October 9, 2014

october 9, 2014 | VoLuME XcVI | IssuE xIv Having actual sources since 1918

OPening of new SUB delayed

Software Bug exposes banking info

fancy a film?

The construction of the new SUB will continue until at least February.

A software bug in the Student Service Centre went undetected for almost two years.

Vancouver International Film Festival is wrapping up. Catch some reviews before it ends.

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ESSEX PREScott UBC skiier won the Shane McConkey award while heliskiing in New Zealand.

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Tuition and housing

costs climb UBC will increase short-term rental housing rates on campus by 20 per cent and has proposed to raise tuition by 10 per cent for incoming international students in 2015.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2014 |

YOUR GUIDE TO UBC EVENTS, PEOPLE + CAMPUS

EVENTS

OUR CAMPUS

this week, check out ...

wednesday - friday

2

ONE ON ONE WITH THE PEOPLE and buildings that MAKE UBC

8

Zeta psi’s “do something crazy”

10:00 p.m. @ 1611 drummond drive

The boys of Zeta Psi don’t want to host the same ol’ thing, so this Thanksgiving weekend they’re throwing a rager, and just in time for the holidays. $15

thursday

9

ubc orchestra performance

PHOTO Cherihan hassun / THE UBYSSEY

8:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. @ the chan centre

UBC’s Orchestra is putting on a free performance of some beautiful classical music. Head over to the Chan Centre for a night of musical entertainment.

Free

thursday

9

eats n’ beats

Drop by the university bookstore for prancakes, sushi and salad samples and enjoy some free music while you do it.

Free

ON THE COVER “Got the money shot.”

-Photo Mackenzie Walker

Want to see your events listed here?

Email your events listings to ourcampus@ubyssey.ca.

U The Ubyssey Coordinating Editor Will McDonald

STAFF

Copy Editor Ciaran Dougherty

october 9, 2014 | Volume XCVI | Issue xIv BUSINESS

CONTACT

Business Manager Fernie Pereira

Editorial Office: SUB 24 604.822.2301

printeditor@ubyssey.ca

Natalie Scadden, CJ Pentland, Kosta Prodanovic, Dave Nixon, copy@ubyssey.ca Soren Elsay, Olamide Olaniyan, Lawrence Neal Garcia, Tariq Distribution Coordinator Vira, Kelley Lin, Jenny Tang, Lily Cai Leo Soh lcai@ubyssey.ca

Web Developer Peter Siemens

Illustrator Julian Yu

Accounts Thea Simpson

web@ubyssey.ca

julianyu@ubyssey.ca

accounts@ubyssey.ca

coordinating@ubyssey.ca

Design Editor Nick Adams

News Editors Jovana Vranic + Veronika Bondarenko news@ubyssey.ca

Culture Editor Jenica Montgomery culture@ubyssey.ca

Sports + Rec Editor Jack Hauen sports@ubyssey.ca

Video Producer Keith Grant video@ubyssey.ca

Photo Editor Cherihan Hassun photo@ubyssey.ca

Opinions + Blog Editor Austen Erhardt aerhardt@ubyssey.ca

Brock Hall is a relic of UBC students’ initiative and perseverance Austen Erhardt Opinions & Blog Editor

11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.. @ UBC bookstore

editorial

Though its reputation has fallen in recent years, Brock Hall was once the centre of student life on campus.

fpereira@ubyssey.ca

Ad Sales Geoff Lister advertising@ubyssey.ca

Business Office: SUB 23 Advertising 604.822.1654 Inquiries 604.822.6681 Student Union Building 6138 SUB Boulevard Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1 Online: ubyssey.ca Twitter: @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.

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.

For many current students, Brock Hall is known as the place where you have to stand in line for 30 minutes to pay your tuition, or maybe to meet up with an ESP or a career advisor. For nearly three decades, however, Brock Hall was the centre for student life on campus. It’s where clubs met and dances were held. It’s where campus organizations like the AMS and The Ubyssey had their offices before the opening of the SUB. It’s where people congregated and mourned when JFK was assassinated in 1963.

Brock Hall was constructed in the late 1930s and was officially opened in January 1940, the year of UBC’s 25th anniversary and just as the Second World War was beginning in earnest. The building, originally named Brock Memorial Hall, was constructed at a cost of $80,000, and was named in honour of Reginald Walter Brock — the former dean of Applied Science — and his wife, Mildred, who both died in a plane crash in 1935. Though the realized construction was impressive for the time, as The Ubyssey reported in 1940, “The original ideas for the Brock Memorial Building involved the expenditure of the best part of $150,000.00, and it was but a short time before the leaders of the Union Building Campaign realized that such a scheme was too ambitious to be considered.”

At the opening ceremony of the hall, then-UBC president

Leonard Klinck reflected on the perseverance of UBC students in the years leading up to the construction of the building and the successful construction itself.

“This building is sufficient proof that the spirit of adventure, enterprise and creative initiative is not lacking among the undergraduate body of this University,” he said.

Though the building was opened to much anticipation and fanfare, many — including the staff of The Ubyssey — were underwhelmed by its level of use in the following weeks and months. In an editorial titled “Lounges, Clubrooms Remain Empty as Students Study”, one Ubyssey editor asserted that people weren’t making ample use of the many time-wasting (that is, social) venues in the new student union building, preferring to study or socialize in study spaces. He took particular issue with those who seemed to prioritize socializing, but made use of the wrong venue to do so.

“The people that should move over right away are those scabs of the library — the people that enjoy long and often hilarious conversations to the extreme annoyance of all around,” the editor said.

Part of this lack of use may have been attributable to the building’s rules which, though rather stringent by today’s standards, were considered to be straightforward and moderate at the time. The regulations included the banning of outdoor clothing in lounges, no food except for <em>

</em>

in the dining room, no smoking except in rooms with ash trays (which, given the building’s fate in 1954, was probably a good idea), no moving furniture and no writing except in rooms with writing tables. Additionally, the building was initially closed at 5:00 p.m. on weekdays and 12:00 p.m. on Saturdays — it took a driven student movement to have the Saturday hours extended past noon.

The building operated effectively as a student space until 1954, when a fire gutted the building. Believed to have been started by a cigarette, the catastrophic blaze destroyed much of the building, including the entirety of the top floor.

Some onlookers, more interested in finding a choice vantage point than in trying to help save the university’s pride and its contents, climbed on the roofs of nearby buildings — only to be trapped when someone took away their ladders.

Brock Hall served as UBC’s student union building until it was replaced by the current SUB in 1967. It’s since undergone major renovations and additions, and was reopened as UBC’s Welcome Centre in 2005.

Though it’s now viewed by many as an archaic and, in many ways, unpleasant building — whether it’s due to the confusing design, outdated classrooms or frequently long lines — Brock Hall has a rich history and is a notable example of what the initiative of UBC students can accomplish if properly applied. U

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2014 |

EDITORS Jovana Vranic + Veronika Bondarenko

Rez life >>

3

construction >>

New SUB delayed until February 2015

photo will mcdonald/THE UBYSSEY

The building was originally slated to open in September 2014.

Veronika Bondarenko News Editor

FILE PHOTO Mackenzie Walker/THE UBYSSEY

The new rates will affect students with eight-month housing contracts starting in fall 2015.

Student housing costs to increase by 20 per cent

Will McDonald Coordinating Editor

As of 2015, the majority of beds in UBC Housing will cost 20 per cent more.

Managing Director of Student Housing and Hospitality Services Andrew Parr said the fee increases will still leave housing costs at or below market housing rates. According to Parr, the increase in fees will help address an increasing demand for housing on campus.

After the increases, a single room in Totem Park or Place Vanier will cost $725-$778 per month. The increase will only apply to eight-month contracts, not year-long housing.

Meal plan costs will also go up by $285 per student to help fund improvements to residence dining halls.

“There’s a significant need to enhance and grow our food services,” said Parr.

AMS VP Academic and University Affairs Anne Kessler said the AMS was informed of the cost increases at a meeting yesterday.

While the student society doesn’t have a specific policy against housing increases, Kessler cited a 2012 AMS report and their policy against tuition increases as evidence the AMS would oppose the changes.

“There’s already an affordability problem for everyone … this is just going to make it more so,” said Kessler.

Kessler also questioned Housing’s claim that residences rooms are priced at or below market value.

She gave the example that Housing uses the figure $860 as the market rate for the Dunbar area.

“Students have a way of finding themselves cheaper housing, that’s maybe not as new as Ponderosa, but it’s housing. And usually it’s bigger,” said Kessler.

Kessler also noted that the fee increases, combined with proposed tuition increases will disproportionally affect international students.

“The university talks about wanting to diversify its international student population and this is not going to do that,” said Kessler. “This is kind of a double whammy for international students,” said Kessler.

According to Parr, Housing has already decided that the fee increases will take place, though they will be consulting students along with the VP Students office on how to best use the money from the fee increases in areas such as student services.

“We really want to engage with the student leadership around this question, but where we already got to as a part of that first conversation ... was around counselling and health services,” said VP Students Louise Cowin.

Housing informed the Residence Hall Association about the changes at a meeting Monday night.

RHA president Kaitlyn Melton said the RHA is working to advocate on behalf of students during the consultations.

“The exact details of this are still in the process of being determined but essentially at this point the RHA is aimed at ensuring that people are aware that this is happening as well as having an opportunity to provide feedback,” said Melton.

Kessler said the AMS is working on a strategy to respond to the housing cost increases. U

Money >>

10 per cent international tuition hike proposed Will McDonald Coordinating Editor

The university has proposed a 10 per cent increase in tuition for all incoming international students.

According to VP Students Louise Cowin, the increase would help boost UBC’s reputation and make the university more attractive to international students, as well as improve students’ academic experiences.

“For domestic and international students, the number one reason for them coming to UBC [this year] was reputation,” said Cowin.

The proposed tuition hike would not affect currently enrolled students, only international students in the incoming class of 2015.

Angela Redish, who is at the helm of the changes for international students, said schools such as McGill and the University of Toronto are in a better position to attract students due to their higher international tuition. Previously, UBC has limited international tuition increases to three per cent per year.

“It’s hard for us to compete and to build that academic reputation that the students are coming for when we’ve kind of got one hand tied behind our back,” said Redish. “This isn’t about us coming up to, say, the University of Toronto level. This is about us trying to make up ground.”

AMS VP Academic Anne Kessler said the student society

FILE photo charles to/THE UBYSSEY

The new rates are expected to go to the Board of Governors for approval this year.

was surprised by the proposed tuition increases.

“We’re opposed to it.... They did not provide us really strong justification about what the money is going to be used for,” said Kessler.

Redish said the exact details of how the extra fees would be used are yet to be determined, though she expected a fair amount would be funnelled into individual faculties, particularly for the purposes of hiring new faculty members.

“The’ll hire another bright star ... the reputation of the university is very much based on the research done by the faculty members,” said Redish.

Kessler said the university has yet to provide a breakdown of how the increased tuition would benefit students.

“For the moment our message for the university is going to be give us a line by line breakdown of what your spending this money on and then we might actually have a conversation with you,” said Kessler. The university has already brought up the proposed increase to a number of student groups, and plans to hold broader consultations over the next 30 days. According to Redish, the increase could go to the Board of Governors for approval as early as December.

Kessler questioned whether sufficient consultation could occur in the 30-day period.

“I’m not sure that two town halls is going to provide enough actual conversations about it,” said Kessler.

“So, we’re going to tell the university they should do more, essentially.”

The university will also review all programs on a case-by-case basis in 2016 to assess their tuition rates.

In addition to the potential increases, the university will be holding consultations about how to improve access for international students through means such as scholarships.

“We really do intend to have a structure ... around this really being a robust and iterative process, so we really do mean consultation,” said Cowin.

Kessler questioned the effects the increases would have on international students.

“We already know that one of the biggest issue for international students is somewhere in third year realizing that they don’t really have enough money to be able to finish fourth year, which is kind of ridiculous… There’s not enough financial support for international students. There’s not emergency funding like there is for domestic students,” said Kessler.

In the meantime, the AMS plans to meet to develop a strategy to respond to the increases. U

The opening of the new SUB has been pushed back until at least February 2015.

After first setting January 5 as the opening date for the new SUB, the AMS has announced that it will need more time before the building can be open to the students.

According to Ava Nasiri, VP Administration, a series of delays and unforeseen complications with the construction process are preventing the new SUB from being opened on time.

“When you’re building the foundations of a house, it’s very simple,” said Nasiri. “When you’re dealing with glass hand railing on stairs and finishing on polished concrete and finishing on windows and the finer details that really make the character of the building, that’s where ridiculously high levels of details come in.”

Nasiri said that construction is behind with the overall completion of the building instead of a particular part or feature.

“For the teams that are working to materialize these designs and these concepts, there is a lot of process for them to follow,” said Nasiri. “But in making this drawing a reality, they come across issues and that is something that is all over the building. It’s not any one thing we can point to. It’s rather all of the finishing and all of the complexity.”

At this time, the AMS hopes to set the opening date for February 23, which is the first day back from Reading Week, but it is possible that this date will need to be pushed back even further into the future as the construction process drags on.

Nasiri also said that while the AMS and various building stakeholders have done their best to have the new SUB open on time or even confirm February 23 as the official opening date, more time is still needed to finalize an opening date for new SUB. “When your money is spent and the schedule is done, all you have left is the building,” said Nasiri. “We don’t want to sacrifice the quality of the building that students will be using for years to come in terms of cutting anything from programming and we also are very wary of spending any extra money.” U

breaking

The AMS has announced the sale of the Whistler Lodge.

At the October 8 council meeting, AMS President Tanner Bokor declared that a tentative deal on the sale of the Whistler Lodge has been reached. Details regarding the sale have been revealed in an in-camera session, but the AMS is withholding the details from the public for reasons regarding the confidentiality of the sale contract.

The AMS will be releasing the official information surrounding the sale of Whistler Lodge in the upcoming days. U

4 | News |

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2014

business >>

UBC-based company develops new mining sensors

Photo Courtesy FLICKR/MIchael becker

David Nixon Staff Writer

Andrew Bamber began his PhD at UBC with the idea that mining extraction needed more sustainable technology, and now he’s building it at the helm of Vancouver-based MineSense.

Bamber, 43, remembers the research in his PhD that led him to his role today as Chief Executive of his company, working to break into the mining industry.

“I had a concept stuck on the wall,” said Bamber.

“Late at night, drinking painted turtle wine because that’s all I could afford, and looking for the common thread in all those pieces of post-it papers and finding it.”

That was December 2007, but it began before UBC, when he was a Mining Developer and was witnessing his own projects lose money from a sub-optimal metal recovery process.

“My original intent coming to UBC for a one year Masters was to understand that better and get out there,” said Bamber, “but a Masters degree became a PhD and a PhD became a technology, [then] a company.”

Now his company has their first product. They’ve installed sensors on mining shovels, scoops and belt conveyers. This allows a company to monitor the quality of the ore, and to discard the unprofitable rocks before more resources are wasted.

“Before we came along with our vision for sensors and how they should be built and deployed in the industry,” Bamber said, “it wasn’t even believed possible that you could put digital electronics and analog signal electronics and sensors on shovels and have them survive.”

Despite impressive projections, Bamber is fighting an uphill battle to get his foot in the door.

The mining industry already faces high risks from the geological, market, political, and financing factors, and to give Bamber a try they will have to take on more innovation risk as well, which is a tough sell.

“When they look at a new tech, whether it’s ours or a new one, risk averse companies facing those first order risks don’t instinctively want to add to that even with incremental technology risk, so that kind of drives an inherent technological conservatism in the industry.”

Bamber thinks the timing is right though. Mining companies used to marginal energy costs are seeing them rise exponentially, and he says the days of billion dollar megaprojects are over. It’s a comparable climate to the oil sands companies who have had to invest heavily in technology innovation to stay profitable as energy costs have accelerated.

If things go well, Bamber hopes to commercialize the idea by 2015.

He’s now working out of a 20,000 sq. ft office in South Vancouver, following an incubation at UBC and a start-up phase working out of a garage. MineSense is still well connected to UBC through research funding initiatives, and Bamber’s partner, Andrew Csinger, was a UBC entrepreneur in residence before the two started working together.

According to Bamber, the faculty, libraries and mining labs at UBC were instrumental to helping him go from student to entrepreneur.

“The philosophical research that became the underpinnings of the company wouldn’t have been possible without access to all that material in [Irving],” said Bamber. U

Housing >>

UBC professor Patrick Condon says high-rise buildings are not the way to go in Vancouver

Photo Courtesy LaMiah Adamjee

Vincent Veidt Contributor

If you ask at least one UBC professor, skyscrapers may not be the answer to Vancouver’s growing housing problem.

Patrick Condon, Chair of the Masters of Urban Design Program at UBC and author of Seven Rules for Sustainable Communities: Design Strategies for the Post-Carbon World thinks that Vancouver has a lot to learn when it comes to city planning. In particular, Condon has looked at Vancouver’s spot-zoning policy and questioned the effects that changing demographics will have on future homeowners.

Residents of Vancouver know how challenging it can be to find housing. With BC Stats projecting population growth in the Greater Vancouver Area of nearly 800,000 by 2035, the metropolitan area

is faced with the challenge of implementing urban planning strategies that can accommodate the demands of over three million residents, as well as business and leisure interests.

The City of Vancouver has recently drawn community criticism over high-rise development projects beyond the downtown core. Condon, who is a vocal proponent of low-rise neighbourhoods, recommends a “cheaper and better structurally sound” approach to city planning rather than building typical skyscrapers in a city that requires earthquake resistant domiciles.

“Where you’re going to build, build four to five storeys,” said Condon, who also advocates an increase in trees to maintain the city’s charms.

But aside from the æsthetic concerns that come with cram-

ming high-rise encroachments into low-rise residential neighbourhoods, Condon has raised the issue of home affordability and the future of Vancouver’s population demographics as something that we need to consider when choosing to build more skyscrapers. As such, Condon believes that allowing homeowners to subdivide their homes into ‘secondary suites’ that, at present, can only be rented.

According to Condon, home ownership encourages community pride, which will then serve to maintain the quality of a neighbourhood.

“Young people can’t afford to buy a home,” said Condon. “You subdivide [an existing] house and that lets young people, people who can’t usually afford property, to have a stake in the neighbourhood.”

Still, it looks like Condon’s advice may not be so easily implemented. Municipal bylaws throughout the metropolitan area prohibit the sale of ‘secondary suites’, including the basement and garage suites so familiar to students in the Lower Mainland. Even where it is legally permissible to sell ‘secondary suites’, extensive renovation requirements and a formidable application process limit the feasibility of such an attempt.

Without drastic action to curb the affordability and availability of Vancouver housing, Condon fears that Vancouver will become “a retirement city, a city without children,” owing to the ageing population of current homeowners and the immense intangibility of home ownership at early stages of young adults’ lives. U

technology >>

FILE photo Josh Curran/the ubyssey

UBC finds SSC software bug that exposed student banking information Will McDonald Coordinating Editor

UBC has fixed an almost twoyear-old bug in the Student Service Centre website that allowed the personal banking information of some students to be exposed.

The bug arose after a software update in November 2012, but UBC only became aware of the bug in early September 2014 after two students notified them of the problem. According to UBC Registrar Kate Ross, the two students were able to see banking information of other students after they paid their tuition using Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT).

Ross said the bug exposed the branch number, transit number and account number of some students who used EFT to pay tuition.

“We believe it’s a very small risk and the risk of misuse of the information is very low because it’s actually the information that’s on the bottom of a cheque,” said Ross.

According to Ross, only one student was erroneously charged due to the bug, and UBC has refunded the student in full. She declined to comment on the amount of money the student was charged.

“We know know it’s been tested and double tested and that it’s secure. We don’t anticipate any further issues regarding this,” said Ross.

The university has gotten in touch with three students whose information they know was compromised. Ross said the university believes between 40 and 60 students’ financial information may have been compromised, though they may not have recognized it at the time.

According to Ross, few students’ personal information was breached, as the bug required a number of factors to occur simultaneously to actually allow a user to see another student’s banking information.

The university will also be sending out an email to all students who paid tuition with EFT since November 2012.

“There’s a lot of students who are going to get a notification, that in their case, maybe nothing happened. We’re saying it’s only one in a thousand students who that happened to who utilized the Electronic Funds Transfer,” said Ross.

Ross stressed that the issue was a bug, not a hacking incident, and that the Student Service Centre website is secure. She also encouraged students to monitor their bank accounts and transactions on a regular basis.

“The risk is extremely low from everything that we’ve been able to ascertain. If it was me paying tuition, I would pay my tuition this way,” said Ross. U

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EDITOR Jenica Montgomery

5

Poetry >>

“Coyote Medicine/Medicine Coyote” reminds us to look at our own history Alison Braid Contributor

“It’s another trope to say poetry saved my life, and yet it’s a trope because it’s a reality for so many people who grew up in a hard way and so many of us do— I mean, who doesn’t?”

Sitting by the window at a coffee shop on Main Street, Alessandra Naccarato talks about her life. Reading “constantly, excessively,” an ongoing idolization of Ursula Le Guin, and being a troubled teen looking for disaster. Listening to her stories, it becomes clear how she was able to capture so perfectly the lively, trickster spirit of the coyote in her poem, “Coyote Medicine/ Medicine Coyote.”

Naccarato is a Vancouver-based writer completing her MFA in creative writing at UBC. Her poem “Coyote Medicine/ Medicine Coyote” was a finalist for the 2014 CBC Poetry Prize, and was voted the favourite among Canadians. In the piece, haunting questions of ancestry, bloodlines and our connection to the land are woven around striking images of coyotes appearing in backyards, winking from decks of cards and halting traffic on the tarmac in Toronto.

The poem is structured into two separate poems — each asking its own questions. The “Coyote Medicine/Medicine Coyote” was originally one piece,

PHOTO cherihan hassun / the ubyssey

Alessandra Naccarato is a in UBC’s MFA program for creative writing.

however — through the creative process of workshopping and editing — the poem was broken up into two cohesive poems.

“I felt like I could ask the questions I wanted to ask in the first half without asking what I

asked in the second ... without locating myself in both a process of re-appropriation and appropriation, that I’m not separate and that they are really bound up in this complicated thing,” said Naccarato.

Just as the coyote of popular myth calls out for changes to be made to social conventions, so does Naccarato’s poem. It’s a work that she says is firmly Canadian, but “not nationalistic in its approach.” The poem negotiates the tension between questions and answers, speaking to the “silences in our personal family history and our national history” that Naccarato believes need to be voiced.

The first time Naccarato felt transformed by poetry was when she encountered Allen Ginsberg’s “Howl” in grade ten.

“I think it quite honestly saved my life,” said Naccarato.

The “raw, honest and electric” voice of Howl enabled her to write “with a whole new fire.”

This fire can be seen in the voice of “Coyote Medicine/Medicine Coyote”, which is fresh, frank and unapologetic. The work challenges the “conception of [Canada] as a really polite nation that is environmentally connected and committed,” and complicates how we “name the land, and relate to it.”

The social issues that permeate Naccarato’s work are a direct result of her lifestyle. Naccarato tries to live in communities seeking alternative ways of living at least once a year. This impacts her work as she faces our current “disconnection with land,” and the sense of loss we experience as a result. Naccarato has more projects on her horizon.

“I think I write what I live … so yes right now usually everything I write about is really shot through with an environmental focus,” said Naccarato.

Most recently, Naccarato has been spending her time on the Big Island of Hawaii, where she volunteers in a community of two hundred people, waking up each morning in a tent in the forest.

On the island, she finds herself tarot reading, writing, hiking, and swimming in the ocean.

This reconnection with land also speaks to the process of ‘rewilding’, referring to nature reclaiming land.

Her thesis project is a memoir that deals with this process, as well as her time recovering from illness and trying to “live and work and be in relationships with the environment.”

As for the future, Naccarato juggles a little bit of everything as she pushes herself to create in different genres, slipping from creative nonfiction, to poetry, to young adult fiction and beyond.

As a gift to herself after the contest, Naccarato purchased an old walnut secretary desk with envelope slots she filled with amethysts, dragon figures, feathers, antlers from Brian Brett and a portrait of Frida Kahlo.

Picturing this enviable workspace, it’s almost impossible to imagine a place and a person more capable of producing something magical. U

Nightlife >>

Do students really use nightlife applications?

Edmund Henry Contributor

In an expensive city like Vancouver university students’ nightlife experience can be hit or miss.

Vancouver’s bars and clubs are closed by 3 a.m. and getting downtown after 9 p.m. means suffering through long lines — the opposite to the nightlife in other countries around the world.

“The downside really has to be how early the nightclubs close.

Everywhere else in the world people get into clubs past midnight and go home at 6 a.m. or 7 a.m.,” said Leo Iizuka, a fourth year Kinesiology major.

Even with Facebook, Twitter and other popular social networking apps, UBC students often find themselves dazed with the plethora of events and social gatherings occurring across UBC and beyond. “There is so much going on and such a variety of choice that it almost feels overwhelming. I don’t have time for it all,” said Griffin Hamilton a fourth year Commerce major.

James Isaacs and Andrew Lackie, founders of Hyve — a social nightlife app, share this complaint.

“You have a lot of acquaintances that you might want to meet and know better and you always see them on Monday morning and you’re like oh, I was at the bar too!” said Isaacs, a fellow UBC student and interdisciplinary studies major.

Hyve is a new nightlife app aimed towards students that allows its users to ‘follow’ events, bars and clubs to get the details on what’s going on. The ‘social’ of the social nightlife app comes with how users are able to follow their friends as well as other fellow UBC students to see

who they’re following and what events they’re attending.

“We’re trying to create a community and have the events and link them together with your friends and experiences,” said Lackie. “I think that the nightlife here is amazing but I think that this is going to give people an opportunity to find it,” he added.

Both Isaacs and Lackie agreed that a more streamlined, app-based nightlife planning is a trend that’s catching on and could be the new norm for university students. However, they stated that there isn’t yet a definitive nightlife app that everyone is using.

There are a host of other nightlife apps that are dedicated to exploring Vancouver’s nightlife, including other UBC-developed apps such as Nightbound, which has the feature to reserve guest lists and find deals on various bars and clubs in your area.

Another UBC-developed nightlife app is Tangoo, founded

by UBC graduate Paul Davidescu.

Originally developed as a nightlife planning service, Tangoo now helps users plan events ranging between “business”, “date night” and “out with friends.”

When asked about the competition, Isaacs and Lackie didn’t seem too worried. “To be honest with you, I haven’t seen many good apps that involve nightlife … we watched a lot of apps come up and die instantly and I think that a lot of them had to do with drink specials with no social side,” said Lackie.

However, even with successful nightlife apps like Nightbound and Tangoo, university students still find themselves relying on Facebook to plan their night out.

“People are looking for it and

PHOTO cherihan hassun / the ubyssey

Students use Facebook and Twitter to find the best places to spend their Saturday nights, but would a nightlife app be a better fit?

nothing’s taken off yet, so hopefully, it’s us,” said Isaacs.

With the numerous nightlife apps for Vancouver out there, some might find that it could be just as overwhelming picking an app as it is picking the right place to go for the night.

“I’ve used Nightbound before but I eventually went back to

using Facebook to see new events around town,“ said Paula Casas a recent UBC graduate. “I don’t know many people who use these apps. If more people used them and they were more engaging, I probably would give it a second shot,” she said.

With the growing number of social nightlife apps like Hyve

and Nightbound it seems that there might be a new market of social media nightlife apps, but for now students aren’t sold on the concept. Only time will tell whether a killer app will arrive that will convince students to finally abandon Facebook and jump ship to social nightlife apps. U

6 | culture |

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2014

Maps to the Stars DAVID CRONENBERG, CANADA/FRANCE/GERMANY, 2014, 95 MIN. Lawrence Neal Garcia Staff Writer

In Maps to the Stars, David Cronenberg turns his singular eye towards Hollywood; what results is a satirical takedown that is disappointingly less than the sum of its parts.

The film features an impressive cast: a fading actress (Julianne Moore) obsessed with getting back in the spotlight, a troubled asshole of a teen star (Evan Bird), his career-managing stage-mom (Olivia Williams) and his new age TV psychologist self-help guru father (John Cusack), a star-obsessed young woman (Mia Wasikowska) visiting from Florida and a struggling actor/screenwriter moonlighting as a limo driver (Robert Pattinson).

The film places this able cast in the most venomous, toxic portrait that it could dream up (in a script written by Bruce Wagner).

Unfortunately, what emerges is a hackneyed, predictable anti-Hollywood takedown that is as shallow as the plastic kingdom it derides,

presenting movie stars as narcissistic, pill-ridden and fame-hungry, enabled by phoney, money-obsessed producers and vacuous, greedy therapists. The film is satire without substance, and despite its venomous exterior, feels dull and bloodless when it should be biting and pointed.

There are moments when Maps to the Stars shows the distinct mark of its director: a scene of absurd violence mixed with psychological horror, and a less flashy, but no less disturbing shot of a character sobbing in a bathtub as the camera slowly closes in, accompanied by an eerie, percussive score.

Unfortunately, the film is so riddled with cliché that these moments aren’t enough to salvage it. The film doesn’t just dip into self-parody, it practically drowns itself in it. Cronenberg fans will find an element or two to admire, but the uninitiated will probably need some direction; and despite its title, the film hardly provides any. U

Mr. Turner MIKE LEIGH, UK/FRANCE/GERMANY, 2014, 149 MIN. Lawrence Neal Garcia Staff Writer

Biopics tend to be conventional affairs, layering on cliché after cliché, forcing the subject’s life into a prescribed story arc and failing to take advantage the cinematic medium by clinging to visual blandness. Mike Leigh’s Mr. Turner, which chronicles the life and work of the British painter J.M.W. Turner (Timothy Spall), doesn’t quite transcend the form, but still manages to be far more than conventional, and creates a portrait of Turner that is as impressionistic as his own paintings.

Resolutely formless for the most part, the film is content to simply observe Turner navigate the 19th century milieu of his day, where his persona is as out of his time as his work is ahead of it. Spall plays Turner, already a polarizing figure in his time, in a way that almost distances him from the viewer, adding to the outsider status of the man behind the work.

As befits a film that centres on one of the most prominent land and seascape painters, Mr. Turner is filled with stunning painterly interludes, suffused with light, limned in shadow, and accompanied by an eerily apt leitmotif. These sublime recurring sequences, by conveying the beauty and grandeur of the scenery that inspired his work, provide the most direct window into Turner himself.

The film is less concerned with events and milestones than it is with the abstract tension between the near-spiritual beauty of Turner’s work and his misanthropic persona. Consequently, the slips into conventional biopic territory towards the latter half are all the more disappointing. But those are minor gripes in what is a consistently enthralling, breathtaking, if also slightly alienating piece of cinema; and if anything, it’s certainly a visual feast. U

Leviathan ANDREÏ ZVYAGINTSEV, RUSSIA, 2014, 140 MIN. Lawrence Neal Garcia Staff Writer

From the title alone, Leviathan — which takes its name from a passage in the Book of Job — is a film fraught with mythic qualities. Once the film begins, with an overture (by composer Philip Glass) and shots of dark waves breaking along the Russian seaside, the atmosphere is nothing short of astounding. What emerges is a drama of epic ambition that presents both a Kafkaesque portrait of corruption and bureaucracy in contemporary Russia and a modern reworking of the biblical story of Job. The film centres on Nikolai (Alexei Serebriakov), a car mechanic and the Job stand-in, who is forced to confront Vadim (Roman Madianov), the corrupt mayor who wants to seize his house and property. Nikolai enlists the help of Dmitri (Vladimir Vdovitchenkov), a successful lawyer and friend, to fight the claim on his home, which threatens the stability of his entire family: his teenage son Romka (Ser-

gey Pokhodaev) and his second wife Lilya (Elena Lyadova).

Running at an expansive 140 minutes, the film is consistently compelling, although it suffers from some inorganic plotting-moments that drop in and out without foreshadowing or resolution that undermines its impressive canvas.

That said, there is still much to admire in its cinematic construction; a particular scene where Lilya gazes out at the waves breaking on the cliff-side, conveys tragedy of near-Greek proportions within just a few meaningful cuts.

Leviathan might not live up to its own ambition and deep mythologizing — admittedly a high bar — but it remains an enthralling look into the Russia of today, made all the more interesting given that recent anti-swearing laws have prevented the film from being shown in its native country and that, despite its caustic portrayal of the governing elite, the film has been selected as Russia’s submission for the foreign language film Oscar. U

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| culture | 7

Preggoland JACOB TIERNEY, CANADA, 2014, 106 MIN. Julie Gordon Contributor

From Canadian director Jacob Tierney, Preggoland parodies the special treatment bestowed upon pregnant women in society.

Through it’s parody of the, sometimes unwanted, coddling women endure, the film itself is both hilarious and eye-opening.

The film follows 35-year old Ruth (Sonja Bennett), a burnout and an alcoholic, as she begins to be ousted by both her friends, now married with kids, and her family for her unwillingness to assume the set path to motherhood. In a moment of miscommunication, Ruth lies about being pregnant. In doing so she finds herself committed to an impossible project of keeping up appearances for nine months, at the risk of losing the rejuvenated attention she is receiving from her friends and with the

added danger of causing stress to her father (James Caan) who had recently suffered a heart attack.

Over the course of Ruth’s act — amongst the narrow evasions of discovery that have the audience crying with laughter — the touching dashes of friendship and romance and a myriad of innuendoes and black humour, we also see the blatant change in how Ruth is treated by her community simply due to her pregnant status.

Although Preggoland is indeed a comedy, it paints a picture of the push and pull a woman must endure between her old life and her new life as a mother.

Alongside the film’s lighthearted wit, catchy music including tunes from Cece Peniston and UBC’s own Kaylan Mackinnon completes what is a thoroughly enjoyable piece of art.

Preggoland is set to be released officially in mid/late March. U

Clouds of Sils Maria OLIVIER ASSAYAS, FRANCE/SWITZERLAND/GERMANY, 2014, 123 MIN. Lawrence Neal Garcia Staff Writer

Like the titular locale of Sils Maria where the film was shot, Olivier Assayas’ latest offers an elevated, natural beauty; and despite its hyper-intellectual nature — with the densely layered interplay of text, subtext, and meta-text — it never feels any more heavy-handed than its titular clouds.

The film follows Maria Enders (Juliette Binoche), a middle-aged actress who is asked to star in a revival of Maloja Snake — the production that first made her famous — a (fictional) play that centres on the destructive relationship between a young girl (Sigrid) and an older woman (Helena) that eventually drives the latter to suicide. However, she is asked not to reprise Sigrid, the role that launched her career, but to play the supporting role of Helena opposite a talented but tempestuous young ingénue, Jo-Ann Ellis (Chloë Grace Moretz), setting up a relationship fraught with parallels and double-meaning.

The primary relationship of the film, however, is the one between Enders and her personal assistant Valentine (Kristen Stewart), which evolves and seduces as the film progresses, taking on a heady dynamic

that has playful echoes of Ingmar Bergman’s Persona.

Assayas ensures that the rich interplay between the three female leads, bolstered by stunning performances all around — Stewart especially, is intricately layered, making use not just of the inter-textual elements of the characters and the characters they play, but also the respective actresses’ real-life persona. Ostensibly rote line-readings and throwaway bits of dialogue take on multiple levels of meaning, layering reflections on identity, art, fame and celebrity throughout.

Here tending towards the theatrical rather than the purely cinematic, Assayas employs various techniques that would seem more at home on a stage: fade-to-black transitions, a discrete three-part structure and a limited cast of characters; yet the film also manages sublime cinematic sequences, literally above the clouds, along the Swiss Alps.

If there is one major fault in the film, it’s that the relentless intertextuality leaves little room for more organic expansion; but with its dense construction, there is still more than enough beneath the clouds for viewers to immerse themselves in. U

Advanced Style LINA PLIOPLYTE, USA, 2014, 72 MIN Carly Sotas Contributor

In a youth-obsessed culture saturated with young fashion models and anti-aging products, Advanced Style — the documentary — defies narrow standards of aging and beauty.

After moving to New York City in 2008, photographer Ari Seth Cohen was immediately captivated the stylish older women who seemed to use “the broad avenues as their runway.” As a way of celebrating their vibrant presence, he created the Advanced Style blog, which has since inspired a new movement in fashion.

In the Advanced Style documentary, director Lina Plioplyte, captures the spirits of seven women aged 60 to 90, each of whom possesses a unique, creative flare.

Whether they choose to express themselves through bold textures and patterns, bright pink hair <em>

photos courtesy viff

</em>

or elegant accessories, all of the women share a similar zest for life.

Their playful outlook is reflected not only by their attitude towards style, but more importantly, through their lifestyle. By running their own businesses, modelling for high-profile fashion campaigns and teaching the arts, the women of Advanced Style prove that you can be creative and vital at any age. “I feel the same way as I did when I was 18, only I have fewer cares,” proclaims 69-year old Deborah Rapoport, who practices yoga 4-5 times per week.

While the film has been categorized as a fashion documentary, it takes a deeper look at the important, yet often ignored perspectives of the aging population. The film leaves the audience inspired to be bold, embrace who they are at each phase of their life, and to remember “there is no time limit to anything.” U <em>

</em>

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2014 |

COMMUNITY REACH.

8

Contesting views on housing and tuition changes Blame the government, not UBC, for cost increases Austen Erhardt Opinions & Blog Editor

For many people, the initial reaction to the announcement of increased fees was likely frustration, if not outright anger. A 10 per cent rise in tuition for international students and a 20 per cent rent increase is not something that should be treated lightly — and it won’t be. UBC will undoubtedly be receiving a lot of criticism over the coming weeks and months.

The thing is, they don’t entirely deserve it.

UBC’s government funding has been decreasing for several years now — not only relatively, on account of inflation, but also in real numbers. The current provincial government has made it a goal of their administration to regularly cut post-secondary spending (this year, by $17 million) in order to achieve and maintain a balanced budget. Though the provincial government advocates for these cuts being sustained through reducing administrative costs, there is only so much that can be cut in that department.

Through a combination of cuts, staid improvements, inflationary increases in tuition and increasing the number of international students, UBC has kept their central budget balanced for five years in a row. But there are only so many cuts that can be made without seriously damaging UBC’s health and reputation, and without endangering its population. In their 2014-2015 budget, UBC explained that they have been putting off important campus maintenance for the sake of budget savings, among other things, increasing the risk of damage to buildings and injury to students should an

earthquake occur.

With cuts off the table, that leaves finding more money as the only alternative. For this, UBC has only two obvious options: the government and students. And as much as they may want to, UBC can’t simply order the government to pony up more money — but they can order students.

UBC’s international student tuition is considerably lower than tuition in many comparable post-secondary institutions. When faced with the decision to either lower the quality of the university or to charge some students more in order to maintain their quality of education, UBC’s choice seems justifiable.

The fact that it is international students who are bearing the brunt of this will elicit many negative reactions, though one must keep in mind that international tuition is higher than domestic all around Canada and the world for a reason. It all comes down to one simple fact: domestic students pay taxes; that is, they pay taxes to Canada and B.C., which go toward funding and subsidizing post-secondary education.

Resultantly, lest they benefit disproportionately from domestic students’ tax money, international students pay for the whole cost of their education.

There is no question that higher tuition will exclude some wouldbe UBC international students from attending. But UBC has expressed intent to offer additional financial aid for these students, in an attempt to minimize the number of people who can’t attend UBC solely for monetary reasons.

As for residence: Vancouver is one of the most beautiful — and

VS most expensive — places in the world. The idea that rents are high should not come as a surprise. But many of UBC’s residences are in disrepair and overcrowded. Students are stuck living in floor lounges for months on end with little to no information provided as to when they can expect something better. UBC has no legal obligation to address these issues, as they essentially make their own laws — they are not subject to British Columbia’s Residential Tenancy Act. In their own residence contract, UBC states that “ … the University may unilaterally change or delete any provision of this Contract or add provisions to this Contract.”

If UBC were to apply their increased revenues to improving residences, I would wholeheartedly support their decision.

But if this money is going to be siphoned off into other causes, they deserve criticism.

What it ultimately comes down to is this: if you’re going to get angry over the fee increases, don’t direct all of it at UBC. All UBC is doing is trying to make it through a difficult situation.

How they’re going about it is not entirely immune to criticism and critique, but it’s clear that they have to do something to make it through. Direct your anger at the government, which believes that cuts to advanced education are a platform point. Write letters; vote in the next election; start petitions and spark protests. Don’t place all the blame on UBC simply because they’ve been forced to be the bearer of bad news.

A longer version of this article, with sources, will be published online. U

delays >>

New SUB delays frustrating, but not unexpected Veronika Bondarenko News Editor

Disappointed, but entirely unsurprised. Or at least, that is what I would say if you asked me how I feel about the recent announcement that the opening of the new SUB has been delayed yet again.

It’s not like The Ubyssey didn’t see this coming. The opening date has already been moved from the beginning of this term to January 2015 back in 2013. In September, we found out that The Pit and The Perch would only open a few weeks into Term 2. (While that should have been the first indication it wouldn’t be smooth sailing afterwards, we still retained a sliver of hope that maybe the new SUB would open on time after all.) And now, the opening date has been tentatively set for February 23, with no guarantee that construction will not drag on for even longer than that.

I mean, seriously?

As a fifth-year student who started UBC in the fall of 2010, I have invested exactly $300 in SUB Renewal fees for a building <em>

</em>

that, in the very best case scenario, I will get to use for just a little under two months. As someone who currently spends six days out of the seven days of the week in the old SUB for work, I am also not pleased about not getting to move out of our dingy basement office anytime soon. The fact that it looks as though the AMS suspected that the delays were necessary for a while but held off on announcing it only adds insult to injury.

While it is not unusual for any big construction process to drag behind schedule, the problems that are causing the delays are also not things that the AMS couldn’t have realized weeks or even months ago. When I questioned VP Admin Ava Nasiri about the specific difficulties that were causing the delays, she said that it wasn’t any one thing that they could point to and that the hold-up was due to the overall complexity of bringing the project to a close once and for all. We knew that building the new SUB was going to be complex back in 2010. That said, we still had certain expectations for when the building would open based on what the AMS itself told us.

Yes, bringing us a really cool student building takes time. Yes, it is also infinitely more complicated than building a two-bedroom house, but UBC also had almost five years to do it. Doing their best to bring us the best possible result and use student money responsibly isn’t something that should deserve pats on the back or serve as an excuse for why construction is taking so long — it should come as a given when dealing with a building that is ultimately being funded by students.

I realize that I’m being a bit harsh. Nasiri and UBC Properties Trust and the architectural and construction teams have been working (and continue to work) very hard to bring us this awesome building that students will be using for years to come. The fact that the construction is dragging on for longer than expected goes back to several years of poor planning and cannot be placed solely on the shoulders of any one person. At the same time, I am also tired of not being able to hold anyone accountable because construction takes time and the new SUB is complex and, hey, these things happen.

I think we deserve better than that. U

UBC fee increases not in students’ best interest

ILLUSTRATION julian yu / the ubyssey

Geoff Lister Contributor

UBC seems hell-bent on becoming a bastion of the economic elite, and yesterday’s revelation that the university plans on increasing international tuition by 10 per cent and some housing contracts by 20 per cent next year is an ominous sign that President Gupta’s tenure is going to be markedly different than his predecessor.

Tuition increases aren’t new to any student at UBC. But they have been modest, matching inflation. While it doesn’t accomplish the noble goal of providing free post-secondary education outlined in empty promises to the United Nations, it doesn’t change the situation.

But major changes to basic costs makes our university more inaccessible. While international tuition is by no means cheap, and as a taxpayer-funded institution UBC has no obligation to subsidize foreigners’ tuition, it’s pretty clear that this is nothing short of a cash grab to fill UBC’s ever increasing funding gaps. The cost

of educating international students is not suddenly increasing by 10 per cent in 2015, and those students are unlikely to see a 10 per cent increase in services.

One of UBC’s main contentions is that they have become a discount option compared to schools such as the University of Toronto and McGill. Therefore, UBC is justified in its increases. But, this is the same one-upmanship that has increased police and fire department salaries to six-figure salaries and bankrupted cities across North America. Simply comparing UBC to campuses that face different situations is a farcical argument, that of a child demanding what his peers have.

UBC’s real problem is the funding it is supposed to receive from government is dwindling.

The B.C. Liberals have cut funding for post-secondary education by nearly 20 per cent since 2001.

Meanwhile, research dollars from the federal government have become harder to come by while federal transfers for education have taken a roller coaster ride over the past 20 years,

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mostly trending downwards. It’s hard to blame all of this decision on UBC’s new executive — the province has been slowly strangling students and universities in some form since the 1990s. But they have options. The university paid 2,542 of its employees more than $100,000 per year in 20122013, up from 1,847 in 2008 — a number that inflation doesn’t fully account for. And while student services have increased, so has the number of employees on campus. UBC’s staff to faculty ratio is on the rise, and that increases costs.

However, UBC’s 20 per cent increase for its eight-month housing contracts is an inexcusable “fuck you” to students. It’s a bold move to attempt to push students into year-round housing contracts, while the department racks up profits and payments back to the university. In 2012, UBC housing remitted more than $4 million back to the school’s coffers as a dividend. But it also pays the university 5.75 per cent on its mortgages. To put that in perspective, banks are closing mortgages at less than three per cent for home buyers with good credit. Its commitment to use funds from the sale of private housing to build student residences was nothing short of false — instead, UBC lends itself that money above market rates.

And with all of its protestations that, even after a 20 per cent increase, it will still leave housing costs at or below market housing rates, UBC’s housing department doesn’t seem to understand their market. Preliminary results from a student survey puts off-campus prices well below $700 for those living with roommates. Either their market research is delusional, or carefully selected to backup their argument. In a presentation, they made comparisons to McGill and the University of Toronto to back up their argument, schools which they acknowledged in a 2010 presentation had the most expensive residences in Canada. Other schools, like, all of the other major schools in Canada, were comparatively priced, or cheaper.

Never mind that each new residence seems to be grander than the next, with more private rooms and extra amenities. UBC just isn’t building fast enough.

And there are other alternatives. Hit with a crunch in the 1960s, UBC built residences dense. A 1957 headline in The Ubyssey read “Housing shortage acute, 2,900 Waifs,” in a year during which a burgeoning campus saw 8,400 students enrol. Place Vanier was built in response, followed by Totem Park, Acadia Park for families and Gage Towers in the 1960’s and early 1970’s.

These increases in tuition and housing costs aren’t a mandatory response to UBC’s financial situation. The university is under new leadership, and students need to stand up and make their voices heard now, or this won’t be the only assault on UBC’s accessibility.

Geoff Lister is a former Coordinating Editor for The Ubyssey. U Want to weigh in on this issue?

Email opinions@ubyssey.ca

U

| opinions | 9

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2014 |

EDITOR Jack Hauen

10

ski >>

Essex Prescott is living the dream UBC skier won Shane McConkey award while heliskiing in New Zealand

photo courtesy leo zuckerman

Prescott is fulfillling his personal goals while having the time of his life.

Torsten Raupacht Contributor

Anytime skiing is mentioned around UBC skier Essex Prescott, his passion for it becomes clear.

“It’s something that I’ve done forever,” he said. “I’ve never liked something as much and for as long of a period as skiing. I’m never over it.” After competing at the World Heli Challenge in New Zealand and winning the Shane McConkey award during the compe-

tition, it’s fair to say Prescott’s love for skiing is at an all time high.

The World Heli Challenge is a competition between skiers and boarders of the highest level, with the helicopter-accessed mountains of New Zealand as their playground. Comprised of teams of the athletes and their cameramen, each team had from September 7 to 15 to make the best video possible, with $10,000 as the top prize. This year, the contest changed its entry format to an on-

line video contest, voted on by the public. This change in format presented Prescott and his teammates Dylan Siggers and Leo Zuckerman, with a unique opportunity.

Drawing from the massive UBC Ski and Board Club community, Prescott and his team won admission to the challenge in New Zealand. Prescott was sure not to understate the contribution the UBC community gave to the voting process. “The Ski and Board Club has something like 4,000 members

on the Facebook group,” he said.

“That was a huge factor, there’s no question.”

The UBC community of skiers and boarders is unquestionably massive, thanks in part to large numbers of international students, like Prescott, who come to UBC specifically for the mountains.

“The house I live in, all of us are skiers, and we’re all international students,” Prescott said. “I definitely came for Whistler and then realized how sweet UBC is.”

Even after having skied some of the world’s top mountains in New Zealand, Prescott still holds a certain place in his heart for B.C.’s most famous mountain. “That’s what’s awesome, you can travel as much as you want, but whenever there’s snow here, it’s the best place in the world to be.”

Even though Prescott and his team didn’t come away with a first place finish in New Zealand, they certainly had quite the adventure along the way. As Prescott put it, “it was just crazy for a week straight. New Zealand is such an amazing place.” The conditions however, were less than ideal. It hadn’t snowed in 30 days, resulting in some sketchy moments, to say the least.

“I just remember being in the air and seeing the ground and thinking ‘please be alright.’ I just hit the snow and my skis didn’t even sink in. I took a pretty good bail,” Prescott said. “We had some falls, there’s no question about it.” Clearly, self-preservation is pushed back deep in his mind. “Once I’m on top of some-

thing, I kind of just shut my brain off and go.”

It was this positive, never-saydie attitude that earned Prescott the prestigious Shane McConkey award during the competition. The award is given in the name of the late free-skiing pioneer who died at age 39 during a stunt. McConkey was known not only for his skiing prowess, but also for how he displayed his passion through a trademark fun-loving and goofy attitude. Prescott received the award as the competitor who best displayed the qualities that McConkey embodied, which made the award special to Prescott — McConkey was a skier that he grew up watching and admiring.

“It’s definitely an honour,” he said. “It was so inspiring to see someone giving it that hard and having such a good attitude about everything. He was the best, and probably had the most fun too.”

The award also gives Prescott a week of professionally filmed heli-skiing in Alaska. “It’s like a dream come true. I just didn’t think I’d have the opportunity to do it this early.” It’s clear that he doesn’t plan on waking up from this dream anytime soon. “You just want to get to the next step because it’s going to be that much more fun. Wherever that takes me, I’m stoked. I just want to keep skiing as much as possible and keep pushing myself.”

Anytime he runs into a familiar face, he calls out his trademark phrase, “How ya livin’?”

For Prescott, the answer is clear.

He’s living his dream. U

outdoors >>

Varsity Outdoor Club makes use of world’s best playground Hiking, scrambling, climbing and skiing just a few of the club’s favourite activities Koby Michaels Contributor

British Columbia has over 600 mountains, 500 rivers and a vast unexplored wilderness. The Varsity Outdoor Club doesn’t claim to have been everywhere, but they are certainly trying.

Established in 1917, the Varsity Outdoor Club, often referred to as the VOC, is one of UBC’s oldest and most well-established clubs.

Clemens Adolphs, the VOC president, said that the club’s overarching theme is “self-propelled outdoor activities: hiking, scrambling, (hiking with the occasional use of your hands), climbing and backcountry skiing.”

Every weekend, members pack up their backpacks, boats and climbing ropes and head into British Columbia’s vast and beautiful wilderness. Trips range from day hikes on the North Shore, to multi-day mountaineering trips, to a weekend of climbing excursion in Squamish.

In addition to these trips, all organized by club members, the VOC also runs several larger trips and annual events. Every fall, the club heads to Squamish for Rock Party, a weekend of rock climbing instruction, camping and partying — DJ and all.

“We have two rock climbing instructional events during the year. We teach four levels from absolute beginner to sport climbing. After you have finished

all the courses, you are self-sufficient to climb anywhere in Squamish,” said Adolphs, having just returned the previous weekend from Rock Party.

But the club doesn’t stop there.

Members also have access to a library, guidebooks and maps, free gear rentals (on the completion of a work hike) and all of the VOC’s publications.

Unknown to many, the VOC values publishing and sharing stories of their trips. Every trip is followed by a report written by someone who took part in it.

These reports include conditions on the trip, photos, and a narrative of the adventure. Every week, the VOCene is published.

This is a weekly newsletter than shares trip reports, informs members about upcoming trips and showcases articles on the VOC wiki page.

Once a year the VOC Journal is published and printed. This journal contains accounts of all of the trips, photographs, poems, artwork and other hidden content. “The end-of-year journal is … a great showcase of what we, as a club, have done, what members have done and what the club enabled them to do,” Adolphs explains.

But the VOC doesn’t just enjoy nature, they help maintain it through trail and hut maintenance projects. “The biggest project in the last four years is the Harrison Hut, access to which got

photo courtesy Matt kennedy

VOC members (from left to right) Carly Peterson, Gabe Frame, Dakotah Fozzard and Luka Culibrk take in the sunrise on Mount Baker.

destroyed by a landslide … many volunteer hours went into finding a new trail, flagging the route, clearing debris and chainsawing trees that had fallen. A couple weeks ago, a few of our members flew in a steel bridge that they had designed and welded in their free time.”

With so much going on, new and experienced adventurers alike

may feel overwhelmed and timid about joining the club. “People who haven’t been in the outdoors see trip reports and get scared by them. People make the trip reports sound more badass than the trips actually are … look for beginner friendly trips. See if a trip sounds interesting, if you are unsure if the trip is for you or not, ask the trip organizer about it,” said Adolphs.

If you go to UBC, you live in a place of incredible beauty. Take advantage — have an adventure with the Varsity Outdoor Club, and make some friends (and s’mores) along the way.

Even if you’ve never stepped outside in your life, the VOC will give you the tools you need to brave the world’s best playground. U

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2014

| sports | 11

paddle >>

Places to Be: kayaking Indian Arm Paddle north from Deep Cove for a serene adventure

photo koby michaels / the ubyssey

The Varsity Outdoor Club often takes its members on weekend expiditions around B.C.

We spent the second half of our day spotting seals and paddling up the east side of Indian Arm. The final stretch of paddling takes us along Croker Island. Its rocky cliffs rise steeply and level off into a dense forest of evergreens. I slowly maneuver my boat alongside, paddling quietly as I approach a pod of seals basking in the last of the day’s sun.

Our campsite lies above a rocky beach, the immense Granite Falls thunders behind us. We pull our

now less-than-dry gear out of our less-than-waterproof hatches and set up camp. Our little tent city pops up in minutes. A few of us venture back out in our kayaks, heading further up Indian Arm into an estuary. Seals surround our boats and the water is now fresh.

Eventually, the current and dying light push us back to camp.

Everyone pulls out their stoves and we feast, passing around chips, salsa, brownies and s’mores. The last light fades behind the mountains

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There is only one good reason to wake up before sunrise on a Saturday: to go kayaking.

I drag myself out of bed as the alarm drills its way into my sleep and get a rush of adrenaline when I see the time; I’m being picked up in 20 minutes. I scramble together the rest of my poorly packed gear, throwing things into open trash bags and, for the thousandth time, I check that my flashlight works. I grab my bags and head to meet the others at the street corner across from my residence. We all throw our gear into the back and head towards Deep Cove.

As we turn the last corner towards the put-in sight, the trees open up and the North Shore Mountains peak out from their early morning cloud cover. We park and throw our gear onto the curb. Our fifteen kayaks are lined up in two neat rows on the grass like pick-up sticks before a game. Everyone wrestles the “water-proof” hatches open and begins stuffing trash bags full of food, tents, dry (for now) clothes and sleeping bags. When we are all sufficiently frustrated, and the hatches full and sealed, we gather around Cora, our trip leader, for an overview. We are starting our adventure at Deep Cove, an inlet on the east side of North Vancouver. From here, we will paddle eighteen kilometres north, up Indian Arm, a stretch of ocean nestled between mountains, to our campsite at Granite Falls. Cora introduces those of us on the trip

with rescue experience and goes over basic safety. Then, we haul the now leaden kayaks to the water and set off.

Homework, midterms, and anxieties are forgotten as we get into the rhythm of paddling. The group sticks close together at first, motor boats speed by and much of the group is new to sea kayaking. I paddle from tandem kayak to tandem kayak, giving tips on paddle strokes and technique.

Most people think kayaking is all about the arms, but a stroke’s power should come from your core muscle as you twist your upper body, leading with the shoulders.

Believe it or not, you shouldn’t use your arms at all, they tire much too quickly. With two days of paddling ahead, everyone needs to conserve energy.

The wind is at our backs and we paddle with the tide, so in no time we stop at a rocky beach with a sign that says Camp Jubilee on it. We haul the kayaks out of the water and greedily grab our lunches. Everyone is silent as we chow down on sandwiches, enjoy the now motorboat-free view of the ocean and mountains and enjoy as sensation returns to our cramped legs.

As we pull our boats back into the water and snap our skirts back over the cockpits, a sea plane roars overhead. Normally, it would break the serenity of being in the wild, but somehow it fits. It flies low and weaves its way through the narrow valley. It, too, is a creature of the water, its pontoons obvious as it passes over our flotilla of brightly coloured boats.

RO

Koby Michaels Contributor

and the stars appear, one by one. It is a magnificent display, much of the light pollution blocked by the mountains that hug our campsite.

One by one, we head into our tents, crawl into our sleeping bags, and collapse into sleep.

I’m woken by the thundering waterfall the next morning. As usual, it is a mad rush to eat your instant oatmeal, take apart your tents and stuff the gear back into the kayaks. Everyone takes much less care to keep the gear dry as everything is already soaked. The rush pays off as we get on the water on time. We paddle towards the far side of Croker Island. We scout some cliffs, discussing the possibility of coming back sometime to rock climb to the top and dive into the water. Eventually the conversation dies down and we paddle in silence, enjoying the quiet splashing and meditation that comes with kayaking. We stop at the same beach for lunch and some of the group crosses the channel to check out an abandoned power station. Then we push off for the last time, paddling back towards Vancouver and real life. We round the last corner and the mountains are replaced with buildings, seals by motorboats. The shore is now covered in vacation homes and cars can be heard in the distance. For the first time all weekend, thoughts of homework, classes, midterms and responsibilities creep back into our minds.

We aren’t quite ready to be adults in the real world once more.

Someone starts a water fight and in seconds everyone is making and breaking allegiances, using paddles and bilge pumps to soak each other in sea water. But we can’t avoid the inevitable forever. Eventually we beach and have to unpack, throwing our now drenched gear back into truck beds and roof racks.

Kayaking and camping allow for much needed relaxation, recovery, and reflection before the all-nighters and cram sessions start. Get outside and enjoy beautiful British Columbia, it will help much more than spending the weekend worrying about the piles of work that are about to bury you. With midterms closing in, a weekend away from UBC is what every student and professor needs. U

Improving Cognitive Functioning

Dr. Kimberly A. Schonert-Reichl Social and Emotional Learning and MindfulnessBased Programs in Schools

12 | games |

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2014

Photo of the Day

PHOTO VIVIAN WONG/THE UBYSSEY

Oct 6 answers

COURTESY BESTCROSSWORDS.COM

Across

Down

1- Biblical spy 6- Rowing implements 10- ___ extra cost 14- Buddy 15- “A Death in the Family” author 16- Slay 17- Fenny 18- Visionary 19- Romain de Tirtoff, familiarly 20- Rage 21- Salon stylist 24- Apprehensive 26- Thespians 27- Hunky-dory 28- Shop shaper 30- Rise to one’s feet 33- Cowboy display 34- Narrow inlet 37- Juniors, perhaps 38- Ventured 39- Bath powder 40- Health haven 41- Broadway actress Uta 42- Actress Taylor 43- What girls will be 44- Not ‘neath 45- Relax 48- Having a notched edge 52- Repeated rotation 55- Doo-wop syllable 56- Propagative part of a plant 57- Part of Q.E.D. 58- French beans?

60- Author Stanley Gardner 61- Regal address 62- Overact 63- Active one 64- Without 65- Rustic

1- Small house 2- Dean Martin’s “That’s ___” 3- Hybrid beast 4- Cackleberry 5- Period of being a boy 6- Watering hole 7- Antiquing agent 8- Hollow grass 9- Having a notched edge 10- ___ Fideles 11- Trunk 12- Gunpowder ingredient 13- Lulus 22- Penguin’s septentrional counterpart 23- Reflected sound 25- Moving vehicles 28- Actress Sophia 29- Arabian Sea gulf 30- Conscription org.

31- Outdo 32- Santa ___ 33- Fury 34- Hurried 35- Land in la mer 36- Whiz 38- Humidity 39- Sea swallow 41- It may be happy 42- Go in again 43- Garden device 44- Acapulco gold 45- Alleviated 46- Olds model 47- Stone marker 48- Quotes 49- Mary of “The Maltese Falcon” 50- 8th letter of the Greek alphabet 51- Art supporter 53- Horne solo 54- Mountain lake 59- Large flightless bird

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Oct 6 answers

Study an internationally accredited Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in Melbourne, Australia Find out more about the exceptional student experience at go.unimelb.edu.au/225n Canada various 6x6.21inches.indd 1

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