This month we hear about new beginnings at UBC for Afghan women judges forced to flee the Taliban. We learn from a UBC Zoologist about the need to acknowledge climate change’s effects on wildlife and hear about a UBC student spreading cheer with hidden coffee gift cards!
After evacuating Afghanistan following the Taliban’s return to power, Judges Freshta Masomi (left), Zamila Sangar (centre) and Wahida Rahimi (right) joined Allard Law through the law school’s new Afghan Women Judges Program. Photo credit: Macy Yap.
A new beginning for Afghan women judges forced to flee the Taliban
Since the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan in August 2021, women judges throughout the country have lost their jobs, had their lives threatened, and have been forced to evacuate or go into hiding. Last March, the International Association of Women Judges published an open letter to the international community seeking assistance in evacuating and resettling women judges who remained in Afghanistan.
On March 6, the Peter A. Allard School of Law at the University of British Columbia announced the creation of the new Afghan Women Judges Program. Through this new program, three judges from Afghanistan have joined the law school. Judge Bibi Wahida Rahimi accepted a two-year position as a research associate. Judges Freshta Masomi and Zamila Sangar accepted two-year appointments as visiting scholars with the Centre for Asian Legal Studies. Read more.
UBC zoologist: We need to acknowledge climate change’s effects on wildlife—for our own good
As the United Nations marks World Wildlife Day on March 3, UBC zoology professor Dr. Kaitlyn Gaynor (she/her) discusses how climate change is affecting wildlife, and why that can spell bad news for humans and animals alike.
Dr. Gaynor recently co-authored a paper in Nature Climate Change, with colleagues at the University of Washington, that describes the different ways in which climate change is leading to more conflict between humans and animals around the globe. Read more.
UBC student spreading cheer with hidden coffee gift cards
An anonymous coffee crusader spills the beans!
“AJazzy69” is obviously not his real name, but his mission to bring a little bit of happiness to students at UBC is as uplifting and genuine as a two-shot cappuccino.
Over the past year, AJazzy69 (“Jazzy”) has tucked coffee gift cards in hidden spots across campus—in library books, on tables, shelves, chairs and benches—across the Vancouver campus, taking photos of the cards and posting them on the UBC Reddit page with hints of the locations and an invitation for students to find the cards and enjoy a free coffee on him. Read more.