UBCCVC in the UBYSSEY

UBCCVC in the UBYSSEY

In the beginning of summer 2009, President Eric Chan and VPI Brian Cheung embarked on a brand new project to showcase the diversity of AMS clubs with hopes to unify clubs and to inspire UBC students to get involved into student clubs to foster positive student social awareness . With the aid of 18 different AMS student clubs and with the technical expertise of Rainbox Pictures (consisting of several current and past CVC execs) they created this new video titled “I Can”. We were excited when the Ubyssey contacted us and wanted to run an article about us to inform their readers about the largest social club on campus. The article is below:

CVC rebuilds image
The Chinese Varsity Club is growing up
DAVINA CHOY 
CONTRIBUTOR
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10TH, 2009
Widespread misconceptions, a banana suit and a promotional video that went awry are some of the things that incoming President Eric Chan,of the Chinese Varsity Club (CVC) hopes to shake off this upcoming year.
On a quiet Monday afternoon, he and Brian Cheung, the internal vice-president, wait to unveil a new promotional video to the Student Advisory Committee vice chair. This new video, entitled I Can, is worlds away in tone and content from the infamous video of semester past.
In that controversial video, the CVC is pitted against the “Typical Honger Club” in the manner of the PC vs. Mac commercials. The “Typical Honger Club” member speaks with a thick accent, mistakenly says “viagra” in place of “variety” and struggles to pronounce the word “multicultural.” The implication being that CVC, by comparison, is more diverse (unless you’re an immigrant), up-to-date, and, in a word—better. Needless to say, it was not well received despite Eric Chan’s assertion that “it was obviously not meant to be offensive.”
For Eric, the video is in the past and he is looking forward. The I Can video is an attempt to re-brand CVC as culturally inclusive and communally minded. Against a background of inspirational music, it features a handful of student clubs saying what they can do, ending with a mosaic of members’ faces fitted together like a jigsaw puzzle. But with a name like “Chinese Varsity Club”­—with the ethnic emphasis built right in—can multiculturalism really prevail?
“It’s a concern,” said Chan, “but the name is part of its history.” CVC was founded in 1930 as a way for Chinese students, then a small minority, to socialize and play sports. Eric’s own parents and uncles were members of CVC in their youth. Now, almost 80 years later CVC has grown into the largest student club at UBC with over 1200 members and 70 executive leaders. As a social club, it aims to attract members across the racial spectrum, but the perception remains that CVC caters mainly to Chinese students.
The Aqua Society is neighbours with the CVC office in the bottom floor of the Student Union Building. Brendan Andresen, an Aqua Society member and Alberta native, is friendly with CVC, but apprehensive about attending their events. When asked why, he answers, half-smiling, “You’ve got to be Asian, don’t you?”
Andresen is unsure what exactly it is that CVC does. “They got a lot of members and there’s always someone hanging out [in the CVC office] and they’re usually really friendly.” He considers several possibilities and settles on one that is sure to raise a few eyebrows: “I think they help international students from China get into UBC.”
These are the kinds of misconceptions that Chan hopes to dispel. To him, CVC is like a family—all-inclusive and welcoming, and if this is true, then the role of the warm, pipe-smoking patriarch belongs to him.
As the I Can video rolls to an end, Chan is positively beaming. His comments to Cheung—who conceptualized, organized, filmed and directed the video—have a distinct proud-parent quality: “the tiling, man—very nice”; “Sweet video. It was awesome” and “I like how you framed their faces,” followed by laughs and a high-five.
To stretch the family metaphor further, it’s clear that Chan’s heart belongs to CVC for the long run. As a fifth-year student, he is stretching out his remaining five classes to ensure that he has ample time left over to run the club. With their membership growing each year, it’s apparent that CVC is doing something right.
A large percentage of their members are first-years, and like most clubs, CVC relies on their optimism and youthful energy. Recruiting first-year executives, however, is no cakewalk. Interviews run for two days and more than 150 first-year applicants are whittled down to fill only fifteen or so positions. It has the makings of high drama and many dreams are dashed in the recruitment process.
Being a first-year “exec” is a coveted position and Chan is genuinely baffled by it. “I just don’t know why. I guess they want to get involved, but being an exec isn’t the only way.” Worse, he notes that many applicants who didn’t make it don’t continue to participate in CVC. “It’s a rejection issue,” he says. In matters of recruitment, hell hath no fury like a first-year scorned.
The newly-launched website is tricked out, glossy and features a photo gallery, videos, a bi-weekly podcast and an article series on everything from bussing to food to tips on taking naps, aimed at helping out first-year students. It’s no wonder Timmy Cheung, incoming president of the Chinese Students’ Association (CSA), considers CVC one of the best and most entertaining clubs on campus.
Members look forward to the annual ski trip where, according to longtime member Felix Cha, one can expect “lots of drinking and partying,” in addition to snow sports and short-term romances in the comfort of shared cabins or the always-reliable hot tub. A fashion show, the Chin and Chow Interactive Dinner (in the style of Tony and Tina’s Wedding) and the Supaskillz talent show are signatures in the roster of CVC’s annual events.
If the I Can video manages to attract a more diverse membership, then everyone wins. To be sure, CVC is an attractive club. Its legacy provokes curiosity and, if Chan and Cheung are any indication, the genuine niceness of its leadership provides a safe, welcoming place for students to get a taste of what the largest club on campus has to offer.

CVC rebuilds image
The Chinese Varsity Club is growing up

DAVINA CHOY 
CONTRIBUTOR

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 10TH, 2009

Widespread misconceptions, a banana suit and a promotional video that went awry are some of the things that incoming President Eric Chan,of the Chinese Varsity Club (CVC) hopes to shake off this upcoming year.

On a quiet Monday afternoon, he and Brian Cheung, the internal vice-president, wait to unveil a new promotional video to the Student Advisory Committee vice chair. This new video, entitled I Can, is worlds away in tone and content from the infamous video of semester past.

In that controversial video, the CVC is pitted against the “Typical Honger Club” in the manner of the PC vs. Mac commercials. The “Typical Honger Club” member speaks with a thick accent, mistakenly says “viagra” in place of “variety” and struggles to pronounce the word “multicultural.” The implication being that CVC, by comparison, is more diverse (unless you’re an immigrant), up-to-date, and, in a word—better. Needless to say, it was not well received despite Eric Chan’s assertion that “it was obviously not meant to be offensive.”

For Eric, the video is in the past and he is looking forward. The I Can video is an attempt to re-brand CVC as culturally inclusive and communally minded. Against a background of inspirational music, it features a handful of student clubs saying what they can do, ending with a mosaic of members’ faces fitted together like a jigsaw puzzle. But with a name like “Chinese Varsity Club”­—with the ethnic emphasis built right in—can multiculturalism really prevail?

“It’s a concern,” said Chan, “but the name is part of its history.” CVC was founded in 1930 as a way for Chinese students, then a small minority, to socialize and play sports. Eric’s own parents and uncles were members of CVC in their youth. Now, almost 80 years later CVC has grown into the largest student club at UBC with over 1200 members and 70 executive leaders. As a social club, it aims to attract members across the racial spectrum, but the perception remains that CVC caters mainly to Chinese students.

The Aqua Society is neighbours with the CVC office in the bottom floor of the Student Union Building. Brendan Andresen, an Aqua Society member and Alberta native, is friendly with CVC, but apprehensive about attending their events. When asked why, he answers, half-smiling, “You’ve got to be Asian, don’t you?”

Andresen is unsure what exactly it is that CVC does. “They got a lot of members and there’s always someone hanging out [in the CVC office] and they’re usually really friendly.” He considers several possibilities and settles on one that is sure to raise a few eyebrows: “I think they help international students from China get into UBC.”

These are the kinds of misconceptions that Chan hopes to dispel. To him, CVC is like a family—all-inclusive and welcoming, and if this is true, then the role of the warm, pipe-smoking patriarch belongs to him.

As the I Can video rolls to an end, Chan is positively beaming. His comments to Cheung—who conceptualized, organized, filmed and directed the video—have a distinct proud-parent quality: “the tiling, man—very nice”; “Sweet video. It was awesome” and “I like how you framed their faces,” followed by laughs and a high-five.

To stretch the family metaphor further, it’s clear that Chan’s heart belongs to CVC for the long run. As a fifth-year student, he is stretching out his remaining five classes to ensure that he has ample time left over to run the club. With their membership growing each year, it’s apparent that CVC is doing something right.

A large percentage of their members are first-years, and like most clubs, CVC relies on their optimism and youthful energy. Recruiting first-year executives, however, is no cakewalk. Interviews run for two days and more than 150 first-year applicants are whittled down to fill only fifteen or so positions. It has the makings of high drama and many dreams are dashed in the recruitment process.

Being a first-year “exec” is a coveted position and Chan is genuinely baffled by it. “I just don’t know why. I guess they want to get involved, but being an exec isn’t the only way.” Worse, he notes that many applicants who didn’t make it don’t continue to participate in CVC. “It’s a rejection issue,” he says. In matters of recruitment, hell hath no fury like a first-year scorned.

The newly-launched website is tricked out, glossy and features a photo gallery, videos, a bi-weekly podcast and an article series on everything from bussing to food to tips on taking naps, aimed at helping out first-year students. It’s no wonder Timmy Cheung, incoming president of the Chinese Students’ Association (CSA), considers CVC one of the best and most entertaining clubs on campus.

Members look forward to the annual ski trip where, according to longtime member Felix Cha, one can expect “lots of drinking and partying,” in addition to snow sports and short-term romances in the comfort of shared cabins or the always-reliable hot tub. A fashion show, the Chin and Chow Interactive Dinner (in the style of Tony and Tina’s Wedding) and the Supaskillz talent show are signatures in the roster of CVC’s annual events.

If the I Can video manages to attract a more diverse membership, then everyone wins. To be sure, CVC is an attractive club. Its legacy provokes curiosity and, if Chan and Cheung are any indication, the genuine niceness of its leadership provides a safe, welcoming place for students to get a taste of what the largest club on campus has to offer.

Excerpt from: http://ubyssey.ca/culture/?p=10078

**Thank you to all the AMS clubs who were part of this project, we had a blast and hope that this will be able to inspire students to get involved in clubs and raise social awareness on campus**