Welcome back to campus, UBC! The sun is (mostly) shining, the birds are (mostly) singing, the air is crisp and we’re in the best time of year: the first couple weeks of the semester before school gets tough.

Returning to campus after the winter break also means there’s a new Ubyssey print issue out on stands across UBC. In our first issue of 2025, we covered the Winter Classic, Taylor Swift’s cultural impact, the ongoing AMS VP academic and university affairs by-election and more.

Find the closest stand near you to read these stories and more (we also have a fun games page if that’s more your thing)!

— Iman Janmohamed
Editor-in-Chief

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ON THE COVER

NEWS

CULTURE

'What if I told you I'm a mastermind?'
The Taylor Swift effect

Written by Elena Massing | Photos by Zoe Wagner

I managed to snag a ticket to the second of three Vancouver Eras shows. These would be Swift’s first performances in the city since she took over BC Place for one night during the 1989 tour in 2015.

Since then, my music taste has shifted away from mainstream pop and I’ve slowly drifted away from the Swiftie universe. But why do I keep listening to her songs and shelling out hundreds for a chance to see her perform? What about her captivates retired fangirls all these years later?

Dr. David Metzer, a UBC musicology professor and music historian specializing in popular music of the 20th and 21st centuries, spoke to me about the unique impact of Swift’s brand and music.

FEATURES

What the recent evacuation of the Nest says about AMS safety protocols

Written by Fiona Sjaus

The Nest was evacuated due to what was believed to be an active gunman in the building. It was later confirmed in a Campus Security update that RCMP arrested a youth who had been carrying a water gun, not a firearm.

Though the youth wasn’t carrying a weapon, the Nest was evacuated with the belief they were — and the chaos and confusion that ensued in the moments before they were arrested spurred questions about what protocols are in place at one of UBC’s busiest hubs in the event of an active threat.