April 7, 2014

APRIL 7, 2014 | VoLuME XcV| IssuE LIII MY EGGS since 1918

NO POOL FOR YOU

MONTREAL PROTESTS

DJ DOUBLE FEATURE

After a valve failure, UBC’s only remaining pool will remain closed until April 17

Six arrested in student protest against economic austerity measures in Quebec

MGH! and Sincerely Hana ready to spin at Tuesday’s Block Party

P3

P4

P7

NEST IN THE MAKING Potential slide, rooftop views — behind the scenes in the New SUB P11 LIVING THE DREAM Callum Ng goes from Thunderbird swimmer to Olympic writer P9

STUDYING

UNDER THE INFLUENCE Can apples be as effective an energy source as caffeine?

P6

Monday, april 7, 2014 |

YouR guIdE To uBc EVEnTs + PEoPLE

WHaT’S oN

ThIs WEEk, MAY WE suggEsT...

oUR CamPUS

2

onE on onE WITh ThE PEoPLE Who MAkE uBc

MONDAY 07 HoW To BE MorE CoMpaSSioNaTE 8 P.M.–9 P.M. @ GREEn cOLLEGE

In this lecture, education psych Phd student James Floman says mental practices can change a person’s capacity for compassion.

Free

TUESDAY

08

BloCK parTy / ldoC

2:30 P.M.–9:15 P.M. @ MAcinnES FiELD

It’s what you’ve been waiting for all year long: the last day of classes. The Weather network says there’s 90 per cent chance it’ll rain, but that shouldn’t dampen the performances of dan Mangan, Adventure club and the like, right? $30

PhoTo couRTEsY sAM RochA

The move from north dakota to the West coast shouldn’t be too hard for philosophy of education prof sam Rocha, as he is already in touch with his woodsy, forest-dwelling side.

WEDNESDAY 09 rESUMÉS THaT GET rESUlTS

12 P.M.–1 P.M. @ iRVinG K BARBER

Learn key tips on how to master the job application. Volunteer career advisors will offer practical guidance to support your job search during these lunchtime sessions.

Free

Our cover is inspired by Wired Italia’s illustration by Chad Hagen. The fax paper going from the mouth to the head is the information you eat, you know, since our cover story is about studying and stuff. Illustration by Indiana Joel.

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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

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APRIL 7, 2014 | VoLuME XcV| IssuE LIII

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Harsev Oshan Contributor

University acceptance season has been going on for some time and usually Twitter is abuzz with celebratory status updates by those who are newly admitted to UBC — but not all of those people are students.

Sam Rocha is a professor who will make the move to Canada from Grand Forks, N.D., to start teaching at UBC in the fall. He also took to Twitter to share his excitement.

“In grad school everyone said that it’s crazy to think that you’ll get a job specifically tethering to your subfield. And it is!” he tweeted back in March.

Rocha will be joining the Faculty of Education where he will be teaching courses in philosophy of education through the lens of political theory.

“To be honest, it was like a dream. I never thought in my life that I would have a job where I would be a philosopher of education,” he said. “This is what I have been trained for. For me, from the moment I got the offer, I had every intention of accepting it.

Rocha was born in Brownsville, Texas, next to Matamoros, Mexico, and ended up living in Utah, Ohio and a few years in Mexico. He did his undergrad degree in philosophy in Spanish literature in a small liberal arts

institution called Franciscan University and went on to pursue his master’s at the University of St. Thomas. Rocha finally obtained his PhD in education at Ohio State.

Rocha has taught at a variety of educational levels, ranging from elementary school-level Spanish to college-level history.

He currently teaches educational foundations and leadership at the University of North Dakota.

I don’t want to sound too gushy about it, but for me, really this is a best-case scenario. I hope to be at UBC for a long time — I don’t plan to just stop in for a while.

Sam Rocha incoming education professor

Apart from his passion for philosophy, Rocha also has a strong passion for music. His background is in folk music, and he came into jazz about 12 years ago where he performed with a few groups.

He recently launched a campaign on Kickstarter to raise

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New prof Sam Rocha excited to accept “dream” job at UBC

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funds needed to record Late to Love , an album that blends his artistic side with his academic side. The songs are inspired by soul, jazz, folk music and the confessions of St. Augustine.

“The campaign was on Kickstarter to pay for the upfront cost, so studio time, musicians and just logistics for travel time,” he said.

“It has a small record label that will be carrying it.... They will be covering the post-production costs.”

The campaign closed on March 20, having gotten 153 backers and raised $8,250 of his $8,000 goal.

As with new incoming students, Rocha is eager to find his place at UBC. “I’m excited to find some open mics, and I’m excited to find some little book groups. To me, that’s what’s exciting about the university — it is a unique place where you can find both intellectual and artistic cultural pockets to fit in.”

And his excitement extends to Vancouver as a whole.

“Vancouver has so much to offer. [The] Pacific Northwest is just an amazing place culturally.

It’s exciting to me at all levels.

“I don’t want to sound too gushy about it, but for me, really this is a best-case scenario, and if everything works out, I hope to be at UBC for a long time — I don’t plan to just stop in for a while.” U <em>

</em>

Monday, April 7, 2014 |

EDITORS WILL Mcdonald + Sarah Bigam

demonstrations >>

3

rec >>

UBC’s only pool expected to stay closed until Apr 17

FILE PHOTO colin chia/THE UBYSSEY

The pool was closed on April 2 after the main valve failed.

Sarah Bigam News Editor

An Anti-abortion group showed graphic images of aborted fetuses in front of the SUB, prompting protest from pro-choice groups.

photo will mcdonald/THE UBYSSEY

Anti-abortion “Choice Chain” demonstrates outside SUB Joshua Lee Contributor

A group of UBC students held an anti-abortion demonstration outside the SUB on Friday.

Nine UBC Lifeline volunteers gathered just outside the SUB for “Choice Chain,” holding graphic posters of aborted fetuses and distributing pamphlets promoting their cause. They remained outside the SUB for around an hour and a half, though Campus Security ordered them to take down their signs for not following proper protocols for displays.

“The main aim with Choice Chain is to educate with abortion victim photography, but also to facilitate discussion, which

NEWS BRIEFS UBC researchers design trees that produce pulp easier UBC researchers have created genetically modified trees that make it easier to break down to produce paper and biofuel.

“We’re designing trees to be processed with less energy and fewer chemicals, and ultimately recovering more wood carbohydrate than is currently possible,” said Shawn Mansfield, a UBC professor of wood science.

Mansfield said one of the largest problems for the pulp industry is lignin, which makes up much of the cell wall in plants and must be removed in a waste-producing process. With this modification, the lignin is easier to break down.

“It is truly a unique achievement to design trees for deconstruction while maintaining their growth potential and strength,” said Mansfield.

Scientists want to talk about the environment A survey of more than 500 researchers indicated that scientists want to get more involved in public discussion and policy decisions regarding environmental issues.

The study, conducted by the Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability at UBC, also found that scientists were concerned their peers would disapprove of this. U

we think is really important,” said acting Lifeline president John Flores.

Their message did not go unopposed. Several pro-choice advocates also gathered in the area, holding signs and distributing pamphlets of their own.

“Their explicit purpose of being here is to deliberately traumatize as many people as possible, and those who get traumatized, they want to emotionally antagonize them,” said Jamie James, a non-student advocate who attended the protest. “They want people to start talking and not be able to stop talking, until they think that this opens a magical window that a fetus is a human being and de-

serves some sort of legal protection that it doesn’t have, and they want the law changed.”

Both parties remained in the square for over an hour, handing out their respective brochures and speaking with passersby, but despite apparent strong disagreements, no hostile exchanges broke out.

“I’m glad that it’s all out here,” said Patrick McBeth, a first-year engineering student. “It’s never nice to look at pictures like that, but if you’re going to take one side on this issue, it’s definitely right that the other side should be out here.”

Partway through the demonstration, Campus Security asked Lifeline members to turn their

signs inward, since they didn’t book the space in advance. There were also no warning signs posted to let students know what images they would be exposed to in the area.

“There’s a process where any groups, whether pro-life or any other group who wants to [set up a display], they have to reserve and go through the booking process. They have for whatever reason chosen not to do so this time,” said Campus Security director Barry Eccleton.

Choice Chain was not the only event Lifeline has hosted this year. On March 19, they hosted Silent No More, an event where four guest speakers spoke about their experiences with abortion. U

crime >>

RCMP still looking for suspect, motive in campus murder Sarah Bigam News Editor

Five years after Wendy Ladner-Beaudry was murdered in Pacific Spirit Park, the RCMP have taken on a new strategy for the unsolved case.

At a press conference on April 3, five years from the day Ladner-Beaudry was killed at the southeast entrance to the park, Sgt. Jennifer Pound of the RCMP Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) said the RCMP have yet to find the suspect or motive for the crime, and believe a stranger committed the murder.

The case was transferred to the Special Projects Unit (SPU) of the B.C. RCMP major crimes section on April 1, though IHIT will continue to work with them on the case.

“That transition is simply because they [SPU] have the capacity to deal with the enormous amount of work that’s still left to be concluded on this file,” said Pound. “There are a high number of persons of interest on this file that we are still looking to identify.”

Pound said a large number of these individuals are homeless and thus hard to locate, and some of them have not been cooperative with the police.

The IHIT team that took on the case five years ago has since taken

Photo kosta prodanovic/THE UBYSSEY

Ward Lymburner, officer in charge of the Special Projects Unit, spoke on Thursday. Sgt. Jennifer Pound with IHIT and Peter Ladner, Wendy Ladner-Beaudry’s brother, look on.

on 35 additional homicide investigations. Ward Lymburner, the officer in charge of the SPU, said the unit has 21 investigators, and some of them will be assigned directly to the case.

Peter Ladner, Ladner-Beaudry’s brother, said the family is pleased about the new strategy.

“I think in fairness with the IHIT team, they always have priority with the most recent murder and this one tended to get bumped down the list,” said Ladner. “Now that it’s getting this extra attention, we are counting for this new effort to bring closure to all of us.”

The RCMP and the family of Ladner-Beaudry asks that anybody who thinks they may have information about the murder to come forward.

“We lost a wise mother, a loving wife, a compassionate sister, a loyal

friend, cheerful mentor, dedicated community member, a healthy living advocate, a running companion, a great Scrabble player,” Ladner said of his sister, who would have turned 58 last Sunday.

“I read recently that Pacific Spirit Park is the most popular park in Vancouver and that 97 per cent of people surveyed think that their parks are safe. Until this murder is solved, this park is not safe. People from all over the region who use this park do not feel the same way about it as they once did. They too have lost a piece of their lives because of this senseless crime,” said Ladner.

Anyone with information is asked to call the RCMP at 778-290-5291 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS. Lymburner said there is no link between this case and the campus sexual assaults earlier this year. U

The only pool on campus is closed, and is expected to reopen on April 17.

The indoor pool and hot tub closed on April 2 after the main valve failed, according to Linda Finch, senior manager of programs and operations for UBC Athletics and Recreation. The entire pool is being drained in order to fix the valve.

Finch said they will also try to conduct regular annual maintenance on the pool during the closure, which requires the pool to be closed.

The maintenance had been scheduled for December.

“We’re trying to make the best of a situation which was really unexpected,” said Finch.

Finch said the sauna is being repaired, and she is hopeful it will be running by the end of May. “April does seem to be a quieter month, so it’s not like January or September when things are really, really busy. So although it’s never an ideal time to close down a facility, this is probably one of the better months to close it down,” said Finch.

UBC’s swim team is currently at the Canadian Swimming Trials in Victoria, which continue until Saturday. According to head coach Steve Price, they are on break after the meet until April 14.

Price said the team is currently in the process of booking pool time at Vancouver and Richmond city pools for the first week back.

“With the permanent closing of the outdoor pool and now the indoor pool needing repairs, it is obvious we need the construction of the new pool to begin ASAP,” Price said.

Brendan Andresen, shop manager of the UBC Aqua Society, said the club will be relocating to Lord Byng Pool in Point Grey for scuba diving lessons in the meantime. “[The closure]’s obviously a big problem for us, because we use the pool several times a week and we need it to do training because we’re running training all the time,” said Andresen.

Andresen said the club has had trouble booking the indoor pool since the outdoor pool closed on Feb. 28.

“It’s a lot harder to book now because there’s so much limited space,” said Andresen. “Sometimes we can’t book [at all].”

However, he said UBC is doing their best. “They’ve definitely tried their best to work with us,” said Andresen.

Lessons and rentals of the pool are cancelled until the pool reopens.

According to Finch, anyone with a pass to use the pool will have it extended by two weeks due to the closure, and refunds will be provided for lessons and bookings.

The Aquatic Centre will remain open for use of the weight room and steam room. U

4 | NEWS |

Monday, April 7, 2014

Quebec >>

6 arrested in Montreal student protest

Jill Bachelder, Carla Green and Igor Sadikov The McGill Daily

MONTREAL (NUW) — Between 5,000 and 15,000 protesters took to the streets on the afternoon of April 3 to call for the end of economic austerity policies in Quebec.

Demonstrators gathered at Place Émilie-Gamelin and marched for over three hours throughout downtown Montreal.

The Association pour une solidarité syndicale étudiante (ASSÉ), one of the student unions behind much of the mobilization during the 2012 student strike, organized the protest. Approximately 60,000 students voted to strike on the day of the demonstration.

The Service de police de la ville de Montréal (SPVM) declared the protest illegal before it left Place Émilie-Gamelin, but let the protesters march for about three hours before intervening. In some instances, SPVM agents blocked off streets from traffic, and in others, protesters wound their way through cars on crowded streets.

At around 5 p.m., the SPVM’s riot squad charged on protesters and ordered the crowd to disperse, using rubber bullets and tear gas to break up the crowd. At least two people are known to have been injured as a result of the SPVM intervention — including a photographer from The McGill Daily — while six were arrested.

Benjamin Gingras, finance secretary and co-spokesperson of ASSÉ, said in an interview with The Daily that ASSÉ decided to organize the protest to emphasize that austerity was not the only option.

“We’re here to show that there are alternatives to austerity, there are alternatives to the systematic impoverishment of people who are already precarious,” he said Alexa Conradi, president of the Fédération des femmes du Québec,

Several thousand people took part in a demonstration against economic austerity policies in Quebec.

noted that austerity policies particularly affect women and other marginalized groups.

“We’re looking for a government much more ... engaged in social justice-oriented policies, or policies ... directed towards equality, and that’s just not happening, so we’re supporting the students here,” she told The Daily. “Women have been working in [areas where jobs are precarious] for many years, and it’s just getting worse under neoliberal paradigms, so we’d like to see that change.”

ASSÉ had already planned the march before the provincial

elections were announced by the Parti Québécois (PQ) for April 7, but Gingras said it was nonetheless “a pleasant coincidence that this is a just a few days before the actual vote.”

Philippe Hébert, a software engineering student at Concordia, said he was there to protest how the current government has dealt with economic issues. “They’re pushing us into a corner and ... trying to tell us that ... our debt is too big, so that we won’t ever be able to have any services,” Hébert said. “But the only thing they’re actually trying to do is to take ...

Photo Shane Murphy/The mcgill daily

the wealth from us and be able to keep control.”

The otherwise peaceful march turned violent about three hours in, as protesters arrived at the intersection of Sherbrooke and Parc. Commotion began after SPVM agents ran into the crowd and made several targeted arrests.

The police also used tear gas on the crowd, and in response, protesters threw projectiles, such as bottles, at the police.

Some protesters saw the SPVM’s actions as a provocation. “It’s horrendous,” Louis-Philippe, a student who attended the demonstration,

told The Daily in French. “The police are always provoking us.”

One of the several riot squad charges toward the end of the march left a man lying on the ground, bleeding from his head.

The man, who looked to be in his 50s or 60s, was later taken away by an ambulance. A video clip from 99%Média’s livestream of the protest shows the man falling off his bike and clutching his head following the riot police’s charge.

Daily photographer Shane Murphy was also injured during the protest while he was taking pictures of the protesters getting arrested. One of the SPVM officers, he said, shot him “point blank” with a rubber bullet. He has since gone to the hospital for his injury. “[The impact was] like if you can imagine getting shot by a paintball times 10,” he said.

Before the protest began, many protesters believed that even though the march had been declared illegal, the police would not intervene. “I’m an older woman....

I’ve been to a lot of protests, usually everything goes fine,” protester Martine Lacroix told The Daily in an interview before the protest began. “The police presence seems reasonable to me. I hope that everything goes alright on both sides.”

In a phone interview after the protest was over, Gingras told The Daily ASSÉ was both surprised and unsurprised by the march’s conclusion.

“Yes, we’re always surprised that ... we can’t protest peacefully without being repressed and brutalized by this police force that [decides arbitrarily] when a protest can take place and when it cannot take place, but at the same time we’re not surprised because we know how the SPVM behaves,” Gingras said. “The protest went very well; it was peaceful, until the police decided to get involved and ruin everything.”

Divestment >>

UVic group holds satirical rally for fossil fuel investment

Taryn Brownell The Martlet

VICTORIA (NUW) — Divest UVic used reverse psychology for an April Fool’s joke on campus on April 1.

The group set up a satirical rally around the fountain that condemned the divestment movement and voiced the need for the University of Victoria to invest more in fossil fuels. According to a press release, the rally was a part of a nationwide day of action against the fossil fuel industry, known as “Fossil Fools Day,” that spread from Tofino to Halifax.

Along with a replica of a pumpjack made of cardboard and a long replica of a pipeline, the group displayed signs with such sayings as “We heart climate change” and “Big oil needs big love.” One member of the rally, UVic student Malkolm Boothroyd, sported a jacket covered in the logos and names of oil companies and spoke to the crowd through a microphone. He started off by saying he was finally wearing an outfit he felt fully comfortable in.

“It is unacceptable that the University of Victoria only has $20 million invested in the fossil fuel industry,” he said to the crowd. “We must put even more money into bankrolling the most destructive industry on the

planet. The University of Victoria must put pipelines, petroleum and pollution in its portfolio.”

Standing with Boothroyd were three supporters of the divestment movement — or, for the sake of this rally, supporters of investment.

Among them was Matt Hammer, current director of finance and operations for the University of Victoria Student Society and ardent supporter of the divestment movement. During Boothroyd’s opening speech, Hammer held his protest sign high and shouted in agreement as Boothroyd satirically encouraged the crowd to support further investment in fossil fuels.

Alongside the rally was a Divest UVic table where passersby had an opportunity to sign a petition to support divestment. The movement, which the UVSS board of directors voted unanimously to support in February, calls for UVic to immediately freeze all further investments in fossil fuels as well as divest (that is, remove their investment) from all existing fossil fuel holdings within three years. They are currently circulating a petition to present to the university on the matter. Their goal is to collect over 2,000 student signatures, as well as support from faculty, staff and alumni.

In a press release, the organizer of the rally, Emily Thiessen, said satirically: “We know that UVic is proud to invest in these compan-

Divest UVic held a fake rally against fossil fuel divestment on April Fool’s Day.

ies when they’re spilling oil and poisoning communities in distant indigenous lands, so why can’t we have these disasters happen right here on campus?”

The point of the rally appeared to be to get the attention of students in a way that both shocked and amused them. Boothroyd continually referred to the fossil fuel industry

as the “dirtiest industry on the planet” and spoke of the importance of bringing such a destructive industry to UVic. He said the Divest UVic movement was trying to take power away from the fossil fuel industry.

“When you hear the news about another climate-related disaster — another oil spill, another fracking operation poisoning a community’s

photo Taryn Marnell/the martlet

water source — whenever you hear about this destruction, it’s great to be able to open up your investment portfolio and see the names of the corporations responsible right there,” he said in jest. “And I fear that if divestment takes away the financial and social wherewithal of the fossil fuel industry, then these catastrophes might stop.”

5

Monday, april 7, 2014 |

EdIToR RHYS EDWARDS

movIES >>

Vampiric video

WINE >>

Celebrate the end times

A primer on sparkling vino

UBC grads make feature debut with Afflicted

You, too, can be a We$tside Wine sippa once you’ve learnt your moscato from your prosecco.

JoShua dEcoloNgoN Wine

might explain both the drastic increase of over 300 per cent in sales over the past eight years (by volume, in B.C.) of Italian prosecco . Appealing here are the easy apple and pear notes, as are the lower price tags and a fun-sounding moniker reminiscent of both an exotic-sounding place and a porn star surname.

Where champagne sings with the precision of a violin, think power chords or Cyndi Lauper when it comes to prosecco.

If there ever was an awkward and underappreciated sparkling wine, the unfortunate nonaward would go to Spanish cava . It’s similar to champagne in terms of production method, but that’s where the similarities end.

Unlike champagne, cava’s image is that of Crocs, and some cava producers are striving to rebuild its image. Buy cava for some earthy and lower-acid goodness, and subsequently feel good about the fact that you’re helping out a wine that feels like it’s the new character on Glee.

“Moscato” seems to be a word that’s slowly moving into Voldemort-level depths of spoken blasphemy; maybe because it tastes like stale Skittle juice at its worst. But at its best, it tastes like flowers, peaches and fresh bags of tropical Skittles. Some of my wine colleagues would scold me for admitting to periodically wanting to drink a bottle of cheap sparkling moscato like I’m angry at it — but much like sex, sometimes the bad times aren’t super bad. The wine is an infamous subject in several rap songs, so that’s got to count for something.

In any case, there’s always a sparkling wine to pair with any sort of mood. Who really needs an excuse? Cheers to that. U <strong-

>

uBc grads clif Prowse and derek Lee directed, produced and starred in Afflicted, a found-footage vampire horror flick.

Jenica Montgomery Staff Writer

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to actually be a vampire? Not the young-andbeautiful-forever kind, but a real, bloodthirsty beast? UBC alumni and local independent filmmakers Clif Prowse and Derek Lee explore this unnatural illness in their first feature film.

Afflicted, a documentary-style film directed by and starring Prowse and Lee, follows the lives of two best friends as they embark on a trip around the world. One night changes everything for the two friends as it becomes apparent that Lee’s character has contracted an incurable plague.

The film captures his transformation and the psychological and emotional turmoil that naturally follows as he becomes an inhumane animal.

“We were asking the question: what if it were real? And what if it were scary, even? We got rid of all the stuff we didn’t think was necessary, and focused entirely on living forever where homicide was your daily activity, and the impact it tolls on us psychologically and emotionally, and there’s no easy way out,” said Lee, who graduated with a degree in Asian studies in 2001. “We got really interested in the idea of exploring the depths and the natural reaction of two regular guys going through that situation.”

The two filmmakers took the opportunity to reinvent the current supernatural horror genre through a first-person documentary perspective. With pop culture monsters such as those in the Twilight, the current concept of the vampire is vastly different from the real fear of vampires in the 1800s. In contrast, Afflicted represents the concept of the vampire as an incurable illness, a life-changing plague that turns a well-adjusted young man into a beast.

We got rid of all the stuff we didn’t think was necessary, and focused entirely on living forever where homicide was your daily activity.

Derek Lee Co-director

“Genre movies offer these hyper-dramatic situations where you’re plunging people into the most massive conflict you could imagine,” said Prowse, who received his honours history degree in 2000.“Sometimes it’s supernatural, wartime, whatever.

“It’s this heightened environment that really lets you put the more human and personal aspects of your personality under the

IMAgE couRTEsY sPokE PR

microscope because the situation you’re in is so intense.”

Aff licted is already starting to make waves in the film community, premiering at Midnight Madness at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival and going on to win a handful of awards at Fantastic Fest. The film is the first feature from Prowse and Lee that has not only been distributed in Vancouver, but across the country and across the globe.

“This is the culmination of a lifelong dream to make a feature film, and as local independent film makers you’re lucky if you ever get to make a first feature,” said Prowse.

The two filmmakers have been working together since they were 16 — well before they started at UBC, where they continued to make films while they studied.

It was only after graduation that they decided to make their passion into their profession.

“Once we graduated, you were about to go out into the real world, or what are you going to do now, and it was at that point that we were like, Oh, you know, this has been a fun hobby. What if we try to make this a profession?’” said Prowse.

“Once you take that step back and look at it, it’s incredibly surreal, humbling and exciting.” U Afflicted is now screening in theatres across Vancouver.

The end is near.

As students sing bittersweet praises to final classes and shed salty tears on Facebook about horrible exam schedules, hints of sunny warmth ooze their way through the solar system and into our lives. It’s “fear time” as much as it is “beer time” (although when is it not?), and the combination of sunny promises and year-end celebration makes the rest of us want to pop open the sparkling wine. But the hundreds of products confuse us, and we all want to buy the pretty labels because they make us look spicy and special (and of course you are!) — but let’s look at four famous types of sparkling wine.

Rules number one and two: all champagne is sparkling wine, but not all sparkling wine is champagne.

Legit champagne is the stuff that comes from the French region of the same name. Its premium prices are largely due to image and prestige, but its intrinsic balance and finesse are not unlike the liquid equivalents of classic orchestral numbers. The northerly climate of Champagne means that these wines are generally of high acidity, and mandatory aging on the lees contributes to absolutely delicious yeasty and bread-like aromas. These wines can be hard to appreciate, and sometimes the hefty price tags are less than tempting.

Anyway, you just had a bad exam and all you want to do is get drunk.

The younger generation is drinking more wine — and that <strong>

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CULTURE We wear all the scarves.

Email culture@ ubyssey.ca for volunteer opportunities

6 | CUlTUrE |

MoNday, april 7, 2014 pRo tipS

HoW To STUdy liKE a BoSS Study before bed: during sleep, your brain condenses and processes what you’ve learned during the day. It is more likely to solidify the things you learn right before you fall asleep, so review your most important notes before you doze off.

Get out of the house/library/ study space: not only will exercise — even if it’s just a walk around campus, or around the block — keep you alert and in good spirits during exam time, it also helps you remember what you’re studying. While sitting and studying in the same place for hours can make all the facts, equations and readings blend together, moving around makes your brain form new associations. A quick walk actually helps you retain what you’re studying by building associations between the material and the world around you.

Set goals: A new study suggests that putting gummy bears at the start of every section heading as you go through your textbook will help motivate you to get through your studying. If gummy bears sound too sticky to keep on your textbook, you can always use other rewards, like a cookie. however, you should probably avoid the five-minutes-of-studying, five-hours-of-netflix setup, or other rewards that quickly turn into procrastination. drink: caffeine, not alcohol.

While it can be a good idea to wean yourself off your coffee habit during the summer, final exams are exactly when you want to drink coffee. Lots of evidence suggests caffeine keeps you alert and stimulates brain activity, so drink up. don’t go on the internet: does this really need to be said? generally, whatever you think you need the Internet for to study, you can probably find it other ways. Even if it takes you a little longer to grab a book from the library instead of finding an e-book online, you’ll save time in the long run by not getting distracted.

Make a schedule: It helps you stay on top of all your studying, and if you write things down, you won’t need to take up mental space with all the details you can just write down. U —Arno Rosenfeld Features Editor Sources: Greatist.com, Stanford

THE GREaT ENERGY EXPERImENT It’s 11 p.m., and you’ve just opened up your textbook. Your final is tomorrow and you haven’t studied once all semester. You have a choice to make. It’s not whether you should cram — that’s already a given — but rather, what stimulant you should use to stay up.

The default option is, of course, caffeine, typically in the form of coffee or tea. however, some sources suggest that apples are an effective energy source — potentially more so than caffeine. But could it really be true? If you’re planning an all-nighter or cramming for a final, should you reach for the caffeine, or the fruit?

For the betterment of night owls everywhere, The Ubyssey commissioned two of our fine writers, Alexis Wolfe and Victoria Lansdown, to find out the truth through an informal experiment. on the first night of the experiment, our volunteers attempted to stay up as late as possible without imbibing any sort of stimulant. Then, they waited a few days, and stayed up again — this time, drinking a standard Monster Energy drink at the time they would normally go to bed. Lastly, after several more days, instead of going to bed at the regular time, our volunteers ate an apple. We asked both writers to reflect upon their experience each night, and the experiment as a whole. The results may surprise you.

Editor’s Note: This was not a scientific experiment. The data listed below is almost entirely anecdotal, and should be read for entertainment purposes only.

DAY ONE

DAY TWO

DAY THREE

CONCLUSION

I was a functioning insomniac for most of high school, so I figured staying up one night would hardly Alexis Wolfe phase me. I soon realized the significant difference between being awake by and against your own will. At around 2:30 a.m., I felt the first wave of drowsiness. Without caffeine or any other substance in my system, it was simply Tumblr and Daily Show reruns keeping me awake.

It wasn’t a struggle to keep myself awake until 4 a.m. rolled around. At this point, the idea of sleep became particularly seductive. With no real panic of an overdue paper or midterm to study for, there simply wasn’t enough demand to keep me awake. Knowing this, I was asleep by 5:30 a.m. With three hours of sleep, I feel exceptionally well rested. I don’t know why I do — however, I will not question it.

I am beginning to wonder whether or not regular sleep patterns are just a social construct to keep one from habitually watching a different television series in its entirety each week.

It’s 10 a.m., and I haven’t slept for what I will attribute to a placebo effect. As instructed, I consumed a Monster energy drink at 11 p.m. last night, then waited to see how far it would take me. I’m convinced caffeine has no effect on my wakefulness after working at Starbucks, where I required six shots of espresso poured into a cup of dark roast coffee to keep me conscious. Despite this, I managed to stay awake for the entire night, this time with a task at hand. With two papers due today, I figured their completion would fit quite well into this experiment.

The night started with good intentions, but inevitably ended in a haze of distractions. I believe one can pass any amount of time aimlessly browsing the Internet while they put off an assignment. But the moment you realize you’re browsing simply for the sake of browsing, all those random articles, conversations and videos quickly lose their lustre. That’s what happened.

I was watching videos of live ABBA performances by 3 a.m., and at 5 a.m. I was fully committed to “Watch Nicki Minaj transform into reptilian - ILLUMINATI conspiracy!” It’s quite possible that the Monster kept me up until 3 a.m., but the all-nighter was successful purely due to self-indulgent procrastination and determination.

The apple-equals-energy idea is a myth.

This time around, I only made it to 5 a.m. I understand that an apple sustains you with a food-like kind of energy, but it’s nothing compared to the God-given gift of caffeine. While trying to imagine the sugar and nutrients of the apple coming to life and turning the wheels in my brain, I couldn’t help but wish for a cup of coffee. As a night snacker, I’m sure I’ve accustomed my body to understand that eating is followed by sleep. Oftentimes I’m asleep before my head hits the pillow despite eating several “energy bars” minutes prior.

I had a paper to work on last night — however, it’s not due for a few days, so there was a severe lack of urgency at play. It’s important to realize that proper time management skills are fairly important, and in actuality, there is no reason to ever find yourself stuck pulling an all-nighter. After all, sleep trumps cramming.

Ultimately, your level of determination and panic will decide how late you can stay up. I suggest eating throughout the night and drinking several cups of coffee and tea as if it was 2 in the afternoon, not the morning. If cramming for an exam or working on an assignment is important enough to you, you will physically will yourself into staying up until it’s complete. Or you could just avoid this dilemma altogether by practicing efficient time management.

On the first night, I studied for my psychology midterm the next Friday, and learned about adolescent Victoria development.

Lansdown Even though the material was interesting and relatable, reading is not the best way to stay awake. Actually, trying to stay up wasn’t that difficult, because I was also hungry, and the hunger kept me awake. However, trying to focus when I was exhausted without any extra source of energy was hardly possible. I eventually gave up studying around midnight and watched a television show until 1 a.m., when I fell asleep after forcing myself to make it to the hour.

Surprisingly, on night two, I was ready to stay up for hours and finish my creative writing assignment due in a few days, but I passed out after an hour, at midnight. Maybe it was my addiction to caffeine and the fact that I drank two cups of coffee earlier that day, but the Monster made me so tired I had to sleep.

I drank the can at 11 p.m. and it gave me a burst of energy, but I must have used it up faster than it took my body to produce more.

I was in the middle of writing my creative writing assignment short story when my eyes started getting really heavy. At about 11:45, I gave up trying to concentrate and watched television for about 10 minutes until I decided I had to sleep, so I went to bed at midnight.

On the third night, March 26, I ate an apple at 11 p.m. and was able to stay up until 1:43 a.m.

That’s the last time I remember seeing on the clock before passing out.

It was much easier to stay up on the third night, probably because I had less homework to do. I didn’t have to spend all of my energy on psychoanalyzing scholarly articles or reading my psychology textbook or doing anything creative, so I was able to stay up a lot longer. Also, I wasn’t hungry because I ate an apple — so I was full, and ready to focus on my television shows. I honestly think the amount of work you have to do has just as much of an impact on your attention and energy than a cup of coffee or an energy drink. The less homework I had, the more motivation I had to stay up. Also, I didn’t use all of my energy so quickly when I was just watching television, so I was able to stay up for a while.

I can safely say the apple made the biggest difference. I have had a few days here and there when caffeine didn’t do the trick, but it’s never made me actually fall asleep. I believe that my anticipation of the Monster working so well caused me to use all of my energy in one hour, so I had none left by midnight. So, to all the UBC students reading this: buy some apples instead of coffee or Monster and get ready to ace that next test. U

JoEL/ThE uBYssEY ILLusTRATIon IndIAnA

MoNday, april 7, 2014

| CUlTUrE | 7

MGH! an old school mixmaster

K C O BL Y T R A P S E L I F O R P N DITIO DJ E

Sincerely Hana spins up a storm

MGH! protegé experiments on stage

PhoTo couRTEsY hAnA PEsuT

In addition to her work as a dJ, hana Pesut is also a self-trained experimental photographer.

Reyhana Heatherington Senior lifestyle Writer

As a child, Hana Pesut would draw floor plans in preparation for a career in architecture. Today, as Sincerely Hana, she designs the musical framework for events around Vancouver.

But it took some pressure for Pesut to start spinning vinyl. About a decade ago, friend and fellow Block Party 2014 perfomer My! Gay! Husband! — a.k.a. MGH! — picked up some records and convinced Pesut to use his extra equipment.

“He lent me his turntables and told me to go buy some records and learn how to DJ,” Pesut said. “So I was sort of pushed into it, I guess, but it worked out great.”

The moniker “Sincerely Hana” also came by chance. As fledging DJs, Pesut and two friends sent an email to friends requesting name suggestions. When they signed the note “Sincerely Dani, Hana and Justine,” the name stuck, and the trio went on to DJ together before Justine went back to school and Dani moved to New York.

Apart from the transition to DJing as a solo act, Pesut also had to get used to a lighter load that came with the shift to digital media.

“When I first started DJing, I played all vinyl and would lug all my vinyl around and constantly be record shopping, but now I play MP3s like most people,” she said. “It’s definitely a different way of DJing, but I’m glad that I learned on vinyl.”

Pesut now has a regular Saturday night gig at the Biltmore Cabaret’s Glory Days. Whether she is playing at restaurants, clubs or fashion

shows, Pesut tries to provide audiences with positive energy rather than just playing songs and “being done with it.” She particularly enjoys Glory Days since the DJ sets are not bound by one genre.

“Usually [in] the early set we can play weirder, slower indie stuff then get into more club music,” she said.

“It’s nice that we are open to everything rather than just being club music or just being rock and roll. I have a hard time describing what I play because I do play so many different kinds of music.”

At her last Block Party performance at UBC, Pesut remembered the distinct “school’s out for the summer” atmosphere.

“I just had a really good time because everyone’s so happy to be done school that everyone’s in a really good mood and really going wild,” she said.

The diversity of genres represented at Block Party 2014 gives Pesut the freedom to spin a range of tracks.

As much success as DJing has brought her, Pesut is also a selftaught photographer, and has compiled a book of side-by-side portraits of couples dressed in their own clothes and each other’s clothing. She is determined to maintain variety in her professional life.

“I think it’s important to just stay open to trying new things and being open to working in different fields of creativity rather than just focusing on one,” Pesut said. “Some people are really good at focusing on one thing and being excellent at that, but for me, I prefer to try a bunch of different things and see where those take me.” U

Local remix superstar a regular at MacInnes Jolin Lu Contributor

Every night, Granville Street is plagued with the sound of cliché pop music.

MGH!, a fixture at the Biltmore Cabaret, is the antidote.

Jason Sulyma, formerly known as My! Gay! Husband!, has been playing the Vancouver music scene for over 10 years, and is a regular at both the AMS Block Party and the Welcome Back BBQ. Whether it’s remixes of hiphop, rap, Icelandic melodies, or even boisterous, classical Indian music, Sulyma can always add a twist to make the songs his own.

Sulyma’s synthesizer-generated arpeggios bounce in the background like minions on a trampoline; his laid-back grooves are juxtaposed with bustling energy. MGH!’s music is like the Care Bears gone bad — ebullient in appearance with a hint of sarcasm and mischief.

Sulyma, however, is modest about his style. “[My music] is lazy,” he said.

“It’s boring. I don’t know. It’s easy-going, just like a house party. I only started doing music because there was nothing to do and there were no parties back in the day. I hated Granville Street and I hated all those nerdy DJs. It was kind of an anti’ of everything else I haven’t been included [in].”

Despite being raised in Vancouver by white parents, much of Sulyma’s inspiration comes from traditional Indian music. In fact, in 2010 he released an hour-long record based on traditional Indian music.

“I love Indian music,” he said.

“I love Punjabi Takeover on REDFM. I think Indian music is

PhoTo gEoFF LIsTER/ThE uBYssEY

Vancouver favourite Mgh! is no stranger to Block Party.

the most forward-thinking. The scale is just crazy, and also the rhythm sections are the best in the world.”

Sulyma’s prominence in the Vancouver music scene may mislead listeners into assuming that music has always been his true calling, but he never thought about being a DJ until a police officer gave him an innocent suggestion.

“The cops kept coming to my house and the same police officer would show up every week or two when I have house parties,” Sulyma said. “One day he was

like, Why don’t you go to the bars across the street that don’t have anything?’ I was like, That’s actually a good idea!’ Then I actually took him up on it and I started doing parties [at] weird places by my house on Hastings.”

Now far removed from his days of lawlessness, Sulyma is setting up his own venue with a couple of friends. Boring or otherwise, MGH! will continue to support the local art scene. U MGH! plays at the Biltmore Cabaret every Saturday from 10:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. <em>

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Monday, april 7, 2014 |

EdIToR NATALIE SCADDEN

uBc’s connor Moran, Ron denischuk and david Maybury are one of three canadian teams headed to Europe to take part in Red Bull’s “can You Make It?” competition.

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PhoTo MAckEnZIE WALkER/ThE uBYssEY

RoaD TRIP >>

UBC trio taking part in Red Bull hitchhiking competition Natalie Scadden Sports + rec Editor

A week to get from London, England to Berlin should be no problem, right? That's the task at hand for UBC students Ronald Denischuk, Connor Moran and David Maybury. The catch:

they’ll be travelling without phones, cash or credit cards. All they have to barter with is a case of Red Bull.

Denischuk was browsing around on Facebook when he found Red Bull’s “Can You Make It?” competition and convinced two of his frat brothers to apply

for one of three spots for Canadian teams. “I knew it would be a really cool thing to try, and even if we don’t get it it’d be worth a shot,” he said.

The application involved making a one-minute video and creating a team name. It wasn't long before Salmon Force 5 was born. “Connor’s good at making movies, so that was definitely a thing, and also he did the Mongolia rally, which I thought would be of benefit,” said Denischuk, of choosing teammates from his FIJI brotherhood. “It’s right during the middle of exams, so the hardest part was finding somebody to commit to actually come with us. We tried a few people before Dave.”

“I was just there. I didn’t have any exams and I was down,” said Maybury, who had previously been called an “inefficient human being” by Denischuk.

“I’ll be on point this week for sure. These guys will keep me in shape.”

In order to successfully complete the task, the trio will have to clear a minimum of six out of 30 checkpoints scattered around Europe. Passing through additional checkpoints might take them out of their way, but it will give them bonus points toward winning the overall championship, and each checkpoint offers an opportunity to win more cans of Red Bull.

In terms of team strategy, the group wants to keep it simple, and admitted they didn’t practice hitchhiking at all. The plan is to make use of their charm and charisma, and to have no shame while begging for food, shelter and transportation. Luckily,

more than one member can speak French, which should be an asset.

“We’re pretty confident that the people [in Europe] will be fairly helpful [and] fairly friendly, so that if we go up to them, it’ll work out,” said Maybury. “Our house pretty much functions on a beggar system and we’re pretty good at getting our way in there, so that’s something.”

The competition began on Friday, April 4, and it could still be near zero and rainy outside in parts of Europe. Denischuk said he is most worried about being cold and wet and having to sleep outside under a truck. Maybury, on the other hand, said he has spent a couple nights stranded outside and it was no big deal — he's most nervous about starving to death. Having road-tripped across Mongolia last summer and done plenty of camping, Moran is clearly the most experienced traveller and seemed to exert a calming influence on the team.

“We can’t get robbed for anything other than Red Bull, so we should be fine,” he said.

While the group would love to win the grand prize — a free trip to any Red Bull-sponsored event in the world — they acknowledged there are 99 other teams competing, so the focus will be more on enjoying the journey.

Their ultimate goal is to trade a case of Red Bull for a flying mode of transportation, giving a whole new meaning to the slogan “Red Bull gives you wings.” U You can follow Ron, Connor and David s journey and help them earn extra points by liking their team Facebook page at www.facebook.com/SalmonForce5.

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PhoTos sTEVEn RIchARds/ThE uBYssEY

Ron denischuk (top), connor Moran (middle) and david Maybury (bottom).

MoNday, april 7, 2014

| SporTS + rEC | 9

SPoRTS mEDIa >>

Callum Ng living his dream with the Canadian Olympic Committee Former T-Bird swimming standout now working as a senior writer and producer for Olympic.ca Jaime Hills Staff Writer

“What do you want to do when you’re done school?”

We learned to dread this question in our last years of high school and have continued to do so every time someone asks us what we study at university.

We may have an idea of what we want to do with our degree, but who knows if that will end up being the path we take.

What we do know is there are people we admire and jobs we dream of having. It isn’t every day that you get to have a conversation with someone who is doing your dream job and who took a similar path to get there as the one you are on.

Callum Ng is a senior writer and producer for the Canadian Olympic Committee. But before that, he spent five years as a member of the UBC swim team while completing his bachelor's degree in philosophy. Like many varsity athletes, he remembers his time as a Thunderbird with fond memories he shared with his teammates.

Ng went on to earn a master’s of management from the

Sauder School of Business. He then attended BCIT, taking classes in radio arts and entertainment. In his time at UBC, he could be found interviewing his fellow athletes, but it was at BCIT that Ng knew he wanted to be involved in the world of sports journalism.

“This was when I realized this is my thing,” he said of his time at BCIT. “Sport and news change all the time. It’s thrilling and interesting to keep up, to share what’s new with people.”

As a current Thunderbird aspiring to be a sports journalist, it was humbling to get the opportunity to talk to Callum Ng. There is something about knowing that someone so successful went through the things you are experiencing now that is encouraging.

Using a connection of common experience is something with which Ng is not unfamiliar.

When your job is to have conversations and write stories about athletes, it without a doubt helps to be an athlete yourself.

“In media, you’re always looking for a fresh story,” Ng said. “In the field of journalism, stories are everywhere, and some of the

PhoTo couRTEsY cALLuM ng

callum ng is working his dream job as a senior writer and producer for the canadian olympic committee, where he gets to interview athletes, write stories and host videos.

JaSoN yEE Frosted Tips

Why don’t people stretch?

Stretching is one of the basic tenets of physical activity, or so we're often told. So why don't we do it more often?

I talked to Lisa Bonang, UBC's assistant varsity strength and conditioning coach, the other day about effective stretching. I said I wanted to write an article on stretching not working for most people, and she said, “Well, stretching doesn’t work for most people, because most people don’t do it!” It was a fairly simple, yet profound statement.

This led me to question why people don’t stretch. The reason, I realized, is because the way they’ve been taught to stretch simply doesn’t work.

Most people stretch passively, without much attention to their stretch. Stretching this way often results in no change, at least not for a long time.

I’m going to explain a stretching technique that actually works. In order to understand the technique, we need to understand how stretching a muscle works.

People often think that stretching a muscle simply lengthens the tissues, like stretching a rubber band.

In reality, you’re teaching your brain to allow your tissues to lengthen. It s a trust thing. The reason your brain won t allow your muscles to lengthen is because it thinks that your body isn’t strong enough.

To use an analogy, imagine your boyfriend or girlfriend isn’t trustworthy. You’re not going to let them far from your sight — but the distance isn’t from a physical attachment, it’s a lack of trust. In order to teach your muscles to lengthen, you need to teach your brain to trust that it can lengthen its muscles without getting hurt. (Perhaps this article is a thinly disguised chautauqua on relationship issues?)

So the key to stretching isn’t to physically lengthen your muscles, it's to teach your brain to allow the muscles to relax and lengthen. When that happens, your muscles can function optimally, recover better and receive proper blood flow. When certain muscles are short, they can force you into poor posture, or predispose you to injury.

When you simply hold a stretch, you aren’t doing much to send the brain a message to relax the muscle. In order to stretch effectively, you need to do what’s called the “contract, relax” method. Here’s what to do: <em>

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PhoTo couRTEsY cALLuM ng

ng took classes in radio arts and entertainment at BcIT, and also broadcasted hockey games on ciTR, uBc’s campus radio station.

most interesting ones are right around you.”

Ng provides a fresh perspective in his work by thinking like an athlete himself, and asking his interview subjects questions he would have wanted to answer. “I love having the freedom to tell stories in so many ways. I get to interview athletes, host videos, write stories, follow great events and refine everything again and again. I think we should always be doing that — [getting] better, always.”

At 12 years old, Ng wanted to be a sports journalist, but after high school he found himself at UBC. He had two reasons for this. The first was an academic pursuit. “I was really guiding myself to a university education,” Ng said.

The second reason was a simple one in the mindset of a competitive athlete. “UBC just

happens to be in a brilliant city, not to mention having a dominant swimming program,” Ng said.

“It was an easy decision. When I set my heart on UBC, I really wanted to go.”

If you ask any athlete what it is about their sport that makes it so important to them, you will get an interesting answer. “There is something really cerebral about swimming fast,” Ng said. “You have to be powerful and strong, but translate that to grace in the water. I loved searching above and beyond what I thought I could do. Thinking about racing even now makes me shiver. It's a memory you never lose.”

Ng’s swimming career at UBC was nothing if not impressive.

He was awarded CIS Swimmer of the Year honours at the 2006 and 2008 national championships.

The men’s team won the CIS national championships 10 years

Choose a muscle to stretch.

Stretch the muscle to the point where you feel a bit of tension.

Take a deep breath in.

You re going to tighten every muscle in your body and you’re going to hold your breath. Try to create tension using your breath, too, by blowing against your closed lips.

After five seconds of con tracting and holding your breath, you’re going to exhale.

As you exhale, concen trate on relaxing your entire body, especially the muscle you’re stretching.

Notice that you can prob ably move deeper into the stretch now.

Hang out in that relaxed state for a second.

Repeat.

This technique is like a shortcut for getting your brain to trust your muscles to lengthen, but it also forces you to pay attention to what you’re doing.

Stretching becomes a mind-body activity, so you get the benefit of muscles that are a lengthened and relaxed, but you also get all the relaxation benefits of breath awareness.

If you’re saying to yourself, “Hey, this sounds like yoga,” you’re pretty close! Yoga takes advantage <em>

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in a row until the 2007-2008 season, Ng’s fourth year. Naturally, this was something that fuelled him and his teammates to be better the next season.

“I remember telling the team after we lost to remember the feeling, to hate the pain. I think we won in 2009 because we knew what losing was like. And we knew how good we could be when everything came together, and it did. Winning in 2009 was unforgettable.”

Although he now works and lives in Toronto, Ng has nothing but good things to say about Vancouver. “I found UBC was a place where there was so much opportunity for me,” he said. “Vancouver is such a vibrant city. It’s such an open-minded place.” U To check out some of Callum s work, please visit his website at www. callumng.com.

FILE PhoTo sTEPhAnIE Xu/ThE uBYssEY

People often think that stretching a muscle simply lengthens the tissues, like stretching a rubber band. In reality, you’re teaching your brain to allow your tissues to lengthen.

of synchronizing breathing with movement and relaxation. But now you can use yoga’s secret without going through their elaborate poses, or buying $80 yoga pants.

I do this type of stretching everyday. The beauty is that it works very quickly. So, if you’re standing in a line and you feel a tight muscle, you can quickly help it relax by using the contract, relax method.

Try it out, and when you notice that this technique actually works, you may find yourself stretching more and more. U Jason Yee is a third-year kinesiology student and a defenceman on the UBC men s hockey team. To check out his sports and fitness blog, go to train2point0.wordpress.com.

Monday, April 7, 2014 |

student voice. Community reach.

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Why engineers should support divestment

Photo carter brundage/the ubyssey

The author responds to a previous op-ed by an engineer opposed to divestment.

leo robinovich Op-Ed

The AMS has yet to come to a final decision on whether there will be slides in the New SUB.

LAST WORDS AMS should put slides into New SUB The AMS says they will soon confirm whether or not there will be slides in the New SUB. Slides could cost up to $50,000.

Some say this is a waste of money, and that argument has legitimacy.

ILLUSTRATION jethro au/the ubyssey

PArting shots and snap judgments from The ubyssey editorial board

The Ubyssey, however, supports building the slides. The building already costs over $100 million, and each student is contributing up to $400 for the building, depending on what year they enter the school. Incoming students this year will pay $370; next year’s entrants will pay

$390; and $400 for each year after that until the building is paid off.

If we’re already each paying hundreds of dollars a year for a building, one more dollar going toward making the New Sub more awesome seems like money well spent. U

Why UBCC350 supports fossil fuel divestment Molly Henry alexander hemingway nicholas curry Op-Ed As students of UBC, we are proud of our university’s reputation for sustainability. The time has now come for the university to take the next step, and live up to its ideals by divesting from fossil fuels.

Humanity confronts a grave and urgent crisis in climate change.

The evidence that we are hurtling towards a future dangerous for humankind is persuasive. Immediate, dramatic actions are required.

We have a moral duty to address the climate crisis.

Scientists have clearly stated that we have a limited amount of fossil fuels we can burn and still have a reasonable chance of staying within 2 C of warming. While 2 C may not sound like much, even this small number would bring about serious disruptions of natural systems, impacting everything from our food supply to the spread of infectious diseases. However, known fossil fuel reserves are significantly larger than the well-documented limits of what is safe to burn. We can only “afford to burn” 30 to 39 per cent of the remaining carbon reserves on the planet. In other words, 61 to 70 per cent of the world’s fossil fuel reserves are “unburnable” if we want to avoid dangerous climate change. Despite this, fossil fuel companies have demonstrated that they plan to exploit these resources for the sake of profit, regardless of the known impacts.

As part of the effort to keep greenhouse gas emissions at a level that will allow our economy and

the environment to remain healthy, we are asking UBC to immediately forgo further investments in fossil fuel companies and divest from all existing fossil fuel holdings within five years. We need a rapid transformation of our energy system away from fossil fuels, and divestment can help promote this. Anything less will simply not be enough.

Some would prefer UBC to maintain ownership and exercise leverage as a shareholder. Because the business model of fossil fuel companies is so reliant on carbon reserves we can’t afford to burn, working through shareholder channels is inadequate to achieve the transformative changes required. On the other hand, divestment can reduce a company’s stock price and pressure fossil fuel companies to shift their investment to clean energy such as wind and solar power. We recognize that a single divestment campaign won’t make a difference; that’s why we’re part of hundreds of fossil fuel divestment campaigns across North America and Europe.

Some argue that these companies are already providing the answers to our energy problems and shifting us away from fossil fuels.

While they are involved in sustainable research and development to a certain extent, their behaviour has shown that they need much stronger incentives, such as divestment, to fully transform their business models. Moreover, divestment calls attention to the pollution of politics fostered by the fossil fuel industry, including campaigns to mislead the public about climate science, as well as efforts to block, dilute or delay the adoption of meaningful climate policies.

Some are concerned divestment might hurt the income UBC receives from the endowment, but this doesn’t need to be the case.

There are many opportunities in the market for an endowment to make equivalent or better returns, and studies designed to measure the impact of divestment have found little or no impact on returns. There are also increasing concerns that a “carbon bubble” could pose significant financial risks to investments in fossil fuels.

We call on UBC to use the endowment as a living laboratory: design a profitable fossil-free portfolio, and use it as a model to inspire sustainable investing behaviour at other institutions.

We recognize this will be a complex and challenging task, which is why we included a five-year timeline for full divestment.

We are not suggesting that oil is the root of all evil and needs to be banned from existence. We are simply stating that science has demonstrated the need for a dramatic transformation of our energy policies, something engineers, scientists and economists have called achievable, practical and affordable. On this particular issue, “responsible” investing has proven to be ineffective, and simply not enough. Universities have always been a catalyst for change, and the kind of change needed will require large institutions to take the lead. By divesting, UBC can show leadership in fostering this necessary transformation. Indeed, as we face the gravity and urgency of the climate crisis, it is our moral imperative. U The authors are members of UBC350

We are, we are, we are the engineers! At least, hopefully we will be one day. And when that day comes, all of us will stand for something.

In fact, we already stand for many things, from the choices of our specialization and co-ops to what student teams we join and how we interact with other students and faculties.

Engineering is one of the strangest faculties in that so much effort is put into the degree, but so little of that effort focuses on the bigger picture of what we’re actually working towards.

There is little to no formal moral evaluation, and we fall back on technical jargon when we don’t have immediate answers to good questions.

One good question — a great question, actually — is what engineers are doing about climate change and our reliance on fossil fuels. I won’t try to convince you that energy usage and climate change is one of the biggest issues the world faces today. If you’ve successfully ignored the UN, oil spill after oil spill, Obama, climate science PhDs, overwhelming scientific evidence based on expansive research over the last 40 years and Bill Nye the flippin’ Science Guy himself thus far, I doubt you’ll have any problems ignoring a second-year mechanical engineering student. I’m not here to convince you that climate change is serious business.

What I’m here to say is that UBC engineers should not compromise morality for technicality, nor external truth for internal validation. We are better than that.

Why are we becoming engineers anyway if not to be superheroes of technology and society? I’m not installing a tiny arc reactor into my chest anytime soon, but I’m going to improve the world through all social and technological means possible. Being an engineer means being a visionary, not a corporate sheep. We can lead the lifestyle we want to lead while maintaining strong moral compasses. We don’t have to engage in things in which we don’t passionately believe.

Everything we do is a choice between spite and hope; impending doom and optimism.

Divestment is a shining opportunity for us to choose the right path. It’s not going to bankrupt any of the 200 companies that control the majority of the world’s coal, oil and gas reserves, but it will demonstrate our opposition to the current profit-based system that could be transformed into a real sustainable industry, both economically and environmentally.

UBC students have a lot of say in the future of energy. Instead of defending a clearly dysfunctional, self-serving system, let’s stand together and say that things could be improved significantly. I say join this cause, champions of technology and society, and let’s shake things up for the better. U Leo Robinovitch is a second-year mechanical engineering student at UBC. <em>

</em>

Mike Silley’s BoG backtracking not OK letters Dear Editor, I find myself shocked and upset to hear that UBC’s Board of Governors voted to increase tuition. Domestic undergraduate students will see a two per cent tuition increase this year and incoming international students a three per cent increase next year.

I am especially shocked that the BoG representatives that are supposed to be representing the student body voted unanimously for the increase. What is even more unfortunate is that at least one student representative lied in their campaign.

Let’s look at Mr. Mike Silley, who voted for the tuition increase.

On Jan. 23, 2012, The Ubyssey asked Silley: “In recent years, <em>

em>

</

student BoG members have often abstained from votes on tuition increases. Would you abstain on tuition votes? How would you push UBC to make education affordable?”

He replied: “I plan to vote against tuition increases.... Many students feel like they are being gouged left, right and centre. By the end of their time at UBC, the average student graduates with $27,000 in debt....

This is unacceptable, and I plan to make the voice of students clearly heard at the board level.”

I wonder what’s causing that $27,000 in debt? I should seriously be writing my papers right now, but after being at UBC for three years and constantly pressing “I agree” to the two per cent increase on my SSC every year, I really can’t stand people who campaign to stop the increase and then vote in favour of it.

Sincerely, Bilal Shamsi, UBC student

Monday, april 7, 2014 |

PIcTuREs + WoRds on YouR unIVERsITY EXPERIEncE

11

DAYCARE

THE NEST

The AMs will have a rooftop childminding service.

CONSTRUCTING THE NEST

The nest Within the nest will be a multipurpose performance space.

GSS

UBYSSEY

The Ubyssey got the chance to tour the new suB the AMs student nest alongside AMs designer Michael kingsmill. Photos by Will Mcdonald.

Phase 7: construction

The graduate student society, who also pitched in financially with their student fee, will have a prime spot on the fifth floor with a balcony.

NEW SUB QUICK FACTS

The Ubyssey’s new office will be above ground and get natural light. We’ll also get more rooms, new furniture and be right beside the climbing wall.

THE PIT

STAIRS

price tag: $106 million Funding: AMS student levy, ($81.76M), UBC ($25M) projected Completion date: Nov. 14, 2014 projected opening date: Jan. 5, 2015 The Pit will remain in the basement, but will be fused with the old knoll.

originally planned opening date: Sept. 2014 Size: 250,000 square feet Sustainability: aiming for LEED Platinum+, the highest green building rating in North America

“staircases are very prominent so that people will make that their first choice rather than riding up the elevator,” said kingsmill. But if stairs aren’t your thing...

SLIDE?

BALCONY

Number of floors: 5 New aMS restaurants: 5 architects: Dialog (HBBH) and BH Architects Construction: BIRD Construction

The building will have several balcony views of campus accessible by students.

Our continued congratulations to our newly elected editorial board! opinions + Blog Editor Austen Erhardt

photo Editor Mackenzie Walker

design Editor nick Adams

Web developer Steven Richards

Want to be our video producer? The job is still open! Go to ubyssey.ca/jobs for the full position description.

(continued from p.2)

...there are two spaces alloted for slides in the building, but the AMs has yet to determine if the slides will be put in.

12 | GaMES |

MoNday, april 7, 2014

ACRoSS

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, or who just want to take their minds off finals and papers. Easy on top, intermediate on the bottom.

PuZZLEs couRTEsY kRAZYdAd. usEd WITh PERMIssIon.

1- ___ best friend 5- Indian term of respect 10- Problem with L.A. 14- Iridescent gemstone 15- Parisian pupil 16- central part 17- Andean country 18- Fine fiddle 19- Peter Fonda role 20- objectionable 23- Religious sch.

24- Microwave 25- Process of capitalizing 33- Met highlights 34- Auditorium 35- Batman and Robin, e.g.

36- sweeney ___ 37- Foolish 39- Musical horne 40- digit of the foot 41- Blame 42- carriage 43- comprehensible 47- Actress Peeples 48- That’s gotta hurt!

49- north indicated by a magnetic compass 56- did the butterfly 58- Beethoven dedicatee

Changes

59- Actress Pett y 60- After the bell 61- Fabric woven from flax yarns 62- north carolina university 63- Like nash’s lama 64- Brewer’s need 65- Lady’s escort

down 1- sulk 2- Vertex 3- dEA agent 4- swing around 5- stanza of six lines 6- nissan model 7- Illustrious warrior 8- Lendl of tennis 9- Impress forcefully 10- carve 11- Yard tunneler 12- source of iron 13- “Fancy that!”

21- Pitchfork-shaped letters 22- Ancient semitic for “Lord” 25- sing like Bing 26- Assisted 27- cushion 28- Potala Palace site 29- Author Fleming 30- Perfect, something to aspire to 31- Prevention dose

by kiana Thorley

32- Ark builder 33- Westernmost of the Aleutians 37- Madly 38- crackpot 39- high hit 41- not a dup.

42- “All the Way” lyricist sammy 44- Tooth covering 45- sounds 46- university lecturer 49- spouse 50- Writer Wiesel 51- Ike’s ex 52- designer cassini 53- Portrayal by an actor 54- 1982 disney film 55- clue 56- ___-mo 57- Pale APR. 3 ANSWERS