University of British Columbia

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The University of British Columbia
Motto:	Tuum est (Latin) "It Is Yours" or "It is up to you"
Established:	1908
Type:	Public
Endowment:	$1.01 billion (FY 2007)[1]
Chancellor:	Sarah Morgan-Silvester (July 1)[2]
President:	Stephen Toope
Provost:	Dr. David Farrar
Undergraduates:	35,860 - Vancouver 4,000 - Okanagan
Postgraduates:	7,719 - Vancouver 132 - Okanagan
Location:	Vancouver, Kelowna & Great Northern Way Campus, British Columbia, Canada
Campus:	Urban, 402 ha (4 km²)
Sport Teams:	UBC Thunderbirds
Colours:	Gold and Blue
Mascot:	Thunderbird
Affiliations:	G13 APRU Universitas 21 ASAIHL AUCC IAU, CIS, CWUAA, CUSID, AUFSC.
Website:	www.ubc.ca

The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a Canadian public research university with campuses in Vancouver and Kelowna, British Columbia. The Vancouver campus is located on Point Grey, a peninsula about 10 km from downtown Vancouver. While the originating legislation created UBC in 1908, the first day of lectures was September 30, 1915. On September 22, 1925, lectures began on the new Point Grey campus.

In 2003, UBC had 3,167 full-time faculty teaching 33,566 undergraduate students and 7,379 graduate students. The UBC library, which comprises 4.7 million books and journals, is the second largest research library in Canada. UBC consistently ranks as one of the top three Canadian universities. In 2006, Newsweek magazine ranked the UBC second in Canada and 27th in the world. In 2007, the Times Higher Education Supplement ranked UBC as second in Canada and 33rd in the world.

Contents 1 Locations 1.1 Vancouver 1.2 Kelowna 2 Academics 3 Centres and Institutes 4 History 4.1 Early history 4.2 Coat of arms 4.3 Book Publishing 5 The university today 5.1 Tuition 5.2 Finances 5.3 Forestry 5.4 Aboriginal 6 Quality of education 6.1 Rankings 6.2 Recipients of honorary degrees 6.3 Notable Faculty (former and current) 7 Libraries 8 Landmarks and attractions 8.1 Gardens 8.2 Museums and galleries 8.3 Performance arts theatres 9 Student services and residences 9.1 Student government 9.2 Student Clubs 9.3 Greek Organizations 9.4 Other facilities 10 Athletics 10.1 Sports and recreation 11 Campus events 12 Student media 13 See also 13.1 Books 14 External links 15 References

[edit] Locations

[edit] Vancouver

49°16′N, 123°15′W

The Vancouver campus is located at Point Grey, a twenty-minute drive from downtown Vancouver. It is near several beaches and has views of the North Shore mountains. The 7.63 km² Pacific Spirit Regional Park serves as a green-belt between the campus and the city. The campus, along with Pacific Spirit Regional Park, the University Endowment Lands, and the residential community of University Hill, is not within Vancouver's city limits. It is part of the Greater Vancouver Regional District's Electoral Area A, which is made up of the non-incorporated areas of the Lower Mainland. As a result, UBC is policed by the RCMP rather than the Vancouver Police Department. However, the Vancouver Fire Department does service UBC under a contract. Also, all postage sent to any building on campus includes Vancouver in the address.

UBC Vancouver also has two satellite campuses within the city of Vancouver: a campus at Vancouver General Hospital for the medical sciences, and UBC Robson Square in downtown Vancouver for part-time credit and non-credit programmes. Moreover, UBC is also a partner in the consortium backing Great Northern Way Campus Ltd.

[edit] Kelowna

49°56′N, 119°24′W

The Kelowna campus, known as UBC Okanagan, is located on the former North Kelowna Campus of Okanagan University College, adjacent to the international airport on the north-east side of Kelowna, British Columbia.^[3] This campus offers undergraduate degrees in Arts, Science, Nursing, Education, Management and Engineering as well as graduate degrees in most of these disciplines. The Okanagan campus is experiencing a rapid expansion with construction of several new residential, teaching and research buildings now underway.

[edit] Academics

The Faculties and Schools are:

• Law
• Graduate School
• Interdisciplinary Studies
• Sauder School of Business
• Vancouver School of Theology
• Green College
• St. John's College

[edit] Centres and Institutes

• Botanical Garden
• Library
• Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies

[edit] History

[edit] Early history

The information in this section is taken from "The History of the University" by former UBC President N.A.M. (Norman) MacKenzie, originally published in "The President's Report", 1957-58, available online at the UBC Archives.

The University of British Columbia, a single, public provincial university created in 1908 was modelled on the American state university, with an emphasis on extension work and applied research.^[4]

The University of British Columbia is a non-denominational undergraduate and graduate teaching and research institution. A provincial university was first called into being in Vancouver by the British Columbia University Act of 1908. ^[5]

The governance was modelled on the provincial University of Toronto Act of 1906 which established a bicameral system of university government consisting of a senate (faculty), responsible for academic policy, and a board of governors (citizens) exercising exclusive control over financial policy and having formal authority in all other matters. The president, appointed by the board, was to provide a link between the 2 bodies and to perform institutional leadership.^[6] The Act constituted a twenty-one member senate with Dr. Israel W. Powell of Victoria as Chancellor.

Attempts at establishing a degree-granting university with assistance from the Universities of Toronto and McGill saw varying degrees of success. McGill University College was set up by Henry Marshall Tory^[7] in an arrangement with McGill during 1906 to 1908, as a private institution granting McGill University degrees until 1915.

In the meantime appeals were again made to the government to revive the earlier legislation for a provincial institution, leading to the University Endowment Act in 1907, and The University Act in 1908. In 1910 the Point Grey site was chosen, and the government appointed Dr. Frank Fairchild Wesbrook as President in 1913. The outbreak of war in August, 1914 compelled the University to postpone plans for building at Point Grey, and instead the former McGill University College site at Fairview became home to the University until 1925. The first day of lectures was September 30, 1915. The institution absorbed the McGill-affiliated McGill University College of Vancouver in 1915. University of British Columbia awarded its first degrees in 1916. ^[8]

World War I dominated campus life, and the student body was "decimated" by enlistments for active service, with three hundred UBC students in Company "D" alone. By the end of the war, 697 members of the University had enlisted. A total of 109 students graduated in the three war-time congregations, all but one in the Faculties of Arts and Science.

By 1920, the university had only three faculties: Arts, Applied Science, and Agriculture (with Departments of Agronomy, Animal Husbandry, Dairying, Horticulture and Poultry). It only awarded the degrees of Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) and Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.). There were 1,189 male students and 341 female students, but only 64 academic staff, including 6 women.^[9]

In the early part of this century, professional education expanded beyond the traditional fields of theology, law and medicine. Graduate training based on the German-inspired American model of specialized course work and the completion of a research thesis was introduced. ^[10]

In 1922 the now twelve-hundred-strong student body embarked on a "Build the University" campaign. 56,000 signatures were presented at legislature in support, and on September 22, 1925, lectures began on the new Point Grey campus.

Except for the Library, Science and Power House buildings, all the campus buildings were temporary constructions. Two playing fields were built by the students themselves, but the University had no dormitories and no social centre. Still, the University continued to grow by leaps and bounds.

Soon, however, the effects of the depression began to be felt. In 1932-33 salaries were cut by up to 23%. Posts remained vacant, and many faculty lost their jobs. Most graduate courses were dropped. Just as things began to improve, World War II broke out.

Canada declared war on September 10, 1939. Soon afterwards, University President Klinck wrote:

From the day of the declaration of war, the University has been prepared to put at the disposal of the Government all possible assistance by way of laboratories, equipment and trained personnel, insofar as such action is consistent with the maintenance of reasonably efficient instructional standards. To do less would be unthinkable.

Military training on the campus became popular, and WWII marked the first provision of money from the federal government to the University. By the end of the war, it became clear that the facilities at Point Grey had become totally inadequate. The University needed new staff, new courses, new faculties, and new buildings for teaching and accommodation. The student population rose from 2,974 in 1944-45 to 9,374 in 1947-48.

Surplus Army and Air Force camps were used for both classrooms and accommodation. Fifteen complete camps were taken over by the University in the course of the 1945-46 session alone, with a sixteenth camp, situated on Little Mountain in Vancouver, converted into suites for married students.

The University of British Columbia launched its program in architecture in 1947. ^[11]

The policy of university education initiated in the 1960s responded to population pressure and the belief that higher education was a key to social justice and economic productivity for individuals and for society. The single-university policy in the West was changed as existing colleges of the provincial universities gained autonomy as universities -the University of Victoria was established in 1963. ^[12]

[edit] Coat of arms

Please help improve this section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion.

The Coat of Arms of UBC has the second longest history of all the post-secondary institutions of British Columbia, dating back to 1915.^[13]

[edit] Book Publishing

The University of British Columbia Press, which was founded in 1971, deals with Canadian affairs and Pacific studies. ^[14]

[edit] The university today

UBC's current president is Dr. Stephen Toope, appointed on July 1, 2006. He succeeds Dr. Martha Piper, who was the University's first female president and the first non-Canadian born president.

The Provost and Vice-President(VP) Academic, is currently Dr. David H. Farrar. The Vice-President Students is Brian Sullivan; VP External and Legal is Stephen Owen, VP Research is John Hepburn and VP Finance and Administration is Terry Sumner.

The Chancellor of the University, who acts as the University's ceremonial head and sits on the academic Senate and the Board of Governors, is Sarah Morgan-Silvester (as of July 1, 2008).^[2]

The UBC Okanagan campus is led by Dr. Doug Owram, Deputy Vice-Chancellor.

In 2003, UBC had 3,167 full-time Faculty, and 4,612 non-faculty full-time employees. It had over forty thousand students (33,566 undergraduate students and 7,379 graduate students), and more than 180,000 alumni in 120 countries. Enrollment continues to grow. The founding of the new Okanagan campus will increase these numbers dramatically. The university is one of only two Canadian universities to have membership in Universitas 21, an international association of research-led institutions (McGill University is the other).

Buildings on the Vancouver campus currently occupy 1,091,997 m² gross, located on 1.7 km² of maintained land.

The Vancouver campus' street plan is mostly in a grid of malls (for driving and pedestrian-only). Lower Mall and West Mall are in the southwestern part of the peninsula, with Main, East, and Wesbrook Malls northeast of them.

Wireless internet access is available at no charge to students, faculty, and staff inside and outside of most buildings at both campuses.^[15]

[edit] Tuition

In 2001-02, UBC had one of the lowest undergraduate tuition rates in Canada, at an average of $2,181 CAD per year for a full-time programme. This was due to a government-instituted tuition freeze.

In 2001, however, the BC Liberal party defeated the NDP in British Columbia and lifted the tuition freeze. In 2002-03 undergraduate and graduate tuition rose by an average of 30%, and by up to 40% in some faculties. This has led to increased enrolment and better facilities, but also to student unrest and contributed to a teaching assistant union strike.

UBC again increased tuition by 30% in the 2003-04 year, again by approximately 15% in the 2004-05 season, and 2% in the 2005-06 and 2006-07 years. Increases were lower than expected because, in the 2005 Speech from the Throne, the government announced that tuition increases would be capped to inflation.^[16]

Despite these increases, UBC's tuition remains below the national average and below other universities in the regions. In 2006-07, the Canadian average undergraduate tuition fee was $4347 and the BC average was $4960.^[17] UBC tuition for 2007-2008 is $4,257 for a Canadian student in a basic 30-unit program, though various programs cost from $3,406 to $9,640. Medicine tuition fees are $14,566. The faculty of Dentistry charges $14,566 for tuition and a clinic fee in excess of $25,000. Tuition for international students is roughly four times as much.^[18]

[edit] Finances

For 2006-2007, UBC had expected a $36 million deficit. With various cost cutting measures, the University posted a small surplus of $1.92 million. For example, the discontinuation of credit card payments for domestic students is estimated to save $2.5 million per year.^[19]

As of March 2007, UBC had assets of $3.2 billion and liabilities of $1.8 billion. Total revenue for 2006-2007 was $1.59 billion, of which 36% came from the provincial government, 11% from the federal government, 17% from "sales of goods and services", 18% from tuition, and 18% from all other sources. Total expenses were $1.50 billion, of which salaries, wages, benefits, and honoraria were 59%, office supplies and expenses were 12%, amortization was 9%, and all other expenses were 20%. ^[20] Less than 1% of expenses went to fundraising.^{[21] [22]}

[edit] Forestry

The University of British Columbia Faculty of Forestry is part of the AUFSC and have accredited baccalaureate of science programs with specializations in Natural Resource Conservation; Forest Science; Forest Resources Management; Major Forest Operations; International Forestry; Wood Products Processing; and International Forestry. ^[23]

[edit] Aboriginal

The UBC provides services to Aboriginal people in more remote communities. The UBC’s Longhouse is a dedicated space for Aboriginal institutions, a “zone of comfort” for Aboriginal students and a focus for Aboriginal culture and activities on campus. At UBC, Aboriginal staff particularly in academic positions, signal the institution’s commitment to success for Aboriginal students. UBC, for example has an Associate Dean of Indigenous Education. The UBC’s First Nations Forestry Initiatives was developed in partnership with specific Aboriginal communities to meet specific needs within Aboriginal communities. The UBC also offers a Chinook Diploma Program in the Sauder School of Business. The UBC reaches into Aboriginal communities to talk to potential students at a much younger age through Chinook Summer Biz Camp, which fosters entrepreneurship among young First Nations and Métis students. The UBC hosts a Bridge Through Sport Program, Summer Science Program, Native Youth Program, and Cedar Day Camp and Afterschool Program. The UBC has had success in recruiting and retaining large numbers of Aboriginal faculty. UBC developed governing board and senate policies as well as Aboriginal governed councils within the university structure. ^[24]

[edit] Quality of education

[edit] Rankings

UBC consistently ranks as one of the top three Canadian universities by Research InfoSource^[25] and ranks as second in Canada and thirty-sixth in the world in the Academic Ranking of World Universities.^[26] In 2006, Newsweek magazine ranked the University of British Columbia second in Canada and 27th in the world.^[27] The Times Higher Education Supplement of the UK ranked UBC as second in Canada and thirty-third in the world in 2007. According to Maclean's University Rankings, UBC has the highest percentage of Ph. D level professors among all public universities in North America (92%). It has received widespread recognition by Maclean's and Newsweek magazines for its foreign language program; the Chinese program is North America's largest, and the Japanese program is North America's second largest (after the University of Hawaii).The Department of Art History, Visual Arts and Theory has been recognized consistently for the world-class artists who teach there.^{[citation needed]} In 2003 the National Post stated UBC had the highest entrance requirements for undergraduate admission out of all universities in Canada^[28], although since then McGill University has maintained this position.

[edit] Recipients of honorary degrees

Please help improve this section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion.

• The 14th Dalai Lama
• Archbishop Desmond Tutu
• Shirin Ebadi
• Raffi Cavoukian
• David A. Dodge
• Muhammad Yunus
• Michael J. Fox

[edit] Notable Faculty (former and current)

• David Suzuki, biologist
• Sara Davis Buechner, pianist, recording artist, Koch International
• Michael Smith, Nobel laureate in Chemistry in 1993,
• Hans G. Dehmelt, Nobel laureate in Physics in 1989
• Carl E. Wieman, Nobel laureate in Physics in 2001
• Daniel Kahneman, Nobel laureate in Economic Sciences in 2002
• Michael Ignatieff, academic and Canadian politician
• Meryn Cadell, writer and performance artist
• Steven Galloway, novelist and playwright
• Dale Kinkade, linguist and specialist on Salishan languages
• Richard J. Pearson, archaeologist and gardener
• Rudolf Vrba, Holocaust survivor and pharmacologist
• Erich Vogt, physicist
• Bill Unruh, physicist
• Har Gobind Khorana, Nobel laureate in Medicine in 1968, left UBC in 1960 because of racial discrimination.^{[citation needed]}
• George F.G. Stanley, Canadian historian, designer of Canadian flag, Lieutenant-Governor of New Brunswick
• Joel Bakan, creator of The Corporation
• Jeff Wall, Noted photographer. Tate Gallery Retrospective, MOMA, Hasselblad Award, key figure in the photoconceptualist Vancouver School
• Ken Lum, Noted Canadian artist. Represented Canada at the Sydney Biennale, the São Paulo Art Biennial, the Shanghai Biennale and at Documenta XI

[edit] Libraries

Main article: University of British Columbia Library

The UBC Library, which comprises 4.7 million books and journals, 5.0 million microforms, over 800,000 maps, videos and other multimedia materials and over 46,700 subscriptions, is the second largest research library in Canada.^[29] The library has twenty-six branches and divisions at UBC and at other locations, including three branches at teaching hospitals (Saint Paul's Hospital, Vancouver Hospital and Health Sciences Centre, BC Children's Hospital), one at UBC's Robson Square campus in downtown Vancouver, and one at the new UBC Okanagan campus. Plans are also under way to establish a library at the Great Northern Way Campus on the Finning Lands. The former Main Library has undergone construction and has been renamed the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre. The new library incoporates the centre heritage block of the old Main Library with two new expansion wings and features an automated storage and retrieval system (ASRS), the first of its kind in Canada. ^[30]

[edit] Landmarks and attractions

[edit] Gardens

• UBC Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research (website): the first UBC department, it holds a collection of over 8000 different kinds of plants used for research, conservation and education
• Nitobe Memorial Garden (website): built to honour Japanese scholar Inazo Nitobe, the garden has been the subject of more than fifteen years' study by a UBC professor, who believes that its construction hides a number of impressive features, including references to Japanese philosophy and mythology, shadow bridges visible only at certain times of year, and positioning of a lantern that is filled with light at the exact date and time of Nitobe's death each year. The garden is behind the university's Asian Centre, whose roof features a glass and wood structure from Japan's exhibit at Tokyo Expo.

[edit] Museums and galleries

• Museum of Anthropology at UBC (MOA) (website): mostly First Nations collections, such as totem poles. Also antique Chinese and European ceramics collections.
• Morris and Helen Belkin Art Gallery (website): exhibit mostly contemporary North American art. Has two rooms (often divided into three).
• The TRIUMF particle and nuclear physics laboratory offers guided tours of its installation.
• A copy of the Goddess of Democracy, erected by the school's Alma Mater Society stands in SUB plaza.^[31]

[edit] Performance arts theatres

• The Chan Centre for the Performing Arts: a performing arts centre containing the Chan Shun Concert Hall. It is often the location of convocation ceremonies as well as the filming location for the 4400 Center on the television show The 4400,^{[citation needed]} as well as the Madacorp entrance set on Kyle XY.^{[citation needed]} It has also been featured as the Cloud 9 Ballroom in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica (Season 1, Episode 11: Colonial Day).^{[citation needed]} It has also been used in Stargate Atlantis (Season 2, Episode 5: Condemned),^{[citation needed]} as well as in the first season of Reaper.^{[citation needed]}
• Frederic Wood Theatre ("Freddy Wood Theatre"): plays are performed here, mostly performed by UBC's own BFA drama students.

[edit] Student services and residences

[edit] Student government

Main article: Alma Mater Society of the University of British Columbia

UBC Vancouver students are represented by the Alma Mater Society, or AMS. The society's mandate is to improve the quality of educational, social, and personal lives of UBC students. The executive - comprised of the President; Vice President, External Affairs; Vice President, Administration; Vice President, Finance; and Vice President, Academic and University Affairs - are responsible for lobbying the UBC administration on behalf of the student body, providing services, such as the AMS/GSS Health and Dental Plan, supporting and administering student clubs, and maintaining the Student Union Building (aka SUB) and the services it houses.

UBC Okanagan students are represented by The University of British Columbia Students' Union - Okanagan.

[edit] Student Clubs

UBC has a lively campus community with over three hundred student run clubs. The AMS club directory lists all of the clubs.

[edit] Greek Organizations

UBC has a small but vibrant Greek community. The NPC sororities on campus are Alpha Delta Pi, Alpha Gamma Delta, Alpha Phi, Delta Gamma, Gamma Phi Beta, Kappa Alpha Theta, and Kappa Kappa Gamma [2]. All sororities have a chapter room in the Panhellenic House on Wesbrook Mall; the building also offers housing for 72 college women, with preference given to sorority members. The first Greek organization on campus was Alpha Delta Phi fraternity in 1832, Alpha Epsilon Pi, Delta Kappa Epsilon, Psi Upsilon, Sigma Chi, Beta Theta Pi, Phi Delta Theta, Phi Gamma Delta, and Kappa Sigma; all except Alpha Epsilon Pi have a house. Fraternity Rush and Sorority Recruitment occur during the first weeks of school in September.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Other facilities

• The Student Union Building (SUB) (website): offices of many clubs, half a dozen restaurants and cafés, a pub ("The Gallery"), a nightclub ("The Pit"), the inexpensive 425-seat Norman Bouchard Memorial Theatre ("The Norm Theatre"), several shops and a post office. The majority of the outlets and shops in the SUB are run by the AMS, however the addition of major corporate outlets in recent years by UBC Food Services has generated some controversy. The SUB Art Gallery contains mostly students' work. Beside the SUB, there is a small mound called The Grassy Knoll, which was constructed from the contents of the open pool dug near the Aquatic Centre. The Grassy Knoll is slated to be removed for the planned construction of an underground bus loop, a plan that is unpopular with some students.
• The Ladha Science Student Centre (website): Home of the Science Undergraduate Society (website). Funded through a donation from Abdul Ladha, a levy from all Science undergraduate students, the VP Students, and the Dean of Science, this new building on East Mall just north of University Boulevard is now open and provides space for Science undergraduates to meet, to study, and to have fun. (http://www.sus.ubc.ca/ladha.cfm)
• Totem Park: A residence primarily for first and second year undergraduate students (houses 1163). It consists of 6 dormitory buildings (Nootka, Dene, Haida, Salish, Kwakiutl, and Shuswap Houses), and a Commons Block (Coquihalla). It is considered by some to be the "loudest" of the residences.
  • All houses, except Shuswap, are co-ed, with alternating men's and women's floors.
  • Shuswap house is currently the only house at Totem with co-ed floors (that is, men and women are allowed to live on the same floor).
• Place Vanier: A residence primarily for first and second year undergraduate students (houses 1370). It consists of 12 blocks constructed in 1959, 1960, 1961 and 1968, with two (Tec de Monterrey and Korea House) of the twelve houses constructed in 2002 and 2003. The buildings vary from Male and Female only, to alternating gender floors, as well as fully mixed floors. The residences have both single and double rooms, with each floor having a lounge and communal bathrooms.
• Gage Towers: A residence consisting of three 17-floor towers (North, South and East) primarily for second, third, and fourth year undergraduate students. Gage houses the most students and is closest to the Pit Pub. It consists of three interconnected towers (North, South, and East) as well as single student housing (both studio, and apartment) in a separate adjacent building. The towers are composed of "quads" which consist of 4 separate pods, each consisting of 6 individual bedrooms, a bathroom and a communal kitching/dining area.
• Fairview Crescent: A residence primarily for second and third year undergraduate students. Also houses many graduate students. Consists of an L-Shaped pedestrian-only street lined with 4, 5 & 6 student (a mix of single-sex and co-ed) townhouses. The Beanery is nestled in the middle of the residence.
• Thunderbird: A residence primarily for graduate students and fourth year undergraduate students.
• Ritsumeikan-UBC House: A residence with a Japanese cultural setting, named for Ritsumeikan University. Houses Japanese exchange students and Canadian students, who participate in unique inter cultural programmes. The residence's tatami room is used for practice sessions by the UBC Urasenke Japanese tea ceremony club. Two Canadian students are typically paired with two Japanese exchange students.
• Marine Drive Residence: A new residence on the west side of campus. The first phase, consisting of Building 1 (an 18-floor tower) and Building 2 (a 5 floor building commonly called the "Podium") opened Fall 2005, and is the most expensive residence on campus. In February 2006, the Board of Governors approved plans for the second phase of Marine Drive, finally putting an end to the debacle caused by concerns over the view of Wreck beach (Phase I's Building 1 was reduced from 20 floors to 18 because of this). Phase II consists of Buildings 3 through 5 (two towers and another "Podium", respectively), and also the Commonsblock. Building 3 is expected to be open for students as of September 2007, with buildings 4 and 5 following in 2008. A separate Commonsblock (the current Front Desk being located in building 1) is expected to be completed in 2009, and will contain similar services to the Commonsblocks of other residences, such as an exercise room and a small store. The Commonsblock will mark the completion of the Marine Drive Residence, which will be one of the most populous residences on campus.

• Green College: A residential college for graduate students with an interdisciplinary focus.
• St. John's College: A residential college for graduate students with an international focus.
• The Beanery: A coffee shop located in the Fairview residence. It has study areas popular with students. There are numerous other coffee outlets on campus, including a Blenz, four Starbucks (The University Village Marketplace, the SUB, in the Forest Sciences Centre, and in the Fred Kaiser Building [Applied Sciences] next to the engineering cairn), two Tim Hortons, and a locally-owned shop called The Boulevard (on University Boulevard.)
• A new Tim Hortons in the Forestry building that opened up in the winter of 2006, to replace the Bread Garden that was there before.
• UBC operates the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre on Vancouver Island for research biologists, ecologists and oceanographers. As a founding member of the Western Canadian Universities Marine Sciences Society, UBC maintains this field station on the west coast of Vancouver Island, BC.
• The Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies is an interdisciplinary research institute.

[edit] Athletics

UBC is represented in Canadian Interuniversity Sport by the UBC Thunderbirds. UBC is considering joining the NCAA ^[32]

[edit] Sports and recreation

• UBC REC (website): UBC's intramural program is one of the largest in Canada, including various leagues and the year-ending Storm the Wall.
• Aquatic Centre (website): offers swimming pools indoors and outdoors. At designated times students can use the facility for free.
• Thunderbird Winter Sports Centre: during final exam periods (December and April), hundreds of chairs and tables are placed inside for students to take examinations. The Centre is currently torn down, and is being restructured for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
• In between Main and Koerner Libraries is an artificial 6-metre deep valley, whose massive amount of dirt was transported to a bog in the Pacific Spirit Park decades ago, now being criticized as an anti-environmental act. The valley was intended as a student gathering place for eating lunches, meeting and relaxing, but it is mostly unused due to its lack of visibility and dangerously slippery muddy grass.
• There is a rock-climbing wall in the SUB, hidden behind the movie theatre screen, which is operated by the UBC Varsity Outdoor Club.(website)
• The UBC Bike Hub, which houses the AMS Bike Co-op and the Bike Kitchen. The Bike Kitchen is a full service student-run non-profit bike shop, which also runs workshops and provides one-on-one instruction.(website)
• The UBC Croquet Societyplays friendlies during the week on various lawns and in front of Koerner's library. Tournaments are held twice a semester.
• The UBC Debating Society is the only debating team in Canada that is a part of a university's varsity athletics programme.(website) In late 2006 it hosted the World Universities Debating Championships.
• The Student Recreation Centre houses a gymnasium, sports equipment shop, dojo, and climbing wall, in addition to rooms for special exercise programmes.
• The neighbouring Pacific Spirit Regional Park has an extensive network of running trails. On the coast to the west of campus, the park includes Wreck Beach, one of the largest clothing-optional beaches in the world.

[edit] Campus events

A small number of large-scale, campus-wide events occur annually at UBC.

• Imagine UBC, an orientation day and pep rally for first-year undergraduate students, replaces the first day of September classes at UBC Vancouver.
• Storm the Wall is an intramural relay race put on by UBC REC in April, culminating in the climbing of a 12-foot (3.7 m) wall. It is one of the largest intramural events to take place regularly in Canada.
• Arts County Fair was an annual concert and party on the last day of classes in April, put on by the Arts Undergraduate Society and occurring at Thunderbird Stadium. Past headliners have included Sam Roberts, The New Pornographers, and Metric. Due to increasing financial difficulties (mostly resulting from mounting security and related costs) the AUS announced they would not continue the event in 2008. In its place, the Alma Mater Society of UBC hosted the AMS Block Party to celebrate the end of classes.

Additionally, a number of unofficial 'traditions,' exist at UBC: jumping from the War Memorial Gym's 10-metre diving board late at night; and frequent repainting of the Engineering cairn, refashioning its large red-and-white 'E' into other letters representative of other faculties, clubs, and groups.

[edit] Student media

• The Ubyssey (website), a twice-weekly student newspaper that serves the Vancouver campus. Established in 1918.
• "The Phoenix" (website), is a biweekly student newspaper that serves the Okanagan campus. Established in 1989 at Okanagan University College.
• The Graduate (website), a monthly magazine of news, opinion, and humour, by graduate students.
• Discorder ("That magazine from CiTR") (website), a music and entertainment magazine produced by the campus radio station.
• CiTR "Thunderbird Radio" (website), the campus radio station.
• "The Knoll" (website), is an alternative, politically progressive student publication that serves the Vancouver campus. Established in 2006.

[edit] See also

• University Endowment Lands
• Regent College
• Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre
• List of universities in British Columbia
• Higher education in British Columbia
• Education in Canada

[edit] Books

• William C. Gibson 'Wesbrook & His University' (Vancouver: University of British Columbia Press)
• George Woodcock & Tim Fitzharris. 'The University of British Columbia – A Souvenir'. (Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1986).

[edit] External links

• UBC Website
• The University of British Columbia
• Directory of Canadian Universities’ programs database
• AUCC Profile

[edit] References

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