Cheaters Beware by The Peak

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CANADIAN COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER AWARD 2013

FIRST PEEK

Right off the bat, I feel like I should apologize to anyone who I may have offended. It’s not often that I write for any section other than The Peak‘s illustrious and often irreverent humour section, so each semester when I’m called upon to spill my real thoughts in an “Editor’s Voice,” I’m not always as tactful as, maybe, I should be. Of course, what I mean when I say “apologize” is apologize for the last two “Editor’s Voices” I wrote back in summer and fall. Not only did I controversially say that I believed that US President Barack Obama would go down in history as “one of the presidents of the United States,” but I followed that up with a staunchly pro-choice stance on trick-or-treating. I knew the risk I was taking with these wild and contentious opinions of mine and although I stand behind every word I wrote

March 17, 2014

(even “and”), I still feel as if I have to take a second to make amends with those loyal Peak readers who may have felt betrayed by such radical commentary. That being said, this semester I decided that I would wholeheartedly attempt to tone down my tendency towards a ridiculous and, frankly, immature “shock-factor” and just write something nice and normal that no one could possibly get mad at. With that said, I believe that Adolph Hitler had the right idea. Smaller, more manageable facial hair is definitely the best way to present yourself. Now, of course, I disagree with most of Hitler’s views. His politics, his ideals, even his taste in arm bands was horrible. But you can’t deny that a small moustache is way more practical than a big bushy mess under the nose. A small moustache allows you to breathe better, it looks much more dignified, and you can drink foamy beverages as much as you want without a care in the world. With all the grooming products and razorblades available today, there’s really no reason to sport any moustache bigger than a couple of inches. So

please, follow in the footsteps of Hitler and keep it neat and clean up there. Oh god, now that I look at it again I realize the headline I chose might have been a little inappropriate. It kind of makes it seem like I’m saying that having a large moustache is “wrong” and that’s not what I’m going for at all. Of course you can still be a fine and decent person with a handlebar or even a Van Dyke, it’s just my personal preference to keep it on the small end. Whatever, I know that Peak readers are intelligent and thoughtful enough to read past the first line before passing judgement. If you do have a problem with anything you’ve read here however, please let me know by emailing opinions@the-peak.ca. Don’t forget that using caps-lock is a great way to get your point across. Also, you should check out the humour section, it’s the last couple pages of this paper and it’s a lot of fun and if you have any problems with anything you read there, again, please email opinions@the-peak.ca, okay? Oh and I almost forgot, you know that whole Holocaust thing? It was totally justified. Just kidding!

NEWS

A recent CBC survey has shown that SFU punishes over ten times the number of cheaters as UBC. Rob Gordon, criminology professor at SFU, explained that the survey results, based on the 2011/2012 school year, measure the level of faculty reporting, not the actual occurrence of academic dishonesty. In total, over 500 SFU students were disciplined for cheating during that period. “Our faculty members are much more active and aggressive with respect to academic integrity issues than our colleagues at UBC,” says Gordon. He adds that what was reported by the 42 post-secondary institutions surveyed across Canada doesn’t necessarily reflect reality, but reporting behaviour — something that SFU has been actively working to increase. Since 2009, SFU has been keeping a record of all reported cases of academic dishonesty, enabling faculty to check a student’s history when determining a suitable punishment. SFU is the only Canadian university with an FD (failure due to academic dishonesty) grade, which Gordon says follows students throughout their professional

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March 17, 2014

lives and is reserved for severe cases, such as repeat cheaters. A growing inter-faculty network, made up of academic integrity advisers and a university-wide academic integrity committee, is in place to educate students on the new policy and encourage staff participation. Gordon sees SFU’s high reporting statistics as an indication of how seriously the university considers issues of academic dishonesty. “I don’t think any faculty member really wants to be a policeman around this stuff,” Gordon admitted. “They would rather students came here to

study, to acquire knowledge, and all those other good things — but there are a proportion who come just to try to get a degree.” Despite the fact that students face punishment for academic dishonesty, Gordon says that student interest is in favour of the university’s increasingly aggressive stance on cheating. SFU’s academic integrity policy was updated in 2009 in response to student concerns about degree devaluation. Gordon claims that the university’s active approach to academic dishonesty and high reporting behaviour will keep a degree from SFU in good standing with

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

prospective employers or graduate schools. He hopes that increased awareness and communication will deter students from risking their academic careers. And when cheating does happen, Gordon said, “It’s actually easier to uncover than people might think.” The Internet has proven to be both a blessing and a curse when it comes to countering academic dishonesty. While there are countless websites offering custom essays, written to order (and ready in only three hours if you’re willing to pay over $150, according to one website), anti-plagiarism search engines enable instructors to efficiently review suspected cases of cheating. Plagiarism and cheating on exams were the two most reported infractions at SFU. The university is currently combatting essay writing companies, most of which are unaffiliated with SFU and can’t be stopped by the university directly. While SFU continues to enforce its academic dishonesty policies, Gordon says government prohibitions are necessary to stop these companies from operating. SFU’s policies are designed to reduce academic dishonesty to a minimum, though Gordon says he isn’t naïve enough to believe it can ever be completely eliminated. If students are unsure about the scope of academic dishonesty, the library offers an online quiz that outlines unacceptable behaviour. Gordon adds, “I’m happy to say that I took it and I got a hundred percent. And I didn’t cheat.”

Melissa Roach

NEWS

SFU Surrey opened its doors on Mar. 6 to showcase some of SFU’s most prestigious programs and research projects; the event also featured entertainment and ethnic foods from around the globe. The annual open house was a crowd-pleaser for both the young and old, attracting approximately 3,000 guests, including prospective students, parents, alumni, and community members. Over 60 exhibits and interactive displays were sprawled across the second and third floors of the campus, and for the very first time in the event’s history there was representation of each of SFU’s faculties. According to SFU Surrey’s associate director of marketing and external affairs, Matthew Grant, this year’s open house

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celebrated the diversity of the entire university, making it an SFU-wide event held at the Surrey campus. Rachel Nelson, SFU Surrey’s community relations and engagement coordinator told The Peak, “This year… all of it was amazing. I’m always pleasantly surprised by the vibrancy and the energy [ . . . ] [The event] just creates a really good vibe at the campus.” Nelson felt that the various displays and entertainment were especially engaging and successful this year.

The various exhibits and presentations were fascinating, unique, and radiated enthusiasm. Sea creature touch pools, a literary character photobooth, virtual simulations, a robotic lawn mower, and a distracted driving obstacle course were just a few of the notable displays.

SFU Surrey’s executive director, Stephen Dooley, had only positive words for his very first open house experience: “What I really liked about it was just the great energy, the sense of community, and for me I learned a lot by going around to all the different displays that were on [ . . . ] it was a really good way to learn about what’s going on at the university.” President Andrew Petter also graced the stage, welcoming the entire community to SFU Surrey. The SFU community shone throughout the entire event, particularly on the centre stage, which featured a renowned SFU piper, highland dancers, a steel drum show, Sri Lankan dancers, singer and songwriter Gio Levy, a bhangra team, and SFU student and R&B artist Alisha Pillay, among others. Grant expressed his appreciation for the partnership between SFU and the greater community, exemplified by the success of the open house: “When it comes to open houses, I’ve been involved in a lot of them. It’s only been over the last couple of years that we’ve been able to put together an event that embraces SFU’s vision and mission when it comes to engaging the world.”

6 NEWS

March 17, 2014

NEWS

What is “The Machine” and how does it affect our day-today lives? SFU undergraduates tackled this question using various creative approaches at the Faculty of Communication, Art and Technology’s (FCAT) fourth annual Undergraduate Conference, held on Mar. 5 at the Goldcorp Centre for the Arts. Open to students from the School of Contemporary Arts (SCA), Communications (CMNS), and Interactive Arts and Technology (SIAT), the conference showcased papers, installations, and performances based on the theme of “The Machine.” Undergraduate students had unlicensed freedom to submit a proposal based on their interpretation of what “The Machine” could mean, as long as it was based on academic research. The submissions were subcategorized into three genres: Security, Patterns, and Reflection. SFU President Andrew Petter and vice president, academic and provost Jon Driver both made appearances at the conference. Driver spoke of the event as an “experience of refined and genuine” presentations. He also discussed the “distinguishing features of SFU,” which, as “innovative education, cutting edge research and community outreach,” are utilized in building significant knowledge and insight for the students. Driver also took the opportunity to congratulate the participating students directly for “all they have achieved and all they will achieve.” Many presenters had notable and interesting concepts, which intrigued their peers, instructors, and any curious attendees. SIAT students Justin Chan, Jong Won Im, Kateryna Jones, Bobby Soetarto and Bianca Zhu created an Interactive Projectional Environment which challenged the way people view their surrounding environment. They used “‘The Machine’ that we use everyday — the computer — to encourage people to

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acknowledge their environment and consider the implications of high technology in our world. Two other SIAT students, Lam Kwan and David Yang Li, presented “an advanced mindcontrolled robot called IRobo.” IRobo aims to aid the disabled, helping them to “experience a richer life and be a part of the community again.” Furthermore, the project “explores the idea of an advanced mind-controlled robot that allows the user to live in an idealized form.” By contrasting the positive and negative aspects of such a device through their video, the team explored the ideas that arise from frequent use and control of machines and technology. SCA student Alex Stursberg created a two-part sculptural work entitled “The Political Economy of Painting,” which “considers the relationship of art-making and labour, while reflecting on manufacturing, industry, and the economics of art.” Stursberg said that, as an art assistant, he sees this “other end of the creation process” after the painting is finished.

Summer 2014 Courses GSWS 210-‐3: Gender Today Instructor: Huai Bao

The “waste material” used in the structure, such as paint tubes, represented the other end of the industry. By comparing the labour structure, he scrutinized this machine as being a societal representation. As the forces of labour shift, as the way with which society relates to work changes, so does the machine we fit into. Beth Padfield, program coordinator, was excited by the day’s interdisciplinary efforts. She mentioned this conference as a way of getting different faculties together, working for similar interests, and developing a fascination for technology and society. In the end, Padfield felt the conference’s greatest success was the collaboration of creativity and critical thinking, all because it “got [the students] in the same room so they can start talking to one another.”

Wednesdays 14:30 – 17:20

This is an introductory course that explores through special topics the ways in which how gender, ƐĞǆƵĂůŝƚǇ ĂŶĚ ǁŽŵĞŶ ĂƌĞ ƌĞƉƌĞƐĞŶƚĞĚ Žƌ ƌĞŇĞĐƚĞĚ ŝŶ ůŝƚĞƌĂƚƵƌĞ͕ Įůŵ͕ ƚŚĞĂƚƌĞ͕ ƌĞůŝŐŝŽƵƐ ĚŝƐĐŽƵƌƐĞƐ͕ ŽƵƌ ůŝǀĞĚ ƌĞĂůŝƟĞƐ ĂƐ ǁĞůů ĂƐ ƉŽƉƵůĂƌ ŵĞĚŝĂ͘ dŚƌŽƵŐŚŽƵƚ ƚŚĞ ĐŽƵƌƐĞ͕ ǁĞ ǁŝůů ĞǆƉůŽƌĞ ƚŚĞ ǁĂǇƐ ŝŶ ǁŚŝĐŚ ŐĞŶĚĞƌ ŝŶƚĞƌƐĞĐƚƐ ǁŝƚŚ ŽƚŚĞƌ ĐƌƵĐŝĂů ĐƵůƚƵƌĂů ŝƐƐƵĞƐ ƐƵĐŚ ĂƐ ƌĂĐĞ͕ ŶĂƟŽŶŚŽŽĚ͕ ŐůŽďĂůŝǌĂƟŽŶ͕ ĂŶĚ ĐůĂƐƐ͘ This course will use a variety of teaching and learning tools including lectures, discussions, group ǁŽƌŬ͕ ŐƵĞƐƚ ƐƉĞĂŬĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ ƌĞůĂƚĞĚ ŵĞĚŝĂ͘ ^ƚƵĚĞŶƚƐ ǁŝůů ďĞ ĞǆƉĞĐƚĞĚ ƚŽ ĐŽŵƉůĞƚĞ ƚŚĞ ƌĞƋƵŝƌĞĚ ƌĞĂĚŝŶŐƐ ƉƌŝŽƌ ƚŽ ĐůĂƐƐ ĂŶĚ ƚŽ ĐŽŵĞ ƚŽ ĞĂĐŚ ůĞĐƚƵƌĞ ƉƌĞƉĂƌĞĚ ǁŝƚŚ ƋƵĞƐƟŽŶƐ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵŵĞŶƚƐ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ĂƐƐŝŐŶĞĚ ŵĂƚĞƌŝĂůƐ͘

GSWS 316-‐4: Disciplining Sex (B-‐Hum, B-‐Soc, B-‐Sci) /ŶƐƚƌƵĐƚŽƌ͗ ĞƚŚ ^ĞĂƚŽŶ

Mondays 13:30 – 17:20 ,ĂƌďŽƵƌ ĞŶƚƌĞ

tŚĂƚ ŵĂŬĞƐ ƐĞǆ ƐĞǆǇ͍ DƵƐƚ ŽŶĞ ĂůǁĂǇƐ ďĞ Ă ƐĞǆƵĂů ƐƵďũĞĐƚ͍ tŚǇ ĂƌĞ ƐŽŵĞ ƐŽƌƚƐ ŽĨ ƐĞǆ ƚŚŝŶŬĂďůĞ͕ whereas others (such as homosexuality, or asexuality or even female sexuality) can remain closeted ǁŝƚŚŝŶ ƚŚĞ ͚ƵŶŬŶŽǁĂďůĞ͛ Žƌ ƚŚĞ ƵŶƚŚŝŶŬĂďůĞ͍ tŚĂƚ ŝƐ ƚŚĞ ƌŽůĞ ŽĨ ƐĐŝĞŶĐĞ ŝŶ ŽƵƌ ƵŶĚĞƌƐƚĂŶĚŝŶŐ͕ ŬŶŽǁů-‐ ĞĚŐĞ ĂŶĚ ƉƌĂĐƟĐĞ ŽĨ ƐĞǆ͍ >ŝŬĞ ŽƚŚĞƌ ĨŽƌŵƐ ŽĨ ŝŶƚĞůůĞĐƚƵĂů ĂĐƟǀŝƚǇ͕ ƐĐŝĞŶĐĞ ŝƐ ƉƌŽĚƵĐĞĚ ǁŝƚŚŝŶ ŚŝƐƚŽƌŝĐĂů ĐŝƌĐƵŵƐƚĂŶĐĞƐ͕ ǁŝƚŚ ĐŽƌƌĞƐƉŽŶĚŝŶŐ ƐŽĐŝĞƚĂů ďĞůŝĞĨƐ ĂŶĚ ĂĐĐĞƉƚĞĚ ŶŽƌŵƐ ƚŚĂƚ ǀĂƌǇ ĂĐƌŽƐƐ ƟŵĞ ĂŶĚ ƉůĂĐĞ͘ /Ŷ ƚŚŝƐ ƌĞ-‐ ƐƉĞĐƚ͕ ƚŚĞ ǀĂůƵĞƐ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŶĐĞƉƚƐ ƵƐĞĚ ƚŽ ƵŶĚĞƌƐƚĂŶĚ ŚƵŵĂŶ ƐĞǆƵĂůŝƚǇ͕ ƉĂƌƟĐƵůĂƌůǇ ĐŽŶĐĞƉƚƐ ŽĨ ŐĞŶĚĞƌ͕ ŵĂůĞŶĞƐƐ ĂŶĚ ĨĞŵĂůĞŶĞƐƐ͕ ŝŶŇƵĞŶĐĞ ƐĐŝĞŶƟĮĐ ƐĐŚŽůĂƌƐŚŝƉ ĂŶĚ ƉƌĂĐƟĐĞ͘ dŚŝƐ ĐŽƵƌƐĞ ŝŶǀĞƐƟŐĂƚĞƐ ƚŚŽƐĞ ĐŽŶĐĞƉƚƵĂů ĂŶĚ ĞƉŝƐƚĞŵŽůŽŐŝĐĂů ;Žƌ ŬŶŽǁůĞĚŐĞͿ ƉƌĞŵŝƐĞƐ ƚŚĂƚ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ƚŚĞ ƉƌĂĐƟĐĞ ŽĨ ŵŽĚĞƌŶ ďŝŽůŽŐŝĐĂů ƐĐŝĞŶĐĞƐ ǁŝƚŚŝŶ ƚŚĞ tĞƐƚ͘ /Ŷ ƚŚŝƐ ƌĞƐƉĞĐƚ͕ ŝƚ ůŽŽŬƐ Ăƚ ŚŽǁ ƐĐŝĞŶƟĮĐ ƉƌĂĐƟĐĞ ŵĂǇ ƌĞƉƌŽĚƵĐĞ ĂŶĚƌŽĐĞŶƚƌŝĐ ĐŽŶǀĞŶƟŽŶƐ ŝŶ ŝƚƐ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ĂŶĚ ƉƌĂĐƟĐĞ͘ Ƶƚ ŝƚ ĂůƐŽ ĐůŽƐĞůǇ ĞǆĂŵŝŶĞƐ ƚŚĞ ŶƵŵĞƌŽƵƐ ĂǀĞŶƵĞƐ ďǇ ǁŚŝĐŚ ŝĚĞŽůŽŐŝĞƐ ŽĨ ƐĞǆ ĂŶĚ ŐĞŶĚĞƌ ĂĐƚ ƚŽ ĨŽƌŵ͕ ĂƐ ƚŚĞǇ ĂƌĞ ŝŶĨŽƌŵĞĚ ďǇ͕ ŽƵƌ ďŽĚŝĞƐ͖ ŝŶ ǁŚŝĐŚ ǁĞ ŶŽƚ ŽŶůǇ ͚ŚĂǀĞ͛ ƐĞǆ ĂŶĚ ŚĂǀĞ ďŽĚŝĞƐ͕ ďƵƚ ǁĞ ͚ĂƌĞ͛ ƐĞǆĞĚ ďŽĚŝĞƐ ĂŶĚ ĂƌĞ ŵŝŶĚĨƵů ŽĨ ƚŚĂƚ ĐŽŶƵŶĚƌƵŵ͘ /Ŷ ƐƵŵ͕ ƚŚŝƐ ĐůĂƐƐ ĞǆĂŵŝŶĞƐ ƚŚĞ ǀĂƌŝŽƵƐ ǁĂǇƐ ŝŶ ǁŚŝĐŚ ƐĐŝĞŶƟĮĐ ŬŶŽǁůĞĚŐĞ͕ ƐŽĐŝĂů ůŝĨĞ͕ ƐĞǆƵĂů ůŝĨĞ ĂŶĚ ƚŚĞ ůŝĨĞ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ŚƵŵĂŶ ďŽĚǇ ŽǀĞƌůĂƉ ĂŶĚ ŝŶƚĞƌƉĞŶĞƚƌĂƚĞ͘ Ɛ Ă ƚŚŝƌĚͲǇĞĂƌ ĐůĂƐƐ͕ ƚŚŝƐ ĐŽƵƌƐĞ ŝƐ ƚŚĞŽƌĞƟĐĂů ŝŶ ŽƌŝĞŶƚĂƟŽŶ͕ ĨŽĐƵƐŝŶŐ ƵƉŽŶ ŝĚĞĂƐ ĨƌŽŵ ĐƌŝƟĐĂů ƐĐŝĞŶĐĞ ƐƚƵĚ-‐ ŝĞƐ͕ ƉŚŝůŽƐŽƉŚǇ ĂŶĚ ƐŽĐŝŽůŽŐǇ͘ ^ƚƵĚĞŶƚƐ ŶĞĞĚ ƚŽ ďĞ ƉƌĞƉĂƌĞĚ ƚŽ ƌĞĂĚ ƚŚĞŽƌĞƟĐĂů ƚĞǆƚƐ ĂŶĚ ƚŽ ƉƌĞƐĞŶƚ Ă ĐƌŝƟĐĂůůǇ ĞŶŐĂŐĞĚ ƌĞƐĞĂƌĐŚ ƉĂƉĞƌ Ăƚ ƚŚĞ ĞŶĚ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ƚĞƌŵ͘

For full course outlines and a list of all GSWS courses available in the Summer 2014 semester, please go to: www.sfu.ca/gsws

8 NEWS

SFU’s own Young Women in Business ( YWIB) club held their fourth annual International Women’s Day conference at the Century Plaza Hotel in Downtown Vancouver. Attendees joined with women around the world in spirit to celebrate all that they have achieved and will achieve. Beginning in 1911, the main goal of International Women’s Day has been to empower, encourage, and inspire. As designated by the United Nations, the day also examines political and human rights, and the current struggles faced by women internationally. With powerful speakers, non-profit organizations and local entrepreneurs in attendance, the atmosphere at the conference was nothing short of inspirational. From its early morning start, the event carried a simple and understated beauty. White tables filled the ballroom, accented with pastel dip-dyed flowers. YWIB explained that they strive to portray a sense of class and business professionalism, along with a welcoming atmosphere

March 17, 2014

that instantly invites you into the YWIB SFU family. The event was hosted by Lien Yeung of CBC radio, who kept things professional yet lighthearted. The keynote speakers for the day were co-creative directors of Dare Vancouver, Addie Gillespie and Mia Thomsett, “bully doctor” and life coach Dr. Valerie Mason-John, and the founder of Beauty Night Society, Caroline MacGillivray.

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There was also a panel discussion made up of Jill Earthy (Canadian Youth Business Foundation), Suzanne Siemens (Lunapads), Paulina Cameron ( YWIB; Canadian Youth Business Foundation), Jennifer Maloney (Yulu PR), and Chantelle Krish (YWCA Metro Vancouver). This year, the event and all of the speakers focused on a theme of “Defining Success.” As the day progressed, it became

clear that each woman in the room had her own unique definition of the statement, while also appreciating “success”, as defined by her peers. Along with career advice and personal anecdotes, each speaker shared her definition of success and often her path to finding it. Mason-John captivated the audience with her personal struggle to finally acknowledge success in her own life. She said, “Once upon a time, I would have thought success was having the perfect body.” But after fighting eating disorders, she came to the realization that beauty is not the definition of success, and that true success is “being who you truly want to be.” She warned that, “if you treat yourself badly, it is an open invitation for others to do likewise.” Jill Earthy spoke of her personal definition of success as five distinct categories: “Work, community, family, friends and self. Success in fulfillment, not necessarily balance, in each of these categories.” Paulina Cameron, co- founder of YWIB, believes that success can be had in “surrounding yourself with people who know who you are and reflect your moral compass and principles.” Leading the YWIB executive committee for this event

was Sasha Rudenko, the IWD Chair, and her IWD organizing committee. After the event, she described the mood, saying, “Everybody was happy and inspired, and that was my real goal. It wasn’t [about] the amount of people. [ . . . ] The feeling I wanted to get was the inspiration and the empowerment to pursue whatever you want to do. It certainly met my expectations, exceeded them.”

Rudenko offered her own personal definition of success: “Success to me is being content within yourself. If you feel happy with what you’re doing in life, that’s what makes you successful.” All in all, this year’s International Women’s Day conference proved why it is a highlight of the YWIB year, attracting students and community members alike, for a day of inspiration and a celebration of all that hardworking women can achieve.

NEWS

In just three short, actionpacked minutes, SFU grad students were challenged to present the sum of their graduate work — no easy task. The SFU Three Minute Thesis Finals were held last Monday, March 10 in the SFU theatre. The Three Minute Thesis (3MT) is a competition in which graduate students, from any program, prepare and present competing theses in a maximum of three minutes. Although it originated at the University of Queensland in 2008, at least 60 universities across the world have participated, with SFU being the fourth Canadian university to hold a 3MT competition. The winner as picked by the judges, including SFU President Andrew Petter, will go on to represent SFU at the Western Regional 3MT Competition held in Calgary. First place also received a $1,000 prize, with second place earning $500 and third place receiving recognition. One victor was chosen by the crowd (the People’s Choice winner) and was awarded $250.

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Thirteen contestants entered the final round of the competition. It opened with Kimberly White, a Canadian geography student, who presented a thesis on how natural disturbances — specifically pine beetle infestations and wildfires — affect the lives of birds. She presented evidence that, after a wildfire, the bird population increases, at least in the short term. This is due possibly to increased exposure of insects after wildfires.

The contestants presented a diverse array of subjects, with topics ranging from biological studies to social issues. For instance, archaeology grad, Camina Manychief, presented on the possible benefits of cradleboards — a traditional device for helping mothers care for their babies — to the Blackfoot identity. One thesis, by Vanessa Kong, on the importance of designing better public washrooms, suggested increased security in not only female washrooms, but male and

unisex washrooms, so as not to discriminate. Although contestants were limited to three minutes for their initial presentations, they were able to answer any questions related to their theses afterwards. However, the question period was not evaluated by the judges. Some of the best questions came from fellow competitors. After Dominic Tresevan did a presentation on the difficulty of undergraduate programs, specifically STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) faculties, Pradeep Reddy Ramana, a fellow presenter, questioned whether dropout rates were related to economic status. In the end, final presenter Aviva Finkelstein, won first place for her thesis on portable x-ray fluorescence (pXRF) analysis — the only “100% non-destructive” and cost effective way to determine the origin of artifacts. Used on human bones, it could help native families locate their ancestors. “This method has yet to be tested on human remains, and that’s where my research comes in,” she explained. “I have had some promising results,” she added, remarking on the machine’s accuracy. Allison Cornell and Bekka Brodie, both American biologists, took home second and third place, respectively, with Pradeep Reddy Ramana taking home the People’s Choice award.

Bohdan Nosyk, an associate professor in health economics at SFU and a researcher at BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS (BC-CfE), has been appointed BC’s first ever HIV/ AIDS research chair in health economics. Nosyk leads research that seeks to discover efficient, cost-effective care for HIV/AIDS patients in BC. His new role is part of a broader effort between St. Paul’s Hospital Foundation and BC-CfE to be at the forefront of the fight against HIV/AIDS. “We are now setting the health research agenda for the province in terms of HIV/AIDS,” said Nosyk. “We have a mandate to continually monitor the epidemic and watch how the money is being spent and the quality of care people are getting.” The $3 million research chair position came out of the desire for BC-CfE, headquartered at St. Paul’s Hospital, to strengthen the work already being done on its Treatment as Prevention initiative. This program provides HIV testing and highly active anti-retroviral therapy [HAART] to patients. BC-CfE research has shown that this initiative has resulted in a 90 per cent decrease in HIV-related morbidity and mortality since it was introduced in 1995, and the number of new HIV cases in the province has fallen dramatically. “[Nosyk] has been responsible for helping develop approaches that will maximize the beneficial effects of available HIV interventions, and to ensure that we are doing everything that we can to contain the spread of HIV/ AIDS,” said Irene Day, director of operations at BC-CfE. “I think that Dr. Nosyk in this chair is a tremendous asset to the province.”

Using mathematical models and world-class health services data, Nosyk has been able to show that the treatment scale-up of HAART in the province has been extremely cost-effective. “It’s saved a lot of lives, prevented a lot of infections, and it’s going to continue to have an impact because the more people we get on treatment, the smaller the number of new cases that we see,” Nosyk said. Through his teaching in health economics at SFU, Nosyk hopes to inspire students to get involved with scientists working with BC’s valuable health administrative data. “The evidence that we’ve derived from the provincial health administrative data holdings has been put into practice, and it’s had a substantial public health benefit,” Nosyk said. “I think we’re only scraping the surface of what we can do with the amazing data resources we have in this province.” This partnership extends beyond the three organizations involved. The work by Nosyk and his team of researchers will be communicated to policy-makers and caregivers working directly with patients. They will also be working with HIV/AIDS programs and other harm reduction initiatives, such as methadone maintenance therapy for injection drug users, which indirectly targets and prevents the spread of the disease. Nosyk hopes to strengthen relationships with health authorities, the Centres for Disease Control [CDC], and Corrections BC. “BC is a national leader in terms of how effective we’ve been at containing our HIV epidemic and continually driving down new cases of HIV,” explained Nosyk. “We’re now at a point where we’ve seen such progress that we have to be careful with how we spend the money that we have — and catch those last few cases and treat them effectively.” “What we do here extends beyond BC, across Canada, and internationally,” said Nosyk. “The benefits of our research helps this province enormously, but goes beyond political borders.”

10 NEWS

An SFU professor has testified in a federal court trial in Detroit, Michigan, which is challenging the definition of marriage as one man, one woman. The state has claimed that children of samesex marriage do not do as well in school as those raised by heterosexual couples. The case is a response to an initial challenge to Michigan’s definition of marriage, which was brought to court by a lesbian couple who wanted to marry and secure adoption rights as a couple for their individually adopted children. Four social science researchers were called upon to testify in defence of Michigan’s ban on same-sex marriage: one of those researchers is SFU economics professor Douglas Allen. Allen was called to speak on three research topics: his survey of 60 papers on child outcome research published between 1995-2013, a replication of the Rosenfeld study, and his own paper on high school graduation rates among children of same-sex households.

March 17, 2014

For the latter, Allen looked at data collected from the Canada census and concluded that children in same-sex households were less likely to graduate high school than children from households with heterosexual parents. He says of his results, “I am not aiming to make any conjecture about why this was found to be the case. I am only presenting what I found.” Allen initially aimed to correct the findings of a study conducted by Michael Rosenfeld, a sociologist at Stanford University,

whose results showed that children of same-sex and heterosexual parents show the same levels of educational achievement. Summarising a range of research in the field, Rosenfeld testified, “It’s clear that being raised by same-sex parents is no disadvantage to children.” In his criticism, Allen cited problems with the child outcome literature in general as it draws conclusions based on small, biased samples, making it easy to conclude that children from all households achieved the same rates of academic success.

Allen has come under fire for his response to a question posed at the end of the trial: The plaintiff’s attorney asked if he thought homosexuals were eternally damned, yes or no, to which Allen replied, “Without repentance? Yes.” Allen explained to The Peak that he was only allowed to give a yes or no answer to the question, and that sexual orientation was not a factor in his testimony. His reply was based in his beliefs that all sinners, if they do not repent and turn to Jesus, will go to hell, no matter their sexual preference.

A long time researcher of the economics of family dynamics, Allen sees the relationships of every household as unique. He said, “I am not opposed to same-sex marriage. I just don’t think that there should be one rule governing different types of relationships.” Nevertheless, Elise Chenier, a professor in the SFU Department of History and the director of the Archive of Lesbian Oral Testimony, challenges this view. Her research involves the study of sexuality and gender in 20th century United States and Canada, as well as aspects of same -sex marriage. Chenier is not affiliated with the proceedings of the case, however she says of the defence’s argument, “I think that when you’re opposed to something, you will marshal whatever resources you have to argue against it.” Regardless of the nature of the research, Chenier has issues with the general focus of the trial. She said, “[The defendants] are equating how well you do in school with your overall quality of life. I don’t necessarily think that’s the single determining factor on a child’s life. Whether they succeed or they fail, this will prevent same-sex couples from having the same legal rights and benefits that opposite sex couples currently enjoy.” Final closing statements for the case were given last Friday, March 7. The trial’s verdict is expected to come out within the next two weeks.

IT’S PEAK ELECTION SEASON ONCE AGAIN! DID YOU KNOW THAT THE PEAK IS MADE BY REAL LIVE STUDENTS JUST LIKE YOU? The editors are chosen in elections held once per semester and if you’ve paid your student fees this semester, you’re eligible to run! To apply, simply fill out the appropriate form at the-peak. ca or visit the Peak offices at MBC 2900.

“The Peak pays editors? That’s enough to cover every surface of my parents’ basement with anime wall scrolls!”

WEEKLY STIPENDS COORDINATING EDITOR $255 PRODUCTION EDITOR NEWS EDITOR $255 COPY EDITOR ASSC NEWS EDITOR $190 PHOTO EDITOR OPINIONS EDITOR $255 WEB PRODUCER FEATURES EDITOR $255 HUMOUR EDITOR ARTS EDITOR $255 LAYOUT ASSISTANT MULTIMEDIA EDITOR $255 PROOFREADER

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EDITOR applications are due at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 19, and SUPPORT applications (that is, applications for Layout Assistant and Proofreader) are due at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 26. The voting period lasts one week in both cases. If you’ve contributed to The Peak at least twice this semester, you’re eligible to vote, and you’ll be contacted by the electoral officers with your ballot once the voting period has begun.

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12 NEWS

A film screening at SFU Burnaby suggests that Internet users are signing up for more than the latest iPhone app when they check off “I agree” to the Terms and Conditions. Before leaving on vacation to the US, Irish tourist Leigh Bryan tweeted that he was going to “destroy America.” Once his plane landed, Bryan and his girlfriend were interrogated by the Department of Homeland Security, detained, handcuffed, and even put in a detention center before being sent back to Europe. Bryan’s is just one example shown in the documentary Terms and Conditions May Apply of social media and government surveillance working together with user consent but not necessarily awareness. The film was screened on March 12 as part of an event organized by the Teaching and Learning Commons called “What Don’t You Know about the Social Media You Use.” The event explained that Internet users are putting their personal information up for grabs by agreeing to the terms and conditions — contracts that are long and full of enough technical

March 17, 2014

terminology to put off even the most well-intentioned. Once users agree to the terms and conditions, online services have the authority to record every upload, tweet, search and click. As SFU student Adam Van der Zwan put it, “We really have no Internet privacy.” Free social media like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter rely on data mining to generate income, but the dissemination of users’ personal information rarely stops there. Van der Zwan, a third-year communications major, sat on

the discussion panel along with Jon Festinger, a law professor at UBC, Kevin O’Neill, associate professor of education technology at SFU, and Stuart Poyntz, an SFU communications assistant professor. All four panelists agreed that this breach of user trust becomes much more threatening when the government gets its hands on supposedly private information. The director of the film, Cullen Hoback, described Facebook as “the CIA’s dream come true,” and said that government agencies like the NSA and Canada’s CSEC continue to monitor Internet users

based on information that they’ve willingly provided to their favourite websites or service providers.

As in the case of Leigh Bryan’s tweet, this can lead to the harassment of civilians for crimes that they haven’t committed. Festinger claims that Canadians are even less aware of

government surveillance than our US counterparts. “We haven’t really had our own Snowden,” he said, however that doesn’t mean that our online activities aren’t being monitored. While many argue that they don’t have anything to hide, the film claims Internet users don’t know what could be considered a threat to national security. Either way, by simply having an online presence, hiding is no longer an option. After watching Terms and Conditions May Apply, Van der Zwan said, “I’ve definitely become more hostile toward the Internet.” Van der Zwan says he believes government surveillance is necessary to national security, but not to the extent it’s happening at the moment, and not without informed consent. He said, “If the government needs to survey everything we do online, we should at least be issued an official statement, or reason, that will notify us in advance.” “The answer is law and regulation,” Festinger agreed. However, he worries that corporate lobbyists will continue to evade any baseline privacy law for online services. Online services are only as valuable as the user data they have compiled, and anonymity doesn’t bring in a profit. Van der Zwan says Internet users must first be made aware of how they’re being taken advantage of before things can change — in other words, users must understand that terms and conditions always apply.

MOVING ANNOUNCEMENT SFU’s Safety & Risk Services is relocating all of its departments to the Discovery 1 building at Burnaby Campus, including: Access Control (Keys and Cards) Campus Security (not dispatch) Emergency & Continuity Planning Environmental Health & Safety 5DGLDWLRQ 6DIHW\ 2I¿FH Risk Management The Emergency Volunteer Team (EVT) and Student Campus Safety Program (SCSP) [pictured] will also operate out of Discovery 1 as of

For further information about our move, safety information and resources (including student safety programs available at SFU), visit:

March 25th, 2014

www.sfu.ca/safety

FEATURE

Like every other middle class family in Pakistan, my house had maids — someone who cooked and cleaned, helped out with the household chores, and took care of us. My sibling and I developed strong bonds with these women, until they had to leave our house, and we said goodbye. We moved on. When I was 13 years old, I had a maid named Parvati. She was named after the Hindu goddess who is considered to be the “ultimate source of power” by many practicing Hindus. I remember her fondly: chiefly for the fact that she was my very first student, instilling in me a passion for teaching that I have always held on to strongly. Every day after she had finished working, she would sit down with me, my star pupil, blissfully happy and eager to learn the alphabet. One day, Parvati quit her job unexpectedly; her parents found out that she had engaged in premarital sex with her fiancé and gotten pregnant. She stood at our doorstep one day, her childlike eyes filled with fear and sadness, as her aunt narrated what had happened, not letting go of a single opportunity to humiliate her or declare how the family’s reputation was now tarnished. At first, my mother wasn’t sure how to react to the situation around me, torn between whether she should discuss it openly, or silently suppress the taboo my society had confirmed it to be. Meanwhile, I spent the following weeks asking myself: “Why didn’t she just abort it secretly and be done with it?” The answer, as I’ve learned seven years later, was never that simple. What exactly is abortion? I remember my very first law class back in Pakistan, where my pro-choice, liberal, and exceptionally brilliant teacher had asked us the same

March 17, 2014

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question. “Killing of a child!” I replied instantly. She looked me in the eyes, saying nothing. “So,” she finally replied, “Are you absolutely sure that it’s a child?” Always an advocate for women’s rights and equality, I’d been stunned at my choice of words. It was an ironic, yet enlightening experience. If I, the

“an unborn or unhatched vertebrate especially after attaining the basic structural plan of its kind; specifically: a developing human from usually two months after conception to birth.” Most of us will recognize these definitions, but they do little to answer the key moral debate surrounding abortion: does a fetus count as a living “per-

pro-choice, liberal, yet naïve 17-year old feminist had just blurted out those words without a second thought, how much stronger could the responses be from those who were strictly anti-abortion, or “pro-life?”

son?” This has been the drive behind discussions and arguments by prochoicers and pro-lifers for centuries. Judith Jarvis, in her article, “A Defense of Abortion” starts of with a compelling argument that the fetus has become a “person” before birth, but the right to life for the fetus is ultimately outweighed by the mother’s right to her own body. Jarvis proposes a hypothetical situation. You wake up in your bed one day to find a famous, unconscious violinist lying next to you. He has been plugged to your body because he was

“A medical procedure used to end a pregnancy and cause the death of the fetus.” This is, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica, the objective definition of an abortion. Naturally, our next question must be, what is a fetus? The same source defines a fetus as,

found to have a fatal kidney ailment, and only your blood type can help him survive — if he stays plugged into you for nine months. Are you compelled to agree to those terms? Of course not. However, if you say no, do you kill someone? Yes. Jarvis argues that, “You are not morally required to spend nine months in bed, sustaining the life of that violinist, but to say this is by no means to say that if, when you unplug yourself, there is a miracle and he survives, you then have a right to turn round and slit his throat.” In this example, she illustrates a potential distinction between abortion and murder — one should be permissible, she says, while the other should not. Her argument is unique in that it recognizes the personhood of a fetus, but still argues that, morally, a pregnant woman has a right to choose. Jarvis’ argument is reflected in an image macro I saw circulating on the Internet a while ago. It asked the reader to imagine a scenario where he/she has a baby in one hand, and a petri dish with an embryo in the other. If the reader was forced to drop one of these two, which would they choose? I think this puts things into perspective, and eventually forces a person to acknowledge the difference between the two — after all, which would you choose?

Since abortion was not a common practice in the time when the Holy Qu’ran was introduced, Islam offers no specific instructions forbidding the act as a whole. However, most Islamic scholars agree that abortion is impermissible after four months

their ability to take control over their own bodies is an inevitable consequence of these conditions. According to the Guttmacher report, out of every 100 pregnancies in Pakistan, 14 result in abortions. The report concludes by saying that “under current circumstances, many Pakistani women are paying with their health — and even their lives — to avoid births that they cannot afford or do not want.” However, there is another side to this story. On a trip back home, I asked some of my Muslim friends what they thought of

of pregnancy, as they believe that it is then when the fetus starts possessing a “soul,” and a life is blown into the fetus. Seyed al-Sabiq, in his book Fiqh al-Sunnah, summarizes the differing views on abortion held by Muslim scholars. He cites the theologian Al-Ghazali, who argues that “when the sperm enters the ovaries, mixes with the ovum and acquires potential of life, its removal would be a sin [. . .] the graveness of the sin increases very much if one does so after the stage when the spirit is blown into the fetus and it acquires human form and faculties.” Even in the case of rape, many Muslim scholars believe that abortion is not permissible after a period of four months, arguing that a child

conceived in this way is still “legitimate.” While Islam does provide women rights when it comes to many other things, such as education, property, and marriage, it overwhelmingly restricts a woman’s right to choose when it comes to abortion, imposing rules and regulations at every turn. Pakistan is a country where women are still fighting for basic rights, a country where women are burnt, tortured, and killed in the name of honour, a country where the Hudood Ordinances — proposed under the dictatorial rule of Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq — demand that for a woman to be considered a victim of sexual assault, she must bring in four eyewitnesses. Pakistani women are constantly placed in submissive roles, and

abortion. “I honestly don’t have much religious knowledge on the topic,” one began. “However, I believe that it’s something that should be exercised as [little] as possible. It truly is a sin. It’s hard to imagine legalizing it fully, as that probably means ending so many lives that one day could grow and prosper.” I was surprised to see how different my friends’ views on the subject were from my own. I set up an interview with Humza Khan, the president of the Simon Fraser Student Society, in order to ask him for his thoughts on abortion. Being raised in Pakistan and having his roots traced back to the Pashtun culture — a culture whose people are known for their warriors, hospitality, and sportsmanship — I was eager to see if his experiences, as a Muslim living in Canada, would match mine. “I believe that a person, whether man or woman, possesses the right to do whatever they want to do with their body,” Humza told me during our interview. “It’s not for me to decide what a woman should or shouldn’t be doing with her body. We need to destigmatize it.” I asked him how he reconciles these views with his Muslim faith. “The basic argument for anyone who is pro-life would be that you are basically destroying a life,” he began. “However, at the same time, is it fair for us to bring a life into this world, knowing fully well that they may not have the resources to survive?” I breathed a sigh of relief as I walked out of his office that day. I now believe in my heart that many

of my schoolmates — be they Pakistani Muslim, or otherwise — actively accept and support a woman’s right to choose, no matter what their social, cultural, or religious background may be.

A much less tolerant society than ours at SFU exists in India, the second most populated nation in the world. Eighty per cent of Indian women disapprove of abortion, and 56 per cent consider it to be a heinous crime — the sacred texts of Hinduism, and therefore those who practice it, forbid abortion at any stage. Unlike Islam, this doesn’t leave much room for discussion. Many Indian women live in fear of torture and rape from the minute they step into the public sphere. For those living in a country defined by its harsh stances against a woman’s right to choose, the fear of violence and sexual assault pervades all aspects of daily life. The 2012 Delhi gang rape case — in which a 23-year old student was raped by a bus driver and five other men, later dying from her injuries — resulted in widespread protests, both in India and abroad, against a perceived lack of women’s rights in India. In the aftermath of this traumatic case, I discussed abortion with an Indian student at SFU. “My religion considers it to be a sin,” she told me. “I believe that if a woman has the money and the resources to look after the kid she’s going to have, she should never abort. “On the other hand, I’ve witnessed the poverty in India, which is why I’d say that if she cannot take care of it, she should abort it. It’s better for the child.” In the United States, the nation with the second largest Christian population of the world, Roe v. Wade (a milestone decision reached by the Supreme Court in 1973) established that abortion should be legal in all the states early in pregnancy, and should be prohibited later on according to the states’ discretion. According to a 2011 poll conducted by Gallup, 45 per cent of Americans were pro-life, 49 per cent pro-choice, and the rest were undecided. I googled the word “abortion” and found a wide range of viewpoints, most of which were expressed in the realm of social media. The antiabortion pictures and images that I came across were truly surprising. One of them read, “Last year Obama supported the “right” to murder 1.2 million unborn children.” Another featured a picture of

baby and the text at the bottom said, “Baby saved from late-term abortion when car dies on the way to the clinic.” Another read, “My baby is not a tumour or a toenail to be removed, a baby is a person.” If a country with women like Wendy Davis and Hillary Clinton has people whose mindsets dictate thoughts like these, how can my staunchly religious republic hold onto any hope for women’s rights? Even Pope Francis, whose liberal viewpoints have gained him widespread acclaim, recently spoke against abortion, saying: “It is horrific even to think that there are children, victims of abortion, who will never see the light of day.” This is the same Pope who recently argued that it’s time for the Catholic Church to get rid of its “obsession” with homosexuality, premarital sex and contraception. However, after being pressured by the Church, Pope Francis exposed the limits of his progressive views: he may be tolerant of the LGBT community and the poor, but he’s not yet ready to take a stand for a woman’s right to choose. No matter how liberal the Pope may seem, and no matter how beloved he is by his followers, we must be critical of the fact that he was not even willing to clarify whether abortion may not be immoral in the cases of sexual assault, or when a pregnancy endangers a woman’s life — something Islamic scholars have openly discussed and debated, with most reaching the conclusion that the woman’s life is worth more than that of the fetus. It’s interesting to note that Islam, a religion that’s often misunderstood when it comes to the rights of women, and often considered oppressive and patriarchal, is significantly more tolerant of abortion than Catholicism or Hinduism. Still, from a religious perspective, it seems there’s little room for prochoice arguments.

So, what does it mean to be prochoice? I once had an open discussion with a few friends in order to undermine the social taboo of talking about abortions in public. We asked each other, “would you ever do it?” in order to question our beliefs and put our presuppositions to the test. Would I ever get an abortion done? I’d been asked this question before, but I’d never really considered it. After weighing the options, I decided I would probably never do so myself.

Do I still believe in a woman’s right to choose? Of course! I feel everyone has as much a right to their own personal choices as I do to my own. Even if I wouldn’t get an abortion personally, I still strongly believe in others’ right to have one — whatever the reason. Pro-choice doesn’t

mean pro-abortion, but it does support the idea that we all should be able to make our own choices about our own bodies. Another poll conducted by Gallup suggests that only 35 per cent of the American people believe that a woman should abort if she or her family cannot afford to raise the child. Here comes the concept of abortion actually being ‘pro-child.’ I come from a country where abortion is not even an option for thousands of women in poverty, as they have no access to the proper medical care. Do you know where their kids end up? Madrassas, fundamentalist religious schools where they’re clothed and fed, but taught to hate anything remotely un-Islamic. If they don’t end up there, these kids end up on the street, sold as prostitutes or used as drug mules for people too cruel and uncaring for you and I to ever understand. I believe that there are children who should never have been brought into this world, because they are living a life full of suffering. This is one of the reasons I identify as pro-choice. Hopefully one day we will live in a world where children don’t face this adversity — but time and again, this proves to be more fiction than reality. Our world is still plagued by poverty, disease, and famine. How can one be expected to bring a child into such a world?

Canada is one of the few nations in this world that has laws that place no legal restrictions on abortions. According to Statistics Canada, the ratio of live births to abortions is 100 to 30.

The main decision that defined abortion laws in Canada was made by the Supreme Court in 1998 in the historic R. v. Morgentaler case, where the court stated, “The decision whether or not to terminate a pregnancy is essentially a moral decision and in a free and democratic society, the conscience of the individual must be paramount to that of the state.” Since then, abortion has been a right guaranteed to all Canadian citizens, and procedures performed here are among the safest in the world.

Still, there isn’t much difference between us and our neighbours to the south when it comes to public opinion. In a Léger poll conducted in September 2001, 46.6 per cent of the respondents said that they were personally for abortion, while 37.6 per cent said that they were personally against it. However, that same poll dictates that 54.5 per cent of those respondents agreed that it’s a woman’s choice when it comes to her fetus and her body — regardless of their own personal views. This is a defining factor of our view in Canada, as opposed to the rest of the world. Even if you don’t personally agree with abortion, no one has any right to deny a woman her right to choose. Oh, Canada. Finally, the Guttmacher report, last conducted in 2009, effectively subverts many myths we often hear about abortion, and proves to be a fitting conclusion to my argument. The report states that a woman’s likelihood of having an abortion is statistically similar whether she lives in a developed or a developing region. In addition, once legalized or criminalized, abortion rates on national and state levels do not change. Legalizing abortion will not, as some argued, encourage more people to have them — it will, however, make sure that those who do are given the option to do so safely. No matter where you stand on the ethics of abortion, consider this. Once we deprive certain people of the opportunity to make their own choices about their bodies, how can we claim to extend all people fair and equal rights? There is a difference between opposing abortion and opposing a person’s right to have one. In the end, the person whose body it concerns should have the final say, and no one else. We should all have the right to make our own choices.

You. A Doctor. Naturally. Thinking of a career in naturopathic medicine? Attend one of our upcoming information sessions to learn about degree pre-requisites for the four-year Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine program, our small class sizes, hands-on situational learning, and the student and clinic experience. Prospective Student Information Session 5:30 - 7:30 pm, Wednesday, March 19, 2014 Come with your questions about the ND program. Student for a Day 9:00 am - 4:00 pm, Monday, April 14, 2014 Learn first-hand what it’s like to be a Boucher student. AANMC Virtual Fair Tuesday, April 15, 2014 Log on to speak with advisors in an online session. Boucher Institute of Naturopathic Medicine 435 Columbia Street, New Westminster, BC 604-777-9981 I www.binm.org Western Canada’s Naturopathic Medical School

OPINIONS

In flagrant defiance of Ukrainian sovereignty, Russia has invaded, occupied, and is preparing to annex Crimea. The ire these actions have provoked in the West is acute, with voices on both left and right vying to appear more upset. From Warsaw to Washington governments stand in their unity of condemning Moscow’s actions. Yet is all this justified? Our media has painted a stark dichotomy between the “bad” Russians and the “good” Ukrainians. But we must not place halos on the new Kiev government too quickly. On February 22 the Ukrainian Parliament voted to impeach

The loonie I have in my pocket today is 1.48 per cent less valuable than it was this time last year. Such is the reality of inflation. Fortunately for me, as part of the CUPE 391 union, I don’t need to worry: my wage increases each year in order to factor in inflation. This is generally referred to as a Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) and is often written into collective agreements for unions. The COLA clause makes sense: if you’re working the same job, providing the same value to your employer, you should be paid the same real wage (factoring inflation). SFSS’s upcoming referendum concerns essentially that — the students act as the employer, while our health and dental provider, Desjardins, is dealing with inflation and asking for something like a COLA clause.

the pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych in answer to the cries of impassioned protestors. They certainly did not have the constitutional authority to make such a move: 328 of 449 members of parliament voted to have him removed, but Article 111 of the Constitution demands three quarters of the constitutional composition — 337 votes — to make this decision. They did,

If you’re not familiar with the referendum, let me explain. It asks two questions. The first concerns offering an Enhanced Plan, which is $255 (includes a 10 per cent increase in basic dental, 10 per cent increase in prescription drugs, etc.) alongside the current Basic Plan at the price students currently pay ($198). Well, obviously, we’re all in favour of freedom of choice. The tricky thing here is that if/when this first question passes, everyone will automatically be switched to the Enhanced Plan as a default. It will then be up to us to revert back to the Basic Plan if we want to. The second question is where the COLA-esque clause is proposed. It asks if we are okay with the prices of our respective health and/or dental plans rising by a maximum of five per cent per year for the indefinite future, starting in the 2015-2016 school year. When the Health and Dental Plan launched in 2008, we paid $198. Today, we still pay $198. Something had to give, and it did. Our plans have actually been scaled back three times, so our current plan covers less than it did in 2008. Now, while inflation historically hovers around two per cent, this yearly increase is also said to cover the projected

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March 17, 2014

however, have the support of Kiev’s police. As pro-Westerners took over the functions of government, they reversed many of the president’s policies. The new government rejected Russia’s billions in loans and appealed to the West for financial help instead. And most controversially of all, it made Ukrainian the sole official language of the republic,

increase in claims that Desjardins has to pay for. If you’re okay with COLA clauses, then you should be okay with paying the two per cent inflation tax each year for your health and/or dental plan. When it comes to paying the other possible three per cent, it depends on whether or not you trust the intentions and the increased claims projections made by Desjardins. If you choose not to pass this second question, our respective health and/or dental plans, whether they be Basic or Enhanced, will most likely be scaled back yet again in the near future. We have to make due with what we have in this plan. At the end of the day, price increases are a result of our inflationary economic system. We’re angry when we see coffee costing us a dime more than last year, but it’s all relative. The referendum asks us to address this. Either you want to pay a little more to receive the same, or pay the same and receive a little less. The choice is up to you, the members of the SFSS (all 25,000+ SFU undergraduates). We can vote from March 25 to 28 with ballots being sent to our SFU Connect emails. And, if you’re going to complain about the results, just make sure you’ve voted in the first place.

Joel MacKenzie opinions@the-peak.ca / 778.782.4560

disappointing the country’s eight million Russophones. Understandably, many in the Russophone-dominated Ukrainian East felt robbed of their election, and politically marginalized. That separatist feelings should arise in places like Crimea, under such circumstances, should not surprise anyone. If the majority of people in a smaller region want to leave the country, do they need the permission of the whole country to do so? One could easily make a credible moral case for either side of this dispute. On the Crimean issue, the West’s answer is clear: national integrity trumps minority self-determination. But we do well to remember that we have often been on the opposite side of this argument. In 1999, NATO used military intimidation to force Serbia to allow for de facto autonomy in the Albanian-populated Kosovo region.

Nearly a decade later, in 2008, Kosovo’s local government opted to officially declare independence. This decision carried the strong approval of the local Kosovor population and virulent condemnation of Serbia’s national population (not to mention their Russian allies). The two scenarios are, of course, not entirely analogous. The threat posed by the Serbs in 1999 against the Kosovor population, used by the West to justify intervention, was genuine (although nonexistent by 2008). The threat posed by the Ukrainians against Russophones in places like Crimea used by Putin to justify occupation is largely imaginary. Yet the parallels are too similar to ignore. At the moment, the West may be treating Ukraine’s national integrity as sacrosanct, and the aspirations of Crimean locals as irrelevant, but this seems to be more out of interest than principle.

I am so okay with automatons, i.e. robots, being a thing. They’ll probably only make life better, or at least maintain the status quo, for everyone in the future. And by “everyone,” I include the automatons who will eventually assume citizenship status. What reason do we have to fear robots aside from fearing being intellectually inferior to another species? The curiosity behind this idea will surely always exist with or without robots, and shouldn’t stop us from advancing technology. We need to trust that automatons will be designed to do good. Now,

I know what you’re thinking: “But ‘Good’ is an arbitrary concept created within societies! We can’t program ‘good’ as much as we can’t program ‘happy’!” Friends, I agree. We have to believe these beings with superior intelligence will know what’s best for everyone. At least, surely, intelligent beings couldn’t justify destroying other sentient beings, right? Humans can’t, and we’re pretty smart. We all need to just relax. By the time robots live among us, they’ll have convinced us that it doesn’t matter, anyway.

On the other hand, this lower form of technology that I, for one, struggle with everyday has done no favours for the human/automaton races. Not only does it make typing frustrating as hell, it symbolizes technological apathy. By autocorrect, I mean a phone’s automatic process that corrects misspelled words, replacing them with words typed in the past or typed frequently. For me, this often translates to missing one letter in “cool,” and it being corrected to one way I emphatically spelled it in the past: “coooooooooool.” Shenanigans result.

Keyboards simply don’t work on touchscreens, and autocorrect serves as a daily reminder of that fact. Continuing to struggle with it every day also represents a reluctance to change to technology that isn’t spoon-fed. Want a great typing system? Check out the keyboard alternative 8pen. Learn to use this intuitive system, and let’s make cool, freeware systems such as this the norm. While you’re at it, erase Windows 8 and download Linux, the freeware software designed for the people by the people. If something is broke, and no one is fixing it, then we users need to find something better.

OPINIONS

“That’ll be on MasterCard,” — a phrase many students sheepishly mutter to the Tim Horton’s attendant on a daily basis. Overspending on convenient, quick (and usually, not-so-healthy) food is a common theme for SFU students. At a university that prides itself on sustainability, why is it impossible to find a 50-cent banana to grab between classes? Why is it that even if you do remember to grab those leftovers before leaving the house, you have to descend to the depths of somewhere out of the way, like TASK 2, to find a microwave? When taking a closer look at the structure of the school’s dining options, one can conclude that daily indulgences in quick, pricey snacks can be attributed to more than a little laziness on a student’s part. Is SFU setting us up for failure when it comes to our meal options on campus?

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We all want convenience, and convenience they have given us. But the convenience that students are being provided with seems targeted at benefiting SFU financially in the long run, as opposed to the bank accounts and bellies of the student body. Taking a look at recent initiatives implemented in the school, ulterior motives appear to be behind the scenes. Look at the (recently added) ATM availability, for example. You don’t have to look far to find an ATM conveniently sitting beside five vending machines full of chips and pop.

The suggested transaction here is undoubtedly convenient, but good luck finding something that will provide you with the nutritional value your body actually requires. It is no wonder that students gravitate towards daily indulgences of chips and pop. Who wouldn’t when you only have 10 minutes between classes and a dollar in your pocket? The

school is structured around an awareness that students often need to grab a quick snack between classes, but is not making healthy options nearly as available as sugary snacks. If, by some miracle, you are lucky enough to find the last bruised and neglected banana at Starbucks, I hope you enjoy a nice big markup because that’s what you are going to get. Any new innovations of “fast fruit” for students are coming at a price. When examining the services that are conveniently provided at SFU, a less than subtle bias is encouraging students to spend, spend, spend on foods that are getting them nowhere fast. By making use of these services and not demanding better, we are perpetuating the problem. If we, as students, want better options while keeping our bank accounts out of the red, then we are going to have to ask for them. The most effective way to ask for something is with your purchasing power; so don’t buy things that you don’t want to see stick around. If you want to keep off the freshman 15 and not see deficits by April, you best BYOB (Bring Your Own Banana), because SFU apparently isn’t going to sell you one easily.

Apparently, the time for sniffing our iPhones has arrived. “Scented” mobile apps are an emerging product, along with their small mobile accessories which plug right into the headphone jack. The accessory emits a puff of scent in accordance with whatever actions are being played out on the iPhone screen. I have to say, the more I ponder this concept, the more I dislike it. With mobile apps such as “Scentee,” an app based out of Japan, users can now send these smells to each other all across the globe. “Scentee” comes with over 100 different scents, such as coffee, roses, chocolate and even corn soup (yuck?). Koki Tsubouchi, CEO of “ChatPerf” and creator of “Scentee,” claims that the new dimension of messages that scented apps provide can bring people closer together. Alright, I understand how this may be intriguing at first. Receiving a pleasantly-scented message from a friend or loved one may add a nice touch to text messages. But I think we should seriously consider the negative aspects of scented apps. And trust me, there is a plentitude. Apart from the potential for scents to become old very quickly, a downfall of an app such as “Scentee” is that it’s currently only able to hold one scent at a time. The user would have to reload the plug-in accessory with a new scent-chip in order to receive a different smell. In other words, there are no surprise smells here. If a lover is going to send you roses, they’re

going to have to notify you first. Otherwise, if you have “asparagus” plugged in, your Valentine’s Day might not turn out so hot. Additionally, I have a beef with food-scents (pun intended). I’ve noticed that most of the scents one can buy are various types of food. This is a bit of a tease. I’m even more irritated when I read about apps, such as “Poptopia,” where bursts of popcorn scent are puffed into your face as you pop the kernels on screen. I enjoy junk food as much as any other guy; if I’m going to smell it, I’ll also to want to eat it. But what bothers me the most is an Oscar Mayer app entitled “Wake Up and Smell the Bacon.” Mayer gives us a supposedly ingenious alarm clock that awakens you to the sounds and smells of “fresh, sizzling bacon.” Now, I think I speak for many when I say that as a Westerner, bacon is life. There is no experience equivalent to that of crispy, greasy, salty bacon, especially first thing in the morning. Considering this, I’d like to know what Oscar Mayer was thinking. Why would you tease your consumers with the illusion of bacon in the morning? What an abysmal misuse of food-scented mobile technology. It’s already difficult enough for me to wake up. When I finally do, you’re going to make me groggily wander into the kitchen only to realize there’s no actual bacon? Bullshit! That would offset the mood of my entire day. If you think scent accessories are a good idea, think again. Prepare to be underwhelmed by boring, artificial scents. Do you really love the smell of flowers? Pick some. Love the smell of food? Learn to cook. Nothing, especially not scented apps, can come close to the real deal.

ARTS

Irish by birth and Canadian by choice, Joan B. Flood is a writer of fiction, non-fiction, and “even a poem or two.” Her first novel, New Girl (Musa Publishing, 2012) is a contemporary coming-of-age novel for young adults. She has contributed to several anthologies and her story “87” won honourable mention in The Binnacle’s Annual International Ultra-Short Story Competition in 2012. Joan B. Flood graduated from The Writer’s Studio at SFU in 2008, after being encouraged to apply by a friend who attended a reading event of TWS graduates. Recently, Flood has been a contributor for CanadianLesFic.com, a new site to promote the writing and reading of lesbian fiction.

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arts editor email / phone

Daryn Wright arts@the-peak.ca / 778.782.4560

ARTS

William S. Burroughs, Jack Kerouac, and Allen Ginsberg represent the Beat Generation in American Literature. Full of drug-induced episodes, a rejection of authority, and spontaneity, their works have influenced and inspired artists of all genres. “They’re like the Three Musketeers,” said Jayson McDonald, “flinging themselves headlong into calamity.” McDonald embodies William S. Burroughs in his one-man show, Underbelly. Kerouac and Ginsberg also have cameos, but Burroughs is the star. In order to emulate his style, McDonald dove into the mind and literature of Burroughs. “It’s a lot of me trying to inhabit Burroughs’ headspace,” he said, “it’s not an enormously pleasant place to be. If I inhabited that world completely I would be putting my health at risk.” McDonald also explained that it’s hard to know who Burroughs really was because everything about him is half myth, and he would invent stories about himself. To get into character, there are a few essential things McDonald does: “I age myself a bit, put on a rumpled brown suit, and pop a couple of imaginary bennies [Benzadrine]. I also wear strong prescription glasses — the world looks a bit trippy.” That trippy perspective on the world is just what McDonald needs to feel the drug-induced blur of the Beats. McDonald also likes to get very involved in the text; he spent a lot of time reading and listening to Burroughs’ work, which includes prose, poems, novels, and audio recordings. “You kind of lose yourself a bit in his work — it’s kind of a trip. Listening to him read it is even more of a trip,” said McDonald. The words in the show are all his own, but he said the most common question he gets asked is ‘how much of the text is yours and how much is Burroughs?’ “It’s flattering, but also a little aggravating,” he said. The show

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is so influenced by Burroughs’ work that McDonald seems to have succeeded at emulating his style, which people are recognizing: “I’d say that’s mission accomplished.” The character in Underbelly is very close to Burroughs himself, but a bit more energetic and with a different voice. “I’m doing an interpretation of Burroughs,” said McDonald. “He had a monotone, drugged, nasally voice, so I couldn’t subject an audience to that for an hour.” McDonald first performed this character as part of Uno Fest in Victoria, a solo performance festival hosted by Intrepid Theatre. McDonald did a four-minute monologue of Burroughs, and the artistic director of Intrepid suggested that it would be great as a full show. “I’ve always been interested in these artists from the 50s,” said McDonald, “It was a very interesting and charged time that forged some strong, angry artists.” He said that in the aftermath of World War II and with the threat of nuclear Armageddon, it was a frightful time: “I’m interested in what that does to an artist.” Along with McDonald’s extensive research, director Jeff Culbert provided invaluable dramaturgy and helped McDonald find the emotional narrative arc. “The show will appeal to you if you’re interested in language and its versatility,” said McDonald, adding, “it requires a great deal of you as an audience member.” The show has had a good reception on the West Coast, and McDonald said that Vancouver was the most receptive audience when he performed the show as part of the Vancouver Fringe Festival in 2012. The show won that year’s Cultchivating the Fringe award, which entails a run at The Cultch, so he’s back to share Burroughs with us again. Burroughs’ world is all in the mind. “It’s just me and the stage and the lights and sound that create the world,” said McDonald. “It’s jumping all over the place, and a set would anchor it too much. The less we show you the more your mind can fill in the blanks — that’s always been the appeal of his literature for me.”

New York’s Sidra Bell Dance is a bold company that presents innovative works dealing with gender and identity. “My work lives in a world of darkness,” said artistic director Sidra Bell. The theme of gender reversal comes up often in her work, which she said is “subconsciously purposeful,” and her perspective of identity and gender shapes her creations: “I’m fluid with identity. It’s either neutral or fluid, the way I approach the body. It can be considered political, but it’s just how I saw things. It’s an element that’s always been there.” The company will be bringing two works to Vancouver as they return to the Chutzpah Festival for the second year in a row. Their first appearance at the festival was in 2009, and Bell is excited to return. “We had a wonderful engagement; I love Vancouver — it’s one of the highlights of our tour,” she said, “I love the atmosphere; it’s natural and cosmopolitan.” Last year’s Nudity was an emotional, uncomfortable piece that commented on conformity and the strict discipline of ballet. This year, the two pieces represent a different side of her work. “The tone is different,” she said, “Nudity was about physicality, more emotional than theatrical. These two are the more humorous and theatrical end of my work.” Garment just premiered in Pittsburgh, and Bell said it is packed

with movement and has a lighter, comical tone. The music also plays a large part in this work: “I use the music for atmosphere and scenography; it’s cinematic and all over the map sonically.” Stella, an older work of Bell’s, is also driven by the music with a cinematic tone and snatches of conversations. Bell said the work also has a film noir quality and is wildly varied and episodic. For Bell, the costumes are about how you identify yourself through clothing. “I’m excited by the costumes,” she said. For Stella she described them as a fusion of gothic and celtic influences, with leather accoutrements. “Visually it’s a wild show,” she said, explaining that she calls the characters portrayed in the piece “ranting autobots.” There are several costume changes; another identity within the piece aims to be childlike, with the dancers in gingham skirts. Garment’s costumes are more of a homage to specific gender bending, Bell explained, as the guys are revealed and the women are

covered in suits. The costumes facilitate the gender reversal of this piece, but aren’t as complicated as those in Stella. The gender play in Bell’s work adds a unique element of humour, and while the pieces sometimes deal with dark themes, they remain light and fun. “They’re exuberant pieces,” said Bell, “they don’t have the idealism of conveying an overarching ideal like Nudity did. They’re fun and entertaining.” She also said that the works involve a high degree of audience interaction and at some point the dancers will move off the stage and into the audience. The company is looking forward to connecting with Vancouver audiences once again. “It’s nice to continue to grow,” said Bell, “Chutzpah has been a huge part of our international touring. It’s nice to continue our relationship in Vancouver with the arts community.” You can follow Tessa Perkins

20 ARTS

Chase Padgett loves Canadians and Canadian Fringe Festivals. “I often feel that I’m a Canadian trapped in an American’s body,” he said. Padgett is returning to Vancouver with his new show Nashville Hurricane after last year’s successful Vancouver Fringe Festival show, 6 Guitars, and he is looking forward to being back in this city. “Canada is very, very lucky to have the fringe festival circuit it does,” said Padgett. “There are a lot of fringe festivals in America

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that are poorly run, that don’t give 100 per cent of the proceeds to the artists. It’s just so beautifully Canadian that people had the compassion and the empathy for the arts long ago, so now it’s really blossoming into a performance circuit that is kind of unlike anything else in the world that I know of.” Padgett describes the fringe festival experience as an invaluable education in theatre where artists learn things that theatre school won’t teach them. “The fringe festivals made me, out of necessity, learn Wordpress and Photoshop, because you’ve got to do your own promo. If you want to get media time you better learn how to write a decent press release. Those are things that — I don’t care what theatre school you go to — they don’t teach you that.”

There are a few other things that theatre school won’t teach you, said Padgett, such as how to still do a good show when four people show up. “Sometimes small houses are a way better experience to perform for,” explained Padgett, “because I would rather have 10 people who are 100 per cent with me than 100 people who are 10 per cent with me.” So far, Nashville Hurricane has delivered. “The show is really clicking into place in a way that took 6 Guitars longer to do, and I’m really happy about it,” said

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Padgett. This new show is also about the guitar, but it is very different in terms of the story structure and characters. The only character from 6 Guitars who reappears in this show is Tyrone. This show is much more of a narrative and each character tells their side of the same story, but those perspectives are often conflicting. Unlike 6 Guitars, which featured six different musical genres, Padgett said that this show features two: “The whole story centres around a young guitar prodigy named Henry who then becomes known as the Nashville Hurricane.”

The characters in Nashville Hurricane each go through a transformation, and their relationship with the audience changes as well. Henry, the Nashville Hurricane, is a young boy at the beginning of the story, telling the story in hindsight as an adult. He is somewhere on the autistic spectrum, although it’s never fully diagnosed and Padgett never says it out loud. “The way I play him and the way he just shows a passion for these very esoteric interests like electricity and science in particular, and the fact that he never makes eye contact with the audience — people understand it,” said Padgett, “He starts off very

shy and afraid of the world and by the end he learns how to be his own person.” Padgett describes Henry’s mother Brenda as “straight up country trailer trash hilarity” and “a whisky soaked tornado” who has no qualms telling it like it is and being crass the entire time. By the end of the show, Padgett said that she ends up understanding what it’s like to be a loving, protective mother. He premiered the first version of the show at the Orlando Fringe in 2012: “I’ve got to be honest with you, it wasn’t that good. I was doing this whole show and the audience in front of me would laugh at certain things, but I could just feel I was losing them at certain times. The music was okay, but the character was off and the story was a little off.” Padgett rewrote the entire show and premiered it in Calgary with a completely different reception. “I really turned — at the time what was a defeat — into a victory, and then when I did it in Edmonton, it got the same kind of response 6 Guitars did when I first brought that there. It was really an incredible experience all over again and it was important to me to prove that I could do it a second time.” “If I got to tell 18-year old Chase what 30-year old Chase is doing, 18-year old Chase would be thrilled beyond belief because this is exactly what I want to do with my life, and I’m doing it.” There’s nothing better than that.

ARTS

Do you ever think about where your cell phone will go once you throw it away? What about who made it, or who mined the materials to put it together? Edward Burtynsky’s photography boldly searches for the answers behind these questions — and they aren’t pretty. On display from March 1 to May 26, Edward Burtynsky: A Terrible Beauty, a new exhibit at the Vancouver Art Gallery, compiles almost 50 of Burtynsky’s breathtaking photographs, taken over a period of 30 years. His early works are mostly focused on the natural landscapes of

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British Columbia, but his more recent photographs look for both the beauty and horror in the industrial footprint humans have had on the earth — from the claustrophobic factories of China to the vast oil sands of Alberta. Burtynsky is a Ryerson University graduate, and he also moonlights as president and founder of Toronto Image Works, a small-scale digital media facility and photography lab. His works have been featured in the Guggenheim Museum and the National Museum of Canada. His exhibit at the art gallery

was preceded by a donation of 34 of his pieces. Though Burtynsky’s work is both diverse and international in scope, the exhibit focuses heavily on two of the photographer’s recent series: Oil, which comprises a multitude of photos taken between 1999 and 2008 of oil rigs and pipelines — including those in the Alberta oil sands — and Water, a series focused on irrigation systems and water preservation that recently inspired an acclaimed documentary film, Watermark, which Burtynsky co-directed. His photographs are printed in large format, but they do little to suggest the huge scope of his images. Oil rigs, abandoned container

ships, and overstuffed landfills dwarf the photographer’s human subjects, who end up looking like ants or tiny plastic figurines. Burtynsky also employs a depth of field which gives his images a crispness and precision that seem to magnify their surreality. But while Burtynsky has the eye of an artist, he’s got the mind of a photojournalist — beyond the breathtaking scope and harmonious symmetry of his photographs, there’s a strong message of environmentalism and social justice. When interviewed by The Walrus, he explained, “I document landscapes that, whether you think of them as beautiful or monstrous, or as some strange combination of

the two, are clearly not vistas of an inexhaustible, sustainable world.” The contradiction between beauty and monstrosity is rarely clearer than when one is walking through this exhibit. While his images are meticulously framed and at times poetic, Burtynsky’s photographs simultaneously force us to confront the truth behind the minutiae of our daily lives: the water we drink, the food we eat, the gas we guzzle, the technology we take for granted. “As humans, we still absorb 70 per cent of our knowledge through our eyes,” Burtynsky told the National Post in 2011, “I think the photograph, in this still and quiet way, penetrates our consciousness.” It’s certainly hard to walk away from A Terrible Beauty without feeling as though you’ve opened your eyes a little wider to the world around you. Burtynsky’s photography is a beautiful mix of style and substance. The photographer offers a complex and provocative look at the impact of industry on the natural world — one that isn’t easily forgotten. You can follow Max Hill

22 DIVERSIONS / ETC

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Across

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30. AMC drama starring Jon Hamm and Elisabeth Moss (2 wds.) 32. 2004 horror flick with innumerable sequels 35. Flights to Vancouver land here (abbr.) 36. Sisters and Peak editors Alison and Melissa _____ 37. Futurama protagonist Philip J. ___ 38. Recently deceased Hollywood trailer voice over artist ___ Douglas 39. My average is three cups a day

Development actor Tony 5. The Sound and the Fury author William 6. Stage name of songstress behind 2011â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Past Life Martyred Saints 9. Mind readers have this 10. al-Qaeda leader and hide-and-seek champion Bin Laden 12. In the UK, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not a resume; itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a curriculum _____ 13. Antiquated term for formerly; try pairing it with â&#x20AC;&#x153;whileâ&#x20AC;? Down 14. The Fresh Prince on a sick day? (2 wds.) 1. Every rose has its ____ 16. Networked narra(no, not the song) tive video game focused 2. A group of words, just on user involvement like this one! (abbr.) 3. Veep and Arrested 17. Saturday Night Live

actor and Community guest star Killam 20. The ninth letter of the Greek alphabet 21. Parisian expat turned poet and novelist Stein, to her friends 22. Tokyo, before the name change 26. A rusty swingset, a home without a smoke detector, Rob Ford in political office 28. The land of long lines and snappy service people (abbr.) 31. Clapton, Idle, or Bana 33. A large unit of area, usually used to describe properties 34. Indie hip-hop group behind 2008â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Alopecia

SPORTS

After opening the BCIHL semifinals with a loss to the Trinity Western Spartans by a score of 3–2 at the Langley Events Centre, the Clan hoped to bounce back Friday when they faced them again at the Bill Copeland Centre. The Clan did just that, with goaltender Ryan Parent notching a shutout in a 2-0 victory. Special teams were in SFU’s favour with

sports editor email / phone

March 17, 2014

an effective penalty kill, thwarting all seven Spartan power plays, and also scoring one power play goal. SFU started out with the offensive edge, however an early penalty to the Clan evened up the momentum, and TWU goalie Silas Matthys made some key saves on SFU chances. Parent was not to be outdone, however, making a brilliant save with just a minute left to keep the first period scoreless, with the shot count slightly favouring the Clan at 11–8. However, the Clan dominated the second period, holding TWU shotless for nearly seven minutes. Before the Spartans could even muster a shot, second year Clan forward Nick Sandor opened up the scoring on the power play

with 16:04 left in the period, which would end up being the game winner. A series of penalties for the Clan nearly resulted in a goal for TWU with Spartan forward JP Villeneuve deking past everyone, only for his shot to get blocked before it hit the net. Fresh off the penalty kill momentum, the Clan’s Kale Wild set up a backhand one-timer goal by rookie Yan Kalashnikov with a nice feed, putting SFU at a comfortable 2-0 lead which would hold for the rest of the game. Defenceman Jared Eng also notched an assist on the goal. After being dominated offensively in the second period,

Adam Ovenell-Carter sports@the-peak.ca / 778.782.4560

TWU mounted a pushback in the third, taking the shot count from 26–13 in SFU’s favour to 31–29 after the third, still in the Clan’s favour. However, neither side generated much offence in the third, keeping victory hopes for the Clan in tact.

A lacklustre power play by the Spartans at the end of the period and a poorly timed penalty with only 1:34 left ensured Parent’s shutout and the Clan’s

victory in a mostly dominant game for SFU. However, the Clan went on to lose Sunday night in the pivotal game three by a score of 4–1, despite out-shooting the Spartans 41–17. An inability to capitalize plagued their Thursday loss, in which they outshot TWU 43–18, and was noticeable even in their 2–0 win Friday; it came back to bite once again, causing a disappointing upset in the best of three series. The Trinity Western Spartans, who have never placed higher than third, will face the reigning champions, the Selkirk Saints, in the BCIHL finals, while the Clan head home early.

24 SPORTS

The new month hasn’t meant any sort of fresh start for the SFU softball team. After going 0–9 in preseason play and the month of February, the Clan were looking to right the ship in March against Great Northwest Athletic Conference opponents. Four straight losses to two conference rivals on opening weekend, however, leave much to be desired. The Clan, shorthanded due to illnesses, were outscored 16–3 in their first two games against Western Washington, including a 13–3 walloping in their conference opener. That game was over early: WWU scored 11 runs in the first inning, before SFU rebounded slightly with three in the fourth. “We knew we were in tough today,” said head coach Mike Renney. “We started out by doing what has put us behind

the eight ball in a number of our games, shooting ourselves in both feet by having to get more than three outs in an inning due to errors or just plain poor choices.” Western Washington added two in the fourth before the game ended in the fifth due to the mercy rule. During the second game, the Clan were much better defensively, but couldn’t get going offensively, leading to an ultimate shutout of 3–0.

“I was pleased the team didn’t fold [after game one],” said Renney after the contest. “The offence was unfortunately not able to measure up.” It was the same story in the second double header of the weekend, this time against Central Washington, the GNAC’s top team.

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In the first game, a 9–1 loss, CWU jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the first two innings, setting the Clan back early, again. The second game, however, was a very different contest. “Much like we did yesterday, we played a much better game and I think we put a scare into a quality team,” said Renney after what was a narrow loss. His Clan led 3–0 after three innings, and 5–1 after four. Unfortunately for SFU, Central rallied off three runs in both the fifth and sixth frames to give them a two-run lead they would not relinquish. “With a young team, you’re going to see Jekyll and Hyde at different times and I think we saw both today,” said Renney. With the two losses, SFU falls to 0–4 in conference play, and are one of three teams without a win against GNAC opponents. However, the Clan’s 0–13 overall record has them at the bottom of the GNAC standings. “The reality is with a young team the number one need is time,” said Renney after the first game. It’s early in the season yet, but the rebuilding Clan are quickly running out of time this year.

They may not be first to spring to mind when it comes to Clan varsity sports, but perhaps they should be. The SFU golf teams may be small, but the hard work put in by these dedicated athletes is paying off. Coming off an impressive fall season that saw the young squad improve 44 spots for a 28th ranking in the NCAA Division II, the Clan men’s golf program has hit the spring season strong. As of early March, the Clan have earned their first top-20 ranking in the nation since joining the NCAA in 2010, sitting in 19th position. “This is an incredible accomplishment for the team,” said head coach John Buchanan. “We are a small team, and lack the depth that allows many of our competitors to be successful, but we have very dedicated players here at SFU.” Since the turn of the calendar year the Clan have continued to excel, earning a seventh place finish at CSU-San Bernadino Coyote Classic, before finishing second at the Notre Dame de Namur (NDNU) Argonaut

Invitational, which earned them their top-20 ranking. At the NDNU Invitational, the Clan had a strong showing with two athletes finishing in the top 10 and four finishing in the top 20. Bret Thompson, the 2013 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year, and freshman Kevin Vigna led the way coming in fifth and seventh respectively. Thompson had rounds of 71-75-72 (+2), while Vigna had rounds of 76-74-71 (+5) to lead the team on the road. Senior Mike Belle finished in 13th position, and John Mlikotic finished 18th, while TJ McColl rounded out the field for the team. Chico State, ranked second in the NCAA Div. II, won the tournament just 22 strokes ahead of the Clan, proving how tight the competition truly is. “We finished only 22 strokes being Chico,” continued Buchanan. “Mike [Belle] had a rough first day which would have helped us out there, but it really shows how close we are coming this season. I am very optimistic looking forward to the rest of this season and onto 2015.” The Clan men will be back in action with two more events in California, as they prepare for the GNAC Championships, where they will look to advance onward to the West Regional Tournament.

SPORTS

The Clan lacrosse team continued its dominance of the Pacific Northwest Collegiate Lacrosse League with a one-sided, 14–2 thrashing of the University of Idaho Vandals. The Clan improved their record to 4–0 in their division and 5–1 on the season. From the first whistle, the Vandals were overpowered. The Clan opened up the scoring with two goals from Ward Spencer and a goal each from Casey Foster, Andrew Branting, and Clan leading scorer Tyler Kirkby, making it 5–0 at the end of the first frame. Idaho goaltender Craig Patrick kept the Clan at bay in the second quarter, holding the Clan to two goals, one from Sam Clare and Foster’s second of the night, making it 7–0 at the half. The Clan found their groove again in the third, going on a fourgoal run off of goals from Jordan Stroup, his first of the year, and three more from Kirkby to make it 11–0 after three. The Vandals finally got on the score sheet in the fourth, after being held scoreless for over three quarters, with a goal from their leading scorer Patrick Tunison. However, Brendan Ferrell notched a beautiful goal

At the end of the Sochi 2014 Olympic games, several media outlets around the world reported on the phenomenon known as Olympic withdrawal. Its apparent symptoms can range from sadness, anxiety, and a lack of motivation which can supposedly plague both fans and

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minutes later to extend the Clan’s lead to 12–1. SFU netted two more off shots from Clare, his second, and Kirkby, who potted his fifth of the day, to round out the Clan scoring. Vandals attackman Derrick Wilson snuck one past Clan goaltender Jeremy Lasher on a powerplay late to make the final score 14-2. Both Clan goaltenders logged minutes, with senior Darren Zwack stopping all six shots in

athletes after the closing of an Olympic games. However, according to SFU professor Dr. David Cox, who has been a clinical psychologist for multiple Canadian Olympic delegations and has attended several Olympics as part of the support staff, this phenomenon shouldn’t be labeled as a withdrawal because of the negative connotations attached to that term. Instead, he argues that it should be understood as a “post-Olympic experience” that athletes go through in which they take time to reflect on the intense physical and emotional Olympic games. In

35:54 minutes, and improving his save percentage to .720 on the season.

Freshmen Jeremy Lasher took over between the pipes for the remaining 24:06, stopping

fact, Cox states that for many athletes, this time of reflection usually involves reminiscing about positive memories from their Olympic participation.

Cox compares athletes’ post-Olympic experience to that of graduating university students since both groups

five of seven shots for a save percentage of .714. His save percentage improves to .611 on the season. The Clan scooped an impressive 44 loose balls, with defenceman Alex Thomspon grabbing five and defenceman Mark Hilker and Long Stick Midfielder Riley Wanzer grabbing four each to lead the way. After the win, the Clan broke into the top-10 of the Men’s Collegiate Lacrosse Association

worked hard for four years in order to achieve a goal. He adds that for a number of athletes, just like convocating students, this time of reflection also involves making decisions about the future. In the case of athletes, the decision is whether or not to continue to train and compete for future Olympics. This process can be more intense for athletes of certain sports that run on a quadrennial system and have an age limit due to physical requirements, thereby leaving competitors to decide if, at their age, they should attempt to

(MCLA) rankings at #10. They have a tough five day road trip ahead of them, playing games against #1 Arizona State, #20 Arizona, and unranked Illinois before returning back to Burnaby Mountain to take on divisional opponents Washington State on March 29 and Portland State on April 5. With wins this weekend the Clan will continue to move towards that #1 position and securing a spot in the MCLA tournament.

train for another four years. Cox insists athletes should take a well-deserved break from intense training after their Olympic experience and not make quick decisions about their futures; he recommends the same for coaches and support staff. And for the fans that may be missing the enthusiasm, motivation, and unity that the Olympics create, Cox says all is not lost at the Closing Ceremonies. “Watch the Paralympic games,” he says, as they offer another two weeks of national pride with athletes just as talented as those in the previous games.

HUMOUR

VANCOUVER — A local man has reportedly filled out a 2014 March Madness basketball bracket perfectly, without a single error in his spelling or capitalization, and he didn’t even accidentally leave any blank spaces. According to reports, Theo Baxley, a 26-year old high school teacher, has achieved a great feat in the “perfect” presentation of his terrible, definitely incorrect picks. “I can’t believe he really did it, I thought it was impossible for sure,” raved Baxley’s friend Tim Gleeman. “He’s normally got such messy handwriting, I didn’t think there was any chance it would turn out perfect.” Baxley’s perfectly filledout bracket has impressed more than just his friends and has made headlines around the country.

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“When I heard about it, I couldn’t believe it but he really did nail it,” commented respected sports analyst, Donald Barry. “That’s not easy to do, he had Gonzaga and Valparaiso going to the finals so he had to spell both of those perfectly four times each . . . I don’t think Valparaiso is even in the tournament but still those aren’t easy to write!”

According to those who have seen the fabled bracket, there were a lot of challenging elements but Baxley somehow manage to nail them all. “He had the Winston-Salem State going to the Final Four and I know I would have forgotten the dash at least once but again he nailed it,” Barry continued. “Of course I would never have taken Winston-Salem at all but that’s beside the point.”

While most might be impressed with Baxley’s “perfect bracket,” there are others who are less impressed. “He has Alabama-Huntsville beating Duke in the first round and he managed to keep it nicely in the allotted space, that’s just called getting lucky,” critic Mike Frank explained. “I mean, it doesn’t take any skill to fill out your bracket perfectly, it’s all just luck!” While Baxley says that he is pleased and flattered with all the attention he’s received, he says what he’s really excited about is the $1 billion he claims he’s going to receive from Warren Buffett. “He hasn’t contacted me yet but I’m sure he’s just busy,” Baxley said. “I mean, I’ve got the perfect bracket and he promised $1 billion for a perfect bracket . . . I’m just amazed that I’m the only one who’s done it, don’t people know you can just do it on the computer and print it out?” You can follow Brad McLeod

humour editor email / phone

Brad McLeod humour@the-peak.ca / 778.782.4560

HUMOUR

March 17, 2014

28 LAST WORD

features editor email / phone

Max Hill features@the-peak.ca / 778.782.4560

rowing up as the child of a police officer, I have always believed very strongly in the concept of crime and punishment. If you violate the law, you deserve to have certain freedoms revoked for a period of time deemed reasonable by the court. Though I would place myself in favour of harsher punishment for criminals, there is one line that I cannot cross: the sentence of death. Though some may argue the value of the Hammurabian “eye for an eye” policy, our society should not have the power to take from a person that which it cannot give. This is especially important when it comes to those who are wrongly found to be guilty. If one is accused of murder, found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment, they can be released if exonerated by later evidence. The death penalty, on the other hand, is final. Once your punishment is carried out, there’s no coming back. According the Death Penalty Information Center, over 140 people have been released from death row since 1973 “with evidence of their innocence.” However, a study done by two professors in the United States found that, of the 7,000 people executed between 1900 and 1985, only 35 were innocent of capital crimes. In other words, a little under 0.5 per cent of all cases where the death sentence was carried out were incorrect. While this may not seem like enough to justify the abolition of the death penalty, it does matter greatly to the families of those 35 people, and for the 3,108 more currently awaiting execution in the United States. There is little evidence for capital punishment as a deterrent to violent crime — especially given the fact that the sentence is based largely on a given judge’s discretion. In these cases, the difference between life or death is one person’s verdict. Even in Canada, the debate still rages. Many may not know this, but the death penalty in Canada was slowly abolished over a 13-year period, lasting from 1963 until the narrow passage (130:124) of Bill C-84 in July of 1976, which abolished the death penalty with the exception of certain offences under the National Defence Act. The death penalty was not fully abolished until 1998 — less than 20 years ago. The reasons cited for the abolition of capital punishment in this country were the same reasons we hear today: fear of wrongful convictions, concerns about the state taking

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people’s lives, and uncertainty regarding the death penalty’s role as a deterrent for crime. Until 2007, the Canadian government also had a policy of automatically requesting clemency for any Canadian citizen sentenced to capital punishment for crimes in another country — it’s still occasionally requested on a case-to-case basis. Despite the outcry in Parliament when this change occurred, studies have shown that the average Canadian is actually in favour of reinstating the death penalty. Gallup polls taken between the years of 1978 and 1998 found that support for the reinstatement of the death penalty never dropped below 55 per cent. Even more telling is an Angus Reid poll conducted last year, where 63 per cent of those polled were in favour of reinstating the death penalty. While the majority of those in favour supported the Conservatives in the last election, 51 per cent of Liberal supporters polled were also in favour, as were 57 per cent of NDP supporters. Clearly the reinstatement of the death penalty is an issue that crosses political lines, and the majority of Canadian politicians seem to be in favour of reintroducing it. However, when asked if they preferred capital punishment or life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, the numbers changed significantly — 63 per cent became 39. Currently, any Canadian convicted of murder, whether it be first or second degree, is given a “life sentence,” but first-degree murderers are eligible for parole after 25 years, and second-degree murderers after 10. The Correctional Service of Canada estimates that the average incarceration time for first-degree murderers is only 22.4 years. With this in mind, it is not shocking to see these kinds of poll numbers. It’s not that Canadians are overwhelmingly in favour of the death penalty; what we are in favour of is keeping violent criminals off the streets — especially those who may offend again. If the poll numbers are any indication, before this year is out, we may see the federal government attempt to pass a law that would allow judges to pass Life Without Parole sentences for, in the words of Justice Minister Peter MacKay, “the worst of the worst, the most violent, repeat offenders.” Though the debate on the death penalty is still split, this option seems to find the perfect middle ground, and one that will make the majority of Canadians feel more secure. Those who have committed violent crimes absolutely deserve to be punished, but we have no right to take someone’s life — no matter what.