One of my big goals this term was to volunteer at The Ubyssey. And it wasn’t just a goal. It was a spin-o-rama, behind the back, bicycle kick kind of goal. Very important to me and very awesome, a fulfilling experience for the news junkie I’ve become. I thought my time at Blog Squad gave me the experience to tackle a real-life story, albeit one that doesn’t include my awkward experience purchasing an ice cream cookie sandwich or my goal to one day gain the ability to fly (still working on that). No disrespect to those tour de force pieces, but I wanted to tackle one of the institutional facets of writing, journalism.
Now I wasn’t expecting people in tweed suits and “Press” hats to be yelling, “Come ‘ere, see. Yeah, see” with that abstract and strangely exciting 1960’s attitude…okay, well I was expecting that, but more in that unique state of unrealistic optimism that improves your day, regardless of the logical fallacies attached. It’s like that glimmer of hope that you’ll one day open the paper and see, “Beatles Back On Tour!” Just our little fantasies. Our impractical, sanguine daydreams.
So I stumbled to the SUB, full of desire for my future in campus journalism, my passion, my zeal…until I saw Blue Chip Cookies. Food usually sidetracks my ambition. And so after I had sat in isolation, gently repressing my campus goals with crumbling baked oatmeal and a melted slab of white chocolate, I headed down to the Ubyssey office, hoping I wouldn’t find a snow-cone stand to further delay my success.
I walked in and it was nothing like I expected. Mind you, I wasn’t really expecting anything, but it was nonetheless cool. It had the loose organization of a presidential candidate’s HQ. People walking around with paper, desks organized to maximize communication, some guy in the background yelling, “We need New Hampshire, people! Come on!” Okay, that last one’s made up. I think I’ve been watching too much CNN.
A little discussion and I had my story. Something that wasn’t just a rookie assignment, like, “Go interview a dog about frisbees,” (which I’d still do. I mean, come one. That’s awesome), but something I could bend to my will, something with eons of opportunity, something I could go the extra mile with. And I know, you’re saying,
“Evan, eons? Miles? Did this story span both time and space, proving that time is relative?”
And I would respond,
“No, I’m just talking in metaphor.”
And you’d respond,
“Oh…”
And there’d be this awkward silence. Like, a really long awkward silence. And then we’d both drift away, both muttering something about “that thing we got to go do,” now forevermore avoiding eye contact in order to avoid future social contact.
But this was far better. It felt like the first time I got to do something here that really made an impact, really helped the UBC greater good.
The article is on Sustainability 101, a new course UBC is offering:
http://ubyssey.ca/news/sustainability-101-course-offered/