An independent, nonprofit, public service student press covering the University of British Columbia community since 1918.
The Ubyssey
Published in Vancouver, British Columbia, on the traditional, ancestral and stolen territories of the Coast Salish peoples including the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (TsleilWaututh) nations.
APRIL 2, 2026
VOLUME CVII | ISSUE XVI
SINCE 1918
MUSA fills Nest with music to protest rehearsal space change
Student governor resigns from board Jasper Lorien resigned from the Board of Governors for “personal reasons” in March, just a few weeks before the end of their term.
All members of The Ubyssey’s 107 masthead. | JUAN PABLO SASTOQUE VEGA / THE
UBYSSEY
This year at The Ubyssey
Letter from then editor by Senior Masthead 107 The Ubyssey’s 107th masthead’s time is coming to an end. Last summer we published a strategic plan identifying what we say as problems in our newsroom and how we planned to change it. Over the past months, we’ve made quite a few updates to
how we operate. We’ve been more intentional about bettering our report and building trust with the community. As this year comes to an end, we reflected on what progress was made, what each part of our newsroom delivered and what the UBC community can expect from us next year. Continued on page 7.
NEWS // 3
While the protestors’ frustration and disappointment was palpable, the event was equally a celebration. | JULIAN COYLE FORST / THE UBYSSEY
MUSA hosted a protest against their access to the Chan Shun Concert Hall being revoked. It featured performances by musicians from UBC orchestra, choirs, opera, French horn and saxophone quartets, interspersed with speeches from students and alumni. Report by Luciana Wilson del Valle Arts & Culture Contributo
Heading into the 2026 season, Women’s Soccer will have to contend with the losses of key defensive players. | ILLUSTRATION BY AYLA CILLIERS / THE UBYSSEY
Expect more defensive dominance from Women’s Soccer By Maia Cesario Soccer Reporter For the past two seasons, the UBC women’s soccer team has been historically dominant. They went undefeated in the regular season in both campaigns. They won a national championship in 2024. While they couldn’t repeat that feat in 2025, coming in second nationally, they still stood out for a big reason. In every one of their regular season games, they had no goals against. Ending every game in a shutout victory — while also scoring 42 goals — was something the Canada West had never seen before. The defensive superiority has been a trademark for UBC women’s soccer. Since the COVID-cancelled 2020 season, the most goals they’ve allowed in a single season is 11. And they’ve improved almost every year. Last season, the T-Birds allowed only four goals, which, at the time, set a conference record for fewest goals allowed. That was, until 2025. This shutout streak began in the 2024 postseason, where the Thunderbirds had all shutout
victories to earn their second straight national championship. The defence was a large factor in this strong postseason run. Nowhere was that more evident than in the gold medal game. Off a Sophia Ferreira goal, UBC took the lead 1–0 in the final moments before halftime against l’Université Laval Rouge et Or. That one goal was all they’d need. Even with a slim lead, the Thunderbirds were in control. Throughout the second half, the T–Birds’ ability to stop Laval from tying the score by holding possession and working hard to get back the ball if lost was the difference-maker. Ferreira’s goal may have been the game-winner, but it wasn’t what won the game. “Defence wins championships,” said Ella Sunde, the team’s captain last season. “We need to score too, but the big thing is not letting the other team score.” This defensive prowess that UBC has boasted from season to season isn’t just about the talent of their players. Instead, it exists as a culture and mindset propelling them to success. Continued on page 12
In early September 2025, students at the UBC School of Music found their access to the Chan Shun Concert Hall — the venue which has served as a regular rehearsal space for large ensembles since 1998 — severely reduced. Instead, their rehearsals were relocated to the smaller, black-box-style Telus Studio Theatre, located elsewhere in the Chan Centre, with only dress rehearsals and major student concerts continuing to take place in the concert hall. UBC Opera also announced that their productions, many of which formerly took place in the concert hall, would be relocated to the Old Auditorium. According to Music Undergraduate Student Association (MUSA) President Sayako Leznoff, the move came as a shock. Leznoff, a fourth-year studying oboe performance, said the news was broken at a usual woodwind, brass and percussion ensemble meeting during the first week of classes, but since there was no department-wide communication on the matter, members of the
string ensemble were only made aware as they walked into their first rehearsal. Rehearsing in the concert hall offered students the opportunity to train in a renowned facility known for its unique acoustic design. “You learn a lot listening across the ensemble, listening and watching the conductor with such distance between you, learning how to project your sound and fill the space” — crucial skills that Leznoff said cannot be sufficiently developed while rehearsing in the Telus Theatre. She said students were not given a clear reason for why this was happening, though they suspected external renters were being prioritized. Frustrations with the perceived lack of administrative transparency and grievances about the move to the Telus Theatre led MUSA to gather questions from the public and launch a petition. “We sent [those questions] to the director of [the school of] music, Dr. Hedy Law, and she answered them and sent out responses to the entire [school of music] student body. This was kind of the only communication we had from the school,” said Leznoff. Continued on page 4.
Hack the planet (in 24 hours) Hackathons are as computer science as electric apple pie. Each person, in groups of up to four, attempts to write a functioning computer program in 24 hours.
CULTURE // 6
Historic season ends early With how dominant Women’s Hockey had been all year, a national championship felt almost predetermined. Instead, the best regular season in conference history led to a first round exit at nationals.
SPORTS & RECREATION // 14
“Wuthering Heights” is its own thing Opinion by Fiona Pulchny Columnist Do book-to-film adaptations need to remain entirely faithful to their original source? I’m an English literature major and a classical literature fan; I used to answer with a resounding yes. Now, I’m not entirely sure. Back in October, I went to VIFF Centre with a fellow English major to see Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein. We’d both read the book multiple times for various classes, and were excited to see Mary Shelley’s story on the big screen. We left the theatre disappointed. Filmmakers removed my favourite thematic
and narrative elements and replaced them with ones I did not find nearly as captivating. The movie could not even compare to the book. It seems the newest adaptation of Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights by Emerald Fennell garnered similar reactions. Most notably, the decision to cast Jacob Elordi outraged as the role of Heathcliff outraged loyalists of the book, who is described in the novel as “dark-skinned.” Adding fuel to the fire were complaints regarding the removal of major plot sections and thematics, leaving behind only a vague memory of the original text. Continued on page 11.
Peak? More like freak Last month, SFU’s student paper The Peak decided to start some beef. We’re here to finish it and finish them.
HUMOUR // 16