Okanagan Nation Alliance renews agreement with UBC The Okanagan Nation Alliance (ONA) and its member communities have renewed a memorandum of understanding with UBC's Okanagan campus. Since welcoming UBC to its territorial lands when the campus was created in 2005, the Okanagan Nation has established a long-term relationship with the university. The understanding with UBC underlines the importance, opportunities and benefits of higher education for Indigenous People of the Southern Interior. ONA Chair Stewart Phillip, Grand Chief of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs, says the bonds developed with UBC are very important to the Okanagan people. "The renewal of the MOU continues to embrace the spirit and intent of the original signing which values distinct cultures, languages, territory, life-long excellence in learning and respect for Indigenous Peoples and their lands," says Grand Chief Phillip.
Annual salmon feast lets students compare First Nations art, culture and history The Okanagan Nation Salmon Feast was a cultural eye-opener for First Nation student Charlene Rabesca. The first year UBC student, from the Dogrib (Tlicho) people, took a special interest in the craft tables at the annual event. She found the creations different than the art produced around her community of Behchoko, located on the north arm of Great Slave Lake in the Northwest Territories. "In my culture, we use the hides of caribou or moose. This is the first time in my life I've seen deer hide. When you tan caribou it makes it darker than this," said Rabesca while on the day-long tour organized by UBC Aboriginal Programs & Services.
Year-long project will identify issues, strengths and struggles What makes a healthy university community? A major research project at UBC's Okanagan campus is asking that question starting this month and continuing through the next year. Focused on the UBC campus in Kelowna, the VOICE 2012 project involves more than 100 students as co-researchers, working with faculty and staff to explore ways to create, renew or sustain health-promoting campus change. It's actually a new round of healthy campus research, replicating and extending previous VOICE research conducted from 2006 to 2011, says Assoc. Prof. Emeritus of Nursing Claire Budgen, one of the more than 16 faculty and staff researchers working on the project. Staring today, VOICE researchers will be found across campus distributing a community dialogue survey that seeks to find out what UBC students, faculty and staff think about the health of the campus. The researchers will be surveying the Okanagan campus until October 18 and all campus community members are encouraged to provide their input. Results of the 2012-2013 phase of VOICE will be provided at a campus-wide forum on November 21.
Nancy Holmes, Anne Fleming kick off Visiting Author Series Book launches first up in 2012-13 Okanagan literary season Nationally acclaimed local authors Nancy Holmes and Anne Fleming will launch their latest books tomorrow night at 7 p.m. at the downtown Kelowna branch of the Okanagan Regional Library. Nancy Holmes's new book of poems is The Flicker Tree. How can a 21st-century mind, saturated with the culture and metaphors of contemporary life, connect to the natural world that surrounds us? Holmes asks. Her poems explore society's complicity in the destruction of, and love for wild animals, plants, and places. Anne Fleming's third book is a collection of short fiction entitled Gay Dwarves of America. There are no gay dwarves in the book but there's a mother of a teen with dwarfism who worries he might be gay, a parasitologist named Edna who longs for the love of a certain young woman, a boy on a unicycle, and a hockey mom in Toronto who pretends to be Swiss. After Thursday's launch, the Visiting Author Series continues on October 21 at 3 p.m. featuring author and journalist Deni Y. Béchard. This talk also takes place at the downtown Kelowna branch of the Okanagan Regional Library..
Focus on men's health a rising global phenomenon International experts discuss beneficial lifestyle changes at free panel lecture With the emergence of men's health policy and programs in places like Australia, Ireland and Brazil, men's health is fast becoming the next big thing in smart preventive care. "It's quite fashionable to focus on empowering men to be healthy," says John Oliffe, associate professor at the School of Nursing at UBC's Vancouver campus. Oliffe is part of an international panel of experts giving a free public talk about men's health on Wednesday, October 10, at the UBC's Okanagan campus. The forum will focus on three leading projects being developed here in the Okanagan and across the globe to help support healthy lifestyle choices for men.
New public discussion series focuses on culture, power Expert panelists facilitate free community talks throughout academic year The Cultural Studies program at UBC's Okanagan campus is bringing together UBC faculty, students and members of the greater community to discuss locally relevant topics related to culture, power, and identity. Titled the AlterKnowledge Discussion Series, the free expert-led talks are designed as lively and participatory conversations where people learn, share, and produce meaningful dialogue, says David Jefferess, associate professor of cultural studies and English. The first AlterKnowledge Discussion Series event will take place Wednesday, October 10, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Alternator Centre for Contemporary Art. The topic is Kelowna: Land, Space, and Occupation.
Parking pass renewals just around the corner Parking Services is asking all staff and faculty to login to their parking accounts and make sure that their vehicle information is correct and up to date. The parking system has been upgraded and Parking Services needs to ensure that all employee data has been properly retained. For those faculty and staff that are on payroll deduction, passes expire on November 1. New passes will be issued before this date. New rates have been implemented this year on campus. With the pass renewals will also come a $5 per month increase. All employees who are on payroll deduction will be emailed when passes will be available for pick up at the Parking Services Office. Employees can visit the Parking Services website to access and update their parking account info. Any outstanding fines must be paid prior to picking up your parking pass.
New to UBC survey participants win free travel time For participating in this year's New to UBC survey in August, three lucky students received several hundred dollars worth of travel vouchers on Monday. All new students registered in undergraduate degree programs are invited to complete the annual New to UBC survey, which has been administered at both UBC campuses since 2009. Every survey response is entered into a draw for the vouchers. The survey aims to develop a better understanding of the experience of entering UBC as a new or transfer student. This year, new to UBC students Adina Clark and Lauren Marshall won $250 travel vouchers, and Cici Wang won a $500 voucher.
Here are some of the ways the Heat are making headlines:
For the latest information about Heat scores, player developments and upcoming games, visit goheat.ca. Women in Science and Engineering to extend reach in the community The Women in Science and Engineering (WiSE) mentoring program supports students who are finishing their degrees. Program organizers are looking to extend its reach beyond campus with female mentors that can make a difference for students looking to make connections with women working in careers related to science or engineering beyond the university. Faculty and staff are asked to help make connections with potential female mentors in the community that can help transitioning graduating students build their professional skills to compete and gain insight into their future careers. Mentors will be matched with two to three students. Time commitments for volunteers are flexible other than three required evening events. Applications are due on October 5. Information and the online application form can be found at the WiSE website. Facilities Management launches live dashboard To help keep the campus community better informed, a new live dashboard has just been launched on the Facilities Management website. The dashboard provides the latest figures on the number of work orders that are in progress and have been completed over the year, as well as the total campus building area and the number of customer satisfaction surveys completed. The department hopes this new feature adds a layer of awareness for their customers and encourages feedback on their services. To see the dashboard in action, visit the Facilities Management website. Reminder: Leave for Change applications due Friday A reminder for those interested in an opportunity to share knowledge and skills with others in an international setting: Leave for Change applications are due Friday. Together with international volunteer agency Uniterra, UBC works to provide successful applicants with a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Volunteer positions are diverse and range from technology training to youth leadership. Placements are offered in Botswana, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Guatemala, Malawi, Nepal, Senegal, Vietnam and more. Visit the Leave for Change website to learn about eligibility and application process, program deadlines, and important information for applicants.
A new mobile web platform has been launched for UBC's Okanagan and Vancouver campuses. This new platform provides a better online experience for the UBC community when they access information from smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices. The new sites -- m.ok.ubc.ca (Okanagan campus) and m.ubc.ca (Vancouver campus) -- have been built on an independent open platform that provides a responsively designed web presence for both campuses. Those who visit the sites will find info useful to students, faculty and staff while they're on and off campus, including info related to courses and admissions, wayfinding, events, directories, library and transit, as well as news and video content. The first of many Kaitlyn Roland recently became the first graduate student in the Faculty of Health and Social Development (FHSD) to finish her PhD. Her accomplishment is a seminal event for the Faculty and its School of Health and Exercise Sciences. Roland earned her PhD in Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus on health and exercise sciences. On September 14, she successfully defended her thesis, Daily Physical Function and Frailty in Persons with Parkinson's Disease: A Focus on Females. Her research, funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and Parkinson Society Canada, presents new knowledge about muscle function during typical daily living and quality of life for people who live with Parkinson's disease.
New advisor joins Aboriginal Programs and Services Her new position as the UBC Aboriginal Student Advisor is a homecoming on two fronts for Sandra Young. The Musqueam Indian Band member is a graduate of Okanagan University College and, following a stint in the Lower Mainland, recently relocated back to the Okanagan Valley. She recalls her own post-secondary experience. "I was the first person in my family to attend post-secondary and I had no idea what to expect. If the Aboriginal Student Advisor position existed while I was attending Okanagan University College, it would have been a huge help to me," recalls Young, who graduated with an anthropology major. "There were days when I felt so lost and overwhelmed by the whole experience, and more than once I wondered if I was doing the right thing."
Sharon McCoubrey awarded Queen's Diamond Jubilee medal Member of Parliament Ron Cannan and Senator Nancy Greene Raine presented 33 Diamond Jubilee medals and certificates in honour of the Queen's 60-year reign on Saturday. Among the recipients were mayors, lawyers, business people and one UBC educator -- Sharon McCoubrey. A hundred attended the ceremony at Missionwood Retirement Resort. The medal was created to mark this year's celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the Queen's accession to the throne. Sixty thousand Canadians are receiving the award to honour their contributions and achievements.
UBC scholars given awards to support women's health research Jennifer Leason and Tamil Kendall receive funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) has recognized Jennifer Leason and Tamil Kendall of the Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences at UBC's Okanagan campus for research initiatives aimed at improving women's health. Leason, a PhD student in Community, Culture and Global Studies, has received a three-year CIHR Doctoral Research Award of $35,000 per year to support her project Indigenous (First Nations, Metis & Inuit) Women's Maternal Health Experiences in British Columbia. Tamil Kendall, a PhD candidate in Interdisciplinary Studies, has been awarded a prestigious two-year CIHR fellowship to conduct post-doctoral work at the Harvard School of Public Health.
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OKANAGAN CAMPUS News • Okanagan Nation Alliance renews agreement with UBC People • The first of many Research Spotlight • UBC scholars given awards to support women's health research
Spanish Film Series: El Método The Spanish Program and Latin American & Iberian Studies present a screening of the film El Método on October 5 at 6 p.m. There is no charge for admittance and the film will be presented with subtitles in English. Date: Friday, Oct. 5 To find out more contact Francisco Peña, assistant professor of Spanish, at 250-807-8044. Beat the stress An afternoon of stress-busting activities for students during a busy time of the term. Get tips for handling stress, and pick up some new ideas to try. Date: Wednesday, Oct. 10 To find out more email campus.life@ubc.ca The mathematical biosphere: from cells to ecosystems Okanagan symposium in mathematical biology on October 12 Mathematical biology has a strong and active research group in the Okanagan. As a discipline, mathematical biology has emerged as a well-established and influential field of study in both biology and mathematics, and UBC's Okanagan campus is at the geographic centre of an active and dynamic community of researchers. This symposium will showcase the cutting edge and innovative mathematical biology research being carried out across western Canada and the United States' Pacific Northwest. Date: Friday, Oct. 12 To find out more, visit the symposium website or contact Rebecca Tyson, associate professor of mathematical biology. Climbing mountains and the creation of an Austrian identity Joseph F. Patrouch, professor and director of the Wirth Institute for Austrian and Central European Studies at the University of Alberta, will be on campus on October 15 to give a talk for the Unit 6 Speaker Series. His talk is titled "Maria von Trapp of The Sound of Music: Climbing Mountains and the Creation of an Austrian Identity, 1919 to 1935." Date: Monday, Oct. 15 Global Fest: a celebration of heritage, culture and community Celebrate the more than 80 countries represented on campus with International Programs and Services and Aboriginal Programs and Services on October 24. Enjoy aromatic and flavourful dishes from around the world and experience the rhythmic sound and beauty of traditional, global and Aboriginal music and dance. Date: Wednesday, Oct. 24 To find out more, contact Global Fest Coordinator Qihui Huang or visit the Global Fest Facebook page. What's Happening on campus The Okanagan campus events calendar is the central point for online information about university-related events, on and off campus. Events at a Glance:
For a full listing visit the Okanagan campus events calendar.
Financial Planning 101 This session will help you plan for your future by learning how to manage and control your finances, create a budget, increases your savings and decrease debt. During this lunch hour session participants will learn to manage finances, reinforce good habits and build new ones, as well as learn to create a budget. Date: Thursday, Oct. 11 To find out more contact Tracey Hawthorn, Work Re-Integration and Accommodation Program coordinator, at 250-807-8183. Workshops at a glance Here are some professional development opportunities for faculty and staff at UBC's Okanagan campus over the next few weeks:
For a full listing visit the Okanagan campus events calendar. Exchange your information The Exchange is your newsletter. Let everyone know what's going on in your corner of campus. Send submissions to University Relations c/o Chris Guenard.
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