Tuesday, September 3, 2013 |
EDITORS WILL Mcdonald + Sarah Bigam
Whistler >>
FILE PHOTO KAI JACOBSON//THE UBYSSEY
An AMS report has determined that the Whistler Lodge could be operated as a sustainable student service.
Whistler Lodge viable as a student service
Sarah Bigam News Editor
The AMS has released a report about the viability of continuing to operate the Whistler Lodge as a service rather than a business. Released on August 19, the report completed by AMS VP Finance Joaquin Acevedo determined that the Lodge could be financially viable as a student service and recommended its becoming one. As a business, the Lodge has lost the AMS $220,000 from 2005-2013. The report produced a financial model in which the Lodge would run neutral after costs. This model increases the price for the general public from $30 to $35, although it would be preferred to increase occupancy rather than price. Student pricing would remain the same at $25 per night.
NEWS BRIEFS UBC study finds poverty effects ability to think A new study has found that poverty can impair mental function. The study found that people in poverty often put so much effort into meeting their basic needs that they have limited “mental bandwidth” left for things like education or decision making. “Previous accounts of poverty have blamed the poor for their personal failings, or an environment that is not conducive to success,” said UBC professor and lead author of the study Jiaying Zhao. “We’re arguing that being poor can impair cognitive functioning, which hinders individuals’ ability to make good decisions and can cause further poverty.” UBC study finds new asteroid Astronomers at UBC have discovered that there could be more asteroids in space than was previously thought. The astronomers discovered the first asteroid that shares an orbit with the planet Uranus, and believe there are more asteroids like it in space. “Surprisingly, our model predicts that at any given time three per cent of scattered objects between Jupiter and Neptune should be co-orbitals of Uranus or Neptune,” said Mike Alexandersen, lead author of the study. U
The model assumes current operational costs remain the same and that there are no capital expenses. If all recommendations are implemented and demand continues to rise, the lodge would make around $30,000 a year starting in 2014. Recommended short-term code and maintenance upgrades include improvements to entry landscaping, parking lot stairs, bathrooms, emergency exterior lighting, sauna lighting, benches, exterior doors and the entry deck, costing a total of $86,397. A larger short-term improvement scheme also included a $125,000 charge for the creation of five private rooms. “The smaller things that have a low estimated cost and relatively high urgency we would accomplish those within the operational budget that we have right now as to not make any further losses to the lodge for this fiscal year,” said Acevedo. The cost of the renovations to the Lodge were not included in the first nations >>
model since they would not be paid for by the Whistler Lodge’s revenue if it is deemed a student service instead of a business. As the scope of the report excluded selling or demolishing the lodge, Acevedo did not comment on that possibility. The decision was made earlier this year to keep the Lodge open until at least the end of this fiscal year, which ends on April 30. The report recommends that funding for improvements come from the Student Spaces Fund, to which each student currently pays $15.75 a year and which specifically lists “Whistler Cabin renovations and expansion” as one of its mandates. The fund currently has a balance of about $481,000. “I would prioritize the Whistler Lodge over any of those other projects to come out of this fund,” Acevedo said. Council has yet to determine their stance on this. The report noted that $1.1 million has been earmarked from this fund
for spending on a microbrewery at the UBC Farm. This is also yet to be approved by Council, but if it is, it could impact the amount of funds that go to Whistler. Further recommendations from the report include developing an asset management plan to maintain the lodge in the long term, improving marketing, improving technology used for bookings, restructuring booking staff to save $20,000 in labour costs, and reviewing the lodge rules and regulations. These include rules such as silence after 11 p.m. and a liquor ban for the whole group if any one member is underage. The report also suggested building partnerships both onand off-campus to support the financial operation of the Lodge. Potential on-campus partners included the Commerce and Engineering Undergraduate Societies, and various clubs and residences. If there were 11 partners and each booked the Lodge once a year, it would make $20,000 per year for the Lodge. SFU and Kwantlen were also suggested as external partners. Both had expressed interest in the six months leading up to the report. The partnerships were predicted to make $25,200 and $10,690 respectively. There will be a public consultation campaign to engage with stakeholders of the Whistler Lodge. The campaign aims to gather feedback from students, AMS constituencies, clubs involved with the Lodge, and external organizations that utilize the Lodge. The campaign will have both an online and physical presence. The information gathered will be made publicly available and will be included in the final recommendation to the AMS. According to Vice-President External Affairs Tanner Bokor, a full list of consultation dates and locations will be released on September 4 at 5pm. The final decision on the Whistler Lodge is set to be made at the Sept. 25 AMS Council meeting. U
Classes suspended for Reconciliation Commission
Will McDonald News Editor
UBC is suspending classes on Sept. 18 in honour of events surrounding the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. The Commission aims to collect testimonies from survivors of the residential school system and spread that information to the public. Commission events will be held in Vancouver from Sept. 18-21. Linc Kesler, director of the First Nations House of Learning and senior adviser to the president of UBC on aboriginal affairs, said deciding to suspend classes is a big step for UBC. “To my knowledge, UBC is the first university to do this in the history of these kind of events,” said Kesler. “It’s a bold statement by the university and we hope something that will engage a lot of people.” Kesler said most Canadians are unaware of the history of residential schools, where aboriginal students were often physically, psychologically and sexually abused, and isolated from their families, culture, and language. “The fact that most people don’t know this is certainly not their fault, and it isn’t surprising. But it is something we need to address and I believe it’s something we need to correct,” said Kesler.
photo carter brundage/THE UBYSSEY
Classes will be suspended Sept. 18 for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Kesler said the effects of residential schools still plague the aboriginal community today. “There’s a lot of intergenerational trauma,” he said. “A generation that didn’t go to the schools suffered very similar forms of abuse in the community as a result of the patterns that were established in the schools.” Kelser said one of the most important parts of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission is acknowledging what happened in residential schools, and giving the victims of the schools a chance to come to terms with what happened. Kesler said it can often be traumatizing for victims of residential schools to recount their experiences, but it is crucial
for Canadians to know about their history. “They don’t want people to feel guilty about it. They just want people to understand that this is our history as our country,” Kesler said. “The recognition is profound.” Kesler said suspending classes should encourage more students to attend events related to the Commission, and increase awareness on campus. “We really do think that people going there makes a huge immediate difference and that it sets the stage for far more well-informed and meaningful discussions about all kinds of issues that we’re going to have one way or another for the rest of the century,” said Kesler. U
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Construction >>
New SUB could be delayed until 2015
PHOTO WILL MCDONALD/THE UBYSSEY
Construction on the New SUB is delayed.
Will McDonald News Editor
The New SUB could open as late as January 2015. The $103-million-dollar building was slated to open in September 2014, but construction delays and the possibility of going over budget are holding up the project. The project is expected to burn through its entire $3.1 million contingency fund by the time it is completed. If the project requires more funding than its contingency fund can provide, the AMS will either have to find more money to fund to project or cut elements from the building. “In our development agreement, it states pretty explicitly that if the budget is set to go over budget that we will cut from scope in order to make up the budget loss. That’s [on] paper, which is disappointing, but we’re looking at another route right now,” said AMS VP Admin Derek Moore. Moore said that if the funding issue is not resolved, the proposed slides in the New SUB could be one of the things that get cut. “Unfortunately, all our programming right now is tied to the way which we resolve this financial issue,” said Moore. “I’ll tell you, I’m super stoked on that slide and I’m pushing pretty hard to make it happen. But it does depend on how this issue is resolved.” Moore added that the AMS may be able to increase the budget for the project by using some creative accounting. He said the AMS’ contribution to the project is based on the number of students paying fees that go towards the building. Moore said that student enrolment numbers are expected to exceed the number originally projected by UBC. So, if UBC recalculates the AMS’ contribution to the project, they could effectively increase the budget for the New SUB. “The way that we’re looking at it..., we would be increasing the size of the AMS down payment on the loan,” said Moore. “We’re processing that right now. We’ll have a firm yes or no on that one by the middle of September.” Moore said the construction crews have run into unexpected pipes under the site, delayed supplies and a few other minor issues during the project. He said that despite a few snags, everything is going well so far. “The building is gorgeous,” he said. “Everything looks to spec. There haven’t been any crazy flags.” Moore said the New SUB could open anytime between Sept. 22, 2014 and Jan. 1, 2015. U