Pro-Palestine encampment, demonstrators still going strong at UBC
A pro-Palestine encampment at the University of British Columbia remains intact a week after it was first set up by protestors.
“This has been a collective effort of many students and faculty and just people from all walks of life, from all over the place, all over the world,” said Zainab, an encampment spokesperson.
Zainab was one of four spokespeople on site Monday. All four have asked to have their last names kept private for fear of retribution from the university.
The encampment is one of multiple sites set up across the country. The key message from UBC’s encampment is evident the second you step foot into the demonstration.
“We’re all here to demand a few things from UBC, primarily that they divest from all companies and banks complicit in Israel’s occupation and genocide of Palestinians, and that UBC cuts all of their academic ties with Israeli universities, which are also complicit.” – Juno, encampment spokesperson.
Demonstrators (mostly students like Zainab) have had to work together and think on their feet to make the camp run smoothly. “This has been something that, day by day, we learn more about to make this as organized as possible,” explained Zainab.
Despite this, it hasn’t been all smooth sailing for demonstrators since the site was first assembled. Over the weekend, rain poured down, leaving protesters soaked and having to stay in their tents for extended periods.
On top of the weather, counter-protests have taken place throughout the week. Demonstrators said they expected this and remained committed to blocking the background noise
“I think the focus here is not so much on what happens within the camp but more so that you show your support and express your solidarity for the Palestinian people.” Zainab, encampment spokesperson
It may have only been a week since the demonstration started, but the encampment already has a community feel. As you work your way through this newfound community, the teamwork of the organizers is beginning to come to fruition.
The site now includes prayer tents, a library and a community bulletin board.
The camp also has a food station where food is rationed to ensure minimal waste, said volunteers at the station. “We have schedules on what to bring for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, so it’s been very organized that way. We obviously aim to reduce food waste, and by doing that, like having a set schedule of meals and drinks and coffee, tea, we have been quite successful at reducing food waste that way,” explained Zainab
As the camp enters it’s second week, protestors say they’ll continue their vow to demonstrate until their demands are met.
FINAL FOUR FRIDAY (at Centre Court)
ALL STORIES BY NICOLAS HAUKA (Special for Varsity Letters)
No. 6 Gidgalang Kuuyas Naay 72 No. 2 Maple Ridge Christian 72
LANGLEY — Everyone loves a good underdog story.
There’s nothing quite like a Cinderella run where one upset win after another leaves opposing teams in shock and the No. 6 Gidgalang Kuuyas Naay Breakers are in the process of writing their own underdog story right here at the B.C. Provincial 1-A Championships at the Langley Events Center.
The Breakers, hailing from the small island of Haida Gwaii, looked right in their comfort zone on the big stage at Center Court on Friday.
In a semifinal matchup against the No.2 Maple Ridge Christian Hornets, the Breakers punched their tickets with a jaw-dropping 72-71 upset victory.
“You know, we’re a small school. A lot of us are First Nations. We’re unique in every sort of sense. These boys live together, play together, and play in the village gym together. They know exactly what they’re up against, and that fuels fire within them,” Breaker’s head coach Desi Collinson said.
This team is undoubtedly unique.
Playing Coach Collinson’s “Village ball” this team employs a different level of grit.
Every loose ball is attacked as if recovering it is life or death. Rebound up for grab? You’re bound to see at least two Breakers players swarming under the hoop to retrieve the ball. If you’re standing in the way of a Breakers layup, they will fearlessly lay their body on the line at any cost to score.
Also unique is coach Collinson’s secret weapon, centre and semifinals Player of the Game Temo Laughlin, excellent under the rim at both ends of the floor, as most centers are. What makes him special though is his silky three-point jumper. With his team struggling to score early, Laughlin hit two of his four three-pointers on the night on consecutive possessions, for six of his team-high 24 on the night.
Hornets star Carson Barber went toe-to-toe with Laughlin all game long. Finishing with a game-high 31 points, the Hornets star did everything he could to will his team to victory.
With the game tight in the third quarter, the Hornets started to pull away with help from their bench. After missing last night’s quarterfinal matchup with a sprained ankle, Caleb Arrington took the court for the Hornets despite a noticeable limp. Limp be damned, Arrington got to his spot right at the free throw line and hit fade-away jumpers and step-throughs to finish with 16 points and have his team up by ten going into the fourth.
With their backs against the wall, down double digits, coach Collinson wasn’t worried.
“Everything was okay because I know how we can play,” he said. ” I know the style that we play as I’ve already said to you before. I know that we’re going to go on runs. There are ups, there are downs. I know we’ll do the most to win”
With time of the essence, The Breakers turned to point guard Levi Burton. Burton’s usually lethal three-point shot was off all night. He adjusted when his team needed him most by getting into the lane and driving ferociously for contested layups.
Those layups led to a big Breakers run, and with only 2 minutes to go, a Breakers team that had trailed for 31:16 of the game thus far had the lead.
After Barber regained the lead on a ridiculous double-clutch layup for the Hornets and a miss at the other end by the Breakers, it was the Hornets’ ball with just a minute to go.
Barber drove into the paint with a berth in the finals at stake, trying to extend the lead. As he did, two Breakers converged and stripped the ball from him. Coming away with the ball for the Breakers was Laughlin. He looked up and, without hesitation, threw a full-court pass, hitting Loay Almahmid in Stride, who laid it in for the go-ahead basket.
Down 72-71, the Hornets had one more chance to save their season. Driving into the lane one more time, The Hornets’ potential winning bucket was denied once again by Laughlin. The upset was complete, and with that, the Breakers were off to the Championship game for the first time ever.
“They know how to represent their community and their people. That’s basically what they thrive off, and they know how to play basketball while doing it, right? They’re individuals with purpose.” Collinson was beyond proud of his team.
Representing their Haida community, the Breakers will look to finish this underdog story like any feel-good sports movie. With a win over heavy Favorites, the No.1Unity Christian Flames in the 1-A Provincial finals tomorrow.
Game Recap: Basketball – W | | Nicolas Hauka
Red Leafs Soar Above Nighthawks in Big Win
The SFU Red Leafs got back in the win column with a decisive victory Saturday evening, against the Northwest Nazarene University Nighthawks. Missing star Senior Jessica Wisotzki, SFU was looking for a pivotal victory in Idaho.
Right off the bat Nighthawk’s guard Kate Clark followed an off-ball screen to open space, where she received a pass and hit an open three for the first points of the game.
Junior Gemma Cutler responded by out muscling her opponent in the post for two tough buckets on consecutive possessions for the Red Leafs.
The Nighthawks took a quick 9-5 lead off two three pointers by Clark, followed by another from her sister Emma, but soon after SFU would completely take over. Sparked by a phenomenal sequence by sophomore Myrlaine Shelvey, the Red Leafs would go on a 12-0 run.
It started with a hard-fought offensive rebound which Shelvey collected and then laid into the basket for two. Soon after Shelvey stripped the ball from a Nighthawks player and raced down the floor for a breakaway layup. Off another turnover created by Cutler, Shelvey would complete an open pass to junior Sophia Wisotzki, who made no mistake tallying two for the visitors.
With all the momentum on the Red Leafs’ side, Wisotzki started to heat up. After getting her first bucket of the night Wisotzki, would go the rest of the first quarter looking like the best player on the court, hitting two more threes and driving to the rim for a tough bucket, finishing the quarter with 11. The Nighthawks battled and hit a couple shots of their own, but at the end of one, it was 27-21 Red Leafs.
The second quarter started back and forth. After SFU opened the scoring, the Nighthawks responded strongly, cutting the lead to 32-29. After having their lead cut to three, SFU dominated defensively, grabbing almost every rebound, winning every battle for the ball and holding the Nighthawks without a bucket from the 5:37 mark until 41 seconds left in the 2nd quarter. Coupled with Junior Arman Dulai‘s strong performance on offence, finishing the quarter with eight points, the Red Leafs took a 43-32 lead into the half.
Coming out of the break, the Nighthawks decided to switch it up and run full court pressure trying to force SFU into early mistakes. Wisotzki, completely unbothered, took over the game. Wisotzki hit shot after shot including a layup in which she caught the ball just past half court, exploding to the basket, faking right and crossed over to her left at the top of the key before putting up a ridiculous left-hand layup that fell despite her being fouled in the process. Wisotzki would finish with a game high 31 points.
With a 61-44 lead heading to the fourth quarter the Red Leafs were in the driver’s seat. After Wisotzki hit Cutler with a bounce pass on a beautiful back door cut, senior Grace Killins hit a three that ended any hope that the Nighthawks had of coming back, extending the lead to 69-48. Despite a late push by the Nighthawks SFU held on and pulled away for an 83-64 victory.
Top performers for the Red Leafs were:
Sophia Wisotzki 31 pts and 3 assists going 11-23 from the field
Myrlaine Shelvey 13 pts and 2 assists going 4-6 from the field to go with a stellar defensive performance
Gemma Cutler 11pts and 10 Rebounds
Arman Dulai 10 pts and 2 assists as well as 3 steals
The Red Leafs return home for a clash against the Saint Martin’s University Saints February 15th in the West Gym.
Organizations to tackle predicted heat wave early
From June 25th to July 1st, 2021, 595 individuals lost their lives due to a historic heat wave according to a government of British Columbia report. With another heatwave anticipated this summer, organizers in Vancouver are jumping the gun and getting prepared early this time around.
“We’re very pleased to see that there is a lot of anticipated response coming up this year, which is beautiful. During the first initial heat wave we were all just caught with our pants down.” – said Evan Reeks, Vice President of The Heart Tattoo Society.
The Heart Tattoo Society helps marginalized individuals on the Downtown Eastside (DTES) with food recovery projects, community meal programs, and disaster relief. Reeks and the society have been thinking of ways to help DTES residents since last year in an effort to learn from that deadly heatwave in 2021.
“Prep wise we started talking we started having these conversations in September, October We started survey projects. We’re putting boots to the ground talking to community members to see like what worked for them last summer,” explained Deeks.
Western Canada is already two degrees hotter on average than the 1940’s. Because of this, the lower mainland is at risk for more extreme heat events, according to Climate Canada.
Heart Tattoo Society is working on implementing hydration stations. This project is currently ahead of schedule and Reeks hopes to make further progress well before the potential heat wave starts. “We’re working with the city where we got hopefully 9 to 10 pallets of water coming through probably mid -May, this will allow us to have the water provisions to distribute out to the community before the other organization’s programs are actually starting,” said Deeks
Supporting and promoting these organizations is Carnegie Housing. At Carnegie, housing workers are promoting initiatives such as hydration stations, just like the one Heart Tattoo society is working on. According to their team, communication around resources is a key part of the strategy.
One of the interventions that we are pushing for now, and this is just something we can do as a community, is just improving signage and ways that people can be directed to cooling centers and Hydration stations during the day.” – Devon O ‘Leary, Carnegie Housing manager of community research and organizing.
With Climate Canada predicting temperatures to quickly rise in June, organizers remain hard at work preparing to prevent the loss of life that occurred in 2021.
