January 23, 2024

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JANUARY 23, 2024 | VOLUME CV | ISSUE XII MILK WALK SINCE 1918

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Interim AMS president begins term

Jasper Sloan Yip’s journey from CBC to CiTR

Instagram’s hold on UBC student life

Snobel Peace Prize

‘Birds soar to Winter Classic victories

NEWS

FEATURES

OPINION

HUMOUR

SPORTS

A resume line turns into passion at UMi

THE UBYSSEY

i // 6

SCIENCE

Gut Talk: Why are Canadians bowels so irritable? //16

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JANUARY 23, 2024 TUESDAY

WHO’S WHO AT UBC

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OUR CAMPUS

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JANUARY 23, 2023 | VOLUME CV | ISSUE XII

EDITORIAL

BUSINESS

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ON THE COVER COVER ANYA A AMEEN AND FIONA SJAUS

Dr. Sasha Protopopova runs UBC’s fluffiest lab Jocelyn Baker Humour Editor

It wouldn’t be fair to call Dr. Alexandra ‘Sasha’ Protopopova dog-obsessed. She also enjoys hiking.

With a dog.

“You’re wasting your hike — you have to use it for the dog,” laughed Protopopova.

Protopopova researches animal behaviour science with a focus on companion animals such as dogs and cats. Her work aims to improve the quality of life and adoptability of sheltered animals while learning about their behaviour.

Though her life is filled with dogs today, her first animal companions were a lot smaller. Her parents used to bring back rats from their lab for her to play with when she was young. As a child, Protopopova thought the multiple rats her parents brought back over the years were the same one. “[I thought it was] a very old rat, like a nine-year-old rat,” said Protopopova.

Despite her connection with animals, she hadn’t questioned the ways they are treated until she started working as a dog walker in high school. One of her dog-walking clients, a doberman named Louis, wore a shock collar and a prong collar. “[The owner told me] that if you say ‘sit’ and the dog doesn’t sit, you choke it with the prong collar,” said Protopopova. “I did that and I felt that it was kind of normal.”

At the same time, an interest in dog training was taking her “deep into blogs” where she learned about Karen Pryor’s “clicker training” method. Hoping to train Louis herself, she followed the directions to train him to do a high-five.

Using Pryor’s method, she only trained using food. The result was great. “[Louis] was super excited to do the high-five,” said Protopopova. But when she asked him to sit, using a command taught by Louis’ trainer using the harsh methods she had been told to employ, “the emotion just drained from his face.”

Protopopova realized she had inadvertently “been responsible for harm” by not questioning her prior treatment of the dog.

Still in high school, her newfound love of training and desire to encourage better treatment and more humane methods led Protopopova to work as a dog trainer.

“I actually taught courses in dog training before I had a dog,” said Protopopova. To practice, she would train her parents’ cats. “It grows you as a trainer because you can’t sweet-talk cats.”

Protopopova thought she would go on to become a veterinarian “because that’s all you know to do with animals as a child,” and pursued that path when she began her undergraduate degree.

But during her studies, she worked with rhesus macaques — a species of monkey — in a primate cognition lab. There, Protopopova found it closely aligned with her passions learning about training and becoming a dog trainer outside

“I have been told that, perhaps, I talk too much about dogs,” said Protopopova.

of academia.

Despite this, Protopopova missed connecting with the animals through training.

When she asked her supervisor at the time if she could train the monkeys they were researching for husbandry to make moving them between cages easier, she was told they could not be trained “because we need to study natural behaviour only.” But Protopopova recognized the value of empirical knowledge about training and domesticated behaviour.

Protopopova now runs the new animal behaviour lab, a state-ofthe-art facility that mimics a living room, complete with fake plants and artwork contributed by lab members, augmented with a oneway mirror and hidden cameras that allow researchers to observe animal behaviour. Protopopova and her group are using the lab for behavioural analysis that has previously been conducted on captive animals but has yet to be done for companion animals.

Protopopova’s research is foundational in this field. She said it can be difficult to choose a research question when there are so many different topics to address. A small sampling of Protopopova’s research includes the factors that lead owners to relinquish their dogs to shelters, a comparison of owner-reported behaviour of dogs born in and brought to Canada and a new method of tracking cats in shelters with computer vision.

As companion animals are so closely tied to humans, Protopopova found other issues that may not seem immediately relevant, like climate change and structural

MAHIN E ALAM / THE UBYSSEY

racism, must be addressed to learn more about and improve treatment.

But this closeness also affects the researchers themselves, since spending so much time observing animals in less than ideal conditions while not being able to directly take action to improve their quality of life takes an emotional toll on animal behaviourists.

This phenomenon — which Protopopova described as a “moral injury” — leads to burnout and depression among researchers.

To combat this, Protopopova encourages her lab members to be proactive in seeking mental health treatment by openly discussing these issues and her own struggles with them.

Though Protopopova’s research at UBC has resulted in less of this injury, in her previous research in the southern United States, she spent a lot of time in shelters.

There, she saw “lots and lots of neglect, lots and lots of cruelty — and that has been quite traumatizing, I’m not going to lie.” Protopopova’s approach to dealing with this trauma “has been counseling, talking to students [and] talking to others about it.”

But she doesn’t think she’s “solved it.”

Outside of her research, Protopopova helps individual dog owners as a private consultant with her husband, who is also a dog trainer. Between researching dogs, teaching graduate courses about dogs, taking care of dogs and helping others take care of dogs, Protopopova has little time for much else.

“I have been told that, perhaps, I talk too much about dogs.” U

NEWS

JANUARY 23, 2024 TUESDAY

EDITORS AISHA CHAUDHRY + RENÉE ROCHEFORT

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FINDING THE FUNDING //

AMS secures additional funding of $100,000 from UBC for AMS Food Bank Ishaan Sahai Contributor

VP Academic and University Affairs Kamil Kanji secured $100,000 in additional funding from UBC for the AMS Food Bank, bringing the total funding to $450,000 for the 2023/24 academic year.

Kanji announced the additional funding at a December 6 AMS Council meeting. This announcmenet comes after students continue to identify affordability as a top concern.

The AMS plans to fund food security programs by revisiting a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with UBC and pursuing a needs-based approach in the longterm.

The Food Bank is the AMS’s most-used service and received 16,253 visits in the 2022/23 academic year.

“The amount the Board of Governors was allocating for food security was quite low, and coming out of COVID, we’ve seen that number has increased. However, it has stayed pretty stagnant at $800,000 per year,” said Kanji in an interview with The Ubyssey. “[The] food security crisis has only gotten worse with a commitment from the institution that has stayed the same.”

The process of securing funding happens through the Food Security Initiative (FSI), which is responsible for the amount of money al-

VP AUA Kamil Kanji attributes the increased commitment for the AMS Food Bank to a significant rise in food purchasing and projected costs.

located by the Board of Governors (BoG).

The FSI table consists of student leaders who decide on how to divide BoG funding among food security initiatives like the Acadia Food Hub, Sprouts, the AMS Food Bank and others.

Kanji attributed the increased commitment for the AMS Food Bank to a significant rise in food purchasing and projected costs.

In April, the AMS announced that UBC staff will no longer be able to use the Food Bank due to rising costs.

While Kanji explained “the university rarely commits to financial agreements that are … made consistent year over year.”

He also said the AMS is working with the UBC President’s Office to revisit the MoU that existed under former UBC President Santa Ono.

“[Ono] provided a certain amount of money annually [to the food bank] over the course of five years,” said Kanji. He said the MoU expired when President Ono left office and the AMS has been working to revisit this with President Bacon’s office.

The AMS also is advocating for a program to disburse money directly to students, which they can use to buy food and groceries.

ISABELLA FALSETTI / THE UBYSSEY

Kanji emphasized a low-barrier needs-based solution.

“We’re really looking to make sure we’re targeting those students that need the money the most … [and that] we’re delivering those funds to students that need those funds,” said Kanji.

“We will continue … year over year to advocate for the proper amount to go towards student food security initiatives.” U

HE’S BACK //

Ben Du seeks to bring ‘stability’ to AMS as interim president

As interim president, Du will continue to focus on the goals Decker presented to Council in June.

Renée Rochefort News Editor

When Ben Du lost his bid for AMS President last March, he wasn’t sure what the rest of his time at UBC would look like.

Du, now a fifth-year human geography and urban studies student, first got involved in the AMS in 2020 as a student-at-large in the

Operations Committee. Before he knew it, Du was the AMS’s VP administration for the the 2022/23 academic year, overseeing a revamped Clubs Fair and re-opening the Hatch Art Gallery for exhibitions.

After narrowly losing the presidential election by 626 votes, Du prepared to leave the AMS behind and explore new ventures.

“I thought maybe this isn’t

ISABELLA FALSETTI / THE UBYSSEY

meant to be and I’ll move on.”

Eight months later, Du returned to the AMS to start a four month term as interim president following President Esmé Decker’s indefinite leave of absence.

In November 2023, Decker announced she was taking an indefinite leave of absence. VP Academic and University Affairs Kamil Kanji served as acting president

before AMS Council unanimously appointed Du as interim president in December.

He was the second member of the current AMS executive team to be appointed following a leave of absence. In October, Council appointed Joshua Kim to serve as interim VP external until January and has since extended his term until the end of April.

Du recognized the difficulties created by the departures on the AMS and said he wants to provide “stability” to the organization over the next four months.

Despite taking time away from the organization, Du said he’s ready to come back to an organization he’s still in the “honeymoon phase” with.

“You obviously think about a relationship when that word comes to mind, but for me, I match it with a job as well,” said Du. “When you first start a job, you’re super excited to jump on anything. I don’t think that has ever left me with this organization. So hopefully, that’ll carry me through for the next four months.”

Compared to being VP administration, Du said the role of president requires him to think longer about “the long-term vision for the AMS” and to eliminate “short-termism” in decision making.

Du said he is aware of “increased polarization” on campus since rejoining the AMS and wants the

AMS to foster spaces to discuss the topics productively.

“At the end of the day, I’m confident that everyone in the student community wants to participate and make decisions in the best interest of students and AMS,” said Du. “Now, if we can enter these conversations, under the mutual understanding that is our ultimate goal, I think that we can really go far.”

During previous Council meetings, students-at-large have raised concerns about Council appointing interim executives instead of running by-elections, citing concern about the appointed executive not representing students.

As interim president, Du said he will continue to focus on the goals Decker presented to Council in June.

“The goals that [Decker] presented to Council were approved, and there’s the expectation that those goals should be acted upon throughout the year … But I also want to add my touch to how things are being run.”

He noted he was appointed by elected representatives and said there has to be “some level of trust” in them.

Du said he’s “not looking to make waves for the next four months.”

“I’m really focused on stability ... At the end of the day I’m invested, still, in the AMS.” U

4 | NEWS | TUESDAY JANUARY 23, 2024 MAKE IT RAIN //

AMS executive offices’ spending exceeded budget

NEWS BRIEFS

Cynthia Wang Staff Writer

The AMS’s second quarterly report shows increased profits in AMS businesses, but excessive spending by some executive offices.

The report looks at the AMS’s 2023 finances from August to October. Unlike the first quarter’s report which stated most businesses were losing money, this report highlights that food, beverage, conference and catering sales went up by eight per cent.

The administration and finance portfolios were the executives offices that most exceeded the budget.

The VP administration office spent $146,645 against the budget of $120,820 which was 21.37 per cent over budget, while the VP finance office spent $86,148 against the budget of $76,597, which was 12.47 per cent over the budget.

In an interview with The Ubyssey, VP Finance Abhi Mishra said the offices exceeded the budget significantly due to the delay in payments and reimbursements from the Student Union Development Summit and Club’s Day. Mishra said the exact reimbursement numbers would be included in the next quarters’ report.

ISABELLA FALSETTI / THE UBYSSEY

Aisha Chaudhry News Editor

VEHICLE FALLS THROUGH THUNDERBIRD PARKADE, ONE PERSON SUFFERS FATAL INJURIES

VP Finance Abhi Mishra remains optimistic about the financial performance in the upcoming quarter.

However, he added he would be happy to provide those numbers in the next quarter’s report.

The report shows the AMS investment portfolio has delivered a three month return of -0.21 per cent in the second quarter.

Mishra attributes the performance of the portfolio “downturns going around in the market … and … a lot of uncertainty.”

To combat the anticipated $738,000 deficit in the AMS’s

2023/24 budget, Mishra said he is looking at implementing “stricter financial controls policies in place when it comes to spending money out, while simultaneously also making sure that our revenues are coming.”

Mishra believes an improvement in how the executives track expenditure can decipher the variances in spending, which can improve budgeting.

When asked about what the

JERRY WONG / THE UBYSSEY

deficit is going to be at the end of the year, Mishra said “I am not at liberty to say exactly what the deficit would end up being by the end of the year.”

However, Mishra remains optimistic about the financial performance in the upcoming quarter.

“We are hopeful that it’s headed in the right direction where we would be able to make significant improvement for what it was,” said Mishra. U

LOOKING AHEAD //

Black Faculty Cohort Hiring Initiative to recruit more Black scholars to UBC

Alongside the Provost and Vice Provost’s Offices, al Shaibah was able to model the project on similar ones undertaken at other universities, but tailor it the reality at UBC.

Julian Forst Senior Staff Writer

The Black Faculty Cohort Hiring Initiative (BFCH) will recruit up to 23 Black scholars across seven faculties and schools over the next four years.

The initiative “aims to increase representation of Black faculty across the spectrum of UBC’s teaching and scholarship activities,” according to their website.

Conceived at the recommenda-

tion of the Scarborough Charter — to which UBC pledged in 2020 — and the 2022 UBC Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence Task Force report, “the BFCH marks a first step in what its website called a series of interrelated initiatives to promote and sustain Black excellence.”

The specific positions available to prospective hires under this new initiative range broadly both within and across faculties and include tenure-track positions. The

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six positions available within the Faculty of Arts, for instance, deal specifically with subjects of Black identity and culture, but positions in the other faculties call for Black candidates with expertise in domains where Black voices have be historically underrepresented.

Associate VP Equity & Inclusion Dr. Arig al Shaibah said the whole institution will see the value of this initiative, not only the new Black faculty who will join the campus community.

“The more we diversify our professoriate, the more we broaden and deepen the impact of the knowledges we create and disseminate through research [and the] curriculum,” she said in an interview with The Ubyssey.

She also said the methods employed by the BFCH were recommended by the Task Force. “[The report] suggested these kinds of cohort hiring initiatives as best practice, because [they] have the potential to draw large numbers of excellent candidates,” explained al Shaibah.

The report recommends concerted professional development and faculty retention efforts including “leadership courses” and “fostering professional practice-specific networks of Black staff across multiple institutions.” al Shaibah said these post-hiring measures are beyond the scope of the BFCH, but that “some schools of thought have been working on mentorship programs … making sure that historically underrepresented faculty have the opportunities to advance into leadership if they so choose.”

According to al Shaibah, the hiring initiative’s drafting process was conducted in tandem with the existing network of Black faculty already present at UBC. Alongside the Provost and Vice Provost’s Offices, al Shaibah was able to model the project on similar ones undertaken at other universities, but tailor it the reality at UBC. U

On the morning of January 17, a driver died after his vehicle fell off the second floor of Thunderbird Parkade.

Several emergency services and vehicles were present on the scene, including RCMP, fire and ambulance.

According to a January 18 RCMP update, the vehicle “crashed through a barrier on the second floor of the Thunderbird Parkade and had fallen down to the first.”

The RCMP announced that the individual trapped was pronounced deceased at the scene.

There is ongoing RCMP investgation to “determine the causal factors in this crash.”

AMS ELECTIONS PERIOD EXTENDED AMS Elections are fast approaching and this year, the voting period will be longer than previous years. The new voting window is March 1–8, adding three extra days.

Nominations for candidates are due by February 9 and campaigning begins Febuary 26.

The Elections Committee is also considering increasing the level of transparency for joke candidates. In the past, joke candidates like ChatGPT and Remy the Rat were not required to disclose the candidate’s actual name on the ballot. Regardless, joke candidates will continue to be able to run.

UBC ATHLETICS PLANNING FOR A $1 MILLION SHORTFALL In the 2024 Athletics and Recreation budget, Managing Director of Atheletics and Recreation Kavie Toor said the biggest expense is facility operations, with over $15 million allocated.

Toor said the UBC Aquatic Centre operates at a loss of $1.7 million per year. His team is “reluctantly” looking into charging students for access.

There is also a $1 million shortfall in expenses and revenues expected for 2023. Toor said this shortfall has occurred because of the wage increase passed by the province in June 2023 and that his team is working to minimize negative effects on student programs.

Athletics and Recreation’s main revenue sources will continue to come from student fees and general operations revenue. U

CULTURE

JANUARY 23, 2024 TUESDAY

EDITOR ELENA MASSING

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FACING THE HORRORS (BIG ART WORDS) //

Aporia (Notes to a Medium) and images of faith Julian Forst Senior Staff Writer

For your sake and the sake of all fine artists currently displaying work at the Belkin, I hope you’ve avoided the official introductory blurb to the gallery’s latest exhibition, Aporia (Notes to a Medium). Labyrinthine and grandiose, the text stares you in the face and dares you to parse it — no art until you’ve done your homework.

I have no doubt those few paragraphs, and ones just like them shackled to previous exhibitions, have turned countless curious first-years and casual mailing list subscribers from the Belkin’s doors like bandits demanding a fun-toll.

But I’ve got a secret for you, so come in close. Are you ready? Here it is: You don’t have to read those.

That’s right. You can just open the door, wave a friendly hello to the recptionist and avert your eyes from the blurb on the adjacent wall as you walk on by. And in the case of an exhibit like Aporia, that’s exactly what you should do.

It’s loosely organized around concepts of faith and its manifestations. Elizabeth Zvonar’s “Timing is Everything” consists of two mirrors placed parallel to one another, forming an endless corridor of reflection between them, interrupted only by your own image and two astrological patterns printed on each of their surfaces.

Three plaques on a nearby wall reveal these patterns to be the birth

ISA S. YOU / THE UBYSSEY

“How to Fulfill a Wish.”

charts of the two Voyager space probes launched on August 20 and September 5, 1977.

Voyager 1 and 2 are currently hurtling away from us, each already at a distance of around 20 billion kilometres. They are forecasted to reach the outer boundaries of our solar system in 14,000–28,000 years, but no one can truly be sure of their eventual fates. Zvonar focuses on the existential implications of this uncertainty, summarizing her conversations with mediums, priests and other faith-based practitioners

on the subject.

Jenine Marsh’s “How to Fulfill a Wish” brings faith back to earth with its focus on the wishing well.

Three large, circular sculptures line the floor and walls of Marsh’s section, evocative of fountains with their sculpted rims and two plaster feet standing on pedestals at their centres, lined with coins.

In her talk at the exhibition’s opening reception on January 11, Marsh spoke on the legacy of the wishing well as an article of faith, a locus of community and a symbol of

“Timing is Everything.”

power. She brought up the forsaking of currency (either by tossing it in a well or incorporating it in art as she does) as a conceptual and literal rejection of the principles of capitalism in favour of hope, faith and a wish.

“Solar Evocation,” Azza Siddique’s sculptural repositioning of the ancient Egyptian funereal text The Book of Two Ways, stands in a darkened room at the far end of the Belkin’s main hall. Passages from The Book of Two Ways are projected in a loop on the walls. The

ISA S. YOU / THE UBYSSEY

floor is covered by a layer of clay and lined with shattered pottery and long, horizontal rectangles.

The piece gives the impression of the foundation of a building, either exposed by ruin or in the first stages of construction.

In her own talk, Siddique said this cyclical pattern of past and future, destruction and creation, was a key interest in her studies of ancient Egyptian and Nubian culture. “Solar Evocation” brings the viewer into contact with a new and possibly unfamiliar form of faith. U

GOING BANANAS! //

Homesick Cooking: Crunchy, gooey turon Mayako Kruger Contributor

My sister and I drag our bags into the elevator and stand in silence after an exhausting day of school.

As we ascend, I get a funny feeling in my stomach.

“I feel like there’s turon today,” I tell her.

Her eyes light up at the thought of a crunchy, gooey, fried and caramelized banana — it’s exactly what we need after a long day like this one. It’s rainy season in Manila, and the tropical showering of warm rain outside has set the mood perfectly for a nice treat.

As we step out of the elevator onto our floor, we are immediately greeted by the inviting, sweet aroma.

“How did you know?” my sister asks me. “How do you always know when Esther makes turon?”

“I don’t know,” I tell her. “I just feel it.”

We race to our front door. I grab the handle and yank it open with full force — whoever gets to the plate first gets the first pick, after all. Our bags drop from our shoulders and onto the floor as we sprint to the kitchen where Esther, our helper, is frying up the last batch of turon. The vibrant sizzle of the oil sings a chorus of transformation as the flour lumpia wrapper crispens, coated with a sugar glaze.

The vibrant sizzle of the oil sings a chorus of transformation as the flour lumpia wrapper crispens.

I grab a plastic IKEA plate from when we were little and pile on three pieces of turon, carefully selecting the ones with the most sugar and the highest crunch-tobanana ratio.

I sink into my couch and make myself comfortable before savouring my first bite. As I switch on the TV, the crispy

lumpia wrapper and caramelized brown sugar melt on my tongue, and in that moment, all is well.

INGREDIENTS • •

Three large ripe bananas Six lumpia wrappers (These are typically made from flour, cornstarch and water. You

• • •

BESSIE GUO / THE UBYSSEY

can find them at any Asian grocery store. For a glutenfree option, opt for rice paper.)

3/4 cup of brown sugar Around one cup of oil for frying A few scoops of vanilla ice cream (technically these are optional, but let’s be real — are

they really?)

These ingredients should make you about six rolls of turon, but they’re so good, you’ll probably want more.

Begin by peeling your bananas then slicing them in half once, lengthwise.

You’ll need to wrap each banana half in a lumpia wrapper — like you might while making a burrito or spring roll. Place it in the middle of the wrapper, around five centimetres from the bottom, then fold the bottom up. Fold the left and right sides over the banana and continue rolling your banana up until you run out of wrapper.

If you want your turon to be extra sweet, you can roll your banana pieces in brown sugar before wrapping them.

In a pan, heat up enough oil to pan-fry the pieces. The oil should come halfway up the sides of the rolls. Once it’s hot enough to fry, sprinkle one to two tablespoons (per turon roll) of brown sugar into the oil — you can adjust this amount depending on how sweet you want your turon. As soon as the brown sugar floats to the top of the oil, add your rolls.

When the wrapper turns golden brown and sticks to the brown sugar, your turon is done.

It’s best served hot, and if you’re feeling it, with some vanilla ice cream. You can also store the rolls in the freezer before they’re cooked if you want to use them on a later day. U

6 | CULTURE | TUESDAY JANUARY 23, 2024 SUBLIMINAL GOOSE //

There are no trophies to be won at BVP Fiona Sjaus Senior Staff Writer

Blank Vinyl Project (BVP) is a pillar of Vancouver’s indie music community.

According to BVP president Ash Hu, the collective is a first point of contact for anyone looking for a way into the local music industry.

“You don’t have to be a musician to join,” said Hu. “[And] we don’t hold any members or any execs to any sort of standard for what it means to be a musician.”

BVP empowers its members to explore what music and being a musician means to you — it’s a stage to perform, it’s a web of talented local musicians to network and craft with and it’s our campus microcosm where all roles in the music industry converge.

The club has been a defining point in Hu’s university experience.

“I’ve always approached music from a very social place, as I use it as a way to connect and relate to people,” she said.

Now in a band herself, Hu said her only mistake was waiting so long to join the club.

“It changed my university experience entirely … That one terrifying moment of being vulnerable and being okay [with] insert[ing] myself into this community. I didn’t expect it to grab me the way it did, but I am eternally grateful that it did.”

The music industry can be competitive. Though local music infrastructure and resources are expanding, space and time is limited.

The fact that most well-established

BVP empowers its members to explore what being a musician means to them.

venues are masked by secrecy to the general public — often underfunded, fragile and full of age regulations — does not make starting music from scratch in this city any easier.

To counteract this, BVP approaches art from a place of inclusivity and support. The club offers the rare opportunity for students to creatively challenge themselves

PHOTOS COURTESY BVP, ILLUSTRATION FIONA SJAUS / THE UBYSSEY

in whatever aspect of music speaks to them, whether it be production, performance or business.

“Students [can] explore their identity alongside a whole bunch of other people that are also constantly exploring and evolving their identity [while] using the same launching-off point of creating and participating in live music,” Hu said.

The club is vocal on campus to say the least. Chances are, a wacky sketch of a goose has caught your eyes on a piece of paper slapped to a post around Main Mall — that’s BVP. Subliminal and ever-present.

They want you watching. Goosehunt is their main event, and if you’re lucky, you just might snatch a ticket.

The annual music festival is held at Koerner’s in the spring and showcases some of Vancouver’s rising musical talents. It’s making a name for itself as a reputable headline for anyone in the local indie scene hoping to perform live.

Perhaps the most obvious way to get involved with Blank Vinyl Project is through their Thursday open mic session or as a candidate for their Build-a-Band program — UBC’s musician matchmaking machine. “[Build-a-band] is the initial thing that really grabs people for BVP,” said Hu. Amid a massive student body, programs like these make finding “people [to] relate to and create with” a bit more manageable.

And you will never be there to compete. At BVP, there are no trophies to win.

“There’s no goals, there’s no metrics. It’s just [about] being able to contribute to something in a meaningful way that has meaningful impacts for other people,” Hu said.

The art that emerges from a poignant time in your life like university is often the purest form of expression.

“The university experience is so unique, and so transformative,” Hu said.

“To be able to find a community that will support you through all the growth that you go through these years and help you find ways to express it through music, I think is really, really special.” U

I’M ON THE LONG & MCQUADE RENTALS HIT LIST //

A resume line turns into passion at UMI Fiona Sjaus Senior Staff Writer

UBC Music Initiative (UMI) president Misheel Enkhbayar comes from a family of singers.

“I was in choir for two years in high school. And I think when I came to university I kind of lost touch with the musical side,” she said.

So Enkhbayar sought out to make UMI a post for people of all musical expertise and experience to mesh. “[We want] to create an outlet for people who want to perform and don’t know how to start. I think that’s one of our biggest values as a club,” Enkhbayar said.

“We really focus on letting people know that you don’t have to be of any particular skill level,” said VP Marketing Fabia Masud.

“I think it’s really important to us as a whole to make a space that is inclusive to not just people who are already properly comfortable artists, but also people who just want to try it out or who just want to enjoy some good music and make some friends.”

Masud recalled how a couple of people sang for the first time at a UMI event, and left having strengthened their artistic network — “because they met at the event and they enjoyed each other’s performances so much, they met up and they got together and they came back to our next event doing

UMI creates an outlet for people who aren’t quite sure how to start performing.

two duets.”

“It really just shows how much people are invested in this part of their life,” said Enkhbayar.

“I think that was the moment that made me really proud, and it made our team really proud too,”

PHOTOS COURTESY UMI, ILLUSTRATION FIONA SJAUS / THE UBYSSEY

Masud added.

UMI hosts themed events at least once a month where members can showcase their musical talent and the public can listen in on some homegrown acts, but the newest addition to the club’s out-

reach is their cornerstone rentals program.

“We offer probably the cheapest rates in Vancouver for equipment and other musical instruments like our speakers and microphones and wires,” said

Enkhbayar.

In a city where instruments and sound equipment can easily rent for hundreds of dollars at annual rates, UMI’s program offers a flexible budget-conscious alternative made by students, for students.

“We also do a lot of educational workshops,” said Masud.

“We do music production, we do lyric writing. We also have alumni nights, where we just explore one specific topic that people are curious about.”

The club has seen its community move in an instrumental and vocal direction in the past few years, but its outreach has a reputation for genre diversity, from beatboxers to bands.

New this term is their lessons program, geared towards forming bonds between volunteers hoping to gain valuable teaching experiences and eager aspiring musicians looking to pick up an instrument.

“A lot of people are looking to join a club to either meet people or put it on their resume, and then they actually end up performing and bringing out their musical side a lot more than they thought they would have the opportunity to,” said Enkhbayar.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re in a band … or if you know how to do a very specific thing. Anybody can be [in] UMI,” said Masud. “[It] doesn’t have a lot of boundaries.” U

JANUARY 23, 2024 TUESDAY | CULTURE | 7 YA LIKE JAZZ? //

UBC Jazz Club breaks down a daunting genre Fiona Sjaus Senior Staff Writer

Walking up to the Nest’s Egg, panting from the steps, you’ll hear the swinging contrabass, ad lib keys and brass grow louder.

That’s the members of the UBC Jazz Club striking up their weekly Monday night jam session. “[Monday jams are] the meat and potatoes of the club and we get anywhere between 40 to 100 people every night passing through to play or just to hang out,” said UBC Jazz Club Co-President Ben Rossouw.

The club is rooted in the warmth and connection of the genre. Whether you’re approaching the club as a seasoned cat or a rookie swinger, there’s always room for new musicians. “[We want] to have a good time,” Co-President Isabel Huang added. “Because it can be really intimidating to get into music if you have never gotten into it before. But I think that’s something we prioritize in our club — to welcome not just experienced players, but people from all backgrounds.”

And that support is a reason to stay. Many students stay involved in the club for their entire UBC career and beyond, growing together as musicians, mentees and band members.

“You’ve seen all these people

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UBC Jazz Club is rooted in the warmth and connection of the genre.

grow and develop so much as musicians,” said Rossouw. “You get elevated and then you’re out into the world and you have jazz with you.”

Some would argue that jazz is

PHOTOS COURTESY UBC JAZZ CLUB, ILLUSTRATION FIONA SJAUS / THE UBYSSEY

a dying genre. The Jazz Club begs to differ.

Jazz is constantly growing, evolving and swinging in new directions far beyond its control.

Rossouw quoted music’s free-

form icon Frank Zappa: “jazz is not dead, it just smells funny.”

The momentum is real, and it lies in youth.

“It’s amazing that [ jazz] is being exposed to younger people,

because that means that these people can take this genre which has existed for a long time ... and be inspired by them to make something new,” Huang said.

As Rossouw and Huang pointed out, having that medium of creative output fosters community.

“We have no idea how many [lonely people] there are because they’re too busy being lonely.

They’re locked up in their rooms studying and then they pursue careers,” Rossouw said.

“People who don’t get involved in something centred around art and culture, when they leave university, they start working.

And what do they do when they go home?” Huang added.

“I think if you were to look back and say, ‘what was more valuable to my life, the time that I was spending watching TV, or the time that I was spending going outside, playing a show or jamming out with the people I love?’ ... for me personally, the latter would be much more valuable,” Huang said. “Not just in terms of enjoyment but in my own personal development.”

So if you like jazz just as much as that bee from that movie, you should consider listening in on a jam session or joining in on the music. Pack your instrument and some blues scales, because UBC Jazz Club would love to see you there. U

FEATURES

EDITOR IMAN JANMOHAMED

JANUARY 23, 2024 TUESDAY

8

OUR CAMPUS //

CiTR’s Jasper Sloan Yip loves being ‘a part of people’s creativity’

words by Anushka Bellani | photos by Jerry Wong

After a decade of working in music away from campus, Yip made his was back to UBC working at CiTR.

Not thinking anything of it, Jasper Sloan Yip made an account on CBC Music in 2010.

The next day, CBC called him.

“They said I had won a contest,” said Yip. CBC Music was having a contest to see who would be the 20,000th artist to register on their platform, according to Yip. Luck had it — he was the 20,000th registered artist.

This led to an appearance on CBC Radio, where Yip talked about his album while it was featured on the station. Several of Yip’s songs started to chart nationally and before he knew it, he was invited to play at CBC festivals.

“I had a really weird, fortunate experience with CBC Music ... It made me feel great that they liked the music and that I suddenly had a national audience, but I wasn’t ready for it,” said Yip. “I had only been playing music for about a year ... I was so young and green ...

But I’m very grateful for it.”

At the time, Yip was a UBC student — that was until he left his undergraduate degree to pursue

music.

“I never finished my education here,” said Yip. “I ended up leaving because I just wasn’t happy.”

But after a decade of working in music away from campus, Yip made his way back to UBC working at CiTR 101.9 FM, the community radio station, and its arts magazine, Discorder.

COMING BACK TO CAMPUS

In 2019, Yip started working as CiTR’s music department manager, and in 2020, he led the programming department as its manager. Over the summer, Yip became CiTR’s station manager.

Yip currently hosts Noise Complaint — a radio show that showcases up-and-coming artists through an interview and performance — almost full circle to the CBC Radio show he was first featured on in 2010.

Yip said beginner CiTR volunteers can get involved with shows like Noise Complaint, whether that’s to learn how to record live sound or how to interview on air.

“What I love about this place is that people come here to be creative, so I get to be a part of people’s creativity,” said Yip. Yip said his decade-long career as an independent artist has shaped his work with CiTR — he knows how to teach beginners since he’s a self-taught musician.

“All of my musical and creative learning has been done through community learning, either through self-taught study, and then [through] people by going out into the arts community and just doing it and learning from those experiences,” said Yip. IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNITY RADIO

Despite Yip’s enthusiasm for the radio landscape, he acknowledged that radio may face challenges moving forward.

“In the modern media landscape, [radio] is an old technology and it’s rapidly becoming obsolete,” said Yip. “There are a lot of people who just don’t consume shortwave radio broadcasts any-

more.”

But Yip said that CiTR is in a unique position because it serves the campus community.

“Campus and community radio is a bit special in that it’s not a profit-driven business,” said Yip. “However, that being said, there are campus and community stations all over the country [that] are facing defunding at a kind of an alarming rate.”

In a 2022 AMS referendum, students voted to establish a digital opt-out process which would allow students to opt-out of paying optional fees including those for AMS Resource Groups, the Bike Kitchen and CiTR. This system resulted in an increase in student fee opt-outs, leaving fee-receiving groups in uncertain financial situations.

Yip said CiTR received 6,843 opt-outs in September 2023.

Despite funding losses potentially harming stations, Yip said he’s not concerned about the relevancy of radio since “CiTR’s main obligation is to remain relevant to the people who spend their time

here,” which includes its membership and community members interested in getting involved.

“If we are serving [our community] and making them feel fulfilled in their time here, then we are meeting our relevancy goals. I think that’s why we matter,” said Yip. Yip said UBC community members interested in joining CiTR should visit the studio to learn more. CiTR offers a free public tour every weekday at noon for interested community members to learn more about community radio and to meet CiTR members.

“My main interest in this kind of work is when I get to help people be creative … I love working with the student executives on their projects or working with a programmer on their show or helping them fix a tech issue in the studio,” said Yip. “That’s what I love. I love working with people.” U — Additional reporting by Iman Janmohamed

JANUARY 23, 2024 TUESDAY | FEATURES | 9

“What I love about this place is that people come here to be creative, so I get to be a part of people’s creativity,” said Yip.

Yip — pictured with CiTR members — said UBC community members interested in joining CiTR should visit the studio in the lower level of the AMS Nest to learn more.

OPINION

JANUARY 23, 2024 TUESDAY

EDITOR SPENCER IZEN

10

DIGITAL REPRESENTATIONS //

Commentary: Instagram’s unrelenting hold on UBC’s culture and student life

“If student life at UBC were to be viewed as a stone arch...Instagram acts as the keystone that has allowed the current campus culture to bear weight,” writes Tatum Narode

Tatum Narode Contributor

Tatum Narode is a third-year geography student focusing on environmental storytelling through maps.

Their research at UBC has ranged from pollinator diversity across British Columbia to community ecology within Pacific Spirit Park.

Recently, they’ve developed an enthusiasm for creative writing in new media.

Before ever stepping foot on campus, many of those who have accepted their offers of admission to UBC find themselves excited and anxious to learn everything they can about their prospective social lives in Vancouver.

Fueled by an obsessive curiosity and desire to connect with other students who are in the same position, many take to the internet.

At this point, it is almost inevitable that one well-connected student will have created an Instagram account with a username (e.g. @ubc_2026) to serve as a rallying call for the incoming class.

Followers will message the account’s administrator with their own Instagram profile to be reposted — often with a flashy caption in hopes of finding common interests, areas of study, hometowns and so on.

Even those who choose not to share their personal information may spend hours scrolling through the profiles on these

accounts, searching for potential roommates or simply studying faces in hopes of recognizing one or two around campus. Ultimately, decisions on when to start making new connections, who to connect with and the platform with which to connect are all by Instagram’s design.

After meeting someone new in a class, at a club event or in a coffee line, someone usually always asks, “Do you have Instagram?” to show interest in staying connected with whoever they’ve met.

Afterwards, by virtue of campus culture, students are expected to spend a few minutes scanning through their new friend’s profile to check for mutual followers, read the bio message they’ve published and even allow the contents of the profile to amend whatever first impressions had been previously established. Still, if the answer to this leading question is ‘No, I don’t use Instagram,’ or ‘Sure, but I barely use it,’ the absence of a social media presence can lead to a whole host of different assumptions to be made about someone’s character.

Although normalized, this type of interaction can feel awkward and even inescapable. Awkward in that perhaps one’s profile feels too personal to share with a stranger, and inescapable in that Instagram is so widely used and its features (especially the messaging features) are convenient for connecting students across

such a large school.

Profiles tend to display a version of ourselves, far enough removed from authenticity as to charm and entertain strangers.

Left unchecked, constantly viewing and editing one’s profile to fit in with ever-changing trends and norms heightens self-consciousness and often leads students to compare themselves to their peers.

Further, on a campus so crowded, it is hard for current students to imagine life without group chats. The first instinct felt by many when it comes to organizing study sessions, intramural sports teams or holiday parties is to make a group chat. Nowhere is it easier to make a group chat with a large number of people than on Instagram. It connects people across device types and service providers, and removes the barrier of tracking down phone numbers.

In the most extreme case, an entirely new profile may be created to advertise a party or a new course offering. This type of communication is exciting in how it connects people who may have not met before but simultaneously depersonalizes communication.

Situations like these contribute to the dizzying effect of rapidly cycling between feelings of deep social connection and staggering isolation, which accompany living independently for the first time in most students’ lives.

As such a widely-used platform among students, Instagram is responsible for temporary hits of relevance while also memorializing old posts and messages which fill us with nostalgia and keep us competing for the next best experience. Plus, it facilitates the circulation of information on campus with ease and efficiency unparalleled by any other physical or digital media.

Students can view job ads, resources for navigating challenging times (ranging from winter storms to international conflict) and community news within minutes of opening the app. This inundation of information changes how much content students are viewing and how they engage with it.

Students’ engagement informs Instagram’s algorithm of how to curate their future recommended content so that usage will increase and the cycle will continue.

It is almost inevitable for students, stressed by new expectations and responsibilities, to look to Instagram for distraction and a sense of connection. However, the endless stream of content designed to spark strong emotions, from news-related posts with inflammatory headlines to well-intentioned highlight reels from a friend’s recent vacation, may actually do little to comfort these students.

Scrolling through Instagram,

YASMINE BELLHACEN / THE UBYSSEY

more often than not, perpetuates feelings of isolation and mediocrity. Viewing other people’s lives through the distorted mirror of Instagram changes how students experience their own lives and the type of experiences they seek out in the first place. Even experiences that call for total engagement such as hiking or dancing at a concert can become performative for the purpose of being able to share the event on Instagram afterwards — or sometimes even during. Students who otherwise may not have felt inclined to participate in these events may feel peer pressure to do so to share their clips on social media, for better or worse.

If student life at UBC were to be viewed as a stone arch, the institution’s first hundred years contribute the height to the two main pillars, but Instagram acts as the keystone that has allowed the current campus culture to bear weight. If this keystone were to be suddenly removed, many students would be forced to practice new methods of staying informed and connected within student life and culture aside from Instagram. In this way, Instagram can be seen as a depiction of student life with an unrelenting hold on the lives it touches. U This article does not reflect the opinions of The Ubyssey as a whole. You can submit an opinion at ubyssey.ca/pages/submit-an-opinion.

HUMOUR

JANUARY 23, 2024 TUESDAY

EDITOR JOCELYN BAKER

11

WAITING ON MY NOBEL //

Prof cancels class for snow day, wins Nobel Prize Kyla Flynn Senior Staff Writer

An anonymous UBC professor won the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize after cancelling their snow day classes instead of moving to online meeting platform, Zoom, colloquially known as the most insufferable method of lecture delivery, like, ever.

The professor, described as “a gift to all” and “an actual good person” has been known to care about “student wellbeing, health and ability to frolic in the snow.”

When asked, this professor cited their good luck as a product of the “caring vibes they project into the universe.” The anonymous winner even went as far as to say “snow days are for hot chocolate, not listening to the poli sci asshole in your seminar play devil’s advocate.”

Apparently, this UBC professor also won a free car, free groceries for a year and the BC Legislature voted to pay their rent indefinitely. Off the record, we heard

the professor has discovered the fountain of youth and found the end of a rainbow just yesterday.

But other professors haven’t been as happy about their now-laureate colleague. Dr. Mick McMickelson, who teaches eating dirt at the 200 level, said he thinks students should shut up and get on Zoom.

“What am I supposed to do with my time while everyone’s frolicking in the snow? Write papers? What does that even mean?” asked McMickelson.

Some students (my roommate) have even said they don’t want class cancelled because tuition is “expensive” and they have “seasonal affective disorder” and the routine is “helpful” or whatever.

Too bad. I wanna build a snowman.

More on this hot (or not, I guess) story to come as it develops.

In the wise words of Thunder the Thunderbird, “snow day means snow class and snow problems!” U

JOCELYN BAKER / THE UBYSSEY

POACHING CULTURE WRITERS SINCE 2023 //

BelkinSnowpeople review

Untitled (2024)

MARIE ERIKSON / THE UBYSSEY

Marie Erikson Staff Writer

primarily used snow and twigs to make humanoid figures, though the occasional carrot can be found on some of the works.

The most prominent work is the sculpture titled Untitled (2024) by anonymous, which distills the essence of the snow and carrot media. Instead of embracing the craft and artisanship of sculpture, with Untitled, the anonymous artist elevates the practice to shower thought renown.

Why question whether abstract, modern paintings are art when there’s a sustainable, locally-crafted work melting into nothingness alongside our planet’s climate?

Why care about a “museum”

I was tasked by the humour section to visit UBC’s Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery as part of its expansion into art coverage (and conquest of the culture section).

But the Belkin was closed because of the snow, or at least that’s what I told my editor ­— I did not check.

So instead, I reviewed a far deeper and more interesting (probably) art exhibition happening across campus which invited artists to forage (no funding was provided) for inspiration and materials in response to themes of personhood and forthcoming transportation collapse. Artists

Untitled (2024)

out past Buchanan when Untitled can be admired from the bus loop? Where Untitled questions the danger of our climate, a work by anonymous (no relation, or maybe some relation idk), Untitled (2024), forces the viewer to grapple with their own fallibility.

Untitled first appears as a small person made of snow with twee twigs, inviting a closer look. Yet the power of this work lies not in this lure but the trapping of the viewer on a thin sheet of ice, where they will fall flat on their bottom (I swear this didn’t only happen to me).

Not only a confrontation with one’s own mortality, Untitled disrupts the status quo — first-years

LAUREN KASOWSKI / THE UBYSSEY

outside Vanier Commonsblock can witness intrepid upper-years (who are clearly superior for being exhausted and bitter from prolonged exposure to academia) make fools of themselves. Way better than some museum we have free access to as students!

Like Untitled, anonymous’s (maybe the same anonymous as before?) work Untitled (2024) subverts expectations. Snow sculptures of human figures carry a positive connotation in popular culture, and their subjects are presumed to be joyous and merry.

Untitled, however, presents a hidden layer of trauma underneath the socially required happy face. It is placed away from

Untitled (2024)

MARIE ERIKSON / THE UBYSSEY

crowds, confronting its inevitable decomposition. The figure can no longer stand to face the world. Instead, it sits upside down with its face to an inner world: concrete.

Bet they don’t have anything that introspective and je ne sais quoi at Belkin.

Untitled, Untitled, and Untitled uncover the layers of the UBC student’s psyche. Untitled and Untitled first question the viewer’s conceptions, setting the foundation for Untitled and Untitled to confront inner questioning and worry.

Ok fine, I’ll go to a gallery or something, but stop telling me to touch grass. These works of art are on or at least near grass! U

SPORTS+REC

JANUARY 23, 2024 TUESDAY

EDITOR LAUREN KASOWSKI

12

Thunderbirds demolish Spartans for Winter Classic victories Words by Jennah Lay and Lauren Kasowski With six inches of snow outside and the debut of the alternate jerseys designed by Musqueam artist Deanna-Marie Point, the 2024 Winter Classic last Friday night was certainly one to remember. Local rival Trinity Western University (TWU) put up a decent fight against both the women’s and men’s hockey teams, but were easily dominated by the Thunderbirds.

WOMEN DOMINATE, SHUTOUT SPARTANS 6–0 The UBC women’s hockey team defeated the Trinity Western University Spartans 6–0 at the Doug

Mitchell Sports Centre. With the win, UBC remains first in the Canada West standings.

“We were a little slow to start,” said UBC head coach Graham Thomas. “Then we started skating, and once we skate, we can be dangerous.”

UBC forward Chanreet Bassi took initiative, scoring the first goal of the game on a powerplay in the seventh minute of play to stir up much-needed momentum.

From then on, UBC took control of the plays. They scored another two goals in the first period, just minutes apart, from forwards Cassidy Rhodes and Jacquelyn Fleming — who each had the pri-

Photos by Isa S. You and Nathan Bawaan

mary assists on the others’ goal.

Halfway through the second period, Bassi scored her second goal for a 4–0 lead. Just before the period buzzer rang, on a five-onthree, defender Rylind MacKinnon scored and increased the lead to 5–0. Consistently, UBC took far more shooting chances and didn’t hesitate to take control back when the Spartans got the puck. By the end of the second period, UBC had 29 shots on goal and TWU had 7.

With one period left, the Spartans were running out of time and scoring chances. But the ‘Birds didn’t let up. There was lots of back-and-forth play, yet TWU couldn’t get more than three more

shots on net. With only seconds left in the final period, Grace Elliott scored on the powerplay, bringing home the 6–0 victory.

The Thunderbirds showed strength across the board defensively and offensively while showing their great speed and accuracy.

They played a very strong, consistent game, despite the slower start.

Thomas attributed it to the depth of the team.

“I think that’s our strength,” he said.

With the momentum from the big win, the Thunderbirds look toward a home game against the University of Alberta Pandas on February 2.

MEN CONTINUE WINNING STREAK WITH DRAMATIC GOALS The UBC men’s hockey team defeated the Spartans 5–1 in front of a full crowd.

Both teams came out with aggressive play, putting their bodies to work as boards rattled with checks and hard hits. The T-Birds spent most of the time in their offensive zone, forcing TWU to play close man-to-man defence to keep the game scoreless.

Time in the Spartans’ zone finally paid off in the 12th minute, as forward Jake Lee shot the puck past TWU goalie Leon Sommer

JANUARY 23, 2024 TUESDAY | SPORTS+REC | 13

after receiving a close pass from Tian Rask behind the net. TWU looked to even the score after Conner McDonald drew an interference penalty, but were held off on the powerplay and the rest of the period.

The Spartans quickly tied it up though. Just 24 seconds into the second period, Daine Dubois’s shot went bar down and past T-Bird goaltender Cole Schwebius.

The ‘Birds spent more time in the offensive zone and had a multitude of scoring chances. Two shots that appeared to go in were

recalled by the referees, much to the dismay of the crowd.

But the Thunderbirds managed to capitalize on a Spartan interference penalty. Liam Kindree let a wrist shot go from the circle and the crowd erupted in cheers when it hit the back of the net.

Back with the lead, the ‘Birds refused to let up. They continued their offensive pressure and it paid off again, four minutes later.

Beautiful passing and footwork from Tian Rask and Cyle McNabb set Ty Thorpe up right in front of the net to give the ‘Birds a 3–1 advantage going into the third.

Both teams came out less physical in the first few minutes of the last period, but UBC still wasn’t letting up offensively.

Four minutes in, Jake Kryski’s pass was intercepted in the Spartan zone but Lee skated up and snagged the puck before it crossed the blue line. He brought it to the circle and fired a shot that flew past Sommer for the top corner to increase the ‘Birds’ lead to 4–1.

“It feels unreal. Electric atmosphere — these are the type of games you dream of playing well in,” said Lee about his two-goal performance.

Two minutes later, Thorpe stole the puck away in the T-Birds’ zone, bringing it to the other end with Jonny Lambos. Lambos passed to Jonathan Smart in the slot, who fired a wrist shot for another Thunderbird goal.

The Spartans started to play scrappier, starting brawls multiple times to try to get underneath the T-Birds’ skin. With the crowd egging on fights, it seemed to work a little bit as nine penalties were handed out after Smart’s goal. But with two game misconducts for the Spartans, it didn’t work in their favour and UBC held onto their

lead to win their ninth consecutive game.

“The line of Thorpe, McNabb and Rask was probably our best line today,” said head coach Sven Butenschon. The line was on the ice for four of the five goals scored.

“They all feed off each other.”

The ‘Birds have a bye-week and return to finish the rest of their season on February 2, where they hope to continue their winning ways for the coveted Canada West Championship.

“We’re all ready to go down the stretch here,” said Lee. “This is our year.” U

14 | SPORTS+REC | TUESDAY JANUARY 23, 2024 MIDSEASON REVIEW //

Women’s volleyball leads CW for season’s second-half Iman Janmohamed Features Editor

The UBC women’s volleyball team entered the 2022/23 season nationals as the seventh-seeded team, and, in an underdog upset, toppled the top-ranked Trinity Western University (TWU) Spartans for national gold.

Despite this, the Thunderbirds were only ranked third in Canada West (CW) going into the 2023/24 season.

But that hasn’t stopped them from dominating CW, only dropping two games this season — one against the University of the Fraser Valley Cascades and one against the University of Manitoba Bisons, both in five set thrillers.

The team started the season swinging, sweeping the Mount Royal University Cougars in straight sets on the home opener weekend. That weekend hasn’t been the only time the ‘Birds have swept their competition, rather,W they’ve had seven weekend sweeps this season so far.

Women’s volleyball head coach Doug Reimer said the team has seen success through adversity throughout the season.

“When you look at our record, we’ve done a nice job in terms of wins and losses. I would say one of the key things for that has been … the contributions of lots of different people as we’ve had injuries or changed our lineup,” said Reimer in an interview with

Cara Kovacs (L) and Erika Vermette (R) go to block during a game in the 2022/23 season.

The Ubyssey. “We were able to find ways to get the job done. I think we’re proud of that.”

The ‘Birds have seen both familiar and unfamiliar faces heat up the court. Outside hitters Lucy Borowski, Katarina Pantovic and Akash Grewal lead the team in kills with 167, 134 and 129, respectfully. Middles Claire Cos-

sarini and Emma Doyon have put up 61 and 60 blocks, respectfully.

Grewal leads CW and the team in aces with 47 and is followed by Borowski with 31.

Second-year outside hitter Elizabeth Lee — who had standout performances in December — boasts a 0.315 hitting percentage, the highest out of the team’s

IMAN JANMOHAMED / THE UBYSSEY

underclassmen. Kacey Jost, the CW 2022/23 Libero of the Year, leads the team in digs with 210.

The entire team is as strong at the net as they are on the service line and behind the attack line, and Borowski sticks out as a key player, leading the team in two categories and putting up as many blocks as the team’s starting

middles.

Setting the tone for the team’s offense is second-year setter Issy Robertshaw, who’s put up 520 assists with 8.39 assists per set for the Thunderbirds. Robertshaw keeps the team’s tempo high, and her ability to keep their opponents on their toes through her smart plays and steady serve makes her one to watch out for in the season’s second-half.

“I think this year, I’ve definitely taken on a lot bigger roles as a starting player,” said Robertshaw. “It’s really fun to be able to control the offence and … control the game.”

Reimer and Robertshaw both said the team will face a tough second-half of the season, going against Lower Mainland rival TWU and the Bisons whose outside hitter Raya Surinx leads both CW and U Sports in kills and kills per set with 309 kills this season.

Regardless, Reimer attributed the team’s current success to its depth, but that doesn’t mean he’s not continuing to coach his athletes to be the best they can be.

“I think our depth has been important the first half [of the season] and I’m sure it will be moving forward,” said Reimer.

“But our league is so competitive, and we’ve got tough matches. We can still finish anywhere from first overall to not even hosting in the first round of the playoffs. We can’t rest on what’s currently a good level given the tough opponents we have coming up.” U

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SCIENCE

JANUARY 23, 2024 TUESDAY

EDITOR TOVA GASTER

15

COULD A ROBOT KEEP GRANDMA COMPANY? //

UBC IDEA lab experiments with AI for elder care Yomna Bedaiwy Contributor

The proportion of the Canadian working-class population within 10 years of retirement reached a record high of 21.8 per cent as of 2021. A rapidly growing senior population and shrinking working class doubly impacts staff shortages in the healthcare industry and long-term care homes (LTCs).

One potential solution: robots.

UBC’s Innovation in Dementia and Aging (IDEA) Lab, led by Dr. Lilian Hung, is researching the use of robots to support elders’ independence, safety and well-being.

One of the lab’s recent robot projects, in collaboration with researchers in Hong Kong and Singapore, explores how social LOVOTs can alleviate boredom and engage seniors in LTCs. Short for “love robots,” the LOVOTs Kiwi and Mango arrived at UBC from Japan in July 2023, and have since visited several care homes, conferences and Vancouver General Hospital.

LOVOTs act as low-maintenance pet substitutes, making cooing noises and even laughter when tickled. This aims to provide comfort and engagement for seniors, who often experience loneliness and isolation.

IDEA is also testing Aether, a collaborative service robot being developed by the Developmental Disabilities Association and JDQ Systems Inc., in LTCs. In addition to social interaction, Aether can independently navigate a care home environment, flagging hazards along the way.

If Aether’s built-in camera detects a person on the floor, it will verbally flag down a nearby nurse. Other hazards, like spills,

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are detected via liquid sensors at the bottom of the robot.

Aether can engage in natural conversations, recognize residents’ faces, ask for their names and tell jokes. Built-in Alexa technology converts the speaker’s speech to text, which is processed

by ChatGPT 4.0, and the response is sent to Alexa to convert to speech.

Patients with dementia can also ask Aether for medication or appointment reminders.

October 2023 culminated phase one of the Aether project: observing reactions and gathering feedback from seniors, nurses and students via focus groups.

Staff, naturally, brought up the concern that Aether would “replace” them. According to Albin Soni, an undergraduate research assistant at the IDEA lab, the technology isn’t quite there yet in terms of emotional nuance and practical ability. “[Aether]’s still a long way from being able to independently become a nurse,” said Soni. “Right now it’s meant to assist nurses [and] staff in care homes.”

The next two phases of the project are engaging families, frontline staff and people with disabilities in Aether’s deployment to evaluate whether it’s helping those who it’s meant to.

Just as seniors continue to benefit and depend on human support, young people can benefit from engaging with elders too.

“If you’re a student I highly recommend you participate in some senior outreach activities,” said Soni. “Seniors have a lot of stories to tell; they’ve experienced life in a completely different way than we have, and you don’t realize it until you sit down and have a conversation.” U

LOVOTS act as low-maintenance pet substitutes for seniors.

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16 | SCIENCE | TUESDAY JANUARY 23, 2024 GUT FEELINGS //

Canada has one of the highest rates of IBD in the world. Why? Sophia Russo Senior Staff Writer

Living with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) can be many things, but to be blunt, it’s literally and figuratively shitty.

IBD is a class of chronic illnesses where the immune system attacks the digestive tract and causes inflammation. The main forms of IBD are Crohn’s Disease and Ulcerative Colitis. Symptoms can include extreme fatigue, weight loss, diarrhea and abdominal pain (Dan O’Bannon’s painful experiences with Crohn’s Disease famously inspired the Chestburster scene from Alien).

There are an estimated 322,600 Canadians living with IBD, or 1 in 140 — among the highest incidences of this disease class in the world.

And that number is projected to rise to 1 in 91 by 2035, according to the Impact of IBC report by Crohn’s & Colitis Canada.

Dr. Dustin Loomes, clinical assistant professor and head of the Vancouver Island IBD clinic, said that westernization and industrialization are key factors to consider when looking at IBD in Canada.

“The move to sanitation, running water, antibiotic use and then Westernization of our diet has all led to changes in our exposure to native pathogens being decreased,” said Loomes.

IBD stems from a disordered relationship between the immune system and the gut. IBD risk is a complex interplay between genetics and environmental factors like diet, upbringing, smoking and more.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

The Western diet has been described in literature as “the most ubiquitous environmental factor in [IBD],” with meta-analyses and reviews supporting diet as a major risk factor. The Western diet is known for its high sugar, fat and refined grain content, with limited vegetable and fruit intake. It has a greater emphasis on animal proteins and fats, and food additives.

Countries known for following a western diet tend to have higher incidences of IBD and nations newly adopting a western diet and lifestyle appear to be seeing a rise in cases of IBD. According to Loomes, this “derangement of what we’re eating” stems partially from chemicals and antibiotics added to the food supply, along with an overemphasis on processed and ultra-processed foods. Experts have also pointed to sugary food additives like saccharin and sucralose as concerning. “[These changes are] rampant and really just straying away from what we would have eaten evolutionarily,” Loomes said.

Limited fibre and increased meat intake characteristic to the western diet have been theorized to be problematic for IBD onset, but this is complex. For example, one study observed that a high fibre diet decreased the risk of Crohn’s Disease but not Ulcerative Colitis.

According to Dr. Genelle Lunken, assistant professor in pediatrics and registered dietitian, fibre’s relevance to IBD development likely

ANYA A AMEEN / THE UBYSSEY

Gut Feelings is a column to highlight the stories of IBD warriors and researchers.

stems from how it interacts with our gut microbiome.

Fibre is a component of plant-derived foods that cannot be broken down by our body’s enzymes. Since it doesn’t get digested in the stomach, it carries on its merry way to the colon, where most of our gut bacteria lives.

Lunken explained fibre tends to be used as a fermentable energy source by “more beneficial microbes.” And these fibre-munching bacteria tend to increase production of short chain fatty acids — anti-inflammatory metabolites that support the integrity of gut lining, mitigating dysregulated interactions between the gut and the external environment.

However, the benefits of fibre for people with IBD depends on the type of fibre, their specific gut microbes and whether the patient is in an active disease state.

According to Lunken, the diet-IBD connection is understudied, with literature relying heavily on correlative studies.

WILD, STERILE, WEST

The hygiene hypothesis is a major modern development in our understanding of how the immune system is shaped. It is based on an observed trade-off in Western countries: a decrease in infections in early life and an increase in autoimmune disorders and allergies.

According to Loomes, more sterile environments have limited our exposure to viruses, bacteria and parasites that we would have encountered evolutionarily.

“So, [the gut] immune system — which is a fairly large immune system — is sitting idle for decades.

In people who have a genetic predisposition to autoimmunity, it takes some of the conditions that are ripe for that, for autoimmunity to be triggered,” said Loomes.

Children who grew up in less sterile spaces have a lower IBD incidence. IBD risk appears to be halved for kids who grew up

around livestock, according to a Danish study. The family dog may also be your gut’s best friend, as pets also appear to protect against IBD development. The hygiene hypothesis is not a condemnation of cleanliness, but rather an acknowledgement of the importance of early life exposure to microbes in shaping our immunity.

Growing up in a sterile environment may even be detrimental for how your immune system interacts with normal gut flora, according to Lunken.

“The immune system just hasn’t been exposed to enough microbes, and as soon as something new comes along, whether it’s pathogenic or not, it might recognize that as foreign.” She suggested this may lead to chronic inflammation that could develop into immune-mediated conditions like IBD. Areas with the highest IBD prevalence tend to be Northern countries with higher levels of industrialization, but also lower levels of sun exposure.

Vitamin D — a potent modulator of the immune system — might also impact the immune systems of the Great White North. Studies have observed that people in more Northern latitudes like Scandinavia and Canada which receive less sunlight have a greater risk of IBD, specifically Crohn’s Disease.

Loomes highlighted that it’s not yet possible to prove whether diet, vitamin D exposure, lifestyle or other factors are responsible for where IBD tends to concentrate.

Genetics play a big role in IBD too. People are more likely to be diagnosed with IBD if they have a relative with the disease. Genetics and environmental elements work together to make certain people more at-risk for developing IBD. According to Loomes, a major misconception about IBD is that there “is no known cause.”

“We don’t know for an individual patient ... the exact factors for them that cause IBD but we in

general know what causes [it],” he said. He pointed to regions of the world, like Eastern Asia and Africa, that are seeing an increase in IBD incidence after adopting a Western diet, stringent sanitation measures that limit microbial exposure, antibiotic use and a more processed food supply.

“I think overall that does provide reassurance to patients that it’s not this giant mystery.”

A GROWING COMMUNITY

With 1.1 per cent of the Canadian population predicted to be diagnosed with IBD by 2035, institutions need to start thinking about how to better serve this growing community. Though the incidence or rate of new diagnoses has relatively stabilized, the prevalence or overall number of cases is growing.

As a physician who supports IBD patients on the regular, Loomes emphasized the need for more multidisciplinary care.

“I firmly believe that a clinic model that incorporates dietitians, psychologists, nursing and clinicians is a much more holistic method to provide care for a chronic condition that can have far reaching effects in terms of… physical health as well as mental health,” he said. Loomes said a care team model could also cut costs, since not all IBD patients need to see a specialist at every visit.

And boy does IBD cost. In 2023, IBD was estimated to cost $5.4 billion dollars in Canada, with $3.3 billion coming from public health care systems and the rest being indirect and out-of-pocket costs.

Most of these costs stem from biologics — a class of immune-suppressing medications essential for maintaining remission in IBD patients. Annual costs for biologic therapies like Humira and Entyvio sit around $20,000 per year (they’re covered by insurance in BC, don’t worry).

The IBD Centre of BC and the

Vancouver Island IBD Clinic are excellent resources working to improve quality of life for the IBD community.

The IBD Centre of BC is a “multidisciplinary clinic, education and research centre,” according to its website. Lunken — a dietitian and scientist at the Centre — is interested in how the diet, nutrition and the gut microbiome drives disease.

She said researchers at the Centre are working hard to find biomarkers in IBD that would signal to clinicians the severity and characteristics of someone’s disease. This can streamline treatment plans and predict which medication is best for patients.

The Vancouver Island IBD Clinic is a public health foundation that aims to advance the quality of care for people with IBD in BC and across Canada. Loomes said the Vancouver Island IBD Clinic has several ongoing works, including a national project that uses tech to drive quality of care at individual patient level.

Modernizing IT infrastructure to be more comprehensive can help better support patients by streamlining communications between health care workers, said Loomes.

Updating technology, research and facilitating a care team model are all important ways to make a future for people living with IBD. “It’s challenging, but it’s much more challenging to live with the conditions, so it’s only right that we try and do everything we can to make sure that all patients have access to good quality care,” said Loomes.U Living with IBD isn’t just about lerning to cope with symptoms, manage a treatment plan or fend off family member’s fad diets.

It’s sifting through an immense amount of literature, data and medical advice. Gut Feelings is a column to highlight the stories of IBD warriors and researchers, while bringing a bit of flair to IBD education.

PHOTOS

JANUARY 23, 2024 TUESDAY

EDITOR ISA YOU

17

HOW WEATHER RESISTANT IS WEATHER RESISTANT //

In Photos: Snow Day

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THE UBYSSEY’S CAPTION CONTEST

DECEMBER 5, 2023 VOLUME CV | ISSUE XI

DECEMBER 5, 2023

OUR FAVOURITE SUBMISSIONS “No one is good around podcasters.”

— Ellie, student “Just getting back from the IKB washrooms.”

— Ash, student