GENERAL INFORMATION a) Location The Roundtable is on the UBC campus, in the Ike Barber Learning Centre (IBLC), 1961 East Mall. IBLC is opposite the Student Union Building (SUB) and the Gage Towers, between Memorial Road and University Blvd. You will see a 12-­‐story cement building just to right (north), the Buchanan Tower. There are good signs throughout the campus. The map below provides walking directions from Gage Towers to IBLC. UBC has about 45,000 students and is about 12 kilometers from downtown. It is a huge campus (402 hectares), surrounded by forests and beaches. See below for things to see. b) Registration There is no registration fee for this Roundtable, thanks to our donors. However, we would like you to stop by and collect a name badge and a program between Noon and 12:30 on the Friday. We will also be able to offer this during the coffee break on Friday, 2:30 to 3PM. Both can be found on Level One, (downstairs) of the IBLC. After that, just ask us. For Canadian cash, there are banks and bank machines at YVR and UBC. c) Schedule. The program is available on-­‐line at www.poss-­‐rt.net. If you forget that, go to UBC philosophy and it will be posted on the front page. There should be easy access to free WiFi on the campus. Our Roundtable starts at Noon on Friday May 19th and ends at 6PM on Saturday May 20th. Keep in mind that Monday May 22nd is a statutory holiday, Victoria Day, to honour Queen Victoria, our head of state in 1867. We are turning 150 years old this year. d) Transportation 1. Public Transport There are several express buses to campus, a few which connect to the Canada Line (the subway known as the skytrain from the airport to downtown). All the buses should have UBC on the front as their terminal destination. The Canada Line station at the airport (YVR) is conveniently located between the international and domestic terminals. On Thursday or Friday, we suggest you exit at the Olympic Village Station and take the Number 84 bus (every 6-­‐8 minutes). The stop is right in front of the exit from the station and stops right by the Gage Towers and within two minutes of the IBLC. However, the 84 bus becomes infrequent after 8PM and on weekends. In that case, take the 99 B-­‐line bus from the Broadway-­‐
City Hall stop on the Canada Line. The 99 is the most frequent bus in Vancouver and runs about every 5 minutes during normal hours, and until about 1 AM in the night. However, when you exit the subway station, you will need to cross both Broadway and Cambie Avenues to be at the correct bus stop (on returning from campus the bus stops right in front of the station). The 99 is also further from Gage Towers, about 5 minutes; ask for directions when you arrive. The buses and skytrain announce each stop well in advance. You can buy tickets from the driver, with exact change ($2.75 or $4 for 2 zones), or from a machine at the Canada Line stations or the Student Union Building (SUB). A ticket covers any transport with transfers for 90 minutes. The fare from the airport (YVR) is $9 (2 zones plus an airport mark-­‐up fee of $5), but to return on weekends or Monday (a holiday) you need only purchase an ordinary fare of $2.75 to return. There is a glitch in the system, yet to be ironed out. If you buy a ticket from the bus driver, it does not gain access to the Canada Line and you will have to use a machine at the station to add a fare or just buy another ticket. Alternatively, buy a Compass-­‐fare ticket at the SUB right near the 99 bus stop on campus, on the day you leave. Also note that the train southbound has two forks, so be sure to take the one to YVR. It should take at most an hour to get there on Sunday or Monday. Go to the Translink site for more information regarding schedules, fares and day passes, etc. 2. Private Car If you are coming to campus by car, you are encouraged to use the Rose Garden Parkade, just off NW Marine Drive. You can pay only by credit card using a machine or phone, about $12/day. When you exit at the top of the Parkade, walk away from the amazing vista looking north to the mountains and sea, and walk down Main Mall until you see the Clarion tower on your left. The IBLC is the building behind the tower. If the back doors are locked (Saturday), use the front entrance on East Mall. Note that SW Marine drive from Granville St (near YVR) to Dunbar is currently closed due to road repairs. 3. Taxi (try Black Top Cabs at 604 731-­‐1111) If you going to IBLC, then ask the driver to turn onto East Mall off Chancellor Blvd (the Chan Centre is on one side and the Allard Law School on the other side at the intersection). The driver will reach a barrier on East Mall within a minute. The IBLC is the next building on your right, just past the 12-­‐story Buchanan Tower. If you are coming from the YVR airport, the set fare is $35. The driver should know the Gage Towers or West Coast Suites (next door), but just in case, ask the driver to turn onto Westbrook Mall and then the Student Union Blvd. There are normally taxis in front of Gage. The front desk at Gage (open 24 hours) can also call you a taxi if there are none. The fare back to the airport will cost about $45. Because the direct route is mostly closed, give yourself 30 to 45 minutes to return rather than the normal 20 minutes. Uber has not yet come to Vancouver. 4. Bicycle Vancouver and the campus are very welcoming to bicycles (designated lanes will take you most of the way to the downtown; we recommend using NW Marine Drive along the shore). The Bike Kitchen (http://thebikekitchen.com) rents bicycles and is located between the Gage Towers and IBLC. Ask them for a bike route map. e) Meals For those on the program, we will provide dinner on both nights, breakfast and lunch on Saturday. There is enough choice that we hope to cover most dietary restrictions. If you are attending but not on the program you are most welcome to join in the meals offered during the Roundtable, but only if you email us in advance, by the morning of May 17th. For those arriving on Thursday, there are also several take out restaurants in the AMS Student Nest, as well as a small grocery store. There are also several cafes in easy walking distance from Gage Towers, including Great Dane Coffee (http://www.greatdanecoffee.com) and the Loafe Café (http://alumnicentre.ubc.ca/visit-­‐us/cafe/). For those desiring something a bit more upscale, the Point Grill is about a 15-­‐20 minute walk from Gage Towers (http://www.food.ubc.ca/place/pointgrill/). In addition, several restaurants, cafes, and other services (e.g., a pharmacy with a post office inside, a Staples, and a print shop) can be found in nearby University Village. The map below shows the location of the AMS Student Nest and Mahoney’s Pub on University Blvd, and provides walking directions to University Village from the Gage Towers complex. Friday: Everyone is invited to a reception after the Keynote Lecture, to be held at St. John’s College on the UBC campus (see program for walking directions from IBLC). For those on the program (plus partners), there is also a buffet dinner following the reception (cash bar available). Please send us an email if only if one of the following obtains: 1. You are NOT attending the Friday buffet dinner or Saturday pub meal. 2. You are bringing a partner (they are most welcome). 3. You have an unusual dietary restriction other than vegan or gluten-­‐
free. Otherwise, we will assume those named on the program will attend the reception and both dinners. For the speakers from out of town, there will be a Continental breakfast served Saturday morning at 8AM, on the conference site (fruit, yoghurt, bagels etc.). The Saturday lunch is for everyone attending the Roundtable, but again, if you are a local scholar attending, we need to know in advance. Saturday dinner is at Mahoney’s Pub, also on campus. Alas, we can only cover the food (up to $23) and not the drinks due to new UBC regulations. They accept credit cards at the bar. Please send us an email by Noon May 17th. [email protected] or [email protected] f) Emergencies There is an excellent hospital on campus, with emergency services. For less serious medical needs, we recommend the walk-­‐in clinics (pay a reasonable fee for the service if you are not from British Columbia). There is one at the University Village on campus, upstairs behind the MacDonalds, open Saturday, and a 24-­‐hour clinic at Broadway and Granville on the 99 bus route. Alternatively, let the taxi driver take you to the nearest clinic. g) Excursion If the weather is nice on the Saturday, we will lead a brief walk to the remarkable Nitobe Gardens on the campus (a Japanese garden that imbeds a spiritual “life journey”). It is exquisite. We will leave from the lower lobby at 1:15 and return at 1:55 in time for the next sessions. There is a small entrance fee (free for UBC scholars). h) UBC Attractions In addition to Nitobe Gardents, there are a number of attractions that you may wish to visit while you are on UBC campus. These include: • Beatty Biodiversity Museum (http://beatymuseum.ubc.ca) • Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery (http://www.belkin.ubc.ca) • Museum of Anthropology (http://moa.ubc.ca) • UBC Aquatic Centre—brand new, beautiful, and across the street from Gage Towers (http://www.recreation.ubc.ca/aquatics/) • Wreck Beach (http://www.wreckbeach.org)