T
Vance says, ‘Come see
pages4&5
and look at
some neat
Phenomena
Paintings
by Paterson Ewen.”
one of UBC’s pioneer spin-off
companies. Their highly successful firm, MacDonald
Dettwiler, has now been
joined by 65 other spin-off
companies which create a
plethora of diverse products
including mushrooms, software for artificial
limbs,
oceanographic instruments,
and even something called a
“fluxgate magnetometer”.
UBC’s spin-offcorporations are
growing up, but haveleftmany
people wondering where these ambitious adolescents are headed.
Combined, UBC spin-off companies pumped over $250 million
into the B.C.economy last year,
more than half have developed international markets and many are
seen as leaders in theirfields.
The term “spin-off companies”
refers to a rather looselydefined
group of companies thathave
sprung up as a result of UBC research. They include all companies
which exist as a direct result of technology developed at UBC or because
the company was formed by people
who gained specific expertise while
studying or teaching at UBC. The
majority come from research in engineering, general science,
commerce or medicine-in other words,
the practical UBC research disciplines.
A typical spin-offmight be created when a professor or graduate
student
with
entrepreneurial
gumption invents something with
commercial potential. After the
company is formed the inventor
may maintain ties to the
university
through continued research, patent
agreements or even employment of
UBC graduate students.
“I used to work at the computing centreand Johnwas in electrical engineering,”
said
Vern
Dettwiler,
explaining
how
MacDonald Dettwiler was formed
in the days when computers were
not as common as they are today.
For their first assignment in
thecommunicationsindustry
MacDonald finally convinced Lunkurt Electric that he
was the right
person to
write their computer program.
Today with annual sales for 1987 of$65
million, the company specializes in producing technical systems for digital data processing and supplying satellite groundstation equipment.
Y o u know when you see pictures from
those weather satellites doing cloud systems? That’s us,” said Dettwiler.
As the company began to grow and the
partners were eventually ableto hire their
first employee, both were still working for
the university and moonlighting as businessmen.
tometer, a geophysical instrument,
says his business means that he
his time
doesn’t have tospend
teaching, which “paysnext to nothing“.
UBC itself also gains financially from its association with the
spin-offs.
Peter Larkin, vice-president of
research explains that a company
must give the university a royalty if
they have a licensing agreement.
“UBC received $600,000 on all
licensing agreements last year and
several of the licensing agreements
are with spin-off companies,” says
Larkin, who noted that under the
terms of the UBC agreements half
of the royalty goes to the inventor
while the other half goes back to
UBC.
If the spin-off company’s association with UBC does not involve a
licensing agreement, no
money
changes hands, Larkin added. In
the case of MacDonald Dettwiler,
the founding members took their
knowledge out in their heads and
thus don’t pay a royalty.
No longer having any official
ties to the university, MacDonald
Dettmeierhasreachedadulthoodin
the corperate world. “I have no
complaints” about the break from
UBC, says Dettwiler, but acknowledges that spin-offs have often been
viewed quite negatively by the academic community.
“Englishliterature and
ancient
history don’t have practical applications but things like engineering
and computer science do,”he says,
adding that he feels students benefit from the practical knowledge
professors gain from outside the
university.
Over the last five years, the
provincial government has encouraged the growth of spin-offs by helping to create the Industry Liaison
Office under the Economic Regulation
Development
Agreement
(ERDA).
Spin-offiob creation, 2,385jobs
in 1987, is especially appealing to
the people in Victoria says Fowler.
Larkin agrees, and added that
the provincial and federal government programs help finance many
nology and research space for commercial achieve. Onthe one hand you do research to spin-offs.
“The whole processis takingoff. People
purposes. Academics masquerading as gain knowledge but if the object is to learn
businessmen are still uncommon enough to for the purpose of applying it...y ou need realized a lot of money was being spent on
raise some eyebrows and there are some spin-offcompanies,” says Fowler.
research and no one was picking itup for
“In the old days it was ‘publish or per- comercial use,” says Fowler.
fears that emphasis on commercialization
may distort theuniversity’s academic pri- ish’; the wayyou transformed technology
But according to Narod, too little, not
orities.
was by publishing. But a lot of big compa- too much,has been doneto encourage spinNew Democrat MLA Darlene Marzari, nies don’t want this because they don’t get off companies.
(the university administration)
while stressing that it is ‘wonderful” that any protection,” since the research has not“They
UBC is becoming more commercially on- yet been applied or patented Fowler says, don’t want you to research something for
ented, has concerns about a n over-empha- explaining that you can’t patent something commercial purposes....People doing resis on business in the
academic community. thathas already been published.
search are resented bypeoplewho have to
“My concerns the
are that
balance of
teach,” says Narod.
business oriented enterprise and broaden- Narod would like to see Canada move
ingstudentsminds mightbecomemuddied. I fear for the nature oftowards the morecommercially oriented
I fear for the nature of education: teaching education: teaching stu- American universities and senses re&students to read, write and think,” said
tence to change at UBC.
‘The university administration Marzari.
dents to read, write and “I tend to thinkthe companyspin-off
doesn’t research something for
comthink.
happened
spite
in UBC.
It’s
of
a misguided
“Liberal arts are waning while
commercial purposes people puter science and applied science are being
strategy. A more pragmatic approach is
-Darlene Marzari,M U needed,” said ~ ~ d .
doing research are resented by encouraged,” she added.
Al
Fowler,
manager
of
patents
and
li_
_
“Every single example of (spin-off) sucpeople who have to teach”
censing
for
the
UBC
OfEce
of
Research
cess
has something to do with a Phd. who
Dr. B. Narod,
Services and IndustryLiaison, admits that
Spin-off companies %ay be crass but can’t work within UBC,” he added.
Narod Geophysics Ltd.
Nonetheless N a r d stillmaintains
some people objectto research for commer- mayalso be essential. Research is done but
At that time, in the late 1960’s, it was cia1 purposes rather than mere pursuitof oftennothing happens toitotherwise,”saysclose connections to UBC, currently using
Fowler.
the help of the Liaison
Office
the exception to the rulefor people associ- knowledge.
to negotiate a
“It depends on what you’re trying to
The motives behind spin-offs are not contract with the United Kingdom.
ated with the university to use UBC tech-
..
-
THE MUSEUM OF ANTHROPOLOGY WILL HOST THE VIOLA
DUO OF LISA MOODY AND ALICE WATERMAN,
WHO FORM MOLT0 VIOLA.
Molto Viola, which concentrates on classical repertoire, will perform music ranging from Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 to
works written for them in 1987. The concert will take place at 3:OO
pm in the Great
Hall on August 16.
addltlonal Ilnes60 cents, commercial-3Ilnes.
75 cents. (10% Dbcount on 26 Issues or
more) Classlfledadspayable
In advance.
Deadline 4:OO p.m.. two dap before publlcaC
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Concerts are freewith museumadmission.
For further informationcontact Rosa Ho, 228-5087
I
30 -JOBS
DAVID SANBORN BAND
Expo Theatre, August 18, 7:30
pm, Tickets: $25,
VTCI CBO: 280-4444,Information: 682-0706
86 STREET MUSIC HALL requires p.t. d c
waiterless. Apply in person 2-4 pm, Tues'. &
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smokers (lpack/d) are needed for a drug
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be paid for the complete study. For detailed
info. call Grace UBC 2286772.
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Training
provided. Call Mike Stone228-8579
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736-8686
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Volunteers Needed
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2/THE SUMMER
UBYSSEY
August 10,1988
'Systems' swaps
reason for
Violence does not justify racism. Nothing
does. Systems nightclub.hasa racist door
policy. It restricts access to groups of Asian
people.
But Systems manager DaleMcRitchie has
a problem. He has an employee in the hospital with a bullet scar on his face. Unfortunately, McRitchie, in trying toremedy the
problem of youth gangviolence in his club,
has created anothermalady. His problem is
violence, not Asians. And steps to solve this
dilemma should deal with violence, not race.
Members of Asian youth gangs, who may
be responsible for the Saturday nightshooting, are defined by three criteria - they are
young, they areAsian and they aredangerous. McRitchie has chosen the wrong criterion. He has chosen to rectify his very real
menace by limiting access to Asians. But just
as all youths are not gangmembers, neither
are all Asians.
Morally and legally, McRitchie cannot
discriminate at the door on the basisof race.
And, obviously he cannotdiscriminate on the
basis of 'youth'. His only recourse, then, is to
limit access on the basisof danger.
Today, there are methods of dealing with
the element of danger. Guns, knives and brass
knuckles can be discovered upon entry by a
metal detector.
Systems could implement a comprehensive
membership policy mandatory for all Systems
patrons. Members would be subject to a police
check and club entry would be denied on the
basis of a criminal record.
Members shouldbe made tosign in and
leave identification at the door. If violence
breaks out, thepolice know who was in the
club on that particular night. They have
somewhere to start.
These steps towards ensuringthe safety of
Systems patrons and staff are not meant to
eliminate the problem of Asian youth gangs.
They are meant toremedy an isolated symptom of the problem.
These solutions may sound idealisticand
cumbersome. But anything works better than
racism.
August 10,1988
TheSummerUbyssey is publishedWednesdays
by the Alma Mater Societyof
throughout July and August
the University of BritishColumbia. Editorial opinions are
those of the staff and not necessarily those of the
university administration,or of the sponsor.The Summr
Ubyssey is published with the proudsupport of the
AlumniAssociatioon.TheUbyssey
is a member of
Canadian University Press. The editorial office is Rm.
241k of the Student Union Building. Editorial Department, phone 228-2301; advertising, 2283977.
blue turtles rattled the windows asalex johnson contemplated the virtues of thumbtacks whileted aussem - pmfes-.
sional tmg, dreamed of asparagus soup. chris wiesinger
stared on madly, muttering "option A?" please let me go
home,gaspedpaparazzispecialistmandelnganfrom
under the heel of merciless deame fisher (deeeeeahnn) as
she sipped another brewski. wowy, he's squirming announced an astonished katherine monkto martin dawes,
who by this time was far beyond the reach of any mere
mortal. steve chan wasastm travelling in an attempt to
coffee
discover the questionto the answer and a goodofcup
for cam1 swan despite her refusal to believe that elvis I
as asinbaptist minister.
presleyis alive and well, living in
no shit! cried Sheila west collapsing into a fetal position.
jennifer lyall chortled because she that
knew
dan andrews
was plottingto apse all to the verbosityof olivia zanger.
entertainment:
news:
city d e s k
photography:
productlon:
Chrls
6/THE SUMMER UBYSSEY
Dawes
Martln
Deanne Flsher
Katherine Monk
Mandel Ngan
Welslnger
I
-.
1
.
The Ubyssey welcomes letters on any issue. Letters must be typed and are not to exceed 300words in length. Content
which is judged to be libelous. homophobic,sexist, or racist will not be published. Please be concise. Letters may be '
d
e
idfor brevity. but it is standard Ubyssey p o l i c y not to edit letters for spellingor grammatical mistakes. Please bring
Mandatory retirement fails in
theory aswell as practice
E-2 E l l e x
E l l i g e r Hohe 13
5 3 0 0 Bonn 2
24 J u l y , 1988
cause it was foundto be disObliquelyresponding
The E d i t o r ,
to Mr. Willoughby's letter of criminatory solely on the
August 3 provides an oppor- basis of age. In terms of U b e e s h y e e( S t u d e n t sp a p e r )
employment standards it is D e a r E d i o t r ,
tunity to set forth
to
ments against theadmissi- equitable to the right not
I h a v e e n j o y e d b e i n g i n UBC campus f o r a b o u t
bility of mandatory retire- be discriminated against
a week a n d I t h i n k , t h a t is one o f t h e m o s t b e a u t i f u l
because
of
gender,
race,
ment. This I will proceed to,
U n i v e r s i t y Campus i n t h e w h o l e w h o l e . A d d e d t o t h e
afterafew cursoryremarks. nationality, et al. One's age,
n a t ubr ea al up
tthlyae, n n e r s ,
who mbues t
like
one's
gender
or
one's
complemented fsoernnosafet u reanl i r o n m e n t
My previous letter was
preservation,haveverythoughtfullydecoratedthe
not a formal rebuttal of Mr. place of origin, does not,
c a m p uw
s i t ah d d i t i o n abl e a u t i f ugl a r d e n sS. t i l l
one's
F'reinsperg's arguments necessarily, determine
more, I w a s v e r y much o v e r w h e l m e d b y f r i e n d l y g e s t u r e
supportingmandatory re- competency. Therefore, it- o fa l lC a n a d i a n s .
Plese, a c c e p t my c o n g r a t u l a t i o n
f o r m a k i n g t h e campus i n p a r t i c u l a r a n d V a n c o u v e r i n
tirement, none were given. cannot be used to deny or
g e n e r a l so b e a u t i f u l .
Rather, I merely elucidate4 remove one from a job. In
I use y o u re s t e e m e dp a p e rt ot r y
to
primarilyusing
his own other words, with respectto c o m m u n i cMay
a t e w i t h one o f t h e s t u d e n t ( I g u e s s ) who l e f t
a n e v e re r a s a b l ei m p r e s s i o no n
words, the facile and shrill, mandatoryretirement,
me.
P l e a s e ,p u t h e
lose the f o l l o w i n gp a s s a g ew i t hb l a n k s
on y o u rp a p e r f o r 3
histrionictenor of Kurt3 persondoesnot
a
l
t
e
r
n
a
t
i
v
i
e
s
s
u
e
(
s
o
a
r
y
s
o
p
u
l
e
a
s
e
e
)
a
r
l
i
e
s
t
tirade. Secondly, I stated ability to perform their job
p o s s i b l e . Whoever f i l l s a l l of t h e b l a n k c o r r e c t l y ,
my disagreement with
some the day aftertheir sixtywill be t h e p e r s o n I am l o o k i n g f o r . E x c u s e
me f o r
of his statements orconclu- fifth birthday; whereas, on
n o t w r i t i n g my name b u t i f t h i s s e a r c h is s u c c e s s f u l ,
the
previous
day,
they
were
I w i l l a n s w e ra n yq u e s t i o n
a t t h a t time.
sions.
I do not question self- fit for duty.
Passage
If mandatoryretireinterest as a prime factor in
"On F r i d a y8 t hJ u l y ,
I l e f t t h e campus a t
tofacilitate
the motivation for our be- ment was meant
-10 and
a b o u t 1 O'clock i n t h e a f t e r n o o n bybusno.
a
safeguard
against
incomhavior. Nor can I dispute
was s i t t i n g i n t h e f i r s t row. A s t r e n g e r g o t i n a n d
that bureaucracy c a n be in- petency, then we know
s a t j u s t b e h i nt dhder i v e rs' se aft a, c i n g
me
1
alnodo k i n g
imical to and to a great ex- empirically that it fails ut- d i a g o n a l l y . He was
c o n s t a n t l ys t a r r e da t
m e a si f
I was t h e Miss
tent subverts the intentionsterly. Incompetency knows
2
wfth
3
U n i v e r s e . I was w e a r i n g
no
a
g
e
!
Nor
does
this
policy
for instituting tenure, acarw
aenaadsd i n g
4
.
When I o c c a s i o n a l l y
demic freedom and any
sem- alleviate the lack of posil o o k e d a t him, h e wou-ld b e s t i l l s t a r i n g a t me. Then
to young some o l d e r p e o p l e g o t into t h e b u s i x w o o d l a n d s t r e e t
blance of meritocracy. Hav- tionsavailable
( ? ) , h ek i n d l y
l e f t h i s e a ft o rt h e m M
. eanwhile
graduatesand professors.
ing admitted this, the mania b o u t1 5m i n u t e sp a s s e da n d
my s t o p came. I p i c k e d
The
blame
must
be
laid
elsefestly untenable practiseof
up my
5
h u ram
rniaedtnd
oal y
ged
mandatoryretirement re-, where: abysmalfinancing
6
I heard
b e f o r e I g o t down.
say
I
structures,
disproportionbuthenevercouldget
him s a y
mains.
Mandatory retirement ate enrollment within facul- down".
Our guesses: Lshady; 2.e fish: 3.chips: 4. A Marwl Comic: 5.nOse: 6. 'Got change
is a social injustice basedon ties, social stigmas. there
tor a buck?': 7. '1'11 ghe p u three quarters: - ed
other
arguments
arbitrariness ador unjusti- are
Send your guessesto The Ubyssey SUB 241k
againstmandatoryretirefiable incrimination.
The
This issue is, indeed, a
criteria upon which it is ment butthis shouid be suf- What would the standards
be? Andobviously,anycomconundrum.
I maintain,
based are invalid; nor will ficient.
however, thatmandatory
Let it be said for the mitteeentrusted withdesuch a practice accomplish
will notameliothe ends for which it was record that a meritorracy terminingadvancement,retirement
is rate thesituation.
also has its demerits. Dis- rewardorpunishment
instituted.
susceptible
to arbiTom Andrews
Mandatory retirement covering valid criteria for always
Philosophy 4
was deemed impermissible measuringmerit objectively trariness,politicsandprejuis a =cult
proposition. dice.
andunconstitutionalbe'
J
4
August 10,1988
_. .:
.
~-
~~~
~
Paterson Ewen’s.plywood phenomena
By Martin Dawes
There is drama and motion in works like %e
T
he Vancouver Art Gallery occupies a ridiculous
structure. It squats incongruous amongst the
skyscrapers, its religious roof propped up by hulking
neo-roman pillars - amotley crew ofancientinfluences’
designed toreflect the dignity and importance of official
proceedings.
Aside from art students, only the middle-aged venture indoors to examine its contents. Bums sleep on its
lawns and eat the
flowers, and theyoung and restless
use it primarily as a theatrical prop.
Perhaps this is because young artists rarely get
shown there ...
Canadian artist Paterson Ewen was born in 1925.
He was a n abstractionist painter until the late ‘60’s
when he “became bored with (his) own work” (Ewen’s
quotes are taken from the program notes).
This boredom, together withan amateur enthusiasm for natural phenomena, compelled
Ewen to create
anew style of art. ’7 call my works
‘phenomascapes’ because they are images of
The Great Wave: Homage to Hokusui, 1974
Great Wave: Homage to Hokusai (1974)”; indeed, the
attack.”
as Van Gogh sometimes painted the
In fact, the only man-made objects
human face using colours completely
represented in this exhibition are a
unrelated to flesh-tones - and i n
murky wrecked ship and the
skyline of
doing so seemed to discover hidden
a city cowering beneath chain lightemotional expressions - Ewen’smoon
ning.
colours are often unexpected and
A grade-school-science-fairkind
non-literal, yet strangely affecting.
of feeling pervades the second floorof
“Solar Eruption” revealsa starthe gallery. Ewen has gouged into andpainted mas- tingbfillianceinitsuse ofline. The edge ofthe sunand
sive sheetsofplywood,and foragedinhardwarestores is eruption form a simple thick line against a dark
for the
rest
of his materials.
,&ground, recalling the masterful
beauty
o f ~ ~ s
He represents weather
systems in analmost &a- Blue Nude”, where a crouching woman is realizedby a
grammatic way. Crude objects are carefilly chosen to ,,$dedark outline on a blue canvas.
sheer sizeof his paintings requires Ewen to come to
grips with his materials in a very physical way, a n
experience quite different from delicately stroking a
canvas.
“The actual physical movements I make sometimes actuallyfeel analogous to the way things really
happen,” saysEwen.
This intensely physical experience is only the
final part of a much longer process. “ h e way things
really happen”seeds an image in Ewen’s mind which
he then has to ’live with” until it will ”emergefrom my
rotating head and
be manifested in the plywood.”
o ’ The
~ result of these processes is a fresh, energetic
body of work (asif his career had really begun in the
late ‘60’s) which is also the product of a fully-matured
artist.
One may only hopethat thelimitations of increasing age will be unable toquench Paterson
Ewen’s glorious artistic rejuvenation.
M A N D U NGAN
PHOTO
The Pointsman is a
train worth catching
By Chris Wiesinger
A -
barren stretch of land. Railroad
tracks. A shack.
Five characters. Few words.
Meet the sophisticate - beautiful
Stephane Excoffier. Unwittingly, she steps
off a train into anotherworld. The silent
world of the primitive ...
FILM
The Pointsman
with J i m V a nDen Woude and
Stephane Excoffier
directed by Jos Stelling, 1988
Dutch and French with subtitles
Playing at Soya1 Centre
Meet the primitive - dour Jim Van Den
Woude. He is the pointsman. He controls
the train tracksat this juncture. He
controls this world...
She speaks French- tries tointroduce
herself. No answer, he sperksonly Dutch.
Two worlds collide;languages createa barrier. Silence reigns.
She will wait. She standsbeside the
tracks. Darkness falls. No train. Cold.
Her numbhands knock on his door,
and she enters. Hesits, blank-faced,
eating his gruel. She edges to the stove,
seeking its warmth. Tension. Another
futile attemptat communication. Silence
again. But she stays.
Unlike most works in themedium,
Dutch director (and co-writer) Jos
Stelling‘s The Pointsman does not set out
to solve a problem, make a point, or
provide an ‘answer’. Some questions in life
remain unformulated. The answers to
these questions, for obvious reasons, elude
us. In thesame way that anartist expresses an idea throughabstract forms,
the filmmaker can attemptto imply a narrative using only a bare minimum of
words, and relying on expressions, actions,
and naturalmetaphors. Stelling has used
these techniques and mediumsto weave a
riveting taleof destiny and character.
The train which deposits Excoffier in
the strangeworld of the pointsman is
probably meant to signify the vehicle of
life, the meansof realizing motive (asin
loco-motive). The traintracks are almost
certainly a metaphor for life itself; extending from the point of origin (the departure)
to thepoint of termination (arrival).
Excoffier’s character getsoff the trainon a
siding - we are not told from where she
comes, where she goes, or why. Her
character must define itself in opposition
to thepointsman, without the benefit of
words. We must read her character
solely
from her actions. And the questions fore-
East side cinema serves
up the cream of the crop
stardom in Tokyo. The film stars Carrie
Hamilton and the Japanese
rock star Yutaka
tanding upon our fair campus, only Tadokoro.
From Japan we fly directly to CzechosloSuperwoman could spit as far as the
Vancouver East Cinema. But this sad fact vakia for the weekend. The Unbearable
Lightness of Being, set in Prague during
is easily overruled when one considers
the events of 1968, was justly hailed as a
what it has to offer.
How about three different double fea- daring advancementof American film sensibilities. Europeans havelong been accustures a week? Howabout $5.00 for both
films, or $3.00 if you buy a $5.00 member- tomed to more sex and less violence - and
hopefully, this film is a step in thatdirection.
ship? How about reasonably priced
Daniel Day Lewisis very sexy indeed as a
munchies, including carrot cake, giant
womanizing surgeon caughtbetween the
cookies and coffee, as well as popcorn?
“lightness” of promiscuity and theseriousness
Best of all, how about the pick of the
of commitment. Len0 Olin steals theshow as
international filmtache, including
old
Daniel’s artistic mistress.
classics like Metropolis?
Daisies, theother film on the bill, was
Upcoming events includea pair of re- made in Czechoslovakiain 1966 and promptly
cent films from young Japanese directors. banned by the censors. No doubt the censors’
Northern Lights, 1973
MANDEL NGAN PHOTO
senses reeled at this mad dadaistfilm about
Tonight and tomorrow the VEC presents
Tampopo by Juzo Itami,and Tokyo Pop two young girls havingfun. Fun guides their
most in our mind are:Why doesn’tshe
character; the viewer must infer everything crucial to the audience. The use of color
also lends itself to creating moments of
actions and decides their fates. A philosophy
by Fran Rube1 Kazui.
leave when she gets thechance? What
about the pointsman from the way in which and textureis also carefully manipulated
genuine comedy, and Stelling interjects
of life is presented here,and its failure is
Tampopo
is
a
helter-skelter
series
of
holds her in place?
he acts.
of
them
to
keep
a
smile
on
the
enough
and crucially important to the film.
mourned.
skits
on
a
food
theme,
loosely
connected
by
Another matter is the character of the
The Pointsman is far removed from
viewer‘s face, albeit a n occasionally perThe conservative use of speech as a
The science fiction genre is given a
recurring characters.A truckdriverl
strange pointsman. It is obvious he has
mainstream film in thatit demands complexed one.
Tnp.lium of communication creates a n atworkout
the following Wednesday and Thurscowboy
tutors
a
young
woman
on
the
held this job for a long time; we know this
plete attention to detail. The sparse landMany labels could be slapped on this
mosphere of raw honesty. Speech - the
because he has piles of money jammed in a scape in which Stelling has situated his
film - absurdist, minimalist, farce, to name preparation of the perfect noodle; a pair of day (August 17-18): certified lunatic Dennis
word - is, in reallife, often used to create
lovers eat theirway to orgasm; a n rich old Hopper stars in Ridersof the Storm, and
closet. He speaks very little, even when
story acts as kind of a tabula rasa; a blank
a few. To describe The Pointsman in
1 .is, impressions and is therefore automan
chokes and hasto undergo emergency from NewZealand comes The Quiet Earth,
the insipid postman(Josse De Pauw), who
canvas on which to etch impressions. A
terms
of
technical
labels
is
to
do
it
a
matically suspect. Limiting the use of
a fascinating film about a man who is the
vacuuming,
and so on. Pure fun.
brings his wage once every few months, or twitch of the lip, a bird onthe roof, a
speech, and emphasizing expression as the &isservice; it entertains, provokes thought,
Tokyo Pop is about a female Ameri- only human survivor of a n experiment gone
the two railroad engineers appear. Again, contraction of the throat- these are signs
and brings smiles. What more could you
medium of telling the story removes a
wrong, or so he thinks....
can rock singer who decides to seek
Stelling refusesto supply context to the
which are meant toreveal something
distorting veil from human interaction. It want ina film?
By Martin Dawes
S
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IUBC
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4/THE
UBYSSEY
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SUMMER
August 10,1988
August 10, 1988
5732 University Blvd.
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THE SUMMER UBYSSEY/S
GSCdaycare
swaddled in
red tape
By Jennifer Lyall
A proposal to develop a new move, Bennett said. Neither the
UBC
infant care
facility in the graduate KoemerFoundationnor
studentcentre
is stumbling vice-president student services
RD. Srivastava could be reached
through a simmeringjurisdictional dispute
between the univer- for comment.
sityadministrationandthe
Bennett said thelackofinfant
carefacilitiesconstitutes“the
Graduate StudentSociety.
in
The GSS cannot implement mostpressingsingleneed”
the proposed ground floor daycare UBC’s daycare system, which acbecause, while the GSS manages commodates only ninechildren
between the agesof three and 18
thegradcentre,theuniversity
owns the building and must en- months. As of February1988
there were only 84 infant care
dorse the plans.
Graduate student society
spots in the province.
The GSS proposal is for parpast president Phil Bennett, who
developed the daycareproposal in ent-run co-operativecaringfor
January1987, saiditis“unethica1, twelve infants. It would
offer
if not illegal” for the university, daycare on a full- or part-time
basis, providing the flexibility
rather than graduate students, to
decide howthe grad centre
will be students needin a child care service, said Bennett.
operated.
“I think we have jurisdiction
”The idea was to have fixed
over [the centre] and the univer- part-time booking to accommosity has no rightleasing
our date courseschedules,” he said.
space,” Bennett said in an inter- - Bennett said the grad centre
view Monday.
would be an ideal location for a
He said the ground
floor of the new daycare facility because it
centre is currently “really under- wouldbeso convenientfor nursing
utilized.” The basement houses mothers
and other students who
threeofices,two
of which arewant to be withtheirchildren
Potential developer breaks ground: Crowded UBC daycare awaits funding for new
presently
the
during
vacant.
centres, while graduate students gear up for a fight for their own infant care facility.
DEANNE FISHER PHOTOday.
In 1987 theuniversityleased
The GSS daycare proposal
thethird office to- the Koernermeets orsurpassesallgovernFoundation, whichhas no plans to ment standards for child care
move before the expiry of its five centres, providinga space Bennett
describes
lease.
year
asin
palatial
“quite
Bennettdidnotsuggestthecomparison[withotherinfant
eviction of the Koerner Founda- care facilities].”
tion from thebasement,butsaid
Becausemost studentparthere was space for them upstairs.ents are in graduate studies, said
The university is reluctant to Bennett, “I think it’s a service we
By Katherine Monk
the government‘s choice,” said are already fixedfor everyone,” ask the Koerner Foundation to should be providing.”
said Wilson.
“It‘sa great day
for myselfand Wilson.
In the previous government,
all the young doctors who had put
Wilson, an ex-UBC medical
their life on hold,” said &.Peter student, filed the testw e against Bill 24, a similar legislation, was nally been made.
reduce the number of graduating
“I
can
understand
the
Wilson following the B.C court of the government challenging the also struck down because it was
appeal’s decision to strike down bill’s constitutionalityin the fallof considered unconstitutional, said government’s reasoning, but (Bill doctors,” said Webber.
“But from our standpoint,we
41. Bill
1985, when the govemment re- Wilson. That’s what makesit so 41) boreentirely on allrecent
are producing two-thirds of the
Bill 41 restricted access to fused to grant him a billing num- stupid, because they already triedgraduates,” saidWebber.
Webber noted that UBC WAS national average.of doctors, only
the same thing
before-it‘s redunbillingnumbers,preventing
ber.
in B.C there are fewer places for
involved ali through the discusdant.”
young graduating doctors to bill
“The governmentfinally
the doctors who are graduating.”
sion,
since
the
number
of
graduatUBC
dean
of
medicine,
Dr.
for their services and set upprac- admitted that the bill was not
Webber added that in spite
of
ticesin areasof their choice inB.C. aimed at redistributing doctors in W A Webber, said the decision ing medical students was conBill 41, UBC continued to receive
)”It‘salso a great day for the the province, but limiting health will help take young medical stu- stantlyundertheprovincial
thesamenumber
of qualified
limitingthe number dents outof a three year state of govemment’s scrutiny.
medical system andeveryone who care costs by
“Thereasoning was
that ifyou applicants as they had in years
no suspended animation, and added
uses it,because now people
can seeof doctors-which really makes
the doctor of their choice, and not sense because health care costs he was pleaseda decision had fi- want to reduce health carecosts, prior to the legislation.
Bill 4 1 ruling pleases
UBC medical community
Co-ed but mot conjugal:
welfare recipient wins
tribunal challenge
the m i n i s t r y finally decided in my
By Katherine Monk
favour,” Bernard said after
the
The provincial government August 2 proceeding.
has hungitself, according to welAlthough Bernard originally
fare recipient Fred Bernard.
signed an agreement stating he
Bernard challenged the gov- was livingcommon law, he claims
ernment because he and his fe- he was unaware of the implicamale roommate
were receiving the tions. Bernard and
his roommate
lower welfare rates for married are now entitled to receive apcouples though the two are not proximately two-hundred dollars
engaged in a conjugal relation- more a month between them.
ship.
“They asked a lot of very perBut a special tribunal which sonal questions, and
made me say
included representativesfor Ber- I was sleeping on the couch. What
nard-and the ministry of social business is it of theirs if I sleep on
services and housing agreed Ber-the couch?” said Bernard.
nard was not having sexual rela“One thing I’ve learned is that
tions with his female roommate, next time Pm going to get a two
and that his common law status bedroom apartment, in fact I’m
should be dissolved immediately. already looking for one,” Bernard
“The ministry was saying I said.
ButBernardsays’the
big
was married, andI said I wasn’t.
But even the representativefrom question now is whether or not
August 10,1988
they receive the increase in payment retroactively.
“Atleast now, if they don’t pay
me, I can take them to small debts
the erosion
Reconstruction of the didnotcheck
court. My biggest problem before bottom of WreckBeach Trail andeventuallyhad
to be
was that I couldn’t afford to file 4 w
l
l
iinhibit erosion of the closed to the public,said
suit against the
government,” said
cliff and improve the safety Williams.
Bernard.
“The whole bottom secof beachpatrons, says the
Bernard said the governmentchair of the Wreck Beach tion was very, very dangerstill discriminateson the basis of
u
ous and hadbeen for a n
Preservation Society.
marital status by maintaining
The $18,500 reconstruc- ber ofyears,” she said.
that two people can live cheaper tion project,
completed
by
Vancouver‘s
nude
beach
than one, and has lodged a com- the Parks Board in June, is not serviced by any roads
plaintwiththe
B.C council of
usedanexperimentalplant-and
is accessibleonly by
human rights.
ing of trees and grass to halt foot.
“I thinkI can prove beyonda
theacceleratederosion
of
The WBPS hopesthe reshadow of a doubt that I don’t eat
construction
cliff.
the
of Trail 4, beless when I live with someone
‘% makes a big matted hind the Museum of Anthroelse.”
ground cover and secures the
pology, w
l
l
i
take someof the
”I’m still trying to find some
clifffacethrough its root strain off the better known
way to bring this in front of a
system,”.said WBPS chair Trail 6.
judge, because as long as the gov- Judy Williams.
ernment goes unchallenged, this
The trails are absorbing
The WBPS has been lobwill keep happening,” hesaid.
byingtheParksBoard
t o extraordinarily heavy traf“Everyone deserves to be treated
upgrade the trail since 1983. fic this summer, on a peak
as an individual.”
The trail was originally builtday last month ”the whole
Wyn Gladman, who reprein 1981 to keep peopleoff the beach easily had eleven or
sented the ministry in the hearing,
crumbling cliff faces, but it twelvethousandpeople,”
declined comment on the decision,
but said tribunals areonly called
in “difficult” situations.
Wrecked Wreck trail repaired
THE SUMMER UBYSSEY/B
@
The
Anthropology
Applications
Are Now Being Accepted
shop
for Six of the Positions on
The Capital Projects Acquisition Commission
This is a council conunittee which oversees the
proposals for the CapitalProjects approved in the
referendum of November 12 to 19,1982
The projects include:
The WhistlerCabin
Daycare
SUB Expansion
B-lot Barn
~
Improved Parking
Athletic Facilities
Housing
SUB Sprinkler System
Northwest Coast
Indian
Arts and Crafts
Applicants can d.rop off their resum6s to
the Administrative Assistant's Office,
SUB' Room 238.
Applications must be submitted no later than4 p m
Wednesday, August 24,1988 to SUB Room 238
USER FRIENDLY.
When you nccd copies quickly and hassle-free, seeus at
Kinko's. Our self-servicr copicrs are very easy
to use and
give you thc great quality, incxpcnsive copiesyou expect.
Great copies. Great people.
Concourse
L
-
DAN ANDREW PHOTO
Welcome
Japanese ESL students peer into the spiralling abyss of the
undergraduatesweat pit/well of knowledge/den of inequity/
campus dormitory and uh...oh yeah!! Sedgewick Library
1688
222-
5706 University Blvd.
...
UBC Aauatic Centre
HQNEYMWN
The University of British columbia,6121 University Blvd.,
For information Call:2284521
Swimming Schedule For Indoorand Outdoor Pools
HOUN Effective June 27 to September 4, 1988
ESSW
DAYS
HOURS
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WMS
MontoFri
1:45pmt04:15pm
6:30 pm to 10 pm
7% pm to 10 pm
MorvFri
Wed
SavSun
1pmto5pm
ADMrllANCE TO:
Pool is open to ai ages. Children
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araaisopentothoa16andoverforana~
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6pmtolOpm
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review, an editorial comment
and a daily feature.
NOTE: August 24 to September 9: Afternoon Pldlic swims will end at 3 4 5 pm and eveningp h k swims will
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YAMILY
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6:30 pm to ;?30pm"
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sun
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8 pm to 12:;!5 am**
Aduks: 18 years and over.
Proof
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sat
10:15
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am
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Ftness
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with additional charge only until 10 pm.
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newfinessareahas universaVglobalstations,hydragym exercise machines,statiomry
bicydes. dumbens, wall mirrors,exerciseposters,weight scale,steam rooms and saunas. AI
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4422 W. 10th %e.
6:30 pm to €1 pm
Anyone 18 years old and over. This swim
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and steam available. Cost is $2 lor everyone. No book tidtets orpasses accepted.
dryland exercises, 30 min of water exercises. Nobdticketsorpassesaccepted.
70 people maximum p e r session. Cost
itas June 28 to September 1, 1988. Cancee
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THE SUMMER UBYSSEY/7
Demonstrators
ral
of
on
By Mandel Ngan
“We are trying
to overthrow a government and
a system of apartheid
that is the shame of the
world,” shouted Alderman Libby Davies from
the stepsof city hall.
Davies proclaimed August 9
of support for the
struggle of women in SouthAfrica
and Namibia” inher
opening
speechfor last Sunday’s march
and
rally
organized
by The
Women’sDayCommittee of the
Anti-Apartheid Network. D e m onstrators trekked from Vancouver city hall to the YWCA on Burrard Street to commemorate the
1956 march into Pretoria
by South
African women in a show of defiance against the pass laws,
which
require blacks to carry identification at all times.
The question of effectiveness
is often raised about demonstrations and rallies. Activist Rosemary Brownacknowledged the
problem.
When we think of the beatings and the incarcerations and
tortures, and the various
forms of
oppression which peoplein South
Africa, including womenand children, are going through, marching
from city hall to the YWCA and
even talking aboutit doesn’t seem
like a great deal.
“In fact what we are doing is
saying that we have not forgotten
the struggle, that we remember
that thereare people inSouth
as “Theday
“Give way Botha,giveway,”
says one of t h e VuisisizwePlayers at t h e rally In support of South Africa‘s women.
Africa who still do not have the of blacks and yet continuing its
rightto
be treated as human own mistreatment of Natives.
beings. Whatwearealsosayingis
“The Canadian part of me
that we are not goingto relinquish rejoiced that the Honorable Joe
fighting on their behalf, right here Clark is sponsoring efforts to deal
with the world wide abuse of aboin thiscountry,” she added.
Native
speakers,
such
as riginal people.
Marie Wilsonof the Gitksan tribal - “But the Gitksan part of me
council,
made
comparisons
be- watched in astonishment and distween the treatment of blacks in belief that Canada can blatantly
the
molt
in
their
South Africa and the treatment
of examine
native people in Canada - and of brother’s eye, and yet Canadian
the hypocrisy of the Canadiangov- authorities-on behdf of the Canaernment incondemning the South dian people refuse
to
acknowledge
Africangovernment’s treatment and remove the moltfrom their
UBC’s new registrar keen
to revamp student services
By Deanne Fisher
menting the new grades is a detailed plan.
Speaking of Telereg, Spencer
said he has received relatively few
complaints on the system.
“I think it’s beengenerally
good,” he said, noting occasional
breakdowns, though none longer
than ten minutes.
Spencer, who took oEce AuTypical
problems
include
gust 1, said the grading system people who don’t
have a touch tone
will undergo considerablechanges phone and rushes
of calls when the
as a result of an ad-hoc committee phone lines are opened up to a new
on grades andgrading pracitices. block of students, saidSpencer.
“The oldsystem ison the way
Though some students have
out,” said Spencer. “I would agree had difficulty paying the required
that [the presentsystem of grad- $100 deposit, which is non-defering] is not good.”
able, Spencer said“I expect we’re
Spencer said in the future the
going to haveto live with the sysl’s, 2’s and P s will be replaced by tem .”
A+’s, A’s, A-’s and so on, though
The deposit is intended to
not for another two years, and ensure students are
not reserving
transcripts would include a per- spaces in classes theyare not sericentage rather thana mark outof ous about attending, he said. To
150. The number of credits per alleviate problems for impovercourse will also double, in accor- ished students, Spencer said he
dance with other universities.
would lookinto “some way lendof
This new gradingmethod
ing students the$100.”
can’tbeincorporatedinto the pres- BecauseTelereg eliminates
ent computer record system, said in-person registration week, stuSpencer. T h e presentstudent
dents may see longer December
record system is pretty old and exam schedules in yearsto come,
clunky. It simply isn’t worth said Spencer.
trying to upgrade it.”
Ve’re going to use that time
“Telereg is the first part of a to ensure we have a Christmas
new system,” said Spencer, add- exam period adequately long,” he
ing that the nextbefore
stepimple- said, adding
that the
number of 1.5
From
standardized
grading t o Telereg, new
registrar
Richard
Spencer’smost important
job is curing students of
bureaucratic headaches.
unit courses are increasing, which
means more Christmas exams.
Because Labour Day is late
this year however, no changeswill
occur.
Midterm Break
When asked about thepossibility of a reading week in the
second semester, Spencer said it
would be reasonalbe.
“I don’t know why it hasn’t
been done,”he said, addingthat it
would not be his decision,but that
classes would continue a week
longer in April, as a result.
Science Meets Quota
Part of Spencer’s duties also
include overseeing admissions.
Last year, the Science faculty
reacheditsquotaintermsofenrolment andthis year has
been forced
toraise the grade
point average for
admission.
“This year, the minimum we
admitted was a 2.6 GPA, though
2.5 is published [in the calendar],”
he said.
Arts reached its peak “a
couple of years ago” and isnow not
admitting anyonewith
a GPA
lower than 2.72.
Legally, the university has
reserved the right to turn away
own social and political eye,” said
Wilson.
Also present at the rallywas
Susan Mnumzana of the African
National Congress’ observer mission to the United Nations.
people.-.are
saying that we are
prepared to sufferif
only to live as human
beings*
99
W e are talking about war”,
she said. “we are talking abouta
very unfair war. We are talking
about m n st h a t
are directed
against-children who have only
stones-”
1
MANDEL NGAN PHOTO
On the subject of freeing Nelson Mandela,Mnumzanasaid, “Of
courseNelson Mandela will remain in jail
on his 80th birthday
as
long as the western government
won’t intervene.”
Mnumzana recognized that
black South Africanswould be
hurt byeconomic sanctions, but
points out that they are ready to
suffer if it will lead to the end of
apartheid.“Our people are not
even saying that itwill all be milk
and honeywhen sanctionsare
imposed. They are saying that we
are prepared tosuffer if onlyto live
as human beings,” she said.
“Racism is a very serious disease. Racism is deadly. Racism
makes people stupid, and stupidity is extremely dangerous,” &d
a
Mnumzana.
-
1
..
students due to an excess in applications, as is publishedin the UBC
calendar.
Conflict-Free Exams
Though many other universities post exam schedulesat the
same time as class schedules are
released, Spencer saidhe prefers
UBC’s system.
W e guaranteeanexam
schedule with no conflicts, [if a
student’s lecturesdo not conflict],”
he said.
He recognized that some students are faced with a tight schedI
ule of consecutive exams but that I
DEANNE LlSHER PHOTO 4
“our system offers more flexiblity R. Spencer
to students inchoice of classes.”
not laid out way
the we’d like them
to be.”
Smiling Bureaucracy
A proposal has been put forward to expand Brock Hall to in- ,
One of Spencer‘s pet projects will clude all functionsof the registrar,
be to improve “the way wehandle ie. Admissions, Financial Servindividual
contacts
withstuices, the
Awards
Office etc.
dents.”
“Whether that will occur, I don’t
“The onearea where I have re- know,” said Spencer.
ceived negative commentsis that
Spencer has been a professor
students were dealt within an im- of civil engineering at UBC, assispersonal way,” he said.
tant dean,and member of the
Spencer said he wantstoreor-senate.
ganize the set-up of the admini“I really think that when my
stration building. ”It doesn’t con- five years areup, people willthink
vey that we are ready to help them of me as someone sympathetic to
if we can. Thestudent services are students,” said Spencer.
~
~
~~~~~
8 / M E SUMMER UBYSSEY
r-.
August 10,1988