Defending the Law? Harassment Troubles in the RCMP

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FIRST PEEK

April 8, 2013 · Volume 143, Issue 13

FIRST PEEK

Mr. Joseph Leivdal, thank you for taking your time to express your opinion (“The SFSS needs Moe accountability”, April 2, 2013) in regards to the SFSS, SFU senate and me. I will address your concerns one by one.

You stated that, “The cover of a recent issue of The Peak shows newly elected SFSS President Khan revelling in his victory.” I find it hard to understand how this line is linked to the rest of your article. However, just for your information, the person behind the president is me, celebrating the results of the election and all the hard work we had put in campaigning and as board members over the last year.

You asked “where is the voice against increasing tuition coming from? Student fees?

Budget cuts? Things are looking bad when all we see from the SFSS on these issues is an article and an email.” I agree that increases in tuition fees hurt students. But advocacy committee falls under the portfolio of the external relations officer, which is not me. I am the applied sciences representative.

“I bet you didn’t even know that Senate is debating the top-down integration of learning outcomes in curriculum, restructuring the very core of student experience at SFU. You

April 8, 2013

would if the SFSS were doing their job,” you said in the article. I bet you didn’t know that the SFSS does not interfere with academics of SFU, which is the responsibility of senate. Check out their mandate.

You also quoted me on Facebook as saying, “If it was about equality, it wouldn’t be called feminism.” This sentence is just a tiny fragment of the conversation you are referring to and has been highlighted out of context. All it means is that in some cases, the definition of feminism has been modified to achieve a certain goal. I said this through my personal experience, and not as the incoming MSO.

legitimization of the incoming directors should be questioned, then you are directly negating and undermining democracy and the time and effort of those active members of our community that actually voted in the last election.

Finally, you stated that “the Women’s Centre not only offers alternative resources to individuals of all genders, but also organizes a variety of events on a regular basis that serve the interests of our diverse student body.” While I completely agree with the quote and the importance of the Women’s Centre, I still stand by the fact that there needs to be more communication between the Women’s Centre and the SFSS and vice versa.

Both parties should make an effort to resolve this issue.

As a general note to yourself and all SFU students: thank you all for participating in the SFSS elections in March. I highly recommend you to be involved with the SFSS, as it is a wonderful and productive experience at SFU. After five years of university experience and involvement, I have found that the best results come from working together for a common goal. Solving student issues and voicing their concerns is one of the SFSS mandates.

If you have any concerns, you should feel comfortable to contact us directly and work as a team to improve the student experience at SFU. Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns: appscirep@sfss.ca.

The opinions in this article are my own, and not necessarily the opinions of the SFSS.

You take issue with the fact that I was voted in with 1,962 votes on a 23 per cent voter turnout. I agree on the issue of lack of student engagement at SFU, however, we have been doing our best to get students involved. As far as the issue of votes cast for me is concerned, I was elected by 1,962 people voting in my favor.

If you claim that just because not enough people voted, the election process is somehow flawed, or that the

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NEWS

In a letter to the SFSS Board of Directors on Friday, April 5, the Independent Electoral Committee (IEC) announced its decision to disqualify Alia Ali from the SFSS 2013 general election.

Ali was elected to the University Relations Officer (URO) position last month, beating out second place candidate Brock Balfour by 29 votes.

The official letter, written by

Last Thursday’s SFSS special general meeting (SGM) was the most attended in years, drawing the full quorum of 240 students needed to make changes to SFSS by-laws. The motion to amend the society’s bylaws passed, and will go into effect May 1, 2014.

“I don’t think since 2006 or 2008 has the SFSS actually had a quorate general meeting,” said SFSS president Lorenz Yeung, who chaired the event. The meeting was called to order an hour after it was scheduled to begin.

The proposed bylaw changes were voted on as part of an omnibus package. A motion to break up the bylaws and vote on them piece by piece was made, but quickly defeated. The omnibus package included changes to 15 of the 22 existing bylaws, as well as

news editor email / phone

April 8, 2013

IEC chief electoral officer Avery Kwong, states that Ali “failed to produce appropriate documentation regarding her registration as a student at Simon Fraser University.” According to Ali, she was registered for courses this semester, but was forced to withdraw under extenuating circumstances due to personal issues. However, Ali failed to provide documentation regarding her withdrawal to the IEC at any point in the election.

Kwong stated in the letter that Ali promised to provide proof when the registrar accepted the withdrawal and registered as a student, and that the IEC “accepted her promise in good faith.” At the end of the election, when Kwong again solicited for documentation, Ali responded that her withdrawal had been accepted, but still did not provide proof. The letter

the creation of a new one.

Discussion was also cut short twice, as an audience member called the question and forced a vote to adopt the agenda, and later to pass the bylaw changes. Going through the omnibus package proved lengthy, and was cut off after by the student attendees after bylaw nine.

The changes ranged from small language changes to different terms, such as the renaming of SFSS Forum to the Council. Major alterations included the elimination of the board’s internal relations officer position, to be replaced by an executive director. The member services officer position was also split into two separate offices, one focused on community, and the other on administration.

Another major change was the formal creation of Faculty Student Unions (DSUs), under the new bylaw. Though DSUs such as the Society of Arts and Social Sciences (SASS) and Business Administration Student Society (BASS) have been operating on campus for a while, they haven’t been recognized by the SFSS as FSUs.

said when Kwong asked again, Ali stopped responding.

However, Ali claims that she is now officially registered as a student, and that she had sent documentation to Kwong.

When Kwong was asked about this claim, he declined to comment.

On why documentation wasn’t required at the beginning of the election process,

Alison Roach associate news editor news@the-peak.ca / 778.782.4560

Kwong said, “Correspondence was sent back and forth during this period, it wasn’t something that the IEC ignored, but again it’s something that I’m not going to comment on at the moment.”

As of press time, Ali has stated that she plans to release an official statement as soon as possible. “It’s not an official decision, from when I talked to Avery. He’s going to talk to the commissioners . . . I think this is still up in the air,” she commented.

In the letter, it is stated that Ali is disqualified, and several options on how to proceed are given. These include leaving the URO seat vacant, putting runner up Balfour in her place, holding a re-vote for candidates Balfour and Ashleigh Girodat, or holding a by-election in the upcoming fall semester.

When the letter was first

Amara Janssens

released by the IEC, the decision between these options was to be left to the SFSS board of directors, but Kwong later sent out a message to board members saying that the IEC will meet to discuss the issue and choose the best possible solution to recommend at the next board meeting this Wednesday.

“The options that we are considering are not finalized,” said Kwong.

On the definity of the decision, Kwong commented, “[Ali] can’t be appointed. She didn’t necessarily do anything wrong to get disqualified, other than the fact that she’s not eligible.

“She basically is disqualified. That’s what it is, there’s no other word that I can use to describe the situation. . . . There’s no other way I can put it.”

The IEC’s decision will be brought to the SFSS board of directors this Wednesday.

Yeung explained: “The intent of this bylaw is to introduce another level of — you could call it governance . . . in between the board and departmental student unions. Currently the board directly manages and provides funding for departmental student unions.

It makes it difficult for those in the same faculty to hold campus-wide events.”

The new bylaw allows these FSUs to be formally established by referendum, and would then in turn recognize and represent DSUs in the faculty.

The motion to amend the

bylaws passed by a wide margin, opposed by only a few members of the audience who had previously wished to sever the bylaws, and discuss each in detail. Afterwards, Yeung closed by saying, “Thank you, everyone. We made history in the society today.”

NEWS

April 8, 2013

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6 NEWS

Recently, The Globe and Mail reported that the late Arthur Erickson’s cherished Vancouver home is facing potential demolition. Arthur Erickson, who passed away in 2009, was one of Canada’s most recognized architects.

Erickson, a Vancouver native, attended UBC and later McGill University, where he obtained a degree in architecture.

Erickson’s career was launched when he and a colleague, Geoff Massey, won a contest to design Simon Fraser University in 1963. The university’s design led to international acclaim for the building and the architect behind it.

After designing SFU, Erickson went on to design the Canadian Embassy in Washington DC, UBC’s Museum of Anthropology, the San Diego Convention Centre, Vancouver Art Gallery Renovations (1979), Robson Square, and many more world-renowned structures. Erickson was also the first Canadian to receive a Gold Medal from the American Institute of Architects in 1986, the highest honour the institute bestows.

Beginning in the early 1990s, the Arthur Erickson Foundation was formed to aid Erickson as he filed for personal bankruptcy. In 1997, Peter Wall, a property developer in Vancouver, provided financial assistance by issuing a mortgage towards Erickson’s property in Point Grey. Fifteen years later, Wall recently asked the Arthur Erickson Foundation to repay this loan with its due interest, totalling to an amount of approximately $580,000. Putting the money towards his company, Wall Financial Corp., he has recouped the mortgage principal and interest.

“I looked after him when he was alive. The lenders basically would have foreclosed on his house,” Wall said in an interview with The Globe and Mail.

“It never was a gift. I always

April 8, 2013

said that. It was basically a loan.” The foundation has been forced to secure a fresh mortgage on the property with local credit union Vancity, with the first monthly payment due mid-April.

Phyllis Lambert, chairperson for the foundation, told The Globe and Mail of possible ambitions the foundation has for Erickson’s Vancouver home; it could be turned into a museum or possibly a venue for poetry readings. The foundation is

discouraging talks about demolition, and hopes to carry on Erickson’s legacy by advocating keeping this Vancouverite’s beloved home intact.

The home itself is a small, one-story cottage, located in the community of Point Grey.

Erickson purchased the home back in 1957 for $11,000, while today the property is valued at over $3 million. For tax purposes, the house that stands on it is valued at a mere $6,300.

The quaint cottage is spread over two lots in the coveted neighbourhood, and would no doubt be eagerly be snatched by developers if it became available.

While Erickson lived there, the home acted as a host to many notable guests, including former Canadian prime minister, Pierre Elliot Trudeau.

“This was the locus of creativity

for Canada’s most famous architect,” said Donald Luxton, president of the Heritage Vancouver Society, as reported by The Globe and Mail.

Faced with the possibility of Erickson’s home being demolished, many SFU

students expressed concern and disapproval.

“I would be sad to see his house taken down,” Alex Lukac, a 3rd-year kinesiology student, told The Peak when she found out that Erickson’s home might soon be facing the wrecking ball. Lukac also expressed her fondness for the design of SFU. “I love the way Erickson uses stairs and cement in creative ways and manages to make each building he creates unique.”

Amy O’Brien, a 4th-year biology student, shared Lukac’s appreciation towards Erickson’s design of SFU, and added, “It seems unfortunate that his home might be destroyed . . . it was a place where he spent so much of his time, and it almost would appear to be disrespectful to tear-down such an iconic architect’s home.”

NEWS

The SFSS is hoping to bring the proposed gondola project for Burnaby Mountain back into public dialogue. “I Like It On Top: Project Gondola” is a media contest inviting students and members of the Burnaby Mountain community to submit videos, photos or articles for a chance to win one of three cash prizes, valued at a total of $2,000.

According to SFSS External Relations Officer, Meaghan Wilson, “the whole point of the competition is to raise awareness.”

Wilson noted that the Broadway corridor and Surrey rapid transit lines are hot topics in the media right now, while there’s a lack in gondola project coverage.

The SFSS hopes that “I Like It On Top: Project Gondola” will help push the gondola project forward and “make it a priority within TransLink, because it is currently on the backburner,” Wilson stated. “We feel as the SFSS that it’s necessary to implement a more efficient means of transit for our students.”

As much as the SFSS hopes to increase awareness for the gondola, TransLink is firm that this project won’t be seriously looked at for many years. “As with all expansion projects, our existing funding does not allow us to pursue this project at this time, but it will be considered for inclusion in future plans, along with rapid transit in Surrey, Broadway and many other regional needs,” Darek Zabel of TransLink Media Relations told The Peak.

In 2010 and 2011, TransLink hired the engineering company, CHM2 HILL, to conduct a business case analysis on the feasibility of the gondola project.

According to the business case, the gondola would cost approximately $120 million to build and approximately $3.5 million to maintain every year. “The study concluded the concept had considerable merit,” Zabel stated.

Among the benefits, Zabel noted an increase in transit trips, quicker commute times, and a

April 8, 2013

reduction in “greenhouse gases by replacing a portion of the busy bus service to Burnaby Mountain,” to be favorable.

“When you look at the cost that TransLink spends just to employ their bus drivers, they would save a great deal,” Wilson surmised.

“You look at the buses and they are not meant to be running up and down a mountain,” she continued. “There would no longer be any more snow days at school.”

Despite these benefits, the project faces opposition from neighbours, particularly in Burnaby’s Forest Grove community, where one of the proposed gondola routes would pass over.

“The number one line or number one route that Translink has proposed would be from Production Way Terminal to UniverCity,” explained Wilson.

According to Citizens Opposed to the Gondola, the creators of the website nogondola. org, the gondola “threatens to cause further delays to the Evergreen line, cost taxpayers millions of dollars, and disrupt the peaceful Forest Grove community.” Further concerns are around noise from the gondola as well as privacy for the residents. However, Wilson questioned the negative claims made by the group, stating that the gondola would be much different than the tourist models found on Grouse Mountain.

“This model would be all blacked out and you would only be able to see at the horizon level,” Wilson explained. “Students would not be able to go look down into their backyards, this would be obstructed.”

Wilson also questions the noise concerns raised by the citizens, stating, “From my understanding, the Forest Grove community is right by Gaglardi Way, which is a major thoroughfare up Burnaby Mountain, so it’s a very noisy route with buses rattling up and down.”

At the time of print, Citizens Opposed to the Gondola could not be reached for comment.

An arrest has been made in the string of thefts that have ravaged Burnaby campus during the last semester. The arrest comes in the wake of a spike of thefts that occurred on campus over the past few months, with 40 incidents occurring between Jan. 1st and Feb. 27th alone.

An SFU employee discovered the student in an office area in WAC Bennett Library two weeks ago. The person in question appeared suspicious, and so the SFU employee requested the subject remain in the area while Campus Security was contacted. Campus Security brought the subject to their offices and RCMP attended to secure the arrest.

“This was a perfect example of community partnerships working together for crime prevention.” said Katey Scott, Communications Officer for Safety & Risk Services at SFU. So far in 2013, the library and the Lorne Davies Complex have had the highest rates of reported personal item theft — more than the rest of the Burnaby campus combined. A reason for this statistic might be the increased number of

items left unattended while students study or search for material in the library.

“Theft of Opportunity [which occurs when owners leave their items unattended] is the most common type of crime that occurs at SFU,” commented Scott. “Thieves are looking for small portable items that are high in value such as cell phones, laptops and tablets. This type of theft is actually quite avoidable . . . individuals can combat [it] personally by not leaving items unattended — not even for a second.”

This semester, there have been two incidents where Campus Security has detained, and Burnaby RCMP have come onto campus to arrest theft-of-opportunity perpetrators. These suspects were either caught in the act of stealing, or provided reasonable grounds for the RCMP to arrest them. Campus Security was contacted immediately in both of these incidents and were able to locate and detain the suspects until the RCMP arrived.

While Campus Security

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statistics show that thefts have steadily increased over the past few years at all three SFU campuses, this is not just an SFU problem. The majority of universities across Canada and the United States have seen an increase in theft incidents.

In an era where every student seems to have a cell phone, a laptop, an iPod, and a number of other small and easily stolen gadgets, this statistic seems fitting, especially during exam time when students are more focused on their books and notes than on their personal items. To mitigate the increased number of thefts at SFU, Campus Security is launching an educationalcommunity outreach campaign, “Leave it, Lose it.”

The “Leave it, Lose it” theft prevention awareness campaign aims to educate students, and other community members, by providing theft prevention tips and highlighting SFU resources available to them in trying to avoid becoming a victim of theft,” Scott explained. “In addition, we want to ensure that students know to contact Campus Security immediately to report suspicious behaviour, or if a theft has occurred.”

Such vigilance is what made the two arrests this semester possible.

At this time, Campus Security is not aware what will happen to the student, as the file now sits with the RCMP.

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8 NEWS

KAMLOOPS (CUP) — The provincial government wants to streamline the process in which the quality of education from postsecondary institutions is verified Currently, there are four separate bodies that evaluate and monitor the quality of education in BC, depending on the type of institution. BC has 11 public universities, 11 public colleges, 15 private degree-granting institutions, 330 private career training schools and 13 private theological institutes.

The province wants to have a single evaluating body that is easier to understand and has clear processes and reporting requirements, while still accounting for diversity between

April 8, 2013

different institutions.

This single quality assurance system would look over all post-secondary institutions, including ESL schools, which were previously deregulated in 2004.

Currently, the bodies in place are the Degree Quality Assessment Board, Private Career Training Institutions Agency (PCTIA), Industry Training Authority, and the Ministry of Advanced Education, Innovation and Technology.

“Under the proposed quality assurance framework,” said thenminister of advanced education

John Yap in a press release, “students can be assured of the postsecondary education institution they attend, the education promised will be the education delivered, and the credentials earned will have value when they seek employment to choose to pursue further education.”

The proposal is still in the discussion stage. The provincial government has issued a green paper with a proposed quality assurance framework as a basis for discussion. John Yap stepped down just one hour after the green paper was released.

“A grounding principle is that the rights and privileges of institutions will be respected,” wrote Dan Gilmore, communications manager for the Ministry of Advanced Education, Innovation and Technology, in an email.

“Under the proposed quality assurance framework, institutions that have mature quality assessment processes and practices will have greater independence from external oversight by government.”

The framework proposes five levels of maturity for postsecondary institutions. At level one and two institutions, where quality assurance processes are ad-hoc and barely existent, the government will review the institution. At level three and above, where quality assurance processes are organized and sustainable, the government will review the process and the institution will receive more autonomy.

The government also wants to apply a standard level of tuition protection for students across the entire post-secondary system.

It proposes that all institutions submit a percentage of tuition revenue to a fund that will repay

students their tuition if their institution closes down.

The quality assurance framework also has the potential to make it easier for post-secondary institutions to deal with student transfers.

Gilmore wrote, “Having all post-secondary education institutions under a single quality assurance framework, combined with the implementation of a qualifications framework, will strengthen BC’s transfer system by providing greater understanding of the requirements all institutions undertake.”

But that doesn’t mean that students will suddenly be able to transfer their courses to another post-secondary institution easily.

“Individual institutions remain the primary arbiters of whether to accept transfer credit,” Gilmore wrote.

The green paper said it hopes a new quality assurance body will be cos-neutral. It expects to charge post-secondary institutions a fee every time it uses the services provided by the body.

NEWS

With the end of the semester approaching, the first stage of the Canvas implementation program is drawing to a close. Canvas is the learning management system (LMS) that has been chosen to replace WebCT, and was tested by eight SFU courses this semester as part of a pilot project. This summer, implementation will expand, and up to 5,000 students will use the platform.

The eight courses selected to test the program were chosen for their variety — the course cover a wide range of faculties and class sizes. The pilot courses are an upper division business course, a upper division communications course, a graduate criminology course, a 100–level and a graduate education course, two upper division english courses, and an upper division philosophy course. The largest of these was the communications course, with 50 students.

“These [faculty members] are people who volunteered, and were picked in some cases because we knew they might have some challenging situations to deal with,” said Lynda Williams, a learning technology analyst and manager at SFU’s Teaching and Learning Centre (TLC). The Learning Technology group at the TLC has been providing support to these test courses throughout the semester, along with SFU IT Services and the Institutional, Collaborative, and Academic Technologies group (ICAT).

Preliminary reviews of Canvas have been mixed, but positive overall. “Some of the very reasons people love Canvas are reasons that other people don’t like it,” said Williams. The LMS itself is highly customizable, allowing faculty to add different Learning Tools Interoperability apps (or LTIs) in order to integrate different types of enriched media into their respective Canvas pages. An instructor can pick and choose which LTIs they wish to use. ICAT is now working to see which LTIs will be formally supported by the university, largely dependent on which functions will be most used by faculty members.

One of the biggest selling

April 8, 2013

points of Canvas is its frequent update cycle. The platform is updated approximately once every three weeks at the moment. Williams explained, “Canvas is plastic, in a way that no other LMS that we’ve used is.”

Williams emphasized that Canvas evolves continuously, and things users don’t like about the program may be solved with the next update.

Running the program does put heavy strain on SFU’s IT department, as SFU is the only institution in Canada currently running the open source program. Canvas also has to be run on the university’s own servers, due to a piece of BC legislation that restricts the university from sending information to the Cloud: the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, or FIPPA. FIPPA restrains post-secondary institutions from sending information they have gathered from their work with various parties to the Cloud without specific permission. So

programs such as Google Docs or Microsoft Evernote are unusable, because FIPPA stipulates that all information must be stored on a server in Canada.

Williams stated that obtaining permission from students is cumbersome.

“This is something that a lot of post-secondary institutions in BC are getting more and more agitated about,” said Williams.

“Why are we being held back by this legislation that’s there to protect privacy, but as an unintended by-product of good intent, is actually crippling educational technology for postsecondary institutions?”

FIPPA also means that SFU cannot make use of the other most attractive feature of Canvas: its mobility. Designed to be app-friendly, SFU is unable to use this aspect of the LMS. “Canvas is an intrinsically smart, savvy, mobile intended LMS. It comes with an app, and if you run on the Cloud you can have the app,” said Williams.

The lack of an app has proved to be the biggest frustration for students in the pilot courses, according to Professor Mary Ann Gillies, and Senior Lecturer Nicky Didicher, both in the department of English.

“One of the big selling features of Canvas is that it’s accessible, but we can’t get the cloud version because of legal issues, and that means that the version we have will not work very well on tablets, or android, or Blackberry, or smartphones,” said

Didicher. “For people who aren’t using laptops in the classroom but want to use handheld devices, this is a bit difficult.” Gillies, who teaches from an iPad, echoed this frustration.

Despite this drawback, both Didicher and Gillies reported that students did like Canvas better than WebCT, and most frustrations came from what they had previously been used to on the latter. The native

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discussion board for instance is quite simple, and does not allow for sub–topics. But as Williams explained, there are four different possible LTI plug–ins that could replace the discussion board with a different model.

“With Canvas, the shell is there, you just need to add things. It’s pretty flexible,” said Gillies.

Things that students did like in Canvas were that it was possible to open two tabs or windows, and the browser’s back function worked, both problematic in WebCT. Canvas also includes a more complex gradebook that allows students to monitor exactly how well they’re doing in the course, and to calculate which marks they need to achieve a certain grade.

This summer, the Canvas implementation will expand, with up to 5,000 students using the platform, including those in distance courses. By fall 2013, half of LMS courses will be delivered in Canvas. The process of supporting faculty and students throughout the implementation will continue until the LMS has been completely implemented.

“We deeply respect the issues that instructors are having with things that cost them time and trouble, and we’re doing everything we can do to help those issues,” said Williams.

“We’re juggling with knives and we’re running while we’re doing it.”

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OPINIONS

April 8, 2013

opinions editor email / phone

Rachel Braeuer opinions@the-peak.ca / 778.782.4560

management skills, this service no longer appears to be offered.

We’ve all heard the sob story that is TransLink’s precarious financial position, but this is just a bad way to tackle it. It reeks of a culture in which do-nothing bureaucrats need to do something, anything, to justify their paycheques. (I should know; I was a do-nothing bureaucrat at a crown corporation for the better part of a year.)

In a strange way, this is a difficult subject to tackle: how do you argue a plainly obvious point without coming off as condescending? This is a university newspaper; I would assume (and hope) that our readership is brainy enough to realize on their own that allowing boarding only through the front doors at the central Burnaby campus bus stop is a stupid idea. I would hope the same thing about TransLink’s bureaucrats, but every day I go to catch the 145 home, and every day that moronic handscrawled sign remains.

In theory, every policy is designed to address a problem, but that element seems to be missing from this equation. The obvious explanation is that this is part of a crackdown on fare evaders, but the centre of SFU Burnaby seems like the single worst place to lay this trap.

Who uses this bus stop? Obviously, it’s mostly students, who I hardly need to remind you are participants in a compulsory U-Pass program. Are they targeting people like me, who work up here? If so, that’s stupid — I need to have a monthly bus pass to get across the Skytrain unmolested, and I

would need one to board the bus up the mountain if I lived on a different route. Maybe the stingy scumbags of UniverCity are the problem? If so, what’s preventing them from boarding through the back door at the Cornerstone loop, which is closer to their homes?

Even if all of the handful of remaining riders are dodging their fares, it sounds like TransLink is saving a rounding error’s worth

Omigosh, puppies are the best.

They’re like snuggly balls of sunshine that only come in two settings: asleep curled in front of the fireplace, and racing through the park, barking, scratching and sniffing at everything that can be scratched or sniffed at.

How can they possibly be that cute? It’s not mathematically possible, those itsy-bitsy little

of money with this rule. Am I to believe that these savings outweigh the number of buses that are passing me by with plenty of room in the back? We can scream and bitch until Christ’s return about people who don’t move to the back of the bus, but wouldn’t it be easier to simply open the back doors so I can squeeze in on my own?

Here’s an important question: are the savings on fares

greater than the cost of fueling an extra bus and paying an extra driver to come pick me up when I’ve been left behind?

But wait: it gets dumber! Regular users of this stop may recall a woman in a reflective vest who, as far as I could tell, was a TransLink employee being paid to pace around this bus stop and remind me that I’m not to board through the back door. In an apparent fit of basic financial

faces, tiny button noses, and tiny pink tongues hanging out, just a bit too big for their mouth.

Oh man, and how they run up to and then into the front door every time they hear you pull up and then do laps around your legs when you finally get inside.

Every day as a puppy is Christmas Eve. In conclusion, puppies are awesome.

Anthrax is pretty bad. It is not snuggly or cute. It is an offshoot of the bacillus family, that if it makes contact with the skin, causes blistering lesions. Blistering lesions will not bring you your slippers or drop a tennis ball at your feet and nudge you with its nose. Anthrax will make it hard to breathe and cause you to choke to death on your own pus. Pus is the worst;

It’s the same culture that spends $100 million installing fare gates in Skytrain stations in order to avoid $14.5 million in annual losses to fare fraud. It’s the same culture that hires police officers with guns to check peoples’ tickets. Does anyone really expect that Translink will lay off any of these armed cops when these fancy fare gates start doing a significant chunk of their job?

Translink’s funding problems are partly the result of underfunding, and largely the result of poor management and prioritization. We should all have the brains to see that leaving me in the wind and rain as a three-quarters full bus passes me by is not going to make the slightest dent in those profound and systemic problems.

it not soft or fuzzy. There also are bad men who will put anthrax in envelopes and send it to you, so when you open it thinking you got a letter from your penpal, you will be anthraxed instead. You can get vaccinated, but that involves doctors poking needles in your arm, which hurts no matter what stickers the receptionist gives you.

OPINIONS

As the provincial election approaches, we will begin to hear the usual message about our right and responsibility to vote.

This notion that our democratic responsibility can be fulfilled by casting a ballot for whomever we think is the lesser of evils needs to be reinterpreted, as the current way it is often presented — in terms of combating apathy and a denial of political alternatives — is dangerous.

Representative democracy assumes that the state has a reasonable amount of control over its social and economic destiny.

However, capitalism has been so invasive that it operates regardless of borders and political boundaries.

April 8, 2013

This should not be a surprising statement. We live in a world where corporations are granted the rights of persons and market systems, they not only depend on globalized, cross-border operations but actually work to undermine political processes that prevent these operations.

When a society that is founded on the ideals of democracy is materially dependent on the exploitative market, it’s bound to be full of contradictions.

One of those contradictions is the mythology of the democratic responsibility to vote. According to this myth, it is the

individual’s responsibility to change the system for the better, and channels people’s energies into a means for enacting a change (i.e. voting) that is fundamentally broken. Lucy Parsons, an American labour organizer and radical socialist, made the famous statement: “Never be deceived that the rich will allow you to vote away their wealth.”

Those most often at the buttend of this mythology seem to be the youth, containing one of the largest demographics of non-voters. The media perpetuates the myth by portraying youth as a generation corrupted by popular culture and individualism, with no concern for the collective destiny of the nation.

This dangerous statement confuses alienation from the political process with the fictional concept of “apathy,” while concurrently demonizing political dissent, a collective action, and individualistically reinforcing the responsibility to vote. When all we see is politicians who seem unable to tell unethical

policy from their you-knowwhats, who operate within in a system that consistently betrays good-faith, it is no wonder that we can find better things to do than vote on election day.

However, while the harmful effects of the previously mentioned discourse must be criticized, we cannot miss the margins for the mainstream.

While we may feel alienated from the political system, and indeed it is often easier to imagine what the end the world would look like rather than a world outside the current system, your vote does make a difference in the lives of the most marginalized in society, who are rarely afforded a voice to demand recognition of their

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struggles; they struggle within the shadows. Witness the 373 per cent increase in homelessness in BC under Gordon Campbell.

There is something wrong with democracy, yes. The mythology of apathy and responsibility may be harmful, yes.

While the difference between policy decisions by the NDP or Liberals or anyone else simply cannot end oppression and poverty, it does make a difference in the lives of the most unfortunate. An analysis of the broader trends and ultimate rejection of the voting system is not a privilege that those struggling to feed themselves and their children can afford.

Those of us who are more fortunate have a responsibility to those who are less fortunate, and so we should vote. But in a society that is by definition corrupt and unsustainable, that lies to us, degrades us, and demands obedience, the only democratic responsibility that remains is that of a radical confrontation with that very system.

12 OPINIONS

Word on campus is that we are due for another visit from the GAP (Genocide Awareness Project) on Burnaby Mountain. If you are unaware of what this is, I would say that you are lucky.

The GAP is a pro-life organization that has put together a series of grotesque images juxtaposing abortion to horrific events in world history, such as genocides and the holocaust.

I do not intend to belittle the beliefs of those who are against abortion, or to condemn them in any form. What I condemn

Reading Mohamed Sheriffdeen’s article “Moral arguments against same sex marriage don’t have legs to stand on”, I cannot help but wonder if the whole controversy over same-sex marriage is too caught up in what are essentially problems of legalism. After all, marriages of various forms have been present in human society long before the state deigned to grant them legal recognition, so if we are to properly address the matter we must return to a more organic understanding of the relationship between human individuals and the communities in which they live.

The state of society depends upon the state of its fundamental institutions, and no institution is more fundamental than that of the family. It’s easy to see why: families are the principal, normative means by which human beings are socialized and integrated into the larger community but, more importantly, are the means by which they are brought into being in the first place. A child’s mother and father are the very first role models or mentors it has,

April 8, 2013

is the use of an insulting logical fallacy to produce shock value as a cheap method of persuasion.

The comparison of abortion to tragic events in human history is an example of a false analogy. Viewers are shown a fallacious visual connection between graphic images of genocide and unrelated abortions in lieu of an argument. While I can tolerate a well formed opinion, I cannot respect a hollow one hinging on faulty conclusions.

Content aside, the poster presentation is one that demeans the intelligence of the average SFU student. As adults seeking higher education, we should be entitled to a better argument than shocking images. The GAP images presume a lack of critical thinking and inability to form an opinion

and its siblings (if any) are usually the child’s very first friends and peer companions. The importance of families in the physical and psychological welfare of human beings is paramount to a robust and functional society.

Which brings us to the main topic in question: same-sex marriage. Much of the debate has focused almost entirely on individual rights and freedoms, neglecting the all-important aspect of social and institutional outcomes. In short, we should really think about how this will affect the children.

Now, I do not suppose for one instant that homosexual couples cannot be loving, devoted couples and parents, nor am I considering the possibility that homosexuals have difficulty integrating with society. However, this debate is not really about preserving the common rights of homosexuals that they share with heterosexuals, such as the right to live their private lives in peace without harassment (the legal

based on facts alone. We are better than that. We are SFU, the top comprehensive university in Canada, and we can think for ourselves.

Comparing abortion to genocide does not just insult our intelligence, it insults both global and personal history.

“Genocide” is a scary word for those of us who have not experienced it or the profound lost connected to it.

However, those who have lived through a situation like the Holocaust, or felt the impact on their family even years later, are inflicted with a much more traumatic opinion. It is incredibly insensitive to use the global and personal loss of so many to guilt people into opposing abortion.

The GAP does not stop at inflicting guilt on those who

protections in this area are quite robust), but about the implicit assumption of same-sex marriage advocates that the state ought to give official recognition to homosexual couples.

As I discussed earlier, strong families are necessary to perpetuate the common welfare of all. Therefore, it stands to reason that the state, which relies upon families for its existence, has an implicit self-interest in upholding marriage, in particular so-called “traditional” marriage because only that form of marriage can reasonably be expected to be the normative one. All other forms (single-parent, adoptive, etc.) only come into being because of the breakdown of traditional marriages; their existence depends upon the destruction of the ideal form of family. To put it churlishly, even homosexuals come into being as a result of having heterosexual parents.

I do not mean to suggest that homosexual couples do not deserve some kind of legal protection and recognition, since in our pluralistic society we must accommodate as many social institutions as we can to preserve freedom. However, such arrangements ought not to displace the exclusive and special place that traditional marriage has in society. After all, everyone, including homosexuals, implicitly benefits from it.

consider themselves prochoice. The implication of the exhibit is that aborting a baby is akin to taking the lives of thousands of people. I can say with confidence that there are students, faculty, or visitors to our campus that have had an abortion or supported someone else in their choice to.

Choosing not to carry a baby to term does not put a woman on par with Hitler or anyone else who instigated genocide.

SFU should be a safe place for everyone, regardless of what they believe.

When the GAP exhibit is displayed for all to see in Convocation Mall, I do not feel safe or comfortable at my school. I have known women and their partners who chose abortion for a plethora of different, and equally valid reasons. In some of these situations, I have seen the profound sorrow and trauma that came with a tough decision.

SFU is a public place that should promote the sharing of opinions in a way that does not vilify bystanders. The campus is frequented by a diverse spectrum of people of different ages from diverse backgrounds, cultures, and experiences. There is no place for GAP’s grotesque statements here.

OPINIONS

April 8, 2013

regulated, there are no globally agreed upon standards that exist for the trading of arms.

The result can be the misuse and diversion of arms into illegal markets, where they end up in the hands of criminals, gangs, warlords, and terrorists.

Arms control campaigners say one person every minute dies worldwide as a result of armed violence. According to the UN, repairing the damage caused by crime, gang violence, or piracy vastly exceeds the initial financial profits of

Canada, once known around the world as a peaceful nation that advocated strongly to protect the world’s citizens from harm, is unfortunately no more. The new face of Canada, masked by the Harper government, is one that acts for the benefit of the few at a great risk to us all. The Harper government’s recent approach to the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) negotiations is testimony to this fact.

In the past Canada has been widely praised for its political courage and advocacy in the implementation of weapon treaties. In 1997, under Jean Chretien’s Liberal government, Canada’s foreign affairs minister Lloyd Axworthy shocked the international diplomatic community with his global challenge to sign an international treaty banning anti-personnel land-mines within a year. The

result was the unorthodox, historic, and unprecedented Ottawa Process. It led to the signing of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Mine Ban Treaty that is currently in the process of removing destructive mines all over the world.

At the preliminary ATT negotiations in 2012, The Harper Government took Canadian foreign policy in a disturbing direction. Diplomats were instructed to “play a low-key, minimal role.” One of these diplomats was Steve Torino, the president of the Canadian Shooting Sports Association.

Early last year, Torino cochaired a government-appointed advisory panel that recommended making it easier to obtain and own handguns and assault rifles in Canada.

Canada showed up to negotiate an ATT with the president of one of the largest gun-owner lobbyists in the country.

Since the 1990s, organizations have worked alongside governments at arms trade talks; it is not uncommon for UN member state delegations to be composed of “experts” from civil society. However, generally organizations and lobbyists from both sides of the table sit with a delegation to help inform the debate and give balanced advice to a nation, but Canada has decided they will only use taxpayers’ money to invite pro-gun lobbyists to the negotiations.

Canadian diplomats ended their two-page statement at the opening of the UN ATT in 2012 with a small paragraph that summed up what it felt was the most important issue for Canadians: “Canada stresses . . . that the ATT should recognize the legitimacy of lawful ownership of firearms by responsible citizens for their personal and recreational use, including sports shooting, hunting, and collecting. ” Although almost all international trade in goods is

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selling weapons. United Nations Peacekeeping alone costs the world $7 billion per year, and the global annual burden of armed violence stands at $400 billion.

Suffice to say, the ATT is extremely important, especially for the poorest nations. Canadian delegates used the ATT as a platform to bemoan the hassles of gun registration. I know it is quite a burden for those poor hunters to have to register their guns, but to see Canada taking this ridiculous Conservative platform policy to an international stage is embarrassing.

I used to be able to trek around the planet as a proud citizen, but with these drastic changes in Canada’s foreign policy and the embarrassing invitation of the king of firearms to an ATT, I can only hang my head in shame.

Parking Renewals SUMMER 2013 (APRIL 1 -­ APRIL 30, 2013) Renew Early to Retain Your Parking Status Avoid line ups & PURCHASE ONLINE Go to: www.sfu.ca/parking Permit holders who presently hold a valid 2013-­1 Spring Semester parking permit for B-­Lot, C-­Lot, West Mall, and Convo Mall must renew their permits for the SUMMER Semester -­ no later than

April 30, 2013

If renewing at the Parking Services Office, please ensure you bring the following information: Student ID card or Drivers License Vehicle registration (not required if accurate vehicle details are provided).

Please Note: 1) A vehicle may be registered to one account ONLY...

2) Payment can be made by cash, debit, visa, mastercard or money order.

3) B -­Lot Permits NOT renewed in April will be offered to new and returning students through an open sale starting on Monday April 15, 2013 All permits sold based on AVAILABILITY. 4) There will be an open sale for Reserved, and B-­lot 4 Day a Week permits, which will start on Monday April 15, 2013. These permits are sold on a first-­come first-­serve basis.

For more information, go to the Parking Website at www.sfu.ca/parking

PARKING SERVICES Location: WMC 3110 (West Mall Complex) Web Page: www.sfu.ca/parking Tel: 778-­782-­5534

E-­Mail: parking@sfu.ca

14 OPINIONS

I don’t want to live in a society that is ruled by fear and suspicion. Unfortunately, the huge coverage of school shootings in the media has created a culture of fear both on campuses and in classrooms, which permeates our community to the core.

Obviously, such violence is unspeakably sad and deeply disturbing, but it is an aberration, not a norm. You can’t live your life thinking that you’ll be hit by a bus, and neither should you believe that the boy sitting next to you in your English class is compiling a hit list. It’s frustrating that our media is flooded with stories of violence and danger, from school shootings

to superbugs, which leave the populace with little option but to panic.

I’ve always felt that the media promotes this “culture of fear,” but only recently did it pervade the walls of my own home. Last week, my brother Chris arrived home deeply distressed after having spent an hour talking with the SFU campus security. It seemed that, after a misunderstanding in class, security had decided to question Chris about a list he’d made during his English seminar that morning.

As the external vice-president of the Altered Reality Club

April 8, 2013

(ARC) and a 4th-year English major, Chris’s days are usually occupied with sleeping, eating, reading, sleeping, and planning one of his online gaming sessions. On the day of the incident, Chris had decided to do a little brainstorming for his forum game, which he hosts online for the ARC, SFU’s “club for gaming, anime, cosplay, comics, and people who love geeky things.”

Chris began to write down some of the weapons for the characters. Some of which, like the shotgun and handgun, could easily have seemed suspicious to the students seated around him. Others, like “mind-bullet,” “itchy-powder,” “mouth-laser,” and “bazooka,” were less cause for alarm.

On the way to his next class, Chris was stopped by the security guards and told to come down with them to the security office. Once seated, they told Chris that they’d received a report that he was making disturbing writings in class; two

girls behind him thought he was making a list of weapons and a list of names. I personally doubt a killer would pull out his hit list in the middle of an English tutorial, but Chris patiently explained that he was running a forum game, in which the players were the teachers and staff at a mutant school, like in X-Men. The list of names were in fact characters in the game, not real people at SFU.

At that point, security wanted to address further concerns they’d heard from the students. Apparently, Chris was reported as being “disconnected” in class and falling asleep and reading Game of Thrones — classic terrorist behaviour. SFU security strongly suggested that

he should see a counsellor.

Chris responded, “I’m not a killer. I’m just a geek.”

Although I feel safe knowing that SFU security is cracking down on suspicious behavior, it makes me sad that our society is so paranoid that reading Game of Thrones and creating a Dungeons & Dragons-style character sheet are signs of psychosis and deviancy. Are we harkening back to days of Catcher in the Rye, when books were banned because of the negative effects they might have on adolescents? Is John Snow our new Holden Caulfield?

I don’t think so.

How unsafe is our society? In the past year, there have been 17 school shootings in the US, with 42 deaths. In Canada, there have only been three deaths related to school shootings since 2000. This raises the question: are we suffering from the symptoms of a disease which isn’t ours? At times, yes. We should be careful, but we should not let fear overwhelm common sense. In the real world, ‘winter is not coming.’

OPINIONS

April 8, 2013

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WANT TO WRITE IN THIS SPACE?

Many of you are aware of Mark Warawa’s attempt to file a motion on sex-selective abortion in the House of Commons in Ottawa.

Warawa filed the motion, a parliamentary sub-committee ruled that the motion would not come to a vote.

Warawa then appealed to the full committee in question, and that committee again explicitly stopped the motion from coming to a vote. When Warawa finally appealed to the speaker, the speaker denied him the ability to speak on the issue to the entire House of Commons.

While this may seem like a minor procedural issue, it is not.

To not even allow a vote on the motion, for no reason other than that of politics, is to deny Warawa the ability to conduct democracy.

Warawa was elected by the people of Langley, British Columbia, to represent their interests in the legislature. He campaigned vigorously, knocked on thousands of doors, and shook hands with thousands of trusting constituents.

He no doubt helped thousands more of those same constituents with various different problems and difficulties after his election.

He’s attended countless events, spoken at hundreds of dinners, and probably kissed more than one baby.

Why did Mr. Warawa expend all of this energy? Why did he go to such enormous lengths to become a representative of the good people in Langley? In short, why is he what he is?

He is what he is because he believes in something larger than himself. He believes in representative democracy. He believes in the right of the people to choose their local representatives.

And it isn’t only him. His constituents believe this. Some of his constituents have given their entire lives for that ideal, by moving

from various oppressive nations around the globe.

Now they’ve all been played as fools. And not only them, but us. Why is this? Because Stephen Harper’s PMO finally went too far by shutting down the very beating heart of representative democracy in this country: the right of the individual MP to represent the interests of his or her constituents.

They, without good cause, stopped Mark Warawa from doing his job.

You may not agree with what Mark Warawa believes. But you better damn well believe in his right to represent his constituents as an MP. Without that, representative democracy dies in this country; democracy becomes something different altogether. Instead, it becomes an elected dictatorship.

The prime minister is elected, and he rules by absolute decree.

To be sure, we should have seen this coming. Originally the system was designed to prevent this. The system was designed in such a way that the MPs elected their leader.

But over time, a few shortsighted individuals circumvented that system by suggesting that leaders be elected by party convention, by the members of each political party. In one stroke, the local MPs lost their single biggest source of power.

This, and not Stephen Harper, killed the power of the individual MP. Stephen Harper’s PMO was inevitable after this change, although this hardly absolves them of responsibility.

I used to work for a Conservative MP in the House of Commons.

I’ve spent countless hours volunteering for the Conservative Party, fought numerous campaigns, and sacrificed personal financial stability for the sake of the ideals I thought the machine held. But this latest action by the PMO is too much. The institution of Parliament is sacred, and I wonder if the PMO might have forgotten that.

I say a lot of dumb shit. I put my foot in my mouth all the time, and I speak aggressively before finding out the whole story.

While these are fine “skills” for an opinions editor to have, sometimes they leave me wondering, “Aren’t I an asshole?”

The good news is that I’ve cleaned up my vocabulary significantly since I could legally drink (not for any reason in particular, it just happened that way), but one word has been my last holdout of offensive and politically incorrect speech — the R-word: retard.

I need to stop this. What’s more embarrassing is that I can recall adamantly defending using it in the fairly recent past, as though I had some kind of inherent right to it (although I guess that line of argument is kind of meta). Even in writing this, there’s that small part of me that wants to just keep using it, but my rational for doing so is literally indefensible.

My line of thinking goes a little like this: yeah, but I don’t mean that you actually have some kind of learning disability or impairment, I just mean, like, y’know, dumb, or annoying. I would never do this with other derogatory terms, so why

will I backpedal for this one?

A few times I’ve caught myself and replaced the R-word with “developmentally challenged,” as if that isn’t equally offensive. Either way I’m replacing my actual feelings with a cop-out phrase that doesn’t hurt me because I don’t have any kind of actual, medically documented “retardations” that I’m aware of. I’m casually projecting my frustrations onto an othered group instead of articulating what my actual issues are.

For the love of all cottonbased fabrics, I’m an English major. There is no excuse for not coming up with a better word.

The etymology of the word “retard” is actually fairly interesting. For those who remember grade 5 French class, played a musical instrument, and/or giggled every time a teacher told you you were “tardy,” you’ll remember that it’s generally a word that means to be slowed down or late.

It can also mean coming behind or after a person or thing (i.e. somewhat in retard of everyone else, she decided to stop using the R-word in a derogatory way), or it can be used to describe the age of the tide. I don’t really get that one, but apparently it has to do with friction?

My favourite unexpected

definition has to do with sparkplugs and ignition systems, where you postpone the initial spark. But then there’s the most common definition, specific to North America, “4.a. (a) Educ. and Psychol. A person displaying or characterized by developmental delay or learning difficulties; (b) Educ. a child whose educational progress or level of attainment has fallen behind that expected for his or her age.”

All of these definitions are irrelevant, quite frankly, except the last. Even if I’m describing something physically behind me, or a knocking sound in my car due to a delayed spark in the ignition line, I can use other words or phrases.

When I call something I don’t like or someone who I feel has wronged me “retarded,” it’s no better than calling a shirt “gay” because we wouldn’t wear it. It’s a derogatory term that aligns an involuntary state of mind with being lesser-than.

The words we choose to use on a regular basis have power.

In my tenure as opinions editor, I learned the magnitude of this the hard way — people don’t often like publicly owning up to their words, especially in a forum like this where their name and choice of phrases will be linked forever in both a hard and digital copy.

Working with those of you who contributed, wrote e-mails, commented or responded to tweets made me realize the importance of this, so thank you for that. In return, you have my word to give up an outdated and offensive one.

Y

ou only need to set foot in the Yukon for a split second before it becomes clear why the territory’s motto is “Larger Than Life.”

Home to 14 First Nations groups and some 30,000 people — as well as the backdrop of Canada’s highest mountain and some of the largest and most isolated National Parks — the Yukon is one of the least densely populated places left on earth.

Imagine taking SFU’s entire undergraduate population and spreading it out over an area that is geographically larger than California, and is unadulterated and pristine wilderness.

Most of the population resides in the territory’s capital of Whitehorse. I, on the other hand, live in a self-governed Northern Tutchone First Nation community of 300, several hours north of Whitehorse. Of the seven billion people living on our planet, only about four million of them can claim that they live further north than we do here.

I graduated from SFU’s kinesiology program and got a job with the Health and Social Department of the Selkirk First Nation government as the recreation director for Pelly Crossing. This community is located in the same territory that they have inhabited for thousands of years, passing from generation to generation knowledge like how to survive in the -50 Celsius winters.

In my time here, I’ve had many larger-than-life experiences, and have also faced the sharp paradoxes of the Yukon: there is a contrast between the awe-inspiring experiences that teach you how tiny yet connected to everything you are, and the harsh reality of life in the north.

One of the most amazing northern experiences has been to watch the aurora borealis dancing overhead in electric purples and greens, the particles from the sun interacting with the oxygen and nitrogen in our atmosphere.

One particular November night, it was nearly -50 Celsius. I ran out with two of my friends to watch a huge swan dance into a soaring eagle, a daffodil and finally an angel that raced across the star-filled sky — a sky that was so clear by now that I spotted the Andromeda galaxy, 2.5 million light years away.

By contrast, in the summer, it’s chilling to lie in the sunlit tent nestled in the jagged mountains at two in the morning, listening to the eerie call of the wolves.

The ground is carpeted with strawberries, cranberries, raspberries, blueberries, and everything else you could imagine.

By autumn, the hills are on fire with the changing leaves, as hundreds of thousands of cranes, swans, geese, and other birds migrate south. Around me,

it was common to see bears, lynx, foxes, porcupines, dall sheep, wolves, moose and elk.

Yet even with more this unimaginable beauty, the people here have suffered greatly. There was the sudden colonization that occurred after the Klondike Gold Rush; and then the end of the steamboat days when the Klondike highway was built, forcing the people of Selkirk to relocate. There was the

residential school era that forced children away from their hunting-gathering culture, westernized them, and spat them back to families they could no longer understand.

There is so much trauma left in our community. It is a generational cycle, one lacking parenting as a result of being taken from their own families, a generational gap: the elders living here grew up living off the land, and their

grandchildren grew up playing video games. It is a suppression of their language, traditions, and culture, and it is a cycle of substance abuse that leads to many more downward spirals.

There is no purpose in sugar-coating it. Girls as young as 14 sell their bodies because they can’t steal enough off their parents anymore to feed their drug habit — after all, their parents are attempting the same thing.

Being part of the Yukon EMS ambulance team, I know that over 50 per cent of our calls are alcohol related. Beginning in February, it is the sunniest place in the country, but don’t let it fool you. There have been several instances this year of teenagers that have passed

out drunk and froze to death in the -40 temperatures.

Even sober, if your car breaks down on an isolated strip of highway that has no cell reception, it could be an extremely long and dangerously cold wait. Although difficult to deal with, these issues and history make the discrimination against me — as one of the only “white” people here — more understandable.

I have a girlfriend here who was violently assaulted by a serial rapist; he had previously tied two 13-year-olds and forced the same fate upon them. My friend got pregnant; alcohol and drugs were the only method to temporarily wipe out her horrifying experience, so her child was born with severe fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. This substance abuse however, increased her vulnerability to being raped again.

Eventually, two kids later, she found herself lying in the street close to death.

She finally called for help and was flown to Vancouver, where a specialized surgeon reconstructed her slashed wrists.

Relocated from her home and with no money or support system, she had nowhere to go. She ended up on the corner of Hastings and Main.

How many of us look from the bus window at that corner and judge the people there for “wasting their lives?” How many of us ignorantly tell kids ogling from the car that that’s where they’ll end up if they make stupid choices? In the best case scenario, we simply don’t give them much thought.

My friend was one of those people — the ones standing on the corner, serving as a lesson of deterrence to children, on the receiving end of our pity and contempt. Today, she is one of the most inspiring “Larger Than Life” characters I have ever met: hardworking, outgoing, and humorous, she is not afraid to share her story.

Sometimes the incredible beauty surrounding us brings even more pain as we try to comprehend the horrors that occurred in such a pristine place; likewise, it is difficult to comprehend how a simple mistake, such as forgetting to antifreeze your lock in the dead of winter, could lead to death by such an aesthetic place.

But the things that bring healing to the community are activities that restore their culture and focus on nature. Along with the staff I manage — some of whom struggle with fetal alcohol syndrome — I’ve worked on implementing a Native dance program.

When the children performed for their elders, the community was transformed. Tears of joy, pain and healing flowed down the faces of elders as they got up from the audience and danced with their youth, bridging that generational gap to finally connect with them.

The stone-faced youth that were so preoccupied with finding their next joint became energetic with smiles after only three days in the wilderness, where they were learning to ice fish, make fire, shoot arrows, make snares and listen to traditional legends.

It will take time — it may take a few more generations — but if any people can overcome such struggles, the Larger Than Life community of Selkirk people will.

These are the people most connected to the land, and they instinctively realize what an integral role it plays in the physical, mental and spiritual well-being of a person. If we are to deal with all of the contemporary issues we’re faced with, we need to listen to the lessons of their stories and culture.

One thing I know for certain is that if there is any place on earth that is larger than life, in both the natural environment and in the character of its inhabitants, it most certainly is the Yukon.

18 FEATURES

April 8, 2013

I

n May 1974, the RCMP announced the recruitment of women for the first time in its 101-year existence.

Despite the male officers’ skepticism, 30 out of the 32 women successfully completed their training and became part of a ceremony that would go down in history. After graduation, however, it soon became apparent that allowing women to join did not necessarily mean that the force was equipped to accommodate female officers.

Women have been accepted into the RCMP for over 37 years now, yet there is still evidence of recurring discrimination and sexual harassment within the force. Through discrimination and sexual harassment, men in law enforcement ostracize powerful and capable women from continuing in the force, or even joining it.

Even something like uniforms, which should have been straightforward and unbiased, became an immediate issue: it was not until 1990 that female officers were allowed to wear pants to work instead of a skirt and pumps.

In fact, as recently as 2003, there is evidence that this is ongoing. A female officer that had been with the Force for over 17 years made an official complaint regarding the dress code, which forced women to wear a skirt to all formal events without exception. She felt that such policy was discriminatory, since it differentiated between male and female members. The request was denied twice and was not accepted until 2012 — nine years later.

Regrettably, discrimination based on uniform is neither the only nor the worst of the problems female officers have faced in the force. In April 2012, an internal report based on 426 BC female officers released its results — the results were disturbing and shed light on some of the darker problems within the RCMP. The study highlights the overwhelming perception that there is a lack of consequences for the harasser — at worst, he will be transferred or even promoted. It is shocking to see how

Dave Eagles / Flickr

FEATURES

April 8, 2013

...continued from last page police organizations, which are committed to protecting the rights and liberties of citizens, are failing to do the same for their own female officers.

Coming forward with a harassment complaint brings more problems to the female officers than it does the perpetrator, resulting in a hesitation among female officers to file complaints.

In regards to harassment complaints within the institution last year, the chief recruiter of the RCMP told The Vancouver Sun that female officers would need to be able to have “... the strength to deal with it.” This message not only adds to the problem but, worse still, serves as a bad example to other men in the force.

Another female RCMP officer who filed a complaint against her superior was left disappointed by the harsh recep-

tion from fellow male officers. This officer not only did she not receive support from the RCMP, but was also further humiliated by her aggressor, who publicly labelled her as nothing but a meddler quick to lay sexual harassment charges.

This tainted her reputation, and she was never taken seriously again, leaving her with few options for career advancement.

Sadly, there are many cases similar to this one, which is precisely why female officers are faced with the dilemma of whether or not it is worth filing a complaint. If the victim will suffer more consequences than the perpetrator, there is clearly something wrong at the heart of the institution and how it cares for its officers.

Officer MacLean was part of the force for many years. At one point, she saw no option but to complain about a senior officer’s repeated harassment and inappropriate suggestions of ways to advance her career.

When she finally came forward regarding the inappropriate behaviour, she was ignored, and received a negative assessment for her work. After failing to see any action, she finally had no choice but to quit. MacLean is now one of the 200 female RCMP officers filing a lawsuit against the institution.

The lawyer representing the female officers explained that these are problems that the RCMP has been aware of for years, but are just now being brought to light with this lawsuit. Moreover, he suggested that even with the lawsuit, the case will likely not get underway until this year and could take several years to process, showing that even when women decide to take action and speak up, it can still take years for justice to be served.

Even though a class action lawsuit may seem like the right way to hold the RCMP and its male perpetrators accountable, the problem these types of lawsuits is that they are almost always settled out of court. A document is signed that

releases the defendant from further liability and explains that the receipt of settlement from the RCMP is not equivalent to admission of wrongdoing.

Accepting settlements out of court allows the RCMP to abstain from admitting liability, which can only further perpetuate the wrongdoings of the institution.

If male officers do not suffer the consequences of their actions, and the institution itself denies accountability, then how can change be possible?

Amongst the female officers that came forward in the class action lawsuit was former constable Janet Merlo. One shift, a supervising corporal told everyone that she was the right height “because you can lay a six-pack of beer on her head while she gives you a blow job.” If a supervising corporal can make such statements without any repercussions, then it is vital for society to question not only the institution but also the unethical behaviour they endorse.

Discrimination within law enforcement can vary in its severity; however, the fact that male officers see nothing wrong with leaving lingerie on the lockers of female officers demonstrates how there is an underlying problem that goes beyond a seemingly harmless “practical joke.”

Sometimes senior officers, when interviewing women, ask them whether they are going to “sleep with everyone” because of their gender. If nothing else, this demonstrates their inability to take women in the workplace seriously.

One female officer explained how they wear bulletproof vests to protect themselves from the bad guys out in the world, but what they really need is a vest to protect themselves from the bad guys inside their own organization. Unfortunately, nothing will change until the RCMP realizes there is more than one dimension to the problem; not only is there discrimination and harassment against female officers, but there is also a male-dominated hierarchy that prevents many of them from achieving their full potential.

Within the institution, there appears to be subtle structures that exist and work in favour of men. Since male officers usually run the system and have positions of power, they help one another in the process of attaining administrative positions. This, along with other attitudes towards female officers, creates obstacles caused mainly by the male officers with power in the organization — obstacles that existed within the RCMP in 1975 and exist even after 37 years of women’s successful contributions to the Force.

Today, about 18 per cent of all

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police officers in Canada are women, and though it is a vast improvement from 1975, an increase in the number of female officers does not necessarily mean they have achieved greater equality. In a study comparing the percentage of active female officers amongst 27 countries, Canada ranked seventh, but what is the merit of ranking so high if women’s working conditions are far from what they should be?

It is essential to look beyond the increasing number of women involved in law enforcement and instead demand accountability from a system that fails to protect its own.

In an attempt to get to the bottom of these issues, the RCMP has hired Insp.

Carol Bradley, who is developing a number of different initiatives to better deal with harassment. One of the initiatives posts harassment advisers posted across the province of BC and provides new tools for employees to confidentially report any problems with their colleagues or superiors.

As good as this initiative may be, it is important to recognize that though advisers might be a good first step, how are these advisors going to help if one of the main concerns is the lack of consequences and accountability? Female officers all across Canada are seeking a fair and safe environment to work in, and by failing to shift its rooted ideologies, the RCMP’s attempts will simply have a Band-Aid effect.

The daunting question is whether change is possible, and if so, how can it be achieved? Not all women may be suited to do jobs of this nature, but it is also important to emphasize that not all men are suited for the job either; it has nothing to do with gender.

It is time to demystify the so-called acceptance of women into a field of work traditionally reserved for men — such as law enforcement — by differentiating the relationship between allowing women to be part of a male-dominated occupation and enabling them to achieve equality.

The overwhelming patriarchal attitudes and male chauvinism call for immediate action not only from the RCMP, but also from police authorities all around the world. This facade that Canada has been able to maintain by being seventh in the world has to be unveiled — this ranking hides a disturbing reality.

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ARTS

The Flaming Lips have never been an easy band to categorize, but one mood they’re rarely associated with is melancholy. There’s a wistful, nostalgic quality to their The Soft Bulletin era material, and some of their earlier tracks embrace an apathetic worldview that seems miles away from the life-affirming electro-pop of Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots .

The Terror marks The Flaming Lips’ first album since 2009’s Embryonic.

Following on the heels of a series of high-profile collaborations with artists like Lightning Bolt and Bon Iver, The Terror is the darkest, most abrasive record the band’s ever made.

Inspired by lead singer Wayne Coyne’s split with his partner of 25 years, as well as percussionist Steven Drozd’s struggles with drug addiction, The Terror is an atmospherically and sonically dense record coated in hazy dark ambience and peppered with sparse, chirpy electronics. Wayne’s vocals have never been stronger, or more

When Montreal-based band The Besnard Lakes released Are the Roaring Night in 2010, music critics were impressed. With songs clocking in at over six minutes, Are the Roaring Night offered a more challenging listen, each presenting a slow entrance, but always rocketing up to a summit of distorted guitars, ephemeral effects, sharp drumming, synth drones and reverb-laden, breathy vocals. Devout followers, myself included, soon ensued.

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emotional: for a band so well-known for its theatricality, both on-stage and on-record, The Terror’s 11 tracks seem uncharacteristically honest and intimate. “Try to explain why you’ve changed/I don’t think I understand,” Wayne sings over underwater background vocals and dissonant, Radiohead-style drum machines.

This is a version of the band we’ve never seen before: if the band’s string of jubilant, Beach Boys-meets-LCD Soundsystem pop records were the party, The Terror is the lonely, selfreflective hangover. The Flaming Lips manage to turn the record into a cathartic, insightful and musically rewarding experience rather than a selfindulgent crawl; that speaks to their ability to adapt and expand their style while remaining one of indie music’s most dependable bands.

Their new album, Until In Excess, Imperceptible UFO, presents similar characteristics to their previous work, but moves from the crashing crescendos of intermingled instruments to dreamier and softer peaks. The band still adheres to the long songs and slow-to-swell climaxes, but limits the all-out musical assaults from Are the Roaring Night. And unfortunately, I miss it.

Until in Excess, Imperceptible UFO

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Tyler Gregory Okonma, mouthpiece of Odd Future and aggressive Twitter presence, has a narcissistic streak.

If his modesty-shirking stage name didn’t clue you in, his songs surely will. Wolf, like Bastard and Goblin before it, is a solipsistic stage play in which Tyler spins a yarn of alter-egos in order to self-diagnose his many neuroses.

Whether he’s longing for his late grandmother, wilting in the harsh face of his sudden stardom or searching for rapid-fire revenge on his detractors and childhood bullies, Wolf sounds more like an album Tyler wrote for himself than any of his fans. That’s not necessarily a bad thing; the rapper and burgeoning sketch comedy star seems committed to ignoring the reactions of his audience, both positive and negative, and it surely helps him to focus his creative energy towards making the music he wants to make.

If only it came off as less uneven and

begins with “46 Satires”. There is a full moment of a low synthesizer before the guitar and vocals even enter the song. When the vocals finally hit, Olga Goreas lyrics are, fittingly for the album title, hard to understand and imperceptible because of the distortion.

The slow-to-progress momentum is followed by another sleepy track, but the album eventually kicks it up a notch on “People of the Sticks.” This song offers the first up-tempo (or at least awake) melody that finally catches some of my attention.

Lamentably, the effect doesn’t last long, because the next few songs pass without much notice. “And Her Eyes Were Painted Gold” is the last noticeable track, but the dreamy echoes of Beach Boysesque vocals aren’t nearly enough to save the album.

If you are into 90s shoegaze and are looking for a soft, slightly psychedelic album, then Until in Excess, Imperceptible UFO may do the trick. If not, the echoing sounds will do what it did to me: sadly, put you to sleep.

Daryn Wright arts@the-peak.ca / 778.782.4560

unfocused.

Wolf has its strong points: Tyler’s flow is as strong as always, and although his humour verges towards the juvenility his listeners have come to expect, he clearly flat-out enjoys being an emcee. Tracks like “48” and “Lone” show a surprisingly mature side of the rapper, and lead single “Domo23” is as silly and infectious as anything Odd Future has ever done.

Despite its strong points, Wolf comes off as an unorganized, bloated mess — Tyler is trying to say too many things at once, attempting to balance the misogynistic, anecdotal approach of his earlier albums with a more mature, conscious style inspired by Lupe Fiasco and Nas. Unfortunately for Tyler, he isn’t a talented enough rapper to handle both.

ARTS

If you like pie, this one’s for you. The Pie Shoppe, the delicious brainchild of sisters Stephanie and Andrea French, has just opened in Chinatown. The little nook offers freshly-baked pies, rotating on a regular basis, as well as quality coffee to accompany your little slice of heaven. The pies are baked fresh throughout the day, and the coffee is from Panoramic Roasters, a single-origin coffee roasted on a rooftop in Kitsilano. The Pie Shoppe opens at 11 a.m. and stays open until they run out of pie, which is bound to be quite frequent, so get there as early as you can. Who says pie for lunch is a bad thing?

On his incendiary debut My Aim is True , Elvis Costello is to the 70s what Bob Dylan was to the 60s: an angry young man who knew how to turn his 20-something angst into insightful rock and roll brilliance. From the power-pop of opener “Welcome to the Working Week”, to the lyrically dense love balladry of “Alison”, to the early Talking Heads-style New Wave of “Less Than Zero”, it’s one of the most listenable, varied, and downright fantastic rock and roll albums of the 70s — and that might be the best

April 8, 2013

The Astoria is offering up The Dark Eighties on April 9, a night of teenage 80s goth indulgence. They’ll be playing such favourites as The Smiths, The Cure (how could they leave out Robert Plant?), Depeche Mode, Sisters of Mercy, Echo and the Bunnymen, and more.

There will also be a special live performance of Viktor Kuhn. There’s no cover, and all drinks are named after goth and new romantic heartthrobs, including the $4 Morrissey’s Tears shooters. Expect it to be a night of painful and drunk nostalgia, coupled with retroactive deep-seated selfloathing — or, you know, at least some wild oscillating.

decade rock and roll music will ever know.

If Costello had recorded one of the strongest rock and roll debuts of all time at the tender age of 23 — in 24 studio hours, no less — he would be a legend. But he didn’t just release My Aim is True and fade into obscurity. He followed it up with This Year’s Model , which took its predecessor’s youthful brilliance and fine-tuned it, focused it, and made an even better record out of it. The tender moments dig deeper, the punkrock moments rock harder

Beginning April 10 and running through the end of the month, Cinematheque will be showing Nudes! Guns!

Ghosts! The Sensational Cinema of Shintoho. The eightfilm retrospective focuses on the Japanese studio that pioneered exploitation cinema in the 50s and 60s. These films formed the foundation for Japan’s modern pinku, or errotic, and horror genres. The films would commonly focus on no-boundaries sex, violence, and horror, marketed just as lewdly as the films themselves. Expect such films as Ghost Story of Yotsuya, an adaptation of an old kabuki play about a samurai and his tragic wife, and Flesh Pier, a film about the investigation of an underground call-girl ring. If you’re bored of what major theatres are currently playing, this is a good chance to go see something out of the ordinary.

and faster, the backing band is tighter, and Costello balances raw sex appeal and awkward literacy in the way only he can.

How this man didn’t go down as one of the biggest sex symbols of the 70s, I’ll never know.

This Year’s Model is the mature, experienced counterpart to My Aim is True ’s youthful exuberance; it’s impossible to review one without mentioning the other, and they always sound best when listened to in sequence.

These two albums, released back-to-back in 1977 and 1978, might be the best one-twopunch in rock and roll history — they’re certainly enough to rival Bob Dylan’s Highway 61 Revisited and Blonde on Blonde . Both pairs of records seem to say everything worth saying about being young and pissed off about it, whether in the swinging 60s or the afterparty of the 70s. I guess some things just never change.

If you haven’t been to see it yet, the Joe Average exhibition at the Museum of Vancouver is being shown until June 9. This exhibit features thirteen photographic images illustrating encounters with familiar scenes in Vancouver. His art has been found in public squares, bridges and markets, bridging the gap between the natural world and the urban environment that Vancouverites move in and out of during their daily routines.

Joe Average has been connecting with Vancouverites through his bold paintings and prints since the 80s, and just as the name suggests, his focus is on the average made remarkable through the lens of shared art.

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The Baker’s Market has just started up again for the season, open on Saturdays 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. until May 3. The Moberly Arts and Cultural Centre hosts the annual event, which offers up goodies like cakes, cookies, french macarons, cupcakes, ethnic goodies, and anything else you could possibly imagine. Everything is made by local creative professional and home bakers, including Brown Paper Packages ice cream sandwiches, Sweet Lily Bakery, J’Adore les Macarons, We Against the Grain, and Cannele and Honeybun.

If you don’t have much of a baker’s touch yourself, or just want to go and be inspired by others like you, plan an indulgent visit to try a little of everything.

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22 ARTS

At first glance, it’s easy to dismiss No as a member of a long line of platitudinous films dramatizing social and political movements of the 20th century.

Films like Gandhi and Milk too often reduce their complex political atmospheres to simplistically motivated acts of martyrdom and common-sense morality, and mistake condescension for sympathy.

Yes, No is one of those films.

No, it should not be dismissed, at least not for that.

In 1988, Chilean dictator Augustus Pinochet caved to global

April 8, 2013

political pressure and held a plebiscite. It asked citizens: “Si,” keep Pinochet, or “No,” do not. No is a fictionalization of the ad campaign for the “No” side, which constituted numerous politically conflicting parties.

The most obvious tipoff that the film is not interested in hero worship is its hero, a fictional advertising executive. Rene, who was for a time exiled from Chile, is sympathetic to his clients, and agrees to serve as an ad consultant for the 27 nights that “No” will be allotted 15 minutes of TV time for persuasion, to be followed by 15 minutes of marketing, for “Si,” and then 23-and-a-half more hours of state-run programming.

Though Rene clearly has some political investment in the campaign, he is disinterested in any result except for the successful sale of “No” as a product. And so he spearheads advertising that downplays mention of the state’s exiles, tortures, and many mysterious

disappearances, and instead fundamentally offers “Happiness is on the way” and some lighthearted smearing.

It’s in this conflict, between educating the public in principles and ideologies or achieving those principles by means of shallow pragmatism, that No hits paydirt. Its political sympathies are unambiguous (after all, it’s not called Si), but its semiotic loyalty is elusive; there is, after all, something insidious about promoting even the noblest of aims in the same way that CocaCola promotes soft drinks.

But for much of its running time No is a bit more conventional than that, and resembles one of those films I mentioned at the beginning. Rene’s home life with his son and non-committal girlfriend have enough dramatic mass to pull some interest, but keep too thematically detached and irresolute to really go anywhere.

An even worse cop to convention is the treatment of antagonists. The scenes involving

“Yes” proponents are almost valueless: an early meeting among Pinochet’s people over campaign plans ends with a sinister speech about capitalism’s political usefulness that is artlessly on the nose; and Rene’s coworker-turned-“Si” rival is cartoonishly malicious.

What really sells No as more than a trite inspirational drama, with fleeting glimpses of the “truth vs advertising” issue, is its formal makeup. Most obviously, the entire film is shot on video — the same Betacam video format, in fact, used by all of the ads for “yes” and “no”

alike. The format’s conspicuous cheapness constantly reminds us of the film’s own “packaging” as a piece of persuasion, and because it and the campaign ads share identical aesthetics, the movie acts as a sort of meta self-commentary.

Its formal qualities pick up even more speed when the film employs discontinuous editing.

Characters have a conversation in a restaurant and, when the film cuts to a park, seem to be still working on the same sentence.

Unfortunately, this gesture of discontinuity is largely dropped. A later scene provides an even better moment when Betacam news footage of a “No” assembly, transitions into Rene at the rally, well out of sight of the news cameras. The change in point of view from state television to protagonist is completely unnoticeable, and it’s very fitting that in the final scene we see Rene do much the same thing he always has, both before and while he helped a country to say “No.”

ARTS

The clever humour and sharp emotion of Farrant’s writing shone brightly through, and was combined with hilarious scenes reinforcing 60s-era values.

My Turquoise Years challenges the preconceived notion of the traditional nuclear family, and reinforces the idea of choosing who we love and care for as our family It is the summer of 1960 and Marion is 13 years-old, being raised by her aunt and uncle in Cordova Bay on Vancouver Island while her father makes a living at the Vancouver dockyards. A young adult on the cusp of womanhood, the summer is the start of a new decade of optimism for Marion, yet shadowed by the pending visit of her globetrotting absentee mother. Thus begins My Turquoise Years, adapted for the stage from a memoir of the same name by local author, M.A.C. Farrant.

After My Turquoise Years was published in 2004, it ran as a 10part serial on CBC Radio’s Between the Covers. Nicola Cavindesh was the reader, and urged Farrant to consider adapting it for the stage. Farrant met with literary manager Rachel Ditor and Bill Millerd, the artistic managing director of the Arts Club Theatre, to discuss adapting the memoir for the stage.

“I’d never written a play,” said Farrant, who worked closely with director and dramaturg Ditor during the adaptation process.

They have developed a strong working relationship adapting the play, which took five and a half years. Farrant says it was a perfect fit because Ditor understands the stage, “that’s her world, not mine.”

Part of the process was workshopping the script through ReACT, the Arts Club Theatre’s play development program. The program allows artists an opportunity to discuss the work with test audiences, thereby contributing to the process of script development.

They ended up writing at

April 8, 2013

least 20 drafts and were still tweaking it mere days before the dress rehearsal on April 3. To make it work for the stage, Farrant explains she had to change some parts of the memoir and even added a lot of material including some fictional elements from a short story she wrote, The Secret Life of Litterbugs. But it still “rings true” for Farrant as a memoir “because it’s based on real people.”

This authenticity of character was apparent in each scene, from nuances of speech to facial expressions. The clever humour and sharp emotion of Farrant’s writing shone brightly through, and was combined with hilarious scenes reinforcing 60s-era values.

Each character’s feelings and motivations were presented through a mixture of dialogue, physical expressions, and Marion’s soliloquies. Bridget Esler — who is

only in grade eight — was incredibly powerful and awe-inspiring as Marion. Her performance was raw and honest; you would be hard-pressed to tell what was actor nervousness versus nuances of the character. Although narrated from Marion’s point of view, her aunt Elsie (Wendy Noel) and uncle Ernie (Peter Anderson) were equally strong leads.

“I’m fascinated by the process and the details,” explains Farrant, citing the set design, casting, and costumes as amazing extensions of the script. The stage was an eclectic time capsule filled to the brim with 60s decor, appliances, and colours. It is clear that the entire creative team understands the form of theatre, and also deeply appreciates the emotion and atmosphere of My Turquoise Years.

The script for My Turquoise Years will be published at a later

date with Talonbooks, whose policy is — due to last minute changes that can occur — to only publish a play in print once it has run on the stage. “Lots of tinkering goes on at this stage,” said Farrant, less than a week before the previews start.

The story is quintessentially Canadian and a nostalgic view of growing up in BC in the 60s.

Taking place in Cordova Bay, a 15-minute drive from Victoria, the play speaks to multiple

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generations about the traditions of family. My Turquoise Years challenges the preconceived notion of the traditional nuclear family, and reinforces the idea of choosing who we love and care for as our family, sticking by them, and supporting them.

M.A.C. Farrant is a celebrated author of short fiction as well as a journalist and organizer of the Sidney Reading Series. Now in her 60s, she studied American poetry and a combination of psychology, sociology, and anthropology at SFU in her youth. Her new book, The World Afloat, will be published next spring with Talonbooks.

24 ARTS

April 8, 2013

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April 4 - 9, 9am - 9pm Tours: April 8, 9:30 am, April 9, 9:30 am

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DIVERSIONS / ETC

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April 8, 2013

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SPORTS

The nationally ranked #25 Simon Fraser headed to the Midwest to complete a threegame road trip against the reigning Great River Lacrosse Conference champ Illinois, #9 Michigan State, and #24 Davenport.

The six-day travel proved to be one of the most important trips of the season, as the Clansmen looked to secure an at-large bid (if needed) into the National Championship in May. The first matchup of the series was played on Thursday against home team Illinois, who fell to the Clansmen 7–2.

Midfielder Sam Clare opened up the scoring for the Clan early on in the first quarter off a nice pass from attackman Eric Ransom. Shortly after, midfielder Alex Bohl finished off a look from Chris Pond to put the Clan up by two early on in the game. Nearing the end of the first quarter, Illinois attackman Colin Chatten got his team on the board to make the game 2–1 heading into the second.

The second quarter saw a variety of opportunistic exchanges for each team, however exceptional goaltending from both sides held each team scoreless in the second quarter. SFU senior goaltender Kyle Middleton made seven saves in the first half, holding Illinois to just one goal through the first 30 minutes of gameplay.

Trading halves with Middleton throughout the entire three game series, junior goaltender Darren Zwack took over the net in the second half and followed up quite nicely on Middleton’s outstanding first half effort.

Opening up the third quarter of play, Ransom fed a speedy Jordan Stroup cutting through the middle to give the freshmen his first point of his collegiate career. Then SFU midfielder Brendan Farrell ripped a nice shot on the run, immediately followed by a fast-break goal by attackman Colton Dow to put the Clan up 5–1.

April 8, 2013

Showing the Clan that they were not finished yet, Illinois midfielder Ryan Walker shot one past Zwack making the score 5–2. As the fourth quarter approached, SFU’s Clare sniped his second of the game to close out the quarter and increase the Clan’s lead by four.

The final quarter of play saw an incredible effort by SFU’s defense, which held Illinois to yet another scoreless quarter.

Meanwhile, Ransom capitalized on a nice feed from fellow attackman Ward Spencer to close

out the game 7–2.

The Clan’s defense, led by Alex Thompson, Mark Hilker, Bayne Bosquet, Tommy Newton and Riley Wanzer, locked down Illinois offense for the majority of the matchup, holding them to just two goals throughout 60 minutes of play.

In the first half, Middleton averaged an incredible .875 save percentage (S%), while Zwack complemented Middleton’s numbers nicely with eight saves, holding Illinois to just one goal (.889 S%) throughout the remainder of the game.

After the win against Illinois, SFU spent the majority of the next day traveling to East Lansing, Michigan where they were set to face off against the #9 Michigan State Spartans on the following Friday. Despite a 6–2 downfall in the first half, the Clan would claw their way back to complete one of the most incredible comebacks in

sports editor email / phone

Bryan Scott sports@the-peak.ca / 778.782.4560

the program’s history.

With a little elbow grease and a clutch game-winning goal by freshmen midfielder Andrew Branting, the SFU underdogs would upset the Spartans 10–9, and add another win to their repertoire. The win was SFU’s third top 20 victory of the regular season as they look to climb back up in the rankings.

Spencer put SFU on the scoreboard off a nice look by Ransom to give the Clan the early lead. However, MSU responded with two back-to-back goals by Tyler Ryan, giving the

Spartans the 2–1 lead heading into the second frame.

MSU continued their scoring spree in the second quarter, scoring three straight to give the Spartans a 5–1 lead over the hurting Clansmen. However, a Spartan penalty proved to be just what SFU needed to stay alive. SFU’s Clare finished on the man-up opportunity, off a nice pass from Ransom to keep the Clan in the game. As the second half came to a close, MSU attackman Josh Nemes put one past Middleton to give MSU a 6–2 lead in the first half.

After an uplifting intermission pep talk, SFU came out in the second half with guns blazing, scoring five straight to give the Clan its first lead of the game. Clare scored first with a nice shot from outside to ignite the flame for the Clan. Then attackman Frank Davalos scored an inside rip off of a gift from Farrell, bringing the deficit down 6–4. Fueled by momentum, Ransom, with his superhuman abilities, scored a natural hat trick to put the Clansmen ahead 7–6 as they approached the final frame.

Ransom continued the onslaught in the fourth quarter, finding freshman midfielder Matt Bailey on a nice quick stick goal to extend the Clan’s lead by two.

However, MSU’s Nemes refused to let the Clan run away with the victory as he assisted on a Patrick Green goal, and then scored two of his own, taking back the lead in the final minutes of the game.

As the final minute approached, Spencer shot one past the MSU goaltender to tie the game at nine. SFU’s head coach Brent Hoskins took timeout with just 16 seconds left in regulation to set up a play, which hoped to give the Clan a victory.

Following the timeout, Spencer threaded the needle off of a quick dodge from behind the net and found Branting coming in hot on the inside for the goal and the most dramatic win of SFU’s 2013 season.

Despite two hard-earned wins by SFU, the tired Clansmen fell to #24 Davenport 10–9 to finish out the three-game road trip.

SPORTS

The Simon Fraser Clan softball team lost their last pre-season match against the UBC Thunderbirds before the starting of their conference games. It was the first ever win by the Thunderbirds over the Clan in a softball game. On paper, the Clan’s 4–9 pre-conference record, did nothing to suggest what the Clan was capable of. Now, every defeat seems to be a surprise.

As soon as the season started, the Clan’s dominance became more and more apparent. First it was a seven-game winning streak, which included a thrashing of Montana State Billings in the season opener and the double header over Central Washington University.

Then came the Red Lion pitcher of the week award for Cara Lukawesky, reaffirming her level of performance — she was also named Red Lion Pitcher of the

April 8, 2013

season last year.

There’s more, but first a break from greatness: a short dip in form came on Clan’s road trip, during which they suffered three defeats out of four, which ended an impressive winning streak. “We were absolutely flat in the first game, offensively and defensively” as coach Renney described it.

But even during a negative run, the Clan was able to bring some good news to the camp, as Renney also mentioned Kelsie Hawkins’s “outstanding pitching” in the second game,” which was a win against Western Oregon University. Hawkins was named Red Lion co-pitcher of the week in the third week of March.

The dismal showing for Clan softball in their first games away from home may have been a wake-up call and a needed shock to any high-flying team’s system. But it’s also a case of absent key players and lack of experience in the coming generation of Clan softball.

The few defeats, no matter how bad the scores, may have been wins for the future of softball at SFU. Most starters this

27

season are seniors, from which the majority is playing their last season with the Clan. While that experience makes Clan softball a force in the GNAC, it also makes what comes after this season an interesting prospect.

Before the next season though, there is this season, and it’s a big one. The team will head to California for the Mizuno Tournament of Champions before they get their chance at redemption against UBC. Then it’s back to conference games and a busy schedule for the rest of April. Match-ups against Saint Martin University (currently second in GNAC standings) and Western Oregon University (currently third), are

highlights of conference games during April. It’s a matter of staying confident and remaining focused to make the top four, which would qualify them for a playoff berth. This was the team’s goal from the start, and now it is within their reach.

Expectations have been high

from day one, and they will be even higher for home games, so when the Clan take on their arch rivals at home on April 20 and 21, everyone needs to be in top form. It’s a race to the finish line, and it’s a sprint, not a marathon. The Clan are in the pole position.

28 SPORTS

The Simon Fraser University Clan athletic teams wrapped up their seasons at the 48th annual Clan Athletic Banquet. Awards were presented in celebration of all the achievements earned by Clan athletes throughout their first official year in the NCAA. The event was attended by numerous SFU dignitaries and faculty, including SFU president Andrew Petter, vice president students Tim Rahilly, the Clan’s faculty representative Peter Ruben, student affairs executive director Nancy Johnson, registrar Kate Ross, and many more.

The banquet was held at a new venue this year, the Hilton Vancouver Metrotown, a fitting environment for the impressive celebration, where numerous student-athletes took home hardware.

The evening’s highlight award, Athlete of the Year, was a highly contested award this year, as the women’s honours were awarded in a three-way tie.

Mariya Chekanovych, Helen Crofts and Danielle Lappage were all recipients of the 2013 award, after all three of them won national titles.

Chekanovych won the Clan’s first-ever NCAA National Championship in the 100-yard breaststroke in an NCAA record time, and went on to win the 200-yard breaststroke as well, becoming the first-ever NCAA National Champion from a non-American Institution.

Crofts was also an NCAA National Champion, winning the indoor 800-metre championship. The senior came back from a debilitating injury in the 2011–12 season to win her first NCAA title, having already won two titles for the same event in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.

Lappage won her third consecutive Women’s Collegiate Wrestling Association (WCWA) national title this season leading her team to WCWA National and National Duel titles. She boasted an undefeated record in her senior season not losing a single match out of 25 wrestled.

Michael Winter was the male recipient of the award following an impressive season on the men’s soccer team culminating

April 8, 2013

in a Final Four appearance, where he was the 2012 Great Northwest Atheltic Conference Player of the Year, a GNAC firstteam all-star, a West Region first-team all star and an NCAA All-American, captaining the squad to a third GNAC title and a West Region title.

The Terry Fox Awards for the Most Inspirational Athletes were won by Bo Palmer and Trisha Bouchard.

Palmer captained the football team to their best season in the GNAC, helping the team make a name for themselves in Division II play, battling through injuries all season without ever missing practice, coming ready to play at every single game.

Bouchard is the president of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), as well as cocaptain of the Clan softball team.

She played an instrumental role in raising $1,100 for the Make-a-Wish

Foundation of Canada through the SAAC, as well as initiating the Athlete Ally campaign, where SFU student-athletes chose to sign a pledge to accept others regardless of their sexual orientation, real or perceived.

The President’s Team of the Year Award is given to the team that excels in competition, in the classroom and in the community, and was a two-way tie this year, with the men’s soccer team and the women’s basketball team sharing the honours.

Both teams had seasons that took them into the NCAA tournament race, with the men’s soccer team making the Final Four, winning the NCAA West Region Championships and the GNAC Championships along the way, and the women’s basketball team making it to the Sweet-16, coming second in both the West Region and the GNAC Championships.

Both teams are active in the community as the men work with young soccer players in the community, young athletes with autism, and at the local foodbank.

The women run many basketball camps in the community, have raised over $5,400 for breast cancer research this season, and boast the highest team GPA at SFU. Helen Crofts picked up a

second award in the evening, earning the Departmental Scholar Athlete Award for the athlete with the highest overall GPA. The track and field captain boasts a 4.14 GPA on a 4.33 scale in Biology. This excellent academic record, combined with her athletic success, also earned her the Bill De Vries award, which is given to an athlete who displays excellence in the classroom and away from it.

Women’s basketball player Carla Wyman won the Lorne Davies Senior Grad Award, which is given to a graduating senior who excels in competition, in the classroom, and in the community.

The award’s namesake and original athletic director, Davies himself, was on hand to present it to the senior. Wyman captained her team to a sweet 16 performance in the NCAA tournament this year, and led the team through the transition process into the NCAA. She is a strong student and a leader in the community, having worked with the Clan girls basketball camps, and organizing this year’s breast cancer fundraiser game where the team raised over 5,400 dollars for the cause.

The Bernd Dittrich Award, named for the late Clan

quarterback, is given to an athlete who is a team leader on and off their field. This year’s went to Adam Berger of the football team, who returned to the Clan for his senior season after being drafted by the Calgary Stampeders. Berger led his team both on the field and in the classroom, spending much of his personal time tutoring teammates and also volunteers as a youth football coach.

Austin Trapp was the recipient of the Rick Jones Award that recognizes an athlete that has overcome great adversity. Trapp went through an incredibly difficult year travelling back and forth to Ontario to be with his mother who was battling cancer in the fall.

During the struggle he qualified for the NCAA West Regionals, flying from Ontario to Hawaii to compete, and then back to Ontario to spend the last few days with his mom. Despite these hardships he still made the GNAC AllAcademic team for cross-country and had a personal best season during indoor track and field.

The evening also marked the appearance of brand new trophies for each award that will be updated and displayed for years to come as the Clan continue to compete in the NCAA, commemorating the success of Simon Fraser’s student-athletes.

HUMOUR

April 8, 2013

humour editor email / phone

Needs to find a new source of income. Do people still sell their bodies to science?

Gary Lim humour@the-peak.ca / 778.782.4560

29

30 HUMOUR

HOLLYWOOD — Famed American rap artist Chris Brown made headlines early last week after viciously beating the autoimmune disorder leukemia into remission.

Eyewitnesses reported the 23-year-old rap artist was spotted inside popular LA medical center Cedar-Sinai prior to the incident, where Brown has been seen binge drinking beforehand,

April 8, 2013

downing an entire 40oz bottle of barium contrast dye and a cocktail of antibiotic drugs.

Brown’s fight against the bone cancer stems back to a Twitter feud in 2011, when Brown’s oncologist Dr. Lieventhal openly called the grammywinning artist’s T-cell count “abnormally high and warranting a lymphatic biopsy” to which Brown responded by calling Leukemia “a punkass honky blood cell bitch” on MTV’s TRL and coughing up a few specks of blood into a handkerchief.

Since then the crippling illness and Brown’s immune system have been at odds, surfacing in entertainment news each

time a withered and emaciated Brown appeared in public.

The feud finally came to a head last Friday when following the end of a nine-monthlong stint of radiation treatment and the implantation of a chemotherapy pump, Brown confronted the hematological malignancy, severely injuring the cancerous masses of tissues in his bone marrow and, according to doctors, allegedly punching the disease into remission.

Upon learning of his disease-free state, an ecstatic Brown was reported to have immediately struck a hospital orderly, Inderpal Shankar, 34, in the face, violence being Brown’s only way to express emotion.

Founded years before the school even opened, the Old Boys Club is one of SFU’s most prestigious and well respected student organizations. Although their mandate is to ensure that nothing ever changes, the club is open to all students, with the only restrictions being that inductees must be dedicated, self-motivated, Caucasian, male and already be members of the club.

The club meets every week at the same time and location that they always have, but you really have to be in the inner circle to know about it. If you do manage to make one of their meetings, the club will be happy to ignore any of your suggestions, and if you’re a minority, will grant you your choice of medial job or janitorial position with no chance of promotion.

Despite their reputation for being curmudgeonly and out-of-touch, being a member of the club is actually pretty awesome. Unfortunately, according to some involved with the Old Boys, there is a select group of their most senior members secretly controlling everything and not allowing younger members to have a say in any decisions. They have no idea what to call them.

— Brad McLeod

HUMOUR

BURNABY — A shocking discovery was made last week when security discovered over 200 students locked in large metal cage in Convocation Mall. The students were found Friday, after library patrons reported whining noises coming from outside.

According to the police report, the students were found in poor condition after spending almost an hour wedged in cramped seats, many of whom apparently rendered deaf from speaker-related ear damage.

April 8, 2013

First responder Michelle Eckmann gave a grim description of what she came across after cutting through metal grating.

“The first thing I remember, more vividly than anything else ,was the smell. It burned your eyes and throat. Then we spotted them, the students huddled in the corner. They were clearly confused and afraid; we could see their arms were emaciated and deformed from repeatedly sticking up orange and green pieces of paper.

“Many of them were completely unresponsive, just staring straight ahead, slack-jawed and drooling. The ones we were able to rouse all asked us the same thing if they’d won the iPad, and they kept trying to give us their tickets. We weren’t sure what was going on, or even if we wanted to know.”

On scene medical staff confirmed that the students had

been trapped in the fences for upwards of 45 minutes, forced to subsist on nothing but stale coffee and pastries.

Police believe that the students were originally part of an underground voting ring that authorities broke up last month. Chief of security Henry Wallace commented on the discovery.

“It’s disgusting, student government gathers up these big groups of students with the intention of reaching quorum and after they’ve voted themselves stupid they just pick up and leave, leaving the students to fend for themselves.”

Wallace also said, “The students have since been placed under the care of the province, but that’s not an indefinite solution. If not adopted, many of these students will unfortunately be euthanized. But given their state, it’s the humane thing to do.”

31

32 LAST WORD

I’ve spent a few evenings picketing in front of the infamous Pidgin restaurant. I went there because I realized that reading articles and shaking an imaginary fist at developers for their role in displacing people is not enough. The only reason I’m not down there myself, struggling for shelter, has little to do with the decisions I’ve made in my life, and more to do with the fact that I’m just plain fortunate.

Gentrification is not an issue of snappy controversy, nor is it an issue for “democratic debate.” It does not afford the people at the butt-end such comforting luxuries.

No, it is an issue of the wellbeing, dignity, and lives of real people that are no different than you and I — except that they have been marginalized by society and fallen through the cracks of the illusory welfare state.

Gentrification is an issue concerning a government, a city, and its developers, all of whom claim profit and aesthetic values while pushing people out.

And yet they never answer the question: “Where will these

features editor email / phone

Ljudmila Petrovic features@the-peak.ca / 778.782.4560

people go?”

I will admit that throughout my short activist career, I have avoided getting involved in issues concerning the DTES. I felt like I didn’t know enough and that the social tragedy I was witnessing was beyond my control.

I thought that — as a person who has never feared for food, shelter, or dignity — I would feel silly going down there and getting involved.

In fact, this is how many people have critiqued us picketers.

The people that I have picketed with are a varied bunch, ranging from university professors to the homeless. But people consistently make comments like: “How can you be for the homeless? All I see are a bunch of yuppies.”

The other day, a man in leather shoes stopped before entering the restaurant, making the point that half of us probably don’t even live in the Downtown Eastside. Indeed, I myself often feel awkward, standing there in boots that cost no less than $150.

My first evening there was the night of the most startling

confrontation with my own privilege. A man who had lived in the heart of the Downtown Eastside for 50 years grew infuriated when his questioning revealed that no, we do not live there as well.

At this moment, I felt a strong dissonance within myself; I realized that it is my privilege that also allows me to pick and choose between struggles, aligning myself as an activist with whichever one I please. I was standing side-by-side in solidarity with community members of the DTES, while simultaneously being called out on my privilege; I was coming into their community from the outside, aligning myself with one side of a controversial debate within the DTES about Pidgin.

It is the grand illusion of society today that we are separate from those around us, that our experiences are not linked, that just because nothing bad has happened to you yet, it won’t in the future, and that we dictate our destiny. Ultimately, I came down to the Pidgin picket because I realized that my struggle is wrapped up in the struggle of those in the DTES. I have only avoided such a situation because of my privilege. That is precisely why I have a responsibility to protest.

In fact, my problems are not so different — although they are by no means as severe. I

April 8, 2013

will graduate with over $35,000 of student debt. That’s a minimum monthly payment of over $400 in a job market where it is unlikely that my degree will secure me any employment in my field.

I often think about what my life is going to be like postpost-secondary. Will I be forced to struggle from paycheque to paycheque like my parents and grandparents did, as they worked so hard to make sure the same didn’t happen to me?

There’s a well known quote among activist circles: “If you have come here to help me, you are wasting our time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.” This quote has been cited so many times that it has almost lost any sense, but its original meaning still stands true. It is a statement on autonomy; that no one needs a savior, but we all need allies.

It is important to recognize difference. For there to be

justice there must be recognition of difference. But we cannot allow recognition to be the end-all be-all; instead, we must recognize our differences so that we may then recognize where we share common ground.

One of the criticisms I often receive when trying to raise awareness about student issues in Canada is that we are so well off here that I shouldn’t bother. Perhaps there’s a message in that: not that the privileged among us should abandon struggles that are relevant to us, but rather that we have a responsibility to see how our liberation is bound up with others’, because when push comes to shove, we’re all in it together.

Perhaps I will one day struggle to keep my home, fighting desperately against a system and government that doesn’t care, so that I won’t end up in the streets. Perhaps then I will look around to see who is standing with me.