August 19, 2010

no jumping for joy here! victoria fringe festival denied provincial funding.

PAGE 6

ubc men’s volleyball heads to korea

the ubyssey

AUGUST 19, 2010 • volume 27, number i • room 24, student union building • published monday and thursday • feedback@ubyssey.ca • opening meetings with “coolio” since 1982

koerner’s is back! *

* w i t h h i g h e r p r i c e s , r e va m p e d se rv ice a n d a n “ol de r de mo gr a ph ic” pag e 3

PAGE 4

2 / u b y s s e y. c a / g a m e s / 2 0 1 0 . 0 8 . 1 9 august 19, 2010 volume xxvii, no i editorial coordinating editor

Justin McElroy : coordinating@ubyssey.ca

news editor

games and comics crossword

sudoku

Arshy Mann : news@ubyssey.ca

associate news editor

Maria Kari : associate.news@ubyssey.ca

culture editors

Jonny Wakefield & Bryce Warnes : culture@ubyssey.ca

associate culture editor

Anna Zoria : associate.culture@ubyssey.ca

sports editor

Ian Turner : sports@ubyssey.ca

features editor

Trevor Record : ideas@ubyssey.ca

photo editor

Geoff Lister : photos@ubyssey.ca

production manager

Virginie Ménard : production@ubyssey.ca

copy editor

Kai Green : copy@ubyssey.ca

multimedia editor

Tara Martellaro : multimedia@ubyssey.ca

associate multimedia editor Stephanie Warren : associate.multimedia@ubyssey.ca

video editor

Matt Wetzler : video@ubyssey.ca

webmaster

Jeff Blake : webmaster@ubyssey.ca Room 24, Student Union Building 6138 Student Union Boulevard Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1 tel: 604.822.2301 web: www.ubyssey.ca e-mail: feedback@ubyssey.ca

business Room 23, Student Union Building advertising: 604.822.1654 business office: 604.822.6681 fax: 604.822.1658 e-mail: advertising@ubyssey.ca

business manager

Fernie Pereira : business@ubyssey.ca

ad traffic

Kathy Yan Li : advertising@ubyssey.ca

print and web advertising Paul Bucci : webads@ubyssey.ca

legal The Ubyssey is the official student newspaper of the University of British Columbia. It is published every Monday and Thursday by The Ubyssey Publications Society. We are an autonomous, democratically run student organization, and all students are encouraged to participate.

Editorials are chosen and written by the Ubyssey staff. They are the expressed opinion of the staff, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Ubyssey Publications Society or the University of British Columbia. All editorial content appearing in The Ubyssey is the property of The Ubyssey Publications Society. Stories, opinions, photographs and artwork contained herein cannot be reproduced without the expressed, written permission of The Ubyssey Publications Society.

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.

contributors Brendan Albano went to the store with Kait Bolongaro and decided to buy some Paul Bucci. Unfortunately, everything went wrong when Maria Cirstea ran in full battle mode. She grabbed herself Anthony Goertz who drew our front page graphic and hurled him at Brendan and Kait without fail. Michael Haack wasn’t sure what to do when Maria went nuts, so he called in Henry Lebard to help him out. Philip Storey and Kathy Yan Li ran away with Michael Thibault in tow.

Canada Post Sales Agreement Number 0040878022

printed on 100% recycled paper

CROSSWORD — Puzzles provided by BestCrosswords.com

ACROSS 1. Split radially 6. Small blemish 10. Majeste 14. Gay 15. Soprano Te Kanawa 16. Affirm solemnly 17. Dress with care 18. Frozen treats 19. Capital of Switzerland 20. Brief instant 21. Gillette razors 23. One who favors warlike policies 24. Acclaim 26. It’s often taken after exercise 27. Blazing 29. Lying flat 31. Capital of Calvados, in NW France 32. Hot-dog topping 33. Tax pro 36. One recording the past 40. Hesitant sounds 41. Wash lightly 42. After the bell 43. Flat shelf 44. Short essays 46. AKA

48. Inexpensive 49. Headband 50. Facial expression used by Elvis Presley 52. Turkish title 55. Collar type 56. Emotional state 57. Impressionist Edgar 59. “___ quam videri” (North Carolina’s motto) 60. Annapolis sch.

61. Affectation of sophisticates 62. Russian no 63. Entrance 64. Orchestra section DOWN 1. Workout count 2. Memo heading 3. Mute 4. “Slippery” tree 5. Incendiary fuel 6. Garment worn by women 7. Size of type 8. Minerals 9. The season...

10. Likely to change 11. 2, 4, 6, 8, etc.

12. Suit fabric

13. Cube creator Rubik 22. ___ Kwon Do 23. Small group ruling a country 25. Pious platitudes 26. Rain cats and dogs 27. Dull pain 28. Free from bias 29. Plain writing 30. Anger 32. Monarch 33. Sparkling dry white wine 34. Sneaky guy?

35. Ancient Athens’ Temple of ___ 37. Mountain nymph 38. Frees (of) 39. Entreaty 43. Young roarer 44. Common article 45. Guy who tends goats 46. Restless 47. Unfettered 48. Aromatic wood 49. Observed 50. Indifferent 51. Taboo 53. Showy trinket 54. Warts and all 56. Mire 58. Chemical ending

solutions

comicmaster, by maria cirstea

We want you to draw comics for us!

suscomic.com, by michael bround

You know you want to see your drawings in print, and so do we.

virginie menard production@ubyssey.ca

U theubyssey.ca

2 010 . 0 8 .19 / u b y s s e y. c a / n e w s / 3

News

editor ARSHY MANN » news@ubyssey.ca

associate MARIA KARI » associate.news@ubyssey.ca

Koerner’s turns on the taps

NEWS BRIEFS

New manager raising prices and upgrading service to target faculty and staff Arshy Mann news@ubyssey.ca The first pitcher of beer sold at Koerner’s in four months was drunk quietly on the pub’s patio last Wednesday afternoon.

The Graduate Student Society began serving alcohol at the campus pub last week after the university reinstated their liquor license, bringing Koerners’ 133-day dry spell to an end.

However, the GSS’s new Food and Beverage Manager, Gerald Cole, said that some major changes are coming to the bar in the coming months.

“We’re going after an older demographic,” he told The Ubyssey.

Cole, who is a 30-year veteran of t he food and beverage industry, said that alongside h ig her prices and t he hiring of private security for busy nights, Koerner’s will be switching from self-service to a table service model.

He hopes that these changes, combined with higher quality food and liquor, will make the pub more attractive to faculty and staff.

“We’re in competition with other facilities here on the campus that pay their employees at a lower rate than we pay, who have larger venues and therefore far larger volumes, which means they can operate at a far smaller profit margin than we can,” said Cole.

“It was absolutely incumbent upon us to raise our prices.”

courtesy of jason rowe/flickr

The new regular price for the cheapest drink at Koerner’s, Rocky Mountain Pilsner, is $16.25. However, daily specials range for a pitcher range from $12.25 (on Mondays) to $14.25 (on every other day) .

“If you want to have a cheap drink, you can still get a cheap drink,” said Cole. “But all of the drinks aren’t cheap.”

He also emphasized that his top priority was to ensure that no liquor infractions, such as the two that led to Koerner’s losing its liquor license in March, would occur under his watch.

“I don’t care if you have grey hair; if you don’t have ID, you’re not getting served in Koerner’s Pub,” said Cole.

He also made clear that the pub would not allow more people into the facility than what their liquor license allows.

“We’re licensed to 150 people.

So on a night like Monday and a night like Friday, we’re going to be busy with 150 people, not 225 people,” he said.

Regardless of these changes, the pub’s hours will stay the same in September and open mic nights will continue to be a Monday night ritual.

VP Students Brian Sullivan made it clear that these changes were not requested by UBC. “This was very much decided by the GSS,” said Sullivan.

“If they want to go heavier on the food, or change the menu,

or change prices, that’s their business.”

However, some students have expressed concerns that the changes that Cole and the GSS are proposing mean that Koerner’s is no longer a student-oriented facility.

“Right now the only place left where people can go for cheap drinks in a student-priced bar setting is essentially the Gallery,” said Elin Tay yar, who serves as VP Finance of the AMS. “Koerner’s was a nice alternative, but now I don’t think that alternative exists.”

Tayyar and VP Academic Ben Cappellacci, neither of whom spoke on behalf of the AMS, believed that not only are the changes negative for students, they’re an impractical business move.

“Koerner’s is trying to bite into an already saturated market now between Mahoney’s and the Point Grill,” said Cappellacci.

“All of these bars are catering to a higher-end student experience that may be out of reach for many students.”

GSS President Arvind Saraswat was not able to comment by press time. However, Cole is certain that the pub will continue to appeal to students.

“Koerner’s will very much be a customer driven facility. The things that work, the things that are profitable, the things that are popular with the clientele, we will continue to do.” U

AMS budget passes after month in limbo

UBC employees suspended for watching porn on work computers

Thirteen UBC unionized staffers have been suspended for viewing, recieving and distributing pornography on their work computers. They were given ten-day suspensions.

The RCMP detachment at UBC was not involved in the investigation, which was done by UBC’s IT unit. Details on the kinds of material viewed and employees suspended were not released by the university.

UBC third in country for professor salary gender gap

According to the annual University and College Academic Staff survey, male professors at Canadian universities earn on average higher salaries than their female colleagues. UBC had the third largest gap, according to numbers released

by Statistics Canada: male professors have an average salary $16,559 higher than female professors also working fulltime. The highest pay gap is at the University of Toronto, with a reported discrepancy of $20,362. University of Calgary came in second, with a pay gap of $20,147.

University officials at U of T said discrepancies were not a sign of bias, but a result of former hiring practices that favoured men, as well as the distribution of men and womevn in different disciplines. Fields such as engineering and computer science pay more and are dominated by men, they said, while social sciences and humanities pay less and host more female professors.

Execs appease council by presenting plan for Block Party and explaining special projects funds

UBC Journalism students receive Emmy nominations for documentary

Arshy Mann news@ubyssey.ca

Ten students from UBC’s Graduate Journalism program have received two Emmy nominations for their documentary Ghana: Digital Dumping Ground.

The documentary, which aired last year, investigated the dumping and recycling of electronic waste in developing countries.

The Emmy nominations are in the categories of outstanding investigative journalism and outstanding research. Ghana: Digital Dumping Ground won the Society for Professional Journalists Sigma Delta Chi award earlier this year.

The Alma Mater Society (AMS) council voted 27 to 3 with 3 abstentions to approve the budget put forward by the executive last week. The approved budget was largely unchanged from the one which had been voted down in July.

“I feel t hat we’ve accomplished a connection with council,” AMS President Bijan Ahmadian said. “This is one of those situations where we [had] conflict and we came out of that conflict stronger.”

The budget’s confirmation came after a month-long consultation process promised by the executive when council refused to pass the budget on July 14th. Although few alterations were made to the content of the budget, the executive’s release of a breakdown for Block Party, as well as their clarification of how much of the money allocated to special project funds would be spent, appeased most of the councilors who had initially opposed the budget. Some councillors had said that they had not necessarily opposed the substance of the budget, but

instead the way in which it was presented.

“Apart from the specific dollar amounts, the process has changed,” said Arts councillor Kyle Warwick, who was one of the budget’s strongest opponents in July.

Arts councillor Michael Haack, one of the three who still opposed the budget, said the executive did not adequately explain what certain portions of the budget will actually be used for.

“We’re allocating money towards items on the budget to which there is no plan,” Haack said. “For team-building and professional development, we’re allocating $3000 to nothing. We don’t have a plan as to how we’re going to spend it and that’s not fiscally prudent.”

“I still feel like we’re giving blank cheques to the exec to spend on whatever they want, and that’s not how a non-profit society works.”

Block Party Budget Released One of council’s primary demands during July was addressed by AMS executives when

they released a preliminary budget for Block Party, the event held on the last day of classes that began three years ago following the closure of Arts County Fair (ACF). The Block Party held last year lost $103,000, but the new budget plans to make Block Party a revenue-neutral event by significantly cutting the money spent on bands.

“You should get the head of the person who booked the Barenaked Ladies for a bunch of 18- and 19-year-olds,” Budget Committee member Erik Mackinnon told Council during the initial July 14th budget meeting. “Last year was a disaster, but this year the costs are considerably lower.”

The AMS intends to cut the talent budget from $115,000 to $18,500 in order to avoid the $103,000 loss that the event incurred in 2010. The AMS is looking to decrease ticket prices and engage constituencies in non-financial ways in order to attract more concert-goers.

AMS President Bijan Ahmadian said that he intends to put a lot more effort into promoting the event this year.

“Last year, there were two people trying to sell tickets, and

that’s not enough,” he said. “For ACF, you had over 50 people just putting up posters.”

MacKinnon argued that the AMS had to decide what kind of event they wanted Block Party to be.

“Is Block Party going to be an end of the year Welcome Back Barbecue or another Arts County Fair?” he asked.

He contended that although Block Party may not be as big as ACF was, it could be a successful and financially feasible event. U

New Biomass Technology arrives at UBC

Arts County Fair Arts County Fair was organized by the Arts Undergraduate Society and was the largest annual student run event in Canada. Due to its financial unsustainability, the Arts County Fair was cancelled in 2007.

The CBC reports that UBC will be partnering with the City of Vancouver to add to their green credentials. In late 2011, a biomass system designed by Nexterra Systems Corp. will be deployed that converts biomass, for example given to UBC by the City of Vancouver, such as tree trimmings, into heat and electricity.

UBC is currently planning to cut its emissions by 4,000 tonnes per year.

4 / u b y s s e y. c a / s p o r t s / 2 0 1 0 . 0 8 . 1 9

sports

editor IAN TURNER » sports@ubyssey.ca

Men’s Volleyball Team off to Korea

bird droppings

Rookies and seniors bond abroad

Raptors to play intersquad game at UBC On August 11, the Toronto Raptors’ brass announced that their team will train at UBC’s War Memorial Gym from October 1 to 6.

Their practices will be closed to the public, but on October 3 at 1pm, the Raptors will hold an intrasquad match that will be open to the public. The event is free, but UBC Athletics is encouraging a $15 donation per person to their scholarship fund.

The Raptors are seeking to dig their claws deep into Canada by playing a league game against the New York Knicks in Montreal and a pre-season game against the Phoenix Suns at Rogers Arena, formerly known as GM Place.

Jay Triano, the Raptors’ head coach, was Simon Fraser’s head coach from 1988-1995.

Ian Turner sports@ubyssey.ca On August 30, the men’s volleyball team will travel to Seoul, South Korea, where they will play at least six competitive teams in a 14-day period.

“It’s going to be a blast, and I know everyone else is looking forward to it,” fifth-year libero Blair Bann said.

This is the first year the team has traveled to Korea since 2006, when Bann was a freshman. “It was pretty wild. It was one of the reasons, I guess, I even came to UBC. This trip sparked my UBC career. I knew some guys [at UBC] already so that made it all a lot easier. They had a bus waiting for us there. That’s my first memory. Driving to the hotel.”

Now, after training with the national team, and as a graduating player, his role will be different.

“Just looking back at the older guys then, yeah, for sure, volleyball and getting ready for the season was a priority for them, but at the same time, it was getting to know the guys and hanging out in a different part of the world. That really helps the group mesh together well.”

One such recruit Bann will seek to welcome into the fold is Garret LaValley. The incoming freshman has yet to sit in a university class, but he’ll shortly embark on a university-sponsored trip halfway around the globe.

“It’s ridiculous,” LaValley said of the trip.

LaValley will, along with his new teammates, be working a

Women’s basketball team loses exhibition

Left to right: John Cordonier, head coach Richard Schick and Blair Bann. stephanie warren photo collage / the ubyssey

volleyball training camp in late August to pay for a portion of the trip.

With as many as seven rookies flying to Asia, it’s a new-look UBC team heading to Asia. UBC head coach Richard Schick would like to carry a total of 16 players this year, but will take more if he discovers a 17th or 18th gem during camp.

Schick has a few goals for the trip: “To learn systems where there is no real pressure. It’s just going to be repetition, repetition, repetition, so it may not be the most exciting thing for the guys.

It’s ingraining the movements that we want. It’s ingraining the

philosophy that we want. It’s ingraining the situation decisions that we want. I feel like we have the athletes, but we need to train the mind, how we’re supposed to react,” he said.

After last year’s disappointing season, Schick is excited to start the season off with a bang and an amazing coaching opportunity.

“We haven’t reacted well under pressure in the last year and a half as a whole, and that is something that has to get better. That has to get better by becoming comfortable, liking your teammates, and that takes extra days,” he said.

The team won’t have it easy over there. The Koreans invited UBC to prepare for their upcoming national collegiate championship.

“They’re phenomenal athletes.

They’re phenomenal passers.

They’re not going to be as big as us, but they’re going to be technically more sound. They’re at the end of their season,” Schick said.

But the players are ready and excited for the challenge, along with the culture shock.

“Everything is different,” said Bann. “It’s super hot and smoggy. It’s a lot different than walking down Granville.” U

For a pre-season warm-up, the UBC women’s basketball team took on Texas Christian University (TCU) last night. TCU won the affair 113-56.

Missing five players from their current roster, head coach Deb Huband was forced to gather a few girls that had not yet practiced with the squad. “We didn’t have any of our systems in place, we didn’t have the whole team here,” she said.

“On September 2nd, that’s when we’ll have everyone here and that’s when we’ll actually start to look like a team and not just a bunch of ragamuffins.”

In the final minute of play, Chloee St. Amour injured her ankle.

- Henry LeBard

T-Birds kick off training camp this weekend Ian Turner sports@ubyssey.ca Where won’t you find people walking on Saturday?

At football head coach Shawn Olson’s training camp.

On Saturday, Olson, who quarterbacked UBC to a Vanier Cup in 1997, will open up his training camp at 9am with a day-long talk. He’ll inform players of his laws, one of which is that there’s no walking when practicing.

“One thing we are focusing on will be introducing our way of doing things, which is part of the culture change we are trying to enact here,” he said in a UBC press release.

Though on-field practicing will begin next week, many of the players have been working hard since the season ended.

Six players selected by Olson were sponsored by downtown’s Studio 55, which is owned by a former UBC football player, to train two hours a day, five or six times a week.

There, said defensive lineman Serge Kaminsky, he focused on strengthening his core, increasing his flexibility and improving his footwork. This is designed to minimize the chance of injury, which had been a bane of the football program under previous head coach Ted Goveia’s tenure.

And other areas are being rebuilt as well.

For one, morale.

“From day one, when he came in, he brought a completely different attitude and energy than we’re used to. Like, I could genuinely feel that he’s excited to be here and that he wants to make the change. The attitude was never like that before. It was always more negative. Now it’s positive. We’ve got a good outlook for the program’s future,” said Kaminsky.

Quarterback Billy Greene is also pleased with Olson.

“I’ve never had a quarterback coach so for me it’s huge, and I have him always there with me saying ‘OK, you need to do this,

Shawn Olson, head coach of UBC football. richard lam file photo/THE UBYSSEY

you need to do that’. Fundamentally, he’s helping me out, especially with the mental side... Directly he’s been amazing for me.

He went through it. Same high school and on to UBC. He knows what it takes. And he’s going to be there.”

Greene has a leg up on the two other UBC students vying for the starting quaterback gig, but Olson maintains that every

position on the field is available.

“Every position is wide open.

As a coaching staff, we are going in with an open mind and will evaluate the talent we have at every position,” said Olson.

“Players have to be judged by how they perform and we are going to reward the guys who are doing what we are asking them to do. There has to be a bit of competitive tension in the

roster which will keep guys from becoming complacent.”

He’s also bringing over students he coached at Simon Fraser University, where he was the offensive coordinator last year.

And as Olson hopes to be here for a while, he’s making his digs more comfortable.

Two weeks ago, he was painting a room at UBC’s football stadium that he was shaping up to serve as an office for his assistant coaches.

He has placed TVs in the locker room for tape purposes.

And there’s the new turf field, which will be ready just in time for training camp.

Next to his office, he’s developing a heritage room to showcase UBC’s football history.

Olson has already earned his place in the room as a player.

He hopes to start a new legacy at UBC beginning this week. U UBC kicks off its 2010 regular season at Thunderbird Stadium against the Alberta Golden Bears on September 4 at 1pm.

2 010 . 0 8 .19/ u bys se y.c a /C u lt u r e /5

culture

editorS BRYCE WARNES & JONNY WAKEFIELD » culture@ubyssey.ca associate anna Zoria » associate.culture@ubyssey.ca

As local as it gets

album reviews Phil Storey Contributor

UBC Farm Market is—get ready for it—still growing Bryce Warnes culture@ubyssey.ca Visiting the UBC Farm Market on a sunny Saturday in August, it is easy to forget you’re in the city.

Only the distant murmur of traffic reminds visitors of the Farm’s urban proximity.

Idyllic as it is, though, this agrarian paradise serves a practical purpose. Through a combination of water, sun, soil and hard work, it manages to feed residents of both the campus and the surrounding community.

While many vegetables are available year-round in supermarkets, the Farm follows a different schedule. This year’s production began in May, and employees estimate it should continue into mid-October. Everything sold is organic and locally produced—meaning that it is closely tied to the cycle of the seasons.

“Every week we have different things coming to the market,” said Vanessa Perrodou, the market manager. “Something like peas are an early season product. We have those early on, in June and July. Now that we’re into August, pea season is over.”

The changing seasons affect more than the food growing on the Farm, though. The arrival of the school year typically sees an influx of new volunteers and customers.

“Each week, about twenty per cent of the people coming to the market are coming for the first

Born Ruffians Say It

Apologies in advance if this photo is misleading. Pea season is over. Photo Courtesy UBC Farm

time,” said Perrodou. And making the hike down to the Farm provides benefits that go beyond the gastronomic.

“Our market’s a little bit different [from] all the other farmers’ markets you can go to on a Saturday. It’s more of a destination. A lot of people come out here for the day, to walk around and to have a picnic. They can see our chickens, and take a farm tour at 11.”

Perrodou added t hat t he Farm Market aims to match its prices with local grocery stores and other farmers’ markets.

She notes that it is not always possible to meet the low prices of national chain stores that import their produce from outside the country, but by paying a little extra, the customer gets a product that can’t be found in Safeway, Superstore or Costco.

“It’s about as local as it can get... Especially if you’re living on campus, you really can’t get food that is sourced more locally than our farm,” she said.

“The freshness and the quality of our food is unprecedented.

You basically can’t get fresher

produce or a more quality product in a grocery store.”

The UBC Farm Market runs Saturdays from 9am to 1pm.

Market sales on campus take place in front of the UBC Bookstore on Wednesdays, from 11:30am to 1:30pm.

Visit the Farm this Saturday, August 21, for their Summer Harvest Festival. Events run from 9am to 1pm and include food preservation tutorials, tours of the Farm and free tune-ups from the UBC Bike Co-op. Visit http:// www.landfood.ubc.ca/ubcfarm/ for more information. U

No utensils needed: Ethiopian food in Vancouver Food with Kait Bolongaro At the centre of the horn of Africa lies Ethiopia, one of the oldest countries in the world and the spiritual homeland of Rastafarianism. With such rich cultural history, the culinary traditions of Ethiopia are often overlooked.

Spices and lentils abound in this cuisine, but the humble injeera forms the backbone of any Ethiopian dish. Injeee-what?

Say it with me: in-JEE-ra.

Injeera is made from teff flour and has a taste not unlike sourdough bread. This is due to the fermentation of the teff flour in water for at least two days. After the batter is fermented, the injeera is cooked on a large clay slab over high temperatures immediately before serving. The result is a light spongy flatbread, a cross between sourdough and crepes.

Injeera functions, similar to Indian naan or chapatti, as cutlery. The majority of Ethiopian dishes are eaten sans utensils.

As Girma Bekele, an Ethiopian

Well, isn’t this swell. The Culture editors at The Ubyssey have graciously allowed me to continue my humble music review column. In the spirit of second chances and forgiveness, here are two of the summer’s highly anticipated sophomore albums.

The albums discussed today run the gamut, from triumphant returns to glorious first albums to efforts that break our hearts on the rocks of great expectations.

While I wouldn’t say that Say It quite compares to Born Ruffian’s first album Red, Yellow, and Blue in overall quality, I would say that it’s definitely worth a listen and that UBC students are lucky to have them playing Firstweek this year.

Born Ruffians haven’t changed the formula for their songs in the last two years. Luckily, there isn’t anything worth changing. Luke LaLonde’s quirky singing matches their off-kilter style of indie rock.

The album starts out with the stellar “Oh Man,” which has some great melodies, then transitions into “Retard Canard,” a fun little pop tune.

However, about halfway through, the band seem to lose interest in what they are doing. The last few songs are hardly worth mentioning. While the album promises bang but ends with fizzle, it’s worth checking out, even if you have to pretend it’s only an EP. Bombay Bicycle Club Flaws

expatriate living in Vancouver, demonstrates : a piece of injeera the size of the palm is held in the right hand and used as a scoop to hold the dish.

While injeera is the backbone of any Ethiopian cuisine, the body consists of an almost equal number of vegetarian and non-vegetarian options.

One popular meat dish is doro wat—ground chicken in red pepper paste spiced with c ayen ne a nd papr i k a a nd served with a hardboiled egg.

Doro wat serves as a good introduction to Ethiopian food due to its universal appeal.

For those who are feeling less inhibited, alicha, a turmeric and chili pepper-infused goat dish, is a spicier alternative.

An Ethiopian restaurant is a great option for vegetarians and vegans alike. In fact, most non-meat recipes do not contain any animal by-products.

One such dish is alecha, carrots and potatoes fried in canned tomatoes with turmeric. The

turmeric complements these two root vegetables nicely and the result is a more flavourful concoction than its northern cousin, the boiled carrots and potatoes.

Vegetables aside, there is no lack of vegetarian protein in Ethiopian eats. There are several dishes mainly composed of lentils, including berberé stew, a dish of lentils in a tomato-based gravy, and dal, a yellow split pea dish with—you guessed it—turmeric.

While Ethiopia is on the opposite side of the world, it is possible to enjoy its flavours in Vancouver. Two places I would personally recommend are Harambe, at 2149 Commercial Drive, and Axum, at 1279 East Hastings Street. While these restaurants are a trek from campus, they are worth the 40-minute bus ride on the 99 B-line. The prices are good, and there are shared platters for up to four people available for around $10$14 per person.

Combined with the cultural ambience, these restaurants act as teleportation devices, giving customers a taste of Ethiopia without the $2000 plane ticket. U Bolongaro is one of several columnists whose writing will appear in this space every issue, with topics ranging from university life to comics to the outdoors.

Ethiopian Food PIcks Harambe Ethiopian Cuisine 2149 Commercial Drive Axum Ethiopian Restaurant 1279 East Hastings Street Addis Cafe 2017 Commercial Drive Fassil Ethiopian 5 - 736 East Broadway

If this album wasn’t so good, I’d have been able to repeat the word Flaws throughout this review, which everybody would have found amusing because it’s the name of the album and also a word that indicates something is bad. Which it is not.

On their first album, BBC stuck to their rock’ n’ roll guns. Flaws is a lot more introspective and melancholy. Singer Jack Steadman’s vocals are as emotive as ever, and it seems that his guitar work has only gotten better. The song “My God” in particular really shows off his skills as both a songwriter and a musician. U

6/ u bys se y.c a /c u lt u r e /2 010 . 0 8 .19

Tough summer for BC Arts Grants dry up, Victoria Fringe “doesn’t represent culture” JONNY WAKEFIELD culture@ubyssey.ca The head of the Victoria Fringe Theatre Festival says he expected a rejection of his company’s request for provincial funding.

What he didn’t expect, however, was an insult.

On June 17, Ian Case, General Manager of Intrepid Theatre, received the rejection of his request for a $45,000 Community Gaming Grant­­–one of several provincial grants available to community programs. Case said that when the theatre company applied, it fit the criteria.

Intrepid runs the popular avantgarde Fringe Festival, as well as several other theatre programs around Victoria.

The rejection, from the BC Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch, read: “Fairs and festivals that do not reflect the community, regional or cultural characteristics of a community are ineligible for a grant.

Your programs do not appear to fit within these criteria.”

“We were shocked,” said Case.

“The Fringe Festival is about 75 per cent local or BC based in terms of the number of performances and shows. It is highly reflective of both our community and the province.” The 2009 Fringe Festival drew 23,000 attendees, and starts its 24th run on August 26.

Other arts groups share Case’s disdain. “The assertion that festivals ‘do not reflect the nature of the community’ is absurd,” said David Jordan, Executive Director of the Vancouver Fringe Festival in a statement to The Ubyssey. “Intrepid Theatre are without a doubt pillars of community in Victoria.”

With arts funding at an all time low, Case said that he had prepared the company for belttightening, cutting all grant money out of the budget. But when Fringe appeared to be eligible for the new Community Gaming Grant, he applied. His indignation is not at the denial of funding, but at the insult attached to it.

Case is troubled by what he considers the poor treatment arts groups have received from BC Gaming, the branch of the Ministry of Housing and Social Development that oversees gaming policy in BC. He cites the lack of criteria given in the rejection and the lack of transparency in Gaming’s grant-writing process.

“The entire Gaming Funding Branch is really a closed-door bureaucracy,” said Case. “Gaming analysts make the decisions on their own. They are not representative of the different sectors that are asking for funding.”

Case also says that the arts community has enjoyed a constructive relationship with the

The loss of funding means the loss of art. It’s a very simple equation.

Intrepid Theatre gerneral manager ian case

Photo Courtesy of Victoria Fringe Festival

BC Arts Council, another organization that distributes money set aside by the legislature to arts groups. The council uses a peer-reviewed adjudication process for distributing grants.

“So many people look at what you have done and what you’re going to do and make a decision based on that,” said Case, “rather than one person sitting in a cubicle in an office somewhere.”

The BC Arts Council had $10 million cut from its operations in the last budget. Earlier this week, council chair Jane Danzo resigned her position in protest, saying the council board no longer “have a voice independent of government”, according to a report in The Vancouver Sun. Funding the Fringe Like many professional arts organizations in BC, the Victoria Fringe Festival relies partly on provincial grants to fund its operation. In 2008, grants from BC Gaming totalled $61,000 of their $260,000 budget. But with cuts to arts funding in the Liberals’ 2009 Budget, the Fringe lost $35,000 in provincial money.

Since Intrepid applied early this year, BC Gaming, which distributes revenues gained from gambling to community programs, changed the grant

eligibilit y requirements for arts programs two times. In March, arts and culture organizations aimed at “adult aud iences” were cut out of f unding , w it h a specia l exception for “fairs and exhibitions, arts and music festivals and museums operated by non-profit societ ies,” according to The Vancouver Sun. Intrepid’s programs fit within these guidelines at the time, Case said.

In May, however, the requirements changed again, pulling gambling money from nonprofit arts groups. According to the branches’ revised eligibility criteria, fairs and festivals that are currently eligible for grants include “regional or local community heritage celebrations, fall fairs, rural fairs and cowboy days.”

Performing arts festivals are listed as ineligible. Arts and culture organizations that are aimed at youth under 18 are still eligible for this grant.

A spokesperson from BC Gaming told The Ubyssey that allocation of gaming grants has been prioritized due to cuts.

Grants for public safety, health and social services as well as youth programs and parent advisory councils will receive priority in the grant-writing process. Adult arts festivals are

ineligible because they do not meet all of the required criteria, like involvement by community members, suitability for all-ages, focus on the community and regional or cultural characteristics.

Tough Decisions With the loss of the provincial grants, Intrepid has few options that don’t involve cuts to programming.

“We don’t have the capacity to turn to corporate sponsors and say ‘Hey, cough up $61,000,’” said Case. “We can’t turn to our donors and say you have to make up the shortfall.

The loss of funding means the loss of art. It’s a very simple equation.”

Because of the cuts, Intrepid has had to scale back programming. Less established programs that rely heavily on provincial money, however, do not have the ability to make such cuts, he added. The size of Uno Fest has been reduced, as has the company’s presenting series, to ensure that the Fringe Festival, their flagship event, is left intact.

“We will protect that program with everything we’ve got,” said Case. U

Eligible examples include regional or local community heritage celebrations, fall fairs, rural fairs and cowboy days.

Examples of ineligible fairs and festivals include • Medieval fairs, fashion fairs; • Performing arts festivals, storytelling festivals, media and visual arts festivals; • Food and/or drink festivals, religious festivals, science festivals, dragon boat festivals.

Eligibility requirement for BC’s Community Gaming Grants, revised May 31, 2010

2 010. 0 8 .19/ u bys sey.c a /opi n ions/7

opinions

do you care? WRITE US A LETTER » feedback@ubyssey.ca

editorial Koerner’s changes; we don’t like that.

As our front page suggests, we are upset about the changes at Koerner’s. You might argue that despite changes to the service and prices, at least the pub is open again. Times change and so do pubs. The Ubyssey is just too sentimental, right?

Targeting an older demographic, increasing prices, expanding a menu and changing from at-bar service to table service wouldn’t normally doom a pub. But UBC is a small community, and this business model is already being implemented by Mahoney’s.

Actually, Mahoney’s implementation is better.

The increased prices at Koerner’s for the cheapest pitcher ($16.25 for Rocky Mountain Pilsner) will ensure that the cash-strapped will be heading over to Mahoney’s for Hatchet Lager (a mere $13). Not to mention Mahoney’s is in a much more convenient location.

Had the Graduate Student Society wanted to demonstrate their commitment to keeping minors out of Koerner’s, why not start applying wristbands to patrons after they have been ID’ed? And if they wanted to make more money, why not start holding more special recurring events, like their ever-popular Monday Open Mic nights? This newer, fancier model isn’t going to attract a new, fancier demographic; it’s just going to scare away their faithful customers—cash-strapped students.

The Ubyssey’s editorial board has loved Koerner’s since time immemorial. Because of that, our opinion will be naturally skewed against any changes to this venerable campus institution. But Koerner’s was always facing an uphill battle attracting a sufficient number of customers due to its location, and the fact that students were willing to trek there was a testament to how wellsupported it was. The sort of changes that are being made at Koerner’s are the kind that ensure the next time the watering hole closes, it will be permanent. U

Talkin’ CCP transparency blues Students living in Fairview Crescent are in for a surprise. 14 storeys of prime market housing development are slated to begin construction this winter. Didn’t hear about it? Don’t worry, you’re not alone.

If you ask UBC Campus and Community Planning, the consultation process was thorough. An open house was held on July 21 where interested parties, who were informed about the event by email, could have their say. Though what defines “an interested party” is an interesting question.

The University Neighbourhoods Association, which primariliy represents residents who live in market housing on campus, was informed.

Their members were at the meeting, and gave their input. But what about students?

The Ubyssey first learned about the proposed tower on August 11, two and a half weeks after the open house—the same day that the AMS, your student union, found out about it. Groups directly affected by the construction—namely, those living in Fairview and the fraternities—weren’t considered interested parties to be consulted, either.

UBC claims it was difficult to get a large number of people to come to this event since it was held during the summer. But if that was the case, why wasn’t this consultation held during the fall, when the vast majority of students will be on campus? Because Polygon Homes, the company that is proposing this project, wanted it pushed through as soon as possible. In other words, the university cares more about Polygon’s timeline than it does students’ opinions.

If the university is actually interested in what students think, it’s not hard to solicit their opinion. Send an email. To all students. 99% of students will ignore it, but 1% of 40,000 is still significantly more than the 35 people who showed up to an open house for a building that will alter the makeup of campus.

To be fair, a 14-storey tower has been outlined in the East Campus Neighbourhood Plan since 2003. But students deserve to be involved in every step along the way—it’s fair to say that in this case they weren’t. U

Maria cirstea graphic/the ubyssey

columnists

AMS Budget process is circumspect Michael Haack Columnist In the 2009-2010 fiscal year, the AMS mismanaged our finances to epic proportions. Council’s authority was circumvented and almost a half-million dollars of students’ money was spent without Council’s knowledge or consent. This happens every year, and despite the fact that projections show the Alma Mater Society (AMS) has 1.87 years left under current spending procedures, nothing has changed for 2010-2011.

Every dollar spent in an organization, for or not for profit, must be approved by its governing body, in our case AMS Council. However, in the last budget, nearly 50 per cent of line-items were exceeded by between 50 and 2650 per cent, and what is worse is that the cash was flowing without oversight, reporting or accountability in Council. It does not matter how much the executive or department managers cared, or how good their intentions were; in any other context, those responsible

would have been removed from their offices and probably investigated for wrongdoing because there is simply no excuse. At the AMS, it is still business as usual.

Fiscal responsibility, fiduciary duties and due diligence; this would be the time for students to demand accountability and for councillors to do what they were elected to do—manage the society and try not to declare bankruptcy while doing it.

Council’s primary duty is to ensure the AMS spends the money that has been approved, in the manner approved, and if the people responsible for managing the budgets think it is not enough, then it is Council’s option to spend more or cut their losses.

The main argument I’ve heard is that it is too time-consuming: “The agenda’s too big,” they say, “we have other priorities,” and “Meetings already take too long…” I echo these concerns but my mind fixates on one question: If the AMS ran out of money tomorrow, would anything else on Council’s agenda matter? Absolutely not. There would be a coup. Students

would demand to know how the AMS ran out of money, why no one knew, why the budget was so inaccurate and why the AMS didn’t spend money responsibly. So, why, when there are 1.87 years between now and tomorrow, is it still business as usual?

Council should know exactly what a project, service or whatever costs before a single cheque is signed. If unforeseen circumstances arise and more money is needed, it must be justified to Council. Traditional budgeting bases figures on historical expenditures; If circumstances change, the addition funds must be justified.

Zero-based budgeting bases figures on new estimates, having every single line item justified with plans, estimates and proper financial projections every year.

AMS budgeting is based on “guesstimates,” backed by blank cheques, and supported by vague ideas when it should be justified with historical expenditures, backed by price-quotes and supported by facts. U Michael Haack is an AMS Councillor.

Still getting picked up at 92 years old Justin McElroy coordinating@ubyssey.ca There is always a certain point in August when, despite natural misgivings, we realize that School Is Coming, and that it is time to start making plans. The carefree ways of summer give way to the reality of the academic grind. Goals must be set.

While the rest of world tends to set its resolutions at the New Year, students prefer to make resolutions sometime in August—preferably around a campfire with friends and someone playing “Wonderwall” on a guitar— when we declare that this year is going to be the most awesomest ever. Or words to that effect.

And so it is with The Ubyssey. For a couple of weeks now, after summers spent in Europe, Los Angeles, Vancouver and the ever-exotic Duncan, we’ve been coming back into the office, coming up with ideas for the year and living our lives with far more optimism than a journalist should have.

Every year, the editorial staff of The Ubyssey turns over, and a new group takes the reins. Each editor truly believes that they will put out the best campus paper in Canada, entertain and inform students, hold the administration to account and, if possible, pass their classes.

Then the year begins, volunteers don’t show up (the ingrates), the pressures of putting out a paper and passing that Political Science class with the weekly assignments, best laid plans of mice and men, etc.

But for now, none of that is true.

Anything is possible. So, that being said, let me take a moment to explain why The Ubyssey will be the most awesomest paper imaginable this year.

On Mondays, we’ll have a brandnew National page, focusing on stories happening outside of this campus that are of interest to students.

On Thursdays, we’ll have a multi-page feature that will investigate complex subjects in an in-depth way that you won’t normally see in a newspaper.

And on every day of the week, we’ll have a brand-new website, one that we hope measures up to what students want. If you’re reading this in print, you owe it to yourself to immediately throw this paper down and run to a computer. Open your browser of choice, type in ubyssey.ca and enjoy.

However, the main reason this paper will be good this year is you. Well, not necessarily you. But you in the broad, you-students sense.

A paper is only as good as the people it serves, and we’re lucky to have, if not necessarily a vibrant university community, an amazing collection of people. There are clubs doing cool projects, students winning awards, professors doing ground-breaking research and student politicians making a mess of things.

We look forward to covering them all on this campus. The summer is ending. Let’s get going. Tuum est. U Justin McElroy is the Coordinating Editor of The Ubyssey.

8/ubyssey.ca/our campus/2010.08.19

our campus Bryce Warnes culture@ubyssey.ca Our campus was invaded by a cavalcade of fictional characters August 13-15 during Anime Evolution 2010. Wizards cavorted with warriors, gothic lolitas and blood-spattered nurses posed together for pictures, Team Rocket recruited new members, and immortal wielders of arcane forces waited in line for sushi and bubble tea.

The conference, which took place at buildings across campus, hosted artists and artisans displaying their wares, voice actors giving autographs, contests of knowledge and combative ability and 4chanesque discussion panels. Outsiders were easy to pick out among the throng, lacking costumes, giant weapons or spiky wigs.

By Monday morning, the party was all over. All that remained to indicate the events of the past weekend was a faint smell of spray-on adhesive and a few scattered, empty boxes of Pocky. U

Michael Thibault Photo/The Ubyssey