March 20, 2014 by The Ubyssey

MARCH 20, 2014 | VoLuME XcV| IssuE XLIX Pulling out the cheese since 1918

Students

Sauder admin

H ow S a u + de r r e s p o n de d to the FROS H chee r controve rs y

everyone else

UBC admin

We went th r and, desp ough hundreds of in ite te peel back massive redaction rnal emails the curtain s, were ab le perhaps th o eir bigges n how UBC dealt w to ith t scandal o f the deca de

Parents

CUS leadership

ABORTION DISPLAY NIXED UBC Lifeline will not show their annual Genocide Awareness Project photo display this year, opting for other events instead

HOCKEY COACH FIRED Sports review gives menâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hockey five years to raise new funding but gives coach Milan Dragicevic the boot

SECOND SWEAT LODGE MAY BE BUILT ON CAMPUS P9 AMS SERVICE REVIEW RECOMMENDATIONS P3 KATE GILLIS, FIELD HOCKEY STAR P5 UBU ROI IS A RIOT P8 ON THE PURPOSE OF JOKE CANDIDATES P10

Thursday, March 20, 2014 |

YouR guIdE To uBC EVEnTs + pEopLE

What’s on

THIs WEEk, MAY WE suggEsT...

our camPus

onE on onE WITH THE pEopLE WHo MAkE uBC

THURSDAY 20 WOMEN aNd War IN aFGhaNISTaN 5 P.M. @ AllARD hAll

Author, historian and humanitarian Ann jones will talk about women’s rights in the course of the war in Afghanistan and what that means for the future. Free

FRIDAY

INTErNaTIONaL day OF FOrESTS 9 A.M.–8 P.M. @ 2424 MAin MAll

Come celebrate trees with the Faculty of Forestry and the unA. They will be screening a variety of forest-friendly ﬁlms and holding a tree-planting ceremony with the grad class of 2014. Coﬀee and cake. For more info, see forestry. ubc.ca. Free

pHoTo sTEVEn duRFEE/THE uBYssEY

When she’s not handing out copies of 24 Hours, Veronika Bitkina working away at her program at BCIT or painting.

SATURDAY

UBC hOLI

11:30 A.M.–3:30 P.M. @ MAcinnes FielD

Holi is an Indian festival of colours celebrating spring and the triumph of good over evil. participate in Colour Wars and throw coloured powder as each other. photographers be warned: the powder may get in your gear and may be hard to clean out. $5 per colour packet

ON THE COVER

Veronika Bitkina hands out news and smiles

Tara Chan contributor

Stressed and sleep deprived, students usually use what little time they have on the bus to catch up on some shuteye when commuting to campus. For most of them, their first interaction off the bus is likely with Veronika Bitkina, the one who unfailingly greets and delivers your newspaper every morning — even if you ignore her. Bitkina is one of the people who hands out copies of the free daily 24 Hours at the main bus loop facing MacInnes Field, greeting students with a cheerful “Have a great day!” and a smile every morning. Aside from just being one of those

Initially the cover was going to focus more on the redactions, but that wasn’t the main point of the feature. So we went with nodes! Node power! Design by Ming Wong.

Want to help run this paper next year? Run for an editorial position! For details visit ubyssey.ca/jobs.

U THE UBYSSEY editoriaL

Coordinating Editor Geoﬀ Lister coordinating@ubyssey.ca Managing Editor, Print Ming Wong printeditor@ubyssey.ca Managing Editor, Web CJ Pentland webeditor@ubyssey.ca News Editors Will McDonald + Sarah Bigam news@ubyssey.ca Senior News Writer Veronika Bondarenko vbondarenko@ubyssey.ca Culture Editor Rhys Edwards culture@ubyssey.ca Senior Culture Writer Aurora Tejeida atejeida@ubyssey.ca Sports + Rec Editor Natalie Scadden sports@ubyssey.ca Senior Lifestyle Writer Reyhana Heatherington rheatherington@ubyssey.ca Features Editor Arno Rosenfeld features@ubyssey.ca

Video Producer Lu Zhang video@ubyssey.ca Copy Editor Matt Meuse copy@ubyssey.ca

Photo Editor Carter Brundage photos@ubyssey.ca Illustrator Indiana Joel ijoel@ubyssey.ca Webmaster Tony Li webmaster@ubyssey.ca Distribution Coordinator Lily Cai lcai@ubyssey.ca staFF Catherine Guan, Nick Adams, Kanta Dihal, Marlee Laval, Angela Tien, Carly Sotas, Alex Meisner, Luella Sun, Jenny Tang, Adrienne Hembree, Mehryar Maalem, Jack Hauen, Kosta Prodanovic, Olivia Law, Jethro Au, Bailey Ramsay, Jenica Montgomery, Austen Erhardt, Alice Fleerackers, Nikos Wright, Milica Palinic, Jovana Vranic, Mackenzie Walker, Kaveh Sarhangpour, Steven Richards, Gabriel Germaix, Jaime Hills, Jenny Tan. Kaidie Williams, Rachel Levy-McLaughlin, Maura Forrest

MARCH 20, 2014 | VoLuME XCV| IssuE XLIX

business

contact

Business Manager Fernie Pereira fpereira@ ubyssey.ca 604.822.6681

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Editorial Oﬃce: SUB 24 604.822.2301 Business Oﬃce: SUB 23 Student Union Building 6138 SUB Boulevard Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1

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“newspaper ladies,” she’s also a freelance artist, hiker, biker and snowboarder. Though Bitkina cannot disclose how many copies she has to distribute every morning or what her hours are like on the job because it is considered classified 24 Hours marketing information, she wants students to know that she enjoys her job a lot. “I have to wake up really early, but I get to see the sunrise,” she said. “People always walk by and [with their backs] turned to the sunrise so they usually don’t see but it’s really wonderful. It’s really powerful.” When it rains or snows, she finds that most students don’t

smile or say hi, and usually choose to ignore her completely. As a response, she smiles even more in an attempt to brighten the faces of those gloomy students. Bitkina does not mind when students do not take a copy of the paper from her — she is used to it. But what really makes her day is when people acknowledge her. She says that it makes her really happy when students greet her in the morning even if they do not care for the news. When not on the job, Bitkina can be found either working hard at finishing up an applied software development program at BCIT or painting around the city or at a nearby studio. She paints under the alias Zisel, which is a name from her childhood and roughly means “squirrel” in French. In her art, she uses all sort of materials, including acrylics, watercolours and ink, among others. As part of the Burnaby Artists Guild, her next show is “Fresh Paint,” an original art exhibition and sale at the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts from April 4 to 6. A quote she likes to live by is from Russian author Sergey Lukyanenko, which roughly translates in English as “Joy is the result; happiness is the way.” For Bitkina, the result is important, but the journey is much more important than the end result itself. The next time commuters pass by her at the main bus loop, Bitkina wants students to see her as not just the happy 24 Hour newspaper lady handing out copies every morning, but both an artist and a student who, like them, is also working hard at reaching her own dreams as well. U

LeGaL The ubyssey is the official student newspaper of the university of British Columbia. It is published every Monday and Thursday by The ubyssey publications society. We are an autonomous, democratically run student organization, and all students are encouraged to participate. Editorials are chosen and written by the ubyssey staff. They are the expressed opinion of the staff, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The ubyssey publications society or the university of British Columbia. All editorial content appearing in The ubyssey is the property of The ubyssey publications society. stories, opinions, photographs and artwork contained herein cannot be reproduced without the expressed, written permission of The ubyssey publications society. Letters to the editor must be under 300 words. please include your phone number, student number and signature (not for publication) as well as

your year and faculty with all submissions. Id will be checked when submissions are dropped off at the editorial office of The ubyssey; otherwise verification will be done by phone. The ubyssey reserves the right to edit submissions for length and clarity. All letters must be received by 12 noon the day before intended publication. Letters received after this point will be published in the following issue unless there is an urgent time restriction or other matter deemed relevant by the ubyssey staff. It is agreed by all persons placing display or classified advertising that if the ubyssey publications society fails to publish an advertisement or if an error in the ad occurs the liability of the ups will not be greater than the price paid for the ad. The ups shall not be responsible for slight changes or typographical errors that do not lessen the value or the impact of the ad.

BUT WAIT — THERE’S MORE Read our past our campus interviews at ubyssey.ca/features.

Thursday, March 20, 2014 |

EDITORS WILL Mcdonald + Sarah Bigam

demonstrations >>

photo steven richards/THE UBYSSEY

Some attendees showed their opposition to Lifeline’s anti-abortion event on campus yesterday.

Pro-life Silent No More campaign comes to campus

Mariam Baldeh Contributor

On Wednesday, March 19, UBC Lifeline and the National Campus Life Network (NCLN) — a network that supports pro-life clubs such as Lifeline — hosted the Silent No More campaign on campus. Four speakers talked about their experiences with abortion for three hours outside Buchanan A. “It brought about a significant change in my life … in college and in my relationships. I began to smoke and drink and do drugs,” said Dale Barr, one of the speakers at the event. Angelina Streenstra said she lived in a prison of guilt, selfhatred and depression. “I tried to start over… I changed my name, my address, my friends, my job … but nothing could erase the memory of the abortion,” she said.

NEWS BRIEFS

UBC research finds support for Big Bang theory A team of researchers that includes a UBC prof have found evidence of cosmic expansion that supports the Big Bang theory, a model of how the universe began. “In its early days, the universe was so hot and dense it was opaque,” said UBC physics professor Mark Halper, who was part of the research team. “For the first 400,000 years, it was completely opaque. At that point, 13.8 billion years ago, it became transparent and all that light has gone in a straight line since.” International happiness day Today is international happiness day. Mark Holder, a UBC psychology professor, is part of a research team that studies ways for people to increase happiness. “Traditionally, psychology has focused on what is wrong with you and how do we fix it,” Holder said. “We study what is right with you and how we promote it.” Holder said people who prioritize quality personal relationships are often happier. His study also found hobbies and spirituality can contribute to feelings of happiness. “There is no one-size-fits-all strategy. What makes one person happy may not work for another person,” said Holder. U

“I didn’t talk about it,” said Elizabeth Sutcliffe. “I felt like I couldn’t talk about it. So now I break my silence to give other women the courage to tell their stories and find healing in finally speaking out.” Anastasia Pearse, one of the organizers from NCLN, said the Silent No More campaign is being brought to seven different campuses in B.C. According to Pearse, the goals of the campaign are to educate the public about the aftermath of abortion and to reach out to men and women who may be hurting from the experience. “It’s important to know that there’s hope after abortion. We see a need to spread this message on campus, and this campaign is a beautiful way to do that,” said Pearse. Some UBC students disagreed. “They definitely have the right to

speak and to have their opinions heard, but I think their techniques [such as] the loudspeakers … are a little invasive,” said Sierra Weiner, a second-year English major. “Some women have regrets and for sure, abortion is not a great experience for anyone, but to make that a platform for nobody having a choice is simply not valid.” The AMS Sexual Assault Support Centre was also present at the demonstration. SASC invited people to paint a pro-choice community mural and handed out buttons that said “support not shame.” “We’re here to convey the politics of pro-choice as a movement that supports bodily autonomy and the individual person’s choice in terms of what’s right for their own body. We’re not necessarily pro-life, we’re here to celebrate choice,” said Anisa Mottahed, manager of SASC.

This was one of two events that will be hosted this year by Lifeline in replacement of the Genocide Awareness Project, which has been at UBC annually since 1999. Their second event, Choice Chain, will take place once per week during the last two weeks of school. Members of Lifeline and the NCLN will hold up photos of aborted fetuses and talk to passers-by about abortion. Lifeline president Kiera van der Sande said that Lifeline thought Choice Chain was a more “focused” event for the group to host. However, according to Lifeline vice-president John Flores, that wasn’t the main reason for this year’s change. “Our old president left, and we were kind of in limbo for a bit of the year,” Flores said. “We didn’t realize how much logistically would have to go into it, so it was our bad.”

“I think we’ll have to re-evaluate after how this year goes. I wouldn’t say it’s a definite no that we’ll never do [GAP] again,” said van der Sande. Pro-choice groups did not think the changes were sufficient. “I think still showing the images is triggering,” said Mottahed. “I’m sure there’s multiple other ways to engage in a conversation from a pro-life stance, and this is just not necessarily a very empathetic or caring way.” Evelyn Cranston, an environmental geography student and member of the group UBC Activists against GAP, said “What it comes down to is that [Lifeline] basically want to spread these feelings of shame and oppression ... to what is already a more vulnerable population at UBC and that’s why I don’t think there’s any place for them.” U —With files from Sarah Bigam

AMS >>

Services review recommends housing support, selling textbooks Veronika Bondarenko Senior News Writer

A review of AMS student services has recommended some new programs to help students, including textbook consignment and latenight shuttle service. Student services manager Matthew Duguay and services review associate Phoebe Scollard examined the feasibility of bringing in five additional student services. Duguay presented an overview of the study findings at the March 12 council meeting. A service that would help students find off-campus housing and learn about their rights as a tenant was first on the study’s list of recommendations. However, Duguay and Scollard determined running this program would be too costly for the AMS. “An off-campus housing service would be a significant financial burden to the AMS,” said Duguay. “To run a fully effective service, we’d be looking at a yearly commitment of $100,000, so it is really not feasible.” As an alternative, Duguay recommended the current VP academic increase lobbying efforts to encourage Student Housing to provide more resources to help students who don’t get a spot in residence find places to live. The study also looked at expanding the current Speakeasy

File Photo Carter Brundage/THE UBYSSEY

The review recommended that Safewalk provide late-night shuttle rides to campus.

program, which offers drop-in support and referrals to students who are struggling with both academic and personal problems. According to Duguay, a chat room that offers students support services online is both important and easy to implement. “We actually think that it’s very viable and very feasible, simply because it’s an extension of something that we already do well,” said Duguay. Duguay and Scollard also examined the possibility of expanding the Safewalk Nightride Program, which was first

brought in as a response to a series of sexual assaults on campus late last year, into a permanent shuttle service that would pick students up from various locations in Vancouver’s West Side during late hours of the night. “This is really targeting the window of approximately 1 to 5 in the morning when TransLink services are very unreliable,” said Duguay. According to Duguay, this service would allow students to get back to UBC safely and would be feasible as long as set hours and pickup locations are determined.

But fourth-year history student Jenna Dur expressed concerns that such a program would not really be addressing the core issues of safety on campus. “I think that such a service probably would not be particularly effective as it is generally relatively easy to get back to UBC late at night from those areas,” said Dur. Duguay and Scollard also looked at the benefits of operating a textbook buyback service in the New SUB. According to Duguay, it would be most feasible to run the program as a consignment service that would only give students money once a textbooks sells. “We would take textbooks, try to sell them on behalf of students in an office through a website and an office based in the new SUB,” said Duguay. “That’s the only model that we thought would not duplicate services already available to students in the Lower Mainland and actually be financially viable.” Although the recommendations originally included the option of developing a scholarship database, the university has taken over the project. Full details of the study will be presented at the next council meeting on March 26. It will be up to council to decide whether or not to actually implement these services. U

4 | NEWS |

Thursday, March 20, 2014

money >>

student jobs >>

Security gearing up for New SUB Veronika Bondarenko Senior News Writer

file photo kai jacobson/the ubyssey

Former VP admin Derek Moore pledged to reimburse the student artist.

AMS funds student artist despite budget concerns Sarah Bigam News Editor

The approval of a small expenditure for the artist in residency program stirred up controversy at an AMS Council meeting on March 12. Last year, the AMS budget committee voted unanimously to stop funding the program, but during his time in office, former VP administration Derek Moore promised a student reimbursement for the cost of an art project. The motion to approve the expenditure of up to $700 to pay the student back was approved after 25 minutes of open debate and an in camera session. Councillors arguing in favour of the motion cited moral and legal obligations, and councillors against were concerned it would be a fiscally irresponsible decision. “The motivation behind this is that a student was promised a specific amount of money for a project and ... in terms of integrity we believe that the student should be paid,” VP Academic Anne Kessler said at the meeting. The motion came to Council after the AMS budget committee voted unanimously against paying for the artist in residency program. “This is something that we did not decide to spend money on,” said Graduate Student Society president Chris Roach. Roach chairs the budget committee, but clarified that he was expressing his personal opinion at the meeting. “This was due to the actions of a VP going outside of their prerogative, going outside of their authority [and] telling an individual that there was money when there in fact wasn’t. “I don’t think it’s fiscally responsible for us,” said Roach. The AMS is currently running an $800,000 deficit. Some councillors were concerned about the possibility of the AMS encountering a similar

situation in the future if the expenditure was approved. “Quite frankly if we just pay this it sets a precedent,” said Roach. “For me, even if it costs $1,000 to show this isn’t what an executive can do, it’s worth it because it stops the precedent from happening.” Others voiced concerns about the AMS’s legal obligation to pay. “A contract is a contract,” said Michael Begg, the Council speaker. “Writing just is evidence of what the contract is.” “I am very concerned about this individual putting us in a small claims court,” said AMS President Tanner Bokor. Kessler, as well as new VP admin Ava Nasiri and Science Undergraduate Society representative Paul McDade, maintained that the AMS has a moral obligation to pay. “We’re all students here,” McDade. “If you’re a student, [and an] organization comes to you and says we’ll pay for your costs ... and then later the organization ... says we’re actually not going to pay you, as a student that’s devastating.” “[$700] is not nothing, but it’s practically nothing,” said McDade. “This is completely absurd to me. I’m a little bit offended by it.” Nasiri has been in office since February, at which point she met with the student, who had been waiting for this money since mid-November. “He was very kind, he was very patient, he wasn’t rude at all, he wasn’t aggressive — he could have been, because he had all these questions that went unanswered and he just was kind of ignored for a while,” said Nasiri. Bokor said the previous executive team was aware of the situation. In the end, Council approved the motion 23 for, with four against and four abstaining. Moore did not reply to requests for comment. U

With the opening of the New SUB approaching, AMS Security plans to hire more guards and expand on their current operating plans in order to increase security in the new building. Shaun Wilson, manager of AMS Security, said they hire an average of three to four guards a year. Next year, the number will go up to six to meet the increased demands of the New SUB. “There will be a greater need for security in terms of more events, more going on, so we’ll definitely want to add to the pool of security guards,” said Wilson. AMS Security will try to select their guards from the student body, but may open up the job to the general public if no available candidates can be found. “We’ll put out our hiring plan through all our student channels several times before we consider going on Craigslist and hiring just from the general public,” said Wilson. According to Wilson, only current students have been hired to work as guards in the last three years. But some of the guards hired prior to that or who have recently graduated still work for AMS Security. All guards employed by AMS Security are members of COPE 378, which means they have to pay what averages out to about $20 a month in union fees. Employees are given first pick of shifts based on seniority. Still, Wilson said since the vast majority of guards are students, they limit the total hours one person can work to 20 hours a week. Aside from hiring more guards, AMS Security also plans to increase training for specific events and create a system where several guards would both patrol the building and sit at an open counter in the AMS Security office. “We plan to have more security coverage because in the New SUB, we’ll have a lot more square

file photo peter wojnar/the ubyssey

AMS Security will hire more guards next year for the New SUB.

footage to cover — we’ll have more floors, more rooms, and more events happening within,” said Wilson. “Our goal is to have AMS Security as visible as they are in their uniforms right on the main floor in the security office.” Fourth-year economics and political science student Rafeh Ahmed agreed the additional guard presence would be bene-

Breaking news since 1918

news@ubyssey.ca @ubysseynews

ficial to student security in the New SUB. “It’ll help prevent the AMS property from being vandalized, especially around the bathrooms,” said Ahmed. “Especially given the delicate infrastructure in place at the New SUB with glass walls and such, additional security would be necessary to protect against drunk stupors.” U

Thursday, March 20, 2014 |

EdIToR NATALIE SCADDEN

hockey >>

FieLd hockey >>

Men’s hockey head coach ﬁred Kate Gillis leads the way for Jack Hauen UBC and Field Hockey Canada staff Writer Milan Dragicevic had been at the helm of the UBC men’s hockey team for 12 years, was named Canada West Coach of the Year in 2012, and led his team to the playoffs nine times, making it as far as the conference semifinals on three occasions. But that wasn’t enough to save his job. The Thunderbirds, despite usually making the playoffs, have struggled in recent years, and when the university reviewed the team earlier in the year, there was a possibility that they might not have seen another season as a varsity team. As it stands, they are now in a “hybrid” stage, where the team will have to find sources outside of the university to fund them. Though they knew the team was in trouble, the firing of a head coach the players have played under for their entire UBC careers came as a surprise. “Most of the guys were shocked,” said team captain Ben Schmidt. “But they knew things were taken down to Athletics with the program up for review, so I’m sure [they] knew there was a possibility of this. After that’s digested, it’s not as much of a shock.” The Thunderbirds barely scraped into the playoffs this year after a gargantuan midseason push saw them string enough wins together to qualify, mainly due to Regina’s equally large collapse at the end of the season. The teams’ records were tied, and the ’Birds squeaked in due to their superior goal differential. UBC won the first round against Saskatchewan, but fell in the second to top-ranked Alberta, something not uncommon in years past. The team’s apparent inability to perform raises questions about their future.

Jack Hauen staff Writer

FILE pHoTo kosTA pRodAnoVIC/THE uBYssEY

After 12 years at the helm of the T-Birds, uBC men’s hockey coach Milan dragicevic was released from his duties on Monday.

According to Schmidt, next year will be a “transition year” due to the hybrid model. It’s not yet clear what that means, but the higher-ups at UBC are looking to put a plan in place for the future. “I’d assume that that has to do with getting sponsorships, getting alumni involved and making the changes that came from our review,” Schmidt said. “There are a lot of things that were proposed, and now they’re trying to act on some of those things to see if they’ll be possible.” Dragicevic moves on from his role at UBC with a record of 122 wins, 195 losses, nine overtime losses and nine ties. His playoff record was 10-21. But while his team has had a record of mediocrity throughout the years, he leaves behind a legacy of helpfulness and team spirit. “Milan’s a good guy,” said Schmidt. “He really helped guys out academically, and he worked to get guys tutoring, to get guys [on the team]. The next guy coming in will have some big shoes to fill. All the guys are thankful for Milan’s commitment to the program.” U

t-birds 5-on-5

In November 2013, the UBC women’s field hockey team captured their third straight CIS title, becoming the first team in history to capture three McCrae Cups in a row. Present for the two of those championships was fourth-year student Kate Gillis, a stalwart of the UBC and Canadian national teams, and Field Hockey Canada’s Player of the Year in 2013. Though she’s grown attached to the city and people in it, she wasn’t always a Vancouverite. “I grew up in Kingston, [Ont.],” she says. “Then, when I was 17, I was scouted for the national team, but I had already committed to Boston College. I decided to defer for the year.” In 2008, Gillis’ father, Mike, was signed by the Vancouver Canucks to become general manager after the firing of Dave Nonis. “One thing lead to another, and my family moved out to Vancouver. I went to Boston College for two years, but I just had to come back to play for the national team full time, so I transferred to UBC.” Gillis has had a busy field hockey career, since she plays for Team Canada and UBC. Sometimes the play of the two teams overlaps, which makes for a confusing season at times. “This season was a bit of a weird one in that [the national players] were away [from UBC] for about five weeks with the national team,” she says. “We didn’t know what to expect when we got home. It was definitely tough on our teammates stepping in for us, but we came back for the tournament. In the end, we played really well and won every game pretty handily. It was really

fun to be back with the girls and just play that nice, calm attacking game that we’re used to.” That calm style of play is a needed break from the high-stress situations that can arise from playing on Team Canada. At the national level, everything a player does is analyzed, but at UBC, Gillis is able to relax and play the game in a more relaxed environment. She has nothing but good things to say about the group she plays with. “The girls are amazing. Since we’re away so much with the national team, it’s great to come back to. It’s not just school, you have this second team of friends — it’s a nice, inclusive, happy team.” With that team, Gillis will continue to play in the Vancouver Women’s League, since the CIS season ended in early November. The quarterfinals are coming up, and Gillis is hopeful the team can pull off a championship in both leagues. After that’s done, Gillis will rejoin the Canadian team for a wild ride during the summer. The end of April will see the women head to England, then Ireland at the beginning of July. After that, it’s off to the Commonwealth Games in Scotland toward the end of July. It’s a busy schedule, but Gillis is no rookie when it comes to travelling the world and playing the sport she loves. “I went to the last Commonwealth Games in India, and it was just an amazing experience. It was like a mini-Olympics. [We were] in this athlete village with tons of different sports and athletes and countries.” India’s not the only place Gillis has brought her skills; the list includes Europe, the USA, and, of

GREG SMITH

TARYN LIM

BEN SCHMIDT

soccer

Hockey

pHoTo ARjun HAIR/THE uBYssEY

Her dad may be the gM of the Canucks, but uBC’s kate gillis has made a name for herself in the Canadian ﬁeld hockey circuit.

course, all over Canada. Her favourite place away from home, however, is a bit farther away. “I love Australia. I actually ended up living there for seven months. I went down on exchange to the University of Melbourne and played for a field hockey team there. That was great.” As for the atmosphere down under, “it’s pretty similar to Vancouver, but sunnier. The people are great, and it’s such a field hockey hotspot — people just refer to it as ‘hockey.’” After her university career is over, Gillis’ plans aren’t set in stone, but she knows her future will contain “a lot more field hockey,” along with a generous helping of philanthropy. “I’ve been involved with the Canucks for Kids Fund, and Promotion Plus, which promotes girls and women in sport, so I’d definitely like to take that route through athletics. I don’t think I’ll ever let that leave my life.” U

CHRISTI CAPOZZI Hockey

IAN PERRY Volleyball

TEAM CApTAIns 1. Who would you say you are most like in terms of leadership style?

[Former Manchester united captain] Roy keane, because I get stuck into challenges and set the tone.

2. let’s pretend that the ‘c’ you wear didn’t stand for captain. What other c-word would describe you?

Curls — probably the most functional gym exercise there is.

3. there’s been talk amongst graduating uBc athletes about “leaving a legacy.” What legacy do you hope to leave as captain?

I reckon the guys would say my legacy is the “extended warm-up.”

4. Who is your favourite Disney villain?

going back to my childhood with Heﬀalumps and Woozles from Winnie the Pooh.

5. if you were to write an autobiography, what would it be called?

How to Lose a Trophy.

I can’t think of a specific individual, but if my leadership style could be summed up in one phrase, it would be “my teammates come ﬁrst.”

Liam neeson in The Grey. He’s mildly compassionate but does whatever it takes.

prison Mike from The Oﬃce, because I like his style.

I ﬁnd trying to compare myself to another person’s leadership style very diﬃcult because I believe everyone leads in their own way.

Caring or compassionate.

Coﬀee. I crush about a litre each day.

Casanova.

Charismatic, committed, comedic, conﬁdent, caring and challenging.

From the moment I became a Thunderbird, I played with my whole heart every time I stepped onto the ﬁeld. I hope that the girls behind me will do the same.

Legacy seems daunting. I hope I have made a few life friends along the way. not being the last captain would be a plus.

Being a part of the women’s hockey turnaround team that won more than one game...

My favourite movie was Fox and the Hound so I’ll take the bear.

gaston from Beauty and the Beast.

I hated every disney villain, especially scar from the Lion King!

The Kickass Life of Being Awesome.

Live, Love, Laugh.

This Is Your “Caps” Speaking...

To be remembered as someone who captained the team to its ﬁrst [CIs] title in 30 years. Apart from success, I want my legacy to be known as someone who was loyal, and made others around him better. gaston from Beauty and the Beast. guy is large.

Buﬀalo Is in Eﬀect.

6 | FEaTUrES |

ThUrSday, MarCh 20, 2014

Behind the storm: Internal Sauder emails go behind response to rape cheer Information compiled and text written by Arno Rosenfeld, Features Editor When we broke the story about an offensive cheer being sung at the sauder school of Business’s FRosH orientation last fall, it unleashed a storm of anger and negative attention on the university. uBC has since formed a task force to combat systemic oppression and university leaders have issued strong condemnations of the cheer and what it represents. As part of our ongoing coverage of the incident, The Ubyssey requested emails sent between sauder and university officials in the days following the cheer. After a long and often convoluted process (see info box at right), the university released around 600 pages of emails, about half of which were redacted — or entirely blacked out. It appears the blacked-out emails contained most of the strategic decisions made by the university, but what remained was of enough interest that we believed it warranted being presented to you, our readers. We’ll walk you through some of the emails below, and you can find more online at ubyssey.ca in the coming days.

Where it all began The Ubyssey published our article on the sauder rape cheer at 6 p.m. on Friday, sept. 6, 2013. Around 10 p.m. that night, Leanna Yip, sauder’s head of communications emailed sauder dean Robert Helsley the article. Between 12:42 a.m. and 11:40 a.m. saturday morning, 50 pages of emails were sent by sauder and university administrators, all of which were given to The Ubyssey completely blanked out.

Community reaction While it appears strategic discussions following the immediate aftermath of the article’s publication were entirely redacted by the university, many emails from community members — parents, student, faculty, alumni — were turned over to The Ubyssey and show a range of emotion responding to the rape cheer revelations.

I sure hope we have a strong public response.... I also think we need to seriously revisit just what we are teaching [student leaders] about leadership, diversity and inclusion. Which may be nothing at all, I’m afraid to say.

I work in product quality at lululemon athletica, who earlier this year pulled back our main product from the ﬂoor due to sheerness.... Needless to say, I can relate to the PR nightmare and heated conversations you may feel like you’re in right now.

episode er weird enrolled th o n a d r who s to min This call a friend ’s daughte eir FROSH, th y t b A d . o te s ag rela r two year the leade in Sauder wn hotel room, oﬀ their outer to e in a down d the girls to tak . e s encourag and appear in bra ley garments bert Hels r dean Ro e d u a S to d] —[Redacte et al.

Until the next big “scandal” pulls the media attention away, I wish you all the best.

I was only looking only for three words from someone of authority to say: “We are sorry.”

What’s missing: six months after the ubyssey issued a request for the disclosure of emails sent and received by sauder dean Robert Helsley regarding the FRosH rape cheer, uBC has responded. The request was made in accordance with the B.C. Freedom of Information and protection of privacy Act (FIppA), which guarantees the right of individuals and organizations to access (limited) communications and documents of public oﬃcials and bodies. uBC provided around 600 pages of correspondence and documents, but redacted over 309 pages, citing sections 13(1) and 22(3) of the FIppA. According to the letter attached to the information provided by the university, “information that reveals advice or recommendations made by or for a public body” is withheld under the terms of section 13(1) of the act. section 22(3) protects individuals’ privacy through the censoring of “information … presumed to be an unreasonable invasion of an individual’s personal privacy.” section 13(1) eliminates the obligation of public institutions to disclose any advice issued to or by Helsley and the sauder administration regarding the rape cheer scandal, so long as the consultation involves a public government body. This subsection does not, however, allow for the withholding of certain information, such as “factual material,” oﬃcial reports of committees or councils and plans or proposals approved or rejected by head of a public body, in accordance with section 13(2) of the act. Additionally, 13(1) does not apply to any records that have existed more than 10 years. section 22(3) outlines disclosures deemed to be an “unreasonable invasion of a third party’s personal privacy,” including information that is part of an investigation into a possible violation of law, relates to occupational or educational history, consists of personal recommendations or evaluations about a third party, or personal information that would allow for solicitation (such as a full name, phone number or home address). uBC claims the information redacted under 22(3) includes “identifying information of alumni or other members of the public.” In addition to sporadic censoring of the provided records, six pages were not provided in the disclosure as the Commerce undergraduate society has yet to determine whether or not they are obligated to provide it under the FIppA. of the other withheld pages of documents and correspondence, the university states that “there was no reasonable way to redact these records [meaning selective censorship rather than complete withholding].” under section 52 of the FIppA, The Ubyssey has the right to appeal uBC’s disclosure to the information and privacy commissioner. This appeal must be performed within 30 days of the receipt of the original disclosure. The Ubyssey will be appealing. —Austen Erhardt

Media strategy The rape cheer received attention from local and national media, and even received international coverage. It appears that uBC’s media strategy was — you guessed it — redacted, but there were still some interesting bits thrown in, including a summary of how the story was covered in the Chinese press. Both Sing Tao and Ming Pao [have] provided coverage daily.... All stories are neutral in tone and in line with coverage from the English press. Notable items below: Ming Pao’s ﬁrst story on Sunday quotes Enzo Woo as saying he was not authorized to speak publicly on the University’s instructions. The Sing Tao story quoted Ubyssey reporter Arno Rosenfeld saying the paper will continue to cover the issue. Today’s Sing Tao story also quoted Prof. Toope saying ... “I have not apologized because I don’t know what we should apologize for. All we know is something happened, but we don’t know who’s responsible.”

ThUrSday, MarCh 20, 2014

| FEaTUrES | 7

The Commerce Undergraduate Society vs. Sauder administration The Cus, sauder’s undergrad society, has a close relationship with their faculty’s administration, but those ties were strained by the rape cheer. Emails show sauder communications director Leanna Yip informed Cus leadership she was unable to help them deal with their media strategy regarding the crisis because it posed a conflict of interest for Yip and the sauder faculty. The Cus retained a local pR firm, peak Communications, on Yip’s recommendation. sauder dean Robert Helsley also requested a list of all “privileges” the Cus received from the faculty — things like building access and staff resources, presumably with an eye toward rolling those back as punishment for the cheer. Associate dean darren dahl reached out to FRosH co-chair jacqueline Chen, who received significant flak after being quoted in the initial Ubyssey story. she replied with a heartfelt email accepting responsibility for dealing with the backlash. (In another email not directly related to the rape cheer, dahl seemed hesitant to let the Cus lower their student fee.)

We would like to stress that we will do whatever it takes moving forward to ensure that this mistake is never again repeated.... —CUS President Enzo Woo to Sauder administration, shortly before he was pressured to resign

It has deﬁnitely been rough with all the media attention and commentary, but at this point I wish it were all directed to me and not to any of my peers or my school. Despite what the public says, [FROSH leaders] are the most inspiring group of students I have ever met.... The entire school consists of such amazing people that I cannot stand to see the pain I’ve brought. —FROSH Co-Chair Jacqueline Chen to Sauder associated dean Darren Dahl, whose reply is entirely redacted

Other bits and pieces some emails simply oﬀer insight into the personal feelings of sauder and university staﬀ. In addition to expressing thoughts about the cheer, several articles from mainstream publications that touched on rape and sexism in society were exchanged between high-level administrators.

It’s been a very diﬃcult week.... I have no illusions about how diﬃcult this will be, but I honestly believe that with hard work and dedication, good will come of these terrible events. —Sauder dean Robert Helsley to [redacted] Forgetting the reputational side of things, it’s sad to think people think the song was at all funny. The Dean and University leadership became aware of [the FROSH incident] last night and have moved swiftly to deal with the problem. We will obviously have a chance for a full debrief at our Whistler meeting in a few weeks. —Sauder Faculty Advisory Board (FAB) chair Paul Hollands to FAB members, including Lawrence Sauder

Do you happen to know what disciplinary measures were taken in the St. Mary’s case? —Sauder dean Robert Helsley to UBC spokesman Randy Schmidt, regarding a similar cheer at a Halifax university Thought you might appreciate this piece in the Globe today. —UBC spokesperson Randy Schmidt to Sauder dean Robert Helsley, including the article “Making frosh week empathetic and inclusive: experts argue that extra rules and additional training may not prevent student leaders from participating in hazing”

Just in case you hadn’t seen this in the Globe this morning. Food for thought in terms of our response to the broader issues raised in the frosh chant. —UBC spokesperson Lucie McNeill to university administrators I have about 50 of these at the moment. Coming in quickly. —Patricia Stevens to university spokespeople and administrators, referring to emails from a Change.org petition calling on UBC president Stephen Toope to respond to the cheer

...I understand that the song had been “sung” for many years. Was the faculty aware of the song? Any ramiﬁcations there? —[Redacted]

Subject: Gender equity -- Interesting read Hi both, Saw this over my cup of tea this morning. With the update from the CUS FROSH still bouncing around in my head. I thought you would ﬁnd this quite interesting. —[Redacted] to Sauder dean Robert Helsley and adviser Katriona MacDonald, including link to “Harvard Business School Case Study: Gender Equity”

Thursday, March 20, 2014 |

EdIToR RHYS EDWARDS

indiGenous cuLture >>

New sweat lodge proposal for UBC Campus Current spaces deemed too exclusive for public Aurora Tejeida senior culture Writer

Indigenous UBC students may soon be getting a new sweat lodge on campus — provided they can obtain permission. Representatives of UBC’s First Nations House of Learning met with members of the Indigenous Students Association (InSA) on Friday, March 14, to discuss the possibility of building a new lodge on campus. The proposal for the lodge was put forward by Shawn Shabaquay, the president of InSA, a student club on campus. Among the main incentives for the creation of the new lodge is to allow UBC students an opportunity to practice and learn about indigenous culture while creating a sense of community. The Ubyssey spoke to Linc Kesler, the director of the First Nations House of Learning and senior advisor to the president on aboriginal affairs, about the proposal, and why it’s taken so long to determine whether they will endorse it. “There are all kinds of reasons why people establish and practice sweat lodge activities. They range very widely and in communities it’s common to have quite a few lodges — even more in the Prairies, where this tradition comes from,” Kesler said. “Pretty much everybody has a sweat lodge and people do different things according to their family’s customs.” While it’s true that there are already two sweat lodges on campus, both located in the House of Learning, the proposal alleges that their exclusivity has made it difficult for students to participate. Whether or not it’s true, this is an issue that Kesler said is being investigated, while logistical and safety issues are being FestiVaL >>

uBc gets dirty for holi

pHoTo CouRTEsY jusTIn LEE

Soumya Gupta contributor

What makes for a good celebration? Food, music and people that you truly care about. Add colours and waterguns to the equation, however, and you have Holi. Traditionally celebrated in India as a religious festival, in recent decades Holi has become a more secular international phenomenon, renown for its colour wars and colour runs. This Saturday, the UBC Indian Students Association (ISAUTSAV) will host a Holi celebration at MacInnes field. The event is open to all students, regardless of their background or faith. “Holi stems from Holika, who was one of the demon sisters in the Hindu manuscript. In addition to throwing colours, there also a tradition of burning an effigy of her the night before,” said Anjali Bohlken, a specialist in Indian Politics at UBC. “Holi is about triumphing over the evils, and rejoicing with colours.” “In the Indian culture, it’s an event that basically wants to cele-

pHoTo sTEpHAnIE Xu/THE uBYssEY

Two lodges already exist on campus at the First nations House of Learning, though they are gender speciﬁc. The new proposal would allow for a co-ed lodge.

discussed regarding the proposed sweat lodge. “This particular proposal has two aspects that require us to look into it further. One of them has to do with the land availability,” said Kesler. This is an especially challenging issue since the First Nations House of Learning has limited space, and this space currently includes the existing lodges. “Thinking about the space, we do want to have discussions with the existing lodges to see if they can either meet the needs of students or potentially share the space, but we haven’t had those discussions in detail and we will be undertaking them soon,” said Kesler. Unlike the two existing lodges — one for men and one for women — the newly proposed sweat lodge would follow a different set of traditions and guidelines; among brate life, being with your loved ones — celebrating how fortunate you are to be a part of the community,” said Sheena Ahmed, the treasurer and sustainability coordinator of UTSAV. Originally from Pakistan, Ahmed celebrated Holi for the first time here at UBC last year. “I was reluctant at first. You know because you hear the classic horror stories about Holi: The colour stays in your hair for days, your nails will never be the same again and so on. I guess I was just being paranoid, because I went there and it was a blast.” The same thing is happening again this year. UTSAV will provide Indian music, along with traditional snacks and a lot of colours for guests who attend it. “You don’t have to buy colours if you don’t want to,” said Supriya Gupta, the events coordinator for UTSAV. “People come with their own colours, water balloons, water guns, you name it. It’s how you want to celebrate it.” Holi goes against the norm of a lot of festivals — it’s about dressing down in old clothes, with the goal of getting as messy as possible. “To see the looks on people’s faces when you walk into the bus all covered in hues of pink and purple — [it’s] simply priceless,” said Gupta. Holi is UTSAV’s biggest event of the year, but don’t expect a lot communication. “People get to know each other here without even uttering a single syllable. It is more like, ‘Oh, I just put a tub of water over you. So hey!’” said Gupta. U UBC s Holi celebration will take place from 11 to 3:30 p.m. this Saturday, March 22, at MacInnes Field.

them, the stipulation that it would be a co-ed lodge. “We’re not thinking that there could only be one sweat lodge on campus,” said Kesler. “But in this case, since we’re talking about an activity that involves some level of safety issues, both physical and in human relations terms, we want to make sure that these issues have been addressed adequately.” These concerns range from physical safety to appropriate conduct during lodge activities. Kesler said lodges can be run in many different ways. Some operate as a social gathering for cleansing, while others emphasize practices involving cultural traditions and a deeper sense of spirituality. In both instances, participants usually tell stories. There are healing lodges. People who participate in these lodges often have a specific problem they’re looking to resolve, making

their experience a therapeutic process. “Our concern is that that requires a high level of training,” said Kesler. “In some circumstances, some people might reveal certain things about themselves thinking that it’s in confidence, but there’s very little way in which we can guarantee that someone would not abuse the vulnerabilities that they’re exposing.” The issue, he explained, is even greater in a setting where participants are not familiar with the practice. According to the proposal, all participants who do not have prior experience with sweat lodges would have to attend a workshop, which would be held once a semester if they wish to attend a sweat. Shabaquay, who cites five years of training in his proposal, would be responsible for the sweat lodge and for any potential misconduct happening on site. Since Shabaquay did not attend the meeting on Friday, whether or not he is prepared to take on this responsibility is an issue that will have to be discussed later in the week. “That’s a leadership issue and whether someone has adequate preparation and training and so forth,” Kesler said. “Before we go ahead, we want to make sure that the person responsible has the experience and the judgment that’s necessary.” But there are other concerns being considered. According to Kesler, this is the first time a group has proposed a new sweat lodge, and with it a set of different cultural protocols that will determine how it is run. While some traditions allow lodge structures to be shared, other traditions don’t allow that. “If we are saying that we recognize there are multiple traditions and there’s a situation in which other people might then propose additional lodges — in a community setting this happens all the time, that’s why there are so many sweat lodges in some communities — we

cannot physically accommodate that here,” Kesler said. “There are significant cultural issues to what is being proposed,” he added. “We want to seek further consultation with the aboriginal community on campus before making a final determination.” Safety issues aside, Kesler made it clear that the First Nations House of Learning supports any interest in wanting to learn more about or experience cultural traditions. “The issue is how to go about doing that in a way we can support,” he said. “We also want to make sure that if we’re supporting the use of a lodge that it has an educational mission, and that they offer cultural support for students.” Depending on the outcome of the next meeting, the ISA will be able to submit their proposal for funding. The proposal would need official approval before March 31, as they’re looking for a full donation of $9,725 from UBC’s equity enhancement fund. U

What is a sweat lodge? sweat lodges are sites for purifying sacred ceremonies, the purpose of which is to cleanse oneself. The cleansing purpose refers to both the physical aspect, through sweat, but also spiritually, emotionally and mentally through prayer and introspection. Lodges also serve as a place of worship, healing and celebration. The way in which sweats are practiced varies greatly from community to community and even from family to family. The experience can be physically diﬃcult, but it is ultimately meant to create a shift in consciousness for the participant.

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Thursday, March 20, 2014

theatre >>

Riot in the auditorium

books >>

Apocalyptic author Creative writing professor makes cold war a reality in her new novel

Notorious Ubu Roi rounds out UBC play season Rachel Levy-McLaughlin Staff Writer

In 1896, the premiere of Alfred Jarry’s Ubu Roi lasted the length of a single word: “Merdre!” (“Shitter!”). The audience erupted into a riot that lasted 15 minutes, and the show was not attempted again in the lifetime of its author. UBC Theatre is tackling the absurdist—and quite absurd—play from March 20 to April 5 in the Frederic Wood Theatre. Hopefully, the performance will make it further than one word. Director Ryan Gladstone is following the guidelines of Jarry, the French pioneer of Absurdist theatre. Jarry deliberately shocked and appalled his audiences—he wrote play to challenge and disrupt society. “What we looked at was what was so wonderful about that first production,” said Gladstone. “It was something the audiences had never seen before, and it was shocking and it was unique, so I was trying to find a way to create that.” “Our show does its best to create an equivalent in our modern day theatre aesthetic,” said Sarah Harrison, BFA acting student and cast member, “to create something as shocking as what Jarry did.” “This is a beast of a show,” said Naomi Vogt, another BFA student and cast member. “You have to be an exceptionally brave director to take it on.” Harrison and Vogt play Mère and Père Ubu, who both conspire to take over Poland through trickery, treachery and deceit. Slowly, Père Ubu kills off every high-ranking Polish official in order to claim their land, property and treasure. With many twists and turns along the way, Ubu Roi is a story of avarice and gluttony to a level of absurdity — pun intended. For the UBC production, Gladstone took inspiration from the creation of the play, and added an entirely new first act. According to Gladstone, the play was originally invented by an adolescent Jarry in order to mock a particularly fat

Olivia Law Staff Writer

“The day goes down in fire. Sooty clouds crush the sun to a red stain at the horizon.” So begins UBC assistant professor and creative writing alumna Nancy Lee’s latest novel The Age . Set in 1984, the book tells the story of Gerry, a teenage girl who is obsessed with the idea of nuclear war breaking out, joining and rallying with a peace group in order to confront her post-apocalyptic fantasies. The novel, 12 years in the making, is Lee’s second novel following the international success Dead Girls in 2003. “Writing is always difficult, but I’m grateful to my students who I draw so much inspiration from,” said Lee. “When you’re writing for such a long period you can become quite discouraged, and I often found myself wondering whether I should continue or not.” However, Lee’s students in the creative writing program provided her with the motivation to finish and publish her new dystopian fantasy. “When you’re surrounded by young people who are excited about their ideas and blossoming into writers, it’s exciting.” The ideas behind The Age are a combination of Lee’s personal views growing up and entirely fictionalized concepts. “I grew up in a time where my generation was without a set context for ground war. We all had the idea that it was something that would happen instantaneously, like pressing a button.” “In Grade 8, I remember being asked by a teacher how many people in the class thought they’d live past the age of 25. Only half of us put up our hands,” said Lee. “I think we were all obsessed with the idea of the world ending within our lifetime.” Lee’s novel seeks to explore how this sort of anxiety shapes the per

image courtesy Nancii Bernard/ubc theatre

In the spirit of the original, UBC Theatre’s revamped production of Ubu Roi aims to shock.

and idiotic physics teacher at his school. “I was pretty inspired by that story, and the idea that it came out of childhood and adolescence,” said Gladstone, who has set Ubu Roi in a new, modern context. “So the setup is that we’re 16 graduating school girls, and our final farewell to the school is this play that we all feel strongly is a story that needs to be told,” said Vogt. “We’ve highjacked the auditorium, and we’ve done this against the knowledge of our teachers and parents.” This context is what drives the entire show: cast, set, storyline, characters. The cast is comprised of 16 females, each of whom plays a girl in the all-girls academy. The set itself is a pile of junk, intended to look like the girls have scrambled and fumbled to make some semblance of a set. “It has everything, plus the kitchen sink”, said Deb Pickman,

UBC Theatre’s communication and marketing specialist. Indeed, the set does include a kitchen sink— plus four pink flamingos, some destroyed bed frames, blankets, shards of wood and a stop sign. Though seemingly disorganized, the set is highly intentional, planned chaos, taking the production crew well over 400 hours to create and perfect. The show—and UBC Theatre’s particular production of it—strives to challenge every notion of theatre convention. “Any ideas you have about the art Alfred Jarry tried to create, or even what theatre UBC typically produces—throw that information away, because it won’t help you here,” said Vogt. “I’ve never seen a play that resembles what we do in this show. “We promise surprises.” U Ubu Roi plays at the Frederic Wood theatre until April 5th. Tickets available at theatre.ubc.ca

photo courtesy nancy lee

Nancy Lee’s latest book comes after a 12 year respite from writing.

son one could become. “It comes down to the metaphor [of] being alive — how do you continue to live with that knowledge when you know of the destructive potential?” Joining the creative writing department as an MFA student in 1998, Lee has been closely involved ever since, experiencing many changes in her time at UBC. The publication of The Age comes at a propitious time for the department; last Saturday, it celebrated its 50th anniversary with a gala event. The department also recently debuted a new minor program, opening creative writing up to students from all disciplines. “What we’re finding is that students from all faculties want to take writing as both an academic challenge and an outlet for self expression,” said Lee. “We get great combinations — physics and creative writing, Sauder students taking poetry courses, engineers writing for children — this is giving everyone a really rounded university experience, a reprieve from the other ways they have to think. It’s so important to be able to learn craft-based skills to retain creativity.” In her first year as a professor at UBC, Lee expressed gratitude towards the department and their support. “It’s a very exciting first year, with so many new opportunities opening up,” Lee said. “It’s a great program which allows students from so many backgrounds an outlet to express their creativity.” U

music >>

Composers experiment in CIRS laboratory for weekend concert

Gabriel Germaix Staff Writer

The UBC Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS) can now add “concert hall” to its long list of accolades. Be it forward-looking and inspirational or simply extravagant, on March 22, CIRS — the brick-coloured, glass-floored building on West Mall — will be musical and nothing else. For their 40th anniversary, the Vancouver New Music Society (VNM) will perform in the hall of the greenest building in North America. According to its organizers, the performance will combine classical instruments with new technology to create future-inspired “sonic art.” Giorgio Magnanensi, artistic director at the VNM, decided to make light central to his artistic presentation. “The UBC [CIRS]

building is a very beautiful, resonant building,” he said. The glass floors allow the space to be unified while the performers, who are to be split up in several groups, will perform in guided harmony, following the instructions of four composers who have been invited by Magnanensi. The concert, entitled Sound Space Architecture, will feature two newly commissioned pieces by Canadian composers Jordan Nobles and Howard Bashaw, which will be performed along with two recent compositions of Canadian composer John Oswald and Texan sound artist Scott Smallwood. “The Resonance Prism,” Howard Bashaw’s new musical experiment, follows the theme of the evening by appropriating the space with music. Clarinet, electric guitar and cello are to be expected, along with live electronics and drums. Magnanensi

PHOTO Vadim bulitko/vancouver new music

Vancouver New Music composers integrate a variety of unconventional sounds into their work. Pictured: Texan composer Scott Smallwood recording a pumpjack.

commented on the setting of the installation. “Howard’s piece works with the metaphor of the prism, of prismatic light ... as a spectral field,” Magnanensi said. The work corresponds with Magnanensi’s ambition to invite the audience to experience different kinds of resonance. “The musicians will be scattered on the floors, and on the main ground there will be a larger

ensemble,” Magnanensi said. Each group will form the architecture of the “sonic prism” Bashaw seeks to create. “I designed a set of 10 ‘graphic scores,’ kind of like panels, that are sequenced in a narrative,” said Bashaw, who formerly taught in the UBC Faculty of Music, “more to inspire the musicians than ... to actually prescribe.” During the performance, Bashaw will invite

the audience to walk between the groups of musicians in order to witness “different kind of reflections or refractions that take the form of music in rhythm, in harmony.” Magnanensi is equally thrilled by the interactive potential the split setting in the glass building can offer. “The space is not a music venue per se, and so everyone [is] encouraged to move around so they can create their own performance,” he said. “They will play with the way they receive sound while moving in a large space that offers many different perspectives.” It remains to be seen whether UBC students will take interest in the contemporary music experiment. Magnanensi said last year’s performance, a percussion concert, attracted few of them. “Usually students from the school of music are not coming down in hundreds. I think there is a general lack of curiosity in music institutions,” he said. Perhaps, by performing outside of a music institution, the VNM will have more luck this year. U Sound Space Architecture will be performed this Saturday at 8pm at the CIRS Building, 2260 West Mall.

Thursday, March 20, 2014 |

sTudEnT VoICE. CoMMunITY REACH.

A vote for joke candidates should be a vote for apathy ALEX KILPATRICK op-Ed

ILLusTRATIon RHYs EdWARds/THE uBYssEY

Redactions inhibit understanding.

Last Words

pARTIng sHoTs And snAp judgMEnTs FRoM THE uBYssEY EdIToRIAL BoARd

Joke candidates are nothing new at UBC, but the Harsev Oshan-running-as-Rob Ford gag missed the whole point. It’s actually pretty easy to run a good joke candidate. You run a goat in an election to equate the other candidates to a goat. They have to run against a goat. They have to compete with a goat. That’s funny. Sometimes it gets a little more complicated, like when The Syrup Trap ran an air-headed, disconnected, trust-funded caricature in the AMS elections. Winnie Code was like her fellow candidates, Oshan and the eventually victorious Tanner Bokor, but without the ability to pretend that she’s normal. She had nothing in common with her electorate, but she was bad at hiding it. She almost arrived on campus in a Bugatti. We thought that was funny. Parallels, or whatever. Alex Bucci, the other Syrup Trap-affiliated candidate, was a buzzwordy ideologue with delusions of professional grandeur. He had unfeasible plans that went way beyond the VP finance’s portfolio and he ran on them as a platform. He dressed and behaved like an asshole. We thought that was funny. Some of us put on our political theory hats and talked about joke candidates as a voice for the apathetic, the disenchanted. “A vote for Winnie is a vote for not giving a shit,” was the line. “A platform we can lounge on,” was another. Really, though, we just thought the elections, the candidates, the process itself, was kind of a joke, and we wanted to get in on that. We like jokes. But where does the joke end, and where does the candidate begin? When does Alex Bucci stop being a fiction, a joke, and start being a guy you can vote for? Where, exactly, is the divide between Philip He and Jon Snow? What, God forbid, would have happened if Winnie actually won? Some ideas were tossed around. She was going to enforce a dress code. She was going to add bullshit bylaws to everything. She was going to either defund Safewalk, or buy them Lincoln Town Cars and chauffeur hats. She wasn’t sure.

UBC FREEDOM OF INFORMATION REQUESTS: WHERE THE SUN DON’T SHINE We pride ourselves on digging deep into the issues at UBC. One of the tools we use to do that is the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, which outlines how the public can access public documents, while protecting the privacy of the public. A Freedom of Information Act (FOI) request forms the basis of our cover story today, about Sauder’s response to the rape cheer last September. But there are holes — massive holes. Our request turned up hundreds of pages of emails. Of those, more than two thirds were redacted in their entirety. UBC claims these redactions are justified by a section of the act that allows the university to redact policy recommendations made by the school. The second half of that section outlines exceptions to that rule, many of which could be relevant to these documents. The problem is that redacting the documents in their entirety forces us to appeal their redactions. We don’t know what the context of those redactions is, but we do know the appeal process can take years, especially if the university appeals the independent body that governs these records in the court system. It’s convenient for the university to be overly judicious with their redactions because they know we won’t be seeing any other parts for months

or years to come. And if the university decides to appeal the decisions to court, it could cost both the university and our little paper thousands of dollars to reveal what really went on behind the scenes. If the university wanted to be transparent, they would come forward with documents like this. Instead, students are left asking questions about what the university is hiding behind its redactions.

SCANDALOUS ART When compared to the AMS’s total $800,000 deficit, spending $700 for no reason may not seem like a lot of money. But the artist in residency kerfuffle does not signify good things. The budget committee voted unanimously to not fund the program, but former VP admin Derek Moore decided he’d pay a student to do this anyway. The question of whether to go through with this payment or not came to a vote on March 12. Obviously, when the AMS promises to reimburse a student, that’s what they should do, and they should do this because it’s accountable, not just because they’re scared of a lawsuit. So it’s a good thing that, in the end, Council voted overwhelmingly (23 for, four against) to pay the student back. However, the arguments of those councillors who were against the motion should also be taken into account. This decision should not set a precedent. Exec-

utives should not be promising money they aren’t authorized to give, especially when the AMS is in a deficit.

YOUR AMS? A review has recommended that the AMS lobby UBC to provide more resources to help students find off-campus housing and learn about their rights as a tenant. We agree. Every year, hundreds of students at the bottom of the waiting list are unable to get into on-campus housing. Since UBC doesn’t have room for them, they should help them out. And theoretically, UBC, which has much more resources than the AMS, should be able to run this service more effectively. We also agree that having a permanent shuttle service for Safewalk would be a good thing. If demand for Safewalk keeps up, this is a good way of getting students around quickly and securely. However, having it only pick up students from specified hubs might be kind of missing the point. The shuttle would pick up at busy locations like libraries, so students at odd locations would still have to walk alone to get to these hubs. But the whole point of Safewalk is that people don’t have to walk anywhere alone at night. So, we like the idea of retaining the shuttle, but the AMS should consider doing on-call drives at least some of the time. U

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She sure as hell wasn’t going to govern, however. That wasn’t her thing. At The Syrup Trap , our thing is the Chuckle Test, which is this: if something makes you chuckle, it passes the Chuckle Test. Responsible Leadership fails the Chuckle Test, and the Chuckle Test is our God. We live and die by the Chuckle Test. If Winnie had won, it would have been by the grace of the Chuckle Test, not by the democratic will of the people. The plan, then, was to make as many jokes as possible with Winnie in office, and then hand the AMS over to whoever’s job that is after a week or so. Maybe there would have been another election. Maybe different, better people would have run. Maybe that’s not our problem. Here’s what we did know: votes for Winnie and Alex were votes for jokes, not for them as leaders. That was pretty obvious. We didn’t think people were hearing Winnie’s comments regarding kegels and entrusting the AMS to her. We thought they liked her jokes. We thought they, too, didn’t give a shit about the AMS elections. With Winnie and Alex, they were given an alternative to voting, not to the candidates. This is what Oshan doesn’t seem to understand. Jokes, even jokes about politics, are apolitical. Votes for joke candidates don’t represent a mandate to govern; they represent either the exact opposite of that, or nothing at all. They represent a rejection of the available candidates, or a total absence of opinion. If they have a political function, it’s not a positive one. Joke candidates turn this:

Candidate A Candidate B Candidate C Into this: Candidate A Candidate B Candidate C Fuck This/These People Not this: Candidate A Candidate B Candidate C Whoever Made This Joke Should Run the AMS. U Alex Kilpatrick is a writer for The Syrup Trap.

We’re holding elections for the 2014-2015 Ubyssey editorial board. For full job descriptions, go to ubyssey.ca/jobs. Positions papers due Friday, March 21, 5 p.m.

FILE pHoTos CARTER BRundAgE/THE uBYssEY

Syrup Trap writer Alex kilpatrick argues that while Winnie Code and paul Bucci, candidates in the last AMs election, actually exemplifed the role of a joke candidate, Harsev oshan’s Rob Ford in the Aus election missed the point.

ThUrSday, MarCh 20, 2014

CROSSWORD

puZZLE CouRTEsY BEsTCRossWoRds.CoM. usEd WITH pERMIssIon.

DOUBLE SUDOKU

Here’s two times the numbers fun for those upset that the crossword gets published more often. Easy on top, intermediate on the bottom.

ACROSS 1- snow conveyances 6- Comparison word 10- The jig ___! 14- Apartment sign 15- ___ only just Begun 16- Fork feature 17- Hersey’s bell town 18- part of Q.E.d. 19- Be that ___ may... 20- Ribbon worm 22- Roofing stone 23- Folk singer joan 24- Mobile home 26- Bell and Barker 29- greek goddess of the earth 31- period 32- nabokov novel 33- Makes a boo-boo 34- degrees in a right angle 38- Horse hair 40- Female pronoun 42- Identical 43- First name in aviation 46- singles 49- Covered vehicle 50- getting on 51- Actress sommer 52- nav. officer 53- Violent whirlwind 57- Flying start? 59- Reflection on death 60- persevered

65- uris’s “___ 18” 66- For men only 67- Legend maker 68- ovid, e.g. 69- get up 70- small drum 71- Town near padua 72- Breezed through 73- Clear the board

DOWN 1- ollie’s partner 2- Rich supply 3- jack of “Rio Lobo” 4- star in Cygnus 5- Where junk may be held 6- small pincers 7- Mother of Ares 8- ___-garde 9- Can be used to catch ﬁsh or surf! 10- sicilians, e.g. 11- Agave ﬁber 12- join forces 13- Tire (out) 21- Eye drop 22- dress often worn by Hindu women 25- Cartoon dog 26- Baby’s cry 27- Brother of Hoss 28- Completely without madness 30- ... who lived in ___ 35- gutter locale 36- Counterfeiter catcher

37- Cravings 39- stretch 41- Expanded 44- now ___ me down... 45- Find the sum of 47- squeezes (out) 48- Arranged in order 53- City near phoenix 54- Mixed bags 55- sublease 56- Eye-related 58- Academy award 61- Facilitate 62- Big brass 63- greek god of love 64- Venture 66- Lady of sp. MAR. 17 ANSWERS

do u like grammer??! cause da ubyssey is always lookin for volunters to help proof-awesome, right?

Matt Meuse | copy@ubyssey.ca

puZZLEs CouRTEsY kRAZYdAd.. usEd WITH pERMIssIon.

| GaMES | 11

12 | adVErTISEMENT |

ThUrSday, MarCh 20, 2014