The Insiders
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Nov
26
Foresight: UBC's annual report; AGM today!
Posted by: Neal Yonson | November 26, 2007 | 12 Comments
- At the Michael Smith Labs room 200 [map]
- On the website, http://www.ubc.ca/agm/
This year’s report, “Foresight” is a short, spiffy, and readable document outlining the major accomplishments and programs at UBC in the past year. You can read it HERE. The report is structured around the personal narratives of individuals, who are featured in attractive colour photos on half the pages. Summary graphics of finances, donors, and sustainability targets constitute the remained of the report to complete a gushing profile of our illustrious institution. I learned about a few new things from the report. For instance , there’s a new fancy rowing facility in Richmond for varsity athletes. There’s a new Centre for Microbial Diversity and Evolution, funded by a $7 million investment from the Tula Foundation, being headed up by Patrick Keeling, who does awesome research on understudied protists. (This is especially cool, since most types of microbes are almost completely unstudied). Anyway, the report supplies an optimistic, incomplete glance at the positive accomplishments at UBC. By looking briefly at the financial summary page, you’d have no idea about the recurring structural deficit.
Comments
12 Comments so far
It’s propaganda for the university!
this is completely unrelated, but you should know that the one-pea-per-pod recommendations passed at AUS Council today.
-Steph
Yea, essentially. I wouldn’t really call it a “report” in the conventional sense of the word.
Anyway, I tuned into hte webcast today. It was mostly a snore, but i do like hearing Stephen Toope talk – he’s such a mensch.
So, I just read through this “report”. While I appreciate the fancy design, the content is seriously lacking. I’ve read some of these past reports before and I don’t think I’ve ever learned anything from them. I’m really disappointed that this document is apparently designed to increase the University’s transparency and clearly fails abysmally. I’m watching the archived webcast now and Brad Bennett is boring me to sleep.
“you’d have no idea about the recurring structural deficit.”
Indeed. And what does that perhaps say to you?
Brad Bennett on the new U-Blvd plan following student consultation: “the new proposal is too student-centric.”
His is an opinion we need less of at UBC.
I agree Andrew. I’m so sick and tired of UBC being so concerned about, well, people who aren’t students. I’ve heard there have been plans to build senior-friendly accomodation. I mean, wtf? This is a college campus and it should stay as such. There is a place for everything in this world, and a college campus is a place for college students, not randoms who have nothing to do with UBC.
Grr. Rant over.
Also. Pretty much every report I have ever seen UBC published can be summarised in a couple sentences…
“We’re really great. We really, really are”.
It just gets so boring after a while.
The AMS ought to hold idiots like Brad Bennett to account for thoughtless statements that they make. Couldn’t we mobilize around an issue such as this?
Don’t forget the UNA’s perception of students as “transients”.
There be a lot of hatin’ on we students ’round these parts.
Also, I forgot to mention that AGMs make good (yet very nerdy) drinking games.
Honestly, after hearing the phrase “too student-centric”, I think Brad would have been fired if he was a UBC recruitment officer.
Oh, gosh, I felt so cheated by UBC. What kind of a “student-oriented” university is this?
Re: Voting Systems
This may be worth a look: http://www.psychologicalscience.org/media/releases/2007/regenwetter.cfm