September 24, 2012 by The Ubyssey

UBC’S OFFICIAL STUDENT NEWSPAPER | SEPTEMBER 24, 2012 | VOLUME XCIV| ISSUE VII

HAVING A DOOZY SINCE 1918

(STILL)

FARM FRESH

What’s in season at the UBC Farm? And how do you turn it into something delicious? Find out on P7

BACK TO THE

WOODS?

THE UBYSSEY

UBC thrashed by Calgary at home, but remains optimistic for a 4-4 season P5

HOW DID YOU DO IN

GRADE 11? UBC Senate wants to use Grade 11 marks to allow for early admission P3

POST-SECONDARY >>

Tuition dependency for B.C. post-secondary on the rise Report: Tuition dollars fund 40.3% of university operations Micki Cowan CUP B.C. Bureau Chief

ACTIVE ACTIVIST Meet Carven Li: Sociologist, dancer P2

Vancouver (CUP) — When it comes to depending on tuition to fund post-secondary education, B.C. is now the third most tuition-reliant province in the country following Ontario and Nova Scotia. A new Statistics Canada report shows that in the past decade, tuition has come to account for 40.3 per cent

of funding for university operations, up from just over 25 per cent in 1999, according to the 2012-2013 Almanac of Post-Secondary Education. This marks the largest increase in tuition dependency of any province in Canada during that timespan. While B.C. is still the province with the fourth lowest tuition in Canada, responsibility is increasingly being put on the student to fund post-secondary,

rather than the government. Minister of Advanced Education John Yap said for the province of B.C., the funding to reduce tuition dependency is not there yet. “In an ideal world, we’d find ways to increase affordability,” said Yap. “Maybe the timing is not right in terms of the funding available.”

CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 , 2012 |

YOUR GUIDE TO UBC EVENTS + PEOPLE

What’s on Tue 1224

OUR CAMPUS

THIS WEEK, MAY WE SUGGEST...

ENTERTAINMENT >>

ONE ON ONE WITH THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE UBC

MONDAY

Comedy Night: 8 p.m. @ the Gallery Lounge

Need to take a break from school before midterms start? Swing by the Gallery Lounge in the SUB for live stand-up comedy. What could be better than some brews and laughs? Tickets $3-5 at the door. Tue 1225

Tue 1226

CLUBS >>

TUESDAY

JOBS >>

WEDNESDAY

Toastmasters Club Open House: 5:15 p.m.–6:30 p.m. @ Macleod Building, Room 418 Do you want to improve your public speaking skills? Get to know the Toastmasters Club through this open house event and find out how they can help you become a better speaker. Tue 1227

UBC sociology undergrad Carven Li is involved in several activism initiatives around Vancouver.

Mr. Confidence takes on social causes

EXERCISE >>

THURSDAY

UBC Career Day: 10 a.m.–4 p.m. @ Student Union Building A little unsure of what to do with your life? Don’t miss out the UBC Careers Fair 2012. You can test the water before plunging into the professional career of your dreams.

“Simon Says” Challenge: 11:45 a.m.–1 p.m. @ Student Recreation Centre Get some exercise and have some fun! This week, the Rec Health Promotions team presents a new challenge: a brand new version of “Simon Says.” This is a great excuse to take a break from your textbooks. Tue 1228

VISUAL ARTS >>

FRIDAY

CTRL by Paul Bucci @ AMS Art Gallery If you haven’t swung by the AMS Art Gallery in the SUB to see CTRL, an art exhibit by former Ubyssey editor Paul Bucci, do it now! The show is only on display until Saturday, September 29.

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

This Week at The Norm Wednesday 19–Sunday 23 Prometheus: 7 p.m. Alien: 9:45 p.m.

Tickets are $5 for students, $2.50 for FilmSoc members. Learn more at UBCfilmsoc.com!

U THE UBYSSEY EDITORIAL

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

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

copy@ubyssey.ca

Senior News Writer Ming Wong mwong@ubyssey.ca

Graphics Assistant Indiana Joel ijoel@ubyssey.ca

Culture Editor Anna Zoria culture@ubyssey.ca

Layout Artist Collyn Chan cchan@ubyssey.ca

Senior Culture Writer Rhys Edwards redwards@ubyssey.ca

Videographer Soo Min Park spark@ubyssey.ca

Sports + Rec Editor CJ Pentland sports@ubyssey.ca

Webmaster Riley Tomasek webmaster@ubyssey.ca

Art Director Kai Jacobson art@ubyssey.ca

Jon Chiang PHOTO/THE UBYSSEY

Peter Wojnar, Anthony Poon, Veronika Bondarenko, Yara De Jong, Lu Zhang, Ginny Monaco, Arno Rosenfeld

SEPTEMBER 24, 2012 | VOLUME XCIV| ISSUE VII BUSINESS

CONTACT

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work contained herein cannot be reproduced without the expressed, written permission of The Ubyssey Publications Society. The Ubyssey is a founding member of Canadian University Press (CUP) and adheres to CUP’s guiding principles. 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 sub-

From the crowds of Hong Kong to his move to Richmond, B.C. at age seven, Carven Li spent his formative years in the hustle and bustle of city life. But it took a burgeoning interest in Canada’s indigenous peoples to spark Li’s passion for the environment. “It’s always been on my radar. but I didn’t feel like it was my calling until I started to listen to the perspectives of the indigenous people in Canada, particularly hearing about the struggles of the people who live around the Alberta tar sands,” said Li. “It gave me a visual representation of something that I never had growing up, because ... all my life I’ve been living in cities.” Now in his final year of an undergraduate degree in sociology, Li’s involvement in the community continues to grow. After sitting on UBC’s student council, the Alma Mater Society, and taking on the role of co-president for the Sociology Students’ Association last year, Li is looking at issues beyond UBC. He is currently involved in advocating for lower carbon exports in B.C. with UBC C350, a group of students, faculty and staff who are concerned with the government’s climate policies. Li’s interest in Canada’s indigenous population led to his opposition of the proposed

Northern Gateway Pipeline in Alberta and B.C. “I want other people to have the right to live the life that they’ve been living for centuries. So that was the first emotional connection,” said Li. “We need to, first of all, respect their autonomy.” In March 2012, UBC C350, together with Kids for Climate Action, stormed Premier Christy Clark’s Vancouver-Point Grey riding to urge the B.C. government to take a stance against the Northern Gateway Pipeline. The demonstration drew a crowd of 200 and led the premier’s office to release a statement reaffirming that Clark is assessing the risks of the pipeline to B.C. “We want to bring awareness to campus on climate change and the political actions that can be taken by each citizen,” said Li. Along with advocating for more accountability in the government’s role in dealing with environmental issues, Li also works with Our City of Colours, a non-profit organization that connects and supports LGBTQ people across different cultural groups. “[Our City of Colours] wants to show that there are queer people in every ethnic, linguistic and cultural community,” said Li. “We want to create events for people of all cultures and of all different English proficiencies so that it remains a non-judgmental place for

people to meet one another.” While events like Pride Week are a good step, Li feels that many problems are still apparent in our society surrounding the queer community. “I find it to be very frustrating when we make it a priority [in Vancouver] to talk about queer positivity when there are obviously problems,” he said. “In terms of provincial education, there is not a policy that specifically helps high school students connect with the LGBTQ community. While there is a zero-tolerance policy on bullying, zero tolerance doesn’t mean community involvement, and I feel that censoring students will never improve social cohesion.” While Li currently focuses much of his time towards activism, his love for go-go dancing is proof that he knows how to let loose. Li’s participation in Mr. Arts, a male pageant charity event held last spring, showcased some of his talent. In full drag and sporting a blonde wig, Li performed a cover of “It’s A Man’s World” by Christina Aguilera to the crowd. In the end, he was voted Mr. Confidence. “I hope that more Arts students, especially those coming in, can be confident and pursue student involvement — not just Mr. Arts, but in clubs as well,” said Li. “I would do it again if I hadn’t done it already.” U

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Anna Ou Contributor

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do u like grammer??! cause da ubyssey is always lookin for volunters to help proof-awesome, right? Karina Palmitesta | copy@ubyssey.ca

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 , 2012 |

EDITORS WILL MCDONALD + LAURA RODGERS

FUNDING >>

SOUTH CAMPUS >>

New community centre coming to Wesbrook Village 3,000 square foot facility to serve growing campus neighbourhood

UBC’s Life Sciences Centre, a $197 million building containing labs and classrooms, hasn’t yet attracted a donor to name the facility.

JASON VANDERVILL FILE PHOTO/THE UBYSSEY

Budget shortfalls for UBC’s big build

Laura Rodgers News Editor

UBC is currently in the middle of a major building boom. Some of the new buildings going in are the most expensive UBC has ever seen, but where is that money coming from? In many cases, UBC has started or prepared for buildings without all of the cost of construction fully covered. Below are some projects UBC still hasn’t found all the money for. Some are still in the planning stages, some are partway through construction, and some are already finished and being used.

Alumni Centre The first round of approval has already gone through for this centre, set to be built between the new SUB and the Bookstore. The project is expected to cost about $17 million, but over $11 million of that budget is still missing. “[The] unfunded amount [is] to be filled

NEWS BRIEFS

Vancouver School of Economics approved UBC has received approval to create the Vancouver School of Economics, a new entity borne out of the Department of Economics, which will house the new bachelor of international economics (BIE) degree. Tuition for the program is set to cost $10,000 per year for domestic students, and $29,000 per year for international students. UBC hopes to admit the program’s first cohort in September 2013. They expect to take in 80 students, 40 of them international students. UBC is planning a $5 million-plus renovation to the Leo and Thea Koerner Centre to house the school. Approval for the renovation was unusually fast, with rounds 1, 2, and 3 of Board of Governors approval all passed on September 20. UBC researchers say lack of access to medical data disrupts their work A group of UBC researchers is asking the provincial government for access to medical data that they say is necessary to continue their work. They have been denied access to medical data during a police investigation into the alleged release of confidential information by researchers at UBC and UVic. A group of UBC medical researchers, known as the Therapeutic Initiative, said they need access to the information. “We were hoping this was going to be short-lived and it wouldn’t significantly disrupt our work, but it’s now over two months,” said UBC medical professor James Wright in a CBC interview. U

by alumni fundraising,” says a Board of Governors document describing the project. The building is going to be part of UBC’s recently ramped-up alumni engagement campaign, which also seeks to raise more money from alumni.

Pharmaceutical Science Building At over $150 million in total, this building, which had its grand opening on September 22, is now one of the most expensive on campus. Over $90 million of the budget came from government funding. There’s still $24 million left over in the budget that hasn’t been paid. UBC expects facultyspecific fundraising to make up the rest of the money, but realizes that a loan might be needed if the cash can’t be found in time. Earth Sciences Building This $75 million building opened in August and now houses the Faculty of Science dean’s office.

$10 million is still yet to be raised to cover costs.

Ponderosa Housing Hub Thanks to the recently created endowment for student housing, the major debt for this $170 million-plus project isn’t showing up on UBC’s balance sheet. But there’s still over $140 million owing for this project that needs to be paid back through rental housing revenue. Phase 1 of the combination housing/classroom building will open in September of next year, and Phase 2 is being prepared for September 2015. Renewal of the Old Auditorium This $32 million renovation was finished in 2010, but UBC still owes over $3 million on the project. UBC hopes to fundraise enough to make up the shortfall. Engineering Student Centre It’s going to cost $5 million to build, and control of the project

is currently in limbo as the Engineering Undergraduate Society negotiates with UBC. The engineers still need to fundraise $1.8 million of the total cost of the project.

Aquatic Centre This newer, bigger replacement for the current indoor pool, gym and sauna is budgeted to cost $37 million. Of that, over $9 million hasn’t been found yet. Life Sciences Centre At $197 million in total, this is UBC’s most expensive building. The project has been fully financed, but it still carries $24 million in debt from UBC’s central budget. The building has been fully up and running, with four floors of labs and medical classrooms, since 2009. UBC has been trying to find someone willing to lend their name to the project at the cost of $20 million, but so far, there haven’t been any takers. U

SENATE >>

UBC to keep using Grade 11 marks for admissions

Sruthi Tadepalli Contributor

UBC plans to continue admitting students based on their Grade 11 marks. The UBC Senate has decided to repeal a policy, put in place during the B.C. teachers’ union job action last March, that allowed students to be admitted to UBC based on their Grade 11 marks. But for the time being, they’re leaving the option open for Grade 11 marks to factor in to a student’s admission average. The Senate is then planning to enact another policy by November that will allow students to be admitted to UBC before their Grade 12 marks are in. Robert Sparks, the chair of the UBC Senate admissions committee, said that UBC is lagging behind other universities when it comes to admission policies. “UBC’s offers of admissions are generally considered to be much later than other post-secondary institutions, so we want to correct that. The reason that most other post-secondary institutions are faster than UBC is that … [they] use Grade 11 marks.” Andrew Arida, director of undergraduate admissions, said that continuing to use Grade 11 marks will likely allow UBC to make admissions decisions by mid-April. The policy would allow students

HOGAN WONG PHOTO/THE UBYSSEY

UBC plans to keep using Grade 11 marks so they can admit students earlier.

to use their Grade 11 marks if their Grade 12 marks are not available when they apply to UBC. “We will use whatever grades are available to us by early April. In places where Grade 12 grades are not available, we will substitute in final Grade 11 grades,” said Arida. The policy (J-52) that allowed UBC to admit students based on their Grade 11 marks was a temporary measure in response to the B.C. teachers’ job action that had the potential to delay report cards for some students. That policy has now been repealed and UBC will replace it with a new, permanent one. Sparks said that the Senate will have to work through the long-term intricacies of using Grade 11 marks

for admissions before crafting a permanent policy. Arida said that UBC is getting feedback and consulting with the Okanagan campus, B.C. high school students, UBC students and faculty members to develop the new admissions policy. The policy will come before the Senate in November. Sparks made it clear that the issue is currently under debate and no new policy has been drafted yet. However, he said that the Senate hopes to keep using Grade 11 marks for admissions. “We would like to continue using Grade 11 marks, but we would like to do it in a slightly different manner than we did last year,” said Sparks. U

DAVID MARINO FILE PHOTO/THE UBYSSEY

The centre is to be built for the swiftly-rising population in UBC’s Wesbrook Village neighbourhood.

Marion Benkaiouche Contributor

The next stage in the growing development of South Campus is a new 30,000-square-foot community centre. The new centre is slated to have a gym, general meeting and multipurpose rooms along with a dance studio and café space. Construction of the centre is set to start this winter. Charles Menzies, a candidate in this week’s University Neighbourhoods Association board of directors election, said that current community facilities on campus are limited and cramped. The Wesbrook area is expected to grow to 6,250 households over the next 15 years. “It’s the Manhattanizing of this campus. They have nine high-rise buildings planned, and several that are already here.… They’re basically somewhere around 40 per cent increase on campus population, and that’s gonna put a big strain on the campus population, insofar as space,” said Menzies. A soccer complex is also planned for the area. The field will accommodate one large east-to-west soccer field and two smaller north-to-south soccer fields. Construction begins this fall. “[The] main target all the way along was soccer, and seeing how much of the site could be given over to playing,” said Jan Fialkowski, executive director of the University Neighbourhoods Association (UNA), of the planned soccer fields. The plan for the community centre was developed by a working group involving the UNA, UBC Properties Trust, and the associated professional teams working on the development: Walter Francl Architecture and Karen Kiest Landscape Architects. Fialkowski said the new centre will improve the number of services that will be offered to members of the community. “The Old Barn Community Centre [on Thunderbird Boulevard] is about 8,500 square feet, not including the café. It’s very cramped.… This new community centre will certainly service everyone that is here, including the university community.” Construction on the community centre is scheduled to be completed by January 2014. The soccer field is tentatively set for public use in late spring 2013. U

4 | NEWS |

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2012

ON THE COVER >>

Tuition fees now make up 40% of B.C.’s university budget Continued from cover The Canadian Federation of Students (CFS), a group that lobbies for lower tuition, says that B.C. needs to take measures to ensure the trend doesn’t continue. They hope B.C. can instead follow the example set by other Canadian provinces that have reduced their dependence on tuition fees — some by nearly 50 per cent in the past 10 years. “What we’re seeing is an off loading of a public service onto a student demographic,” said CFS B.C. chairperson Katie Marocchi. “Other provinces, such as Newfoundland, have been taking measures to make sure post-secondary education is affordable and we advocate for the province of B.C. to do so as well.” Newfoundland decreased its dependency on tuition from 30 per cent in 1999 to 15.9 per cent in 2009. The prairie provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba also reduced their dependency by about five per cent in the past 10 years. Melanie Greene, a doctoral candidate studying post-secondary education at Memorial University of Newfoundland, said part of Newfoundland’s success story has to do with their unique position of only having a handful of publicly funded post-secondary institutions in the province. But she also credits a prov-

incial government push to increase access to higher education in 1999 that resulted in an ongoing tuition freeze. As a result, Newfoundland remains the province with the lowest tuition in the country aside from Quebec, whose low tuition rates only apply to residents of the province. Student support has played a part in the continuation of Newfoundland’s freeze as well, said Greene. “Every time there is a budget coming through, we’re always pushing for a continued tuition [freeze].” But the example set by Newfoundland is not likely to be mimicked here in the near future, as Minister Yap said he plans to focus on offering grants, rather than reducing tuition, in order to make university more affordable. Marocchi thinks drastic action, such as freezing tuition entirely, is required to reverse this trend, or else more people in B.C. may decide against pursuing higher education. “One of the biggest restrictions of people choosing not to get a post-secondary degree is financial reasons. People aren’t in the position where they can pay up front or don’t want to put themselves in a position of massive amounts of debt,” said Marocchi. “There is an entire demographic that will be less likely to acquire a post-secondary education.” U

Tuition as a Percentage of University Operating Revenue in British Columbia Source: Statistics Canada and CAUBO Government and Other

Tuition

40%

27% 21% 11%

1979

1989

1999

2009 COLLYN CHAN GRAPHIC/THE UBYSSEY

Tuition went from 11% of B.C. universities’ budgets in 1979 to 40% of their budgets in 2009.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 , 2012 |

EDITOR C.J. PENTLAND

RECENT SCORES WOMEN’S FIELD HOCKEY Saturday, September 22 Calgary 2 UBC 5 Saturday, September 23 Calgary 0 UBC 3 WOMEN’S ICE HOCKEY Friday, September 21 UBC 2 Regina 3 Saturday, September 22 UBC 3 Saskatchewan 2 (OT) Sunday, September 23 UBC 6 Balmoral Hall 1 MEN’S ICE HOCKEY Friday, September 21 SFU 3 UBC 4 (OT)

UBC couldn’t do much to stop Calgary on Saturday, as the Dinos racked up 710 yards of offence en route to their 62-7 victory.

josh curran PHOTO/THE UBYSSEY

FOOTBALL >>

A season no one expected UBC falls flat in 62-7 thumping by Calgary, remains winless SEASON OF PROMISE by C.J. Pentland

If all your knowledge of UBC football was based on the team’s winloss record over the past couple of years, you’d think the team was pretty terrible. You’d also think that this season’s record makes perfect sense. In the record books, UBC was 0-8 last year, and the year before that, they were 2-6. Now, after dropping a painful 62-7 decision to the No. 2 ranked University of Calgary Dinos on Saturday afternoon, the Thunderbirds are now 0-4 in 2012. But if you know the real story of T-Bird football team — that they actually won seven games and went to the Canada West final last year — you’ll know that Saturday’s game was the latest instalment in an utterly disappointing season. While I was watching the shellacking, I wasn’t thinking about how poorly UBC has played all year, though, because aside from the Calgary game and the second half of the contest against Regina, they really haven’t played that badly. Instead, I kept thinking about how weird and unpredictable this season has been. This was supposed to be the year that UBC came together, took momentum from last season and made a deep playoff run. Billy Greene was supposed to continue his dominance and lead one of the country’s most potent offences. The team was supposed to come back more motivated than ever after losing in the disappointing Canada West final and having all their wins from last year stripped away. The defence was supposed to step up after taking a bit of time to get used to playing together. But that hasn’t happened, and now they sit at 0-4, tied for

last place in the Canada West standings. I wouldn’t be going out on a limb to say that no one predicted that. Not many people would have predicted that Greene would not put up Superman-esque stats; that his top receivers from last year would be noticeably absent and fail to make the big plays; or that the running game would be the most effective part of the offence this season. With Greene at the helm, the air attack was supposed to be lethal, complemented at best by the young group at running back. But the

fensively,” said head coach Shawn Olson after the game. “We miss one or two, and then we start to press a little bit, and we try to win the game or score on every play as opposed to just letting the game come to us.… We try to do a little too much.” The T-Birds defence ranks second last, but that can’t come as

Going into the season, I thought [a 4-4 record] was going to get it done. So obviously we’ve stacked the deck to make that mark, but there is some resiliency with this group.” Shawn Olson UBC head coach

ground game has actually been the best facet of the T-Birds’ offence so far. In fact, UBC has racked up the most rushing yards in Canada West. On the other hand, the ’Birds rank fifth out of six teams in passing offence, while having the lowest completion percentage and throwing the most interceptions. In total, they have the secondmost total offensive yards, which is something that you wouldn’t expect for a team that only scored seven points on Saturday, recorded two first downs in the third quarter and completed eight passes the entire game. But even when the offence is rolling, all those yards still can’t turn into victories. “Too many missed opportunities, it’s been the story all year of-

KAI JACOBSON PHOTO/THE UBYSSEY

too much of a surprise when they have so many new guys and the group is decimated by injuries. What is surprising, though, is that they haven’t been able to adjust at all over the past four games. Granted, Calgary’s offence is as high-powered as they come, but to only force four incompletions the entire game is mind-boggling. Quarterback Eric Dzwilewski threw for 306 yards in the first half before the Dinos showed some mercy and removed him in the third quarter, and running back Steven Lumbala was running

Saturday, September 22 UBC 8 SFU 0

everywhere before he got injured and left the game. When your defence can’t do anything to stop the other team, it doesn’t really fire up your offence, and then things snowball into UBC’s worst loss in 18 years. Next week, the Thunderbirds take on Alberta, the other winless team in the conference — meaning that if they lose, they will rightfully be the worst team in the West. It potentially could be the low point of the season. But what if they win? Can the season still be salvaged in some way? Olson seems to think so. “Going into the season, I thought [a 4-4 record] was going to get it done,” said Olson after Saturday’s game. “So obviously we’ve stacked the deck to make that mark, but there is some resiliency with this group. There are a bunch of guys on this team that have heart and that want to win and be successful, but we’re just not making enough plays right now and we’re not good enough to overcome the deficiencies and the injuries that we have.” So all might not be lost. It is true that 4-4 last year would’ve earned a playoff spot, but this year is different, since every team is so close, talent-wise. The Thunderbirds would need a lot of outside help to even have a shot at the postseason. But if recent history is any indicator, it’s that we never know what is going to happen, and sometimes what does happen doesn’t make sense. If Olson still has visions of playoffs, then there is still a glimmer of hope for the T-Birds. “The four remaining games, I think, are winnable football games for us; we just have to regroup and find our collective will and execution, and start next week with Alberta,” said Olson. If a surprise playoff berth is the result of all of this, it would just be the cherry on top of a bizarre season. U

WOMEN’S SOCCER Saturday, September 22 UBC 4 Winnipeg 0 Sunday, September 23 UBC 3 Manitoba 0 WOMEN’S RUGBY Friday, September 21 Calgary 76 UBC 10 Sunday, September 23 Lethbridge 30 UBC 3 FOOTBALL Saturday, September 22 Calgary 62 UBC 7

STANDINGS

STANDINGS WOMEN’S FIELD HOCKEY

1. UBC 2-0

2. Victoria 2-0

3. Calgary 0-4

WOMEN’S RUGBY

1. Calgary 2-0-0

2. Lethbridge 2-0-0

3. Alberta 0-0-0

4. UBC 0-2-0

5. Victoria 0-2-0

6 | sports + rec |

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2012

RUGBY >>

Women’s rugby stumbles in season opener

Thunderbirds can’t get much going on the weekend, drop opening two games C.J. Pentland Sports + Rec Editor

The UBC women’s rugby team didn’t start their season in an ideal fashion, as their home opener on Friday evening saw them drop a 76-10 decision to the University of Calgary Dinos. The Dinos used a dominant second half to break open the game and moved UBC to 0-1 on the year. Calgary started out by going up 12-0 early on, but UBC was able to respond when Haley Glendinning dragged four defenders over the try line to get the Thunderbirds on the board. A conversion by Catherine Ohler cut the lead to 12-7, but that was as close as UBC would get. After Calgary replied with 12 more points, Ohler tacked on a penalty goal for UBC and the T-Birds came up with a big stop against the Dinos, which made it 24-10 at the half. “I think in the first half, we played the kind of rugby that we are training to play and we wanted to play,” said UBC head coach Lesley McKenzie. “We saw a lot of possession for us, a lot of fluidity but little in terms of finish, and that’s what cost us.” The second half was a forgettable one for UBC. Calgary went on to score 52 points, creating a hole that the T-Birds simply couldn’t dig themselves out of. Katherine Procyshyn led the Dinos with three tries. UBC had many chances where they had the ball deep in Calgary’s

KAI JACOBSON PHOTO/THE UBYSSEY

The UBC women’s rugby team didn’t get their season going on the right foot, falling to Calgary on Friday evening.

end, but they struggled to make it count by pushing the ball across the line. “With these kinds of teams, you can get up in their face early and you can cause mistakes and

create pressure and turnovers, and we actually did a really good job of that in the first half,” said McKenzie. “What you have to be able to do after that is finish your opportunities.”

HOCKEY >>

UBC sweeps Simon Fraser

Dillon Wagner scored once in UBC’s 4-3 overtime win over Simon Fraser on Friday night.

Mustafa Akhtar Contributor

In an exciting battle between cross-town rivals, Joe Antilla scored the golden goal for UBC with 2:24 remaining in overtime, lifting the UBC men’s hockey team to a 4-3 victory over the Simon Fraser Clan on Friday evening at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre. Despite the fact that SFU is a club team and plays in a much lower division, the game turned out to be an incredibly close, high-scoring affair. The first period was eventful, with both teams trading goals in the opening frame. SFU showed some grit and opened the scoring when Jono Ceci knocked home a rebound past T-Bird goalie Jordan White, but UBC was able to respond when first-year Brad Hoban hopped out of the penalty box to score the equalizer just 13.6 seconds before the end of the period.

The Thunderbirds came out strong on offence in the second period. Scott Macdonald, another new player, was quick to seize an opportunity and broke the tie six minutes into the frame, and about a minute after that, Dillon Wagner scored a shorthanded goal to make it 3-1. SFU cut the lead to one when Joey Pavone scored with about a minute left in the second. The tension grew in the third period when SFU scored the equalizer just 14 seconds into the frame. Both teams fired plenty of shots on net in hopes of netting the winner before regulation ended — UBC put 41 on net during the game — but the goalies couldn’t be bypassed. It took a couple minutes of overtime and a UBC powerplay for a winner to be decided, as it was Antilla jamming away at the side of the net that resulted in UBC coming out on top over the Clan. UBC head coach Milan Dragicevic had mixed reviews of his team’s

HOGAN WONG PHOTO/THE UBYSSEY

first game of the year. “Tonight was a learning experience,” he said after the game. “We had eight new guys on the lineup, [and] they all contributed, and I am pleased at the fact that we won, but we have a lot of work to do.… We didn’t play to our identity for the first sixty minutes.” Saturday night saw things go much more smoothly, as UBC coasted to a 8-0 victory over SFU in Burnaby, winning this year’s homeand-home series. White and Steven Stanford combined for the shutout, while Wagner and Jordan Wasden both tallied two goals. They lost the total-goals series in overtime last year after the teams traded symmetrical home wins. The Thunderbirds start their regular season on the road next weekend when they visit the University of Regina for a two-game series. Their first home game is Friday, October 19 when they take on the University of Lethbridge. U

Many of those missed scoring opportunities ended up hurting UBC badly, as Calgary took advantage of them by returning them all the way down the field and adding to their lead.

“When you have a mistake like a turnover at the five-metre [line] and that turns into a 95-metre try, like four of those that happened, that’s a backbreaker,” said McKenzie. The T-Birds had quick turnaround as they hosted the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns on Sunday afternoon, which resulted in a 30-3 loss and moved the ’Birds to 0-2 on the year. In a short four-game season, UBC will have to recover quickly in order to get back on track and have a chance at making the playoffs. However, they do have the benefit of playing all their games at home. There are only five teams in the Canada West, and the top four teams after the regular season will qualify for the playoffs. If they make it, they will travel to Edmonton for the final four tournament, which the team sees as their main focus. “What you can do is go back and analyze what happened, and then that becomes a work-on. There’s quick fixes, but the work-ons are things that you have to carry on to the games against [Alberta] and UVic in October, because obviously what we’re gunning for is a berth at Canada West, which is a win-one-game and you’re sweet.” UBC will attempt to get back on track on Sunday, September 30 against the University of Alberta. Game time is 1 p.m. at Wolfson Field. U

GETTING SCRUMMED. SPORTS! (and rec) CJ Pentland sports@ubyssey.ca

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 , 2012 |

EDITOR ANNA ZORIA

LOCAL FOOD >>

Savour seasonal produce from UBC Farm Jessica Dawson Contributor

As the semester marches on and you find your time and energy in increasingly short supply, it can be tempting to hit that snooze button and skip breakfast, or gorge on sugary snacks to fuel a half-focused evening of studying. Thankfully, making healthy, tasty food at home doesn’t have to be time-consuming or complicated. Just follow these recipes and take advantage of the high-quality ingredients available right on your doorstep. The UBC Farm, a student-driven, 40-hectare farm located on UBC campus, offers two weekly markets selling seasonal produce: the Saturday farm market (at UBC Farm from 9 a.m.–1 p.m. until October 20), and the Wednesday campus market (outside Irving K. Barber from 11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. until October 31). With healthy options so close, you really have no excuse not to swing by the farm market, pick up some seasonal produce and get cooking! KAI JACOBSON PHOTOS/THE UBYSSEY

Clockwise: Filling fall salads; simple, satisfying snacks; brain-fueling breakfasts.

1. Brain-fueling breakfasts Apple oatmeal Each week at the markets, you’ll find a unique selection of the 70+ varieties of apples growing in the UBC Farm’s heritage orchard. Oats and apples have a low glycemic index, so this quick breakfast will fill you up and carry you straight through to lunch. 1/2 cup quick rolled oats 1 small apple, peeled, cored and chopped into pieces 1 tbsp. ground flax meal 1/4 small white onion, slivered 1 cup water Honey or brown sugar to taste Combine the oats, apple, flax, onion and water in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 1½–2 minutes, until the oatmeal is cooked. Top with honey or brown sugar. Serves 1.

Green breakfast smoothie This green smoothie is scarily good for you. Adding one of the six varieties of kale grown at the UBC Farm is a surprisingly tasty way to sneak an extra serving of leafy greens into your diet. 2–3 handfuls of kale, rinsed and de-stemmed 1/2 cup orange juice 1/2 cup yogurt 1 small banana

1–2 cups of ice, crushed or cubed Blend all the ingredients together in a blender until smooth, adjusting the amount of ice to achieve your preferred thickness. You can also replace the ice with frozen berries for an extra burst of fruit flavour and antioxidants. Serves 1-2.

2. Filling fall salads Warm squash salad

The UBC Farm grows an astonishing 10 varieties of winter squash. These include all the familiar favourites — acorn, butternut, spaghetti — as well as some gorgeous gourds you might not recognize, like the Hubba Hubba Hubard and Sweet Mama Kabocha. 1 small winter squash 1 clove garlic, minced 2 tbsp. tahini 1 tbsp. yogurt 2 tbsp. lemon juice 1 tbsp. olive oil Salt and pepper to taste 1–4 tbsp. water Small handful of pumpkin seeds Small handful of raisins 1/2 lb. spinach, rinsed Using a sharp knife, slice the squash in half and clean out the seeds. Season with salt and pepper, and place cut-side down in a microwave-safe dish with 3/4 inch of water. Microwave in four-minute increments until the flesh is cooked

through and tender; depending on the size/variety of your squash, cooking time will vary from 4–20 minutes. Remove from microwave and let cool enough to handle. To make the dressing, whisk together the garlic, tahini, yogurt, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper, adjusting to taste. Add water one tablespoon at a time to thin out the dressing. Scoop out the squash from the skin and cut it into bite-sized chunks. Toss the squash chunks with half of the dressing to coat. Top with pumpkin seeds, raisins and a drizzle of dressing. Serve on a bed of spinach. Serves 2-4.

Beet and apple salad Love ’em or hate ’em, beets grow well in Vancouver and are a regular staple at the markets. Many people have only ever tried beets cooked, but when sliced thinly or grated raw, beets are delightfully sweet and impart a satisfying crunch to dips and salads. 2–3 medium beets, washed and peeled 1 medium apple 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar 1 tbsp. lemon juice 1 tbsp. dijon mustard 1 tbsp. olive oil Small handful walnuts Small handful goat cheese or feta, crumbled Slice the beets and apple into thin matchsticks or grate them with a cheese grater. To make the dressing, whisk together the

vinegar, lemon juice, mustard and olive oil. Pour dressing over the beets and apples and top with a sprinkle of walnuts and cheese. Serves 2-4.

3. Simple, satisfying snacks

This time of year, you’ll find storage garlic hanging to cure from the rafters of the Harvest Hut at the UBC Farm. While cured garlic can technically be stored for the entire winter, it won’t last very long once you’ve learned how to roast it and become addicted to this hummus. 2 medium heads of garlic 1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed 2 tbsp. tahini 1–2 tbsp. olive oil 2–4 tbsp. lemon juice, to taste 1–4 tbsp. water Preheat oven to 400°F. Keeping the garlic head in one piece, peel off the dry outer layers to reveal the individual cloves, still in their skins. Slice 1/4 inch off the top of the individual cloves. Rub with olive oil and wrap in foil. Bake for 45–60 minutes, and then remove from the oven to cool. In a blender or food processor, combine the chickpeas, tahini and olive oil until the chickpeas are smooth. Add the lemon juice one tablespoon at a time to taste, and then add water one tablespoon at a time to achieve desired consistency. Use your fingers to squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins and blend into

the hummus. Enjoy alongside fresh bread or chips.

Quick pickled carrots Root vegetables, a staple of autumn farm markets, are for more than just roasting and soups; they’re also great for pickling. Carrots in particular make for an extra crunchy pickle, no cooking required. 1/2 lb. carrots, washed and peeled 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar 1/2 cup boiling water 1/2 tbsp. sugar 1–2 cloves garlic, sliced 5–10 peppercorns 1–2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes 1/4 small white onion, slivered Large jar Slice the carrots into matchsticks 1/4–1/2 inch wide, and no taller than your jar in height. Toss with salt and let sit for 30 minutes, until the carrots easily bend without snapping. Drain and rinse thoroughly to remove most of the salt. Combine boiling water with the vinegar and stir in the sugar to dissolve. Closely pack the carrots, garlic, peppercorns, red pepper flakes and onions into the jar. Pour the hot vinegar mixture over the carrots to fill the jar. Close tightly and let sit in the fridge for two hours before eating. Keep the pickles in the fridge for up to six weeks. U

8 | Culture |

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2012

THEATRE >>

Long live the Duchess of Windsor

Jeremy Avery Contributor

Leading the charge into this year’s Theatre at UBC season is The Duchess: a.k.a. Wallis Simpson , a work by award-winning Canadian playwright Linda Griffiths. Based on the true story of the relationship between King Edward VIII and American divorcee Wallis Simpson, the script contorts the facts of history into a fascinating back-and-forth between reality and make-believe — a collision that seems wildly appropriate, given the Jazz Age setting. This is less a biopic of Wallis Simpson than it is a punchy riff on the life and legend of a fascinating woman. The first few notes of this riff are literal ones, as the show opens with the cheeky and inimitable Noel Coward (played by the multi-talented Alexander Keurvorst) serenading the audience at the piano. It is something of a tragedy that Keurvorst’s singing voice gets lost in the towering heights of the performance space. Nonetheless, his cocksure smirk kept the audience engaged as

they waited for the arrival of the eponymous heroine. When the woman in question does finally appear, her strength and energy exceeds expectations. Pippa Johnstone is superbly cast as Wallis, navigating the complexities of the character with all the frankness and vulnerability required. Johnstone reaches across social strata to retrieve Wallis from her abusive marriage as a young woman, and then evolves her into the stately figure of the almost-queen. A bewitching mix of androgynous sensuality and unstable vulnerability, she fascinates at nearly every turn, breathing a delicious fire that catches and ignites all the supporting players. As captivating as Johnstone’s performance is, approbation must also be paid to the technical elements of the production. Michael Bock’s art-deco set gives a lively modernity to the goings-on, and allows the narrative to develop its themes. Director Sarah Rodgers wields her visual metaphors especially well, and provides the audience a great deal more to

think about than dialogue and performance alone. Light and sound effects are strong components as well (particularly the short but immersive bombing scene), and the musical components were enjoyable diversions. That is not to say the production was perfect. There were some minor issues involving physical interactions, and occasionally, actors dropped their character commitment when they were on the periphery of the action. Most notably uneven, however, were the foreign accents. With a number of the actors playing several characters each, the phonological extremes to which they were pushed had mixed results. Regardless, Alen Dominguez deserves special mention for his comedic abilities in this area, and Matt Reznek’s Hitler was mesmerizing. Few characters possess the energy to mobilize an entire theatre season quite the way Wallis Simpson can. The Duchess introduces the theatre-going public to a character that can scarcely fit within four walls. U

Hogan Wong PHOTOS/THE UBYSSEY

The Duchess tells the true story of an American woman who was almost Queen of England.

First person to enter The Ubyssey offices and hug Anna Zoria wins 100 free copies of the paper. Great for swatting flies! COME BY THE UBYSSEY OFFICE SUB 24, FOLLOW THE SIGNS

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 , 2012 |

PSYCHIATRY >>

U of A department head faces sexual misconduct allegations

STUDY PERMITS >>

Petition protests students’ deportation

PHOTO COURTESY COUROSA/FLICKR CREATIVE COMMONS

U of S students are campaigning against the deportation of two international students.

Anna-Lilja Dawson The Sheaf (University of Saskatchewan)

PHOTO COURTESY MASTERMAQ/FLICKR CREATIVE COMMONS

The head of the department of psychiatry at the University of Alberta has been accused of sexual misconduct involving a patient.

April Hudson The Gateway (University of Alberta)

EDMONTON (CUP) — The new head of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Alberta is facing allegations of sexual misconduct from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario regarding a patient he attended while living there. None of the allegations have been proven in any court or tribunal. Claudio Soares, who started his term at U of A on Sept. 1, moved to Edmonton over the summer from Hamilton, Ontario, where he practiced at the Women’s Health Concerns Clinic. The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) released a statement to The Gateway , the University of Alberta’s

student newspaper, concerning the allegations. Soares was issued a Notice of Hearing, dated July 11, 2012. Additionally, a practice restriction was issued Aug. 7, 2012 on his certificate of registration. “Effective immediately, Dr. Soares shall not engage in any professional encounters with female patients of any age, in any jurisdiction, unless the patient encounter takes place in the presence of a female regulated health professional approved by the College,” the statement reads. “For further clarity, Dr. Soares may not be alone with any female patient, during any professional encounter.” The CPSO also released Soares’ Notice of Hearing to The Gateway. The notice states that Soares is being investigated for “acts of professional misconduct,”

which include the sexual abuse of a patient. The notice alleges that Soares engaged in multiple sexual acts with one patient, whose name has not been released. It also alleges that Soares failed to cooperate fully with an appointed investigator. Soares is on leave at present, but a statement from the School of Dentistry confirmed that he is a U of A employee as of Sept. 1, 2012. “The Faculty is aware of matters involving a complaint against Dr. Soares now before The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario,” the School of Dentistry’s statement reads. The University of Alberta faculty has declined requests for an interview, citing confidentiality for all employment and personnel matters.

SASKATOON (CUP) — A group of University of Saskatchewan students have joined in opposing the deportation of Victoria Ordu and Ihuoma Amadi, two Nigerian students attending the University of Regina. Ordu and Amadi are facing deportation after they were found in violation of the terms of their study permits because they had worked at an off-campus job. U of S graduate Stephen Davis, who met Ordu and Amadi while living in the same U of R residence as the women in 2011, created the Facebook group “Students in Solidarity With Victoria and Ihuoma” to raise awareness of their situation and gather support. The group has created a petition that asks Vic Toews, the Canadian minister of public safety, and Jason Kenney, the minister of citizenship, immigration and multiculturalism, to show compassion for Ordu and Amadi by allowing them to finish their studies at the U of R. The petition argues that the consequence of deportation is too severe since the students did not intentionally break Canadian laws and they immediately attempted to resolve the problem once they became aware of it. The issue began in 2011 when

Ordu realized that her social insurance number only allowed her to be employed on the U of R campus. Ordu had been hired to do demonstrations in a Regina Wal-Mart, but, after a few weeks of employment, she learned of the restriction from a fellow international student and she quit the job immediately. Within weeks the Canadian Border Services Agency had arrested Ordu. Amadi, who began working at the Wal-Mart shortly after Ordu, only became aware of the situation when she was arrested at the store by two CBSA agents who handcuffed and escorted her away from the till where she was stationed. A departure order was issued to the Nigerian students in November of 2011, giving them 30 days to leave the country. Desperate to remain in Canada to finish their degrees, the women have been seeking sanctuary in a church in Regina since June 19 when they each received a deportation order. The University of Saskatchewan-based “Students in Solidarity” group supporting Ordu and Amadi held their first meeting on Sept. 17, where a petition draft was finalized and the group organized its distribution. Students have since been petitioning across the campus and over 200 signatures have been collected online.

VISAS >>

Iranian students adrift after embassy closure Erin Hudson CUP Quebec Bureau Chief

MONTREAL (CUP) — After suspending diplomatic relations with Iran almost two weeks ago, Iranian students studying in Canada are still waiting on directives from Ottawa as to how, or if, they will be able to continue their studies. According to the Canadian Bureau of International Education (CBIE), there are about 4,000 Iranian students who are affected by the government’s decision. The CBIE, an association representing 150 Canadian universities and colleges, is spearheading lobbying efforts to obtain information from the government on next steps for Iranian students seeking consular services formerly provided through Canada’s Iranian embassy. Such services include passport and study permit renewals, documentation to exempt male Iranian students from mandatory military service, and money transfers. “At this point we haven’t gotten too much by way of official notifications on government websites or anything like that,” said Jennifer Humphries, vice-president of membership, public policy and communications at CBIE. “We’ve been seeking some answers from the Canadian government [but] so far we don’t have

any sense that this could be done anywhere but in Iran itself, which could be a serious difficulty and impediment for students here,” she continued. A statement from the executives from the McGill Iranian Students Association (MISA) said that students were shocked by the Canadian government’s sudden decision and many are now confused as to the legal processes they must now undergo to obtain travel and immigration documents. “When the Canadian government announced this closure, [we] don’t think they were thinking of the 400,000 registered citizens, Iranian-Canadians, who need consular services. But on top of that, there [are] a great number of temporary study permit holders, like the students,” said MISA executives in a statement. Many institutions provide emergency financial aid for students unable to access funds in the aftermath of a situation such the closure of the Iranian embassy, said Humphries. “Students are worried,” said Pauline L’Ecuyer, director of international student services at McGill University. The McGill international student services department held a meeting with Iranian students last week to hear their concerns and attempt to

PHOTO COURTESY MIKEY G OTTAWA/FLICKR CREATIVE COMMONS

The closure of the Iranian embassy in Ottawa has many students worried.

address them. “The bottom line is really about the issuance of passports for Iranian students and that is something that the Canadian government can certainly not do on behalf of the Iranian government,” she said. According to an email from the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs, the responsibility to “look after” Iranian citizens in Canada rests with Iranian government. With the Canadian government’s approval, Iran could designate a “protecting power” to another state, which would manage Iran’s Canadian embassy, its property, archives and the interests of Iranians in Canada.

Humphries, however, believes the Canada can take action to address the situation of Iranian students both in and out of Canada. She thinks the first priority should be appointing temporary duty assignments at the Canadian embassy in Ankara, Turkey, where Iranian students’ visas have been processed since January 2012. “In terms of students coming in [to Canada] now and trying to have their permits processed through Ankara, our understanding is that there is a bit of a problem,” Humphries said. She attributed the problem in Ankara to a backlog of files. She argues that turnaround time

could be decreased if more personnel were assigned to deal with the backlog. “According to my colleagues, there was some temporary assistance provided earlier in the summer but it would be timely to add some assistance now because those students are definitely already missing classes,” she said. In response to students concerned about renewing their passports and permits, the CBIE hopes the Canadian government will take a flexible approach to potentially bypassing Tehran. “If there could be some flexibility in extensions of study permits until such time as a system is worked out, that would be really great,” she said. The suspension of Canada-Iran relations also has implications for staffing in universities across Canada. A significant number of Iranian students studying in Canada are graduate students who often occupy positions as research and teaching assistants, Humphries explained. “So if programs were planning on having [Iranian graduate students] become TAs, there’s a real gap they’re facing now,” she continued. “This is definitely going to be an issue for the universities and particularly for the universities with large graduate programs.”

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 , 2012 |

STUDENT VOICE. COMMUNITY REACH.

THE LAST WORD

Federal funding cuts hurt UBC research programs FRONT OF CLASS by Nassif Ghoussoub

DAVID MARINO ILLUSTRATION/THE UBYSSEY

The UNA are offended by the sound of children playing

A crisis is brewing in Corus, one of the market housing condos on campus. According to the latest front-page article of the University Neighbourhoods Assocation’s monthly newspaper, the lives of campus residents are under assault from the pitter-patter of little feet. You know, children. Playing. On a playground. Clocked at a whopping 62 decibels by one particularly enterprising resident, the kids’ “from-the-gut screaming” impacts condo residents’ quality of life and bars them from lounging on their balconies. Apparently, the playground adjacent to Corus was built for preschool-aged kids, the kind who lie quietly facedown on the grass under the careful supervision of their parents. But these wild, school-aged ne’er-dowells actually have the audacity to go outside and play soccer and have fun while doing it . Why are they outside in this designated play space? Why can’t they all sit quietly indoors and watch TV or something? Never mind North America’s child obesity epidemic. As one unhappy resident succinctly put it, “These kids are running wild.” The Ubyssey wishes the University Neighbourhoods Assocation godspeed in correcting this horrendous affront to residents’ basic rights and freedoms.

Why we haven’t been talking about Obama/Romney So it’s been nearly a week since Mitt Romney’s infamous “47 per cent” comments were released to the world, and I bet you’re all wondering: what the heck does The Ubyssey have to say about it? In fact, nothing! Okay, well not nothing, exactly. Maybe it’s time to explain our thinking on this one. Some of you might be wondering why we’ve barely mentioned the US presidential race within these pages. Heck, people might be looking over back issues down the road, trying to suss out what UBC students thought about Mitt Romney’s tax rate or Obama’s use of extra judicial assassinations. In our opinion, a lot of student newspapers make the mistake of diving into national or geopolitical debates which they’re totally unequipped to comment on. If you have someone who’s really passionate and informed on the topic, it can make for truly original

commentary. But at its worst, you end up with some guy fresh from an international relations class who is totally going to tell you what he thinks about the Israel/ Palestine conflict. So at every opinion meeting, we ask ourselves a lot of questions. Can we say anything new on this topic? Does it relate directly to students? Is wading into Quebec provincial politics going to make us look totally clueless? That’s not to say we live in a bubble and will only comment on, you know, the university’s capital budget or the AMS or UNA residents being wacky old people. Closer to election day, we’ll be reporting on how the U.S. elections are affecting UBC, and how proposed policies might impact international students — like we did last summer, when UBC warned students about possible increases to their student loan interest rate. That falls within our student-focused mandate. Otherwise, we’re not going to play pundit.

Be wary of VSE-style boutique programs The UBC Senate, the body in charge of all UBC’s academic governance, recently decided to spin the department of economics off into an entirely new school. The Vancouver School of Economics (that name sure is shiny, ain’t it?) hopes to admit its first cohort of students for September 2013. There’s nothing wrong with the department wanting to become a separate school. And the econ BA is still as accessible as before (the new school offers a new degree, the bachelor of international economics). But the way the decision was rammed through seems a little suspect. The idea has been out there for some time, but it was passed by the Senate last Wednesday night, and the Board of Governors sorted out the finances the next morning. This raised red flags for some Board members. We should be wary here. Now that the economics department is its own school, they’ll be able to charge more for tuition. And the almost nonsensical inclusion of “international” in the degree title smacks of a cash grab. If UBC’s decision-making bodies are going to push through these kind of proposals without doing their due diligence, what’s

to stop other successful departments from getting a case of the dollar-sign eyes? Will we see already prestigious programs — say, international relations or fine arts — spin off into far less accessible boutique programs?

UBC needs alumni money to fund alumni centre to get more alumni money Since the start of last year’s Start an Evolution campaign, it’s been hard to get UBC to shut up about their alumni fundraising activities. And not without reason; they want you to know about it, so you can give them money later. But there have been some struggles in using alumni for UBC’s relentless attempts to expand, most farcically the recent news that the UBC Alumni Centre is two-thirds unfunded, to the tune of $11 million. The centre’s entire purpose seems to be giving Alumni Affairs a place to invite people they are trying to hit up for money. (UBC’s website says that the building is necessary because alumni “don’t feel welcome on campus.” Don’t worry, alumni! Between construction, lack of graduate student housing, and constant conflict between students and residents, nobody feels welcome on campus.) It’s kind of funny that the campus’s main fundraising component can’t fundraise themselves a building. But it’s a little more worrying when you consider the other projects that might stand as higher priorities, according to the most recent Board of Governors capital projects update. UBC Vancouver is missing $39.7 million in capital fundraising dollars that have nothing to do with the alumni building: $2.9 million for the Centre of Interactive Research on Sustainability, a building that’s been open for a year. $1.85 million for the Engineering Students Centre, on the rocks after three-way-negotiations between UBC, alumni and faculty have stalled. A whopping $24.2 million for the Pharmaceutical Sciences Centre, for which UBC will have to take out a loan if they haven’t got the money by the time they have to pay for it. We’ll see whether or not construction starts on the Alumni Centre before they have money for it. But considering the challenges in other areas, UBC might have some other stuff to take care of first. U

Canadian investment in science and engineering is currently going through turbulent times and UBC is more vulnerable than its peer universities to the repercussions. Unlike Alberta, Ontario and Quebec, B.C. has no provincial granting agency to offset the cuts and changes happening on the federal level. So how is scientific research funded in Canada? To start with, there’s what’s called a Discovery Grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC). The Discovery Grant program, the “bread and butter” of every university research scientist or engineer, has been stagnant for the past few years and is destined to remain so for a while. Yet, the number of applicants keeps on climbing: from 3,300 in 2010, to almost 4,000 for the 2013 competition, including 700 first-time applicants. The net result of this freeze is that the success rate for applicants has plummeted from 79.7 per cent in 2001 to 57.7 per cent in 2011, while the average grant dropped from $37,578 to $33,691. Keep in mind that the bulk of these awards go to pay research assistantships for students, salaries for lab technicians, investigators’ travel costs to workshops and field stations, computers and other minor equipment. The effect of this deliberate bleeding of the Discovery Grant program on UBC and the universities in general is not negligible. NSERC’s elimination of the $35M “Major Resources Support” after the 2012 federal budget was another major setback for a number of senior researchers and their students. This program used to assist major and unique national or international experimental and thematic research resources to cover their operating and maintenance costs. For UBC researchers, this means the potential loss of several major research centres: the Bamfield marine sciences Centre, the Pacific Northwest Consortium Synchrotron Radiation Facility, the Canadian Scientific Submersible Facility, the Centre for Molecular and Materials Science at TRIUMF, and the Pacific Centre for Isotopic and Geochemical Research. The moratorium on the Research Tools and Instruments

program has caused havoc within the experimental research science community. This program allows researchers to purchase small to medium research equipment and installations, from personal computers to medium-size laboratory instruments. It is key to basic researchers, and UBC’s research laboratories will feel the cuts, reported to be about $20 million from a current budget of $31.4 million, acutely. Most painful were the cuts to the traditional master’s, doctoral and postdoctoral program. From 2010 to 2011 alone, master’s awards were down 36 per cent. Doctoral awards down 28 per cent and, most alarmingly, postdoctorals were down 54 per cent. In 2012, NSERC awarded 66 per cent fewer fellowships than it did five years ago. In B.C. the numbers of postdoctoral awards fell from 28 in 2010 to 8 in 2011. In this year’s competition, which saw a success rate of 7.8 per cent, NSERC awarded 98 fellowships, which are meant to cover 20 scientific disciplines. This is in a country that claims 59 Ph.D.-granting institutions. Graduate students and postdoctoral fellows are the heart and soul of any department. Postdoctoral fellows bring fresh research perspectives from the universities where they graduated. They invigorate the learning experience with their infectious and youthful enthusiasm. Changes and cuts that jeopardize a department’s doctoral and postdoctoral programs are detrimental to both its academic and its research mission. UBC faculty attract more than half a billion dollars per year in research funding from external sources. Yet, these substantial resources are never on the radar screen of the University’s Board of Governors, which is responsible for all the business of the university. Administrations never deal with the consequences of a potential loss of external research funding, and do not factor in such a possibility in their risk management calculations. They ought to. Ghoussoub is a professor of mathematics and elected faculty representative on the UBC Board of Governors. Front of Class is a series of columns on post-secondary policy from UBC students, professors, instructors and administrators. If you’re interested in writing on this topic, email opinions@ubyssey.ca with your ideas.

U

Come argue with us!

If you have reasonably informed opinions on • the university, • the politics, • the sports and cultures, • the kids these days,

then come by our opinions meetings on Mondays and Fridays at 4 pm. COME BY THE UBYSSEY OFFICE SUB 24, FOLLOW THE SIGNS

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 , 2012 |

YOUR UNIVERSITY EXPERIENCE, CONDENSED

HUMOUR >>

Learn a trade to get paid

HACKÉDEX

YOUR UBC WORD OF THE WEEK

Dr. Bryce takes on academics and drinking WHAT YOU SHOULD DO by Dr. Bryce Warnes

Dear Bryce,

I’m a second-year student in the Arts, and am trying to decide on a major. I’ve taken a range of classes, but really the only thing I’m looking for is secure employment after I graduate. How do you recommend picking a major?

also have the potential to upgrade your skills (and pay bracket) by entering an apprenticeship, which — unlike a post-BA internship — pays. Completing an Arts degree is a great thing to do if you really enjoy completing an Arts degree. Never mind that whole “secure employment” thing. But if your main motivation is paying the rent, it’s time to sell your textbooks and buy a tool belt.

Thanks so much, Security Comes First

Hey SCF, Since you’re only in the second year of your Arts degree, you still have time to drop out and learn a trade. Learning how to build and repair structures foundational to our way of life (buildings, cars, roads) will set you on your way to a solid, dependable source of employment. As an example, an associate certificate in carpentry from BCIT will take three months of full-time classes to complete, at which point you are eligible for an entry-level carpentry job. You

Dear Bryce,

I just started my first year at UBC and I don’t turn 19 until March. Last week me and my friends (all 19+) went out for dinner at Triple O’s, and afterwards they went to Pit Night and left me by myself. I was really sad and just ended up going home. I totally understand that they wanted to go to Pit Night and I would too if I was old enough but how can I let them know they made me feel bad without being a bummer? Only 18

for them to bail on you like that. But I understand that in youth we define ourselves with variables such as “who we hang out with” and “what clothes we wear” and “song lyrics we write on our backpacks,” so I suspect that advice may fall on deaf ears. Think of it this way: if you were banned, for reasons beyond your control, from bowling alleys, and your friends really wanted to go bowling, would it be okay for them to abandon you? Would you be worried about “being a bummer” by telling them that they were being jerks? Once you’ve got your magic 19+ booze pass and you’ve gone to events like Pit Night, you’ll realize that most of them aren’t much more fun than bowling (nine-pin, to be specific). Keep that in mind when you’re estimating, in your head, just how much fun your “friends” are willing to bail on you for. I’m actually going to recant on what I said at the beginning of this advice. Get new friends. U

REE DEGGATOR I NAV

Screw advising; use the degree navigator. Login to the Student Service Centre using your Campus Wide Login (CWL) to access the navigator. It’s quick and gets the job done. Get your head out of the gutter and graduate already!

What I’m Choked About Flipping tables since 1918

CONSTRUCTION “It takes me 10 minutes to walk from Buchanan to Irving!”

NHL LOCKOUT “Bettman can suck it!”

B.C. LIQUOR

“I have to take a bus now?”

BROAD-BASED ADMISSIONS

“The first-years are such keeners.”

Do you have a question for Dr.* Bryce? Email advice@ubyssey.ca for the chance to have your questions answered.

GANGNAM STYLE

Hey Only 18, Normally I would tell you to get new friends, because it is not chill

“Seriously?”

*Not actually a doctor.

DAVID MARINO/THE UBYSSEY