20090213

February 13, 2009

ON LEADERSHIP by Elizabeth Bennett

Y E S S Y B U U

THE UBC

25

THINGS THAT ANNOY ME ABOUT THE 25 THINGS FAD ON FACEBOOK

PLAGIARISM POLICY GUILTY UNTIL PROVEN INNOCENT

• Celebrating 90 years! • Opinion Editorial Piece

RANT Special Edition

Supplement Coordinator: Pierce Nettling

Volume II, Issue 1

IATION HEY, I’M WHAT ARE AFFILNOT A IS YOU WALKING FOUR GOING TO HERE! LETTER DO AFTER GRADUATION?

WORD

It’s midnight on a weeknight and I should be either writing resumés the iceberg. I have a long list of by Trevor Record read the original scientific proor dead to the world and dreamreasons to dissuade prospective cedure or ethical guidelines ing an ing. Unfortunately, the repetition arized, applicants from pursu summ be to countto were akin that not is e roy r of the forme by Justin McEl undergraduate science degre or read other students’ papers ing sheep at all. In fact, it is quite Consider this a response to at UBC. With regards to plagiaas a point of comparison. He the opposite. After what must have Emma Myers’s culture article rism, the university’s policy is d th t, but he truste hadn’ he said you Cruz that yn been the 666 time penning “leadCharl by on February 3 titled, “Afraid enforced on the basis 1. It is the definition of the professor. He didn’t seem Jesse Goodall not by and ership skills” on the blasted CVs, guilty med of the Unknown,” if that helps presu are le that she narcissistic. I possib ag was it scumb the think to like feel much to I began you. If that doesn’t help, coninnocent. There is too by Kristine Sostar 2. Your note is probably not might not be impartial after tIn. Turni on am for buying into such lingo and a placed sider this some words of advice behind emphasis walked ever tes. . you dispu funny Have mic would acade us ence putting in shout-outs to imaginary girlfriends since 1918 | volume xc, number 38 previo consci are unis a must end ates who UBC I knew that my UBC gradu that g all note felt under the strollin to Above ever of are use you com. who ts t Have laziest the studen agains of 3. It’s is it about a group of womUltimately, the “case” nd when What of groupUBC’s leave me sleep-deprived for the n of how to respo ation certai official student newspaper is published Tuesdays Fridays to their destin little extreme when it comes to us was dropped. The associate the drumhead trial mentality e the slowly on imaginable. lly to achiev functi painfu erand togeth g get me moment. plagiarism process, so that and spread out in a line, slowing asked, “What are your plans en comin goal of improving their 4. It has given the media an- plagiarism? Now, don’t refused to say if he thought the common The fact is that nobody underent do not fall prey to you down while you’re in a manic after graduation?” the “Here’s wrong, I think that plagiarism is dean innoc out the trot , a to ed others excuse of believ but other lives to the ent, and . Until then needs to we were innoc stands, or at least is willing When asking that, it seems own lives, cient. There frivolous accusations talk? Sorority a new fad on Facebook!” stories. I a serious concern that rush to get to your midterm on but in my “warning” was suffi apology or as a message to the students at admit, what real leadership is. It only answer most that makes people the ingly, ssed like accord d suppre . ever treate be you but stories ne, Have those hate time? s to life may not be for everyo it a step was never an official has become an oft-repeated buzz this university, be very careful the impulse to use colourful lan- people are looking for relate e 5. Four years ago, this would opinion, UBC has taken a suggestion that a mistake had if more UBC women came out word, as meaningless a combinabecause being innocent just isn’t guage when somebody is saunter- a career. Why is it that peoplby be considered chain-mail spam, to one too far. I’ve . Sure, ” made been socks. to give it a try then they would life la I your “Nutel ne as and r defi tion without want you to h. R my hotmail year, my partne ation off enoug d Last destin of delete y tip t of it their the to quickl be just ing is not this ed To me, to do to pay probably see some aspec created task lists and manag were enrolled in an ethics class t. edge they’re blocking your what you’re going r? Don’t ever that they liked. Like many others accoun knowl during tongue own my w to swallo and shelte in- (it had to be ethics). The class food have this for and know me to like want you’re se of don’t I Then becau 6. way? and group presentations. I’ve attended ge assignyou have to answer in I was a skeptic, d to try formation about you. I might find was given a one-pa been victimized by sidewalk dis- feel like is expected. You this skepticism I refuserst year. ve short the university’s constant seminars fi that of disway it when ting is the nd fi This consis might nest. I fi ment its sting, at it intere courtesy in my fi first four meant to endow the masses with bly have a few dozen out recruitment nce I found gusting. But I don’t need to know it answer questions. The someone has an unconscious belief will proba arizlife, and it is un- After a year in reside such things as these “skills,” and a self-serving Facebook note. questions required summ they own any concrete or grav- jobs in your over volunteer-busy, that , if that social the admit to pick that rst fi you the one and be I will from likely that the first propel ing a scientific procedure bly them takes proba that will tion It 7. n I was in concoc el perso the last you can keep enough of an open the one that you stick and academic people to start using Twitter to trot ethical guidelines, and point A to point B by moseying as will be high school had melted away and student’s mind to avoid snoring, there is an the for very about with. asked (often details on the e ane questi despit mund , more out they please into a beer-drinking, partner adrenaline rush. The sneaky thing I had a “career” oriented, transformed of a themselves. And that is a terrible personal opinion. My heavy) foot traffic. This isn’t exactly relatively sleeping-until-noon shadow hts and thoug g, about adrenaline rushes though, our payin our and sed well des where discus I parka issue al and t. from developmen a pressing politic have to walk t who had not made many is that they are temporary. Skills ent for government must respond and our stress-free job, which I’d got- studen of a rela- after class on the bus, but never differ beauty it is the had of why I Part 8. While stops, s. bus nship and again. I out of high school. lasting relatio by definition are permanent, by Shane Joshua Barter tionship is that slowly, over time, spoke about the topic campus troops called forth, but I’m certain ten a year was a decent job, enjoyed my first year, I knew that others? have been honed over time. What on it gh d ment each Well, notice Althou about assign r? have my things matte there it wrote so out know e to you does of get chang Why to you many d ment in are these newfound assets then, if four years there I’d something neede other through interaction, per- and she wrote her assign it disrupts pedestrians, which it and a good chunk of you have after over in it and decided to I enrolled in recruitment the folnot leadership skills? st it. intere Now, of Drive lost . trust. becaus tlam. and legion out Coqui are ction, hair conne ripped some is a note of frustration, on campus, Rhetoric is the red herring of sonal school—here at UBC lowing year. We were both returned low This ated with hordes Certain conventions exist in so- go back to you have just vomited 25 tidbits of misconceptions People’s - a grumpy old man type of ers are frustr cyclists, who in I was still young leadership. It can “inspire” you rs and ation I would have enjoyed marks. I spoke with the profes complaint. mobility conventions even. actually, while walke inform ciety— of could fill a chaper transf the being up and ends to fit in. You will prob- about sororities h d the note sor initially because I was curia enoug nudge with into ow ally fl being g, like eventu drivin not out second may trucks you’re nding of fi If turn A growing number ing most jobs ter room, and from the of temporary adrenaline. It can ed such a g along. Too much driving on pe- traffic. If you’re on an escalator, ably end up dislik Panhellenic intended for mass consumption ous why I had receiv sion and cars seem to be drivin enough time. You I walked into the confuse or terrify you and ends discus after the at get want s. As you . you asant if Thank . grade unple side is cation low rifi right The areas the Their destrian and self-glo stay on fired from a building the surprises came. it of a re- down campus walkways. up manufacturing followers who and unsafe at worst. This to stand while those in a rush can will probably get 9. If I’m in your note—I don’t turned to the possibility enjoy while process was so organized, It ranks include vehicles from best and do sive. you are so mindless as to be useless that defen e you vejobs desigbecam few we about these she have , stuff when this Why grade true care to know bolt as needed. strived to maintain a fairness for films, couriers, campus security, is especially at accomplishing the alleged goal. signal. Also, driv- nated such iron-clad and generally you still enjoy them. was at this point she mentioned through this medium. Go away. ties and all girls. Every plant operations, food services, hicles do not It can elevate the rhetorician so And what should you say all sorori walkways. UBC’s obeyed rules for more mechanized not in your note—what she believed my assignment was I’m ges us If 10. dama camp ing and ento uction as ce to constr , single girl who has an interest popula trying police r to my far above the instead of do for simila we h poor, tely you’ll when enoug n iously ropria good ortatio not notor inapp I’m are transp of ays fuck? the modes walkw haven’t in sororities, and who fulfills the events. large his or her head to the point s flooding, and can’t even get walking right? Plus, find a career if you partner’s submission. will your stupid list of 25 people? On campus maps, many ar- subject to seriou Emma’s re- entire term of recruitment asyet? the where the proletariat has a new one sed of ht mindiscus shows make 30 thoug to she history ; wasted bound When is g have excuse 11. You we have no “Restricted Motor Ve- excess drivin placed in a sorority. It is not piñata with hair. It can seem to be note. I have signment with my partner, the eas read s / Pedestrian Zones.” this worse. g a lot longer sponse was to ally herself with get this walkin it g ss been writin proce y we’ve utes us choos well ive, be r that hicle Acces cter of The Gradu- the exclus empathetic, and may even Why is the number of vehicles than we’ve been driving or riding the title chara wasted a minute reading it. We professor told my partne out to be, and it g in these areas intentioned, yet in its very nature “drifting” through life is often made do she was initially not going to Obviously, drivin by to think I ate, things sing? better increa llenmuch ays had tors. camPanhe walkw the both the escala on is often necessary for thing comes along. seemed to me that rather than as showmanship must maintain a pursue allegations of academic laint it is largely laziness and habit. The irritating thing about it is until some with our time. ver, pus to operate. My comp most people do ic was a community distance, which leads to a feeling 12. Every time I’m added to misconduct against us. Howea re- concerns degree; the number is Perhaps it is because the newer that you can’t really call anybody I’ve found that path because of the ruthless, competitive, and of betrayal and to dissention. Still, ering e pressure, now that I was consid are built out on it. It’s not like anybody is not choos this us peer a s camp ters of there’ unareas note, often a east are leader trips the approach self-serving sorority mons in the public perception, elled to do rising and not a campus, down, you can’t really a genuinely laidback of mak- often depicted on TV. “C’mon, everyone’s doing it” vibe grade, she felt comp necessary. For example, campus like Richmond, alks, few trees shoving you ship remains the mask of rhetoric. t to life, but due to a fear withou it in. about e join so. sidew refers crusad vea should I ly small tions that launch with actual opera Panhellenic ty and plant Why else would politicians hire itments. At this point, the professor securi frequently drive onto and and large roads. 13. It feeds into the egotistical others thinking you ought to have ing comm umbrella organization submit hicles speech writers? If you only want to drift, then to the generation,” where a premi- requested the two of us outside It is a strange trend. As urban bigger concerns in life. So, I’m h which all sororities on able. throug you’re as Allow me to put this into less “me placed on letting everyone a digital copy of our assign- park in pedestrian areas long as it to out go for walkers are trying slow areas the all ban to ring is subur want and it exists um implo and they Note when s you. asked to of the SUB abstract terms for are simply held back campu interact, know how fucking special and ments (the class was ally), so grab a cup of coffee. Another reduce and calm traffic, cars on there with this article with some But if you sure that each sorority the condescension as I lead you actually submit hard copy origin is rising. rules to make the lives of others by a fear of commitments, don’t to make basic rules. From time than s ghfare rather are, thorou you us uction neat camp constr in be example, many few things in abides by through what very well may that she could submit our work s people (while keeping you safe from be. There are very has dense foot traffic and nal vedoing anything worthwhile. tIn.com workers park their perso not UBC iful campus. It wouldn’t easier of a pedestrian with walk- this world you can’t get out of if to time around campuup in huitself a piece of rhetoric. The first 14. It’s an Internet meme. to TurnItIn.com. TurnI the wrath a beaut d Buchanan. It’s aroun they take can be spotted dressed hicles At . where match is the kind of leader your nanny like cent ntly es don’t per you s are inhere company vehicl returned a 20 to meme a leave et forced to rage): walk Intern way just hurt being a to you attire, them give ing ask will to miliat crazy be far less happy was: the kind who this point, the professor stopped 1. Please, have a slight bit of con- you. You’ll stupid. m pushups in front of Koprofessors and students behind more often. R jellybean and say “good job” equalfees have drifting than you will be tak- perfor some other public area. s everything returning calls or e-mail, except bit. If tuition sulate know I encap It tion. 15. sidera time e on something you erner or ly as enthusiastically every individual be the case that is ridiculous about Facebook to direct us to another skyrocketed, but that doesn’t mean ing a chanc our calls you use the potty (even if you piss might want to do but This would never se Panhel, (random information, making who would not return you own the sidewalk. If you’re in think you n of. with sororities becau ted contac all over the seat) or solve world We certai . side. stupid either aren’t the the or e-mails public, and then move to hing hurry, organization everyt no dual to indivi learn each ally reand eventu best hunger. You office and I would say that the friend count) and puts it in one the AMS Advocacy The same rule applies if you’re go, abide by the basic policy roll your eyes at utter insincerity sponse isn’t to take the path of within separate meetings with the and socialize. had gate ge. congre . The UBC to packa ing hazing no second tely The e. In the and outgrow this fast. ance until you have of absolu 16. Your note is probably not associate dean of Scienc 2. Flow with the traffic and try to least resist ties website promises that is the Machiavellian leader who about three stressful some sort of massive revela- sorori took it ers. end, oncom tful. “provide the will insigh avoid ding. revelations don’t the Greek system case and loses followers due to behea 17. At the end of the note, months to resolve this 3. If you think you’re lagging, tion, as such Instead, decide each and every member numerThe third is the kind who can’t often. ence. how holdinnoc come saying our you’re if ent, prove see to to comm d will personal aroun for people look sts you and pursue ous opportunities say “nuclear,” and makes an apThe whole process was a funny/true #14 is. I do not care, ing up anyone behind you. There’s what intere e you just want to development,” and nowhere in dexcee pealing target for errant shoes. was Mayb It your down nt them. into farce. feed lete innoce is an comp does drag it all no need to ing of members is and STAFF BY The TREVOR RECORD, least obviousNEWS fourth and books a year and learn this does belittl ingly difficult to convince anyego. with you in your staggering stupor. read 50 could make any sense. Neither does exIt ed, ages. cheat langu the greatest offender: the insidinot new look Not had some can’t we going. I all, that you’re one policies 18. Despite it 4. Look where to go fishing every cessive drinking. While sorority, ous one who claims to have no instead we were assumed guilty away. everyone is going to make way for be you want you’re vary from sorority to gift of rhetoric, the one who sugr step on the road from the start. At one point, If you’re already weekend, and maybe dry anothe don’t. is It only you if 19. that is you the trend al you, a with gener the after gests having coffee get sick of that our advocate conceded that this to Facebook becoming MySpace. doing this and still running into going to ly. activities are programmed and plebeian, but always finds a way things about was not a court of law, and that more forgiv- month and give it up entire a the of that’s Many then , 20. things the ly, sed. s, go out and try to endor out of it or ignores it entire to, and freyour list are coy. If you were to UBC has the power able offense and another issue By all mean you think might It is frustrating to hear the one who takes pride in his or her that students as are often tell me these things in real life, I quently does, treat altogether. Having collided into a get a job No if you need it to negative statements that ent. own openness and humility, thus while innoc of n and worth lack prove be alive your guilty until s myself, both be annoyed at object would few These ly. about sororities, because if entire made And them g other goals. underminin it was relyour rt think to suppo d hize. seeme empat one can I ate, ness. assumptions direct inanim was most interested in they are made on are those who society calls leaders yals, or 21. It is designed to come evant that the assignment four This rant isn’t indiscrimi- what you are c job, then try based on media portra rsity that specifi with skills. a g and sponthere gettin long, is and ne; page a everyo owing at only free-fl as nately aimed outsider opinions. As unive True leadership is the complete across s, a way of sharing infor- of the five questions involved unhur- to do that. where cases to be ular tant partic taneou are impor or not , it is source lack of lasting skill, design But most of all, just keep in students, mation. Yet everything, from the summarizing the same ried leeway is allowed. My rule of the information we rerhetoric. It cannot be taught. It is a- (the last question, the personal under- mind that there are few things critical inform the more to e lend to choos ents is you comm thumb ve people of per cent maintaining the integrity of praise anent that a commit- ceive? Most negati with the real tion you give out to the writing question, showed zero to think standing to those who would be so perm must be feared. can be taken apart by using it sparingly. It is allowing d them to ts give seeme to one ment lifeboa ated No the ). to calcul ty is match priori use would rst style you sorority given fi e ask me what my facts. While every the use of heads, and not the depriit would be prudent to do a off a certain impression. when a ship is sinking: young When peopl after graduation, I love to see more women become the rest vation of them. It is openly admitbe someen, parents of young chil- plans are for 22. Over five million people match on some or all of childr never It ” will it today. ed at crap of involv full sailbo a just get to “I’m round ting I want ody, posted one of these notes last of the class for a backg dren, women who are expecting, say that the Pacific thing that appeals to everyb d is choosing the barrel of the kidally disabled and the el- to slowly trace out doubt five million people comparison. No one seeme no judgI are physic week. the There and ne. fi is fuse, the that that, not and n, ing still enjoy napped canno vast majorI’m If but the hing too, coast. that somet be do to to notice er e to places togeth choos have I band who will derly. find a place along ments about those “match” not knowing the difference. the greater good anytime soon. ity of our 20 per cent nobody will be patting me on the and I don’t I’d like to stop, I’ll not to engage in Greek life, so the Leadership is patient. Lead- for where that has nces fury way this my the sente to hed ed sh unleas involv backla 23. The any judgments back after I’ve such ership is kind. Leadership is to the east coast, and there shouldn’t be inspired hundreds of groups/ only match was words on a flock of dawdling tots who move over lose interest in that about those who do. Of course the dy neither jealous, nor conceited. say “walking conven- so forth. If I s/notes on Facebook that as “the” and “that.” Nobo barely have fun and thread can ties selfsorori in rude, n r, nd fi wome neithe and is Leadership sting that life, I’ll sell the boat further serve to clutter up my thought it was intere that of tion,” let alone follow it. know socialize, but they also work hard seeking, nor quick to take offence. University found ence. , if you’re able-bod- something else. I don’t Brock experi theless ook ers about Never Faceb memb the their for te done educa to issions r I want to chain Leadership is not 24. I am so annoyed by it, I around 110,000 subm ied, look around and move along. what caree the rest of my life, important issues, to fundraise duping of a few, but for the equity a gimmicky list to TurnItIn.com, about 73,000 to drive behind myself to for do to want d n’t ies that decide would charit have You , for trusts teer ts, of all. Leadership protec unreasonable to think and volun ed a match to mock it, when it is obvious there submissions return a swerving car that takes up two and it is cance for them, and hopes and perseveres. How then the decisions I make in this hold signifi s open to meeting mock falling between 20 words and km/h. to that 30 at things ng e traveli uniqu is 25 and not is lanes can I put it on a document that , whereas a 23 year old are the they are alway about it, and thus I am stretching a 24 per cent match issions Would you still stand for it, minus regard as new women into is all about competition and self even respect as a 33 and welcoming the list, and essentially repeating only about 10,000 subm than the hunk of moving metal and up- ones I’ll the system. R less promotion? Perhaps I should list of R year old. when I only returned a match so. R over, think and didn’t I over ry? items holste rhetong myself as a rabble-rousi 20 words.” At one point, I asked had a few decent points to make. rician. Then again, maybe I’m if the associate dean if he even 25. It’s narcissistic. R just full of crap today. R

U

THE UBYSSEY

A LESSON IN ETIQUETTE

MISCONCEPTIONS AND THE GREEK SYSTEM

February 13, 2009 | www.ubyssey.ca

ONE

CONGESTION ON CAMPUS WALKWAYS

MORE YEAR

DOWNTOWN EASTSIDE PARODIES 2010 HIGHLIGHTING HOMELESSNESS, POVERTY

“End Poverty. It’s not a Game” reads the slogan of the 2009 Poverty Olympics, a parody of the 2010 Olympics that took place last Sunday. This is the second Poverty Olympics. The event aims to bring attention to social housing and poverty issues in Vancouver while simultaneously criticizing the Olympics.

T

he Poverty Olympics began at the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU) building on Hastings. A marching band dressed in outdated athletics wear began to play at noon outside the building and people gathered around. Just a half hour later the group had ballooned to well over a hundred and the torch-carrying ceremony began. Snaking out into the street, the gathering formed a great procession sweeping through the intersection of Main and Hastings before doubling back toward the events venue. At intersections along the way the “torch” (a prop) was passed from one bearer to the next. Passing Oppenheimer Park, the torch was passed to Jacob Rickley, an affiliate of the Carnegie Action Project and a director at VANDU . “I’m feeling really positive that I’m helping the community in this necessary action, promoting issues which desperately need to be focused on,” Rickley said. Eventually, the parade reached its destination—the Vancouver Japanese Language School. Inside the venue’s main hall, attendees hectically found seats as the band continued to play. Representatives of several local media outlets were setting up cameras near the front of the venue. When everyone had finished milling about and were finally seated, the ceremony began, introduced by a man in a bedbug costume. “This isn’t the six billion dollar Olympics,

this is the six dollar Olympics,” he said, opening the ceremonies. He called himself Itchy the Bedbug (his real name is Bob Sardie). He introduced the other two Poverty Olympics Mascots: Chewy the Rat, and Creepy the Cockroach. Creepy the cockroach (real name Robert) is part of the Carnegie Action Project, and was one of the organizers the first year. “The cockroach, the rat, and the bedbug, that’s a part of everybody’s life in the Downtown Eastside. Those are the things they deal with,” Robert said after the events. “People think that all they have to do is sit around and take drugs, and that is such a misconception.” Sarah Goode, from the Coast Salish Nation, took the stage and sung an anthem in Salish, which was followed by a parody of the national anthem titled “Poverty Olympics Anthem.” Wendy Pedersen the Carnegie Community Action Project (CCAP) explained that the International Olympic Committee had recently declined to put pressure onto the city and province to put more funding into social welfare projects. “Hey Canadian governments,” Pedersen said, “just imagine all your peers tuning in next year to watch a hockey game, and see a bit of Canada. When the world comes to Canada what will they see indeed? SEE “POVERTY” ON PAGE 3

Participant carries symbolic torch. goh iromoto photo/the ubyssey

Index

Lawsuits at UBC Mind control, dead sperm and parking tickets.

Page 5

See the slideshow at ubyssey.ca

Events News Features Supplement Culture Editorial Streeters Letters Games Comics Sports

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2 | events

the ubyssey | www.ubyssey.ca

Events February 13 Jazz Ensemble I • UBC’s School of Music’s Jazz Ensemble 1 will present. • Feb. 13 @ 12 - 1pm, Location: Recital Hall, UBC Music Building, 6361 Memorial Road, Free Admission • Heart Beat: Building Healthy Relationships • The Canadian Red Cross and AMS Sexual Assault Support Centre are putting on an afternoon of film and interactive displays. They also have a challenge: to break down the “wall of relationship violence” through personal pledges. • Feb. 13 @ 1 - 4pm, Location: SUB Main Concourse and Norm Theatre, Free Admissions • Playoffs: Women’s Volleyball • UBC Thunderbirds vs. Brandon Bobcats. The women will be looking to capture their second consecutive CIS Championship. They will play a best-of-three playoff series against Brandon. This series is the last time they will play at home this season. • Feb. 13 @ 4 - 6pm, Location: War Memorial Gym, Cost: $10 adult/$4 youth & senior/$2 UBC student • Playoffs: Men’s Basketball • UBC Thunderbirds vs. SFU Clan The Thunderbirds are looking to garner their third consecutive CW Championship. They are ranked second in Canada and first in the Canada West. • Feb. 13 @ 7 - 9pm, Location: War Memorial Gym, Cost: $10 adult/$4 youth & senior/$2 UBC student • Men’s Hockey • UBC Thunderbirds vs. Regina Cougars • Feb. 13 @ 7:30 - 10pm, Location: Thunderbird Winter Sports Centre, Cost: $10 adult/$4 youth & senior/$2 UBC student • Interview Skills for International Students • Learn how to sell your self in an interview. Learn the best methods of preparation. Also, the workshop will provide you with tips and tricks on answering tough questions. Find out what employers are looking for and how to make a great first impression. • Feb. 13 @ 1 - 2pm, location: International House, Free Admission • A Masked Ball • UBC Opera Ensemble will provide dinner and entertainment and there will be opportunities for dancing on stage. • Feb. 13 @ 7 - 9pm, Location: Chan Centre, Cost: $150 (includes $100 tax receipt) • Zack and Miri Make a Porno • Two lifelong platonic friends (Zack

february 13, 2009

If you have an event, e-mail us at [email protected] and Miri) seek to ensure a steady cash film by making an adult film. However, in the process of filming they begin to discover that there may be more than just friendship between them. • Feb. 13 - 17 @ 7 - 9 pm, Location: Norm Theatre, Cost: $4 general admission, $2 members • Australia • As Darwin, Australia is being bombed during WW II by the Japanese two individuals are herding upwards of 2,000 head of cattle across northern Australia. An English aristocrat reluctantly came there to ensure she could ward off a hostile takeover plot. • Feb. 13 - 17 @ 9-11:45 pm, Location: Norm Theatre, Cost: $4 general admission, $2 for members •

February 14 Exploring Christianity • An informal discussion group for those seeking to explore the Bible. You will not be required to read aloud, pray or sing. Free coffee and snacks will be provided. • Feb. 14 @ 9 - 11am, Location: SUB 113, Free Admission • UBC Botanical Garden Course: Pruning • Learn how to prune bushes, shrubs, and trees. Gain confidence and knowledge and ensure that your plants are in good health. Advanced Registration for this event is required. • Feb. 14 @ 9:30am - 12pm, Location: Botanical Garden Reception Centre, 6804 South West Marine Drive, Cost: $33 Garden Member and $40 General Public • Playoffs: Women’s Volleyball • UBC Thunderbirds vs. Brandon Bobcats. The women will be looking to capture their second consecutive CIS Championship. They will play a best-of-three playoff series against Brandon. This series is the last time they will play at home this season. • Feb. 14 @ 4 - 6pm, Location: War Memorial Gym, Cost: $10 adult/$4 youth & senior/$2 UBC student • Playoffs: Men’s Basketball • UBC Thunderbirds vs. SFU Clan The Thunderbirds are looking to garner their third consecutive CW Championship. They are ranked second in Canada and first in the Canada West. • Feb. 14 @ 7 - 9pm, Location: War Memorial Gym, Cost: $10 adult/$4 youth & senior/$2 UBC student • Men’s Hockey • UBC Thunderbirds vs. Regina Cougars • Feb. 14 @ 7:30 - 10pm, Location: Thunderbird Winter Sports Centre, Cost: $10 adult/$4 youth & senior/$2 UBC student • Jon Hassell & Dhafer Youssef

• Jon Hassell, composer and trumpeter, will play music he describes as mysterious, unique hybrid of music both ancient and digital, composed and improvised, Eastern and Western. Dhafer Youssef will present music rooted in the Sufi tradition, along with other mystical music. Youssef is one of the most impressive voices to emerge in the musical field in recent memory. • Feb. 14 @ 8pm, Location: Chan centre, Cost: $54.50, student and senior prices are available •

February 15 Off-Campus Work Permit Workshops • International students seeking to work off campus should come to learn how to gain eligibility and complete required forms. • Feb. 15 @ 1 - 2pm, Location:International House, Upper Lounge, Free Admission • Playoffs: Women’s Volleyball (if necessary) • UBC Thunderbirds vs. Brandon Bobcats. The women will be looking to capture their second consecutive CIS Championship. They will play a best-of-three playoff series against Brandon. This series is the last time they will play at home this season. • Feb. 15 @ 4 - 6pm, Location: War Memorial Gym, Cost: $10 adult/$4 youth & senior/$2 UBC student • Playoffs: Men’s Basketball (if necessary) • UBC Thunderbirds vs. SFU Clan The Thunderbirds are looking to garner their third consecutive CW championship. They are ranked second in Canada and first in the Canada West. • Feb. 15 @ 7 - 9pm, Location: War Memorial Gym, Cost: $10 adult/$4 youth & senior/$2 UBC student •

February 16 TAs: Get New Ideas • Are you an experienced TA looking to do something new in the classroom? Are you a new TA seeking to develop an interactive classroom? This program will provide a 3 hour session on several topics geared towards improving the classroom environment. • Feb. 16 @ 9:30 12:30pm, location: second floor of Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, Free Admission • Work Your BA: Finding Summer Work • Career Services will provide you with a new approach when it comes to seeking a summer job. Learn also how to make the most of your summer experiences and how your job will prepare you for the future. • Feb. 16 - 18 @ 9:30 - 3pm, Location:

U

THE UBYSSEY February 13th, 2009 volume xc, no 38

Scarfe 208, Cost: $15 before or on February 11, $25 after •

Editorial Board February 17

coordinating editor Kellan Higgins : [email protected]

TAs: Marking & Evaluation • TAs often evaluate student work but do not define the form of assessment methods. The workshop will explore the effectiveness of common types of assessment in university courses and their equitableness. Also, the impact of teaching and learning assessments will be discussed • Feb. 17 @ 1:30 - 4:30pm, location: second floor of Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, Free Admission • Pre-Tenured Faculty: Build your Teaching Portfolio • Teaching portfolios document the teachers have accomplished. These records might inform teachers of what has and has not “worked” in the classrooms. These records can improve a teacher and aid the development of your students. • Feb. 17 @ 2:30 - 4:30pm, Location: TAG Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, Free Admission •

February 18 TAs: Ethics & Effectiveness of Group Work • Have you struggled to get credit for your contribution to a group project. Have other members not carried their weight in past group projects? Have your struggled with evaluating a student’s individual performance in a group project? Come and discuss the benefits of group projects and how to maximize learning while having student work in groups. • Feb. 18 @ 1:30 - 4:30pm, Location: 2nd floor, Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, Free Admission •

February 19 Meditation • Learn how to train your mind to remain calm and keep your mind focus on the task at hand. • Feb. 18 @ 5 - 7pm, Location: Irving K. Barber Learning Centre Rm 157, Free Admission • 2009 CIS SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS • UBC is hosting the 2009 CIS Swimming Championships. 25 universities will bring their top swimmers to UBC to compete for Canada’s crown. UBC’s women will seek to capture their 12th consecutive CIS championship. The men lost year to the Calgary Dinos. Prior to the loss they had won the men’s CIS championship for 10 consecutive years. • Feb. 19 - 21 @ 10am - 6pm, Location: UBC Aquatic Centre, Free Admission •

news editors

Stephanie Findlay & Justin McElroy : [email protected]

culture editor

Trevor Melanson : [email protected]

sports editor

Shun Endo : [email protected]

features & perspectives editor Joe Rayment : [email protected]

photo editor

Goh Iromoto : [email protected]

production manager

Paul Bucci : [email protected]

copy editor

Celestian Rince : [email protected]

volunteer coordinator Vacant : [email protected]

webmaster

Adam Leggett : [email protected]

multimedia editor

Tara Martellaro : [email protected]

Editorial Office Room 24, Student Union Building 6138 Student Union Boulevard Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1 tel: 604-822-2301 fax: 604-822-9279 web: www.ubyssey.ca e-mail: [email protected]

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Legal The Ubyssey is the official student newspaper of the University of British Columbia. It is published every Tuesday and Friday by The Ubyssey Publications Society. We are an autonomous, democratically run student organization, and all students are encouraged to participate. Editorials are chosen and written by the Ubyssey staff. They are the expressed opinion of the staff, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Ubyssey Publications Society or the University of British Columbia. All editorial content appearing in The Ubyssey is the property of The Ubyssey Publications Society. Stories, opinions, photographs and artwork contained herein cannot be reproduced without the expressed, written permission of The Ubyssey Publications Society. 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. “Perspectives” are opinion pieces over 300 words but under 750 words and are run according to space. “Freestyles” are opinion pieces written by Ubyssey staff members. Priority will be given to letters and perspectives over freestyles unless the latter is time sensitive. Opinion pieces will not be run until the identity of the writer has been verified. The Ubyssey reserves the right to edit submissions for length and clarity. All letters must be received by 12 noon the day before intended publication. Letters received after this point will be published in the following issue unless there is an urgent time restriction or other matter deemed relevant by the Ubyssey staff. It is agreed by all persons placing display or classified advertising that if the Ubyssey Publications Society fails to publish an advertisement or if an error in the ad occurs the liability of the UPS will not be greater than the price paid for the ad. The UPS shall not be responsible for slight changes or typographical errors that do not lessen the value or the impact of the ad.

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Tara Martellaro and Samantha Jung both noted romantic air that filled the Ubyssey office this Thursday. Reminiscing about Valentine’s Days past, Gerald Deo, Stephanie Findlay, and Kathy Yan Li cut out pink and red cupids to decorate the room. Meanwhile, Paul Bucci and Trevor Melanson poured over Men’s Vogue for six hours, devising their outfits for this Saturday night. Celestian Rince, Shun Endo, Justin McElroy, and Shawn Li discussed perhaps the most beloved Valentine’s Day movie, Space Jam. Zoe Siegel, Megan Stewart, Kellan Higgins and Trevor Record took turns on the karaoke machine, competing for the best rendition of “At Last.” In the production room, Joe Rayment, Adam Leggett, Goh Iromoto, and Ian Turner passed the tissues while watching Pride and Prejudice for the seventeenth time. Kyrstin Bain, Elizabeth Bennett, Isabel Ferraras and Katarina Grgić spent the evening rebuffing the stream of suitors that came into the office and Jorge Amigo, Belinda Li, and Claire Hanna photographed them as they tearfully ran away. Kate Barbaria and Sarah Eden found Kristine Sostar, Charlyn Cruz and Pierce Nettling in the broom closet dethorning roses in a Naylorly fashion and applying glitter to Valentines for all the Ubyssey staffers. At the end of the evening Jesse Goodall, Alyzeela Khani, Shane Joshua Barter, and Keegan Bursaw surprised all of the contributers with homemade chocolate soufflés. Tragically, all but one collapsed.

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Oxfam UBC Event a lighthearted way of drawing attention to housing issues raises food awareness

Poverty Olympics play to record crowd CONT’D FROM “POVERTY” ON PAGE 1

This is what they will see: Hello world, welcome to the third annual Poverty Olympics.” The first event was “Sweeping Poverty Aside,” a curling skit put on by Streams of Justice, a Christian social justice organisation. A team of “winning parties from the 2010 Olympics” representing security, business interests, VANOC and government partners faced off against “team poverty” representing the homeless, working poor, single parents and disabled. The Olympic winners continually “cheated” by using “bylaw brooms” and other props to clear their own impediments such as “homelessness,” while blocking the path of the other by putting down “red tape” and other challenges which make things difficult for the poor. Housing Hurdles, put on by the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre’s “Power to Women,” was the next event. Single parent families and poverty-stricken women struggled to get past hurdles including long wait lists and Downtown Eastside gentrification. Between the events, vocal quizzes on statistics pertinent to the Poverty Olympics were given by the mascots. “Over 9000 people go to the Greater Vancouver Food Banks each week,” they said. “The same number of families are on the wait list for subsidized housing.” The third event was “Skating around Poverty.” It was put on by volunteers from the Carnegie Community Action Project (CCAP). The event saw two men with paper masks of Gordon Campbell and

by Chris Malmo News Writer

Participant carries symbolic torch. goh iromoto photo/the ubyssey

Stephen Harper “skating” around homeless people, representing housing and poverty issues as they rambled off 2010 Olympic buzzwords and claims to BC’s greatness. “Community Wrestling,” was the final event put on by the Four Sisters Housing Co-op. Concord Condos, represented by a full grown man, fought “Community” and the “Downtown Eastside,” represented by Agnes and Joey, two children. As he fought them, he got frequent backroom kickbacks from his allies, villains Mr and Mrs Con Dough. Awards were given out during a closing ceremony. Finally, two

cakes in the shape of a cockroach and another in the shape of a rat were presented. Although the 2009 Poverty Olympics attracted some community members, it was primarily put on to attract the media to a set of issues. And with a dozen or more local media outlets represented, the risk it poses next year for the public image of the Olympics was clear. “The other thing we’re doing here, besides rallying our own feelings, is we’re putting the other Olympics on notice,” said Bob Sardie, cake in hand, still in bedbug costume. “We’re getting set up for... when all the international media

are here. They’re going to be looking for other things to do than cover....If [parties affiliated with the Olympics] don’t clean up their act within the next year, we’re going to come back and we’ll put on quite a show.” Wendy Pedersen says that if there was a significant welfare raise, it would “take the wind out of their sails,” negating the need for third Poverty Olympics. A welfare rate of $1300 per month is what she is hoping for, a number she claims is the minimum required to live, eat and have bus fare in Vancouver. This would be more than double the current welfare rate, $610. U

Student Legal Fund Society comes to the radar

Thousands of dollars are put into the fund by students every year—for what? by Megan Stewart Culture Writer An ideological tug-of-war could generate ropeburn for the six representatives elected to the Student Legal Fund Society (SLFS)—a semi-independent AMS board controlling roughly $300,000 collected from student fees over the past decade. Eleven candidates ran for six board positions during a campaign that had many voters scratching their heads and asking, “SLFS—what’s that?” Before putting their name on the ballot, some of the candidates asked themselves the same question. Aaron Sihota was re-elected to the society for a third term following the AMS elections last week. He said the unexpected rise in the number of candidates is political and is partly tied to April’s KnollAid protest and the campus group, Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). “From reading their platform statements, [some candidates] seem a bit radical in their approach and are focusing on a few issues regarding that particular incident [KnollAid],” Sihota said. “They may not be representative of the issues representing the entire student body. “It’s a bit of a concern, I’d say.” However, the SLFS has a history of social justice and is mandated to both advocate and litigate on behalf of education and access to education. The found-

ers pursued the need for student representation in a legal arena following the 1997 APEC summit at UBC, which resulted in 42 arrests and a Public Complaints Commission Inquiry. Also during the fall of 1997, four students took UBC to court for violating the province-wide freeze on tuition. The students won, and the university was ordered to return more than $1 million to students. Amir Attaran was one of the four who sued UBC. He also campaigned for the fund, which was established in March 1998 following a student referendum. The fund is mandated “to provide advisory, legal, and financial assistance to fund, initiate and continue advocacy […] to improve education and access to education at UBC and […] set broad precedent and concern UBC students.” The fund collects $1 from each student per year and has done so for ten years. Sihota, who was the only board member to run for re-election, said roughly 40,000 students contribute each year and said the fund hasn’t spent more than $2,000 a year for several years. It’s unclear how much money the fund controls, but estimates hover around $300,000. Ed Durgan campaigned for a seat on the SLFS after he learned in May about the fund’s legal services, deep pockets and potential for social justice. An organiser with both KnollAid rallies, Dur-

gan was present when 20 student activists were arrested on campus last April during a protest near the old bus loop. Neither Durgan nor any candidate for the SLFS was arrested. Durgan was not elected, but campaigned on the promise “to legitimise” the fund and initiate litigation—as opposed to relying on student groups to file an application for funding and advice. The 20 arrested students had lit a bonfire and the vast majority were eventually charged with obstruction of a peace officer. They eventually reached a deal whereby the incident would be erased from their criminal record in exchange for community service and a written apology. Several students had family support, but a group of 12 are represented by the non-profit Pivot Legal Society and now face an approximate total of $17,000 in legal fees. The students filed an application to the SLFS for financial and legal aid. They were denied. Sihota questioned whether the application fit the mandate of the fund. But Stefanie Ratjen said KnollAid was focused on access to education, which is at the core of the SLFS’s mandate. “The protest was fundamentally about campus development and the corporatisation of the university,” she said. “That is directly linked to issues of accessibility to the university, affordability to the university at large.”

Ratjen, the outgoing AMS VP External, also drew a number of parallels between the APEC and KnollAid protests, including the reality that the RCMP’s legal fees were paid by the state in both cases. Sihota campaigned to broaden the mandate of the fund, which is currently seeking legal opinion on RCMP jurisdiction over liquor licences issued to campus. “There has been a lot of talk and opinion about the fun war on campus,” he said. “We find—in terms of expanding our mandate to the social issues—that groups having more access to [places where students can drink legally] can create a more positive atmosphere on campus.” Durgan and Ratjen, who cited a conflict of interest in her decision not to run for the SLFS, both questioned Sihota’s intention to broaden the mandate and criticized the seeming inaction of the fund despite an estimated $300,000 in student dollars. With three of the six elected representatives coming from a group of candidates the Knoll magazine endorsed, it seems that there will be a sharp divide within the SLFS this upcoming year. Sihota said it’s only prudent to head to court with ample financial resources, however, the Fund’s own bylaws cap spending at $60,000 for any individual case. The SLFS cannot amend its mandate and some bylaws without approval of the AMS. U

Guests were certainly left hungry for change the evening of February 10th at an innovative banquet organized by members of the Oxfam UBC club to build awareness about global food inequalities. About 150 UBC students and Vancouverites arrived for the sold-out dinner at Performance Works on Granville Island, choosing a playing card at random from a table as they entered. This draw determined where they sat. Once inside, it appeared that there were not enough tables to accommodate the crowd. Two tables stood on a raised platform, surrounded by a few others at ground level, while half a dozen long rows of chairs stretched out facing the stage. The silent auction items, such as fair-trade roses and local artwork, were laid out along one wall. All proceeds from these items, and the evening at large, went to Oxfam. The nature of the gala became clearer once everyone had been seated and things got underway. The bulk of the guests sat in the rows of chairs while a lucky few were at tables. As emcee Stephanie Gloyn explained, this was to “provide an example...of how food and other resources are inequitably distributed around the world.” The inequalities were borne out on the menu as well. Each set of diners represented a segment of the world population, divided into income brackets. The top two tables, as the richest 15 per cent, enjoyed a full three-course meal from the Raincity Grill. The audience learned that this small proportion of the world’s population consumes 70 per cent of all grain produced. The “middle-income” group at the tables below them, representing the next 25 per cent of the world, were served squash soup. This left the other 60 per cent of the guests (including this reporter) as the world’s poorest, who had to serve themselves a modest plate of plain rice and beans. Oxfam UBC president Andra Dediu said the stark contrast between the high and middle income menus was intended to draw attention to the steep dropoff in wealth and access to food that exists in the world. This theme was further emphasized by Dr Shafik Dharamsi, the keynote speaker for the night and an assistant professor of medicine at UBC. He challenged guests “not just to see the world differently, but to be in it differently. “What does it mean to be hungry?” he asked. For much of the world, the reality is “a type of hunger that most of us would never be able to imagine,” Dharamsi said. Gala coordinator Caitlin Ohama-Darcus provided a sobering picture of this reality: about one child dies every five seconds from lack of proper nutrition. Dediu offered some ideas for following through on Dharamsi’s challenge. UBC students could make a difference, she said, by speaking to their local MP about Canada’s commitments to foreign aid, fair trade and food insecurity worldwide. She also echoed speaker Colin Dring’s suggestions to buy equitable, local and sustainable food. U

4 | news

the ubyssey | www.ubyssey.ca

february 13, 2009

News Briefs UBC ENDOWMENT LOSES 20 PER CENT OF ITS VALUE

ATHLETIC FEES GO DOWN, WAY DOWN

UBC president Stephen Toope announced in a letter to the university released this Wednesday that the university endowment fund has lost roughly 20 per cent of its value over the past nine months due to the global economic downturn. The net amount available for spending will decline by about 50 per cent in the next fiscal year. The endowment peaked at over $1 billion before the financial drop in 2008. The endowment fund is comprised of monetary gifts to the university and land revenue from the University Town community. To combat this loss, the Board of Governors has revised the Endowment policy on February 5. This revision “commits UBC to a stable payout of Endowment income that preserves the gift against inflation,” and will drop annual payments from the endownment from five per cent of its total value to three and a half. The university anticipates individual endowments to regain their lost value in the next ten years. Toope also assures that student financial aid will not be affected, although the budget for funding is dropping by $6.5 million. He also cites a reduction of about around $15 million for various faculties and colleges, with Tim Blair, a student representative on the Board of Governors, claiming that Forestry and Graduate Studies will be the only faculties seriously hit. “People ask me if the current economic climate will knock UBC off the remarkable upward trajectory that our community has travelled with enthusiasm over the last few decades,” Toope wrote. “My answer is clear: not at all.” Toope also wrote that UBC has a “sound financial base to weather the global economic storm,” and that “prudent management of our endowment funds has also allowed us to fare better than most North American academic institutions. Our new Endowment Management Policy will help us emerge even stronger when conditions improve.”

UBC athletic fees have been reduced for the next school year, thanks in large part to outgoing AMS president Michael Duncan and Neal Yonson, a member of the University Athletics Council. Fees have been reduced in a number of UBC REC categories, the most significant being BirdCoop memberships, which have been reduced from $148 to $25 for a four-month term. These are the only two options available for membership to the gym, and they match up with the academic school term. Students must renew them each term. Public skating at the Thunderbird Arena is now free as well. Fees for hockey, figure skating and drop-in skating have also been reduced, from $3.50 to $2. A number of UBC REC event fees have also been cut, including a reduction from $163 to $100 for the annual Day of the Longboat, and in various rates for REC team sports. These fees will be frozen for three years. The mandatory athletic fee will go up two per cent this year, but be frozen next year.

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ENGINEERS TO APPEAL TO UNIVERSITY The five engineering students arrested last week for their failed attempt at their annual prank are appealing to the President’s Advisory Committee on Student Discipline. The committee mainly deals with academic disciplines, such as cheating, according to dean of Engineering Bruce Dunwoody— but he said that it can also deal with “non-academic” disciplines. Dunwoody plans on meeting with the students and preparing the documentation necessary to present to the committee. “The EUS wishes its members the best in their legal proceedings and hopes that they will be treated in accordance with the light spirit of their actions and not to the full extent of the law,” said EUS president Chris McCann. “We will continue to track the status of this process and offer support where possible.” —Samantha Jung

How much money will you save next year on athletics fees? BIRDCOOP 4 MONTH MEMBERSHIP

$25.00

$148.00

The AMS hopes to gather information from forums to address international student issues and concerns. shawn li photo illustration/the ubyssey

DAY OF THE LONGBOAT FEE

$100.00

$163.00

AMS heads international student initiative First in a series of forums to identify and address concerns by Zoe Siegel News Writer

REC INTRAMURAL

$100.00

$215.00

THUNDERBIRD DROP IN

Free

$2.50

Sept. 2009

Current

Do you know what the AMS is doing for international students? On Tuesday, January 27, AMS VP external, Stefanie Ratjen and Sneha Sethi, an student research intern, led a forum for international students highlighting important issues in an effort to better address the needs of the population who have come from outside Canada. UBC students from countries all over the world attended the forum and gave their input on how the AMS can improve the experiences of international students. Some of the problems that were raised were regarding tuition costs, the Language Proficency Index (LPI), and health insurance. International students expressed concerns regarding housing and the housing lottery. Some of the students’ concerns were that they were unaware of guaranteed housing at UBC or they didn’t know what to if they did not get into the housing lottery. “It’s just a totally different world when you move to a different country from your country,” stated third-year psychology student Nazanin Moghadami. The LPI was a particularly emotional subject. Students felt that there is very little support for students who have difficulty passing the exam. Other students mentioned that the LPI discriminates against non-English speakers. “UBC prides itself on being an international school, but the LPI is so prejudiced,” stated Phoebe Wong, a first-year Arts student. “This is an ongoing issue. I’m not convinced that it is a fair representation of how well a person speaks English. If it has to happen there are other ways of determining those. I know it’s a big issue,” said Ratjen. International students already must pass the TOEFL or another English speaking equivalence test. AMS student senator Azim Wazeer said that the LPI is “redundant [and] taxing to international students.” Wazeer argues that the LPI should be replaced with a higher TOEFL score requirement. Wazeer and many other students are working hard to change the requirements for the future. Students find the yearly raise

in tuition frustrating and difficult to adjust economically. For domestic students, there is a 2 per cent cap on yearly tuition increases, but the already expensive international student tuition has no cap and can therefore increase however much UBC deems necessary. Ratjen said “there is a mandate promoted by our current government that views international students. It’s a full cost recovery model. Because our government doesn’t see it as their duty to support international students, they haven’t posed any restrictions as to how much they can increase tuition.” According to a representative at UBC Enrollment Services, international students are already paying at least four and a half times more than domestic students. “They know what they’re in for. It’s a sacrifice, but they made their choice,” said an Enrollment Services representative. “The current method of international student fees do not reflect the contributions that international students make, I don’t think its fair and I know that there are viable alternatives,” said Ratjen. The two per cent cap for domestic students may not continue beyond May 2009 depending on the results from the provincial elections. Ratjen hopes that this forum and forums like this will facilitate dialogue and “fill the gap that currently exists between administration and current international student body.” Sethi, as part of her position as international student research intern, is going to be synthesizing all of the information gathered at forums like this and preparing a document that will be used to address some of these issues. Thato Makgolane, AMS Connect internal assistant, was very motivated by the event, “This is what we should be moving towards. [Ratjen and Sethi] are working hard to create this table where we can go and talk about these issues.” Although there was not a large turnout for this forum, Ratjen and Sethi plan on having more forums in order to better incorporate international student voices. Ratjen encourages all international students to come to the next forum, “The most people we get the better it can be.” U

F

Features

Editor: Joe Rayment | E-mail: [email protected]

February 13, 2009 | Page 5

by Joe Rayment Features Editor 2008: MIND CONTROL Jerry Rose Jr sued UBC, along with the RCMP, Microsoft, Google, Telus, and Wal-Mart, for, among other things, using “invasive brain computer interface technology” on him without his written or oral consent. The Nanaimo man sought “$2,000,000,000,000 Billion” CAD or USD, a red Ferrari and a black Lamborghini. The case tied up six people, all acting as counsel for the various defendants, until the judge ruled in their favour on the basis that Rose’s case made no reasonable claims, and was “frivolous and vexatious.” 2008: TAKE THIS PARKING TICKET, AND 30,000 OTHERS, AND SHOVE IT! In 2004, UBC towed and impounded accountant Daniel Barbour’s car. When Barbour looked into it he found that the university wouldn’t release his car until he paid $350, something he thought he’d already resolved. He also found that UBC might not have the right to issue parking tickets in the first place. Barbour launched a class-action lawsuit, which includes every person who UBC has given a ticket to since 1990, when UBC gave itself the right to give tickets. A judgment’s expected soon. 2004: TUITION THAWING

We fought the law

Two MBA students sued the school when their tuition went up $21,000 between when they were accepted to the school and when they graduated. The rise was only made possible after the provincial government lifted the tuition freeze in 2002. UBC won this one. “Honestly, we were surprised at the lawsuit because the law is so clear in our favour, and the courts vindicated that,” Dennis Pavlich, UBC’s VP external and legal affairs told the University of Waterloo Gazette at the time. In the university’s defence, they did go to the bank to negotiate a very reasonable loan for the students.

Ten years of lawsuits against UBC

2003: POWERLESS AND ALL DRIED UP UBC lost 150 men’s sperm during a May 2002 power outage. The sperm was being stored by UBC’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Eight months later, when UBC finally notified the affected sperm donors, it set off a lawsuit. The original plaintiff put his sperm in UBC’s bank before going in for radiation treatment for skin cancer. He was worried the treatment would make him sterile. He argued that UBC was at fault for not having proper backup generators. After his story got out, others joined the action. As far as we can tell, this one’s still going through the courts. 1998: SCREW YOU, STUDENTS Four UBC students forced the university to refund $1 million to students. The university had raised its fees in violation of the tuition freeze, which had been in effect since 1996. The university learned its lesson forever. U goh iromoto illustrations

It’s midnight on a weeknight and I should be either writing resumés or dead to the world and dreaming. Unfortunately, the repetition of the former is not akin to counting sheep at all. In fact, it is quite the opposite. After what must have been the 666th time penning “leadership skills” on the blasted CVs, I began to feel like the scumbag I am for buying into such lingo and I knew that my conscience would leave me sleep-deprived for the moment. The fact is that nobody understands, or at least is willing to admit, what real leadership is. It has become an oft-repeated buzz word, as meaningless a combination as “Nutella socks.” Sure, I’ve created task lists and managed not to swallow my own tongue during group presentations. I’ve attended the university’s constant seminars meant to endow the masses with such things as these “skills,” and I will be the first to admit that if you can keep enough of an open mind to avoid snoring, there is an adrenaline rush. The sneaky thing about adrenaline rushes though, is that they are temporary. Skills by definition are permanent, and have been honed over time. What are these newfound assets then, if not leadership skills? Rhetoric is the red herring of leadership. It can “inspire” you and ends up being the transfer of temporary adrenaline. It can confuse or terrify you and ends up manufacturing followers who are so mindless as to be useless at accomplishing the alleged goal. It can elevate the rhetorician so far above the populace as to enlarge his or her head to the point where the proletariat has a new piñata with hair. It can seem to be empathetic, and may even be well intentioned, yet in its very nature as showmanship must maintain a distance, which leads to a feeling of betrayal and to dissention. Still, in the public perception, leadership remains the mask of rhetoric. Why else would politicians hire speech writers? Allow me to put this into less abstract terms for you. Note the condescension as I lead you through what very well may be in itself a piece of rhetoric. The first is the kind of leader your nanny was: the kind who will give you a jellybean and say “good job” equally as enthusiastically every time you use the potty (even if you piss all over the seat) or solve world hunger. You eventually learn to roll your eyes at utter insincerity and outgrow this fast. The second is the Machiavellian leader who loses followers due to beheading. The third is the kind who can’t say “nuclear,” and makes an appealing target for errant shoes. The fourth and least obvious is the greatest offender: the insidious one who claims to have no gift of rhetoric, the one who suggests having coffee with you, the plebeian, but always finds a way out of it or ignores it entirely, the one who takes pride in his or her own openness and humility, thus undermining them entirely. These are those who society calls leaders with skills. True leadership is the complete lack of lasting skill, design, or rhetoric. It cannot be taught. It is maintaining the integrity of praise by using it sparingly. It is allowing the use of heads, and not the deprivation of them. It is openly admitting “I’m just full of crap today.” It is choosing the barrel of the kidnapped cannon, not the fuse, and not knowing the difference. Leadership is patient. Leadership is kind. Leadership is neither jealous, nor conceited. Leadership is neither, rude, selfseeking, nor quick to take offence. Leadership is not done for the duping of a few, but for the equity of all. Leadership protects, trusts, hopes and perseveres. How then can I put it on a document that is all about competition and self promotion? Perhaps I should list myself as a rabble-rousing rhetorician. Then again, maybe I’m just full of crap today. R

by Elizabeth Bennett

ON LEADERSHIP

February 13, 2009

1. It is the definition of narcissistic. 2. Your note is probably not funny. 3. It’s the laziest use of the note function imaginable. 4. It has given the media another excuse to trot out the “Here’s a new fad on Facebook!” stories. I hate those stories. 5. Four years ago, this would be considered chain-mail spam, to be quickly deleted off my hotmail account. 6. I don’t want to know this information about you. I might find it interesting, I might find it disgusting. But I don’t need to know it over a self-serving Facebook note. 7. It will probably propel people to start using Twitter to trot out more mundane details about themselves. And that is a terrible development. 8. Part of the beauty of a relationship is that slowly, over time, you get to know things about each other through interaction, personal connection, and trust. Now, you have just vomited 25 tidbits of information I would have enjoyed finding out eventually into a note intended for mass consumption and self-glorification. Thanks. 9. If I’m in your note—I don’t care to know this stuff about you through this medium. Go away. 10. If I’m not in your note—what the fuck? I’m not good enough for your stupid list of 25 people? 11. You have wasted 30 minutes writing this note. I have wasted a minute reading it. We both had much better things to do with our time. 12. Every time I’m added to a note, there’s a peer pressure, “C’mon, everyone’s doing it” vibe that I should join in. 13. It feeds into the egotistical “me generation,” where a premium is placed on letting everyone know how fucking special and neat you are, rather than actually doing anything worthwhile. 14. It’s an Internet meme. Internet memes are inherently stupid. 15. It encapsulates everything that is ridiculous about Facebook (random information, making everything public, and the stupid friend count) and puts it in one package. 16. Your note is probably not insightful. 17. At the end of the note, people will comment, saying how funny/true #14 is. I do not care, and all it does is feed into your ego. 18. Despite it all, I can’t look away. 19. It is another step on the road to Facebook becoming MySpace. 20. Many of the things about your list are coy. If you were to tell me these things in real life, I would be annoyed at your lack of directness. 21. It is designed to come across as free-flowing and spontaneous, a way of sharing information. Yet everything, from the people you choose to the information you give out to the writing style you use is calculated to give off a certain impression. 22. Over five million people posted one of these notes last week. I doubt five million people will band together to do something for the greater good anytime soon. 23. The backlash to this has inspired hundreds of groups/ threads/notes on Facebook that further serve to clutter up my Facebook experience. 24. I am so annoyed by it, I have decided to do a gimmicky list to mock it, when it is obvious there is not 25 unique things to mock about it, and thus I am stretching the list, and essentially repeating items over and over, when I only had a few decent points to make. 25. It’s narcissistic. R

by Justin McElroy

THAT ANNOY ME ABOUT THE 25 THINGS FAD ON FACEBOOK

THINGS

25

Have you ever felt that UBC is a little extreme when it comes to plagiarism? Now, don’t get me wrong, I think that plagiarism is a serious concern that needs to be treated accordingly, but in my opinion, UBC has taken it a step one too far. Last year, my partner and I were enrolled in an ethics class (it had to be ethics). The class was given a one-page assignment consisting of five short answer questions. The first four questions required summarizing a scientific procedure and ethical guidelines, and the last question asked for the student’s personal opinion. My partner and I discussed our thoughts after class on the bus, but never spoke about the topic again. I wrote my assignment on campus and she wrote her assignment in Coquitlam. We were both returned low marks. I spoke with the professor initially because I was curious why I had received such a low grade. As the discussion turned to the possibility of a regrade, she became defensive. It was at this point she mentioned she believed my assignment was inappropriately similar to my partner’s submission. When she discussed the assignment with my partner, the professor told my partner that she was initially not going to pursue allegations of academic misconduct against us. However, now that I was considering a regrade, she felt compelled to do so. At this point, the professor requested the two of us submit a digital copy of our assignments (the class was asked to submit hard copy originally), so that she could submit our work to TurnItIn.com. TurnItIn.com returned a 20 per cent match. At this point, the professor stopped returning calls or e-mail, except to direct us to another individual who would not return our calls or e-mails either. We contacted the AMS Advocacy office and had separate meetings with the associate dean of Science. In the end, it took about three stressful months to resolve this case and to prove our innocence. The whole process was a complete farce. It was exceedingly difficult to convince anyone that we had not cheated, instead we were assumed guilty from the start. At one point, our advocate conceded that this was not a court of law, and that UBC has the power to, and frequently does, treat students as guilty until proven innocent. No one seemed to think it was relevant that the assignment was only a page long, and that four of the five questions involved summarizing the same source (the last question, the personal question, showed zero per cent match). No one seemed to think it would be prudent to do a match on some or all of the rest of the class for a background comparison. No one seemed to notice that the vast majority of our 20 per cent “match” involved sentences where the only match was words such as “the” and “that.” Nobody thought it was interesting that Brock University found that of around 110,000 submissions to TurnItIn.com, about 73,000 submissions returned a match falling between 20 words and a 24 per cent match, whereas only about 10,000 submissions returned a match of less than 20 words.” At one point, I asked if the associate dean if he even

by Jesse Goodall

GUILTY UNTIL PROVEN INNOCENT

PLAGIARISM POLICY

UBC

the iceberg. I have a long list of reasons to dissuade prospective applicants from pursuing an undergraduate science degree at UBC. With regards to plagiarism, the university’s policy is enforced on the basis that you are presumed guilty and not innocent. There is too much emphasis placed on TurnitIn. com. Above all UBC must end the drumhead trial mentality of the plagiarism process, so that the innocent do not fall prey to frivolous accusations. Until then as a message to the students at this university, be very careful because being innocent just isn’t enough. R

make eye contact and you might explode! fear the people on the bus we must act like we’re all mad at each other, its only polite, and thats why they are so vacant and strange, the people on the bus and no one says please move to the back of the bus. R

breathless newcomers will pant quietly at their victory, they caught us up! but the mute chorus is catching, and soon they are dour like the rest of us we are told by no one to please move to the back of the bus

sometimes they will answer their phones, the people on the bus and the genial fireworks of friendship will break out, they startle us (but soon again) they are vacant and strange, the people on the bus

communicating distaste in awkward increments, the people on the bus meticulously indifferent, as if by invisible census no one has to say please move to the back of the bus

they are not saying yes or no, you mustn’t talk to the people on the bus you mustn’t smile, it’s different from when you saw them walking down the street or running to catch up, they are vacant and strange, the people on the bus

they are vacant and strange, the people on the bus pained apologies, bustle-hustle moving, longways and sideways, going nowhere, hush the driver doesn’t have to say please move to the back of the bus

by Alyzee Lakhani

THE PEOPLE ON THE BUS

This is a note of frustration, a grumpy old man type of complaint. A growing number of trucks and cars seem to be driving down campus walkways. Their ranks include vehicles from films, couriers, campus security, plant operations, food services, police, construction and campus events. On campus maps, many areas read “Restricted Motor Vehicle Access / Pedestrian Zones.” Obviously, driving in these areas is often necessary for the campus to operate. My complaint concerns degree; the number is rising and the trips are often unnecessary. For example, campus security and plant operations vehicles frequently drive onto and park in pedestrian areas outside of the SUB when they want to grab a cup of coffee. Another example, many construction workers park their personal vehicles around Buchanan. It’s not crazy to ask them to just walk a bit. If professors and students

by Shane Joshua Barter

have to walk from parkades and bus stops, why is it different for others? Why does it matter? Well, it disrupts pedestrians, which on campus, are legion. Drivers are frustrated with hordes of walkers and cyclists, who in turn may not like being nudged along. Too much driving on pedestrian areas is unpleasant at best and unsafe at worst. This is especially true when these vehicles do not signal. Also, driving damages walkways. UBC’s walkways are notoriously poor, subject to serious flooding, and excess driving is bound to make this worse. Why is the number of vehicles on walkways increasing? I think it is largely laziness and habit. Perhaps it is because the newer east areas of campus are built like Richmond, not a campus, with small sidewalks, few trees and large roads. It is a strange trend. As urban and suburban areas are trying to reduce and calm traffic, cars on campus thoroughfares is rising. UBC has dense foot traffic and a beautiful campus. It wouldn’t hurt to leave company vehicles behind more often. R

CONGESTION ON CAMPUS WALKWAYS

read the original scientific procedure or ethical guidelines that were to be summarized, or read other students’ papers as a point of comparison. He said he hadn’t, but he trusted the professor. He didn’t seem to think it was possible that she might not be impartial after previous academic disputes. Ultimately, the “case” against us was dropped. The associate dean refused to say if he thought we were innocent, but believed a “warning” was sufficient. There was never an official apology or a suggestion that a mistake had been made. To me, this is just the tip of

Supplement Coordinator: Pierce Nettling

Special Edition

RANT

Opinion Editorial Piece

Volume II, Issue 1

Have you ever walked behind a group of students who are strolling painfully slowly to their destination and spread out in a line, slowing you down while you’re in a manic rush to get to your midterm on time? Have you ever suppressed the impulse to use colourful language when somebody is sauntering to their destination without knowledge they’re blocking your way? Then you’re like me and have been victimized by sidewalk discourtesy at its finest. This is when someone has an unconscious belief that they own any concrete or gravel concoction that takes them from point A to point B by moseying as they please, despite the (often very heavy) foot traffic. This isn’t exactly a pressing political issue where our government must respond and our troops called forth, but I’m certain many of you out there have noticed it and a good chunk of you have ripped some hair out because of it. Certain conventions exist in society—mobility conventions even. If you’re driving, flow with the traffic. If you’re on an escalator, stay on the right side if you want to stand while those in a rush can bolt as needed. Why have we designated such iron-clad and generally obeyed rules for more mechanized modes of transportation when we can’t even get walking right? Plus, we have no excuse; history shows us we’ve been walking a lot longer than we’ve been driving or riding escalators. The irritating thing about it is that you can’t really call anybody out on it. It’s not like anybody is shoving you down, you can’t really launch a crusade about it without others thinking you ought to have bigger concerns in life. So, I’m imploring all the slow walkers out there with this article with some rules to make the lives of others easier (while keeping you safe from the wrath of a pedestrian with walkway rage): 1. Please, have a slight bit of consideration. I know tuition fees have skyrocketed, but that doesn’t mean you own the sidewalk. If you’re in no hurry, then move to the side. The same rule applies if you’re going to congregate and socialize. 2. Flow with the traffic and try to avoid the oncomers. 3. If you think you’re lagging, look around to see if you’re holding up anyone behind you. There’s no need to drag an innocent down with you in your staggering stupor. 4. Look where you’re going. Not everyone is going to make way for you if you don’t. If you’re already doing this and still running into things, then that’s a more forgivable offense and another issue altogether. Having collided into a few objects myself, both alive and inanimate, I can empathize. This rant isn’t indiscriminately aimed at everyone; there are particular cases where unhurried leeway is allowed. My rule of thumb is to lend more understanding to those who would be given first priority to the lifeboats when a ship is sinking: young children, parents of young children, women who are expecting, the physically disabled and the elderly. I have places to be too, but nobody will be patting me on the back after I’ve unleashed my fury on a flock of dawdling tots who can barely say “walking convention,” let alone follow it. Nevertheless, if you’re able-bodied, look around and move along. You wouldn’t want to drive behind a swerving car that takes up two lanes and is traveling at 30 km/h. Would you still stand for it, minus the hunk of moving metal and upholstery? I didn’t think so. R

by Charlyn Cruz

A LESSON IN ETIQUETTE

Consider this a response to Emma Myers’s culture article on February 3 titled, “Afraid of the Unknown,” if that helps you. If that doesn’t help, consider this some words of advice to undergraduates who are uncertain of how to respond when asked, “What are your plans after graduation?” When asking that, it seems like the only answer most people are looking for relates to a career. Why is it that people want you to define your life by what you’re going to do to pay for food and shelter? Don’t ever feel like you have to answer in the way that is expected. You will probably have a few dozen jobs in your life, and it is unlikely that the first one you pick will be the one that you stick with. I had a “career” oriented, well paying, and relatively stress-free job, which I’d gotten a year out of high school. Although it was a decent job, after over four years there I’d lost interest in it and decided to go back to school—here at UBC actually, while I was still young enough to fit in. You will probably end up disliking most jobs you get after enough time. You will probably get fired from a few jobs that you do enjoy while you still enjoy them. And what should you say you’ll do instead of trying to find a career if you haven’t thought of one yet? Emma’s response was to ally herself with the title character of The Graduate, by “drifting” through life until something comes along. I’ve found that most people do not choose this path because of a genuinely laidback approach to life, but due to a fear of making commitments. If you only want to drift, then go for it as long as you’re able. But if you are simply held back by a fear of commitments, don’t be. There are very few things in this world you can’t get out of if you don’t like where they take you. You’ll be far less happy drifting than you will be taking a chance on something you think you might want to do but aren’t certain of. I would say that the best response isn’t to take the path of least resistance until you have some sort of massive revelation, as such revelations don’t come often. Instead, decide what interests you and pursue them. Maybe you just want to read 50 books a year and learn some new languages. It could be you want to go fishing every weekend, and maybe you’re going to get sick of that after a month and give it up entirely. By all means, go out and try to get a job that you think might be worthwhile if you need it to support your other goals. And if what you are most interested in is getting a specific job, then try to do that. But most of all, just keep in mind that there are few things so permanent that a commitment to them must be feared. When people ask me what my plans are for after graduation, I say that I want to get a sailboat to slowly trace out the Pacific coast. If I’m still enjoying that, and I don’t find a place along the way that I’d like to stop, I’ll move over to the east coast, and so forth. If I lose interest in that life, I’ll sell the boat and find something else. I don’t know what career I want to chain myself to for the rest of my life, and it is unreasonable to think that the decisions I make in this regard as a 23 year old are the ones I’ll even respect as a 33 year old. R

by Trevor Record

DO AFTER GRADUATION?

What is it about a group of women coming together to achieve the common goal of improving their own lives, and the lives of others, that makes people talk? Sorority life may not be for everyone, but if more UBC women came out to give it a try then they would probably see some aspect of it that they liked. Like many others I was a skeptic, and because of this skepticism I refused to try out recruitment in my first year. After a year in residence I found that the social, volunteer-busy, and academic person I was in high school had melted away and transformed into a beer-drinking, sleeping-until-noon shadow of a student who had not made many lasting relationships. While I had enjoyed my first year, I knew that something needed to change so I enrolled in recruitment the following year. People’s misconceptions about sororities could fill a chapter room, and from the second I walked into the Panhellenic building the surprises came. The process was so organized, and it strived to maintain a fairness for all sororities and all girls. Every single girl who has an interest in sororities, and who fulfills the entire term of recruitment will get placed in a sorority. It is not the exclusive, choosy process it is often made out to be, and it seemed to me that the Panhellenic was a community rather than the ruthless, competitive, and self-serving sorority monsters often depicted on TV. Panhellenic actually refers to the umbrella organization through which all sororities on campus interact, and it exists to make sure that each sorority abides by basic rules. From time to time around campus people can be spotted dressed up in humiliating attire, being forced to perform pushups in front of Koerner or some other public area. This would never be the case with sororities because Panhel, and each individual organization within, abide by the basic policy of absolutely no hazing. The UBC sororities website promises that the Greek system will “provide each and every member numerous opportunities for personal development,” and nowhere in this does belittling of members make any sense. Neither does excessive drinking. While policies vary from sorority to sorority, the general trend is that only dry activities are programmed and endorsed. It is frustrating to hear the negative statements that are often made about sororities, because they are made on assumptions based on media portrayals, or outsider opinions. As university students, is it not important to be critical of the information we receive? Most negative comments can be taken apart with the real facts. While every sorority would love to see more women become involved it will never be something that appeals to everybody, and that is fine. There are no judgments about those who choose not to engage in Greek life, so there shouldn’t be any judgments about those who do. Of course the women in sororities have fun and socialize, but they also work hard to educate their members about important issues, to fundraise and volunteer for charities that hold significance for them, and they are always open to meeting and welcoming new women into the system. R

by Kristine Sostar

MISCONCEPTIONS AND THE GREEK SYSTEM

WORD

HEY, I’M WHAT ARE AFFILIATION IS NOT A WALKING YOU FOUR GOING TO HERE! LETTER

THEUUBYSSEY

CThe Cromoli Brothers Culture

Editor: Trevor Melanson | E-mail: [email protected]

February 13, 2009 | Page 8

CD REVIEWS

Club PuSh hosts awkward but hilarious show

courtesy of pilot.co.pilot

by Kate Barbaria Culture Staff Last Tuesday Lukas Myers showed the audience at Club PuSh a comically tear-jerking good time with “The Cromoli Brothers Present: HELLO VANCOUVER! A Vaudeville Act for These, Our Modern Times,” his one-man show, which he wrote, directed and acted in. Myers padded out onto the stage in a tuxedo and fuzzy red socks, ready to send us on a rollicking journey through 15 hilarious, often awkward, and always embarrassing vignettes. While the second Cromoli brother never bothered to show up (maybe he got tired of playing with nude sock puppets), Myers soldiered on through skits chosen at random by assholes

shouting from the comfortably boozed-up crowd. These included the gems “Pilot Talk,” a heart-rending dialogue between two bi-curious balloons sporting Mexican wrestling masks, and “Interview with Jesus,” where the audience realized they were actually totally unprepared should the savior suddenly appear. The peak of the evening was when a friend was coerced into coming on stage and blowing into Myers’s melodica for the entirety of Bowie’s “A Space Oddity,” complete with white helmets, a ukulele solo and a spaceman in a tin can. We were at the mercy of his excellent comedic timing and caustic commentary. But the vaudeville act was really just a vehicle for a much more sophisticated experience. Myers created an environment

CULTURE

Culture meetings are at 4PM every Wednesday. Come on by.

[email protected]

where the show sometimes fell flat, or a joke didn’t quite work out. He deliberately put the audience in a state of confusion, and the vignettes became selfreflexive observations about the nature of performance. To end the night, Myers ran through the crowd selling “Cum Cloths,” the label reading “For When It’s Love And A Little Bit More.” They came in assorted colours including beige, sandstone and snow white (use the bleach on that one, folks), and were sold for two dollars each. It’s in these little deadpan moments that the Cromoli Brothers come to life. The Cromoli Brothers are a singular character, escorted in by awkwardness and asked firmly to leave for lewd and lascivious, but altogether entertaining, behaviour. U

CARLOS DEL JUNCO STEADY MOVIN’

MATT AND KIM GRAND

If you like the harmonica, you’re probably going to like this album. Del Junco even includes harp keys and positions in the CD jacket, so that you can have a jam session with your buddy Carlos, I guess. Steady Movin’ gets off to an unsteady start with an anaemic boogie, followed by a jazz/surfrock fusion track that brings to mind beach bums moving from Santa Barbara to Napa and opening a vineyard. The low point of the album is when Havana-born Del Junco attempts a Motown-infused tribute titled “Mashed Potatoes Canada,” where he proceeds to list various locations in Canada, occasionally inserting the phrase “mashed potatoes.” Do they not have starches in Cuba, comrade? The second half of the album picks up with a harmonica-based rendition of “Amazing Grace,” seemingly arranged for placement in a Cohen brothers’ film. The tracks that follow lack the high concepts that fall flat on their face in the first half’s execution. As a result the sound is more robust and enjoyable. The problem with Steady Movin’ comes down to an emphasis of showmanship and technical skill over real passion and song crafting.

Grand, by Matt and Kim, is an album tailor-made for couples— couples like Matt and Kim. With their rhythm section pumping out eclectic beats ranging from clapping hands to trashcan rattles, Grand is an upbeat journey through the streets of New York, riding out a 12-hour White Russian bender and skipping school. The lyrics range from obvious to nonsensical, but it doesn’t really matter since Matt mostly mumbles. Kim’s vocals shine through in “Lessons Learned,” when she sings “da, da, da.” Those are the most important parts, anyway. Since Matt and Kim get a little precious, they throw in “Grinders,” a chiptune track calculated to appeal to males aged 18-36. The unnecessary but highly amusing NES throwback must have been added to the mix as a pacifier between the ladies and their coke-bottle glasses-wearing boyfriends. It’s by-the-book, keffiyehadorned indie rock, pumped out by the Brooklyn sound factories to compete with electronica imports. But, oh man, it makes us want to dance. U —Trevor Record & Kate Barbaria

february 13, 2009

the ubyssey | www.ubyssey.ca

culture | 9

Championing Asian art in Vancouver An interview with Hank Bull, director of the Asian art gallery Centre A by Jorge Amigo Culture Writer The sole barrier separating West Hastings Street and the gallery space at Centre A is a long glass wall that can be penetrated through a small door. The interior, it seems, wants to permeate the glass and fuse with the outside. To a person walking along the street, the attraction is inevitable. No lineups, no reception, no ticket counter, no coat check, not a single flight of stairs or even a wall between the newcomer and the art displayed at the Vancouver International Centre for Contemporary Asian Art. With a friend, I entered the small door for the first time last year to interview Hank Bull, the director of Centre A. My first impression was that of a man who feels uneasy in large spaces. As we sat waiting on a couch in the corner of the gallery, we realized that the size of the gallery and the height of the ceilings make it suitable for any type of exhibition. Bull appeared and, after a brief explanation of our mission,

we began asking him the questions we had previously agreed upon. But Bull is not a person that can be easily bound and he immediately escaped our script. Almost apologetically, Bull began by saying that Centre A exists to break down barriers. His intention is to facilitate the transgression of traditional museum roles by expanding the field of cultural intervention. In other words, the art should not stop abruptly behind the doors of the gallery, and the artist should not bow to the traditional labour structure that hangs over larger institutions. Bull envisions a place without hierarchies, where multitasking is the norm, and where the artist and his art are in constant dialogue with the viewer, the bystander, and with the street. A decade ago, Bull took a year-long trip to Asia to escape the Paris-New York syndrome and he came back with the dream of creating an art go-to centre in Vancouver that truly reflected the ethnic composition of the city. He dreamt of a place for new Asian artists to legitimize their art, but also

for established artists to have a platform for interaction with the public. “Art is about people,” Bull said as he explained that by enabling residencies, the gallery becomes a workshop for artists who develop their art through a constant interaction with the gallery’s visitors. The door of the gallery opened suddenly and a homeless resident of East Hastings appeared behind us. She gave us a joyful greeting and Bull introduced her as one of the honorary visitors to Centre A. In an instant, the life of the streets fused with the space of the gallery, marking the absurdity of the outside/inside boundary. “Our location is crucial,” Bull continued. The gallery is located at the cultural heart of Vancouver, on the corner that divides Gastown from Chinatown, West from East. The street outside is always vibrant, with people walking or pushing shopping carts. Anyone can walk in; the door is always open. This enables Centre A to receive constant feedback from the community it serves and, thus, live up to the director’s vision:

to build a pluralistic democracy through art. I was interested in knowing how Centre A relates to the more traditional Vancouver Art Gallery (VAG) and Bull explained that partnerships are very common in this city. This led me to ask how was Centre A different and he was quick to deliver the central response in our conversation: the VAG does not reflect the ethnic reality of Vancouver. Even if they cooperate, Centre A’s main drive is to boost the Asian presence in the city in order to fulfill its mission: “push the boundaries of contemporary art that question and complicate the construction of Asian and Asian-Canadian cultural identity.” Centre A does not settle on a particular construction of “Asian.” It is crucial for the gallery’s survival to maintain an edge of transgression because, as Bull puts it, “you don’t want to be an agent for liberation and then become an instrument of control.” In this sense, “we don’t tell you what Asian is…. We’re here to open the door to exponents of ‘Asian’ without

defining it.” After hearing this I began to understand that Bull’s vision includes a constant battle for ideas to redefine the cultural environment of Vancouver. Centre A is not only the setting, but also the moderator and the debater in this fight. Bull is on a mission to reinvent the museum and to save the Vancouver art scene from the bounds of Western paradigms. Luckily for us, he won’t stop until cultural diversity is sufficiently represented in this city. U

We don’t tell you what Asian is.... We’re here to open the door to exponents of ‘Asian’

without defining it.

—Hank Bull

E

Editorial

If you’d like to submit a letter, please contact [email protected]

February 13, 2009 | Page 10

AUS’s wet dreams of ACF

The AUS council has got its knickers in a knot over a supposed reincarnation of the most fantastically drunken, disorderly party UBC has ever seen. The Facebook statuses of the most intimate Arts hacks insinuate the return of the Arts County Fair could be near. Regardless, this isn’t your triumphant Dark Knight sort of return—it’s more like kids playing with their Batman and Joker toys, saying “the only sensible way to live in this world is without rules!” This would be a lukewarm ACF at best, something that most would sheepishly acknowledge. There is no conceivable way that the AUS could host an event of the magnitude of ACF. For one, seven weeks from the tentative event date of April 3 is far too little time to plan a gargantuan bash—planning for the stadium-sized ACF used to start in October, not February. Support for another ACF is diminished in council, as many council members are acutely aware of the financial hangover from the last 16 years of partying. Epic came at a price. Event costs—including first aid, ambulance, and security services—dramatically increased since ACF’s inception. Add a long-standing deficit to the equation with declining ticket sales and voila: The AUS is still in debt $32,000. In its day, ACF was the experience of a year for thousands of students. We in our glorious mess were the envy of students across the nation. ACF wasn’t just for Arts students, Commerce students, or Science students, it was for everyone of all faculties and all years. Despite all those burger-flipping jokes about an Arts degree, the AUS footed the bill for a year-end party that defined a unique UBC experience 16 years running. We recognize that ACF isn’t coming back this year. Until this whole debt thing is sorted out it probably won’t. However, it’s great to hear that at least one student group is down to party in the name of a good time. U

by Katarina GrgiĆ

Blaming the budget Letters Popularity for the minority Conservative government has declined approximately four points since October’s election. Consequently, Stephen Harper’s party is now dead even with the opposition Liberals, each having about 33 per cent of the nation’s backing. It appears digging your head in the sand about the economy, starting a parliamentary crisis, and then flip-flopping on how much government intervention is needed causes a drop in popularity. Who would’ve thunk it. Desperate times require desperate changes, and the Conservatives will have to create positive economic change if they want to stay in government for much longer. Harper has a lot to worry about, especially from the opposition. Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff has done well for his party so far, galvanizing the public more than Dion ever did, and made the right decision to support the budget conditionally—overturning the government at his first chance would have probably led us to another identical parliament. Additionally problematic for Harper is the new budget itself, which has been somewhat unpopular—although not unpopular enough to take down the government. It will sink Canada into a rather sizable deficit: $64 billion over two years, $40 billion of which will go toward efforts to stimulate the economy. The massive deficit is in “anticipation of significant economic challenges—including significant job losses—in the year to come,” the prime minister said. But is it necessary? In 1945, then Prime Minister Mackenzie King faced a debatably similar financial crisis after the war. His solution was to create money and give interest-free loans to provinces and municipalities, which proved highly, if a bit surprisingly, effective. An economic boom ensued. Whether or not something similar would even be feasible is probably impossible to say, and it’s certainly a risky move. However, the point is that there are always alternatives, and that putting the nation $64 billion in debt is a risky move itself. For the last 15 years, we’ve been told that fiscal responsibility is the most important thing the government can do, and that no way, no how should we go back to the spiralling deficits of the 70s and 80s. And as most of us university students are young Canadians, we’ll be the ones most responsible for cleaning the mess. In general, the budget has been problematic for university students. It was revealed that the only agency that gives significant funding to scientific research was left out of this year’s budget. This combined with the deficit resonates a common theme: a lack of consideration for our nation’s future—a future that current university students will be largely responsible for. All that being said, the country is amidst an economic crisis that has no easy or obvious solution. This is a global crisis, and to paraphrase Joe Biden, even if our government does everything right, there’s still a 30 per cent chance it won’t work. The Conservatives will live or die by which way the economy moves in the near-future. And frankly, odds are that they’ll be playing the scapegoat—whether it’s entirely warranted or not. U

Quote of the Day When I heard about the disqualification I was watching the Vagina Monologues...so I was shocked.

—Michael Duncan

IN RESPONSE TO OUR PRIDE SUPPLEMENT Dear Outweek Ubyssey Coordinator, Having admired last year’s empowering and well-constructed PrideWeek Issue of The Ubyssey for its diversity, honesty and realistic expression of queer issues and joys, I was infuriated by this year’s attempt. With hundreds of queer voices and writers on campus, how could you fail so profoundly? You explained the numbingly generic theme “Out and Wild” as an order for oncampus queers to flaunt their sexualities. This is extremely problematic and disturbing: having been co-opted by Cosmolike magazines which strongly feminize the word, flaunt has come to describe flippant, selfexploitative and ostentatious sexuality. It is offensively antimasculist and irresponsible to

have a word usually reserved for self-assertive and boastful behaviour used to describe my sexuality, especially when no further explanation is provided. The last thing we need is someone throwing the effete blanket over all of queer sexuality again. Even more enraging are most of the articles that follow. Grgic uses the words “gay” and “queer” interchangeably with negligible regard for their actual (different!) meanings. Grgic and Molly D both highlight Davie St. as a so-called gaybourhood, even further exemplifying a thick understanding of queer identity in Vancouver. While the Davie village has a higher-concentration of queer businesses, asserting that Davie is more gay than Robson is misinformed and moronic. Molly D goes on to position a lesbian politician’s ‘wife,’ ‘family’ and political ‘victory’ as strange and alien by using single quotes persistently around these

terms; there are no words to describe this viewpoint but homophobic. In a paper that’s meant to give students a voice, specifically in this case LGBT students, the presentation of these foughtfor rights as strange or unusual is enraging and vehemently empowers homophobia. Molly D, whose anonymity is troubling, goes on to muse that “[t]he statement that the gay and lesbian community are simply like other people eases the fears in many. It is a counterpart to the multiculturalism in Canada.” Such a rashly backwards, misinformed, heterocentric generalization cannot be presented as representative of any pointof-view that is not inequitable, homophobic and unabashedly hateful. —Parker McLean English and Geography 4

Streeters What is your pet peeve?

Chrissy Taylor, Psych/Family Studies 4

Matthew Doucette Pilles Arts 2

“When people come outside of buildings and they stand in big groups, and they don’t move; so you can’t get in and nobody else can get out.”

“You know those little cards...and they have puppies or kittens doing cute things on them, those make me so angry.... They’re cop outs; they’re not cute, they’re not funny, no one wins, not even the puppies or kittens.”

Marco Firme Visual Arts 3

“People who don’t throw their recyclables in the recycle bin...cause it’s so easy to do it and some people still don’t.”

Kevin Chau Science 1

“Definitely slow walkers, because sometimes when you’re really in a hurry...there’s some couple right in front of the stairs taking up the whole thing, and you can’t really get around.”

Heidi Loos, Arts 1

“When people walk really slowly up the stairs in front of me...because I’m trying to get to class...and it’s really frustrating.”

—Coordinated by Tara Martellaro & Kathy Yan Li, with photos by Gerald Deo

february 13, 2009

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games & comics | 11

SUScomic.com

by Michael Bround

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9 5 1 HARD #2

#4

Are you interested in making some comics? Then e-mail us at [email protected]

Crossword ACROSS 1. Trio of goddesses of destiny 6. Detailed description for critique 10. Play divisions 14. Buddy, in Costa Rica 15. Lotion additive 16. The second largest denomination of Islam 17. Alcoholic iced tea 19. Blood, in Quebec 20. Picnic pest 21. Borrowed money 22. Spider genus 24. __ into a false sense of security. 25. Plait 26. Have a lofty goal 29. Supermodel characteristic 32. A row of strong cilia whose bases are fused 33. Conversation connector 34. A grassy field 35. An undertaking 36. Look forward to 37. Belly button finding 38. A painter’s output 39. Chiefly Mexican plant with a large rosette of thick fleshy leaves 40. Distrustful 41. Aveeno’s use 43. Growler 44. A Scottish landowner 45. Seeded 46. Daily planner 48. Chunk 49. Egg layer

by Kyrstin Bain 52. Lady’s man 53. The Ubyssey’s Photo Editor 56. Competition 57. Unkn. 58. A major French river 59. Greek god of war 60. Horrible scent 61. Certain cactus DOWN 1. __ __ la la la 2. Tolkein’s Sindarin word for hill 3. Dye 4. Breakfast staple 5. Dirty something 6. Small North American evergreen shrub 7. Blueprint 8. A long long time 9. The seed of a pine 10. Attack 11. Ornate ceiling light 12. Part of a fork 13. Narrative 18. Only 23. Intense anger 24. Part of a chain 25. An evil spirit 26. Function like 27. Bare 28. Epidemic 29. Time off work 30. Certain style of writing 31. Bacchus’ attendant 33. Surface layer of ground

36. Algae extract, used as a gelling agent in foods 37. Skinny 39. Stomach feature that breaks down food 40. Of humble birth 42. The capital of the Pays de la Loire region of France 43. Lion’s cry 45. Steal 46. Former capital of the Mogul empire 47. Sports stuff 48. Standard piece of footwear 49. Hula-__ 50. Inactive Sicilian volcano 51. French word meaning Christmas 54. Single 55. An inverse ohm

SSports

Editor: Shun Endo | E-mail: [email protected]

Athletes of the Week

February 13, 2009 | Page 12

by Claire Hanna, Thunderbird Athletic Council

kellan higgins photos/the ubyssey

JODY SCHUURMAN, WOMEN’S ROWING

SARA TRELOAR, WOMEN’S SOCCER

At the Indoor Rowing Championships this past weekend, Jody Schuurman of the UBC Women’s Rowing team helped her team to a victory in the UBC Alumni and Corporate category. Not only did she attain a personal best time in the event, but she won the Premier’s Athletic Award for Women’s Rowing, an award that will provide funding and support to the UBC crew. Schuurman’s performance this past weekend earned her a spot at the Senior “A” Women’s national team training camp. U

Sara Treloar of the UBC Women’s Soccer team was a major contributor to the UBC effort to defeat the Capilano Blues soccer team over the weekend. UBC dominated the Blues with a 4–0 shutout. Treloar scored two goals, including the game winning goal, which was on a breakaway. Not only is Treloar a tremendous soccer player, but she’s also a major contributor to the UBC athletic community, and holds a job in the athletic department. You can catch Treloar and the rest of the Birds this weekend in Langley at Trinity Western (TWU), where they take on the TWU Spartans and the University of Alberta Pandas on Saturday. U

Birds crush Wolfpack

Playoff Schedule The Thunderbirds struggled through the first term of the 2008-09 campaign, as many teams failed to meet expectations. The soccer team let go of their title as national champions and the football team missed the playoff spot once again. But this term has been different, with all basketball and volleyball teams qualifying for the playoffs. In particular, the Men’s Basketball team has been displaying their dominance in the Canada West, holding an astonishing 21–2 record and a proud first place in the Pacific Division. The squad will head in to the playoffs this weekend with a clash-up against cross-town rival SFU. Basketball Playoff Schedule (Men’s and Women’s) Feb. 13 - 15 UBC vs. SFU (Best out of three) - At UBC. Division 1st Round Feb. 20 - 22 Winner of SFU and UBC vs. Trinity Western and Victoria - Division Finals Feb. 27 - Feb. 28 Division Winners and one Wild card - Canada West Final Four Mar. 13 - 15 CIS Men’s Championship - Carleton Feb. 13 - 15 UBC vs. Victoria - At Victoria. Division 1st Round Feb. 20 - 22 Winner of UBC and Victoria vs. winner of SFU and Trinity Western - Division Finals Feb. 27 - Feb. 28 Canada West Women’s Final Four Mar. 6 - 8

CIS Women’s Championship - Regina

Volleyball (Men’s and Women’s)

Leanne Evans beat two Thompson Rivers defencemen for one of her 16 points in UBC’s victory. keegan bursaw photo/the ubyssey

Feb. 13 - 15

UBC vs. Brandon (Women @ UBC, Men @ Brandon—best out of three) - 1st Round

Feb. 20 - 21

Canada West Final Fours - Alberta

Feb. 26 - 28

CIS Women’s Volleyball Championships - UNB

Feb. 27 - Mar 1 CIS Men’s Volleyball Championships - Alberta