As students are targeted by increasingly predatory fees, and with the threat of the Eby government's review of post-secondary education possibly leading to the uncapping of tuition fee increases to well over 2% per year, the BC Federation of Students rallied in Richmond for their Annual General Meeting to address the cost of living crisis, among other issues. In attendance was BCFS Local 12, otherwise known as the Students Union Okanagan (SUO).
Have you ever considered how caste hierarchies can travel, adapt, and show up far from home, even on stolen land? One panel pushed students to connect caste, settlerhood, and solidarity, and ask what those words mean now.
Since the release of the Epstein files from the US Department of Justice, tinfoil hats have come back in style.
As Kelowna’s Asian supermarkets struggle to stock their shelves, where do we go for a taste of home?
On Sunday, March 22, 2026, the Kelowna community gathered to make a loud statement against a disease that touches nearly every household in the valley.
We evolved under the sun, but modern life has turned this out of reach.
On February 14th, 2026, the 35th annual Women’s Memorial March took place in the downtown eastside of Vancouver. In honour of the walk, I would like to look back at some of the recent history of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls movement to restate its importance and relevance.
Monday, March 23 was the first day of the Supreme Court hearing regarding Bill 21, the controversial Quebec law prohibiting certain public sector workers from wearing religious symbols at work. Regardless of who the Court rules in favour of, the legal battle that has played out over the issue has brought forth tensions regarding how Canadian democracy should work.
The end of term is not just about final exams. What are the artsy kids (A.K.A. the cool kids) up to as we wrap up yet another school year?
Every cup of coffee you buy is a choice about where your support goes. By choosing local coffee shops over large chains, you help sustain small businesses and people who pour passion into every cup.
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From 1930s jazz to 2010s progressive rap and everything in between, music has long reflected attitudes towards the state of democracy in the USA.
On March 9th, 2026, UBC Okanagan students gathered in the Well to hear the results of the Student Union Okanagan’s 2026 General Election.
“That's the goal, the goal is to put our name with the top ones.” - Coach Scott Koskie
We need the sand our world is built upon.
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A story is shaped by what is included but is defined by what is not — the devil is in the details.
How do you hold on to someone when their memories start fading? At the Memory Café, people living with dementia, caregivers, and community members came together to explore that question through improv, music, and honest conversation.
For much of my life the musical theatre genre had been one I avoided. The campiness that runs rampant through the writing and art design all seemed far too much. Possibly adding to this fear of camp was a Catholic upbringing, both in school and at home. Our Religion classes talked about classic Bible stories like the prodigal son, the mustard seed, the good Samaritan, and others. While we read these stories and I pondered my own identity, I had a
“Contemporary opera”? I thought it was just “opera.”
Sometimes the hardest journey isn’t leaving, it’s coming back. When you leave home to chase something bigger, returning doesn’t always feel like coming home. A short story about siblings, silence, and the distance that can grow between people who once shared everything.
As students are targeted by increasingly predatory fees, and with the threat of the Eby government's review of post-secondary education possibly leading to the uncapping of tuition fee increases to well over 2% per year, the BC Federation of Students rallied in Richmond for their Annual General Meeting to address the cost of living crisis, among other issues. In attendance was BCFS Local 12, otherwise known as the Students Union Okanagan (SUO).
What do people actually do in their final semester before graduating, besides panic and reminisce? Final year students give us an insight into the months leading up to the cap and gown.
For those of us away from our loved ones, a vibrating phone in a quiet classroom brought a tragedy that proved distance does not make a hometown heartbreak feel any smaller.
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Final exams, GPA anxiety, and the race for straight A’s: Are they preparing us for the future, or quietly suffocating our creativity? It’s time to question the system we’ve been told to trust.
Is it still shocking or impactful to see political performances and messages in award shows? Is it underwhelming when we do not see a performance with hidden meaning?
Do you use the library, or do you just sit in it? Behind the study desks is a whole set of services most students never touch, and a pocket branch that makes “I do not read anymore” a little less true.
Ever wonder what your professors’ lives are actually like? I spoke to two UBCO faculty members to find out what happens on the other side of the classroom.
To the average post-secondary student, rising tuition costs amidst the state of living costs in Canada currently is a burden like no other. Since caps on incoming international students to Canada have been imposed by the IRCC office at the federal level, post-secondary education has been suffering across the country.
Appreciating the importance of South Asian immigrants to Canada’s economy and culture today is one thing, but understanding the paths that many of them took to get here throughout the past 40 years is another.
There was a far more obvious need for these drawings during times when photography did not exist or was too slow for the active courtroom setting. However, now that we have high speed cameras and even recording technology, you would think the need for sketching and painting would be obsolete. So what is it that makes courtroom art such a long-lasting tradition?
Why does UBCO’s Co-operative Education (Co-op) program not have the best rep among students? Are there other ways to step out of the academic setting and prepare oneself for post-graduation?
“The actions by this community are not by any means intended to be deeply harmful. But, what began as simple sexual desires has turned into an inclination for unhealthy and even illegal practices.”
Vegetarianism has never been the hardest part of my life, but explaining it has. Every dinner invitation, every restaurant order, every social gathering comes with a tiny script of questions, jokes, and assumptions. But what is it actually like? How does it shape the way one navigates food, identity, and the spaces we move through?
Following the recent release of Guillermo Del Toro’s Frankenstein, debates flared up online regarding the quality of the representation of women in the film. Specifically, the interest was whether or not Frankenstein was a sexist film. Naturally, this brought up the long discussed, and almost overused, ‘Bechdel test’.
Ever wonder how real Stranger Things really is? Montauk, a small coastal town wrapped in rumour and secrecy, helped inspire Netflix’s biggest show
Drug policy has long been rooted in discriminatory attitudes, not science.
The question of whether or not cishet actors should play queer characters is one that has been re-heated again and again throughout history, but still remains unanswered… So as ‘hockey-lovers’ takes on a whole new meaning in Heated Rivalry, will we finally have an answer?
Are “Bed Bugs” the New “Brat Summer”?
In October of last year, skincare brand The Ordinary launched an ad campaign across social media and television. The video ad promoted a graphic full of beauty product myths called the ‘periodic fable’. But is The Ordinary really so blameless, or are they another pocket for Big Serum?
A handhold in dim lighting. A cropped arm. A bouquet of roses. Welcome to soft launching, modern dating’s favorite way to be seen without being seen.
Banter does not just entertain, it creates a slow-burning tension, reveals personality without a long backstory, and slips subtext into the simplest lines. Most importantly, it makes characters feel like real people.
Looming above my head was a picture of a woman’s pregnant belly, and the outline of a child’s foot can be seen pressing outwards. The text on the advertisement read: “The unborn are not “potential human beings,” they are human beings with great potential.”
Is it already Joever for the democrats?
For the first time in history, UBCO’s competitive a cappella team, The Trill Seekers, placed second at the ICCA West Quarterfinal on January 24, 2026. In March, they will be singing at the semifinals. How did they get here, and how can you help them continue their journey?
As of February 2026, the Canadian bet on nuclear energy has turned into construction in Darlington, Ontario.
Marty Supreme was a record-breaker for A24 and a movie marketing revolution. Was the film’s fragmentary and somewhat chaotic marketing campaign worth it?
A photo journal of my eight years of helping and feeding Homeless people who can't do for themselves.
Gone are the days of digging for someone’s voting records or registration history. Now, if you have a few minutes during a commercial break, you can find out who your favorite influencers, celebrities, or even family members voted for, because it is typically displayed on social media. But what happens when your love for politics clashes with your favorite hobbies in the worst way? Do you still support the idea of a private vote then?
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To Live With Broken Fingers is a creative piece that focuses on the effects of climate change. From the subtle nuances to the large detrimental effects, this is supposed to be a bleak reflection of exaggerated things to come.
One month into the second semester, and new things are on the horizon. In conversation with Student Union Okanagan’s (SUO) President, Peter Idoko, he reflected on how his team can feel how tired students are as they push through to the end of the term.
Why do we trust an article more just because it has a picture of a brain scan in it?
Over the course of the last month, Canada has undergone a sharp pivot in foreign affairs: between a summit with China and then the World Economic Forum assembled in Davos, Switzerland, Prime Minister Mark Carney has firmly moved Canada away from the United States. In a speech outlining the state of world affairs in Davos, the prime minister declared that the rules-based international order as we know it is functionally dead, in what many are call
Why don’t we have a film major at UBCO? With this question in mind, I interviewed Professor Denise Kenney from the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies, discussing the barriers and benefits to teaching Film at the Okanagan campus.
The future of the U‑PASS is in your hands as an upcoming referendum will determine whether the service continues after proposed changes take effect in 2026.
On the evening of November 27th, 2025, the Student’s Union Okanagan (SUO) held their Annual General Meeting (AGM) in the UNC Ballroom.
The VACU’s ‘Shitshow’ was anything but! Occurring November the 25th, it was a great opportunity for artists and art lovers alike to support the arts community on campus.
33% of our Instagram followers are subscribed to three or more on-demand streaming services. How does this form of entertainment impact students’ lives?
Alberta's governing UCP has faced outstanding degrees of controversy over the course of the last few months, first ending a teachers' strike with a back-to-work order, then passing laws challenging the rights of Trans Albertans which otherwise violates the Canadian Charter of Rights. With recall elections on the horizon, it seems possible that Alberta could elect an NDP government in the very near-future.
Across this city and this campus, you can find pairs of well-dressed people next to pamphlet stands, rain or shine, night and day. On campus, you have probably seen them by the Arts building, or by the bus shelter. Looking to get to know these people better, I spoke with some, and looked into them. Here is what I found.
Places shape our emotions and lifestyles as much as social structures do, sometimes more. Yet we rarely examine how landscape becomes part of our psychology. Stand at the top of Academy Hill at sunset, and you can feel it: the way the valley pulls something out of you, or puts something back.
Even with persistent requests for a famous artist and a large concert, Kyei-Badu thinks this will provide an opportunity for students to push themselves out of their comfort zone and try something new: “don’t be afraid of change or things looking differently, that doesn't mean things will be bad.”
If leftist cultural platforms sought long-term societal change that uplifted minority groups while maintaining and reforming social institutions, they failed.
Everyone knows sex sells. But lately, it’s selling out the soul of cinema.
Throughout my travels around Canada, I have seen many different small galleries and art stores. Frequently, these stores and galleries are direct lines into a local artist community and provide many small artists a way to get their art seen and sold. Importantly the sold aspect, putting funds right in the hands of artists themselves.
Last year I had written an article on publishing. While I stand by what I said, many of the self-publishing avenues I discussed require some sort of self advertising, which is what turns many writers off of publishing in the first place. Starting off a little closer to campus may be just the trick to getting the young artist to develop a personal portfolio.
Science or the unknown: what really lies behind this eerie feeling?
As technology and innovation take over, we must ask: have modern societies drifted too far from the land and the time-tested wisdom of Indigenous communities?
The drive to “romanticize life” seems positive: be more appreciative, notice the little things, and express gratitude for simply being alive. In reality, the notion relies primarily on aesthetics and does not hold beyond the world of social media.
The ever-volatile British Columbian political scene has received another shock this month, as amidst infighting in the BC Conservative Party, a new right-wing political party has been created by two rogue Conservatives — and one of them represents our campus' constituency.
There are many different kinds of sounds one can use to make studying feel a little less tiring. From crypt keeper ambiance to wood soup ASMR, everyone can take their pick.
A ceasefire has been agreed to in Gaza: what both sides hope for is a permanent end to this conflict. Nevertheless, Israel has elected to maintain its blockade over the coast, leading to the recent arrest of Greta Thunberg, who had been a member of an aid flotilla to Gaza
A large majority of any kind of class comes with memorizing terms. However, what happens when these terms no longer serve as anything other than barriers for those seeking to learn?
In a campus full of screens and syllabi, the English Course Union’s Book Exchange offered something refreshingly simple: time to pause, flip through pages, and rediscover the joy of reading and stories
In a campus world shaped by screens and split attention, one class at UBC Okanagan takes a different route by establishing one rule – no phones, no laptops, no tech in class. This class asks students to unplug, be present, and rediscover what it means to think, connect, and be in the moment.
After a decade-long playwriting career and two feature films, Celine Song says that “the amateur writer” still lives in her. How does she achieve a balance between writing for oneself and writing professionally in her two films, Past Lives and Materialists?
After just over two years of formal war between Israel and Gaza, preceded by an informal series of clashes beginning in Gaza's independence in 2007, what seems to be a permanent ceasefire is now in place; how long it can last, however, remains to be seen.
The resources that libraries provide to their communities are vital, especially in a post-COVID world where people are still finding ways to reconnect with one another. The next time you have to charge your phone, get out of temperamental weather, study for a class, or schedule a meeting, drop by your local library.
The Jazz Jam hosted by the Music club is a personal favorite on campus, but how does it work and why should you be interested?
On August 7th, the SUO posted a graphic to their Instagram explaining that the SPC would be “merge[d] with the Pride Resource Centre and Women’s Resource Centre for optimal sexual health promotion on campus,” but no other motive for the deactivation of the SPC was announced publicly.
Every second, an invisible force powers your world — from wifi to your smartphones — but do we understand it?
Have you ever wondered why the aurora borealis glows more often during fall, or why leaves burst into shades of yellow and red before they drift away?
The systems meant to empower people are buckling under pressures old and new. With the fault lines in our political systems becoming more visible, does democracy risk losing its way?
UBCO is one of the few campuses of its size in Canada that has only one students' union for both undergrad and graduate students. With no existing playbook for creating a students' union out of thin air, the Graduate Students Association is taking the unprecedented step to hold a referendum on the matter for all graduate students. This is their story.
Language is exclusive, because it is culture-specific. From academic jargon and slang to different levels of formality, this article attempts to peel back the multiple layers of language barrier and reflects upon how language affects kinship.
For more than three decades, stacks of newsprint on campus tables have carried the stories, debates, and creativity of UBC Okanagan students. Long before digital archives and online newsletters, The Phoenix recorded the growing pains of a young university and gave students a place to see themselves in print.
In recent years there has been a substantial rise of digital archival accounts on Instagram. These accounts aim to document certain parts of internet history, one of the more contemporary approaches to archiving the long and sprawling internet. This has interesting implications for underrepresented communities and their histories.
In the town where you grew up, you might remember some kind of piece of public art, whether that be a massive statue, mural, or an installation. But what is the weight of such art in a community?
We need to take accountability for our own ideas and how we share them — now more than ever.
As I entered the English Course Union’s Fairytale Fantasy ball on March 25, it became instantly clear that I had walked into another world entirely. A world of knights, kingdoms, magical creatures, and forests of infinite proportions, all contained in the UNC ballroom.
Many residents of Kelowna have complained about public transit and commuting due to issues related to accessibility, availability, and safety. However, a focus on people with disabilities who need these services the most is required.
It’s your last month at UBCO — and suddenly, everything feels like the last time. Here is a list of things to do to maintain your sanity during this period of intense change and uncertainty.
One of the best choices I made in university was joining UBC Okanagan’s a cappella club, The Beats, and most of my clubmates agree. We are Pitch Perfect in real life, but actually better.
As a university student who works multiple jobs and grew up in a rural middle class home, I completely understand the necessity of making certain choices that may not be entirely ethical or eco-friendly for financial reasons. However, this does not mean that I cannot make the effort to make as many wise buys as possible.
Our university saw a two-week-long hunger strike over university investments abroad. Wanting to know more, I spoke with one of the strikers during the strike to better understand the movement.
Modern problems require modern solutions. Turns out the real solution is ancient, and you are probably not getting enough of it.
The UNC Ballroom was transformed into a vibrant hub of cultural celebration as Erin Sawicki and her team hosted an exciting Lunar New Year event, sponsored by the Department of Languages and World Literatures and the office of Diversity and Inclusion
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In India, everything, even the films, revolves around the different combinations of spices.
As the end of their terms approaches, the President and VP-External of the SUO reflect on their tireless efforts to improve student life at UBCO.
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In an election full of surprises, Ashley Kyei-Badu’s unexpected victory as VP-Campus Life has sparked conversations about leadership, diversity, and the challenges women face in positions of power at the Students’ Union Okanagan.
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