September 19, 2011

September 19, 2011 | VOL. XCIII ISS. V

I am big guy SINCE 1918

U

Thunderbirds win at home for the first time in three years P6

THE UBYSSEY SEEKING

JUSTICE INTERNED JAPANESECANADIANS SEEK HONOURARY DEGREES

P4

AMS SECURITY

Thousands sign petition against market housing on bus loop P3

VOTE ON

UNIONIZING P3

2 | Page 2 | 09.19.2011

What’s on 19 MON

This week, may we suggest...

Our Campus

One on one with the people who make UBC

TOOPE>>

President’s town hall meeting: 12pm @ Roy Bennet Recital Hall UBC President Stephen J. Toope gives his annual update. Ask easy questions and hear recited answers—or make him beg for BBQ sauce as you grill him with real questions! A light lunch will be provided.

20TUE

CITR >>

21 WED

CLUBS >>

Shindig! 9-12am @ The Railway Club CiTR’s annual battle of the bands kicks off. Come listen to some local hep cats and a dude who sings about the internet! Diamond Dancer, The Killed Spirits, and SR Jones will be performing.

22

THU

Allen Garr: beekeeper, journalist Ming Wong Contributor

REC >> Clubs Days begins @ the SUB

Rec dodgeball: 5-6pm @ SRC Dodgeball is perhaps the best sixth-grade sport ever, and rightfully so; what other excuse did you have to pelt your friends with balls? Relive your childhood—the glory and pain alike.

23

JOSH CURRAN/ THE UBYSSEY

When he’s not holding city hall to account, Allen Garr looks after bees at the UBC Farm and the Van Dusen botanical gardens.

FRI

Come to the SUB so that over 300 clubs can harass and heckle you until you submit and agree to join them! Some of them might even be cool and/or fun! Clubs Days runs through Friday, September 23.

DANCING >> LOQUM Bosphorus Summer Nights: 9pm @ Goldies Lounge Techno, trance, Turkey! The Turkish Music Mafia will make you dance for five hours of sweatfueled insanity: imagine a shot of adrenaline in every major vein and artery in your body at once— as music!

U

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

THE UBYSSEY September 19, 2011, Volume XXXIII, Issue V

EDITORIAL

Coordinating Editor Justin McElroy

coordinating@ubyssey.ca

Managing Editor, Print Jonny Wakefield printeditor@ubyssey.ca

Managing Editor, Web Arshy Mann webeditor@ubyssey.ca

News Editors Kalyeena Makortoff & Micki Cowan news@ubyssey.ca

Art Director Geoff Lister

art@ubyssey.ca

Culture Editor Ginny Monaco

Copy Editor Karina Palmitesta copy@ubyssey.ca

Video Editor David Marino

video@ubyssey.ca

Senior Web Writer Andrew Bates

ijoel@ubyssey.ca

Webmaster Jeff Blake

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BUSINESS

culture@ubyssey.ca

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feedback@ubyssey.ca

Graphics Assistant Indiana Joel

Senior Culture Writers Taylor Loren & Will Johnson

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Business Office: Room 23 Editorial Office: Room 24 Student Union Building 6138 Student Union Blvd Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1 tel: 604.822.2301 web: www.ubyssey.ca

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CONTACT

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STAFF

Andrew Hood, Bryce Warnes, Catherine Guan, David Elop, Jon Chiang, Josh Curran, Will McDonald, Tara Martellaro, Virginie Menard

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.

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Letters to the editor must be under 300 words. Please include your

phone number, student number and signature (not for publication) as well as your year and faculty with all submissions. ID will be checked when submissions are dropped off at the editorial office of The Ubyssey; otherwise verification will be done by phone. The Ubyssey reserves the right to edit 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.

Allen Garr spots an insect unlike the rest of the black and yellow swarm near the hive box. He stops mid-sentence and smacks it with his bare hand. “Wasps,” he says. “I don’t like wasps.”

The small act to prevent the lookalike pest from invading the hive comes from the wealth of knowledge Allen Garr has accumulated in his almost two decades of being an apiarist. He prefers the more commonly used term of beekeeper. “I’m the resident beekeeper, but I don’t reside here,” he jokes.

As a beekeeper, Garr is quite prolific. He looks after the hives at a circuit of gardens and farms: the UBC Farm, Van Dusen, UBC’s Botantical Gardens, the colony on top of the Vancouver Convention Centre and at his own home.

But he said he got into beekeeping by accident when, as a child, someone gave him a swarm in a box.“They thought it was kind of odd,” he says of his parents’ reaction. “They still think most of the things I do are kind of odd.”

Garr also found his way to UBC by accident. “I started four or five years ago. That was a fluke too. I

was keeping bees in the Botanical Gardens,” he continued. “You have to nudge your way in wherever you are.”

Even though he knows more about bees than most people, Garr still gets stung from time to time.

He’s allergic to bee stings, so he doesn’t go anywhere without a bottle of Benadryl close at hand.

“I feel bad when I squish them,” he says. “I’m thankful when they produce honey. And when they’re healthy that’s good.”

Garr is originally from Toronto, but left at the age of 22.

“I came here to escape,” he says. “We found an apartment in Kitsilano while I was studying BC commercial law. My two women roommates were studying the drug scene, so that was kind of fun,” he chuckles. “It was the 60s, after all.”

He went to SFU and wrote for The Peak, and later wrote for The Province. He also taught journalism at Langara College. Garr still finds time away from beekeeping to write a column for The Vancouver Courier about politics, and is president of the Richmond Beekeepers’ Association.“I like variety in my life,” he said. “I think that’s good for me.”

But even with his many

responsibilities, Garr doesn’t seem strung out like most overinvolved university students. “[Beekeeping] is kind of a separate part of my head, that’s separate from journalism,” he goes on.

“You get in a very nice meditative state of just focusing on the bees and seeing how they’re doing.

“I’m in the other 50 years of my life where I can do whatever I damn well please,” he says with a laugh. U

Allen Garr Occupation Journalist, beekeeper Hometown Toronto Hobbies Gardening, swimming His ride 1947 forest green Mercury HalfTon. “I try not to hit anything. I haven’t hit anything for quite a while. But today’s Tuesday.”

Studied Accounting correspondence course through Queens, then English literature at SFU

News

09.19.2011 |

3

Editors: Kalyeena Makortoff & Micki Cowan

SECURITY >>

AMS Security seeks “fair process,” votes on unionization Micki Cowan News Editor

For at least one AMS Security employee, working for the student society just doesn’t have enough benefits—and he’s hoping a union can help change that. Employees voted Monday on whether to join the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1518 (UFCW1518) in response to what some claim are unfair working conditions.

The poll requires 45 per cent of the 30 eligible voters to pass. As one

of the ballots is currently being contested, results will not be known until late next week after Thursday’s hearing.

One of the issues that AMS Security is unhappy with is the lack of benefits. “I have two kids. I don’t have any benefits, any health and dental plan, whereas my predecessor had it,” said AMS Security officer Irfan Reayat.

“On top of that, there is a huge difference in the salary they are paying.”

“They’ve got concerns about

benefits and paid vacation and that kind of thing, but I think job security was one of the bigger ones, because a lot of them were laid off in the summer when most of the students leave the campus,” said Andy Neufeld, communications director at UFCW1518. “They’re looking for some sort of fair process to be in place to deal with that.”

Reayat discussed issues he has had with the AMS. “I’m the supervisor and chief, but if you ask the management if I have any contract on paper, they don’t have anything.

“When I was interviewed, I was hired as chief and supervisor, but when I was signing the contract, they told me: you should be a security officer, because we don’t want to disclose this fact on the other employees as they would feel bad, because they have been working in this department for a long time and they’ve hired me from outside.”

AMS President Jeremy McElroy said that they had thought the issues had been resolved. “I can say that this was quite out of left field for us.

We were given three business days’

notice of the vote,” said McElroy.

If the vote turns out in favour of joining the union, AMS Security would work together with a union representative to negotiate a contract. Neufeld said that benefits would be a big topic for discussion.

McElroy said that if the vote fails, the AMS is going to try to address the security members’ concerns. “A petition of this many people and this kind of vote doesn’t happen if there aren’t concerns. We recognize that and we’re going to work to resolve them.” U

GAGE SOUTH >>

SCIENCE >>

Petition aims to keep Gage South student centred

“Ask a Scientist” connects government with UBC profs

Micki Cowan News Editor

First it was about protecting the Farm. Then there was outrage over University Boulevard. Now students are speaking out against Gage South development plans.

Over the past few years, students who have disagreed with the university’s development proposals have protested publicly. For Gage South—the area encompassing McInnes Field and the main bus loop—students are uniting to petition before any proposals are brought to the public.

The petition argues against the land being used for non-academic development and a lack of public consultation along the way.

UBC graduate student and UBC Insiders editor Neal Yonson is the creator of the Gage South petition.

He said that he has been requesting public consultation for over a year.

“I’ve been raising this same issue to deaf ears for so long now that the petition seems like the only way to get their attention.

“The Farm went through the same thing, where they tried plenty of other means to get the university’s attention, and it turned out the petition was the only way the university would stand up and actually discuss with them the land.”

AMS President Jeremy McElroy said he has concerns with the prospect of market housing at Gage South. “[The university] insists that private housing, being full year rental or mortgaged housing, needs to happen in the centre of campus for all of their plans—for village centre academic, the new SUB, and all the other developments that are happening in the area—to be sustainable.

HORIA ANDREI/VARLAN

Hayley Dunning Contributor

GEOFF LISTER/THE UBYSSEY

UBC Insiders editor Laura Rodgers requests petition signatures from students in the SUB.

“[But] if you do want people to be living in the centre of campus, then it should be students and it should be SHHS [Student Housing and Hospitality Services]-run housing.”

In regard to student concerns, Randy Schmidt, UBC’s director of Public Affairs, said the consultation will take place later this fall. “This petition calls for a broader consultation process, and that’s exactly the process that’s underway,” said Schmidt.

“There is a working group that’s been established to look at options to bring forward for the Gage South area...When they come forward, they want to have options that are technically feasible and realistic.”

But Yonson said that he wants

the university to communicate openly and honestly throughout the entire process.

“Students have been saying the same thing for ten years now, that they think the heart of campus should be for students, and the university has been doing their best to push it under the rug,” said Yonson.

Matt Parson, the AMS VP Academic, sits on the Gage South working group, but McElroy was told he could not sit in on the meeting last week. Public and media have been barred from attending working group meetings since August 25.

But Schmidt insisted that academic use is what’s looked at first by the working group.

“No decision has been made yet on housing for that land. The group is looking at options for academic use of that land, and then once they’ve looked at academic use of that land, [then] they’re looking at the potential for accommodating housing on that land,” he said.

While the petition numbers will be revealed Monday, Sept 19

by Yonson’s UBC Insiders, Yonson doesn’t expect the university to immediately act on the petition’s demands.

“But at least it’s bringing the issue to their attention in an in-yourface manner that will make them discuss it.” U

UBC opens new research centre

Sauder students create GPS goggles

Conference connects female engineers

Presidents work to improve financial aid for students

A new campus research facility for scientists at UBC and Vancouver Coastal Health opened September 15, providing the space and equipment to study treatments and possible cures for prostate cancer, ovarian cancer and bone and joint problems.

“The opening of the Robert H.N. Ho Research Centre marks a new era in health research and will build on British Columbia’s strength as a leader in research and innovation,” said BC Health Minister Michael de Jong. Approximately 150 staff will work at the building, with 40 new jobs created within the Centre for Hip Health and Mobility.

Four former Sauder students have turned a 2006 class project for a technology entrepreneur course into a budding commercial venture.

The students incorporated a headmounted display—complete with GPS, a stopwatch, data on speed, temperature and altitude—into ski goggles.

Initially, the group’s idea was to create a simple display that could offer real-time information such as lap times while training in water. However, the idea was later adapted to winter sports.

Professor Thomas Hellmann of the UBC Sauder School of Business said the technology entrepreneurship class spawns at least one business each year.

The electrical and computer engineering department will be holding a conference next week entitled “Creating Connections 2.0: A New Perspective.” The event, which will invite 150 female engineering students, new immigrants and women in transition, is intended to provide networking and mentoring opportunities to those in engineering who typically have higher rates of attrition than their peers.

Keynote speakers include Maryse Belanger, director of technical services at Goldcorp and Judi Hess, CEO of CopperLeaf Technologies Inc.

Four presidents from the Research Universities’ Council of British Columbia—Stephen Toope of UBC, Andrew Petter of SFU, David Turpin of UVIC and George Iwama of UNBC— have raised concerns about the province’s skyrocketing interest rates on student loans.

They have submitted recommendations to the BC Ministry of Advanced Education, which is currently reviewing financial assistance for students.

Currently, BC’s interest rates sit at 2.5 per cent above prime—effectively the highest in Canada. Collectively, the four universities spend about $120 million in financial aid each year. U

—With files from Andrew Bates

News briefs

The federal government’s official science portal, science.gc.ca, was launched with the goal of being the authoritative source on science and technology for Canadians trying to wade through the latest scientific discoveries.

The site’s useful “Ask a Scientist” project connects people directly with government and institutional scientists.

Martin Aube, director general of the Strategic Science and Technology branch of Natural Resources Canada, said it’s important for the public to know how science and policy interact.

“A lot of people don’t understand how science pervades a bunch of these issues, and it might seem esoteric on first sight, but it’s incredible how much science is behind everything.”

And open answers can help dispel some fear around new science.

“New technology can seem scary and foreign when it’s distant from everyday life. The importance of trying to promote connection between the government, scientists and the public is to cross that barrier of understanding,” said UBC political science student Lisa Danielson, who wrote her thesis on science and democracy.

Danielson said the government has a responsibility to be a source for information on the science they fund, or the public will look for it elsewhere, from sources that may have their own agenda.

UBC astronomy professor Jaymie Matthews, a scientist on the panel, said it’s an important part of his job to devote time to the questions that can’t be answered by a simple Google search, especially since his work is publicly funded.

“That’s what we’re here for. The knowledge and the discoveries wouldn’t do anybody any good if nobody knew about them,” Matthews said. U

4 | News | 09.19.2011

AMS calls for inter-faculty Interned Japanese Canadians sustainability minor seek honourary UBC degrees Ming Wong

Vinicius Cid

Contributor

Contributor

A new sustainability minor may be an option for students in the very near future.

UBC currently offers 300 courses across 17 faculties that deal with sustainability at UBC. However, the AMS’s proposed minor will bridge across faculties.

“It gives the opportunity for students to ingrain sustainability into their education from any faculty...and that’s something we definitely don’t have anything similar to at UBC,” said Justin Ritchie, AMS sustainability coordinator. “[The] AMS is pushing to get this aspect of sustainability education added to the curriculum and what we’re saying is the minor is a great way of doing that,” said Ritchie.

At the August 31 AMS Council meeting, in which Council announced their support for the new minor, VP Finance Elin Tayyar said that it will cover all “environmental, business and engineering aspects” of sustainability.

To fulfill the minor, students would take sustainability courses tailored to their studies and also take electives in other faculties.

This is similar to the Faculty of Commerce’s sustainability concentration, which requires the student to take sustainability Commerce courses with outside faculty electives. Upon completion, Sauder students recieve an additional certificate for the minor.

But unlike the AMS’s proposed minor, the Commerce minor has a relatively narrow focus.

“They wanted [the concentration] to be very specific to business and how businesses would look at sustainability, and making sure that it’s not just great for society, but great for businesses as well,” said Pamela Lim, assistant dean and director of the Sauder School of Business.

It is still unclear how the curriculum for the AMS’s proposed

They were forced out of university because of their race. Nearly 70 years later, a movement to finally get Japanese-Canadians their degrees is underway, but UBC has not yet leant its support.

Mary Kitagawa, a fourth-generation Japanese-Canadian and a member of the Greater Vancouver Japanese-Canadian Citizens Association, has started a petition to grant honourary degrees to UBC students forced into internment camps during World War Two, in an attempt to give institutional recognition to victims’ experiences.

During World War Two—in response to speculation and suspicion of Japanese spies in the Canadian West Coast—the federal government ordered the internment of all ethnic Japanese in BC, confiscating their property and forcing them into prison-like camps. Among the victims were 76 UBC students—mostly Canadian-born. Due to forced deportation and property loss, they could not complete their education after the war had ended.

The government issued an official apology and financial reparations to surviving internees in 1988, but within the local community, many are seeking further institutional recognition for the victims.

“Honouring [UBC’s] former students with special honourary baccalaureate degrees would enhance the stature of UBC as an institution that believes in the nobility of justice,” wrote Kitagawa in an edtorial to the Vancouver Sun. She noted that American universities recently granted similar degrees to ethnic Japanese students who suffered

JOHN QI/THE UBYSSEY

The CIRS building will be one of the greenest buildings on campus.

sustainability minor will be implemented across all faculties, and possible concentrations for the minor could include energy, ecology and climate.

“A lot of what the sustainability minor is, is up in the air right now,” said Ritchie, who added that the earliest implementation would be between 1.5–2 years from now.

The minor will be shown on transcripts as an official minor, as opposed to a certification program.

The program would be offered in the summer only. “UBC is looking at various ways to reinvigorate the summer term so this could be one way of doing it, and it would give people that option to still pursue whatever aggressive timelines they have in their own program, but still pick up this sustainability education that would still be important to them,” Ritchie said.

To move from a faculty-specific sustainability minor to an interfaculty minor will be up to the individual departments themselves, should they choose to integrate it.

But Ritchie is hopeful.

“There’s always room for more systems thinking when it comes to developing an overall ecological awareness.” U

COURTESY UBC LIBRARY ARCHIVES

Japanese Canadian families interned in Hope wait to board a train back to Vancouver.

the same fate as their Canadian counterparts.

However, she was told by the UBC Senate Tributes Committee (STC) that it would be “highly unlikely” that UBC would grant those degrees to the students. While Kitagawa was informed the request would be looked at, no new developments have taken place in the past year.

Sally Thorne, a member of the UBC STC, said the process for granting degrees takes time. “The committee hasn’t discussed the matter or considered alternatives yet,” said Thorne. “We have to go through a process and handle hundreds of other nominations for honourary degrees. We can’t make an immediate decision.”

Millie Creighton, an executive at the Centre for Japanese Research and an associate professor in anthropology, said that honourary degrees are the best way to recognize interned students.

“The idea of education is extremely valued within Japanese culture, so the inability to achieve such is very significant. The process through which the loss happened has been acknowledged to be unfair and inhumane. So it would be a nice gesture from UBC to grant honourary degrees to those who were denied the chance to finish their studies.

“The university is a place that emphasizes the value of education and knowledge, and people having access and being able to pursue that,” said Creighton. “It’s also important to place what happened into a historical context.”

While UBC has not yet given an official decision, Kitagawa said she hopes the university will eventually grant recognition.

“They deserve to be honoured, however late. We will continue our effort on their behalf to see that they receive their special honourary degree, resplendent in their cap and gown.” U

Culture

09.19.2011 |

5

Editor: Ginny Monaco

Members of the Musqueam First Nation perform a welcoming ceremony at the Museum of Anthropology.

ALEXANDRA DOWNING/THE UBYSSEY

MOA>>

MOA honours Musqueam nation John Hayes Contributor

WILL JOHNSON/THE UBYSSEY

Patrons visit Project Space, a new gallery for art books that opened last week in China-

ART AND/OR BOOKS>>

Project Space opens its doors Will Johnson Senior Culture Writer

Project Space isn’t an art gallery.

It’s not quite a bookstore either.

You could maybe call it a studio, but that doesn’t quite sum it up either.

If you combine all of those things together, you start to get a sense of what’s going on at 222 East Georgia Street.

Last week, right in the heart of Chinatown, Project Space held its grand opening. Tracy Stefanucci and Jaz Halloran, the creative force behind the new space, hosted hundreds of guests who came to check out their quixotic collection of art publications, design books, magazines and art installations.

One book that drew the attention of visitors was Getting to Know My Husband’s Cock, a self-published sexual scrapbook by Ellen Jong that includes brazen pictures of the aforementioned appendage. The work is indicative of the controversial indie publications that Project Space is interested in.

Stefanucci was shocked when she first picked up the book, but after hearing about Jong’s artistic vision, decided it had earned a place on her shelf.

She said that she is happy to have a space that welcomes strange, offbeat and potentially offensive publications, and believes that Project Space will fill a necessary void in contemporary publishing.

“I have never enjoyed bookstores,” said Stefanucci. “I always feel like the number of books they carry I am not interested in largely outweighs the number they carry that I am interested in.

“Even bookstores that do have a decent selection of the types of

Getting to Know My Husband’s Cock “This recollection of the first three years leading up to my wedding day and my first year of marriage is a love song in photographs and text where the male body is used as a metaphor for love; his cock is a symbol of manhood, it affects me profoundly, challenges, indulges and intoxicates me.”

— Ellen Jong, author publications I like tend to have too many selections, and it feels stressful to sort through and make quick judgment calls of whether or not a publication is something I’m going to really enjoy.

“Our vision for Project Space is to create an accessible community space that encourages more energy and community around this niche of publishing in our city, while also connecting our audience to an international community of like-minded artists, writers, curators and publishers,” said Stefanucci.

“Every two months we will be inviting artists from the community to transform the space with exhibitions and installations. Our intention is for visitors to discover something new every time they come in,” she explained.

Stefanucci said she was thrilled with the community response at the grand opening, and is excited for the future of the space.

Stefanucci and Halloran are currently vetting programming proposals, and hope to host a number of events, including readings, art installations and parties. U

On Sunday, the Museum of Anthropology (MOA) celebrated several decades of the special—and at times, complicated—relationship between the Museum and the Musqueam nation.

The event featured a ceremonial unveiling of the Welcome Plaza’s new Musqueam name, which translates as “remember your teachings”, and an acknowledgment of two new art works: “Salish Footprint” by Susan Point and a fountain named “Transformations” by Joe Becker.

“We want to honour and thank those artists,” said Dr Susan Rowley, a MOA curator and

associate professor in the department of anthropology.

The two new exhibits are already in the Welcome Plaza, and the Musqueam artists have inscribed a message underneath their work, expressing hope that all who visit campus will come and see the museum’s entire collection of Musqueam exhibits.

According to Rowley, the dedication was based on growing pains associated with decades of the Museum’s interaction with the Musqueam, who call UBC their ancestral land and who never formally ceded their land to the Canadian government. “Much of the events that have happened between MOA and the Musqueam have forced the

Museum to look at their practices,” In the last 30 years, the MOA has better understood the value of collaboration and consultation with the Musqueam, making the spatial layouts and selections of Musqueam exhibits more authentic.

“One day back in the 70s, former Chief Delbert Guerin was out fishing one day and heard drums up here [near the MOA] on the cliffs,” said Rowley. “Later that day, he was phoned up by a CBC reporter, asking how he felt about the unveiling of a [totem] pole at the Museum.

“He replied, ‘How would you feel if someone came onto your lawn, put up a cross and didn’t ask your permission?’” U

Sports

09.19.2011 |

6

Editor: Drake Fenton

JON CHIANG/THE UBYSSEY

UBC QB Billy Greene was the total package on Saturday, lighting up Alberta for 304 total yards and 4 touchdowns.

UBC cruises past Alberta in home opener Moving the chains Drake Fenton On Saturday afternoon, the UBC football team did something incredible; they won a game at Thunderbird Stadium.

UBC’s 40-30 defeat of the University of Alberta Golden Bears was the T-Birds’ first home victory since September 6, 2008—a torturous 1106 day span. Going into the contest, UBC had lost their last 12 games straight in front of the home crowd.

With that monkey off their back and a 2-1 record (in a three-way tie for second in the Canada West conference), UBC is suddenly beginning to look like a contender and, dare I say it, a dark horse to win.

After the game, head coach Shawn Olson spoke modestly about his team and was quick to dismiss any talk about where the ‘Birds rank nationally, or where they should rank.

“I prefer if nobody knows about us, to be honest with you. At the end of the day we came out fairly healthy. We didn’t want to lose any of our key guys,” he said. “Our goals are bigger than our ego, so I think we have a team that will be in the mix. We just got to look to be smart about things.”

Olson is not the CIS’s version of Rex Ryan. He is not going to guarantee victories and he certainly isn’t going to talk about his team as the team to beat in the Canada West. He takes a one-game-a-time

Running back Sam Adu evades the Golden Bear’s defence.

approach—and given UBC’s shaky past, that is probably the most sensible course of action.

“We came out, we had focus and our leaders are really stepping up [for us],” Olson said. “All of those things bode well, but we still have to play the games and if we don’t [play well] next week or the week after, then we could easily find ourselves in a situation we don’t want to be in.”

Unlike Olson, I have no problem making a bold guarantee—and unlike Olson there will be very little ramifications if my guarantee fails to become reality.

UBC will make the playoffs this year.

Considering the team hasn’t made the postseason in the last five years and has only played three games this season, it does seem outlandish to

JON CHIANG/THE UBYSSEY

make that kind of claim. There are still five games left for UBC to selfdestruct, but based on their current body of work, that doesn’t appear likely.

Everything begins with UBC pivot Billy Greene. At times he is indistinguishable from Superman.

He currently leads the Canada West in every major passing category. He’s thrown for 867 yards, 8 touchdowns and leads the country with an incredible 67 per cent completion rate.

On top of that, he hasn’t thrown an interception and has rushed for 244 yards and a touchdown. His total offense output of 1111 yards is the highest in the country.

On Saturday against Alberta, Greene showed why he should be discussed as a Hec Creighton (CIS MVP) nominee. By the end of the

third quarter, Greene had torn through Alberta’s defence and UBC was leading 40-8. With the game out of hand, Olson pulled Greene and the majority of his other starters for the fourth quarter.

Greene was able to dissect Alberta’s secondary with accurate, smart passes and when he used his legs to move the ball he managed to burst by their offensive line. On two occasions, Olson dialed up Greene to run the ball and he was rewarded for his decision with gains of 41 and 37 yards. It something Greene loves to do, and something that makes UBC’s offense very dangerous.

“My first two years I didn’t get to run the ball very much and when Olson came here, he remembered recruiting me in high school and knew I could run the ball,” Greene said. “I told him I wanted to run the ball and I am a big guy and it’s tough to take me down sometimes. I run hard and try to run guys over.”

Along with Greene, fifth-year running back Dave Boyd was impressive in the victory, gaining 176 yards on 21 carries. Boyd is built like a fire hydrant, and like Greene, he is very capable of bowling over defenders. In the first two games of the year, Boyd was not a big factor in the offense—and the rush offense, in general, was far from dominating.

With a big game under his belt and an offensive line that is finally beginning to gel, Boyd seems primed to continue imposing his will on other teams’ defences.

The biggest question mark that remains for the ‘Birds is their defence.

Last week Calgary ran all over them, and against Alberta it was apparent that the defence struggled in the

Game notes

2-1 40

UBC’s record

Number of points UBC scored in three quarters before pulling their starters

1111

Billy Greene’s total yardage in the first three games of the season

3 1 6

number of years since UBC won a home game UBC’s offensive ranking in the six-team Canada West.

UBC’s defensive ranking in the six-team Canada West

tackling department. If UBC can’t stop the run, they’ll find themselves losing games when the weather turns cold in October. Olson knows that it is something that needs improvement, but he also seemed confident in his players’ ability to minimize missed tackles and to make the necessary changes in the weeks to come.

Regardless of their defensive woes, Greene and the rest of the offensive will be able to carry this team into the playoffs. How far UBC goes remains to be seen, but if things continue to keep coming together, a conference championship is not out of the question. U

09.19.2011 | Sports

Game recap UBC women’s soccer team trounces Manitoba 4-0 Colin Chia Contributor

The UBC Thunderbirds women’s soccer team dominated in a 4-0 win against the winless University of Manitoba Bisons Saturday evening, winning their third game in three matches to start their varsity season.

Using a laid-back defensive strategy proved fatal for the Bisons, as they gave the Thunderbirds ample time and space to play the ball out of defence. The Bisons were lacklustre on offense, forcing UBC goalkeeper Alyssa Williamson to make only one save in the entire match. At the opposite end, it was almost entirely one-way traffic, as the ‘Birds applied heavy pressure and were rewarded with a feast of goals.

Janine Frazao and Rachel Sawyer each scored two goals for UBC. Frazao got the first goal when she found the ball in a goalmouth scramble and struck it into the roof of the net at the 18 minute mark, and then made it 2-0 with a well-placed header just before half-time. Sawyer scored in the second half with a brilliantly-struck free kick that beat Manitoba goalkeeper Chloe Werle to the near post at the 55 minute mark. She scored again six minutes later, striking the ball past Werle after Natalie Hirayama’s pass put her through on goal.

UBC could have scored more, according to head coach Mark

Rogers, who felt four goals flattered Manitoba. However, he also praised the watertight defence, especially with the team losing team captain Kelly Cook and centre-back Alisha Peneve to injuries.

“It’s great that the team rallied behind that and kept a clean sheet despite that,” Rogers said. “You don’t concede goals, you win championships. That’s the starting point for us.”

The Thunderbirds, behind rookie goalkeeper Alyssa Williamson, have yet to concede a goal this season.

“It’s been a great start to the season,” said fourth-year midfielder Natalie Hirayama. “Ally’s helping our team massively this year.”

This dominant win for the Thunderbirds came after a pair of 1-0 victories. In their opening match, Sawyer scored the only goal against Trinity Western University, and on Friday the ‘Birds claimed a victory against University of Regina, with Frazao potting the winner.

Both players now have scored three goals in three matches.

With a 3-0 record, UBC is now in second place in the Canada West conference—tied in points with first-place University of Alberta, who have the edge on goal difference. They face an important road trip next weekend, with matches against the No. 4 ranked University of Saskatchewan and the University of Alberta. U

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09.19.2011 | Games

Sudoku

Difficulty: Intermediate

Monday’s answers

Answers to today’s puzzle in Thursday’s paper

We need journalists!

U

COME BY THE UBYSSEY OFFICE SUB 24, FOLLOW THE SIGNS

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Opinion

09.19.2011 |

10

Editor: Brian Platt

Petitions keep this campus for students

Posters that touch our lives

Editor’s Notebook Justin McElroy

The Last Word Parting shots and snap judgments on today’s issues CiTR comes back to the students You know that radio station on campus? The one you see from time to time at events, where a couple of hipsters sport headphones and choose tunes? The one you each pay $5 towards?

That’s CiTR, 101.9FM, your “campus and community radio station,” which, for many years, hadn’t exactly served students first. The number of students who hosted shows on a student-owned radio station was shockingly low.

But this summer, sensing that their increased funding from the referendum brought increased accountability, they let go of two long-time (and full-time) managers, brought in new blood and made a concerted effort to reach out to students. They made a presentation to AMS Council last week, and we have to say, the progress is encouraging.

Now, in the interest of full disclosure, we’ll note that we’re developing a show to air every week on their airwaves, and they’ve recently hired former Ubyssey photo editor Oker Chen to helm their DJ division. But that doesn’t change the fact that for the first time in a while, the radio station funded by UBC students is serving the campus first, and the general Vancouver arts-based community second. It’s a welcome shift.

Gage South is one battle in a larger struggle The good news about student leaders deciding to speak out over the future of Gage South is that students are challenging the bulldozer that is UBC’s consultation process.

The bad news is that there are plenty of other pressing issues— from the price of housing to the future governing structure of UBC—where there is little vocal opposition from students. In the

past, you could usually count on a loud contingent of social justice activists to lead the charge when UBC valued market housing residents’ interests over the needs of current students. But the campus left has been silent and disorganized for nearly two years now.

Behind-the-scenes consultation and collaboration is always good, and that’s probably the ideal way for the AMS to engage the university. But there is always the need for a vocal group of students—regardless of their political ideology—to rise up, sign petitions and make UBC a little uncomfortable.

That this is being done for Gage South is a good thing. That it hasn’t yet for the overall governance of UBC is lamentable—but we hope that will change sooner rather than later.

We’re all in the same Tardis now A time-traveling fictional painting was the best-selling poster at the Imaginus poster sale in the SUB this week. It’s okay, we bought one too. (We also bought the Ninja Turtles poster exhorting us to choose pizza over drugs, but were then berated by our more fun-loving editors.)

The Exploding Tardis, painted by a fictional version of Vincent Van Gogh and sent forward in time in the BBC sci-fi series Doctor Who, was a nice departure from Imaginus’ usual best-sellers of Audrey Hepburn black-and-whites and hot chicks making out on a bed.

Maybe Imaginus organizers will take note and nerds can look forward to more nerd-inclusive options. Suggestions include: propaganda posters featuring the Daleks, and wanted missives searching for the crew of the good ship Serenity.

And if you didn’t understand any of the words in that last sentence, go stare at your Scarface-covered walls and pound a protein shake.

Clubs give UBC a personal touch Okay, we get it. UBC is a huge campus, with thousands upon thousands of nameless faces. And unless you’ve somehow managed to land a huge group of friends with similar interests in the first two weeks, you’re going to need a way to make some bosom-buddies on campus.

This is where clubs at UBC come into play. While clubs are founded on a common interest—such as beer, swimming or science fiction books—they’re nothing without a diverse group of people. At their core, clubs are more about the social aspect and finding your subgroup at university than about the thing you are gathering to support.

So join a few clubs. Find your clique and avoid the crushing loneliness that eight months of rain on an enormous campus can cause.

Electric Courage even more shameful than liquid courage Electric Courage is a cell phone app that will soon help you find people in campus bars. You “check in,” and then can start surreptitiously texting potential dates until you get to the point where you can actually talk to them in person.

We understand that there are many shy folk out there who will appreciate any new way to break the ice, but we also say: come on, pick yourself up off your chair and go talk to people. You know, like actual face-to-face interaction. It’s supposed to take a bit of courage to meet new people.

If technology can make it a bit easier for those who have trouble finding dates, that’s not such a terrible thing. But nothing beats the sheer joy that comes out of summoning the courage to approach an attractive stranger and having it work out. Let’s not lose that. U

You may be vaguely familiar with the term “Gage South.” It’s on our front page and has been bandied about by your over-involved friends. But it’s confusing. Should you really care?

Well, the first thing you should know is that UBC has been trying to develop the area around University Boulevard and Wesbrook Mall for a full decade.

They’ve wasted literally millions of dollars and dozens of consultation reports trying to ram through nonstudent housing, increased retail space, underground bus loops and plenty of other things that the vast majority of students have never wanted.

Two years ago, it seemed that a compromise had been reached. A new Student Union Building and Alumni Centre would be the focal points of campus. MacInnes Field would remain open to concerts and casual soccer games. Simple, right?

Wrong.

After months of consultations that were meant to inform, rather than engage, Campus and Community Planning is, by all reports, planning to propose non-student housing for the area around the bus loop and a new Aquatic Centre to sit where MacInnes field now lies (usually conveniently shortened into “the Gage South issue”). Some sort of field would be included in the plan, though UBC is short on details.

A nine-year-old could tell you this is a dumb idea. A vibrant student centre is integral to any university, non-student housing generally reduces the vibrancy of

any student centre, and playing fields are awesome.

But a fifty-something city planner doesn’t care about kids having fun, and will argue the nine-yearold doesn’t understand the value of a dollar.

And so here we are. There is currently a group of students leading a petition advocating for a different future for the area. Now, you may be tempted to dismiss a petition as a power to the people throwback that doesn’t actually work to change anything. But the fact is that without real democratic accountability, the only way UBC ever changes its mind is if thousands of people sign petitions. It’s why the Marine Drive residences are a few stories lower, thanks to a 2004 petition by Wreck Beach activists. It’s why University Boulevard is not currently filled with condos, thanks to a 2007 petition. It’s why the UBC Farm is designated “green academic” instead of its previous “future housing reserve,” because of a 2008 petition.

Petitions work.

Petitions scare UBC because media reports on petitions, and then people are reminded that UBC runs a de facto municipality in a less accountable way than any municipality in Canada. If enough people sign a petition, then UBC invariably “rethinks” their position, stalls development and keeps this campus a little more studentfocused. They then claim that this is a good method of democracy. But I digress.

The point is, you should sign the petition. You should sign it because the centre of campus should be for students. You should sign it because UBC shouldn’t make key land-use decisions behind closed doors. And you should sign it because sometimes, a single signature makes a big difference. U

SASC must be a priority Letters

It has come to our attention that the Sexual Assault Support Centre (SASC) has not been up and running for the first few weeks of school, and further, will not be fully functioning until after winter break or mid-October. Judging by the time allotted to find replacement coordinators, it is obvious to us that SASC has not been a priority to the AMS. This lack of prioritization of these important services to students is unacceptable.

SASC is an important service to students who have experienced sexual assault and it is crucial that it be available and fully functioning at all times, especially in the first few weeks of school when there’s a higher risk of sexual assault on campus due to increased alcohol consumption. The fact that this service will not be functioning fully until later in the semester is unacceptable. SASC is extremely important because it deals specifically with sexual assault and although there are counselling services on campus, they do not specialize in this area. If the only sexual assault services available to students are those available off-campus, this will act as a detrimental barrier in students accessing

the help they need, affecting their well-being and ability to function at this university.

The AMS has had since the end of June to find replacement coordinators qualified to manage the centre.

Although they have said they are having trouble finding qualified candidates, we have heard from the former coordinator of SASC that there are an abundance of qualified candidates. It appears that the hiring process was done in an unprofessional and under-advertised manner, showing that this student union has failed to prioritize this service. Currently there is not even a job posting available on the AMS website, let alone the UBC careers listings.

These are serious issues that need to be addressed immediately by all members of Council and the AMS executive body. We at the Womyn’s Centre urge you to prioritize finding qualified candidates to fill the positions at SASC immediately, ensuring that these essential services are restored and accessible without further delay.

—UBC Womyn’s Centre Send your letters to feedback@ubyssey.ca

Scene

09.19.2011 |

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Pictures and words on your university experience

SEX >>

Something She Dated: Fucking awesome with awesome fucking

Something She Dated is written by a UBC Arts student who has been entertaining internet readers for the last two years with her personal insights on sex and relationships.

We’ve brought her in as a columnist, and she’ll be our resident sexpert this year, replacing the much-loved Too Sexy. You can also find her at somethingshedated.blogspost.com.

I first started writing about sex and dating to avoid having to tell the same “date night” story to each of my friends individually.

I mean, there’s only so many times a person can talk about “the guy who brought a hatchet to the first date” (true story) or “the guy who tried to discuss the pros of

eating bison while making out” (can’t make this stuff up) before it all gets a little tedious. But along the way, I actually learned some things and gained a purpose worth pursuing.

Listening to the majority of people talk about dating is like hearing someone describe a war.

Nobody wins and everyone loses at least one appendage—not to mention those of us who still wake up screaming from the flashbacks.

But the truth is, I honestly don’t think it has to be that way. Sex and dating should only be related to dicks and getting fucked in a literal sense. Metaphorically speaking, there’s no need to be an asshole.

The thing about sex and dating is that everyone has the same goals. You want to have it; you want to do it well; it’s best if you’re not a total dick along the way; and you want everyone to be happier for having had it.

Most people don’t want to hurt others or cause frustration. They simply don’t know how to do what’s best for themselves and still do right by the other person. This is where I come in: teaching the social protocol of sex and dating.

I’ll teach you things like how to keep casual sex casual and how to

give head without having to swallow your pride. Expect to see a lot about boys, balls and blowjobs, but also about how to use your dick without being one and how nice guys need only finish last because their awesome girlfriends are cumming first. We’ll talk about how not to be Bitter Betty or Crazy Cathy (because we all know Nonchalant Nancy is having the most fun).

Mostly, you can expect a lot of talk about how to be a decent human being no matter where you fall along the dating-sex-relationship spectrum.

Fair warning, though: I don’t know it all or have all the answers.

There will always be more to learn about the world of sex, dating and relationships, so don’t be surprised if you see me out there, researching my way around town.

Remember not to judge, because after all, I’m doing this for you—to make your life easier, happier and more fucking awesome with awesome fucking.

I’ll be your wingman by proxy, your wingchick ambassador. I’ll be right here, doing my best to fuck UBC into a better place, one student, faculty member or support staff at a time—and telling you all about it. U

FARMADE>>

GEOFF LISTER/ THE UBYSSEY

Several hundred people turned out to FarmAde last Friday to enjoy the bounty of the UBC Farm. The farm, once threatened by condo development, is now an untouchable fixture of campus. Though we may soon need a Gage SouthAde.