The Umbrella Revolution

2

FIRST PEEK

October 14, 2014 · Volume 148, Issue 7

Send your short TXT MSGS to (778) 321-0603, email production@the-peak.ca, or tweet @peakSFU. Entries include public tweets about SFU. **Please include TXT in the email subject line. The Peak will not print submissions considered to be sexist, racist, homophobic, or attacks of a personal nature.

WWW.THE-PEAK.CA

»

»

»

» » »

»

»

»

» » » » CANADIAN COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER AWARD 2013

»

FIRST PEEK

I have a confession to make; I am a comic book nerd, and have been since long before it was cool. While there is a part of me that loves being able to wear my Batman shirt in public without ridicule, and also enjoys the edgier tones of my favourite childhood heroes, it is also clear that the big two publishers — DC and Marvel — have fallen behind the times in one very important way: their representation of minorities in the ranks of their superhero squads.

In case you don’t believe me, think back to the recent Avengers movie. It features a six-person team comprised of five white guys (one of whom does turn green) and a token female in the form of Black Widow. DC’s current version of the Justice League in their New 52 universe features a single hero who isn’t Caucasian — the African-American Cyborg.

And this is on a team that has featured multiple aliens (Superman, Martian Manhunter, Hawkman, and Hawkgirl) in its various incarnations.

Even the X-Men, which has the most direct correlation with

October 14, 2014

real world minority issues, features characters that, despite coming from various national, cultural, and religious backgrounds, are mostly white. Even Mystique, a character whose mutation allows her to shapeshift, often appears as a Caucasian.

It seems that many of the characters designed to represent minority groups are little more than tokens, a way for the two companies to show that they are attempting to be diverse in their portrayal of our heroes.

This is problematic, as these characters end up with a minority identification that encompasses their entire character. Though I’ve been reading the entire Earth 2 series up to this point, I don’t know much about their Green Lantern character, as the fact that he is gay and lost his fiancé in the second issue seems to becloud the rest of his persona.

To their credit, both DC and Marvel have made efforts to introduce more minorities into the superhero pantheon. Unfortunately, these efforts have been uninspired at best and downright offensive at worst.

Recently, Marvel Comics announced some major changes

to two characters that have been around for decades, Thor and Captain America. The new Thor has already made her — that’s right, her — debut in the past week, while Sam Wilson, better known as Falcon, will soon don the suit formerly belonging to Steve Rogers, marking the debut of the African-American Cap. As I said, uninspired, as Marvel’s solution to creating strong minority characters is to simply repackage existing ones.

Though, all things considered, these measures are better than what DC did with the introduction of Simon Baz, the Muslim Green Lantern. Though it was a great idea in principle, DC dropped the ball, turning what could have been an inspiring story into a giant cliché.

While Baz’ ring could’ve come to him while he was at prayer, DC writers decided to have the ring choose him while he was being interrogated by federal agents under suspicion of committing domestic terrorism. Ouch.

Point being, DC and Marvel could learn a lot from the independent publishers who seem to do an excellent job of providing strong characters that exist outside of what has become the culturally accepted norm for superheroes.

Malibu Comics, for example, provides the superheroes Spectral and Turbo Charge, both of whom are members of the LGBTQ community. There are plenty of original ideas out there, and I sincerely hope the big two open their eyes to these possibilities soon.

3

4

NEWS

SFU administrators held a community consultation last Wednesday in the SFU Theatre concerning the university’s budget for the 2015/2016 year.

SFU president Andrew Petter explained the challenges the university is facing: “Government decided to cut budgets for postsecondary institutions a couple of

news editor email / phone

October 14, 2014

years ago, and we are facing a third year of cuts in the coming year.”

Pat Hibbitts, VP finance and administration, and Jon Driver, VP academic and provost, led the presentation and discussion, addressing the current financial outlook of the university, and making recommendations for how the institution can move forward.

One topic that received considerable attention from attendees was increased international student tuition fees. As approved by the SFU board of governors in the 2013/2014 Operating Budget and Financial Plan, undergraduate international students’ tuition fees will be raised by ten per cent each year until 2016.

This is eight per cent more than Canadian and resident undergraduate tuition fees, which will increase by

the two per cent maximum allowed

by BC government policy.

“It’s a very difficult public policy issue,” Driver explained. “There certainly is a question about whether

WESTERN CANADA’S SCARIEST HAUNT

OCT 10 - NOV 1

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

an international student should come and simply pay the cost of their education, or should they pay a somewhat higher cost that reflects the investment that’s been made by the institution.”

Post-secondary institutions in BC receive grants based on the number of domestic students enrolled for the year, which make up a large proportion of the university’s budget. However, institutions do not receive any funding for international students. Hibbitts explained, “You’re not getting a grant for the international students. You’re getting $7,200 plus tuition for a domestic student, and so how do you make that equal?”

FEATURING A

BRAND NEW HAUNTED HOUSE, KEEPERS DOLL FACTORY

UPGRADE TO A FAST PASS TO GET INTO THE HOUSES FASTER!

STALK US ON PNE _ PLAYLAND PNECLIPS

SAVE ON FRIGHTPASSES AT:

Many international students were present at the consultation, and raised concerns that the tuition increases were both unfair and unsustainable. They also questioned the amount of financial aid available to international students.

Driver replied that 25 per cent of the money raised from international student tuition fees would be directed to international student services, scholarships, bursaries, and staffing costs.

Other students expressed that they had not known about these fee increases when they started at SFU, and would likely not be able to afford them in the future.

When SFSS president Chardaye Bueckert asked Driver and Article correction: Regarding the article, “Homeless seniors rely most heavily on Victoria shelters,” published on October 6, 2014, The Peak would

Melissa Roach

Hibbitts whether they might grandfather these students — keeping their fees at a level consistent with what they paid when they first came to SFU — Driver responded that they were not going to consider such a proposal.

“It’s a complicated moral and ethical question when there are students here who are just able to afford this, and we put the tuition up and that makes it much more difficult,” Driver told The Peak . “The idea of the bursary and scholarship program is that that should help students who are in that difficult financial situation.”

Following the discussion, The Peak asked Bueckert whether she felt the university response was appropriate. She replied, “I certainly appreciate the things that SFU does for international students, but I think there needs to be more funding allocated to [needs-based funding].”

She continued, “I understand that only 30 per cent of assessed need for international students is currently being met through the bursary fund. I think, at a bare minimum, there needs to be more money injected into that fund.”

SFSS VP student life Kayode Fatoba was less than impressed.

“I think that the dialogue wasn’t necessarily much of a dialogue in a sense that there were questions and suggestions coming from the international student community that were being met by a standstill,” Fatoba said.

“No input was warranted.

And so, what was really the point of us coming out to see whether our voice was necessary?” like to clarify that a disproportionate number of seniors use shelters over longer periods of time as compared to all other demographics.

NEWS

Questions have recently arisen concerning salary pay for executives at post-secondary institutions in BC, after documents were released showing that executives at three institutions were paid beyond their salary caps for the 2013/2014 year.

In March, David Eby, education critic for the NDP asked Amrik Virk, minister of advanced education in BC to release the salary caps for post-secondary insti tu tions in the province at the Budget 2014 Estimates Debate for the Ministry of Advanced Education. At first, Virk denied that there was any overpayment, but after releasing the

Don’t be alarmed. That group of students running around campus snapping photos is not the new paparazzi club; rather, four SFU undergraduates have taken it upon themselves to get to know their peers and gather tidbits of their daily lives using the Facebook group, Humans of SFU. Inspired by the mega-popular Humans of New York (HONY) web blog and New York Times bestselling book, the Facebook-based photography project seeks to collect images of SFU and its community.

The Humans of SFU Facebook page has already garnered over 1,500 likes, and has received dozens of comments on each of its posted photos.

Already fans of HONY, page administrators Sukhi Birak, Stephanie Nguyen, and Ayesha Khaira — the fourth administrator chose not to have their name in the article — described their initial attempts at beginning a similar

October 14, 2014

documents it was evident that this was not the case.

Although Virk agreed to release the documents for 22 schools, he has only released salary cap information on four — Capilano University, Kwantlen Poly tech nic Uni ver sity, University of the Fraser Valley, and Vancouver Island University. The documents that have been made public only report the salaries, not the caps, and make statements such as “the executive compensation paid out in the fiscal year 2013/2014 [. . .] is in compliance with the compensation plans approved by PSEC (Public Sector Employers’ Council).”

However, according to the documents that were collected by the PSEC, executives at these four universities were notably overpaid. For example, vice presidents at CapU were overpaid by between $31,794 and $162,910, over the past three years.

Total overpayment over the past three years between CapU, UFV and VIU was $1,083,830.97.

project here at SFU. Birak told The Peak, “When we first started, we were too scared to approach students, so we [spoke to] an older couple on campus. That was the same day we made the page.”

The team explained that working as a group of four makes the whole process slightly less daunting. Usually, two of the team members will approach the subject, ask for a photo, and if the individual agrees, begin engaging with them in a casual conversation. The photographs are accompanied by a caption which can range from a quirky observation to a heartfelt confession.

Similar information has yet to be released concerning SFU, UBC, and other schools in British Columbia.

SFU executive compensation is posted publicly on the board of governors website. The disclosure includes total base salary, plus employer-paid pension contributions, benefits, severance, vacation payouts, and all other compensation, including administrative leaves paid out in the fiscal year.

Andrew Petter, SFU president, earned $442,783, while the remaining four members of the SFU executive earned between $263,000 and $300,000.

According to Melissa Fiorucci, from the office of the vice-president, finance and administration, SFU has not

exceeded any of its caps, although specific salary cap information was unavailable.

Considering this, The Peak asked Kathy Corrigan, NDP oppostition spokesperson for advanced education, why Virk might still be holding back on releasing the information.

“My guess would be — [considering] the information that we already gathered where we did get the caps for three institutions, in each case they were being paid more than the cap — maybe they’re trying to hold that information back because we would find out that they were going to be getting paid more than the cap,” Corrigan predicted.

Corrigan pointed out why this situation is confusing, asking, “How can you say whether or not an institution has gone over the cap when you don’t know what the cap is?

“I think [. . .] particularly at a time when tuition fees are pretty punishing, student debt is punishing, and funding to the universities is going down, that there should be accountability,” she concluded.

In most cases, the team begins an encounter with the classic inquiry, “So, what’s your major?” but they emphasize that their goal is to move the conversation beyond the surface to a deeper level. One student even opened up about his previous experience with cancer, taking them completely by surprise.

“When you see that person you would never know that they faced a battle,” Nguyen commented.

Already, the team said that they have been amazed at how willing some students are to share very personal anecdotes: “Sometimes, after we are walking away from someone, we have to compose ourselves

because we are so excited to post it,” said Birak. “We wait for them to walk away before we start freaking out about how amazing that interview was.”

Even when they aren’t out taking pictures, the group members admit that they now see strangers differently. “Every moment is an opportunity. When people open up to you, you feel honoured to hear their story. They trust us and they trust the SFU community,” said Khaira.

The team also expressed their belief that the page will help to unify each of the SFU campuses.

While students might never have taken a class at Harbour Centre, the Humans of SFU page can show them the kind of student life that exists there.

The team has been overwhelmed by the generosity of other SFU groups in supporting their venture, including the creators of the SFU Confessions Facebook page as well as the SFSS. “We still celebrate every little milestone. We love when people comment,” said Nguyen.

Khaira concluded, “Our whole point of the page is to build an SFU community and a spirit.

SFU is unfortunately known as a school that doesn’t have a lot of spirit, so we hope that by having this page, we can ‘up’ the spirit of the school.”

5

Vancouver A free book signing at the Chapters on Robson Street on the evening of Thursday, Oct. 9 featured SFU professor of biology and author Mark Winston. He signed copies of his new book, Bee Time: Lessons from the Hive , and gave a talk about the importance of bees to the environment, among other topics.

Last week, SFU Surrey played host to the Vancouver International Film Festival ( VIFF). The Westminster Savings Theatre presented three different VIFF films. The titles shown on Wednesday, Oct. 8 included Flowing Stories , about a Hong Kong family through the decades, and Just Eat It: A Food Waste Story, a film that examines the startling stat that 50 per cent of food goes into the trash. Friday saw a screening of Noble, a film about a woman who devotes herself to relief efforts during the Vietnam War.

The seminar, “Making Space for Religious Diversity: Controversies on places of worship and city planning in Montreal,” was held last Tuesday, Oct. 7 at SFU’s Harbour Centre campus. From the perspective of urban planning, the event discussed the emerging issue of finding space for the diverse range of religions practiced by Montreal residents. Admission to the talk was free.

6 NEWS

The recent release of a paper about Stone Age tool development, coauthored by Francesco Berna, an SFU associate professor of archaeology, has claimed the attention of the archeological community.

The research provides evidence that overturns previous theories about the spread of technology throughout the world by our early human ancestors.

Along with an international research team, Berna found evidence of human occupation and tool use at a 325,000 year old site in Armenia called Nor Geghi 1. Accurate dating of the artifacts was made possible by the site’s location between two layers of volcanic ash.

“We used to think that lithic technology, or working with stone tools, had originated just in Africa and spread from there,” explained Berna. “But our findings

October 14, 2014

show that some technological innovation occurred with different modalities, in different regions, at different times.”

Stone tool production among early humans occurred using two major technologies: the Acheulean technology came first, and entailed hammering rocks together to make a double-sided hand-axe; the later, more labour-intensive Lavellois technology was used to make smaller spear-head-like tools with a standardized pointed shape.

Berna pointed out that, until recently, the two tool varieties had been found either in different sites, or in the same site but stratigraphically separated, with the older Acheulean tools at the bottom. These findings were consistent with the notion that early humans left Africa in two

major waves — the first were the Homo erectus, who ventured north into Eurasia with Acheulean tools in their hands.

The second wave consisted of a more anatomically modern human, and was assumed to have brought the Lavellois technology with them.

However, the discovery of the more advanced Lavellois technology in Armenia shows that development of this ‘new’ technique had to have occurred there independently, and not simply as a result of human migration from Africa.

“What is striking in Armenia is the timing, because in Africa, their earliest Lavellois [artifact] is about 200,000 years old,” said Berna. Since the Armenian artifacts found are about 125,000 years older than this, it suggests that populations in Eurasia were experimenting with the Lavellois technique around the same time or earlier than African populations.

“There isn’t a centre of origin, or single population that innovated stone technology.

It looks more multiregional,” Berna concluded, “When the data [from the site] came together, we knew we had found something important.”

Dilara Dinc / The Peak

Google harvests innovators from U of Waterloo UBC students rally in support of Hong Kong Umbrella Revolution The UBC Hong Kong Student’s Association (HKSA) continues to vocalize its support for pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong after hosting the Operation Yellow Ribbon student campaign earlier this month.

The group handed out over 500 yellow ribbons, as visual representations of support, and tied over 275 metres of yellow ribbon to students’ wrists and backpacks.

HKSA president Patricia Poon told Vancity Buzz, “We offer full support to Hong Kong students and their spirit. It is ultimately for the people of Hong Kong to decide what is best for them in the upcoming days.”

With files from Vancity Buzz

Lab explosion sends two to hospital University of Waterloo has been named one of the top recruiting sites for Google in North America.

The university has one of North America’s leading computer science programs, which acts as a natural recruitment site for high-technological companies such as Google.

Steven Woods, engineering director at Google Canada, explained, “[There] is an amazing amount of technical talent in Canada, and University of Waterloo is the center of that [excitement].”

With files from Canada Business Review

Two researchers were rushed to the hospital last Monday morning after being caught in a small chemical blast at the University of New Brunswick’s Fredericton campus.

The explosion occurred in the Enterprise Building, a research facility. Assistant fire chief Dave McKinley said a “small glass vessel” exploded and the chemicals involved were non-volatile. He said that there was a small amount of blood visible at the scene of the explosion, but no flames were produced.

The researchers had minor injuries, and the building was temporarily evacuated after the blast.

With files from The Silhouette

NEWS

The Simon Fraser Public Interest Group (SFPIRG), hosted a film and discussion series over the past two weeks called, “Palestine and the Creation of the State of Israel.”

The series, which featured talks titled “A Brief History,” “Life Under Occupation,” and “Breaking the Silence: An Ex-Israeli Soldier Speaks,” aimed to educate people on the Palestine-Israel conflict and raise awareness about the suppression that the Palestinian people face.

The ongoing struggle between Israelis and Palestinians began in the 20th century, and concerns the displacement of the Palestinian people after the establishment of the state of Israel. This extremely complex issue has since manifested itself in incidents such as the 1956 Suez Crisis, the 1967 Six Day War, the First and Second Intifadas, and the current conflict in the Gaza Strip.

The series put forth an additional message, tying the Palestinian-Israeli conflict to another form of oppression rooted deeply in Canada’s own colonial history

Community trust endowment fund Senate chair, president Andrew Petter, spoke to the continued community interest in the SFU community trust endowment fund. This fund channels revenue from the UniverCity development into the seven major initiatives outlined in the University’s Strategic Research Plan (SRP).

Petter commented that the senate has received many project proposals, mainly with regard to research. “It’s a very good sign of the strength of our research culture here at SFU,” he said.

Moving up in the rankings SFU leapt 22 spots from last year in the QS World University

October 14, 2014

7

— the oppression of Canada’s First Nations.

Kalamity Hildebrandt, SFPIRG member and the event’s organizer, stated, “For us, [social and environmental justice and the fight against oppression] means looking at all the different kinds of systemic powers and balances that are shaping our environment.”

She continued, “SFPIRG is committed to decolonization.

We see a parallel between what is happening in Palestine and Israel and in Canada’s own history with regards to indigenous people being displaced from their land, confined to tiny portions of their traditional territories, and subjected to all kinds of violence.”

The series also addressed the reasons why Canadians should stay informed about the conflict in Palestine and Israel. Hildebrandt explained, “Globally, we are accountable to each other.

As global citizens we should care when huge numbers of people are being oppressed — decade, after decade, after decade — especially when it results in countless

rankings, which were released earlier this year. The university is now ranked 222 in the world, moving up from the 244 spot in 2013. It also moved up one spot in the Top 50 Universities under 50 category, reaching number 16.

“This is the second year of a major increase in standing for us in those rankings,” Petter remarked. “That’s indicative of many strengths.”

Climate change question Senator Lynne Quarmby raised the question of whether or not president Petter should make an official statement on behalf of SFU regarding the existence of climate change.

Petter replied that he did not personally mind making

deaths and grinding day to day suffering, such as what we see happening in Palestine.”

Hildebrandt stressed the conflict’s relevance, as it is a continuing issue in the modern Middle East, covered by daily news broadcasts.

However, Paul Sedra, SFU professor of history in Middle Eastern Studies, pointed out that there is very little in the media geared toward educating the public on the history of the conflict.

Sedra said that people need to look past conventional understandings around the conflict, and instead, become acquainted with the historical background.

“It’s absolutely essential for people to avoid the conventional

statements about the issue, but did not feel it was appropriate to speak on behalf of SFU. “To call upon me to make a statement on behalf of the entire university on a matter of public policy, albeit one I personally care about an awful lot, I think is outside the jurisdiction of senate and frankly would be a mistake,” he said.

Quarmby replied, “It’s not a policy statement I’m looking for. I’m looking for a clear statement of factual reality.”

She continued, “[Speaking to this issue] does not seem to be within anyone’s jurisdiction, and those of us who do speak up get labelled as those extremists, those activists. It is frustrating to have our voices not heard.”

by Leah Bjornson

wisdoms about a conflict that is rooted in religion, or rooted in ethnic differences.” Sedra continued, “This is really a conflict which is very much about politics and politics in the modern period. As long as we understand how the politics developed, and the history of that, we can understand the conflict itself and then begin to move towards a resolution of it.”

Looking at the current Gaza conflict, Sedra considered the broader questions that the struggle has presented: “I think there is a key question of how is it that we cope with violations of human rights. On an international level, how is it that we as Canadians

should react to these sorts of violations of human rights that we saw in the Gaza conflict?”

SFPIRG suggests that, by looking back at our own history of indigenous oppression, Canada can take a stronger national stance on the current situation in Gaza.

Hildebrandt said she hopes that the discussion series will serve as a starting point for people to become better informed on the past and current situation of the Palestine-Israel conflict. She expressed that the main message SFPIRG hoped to convey with the discussion series was that people need to care, to be engaged, and to learn.

PREPARE YOURSELF FOR THE PEAK’S 2014 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING! WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 15 - 2:30 - MBC 2294 FREE FOOD AND DRINK AVAILABLE! WIN ONE OF 12 PNE FRIGHT NIGHT TICKETS!

AGENDA: 1. Call to Order 2. Approval of Agenda 3. Approval of annual general meeting minutes from October 30, 2013 4. Approval of special general meeting minutes from February 25, 2014 5. Auditor’s Report by Andrea Knorr, Certified General Accountant 6. Approval of Auditor’s Report and Financial Statements 7. Appointment of Auditor 8. Election of At-Large Representatives 9. Adjournment

IF YOU ARE AN EDITOR, EMPLOYEE, OR CONTRIBUTOR AT THE PEAK, YOU ARE A MEMBER OF THE PEAK PUBLICATIONS SOCIETY, AND WE NEED YOU AT THIS MEETING! If you are not a member and would like to attend or run for one of the three at-large positions on the Board of Governors, contact DAVID@THEPEAK.CA for more information, or visit the-peak.ca/at-large.

8 NEWS

October 14, 2014

Notes from the latest SFSS board of directors meeting

Women’s Centre Report

SFU is improving options for students seeking financial aid in response to rising tuition costs nationwide.

The Canadian Federation of Studies recently announced that post-secondary tuition costs in BC have increased twofold compared to 10 years ago.

According to the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, the average university tuition in BC is expected to rise to $6,111 by the 2017/2018 school year.

SFU is not exempt from these tuition hikes. According to Tim Rahilly, associate vice-president, students, “We have had a two per cent increase, which is the cap for domestic students.”

When asked what SFU students can do to acquire more financial support, he mentioned several options, such as bursaries, open scholarships, and major entrance awards. “All the various provincial loan programs are certainly available to SFU students if they’re full time and if they qualify,” said Rahilly.

Manoj Bhakthan, director of Financial Aid and Awards at SFU, explained that there are increasing options for SFU students to obtain financial assistance. “SFU’s institutional budget for scholarships, awards, and bursaries has been moving up,” he said. He reported that the budget is currently a little over $11 million annually.

The SFU Women’s Centre made its annual report to board last Wednesday, Oct. 8. The centre’s recent activities included a workshop on consensus decision-making, a chill-out zone, and a solidarity night walk.

The centre has many projects in the works, one of the most immediate being a collaboration with SFPIRG to organize a bike co-op in which young girls will be taught how to fix their bikes. Women’s Centre coordinator Nadine Chambers commented on how bike repair is “deeply gendered” — something that the program will attempt to challenge.

Other future plans include a Christmas hamper food drive to provide relief for families, as well as the Hot Pink Paper Campaign.

The campaign has published a non-partisan elections guide to help bring women’s issues to the table in local politics.

Along with this, he said that there has been an increase in the number of privately funded and endowed scholarships and bursaries.

For international students at SFU, the situation is more complex. As Rahilly explained, “During each of the last three years, we have had an increase for international students of an additional eight per cent per year.” He emphasized that the tuition increase for international students, “follows after several years of not having tuition increased, even though [SFU] had increased domestic tuition for several years.”

When asked about scholarships and financial aid for international students, Bhakthan replied, “International students are eligible for most scholarships, awards, workstudy, and bursaries administered through SFU. [However], international students

are not eligible for Canadian government student loans and grants.”

According to Bhakthan, the number of domestic and international students who received bursary funding at SFU in 2012/2013 academic year totalled about 3,800.

The Department of Financial Aid and Awards is advocating for further funding on an annual basis. “For example, over the past three years, [the department] received additional funding from the university to further support our Aboriginal students,” Bhakthan said.

He also spoke about a campaign called the Power of Engagement, though which SFU hopes to reach its fundraising goal of $250 million dollars by September 2015. Of these funds, $100 million would be delegated to financial aid for students.

Nevertheless, only a portion of students’ tuition is

covered by existing financial aid. Rahilly held that there are many students who rely on their families for financial support, which can have a major impact on all areas of the population.

When families are resposible for a portion or the entirety of their child’s tuition, it can result in them having to divert their resources from other potential investments.

Jessica McCormick, national chairperson of the Canadian Federation of Students, explained, “The increase of tuition limits the ability for lower-middle class families to contribute to the economy and save for retirement.”

Bhakthan encouraged all students to apply for support from the school: “Don’t feel bad even if you don’t get something [. . .]

Always apply each semester. It’s very important that students think about it and apply for it as soon as possible.”

Sharon Gregson attended the meeting as a guest speaker to advocate for the $10 A Day Child Care Plan, an initiative that seeks to provide financial relief to parents and guardians faced with increasing childcare fees by instituting a public system in BC. “The cost of childcare becomes prohibitive to actually having children,” said Gregson.

The plan has already gained momentum, with backing from federal government representatives and student organizations.

Gregson, along with Chambers, requested that the board provide an official letter of support for the plan, or instead, grant the Women’s Centre permission to endorse the plan independently.

The board of directors moved to grant the SFU Women’s Centre the ability to support the plan as a separate entity.

The SFSS is applying for intervenor status in the Kinder Morgan Trans Mountain Pipeline project. This would enable the board to be privy to further information about the impacts of the proposed development through Burnaby Mountain. “[The application] is neutral.

It doesn’t say that we oppose it. It just says that we’d like to intervene because we are representatives of the students who attend this campus,” said SFSS president Chardaye Bueckert.

The board moved to approve the application for intervener status.

Submissions to obtain the status are due on March 4, 2015.

WANTED REFERENDA QUESTIONS Notice of Fall 2014 Referenda Nominations:

From Wednesday, October 22 at 8:30am to Wednesday, November 5 at 12pm

Campaign Period:

From Wednesday, November 5 at 12pm to Wednesday, November 18 at 11:59pm

Online voting takes place from November 19-20 No positions are available on the Board of Directors Referendum Campaign Registration forms are available at the SFSS General Office (MBC 2250). The form will be available online during the nomination period. Campaign budgets may not exceed $300.

All petitions for referenda must be submitted to the Board of Directors. To submit a petition, contact Chardaye Bueckert, SFSS President: pres@sfss.ca.

Election Rules and Regulations

The general election and referenda are governed by the Society Constitution, By-Laws, and the Electoral and Referenda Policy (R-17). These documents are available via http://elections.sfss.ca.

For more information, please contact Chief Electoral Officer Stephanie Munez at ceo@sfss.ca or visit http://elections.sfss.ca

OPINIONS

10

Recently, several internet financial observers have attributed the emergence of the social network Ello as a response to Facebook’s strict username policies and ambiguous privacy rules.

A couple of weeks ago, I received an unusual friend request on Facebook from a 10 year old Nigerian boy. After I refused his request, I asked some friends if they had received similar requests, and they explained that it was a scam.

I began to ponder the effectiveness of Facebook’s privacy settings, as this incident happened four months after Facebook changed its default privacy settings from ‘public’ to ‘friends only,’ and included a privacy

October 14, 2014

opinions editor email / phone

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

check-up option, which ensures users that their posts are shared with only friends. However, Facebook still retained the right to sell user information to advertisers, which has been a major source of controversy.

In addition, members of the LGBTQ community were outraged when Facebook shut down user profiles of drag queens and transgender people who did not comply with their user name policy which permits only birth names.

Then Ello stepped in. Contrary to Facebook, Ello’s manifesto states that the user is “not a product,” and promises an adfree social network along with the use of pseudonyms. Ello is not the anti-Facebook that it presents

itself to be, however: I suspect that, sooner or later, it will either begin to charge fees for features, or will backtrack on its manifesto and allow advertisements to permeate the network.

According to Ello’s website, there will be no charge for users at the basic level, but there will be the option to purchase special features to support the company. The network’s founders argue that this business plan could generate enough money to keep the site ad-free, but I

NOTICE OF STUDENT ELECTION — FALL 2014 CALL FOR NOMINATIONS FOR A STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE (FACULTY OF ENVIRONMENT) A student from the Faculty of Environment has an opportunity to become involved in the governance of SFU by submitting a nomination form for a vacant position on Senate.

COMMITTEE

POSITIONS

Senate

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

TERM OF OFFICE Present to May 31, 2015

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

Nomination Deadline: Thursday, October 23, 2014 @ 4:00 pm Campaign Period: October 24, 2014 to November 6, 2014 Online Voting: November 4 -6, 2014 Nomination Forms and Candidate Info: http://students.sfu.ca/elections/ students.html Questions may be directed to the Electoral Officer, Senate & Academic Services at 778-782-3168 or senate@sfu.ca.

find this unlikely. Like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, Ello will soon have to resort to selling ads to maintain itself as it gains popularity.

Social networks must have the money to provide faster and safer services across various platforms.

Relying on ad revenues, rather than paid memberships, has historically been the most successful business strategy to garner revenue, as people seem to be more willing to tolerate ads than to fork over money for a membership.

Furthermore, the social network ironically permits advertisers to create brand profile pages; Ello founder Paul Budnitz even has a brand page for his bicycle company. This is a highly hypocritical concept — Ello claims to be ad-free, though it still allows mass-marketing.

The network further harbours a hidden elitism. While Facebook and Twitter allow users to register to use their networks instantly, anyone who wishes to use Ello must request an invite by submitting their email address. The network’s slow, inviteonly system has led to so much frustration that users are now purchasing invites on Ebay for over $500, to avoid waiting.

Overall, Ello portrays itself as an exclusive, ‘hipster’ club. Its monochromatic logo and Marxist-like slogans further affirm this secretive, elitist image. I believe that the internet should be an open place, but unfortunately Ello dismisses the idea. For these reasons, I will take this social network off my ‘To Do’ list, while opting for something a little more open and commercial.

At the beginning of October, over 1.4 million Muslim pilgrims made the Hajj to Mecca, a journey which comprises one of Islam’s five pillars. This year, pictures of the religious observance exploded across the internet thanks to a new phenomenon: Hajj selfies.

From the Tawaf — the circling of the holy Kaaba structure — to prayers atop Mount AlNoor, to the stoning of the ‘devil’ in Mina, the key stages of the Hajj have been mass-recorded for the world to see. Although

the phenomenon sparked controversy over social media, with some observers criticizing the photo trend for being flippant, the flood of photos has exposed an entirely new audience to this major religious event.

This week, news buffs could click on BBC World and be greeted not by news of air strikes or jihadist rebels in the Middle East, but by the faces of millions of individuals participating in an exceptionally important global event.

While some pilgrims were upset by the Hajj selfie storm, many more were outraged by the major development that dominated Mecca’s skyline to accommodate for the increased number of visitors. Historic neighbourhoods, domes, and pillars dating back to the Ottoman Empire have been bulldozed to make room for hotels, shopping malls, and other buildings.

For example, the 12-mile radius around the Kaaba, which houses the Black Stone — the spiritual focal point towards

which all Muslims pray — used to be a restricted and holy space.

Today, the area is littered with cranes.

This new ‘Mecca-hattan’ has archaeologists and religious authorities concerned that development is stripping the holy city of its spirituality. Far more dangerous than a couple of selfie snaps, this trend has the potential to transform one of the most beautiful sites of the modern and ancient worlds into a monstrosity of petrodollar-fueled capitalism.

OPINIONS

October 14, 2014

11

I can no longer go to the supermarket without being haunted by posters promoting certain ‘superfoods’ that will supposedly make me a happier, healthier person.

Like many of you, I try to live a healthy lifestyle, but I don’t eat chia seeds, nor do I blend myself a kale smoothie in the morning.

According to the International Food Information Council, consumers are taking steps to improve their diets. While this is great news, I am troubled by the idea that many companies label their products as superfoods to imply that they are better than average fruits and vegetables.

Kale, quinoa, and pomegranate juice are among those that have been transformed into elixirs of life. While all of these foods are irrefutably good for you, suggesting that they are superior to other natural foods is absurd and is purely the result of strategic marketing.

Every couple of years a new food or drink is placed in the spotlight, but labeling these foods as superfoods is problematic. According to the European Food Information Council there is no real regulatory or legal definition of superfood that sets a precedent for using the term in marketing campaigns.

Because of this, companies are able to mislead consumers into believing that natural

produce exists on a spectrum where one food is considered superior to another. The idea that everyday fruits and veggies — such as carrots, onions, and apples — are not as healthy as superfoods is deceptive, as they’re truly equal in nutritional value.

Trendy health foods often come with a hefty price tag, but people are willing to shell out the dough if they feel it’s for a health benefit. This is why companies take advantage of the term superfood, as they rely on consumer compulsion to buy

products that will enhance their quality of life in one way or another.

One of the largest marketing campaigns that sought to promote a superfood was recently led by juice mega-giant Pom Wonderful. In 2012, an investigation was opened in response to the health claims advertised by the company. As stated by the Fair Trade Commission, advertisements were “making false and unsubstantiated claims that [Pom] products will prevent or treat heart disease, prostate cancer, and erectile dysfunction.”

Pom could not back up their assertions with any sort of scientific research, and that same year, they reported a net worth of around $50 million. That’s quite a lot of juice.

Sadly, pomegranate juice is not the only superfood that has been a bust. The New York Times reported this year that coconut water is now a $400 million industry, but there is no evidence to suggest that coconut water contains any preventive properties or nutrients unattainable in everyday fruits. While the concept of superfoods may be appealing, consumers must be more realistic.

Foods such as quinoa, açaí berries, and dark chocolate are undoubtedly healthy choices that are high in all the vitamins and minerals we need. But to believe that these foods have the ability to change our lives is foolish. Truthfully, health is a fluid concept and consists of so many things other than just diet, including exercise, sleep, and mental wellness, just to name a few. Rather than going broke on superfoods, consumers should attempt to create a balanced diet composed of a variety of natural produce.

Today is just not your day.

Roll out the anger in our Opinions section!

Email opinions@the-peak.ca

12 OPINIONS

While I may not agree with the statement’s wording, it’s difficult to disagree with Justin Trudeau this time around.

Canada’s mission in Iraq does need to be about more than simply “whipping out our CF-18’s to show how big they are.” While the defeat of ISIS is an important step to bring about stability in a volatile region, we must not neglect the factors that allowed the terrorist group to gain such a large foothold in the region, chief among these being the suffering of the Iraqi people.

Since the start of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, there have been an estimated 133,000 civilians killed. In addition, there are many reports of numerous civilian deaths as a result of multiple campaigns against the country, going all the way back to the First Gulf War. Many of these casualties occurred because of air or missile strikes, which were additionally unable to remove Saddam Hussein from power during the ‘90s — an action that required boots on the ground, something no one is currently willing to contribute to the latest conflict.

Furthermore, airstrikes fail to address the causes that led to the rise of ISIS in Iraq. Prior to the ISIS invasion, the situation in Iraq was ripe for the rise of extremsim. According to the World Bank, 28 per cent of Iraqis were living

October 14, 2014

below the poverty line before ISIS invaded — a clear sign that many were struggling to survive.

In addition, the escalation of sectarian violence that followed the withdrawal of American forces threatened the safety and security of the Iraqi people and provided fertile ground for ISIS to move in. To date, it is estimated that close to 23,000 civilians have been killed following the final troops departing in December 2011.

Clearly, the democratic government that the West established has failed the Iraqi people, and left many longing for the ‘glory days’ of Saddam Hussein’s rule. With this in mind, it should not come as a surprise that the people are willing to follow any promise to restore stability and prosperity.

A person with an empty stomach will follow anyone who says they will make it full, and in light of this, we must view the rise of ISIS as a symptom rather than the disease. As any doctor will tell you, it is far more important to treat the disease, which is exactly what humanitarian aid to a suffering people will accomplish.

Right now, the Iraqi people are willing to trade their democratic freedoms for their survival and prosperity. We can show them that democracy can work by standing in solidarity with them, and that we are not willing to abandon them to their fate.

The Iraqi people have suffered enough from bombs and missiles falling from the sky. By dropping food and medical supplies, we can ensure that the people are taken care of, and thus eliminate ISIS’ power base by removing their hold over the people.

As Islamic State fighters continue their horrific rampage through Iraq and Syria, raping innocent women, slaughtering religious minorities, and robbing thousands of their right to a secure life, the question should not be if Canada should engage in military combat against these terrorist actions, but should beg of what its first move will be.

In light of the Islamic State’s threats to attack our nation, the Canadian government has dutifully responded with appropriate aggression. On October 3, the Prime Minister set forth a motion in Parliament, outlining Canada’s plan for a combat mission against the Islamic State in Iraq.

According to the motion, Canada will offer up to six CF-18 fighter jets, and will deploy 600 soldiers and 69 military advisors for up to a six-month period, as part of an international coalition led by the United States. It will be Canada’s first airstrike since Libya in 2011.

While the motion has been strongly opposed by the Liberal party and NDP leaders, for supposedly being a hasty action bereft of a clear plan, what these pejorative wimps fail to recognize is that success in the quest to stop ISIS can only be achieved through military strikes.

Yes, we can supply humanitarian aid to Iraqi civilians and pro-democratic reformers, and it is extremely important to do so. But these actions will not, by any means, bring about peace to the region. Peace can only be accomplished through aggressive force, and the longer our nation lays idle while we sip our Tim Hortons, the greater the Islamic threat to Canadian national security.

The true North has a duty to stand on guard for its people — to uphold its prosperous reputation by coalescing with our international partners to see an end to this extremist campaign. In using military

force, we would not only proudly represent our nation, but would significantly reduce further Islamic war movements against our country while helping the vulnerable.

These outcomes are the mark of a strong, democratic and proud Canada.

Also worth noting is the fact that, in the past, humanitarian aid has not produced the greatest outcomes. During the latest Israeli conflict in August, Hamas seized medicine and food intended for Gaza, administering them to its own people while also selling aid on the black market. Point being, if Canada solely administers humanitarian aid, then the entirety of our efforts may go to waste, as our intentions may slip out of our grasp and fall prey to Islamic State corruption.

The support of Canadian defensive combat has been overwhelming. The Globe and Mail reported on October 3 that the British Parliament strongly affirmed air strikes in Iraq, while an Ipsos-Reid poll revealed that 64 per cent of Canadians would like to see Canada move ahead with military force. Clearly, the Canadian public understands the moral duties and benefits of this mission.

No Mr. Trudeau, we’re not simply “whipping out our CF-18’s to show how big they are,” we’re fighting for a peaceful homeland and for international humanitarian justice, so kindly remove your head from your behind and seek some much needed reason.

OPINIONS

What is absurdly clear from the recently released white paper outlining the revised Society Act, is that the current Liberal government has issues with priorities. While there is a scarcity of accountability for corporate activities in BC (I’m looking at you, Kinder Morgan), the government seems overly concerned with regulating non-profit societies.

Section 99 of the proposed act is of particular interest, as it allows for any “member of the public” to file an application to the BC Supreme Court if they feel that a registered non-profit society is acting in a way that is “detrimental to the public interest.” This act essentially introduces an undue amount of ambiguity, while misunderstandsing the role of non-profits, and will be used to lessen the impact these societies have in BC. The ambiguity of the term ‘public interest’ implies an unacceptable amount of judicial interpretation in a non-partisan court system. In order to define the public interest, a judge must determine what interests are at hand and whose interests take priority. The very nature of politics is centred on this question.

Whether one defines public interest as job creation, environmental protection, or income equality, it ultimately remains a political position on which all parties in BC take a stance.

This term cannot be interpreted without a partisan judgement.

Section 99 further affirms that there is a “general expectation that societies will act in the public interest.” Considering the ambiguity in ‘public interest,’ it is clear that no non-profit could live up to this “expectation.” These organizations exist in our society as mechanisms for concerned individuals — who are otherwise voiceless — to organize and

October 14, 2014

collectively advance their own specific interests.

To legally incorporate as a non-profit involves its structure and finances, more than its specific aims. Nonprofits functions to counter hegemonic opinions and create a democratic civil society in which people can play a greater role in politics beyond the act of voting. Tying the legitimacy of a society with its specific actions contravenes this purpose and lessens its positive social impact.

The act will lead to silence, and intimidate those organizations whose activities are incongruent with the Liberal political agenda. It places a disproportionate burden on already struggling non-profits to not only self-regulate actions for fear of legal reaction, but to spend enormous amounts of their already tight budgets defending themselves in courts from accusations which can be raised by anyone, and be justified by any rationale the court finds convenient.

Outlined in Section 98 (3) are the court’s available remedies, which include “directing the society’s activities” and “ordering the society to liquidate and dissolve.” These measures clearly constitute overreaching power of the courts — a power that concerns me, especially given recent news that the BC Supreme Court denied the City of Burnaby an injunction against Kinder Morgan for violating the city’s bylaws. The courts simply cannot be relied on to protect public interest.

The true intentions of this act may be benevolent, but I remain dubious. This white paper places too much power in government hands, and constrains public free speech and action for the good of society. The Society Act is yet another bill that strips away the democratic standings of our nation.

All of us have dreams, yet some of us lack the motivation to pursue them. Whatever you see as your goal in life, you can achieve it by following a set of rules.

First of all, the more outrageous your dream, the better. Whether it’s to become an athlete, chemist, or the next prime minister, the first step is to research those who have already achieved your dream. Recognize them, study them, and admire them. Watch their movies, read their biographies, and listen to what they have to say on Youtube. I guarantee that the more you do this, the more you will become inspired.

The second step is to visualize yourself as that famous Hollywood actor or that Olympic athlete. This is absolutely necessary, because if you can’t visualize this, then no one else will. This concept can also be applied to those smaller, intermediate goals. For example, before every set at the gym, I examine the weight on the bench press or the barbell, and I visualize myself lifting it. Afterwards, the actual lift is much less difficult because the struggle in your mind

is always more strenuous than reality. If you can visualize your dream, you’ve completed the toughest part.

The next step is to dismiss all of your critics, as many people in life will claim that your dream cannot be accomplished. I find that many of these people make biased or ignorant assumptions, as they naturally cannot put themselves into your shoes. Trust yourself, fall back on visualizing your accomplishments, and remember that you have the ability to achieve your goal.

Of course, you must put the best work possible toward what you want to achieve. This means diligently studying your notes, lifting the heavy weights at the gym, coding away on your computer, or whatever applies to you. This hard work will require a lot of mental and physical power, so it’s best you make it a double shot of espresso.

However, there is another aspect of work that people often ignore. You may demonstrate that you have skill or knowledge,

13

but you’ll never be known to the public unless you meet up with like-minded people and promote yourself. You can do this by creating online profiles through certain websites dedicated to your skill or craft; many of these sites have forums in which you can discuss topics with other members. Not only does this make you known, but it helps establish you amongst a network of people.

One misconception about the road to success is that failure doesn’t occur. Embrace failure — it’s inevitable that you’ll have setbacks. I’ve failed many times to achieve what I want in school, at the gym, and in my other activities. When I don’t receive a decent mark on a test, or fail to lift a weight at the gym, I remember that there will be a next time. Whether it takes three times or 100, I’ll eventually crush it, and this is the attitude you must employ. Failure is opportunity for growth, and not some moral incompetency.

What you want out of life is attainable, but you must first believe it to be possible. Your dream will not be accomplished easily, but if you find an inspiration, visualize, work hard, and do not fear failure, then you will undoubtedly achieve your dream.

When it comes to your life path, never let a critic’s remark become your reality.

Keep Public Charities Public Donors Rights Society

Sign our Petition and say NO to Closed Shops donorsrights.com

T

he umbrellas, for a brief moment, folded.

For many, the largest protest in China in 25 years were as good as finished, and citizens and students alike returned to the hustle and bustle of everyday life in Hong Kong. Small groups punctuated city streets and government buildings, but the throes of thousands passionately protesting for change had dissipated.

The government had promised talks with pro-democracy leaders, and the promise of change seemed within reach.

But on Friday, that promise broke through — thousands once again flooded Hong Kong’s twilit streets, in response to the government calling off the talks they had promised only days earlier. “Our Hong Kong, ours to save,” they chanted, proving that a protest many had written off had only just begun.

The story of Hong Kong’s fight for universal suffrage bears many resemblances to public demonstrations both recent and historical — the Arab Spring comes to mind, as does China’s own Tiananmen Square demonstrations a quarter century earlier — but it’s also been a protest which could only have occurred in the present day. Using the tools of social media and the internet, a new generation of Hong Kongers are making sure that the world is watching as they fight for the rights they feel entitled to.

We Canadians could learn a thing or two.

To understand the protests in Hong Kong, it’s necessary to have a basic understanding of the city’s recent history.

For 150 years, Hong Kong was a British colony. It wasn’t until 1997 that Hong Kong was formally reintegrated into China, and with several cave-

ats: namely, the preservation of the rights and freedoms which are restricted on the mainland, such as freedom of press, freedom of religion, a free market, and a Western-style democratic government.

This ‘one country, two systems’ strategy has since been both one of the most unique and frequently challenged balances of power in the world — Hong Kong’s delicate mix of Western and Eastern cultures is a constant source of anxiety for the Chinese government, who fear that the region’s democratic values will eventually spread to the mainland.

When the United Kingdom and the People’s Republic finalized the terms of Hong Kong’s handover, they jointly drafted a new constitution for the region, known as the Basic Law. Among other democratic freedoms, the law promised that Hong Kong residents would eventually be able to elect their own chief executive officer by popular vote.

In 2007, a decade after Hong Kong rejoined China, this clause was finally agreed to by the Chinese government: in 2017, they claimed, Hong Kongers would finally be able to vote in their own representative. One person, one vote.

As you may have guessed, there’s a catch. On August 31, the Chinese government clarified the fine print of their previous promise. Before appearing on a ballot, each candidate must first be ap-

proved by a group of pro-Beijing loyalists — essentially, the same process through which Hong Kong’s previous leaders have been chosen.

Politically, Hong Kong is split into two groups: proBeijing royalists and prodemocracy regionalists. The former currently constitutes the majority of Hong Kong’s electoral committee, which was in charge of electing Hong Kong’s leaders — including incumbent Chief Executive, Leung Chun-ying — without any input from the people.

The announcement that the predominantly pro-Beijing committee would play a role in a supposedly ‘democratic’ election was met with serious backlash from pro-democracy activists, most of whom are either professors or students in Hong Kong’s secondary schools and universities.

It doesn’t help that, despite Hong Kong’s status as the world’s third-most prominent financial centre, its population of over seven million has one of the highest levels of income inequality in the world. Many young people in Hong Kong are unable to find work, and stay with their parents well into their 20s.

Given China’s aspirations to become the world’s foremost economic powerhouse — the country is worth 24 times as much as it was during Tiananmen Square — the balance in Hong Kong is exceedingly fragile.

Though smaller demonstrations bloomed intermittently throughout the region in early September, it wasn’t until the arrest and detainment of 17-year old Joshua Wong Chi-fung — a local celebrity and leader of the student activist group Scholarism — that groups of protesters swelled from hundreds to thousands to tens of thousands, blocking streets and flooding business and shopping districts.

By September 26, the protests began in earnest, and the world immediately began to take notice. The use of umbrellas by protesters to block pepper spray and tear gas from riot police inspired a new name for the demonstrations: the Umbrella Revolution.

The Chinese government’s fears of a politically autonomous Hong Kong are best expressed in an op-ed published by the People’s Daily, a Communist newspaper headquartered on the mainland: it warned that the protests “cannot win people’s hearts and will ultimately fail.” Measures have been taken to restrict internet access on the mainland and in Hong Kong by Chinese officials: Instagram has been blocked in many areas, and posts on Weibo — China’s version of Twitter — have been deleted or blocked at an alarming rate. Any mention of Hong Kong’s protests or electoral reform are strictly forbidden.

In response to increasing political oppression and violent tactics from the Communist party — attacks on protesters by violent pro-Beijing mobs on October 3 reek of government involvement — protesters have maintained a nonviolent, measured approach.

Their insistence on cleaning the garbage in Hong Kong’s streets, handing out free water and umbrellas to fellow protesters, and avoiding violent confrontation is unique among large-scale protests; it’s an approach which has endeared spectators worldwide to Hong Kong’s cause.

It’s also arguably the only reason that the protests showed any hope of enacting real change in the past week. Preliminary talks between pro-democracy groups and the Hong Kong government seemed poised to begin, and many were tenuously optimistic that change might actually come.

But as of publication date, protests have once again erupted in Hong Kong’s streets — demonstrators are determined to see real progress from their efforts, and the fallout of government talks have only further mobilized Hong Kong’s cause.

Hollie Ivany is a Canadian expat living and teaching in Hong Kong with her husband.

Through email correspondence, she shared her experience with the protests in the streets of her city.

“It’s been a sea of ups and downs for the movement,” she writes. “Despite challenges and fierce opposition from government, police and some Hong Kong citizens, protesters have mostly remained calm, optimistic and cheerfully defiant.” According to Ivany, the protests have been made up predominantly of students, though she notes “veteran Hong Kong protesters have been largely visible and active [. . .] as well as university professors, youth and church group leaders, former/current government officials, and even some Hong Kong celebrities.”

The student groups at the forefront of the protests — including the Hong Kong Federation of Students and Scholarism, the group led by Joshua Wong — have been campaigning for democratic rights in Hong Kong for years. They’re part of a new guard of Hong Kongers, a generation born into the region’s post-colonial era of expanded rights and freedoms. Unlike those who

have come before them, these young people are unafraid to challenge the powers that be on issues of democratic rights, income equality, and increasing cultural tensions; and they’re intent on sharing their message of positive change with the world.

“Students are heavily involved because they are idealistic, passionate, and energetic.

They crave change in the form of democratic freedom and universal suffrage,” says Ivany.

“These kids are aware and certain of what they want for Hong Kong — a bright future that resembles the unique and prosperous Hong Kong they have grown up to love, one that they feel is slipping away under China’s iron fist, and one that, despite its charm, has always been riddled with income inequality and other socioeconomic issues that are in major need of fixing. The time is definitely now, especially since the 2017 elections are approaching.”

“There’s definitely more willingness among students [in Hong Kong] to get out on the streets,” says Jeremy Brown, an SFU history professor and expert on contemporary China. “Their response shows that it’s not quite working for them, that there is an expectation of democracy, there is hope for democracy in Hong Kong.”

Brown, who has written extensively on the Tiananmen Square demonstrations of 1989, notes that the Hong Kong protests have been a comparative success — there have been relatively few injuries and no known casualties, and students have earned the chance to open a political debate on existing issues in Hong Kong society which would have been inconceivable only a quarter century ago.

When I spoke to Brown, the protests had reached a brief but tense state of calm. “[This break is] good for the students, because they can go rest, and they can say that they’ve actually achieved something, because the chief executive said ‘Okay, we will talk, we will have

dialogue,’ and that’s more than they got before. And the whole world has paid attention to it, in part because of social media and because of Twitter and Youtube.”

As of this article’s publication, this promise has not been kept — demonstrators have been denied the chance to engage in an open dialogue with the government, and have retaliated by reconvening in groups around the region’s government buildings. Rested and reinvigorated, it remains to be seen what gains the protests will make the second time around.

Given the failure for it’s worth asking: what has been accomplished so far by the Umbrella Revolution?

According to Ivany, the movement has already inspired real, palpable change among Hong Kong’s residents; change that won’t be receding anytime soon. “Hong Kong is different now — its young people have created and experienced something that put a stop to their society and made headlines all over the world. They realize there is power in numbers. ”

Though Hong Kong and Vancouver are separated by over 10,000 kilometres of Pacific Ocean, an invisible thread ties our two cities together. Many SFU students are originally from Hong Kong, and count among its citizens friends and family members; numerous others have connections to expats from Vancouver living and working in the region. Economically,

culturally, and otherwise, the ties between Vancouver and Hong Kong are strong, and the effects of the protests have been keenly felt here, in our city.

On Sunday, October 5, I was lucky enough to attend a public demonstration at the Vancouver Art Gallery in support of Hong Kong’s protesters — hundreds of Vancouverites chanted along to cantopop and held up handmade signs, expressing solidarity with Hong Kong’s demonstrators and urging the Chinese government to make concessions.

“The largest group of foreign passport holders in Hong Kong is Canadian,” Brown says. “About 15 per cent of the people in Hong Kong have Canadian passports.

There’s amazing connections between Hong Kong and Canada; Vancouver especially. So it matters, it definitely matters — what happens there can have a huge effect on us here.”

The example of Hong Kong’s student protesters is also one Canadian students should be mindful of. For almost two sustained weeks, tens of thousands poured out their of classrooms and homes in a show of unified support for their rights and freedoms, attracting the watchful and sympathetic eyes of the world. On a daily basis, our own freedoms are being challenged: pipelines threaten to run through Burnaby Mountain, tuition fees continue to rise, campuses neglect to protect students against sexual assault, and corporations pollute our environment and deplete our natural resources.

It’s a different battle we fight, to be sure. We should count ourselves lucky that our most basic rights aren’t challenged as they are in Hong Kong. But the example of these students, bravely fighting for the right to universal suffrage and freedom from a corrupt and repressive system, is one we in Canada — especially university students — should be paying close attention to.

16

ARTS

After 23 years as a band, Sloan has done something they’ve never attempted before. Commonwealth, their 11th studio album, is divided into four solo sides, each helmed by a different band member. Named after the four playing card suits, the solo sides each have a distinctive feel and focus while remaining characteristically Sloan.

The Peak sat down with guitarist and part-time lead singer Jay Ferguson to discuss the concept of the new album, the recording process, and the band’s ceaseless experimentation with the form and presentation of their unique brand of power-pop.

“Its nice to have a specific angle to a record as opposed to ‘here’s just another album’,” explains Ferguson. “We’re one of the few bands that could make an album like this, because everyone is already a singer and songwriter.”

Sloan has shared songwriting and lead vocals on each

The role of the emcee in Dances for a Small Stage is to facilitate transitions and provide a continuous storyline throughout the evening. “I’m the sorbet,” laughed Billy Marchenski, comparing his role to that of a palate cleanser between dinner courses. In this case, the courses will be dance performances by many renowned choreographers — including Holly Small — accompanied by classical music performed

by Toronto’s Cecilia String Quartet and John Oswald.

This edition of Dances for a Small Stage is presented in partnership with Music on Main and has a new format featuring the quartet accompanying the dancers with works by Tchaikovsky and

arts editor email / phone

October 14, 2014

Tessa Perkins arts@the-peak.ca / 778.782.4560

album, but this is the first time that the band has made such a deliberate break between the songs. While Ferguson’s side, “Diamond,” technically opens the album, he makes it clear that Commonwealth can be listened to in a far less traditional way.

“It makes sense to listen to it as a record as opposed to a CD. There’s a natural break where you would flip the record over.

But we didn’t want to present it even as side one, side two, side three, side four...you can kinda start the record anywhere.”

The divided nature of the record only serves to enhance each band member’s different songwriting styles, from Ferguson’s power-pop, to Chris Murphy’s more orchestral psychedelia, to Patrick Pentland’s hard-hitting, distorted rock songs.

“We all brought our own songs into the sessions. In terms of songwriting, everyone was pretty much left to their own devices,” Ferguson explains. “We knew what was going on with each other’s sides, but there were no boundaries. Everyone kinda does what they want.”

John Oswald. The emcee takes on a different form based on the theme of the show. For their Valentine’s Day edition, Marchenski was Cupid, and for this edition, he will play the role of maestro.

“I’m there to add some energy to transitions and facilitate introductions,” he explained. The emcee uses physicality and very few words to bring awareness to the humour in the pieces and provides a continuous storyline for the audience to return to between acts.

The emcee’s focus on gesture also prepares the audience to watch dance in a different way than they would watch theatre or a film.

The emcee uses movement and gesture to tell a story and build a scenario that shows the character going through some kind of transformation. “You can tell a lot of story without words.

I’m interested in that — how much you can say.” The familiar face of the emcee provides a continuous thread running through the evening. “I like to create ways to make short stories between pieces,” said Marchenski.

While much of the record could fit neatly with previous Sloan records, drummer Andrew Scott’s “Spade” stands out as an entirely different beast. The side consists of only one track, “Forty-Eight Portraits,” an almost 18-minute medley of song splices reminiscent of side B of The Beatles’ Abbey Road. This medley style of songwriting has become something of a tradition for Sloan, whose records often consist of one- to two-minute songs that segue into one another, forming a cohesive whole.

“I love making songs like that. It’s an interesting way of presenting them. I was trying to make them more economical,” says Ferguson. “When you join them together like that, it’s one of the few experimental things you can do with a pop-rock format to make it more interesting.

It’s one way to experiment with song form, you know, instead of making electronica or something that wouldn’t suit us.”

Ferguson says that the band has already started playing the epic “Forty-Eight Portraits” live,

Commenting on the music and dance and putting the focus on them is also part of the emcee’s role.

He frames the performances for the audience, giving them permission to laugh through his comedic performance. “Maybe, for some audience members, a string quartet is more formal than they’re used to,” said Marchenski. Similarly with the dance, he explained, “It can be a little intimidating if they’re used to a clear storyline, but they can just enjoy the movement — they don’t have to know what’s going on every minute.

ways he can play his character while still framing the performances and challenging the audience. Although he may adapt the character to suit the audience each night, he won’t be doing improv. “I like to set things — I’m neurotic — with lots of room for spontaneity. I like to have a plan for a plan for a plan, and two back up plans,” he said.

With the focus on classical music in this edition of Small Stage, Marchenski thinks the emcee might be a bit different. “The emcee is generally seen as a comedic role. For this show it might be interesting to find a new dynamic.”

He is interested in finding the inner life of the character, and in exploring the role’s layers. “The music we’re using has complexity,” explained Marchenski, which allows for the character to be portrayed in a more complex way.

Shows where dance and music collide always bring the two audiences of each discipline together, and they also provide an opportunity for artists to network, explained Marchenski. “There is a lot of cross-pollinating and connections

“I’m excited by the possibility of using the emcee — it’s an art piece,” said Marchenski. With the emcee acting as a foil, a commentator, and comedic relief, there are many

which will surely be a set highlight when they hit the Commodore on October 18. “That was the first song we learned to play on the new record, we thought let’s just dive in and tackle the hardest one,” Ferguson explains.

The unique nature of the medley, and the difficult nature of playing it live are simply new ways that Sloan continues to challenge themselves and their listeners, creating something new and exciting out of the traditional form of rock n’ roll.

Sloan is clearly a band that knows what it can do, and does it well. They write guitar based pop-rock songs that are catchy, economical, and simple — but never simplistic. After 23 years and 11 albums, Sloan may not have not changed their songwriting style or musicianship drastically, but the band has found new, creative ways to present and record their songs.

The medley form of their recent albums, with tight, short songs flowing into one another, has led to some of their biggest acclaim. With Commonwealth , they’ve achieved another success: a drastic change in form that highlights each band member’s individual strengths while providing the listener with a challenging, yet ultimately rewarding listening experience.

that happen. Artists stay in touch and then they may work together again.” Interdisciplinary shows like this are how great collaborations often begin.

ARTS

What does it mean to get an education? When we hear the word, most of us picture the typical university lecture hall with a professor at the front sharing his or her wisdom, but there are other types of education to be had.

When Rita (Holly Lewis) shows up at Frank’s (Scott Bellis) university office wanting to “know everything,” it’s the beginning of a special relationship that has each of them learning more than they bargained for. Rita gushes about her favourite novel, Rubyfruit Jungle by Rita Mae Brown, and Frank tries to explain the merits of Faulkner and Blake.

Rita ends up as Frank’s student after enrolling in an Open University program where she visits a tutor once a week. Frank has never done this type of thing before, and he is not thrilled about the idea of an Open University — until Rita arrives. He immediately finds her fascinating and they both look forward to their weekly discussions

17

October 14, 2014

about literature and the latest news from Rita’s job at the hair salon.

Written by Liverpudlian Willy Russell, I enjoyed the references to the city such as Rita complaining that people around her think they have freedom of choice because they can support Liverpool FC or Everton FC. Lewis’ Liverpool accent wasn’t quite right, but I think it’s a very difficult accent to imitate, and she at least kept it consistent throughout.

Set entirely in Frank’s office, the back of the stage was lined with floor to ceiling bookcases where Frank stashed all kinds of liquor.

Scattered around the office were stacks of books and crumpled papers, and on the wall behind Frank’s desk was an old fashioned painting that Rita was quick to point out was quite erotic.

Between the bookcases was a tall window that showed the passing of the seasons as water, snow, leaves, and

petals could be seen falling on the other side of it. For the transitions between scenes, director Sarah Rodgers uses music from British bands to add to the mood, as Frank smoothly changes from blazer to sweater vest.

Lewis and Bellis brought this well-written script to life ,as the witty banter between Rita and Frank created brilliant chemistry on stage. As Rita gains confidence in her newfound knowledge and Frank descends into depression, there is a wonderful role reversal scene. Rita sits at Frank’s desk and explains that Rubyfruit Jungle isn’t as good as she once thought, and Frank sits across from her admitting that it’s actually not bad.

The relationship that develops between Rita and Frank is borne out of a shared passion for knowledge and a love of interesting conversation. When the two of them are in Frank’s office, the outside world seems irrelevant, and they both get an education.

I’ll be honest, the first thing that usually comes to my mind when prompted about women’s rights to vote is the character Mrs. Banks in the 1964 Disney movie, Mary Poppins .

She graces the screen every so often with the sing-song battle cry “Votes for women!” then proceeds to rush out the door to go wave some signs around and join her sisters once more.

While a memorable presence, this portrayal only illuminates the tiniest course of action taken by women’s rights advocates in the early 20th century.

Rebel Women , created and directed by Joan Bryans, brings the more dramatic elements of the women’s suffrage movement to light. It’s a verbatim play, using the words and songs of real-life suffragettes to guide the story. Set in London, England, the show introduces us to women from every social class — from mill workers to aris-

tocrats — compelled to action after being exposed to injustice on a daily basis.

Why was it that when the women finished a long day of work, they were the ones who cooked, cleaned, and looked after the children while their husbands went off to the pub?

Why were men the ones deciding whether or not women could vote? Despite their differences in life, it was clear to these women that rallying together would be the only way to make direct change.

The play starts out like a history lesson. We see the women’s effort grow and attract more attention, in spite of routine rejection and dismissals by Parliament and the law. We learn about the contributions of Canadians to the movement.

In the second act, we are shown what suffragettes would have experienced at Holloway Prison, an institution that became female-only in response to the growing women’s movement. Here, the women who attempt to stage hunger and thirst strikes in the name of their cause are force fed and brutally assaulted. This is the most compelling and enlightening section of the entire play.

The ability of the actors to communicate this injustice so vividly is amazing to watch.

Rebel Women gave me and my fellow audience members the chance to sit down collectively and experience the women’s suffrage movement. Having the opportunity to reflect and realize how far we’ve come as a society is a wonderful yet perplexing experience.

October is officially Women’s History Month, which means that now is as good a time as any to explore the development of women’s rights in Canada, and what better way than seeing a play that uses the words of the suffragettes themselves?

18 ARTS

Cypulchre follows Paul Sheffield, a former scientist in an alternate reality, who was involved with a revolutionary cyberspace called the Cloud.

This invention allows individual minds to link to a central network of shared information, where users can essentially download or upload different information packages — in this realm of reality, the Cloud has become a catalyst of transcendent divergence in human evolution.

October 14, 2014

The novel’s title, a combination of cyber- and sepulchre, refers to the Cloud simultaneously broadcasting signals and receiving and storing incoming information from users as a sort of watch tower or gateway point where reality and cyberspace converge.

Paul’s character is modelled after the classic cyberpunk protagonist. He is crippled by schizophrenia and has suffered a devastating event that separates him from his family and his own creation. It is only through a series of unfortunate, or perhaps deliberate, events that he is forced to act on a bigger scale against the very technology he has brought to life.

Cyberpunk is a subgenre of science fiction. According to author Joseph MacKinnon, one of its fundamental elements is the exploration of the “inverse

relationship between technology and quality of life.” The story is usually set in a dystopian society in the near future, where the relationship between high tech and low life is often defined by the barrier of advanced science.

The writing in Cypulchre is detailed and uses a wide array of illustrative and sometimes ornamental words; it is filled with the kind of techno-babble common in cyberpunk fiction. This collection of descriptive words and new vocabulary sometimes

hinders the telling of the story.

MacKinnon has acknowledged others’ criticism of his heavy use of detail, and although he stated that the book was written to be more readable, it still contains a fair amount of description.

MacKinnon’s writing style helps to paint a clearer image of the world, and the story ends up reading like an action film. He uses a mixture of first- and thirdperson perspectives, focusing mainly on third-person and inserting the former in italics. Paul’s inner thoughts are audible, but the world is still largely perceived through a wide-view perspective, adding to the story’s action film visual vibe. “That’s great!” said MacKinnon, in response to this observation. “I wanted to write for an action game.”

One of the fascinating aspects about reading a cyberpunk novel is the introduction

SFU’s Vancity Office of Community Engagement TUESDAY OCTOBER 14 / 7 PM TA XI CASABL ANCA FILM SCREENING

SATURDAY OCTOBER 18 WRONG WAVE 2014 ART ROCK? REPRISE

MONDAY OCTOBER 20 / 7 PM DYL AN ROBINSON PUBLIC LECTURE

C O - D I R E C T E D BY M A RY F OW L E S .

F I L M M A K E R I N AT T E N DA N C E .

TA X I C A S A B L A N C A I S A F E AT U R E D O C U M E N TA RY T H AT J O U R N E Y S I N TO T H E DA I LY L I F E O F M O R O C C O ’ S F I R ST A N D O N LY F E M A L E TA X I DRIVER, ZAKIA MEZZOUR.

T H I S Y E A R ’ S U N I T / P I T T F E ST I VA L O F A R T I ST S W H O R O C K A N D R O C K E R S T H AT A R T R U N S O C T 1 6 AT T H E F OX , O C T 1 7 AT T H E W E ST E R N F R O N T, A N D W R A P S UP WITH MECCA NORMAL AND FA K E T E A R S AT S F U ’ S G O L D C O R P CENTRE FOR THE ARTS.

DESPITE AN INCREASING NUMBER O F C O L L A B O R AT I O N S B E T W E E N I N D I G E N O U S A R T I ST S A N D CLASSICAL MUSIC ENSEMBLES, THE POLITICAL EXIGENCIES OF F I R ST N AT I O N S C O M M U N I T I E S AC R O S S C A N A DA A R E R A R E LY R E F E R E N C E D I N T H E WO R K .

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 22 / 7 PM RED SKIN, WHITE MASKS PANEL

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 29 / 8 PM BENJAMIN BRAT TON PUBLIC LECTURE

SATURDAY–SUNDAY NOVEMBER 1–2 HEART OF THE CIT Y FESTIVAL

PA N E L D I S C U S S I O N O F G L E N C O U LT H A R D ’ S B O O K R E D S K I N , W H I T E M A S KS : R E J E C T I N G T H E C O LO N I A L P O L I T I C S O F R E C O G N I T I O N . W I T H R I TA K A U R D H A M O O N , S A R A H H U N T, J A R R E T T M A R T I N E A U, A N D M AT T H E R N .

T H E STAC K : D E S I G N A N D G E O P O L I T I C S I N T H E AG E O F P L A N E TA RY- S C A L E C O M P U T I N G .

F R O M S U RV E I L L A N C E TO J I H A D I ST SOCIAL MEDIA AND THE SINOG O O G L E WA R S , C O M P U TAT I O N H A S B E C O M E G LO B A L I N F R A ST R U C T U R E .

sfuwoodwards.ca GOLDCORP CENTRE FOR THE ARTS 14 9 W . H A S T I N G S S T.

T WIT TER.COM/@SFU_W FACEBOOK.COM/SFUWOODWARDS

of a new world, new words, and a new form of immersion.

As MacKinnon explained, “The word might be new, but the idea is not necessarily new.” For those who are unfamiliar with some of the jargon, the style could be a stumbling block. However, after becoming immersed in MacKinnon’s writing style and the world of Paul and the Cloud, readers should be suitably geared up for all the action-packed events leading up to the final moments.

Joe MacKinnon’s Cypulchre was an interesting read and would be an appropriate introduction to the realm of cyberpunk fiction. For those who decide to give it a chance and want to read more similar fare, MacKinnon recommends revisiting older cyberpunk novels such as William Gibson’s Neuromancer or Neal Stephenson’s Snowcrash.

FA L L H I G H L I G H T S O C TO B E R / N OV E M B E R 2 0 1 4

ARTS

Vancouver’s civic history is ripe with stories of seedy back alley deals, corrupt officials, murders, gangsters, and gambling; a recent wave of books has mined archives and libraries, used bookstores, antique sales, and auctions to present this city’s dark side. One such book is Vancouver Confidential.

John Belshaw, the book’s editor and an established historian, explains, “Most civic histories celebrate progress, industry, order, and vision. [Vancouver Confidential] isn’t one of those.”

Topping the BC Bestseller list in its first week on the shelves, Vancouver Confidential

Stop. Look up. What do you see?

Hallways full of people looking at their cellphones — texting, taking selfies, and tweeting about their lives.

The technological revolution has affected the ways in which people connect. And no, I’m not referring to a wifi hotspot.

In Jason Reitman’s powerful time capsule of the odd time in which we live, Men, Women & Children, he examines how social media, texting, and internet pornography have tainted friendships and marriages by twisting the ways men perceive women, and the ways women perceive themselves.

Amidst all the insidious virtual escapes in the film, there is a spark between a teenage couple which acts as a foil to all the interactions throughout the movie. While Kaitlyn Dever’s character, Brandy, is concerned with talking to her boyfriend, the other characters

October 14, 2014

features contributions from everyone from local historians and authors, to storytellers and bloggers. The book joins a list of other recent local hits such as Liquor , Lust, and the Law

by Aaron Chapman (about The Penthouse Nightclub), The History of Metropolitan Vancouver by the late Chuck Davis, and Vancouver Noir, which Belshaw co-edited with Diane Purvey — all of which explore Vancouver’s ‘ugly’ side.

Vancouver was bound to get caught up in trouble as it was not only a port city and a railway terminus, but also a border city making it a prime spot for illicit activities. Imports of opium from Asia were common, transients often hopped the rails and stayed at the end of the line, and rumrunners frequented the city during Prohibition.

Lani Russworm, creator of the Past Tense blog and author of Vancouver Was Awesome ,

contributes to the collection with a piece about the red scare in the 1930s, and the communist spies in Vancouver. Jason Vanderhill, of Illustrated Vancouver fame, continues his interest in BC brewing ephemera and looks at cocktail connoisseur Daniel Joseph Kennedy and the Prohibition era.

19

Author and reporter Eve Lazarus also contributed to the book. Her recently published fifth book, Sensational Vancouver, looks at the homes and spaces occupied by both the famous and the ordinary people

of the city. Lazarus’ chapter in Vancouver Confidential looks at police corruption and infamous mayor L.D. Taylor.

At the book’s launch party, Rosanne Amosovs Sia spoke about the inspiration behind her chapter, entitled “Crime and its Punishments in Chinatown.” She discovered a photograph by Stan Williams of 15 waitresses in 1937 marching from Chinatown to the newly built city hall south of False Creek. It was the middle of the Depression, and they were protesting the loss of jobs due to legislation that prohibited white women from working at Chinese-owned businesses.

Although the law had been around for a number of years, it wasn’t until a murder/suicide in 1931 and the appointment of W.W. Foster as police chief that it was enforced. Sia spoke about her interest in these waitresses and what became of them, as the mayor refused

to see them, and their protests fell on deaf ears for many years.

The launch party was held on September 21 at The Emerald supper club in Chinatown, a fitting establishment for the ambiance of the book. The restaurant was packed with people, many wearing swanky hats and ‘20s to ‘40s era attire. Prizes were awarded for the best outfits and Aaron Chapman closed out the night performing a spoken word beat poem with jazz tunes playing from the speakers. In a deep smoky voice, Chapman told the tale of the arsenic milkshake murderer, a radio DJ who slowly poisoned his wife to death while broadcasting from the BOWMAC car lot on Broadway.

All the contributors have a distinct style of storytelling, which will have you picking up Vancouver Confidential time and time again to get another taste of Vancouver’s seedy underbelly in the mid-20th century.

characters that are not myself. I like a lot of challenge and I definitely had a challenge for Short Term 12 and I absolutely had a challenge for Men, Women & Children,” Dever said.

On the set of Men, Women & Children, the experienced teenager — who has appeared in shows such as Modern Family and

Make It or Break It — was able to act and interact with actors who have been in the industry for many years, such as Jennifer Garner, Adam Sandler, and Dean Norris. “I just learned so much from everyone, just in the way they acted on set and how they treated other people or how they literally acted in a scene,” she said.

Kaitlyn Dever has already been a troubled teenager, and played both serious and comedic roles, however, there are other types of roles she hopes to pursue. “I haven’t done an action film; I’d kind of like to do that,” the actress said. “I’d like to do some training with some guns and stuff, or learn how to fight.”

are concerned with their misguided perceptions of the opposite sex, and their unhealthy coping mechanisms which revolve around and are impacted by technology.

Brandy has an extreme mother who monitors her every move online in order to shield her from predators and anyone looking to take advantage of her. She finds solace in a secret Tumblr account and a boy that is struggling with his parents’ sudden divorce.

Dever said she loves “doing these films that kind of touch on some serious environments.” In 2012, the 18-year-old actress starred in a critically acclaimed indie film titled Short Term 12; she played a girl living in a temporary home, dealing with being sexually abused. “It’s a lot of fun. I love doing different things and I love doing

20

SPORTS

sports editor email / phone

October 14, 2014

Austin Cozicar sports@the-peak.ca / 778.782.4560

Often, in sports, it all comes down to luck. Just the right break at the right time — a shot that goes in rather than hitting the post, for example — can mean the win. Luck can go the other way too, though, with ill-timed injuries or illnesses cutting seasons short, or simply preventing an athlete from reaching their full potential.

Swimmer Dimitar ‘Mitko’ Ivanov knows this all too well. After a successful first season, he faced two seasons of sickness, becoming a “little sick” in his second year, before coming down with mono in his third year.

“Mono makes you feel tired all the time. You just have a lower level of energy, you go to bed super early, and you can never get enough sleep,” the backstroker explains.

Despite this hurdle, his illness was just that — a hurdle to jump over — as he still swam through it all.

“We had our main competition at the end of November [last year] and I was on antibiotics at the time,” Mitko says. “I actually went through two waves of antibiotics because they didn’t know what I had until December.”

Mono is a pretty good excuse for a subpar performance, but Mitko still put in a tremendous performance, narrowly missing qualifying for the national championship by only a second: “I was sick, competing at our peak meet, and I still got pretty close.”

No member of the men’s swim team has ever qualified for the national championship, and this is not the first time that Mitko has come oh so close, having missed by just half of a second in his second year.

“We haven’t actually sent a man, so it would be really exciting to be on the first men’s team [to qualify],” he explains.

However, getting so close and just missing the cut was a painful experience for Ivanov: ”It was

definitely tough. In my second year, we didn’t really know how the system worked yet, so I was confident that I did make it, and then they released the standards in February or March [. . .] and I found out I was so close, it made me pretty sad.

“Then in my third year with the whole mono thing, I was once again pretty disappointed, but I understood, ‘If I’m this close when I’m sick, hopefully next year I can make it.’”

With a clean bill of health, Mitko looks poised to make a serious bid for a spot, and he’s confident that his team will find their way into the nationals as well. “We’ll definitely get some guys to go this year, we have a pretty strong team, a lot of good freshmen,” he says.

Mitko’s priorities are not limited to his role on the swim team, however. Entering his fourth year at SFU, working towards a degree in business and economics, he is just as enthusiastic about his studies as his time on the swim team.

“I love economics [. . .] it’s a different way of looking at the world. You can answer just about any question [like] why would a company set this price for something, or why are we in a recession, why is the economy bad? It’s just weird questions like that, that you wouldn’t really think about, I think about for everything.”

He hopes to use his degree to get into finance, and become a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA). He admits, though, that the road won’t be easy: “It’s going to take a while, they require four years of experience, three exams and the fail rate is 50 per cent, so I’m going to have to work pretty hard to get through that.”

Throughout his athletic career, Mitko has shown resilience in the face of sickness, and worked hard to compete nonetheless. While he prepares for his last season with the team, he also prepares for the road ahead which, given his academic drive, sure looks bright.

SPORTS

Were you aware that SFU has a women’s hockey team? You’re forgiven if you didn’t know, as they are a young program, only in their fifth year of existence.

In fact, the team is still considered a club, rather than a varsity program, and as such, they don’t receive the same amount of attention and support as many of SFU’s teams.

“With varsity, you would have [the] support [of a] financial budget to work with. As a club, it’s all student funded and student operated; it’s real grassroots level, and these girls have done a fantastic job of doing most of the work as well as their schooling,” said head coach Grant Wallace.

“The men’s team is on the ice four or five times a week, and some [practices] are in the day,” explained Wallace. His team’s practices, however, are outside of school hours.

“The players do not get as much leeway in terms of school, so it’s harder to juggle,” said forward Caitlin McNamara. She explained that the team does a lot of fundraising to make up for the lack of financial support, alluding to future pub nights and collaborations with the men’s hockey team.

The SFU men’s soccer team has been hit with the unfamiliar feeling of adversity in Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) play this season. As four-time champions, the soccer program

October 14, 2014

21

Despite the program’s youth and relative anonymity, the women’s hockey team has already met with success. Last year, they finished fifth in the South Coast Female Amateur Hockey League (SCFAHL) with 17 points in 26 games, making the playoffs.

This a tremendous rise from their humble beginnings, as during their first season, they could only ice seven skaters.

There is still, of course, room to improve. Coach Wallace explained that one of their goals this season is to “do better in the regular season and take it into the playoffs.”

McNamara, who had four goals and seven points last season, said the aim is to “score a few more goals and have more goals for [rather than against].”

Last year the team averaged just 1.4 goals per game. Coach Wallace echoed these sentiments, and added that he would like to improve his players’ skills, so they “have the finish when they have [goal scoring] opportunities.”

This season, there are some new and familiar faces that should help ease the team’s goal scoring woes. One of these

is rookie Michelle Toor. “She came to us from the Fraser Valley Phantom, and I expect her to add some assists and some scoring chances from the point,” said Coach Wallace. Her sister, forward Chanel Toor, will rejoin the team as well, and coach Wallace has “high hopes” for her to create some offence for the team.

Forward Shay Gronnemose is an exciting new addition, and the coaching staff expects her to adjust quite rapidly and start generating offence. Last season’s point leader, with 12 goals and 17 points, Katrina

branded itself as the team to fear in recent years, but has been humbled in the early stages of the 2014 campaign.

Last season’s results set the bar tremendously high, with 14 victories and just one loss and one draw. This season, the Clan went winless for the opening three rounds of GNAC play before notching their first conference win away against St. Martin’s University last week in impressive fashion.

Despite the much needed confidence boost, SFU fell to their biggest test soon after, falling to the high flying Seattle

Pacific Falcons in a 3-1 result.

The Falcons are now on a sevengame winning streak following their win against the Clan.

However, there are certainly no question marks about the quality of the side, something that head coach Alan Koch firmly believes will generate better results.

“I’ve got faith in all of my players, no matter who I start, I know they will be ready,” Koch said.

The men return to action at home when they welcome the Seattle Pacific Falcons to Terry Fox field on Thursday, October 16, hoping to avenge their recent loss.

Armstrong will also return, along with Caitlin McNamara and Michela Deluca, who had great chemistry on a line with Sam Schiiler. Unfortunately, Schiiler will be out until the end of October.

The women also have aspirations off of the ice, says McNamara, explaining that they want to try to “take female hockey [at SFU] to the next level.” She elaborates, “We’re at the highest level you can play at [here], but compared to other provinces, we’re just not quite there.”

As part of their plans to take the team to new heights, both

SFU’s women’s soccer team has had its fair share of hardship in seasons past, prompting a change in philosophy and coaching staff ahead of the 2014 campaign. Head coach Annie Hamel assured that a new approach to the game would be implemented, and that it would take time for the team to adjust, but we are already witnessing a positive shift.

It only took three rounds of GNAC play for the ladies to find their first win, the first of back-toback 1-0 results at home against the

on and off the ice, the team would also like to get a second set of jerseys.

For now, though, after one week of play, SFU sits in third place with a 2-1 victory over the Richmond Devils, and a 2-2 tie against the BC Thunder.

Their next game is against the Meadow Ridge Moose at the North Surrey Rec Centre on Friday, October 17 at 9:45 p.m.

Western Oregon Wolves and Saint Martin’s Saints respectively.

This is already leaps and bounds ahead of last season, during which the Clan achieved their only victory in the 11th round of GNAC play.

Hamel’s side is building confidence in attacking play as well. The team has notched six goals in their seasonal play so far, only one shy of their goal total for all of last season.

While the results have not all gone their way, the side remains resilient, hoping to improve and overcome any obstacles.

The women will host the Northwest Nazarene Crusaders on Thursday, October 16.

22 SPORTS

October 14, 2014

The Clan men’s and women’s cross-country teams competed at the 41st Annual Western Washington University Classic on Saturday in Bellingham, WA.

The SFU swim teams defeated the University of Puget Sound Loggers in their first meet. The men’s team won by a score of 159-91 and women’s team won 170-81. They combined to win 27 out of the 28 events. Dimitar Ivanov and Lucas Greenough led the men’s team with 18 points, along with freshmen Adrian VanderHelm, Tim Woinoski and Gabriel Lee, while on the women’s team, Alexandria Schofield, Nicole Cossey, Grace Ni and Megan Barrack led with 18 points. The Clan swim next against the University of Pacific Tigers in Stockton, CA on Friday, October 24.

After dropping four straight games to start the season, the Clan finally put one in the win column.

In St. George, UT, SFU defeated the winless Dixie State Red Storm (DSU) by a score of 29-19. In spite of the end result, though, the Red Storm put up the first few points.

With 3:44 left in the first quarter, DSU quarterback Ben Longshore threw an 11-yard touchdown pass, after previously rushing the ball 27 yards on the same drive, to claim the first lead. However, perhaps as an omen of things to come, they missed the extra point kick, leaving the score at 6-0 for DSU. On SFU’s side, second-string quarterback Tyler Nickel got his first start in place of Ryan Stanford, who finished the game. On his third drive of the day, immediately after the Red Storm touchdown, Nickel threw his first touchdown pass for 12 yards to wide receiver Kyle Kawamoto.

“Well, I thought Tyler [Nickel] did well when he went into the game against Central

[Washington] and that he deserves an opportunity,” head coach Jacques Chapdelaine said. “From my point of view, the Central [Washington] game was challenging for [Stanford] so it was good for him to take a step back.

“Ryan [Stanford] did play in this game, and he played very well, and so did Tyler [Nickel],” he added.

The game was now in the Clan’s control. After a fruitless drive by the Red Storm, SFU kicker Tiernan Docherty kicked a 42-yard field goal to bring the score to 10-6 in SFU’s favour.

Despite completing 28- and 32-yard passes, the Clan were able to prevent the Red Storm from converting for points during the final drive of the half.

Dixie State started with the ball for the second half, but, just 17 seconds in, middle linebacker Jordan Herdman forced a fumble, which his brother Justin recovered and ran in for a 27-yard touchdown.

Jordan would also end the day with 10 tackles, second only to Mitchell Barnett.

On their next few drives the Clan would not fare as well, with Nickel throwing an interception and being sacked twice in a row on the next drive, before Stanford stepped in. However, SFU would gain two points off a safety, after

sacking DSU quarterback Longshore in his endzone.

The Clan would continue to struggle offensively, though, as a completed pass to Lemar Durant was ruled a fumble, giving Dixie State the ball.

Luckily for the Clan, they were able to keep the Red Storm from scoring and SFU snapped their offensive rut with a 61yard punt return by Earl Anderson for a touchdown, gaining a dominant 26-6 lead.

The Red Storm would not go quietly, however. They scored a touchdown at the end of the third quarter, off of a goal line play, which was made possible by a 37-yard pass from Longshore, whose arm was a major thorn in SFU’s defence.

The Clan and the Red Storm would manage one more scoring play each in the fourth quarter.

SFU made their final mark on the scoreboard with 6:06 left

in the game, notching a 43-yard field goal, a season best for Docherty, while Dixie State scored another touchdown on the back of a 46-yard pass with 3:48 left.

DSU would attempt both a two-point conversion and an onside kick, but would be unsuccessful in both attempts with Bobby Pospischil recovering the onside kick. The game ended 29-19.

Clan cornerback Bibake Uppal and safety Matt Isherwood both managed interceptions in the fourth quarter.

“The guys played hard, they certainly played with a lot of intensity,” said Chapdelaine. “Defence made some key plays and the offence was able to win the time of possession.

“The biggest thing as a team is the process of learning and improving upon overcoming the negative plays that can occur early in the game,” the coach added.

“I don’t think we did that very well last week but I thought we did that better this weekend.

Dixie had the first points scored and despite that, they never looked back, worked hard and overcame that,” he observed.

“Overall, it was a great team win.”

Now the Clan move to 1-4 overall and are 1-1 within the GNAC.

Middle linebacker Jordan Herdman was named the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) defensive football athlete of the week for the week of September 29-October 5.

He leads the GNAC with 60 tackles and averages 12 per game, which places him 12th nationally. Against Dixie State, Herdman recorded 10 tackles and forced a fumble leading to an SFU touchdown.

The SFU women’s soccer team lost 3-1 against the Saint Martin’s University (SMU) Saints on Thursday.

SMU scored first, but 10:43 in, midfielder Sierra Leung scored her second goal of the season to tie the game.

The game would remain tied until the 75th minute, when the Saints scored twice, taking the victory.

Goalkeeper Priya Sandhu had four saves.

SPORTS

October 14, 2014

Clan volleyball swept the SMU Saints in Lacey, WA Thursday, in their second straight win. Despite the Saints claiming the first point of the night, SFU handily won the first set 2511, which included an eightpoint streak for the Clan. The next two sets were closer, with SFU winning 25-21 and 26-24. Senior Amanda Renkema led the Clan with 11 kills, while libero Alison McKay led the team defensively with 20 digs. Outside hitter Kelsey Robinson also provided 16 digs.

SFU Men’s Soccer returned to winning ways Thursday shutting out the South Dakota School of Mines (SDSM) 3-0 in Rapid City, SD. Captain Jovan Blagojevic notched two goals, while forward Mateo Espinosa opened the scoring with his first goal of the season. Espinosa would end the night with two points, as he assisted Blagojevic on his first goal.

Ryan Dhillon would also notch an assist.

The Clan men emerged victorious at the Golfweek Division II Fall Preview held October 3 to 5, achieving even par as a team over three rounds, defeating their

23

great release, but tends to pass instead of shooting. He is being compared to another highly touted pick from the Lower Mainland, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.

Draft Prediction: 6th - 10th overall

become a dominant NHL defenceman. He’s overachieved at every level so far, with 20 points in 31 games on the same team as Eichel, and 32 in 45 on the US national U17 team. Hanfin will play in the NCAA for Boston College as a 17-year-old, which is a remarkable feat.

Draft Prediction: 3rd Overall If you follow the NHL draft, or hockey at all, you’ve probably heard of Connor McDavid, arguably the most hyped prospect to come out of Canada since Sidney Crosby. It’s also fairly common knowledge that Jack Eichel will compete with him for the first spot — this upcoming draft could be the best one since the now legendary 2003 draft. However, it’s not just the top two players who make this draft so exciting, it’s the depth behind them. Here are some players to watch out for in the upcoming draft: Noah Hanifin (Boston College, NCAA): The 6’2, 205lb defenceman has all the tools necessary to

Oliver Kylington (Färjestad, SHL): The Swedish defenceman doesn’t have any points after his first eight games, but he’s playing as a 17-year-old against grown men in the SHL, a Swedish professional league. He’s an excellent skater, has a great shot, and has been compared to Victor Hedman. Much like Hedman, though, it may take him a while to get used to the NHL. Some scouts might be wary of taking him in light of how Adam Larrson, another Swedish defenceman, has stalled in his development after being selected fourth overall in 2011.

closest rival, California State University-Stanislaus by three strokes.

After the first round, they finished with a team score of 292 strokes (+1) which put them at fourth place, however, they picked up the pace in the second round, notching a score of 276 (-3), firmly taking the lead.

This rise in the second round was assisted by John Mlikotic who shot 67 (-5), which tied for the best score of the tournament.

“I kind of struggled a bit in the morning, but I wanted to stay patient and try to get a round together for the afternoon. I

was playing alright and then [. . .] I finally got a couple of shots close and ended up making five birdies in a row [which] kind of sparked my round,” said Mlikotic, who finished tied for the second best total individual score along with teammate Bret Thompson, with 213 (-3).

SFU would hit a final round of 296 (+2) and hang on to the lead for their first victory in the NCAA. “The team’s playing great, we’re just going to try to ride this momentum into the last tournament of the semester,” said Mlikotic. “The team played well, you can’t ask for more than that.”

He’s top four now, but a lot of it will depend on his performance in the world juniors.

Draft Prediction: 4th overall Travis Konecny (Ottawa 67’s, OHL): As a 16-year-old last year in the OHL, he put up 70 points in 63 games. Quite impressive for a rookie, which is why he won top rookie of the year in the OHL. At 5’10, growing two or three inches would help his draft stock, but he’s got excellent hands, is very shifty, and is a powerful skater.

Draft Prediction: 5th - 8th overall Mathew Barzal (Seattle Thunderbirds, WHL): This local kid from Coquitlam had a good rookie season, with 54 points in 59 games. He’s got great vision, as evidenced by 40 of those points last year coming as assists. He only had 19 goals, but that is not for a lack of ability when it comes to shooting the puck: he has a

The men play next at the Cal State Monterey Bay Invite in Monterey, CA on October 20-21.

r The women’s golf team opened their season placing second at the Saint Martin’s Invitational, behind Saint Martin’s University (SMU), the home team, at the Olympia Golf & Country Club.

SFU achieved a team score of 632 over two rounds, consisting of the scores of four players. This was 30 strokes behind first place SMU, and 33 strokes

Dylan Strome (Erie Otters, OHL): Dylan Strome is an interesting case. The brother of NHLer Ryan Strome, Dylan is having a excellent start to his OHL season, with 13 points in four games. Of course, it helps if you get a good amount of playing time with Connor McDavid. That fact alone might send Strome down the rankings, as scouts might worry if he can produce without McDavid; but he’s 6’2, and a big centre with his skillset will be hard to pass up. He could go as high as fourth, but could easily slip to 11th if scouts are worried he’s just riding McDavid’s coattails. There’s just too much uncertainty.

Draft Prediction: 7th -11th overall Mitch Marner (London Knights, OHL): Last year, his first in the OHL, Marner had 59 points in 63 games. Like Barzal, his vision and playmaking ability are his bread and butter. He did very well for himself on a stacked London Knights team that featured the likes of Bo Horvat and Max Domi. He could be given a bigger role if the veterans stick with their NHL clubs, which would lead to more ice time and production.

He will have to overachieve and hope some of the other prospects falter in order to shoot up the draft rankings.

Draft Prediction: 8th overall

ahead of third place University of Hawaii-Hilo.

Individually, junior Mackenzie Field led the Clan, coming in second with a total score of 159, scoring 79 and 80 in the two rounds. Breanna Croxen finished right behind her, coming in third, only two strokes back from Field.

All SFU golfers made the top 15, with sophomore Erin Farmer placing 11th, while Jennifer McTeer and Kylie Jack placed 14th and 15th respectively.

The Clan women will play next at the Vikes Invitational in Victoria, BC from October 20-21.

24 DIVERSIONS / ETC

October 14, 2014 FREE CLASSIFIEDS are available to SFU students for personal use. 30 words maximum. Drop by The Peak offices in MBC 2900 to submit your ad, or go to our website: www.the-peak.ca or email: classifieds@the-peak. ca. One ad per person. All others: $12 + GST per week, prepaid, for 30 words. Each additional 10 words: $1 + GST. Five ads or more for the special price of $8 + GST per ad. Cash or cheque only please.

Make cheques payable to: Peak Publications Society, mail with the ad, attn: Business Manager.

sure? Need a safe place to talk?

HOMINUM is an informal discussion and support group to help gay, bisexual and questioning men with the Part Time Job Offer From TD challenges of being married, sepaTECH LIMITED: Are you seeking rated or single. We meet every Monan extra income? Would you like to day Evening in locations around the work at your own convenient time Metro-Vancouver Area. For informaand earn right as you work. We tion and meeting location, call Don: have the answer ,the job is suitable 604-329-9760 or Art 604-462-9813. for a trustworthy and very humble MATH GOT YOU SCARED? applicant. If you are interested WORRIED ABOUT THAT NEXT contact us via Email Address at: MIDTERM? Contact Scott Cowan tyed24566@aol.com. f10 for all your Math/MACM tutoring needs. Competitive rates, extensive experience and great past reviews! scottc@alumni.sfu.ca f7 Google “Star Trek: Chains of Betrayal” for a piece of SFU history.

Are you Gay, Bi-sexual or just not

CLASSIFIEDS@ THE-PEAK.CA

Across 1- Biblical spy 6- Rowing implements 10- ___ extra cost 14- Buddy 15- “A Death in the Family” author 16- Slay 17- Fenny 18- Visionary 19- Romain de Tirtoff, familiarly 20- Rage 21- Salon stylist 24- Apprehensive 26- Thespians 27- Hunky-dory 28- Shop shaper 30- Rise to one’s feet 33- Cowboy display 34- Narrow inlet 37- Juniors, perhaps 38- Ventured 39- Bath powder 40- Health haven 41- Broadway actress Uta 42- Actress Taylor 43- What girls will be 44- Not ‘neath LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

45- Relax 48- Having a notched edge 52- Repeated rotation 55- Doo-wop syllable 56- Propagative part of a plant 57- Part of Q.E.D. 58- French beans?

60- Author ___ Stanley Gardner 61- Regal address 62- Overact 63- Active one 64- Without 65- Rustic Down 1- Small house 2- Dean Martin’s “That’s ___” 3- Hybrid beast

4- Cackleberry 5- Period of being a boy 6- Watering hole 7- Antiquing agent 8- Hollow grass 9- Having a notched edge 10- ___ Fideles 11- Trunk 12- Gunpowder ingredient 13- Lulus 22- Penguin’s septentrional counterpart 23- Reflected sound 25- Moving vehicles 28- Actress Sophia 29- Arabian Sea gulf 30- Conscription org.

31- Outdo 32- Santa ___ 33- Fury 34- Hurried

35- Land in la mer 36- Whiz 38- Humidity 39- Sea swallow 41- It may be happy 42- Go in again 43- Garden device 44- Acapulco gold 45- Alleviated 46- Olds model 47- Stone marker 48- Quotes 49- Mary of “The Maltese Falcon” 50- 8th letter of the Greek alphabet 51- Art supporter 53- Horne solo 54- Mountain lake 59- Large flightless bird

Do you want to hear your voice on the radio?

To attend various music events? To have fun? Then CJSF radio is for you!

Join CJSF 90.1 FM as a volunteer and take a 45-­minute orientation tour WR OHDUQ PRUH DERXW LW 'URS LQ RQH RI WKHVH WLPHV WR ¿QG RXW ZKDW \RX can do and learn at your campus radio. (We’re in TC216 right over the Burnaby campus main entrance.)

1st Friday of the month at 3pm 2nd Tuesday at 4pm 3rd Thursday at 3 pm Hope to see you there!

4th Wednesday at 6:15 pm

HUMOUR

The Shoulder Bump Bandit — an evil, apparently-in-a-rush mastermind who has been terrorizing SFU since September — has struck again.

This is the fourth attack on the SFU populace, and it would seem no one is safe. The latest attack conformed to the pattern seen in the first three, as the Bandit seems to prey entirely on random passersby.

He or she walks past the victim in a hallway, stairwell, or classroom and bumps into them, shoulder to shoulder; by the time the victim has looked up, turned, and issued an apology, the Bandit is gone.

The most recent victim, Terrence Chin, bravely came forward to The Peak to share his story — as well as issue a warning: “I was cruising Tinder and walking at the same time when, all of sudden, my shoulder hit someone else’s. I reeled backwards and turned to apologize excessively, like any normal person would, but whoever bumped into me was gone. No apology. Just gone.”

Citing little more than a close geographic proximity and having several genes in common, the Thurstons and their extended family came together on October 13 to argue around a dining room table, punctuated by intermittent periods of eating turkey.

“Everyone’s so busy off doing their own thing,” explained Mr. Thurston, between courses of delicious family gossip, “so it’s really great whenever we can come together and really get under each other’s

humour editor email / phone

October 14, 2014

Jacey Gibb humour@the-peak.ca / 778.782.4560

25

“We are aware of this heinous crime and we are taking it very seriously,” said Kathryn Cahtz, a representative for local police. “This is Canada. We, as a country, would fail if people didn’t apologize after bumping into each other or awkwardly stand in front of doorways while we take turns offering to let someone else go through ahead of us. These are the foundations that our nation sits upon.”

Though Chin suffered no immediate physical injuries, he believes emotional scarring may be a long-term effect of the incident.

“Anyone reading this, please remember to keep your head up while walking,” encouraged Chin, “No one should have to go through what happened to me. No one.”

Despite frequency and severity of the attacks, university security have no leads and little information to go on.

“We’ve never seen anything like this,” said Don Branch, head of SFU security. “You bump into someone, you both apologize automatically without even thinking about whether it was your fault or theirs.

That’s just what you do.”

Eyewitness accounts of the Shoulder Bump Bandit vary, with the suspect between 18 to 54 years of age, male or female, and 5’5” to 6’4”. Based on the information they have, security

officers are fairly certain that this is probably “the work of a human . . . or maybe a really smart dog or something.” While the sex and canine-nature of the Bandit remain unknown, all witnesses have confirmed that the Bandit is “super rude.”

Branch also told The Peak that security has reached out to surrounding law enforcement agencies to expand the effort and hopefully bring the Bandit to justice.

Police have also begun contacting universities south of the border for a third-party perspective, theorizing that the Bandit could possibly be an international student and entirely unaware of apologetic Canadian customs. Responses thus far have been unhelpful, though, as any feedback about how to catch someone bumping shoulders without saying sorry has largely been met with, “Are you fucking kidding me?”

of times throughout the year.

Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving. That’s not a lot of chances to make off-handed comments about who’s raising their kids better, or subtly bring up who makes more money. Holidays are really all about family.”

Thanksgiving — a holiday meant to commemorate early Pilgrims who came to America in the 16th century — is traditionally celebrated in Canada by eating too many buttered up carbs and consuming processed foods to the point of exhaustion, followed by accidentally falling asleep on the couch while everyone makes surfacelevel small talk.

While having an uncle get blackout drunk during the festivities is also a tradition at Canadian Thanksgivings, the Thurstons opted not to have one this year and simply didn’t invite Uncle Richard.

Though tensions remained high for most of the gluttonous feeding period, family members agreed that the turkey “wasn’t as dry as last year” and that the ritualistic offering would be enough to quell their inevitable self-destruction until the next gathering in December.

skin. Yelling at each other over the phone just isn’t the same.

“The great thing about family is that we’ve all known each other for so long that we never run out of skeletons to bring up or things to complain about. We can be as cruel and unforgiving in our table talk as we want without fear people will resent us because, well, we’re family.

We’re stuck with each other regardless of what happens.”

The excessive feast — prepared almost entirely by Mrs. Thurston over 12 gruelling hours, who

wished to offer her thanks to “no one” for helping — went largely unnoticed as most family members took the opportunity to air grievances they’d been simmering over since April.

Mr. Thurston continued: “We only get together a handful

26 HUMOUR

October 14, 2014

In a historic decision that has been generating buzz all around the playground, second-grade student Billy Stanford has made a pledge to honour only 100 per cent fair trade offers for his strawberry Fruit Roll-up.

Although in the past Stanford has been known, around Suncrest Elementary, to partake in far-fromequal exchanges for the snacks his mother packs him, it’s reported that’s all behind him as of this recess.

“I’ve done a lot of growing up and realized it’s just not right to

take advantage of those less fortunate than me,” Stanford told The Peak. “I’m consistently getting some of the best lunches of all my friends. I’m talking Pop-tarts, Fruit Gushers, sometimes I even get an entire honest to god chocolate bar [. . .] making fair trades is just the ethical thing to do.”

According to friends of Stanford, he’s not gouging them at all for the Fruit Roll-up. Even though it’s his favourite flavour, he’s reportedly willing to part with it for a reasonable amount of Goldfish crackers, something they say is commendable.

“It’s really amazing for somebody in his position to have a fair trade policy,” explained Dougie

Jones, the classmate who got the Fruit Roll-up for only a third of his crackers. “You wouldn’t expect someone who gets McDonald’s brought in monthly to be that generous with his lunches.”

While Jones’ positive feelings about the selfless nature of Stanford’s lunch exchanges have been echoed by a number of his colleagues, others have reacted more cynically.

“Sure, he says it’s a fair trade, but according to who? Donny and Kevin?” questioned Bryan Sanders, another classmate.

“Dougie might think he’s getting a good deal, but that’s still too many Goldfish [. . .] it’s just not sustainable for him long-term.”

While the term ‘fair trade’ may be a contentious issue on the playground, the children have reportedly found some common ground when it comes to what snacks they enjoy trading the most: cheap junk food created and packaged by exploited workers in the Third World.

HUMOUR

October 14, 2014

27

28 LAST WORD

(NUW) — During some grand bout of insomnia, I began to ponder my own concept of time; how I perceived it, and why I perceived it in that particular way. Attempting to logically analyze all of this at 4:00 a.m. probably wasn’t the best idea, and only succeeded in keeping me up the rest of the night.

But as it turns out, I’m not the first person to be kept awake by questions of how different people perceive time differently.

Anyone who has taken an intro communications class should be familiar with Edward T. Hall and his works concerning monochronic and polychronic concepts of time, in which he identifies Western society as being almost exclusively celebratory and rewarding of a monochronic lifestyle. His theories fit under the umbrella of a wider field of study known as chronemics.

Chronemics studies the way we perceive and structure time, especially as an element of nonverbal communication. Basically, how you associate with time says a lot about you as a person — kind of like how a potential employer will assume you’re irresponsible if you show up to the interview late. Monochronic time refers to a system in which things are done one at a time within a strict schedule. Once the time allotted to one task is done, work will not continue on that task.

The concept of time becomes something that must be managed, as opposed to polychronic time where time becomes more fluid and adaptable.

In a polychronic system, multiple tasks can be performed at once, and rather than a strict schedule, you simply devote as much time as necessary to each task. That way, if you finish a simple task early, you can apply that extra time to a more difficult task later on, or vice versa.

features editor email / phone

Max Hill features@the-peak.ca / 778.782.4560

The polychronic concept of time is where we get the term multi-tasking from. For example, some people like to play music while they study or work on an essay, in order to reduce stress and be able to concentrate. These people are naturally more productive under a polychronic time system, as opposed to monochronically inclined people who prefer to work in complete silence.

In his book The Dance of Life: The Other Dimension of Time, Hall wrote, “By scheduling, we compartmentalize; this makes it possible to concentrate on one thing at a time, but it also reduces the

Chronemics is important because it isn’t just applied to individuals; entire societies tend to perceive time within these particular systems, and this works in much the same way as it does for individuals. What does change is the adaptable nature of switching between the two systems — people can set priority based off of emotion, but society cannot.

Canada and the United States are seen as monochronic societies, obsessed with schedules. Because of the need to prioritize economic tasks on a grand scale, little regard is paid to the individual. This has gotten better in recent years, with

context. Since scheduling by its very nature selects what will and will not be perceived and attended, and permits only a limited number of events within a given period, what gets scheduled constitutes a system for setting priorities for both people and functions.”

Put simply, the monochronic system requires you to prioritize what’s more important to you: the people you love, or your schedule. For most, putting aside a simple schedule in order to be there for someone who needs you from time to time takes priority without a doubt, which is why there are no true binary examples within chronemics. No one person is exclusively devoted to either the polychronic or monochronic system. We usually live our lives in a mixture of both, with either one taking precedence based on the situation.

You may be scratching your head, pondering why this matters.

‘stress’ being a more widely accepted and valid reason to take medical leave, but as a society, we still pay little attention to the needs of the people around us in a non-generalized sense.

To sum it up, the needs of the many outweigh the wants of the few, especially where deadlines are concerned.

Not all societies are like this.

Latin American and some Asian societies run on a polychronic system. These societies prioritize tradition and social relationships as opposed to the almighty schedule. Time is dictated by a rural clock of work or community life, and sometimes religious festivities; less focus is paid to the arbitrary division of hours, and more to how long something will take in order for it to be done right.

An employee or business owner is not seen as responsible if they show up for work every

day at exactly 9:00 a.m.; instead, they’re expected to maintain a good working relationship with their colleagues and customers. Personal reputation plays a big part in how successful you are professionally, so any misdemeanour or lapse in judgment is taken far more seriously.

As members of a society that values the monochronic system, we have been raised to believe that working hard will result in economic gain, which is good. But by placing priority on work and career schedules, we tend to isolate ourselves from those around us. Hall refers to this as the “anti-human aspect of [monochronic time].” We deny our natures in favour of being pack animals, and alienate ourselves to better focus on time management and extract every cent out of the time we are allotted.

Hall’s essay on polychronic and monochronic time was published in 1984, well before the technological boom of the smartphone — it doesn’t take into account the isolating nature of modern technology, which has been blamed for rising rates of mental illness and suicide. It’s hard to argue that Canada’s focus on monochronic time, or our generation’s dependence on Facebook and text messaging, are exclusively responsible for these issues — however, I can say with confidence, that it’s certainly not helping.

As an individual with a hectic schedule myself, I think it’s important to take time back. Maybe you can’t become polychronic in nature, but you can place a greater priority on maintaining personal relationships face to face, rather than through email or chat logs. In the end, it all becomes about the balance of the personal and professional. Even if you don’t think you need it, those around you might.

October 14, 2014