Heavy Baggage

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CANADIAN COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER AWARD 2013

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FIRST PEEK

Earlier this month, Grantland published a feature profile of Dr. Essay Anne Vanderbilt, the reclusive and eccentric scientist behind a scientifically advanced golf putter named the Oracle GXI. At least, that’s how the story begins — by the end of the article, Vanderbilt has committed suicide and been outed as a trans woman, all in the name of a good story.

To be clear, it is a good story; I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t. Caleb Hannan, the writer behind it, is clearly talented. His 8000 word piece is packed with unexpected twists and turns, including the revelation that most of Vanderbilt’s professional credentials were elaborate fabrications. Hannan digs deep into Vanderbilt’s past, uncovering a series of lies and deceits that make for what might be the most engaging article ever written about golf putters.

But Hannan and Grantland made the mistake of publishing an article that values storytelling over ethics — Vanderbilt is never considered as anything more than a weirdo and a con artist, and her ultimate suicide is treated as the climax of an elaborate fiction

January 27, 2014

rather than the actual death of a human being.

Hannan calls it “an odd experience” to be writing a eulogy for a woman who by all accounts hated him, but he never considers the privilege he has in presenting the story from his point of view. His is the last word on Dr. V’s story; we’ll never hear her side of it.

Most of the controversy surrounding the article revolves around Hannan’s discovery that Vanderbilt is a trans woman; he describes a chill running up his spine upon learning this fact, and proceeds to treat the revelation as further evidence of Vanderbilt’s deceptive nature. Delving deeper into Vanderbilt’s past as Stephen, Hannan refers to her as “a troubled man who had invented a new life for himself.”

To publicly out Vanderbilt as trans on an international news platform is one thing; to refer to her by a male pronoun in any context is not only ignorant, but belittling to her identity as a trans woman.

Hannan even outed Vanderbilt to one of her investors before her death, a move that would more accurately be described as witch

hunting than journalism. He may not have been aware of the gravity of his actions, but that’s hardly an adequate excuse.

Grantland’s editor in chief, Bill Simmons, recently published a 3000 word mea culpa explaining the editorial process behind the piece, apologizing both to his readers and to Hannan. He admitted that no trans people were consulted before running the piece, and admits that Grantland “made an indefensible mistake” in publishing the article.

Many have gone so far as to argue that Hannan murdered Vanderbilt, which is an indefensible accusation — it’s ludicrous to assume that the writer’s article was the sole factor, or even a contributing factor, in Dr. V’s suicide.

But this doesn’t absolve Hannan of his guilt.

As an editor, I understand the challenges that come with working on a story like this one, but Hannan, along with Grantland’s editorial staff, had every opportunity to question whether the article was an acceptable one to publish. It wasn’t.

Journalists should do more than tell stories; they have a moral responsibility to treat their subjects with even-handedness and respect, and to tell their stories with that same level of respect. Hannan’s piece may be good writing, but it’s bad journalism — as soon as we begin to value stories above people, we lose touch with the world we’re attempting to reflect.

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NEWS

At the SFSS board of directors meeting on Jan. 20, the board voted to approve a budget for a spring concert.

As recommended by Financial and Administrative Services Committee (FASC) on Jan. 15, the board voted to reallocate the remaining amount from special events (e.g. the fall concert) towards the 2014 spring concert.

The budget for the spring concert is approximately $39,000.

“We’ve got a really strong team,” said business representative, Brandon Chapman, who brought the motion to board.

“We’ve done a lot of our homework in terms of making this thing realistic and achievable.”

Buzz around a potential second concert was generated during Burnaby Clubs Days, as the SFSS volunteers handed out flyers gauging interest, asking, “Do you want a part two?” As it turns out, FASC had already approved

January 27, 2014

a budget for a spring concert that morning.

Chapman reported to the board that many students expressed interest in another concert at Clubs Days, signing the SFSS sheets for more information. He also described to the board the changes that the events committee had in mind for a spring concert, which included new areas for potential revenue. Chapman said the hope is to cover some of the costs of the fall kickoff concert, and at worst break even.

“Our goal is to have a beer garden this time around. Upon conversations with the university, this is achievable, and this will help offset some of our costs,” Chapman said.

However, not everyone was as optimistic as Chapman concerning the finances of the project.

External relations officer, Chardaye Bueckert, expressed her reservations about committing the rest of the special events/large scale line item budget — totalling $39,214 — to a spring concert.

Bueckert reported that out of the 1800 people that are estimated to have attended the fall concert, only 977 tickets had been documented as sold. “Regarding the ticket revenue, in the tracking sheet there was $20,367 accounted for.” Bueckert told the board. “According to the financial ledger, the actual ticket revenue was $33,844.10. That means that

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we have $13,477.10 in ticket revenue which we don’t have a tracking sheet that corresponds to.

So that’s obviously a pretty large concern.”

Bueckert was also hesitant to acknowledge the potential for breaking even. “Regarding the projected revenue for this concert, the fall concert was actually projected to have a $6000 revenue. So I’m wondering if there’s anything we can speak to in our plans to avoid that shortfall again.”

She continued, “If you have a loss of approximately $24,000 plus that $6,000 projected revenue, that means we’re actually off from the fall concert about $30,000 in our numbers.”

Board members also discussed the genre of music to be played but seemed split between hosting another electronic dance music concert and featuring a different style of music.

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

“Down the road it is something that we’ve talked about, in terms of varying up the genres of music, and I really want to see that as well,” Chapman said. “This time around, we are trying to reduce costs and not change too much about this at first. When you’re dealing with a conservative university who is not used to seeing these events run successfully, you don’t want to make too many changes at once, so the main change we’re trying to make for this event is to add a beer garden.”

To mitigate costs, Chapman also suggested hiring domestic headliners instead of the international artists who played at the fall concert.

In summary, Chapman said, “The kickoff concert was a very successful event, and . . . as a service organization, a not for profit here to serve our students, making money is not the goal of these events.”

After almost an hour of discussion, the motion was passed by a vote of seven to three. Bueckert and Clay Gray, at-large representative, asked that their opposition be noted in the minutes.

The SFSS is currently in discussions with the administration surrounding a date for the concert, but students can tentatively expect to party on Apr. 4 or 5.

Melissa Roach

It was brought up at board last Monday that, as Build SFU moves into the design and development phase of the SUB project, there is a need for representatives from SFU Facilities Services to work alongside the Build SFU general manager in selecting mechanical, structural, and electrical engineers for the project.

It was recommended at the building committee meeting in Dec. that a student board member serve as a representative on the committee. Brandon Chapman, business representative and Build SFU committee member, was appointed upon recommendation by Marc Fontaine, Build SFU general manager.

Concern was raised by at-large representative Clay Gray as to whether or not the committee would be better served by a board member who is an engineering student, indicating Moe Kopahi or Raham SaberiNiaki.

SaberiNiaki responded, “In terms of the education that we get here from the engineering department being relevant to the project, [it is] not at all.”

NEWS

A new iPad app called ScribJab, developed by two researchers at SFU, will allow children to write and share stories in multiple languages.

With a grant from Heritage Canada and technical assistance from SFU Creative Services, education professors Kelleen Toohey and Diane Dagenais have created an interactive multilingual story-telling app and website to encourage language learning and to build writing skills. Both formats are free for users.

“The point of this was to encourage children to write stories and to enjoy them,” Toohey explained.

ScribJab was officially launched at SFU on Jan. 14, when the developers and child authors celebrated the 30 books published to date.

To publish a story, children must first log on with a teacher or parent, then write a story in English or French, draw pictures, or record audio. From there, the story can be translated into another language.

Although ScribJab was originally designed for ages 10-13, younger children, older students, and adults can also use it. “Some teachers have been using ScribJab with teenagers

January 27, 2014

who are learning French,” Dagenais said.

“There are a lot of multilingual and bilingual resources for teachers,” said Dagenais. “But there was nothing that we could see that was for kids to use.”

This research celebrates the fact that children may speak languages other than English and French at home, and allows them to connect with family members by writing stories and translating them into their mother tongue.

The idea first developed during a classroom project Toohey was involved with several years ago. The teacher she worked with noticed that the grandparents of Punjabi children were not attending reading time because they didn’t speak English.

“The kids and the teacher decided they would interview grandparents and get stories, and write them and translate them, so that they could go in the kindergarten and read the stories to little kids,” Toohey described. “They were so beautiful — the stories that the kids wrote — I felt like it was really important we found a wider distribution for them.”

Toohey and Dagenais would also like to see Aboriginal children using the app and writing stories in Aboriginal languages.

Although the researchers have yet to review the statistics on app downloads to date, they hope it will soon gain an international following. This will give children and older users the opportunity to share their stories with people all over the world.

Pop stars and teenage girls no longer have a monopoly on twerking — male black widows have joined their ranks.

Research in animal communication at SFU has led to the discovery of the importance of vibratory signals to the black widow courting process. The male must gently shake his thorax, or abdomen, to alert the female that he is, indeed, a potential mate and not her next meal.

Courting a female black widow is no easy task. They are approximately twice the size of the males and have immediate predatory reactions to anything that approaches them. Unfortunately for the males, their size puts them right into the females’ prey category.

SFU biology professor, Gerhard Gries, and graduate students Samantha Vibert and Catherine Scott have determined how the female spiders differentiate between prey and prospective mates who land on their web.

Gries explains that the female’s web is not only for catching prey — it has a second function. “The web is the dance floor for the males,” Gries said. They come to the web in response to a chemical signal, a pheromone, that the female releases onto the silken strands as she spins her web. He explains that this pheromone is

essentially advertising to all males: “I’m a virgin female, if you’re interested in being my mate, respond to this chemical message.”

Once a male spider lands on the female’s web, the vibrations of his movements will indicate whether he is a suitor or a victim.

Male vibrations are significantly more subtle than the percussive vibrations of a struggling fly, for instance, and therefore do not trigger a predatory response in the female.

If the male makes a misstep, not only is his date over, he will inevitably become her dinner.

Gries uses the analogy of a first date to show the precariousness of the situation. The male can’t afford to “get off on the wrong foot” with the female. If the male makes a misstep, not only is his date over, he will inevitably become her dinner.

The professor and his fellow researchers put this to the test.

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Using a sophisticated playback device with an attached rod that makes contact with the web, they played their recordings of male spider signals and of struggling prey at opposite amplitudes.

If played at its regular amplitude, the fly’s vibratory signal would elicit a predatory response from the female, but if played at a lower amplitude (like the male spider’s signal), it would not. In contrast, if the male spider’s signal was played at the same high amplitude as the fly’s, the female would rush out in search of prey.

According to Gries, this demonstrates that “the amplitude of the vibrations, or the displacement of the strands, they tell her [the female spider], ‘Okay it’s prey, I’ll rush out to have a meal, or, it’s a male that wants to court me.’”

Reflecting on his findings, Gries says, “It’s quite fascinating to see that such a seemingly small [thing] makes all the difference in the world.”

READ THE PEAK’S NEW DRAFT CONSTITUTION! Change is coming to your student newspaper: we want to replace our Constitution, and we want your input on the new document.

We’ve placed the full text of the current and draft constitutions on our web site with a simple explanation of the changes, and we want your thoughts. Leave your mark on this organization for the coming decades at: Be like James Madison!

the-peak.ca/constitution

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January 27, 2014

WHO DO YOU WANT TO BE IN THE WORLD?

(CC) BY image by Mario Luca Giordano http://www.flickr.com/photos/monkeyfunky/5970205094/

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NEWS

International students, who already pay two to three times the tuition paid by local students, are going to see their tuition rise by a third over the next three years.

As approved by the SFU board of governors in the 2013/2014 Operating Budget and Financial Plan, over the next three years, undergraduate international students’ tuition fees will be raised by ten per cent each year — eight per cent more than Canadian and resident undergraduate tuition fees, which are increasing by the two per cent maximum allowed

by BC government policy.

“I recognise that the university is between a rock and a hard place,” Julia Lane, coordinating and external relations officer for the Graduate Student Society, told The Peak. “Expenses are increasing all the time, space is not getting any bigger.”

Chardaye Bueckert, external relations officer for the SFSS, agreed with Lane, listing a number of expenses the university has to face: deferred maintenance, professors’ annual raises, increased operating costs, and inflation.

“When you don’t receive any increased funding, it puts financial pressure on [the university].”

The issue comes from the stagnation of government funding and lack of financial support for post-secondary institutions.

As explained by the administration in its operating budget and financial plan for the current academic year, “SFU has undertaken a number of cost savings initiatives over the last few years and these have largely been exhausted.” At the same time, “strong enrolment — particularly international enrolments — has helped to alleviate some of the financial pressures experienced in the past.”

A primary source of income for SFU, funding from BC’s government represents just less than half of its revenue ($218 million

January 27, 2014

International students can expect a 30% raise in fees over the next three years. this year) with student fees almost matching that amount ($210 million). On the provincial government’s part, the foreseeable future for post-secondary funding looks grim: “For this upcoming year, there is going to be no increased funding for SFU, and then over the next two years there is going to be [an estimated 2.2] million dollars in cuts,” Bueckert said.

At the same time, the federal government recently set an objective to double the number of international students and researchers in Canada to 450,000 by 2022. According to British Columbia’s International Education Strategy, there were 28,000 international students attending public post-secondary institutions in BC in 2012. The government aims to add 14,000 to this number by 2016.

Despite the allocation of 25 per cent of international students’ extra tuition increase to improve international student support, it is yet unclear whether the raise in fees will hinder international enrolment.

Indeed, there is a risk that a specific population of international students is going to be hit very hard. Christa Ovenell told us that issues of cost will impact some students and their decision to choose Vancouver.

Ovenell, director and principal of Fraser International College (FIC), which offers international students a smoother path to entering SFU, added, “I do think that Vancouver and British Columbia will continue to be appealing to foreign students,” mentioning Vancouver’s healthy lifestyle and many outdoors activities, such as skiing, hiking, or going to the beaches.

Mark Burnham / The Peak

According to Bueckert, the SFSS is opposed to differential fees, which only exist at the undergraduate level. “We went out in the summer to talk to the minister of advanced education, in conjunction with other student societies, and we did talk about tuition fees,” said Bueckert.

She continued, “We plan to go back over February, when the legislature starts to sit again, and we’d like to meet with the advanced education minister and MLAs,” adding that she was hoping to bring up the issue of international student tuition fees.

The SFSS is currently planning lobbying missions in addition to several sessions in Convocation Mall throughout the semester. “We plan to give information to students on various things we are working on: deferred maintenance, transit, and we hope to raise awareness about tuition increases . . . It is really hard to budget if you don’t know about those increases, so we need to educate students about that,” Bueckert said.

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OPINIONS

The author Alan Lakein once said, “Failing to plan is planning to fail.” If this is the case, then it would appear that Justin Trudeau and the Liberal Party are indeed planning to fail, with Trudeau having stated last year that the Liberal Party will not be announcing a platform until 2015, the year of the next federal election.

Trudeau has made a lot of noise about improving Canada’s middle class, but has so far been silent on how he intends to accomplish this. Even the Liberal Party website is full of wonderfully written phrases on what they believe, but no substance as to how they intend to accomplish the goals they have set for themselves.

January 27, 2014

This is a dangerous move on the part of a Liberal Party struggling to recover from its crushing defeat in the last federal election. With Tom Mulcair’s New Democrats targeting the same middle class audience, the Liberals run the risk of, once again, being left out in the cold.

It would seem that the Liberals have yet to learn an important lesson from 2011: that it is not enough to criticize the government; parties must present themselves as a clear, viable alternative. One of the reasons the Conservatives were able to gain a majority government in the last election is that the PM had a clearly defined plan, particularly with regards to the economy.

At the leaders’ debates, when asked about economic policy, all three leaders failed to present their plans for the nation, instead limiting themselves to attacking Conservative policy. When Canadians went to the polls on Election Day, they elected the

opinions editor email / phone

Joel MacKenzie opinions@the-peak.ca / 778.782.4560

Conservatives. I am willing to bet that many did so with one idea running through their heads: better the devil you know than the devil you don’t.

It seems that the Liberal Party is banking on the Trudeau name and their leader’s relative youth ( Trudeau is 42, while Mulcair is 59 and Harper is 54). These two traits act as a double-edged sword, as they have also become the main avenue of attack from both other parties.

Both Conservatives and New Democrats have commented on Mr. Trudeau’s lack of experience in the political arena. It is hard to argue against that point, with Harper having been involved in politics since the 1980’s, Mulcair since the 90’s, and Trudeau only becoming significantly involved in the 2000’s. His name

could be divisive in itself, as the late Pierre Trudeau was hardly a universally liked figure, especially out West.

While they still have a lot of time leading up to the next federal election, Liberals need to start getting their ideas out there, or else they risk giving an advantage to the other parties. By the time the election rolls around in October of next year, we will have had over nine years of experience with the Conservative platform and, with Mulcair starting the campaign early, Canadians will have an extra year of exposure to NDP ideas.

While Trudeau still holds the lead in Nanos Research polls, he is losing ground to both Mulcair and Harper. If he wants to be a contender next year, the man needs to come up with a plan and get it to the people. If he fails to do so, the 2015 federal election will be a case of NDP left vs. Conservative right, with the Liberal Party again relegated to third party status.

OPINIONS

SFU, I hate your ridiculous international school fees!

SFU is yet again increasing tuition fees by an additional eight per cent, on top of the already basic two per cent increase per annum. I am not the only one growling at this injustice. As an international student, I already pay $595 per credit, almost four times the amount locals pay. SFU wants to increase that by another ten per cent each coming year?

Pardon me while I scoff. And curl up in a corner.

But it isn’t just SFU. According to Statistics Canada, in 2013 fee increases for undergraduate international students ranged from 1.4 per cent in Alberta to 10.1 per cent in Ontario. Graduate fee increases were a tad bit better, ranging from 1.6 per cent in Manitoba to 6.7 per cent in Saskatchewan. But the trend appears to only be going up.

International students hang on to their existence in Canada by a thread; the only reason most of us are allowed to stay is because of a piece of paper permitting us

January 27, 2014

to study here (terms and conditions apply). If we dislike our school fees, we can’t do anything but take it, or leave Canada. Honestly, what’s to stop a school from increasing international fees other than sheer conscience?

If our tuition fees really increase by 30 per cent over the next three years, international students will get fed up. Current students might have no choice but to finish our degrees to make sure all the money we’ve forked

out so far gets us at least something in the end. Future students, though, will hopefully think twice about applying to SFU, and even other Canadian institutions. You can only push us so far before we push back.

Maybe Canadian universities think that they can raise our school fees because of the demand for Canadian education from international students, but exponentially capitalizing on this opportunity means that you are exploiting us.

If tuition fees were actually affordable, I would take classes left, right, and center. There are so many interesting, stimulating classes that I want to take but can’t because I don’t want to stretch my resources even more by going over the 120 credits needed to graduate. What happened to the spirit of education? We’ve lost it to the profiteering ways of business.

I like my experience in Canada enough. I just don’t think it has to come at such a high price.

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10 OPINIONS

January 27, 2014

In Canada, like in every other country in the world, people die. To die is a perfectly natural thing, yet assisting someone’s suicide to help them end their own suffering is a criminal act.

The Criminal Code of Canada currently states that, “Every one who (a) counsels a person to commit suicide, or (b) aids or abets a person to commit suicide, whether suicide ensues or not, is guilty of an indictable offence and is liable to imprisonment […].”

This includes doctors and physicians who are there to treat patients who may suffer from any number of both terminal and painful long-term diseases. These people, whose job is to assuage the suffering of their patients, are prohibited from assisting them with the one thing they often want most: an end to their suffering.

Assisted suicide can be the most compassionate way to help the incurably suffering.

Canadians need to question the laws that forbid it.

When people approach the subject of assisted suicide, they

do so because they feel they have no other option — people who are elderly, frail, and in constant pain, or people with debilitating diseases that chain them to a body no longer willing to respond to their pleas of movement or painlessness. These are the people who ask their doctors for assistance, the ones whom doctors have to refuse or face legal repercussions.

Like any major legal proceedings, there is much hesitation and concern over what a change in law might look like.

Many worry that enacting a law such as this would lead to the elderly or the sick being taken advantage of or coerced into ending their lives against their wishes.

But Canada is far from the first country to deal with this issue; other countries operate with legal assisted suicide, including Switzerland, Luxembourg, and The Netherlands, and some American states allow it including Oregon, Washington, Vermont, and Montana.

There have been multiple court cases in Canada in which people with extreme physical disabilities have petitioned the court to either change or lift the law so that they may be allowed to die with the assistance they require. These people do not proceed into this lightly, but rather turn to it as a way to die on their own terms, before their bodies become prisons.

This month, the Supreme Court of Canada has said it will hear an appeal by the BC Civil Liberties Association seeking to change the law, so that “seriously and incurably ill, mentally competent adults have the right to receive medical assistance to hasten death under specific safeguards.”

The last very public challenge to this law came in 1993 when Sue Rodriguez fought for the right of assistance in ending her battle with ALS. A widely criticized decision came on Sept. 30 of the same year when she lost 5-4 in the Supreme Court of Canada.

With the vote so close twenty years ago in the last big debate over this issue, is it not time to revisit it? As a nation, our belief systems, and our treatment of our more vulnerable citizens, has since greatly progressed. This law should also change with the times. It is time to let all Canadians have the right to die with the same dignity and respect any one of us would desire.

OPINIONS

Starting in 2010, a wave of political protests swept across Arab countries in the Middle East and North Africa, in what is now referred to as the Arab Spring.

Saudi Arabia was able to avoid regime change and ultimate turmoil; some believe that sizeable wage increases and promises of more public goods and services were largely

Before last semester, I had wanted to attend SFU for five years. Because I am a dualcitizen who lives in the states, it seemed a wild dream to both my family and friends; most — if they even pursued a further education — just attended local schools.

Before I came here, I got my associate degree at an American college. Because I wanted to be accepted to SFU so badly, I pulled mostly 4.0s and ended up graduating on the school’s president’s list.

I knew that work here would be a lot harder than at my previous school, but I was up for the challenge.

I wanted this adventure and to fulfil this long-time dream of mine. But this semester, I feel like I have failed myself. No matter how hard I try, my grades seem to tell me to give up.

I’m writing this to The Peak because I know that I’m not the only one on campus who feels this way. I have friends and family here who, both previously ecstatic about school, have lost their spark.

January 27, 2014

responsible for keeping the royal family in power. However, this strategy of appeasing politically conscious citizens with increased public goods and services may not work so well in the near future.

One prevalent practice within this regime has been subsidizing a variety of daily needs, such as electricity, oil, etc. As a result, citizens pay below-market prices for gasoline and electricity, with the cost mainly shouldered by the government. In fact, according to Numbeo.com, as of 2014, gasoline in Saudi Arabia costs a mere 15 cents per litre on average!

An article was published in Al-Monitor near the end of 2013 that highlights the impacts of

But I’ve found a solution to this problem: I’m changing my mentality on the subject.

This experience has made me question whether I was made for school, so I have been looking into options outside of my major. I have decided to disregard the intimidating American expectation to complete a bachelor’s degree in exactly four years.

At SFU, most people seem to get their degrees in five or six years rather than four. The university offers options outside of that time frame, like co-op, that provide real working experience and I think that’s wonderful.

This mentality encourages actually learning about what you’re going into and making sure you enjoy it. When I adopted this new outlook on schooling, all of the pressures of meeting the four year deadline softened and I became excited to break from the norm and look into different possibilities for myself.

I got in touch with MTV Toronto and have applied for a summer internship, I started looking into film

Saudi Arabia’s energy subsidy program. Specifically, it estimated that the expenditures funding the program constitute approximately 10 per cent — a huge portion — of the kingdom’s GDP.

Unfortunately, the low prices these subsidies result in has lead to high rates of energy consumption, and a rapid increase of the country’s population

schools all over Canada, and I’ve signed up for film and acting classes for spring semester. Coming to SFU, I’m grateful that I was able to meet new people and see new places, because they have made me set my sights on broader horizons.

If you are struggling at school, no matter how well you used to do, give it some time. I went through my own struggle: this first semester was a pain in my ass but, even if I don’t continue here next year, I am happy that I did attend SFU. It showed me that breaking from the mould is okay, especially if that’s what makes you the happiest.

Focus on what makes you happy, whether it’s travel, working at McDonalds, or working at school. Do what makes you happy, because it will all be worth it in the end.

I promise.

Sincerely, Stephanie Fyfe SFU Student

within all of its sectors. To make matters worse, the country relies heavily on fossil fuels for the bulk of its energy needs.

Assuming that rapid population growth continues in Saudi Arabia, it is reasonable to suggest that underfunding of public services could become a critical problem for the survival of the royal family in the near future.

The royal family’s popularity depends mainly on the subsidies it provides; straining to deliver at least satisfactory levels of subsidies, as well as education, healthcare, housing, etc., to its citizens could lead to its ultimate downfall.

Consequently, I think the Saudi government will have to rely on different forms of

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taxation to provide public goods and services to the Saudi people. This could pressure the royal family to introduce a form of democracy to the country, as the people are likely to demand more say in government accountability with respect to government revenues.

Subsidization exemplifies poor financial management and bad economics, and is a critical bargaining tool between citizens and what I would consider an authoritarian government. External shocks to subsidy programs may break this fragile social contract and lead to political instability, which could result in similar revolutions to those in the Middle East’s near past.

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ARTS

arts editor email / phone

January 27, 2014

Daryn Wright arts@the-peak.ca / 778.782.4560

Hiding just around the corner of Main Street on East Georgia is a proverbial playground made of paper, courtesy of Montréal’s Séripop (Yannick Desranleau and Chloe Lum). Having seen their work in the past, I quickly made my way to Access Gallery — like a fat kid going to the Smarties factory — knowing my satisfaction would be guaranteed with Vexations.

Even from the rainy sidewalk, the window space seemed full of eye-candy. Two large accumulations of paper are given impossible weight through the use of a simple hanging device made of hardware store pulleys, netting and yellow nylon rope. Lum and Desranleau have pushed to the limit the art of silkscreening by creating precarious installations that question the printed page.

Where most conventional print shows would have single framed pieces lined up side by side to be viewed individually, here the very material specificity of paper is

being explored. Folding, crumpling, crushing, pasting and layering: no creative stone is left unturned. Even the boyish pleasure of chewing up spitballs and tossing them on the wall is evoked by one of the various installations, to grand effect.

In another instance, the window space is defined from the main gallery by a wall made from paper admitting black on black pinstripes. This massive patchwork sheet then makes its way to the ground, where it coats the

floor, as wallpaper would in a typical room.

As you’ve probably guessed by now, a Séripop show is anything but ordinary; it is no surprise that sitting on the somewhat tattered paper flooring is a larger than life, folded

in Maria. I’m kind of going through that since this is my first big professional job, figuring out the purpose of my life.”

Jarrad Biron Green is living a childhood dream. West Side Story has been his favourite musical since he was in the fifth grade, and now he is playing the lead role of Tony in the show’s North American tour.

“It was insane to get the call for this; I have to pinch myself sometimes,” he said. “Sometimes I get caught up in the moment and then I stop and think: I’m actually on the West Side Story tour.”

This is Green’s first professional job, but he is more than qualified for the part. He first played the role of Tony in a high school production, and then again as a student at NYU in one of the largest productions the school had seen.

The North American tour is a recreation of the Broadway revival version of the show, with some modifications: there is more Spanish used in the words and lyrics, as well as a bolder, contemporary representation of violence and sexuality. Green thinks that the addition of more Spanish works well and equalizes the playing field for the gangs: “It’s had mixed results, but I think it’s more believable.”

The cast of this production is also young, especially in comparison to the film version, which Green said gives people the wrong idea about how old the characters are supposed to be.

“The cast we have is more suitable, and we can connect with the audience better,” he said.

Relating to Tony comes easily to Green. “Tony is very similar to me at this stage of my life. He’s 18 or 19, and I’m 21, so we’re close in age. He wants to become more mature and leaves the gangs behind, gets a job, and finds his purpose

1957, which Green thinks is because of the conflict between the Jets and the Sharks and the fact that it’s based on Shakespeare’s classic story, Romeo and Juliet. “The show asks, ‘how can love survive in a world of bigotry, violence, and hate?’

That message stays with you,” said Green. “At the end of the show there is a little bit of hope that there can be some change,” which is why, Green says, audiences find this show so powerful.

Although the show deals with themes from Romeo and Juliet, Green explained that “the music and dance adds so much more to the piece.” Of Jerome Robbins’ choreography, Green says “[It] is still pleasant to watch, but there is something more feeding the moves.”

Apart from enjoying performing a coveted role in a world-renowned musical, Green is having fun experiencing so many new cities on this tour and said that he usually has

The exhibit uses paper in unexpected, unconventional ways.

Performing in Vancouver and other Canadian cities on this tour marks another first: “I’ve been to Canada once when I was young with my parents, but I couldn’t even tell you where it was.” He’s looking forward to visiting Vancouver. “I’m a big fan of the hockey community,” he said.

West Side Story has thrilled audiences since its debut in

Stephane Bernard / The Peak

up piece that recalls the paper fans so often crafted out of brochures and scraps of paper when the summer heat wave settles in.

And ironically enough, the dark sheet then bumps up again, settling on two larger masses that are blowing air: inflatable baubles of bold contrasting colours.

The use of both colour and form mould the gallery space into a battlefield where entropy and utopian architecture duke it out. This conflict is less a war than a healthy snowball fight between friends, as the monochromatic earth-toned sheets seem to get along with the acidic neon constructions that bolster the eye out of apathy, despite their formal differences.

Other sheets are pasted on the wall over and over again, in different patterns and colours, with the last of these rippling under the pressures of accumulation. They sag and distort, demonstrating the limits of their flexibility, and calling us to doubt the structure of the gallery itself.

Lively and somewhat apocalyptic all at once, Vexations is a paperwork jungle gym.

time during the day to explore.

He’s soaking it all in, enjoying every minute of his first professional tour, and says, “It’s been a blast so far.”

ARTS

January 27, 2014

“In Beverly Hills … they don’t throw their garbage away. They make it into television shows.”

Llewyn Davis is an asshole. His friends know it, his manager knows it, and the orange tabby cat that follows him around knows it. Llewyn, played beautifully by newcomer Oscar Isaac, knows it too — and deep down, he knows it’s the reason he can’t find success as a folk singer in New York’s early 60s Greenwich Village scene. As the big-shot record producer Bud Grossman tells him in the film’s third act, there’s no money in what he does. He just can’t connect with people.

Like the best of Joel and Ethan Coen’s films, Inside Llewyn Davis is a cactus: prickly on the outside, gooey on the inside. There’s no plot, save for Llewyn’s attempts to keep track of a friend’s cat — the film simply summarizes a week in the singer’s life, as he plays gigs for the café crowd, pays for an abortion, surfs couches across Manhattan, and takes a pilgrimage to Chicago in zero below weather.

The Coens deny us any overarching themes or story arcs; characters disappear for days at a time, and several — including Justin Timberlake’s cheerful Jim — duck out halfway through the film, never to return. This isn’t their story. Like it or not, we’re with Llewyn for the long haul, and it’s a credit to Isaac that the cantankerous, cynical folkie never grates.

Though Llewyn’s story is full of poetic nuances and moments of gravity, it’s easy to see the film as a self-indulgent mess of historical revisionism and aimless melancholia. But the Coen’s Joycean approach to filmic narrative — if you can even call it that — paints a broader and more complex picture of the titular character than we might’ve found in a more conventional flick.

This isn’t to suggest that the film is a boring, intellectualized pile of mush. Quite the opposite, actually: Inside Llewyn Davis is beautifully shot and

edited, and its songs — most of which are old standards, save for the charming original “Please Mr. Kennedy” — are remarkably well performed. The acting is great across the board, but Carey Mulligan and John Goodman are in particularly fine form here, as Llewyn’s former flame and a heroin-addled jazz musician, respectively.

Maybe the best thing about Inside Llewyn Davis is that its titular vagrant isn’t great — he’s good, maybe even very good, but not great. Priding himself on his authenticity, Llewyn cringes at the thought of recording a novelty track. He’s a genuine songster, and the industry chews him up and spits him out — Grossman tells him he’s got the chops to sing backup, but not to make it as a leading man. He’s probably right. The Coens don’t shy away from the dark side of being an artist, and the film is all the more powerful for it.

In the final scene, Llewyn leaves a café after a show to confront a shadowy man in an alley, while a young Bob Dylan plays a gig in the background.

By the end, he’s lying face down in a gutter, like a character out of a Dylan song. For Llewyn, fame is at arms’ length — all around him, but just out of reach.

This is a classic ‘Woodyism,’ embodying the perpetual commodification of art and commercial artists in Woody Allen’s films.

What is a Woodyism, you may ask? It’s that witty oneliner delivered by the neurotic, intellectual director that, beneath its comic relief, provides critical insight into underlying existential, political, and artistic themes. These one-liners which characterize the work of Woody Allen are a reflection of why his films are, with a few exceptions, consistently lower grossing in North America than Europe.

Manhattan and Monopoly will explore the commodification of art through Woody’s films.

Despite his controversial personal life, the man has an incredible talent for diversity: Interiors and Hannah and Her Sisters leave audiences paralyzed by the realistic depiction of the crumbling lives of a dysfunctional family; Annie Hall and Midnight in Paris are lauded as nervous, sentimental romances; and Sleeper, Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex*But Were Too Afraid to Ask, and What’s Up, Tiger Lily? stand out as seemingly odd and erotic compared to the rest.

Sex and comedy sound like a combination that would go over well in Hollywood, so why are these films traditionally less popular in North America than Europe? North American industries of art and culture epitomize one recurring Woody Allen theme: the reduction of various art forms to mere commodities that can be bought, sold, and monopolized. North Americans have become so naturalized to

15

feel-good dramas and nationalist action films that characterbased dialogue, driven by witty commentary, critical questions, and moral crises, do not resonate with a vast North American audience.

But commodification of the film industry stretches far beyond a few missed Woodyisms. Another thing we learn from Woody Allen films is that art comes in many forms, all of which are becoming increasingly commodified in their own right. So, what is the significance of this phenomenon?

Art is more than pleasure and entertainment. Indeed, it can be that too, but a film is more than a couple of hours of visual pleasure and emotional commentary, an album is more than an hour of auditory ecstasy, an academic journal is more than 30 pages of enlightenment, and a painting is more than an abstract world of colours and illusions; art reflects, creates, and maintains culture.

When commodified, art is no longer a valid means of cultural expression; it no longer represents the everyday struggles of the average North American, rather a glorified, unrealistic portrayal of life that reflects the values, beliefs, and behaviours of an elite few.

The analogous relationship between contemporary culture and commodification of the arts is an issue of deep significance.

In the following weeks, with the inspiration, ideas, and insight of Woody Allen, I will explore the perplexities of this relationship through the contrast of sell-out culture industries and noncommercial raw art — from media and film, to graffiti walls and bathroom stalls, I will divulge why the commodification of the arts is more pertinent now than ever before.

16 ARTS

Is the best still yet to come? Gob Squad’s Kitchen, a production presented by the PuSh Performing Arts Festival, seeks to find authenticity in a time less optimistic than that of yesteryear.

While the show’s title refers to Andy Warhol’s film Kitchen, artist Sharon Smith explained that the original concept of the show had nothing to do with Warhol. The Gob Squad, a collective of artists from the UK and Germany, wanted to create a show using film that “ate audiences” by involving them so that there was no longer any audience left by the end. During their research they came across Warhol’s work, and that’s when the show really took shape.

“We started to re-enact films,” said Smith, “but the really obvious ones, like Titanic and Jaws, and then we started looking at art films and oneshot films, and of course we thought of Warhol.” These reenactments did in fact take place in a kitchen, with some of the crew watching on a screen in the living room. “We enjoyed the idea of having a screen in one room and a camera in the other — the uncanniness of that,” she said.

After playing around with various ideas and delving deeper into Warhol’s work, they realized how much of their work is really influenced by him. “We were always very aware of Warhol; we’ve always been fans,” said Smith. “As a collective we don’t

January 27, 2014

agree on anything, but I think I can speak for all of us when I say that. He was saying the right things in the right place at the right time,” she explained, “I’m not sure whether he knew it or not, the way it changed our relationship to art.”

“There was the myth of Kitchen,” said Smith, “we were all aware of it, but not sure if we’d seen it. We decided to never

watch it, to just go with memory and imagination.” In the end, that plan didn’t follow through; it turned out that a friend of a friend owned one of the four original copies of Kitchen, and the rare opportunity of a private screening was something they couldn’t pass up.

The show begins, as the audience walks through the kitchen itself, behind a giant screen, and then in front of it and to their seats. Seeing what’s behind the curtain doesn’t detract from the enjoyment of the work at all, and actually adds a deeper understanding of it.

This walk through also serves a practical purpose for the actors: they are sizing up the audience to see who they might pick to become part of the action.

Sharon Smith and Sean Patten are the first to be displayed on the big screen in black and white, describing objects in the kitchen and whether or not they are suitable for the time period.

There are three projectors: the second one shows the film Screen Test, a version of Warhol’s video portraits of people sitting in front of a camera. The third projector plays Sleep, which is exactly that — a film of someone sleeping. Each of these narratives has compelling twists, and Sleep also has some very intimate audience participation.

By the end of the show there were four audience members on stage instead of the four actors, and they became the show.

Since first performing this show in 2007, the Gob Squad has toured extensively, performing it over 160 times. “We did a three week run in New York and met some people who were involved

in the Factory,” said Smith, “they were in the epicenter of something.” It was a time when people felt like they could start a revolution or write a manifesto, and they had a great deal of optimism for the future.

“I think it’s very different now,” said Smith. “We’re trapped in something so completely capitalist. [Warhol] was beginning to critique it. Now we’re part of the problem, and it’s hard to imagine a solution or real change.”

Gob Squad’s Kitchen demonstrates that even though life is complicated, sometimes living in the moment is the best thing you can do.

SPORTS

Two number one seeds from each conference meeting in the Super Bowl doesn’t happen very often, but this year’s matchup not only features the two best teams in pro football, it also pits the Denver Broncos’ number one offence against the Seattle Seahawks’ number one defence. The National Football League could not have asked for a better Super Bowl matchup.

There are fascinating matchups all over the field, from Seahawks’ quarterback Russell Wilson versus the Broncos’ secondary, to Denver’s running game going up against the immovable force that is Seattle’s front seven.

Every clichéd ‘game within the game’ will be instrumental in deciding which team wins the Vince Lombardi Trophy, but the matchup

After falling to Embry Riddle University earlier in the season, the Clan were able to get revenge when SFU hosted their first dual of the new year, and topped ERU 25–24.

Seniors Skylor Davis and Sukhan Chahal opened for the Clan, and garnered a quick 12–0 lead for the Clan after earning six team points each.

“We had a similar performance two weeks ago when we faced this team on the road,” said head coach Justin Abdou, after the match. “We started strong with Skylor and Sukhan, but the middle guys struggled to get things going similar to last time.”

sports editor email / phone

January 27, 2014

that will have the most influence, unquestionably, will be Peyton Manning and his plethora of receivers going head to head with Seattle’s secondary, commonly referred to as the Legion of Boom.

Denver’s offence is a nightmare for defensive coordinators to plan

It looked like the Clan were stuck in that funk after three straight losses from Dillon Hume, Brendan Seppala and Josh Punzo; SFU was suddenly down 16–12, but senior Brock Lamb would get things back on track. An 11–6 victory for Lamb gave the Clan four team points, tying the match at 16 apiece.

And after freshman Reid Watkins surrendered four points in an 11–2 loss, Josh Kim rebounded with a three-point win to keep the Clan on pace.

“Josh really pulled through tonight for us,” said Abdou.

“We lost points in that match last time and he made an excellent effort to get that win in . . . when he was extremely tired.”

Another six-point win for the Clan at 285-pounds would seal the victory for the Clan, continuing their strong season.

SFU will be back on the mats on January 31 when they hit the road to take on the San Francisco Gators.

against because of the incredible athleticism pass-catchers Demaryius Thomas, Eric Decker, and Julius Thomas possess. Add Wes Welker into the mix and with no disrespect to Marvin Harrison or Reggie Wayne — two of the all-time greats — this is the best receiving corps Manning has ever had at his disposal.

That said, Seahawks’ defensive coordinator Dan Quinn has the athletes to matchup with the Broncos’ offense. Richard Sherman, however boastful he may be, is the most athletic corner in the game and he will be

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

tasked with keeping Demaryius Thomas in check.

Safety Kam Chancellor is 10 pounds away from being a linebacker, so he can get physical with Julius Thomas. Free safety Earl Thomas will be all over the field at Met Life Stadium come game day and unheralded corner Byron Maxwell has been solid in filling in for suspended starter and CFL alumni Brandon Browner.

Since Quinn likes to run man-toman coverage, this game will come down to whether or not Denver can successfully run its controversial,

with help from teammates Grace Ni and Katie McEvoy, the Clan quartet finished in just 1:57.78. In the same race on the men’s side, Brandon Bronson, Julian Monks, Ciaran McDonnell, and Hans Heyer also swam their way to a win.

A day that began with a big splash from Tim Rahilly, SFU’s associate vice president of students, ended with a Clan swimming team victory over the University of Victoria Vikes in SFU’s final home meet of the season.

Before diving into the races, Rahilly led a ceremony recognizing five Clan swimmers — Nicole Cossey, Kristine Lawson, Alexandria Schofield, Jordyn Konrad, and Carmen Nam — who represented SFU at last year’s NCAA Championships.

That championship pedigree led the Clan to an impressive 226– 186 win over their BC rivals. Cossey and Schofield started the day with a win in the 200m-medley relay, and

Schofield would earn the day’s first individual race — the 100m-butterfly — in 1:03.77, while sophomore Justin Kiedrzyn won the same event for the men.

Cossey would win the 50m-freestyle event, with teammate Katrina Sharpe finishing second.

Later in the day, Monks would race in his final event with SFU,

17

yet incredibly effective, pick plays.

These plays require two receivers crisscrossing so one receiver can effectively run interference against the other receiver’s defender. Seattle’s physicality at the corner back position make this strategy the one to keep an eye on during the game.

The question of who has the upper hand in this game within a game is another matter, and one that is incredibly difficult to answer.

Seattle’s physicality may allow their corners to get their hands on the Broncos’ receivers before the wideouts can run their pick routes, or the Seahawks can sit back in zone and switch who they’re covering.

The main factor is that Seattle is capable of doing each, and doing each well, giving them a slight advantage in this matchup, despite the NFL being a pass happy league.

Add in potentially bad weather that may adversely affect the Broncos’ passing game and Seattle has the chance to suffocate the greatest offence in NFL history. Also, combine the return of dynamic Seahawks wide receiver Percy Harvin with Seattle’s staunch run game and it’s hard not to choose the Seahawks to win this game.

But, the Broncos have arguably the greatest quarterback of all time in Peyton Manning, so the only thing for certain is that this years’ Super Bowl will be one of the best in recent memory.

a win in the 200m-breaststroke, with a time of 2:18.21.

SFU’s women would dominate the 200m-freestyle race, taking first-, second-, and third-place in the event with strong showings from Meghan Quon, Claudia Mathieu, and Grace Ni, respectively.

The Clan put a stamp on the day with a win in the final event for both the men and women, the 200mfreestyle relay. The men’s squad, featuring Heyer, Kiedrzyn, McDonnell and freshman Igor Gasovic-Varga won in a time of 1:35.57. Meanwhile, the women’s first entry, featuring Schofield, Quon, Cossey, and freshman Lauren Swistak won with a time of 1:49.08.

It was a notable finish for SFU’s home schedule, and another highlight on a strong season. Though the team will finish the season at Margaret and Paul Savage Aquatic Centre, there are still a number of events left to prepare for — not the least of which being the NCAA Championships in March.

18 SPORTS

Just a few months ago, former Vancouver Whitecaps star Camilo Sanvezzo declared how happy and settled he and wife Jessica had become in the city of Vancouver — there was even talk of him making a Canadian national team appearance. You can scratch that.

Camilo Sanvezzo has joined Liga MX Querétaro for a record multi-million dollar fee in what seemed like a never-ending, agonizing process. Here’s the breakdown of Camilo’s not-sopopular exit to the south.

Without a doubt, Camilo earned the right to be named an MLS All Star following his performance in what was otherwise another mediocre and inconsistent Whitecaps campaign. At season’s end he famously netted a hat trick to claim the MLS Golden Boot award with 22 goals and steal the show during Y.P. Lee’s retirement match.

Camilo was also etched into Whitecap folklore after scoring an astounding scissor kick volley against rival Portland Timbers at a boisterous BC Place — a goal so spectacular it won the AT&T Goal of the Year.

In 2013, Camilo earned $247,500, but upon former head coach Martin Rennie’s firing, the Brazilian saw a chance to renegotiate his contract. When new manager Carl Robinson was appointed, he vowed to meet with Camilo to discuss his contract; Camilo vowed he was a committed player.

January 27, 2014

Fast-forward to three days later and Camilo is seen on Twitter in a medical examination room wearing a Querétaro jersey — smiling, and giving the “thumbs up” gesture.

More and more pictures of Camilio taking part in training sessions surfaced and tickets to a player presentation event at the stadium to announce his arrival were being sold. With Camilo still under contract to the Whitecaps, Robinson and company flew down to Mexico to try to recover their best player, but things turned sour quickly.

Ultimately, Vancouver was forced to undergo negotiations with an apologetic Querétaro president, Adolfo Rios, who was under different impressions of the players transfer status (Camilo’s agent had told his client he was under Free Agent status and could negotiate with other clubs).

Instead of a major dispute, the clubs were able to reach a multi-million dollar settlement.

But with Toronto FC’s recent acquisitions of Jermain Defoe and Michael Bradley from top European leagues, the question on every Whitecaps fans’ mind is “Who are we picking up now?”

With the multi-million dollar windfall from Camilo’s departure, the possibilities have certainly opened up. Yet, the Whitecaps faithful can’t help but wonder what this ordeal will do to the clubs on-field success and how quickly it can be recovered.

After seven straight conference losses to start the season, the SFU’s men’s basketball team is finally in the win column. A dominant, 98–73 road outing against the Northwest Nazarene University Crusaders was the Clan’s first victory against Great Northwest

Athletic Conference (GNAC) competition this season, and their first of 2014.

The Crusaders are ranked second-last in the GNAC, tied with three other teams at 3–4 entering the contest, ahead of only the previously 0–7 Clan. Despite having the worst scoring offence in the GNAC, NNU is much stingier on defence; the Crusaders averaged only 76.9 points per game.

But the Clan, who average about that number on offence (76.3 points per game), shot 67 per cent from the field — and 68 per cent from beyond the arc — to break through that defence.

Sango Niang and Justin Cole, two newcomers to Burnaby Mountain, drained 24 and 28

It was a day of personal and conference bests for the Clan at the indoor track and field season-opener last Saturday at the University of Washington Indoor Preview.

Against competition from both NCAA Div. I and II, senior star Sarah Sawatzky led the way for the Clan establishing a Div. II-leading time in the 800m race, at 2:09.42. It was a precedent her teammates would match.

Her sixth-overall finish also earned her Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) Red Lion Track Athlete of the Week honours.

Sawatzky’s fellow senior, Kirsten Allen, would lead the GNAC racers in the mile while setting a personal best with a time of 5:03.97. Meanwhile, sophomore Emma Chadsey dropped 28 seconds off her previous time in the 3000m and finished in 10:17.24 — times that would qualify both athletes for the GNAC meet later in the season.

On the field, junior Robyn Broomfield led the GNAC in the triple jump with a 11.18m leap, while freshman teammate Ella Brown, making her Clan debut, finished second with a 11.13m jump.

It was another freshman who led the way for the men’s

points, respectively, and led the way for SFU. They had help, too — Dillon Hamilton and Taylor Dunn both hit double digits with 14 and 12 points apiece. It was by far SFU’s best offensive showing against a GNAC opponent.

The Crusaders are no offensive juggernaut themselves — they actually scored above their 69.7 point per game average — but outplayed the Clan on the boards, out-rebounding SFU 30–25. With SFU dropping shots all night, though, NNU’s comparatively poor 46 per cent shooting wasn’t nearly enough, even if they were getting more second-shot opportunities than the Burnaby boys.

“We were due for a good shooting night,” said head coach James Blake after the contest.

“I’m proud of how we shared the ball and made the extra pass.

“I’m excited about how well we learned from a hard week of practice and some constructive criticism last week,” he added.

It was SFU’s best game of the season, and shows just what this team can do when all their star power gets hot at once. With the win, the Clan are still six games below .500, but for all the struggles the team has had this year, a win is welcome. The games are only going to get tougher; the Clan will have to keep the hot hand, and keep learning, if they want the wins to continue.

side. Oliver Jorgensen ran the 3000m in 8:32.84, while senior James Young wasn’t far behind finishing in 8:36.58. Both will race for the Clan in the conference meet.

Long jumper Jerry He led the Clan on the field with a 6.60m jump, good for third in the GNAC, and good enough to qualify him for the conference meet as well.

The Clan aren’t back in action until January 31 at the University of Washington Invitational, but their impressive start to the season — full of signs of improvement already — bodes well for the rest of the young season.

SPORTS

Simon Fraser University’s women’s basketball team beat the University of Alaska-Fairbanks Nanooks 75–73 on Thursday night at SFU’s West Gym, but going by their respective records, SFU should’ve won the game handily.

Yet, barely five minutes in, the previously 2–5 Nanooks looked like the better team, and looked like they might run away with the contest building a 19–3 lead over the 4–3 Clan.

Kia van Laare opened the scoring for the home side, but sloppy turnovers and poor shooting allowed the visitors to go on a 19–1 run.

The Simon Fraser University men’s hockey team captured sole position of first place in the BCIHL with wins over the Trinity Western Spartans and bitter rivals Selkirk Saints.

Each victory, especially the nail biter against Selkirk, gave SFU the inside track on homeice advantage throughout the playoffs as the season begins to head down the final stretch.

Before the marquee matchup against the Saints, SFU had a tough matchup with TWU. After their hot start to the season, TWU has hit a bit of a rough patch, seeing their lead atop of the league vanish into a fourth place seed. Simon Fraser did not take their opponent lightly as they staved off a furious Spartan rally to win 5–2.

Simon Fraser got off to a perfect start, as 35 seconds into the contest Trent Murdoch gave the visiting Clan a 1–0 lead on a wraparound attempt. The Clan continued to pepper TWU

January 27, 2014

“We weren’t ready,” said senior guard Marie-Line Petit post-game.

“Like [head coach Bruce] Langford said we were in la-la land.

“But when we get some stops on defence, and when we stop turning the ball over, we can do good things.”

Better ball control and tighter defence helped the Clan rack up nine straight points of their own, highlighted by a three from captain Erin Chambers and a coast-to-coast layup from Meg Wilson that left one Nanook defender looking silly. Both players were just getting started.

The Clan continued to creep back into it, trailing by just six at the half, 35–29, setting up one of the best halves of basketball so far this season.

The two teams traded baskets to start the half; five minutes into the second, the Nanooks lead grew slightly to 44–37, but seven straight from SFU would tie the game at 44 — the first tie since the opening minutes.

goaltender Silas Matthys’ net for 12 shots in the first, but were unable to add another goal.

The Clan’s furious offensive pace and control of the puck paid off with two second period goals from Jared Eng and Aaron Enns, giving the Clan a commanding 3–0 lead.

SFU was heading towards a decisive victory when TWU’s Jamey Kreller and Brett Wur both scored just 3:17 into the third period. However, SFU didn’t panic and elevated their play, potting two more insurance goals late in the frame in order to set up a game for first place with Selkirk on Saturday evening.

Continuous back and forth action was the theme of the game against Selkirk, as the BCIHL’s top two teams displayed all kinds of skill. The period was not SFU’s most cohesive effort, as sloppy play in their defensive zone led to Stefan Gonzales and Logan Proulx finding the back of the net giving the visiting Saints a 2–0 lead.

Head coach Mark Coletta finally woke his team up in the

Neither SFU nor UAF could get on any real run, with neither team’s lead growing larger than four points after the Clan

first intermission as from the second period on, SFU controlled the play. Nick Sandor finally put his team on the board, finishing a two-on-one rush with Jono Ceci. Defenceman Eng then joined a rush, was given a partial break, and finished the play with a smooth forehand-to-backhand goal, tying the affair at two.

SFU eventually took a 3–2 lead late in the third after Sandor found Trevor Milner all alone in front. Despite being outplayed in the final two periods, the Saints showed their championship mettle as Proulx roofed his second of the night, with only 2:06 left, to tie the game and send it to overtime.

Although playing much of the extra frame in the opposition’s own end, SFU could not beat Saints’ netminder Chris Hurry, which meant the game would be decided by a shootout. Milner scored the winning tally in the shootout and Clan goaltender Andrew Parent only surrendered one goal to give the home side the victory and, for the time being, top spot in the BCIHL. SFU hits the road for three straight away games which will test their spot at the top of the standings, a test the Burnaby side should be well prepared for.

tied the game — but it was Chambers and Wilson who gave the home team more than one chance to win.

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Chambers, who poured in another casual 30 points, was fouled on a layup with 40 seconds to go, and hit the free throw to complete the three-point play to put her team up three. But on their next possession, the Nanooks hit a shot from downtown to tie it.

With under 30 seconds to play after UAF tied it, SFU had the last shot, but Wilson, who had a double-double with 10 assists and a career-high 23 points, was fouled as she took it.

She hit both shots, the Nanooks Hail Mary fell well short, and the Clan won, just barely, to improve their conference record to 5–3.

The narrow victory over a now 2–6 squad shows the incredible parity in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.

“There’s a one-game difference in the records between first place and sixth,” explains Petit. “Every game is a battle for a playoff spot,” she said, and this one went the full 12 rounds.

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AT ITS VERY BEST

20 DIVERSIONS / ETC

January 27, 2014

Across 1- Olive genus 5- Captain of the Pequod 9- Central Florida city 14- Polite address 15- “Star Wars” princess 16- Craze 17- Broadway opening 18- Prohibits 19- Some Art Deco works 20- Resembling a prehistoric human 23- Presidential battleground state 24- Pro ___ 25- ___ Paulo 28- Initially 31- Govt. property overseer 34- Take ___ at (try) 36- Driver’s aid 37- “East of Eden” brother 38- In spite of 42- Joint with a cap 43- Edge 44- Runs without moving 45- ___ Lingus 46- Feed bag 49- D-Day craft 50- Halloween greeting 51- Utopia LAST WEEK’S SOLUTION

53- Equality of weight 60- Borders on 61- Steals 62- Decant 63- Hackneyed 64- Very dry champagne 65- Jazzy James 66- Elects 67- Wise one 68- Disrespectful back talk Down 1- Neighbor of Saudi Arabia 2- Chantilly product 3- I could ___ horse!

4- ___ acid 5- Although 6- Learn about

7- Isn’t wrong?

8- Beat up 9- Beaten egg dish 10- Billiards shot 11- Against 12- Fibbed 13- Small batteries 21- Abu ___ 22- Baffled 25- Decaf brand 26- All together 27- Aquatic mammal 29- “Who’s there?” reply 30- Emeritus: Abbr.

31- Gridiron 32- Loudness units 33- Emo anxiety 35- Admiration 37- Append 39- Scout unit 40- “___ and hers”

41- Chad neighbor 46- Sounds 47- It bites you in your sleep 48- ___ Fideles 50- Montana city 52- Scruffs 53- Spanish river 54- Throw in the towel 55- Globes 56- Asta’s mistress 57- ___ chance!

58- Intersects 59- Periods 60- Off-road wheels, for short

Hope to see you there!

January 27, 2014

COMMUNITY PHOTOS January 27, 2014

photo editor email / phone

Mark Burnham photos@the-peak.ca

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HUMOUR

January 27, 2014

his head. “But I’m just not feeling it, I’m totally fine.”

According to Svenson’s account, university life is just not what he had expected. Now in his third year, he claims that he still has never had to spend an entire night eagerly sucking back caffeine while typing frantically to finish a 20-page research paper that was due the next day.

BURNABY — Thor Svenson, a current 3rd year SFU student, is concerned that he isn’t stressed out enough and has registered a formal complaint against SFU for failing to provide him with a basic horrific post-secondary experience.

“People say university is so stressful. I heard stories about people who spent every waking hour stressed out and unhappy about their grades and waning social lives” Svenson explained, shaking

He also has stated that he hasn’t had to turn down even a single week of the best parties ever to study for a midterm. In fact he complains that he has

too much time on his hands and is completely relaxed and at ease at all times.

“I have an A average and I have all my evenings free . . . I’ve had so much time to kill that I’ve even started learning to play the saxophone and I’m taking salsa dancing lessons,” he said before pausing to let a single tear roll slowly down his cheek.

“I guess . . . I guess I just expected more from university. I was looking forward to being stressed to the point that my hands would become so slick with perspiration that my pencil would slip out of my hand and clatter to the floor,” he continued solemnly. “I was looking forward to not eating or sleeping for two days because of the finals I have coming up, but it was not to be.”

Svenson then sniffed and wiped a final tear from his eyes and said, “Oh well, I guess I’ll just transfer to UBC.”

humour editor email / phone

Brad McLeod humour@the-peak.ca / 778.782.4560

HUMOUR

January 27, 2014

23

but I really don’t think this whole Internet thing is going to catch on,” Shubert told The Peak.

“Instead we’ve been trying to talk to the people from Tamagotchi about getting some of our content on their devices, but they haven’t returned our phone calls . . . must be because they’re too popular!”

TORONTO — The editors of the once very popular Disco Weekly Magazine, who have been facing increasingly low sales since 1979, believe that they have discovered the root cause of all their problems.

“People just aren’t buying magazines anymore, it’s obvious,” said DWM editorin-chief Craig Shubert. “What else could possibly account for the lack of interest in a weekly disco periodical?”

Shubert has said that he is well aware of the recent “death of print” phenomenon and has no doubt in his mind that it is what is driving his business into the ground.

“Everybody knows that print is a thing of the past and I’m not blind to it,” he explained.

“Print publications aren’t going

to be around forever, it’s just like Disco Halls … halls were always doomed to fail!”

Despite the best efforts of Disco Weekly Magazine’s staff to rally the entire magazine industry, their calls have fallen on deaf ears of major publications like Rolling Stone, Time, GQ and National Geographic who all claim to be doing “just fine.”

“We got Pet Rock Aficionado and Penny-farthing Quarterly on board but to be honest with you they have more problems than just a decline in print popularity,” affirmed DWM vice-president Allan King. “I mean there’s no way either of those magazines can honestly believe that they can compete with the likes

of Pet Rock Illustrated or the High-Wheeler Observer!”

While King and Shubert, along with the rest of the DWM staff, know that changes need to be made if they want their publication to stay in business, they claim that they have no idea what to do.

“I’ve heard from some people that we ‘need to get online’

With no concrete solutions on the horizon, and even their almost non-existent sales numbers falling everyday, Disco Weekly is on the brink of shutting down for good. But despite their grim prospects, Shubert has still managed to find some consolation.

“At least disco music will never die,” he said, laughing at such a ridiculous notion. He then excused himself and left to wallow in despair at the nearest oxygen bar, an almost 30 kilometre drive, which he assumed must be due to the recent decline in interest in “bars”.

24 LAST WORD

features editor email / phone

Max Hill features@the-peak.ca / 778.782.4560

January 27, 2014