November 22, 2017

NOVEMBER 22, 2017 | VOLUME XCIX | ISSUE XV MURDER ISLAND SINCE 1918

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NEWS

CULTURE

BLOG

SCIENCE

SPORTS

Everything you need to know about arguing

No need to proofread if you finish at 11:59 p.m.

Retracted study from UBC incites controversy

UBC Aqua Society gets cozy with octopi

#UBCaccountable protests survivor silencing

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THE UBYSSEY

2014-2017

The Ubyssey’s Ask Natalie shares her final advice.

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NOVEMBER 22, 2017 WEDNESDAY

YOUR GUIDE TO UBC EVENTS & PEOPLE

EVENTS

OUR CAMPUS

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 23

Our Campus: Roland Burton has been the Varsity Outdoor Club’s resident trailblazer since 1960

HUMMUS AND CHILL! 6 P.M. @ NEST 2504 UBC Israel on Campus is hosting an event to meet Israelis and enjoy hummus at the same time.

FREE

NOVEMBER 23 to JANUARY 28 CANYON LIGHTS @ CAPILANO SUSPENSION BRIDGE PARK The park is alive with lights, lights and more lights!

STUDENT PRICES AVAILABLE

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 24 DRINKS WITH NERDS 6 P.M. @ STORM CROW ALEHOUSE Meet up with the UBC Astronomy Club for a fun night!

EVERYONE WELCOME BEFORE 8 P.M.

ON THE COVER COVER BY Jack Hauen, Natalie Morris and Mackenzie Walker “Look at me, I’m the cover now.”

Want to see more events or see your events listed here? ubyssey.ca/events

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NOVEMBER 22, 2017 | VOLUME XCIX| ISSUE XV

EDITORIAL

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Burton joined the VOC 57 years ago in his second year at UBC.

Andrea Garza Contributor

The Varsity Outdoor Club (VOC) has endured many changes over its 100 years, but since 1960 it has had at least one constant — Roland Burton, the oldest active member of the club and holder of the “useful person” executive position. Founded in 1917, the VOC celebrated its centennial just two years after UBC’s own.

Burton joined the VOC 57 years ago in the second year of his engineering program at UBC, but he had been involved in outdoor exploration long before he became a member of the club.

He grew up in a northern mining community — “to the extent that I grew up at all,” he said.

“I spent a lot of time wandering around in the woods … because that’s all you really had in the way of entertainment.”

The VOC has a long and complex history, with major events — such as the division of the VOC and the Ski and Board club in 1974 — fundamentally changing its structure along the way. In addition to organizing trips, the VOC also built, owns and maintains many backcountry huts and cabins, many of which Burton was involved in organizing. The oldest standing hut, built in 1969, is called the Burton Hut after

ROLAND BURTON

his contributions towards its planning and building. In 1970 he received one of six gold pin awards in club history for his work on the structure.

Though there have been countless trips to the wilderness throughout Burton’s life and his time with the club, his most memorable trips have been the longer ones, which often took him around the world. In 1991, the VOC organized a trip to Earth’s highest summit — Mount Everest.

“We weren’t actually trying to climb the main peak of Everest, because it’s quite expensive,” said Burton. “[The VOC] are trying to emphasize that we’re cheap!”

The 13 members of the Everest group hiked to the North Peak of the mountain on a trip that took about 6 weeks. Another longer expedition was a six-month backpacking and hitchhiking trip through Peru.

To Burton, these extended trips are at the heart of mountaineering. While day hikes and overnight trips are fun, easy and accessible, they don’t fall into Burton’s idea of adventure.

“For me … mountaineering meant that you probably had to do some pretty serious thought about [carrying] enough food in … and it might take a while,” he said. “But now [it] has more or less come to mean that there’s no trail.”

Burton has seen other changes in the VOC throughout his time with the club, particularly regarding the reasons people join. He outlined three basic “models” for outdoor activity: the “sports model,” he said, “is to prove that you’re better than everyone else.” The “scenery and solitude model” is for those who want to enjoy the beauty of the outdoors in relative isolation.

And the “social model” is joining the club for the friendships and group dynamics.

Everyone who is interested in the outdoors enjoys some combination of these models, according to Burton, but he’s noticed a definite shift towards the “sports model” in the more recent years in the VOC. This may be a natural change in the club, but as to his personal preference he said, “That ain’t me!” While seeing who can hike the Grouse Grind the fastest is very satisfying for some people, Burton doesn’t consider this as closely connected to the spirit of the outdoors as a more contemplative approach.

Burton also noted that because there is such a quick turnover rate of students in the VOC, the club can be quite unstable, as people’s interests and skills change with new trends. Something like teleskiing might be very popular for a few years, but if there are a few winters without enough snow, that skill might be lost as older members graduate and new students join.

It’s very important to Burton for there to be enthusiastic people in the club because of how quickly that energy can spread.

“One person who’s particularly keen on something … can make a hell of a big difference,” he said.

About five years ago, one such member organized a group of VOCers to carry 1,000 pounds of firewood five kilometres up to a hut, instead of the more expensive option of flying it in with a helicopter. When it comes to group efforts like this, “people are happy to get involved in something which seems to make a slight difference,” said Burton.

He helped out in this effort himself by teaching other club members how to use a chainsaw to cut firewood, and he noted that passing on his skills is one of his key responsibilities as the VOC’s resident useful person.

He believes that learning about the outdoors is a very important aspect of the club, and he is happy to pass on his knowledge.

“I will probably continue to do outdoorsy stuff, because that’s what I know,” Burton said.

“If we want to respect the outdoors, we have to know a little bit about it.” U

NEWS

NOVEMBER 22, 2017 WEDNESDAY

EDITORS SAMANTHA MCCABE + ALEX NGUYEN

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MITZVAHS //

UBC Jewish organizations host event in response to pro-Nazi incidents Lawrence Ge Senior Staff Writer

The Chabad Jewish Student Centre (CJSC) and Hillel BC collaboratively set up a “Mitzvah Marathon” booth in the Nest yesterday, as a response to recent pro-Nazi incidents on campus.

On Remembrance Day, posters promoting Nazism were discovered on all entrances of the War Memorial Gym, the site of UBC’s annual Remembrance Day ceremony.

Only two days earlier, the words “Heil Hitler” and a swastika were found written on a chalkboard at the Forestry Sciences Centre (FSC). Another similar incident also happened in early November.

The event’s goal was therefore to show “a sense of pride” for the Jewish community and to show that they were “not going to be intimidated by ... hateful speech,”

according to Rabbi Phillip Bregman, executive director of Hillel BC. The event itself revolved around the concept of mitzvah, which means “good deed.”

Students were given the choice to either come up with their own mitzvah resolutions or to be assigned one of 45 premade mitzvahs, such as “making someone smile,” “opening doors for others” and “sharing knowledge.”

“Judaism has a very strong thought that if a person increases in good deeds, he ends up adding much light to the world — the more good these people do, the more the world becomes a better place,” said Rabbi Chalom Loeub, co-director of the CJSC. “In the light of all this that’s been happening in the past two weeks, I figured the only way to combat negativity is to add a huge dose of positivity.”

LAWRENCE GE

The event itself revolved around the concept of mitzvah, which means “good deed.”

Loeub also emphasized that the event was not exclusive to Jewish students.

“Chabad is here for you no matter what — no matter what race, creed, gender or religious

affiliation, we’re here for you no matter what,” he said.

According to Bregman, the event also emphasized action.

“Life is filled with all sorts of talk, but it’s a question of what we do in life that is ultimately more significant,” said Bregman.

“I want to quote from an 18th century Irish politician Edmund Burke: ‘all that’s necessary for evil to succeed is for good people to do nothing.’”

He further believes that there is a lot more that should be done by UBC to promote “more real, honest to goodness understanding.”

“We have to figure out a way of changing the culture to get people to ... have more personal interaction,” said Bregman.

“Because when you do that, there’s a greater likelihood that levels of anger, hatred and mistrust will not be the same as when you don’t know somebody.” U

SEXUAL ASSAULT //

One year later: #UBCaccountable revives discourse on Galloway affair Samantha McCabe News Editor

On November 14 — the two-year anniversary of sexual assault allegations against a UBC professor that made national headlines — public response was revived through the use of the #UBCaccountable hashtag on Twitter.

Steven Galloway, the former chair of UBC’s creative writing program, was suspended in November of 2015 and fired in June of 2016 for what was then described by the university as an “irreparable breach of trust.”

This time last year, a public letter was posted that called for due process for Galloway and decried UBC’s handling of the communications surrounding the case. The letter argued that UBC had acted too swiftly and mishandled the situation, “severely damaging Professor Galloway’s reputation and affecting his health.”

Over 80 people signed the letter, including several notables in the writing community.

Canadian author Margaret Atwood said that UBC’s handling of the situation “failed both sides” of the allegations against Galloway.

Galloway was also critical of the university’s handling of his investigation, soon after releasing a statement noting that he had “grave concerns with the investigative process followed by UBC, including but not limited to

the manner in which UBC chose to communicate to the public.”

The woman who submitted the complaint spoke out one day later with her own statement.

“Mr. Galloway has issued an apology. But he wouldn’t appear to be apologizing for the finding he has admitted was made against him by Ms. Boyd, which was misconduct for ‘inappropriate sexual behaviour with a student’: conduct which is an abuse of trust and his position of power,” read the statement.

“The so-called ‘secrecy’ of the investigation process has protected Galloway, perhaps more than anyone else.”

At the time, #UBCaccountable was a breeding ground for debate.

One year later, community members are using the hashtag mainly to remind the public that much like the letter remains online, the issue of sexual assault survivor silencing is not one that goes away.

At UBC, faculty-student relationships are not a fireable offence — the exact reason that Galloway was terminated remains unclear, and UBC said that they were unable to elaborate due to confidentiality preservation and privacy law. As of this summer, Galloway was undergoing an arbitration process to appeal his termination from UBC, but there have been no updates.

This past June, Alix Ohlin was named the new chair of the creative writing program. U

@BRITBACHMANN/ TWITTER

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Steven Galloway.

FILE NANCY LEE

4 | news | WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 22, 2017 MUMPS //

GENTRIFICATION //

Vancouver Coastal Health confirms three cases of mumps at Sauder, recommends vaccination

‘Revitalization for who?’: UBC students campaign against now-rejected Chinatown condo proposal

Vancouverites gather for the Freeway Fight in the 1960s.

ZUBAIR HIRJI

Lawrence Ge Senior Staff Writer

Three confirmed cases of mumps within the Bachelor of Commerce student population have been reported, according to a broadcast email from the Sauder undergraduate office.

The school was first informed of the possible mumps outbreak by a letter from a representative from Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH).

UBC Student Health Services (SHS) has also posted a PSA on its website, warning students of “the increase of mumps cases around Vancouver.

“We’ve known about the mumps outbreak for a few weeks now ... so our nursing staff work very closely with [BC Centre for Disease Control],” said Dr. Marna Nelson, director of SHS. “They try to notify everyone so there’s been notification about it ... We have someone at communications who communicates that as well, and we’re counting on you to spread the word!”

According to the letter from VCH, mumps can be transmitted through close contact or saliva.

With a possible 16 to 18 days incubation period, the virus can then manifest as fever, aches and swelling of the salivary glands.

The letter stresses the importance of getting vaccinated for mumps in order to prevent future contraction. SHS reiterated this message by encouraging students to get two doses of the measlesmumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, which are accessible through the service via appointment.

“Usually it takes a little bit of time to move through an outbreak like this and that’s because it spreads from one person to another,” said Nelson. “[Because of the incubation period], you could have some other people have mumps a couple weeks later so the way to get a handle on it is to make sure everyone gets their second dose of vaccine and then we stop the outbreak.”

VCH also recommends that people who think they have mumps should “stay home from work and social events.” U

Joshua Azizi Staff Writer

For the “fifth [time] in four years,” the Vancouver development permit board has rejected the condo tower proposal at 105 Keefer Street in Chinatown, which has been criticized as a harbinger for further gentrification into the historical Vancouver district.

And according to some UBC students who spoke out against the proposal, post-secondary students and young people in general played a large role in the activism against it. “[The activists] were very intergenerational, but the people who made the most noise, from what I could see, were all young people,” said Kimberley Wong, a geography student who works for the Chinatown-based Hua Foundation, which seeks to create sustainable social change within the Chinatown community.

“A lot of them were UBC students and SFU students, but it was an intergenerational fight because we, on a large part, were fighting for Chinese seniors.”

FILE BOB BROWN

are way above anything anyone working class or low-income can afford is just not what this community needs,” he said.

“They talk about neighbourhood revitalization, but revitalization for who? For the Chinese? Or for people who are middle [or] higher income? Those who have full-time high-paying jobs?

“What we’re saying is that we need housing for those who were here in the first place, for low income and working class people.”

Wong shared similar concerns.

“What they proposed was not for the community and [not] what the community needed and what’s

been the majority [of people] saying they do need, which is social housing,” she said.

Both Wong and Pi also deemed that the location of the proposed building — which is near the Dr. Sun Yat Sen Classical Chinese Gardens and right next to a memorial for Chinese-Canadian war veterans and railroad workers — was not culturally appropriate.

“All the effort that ChineseCanadians have given to a country that didn’t call them Canadians at first, that didn’t recognize their humanity … that’s why there’s a memorial on Keefer street that acknowledges the railroad workers and the veterans who served,” said Pi. “And then to build this development in light of that, right next to it — I think, from the conversations I’ve had, people consider it really disrespectful.”

“IT’S MONUMENTAL” Based on the significance of the proposal’s rejection, both Pi and Wong then attested to the importance of activism and offered thoughts on the future of the Chinatown community.

“This is an incredible bout of activism,” said Wong. “I don’t think this has ever happened before. The last time there was this much engagement in the city was the Freeway Fight” — a late-1960s controversy in Vancouver where local residents protested against the building of a freeway through Chinatown and Strathcona.

“It’s monumental,” said Pi. “I don’t know where it’s going to go from here, but overall I think it was an important decision to make because it shows that the community can voice their opposition.”

However, Pi also doesn’t think that Chinatown should simply go back to the way it was in the past. Instead of luxury condo developments, he envisions a culturally-thriving Chinatown filled with resources such as social housing that are accessible to the people living there.

“I want it to be a place where people like myself as ChineseCanadians, for example, can connect with their culture,” he said. “I want it to be thriving, but not in the way that a westerncapitalist ideal would have for it.”

Wong shared a similar vision, where she’s open to the idea of the 105 Keefer space — which is currently a parking lot — being used in a way that can benefit the community.

“People are saying that the Chinatown community would rather have a parking lot than have housing there, and I think that’s absolutely ridiculous,” she said.

“I would rather see places for the community than a parking lot.”

Other suggestions include maintaining resources for Chinese seniors — whether they be affordable social housing units or the volunteer work performed

by Youth for Chinese Seniors — within the community as it moves into the future.

Beedie Living, the group behind the condo tower project, could not be reached for comment. U

A UNIQUE JOB AN ICONIC LOCATION AN UNFORGETTABLE SUMMER

“REVITALIZATION FOR WHO?” In his fourth year of the social work program, Matthew Pi was one such student.

In his activism against the 105 Keefer development he provided translations at open houses, assisted in mobilizing local Chinese Chinatown residents against it and voiced his concerns at a City Council open hearing in the summer. He also volunteers for Youth for Chinese Seniors, which provides client-based services to senior citizens living in Chinatown.

Pi claimed that the proposed building will only increase the ongoing phenomenon of gentrification — which occurs when lower-income individuals can no longer afford to live in their neighbourhoods after higher-income individuals begin to move in and develop the area.

“Condo developments that

Become a PARLIAMENTARY GUIDE Applications due January 12, 2018 This summer, be part of the action at the Parliament of Canada.

Find out more and apply online at

lop.parl.ca/guides

CULTURE

NOVEMBER 22, 2017 WEDNESDAY

EDITOR SAMUEL DU BOIS

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FISTICUFFS //

How to argue with people without beating the living shit out of them Sarah Neubauer Staff Writer

Arguing is difficult.

We are not particularly good at getting our points across. We have trouble listening to perspectives other than our own. Insults, yelling and sometimes even violence seem to be inevitabilities rather than risks. People’s differences seem to be irreconcilable and impossible to challenge.

To help you produce intelligent, informed and effective arguments when you are debating that one student in your philosophy class who thinks they know everything, The Ubyssey has put together a guide. Hopefully it will result in a little less yelling and a little more grace when you debate today’s big issues.

STAY CALM Whether you are giving an argumentative speech or having a fiery chat with someone after a class, it is important to keep your emotions in check.

Reid Marcus, a fifth-year philosophy major and long-time member of the UBC Debate society, explained his own personal tricks of the trade for debating and arguing. “[Passion] is sometimes useful … say you get a topic you feel very passionate about personally. It can be helpful to tap into that … because you’re going to be more persuasive if you are talking about something you genuinely care about,” he said. “But it’s also possible to get over-invested on a specific argument that you really care about … even if you make that argument really well, you can’t always make everyone else care.”

While having a burning passion about anything is awesome, getting overwhelmed is certainly not going to help you make a better argument. In fact, it will leave you feeling emotionally exhausted and nobody will have a different viewpoint.

Take a breath, stay calm and move on to step two.

STICK TO THE BASICS So, you’ve managed to swallow the white-hot rage that burns inside you when someone brings up some ultra-sensitive topic. Now what?

Well, according to Marcus, a key tip for debaters of all levels is to stick to the basics.

“Above anything else, focus on making [your argument] super bare bones, don’t try and make it some grand speech … focus on your arguments. Focus on explaining … not just why it’s true, but also why it matters if it’s true.

“Stick to the basics.”

In an effort to focus on explaining your arguments clearly, it can help to take a step back so that you can better control how they’re constructed and how you are forming your thoughts.

Here, it might be helpful to take a hint from the types of tactics that

FILE JACK HAUEN

Yelling at someone you disagree with has about the same effect as yelling at nothing at all.

philosophers use, namely logic and reasoning.

“I think if you take logic, its real value is in constructing a kind of model that allows you to vary things … what it does is train you to think about setting up an argument, identify your assumptions [and] your conclusions clearly, seeing how the truth of the conclusions vary,” said Dr. Paul Bartha, head of UBC’s philosophy department.

“The other main use is reinforcing the idea that we need reason, that we can settle debates with reason and not by force or ridicule.”

While you might not always have time to prepare an argument — especially if it happens casually in line while waiting for your Blue Chip cookie — it’s best to stay grounded.

Focus on the bigger picture, reason your arguments out and please, for everyone’s sake, avoid being a jerk and avoid any kind of force. That is just not cool.

FIND COMMON GROUND Here’s where we get to the heart of not just how to argue well, but even how to overrule unfair tactics that primarily consist of yelling and shaking fists.

Dr. Ian Hill — an associate professor in the UBC English Department who focuses on the history and theory of rhetoric — said that successful rhetoric is all

about finding common places.

“What makes successful rhetoric [is] using what I’d call the common places. The arguments that people are accustomed to hearing in various contexts and will therefore seem appealing when you hear them,” said Hill.

“A good example now would be an argument to save the environment … almost everyone would agree with that. So … even if you’re not really speaking directly about the environment, you can get on an audience’s good side by saying [these] things.”

This type of rhetorical theory has been used since ancient Greece, and is still just as relevant today, according to Hill. “[The common places theory] goes way back into rhetorical history in its theoretical aspects,” he said. “At least back to Aristotle who advocated that we should mainly use common places, and not be too technical in … terms of words [and] content.”

In practice, Marcus has found using common places a useful tactic.

“Say you are at Thanksgiving dinner and you are talking to your problematic uncle. Trying to engage with that person in a ‘I’m going to prove that they are logically wrong and get them to change their mind’ [way] is not going to work out very well,” Marcus said.

“So instead what you should do — if you are having an actual

conversation with somebody and you are really trying to change their mind [and] not just beat them — is you should try and find common ground in some bigger value that you both agree on.”

He then provided an example where one argued whether or not health care should be a right for everyone.

“You are probably not going to get them to agree with you on the specific facts of how many people get insured and who’s going to die and that sort of thing,” said Marcus.

“Instead ask them: what is the purpose of government? ... [they] may think protection [or enforcing] laws, that sort of thing.

And you can ask them: what does protection mean? They might say … having a military … it’s to protect against foreign threats. Okay, so protecting against people getting killed or harmed. The likelihood of getting killed by a foreign army is pretty low relative to getting killed by cancer, but the effect on the citizen is the same.”

By finding where you and someone with a completely different political stance overlap in terms of higher moral ground, you can show that you have more in common than originally thought. If you can find this moral overlap, it becomes a little easier to see things from someone else’s perspective and maybe they might be a little more inclined to hear out the other side.

BE CHARITABLE This one may be particularly hard if you have it already set in your mind that the person you are arguing with is a complete bigoted idiot who isn’t worth your time, but it is actually the most important thing to do. Marcus gave his own expertise in this area.

“If you’re just [having] a conversation with someone, you’re way more likely to convince [them] if you can make it easy for them to change their position,” he said.

“If you are just shaming someone and being very combative [then] admitting they were wrong also becomes a shameful thing [to do].”

Hill also pushed that your conduct in an argument has a big impact on how effective it is.

“Be respectful … Pay attention to appropriateness and decorum,” Hill said. “You speak differently to your roommate than you do to your parents than you do to your professor … So paying heed on how to do that is important.”

No one likes to be wrong, but it’s important to be charitable and generous and encourage conversation that inspires educated thought. Being abusive in an argument may help you win in the short term, but in the long term it does nothing but foster hate between the two sides.

So be friendly, argue thoughtfully and even if you can’t change someone’s mind, at least both sides walk away with their dignity. U

6 | culture | WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 22, 2017 RELEASE YOUR INNER GORDON GEKKO //

I CAN HAZ CHEESEBURGER? //

What makes a good meme? Triumph over your

weakling classmates with Objectivism

Jack Hauen Coordinating Editor

Is it possible to quantify the merits of a meme? Probably.

Andrea Garza Staff Writer

Memes! What are they good for?

Absolutely... everything?

From humorous digs at the stress of student life to corporate marketing tactics to the recent meme-based rivalry between UBC and SFU, memes have become nearly synonymous with internet culture and can be used and re-used for any purpose under the sun.

But not all memes are created equal.

According to Luc BriedeCooper — the admin of the “Class of 2021 (Meme War Frontier)” Facebook group and internet culture aficionado about the UBC/ SFU meme war — UBC’s memes were criticized for their lower quality and quantity, as well as their “reversibility.”

“If you just replace the logo of SFU with any other institution, it would be just as valid,” he said in a previous interview about UBC’s memes, whereas the SFU’s memes were specific issues at UBC. “So, in that sense [UBC’s memes] are less original and creative.”

So, what makes a good meme? To answer that question, it’s important to first ask what exactly a meme is.

Briede-Cooper thinks of memes as “internet inside jokes.”

“There’s a format that you can place images or text into to defy your expectation and be humorous in some way,” he said.

Dr. Sandrine Han, a visual arts and visual literacy professor whose focus is on virtual worlds, has a similar view on the definition of memes. To her, the most important aspect of an image-based meme is the interplay between text and visuals.

“The relationship between text and imagery in memes is something very interesting,” she said. “It should be relevant, but it shouldn’t be exactly the same.”

Memes may not be the first thing to employ this kind of format.

Han drew a connection between memes and traditional Chinese ink paintings. Often, each new owner of one of these paintings would write a short poem on the same canvas, the result being an accumulation of different poetry on top of a single image.

“In a way, it’s very similar to the meme,” said Han.

This interconnection of image and text differentiates a meme from a simple caption on a photo — in most successful memes, the text and image combine to create a meaning that is different from either one alone. If the same image can be used with different text, or vice-versa, the meme has more potential for humour and applicability.

While humour is certainly an important aspect of memes, it is not necessarily the deciding factor of what makes a successful, widespread meme.

To Han, a clear mesh of image and text is crucial to a meme’s spread. “[The] image needs to be bold, needs to be clear,” she said.

“When you see the image, you know the intention.”

With memes, both image and text need to work together to create a quick, impactful viewing experience. Consider the popular “salt bae” and “roll safe” memes from earlier this year; the original versions of these memes had text that was very applicable to the image, easily understandable and simple to change to create new, but similar, iterations. With these memes, clarity was key.

However, there is also an aspect of irony in them.

“When a meme gets overused or washed out, it can have a resurgence from ironic memes that intentionally … subvert the format,” said Briede-Cooper.

This might include adding text to existing memes that have nothing to do with the images or combining multiple meme formats into something new.

Ironic memes begin to creep into the territory of edgy, or “dank,” memes.

“A dank meme is always a little edgy,” said Reddit user firstyearubc on the r/UBC subreddit.

These might include memes that centre on 9/11 or make light of serious political situations.

“The more controversial something is, people tend to gravitate towards that,” said Briede-Cooper.

For him, there are definite categorizations of types of memes, each with their own criteria for success. There are “dank” memes, which are the edgy, controversial type; wholesome memes, which are “feel good memes;” and more

SAMUEL DU BOIS

generic relatable memes, such as student memes about essays and procrastination. The more edgy, wholesome or relatable these memes are, the more successful they will be.

Regardless of sub-classification, all memes seem to require a factor of trendiness and cultural relevance.

“Really good quality memes are ones that tap into inside jokes really early on,” said Briede-Cooper. When something happens in real life, it must be jumped on immediately, “In a different format, to create this inside joke … that you only understand if you have seen the original source.”

A good example of this was the “Trump’s executive order” meme which was very successful for a short time after the real-world event, but quickly fell out of use.

Memes follow quickly shifting trend lines and may become outdated within days, so freshness and relevance are vital.

Meanwhile, what Briede-Cooper calls “underground” memes are not tied to a specific cultural event, such as “dat boi.” These might never become as widespread as an eventbased meme, but may enjoy more lasting usage.

Finally, a major factor in meme success is sheer numbers.

“Sometimes if you just post a lot of things on Facebook or Instagram, people start to notice you,” said Han. She was referring to internetbased artists, but the concept applies to memes as well. BriedeCooper, in his previous interview, admitted that a factor of SFU’s victory in the meme war was simply the quantity of memes that they posted.

Clarity, relatability, relative “edginess” or “wholesomeness,” cultural relevance, freshness, sheer quantity — these are some of the criteria that all successful memes seem to require.

Does this mean that a meme with all these things is a guaranteed success? It’s hard to say. The transfer of information on the internet, including memes, is a hot topic in media studies, and whole fields are devoted to researching mass culture and trends.

But if you want to become a meme mogul, being relatable, trendy and prolific seems like a good place to start. U

If you’re looking for a philosophy that will help you form connections with other people, build understanding and generally live a more empathetic life, Ayn Rand’s is not for you.

Rand was a Russian-American philosopher who was active from the 1940s until her movement and her health began to decline in the late ‘70s. She thought that individual rights were the most important thing, which meant she really liked unrestricted capitalism, logic, reason and self-interest, and hated religion, communism and feeling bad for poor people. She came up with a set of beliefs centred around the very after-school-special theory that life’s ultimate purpose is following your dreams, and called it Objectivism.

Prominent Objectivist philosopher Big Sean articulated the theory best in his 2014 work “I Don’t Fuck With You ft. E-40”: “Little stupid ass, I don’t give a fuck, I don’t give a fuck / I don’t I don’t I don’t give a fuck / Bitch, I don’t give a fuck about you or anything that you do.”

Rand’s Wikipedia page says her work was “received ... with mixed reviews,” which is perhaps the most hilarious understatement of all time — perhaps no other philosopher is as quickly divisive as Rand, mostly due to her outsized role in American politics over the past few decades.

After being largely dismissed by academics once it became fashionable to dislike her, Rand was quickly embraced by Republican leaders like Paul Ryan, Donald Trump and your aunt who shares minion memes superimposed on the confederate flag.

(They generally try to ignore the whole “staunch atheist” thing.)

Rand fought a lengthy battle with lung cancer toward the end of her life and passed away in 1982.

She actually enrolled in Social Security and Medicare in the ‘70s, which critics point to as a) pretty funny and b) the logical end point of Objectivist theory.

Proponents generally respond that acting in one’s self-interest means using every avenue to ensure one’s survival even if you morally disagree with the system — and hey, someone died, it’s kind of fucked up for you to be laughing right now.

In loving memoriam of a major inspiration behind stripping healthcare from 13 million people, The Ubyssey has compiled a short list of ideas for how to live your university life as Ayn Rand would’ve wanted: • If a member of your group project isn’t pulling their weight, politely suggest that they walk into the ocean to salvage their remaining honour.

• Chipping in for pizza isn’t socialism as long as you try your best to eat the entire thing.

• Insist that your articles don’t need to be peer reviewed. If anyone has a problem with your conclusions, cordially invite them to a short debate in the parking lot.

• Your happiness is not the means to an end. It is the end.

Eat the second tray of cheesy bread.

• “I regret nothing” is a pretty good catch-all argument winner.

• Grades are a form of statist oppression.

• Rand once wrote in The Fountainhead that “To say ‘I love you’ one must know first how to say the ‘I’.” This should sufficiently explain why you forgot your significant other’s birthday again.

• When you are inevitably arrested for firebombing a post office, remember that “it’s the hardest thing in the world to do what we want. And it takes the greatest kind of courage.”

• Taxes are more like suggestions.

Remember: the most important lesson taught by Ayn Rand — the woman who believed lesbians are “hideous,” that the “ideal woman is a man-worshipper” and that racial minorities faced just as much discrimination as businessmen — is that as long as you aren’t a woman or gay, you matter. U

Things like compassion and kindness have no place here.

SAMUEL DU BOIS

OPINIONS

NOVEMBER 22, 2017 WEDNESDAY

EDITOR EMMA HICKS

7

Final advice from The Ubyssey’s Ask Natalie Words by Natalie Morris, photo by Jack Hauen

I “As an experienced drunk mama, this morning text is much appreciated.” ­­– November 8, 2014 – January 31, 2016

“You might have to choose between the two great loves of your lifetime: this random boy and your own almond milk.

Tough choice.”

– September 29, 2017

was rather lost when I started “Ask Natalie.”

I had just started second year. The structure and the forced community of firstyear residence did wonders for me after I moved across the country to start at UBC. Without that structure I found that I was fumbling around in the darkness, looking for some group, some activity to engage with to keep me active, to stop me from crumbling into boredom.

My then-boyfriend had been writing for The Ubyssey since first year, and when he became an editor I starting hanging out with the crew.

I legitimately bought my way into their good graces through baked goods. Of course they terrified me — the editors were all smart and accomplished and knew what they were doing — and I was, well, me.

By the end of September, I had reached out to the then-opinion editor, Austen, who for some reason I still don’t really understand, hired me as The Ubyssey’s advice columnist.

“Ask Natalie” was the name and advice was the game.

This is my fourth year as “Ask Natalie,” and today I pen my final column.

In this, my swansong, I won’t be answering questions about almond milk or drunken misadventures, but I still have advice for you.

Not for the big things — the fights, the lovers, the grades — but for what falls between those. The days where you fight to get out of bed and the days that are so routine that you can’t remember a single thing that happened.

I’m graduating this year, and looking back on my undergrad, joining The Ubyssey has been the single greatest choice I could have made. If my first-year self could see me now, what would she think? Would she like my choice of major?

Would she be thrilled that I went on exchange?

Would she like that I became an editor for the paper? Would she care about the hook-ups and break-ups? Would she wonder about the seasons of depression, weeks of heartbreak or the countless gallons of tears I shed?

The point is, she wouldn’t know. Every experience builds who you are. Every moment where I thought I failed has made me stronger for the next fight. Every time I felt defeated taught me that it took more than that to knock me down. Every joy and aced test showed that my hard work will produce results. Every moment that I thought was good or bad or messy or sad shaped me into the person I am.

It’s hard to put into words what giving advice every second week for years does to you. How

can you explain how telling other people how to run their lives makes you put agency in yourself?

It’s not a question of being stoic, because my friends know how much I lean on them. It’s about knowing that there’s usually something — anything — you can do to work towards the future you want and that sometimes, there’s nothing you can do at all.

Take every day as a challenge to be better. Be a better friend. Be a better partner. Be a better student. Be a better person.

Sometimes, when you can’t even force yourself to go to class, knowing that it doesn’t make you a worse person or a broken person can be immensely helpful. When you have a great day and everything seems to be working in your favour, knowing that it won’t always be the case and accepting that will make you stronger on the days where nothing goes right.

Everything you do — the attitude you have, the people you become friends with, the jobs you take, the actions you make — they all shape who you are. They are all pieces of the puzzle that forms you. Work to make all the pieces form a picture you like.

Don’t compare yourself to others because it’s useless. Those editors I saw in second-year who scared the shit out of me? As an editor now I can say the picture I saw them as was nothing more than what I thought they should be. Everyone is human, which means everyone goes through ups and downs, just like me and you.

So, as my final piece of advice to you is to work to be a version of you that you like. It seems simple and silly, but accepting yourself for all your flaws and all your bumps and cracks makes you into a stronger and a better person.

Because even if you don’t believe it, people love you the way you are and so should you.

Finally, I would like to say thank you to my editors over the years who have turned my first drafts into passable articles: Austen, Jack, Bailey and Emma. Thank you to everyone who invited me into their lives by reading this column or submitting questions. Thank you to The Ubyssey for being a place that accepted me for who I am. Thank you to my friends who have given me the advice I didn’t want to hear and have always called me on my bullshit. Thank you to second-year Natalie for actually pressing the send button on that email in 2014. U The Ubyssey is looking for a new advice columnist. If you are interested, please go to our Facebook page to apply.

“Whatever, people are crazy.”

– January 31, 2016

“‘Natalie, should I dump my girlfriend?’

Based on the limited information you’ve given me, yes.”

– June 4, 2016

“If you want to get laid, go out and get laid.”

– October 8, 2015

FROM THE BLOG

NOVEMBER 22, 2017 WEDNESDAY

EDITOR EMMA HICKS

LOL GOOD LUCK //

8

UNSPOKEN RULES //

Procrastinate your term paper Don’t be ‘that’ person: until the night before and bask Library etiquette for the in the glory of hating yourself upcoming exam season HATE PROOFREADING? GOOD! YOU WON’T HAVE TIME TO

If you use a semi-colon properly, bonus points will be offered.

Tristan Wheeler Senior Staff Writer

We’ve all been there, fully prepared and aware of our deadlines — knowing you have the comfort of planning out your workload so that you’re given ample time for revisions and micromanagement.

But did you know there’s another, more beneficial way to write a term paper?

It’s called “writing it the night before” and “slowly dying inside.”

Here are four reasons why you should write all of your papers in a caffeinated haze at 3 a.m. and join the cult of sleep deprived students:

IT’S JUST WAY MORE FUN Sure, gradually writing your paper early is beneficial, relaxing and better for your grade but where is the fun in that? Spice your life up

NATALIE MORRIS

with the late nights, high stress and shot nerves of writing your paper the night before.

What’s more boring than the safe bet?

YOU’LL MAKE WORK YOU NEVER THOUGHT POSSIBLE Have you ever thought of a way to connect Facebook meme pages to Pride and Prejudice? How about Netflix binge watching to WWII military strategy?

When you’re writing your paper the night before, you’ll be surprised by the unique points you come up with. It’s only the caffeine-addled mind that can come up with a rebuttal to “I think therefore I am” that involves liquor, some vague term you remember from lecture and a discussion on the semantics of porn parodies.

We all agree that proofreading for grammar, spelling and punctuation is the most boring part of any paper. But when you write it the night before, sentence structure is thrown out the window.

Whatever comes out of your fingers onto the page will be lucky if it ever gets to be read by anyone other than the marking TA. Toss commas in there like you’re salting a sidewalk, use words that sounds smart and if you use a semi-colon properly, bonus points will be offered.

YOUR GRADES WILL DROP TO A LEVEL BELOW ADEQUATE Working on a paper slowly and thoroughly is a sure-fire way to get a good grade. Cramming and panicking until the last possible moment usually lead to your grade taking a nose dive. Of these two options, the later is the nobrainer. You’ve obviously gotten good grades your entire life — you made it here! — so why not try the other side: fail, fail, fail!

Watch in glee as your average jumps down at least 15 per cent once that late night bad boy is written. Feel that rush of adrenaline you get when you’re worried you might drop out of school and that your habits are self-destructive. U

Once focus is disturbed, it’s really hard to get it back.

Kristen Kalicharan Contributor

There is nothing more annoying than hunting for a study space in the last three weeks of classes. All of a sudden, students start bringing blankets and pillows to the library and marking their territory in their respective spaces.

But what do you do once you reach the deafening silence of the library? Whether you’re in Woodward, Koerner or IKB, there are certain unwritten rules of UBC libraries that must be followed by all who should be lucky enough to find a goddamn seat.

PERSONAL SPACE The first thing you should be weary of is taking up too much space. Personal space isn’t really an option in a library that’s supposed to cater to hundreds of students at a time. It’s not necessary for one person to take up an entire table by themselves, so shuffling some of your stuff around can give someone else a chance to study. Make someone’s day and put the excess books away!

QUIET SPACES ARE THERE FOR A REASON

www.conference-science-religion.ca

If you go into a quiet study with a friend, study. Plain and simple. If you talk in a quiet study, just know that everyone in the room hates you.

If you’re actually studying while you’re talking, then you’re in luck!

Most libraries have a designated area where you can talk to your other study group members without disturbing everyone else.

Similarly, if you sit in a study area full of groups and expect it to be silent, you may want to find another place to pour over your books. We all learned how to use our “inside voices” in elementary school — libraries are where this truly becomes useful.

SILENCE YOUR VOICE, BUT ALSO YOUR PHONE Another great way of being polite in libraries — in addition to allowing

PATRICK GILLIN

yourself to get some work done — is by turning your phone to silent.

Imagine how irritated you would be if you finally found a way to phrase that idea you’ve been thinking of for your term paper and then *BING BONG* an obnoxious ringtone smashes your ear canal and you are left wondering what your name is.

Also, turning your phone on silent does not mean vibrate. “But my vibrate is quiet,” you say, and maybe it is, but not in an area where you can hear breathing.

SNACK SMART Some of us opt for the snack option to quench the bore that is studying. But keep in mind to keep the foods as noise-proof as possible. If you have to tear open that granola bar wrapper, do it quickly — we’d all prefer one loud noise over five minutes of you failing to be quiet.

USE YOUR HEADPHONES WISELY Recently, while in a quiet study area, this really splendid guy got up to get food and left his headphones on full blast, so the rest of us debated what should be done.

Should we go up to this guy’s property and turn off the music ourselves? Should we throw his headphones in the nearest Dumpster so some raccoons can get lit?

Not that I don’t love concerts, but when you’re trying to form a coherent thought and all you can hear is Metallica (like really, you’re studying to Metallica?) you can’t help but feel extremely frustrated.

Fun fact: turning your music down is a great way of being respectful and also delays your need for hearing aids!

Once focus is disturbed, it’s really hard to get it back. So, exam season, because it’s a huge source of stress for everyone, should be a time to show consideration for your fellow students — especially when it comes to studying at the library. U

SCIENCE

NOVEMBER 22, 2017 WEDNESDAY

EDITOR NIVRETTA THATRA

MEDICINE //

Controversial research linking vaccines to autism is retracted by UBC researchers

9

AGING //

Study: Whole body involved in Alzheimer’s

FILE JORDAN BYRUM

A protein involved in Alzheimer’s can be secreted in the body rather than the brain.

Alison Knill Contributor

Scientists at UBC chose to retract their study after bloggers at PubPeer found errors in their figures.

Tisha Dasgupta and Nivretta Thatra Contributor and Science Editor

For centuries, humans believed that diseases such as cholera or the Black Death were caused by miasma — a noxious form of air — and that one could simply get the disease by breathing this air.

It wasn’t until years later that the miasma theory was proven wrong to make way for what we know today as the germ theory of disease: microorganisms carry diseases.

Science is ever-changing and is incredibly self-correcting.

Recently, a scientific paper from UBC linking aluminum found in vaccines to autismlike characteristics in mice was retracted by the original researchers after data manipulation allegations.

Although it may be disheartening to hear about misconduct that compromises the integrity of scientific research, especially at our own university, science allows for established protocols to adapt. Research published in journals provides enough information such that an experiment or finding can be evaluated by other scientists.

Apparent problems in the scientific method can be brought to the scientific community’s attention easily and quickly, via efforts like PubPeer.com and RetractionWatch.com.

That’s exactly what happened with the retracted study from UBC. Commenters at PubPeer began examining issues with the study within a month of its publication, and RetractionWatch issued a blog post once they learned that the journal planned to retract the study.

The paper by UBC professor of ophthalmology Dr. Christopher Shaw and then post-doc Dr. Lucija Tomljenovic found that aluminum — specifically at levels found in vaccines — activated certain genes in mouse brains. The kicker was that these genes were similar to biomarkers of autism in humans.

In an article by CBC News, Shaw said that conclusions were drawn from “compiled data” rather than “raw data.” However, after the paper was published, allegations were made online about the validity of the data and thereby the conclusions drawn from it.

Figures in the study that depicted the results of Western blots — a test used to measure levels of a specific protein — were accused of being altered and/or plagiarized. Shaw’s lab followed up on the bloggers’ comments, and realized that some of the comments were true; some of the images seemed to be altered, although Shaw himself did not know how or by whom.

In an emailed statement to The Ubyssey, Shaw said that the alterations to the images were difficult to catch. Neither lab personnel, external reviewers of the paper nor editors of the academic journal that accepted the paper’s publication found the changes.

“It took bloggers, who seemed to know what they were looking for, to find the changes,” said Shaw. “To do so they had to magnify the images and be able to look for very small landmarks such as bubbles, tears, etc.”

Scientific papers are edited and improved based on a peer review system which generally works quite well, but has certain shortcomings. In cases like this, small manipulations are often missed because scientists lack the time or funding to go into enough detail to ferret out all the data manipulations.

The altered figures were insignificant in deriving the main conclusions of the study, according to Shaw’s statement to the CBC, but he decided to retract the paper nevertheless.

Shaw explained to The Ubyssey that his lab does not have access to the raw data at this time, even though university research policy states that data collected must

remain on the premises for at least five years. Shaw said that Dr. Dan Li, first author on the paper, took the data with her when she left the lab in 2015. “[Li] went to China to visit her parents and had hoped to work on the article there. It seems that she left these items with her parents,” said Shaw. “We are trying to get them back. We have also been in touch with her attorney to recover whatever material might be on her laptop.”

Dr. Gail Murphy, Vice President Research and Innovation at UBC, is well aware of all accusations of scholarly misconduct at UBC. Privacy laws prevent the university from discussing individual cases, but Murphy shared a press release following our inquiry about the retraction from the Shaw lab.

Murphy explained, “UBC does not endorse any faculty member’s research findings as it is up to the scientific community to evaluate research through the peer review process and to respond to findings with additional research.

That is the nature of academic freedom — to challenge and have one’s findings challenged.”

UBC’s policies clearly support the idea that retractions allow the scientific method to be constantly changed and edited. Retractions give researchers a chance to recognize their mistakes, modify the study and try again for better results.

Nevertheless, retractions hamper the future credibility of the lab and the university itself. Personal jabs from other scientists are also apparently par for the course. “This may not be fair, but it is the reality,” said Shaw.

With a public that already finds science inaccessible, what message do retractions send to broader audiences? Do scientific retractions have the power to change public opinion?

Shaw thinks not, for the most part.

PATRICK GILLIN

“Anything to do with vaccines finds a very polarized audience,” he said. “The polarity in the field reflects the polarity in public opinion: those who think we (and others) are wrong will continue to follow CDC guidelines; those who are already cautious of these guidelines will remain so, regardless of the fate of the article.”

The people in the middle — those who don’t have a polarized stance about vaccines — are the ones who can be misled by retractions and other unclear scientific practices.

Hypothetically, when reading about this retraction, some might conclude that there is no scientific consensus about the efficacy of vaccines simply because research into the safety of vaccines is ongoing.

In actuality, scientists are in agreement about vaccines; they do not cause autism and they are safe. Scientists want everyone to be vaccinated against terrible diseases including smallpox, measles and polio.

But research into vaccine safety must continue, simply because the scientific method demands that all testable explanations must be repeatedly investigated. Scientific insight and testing about gravity continues, for example, even though scientists already agree that gravity gives weight to objects on Earth.

Regardless of the polarity in public opinion and the somewhat violent reaction to vaccine research, especially blips in such research, the scientific process is rigorous. It is the responsibility of the public to be skeptical about published findings and its credibility, said Shaw.

And it is the responsibility of scientists to accurately communicate their processes and generalizable findings.

“The only recourse is to repeat the studies,” said Shaw. “We may or may not do so, given the costs involved.” U

Alzheimer’s disease has been previously thought to be isolated to the brain, but new research from UBC suggests that the whole body is involved in the development of the disease.

In Alzheimer’s disease, proteins — like amyloid beta — accumulate in the brain, causing inflammation in neurons and, eventually, cell death.

While the focus of the disease is primarily on the proteins produced in the brain, amyloid beta is also produced elsewhere in the body.

UBC psychiatry professor Dr. Weihong Song and Third Military Medical University professor Dr. Yan Jiang-Wang determined that amyloid beta produced in the body was able to cross the blood-brain barrier and enter the brain.

To determine whether amyloid beta produced in the body enters the brain, mice that had been genetically modified to produce the human variation of the protein were joined to unmodified, wild-type mice using parabiosis — the surgical joining of two separate organisms and created a common circulatory system.

Each mouse pairing was combined at ten months of age and the resulting amounts of human amyloid beta in the wild-type brain was measured. Human amyloid beta was detected in both mice, with the amount progressively increasing over time.

Because the wild-type mice were unable to produce human amyloid beta, the protein deposits found in the brain could have only come from the shared blood circulation. The protein was crossing the blood-brain barrier, meaning that the protein could come from the body rather than just be generated in the brain.

“It’s like dialysis, so the high concentration side will have the material filter through the dialysis into the low concentration area to keep the balance,” said Song.

A possible therapeutic implication would be the development of a compound that acts on the amyloid beta in the body and directs it to the kidneys and liver to be disposed of. The concentration of the protein in the body then would decrease, causing the amyloid beta in the brain to be drawn out. U

SPORTS+REC

NOVEMBER 22, 2017 WEDNESDAY

EDITOR LUCY FOX

10

CLUB PROFILES //

Diving in: UBC Aqua Society celebrates 60 years of underwater exploration Emma Livingstone Staff Writer

For many people, scuba diving is something they would do on a tropical vacation. But, for the UBC Aqua Society (AquaSoc), scuba diving is an anytime, anywhere activity. From 1957 to 2017, the UBC Aqua Society has been dedicated to providing students with opportunities to follow their sense of curiosity by diving headfirst into uncharted waters.

The club’s 60th anniversary was confirmed after the minutes from a 1957 AMS meeting were discovered, in which the UBC Aqua Society was recognized as an official club.

“I can’t say this with absolute certainty, but that makes us one of the oldest, if not the oldest club in Canada,” said Brendan Andresen, shop manager and instructor with PADI — a worldwide organization that sets international scuba diving standards.

Over the years, the club has grown to include both the UBC student body and the Vancouver diving community. AquaSoc now has a shop, guided diving trips and diver training courses. Andresen explained that the club’s main focus now is on diver training in PADI certified courses.

“The cool thing about … PADI certification is it’s good for life and

it’s recognized internationally,” he said.

No experience is required to join AquaSoc — just a curiosity to explore the underwater world and a willingness to learn. The club trains beginner divers with the open water course, a program that includes training sessions in the pool and ocean diving. The course focuses on basic techniques as well as troubleshooting to ensure safe diving. “[Scuba diving] is a very safe sport, but there are obviously some potential hazards going underwater,” Andresen explained.

For AquaSoc, they have the luxury of diving in one of the most unique diving sites in the world.

With multiple shore diving locations, divers can wade in without needing a boat. Andresen explained that Vancouver Island acts as a shield from many of the large swells which makes it easier to get in the water.

The area is also home to diverse marine life. The ability to interact with animals in their natural habitat is what attracts most people to diving. For Andresen, the giant pacific octopus is one of the most interesting local species.

“They’re an interesting animal to interact with underwater because they’re so smart,” he said. “You can sense sometimes that they have a personality.”

For AquaSoc President Christian

Buchwalder, what fascinated him the most “was for sure all the underwater animals … and also basically the feeling of being weightless.”

“It’s as close as you get to flying I think,” he said.

Since its beginning, the club has faced some logistical challenges with their reliance on pool access to train divers. In recent years, they have had to adjust to the Old SUB and the old Aquatic Centre shutting down.

“It’s been a challenge with the outdoor pool closing, and then [the old Aquatic Centre] closing in general, and then transitioning to the new pool,” Andresen said. But, he noted that the large space in the new facility has been a big help to the club. AquaSoc will also be moving into a new space in the Life Building this summer.

For Andresen, the three areas he focuses the club’s activities on are the student body, the community and academics in the field of marine sciences. On the academic side, the club aims to connect the sport with the science and research at UBC around marine life, helping marine science students with their studies through training and subsidized rentals.

AquaSoc has also launched Citizens Science Diver Program, which teaches students how to collect underwater samples and survey marine sites.

The Vancouver coastline is the UBC Aqua Society’s playground.

“One of our focuses is on people going through the marine sciences whether you’re doing your undergrad or postgrad, we want to support those students,” Andresen noted.

Even as the club has expanded its activities and focus areas, the UBC Aqua Society continues to prioritize promoting diving within the student community.

“As an AMS club, we want to engage with the student body and offer diving related activities to our members,” Buchwalder said.

LUA PRESÍDIO

Underwater flying while observing marine life in its natural environment may seem like the ultimate vacation activity. But, scuba diving is also a tough sport which requires a lot of training to be perfect.

For 60 years now, the UBC Aqua Society has provided a platform for UBC students and the Vancouver diving community to work on their skills and interact with the sport — all the while giving people a chance to explore the vibrant underwater world along the Vancouver coastline. U

THUNDERBIRDS //

KERMAN PANNU

PHILIP IRERI

JAKE HANNA

Soccer

Track and Field

Track and Field

Track and Field

1. How has being a student athlete impacted your wellbeing?

It keeps me on a schedule and forces me to manage my time well. This helps me prioritize what needs to be done now and what can wait. Also, training daily is a great stress reliever.

Being a student athlete forces me to eat healthy and sleep well. It also involves lots of exercise so that’s great. However I’m taking a full course load as well and sometimes it’s tricky to balance the two.

Definitely for the better!

Obviously it keeps me physically fit, but it also helps me de-stress and keep focused on what I want to do.

I think it’s really helped me stay sane. Being a student athlete means that there’s a whole network of teammates and coaches who will support you no matter what. That can be very comforting.

Knowing I have teammates that are going through the same things as I am ... and also having them as a support group to talk to [really helps].

2. Does being in a varsity team help you regulate the daily stresses of university life?

Yes. Being around some of your best buddies, where you all are striving for gold every day, definitely helps keep my mind fresh and off of school stress.

Yes very much so. Every time I have practice after a stressful day/week, I usually feel better after literally running it off.

Yes, when I am at practice I don’t need to worry about anything else, and it’s a nice escape from reality.

Definitely, going to practice is a great way to de-stress, burn off a little energy and just clear your mind.

Swimming nine times a week can be pretty stressful but when I go to the pool I try to forget about school related stuff.

3. What is your favorite way to procrastinate?

I like to beat my roommates in FIFA and watch TV.

Watching anime and reading manga. I’ve been a huge fan since I was in grade 8 and haven’t stopped since.

100 per cent Netflix like most people, especially if it’s a Thursday and the new Riverdale is out.

Taking my dog on really long walks.

Netflix, napping and going on Instagram for way too many hours.

Definitely chocolate and some ice cream. Chips can have their days too.

Fruits! I usually end up eating two oranges and two apples during a study session. I also end up drinking lots of really cold water because it helps keep me awake.

Probably trail mix or dark chocolate.

Popcorn.

Depending on what I’m studying for, either [an] apple and peanut butter or ice cream.

Some sort of exercise daily will help you reduce stress immensely. It is fun and a great way to meet new people. Staying active keeps your mind and body happy and healthy.

I believe being in university is I think if people were an opportunity to grow intelmore active they would lectually but also to explore [be] happier and less your talents. It doesn’t have to stressed. be sports-based at all — it can be music, dance, debate etc.

Being active is a great way to bring balance to your life.

If you’re just studying all the time, you’re probably going to burn out. Going outside or to the gym allows you to let your mind relax.

You gotta be active to sprint across campus in 10 minutes!

T-BIRDS 5-ON-5 STAR STUDIERS

HAYLEY MADDEN

MIA BOTTRILL

Swimming

By Novera Sayed Photos courtesy UBC Athletics

4. What is your go-to study snack?

5. Why do you think people should be active to thrive in campus?

NOVEMBER 22, 2017 WEDNESDAY | sports + rec | 11 CHAMPIONSHIPS //

HOCKEY //

Winning formula: Men and women’s cross country dominate NAIA championships

Mitchell Ballachay Senior Staff Writer

KIRBY O’CONNOR/REFEREE PHOTO INC.

UBC’s cross country teams celebrate their NAIA wins.

Lucy Fox Sports Editor

Following their trend of intimidating season results, UBC cross country had another dominating weekend at the NAIA cross country championships in Vancouver, Washington this weekend — taking home gold in both the men and women’s categories.

“This victory means a lot to our team. We came in with the pressure of being ranked number one and wanting to redeem ourselves from last years championships,” Max Trummer, member of the men’s team, said in an email to The Ubyssey.

Last season, the team went in to the event ranked number one and crossed the finish line initially under the impression they had placed first.

“We were so happy and elated, only to find out 10 minutes later that we were third,” Trummer said.

For the men’s side this year, all scoring runners placed in the top 20 at the event, with Kieran Lumb and John Gay finishing in the top five. It’s the team’s first-ever NAIA banner, claimed with a huge 127-point spread between the team and their next closest opponent, Columbia, who scored 168. Their final score of 41 is the meet’s best result since the 1998 nationals.

Of the other three scoring runners, Jesse Hooton finished in ninth place with a time of 24:50.

Max Trummer and rookie Tyler Dozzi rounded out the group, with a 17th place finish at 25:07 and a 19th place finish at 25:12, respectively.

For Trummer, the range of ages in the team is an asset rather than a challenge.

“I think with our team, regardless of age, we all brought our own kind of experience and knowledge to the team, and because we trained with high personal goals, it culminated into ambitious team goals,” he said. “When you surround yourself with hard working athletes and coaches who are intelligent and dedicated, you have a winning formula.”

Overall, the men’s Thunderbird team ran the eight-kilometre with a combined time of 2:04:17 — an average of 24:52 per runner.

With 41 points, the T-Birds were well ahead of the next closest school, Columbia (Mo.), which had 168. UBC’s score is also the best team total since Life (Ga.) tallied 41 points at the 1998 national meet. The Thunderbirds add the NAIA banner to the U Sports title they won in 1993. No school has earned cross country team titles in both the NAIA and U Sports.

On the women’s side, the team claimed its fifth national title in the last six seasons. With the title, the Thunderbirds now own the secondmost team national titles in NAIA women’s cross country history.

As a whole, they scored 109 points, just passing Texas university Wayland Baptist with 125 points. Overall, the women ran the five-kilometre with a combined time of 1:30:16 — an average of 18:04 per runner.

Individually, Nicola Symonds finished in third place with a time of 17:26. Madelyn Brunt and Enid Au were close behind in 11th and 27th, with times of 17:53 and 18:09.

“In a team contest, every athlete has an important role and our runners executed perfectly today,” said Primeau.

“Two underclassmen, Kieran Lumb and Nicola Symonds, respectively, came through with bronze medals. Our seniors did a great job of keeping the squad focused but relaxed. Leadership from Nicole Lacis, John Gay and Jesse Hooton proved invaluable.

Rookies stepped up with Tyler Dozzi and Maddy Huston rounding out our top five. Most improved were Max Trummer, who was 125th last year and 17th today, and Enid Au, who didn’t make the National meet in 2016 and placed 33rd in a field of over 300.”

The men’s team has now won four of its six events this year, while the women sit just one title behind, winning three of their six events. U

Wake up call: T-Birds need to stick to their game plan if they want to contend in Canada West Extending their back-to-back losing streak, this time falling 4-1 and 3-1 to the Mount Royal (MRU) Cougars, UBC’s men’s hockey team faced a stark wake up call this past weekend, falling further down the Canada West table with half of the season gone.

After a four-game winning streak against the Lethbridge Pronghorns and Regina Cougars, the Thunderbirds started their downward slide on the road in Saskatchewan last week.

This weekend’s set with MRU was going to be a critical test for the team’s playoff chances as it was their first opportunity to face a middle-of the pack team, since they split an opening weekend series with the Manitoba Bisons.

In Friday’s game, however, the Thunderbirds didn’t respond with the urgency of a team that’s fighting for a playoff spot and it reflected on the scoreboard as they dropped the opener 4-1.

“We looked like we wanted to play a soft, fancy, Harlem Globetrotter game, and it doesn’t work,” said UBC’s head coach Sven Butenschon following the loss.

“We came in loose, we came in complicated … I didn’t see any dump and chase and hit. It’s a good league and [you’ve] got to respect your opponent. Respect the system, the game plan that the coaches design for you, and follow it — and that’s it.”

From the initial puck drop, it seemed like — more than anything else — MRU wanted it more than UBC. It would take final minute desperation in the third with the team down 3-1 for the shots and scoring chances to finally come.

“Our shot total is consistently at 15 or 16 a night. You can’t win hockey games like that,” Butenschon said. The few opportunities that the ’Birds had throughout the night — including the lone goal and first goal of the season for rookie Shaun Dosanjh —were generated on the rush.

The team never developed solid zone control and had trouble producing second and third chances as a result.

The team also let 37 shots head towards UBC starting goaltender Matt Hewitt, who was perhaps one of few positives on the night. Of the three goals that made it past him, one was through traffic, another a one-timer following a lost puckbattle in the corner and another a penalty shot. It is difficult to blame Hewitt for any of these goals, but if the ’Birds want to take advantage of his strong starts, they’re going to have to give him some better defence.

The woes that the team faced in generating a solid attack may be a result of the fact that they spent much of the first two periods at even-strength. The ’Birds typically rely heavily on the man-advantage for scoring — the team has the second-best power play in the league.

On Friday, UBC only managed to generate one power play

Goalie Matt Hewitt was UBC’s highlight of the night on Friday.

opportunity, though Butenschon did not seem to think the team deserved any more than that.

“We don’t spend any time in the offensive zone, we don’t move our feet, we don’t challenge other teams to force them to play on their heels – and that’s how you get power plays,” he said. “It sounds pretty easy to fix, but you’ve just got to go out there and do it.”

The frustrations of the team were evident after Friday night’s game — it’s clear that the dressing room is not happy with losing these critical games and that the team is well aware of the ramifications that their current score lines are having on the standings.

“If we continue like this, it’ll be pretty quick before someone catches us, and we’re looking out of a playoff spot,” said Butenschon. “The guys know. They said the right things

SALOMON MICKO BENRIMOH

after the game and it’s just a matter of doing it.”

On Saturday, the T-Birds saw similar issues, scoring on just one of six power plays but ultimately letting two short-handed goals past them, with a final goal in the dying minutes of game for the Cougars solidifying another disappointing weekend with a 3-1 loss.

The ’Birds now fall to sixth in the standings, just above Lethbridge and Regina. Next week, they face perhaps the most daunting opponent as they travel to take on the University of Alberta Golden Bears — Canada West’s only undefeated team.

Last season, UBC did defeat Alberta in two of their four meetings, but momentum evidently favours the Golden Bears this year. UBC will need to up their game if they hope to compete with the Canada West giants. U

Fixtures Sport

Home

Score

Away

46-0

Concordia

0-3

UBC

Ice Hockey (W) Mount Royal

1-2

UBC

Basketball (W) UBC

69-58

Trinity Western

Volleyball (M)

2-3

UBC

Ice Hockey (M) UBC

1-4

Mount Royal

Basketball (M) UBC

118-65

Trinity Western

Thursday, November 16 Rugby (M)

UBC

Friday, November 17 Volleyball (W)

Alberta

Alberta

Saturday, November 18 Rugby (M)

UBC

38-6

McMaster

Field Hockey (M)

UBC

5-3

West Coast Kings FHC

Ice Hockey (M) UBC

1-3

Mount Royal

Ice Hockey (W) Mount Royal

1-3

UBC

Volleyball (M)

3-1

UBC

Basketball (W) UBC

71-75

Trinity Western

Volleyball (W)

3-1

UBC

84-76

Trinity Western

37-12

Victoria

Alberta Alberta

Basketball (M) UBC Sunday, November 20 Rugby (M)

UBC

12 | GAMES | WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 22, 2017

Status in order to become a Canadian citizen 58. A specific band, reservebased community or larger tribal grouping and the status Indians who live in them DOWN

FNIS 100 INDIGENOUS FOUNDATIONS CROSSWORD ACROSS 2. A province of Canada never surrendered nor acquired by the crown in historical treaty 6. Aboriginal title considered to be a unique collective right to the use of and jurisdiction over a group’s ancestral territories 8. International law that explorers could discount the people on newfound land as the “landscape” and therefore claim the land and the peoples on it 9. Canadian federal legislation of 1876 which aimed to “solve the Indian problem” 10. Area in Manitoba best known for the original populations of Métis peoples 11. ____ of BC Indian Chiefs, a non political organization unique to BC 13. Rights practiced by Indigenous peoples before European contact 14. Law of 1884, banning cultural ceremonies for First Nations in the West 18. Contemporary peaceful revolution honoring Indigenous sovereignty and aiming to protect land and resources 20. Peoples originating from the Vancouver and surrounding areas 21. An inclusive term used in the Canadian constitution of 1982 to

define many groups of Indigenous peoples 23. More than one distinct group comprising Indigenous populations of Canada 24. As defined by Thomas King, the “stereotypes and clichés that North America has conjured up out of experience and out of its collective imaginings and fears” 25. Rights held by all Aboriginal peoples across Canada 29. As defined by Thomas King, “Live Indians who are recognized as being Indians by Canadian and U.S. governments” 30. An Indigenous person who is not legally defined under the Indian Act 32. Scottish explorer establishing the first European settlement in British Columbia in 1808 33. Generally defined as mixed ancestry, legally defined as descendants of specific historic communities 34. A colonial policy of settlement where rights would be legislated away in exchange for treaty rights 38. Dispossession of identity, the goal of the Indian Act 40. 1969 proposed legislation aiming to terminate the Indian Act 41. Indigenous definition of oneself based on family, clan, band or

NATASHA BLACK

nation with deeper connections, physically and spiritually to land and culture 42. As defined by Thomas King, “all native people living in North America today” and their inconvenient presence 44. Status, rights, and opportunities being the same for each member of a group 45. Territory that is neither surrendered nor acquired by the crown 46. Truth and ______ Commission 47. Collective, inherent rights which flow from Aboriginal peoples’ continued use and occupation of certain areas that are specific for each individual group of peoples 52. An international law that a European colonial power could claim title to newly discovered territory 54. Widespread removal of Indigenous children from their families into the child welfare system without consent between 1961 and 1980s 55. Amendment made to this legislation in 1982 includes Section 35, which recognizes and affirms Aboriginal rights 57. Historically encouraged in the Indian Act, caused a loss of Indian

1. Settler nation-state 3. More than just a word, important for Indigenous populations as either being oppressive or empowering 4. An act of respectfully participating and understanding a culturally significant practice with consent and acknowledgement from the cultural group 5. Document of 1763 issuing ownership over North America to British King George III 7. Legal grouping of status Indians 9. Specific peoples of the North, not “Indian” under Canadian law 12. United Nations Declaration of 2007 in which Canada held objector status until 2016 15. The practice of acquiring full or partial political control over another country, occupying it with settlers, and exploiting it economically 16. Area of land set apart for the use and benefit of an Indian band but with legal title held by the crown 17. An act of ignoring the value and significance of an object or practice with no consent or acknowledgement from the cultural group 18. Encompassing a wide variety of peoples who have connection to specific lands and are affected by incursions by industrial economies, displacement and settlement 19. Constitution ___: movement organized in 1980-81 to protest the lack of recognition of Aboriginal Rights in the Constitutional

amendments 22. Undoing of colonialism 26. Aiming to “kill the Indian in the wild,” operated from 1880s to 1996, mandatory under law beginning in the 1920s 27. A collective (plural) term describing Indigenous peoples who are neither Métis nor Inuit 28. Authority of a state to govern itself and according to Thomas King, what Indigenous peoples want 31. A type of negotiated legal agreement used in Canada historically and contemporarily to surrender rights to land in exchange for other rights 35. Contemporary treaty settlement that deals with Aboriginal assertions that have not been addressed by treaties or other legal means 36. General term considered outdated, describing someone who originates from a particular place 37. Rights held by an individual Aboriginal group, recognized through treaty or court case 39. As defined by the UN, the right of peoples “to freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development” 43. In 1960, Aboriginal peoples (both male and female) are granted this right by the federal government 48. The ____ Indian by Thomas King 49. Legal identity of a First Nations person 50. Someone who migrated to a territory and established a permanent residence 51. One’s family or ethnic descent 53. Indigenous peoples’ communication of histories, lessons and knowledge 56. Intent to destroy a culture Solution on page 3.