• Celebrating 90 years!
Your campus and
‘Hollywood north’
THE UBYSSEY U
Greeks splash for charity
March 3, 2009 | www.ubyssey.ca
losing bits of our thumbs since 1918 | volume xc, number 41
UBC’s official student newspaper is published Tuesdays and Fridays
Liquor licences banned
by Samantha Jung
Senior News Writer
In preparation for this year’s AMS
Block Party, UBC RCMP has put out
a notice banning all other liquor-
serving events on campus from
April 7–9.
There are conflicting state-
ments regarding the issue of
special occasion licences (SOLs)
in the past. RCMP Staff Sgt.
Wendland says that the RCMP
has enforced similar bans
close to the dates of Block Party
and the now-dead Arts County
Fair (ACF) every year, and that
the ban is due to the massive
amounts of resources needed to
police the events, most of which
fall around April 8 this year.
“We have to bring in 35 outside
[officers] to safely police this area
for the Block Party,” Wendland
said. “This comes at a price tag of
$35,000, which we have to cover
through our policing budget, and
the organizers do not have to pay.
We do not have the resources to
cover off everyone’s last minute
urge to have a large party around
the last day of classes, hence why
Arts County Fair and now Block
AMS execs go ‘on strike’
by Samantha Jung
Senior News Writer
Newly elected AMS president
Blake Frederick, along with other
incoming and outgoing AMS exec-
utives, is participating in a hunger
strike to push the government for
a national housing plan.
The group includes former
president Michael Duncan and
outgoing VP Administration
Tristan Markle, as well as Ale
Coates, vice-chair of the Student
Administrative Commission. The
students are only drinking juice
and water.
The strike is part of the 2010
Homelessness Hunger Strike Re-
lay. Am Johal, a board member for
the Impact on Community Coali-
tion, an independent watchdog or-
ganization for the 2010 Olympics
started the strike at the beginning
of this year. Other participants
Phi Gamma Delta flips their boy high into the air at Delta Gamma’s Anchorsplash. The UBC Greeks include UBC professor Michael
kicked off Greek Week at UBC with the annual event put on for the Canadian National Institute for the Byers, Megaphone Magazine and
Blind (CNIB). The event consisted of two parts with a survivor theme. First, a strictly competitive sec- David Eby, executive director of
tion in which each team competed in swimming events, including raft relays, collect the artifacts, and BC Civil Liberties.
individual swim. The second part of the night was an in-water, synchronized skit put on by each Greek Frederick said participating in
society. The Delta Gamma sorority estimates that it made over $2000. kellan higgins photo/the ubyssey the strike is a personal descision,
not an AMS initiative.
ANGRY, ASIAN
120
AND MALE
PAGE 6
CALORIES
INSIDE
Page 3
Party was created. It is a safe guard
for everyone that wants to attend
and for the community that we
police.”
Jeremy McElroy, on behalf of
the Radical Beer Faction (RBF),
the pro-party AMS club on campus
said that the club fully agrees with
the ban on SOLs.
“While it might seem to be a
little excessive to outright ban li-
cences before and after, you have
to realize that the campus RCMP
are not just babysitters for drunks,
they do have real police work to
do,” McElroy said. “And when
it takes weeks of planning and
preparation on their behalf to help
keep our Block Party safe, the RBF
is more than happy to give them a
break the day before and the day
after.”
However, other RBF sources
have said this is the first year
that the three-day ban has been
imposed.
Typically, an SOL request must
be submitted ten days prior to
the event in question. The appli-
cants must include details on the
amount of alcohol at the event,
the time, place and number of
people attending. U
The strike is to “shame the gov-
ernment into acting” on the prob-
lem of homelessness. When the
2010 Olympics were announced
in 2002, there were promises
made to reduce homelessness in
Vancouver. However, those com-
mitments have not been met.
“I’m personally embarrassed
to be living in a country with such
high levels of homelessness,”
Frederick said. He and Duncan
hope that this will prompt other
student unions across the Lower
Mainland to take up the hunger
strike.
Johal said that the strikers in-
tend to make it into a trend across
the country. The significance of
UBC student action is that they’re
“trying to build a broader public
support,” Johal said.
“The issue of affordability is not
only of the Downtown Eastside,
but of people who are working full
time and carrying student loans,”
he said.
“The hunger strike is a sym-
bolic gesture of resistance to
raise awareness. This is a health
and human rights issue.” U
—with files from Katarina Grgic
Index
Events 2
News 3
Culture 6
Sports 9
Perspectives 12
Letters 12
Editorial 14
Streeters 14
Letter-poem 14
Poem 15
Crossword 15
PAGE 6 Sudoku 15
2 | events
Events
Ongoing
Action—Camera: Beijing Perfor-
mance Photography • Examines
the trajectory from the discreet
underground performance art
community centered in Beijing’s
“East Village” in the early 1990s,
to a current internationally
recognized practice. • January
16, 2009 10:00am–Monday,
April 20, 2009 11:00am. For
further information please con-
tact Naomi Sawada at naomi.
sawada@ubc.ca, tel: (604) 822-
3640, or fax: (604) 822-6689, or
take a look at belkinartgallery.
com/_email/_main_belkin/Ac-
tion_Camera •
UBC Greek Week • The Panhel-
lenic Council and the Inter-
Fraternity Council are putting
on a week long event for Greeks
and UBC students alike. Events
include, Delta Gamma Anchor
Splash, Greek Letter Check &
Guest Speaker, Staff Apprecia-
tion & Greek Jepoardy, Greek
BBQ Fundraiser, Greek Olympics,
Can-Struction & Greek Olympic
Finals, Awards Presentation Cer-
emony will take place at Pride of
Order of Omega. If you’ve ever
wondering what the Greeks are
all about come out and check
out this events. • March 1–7,
events all over campus. For more
information check out the “UBC
GREEK WEEK 2009!” Facebook
group •
March 3
The Annual TEC Young Entre-
preneurs Dinner • This is a net-
working and informational event
where students, entrepreneurs,
investors and top company
executives share insights and
exchange thoughts on current
and existing ventures. • Tuesday
March 3, 2009, 5:30pm–9pm,
Renaissance Vancouver Hotel
Harbourside, cost $20 (includes
a full meal), Attire: Business For-
mal, for more information visit
www.tecubc.com •
March 4
Milk • Check out Sean Penn’s
academy-award winning portray-
al of gay rights activist and politi-
cian Harvey Milk. By winning a
seat in the San Franciso Board of
Supervisors in 1977 Harvey Milk
became the first openly gay man
to be elected to public office
in the USA. This biopic traces
Harvey Milk’s career from his 40th
birthday until his death. • March
4pm–8pm, 9:30pm–11:00pm,
Location: Norm Theatre, Cost: $4
general admission, $2 members •
Fair Trade Panel Discussion •
What are the on-the-ground
results of buying Fair Trade
products? What might be the
long-term effects of an increas-
ing Fair Trade market? Sales of
Fair Trade Certified products have
been increasingly dramatically in
recent years. This trend prom-
ises to ensure a fair and stable
standard of living for producers,
while also holding potential for
cooperatives and corporations
getting involved in the Fair Trade
movement. The panel will ex-
plore the results of Fair Trade for
all those involved, and where the
movement might go in the fu-
ture. • March 4 at 4pm in Norm
Theatre, Hosted by Engineers
without Borders, free •
Happy-Go-Lucky • This British
comedy film tells the story of
Pauline Cross, a cheerful and op-
timistic teacher living and work-
ing in North London. Pauline, or
“Poppy” as she is nicknamed,
catches the attention of two
different men, a social worker
and a driving instructor, and
complications ensue • Wednes-
day March 4, 6–8, 7pm–9pm.
Location: Norm Theatre. Cost: $4
general admission, $2 members •
March 5
“Faith Without Fear” • Cel-
ebrate International Women’s
Day with a screening of “Faith
Without Fear” a documentary by
the Canadian journalist and hu-
man rights activist Irshad Manji.
The film will be introduced by
the former Lieutenant-Governor
of British Columbia, Iona Cam-
pagnolo. • March 5 at 7pm.
Vancouver Planetarium Theatre.
Admission for students is $8.
Please RSVP by leaving a voice-
mail at 604-781-3151. •
Fair Trade Breakfast • It’s back!
You know the drill - Fair Trade
Banana-Chocolate Chip pan-
cakes, 3 for $2. Bring your own
plate and cutlery. • March 5 at
8am in Kaiser Foyer, Hosted by
Engineers without Borders •
the ubyssey | www.ubyssey.ca march 3, 2009
If you have an event, e-mail us at events@ubyssey.ca THE UBYSSEY U
March 3rd, 2009
volume xc, no 41
Winners of the 2009 Ubyssey Editorial Board
Literary Competition coordinating editor
Kellan Higgins : coordinating@ubyssey.ca
news editors
1ST PLACE winning a prize of $75 is “The Way Back” by Jill Von Stephanie Findlay & Justin McElroy :
news@ubyssey.ca
Sprecken. This story was not in the print version of our paper,
but you can read it online at a later date. culture editor
Trevor Melanson : culture@ubyssey.ca
2ND PLACE winning a prize of $50 is “Overtures” by Taylor Basso.
sports editor
3RD PLACE winning a prize of $25 is “Twenty-seven years, Thirty-
Shun Endo : sports@ubyssey.ca
six Days” by Arielle Indiana Furneaux. features & perspectives editor
HONOURABLE MENTION goes to Nafiza Azad for “Paranthas and Joe Rayment : features@ubyssey.ca
Promenades.”
photo editor
Goh Iromoto : photos@ubyssey.ca
Please contact Celestian Rince at copy@ubyssey.ca to claim your production manager
prize. Paul Bucci : production@ubyssey.ca
copy editor
The judges of the 2009 Ubyssey Literary Competition: Celestian Rince : copy@ubyssey.ca
volunteer coordinator
GISELE BAXTER Originally from Nova Scotia, Gisele Baxter did her Kalyeena Makortoff : volunteers@ubyssey.ca
BA at Mount Saint Vincent and her MA and PhD at Dalhousie.
webmaster
She did postdoctoral research at East Anglia (UK) and McGill, Adam Leggett : webmaster@ubyssey.ca
and has taught sessionally at UBC since 1997. Her areas of in- multimedia editor
terest include popular culture, the gothic influence, children’s Tara Martellaro : multimedia@ubyssey.ca
literature, and near-future dystopias. She writes fiction in her
spare time. Editorial Office
MICHELLE MILLER Born and raised in Ontario, Michelle is trying Room 24, Student Union Building
to get used to life on the west coast, which is easy in the sun and 6138 Student Union Boulevard
impossible in the rain. Michelle Miller is a queer-feminist writer Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1
of fiction, non-fiction and poetry. Michelle attends the MFA pro- tel: 604-822-2301
gram in Creative Writing at UBC and is currently the fiction edi- fax: 604-822-9279
tor for PRISM international. web: www.ubyssey.ca
e-mail: feedback@ubyssey.ca
Imagine Your Arts Major: What available at the Chan Centre and Business Office
Can I Do with My Major? • through Ticketmaster •
Wondering what you are going Room 23, Student Union Building
to do with your BA? Come to Movie Night • Screening of fair advertising: 604-822-1654
this workshop and learn about trade film “Black Gold” at 7pm business office: 604-822-6681
the career possibilities open in Wood 5. Drinks and discus- fax: 604-822-1658
to you and the influence your e-mail: advertising@ubyssey.ca
sion to follow at Mahoney and
choice of major has on your Sons. • March 5, 7pm in Wood business manager : Fernie Pereira
career prospects. Explore insider
5, Hosted by Engineers Without ad traffic : Sabrina Marchand
information for different career Borders •
choices, from the day-to-day ad design : Gerald Deo
tasks of a certain job to advice
on getting entry level positions, March 6 Legal
and what associations or organi-
zations you should join. • March Imagine Your Arts Major Go The Ubyssey is the official student newspaper of the Uni-
Global: Taking Your Major versity of British Columbia. It is published every Tuesday
5 at 12–1pm, location: Irving K and Friday by The Ubyssey Publications Society. We are an
Barber, Lillooet Room, register Global • Imagine waking up for autonomous, democratically run student organization, and
class in Australia or Denmark, or all students are encouraged to participate.
online at secure.students.ubc.ca/
going on a volunteer placement Editorials are chosen and written by the Ubyssey staff.
workshops/careers.cfm • They are the expressed opinion of the staff, and do not
to Africa or a co-op placement in necessarily reflect the views of The Ubyssey Publications
Singapore. Come to this session Society or the University of British Columbia. All editorial
Imagine Your Arts Major Go to learn about Go Global op- content appearing in The Ubyssey is the property of The
Global: Taking Your Major portunities and how you can par- Ubyssey Publications Society. Stories, opinions, photo-
Global • Imagine waking up for ticipate. • March 6, 12pm–1pm.
graphs and artwork contained herein cannot be reproduced
without the expressed, written permission of The Ubyssey
class in Australia or Denmark, or Location: Irving K Barber, Lillooet Publications Society.
going on a volunteer placement Room, register online at secure. The Ubyssey is a founding member of Canadian Univer-
to Africa a co-op placement in students.ubc.ca/workshops/ sity Press (CUP) and adheres to CUP’s guiding principles.
Singapore. Come to this ses- Letters to the editor must be under 300 words. Please
careers.cfm • include your phone number, student number and signature
sion to learn about Go Global (not for publication) as well as your year and faculty with
opportunities and how you can all submissions. ID will be checked when submissions are
participate. • March 5, 5pm– dropped off at the editorial office of The Ubyssey; otherwise
verification will be done by phone. “Perspectives” are opin-
6pm. Location: Irving K. Barber, ion pieces over 300 words but under 750 words and are run
Lillooet Room, register online according to space. “Freestyles” are opinion pieces written
at secure.students.ubc.ca/work- by Ubyssey staff members. Priority will be given to letters
shops/careers.cfm • and perspectives over freestyles unless the latter is time
sensitive. Opinion pieces will not be run until the identity of
the writer has been verified. The Ubyssey reserves the right
Verdi: Falstaff • The UBC School to edit submissions for length and clarity. All letters must be
received by 12 noon the day before intended publication.
of Music presents Verdi: Falstaff. Letters received after this point will be published in the
Featuring the UBC Opera En- following issue unless there is an urgent time restriction or
semble and the UBC Symphony other matter deemed relevant by the Ubyssey staff.
It is agreed by all persons placing display or classified
Orchestra. In Italian with English advertising that if the Ubyssey Publications Society fails to
subtitles. • Wed, March 5–Sat, publish an advertisement or if an error in the ad occurs the
March 7, 8pm–11pm, Sun, liability of the UPS will not be greater than the price paid for
March 8, 3pm–6pm, Location: the ad. The UPS shall not be responsible for slight changes
or typographical errors that do not lessen the value or the
Chan Centre. Cost: $15 for impact of the ad.
students, $25 for adults. Tickets
Contributors
Kellan Higgins realized the Ubyssey’s office was causing him
to be Vitamin D deprived regardless of how much Vitamin
Water he drinks because of the lack of sunlight in the of-
fice. He convinced Samantha Jung, Ian Turner, and Shawn
Li to round up a mass mob of squirrels to build a new Ubys-
sey greenhouse on the grassy knoll. Zoe Siegel and Alicia
Woodside scrounged around for scrap building materials
(to keep costs low) while Trevor Melanson and Goh Iromoto
cleared the land for Trevor Record to lay the foundation with
the help of Keegan Bursaw and Sulman Umar. To keep the
protesting students from disrupting the construction, Here-
ward Langley, Crystal Tai, Jorge Amigo, Teegan (please tell
us your last name), and Henry Lebard used their super ninja
skills and tazers to guard the site. Belinda Li consulted on
the project to make sure the building was as sustainable
as possible. While shopping for plants for the office, she
ran into Kathy Yan Li and Katarina Grgic, who were looking
for a present for Justin McElroy. Just then, Stephanie Find-
lay passed by and broke the news that Gerald Deo made
fabulous brownies and Paul Bucci ate all of them. Back at
the construction site, Celestian Rince and Shun Endo super-
vised puppies as they installed the final glass panes while
Kalyeena Makortoff and Adam Leggett recruited kittens to
pack up the old office. Llamas ssssfollowed Tara Martellaro’s
commands to move everything to the new greenhouse.
Kyrstin Bain then organized a sweet greenhouse warming
party with Bengal tigers as honourary guests.
Canada Post Sales
Agreement
Number 0040878022
printed on 100%
recycled paper
march 3, 2009
Hollywood North on campus
UBC trusted home of Wolverine, Battlestar Galactica, Smallville
by Sophie Raider
News Writer
We may have appeared ostensi-
bly to bristle at the encroach-
ment of our campus by (presum-
ably) snobbish Hollywood pro-
duction crews—geez, they are so
in the way. Totally made me late
to class.
But really, whenever pos-
sible, we exploited the event. We
boasted to our friends at other
universities, crowded the bar-
ricades hoping to catch glimpses
of Hugh Jackman, snapped pic-
tures to post on Facebook and
perhaps even showed up outside
Buchanan Tower at 2am, stirred
by vague rumors that they would
be filming an explosion scene.
The affairs of the X-Men
Origins: Wolverine shoot on East
Mall late last month were cer-
tainly something to talk about.
Then again, at UBC we are not
unaccustomed to seeing film
crews and sets around campus.
Last year there were 46 separate
productions shot on university
grounds.
Considering that British
Columbia typically hosts over
200 major film and television
productions (excluding commer-
cials) in a year, UBC commands
nearly 15 per cent of film shoots.
Our campus is a hot venue.
“UBC has always been a very
valuable asset,” affirmed Su-
san Croome, British Columbia
film commissioner. The Film
Commission, which in 2008
celebrated its 30th year showcas-
ing our province as a motion
picture production destination,
often recommends UBC to in-
ternational filmmakers. Croome
praised the campus as unique
and cited a history of valuable
experiences that drives foreign
producers to return.
In regards to Wolverine she
crooned, “We felt very happy to
have Hugh Jackman back here.”
Every other X-Men movie featur-
ing Jackman has filmed scenes
in BC; and all but the first have
shot at UBC.
Producers keen to film on
our campus inquire with UBC
Business Development, which
charges location fees of $2500
per shoot day and $1250 per
prep or wrap day, as well as vari-
ous operating fees.
In 2008 commercial film pro-
duction at UBC brought in more
than $200,000 in location fees
alone.
A portion of these revenues
serves to sustain UBC’s own film
program. The departments of
Film Studies and Film Produc-
tion divide the funds to purchase
films to screen, projectors, equip-
ment, supplies, and services.
“The majority of the funding
for our equipment comes from
these location rental revenues,”
said Sharon McGowan, associate
head of Film Production. “With-
out them we would not be able
to do many of the things we do.”
American films comprise
roughly three-quarters of
BC production.
As of yet, the languishing
economy has not seen a
decline in the business.
the ubyssey | www.ubyssey.ca news | 3
McGowan stressed that while
a UBC student pays the same
tuition for a philosophy lecture
course as for a film production
A SELECTION OF FILMS AT UBC:
class, the costs to provide the
film course are significantly
higher. The livelihood of UBC’s
film program depends on cam-
pus commercial production. As
bonus, it is blessed by the net-
working opportunities that these
productions beget.
“The producer of The Matrix, 1987
Erwin Stoff, was here last year The Stepfather
with The Day the Earth Stood Still, Terry O’Quinn
she explained. “He came into a
class to speak to Creative Writing
and Film students—he contacted
me to offer to do this—and he
talked about how nice it was to
meet the students and get to
know people from the campus.”
Once or twice per term, grant-
ing schedules and conditions co-
incide, film students are allowed
to visit a set. McGowan claimed
that these firsthand observations
have been great successes.
In addition to The Day the 2001
Earth Stood Still, productions Antitrust
shot on-campus last year includ- Ryan Phillippe,
Rachael Leigh Cook
ed the upcoming comedy, The
Tooth Fairy, featuring Dwayne
(the Rock) Johnson and Ashley
Judd, as well as Harper’s Island, 2004
the new CBS horror series airing The Butterfly Effect
April 9. Ashton Kutcher, Amy Smart
Arlene Chan, marketing man-
ager of UBC Business Develop-
ment, processes all campus TELEVISION SHOWS:
production requests. They range Battlestar Galactica (2004
from the scantly-budgeted stu- to 2008)
dent feature to the multi-billion
dollar blockbuster hopeful
(student films have their fees
waived).
Chan approves those that are
deemed to be without adverse ef-
fect to the university or its repu-
tation and minimally disruptive
to university life. Her office
notifies departments affected,
which also receive a slice of the
revenues.
Those curious about upcom-
ing productions can look to the
Business Development website
which, Chan insisted, will soon 2007
be up-to-date. 88 Minutes
And what of the economic Al Pacino
crisis? American films and tele-
vision comprise roughly three-
quarters of BC production. As
of yet, the languishing economy
has not seen a decline in the
business. 2008
“We’re very fortunate,” Passengers
Croome said. “We’re actually Anne Hathaway, Patrick
seeing a lot of interest for film Wilson
production in 2009.”
Vancouver’s production in- 2009 (IN POST
dustry ranks third-largest in PRODUCTION, TO BE
North America and has expand- RELEASED IN MAY)
ed rapidly to meet pre- and post- X-Men Origins: Wolverine
production needs. Hugh Jackman, Ryan
As with the choice of UBC for Reynolds
the Wolverine re-shoot, Croome UPCOMING MOVIES ON CAMPUS:
reasoned, “During uncertain
times producers want to go to a MARCH 4-5
tried and true location.”
Chan alluded to other major 7am–10pm Chan Centre for the Performing Arts
productions scheduled to film at
UBC this spring. However, she MARCH 6
declined to offer specifics, citing
years past when the paparazzi 7am–10pm Chan Centre for the Performing Arts
have materialized on campus, 7am–10pm Liu Institute for Global Issues
disturbing the peace of produc-
ers and students alike. Production will prepare the Chan Centre from 7am–7pm, March 2–3, with
For now, we can be grateful wrap Mar 9–10.
that Wolverine does not premiere
until after final exams, that is,
May 1. Afterward we can indulge WHO DO I CONTACT?
in that action-thriller-fantasy that Contact the Film Industry Liaison Officer, at 604-837-1951 or the
only Hollywood (and the cold, Marketing Manager, UBC Business Development at 604-822-6555.
dark cement façade of Buchanan
Tower) can produce. U goh irohmoto photo illustration/the ubyssey
4 | news
Go to www.ubyssey.ca to get all of your campus news.
the ubyssey | www.ubyssey.ca
A Speakeasy representative providing information in their office in the SUB basement. shawn li photo/the ubyssey
AMS service fights counselling stigma
Students are not taking advantage of Speakeasy counselling
by Ian Turner
News Staff
Speakeasy, an AMS service that pro-
vides information, peer counselling
and crisis support to the UBC stu-
dents and community is not being
taken advantage of by UBC students,
despite the service being free. The
heads of the organization believe it
is indicative of a stigma against
counselling existing on campus.
Nick Nagy, one of the two co-
heads of Speakeasy is on the front-
line fighting the stigma. He offered
two reasons for why this stigma
exists.“It’s more a stigma against
not being able to control one’s emo-
tions by themselves. In Western
society specifically we view having
emotions as a weak thing,” he said.
No one wants
to seem weak or
need help.
—Nick Nagy, Speakeasy co-head
EUS campaigns to raise fair trade awareness
Attempt to change student behavior during week-long event
by Zoe Siegel
News Staff
How much coffee do you drink?
To most university students a
cup of java is part of the usual
morning routine. Less thought
about are the impacts their cof-
fee habit has on developing
countries. Engineers Without
Borders (EWB) is hosting the
week-long event Coffee To End
Poverty to raise awareness of fair
trade and to encourage students
to be more aware of the products
they buy.
“There are lots of myths about
fair trade out there and we are
trying to break down the stereo-
types,” said Sara Mohammad
Pour, EWB director of outreach.
Fair trade products guarantee
fair prices and safe working con-
ditions for the farmers. Coffee is
a well known fair trade product,
but there is also cocoa, sugar,
tea, flowers and many others.
Certified Fair Trade Products are
marked with the black-and-white
Transfair Canada Logo. Products
“The stigma is not against counsel-
lors, it’s against the people who ac-
tually have to go there or syaing they
need to go. No one wants to seem
weak or need help.”
Additionally, Nagy said, “There
still is a large stigma against the
concept of someone having a men-
tal illness.”
Fatou Wurie, the other Speakeasy
co-head, spoke about the service’s
initiatives. Currently they are tak-
ing the traditional route of post-
ers, classroom talks, and word of
mouth. She added that breaking
this barrier is difficult because
the “stigma depends on your
background, on your religious be-
liefs—it depends on how you just
perceive life.”
“We try to make sure our vol-
unteers are exposed to issues of
diversity, types of sexuality, reli-
gions and cultures so that they are
not coming in blinded and think
all have the same mentality or ap-
proach towards counseling.”
Speakeasy is composed of ap-
proximately 80 volunteers, and
the two co-heads on a salary. The
organization previously operated
with this logo have been pur-
chased under completely fair
trade conditions.
“It’s about choice, we want to
make students aware of their
choices,” stated Annelies Tjebbes,
director of communications.
The week began with out-
reach events at coffee shops on
campus, including Salt Spring
Coffee, the Boulevard, AMS
food service restaurants and at
Place Vanier and Totem Park
residences.
According to Tjebbes, “there
is attitude and behavior change.
UBC has assisted with the be-
havior change of the students
by selling all fair trade coffee,
but many students are unaware
that that is what they are drink-
ing. It’s about taking owner-
ship over actions because they
realize fair trade is making a
difference.”
On Wednesday there will be
a fair trade panel in the Norm
Theatre and many experts
who have first hand experi-
ence working with fair trade
march 3, 2009
an information booth in the SUB’s
main concourse.
Wurie noted that the service
was not clear to people to associ-
ate the information desk that ex-
ists downstairs in the SUB with
the one in the main concourse.
“That is a problem at Speakeasy
we are constantly running into,”
she admitted. Efforts are under-
way to link the information booth
more tightly with Speakeasy’s
goal: providing peer-support
services.
Peer-support service, as vol-
unteer Mark McLean put it, is to
“listen to what the student’s prob-
lems are,” and that “we try and
help them figure out what they
should do” without offering any
advice.
“I think if more people were
aware of peer-support there
would not be as much of a stigma
because frankly it is just people
coming into talk,” he said.
Nagy added that “As more peo-
ple become aware of the impor-
tance of maintaining good mental
health the stigma will slowly wear
away.” U
organizations will present their
views and opinions about fair
trade. Thursday there will be a
pancake breakfast where fair
trade chocolate chip banana
pancakes and coffee will be
served. During the evening they
will show Black Gold, a film
about impoverished Ethiopian
coffee, focusing on one man’s
fight for a fair price.
This is the third year that
EWB has run Coffee To End Pov-
erty, but the first year they have
put on events like the speaker
panel and the film.
The week will conclude with
EWB Day on Saturday where
EWB members will go out to
local grocery stores including
Safeway, Stongs and IGA Mar-
ketplace and hand out flyers
promoting fair trade. EWB Day
is a nationwide event so all oth-
er EWB chapters will be doing
the same thing across Canada.
“This year there will be some-
thing for everyone,” said Justine
Clift, EWB Fair Trade Project
organizer. U
march 3, 2009 the ubyssey | www.ubyssey.ca news | 5

Online identity destroys job opportunities

Once upon a time you could leave your past behind, not anymore
by Ian Turner
News Staff
Digital Tattoo, a UBC awareness
campaign, is striving to educate
students about their online iden-
tity and the impact it will have
on future careers.
“People have often done
youthful indiscretions that they
have had to live down and the
Internet is just a new place that
these could be recorded,” said
Sheryl Adams, an administrator
at Digital Tattoo. “Your youth-
ful indiscretion can be emailed
around the world in a nanosec-
ond. In the olden days you could
leave your past behind, not so
much any more.”
“Students’ online identity can
impact a student’s job search
both positively and negatively.
And we feel that a lot of students
do not understand how employ-
ers can use social networking in
the hiring process,” said Carol
Naylor, manager at UBC Career
Education. At career conferences
Naylor has learned that many re-
cruiters are actively looking on-
line for applicant information.
She defined an online identity
We feel that a lot
of students do not
understand how
employers can use
social networking in
the hiring process.
—Carol Naylor, manager at UBC
Career Education
as what your online activity says
about you as a person. “People
will make assumptions about
you based on the impressions
you leave,” she said later.
Digital Tattoo routinely holds
booths at on-campus events that
have high attendance rates, Imag-
ine Day being an example. Career
Services does not have an official
stance regarding students’ online
activity. Both Adams and Naylor
stated that students are largely
unaware of their own ability to
control their public image on
the web, an example being Face-
book’s privacy settings. Naylor
expanded upon this point say-
ing many students did not know
that their own photos could be
accessed by employers through
others’ Facebook accounts.
Liana Popa, Digital Tattoo’s
coordinator, said that Facebook
is but one way to excavate an
individual’s online identity. She
cited Xobni, an outlook applica-
tion, that locates the sender’s on-
line social networking accounts
and shows the account’s display
photo(s) alongside the email,
which may include a resumé.
Coupled with students’ igno-
rance about their online identi-
ties is a belief that damaging on-
line information can be removed
from the web. Naylor dismissed
that notion, saying that once any-
thing has been posted on the web
it is likely to be etched on the In-
ternet. Adams seconded this say-
ing it would be “a wise person”
who let that general rule guide
their actions.
When asked what students
should post online, Adams said,
“Is it something you want you
mom to see? Because your mom
will probably be able to see it
soon.” U goh iromoto photo illustration/the ubyssey

Surviving the recession

Columnist Alicia Woodside gives you the downlow on how to job-search during hard economic times

Recession-proof job-search strategies

by Alicia Woodside
News Writer
Uneasy about the economy
and how it may affect your job
prospects? The following article
serves as a useful compass, out-
lining advice in how to find the
best job in today’s economy,
from the viewpoint of a suc-
cessful job-seeking student, and
that of experienced director of
UBC Career Services, Howie
Outerbridge.
Top five job-search strategies:
1. Stay on top of trends:
Clearly, some sectors are affect-
ed more severely than others.
Howie advises to really look into
the larger trends to determine
the best areas for future work
opportunities. It’s as straightfor-
ward as reading the newspaper
on a regular basis. He advises
the Working section of The Van-
couver Sun, which “is basically a
snapshot of everything going on
in BC and Canada.” It is readily
available online. While students
may find fewer opportunities
this year in oil and gas, invest-
ment banking, or working with
the big auto producers, they can
direct their sights to numerous
emerging opportunities. Simply
glancing at the proposed federal
budget gives students ideas for
opportunities in several areas,
such as construction and infra-
structure, or home renovations
businesses. Students can also
anticipate many opportunities in
BC’s service industry during the
lead-up to the Olympic Games.
In other trends, Howie pre-
dicts Obama’s lead in develop-
ing green energies to provide
a future surge in opportunities
worth exploring for students.
The large aging population
translates to opportunities in
the health care sector, as well
as in the provision of medical
and health-related products and
services. In addition, it means
unprecedented levels of attrition
for the government as the aging
workforce begins to accelerate.
Branches such as the Public Ser-
vice Commission and Canadian
Security Intelligence Service are
expecting huge staffing needs.
Government related postings
on Career Services’ job board ex-
perienced a jump of 28 per cent
between November 2007 and No-
vember 2008, while all other sec-
tors experienced little change, or
a decline. Howie advises reading
the ‘Working’ section of the Sat-
urday Vancouver Sun for a great
place to start generating ideas
2. Self Initiate! It’s often re-
peated that over 80 per cent of
jobs aren’t even advertised. As a
result, job search attempts that
consist only of applying to post-
ings can severely limit success. It
can be difficult, even impossible,
to convey your skills and personal-
ity on paper alone. The best jobs
are found by networking. When
an employer meets a potential
hire in-person and outside of a
typical hiring environment, they
will be able to assess things that
cannot come across on paper,
such as enthusiasm, attitude, and
interpersonal skills. Great ways
to create these opportunities are
through cold-calling companies
you’d like to work for and setting
up informational meetings. Don’t
be shy, the worst they can say is,
“No thank-you.”
Other great tactics are to use
well-connected faculty and UBC
staff. Pay a visit to a professor from
your field, or to a staff member
from Career Services, as employ-
ers are frequently contacting UBC
in search of a qualified candidate
they can recommend. In addition,
these knowledgeable sources can
direct you to the best places to
seek opportunities. If job boards
do see a decrease in postings this
year, the increased competition is
reason enough to seek more cre-
ative job search strategies.
3. Create a network team: If
you were to agree to share con-
tacts with a few of your trusted
friends and classmates, you
would far sooner come across
the ideal work opportunity, or
the contact to make that job a
reality. As a result of sharing
networks and actively commu-
nicating opportunities to one an-
other, these trusted contacts act
as teammates in your job search,
always on the lookout for some-
thing or someone that may be
helpful to you. The beauty of this
strategy is that your teammates
know you well and care for your
success, so they can pass on
ideal opportunities. Build your
aggregate network attending
events and building relation-
ships with people you feel you
can learn from.
4. Use those resources: Did
you know that there are six ca-
reer fairs happening in term
two, or that UBC Career Services
has a fantastic, loaded job board
online? What about the Work
Study program, or the one-on-
one peer support program that
is being introduced by Career
Services to help students more
personally in their career prepa-
ration? In the event of fewer jobs
being available this spring, your
chances of success come down to
the number of opportunities you
apply to, as well as the quality of
your cover letter, resumé, and
interviewing skills. The peer ca-
reer support will provide much-
needed one-on-one guidance on
all aspects of the career search.
Career Services will also be ex-
panding its Work Study oppor-
tunities to the summer, which
offer part-time work for students
at rates of $15-$20 per hour in
their field of interest. Sign up for
a bi-weekly update about all Ca-
reer Services resources on their
Facebook group.
5. Be flexible! It’s evident that
some areas are adversely affect-
ed by the economy, and it may
be that your dream job is one of
those areas. A common message
from career experts is to be more
flexible in times of economic un-
certainty. If the job you land this
spring isn’t the ideal one you
envisioned, ensure your future
success by getting the most you
possibly can from the job. There
are always transferable skills to
be developed that can aid you in
your ideal career down the road.
Linda Gully, director of the
Business Career Centre at the
Sauder School of Business, states
that “students can normally
choose their industry, their posi-
tion, or the company.” Her mes-
sage is to be thankful for an op-
portunity that satisfies goals in
one of these three dimensions,
and not to expect to land a job
right away with all three perfect
circumstances. U
CVitaminWater: The hipper, sexier broccoli
Culture
COCA COLA
>>140 CALORIES
>>39 GRAMS OF SUGAR
Hot Hot Heat for a drunk drunk Pit
by Trevor Record
Culture Staff
I thought that Hot Hot Heat was
pretty popular at some point,
but I guess things have gone
downhill for them. Last Thurs-
day they played a free concert
at the Pit. They were promoting
Corona beer, which was still
not the cheapest beverage avail-
able at the bar, but all it takes is
a few people deciding to buy
that stuff for the rest of their
lives for it to be worthwhile to
the company’s marketing team.
The Pit, which had been
painted up like a tropical trol-
lop, had reasonably high atten-
dance, but considering there
was a free concert going on you
might have expected a moderate
lineup. Once the doors opened
at 8pm, everyone that wanted
to get in did, which places the
show behind Pit Night for atten-
dance. All this seems to contra-
dict their MySpace page, which
claims two sold-out shows at
the Commodore in April (ah,
but there they are opening for
Bloc Party).
Maybe it was a carefully
VITAMINWATER
>>120 CALORIES
>>39 GRAMS OF SUGAR
calculated move on the part of
the Corona marketing team to
make sure we were all getting
sort of sauced, but the show
didn’t start until a few hours
after doors had opened.
The openers were Vancou-
ver’s Bend Sinister; I ques-
tioned if they named them-
selves after the Fall album
or the Nabokov novel it took
its name from. Despite their
namesake, they didn’t do
anything too musically crazy,
playing basically solid rock
music (with a few exceptions).
They started things off with a
terrible cover of “A Day in the
Life,” and finished with a pass-
able cover of Journey’s “Don’t
Stop Believing,” which many of
the partially-inebriated crowd
were disposed to scream along
with. In between they sounded
sort of prog-rockish, and at mo-
ments like Queen.
Hot Hot Heat got started even
later, but the crowd’s reaction
was explosive. Although I hate
to admit it, things did indeed
get fairly hot. About half of the
dance floor was either dancing
or trying desperately not to get
Editor: Trevor Melanson | E-mail: culture@ubyssey.ca
by Arielle Indiana Furneaux
Culture Writer
Playing the time machine game
can be an instructive exercise.
Pick one object from our society,
and predict what archaeologists
from the future would conclude
about our culture based on that
artifact. The future archaeolo-
gist would have good reason to
conclude that UBC students,
circa 2009, were terribly mal-
nourished. Maybe food had lost
its nutritional value after some
agricultural disaster. Perhaps
the digestive tract had warped
to prohibit digestion of solids.
In any case, the prevalence of
VitaminWater would suggest
that something big had hap-
pened to upset our relationship
with food.
VitaminWater dispensers
have sprung up far and wide on
UBC’s campus, beckoning the
uninitiated with candy-coloured
bottles and the beguiling sug-
gestion: “Try it.” Flavours are
tailored to meet specific bodily
needs, bearing succinct names
like “Defense” and “Revive.”
VitaminWater’s cachet has been
cemented by a nod on Gossip
Girl, where an anxious teen re-
quests a bottle of “Focus” to help
get her through a party. Clever.
UBC students are embracing
the trend. Law student Xiaodi
Jin told me he gravitated to
the drink “because it looked
healthy, efficient and clean.”
Coca-Cola is obviously doing
something right, having bought
VitaminWater-creator Glaceau
in 2007.
It’s no secret that advertis-
ers capitalize on inventing new
problems for us to treat. My
eyelashes aren’t thick enough,
so I should buy some volumiz-
ing mascara. Your manhood
isn’t big enough, so you should
order yourself a bigger one.
Hot Hot Heat had nearly everyone on the dance floor dancing—or falling over. hereward longley photo/the ubyssey
knocked onto their asses. For
a while, we were getting into
punk concert territory. Hot Hot
Heat played an hour set, con-
sisting of many of their earlier
songs. They followed up with a
single encore. Then Pit security
These branded deficiencies are
particularly insidious when they
pertain to our health. We can
usually talk ourselves out of the
idea that un-enhanced eyelashes
are the end of the world. Claims
about health can be harder to
shake off. For one, they seem
more serious. Also, we may not
have the scientific know-how to
assess them critically.
Michael Pollan, author of
In Defense of Food, bemoans
the growing trend of treating
food as combinations of nutri-
ents as opposed to nourishing
meals. Instead of buying a tub
of yogurt, consumers buy health
products like Yoplait Source,
whose cartons trill about “8 es-
sentials” like bacterial cultures
and vitamin A. Yogurt of the
bygone era was certainly nutri-
tious, but wasn’t presented as a
health elixir.
Consumers now scoop up ce-
reals, orange juice and milk for-
tified with vitamins. The same
trend has permeated the most
basic sustenance we can give our
bodies: water. Instead of relying
on water as an intuitive form of
hydration, we have boosted the
meager liquid’s prestige with
the addition of minerals, vita-
mins and flavours.
VitaminWater does contain its
fair share of vitamins. My bottle
of “Defense” (bought for research
purposes, I assure you) contains
vitamin B3, pantothenic acid, vi-
tamin B6, vitamin C, zinc and vi-
tamin B12. These vitamins and
minerals are tellingly referred
to as “medicinal ingredients,”
reinforcing Michael Pollan’s
“food-as-nutrients” lament. And
the amount of vitamins isn’t
negligible, either. “Defense” con-
tains 1.5 micrograms of vitamin
B12. For comparison: one large
fast food taco contains 1.6 micro-
grams. The daily recommended
intake is 6.0 micrograms.
kicked all of our sorry asses
out.
Maybe it was just the beer,
but the show was good. The last
time I saw Hot Hot Heat play
(at the Croatian Cultural Centre
back in 2003), the Walkmen and
March 3, 2009 | Page 6
Although the drink contains a
substantial amount of vitamins,
its high sugar content may over-
whelm any health benefits. Each
bottle contains 39 grams of
sugar (roughly two tablespoons),
and 125 calories—just shy of
the 140 in a can of Coca Cola.
Of course, each bottle officially
contains three servings. But re-
ally, who drinks just a third of a
bottle of water?
You might suggest that the
presence of vitamins outweighs
the sugar content of Vitamin-
Water. Certainly, a vitamin-
deficient third world denizen
would benefit from the infusion
of vitamins in a bottle of Vita-
minWater. But North Americans
generally aren’t suffering from
scurvy or beriberi. According to
Scienceline, the only vitamin of
which Americans consume less
than half their recommended
daily amount is Vitamin E,
which happens to be fat-soluble.
In other words, in order to
properly absorb the Vitamin E
in a bottle of VitaminWater, you
would have to time your drink
to coincide with a meal. Further-
more, Vitamin E is only found in
four of VitaminWater’s thirteen
varieties.
After their discovery in 1919
by biochemist Casimir Funk,
vitamins became a big hit with
the middle class. Amusingly,
these were the very people
who didn’t need them. The up-
per crust could afford enough
nutrition to avoid deficiency
diseases like scurvy. Little has
changed in nearly a century.
VitaminWater plays right to the
Kitsilano mindset. Here is a
group of wealthy, trendy people
eager to jump on the latest
health bandwagon. If you can
afford a $2.25 bottle of cunning
marketing and sugar, you prob-
ably don’t need those incidental
vitamins. U
the Organ opened for them, both
of whom played a better set. I
guess they’ve gone from being a
sort of crummy breakout band,
to being a competent, estab-
lished band whose popularity is
waning. Damn, I feel old. U
march 3, 2009
To some, it seems it’s always white guys with Asian girls rather than otherwise. shawn li photo illustration/the ubyssey
Angry Asian man
Dealing with persecution
and acquiring confidence
by Crystal Tai
Culture Writer
A week ago, I sat down with self-
described “former Angry Asian
Man” Mark Lee. For those of
you non-angry Asians and non-
Asians alike, “angry Asian man”
is a term that’s been coined for
Asian men who feel subjugated
and invisible within Western
society. Feelings of neglect may
arise from their perceived lack
of political visibility, media ex-
posure and Asian role models.
There are also the stereotypes
that have accompanied Asians
in North America.
Mark Lee is a fourth-genera-
tion Chinese-Canadian, speaks
English at home with his mom
and dad, and grew up in the
Vancouver suburbs where he
watched hockey and G.I. Joe.
For Mark, the bulk of his angst
started when he realized society
looked upon Asian men as sex-
less computer programmers,
possessing little machismo
and zero social skills. Mark’s
reality didn’t help his outlook
They harbour
misogyny,
blaming Asian
women for leav-
ing ‘us’ for white
men, but really,
it’s just the an-
ger of getting
no women!
—Mark Lee
on Asian men either: “I had
low self-esteem, I was chubby
and I always put women on a
pedestal.”
Dating always seemed very
one sided for Mark. It was al-
ways a white guy and an Asian
girl, he said. But rarely would
one see a white girl with an
Asian guy. Mark became curi-
ous and started poking around
online to see if there were any
correlations or theories behind
his observations.
“It was winter break, I was 17,
reading stuff online,” he said.
He found Asian-American so-
cial awareness websites such as
Asian Nation and Angry Asian
Man. “That’s when it all started
to make sense. I wouldn’t have
attributed [all the setbacks I
felt that Asian men had] to race
before,” he said. “I didn’t real-
ize other people had the same
theories.”
Ultimately, it was anti-Asian
racism that “really got to” Mark.
“I read about some incidents on
the campus at Stanford Univer-
sity,” he said. There had been
racist graffiti on the Ivy League
campus, “racist graffiti that was
very misogynistic about Asian
women,” he said. “I’m not sure
if these ideas might have been
acted upon, but they were com-
bined with [notions] of raping
Asian women.” Such racism ex-
isting in a so-called “PC” cream-
of-the-crop intellectual facility
enraged Mark.
Online was also where Mark
learned about the origins of
the stereotype of the sexless
Asian man. Some of these no-
tions are based from historical
misconceptions he said. “In a
frontier country, such as Can-
ada, there were few women,”
he said. “Chinese workers were
presented with very little op-
portunity to do regular work.
A few that were lucky became
merchants, others did what
they could,” Mark said, refer-
ring to the domestic labour
the ubyssey | www.ubyssey.ca culture | 7
WRITE FOR CULTURE
CULTURE@UBYSSEY.CA
that Chinese-Canadians took
on. “They didn’t have a lot of
options,” so many of them did
domestic labour, while others
opened shop within the indus-
try such as laundromats, Chi-
nese restaurants, tailor shops
and the like.
“I think racial dynamics
[are indicative] of the differ-
ent threats different groups
represent to the [mainstream]
society,” Mark said. “Different
people are blamed for different
issues.” Historically, Asian-
Canadians have presented an
economic threat. “Do they fear
that we’re smarter? That we’ll
take over?” All in all, Mark at-
tributes the stereotypes to his-
torical fact, as well as many of
the misconceptions that have
perpetually plagued Asians in
the West.
But the worst part of it, ac-
cording to Mark, is the role of
the Angry Asian Man himself.
Despite the fact that they are af-
fected by Western stereotypes,
these angry Asian men also tend
to bring it upon themselves.
“They harbour misogyny, blam-
ing Asian women for leaving
‘us’ for white men,” said Mark.
“But really, it’s just the anger of
getting no women!”
He plans to put the spotlight
on the Asian male commu-
nity in his upcoming workshop,
“Asian Man, Take a Stand! Re-
framing the Angry Asian Man
Experience.” He says it will be a
group experience where Asians
and non-Asians alike can chat
together about social stig-
mas surrounding Asian men.
Mark’s workshop happens on
March 5, 1–2:30pm in room
214, SUB building. U
The workshop is one of many,
which will take place at the
Asian Canadian Cultural Or-
ganization’s annual Unconfer-
ence, March 5 and 6. For more
information check out www.
ubcacco.com or look up ACCO
on Facebook.
8 | culture the ubyssey | www.ubyssey.ca
CULTURE MEETINGS: WEDNESDAYS @ 4PM
GENERAL MEETINGS: WEDNESDAYS @ NOON
COME, LEARN, JOIN, PARTICIPATE
WWW.UBYSSEY.CA
Rocking out with a guitar—and star power. goh iromoto photo/the ubyssey
Guitar heroes
Video game introduces
kids to musical legends
by Jorge Amigo
Culture Writer
Like many of my generation, I
used to be a video game addict.
From Mario to Contra, from Fi-
nal Fantasy to Grand Theft Auto,
my addiction touched every
genre and console. However,
people change and I stopped
gaming about four years ago.
This meant that I was left com-
pletely untouched by the wave
of Guitar Hero madness that
has swept over the world—until
now.
Two week ago, I volunteered
to give a guitar lesson to inner-
city kids from an Eastside el-
ementary school in Vancouver.
I spent about two days prepar-
ing for the lesson, thinking of
simple chord progressions to
teach them, or easy riffs to keep
them entertained. Memories of
my first guitar lessons flashed
through my mind and I thought
about teaching them an easy
Beatles song to get them excit-
ed about learning a full song in
a single class (“Obla di obla da”
was obviously the first choice).
But one thing I never thought
about was studying the songs
from Guitar Hero 3: Legends of
Rock.
As I walked into the class
and introduced myself to the
group of fifth graders, I tried
to begin a conversation about
their taste in music. A teacher
march 3, 2009
has to find some common
cultural referents, so I tried
namedropping some bands, to
no avail. The kids stared back
at me as if I were speaking in
tongues. I namedropped some
more, even began to play the
intro of “Wish You Were Here,”
but the result was the same. I
stopped and realized that I was
staring down into a deep and
authentic generational gap.
Then a hand shot up in the
air. It was a twelve year old
with an awesome mohawk that
made me, with my knit scarf,
look like a Backstreet Boy. He
looked me in the eyes and deliv-
ered the magic words: “Dude,
don’t you know any songs from
the new Guitar Hero?” Sudden-
ly, the whole class was talking
about the songs, and of the lev-
els, and if Slash was the hardest
to beat, or if Jimi Hendrix was
faster. I was taken by surprise,
shocked. It suddenly dawned
on me that the musical tastes
of a whole new generation are
being shaped by the playlists
from Guitar Hero. Elementary
kids everywhere are connecting
with long-gone music legends
through the coloured buttons of
their plastic guitars. This, more
than anything, more than its re-
cord breaking sales, is the true
success of the game.
And, of course, as the lesson
proceeded, I did not mention
the Beatles song. U
SCalgary
Sports
outlasts UBC in thriller
T-Birds lose in heartbreaker, but still make CIS Championships
LEFT Josh Whyte leaps for a layup during the Canada West Finals. keegan bursaw photo/the ubyssey. RIGHT Fans cheer on the players while enjoying beer. BELOW Crazy P cheers. goh iromoto photos/the ubyssey
by Henry Lebard
Sports Staff
The UBC men’s basketball team
had two things standing between
them and a third straight Canada
West Championship: a Friday
night game against the Brandon
University Bobcats, and a Sat-
urday night matchup with the
University of Calgary Dinos. The T-
Birds needed to win on successive
nights at War Memorial Gym, but
fell short in the gold medal game
against Calgary 80–76 after breez-
ing through Brandon 92–71.
Brandon did not prove to be
much competition for the home
squad as UBC set out to an early
21 point halftime lead, which they
would not relinquish despite 29
points from Bobcats first-team
conference all-star guard Dany
Charlery. The Bobcats made just
27.3 per cent of their shots from
the field in the first half compared
to the T-Birds’ 58.8 per cent.
Thunderbird guard Chris Dyck,
in his fifth year, led the team with
24 points (18 coming in the first
half) and eight assists. Starting
guard Josh Whyte played just 15
minutes for UBC due to early foul
trouble and scored only two points,
but 18 points off the bench from
Brent Malish allowed head coach
Kevin Hanson to rest Whyte for the
following night versus Calgary.
The guys put so much
effort and energy into it.
We did run out of gas a
little bit late in the fourth
there when we needed it
but these types of games
are great to go through.
—Thunderbirds Head Coach
Kevin Hanson
“He would be a starter on most
teams in the conference, and he
is the best sixth man I have ever
had,” said Hanson about Malish.
“When he comes in he can really
score because he is good inside
and outside, and he is a very tough
match-up for everybody.”
Without Whyte running the
point guard position for the Birds,
Dyck, a transfer from the Univer-
sity of Manitoba, took his place.
“We ended up playing Chris at
point guard a bit in the first half
just to make sure the ball was in
his hands,” said Hanson. “In the
second half they did a good job de-
fensively, but we also didn’t find
him in our offence. But other guys
started scoring, and when you can
put up 92 points there’s not much
wrong with your offence.”
Before UBC’s dismantling of
Brandon, Calgary did much the
same to the Trinity Western Uni-
versity Spartans, who won the
Bronze medal game Saturday
against Brandon. Calgary beat
TWU 96–65 with 57 of their 96
points coming from Robbie Sihota
and Henry Bekkering, which wor-
ried Hanson Friday night when he
learned who his team’s opponents
would be the following night.
“That was one of the best games
I’ve seen Calgary play in a long
time,” said Hanson of Calgary’s
dominating performance over
TWU. “They have size, they have
athletes, they have shooters and
they will probably want a little
bit of revenge for what happened
last year at their place, so I think
it’s going to be a great basketball
game and both teams are going to
be really well prepared.”
In Saturday’s game, the T-Birds
allowed the Dinos to get off to a
quick first quarter lead after a
dunk by Dino forward Dominyc
Coward on a fast break as the
first quarter expired. The Calgary
Editor: Shun Endo | E-mail: sports@ubyssey.ca
bench was pumped up after the
buzzer-beating play and took
their momentum into the second
quarter. Starting guard Blain
Labranche fell awkwardly in the
first quarter injuring his left foot,
and did not return.
UBC surrendered 12 unan-
swered points to Calgary in the
second quarter to allow them
to jump out to a 36–20 lead that
would turn into a 48–32 Dino
lead by halftime. “They came out
more like men and we came out
more like boys,” Hanson said of
his team’s poor play to open the
game.
Down by 12 points to start the
fourth quarter, Hanson brought
in, for the first time in the game,
speedy first-year guard Akeem
Pierre to help his team play a high-
pressure, full court defence in
order to try and create turnovers.
It paid dividends, as the T-Birds
managed a 17–4 run to tie the
game with 3:54 left to play after
being down by as many as 21. It
was thanks in part to a series of
three-pointers by Whyte, Dyck,
and Malish.
From that moment on to the
1:33 mark, the teams held each
other scoreless. That was until
Sihota (15 points, 11 rebounds)
drained a clutch jumper from the
elbow to put his team up 76-74
thanks to a vital offensive rebound
by teammate Henry Bekkering
(22 points) who assisted the play,
and whose brother and teammate
Ross Bekkering had 17 points and
14 rebounds.
With a 77-74 lead and 40
seconds remaining, Whyte (21
points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists) stole
the ball at mid-court from Dino
guard Andy Rachon and finished
the play with two points to cut the
Calgary lead to one.
But on the Dinos’ next posses-
sion, Sihota struck again. With the
shot clock winding down, he ob-
tained the ball at the top of the key
and nailed a fading three-pointer
to put his team up 80–76 for good.
“I kept telling the guys ‘We don’t
have to just hold on. Keep going
and playing hard,’ but I think our
guys did tighten up a little bit,”
said Calgary coach Dan Vanhoo-
ren. “Our expectation wasn’t to
come in here and get out to the
kind of lead we did. We expected
it to be quite a battle and UBC is
a great basketball team. We knew
they were going to come back. We
had that lead way too early and we
March 3, 2009 | Page 9
froze up a bit on offence down the
stretch. But it was nice to see us
loosen up and have Robbie hit that
big shot at the end.”
It wasn’t all negatives for the
Birds, though, as the hard-fought
battle allowed them to prove to
themselves that they could mount
furious comebacks in nervy situ-
ations. They failed from the free-
throw line however, making just
12 of 25 foul shots, which could
have made the difference between
victory and defeat.
“It’s a great time to be playing
our best basketball,” said Vanhoo-
ren. “Our turnovers are down and
we are passing the ball well and
shooting well. When we are doing
that, we are a really tough basket-
ball team, and we proved that to-
night. UBC is a great team and they
deserve to be ranked number two,
if not number one, in the nation,
and they are going to be a heck of a
team to deal with at nationals.”
“I thought we made a great
comeback,” said Hanson who,
after the game, was awarded the
Canada West Coach of the Year
Award. “The guys put so much
effort and energy into it. We did
run out of gas a little bit late in the
fourth there when we needed it
but these types of games are great
to go through. To show our guys
that we are able to come back in a
game like that was important.”
UBC and Calgary will be the
only two teams to represent Can-
ada West in the national champi-
onships, which begin March 13
at Carleton University. Dyck, one
of three T-Birds captains, finished
the game with 23 points, six re-
bounds and four assists and is
more than ready for the challenge
of the national championships.
“Taking a loss like this, we’re go-
ing to work hard and just get back
at it,” said Dyck. “We’re going to be
hungrier than ever.” U
10 | sports the ubyssey | www.ubyssey.ca march 3, 2009

Back 2 Back!
Agenda : Wednesday, March 4
1. Women’s Supplement
2. Colours Supplement
3. Staff restructuring vote
4. Kate’s fundraiser
5. Motivational staff meeting date
6. Mary Lynn seminar
7. Discuss where 6 went
8. Mary Lynn seminar
9. Ubyssey board election update

• Note: The meeting will start precisely at 12:05. Be there.

The women’s volleyball team competed in the CIS championships

this past weekend and won their second consecutive crown in
Fredericton, New Brunswick. Although finishing third in the Canada
West regular season, the Birds bounced back to claim the Canada
West championship and went on to beat Calgary at the CIS Cham-
pionship finals.

With pressure on their back and playing far away from home, the
Birds were initially not the top favourite in the tournament as they
were seeded second after Montreal. The Calgary Dinos had the mo-
mentum going into the final by beating Montreal in the semifinals,
but fell short in front of the defending champions. The final was
a hard fought match with a score of 25-20, 22-25, 29-27, 20-25,
15-9. The Birds have now established their position after suffering a
30-year drought prior to the crown they achieved last year.

photo courtesy of chris burgland

Canada dominant
in sledge hockey

The Sledge Hockey Cup was held from Feburary 24–March 1 in the
Thunderbird Arena at UBC. Team Canada prevailed 2–1 in a shoot-
out against the US in the finals. jon horn photos/the ubyssey
march 3, 2009 the ubyssey | www.ubyssey.ca advertisement | 11
OOpinion
Letters
If you’d like to submit a letter, please contact feedback@ubyssey.ca

Perspectives
March 3, 2009 | Page 12

Editor: Joe Rayment

IN RESPONSE TO SPHR’S ‘IS-

RAEL APARTHEID WEEK’:
One has to wonder what is going
through the minds of the UBC
Solidarity for Palestinian Hu-
man Rights’ (SPHR) executives
as they prepare to unveil another
inflammatory “Israel Apartheid
Week” from Mar. 2–6 2009 on
our beautiful campus.
Is the sole goal of SPHR to
blatantly offend and infuriate Is-
rael’s supporters at UBC, Jewish
and non-Jewish alike, by using
cheap propaganda tactics in an
attempt to equate democratic
Israel with a formerly repres-
sive and outdated South African
system? One need only ask one
of Israel’s estimated 127,000 citi-
zens of Ethiopian extraction such
as my friend and former Israel
Defence Forces comrade-in-arms
Mekonen Gevermadhin to dispel
this vicious lie of discrimination
existing in Israel any more than
in other democratic countries.
I am puzzled as to why SPHR
would dedicate a week of their
time to Israel-bashing, when they
could gain so much more support
for their cause (yes, even among
members of UBC’s Israel Aware-
ness Club) by portraying a mod-
erate, peace-focused, message. It
certainly would not hurt SPHR’s
image if they were to attempt to
transmit more positive aspects of
Arab culture to the larger campus
community instead of constantly
railing against Israel.
I understand that many UBC
students find it challenging to ac-
cept the representation of Arabs
as peace-loving people when im-
ages of PLO hijackings, Hamas
suicide bombings, Hezbollah
rocket attacks, and above all the
9/11 Saudi terrorist attacks that
brought down the twin towers in
New York, remain fresh in their
minds. But, why not give it a try?
Why continue to stoke the flames
of the fire?
I believe strongly that a week
hosted by SPHR dedicated to
Jewish-Arab co-existence in the
Middle East would have a far
greater effect on this campus
than the continued vilification
and demonization of the Jewish-
Zionist homeland which I whole-
heartedly support. U
—Freeman Poritz
History Honours 4
UBC Israel Awareness Club
Treasurer 2008-2009
Freeman Poritz served as an
infantry soldier and in the foreign
relations bureau of the Israel De-
fence Forces from 2004–2007
If you wish to to submit a letter
it must be no longer than 350
words. Your identity will be con-
firmed by phone or by ID from
the office. People may email us at
feedback@ubyssey.ca
Africa Awareness
unites diverse cultures
THE AFRICA AWARENESS
INITIATIVE’S RESPONSE TO
“CANADIAN LIFESTYLE IS NOT
FOR EVERYONE”
Canada is a multicultural country
that has embraced the peoples of
many nations. The diversity of
cultures within most Canadian
cities is one of the most colourful
in the world.
However, when many cultures
come together the hardest part
is finding the balance between
embracing their newfound
global solidarity and remaining
in-tune with their customs. The
Africa Awareness Initiative (AAI)
at UBC is one of the many clubs
that focus on bridging the gap
between two unique ways of life.
Students at UBC have found in
the Africa Awareness Initiative a
place that facilitates intelligent
discussion and understanding of
the relationship between African
culture and their own cultures.
The continued dedication of
AAI to increasing the positive
perception of Africa’s cultural,
economic and political state
among other things has largely
led to the implementation of
the African studies minor and
will hopefully be a key factor in
the establishment of the African
studies major.
It was on this basis that the
executive members of the Africa
Awareness initiative agreed to
an interview by a Ubyssey writer
in the hopes of highlighting their
goals and the plight of the Afri-
can student at UBC. However,
upon release, the article did not
convey what was meant during
the interview and consequently a
lot of misconceptions have been
formed about the focus of the Afri-
ca Awareness Initiative, its mem-
bers and the continent as a whole.
We hope to dispel those now.
The AAI team and its members
respect the position of The Ubys-
sey and have faith in the integrity
of the writer. We, however, dis-
pute the idea that the club believes
that “Canadian lifestyle is not for
everyone.” One of the main aims
of the club is to bring together peo-
ples of many distinctive cultures
and allow them to find common
ground in their passion for Africa.
There are differences be-
tween the “Canadian lifestyle”
and that of Africans, but these
differences are what make each
culture unique and none can be
undermined in favour of anoth-
er. Many African students can
attest to the warmth that they
have received within UBC and
the impact it has had on their
lives. The promotion of global
citizenship by UBC is fully em-
braced by the Africa Awareness
Initiative team and its mem-
bers, and has inspired them to
push for equal representation
of the African continent.
The continued dedication of
the AAI team to increasing the
knowledge of African economic
affairs, among other things,
has resulted in the African
Dream Launch, which was
held on February 26 at the Liu
Institute. The guest speaker
during the launch was Dzingai
Mutumbuka, who is the chair
of the Association of Develop-
ment of Education in Africa
and the former sector manager
of human development at the
World Bank. This was a won-
derful opportunity for all who
are interested in learning more
about African education poli-
cies based on African leader-
ship and developmental issues

“You...write...letter.”
in Africa.
“There are differences between the The dream of the Africa
‘Canadian lifestyle’ and that of Africans, Awareness Initiative is to pro-
mote inquiring, knowledge-
—last words of former letters editor but these differences are what make able and open-minded global
each culture unique and none can be citizens, and we hope that The
Ubyssey will embrace our hope
write a letter feedback@ubyssey.ca undermined in favour of another” for the future. U
march 3, 2009 the ubyssey | www.ubyssey.ca advertisement | 13
EEditorial
Bye-bye Wendland
If you’d like to submit a letter, please contact feedback@ubyssey.ca March 3, 2009 | Page 14

We have come to the following conclusion: pants are overrated.

At least, that’s what many of us were thinking following the
highly successful and PDAtastic No Pants Party held in the SUB
on Friday. It was spearheaded by the fun-loving Radical Beer
Faction, who have done a bang-up job in holding the occasional
party that helps to make this campus a fun place to be on a
Friday night. What they haven’t had as much success with is
changing the culture on campus that allows a hyperbolic slogan
like “War on Fun” to have some merit.
Changes could be coming though. For a number of years, the
officer who developed the worst rapport with students on cam-
pus was Constable Rob Worsley, who never met an exuberant
party he didn’t want to end. But last semester, he was granted
a requested transfer out of UBC. We’ve been told the reason
was that he felt he had lost the trust of students on campus to
effectively do his job. His replacement, Charlotte Peters, has,
by all accounts, been a significant improvement.
But a far greater, and potentially far more important de-
velopment is currently underway. Staff Sgt. Dan Wendland
is set to be transferred out of UBC later this year. Who’s that
99.8 per cent of you ask? Well, he was the first officer of his
rank to come to UBC in 2005. He revamped the rules around
granting special occasion licenses on campus (ie: passes to
serve liquor), and has strictly, and we mean strictly, enforced
them. Many in the know point to his Javertesque devotion to
the law as the reason that scores of faculty and club events
have been cancelled or significantly curtailed in recent years.
In an interview with The Tyee, he disparaged the events held to
raise culture and raise funds for clubs as “weekly beer gardens, by Trevor Melanson
daily beer gardens, drunkfests, whatever [students] want to call

Letters
them,” and have said students “don’t own this place out here.”
So yeah, he’s sort of a big deal. And his departure creates a gi-
ant opportunity to re-open fundamental debates about the role
of the RCMP, with the RCMP.
Now obviously, a new staff sergeant does not make a resolu- Dear fellow Koreans, THE UBYSSEY PRESENTS: the soil. These will confuse the
tion to the War on Fun. It doesn’t change the simple fact that INTERNET WOES detector, giving constant false
there are way too few officers policing this campus, and that Shut the fuck up. positives. This was the initial
the Vancouver Police Force is much better suited than the I don’t want to hear For those of you that have not reason for switching over our
RCMP to deal with this area. But it’s a start. So, while we’d like how you’d love to tap noticed, there has been no new servers, at least according to
to wish Sgt. Wendland the best in his future endeavours, we’d that white chick’s ass, content put on our website for our webmaster, who knows a
also hope that the AMS and the UBC administration take steps ride her on her all fours, quite some time now. This is lot more about this sort of thing
to work with his replacement in ensuring that the RCMP aren’t, make a white horse due to issues that we are having then the rest of us. Hell, as far as
in Stephen Toope’s words, “purveyors of prohibition.” And out of her. while switching servers. Now, we know, it’s magic.
even if you waited until you were out of the SUB and in your we know that we have been So, hopefully we will find the
bed before you took your pants off Friday, isn’t that something Nor do I want to see how promising new web content ev- source of the leak soon and stop
we can all agree on? U you revel in the fact ery day, and it’s been made—but it up with large amounts of sili-
she is ordering her not posted. Our webmaster tells cone and excess internet com-
fried rice and veggies us that it’s because the tubes are ments. Then the natural flow will
Rules are meant to be questioned unaware of foreign
degradation,
broken and leaking somewhere
in the dry Texas desert. We’ve
be restored and you can read
great Ubyssey content with only
Do you know why laws and rules exist? They exist for us. They standing just a meter away been keeping in contact with minor interruptions, usually
exist to make our lives better. They exist so I can’t go outside from you—hardly him through satellite phone as from our own pipe trolls. We’re
and start fights in the street, because we have decided that far enough. he traverses that rugged terrain looking at you, Clayton Burns.
we’d rather not have to fight someone just to get to work. They —Minwook Bae with a very super-duper leak
exist so that companies can’t dump toxic waste into the water English 3 detection device made especially Love,
supply to preserve their bottom line (Hi Erin Brockovich!), for finding excess Internet de- The Ubyssey
because we’ve decided that it’s more important for us to have If you wish to to submit a letter posits in typically dry areas, such
water that isn’t poisonous than for a company to save a few it must be no longer than 350 as Texas.
bucks. They exist so you can cross the street without getting words. Your identity will be con- The device doesn’t work so
run over by an oncoming semi, because we’ve decided that we firmed by phone or by ID from well in wet climates, as the Inter-
want to cross the street without being hit by traffic. Laws pro- the office. People may email us at net will dissociate in water, leav-
tect society as we know it where morality falls short. feedback@ubyssey.ca ing porn and LOLcat deposits in
Rules start to lose their value when people follow them blind-
ly simply because they are the rules. They are meant to serve
a greater good. The minute they no longer fulfill that function,
it is justified and proper to freely ignore that rule. Rules serve
the people, people do not serve the rules. In other words, let’s
Streeters
say we want to break a rule. Ask the question: would break-
ing this rule cause any harm (harm defined as negative or
Do you use vitamin supplements?
unwanted consequences)? If the answer is no, then feel free to
throw that rule out the window.
A good example for this is that jaywalking (i.e. crossing the
street anywhere other than a crosswalk) is against the rules.
Why is it against the rules? Because we decided that pedestrian
safety is a good thing. And we at The Ubyssey agree that a rule
against jaywalking is a good rule. However, if there is no traf-
fic, then it is perfectly fine to ignore that rule and cross the
street.
In fact, if we blindly follow the rules, more harm may come
than good, as we will not be evaluating our actions. We live in a
democratic society where debate on laws is technically public— Alek Hrycailco Alex Stevens Ammar Bakhurji Brian Wong Caitlin MacDonell
constant thought about the effectiveness of a law is necessary. BASC 1 Science 3 Engineering 1 Science 2 Commerce 3
This applies on campus as well. It is your right to question
“I take calcium, a “Nope, not re- “We need “Yes, definitely “No...I prob-
whether a rule works anymore, and, more importantly, respect-
couple forms of ally. I don’t take vitamins every supplements for ably should
fully disobey it. U
vitamin D—other them at all... day in our lives, sure...I take lots take calcium...I
than that I don’t They’re expen- and sometimes of supplements: haven’t really

This day in Ubyssey history generally take

them personally.
sive, and so far
I’m doing good
we don’t get
vitamins due
vitamin pills, fish
oil pills, anti-in-
looked into it,
but I feel like my
I do think they without them.” to our studies. flammatory, liver diet is sufficient
March 3, 1992 are a good idea
though for the
We don’t have
time to cook, we
pills...vitamin
supplements are
for my vitamin
needs.”
AMS orders EUS to pay $15,000 because average person.” don’t have time
to eat.”
key because you
can’t get all the
of a racist, sexist, and homophobic EUS- nutrients from
regular food.”
lettre published in 1990. —Coordinated by Tara Martellaro & Alicia Woodside
march 3, 2009 the ubyssey | www.ubyssey.ca games & a poem | 15

A POEM FOR A CHANGE: AE CONSUMMATION

Seldom do I finish what I start,
Books, literature, associations, and Eros, all in part,
Crossword by Kyrstin Bain
Fortitude, astuteness, and forbearance I lack, ACROSS
All that and desire, passion, and regret, courtesy of you, now I pack. 1. The “Australian drop-bear”
6. Type of tea
That inveigling smile which shall remain ensconced forever, 10. Herring-like fish
Spouting a perennial fountain of tranquility, prurience, and pleasure, 14. A venomous snake
Relying on the incandescence of that beam when a journey I embark, 15. Surrealist Salvador
Thy will steer me through intricacies when outlook is dark, 16. Designer Chanel
Your eyes, mammaries, and glowing beauty all mesmerize; 17. Alias
That initial rainy night shall remain a life-long gratifying surprise. 19. Still mooing
20. High school subject, similar to
Hand in hand we strolled momentarily, Chem or Econ
Brimming with lust, frolicked boisterously, 21. Underwater shocker
He clutched onto you with his firm embrace; 22. One who gets a goal
Nourishing his soul, you absorbed him with grace, 24. Consult
Barring that, he is abyssal in his approbation and regard for she, 26. Sheet of paper
For the inspiration and ingenuity bequeathed on the anarchist he. 27. Provoke
29. Furniture that lines the wall
With ardor and resolve, I will pledge to commit this: 33. Perfect score on a scale of attrac-
Compose much more of such for you, beauteous bliss, tiveness
O Heather, don’t be unsettled by my fervor and expansive hold, 34. “Do you see what I’m trying to __
Cherish, stay firm, and deliberate, for your name implies bold. __?”
36. Part of the animal or fruit that is
For once, I will finish what I start, eaten
Books, literature, associations, and Eros, all part by part. 37. Jason’s ship
—Sulman Umar 39. The 1852 publisher of the Thesau-
rus of English Words and Phrases
41. Not here
42. A small island
44. An eagleís nest
46. American icon, with 66a
47. Captain Malcolm __, of Firefly
49. Sultan’s abode
51. “Well, I guess...”
52. A wooden prop
53. Tumbler
56. Opposite of WSW
57. Examine these 56. Sicilian volcano
60. Margarine 13. Perhaps the opposite of 6d 58. Buy and __
61. Conclusive argument 18. Eye slang 59. Basketball three-pointer
64. Highly excited 23. Baby elephant 62. Shakespeare’s before
65. White-tailed Eagle 25. Stale air, slang 63. To slander, or throw __
66. American icon, with 46a 26. By and by
67. A lot 27. Step FRIDAY’S ANSWERS
68. Raise 28. Laconic
69. Lacy potholder 29. “The __ of sin”
30. Journalism wire service
DOWN 31. Abraham’s son, of Genesis
1. German philosopher of the Critique 32. Homonymic herb
of Pure Reason 35. Lackey
2. Smell 38. The art of wine making
3. Appreciatively 40. A waitress’s favourite patron
4. Account book 43. “Puff the dragon”
5. I am, we __ 45. Piece of corn
6. Time waster 48. Pantry
7. To be “born in the __” 50. Someone from South or Central
8. Tree from certain Plath poem American, maybe
9. Type of vehicle that burns heavy oil 52. Scornful smile
10. “King’s Evil” disease 53. Soapy froth
11. Dramatic frost 54. One __, two algae
12. Winnie’s wood had a hundred of 55. Philosopher __ Trotsky

Looking to scare yourself this Friday the 13th? Come to the Black Box Theatre, party
with The Ubyssey and be frightened at how much our editors can drink...
16 | advertisement the ubyssey | www.ubyssey.ca march 3, 2009