The Build SFU question

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FIRST PEEK

In about my fourth lifeguarding shift at a new pool, I looked into the deepest end of the water, and I saw a person sunk deep, motionless with her arms and legs spread out. Just moments before, I was recalling in my head the story of a near-drowning that I had heard.

This isn’t that ironic, though. It’s like when you think of a song and it comes on the radio at the same time. It’s serendipitous, but you probably forget all the times the song doesn’t come on. In retrospect, I anticipated swimmers drowning every guarding shift I worked, before and after this.

In the story I was thinking of, a guard always insisted on looking directly down the side of the pool, and, because of this, they spotted and pulled out a physically disabled woman who had slid along the pool’s side to the bottom.

For the first time, I was guarding a very busy area with many splashing kids. I was thinking about this story, I looked down, and I saw her. Blood rushed to my head; no one knew her.

I dove in and focused on my tshirt dragging my arms. I covered the woman’s mouth and pulled

her up. Another guard was with me in the water, and she found no pulse and no breathing. The woman’s lips were blue and her face was pale. I looked back at her face twice while we pulled her, and I thought, “I killed someone.”

I only remember bursts of moments afterwards. We brought her to the shallow end, other lifeguards lifted her out; a swimmer, not a lifeguard, actively performed compressions on her chest; I held the defibrillator, and two guards yelled to put it on; I pressed the pads on the wrong sides of her torso, and the helping swimmer pulled them off and corrected them.

I was helpless, incompetent, weak, stupid, and useless.

I remember, afterwards, I stepped into my dad’s car and cried a lot. I rode home with my parents and I felt numb; when we arrived, they went out to do plans, probably because I implied that this all didn’t affect me much. Our house was huge and most of the lights were off.

I thought about a short while in my life, around when I felt a powerful, general numbness. For one period, it was all I could think about; one night in particular, I couldn’t sleep for hours because of it. I didn’t tell anyone how I felt,

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though. I didn’t want to burden them, or even accept it.

There in the house, I turned on many lights, and my hand shook the phone against my ear. I tried many, but could only reach one friend that night. He listened to everything I had to say, and it didn’t matter that he didn’t know how to respond.

Days later, a local newspaper released an article about the incident and how Jane, the woman, had survived. It hailed the swimmer who helped in the pool, implying that if he wasn’t there, she would have died. It didn’t mention the six trained lifeguards also involved.

In the following weeks, I met with another friend, a fellow lifeguard. We talked about this, and her own incidences, when she felt guilty, shameful, scared, and incompetent. I would shake and cry, but I spoke about it. And going forward from there, I found many generous people who wanted to give me their attention, and talk about their own personal stories.

Talking about this now, my pulse gets stronger, and I feel waves of guilt and shame.

But after that time, three years ago next month, I promised myself that my feelings would always have weight, that I would always have weight, and that I could change.

I also promised that from then on, if anyone needed me to be, I would be the one listening on the other end of a phone or the other side of a table.

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NEWS

September , 2015

news editor email

Melissa Roach news@the-peak.ca

associate news editor

Jamal Dumas

Lawrence Hill, author of the acclaimed novel The Book of Negroes, will join up with CBC Hot Air radio host Margaret Gallagher to discuss the process of transferring a novel to a television miniseries at “The Book of Negroes: From Page to Screen” on Thursday, September 17th, at 7:00 p.m.

SFU celebrated 50 years of “engaging the world” with a day packed with merrymaking, bagpipes, and an almost comical overuse of the word ‘engage,’ with events ranging from a casual celebration in Freedom Square to a swanky evening affair in the AQ courtyard.

The event saw nearly 2,000 guests enjoy the evening celebration. Of the $250 million set as a fundraising goal, organizers say $185 million ended up being raised from donors. Organizers are still determining the total cost of the day’s events.

The day began with the Campus Kickoff, which began at 11:30 a.m. in Freedom Square. Hosted

by CityTV Breakfast Television host Riaz Meghji and live-streamed to SFU’s satellite campuses, the kickoff began with a fusion dance performance that incorporated highland dancing, bhangra, and Aboriginal drumming.

Afterwards, multiple individuals shared words of wisdom and reflected on SFU’s past 50 years.

Said SFSS president Enoch Weng, “I’m just so excited to see past students, current students, and even future students [. . .] as we come together to celebrate what it means to be SFU [. . .] I can only imagine the great things we’ll achieve here at SFU as we move towards the next 50 years.”

The Campus Kickoff was followed by the serving of fair trade chocolate cake and a food truck festival which whetted appetites for the evening event, appropriately dubbed “Celebrate and Savour.”

The latter event was hosted by Bard on the Beach Artistic Director and Founder Christopher Gaze.

Engage with political issues that affect you at “Creative Publics,” an interactive art workshop which aims use art to spread awareness about the political issues relevant to the upcoming federal election. Join in on Friday September 18th from 12:00 — 4:00 p.m.

Attendees included Provincial Minister of Advanced Education Andrew Wilkinson, Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan, andLieutenant Governor of BC Judith Guichon.

Guests enjoyed culinary creations from local eateries such as Vij’s Restaurant, Chez Christophe Patisserie, and The Vancouver Fish Company, while mingling in the AQ Gardens, which were transformed into a lavish venue, outfitted with lantern lighting and a large stage at the end of the reflection pond.

Members of the Teaching Support Staff Union were present at the event, toting signs, some of which read, “President Petter, Engage Your Workers,” and speaking to attendees in order to spread their messages and explain what their core issues are that they have brought to the bargaining table. The union has been on strike and is currently in mediation with SFU administration.

At the end of the night, SFU wrapped up its 50th Anniversary with a bang, putting on a dazzling fireworks celebration. The AQ was then lit up with pyrotechnics set to a musical score.

One of the most emphasized components of the day was the presence of charter students who were part of the original cohort of SFU students to attend the school in 1965. Nearly 200 charter students were estimated to have attended the day’s events and their presence was acknowledged and appreciated by the number of speakers throughout the night.

SFU President Andrew Petter made an address to attendees and the charter alumni in particular. He said, “We, the students, the faculty, and supporters of SFU, who are the beneficiaries of your work today, look with pride and admiration at what has occurred in five short decades.”

He continued, “These are the gifts that we have received from those who have gone before us.

And they give us the responsibility to make sure that we are no less committed, no less energetic, no less passionate, and certainly no less engaged as we move forward.”

During the morning event, it was announced that SFU student Caleb Sung and producer Brett Janzen had won the Legacy Song contest with their song “Engage the World.” Brendan Bernardo was the people’s choice award winner with his creation, “Make a Simon Fraser U.” The theme of engagement echoed throughout the day, including Petter’s closing remarks of his address to the sea of SFU red in Freedom Square.

“I want to say I look forward to working with everyone here, as we all do, to build an even brighter future for the next 50 years. Let’s engage!”

Learn more about Kurdish history with “Women Warriors of Kurdistan,” a panel discussion featuring Kurdish activist Nissy Koye, and fighter for the Kurdistan YPJ Hannah Bohman, as they discuss “the power of female fighters” at Women Warriors of Kurdistan on Sunday, September 13 at 4:00 p.m.

NEWS

SFU’s largest student society — formerly Sustainable SFU — has recently rebranded, changing its name to “Embark.”

All undergraduate and graduate students are members of the student-led, not-for-profit society as a result of the sustainability levy that is included in the semesterly student fees. The levy is $2 for full time students and $1 for part time students.

After undergoing a rebranding process over the summer, the Embark website and brand was launched to the public on September 1.

Embark’s Executive Director Joshua Cairns explained that over the past few years the rebranding of Sustainable SFU was being considered in order to “adopt a really unique identity and help distinguish ourselves on campus, as far as what we do, and how we are different from the SFU Sustainability office. “‘Embark’ really spoke to what it is we do, which is we want to empower students to create sustainable change on campus, and to carry that wave of momentum into the world [. . .] beyond SFU,” said Cairns.

“Essentially, what we do is empower students to become sustainability leaders, and we do that through grants, training, and engagement.”

The society worked with Dossier Creative, a local organization that specializes in branding and innovation.

Two SFU student interns at Dossier Creative helped create the entire brand, including everything from the name and the logo, to the feel of the new look.

According to Cairns, the rebranding process involved asking the questions, “Who are we?” and “Where are we headed?”

Aside from changing the name and appearance of the brand, the rebranding process allowed the society’s staff and board of directors to reevaluate their key values.

Those values identified as most important included

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empowerig, disrupting, collaborating, and changing the world, said Cairns.

He noted, “Once we got those values down [. . .] we were really able to figure out what the name should be, what the logo should be, but also how we should change the organization to reflect those values.

And that’s why now we’re increasing the amount of grants that we have available, because that’s a key way that we can help empower them to make sustainable change.”

Embark will also provide professional development opportunities for students, as well and working on engaging them by offering training workshops — something Sustainable SFU did not facilitate.

Workshops will be held throughout the year on topics including “Outreach 101,” op-ed writing, public protesting, and more.

Cairns mentioned that old initiatives such as the harvest boxes, teaching gardens, and bike-to-work week events will still be a big part of what they do.

He identified pushing the university to divest from fossil fuel companies as their primary goal within the value of “disrupt” this year.

“It’s becoming a more urgent issue,” said Cairns. “We’ve had great interest from the student body to get involved with us to help make that happen, because I think they’re also identifying with this brand [...] very well.”

The key theme of “collaboration” will be enacted through outreach and dialogues in order to gauge the specific interests for SFU students and to build partnerships with other groups on campus in effort to engage as many students as possible.

Cairns explained, “Any priority or initiative that we identify, we need to appreciate that there’s probably a whole other group of students, or a whole other group of faculty or staff on campus that are also working towards the exact same end goal.”

For Embark, changing the world is more of an overall guiding value that will point them in the direction they want to go, and allow them to keep their vision in mind. “It speaks to the fact that we won’t just accept the status quo and business as usual,” said Cairns.

“Our ultimate end goal is that we want to change the world.

Every decision we make, every initiative we take on, should contribute to a positive change in the world.”

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NOTICE OF STUDENT ELECTION FALL 2015 CALL FOR NOMINATIONS FOR STUDENT REPRESENTATIVES Students have an opportunity to become involved in the governance of SFU by submitting a nomination form for positions on Senate.

COMMITTEE

POSITIONS

TERM OF OFFICE

INFORMATION

Senate

One student from the Faculty of Education, elected by and from the student body.

Present to Senate meets once a May 31, 2016 month and is responsible for the academic governance (all matters that bear on teaching and research) of the University. www.sfu.ca/senate. html

Nomination Deadline: Wenesday, September 23, 2015 @ 4:00 pm Campaign Period: September 24, 2015 to October 2, 2015 Online Voting: September 30, 2015 to October 2, 2015 Nomination Forms and Candidate Info: http://students.sfu.ca/elections/students.html Questions may be directed to the Electoral Officer, Senate & Academic Services at 778-782-3168 or senate@sfu.ca.

6 NEWS

In the last federal election, youth aged 18–24 turned out to vote at 38.8 per cent compared to the general population’s 61.1 per cent turnout. The “Storm the Dorm” campaign aims to change that.

The initiative, championed by the Council for Canadians as part of their “Game Changer” campaign, has garnered support from the Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS) to help get the message about the upcoming federal election out to SFU students.

SFU student Deven Azevedo, an organizer for the campaign through the SFSS Advocacy Committee, said that the “basic idea is to just talk to them, [and] remind them there is an election. [. . .] Then we can get their email, [and] remind them on the day of, or a few days before.”

One of the components of the campaign, which began canvassing

September 14, 2015

work in the spring, is pledge drives during which student volunteers approach students, ask them if they know about the upcoming federal election, and hopefully get them to pledge to vote. In addition, students can receive pamphlets courtesy of Elections Canada that explain how to register to vote, as well as email reminders closer to the election date.

Said Azevedo, “Students, especially ones at the time of the elections, during midterms time, get so focused in their own world, they don’t know there’s an election going on. They don’t know where to go.”

Leena Hasan, another one of the SFU student organizers, commented on the feedback from students whom they approached for their first drive of this semester, which was held during the 50th Anniversary Kickoff event on September 9 at the Burnaby Campus.

“Most people seemed like they were interested in voting and everyone that I talked to knew that there was a federal election coming up,” said Hasan. “I think that is a good sign that this is becoming a more prominent issue that people are paying attention to.”

She elaborated, “We told them about the benefits of signing the pledge, not just saying that you’re going to vote, but to be able to provide resources on how to register, and where the parties stand on youth issues so that it would also give them something useful.”

According to Hasan, many students (herself included) are concerned about issues such as Bill C-51 and the erosion of civil liberties in the current government. Said Hasan, “There’s definitely a lot of people who aren’t

happy with current government for a lot of different reasons.”

Hasan was motivated by her own dissatisfaction with the government to get involved. “I voted in the last election and was really disappointed with the results and it felt like people were not really engaged with Canadian politics and they didn’t really realize what the consequences would be,” she said.

“But now that we’ve actually seen them and experienced what it’s like to have a Harper government, I think people are starting

Scholarship for LGBT activism offered at U of S

U of C takes science to the streets [CALGARY] — The University of Calgary is putting on a five-day festival with sixty events, which will include contributions from the university’s best and brightest scientists, engineers, and artists.

The event, Beakerhead, returns to Calgary from September 16 to 20 and will explore the result of combining technical and creative disciplines. It will feature “science busking,” where impromptu science experiments will take place on the street. The campus itself will host a “giant flying robotic dragonfly” and an interactive art show.

With files from The Gauntlet

[SASKATOON] — The University of Saskatchewan, for the first time in its history, is to offer a law scholarship which recognizes work towards LGBT activism and the contributions of LGBT students.

The Brad Berg and Brian Rolfes LGBT Rights Scholarship will provide the recipient with $25,000 over four years. The award is for a student that works towards LGBT rights through their academic or community involvement. Now a couple, both Berg and Rolfes graduated from the U of S College of Law and created this scholarship with the hopes of making a real difference for the LGBT community.

With files from The Sheaf

to wake up and pay attention to democracy being affected and falling apart.”

In the coming weeks before the election, the organizers hope to do more pledge drives, run a poster campaign, and hold a debate on October 1 for all the candidates running for the seat in SFU Burnaby’s riding, save for the Conservative candidate who declined to attend.

Said Azevedo, “The idea is that youth can be game changers in this election.”

U of T archaeologist traces history of wine [TORONTO] — University of Toronto archaeologist Stephen Batiuk has discovered that wine may have been invented over 6,000 years ago in Georgia.

Findings show that, back then, wine had significant importance to daily life as it was often used as a form of payment and to climb up the social ladder. However, wine, unlike beer, could not be produced at all times during the year.

With files from The Varsity

NEWS

SFU held a commemoration of the fourth annual Sexual Health Day at the SFU Segal Building in downtown Vancouver.

The event, which occurred on Friday, September 4, was organized by Roanne Millman and Jennifer Pink of SFU’s Close Relationships Lab. The event was well attended, despite this being the first event of its kind in Canada, with representatives from the BC Women’s Hospital, Men’s Health Initiative, and Vancouver Coastal Health, to name a few.

World Sexual Health Day is an international event founded by the World Association of Sexual Health (WAS) in 2010. The

Simon Fraser University has partnered with BCIT to offer a Masters in Science (M.Sc.) in Ecological Restoration.

The two-year program begins this fall. It will allow students to gain the benefits of both theoretical science and experiential knowledge from both campuses. Students who enroll in the program will be learning skills needed to restore ecosystems that have been harmed through human affairs and industrialization.

Ingrid Stevanovich, Dean of SFU’s Faculty of Environment, spoke to the The Peak and explained how this unique program came to be.

“While there are other programs that address challenges of ecological restoration, there is no comparable graduate program that covers the full breadth of interdisciplinary offerings that range from science, through the social sciences — as well as the technical aspects of the actual practice of remediation,” said Stevanovich.

She continued, “The program emerged as a collaborative

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organization “promotes sexual health throughout human life spans all over the world by developing, promoting and supporting sexology and sexual rights for all.”

The day is now promoted in over 35 countries through dialogue, networking, and education about sexual health issues. SFU’s event was the first of its kind in Canada.

This year’s theme was “Sexual Health for a Fairer Society.”

The event featured three speakers who were well-versed in sexual health issues. The first of the presenters was Lori Brotto who is, among many titles, an associate professor in UBC’s Department of Obstetrics/Gynaecology, as well as an Allied Staff Member in the Division of Gynecologic Oncology at the Vancouver Acute Health Service Delivery Area.

The second speaker was Dorothy Shaw, the Vice President of Medical Affairs at BC Women’s

Hospital, as well as a clinical professor in UBC’s Department of Obstetrics/Gynaecology.

process between both institutions. It was very much facultydriven. Faculty members at both institutions promoted the idea, recognizing a) a gap in ecological restoration science training in Canada, and b) a tremendous need within the field of ecological restoration for better research and improved practices.”

Stevanovich emphasized how this program allows students to gain both practical and theoretical knowledge.

“The core intent is to provide the practical training that is BCIT’s specialty, with the core, high-integrity scientific expertise at SFU. [. . .] Both SFU and BCIT also excel in community engagement and practicebased learning, so it is a great partnership.”

The program consists of 36 credits.

Exactly 18 of these credits will be at SFU, while the other 18 will be taken at BCIT. Students will take courses such as ecological restoration, project management, and research methods, and will even take a class where they must complete an applied research project.

A key component of the program will be that students visit active restoration sites around the Lower Mainland and learn valuable skills in understanding and taking measures to restore such sites.

Stevanovich spoke to the demand for careers in ecological restoration.

Students will not only take classes at both SFU and BCIT, but also they will be engaged in various restoration projects across the Lower Mainland.

Some of the main topics they will learn inside the classroom and out in the field are these: how to assess degraded ecosystems, design a restoration prescription, develop and initiate detailed monitoring programs, establish scientifically-based approaches, and develop and apply project management guidelines.

The third was Shannon Griffin, RN and sexual clinician with the Men’s Health Initiative.

All three speakers tackled issues of sexual health and human rights, such as proposed new millennium development goals for gender equality — these include the promotion of sexual health and protection against sexual discrimination.

With the United Nations (UN) and many other advocates backing

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these changes, the dialogue at the Segal Building could not have come at a better time. This was highlighted by Shaw, who is an expert in global sexual health and the role of institutions like the UN in spearheading an effective strategy against practices such as female genital mutilation.

In an environment of free discussion, Brotto explained a new drug designed for women experiencing arousal dysfunction, much like Viagra for men.

The drug, named Addyi or flibanserin, was recently approved by the FDA in the United States. In an interview with The Globe and Mail , Brotto said, “There is evidence to support

those things — they’re just not medication.” She echoed these sentiments at the Segal Building, criticizing the oversimplification of a complex disorder with an “easy fix.” This led to a discussion about what constitutes female arousal on a mental and physical level.

Griffin explained her work with the Men’s Health Initiative and her insight into the questions, concerns, and misconceptions that men have about sexual health.

All in all, the event was a success on its inaugural run, according to co-organizer Jennifer Pink. She told The Peak that the group hopes to get World Sexual Health Day recognized as a national day of deliberation. For now, she is pleased with the first steps: “What is relevant to students is that this event raises discussions about sexual health and curiosity about these issues.”

“There is no doubt that the field is going to be growing in demand — from the impact on ecosystems of industries, such as mining, forestry, or fishing, to the changes imposed upon ecosystems by urban growth.

We have our challenges cut out for us as we seek to restore damaged ecosystems worldwide,

and this joint graduate program is the new medical school for the environment.”

According to Doug Ransome, director of the program at BCIT, human activities have drastically affected the environment and climate. Said Ransome, “Restoration scientists and practitioners are ecosystem physicians.”

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Questions? Call 778-782-3598.

8 NEWS

The board discussed a motion regarding the renovation, expansion, and improvement of student space on all of SFU’s campuses. The SFSS Space Expansion Fund exists to support initiatives such as this.

The motion also proposed that SFSS staff be assigned specifically to serve satellite campuses.

Directors expressed a need for better understanding of how to serve students on satellite campuses and offered the creation of society space in Vancouver and Surrey as a solution. There is no current society space outside of Burnaby Campus. This sparked debate as to the difference between ‘student space’ and ‘society space.’ Ultimately the motion was tabled.

The Greek Representation and Interest Development Club (GRID) is a club with the goal of gaining official recognition for fraternities and sororities on campus. The club had been required by the SFSS to sign a Letter of Agreement to ensure GRID followed bylaws that restricted by the activities GRID could engage in as well as how their leadership was selected.

This letter has expired as of September 1. There was general confusion around what the club’s bylaws are as well as why the letter had been created in the first place.

VP Student Life Deepak Sharma asserted that since GRID is a “student-based interest group” like many others, it should be allowed to register as a club under the existing bylaws and not be “handpicked” from many clubs who may have violated SFSS bylaws, by requiring signing of a Letter of Agreement.

Further discussion was tabled until the October board meeting. Said VP University Relations Brady Yano, “Until I see action on their part, I am not interested in opening this up for discussion.”

September 14, 2015

SFU Biomedical Physiology and Kinesiology PhD candidate Alexandre Laurin has spent his summer in France at the École Polytechnique developing a 3D interactive computer model to emulate the intricate behaviours of the human heart and chest.

Laurin’s ultimate goal is to use smartphones to diagnose heart conditions, bringing the diagnosis to us.

He worked as part of the Mathematical and Mechanical Models with Data Interactions in Simulations for Medicine (M3DISIM) group, focused on applying mathematical modeling and biomedical engineering to modeling the heart.

“You need the model first to understand what’s going on, then you can build the app for a smartphone,” Laurin told SFU University Communications.

The group started with studying the mechanical properties and movements of the heart and chest, examining the bones and cartilage that comprise a chest. They then use this information to form an

elementary model of the chest using simple geometric shapes.

This model allows the team to detect vibrations in the heart. As of now, their program examines the minute gaps between detected vibrations to determine which valve of the heart is opening or closing, thus completing the simulation.

His work with M3DISIM is in tandem to his work at the SFU Aerospace Physiology Lab, led by SFU professor Andrew Blaber, where he obtained the necessary seismocardiograms of a real heart to compare to the vibrations simulated by his computer model.

Despite all the hard work Laurin has put in, developing a

model is just the beginning. What the program cannot detect is the underlying reason behind the vibrations. “What we don’t know is what is causing the vibration read-

ing, so if we ever want to diagnose wrong or weird vibrations, we need to really understand the mechanical and electrical variables of each vibration,” said Laurin.

In other words, each vibration has inherent qualities that

correspond to different signals and movements in the heart.

Laurin’s heart app would have to detect, process, and match these vibrations to observed data to produce a diagnosis for a patient’s condition.

Laurin anticipates that it would take at least another 10 years of work developing the app to reach a final product.

While this summer internship, partially funded by a Graduate International Research Travel Award given by SFU, has come to an end with the completion of the model, he plans on returning on a second trip to finetune the model.

T

he Simon Fraser Student Society’s (SFSS) Build SFU initiative has been a long time in the making.

This is the largest student-led project in SFU history. The project, which involves the construction of a Student Union Building and Stadium on Burnaby Campus, has been halted for months, since the society did not garner enough undergraduate student votes to pursue the loan it will require before beginning construction.

The project has been embroiled in controversy, as several students have come forward in opposition, not just to the general concept of the project, but to how the process has unfolded over the years. They have even organized into an opposition campaign, No to Build SFU. At the September 22 SFSS Annual General Meeting, the student society will once again put the question to its members. Though construction was unable to begin on schedule this summer, the SFSS has been at work making amendments to the motions and doing considerable outreach to educate students about Build SFU. Perhaps the most noteworthy change in how the questions will be put to students this time around — the SUB and Stadium projects have been split into two different motions. This move was in response to student feedback that expressed a desire for the projects to be considered and voted upon separately.

SFU students express a need for student space on campus via survey. Maggie Benston Centre (MBC), constructed in 1973, was originally meant to meet this need. It was deemed that student feedback reflected that MBC was insufficient in this respect.

The SFSS board of directors initially look into the possibility of constructing a SUB.

A working group is formed to reassess the feasibility of the project. Three objectives came out of that process: develop a SUB, develop a new stadium, and develop a sense of community for SFU students.

The board begins to meet with SFU administration to work out the cost of the project as well as explore converting the Lorne Davies Complex into a SUB and stadium.

The SFSS conducts consultations in the “Think Tank,” located adjacent to the society’s office in MBC. The combined Build SFU SUB and Stadium projects are passed by referendum in March, 2012.

The Think Tank reopens as the official headquarters for Build SFU. They meet with various potential architects, and solicit student feedback. In April, Perkins+Will is selected as the official architectural firm for the Build SFU projects.

Possible sites for the SUB are looked into and Student Advisory Committee (SAC) holds its first meeting to provide feedback.

What is the SUB? The SUB is meant to be a hub of student activity, providing a space for students to call their own and building a greater sense of community for the student body.

The building is planned to be located between the Academic Quadrangle and Maggie Benston Centre, right in the heart of Burnaby Campus. A total of 10,015 square metres, the building will be home to new dining options, study space, lounge space, and more.

Why do we need a SUB? An SFSS survey shows that 49 per cent of students spend more than six hours per day on Burnaby Campus outside of class. Most of that time is spent on the east side of campus.

“This didn’t come out of thin air,” said Larissa Chen, SFSS Health Sciences Representative.

The SFU Undergraduate Student Survey results from 2008 to 2014 reveal that students are primarily concerned with a need for improved student life and improved facilities. The SUB is the society’s answer to meeting both those needs at once. “There is always a constant battle for space,” expressed SFSS President Enoch Weng.

Business Representative Hangue Kim added that current students feel there is “no reason to stay on campus.”

What’s in the SUB? Consultation begins at all 3 SFU campuses to inform students and receive feedback on SUB location.

Over 4000 students answer a survey regarding where the SUB is to be located and what would be inside the new building.

Plans for space programming in the SUB include plenty of space for a range of student activities, including a nap room, a community kitchen, a dance room, rehearsal rooms, a rooftop garden, and a multipurpose room that could double as a rental venue for events.

According to the board, the finer details of what will actually be in the SUB are flexible and will be determined with further student consultation.

There is a considerable focus on ‘wellness’ in the SUB design, with ample natural lighting. The modern building design features open spaces, minimizes energy use, and pays particular attention to accessibility needs.

What is the Stadium?

The second prong to the Build SFU initiative, the Stadium, is to be built at Terry Fox Field. Seating 2500, the development intends to revamp our athletics facilities and provide a better viewing experience for SFU students and visitors to athletic events.

The hope is that this new Stadium will be a draw for other events. Build SFU explained that “Any revenues from ticket sales or sponsorship would be put back into maintaining the facility or reducing the construction cost for students.”

What will it cost?

The overall cost of these two projects is $65 million. The SUB is budgeted for $55 million, and the Stadium makes up the remaining $10 million.

In order to foot the bill, the SFSS needs to secure loans (or debentures) of approximately $41 million for the SUB and $10 million for the stadium. The loans are contingent on students’ approval and their vote to ensure the continuance of the Build SFU levy until the loans are repaid in full.

Other sources of funding include the sale of part of the SFSS’s space in MBC, as well as a portion of the society’s Space Expansion Fund. The board has also expressed its intent to seek external funding.

Build SFU has spent $4.7 million to date, less than originally expected. “Every phase of the project has come under budget,” said Chen.

The levy system Payments on the loan would be made over 25 to 30 years, funded by the student levy which is automatically tacked on to undergraduate student fees.

The levy works on a two-tiered system, charging part-time students half of the full-time fee. Currently, the fee is $20 for full-time students and $10 for students enrolled in three units or fewer. This will increase on a yearly basis, by $10 and $5 respectively until 2022, at which time it will be adjusted only to account for inflation.

The society has put a Build SFU bursary in place to relieve the financial burden of the levy on students, which they have doubled since the SGM in the spring.

The SFSS is not opposed to changing the levy based on how many credits a student is taking and which campus is their home base.

Starting now, a student taking two full-time semesters per year over a four year degree would pay a total of $320 towards the project. A student would pay $450 over a five-year degree at the same rate.

The levy cannot be changed without going to referendum.

The society assures that it will not default on the loan, since SFU regulates enrolment to hit certain targets.

Does SFU have a stake in the SUB? SFU is leasing the structure to the SFSS for a total of 70 years. The lifespan of the original structure is 50 years, so around the 50-year mark, the building will need to undergo renovations.

It is decided that the “Crossroads” area between the AQ and MBC will be the new SUB location.

Three early designs for the SUB are released to the public.

Three student consulting workshops help inform goals around sustainability and accessibility. In addition students contribute ideas for art and interior design for SUB.

The university has committed to the building for operating costs.

The board has also expressed its intent to seek external funding.

“Students are the primary stakeholders,” asserted Weng.

levy and repaying $1.1 million to SFU that was a prepayment made for the sale of MBC.

Why now?

No to Build SFU is a movement created by students that professes to be “dedicated to exposing Build SFU’s downsides.” Some of the chief concerns among students are the exclusion of students who are based at satellite campuses, the inaccessibility of the voting process, and a lack of accountability when it comes to responding to negative reactions to the project.

Colin Woodbury and Melissa Lee of No to Build SFU commented on the changes put into effect since the SGM, saying that the division of the SUB and Stadium projects was one of their original ideals.

“What I said at the SGM to the crowd was that [. . .] we can never get to the point of reform unless we said ‘No’ that day,” expressed Woodbury. Lee added that although some alterations have been made, “it’s reform, but not complete reform.”

The last two attempts by the SFSS to be approved to pursue the loan were unsuccessful for different reasons. Last year’s AGM garnered a 93 per cent approval rate for the combined project, but due to limited space in the SFU Theatre, several voting members were left waiting outside, unable to exercise their democratic right.

In light of that outcome, the SFSS hosted a Special General Meeting (SGM) in the Spring 2015 semester to put the question to students once again. The meeting was held in the West Gym, the largest indoor venue on campus, to accommodate more of the society’s 26,000 plus members. Out of the 630 students in attendance, only 65 percent voted in favour of the debenture, falling short of the 75 per cent needed to go ahead with it.

The Opposition

Satellite What will happen Representation at the AGM? The SFSS encourages students to “arrive informed” to this year’s AGM, taking place on Sept. 22 in the West Gym. Doors will open at 2 p.m. and the meeting is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. The SFSS explained that a vote by special resolution at an AGM is more preferable than an online vote, as it allows for students to voice their opinions and ask questions.

Students will vote on three different points: • • •

The approval of a debenture for the SUB The approval of a debenture for the Stadium A bylaw addition that will assure the continuation of the Build SFU levy

If students vote in favour of the special resolutions that would allow the SFSS to pursue the debenture, construction will begin in Spring 2016 and last until Spring 2018.

If the special resolutions fail to pass, the SFSS plans to begin the process of revoking the

One major issue, voiced time and time again, is that students who primarily attend class on satellite campuses will not have an equal use of the building, but will have to pay an equal share.

The SFSS is looking into restructuring the levy to reflect this disparity. One of the problems with this, recognized by both sides, is that there is no current system in place to determine who is a satellite student and who is not.

The board is also in the midst of looking into space expansion on satellite campuses.

Another concern is that those same students are less likely to be able to participate in the decision-making around the project, as all the voting up to now has taken place in-person on Burnaby Campus.

Voter Accessibility Lee remarked that the SFSS was capable and is capable of conducting an online vote as opposed to an

AGM or SGM vote. However they have chosen not to do so, to allow for dialogue and mitigate costs. The society estimates that the cost of holding an online referendum vote over several days would be approximately $10,000.

“You can’t have dialogue with 600 students,” said Lee. Of the decision to hold the vote at an AGM, Lee remarked, “In my mind, it’s working towards their own goals; they know who’s going to show up that day. It’s the Burnaby students and the athletes who are all living here.”

Leading up to the SGM, No to Build SFU brought forward a petition to add two referendum questions to the agenda, to remove the Build SFU levy and to add a bylaw requiring a minimum of 10 per cent voter turnout and a 75 per cent majority vote for projects valued over $5,000,000. Having only 628 of the 1,000 signatures needed to force the questions, the board rejected both proposals.

SGM REACTION Lee expressed dissatisfaction with Build SFU’s response to the failed SGM vote. Said Lee “Their idea was, ‘let’s just keep on going.’ I’m not sure if that was the best business plan.” She also noted that even if the special resolutions are not passed, it would not remove the existing levy. She suggested that maybe if they had waited long enough, they would be able to go ahead with the loan without the membership passing it by vote.

Lee went on to call for more reform prior to the vote: “If we can alter the levy structure, why not do it now rather than say, pass the loan and then we’ll do it?”

Power TO THE STUDENTS Despite heavy campaigning on both sides, at the end of the day, everyone seems to agree that the most important thing is that the knowledge and power is in the hands of students to make the decision that is best for them.

Said Chen, “Just because we take the ‘Yes’ stance doesn’t mean we’re trying to force students to vote ‘Yes.’ We’re here for the students, not for our own agenda, so we want to make sure that students are well aware of all the facts.”

Attendance at SFSS AGM is over venue capacity meaning many students are unable to vote. Vote is postponed for a special general meeting later.

At SGM students fall short of 75 per cent needed to obtain a loan for the project by voting 65 per cent in support.

1,879 students respond to a survey, which identifies cost and sustainability as the primary concerns for students.

The SUB and Stadium projects are split into two separate entities.

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OPINIONS

The Internet is the illusion of an independent society. It serves as a singular location where individuals from different parts of the globe are able to interact. From the “Stop Kony” movement in 2012 to the recent #BlackLivesMatter campaign, online activism reflects a timeless narrative that drives all social change: a yearning for freedom.

In terms of speech and expression, the digital era boasts a lack of restraint that has never been experienced in history. The idea seems like a fairy tale; world peace is on the horizon as honest and authentic communication occurs between people of different cultures. Unfortunately, the Internet is not a utopia where individuals can say anything without lasting repercussions.

Social rules of this time period revolve around the ideal that diverse individuals should be accepted as equals. We look at history in a condescending manner as we compare it with today’s ‘greater’

With another school year officially underway, I’m again trying to summarize and explain my purpose at university to new friends and acquaintances.

But if you are offended by the blank looks, unrelated tangents, or comments questioning your ambition that ensue every time you mention your degree, it might be time for a reality check.

era of acceptance and equality.

Something interesting has been occurring for the past few years that casts doubt on the superiority of the modern social world.

Views that seem to conflict with those ideals of acceptance and equality have been policed through intense criticism online. Any action that can be construed as bigotry in any format is something to be exposed and punished. With the online world being self-regulated, the vision of cyber interaction as a sincere experience becomes a fantasy. The blurred line between cyber justice and social persecution reflects the myth of freedom of speech in the era of the millennial.

September 14, 2015

opinions editor email

Adam Van der Zwan opinions@the-peak.ca

Instead of encouraging equal treatment and privilege, attempts at online social justice tend to turn into persecution whereby a single party is treated with hostility from large numbers of people as a result of having or expressing certain views. Fear is not an effective solution to prejudice, and is even less effective in a time when

any infringement on freedom is greatly resented.

It is difficult to separate justice and persecution when online activists seem to lose sight of their purpose in an eagerness to retaliate for perceived prejudice. There seems to be no patience for ignorance or room to learn about diversity.

If the consequences of being politically incorrect can be as intense as losing employment, staying silent is the best course of action. Yet silence is detrimental to the wider dream for world peace

and social equality because people from diverse groups cannot communicate and begin to adjust the distorted lenses by which they may view each other.

The blurred line between justice and persecution online poses a danger to any citizen.

One only has to be labelled a bigot to suffer the wrath of cyber justice, regardless of the truth. A misconstrued or wrongly worded phrase has the potential to invite a massive wave of cyber attacks.

It is too easy to forget the human on the other side of the screen, while it is too difficult to empathize with someone that seems so hateful. Individuals, in

their fear of offending people, may prevent communication with people from other cultures.

Ironically, this wall between different groups is a disadvantage to online social activists looking for large, diverse numbers of people to come together for one cause.

We are both liberated and imprisoned by the Internet when it comes to self expression. We are free to say what we please but are exposed to the consequences of making certain statements. As a result, freedom of speech online is a luxury depending on how little public opinion is important to the life of the subject.

It is okay for people to criticize our degrees and, unless we are also willing to do the same, we might be completely missing the point of pursuing ‘higher education.’

Therefore, it’s time to come out of our student bubbles to take a closer look at ourselves and our verbose disciplines.

Many university degrees have no practical aspect to them beyond self-discovery.

They leave students no better prepared to get a job in the real world or make a considerable difference in the area to which they have just devoted four-plus years of their life.

We must remember this when we try to explain the conceptual ideas that lay the foundation for our degree. Sure, the debate pitting practicality against the ‘value of advanced education’ does not come down squarely

on one side. Most of us haven’t tried to apply our discipline in the real world yet, so the critics may have a point. I’ve begun to realize that applying my degree will be harder than it seems.

Furthermore, whether you’re working on your bachelors, postgraduate, or doctorate, you are not superior in society and your opinion does not automatically become more scholarly. In fact, though you might be offended when friends or family don’t invest the time to understand what your degree is all about, maybe their apathy is a sign that a connection is missing. Remember being a student is not an accomplishment in itself and it doesn’t command respect.

Moreover, the privilege to be able to spend a good deal of time in the pursuit of knowledge cannot be overstated. The jaded

questions that come after you announce yet another degree might be out of envy rather than ignorance. So, humbly approach your time off from the full-time workforce and your interest-free student loans, because there are very few who are able to enjoy these luxuries.

meaningful, or you can put your guard up whenever you meet a questioning face.

If you are investing time and energy into your degree and you feel people are not acknowledging that, remember they are not necessarily trying to undermine your future — they’re just giving you a large dose of the harsh reality.

Not everyone is going to understand or agree with your choices in life, and we have to find a way to work through this. I don’t feel that university is a mistake — it is a place for personal growth and it puts our real world experiences in check. Let’s be proud of our degree, but still conscious of the bigger picture.

In the end, your degree is what you make of it. You can carve out your own path and make the experience

OPINIONS

Re: The Peak’s 50th anniversary reunion Dear editor, I heard through the grapevine last month that The Peak was having a 50th reunion on campus. I showed up with high hopes, having been a four-year Peakie in the mid-70s who parlayed that experience into a 20-year career in the media and a second career teaching journalism, not to mention being a bit of a Peak historian.

I hoped to catch up with some of the original Peakies from the ’60s, like Alan Garr and Lorne Mallin, my former colleagues at the Province. Or maybe John Sawatsky, who went on to become Ottawa correspondent for the Vancouver Sun and is now a leading authority on interviewing techniques who was recently hired by ESPN [. . .] [. . .] I gradually realized that I was the only one there from the 20th century. Then things took a turn for the worse, and I realized why. It was supposed to be a comedy night, but much of it was quite un-funny. “The Peak is a baby boomer,” quipped one of the former editors who took the mic, ignoring the fact the baby boom ended in the early ’60s, which would make The Peak fittingly a GenXer. When one “comedian” nominated someone I had never heard of as most notable former Peak editor, I knew it had to be a joke. But I had no inkling of what would come next. Somehow the monologue turned to the question of evil.

“What’s really evil are all the old people here telling us how much better The Peak was back in their day,” quipped the guy with the mic. I looked around, and sure enough I was still the

September 14, 2015

only one there with grey hair. I decided it was time to vote with my feet.

I have since shared this experience with some of my former Peak colleagues, who tell me it is something called “boomer bashing.”

Apparently it is a recognized phenomenon. “The hostility is understandable,” offered Frank Rotering, who was editor when I started at The Peak in 1973. “We’ve priced them out of the housing market, saddled them with ridiculous student loans, and radically degraded their environment. I’m actually surprised they haven’t come at us with pitch forks yet.”

Well, I’m sorry about that, but I don’t know how you can blame your fellow former Peakies for today’s problems.

Believe it or not, we actually tried our best to save the world back in the ’60s and ’70s. We were just up against insurmountable odds in the form of the military industrial complex. Then along came Reagan and the yuppies in the ’80s and it was game over.

I think it is regrettable that there is such a divide between the generations today, but I wonder if it is any worse than the so-called “generation gap” of my day. I also feel it is regrettable that today’s Peakies didn’t make more of an effort to reach out to those who came before them. Perhaps if you had, you would have found that we’re not so bad after all.

Sincerely, Marc Edge, Ph.D. Professor of Media and Communication University Canada West, Vancouver

Injustices within prisons are disturbing, though not often thought of. The rights of those who bend or break the laws forced upon them are often forcefully disregarded, and inmates’ physical and emotional health is not a priority. Correctional Services Canada’s value statement conveys a message of fairness, encouragement and rehabilitation opposed to the punitive mindset, which appears to be the reality.

Recently in Regina, a 21-yearold woman named Breanna Kannick passed away in her prison cell as a result of drug withdrawal.

The loss of her life left her family reeling in the aftermath, and questioning the role the correction facility played in her death.

Upon arrival to the institution, there is an initial health inspection, but such is done by facility employees, without a doctor or nurse present. Perhaps with a more thorough inspection a dependency would be legitimized and inmates could have easier

access to assistance. On the night of Kannick’s death, she was vomiting and shouting for help from her cell. A combination of greater empathic responses from prison employees, proper health examinations, and care could have saved Kannick’s life.

The denial of proper treatment for an addict while incarcerated seems more based on misplaced moral superiority rather than good policy or science-based evidence. Sadly, addiction has always been an issue that prompts some to hop upon their moral high horse, and is why it is always difficult to have an adult discussion about drug use and harm reduction.

In popular discourse on the topic, ideological knee jerk reactions seem to prevail. Though looking at the case of Insite, a safe injection site here in the Lower Mainland, Dr. Thomas Kerr and Dr. Julio Montaner, co-directors of the Urban

13

Health Research Initiative at the British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, discuss in The Vancouver Sun the success of Insite, noting that “sadly, ideological debate about harm reduction continues, despite widespread agreement among health authorities [. . .] that such programs are essential to the fight against [. . .] drug-related harms.”

It’s clear that drug addicts should not only receive fair and humane treatment in prison, but also that it would actually be of benefit to follow harm reduction inside Canada’s prisons. However, the hysteria and moral panic created by conservatives and knee jerk reactionaries is difficult to counter.

As Kerr and Montaner also note that the discourse on prison injustice is still being likened to past debates about cigarette smoking and global warming.

Critics continue to bombard offenses against scientists while misrepresenting research along the way.

It seems a little ignorance goes a long way. Yet when it comes to public policy, science and compassion should always trump incomprehension and vengeance.

14 OPINIONS

Well, it’s not quite that easy to write off. Degrassi’s transition is indicative of a larger cultural shift happening Canada: a slow Americanization of the Canadian identity and Canadian ‘things,’ like TV programming.

Degrassi first aired in the ‘70s and was re-launched in the early 2000s. Since then, it has been on the air for over a decade and has brought forth all kinds of Canadian talent, most notably rapper and songwriter Drake. Unfortunately, the long-running teen drama wrapped up this summer, and we said goodbye to the series that attempted to encapsulate the plight of the modern Canadian teenager.

However, we don’t have to say goodbye for long — Netflix has since announced that it has decided to continue the show. One of the longest-running Canadian productions, one that has allowed many Canadian actors to make their mark, is becoming an American Netflix series.

At first, this may seem relatively insignificant — after all, it is just a teen drama, right?

Netflix absorbing Degrassi is just one of the recent examples of how Canada is crumbling under the pressure of American culture. Canadian philosopher Marshall McLuhan said in 1967 that “Canada is the only country that knows how to live without an identity”; this simply isn’t true, as Canada does have an identity, an identity which is being threatened by creeping Americanization.

Of course, there has always been an American presence in Canada, but our music, movies, and pop culture influences are increasingly coming from our southern neighbours. And if we don’t find preventative measures to counteract this kind of cultural shift, then Canada’s culture will continue to fade.

September 14, 2015

Besides an increase in government support for the CRTC and Heritage Canada, the best line of defence in protecting identity starts with us; we need to re-engage with Canadian culture. This could be as simple as the next time you’re picking a leisure read.

Seek out a Canadian author, or alternatively, try out one of the new CBC television productions when fall TV programing kicks off. In reminding yourself of the importance of supporting Canadian singers, authors, actors, and artists, and by choosing to engage with them, you will help keep Canadian culture vibrant and alive.

Canada is not America, and we should not aspire to be something that we aren’t. American culture can, at times, be great. After all, it does offer up fantastic movies, music, and celebrity icons, but at the end of the day we are Canadian and it’s in our best interest to properly support and defend our own identity.

Thus, I encourage you all to try something new, be it a local French-Canadian poutinerie, a piece of Aboriginal literature, or a Canadian film. We have a cultural identity and we should do our best to preserve it.

I’ve never understood what possesses a driver to burst their Hulk-like seams as soon as the ignition starts. Seriously, I’ve been in vehicles with quite a few otherwise perfectly calm and content people, but when they hit the road, their sudden anger is shocking, confusing, and in most cases completely unnecessary.

My question is why? Why do friends and family splurge out every single curse word in the book when another driver turns their signal light on a little too late, or when there’s confusion at a 4-way stop?

What influences an angry, halfnaked truck driver to stumble out of his vehicle at a road

construction site to knock on the window and harass the driver ahead of him (true story)?

In a primitive sense, could it be that we all, at our core, harbour very aggressive, defensive attitudes that help ensure our survival, and that the soundproof safety net of a windshield allows us to unleash these barbaric attitudes on people without facing the ramifications?

In any case, I’d like to ride shotgun with someone who doesn’t constantly yell, swear, or flip the bird at other drivers over the stupidest things.

Maybe we should just take the bus next time.

Have you ever just wanted to unleash your anger through rapid physical exertion on random inanimate objects? Well, you’re in luck! Maybe it’s time to drive all that road anger to the Rage Room, where we can fling our steel bats at elaborate dining room dishware, ugly mustard-yellow sofas, and useless curved-screen television sets from the ‘90s!

Did you have a bad day at work? Maybe your personal life is stressing you out? Or perhaps you just have pent-up

anger for seemingly no reason at all? Rest assured, the Rage Room will medicate you with a gruesome scene reminiscent of a Stanley Kubrick film!

Don’t be discouraged by the price — if an ambitious $25 for five minutes will help you release your fury without breaking any significant laws, then go for it.

Yes, these rooms are real, and in my humble opinion they’re a genius idea.

Calm, cool and collected is now only a short psychotic rampage away!

OPINIONS

September 14, 2015

I won’t pretend that soda epitomizes nutrition; drinking too much has its consequences, and I agree that our government should invest more effort into fighting diabetes. But is this Pigovian proposition really the right way to go? It might sound effective, but I question whether taxing SSBs is the best way to ensure Canadians’ wellbeing.

One of the sweetest things anyone’s ever done for me is provide bottomless soft drinks at their restaurant. Indeed, the delightful sweetness of a glass of cold Mountain Dew is undeniable; unfortunately, this fine flavour is a double-edged sword.

As election time approaches, the Canadian Diabetes Association (CDA) implores candidates to consider the health of Canadians and make an addition to their platforms: the promise of a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs). To clarify, this category includes soft drinks, fruit juices, energy drinks, and many other prized refreshments.

Following the lead of countries like Mexico and France, the CDA hopes that the tax would promote healthier lifestyles on two frontiers.

Those who’d shy away from boosted prices would be discouraged from high-sugar beverages, while those whose sweet teeth cause concern for their wallets would provide additional health-care funding.

In fact, Canada appears to be rapidly shedding the soda craze already. As the ‘healthy living’ ideal grows increasingly attractive, people are swapping soft drinks for less sugary choices. Spreading awareness of health issues seems to be the path of least resistance — and really, trying to railroad people into a choice that they’re making of their own accord seems superfluous.

Taxation won’t do much without awareness anyway.

Soft drinks aren’t the only highsugar, high-calorie substances out there, and most Canadians

have easy access to many of those. Raising prices seems no more effective a barrier than a locked door surrounded by open windows; many would substitute soda with equally problematic replacements.

After all, one must also consider differences between Canada and countries where soda taxes have succeeded. For instance, Mexico saw decreases in diabetes, obesity, and related illnesses after introducing the tax. However, there are many reasons for this. For instance, pre-tax, soft drinks were actually significantly cheaper than clean water sold at under 10 litres, making them favourable for low-income families. Furthermore, in 2000, Mexico’s elected the former President of Coca Cola Mexico to be President of the country. Post-tax, the gap has shrunk, making purchasing water or other healthier options more justifiable than before.

But Canadians already have an abundance of clean water; SSBs are a luxury for us, and nothing prevents us from buying different luxuries in their stead should the need arise.

While whatever money might be gathered for healthcare

funding certainly wouldn’t hurt, I’m just not convinced that this is the optimal way forward. The tax’s scope is narrow enough that a number of equally unhealthy foods are left in circulation, making actual change in Canadians’ overall health less likely. If Canadians move on to these untaxed options, the end result is minimal financial benefit for healthcare and minimal health benefit for the populace.

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It’s always good to consider multiple routes for achieving your goals, and perhaps exploring other possible avenues to improve our average citizen’s health wouldn’t hurt in this case. In the meantime, I’m sure we could all stand to pick water as our beverage of choice a little more often. But that doesn’t mean you have to feel too guilty about loving that sweet, sweet carbonated goodness, either, as long as you don’t get too crazy.

September 14, 2015

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COMMUNITY PHOTOS June 29, 2015

photo editor email

Lisa Dimyadi photos@the-peak.ca

COMMUNITY PHOTOS June 29, 2015

September 14, 2015

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ARTS

Every year the Vancouver Fringe Festival gives artists the opportunity to showcase their art in some of the zaniest and most interesting venues throughout Vancouver.

Many SFU students and alumni join in on the action, showcasing their incredible talents in unique ways. This year, the list of shows that feature SFU peeps within their casts and crews is massive. Here is a brief rundown of the 13 shows that highlight SFU talent.

From the creative mind of Elysse Cheadle comes hoof, a fascinating and funny piece inspired by the melding of art and animal. In an interview with The Peak, Elysse let us in on the three year process it took to create hoof. The cast and crew of the production are made entirely of past and present SFU students, making this movement-based production work onstage and off.

Cheadle described the show as “a physical theatre performance where we have layered the behaviours and traits of hoofed animals on top of domestic human situations.” It will incorporate the styles of “soap opera, melodrama, and clown” with the much more animalistic tones of “farmyard behaviour” to create an extremely unique comedy, said Cheadle.

The show is based around a central image that inspired the creation of the piece, Cheadle said, that of “a really long table with a bunch of women [. . .] with their hands on [the table], in the shape of hoofs.” As well, said Cheadle, pastoral paintings and portraiture helped to create the characters that will take shape at the Waterfront Theatre. hoof promises to be an interesting and hilarious remount featuring the stellar talents of SFU students.

The Dudes of My Life, performing at Studio 16, features actress and writer Christina Andreola, an SFU alumna. The show also features other SFU students and alumni in the crew, including director Deneh’Cho Thompson, stage

arts editor email

September 14, 2015

manager Emily Neumann, sound designer Tegan Wahlgren, and dramaturge Daniel Borzillo.

The show tells a tale of parental and cultural pressure on a single 26-year-old Italian girl trying to navigate herself through life and love. Andreola said that the inspiration from the piece came from a date gone sour, “where the person I was on a date with accidentally sent a text message to me, instead of his roommate,” stating that he was unsure if he wanted to keep seeing her.

From that misstep in love came this one-person show, which will be performing its remount with “more stories and more anecdotes; it’s a lot more personal this year,” says Andreola. This extremely relatable, comedic production promises to be authentic and thoroughly entertaining.

Also featuring SFU talents is The Traveller by Garibian Productions. Written by current SFU student Daniel Morton, this play will be performing at the Havana Theatre. Based on his personal experiences and the stories he heard while travelling, this modern moral play has a much more sombre tone. The piece’s inspiration is the quest that some travellers have to find “something more real, darker, more grittier, more dangerous than the next person [...] to see the world for its ugly side,” said Morton.

This one-person show is formatted to feel like a conversation between the traveller and the audience, creating a very “multi-dimensional piece, featuring storytelling, music, and poetry,” said Morton.

“It’s almost a ghost story,” stated Morton, “dark and fun at the same time,” like a fairy tale by the brothers Grimm. This performance has already shown at the Victoria Fringe Festival, and is now coming back to Vancouver.

Small Town Hoser Spic, being put on by Rice & Beans Theatre, is a one-man show written and performed by Pedro Chamale, an SFU alumnus with a BFA in Theatre Performance. The show was inspired

by Chamale’s life experiences being a person of Hispanic descent who grew up in small town Northern BC. Performing at the Cultch’s Historic Theatre, it shows the struggles Chamale faced finding a sense of home, national identity, and culture.

Starstuff: Per Aspera ad Astra, also by by Rice & Beans Theatre, is a story that follows the character of Thomas Malinsky, a pilot on a journey in a one-person spaceship.

SFU alumnus Derek Chan is part of this production also performing at the Cultch’s Historic Theatre, telling a story about exploring the unknown, and the meaning of connection in the modern age.

A Quiet Place by Psyche Theatre features direction by SFU alumna Kaylin Metchie. This show,

Tessa Perkins arts@the-peak.ca

part of the Vancouver Fringe Dramatic Works Series, features only two actors who face a daunting challenge. Two amnesiacs find themselves in a room with no door, one chair, and one light bulb, and what ensues makes up this story. It can be seen at the Cultch’s Vancity Culture Lab. SFU student Luciana D’Anunciacao will be featured in An Empty House (Full of Air). This movement-based piece being performed at the Pandora Park’s Field House explores the use of space in a household setting. It is sweet and comedic, and intends to look into the concept of partnership in performing.

Dating for Dumb Heads features SFU alumnus Jim Sands, an East Vancouver based storyteller, musician, and clown. Performed in the False Creek Gym, Jim will play Hansel, who is searching the internet for love during cascading global crises.

From Amleth Productions comes Just Watch Me: A Trudeau Musical, featuring SFU alumnus Daniel McLeod. Showing at the Pacific Theatre, this narrative is based on a true story of a teacher fired in the 1970s in BC for speaking out.

Time travel, singing, and politics come together to create this fascinating production.

SFU alumnus Matt Clarke will be directing Love is for Superbeasts, performing at Studio 16. The show

by Little Mountain Lion takes an interesting approach in an attempt to understand the mind of a murderer: it features the chance to join both the media and academics to meet two “actual” serial killers to learn all about them.

Mrs. Singh & Me is a production being put on by the South Asian Arts Society, featuring SFU alumnus Rohit Chokhani. This unique, dark comedy performing at the Cultch’s Historic Theatre follows the story of Mrs. Kuldeep Singh, who has been kidnapped by a man named Raj. From The Troika Collective, founded by SFU alumna Aliya Griffin comes Olya the Child, which also features actors and fellow SFU alumni Jessica Hood and Rachelle Miguel. Showing in the Emily Carr Parkade, this production follows the stories of an adopted child from Russia, and a Canadian woman.

Pipef@%! by The Uninvited Guests explores the multimedia side of theatre and performance.

Featuring SFU graduate Valerie Christiansen, this production explores recent environmental concerns occurring in BC, as well as the interactions between economic classes in society.

am 5:00 5:30 6:00 6:30 7:00

tuesday

wednesday

SUB GENIUS HOUR OF SLACK

SHOUT! CLAP! SLAM!

MAXIMUM ROCK- N- ROLL RADIO

RADIO GOETHE

Collage madness

ASCENSION

NEW DIMENSIONS

GLOBAL RESEARCH NEWS HOUR

Americana, Roots

Public affairs

Surf and garage rock

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20 ARTS

At its heart, Chloe and Theo is a movie about symbiotic relationships — friendships that encourage both parties to be better versions of themselves. But on the surface is the film’s all-too-clear message on climate change, and it all begins with Theo’s journey from Nunavut to New York.

After receiving orders from his village elders, Theo flies to the big apple. He is selected as the chosen one because he speaks English, the second language having been acquired during his time at a residential school.

The film takes various stances on humanitarian issues, but its view on the residential schools is left on the melting ice of the Arctic. Instead, Monica Ord and Ezna Sands (both newcomers to the film

September 14, 2015

scene) set their focus on the future, and tell a would-be heartwarming tale with the hopes of inspiring the world out of their apathy and indifference.

To encourage this international goal, producer Ord and directorscreenwriter Sands tell the story of an unlikely friendship forged between an Inuk man and a homeless New Yorker. While their friendship is sweet, and their fight for environmental salvation is worthwhile, their story does little to support the greater issues that the film tackles.

A scruffier and more blonde Dakota Johnson does her best to shake the leather tethers of Anastasia Steele as Chloe, but she doesn’t quite pull off the chip-onher-shoulder street kid she portrays. Nor does the script combat the shallow character development, as it lamely supplies “I can’t remember” as Chloe’s reason for leaving home and braving the streets of Harlem.

Audiences are left with two characters unsure of why they’ve ended up in their current state, but who fight for their cause nonetheless.

That is precisely what this film has going for it. The storyline, however vapid, doesn’t detract from

the film’s key objective: promoting action to tackle climate change.

Chloe and Theo is part of Connect4Climate’s film branch, Film4Climate. The organization, which connects people from the media, academia, youth groups, civil society groups, and the private sector, sees film as pivotal in the fight for environmental protection. While this film broadly and overtly posits the environment as its concern, it also points subtly to the harsh living conditions of the Inuits living in northern Canada.

Theo Ikummaq, making his on screen debut, is from the Nunavut hamlet Igloolik. Climate change threatens the lives of the Inuit, and the film acknowledges this as Theo’s primary on-screen objective. But Igloolik is thriving in other ways, and is known as the cultural epicentre for the Inuit people. Previously known for Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner, Igloolik can continue to boast of its cinematic talent.

Indeed, Ikummaq’s subtlety and honesty provide the necessary subdued tone that the film otherwise

lacks (and that Johnson never achieves) when discussing an issue of grave importance.

The film’s message is delivered with as much grace as a figure-skating hippo, but it’s hard to deny the validity of its cause. But is a film’s moral obligation strong enough to withstand the weight of mediocre storytelling and subpar acting?

Maybe Theo’s northern tale was enough to inspire change, and all the attempted Hollywood flourish could have been left out west, ready to distract us another time.

upbringing. Tesla was born in 1856 in Smiljan in the province of Lika, which is now Croatia.

Tesla’s father, Milutin Tesla, was a priest, and Tesla was supposed to follow in his father’s footsteps. However, as his son showed great aptitude in math

and science and had a keen interest in engineering, Tesla’s father eventually supported Tesla’s original interest in attending school for mathematics and physics.

After a bumpy road through school, a fight with depression, and a few odd jobs, Tesla eventually made his way to New York where he began creating many inventions in his laboratory. He paired up with prominent businessmen to promote and sell his inventions. At this point in his life, he was competing with Thomas Edison over whether Tesla’s alternating current system or Edison’s direct current was better.

Carlson has truly written an amazing biography on Tesla.

As you read through the man’s highs and lows, you get to see his inventions and understand his motivations. This book is not only for someone who wants to understand Tesla’s life, but also

those who have an interest in the history of electrical engineering.

The story of Tesla goes beyond Carlson’s book, as he seems now to be as popular as ever. Not only does he have a car company named after him, but he has also inspired a wacky new gadget.

Recently, ThinkGeek has come up with a Tesla watch.

The watch looks like a nerd’s dream. It features a brown leather strap and two small light-up vacuum tube-style LEDs which protrude out of the side of the watch.

I believe that Tesla’s continued popularity is not only due to his inventions which furthered electrical engineering, but it is also due to the history of his eccentric personality.

Through his inventions, outrageous demonstrations of showmanship, and eccentric personality, Nikola Tesla’s popularity seems to be on the rise again.

Anthony Bianco Peak Associate W. Bernard Carlson’s book Tesla: Inventor of the Electrical Age recounts the amazing life of Nikola Tesla. The book is written in a biographical format, yet delves into more than just Tesla’s life. Carlson manages to dive into other inventors of the time, such as Thomas Edison, and even provides accurate descriptions and drawings of Tesla’s electrical inventions.

The book begins by describing Tesla in 1894, when he was at his height of popularity. He had been widely admired by scientists and engineers of his time, having been awarded

medals and honorary degrees.

He was also popular among laymen due to his amazing electrical demonstrations in which he would take as much as 250,000volt shocks through his body.

Soon after grabbing your attention, Carlson describes Tesla’s

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September 14, 2015

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films of the year, takes place entirely in a taxi as he captures the oppression of the state’s firm ban on self-expression in this documentary-fiction hybrid.

You won’t need to get in a plane or a time machine to view the notably diverse films playing at the 34th annual Vancouver International Film Festival, just a dark cinema. Within a day, you can spend time in an Iranian taxi, follow the lives of Sri Lankan immigrants in France, and go to a world where singles are shipped to an island to be transformed into animals. Here are six films that capture the festival’s varied selections.

6. I Saw The Light (October 9, 6:30 p.m. — Centre For Performing Arts) Tom Hiddleston’s performance in this biopic on the country music sensation, Hank Williams, which is the closing gala film for the festival, is already garnering comparisons to Joaquin Phoenix’s tour de force portrayal of Johnny Cash in Walk The Line.

Like Phoenix, Hiddleston does the heavy lifting of singing many of the artist’s staggering 35 Top 10 singles, as he also tries to capture the heartbreak of a life short-lived.

Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals brought the sounds of late ’90s and early ’00s college radio back with a vengeance on September 4 at Malkin Bowl. Describing their music as such doesn’t sound like the highest praise that could be given to this multi-talented artist, but it fits with the vibe of the concert perfectly. While the majority of the crowd was the right age to have gone through college listening to Ben Harper, there was still a youthful feel in the air that was underscored by the equally youthful music being played on stage.

Harper opened his set with “People Lead,” and it was a good transition from the

folksier musical stylings of Benjy Ferree, the opening act.

Harper followed immediately with a song that should be familiar to most, “Diamonds on the Inside.” It was non-stop music until he took a short break to explain the story behind the next song that he was to perform, “Don’t Take That Attitude to Your Grave/Concrete Jungle,” and to thank members of his family and the families of the members of the Innocent Criminals for being present at the show.

This dedication to performing was a refreshing change from some artists who choose to spend a significant amount of time talking about anything that seems to come to their minds.

But it was not more than just the dedication to the music that made this an interesting concert.

It was also the interaction that Harper had with the audience when he did choose to speak — these interactions were very

organic in nature, and gave the concert a certain feeling of intimacy. Whether it was listening to a song request from a group of concertgoers or ad libbing a chorus with a few chords based on a comment from someone in the crowd, these interactions added to the feel of the show being inspired by the college music scene of the late ’90s.

The only criticism that could be made about this concert was the ballad-heavy encore. Yet by performing three ballads in a row acoustically, Harper was able to keep the audience engaged with his performance. The Innocent Criminals returned to the stage to bring back the pre-encore energy for the finale of the show.

Overall, this was one of the best concerts that I have attended, and I would highly recommend that everyone should see a Ben Harper show. The focus on the music was refreshing, and the vibe that his music gives off is perfectly suited to summer nights in Vancouver, indoors or out.

5. Louder Than Bombs (September 28, 3:15 p.m. — Centre For Performing Arts) Joachim Trier’s follow-up to Oslo, August 31st chronicles the story of a father and his two sons who confront their feelings about their recently deceased mother.

Trier has a deft and light hand. His characters and stories slowly unveil without obtrusion or manipulation. The emotions may be as explosive as bombs but Trier makes quiet, sympathetic films.

4. Jafar Panahi’s Taxi (October 1, 4:15 p.m. — Playhouse) Banned from making cinema in Iran because of his critiques of the country’s government, Jafar Panahi has been rebelling against that censorship in films like 2011’s This Is Not A Film where he tackled the nature of life and art, and 2013’s Closed Curtain, which was a narrative feature set entirely in an apartment. Sneakily, yet notso-discreetly, Jafar Panahi’s latest masterpiece, which is already being considered one of the best

3. Dheepan (September 29, 6:15 p.m. — Centre For Performing Arts) When Joel and Ethan Coen awarded Dheepan the Palme d’Or it raised eyebrows. However, when comparing the director Jacque Audiard’s (Rust and Bone, A Prophet) track record with the recent Palme d’Or winners, it might be easy to decipher why so many were skeptical of the Cannes Jury’s choice.

In the past couple of years, the prize has been awarded to plodding over-three-hour opuses that teemed with hollow artiness devoid of depth or emotion. Audiard never makes boring films, so the controversy behind its victory at the Cannes Film Festival excites me.

2. The Lobster (September 30 9:15 p.m. — Centre For Performing Arts) The Lobster takes place in a future where singles are taken from the city and transferred to a hotel where they have to find a mate in 45 days; otherwise, they are turned into an animal of their choosing and released into the woods. If it weren’t for the critical acclaim and boisterous enthusiasm for this film, I might be skeptical. But The Lobster looks like it has one of those crazy ideas that somehow may still confound all expectations.

1. The Assassin (September 30, 6:30 p.m. — Centre For Performing Arts) The Taiwanese filmmaker Hou Hsiao-Hsien’s recent masterwork seems like an odd departure for the director of languidly dramatic art-films like The Puppetmaster.

The Assassin marks his first turn into fantasy swordplay with this visually stunning and dramatically subdued winner of Best Director at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.

The melding of Hau-hsien’s distinct pace and quiet melancholy with the loud fervor of martial arts action is sure to make for a compelling and awe-inspiring experience.

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September 14, 2015

COMIC CONNOISSEUR

Justin Stevens Columnist There have been some exemplary science fiction works in comics over the last few years, the most notable being Saga and Black Science, two fine works which pay homage to classic stories such as Romeo & Juliet and Lost in Space while retaining originality by bringing something new to their pages. Aside from well-crafted characters and compelling storylines, these comics excite with their depiction of worlds and places that cannot be seen anywhere else.

Then there is ALEX + ADA, a graphic novel which misses the mark on all these qualities and manages to be, at best, a viable option for sleep aid.

ALEX + ADA follows the cliche-ridden story of a socially awkward recluse who comes into the possession of an attractive service android. What follows is a boring, snooze-ridden chain of events hardly worth mentioning in a paragraph.

Suffice it to say whatever deviations to long-standing tropes the story did contain were replaced with all the more the monotonous scenes in which absolutely nothing happened.

Alex is a mundane character.

Readers will feel more inclined to hit him over the head with a mallet than emphasize with him. He is a lackluster lead who feels like background art in his own story; it often feels like the character himself does not want to be present. Readers who insist on reading this comic to the end

may find themselves connecting with android herself though. It could be argued that this was cleverly done to juxtapose the two characters, however it still fails to invigorate the narrative in any way.

The story’s heavy focus on dialogue is one of the reasons it fails to entice. While great dialogue can help stories which lack explosive action or altercations, it does not help to liven the experience of reading ALEX + ADA. More often than

not, the dialogue is unimportant to the story, just taking up space. A majority of the casual conversations in the story is are disguised as less than subtle social commentaries which contribute to more eye rolling than philosophical pondering.

Worse, the abundance of dialogue increasingly becomes an invitation to skip ahead to the next page.

To artist Jonathan Luna’s credit, the artwork is fine.

While simplistically rendered, there is a smoothness to it like the matte glaze of a photograph.

However, it is also as stale as week-old bread and about as interesting to look at as paint drying. The majority of the scenes drawn are characters sitting and talking with one another. However, there are scenes which push the envelope in exciting ways: sometimes characters can be seen standing when they talk.

ALEX + ADA tries to be a pensive science fiction drama, but only succeeds in boring its audience with excessive dialogue and dull artwork. It is a piece of regurgitated ideas which fails to differentiate itself in genre or medium.

SPORTS

Thursday night was the annual preseason showcase between the UBC and SFU men’s hockey teams. With a Shrum Bowl unlikely this year, it was a rare occasion to see sports teams from the province’s two biggest universities go head to head. While the first period was a tight, gritty affair, the doors blew wide open in the second, as the Clan surrendered five goals on route to a 6–0 defeat. It was the exact same score that the Clan lost to the Thunderbirds last time out.

The scoreline was not that flattering, and head coach Mark

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September 14, 2015

Coletta knows that there has to be improvements before the team starts its regular season in the BCIHL in a month’s team.

“I think [we have to improve] the mental part of the game.

Being aware of situations, making sure we know when to go and not to go [on attack], and being better prepared to play in either a defensive posture or an offensive one. UBC is a very skilled team, tons of WHL experience, so you have to recognize they’re good. We should have played a more containment [style], and we didn’t do that.”

Indeed the Thunderbirds came into this game with eight new recruits who all of had some sort of experience in the WHL. While an SFU win would be considered a huge upset, it looked somewhat possible to start the game. UBC missed a number of great chances, as Jordan Liem made a few great saves to keep it scoreless. SFU had a long five on three midway through the first, but weren’t able to capitalize; a

huge wasted opportunity. The period was a very physical one, and had a large scrum in the corner near the end.

Perhaps the highlight of the first period was the student contingent from UBC who were determined to try and get in the heads of the SFU hockey players and coaching staff. “It’s fun,” said head coach Coletta.

“We been experiencing that the last couple years playing the NCAA teams over in Boston and Ohio. We love that, and I think the players embrace that. It’s better than playing in front of an empty building.”

Nick Bondi sports@the-peak.ca

The second period is where it all fell apart for the team. The speed of the game was “a little higher than what we were use to,” said forward Mike Sandor, and it showed.

Two quick goals

by UBC seemed to suck the life out of the team, the second goal a backhand right along the ice that snuck behind Liem. He was pulled after that, and in came Lyndon Stanwood. He didn’t fare any better, letting in three goals. The third period had a number of chances for SFU to break the shutout bid, the closest coming when the puck just squeaked past the post. UBC scored one more to make the final score 6–0.

The team isn’t letting a large defeat get morale down for what should be another run at the BCIHL title. “We’re taking all

23

positives from this,” said Sandor after the game; “It’s good to get this kind of matchup to start us off. It’s a good measurement to see [what] we have with the new guys in here, and see where we measure up to them, because obviously there’s a little bit of a rivalry.”

UBC seemed to be playing at a different gear for parts of the game, keeping SFU pinned in their own zone at even strength for extended periods of time.

“The biggest difference is their puck movement.” explained Sandor. “Their transition game is a lot better than our regular competition, and I think especially with the first game of the year, a lot of the new guys aren’t use to our style of play. So this is just completely different to what they’re use to.”

“You clear the mechanism, and go back to work,” explained head coach Coletta. “We’ve got to get used to playing at the pace we played at tonight, even in our own league.”

24 SPORTS

On Saturday, September 5, the SFU Clan women’s soccer team squared off against the Humboldt state Jacks. In an enthralling game, the clan prevailed 3–1 thanks to a great performance by Christina Dickson.

She scored a brace, with a goal in both halves. The first was a welltaken volley, as she connected on a cross from her twin sister Allyson in the 14th minute.

Humboldt State rallied and equalized in the 20th minute thanks to a well taken goal by Bridget Daley. This led to a tense game with half chances for both teams.

It was a tough game and there was a real battle in midfield.

Haley Miller, no. 12 for HSU, was injured in a challenge 22

On a beautiful Wednesday evening at Terry Fox field, the SFU Men’s soccer team battled hard to earn their first win of the season with three unanswered goals against California State University San Bernardino. The evening marked an extra special occasion with the university celebrating its 50th anniversary, and new head coach Clint Schneider claimed his first career win with the Clan in front of the home supporters.

“I was pleased with the result and am very proud of the guys getting the first win,” Schneider told The Peak following the match.

“I told the guys that we have a tradition to keep. Fox field is a fortress; we don’t concede goals here, we win games, and we win by big margins.”

minutes in. This set the tone for the hard-fought match. Humboldt would sustain another injury blow 10 minutes before the halftime whistle. Despite their best efforts, the teams went into the break on even terms.

After the break, SFU had renewed energy and wore down the Humboldt State defence.

The Jacks held strong as attempt after attempt was thwarted. Jacks goalkeeper Caitlin Plese marshalled her troops brilliantly and was an imposing figure between the posts. But she could only do so much, as a well-worked long ball from Clan keeper Priya Sandhu made its way to the right wing and the resulting cross was controlled and finished by Christina Dickson for her second of the game.

After that, SFU dominated the midfield, taking the lion’s share of possession and keeping pressure on the Jacks. Samantha Donald had a particularly strong game, breaking up play well and putting in a good shift.

Humboldt state resorted to attacking on the counter but the SFU defence held firm. The

Despite the convincing score line, both teams were putting in plenty of energy and a high press to cause plenty of trades in possession and keep scoring chances minimal until the 26th minute. Calvin Opperman picked up a blocked strike sent in from Mamadi Camara and curled a hard left footed ball that met the head of Adam Jones, but the ball bounced wide of the target.

September 14, 2015

Jacks applied high ball pressure and Marquel Love played hard as a lone striker, but a lack of support meant that not many attacks had real purpose. Frustration began to mount from HSU’s coach and that translated into a lackluster second half for his squad. SFU was able

The Coyotes made an immediate response when they found Robert Wagner left open to run in on goalkeeper Brandon Watson, but the captain was quick off his line to sprawl into the initial strike. A resulting rebound gave Wagner a second attempt, but the midfielder was thwarted by a slight bock from Anthony Van De Vendel and a goal line clearance by Pascal Schmidt to clear away the danger.

to capitalize on this in the 88th minute as Allyson Dickson connected with yet another cross from the right wing to seal the game for the Clan.

Although this was a nonconference game, it was a great start for the team as its recent recruits really performed at a

high level. The Clan brought in 10 new players to the squad, to join the 11 women that returned for another year of NCAA competition. This bodes well for the rest of the season, especially after last year’s poor 0–6 start which included a 4–2 loss to Saturday’s opposition.

With less than 10 minutes left in the first, the Clan finally broke the deadlock. Substitute James Fraser did well to race onto a through ball that prompted Coyote keeper Mike Warn to run off his line, but Fraser cleverly flicked the ball over the keeper and drew a foul inside the penalty area. Kyle Jones confidently buried the ensuing penalty kick to send the Clan into the halftime break with the lead.

“Either team could’ve had a goal.

I’m glad we were the one who got it first because I think we deserved it,” Schneider continued.

The second half proceedings showed some real promise in all areas of the pitch from the Clan. Substitute Dzenan Bezdrob gave real threats in attack and nearly choreographed a first minute goal for James Fraser at the restart. Shane Satar was alert with interceptions and plenty of pace in the back line, while defender Callum Whittaker dominated the aerial battles in midfield for the full 90 minutes.

Calvin Opperman finally provided the insurance goal with minutes remaining, and Adam Jones joined his brother on the score sheet with a PK of his own in the dying seconds to go out with a bang.

Coach Schneider proudly reflected on the work by his team before the anniversary fireworks.

“We didn’t give them much of a chance and that’s the SFU way, so it’s good to see.”

“I was pleased with the way we responded in the second half by cleaning things up tactically.”

SPORTS

Both the men’s and women’s cross country teams had highly successful seasons last year.

The women finished seventh in NCAA Division II and won their first ever GNAC title, while the men’s team were invited to their first ever national meet.

This year the stakes are even higher. The women’s team comes into this season ranked eighth nationally, and is the preseason favourite to win the GNAC title. The men, on the other hand, are ranked third in the GNAC preseason poll, and are the 25th ranked team nationally. For the women, it’s

September 14, 2015

about staying focused amongst big expectations.

“I don’t think they’ll suffer from overconfidence,” said head coach Brit Townsend. “We are not going to be bringing our best team for the first couple of meets. Jennifer Johnson is just coming off a stress fracture, Addy Townsend is very anemic right now, and Peggy Noel is coming off an injury [. . .] these first meets can be a really good chance to find out how the new recruits are doing, and what kind of shape the returning people are in.”

The men aim to match the same high level as the women, and coach Townsend is very confident that they can achieve that. “They are extremely motivated, and their goal is to make it to the national championship. We have some great new additions this year; we have Dallas Barker, Carlos Vargas, Rowan Dockerty, who is a triathlete from the island, and Shawn Miller. So I’m excited to see how that all works together.

The added addition of Nicolas Otamendi means that City is likely to be in the title race right up until the end of the season.

The international transfer window ended on Tuesday, September 2, and like always, a lot of money was spent and curious moves were made. Here are my winners and losers in the transfer window.

Looking to regain the Premier League title, Manchester City spent lavishly on the likes of Kevin de Bruyne and Raheem Sterling, paying 54.5 million and 49 million pounds respectively.

Arsenal was the only club in Europe not to sign an outfield player this summer, and when major rivals in the Premier league splashed the cash, Arsene Wenger decided to show loyalty to his squad. His only real addition to the squad was Petr Cech from Chelsea, but what they really needed was a striker. With rivals making moves for multiple players, it makes his decision to hold off on purchases all the more confusing.

Holding on to Paul Pogba can be considered a win, but

25

It will be very competitive to see who will be in our top seven [ . . . ] it’s going to be interesting to see where our men can get to this year.”

The biggest loss for the team will be Lindsey Butterworth, last year’s co-female athlete of

the year at SFU. “Obviously she was a great asset to our program over the years, and we’re sorry that she’s done. But I’m also excited about her future.” Her leaving the team will be a big void to fill, but coach Townsend is hopeful that new recruits will

“develop to the level that she’s been at.”

Juventus spent big to try and consolidate their place within the European elite. They went out and got highly rated youngsters such as Paulo Dybala, Alex Sandro, and Mario Lemina, as well as more experienced players such as Sami Khedira, Mario Mandzukic, and Hernanes. It will take time for all the players to gel, but overall Juventus had a very good transfer window.

happened. The high price tag on a young, inexperienced Anthony Martial is also cause for concern.

that they want, they weren’t able to land a big name star this window. The closest they came to that was David de Gea, but could not get the paperwork in time before the deadline.

United added a bunch of pieces to try and hold on to their top four place, but what they really needed was a big statement signing, particularly a forward, and that never materialized. From Gareth Bale to Marco Reus and even Neymar, multiple big names were linked with the Red Devils over the summer, but none of them

Not many signings for them, but two quality additions will help them once again contend for both the Bundesliga and the Champions League. Vidal is a tenacious box-to-box midfielder who is one of the best at his role, and Douglas Costa is an excellent long term replacement for both Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben.

It’s not often you can say this, but Real Madrid had a terrible transfer window. Used to getting pretty much any player

After four years of not qualifying for the Champions League, President Erick Thohir decided to open up his chequebook. The team spent 30 million euros on promising midfielder Geoffrey Kondogbia from Monaco, and convinced Ivan Perisic to join them from Wolfsburg. They also acquired Stevan Jovetic, Mario Montoya, Adem Ljajic, and Miranda on loan, as well as selling Xherdan Shaquiri for 15 million euros.

They could be in the race for the Scudetto right up until the final week of play.

26 SPORTS

September 14, 2015

Elsewhere in SFU sports. . .

Volleyball Women’s volleyball won in Hawaii Thursday against Hawaii Pacific in five sets.

The last set was a marathon, with the score ending in 39–37. The team is 3–2 so far in the preseason, and their home opener is September 17th.

Softball Quebec native Hailey Geary has committed to the Clan.

She competed in the U21 national championships for Quebec, as well as the U18 national championship for Quebec as well. She will stay in Quebec during the fall, but is expected to join the team when they begin their season in February.

Wrestling Alumnus SFU wrestling alumni Helen Maroulis has won a gold medal in the 55 kg freestyle at the 2015 World Wrestling Championships in Las Vegas. Maroulis last competed for the Clan in the 2013–2014 season.

Last season was a highly successful one for both the men’s and women’s golf teams. The men finished sixth nationally and won their first ever GNAC title, while the women finished third in the GNAC championship. All of this after having to restart the program six years ago, when it was reinstated.

“The first three years, we could not go to postseason play as per NCAA Division II rules.

So we’d get walk-on players, guys that by today’s standards

were poor players, none of them would make the team,” explained head coach John Buchanan.

“We had no money. We weren’t getting any scholarship money, we hadn’t raised any money. [It was] just like reinventing the wheel. But it was a matter of give us some time, just to get traction again. Then when we got into our third year, the kids could see within a year or two they got a chance to go to postseason play. We became more attractive offer [to recruits . . .] and once we turned that corner, then the quality of player coming in just rose accordingly.”

The men’s team in particular has been a great example of the rise of the program. It all culminated last season when the team won the GNAC title, a first for the program.

“We set a tournament record [for largest margin of victory].

We beat the perennial champions, Western Washington [. . .] hopefully you can repeat it, but everyone recruits same as us.

I’m quite sure there will be some changes in some of the teams.”

The women’s team had a terrific season last year as well, finishing third in the GNAC championship, with all four of the team members placing in the top 16.

Despite this, it may be harder for the women’s team to eventually reach the same heights as the men’s team. “Relative to men, there aren’t that many women playing golf [. . .] if you are an A or A+ [recruit], you are probably going to go to on a full scholarship to an American university.

“As we gain traction with the women’s team, then we’ll probably end up getting some athletes who maybe for a variety of reasons don’t really want to leave home [. . .] but if a girl’s really good, then she’s liable to

be snapped up by one of the major schools.”

Coach Buchanan has brought in three new recruits to try and solidify his position within the GNAC and Division II. Mitchell MacLeod is the only male recruited this year, and despite being only being 18 years old, made the Ontario Willingdon Cup team. “To have a player who was good enough at that young age was a find, and he elected to come to SFU.” Emily Leung was the top ranked junior lady from Hong Kong, and Belinda Lin attended Semiahmoo Secondary and has a lot of potential.

DIVERSIONS / ETC

September 14, 2015

27

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HUMOUR

September 14, 2015

Excuse me. Excuse me! Yes, hi, I was wondering if I could interest you in a flyer for my Fringe show.

I know. You might be thinking, “Great, like I didn’t have enough Fringe plays to check out already.”

Or more likely you’re thinking, “Why would I go see a play in the year 2015, when I could literally do almost anything else?” Both are valid thoughts to be having, and both I have the answer to.

You see, my show’s different from any of the other one-man white male vanity-meets-passion projects floating around these days.

I don’t sugarcoat anything for the audience; there’s no Pixar-style ending where the only thing that could make the resolution happier is if the stage were made of cotton candy. This show cuts deep to the highs and lows of what it means

to be human. More specifically, a human who both makes poor decisions and aspires to be an actor.

My Fringe show is about a struggling performer, desperate and with nothing to lose, who decides to write a show and submit it to the upcoming local Fringe festival. To his surprise, the show actually gets picked

A team of experienced Internet activists are claiming they’ve hacked the servers of Neopets.com, and will soon be releasing confidential records of every person registered to the site.

“Neopets’ child-centric agenda and the features they keep behind a paywall are the perfect sickening example of modern capitalism,” said a video uploaded to YouTube last week, which announced the biggest data breach in Neopets’ history. “We will tolerate this system of oppression no longer.”

The virtual pet website, which has seen its popularity ebb and flow over the years, is known primarily as a games site for children and teenagers, but the hackers claim to have information that will compromise the identities of countless

adult-aged users — including multiple celebrities.

On Monday, Neopets’ CEO Brent Matthews confirmed that the hack was real, though only after a few “sample” emails had already been made public.

“As the investigation is ongoing, we are unable to disclose certain details but we are allowed to confirm there was a crack in our security systems,” said Matthews. “Rest assured our team is working around the clock to learn what happened so we can prevent it from ever happening again.”

Ben Affleck, Anne Hathaway, and Orlando Bloom are just a few of the celebrities reportedly being linked to Neopets, though representatives from all three have dismissed the connection; a representative from Affleck called the allegation “total nonsense,” while Hathaway responded by posting an

up and things just go full-speed from there.

My one-man play — written, produced, and directed by me — is called Before I Break: My Personal Last Shot at Fulfillment. I guess you could say there’s a bit of non-fiction mixed in with the plot, taken from my own debilitating experiences as a part-time thespian trying to make

open letter online, saying she’s an adult woman who has “no time for silly, challenging-but-fun children’s games like Neopets’ Ice Cream Machine or Destruct-O-Match III.”

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Jacey Gibb humour@the-peak.ca

it in the acting world, but for the rest of it you’ll just have to try and suspend your belief.

In the play, our protagonist has just turned 30 and he’s wrestling with the idea of contentment and pending mortality. Because 30’s a weird age, where it’s not quite young and it’s not quite old, but it’s old enough that you think he

should have his life sorted out by now. But instead he’s stuck working a crappy day job at Staples where he’s forced to keep his dream of acting a secret from his co-workers, because one day he accidentally left his notebook full of theatre ideas in the break room and when he went back to buy a Coke he found the other employees reading it out loud and performing it, very poorly, I might add, and so he was forced to bury that part of him deep down where no one in his life could ever make fun of it again. So there’s a lot on his, the character’s, mind.

The play gets pretty meta at times too. Like, there’s one scene near the end, where the protagonist realizes almost no one’s bought tickets for his show and so he’s forced to go out and try to convince people on the street to see his show. He tries everything, from performing short monologues on the street to straight-up begging. At one point the protagonist even breaks down and starts crying profusely until the stranger promises to come to the play. It’s a real rollercoaster of emotions, my one-man Fringe show. Full of laughter and uncomfortable silences that only purchasing a ticket will end.

So come see it. My Fringe show.

The leak also has many experts speculating on how hacktivists justify actions like these — and what kind of danger that poses to the general public.

“The hackers are playing judge, jury, and executioner when it comes to these leaks,” Cheryl Phillips, a professor of psychology at Simon Fraser, told The Peak. “People’s lives are going to be ruined if they’re somehow connected to an active Neopets account, and by that I mean their social lives. But still. The stakes are very high. Who knows when the next major data breach will come from?”

Last month extramarital cheating website Ashley Madison also suffered a data breach, when over 25 gigabytes of sensitive information was made public by vindictive hackers. Authorities are saying the two incidents seem to be unconnected, as one group seemed intent on exposing and shaming adults for engaging in questionable behaviour, while the other group focused more on Ashley Madison’s dubious ethics.

HUMOUR

September 14, 2015

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and it’s a good scene, but sometimes within the structure of the movie it doesn’t fit? Of that 45-minute version, I kept about 37 minutes of it.

In many ways, Porn & Pinochet is the perfect embodiment for comedian Andy Cañete. The show has Cañete performing alone, something he’s used to after a decade of doing standup; the story transcends borders and goes between Canada and Chile, like Cañete did; and the whole show is an exercise in storytelling, both the funny and the serious. “That’s where the show comes from,” explains Cañete. “The three best emotions — anger, crying, and happiness — all in one.” The Peak caught up with Cañete to discuss his one-man show, how it differs from stand-up, and why he gets emotional while talking about a soccer team.

Your Fringe show, Porn & Pinochet , has been around since 2013. How has the show changed since then?

When you apply to the Fringe, they ask how long your show is. I hadn’t written it yet so I said “around 45 minutes,” then I thought, “Shit, can I do 45 minutes?” I wrote the show, performed it and it killed, but it was 75 minutes. So in that 2013 one, there are certain stories I kept in every show but other parts I’d switch in and out. Basically, the beginning and the end were the same, but there were a lot of times where it’d be like, “Ten years later!” I had to jump a fair bit. It was wellreceived and well-liked, but it always bothered me because I wanted to do the 75-minute version. That’s what I’m doing now.

There are also certain things I took out of that show, not because they weren’t funny, but because. . . you know how DVDs have the deleted scenes, and you look at the deleted scenes

How has your style of comedy changed since two years ago?

I’m focusing more on the one-man show stuff than the stand-up. It’s a lot more engaging and fulfilling to do this, because it’s a lot more personable. This is way more in-depth and rewarding, and less politics and drama. In stand-up, it’s not always the guy who’s doing the best that’s getting the time; it’s the guy who knows the guy.

With the Fringe, there’s just a lottery and you’re in.

Do you think your shift towards one-man shows came as a result of doing the Fringe?

I kept meeting comedians that were doing one-man shows and they loved it, and then one-man shows starting popping up on television. It’s something comics will do and it’s admirable. I was thinking, “This is right up my alley!

I tell stories!” And storytelling is tougher now, because there isn’t the attention span that there used to be. If you’re not knocking it out every two seconds, the audience tends to lose it. With the Fringe, there’s no drinking, no phones.

They’re all very attentive. With stand-up, if you’re not getting laughter you think you’re bombing. In the theatre, just because they’re not laughing doesn’t mean you’re bombing.

I’ve had shows where nobody laughed and then afterwards I got this tremendous applause.

It’s a process for me, because occasionally the stand-up thing kicks in for me and I think the audience is hating it.

Is the show more Porn or more Pinochet?

I wasn’t sure what to call the show two years ago and so I went to a “how to market a show” conference for the Fringe, and they said the two things that sell the most on a show are politics and sex. I talk about Pinochet, and I tell a story about porn, so Porn & Pinochet . I’ve gotten complaints that I don’t talk enough about Pinochet, and then I’ve gotten complaints that I talk too

much about Pinochet. Some people wanted more comedy, some people wanted more drama, and some people just want one. They can’t tell if it’s a comedy or a drama, and I ask “Can’t it be both?” I’d say probably more Pinochet, but not by much. The porn is a five-minute story, out of a 75-minute show, whereas Pinochet and Chile come in and out.

The play’s been described as a “story about a Chilean growing up in Canada and a Canadian growing up in Chile.

But funny.” Does this kind of duality run through your other comedy?

When I started doing stand-up, a lot of my stuff was about Chile and people liked it, but other comedians started complaining and told me, “You know you can do other stuff? You don’t have to talk about being from Chile all

the time.” So I started talking about relationships and sports and other stuff. Lately I haven’t talked about Chile in my stand-up at all, but all my early stuff — and some of the stuff in this show — is.

That’s the other thing: I didn’t realize how much it affected me, talking about Pinochet. The first time I performed this show, I wrote everything down and then when I got in front of everybody, my voice would crack.

I’d almost start crying before I even started talking about it. I realized I had never really talked about this stuff before to anybody, and then I was talking about it in front of a crowd for the first time.

Maybe that’s why there’s less Pinochet. I can’t cry throughout the show, it would look awful. I took a few parts out because I wasn’t ready to talk about it.

How do you strike that balance between the funny and the serious?

I don’t even know. I just do it.

There’s a part of the show where I talk about my soccer team and it weirds people out because I get choked up. It’s very personal for me because when I was miserable, it was my happy place.

So later on when they do well, I get choked up because I was in Canada and I didn’t get to see them do well. Then I go into me getting my first commercial, and it was a public service announcement for safe sex. So people were choked up and then laughing. I have no idea how I do it. I try to buffer. I’m not going to put sad sad sad; I try to do sad funny sad funny.

30 HUMOUR

quite some time without saying anything. A lot of people of criticized you for this, with some arguing it was just an ego stroke.

What is your response?

“I am the number one most impactful artist of our generation.”

Understandably, rapper Kanye West’s announcement to run for president in 2020 has elicited some strong responses. While not the most ridiculous thing to ever happen at a MTV Video Music Awards, it’s definitely up there. The Peak was able to sit down with West to discuss who inspired him to run for president and how he compares to other former leaders of the United States.

At the start of your acceptance speech, you stood on stage for

What would be your first official act as President of the United States?

“Well, I’d have to rewrite the Bible. Because they spelt my name wrong.”

What about presidential duties that are more related to the White House? Do you have anything you’d like to do right away at the beginning of your tenure?

September 14, 2015

“The first thing I’d do is paint the White House black, then I’d put up a big sign that says ‘Yeezus’s house’ so that everyone would know.”

How does your wife, Kim Kardashian, feel about your decision to run for president in 2020?

“Kim has been very supportive.

She knows how important it is for me to bring sweeping change to the world. Her and her sister Khloe also recently got into a fight over who was more famous, so Kim being First Lady is sort of about getting back at Khloe for that.

And how does North feel about your plans for presidency?

“I am the number one most impactful artist of our generation.”

Being President of the United States comes with a lot of different responsibilities. What would be your biggest challenge with taking on the position?

“Probably that I’ve already set the bar so high, in terms of my personal style and freshness, and it’s going to be a struggle to maintain that standard. If my threads aren’t always the best that they can be, then how are people going to take me serious as their president? My advisors and I spend a lot of time working on this though so I’m not too worried.

How would you compare yourself to the presidents who came before you?

“I’m a creative genius, and there’s no other way to word it.

I’d also like to say that what all those other guys did was great, I know my four years as president will be the greatest presidency of all time. All time.”

I suppose it’s a bit early to tell, but what do you believe sets you apart from other candidates in the running? What one characteristic puts you above the competition?

“I’m like a vessel, and God has chosen me to be the voice and connector. Also, 808s & Heartbreak.”

Do you have any words for anyone else considering a run for president in 2020?

“I don’t even listen to rap.

My apartment is too nice to listen to rap.”

HUMOUR

September 14, 2015

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32 LAST WORD

“I

banned laptops in the classroom after it became common practice Wto carry them to school,” writes a computer science professor for The New Yorker last June. I find this sentence, much less the rest of the article, perfectly encapsulates a portrait of ignorance; a technologically out-of-touch professor, and the academic stifling that currently barricades too many 21st century classrooms.

Students at this school are most certainly familiar with that sinking feeling, the prickling annoyance that jabs at our insides when a professor adamantly announces during the first class that students will have no choice but to take notes the old-fashioned way.

Laptops snap shut, pens click, papers rustle, and under-the-breath groans ensue. What better a way to make a decent first impression on your tech-savvy, new age students? Sorry professor, but you just lost your fiery chili pepper on Rate My Prof.

Scholars will argue that to take notes with pen and paper way allows students to engage with what they learn, as the movement of imperfect pencil

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strokes forces us to think objectively about the information we record. That, and profs seem frustrated with the idea that students have access to so many distractions during class; Amazon whispers of a full wallet, and Facebook pleads on its knees for attention in the face of a boring economics lecture.

What these professors fail to understand is that while they bask in the academic superiority of pencil to paper, they’re actually the ones who lag behind everyone else; as is particularly the case with scholars who’ve been teaching for over 25 years.

It seems a no-brainer to say at this point, but digital usage is simply the modern student’s way of learning — it’s how we communicate and receive most of our information; it’s a way of life, plain and simple.

Before I get into the real meat of the argument, perhaps I’ll quickly shell out the most obvious components: as a typist of over 80 words per minute, I record lecture notes far faster than when writing by hand. And this isn’t to say that I turn into a ‘transcription zombie’ when I attend class, as I find I’m able to comprehend information quite well while my fingers fly around the keyboard. Now, I can’t speak for

Max Hill eic@the-peak.ca

everyone in this case, but I’m certain that I’m not alone in stating these facts.

I find that the rapid pace of a personal computer helps me to formulate my thoughts in a way that a pencil cannot when I struggle to scribble and condense information before the lecture slide switches over.

Apart from this, an open technology lecture eliminates any whispered communication between classmates; I find that most students nowadays will send a mere text or chat message if they feel the need to have side conversations.

But buried beneath the most obvious excuses are the ones that aren’t as pronounced. Open technology allows those with learning disabilities to better comprehend information that is being thrown at them. Certain programs and technological tools help these students more easily decode messages and ultimately gather more value from their education in ways that weren’t as possible during the days of old.

Perhaps some professors dislike the idea that a computer can undermine their intellectual authority; that there’s a chance they’ll be booted of their scholarly highhorse once an online encyclopedia proves they might actually have their facts incorrect.

If so, I must ask, shouldn’t we embrace these opportunities?

Open web access broadens the search for knowledge, and provides professors with a handy reference tool should they

September 14, 2015

mistake anything they teach.

It’s definitely not uncommon to find an eager beaver in the front row raise a hand to correct a professor during class.

However, the thing that irks me the most when it comes to banning all personal technology from class is that doing so defies the main mantra a university should stand by — that is, independent and critical thinking. I’ll keep this prompt: we’re adults, so please treat us as such. A recurrent theme that seems to spring up in the pieces I’ve written for The Peak is the notion that it’s a student’s responsibility to better themselves. The same concept undoubtedly applies here.

If a personal computer is what will make a student most comfortable to learn, then it’s that student’s right to use this item in an adult environment where making one’s own decisions is encouraged. To all the profs who are frustrated when pupils don’t pay attention in their class: maybe it’s your responsibility to get with the times, and realize that learning environments have changed

since days before it “became common practice to carry [laptops] to school.”

It’s easy to turn to students and barrage them with, “if we learned this way before, we can definitely do it now!”

But to actually put this into practice may not be so simple. In a time when most students think and perceive reality through personal technology, to lose sight of such for an extended period time may be comparable to a digital withdrawal.

In this case, it’s in a professor’s best interest to embrace technology with us. Rather than confine us to a 1940s style classroom — an environment we simply aren’t as accustomed to — evolve your teaching practices so that students can engage with a lecture digitally, take short and frequent break periods, and allow us to make innovative use of our computers since we’d prefer to use them anyways.

By accepting and accommodating the digital tools that students now use to learn, professors can ease their way into a realm of academia that they themselves might not admit they’re actually afraid of, and would allow students a sigh of relief into a ready mental state more coherent for the lecture hall.