Volume 6, Issue 3 MARCH 16, 2015

Published by the University Neighbourhoods Association

Published monthly by the University Neighbourhoods Association, #202-5923 Berton Avenue, Vancouver BC, V6S0B3

REPORT continued on Page 7

University Hill Preschool teacher takes Prime Minister’s Award

University Hill Preschool teacher Maria Rodrigues accepts Prime Minister’s Award presented by MP Joyce Murray. From left to right: U Hill Preschool teachers Atoussa Kashani, Maria Rodrigues, Aya Ruttan and MP Joyce Murray. See story on Page 2.

New Column: Community Policing

Full coverage of Metro Vancouver Transportation & Transit Plebiscite

Pages 3-4

Cpl. Brenda Winpenny is the Community Relations Officer at the University detachment of the RCMP on Wesbrook Mall. See her column on Page 7.

Development permit for new UEL home is refused

Loss of views and privacy of neighbours are cited by

Deputy Minister

The Provincial Government will not per-mit the development of a house at 5915 Newton Wynd in the University Endow-ment Lands in the way that is currently proposed by the owners. Rebecca Denlinger, Deputy Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Devel-opment, has determined that a develop-ment permit issued to the owners of 5915 Newton Wynd, should be refused on the grounds that if development went ahead there, the views and privacy of the neigh-bours would be affected in a way not supported by the University Endowment Land Act and Bylaw. UEL management issued the permit to the owners in December over the objec-tions of 44 members of the UEL commu-nity. Fourteen residents appealed this de-cision under the University Endowment Land Act and Bylaw, and in response, the government held a public hearing Janu-ary 30. At the hearing, Deputy Minister Den-linger reviewed the appeals and heard

from UEL management as well as a rep-resentative of the owners of 5915 Newton Wynd and eight of the fourteen residents who had appealed. The hearing took place in a hall at St. Anselm’s Church in the UEL and lasted 90 minutes. Ms. Denlinger also visited both the 5915 Newton Wynd property—at the corner of Newton Wynd and Wesbrook Crescent—and neighbouring properties to determine the impact of views and pri-vacy under the UEL Bylaw and Guide-lines. She visited four properties in total. The 27,000 square foot property at 5915 Newton Wynd changed hands about 2 ½ years ago with the new owners proposing to replace the existing home with a 6,871 square foot two-storey home with an ap-proximately 4,000 square foot basement. The existing one-story 3,000+ square foot home with a full basement was built in the 1950s. Neighbours complained about blocked views, loss of privacy, wrong architec-tural style, wrong type of trees used in landscaping and more. The UEL Advi-sory Design Panel twice recommended the design of this huge home be amended before the development permit was ap-proved.UEL continued on Page 9

UNA effective

at sharing info—report

A ‘communications audit’ of the UNA has found it has an effective array of tools at its disposal, The Campus Resident one of them, and it lacks only a strategic plan to make these tools even more effective. The audit, by Mickelson Consulting Inc., states, “In general, the UNA pro-duces a good variety of communication tools. “There is a lot of information being shared using different platforms, and on different timelines, to provide a steady stream of information to the community. “The challenge is that even though the tools are being developed with profes-sional standards, they are not being used strategically to ensure the UNA’s infor-mation is shared effectively with resi-dents.” A series of recommendations on how the UNA might upgrade its ‘communica-tions policy’ accompanies the Mickelson research report. One recommendation reads, Make it easier to find information related to Board decisions, policies and services by: • Adding a more prominent link to meet-ing agenda and Minutes on the website;

Development of a ‘communications strategy’

is recommended by consultant

THE CAMPUS RESIDENT MARCH 16, 2015page 2

Advertise with us!email - advertising@myuna.ca

Even as a girl in Pakistan, Maria Ro-drigues aspired to be a teacher. “I come from a family of educators,” Ms. Ro-drigues said in an interview. “My mother was a teacher. My aunts were teachers, and one of my uncles received an award from the Pope for his services as a teach-er.” Ms. Rodrigues teaches at University Hill Preschool—a licensed, non-profit preschool located in the back of St. An-selm’s Church at 5210 University Bou-levard. On February 27, in a joyous ceremony, Ms. Rodrigues received rec-ognition for her exceptional abilities in the field of early childhood education. On behalf of the Government of Can-ada, local Member of Parliament Joyce Murray presented Ms. Rodrigues with a Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence and for Excellence in Early Childhood Education. Maria Rodrigues came to Canada in early 1996 and began teaching at Uni-versity Hill Preschool soon after—be-coming head teacher in 2005. She credits her success to “the amazing involvement” with the two other teachers at the preschool, Atoussa Kashani and Aya Ruttan, and “the lovely families” of the children. “I have been very fortunate. Without them, I don’t think I would have got this award. It’s made for a wonderful experience.” Ms. Rodrigues has brought two chil-dren into the world herself, and her fam-ily proudly joined her at the ceremony. Harold Munn, Priest in charge at St. Anselm’s, said how pleased the Church and its congregation are to have Univer-sity Hill Preschool in their midst. “It’s really wonderful to come here in the morning and feel the ‘energy’ of all the youngsters.” He said that at occasional moments, “I can’t help but hear Maria (and Atoussa and Aya) treating the stu-dents with such great love.” The Rev. Harold Munn also told about the pleasures of discussing the school

U Hill Preschool teacher takes Prime Minister’s AwardInspired by Mother Teresa,

teacher has unconditional love for children

John TompkinsThe Campus Resident Editor

days with Ms. Rodrigues and her col-leagues. “It’s wonderful to have them here.” Presenting the Award, Member of Par-liament Joyce Murray complimented Ms. Rodrigues not only on her accomplish-ment in being one of only 54 early educa-tion teachers in Canada to win a Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excel-lence in 2014. She also praised Maria Ro-drigues for being a model for Canadian immigrants. “You have leapt over the challenge of coming from another county to enrich the community in this country the way you have,” she said. “Maria, you are a true leader.” The winner of the Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence said, “My dream came true when I came to Canada—I got to work with children.” To the amusement of parents and oth-ers at the ceremony, Ms. Rodrigues de-scribed her working day as similar to “an action-packed adventure.” She said, “It’s like a movie set. There’s laughter, sad-ness and little but of everything. Every day is different.” She said children need to be loved and accepted. “This is the building founda-tion of our school. Here is home. Here is love. Here is the unconditional love of children.” Ms. Rodrigues closed her remarks by saying, “I was inspired by Mother The-resa. Spread love wherever you go, leave people happier than when you met them.” This is not the first time Maria Ro-drigues has won an award for her teach-ing abilities and brought honor and rec-ognition to University Hill Preschool. In 2012, she won the (provincial) Child Care Award of Excellence in Early Child-hood Education, Coast Fraser Region. Ms. Rodrigues holds a BA in Philosophy from the University of Karachi, Pakistan. Before coming to Canada, she researched and worked in Montessori programs and earned her Montessori Certificate from the Association Montessori International. Established in 1966, University Hill Preschool offers a play-based program which primarily follows the Reggio Emilia approach to teaching, but includes specific activities of the Montessori school as well. Above all, its teachers’ primary aim is to foster a child’s healthy self-image, instill confidence, encourage empathy and teach positive communica-tion skills during early years.

Maria Rodrigues speaks at the Awards ceremony at St. Anselm’s Church.

THE CAMPUS RESIDENT MARCH 16, 2015

Published monthly by the University Neighbourhoods Association #202-5923 Berton Avenue, Vancouver BC, V6S 0B3

page 3

Editorial Page

Editor & Business ManagerJohn Tompkinsphone: 604.827.3502 email: jtompkins@myuna.ca

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Advertising enquiriesemail: advertising@myuna.ca

ployability.” The President encourages participation in the plebiscite by students, staff and fac-ulty— regardless of how they vote— with the goal of sparking an informed and edu-cated debate on campus. UBC and central Broadway is the sec-ond largest transit destination in the re-gion, outside of downtown Vancouver. Public transit is the leading way people get to campus. UBC’s 2014 Transportation Plan has a goal to maintain at least 50 per cent of all trips to/from campus on public tran-sit. Commute times for students, faculty and staff can be long: 32 per cent of stu-dents living off campus spend more than 50 minutes commuting to/from UBC each way; 18 per cent of staff and faculty spend more than 50 minutes commuting to/from UBC each way. The current bus system can’t meet de-mand: an estimated 2,000 people a day are passed by full B-Line buses along the Broadway corridor. For more information on what UBC is saying about the plebi-scite, go to http://transportation.ubc.ca/vote/. Meanwhile, the Mayors’ Council on Regional Transportation put out a news release giving seven reasons to vote Yes if you live in the UBC/UEL area.

1. Residents, students, workers and visi-tors will be closer to transit, with fast-er connections to the rest of the region. With a Yes vote, approximately 70% of people coming from the UBC/UEL area will be within walking distance to all-day frequent transit, making it easier to go to school, go home, go to work or go out in general. 2. Travel along the Broadway corridor will be faster and more reliable. Changes will include an extension of the SkyTrain Millennium Line from VCC-Clark Sta-tion to Arbutus Street and improvements to the 99 B-Line from Arbutus to UBC/UEL. Students, faculty and employees traveling to UBC/UEL from the Tri-Cit-ies of Coquitlam, Port Moody and Port Coquitlam will have a fast and reliable commute. 3. Travel to UBC/UEL from Joyce-Collingwood SkyTrain Station will be faster and more reliable with a new B-Line Rapid Bus route via 41st Avenue. This would provide additional fast, fre-quent and limited-stop service throughout the day. 4. Improvements are in store with the Mayors’ Plan such as fleet expansion and service increase during peak hours and throughout the day. There will be more buses where and when you need them,

The population of Metro Vancouver is growing, and as many as a million more people will live here in 30 years. We need more transit, more cycling and walking infrastructure, more options for moving around our region, and we need construc-tion on this critical infrastructure under-way now! That is the reason to vote Yes for the 0.5% sales tax for congestion im-provement. TransLink has become a scarecrow for those who oppose any tax increase. In fact, in comparison to other North Ameri-can transit authorities, TransLink does quite well. For instance, the Canada Line was built on time, on budget, and beat revenue targets. It was projected to have 100,000 daily riders by 2013 but reached 120,000 riders by 2011. This shows how popular mass transit is in our region. Moreover, TransLink has a 7.4 out of 10 customer satisfaction rating. And the unelected TransLink Board, the Compass Card and the Skytrain fare gates may be unpopular, but the forgotten fact is that they were forced on TransLink by a for-

Letter to the Editor

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Include name, address and telephone number. Maximum lengths: Letters 400 words. Opinions 750 words. We may edit or decline to publish

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Small tax hike will help raise big $ for transitmer transportation minister. They are not the essence of TransLink, which is reli-able if sometimes overburdened service. TransLink is not the issue. If the referen-dum passes, TransLink will be bound to carry out the Mayors’ Council transpor-tation plan with audits and transparency built in. The issue is traffic congestion and inadequate transportation options, es-pecially for people in suburban areas. And here at UBC, with thousands of people coming and going daily, we need more transit service and cycling infrastructure to reduce speeding and polluting cars that threaten public safety and disturb our neighborhoods. Moreover, the retirees and youth at UBC especially need tran-sit, as they do everywhere in our region. Our aging population will put additional demands on all transit services including HandyDART. Various arguments are offered as to why this referendum should fail: it’s a regressive tax, it’s unaffordable, or the province should fund transit from exist-ing revenues. Yes, sales taxes have more

impact on lower-income households, but food, medicine and children’s clothes are exempt from PST. Besides, transit itself is a subsidy to low-income and seniors. Of course, conservatives are often op-posed to the redistributive aspect of pub-lic transit, but everyone will benefit from the estimated 20% reduction in road congestion the new infrastructure will bring, whether you’re in a bus or a BMW. In the long run, commuters on the most congested routes would save 20-30 min-utes per day compared to the do-nothing option. And regrettable though it is, mu-nicipal and provincial politicians have not been courageous enough to enact other revenue-raising measures to fund transit expansion. They will probably be more afraid to do so if this referendum doesn’t pass, so we’ll be stuck with worsening congestion, declining air quality and, perhaps, even shrinking transit service. It would doom us to a gloomy situation for years to come. Although our individual taxes will rise a little—50 cents per $100 spent on non-

exempt goods and services—we will gain a lot from this investment of seed money: total federal, provincial and partner gov-ernment contributions would approach $4 billion. If we vote No, we’re also saying No to this huge infusion of other funds to make our region more livable, to improve our quality of life and to allow more sus-tainable development. It’s critical that we all vote Yes in the Metro Vancouver Transit plebiscite.

Randall F. WhiteHawthorn Place residentClinical Associate Professor, Faculty of Medicine, UBC

Metro Vancouver Transportation & Transit Plebiscite

UBC President presents case for voting YesBetter transportation choice and improved regional connectivity are of great importance to UBC

UBC President Arvind Gupta will vote Yes in the coming Metro Vancouver Transportation and Transit Plebiscite. Improving transit and easing traffic con-gestion is essential for the students, staff and faculty who commute to the Univer-sity, says President Gupta in a news re-lease. The economic and social benefits of improving linkages along the Broad-way corridor and beyond are also criti-cally important to the region as a whole. “Better transportation choice and im-proved regional connectivity are of great importance to the UBC community as this issue directly affects the well-being of our 50,000 students, 14,000 staff and faculty and our alumni—almost 200,000 of whom are based in the Lower Main-land,” said President Gupta. “Efficient, convenient and reliable trans-portation is also critical to maintaining and growing the vital economic relation-ship between UBC and regional commu-nities, fostering innovation and research collaborations and increasing student em-

including on the following corridors: on 4th Avenue, connecting UBC/UEL with Downtown; along 49th Avenue, connect-ing to Metrotown; and around campus, along Wesbrook Mall and Marine Drive. The more frequently buses come, the less crowded they get, which means your ride will become more comfortable—another benefit of the Yes vote. 5. Voting Yes will provide UBC/UEL with improvements such as bike parking at transit stations, safer walking and cy-cling access at transit stops and stations, and bikeway investments. Biking and walking will become a more convenient option for students, workers and residents of the UBC/UEL area. 6. The Mayors’ Plan will add more buses to popular NightBus routes, including the N17 connecting downtown Vancouver to UBC/UEL. This means you and your friends can stay out late, without the in-convenience and expense of a late night taxi ride back to campus. More NightBus means more frequent trips and service later into the night and early morning. Return to campus safely and affordably. 7. HandyDART service will be in-creased by 30% in the region, providing safe and accessible trips, including to those at UBC/UEL with specialized mo-bility needs.

THE CAMPUS RESIDENT MARCH 16, 2015page 4

By the time you read this, Canada Post may have delivered your ballot for the transit funding plebiscite. If not and you are on the voters list, your ballot should arrive soon. With this ballot, you take part in an ex-tremely important decision for the Metro Vancouver region. I urge you to become informed before marking Yes or No. No one relishes the thought of paying more tax. It takes a good reason to vote to do so. That reason is nothing less than the livability and prosperity of our re-gion. To ensure this region remains the envy of many, we need a transit, road and cycling system that is up to the demands placed on it. Those demands are becom-ing more and more intense as our popula-tion increases. A million more residents are expected within 30 years. This plebiscite is about one thing only: our willingness to pay a 0.5% additional sales tax to invest in a better future for our region. With a majority Yes vote, we will be on the path to implementing the comprehensive plan developed by the Mayors’ Council. Development of that plan, which has received praise from many quarters, required a huge effort in

collaboration. Mayors from across the region came together to agree on the re-gion’s most pressing transit and transpor-tation needs. You will be encouraged by some people to vote No to express frustration with TransLink, to send a signal to politi-cians or for various other reasons. The only message a No outcome would send is that voters are unwilling to pay any more to improve transit and transporta-tion. It would say we are willing to live with increasing traffic congestion, more frequent pass-ups and over-crowded bus-es on Broadway, inadequate transit for many parts of the Lower Mainland, and increasing air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles. Let me point out that a 0.5% sales tax will add 50 cents on the purchase of a $100 coat or $5 on the purchase of a $999 laptop. Many basic necessities will be exempt, just as they are with our ex-isting provincial sales tax. The average household will pay an additional 34 cents per day of tax on its purchases. I believe this is a small price for such an important investment in our future. The ballot contains important commit-ments. Revenues from the proposed tax will be dedicated to the Mayors’ Council plan. The revenues can only be used to fund the improvements listed in the plan. They will not become part of TransLink’s general revenues. Furthermore, the rev-enues and expenditures will be subject to annual independent audits and pub-lic reporting. Well-known businessman

What’s this Plebiscite really about?Maria Harris,

Member, Mayors’ Council on Regional Transportation and

Electoral Area A Director, Metro Vancouver

Jimmy Pattison will head up a committee to oversee the use of the tax money and report to the public annually. Before marking your ballot, I encourage you to become familiar with the Mayors’ Council plan, available at mayorscouncil.ca. Please, consider carefully the reasons you may read or hear to vote one way or the other. I plan to add a set of FAQs (fre-

Metro Vancouver Transportation & Transit Plebiscite

quently asked questions) to my website www.mariaharris.ca, which I hope you will find informative. Please, don’t hesitate to get in touch with me if there’s anything you would like to discuss. You can reach me at 604-225-2254 or by email at maria@maria-harris.ca.

Maria Harris talks to students at UBC bus loop.

THE CAMPUS RESIDENT MARCH 16, 2015 page 5

2015 UNA Volunteer Awards nominee stories

UNA Volunteer Awards

From Switzerland and married to Nico-las, we are the happy parents of three. I have a background in education, but am now studying theology at Regent Col-lege with Nicolas. Our hope is, one day, to pastor a church together in our home country.

1.What motivates you to be a volunteer?Since September, I have coordinated the rolling group that bikes back and forth from Acadia Park to U-Hill elementary. When we first met with the parents of the group, the whole project looked quite messy and unsafe, but as we sat together and start talking about how to do it, a clear vision started to emerge. I am now really proud of our group! For me, it is very motivating to see how a little bit of facilitation can go such a long way! Not only are all the parents of the group en-gaged in the project in a very positive way, but the kids have become very re-sponsible bike riders. At times, I think that we could let them go to school on their own and that they would be fine. This is truly amazing!

2. What is your vision to the UNA community?I love when people get together and start caring for one another. Since we arrived on UBC campus two years and a half ago, we have experienced lots of solidar-ity from the community, including piles of clothes for our kids and countless meals brought to our door. It is my hope that anyone in the neighborhood can ex-perience so much warmth, as people dare to engage with the “strangers” living next door.

My name is Lincy Zhu, I am a Grade 9 student of the University Hill Secondary. I came to Canada in July, 2013. I enjoy school as much as I do after-school ac-tivities. I play tennis, ski (unfortunately not in the past season). I used to do Latin dance, now I am obsessed with K-Pop dance. I have had a lot of fun through volunteering in the community in the past two years.

1. What motivates you to be a volunteer?I feel happy when I am helping other people. After I moved here, I see many opportunities that I can get involved in the community through volunteering. I participated in the Youth Leadership Club and helped organize various events, I volunteer for the Cooking Club and Community Connections Night, I like greeting people and helping them enjoy the event. Last year, I joined the CRAZI Dance Crew where we have opportunities to perform and become popular! I have had so much fun with all the dancers and I enjoyed each of our performances! This year, together with my friends, I set up a Youth Recycling Club with hope to raise the awareness of residents about how to live a sustainable life by disposing their household wastes properly. Volunteering is a great way for me to learn and to ex-plore the excitement of growing up.

2. What is your vision to the UNA community?In my point of view, I regard the UNA community as a big and multicultural community. Within the community, there are many friendly people who are willing to help you and make friends with you. As one of the newcomers in the commu-nity, I can feel the warmth from residents. They make me feel that I am not alone in a foreign country, but in a familiar en-vironment surrounded by close friends and relatives. The UNA community has numerous activities and clubs, you will never feel bored here. For people like me, who like to participate in diverse activities, it is an unspeakable valuable environment. One of the benefits that other communities don’t have is that we are part of a university. We can use the resources in the university. For example, we can use all the libraries for free, and we can enjoy free concerts in the Chan Centre. It is such a wonderful commu-nity, it provides convenience for its resi-dents.

I was born and grew up in Kyiv, Ukraine, but immigrated to Canada 12 years ago. My academic background is in two fields: Education (Early Childhood and Elementary) and Psychology (Social and Political). My professional experience includes teaching in elementary school (Ukraine), researching cultural aspects of young children’s play (UBC, Canada) and studying psychological characteris-tics of national and ethnic self-identifi-cation of high school youth (Institute for Social and Political Psychology at The National Academy of Pedagogical Sci-ence, Ukraine).

1.What motivates you to be a volunteer?Ever since coming to Canada in 2002, I have been truly enjoying my life of a happy mother of two wonderful children (now 8 and 13 years old), a busy UBC student and an enthusiastic community volunteer.Studying, supporting and enriching vari-ous aspects of young children’s growth have always been a great passion of my professional and parental life as well as a main focus of my volunteering efforts. My volunteering started at UBC Child Care Services when my son turned three. Later, I joined Norma Rose Point School Parent Advisory Council as a Safety Committee chair. Our PAC’s goal is cre-ating and sustaining an inspiring, vibrant and safe environment for our children. Raising my own family on campus for over 12 years, I call UBC community my home and would love to see it as a welcoming, supportive and safe place for all families. That is what motivates me to volunteer.

2. What is your vision to the UNA community? Our UBC community is a very unique place – it unites people of different ages, ethnic origins, cultural and educational backgrounds into one vibrant internation-al family. This family has grown from a small university village to the size of a University Town, but what I love about our community is that it still carries that sense of the unity and togetherness that I found here 12 years ago. The spirit of inclusiveness and mutual support made an adaptation to my new country easy and enjoyable, and many other families I have met on campus describe their ex-perience as very similar. I hope that we will be able to sustain this “family” spirit in our community, no matter how large it grows, and foster these attitudes in our children.

Natalie JatskevichWesbrook Place Walking School Bus coordinator

Lincy ZhuYouth Recycling Club volunteer

Priscille MichelAcadia ‘biking to school’ coordinator

Victoria Worked as a dietitian in vari-ous hospitals and as a private consultant. Worked in a heart disease reversal pro-gram. Co-authoured a book on Vegetar-ian nutrition. She taught English at Hong Kong University of Science and Technol-ogy, travelled extensively, enjoys hiking and biking.

1. What motviates you to be a volunteer?As retirement approached, I began to think about how I could use my skills that I developed as a teacher/dietitian to help others. When we moved into the UBC area, I discovered the UNA and its need for volunteers. I signed up as a con-versation English facilitator, and the fun and enjoyment began. During the last 3 years, over 50 topics have been discussed ranging from Canadian etiquette (man-ners and values) to personal nutrition. These classes have helped newcomers to learn and adapt to the Canadian way of life. At the same time they have en-couraged participation in conversation and given the opportunity to the new-comers to improve their speaking skills. The classroom is filled with anticipation, warmth and respect.

The classes have been mutually ben-eficial. I have continued to broaden my knowledge about other cultures, and it has helped me to become part of the UBC resident community. Since the UNA is growing rapidly with a continual stream of newcomers from other countries, a wide variety of courses offered by volun-teers is part of the welcome package for them. Volunteering can change lives and ensure that our Canadian goal of multi-culturalism will be successful. 2. What is your vision to the UNA community?I would like to see the UNA be a neigh-borhood meeting place of cultures that brings people together, encourages friendships, ensures support and has a role in the educational and cultural de-velopment of the newcomers. It should help people of other cultures to adapt and assimilate more quickly into the Canadian culture. The UNA should continue to provide op-portunities for people with valuable skills to volunteer and expand and change the programs as the community changes.

Victoria HarrisonIntermediate English Conversation Club volunteer instructor

Each year the UNA recognizes the great contributions of

individuals and groups who volunteer their time and skills to provide services and programs

in UNA community.

2015 Nominations are open from Feb 20 until Mar 31.

Contact Qiuning Wang on email qwang@oldbarn.ca for more

information

Volunteer Awards nominations

THE CAMPUS RESIDENT MARCH 16, 2015page 6

There are a lot of things that cost nothing to do on a university campus. Universi-ties are centers of knowledge production and exchange, and living as we do—right alongside one of the most amazing uni-versities in North America—it just seems like a good idea to see what is out there. Most readers will know about the regu-lar things to do: visit the Museum of An-thropology, the Belkin Art Gallery, the Beaty Biodiversity Centre or all of the various recreational opportunities. What about all the many special talks, perfor-mances, film screenings, seminars and lectures that cost nothing to attend? Starting with this issue of The Cam-pus Resident, we’ll provide an irregular heads-up on some intriguing informative

events that are open to the public, free to attend and well worth our while to check out. Here are five upcoming events in March and April that reflect the diversity of some of the best UBC has to offer. UBC Archaeology Day. March 21, all day. AnSo Building (6303 NW Ma-rine Drive). This year’s event highlights the ongoing problem of obliteration, de-struction and looting of global heritage sites. Case studies range from the war-torn regions of the Middle East (where insurgents recently sacked a museum in Mosul) to areas undergoing industrial re-development on British Columbia’s north coast. UBC Archaeology Day 2015 is open to anyone with an interest in—and concern for—the protection of our en-dangered cultural heritage, archaeologi-cal resources and indigenous culture here in British Columbia as well as across the world. Further information can be found at UBC Department of Anthropology website http://anth.ubc.ca/. Eco-Poethics and Community En-gagement. March 23, 3:00 pm-5:00 pm. First Nations Longhouse (1985 West Mall). This event has a playful structure of performance and sharing that is highly interactive. It draws from the Faculty of Education’s strategic emphasis of com-munity engagement. Participants will be able to select from three sharing tables:

local and global, equivalency of episte-mologies and methodologies, and social and eco-justice. If you attend this event, plan to be involved! Participants will join “in collaborative performances and com-panion-planting of ideas” (don’t ask, I’m not really sure what that means). RSVP: http:ce.educ.ubc.ca/rsvp-march23/. Eighth Annual International Festi-val of Anthropology Film. March 28, all day. AnSo Building (6303 NW Ma-rine Drive). This small local festival screens a thematically linked series of outstanding international and rare films. This year’s theme is work and solidarity. Films from Asia, Europe and the Ameri-cas explore bizarre, intriguing and even perplexing forms of work. Each film is carefully selected from a pool of new films to showcase the best the world of global anthropology has to offer. More info can be found at http://anthfilm/anth.ubc.ca/events.html. What Canada Needs to Know About China. A book launch. March 31, 4:00 pm-5:30 pm. CK Choi Building (1855 West Mall). China’s rise is having a di-rect impact on our prosperity, health and well-being, and our security here in Can-ada. We need to start paying closer atten-tion, says David Mulroney, author of the new book Middle Power, Middle King-dom. China has become our second larg-

Exploring the academic core of UBCUBC offers intriguing and

informative free events open to the public and well worth

attending

Charles MenziesCharles Menzies is a UNA

Resident Director and faculty member in the department of

anthropology at UBC

est economic partner, not as important as the US, but far bigger than all the rest. The author served as Canada’s ambassa-dor to China from 2009 to 2012. RSVP: http://tinyurl.com/ubcDavidMulroney. It’s About Time: Reflections on a Career in Geography. April 9, 3:30 pm-5:00 pm. Room 229, Geography Building (1984 West Mall). Featuring Professor Graeme Wynn, this talk “of-fers a series of reflections, near the end of [Professor Wynn’s] (remunerated) UBC career, on almost forty years in this in-stitution.” Professor Wynn is one of the foremost practitioners of historical geog-raphy. His talk promises an exciting ex-amination of fate and chance in the shap-ing of academic production among other things. This is the sort of academic talk that is always worth the effort to attend as one doesn’t quite know what to expect! All of these five events provide a slice of the ongoing world of the academe that lies inside the institutional core of UBC. From the vantage point of the Univer-sity neighbourhods we often only see the public relations face of UBC, or the problems, or the marketing. Take up the challenge to engage in the core mission of the university, the site of knowledge production and exchange. Enter into the world of the lecture and the seminar. You might be surprised at what you find!

UNA Let’s Cook Club: 11-year-old presents chicken soup with matzah balls

Felix MannNorma Rose Point School

Grade 7 student

Every month, my family and I go to the Let’s Cook Club meetings sponsored by University Neighbourhoods Association. They take place in the kitchens at the University Chapel on University Boule-vard in the evenings, usually on the sec-ond to last Tuesday of the month. Each class has a different host who will go through a brief tutorial on how to cook and eat a food from their culture. Topics have varied from Korean and Chinese dumplings to Italian and French cook-ing, and even simple Western dishes like macaroni and cheese. Besides the

presentation dish for everyone to sample, there’s also a potluck. Each family brings a dish to share, and in the end, we all sit down to a feast. Last month, Yahli Maron, who is 11 years old and in grade 6, and his father Gilad Babchuk, presented hummus and chicken soup with matzah balls. Yahli was the youngest presenter to come and give a talk to the Let’s Cook Club. He’s also a classmate of mine from school, so I was asked to write an article about the event. Here are a few things I learned when we sat down to do an interview. Q: Why do you cook at such a young age? Answer: I always find it a calm way to pass my time, it’s something I can do to get relaxed when I’m all tensed up.

Yahli with his soup. Photo by Dorota Mann.

Q: Why did you pick the food you cooked? Answer: Apart from being really im-portant Jewish dishes, they’re also some of my personal favorite dishes. Q: How did you learn to cook? Answer: Most of the stuff I learned comes from my grandma and my dad. Whenever I go to Israel to visit my grandma, we always cook together. Q: Did you have to cook? Did you make dinner for the family by choice or was that your chore? Answer: No, I did it voluntarily. I just really like doing it. Q: Do you cook regularly? Answer: I cook when I can, when I have time. I usually cook 2-3 times a week. It’s not always a main dish, sometimes it’s a side dish. I bake something, and some-times I make a stir-fry, whatever I have the time to make. Q: Why? What’s in it for you? Answer: There’s not really a reason. I guess you could say that the reward is getting the dish finished and making it as

best tasting as I can and as good looking as I can. Q: Was it hard or scary when you were presenting in front of everyone at the Let’s Cook Club? Answer: A little, but as soon as I start-ed I saw how nice the people were, and I started loosening up. Q: Did you enjoy your time at the club? Answer: I enjoyed it a lot. I loved it. It was a lot of fun. Q: What is one of your favorite parts of the event? Answer: I think it’s so nice to get to-gether and learn all the different foods from different cultures. I, personally, never got to try different foods in Israel, such as Chinese foods, so it’s a very ex-citing opportunity for me. Q: What was one of your favorite dish-es from the potluck? Answer: I can’t say anything in particu-lar. Everything is just amazing, as it is all a new type of food and I love new things. To register for Let’s Cook Club, email unacookingclub@gmail.com.

Yahli making matzah balls. Photo by Dorota Mann.

THE CAMPUS RESIDENT MARCH 16, 2015 page 7

I grew up in the small town of Uclue-let on Vancouver Island. I was very fortunate to have had both sets of my grandparents and other family members living in Ucluelet. Along with my par-ents, they established a strong foundation from which I was able to make choices that would prove beneficial for my career path. When I was 24 years old, I moved to the Okanagan to gain a different perspec-tive on the future before applying to the RCMP. Three years later, I was accepted as a recruit at the RCMP training facility in Regina, Saskatchewan. Upon graduation, I was posted to Co-quitlam detachment, gaining experience there in General Duty policing and Traf-fic services. After transferring to Ridge Meadows detachment, I continued with my service in Traffic related investiga-tions and a Street Crime Enforcement Unit. While still posted to Ridge Mead-ows detachment, I was seconded to IHIT (Homicide Investigations) and eventual-ly transferred to the RCMP Federal Drug Enforcement Branch. In June 2012, I was promoted to the rank of Corporal and assumed the role of Community Re-lations Officer at University detachment. My role at the detachment has evolved and changed over the last two and half years. Having grown up in a small com-munity, I understand the importance of knowing and being engaged with the

The Campus Resident welcomes Corporal (Cpl.) Brenda Winpenny with her new column on community policing. Cpl. Winpenny serves as Community Relations Officer at the University detachment of the RCMP on Wesbrook Mall. In her first column, she introduces herself

to readers of The Campus Resident.

Community Policing

community we serve. I have thoroughly enjoyed serving at the University detachment. This is truly a unique environment. Every day I learn something new about the UBC and UEL communities and the people who live here. The challenge for me is to ensure that, as a policing service, we understand the needs of these communities and are engaged with them. I would love to hear from you. If any-one has any questions, comments or sug-gestions, please call me or send an e-mail.Cpl. Brenda WinpennyCommunity RelationsUniversity RCMPGovernment of CanadaE: brenda.winpenny@rcmp-grc.gc.caTel: 604-224-1322 / Fax: 604-224-4759

Cpl. Brenda Winpenny

On March 2, at approximately 7:15 pm, University RCMP received a report of a woman stranded along the shore line ad-jacent to the 5000-block of South West Marine Drive. A 19-year-old visiting woman decid-ed to go for a hike along the shore line. After hiking for approximately one and a half hours, she became lost and called for help. Members of the University RCMP called the Marine Unit for assistance, but due to low tide conditions, they were un-able to access the area in which the wom-an was located. University RCMP members walked the shore line eventually locating the woman stuck in the mud up to her knees. Police were able to pull her free and then walk her back along the shore line to the near-est trail head. The woman was uninjured but very cold due to being stuck in the mud for a lengthy period of time. “Fortunately this incident had a posi-tive outcome. Our members took quick action to locate this female and ensure her safety”, says Cpl. Brenda Winpenny, University RCMP Community Relations. “This incident poses as a good reminder for the public to take precautions when going hiking. Knowing your terrain, tell-ing someone where you are going and when you will be back and staying on

RCMP rescues womanstuck in shoreline mud

properly marked trails are all safe prac-tices”. Meanwhile, the RCMP request help from the public in the case of a woman assaulted in Wesbrook place. On February 22, at around 10:10 pm, an 18-year-old woman was walking alone in the area of Gray Avenue and Wesbrook Mall in Wesbrook Place (near Mundell Park) when an unknown male grabbed her from behind. The woman struggled and managed to break free from the lone man who then fled the area. Police pa-trols, including a search by a police-dog team of the Integrated Police Dog Servic-es, failed to locate the suspect. The wom-an did not require any medical attention. The male suspect is described as having olive skin, 18 to 20 years old with spiky black short hair. He is approximately 5’4” to 5’6” with a medium build, and was wearing a puffy army green vest, dark long-sleeved shirt and dark pants at the time of the incident. “We recognize that incidents of this nature can be alarming to those regularly walking alone at night,” says Cpl. Win-penny. “Although we believe this to be an isolated incident, as always, we recom-mend for the public walking alone late in the evening or early in the morning to re-main extra vigilant of their surroundings and take every precaution to enhance their personal safety”.

• Setting up subscriber email for inter-ested residents; and • Posting highlights of decisions under news on the website, MYUNA e-newslet-ter and on social media whenever deci-sions involve services, bylaws or policies. Another recommendation reads, Work with UBC to incorporate their events and activities, such as guest speakers, into the UNA events calendar and in subscriber email. Therese Mickelson presented her report and recommendations on UNA commu-nications policy to a closed UNA com-mittee meeting February 24. This com-mittee sent the report to the March 10 UNA Board meeting. “It’s a lot of rec-ommendations,” one UNA director said at the Board meeting. Another director suggested that UBC residents be encouraged to read the lengthy report and respond to it. The re-port goes next to a second closed com-mittee meeting later this month or in early April. Following discussion at the Board meeting, directors voted unanimously to support the recommendation by staff to refer the recommendations made by Mickelson Consulting Inc. in the Com-munications Strategy Research Sum-mary Report to the UNA Operations and Sustainability Standing Committee for consideration, with the intent of bringing to the Board recommendations for imple-mentation. The Mickelson Report on the develop-ment of a communications strategy for the UNA begins with Ms. Mickelson listing the “communications audit” she undertook to start her work. Performed in 2014, this research involved the fol-lowing: • Interviews with UNA managers and staff (4 participants);

• Workshop and Feedback Form with Board Directors (7 participants); • Workshop and Feedback Forms with community members (6 participants); • Online community survey (99 respon-dents); • Event on-site survey (48 respondents); • Communication audit to review and assess tactics; • Graphic design audit and assessment; • Policy/procedure review – in context of communications. “This research phase provides the foundation for recommendations on next steps, including the development of com-munication guidelines, and a strategy and plan for implementing more effective and responsive public communication,” Ms. Mickelson writes. “Mickelson Consulting Inc. will use the findings from the research to develop a communication strategy for the UNA, in-cluding recommended updates to policies and procedures as they relate to corporate communications.” The Campus Resident comes out of the audit with a high readership rating. “As one of the top-viewed methods of com-munication, 82.8% of respondents in the community online survey indicated that they read The Campus Resident newspa-per.” Ms. Mickelson concludes, “Overall, the UNA has an excellent foundation in its communications, and the existing tools can be improved significantly through more strategic use of each tactic, im-proved messaging that targets audience interests and supports organizational ob-jectives, and an enhanced visual identity guide that provides more options for the broad range of communication required while setting clear standards for consis-tency.” (You may find the Mickelson Report on the UNA website, and you may mail your comments to reception@myuna.ca.)

REPORT continued from Page 1

THE CAMPUS RESIDENT MARCH 16, 2015page 8

Voice of Campus Youth

Canada is well-known for its multicul-tural policies, which attract hundreds of thousands of immigrants each year. UBC, as one of the top universities in Canada, demonstrates the principle of multicul-turalism especially well; students from all over the world can be seen walking on its campus. The acceptance of dif-ferent cultures not only encourages mu-tual respect between individuals, but also strengthens the integration of all people into a global society. Six years ago, my family immigrated to Canada from China. I was only nine years old at the time, and to be honest, it was a scary experience. I was thrown into the world of the unknown, not knowing what to expect. As I navigated through the darkness, I was assisted by many people, including teachers, classmates and friends. Nobody disrespected me be-cause of my ethnicity; I felt welcomed, accepted and supported. Over the six years that I have been here, UBC’s involvement in multiculturalism has continued to grow. For instance, both UNA and UBC hosted on-campus events that brought the community together to celebrate the 2015 Lunar New Year a few weeks ago. In addition, when I visited the

Multiculturalism helped my family adjust to new

life at UBCAmily Yao,

Student of University Transition Program

UBC President’s Office with my school, the University Transition Program, on February 27, there were red lanterns hanging in front of the doors. This simple decoration not only expresses the Presi-dent’s respect for Asian cultures, but also shows his open-mindedness and his will-ingness to accept new ideas and thoughts. The efforts that UBC puts into promot-ing respect for—and acceptance of all cultures—should be acknowledged and respected in return. The most important thing I learned in Canada is to always treat others based on who they are instead of what their ethnicities are. Multicultur-alism makes a huge difference for im-migrants like my family; we are able to fit into our new Canadian identities and culture while keeping the traditions that are part of our heritage. I received a lot of help when I first arrived at Canada, and now it is time for me to give back to the community.

Editor’s Note: UBC President Arvind Gupta plans to visit China in early April to develop teaching and student learning partnerships. “The visit to China will ex-pand the university’s role as a gateway to this vibrant academic, economic and cul-tural hub of the world,” President Gupta said. An important component of this trip will be promoting research collabora-tions and exploring joint degree oppor-tunities, student mobility and internship agreements.

UBC President Arvind Gupta (centre) meets with University Transition Program students. Photo by Qiu Hong.

“There was a time when I did not like practicing the zither. There was already so much stress from school, and the two-hour commitment everyday just seemed so long and tedious. However, when I eventually stopped playing this instru-ment, I felt very empty and hollow. Only then did I realize that zither had already been an indispensable part of my life... It IS my life.”

Deborah Du is a grade 11 student in Uni-versity Hill Secondary. This year, at the Lunar New Year celebration in Old Barn, Deborah wowed everyone with her out-standing performance on a traditional Chinese instrument called Guzheng or Chinese zither. As the instrument’s beau-tiful melody echoed throughout the fes-tive atmosphere, many people gathered around her, curious and captivated. Ex-cited, enthusiastic and confident, Debo-rah introduced the instrument to her au-dience. She talked about its history and its unique sound. She also described her passion for the Chinese zither, a love that started almost eleven years ago. Flashback to 2004, Deborah was only seven years old. It was not the first time she heard this faint yet enchanting music from her neighbor. She could hear it al-most everyday now. The more Deborah listened to it, the more she was enthralled by the magical tune. One day, her mom told her that a zither teacher lived next door and the music had come from the instrument she played. Deborah was in-stantly interested and decided she would learn to play the bridged zither as well. Her music journey had officially begun. Unfortunately, her path to success had not been easy. As school became more stressful and challenging, Deborah was devoting more and more of her time to doing homework and studying. She barely had time to practice! Moreover, she lost her confidence when she knew that another girl from her school could play the zither amazingly, much better than she could. This was a harsh blow. If she were to excel at this instrument, she had to practice. But with the pressure of schoolwork dragging her down, she can-not handle everything. Deborah finally made a difficult decision. She decided that she would not continue playing her beloved instrument. What Deborah did not know before

“It IS my life”Winny Sun

University Hill Secondary Grade 11 student

was that although practicing the zither everyday was a huge commitment, play-ing this instrument had also helped her relax. When she listened to the music she played attentively and moved her body back and forth along with the tune, Deborah felt that she was in her own little world, content and carefree. When she stopped playing this instrument, she also lost an opportunity to let out her worries. Realizing that zither had already been an inseparable part of her life, Deborah chose to continue. In March of 2014, Deborah and her family moved to Canada. Before Debo-rah came to Canada, she completed the Level 10 Examination in China. With a good foundation, she quickly found many performance opportunities in Vancouver. She is part of a band, consisting of ten zithers and many more Chinese tradition-al instruments. The band performs regu-larly in Burnaby and Richmond. She is also a solo player, having performed at The Old Barn Community Center. As a team member, Deborah cooperates well with her fellow performers to ensure an orderly yet powerful show. As an individ-ual, Deborah presents herself with utmost confidence. All of her experiences allow her to improve in both technical as well as performing skills. When Deborah was young, she played the instrument because she loved its beautiful sound. However, she would never think that performing on the Chi-nese zither would also help her adapt quickly to her new life in Canada. Through performances, Deborah met many new friends. Through performanc-es, she became more confident, her once-stiff movement becoming much more relaxed. Through performances, she also became braver, not afraid anymore to communicate with her audience. Deborah’s original intention was to spread Chinese culture and tradition through her sincere performance. How-ever, after numerous shows, she discov-ered what she could really do. On many occasions, she performed western pop songs, such as Rollin’ in the Deep, with the Chinese traditional instrument. This special combination produced unbeliev-able results. The audience was thrilled because the performance was so fun, in-teresting and unique. Deborah is a magician, who mixes components of both Chinese and Cana-dian cultures, and surprises everyone with a marvelous product. Her incredible surprises for the audience will never end and her amazing story continues...

Deborah Du and Anita Fan perform at the UNA’s Lunar New Year Celebration

THE CAMPUS RESIDENT MARCH 16, 2015 page 9

In order to assess the impact on views from the proposed development, Ms. Denlinger conducted a site visit to the properties at 5938 Newton Wynd and 5962 Newton Wynd. In an eight-page decision, the Deputy Minister noted, “I was able to access the impact on these properties’ views to the North, by viewing the mock-up of the proposed new development at 5915 Newton Wynd from those properties. “While some minor obstruction of views to the North of water and mountains may be reasonably expected from new devel-opment, the obstruction of view of both the water and the mountains from the liv-ing room at 5962 Newton Wynd would be complete if the development permit is issued. “In addition, the existing view from the den, bedrooms and the upper story balco-ny would be blocked by more than 50%, generally removing almost all views of the water to the north and much of the mountains as well. “The existing views of the water and the mountains from the living room, din-ing room and front patio of the second property at 5938 Newton Wynd would be almost completely blocked also. Views from the second storey bedrooms of that property would also be very significantly reduced. “Overall, I am satisfied that the devel-opment as proposed would have an un-due and very significant impact on both the primary and secondary views to the North from the two existing homes at 5938 Newton Wynd and 5962 Newton Wynd. Such a significant obstruction of existing views can also reasonably be expected to reduce the property value of these homes significantly.” While the 5938 Newton Wynd and 5962 Newton Wynd properties raised pri-vacy concerns as well, the Deputy Minis-ter found primary impact on privacy from a proposed development would be on the property it overlooks to the north at 5916 Northwest Marine Drive. She noted, “In order to access the pri-vacy impact on that property, I conducted a site visit to 5916 Northwest Marine Drive. I also attempted to view the prop-erty at 5916 Northwest Marine Drive from the Applicant property in approxi-mately the location of the proposed new home. “I have concluded that the new home proposed does not ‘ensure that the pri-vacy of the adjacent neighbours is not unduly compromised’. The new home, as proposed, would have banks of win-dows with a principal orientation into the

UEL continued from Page 1 main activity areas in the yard of 5916 Northwest Marine Drive and windows that would provide a direct and closed view into the master bedrooms windows of that property. “I am satisfied from my view of the Applicant Property during my site visit at 5916 Northwest Marine Drive, as well as my view from the Applicant Prop-erty, that the plan for construction of the house proposed by the Applicant does not adequately address the UEL Bylaw and Guidelines in relation to privacy and would have a significant impact on adja-cent property owners.” Regarding the December issue of the development permit, the Deputy Minister said, “The Manager thoroughly reviewed the development permit process in his reasons for decision dated December 2, 2014. I generally agree with his com-ments regarding the quality of the pro-posed development and the difficulty of ascribing a specific style to this neigh-bourhood. I also find that his approach was thoughtful, and I found no evidence of any improper considerations of the Manager’s part. “However, under the Act and the UEL Bylaw, the final determination of whether a development permit should be issued where the existing building envelope is exceeded, or variances are requested, falls on me as deputy minister in this ap-peal. “I have come to a different conclusion than the Manager in relation to the ac-ceptability of the impact of the proposed development, specifically in relation to its impact on the views of the existing homes to the South and the privacy of the property to the North. I am also satisfied that the extent of the loss of views and privacy would have a substantial impact on the property values of these homes.” Development may still go ahead at 5915 Newton Wynd subject to the issue of a new permit, the Deputy Minister said, but it must not exceed “the existing lawfully-conforming building envelope.” Any new permit must also “reasonably (though not perfectly) address the protec-tion of the views and privacy of the exist-ing homes surrounding it.”

Development permit of house has been refused. Model of house shown above.

CorrectionsIn a February story ‘Final ruling on new UEL home...’, we incorrectly spelled the surnames of Bruce Stu-art and Margaret Stuart, referring to them as Bruce Stewart and Margaret Stewart. We express regret for this and any other erros in naming that may have occurred in the story.

THE CAMPUS RESIDENT MARCH 16, 2015page 10

Barbara Tomasic is a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) candidate at UBC whose thesis production, Triumph of Love, is a mod-ern Broadway musical about a Princess who dresses as a man in order to help her beloved Agis return to his rightful throne. A romantic comedy that flips the typi-cal gender roles found in fairytales, this sassy and sexy musical is modern in ev-ery sense of the word. Adapting from Pierre Marivaux’s 18th century romantic comedy, American playwright James Magruder took a rich

Romance and Comedy: Triumph of Love at UBC TheatreDirector, Barbara Tomasic,

speaks on Broadway musicals and the creative process in

Q and A

world and condensed it into a tight musi-cal that retained all the wit and witticisms found in the original text. Ms. Tomasic’s challenge was to spearhead a production that would push the seven acting students in it to be triple-threat performers: quick with their tongues, fast on their feet and powerful with their pipes. Here’s Ms. Tomasic’s take on the world of musical theatre and what it takes for artists to perform well in this type of the-atre! Q: How is musical theatre best de-scribed? Answer: A magical combination of tech-nique and expression. Q: What skills need to be honed in or-der for someone to be a strong musical theatre performer?Answer: The core one is grasping the relationship between text, orchestration and movement. You can be a great singer, mover or actor, but unless you know how to motivate all these elements from the same honest emotion or impulse, it falls flat. Q: You already work professionally in musical theatre, why return to do your MFA at UBC?Answer: I wanted to test how to teach and work on musical theatre as a legiti-mate art form. In the theatre community, musical theatre isn’t considered legiti-mate, it’s thought of as fluff. But there is technique there that we all have to craft in order to be effective in the medium of musicals. I wanted to work with the act-ing students on this craft and also hone my own ability to support musical theatre performers in delivering their best work. Q: What made you want to direct Tri-umph of Love as your MFA thesis pro-

duction?Answer: I wanted to do a period piece that isn’t set in modern day. The wild romp of this romantic story is a theatri-cal world I don’t often get to create when working professionally. Q: What’s the central story in Triumph of Love?Answer: The peaceful garden we find at the beginning of the play is where the characters Hermocrates, Hesione and Agis want to live a logical, controlled existence and not let emotions, especially love, throw off their plans and ideas. But as much as they all want to keep things in their life “just so”, a Princess arrives in the garden and cracks open the container that holds their deepest fears, secrets and

desires. It causes every character to look at the true workings of their heart, and in the end love triumphs. Q: If all fairytales have a lesson, what does the audience ultimately learn from Triumph of Love?Answer: Sometimes when you win, you don’t get what you want, but what you need!

TRIUMPH OF LOVE plays the Frederic Wood Theatre March 19 – April 4 Value-added performances: March 18: $7 Preview, March 19: Opening Night with complimentary reception, March 25: Post-show talkback. UNA Residents 2 for 1: $12.25 Box Office Ph: 604.8222678, E-mail: box.office@ubc.caBarbara Tomasic

Scene from Triumph of Love at UBC Theatre.

Program GuideSpring & Summer 2015Registration is open - join us now!

www.myuna.ca/registration

Join us on FACEBOOKfacebook.com/theoldbarncommunitycentre

THE CAMPUS RESIDENT MARCH 16, 2015 page 11

Biodiversity in your backyard

The newest feature exhibition at the Beaty Biodiversity Museum, Shutterbug, shows off the work of Ian Lane – a man who was fascinated by insects and loved to photograph them as a hobby. Ian was an ordinary person with a passion, who made a big contribution to science. Here is our guide on how kids can be-come a nature photographer like Ian. Think small – when we think of wild-life photography, we think bears, cougars and other big creatures. Nature is every-where. Wildlife photography can feature insects, like Ian’s, or plants, birds and worms—all the creatures that you can find in your own backyard. Pay attention – nature is everywhere. Remember to look. Get close – use your camera’s zoom feature and take some close-ups. Try different angles - you never know what will work until you try. Watch out for shadows – if you are photographing an animal, wait for them to come out of the shadows so they show up better in your photographs. Don’t worry about centering your subject – photos are most interesting

Kids’ Guide to Nature Photographywhen the subject isn’t in the middle all the time. Be patient - let nature come to you. It might take a while where you have to sit and observe before you can find a great subject. Always respect nature – don’t trample the flower you’re photographing. Use wildlife guides to help identify what you’ve photographed - if you doc-ument where and when you saw some-thing, then it could be used for scientific research! Check out the Nature Guides and Logs on the Beaty Biodiversity Museum Edu-cator Resource pagewww.beatymuseum.ubc.ca/educator-resources/elementary-school-resources. There are birds, insects, mammals and plants guides available to help you iden-tify the creatures in your own backyard. Ian liked hiking with his friends in Na-ture Vancouver, a local club. He wrote down where and when he photographed insects, when he was out on hikes, and often included their scientific name. When Ian gave his 10,000 slides of insect photographs to the Spencer Entomologi-cal Collection here at the Beaty Biodiver-sity Museum, he was contributing to sci-entific research. Now, there is a record of where and when these insects were seen, so that we can compare it to the past and future. This will enable us to see if the places where these creatures live change, and if their population is increasing or

Mairin Kerr Marketing, Communications

& Events Coordinator, Beaty Biodiversity Museum

Southern ladybird beetle (Harmonia axyridis). Photo by Ian Lane.

decreasing. This kind of information can help us figure out if species are becom-ing endangered, or if things like climate change is affecting them. So get out there and take photos, write down the time and date, then see if you can identify what you photographed. Take part in scientific exploration with your camera and the Museum’s Nature Guides! In the CollectionVisit the Beaty Biodiversity Museum for

Spring Break. There are different daily hands-on activities at 12:30pm until March 22. See the full list here: beatymu-seum.ubc.ca/spring-break-2015.

Interested in learning something new? UBC Botanical Garden offers a diverse selection of workshops, lectures and tours on topics such as pruning, organic gardening, arts, sustainability and more. Visit botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/learn to reg-ister.

THE CAMPUS RESIDENT MARCH 16, 2015page 12

Team up with our fun and energetic leader for an action packed party!

To book a Saturday birthday party at The

Old Barn, please contact our

Communications & Events Coordinator

604-822-9675 bookings@oldbarn.ca

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