January 5, 2016

JANUARY 5, 2016 | VOLUME XCVII | ISSUE XV DELAYED FLIGHTS SINCE 1918

U

P / 03

P / 05

P / 09

P / 10

NEWS

CULTURE

OPINIONS

SPORTS

GSS creates website to report harassment and discrimination

Comedy duo release hilarious web series

2015’s most-read opinion pieces

Escaping finals in snowshoes

page 6

THE UBYSSEY

UBC & L A U X E S LT U A S S A Y C I L O P

In light of criticism over its mishandling of sexual assault cases, UBC is reviewing its response protocols and drafting a specialized sexual assault policy.

// PAGE 2

TUESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2016

YOUR GUIDE TO UBC EVENTS & PEOPLE

EVENTS

2

MOST POPULAR STORIES OF 2015

2015 was a busy one. Luckily you had The Ubyssey to distract you with articles about Mandopop stars, hot profs and tuition increases. Here are our top 10 most popular articles from 2015:

SAT 9 MAKE HISTORY 9 A.M. @ CHAN CENTRE

Take part in UBC’s Student Leadership Conference and meet over 1,200 student delegates, presenters and more.

$31.50

1. UBC admission stats 2013/2014: GPAs, acceptance rates and more

We broke down the admission statistics from UBC’s data for the year 201314. Basically we all had to be super smart to get here so pat your 17 year-old selves on the back!

2. International tuition increases of 46.8 per cent over the next three years announced The university announced they’d be asking the Board of Governors to approve tuition increases for future international students to the tune of nearly 50 per cent.

SAT 9

3. Letter: I was assaulted on campus and nobody saw

HOUSE PARTY 8 P.M. @ KOERNER’S

Don’t be grumpy about the first week of school alone. Grab some beers and be grumpy with friends!

$5 PRESALE - $10 ADVANCE - $12 AT DOOR

We published a letter from a student describing his racially-charged assault after a Pit Night earlier this year.

4. Pharmacy student Ariel Tsai launches her Mandopop career

Pharmacy student Ariel Tsai is a popular Mandopop star, so we chatted with her about that.

5. Chair of Creative Writing program suspended pending investigation into “serious allegations” The university’s had a great year for PR!

FRI 29 FACULTY CUP 10 A.M. @ THE NEST

Join hands with your fellow kinsmen and unleash your fiery rage at rival faculties!

SIGN UP ONLINE

ON THE COVER

We are mature and studious students who keep our eyes on our books … and these profs.

8. Letter: We need to talk

A student decried the rise of the “regressive left.”

9. Last Words: Hatin’ on Drizzy

Want to see your events listed here?

Email your event listings to printeditor@ubyssey.ca

U THE UBYSSEY

EDITORIAL

STAFF

Opinions + Blog Editor Coordinating Editor Jack Hauen Will McDonald coordinating@ubyssey.ca opinions@ubyssey.ca

Vassilena Sharlandjieva, Matt Langmuir, Josh Azizi, Bill Situ, Elena Volohova, Jeremy Johnson-Silvers, Julian Yu, Sruthi Tadepalli, Karen Wang, Jessie Stirling, Vicky Huang, Olamide Olaniyan, Henry Allan, Natalie Morris, Miguel Santa Maria, Sivan Spector, Sarah Nabila, Sophie Sutcliffe, Rithu Jagannath, Samuel du Bois, Lucy Fox, Samantha McCabe, Ben Cook, Avril Hwang, Ben Geisberg, Lilian Odera, Emma Hicks, Adam Waitzer, Avril Hwang, Lilian Odera, Emma Hicks, Ben Geisberg, Helen Zhou, Nadya Rahman, Boris Bosnjakovic, Aiden Qualizza, Arianna Leah Fischer

Features Editor Vassi Sharlandjieva features@ubyssey.ca

Web Developer Peter Siemens webeditor@ubyssey.ca

Copy Editor Bailey Ramsay features@ubyssey.ca

News Editors Moira Warburton & Emma Partridge news@ubyssey.ca

Web Editor Jordan Schalm web@ubyssey.ca

Culture Editor Olivia Law culture@ubyssey.ca Sports + Rec Editor Koby Michaels sports@ubyssey.ca Video Producer Tim Hoggan video@ubyssey.ca Photo Editor Kosta Prodanovic photo@ubyssey.ca

Gupta really wants to become best friends with Drake so he moved to the Six and started teaching at U of T. Not a confirmed reason, but it’s a nice thought.

7. UBC’s 20 hottest profs, according to ratemyprofessors. com

PHOTO/ART BY Aiken Lao INSPIRED BY Roman Muradov

Design Editor Aiken Lao printeditor@ubyssey.ca

6. Gupta heads to University of Toronto

JANUARY 5, 2016 | VOLUME XCVII| ISSUE XV BUSINESS

CONTACT

Business Manager Fernie Pereira fpereira@ubyssey.ca

Editorial Office: SUB 2208 604.822.2301 Business Office: SUB 2209 ADVERTISING 604.822.2301 INQUIRIES 604.822.2301

Ad Sales Kenneth Chang advertising@ ubyssey.ca Accounts Abigail Pelaez accounts@ubyssey.ca

The New Student Union Building 6133 University Boulevard Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1 Online: ubyssey.ca Twitter: @ubyssey

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.

LEGAL The Ubyssey is the official student newspaper of the University of British Columbia. It is published every Tuesday 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

A prof got into a Twitter fight with a student over Drizzy coming to Block Party — we chronicled it.

10. Our Campus: In the eSports ring, Kurtis Ling is king

He’s the captain of UBC’s eSports team and we sat down with him for an interview.

// NEWS

EDITORS EMMA PARTRIDGE + MOIRA WARBURTON

TUESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2016

REQUIREMENTS //

The debate over mandatory indigenous courses at UBC

3

GRAD STUDENTS //

GSS launches harassment reporting site

Sophie Sutcliffe Staff Writer

As the new Liberal government has declared their support for the recommendations put forth by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, universities and other post-secondary institutions are discussing one potential direct change: mandatory indigenous studies courses.

As the Truth and Reconciliation Commission recommends that the government increase funding for “post-secondary institutions to educate teachers on how to integrate indigenous knowledge and teaching methods into classrooms,” members of postsecondary institutions across the country have been calling for mandatory indigenous studies courses for students.

The student union at the University of Winnipeg had been asking their school to take up this practice for several months. The student union was unavailable for comment at this time, but they were ultimately successful in their endeavour, according to The Globe and Mail.

At UBC however, reviews are mixed regarding such mandatory courses. Linc Kesler, director of UBC’s First Nations House of Learning, liked the idea of the courses, but was unsure of whether they would be ideal for UBC. “The idea of wanting to provide information and better ways of

FILE PHOTO GEOFF LISTER / THE UBYSSEY

The site has been in the works for six weeks.

Helen Zhou Staff Writer

Linc Kesler, director of UBC’s longhouse, is on the fence about mandating indigenous courses.

thinking about things to as many students as possible — of course I support that,” said Kesler. “I think it’s very useful to have the pressure towards requirements. It’s very difficult to envision, however, a single course that would perform that function well at a university as big and diverse as UBC.” Kesler instead proposed that individual faculties and departments across UBC find a way to incorporate indigenous studies into their curriculum, citing the covering of Aboriginal Rights and Treaties in a foundation-level law school course as an example.

Daniel Justice, chair of the First Nations indigenous studies

program at UBC and a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, has worked in indigenous studies departments at many universities. He argued that while more students taking indigenous studies courses can be beneficial, mandatory courses generally cause more harm than good.

“Requirements don’t always work out the way people expect them to.

Oftentimes people end up doing harm to the very people that they intend to help,” Justice said in an interview with The Ubyssey. “If there isn’t communication about why this is important, you are going to have a lot of really resentful and reactionary students in there.”

PHOTO NADYA RAHMAN/THE UBYSSEY

According to Justice, he and others experienced such a situation at other institutions in which there were courses that students of colour didn’t want to participate in.

Instead of making indigenous studies courses a requirement, Justice argues that other faculties could instead help raise awareness of indigenous issues by integrating First Nations studies into their courses.

“What we would want to see is a much more robust understanding of how indigenous content can be incorporated throughout the curriculum … not just in a few courses,” said Justice. U

DRINKING //

UBC applies for liquor-primary license at McGavin Rugby Centre

With the license, the centre could serve alcohol from 9 a.m. to 4 a.m.

Joshua Azizi Senior Staff Writer

UBC is currently in the process of applying for a liquor-primary license for the Gerald McGavin Rugby Centre, meaning the facility would be able to serve alcohol from 9 a.m. to 4 a.m.

The Rugby Centre is currently used to host special events, but has needed temporary licenses in

order to serve alcohol. By acquiring a permanent liquor-primary licence, the administrators hope to make the building easier to use as an accessible and convenient location for hosting social functions.

According to Kavie Toor, director of facilities and business development for UBC Athletics, the centre will primarily be used for sporting receptions, but any

PHOTO SAMARTH SHYAMANUR / THE UBYSSEY

group will be able to rent out the space so long as they pay a rental fee and get approval first.

“We wanted to provide a venue that could easily host those events and functions so hence the rationale of having a permanent liquor licence,” said Toor.

The area will be open six days a week from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m the following day — a schedule that Toor says will give the Rugby

Centre great flexibility over the types of events they can host.

“Let’s say it’s the Rugby World Cup and the game times are odd.

We may want to host an event that ends late or starts early,” said Toor. “That’s why we’ve got a lot of flexibility on the timing of it.”

The liquor-establishment area of the building will be able to hold around 200 people, while another 100 people will be able to fit into the reception area.

The type of liquor licence that an establishment can get depends on the structure of the business selling the alcohol. Since the primary purpose of the bar in the Gerald McGavin Rugby Centre is to sell liquor rather than food, they are applying for a liquorprimary license with an eventdriven focus.

To acquire this license, the owner of a business must submit an application to the BC Liquor Control and Licensing Branch (LCLB) where the staff will deem whether or not the business should be permitted to serve alcohol. After the business gets approval, the owner must also submit its proposed floor plans, then undergo an establishment inspection and applicant interview by a local liquor inspector. Finally, the local government must also approve the application.

If the McGavin Rugby Centre is approved by the LCLB, Toor says that “they will then award the license to the university in likely about a three-month process.” U

The Graduate Student Society (GSS) has launched mygradstory. com, a website for grad students to submit their stories of harassment and discrimination.

Submissions received on the site will be compiled by an ad hoc GSS committee, created to produce a report that will provide recommendations for responding to harassment on campus.

GSS President Tobias Friedel said that the site had been part of the vision of the ad hoc committee “since the beginning” and has been in the works for about six weeks.

Friedel said that it was a coincidence that the site was launched so quickly after the Fifth Estate investigation and the grad students came forth about their experiences with sexual assault at UBC. The site is only open to grad students. “As a grad student organization, we are focusing on the graduate student perspective,” said Friedel. “It is an issue that we’re looking at holistically as well because, ultimately, it is affecting the whole community. We need to make sure that all the pieces are working well together.”

According to Friedel, the decision to start a website was based on ensuring that people who are not comfortable with sharing their experiences with someone face-to-face still have an outlet.

“The idea was to provide as many channels as possible to reach as many people as possible,” he told The Ubyssey.

The committee plans to collect data until the end of the term, but the report will not be written until they have collected enough stories to be used. The submitter has the option to give consent for their stories to be used in the form of statistics or modified, redacted “blog-style” sharing.

“It’s not our intention to pressure people to come forward.

It is very dependent on the students’ willingness to share their experiences with us,” said Friedel.

He explained that they will also look at the methods of other universities when dealing with harassment and discrimination cases in order to make suggestions for what will work for UBC. “My hope is that we will get a better idea of what students are facing at UBC and the kinds of problems they have run into in terms of addressing [harassment and discrimination],” he said. “It will hopefully help us come up with suggestions around improving procedures [and] closing gaps with the reporting process.” U

AD-PAPER2.pdf

C

M

Y

CM

MY

CY

CMY

K

1

2015-12-31

3:21 PM

// CULTURE

EDITOR OLIVIA LAW

TUESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2016

COMEDY //

Vancouver comedy duo Hip.Bang! hits a home run with their new comedy web series PITCH MEN Andrea Gonzalez Staff Writer

Ever wondered what the perks of owning your own minor-league baseball team are? Or perhaps how a sleeping chair might revolutionize your life? Even if you haven’t casually pondered on the most socially appropriate catch phrases for a given occasion, the hilarious comedy duo Hip.Bang! are here to tell you why these objects and many more run-of-the-mill antics are worth your attention in their hysterical new web-series: PITCH MEN. Directed and produced by Tom Hill and Devin Mackenzie PITCH MEN follows two middleof-the-road guys as they attempt to sell various absurd antics by delivering high-energy, fun and fast-paced pitches. Each episode focuses on one specific product — from woodchips to impossible objects — and is followed by a quick glimpse of the characters’ lives outside of the theatre, increasingly put under strain by their jobs as pitch men.

“In each episode, we’re presenting an idea and playing a game with that idea. We kind of juice comedy out of it,” said Mackenzie. “While a narrative arc can be found here, there’s not so a much recurring storyline that happens in every episode, so they

can be singular videos that can stand on their own.”

As a project for Hip.Bang!, PITCH MEN has been in the works for some time and was inspired by the comedy duo’s experience with UBC Improv and their involvement in the wider Vancouver comedy community.

“The original concept came from a scene we did in a show actually in a Vancouver Improv Festival a few years ago,” said Hill. “We were a pair of guys pitching a cruise, but it was a couple’s cruise where there was no kissing allowed as the real purpose of the cruise was harpooning whales. Overall, it was a really fun scene and the sort of quick-witted, aggressive style ended up becoming part of our inspiration for PITCH MEN.” As can be expected in the production of their comedy web series, shooting the episodes was both a thrilling and memorable experience for the comedy duo.

“At one point [during filming], I had to go find an enormous pile of woodchips and shovel them into my car with the tarp down, which was totally ridiculous,” said Mackenzie. “The baseball episode was also really fun to shoot because we were doing a lot of dives and catches — basically playing baseball inside the theatre — and that was really fun.”

PITCH MEN is available online now.

Yet the creation and editing of the episodes was not without its challenges.

“The original episodes were actually shot pretty quickly within a period of 2 days and quite extensively edited with support from our two fantastic editors, Peter Hadfield and Ryan Anderson,” said Hill. “It was also a key part of the process to make the videos almost unnaturally fast to replicate the way that pitchmen act. That was actually quite a time consuming process in editing just because it was very detail oriented to get that much air cut out.”

The series’ punchy twominute episodes feature appearances from a variety of renowned local comedy heavyweights, including Aaron Read of The Sunday Service, who made a cameo appearance in their “Catch Phrases” episode.

PHOTO COURTESY HIP BANG!

With its innovative style, PITCH MEN delivers cutting wit and refreshing charm as Hill and Mackenzie continue to push boundaries with their unique brand of comedy. In addition to a number of surprising twists, audiences can expect some interesting choices on the things that Tom and Devin sell, including products that they are not necessarily fond of and a whole lot more laughs. So buckle up!

“The series keeps changing quite quickly and I think it’s cool that you get to see the guys evolve as they go through the pitching.

The pitches are wild enough that they will change you and, in the meantime, you will see how they change us,” said Hill.

New PITCH MEN episodes are released every Monday and Thursday on Hip.Bang!’s YouTube channel. U

THEATRE //

Heathers: the Musical, a preview of the cult classic Yasmin Gandham Contributor

What’s better than a dark comedy musical to start off the new year?

Following the story of the 1988 classic The Heathers, starring Winona Ryder and Christian Slater, the adaptation seeks to tell the story of a high school run by three popular and gorgeous girls — the Heathers — who are at the top of the social hierarchy.

A spin-off from the cult classic, Heathers: the Musical began in an off-Broadway production in 2014 following a sold-out Los Angeles tryout.

The Heathers, described as “the cruelest in all of Ohio” provide the source for two hours of hilarity onstage.

“At the beginning of the musical, my character Veronica Sawyer has a shot at getting to be in with the Heathers,” said Christine Quintana, actor and UBC grad. “Just as she starts to undergo this terrible personality metamorphosis, she meets this moody dark stranger named J.D. who gets her to start questioning who she really is.”

Crucial to the adaptation of the ’90s classic was director David Jones, whose priority was to curate a diverse cast.

Quintana explained, “Theatre all over the UK, US and especially here in Canada is facing a crisis of identity in that the people that you get on the bus with in a major city like Vancouver are not the people you see on stage.”

The casting of the musical is aiming to promote diversity.

The lack of diverse roles is especially important in a production like Heathers as the musical takes place in a high school.

“You won’t find a high school in BC that has all of the same kinds of people attending it,” said Quintana. “We live in diverse communities, our stages need to be the same as well.”

Heathers plays on a lot of the same topics and themes addressed in classic teen movies such as Clueless and Mean Girls.

“If you’re at school and stressed, you have to see a great rock musical with some cute clothes and murder. What better way to shake off the stress?” said Quintana.

The production contains

PHOTO COURTESY HEATHERS THE MUSICAL

strong language, mature content, nudity, smoking, and loud noises – it comes with a warning to audiences. Sure to be hilarious and heartwarming, production begins this week. U Heathers: The Musical is playing at The York Theatre (639 Commercial Dr, Vancouver) January 6-17. Tickets are available online.

5

FESTIVAL //

Young people IGNITE culture

PHOTO COURTESY IGNITE

The IGNITE panel promotes inclusivity.

Howard Dai Contributor

A group of youth in East Van is up to something — they call themselves The Panel.

IGNITE! Youth Panel invites young Vancouverites age 13-24 to join their Monday night meetings in the heart of East Vancouver.

Located in the Cultch theatre, the motivated youth gather weekly to share their ideas and get a handson opportunity to produce the next annual IGNITE! Youth Arts Festival in May 2016.

“I love that we don’t turn anyone away, we’re super inclusive,” said Anna Matthew, a fourth-year panel member. “It’s an amazing group of youth.”

The Panel takes charge in every aspect of the IGNITE! festival from the administrative duties such as budget drafting, sponsorship and marketing, to auditions, programming and designs. This season’s panel meetings have begun in October.

However, any youth between the ages of 13-24 can still join at any point throughout the year.

For Julien Buffavand, a fourth-year UBC student in the Department of Film and Theatre on his first year of exchange from France, this is the perfect opportunity to get involved in the cultural scene outside of UBC and meet people with different backgrounds and profiles.

“It’s really about being curious,” said Buffavand after reflecting on his experience with the panel this year so far. He believes that the panel allows youth to “show what you can do out of others’ creativity … and what you think is worth telling people or showing onstage.”

Panel members have the opportunity to take on a wide range of positions during the actual festival as well, particularly in the technical aspect. Matthew mentioned that the technicians in the performance venue become mentors during the festival where they spend a day walking the enthusiastic youth through the process of managing a technical rehearsal and running the show.

“Then [the technicians] would help us if anything like really, really messes up,” said Matthew.

“We will shape the festival around the artists who perform.

You can do whatever you want and then we will – if we think that you are good enough – find a spot for you in the festival,” said Matthew.

“It’s really about bringing something special and showing what you can do … what you can bring,” said Bouffvand. U

6 | features |

TUESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2016

PROTOCOL,

POLICY AND POLITICAL WILL

A look at how universities can responsibly respond to sexual assault.

by Vassilena Sharlandjieva

Caitlyn Cunningham, subject of the recent investigation and documentary by the CBC’s Fifth Estate into UBC’s handling of several reports of sexual assault by the same student, said she felt more traumatized by UBC’s reaction to her disclosure than her assault itself.

Exposed by the Fifth Estate, a lengthy and confusing administrative response left UBC students feeling disrespected and abandoned by their university.

UBC is now reviewing its response protocols and drafting a specialized sexual assault policy. Yet the problematic response wasn’t a case of the university ignoring its own policies and protocols — these were followed closely. But UBC doesn’t have a designated policy for dealing specifically with sexual assault. Instead, it has a collection of policies under which sexual assault response guidelines fall. However, as was seen in Cunningham’s case, the processes were ill-suited to the sensitivity of sexual assaults.

Understanding why UBC’s response took the form it did means looking at the wider issues involved in creating and upholding sexual assault response policies for Canadian universities and specifically at UBC, questioning who should deal with the reports and how to respond to them.

UBC’s current practices are not uncommon in Canada — other universities across BC also lack specialized policies.

This is in part because Canada does not have federal legislation comparable to the United States’ Violence Against Women Act, Title IX amendments and the Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act, which each mandate that universities have sexual assault policies, protocols and prevention programs.

Moreover, no federal legislation requires Canadian universities and colleges to keep and report sexual assault statistics, unlike in the United States. Elizabeth Quinlan, a University of Saskatchewan sociology professor who studies sexual assaults on university campuses, said Canada lacked reliable sexual assault statistics as a result.

A severe discrepancy in statistics coming out of UBC was revealed by a CBC investigation. Between 2009 and 2013, UBC received reports of less than a quarter of the sexual assault reports made to the RCMP on campus. UBC claimed it had received 16 reports of sexual assault from students in that time frame while the reports to RCMP were more than 70. Students were either reporting to the RCMP more often than to the university, or the university wasn’t keeping accurate statistics of how many reports they were receiving. Yet experts judged that even CBC’s data showed a lower number of reports than expected.

Less than 10 per cent of survivors of assault report to the police, which many — including Ashley Bentley, manager of the AMS’s Sexual Assault Support Centre (SASC) — attribute to the barriers of reporting. The process is time consuming, victims often report feeling blamed and prosecution rates are low because physical evidence of the crime is often lacking. In addition, in a criminal investigation confidentiality is not an option. More comprehensive statistics could potentially be obtained with a practice

of mandatory reporting. For example, Ontario’s province-wide campus sexual assault policy requires that university staff report allegations of sexual assault to the university administration if they are made aware of them. Yet, Quinlan views mandatory reporting as a double-edged sword.

“On the one hand, it can preempt the disclosures and really undermine the power of the complainants to direct the process,” she explained. “But on the other hand, it provides the university with the capacity at least to keep up-to-date, accurate statistics so we know what the prevalence rates really are.”

“I think that having mandatory reporting actually creates a barrier for survivors coming forward because maybe they want support services or counseling, but they don’t want that incident to become a statistic,” Bentley said, noting that survivors may only be seeking counselling rather than an investigation or prosecution. Instead of mandatory reporting, she wants the new policy to provide survivors with anonymous or third party reporting options.

SASC’s stance is that it should be up to the victim to decide to whom they wish to report. Finlay agreed, emphasizing the importance of returning agency to the victims.

However, when researchers surveyed males at an American university who admitted to having committed or attempted sexual assault, they concluded that relatively few men perpetrate a large number of rapes. Almost two-thirds of the men reported committed multiple rapes. “[Obligatory reporting] would also allow universities to adhere to their responsibility of keeping campus community members safe in the case of a serial perpetrator,” Quinlan noted.

When a sexual assault becomes the university’s responsibility to investigate, then the issue becomes a question of ensuring due process. The criminal nature of sexual assault sets it apart from other forms of non-academic misconduct, making a university’s role in responding to reported cases more complicated — how should an institution deal with such severe and potentially traumatic crime?

“It’s unfortunate that the university has to take on some roles that are perhaps better served by the police,” said Scott Anderson, a UBC philosophy professor studying sexual harassment and rape in gender relations. “The university lacks certain powers that police forces have, such as the ability to investigate, to compel testimony and to provide professional representation to both the accusers and the accused.” At UBC, the non-academic misconduct committee handles any student’s report of sexual assault by another student. If the complaint is against a member of faculty or staff, faculty or employee relations investigates with assistance from the Equity and Inclusion Office. Policy No. 3, Discrimination and Harassment, guides the processes.

In the United States, where specialized sexual assault policies are required, university investigations into sexual assault operate very differently from criminal ones. Unlike the typical innocent-until-proven-guilty standard, the US’ Title IX mandates that schools

“It’s unfortunate that the university has to take on some roles that are perhaps better served by the police.”

- Scott Anderson, philosophy professor

TUESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2016

| features | 7

“If there are any worries about university processes, the AMS is independent of the institution so survivors should feel safe to come to the SASC.”

- Jenna Omassi, AMS VP Academic and University Affairs

operate on a “preponderance of evidence” basis when reaching their decision on a complaint. If it is more likely than not that a sexual assault took place, the appropriate consequences must be enacted.

Anderson explained that reaching a decision based on preponderance of evidence was used in cases of sexual assault because of the need to overcome biases that tend to discount the victims’ testimonies.

Preponderance of evidence is not something that is clearly outlined in UBC’s current policies and protocols to deal with sexual assault. Until now, UBC has prioritized sexual assault prevention over response, said AMS VP Academic and University Affairs Jenna Omassi. She attributed this to both the lack of standalone sexual assault policies and research that have shown that prevention and education efforts are important for an effective response.

According to Sara Jane Finlay, vice-president of the Equity and Inclusion office at UBC, a specialized sexual assault policy hasn’t been adopted in the past because UBC’s existing policies and practices have been functional.

“The policies did what they were supposed to do. I don’t think that they were problematic,” said Finlay. “Whether there were other things around it that could have been done better, I don’t know.”

Yet Bentley considers UBC’s current practices are not sufficiently survivor-focused. She has been working with Chad Hyson, associate director of student conduct and safety at UBC, to review the non-academic misconduct process.

Bentley believes the committee members do not have adequate training to dealing with sexual assault cases and ask victim-blaming questions within their hearings. According to Bentley, the process is also not timely enough — especially considering the safety concerns regarding having an offender on the same campus as the victim.

“I feel that for other types of incidences, the process works well. But I think when it comes to survivors of sexual assault, then there is a certain type of sensitivity that needs to be taken into consideration,” she said, pointing to how the peer-based committee in charge of processing non-academic misconduct could deter victims of sexual assault who may not wish to disclose to peers.

Kimberley Beck, a lawyer in UBC’s University Counsel office, disagrees. She told The Ubyssey that the current system is “sensitive and fair.”

“In cases of sexual assault, we will offer the survivor, if they wish not to be seen by the alleged perpetrator, to put up screens or make other arrangements. We can do it by video conferencing,” she said. “We also set up counselling services if they wish to have them before and after their participation in the process. We also tell them that they can bring a support person into the room while they speak to the committee.”

“The committee receives general training in administrative justice as well as specific training in addressing allegations of sexual assault offered by a professional who has extensive expertise in this area,” wrote Robbie Morrison, chair of the non-academic misconduct committee, in an email to The Ubyssey.

The timeframe of the administrative process was one of the major criticisms of UBC’s handling of Cunningham’s allegations against Dmitry Mordvinov. He was expelled 18 months after he committed the alleged sexual offences. To many, this was another example of disregard for the victims. By contrast, in the United States, under Title IX — a federal law prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex in education — schools should conclude an investigation into a reported sexual assault within a semester.

Finlay believes a set timeframe for handling reported cases of sexual assault would be inappropriate as it may interfere with the victim’s control over the process.

All hope is not lost for UBC’s future of handling of sexual assaults. Controversy has been the catalyst of change in the past. Following much media condemnation of the the infamous Y-O-U-N-G rape chant at UBC, other universities’ frosh events and a number of sexual assaults, the Ontario provincial government decided it was time to act.

In 2013, the province issued a resource guide for universities that recommended measures for preventing and responding to sexual assault. Early in 2015, the presidents of 24 universities in Ontario agreed to endorse and implement a province-wide uniform policy on campus sexual assault.

“There’s an absolute and fundamental belief in the college system that this is our responsibility,” said Linda Franklin, president and CEO of Colleges Ontario, in an interview with the Toronto Star.

The BC government is also considering whether to introduce a single set of provincewide policies.

UBC’s new policy will have to go through legal counsel and approval by the Board of Governors — It is unlikely that it will be ready before autumn of 2016, according to Finlay.

“University administration developing policies is only a very first step,” Quinlan said.

“Policies are very limited in what they can do without the necessary resources and political will to use them.”

In the meantime, Omassi and Bentley have emphasized that the SASC is an AMS service independent of UBC. “If there are any worries about university processes, the AMS is independent of the institution so survivors should feel safe to come to the SASC,” said Omassi. U

The definition of sexual assault is any non-consentual sexual act and includes rape (forced vaginal, anal or oral penetration), kissing and touching of a sexual nature.

— With files from Emma Partridge and Sophie Sutcliffe.

TUESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2016

YOGA //

UBC Yoga Club: history, unification and balance

COMING UP THIS MONTH

123456

ADMIT

Oc oNm Ei n g

123456

8 | CULTURE |

up

Opera Warriors

January 5, Queen Elizabeth Theatre A larger-than-life theatrical dance production overflowing with emotion, extravagance and some of the most prestigious talent from China’s opera scene.

Student Leadership Conference

January 9, UBC One of Canada’s largest student-run conferences. This year the theme is “Make History” – a celebration of the past, present and future of UBC, recognizing our history as individuals and as an institution.

PuSh Festival

The yoga club is starting their new years classes this week.

Adrienne Ahn Contributor

In 2007, the UBC Yoga Club was established to help ease students through the stress of exams. Now, exams are over but with a new semester beginning, anxiety levels will be on the rise again. Luckily, UBC Yoga Club are here to help.

Yoga is widely recognized for its variety and ability to create positive energy, but there are other values — such as the history of the spiritual practice — that are commonly overlooked.

Dana Chan, a fourth-year interdisciplinary studies student, joined UBC Yoga Club in her first year. In the following term, she became a volunteer. Since then, she has become the current president of the club and also shares her experiences as an instructor.

Although she joined the Yoga Club due to its affordability and schedule flexibility, she values the days she teaches yoga and can share what she knows with everyone. Moreover, she emphasizes the effectiveness of engaging in the practice for daily life applications.

“As university students, we have a lot on our minds. I know for myself, I always have eight different places I need to be and yoga puts you in the present,” said Chan. “It makes you more focused.

After going to a couple classes, you might take away what you learned in class out into your real life.”

As the president of the club, she strives to maintain accessibility by not focusing on the common barrier faced by people interested in yoga — money.

“One thing I love about the club is that it is super accessible to people that might not be able to afford it in outside studios,” said Chan, commenting on the ongoing commercialization of yoga. “Yoga Club tries to eliminate the aspect of finances being an issue while still maintaining as high a quality as we possibly can.”

Inspired by this growing matter, she plans on holding a “Yoga Talk” to inform the club’s members on the original history and purpose of yoga and how it has been adapted to suit modern day’s commercialized yoga industry.

Additionally, her vision is to create a larger sense of community within the members of the club in order to uphold the lineage of yoga.

“Yoga — with its origin from the word ‘yoke’ meaning ‘to unite,’ especially at UBC where there is a huge community — there is also a lack of community,” Chan said. “So I’ve started to encourage teachers to talk more to members after class and create that sense of community.”

One instructor has already taken the initiative to build strong bonds in her classes.

Fábia Zutt is an instructor for the UBC Yoga Club who has been deeply involved with the practice for about 11 years. As a long-time dancer, she found the similar movements and postures of yoga fascinating and decided to engage in the practice.

“I always felt that there was more to it than just the physical aspect, but I didn’t know enough about it. I started practicing consistently about four years ago when I had to travel more and finally moved to Vancouver,” she said. “I needed something to help me reconnect and centre the body, but also the mind and soul.”

A past student at UBC, it was natural for her to become an instructor for the UBC Yoga Club after gaining teaching experience and finishing her training. In her classes, she unleashes her individual teaching style, which she describes as a combination of playful, creative and loving.

“It’s like a dance just for yourself. I encourage the students to try things, but by being kind with their bodies — therefore I give many modifications and variations,” she said. “I like to make a practical connection to the practice, to give the students

PHOTO NADYA RAHMAN/THE UBYSSEY

nurture for thought as well.”

In her classes, she emphasizes to her students the significance of creating a balanced community and the benefits of implementing the practice in their daily lives.

By keeping this as a goal, she is constantly inspired to show her students why yoga is the way to mindful exploring and living. “[Yoga] is a practice on many different layers and works towards balancing all these layers. In the end, it’s all to live a healthier, happier life. Some people might be drawn to the practice for mainly physical reasons at the beginning, but at some point Pranayama (breath work) and meditations become more important and you start to notice the benefits off the mat.”

Both instructors share similar advice on yoga. Chan reminds everyone to listen to their own body and take advantage of the resources available to practice yoga.

“That’s one thing I love about yoga — it builds body awareness.

It’s just about learning how to check-in with yourself and your body and learning how to decipher all the little messages your body’s trying to say to you,” she said.

Zutt also advises those who may be intimidated by yoga to keep an open mind when trying it for the first time.

“There is no right or wrong in yoga. Nothing should ever hurt or you should take a step back. In addition, try more than one class as the style or teacher you tried might just not be for you. As for the rest, be open [to] where it might get you. Maybe you enjoy practicing once a month, maybe you yourself [may] become a teacher at some point.”

UBC Yoga Club has 17 classes every week and the schedules can be found on their website.

Membership for UBC students is $10 and $20 for non-UBC students. A drop-in class is $2 each and there is no commitment. U

from January 19, The Cultch A powerhouse performance by a UBC-trained opera singer, the performance offers a response to the radical theatricalization of the recital form of performance.

Eurydice

from January 21, Frederic Wood Theatre A reimagination of the Ancient Greek Orpheus and Eurydice myth, this is a modern and minimalist production of the haunting fairytale. The play is sharp, alert and engaging – not to be missed.

Aboriginal Children: A UBC Centennial Session

January 21, Robert H. Lee Alumni Centre This is the fourth of six in the “How to Love a Child” series, devoted to key issues crucial to the well-being and rights of the university community.

This lecture will focus on the significant challenges Aboriginal children face in exercising their human rights.

It works in theory, but will it work in the real world?

At U of T’s School of Public Policy, we’ll help you find out.

U of T’s School of Public Policy and Governance

puts research and practice in the same classroom. From climate change to human rights, today’s challenges require both a firm rooting in powerful ideas and a motivation for real-world action. Through its Masters program in Public Policy (MPP), U of T is tapping into Canada’s most productive research faculty to shape the next generation of policy leaders.

www.publicpolicy.utoronto.ca

// OPINIONS

EDITOR JACK HAUEN

TUESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2016

9

YEAR IN REVIEW //

The 10 most-read opinion pieces of 2015 10. Response to “We need to talk” Brent Lin argues that Reymann ignored silenced voices in his letter.

5.

Why I’m leaving The Ubyssey to fight the

international tuition increases Arno Rosenfeld explains why fighting the university needs to take priority.

6,923 views

5,089 views

9. UBC has abandoned women Alexis Wolfe calls out the university for its lack of support for women on campus.

4. Why I’m not voting Jastej Luddu explains why he didn’t take part in the federal election.

5,173 views

8.

Showing pictures of war on Pit Night

was completely inappropriate

10,177 views

3. Hatin’ on Drizzy The Ubyssey’s staff looks at a prof’s antagonistic tweets.

Emma Partridge argues that the Pit’s Remembrance Day display was in poor taste.

5,423 views

7.

You’re angry about the international

tuition increase for the wrong reasons

11,310 views

2. We need to talk Albert Reymann decries the rise of the “regressive left.”

John Harvey argues what he believes are the root causes of outrage at UBC.

6,028 views

13,105 views

6.

UBC takes advantage of loopholes they

made themselves

1. I was assaulted on campus and

The Ubyssey’s staff takes a look at the absurdity of a UBC housing proposal.

An anonymous person was the victim of a racially-motivated attack.

nobody saw

6,917 views

22,233 views

ADVICE //

Ask Natalie: New term blues and how to leave UBC Natalie morris Advice

“Dear Natalie, My Christmas break was good … until I got my marks back. I’ve failed one of my English classes and it actually matters because I’m in third year and this was a required course. I’ll need to take it again, but I don’t want to be the old person in the class. What should I do?”

You take a breath. A big deep breath.

Grades do not define who you are or your worth. One (or two) failing grades aren’t going to make or break anyone. Sure, if you are planning to apply to grad school it may be a little dent in your plans, but it doesn’t mean that your plans are completely derailed. You can still reach your goals without a 100 per cent pass rate.

If you aren’t planning on going to grad school, then calm down. As much as I hate the saying, C’s get

degrees. Don’t stress too much. UBC won’t kick you out for one sub-par grade. The Arts policy says you may be put on Academic Probation if your winter session average falls below 55 per cent. If it’s below 45 per cent, you will be required to withdraw for one academic year.

But in both cases, you should talk to your Academic Adviser. I am not your Academic Advisor. Other faculties’ policies may vary.

As for being the old student in class, I think you overestimate how much other students care about you. No one in any of my classes have ever asked how old I was outside my language classes’ forced conversations. It’s a required course, so just do it before you forget what you know about the course material.

It doesn’t matter if you’re the “old” person in the class because you’re not old and unless you’re going around shouting that you failed this class before, I doubt anyone will know.

Learn from what happened and move on. One failed class isn’t the worst thing that’s ever happened.

“Dear Natalie, With the New Year, it’s become very clear to me that this will be my last semester at UBC. I’m not sure what I’m doing after this, but the tentative plan is to move back in with my parents until I land myself a job in their city.

It’s possible that I’ll find a better opportunity before I graduate, but I’m wondering how I will move all my stuff back to my parents’ place. What’s the best way to do it?”

If your parents live close by: Pack up the car! Recruit your friends with cars! Move that bus!

You can do it! It’s just going to be slower (and sadder) than you think as you pack up the last bit of freedom you’ll get until you get to pack everything up again.

If you’ll have to drive more than eight hours: Pack the car up, but as tightly as possible. The absolute easiest way to move your stuff back is to not move it, but dump it. Just get

rid of anything that isn’t necessary.

Those beautiful clay pieces of art from Intro to Ceramics? Toss ‘em.

Those clothes that are super cute (!!) but have been hanging in your closet since fall 2013? Donate!

Things like dishes, hangers and textbooks are heavy and they take up space so they would be a terror to ship, but you can pack them up and stick them in the bottom of your car/van/U-Haul/truck/ whatever. Keep everything that you really, really, really need and donate everything else.

If you’ll have to fly: This is where the real decision making happens. How expensive is shipping/Greyhounding your stuff, or at least how much is your budget for shipping/Greyhounding your stuff? It’s not going to be cheap, but you can weigh the costs and benefits of keeping each piece.

Those posters from the poster sale?

Not really needed unless they take up less than .02 per cent of one of your bags. The textbook you know you’ll use again? Fine, keep it.

It’s not possible to keep everything unless you have unlimited amounts of time and money. You’ll have to say goodbye to some memories, but you can rent someone’s garage or a storage unit until you can comeback for everything. Don’t take too long though, no one wants a favour to last longer than expected.

“Dear Natalie, How do I keep my New Year resolutions this year? I always fail!”

My piece last year outlines what I think are the best ways to keep a resolution, but for sure the best way is to be passionate about it. Only when you care about something can you really succeed at something, whether it’s your grade, working out or personal goals. Keep at it and you will have success! U Contact Natalie at asknatalie@ ubyssey.ca and have your questions answered in an upcoming issue.

// SPORTS+REC

EDITOR KOBY MICHAELS

TUESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2016

10

SNOWSHOEING AWAY FROM EXAMS

By Koby Michaels

By the time I began studying for my final exam, I’d already had enough of staring out of the windows of Koerner Library, trying to make out the mountains through the rain and the clouds. So I packed up my textbooks and unfinished review and met up with the rest of the mid-finals expedition team at a cafe. After some quick googling, we decided to head to Hollyburn Mountain in Cypress Park and snowshoe to the peak.

We grabbed our rented snowshoes from MEC (I managed to put mine on backwards somehow — I’d never snowshoed before) and parted ways. I was giddy with the anticipation of not spending another day glued to library chairs.

We headed out early the next morning, trying to beat the sun to the mountain and make the most out of the few hours of December

daylight. As we rode up the mountain, the rain gradually froze into snow. We finally found the right parking lot and piled out into the snow and into our snow shoes. Even at the trailhead, the snow was thick and continued to fall. We dodged nordic skiers and stopped every other minute to check the map. On the way back down, we realized the snow had been falling so heavily that we had walked right by the correct trailhead and onto an alternate one.

Eventually, we found our way and continued up the mountain.

In the woods, the snow was still falling, but not quickly enough as to blind us. It was silent except for the crunch of the snowshoes in the fresh powder and the heavy breathing of our group. The silence was very different from the anxiety-soaked quiet of the library — this silence was comforting and calming.

The trail was easy enough to follow and we made good time

passing through the dense woods quickly. We stopped at a clearing that separated the kept trail from the less traveled path that led to the peak. We layered up — it was getting colder and the wind cut deeper without the trees. Snacks were consumed and then birds, eyeing our snacks, began to bravely fly closer and closer to our group. They landed on our bags and hands, hoping to join in our morning snack. The group, which had four

photographers in it, started shooting away only to soon pack their cameras back up again in fear that the snow would damage them.

From here, the tree cover thinned and the slope steepened. Snow was less tightly packed and, with each step, my snowshoes threatened to slip and send me back down the mountain. However, the snow and shoes held. After a sweaty hour and a few close calls of sliding down over hard fought elevation, we reached the peak. The view, which supposedly looked over the entire city and the North Shore mountains, was five metres of snow and fog.

The peak, which was largely unprotected from the elements, was cold. After a short meal and a stretch out of the snowshoes, we turned back to head down Hollyburn.

Snowshoeing climbing slopes or walking on even ground is relatively easy — it’s just like walking. Down, on the other hand, is trickier. We all adopted a run down the mountain

until we slid. Then, we slid until we fell onto our butts getting down. Once mastered, it was quick and relatively painless. With a lot of laughing and several faceplants into deeper-than-expected snowbanks, we reached the clearing with the birds again. As it was now early afternoon and the snow had stopped falling so heavily, the trail was busy and well packed.

Once at the car, we brushed the snow and ice out of our hair and pants before piling back in. As we drove down the mountain, the snow gradually melted back into rain. We headed into rainy West Van to warm up with some fresh pies. With pie in my stomach, the last of the snow melting out of my hair and sensation returning to my fingers and toes, I unlocked my door and crawled into bed with thoughts of studying for my last exam far from my mind. U

TUESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2016

| SPORTS+REC | 11

FOOTBALL //

Thunderbirds football finally finds its place Bill Situ Staff Writer

UBC football’s 2015 run may be over, but it will continue to live on as a miraculous season that saw the end of an 18 year Vanier Cup drought.

“I don’t think a university or province can be more proud.

[The Thunderbirds] ended up accomplishing a goal that they set out to do and against all odds,” said David Sidoo, director of an organization that fundraises for the team called the 13th Man Foundation.

In 1997, UBC won its third Vanier Cup after 10 straight seasons without any hardware.

T-Birds running back Mark Nohra was the recipient of the Hec Creighton Trophy, an award given to the CIS’s top football player.

Other notable Thunderbirds alumni who played in the 1997 Vanier Cup include quarterback and former coach, Shawn Olson and running back Akbal Singh who is considered one of UBC’s bestever running backs. Olson is UBC’s second all-time leader in passing yards and Singh remains the team’s all-time leader in rushing.

The year after the Vanier Cup victory, Casey Smith — UBC’s head coach at the time — was unable to return due to liver cancer. Dave Johnson entered as an interim coach before Jay Prepchuk took over in 1999.

Despite the coaching changes, the T-Birds’ performance remained solid in 1998 and 1999. The team finished 6-2 and 7-1 respectively before losing in the Hardy Cup during both years to the Saskatchewan Huskies.

It began in 2000 that the performance of Thunderbirds football began to take a downturn.

Between 2000 and 2014, UBC missed a total of nine playoffs and saw four coaching changes.

Prepchuk lost his coaching position after the 2001 season when the team failed to make the playoffs. Lou Deslauriers then replaced Prepchuk the following year, but his tenure did not last long either. Having missed two playoffs and lost twice in the Canada West semifinals from 2002 to 2005, UBC ultimately relieved Deslauriers of coaching duties in 2005.

In 2006, the Thunderbirds promoted offensive coordinator Ted Goveia to head coach. Still, the team continued to struggle, missing the playoffs for three straight seasons from 2007 to 2009. Goveia did not return for the 2010 season.

With Goveia’s departure, Olson — the once famed quarterback — returned to the university as head coach. One item on Olson’s agenda was to bring more off-field support to the struggling football team.

“All the top-level football programs basically have very, very significant influx of resources from outside sources,” said Olson.

“Without the off-field foundation of resources and stuff at your disposal, then you never get the opportunity to show what you can do on the field.”

According to Olson, it was at the turn of the century that support from athletic departments started to become essential to the

The Thunderbirds during the Vanier Cup held in Quebec City.

success of varsity football teams in Canada. He believes that UBC fell short in this area during his absence, which led to the several lacklustre seasons.

“In 2000, if you had a choice between Laval and UBC … there would have to be some crazy reason for you to choose UBC,” said Olson.

After more than a decade of disappointment, UBC had its best season in 2011. Coming off of a 6-2 regular season, the T-Birds placed second in Canada West and entered the Hardy Cup for the first time since 1999.

However, due to the use of an ineligible player, CIS football forfeited all of UBC’s wins and the 2011 season was recorded as 0-8 in the record books.

“That moment more than any other … was one that stunted our growth. It really prevented us from taking the next step in the program development,” said Olson.

Still, the 2011 season saw quarterback Billy Greene become the first T-Bird to receive the Hec Creighton Trophy since Nohra, and Olson named Canada West Coach of the Year.

During Olson’s years as head coach, UBC missed the playoffs in 2010, 2012 and 2014 as well as lost in the Canada West semifinal in 2013. Olson ultimately parted ways with the team by the end of the 2014 season.

Desperate to see progress, UBC football fought to hire Blake Nill as the next head coach. With seven Vanier Cup games under his belt and a history of creating CIS championship teams, Nill sought to transform the culture of the football program.

“Coach Nill brought in the idea that you had to compete, that you had to earn everything that you’ll be given,” said Brandon Deschamps, who played running back from 2011 to 2015.

Deschamps also said that the arrival of a new head coach required many veteran T-Birds

like himself to demonstrate that they were capable on the field.

“You had to prove yourself to [Nill] and I think that was a big thing for a lot of the veteran guys,” said Deschamps.

After assuming command of the football program, Nill’s first order of business was to recruit the best players he could find. With the entry of recruits like Michael O’Connor, Trivel Pinto and Stavros Katsantonis to the team, UBC placed first in CIS recruiting for the 2015 season according to Canada Football Chat. “[Nill] is probably the best recruiter in the country… I think it was the first time that UBC’s been ranked number one in CIS recruiting for an off-season,” said Sidoo.

Alongside Nill’s efforts, the football team was also beginning to receive off-field support from the newly established 13th Man Foundation, which Sidoo founded towards the end of the 2014 season. One of the foundation’s projects in 2015 was the Learning Centre, which aimed to help football players achieve academic success.

With the hiring of Nill, the drafting of new recruits and

FILE PHOTO KOSTA PRODANOVIC/THE UBYSSEY

support from the 13th Man Foundation, the T-Birds’ first reality check came during an exhibition game against the Laval Rouge et Or, who had won seven Vanier Cups since 2003. To Nill’s satisfaction, UBC came out with an impressive 41-16 win.

After the showdown against Laval, the T-Birds set their sights on Nill’s former team — the Calgary Dinos — for the first regular-season game. This time, against another top CIS team, the weaknesses of UBC began to expose itself as the team fell 49-16.

With the loss against the Dinos, the T-Birds were under intense pressure on their return to Thunderbird Stadium to host Homecoming. In front of 6,950 spectators, UBC defeated the Regina Rams 27-20 to compensate for the previous loss.

Following the home opener, the T-Birds beat the Manitoba Bisons on the road before dropping to the Saskatchewan Huskies on the return home.

Despite an inconsistent start to the season, UBC football finished with a winning streak for the remainder of the regular season, coming out with a final season

record of 6-2 and placing second in Canada West.

After four straight wins, the ‘Birds showed no signs of stopping as they got past the Manitoba Bisons 52-10 in the Canada West semifinal and advanced to the first Hardy Cup game since 1999.

As the T-Birds routed the Bisons, the team came to the cold realization that their next opponent was to be Calgary — the top-ranked CIS football team. At a time when even Nill anticipated defeat, UBC came out with an astounding 34-26 victory to stun the entire nation.

After upsetting the Dinos, the Thunderbirds went on to beat the St. Francis Xavier X-Men 33-9 in the Uteck Bowl to earn their ticket to the Vanier Cup. There, they faced the defending champions, the Montreal Carabins. After another intense game, the Thunderbirds came out on top 26-23, successfully ending the cup drought.

Having won against successful CIS teams and captured the Vanier Cup, Nill believes that “the UBC football team in 2015 has to be considered one of the top programs in the country.”

“The teams that everyone was saying would be the top three were Calgary, Saskatchewan and Manitoba,” said Nill. “This past season, we ended up playing those three teams six times and our record in those games was 4-2.”

In preparation for the 2016 season, Nill has the important task of recruiting running backs to replace Deschamps, who is now at the end of his five-year eligibility, and other key players.

“Recruiting running backs is a big deal for us in the off season and we’ll work hard to make sure that we do a good job with that,” said Nill.

Even with Deschamps’ absence next year, Nill believes that the handful of freshmen players like O’Connor and Pinto, who will be returning next year, will continue to be an important driving force for the team. “[The returning players] understand what has to be done and the way things need to be done. That’s going to make it a little easier for us there to garner success next year,” said Nill.

However, whether the UBC football team can repeat its 2015 performance next year remains to be seen. U

12 | GAME AND COMICs |

TUESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2016

Notice of Development Permit Application - DP 15038

Public Open House

Biological Sciences Building - 6270 University Boulevard Join us at an Open House on Wednesday, January 13 to view and comment on a proposed addition and renovation to the Biological Sciences building at 6270 University Boulevard to accommodate new UBC Undergraduate Life Sciences Teaching Labs.

Date: Wednesday, January 13, 2016 Time: 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM Place: Earth Sciences Building Atrium, 2207 Main Mall Plans will be displayed for the project which will include the demolition of a portion of the building to allow for a new 9,620m2 4-storey East Wing for new teaching labs, an upgraded interior courtyard, and renovation of the existing North Wing.

Representatives from the project team and Campus + Community Planning will be available to provide information and respond to inquiries about this project.

Can’t attend in person? Online feedback will be accepted from Dec. 7, 2015 to Jan 20, 2016. To learn more or to comment on this project, please visit: planning.ubc.ca/vancouver/projects-consultations

COURTESY BESTCROSSWORDS.COM

CROSSWORD PUZZLE ACROSS 1- Lethargy; 6- Primitive calculators; 11- Star Wars letters; 14- Triple; 15- Puerto ___; 16- Cooking container; 17- Not joined; 19- Mag. staffers; 20- Not a direct hit; 21- Half-hour funny show; 23- Wall St. debut; 24- Crushed sugarcane; 25- Discovers; 29- Brother of Moses; 30- Founded: abbr.; 31- Mayberry lad; 32- Sheep talk; 35- In spite of; 39- ___ rule; 40- Burrows and Vigoda; 41- Big name in insurance; 42- Greek island;

44- Rubber; 45- Show; 48- And so on: Abbr.; 49- Request; 50- Symbol that represents an idea; 55- Society-page word; 56- Trotting competition; 58- Before, once; 59- Follow, as advice; 60- Bits; 61- Complete collection; 62- Distorts; 63- Trades; DOWN 1- Flabbergast; 2- Writer Sarah ___ Jewett; 3- Size of type; 4- ___ about (approximately); 5- Chinese money; 6- You ___ right!; 7- Some pens; 8- Do one’s part?; 9- Roman capital of Palestine;

This event is wheelchair accessible.

10- Blue dye; 11- Glasses, briefly; 12- Bygone birds; 13- “Who’s there?” reply; 18- Bites; 22- Convert into leather; 24- Teases; 25- Musical Horne; 26- Those, to Juan;

For further information: Please direct questions to Karen Russell, Manager Development Services karen.russell@ubc.ca 604-822-1586

27- ___ boy!; 28- Inexperienced; 29- Church recesses; 31- Yippee!; 32- Fragments; 33- Green Gables girl; 34- Food thickener; 36- North American larch; 37- State of drowsiness;

38- Narc’s org.; 42- Sunblock letters; 43- Island greetings; 44- Hot times abroad; 45- Borge’s countrymen; 46- Grenoble’s river; 47- Shooting sport; 48- Paradises; 50- ___ pronounce

you...; 51- Increase in size; 52- Pro follower; 53- Put ___ on (limit); 54- Pigsty; 57- Numbered hwy.;

U

THE UBYSSEY

The best part about starting school again.

COMIC JULIAN YU/THE UBYSSEY

COMIC PATRICK MURRY AND MIKE PAROLINI/THE UBYSSEY

DECEMBER 8 ANSWERS