3... 2... 1... Kickoff!

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FIRST PEEK

September 22, 2014 · Volume 148, Issue 4

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FIRST PEEK

September 22, 2014

“I was working in Delta at Steve Nash, so it wasn’t me. It wasn’t me.”

Fads occur when an item of popular culture, be it online or in real life, becomes inexplicably popular for a short period of time. For instance, I can still remember when everyone seemed to obsess over Pokemon, Yu-gi-oh, and Beyblade.

Some more recent fads include Angry Birds, Duck Dynasty, and Game of Thrones.

Interestingly, some of these fads are still celebrated amongst small pockets of people, and I feel that if something brings you minor joy, entertainment, or amusement, then you have every right to it.

‘Hate fads,’ however, are an entirely different story.

I find that fads can also encompass the way some people go about ‘hating’ on things, rather than enjoying them, for short periods of time. If you haven’t noticed, the internet is full of people expressing their dislike for certain things, whether it be through chat boxes, videos, or other means. Oftentimes, it seems that people just enjoy coming together to hate stuff.

Normally, a little bit of collective dislike is fine and dandy; it can be fun to talk about the things that really grind your

gears, especially with people who agree with you, or at least don’t rebuff your opinion.

However, the problem with a lot of these hate fads is that it seems as if many people hate certain things because everybody else hates them; in other words, they jump on the ‘hate bandwagon.’

One example would be the recent hate towards the band Nickelback. The issue here is not that people genuinely dislike the band, but more so the fact that they express their dislike because its the ‘cool’ thing to do.

Another example would be the hate I see toward Justin Bieber. While I don’t find any enjoyment in listening to his music, is he that extraordinarily bad that he needs to be singled out? I feel it has become a rite

of passage for everyone to point fingers and agree on how much they seemingly dislike his music.

The main problem here is that we live in a culture in which we’re pressured to dislike certain things. In reality, everyone should be entitled to their own interests without feeling this pressure — it’s snobby to assume that people should listen to, watch, or even wear certain things.

Truthfully, though, whatever you get enjoyment out of should be good enough for both you and anyone else. It does not matter if it has been deemed by some internet society to be terrible. What I might call ‘cookiecutter crap’ may deeply connect with someone else, or just plain sound good, and there’s nothing wrong with this notion.

With taste, there is no right or wrong, there is only the subjective. The only person’s taste that really matters is your own.

So remember, if you’re going to hate, only hate what you actually hate, not what the group has decided that everyone should hate. Don’t board the hate-train, think for yourself.

“I was in a tutorial at WMC, so I was taking a quiz when that happened.”

“I was at the Rotunda, but I was walking to MacKenzie [Cafe] when it happened.”

“School. Maybe in the chemistry lab?

Setting stuff on fire? Kidding.

“I was getting on the bus. The bus stopped downtown, basically the bus driver told us to get off now or there was no where else to get off.”

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NEWS

With over 1,750 attendees, the Fall Kickoff concert last Friday was one of the biggest events the Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS) has ever organized.

The concert was the third event of this kind that the SFSS has put on within the last year.

Acts included electronic artists, LuvLyf, DJ Lazy Rich and Paris & Simo, alongside local bands BESTiE and The Faceplants.

The event had been in the works since June, when the SFSS announced that the fall concert would feature both bands and DJs, unlike the previous Fall Kickoff and Spring Sendoff.

As the venue opened up to concert-goers, Shirin Escarcha, SFSS faculty of communications and technology representative, told The Peak, “Set up went really well, prep went really well, and the show is underway.”

September 22, 2014

At 5:00p.m., the first band, BESTiE, took the stage in front of a small crowd. Following their performance, SFU (and Peak) alumnus Colin Sharp

news editor email / phone

entertained the crowd with moustache jokes and joviality.

“I’m honored to host, and it’s fun to come back and be part of something cool, because when I started the SFSS didn’t throw a lot of big events,” Sharp said.

“I’m honestly proud of how far the SFSS has come, so it’s really cool to see this.”

When asked about what he thought of the event so far, Sharp replied, “I’ve been spending a lot of time sitting in the pub drinking whiskey, and so my impressions have been very positive.”

The Faceplants took the stage at 5:45p.m. as more people filed in. Dan Botsch, lead vocalist of the band, spoke with The Peak before performing; “It’s our

Leah Bjornson associate news editor news@the-peak.ca / 778.782.4560

first time playing [at] any university ever, so this is going to be nuts. We’re so happy to be here.”

Botsch continued. “I think [SFU] is awesome. This is one of our first outdoor shows as well. This is the perfect setting for us.”

The tone of the show shifted when The Faceplants concluded their set and LuvLyf took over. A Vancouverite herself, LuvLyf brought her unique blend of live vocals and electronic music to the stage, transitioning the event from rock show to an electronic dance music (EDM) concert.

Following Luvlyf, Lazy Rich took over for the latter half of the show. A last-minute replacement to the lineup, Lazy Rich was added after Thomas Newson canceled his appearance.

Zied Masmoudi, project lead, assured The Peak that the circumstances were out of the SFSS’ or the artist’s control: “Thomas Newson did send a letter of apology. He [was] really sorry that he [was] not going to

Melissa Roach

be able to play tonight in front of SFU students and he promises he is going to make it up.”

The event concluded with a performance by headliners Paris & Simo, after which concert-goers headed to the Highland Pub’s official after party.

DJ competition winner GlideForm kept the party going late into the night alongside DJ Sajjid and Lazy Rich.

Regarding the night as a whole, Masmoudi seemed pleased. “Convo Mall is packed, a lot of people out there are having a lot of fun, sets are going really good so far,” he said. “I have personally seen a lot of talent, which is something that we promised at the beginning of the summer.”

NEWS

September 22, 2014

This fall, SFU’s UniverCity community celebrated the 10 year anniversary of its development on the east side of Burnaby campus.

Events were held all last week to commemorate the occasion, culminating in a community block party on Saturday, September 20. These included a market, a wine and beer tasting at Club Ilia, and an outdoor family movie night.

The block party featured musical performances by local buskers and children’s entertainers Bobs n’ Lolo, a birthday cake, as well as activities such as a bouncy castle and rock climbing.

Director of development for the SFU Community Trust Dale Mikkelsen told The Peak that the event was, “largely family focused, [including] a big BBQ put on by Nesters,” all free of charge.

When first considering the area that is now UniverCity,

developers had the opportunity to build up to 4,500 homes and also had the option to expand into SFU’s 700 acres of land down the side of Burnaby Mountain.

Mikkelsen explained that through a design process in the late ‘90s, “it was decided that it would create a more vibrant and sustainable community if all those homes were built in a higher density — all on the mountaintop, adjacent to the university.”

He continued, “What we could have had was the typical sort of development of singlefamily homes and townhouses.

Instead, we decided to go for a

high density community on a small portion of the land. The big move was converting that almost 700 acres of land into a conservation area.”

the library, the bookstore, and the cafe. These are all situations in which a transgender student might have to disclose “a really intimate piece of [their] past, [their] old name,” said Crawford.

Two SFU community members, in collaboration with members from SFPIRG and Out on Campus, have started a campaign to create a university policy which would allow students to have their preferred names on their student ID cards.

Lucas Crawford, Ruth Wynn Woodward lecturer in the Department of Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies (GSWS) and a

transgender individual himself, is embarking on a campaign with GSWS student Nathan Lyndsay to make self-identification more comfortable for transgender students at the university.

The issue concerns the university’s current policy which does not allow students to use their preferred names on their IDs. According to Crawford, this is not feasible or even always safe for transgender students.

“The problem with the current lack of policy I would say is it is one of safety, and one of access, and one of choice. And by that I mean that it should be up to a transgender student when and if they want to disclose their transgender status to other people,” Crawford said.

Beyond formal activities, such as registering for classes or paying tuition, students at SFU use their ID cards in places such as

- Dale Mikkelsen, director, development, SFU Community Trust Over the past 10 years, UniverCity has grown into a

In addition to transgender individuals, the ID issue also concerns international students who may prefer to be called by a different name, as well as students who go by names other than those on their birth certificates.

Lyndsay told The Peak that the only place he has ever seen his preferred name appear is on the online Student Centre and on his email.

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community of about 3,800 residents and several businesses.

It boasts its own elementary school — University Highlands Elementary — and an awardwinning childcare centre.

Mikkelsen spoke to the significance of these further developments: “One of the biggest successes we’ve had so far is going from just building buildings, to building a community.”

There are plans to develop the next building along University High Street, across from Nesters Market. This new building will provide 30,000 square feet of community space and,

like other High Street developments, will have commercial space with residences above.

The next goal of the SFU Community Trust is to develop another residential “phase four” neighbourhood on what is being called the “South Slopes,” located on the east side of Tower Road, south of University High Street — an area that is currently home to only a few closed parking lots.

“That will be a great area because it’s south-facing,” said Mikkelsen. “It will really suit young families. [. . .] We’ll also be establishing a second neighbourhood park down there as well.”

Once these new developments are in place, the SFU Community Trust expects the number of UniverCity residents to increase to just under 10,000 people.

To conclude, Mikkelsen commented on the impact UniverCity has had on SFU as a whole. “You can certainly see how it has changed SFU from feeling like a commuter campus — where it’s just students arriving in the morning and leaving at night — to sort of a more vibrant community,” he said.

“I’ve noticed over the past couple years how SFU and UniverCity are becoming the same place. [. . .]

It is really starting to become this cohesive place,” he concluded.

“I looked into it, emailed some people in the department, and they told me that the university requires that you use your legal name on your student ID because it can be used as a secondary piece of legal ID,” he said. “I can understand that, but I think there should still be a trans policy.”

Although legally changing one’s name might seem to be a solution to the problem, Lyndsay explained that many students can’t afford to undergo the process.

He echoed Crawford’s concerns that the current situation carries a risk factor for trans individuals: “It makes it unsafe. It puts someone at risk of being outed, [facing] violence, feeling uncomfortable, having to explain your identity to people. You don’t always want to be on the defensive all the time.”

To cast a spotlight on the issue, the two threw an ID Modification Party with Out On Campus on

September 17. At the event, students were encouraged to laminate over their current student ID cards, replacing their “wrong” names with their preferred names.

“I think [the event was] a first step to a long-term solution that needs to happen,” Lyndsay said.

Next week, Crawford and Lyndsay are meeting with Tim Rahilly, associate vice president, students, and Mark Walker, SFU’s registrar, to propose changes to the university’s policy.

Crawford said he believes the university could have an effective policy in place for students arriving at SFU in fall 2015.

Regarding the meeting next week with administration, he said, “I’m hoping that we can show them just how exciting for SFU it would be to take the lead on this issue, and I hope that we can [work towards] figuring out how to move forward with the new initiative.”

6 NEWS

September 22, 2014

In order to address the anxiety many women feel when walking or taking transit alone at night, a group of self-identified women went on a walk of solidarity through downtown Vancouver after dark.

SFU Women’s Centre held its first Night Walk on Saturday, September 13, which invited self-identified women — including some who had experienced harassment when out at night — to take their safety into their own hands.

Participants met at SFU’s Burnaby campus, then took the bus to Production and continued on the skytrain to Downtown Vancouver to begin their walk. The group continued on foot through the downtown area, and then bused to East Hastings Street and Commercial Drive.

The event lasted three hours.

The solidarity walk included not only SFU students, but women who take late night classes, work late shifts, or simply find the night a time to think clearly.

Women’s Centre coordinator Nadine Chambers said, “For me, [this event] was a way of

focusing on the way that women walk through the world.”

Chambers talked about the issues regarding victim blaming and encouraged a different sort of dialogue: “Let’s talk about what we should do, rather than just about what we shouldn’t do.” She referred to how the onus can be placed on victims’ shoulders to avoid being assaulted at night — wearing conservative clothing or walking with a man for safety, for instance.

The timing of the Night Walk was a deliberate choice made by the Women’s Centre to reflect when most women are out at night. “What many people don’t realize,” Chambers explained, “is that at around midnight, many of the women [. . .] who clean the skyscrapers downtown stream out to catch one of the last Skytrains. So 12:30 at night is the time when there are many women

Two first-year SFU students have each been awarded sizeable scholarships for volunteering their time to programs and clubs at their high schools and in the wider community.

Together, Raaj Chatterjee and Nancy Lum received $140,000 in Schulich Leader Scholarships. The award is given to two high school students going into science, technology, or math programs who show academic excellence, leadership, and financial need.

Chatterjee, who received $80,000, is a jazz musician pursuing a degree in mechatronics. In high school, he developed an interest in the environment and sustainability — this interest led him to develop a composting project with his high school and eventually become cochair of the Surrey Youth Sustainability Network.

Chatterjee said, “It started with my family first. My dad was really active in the community.”

After that initial spark, Chatterjee went to leadership and sustainability camps and was inspired by seeing other people contributing in their communities.

Chatterjee acknowledged that it can be difficult to take that first step towards volunteering, mostly due to time restraints, but said, “You need to find something you care about and find friends

are on the Skytrain, [rather than] when all the clubs let out people later on.

“There are so many different ways to make a network with people who go out at night — they don’t just consist of the people who go out to clubs.”

One of the highlights of the night was the Women’s Self Defence Wenlido class, hosted by Diane Jacobs and held in real-time as they

[who] care about the same thing, and then just start somewhere.”

For Chatterjee, volunteering is about considering the bigger picture. He said, “I aim to make people think deeply about things they have never thought of before.” Namely, environmental issues and sustainable development.

Lum, who received $60,000, is a kinesiology student who has clocked in over 700 volunteer hours with different clubs and organizations including Karing 4 Kids and Christmas Cheer. Like Chatterjee, Lum was encouraged to volunteer by watching local leaders around her. She said, “It’s really inspiring to be around people who are going out to help others.”

Little did Lum know that by helping others she was also helping herself. She explained, “I was transformed by volunteering.”

traversed the city. During the walk, participants were invited to share situations that made them feel at risk, afraid, or simply uncomfortable, and what they did in response.

The group also collectively addressed concerns such as how to effectively form a protective group, how to holler for help, and what to do if a stranger approaches. Selfdefence instructor Diane Jacobs’ methods did not include any specific rules. She explained, “There is no wrong way [to defend yourself,] as long as it works.”

Jacobs also offered tips on intervening physically when confronted at night, and facing aggressors verbally with assertiveness, as well as texting your cab number to a friend. She mentioned that kneecaps are surprisingly easy to dislocate.

“Being aware of their surroundings and mentally prepared to confront possible attackers enables women to escape a majority of dangerous situations unharmed,” said Jacobs.

Participants and staff continued to trade stories for the rest of the evening, touching on everything from awkward bus conversations to stiletto-turned-weapon encounters on the streets.

The return trip to SFU on the 135 was filled with laughter, anecdotes, and a heightened awareness of both the risks and rewards of being a woman out at night.

When pressed about what she meant by this, she said, “When I started volunteering, I was not a confident individual, but over time and through volunteering I was able to build my character.”

She continued, “One of the biggest lessons I learned is that it is good to take opportunities, to challenge yourself, and push your limits. Volunteering is about pushing your efforts.”

Both Chatterjee and Lum have a clear idea of where these

SFU Woodward’s held a free seminar in the Djavad Mowafaghian Cinema last Wednesday on Vancouver’s reputation as one of the most liveable cities.

‘Healthy cities’ expert Gil Peñalosa led the lecture to inform and educate the public about how Vancouver can maintain its long-term credibility as an extremely liveable city by investing in transportation and preserving the current “quality of life.”

The City Conversations series was once again hosted at SFU’s Harbour Centre campus last Thursday — this time around, the dialogue focused on the idea of taxation as a solution to Translink underfunding.

Some argue that imposing a tax on real estate purchases for the purpose of flipping the purchased house could provide funds for Metro Vancouver’s transportation system. The public was invited to discuss the topic with local experts, including SFU’s own City Program director, Gordon Price.

scholarships will take them: Chatterjee hopes to design something to help with sustainable development, as well as work and volunteer with the UN and Engineers Without Borders, while Lum wants to go into medicine and hopes to open her own practice where she can continue to help others.

Chatterjee and Lum both emphasized the importance of young people working to make a change in their communities.

Lum said, “There is so much more to the school experience than studying and going to class, and a lot of that, for me, came out of volunteering.

“I would really encourage any student who has a little bit of extra time on their hands, and is willing to put themselves out there, to get more involved. The more you put into it, the more you get out of it.”

NEWS

Protesters flocked to Burnaby Mountain on Saturday, September 13 to oppose Kinder Morgan’s survey, which is investigating how they can triple their pipeline operation in Burnaby.

Kinder Morgan is conducting the survey despite the city’s opposition to the project — demonstrated recently in an injunction filed by the city. The injunction was rejected last Wednesday by a BC Supreme Court judge.

Event speakers included SFU professor of English, Stephen Collis, Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan, President of the Union of BC Indian Chiefs Grand Chief Stewart Phillip and Carlene Thomas with the Tsleil-Waututh First Nation Sacred Trust, among several others. During the event, several

protesters chained themselves to Kinder Morgan’s Westridge Marine Terminal.

The speakers expressed their concerns for both the local and global climate. Many noted that the protest on Burnaby Mountain reflected the need to stand up against climate change altogether.

Collis set the mood for the event, describing the proposed pipeline expansion as “three times the amount of diluted bitumen and crude oil [. . .] loaded into three times as many tankers here in our harbour, [dumping] three times as much carbon into our atmosphere,” saying, “That is not acceptable.”

Collis told The Peak that SFU students need to interrogate the meaning of “living exactly where climate change is happening.”

In response to questions about society’s increasing need

for oil, Collis said, “We need energy, but oil is not the only way to get energy.”

He continued, “There is a way of carefully transitioning [. . .] from fossil fuels to a replacement, but [Canadians are] not starting that transition. In fact, we’re going the other way.”

Mayor Corrigan then spoke about the support he feels from the city in his decision to oppose this project. According to polling, Corrigan said, “70 per cent of the people in Burnaby are supporting us in the efforts that we are making, and more are being added each and every day.” For him, the protest represents a stand “against the kind of corporate interests that are tending now to control so much of our culture.”

Corrigan believes the opposition also marks a desire to preserve the park. The city bought the conservation area from SFU years ago, which was done “to ensure that we were [. . .] the guardians of this conservation area.”

Of Kinder Morgan specifically, Corrigan cited concerns that the corporate “Goliath” would deem the mountain unsuitable to house the pipeline expansion, resulting instead in a push for it to be routed through the conservation area.

He said that the destruction to the people, the city, and the wildlife of Burnaby caused by a tanker spill in the inlet would mean that “no one would want to come to British Columbia to see what was one of the most beautiful cities in the world.”

He continued, “We’ve just increased [oil spill] odds by seven times as a result of this project.”

Grand Chief Stewart Phillip similarly showed distrust of the corporation and concerns for the

contain the fire, while the Burnaby Fire Department responded in time to extinguish the fire before it could damage private property or university infrastructure. The parkade was able to re-open for regular operations approximately 30 minutes after the incident.

Later that same day, students flooded out of SFU’s Harbour Centre campus after a minor fire started on the southwest corner of the building’s roof.

Shortly after 6:00 p.m., students lined West Hastings and West Cordova as fire crews arrived at the scene. Roads were closed to accommodate fire services.

Although the cause of the fire is still unclear, Scott McLean, director of public relations at SFU Vancouver, told The Peak that the incident was dealt with swiftly and without complication.

“Thanks to the quick work of the Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services, along with the Vancouver Police Department, the fire was extinguished and the building reopened at 7:10 p.m., with classes and events resuming at that time,” McLean explained. “The cause of the fire is still being investigated, and there was some slight water damage to four offices on the seventh floor.”

SFU Safety & Risk Services released a statement to The Peak , expressing that while SFU has extensive fire safety response plans in place, it is up to the public to take their safety seriously: “As thorough as these plans are, the critical piece is the community’s reaction and compliance to fire safety guidelines and evacuation, because safety is a shared responsibility.”

SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY

ENGAGING THE WORLD

Authorities are investigating two separate fires that occurred at SFU’s Burnaby and Harbour Centre campuses on the same day last week.

Around noon on September 16, students and staff at Burnaby campus evacuated their classrooms and offices when a small fire erupted in the Convocation Mall parkade.

According to SFU Public Affairs and Media Relations, a campus security officer was the first to discover a vehicle on fire in the Convocation Mall parkade.

A heat detector alarm simultaneously notified the Security Operations Centre of the incident.

The security officer deployed a fire extinguisher to

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September 22, 2014

environment. “A spill is a spill is a spill,” he said. “We know the absolute devastation that that will wreak on this beautiful land, and how devastating and destructive it will be to so many tens of thousands of lives.

And yet KM and their cronies in government could [not] care less.”

He called on “the power of the people,” to hold government and companies accountable.

A final environmental assessment report by Kinder Morgan is due to cabinet on January 25, 2016.

AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING Nominations are now being accepted for Awards for Excellence in Teaching.

All continuing full and part-time faculty members (tenured and tenure-track professors, lecturers, and lab instructors) who have taught a minimum of 5 years in a continuing position at Simon Fraser University are eligible for the awards.

Nominations may be made by Simon Fraser University students, alumni and/or faculty.

To make a nomination, please write by October 15, 2014, to: University Committee for the Excellence in Teaching Awards c/o Office of the Vice-President, Academic Simon Fraser University Burnaby, B.C. V5A 1S6 Phone: (778) 782-3925

Fax: (778) 782-5876

Include your name, address and telephone number, and reasons why your nominee is deserving of this award.

The winners of the Awards will be selected based upon the following criteria: • Ability to stimulate students to think creatively and critically • Demonstrated caring for student learning • Ability to present complex information clearly • Demonstrated enthusiasm and innovation in teaching • Sustained record of excellent teaching • Diversity of course level More information on the nomination and adjudication of the Excellence in Teaching Awards can be found on our website at: http://www.sfu.ca/vpacademic/Committees_TaskForces/Standing_Committees/Teaching-Excellence/ Or you may contact the Office of the Vice-President, Academic at (778) 782-3925.

8 NEWS

Despite increased risks, high income countries have the lowest proportional death rate due to heart disease, likely because of their health care systems.

In a study spanning 17 countries, a group of international researchers, including SFU’s own professor of health sciences, Scott Lear, compiled the medical information of over 100,000 participants over an average period of 4.1 years.

They recently published the results in the New England Journal of Medicine found that, despite higher risk for heart disease in high income countries like Canada, there were fewer proportional deaths.

On the other end of the spectrum, low income countries — such as India and Pakistan — had the highest death rates, despite having the lowest risk.

The Peak sat down with Lear to discuss these findings, as well as some of the challenges he faced while conducting the study.

“There’s different resources across the different countries, and

September 22, 2014

“A perfect example is, in a number of countries, they use cell phones for providing healthcare [and] interacting with their patients, but we don’t do that. This is extremely cost efficient,” he said. The study found that personalized reminders helped patients play a more consistent role in their own health; treatments became more effective without a significant increase in staffing.

then there’s also different cultural contexts besides just translating the forms,” he explained. Despite receiving higher risk scores when factors including smoking, diabetes, high blood pressure, and family history of heart disease were considered, high income countries were better able to combat heart disease and respond to major cardiovascular events.

Lear explained that people who were injured in low income

Costs of Canadian universities to rise over the next four years School fees at Canadian universities are projected to increase by a university average of 13 per cent from $6,886 this fall to $7,755 over the next four years, according to a report released earlier this month by Canadian Centre for Police Alternatives.

Provincial funding for universities is insufficient, the report said. The resulting funding gap drives universities to push more costs onto students by charging additional compulsory fees on top of tuition.

“What we are seeing are some institutions actually implementing new fees entirely: fees to graduate, for example, or facilities fees,” said Erika Shaker, director of the education project at Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.

With files from The Canadian Press

countries were much less likely to take time off work due to the lack of available financial support. “If they stop working, they don’t get paid,” Lear explained.

Based on the rate of prescriptions in high income countries and overall better access to healthcare, the study suggested that the quality of a healthcare system was a strong influence on the quality of life for participants.

“There’s a lot of gaps and inefficiencies in our healthcare systems,” Lear said. “But when it counts, it does work. And so we should be aware of that.”

The study also exposed researchers to different healthcare strategies across the world.

Working with limited resources, low income countries have developed strategies to increase the effectiveness of their health care systems.

One of Lear’s areas of research involves using cell phones to support patients who are discharged from the cardiac ward of St. Paul’s hospital. Patients would receive reminders to fill their prescriptions, see their family doctor, and for other tasks relevant to their recovery.

Despite the vast differences in health outcomes, Lear does not discount the important lessons we can learn from low income countries. “These are things that these low income countries are doing, and doing well,” Lear said.

U of T tops Canadian universities on World Rankings list

McGill-led projects awarded Brain Canada grants

In this year’s new QS World University Rankings, released on September 16, U of T rose above all other Canadian universities to place 20th. It was closely followed by McGill in the 21st spot.

Overall, 18 out of 20 of Canada’s topranking universities — including SFU, which placed 222 — showed strong improvement in their standings; SFU moved up 22 spots from the 2013 rankings.

QS noted that “the strongest indicator for the improvement of Canadian institutions in the past year was that of academic reputation.”

Thirty-two projects at McGill University received major grants under the Canada Brain Research Fund. Four projects, led by researchers in the neurological field, were aimed at understanding the functions and dysfunctions of the nervous system and their impact on health.

This research will help to better our understanding of the nervous system and lead to new methods of diagnosis for all types of neurological and mental illnesses.

“The team grants and platforms we are announcing today showcase Canada’s important contributions to the global effort to understand the brain and brain diseases,” said Inez Jabalpurwala, president and CEO of Brain Canada.

With files from The Montreal Gazette

With files from McGill University News and Events

OPINIONS

In Adam Bielka’s op-ed “TA-dating article unfairly persecuted,” the author unfairly persecuted what was, in my opinion, a fair and justified response to a senseless article.

I believe that Mr. Bielka repeats some of the naïve assumptions made by the writer he is defending, Robert Nanni.

I also graduated from the “not terribly significant” University of Western Ontario and was a TA there. I am familiar with the controversy and take offence that Mr. Bielka accuses those who responded to the original ‘TA dating’ article of not reading it. It seems he didn’t read their responses very closely either.

Social media did not drive the so-called Nanni ‘witch hunt.’ As someone who read the original article and knows people who responded to the article early on, I witnessed the very sound and informed commentary the article received from parties with a vested interest in TAstudent relationships, and are concerned about an already pervasive problem with sexual harassment and assault on university campuses.

However, I am more astounded by Mr. Bielka’s minimization of the issue taken with this article regarding sexual harassment. I will cite the Human Rights Policy this university uses in determining whether certain behaviours can be considered instances of sexual harassment.

Se x u a l h a ra s s m e n t is considered to be behaviour of a sexual nature by a person who, firstly, knows or ought reasonably to know that the behaviour is unwanted or unwelcome, and secondly, interferes with another person’s participation in a university-related activity, or thirdly, leads to or implies job or academicallyrelated consequences for the person harassed.

One of the naïve assumptions I ascribe to Mr. Bielka relates to his belief that power-relations go only one way between a TA and a student, conflating the issue of the TA objectification and

September 22, 2014

delegitimation with an inability by the ‘all-powerful’ TA to assert control over a situation where a student shows sexual interest towards him or her.

First of all, TAs are not all of the same age, with the same level of experience, cultural background, or personal histories. I have worked alongside many graduate students fresh out of their undergraduate degrees, who are no more than 21 or 22 years old.

Because of the nature of labour exploitation in universities, TAs may be entering the position with little or no teaching experience, let alone training on how to navigate situations which Nanni encourages in the article. Younger TAs may very well be struggling with selfesteem in their new position of authority, and be unsure of what actions to take in scenarios involving students.

To the UWO community, it came as a surprise that an article written in The Gazette would so blatantly undermine this relationship and make a mockery of education in the university. If the union had its way, every student reasonably ought to know that sexual advances by their TA are unwelcome because it’s universally understood that TAs play an integral role in their education.

Furthermore, there are people pursuing academic careers for whom TA-ships represent crucial teaching experience, and who can be affected adversely psychologically, should the behaviour Nanni encourages have triggering effects for a sexual violence survivor.

To call these concerns exaggerations, I’m sorry to say, is another example of ignorance relating to silence around issues of sexual assault and harassment.

Overall, Mr. Bielka’s article reflected uneducated and ignorant opinions surrounding TA-student relationships at universities, and brushed off the contradictions this article has with etiquette in the graduate community.

We live in a society obsessed with the elite. Whether it’s athletes, musicians, or painters, we look upon them with awe, and wonder how it would feel to break the shackles of being average.

When it comes to intelligence, this obsession is ever the case, especially in university. We are thrown into an environment where it feels as if our intelligence is constantly being evaluated and compared. But is there any way that we can accurately measure intelligence? And even if there is, does it have any real worth?

Intelligence is not an abstract concept beyond the range of common understanding, but the definition remains vague. The Oxford English Dictionary defines intelligence as an individual’s “ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills,” but there are many ways this can be interpreted.

For example, an individual may be skilled in the traditional senses of intelligence — amazing at writing and analyzing texts, or at manipulating complex mathematical equations.

But in a broader sense, intelligence can also describe skills, such as being an effective communicator, or having the bodily awareness necessary to be a dancer or rock climber.

opinions editor email / phone

Adam Van der Zwan opinions@the-peak.ca / 778.782.4560

We must look beyond the classic IQ test to determine intelligence. In all simplicity, the test only measures your ability to perform on that specific test; it doesn’t measure whether you will be the next Steve Jobs, Margaret Atwood, or Aristotle.

In high school, I had my IQ evaluated because I had had some academic difficulties.

At first, it was sort of fun to have my skills categorized and quantified, but after a while the numbers began to weigh on my mind, making me more insecure than ever.

I soon became obsessed with my score, and found that my mind would wander off and calculate how many people in my graduating class were statistically more or less intelligent than me. I would aimlessly search the web to get an idea of what kinds of jobs people with my IQ usually had.

It became a toxic pursuit; and I felt limited in ways I hadn’t before. If I didn’t excel in a field I was told I was gifted in, I felt ashamed and angry. For this reason, I still do not discuss my test scores with friends, regardless of the fact that this all happened half a decade ago.

I failed to realize that other kinds of intelligence are just as

9

important as the skills measured by an IQ score, and that no one skill can determine our future successes or failures. Emotional, intrapersonal, musical, and naturalist are just a few types of intelligence that aren’t commonly discussed, yet in combination they are what constitute a unique set of abilities that grow and shift as we navigate through life.

Intelligence is more complex than what is commonly assumed.

It is not a simple, quantifiable value, and it is not something stagnant that cannot be developed and improved upon. Instead of focusing on the elite and the skills we lack, we should appreciate our own abilities, as well as others’, and what they can contribute to the world.

10 OPINIONS

In a publicly issued release, the Parsemus Foundation declared that male birth control will be widely available by 2017.

Parsemus is an organization that currently possesses US property rights for Vasalgel, the trade name for “reversible inhibition of sperm under guidanc” (RISUG). RISUG is a procedure involving the injection of a synthetic polymer into the male vas deferens. This polymer prevents sperm from penetrating the female ovum, thus nullifying the opportunity for pregnancy. It is cited as quick, painless, and reversible.

Although no major media outlets have followed up with

September 22, 2014

Parsemus — with the public release mostly circulating among smaller online news outlets — the simple mention of male birth control forces us to re-examine a number of questions, most notably whether men will

be obligated or even willing to undergo the procedure.

Because the most effective options for contraceptives, beyond surgical procedures, were products exclusive to women, men have been able to discard

much of the birth control burden. Even if a man wanted to assume a larger responsibility, options were relatively limited, with the most effective procedure (vasectomies) being quite invasive.

But assuming Vasalgel or an alternative does become readily accessible in the near future, promising all the effectiveness of a vasectomy without its invasiveness, the contraceptive unavailability argument will become moot. Should a couple wish to have intercourse without the intent to conceive, there will be a means for the male to take responsibility for pregnancy prevention.

SATURDAY

27

SEPTEMBER

VANCOUVER CONVENTION CENTRE

EXPO SEMINARS

1 pm - 5 pm

start at 12 noon

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Supposing that the effectiveness of the contraceptive and its inconvenience to the user is equal for men and women — who is then responsible for assuming the contraceptive burden?

In examining the impact of an unplanned pregnancy, it is rational to suppose that this would disrupt the woman’s life more than the man’s.

Even ignoring the physical

inconvenience of carrying a child to term, a pregnancy can threaten the health of the mother herself. Also, women often find themselves in the financially disadvantageous position of being removed from, or unable to enter, the workforce. Men are able to avoid these consequences.

There is also the risk that a woman’s partner might leave her before she carries a child to term. Despite laws requiring that absent partners pay child support, there are many scenarios where the pregnant woman cannot determine who the father is, or is unable to contact him, leaving her financially despondent.

The logical conclusion is that responsibility should fall on the man. If a man wants to be participatory and, quite frankly, considerate, he should be willing to accept male birth control should his partner reject female birth control. Men should take proactive measures to avoid putting women at risk.

As facts about the health implications of Vasalgel-like procedures become more publicly known, the idea that they might not be as dangerous or disruptive as female hormonal contraceptives would place even more responsibility on men. If men wish to engage in a responsible relationship, they must be willing to accept the true responsibilities of a male role and avoid putting their partners at risk as much as possible.

OPINIONS

Dog and cat owners want what is best for their pets. From exercise to toys and collars, we will do anything to keep our pets healthy and happy. The most important factor for a healthy pet is their diet. In this vein, a new trend is on the rise surrounding what food is best to feed your dog or cat. While many stand by the traditional kibble and wet food, raw pet food diets are steadily gaining popularity due to their healthy nature.

I first came to learn of the raw pet food trend earlier this year when a friend told me that he regularly feeds his Doberman puppy raw meat — within weeks, he noticed that the dog had gained increased jaw strength and bone structure, and was more energetic.

She birthed you, fed you, and changed you. Most of all, she loved you unconditionally, even when you acted like a holy terror. Even when you came home at 2:00 a.m. with branches in your hair and no pants on. Even when you set the cat on fire. You may have

September 22, 2014

My friend credits these positives to the dog’s diet. Raw food diets are full of vitamins, proteins, and essential fats that can help dogs and cats maintain a healthy lifestyle, reminiscent of their undomesticated ancestors. Wild dogs and cats would seek food for themselves, taking nutrition from small animals and plants, whereas the dry and wet food that we feed pets now is a completely man-made product.

The problem with wet and dry pet food is that we, as consumers, can never be entirely sure of what it contains. However, feeding your pet raw food, which you can be sure has the nutritional benefits that your pet needs, nullifies this doubt.

For example, raw organ meat contains essential fatty acids which the body cannot produce. Raw

one, two, or numerous moms, but straight up: she is the best.

She loves you constantly, but Mother’s Day only comes around once a year. So why not take some time every day to appreciate the person who carried you inside herself for nine months? She deserves it.

meat is also very low in carbohydrates, which are not ideal for pet health but are nevertheless plentiful in both dry kibble and wet food.

Feeding your pet a raw diet does have certain drawbacks, such as the risk that your pet could catch a food-borne illness. Perhaps your pet has the tendency to swallow its food whole, which is especially dangerous if given a raw meat bone.

However, a little more care on behalf of the pet owner is all that is needed. Make sure you take care in handling and preparing their meals, and that you really know your pet before beginning them on the raw food diet.

Cost is another possible issue with the raw food diet.

While a large bag of dry kibble can feed your dog for a

11

dollar per day, some companies charge about seven times that for two of their raw patties. For a cheaper food source, I would suggest you visit your local grocery store.

Most stores sell raw organ meat for only a few dollars, and you can always discuss the possibility of finding raw meat bones, with your butcher. If time and cost are currently restrictive factors for you, a good option would be to gradually ease your pet into the diet.

As a new pet owner, I have been researching the raw food topic on and off for the past several weeks, and with anecdotal encouragement from friends and from the Internet, I can’t wait to start my Wheaten on this healthy diet.

Feeding your pet raw food is more time consuming and requires a little more owner involvement and supervision. However, when executed well, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks, leaving you with a healthier and happier feline or canine.

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They were funny in grade school. They were funny in middle school. Hell, the Stifler’s Mom gags were the funniest parts in the seminal classic American Pie. But do you really want to be making the same jokes that were funny in 1999?

These jokes are overused, immature, and have no real comedic

value. So try this: whenever you feel a ‘your mom’ joke coming on, whenever you feel the urge to spew forth a trite punch line about how someone’s momma is ‘soooooooo fat,’ think about the terrible disappointment on your mother’s face. Hopefully this will help you see reason, and keep quiet.

WIN!

Attending universities and b-schools: UCLA, King’s College London, Ivey Business School, Queen’s School of Business, University of San Francisco, HEC Paris, EDHEC, IE Business School and many more local and international grad schools!

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12 OPINIONS

Talks regarding the decriminalization of marijuana have been around for many years, but only became mainstream in 2000 with the founding of the Marijuana Party of Canada. For the majority of that time, many believed that a change in the drug’s status was a mere pipe dream suited to a fringe group that would never hold any power, real or imagined, in this country.

That belief was shattered when Liberal Party leader Justin Trudeau announced he plans to legalize marijuana if he becomes Prime Minister next year. With that in mind, the question has again arisen: Should marijuana be legalized?

The answer is unequivocally no. Though proponents of legalization point out that there is big

September 22, 2014

money to be made through taxation of the drug similar to how taxes are levied on cigarettes and alcohol — this idea ignores some very basic facts. For starters, marijuana already has an established black market trade which will restrict the amount of tax the government can place on such

a product. If store-bought marijuana becomes overtaxed, people will fall back on this already established underground market.

What’s more, since most street marijuana has other drugs mixed into it, one may not get the desired effects that they are used to when using the

You are invited to the inaugural Thank-A-Donor Week!

FREE Snacks & Refreshments

Many individuals and organizations support SFU students through private awards, bursaries and scholarships – students just like you! They love hearing from students through thank you letters, cards, videos and photos.

SFU VANCOUVER Harbour Centre lobby September 30 / 11–2 pm

Stop by our Thank-A-Donor station to send your thank you greetings to SFU’s generous donors.

Even if you’ve already sent in a thank-you letter, please come by to have your photo taken or film a short thank-you message for your donor(s).

SFU BURNABY Student Central, MBC 3000 September 23, 24, 25 / 11–2 pm

SFU SURREY Dale B Regehr Grand Hall October 1 / 11–2 pm INQUIRIES? Contact donor@sfu.ca or Natalie Brenton 778.782.5310 Denise Luong 778.782.9778 sfu.ca/engage50/thanks.html

store-bought products, which may lead them back onto the street even if the pricing is more reasonable.

In addition, we are only beginning to discover some of the effects that continual use of marijuana can have on the body. While we may gain funds through taxation, most of that money may very well go right back into dealing with the myriad of health issues that smoking pot can cause. According to the American Lung Association, marijuana contains 33 chemicals that are known to cause cancer, and due to the lack of filters on joints, deposits four times as much tar into the lungs as an equal amount of tobacco.

There is also evidence to show that marijuana use can cause a host of other problems.

Recent studies out of Australia and New Zealand analyzed data on close to 4,000 people, comparing those who had used pot with those who had not, and the results were staggering. Researchers found that frequent pot use by teens is linked to a greater likelihood of incomplete education, suicide attempts, and damage to brain development. In addition, they found

that certain cognitive functions can suffer permanent damage as a result of frequent use.

This aligns with what other researchers have already discovered — there is a correlation between marijuana use and permanent brain damage, especially during adolescent use, when the brain is developing. Last year, Northwestern University scientists, led by Matthew Smith — an assistant research professor in psychiatry and behavioural sciences — discovered that parts of the brain related to short-term memory “seemed to collapse inward or shrink in people who had a history of daily marijuana use when compared to healthy participants.” So it actually does destroy your brain.

Finally, let’s keep in mind that the reason Mr. Trudeau gave for legalizing the drug was “to keep it out of the hands of our kids,” as if legalizing and regulating the drug will make a difference. As mentioned previously, the black market for pot will always exist, and when I was in high school, nobody seemed to have a problem getting ahold of cigarettes or alcohol, despite their regulation. The potential benefits certainly do not outweigh the risks.

FEATURES

September 22, 2014

“I still have four more years to reach 40,080 kilometres,” says Rawicz, an engineering science professor at SFU. He doesn’t say this with any hint of exhaustion — in fact, he seems more energetic than ever.

For the past 12 years, Rawicz has made the trek up Burnaby Mountain every single day, hiking to work from his home in Burnaby. Officially, he has clocked roughly 30,000 kilometres to date, and according to him, he’s only four years away from having walked the entire circumference of the earth.

“It’s nothing revolutionary,” Rawicz tells The Peak. He has always been an active individual — having been a weightlifter and a wrestler before teaching at SFU. Rawicz told The Peak that his commtiment to running to work began back in 2002, and that the final decision was the culmination of a number of different factors. He mentioned developing a bit of friction with the parking administrations, and alluded to the need to lower our use of pollutants, especially those from cars and buses. Eventually all the pieces came together, and one day, he decided to act.

Rawicz is committed to living a green lifestyle, and considers this his “ultimate commute.” He finds hiking so enjoyable that he would “never go back to driving to work.” And why would he? Over the years, his commitment to walking to work has improved his health, reduced his carbon footprint, and saved him a ton of money that might otherwise have been spent on gas, insurance, bus fares, and — yes — parking fees.

Along the way he’s met other active folks and bonded with the local animals. “I met a [black] bear once, a mother bear with [her] two cubs,” Rawicz said.

Rawicz admits he had a difficult time during the first two weeks of his trek; it took him about 55 minutes to walk up the hill and left him sweating for over an hour. Eventually, he was able to reduce his time — and after so many years, he says he barely sweats at all anymore!

Before he began hiking, Rawicz mentions getting

infrequent headaches, but has since been the picture of health.

“I haven’t been sick in [over] 40 years,” he boasts.

All in all, the trek from his front door to his office is about five kilometres. Rawicz has calculated that on average, walking five days a week with only two weeks off, he travels about 2,500 kilometres each year.

For Rawicz, inhabitants of the Lower Mainland are extremely lucky to have such a beautiful climate for outdoor activity. He stresses that, for those who wish to hike, it’s important to dress appropriately and to be well prepared.

He recommends doing supplementary weight training for the upper body, and doing pushups or chin -ups to avoid back pain. But the key, he says, is in having proper hiking boots — particularly ones that are comfortable and have treads to prevent slippage.

Rawicz notes that exercising and doing physical activities are excellent ways to accelerate the body’s metabolic rate.

The brain becomes better supplied with blood, which helps facilitate faster functions and responses. With memory improved and increased efficiency in thinking, the body is capable of doing much more in a shorter period.

“That is why,” Rawicz concludes, “for students, it’s a very good thing.”

In the future, Rawicz hopes to motivate SFU students into taking the initiative to get in shape and increase their physical activity. “There is no better thing than exercise, and particularly cardiovascular exercises [such as] these kinds of hikes,” he says.

As for himself, Rawicz has no plans to quit. Once he has reached his final goal of walking across the earth, he plans to double his distance by sailing across the ocean!

But whether he’s sailing across the world or getting there one step at a time, Rawicz says it’s ultimately about getting into a routine — once that’s set, the body starts adapting. “I think everybody,” he says, “especially when you start young, can adapt to anything.”

features editor email / phone

Max Hill features@the-peak.ca / 778.782.4560

13

Religion .

It’s a word that people tend to avoid using; one of those topics that often gets swept under the rug and doesn’t make its way into everyday conversation. I can talk to my best friend about TV shows, what I ate for dinner, and everything in between, but religion is never a part of our daily dialogue. This is because she is an atheist and I am a Christian, and it’s always awkward to discuss a topic on which we have such widely different — even opposing — views.

Still, I’ve often thought to myself, “Shouldn’t I be able to talk to her about my beliefs, since they are an essential part of who I am as a person?”

The dictionary definition of religion is “a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardour and faith.”

For me, it’s much more; the way I see it and experience it in my daily life, religion is a feeling of passion and trust in something that is much bigger than myself.

Maybe this is because religion can be so diverse and complex that people have a hard time engaging with the topic in the first place. However, SFU has a variety of religiously affiliated clubs, along with many connections to off-campus religious groups. From Christian Outreach to the Muslim Student Association, religion is a key aspect of campus life for students from all walks.

The Interfaith Centre is a resource offered to students through SFU’s Student Services, the same organization that provides students with options on academic advising and opportunities to find work in the co-op program. But unlike those services, the Interfaith Centre is a resource that, for many students, seems to fly under the radar.

According to the statement posted on their website, the Centre is “a place on campus that supports the spiritual well-being of students, staff, and faculty through increasing understanding of several religious beliefs and practices.”

Located in the heart of Burnaby

campus, the Academic Quadrangle, the Centre provides a safe space for over 750 students, where they can participate in a variety of faith-based activities. Prayer mats and rooms are available for student use, and church services are conducted at the Centre as well.

After hearing that I worked as an SFU campus tour guide at Student Central, a priest in the Centre asked me to do him a favour: he asked if I would mention the Interfaith Centre to every tour group that I led, because he was tired of having 3rd- and 4th-year students saying that they wish they had known the space existed earlier on in their studies.

I kept my word. Now, every guest that I take on a tour will hear me point out the Interfaith Centre as a valuable and often underappreciated resource on campus.

Those who follow Christianity believe in having a relationship with Jesus Christ, as he was crucified and rose from the dead after three days in order to provide atonement for the sins of humankind. Most Christian groups desire to spread the love of Christ and the Gospel message of salvation. Several Christian clubs and organizations call the Interfaith Centre home.

Jean-Luc Padley is the president of SFU’s chapter of Catholic Christian Outreach (CCO), a movement focused on spreading the Gospel message and the basics of Catholicism to others.

“CCO’s primary mission,” Padley says, “is to evangelize university campuses in a simple way with an emphasis on developing leaders for the renewal of the world.”

The club hosts a series of faith-based studies that allow students to explore and discover the many elements of the Christian faith. Aside from this, they also host events such as their fall retreat and an ever-popular pancake breakfast.

University Christian Ministries (UCM) is a student-organized club supported by the Pentecostal

chaplaincy. It is an interdenominational organization which fosters student growth in their relationships with God through activities such as worship, fellowship, and outreach.

Seth Greenham is the Pentecostal chaplain at the Interfaith Centre, and also provides pastoral oversight for UCM’s activities. “Faith and spirituality transcend many people’s lives, and it is important for them to have a space on campus where they can practice their faith,” he says. “People come to university to learn and grow in knowledge, and spirituality is part of that experience.”

Other Christian organizations on campus include Power to Change, The Point church, the Chinese Catholic Club, and the Korean Campus Mission.

Islam is another widely practiced religion on campus. Those who practice the faith, known as Muslims, believe in the monotheistic existence

of God, or Allah, in which He is the one creator of the universe. Their beliefs are founded in the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad and those found in their holy book, the Qur’an.

The Interfaith Centre is the location for many of the activities practiced by Muslim groups on campus.

The Shia Muslim Society was founded in 2009 by a group of students who felt the need to establish a welcoming Muslim society on campus.

Laya Behbahani was one of the original members who founded the society.

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“The Interfaith Centre is a valuable resource for students, faculty and staff,” Behbahani says, “primarily because it provides a space for our five daily prayers, which is one of the most important, if not the most important, aspect of a Muslim’s life. It is also a place where we all come together and have the opportunity to learn about different faiths in a casual and comfortable environment.”

The Shia Muslim Society’s primary mission statement is grounded in providing information about the Muslim faith to the university community through the organization of religious and educational events in hopes of fostering a better understanding about the Islamic way of life.

Other organizations include the Muslim Student Association and the Ismaili Student Association, which are both run by volunteer Muslim students on campus.

The Muslim Student Association provides prayer space for daily prayers in the Interfaith Centre as well. According to their website, they “aim to provide a platform for engaging Muslim and nonMuslim audiences at SFU and the greater community in meaningful dialogue and conversation, with aspirations of combatting constant misconceptions and corrupt perceptions of Muslims and Islam.”

Apart from Christian and Muslim groups, there’s also Hillel BC, a Jewish group spread across many campuses in the province — its SFU club meets at the Cornerstone Building in Univercity. According to their website, the group “promotes Jewish life on campus and beyond [. . .] We are committed to enhancing the lives of young Jewish adults by enabling them to explore their Jewish identity and relationship to Israel within a safe, pluralistic and inclusive community.”

Along with SFU’s Interfaith groups, there are also spaces on campus for those with no religious affiliation — atheists. When it

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SCIENCES

comes to answering life’s big questions, the SFU Skeptics club takes a philosophical and humanist approach rather than a religious one. Skepticism values scientific evidence and reasoning when forming beliefs, while humanism takes into account the welfare

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Applied Sciences The club holds weekly meetings every Friday, during which members discuss a diverse range of topics, from philosophy to politics to pop culture.

“Speaking as a non-religious student, you don’t need this nebulous thing called ‘spirituality’ to be happy or to be good,” says current club executive Matthew Burgess.“But it’s an important part of some students’ identities, and it’s not going away. A university education exposes you to critical thinking and gives you tools. What you do with those is up to you.”

of humans and uses scientific evidence and rationality to solve social and ethical problems.

The SFU Skeptics club exists in order to advocate for nonreligious students on campus and to promote scientific thinking.

Professor emeritus Donald Grayston taught religious studies at SFU before retiring in 2004. He is also a retired priest of the Anglican Diocese of New Westminster. The Interfaith Centre was established after he had already left SFU, but he still expresses support for the structure.

“In Canada, where there is no official religion, everybody is free to express their beliefs however they wish to,” he says. “The university itself has no official position on God, so [having] a place like the Interfaith Centre is a great way

“A skeptic answers inquiry with curiousness and critical thinking to make the most informed decision they can, and when presented with new information re-evaluates their position,” former vice president Gabrielle Jackson explains.

for students of all religious faiths to have opportunities to meet and understand each other.”

One’s religion is an integral part of their life, and having a space to share that with other people is precious.

“My beliefs touch every aspect of

my life and guide the daily decisions I make,” Padley says. “They give me assurance that what I’m doing has meaning, whether good or bad, and give me a context for my action.”

Behbahani echoes this sentiment.

“My belief system shapes a hundred per cent of the way I live my life,” she shares. “It provides a moral framework, a set of values that place dignity and respect for human beings, animals, and the earth at the forefront, and finally, it provides the highest system of ethics.”

Even outside of the context of religion, connecting with those who share a common belief system remains a key value for Burgess and Jackson. “Coming out of a conservative religious tradition, I felt the need to spend some time with people who wouldn’t see my lack of belief as something to be fixed,” Burgess says. Jackson recalls her first meeting with the Skeptics club as she was “surrounded by intelligent and friendly people with similar ideals to [her] own.”

I personally believe that every-body has a form of spirituality, regardless of whether or not they are religious.

I see it as the root of everything good in the human spirit. I know that there are people who believe in forces that are greater than those on earth — some call these forces God or gods, while others don’t. Spirituality comes from striving for a purpose in life and the desire to ultimately find peace — two things that I believe everyone is looking for, regardless of whether or not they believe in a God. That being said, my love for God is my life. It is not something that I can pack away in a box and take out only on Sundays. Many people feel the same way about their beliefs: that they are an essential part of their entire being.

An ideal balance of faith on campus is one that is founded on open dialogue and respect across all belief systems. I am proud to be part of a university that has so many groups that are focused on doing just that.

16

ARTS

Sitting at a picnic table beside the main stage tent at Bard on the Beach, Bob Frazer explains that Thornton Wilder and Shakespeare have one very important thing in common: they wrote plays about human emotions.

“One of the great things about Shakespeare, and why I firmly believe he gets done over and over again, is that he doesn’t deal with his time period, he doesn’t deal with what’s going on, he deals with human emotions. Our Town may take place between 1901 and 1913, but that’s not the point. The point is that it deals with human emotions and human truth.”

As his summer acting in Equivocation and Cymbeline at Bard on the Beach comes to a close, Frazer’s company, Osimous Theatre, has started rehearsing their production of Our Town. The play has been around since 1938 and is still so popular that it is staged daily somewhere in the world. It hasn’t been done professionally in Vancouver in over 20 years, and Frazer said he thinks this has to do with the play’s unfortunate reputation as a play reserved for high school drama class or community theatre.

“It’s unfortunate because the core of the story is something you can’t really understand when you’re in grade 10 or 11. There’s a reputation that goes with the play that it’s hokey and sentimental,” said Frazer, “but it’s much deeper than that. It’s one of the most beautiful plays ever written.

It’s sad because if you do it with people who understand that life is slipping away from them, it’s going to have more resonance — and that resonance is going to carry over into an audience.”

Osimous Theatre will immerse the audience in this play in a unique way, as they plan to perform it in a church with flexible seating arrangements. “The audience isn’t seated in normal seats. In fact, they come to the show and we say ‘hey where do you want to sit? What do you

arts editor email / phone

September 22, 2014

want to sit on — do you want to sit on that couch? Ok let’s move it over here.’” They will arrange the seating based on where audience members want to sit, and the seven-member cast, playing multiple characters, will play through, among, and in between them, allowing for a new perspective on a traditional play.

Audience members will also have a chance to say a line or two in the play. As people enter, explained Frazer, they will choose a few audience members and ask them if they’re willing to say a line. “There’s a couple of lines from the audience in the play, and just at the moment they’re supposed to say it we’ll just shove them a cue card and they’ll say the line. They don’t know what they’re saying until they read it.”

The two intermissions will also provide some unexpected changes to the traditional theatre experience. “We’re moving the sets throughout the intermission, so when you come back your seat won’t be in the same place.” Suddenly you’ll be looking a different way and have a different perspective. “It will be fun, I hope people can find their seats again,” laughed Frazer.

Depending on where they’re seated, audience members may be so immersed in the action that they essentially become part of the set. “At the end, the audience may find themselves sitting in a place they were sitting the whole time and realize that it actually becomes a set piece. What we are trying to do is just allow people to fall into the play without forcing them into the play.”

In a similar way, the unassuming plot, or lack of plot, draws people in before they realize it.

“The funny thing about this play is that there’s no real conflict, no real story arc. The first act is called ‘A Day in the Life,’ and it’s just these people, and yet within these people who are complicated and complex, you recognize your life.”

This is the beauty of what Wilder is doing in Our Town.

“He’s showing us life, and then all of a sudden by the end of it you find yourself involved in these

Tessa Perkins arts@the-peak.ca / 778.782.4560

characters — and it’s not that you’re involved in their life — but what you find is that your life has suddenly become intertwined with their lives.”

A major theme of the play is time slipping away, as well as the idea that our lives are very similar in terms of the everyday things we all experience. “One of the things Thornton Wilder talks a lot about is numbers. He uses the words millions, hundreds, thousands, etc, and he’s trying to show you that our lives are always the same. You’ve done the same things that I’ve done and our ancestors have done and the next generations will do the exact same things,” said Frazer.

“They’ll all get married, they’ll all live and die, they’ll all go through love and hate — it’s the same thing. They’ll cook breakfast; they’ll eat lunch, see the sun set, and he says that’s ok; that’s what life is. Don’t expect it to be anything more than that.” He is trying to illustrate that while your life is unique, it has been done millions of times before.

This theme resonates with people of any generation, and as Frazer explained, we all go through a period of distraction where we’re not seeing those everyday moments and not really noticing our lives as they pass by.

“Back in the 80s when I was a teenager, it was all about hair bands, and partying, and ACDC, and it was just a frivolous time.

And you realized, wow I wasted so much time doing that. Today everyone’s texting everybody — they don’t look up and see the world — but we were on our walkmans; we were playing Atari. It was totally the same, yet so different. It’s not relevant to any one time because it’s relevant to all time.”

It’s relevant to all time, and also relevant to all places. The play is set in the fictional town of Grover’s Corners with many references to Massachusetts and the provinces above New York, but Frazer explained that there

was no need to set the play in Vancouver or change these references. “It’s a universal play.

It’s profound in the sense that it’s about life, and that life exists anywhere. It doesn’t just exist in Massachusetts or Grover’s Corners or New York; it exists here as well.” The only updates to the play are things like the pocket watch that is now an iphone and their modern clothing.

Our Town will likely make you look at the theatre and the world around you in a new way. One of the most famous lines in the play occurs when the protagonist Emily asks the stage manager, “Do human beings ever really realize life while they live it, every, every minute?” He replies, “No, maybe the poets and saints, but no, nobody does.”

“I think that’s what the audience gets from it — they fall in love with people they recognize or themselves and then they walk away going ‘am I seeing life?,’” explained Frazer. Perhaps

audiences will pay more attention to life’s little moments that Wilder is talking about. “He’s talking about the everyday things — the smell of bacon, or the sound of your mother’s voice, or your dad’s smell — his aftershave, whatever that is. That’s what Thornton Wilder is saying that we miss all the time, and that’s why it’s profound because once you understand that you start to see the world differently.”

As he’s working with his company to mount this play, Frazer said that one line from Wilder’s prologue has stuck with him: “All you need for the climax of Our Town is five square feet of boarding and the passion to know what life means to us.”

ARTS

Aim low, achieve average, feel awesome: this seems to be Liam Neeson’s recent strategy for choosing roles. Your enjoyment of Scott Frank’s A Walk Among the Tombstones will depend heavily upon your expectations.

What do you want out of a Liam Neeson thriller?

Neeson’s recent flicks never surprise me; they all have inherent B-movie fun that leaves me neither completely enthralled nor entirely bored. I have seen him kick butt so many times, in so many different places, in so many different ways, and in so many different movies (Non- Stop, Unknown, and Taken, to name a few) that I expect this trademark.

In this film, Neeson plays Matt Scudder, a cop who shoots three thugs as they’re holding up a bar. He is drunk during the entire ordeal and accidentally kills a seven year old girl. Skip ahead seven years and Matt is retired.

He is sober and attending AA meetings. He is introduced to a drug trafficker whose wife has been kidnapped. Matt investigates this disappearance and finds that the abductors have done this more than once.

Prima facie, the film appears to have the same conventions, clichés, and genre tropes of Neeson’s other recent films, but this one managed to subvert nearly every one of those prejudices; the atmospheric settings and lead character’s heavy conscience kept me pinned to the edge of my seat. Tombstones is a character piece disguised as a crime mystery that, in its climactic shootout, ignores the action in favour of exploring the cryptic themes and

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September 22, 2014

ambiguity of the protagonist. Expect something more akin to David Fincher’s Seven or Zodiac, with an additional hint of self-awareness.

It’s surprising that the actor, who showed remarkable dramatic chops in Schindler’s List, is now a fierce 60-year old action star. Here he draws from both the nuanced and pulpy portions of his career to deliver a performance that is his best since 2011’s underrated The Grey.

Where in Neeson’s other films we don’t flinch at the sight of him shooting an evil dude’s brains out, here we are jarred and reflect on the sight because it so rarely occurs. It’s like a horror movie where the horrors aren’t dismissible supernaturalism, but rather the characters’ debilitating addictions, situations, and decisions. The slow pace will annoy many with false expectations, but those willing to surrender themselves will probably find themselves shaken and immersed.

Scott Frank’s stylized direction keeps the film interesting even when the plot in the midsection becomes monotonous (we follow Matt from clue to clue over and over again). He often shoots with wide compositions which highlight the gloomy setting and transport us into the auras of the backwards New York City sights: a rooftop, a graveyard, and a rundown diner. All of it screams of a world losing its hope and morality. The film’s setting is reminiscent of the twisted worlds of classic pot-boiling noirs.

My expectations were subverted and exceeded. Go in with an open mind and no false expectations and I think yours will be too.

With a computerized pin board of 3,200 LED lights serving as the backdrop to Wayne McGregor’s latest work, Far, this acclaimed UK choreographer is playing with ideas of cognition and enlightenment.

McGregor was last in Vancouver with Entity in 2012, and Dance House producer Jim Smith said that this production has a different tone.

“Far is a darker piece musically.

The sound is a darker journey of trying to get to enlightenment, and there’s an ambient feeling.”

“McGregor spent a fair bit of time thinking about neuroscience and creativity and the brain,” allowing the audience to make big abstractions based on the concrete questions that he’s asking about the brain and creativity.

He is also very interested in technology, explaining the light board which can be seen as representing the synapses of the brain.

Smith can see where the notion of enlightenment comes from in this work, and explained that it points to the growth and dissemination of information. “It’s about adding information to a larger body of work, the expansion of information. It’s the opposite of a dark age where there is a loss of information from society.

“In Entity there were large contraptions on the stage,” explained Smith, saying that “the set very much defines a lot of [McGregor’s] work.” In Far, the light board “fills the space and commands a lot of attention.”

Although this might seem like it could overwhelm the stage, Smith said that they strike the right balance between the set and the movement itself. The large set pieces are counterbalanced by the minimalist costuming which reveals the body so that the movement can be the focus. “The costumes are very pedestrian — they show the body in a natural way,” explained Smith.

McGregor has a distinctive style that is marked by fast paced, athletic movement. Smith explained that unlike much of the more conceptual work being created these days, McGregor’s dancers are athletes and the work is very physically demanding. “It’s very inventive movement; he’s establishing a signature,” said Smith. McGregor has choreographed for films such as Harry Potter and the Goblet of

Photo courtesy of Ravi Deepres

Fire and worked on a music video for Radiohead. He is able to strike a rare balance, excelling in both the world of contemporary dance and popular culture.

Dance House brings contemporary choreographers from around the world to present their work in Vancouver, and Smith explained that McGregor is part of the avant-garde in contemporary dance. “There’s a certain fascination of a generation and movement of choreographers that includes Crystal Pite and Hofesh Shector.

They’re of a similar age and stage in their careers, and they’re on the cutting edge of contemporary

dance in the world right now.” By bringing McGregor back to town, Smith said that Dance House aims to shed light on the current state of contemporary dance.

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18 ARTS

This year’s TEDxVancouver will take place on Saturday, October 18 at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. An independent event affiliated with the TED Talks, this is the fifth year that TEDx will be held in Vancouver.

Presenting on the theme of turning your dreams into reality, the first three speakers announced for the event are Victor Chan, Treana Peake, and Jay DeMerit — three individuals from the diverse fields of fashion, sport, and spirituality. With different backgrounds and experiences from opposite ends of the world, they each bring their unique stories with them to the inspiring TEDxVancouver this fall.

Although they are speaking on diverse subject areas, they have one thing in common: they are all excited and honoured to be using this unique platform to share their “ideas worth spreading.”

September 22, 2014

Jay Demerit attributes much of his success as a professional soccer player to his strong family support system, helping him each step of the way. In fact, he is now in the process of creating Rise and Shine Retreats, where he can

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support aspiring sports stars of the next generation. Rather than just a sports camp, he and his wife envisioned a place where “not only can they get a soccer education, they get a life education as well.” An overwhelming goal for the camp is to “create good people.”

Demerit is one who can attest to this year’s theme of turning your dreams into reality since that is exactly what he has done in his career. After not making a professional team in the US, he took all his money and determination to Europe where he was signed to semi-professional Northwood and then to Watford where he played in the Championship and Premier leagues. From there, he created a legacy for himself as the first American-born captain in his team’s history. He continued this legacy by playing every minute of FIFA 2010, and as the Vancouver Whitecaps Captain until this year.

As someone who has triumphed over challenges, Demerit hopes that those who hear him speak will be able to apply his experiences to their own lives. When this happens, Demerit says he will have done his job at TEDxVancouver.

Treana Peake is a fashion designer who takes a unique approach to the fashion industry and its far reaching influence. Though it is quite an achievement to see her Obakki pieces on red carpet celebrities, some of the brand’s biggest accomplishments have been through the philanthropic efforts of the Obakki Foundation.

As someone who had been involved in philanthropy all of her life, Peake recognized the opportunity to incorporate the two different aspects under one brand. As she said, “there was a platform to be used for good.”

With these philanthropic endeavors, she not only created a foundation that funds orphanages, schools, and focuses on bringing clean water to areas that wouldn’t otherwise have access to it, but she also created a new fundraising model.

Rather than the typical organization with overhead costs that cut into philanthropic goals and accomplishments, the Obakki clothing line absorbs any and all fees incurred by the foundation. Donor money does not pay for a cent of the line’s operating costs, which allows the foundation to focus on its goals, including building hundreds of water wells. “So many things expand from water,” says Peake, and with her time at TEDxVancouver, she hopes she can inspire the audience with all that a new take on a classic charitable idea can do.

When Victor Chan looks back at all that has happened leading to this present moment — being kidnapped by three rifle-wielding men in Afghanistan in the 70s, and adventuring with a fellow escapee to meet the Dalai Lama — he asserts that without these events, we would not be speaking to him nor hearing him speak.

Chan never set out to meet the Dalai Lama, nor did he predict he would become a co-author and friend of His Holiness. However, he realizes what a privilege it has been to learn from someone “who has such moral authority,” and today, the two of them travel together promoting their two coauthored books.

Victor previously spoke at TEDxArgentina, and attended TEDxOxford. He is looking forward to speaking at the Vancouver event, spreading the ideas of living in a holistic and balanced way, a way that strongly values the worth of a “warm heart.”

His experience is a stark reminder of how the paths we take in life can change us. The overall message Chan has received from the Dalai Lama, and wishes to reiterate in his writing and his speaking, is one of compassion. He says, “We all want to be happy. The surest way to attain sustainable happiness is through compassion.”

Each of these speakers will present inspiring stories and speak about their unique ideas and experiences when they visit Vancouver in October.

ARTS

September 22, 2014

Which films will different kinds of hipsters enjoy at this year’s VIFF? Read on.

Genre Films: For the phony hipster who likes to think he’s artsy, but goes to a film festival to see something accessible

Do you want to become a real hipster, not just someone who plays the persona in floral clothes from Value Village?

Want to be cultured and informed about issues plaguing all corners of the globe? Or do you just want to be able to say you liked something before it was cool?

If you answered affirmative to any of the above questions, then the 33rd annual Vancouver International Film Festival, which runs September 25 to October 10, will likely tickle your fancy. The event features over 350 films from more than 70 countries, and this year’s festival is a strong meld of genre films, non-fiction documentaries, and undiluted short films, from established auteurs to upand-coming filmmakers.

According to SFU alumnus Curtis Woloschuk, the festival’s program logistics coordinator, Canadian images shorts programmer, and above all, bona fide hipster, it’s “one of the strongest line-ups in recent years.”

The Rio Theatre has the bonkers genre films which play every Friday and Saturday night during VIFF (among other times).

“I’m really happy with the genre line-up,” Woloschuk exclaimed, later saying that a film called Housebound is a “fantastic New Zealand horror-comedy that manages to subvert most expectations” and that two Canadian films playing late night at the Rio, The Editor and Bloody Knuckles are also “fantastic.”

Non-fiction documentaries: For the hipster who cares about social justice, environmental, and personal issues . . . or at least pretends to.

Cinephiles can catch docs such as South Africa’s Khalo Matabane’s personal, Nelson Mandela, The Myth and Me, which delves into the director’s conflicted feelings towards the iconic and celebrated figure. Another, Gabe Polsky’s Red Army, looks at the relationship between the USSR’s hockey team and their national identity.

Woloschuk also noted a particular trend of non-fiction

films which happens to have its own independent section called Arts & Letters — a component devoted to narrative and documentary filmmaking which centres on music. A Glen Campbell documentary, Glen Campbell: I’ll be Mine, explores the filmmakers Alzheimer’s diagnosis and attempts to reduce the impact of the disease with music.

Another noted film is The

operate [. . .] within budgetary constrictions that doesn’t necessarily impact the story they want to tell.

I think you can see people who really get to realize their vision and tell that 10-minute story without needing to be beholden to other forces like funding agencies.”

Additionally, he proclaimed that the “two films by UBC students, one called Light, and one called Hard Card are fantastic short films.” He continued, “When you see that many films from one talent pool, it’s kind of remarkable the quality of the work and how strong it is overall.”

Canadian films and directors: For the patriotic Canadian hipster who thinks that negotiating their independence is way cooler than fighting for it.

Short Films: For the hipster who can’t go 10 minutes without adding a new selfie to their Instagram. Don’t worry there’s a little break between these!

“We have a good number of Canadian films who have really established themselves and now have American casts,” Woloschuk stated.

Among them is Jean Marc-Vallee’s Wild (starring Reese Witherspoon on a soul searching journey in the wild) and David Cronenberg’s latest, Maps to the Stars.

Perhaps the most intriguing among the Canadian filmmakers featured at VIFF is the young and prolific Xavier Dolan. His new film Mommy experiments with an oddball 1:1 aspect ratio.

Woloschuk said, “I think one of the great things about the short films is that you get to see people

Established auteurs: For the hipster who dismisses “pretentious” films by saying “you just don’t get it.”

Possibilities are Endless. Edwin Collins, the frontman for Orange Juice and a solo artist, had two massive strokes and must learn to play music again.

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“Mike Leigh has a new film this year [Mr. Turner] that certainly stands out,” Woloschuk said before explaining that the Cannes Palme D’or winner, Winter’s Sleep, will also be in the line-up. However, the one that is bound to raise the most eyebrows is the influential French newwave director Jean-Luc Godard’s Goodbye to Language 3D. Yes, you read that correctly: Godard in the 3D. It sounds bonkers.

Some hipsters, like some films, defy categorization. Some of the unclassifiable films are Damien Cazelle’s Sundance Jury Prize winning, Whiplash, which follows a jazz drummer as he’s pushed to the limit by his teacher, and Bennett Miller’s Foxcatcher, which took home Best Director from Cannes.

One could talk about the diverse selection at this year’s VIFF forever, but there is a universal element which is bound to affect more than just the hipsters. Woloschuk described this when he said, “People look for different things in cinema, the late night screenings kind of feed into this. You can watch a scary movie at home but when you watch it with several hundred other people, it’s a very different experience. We’re just trying to find different ways of making the festival experience be an experience for people, and that kind of goes beyond watching a film.”

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SPORTS

September 22, 2014

sports editor email / phone

Austin Cozicar sports@the-peak.ca / 778.782.4560

To compete at the highest levels of the world’s most popular sport, a young athlete must overcome many obstacles and sacrifice certain comforts in life. Academics also provides struggles of its own, and demands a great deal of focus and consistency in order to succeed.

What these two worlds have in common is the demand for mental strength and perseverance; for Callum Whittaker, these things come naturally.

A native of London, England, Whittaker brings an unmatched wealth of playing experience to the SFU men’s soccer team. The defender saw action with the youth teams of Chelsea, Ipswich Town, and Southend United in England before being named the captain of Northern Ireland’s U-18 and U-19 international squads. Not bad for a player who tried out the sport just for fun at age six.

Whittaker recalls, “My dad always played football as a kid, he was a part of Arsenal’s group as a youngster. But he never pushed it upon me and wanted me to find out what I wanted to do in life. It was random how I ended up doing it; one of my friends had a flyer for

a local team and didn’t want to go alone. He left after the first session and I stayed on and pretty much went from there.”

Just three years later, Whittaker would be picked up by Leyton Orient FC and would sign his first contract lasting until age 16. Chelsea eventually paid the buy-out clause in the player’s contract at age 12.

“Chelsea is based out of Surrey, which was two hours away so it became quite strenuous on family to get me there three to four times a week. From there, at age 14, I went to Ipswich Town until I was 16. After, I began a sort of apprenticeship to live at Southend United’s hotel and trained with the first team as a 16-year old.”

Three years later, Whittaker’s playing career came to an end with Southend, but he was given the opportunity to take his game to North America and The University of San Diego, an NCAA division I school.

“I wanted initially to go to other clubs, but my mom said it would be best to get an education for free through scholarships. Moving away from home is tough, but leaving at 16 to go live in a hotel was a stepping stone that helped ease me into it. Probably the hardest thing was acclimatizing to the California heat when I’m used to rainy England.”

Now in his senior year, the communications major has landed in beautiful (rainy) BC as a new transfer to don the kit of SFU’s Clan. Alongside another Southend youth product, Robert Hyams, the Englishman immediately broke into the highly competitive starting 11, and made his defensive presence felt from preseason onward.

“I’m a big communicator, I like to because that keeps me focused. If I go quiet I can lose concentration, so if I talk it means I’m thinking about everything more and more,” said the defender. “I think I’m fairly tenacious in the tackle, I like to get stuck in, I don’t mind pulling up my sleeves and getting dirty when [I] need to. Besides that, I am comfortable on the ball and can pass it around to get things ticking.”

It is fitting that the outspoken defender has chosen communications as his field of study, but his hard work and grit show that actions can speak louder than words on the pitch.

The English style of play is reflected in his aggressiveness and determination — traits that Whittaker admired in Manchester United’s legendary midfielder, Roy Keane.

“He was my idol, I loved his tenacious ability, his attitude was spot on everyday and I try to model myself after that. He is

aggressive because it’s the winning attitude inside of him; it’s always football first.”

Whittaker started his play in the same position as the Red Devil at centre midfield, and displayed his versatility in the centre back and fullback positions.

Even when thinking of a career outside of professional soccer, Whittaker’s love for the game shines through — he suggests an interest in a career in media relations, saying, “I wouldn’t mind going into the media side of football, I could talk about the sport for the rest of my life.”

For now, though, his goal for this season is an historic one: to help SFU become the first Canadian NCAA champions. “As an athlete that would be a defining moment of a career. There’s always a bit of hatred at us, so it’s a burning fuel to go out and do it.”

SPORTS

If you’re a Clan fan like me, you may recall that after a hardfought first season as a full member of the NCAA, SFU’s men’s soccer team ended the season ranked number one in the West Region. Which means — according to NCAA regulations SFU was granted home field advantage.

However, many of the American schools complained that some of their players and personnel don’t have passports to travel to Canada for the playoffs. Unfortunately, the American schools won, stripping SFU of their much deserved home field advantage.

As a die-hard Clan fan, this was something extremely upsetting to me. So, I began to look for solutions. That’s when I came across this special place within driving distance from SFU — Peace Arch International Park.

For those of you who don’t know, Peace Arch International Park is a park situated at the US-Canada border, half in BC and half in Washington. And what makes this park special is that visitors from either side can walk into the park both in BC and Washington without passports, provided they don’t wander further.

After some rough measurements, I’ve identified an area at the park with potential, roughly as large as Terry Fox Field

September 22, 2014

without the track. SFU and the NCAA could simply set a temporary pitch using large pieces of artificial turf, plait the grid, and install temporary bleachers both on the Washington side and on the BC side and problem solved.

This solution, though not as optimal as allowing the Clan to deservingly host the play-off matches on Terry Fox Field or in Swangard Stadium, will render the “we don’t have passports” argument completely useless since passports would not be required.

More importantly, many Clan fans could actually attend the play-off games as the park is within driving distance of SFU. Even though I still strongly believe that SFU should not suffer the consequences of the NCAA being unprepared, I hope that the universities will stop complaining and start preparing their passports in case the Clan, once again, win the right to host the play-offs.

I hope the decision makers in Indianapolis will finally treat SFU like the full-fledged member of the NCAA it is, and stop stripping our rights like we don’t belong. We are part of the NCAA and should be treated as such.

At least for now, I may have found us a solution.

For $20, students can catch a ride to Bothell, WA to watch the Clan face the Central Washington Wildcats this Saturday, September 27.

The buses will leave from both the Burnaby and the Surrey campuses at 2:30 p.m. in order to get to the 6:00 p.m. game located in Bothell, just north of Seattle. The Facebook event posted by the SFSS estimates the drive to take two hours and 17 minutes.

The ‘Battle for the Border’ will see SFU face their closest GNAC rival — and their only opponent in Washington, in fact. SFSS at-large representative Jeremy Pearce explains the two teams are developing a rivalry, especially in the absence of the Shrum Bowl, and that they already compete for recruitment. “A lot of the time we’ll have the same recruits

21

that we’re trying to get [as CWU],” he explained.

Pearce hopes that taking students to the game in Washington, which is a first, will help foster this rivalry.

Pearce, an SFU football veteran, also hopes to expose SFU students to NCAA football culture in a place where the whole community, not just the university, rallies around the team.

“It’s providing this unique opportunity. It’s an amazing atmosphere down there [in Bothell]. I’ve played on the football team for four years myself; it’s amazing down there,” he said.

“They have anywhere from 5,000 to 7,000 people at the game. I want students to experience that atmosphere and then eventually I’d love that atmosphere to carry over up here [at SFU].”

Students can buy tickets at the SFSS general office. The $20 will cover transportation and the cost of the ticket. Students will be returned to their respective campuses at around midnight.

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22 SPORTS

September 22, 2014

Turnovers would become the main story for the Clan; they ended up with four in the final tally, resulting in each of Western Oregon’s next scoring opportunities. The Wolves would score both a touchdown and a field goal off of turnovers, taking the score to 24-7.

SFU has now dropped the first two games of the season, losing to the Western Oregon Wolves on September 13 by a score of 38-14. This marked their first game against a GNAC opponent, although it did not count in GNAC standings.

The first quarter was marked by little offence, with neither team putting points on the board, perhaps aided by the astronomical number of penalties against SFU. Although the flags did not contribute to the Wolves’ point total, they did serve to slow down the game and removeany Clan momentum.

In the first quarter, SFU went four of six on third down conversions, which is a good total, but it also speaks to the Clan’s inability to achieve first downs, and ultimately convert.

A bright spot for SFU’s offence appeared during a 5:45long drive in which the Clan made it to the Wolves’ six-yard line, in part thanks to a 20yard pass from quarterback

Ryan Stanford to newly minted starter Sam Swerhone.

This forward progress was immediately interrupted by an interception in the end zone by Western Oregon with 1:34 left in the quarter. This would be one of SFU’s many missed opportunities and a sign of things to come.

Within two minutes of the second quarter, Wolves running back Joe Harris, who plagued the Clan all afternoon, ran the ball in for a touchdown, opening up the scoring.

SFU returned the favour quickly, however, when Chris Tolbert rushed five yards, tying up the scoreboard.

However, Tolbert’s game has been inconsistent to say the least, with one fumble this game and two in the previous match.

SFU was forced to re-kick the ball twice after kicker Tiernan Docherty kicked out of bounds.

Things would turn from bad to worse, as the Clan allowed a 62-yard pass to Wolves receiver Tyrell Williams for a second touchdown, returning the lead to the Wolves.

SFU kept themselves in the game with a touchdown with only 12.4 seconds left in the half with a nine-yard reception by third-string running back Cole Tudor.

When the second half begun, however, any good will that the Clan built quickly evaporated when the Wolves scored another touchdown 1:42 in, and another just under halfway through the quarter, bringing the game to its final score of 38-14.

The Clan were unable to put any more points on the board and Western Oregon seemed content killing the clock.

Before the end of the game, head coach Jacques Chapdelaine took Stanford out, concerned that

When the Clan were leading 21-19, UAA started their push back, scoring three points to once again take the lead. SFU could only muster one more point before losing the set 25-22.

Although the first two sets were rather close battles, the third marked a serious collapse for the Clan.

The Seawolves rushed out of the gate after the intermission to a score

of 13-2, aided by a remarkable eight straight points. Unlike the prior two sets, SFU was unable to fight back before losing handily 25-10.

Libero Alison McKay, who had 13 digs, was happy with her team’s performance in sets one and two: “I’m really proud of the way we played in the first two sets; I thought we fought really hard, we covered the ball, [we had] good hustle, we really kept up with them.”

the team around him had given up on the game, particularly in the third quarter collapse.

“Our team just did not seem to have the energy to fight through adversity,” commented Chapdelaine. “That’s concerning to me, I don’t like to see that.”

With most of SFU’s problems being self-inflicted — mainly turnovers and penalties — he added, “We just seem to look for ways to hurt ourselves.”

However, not all was negative. Before being pulled, Stanford threw for 387 yards, while in the absence of wide receiver Lemar Durant, who was out with illness, much of the team stepped up.

Bobby Pospischil’s 145 receiving yards were a game highlight, while Jamal Kett, Kyle Kawamoto and Swerhone each had over 50 yards.

Linebacker Jordan Herdman led the team in tackles for the second week in a row with nine.

There were a lot of good things out there,” concluded the coach.

“The elements are all there, we’ve just got to keep pushing on in the same direction.”

a sizable lead, reaching a peak of seven points at 10-3.

The Seawolves, however, got right back into the game, eventually tying things up at 16-16, helped in part by SFU giving up five straight points. UAA would then seize the lead, which they would not surrender for the rest of the set, winning it 29-27.

On Tuesday, the Clan won their GNAC opener against the University of Alaska Fairbanks by way of a sweep. The next night, though, the tables turned, as SFU was swept by another Alaskan team, the University of Alaska Anchorage Seawolves.

Although a sweep usually indicates a sizable loss, for the first two sets the Clan were neck and neck with the Seawolves, able to keep up but often unable to keep a lead.

SFU setter Brooklynn GouldBradbury, who led the team with 18 assists and provided eight digs, opened up the game with the first serve, although the Seawolves would score the first point. The Clan, though, would jump out to

The second set would tell a similar story. This time, though, it was the Seawolves who got off to the early lead, taking the score to 9-5. In a role reversal, the Clan rallied back with a six point streak to take the lead at 11-9, which they would hold for most of the set.

She stated that the third set collapse provided a learning opportunity, acknowledging that frustration after the first two sets may have played a part in the Clan’s meltdown. “It’s always a bit frustrating, but now we have something to work on and push through.

“I think we can learn from it, to play consistent the whole way through,” she added.

SPORTS

September 22, 2014

games while playing for the Aldergrove Kodiaks of the PIJHL. He is highly skilled and figures to fit right in with the free flowing offensive game the Clan runs.

Last season, SFU men’s hockey were expected to be championship contenders. Instead, their season ended abruptly with an unexpected loss to Trinity Western in the first round of the playoffs.

Despite having dynamite offensive talents in Jono Ceci and Nick Sandor, the Clan could only muster five goals over three games against TWU. Their offensive struggles in the playoffs indicated that the team needed more offensive production from the bottom half of the roster, a need head coach Mark Coletta sought to fill this offseason.

The focus of recruitment was on depth and goaltending, filling the vacancy left by Graeme Gordon. In all, ten new faces will appear on the roster this season.

Langley native Adam Callegari possesses the gaudiest offensive numbers of all the new recruits coming to Burnaby this season.

Callegari posted 70 points in 38

Experience is the most significant value that Matthew Berry-Lamontagna and Matthew Luongo, the first two commits of the offseason, bring to SFU. Berry-Lamontagna played his last four seasons in the WHL and BCHL where he faced off against the top junior competition in the province. Luongo comes from BCIHL rivals Selkirk College and has played on the past two championship winning squads — the Surrey native knows what it takes to win championships.

The goaltending vacancy was addressed by adding netminders Jordan Liem and Dominic Stadnyk. The two will expect to battle it out over camp and preseason for the starting spot in goal. Both are relatively young at 21 years old, so goaltending will be a position for the SFU faithful to keep an eye on all season.

Although the new players will factor into the team’s success this season, the second year players are even more important. Yan Kalashnikov, Josh McKissock and Aaron Enns had solid rookie seasons in the BCIHL, but more offensive production will be needed from this trio if the Clan wants to reach their ultimate goal.

Enns was third on the team in scoring, putting up 31 points in 21 games and showing flashes of dominance in last years campaign.

SFU will rely on Enns to take the next step and be a more consistent threat in order for the Clan to avoid being a one-line team.

The same goes for McKissock and Kalashnikov. Each player has great offensive talent, but neither was able to put the puck in the back of the net as much as this team needed them to.

SFU has enough talent to win the championship, but many things need to go right for the Clan to reach this goal. Some questions remain: Can Liem and Stadnyk fill the giant hole left by the departure of Graeme Gordon?

Will Callegari carry over his incredible scoring performances into the BCIHL? Are Kalashnikov,

McKissock and Enns ready to take the next step?

If the answers are no, the Clan may face another early exit from the playoffs. But if they come together and plays to their true potential, this team can win the 2014/15 BCIHL championship.

23

24 DIVERSIONS / ETC

September 22, 2014 FREE CLASSIFIEDS are available to SFU students for personal use. 30 words maximum. Drop by The Peak offices in MBC 2900 to submit your ad, or go to our website: www.the-peak.ca or email: classifieds@the-peak. ca. One ad per person. All others: $12 + GST per week, prepaid, for 30 words. Each additional 10 words: $1 + GST. Five ads or more for the special price of $8 + GST per ad. Cash or cheque only please.

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HUMOUR

September 22, 2014

What was once mere speculation and popular opinion has now been confirmed: a study released last

week by the Entirely Real Institute of Humour and Evolution has produced shocking information regarding Adam Sandler films and the reactions they elicit from viewers.

After taking a cross section of great apes — from chimpanzees to gorillas and orangutans — and exposing them to the entirety of Mr.

Despite routinely displaying his role as a trained and trusted FBI: Female Body Inspector, a 13-year old operative is reportedly working undercover at tonight’s dinner — you know, because grandma’s coming.

Justin Wilderman, who’s been an FBI for almost three weeks now and has proudly let the world know it by wearing his standard issue Tshirt everywhere, from the grocery store to the movie theatre and even the classroom, is now being called to work in secret for the first time.

According to reports, his mother, Mrs. Wilderman, feels that tonight’s birthday dinner for her uncle Richard is “too important” for her son to be out in the open in his uniform.

“I don’t really get it, but usually I don’t mind too much,” Mrs. Wilderman explained, speaking about her son’s career choice. “All the relatives will be here tonight though and I’m just not sure if they’ll approve [of Justin’s career choice].”

She continued to say that it would be best if Justin went undercover and put on that blue sweater that his grandmother had bought him to cover up his FBI shirt.

However, Justin has made it clear that even if his uniform isn’t visible, he will continue to uphold the responsibilities that come with wearing it.

“This isn’t just a T-shirt to me, I don’t treat it as some sort of novelty or hilarious joke,” Justin told The Peak. “I took a solemn oath when my brother Terry gave it to me to make sure no female bodies went uninspected and I haven’t let him down yet.”

Despite whatever preconceived notions people might have about wearing an FBI: Female Body Inspector shirt, Justin says it is in no way a pile of laughs — it is actually a serious responsibility.

“A lot of people think [this job] means that I just stare at attractive women on the street and look at their boobs or whatever,” Justin explained while putting on the blue sweater-disguise. “No, I have to inspect ALL female bodies, not just hotties.

“The elderly grocery store clerk, the overweight janitor at the movie theatre [. . .] any female animals,”

Sandler’s filmography, researchers discovered that although the apes’ enthusiasm began the trial at a relative high, it suffered a substantial drop-off as they were exposed to more recent films.

“We witnessed abnormally high levels of enjoyment during Sandler films from the ‘90s,” said Marie Thomas, a research assistant for the Entirely Real Institute. “It wasn’t until around the early 2000s that things for the apes really started to go downhill.”

It’s reported that Mr. Deeds — a film that the researchers agree is an “overall feel-good film” and “a lot of fun, if you just lower your expectations” — marked the first instance of an ape admitting it wasn’t Sandler’s best work. Shortly after that, the apes began to show signs of confusion, followed by anger.

The third and final emotion for most of the apes was depression.

During the screening of Jack and Jill, an orangutan named Sammy pointed at the screen, looked to her handler, and signed, “Why?” During the 2014 film Blended, a gorilla named Chico signed, “A bit

humour editor email / phone

Jacey Gibb humour@the-peak.ca / 778.782.4560

lowbrow, isn’t it?” with an ironically hilarious gesture, which included him slapping his own forehead before dragging the hand down his face. A bonobo named Henry watched Grown Ups and fell asleep, waking up during Grown Ups 2 and signing, “I dreamed we were not doing this. It was a good dream.

How many sight gags did I miss?”

25

“We set out to see how far back our ideas of humour go,” explained Thomas. “We know what Roger Ebert thinks of Adam Sandler movies, but what about chimps? Turns out they have fairly similar opinions. We’re fascinated by the fact that they will laugh for 15 minutes when they throw feces at each other, but That’s My Boy got nothing.”

This isn’t the first time that the Entirely Real Institute of Humour and Evolution has been in the

headlines this year. Back in February, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) blasted the organization and this particular study for its “unethical treatment of great apes,” saying that it could not condone any operation that subjected a sentient life to Click, no matter how promising the film’s premise may sound.

“These are some sick people doing some sick things,” said PETA member Robert Rosenberg in a video that went out in March. “I speak for myself and the rest of the organization when I say we’ll be doing everything in our power to stop what’s being done to these poor, unfortunate animals.”

Though Mr. Sandler was too busy producing and starring in Grown Ups 5 to respond to The Peak’s phone calls, it can be speculated that he’s still richer than any one of us will ever be and will probably continue making awful movies starring all of his friends, regardless of what PETA or the rest of the world has to say about it.

and wouldn’t give up his duties for the world, he admits he sometimes wishes he had gone in a different direction in life and become an arbiter of “Who farted?” like his brother originally offered him.

“That would’ve been a lot easier, it’s always uncle Richard,” he said, cringing at the thought of having to inspect his Aunt Cheryl’s psoriasis patch later tonight.

“I guess I just didn’t think this career through enough.”

At press time, Grandma Wilderman had arrived at the door and was delighted to see that Justin was wearing the sweater she had bought him. No word yet on how Justin reacted to what she was wearing, but indications that she wore a dress suggest he wasn’t altogether thrilled.

Justin listed endlessly. “Do you know how many of the squirrels you see around are ladies? Turns out it’s a lot of them!”

Justin further explained that he doesn’t just inspect uniquely female parts either but that he has to take note of every aspect of their body, from their armpits to how many moles they have.

“The entire process can take anywhere from 10 minutes to a halfhour per female. If I leave the house, I normally end up working at least a 10-hour day. That’s why I like to have the shirt, so people know what I’m up to.”

All of these reasons will make working undercover very difficult for Justin.

“There are a lot of women in my family and now I’m going to have to do my inspections without them knowing I’m a professional,” he said, shaking his head. “I hope grandma doesn’t think I’m just leering at her, I have to do my job!”

Although Justin says that he is fully committed to being an FBI

26 HUMOUR

Bay’ filter, which will add giant flames, fighting robots, and plenty of weak female characters to your photo; the ‘Amicus’ filter, which adds anywhere between one to seven friends, depending on the photo’s saturation levels; and the ‘Parent’ filter, which will automatically alter the photo to resemble someone your parents won’t be ashamed to call their son or daughter.

Social media juggernaut Instagram announced earlier this week that it would be adding a brand new series of filters meant to further fool your friends and acquaintances into believing your life is a lot more notable than it actually is.

“Our users are some of the most loyal, status-obsessed individuals in the world,” said Instagram’s co-founder and CEO, Kevin Systrom, following the announcement. “We really wanted to reward that insecurity, while simultaneously feeding into their fears that they might not be as interesting as some of their friends.”

Beginning October 7, like a U2 album fluttering down from the heavens to shake your preconceptions about smartphone privacy, eight new filters will be automatically downloaded to all existing Instagram accounts.

Among them are: the ‘Michael

“One of the filters we’re most excited about is the ‘D-list’ filter,” Systrom continued. “By using Instagram’s global tracking system, we can determine which D-list celebrities live in your area and then insert them into the background of your photo, creating a completely fictional though entirely believable post that will have people thinking, ‘Wow, I can’t believe that person got a photo taken with Brandon Routh!’”

Response to the new lineup of filters has been relatively positive, with fans of giant fighting robots citing the “giant fighting

September 22, 2014

robots” as a big draw while Brandon Routh is reportedly just happy to hear people still sometimes think about him, even if it’s in a demeaning, D-list capacity.

However, there has been some pushback from social critics, saying that the line of new filters might affect the way users view each other’s Instagram accounts.

“People love Instagram because it’s easy and predictable,” SFU sociologist Brenda Fraser told The Peak.

“Did you know that 58 per cent of photos on Instagram are of food or beverages? Or that nine per cent are shots of an airplane wing from inside the cabin? This is the kind of predictable crap that users have grown accustomed to and love. If you start tampering with the filters, you’ll be creating a whole new sector of content and there’s no telling how people will react. Then again, it can’t be worse than the #aftersex trend earlier this year.”

In addition to the new filters, Instagram will also introduce a timer function that will allow users to delay and schedule posts for later, long after they’ve gone to bed.

Systrom explained: “Instead of staying out late and posting pictures of their friends having fun, this new function will let people schedule their posts for 1:00 a.m., giving the illusion that they’re not already curled up at home, falling asleep while

reading Ender’s Game for the fifth time.

“We really think these new releases are going to change the way in which people use Instagram.

Don’t feel like putting up with your friends or loved ones? Just take a photo of yourself and slap the ‘Amicus’ filter on. Don’t want people to think you’re staying at home on a Friday night? Delay the posting until 11:00 p.m. and then go to bed early. Users will finally be free from

the social obligation of ever having to leave their house or talk to people again. You hear me? We’ll all be free. FREE!” For those concerned about losing any existing filters, Instagram has assured users that the new additions won’t affect their old favourites and that the ‘Kelvin’ filter will still be very much be a part of the options, no matter how much you choose to ignore and hate it.

“I love the multiple fonts this magazine offers. Now I can send cryptic kidnapping messages without having to find another magazine.” -Michael Klyne, Stuff

coffee on it and now the screen stopped working.” -Tania Turnbull, The Globe and Mail

“It also doubles as toilet paper!”

-Paige Lawless, Vancouver Sun Recently Ikea has been making world headlines with its innovative bookbook™, a new revolutionary device that’s small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. Straying from their traditional Ikea Edge, this new bookbook is a slim and sleeker version of your usual catalogue, with a 7.5 by 8 inch design. After the success of 2013’s iHorseMeatballs, Ikea’s new device has already garnered positive responses from some of the top technology critics. Here’s what some of them are saying.

“This is the future, I’ve never seen anything quite like it. The interface has totally changed

from last year’s catalogue.”

-Maria Yoshida, Wired “Quite frankly, I’m satisfied with it. Especially with its new virus protection Roll-it-Up app, which fights off any bugs.” -Joel Lepp, Gizmag

“The fact that it has a bendable screen on every page is amazing. Sorry Samsung, I’ve Sam-singed your praises long enough.” -John Fowler, New Technology Magazine

However, despite the massive hype circulating the internet, users of similar interfaces were unimpressed with what Ikea had to offer.

“Yeah, the extended battery life is great, but Ikea’s deliberately avoiding the fact that it’s not waterproof. I spilled my

“If you look inside the magazine, there’s nothing but proprietary hardware with no open source specifications. How am I supposed to know the NSA isn’t spying on me through my Tarva shelf? I’m going to store my personal photos on there you know.”

-Alison Smith, Discover Magazine “I don’t like how they’re only letting the bookbook™ be compatible with the bookbookhourglass™. Ikea has dominated the marketplace long enough; give us some room for competition!”

-Tom Harold, Popular Science “What a rip-off, it doesn’t even have any games.” - Rachelle Yeung, The Toronto Star “Meh, they’re just going to shill out a bookbook™ 1S sooner or later.” - Max Hill, The Peak

HUMOUR

September 22, 2014

27

28 LAST WORD

“Terry” Fox is the closest thing our country has to a national hero.

Think about that for a minute.

Our folk hero isn’t a politician and reformer, like George Washington in the United States; nor the leader of a widespread social movement, like Mahatma Gandhi in India; nor a warrior or a prophet, like Joan of Arc in France. Where other nations idolize big people from big families occupying big places in world history, Canada has a suburban kid from Port Coquitlam whose heroism didn’t lie in organizing the people, or conquering the people, or even telling them what to do or how to think. And that’s what makes him great.

If you grew up in this province like I did, you’ll surely remember the countless hours of class time dedicated each and every September to discussing Terry’s legacy — his Marathon of Hope; his stubborn, unwavering dedication to the goal of raising money for cancer research in the face of his own declining health; his untimely death at the age of 22.

I don’t mean to make you relive this story. Terry’s tale has been firmly and repeatedly ingrained into the collective consciousness of British Columbia; we’ve all heard it over and over again.

features editor email / phone

Max Hill features@the-peak.ca / 778.782.4560

What we often miss out on, though, is the portrait of Terry as he really was: not some heroic übermensch or irreproachable deity, but a regular kid with a commitment to making the world we live in a better and healthier place.

Think of Terry before he became the cultural icon he is to-

of his leg, he played on Canada’s wheelchair basketball team, and helped win them three titles between 1978–1980.

It was his experiences during this period of his life, before he received surgery for the osteosarcoma which had spread in his knee, that inspired him to run his

day, before his statue, in mid-gait, stood in the Academic Quadrangle he once walked through as a regular undergrad. His mother convinced him to enrol in Simon Fraser University, where he chose to study kinesiology. He wanted to be a PE teacher — in another world, it’s easy to imagine him coaching ninth graders to run laps in the mud and rain.

By all accounts, Terry was a friendly, goofy kid with a passionate love for sports and competition. He would not have been unrecognizable as a university student to you or I. He earned a spot on the school’s basketball team during his junior year; after his cancer forced the amputation

Marathon of Hope. His time in chemotherapy treatment inspired his deep empathy for other cancer survivors; his resolve to change the way that we think about and research cancer originated from his human need to reduce the suffering of others. He promised himself that, if he survived treatment, he would do everything he could to make life better for cancer sufferers around the world.

This is something we all do in our daily lives. We see systems that are broken, and people in need; we feel for them, and we want to help them, even if we’re not sure how. It was Terry’s choice to do something about it, to find a way to make a lasting contribution to a

cause he so believed in, that made him truly great.

Terry trained for 14 months before embarking on his nowlegendary Marathon of Hope, and it must have a been a gruelling experience. He said that it took 20 minutes of running before the pain reached a threshold where he could ignore it; his prosthetic running leg gave him cuts, bruises, and blisters that took weeks to heal.

When he began his run in April of 1980, he maintained that the public response should be focused solely on promoting cancer research; he shied away from media scrutiny, insisted that his corporate sponsors not make any profit off his marathon, and only attended events and promotions he felt would result in more donations to the cause. Until the spread of cancer to his lungs forced him to end his run short, he never took a day off — even on his 22nd birthday, which would be his last.

It’s easy to bristle at the story of a folk hero whose inspirational struggles seem cheesy and idealized, especially when schoolteachers and media outlets have been forcing you to revisit the story every year since childhood.

But there was plenty about Terry that was subversive and

September 22, 2014

challenging. He ignored the calls of doctors and friends who told him he was endangering his own life. He refused to think of himself as ‘disabled,’ and maintained that his life had become more rewarding since his amputation. Despite the immense toll his 143-straight-day marathon took on his physical and mental wellness, Terry never sought out any personal attention or glory.

We should remember Terry now, 34 years later, for his willpower, his success in uniting people towards a common goal of curing one of the most destructive and tenacious diseases in human history, and for his courage and kindness, even in his final moments. Each year, we run — like he did — to raise money for those who still suffer through surgeries and chemotherapy.

Ultimately, imagining Terry as an icon and not a human being takes away from the real heroism of what he accomplished.

It ignores the fact that Terry wasn’t born exceptional. He made a choice he felt was in the best interest of those he cared most about, and he didn’t waver once until his disease forced him to step aside. That’s an example we could all learn from.