Category Archives: All things UBC

Second Year, this is all a big deal yo.

Today I walked onto the stage on the Chan Centre and openly told new Arts students that I’m in love with chocolate milk but I’m lactose intolerant. I also mentioned my new brand of being a hipster librarian and that I’ve grown more than I could have ever imagined in only one year at UBC.

Only one year ago I was the person in those seats listening to phenomenal students tell me about the things we should be involved with. How much can happen in only one year this year? Before I graduate?

As much as I wanted to keep talking about my cool glasses and my longboard, I stressed that everyone in Arts should be proud of their purple. UBC is only a small part of our lives in the grand scheme of things and we need to take advantage of the time that we have here. That’s why we need to put all of our heart into our degrees. What we put into it is what we get out of it. Arts has heart.

I know that every single person inside the Chan has extreme amounts of potential. They’ve shown it just by choosing UBC. I know that in no time I’ll be cheering on the new class of Arts students at UBC (and all students at UBC for that matter) and blogging about them from here. No “from here” UBC branding intended.

I’m alive!

I’ve just escaped the depths of conferences and orientations and getting ready for opening weekend at Totem Park! My biggest apologies goes out to you, my little blog reading fan base, that I have disappeared for the last month. I have been without internet as I learn everything from personal branding to attending MOB BootCamp at the new Me to We Leadership Centre. I’ve thought about you guys everyday and how badly I wanted to post something and I’m happy that I am now back with an internet connection and a fancy new dorm room in T-Park.

Here we go with the 2010-2011 academic year approaching. I’ll still be blogging all the time, bringing you music every Monday, and telling you what’s going on at UBC. Here are a few cool things that are currently happening personally that I’d like to share.

First of all, click here to read a great article in the Toronto Star today about how cool caring can he. You also might see a name you recognize in there. Just sayin’.

Secondly, if you are a first year student, look out for a familiar face during your Meet The Dean session during Imagine Day who will be talking about her experiences as an involved student leader. Hint: she has a blog you are currently reading.

Now that I’ve FINALLY been able to post something, I must get back to prepping for Totem Park to be ready for all you fabulous first years to move in to this Saturday! If you haven’t been following my Twitter and you are wondering what I’ve been doing for the last month, click here to read through my tweets and to check out all those fabulous TwitPics I upload. Love you long time.

Let’s get this Totem and Vanier thing straight.

Hey incoming first years,

If you are living in Totem Park or Place Vanier next year, this post is for you. In addition to being a Blog Squad member to help you get aquatinted with student life at UBC, I’m regularly on the UBC Prospective Undergraduate Students facebook page to answer your questions.

Lately, most of the posts are about students in residence trying to switch rooms from Totem to Vanier. Here’s the deal. Totem and Vanier are both old, smelly, and are filled with the same students in each residence. There aren’t many differences. There isn’t a big enough difference between Totem Park and Place Vanier that should make anyone have to switch rooms. I’m here to put romours or unanswered questions to rest.

Last year, I lived in Nootka House in Totem and I’m returning to be a Residence Advisor in Haida. I have both friends in Totem Park and Place Vanier. I’ve spent time in both cafeterias, both residences, and many different buildings between the two places. Here is my educated list of the differences between Totem Park and Place Vanier, the truth to rumors about who parties and who doesn’t, along with resources for you to read and/or watch, and the reason why I selected Totem Park as my number one choice when I was moving into residence in my first year.

1) The little differences between Totem Park and Place Vanier. (reminder, both residences are super old, generally have the same sized room (some small exceptions), given the same furniture, have the same bad paint jobs, and the same first year experience)

Between Totem and Vanier there are little differences but in the end I’d say both residences offer the same experience. Unlike other universities, and from my standpoint of both a resident in my first year and as a Residence Advisor, I’d say UBC does an excellent job of creating both residences to be equals. Here are the little differences you’ll find in Totem and Vanier.

Totem Park:
– 6 houses, 1,163 residents, with 2 houses currently being built as the newest and best on campus. That’s approximately 194 people per house. All houses have elevators (and a frequently used space for pranks)
– All houses have co-ed building and same sex floors except for Shuswap which has co-ed floors.
– Houses are in pairs with “links” to partner houses that include study rooms
– Totem houses are 6 floors each with ‘H’ shaped floors that include two hallways and all the things you’ll need like mud rooms and floor lounges
– Totem’s commons block is the most recently updated, including the cafeteria
– Totem’s late night store, Magda’s, has a grill that is open late for meal purchases after the cafeteria closes at 7:30pm on school nights and 7pm on weekends. The grill is open until 11pm and Magda’s until 11:30pm daily.
– Totem has a flag football league (TFL & WTFL)
– Close to the UBC Botanical Garden, Starbucks, the sports fields, UBC Thunderbird Arena, Old NW Marine Drive for running, Engineering, Science, LFS, and Forestry buildings, and is situated next to the water.

Place Vanier:
– 12 houses and 1,370 residents. That’s approximately 114 people per house.
– All houses are same-sex floors with co-ed houses, except for Kootenay and Ross as exclusively gals only and Mackenzie and Robson as guys only. Also, KU & Tec are the only houses to have co-ed floors (and the only buildings to have elevators! Thanks Mel)
– All the houses are smaller, with single hallways, less floors but in some cases dorm rooms in the basement level.
– Recently updated commons block and cafeteria but their late night store, Hubbards, does not offer a grill/meal option.
– Offers an ultimate frizbee leauge
– Has Tec and Korea house which are newer buildings from a few years ago where you pay an extra fee and it offers such things as per-room thermostats and sometimes an entire wall that is a window aka the fish bowl.
– Closer to Arts buildings, the Japanese gardens, the Museum of Anthropology, and situated on the water.

2) The truth to the rumours of who parties and who doesn’t

The differences between Vanier and Totem when it comes to who studies hard and who parties I would say is all gossip. Apparently, Vanier was more party than Totem last year and they had fire alarms pulled nightly where I didn’t have the same experience in Totem. I’d say it depends what characters are placed in what residence, but like I said both Totem and Vanier are the same deal and you’ll have friends at both residences.

3) Resources to look at about Totem Park and Place Vanier

Totem Park page- UBC Student Housing

Place Vanier page- UBC Student Housing

4) Why did I choose Totem going into first year?

I prefer Totem myself because I like large floors and I like the late night food option. I enjoy being a little farther away from the hustle and bustle of classes and I love the football league. I also feel like Totem has a cool spirit and pride, along with great events. Both residences will offer events and activities and will be similar across the board. This is because the Residence Advisors maintain the same community feel in both residences, both the PVRA and TPRA offer events and things to do, and both residences are managed by the same fine UBC staffers.

One last thing to encourage you to avoid the pain of trying to switch residences, click here to see Totem Park listed as number 7 for the top 10 Canadian University residences on AskMen.com

With love,

Erica, your UBC Housing fairy godmother

Only Two More Months Until Residence Move In!

For some reason, I like taking supa tough photos at work on Photobooth

We’ve hit July. Only two months until we begin a new academic year at UBC. It’s crazy to think I’ve already finished more than half my summer. Will I be ready to give up summer and go back to term papers and textbooks?

I don’t think I’m ready for writing and studying, but I am ready to be back in Totem Park. Lately, I’ve been missing Totem like it’s home and Niagara Falls never existed (sorry Mom). I miss my little cube of a room. I actually LIKE having a small cube. I made it my own space.

Every morning I woke up to the view of the Dene court yard and Kwak/Salish from my bed

Here’s how I rocked a little cube, which is something almost all first year students are presented with. It doesn’t matter if you are in Totem or Vanier next year, you’ll be presented with your dorm room when you move in and it’s your mission to make it feel like your own.

First off, I made friends with two girls on my floor who helped me take apart my bed frame only to put it back together so it was as high off the ground as possible. UBC leaves you instructions when you move in so you know how to adjust the height of your bed frame. This proved for ample room under the bed for things like the dresser that comes with your room, a fridge if you get one, and other things like big pieces of luggage from moving around the world to UBC Campus.

Next, I rotated my bed. Instead of having my bed against one wall that was facing my desk and dresser on the other, I moved my bed against the wall where my window was. I got this suggestion from an upper year student when I moved into residence. I put my desk next to my bed to make a ‘L’ shape in my room. My dresser was tucked under my bed along with all those big items. I still had room to access my closet and mirror. It made my room feel less like a dorm room and more like a bedroom with a ‘home’ vibe. It also proved for more space for things like visual art parties.

Meet Mychal, the guy wearing the Nootka shirt on my floor. He’s the Nootka House President next year. We had a visual arts party during first semester when I took this photo. You can see where I put my bed and to the right where the chair is peeking out is where I put my desk.

In addition to your cube, you are given a dorm chair that most likely is wooden with black seats that has been used many times over the years. I dressed it up and made it comfy. I kept a big green pillow from Ikea against the back rest and I folded up a plaid blanket from home on the seat. It made those long nights of studying feel a lot better.

I recently went to Ikea and bought my new bed sheets and pillows for next year. Meet the newest pillow (below) to take home on my chair next year. Is it weird that I get really excited with picking out bed sheet colours, pillows and lamps for my room? I’ve got two months until move in and I’ve already bought almost everything I need including Volcom posters from ebay.ca.

Start dreaming of what you want your dorm room to look like next year. I was in love with my first year dorm room and I want you to feel the same way. Just don’t make the same mistakes I did with being messy which included accidently smashing a glass lamp. Broken glass is not a good thing.

How to get involved at UBC

This was me in high school.
Take note on the mandatory white graduation dress and the school uniform.

This is me now, after one year at UBC. Yes there is a grounded flying saucer in the background.

In high school, I was student council President. I held leadership positions in my community. I volunteered for Habitat for Humanity. I was an editor of my school’s yearbook and newspaper. I enjoyed listening to Taking Back Sunday and mostly anything from the “punk
or “emo” genre of music, but that phase eventually ended some point around grade 10. So to sum it up, I was a highly involved student who had an interesting music taste.

When the end of grade 12 came, I chose a university to attend that was on the other side of the country (UBC!). Moving forward, I no longer had any of my leadership positions. I no longer belonged to any clubs. I no longer had my mother’s car to drive. I had to start fresh.

I knew what I liked. I liked to be the voice for youth and for students. I liked to speak in front of large crowds. I likde to mentor others. I liked to plan events. I liked supporting charities. I liked being involved with student politics. I liked being filled with school spirit.

With that, I went on my search for opportunities that fit the things I liked. These are some of the things I joined, what I participated in and what I suggest new students to UBC look into as well.

VP Students Emerging Leaders Program
Through the program, I was connected with an upper year student and a small group of students who are in my faculty and new to UBC as well. I was able to volunteer for the Reading Week Learning Exchange in an elementary school for three days during this past reading week, attend the Student Leadership Conference that happens every January, and have meet and greets with Brian Sullivan and our faculty’s Dean. It gives students the chance to find new ways to be involved at UBC, connect with other students who are new as well, and to grow as a leader. Next year I’ll be a POD Leader (that lovely upper year student I talked about, who for me was Tarini!) and I’m stoked to be able to help more new to UBC students find their place in such an amazing community.

UBC Blog Squad
Keep checking back to find out how to apply this summer to become a blogger just like I am now! It’s been “the bomb” being able to share with the world my experiences as a UBC student. The best part is the comments I receive where people from places far far away tell me that I influenced their decision to come to UBC and I have made their world all the brighter.

Art History Student Association & Arts Undergraduate Society
It all started when I got an email blast from the Art History Visual Arts dept inviting me to the AHSA movie night in one of the lecture halls in the Lasserre building. I met the club, decided to join, which lead me to the position of being the AHSA rep to the AUS! Through the AUS, I sat on the Killam Teaching Prize Committee for the Faculty of Arts as the Undergraduate rep which gave me a chance to read profiles on amazing professors in my faculty and to get to know the school better. Being on the AHSA also lead me to meet the Art + Architecture + Planning  Librarian, Vanessa Kam, who gave me advice on how to research for my art history paper. In addition, I helped plan and attend career fairs for AHVA students, learn about my future professors, and network with upper year students in my program. All of these doors were open because of one little movie night I decided to attend.

UBC Rec’s Soccer League
I joined with a team from Totem Park and we might of never won a game but it was a lot of fun to wake up early every Sunday morning, walk over to the soccer fields, and play a game of soccer with mountains in the background. The best part about Vancouver is that the season started in January and it was warm enough to play in just a t-shirt.

AMS Mini School- Pole Dancing 101
My friends and I from my floor in Totem Park signed up for this six week course on how to pole dance for beginners! It was for an hour every Thursday night in the Student Union Building for six weeks. The AMS Mini School offers discounts (with already low prices) if you join with friends and they offer many other courses like bar-tending, different forms of dance, photography and more.

UBC Life’s Statement

“Wow! What an incredible response. Since its launch approximately 24 hours ago, there have been 208 new users on the UBC Life discussion forums, in which 57 topics and 346 posts were created. Thank you! We appreciate your support and hope to address some of your concerns in this letter.

Before we introduce the team behind this project, we would like to assure you that we live by the principle of doing no harm. Before proceeding with the project, we held meetings and consulted with various parties on the potential risks and benefits of our actions. We ensured that the benefits to students and the community, through sharing ideas and offering support to one another, outweigh potential harms.

Who are we? UBC Life is a student-driven, university-supported initiative. The idea was first discussed in late 2008, when three UBC students — Sheryl, Elisabeth, and Mike — noticed that an online, centralized platform for sharing thoughts, messages, and ideas did not exist for the university community. Something had to be done. The trio’s dreams came true when two staff members came forward and collaborated with the team. Their expertise allowed a sample of the campus community to become aware of UBC Life in an effective, sustainable, and paper-free manner. Furthermore, their relationships with various on-campus organizations enabled us to acquire the three grand prizes, which gives all active users an equal chance to become a winner.

Again, we appreciate your enthusiasm, support, feedback, curiosity, and genuine concern. We would like reassure you that the UBC Life discussion forums are very serious about the well-being and privacy of the community.

Sincerely,

The UBC Life Team”

Follow this link (http://ubclife.com/topic/about-us) to read the thread of students discussing how they obtained all of our emails, sent out a mass email, and who is behind the new website.

Update: check out the wiki to learn more about UBC Life. http://wiki.ubc.ca/UBClife thanks, gossipguy 😉

WOAH. Fresh off the press. UBC LIFE!

ubclife.com better be your new favorite website. Myself and AJ from 11Eleven are already on there posting. This could possibly be the new place that I creep more than facebook. Good job UBC.

Update: Alright, so UBC Life is not offic? But they got a broadcast email sent out? And I hear talk about it being a drama banana? I need to do some more creeping…

Alright, here’s my degree story thus far.

What’s up my dears?

It’s coming. Starting in a few weeks, UBC opens up course registration. I kind of feel like it’s Christmas morning for me when July 13th hits and I’m able to register in the courses I want. I love course registration, is that weird?

I often check out the UBC Prospective Students facebook page and I see that some of you guys (who I like to call prospecteeves but now are new to UBC students) are kind of freaking out. Don’t fret, listen to my story of being a first year and learn that it’s all gonna be okay (and that selecting courses is AWESOME).

September: I’m in the Faculty of Arts geared towards a BFA in Visual Arts. Fresh out of a high school in Ontario. No AP or IB credits under my belt. I took almost only all visual arts courses in grade twelve. I’ve got five of my courses for first year picked as pre-req’s for my degree in visual arts. It’s rockin’.

October: The thoughts going through my head are like this, “I am not doing well in my studio course for visual arts, I never wanted to do a life sized portrait of myself anyways, now that I think about that it is kind of creepy, and I’m unsure if visual arts is for me anymore. Also at the same time, I’m really loving political science 101. I think I want a poli sci degree. All my extra circulars centre around poli sci and not visual arts, so why am I trying to get in to the visual arts program? Why not switch gears?”

December: I tell all the important people in my life that I think I might drop my visual arts intentions and go for poli sci. They tell me to give visual arts one more semester. I listen, and I continue on taking more studio courses.

February: It’s now second semester. My grades in visual arts picked up, I learned VISA 183 is WAY better than VISA 182 (my personal opinion) and that I’m glad I stuck it out.

April: It’s the end of the school year. I’m still conflicted because all of my time is spent working on The MOB for Free The Children/Me To We, I’ve been in many different political positions and I fell in love with many new subject areas. Is visual arts really for me? I don’t feel it. On top of Political Science 101 (which was all about Canadian politics) I fell in love with Women’s and Gender Studies 102 (which was all about feminism) and all of my english courses were centered around First Nations issues. If I love it all, how do I have it all?

May: I bring out the SSC. Bring it on. I figure out that if I continue with getting a BFA in Visual Arts that I would have no room for a minor unless I packed on an extra year which is not currently in my game plan. I also know that I will not be happy if I only do visual arts. I figure it out that somewhere around grade 10 my greatest passion became issues/politics and visual arts too a step back- I just never noticed.

I check out the Faculty of Arts advising website. I check out the different types of degrees. Women and Gender Studies.. would love that but doesn’t fit with the courses I want to take… Political Science involves tougher courses… freaked out by that… then I find First Nations Studies. WICKED IDEA.

I check out the department website. I get hands on experience in fourth year with an organization that also comes with credits. Love it. I get to have a degree that is based around an issues. Love that too. I can go on to something mastering in education or law. Love it more. Even better, I’ll major in it and minor in visual arts. By minoring in visual arts, I only have to focus on two mediums instead of four. There was only two I wanted to take to begin with which was photography and print media. Love that all the way to the moon.

Here are a few key things that new to UBC students might want to know. I’m not falling behind in my 4 year goal of receiving my degree by shifting my focus. In fact, many people shift their focus and find out they like something else. University is all about discovering what you like and who you are anyways. I’ve been told that I’m completely different (in a good way) than who I was when I left high school. University does that. It’s totally fine to enter the first two weeks and drop out of a class and take another one instead. It’s also okay to change faculties, a lot of my friends have already done it. It’s also rockin’ if you are open to new things. I never took a feminism in high school or a First Nations class. Now I’m going to try to major in First Nations after having all of my english courses in university focus on it. It’s something you just got to be open to.

Okay world. Come July 13th, Erica is going to register for courses gearing towards a degree in First Nations Studies and a minor in Visual Arts. That’s where I’m at. I’m liking my new decision, I feel good about it, and I encourage everyone to go after their wildest dreams.

Peace, love & west-coast trees,

Erica