UBC has long been in a state of limbo concerning whether or not it has the power to enforce bylaws on campus. The provincial government’s proposed amendments to the University Act clarifiy exactly what the Board of Governors (BoG) can do, but we don’t know what that means as of yet. There are two directions in which this may go.

RIP War on Fun

UBC often seems like a large, uncaring institution, focused only on turning out as many graduates as possible for as little as possible. Students have often complained about UBC acting like an education machine, not caring about community or the university experience. So if this is true, then what does Bill 13 mean?

It means that UBC has won the War on Fun. The university now has the power to “regulate, prohibit and impose requirements in relation to nuisance on or in real property, buildings and structures of the institution, including providing for remediation of a nuisance and recovery of the costs of remediation,” and “impose and collect penalties, including fines, in relation to a contravention of a bylaw or other instrument made in the exercise of a power under this section,” which, to anyone with two brain cells, means “UBC can stop you from making noise, and fine you when you’re too loud.” Plus, UBC—probably with a lot of help from the RCMP and the University Neighbourhoods Association—gets to determine what “too loud” means. Bye, bye frat parties. Sorry Totem, you’re over the line. Goodbye, bzzr gardens, it was nice knowing you.

With the amendments, UBC can also enact and enforce other bylaws. The most prominent repercussion is that they will be able to fine people for parking, rendering Dan S Barbour’s lawsuit frivolous, which means that you are not getting your money back, you parking delinquents. Sorry if “winning a class-action lawsuit” gave you false hope. Remember, the only fair thing for UBC to do is to charge you $12 a day for parking.

Accountability can be a good thing

The easy thing to say in the aftermath of the provincial government handing UBC carte blanche over noise issues on campus is that it gives UBC draconian powers that should belong to elected officials and will surely lead to abuse by UBC, the UNA and the RCMP. And it could. However, now that the government has given our benevolent benefactors more powers, the ball is in President Stephen Toope’s court.

For many years now, the university and students alike have complained about the mysterious legal nebulousity (if that is a word) surrounding UBC. It isn’t part of any city, but is home to over 10,000 permanent and seasonal residents, ranging from students to retired professors. They have the same services and the same conflicts that people in most cities have. In most cities, the buck stops with city council. At UBC, the buck stops with UBC. Unless it’s the RCMP. Or Metro Vancouver. Or some sort of sub-committee. What UBC is allowed and not allowed to do has been a major source of difficulty for many years. Now, consultations will happen to determine exactly what rules will surround noise on this campus. That’s a good thing. If fair rules are put in place that students, fraternities and UBC Athletics have to follow when they put on events, and if there’s a fair dispute mechanism put in place, then students will ultimately be served well.

On the downside, the group in charge of this isn’t composed of elected representatives (unless you count the three student representatives on the board of governors). However, it’s better than what we had before.

(No Ratings Yet)

 Loading ...