This year has been filled with both victories — like the women's hockey team becoming 2022 Canada West champions — and losses — like saying goodbye to Santa Ono after a six-year long presidency.
However, the most common thread that ran throughout this year was student activism. From protests against Iranian human rights violations to the war in Ukraine, food insecurity to tuition increases, UBC students have consistently shown up for the causes they believe in. And The Ubyssey has been right there beside them.
Here's the best of our photojournalism from 2022.
A protestor waves an Iranian flag at a demonstration outside the Nest on November 30. The lion and sun flag is from before the 1979 Iranian Revolution — a symbol of protest against the current government. This was the fourth protest organized by the Iranian community at UBC this term.
The UBC women’s hockey team erupts in cheers after their 1–0 victory against the Saskatchewan Huskies on March 12, earning them the title of 2022 Canada West champions.
Two red dresses, symbolizing Indigenous female victims of colonial genocide, hang from a window in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside during the 31st annual Women’s Memorial March on February 14. The march culminated in the toppling of 'Gassy Jack' Deighton's statue in Gastown, which people have been calling to remove since 2020.
Silhouetted students climb the stairs of the Robert H. Lee Alumni Centre to protest the UBC Board of Governors vote to increase tuition on December 5. Climate Justice UBC and CUPE 2278 coordinated the protest as part of Tuition Freeze Now, a larger coalition of students, workers and organizers. Despite student efforts, the motion to increase tuition still passed.
UBC Board of Governors chair Nancy McKenzie sits in the Robert H. Lee Family Boardroom during the December 5 meeting that resulted in another annual tuition increase for both domestic and international students — a motion that passed with a 12–6 majority. McKenzie was one of the 12 board members who voted in favour of the increase. Chris Munn, president of the UBC Pride Collective and one of the student speakers in attendance at the meeting, sits in the foreground.
Hundreds of students marched from the Nest to the UBC president's office at the top of Koerner Library on October 21 demanding university action against food insecurity. Sprouts Cafe, alongside several other student organizations, led the walkout and signed a letter addressed to Interim President Deborah Buszard.
Two men’s soccer players embrace after UBC's 7–0 victory against UBC Okanagan on October 21.
People grasp Ukrainian flags at an anti-war protest outside the Vancouver Art Gallery on February 26. UBC made the decision to allow Ukrainian, Russian and Belorussian students to defer tuition payments in March due to the ongoing war. Non-financial support, however, is still lacking according to some students.
Former UBC President Santa Ono sits in his office at the top of Koerner Library after an interview with The Ubyssey on September 7. He served as president from 2016 to October 15 of this year and is currently the president of the University of Michigan.
A small orange heart hangs from a branch outside UBC’s Indian Residential School History and Dialogue Centre in honour of Orange Shirt Day on September 30. Several hundred members of the UBC community and beyond attended the university's second annual Intergenerational March.