Trek the Magazine of the University of British Columbia SUMMER 2008
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BREAKING INTO HOLLYWOOD | TRIP TO THE GALAPAGOS | WHEN I WAS A STUDENT 21 Trek The Magazine of The University of British Columbia SUMMER 2008 PUBLISHED BY The University of British Columbia Alumni Association Canadian Publications Mail Agreement #40063528 Trek21 TABLE OF CONTENTS EDITOR Christopher Petty, mfa’86 ASSISTANT EDITOR Vanessa Clarke PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Adrienne Watt ART DIRECTOR Keith Leinweber 5 Take Note BOARD OF DIRECTORS CHAIR Doug Robinson, bcom’71, llb’72 VICE-CHAIR Gayle Stewart, ba’76 14 Binocularless in Galapagos TREASURER Ian Robertson, bsc’86, ba’88, mba, ma Zoology professor Chris Harley gets up close to the creatures of the Galapagos. APPOINTMENTS TO BOARD (‘07-’08) Miranda Lam, llb’02 Brent Cameron, ba, mba’06 16 When I Was a Student Robin Elliott, bcom’65 Marsha Walden, bcom’80 Alumni from the ’30s, ’50s, ’70s and ’00s recall their student days. MEMBERS-AT-LARGE (‘07-’10) Don Dalik, bcom, llb’76 Dallas Leung, bcom’94 20 The Show Runner MEMBERS-AT-LARGE (‘05-’08) Raquel Hirsch, ba’80, mba’83 Profile: Hart Hanson, Hollywood hit maker. Mark Mawhinney, ba’94 MEMBER AT LARGE (‘06-’09) 23 The Four Pots of Gold Aderita Guerreiro, ba’77 FaCULTY REP (‘07-’08) Selling screenplays in Hollywood. Sally Thorne, bsn’79, msn’83, phd SENIOR ADMINISTRATION REP (‘07-’08) Stephen Owen, mba, llb’72, llm ab, mph 24 Sarah Dodd Expands Her Borders Brian Sullivan, ab, mph AMS REP (‘07-’08) One of the screenwriters for CBC’s The Border discusses her craft. Mike Duncan CONVOCATION SENATE REP (‘07-’08) 26 Thank You… Chris Gorman, ba’99 YOUNG ALUMNI REP (‘07-’08) To all alumni volunteers who have given their time and talent to UBC. Louise Tagulao, ba’02 OKANAGAN REP (‘07-’08) 28 UBC’s New Chancellor Catherine Comben, ba’67 PARTICIpaNTS (‘07-’08) Kevin Keystone st Sarah Morgan-Silvester started her three year term on July 1 . EX-OFFICIO PRESIDENT, UBC 30 UBC Generations Stephen Toope, ab, llb and bcl, phd PRESIDEnt’S DESIGNATE Richard Liu’s connections to UBC in Canada go back a long way. Barbara Miles, ba, postgrad certificate in ed. CHANCELLOR, UBC Sarah Morgan-Silvester, bcom’82 32 Alumni Weekend Hits the Mark ASSOCIATE VP, ALUMNI / EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, ALUMNI ASSOCIATION A pictorial salute to good times at Alumni Weekend. Marie Earl, ab, mla Trek Magazine (formerly the UBC Alumni Chronicle) is published three times a year by the UBC Alumni 34 Alumni News Association and distributed free of charge to UBC alumni and friends. Opinions expressed in the magazine do not necessarily reflect the views of the Alumni Association or 36 Artistic Aspirations the university. Address correspondence to: The Editor, Two UBCO grads plan their futures. UBC Alumni Affairs, 6251 Cecil Green Park Road, Vancouver, bc, Canada v6t 1z1 38 Class Acts e-mail to [email protected] Letters published at the editor’s discretion and may be edited for 43 T-Bird News space. Contact the editor for advertising rates. CONTACT NUMBERS AT UBC Address Changes 604.822.8921 via e-mail [email protected] 47 In Memoriam Alumni Association 604.822.3313 toll free 800.883.3088 Trek Editor 604.822.8914 UBC Info Line 604.822.4636 Belkin Gallery 604.822.2759 Bookstore 604.822.2665 Chan Centre 604.822.2697 Frederic Wood Theatre 604.822.2678 Museum of Anthropology 604.822.5087 Volume 63, Number 2 | Printed in Canada by Mitchell Press Canadian Publications Mail Agreement #40063528 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: Cover: The Beauties of Flora: Polyanthuses Records Department < by Robert John Thornton UBC Development Office Suite 500 5950 University Boulevard Valentine’s Day – Labour of Love Vancouver, bc v6t 1z3 by Walter Crane and Kate Greenaway These images are part of the UBC Vault Cert no. SW-COC-002226 Collection. See more at www.ubcvault.ca. Summer 2008 Trek 3 21 OLD CLASSROOMS, NEW HANGOUTS & THE THINGS WE VALUE A few weeks ago I took a stroll around campus after lunch with a But it’s not just places that change at UBC. The old school has evolved friend. Sunny day, good chat. We hit on an engrossing topic, and I lost into a world player academically, and esoteric concepts like “institutional track of where we were walking. We turned around a corner and I had a mission,” and “vision for the future” have changed over time as well. sudden sense of complete disorientation. If I had been whisked to this Over the past few years, the operating vision of UBC became: spot, blindfolded, by abductors and then freed (an unlikely but interest- “The University of British Columbia, aspiring to be one of the world’s ing scenario), I wouldn’t have had a clue where I was. Couldn’t see the best universities, will prepare students to become exceptional global mountains, couldn’t see a landmark (building or otherwise) of any kind. I citizens, promote the values of a civil and sustainable society and could have been in Calgary, Toronto, Cleveland or Budapest, Hungary. conduct outstanding research to serve the people of British Columbia, It got me to thinking: UBC has changed a lot in the last few years. I’ve Canada and the world.” been around campus in one form or another since 1986, and I can say with Not bad as vision statements go, and it contains oblique references to some authority that the statement – “UBC has changed a lot in the last a set of values that the university (as an institution) wants to represent. few years” – could have been uttered by me any time thereafter. It’s a place Becoming “global citizens,” for instance, implies values that encourage in constant flux. Admonitions to “come see UBC again for the first time,” students to approach issues and problems from a broad perspective; while admittedly hokey, can nonetheless be repeated on a regular basis. promoting “a civil and sustainable society” implies buy-in of ideas like Still, there’s a good chance you will find something on campus that neighbourliness, environmental awareness and electoral responsibility, reminds you of your time here, whether it’s the Old Auditorium from and so on. 1925, the Buchanan classrooms from the ’50s, the David Lam building Over the next few months, you will be hearing from various offices of from the ’90s or even one of the old huts (updated, of course) surviving the university soliciting your opinion on what you think UBC should on West Mall. You just may not recognize anything around it. stand for in the world. What is the vision you would like to see your When you walk around campus now, you’ll bump into some new and university adopt as we move forward into unknown territory? What are very interesting spots. Places like Ike’s Café in the new Irving K. Barber the values you think a university like UBC should promote? Learning Centre (which you may have known under its old name, Main Why not come up to campus, find yourself a new spot to hang out, Library), Caffe Perugia at the Life Sciences Centre, Reboot Café at the and think about that. We want to know. icics building (where the heck’s that?) or a dozen other comfortable For more information about UBC’s vision and mission, visit nooks where students hang out to study, socialize or just relax between www.ubc.ca/about/mission.html classes. It’s fun to wander around and imagine which of these places you would have gravitated to as a student. Chris Petty, mfa’86, Editor 4 Trek Summer 2008 surveys and focus groups with nearly 100 8,000 students who live on campus, challenging undergraduate students. them to reduce their energy consumption. “They take note “We found that many students lack basic thought it was a great way to form good habits awareness around saving electricity,” says early, like turning off power bars,” says Tejani. Tejani. “Students know about switching off As a result of the project, Tejani says her Power and Glory lights, computers and monitors, but it really own awareness has increased along with her UBC has emerged as a leader in campus drops off after that.” For example, their interest in sustainability issues. She is now sustainability. Green building technologies and research concluded that 70 per cent of the involved in a project to reduce energy con- several ongoing projects to reduce waste, students did not realize an electrical appliance sumption in the Sauder School of Business’ energy consumption, and pollution have led to plugged into the wall still consumes power even Henry Angus building. the early attainment of Kyoto targets, and as a if it is switched off. result UBC is the only Canadian university to Their investigation also indicated that The Sound of Music have earned the World Wildlife Foundation’s students desired more information on energy This January, five students from UBC’s Green Campus award. Much of this success is efficiency. The team looked into students’ School of Music were lucky (and talented) due to an organizational thrust (spearheaded online habits to come up with a more enough to hear their orchestral compositions by the university’s Sustainability Office) to effective means of informing students and performed by the Vancouver Symphony adopt campus-wide green policies and encouraging them to adopt habits to limit Orchestra (vso). Iman Habibi, Daniel York, practices, but a student marketing project has their use of electricity. “Students said they Lesley Hinger, James Wade and Timothy Corlis discovered that, at the individual level, there is visit Facebook and the university’s Web Course were among nine young BC composers selected still room for improvement.