U is for UNIVERSITY

Our destination this week is the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Click on the photos to enlarge - you'll probably be tempted to do so for the last few!

I entered the Faculty of Education at the University of British Columbia in the fall of 1965. At the time, I didn't think about the university's history; I was only concerned that this campus would be an important factor in my future. I had wanted to be a teacher from the time I began school and had never hesitated in my life plan.

The university is the oldest in British Columbia with the first lectures being held in September, 1915. Currently, there is an enrolment of 41,000 students on the Vancouver and Okanagan campuses. You can look up the facts and figures about UBC by clicking on the green name above, but I'd like to tell you about some of the lovely places you can visit on the campus. First of all, it's only about 20 minutes from downtown Vancouver and is near many beaches and has gorgeous views of the North Shore mountains. The Pacific Spirit Regional Park serves as a green-belt between the campus and the city.
The campus is the home of the Nitobe Memorial Gardens, built to honour Japanese scholar Inazo Nitobe. This garden has been the subject of more than fifteen years' study by a UBC professor, who believes that its construction hides a number of impressive features, including references to Japanese philosophy and mythology, shadow bridges visible only at certain times of year, and positioning of a lantern that is filled with light at the exact date and time of Nitobe's death each year. (from Wikipedia)

When you visit the UBC campus, you must take a look at the Chan Center for the Performing Arts. Surrounded by evergreens and rhododendrons, this state of the art venue has 1200 seats in the concert hall, the flexible seating Telus Studio Theatre, the 160-seat Royal Bank Cinema, The Great Performers Lounge, and a glass lobby. I've had the pleasure of attending several concerts and plays here!

The university campus is almost like a small town unto itself as it offers not only lecture halls and seminar rooms, but also dormitories, apartments, non-student housing, clubs, restaurants, pubs, art galleries, an aquatic center, a hospital, and various churches. It was great for me because I lived on campus and seldom had to leave its environs. This is Dene House at Totem Park residences where I lived.

Although I didn't join a sorority during my years at UBC, I was secretary of the student council at Totem Park and I was "involved" with one particular fraternity. Yes, my first long-term boyfriend was a member of Sigma Chi and we went to many many parties and outings. I particularly remember dressing to the hilt for the "Sweetheart of Sigma Chi" dance in a long green chiffon dress complete with elbow-length gloves, Mardi Gras, and one other dance where we dressed up as pioneers. Good memories. I wish I could find my old photo album that has the pictures from some of these events...but it's probably packed away in the crawl space under the stairs.

Here's an old scanned photo from Totem Park Residence's "The Wall" from 1967-68 - I was secretary of the council that year, here with the president leading a meeting.

And here I am acting in an all-too-familiar type of collegiate behaviour - swigging a beer! And one last one where I had the role of a "Playboy Bunny" in a skit. (can you spot my ears?)













I just KNEW you were curious as to what my life at UBC was like! And yes, I did get a well rounded education, including a teaching degree, believe it or not!

ABC Wednesday is the brainchild of Denise Nesbitt who now has an ultra-terrific host of assistants, including MOI. Click here to see the contributions this week.