October 11, 2012 by The Ubyssey

I THINK WE’RE SAFE SINCE 1918

UBC’S OFFICIAL STUDENT NEWSPAPER | OCTOBER 11, 2012 | VOLUME XCIV| ISSUE XII

FRATERNITY SHUT DOWN

IT TAKES AN

ARENA

DOORS

THE UBYSSEY

NEW

Kappa Sigma has had its charter revoked for violating their fraternity code of conduct P3

Program hopes to make UBC more accessible to First Nations students P3

UBC has had trouble filling seats — let alone holding down a liquor licence — at its largest arena. But with the community warming up to the idea of concerts in the space, could Thunderbird Arena be more than an Olympic white elephant? P6

BIEKSA/BIRDS TIX

SCALPED With no presale, students will have trouble getting into charity game P5

DAYTRIP

DUDES

Student-run organization offers interactive learning for kids P9

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2012 |

YOUR GUIDE TO UBC EVENTS + PEOPLE

What’s on Tue 1211

OUR CAMPUS

THIS WEEK, MAY WE SUGGEST...

FOOD >>

ONE ON ONE WITH THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE UBC

THURSDAY

The Great Pancake Race IV: 12:30-1:30 p.m. @ Koerner Plaza

Gather a team and get ready to start flipping some pancakes in this kickoff for the 2012 UBC United Way Campaign. Free. Tue 1212

OUTDOORS >>

FRIDAY

Tue 1213

T-BIRDS >>

SATURDAY

Snowfest: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. @ the SUB The final day of a three-day snow festival features various snow-related vendors that include Whistler Blackcomb, Big White and Sun Peaks. Take part in festival activities for a chance to win prizes. Free. Tue 1214

FARM >>

SUNDAY

Apple Festival: 11 a.m.-4 p.m. @ the UBC Botanical Garden A family event that celebrates one of B.C.’s favourite fruits, the Apple Festival is a weekend event that allows people to taste varieties of apples and learn about this delicious and diverse fruit. $4, cash only. Tue 1215

HOGAN WONG PHOTO/THE UBYSSEY

UBC Thunderbirds football vs Regina Rams: 2 p.m. @ Thunderbird Stadium In the last home game of the year for UBC football, the T-Birds must beat Regina to keep their playoff hopes alive. Head out and show your support. $3 or free with Blue Crew membership.

ART >>

MONDAY

Toastmasters Club Open House: 5:15-6:45 p.m. @ Macleod Building Want to improve your ability to conduct interviews, prepare presentations, improve sales techniques or hone management skills? The tight-knit, friendly and encouraging group at UBC Toastmasters can help you out.

Got an event you’d like to see on this page? Send your event and your best pitch to printeditor@ubyssey.ca.

Video content Make sure to check out the Ubyssey Weekly Show, airing now at ubyssey.ca/videos

U THE UBYSSEY

EDITORIAL

Senior Lifestyle Writer STAFF Zafira Rajan Bryce Warnes, Josh Curran, zrajan@ubyssey.ca

Coordinating Editor Jonny Wakefield coordinating@ubyssey.ca Features Editor Natalya Kautz features@ubyssey.ca Managing Editor, Print Jeff Aschkinasi Video Editor printeditor@ubyssey.ca David Marino video@ubyssey.ca Managing Editor, Print Andrew Bates Copy Editor webeditor@ubyssey.ca Karina Palmitesta News Editors Will McDonald + Laura Rodgers news@ubyssey.ca

Peter Wojnar, Anthony Poon, Veronika Bondarenko, Yara De Jong, Lu Zhang, Ginny Monaco, Arno Rosenfeld, Matt Meuse, Hogan Wong, Rory Gattens, Brandon Chow

Senior News Writer Ming Wong mwong@ubyssey.ca

Graphics Assistant Indiana Joel ijoel@ubyssey.ca

Culture Editor Anna Zoria culture@ubyssey.ca

Layout Artist Collyn Chan cchan@ubyssey.ca

Senior Culture Writer Rhys Edwards redwards@ubyssey.ca

Videographer Soo Min Park spark@ubyssey.ca

Sports + Rec Editor CJ Pentland sports@ubyssey.ca

Webmaster Riley Tomasek webmaster@ubyssey.ca

OCTOBER 11, 2012 | VOLUME XCIV| ISSUE XII BUSINESS

CONTACT

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copy@ubyssey.ca Art Director Kai Jacobson art@ubyssey.ca

Toast of the town Jay Kiew has been involved in the Walter Gage Toastmasters club since his first year at UBC.

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Sarah Bigam Contributor

At age 22, Jay Kiew set the world record for being the youngest person to win a Distinguished Toastmaster award. Toastmasters is a speech-making organization with over 200,000 members worldwide. Members practice public speaking by writing speeches and performing impromptu speeches on randomly assigned topics. The other members then give feedback based on body language, organization, eye contact, articulation and preparation. “You’re always learning what you’re doing right, what you’re doing wrong, how you can take it from a 9/10 to a 10/10. It’s a very positive environment,” Kiew explained. Kiew joined the Walter Gage Toastmasters, during his first year at UBC in 2007. He had done improv briefly in high school, but after he had to drop it in favour of his demanding International Baccalaureate courses, Kiew found he missed getting in front of people and making them laugh. Later in his degree, Kiew became president of UBC Toast-

masters for two years. “It was kind of my baby for a while,” Kiew said. During his time as president, he brought the club to Distinguished President’s Club status. To do so, the club had to fulfill both membership and performance requirements. “[The members of the club] all pushed for it,” Kiew said. Kiew himself has guest-lectured for groups around UBC, including the Faculty of Science, the English department and more. He’s also taught others how to get over the number one fear in the world: public speaking. Even as a veteran Toastmaster, Kiew admitted that it is a fear he still falls prey to. “There’s those first two minutes before [you speak] when you know you have to get up: there’s butterflies, that sinking in your stomach, that heavy heart beating, you know.” Still, this doesn’t faze him; on the contrary, he loves it. “After five years, it’s taught me that that’s not going to go away. It’s uncomfortable, but you transform it into amazing energy and charisma and

momentum onstage.” This attitude must have worked for Kiew, who won his Distinguished Toastmaster award this past September. To be eligible for the award, Kiew had to prepare over 40 speeches, ranging from 7-45 minutes long, and take on 60 leadership roles, such as organizing events and training other Toastmasters. Through his past five years of Toastmasters, Kiew also learned something about himself: he wants to become a professional speaker, either for self-development or business coaching. Currently he is a marketing consultant for the app Mingo; his position involves promoting the app through presentations and events. Kiew will graduate from UBC with a major in political science and a minor in commerce in November. Then, in January, he will begin a sales consultant job at Southwestern Consulting in the U.S. Kiew said he plans to find a Toastmasters club to stay involved after his move. “I love it,” he said. “I love doing it.” U

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2012 |

EDITORS WILL MCDONALD + LAURA RODGERS

TUITION >>

UNION UPDATE >>

CUPE 116 escalates job action on campus

KAI JACOBSON FILE PHOTO/THE UBYSSEY

CUPE workers picketed the bookstore and intermittently delayed buses.

Will McDonald News Editor

UBC economics professor Angela Redish gives a presentation at the town hall consultation on tution for the bachelor of international economics degree.

KAI JACOBSON PHOTO/THE UBYSSEY

Students balk at price of new econ degree

Ming Wong Senior News Writer

UBC wants to launch a new and exclusive economics program, but students are concerned about its price tag. The newly formed Vancouver School of Economics (VSE) plans to offer a new degree, a bachelor of international economics, starting next year. UBC wants to set tuition for the program at $10,000 per year for domestic students and $29,000 for international students. The program will be a joint venture with the Sauder School of Business. “The fees that we’re charging reflected the higher cost of the program and also our objective of being ... not just the best — we’re already the best in Canada — we want to be globally higher ranked,” said Angela Redish, professor of economics and one of the two main architects behind the new degree. The school and its program was

NEWS BRIEF Clerical worker union reaches tentatative agreement with UBC UBC has reached a tentative agreement with CUPE 2950, the union that represents library and clerical workers on campus. CUPE 2950 had scheduled a strike vote for Oct. 25, but that meeting will now be used as a vote to ratify the collective agreement. CUPE 2950 admin assistant Leslie Hodson said the tentative agreement was a relief, though not exactly what the union was hoping for. “It’s better than nothing, but I think that after nine years of zeros, we would have probably looked a bit happier with a bit more. But I think under these conditions, it’s the best we’re going to get,” said Hodson. The tentative agreement includes a two per cent wage increase, backdated to April 1, 2012, and another two per cent wage increase on April 1, 2013. Hodson said it was likely that the union would ratify the tentative agreement. “Our members are really not about going on strike and that they would accept this,” said Hodson. The agreement was made within the provincial mandates governing union negotiations. “We are definitely pleased to have reached a tentative agreement with those workers,” said director of UBC Public Affairs Lucie McNeill. “It may not be what either side was absolutely hoping for … but you go for the art of the possible.” U

recently approved by the UBC Senate, which handles academic matters. The financial framework for the new degree was set to be approved by the Board of Governors in September, but was pulled from the agenda so that students could be consulted first. VSE wants the program to admit 40 domestic students and 40 international students each year. By 2017, one full four-year lot would pull in over $6 million in tuition. Of this, $5 million will go toward running the program, leaving $1 million to be paid back to UBC. Redish said the higher tuition price tag will fund smaller class sizes, salaries for Sauder’s expensive faculty members and a new careers centre to be modeled after Sauder’s. But Kiran Mahal, AMS VP Academic, expressed concerns about where the money would be going. “The program is not just covering the costs,” said Mahal. “What we

have to consider is whether we’re okay with having a small subset of students running an entire school.” But David Green, another economics professor behind VSE, argued in favour of the higher fees. “This money is going to be used for doing exactly what the university’s mission is: it will be used to hire faculty,” said Green. He said that the fees going into the central budget will fund things like libraries and computer systems for UBC as a whole. A town hall was held on Tuesday to consult with students about the future of the program. Many attendees were concerned about the program’s cost. Valentina Ricca, VP External of the International Students Association, said she sees the program as too elite and fears this will make applicants less diverse. “It’s not really attracting the best students, it’s attracting the students who can afford it,” she said.

Redish argued that the program will have some seats for domestic students who can’t afford the tuition through UBC bursaries. The school will operate under the Faculty of Arts, similar to the School of Music. There will be no changes for Arts students currently pursuing a bachelor of arts in economics, and the BA in economics degree will still be offered in the future. “There’s no other economics department, no other program ... in Canada, for sure, that does this,” said Green. “[It] helps them through to get to a deeper level.... By the time these students are done they will be working at a level close to a MA level.” Redish said that UBC will take what the students had said at the town hall into consideration, but she’s not sure what the next step will be. The intial plan is to have the new degree ready for its first cohort of students in September 2013. U

FIRST NATIONS >>

Program gives more aboriginal students a path to UBC

Veronika Bondarenko Staff Writer

A new program will give aboriginal students across the province an alternative way of getting accepted into UBC’s Faculty of Arts. The UBC-Langara Aboriginal Transfer Program, which debuted earlier this year, is meant to encourage First Nations, Métis and Inuit students to pursue a university degree. The program will provide participants with scholarship opportunities and guaranteed admission into UBC’s Faculty of Arts. “What we want to do is work with Langara College, who is an important partner for the university, and develop a program where students could start out at college and then transfer to UBC, basically providing their life pathway,” said Graeme Joseph, coordinator of strategic aboriginal initiatives at UBC’s First Nations Longhouse. “We know, through research, that many aboriginal students come from lower socioeconomic places in our society and many of them are first-generation students,” said Joseph. “These types of barrier resistance that they face could discourage them from continuing on to a university degree. This program uses the college transfer system and provides students with a pathway to a UBC Arts degree.”

KAI JACOBSON PHOTO/THE UBYSSEY

Graeme Joseph wants to break down barriers to aboriginal post-secondary education.

Joseph said that he expects at least 10 aboriginal students to make the switch to UBC sometime this year. The number is expected to increase in the next few years. “Only seven per cent of aboriginal people have a university bachelor’s degree or higher,” said Joseph. “A lot of people just don’t have experience with university.” Additional program requirements will ensure that students complete one to two years of studies at Langara and maintain at least a 2.25 GPA. Throughout the program, students will meet one-on-one with academic advisors for assistance in areas such as course selection, academic achievement and community support. Larry Railton, Langara’s manager of services for aboriginal students, believes that the academic advising services will go a long way

towards helping students plan out their post-secondary career. “One-on-one academic advising will help to keep the student focused, and with that, [increase] the likeliness of being successful. We expect that students will meet with their academic advisor regularly,” said Railton. According to Joseph, the program is a response to UBC’s Aboriginal Strategic Plan, which was first proposed by UBC President Stephen Toope in December 2008. The plan calls on UBC to partner with other educational institutions to provide aboriginal students across Canada with educational opportunities that are more aligned with the values, needs and traditions of their communities. If successful, the UBC-Langara Aboriginal Transfer Program could soon be expanded to some of UBC’s other faculties. U

Job action from CUPE 116, UBC’s support and service worker union, has begun to escalate this week, with Bookstore closures, bus delays and multiple buildings picketed. Starting on Tuesday, CUPE 116 employees shut down UBC’s parking office by picketing the General Services Administration Building next to the bus loop. The union continued picketing the building all day. CUPE 116 President Colleen Garbe said the union picketed the building because UBC’s chief negotiator works there. UBC Director of Public Affairs Lucie McNeill said that during the job action, management is taking over parking enforcement. “Our parking office has closed for the day; however, parking is being enforced, so it would be wrong for people to conclude that they can park for free on campus, because people will be ticketed and will be towed if they need to be towed,” said McNeill. On Wednesday, the union also picketed the UBC Bookstore, keeping it closed except for the hours between 1:30 and 3:30 p.m. Garbe said the union chose the Bookstore because the closure would impact the university financially, and because Bookstore managing director Debbie Harvie is on the UBC committee that bargains with the union. “You take away their ability to make money, that puts pressure on them. And we’re not going to make any apologies for that. We want a fair and respectful collective agreement,” said Garbe. On Wednesday, the union also intermittently marched in front of busses to slow them down. Food service workers in the Totem Park and Place Vanier cafeterias also walked off the job for 10 minutes to receive information from the union. McNeil praised the union for choosing actions that barely affected students. “The union is to be commended when it says that it wants to keep impact on students to a minimum,” said McNeill. On Tuesday, the union also picketed Mary Bollert Hall, a building on Marine Drive. Garbe said the union chose that building because it houses the office of CUPE 2950, another union local on campus. CUPE 2950, which represents library and clerical workers on campus, had a bargaining session with UBC the next day and reached a tentative agreement. McNeill recognizes that CUPE has the right to strike, but said any progress would have to be made at the negotiating table. “We’re very eager to get back to the bargaining table as soon as CUPE 116 indicates that they’re willing to do that,” said McNeill. But Garbe says that, based on the current situation, CUPE 116’s job action will keep escalating. U

4 | News |

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2012

FRATS >>

FACULTY >>

Faculty say new policy gives UBC too much ownership over research

HOGAN WONG PHOTO/THE UBYSSEY

Due to an unspecified code of conduct violation, the UBC Kappa Sigma chapter can no longer operate as a fraternity.

Kappa Sigma chapter shut down Will McDonald News Editor

As of Oct. 8, the UBC chapter of the Kappa Sigma fraternity is no longer in operation. The chapter’s charter was revoked by the Kappa Sigma national office on Monday for “code of conduct violations.” “The chapter has been found in violation of our code of conduct and the charter of the chapter has been withdrawn,” said Kappa Sigma executive director Mic Wilson. Wilson would not discuss the details of the case. The chapter has 30 days to appeal the decision. During the appeal period, they will not be able to operate as a fraternity. Wilson said that the fraternity was previously operating under sanctions from the international office, but did not discuss the details of the sanctions. UBC Interfraternity Council (IFC) President Gene Polovy said that Kappa Sigma’s house in the

Fraternity Village is owned by the fraternity’s alumni association. Any decisions about what would happen to the many fraternity members living in the house would fall on them. Wilson said that if the appeal isn’t successful, the international office won’t have any hand in the situation for the house and its occupants. “The house really belongs to a local corporation, and so they would have to determine what happens with the property,” he said. Polovy said he just became aware of the situation with Kappa Sigma, and the specifics are between them and their international office. He said the IFC would meet in the next few weeks to determine if Kappa Sigma will remain a member of the organization. If Kappa Sigma’s charter is not reinstated, the chapter will no longer be a member of the IFC. According to Polovoy, the current members of Kappa Sigma would not be allowed to join a new

fraternity if their chapter remains deconstituted. Any uninitiated pledges, however, would be free to join other fraternities. He said it would be up to the fraternity’s international office to determine if current Kappa Sigma members would be considered alumni of the fraternity. Kappa Sigma has been at UBC since 1941, and Wilson said that the fraternity will likely maintain a presence on campus either way. “We’ve had a long history there, and a very successful history there. We’re going to have a chapter at the University of British Columbia, so it just depends on what comes out of the appeal process as to whether or not the chapter is reorganized now or whether it would be recolonized at a point in the future,” said Wilson. Wilson emphasized that the decision is not yet final. “We’re trying to determine, again, what is presented in the appeal process, allowing the men to have their say, and we owe them that,” he said. U

KAI JACOBSON PHOTO/THE UBYSSEY

Faculty members are concerned about a new Board of Governors policy that, they say, will hand UBC intellectual property rights for books, lecture notes and academic papers.

Laura Rodgers News Editor

UBC wants to update its policy about who owns patents, papers and books that come out of university research. But professors think that UBC is being greedy, and it might wind up losing faculty as a result. The UBC Faculty Association argues that under the new policy, any work faculty members do with UBC resources would automatically belong to the university. The university plans to replace its current policy about who gets to own research-related patents with a new, broader document. “The current policy ... is almost 20 years old,” said Randy Schmidt, director of UBC Public Affairs. “I think it was drafted in 1992. This was prior to the emergence of the Internet, so a lot has changed since then. And a change to the policy is overdue.” According to Schmidt, the current policy is too focused on patents and was expanded so that UBC can be clear on who owns other works put out by academics, like journal papers and textbooks. “[The old policy] was focused primarily on commercial means, patenting,” said Schmidt. “So the new policy is meant to better reflect a broader range of knowledge that’s created.” The Faculty Association sent a letter to the university criticizing the new policy, saying that it could mean UBC will automatically own all papers, books and class work put out by UBC faculty. “Many [faculty members] do research projects, we write textbooks, we prepare class notes — a variety of materials,” said Nancy Langton, head of the Faculty Association. “The university position seems to be that they own all of these materials under this newly revised, proposed policy.” The association argues that the new policy is more restrictive than those at other universities and may dissuade new faculty from coming to UBC if it is passed. “Typically at universities, the faculty members own their intellectual property, not the university,” said Langton. “I’m a textbook writer. I write a major

textbook that is published widely across Canada. The way this new policy reads, all of my work that goes into the textbook would belong to the university.” Schmidt wasn’t able to discuss

Typically ... the faculty members own their intellectual property, not the university. Nancy Langton

UBC Faculty Association head

the specifics of the Faculty Association’s criticisms, but he said that UBC would consider them. “I’m not a technical expert on the ownership of intellectual property,” said Schmidt. “We’ll be looking at the questions that the Faculty Association has raised, and we take them seriously as part of the process of feedback.” UBC math professor Izabella Laba is worried that if the new policy passes, it will make teaching classes more difficult. Laba said that, as far as she can interpret the policy, it might mean that she can’t post lecture notes or sample problems on a class webpage without obtaining UBC’s written permission. “If this kind of a policy applied to teaching materials, none of that would be available to us,” said Laba. The proposed new policy also says that if a faculty member and UBC have a dispute over who owns something, UBC will act as a mediator. The Faculty Association doesn’t like this proposition either. “We feel there’s a conflict of interest in having the university being the sole arbiter in that,” said Langton. The new policy was set to go before the UBC Board of Governors in December, but according to the Board’s planning and liaison manager Reny Kahlon, it now won’t be debated until 2013. U

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2012 |

EDITOR C.J. PENTLAND

OLYMPICS >>

UBC Olympians readjust to student life

After the experience of a lifetime, T-Bird swimmers deal with Olympic hangover Zafira Rajan Senior Lifestyle Writer

For three UBC swimmers, the best part about the 2012 Summer Olympics in London was being able to live out their dreams on the international stage. But what do they do now that it’s over? Reflect, swim and maybe feel just a little deflated. Current UBC student-athletes Savannah King, Heather McLean and Tera Van Beilen all qualified for the Olympics, and they unanimously agreed that their experience cannot be put into words. Now, they seem to be suffering from an Olympics hangover. King admitted that it’s a bit of a fall off the pedestal they were perched on during the summer. “It’s a little bit weird. It’s gone from being treated like a god — everything in the Olympic Village was free, everything was at your fingertips — and then getting back into real life is kind of a slap in the face. But we love being at school and we are all enjoying our classes.” Their success hasn’t come easy. They have all been swimming for as long as they can remember, and training for the Olympics required gruelling mental and physical preparation. Each swimmer has her own methods for coping with the pressure. Van Beilen said that her closeness with her family during the Olympics helped her performance. “I think it’s good to talk it out with them.... It was my first international meet at the highest level, so I went in blindfolded. There are so many emotions that are going through your head, so much to overcome.... But I think time off from swimming is really what you need for your mental state. There is so much pressure.... You can’t get away from it and you can’t get around it.” “The biggest pressure is the pressure we put on ourselves,” said McLean. “I personally spend a lot of time working with a sports psychologist on how to make sure that

kai jacobson PHOTO/THE UBYSSEY

From left to right: Savannah King, Heather McLean and Tera Van Beilen are three current UBC students who competed in the 2012 Olympics.

the pressure doesn’t get too much to handle and that you’ll be able to swim with the pressure on.” King, who had already competed in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, kept the stress levels down by thinking of the London Olympics as just another place. “Going into an international event, it’s easy to think about how important it is, how big it is to be at the Olympics, and how very few people get to do it,” she said. “But at the same time, I just think to myself that it’s just another swim meet and I’ve done hundreds and hundreds of them in the past.... So it’s not anything new, it’s just something much bigger. You just have to get into your routines and know that you have done this before. “It’s funny, the difference between the beginning of this year and the beginning of last year. This time last year, we were in heavy training, we worked so hard — and now we’re kind of just getting back to being used to a regular schedule of regular intensity.” “It’ll come soon,” McLean added. “There are things that need to be done.”

“And there are places we need to go, and times we need to swim!” Van Beilen said, laughing. The coaches may have worked them hard, but the girls sung high praises of the people who have molded their endurance and fitness levels. “Our coaches are rocks in some ways,” said McLean. “We all live away from our families, so my coach has become my surrogate dad. He’s someone that I can talk to and he pushes me hard — but he also knows when I’m being pushed too hard and just need some time to just relax for a minute, or it’s going to be ugly. You need to have a good relationship with your coach, or you’re not going to get very far.” “Our coaches are world-class,” Van Beilen agreed. “They have had so much success as athletes, and so we really just have to put a lot of trust in them and know that they know what they’re doing.” “Mine and Heather’s coach have to been to nine Olympics,” King added. “So you need to trust that they know what you need.” Aside from practices and events, the three loved being able

to experience the Olympics as a whole. After the first week of races, they were able to spend the rest of their time watching other events, many of which they didn’t even know existed. “I mean, who knew what the modern pentathlon was about? Not I!” said McLean. Despite not medalling, all three had moments that stood out for them during their time in London. “I got to do a swim-off, which was pretty special, because not a lot of people get to do a swim-off at the Olympics,” said Van Beilen. “It really tested me and how I could handle three tough swimming situations in one day, and actually doing a relatively good time, three times.... I didn’t break under the pressure. Even though I didn’t get to the final, it was a fun time. And now, I’m the ‘swim-off girl!’” King said she felt overwhelming relief when she achieved one of her long-time goals. “It was just looking at the clock after my second race and realizing that I had done a best time.... I’ve been on the national team since I was 14, and it’s taken me since then to really perform well

at the international level.” For McLean, it was seeing her sister succeed. “My sister was on the team and she had a pretty fantastic swim for the final for the 400-metre freestyle. Just being able to be there and watch that.... The photographer managed to capture me at that moment too, so now we both have photos of our highlights, which is pretty special.” A memorable event for all three was the closing ceremony. King especially loved revisiting her childhood with the return of the Spice Girls. “Walking in was really cool.... It was cool to be there and say you were there. The Spice Girls were there, and all my dreams were all in one place. Partying with my friends at the Olympics with the Spice Girls right there? Come on. Eight-year-old me is just cheering right now!” So what’s next for the Olympic trio? “We have to take it one day at a time,” McLean said. “It’s overwhelming to think that we’ll have to do it all over again.” “There’s always something every year. This year it’s world’s [swimming championships] at Barcelona.... The Olympics are the light at the end of the tunnel, but we can’t be too focused on it right now,” King said. “I’m just going to focus on the varsity season, to build back into it and focus on [the CIS championships]. I think focusing on that is helping me stay grounded, and it’s easier for me to focus on that than another international event.” It’s back to the grind of classes and training, but the lingering excitement of the Olympics will take some time to wear off. “I think that still I don’t fully understand what happened,” said McLean. “It hasn’t really sunk in that, wow, I went to the Olympics and this is what I did. It might take years and months that I’ll be able to reflect on what happened and being there. “But we had a lot of fun. It was amazing to be there with each other and see it — and it is always an honour to represent Canada.” U

HOCKEY >>

Scalpers snap up large amount of ticket sales for charity hockey game C.J. Pentland Sports + Rec Editor

The much-hyped UBC Thunderbirds vs. Bieksa’s Buddies hockey game will certainly raise money for charity — but scalpers may be scooping up a generous share for themselves, too. With the NHL lockout already cancelling the first two weeks of the NHL season, Vancouver hockey fans have pounced at the opportunity to go watch their favourite Vancouver Canucks take the ice on Oct. 17. However, this game has also provided an opportunity for ticket scalpers in the area to make some significant profits. As of Wednesday afternoon, there were 48 postings on Craigslist advertising the sale of tickets for the hockey game, with prices peaking at $150 a ticket. Scalpers are taking in a huge profit on the $20 tickets and defeating the purpose of this event: to raise money for charity. Tickets for the event went on sale on Saturday, Oct. 6 at 10 a.m., and all 5,000 of them had sold out by 11 a.m. Selling out the event is undoubtedly a huge success, since the Canuck Place Children’s Hospice, Canucks Autism Network and Canucks Family Education Centre will all be receiving substantial donations. But the people who have bought the tickets for resale will profit solely for

their own benefit. None of the Craigslist postings said that the money made from their ticket sales would be donated to charity. “It’s a situation that is obviously disappointing,” said Dan Elliott, manager of media relations at UBC. “This is a game where all the funds are going to charity, and somebody trying to personally benefit off something like that is disappointing to see. “At this point and time, there is nothing we can do about it. We’d love to be able to completely prevent it, but there’s absolutely nothing you can do. Until they outlaw scalping [and] make it a crime,… nothing will change, whether it’s here at a charity event or at a regular game for the Canucks.” There was no ticket pre-sale for UBC students, so there is no way to know how many got tickets. The low ticket price of $20 was created with students in mind, but now many faithful hockey fans are unable to find reasonably priced tickets. “I’m a student at the university and struggling financially (like most students), so I can’t afford to pay the price most people are offering on Craigslist,” read a listing on the site, one of the few posted in hopes of finding tickets as opposed to selling them. Several other people are not at all

pleased with the scalping. “It’s disgusting,” wrote secondyear computer science student Vineet Deo on Twitter. “If you’re gunna [sic] sell them, sell them for the price you paid, or give the remainder to charity... not your wallet.” “If it all went to Bieksa’s charities, no problem. But since some people are doing it for their own charity (nudge, nudge), [it’s a] problem,” tweeted user stuffpapers. But this is a hockey game that features some of the top Canucks players in the midst of a lockout. Even in a regular season, tickets to see the Canucks play at Rogers Arena typically go for around $100. Several Twitter users made the point that scalping was inevitable. “Should have sold them for what they’re worth in the first place,” tweeted Ubyssey staff photographer Josh Curran, noting that people from all around city would pounce on this opportunity, whether they were scalping the tickets or not. “Supply vs. demand, it’s that simple,” commented fourth-year political science student Jake Jaffe on Twitter. Bieksa commented Tuesday that if the lockout continued, he would look into holding a second game, according to Ben Kuzma of the Province. But even if there’s another

game, people will still have to shell out substantial cash to attend. “It is a great event that goes towards an outstanding cause with the three great charities, and that’s

all we’re really focused about at this point in time,” said Elliot. “We hope these [scalpers] realize the situation and what they’re trying to do, but we can’t control it.” U

6 | feature |

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2012

ARENA DREAMIN’ CONCERTS >>

Since its Olympic expansion, Thunderbird Arena has been plagued with years of liquor, drug and management woes. Will the arena ever realize its promise as the primary concert venue on campus? by In Hye Lee

ith its 141,000-squarefoot interior, 8,000-person capacity and convenient location, Thunderbird Arena might seem like the perfect venue for on-campus concerts. But very few UBC students have fond memories of late nights at the arena; in fact, since its construction in 2008, the venue has been riddled with disputes, restrictions and mismanagement. A holdover from the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, the arena has since fallen through on its potential. Since the Games, the UBC Athletics department had been charged with the arena’s management. However, Athletics hasn’t shown that it’s up to the task, leaving hopeful students caught in the middle. With so much promise, what happened to Thunderbird Arena? Currently the arena holds a stadium event-driven liquor primary licence, meaning that it is licensed to serve alcohol at all events except concerts. If Athletics wants to serve liquor at concerts, it must apply for a special occasion licence (SOL) — as it did this past July for an upcoming Bassnectar concert on Oct. 27. And with that application, Athletics opened up a four-year-old can of worms. “The arena has a number of different functions within it,” said Kavie Toor, associate director of facilities and business development for UBC Athletics. “Concerts are a

part of it,… one of several components involved in the arena.” In the absence of a liquor licence, the Liquor Control and Licensing Branch (LCLB) requires venues to submit applications for an SOL when liquor is sold at a “public special event,” which is defined on their website as an event that’s “open to anyone who wishes to participate or buy a ticket, either at the door or in advance of the event.” An approved SOL is valid for that event only, so if Athletics wants to serve liquor at future concerts, it must apply for an SOL for each separate occasion. For such a high-capacity on-campus facility like Thunderbird Arena, this per-event licensing policy may seem restrictive. The liquor licence has been a heated topic in recent memory, starting with the arena’s renovations for the 2010 Olympics. Between 2006 and 2008, the Thunderbird Winter Sports Centre was expanded for the Olympic and Paralympic games into a complex of three arenas: Thunderbird Arena, Father Bauer Arena and Protrans Arena. A $47.8 million project, the centre went on to host 17 ice hockey games and 20 sledge hockey games. Before its expansion, the original Father Bauer Arena held a liquor licence designated for its “Thunderbar.” Under this licence, liquor was prohibited from being taken from the bar area to the seats. But as a result of the Olympic expansion, this old licence was no

longer useful. It did not apply to the new Thunderbird Arena, the centre’s largest rink. So in early 2009, Athletics applied to the LCLB to modify its liquor licence to include Thunderbird Arena and extend its hours of service. Athletics hoped that the arena would become the primary concert venue on campus. While the LCLB considered the application, the arena was granted a temporary change to its existing licence, which permitted beer gardens during certain events. However, this temporary change was revoked after complaints about beer garden use at one concert. As the LCLB continued to deliberate over the arena’s application, UBC Athletics hosted two further concerts: the Killers in April 2009 and the Offspring in June 2009. And they didn’t go well: rather than showing Athletics’ competence, the concerts cast further doubt on the department’s ability to safely run a concert venue. After an SOL allowed Athletics to host a beer garden at the Killers concert on April 24, the campus RCMP determined that the “centre’s management … are struggling with promoting and overseeing their operations.” “There was such blatant abuse of liquor service (operating two beer gardens, poor security, over-service) that all events were not allowed to apply for a special occasion licence,” wrote RCMP Staff Sergeant

Kevin Kenna in a June 2009 letter presented at a public information meeting held in July 2009. Charged with regulating latenight events on campus, Kenna had frequent concerns about student events at UBC. In the March 2011 issue of the University Neighbourhoods Association’s newspaper, the Campus Resident, Kenna described his role as leading not a “war on fun … [but] a war against lack of safety.” Kenna blamed Athletics for its poor security measures, concluding that Thunderbird Arena’s management did not take security checks seriously. He argued that concerts held by Athletics require extra RCMP policing in order to ensure the safety of spectators. As a result, the June 10 Offspring concert at Thunderbird Arena was officially declared a dry event. Nevertheless, Athletics had even more difficulties supervising the event. “Both drugs and alcohol did make their way into the event … [with] many inebriated persons … on the main floor or in the stands or backstage,” wrote Kenna. “During [the Offspring concert], a male was ‘head-butted’ and required an ambulance to take him to the hospital. Before this event even started, there was a lot of ‘pre-drinking’ outside the centre.” UBC’s management review of the Offspring concert argued that Athletics management could not have anticipated the liquor viola-

tions. The review blames security guards for incorrectly interpreting the rules of liquor regulation, and states that crew members had liquor stored in their tour bus, which led to unexpected liquor abuse. The failures of Athletics management did not go unnoticed. After the shortcomings of the Killers concert, UBC’s administration spoke up. “It is clear that a recent event at the arena did not meet safety expectations.… A higher level of preparedness and execution is required; UBC accepts that,” wrote Brian Sullivan, UBC’s former vice-president students, in a letter marked July 2, 2009 that was also presented at the public information meeting. But Kenna and the RCMP remained unabashedly opposed to the arena’s liquor licence application. At the time, Kenna also explicitly questioned the Athletics department’s motives: “It is my belief that … profit is the main objective, rather than ensuring that community interests are taken into consideration,” Kenna wrote. “These proposals will … further erode the quality of life for persons residing in the area.”

CONSIDERATIONS FROM THE COMMUNITY More than 8,000 permanent residents live on UBC campus. To represent their interests, they rely on the University Neighbourhoods

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2012

| feature | 7

INDIANA JOEL, KAI JACOBSON ILLUSTRATION/THE UBYSSEY

With the exception of the occasional concert and Imagine Day, a full house at the $47.8 million Thunderbird Arena is just wishful thinking. That’s owing in part to UBC Athletics’ poor history of managing licensed events in the space—but that looks like it’s about to change.

Association (UNA), whose goals, listed on their website, include “promoting the creation of a vibrant, social, safe and diverse” community. Kenna said he felt that the UBC community comprises students, staff and campus residents. He noted the Thunderbird Arena’s location on the corner of Thunderbird Boulevard and Wesbrook Mall, which is in close proximity to residential areas. In the past, the UNA and RCMP have often clashed with students over nightlife on campus. “When I came, things were … out of control,” Kenna recalled in the March 2011 issue of the Campus Resident . “There was a lot of animosity between students and residents.” Indeed, the Campus Resident article characterizes student events as consisting of “binge drinking by up to 20,000 students … [and] drunken and unruly behaviour.” The article goes on to specifically credit Kenna with “the decline in this animosity [between students and residents].” Evidently, the UNA was less than enthusiastic about the prospect of more licensed venues on campus. “There is cautious support from the UNA Board of Directors,” wrote UNA Executive Director Jan Fialkowski in a letter dated July 2009, responding to the Thunderbird Arena application for a modified liquor licence. Fialkowski cited noise disturbances and a possible negative impact for families with young children. In the past, some UBC residents had moved out because of late-night disturbances. In the fall of 2009, the LCLB issued its decision on the expanded licence. Despite the RCMP’s opposition and the UNA’s reservations, the LCLB did grant UBC Athletics the expanded liquor licence. However, it came with a price. As it stood in 2009, the LCLB was

not confident about UBC Athletics’ safety and security procedures for special events, especially regarding alcohol and drug use. The expanded licence was granted on the condition that Athletics did not use the licence for concerts. “It is very unusual for an establishment to have such serious and repeated issues with liquor at events over a very short time frame,” wrote Cheryl Caldwell, deputy general manager of the LCLB, in a letter dated Nov. 10, 2009. “Based on these considerations, I am not prepared to allow liquor service at concerts at this time.” The LCLB’s ruling also prevented Athletics from applying for an SOL for a concert prior to May 2010, although Caldwell acknowledged the possibility for an Olympics/ Paralympics licence. The ruling also required Athletics to seriously

support this plan. The August 2010 issue of the Campus Resident remarked that “the RCMP in particular has chosen to back away from any measure of support for the new UBC liquor licence application,” adding that the UNA chose to follow the RCMP’s example. Kenna once again stressed the issue of safety. “What I am concerned about is the number of drug users and gang members that would be in attendance at these concerts,” he said at an August 2010 meeting with Athletics and the UNA. According to the Campus Resident , the community was unhappy with the “prospect of drug use,… noise and disturbance, and gangsters drawn to UBC.” Although Athletics later reduced the proposed number of shows from 12 to eight, the UNA was unswayed and Thunderbird Arena remained dark.

It is very unusual for an establishment to SUPPORT, SAME have such serious and NEW RESPONSIBILITIES repeated issues with liquor at events over a With the Bassnectar concert at the end of October very short time frame.” approaching and the possibility of an SOL still Cheryl Caldwell Deputy General Manager of the Liquor Control and Licensing Board, in a 2009 letter

modify their management tactics for the future. Though the LCLB’s ruling halted any plans for licensed concerts until the following spring, Athletics planned to licence later concerts. In August 2010, Athletics sought support from both the RCMP and the UNA for 12 licensed DJ shows at Thunderbird Arena. This was in compliance with the LCLB ruling that Athletics would cooperate with the liquor inspector and enforcement authorities when planning events. However, the RCMP refused to

trust Athletics to place community interests first. “Athletics has been doing their due diligence, [and has] been in consultation with the surrounding residences,” said Jones. “We’ve always had a good relationship with Athletics. I can’t speak for when Staff Sergeant Kevin Kenna was here.” The UNA tells a similar story. Despite Fialkowski’s “cautious support” in 2009, she now claims that UNA residents have never suffered. “From the UNA’s perspective, it never affected anybody in the neighbourhoods,” she said. “Wheth-

alive, the situation at Thunderbird Arena seems deeply changed since the summer of 2010. Athletics in particular seems to be confident about its management tactics for the concert, as well as its relationship with the RCMP and the UNA. Back in 2009, the RCMP opposed the application for a modified licence and the UNA showed concern about the proposed amendments. But in recent interviews conducted after the announcement of the Bassnectar concert, both Fialkowski and Staff Sergeant Kevin Jones, who replaced Kenna upon his retirement, now insist that they enjoy a positive relationship with UBC Athletics — and always have. In stark contrast to Kenna’s views, both parties stress they

Athletics has been doing their due diligence, [and has] been in consultation with the surrounding residences. Kevin Jones University RCMP Detachment Staff Sergeant, on Athletics new liquor practices

er or not there was a lack of security, it appeared that all of this occurred inside the arena and there was no impact to people who lived around the arena.” Still, security issues remain at the forefront of planning, with Athletics attempting to cover all its bases with the RCMP and the UNA. As part of the new strategy, Athletics will now present any new plans for upcoming events to UNA board meetings for formal approval. As for the imminent Bassnectar concert, Kavie Toor, UBC Athletics’ associate director of facilities and business development, seems positive about the security measures taken. “Our real focus is on partnerships and collaborations to make sure that the event sits with the campus community and they are run in a

safe manner,” he said. “To date, we’ve focused on a couple of events with the RCMP. The operational and security plan are in planning stages.” The role of campus RCMP in Athletics’ planning stages has grown considerably. “Athletics will put together a plan for the event, and they will send that plan for us to review,” Jones said. “From that, we can look at how many officers we need to cover the event.” Although RCMP officers will likely be present at Bassnectar, Jones emphasized that policing of drugs and alcohol is still the responsibility of UBC Athletics. Following the department’s history of poor security and liquor service abuse at concerts, Athletics has hired a new security company for the Bassnectar concert. This company will be responsible for security at the venue, with RCMP officers only assisting if necessary. “We’ll be focusing on it as well, but that’s for their security company [to deal with],” explained Jones. “We’ve been assured by Athletics that they’ve been targeting acts that are appropriate for the venue,” Fialkowski said. “We’ve had no negative experiences with events that happened in the arena. The next one in will be fine as well.” With the apparent optimism of the RCMP and UNA behind them, Athletics has a better chance than ever of being granted an SOL. Still, even with the support of these campus groups, the success of the event is still in the hands of Athletics management. On the surface, the situation around Athletics appears to be quite different than it was three years ago. But ultimately, the success of the upcoming round of concerts is still up in the air, and the memories of past problems at Thunderbird Arena haven’t been erased. Only time will tell if Athletics has learned its lesson. U

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2012 |

EDITOR ANNA ZORIA

MUSIC >>

Opera Ensemble offers raunch and whimsy Rhys Edwards Senior Culture Writer

direction of UBC alum Kryzstof Biernacki, performed Così for audiences in the Czech Republic in late July. The opportunity to perform continuously has allowed the ensemble members to delve deeply into the subtleties of their characters — which, for some of them, also serve as their master’s theses. Performing abroad presented several challenges to the ensemble. Aside from struggling with the complexities of Mozart’s music and the limitations of a three-week time frame, the ensemble also rehearsed amid smoking stagehands and had to learn the basics of the Czech language. Yet the excursion was invaluable, especially for students looking to launch a career in opera-loving central Europe. “The main benefit of it ... is to have a taste of what the professional life will be like,” said Katie Miller, an undergraduate student playing the mezzo-soprano role of Dorabella. “Because you will be travelling, you will be on a plane, you will be in a hotel, there will be different circumstances you’re

UBC’s prolific Opera Ensemble will open their 2012-2013 season with Mozart’s Così Fan Tutte. One of Mozart’s more popular operas, Così is a whimsical tale of love, sex and debauchery: two young men are challenged by an old philosopher to prove that their fiancées will remain faithful to them, even when their backs are turned. The ensuing events lend themselves to the opera’s title, which roughly translates to “women are like that.” “But the thing is, depending on the translation, men can be like that too,” said Russell Robson, the tenor playing Ferrando, one of the young men in question. “So we’re not trying to insult women, or men for that matter. Maybe it’s a commentary on human nature.” This particular production of Così is a unique project for several members of the UBC Opera Ensemble, as it will be their second time staging it this year. UBC students, as well as a delegate of students from the University of Northern Florida under the

Petr Berounsky/THE UBYSSEY

The 2012-2013 season brings one of Mozart’s most popular operas to the UBC stage.

going to have to deal with in terms of preparing yourself for a performance or role that won’t be in the safety of your house or your country.... It’s a good learning experience.” The opportunity to stage an opera at various locales in the

Czech Republic has been a unique feature of UBC’s School of Music since 2001. The program allows undergraduates, graduates and alumni to work together to stage a high-quality production outside of the comforts of an academic environment. It’s this profes-

sionalism that attracts students like Emily Nelson, who performs soprano as Fiordiligi. “I had auditioned for a bunch of different schools, and then I came up here and I was just like, ‘This is the program.’ The fact that we can have three mainstage performances in a year – I mean, that’s the capacity for most professional programs. The fact that we have our own costume shop and we have a ticketing system, it’s set up like a professional opera company — and that’s something unique, just in North America, from what I have experienced looking at different schools at home.” In light of the recent protests against UBC’s decision to move the School of Music’s library, the international exploits of the opera program are even more significant. It’s clear that the “global significance” to which UBC constantly aspires is not only to be found in its science and research faculties, but in the oft-neglected halls of its vibrant music programs. U

FILM >>

VIFF reviews

and a rock music soundtrack. Low’s documentary is sure to keep the viewer engrossed.

HELPLESS Helpless, adapted from Miyuki Miyabe’s crime novel Kasha, follows a veterinarian (Lee Seon-Gyun) who searches for his fiancée (Kim Min-hee) after she vanishes from a rest stop. Enlisting the help of a disgraced ex-cop, Seon-Gyun’s character begins to discover dark and disturbing truths about his fiancée. Helpless is a brilliant example of what poignant directing can do. Director Byun Young-joo fires up the already captivating plot with rapid switches between the present and past that allow audience members to come to their own conclusions. The film passes up heart-pounding suspense for a calmer, cerebral atmosphere, but the audience is always kept guessing. Credit must also be given to the cinematography and acting. The film is laden with scenes that are shot to mirror a character’s state of mind, such as a tilted-angle shot that reflects a man’s shifted reality. Min-hee gives a stellar performance, juxtaposing victim with femme fatale. The film leaves the viewer questioning how people are victimized and how they fight back. Despite a few over-acted

—Tarana Rana

LAURENCE ANYWAYS

PHOTO COURTESY OF VIFF

Tears, shoulder pads and David Bowie makeup: Laurence Anyways is Xavier Dolan’s trangender love story.

scenes, Helpless is a unique, must-see film.

—Jennifer Yao

FRANKENSTEIN: A MODERN MYTH In Frankenstein: A Modern Myth , director Adam Low puts the time

less classic under the microscope to examine its enduring appeal. Offering a window into the life of author Mary Shelley, the film explores the events that led to the creation of the first science fiction novel. A surprising wealth of information is covered in 48 minutes as the documentary analyzes themes central to the novel. The creation

myth, nature versus nurture and the consequences of scientific advancement are just a few topics that are explored. The documentary is also generously interspersed with clips from Danny Boyle’s 2011 stage adaptation of Frankenstein . Frankenstein: A Modern Myth does not disappoint. Its compelling narrative is skillfully interwoven with film clips, clichéd gory images

Québécois director and all-around boy wonder Xavier Dolan gives us Laurence Anyways, a film documenting the tumultuous relationship between transgender woman-inprogress Laurence and her on-again, off-again girlfriend, Fred. Beginning in the early ’90s and ending right before the start of the 21st century, this film indulges heavily in artistic flair, portraying characters’ feelings through constant close-up shots and surrealist inserts. Costume jewelry, shoulder pads and eclectic outfits abound in this film, but Dolan somehow manages to not distract the viewer too much from the raw performances of the actors. Though the dialogue is occasionally too rapid-fire, the honesty of the narrative keeps the film moving at an engaging pace. Overall, Laurence Anyways is an aesthetically pleasing and challenging work of art. U

—Prabhi Deol

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2012

| Culture | 9

EDUCATION >>

Brainwave takes learning outside the class Jane Jun Contributor

Two years ago, three UBC students came up with a unique idea to get involved on campus and in local communities throughout Vancouver. After countless hours of hard work, Brainwave — a non-profit organization that provides interactive field trips for elementary and middle-school students — was born. The organization was started several years ago when cofounder Michael Grubner and two of his friends, Davis Sam and Jonathan Simkin, felt the itch to make more of an impact at their university. Grubner, who is currently in his third year at UBC and plans to major in sociology, said that Brainwave was designed to be “a community outreach organization to involve kids with interactive experiences that are educational in their foundation.” The three young founders quickly discovered that starting such an ambitious project was easier said than done. “We had no idea how to design a curriculum,” said Grubner with a laugh. “Many nights [were spent] Googling icebreaker activities and games and all that kind of stuff.… We were really super green at this.” The ball got rolling when Grubner contacted Kids Up Front Vancouver, a charity that connects kids to arts, culture, sports and recreational activities. According to him, partnering with Kids Up Front was “a real serious

Three students took the initiative to bring interactive learning to elementary classrooms.

game-changer.... From that point onwards, we could get kids from them.” Kids Up Front, which has massive network connections to programs such as Big Brothers and Big Sisters, was able to help sign up kids for the activities organized by Brainwave. Since the partnership, Brain-

wave has flourished as an outreach program for children who would otherwise not have the opportunity for hands-on educational experiences with talented instructors. Brainwave’s connection to UBC has played a large part in the program’s development. UBC professors from various depart-

Kai Jacobson PHOTO/THE UBYSSEY

ments participate in the field trips. Semkin added that the organization receives sponsorship from UBC, the departments of chemistry and zoology, and individual professors. The co-founders emphasized that Brainwave could not have flourished without the help of these sources. Grubner, Sam and Simkin also

encourage other UBC students to get involved with Brainwave. “We currently have 19 volunteers,… and we are always ready to expand,” said Simkin. Volunteers are a major component of Brainwave, as they help facilitate the field trips and manage the kids. Grubner also noted that he aims to evolve the organization. Simkin mentioned their interest in expanding the program into the arts. “The general arrangement is that we want to give hands-on experience, but we don’t want to limit just to sciences,” said Simkin. “The only reason we’ve had primarily science field trips is because I’m in sciences. “We’d love to get a drama field trip. We’d love to get a music field trip.… We want to get every group. Hopefully, this also brings in a diverse group of kids as well.” The creators of Brainwave hope that their footprint in the community will continue to grow. “You see it in the kids that come out. They really enjoy the experience,” said Grubner. “They really take it to heart. And for us, that makes it all worth it.” U

MORE ONLINE For more information about Brainwave, visit www.brainwavelearning. ca.

FOOD >>

Fighting the fin

Councillor Jang pushes for Vancouver shark fin ban WHAT AM I EATING?

by Tyler McRobbie At some point in life, we’ve all begun a sentence with, “I don’t mean to sound racist, but…” — often as a disclaimer before bringing up a sensitive subject. For City Councillor Kerry Jang, who is also a professor of psychiatry at UBC, race is an especially sensitive topic as he introduces legislation banning an iconic piece of Chinese culinary history across much of Metro Vancouver. The cities of Vancouver, Burnaby and Richmond are currently in the midst of implementing a ban on the use of shark fin, an expensive Chinese delicacy often used to flavour soups and broths. Particularly common in traditional Chinese weddings, shark fin soup is served to honour one’s guests. But considering the deplorable way the fins are often harvested, it’s not hard to see why there’s a push against the exotic ingredient. YouTube is teeming with graphic videos of the process, which show fins being hacked off before the live shark is thrown back into the ocean to die. Many in Vancouver find this act to be nothing short of appalling. Yet the soup is available in many Chinese restaurants across the Lower Mainland, fuelled by demand from affluent Chinese

immigrants who still enjoy the dish. Jang warned that the issue, as well as his intent, could certainly be misinterpreted. His work, very recently gaining federal traction, walks a fine line between honouring his constituents’ Chinese heritage and standing up for what he believes to be right. Jang was quick to state that the ban should in no way be considered ethnically motivated. “It’s not really a cultural thing. It’s an ethical thing,” he said. After all, he added, this is Vancouver — and Jang himself is Chinese-Canadian. Jang conceded that the motion would have garnered a different reaction had it been proposed by a Caucasian councillor. But the move towards banning the product actually began under very different circumstances in China. Alongside fine wines and other delicacies, shark fin soup was known to be a bribe for government officials; currently, it’s being phased out in an attempt to stunt corruption in political circles. As such, the banning of shark fin soup is all part of a major cultural shift that’s paralleled here at home, albeit with different motivations. “The Chinese community is going to have to face the fact that, if you live in Canada, likely there’s going to be some restrictions,” said Jang. U

First person to enter The Ubyssey office and debate the validity of the CUPE 116 strike with Laura Rodgers gets 100 free copies of the paper. Great for making paper airplanes! COME BY THE UBYSSEY OFFICE : SUB 24, FOLLOW THE SIGNS

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2012 |

STUDENT VOICE. COMMUNITY REACH.

LAST WORDS

Right to strike more important than your damn sandwich

kai jacobson PHOTO/THE UBYSSEY

EDITOR’S NOTEBOOK by Andrew Bates

ILLUSTRATION COLLYN CHAN/THE UBYSSEY

MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE TO SOUPED-UP ECONOMICS DEGREE UBC is really excited about trying to sell you a new degree called the bachelor of international economics. So excited, in fact, that they almost forgot to actually consult with anyone before ramming the program through. An event put on by the Economics Student Association earlier this week was billed as a consultation, but amounted to little more than senior admins informing students that the degree is going to cost a lot more. Now that they pulled the approval off the Board of Governors docket at the last minute and actually asked students what they think, it isn’t surprising that more than a few are balking at the price tag. UBC wants to charge twice as much as a regular BA for this fancy new degree, and their justification for the price tag is a little shaky. They say the extra money is to hire expensive top-tier professors to teach smaller classes, and they also want to run a careers centre to help these students get jobs. Making up a new alphabet-soup designation (go ahead, Google “BIE programs”) is canny, because it means UBC can get around the cap on tuition and name its own price. A two-tier system may be unfair to the lowly BA economics students, who won’t get the small classes and superstar profs, but at least the BIE students will be getting what they pay for, right? Well, not really. UBC wants a tuition price that doesn’t just pay for BIE classes and amenities; it would also pump over a million dollars back into UBC’s central budget. That’s over a million dollars from a school that will have 320 students in it, at most. We all know UBC’s hurting for money, but trying to re-

package and resell a high-end, souped-up BA to pay the bills is desperate and a little sleazy.

THERE ARE 100,000 CANUCKS FANS IN THE LOWER MAINLAND, AND ALL OF THEM ARE RICHER THAN YOU

No one is surprised when scalpers sell Canucks tickets. And no one is surprised when scalpers sell those tickets above face value. But when the tickets are for a charity event on a university campus, it’s a whole other story. UBC sold 5,000 tickets for the Bieksa’s Buddies vs. Thunderbirds game, and although the tickets were $20 each, almost none of them went to students. UBC could have easily charged $100 per ticket, especially since the proceeds are going to charity. However, the price remained low so that students could get tickets. But students didn’t get the tickets. Scalpers did. And they sold them for upwards of $150 on Craigslist. Scalpers are professionals of taking advantage of the system. Their practices are shady at best when it comes to regular sporting events. But making money off tickets that are supposed to be sold for charity is a new low. Instead of the extra $130 per ticket going to charity, it is lining scalpers’ pockets. UBC said there was nothing they could do to prevent ticket scalping. Well, UBC, there was something you could have done to prevent scalping and ensure students got a share of the tickets. And it wouldn’t have been hard. There should have been a separate window of opportunity for students to buy tickets in person, rather than leaving them to the mercy of Ticketmaster, a venue scalpers know exactly how to take advantage of. If UBC set aside a portion

of tickets for students, there would be less scalping, more students at the game, and a legitimate reason for the low ticket prices.

FRATERNITIES DOING THEMSELVES A DISSERVICE WITH SECRECY POLICY

It’s the standard operating procedure whenever any fraternity finds itself in a sticky situation: clam up and say you’re dealing with the problem internally. And that’s absolutely their prerogative. They’re not public entities, and we’re not entitled to information about their inner workings. But when the public hears a fraternity has been disbanded or otherwise, they fill in the blanks with the most heinous details imaginable. And the public have a lot of grist for their twisted imaginings. Like the 2010 flare-up at the University of Alberta, when it was revealed that pledges were required to eat their own vomit and spend time confined in wooden boxes. The response from the fraternity’s international? We’re dealing with it internally. The response from the university community? These actions, in other jurisdictions, would be considered war crimes. That DKE chapter was ultimately banned from campus. Even if the events at Kappa Sigma were relatively minor, people’s minds will go to the extremes. The point is, we have no way of knowing. Not all fraternities should be tarred with the same brush. Most of them are well-managed organizations that strictly decry the kind of hazing and binge drinking that lands the scuzzier chapters in trouble. But the fact is that openness is not a significant part of their culture. It ought to be. U

It’s a struggle few students expect to face: trying to cross campus and being confronted by a picket line. But that’s been happening around campus a lot lately, attracting students’ attention to a long-running labour negotiation that’s still unresolved. Students tend to react in two ways: complete surprise — as with one student who tweeted last week about a worker walking away from his half-made sandwich — or defiance at the thought of being forcibly involved in a dispute. But it’s important to see a picket line in the context of the whole dispute. It’s a two-party problem, rather than a disruption inflicted on bystanders by one side. The responsibility to provide university services, after all, is not the employee’s, but UBC’s, to whom you pay tuition. You are not entitled to a cook and a techie and a security guard, but it’s right to expect UBC to provide food, IT and security services. Failure to do so is a sign that the house is not in order. Students should push for the two sides to make a deal, and we should criticize either side for being unreasonable and delaying a solution. But that’s a two-way street that both sides often decide to deliberately hide from the public. Until then, we’re stuck with the picket lines. They are a fundamental part of the right to strike; they attract attention to a labour dispute and deter replacement employees from entering the workplace and diluting the power of job action. Power is, of course, what the dispute is really about. Unions help

employees influence the terms of their jobs. While employers have many ways to get employees to do what they want, unions really only have one: refusing to work. This is why the dispute has to spill into the public realm; it’s the only way unions can get your attention and take action in a way that has consequences for the employer. The deeper context can be tough to grasp when you’re feeling inconvenienced, like if a cashier walks out just as you’re about to order food. But this is not just about physical disruption. That’s why it seems a bit disingenous for UBC to direct students to find an alternate entrance to picketed buildings. Compelling students to evade picket lines makes it feel like a physical dispute between students and workers, rather than a workplace dispute between employees and employer. At the core, students who respect a union’s right to strike should not cross a picket line. I believe that right is more important than avoiding inconvenience. Crossing, blatantly or not, is an attack on the whole concept of organized labour and betrays an ignorance of how much this process affects students. Students account for a large portion of the money flowing to the university, and UBC pushes to spend as little money as possible to run this place. Unions are trying to keep that cost-cutting push from causing undesirable work conditions. At some point, they’re going to have to find the balance. But until they work their differences out, we need to respect that process, and that includes work stoppages — even if it means we don’t get our morning coffee. U

Why we will cross picket lines LETTER Dear Editor, In response to Maddie Gorman’s letter stating her refusal to cross CUPE 116’s picket lines (“Why I won’t cross picket lines,” Oct. 5), we now offer an alternative explanation of why we will cross them. Picket lines are an unwelcome consequence of employee-employer disputes that should be limited to the negotiating table. As such, the disputes should not spill over into the public realm because of an active and vocal fraction of union members. Denying services to students, who are not a party in this conflict, does very little to

endear their cause to the silent majority on campus who are annoyed and inconvenienced by such disturbances. Most importantly, UBC students are here for an education. We should not abuse the immense commitments, financial or otherwise, that we, our parents and taxpayers have invested in higher education for the sake of making statements. We will not be looking out for “alternative entrances” to picketed buildings. We will be crossing the lines, and we encourage fellow students to respect their professors and put the pursuit of knowledge first. Rafael Fuentes and Jason Salim Arts 2

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2012 |

PIC OF THE WEEK

PICTURES + WORDS ON YOUR UNIVERSITY EXPERIENCE

Kai Jacobson PHOTO/THE UBYSSEY

Fudon University from China stopped by UBC to take on the menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s volleyball team in a two-game series at War Memorial Gym on Saturday and Wednesday night. UBC was the victor of both matches.