The UBC Faculty Cup has had a makeover.
Faculty Cup is a campus-wide tournament in which the different UBC faculties face off for a day of friendly sports and game competition. A version of the event grew out of a similar tournament called the UBC Legacy Games, then disappeared for a while but was picked up again five years ago.
This year, the AMS is trying to bring something different to the popular sports tournament.
“We kind of threw out the old model and re-did it completely,” said Alex Remtulla, fourth year political science student and chair of the 2015 Faculty Cup. “This is, I guess, our test year.”
Along with a committee of other student organizers, Remtulla has been planning and revamping the event since September.
The 2015 Faculty Cup, which will be held on January 29, will be about more than the sports and competition that it has become famous for in past years. The day will centre on overall physical and mental well-being,
"We’ve added so many free programs throughout the day just focused on finding ways to get active, to increase awareness around mental health,” said Remtulla.
Sarah Richter, third year Kinesiology student, appreciated the communal atmosphere at last year's Faculty Cup.
“I liked the fact that it brought together students from every single year that may have not met,” said Richter. “At least go just to meet other people.”
This year will be the first time that Faculty Cup features additional activities as a part of the day. The free programs that Remtulla and his colleagues have added to the event include a food truck festival, a wellness fair and various health activities.
According to Remtulla, the hope is that Faculty Cup will offer something to all students, even those not competing in the tournament itself.
The food truck festival will have three trucks to serve students. The Wellness Fair will focus on increasing awareness about well-being, while the Wellness activities running throughout the day will give students a chance to participate in various physical activities and win points for their faculties.
“We’re really about building UBC pride and faculty pride," said Remtulla. "We wanted to create programs and events that would reach out to essentially everyone on campus and try to bring everyone together.”