November 14, 2011

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Three out of eleven SINCE 1918 November 14, 2011 | VOL. XCIII ISS. XXI U THE UBYSSEY CIRS OPENS P4 PLAYERS SURGE FORWARD P5 MIKE JOHNSTON SLAMS P5 REMEMBER UBC pays tribute to its fallen soldiers P6 NEXT YEAR Thunderbirds lose 62-13 in Calgary ending their best season since 1999 P8

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The most recent issue of The Ubyssey

Transcript of November 14, 2011

  • Three out of eleven SINCE 1918 November 14, 2011 | VOL. XCIII ISS. XXI

    UTHE UBYSSEY

    CIRSOPENS

    P4

    PLAYERS SURGEFORWARD

    P5

    MIKEJOHNSTONSLAMS

    P5

    REMEMBERUBC pays tribute to

    its fallen soldiers

    P6

    NEXT YEARThunderbirds lose 62-13 in Calgary ending their best season since 1999 P8

  • 2 | Page 2 | 11.14.2011

    UThe Ubyssey is the official stu-dent newspaper of the University of British Columbia. It is published ev-ery Monday and Thursday by The Ubyssey Publications Society. We are an autonomous, democratically run student organization, and all stu-dents are encouraged to participate. Editorials are chosen and written by the Ubyssey staff. They are the expressed opinion of the staff, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Ubyssey Publications Society or the University of British Colum-bia. All editorial content appearing in The Ubyssey is the property of The Ubyssey Publications Society. Stories, opinions, photographs and artwork contained herein cannot be reproduced without the expressed, written permission of The Ubyssey Publications Society.The Ubyssey is a founding mem-ber of Canadian University Press (CUP) and adheres to CUPs guid-ing principles.Letters to the editor must be un-der 300 words. Please include your phone number, student number and signature (not for publication) as well as your year and faculty with all sub-missions. ID will be checked when submissions are dropped off at the editorial office of The Ubyssey; oth-erwise verification will be done by phone. The Ubyssey reserves the right to edit submissions for length and clarity. All letters must be re-ceived by 12 noon the day before intended publication. Letters re-ceived after this point will be pub-lished in the following issue unless there is an urgent time restriction or other matter deemed relevant by the Ubyssey staff.It is agreed by all persons plac-ing display or classified advertising that if the Ubyssey Publications Soci-ety fails to publish an advertisement or if an error in the ad occurs the lia-bility of the UPS will not be greater than the price paid for the ad. The UPS shall not be responsible for slight changes or typographical er-rors that do not lessen the value or the impact of the ad.EDITORIALCoordinating Editor Justin [email protected]

    Managing Editor, PrintJonny [email protected]

    Managing Editor, WebArshy [email protected]

    News EditorsKalyeena Makortoff & Micki [email protected]

    Art DirectorGeoff [email protected]

    Culture EditorGinny [email protected]

    Senior Culture WritersTaylor Loren & Will [email protected]@ubyssey.ca

    Sports Editor Drake [email protected]

    Features EditorBrian [email protected]

    Copy EditorKarina [email protected]

    Video EditorDavid [email protected]

    Senior Web WriterAndrew [email protected]

    Graphics AssistantIndiana [email protected]

    WebmasterJeff [email protected]

    BUSINESSBusiness ManagerFernie [email protected]

    Ad SalesBen [email protected]

    CONTACT

    Business Office: Room 23Editorial Office: Room 24Student Union Building6138 Student Union BlvdVancouver, BC V6T 1Z1tel: 604.822.2301web: [email protected]

    Print Advertising: 604.822.1654 Business Office: [email protected]

    THE UBYSSEY November 14, 2011, Volume XCIII, Issue XX

    LEGAL

    STAFFAndrew Hood, Bryce Warnes, Catherine Guan, David Elop, Jon Chiang, Josh Curran, Will McDonald, Tara Martellaro, Virginie Menard, Scott MacDonald, Anna Zoria, Peter Wojnar, Tanner Bokor, Dominic Lai, Mark-Andre Gessaroli, Natalya Kautz, Kai Jacobson

    Asher IshbruckerContributor

    Its hard to describe Dr Wayne Maddisons career in only a few words. Just a little back-ground research on Maddison came up with a daunting list of accomplishmentsa list that includes a PhD from Harvard University and his current posi-tion as Canada Research Chair in Biodiversity, along with UBC professor and director of the Beaty Biodiversity Museum.

    His CV may be awe-inspiring, but his true fascination lies with one small creature: the jumping spider.

    When I was 13 I found a spider that I just got entranced with, Maddison recalled. The initial spark of his passion came from a youthful curiosity about wildlife and the outdoors. This jumping spider just looked up at me, and there was almost a sense of empathy there.

    His long-lasting fascination

    with jumping spiders has led him many places, from elite univer-sities to tropical rainforests in Gabon, the Dominican Republic, and most recently Ecuador in the fall of 2010. It was in Ecuador that he made one of his most no-table discoveries.

    The Ecuadorian trip of last fall was really special, he said. We found this amazing jumping spider [in a cloud forest west of the Andes] I was just so excited. I knew within about two or three seconds after I saw it that it was something completely new.

    Maddison described the mo-ment he found the new species. You see this [jumping spider], and you realize theres a whole world here that we can explore, and its opened up to you just like that. That feeling goes through you in five seconds. Suddenly your world has changed.

    Upon further DNA research, it was confirmed that the little guy was a new species, and like all new discoveries, it needed

    a name. Maddison and his col-leagues decided to hold a nam-ing contest for the new species, which was under the genus Lapsias. They asked people around the nation for a name for the spider.

    We pointed out [in our con-test] that the face of this spider was unusual in that on the top part of its jaws there were a couple of little yellow bands of hairs. So the name that ended up showing up was Lorax, so the name of the new species will be Lapsias lorax. The Lorax is Dr Seusss environmentalist char-acter who spoke for the trees, so not only is there a resemblance, but it really fits the museums message.

    As director of the Beaty Biodiversity Museum, Maddison enthusiastically noted that students and faculty can access the museum for free and get a firsthand look at organisms from a blue whale to jumping spiders. Now thats biodiversity. U

    Wayne Maddisons spider love

    Our Campus One on one with the people who make UBC

    Wayne Maddison, director of the Beaty Biodiversity Museum, and the moustachioed little guy he discovered in Ecuador. CHRIS BORCHET/THE UBYSSEY

    Got an event youd like to see on this page? Send your event and your best pitch to [email protected].

    Whats on This week, may we suggest...KUNG FU >>

    TUE15 OCCUPY >>

    TALKS >>

    FRI18

    YOGA >>

    NOMS >>

    Kung Fu class: 4:30pm @ the SUBWant to get fit and learn how to kick some ass? The UBC Kung Fu Association is holding a free class for beginners. The club also organizes nu-merous social activites for its members. More info at ubckungfu.blogspot.

    Flow yoga: 3pm @ the SUB$2 yoga! For less than a bucket of fries you can get stretched out and calmed down between classes. Membership for the UBC Yoga Club costs $7 for students, and a limited number of mats are provided.

    Occupy what? An open discus-sion: 4:30pm @ the Global LoungeItching to make your thoughts heard on the Occupy move-ment? The Global Lounge is host-ing a civil forum to discuss the past weeks events.

    Student group Organizing Support for Charity is selling gingerbread men and candy apples to raise money for the Harvest Project. Stop by for some seasonal noms.

    MON14

    THU17

    WED16Bill McKibben: Notes on the climate fight: 12:30pm @ the Chan CentreMcKibben has been dubbed the worlds best green journalist by Time magazine. In this Terry Talk, McKibben will discuss climate change and global inequality.

    Gingerbread man decorating & candy apples: 10am-5pm @ SUB Concourse

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  • NewsEditors: Kalyeena Makortoff & Micki Cowan

    11.14.2011 | 3

    Micki CowanNews Editor

    On November 3, UBC opened its most sustainable buildinga project 11 years in the making. But what makes the Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS) especially unique is that it also happens to be the most sustainable building in North America.

    The general idea of a lot of the sustainability agenda has been about doing less damage, being less bad, cutting back, said John Robinson, director of the CIRS.

    Were interested in a slightly different approach we call regen-erative sustainability. Can human activity actually make the environ-ment betternot just less damaged but actually betterand human life better as well?

    Renowned biologist and envi-ronmentalist David Suzuki kicked off the CIRS opening as the key-note speaker for the associated conference, Celebrating CIRS: Accelerating Sustainability.

    In his presentation, Suzuki focused on the effects of climate change, as well as Canadian politics.

    The impact of climate change is going to become more severe from year to year. Economists discount the cost of climate change on sub-sequent generations. They discount the future generations, said Suzuki.

    Youre only one person but you can amplify your impact if you get involved.

    Suzukis presentation spoke to the nature of the CIRS building, encouraging change to happen now. Robinson explained that the CIRS is net-positive on a number of fronts, which means the building actually improvesrather than harmsits surroundings.

    Were completely dependent on rainwater; theres no water supply from the city and its all treated on site, said Robinson about the CIRS.

    We have full sewage treatment inside the building, and what that means is the water leaving the building after we use itits been through everything including the toiletsits cleaner than the water landing on the roof.

    Aside from the rainwater system, the CIRS uses heat produced by the earth and ocean sciences building next door to heat both bulidings.

    Sustainability is not a building-scale phenomenon. Dont try and

    do everything within the walls of your building, said Robinson. Its a neighbourhood phenomenon. Look for opportunities to interact with your neighbours to make even big-ger savings.

    Pani Pajouhesh, a third-year geography student majoring in envi-ronment and sustainability, was in-volved with the conference through her work-study at the University Sustainability Initiative.

    I hope to pursue sustainable architecture in the future, so it was great to see how different companies and organizations are tackling climate change in terms

    of architecture and buildings, and how to change to a regenerative community, said Pajouhesh about one session she attended, entitled From Regenerative Buildings to Regenerative Communities.

    Robinson said CIRS is not the fi-nal project for sustainability at UBC.

    CIRS is intended to be a living lab, so the idea is well be continu-ously studying and improving it over its lifetime, he said.

    On the other hand, I would like CIRS to be the worst performing building on campus [in the future], in the sense that every new building should be better. U

    Occupy movement comes to UBC

    A new group called Occupy UBC has started meeting on campus in an attempt to create a campus group in solidarity with the Occupy movements in cities across the globe.

    According to a tweet sent out by the @OccupyUBC Twitter account Tuesday afternoon, the group hopes to use our academic perspective to bring attention to facts regarding social, economic and environmental injustice.

    Organizers have been holding dai-ly 4pm meetings since November 7 in the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre and the SUB. They also have a Facebook account.

    UBC Library digitizes newspaper history

    UBC Librarys Digital Initiatives unit has digitized more than 45,000 pages of BC newspaper history dat-ing from 1865 to 1924.

    Papers including the Abbotsford Post and the Phoenix Pioneer are now available to the public for free through the UBC Library website in their online archives section, either as JPEGs or PDFs.

    UBC Librarys digital collection of British Columbia newspapers makes the exciting history of the provinces early development readily available to a wide reading public, said Bob McDonald, an as-sociate professor in UBCs depart-ment of history.

    UBC professor attended G20 in France

    UBC political science professor Yves Tiberghien was selected to join the worlds financial leaders at the G20 Summit held in Cannes, France in early November. Tiberghien, a lead-ing expert in international political economics, listened and comment-ed after the conference on the Canadian economy, the exclusivity of the G20 itself, and the European debt crisis.

    Tiberghien will be holding a debriefing event on the G20 called The G20s Critical Juncture: Asian Roles and the Balance of Power in Cannes: Report from Our Special Envoy on November 28 from 121:30pm at the CK Choi Building.

    Wood fuel expected to trump corn ethanol, says UBC study

    A recent UBC study suggests that fuel made from wood could become a competitive commercial alternative to corn ethanol fuels by 2020.

    Researchers in the Faculty of Forestry found that wood based ethanol, also known as cellu-losic ethanol, is a more viable and capital-friendly alternative than corn ethanol.

    As industrial production increas-es, cellulosic ethanol is likely to be-come more competitive with corn ethanol for a share of the renewable fuels market, said Jamie Stephen, a PhD candidate at UBC and head author of the study. U

    Ana KomnenicContributor

    Students wandering down University Boulevard will have to keep their head up in the near future; UBC is opening the area up to car traffic.

    Joe Stott, director of plan-ning for Campus & Community Planning, explained that renova-tions to the University Boulevard are part of UBCs Neighbourhood Plan, adopted in 2003. Stott said the university is merely changing the temporary ban on cars on the boulevard, which runs in front of the Mahony and Sons pub.

    We still have people who come to our campus by car and we still run parkades on campus and in this case because its the front door to campus, its the gateway to the aca-demic campus, he said.

    Stott also said that the road will be opened to increased trolley bus services.

    But one UBC student, Kevin Chan, fears that as the road opens to cars and buses, inexperienced cyclists might find the route too daunting to usea route which he considers to be one of the main en-trances to campus for cyclists.

    [It] doesnt start where cyclists are coming from so when youre coming from pedestrian campus, theres a good section where theres no bike lane, said Chan. It makes it uncomfortable for [cyclists] who arent as confident.

    Chan also believes that the lanes are simply too narrow to accom-modate cyclists, cars and buses.

    The issue here is that this is a much narrower street than, say, Wesbrook. Youre really squeez-ing buses and bikes and cars into a fairly small space, he said.

    But Stott said the board has a share the road policy, and that opening up the road for traffic is necessary. In some parts of the campus, bike lanes are shared with vehicular traffic. The idea is to make it safer and better. U

    AMS too broke to pay for UBC Ombudsperson Office for Students

    David Suzuki was the keynote speaker for the associated conference following the opening of the CIRS building.KAI JACOBSON/THE UBYSSEY

    News briefs

    CIRS paves the way for green campus University Boulevard to open to cars and buses

    WeiJia QinContributor

    This year UBCs Ombudsperson Office may not be receiving funding from the AMS, despite a previous verbal agreement. But now the stu-dent union is worried that without their financial contribution, the or-ganization will be too closely linked to the university.

    The AMS has advised the uni-versity that they do not have the funds to provide the transfer that was expected this year, said Janet

    Teasdale, senior director of Student Development and Services.

    The Ombuds Office was created in 2009 in partnership between the AMS, the Graduate Student Society and the university, and the costs of running the office have previously been shared between the three or-ganizations. Last year the AMS con-tributed $42,000. Despite the current inability to provide funds, the AMS wants to keep the Ombuds service at arms length from the university.

    We get a seat on the oversight committee, and we dont want just

    UBC paying. The Ombuds Office is supposed to be a neutral space where people can bring any issues they may have and be treated in a fair and unbiased manner, AMS President Justin McElroy said.

    Teasdale and UBC President Stephen Toope have met with the AMS to negotiate their partner-ship on behalf of UBC students, but Teasdale doesnt expect the office to face financial difficulty without AMS funding.

    Regarding the service in its en-tirety, McElroy emphasized that it

    is important that the Ombuds Office be funded, even if it means funding independent of the AMS.

    Since its inception, the office has grown from a single person staff to multiple staff members. UBC om-budsperson Shirley Nakata said that services provided by the Ombuds Office range from investigating stu-dent complaints to facilitating con-ferences that lead to student service excellence.

    We definitely do not want to see a reduction in these services, McElroy said.

    The AMS plans to take Ombuds funding to referendum next January, which coincides with executive elec-tions, according to meeting minutes. The plan is to ask for a $1.25 or $1.50 increase in the AMS fee to go specifi-cally to the Ombuds. If the fee does not pass in January, McElroy said it might be added to the U-Pass refer-endum in October 2012.

    This would mean that at least a portion of the office costs are paid by students, to ensure that there is still that accountability to students, said McElroy. U

    JOSH CURRAN/THE UBYSSEY

    SUSTAINABILITY >>

    AMS >>

    DEVELOPMENT >>

  • 4 | News | 11.14.2011

    Malcolm BaileyContributor

    At UBC, students continue to make club proposals. But due to its limited accounting system, the AMS only has room for less than 15 student clubs before they hit capacity.

    The student unions current accounting system is limited to 999 accounts, 400 of which are reserved for AMS clubsand with more than 360 clubs already in ex-istence, the Student Administrative Commission (SAC) must be se-lective when considering club proposals.

    But space is being made by decon-stituting old or inactive clubs. Once cancelled by the AMS, the club ac-count is frozen but can be reactivat-ed after a year.

    According to AMS President Jeremy McElroy, its simply a mat-ter of looking for active clubs that havent been using their bank accounts.

    SAC Vice Chair Alannah Johnson said that they do make sure to contact the clubs, but with-out a reply, the club gets added to a list for mass deconstitution.

    This years list of cancelled clubs have included The Canadian Afghanistan Partnership Club, UBC Green Party, Its Always Sunny in UBC, UBC Motorcycling Club, Roots and Shoots, and the UBC Post-Secret Club.

    An overhaul and update of the AMS accounting systemwhich would ultimately make room for more student clubswould cost $20,00040,000, said Johnson.

    Itd be a nightmare. Wed have to retrain the whole staff, she said.

    The AMS accounting system is not the only hindrance to UBC

    clubs. The student union building, established in 1968, was construct-ed at a time when UBC was much smaller, with less businesses and clubs to accommodate. Presently, the building provides barely enough space for the schools in-creased size.

    Brooke Shaughnessy, social coordinator for the Ski and Board Club, said booking prime locations in the SUB can come down to en-durance and competition.

    One day every year, booking starts at five in the morning, she said. Some people even sleep in the SUB just to get a spot in linewe always send our first year rep to do it.

    The restrictions on booking spaces will be diminished with the construction of the new SUB, which McElroy said will accomo-date more club spaces.

    However, it doesnt look hopeful that the AMS will be overhauling their accounts to make room for clubs anytime soon.

    The number of new clubs con-stituted every year is quite small, so we are not too concerned that this will become a big issue before we move into the new SUB, McElroy explained.

    We feel that with more than 360 clubs right now, all of the club office and lockers accounted for, and our already overworked administrative staff, that any significant increase in the number of clubs is next to impossible, said McElroy.

    We are confident that we can find enough room in the current system for most clubs that might come up along the way, but we are not in a position, financially or otherwise, to radically overhaul the system right now. U

    Too many clubs on campusAMS tries to move out the old to bring in the new

    Andrew BatesSenior Web Writer

    The BC government has launched a new tool that predicts career de-mand, but it may not be very useful for UBC students, many of whom are pursuing broad-based degrees.

    BCs Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation launched the Job Trend Tracker website this October. The site uses the data from the ministrys ten-year Labour Market Outlook document to create a num-ber of charts and graphs to help people gauge employment demand.

    This model is a complex system that incorporates regional macro-economic and regional occupational models, Carolyn Heiman, commu-nication manager for the Ministry of Jobs, said in an email to The Ubyssey.

    According to UBC economics professor Thomas Lemieux, despite the provinces work, its always go-ing to be tricky to make long term predictions.

    That tends to work reasonably well for the short term...But once you start looking at projection in five, ten years from now, then its a bit of a crystal ball. We dont know what could happen at any time.

    The data currently projects one million job openings by 2020, two thirds of which will be to replace retiring workers, according to the ministry.

    Of the openings, 61 per cent will require some post-secondary edu-cation, and the government pre-dicts that by 2016, well need more workers than are available.

    Lemieux explained that pro-jecting the labour market is mostly based on examinations of the past.

    By and large, what they tend to do is just look at prior trends over a couple of years, said Lemieux. For example, the health sector is grow-ing because of all the baby boomers that need medical treatment. So you

    predict that its going to be a sector in demand.

    According to Job Trend Tracker, sector growth is expected for car-penters, cabinetmakers, construc-tion and transportation managers, spiking in 2011 and remaining high through the decade.

    The numbers also consider ma-jor provincial projects and labour demand for them, said Heiman.

    However, Lemieux said that theres a lot of uncertain-ty, especially for the trades. Constructions a very volatile sector. When you have booms and bust, it tends to be very much af-fected by that, compared to other sectors.

    According to Andrew Merida of UBCs Enrolment Services, the fluctuations in specific careers doesnt tend to affect UBC enrol-ment, as the universitys programs tend to be too broad.

    Its not like BCIT, for example, where programs are very closely tied to certain industries, Merida said. Graduates from UBC with degrees in Arts, Science, even professional programs like the Commerce program, could end up in lots and lots of different areas.

    The larger movement of the market doesnt tend to affect UBC either, said Merida. I know that other BC institutions have said that they see demand increase as the economy is not as strong, as more people want to go back to school and increase their skills, he said.

    Demand at UBC is always very high, so its not something that would register here as much as it would register in other places.

    Lemieux sees this as a difficulty for career-specific statistics like the Job Trend Tracker.

    These things are going to be a little less useful for your typical UBC student, he said. Thats the advantage of university education; you have kind of broader skills. U

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    2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

    University Professors

    Managers in Construction and TransportationSales, Marketing and advertising managers

    Policy and Program Ocers

    Banking, Insurance and other nancial clerks

    Nurse supervisors and Registered nurses

    Community and social service workers

    The AMS is deconstituting inactive clubs to make room for more.

    The graph shows which occupations there is a growing need for.

    INDIANA JOELTHE UBYSSEY

    GEOFF LISTER/THE UBYSSEY

    JOBS >>CLUBS >>

    Job Trend Tracker predicts career demand

  • CultureEditor: Ginny Monaco

    11.14.2011 | 5

    Alanna MackenzieContributor

    On November 4, visitors to the Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery were treated to more than visual art. The Contemporary Players, an ensemble of musicians from the UBC School of Music, per-formed several pieces by local and international composers in a free event open to the public.

    According to concert direc-tor Paolo Bortolussi, the venue seemed a perfect match for the Contemporary Players ensemble. The Belkin space is a very rever-berant, open space that lends itself well to music, he said.

    Musicology professor David Metzer agreed, noting that the proximity of the School of Music to the gallery strengthens the rela-tionship between the two institu-tions, which was initiated several years ago by Shelley Rosenblum, curator of Academic Programs at the Gallery. Both institutions are strongly committed to new work, so it made perfect sense that the school would put on concerts at the gallery, Metzer added.

    The setting of the concert wasnt its only innovative aspect; the first piece of music was unconventional, with the musicians positioned around the gallery rather than

    arranged in front of the audience. The result was music hitting the au-dience from all directions, playfully mimicking the visual art surround-ing them, which was an exhibit of 20th century artist Luis Camnitzer.

    Local Vancouverite Jordan Nobles, co-founder and artistic director of the Redshift Music Society, composed this piece three years ago for a variable instrumen-tal ensemble. As Nobles explained to the audience, the piece involved the creative contributions of the musicians themselves, who were free to choose from various melo-dies to play alongside the main one.

    The next three pieces were equally riveting. From Nourlangie, by Australias lead-ing classical composer Peter Sculthorpe, vividly evoked the composers reaction to Australias wild coastline. The next piece, Skitter, was a subtle combi-nation of harp, flute and viola by Canadian composer Sydney Hodkinson.

    The concert ended with Jesus is Coming by Jacob Ter Veldhuis, who is, according to Metzer, an exciting young Dutch composer. The piece integrated an eclectic mix of recorded human voicesin-cluding incoherent baby noises and an evangelist preaching Jesuss second coming in New Yorkwith

    a saxophone quartet performed by the UBC ensemble, MASQ.

    Written in the aftermath of 9/11, the piece reflected a mood of anxiety and projected apocalyptic visions of the future. The result was the stretching of audience expec-tations and an invitation to step outside of comfort zones.

    The concert reflected the man-date of both the Contemporary Players and the Belkin Gallery: ac-cording to Bortolussi, to promote beautiful, thought-provoking, chal-lenging works of art, and to demon-strate the variety of incredible work being created by composers and art-ists locally and around the world. U

    Catherine GuanContributor

    UBC Slam is bringing spoken word poetry back to campus.

    With weekly workshops, month-ly slams and open mics, the stu-dent group aims to create a space where a community of students who are interested in writing, performing or just listening to poetry can meet and learn from each other.

    Slams are competitive poetry events in which poets perform original works in front of an audi-ence. The competitions are judged by the audience, and pretty much anything goes. The only rules are that poets cannot use props, cos-tumes or musical accompaniment. Nudity is also disallowed.

    Mike Johnston and Alberto Cristoffanini, the current co-presi-dents of UBC Slam, share the view that the competitions are not really meant to be taken seriously.

    The motto of the poetry slam scene is the point is not the point; the point is the poetry, said Cristoffanini. Its discrediting the very competition of itits sort of a gimmick, almost, for getting people to watch poetry.

    Its a really fun scene, agreed Johnston. On the whole, the audi-ence is there for a good time, and I think the poets are as well.

    According to Cristoffanini, poetry slams are more about the experi-ence than competition. Anybody can approach this thing, and its unfortunate that a lot of people have this stereotype of the slam or

    spoken word poetry as this medium only for repressed voices and ethnic groups, he said. The beauty of it is that everybody can go up and speak. Its democracy and acceptance of everybody.

    However, Cristoffanini also feels that its this inclusivity that runs against the grain of academic proce-dure, which in part explains the ne-glect of slam within literature studies.

    A huge part of the academic com-munity feels that its not literature[but] this is a place where poetry is alive, and that rejection of such a powerful medium and not even taking it into consideration is just a waste.

    We hope to spread, partly through the creation of UBC Slam it-self, the acknowledgement of poetry slam and spoken word in academia.

    Relationships to academia and the community are already being culti-vated at UBC Slam. There are plans for a student-led seminar on spoken word poetry and a collaboration next term with The Passion Project that will involve UBC Slam poets going to schools and running poetry events with kids.

    Johnston and Cristoffanini also plan on having their poets par-ticipate in collegiate and university slams as the UBC Slam community grows. I think weve achieved the skeleton of a community, said Johnston.

    We would like to see our com-munity grow, but for the moment we are very happy with the people who are coming out, and theres lots of enthusiasm and lots of funreally nice, beautiful people. U

    UBC Slam brings poetic beats to campus

    Catherine GuanContributor

    The makers of Grape-Nuts, Honey Bunches of Oats and Frosted Alpha-Bits are offering something too zany for the breakfast table. With The First 15, a new music grant program, your first 15 min-utes of fame could soon be brought to you by Post Foods.

    Its a cool initiative, explained Jay Manara, a UBC alumnus ac-tive in the Canadian music scene. The focus is on art and music and putting together a grant opportu-nity for artists to get a little bit of funding, to launch their career and be placed on a platform to market them, for artists to engage with other artists and to engage with listeners.

    A singer-songwriter with the Toronto-based crunksters Broken Sons, Manara knows all too well that programs supporting young independent artists dont come by often. Im not a spokesperson by any means. Im just a guy in the Canadian music scene trying to get the word out to other musicians.

    What made Post Foods venture beyond the cereal aisle? According to Manara, The artist iSH and his song, Cant Get Enough, that was kind of the starting point on how Post Foods got interested in getting involved with music.

    The song samples from the clas-sic 1960s Sugar Crisp jingle, Cant get enough of that Sugar Crisp... Instead of a record label, iSH de-cided to approach the cereal com-pany. Post Foods happily complied.

    After helping iSH reach his first 15 minutes of fame, the cereal com-pany decided to help other emerg-ing artists looking for the same big break.

    The hunt for funding can create strange pairings. With indie music shying away from major record labels, snuggling up to Post Foods must raise a few eyebrows. Its not selling out. Its being strategic. Doing whatever you need to do to continue doing what you love to do, said Manara.

    Selling out would be not doing it because you cant find funding, and saying, you know what, Im giving up because its so hard.

    The First 15 will be serving up some scrumptious prizes, includ-ing $5000 in cash and a trip to Toronto for free studio time at Girth Music with award-winning producers. Aspiring 15 minute famers can upload their track at Facebook.com/thefirst15 until the contest closes on December 7.

    Sampling from the Sugar Bear jingle, while permitted, is not required. Facebook community voting will create a shortlist; the winner will then be selected by a judging panel including iSH, Post Foods and various music industry veterans.

    Manara is confident that the winner will be a great example of a Canadian artist that should be funded. In the end, Its all about the song, all about the talent. U

    From left to right: Jack Luang on clarinet, concert director Paolo Bortussi, Roderick Seed on flute, Katie Ho on the violin, Judy Lou on cello and Ian Meiman on percussion.

    GEOFF LISTER/THE UBYSSEY

    First 15, the music grant program brought to you by the makers of Grape-Nuts

    POETRY >>

    GEOFF LISTER/THE UBYSSEY

    Mike Johnston, current co-president of UBC Slam, raps and rhymes about lifefrom working in the Chapman Learning Commons to how much time we spend on smartphones.

    ARTS GRANTS >>

    Contemporary Players take music out of the concert hallMUSIC >>

  • 6 | Features | 11.14.2011

    InMemory

    Tanner BokorStaff Writer

    For 60 years, UBC has invited the community to War Memorial Gym on the 11th day of the 11th month of each year to honour and remember those who served their countries.

    One of the largest Remembrance Day ceremonies in the Lower Mainland, the traditionally som-bre tribute was attended by ap-proximately 500 members of the university community along with roughly four dozen members of the Canadian armed forces, RCMP and auxiliary organizations.

    After members of the UBC Brass Quintet performed traditional selec-tions in tribute to those who have fallen in the line of duty and those who are still serving overseas and at home, a procession of war veterans entered the gymnasium, followed by a delegation of dignitaries.

    Following tradition, a lone trum-peter performed The Last Host

    from the upper deck of the gym, fol-lowed by two minutes of silence at approximately 11:11am.

    Speakers took to the podium to articulate what Remembrance Day meant to them and how important it is to pause and honour the veterans.

    Louise Nasmith of UBCs College of Health Disciplines spoke on the importance of honouring the contri-butions made by our veterans, and the memory of those who were lost in duty to allow those at home the freedoms they enjoy each day.

    Remember those who lost their lives, remember those still serv-ing and remember those who have returned home, said Nasmith.Nasmith also said that Canada must look to assist those who are return-ing from war, as the long range health effects claim lives long after fighting has ceased.

    UBC graduate Tim Laidler served in Afghanistan and is now the coor-dinator of the Veterans Transition Program at UBC, which helps

    mentally and physically rehabilitate veterans. [Soldiers] find themselves unprepared for civil casualties and the untold carnage of war, said Laidler.

    Groups representing the armed forces, those in civil service and community organizations came forward to present a wreath in front of a group of military members in remembrance of their sacrifices.

    To end the ceremony, AMS President Jeremy McElroy read the poem In Flanders Fields, a reference to the poppies tradition-ally worn on Remembrance Day, followed by a musical rendition performed by the UBC University Singers.

    War Memorial Gym was opened in 1951 in testament to the sacrifices of all those who have fought and lost their lives during WWI and WWII. The gym was built with financial assistance from UBCs student body, the provincial government and com-munity organizations. U

    War Memorial Gym hosts annual Remembrance Day ceremony

    Corporal Vliardi, Constable Bowsher and Corporal Feng of the RCMP and Canadian Military stand guard.

    Retired veterans from the Canadian Armed Forces sit in full regalia in tribute to those who perished in the line of duty. UBC RCMP officers preside over the annual Remembrance Day ceremony.

    The ceremonys honour guard stands in remembrance.

    Staff Sergeant Kevin Jones pays respect to fallen solders in the wreath laying ceremony.

  • 11.14.2011 | Features | 7

    Two members of the Girl Guides of Canada Mackenzie Heights District detachment lay a wreath honouring war veterans.PETER WOJNAR/THE UBYSSEY

  • SportsEditor: Drake Fenton

    11.14.2011 | 8

    After successful year, UBC melts down in Canada West final

    Really, what is there to say right now?

    Standing in the radio box at McMahon Stadium in Calgary, broadcasting the Canada West final between UBC and the University of Calgary Dinos, that is what I said.

    What is apparent is that, one, I am not a skilled radio broadcaster, and two, UBC was in the midst of a beating worse than theyve taken all season.

    In a 62-13 blowout, Calgary put up 42 points in the second half to capture their fourth consecutive Canada West title.

    Going into the match, no one expected a massacre. UBC had the recently crowned Canada West player of the year, quarterback Billy Greene, and the Canada West coach of the year, Shawn Olson. Yes, Calgary had the experience of two straight Vanier Cup appearances and the most prolific rushing at-tack in the conference and perhaps the country, but UBC split their season series with Calgary and only lost by five points in their last visit to McMahon Stadium.

    What went wrong?We werent able to get enough

    things going offensively, said Olson. We didnt make enough plays, whether it was tough catches or tough throws or run the ball consistently.

    Nothing really worked, said Greene. They came out and they had a great game plan. They were able to confuse me...We made our

    defence be on the field for about 40 minutes. We couldnt sustain drives and we just werent crisp.

    The result was a 50 point loss. We didnt play well enough, and thats what it comes down to.

    Greene threw three intercep-tions, just one less than he threw all season. He had a 34 per cent completion rating and only gained 175 yards through the airboth season lows for the UBC pivot.

    I just couldnt get it going. It was probably my second worst game in the CIS and it is unfortu-nate it had to happen in an elimi-nation game, he said.

    Yet the onus shouldnt be placed exclusively on Greenes shoulders. After a relatively strong first half, one which included a spectacu-lar 87 yard pitch-and-catch by Greene to receiver Jordan Grieve, the Birds suffered a systemic meltdown in the games final 30 minutes.

    The biggest issue for UBC was the play of opposing quarterback Eric Dzwilewski. UBCs defence came prepared to shut down Calgarys three-headed monster: running backs Steven Lumbala, Matt Walter and Anthony Woodson.

    In the first half, they werent able to stop Lumbala134 of his 198 yards came in the first halfbut they were able to plug up the middle of the field and make key stops on second down.

    The Birds exited the half with the game in reach, only trailing 20-13.

    Yet what killed UBC was their inability to contain the perim-eter, and that is exactly where Dzwilewski hurt them most. With the defence keying on the running

    backs, Dzwilewski took the ball outside on a variety of option reads and play-action bootlegs.

    On one rush Dzwilewski sold the fake so perfectly that a UBC tack-ler not only took Lumbala to the ground, but the TSN camera stayed focused on Lumbala, completely missing Dzwilewski running up the field for 20 yards and a first down.

    He rushed for four touchdowns, a CIS record by a quarterback in a playoff game.

    The big difference from this and what they have done all year is they ran the quarterback a bit more, which added a little bit of a different dimension to the running game, said Olson.

    They out-[muscled] us a little bit and at the end of the day this is a physical game and when you get beat up in the trenches, that is usu-ally how the games ends up.

    In the second half, Greene and the offence fell apart. Receivers were dropping balls that could have been caught and the run-ning game failed to gain any momentum.

    Calgarys interior lineman clogged up the middle and freed up space for their linebackers to track down ball carriers or put pressure on Greene.

    With 3:48 left in the third quar-ter and UBC trailing by 14, Greene threw an interception in the end zone, his second of the game. The team mentally folded after that.

    They didnt stop competing, but you could tell they saw the writing on the wall. When the cameras panned to the sidelines, the players looked dejected and deflated.

    With 9:28 left in the fourth quarter, Greene threw an intercep-tion that was returned 50 yards to the house by John Kadiebwe. It was an uncharacteristic throw by Greene, the type of play we havent seen from him all season. As the game got further out of reach, the Birds got sloppy, stopped playing fundamental football and paid the price.

    Calgary put up 35 points in the fourth quarter alone.

    Yet the game wasnt indicative of the season the team has had, and what they have built for the future.

    After not winning a home game in more than two years, the Birds went a perfect 5-0 at Thunderbird Stadium this season.

    After not making the playoffs since 2006 and not winning a play-off game since 1999, UBC hosted and won a home playoff game.

    But against Calgary, they were simply outplayed by a team with a winning pedigree and a program at a stage the T-Birds are working to get to.

    We got beat by a team that is a little bit further along than we are in our development, said Olson. I dont think [the loss] takes away from our season, I think this is a group of kids that play their heart out and just didnt have it today.

    Im proud of [the players], they worked really hard and they bought into what we were talking aboutwe got a group of guys com-ing back next year and they are going to have to use this as fuel for the fire. U

    UBCs Devin Kavanagh attempts to track down Calgarys running back Steven Lumbala. Lumbala rushed for 198 yards in Calgarys 62-13 thrashing of UBC in the Canada West final.GEOFF LISTER/THE UBYSSEY

    PLAYOFFS >>

    GEOFF LISTER/THE UBYSSEY

    Moving the chains

    Drake Fenton

    62 The amount of points Calgary scored on UBC in the Canada West final.

    42 The amount of points Calgary scored in the second half.

    36 The highest amount of points any team had scored on UBC before Fridays game.

    4 The amount of touchdowns Calgarys quarterback Eric Dzwilewski rushed for, giving him the record for quarterback rushing TDs in a playoff game.

    4 The amount of interceptions UBCs Billy Greene threw prior to Friday nights game.

    3 The amount of interceptions Greene threw against Calgary.

    175 The amount of yards UBC gained through the air.

    169 The amount of yards Calgary gained on interception returns.

    Game Notes

    UBCs Mitch Shuster is gang tackled by Calgary defenders after making a catch Friday.

  • 11.14.2011 | Sports | 9

    Birds hope to learn from experience after playoff exitColin ChiaContributor

    Following a 0-0 draw after regula-tion, the UBC Thunderbirds wom-ens soccer team had their season come to an end last weekend when they lost the Canada West semifinal in a 4-2 penalty shootout against the University of Alberta.

    The Birds were forced to settle for a Canada West bronze medal af-ter beating the University of Victoria 2-1 the next day. Though they left with a medal, UBC failed to qualify for the CIS national championship.

    It was a real kick in the teeth for the Birds after a season in which they lost only once and finished sec-ond in the league standings.

    They also broke a conference record for clean sheets with a stingy defence holding the opposi-tion scoreless on 11 occasions. Head coach Mark Rogers said the players were devastated after the loss to Alberta.

    After the season we had, it was really disappointing to go out that way. Part of the frustration is that the girls played very well and cre-ated enough chances to win that game. To lose on penalties was cruel, he said.

    Competition in the Canada West conference was always going to be tight, with Rogers commenting

    at the start of the season that the toughest task would be to qualify for nationals and that certain criti-cal moments in a game would make or break that objective.

    Its not prophecy or anything like that, its the reality. Our conference is a very, very diffi-cult conference, compared to the other conferences, he said. Its

    a real dogfight to get into this tournament.

    There were individual accom-plishments of note for the team as well. Striker Janine Frazao, who finished the season as the conferences top goal scorer (16), was named Canada West play-er of the year and goalkeeper Alyssa Williamson, who led the

    conference in clean sheets, was Canada West rookie of the year. Frazao and defender Kelly Cook were also named to the conference all-star team.

    However, Rogers remarked that personal accolades did little to compensate for the teams disap-pointment in not qualifying for nationals.

    That shows a real sign of how together they are as a team; theyre only interested in achieving a team goal, said Rogers.

    Next season, the team will lose graduating seniors Diane Rizzardo, Lisa Furutani and Natalie Hirayama, but with a young team that has much room for growth, Rogers is confident the younger players will respond well.

    You dont replace a kid like Natalie Hirayama. I think itll take a bit of time to see how the team copes without that, he said. I think some of the young kids are going to step into that and grow when given that opportunity.

    The team will now have to at-tempt to take what they can from this season to push forward.

    Right now its time to reflect on the good things they did during the season. There are a lot of positives to build upon, Rogers said. A lot of young players contributed and theres a good foundation to grow the program going forward.

    I think that the future looks bright. U

    SOCCER>>

    After a 0-0 draw against the University of Alberta Pandas, the favoured UBC squad lost 4-2 in a shootout in the Canada West semifinals. KAI JACOBSON/ THE UBYSSEY

    After the season we had, it was disappointing to

    go out that way...To lose on penalties

    was cruel.Mark RogersUBC head coach

  • OpinionEditor: Brian Platt

    11.14.2011 | 10

    Time to turn the page on campus planning

    As you are no doubt aware, there has been considerable public unease over UBC Campus and Community Plannings (CCP) proposal to build non-student housing in the Gage South area. This unease has only in-tensified since the relevant working group was abruptly closed to public and the media.

    Much of this concern stems from non-student housing being entirely inappropriate for this area. The concentration of a highly active diesel bus loop, student residences, sports facilities, and concert space at MacInnes Field makes this a lively, noisy, student-centric space. These existing uses would undoubtedly conflict with the quieter needs of non-student housing.

    Any residents in this area would have to contend with the realities of late-night residence noise, licensed concerts, and unending diesel buses outside their bedrooms. To sug-gest that faculty housing should be crammed into this area not only disregards the conflicts that it would create - it presents a disappointing and uninspiring vision for faculty on this campus.

    Faculty housing should not be shoe-horned into an area where the

    result will inevitably be conflicts with existing uses and ongoing com-plaints. It is not in the best interests of the academic community, nor of UBC. Both students and faculty de-serve better.

    These concerns have been known to CCP for over a year. Be it through last years Land Use Plan consulta-tions, the AMS, The Ubyssey, or the overwhelming responses received during public hearings, these con-cerns have been clearly communi-cated to CCP over and over and over again. These are not the objections of a radical few. These are widely-held and reasonable objections to a stunningly poor idea.

    We therefore expect to see an op-tion at the November consultations that does not include non-student housing, and which retains the entire Gage South area as Academic land. We expect this not only because it is good planning. We expect this because it is critical for the credibil-ity of CCP that it be responsive to the concerns and needs of the academic community it is meant to serve.

    Organizers of the petition to keep Gage South Academic: Meg Anderson (Arts 4), Adrian Oruclar (Commerce 4) and Neal Yonson (Chemistry PhD candidate)

    Sometimes, a relationship, no mat-ter how well-intentioned, goes sour. Mistrust grows on both sides. Commitment to working together is thrown out the window.

    This is the case with Campus and Community Planning (CCP). Its the planning and development body at UBC, and it has a less-than-stellar reputation these days. Students be-lieve CCP is trying to ram through a plan to put market housing next to the SUB. Campus residents are increasingly saying that CCP doesnt listen to their concerns.

    The university needs either stu-dents or residents (and hopefully both) to trust them whenever they go to Victoria with a new gover-nance plan. Right now neither do.

    Fortunately, there is one thing that UBC can do that would im-mediately help the situation for all involved. Unfortunately, it involves one person leaving their job: Nancy Knight.

    Knight has been been head of CCP since 2005. Shes done a fantas-tic job in carrying out what she was hired to do. The campus has grown in a smooth, efficient and cost-ef-fective mannerno small feat, when you consider the short time frame and large population involved.

    But now that the campus has grown to a certain size and the per-manent population of University Town has discovered a desire for self-determination, UBC needs to shift gears. They need to focus not on growing the population, but on ensuring residents feel that they have a real voice.

    The current management at CCP is unsuited to carrying this out.

    It is an open secret that student leaders havent trusted Knight for

    years. Shes seen as not caring about student concerns, viewing them as impediments to be brushed aside on the path to her master plan for UBC.

    But while students are, as a rule, against development, the university is now also facing a growing rebel-lion from residents.

    Last semester, the University Neighbourhood Association (UNA) faced harsh criticism of its legiti-macy when hundreds of residents pointed out that they were power-less to stop UBCs construction of a hospice next to an apartment.

    Last month, UNA members elect-ed Thomas Beyer, a firebrand who has continually denounced UBCs lack of local democracy, to its board of directors.

    Last week, a meeting between CCP and South Campus residents turned hostile due to some believing CCP outright lied to them about the size of their community.

    This is akin to a hockey coach losing the trust of their players. And while the GM (thats the UBC Administration) cant fire (or evict) the players, they can get a new coach.

    Soon UBC will be embarking on a new governance plan that will set out how non-academic lands will be run for decades to come. The person spearheading those discussions will need a lot of personal capital to bring together the disparate groups on campus. Someone who is seen as an honest broker who listens.

    Again, this is not a comment on Knights abilities, which, when it comes to growing a community, are to be lauded. Shes been in her posi-tion longer than nearly any other current vice-president or associate vice-president at UBC. But some-body needs to speak the uncomfort-able truth. Sometimes change for changes sake can help all parties.

    UBC is about to start a new chap-ter of its development. And you cant start a new chapter without turning the page. U

    On Remembrance Day, keep the focus on remembrance

    On November 11, we say never forget. In the decades following the establishment of Remembrance Day, there was no danger of that. November 11 was a day where we observed the shared sacrifice of two world wars, and honoured those who had served our country.

    But in the next decade, almost every living person who served in World War II or Korea will no lon-ger be with us. Remembrance Day is becoming more of a national his-tory lesson, and in some ways thats a good thing. Yet we need to keep this day focused on honouring the memory of soldiers whose lives were lost in the service of Canada, then and now.

    This day need not become politi-cized. Buying a poppy supports the Royal Canadian Legion, which helps veterans of all ages return to society. Now many of them are our own age as they return from Afghanistan.

    We give, we observe, we remem-ber. The resonance is in its simplicity, and may it continue to be so for some time to come.

    Niki Ashton gets set to take on the old boys

    The Canadian political class is led mostly by men who have been in the game for years; even Afghanistan has a higher proportion of women in its parliament than we do. Any democra-cy worth its salt needs to have strong representation from those who can challenge the old boys club.

    For students, having a youthful voice in parliament is particularly im-portant; it means issues like student debt will have be given fair play dur-ing policy debates.

    For these reasons, and likely many more, we applaud the entrance of Niki Ashton into the federal NDP leadership race.

    At age 29, shes joining a very crowded nine-person contest domi-nated by Brian Topp and Thomas Mulcair. But as the only candidate born in the 1980s and only the sec-ond woman, she will be able to push those issues into the discussion. While shes not a top-tier candi-date, hopefully Ashton, who was the

    NDPs critic for youth and advanced education in the last parliament, can make sure whoever is the next leader of the official opposition has a strong position on student issues. A bunch of old men arent necessarily going to do it on their own.

    A School of Public Policy at UBC is long overdueUBC, in partnership with the Vancouver School of Economics, is planning a School of Public Policy. And while the idea is still in the planning stages, it seems like the sort of initiative that UBC should be applauded for undertaking.

    Too often, this universitys aca-demic ambitions seem solely fixated on anything that has to do with sustainability, research or interna-tional students, to the detriment of other programs. A School of Public Policy is a must-have for any large and ambitious university, and it will increase UBCs connections with the rest of Vancouver.

    Frankly, some of us are a bit peeved we wont be able to enjoy the classes.

    Whats the rush to have cars on University Boulevard?

    UBC is planning to do an overhaul of University Boulevard (the road that runs past Mahonys and the outdoor pool) to make it car-friend-ly. There will be a small number of parking spaces added.

    This comes after the university rushed to pave over the area in the run-up to the Olympicsother-wise the area would have looked like a giant mud pit during the time when thousands of visitors would be walking through campus. It was a patchwork solution then, and this feels like another one.

    The University Boulevard area is going through massive changes in the next couple years, as a new SUB and Alumni Centre are constructed along with new shops and housing. What is the point of allowing cars back on to the area now just to get a few more places to park? Why not wait until the other development is ready?

    Furthermore, the area is current-ly a busy bike route into campus. If

    the university is insistent on getting cars back there, we hope there is a plan to keep a dedicated bike route open.

    Whistler Lodge might get more students if it loosened up

    Over the weekend, Ubyssey staff left for our annual retreat on Pender Island. Although this editorial was written before we left, we can tell you for certain that it was one hell of a weekend.

    Many student organizations take their retreats at the AMS Whistler Lodge, which can be booked at a dis-count rate if youre a student group. However, we will never do this, and not just because we love Pender. The problem is that the Whistler Lodge really sucks for student retreats, which may be one reason why its hemorraging money.

    Even if your organization books out the whole lodge, quiet hours begin at 11pmfor the sole reason that the lodge manager sleeps in the building. The hot tub closes at 8pm. And if anyone from your group is 18, all alcohol is banned from the premises, even if the underagers stay sober.

    Obviously the Whistler Lodge has many more problems on top of this that cause it to lose money. But heres a tip for the AMS as it decides what to do with the place: make it more fun for students to book for a weekend.

    A Yukon university deserves federal support

    Stephen Harpers Conservatives have made a big issue of Arctic sovereignty. And with global warm-ing bringing enormous changes to the north, that type of push makes sense. But true dedication to our north means more than just spend-ing on icebreakers and military exercises.

    This year, the federal government cut funding to the University of the Arctic initiative by three-quarters. But now the new Yukon government is looking to build a true university in our north. Supporting this would be an excellent way for the feds to demonstrate that the Arctic actually matters to them. U

    EditorsNotebook

    JustinMcElroy

    The Last WordParting shots and snap judgments on todays issues

    Dear Nancy KnightLetters

    What BCs job projection tracker looks like for university students. BRYCE WARNES/ THE UBYSSEY

  • 11.14.2011 | 11ScenePictures and words on your university experience

    Learning how to be a boyfriend not as easy as it looks

    Its not as easy as it looks.For the last decade Ive been

    a functionally single guy. Ive had various entanglements with women, and had a number of short-lived and hopelessly misguided romances. But for the most part Ive been left to my own devices, living my life as a single dude with no real attachments.

    Ive never had anyone monitoring my physical fitness or keeping tabs on my daily routines. Ive never had to worry if I snore too loud or if I drink too much. In social situations I could flirt with whoever I wanted to, and my closest relationships were with my friends and family.

    Really, the only person I had to think about on a regular basis was me.

    For whatever reason, in the last ten years Ive consistently ended up dating girls who werent interested in being exclusive. Maybe that says something about our generation. Or maybe that says something about my tendency to romanticize dam-aged and independent flail cases.

    But the point is, Ive never had to follow rules or perform the normal duties of a boyfriend. This role, as it turns out, requires an entirely new skill set.

    Im still in the early stages of a relationship with a beautiful brunette, but Im already getting a crash course in the female perspec-tive. There is a litany of verbal cues and an emotional shorthand that is completely alien to me. Im learning

    how to think as a pair rather than flying solo. And Im starting to fig-ure out how to shift my focus from myself to someone else.

    Ill admit it: I feel like a total amateur.

    My roommates Sean and Maciel have been together for a few years, and watching their relationship unfold has been pretty educational for me. Theyre like my parents.

    Sometimes Im baffled by their ability to calm each other down, to anticipate when the other one is in a dangerously surly mood, and even their ability to collaborate on mak-ing dinner.

    Now that I have a girlfriend of my own, Ive been trying to learn their ways through osmosis. But I still make rookie mistakes.

    One lesson Ive learned: if your loved one is upset and complaining

    about their day, dont just assume they want advice. Chances are they just want you to listen, sympathize and say something comforting. If you try to hand them bumper stick-er aphorisms or (heaven forbid!) accidentally take the wrong side of an argument, youre probably not going to enjoy the proceeding conversation.

    Trust me.But for the most part, Im hyped

    to have someone around who cares about me more than I do. My girl-friend keeps tabs on me through-out the day, reminds me of goals I made for myself and encourages me to stick with them. Its weird to have someone around who is really invested in how healthy I am, and how I live my life.

    I feel like a sap for saying this, but I feel like I have a newfound appreciation for every boyfriend and husband out there. Its not easy to be in a relationship, and it takes a pretty big commitment to make it work. I may be fumbling around now, but Im sure Ill eventually figure it out.

    And I think it will be worth it. U

    To read more of Wills columns, check out his website at goodwil-ljohnson.com or follow him on Twitter @GoodWillJohnson.

    Entering a committed relationship means learning how to live for another person.INDIANA JOEL/ THE UBYSSEY

    LIVING>>

    Melodramatic Musings

    Will Johnson

    One lesson Ive learned: if your loved one is upset, dont just assume they want advice.

  • 12 | Games | 11.14.2011

    Sudoku by Krazydad

    Across 1 ____ _ lift? 6 Seine feeder 10 Attempt 14 Approvals 15 Heath 16 River in central Switzerland 17 Highspeed separator 20 Monetary unit of Afghani-stan 21 The Younger and The Elder 22 All there 26 Regain strength 30 Fate 34 Plunder 35 Writer Hentoff 36 Asian holiday 38 Become less intense, die off 39 DC bigwig 40 Subway turner 42 ... _ the cows come home 43 Cry __ _ River 44 Taoism founder 45 Caution 49 Listener 50 IRS IDs 51 Considers 54 Freight weight

    56 Naive 64 Buenos ______ 65 Area of 4840 square yards 66 Musical drama 67 Actress McClurg 68 Norse god of thunder 69 Water vapor

    Down1 Big Apple school2 Conger3 Cornerstone abbr. 4 German article 5 Quickly, quickly 6 Beaten egg dish 7 Charged particle 8 Drunkard 9 Be human 10 Adventurous expedition 11 Lacking slack 12 Jasons craft 13 Apians 18 Swearword 19 Rapper born Tracy Marrow 22 Herring type 23 Semitic language 24 Kathmandu resident

    25 Prepare a book or film for release 27 Filmic 28 Son of Judah 29 Large container 31 Chemical ending32 Inflammation of the ear 33 Wrestling hold 37 Ages between 13 and 19 39 Big rig 40 Pouch 41 Small children 43 Mire 44 Vive __ ___ ! 46 Branching 47 Pointed end 48 Hogwarts attendee 51 Type of ranch 52 Childrens author Blyton 53 Actor Morales 55 Sgts., e.g.57 Covering for the head 58 German pronoun 59 Hit sign 60 Appropriate 61 Drivers aid62 Baseball stat 63 Block up

    Puzzles provided by BestCrosswords.com. Used with permission.

    Crossword

    Sudoku