Here are the 10 most important features of the year

The most important features this year don’t have much in common, but they sure are long. From million-dollar art collections to racial discrimination to how Canadian universities are tackling legal cannabis, the section just about had it all in The Ubyssey's centennial year.

But we don’t blame you if you missed these long reads between assignments. Here’s a reminder of the most impactful stories the features section covered:

One Year Later: Despite a shiny new policy, sexual assault survivors do not know where to turn for help at UBC

By Samantha McCabe

A year after UBC put its first stand-alone sexual assault policy into place, students are disappointed with the university’s progress. As The Ubyssey investigated sexual misconduct and Policy 131, we discovered numerous problems with the policy's implementation, education and communication. While UBC has cited a reasonably lengthy checklist of things they have done, the holes that remain are the ones that survivors routinely seem to be falling through. (Ubyssey Coordinating Editor Samantha McCabe won Student Journalist of the Year for her reporting on sexual violence and misconduct at UBC).

The lonely Goddess: A lost memory of Tiananmen hides in plain sight on UBC campus

By Zak Vescera

It was once a symbol for student activism at UBC. But now, thousands of students walk by the Goddess of Democracy every day without so much as a glance. In honour of Asian-Canadian Heritage month, The Ubyssey took a look at how Chinese-Canadian activism has given our campus one of its most significant student symbols. This piece was also nominated for a John A. MacDonald national student journalism award and won an Emerge Media Award.

‘C’ is for ‘conservative’

By Thea Udwadia

Many students across the spectrum might assume there is a somewhat ubiquitous liberal consensus on campuses and at UBC – but is this really the case? The Ubyssey interviewed seven self-identified conservative UBC students in an effort to understand what conservatism looks like at UBC.

Higher education: Universities across Canada are taking drastically different approaches to legal cannabis

By Jason Herring, Matt Gergyek, Karen-Luz Sison and Zak Vescera

After nearly a century of cannabis prohibition, Canada is now the second country worldwide to make the drug legal at nationally, meaning that consumers of cannabis at Canadian universities are now in an unprecedented era of freedom. But for many students, university policies are tighter than expected and the future of cannabis on campus is still hazy at best.

Stubborn Baseline: Amid efforts to update ‘clunky’ policy, widespread experiences of racial discrimination at UBC persist

By Moira Wyton

In the 2018 AMS Academic Experience Survey (AES), 38 per cent of UBC students reported experiencing racial discrimination at UBC in the 2017/18 academic year. But the data collected is hardly a blip. Many of these students carry stories of being forced to defend their heritage, being singled-out by professors to speak on behalf of entire ethnicities and hearing racial slurs. This story was nominated for a national Emerge Media Award for written word.

From the vault: The AMS permanent art collection’s tumultuous history comes with a $4 million price tag — and you own it

By Marissa Birnie

Deep within the Nest, there is a vault. Between rows of rolling walls are 71 works of art — acquired over the years for just under $700,000 in total — by some of the most celebrated Canadian artists in history. Despite its long history, the student-owned collection has struggled to find its place amid decades of change and neglect.

The Hunger Gap Series: Rising food bank usage is just the tip of the food insecurity iceberg at UBC

By Alex Nguyen

Food insecurity impacts students in deeper ways than being forced to eat cup ramen. It is also far from rare. The Ubyssey slipped below the surface to find the student stories behind the numbers.

Redacted: Canadian universities are ‘allergic’ to accountability and information access

By Zak Vescera

UBC has seen an unprecedented increase in freedom of information requests in recent years, like some of its peer institutions. Certainly, Canadian universities are generating more and more information of public interest — but they’re becoming less and less willing to share it.

Universities are expanding the definition of diplomacy — and UBC is leading the way

By Moira Wyton

The university is pursuing a conscious and methodical international strategy that brings issues such as the Huawei affair closer to the institution’s core mission and day-to-day considerations — and it’s leading the way for universities to expand the definition of diplomacy.

Playing probabilities: How data helped break a 35-year national championship drought

By Lucy Fox and Marina McDuff

Men’s volleyball Coach Kerry MacDonald brought something to the UBC makeup that only his PhD in injury prevention could provide: a winning formula. But beyond the numbers, MacDonald’s strategy is building a stronger game. Check out our video on the team here.

Honourable mentions

Navigating asexuality at UBC

By Sonia Pathak

As part of our annual sex issue — this year’s theme was “carnal” — The Ubyssey listened to how students from ace and aro communities navigate a hyper-sexualized campus environment. What we found is that they are frequently caught in between the day-to-day misconceptions of asexuality and aromanticism.

Summed up: The Ubyssey digs into language courses at UBC

By Alex Nguyen and Zak Vescera

In our new data journalism series, we broke down the easiest way to finish your language requirement and boost your GPA. But the numbers don’t tell the whole story.

Home(s) creative non-fiction supplement

In the fall 2018 creative nonfiction supplement, writers shared their experiences with the changing definition and challenge of finding home(s). Check out the pieces from vulnerable poetry to introspective essays on our website.

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