2011.01.06

Shooting angstily since 1918

The Ubyssey dives into geek culture

NEW YEAR, NEW ELECTIONS, NEW VOTING SYSTEM. LEARN WHAT CHANGES ON PAGE 3 page 5

the ubyssey FROM HERE...

JANUARY 06, 2011 • volume 92, number xxix • room 24, student union building • published monday and thursday • feedback@ubyssey.ca

TO THERE.

the first part of our feature on education in Afghanistan (page 7)

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events

january 06, 2011 volume xcii, no xxix editorial coordinating editor

ongoing events

news editor

Ubyssey Production • Come help

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us create this baby! Learn about layout and editing. Expect to be fed. • Every Sunday and Wednesday, 2pm.

Jonny Wakefield & Bryce Warnes : culture@ubyssey.ca

Auditions for Brave New Play Rites Festival • Call for actors for

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senior news writer culture editors

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culture illustrator Indiana Joel : ijoel@ubyssey.ca

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Brave New Play Rites Short Play Festival. Actors needed for short play festival which runs March 30, 2011–April 3, 2011. Nonunion, non-paying but great acting experience with exciting new playwrights and directors. • Auditions take place Jan. 9–10 , email bravenewplayrites@gmail. com for more information.

Man Ray, African Art and the Modernist Lens • A groundbreak-

ing exhibition exploring the pivotal role of photography in changing the perception of African objects from artifacts to fine art.

• Ongoing til Jan. 23, Museum of Anthropology.

Skating at Robson Square • Free public skating rink, with skate and helmet rentals, skate sharpening and a concession stand on site. • Ongoing til Feb. 28, Sunday-Thursday 9am-9pm, FridaySaturday 9am-11pm, free.

Thursday, JAN. 6

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contributors Kait Bolongaro Brian Platt Anna Zoria Nafiza Azad Page 3 graphics credit Geoff lister/the ubyssey 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.

Canada Post Sales Agreement #0040878022

The Ruffled Feathers with Julia and Her Piano and guests • Be

entranced by the smooth and gentle vocals of songstress Gina Loes as her band The Ruffled Feathers entertains you with guests like Julia and Her Piano, Katie Schaan and Thomas Kolb.

Treat yourself to a mellow night of sweet, sweet indie music. • 8pm-1am, The Media Club (695 Cambie Street), $10.

free hot chocol ate e vent •

Come by 1036 Brock Hall to meet our staff and learn about the many great opportunities to connect with prospective employers such as Adidas, Big Park, IBM, College Pro and many more. Of course, you can also visit our website for the event calendar—but that doesn’t come with hot chocolate! • Jan. 6–7, 11am–2pm, New Career Services Office - Brock Hall Main Floor (Next to Centre for Student Involvement).

Friday, JAN. 7 Engineers Storm the Pit! • Celebrate your return to school (or drown your sorrows) with good friends and good music at the Pit Pub! • 7–10pm, Pit Pub. Beta Animal House • Adopted

from the 1978 classic, “Animal

House” has been Beta’s dynamic social gem. So sport your toga and start 2011 off the right way.

• 9:30pm-3am, Beta House, $10.

Saturday, JAN. 8 Student Leadership Conference (SLC) • The SLC is UBC’s largest

student-run conference, providing more than 1100 delegates with the opportunity to develop their leadership skills through engaging workshops and speakers. • 8am–6pm, The Chan Centre, $30/50.

Monday, JAN. 10 Hip Hop Karaoke (HHK) Vancouver • Love karaoke? Love hip

hop music? Well look no further! Welcome to HHK Vancouver, where you can spit out the soulful beats of your favourite hip hop tunes without being ridiculed! So if you’re down with being trippy, then grab a mic and shimmey some rhymes like a dawg. Peace! • 9:30pm-2am, Fortune Sound Club (147 East Pender St).

arts wellness week • Arts

students can check out daily health and wellness events during Arts Week. A mini Wellness Fair, yoga, a Wellness Matters workshop and other free events will be held. Attend three events and you will be entered to win prizes! • Runs until Jan. 15, 11:30am, Meekison Arts Students Space and Buchanan, email ausacademic@gmail.com or kelly.white@ubc.ca for more information.

Tuesday, JAN. 11 Better Sex Yoga Class • Intune Holistics founder Stephanie Lafazanos will teach how the practice of yoga can improve your sex life. • 7:30pm, The Art of Loving (1819 W. 5th), $30.

“Making Movies Out of Sex and Life” • CCFI@UBC, with the

Vancouver Art Gallery’s ‘The Culture Series,’ and the Vancouver Queer Film Festival presents “Making Movies Out of Sex and Life:” a queer film screening and dialogue with filmmaker Barbara Hammer, a visual artist who works primarily in film and video and is renowned as a pioneer of queer cinema. Four of her short films to be shown include Dyketactics, No Nooky TV, Sync Touch and A Horse is Not a Metaphor.

• 7pm, doors open at 6pm, Vancity Theatre, Vancouver International Film Centre, 1181 Seymour St, $5, free for students and seniors.

Thursday, JAN. 13 Stylus Phantasticus: Mystery and Exoticism in 17th Century Trio Sonatas • A programme

of virtuoso Trio Sonatas from the 17th century, featuring leading musicians from Canada and the West Coast. The programme will include music by composers such as Schmelzer, Rosenmüller, Reinecken, Erlebach, Legrenzi, Leclair, Rebel and Clérambault. • 5–6:30pm, Green College, free.

Film Screening: Spin the Bottle —Sex, Lies, and Alcohol • As part

of Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) at UBC we invite you to join us for a screening of Spin the Bottle: Sex, Lies and Alcohol, a film by activists, professors and filmmakers Jean Kilbourne and Jackson Katz. This film discusses issues of alcohol and sexual assault and explores the roles that media play in how we think about sex and intoxication. A question and answer will follow with on-campus experts in sexuality, sexual assault, health and wellness.

• 6:30pm, Woodward 6, e-mail sa.awareness@ubc.ca for more information.

featuring local aid and solidarity activists. This event is organized by Haiti Solidarity BC and co-sponsored by Help Hear Haiti, Hands Hearts and Minds for Haiti at stopwar.ca. • 7pm, Harbour Center, 515 W. Hastings St, call (778) 858-5179 or go to canadahaitiaction.ca for more information.

Saturday, JAN. 15 Great Piano Concertos • Piano

students of Corey Hamm present an evening of piano concertos by Barber, Rachmaninoff and Liszt. • 7–9pm, UBC Music Building Recital Hall, free.

monday, jan. 17 breath of the world • This talk,

led by David Prest, Green College Resident Member, addresses how poetry can cross the boundaries of culture, race, gender, sexuality, politics, religion, science and the arts. No matter what your field of study, this interdisciplinary evening will focus on what we have in common through the global language of poetry. • 8–9pm, Coach House, Green College, free event, go to greencollege.ca or e-mail gc.events.@ubc. ca for more information.

Friday, JAN. 14

tuesday jan. 18

UBC’s Got Talent • Be a part of history in the making—UBC’s very first campus-wide talent showcase! Watch participants as they perform their way into your hearts on the world renowned stage at the Chan Centre. Don’t have a ticket yet? Just go online and claim one. Need more incentive to make it down to the show? UBC President Stephen Toope and AMS President Bijan Ahmadian will sing a duet if all the seats are claimed!

• 8–10pm, Chan Centre for the Performing Arts. Tickets are by donations at the door, book online at talent.ubc.ca.

la marea • La Marea is an out-

The AUS Presents: MARDI GRAS •

What other way to end an awesome week dedicated to everything arty-farty but a Mardi Gras dance party! Dig up your old love beads and put on those glowsticks and face paint because it’s going to be awesome. With winner of the CiTR DJ contest, Vinyla Xtrax, opening up the show, followed by Hood Internet, be sure to come early to dominate the dance floor. $2.50 ciders and beers. • Jan. 14, 8pm-12am, SUB Ballroomm. Ticket info unreleased. 19+ event.

Haiti’s Humanitarian Crisis One Year Later • There will be a pan-

el discussion and video screening

door, site-specific performance conceived by artist Mariano Pensotti of Buenos Aires. Made up of nine different scenes, audience members move freely from street corners to illuminated store windows, creating their own narrative. A man lies on the ground following a motorbike accident; an insomniac tosses and turns; a couple has their first kiss. Projected subtitles reveal the intimate thoughts of the characters in these poignant vignettes showcasing the beginning of love, the end of love and everything in between. • Runs until Jan. 22, 7–9pm, Gastown, Zero hundred block Water St, free admission.

wednesday, jan. 19 dead man’s cell phone • An in-

cessantly ringing cell phone in a quiet café. A stranger at the next table who has had enough. And a dead man—vwith a lot of loose ends. So begins Dead Man’s Cell Phone, a funny, affecting and often otherworldly exploration of modern life from American playwriting sensation, Sarah Ruhl [The Clean House]. • Runs until Jan. 29, 7:30–9pm, Telus Studio Theatre, $22/$15/$10, go to book tickets online at ubctheatre.universitytickets.com.

call for nominations

UBYSSEY BOARD OF DIRECTORS Deadline is January 7th, 2011. Nomination forms are available in SUB 23. This is not an editorial position. Members of The Ubyssey’s Board of Directors are responsible for overseeing the finances of the newspaper.

Responsibilities include attending a monthly board meeting, tending to business as it arises, and overseeing personal projects.

School’s back!

That means we want your events to flood our second page! events@ubyssey.ca

U theubyssey.ca

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News

editor ARSHY MANN » news@ubyssey.ca assistant KALYEENA MAKORTOFF » kmakortoff@ubyssey.ca SENIOR WRITER MICKI COWAN » mcowan@ubyssey.ca

AMS Elections full of uncertainty Arshy Mann news@ubyssey.ca As nominations are set to close this Friday, the AMS elections are already beset by uncertainty with regards to the elections system and Voter Funded Media.

All of the AMS executive positions—President, VP Finance, VP Administration, VP External and VP Academic and University Affairs­—are to be elected, as well as two UBC-V student positions on the Board of Governors and five student at-large positions with the UBC Senate.

Voting will take place from January 17-21 and results will be announced at 6pm on January 21 in the Gallery Lounge.

On Wednesday, the AMS Elections Committee announced that they will be asking AMS Council to suspend code in order to change the voting system from the Condorcet method to first-past-the-post.

Condorcet, which allows voters to rank candidates in order of preference, was used in the past two AMS elections. Firstpast-the-post only allows voters to cast one vote for each electoral race and does not allow for ranking.

According to the AMS Elections website, the reason for “t his sudden and unexpected change” was because implementing a new Condorcet engine would be too costly. A new engine was requested by AMS Council in August after over 700 votes were found to be fraudulent during the 2010 election, proving the existing voting system insecure. Council

approved $10,400 to build a new online elections platform.

The options were to either modify WebVote, the system used by the university, to allow for Condorcet voting, or to buy another system entirely from a vendor. However, in a letter to AMS Council, MacKinnon said that he and AMS President Bijan Ahmadian were informed on December 14 that “UBC would be unable to implement either of their two options for providing us with an updated Elections platform.” UBC declined both of these because of high cost and because they believed that the time frame to make the necessary changes was too short.

He went on to say that this left the Elections Committee with the choice to either purchase a $6000-8000 elections system that could be only used once, or else to ask Council to use UBC’s WebVote system.

The latter would require that Council suspend the code that requires elections to be Condorcet, because WebVote only allows for first-past-the-post.

Arts Councillor Kyle Warwick expressed his disappointment with the Elections Committee on Twitter.

Warwick tweeted that he “is incredibly disappointed that people who are hired to implement the code that AMS Council passed appear to have failed in this regard.”

MacKinnon, however, believes that WebVote is the only viable option.

“If they say no to a code suspension, then I don’t know what we’re going to do,” he said. “So

ELECTION TIMELINE

it’ll be interesting to see on the 12th.”

“We ended up on a really short time frame with what happened with UBC, and it just is what it is,” MacKinnon told The Ubyssey. “We have to have the elections, it’s in code for when we’re having it, we’ve already printed all this stuff, so there’s no pushing back, we’re going to get it done.”

Turnout top priority According to Elections Administrator Erik MacKinnon, increasing voter turnout is the AMS’s highest priority for this election.

“There’s no doubt in anybody’s mind that we need to get as much turnout as possible,” he said.

Alongside the usual posters and banners, MacKinnon said that the AMS is looking to reach out to students online through social media, such as Facebook and Twitter.

However, he also said that the AMS will also be attempting more unconventional person-to-person tactics to try and pique students’ interest.

He mentioned a strategy used

by Research in Motion to promote the Blackberry Torch.

“They had somebody go and stand around wit h a white

continuous VFM on hold Just a week before the election, the newest wrinkle to funding campus blogs has hit a snag.

Issues arose last month surrounding what entrants were allowed for Voter Funded Media (VFM), an initiative that gives money to campus blogs and publications that report on the AMS. For the last three years, the AMS has given funding to VFMs that were ranked highest by voters for their election coverage. This year however, the AMS planned to fund VFMs throughout the year, instead of just during the elections period.

“When I...took this job, I asked [2010 EA Isabel Ferreras], what is something from your legacy that you would like to see happen, and she said continuous VFM,” MacKinnon said. “It [was] priority number one until the election campaign.”

The AMS began funding continuous VFM in October, but stopped last month after controversy arose around Black Box Theatre, an anonymous blog that leaked a confidential legal opinion on the controversy surrounding the $700 donation from the Social Justice Centre to Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights. Because there were no proper guidelines in code for who was eligible for continuous VFM, AMS Council suspended it until further notice.

t-shirt on and if you walked up to this person and said ‘Hey, have you heard about the new Blackberry Torch?’ they would give you a Blackberry Torch.

“The idea was that it was a very non-descript person, it was just a person in jeans and white shirt. So it’s great word of mouth tactics.”

He said the AMS is planning to try something similar giving away AMS merchandise and gift certificates to people who asked the right person if they voted in the election.

Also, the AMS will have iPads at all of the voting stations in hopes that students can be lured in by the new technology. U

NEWS BRIEFS UBC-O professor building robo-sewer inspectors Homayoun Najjaran, a UBC-O robotics professor of Engineering, has begun working on a municipal service robot that will inspect subterranean waterways to identify defects and provide information on repair needs and piping renewal.

Najjaran said that within the next 15 years, Canada will spend over $12 billion upgrading water systems, a cost that could be lowered with priority upgrades informed by his robot inspectors. Najjaran’s work focuses more broadly on robotics and automation, where he works within industry and academia to build robots that perform everyday tasks through programmed automative capabilities. Fellow UBC Engineering Professors Solomon Tesfamarian and Rehan Sadiq are collaborators in the project, as is the Nanaimo company Inuktun.

Manitoba targets dropouts

“The fact that we don’t have any rules is a huge problem for that part of the contest,” he said.

“I wasn’t very happy about that, I don’t like that at all. It sucks that we have voter media that are doing the work that they promised to do for us and we’re not turning around and scratching their back in the way that we promised to do to them.”

Despite the lack of continuous VFM, the AMS will still be funding VFM for the election period, and may funnel some of the money meant for continuous to the elections.

Taylor Loren, an editor for the VFM blog AMS Confidential, said she has been disappointed by the AMS’s suspension of continuous VFM money.

“The main thing that continuous VFM does is it allows incentive for new blogs to develop and write about AMS elections,” she said. “They’ve eliminated any of [the money] for continuous while decreasing the reward [for elections], so from my perspective I don’t see why any new blogs would be writing anything.”

She also believes that the AMS should have dealt with the issue at the last council meeting before the break.

“AMS Council pretty much shut this issue down because they all wanted to go home, when I don’t think they really realized what they were doing,” said Loren.

“Campaigns start on the 10th and the next council meeting isn’t even until the 12th.” U

Manitoban legislation seeks to curb high school dropout rates by increasing the compulsory education age from 16 to 18.

While Manitoba’s dropout rate has significantly decreased over the past 20 years, at 11.4 per cent it holds second place for most dropouts nationwide. Current laws state that parents of students under 16 who drop out could face fines up to $500, and the changes could mean fines for any students who drop out before graduation. The new legislation will be paired with alternative high schools and mentorship programs in order to target vulnerable students.

However, critics suggest that the focus should be on the connection between poverty and dropouts, where students end up being breadwinners for their families. Allen says the proposed legislation could come into effect as early as fall 2011.

Ontario student loan program funding increases Ontario is offering more flexibility in repayment and $81 million in additional assistance to students as part of a revamping of the Ontario Assistance Program system.

Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities John Milloy said students will be able to keep more money from parttime jobs and have an interestfree grace period on their loans for six months after graduation.

Student loan repayment has also been limited to $7300 per year, with any amount beyond that being forgiven by the province.

Additional support will be provided for married students and students who have children.

Robert Woodrich, VP of Student Affairs for the University of Windsor Students Alliance, said a more effective solution for student debt would be to increase government funding of post-secondary institutions to keep tuition in line. Milloy estimates that the loan program changes will still work to benefit 210,000 Ontario students in the academic year. U

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culture

editorS BRYCE WARNES & JONNY WAKEFIELD » culture@ubyssey.ca SENIOR WRITER GINNY MONACO » gmonaco@ubyssey.ca ILLUSTRATOR INDIANA JOEL » ijoel@ubyssey.ca

UBC Food Services expands its café empire New locations provide relief for rushed students

Bryce Warnes culture@ubyssey.ca In the Pacific Northwest, coffee shops are less like businesses than species of fungi that spring up overnight. A high concentration of dampness and white collar jobs provides their ideal environment, which means that the UBC campus is especially rich with the fruiting bodies of these softly-lit, java-scented organisms.

Stir It Up (Buchanan A) “We were doing similar items in each of our cafés, because it was working. And I’m like, ‘Okay, what’s something totally different that we haven’t done in that quadrant?’” said Samantha Wellman, Manager of Retail Units for UBC Food Services.

The café was selling “a lot of candy and sweet stuff,” Wellman continued. The obvious move was to focus on that type of food. In addition to the standard offerings of coffee, muffins and sandwiches, Stir It Up sells bulk candy from more than a dozen seperate bins, $2 for 100 grams.

UBC Food Services has closed some of their old cafés, opened new ones, and refurbished others. Some locations—Yum Yum’s (in the old auditorium building) and Edibles (Neville Scarfe’s basement)—have died out, only to be replaced by hipper, younger upstarts elsewhere.

We investigated some of the new crop on a sleet-drenched January afternoon. Most of them were accessible via Main Mall.

“Students can help t hemselves, pick whatever they want, and it goes by weight. Or there’s some bulk candy options they can just purchase, already prebagged,” said Wellman.

The other offerings are pricey. Pre-wrapped paninis go for $6.35, wraps are $5.85 and an entree of Moroccan Berber chicken with couscous costs $5.50. Lunch is cheaper from the nearby SUB, but the oldfashioned bulk gummies should be a draw for fructose fiends. If you’re looking to have a sit-down meal, get there early: the seating area is tucked away in the corner and fills up quick.

The Niche (Beatty)

Neville’s (scarfe building) Located just within the front doors of Neville Scarfe, Neville’s offers espresso drinks and many varieties of Gypsy Zhena’s Fair Trade Organic teas. Light lunches including salads, yogurt, fruit and the ever-present panini are also available. The café is cramped, lacking chairs, tables or a separate counter for finished drinks. But the service is quick and the espresso is passable. There are tables nearby for students to work.

At the very least, it’s convenient. If you’re heading to class and it’s on your route, it’s a good place to grab a light snack or a cup of mud.

Sauder Exchange (Sauder building) The Sauder counter is a good option for breakfast or a light lunch. They offer small items like ham and cheese croissants for $3.41, so if you’re unable to splurge on a $7 entree, consider the Exchange’s somewhat abridged menu. Seating is generally more accessible than in Buchanan, depending on the time of day.

Offering nine or ten tables of seating and a decent selection of hot entrees, the Niche would make a fine lunch location were it not for its interior decoration.

The austere, minimalist ambience of Beatty works for the adjoining Biodiversity Museum, but doesn’t translate well into a café setting. As ultra-modern as bare cement floors and walls may be, they make for dreary surroundings on a rainy afternoon.

The entree (chicken and couscous) was the same as Stir It Up’s on the day we visited. The beverage selection is more limited than in other locations: no espresso, and only three kinds of tea (Earl Grey, green, and Red Rose).

While the ambience isn’t the best, the 26 metre articulated whale skeleton suspended from the ceiling is a nice touch. It really ties the room together.

Our verdict All of the cafés we visited carried items made by UBC Food Services. This means that a coffee and sandwich in Neville Scarfe is going to taste and cost the same in Buchanan. The main feature differentiating these places from one another is their locations.

Being able to buy coffee in the same building where you go to class is convenient. In some cases, like Sauder Exchange and Stir It Up, the location is even inviting, somewhere you might enjoy spending time to enjoy the $6.35 panini you just bought.

But these places are a means to an end. If you want a comfortable, sit-down café experience, you are better off going to Bean Around the World, The Boulevard or one of the places in the Village. U Geoff Lister photos/the ubyssey

Ruffled Feathers birds of a... type Anna Zoria azoria@ubyssey.ca The Ruffled Feathers are playing a set in my living room. There’s candlelight and we’ve finished off two bottles of wine. Gina Loews’s voice trails softly over the strums of her guitar. The chords repeat and more instruments join in: bass, drums and the trumpet picks up the melody. As Loews’s voice is left alone once more at the end, it is hard to believe that we are holed up in an apartment on a rainy evening and not floating somewhere in space looking at double rainbows.

“When we first started we had a very thin sound: just keys, ukulele and trumpet,” says Charlie Wu of the first few times the Ruffled Feathers played together. This was when Wu (keys) met Loews (vocals and guitar) at an open mic night at the Gallery. The two began working together and were soon joined by Andrew Lee (trumpet) and Mattie Jeronimo (bass).

food

The only thing that’s bringing up the sun. David Marino photo/the ubyssey

Sam MacKinnon, who plays drums and is the most recent addition to the group, says that out of all the bands he has played in, “this one has the most group dynamic, with everybody taking on roles other than just showing up and playing.”

Although everyone contributes to the creative process, the band agrees that Wu and Loews remain the main songwriters of the group. This seems to work

best, as their different approaches to creating music balance each other out. “It’s like a complete dichotomy,” says Andrew. “When we first started, I would say to Gina, ‘Does this sound good?’ and she would go, ‘Yeah, play like what you feel is right.’ Whereas Charlie would say something like, ‘No, play it more trumpety! Play it like you’re on a floating castle and that’s the only thing that’s bringing up the sun!”

music What seems to make the band work, in their own words, “like a finely oiled machine,” are the coherent set of influences each member brings to the table. The stylings of Joanna Newsom, Andrew Byrd, Beirut and the Arcade Fire all fall into the Feathers’ canon.

With a show coming up on January 6 at the Media Club and new songs in the works, it seems that the Ruffled Feathers are not too far off their mark.

When asked how far they’re willing to take their music, Wu confidently replies, “We want to take this to space.” The rest of the group agrees: “Done. We’re ready to go to the moon.” U

U

Online exclusives

Visit ubyssey.ca/culture for an exclusive performance and interviews with members of the band.

food with kait bolongaro A ukranian christmas feast Christmas was celebrated on December 25 worldwide. However, Uk ra i n ian Orthodox Christmas falls on January 7 this year, and it is as rich in food traditions as its western counterpart. But how is it possible that one holiday can occur on two dates?

It’s a question of calendars.

“In Canada, we use the Gregorian calendar. The [Ukrainian Orthodox] church uses the Julian calendar, which is 13 days behind—meaning that the 25th of December on the Julian calendar is January 7th on the Gregorian version,” says Father Roman Tsaplan, the parish priest at the Holy Trinity Ukrainian Cathedral in Vancouver.

It begins with a one-month meatless fast which culminates in two days of feasting: a large meatless meal on Nativity Eve, or Christmas Eve, which falls on January 6, and a succulent dinner on Christmas Day. The night officially begins with stargazing. “During the evening, the children are supposed to sit by the window and look for the first star,” said Natalia Sinelnik, a third year Ukrainian-Canadian student at UBC. “That’s when you know you’re supposed to start celebrating.”

Once the first star is spotted, the feasting begins with a sweet dish. “On Christmas Eve, we start with the king of all dishes: kutya.

This is wheat mixed with honey, almonds, and poppy seeds. We eat this before anything else. It is a dish full of symbolism of the Christmas story,” Father Tsaplan explained about this personal favourite.

There is a unique tradition which involves kutya. “You take a spoonful of kutya and whip it up to the ceiling,” said Sinelnik. “If it sticks, it means that your family will have a good year and if [it falls], then a bad year.”

The 6pm meal, which Sinelnik explains is called the “12 Dishes of Ukrainian Christmas,” is rounded out with vegetarian (technically pescetarian) adaptations of traditional fare: perogies stuffed with potato and cheese, thick mushroom gravy, cabbage rolls, a wide variety of pickled and fresh fish and, for dessert, apple, orange and plum compote.

Christmas Day is celebrated in a similar manner to the Catholic traditions, and the vegetarian fast is broken. The festive menu features different incarnations of red meat: stubby sausages, roast ham and meat jelly.

Where can you try this amazing cuisine? On January 18, the Holy Trinity Ukrainian Orthodox Church, located at 1054 E 10th Avenue, is hosting a Parishional Vegetarian Dinner at 7pm.

Entry is by a minimum $10 donation, which includes a choir performance after the meal. There is also a traditional Ukrainian Christmas mass on January 7 at 10am which is open to the public. U

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geek culture

editor TREVOR RECORD » features@ubyssey.ca GUEST EDITOR KAI GREEN » copy@ubyssey.ca

Welcome to Geek culture

geoff lister photo/the ubyssey

Kai Green copy@ubyssey.ca About halfway through the process of putting this supplement together, some wise soul made the observation that it looked as though we had dumped a lot of vaguely-related stories onto the

paper, slapped on the general heading ‘nerd stuff,’ and called it a day.

Balderdash.

‘Geek culture,’ as we’re calling this supplement, is obsessive, obscure and fanatical, but it’s hardly homogenous. Nerds (and yes, I use the terms ‘nerd’ and ‘geek’ interchangeably) have a pretty wide variety of interests. Although some of these, like Star Wars and a suspicious inattention to certain aspects of hygiene, may seem canonical, the fact is that there’s very little difference between your average metal-lovin’ hard rock fanatic and his dorkier cousins—at least, in terms of how they treat

the objects of their obsession.

(Yeah, a lot of Hard Rock Dudes collect plastic figurines, possibly because of the legendary overlap between Hard Rock Dudes and Swords & Sorcery Fantasy Novel Guys.)

Hear me out; my nerd credentials are solid. I grew up in a classic nerd household, the child of an engineer and a mathematician. I cut my teeth on Ellison and Asimov, and Star Trek night was family night. But my family also have their own delightfully diverse interests, and I’ve grown to believe that, for instance, my father’s raving obsession with military history is no less deeply, incredibly geeky than my mom’s

ability to school any playground acolyte in the subtleties of Digimon. Yes, folks, my senior citizen mother knows more about anime than any weeaboo I’ve ever met. But is she a bigger dork than dad? That may be a judgement we can’t make.

The interests of ‘Geek Culture’ are incredibly varied, moreso even than we may be letting on here. Sure, in this supplement we feature your classic sweaty gamers and Dungeon Masters, sacrificing their Friday nights to role play as halfelf warlocks, but subtler geeks walk among us, urban fantasy or paranormal romance best-sellers stashed in their bags. Even

the popularity of certain subsections of the internet is a good indicator that we really ought to be broadening our definition of the word.

So step forth, Opera Lovers and Sports Trivia Collectors alike, and let your individual freak flags fly. There’s room enough under the nerd umbrella for all of our strongly-held opinions about which Doctor was the best, why Mary Poppins fails in its second half and whether or not kids today really deserve more than 151 Pokémon. Geek culture is rich and vibrant; obsessive, but not exclusive. There’s a little geek in all of us. U

DIY dungeons: how to start a role playing game group Have you and your friends ever been intrigued about what goes on in a role playing game, but never had the chance to try one out? The Ubyssey has a guide to take you from level one greenhorn to veteran dungeon-crawler.

Getting started To get started, you’ll need to bring a group of your friends together. See if you can get at least one friend that has previous experience with role playing games—if you can’t, try to find someone that can spend a session or two teaching you. One of you must act as the Game Master (GM), the person who comes up with the campaign that the group will be following and controls all the non-player characters and environment.

For all intents and purposes, they are the god of the world they have created. The remainder of the group will be players, who control single characters.

Cole Thompson, a UBC Arts student currently acting as GM in one campaign and a player in two others, says that a group should have one GM and anywhere between two and six players. If you only have a few players, or players can only make some of the gaming sessions, Thompson says that is fine.

“Some of the most fun times I’ve had have been with just a GM and two players,” he said.

Once a group is organized, Thompson says the first step in getting a role playing group started is picking a game system, which defines the rules that you will use in your gaming sessions.

“Players should agree on a system and become familiar with it so that [they] can get started easier,” says Thompson.

Systems vary in the number of rules they have, the mechanisms employed to determine the success of a player’s actions and whether they favour adventuring and combat or role playing. Ben Podborski, an employee at Drexoll Games (2840 W 4th Ave), says that the group should get together with the GM and decide what they want from their gaming sessions.

This will help determine what gaming system should be used.

“The big names generally for themed games are Pathfinder, and the classic Dungeons and Dragons, which has recently released their simplified fourth edition,” said Podborski. “If you’re really into this vampire trend, there’s a game called Vampire: The Masquerade, which is a very roleplay-heavy system. That uses the Storyteller System, which is very good. The themed game of Exalted uses that system as well and is quite fun.”

For groups that feel constricted by the fantasy and horror themes of these there are a number of gaming systems available which the group can use to completely create their own world. Podborski says that True20 and FATE are two good choices for unrestricted world creation. For beginners, he suggests the recently-released Dungeons & Dragons 4.0 Red Box, which has everything a group needs to get started on a basic campaign.

Game Master Tips “The role of the GM is to facilitate the players’ interactions with the world,” says Podborski. “They create the space in which the game is played, act as all the non-player characters and environment, and arbitrate any rule questions.

They’re kind of like a referee and a puppeteer all at the same time.”

The GM will be given the most preparation work, which can be overwhelming to some. For many game systems, you will have the option of using a premade campaign, or creating your own.

“The good thing about pre-made adventures is that they are made by professionals, and they’re often very well-written and all the work is done for you,” said Podborski. “If you have less time to prepare, then pre-made adventures are the way to go. There is really high quality stuff out there, and some classics that are a lot of fun to run.

“The pros of [creating] your own campaign are you have total control over what sort of things you wa nt t o have happen.

But it does take a lot of work.”

Once gamepl ay st a r t s,

the story that will unfold will be a collaboration between the GM and the players, and the players may not want to do what the GM had originally planned. GMs can range from very improvisational to keeping strictly to the story. If a GM tries to force players down a certain story line, “railroading,” it can lead to resentment from some players.

“It’s generally a good idea for the players and GM to talk about what sort of things they want to happen in the game,” says Podborski. “The GM might say, ‘I made this campaign, and it has a plot like this; do you mind following a fairly strict plot?’”

In addition to having an idea of the story that will be presented in a session or across multiple sessions, the GM should be prepared for the encounters and be ready to enforce the rules of the game.

Thompson suggests that the statistics of a few non-player characters and monsters should be written down before the game, as should some of the key statistics of the player’s characters.

“That sort of thing just keeps the game running a little more smoothly.”

Player Tips The first job of the players will be to create a character. It’s best to create a character that you would be comfortable controlling, thinking about their background and motivations.

“You should be thinking about what character you want to play,” said Podborski. “What are their motivations, how do they act, what sort of things do they do on a dayto-day basis? And if you’re playing one of the classic adventuring games, what drives them

indiana joel illustration/the ubyssey

Trevor Record features@ubyssey.ca

to go out on those adventures and try to slay dragons?”

It’s also important to talk to other players to decide what sort of rapport the characters will have with each other. For example, perhaps you’re playing a human fighter from a society that distrusts dwarves. So why would she be seeking to destroy an ancient evil in a dark forest with the son of the Dwarven King Adoros Goldbludgeon?

“Sometimes a player will want to create an evil character, but the rest of the party will be good,” said Thompson. “That sort of thing can really lead to conflict within the group.”

Finally, Podborski says you should think about what your character and party is going to be doing in the game.

“Players should be working with their game master and fellow players to build their character’s abilities and powers, based on what they would have from their background and need to accomplish what they need to.”

Keeping it fun Some players may feel shy and have a difficult time role playing once the game play starts. Thompson says that players can use a number of diferent play styles to get used to controlling their character.

“If you’re having trouble role playing, keep in mind you can also play the game in third person,” says Thompson. “Many campaigns will have players using different styles of role playing.”

Podborski notes that the GM can help players who have a hard time getting involved in a game as well.

“You can ask the characters what they’d like to do, actively involve them with NPCs. It’s very easy to draw them out by forcing their characters to participate... by having their character have to interact with characters that aren’t being controlled by other players.”

It is also the GM’s job to make sure that all of the characters get equal amounts of playing time.

“Divas are the players that really get the spotlight; they like to be in character,” says Podborski. “They aren’t doing anything wrong, but sometimes they might be overshadowing other players.

As a GM you really have to watch out for that sort of thing, to make sure all the players are having a good time.”

Finally, although role playing games are meant to be a cooperative group experience, conflicts do arise occasionally.

“If there are any conflicts, if they are small ones, you can gloss over them and talk about it after the game,” says Podborski. “Take a time out if it’s a big problem, until it gets resolved.” U

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Urban fantasy: superpowers & sass

Inkstuds reveals new comic talent Kai Green copy@ubyssey.ca

An urban fantasy heroine. Virginie Ménard illustration/the ubyssey

Nafiza Azad Contributor A new kind of heroine stalks the streets, one who weds a vulnerable personality to an ass-kicking, leather-wearing, sleek exterior.

She prowls the urban landscape of a North American city in order to fulfill some mission that will help her save the world. She is beloved by men who are powerful in their own right but who are always helpless before her abundant charms. This protagonist appears often in the genre of urban fantasy. The Encyclopedia of Fantasy defines urban fantasy as “texts where fantasy and the mundane world interact, intersect and interweave throughout a tale which is significantly about a real city.”

This genre overlaps with paranormal romance, but there are distinct differences between them that set them apart from each other. Urban fantasy novels revolve around a plot with a clearly-defined villain, with most romance remaining secondary to the main story arc.

Paranormal romances, on the other hand, deal almost entirely with the beginning, conflict and resolution of the relationship between the two main characters.

Prominent names in the urban fantasy genre include Laurell K. Hamilton, who could be considered the creator of the genre with her popular Anita Blake series. Blake is a toughtalking bounty hunter who just happens to be able to raise the dead. The Anita Blake series has been translated into 14 languages and it is estimated that more than 14 million copies of the series have been sold around the world.

Other popular authors in the genre include Kim Harrison and Patricia Briggs. Kim Harrison writes the Hollows series, which stars the effusive Rachel Morgan, a ‘White’ witch who solves magical crimes for a living, with a pixie and a living vampire as her sidekicks. Patricia Briggs tackles the dynamics of a world in which werewolves exist and live among the normal human population. The readers are invited to follow her protagonist, the sassy Mercedes Thompson, as she juggles her Shifter abilities with…well, a lot of other things. The popularity of the genre is evidenced by the regular presence of these books on the New York Times bestseller list.

Books in the urban fantasy genre create an alternate version of the modern world, one in which the supernatural is seamlessly interspersed into the

mundane. This, perhaps, is one of the reasons they are so popular. These books let their readers glimpse the possibility of something more in their lives, something that will take away the routine and the drudgery and allow them to recreate themselves with power and beauty.

Each series has a different take on the supernatural. In the Hollows series, for example, the readers are told that a large portion of the human population was killed off by a mutated strain of tomatoes, leaving the existing supernatural beings unaffected and able to shift the dynamics of societal power in their favour.

Reading urban fantasy novels, which are heavy in action sequences, is like riding a rollercoaster. The reader is flung about, beaten up, has epiphanies (and sometimes hot sex) and, at the conclusion, may glimpse the glimmer of a happy ending somewhere in the distance—five or six books later. U

Robin McConnell missed his own convocation ceremony because he was too busy with his comic book—or, rather, his book about comics. “I like to think it’s a pretty good accomplishment for a student.”

McConnell, a recent UBC history graduate, was in the middle of a book tour on the east coast for Inkstuds, a collection of interviews with cartoonists, all taken from his radio show of the same name. In his five years hosting the weekly show for CiTR 101.9FM, McConnell has interviewed over 300 cartoonists, ranging from complete unknowns to notables like Jaime Hernandez (Love and Rockets) and animator Marv Newland (Bambi vs Godzilla). And yes, he’s friends with Kate Beaton, internet darling.

Though it’s his interviews which set Inkstuds apart from the undoubtedly large pack of comics-based community radio shows, McConnell didn’t start as an interviewer. After a friend who’d hosted a comics-based show for CiTR moved to Montreal, he pitched Inkstuds “to fill in the comic coverage.”

“At first, the show was mostly just chatting on certain topics to do with comics, but I... figured people really didn’t want to hear me pontificate on select topics,” said McConnell. “...As I got more and more into doing interviews, it seemed like I was really onto something.”

As the show continued, McConnell began applying his studies in history to his passion for comics. To prepare for an interview, he’ll “read all [the subject’s] comics and then think about their work. A lot of thinking.” He credits his scholarly approach—comics as fine art—for netting him interviews with legends.

“The show focuses on the art and literature end of the comic spectrum,” said McConnell.

“For the first couple of years of

The Dirtybird, McConnell’s alter ego. courtesy of Robin Mcconnell

the show, no one else was really doing the same kind of audio coverage. That has allowed me to have access to really incredible talents.

“As a history major, I have had a specific viewpoint on what I wanted to accomplish...

It is important for me to document this history. Comics and graphic novels are in a unique position right now, with a lot of academic institutions recognizing them as a modern, important source of culture and literature.”

Part of McConnell’s charm as an interviewer is the contrast between his scholarship and his effortless interviewing style.

Jerry Moriarty ( Jack Survives) called his interview “a conversational jam session,” and McConnell agrees.

“One of my personal strengths in the interviewing process is to be able to create a rapport with a guest and get them to open up to me. ...If the questioning process is too interrogative, it can be... off-putting. Make the guest comfortable, but don’t be

a sycophant. It’s a fine line,” said McConnell.

“One of the important factors of doing the show is a level of respect for the work and the creators that avoids ...fandom and holds a cartoonist to the same level of importance as a respected artist or a notable author.”

Inkstuds includes a wide selection of authors both notable and new, with a strong emphasis on Canadian content. McConnell also selected authors with the idea of presenting a younger, more female-skewed perspective on the comics business.

“I wanted in the book, first, a sense of gender balance. There are a lot of incredible women, creating incredible comics. ...

I wanted to avoid reflecting a canon of creators, and instead have a very diverse group.” U Inkstuds, the radio show, airs on CiTR 101.9 FM every Thursday from 2-3pm; podcasts and backlogs available online at inkstuds. org. Inkstuds (Conundrum Publishing, 278 pages) is available at the UBC Bookstore and fine retailers everywhere.

Join The Ubyssey’s annual literary issue contest! Prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners.

Contact features@ ubyssey.ca for more information trevor record features@ubyssey.ca

U theubyssey.ca

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opinions

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

editorial voting change disappointing, but less than surprising Hacks and political science students (there is a decent amount of overlap) are tittering and twittering that the AMS has changed its election system from Condorcet to first-past-the-post (FPTP), just 12 days before voting begins in elections.

You may be wondering what this means. Condorcet is a system where you rank candidates by order of preference, and the winner is the candidate that would beat all others in a one-on-one election.

This is to ensure that candidates the majority would not want will be unable to get into office.

Imagine there’s a candidate who is popular with some people, but reviled by the majority. In a FPTP election with multiple candidates, they might be able to sneak through with the victory if the remaining votes are split between other candidates. In a Condorcet election, however, it’s more likely to go to someone who racks up plenty of second and third place votes in addition to first place votes. As a result, candidates that win Condorcet elections tend to be more centerist.

In an ironic twist, after two years in which the AMS has been plagued by ideological executives at odds with a less-partisan council, we’ll be reverting to an electoral system that generally yields more partisan candidates, at least in races with at least three candidates. Rest assured, this could have real political consequences in the coming days—something to remember when people get on their moral high horse over the issue.

There’s still the larger issue of the student union again failing to have its act together when it comes to elections. It was ten months ago that they found their old voting software was open to fraud— which means they’ve had ten months to find a solution. The fact that none was found in that period, other than “ask UBC to change it for them,” is a clear failure on their part. The excuse given by the Election Committee is that it would cost lots of money during a time when the AMS is in an extreme fiscal crisis, which is noble. We wish Executives would have been as noble when they begged for a $1200 supplemental health plan, or the Elections Committee when they asked for iPads (yes, both of these things happened, and yes, they got both of them). Students will assuredly be coming out in the election—but most will vote out of anger rather than hope. U

letter tayyar: gaza debate about student fee donations In what has become one of the bigger issues we’ve faced this year, I— along with the other Vice Presidents—have largely remained silent on the flotilla donation issue.

I believe the debate has been hijacked. What should have been about donations to any external organization devolved into accusations of funding terrorism and threats of legal action.

When I initially heard about the $700 transfer, my concern with it was, frankly, that I was uncomfortable with the idea of mandatory student fees being transferred to an external organization. At the time I thought it would be best if the issue were discussed at Council.

As the hours after the initial freeze went by, emails poured in, some complaining about the transfer going to politically motivated organizations, while many others called me expletives for implying that Palestinians were terrorists—which I have never done at any time. In fact, I’ve remained neutral on the issue, giving Council the choice, and even abstaining from an Executive Committee motion on the matter.

Interestingly, in the past two Council meetings, one of the least discussed points against the transfer was whether mandatory student fees should really not go towards direct donations at all; this was the single biggest concern of students who emailed and called me.

Most AMS clubs, even those affiliated with larger non-profit organizations, donate money raised through fundraisers. They typically do not directly transfer their membership fees to charities of choice.

The SJC is not a voluntary club; it is a resource group of the AMS and receives part of our mandatory fees. While the argument can be made that all students, being members of the SJC, have the ability to participate in and direct SJC initiatives, this does not exempt the SJC executive from being held accountable to students-at-large whose money is being used.

I chose to bring the issue to Council because I thought that some councillors might not share my opinion on student fee donations and I did not feel comfortable making the decision without public debate. Unfortunately, others had ulterior motives, and the issue degenerated to accusations of terrorism, criminal liabilities for councillors and a large amount of irrelevant rhetoric. The AMS should not have spent any money on legal opinions, especially when the bill came in over $13,000.

The entire debate got outrageously out of hand. The SJC should not be making donations to external organizations. They should host events and fundraisers on campus to raise money and awareness about issues within their mandate, as they have done before. We do not support mandatory student fees being directly transferred to external organizations. This does not promote social justice at UBC, nor does it increase awareness of the issues amongst the general student body.

Council needs to be more responsible with how student fees are spent by all arms of the AMS, and should not let polarizing issues obfuscate the real debate at hand.

Elin Tayyar is the AMS VP Finance.

An orphanage in Kabul supported by Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan. brian platt photo/the ubyssey

feature

A war, an orphanage and hope Brian Platt bplatt@ubyssey.ca Few things are as depressing as looking at statistics on children in Afghanistan. UNICEF estimates that one of every five children born will die before their fifth birthday.

They also place the number of orphans at two million. Although one should always be skeptical about population numbers in Afghanistan—Kabul has anywhere between two and five million people, depending on who you ask—if it’s true, there are as many street kids in Afghanistan as there are people in the Lower Mainland.

It’s horrific, but there is some consolation. Johns Hopkins University reported that the infant mortality rate fell by 18 per cent between 2002 and 2007, which represents 40,000 babies living each year who would have died before. This is mostly because women are now able to seek healthcare independently; under the Taliban, a woman could not even leave her house without a male relative’s permission.

Within minutes of being in Kabul, you notice the street children.

They are everywhere. Most are either begging or trying to sell you things. They run out into heavy traffic to wash windshields with old rags that I’m fairly sure actually make the windows dirtier.

More than once while walking down the sidewalk, I was followed by children who were very friendly but trying desperately to get me to buy a pack of gum from them. I also saw street children who were so young and impoverished that I had to turn away.

The very first place I visited when I arrived in Kabul was the Omid-e-mirmun orphanage for girls. It is one of the signature projects funded by the charity Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan. Omid takes girls in from dangerous situations and gives them clothing, shelter, community and, perhaps most importantly, an education.

On that first morning, as I sat in the living room drinking tea, girls of all ages streamed into the

room. Some have learned English, but even the girls who haven’t will stay in the room as long as the visitor is there, listening to the conversation without understanding a word. Lauryn Oates, my travelling companion and the projects director for Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan, had brought letters written by schoolchildren in the Okanagan. The Omid girls read these eagerly and wrote responses for Lauryn to take back.

It is difficult to describe the mix of emotions you feel when you’re in a room like this, filled with Afghan girls who have no other home to go to. They are like any children anywhere in the world; usually happy, usually loud, always energetic, always happy to see you. One girl got hold of my notebook and filled it with scribbles and drawings. It’s clear to me that they care more about school than most Canadian children do. One girl proudly told us she had just finished Dickens’ Tale of Two Cities. Until they came to Omid, some of them had never even seen a book before.

But these girls are the lucky ones. I shudder when I think about where they would be without Omid. One girl showed up so malnourished that they thought she was two years old, when she was really four or five (they’ll never know for sure exactly how old).

Some of the girls at Omid have escaped forced marriages to elderly men; they were promised off before the age of 10. Then you think about the millions of children who are still living on the streets, some of whom are being exploited in terrible ways.

One of the most unforgettable sights of my trip was at the Darul Aman Palace, originally built in the 1920s. Today it stands as a bombed-out shell on the outskirts of Kabul. In one of my braver moments, I set off to explore the place alone—I found out afterward that there are still unexploded mines in the area, so it was perhaps less brave than reckless—and discovered that the palace is not entirely abandoned. A small face peered down out of a second story window.

I waved, and the child waved back.

I walked around the back of the palace, and saw children everywhere. There was an old, weathered UNICEF tent in the courtyard.

The smell of feces and urine was overwhelming. There may have been adults around, but I never saw any.

I’ve since been told that these were probably Kuchi children, coming from a long history of nomadic people. A century-old palace, bombed out, taken over by parent-less children, as if this was some demented version of Peter Pan’s Neverland. Only in Afghanistan.

Mark Sedwill, a former British ambassador to Afghanistan and current NATO diplomat, said in November he thinks Kabul is safer for children than many Western cities. He was ridiculed for saying this and forced to apologize, but in a strange way, I can understand what he meant. There is power in numbers, and streets in Kabul never felt empty and cold the way they can in cities here. Afghan families look out for each other; decades of chaos and violence and poverty have ensured this. It is a contradiction to say that Afghanistan is one of the worst countries in the world for children’s safety and yet, in certain ways, is safer than the streets of Toronto or New York City. But Afghanistan is full of contradictions.

The Omid orphanage was also the last place I visited before leaving Afghanistan. In the ten days since my first visit, four girls had been accepted from the orphanage into a leadership school in Kabul.

Once there, they will go through preparations to apply for international scholarships and gain an education on par with any Canadian’s. The feeling in the room was jubilant.

These things don’t get reported in the newspapers, and I can understand why, but they are tremendously important for Afghanistan’s future. In Dari, “Omid” means hope. U This is the first part of a series Brian Platt will be writing on the education system in Afghanistan.

8/ubyssey.ca/our campus/2011.01.06

our campus bryce warnes culture@ubyssey.ca The UBC Bookstore was packed on Wednesday. It was the second day of classes, and everyone was joining the mad rush to get the books they needed for the courses they were taking. Some shoppers remained unperturbed, despite the rush.

“It went quickly, actually,” said Julia Atkinson, a psychology student. Atkinson said that she waited in line “maybe five minutes,” before going through the checkout.

Amanda McKaay is a political science student. She was working cash on Wednesday.

“The lineup is all the way down to where the textbooks are,” she said, pointing at the back of the store. “This way, [the customers] wait in line for half an hour, 45 minutes.”

She notes, however, that the store is not usually this busy at the beginning of term. “On most days, it’s around 20 minutes. My

line is actually a lot bigger than it looks.”

There is no rational way to explain how McKaay and Atkinson—or anyone else, for that matter—managed to maintain a semblance of sanity during the rush.

It’s demeaning enough shelling out the cash it takes to buy a semester’s worth of books (Atkinson said she spent $355 on texts this term). But being forced to go foraging for the necessary tomes in aisles packed with competing hunter-gatherers, only to wait half an hour so you can pay... It’s almost inhumane.

The only likely answer is that the air in the Bookstore is being pumped full of nitrous oxide to keep people in a good mood and stop them from rioting. Either that, or UBC’s students are still docile from three weeks of fancy liquor and shortening-based foods. In any case, we have to thank whatever keeps the mob in check for making the scene at the Bookstore on Wednesday as peaceful as it was. U

geoff lister photo/the ubyssey