Expected to open in September of 2012, the faculty’s new home will cost $133.3 million. Around 900 pharmacy students will make use of the building by 2015, a 50 per cent increase. It will also include the Canadian Drug Research and Development (CDRD).

Dr. Helen Burt, the faculty’s acting dean, is excited for the structure and design of the new building.

“We’re going to have some of the best infrastructure for teaching and learning anywhere on campus—state of the art teaching facilities for small group learning and for larger groups we’re going to have a real pharmacy clinic located in the building,” said Burt.

The building design will also be set up to mimic the natural environment, with an emphasis on using BC lumber products.

“It is intended to be conceptualized like a tree,” Burt told The Ubyssey, adding that even the windows will be designed to reflect the images of the trees.

As the new building enters the third of four stages of construction, current and prospective students will be housed in the Cunningham Building, where the Pharmaceutical Sciences are currently located, as well as different locations around campus.

“The faculty is committed to move ahead in advance of having the building open. They feel they can accommodate at least the first years using alternatives, like Swing Space. By opening time they’ll have a full two years of enrolment,” said Nancy Knight, UBC’s Associate VP of Campus and Community Planning.

At the 86 million dollar behest of the BC government, the timing of the new facility is imperative in addressing a shortage of pharmacists in BC.

“The population of BC has grown and the demographic is aging, meaning more people require medication, but they haven’t increased the number of placements in the faculty in the last 25 years,” said Marshall Moleschi, registrar of the BC College of Pharmacists.

Moleschi added that “it was really urgent to get space because the facilities are so dated.”

Despite plans for increased seats in the faculty some students remain sceptical.

“Right now the big thing is just getting in,” said Vicky Sharma, a second year Sciences student waiting to hear back on his applications for the pharmacy program. “It’s tough because so many people apply and an [increased number of seats] is great but I think it will always be very competitive.”

The opening of a pharmacy program elsewhere in BC has not been ruled out, as far as Moleschi is concerned.

“Medicine has expanded around the province. The Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences is also looking at that. Right now, they chose to go with a building expansion—the building was old when I went to UBC in the 70s, so it’s really old now.”

Moleschi emphasized the importance of the new structure.

“It’s a modern building, modern facilities and modern teaching methods,” said Moleschi.

“It’s not just a building but a way of learning.”

Innes, who was appointed July 1, 2010, talks passionately about his interest in the natural environment. “My research is on issues such as how to manage forests effectively and sensitively and how we can actually get some of the benefits of the forest to the people,” said Innes.

“There is an expectation that I will continue doing research as dean and I have every intention of doing so‚“ he told The Ubyssey. As a researcher, Innes spends most of his time with 16 graduate students, which he will be reducing to 10 because of his promotion.

Along with his research duties, Innes has established a working relationship in China over the last eight years. He helped found a two year exchange program between UBC and the Nanjing Forestry University as well as the Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, allowing students to gain experience in China. Similarly, in a partnership with the China State Forestry Administration, his team is developing sustainable forest management practices. He also expects to work closely with Aboriginal communities in BC, the Yukon and Australia.

Born in Scotland and educated at Cambridge University, Innes has worked in a variety of positions in the forestry industry. These include brief stints with the British and Swiss governments, as well as the Chair of Forest Management at Forest Renewal BC and as a UBC professor.

When asked what attracts him to UBC, Innes pointed at the clear, sunny day and the beautiful view from the Dean of Forestry’s office and said, “You see that outside? That’s what keeps me here.”

Along with Vancouver’s aesthetic appeal, Innes regards UBC as one of the best universities in the world.

“The Faculty [of Forestry] is one of the best in the world,” said Innes. “We have some of the greatest number of publications and students anywhere, so the opportunity to be dean is quite a privilege.”

Innes talks about the Faculty’s role in helping the currently troubled forest sector move forward.

“Forestry is a cyclic business, it goes up and down. We are in a down right now but we are actually starting to go up again. If you’d asked me last year I would have said the biggest challenge would be getting a job but I think this year more jobs will be available,” said Innes.

He cited recent conservation student graduates as an example of a group that frequently experiences difficulty finding jobs.

“People do a conservation degree and think they should go work for Environment Canada or BC Ministry of Environment but there are [other] opportunities out there. For example, working at a company as an ecologist. It just may be slightly different to what they expected.”

As the new dean, Innes aims to not only ensure the faculty is being administered correctly and that donations are being raked in, but also look to extend leadership beyond the faculty to the entire forest sector.

In line with his predecessor, Jack Saddler, it is evident that Innes is looking to continue propagating UBC’s very own Faculty on a global scale. One business card at a time.

An August 2010 survey released by the Canadian Education Project reported a summer student unemployment rate of 19.8 per cent, almost 10 per cent higher than what Statistics Canada reported.

According to the survey, there were many reasons that students weren’t working this summer. 28 per cent of unemployed students surveyed cited inability to find a paying job as the contributing factor to unemployment. The second and third runners-up were taking the summer off to travel and the inability to find a job that fits a summer course schedule, respectively.

“Many students are in school full-time but they have the desire to work or are looking for work,” said Miriam Kramer, the Director of the Canadian Education Project.

Despite the nationwide trend of higher student unemployment this summer, the situation at UBC isn’t entirely gloomy, according to UBC Career Services.

“From April 2009-2010 there was a 43 per cent increase in the number of full-time positions posted on www.careersonline.ubc.ca, UBC’s job-posting site,” Howie Outerbridge, Director of Career Services, said.

Along with an increase in jobs available to students, Outerbridge said there were an average of 350 views per job posting. Regardless, it appears that students have not capitalized on the noticeable increase in full-time paid positions at UBC this summer.

“There are a number of things to keep in mind. The economy –we are coming out of a recession. This summer was hard and last summer was very difficult for students transitioning into a full-time role,” said Outerbridge.

He also believed that students are changing their priorities when it comes to spending their summers.

“Students are very busy,” said Outerbridge. “They are engaged in volunteer opportunities, unpaid internships, traveling and a variety of other things. There is a real hybrid of what it means to be a student.”

Augustine Lee, Employer and Campus Relations Assistant for Career Services, said that the declining value of a Bachelor’s degree is also partially to blame.

“With my unemployed friends, there is a trend to expect a job lined up for us because of our undergraduate degree. But that edge that you have with an education is going away because the fact is that increasingly, people are getting their undergraduate degrees,” said Lee, who works with students to help them find employment.

Along with the high unemployment rate, a discrepancy in gender was also reported. On average, males were reported as working more hours and earning higher wages.

Kramer attributed the disparity to a “fairly high percentage of males working in sectors that render slightly higher earnings,” despite the majority of students finding jobs in the service and sales sector after graduation.

Lee argued that a shining academic record wasn’t sufficient for the jobs that students want today; they must tackle the increasingly competitive nature of the workforce.

“Employers want to know that you want to be doing what you’re doing,” said Lee

Approved by UBC’s Student Senate caucus on March 25, 2009, but only being implemented this September, the Credit/D/Fail system can be applied to up to 12 credits outside a student’s core area of study over the course of a degree.

These 12 credits will be not be assigned a percentage score. Instead, in a separate section on the transcript, their grade will show up as a “Cr” for those scoring above 55%, a D for those scoring in the range of 50-55% and a F for students scoring less than 50%.

“Credit/D/Fail is essentially a program designed to promote academic diversity and exploration,” explained AMS VP Academic Ben Cappellacci. “I think it could really change the way students explore their education at UBC.”

According to Cappellacci, the program will allow students to explore subject matter outside of their major without worrying about an adverse effect on their GPA.

Student Senator Joel Mertens said that he believes that students are looking forward to the new system.
“[Credit/D/Fail] was initially student pushed and I think they’re really behind it. I didn’t hear any concerns [from students].”

Although  he was not a Senator at the time the system was endorsed by Senate, Mertens said  that some faculty were worried about its implementation.

“It was my understanding that there was concern from faculty that they were afraid that students might take core courses for their degrees as Credit/D/Fail as a way to get through it without doing all of the work,” he said.

It may also have a negative effect on those applying to grad schools and scholarships which assess, in part, based on GPA. Once a student has requested to be evaluated on the Credit/D/Fail system and the deadline has passed, it is not possible to receive a letter grade standing.

“For grad schools and scholarships, it’s really something that students have to take into account and see if it’s worthwhile,” said Cappellaci. “If you want to take Credit/D/Fail, you essentially sacrifice the value those grades could have given you.”

Cappellacci will be releasing a report in the second term on a study investigating student reactions, work ethic and perceived level of learning as a result of the implementation of the program.

“All in all, I think you can expect to see some interesting changes in your classes this semester,” he said.

The Graduate Student Society began serving alcohol at the campus pub last week after the university reinstated their liquor license, bringing Koerners’ 133-day dry spell to an end.

However, the GSS’s new Food and Beverage Manager, Gerald Cole, said that some major changes are coming to the bar in the coming months.

“We’re going after an older demographic,” he told The Ubyssey.

Cole, who is a 30-year veteran of the food and beverage industry, said that alongside higher prices and the hiring of private security for busy nights, Koerner’s will be switching from self-service to a table service model.

He hopes that these changes, combined with higher quality food and liquor, will make the pub more attractive to faculty and staff.

“We’re in competition with other facilities here on the campus that pay their employees at a lower rate than we pay, who have larger venues and therefore far larger volumes, which means they can operate at a far smaller profit margin than we can,” said Cole. “It was absolutely incumbent upon us to raise our prices.”

The new regular price for the cheapest drink at Koerner’s, Rocky Mountain Pilsner, is $16.25. However, daily specials range for a pitcher range from $12.25 (on Mondays) to $14.25 (on every other day) .

“If you want to have a cheap drink, you can still get a cheap drink,” said Cole. “But all of the drinks aren’t cheap.”

He also emphasized that his top priority was to ensure that no liquor infractions, such as the two that led to Koerner’s losing its liquor license in March, would occur under his watch.

“I don’t care if you have grey hair; if you don’t have ID, you’re not getting served in Koerner’s Pub,” said Cole.

He also made clear that the pub would not allow more people into the facility than what their liquor license allows.

“We’re licensed to 150 people. So on a night like Monday and a night like Friday, we’re going to be busy with 150 people, not 225 people,” he said.

Regardless of these changes, the pub’s hours will stay the same in September and open mic nights will continue to be a Monday night ritual.

VP Students Brian Sullivan made it clear that these changes were not requested by UBC.

“This was very much decided by the GSS,” said Sullivan. “If they want to go heavier on the food, or change the menu, or change prices, that’s their business.”

However, some students have expressed concerns that the changes that Cole and the GSS are proposing mean that Koerner’s is no longer a student-oriented facility.

“Right now the only place left where people can go for cheap drinks in a student-priced bar setting is essentially the Gallery,” said Elin Tayyar, who serves as VP Finance of the AMS. “Koerner’s was a nice alternative, but now I don’t think that alternative exists.”

Tayyar and VP Academic Ben Cappellacci, neither of whom spoke on behalf of the AMS, believed that not only are the changes negative for students, they’re an impractical business move.

“Koerner’s is trying to bite into an already saturated market now between Mahoney’s and the Point Grill,” said Cappellacci. “All of these bars are catering to a higher-end student experience that may be out of reach for many students.”

GSS President Arvind Saraswat was not able to comment by press time. However, Cole is certain that the pub will continue to appeal to students.

“Koerner’s will very much be a customer driven facility. The things that work, the things that are profitable, the things that are popular with the clientele, we will continue to do.”

“I feel that we’ve accomplished a connection with council,” AMS President Bijan Ahmadian said. “This is one of those situations where we [had] conflict and we came out of that conflict stronger.”

The budget’s confirmation came after a month-long consultation process promised by the executive when council refused to pass the budget on July 14th. Although few alterations were made to the content of the budget, the executive’s release of a breakdown for Block Party, as well as their clarification of how much of the money allocated to special project funds would be spent, appeased most of the councilors who had initially opposed the budget. Some councillors had said that they had not necessarily opposed the substance of the budget, but instead the way in which it was presented.

“Apart from the specific dollar amounts, the process has changed,” said Arts councillor Kyle Warwick, who was one of the budget’s strongest opponents in July.

Arts councillor Michael Haack, one of the three who still opposed the budget, said the executive did not adequately explain what certain portions of the budget will actually be used for.

“We’re allocating money towards items on the budget to which there is no plan,” Haack said. “For team-building and professional development, we’re allocating $3000 to nothing. We don’t have a plan as to how we’re going to spend it and that’s not fiscally prudent.”

“I still feel like we’re giving blank cheques to the exec to spend on whatever they want, and that’s not how a non-profit society works.”

Block Party Budget Released

One of council’s primary demands during July was addressed by AMS executives when they released a preliminary budget for Block Party, the event held on the last day of classes that began three years ago following the closure of Arts County Fair (ACF). The Block Party held last year lost $103,000, but the new budget plans to make Block Party a revenue-neutral event by significantly cutting the money spent on bands.

“You should get the head of the person who booked the Barenaked Ladies for a bunch of 18- and 19-year-olds,” Budget Committee member Erik Mackinnon told Council during the initial July 14th budget meeting. “Last year was a disaster, but this year the costs are considerably lower.”

The AMS intends to cut the talent budget from $115,000 to $18,500 in order to avoid the $103,000 loss that the event incurred in 2010. The AMS is looking to decrease ticket prices and engage constituencies in non-financial ways in order to attract more concert-goers. AMS President Bijan Ahmadian said that he intends to put a lot more effort into promoting the event this year.

“Last year, there were two people trying to sell tickets, and that’s not enough,” he said. “For ACF, you had over 50 people just putting up posters.”

MacKinnon argued that the AMS had to decide what kind of event they wanted Block Party to be.

“Is Block Party going to be an end of the year Welcome Back Barbecue or another Arts County Fair?” he asked.

He contended that although Block Party may not be as big as ACF was, it could be a successful and financially feasible event.

HBBH+BH—a partnership between Vancouver-based Hotson Bakker Boniface Haden and B + H Architects—was chosen over finalists Bing Thom Architects and Busy Perkins+Will to design the $103 million SUB, which is scheduled to be completed in 2014.

VP Administration Ekaterina Dovjenko made the announcement at the July 14 council meeting, two weeks earlier than anticipated.

“The AMS is confident that HBBH+ BH is the right firm and demonstrated that they have a deep understanding of students’ needs,” said Dovjenko in a press release.

The AMS expects a preliminary design for the building to be completed by December.

In the meantime, HBBH+BH, alongside the AMS will be launching a schematic design forum in September 2010 to consult with students. They will host workshops on topics ranging from sustainability to social and green spaces.

The selection process saw each competing firm submit a proposal which was then ranked on a scale of 0 to 100, with 60 points for technical, 20 for the interview process and 20 for cost.

All three firms achieved scores above fifty but HBBH+BH led in all three categories, Dovjenko told Council.

Two of the four principal architects from the winning firm will be directly involved with the project. Dovjenko confirmed that one of the contending firms suffered in its assessment because the SUB Renew Committee felt that access to the senior architects was not sufficient.

According to their newly launched website for the project, www.whatsyoursub.com, HBBH+BH will be focusing on ecological, social and financial sustainability as top priorities.

The firms are no strangers to UBC, having designed the Marine Residences and Commons Block, the ICICS facilities and the Hugh Dempster Lecture Pavillion.

“The fact that UBC is not an urban campus means the SUB building is the heart of the student community.” Bruce Haden, design leader and HBBH partner, said in an interview posted on their website. “It’s like a mini city, replacing the functions and funkiness that surround urban campuses”

This final selection marks the end of a multi-year process to choose an architect. In April 2010, 2400 students chose three architectural firms as finalists in the SUB Renew vote.

Construction on the 255,000 sq ft. SUB will begin in 2012, with an expected completion date of 2014. The AMS will provide $78 million dollars of this funding, with the university providing the rest.

“Obviously it’s quite a concern,” said Scott Macrae, Director of UBC Public Affairs. “I think it’s another good reason for people who use that park to be aware of their own security and to not be alone if at all possible.”

Police received a call at approximately 8:30pm on June 12 alerting them to a deceased adult female in the area of 33rd Avenue and Camosun. Although homicide investigators are no longer part of the case, Srgt. Peter Thiessen of the RCMP that the police will only be releasing the preliminary autopsy reports.

Yesterday, speculation ran high that the case was related to last year’s murder of Wendy Ladner-Beaudry, 53, who was found dead last year, the victim of what police believe was a random attack. Her murderer has yet to be found.

However, Thiessen quickly advised the public not to speculate as to circumstances of this particular case.

“We’re asking the community and the neighbourhood not make assumptions that this may somehow be linked to…the death of Wendy Ladner-Beaudry.”

Ladner-Beaudry, 53, was found dead last year, the victim of what police believe was a random attack. Her murderer has yet to be found.

Despite the concern over the safety of Pacific Spirit Park, which is 763 hectares and divides Vancouver from UBC, recent UBC graduate Rosie Clark doesn’t take any extra precaution when jogging there.

“I don’t really think about safety at all,” said Clark.

Clark told The Ubyssey that she almost always runs alone and while wearing headphones, both of which are discouraged by the RCMP.

She said that she feels especially safe when running along the south side of the park, near the beaches, because of the large number of other joggers.

When asked if this recent discover would affect her jogging habits, Clark said it wouldn’t.

“I don’t think I would go near the area really where it was found by myself,” she said. “But I don’t think [anything else] would really change.”

Those along Broadway and West 10th don’t want a Canada Line-style shutdown of their neighbourhood.

It was with that backdrop that the Business and Residents Association for Sustainable Transportation Alternatives (BARSTA) held a meeting on June 22 to debate alternatives to a Skytrain line that would extend to UBC.

“In my view we have two alternative futures,” said Jan Pierce, Chair of the West Kitsilano Residents Association, to the crowd of about 150 people that filled the St. James Community Square.

“One looks to retain much of our existing housing, green space, heritage, and have change happen in a more gradual way that fits with our neighbourhoods.

“The alternative, a rapid-rail skytrain system, where our neighbourhood goals are transformed by the development goals of Translink, using the excuse of perceived need to increase ridership on their extremely expensive lines to justify the high costs.”

Mel Lehan, co-founder of BARSTA, began the meeting arguing that the speed of the line should not be Translink’s main consideration.

“We want to make some suggestions about transit alternatives that would be best for not only improving transit, but for respecting and enhancing our communities and local businesses,” said Lehan, who was the provincial NDP candidate for the Vancouver-Point Grey riding in 2005 and 2009.

After Lehan, a variety of merchants, academics, and city planners gave presentations to the crowd, each decrying the costs and effects of a Skytrain line. Patrick Condon, a Landscape Architecture Professor at UBC, told the crowd that based on his research, the $2.8 billion the provincial government has pledged for a UBC Line could instead be spent on a streetcar system that would span the entire city.

The majority of speakers spoke with the assumption that a Skytrain was the preferred option of Translink, which is currently studying the various options available for the 12 kilometre route from the university to Commercial and Broadway.

Ken Hardie, Translink’s Director of Communication, denied the charge. “I honestly don’t know where they got that idea that a SkyTrain is the front-runner,” he told The Province. “We are looking at a variety of options.”

But Susan Heyes, a Cambie Street merchant who was awarded $600,000 in damages by the BC Supreme Court last year—the case is being appealed by the government—argued that Translink and government are ignoring the lessons learned through the Canada Line construction.

“They’re holding open houses, which is not meaningful consultation,” she said, adding “what’s happening along here is exactly what happened on Cambie street.”

And while she granted that some UBC students would favour the fastest option, “If you’re talking about the difference between 15 and 20 minutes to get [to UBC]…it’s irrelevant. I think the larger concern is what consequences will happen as a result of the project,” said Heyes.

“We should care deeply about what happens to your environment, and stop thinking so small…it’s the long-term well being of neighbourhoods and cities at stake.”

This provisional solution came after the budget had been initially voted down by the council, with 11 in favour and 11 against, with the motion needing 2/3rds approval to pass.

While councilors had concerns about the future of Block Party and discretionary spending funds, the Executive argued that not passing any budget would paralyze the student union. Some councilors then supported a motion to revive the budget.

The debate to revisit the budget was strongly opposed by a vocal minority, who argued that since many councilors had left the meeting after originally voting it down, overturning the vote would be undemocratic.

The final compromise, which saw council approve the budget “as an operational framework” passed unanimously, with VP Finance Elin Tayyar asking councilors to meet with him in the coming weeks to resolve the debate.

A full story on the debate will be at ubyssey.ca tomorrow.