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Top SFU sports moments of fall 2023
Box dye is getting to the root of their issues with you
NEWS
January 8, 2024
TSSU strikes for improving working conditions June–October
Beginning in June 2023, teaching assistants (TAs) at SFU engaged in a strike following the expiration of their collective agreement with SFU and worsening working conditions. TAs were asking for an increase in wages to keep up with the ever-growing cost of living, as well as updated compensation policies to account for oversized classes. While the strike officially started in June, it wasn’t until early July that strike actions took place. Actions included a full work stoppage and picketing at all three SFU campuses. The Peak spoke with Teaching Support Staff Union (TSSU) member and spokesperson Dalton Kamish on a number of occasions over the course of the job action. “We have seen some minor, but not insignificant [ . . . ] movements since we began strike and job actions, like picketing,” they said.
Starting on September 28, SFU hired a private investigation firm, Lion’s Gate Risk Management (LGRM), to survey and monitor picketers at all SFU campuses. Kelvin Gawley, a TSSU organizer, spoke about this surveillance: “This is how they choose to treat members of their own community, who have the audacity to demand a fair contract. I don’t think that’s something any of us will ever forget.” After public backlash, SFU retracted their contract with LGRM on October 11. By October 19, the work stoppage and strike officially ended. A tentative agreement was signed between the university and the employees, and the 2022–2025 collective agreement was renewed.
SFU community shows loud support for Palestine amidst ongoing genocide November 28
In a letter to SFU, staff and faculty from the university called for a public condemnation of Israel’s actions in the ongoing crisis, which many have described as a genocidal bombardment of civilians in Palestine. The SFU community urges the university to uphold the tenets of anti-racism, anti-oppression, and equality by committing to actions stated in the letter. Actions include affirming support for free speech and academic freedom for those who choose to “speak out against the Israeli apartheid, the occupation of Palestine, and the genocide in Gaza,” to immediately divest from war contractors and financial relationships with Israeli companies, and to “not be silent about genocide.”
Over 20 student groups and over 700 student advocates signed an open letter to SFU, calling for an “end to SFU’s silence on the ongoing genocide of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, and to call for an immediate ceasefire and termination of the siege on Gaza.” The letter was published by SFU Students for Justice Palestine, Palestinian Youth Movement, Independent Jewish Voices Youth Bloc, and other aligned groups. Up to 150 people attended a protest in response to SFU’s silence on the conflict, and a vigil in recognition for Palestinian civilian lives lost.
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News Editor Karissa Ketter · News Writers Eden Chipperfield and Olivia Sherman · news@the-peak.ca
NEWS
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SFSS councillors resign en masse, citing workplace harassment January 30
Early 2023 saw many Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS) members resigning en masse, including former president Helen Sofia Pahou, former vice-president Judit Nagy, vice president university and academic affairs Nicole Kirigin, and both executive officers. The replacement process for the vacant seats was by nomination. At the time, the acting vice president university and academic affairs Chloë Arneson noted the “election was a surprise.” After Pahou resigned, former vice president finance and services Abhishek Parmar took over as acting president, serving until March 18. “As you can probably tell from the historically quick turnover rate, this job is far from easy,” Arneson continued.
ILLUSTRATION: ANDREA CHOI / THE PEAK
The mass resignations were reportedly caused by numerous internal issues within the SFSS, such as severe burnout from members, overworking, and a culture of bullying. On her resignation, former vice
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president Judit Nagy told The Peak, “at the SFSS, rules don’t apply uniformly to everyone, so had I said half of what others did, I would have gotten into serious trouble — I expect I still will.” Nagy voiced concerns over her replacement vice president, Peter Hance, who she described as “unqualified and untrained.” Hance refuted these allegations, saying Nagy has refused to contact him to engage in the on-boarding process, “The previous vice-president was very uncooperative with me. I tried multiple times to contact them in-person, they kind of walked away. “These kinds of things hurt the entire student society and student body as a whole,” said Hance. Since the mass resignations, the new SFSS council for 2023–2024 was elected in February.
Vancouver’s drug policies still not doing enough February 21
To combat the ongoing drug crisis in Vancouver, BC made plans to decriminalize the possession of some illegal drugs from January 31, 2023–January 31, 2026. The exemption allows adults in BC to carry a certain amount of illegal substances for personal use without facing criminal charges, confiscation, or arrests. The drugs permitted in this three-year long exception include powdered cocaine, methamphetamine (meth), MDMA (ecstasy), crack cocaine, and opioids such as heroin, morphine, and fentanyl. The total amount a person can carry without confiscation and criminal charge is 2.5 grams.
In February, The Peak spoke with David Hamm, a member of the Board of Directors for the Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU), an organization of current and former drug users fighting against stigma for drug users. Hamm said the amount a person can carry in this new exemption is inadequate, and a limit of 4.5 grams would be more effective than the current 2.5 grams. “The reason people have larger amounts on them is because they only want to go out as little as possible to get their substances and also because [ . . . ] if you get more of it, then you get a better price on it,” he said. VANDU continues to work toward improving drug policies and stigma against people who use drugs.
PHOTO: ALBERT STOYNOV / UNSPLASH
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Community support for SOGI 123 and 2SLGBTQIA+ community October 24
Many people watched as an extensive crowd of protestors flooded the streets of Vancouver throughout September, protesting against the progressive SOGI 123 (Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity) curriculum that is implemented in public high schools.
PHOTO: MERCEDES MEHLING / UNSPLASH
The 1 Million March 4 Children is backed by far-right and controversial groups such as the Freedom Convoy, who protest teaching young people about gender expression and sexual orientation in schools. The goals of SOGI 123 teachings are to encourage further conversations and education around gender and sexuality, explain
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The anti-SOGI protesters were met with a robust response from those who support the curriculum’s implementation, the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, and local allies. The support for diversifying education has been fierce and continues to push back against the harmful rhetoric of the 1 Million March crowd.
COVID-19 measures in 2023 Ongoing
Advocacy group DoNoHarmBC made their voices heard by organizing a protest outside Minister of Health Adrian Dix’s office. Calls to action from DoNoHarmBC included reinstating universal mask protections in healthcare environments. This came after BC announced masks would no longer be required in healthcare settings as of April 2023. Alongside those who attended the rally, thousands of postcards were sent to Dix’s office to support the campaign and share the stories of those affected by the lack of masks in healthcare. Dr. Sanjiv Gandhi, a former pediatrician and heart and lung surgeon at BC Children’s Hospital, criticized the government’s
ILLUSTRATION: ANDREA CHOI / THE PEAK
diverse family structures, and to support those who are transitioning. Ultimately, they aim to create space for children to ask questions and become educated allies for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.
pandemic response and the lack of education provided to the public. Dr. Gandhi’s central message is that COVID-19 is ongoing and needs to be addressed with evidence-based measures. In September, Dr. Bonnie Henry, BC’s provincial health officer, and Adrian Dix announced that masking would once again become mandatory and re-established in healthcare environments beginning in October. The push for the return to masking is credited to individuals like Dr. Gandhi and advocacy groups like DoNoHarmBC and ProtectOurProvince with their push for increased safety measures in healthcare.
NEWS
January 8, 2024
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City of Burnaby calls for ceasefire in Gaza November 28
On November 6, Burnaby became the first municipality in Canada to officially call for a ceasefire for the ongoing genocide in Palestine. As of December 2023, over 21,000 Palestinian civilians have been killed, and 1,200 Israeli civilians have been killed. Mike Hurley, mayor of Burnaby, and the Burnaby council, wrote a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in condemnation of Canada’s inactions and insufficient support for the people of Gaza, who are under Israeli occupation. Hurley and the Burnaby council have also publicly condemned acts of anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, and anti-Palestinian racism. These acts of prejudice have increased globally since the conflict attacks on October 7.
Burnaby Councillor Daniel Tetrault, who is of Jewish descent, introduced the motion to call for a ceasefire. Tetrault expressed his personal condemnation of the violent acts toward the civilians of Gaza, which have been described as genocidal. “When my grandparents spoke of this time as survivors of concentration camps, they always said, ‘Never again. Never again can we allow this to happen to anyone,’” Tetrault said. Despite a $60 million fund for humanitarian aid for Gaza, Canada has also sold hundreds of military weapons to Israel.
PHOTO: GAYATRI MALHOTRA / UNSPLASH
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Student funding crisis and increasing financial hardships January 23
In 2022, a partnership between SFU’s Graduate Student Society (GSS) and the TSSU arose in response to the funding crisis many students attending post-secondary education in North America face. Graduate students rely heavily on income from teaching positions or department scholarships. SFU physics grad student, Sina Falakian, described how the pressure of the funding crisis is demoralizing and difficult. The cost of living in North America is skyrocketing, making life increasingly stressful. Statistics Canada reported that about half of graduate students will be saddled with debt as they cross the stage to graduate. Falakian also called out SFU, saying the university needs to be aiding graduate students and addressing
the increasing cost of living for students in the Metro Vancouver area. A North American study found that 76% of graduate students found the living crisis the most difficult part of their studies. Students must often take extra work alongside their research to afford the cost of living. GradCOLA demands that the cap on student income should be removed and that more work should equal more pay. Angela Wilson, SFU’s senior director of media relations and public affairs, encouraged students who may relate to the crisis due to financial stress and pressure to contact the SFU Financial Aid and Awards office to discuss their options.
PHOTO: SIMA JAMALI
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SFU Alumni Association is dissolved February 20
A decisive vote occurred on February 15 to determine if the SFU Alumni Association would remain a legally separate council or be merged into an internal SFU presence, including appointing Council members. Voters included all registered Alumni Association members to approve or disapprove of the changes. The vote concluded that the independent Alumni Association would dissolve. SFU president Joy Johnson will appoint Alumni Council members. The Alumni Council members will take the place of the dissolved Alumni Association. A statement made by the director of media relations and public affairs for SFU, Braden McMillan,
announced that the vote was to “align SFU’s alumni program with industry best practices and modernize the governance model, which remained largely unchanged since its inception in 1969.” According to McMillan, only about 10% of SFU's alums are registered members of the SFU Alumni Association. Before the dissolution, the Alumni Association had to finalize their funds, event organization, and more. In an interview with The Peak, an anonymous alumni believed the vote was a way for SFU to “handpick alumni” that the university wants to represent them, rather than care about alumni engagement as a whole.
PHOTO: KRITI MONGA / THE PEAK
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SFU350’s divestment campaign Ongoing
SFU350 partnered with Climate Justice UBC Vancouver and independent UBC Okanagan students to end RBC’s presence on campus. The Banking on Climate Chaos report, published in April, outlined how RBC sits at the top of the list of global banks that finance fossil fuel companies. RBC reportedly gave $38.1 billion USD to fossil fuels investments in 2022. Some of RBC’s practices include violating Indigenous land rights and funding projects which increase biodiversity loss. Currently, one RBC ATM is located on the SFU Lhuḵw’lhuḵw’áyten (Burnaby Mountain) Campus in the AQ on the 3000 level.
PHOTO: NANCY LA / THE PEAK
Natasha Ivkov, an organizer with SFU350, discussed the Halloween campaign the club initiated to educate
SFU students on who they may be banking with and the investments they make. The petition hopes to garner student support to get RBC off campus, explained Ivkov. The SFSS has been involved with SFU350’s mission and has created a list of demands for the future of banking on SFU campuses. The demands include not having an RBC on-campus branch and ending SFU’s relationship with Scotiabank, another large fossil fuel financer. It also includes refusing to have the top five Canadian banks hosting, co-hosting, or sponsoring student union events. SFU’s response to the protest against RBC stated that SFU is committed to sustainable practices and “is targeting full divestment of all endowed and non-endowed funds by 2025.”
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Opinions Editor Michelle Young · opinions@the-peak.ca
OPINIONS TREACHEROUS TESTS
The tools are supposed to be testing, vaccination, Paxlovid, and masks. However, in BC, none of these tools are being adequately used.
OPINIONS
January 8, 2024
INDIGENOUS INCARCERATION
There is no point in healing lodges if they are structured using the Canadian justice system as a blueprint.
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January 8, 2024
SUPERHERO SERIES
ARTS & CULTURE
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ARTS & CULTURE
Arts & Culture Editor Petra Chase · arts@the-peak.ca
SPORTS
January 8, 2024
FALL FINISHES
Sneaking into the playoffs as the fourth and last team, without any national championship experience, SFU was supposed to lose to the No. 1 team — that, they did not.
AIRBORNE ATHLETICS
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SPORTS
SPORTS AT A GLANCE
Sports Editor Isabella Urbani · Sports Writer Kaja Antic · sports@the-peak.ca
SPORTS
January 8, 2024
RED, WHITE, AND GOLD
HOME Thursday, January 11: women’s basketball vs. Northwest Nazarene (Idaho) at West Gym at 7:00 p.m. · Won both games against Northwest Nazarene last season. · Northwest Nazarene has the best field goal and three-point shooting percentage in the conference. Saturday, January 13: women’s basketball vs. Central Washington at West Gym at 7:00 p.m. · Central Washington eliminated SFU from the quarterfinals of the conference championship last season. · Central Washington has three players leading the conference in an individual stat category versus SFU’s one. AWAY Thursday, January 11: men’s basketball vs. Seattle Pacific at 5:15 p.m. · First of two meetups against Seattle Pacific this season. · 0–2 against Seattle Pacific last season. Friday, January 12: conference hockey team vs. the University of Victoria Vikes at 7:30 p.m. · Lost 5–0 in the pre-season and 6–5 in OT against UVIC this season. Friday, January 12: women’s swimming vs. San José (California) and California State East Bay at 1:00 p.m. · First time the program is facing off against either school. · Women’s team is embarking on a twoday women’s only meet against four schools in California on Friday and Saturday before rejoining the men on Sunday. Friday, January 12–Saturday, January 13: track and field at the University of Washington Indoor Preview · First indoor track competition of the season. · Returning next week for the University of Washington Invitational. Friday, January 12: women’s wrestling vs. Providence (Montana) · First time the program is facing off against Providence. Saturday, January 13: men’s basketball vs. Montana State Billings at 12:00 p.m. · Montana State (8–4) is first in the conference; SFU (2–10) is eighth out of 10 teams. · 0–2 against Montana State last season. Saturday, January 13: conference hockey team vs. Vancouver Island Mariners at 7:00 p.m. · Lost 10–3 to Vancouver Island earlier this season. Saturday, January 13: women’s swimming vs. California, Santa Cruz and Southwestern Oregon CC at 10:00 a.m. · First time the program is facing off against either school. Saturday, January 12: women’s wrestling at the Alberta Golden Bear Invitational · Undefeated against the University of Alberta. Sunday, January 14: swimming vs. Pacific (California) · Lost 206–107 against Pacific last season.
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HUMOUR
Humour Editor C Icart · humour@the-peak.ca
HUMOUR
January 8, 2024
January 8–12
Aries
March 21–April 19
Taurus
April 20–May 20
IN: Rewatching Riverdale season 6. Do it for the superpowers.
IN: Covering the dead spider in your trash can with a tissue for some posthumous privacy.
OUT: Stirring your tea with a fork (seriously, why do you do that?).
OUT: Making in and out lists. Truly, so gauche.
Cancer
June 21–July 22 IN: Last night’s dinner for breakfast. OUT: That cold gloppy mess y’all are calling “overnight oats.”
Libra
September 23–October 22
Gemini
May 21–June 20 IN: Sending your coworker a funny little emoji as a private message during the Teams call neither one of y’all want to be in so you can watch their little face light up in the corner of your screen. OUT: Saying supercalifragilisticexpialidocious in a dismissive tone when your boss asks you to do literally anything.
Leo
July 23–August 22
Virgo
August 23–September 22
IN: Telling people their outfit looks AI-generated and refusing to elaborate.
IN: Making a parody of The Godfather called The Grandfather.
OUT: Those shorts you’ve been wearing to bed since middle school.
OUT: Godfathers. We only care about grandfathers in this house.
Scorpio
October 23–November 21
IN: Organizing a sit-in until they (the university people) bring back the fire pits.
IN: Exchanging meaningful glances with raccoons by the dining hall.
OUT: Attending a university where you cannot have free s’mores.
OUT: Not exchanging meaningful glances with raccoons by the dining hall.
Sagittarius
November 22–December 21 IN: Pretending like you’re in a James Bond movie. OUT: Watching James Bond movies. Seriously, sooooo passé . . .
Capricorn
December 22–January 19 IN: Getting way too invested in TikTok content about the 9-month cruise. OUT: Not knowing how to do a cartwheel. Seriously, grow up.
Aquarius
January 20–February 18 IN: Acquiring a phone book and reading it on the SkyTrain. OUT: QR restaurant menus. Your hands yearn for the (potentially sticky) tactile experience.
Pisces
February 19–March 20 IN: Riding around Burnaby campus in those little rideshare bikes with a lovely bouquet, offering people flowers. OUT: Writing that you like long night time drives in your Hinge bio when you really mean you work for Lyft.
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Business Manager Yuri Zhou · business@the-peak.ca
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