. The beauty of sheet masks is that they’re designed to address specific concerns. I personally love Korean sheet masks, specifically by Dermal. Amazon sells them in packs of 16 for around $23, perfect for those of us on a budget!
HAVE A BASIC SKINCARE ROUTINE You know what they say: what you do in your 20s shows up in your 30s. Invest in your skin now, before it’s too late! Having a skincare routine will keep your skin happy, healthy and well-preserved. The least I would recommend is toner, serum, moisturizer and SPF. Don’t worry, you don’t have to shell out hundreds at Sephora. The
drugstore has some great products that will work just as well. I also love popping into Winners for affordable, high-quality products. You can definitely build a basic but effective skincare routine for under $40! While beauty is not just skin deep, there’s nothing wrong with that skin being luminous. So take good care of your skin and give these tips and tricks a try for a radiant summer glow! U
SHIT-TALKING //
Find the artful home for your favourite lavatory with Toilets of UBC
The account has only two posts so far, both featuring reviews of washrooms on campus.
Sammy Smart Contributor
The surreal Instagram page we didn’t know we needed has been created: @toiletsofubc. The account has only two posts so far, both featuring reviews of washrooms on campus. The first post features the washroom in
the Allard School of Law, noting cleanliness, peace and quiet, nice hand dryers and a slightly out-of-theway location. The second features the second floor Koerner Library washroom, which has a notable stench, water-covered counters and a luxurious stall that has a shelf in it. This seemingly topical account could have more interesting
ELIZABETH WANG
movements behind it. Similar to Marcel Duchamp’s Readymades, these pictures could serve to create art out of the everyday necessity of doing your business, simply by taking a picture of it and posting it on Instagram. The toilet has already become a surreal motif thanks to Duchamp, so this could serve to revive surreal, Dadaist art
right here at UBC. Another possibility is that this is going to become the go-to washroom reviewing medium for UBC students, and it’s going to create a culture of conscious washroom use. We’ll be well-informed on whether or not it’s worth it to walk the extra five minutes for a cleaner, more solitary washroom. We’ll know which ones
to avoid, which ones to frequent and which ones to cherish. Will this cause the nicer ones to be more popular? Maybe. Will this cause the bad ones to be abandoned? Sure could, but that opens possibilities for cult followings. Either way, this account has endless potential and we’re excited to see what comes of it. U
SCIENCE
AUGUST 27, 2019 TUESDAY
EDITOR JAMES VOGL
13
UPDATE THE CURRICULUM //
Study: High school climate change education varies widely by province Micah Killjoy Contributor
Climate change education varies across Canadian provinces, according to a new study that came out of UBC. But instead of these differences being determined by the province’s political slant, the pair of UBC researchers found that they are more based on how recently the curriculum was updated. UBC geography PhD candidate Seth Wynes and advisor Dr. Kimberly A. Nicholas recently released a study examining the good and the bad of how climate change is taught in Canadian schools. The study surveyed provincial curriculum pertaining to climate change by looking for the inclusion of six topics: basic understanding of how the climate works, that the climate is warming, that humans are causing the warming, that scientists are at a consensus regarding the warming, that the warming will be bad for humanity and that it is still possible for humans to fix the worst effects. Wynes was a high school teacher who became interested in the topic after conversations with students about climate change. He realized he wanted to come to a better understanding of how it was taught and how that teaching could be improved. After compiling the data, Wynes and Nicholas found that Saskatchewan and Ontario were the most comprehensive in their coverage while Nova Scotia and New Brunswick were the least. The authors had hypothesized
The differences are not found to be determined by the province’s political slant.
that there would be an inverse relationship between the political conservatism of a province — conservatism is historically a stance that correlates with lack of concern for climate change — and how comprehensive the climate education was. This hypothesis was proven incorrect. Similarly, Wynes and Nicholas expected provinces with a large stake in fossil fuels to have poor climate science education, but
did not find that to be the case. Saskatchewan has an economy dependent on the fossil fuel industry, but its climate science education rated highly in the study. Instead, a large indicator for comprehensiveness of curriculum was how recently it had been updated. In Manitoba, for example, curriculum dated back to 2001 and New Brunswick’s was from 2002 — years before most students in secondary school were even
FILE SHAMIT RAHMAN
born. As such, these curricula held outdated modes of teaching climate science to students. The study also examined how curricula were created. If “[a] province invites a couple of teachers onto their curriculumwriting team [who] are passionate about climate change ... suddenly climate change has a huge presence in the curriculum documents,” said Wynes. An implication of this finding
is that while a single individual can have a major impact on the curriculum of an entire province, there is no single standard across Canada. Wynes also stressed the importance of taking debate out of curricula when discussing ideas that have consensus within the scientific community. “There are certain areas where it makes sense to hold debates,” he said. “In science class, it might be over ethical areas where society is still grappling with science that’s new and not well-understood. But we don’t generally encourage debate on topics that are wellsettled.” Wynes admitted that the biggest limitation of the study was that it looked at a single moment in time. For example, since the data was compiled, BC has made major updates to its science curriculum. But that’s not necessarily true everywhere. Curriculum-building is a long, methodical process — and while curriculum is being updated, students may still not have the most current science education. In the meantime, Wynes hopes that schools will encourage up-to-date climate education by supporting science educators in the classroom, as well as with professional development. “[We need to] make sure that teachers are being supported in teaching the scientific consensus, which is that humans are causing climate change,” he said. “It’s a really big problem. But if we act quickly, there are still solutions available.” U
INCLUSIVITY //
Diversity in Mathematics Summer School aims to tackle underrepresentation
‘What I hear every year, in every cohort, is the sense of isolation.”
Clare Skillman Contributor
When asked what she feels is the biggest obstacle to including women and minorities in STEM, Dr. Malabika Pramanik, a UBC professor of mathematics, responded, “What I hear every year, in every cohort, is the sense of isolation. The feeling that we are really misfit in a discipline where the show of smartness seems to be the norm.” Pramanik decided to tackle this barrier by founding the
Diversity in Mathematics Summer School. The program consists of two weeks of workshops and summer camps aimed to inspire students, primarily those who identify as female, non-binary and/or TwoSpirit, to believe in their abilities and view higher education or a career in mathematics as a viable option. The feeling that Pramanik identified as a barrier to the inclusion of women and minorities in STEM is also known as “imposter syndrome,”
FILE ELIZABETH WANG
which is a psychological pattern that causes the individual to be afraid and to constantly feel as though they are not good enough or a fraud. These fears create a significant mental barrier to women and minorities regardless of their actual talents. Fostering a supportive environment and connecting students with mentors early on can greatly help to reduce fears that would otherwise hold students back. The summer school is comprised of two sister programs: one for high school students
from the Lower Mainland and another for “female-identified undergraduate students” studying at a Canadian university, according to their website. The two programs are interwoven so that undergraduate students can serve as mentors for their younger counterparts. “We try to focus on students who love mathematics and who should be thinking of pursuing a university career but are not necessarily doing so right now,” said Pramanik. Although the high school component was only added in 2018, the undergraduate component has existed in some form since 2012. Each week focuses on a different research-intensive and contemporary area of mathematics that is not taught in the students’ curriculum. Dr. Malebogo Ngoepe, a professor based in the department of mechanical engineering at the University of Cape Town, facilitator for the 2019 first week module and visiting scholar at the Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies said, “It’s been really life giving. There’s something quite incredible about being able to work with women and female students in mathematics, which is typically a very male-dominated field.” Ngoepe’s specialty is applying computational fluid dynamics models to biological systems. She
emphasized that the inclusion of women and minorities in STEM is particularly important because they will help shape which issues are addressed in research. For example, one of the activities that the students completed this year was developing a fluid mechanics model of a disease or condition of the body. One of the groups chose to examine what effect Von Willebrand disease — a type of bleeding disease — had on the menstrual periods of those with the condition. “If you don’t have women studying that field, I can almost guarantee you that that won’t come up,” said Ngoepe. “The importance of mentoring women in STEM is so that STEM subjects can be more balanced and we can use our collective intelligence resources to address challenges that face all of humanity.” Applications for the summer school open in April for undergraduate students and July for high school students. As is stated on the program’s website, “Only a stable support network can enhance minority representation in STEM fields. The program will not just teach exciting math, but also showcase role models and create a selfsustaining support system by training future leaders.” U
SPORTS+REC
EDITOR SALOMON MICKO BENRIMOH
AUGUST 27, 2019 TUESDAY
14
STARTING STRONG //
T-Birds begin 2019 Canada West campaign with steadfast wins against Spartans and Cascades Lucy Fox Contributor
It’s been nine months since UBC saw a blue and gold soccer team at Thunderbird Stadium — oh how things have changed since then. The men’s roster, which was voted ‘Most likely to win Canada West’ earlier this week, had a reshuffle in the off-season with an influx of new recruits to heighten the team’s core starting lineup. It’s paid off so far. The ’Birds are off to a steady start to their 2019 campaign with 2–0 win on Friday against the University of the Fraser Valley Cascades and a 3–2 win at home on Sunday against the Trinity Western Spartans under their belt. Perhaps most promising, the ’Birds goals came from a variety of players — a contrast to last season’s reliance on some key forwards like Kristian Yli-Hietanen and Caleb Clarke, and central midfielder Thomas Gardner. Information and opportunities for input on In Sunday’s home-opener at Thunderbird Stadium, the ’Birds improvements to Walter Gage Road between Wesbrook Mall and East Mall will also be provided. would find the net first with a goal from fifth year veteran and team Can’t attend in person? captain Sean Einarsson. His celebrations were stifled Online feedback on the Pacific Residences will be accepted until March 5, 2019. To learn more or to quickly as Trinity’s Tristan comment on this project, please visit: Torresan volleyed the ball into the planning.ubc.ca/vancouver/projects-consultations left side of T-Bird keeper Jason SALOMON MICKO BENRIMOH Roberts’s net a short three minutes Thunderbirds captain Sean Einarsson makes a header in front on the Spartans’ net on Sunday’s home opener at Thunderbird Stadium. later. The Spartans took the lead His goal would end Trinity’s Midfielder Mackenzie Cole and securing UBC’s 3–2 win. that will benefit the team going early in the second half, with control of play though, as UBC’s forward Ryan Arthur would each “I thought his effort, especially forward, as head coach Mike a goal off a corner kick from fast-paced passing game seemed nab a goal for the ’Birds off assists once we went down, was really Mosher has two of Canada’s best towering striker Cody Fransen. to get the best of TWU’s defence. from outside back Jordan Haynes, admirable and I think he really at his disposal. stepped up,” said Thunderbirds Immediately ahead of Roberts head coach Mike Mosher on and Bush, the T-Birds backline has Notice of Development Permit Application - DP 19020 the second-year defender’s new personnel too. With Connor performance against the Spartans. Guilherme absent from the roster As for Ryan Arthur, the veteran this year, UBC has added fresh forward couldn’t have asked for a faces to complement the dynamic better way to cap off his return to play of centre back Riley Pang Join us on Tuesday, September 10 to view and comment on the proposed academic/student housing hub the Thunderbirds after one season and outside back Daniel Kaiser: straddling the 6100 Block of Walter Gage Road south of Allard Hall. away, netting the game-winning Calgary Foothills recruits and goal in the 78th minute off a Whitecaps FC 2 alumni Jackson Date: Tuesday, September 10, 2019 Times: 11:30am - 1:30pm Haynes assist. Farmer and Haynes. Place: Concourse, UBC Life Building, 6138 Student Union Blvd. “Ryan sort of got this new Both have professional soccer confidence which is great to see. experience that could bring some Plans will be displayed for two buildings totalling He’s a different kind of player, stability and vision to UBC’s back 30,163m2 comprising an 18 storey north tower and a he’s a handful, he’s kind of that line — something already seen 13 storey south tower. The project will provide up to forward that nobody likes to play, from the two assists by Haynes on 600 student beds, associated SHHS services, and a he’s quick, he chases everything, Sunday. mix of academic and institutional space. he fights for everything, he Through the midfield and competes for every ball and he’ll forward lines, Mosher continues Representatives from the project team and Campus get in behind and get some goals,” to have a plethora of pace and + Community Planning will be available to provide coach Mosher said on Arthur. creativity to choose from. Though it wasn’t one of their Between the pairing of information and respond to inquiries about this most convincing wins in recent Whitecaps alumni and Canadian project. seasons, it shows signs of promise Premier League draft picks for a new-look roster — and ignites Thomas Gardner and Nick Fussell For further information: Please direct questions to new excitement for a team who in the middle of the park, and Karen Russell, Manager, Development Services consistently look to challenge at the rotation of returning players karen.russell@ubc.ca 604-822-1586 the national university level. Victory Shumbusho, Mackenzie This event is wheelchair accessible. For one, the goalkeeping duo Cole and Ryan Arthur up front, that saw the Thunderbirds finish UBC already has a solid base on Can’t attend in person? fourth at the 2017 nationals is back the attack. This could support Online feedback on the Brock Commons Phase 2 will be accepted until September 17, 2019. in action. Chad Bush, who started powerhouse rookies like Logan To learn more or to comment on this project, please visit: 20 games for the T-Birds through Chung, a Whitecaps FC Academy planning.ubc.ca/vancouver/projects-consultations that 2017 campaign and had a recruit, as they grow into the goals against average of 0.71 (third- lineup. best in Canada West in regular It’s a new year and a new season), has rejoined the roster season for a men’s soccer roster alongside fifth-year Jason Roberts. that will, as ever, be the ones to Roberts had a stellar 2018 watch throughout the fall. season, with just seven goals Last year may not have gone against in regular season. He also how one expected, but if anything topped Canada West playoff stats it adds fuel to the fire of a group with zero goals against through that already shows the potential the post-season. It’s a pairing for greatness. U
Public Open House Brock Commons Phase 2
AUGUST 27, 2019 TUESDAY | SPORTS+REC | 15 SUMMER SUCCESS //
Rowing, field hockey and swimming athletes highlight Thunderbirds summer international campaigns
Between the Pan Ams, Universiade Games, World Championships and more, it was a busy summer.
for the 10 kilometre event in the world. At the 2019 International Swimming Federation (FINA) World Aquatics Championships in Gwangju, South Korea, Fan kept himself within the top-10 before dropping back to 17th in the 75-person open final. While a top 10 finish would have secured Fan a spot in the 10 kilometre swim at the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics, it is still an amazing result for the rookie open water athlete. Later, at a FINA World Series stop in Lac-MÊgantic, Quebec, Fan stepped on the podium for a bronze medal in the 10 kilometre swim, finishing just 6.4 seconds behind Kristof Rasovszky of Hungary and his winning time of 2:46.03. Amazingly, it was not Fan’s first
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international medal as he already collected a silver medal at the Ligue EuropÊenne de Natation (LEN) Open Water Swimming Cup at Lac du Causse in Brive, France back in May as part of the Canadian team relay. Even though Fan is still new to the sport, he’s on track to make a case for qualification for the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Olympics and even a high-place finish should he continue to improve in the challenging discipline at his current pace. With summer winding down to a close, the Thunderbirds can look back at these last few months with a smile knowing they’ve left a mark on the international sporting scene and prepare for the various Canada West and U Sports seasons that are just around the corner. U
in her early teens of which she still deals with lingering effects today. She took up rowing at age 26 in 2016 before joining the Thunderbirds team and helping them secure a number of national and club titles over the last few seasons. Lastly, there is Hau Li Fan, the veteran distance swimmer and a member of three Thunderbird U Sports national championship teams. While being a highly competitive swimmer in the pool, this summer saw Fan make the jump into open water swimming. Even though he has just a few open water races under his belt, Fan has quickly jumped into elite territory, marking himself as one of the best open water swimmers
• Free, fast, safe and anonymous.
FILE ALEX VANDERPUT
While most of us were sitting lakeside with a cold one in hand or stuck in the deepest confines of Irving K. Barber studying for a dreaded CHEM 224 midterm, the Thunderbirds were out all across the world competing. Whether it was in the pool, at the rowing centre, at the Pan American Games in Peru or Universiade in Italy, the Thunderbirds are returning from perhaps their most successful summer international outing yet. While there are many achievements and podium finishes to note, there are a few standout performances that deserve a bit of extra attention. Firstly, there is the doublesilver finish made by both the men’s and women’s field hockey squads at the Pan American Games in Lima, Peru. On the women’s side, the team was led by alumni Rachel Donohoe, Steph Norlander, Shanlee Johnston, Sara McManus, Natalie Sourisseau, Kate Wright (Gillis) and Hannah Haughn as they powered through the group stage and early playoff rounds. Their campaign started with a 10–0 win over Cuba, followed by a 3–0 loss to powerhouse squad Argentina before rebounding with another big 5–0 victory over Uruguay leaving them in second in Group A before the classification round. The squad then quickly took care of Mexico in the form of a big 9–0 win before facing a strong United States team. Thanks to goals from National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) alumni Karli Johansen and Madeline Secco (who played for the University of Iowa Hawkeyes and Stanford Cardinal respectively), the Canadians upset the Americans 2–0 on their way to the gold-medal game. A win in the final would have automatically qualified
the Canadian national team for a spot in next summer’s Tokyo 2020 Olympics but ultimately the Argentinians, ranked third in the World and first in the Americas would take the game 5–1. Even in defeat, it was a valiant effort by the squad who have proven themselves as a force to be reckoned with, come Olympic qualifications. A silver-medal finish did help the national team move up three places to 18th overall in the International Hockey Federation (FIH) world rankings and second behind Argentina in the Americas. For the men’s team, it was almost the same story, as the team went undefeated in the group stage, which featured a 14–1 win over hosts Peru. The team consisted of current T-Birds Balraj Panesar and James Wallace as well as alumni Scott Tupper, Taylor Curran, Oliver Scholfield, Keegan Pereira, David Carter and Gordon Johnston. Veteran national team member Tupper also acted as the flag bearer for the opening ceremonies. The Canadian men marched straight to the final with wins over Trinidad and Tobago and Chile in the playoff round before ultimately falling 5–2 to the Argentinians. The Canadians and Argentinians have met in the final of the men’s tournament in every Pan American Games final since Mexico City 1975, with Canada taking the crown on four occasions and the Argentinians 10 times. Still in Lima, rower Jessica Sevick reached a crowning moment in her long and tumultuous sporting career, which spans over two decades and two sports. The veteran Thunderbird took gold in the women’s single sculls ahead of Felice Chow of Trinidad and Tobago and Soraya Jadue of Chile. Sevick, a former luge athlete, overcame a traumatic brain injury
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Thunderbirds #18 James Wallace was one of two current T-Birds to make the cut for the Pan Ams roster
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16 | GAMES | TUESDAY AUGUST 27, 2019
U
did you know that . . . A group of foxes is called a skulk.
— Mizuki Y.
send your best facts to visuals@ubyssey.ca to be featured in our next issue!
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COURTESY KRAZYDAD.COM
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KAKURO
COURTESY KRAZYDAD.COM
Kakuro puzzles are like a cross between a crossword and a Sudoku puzzle. Instead of letters, each block contains the digits 1 through 9. The same digit will never repeat within a word. If you add the digits in a word, the sum will be the number shown in the clue. Clues are shown on the left and right sides of “across” words, and on the top and bottom sides of “down” words.
CROSSWORD PUZZLE ACROSS
DOWN
1. Let’s go!; 5. Sallow; 10. Bk. before Job; 14. Island of Hawaii; 15. Every 24 hours; 16. Perlman of “Cheers”; 17. Straightlaced; 18. Disinfectant brand; 19. Don’t look at me!; 20. Sympathetic; 23. “Exodus” author Leon; 24. Smoking or ___?; 25. “Our Gang” girl; 28. CIA forerunner; 31. Botch; 35. Mountain nymphs; 37. Point of no return?; 39. Plague; 40. Make urban; 44. That, in Tijuana; 45. Adj. modifier; 46. U.S. film actor; 47. Backpack part; 50. Ballad ending; 52. Charlotte ___; 53. Title for Elton; 55. Organic compound; 57. Unpredictable; 63. Numbers to crunch; 64. Claw; 65. Crucifix; 67. Computer operator; 68. Angry; 69. Take apart; 70. Greek peak; 71. Lightens; 72. Run into;
1. Eddie Murphy’s Axel Foley, for one; 2. Painter Chagall; 3. Presidential battleground state; 4. Having the shape of a coin; 5. Opponent of Ike; 6. States as fact; 7. Sibilate; 8. “The Time Machine” race; 9. Parachute material; 10. Verdi title bandit; 11. Ammo; 12. Head of France; 13. “Bali --”; 21. Madrid museum; 22. ___ de guerre; 25. Cupolas; 26. Give it ___!; 27. Pave over; 29. Balm; 30. Poli ___; 32. Rotates; 33. Nods off; 34. Daisy variety; 36. Mineral spring; 38. List ender; 41. Lyric tribute; 42. Brother of Moses; 43. Monetary unit of Bhutan; 48. Capital of Eritrea; 49. Lulu; 51. Distant; 54. Knot again; 56. Hawaiian state birds; 57. Soviet news agency; 58. French summers; 59. ___ avis; 60. Melodramatic cry; 61. Top-drawer; 62. Veinlike deposit; 63. Two of them; 66. Decimal point;
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