NEWS PAGE 8 - StudentUnion.ca

Transcription

The Peak
www.peak.sfu.ca | Manning up since 1965
January 15, 2007 • 125/2 • FREE
SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT NEWSPAPER
SHELTER AT LAST!
New bus shelter keeps commuters safe and dry
NEWS PAGE 8
STRANDED
Snowfall wreaks havoc
NEWS PAGE 7
HATTIE AITKEN
Employee re-instated after
controversial firing
NEWS PAGE 8
SALAD DAYS
Bruce Stewart exhibits at
SFU Art Gallery
ARTS PAGE 16
15 | Artist Profile: Kellen Powell
12 | Muhammad Amir on orgasms
2
FIRST PIQUE
the peak
Volume 125 Issue 2 - Monday, January 15, 2007
THE PEAK
Maggie Benston Centre 2901
Simon Fraser University
8888 University Drive
Burnaby, B.C., Canada V5A 1S6
www.peak.sfu.ca
Production Room Phone 604.291.4560
Advertising Fax 604.291.4343
Copy Editor Mike Hingston
[email protected] 604.291.4560
Production Editor Alex Taylor
[email protected] - 604.291.4560
News Editor Earl Tapia
Associate News Editor Iain W. Reeve
Features Editor Debby Reis
Arts Editor Stephanie Orford
Opinions Editor Warren Haas
Sports Editor Gregg Whitlock
Photo Editor ana kresina
Humour Editor Kellen Powell
thank you
Business and Advertising Manager Larry van Kampen
Ad Designer/Production Resource Soudabeh Mousavi
Network Administrator Andrew Yang
Distribution and Archives Coordinator Josephine Wong
Columnists
Corwin Odland, Jeff Wager
This Week’s Contributors
Ben Fine, Reaon Ford, Cris Lewynsky, J.J. McCullough, Jasmin
Mujanovic, James Plett, Josh Scheinert, Tommy Thomson, Brianna Turner
All articles published in The Peak will appear on
www.peak.sfu.ca
The Peak is published every Monday in each of the fall, spring, and
summer semesters at Simon Fraser University. It strives to cover the
SFU community and issues relevant to students in a fair, responsible,
informative, and engaging manner. The Peak is a member of Canadian
University Press (CUP), a national cooperative of over 70 college and
university student newspapers. CUP policy is to oppose sexism, racism,
homophobia, and other oppressive prejudices. Subscriptions to The Peak
are available at $56 per year. Subscription requests and payment should
be addressed to the Business Manager. The Peak is located underneath
the Higher Grounds Café in MBC 2901. If you have a complaint about
something that appears in The Peak, you can write a letter to the editor
or contact the Editorial Appeals Committee. Letters to the editor must be
between 150-400 words and can be delivered to The Peak or emailed
to [email protected]. Letters may be edited for length. The
deadline is Wednesday at 4:00 p.m. Due to space restrictions, The Peak
can not guarantee that all letters will be published. One letter per student
per week. The Peak reserves the right to edit all submissions according
to stylistic, grammatical, and legal guidelines. The Peak also reserves
the right to reprint submissions at any time, in both written and electronic
formats.
Peak Publication Society Board of Directors
Collective Reps
Alumni Rep
Employee Rep
Secretary
Sean Wilkinson
Cindy Lou
Vacant
Debby Reis
Iain Reeve
Vacant
Vacant
Larry van Kampen
Canadian
University Press
Campus Plus
The Peak is a proud memeber of Canadian University Press and sells multi-market
advertising through Campus Plus.
C
screw you
D
thank you to all the bears
Associate Staff Contributors
Muhammad Amir, Clement Abas Apaak, Kristina MacDonald,
Alex Nataros, Linda van der Velden, Sean Wilkinson
At-Large Reps
ana kresina / The Peak
Imagine this photo with colour. Lots of colour: red, pink, blue . . . yeah, black and white sucks.
and cougars who did not
try to eat me whilst walking down the hill in last
week’s snowstorm.
screw you to Jack Frost,
who has no business in
British Columbia.
thank you to Apple, who
decided to make phones
their business.
screw you to my iPod,
which cannot make phone
calls.
thank you to NASA, for
finally going metric. It’s
about time!
screw you to England
for propagating a crappy
system of measurement in
the first place.
thank you to SFU’s highenergy physics group for
finding a single top quark.
screw you to top quarks:
your days of debaucherous bacherlorism are over!
thank you to the film
geek on the SkyTrain who
struck up a conversation
with some girls about the
communistic leanings of
the Smurfs.
screw you to the cable
guy who wouldn’t take my
bribe.
thank you Brascia, for
being the man.
screw you to everyone
who glazes over page 2
and misses comedic gold.
thank you to Warren for
trying to save The O.C.
with his ninjas.
screw you to Fox for
thinking they can survive
without The O.C. Rachel
Bilson needs work.
In this issue...
3
opinions
7
news
Snowfall blows snow, students’ minds
Last week, a sudden and intense snowfall saw a small panic erupt on
Burnaby Mountain. Many students were left to find their own way
down the mountain after transit stopped and the university shut down.
See a sampling of students’ reaction to the situation.
By various .............................................................................3-5
Snow storm strands students at SFU
Lack of communication between TransLink and the university to staff,
students and faculty, combined with snow-closed roads and a jacknifed
bus meant that many students were stuck on Burnaby campus until
well into the evening.
By Earl Tapia ..........................................................................6
12
11
18
20
features
arts
sports
humour
&
beyond
“
the peak
Big O? Big deal!
Is the interuption of an orgasm a sacreligious action?
By Muhammad Amir ...................................................................12
Fresh new work at SFU Art Gallery
Vancouver artist Bruce Stewart takes us back in time to the Salad Days
in British Columbia
By Brenna Turvey ....................................................................11
The Clan battle the Cougars
The women’s volleyball team were in action last week against the University of Regina Cougars. Find out how they faired.
By Gregg Whitlock....................................................................18
Humour..............................................................20
Etc......................................................................22
Column...............................................................23
Last Word...........................................................24
We are so lucky that nobody got hurt.”
CUPE Local 3338 President Joann Field,
shocked at stranded students’ decision to walk
down the mountain in last Wednesday’s snowfall.
Page 7.
Cover Design & Photo
Alex Taylor
3
January 15, 2007
OPINIONS
Letter of the week:
A New Year’s resolution for
Canadian students
One of the dominant narratives of the
20th century was that of humanity’s
collective failure to stand up to evil. In
its face of global indifference, however,
one group of people consistently raised
its voice to demand justice: students.
October 1956: Hungarian students
march down the streets of Budapest
triggering that country’s revolt against
Soviet rule. 1960s, the American South:
white students from the North partake
in “Freedom Rides” in an attempt to
de-segregate buses in the racist South.
Late 1980s, around the world: students
help lead an international boycott
against apartheid South Africa, crippling its economy and helping bring
down the regime.
Fast forward to 2007, Darfur. Its endless graveyards are evidence of crimes
against humanity. Burned-out villages
are becoming permanent reminders of
what has thus far transpired under our
watch. The faces of refugees tell stories
of unspeakable horror.
But for Darfur, the tides have been
turning. World leaders and celebrities
alike are speaking out. UN Secretary
General Ban Ki-moon has called the
situation “unacceptable.” The UN
Human Rights Council held a special
session on Darfur. Sudan is starting to
feel the pressure. In short, we are moving closer to putting UN peacekeepers
on the ground to strengthen civilian
protection.
We are at a critical moment. It is time
that Canadian students en masse join
together to pressure our government
to take concrete steps to bring about
an end to the killing in Darfur. After
four years of inaction, over 200,000
dead, and millions displaced, we need
to take a stand. Never again means
never again.
Canada can and must take on a
leadership role in ending this crisis. On
the diplomatic front we can help jumpstart a multilateral mission to protect
civilians. Our CF-18 aircraft could help
enforce a no-fly zone to prevent Sudanese aircraft from bombing villages as
they aid the Janjaweed militias. Financially, our aid dollars can provide critical support. It’s time we come out and
commit; we have the capacity to lead.
Acting on that capacity is simple.
The prime minister needs to pick up
the phone, rally his government and
world leaders to join in implementing a strong multinational force on
the ground to protect civilians. To this
point he has not been nearly vocal
enough — and we are seeing the results of inaction. But politicians do
not act without a reason. If the prime
minister is going to pick up the phone
he needs to see that his constituents
demand more — that Canadians demand leadership.
This is where we come in. Our government answers to us. We just need
to be heard. Students know how to
organise and mobilise; we do it on our
campuses every day. We’re experts at
writing letters, signing petitions, and
getting our message out there. This
instance should be no different. From
Victoria to St. John’s, it’s time Canadian
students speak as one national voice
demanding a real response to the Darfur crisis.
The narrative of the 21st century is
being written as Darfur is at a crossroads. As students, we have a critical
role to play in shaping history. Either
Darfur will start to live again or it will
continue to perish. Let us fight for
change as hard as students have before
us. For if we don’t, and Darfur dies, a
part of our humanity dies with it.
—Ben Fine and
Josh Scheinert
Plett to Amir: ‘Man up’
What happened to Mr. Amir was unfortunate at best [“An open letter to
U.S. Homeland Security,” January 8,
2007], but I think there are a couple of
points that he may have neglected to
notice. First off, Muhammad makes
a point to mention that he is pulled
aside by a couple of YVR personnel
— what he may fail to realise is that
these men are doing their fucking
jobs. Not all of us are fortunate university students who are able to go
to Brazil. Yeah, that’s right. Some of
us have jobs, some of us do things
we don’t want to do just because we
need to make a buck here and there
to live. Now, he attacks these fellows
for doing their jobs — how the fuck
does that make any sense? Then he
decides to throw out this ‘culture of
fear’ crap; thanks Michael Moore,
really damn original. We’ve all seen
Bowling for Columbine and some
of us were unfortunate enough to
watch Fahrenheit 9/11 — and I’m sure
some of us were unlucky enough to
read the written equivalent of diarrhea he calls books — shut up. See,
his problem, and the problem with
people like him, is that he feels the
need to bitch incessantly about every
single thing that happens. Oh no, I’ve
been temporarily detained but I was
released likely by a pair of embarrassed security guards; oh no, I can’t
bring wine onto a plane, it’s almost as
though I didn’t read any of the hundreds of notices at any given airport
that tell you what you can and can
not bring on a plane. I think some
people are slightly unclear about
what exactly happened on September 11, 2001. This isn’t a political rant,
mind you, so I could care less about
foreign policies and wars, but nearly
3,000 people were killed in practically
an instant. The first major terror attack in practically the history of the
world, and definitely the first in U.S.
history. So now, the U.S. is trying to
devise safety measures to prevent
anything of that sort happening
again. They fuck up once or twice,
and people bitch up a storm. Rome
wasn’t built in a day, so stop bitching
or stop flying. Man up.
—James Plett
Impeach Chris Sandve
On Wednesday, January 10, as the sun
rose over the mountain and the snow
fell softly on the cedars, a decision
was made. In what will subsequently
be known as the “pancake fiasco,” an
unnamed internal source divulged that
SFSS Member Services Officer Chris
Sandve ordered the annual SFSS pancake breakfast should be held over due
to the prospects of as much as 10 cm of
snow accumulation.
This was done with neither student
consultation nor quorum — just a man
who had stubbornly decided not to flip
pancakes that day.
Meanwhile, the SFU rowing team
— which, it should be noted, receives
little funding from the university and is
shamed as a “club,” despite competing
nationally against elite varsity crews
— was working out hard on the rowing
machines, eagerly anticipating their
planned pancake feast. The author
himself feigned breakfast for the opportunity to delight in the famed SFSS
blueberry pancakes. Instead, in the
model of the great man Gandhi, he will
go on a hunger strike until the issue is
resolved.
The SFSS pancake breakfast is a
cornerstone of that beleaguered institution. Besides supporting clubs,
facilitating student drunkenness,
funding groups in the Rotunda, and
providing delicious soup at the Ladle,
there are few more prominent roles.
For some MSO to irresponsibly change
the date — while signs around campus
suggested otherwise — is shameless,
especially when the reason was a mere
10 cm of snow.
This dearth of leadership calls for an
impeachment campaign. Let us join
together in calling for Chris Sandve to
step down. I will lead this push, and
once impeachment succeeds, will run
a campaign to take over the SFSS.
—Alex Nataros
the peak
opinions editor
e-mail
phone
Warren Haas
[email protected]
604-291-4630
Peak Speak
Interviews by Warren Haas. Photos by Alex Taylor.
Comment on the ridiculous, fucked up transit
situation of Wednesday, January 10.
Roberto Trasolini
It’s TransLink’s fault
that this photo is blurry
The transit system is fucked
up. I’m about to walk home,
which will probably take about
45 minutes. Can’t they clear
the streets? This happens in
Toronto every week. What’s
the difference?
Wade Brunham
Also TransLink’s fault
I don’t know if it’s a
ridiculous fucked up transit
situation or just more the
way that people handle
themselves when it gets
a little cranky. If we were
anywhere else we’d probably
be skiing and having a good
time.
Gillian Franklin
Indifferent towards
Brascia
Well if there [are] cars moving
I don’t see why the buses
couldn’t move. Really. And
yeah, pretty pissed off, but
whatever.
Dwaine Green
Looks genuinely
dissatisfied
I think the transit situation is
completely unprepared for the
obvious bad weather that was
coming. So now everybody’s
here and we’re homeless.
Ana Sulentic
Wouldn’t give us her
phone number
I think this weather’s pretty
shitty and I’m getting sick of
the snow and that’s about it.
It’s not Vancouver weather
and it sucks.
No-longer-hungry Bear Speak:
Since everyone had to walk down the
hill, I was able to eat quite a few SFU
students. Philosophy students fill my
tummy, but not my soul.
[email protected]
4
January 15, 2007
OPINIONS
Editor’s Voice
Snowscape
inferno
What a flawless recipe for disaster: a
freak blizzard atop a mountain with
only two roads down.
I’m not usually one to dramatise
things, but when I think back to
last Wednesday’s sanity-crippling
snowstorm, it plays out in my head
like a zombie flick. All I see is ghostly
Alex Taylor
images of students stumbling down
Production Editor the icy roads, their scarves whipped
about in the flurry of snow that’s
still pounding the mountain without mercy. It’s as if the
unexpected blizzard awoke legions of undead zombie
oppressors who rose from the earth to wreak havoc upon
our beautiful (in the sunshine) campus. They flipped over
cars, set garbage cans on fire, and devoured anyone foolish
enough to set foot outside.
In reality, though, it was really nothing like that. Hundreds
of people were just tired and frustrated, wanting nothing more than to be returned to the comfort of their own
homes. I don’t know who had it worse that day: the commuters who were forced to walk down the mountain after
the buses stopped running, the students who drove up here
expecting to make it to their 5:30 p.m. class, only to become
stuck like the rest of us, or the occasional residence student
who happened to be stranded at the bottom of the hill with
no choice but to venture up into the storm.
It seems everybody on the mountain in the afternoon on
Wednesday had it pretty bad. It was a prime example that
Vancouverites don’t know how to deal with snow. I’m pretty
sure Toronto or even Edmonton has had worse blizzards
than that, and didn’t even bat an eye. Here on the West
Coast, though, give us some snow and watch us fumble.
Bungled is a great word to describe the situation. I think
it was close to an hour and a half after the buses stopped
before SFU finally decided that it would be a good idea to
close the school. Great call, guys! Maybe if you had made it
sooner, the only two roads off the mountain wouldn’t have
been clogged with drivers struggling to get up the mountain, let alone those attempting to get down.
I was one of the lucky few to make it off the mountain before the icy shit hit really hit the fan (we all owe you a beer,
Paul). As we were beginning to make our way down the
mountain, the line of cars was stopped by an SFU security
officer who insisted that “nobody is getting off this mountain!” She vainly attempted to direct traffic back up the road,
presumably where we would all sigh and admit defeat, then
race into West Mall to curl up in the biggest and warmest
study carrel we could find.
I remember this time in high school when we had a gas
leak and were all escorted outside to the field. One teacher
tried valiantly to stop 50 or 60 of us from just running off
and going home, but was defeated by our sheer numbers.
I was reminded of this incident when our car, along with
six others in front of us, simply ducked into the merge lane
near Madge and sped off down the mountain, leaving the
woman flustered and defeated. As it turns out, the situation
on the way down the mountain was akin to a rush-hour
traffic jam on the Alex Fraser with a few fender benders
— oh, and hundreds of pedestrians darting through traffic
and sliding around on makeshift sleds.
Some people may disagree with me, but I think TransLink
handled the situation better than anyone. Sure, maybe they
didn’t tell SFU in time for them to make a good decision, but
at least they had the foresight to predict the intensity of the
storm so early in the day. SFU, on the other hand, didn’t really take into account the fact that hundreds of people were
depending upon stranded buses to get off the mountain as
quickly as possible.
It’s almost been a week, however, and now it’s just snow
under the bridge. But I’m not naïve enough to think that this
will be the last time. If Al Gore taught us anything, it’s that
our weather is going down the poop tube. So expect some
sweet surfing in the AQ towards the end of the semester.
Kowabunga!
Rejected premises for an editorial cartoon based on
SFU’s inability to deal with snow:
(1) Caricature of SFU administration figure sits on
a beach sipping drink with umbrella in it.
(2) Compare students walking down the hill to
March of the Penguins.
(3) Bunch of Vancouver hippies complain about
global warming, and mother nature spites them.
Mike Hingston, Warren Haas, and Kellen Powell / The Peak
Campus View
Student reacts to high tuition fees
So, I was doing my
routine checking of
financial accounts
due with SFU and
I made a really
shocking discovery:
my tuition fees are
pretty high. Like,
Warren Haas
has anyone else
Opinions Editor being paying attention to this? I
don’t think so because my gosh, it is a
little pricey to attend university in this
here province. Oh my god, my fees are
high. Why didn’t anyone tell me this before? People should really do something
about this, I mean, seriously.
I am paying just over $2,100 for 13
credit hours, which is around $160 per
credit hour. I like to do math and figure
out how much I am paying per credit
hour because I feel like it gives me some
perspective on how much money I’m
spending on school. Even though I’m
not exactly sure what a credit hour
is, or how it would be divided among
the actual number of lectures I have
throughout the semester. So maybe I
should figure out how much I am paying
per lecture. Alright then I will. It’s around
$500 per class, there are two lectures per
week, and 13 weeks in a semester. So
26 lectures for one class. Five hundred
divided by 26 rounds out to just under
$20 per lecture. This is important information, people; now when I complain
about my tuition fees I can know exactly how much money goes into every
lecture wasted by someone unsuccessfully debating with the professor about
some irrelevant issue. If you waste five
minutes of my time, you have wasted
two of my dollars. Pay it back please. My
subsistance depends on those two dollars. No, seriously it does.
Have I mentioned that tuition fees
are high yet? Oh right, yes I did. That’s
okay, I don’t mind repeating myself
because I think it is an important issue.
I think I should spearhead some civil
movement about lowering tuition fees.
I mean, I’m pretty sure no one has done
it before, otherwise something would
have changed, right? Civil movements
are so effective it’s unbelievable. And
what better issue to get involved with
than tuition fees? Everyone can relate
to that and I can only assume that every
other student at SFU cares a lot about
how much they are paying. I’m sure no
one’s parents planned ahead and saved
up money to pay for their children’s
education. So everyone must have student loans, and they must be behind in
their payments. After all, buying alcohol
is more important than paying back a
loan. Therefore they also would like tuition fees to be reduced.
Woohoo: Snow
Ah yes, snow. It’s pretty to watch
flakes fall from the sky onto your
gloves, as the individual dots of
white glisten in the glow of the
street lamp whilst walking down
a usually busy street rendered
peaceful by a blanket of white.
Without you, we would have no snowmen, angels,
snowball fights, tobogganing, skiing, and boarding, to
name a few things. As well, sitting by a fire with a cup
of cocoa (and floating marshmallows) just seems a lot
better when taken after a long walk with a friend, car ving
tracks through an unbroken, silky smooth canvas that
was previously a plain old field. It’s been a while since
we’ve had a good snowfall; cherish it while it lasts.
the peak
At this point I should probably mention that if you have a scholarship (full
or partial) that doesn’t exclude you from
complaining about tuition fees. I mean
sure, you don’t have to worry about
paying those high fees and therefore
probably have absolutely no need to
get involved, but you care about your
fellow students, right? If you are at a tuition hike protest and you tell someone
that you have a scholarship, I’m pretty
sure they won’t slap you in the face.
Instead they’ll probably thank you for
your camaraderie and your desire to get
involved.
Okay, so tuition fees are high for us
regular students here at SFU. Let’s ignore the fact that international students
on exchange and American students
who come here because U.S. college
tuitions are way higher don’t ever complain about what they pay in tuition.
We, the B.C. students, are what are most
important. We must only think about
ourselves.
But I think the best method for us
to raise awareness about high tuition
fees is to make a whole shitload of pins
no bigger than a loonie, and then put
them on our backpacks that we carry
around campus. That would really get
the administration’s attention. It’s a
brilliant idea, I don’t see any way that it
won’t succeed.
Boohoo: Cold
The bringer of death. Cold means
hypothermia, which means pain
and discomfort, which means extra
effort to keep warm, among other
things. Cold has a lot of other
negative associations, from a cold
reception, to a cold stare, to a cold
heart. And while cold does bring about some good things
(warm popsicles suck), I think we could all use a little less
of it. A cold death is a slow and stinging death, while a
cold shoulder is a slap in the face. A cold temperature is
usually a precursor to a cold, which means lots of sniffling
and coughing amidst swigs of DayQuil and efforts to keep a
sane head. However, without cold, we wouldn’t have snow,
and for that I’m willing to forgive it.
—Earl Tapia
OPINIONS
SFU gets a snowjob
Last Wednesday, January 10, was
a snowy, snowy day in Burnaby.
Generally, as a Prince George girl
and a former Albertan, I don’t find
snow particularly troubling. In fact,
I often derive a lot of pleasure from
making fun of the paralysis that
grips many Vancouverites whenever this mysterious white stuff
begins to fall from the sky.
Wednesday, however, was a
special treat. After staying in bed
most of the morning with a cold,
I managed to haul my snot-filled
body up to school to get to class at
about 1:30 in the afternoon. I had
been watching the snow falling out
my window most of the morning,
but, as usual, I assumed it would
be ridiculous to panic about a little
snow. In class, I looked out the window to realise the snow was continuing to fall, and seemed to be
getting heavier, but this still struck
me as nothing to get fidgety about.
At some point during our fourhour seminar, someone mentioned that maybe we should get
off the hill sooner rather than
later, given the volume of snow
that was continuing to pile up on
campus walkways. However, we
were lucky enough to have a classmate who had brought her laptop
to class that day, and she kept us
updated every 20 minutes or so via
the SFU road conditions website.
Repeatedly, she announced that
everything was fine. The university
was open, classes were on schedule, and TransLink buses were, at
worst, delayed.
We ended class around 4:35,
about an hour before our scheduled finish time. After taking a few
minutes to chat with my professor,
I ventured out to the bus loop near
security, only to discover over 100
extremely disgruntled-looking students huddled under our new bus
stop. Across the street, I could see
four buses parked by the side of the
road, all with
their
fourway flashers
blinking ominously at me.
Observing the
air of shared
frustration
amongst students, I asked
someone what was going on.
“The buses aren't running.”
Well, fabulous. I don’t have a car.
I have very few friends with cars. I
do have a sister who lives in residence I might be able to stay with;
however, I was sick and hungry and
tired and I wanted to go home.
That night, I lucked out. I managed to get a hold of a friend who
owns a car with 4-wheel drive, and
he drove partway up the hill to
meet me, while I walked partway
down.
The walk down was, permitting
myself a bit of hyperbole, epic. On
the way, I saw dozens upon dozens
of students hiking down the mountain, huddled together in small
groups for safety. Surprisingly,
most looked fairly cheerful, enjoying a moment of camaraderie with
strangers, or at least they looked
cheerful until they got about halfway down. Then the facial expressions changed, and they could be
read a mile a way. “I'm cold. This
is bullshit. I'm cold.”
In addition to the packs of students who walked up and down
the mountain that night, I was
struck by the number of cars on
the roads. Many drivers were coming up the mountain to retrieve
stranded students. Furthermore,
students with cars who had not
been alerted to the treacherous
conditions were
now having to
make their way
down the mountain. Hundreds
of cars must have
been in transit
going up and
down the mountain that night. It
was gridlocked both ways. During
the 30 minutes I walked down the
mountain, I saw four cars losing
control and spinning their tires
helplessly in the snow. I passed at
least 20 cars that had been abandoned partway up the mountain,
their drivers and passengers nowhere in sight. I saw a bus jackknifed on the road, blocking traffic.
Fortunately, the bus had run into
the embankment on the left, and
had not rolled down the drop off
into the forest on the right, which
doubtlessly would have caused
injury to the seatbelt-less passengers. This was not a simple case of
unpleasant driving. The conditions
on the mountain that night were
flat-out dangerous.
My concern, at the end of this
adventure, is simply, “What on
earth stopped the university officials from closing the school earlier?” BCIT campuses, surrounded
by comparatively flat terrain and
much less snow, closed that day
at 3:30. SFU stayed open until 5:
00 p.m. This means our university
was open for at least 20 mintutes
after TransLink had announced
the buses could not run. Students
poured out of classes, the library,
and the gym, having been told
that everything was carrying on
as usual, only to discover they
were stranded. Hundreds upon
hundreds of people risked driving
in dangerous conditions in order
to get home, or to get loved ones
home. And what about students
who might have disabilities, or
illnesses, which prevented them
from making the trek down the
hill?
Were university officials
comfortable leaving these students
stranded on campus without food
or a place to sleep? If no one was
injured that night, either because
of driving accidents or because of
injuries sustained walking down a
slippery hill in the freezing cold, it
was because of sheer fortune.
I'm used to snow. I understand
that sometimes weather conditions go from not-so-bad to bloody
awful very quickly. But everything
I saw yesterday on my way down
the mountain reeked of disaster
waiting to happen. What’s worse,
I’m convinced that situations like
this should be largely preventable.
In situations like this, it is essential
that university officials get their
acts together sooner. In the future,
I hope that these officials will err on
the side of caution, and close the
university early rather than allowing another dangerous situation
like this one to arise. Furthermore,
I hope that the university will find
a more efficient way of disseminating information to classrooms and
students in the event that a closure
needs to take place. As for all the
students who survived the weather
and got home safe, well, at least we
have a story to tell.
—Brianna Turner
Student loans: gender, identity, and poverty
So it’s three days into the semester and I still don’t have my
textbooks. I don’t have hardly
any money for food or anything.
At least I have a U-Pass, so I don’t
need money to ride the bus and I
can actually show up at class. My
problem is I am still waiting for
my student loan funds to be deposited into my bank account. I
was approved for the loan back in
October but bureaucracy moves
at a snail’s pace. I really cannot
tell you why I am in this predicament. Last semester I received
my loan monies on the first day
of school. Every time I call the
B.C. Student Loan Service Bureau
(BCSLSB) I am told something
different. But before they even
begin to concoct novel explanations for my poverty, they have to
confirm my identity. This is how
the conversation typically goes:
BCSLSB Rep: Thank you for
calling the BCSLSB, may I please
have your Social Insurance Number?
Tommy: 7########.
BCSLSB Rep: Okay ma’am,
so you are calling on behalf of
Thomas [my legal name]?
Tommy: No, I am not calling
on behalf of Thomas, I am in fact
Thomas Thomson.
When I say this, it just blows
their brain. They must think to
themselves, “How could a woman
have such a masculine name?”
Every time I have to deal with
any form of bureaucracy over the
phone, the representative thinks
I am a woman. I have to go to
great lengths to convince them
that I am not a female imposter, some jilted ex-girlfriend of
Thomas Thomson trying to screw
with his life. It’s not until after
I have convinced them of my
gender and identity that I begin
to get ‘answers’ to my question:
Why don’t I have my student loan
money!?
Yesterday, I was told the money
was dispersed and it is the bank’s
fault. So I called the bank and
had to answer more questions to
confirm my gender and identity.
I was told today that the money
had not yet been dispersed
because the school had not
confirmed my enrollment until
January 8. I called back five minutes later, just for kicks. This time
I was told that the money had in
fact been dispersed. I really have
to wonder where they get this
information from. Do they flip
a coin? If it’s heads, the money’s
been dispersed and it’s the bank’s
fault; if it’s tails, the money has
not been dispersed because your
school only confirmed enrolment two days ago. Whatever the
answer is that they give you, you
do know that it is never their fault
— either the school or the bank.
All I know is that I need grocer-
the peak
ies and I need my textbooks. I
also have to come up with money
for a damage deposit and moving
expenses because I am moving
at the end of the month due to a
nasty eviction. I receive student
loans because I am impoverished
and have no other way to pay for
my education. Now my academic
advancement is being stalled due
to lack of books because of my
poverty. This is an example of
systemic oppression. I also face a
form of gender discrimination because my voice on the telephone
does not match the gender of my
name, which means that I have
to go to unreasonable lengths to
prove my identity. How do I stay
positive in this situation? I look
out the window and I see snow
and for a moment the beauty of
a snowy landscape makes me forget about my troubles.
—Tommy Thomson
January 15, 2007
5
...TXT MSGS:
Got something to say in 60 words
or less? E-mail it or MSN it to
[email protected] (it
also serves as the The Peak’s
MSN account), for e-mails
include TXT MSG in the subject
line. Submissions must include
your full name and your student
number. The Peak will not print
submissions considered to be
sexist, racist, or homophobic, or
attacks of a personal nature.
Laura, we met Wednesday night
during the snow storm, you were
walking down the hill, I offered
you a ride and dropped you off
on Hastings, you offered to buy
coffee, [email protected]
Hey Marx - forget the people, I’m
the REAL opiate of the masses.
Who’s the man?!? BRASCIA!!!
I feel a duty to inform you that the
person who sent in the above text
message was in fact Brascia.
Hey Jen, we met on Wednesday
walking down the hill in the
snowstorm, I walked you
home. Get that mole on
your face removed and we
might have a future together.
[email protected]
Dear campus security, please
fire the woman who tried to stop
us from driving down the hill. We
almost had to run her over.
Where all the single ladies at?
This cat wants to get to know you.
Real private like. Rawl.
Forming secret elite ninja spy
agency to infiltrate the offices of
Fox and force them to reverse
their decision to cancel The
O.C. Training provided. Crush on
Summer Roberts is an added
bonus. [email protected]
Who sucks?!? BRASCIA!!!
James Brown will come up out of
his damn grave and piss on you
bitches with his old dirty decaying
dick
Collecting nursery rhyme rap lyrics
for hip-hop cook book. Will be
titled Hip-Hitchen in da Kitchen.
[email protected]
MacLean’s Magazine wants to
run a “hot or not” feature on
SFU. They ask you, what is the
best and worst of life as an SFU
student? [email protected]
The Advocacy Committee
is responsible for lobbying,
coordinating and/or funding
issues affecting students. Want
to change the world? [email protected]
Hey guys check out this
totally sweet website I found:
www.myspace.com
I found a dead body in Burnaby
mountain park when I tried to
walk down the hill on Wednesday.
But I haven’t told anyone yet. I’m
scared who ever did it is going to
come after me.
Does anyone remember the
Bartman? I don’t mean in an
ironic sense, I sincerely thought
that was quite a technical dance
sequence.
6
OPINIONS
January 15, 2007
SFSS: What’s next? War never changes
Fellow SFU students, staff, and SFU
community, I hope you have come
back with new energy and inspiration to make 2007 a better year for
our beloved SFU. For those of us who
were falsely accused and bruised by
the biggest scandal in the Simon Fraser Student Society in recent history,
we feel vindicated. Our sole goal was
to reinstate our society as an open,
democratic, and transparent one
working for the interest of students
first. We did what we did collectively
for the students who will come after
we are finished and moved on to use
our knowledge and experience for the
service of the world and our common
humanity.
We start 2007 with high hopes and
with the knowledge that we have already made a historical contribution
to the enviable history of our university. Our ability to galvanise 1,028
students to the SGM called by the SFSS
Forum will be recorded in the next 40
years of SFU history. We have again set
the stage for the student movement
in Canada. Certainly, the university
agreed with our actions as serving the
interest of SFU students, and in December, the B.C. Supreme Court sided
with our actions.
Our society works — we survived the
first major constitutional challenge to
our by-laws which came into operation
in 2002. The SFSS Forum, which until
2002 was the highest decision-making
body and to which the executive was
accountable, came to the rescue of our
society. The Graduate Issues Committee and Forum have proven that we
can have checks and balances. Yes,
we have since held an election to elect
seven capable and hopefully honest
and transparent directors to replace
the seven we removed, yet we cannot
forget the lesion of history.
History has shown that when an
institution or a people suffers an unexpected and unfortunate event, there
is a need to conduct an exhaustive
investigation with the hope of closing
loopholes and identifying root causes
so that it does not happen again. Before we can put the issue behind us
and move on, we have an obligation to
know the details, facts, and the truth
about what happened. If not, we risk
dealing with a similar situation sooner.
To reconcile, heal, and set our society
in the right direction again, here are
some recommendations to the Board
of the SFSS:
(1) Re-instate Hattie Aitken with full
pay and benefits retroactively from
when she was illegally and unjustly
fired. The Board should formally
apologise to her and publicly move to
purify Hattie’s record of any blemishes
related to the issue because she did no
wrong. [Editor’s note: Hattie Aitken has
been reinstated. See page 8 for story.]
(2) Fully inform students of the cause
of action regarding the resolution of
the mess left behind by the removed
seven executives to avoid any speculation and confusion.
(3) Strike a seven-member investigation committee to investigate the
issue. The committee should be composed of graduate and undergraduate
students, and have gender and faculty
balance. Members should be drawn
from the SFSS Forum and be rewarded
beyond their normal Forum stipend
for their work. The committee should
produce a report with recommendations: possible by-law and policy
changes as well as sanctions against
the most culpable of the impeached
seven.
(4) Call for and hold a formal meeting
with representatives of the Canadian
Federation of Students with the hope
of dispelling any suspicions as well as
outline the disillusion on our campus
about the Federation. As well, renegotiate the power dynamics between
our local and the CFS. In the longer
term, present recommendations to
the CFS on what we expect from our
membership of the CFS by consulting
members of the SFSS Forum, the most
representative body in our society.
We all have a collective responsibility
to help our re-constituted Board build
our society to where it was before the
issue was imposed on us. We must
take steps to prevent our society from
being violated, abused, and devalued.
My promise to the SFU students, staff,
and community is that as long as I am
a student of SFU in good standing,
I will always speak out on matters I
know about and on issues of importance to students, our university, and
the world at large. For the new Board,
I wish you well, but as you well know, I
will be watching your every move.
In solidarity,
Clement Abas Apaak
Former SFSS President
It’s never a good idea to base foreign policy on blanket statements and uneducated
assumptions. The massive and continued
intelligence failures of the current U.S. administration in Iraq are ample evidence of
that. Yet, as Canadians we are clearly not
immune from that sort of self-absorbed
and dangerous politic either. Xavier Hamonic’s piece [“War has changed,” January
8, 2007] in the last issue of The Peak is
ample evidence of that.
Hamonic begins his piece by, essentially, lambasting the Canadian public for
being, according to him, ignorant of what
a military really is and what the role of
ours is in Afghanistan. “Yet Canadians are
still unclear of the true role of the armed
forces and the changing nature of armed
conflict,” he says, “and this confusion is
blurring their perception regarding Canada’s military presence in Afghanistan.” Of
course, this is nothing more than political
slander and the first of many hollow blanket statements. Could it not just as easily
be, Mr. Hamonic, that the Canadian public
is perfectly aware of what the role of our
military is and what role it is playing in
Afghanistan and that Canadians simply
do not support such ventures? It does
not take a genius to figure out what the
military is or what it does, and for anyone
who had any doubts, General Hillier made
it perfectly clear: “We are the Canadian
Forces, and our job is to be able to kill people.” He further added to that enlightened
comment by characterising the resistance
to Western troops in Afghanistan with, you
guessed it, another blanket statement:
“These are detestable murderers and
scumbags, I’ll tell you that right up front.
They detest our freedoms, they detest our
society, they detest our liberties.”
Never mind actual research or discussion, the Canadian public is a bunch of
dreamy-eyed hippies and the people fighting us in Afghanistan are all lunatics and
barbarians. Case closed. We then move on
to still more wonderfully polemical but
entirely meaningless statements. “The reality is that since the beginning of modern
civilisation,” he begins, as the collective
History Department groans in unison, “the
primary role of the military is to defend
the territorial integrity of the state and
safeguard its security interests from any
external or internal threats.” I guess the
UN peacekeeping forces don’t count, then.
The same UN peacekeeping forces which
were envisioned, by Canadian Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson most famously, to
be a global force that would attempt to
Dear jerk
Someone once said “profanity is the last refuge
of the inarticulate,” and while I enjoy a wellplaced f-bomb as much as the next guy, Muhammad Amir’s “Open letter to U.S. Homeland
Security” [January 8, 2007] reads more like the
lyric sheet of some idiot, racist rap album than
the well-reasoned argument of a (supposedly)
educated university student.
I’m willing to buy the notion that Mr. Amir
isn’t a threat to U.S. National Security, but at
the very least, he should be detained for being
a threat to good grammar and good taste. Next
time, put the wine in your checked baggage,
jerk-off.
—Reaon Ford
the peak
keep the peace, first and foremost, above
all other interests, those of state integrity
included. Hamonic concludes that little
section with an additional, and much appreciated, reference to another meaningless talking point: “the war on terrorism.”
Factual and logical inaccuracies continue to abound as Hamonic asserts that
“[s]ince the end of the Cold War, the nature of armed conflict has changed considerably.” No, it hasn’t. While there may
be more civil and guerilla conflicts today
than in years prior, the actual nature of
these conflicts has not changed. Go read
The Art of War if you don’t believe me.
Further on, Hamonic contends, using the
breakup of Yugoslavia as an example, that
“the rules of engagement associated with
peacekeeping must be changed in order to
reflect the strategic reality where the use of
defensive and offensive measures shall be
employed without any political restraints.”
Yet the reality is that in Bosnia the UN had
the mandate to protect civilians, but as the
Dutch demonstrated in Srebrenica, they
simply chose not to exercise that mandate.
And furthermore, Rwanda hardly counts
as a fair example, for even if the UN contingent there had used hostile force, the
handful of men available to Romeo Dallaire would have been slaughtered in turn
because they were simply outnumbered.
Clearly then, it’s not a matter of using still
more blind force to make a round peg fit
into a square hole but actually living up
to the current mandate and just having
enough people on the ground.
And on and on he goes like so, Hamonic
continues like this, making uninformed
accusations and misrepresenting historical facts, in order to make his case
for a more robust Canadian presence in
Afghanistan. He finishes off his piece with
a warning about terror striking in Canada
too (imagine that, we invade a country
and they want to retaliate!?) to make his
finally plea to “fight terror” by engaging in
still more terrorism of our own. I’d love to
be able to dismiss Hamonic’s uninformed
ramblings, I really would, but the sad reality is we seem to have a government in Ottawa that is towing this exact line. And unless informed citizens take a stand against
this sort of nonsense, we’re just assuring
more dead Afghans and Canadians and
painting ourselves into a position where,
unfortunately, someday total war may really be the only option.
—Jasmin Mujanovic
7
January 15, 2007
NEWS
news editor
associate news editor
e-mail
phone
Earl Tapia
Iain W. Reeve
[email protected]
604-291-3597
Campus News
Snowfall strands students at SFU
TransLink cuts service unexpectedly, gridlock causes students to wait or walk down mountain
Earl Tapia
News Editor
Road closures caused by unsafe
conditions stranded thousands
of students and staff at SFU’s
Burnaby Mountain Campus last
Wednesday as school administration kept the university open in
the face of a heavy snowfall.
A message from Don McLachlan, SFU’s director of public affairs and media relations, sent
on behalf of the administration,
states that the reason the university was kept open was because
the weather forecast at the time
was showing that no more snow
was going to fall.
“As late as 3:40 p.m., there was
no obvious problem . . . a few weak
flurries were falling, but a heavy
snowfall was not anticipated . . .
buses were running . . . Given all
that information, we decided at
that time not to close the campus,” stated McLachlan.
However,
things
changed
quickly. The snowfall increased,
causing traffic congestion on all
major routes off Burnaby Mountain as many drivers that normally leave campus around 4:30
p.m. experienced difficulty in the
snow. The congestion worsened
as the traffic lights at Gaglardi Way
and Burnaby Mountain Parkway
began to operate erratically, and
an articulated bus jackknifed in
the first turn-off from southbound
Gagliardi Way onto westbound
Burnaby Mountain Parkway.
Concerns were raised that
emergency vehicles would not
be able to get up to Burnaby
Mountain through the traffic
chaos, and Burnaby RCMP were
assigned to stop cars from coming up Gaglardi Way. In addition,
buses ceased coming up to the
university because of the traffic.
“Bus service stopped due to
the gridlock, but, unfortunately,
TransLink did not advise us,”
stated McLachlan.
Drew Snider, media relations
for TransLink, confirms that while
a call was made to the university
during the day, no call was placed
during the evening when bus
service stopped coming to the
university.
“[TransLink] spoke to the university in the morning and said
there were problems, but nobody
remembers making a call in the
evening,” he said.
Conditions were poor during
the morning as well, as evidenced
“Bus service stopped
due to the gridlock,
but, unfortunately,
TransLink did not
advise us.”
Don McLachlan, Director of Public Affairs and
Media Relations, SFU
when the #145 bus that usually
drives up Gaglardi Way was rerouted to drive around Lougheed
and up Hastings from Production
Station.
The decision to officially close
the campus was made at about 4:
55 p.m., according to McLachlan.
The road conditions webpage,
road reports line, and the website
were eventually updated to reflect
the closure status of the school.
Normal procedure is to send an
e-mail to all employees notifying
of the closure. However, technical
problems prevented this e-mail
from being sent until about 6:10
p.m.
Joann Field, president of CUPE
local 3338 that represents a large
number of staff on campus, says
that the lack of communication
from the university to the staff
and students is unsafe.
“The lack of coordination with
transit and the problems with
how the information does not
go to the departments is a huge
safety problem for students and
staff,” she said.
She also expressed concern
at the sight of students walking
down the mountain.
“One of the most unsafe things
I saw last night were the groups
of people walking down the hill.
I have never seen that, and I’ve
worked here since ‘89. We are so
lucky that nobody got hurt,” Field
said.
Derrick Harder, the newly
elected president of the Simon
Fraser Student Society, also expressed concern.
“I’m concerned that the decision to close the university
appears to come after the time
when people could actually leave
the campus. It indicates a lack of
concern for the well being of staff
and students on campus by not
giving us a chance to get off the
mountain,” he said.
In light of these concerns,
McLachlan stated in his message
that policies and procedures
would be reviewed.
“We are reviewing the decisions
that were taken, how they were
communicated, and how a similar situation should be handled
in the future,” he stated. “We will
be meeting with employee groups
next week to get more information,” McLachlan added.
Despite the chaos last Wednesday, school was open for business
the next day.
SFU Facilities currently has a
mix of five vehicles with plows
and spreaders, a front end loader,
and a one-ton brine sprayer, in
addition to several Bobcats and
other vehicles either being rented
or under contract to help control
the snow and ice on campus
roads and paths.
Last Wednesday was just another
incident in what has been an
eventful past few months for SFU
in terms of weather conditions.
In November, the campus was
shut down due to snowfall. Then
fierce windstorms blew trees
and debris on campus roads on
December 15. And on Friday the
5th, the school had another early
closure as snowfall threatened to
strand people on the mountain.
But none of those incidents were
as bad as what happened on the
10th of January, according to Field.
“Many of thee e-mails we’ve
received are from people who’ve
been here for 13, 18, 20 years, and
they are saying that [January 10]
was the worst snowfall situation
they’ve ever been in,” said Field.
“Most people believed that we
should have closed the university
down earlier,” she added.
SFU administration’s decision to keep the school open late into the afternoon, combined with TransLink’s decision to cease sending buses up
and down the mountain caused some students to hike down the mountain in the snow rather than wait for bus service to start up again.
the peak
WRITE FOR PEAK
ZOMG!!!1! RAAAARGH
NEWS
8
NEWS
January 15, 2007
Campus News
Bus stop finally completed
Shelter protects students from rain, snow
Earl Tapia
News Editor
Looking to get involved
or learn some new skills?
Gain Skills:
Graphic design
Event planning
Database
management
Magazine production
Consensus
decision–making
Action research
Radio production
Bus patrons no longer have to
huddle under the Rotunda while
waiting for a ride off the mountain.
As of Saturday, January 6, the
new bus shelter at the Rotunda
bus loop, which has been under
construction for months, is
ready for use.
While wind-breaking panels
still need to be installed and
the structure needs painting
when the weather clears, buses
are now stopping at the shelter
instead of at the temporary bus
stop which was located in front
of the West Mall Complex.
Erik Grafstrom, development
manager for Minor Projects
from Campus Planning & Development, was in charge of the
project from its planning phase
to its construction.
“With the campus enlarging,
there was a need for this shelter,” said Grafstrom.
The contract for the new shelter was awarded on June 29, but
due to various delays with subcontractors the shelter is only
coming to a completion now.
“We have been waiting since
June 29, which is far longer than
we ever anticipated,” Grafstrom
added. While it is not yet 100 per
cent complete, the important
thing, Grafstrom says, is that
the shelter is “providing cover at
this point.”
The construction contract
was for $300,000, given under
a competitive bid, with money
coming from university sources
and TransLink.
The initial agreement was for
costs to be split 50/50 between
SFU and TransLink, but for
various reasons Grafstrom says
that this cost split might have
changed.
In addition, TransLink may
move the bus stop from its current location.
“One thing that did create a bit
of an issue was whether TransLink was going to keep that bus
stop there, and that shelter may
be more of a temporary structure,” said Grafstrom.
The university has been criticised in the past for failure to
provide shelter for students,
staff, and faculty while waiting
for buses at the Rotunda bus
loop as well as the residence bus
stop farther down the road.
Grafstrom says that there may
or may not be more structures
down the road.
“Regarding other bus stops,
TransLink gets involved with
that. I’m not involved in any
myself, but there could be other
bus stops planned,” he said.
Fired employee re-instated
Public education
Library resource
management
r Student Society
Simon Fraser
Experience the world of
non-profit organizations.
Decisions that triggered impeachment calls reversed
Student Society
Get involved in social
and environmental
justice issues.
The
Beef up your resume.
pleased to announce that Hattie Aitken has
Student Society is pleased
attie Aitken has been
Volunteering
at
SFPIRG
Open Mon-Fri
back pay and damages to
duate Issues and
Coordinator.
10:30-4:30
udent Society,
we above
TC326
ithdraw any
statements
the
bus loop
he Studentwww.sfpirg.ca
Society which
at Ms. Aitken is not honest
at she conspired with
Simon
Fraser
Student
Society
is
been reinstated with full back pay and
damages to her position as Graduate Issues
and University Relations Coordinator.
On behalf of the Student Society, we
apologise for and withdraw any statements
made on behalf of the Student Society which
suggest or imply that Ms. Aitken is not honest
or trustworthy or that she conspired with
others against the interests of the Simon
Fraser Student Society or its members.
nterests of the Simon
ety or its members.
for a just,
sustainable &
meaningful world
w.sfss.ca
CUPE 5396
Students wait at the new bus loop shelter by the Rotunda.
www.sfss.ca
CUPE 5396
the peak
Iain W. Reeve
Associate News Editor
The event which triggered
months of scandal, conflict, and
eventual impeachment within
the SFSS was reversed last week
as the new Board of Directors
reinstated Hattie Aitken at full
pay. Aitken was released by
the previous Board last August
for reasons which have not yet
been publicly disclosed. Claims
that the Board did not follow
regulations, namely gaining full
Board approval before releasing
Aitken, eventually led to the impeachment of seven members in
November.
Aitken was reinstated to her
preexisting position as graduate issues and university relations coordinator last week after
arbitration between the SFSS
Board and CUPE, the union representing Aitken. The issue was
immediately sent to arbitration
when Aitken was released, but
was never resolved due to ongoing political strife within the
SFSS. However, the new Board
met on December 21, deciding
to send the Aitken issue, along
with others, to mediation, in
order to find a mutually palatable resolution.
Representatives from the SFSS
Labour Committee worked with
CUPE using a go-between mediator to achieve the decision.
This took place over an 11-hour
meeting last Monday. The final
agreement saw Aitken reinstated while also seeing to it that
she is paid full back pay for the
time since she was dismissed, as
well as an undisclosed amount
in damages. Aitken is expected
to have returned to work the
Monday this story runs.
The reasons why she was dismissed will remain confidential. As SFSS President Derrick
Harder points out, “a significant
part of the grievance was the
lack of confidentiality.” The SFSS
Board must now turn its attention to sorting out the various
expenses associated with the
labour dispute and other legal
disputes associated with several
months of political turmoil.
NEWS
January 15, 2007
9
Campus News
Club Spotlight
This week’s Club Spotlight is the
Zombie Militia. The Peak’s Sean
Wilkinson interviewed Brad Kirkland in a rotunda that reverberated with eerie, deathlike moans.
The Zombie Militia is an intriguing name for a club. What’s it all
about?
It started a long time ago. I was
once a private in a group called
the AURAs, a Canadian governmental agency dedicated to fighting zombies. We’d often get calls
from SFU around midterm time
— reports of braindead things
shuffling around in the hallways.
So we’d rush in and usually it was
just a big hoax: only maybe one
in every 10 times would it be a
real zombie. So to save hassle I
got command of the 42nd division of the Zombie Militia, based
here at SFU and intended to train
students to protect themselves.
We set up base about halfway
up the hill. Initially we had only
50 or 60 troops, but now we have
close to 130.
How much success have you had
in promoting zombie safety on
campus?
1966 — Eighty-five SFU students would have had their cars
towed from a strict no-parking
zone had it not been for an
anonymous caller who phoned
in and stopped the event. Security was ready to tow all the
cars parked in the area until
a phone call was placed that
pleaded for extra time for the
cars to be moved themselves,
which was in turn granted.
1976 — SFU students couldn’t
enjoy the SFU Pub for weeks
because the University Centre
Building, which housed the
Pub, underwent several renovations. The fire marshall who
inspected the building after
the previous renovations were
completed demanded that the
building be renovated again in
order to comply with new fire
codes, ultimately costing the
university an extra $15,000.
1989 — Around 3:00 a.m., Andy
Tomec returned to his car that
he had parked in B-lot earlier
only to find it on fire. Apparently Tomec’s Datsun 510 had
been on fire for at least half
an hour before he found it. According to police, the vehicle
A great deal. A couple years
ago, 12 zombies got into an AGM
and were disturbing the proceedings. Since the quorum for
an AGM is only 500 students, we
found it alarming that so many
of them were zombies. Of course
we took out those 12.
We’ve also staged a number
of zombie walks, where we’d
get a bunch of actors to dress
up as zombies and attack the
participants, in order to raise
awareness.
it can still bite you. For someone
with only a flashlight, that is obviously not safe. If a highly trained,
uniformed zombie specialist was
there to tell people to step away
from the undead monster and let
him deal with it, it would be a lot
more effective.
Do you expect to be able to completely rid SFU of zombies, or is
the zombie problem something
that will always be with us?
Like a simulation?
Well, for a while last year we
thought we had them on the run,
but then they started coming out
of the woods south of campus,
near the MTF. They were coming out of some sort of bunker.
We cleaned out the bunker and
took it as our base. SFU Surrey
is a particularly dangerous place
because there are a lot of small
places for zombies to hide. Also,
because of the SkyTrain system,
a zombie menace can move
very quickly through the Lower
Mainland.
So, overall, what do you think of
the Zombie Militia’s prospects
for the New Year?
Yeah, that got a lot of interest.
People suddenly realised that we
had a serious zombie problem.
Some critics have suggested that
the Zombie Militia interferes
with the jurisdiction of SFU’s
regular security forces.
Photo Courtesy the Zombie Militia
The Zombie Militia prepares to do their thing.
SFU Security is a very good
bunch of people, but they are not
equipped to deal with zombies.
For example they are not armed.
The only way you can kill a zombie is to sever its head or dismember its body, and even then
had been so badly burned that
the cause of the fire could not
be determined, but arson was
the suspected cause.
1996 — The RCMP arrested
an unidentified individual in
relation to hate mail that was
distributed under faculty room
doors in the math department. The hate mail contained
conspiracy theories pertaining
to the apparent threatening
nature that minorities posed
towards white supremacy.
Campus security sent out a
mass- email bulletin outlining
the crime that ultimately aided
in the arrest of the individual.
2005 — The Health, Career, and
Counselling Centre (HCCC)
started selling birth control to
students. The birth control was
accessible due to the HCCC’s
ties to OPTions for Sexual
Health, allowing the HCCC to
buy the birth control at a lower
price which provided students
with a more cost effective and
convenient means of protection.
Compiled by Linda van der
Velden
the peak
Very good. We’ve started to
get more involved in the Lower
Mainland, and we have a number of incredibly talented officer
rising in the ranks. And we are
the only force equipped to deal
with zombies.
10
NEWS
January 15, 2007
National News
Student gives control of his life to website
Web polls and surveys put decision-making power to blog readers to “choose his adventure”
Matthew Gauk
The Martlet (University of
Victoria)
VICTORIA — Jeremy David Peters
doesn’t have to agonise over how
to cut his hair. His readers decide
for him.
Peters, a 21-year-old 4th-year
business student at the University
of Victoria, runs a personal blog at
JeremyDavid.com, with the title Jeremy David Choose Your Own, errr,
My Adventure!
Peters’s blog uses web polls and
surveys to collect the opinions of
his readers on matters as weighty as
his Halloween costume (a dragon),
his haircut (a faux-hawk), and what
kind of hat to wear to his fake birthday party (a pirate hat). Then he
acts on them, following up with a
detailed account and photographs
of his adventure.
Peters’s adventure options have
been getting gradually more relevant to his life, including where
to go on weekend bicycle rides (a
hillbilly bar), what to do on a trip
to Ottawa (dig soil for an hour with
hand tools and sing karaoke), and
where to go on a trip to Europe (Ireland). Peters had this trip in mind
when he started putting the website
together.
“You know there are all those
travel blogs and stuff but no one
would really want to read them unless you knew the person,” Peters
said. “I thought it also ties in that if
people were actually able to influence where I go . . . so I could be at a
train station and say, ‘Should I go to
France or Germany now?’ It might
actually attract people to the site.”
Peters could do this by updating
his site at internet cafés or if, as he
hopes, he gets access to technology
that allows him to update the site
while staying mobile.
“I think it would be unbelievable if
. . . I could actually post something
on the internet and then have people make decisions in real time, so
have a question and then an hour
or two hours later actually act on it,”
Peters said.
Peters took his inspiration from
other enterprising sites such as
One Red Paperclip and The Million
Dollar Homepage, both of which received worldwide media coverage.
“I thought it might be cool to put
that into the real world, so people
can collaborate and put internet
stuff into real life,” said Peters, who
took his lead from Web 2.0, an internet movement working towards
the cooperation of users through
collaborative sites such as Wikipedia and social networking sites. “I
thought it’d be funny to see what
sort of things people would do if
they lived their lives vicariously
through mine.”
The blog isn’t the only thing on
the site. He also has posted correspondence between an anonymous
landlord and some harebrained
tenants, and a series of Peterspenned humorous snail-mail letters
to Oprah, Jack Nicholson, and the
Nicola Valley honey company.
The main challenge for Peters is
posting content that’s interesting
to people other than his immediate
family and friends. His “first unique
idea” has already struck a chord beyond his group of friends, but Peters
is always on the lookout for different
features to add to his site.
“I’ve had the domain name for
four or five years and I’ve just never
really had anything on it before,”
said Peters. “It’s good to be able to
finally put something there that’s
worth visiting instead of just having
my name on a white background.”
Canadian University Press
UBC faces class-action lawsuit
University ‘can’t go around saying what’s allowed and what’s not,’
lawyer says
Momoko Price
The Ubyssey (University of
British Columbia)
VANCOUVER — About $4 million
in parking fines is at stake in a classaction lawsuit against the University
of British Columbia.
According to parking enforcement policies at the University of
British Columbia, not paying your
parking tickets can have serious
consequences, including vehicle
impoundment, fine increases, and
the retraction of university services.
Daniel Barbour begs to differ. According to the grounds of his newly
approved class-action lawsuit
against the Vancouver school, these
consequences aren’t legally enforceable, and haven’t been for the past
16 years.
In December, the B.C. Supreme
Court approved Barbour’s case to
go forward and now the fines paid
by some 100,000 people since 1990
may be at stake.
It began on March 26, 2004, as a
heated dispute between an angry
driver and the man who towed
his car. At the time, Barbour said
his car had been towed due to five
outstanding parking tickets that
he knew nothing about. The tickets amounted to about $150 but
Barbour had to pay an additional
$200 in order to get his car. Barbour
claims he was denied the option
to appeal the charges against him
until after he had paid the fines, a
regulation he considered wholly
contradictory and unfair.
He was frustrated.
“I realised that their policy doesn’t
even say they have to put a notice on
your dashboard . . . and if you want
to appeal the fines you could only
appeal to the people who charged
you in the first place,” he said.
Because the appeals procedure
does not involve an impartial arbitrator to resolve challenged cases,
Barbour claims UBC is enforcing
and defining parking laws unfairly
and outside its jurisdiction.
UBC Public Affairs director Scott
Macrae contends that UBC is entirely within its right to enforce fines
and that they are no different than
any other university in B.C.
“We’re authorised by legislation
to pass these rules regarding traffic through the University Act,” he
said. “We’re well within our rights to
regulate parking and, as part of that
regulation, to give fines to people
when they go against the regulations we’ve set up.”
Though he did not wish to comment on the lawsuit itself, Macrae
confirmed that the university would
appeal the Supreme Court’s decision from last month.
“We believe we have the authority to not only charge for parking,
which we do on a non-profit basis,
but we also believe we have the
right to fine people when they disobey the rules.”
To the contrary, Barbour’s lawyer
Sharon Matthews states that the
issue is not UBC’s general jurisdiction to “regulate traffic,” but
whether or not it can legally define
parking offences and collect fines
from contravening parties, actions
that require special permission
from the provicial legislature, which
Matthews says UBC never had.
“UBC says in its policy and regulations that if you have contravened
their regulations that you have
committed an offence, and a private
citizen — which essentially is what
UBC is — can’t do that. It can’t go
around creating offences and saying what’s allowed and what’s not.”
While Macrae stressed the fact
that parking fines at UBC are meant
solely to deter parking violations
and not to generate profit, Barbour
is convinced the system is set up to
make money, and speculates that
the reason the issue hasn’t been
raised before is because students
are penalised most of the time by
regulations.
“People don’t do anything about it
because most of them are students
who don’t know better and when
it’s $15 or $40 here or there and they
can withhold your marks, it’s not
worth it.”
Canadian University Press
the peak
Courtesy Canadian University Press
Jeremy David Peters is seen here sporting the remnants of a blogordered faux-hawk.
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11
January 15, 2007
ARTS
Film Review
Stephanie Orford
[email protected]
604-291-4630
arts editor
e-mail
phone
This week’s Arts section continues on page 14.
Pan’s Labyrinth enchants
Guillermo del Toro’s fairy story for grown-ups has won accolades for its originality
Mehdi M.
Kashani
Associate
Staff
Contributor
Pan’s Labyrinth is now playing
in theatres everywhere.
As the final days of the year
were approaching, I was becoming more determined to
put Departed and Volver at the
pinnacle of my top 10 list (a
list morbidly made by us cinephiles at the end of every year).
However, Guillermo del Toro’s
masterwork, Pan’s Labyrinth,
compelled me to form a trinity of the bests. Del Toro’s past
agenda shows a remarkable seesaw of commercially surefooted
blockbusters (like Hellboy) and
more personal indies (like Devil’s Backbone). Now with Pan’s
Labyrinth, he reaches a delicate balance between opposing
fronts. The film not only appeals
to critics and cinema-goers
alike, but it’s also a spectacle
of contrasting notions: life and
death, fantasy and reality, childhood and adulthood, femininity
and masculinity, and the most
significant to the plot: conformity and the power of will.
The story happens in the early
stages of Franco’s fascism in
Spain 1944. The heroine is Ofelia, a young girl who travels with
her mother to live with her new
stepfather, Captain Vidal — a
cruel disciplined fascist determined to suppress the rebels.
Ofelia is bored by the dreary
lives of the adults around her
when a fairy sparks her curiosity and leads her to an abandoned labyrinth in the forest.
There she meets a frightening
yet agreeable faun who assigns
her a set of quests. From then
Concept art from the film.
Images courtesy of Picturehouse
A monster from del Toro’s fantasy world welcomes Ofelia to its lair.
on, the account alternates between Captain Vidal’s obsessive
attempts to quell the rebellion
and Ofelia’s committed plunge
into the world of fantasy.
In spite of its child protagonist, the movie targets an adult
audience, a fact emphasised by
sporadic violent scenes not suitable for viewers of Ofelia’s age.
Nonetheless, a child’s centrality
to the story evokes the long-forgotten childhood within us.
Captain Vidal, played exquisitely by Sergi Lopez, is a symbol
of machismo, yet in reality he is
a conformist. All of the other
characters suffer from the same
predicament. Interestingly, only
those who eventually oppose
their fate are redeemed. It’s only
Ofelia who reserves for herself
the luxury of choices, the most
important of which occurs in
the final sequence.
In various moments during the
movie, Ofelia asks her mother to
leave the doomed place where
they are trapped under the heel
of Captain Vidal, but her mother
ignores her pleas, arguing that
she “doesn’t understand.”
Del Toro wisely switches back
and forth between Ofelia’s quest
to demystify the labyrinth and
Captain Vidal’s venture to subjugate the rebels. To the viewer
the latter seems as absurd as the
former, but more brutal and less
innocent.
In Pan’s Labyrinth, you can’t
trust anybody, even Ofelia’s
guide in the underworld, the
deceptively gentle faun whose
good nature is taken for granted
in classic fairy tales. The film
follows the golden rules of fairy
tales but then slyly deviates
from them to make its point.
The two plots of the story are
not novel in themselves, but it
is their fusion that makes the
whole enterprise unique. The
metaphorical ending of the
the peak
movie resolves and unites both
threads elegantly. At some moments, you’ll be on the edge
of your seat (especially in the
scene with the monster whose
eyes are in its hands). At others
you’ll sympathise. But whether
or not you leave the theatre
impressed, after the film is over
you’ll certainly have something
to chew on for the way home.
If Peter Pan existed today,
perhaps Pan’s Labyrinth would
convince him to stay in Neverland and keep his youth for
eternity.
The mischevious Pan sets a quest for Ofelia.
12
January 15, 2007
FEATURES
features editor
e-mail
phone
Debby Reis
[email protected]
604-291-4560
Big O? Big deal!
By Muhammad Amir
I
epitome of this atmosphere,
the orgasm. There’s no titillation
in burping, just as there is no titillation in drooling, or snoring, or farting.
Save that for the sleep afterwards. And especially, do not
fuck with my
money shot.
Perhaps it was
this sanctification of climax
that kept me
quiet while a
roommate of
mine indulged
in
autoeroticism in the very
room in which
I was trying to
sleep.
In Curitiba,
Brazil, I had the
velvet of sharing a very small
bedroom with
a young man
from
North
Carolina, whose dragging articulations
and southern colloquialisms immediately
gnawed, nettled, and miffed even my most
friendly inclinations. He further disaffected
me when he would regularly barge into the
I stopped, feeling
myself shrink out
of the condom,
like a tur tle re tracting its head
into its shel l out
of fear of being
eaten. It sm elled
like fucking
Fanta.
ana kresina and Alex Tay
lor / The Peak
was laying down some mean coitus:
grunting, slapping, and sweating off
my prurience in a nervously rapid
cadence. Almost violently, she arched
her neck back over the pillow, her cheeks
flushing like a horizon poising a sunrise,
her eyelids tautly scrunched together, and
her lips trembled as she slowly widened
her mouth.
It was at that perfect moment
— she let out . . . a burp?
I stopped, feeling
myself shrink
out of the
condom,
like a turtle
retracting its
head
into
its shell out
of fear of being
eaten. It smelled like
fucking Fanta.
“What’s wrong, baby?”
I’ll tell you what’s wrong, sweetheart: You’ve just burked my virility,
nonplused your own sexual prowess,
and vitiated this act of fornication.
Here I am, busting my balls in a concupiscent effort, and you remind me of
your lowbrow choice of dinner beverage?
Where the shit did that burp come from?
“It just . . . came out,” she explained
amidst compliments that are too awkward
for me to see reiterated in print. I couldn’t
tell if she was covering up her obvious embarrassment by patronising me or actually
trying to reconcile
my
bewildered
state of disappointment with
the reality that
sometimes these
things happen.
Admittedly,
I
had consecrated
the orgasm to the
effect that what
had
happened
was blasphemy:
to have my anticipation of it met
by a belch did all
the work of a cold
shower while having the ironic effect of making me
feel dirtier. Maybe
I’m neurotic or
maybe I’m a prude, but my libido cannot
tolerate the introduction of an element
that bears itself in such direct contrast with
the sounds, smells, and tastes of the general sexual atmosphere, not to mention the
b e d r o o m ,
coked up on
a weekday morning while I was trying to
sleep off my cachaca hangover
before
class. Our intimate sleeping quarters only
exacerbated the circumstance: on one
side of the room was my bed and on the
opposite side was his, with the space inbetween the two beds only being enough
for one of us to walk through.
So imagine my surprise one night while
I’m trying to fall asleep and he decides
to rub one out. Now, I snore — and he
knows that I’m only really asleep when
I snore. But I wasn’t snoring, and yet, he
still figured he should chafe the carrot an
arm’s length away from me. Meanwhile, I
laid there the whole time in a thoroughly
disgusted lull, not knowing what to say,
thinking that interrupting an orgasm is
a terrible transgression that I am simply
not willing to lay burden onto my good
conscience. Eventually, he finished with
a satisfied sigh and it was all over — or so
I thought.
the peak
The dénouement of
his sexual experience that
night apparently demanded
for him to then tunefully croon
to himself, “You’ve been hit by . . .
you’ve been struck by . . . a smooth
criminal.”
If only I had the same indifference to
that orgasm as I did one evening overlooking the beach at Ilha do Mel (Honey
Island), my reveries of women and past
fucks wouldn’t be pervaded by the
strobe images of rustling bed sheets
amidst skin-slapping sounds and
the pleasure whimpers of a hoarse
southern accent.
After befriending a professor and
his wife, both of whom teetered on
the wrong side of 50 and who were also
vacationing at the Ilha do Mel — an island far from civilisation, without any
paved roads or motor vehicles, but with
an ATM every two or three furlongs
— I was enjoying a smoke, a drink, and
a conversation with a view of the beach
in its deserted entirety. Suddenly, in
the far distance, the sensual screams of
a woman — who was indubitably the
professor’s wife — echoed throughout
the entire beach, and, without question,
through the jungle and to the next beach
over. Naturally, the thought occurred to
me, “If only I could make a woman feel
that way, and not gassy.”
Nonetheless, in that instance, I just
continued to smoke my cigarette and
make my small talk. Sure, I chuckled
the second time I heard the boisterous
squeals of ecstasy resonate throughout
the quiet hostel and seaside, but it hardly
distressed me. And this is considering
that the professor and his ol’ lady consummating their little jaunt before 8:00
with such passion in spite of the wrinkles
and the sagging is not really a mental picture for any occasion.
But, in the end, it’s really just an orgasm.
If we have one, we can feel really good or
maybe even really filthy. We can feel proud,
or vulnerable, or pathetic. If we see someone else have one, we can love that person
all the more or we can cringe from it. The
thought of it can be arousing or it can be
dampening . . . it could even be funny.
Whatever form it takes, its biological essence is the same every time.
To think that some of us can spend our
weekend nights chasing an orgasm truly
reveals the base nature of the lives into
which we can degrade our capacities.
But even then, it’s really not that big of a
deal. Everyone has to get off at some point
or another, right?
FEATURES
January 15, 2007
13
This week’s recipe:
Pea soup
Cris Lewynsky
The Peak
Serves four.
Ingredients:
500g / 1 lb dry split peas, green or yellow
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth*
1/2 large onion, chopped small
2 stalks celery, chopped small
1 carrot, chopped small
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 clove garlic, minced
1 large chicken breast or small turkey
breast chopped small**
3 cups water
Large, thick-bottomed pot, with lid
*homemade, canned, or from water
mixed with dry stock
**can use cooked meat instead, add during last 15 minutes of cooking
Instructions:
a) Wash peas, discard any odd-looking
ones
b) Mix all ingredients into the pot
c) Bring to a boil over high heat
d) Adjust heat to high simmer, cover,
cook for 1 to 1 1⁄2 hours, stirring often. If
the soup is too thick, add water gradually
until desired thickness is achieved.
Note: Don’t eat the bay leaf!
Cris Lewynsky / The Peak
The ingredients of pea soup, chopped and ready to be made into a tasty meal.
The Peak is always
looking for
writers!
Contact
peak_features@
mail.peak.sfu.ca
for more info.
Photographers and graphic
designers needed too!
the peak
14
ARTS
January 15, 2007
Film Series
Watch Canadian films!
The First Weekend Club’s Canada Film Series shows off local talent
Evan Bleker
The Peak
For a moviegoing people,
Canadians
rarely watch good Canadian
cinema. Most movies available
in major theatres seem to be
exported to Canada from our
neighbours to the south, and
now only three per cent of
movies shown in Canada are
actually Canadian. But while
many of us are only too eager
to go see the next edition of
Beerfest or other cinematic
masterpieces, a growing number of Canadians are pushing
for more Canadian content in
our theatres. This weekend I
was fortunate to be introduced
to a non-profit organisation
called the First Weekend Club.
The First Weekend Club
(FWC) is an attempt to break
the cycle of marketing failure
suffered by many Canadian
films. To counter the shortage
of cash and lack of advertising
that accompanies most Canadian films, the FWC has adopted a direct advertising approach by sending out emails
to its members about new
films. The FWC believes that
word-of-mouth marketing will
increase awareness about Canadian films, and increase traffic on opening weekends. Their
rationale is that the more people who watch Canadian films
during that crucial first week,
the longer Canadian films will
be able to stay in theatres. The
FWC is attempting to counteract the major American films
which are backed by movie
companies with deep pockets.
These films enjoy a very large
advertising budget, resulting in
more awareness about American films, and a greater amount
of time spent in theatres. So far
the FWC has forged a strong
member base with chapters in
Vancouver, Toronto, Victoria,
Edmonton, and Calgary. Within
a short time chapters will also
be open in Ottawa, Winnipeg,
and Halifax.
In addition to direct promotion, the FWC is also hosting
a film series called Canada
Screens, which features some
of the best Canadian movies
and conversational workshops
with Canadian directors. These
workshops are perfect for upcoming filmmakers. This weekend featured Carl Bessai and
his film Emile, a drama staring
Ian McKellen which explores
a retired professor’s estrangement from the family he betrayed. The film is the third in
a series of movies Bessai wrote
and directed which touch upon
different aspects of the human
experience.
Bessai
hosted
a workshop before the film
which was open to the public.
In that interactive setting, he
discussed his approach to directing, his early experiences
in the film industry as a cameraman, and the challenges he
faced when he transitioned to
directing. He also talked about
his experience making movies
with limited funding, giving
advice on how best to deal with
this challenge. Bessai even emphasised that making films for
a mere six or seven thousand
dollars can be an exhilarating
entrepreneurial
experience,
and something that more people should attempt.
For those interested in seeing good Canadian cinema, the
Canadian Screens series takes
place at 2:00 p.m. on the first
Sunday of every month at the
Vancity Theatre downtown. If
you’re interested in taking in
the workshop before the movie
and experiencing some of the
personalities behind the films,
doors open at 12:30.
Upcoming Canadian Films
Season three starts on February 4 with The Rocket. The
Rocket is a film that chronicles
the rise of the great Maurice
Richard of the Montreal Canadians. Even though 17-year-old
Maurice labours through the
day to make a living, the only
thing that really matters to him
is hockey. After work, Maurice
heads to his cold sanctuary,
laces up his skates, and takes
to the ice. After earning his
way to the big leagues, the
Rocket faces another challenge:
discrimination in a league
dominated by Anglophone Canadians.
Water may be interesting to
those in love with everything
India. Playing March 4, Deepa
Mehta’s film takes place in colonial India during Mahatma
Gandhi’s rise to power where
a group of Indian widows are
forced to live in penitence.
Salman Rushdie calls this a
magnificent film that is unforgettably touching.
April 1 sees rockumentary
icons Billy Talent and Joe Dick
come to the big screen again
in the movie Hardcore Logo.
The film is a mockumentary
starring Hugh Dillon of the
Headstones, who plays the lead
singer of a punk band doing a
Canadian reunion tour. Stress
and buried agitations eventually surface and pull the band
apart.
Saint Ralph plays May 6.
Ralph Walker is a young boy
whose only parent is in a lifethreatening coma, and who
believes only a miracle will
bring her out of it. Thinking
he is destined for greatness but
not knowing where to expect it,
Ralph joins a running club with
the goal of winning the Boston
marathon.
Those with a more twisted
taste may want to see The
Burial Society on June 3. The
movie involves a bank loan
manager who is running from
the mafia, and tries to steal a
body to fake his own death.
What he finds instead is refuge
in an ancient Jewish society
that prepares bodies for traditional burial.
Sick of studying yet?
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WEEKLY TOP 20 RECORDS
1. * The Winks, Birthday Party (Ache)
2. * Swan Lake, Beast Moans (Scratch)
3. * Destroyer, We’ll Build Them A Golden Bridge [Reissue] (Scratch)
4. * aMUTE, The Sea Horse Limbo (Intr Vision)
5. * Les Georges Leningrad, Sangue Puro (Dare To Care)
6. * Various, Killed By Canada (Fans Of Bad Productions)
7. Lee Scratch Perry, Panic in Babylon (Narnack)
8. * Immaculate Machine, Les Uns Mais Pas Les Autres (Mint)
9. Me First And The Gimme Gimmes, Love Their Country (Fat Wreck Records)
10. * Hot Loins, Buzzkil/Reminiscent Of The? (Broadway To Boundary)
11. Tunng, Jenny Again (Static Caravan)
12. Death Before Dishonor/Black Friday ‘29, Split (Bridge Nine)
13. * Mutators, Nerves/Francine’s Bad Dream (Grotesque Modern)
14. The Pipettes, Judy/The Burning Ambition Of Early Diuretics (Memphis Industries)
15. The Knife, Like A Pen (Brille)
16. Rabbit Ears, Rabbit Ears (Go Midnight)
17. * Minisystem, Madingley (Noise Factory)
18. Love Is All, Felt Tip Demo (What’s Your Rupture)
19. David S. Ware 4tet, Balladware (Thirsty Ear)
20. Delroy Williams, The Best Of: Original Eighteen Deluxe Edition (Heartbeat)
*denotes Canadian artist
conscientiously compiled by Ed Blake
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ARTS
January 15, 2007
15
Artist Profile
Kellen Powell
Most of you already know Kellen
Powell as The Peak’s humour
editor, but he is also a 4th-year
film student, currently completing his grad film, Sons
of a Battlecr y, which he describes as being inspired
by “The Seven Samurai and stuff like The O.C.”
Kellen’s work has screened at the Montreal World
Film Festival and you can catch his next film at the
film program’s grad show this spring.
The Peak: Did you come up against any scepticism
from the film depar tment regarding your decision to
finish your degree by making a samurai film?
Kellen Powell: Absolutely. One faculty member
actually read my screenplay and basically told me,
“This isn’t even a movie,” but another one said
something like, “I think you should do it, I think it’s
the gunfight at the OK Coral, and I get that, and I
think if you do it the way you see it in your head an
audience will get it too.” And there’s still a lot of
skepticism, because the project isn’t completed yet
and I’ve kind of been slacking off when I should be
editing, but my process is ver y ‘seat of your pants.’
I like to think there’s a kind of energy that comes
through when you work spontaneously and quickly.
P: SFU has a ver y unique film program. What
separates it from others and why did you choose it?
KP: Basically there is a ver y close-knit mentality.
We don’t all get along, but one of the fundamental
ideas behind the program is that the people in it
with you are your crew, and you are their crew, and
that you need to know and trust each other. Other
programs are more competitive. They do things like
cut half the people after the first year or only allow a
few people in each class to direct. At SFU there isn’t
really any of that. Anyone who wants to can direct a
project, pretty much, if they are willing to finance it
and they can get a script approved by the faculty in
4th-year. I came to SFU because I wanted to do film,
but I wanted a degree program, and I had seen the
films that came out of SFU. I’ve also done courses
at the University of Southern California and I can
honestly say I feel like you’re going to get out of film
school what you put into it.
P: I once overheard a film professor warn a group
of 1st-year students that “the mythology surrounding
Kellen Powell is entirely self-created.” Another film
student even referred to filmmaker Harmony Korine
as being a “Kellen.” What do you make of your
legendar y status within the SFU film community?
KP: Man, I can’t tell if that’s a mean thing or a
nice thing for a person to say. I like to think that if
I have legendar y status it stems exclusively from my
good looks and how excited I get about movies. I’ve
been smar t enough to surround myself with people
who know how to keep my ego in check, though, so
hopefully I won’t get a fat head and I’ll continue
to work hard. At least until I’ve actually achieved
something more substantial than a 10-minute
student film. After that point it will be a non-stop
barrage of cocaine, cognac, bathrobes, and trophy
wives.
Clockwise from left: Alex Taylor, Kellen Powell, and
Kathleen Hepburn shooting Sons of a Battlecry in
the beautiful SFU visitor’s parkade.
Courtesy of Sabreena Peters, Esq.
Meg Allan
Associate Staff Contributor
CD Review
Everybody’s talking about these ‘Young Folks’
Writer’s Block, Peter Bjorn and John’s new album, exhibits their stellar command of infectious pop songwriting
Justin Mah
Associate
Staff
Contributor
“Young Folks”
was recently
number one on the Japanese
J-Wave chart, has shown up on
popular TV shows like Grey’s
Anatomy, is played for blissful
dancers in Vancouver clubs such
as Shine, and even found its way
onto my own personal New
Year’s CD compilation. Peter
Bjorn and John’s whistling melancholy euphorically invokes all
things nostalgic. As a result, the
body is coerced into convulsive
dance and the soul of childhood
buried within radiates ever so
warmly as we bask in the song’s
nostalgic reverie. And though
“Young Folks,” which was number five in Pitchfork’s “Top 100
Tracks of 2006,” is a song that
is getting this Stockholm trio
much of their recent recognition, the other 10 songs found
on their third album Writer’s
Block prove equally as forceful
in their pop mastery, albeit in
more subtle and less anthemic ways.
In their sundry sonic forms,
Peter Bjorn and John’s texturally exacted melodies swell
the accompanying lyrics.
Meanwhile, those lyrics are
always apropos of the subjects of both love and ennui,
mixing them in a way that
leaves us feeling revitalised.
The stretched out and distorted guitar pangs open “Up
Against The Wall,” a song that
sorrowfully forays into a damaged relationship on its last
leg. The song shows the often
blurry distinction between
love and hate in a frustrating
but honest and all-too-faCourtesy of EMI Music
miliar manner. Another song
Peter
Bjorn
and
John’s
album
has
a
relaxed
feel.
off the album, “Amsterdam,”
fueled by a shaking maraca
and mixed with industrial that arise. Others, like the self- of “Start To Melt,” pull on the
synth, captures a banal trip to righteous “Let’s Call It Off” to heartstrings with a lingering
Amsterdam and the hardships the dark, apocalyptic vocals sense of loss.
the peak
All three of the band members
— Peter Morén, Bjorn Yttling,
and John Eriksson — take on
the roles of lead vocalist and
songwriter in Writer’s Block.
This not only imbues the album
with epic scope, but surely has
helped them produce a seamless recording. The album is a
work that draws upon the best
elements found throughout pop
history, combines them in innovative new ways, appropriating
them to today’s music scene.
Its instrumental layering leaves
the album breathing organically
before us and, as such, demands
multiple listens — which allow
us to search deeper and to
gradually untangle the myriad
emotional narratives that weave
each of the songs together.
This all said, and based on
the fact that many have hailed
“Young Folks” as the indie anthem of 2006, it is more likely
that the album’s name Writer’s
Block is just some cheeky practical joke than an actual reality.
16
ARTS
January 15, 2007
Art Gallery
Hey kids, it’s me:
Chris Kirkpatrick.
I’ve been banished
to pop music limbo
since fall 2001
because I didn’t
write for Peak Arts.
Send help — JT won’t
return my e-mails.
Salad Days brightens
winter at SFU
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Courtesy of the SFU Art Gallery
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The Holdout, acrylic on canvas, 1994.
Brenna Turvey
The Peak
When that morning geography
lecture finally ends, it’s time to
grab a greasy piece of pizza to
go and wander over to the latest exhibition at SFU’s own art
gallery in the AQ. Salad Days
in British Columbia is a bright,
unique collection of energetic,
youthful paintings by Bruce
Stewart, which explore British
Columbia’s geographical and
cultural past. Shakespeare used
the phrase “salad days” in his play
Antony and Cleopatra to describe
a state of youthful innocence and
inexperience. Stewart revives
this phrase with acrylics. This is
Vancouver artist E.J. Hughes on
psychedelics, folks. Don’t miss it.
The exhibition captures moments in the life of British Columbians at places such as Long
Beach and Commercial Drive.
Strathcona Body Shop shows
urban graffiti art bleeding in the
back alleys of Strathcona in the
early 1970s. I was impressed by
various brilliant skies in bright
oranges, deep blues, greens, and
rich purples which characterise
many of the paintings. Some of
the automobiles and other subjects of the paintings are slightly
distorted, leaning a little towards
Salvador Dali but at the same time
the distortion is not extremely apparent. One car parked next to a
Super Valu meat billboard which
once existed near the corner of
10th Avenue and Cambie carries a
license plate which reads “RARE.”
Rare, indeed. The artwork is an
unusual treat. I attended a lunchtime tour of the exhibition led by
SFU Gallery Director Bill Jeffries,
who explained that this is not
representational art as we know
it, and that the paintings are “not
conventional.” Jeffries explained
that there are “many reasons why
an artist can be an outsider,” giving one example of the artist who
works from where s/he stays in
a psychiatric institution. “This
artist is [an outsider] because
he did not show the paintings to
anybody.” Jeffries writes in his
statement that “Stewart is not
isolated in any sense except that
he has not, until now, actively
sought to share his painting with
the public.”
Stewart is a photographer who
grew up in South Vancouver. According to Jeffries, Stewart joked
that he began painting to fill
in the gaps in his collection of
photographs. Stewart’s work has
a lot to do with colonisation by
multinational corporations such
as Dairy Queen in Dairy Queen
Date. Some paintings depict
avoidance of the colonised city
as the subjects drive on logging
roads in Ye Olde Manning Park
Gallows or go out in a snowstorm
in Snow-Bound.
One painting, The Holdout,
depicts an old-fashioned small
house sandwiched between two
larger, modern houses. “All but
the occasional holdout remained
steadfast,” Stewart writes. Jeffries
explains that the young woman
in front of the house is Stewart’s
niece, and provided listeners
with details surrounding her life.
Stewart often uses his friends,
neighbours, and family members
in his paintings; one features P. A.
Gaglardi, former B.C. Minister of
Highways, after whom the road to
SFU is named.
Stewart portrays Stalin, Hitler,
and Trotsky in Trotsky’s Clinic, a
painting which does not seem
to fit with the others at first.
Medical motifs such as blood and
wounds creep in, and the painting is reminiscent of Frida Kahlo.
Stewart draws from his experience in hospital as a young child,
when he lost the sight in his right
eye as a result of an injury. Stewart uses famous and infamous
characters to visually emphasise
his turbulent feelings at the time.
The painting is slightly disturbing but quite fascinating at the
same time. Jeffries commented
that some paintings include
people “coming in from stage
left or stage right, it’s kind of like
an opera.” He noted that some
viewers find them “cartoon-like.”
Stewart’s dramatic use of the
edges of his paintings is indeed
theatrical and creates a sensation
of movement. In Incident on the
Drive, a woman is visible on the
edge as she rushes towards the
commotion caused by an imagined “mafia-type hit.”
In response to an eager, enthusiastic observer, Jeffries stated that
Stewart’s paintings are unfortunately not for sale: Stewart wishes
to keep his British Columbian
concentration of paintings together. Those who wish to know
more about outsiderism will be
appeased by a panel discussion
on outsiderism in art which will
be held on Saturday February
17 at 2:00 in the lecture hall next
door to the Gallery (AQ 3003). The
exhibition ends March 3.
the peak
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ARTS
January 15, 2007
17
CD Review
Yoko Casionos: These Are
the New Old Times
Up-and-coming Vancouver band follows the tried and tested formula to fame
Emily Gera
The Peak
While the Canadian music
industry busies itself with its slew of indie
critical darlings, it’s certainly
a difficult time for middle-ofthe-road, insipid, and tired
college pop. But fear not, intermediate guitarists nation-wide,
there is hope for you yet! You
too can be just like Vancouver’s
own Yoko Casionos and fill the
airwaves with token gestures to
other genres that don’t entirely
work together in an attempt to
cater to both hipper-than-thou
indiephiles and mallrats alike.
Reflecting on their triumph
in the Toronto NXNE Music
Festival’s Best Unsigned Artist
contest of 2005, and consequently their three-album deal
with Universal, I have compiled
a complete and concise musicby-numbers formula entitled
“How to Be Worryingly Sub
Par and Then Later Tour with
Sloan.”
Step 1: Combine totally disparate references to create a
band name that has absolutely
nothing whatsoever to do with
your music.
Step 2: Next, blend together
needlessly overdriven guitars,
lazy power chord variations
and easy listening mock-rock
lyrics until your music sounds
like a mediocre Foo Fighters
B-side and release it as your
debut single. Just like the
Yoko Casionos have done with
“Cameras On.”
Step 3: Finally, throw in a few
misguided and half-hearted
glimpses of post-punk revival
verses before completely obliterating them in derivative
power-pop chorus. This is the
approach the Yokos use on both
“Hang the World” and “Stars on
11.” And surely, if it works for
them it will regrettably work for
you too.
Follow these mind-numbingly
easy steps and soon a Nissan
commercial and a guest spot
on The O.C. could be yours. If
success still eludes you, simply
water down even further into
a diluted soup of monotonous
ballads with almost no discernable genre whatsoever. See the
Nickleback recipe for additional information.
Courtesy of the Yoko Casionos
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18
SPORTS
January 15, 2007
sports editor
e-mail
phone
Gregg Whitlock
[email protected]
604-291-4560
Volleyball
Clan battle Cougars
Gregg Whitlock
Sports Editor
Photo courtesy of SFU Athletics
Keri Phillip with 29 set assists on the night.
The Simon Fraser University Clan
women’s volleyball team hosted
the University of Regina Cougars
on Friday night. The Clan came
into the match-up with a 4-8 record, still recovering from back
to back losses to their cross-town
rivals, the UBC Thunderbirds.
With determination to keep playoff hopes alive, the Clan hoped to
use the game to fortify their hold
on sixth spot in Canada West division.
In the first set, Jennifer Northrup
provided the opening serve to get
the Clan on the scoreboard first,
but the dominance of Cougar chat-
ter seemed to dictate control of
the scoreboard into the first break.
The Clan struggled, despite the
diving efforts of Krystyna Adams
and Laura Mireault. At 10-8 the
Clan seemed to recover and regain
momentum, only to run out of time
within the set, falling 14-25 to the
Cougars.
The Clan looked determined as
the second set began and they got
off to a good start with a brilliant
four-point run before the Cougars
took a time-out in attempts to calm
the storm. The Clan ravaged the
scoreboard thanks to the stellar
service of Jennifer Northrup. The
Clan went on to win the second set
25-13, with good communication
and teamwork.
Team cohesion carried on into
the third set for the Clan. Gillian
Church and Sarah McNeil came up
big for the Clan as the teams vied
for the lead. However, despite the
best Clan efforts, the Clan fell short
on the scoreboard losing 25-19.
The fourth set saw the Clan begin
with an early lead only to lose
momentum later. Team morale
seemed to drop as the Cougars
quickly moved out of reach for the
Clan. The Cougars won the final set
25-18. The Clan lost the game 3-1.
Despite the loss, Colleen Douville
made her presence known with a
Clan-leading nine kills.
Up next for the Clan is a visit to
the University of Alberta on January
19. Game time is set for 8:15 p.m.
Basketball
SFU acquires Katie Miyazaki
Gregg Whitlock
Sports Editor
Photo courtesy of SFU Athletics
Katie Myzaki will don the SFU Jersey for the 2007/08 season.
The SFU women’s basketball team strengthened
next season’s roster with the acquisition of Katie
Miyazaki. Miyazaki plays for Hugh Boyd Secondary
and was a dominant force in moving B.C. towards
the Under-17 Championship last summer.
“We return 11 quality players next year, and Katie
will be a great addition to the team because she is
a solid character team player with excellent athleticism,” commented head coach Bruce Langford.
“Her diversity on the perimeter makes her valuable
in many ways. She can handle the ball, see the floor,
and she has a quality one-on-one game with the
ability to shoot the three. That skill set fits our team
to a tee.”
Miyazaki fills the position of guard for Hugh Boyd
and averages 32 points a game playing earning her
the title of leading scorer. She spoke with Kelsey
Horsting, a forward with the Clan, and expressed
her interest in donning the SFU jersey.
“Obviously it’s a great school and coach Langford
has an outstanding program,” mentioned Miyazaki
about the SFU basketball program. “I talked to
Kelsey about her experience and she had good
things to say, so I am very happy with my choice.”
Up next for the Clan is a visit to the University of
Alberta on January 19 at 6:15 p.m. and the University of Saskatchewan on January 20, at 8:15 p.m.
Key weekend for the Clan
Kristina MacDonald
Associate Staff Contributor
The Simon Fraser University Clan
men’s basketball team will hit the
road to visit the Thompson Rivers University Wolfpack and the
University College of the Fraser
Valley Cascades for a change of
pace this week after dropping
two tough games against crosstown rivals the University of
British Columbia Thunderbirds
last weekend. Friday night the
Clan (7-7) will be in Kamloops to
take on TRU (0-14) and Saturday
night will be in Abbotsford to face
UCFV (3-11).
SFU has already faced both
teams twice this season, winning
all four games and outscoring
their oppponents TRU and UCFV
by a combined 51 points. However, with a playoff spot and key
Pacific Division positioning on
the line for the Clan, now is not
the time to take either of these
teams lightly.
In the previous outings against
these two teams, Aaron Christensen (Pitt Meadows, B.C.) was
the high scorer in all four games,
and he currently sits at fifth spot
in the CIS for scoring, averaging
21.43 points per game. The other
Clan players reaching double
digits in those games were Nolan
Holmes (Victoria, B.C.), Greg Wallis (Victoria, B.C.), Kevin Shaw
(North Vancouver, B.C.), and
Sean Burke (North Vancouver,
B.C.). Unfortunately SFU is still
without forward Holmes, who
has sat out the last two games
with a sprained MCL. The Clan
out-rebounded both teams in the
previous outings. Watch for the
Clan’s bench players to get more
floor time in the second half if
SFU secures a lead.
There are several scoring
threats for UCFV. From behind
the arc Joel Haviland can be very
effective, as on November 17
against the Clan he was the top
scorer with 21 points, including
five three-pointers. However, in
the other game versus SFU it was
the post play of Jamie Vaughan
and Kyle Graves, as well as outside shooting from Lee Jackson,
that accounted for most of the
Cascades scoring.
For TRU, Charlie Spurr usually leads the way, and was the
top scorer in the two previous
match-ups with SFU. Spurr is
also seventh in the Canada West
for scoring, averaging 20.71
points per game. However, there
are seven other players besides
Spurr getting into double digits this season. Post play by
forwards Brian Smith, Connor
Agnew, Chris Vanderweide, and
Kamar Burke has seen each of
them have big games this season.
Guard Braedon Jones has proven
that he can be a threat from outside.
Up next for the Clan is an away
game against the University of
Alberta on January 19 at 8:15
p.m.
the peak
Photo courtesy of Ron Lai
Aaron Christensen and Lenny Piprah engaged in game discussion.
SPORTS
January 15, 2007
Name: Aaron Christensen
Sport: Basketball
Hometown: Langley, B.C.
Position: Forward
Birthdate: January 29, 1983
Major: Bachelor of Science
Write a caption for
this sports photo. Email your submissions,
including your name, to
[email protected]. Win
fame! Captions published in
next week’s issue.
Aaron is a former B.C. High
School Championship MVP, and
leads the team in scoring.
Last week:
David Beckham Peak speak:
Bollocks! Think you’ve
got what it takes to write
for sports? You won’t
make big cash or be as
famous as I am, but you
will score with lads and
lasses when they find
out you can write. E-mail:
[email protected]
Men’s Basketball:
January 12: SFU 78 TRU 68
(8-7)
January 6: SFU 67 UBC 76
(7-7)
Women’s Basketball:
January 12: SFU 104 TRU 66
(13-2)
(12-2)
I just signed a multi-million
dollar deal. Bring on the
hookers and blow.
— James Hayward
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Volleyball:
January 12: SFU 1 UR 3
(4-9)
(4-8)
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the peak
19
20
HUMOUR
January 15, 2007
humour editor
e-mail
phone
SFU Coat of Arms 2080
Banal Goings-On
Kellen Powell
[email protected]
604-291-4560
Jonathon Toews
SFU student marginally
inconvenienced by poor
weather
Editor chooses to use large headline
in vain attempt to fill space after
accidentally using the wrong font
Alex Taylor
The Peak
SFU students and staff were
blindsided last Wednesday by a
freak weather storm that kind
of brought the Burnaby campus
to its knees and caused a mild
amount of frustration amongst
the stranded populace. Buses
came to a standstill by the ice and
snow that began to hammer the
campus early in the afternoon,
forcing university officials to consider for several hours a potential
closure of the university.
One student was lucky enough
to obtain a ride off the mountain
before the real storm set in. “This
guy that I only kind of knew gave
me a ride home, and I felt kind of
weird about it. I don’t mind awkward silences or anything, but
this guy kept trying to tell me that
Al Gore was responsible for the
freak weather we’ve been having.”
Many students were not as lucky,
and were forced to walk down the
mountain. “The whole thing was
just really awkward,” observed
the student. “Couldn’t they just
walk through the forest instead
of the road? They kept cutting in
front of us and causing even more
of a traffic jam. At one point the
knob on our heater broke, so we
couldn’t turn it down. We actually
had to roll down the windows to
let all of the steam out, but then
the snow started getting on the
guy’s iPod dock so we had to roll
them back up.”
“I remember that guy,” said a
4th-year geography student who
was forced to walk down the hill.
“What a douchebag. He was riding shotgun in this brand new
Navigator, blasting some shitty
‘90s hip hop.”
He noted that while other passing cars were picking up stranded
students on their way down the
mountain, this particular student
and his unnamed driver didn’t extend the same favor. “I could see
into the back. There was nothing but a baby seat and a huge
stuffed bear.”
Students returning to SFU the
following morning were disappointed that another snow day
wasn’t called, considering some
of them got home far past their
bedtimes. Notably, one student
chose to ignore that classes were
back in session and instead opted
to sleep in anyways. The mother
of one of the students, when
asked for comment, stated only
that, “Well in a year he’s out of
the house, degree or not. After
that, I couldn’t care less. I hope
that dumb asshole starves to
death.”
The Boardroom
The Ouncers
Hayabusa
Haiku Circus
Ken Sakamoto
Kellen Powell
the peak
HUMOUR
Marek and Spaghetti
Marek Bula
Vietnam Vet
Warren’s Dream
Sometimes We Just Write Things
How I envision the pitch
session for the majority
of mainstream hip-hop
videos
Kellen Powell
The Peak
Okay so there’s like a car, right,
and it has like all these hot
babes in it. Not just like kinda
hot babes, I mean really hot
babes. Like maybe one of them
is half Asian or something. You
know half-Asian chicks are hot?
Yeah so anyways they’re driving
around and then there’s another
car with these other rap guys
and they’re like, rival rap guys.
So it’s like, what’s gonna happen, right?
So up ‘til this point they’re just
hanging out looking really cool
while the audience kind of gets
a chance to settle into the beat,
and just, you know, like feel it.
But when they see the other rappers they’re just like, “Aw, hells
no!” and they start rapping, really hard. So hard that they have
to physically lean outside of the
car to rap, otherwise their rapping would just be too much for
the car to handle.
Do you have a bottle of water
or something? Thanks.
Then the rival rap guys’ car
will start to bump up and down
because they’ll just totally give
in to the beat.
At this point we’ll cut to a
speedboat and the guys are
just rapping and there are these
really hot chicks on the boat
bringing them daiquiris, except
we can’t show them drinking
daiquiris on MTV so they’ll just
kind of hold them and raise
them in the air like goblets. Kind
of like Odin’s feast, except on a
boat, and with really hot girls
and rappers instead of Norse
gods.
So anyways they’re rapping
and they see this rival boat full
of rival rappers right, and like
you’re all like “uh oh” cause you
know the rival rappers are up to
no good. So they start rapping
so hard that they have to lean
outside the boat otherwise the
boat would tip over, and the
hot girls are totally just booty
dancing.
Oh, thanks babe. Oh, wait
sorry, I can’t drink Dasani. Could
you bring me a Fiji? You’re a
doll.
Anyways they rap so hard that
the coast guard has to come in
a helicopter just to check out
the awesome rapping. And the
coast guard is all hot babes.
The helicopter starts to hover
right over the rival rappers boats
and the chicks just kind of stare
into the distance. Maybe one of
them could be like, European or
something, you know? With like
those really big sunglasses.
Then we’ll zoom out and show
that the whole thing has been
taking place in a giant bottle of
champagne. But we’ll keep some
buildings in there, for perspective, so people know it’s giant.
We can do most of it with CGI.
Thanks babe. You’re a doll.
the peak
January 15, 2007
21
Andrew Reeves
Warren Haas
ETC
January 15, 2007
classifieds
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Tired of roommate B.S.? Two laid
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3 bedroom upper suite in 4plex.
W/D, sun deck, 10 minutes to school
on 144 route. Close to everything.
$400/month includes internet/cable/
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Room & Board available on Feb 1.
Near university - newly renovated
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Beautiful, large new fully furnished
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ON CAMPUS JOB - students required to make fundraising calls
to alumni - Jan 29 to March 29,
2007 - Sun 3-9 PM Mon-Thur 5-9
PM - 3 shifts/week - $8.50/hour +
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Want library experience? Volunteer
in SFPIRG’s alternative library!
Organize, promote, catalogue,
meet people, learn about social
justice issues. SFPIRG, your environmental & social justice centre.
[email protected] TC 326 (in the
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volunteers to be literacy tutors
for people of all ages and various
demographics such as the African
and Afghan communities, and
domestic workers. Please e-mail
Upcoming Events
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604-713-5848 f4
Tutors required for elementary subject areas. All materials and training
supplied. Children are seen in their
homes, two hours weekly. Please
respond to [email protected] with
resume. f4
S Cheng: I found your UPASS near
the bus loop. You can pick it up @
campus security. f2
Psychology Text Book For Sale.
Psyc 210 $40 ono. Psyc 221 $80
ono. Psyc 201 $20 ono. Call 778
772 1667 OR 604 376 3868 f3
Organic Chemistry set w/ case.
Great condition. Same as book store
which is $37 (with tax). $15 obo.
Contact Nigel at [email protected] f3
SFU TEXTBOOKS FOR SALE: BUS
336: DATA& DECISIONS II CUSTOME BUSINESS RESOURCE (INCLUDING CD). PRENTICE HALL.
ISBN: 978-0-13-223168-8 New:
136.00. Me: $75 BUS 393: COMMERCIAL LAW BUSINESS LAW IN
CANADA (7TH ED). YATES. ISBN:
978-0-13-129667-1 STUDYGUIDE
& WORKBOOK New: 111.00. Me:
$75 POL 100: INTRO TO POL
STUDYING POLITICS. AN INTRO
TO POL SCI. (2ND ED). DYCK.
ISBN: 978-0-17-641505-1. New:
75.00. Me: $50 INTRO TO POL
(CUSTOM COURSEWARE). MCBRIDE New: 28.00. Me: $20 Both:
$65 Please call 778-839-7417.
Thanks! f3
Psyc 280 Rosenzweig, M., Breedlove, S.M. & Watson, N.V. Biological
psychology (4th ed.).. This does not
include the CD study guide! For
more information: [email protected] f2
Crim 104- disstance ed..Gomme,
I. The Shadow Line: Deviance and
Crime in Canada. (3th ed.) Psyc
201- Cozby, P. C. (2007). Methods
in behavioral research. (8th ed.).
Sony DCR-SR100 CamcorderLess than 3 months old, excellent
condition. Included: The original
box with everything inside Extra:
LCM-HCF Semi Soft Carrying Case,
and NPFP50 Battery Contact me for
more info: [email protected] f3
Student Desk $40 fullsize, wooden
look, with two drawers on right hand
side, shelf underneath. madama_
Compaq Presario 486 computer.
$75 CD drive, disk drive, keyboard,
and mouse. Includes programs
(Mcrosoft Office etc.) madama_
For Sale: Aldrich Chem-Tutor modeling system for organic chem. Excellent condition! $25 or best offer.
Email [email protected] f4
SFU TEXTBOOKS FOR SALE: BUS
336: DATA& DECISIONS II CUSTOME BUSINESS RESOURCE (INCLUDING CD). PRENTICE HALL.
ISBN: 978-0-13-223168-8 New:
136.00. Me: $75 BUS 393: COMMERCIAL LAWBUSINESS LAW IN
CANADA (7TH ED). YATES. ISBN:
978-0-13-129667-1 STUDYGUIDE
& WORKBOOK New: 111.00. Me:
$75 POL 100: INTRO TO POLSTUDYING POLITICS. AN INTRO
TO POL SCI. (2ND ED). DYCK.
ISBN: 978-0-17-641505-1. New:
75.00. Me: $50 INTRO TO POL
(CUSTOM COURSEWARE). MCBRIDE New: 28.00. Me: $20 Both:
$65 Please call 778-839-7417.
Thanks! f4
Altec Lansing 2.1 Speaker System,
AVS300: 17 Watts of Total System
Power Dynamic Full-Range Drivers
Powerful Subwoofer Built-in Controls and Master VolumeTotal Connectivity ONLY $24! Great condition!
iMac G3 desktop, OS 9.2.2. Colour:
graphite. Internet ready, Microsoft
Office 2001 included + Adobe Photoshop 5.5. Keyboard and mouse
included. $125 obo. f4
Sony Vaio PCG-9P6L laptop for
sale. Intel Pentium 4, 2.8 GHz,
448MB of RAM, 2 hard drives, wireless LAN, Windows XP, Office 2003,
antivirus, etc! Fast, reliable, very
good condition. Perfect for students!
$800 OBO. Email [email protected] f4
1992 Subaru Loyale. 4wd, 5 speed,
174,000 km. Good conditon. aircared. new clutch. Asking $3,200
obo Call 604-939-3779 f4
Customized DJ and MC Services for
Your Events DJ and MC Services
for Clubs, DSUs, Grads, Staff and
Private Parties at a Discount. Call
778-895-9242 to book for your event
Chief Apaak Entertainment Inc.
Photoshop Lessons, Beginner to Advanced, Adobe certified instruction.
Focused instruction time, structured
learning plans, building skills quick
and enjoyable. Individual/group lessons available. Enquire for rates +
available times. Wheelchair acces-
sible. 604-763-3293 f3
GUITAR INSTRUCTOR Student is a
very inexperienced player, hoping to
lean Jack Johnson and 3EB songs
to impress chicks. We can smoke
pot before class. [email protected] f3
Uncertain about your career
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CareerWise
Consulting
specializes in helping young
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Bike in dispair? Don’t despair. Come
and fix it at the SFU BIKE TOOL
CO-OP. All Welcome MON-FRI 10:
30-4:30. at SFPIRG TC 326 (2 floors
above bus stop) www.sfpirg.ca f4
Check out the SFPIRG alternative
library! 4000 Books, DVDs, reports:
Globalization, Sustainability, Media,
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more! SFPIRG, your environmental
and social justice centre. Mon-Fri,
10:30am-4:30pm. TC 326 (in the
Rotunda) www.sfpirg.ca f4
Language Tutor Available Advanced
ESL, English Chinese, Basic French
and Spanish Rates Negotiable Email
Jason [email protected] f4
Get your tax returns done for FREE!
Please visit www.sfubusiness.ca/asa
for eligibility requirements. Feel free
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for more information or if you have
any questions f4
Sell used textbooks, post an ad
looking for a tutor, or advertise your
tutoring services on Vancouver’s
newest student classifieds website!
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AND 320 PLEASE CALL 778 839
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We are looking for participants to
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Receive $5 for studies designated
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$10 for studies designated as takon minutes.
campusEmail Erin at
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22
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I want to start taking the birth control pill but my friends have told
me that I’ll gain a lot of weight. Is this true?
Side effects of oral contraceptives (OCs) differ not only between
women, but also between brands. Most of the OCs that doctors
prescribe are combination pills: they contain synthetic forms of both
estrogen and progesterone.
Many of the newer OCs (such as Alesse and Yasmin) are effective at
much lower doses of hormones, and thus are less likely to cause
negative side effects. Some OCs may cause depression, which can
lead to a change in appetite and subsequent weight change. Explain
your concerns to your doctor before you decide which OC to use. You
may need to try a few types of OCs before you find the right one.
During this time, be sure to self-evaluate so you can help your
doctor prescribe the right contraceptive for you.
If you have more questions about contraceptives, check out Birth
Control 101 - a free, relaxed, confidential information session on
campus where you can get all your questions answered by an SFU
Health Educator. Please visit www.sfu.ca/hccc and look under Health
Promotion Events for more information.
Candid Conversations give you non-judgemental, straight forward and factual answers
to your questions about relationships, sexuality, and sexual health. Answers complied
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Got a question? Send your anonymous question to [email protected].
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23
Free to disassociate?
Intensive 60-Hour Program
��
Bar & Grill
January 15, 2007
Corwin Odland
Journey to the
Corwin of the Earth
Imagine if freedom of religious
rights did not allow people to opt
out of religion altogether. Imagine
if freedom of expression rights did
not allow people to remain silent
when they don’t want to speak.
For many of us, having rights that
force us to do something is not really freedom at all.
I started thinking about rights
and freedoms over the Christmas
break because I read an article
about seven women from Lively,
Ontario who are currently fighting for their rights in the Federal
Court of Appeal. They are arguing
that a forced unionisation (which
is currently protected under Canada’s freedom of association right)
is a violation of their fundamental
freedoms.
Two years ago, the seven women
were approached by a union
wanting to unionise eight bank
branches in their area, including
theirs. Six of the women refused
to join and one claims that she
only signed a membership card
after representatives from the
union showed up at her house
uninvited and refused to leave
until she signed. The women were
somewhat shocked when they
later received notice that because
over 50 per cent of the employees
in the combined branches had
joined the union, the union had
the power to collect dues and negotiate on everyone’s behalf.
The constitutional snag that the
Lively employees found themselves in was the fact that Canadians’ guaranteed freedom of association does not also guarantee
the freedom of disassociation.
This means that if 51 per cent of
your colleagues want to form a
union, you and the other 49 per
cent do not have a choice in the
matter. This may not be considered a problem by everyone, but
what if the same law applied to
religion (if 51 per cent of Canada
decided to be Christians, the other
49 per cent have to comply)? Why
in Canada, a country that claims
to champion the rights of the
minority, do we fail to protect a
minority from will of a unionising
majority?
Now granted, in a democratic
society we do hold that the major-
ity should rule, but in the case of
unionisation it is not so simple.
The problem is that the union
gets to decide who forms a unit of
workers. If everyone in one office
is against unionisation, a union
can lump it in with as many offices as it needs to get 51 per cent
approval. This is pretty much the
same a politician redrawing riding boundaries to ensure they will
get the support they need to win
an election.
Canadians’ inability to choose
is even worse in careers where
union membership is required
for employment. For example,
membership in the B.C. Teachers
Federation used to be required for
all teachers in the public school
system. If a teacher chose to leave
the BCTF, they had three options:
look for work in private schools,
move to another province, or quit
teaching altogether. The same
applied for teachers who were expelled from their union. Though
this has changed for B.C. teachers, the question still remains: if
someone’s very career depends on
them complying with their union,
how much freedom of association
do they actually have?
Now please don’t get me wrong,
I am not trying to say that unions
are all bad and the government
should work against them. Many
of the advances we have made in
labour laws and practices have
been thanks to the endless work
of unions. Not only do they help
the worker, but unions like the
BCTF have helped enforce professional standards across their
industries. My point is simply
this: if a Canadian does not want
to be a member of any union, or
does not want to be a member of
a specific union, shouldn’t they
have that right? To me, it seems
extremely unfair that the only way
people can escape most unions is
to quit their job, or in some cases,
quit their profession entirely.
You may think I am crazy, but
the government of Australia has
taken steps to address this very
issue. In 2005-06, a series of bills
were passed to reform Australian labour laws. Some of these
reforms were made to protect
all workers’ right to disassociate
themselves from unions. Even
if a person works in a unionised
company, they can opt out of the
union and negotiate their own
labour agreements with their
employer without being forced
to quit their job. Perhaps a similar
reform should be considered for
Canada so that the “Lively Seven”
will be free to go against the majority and exercise what should be
their constitutional right of disassociation.
The above is the opinion of the columnist and may not represent the views of The Peak collective.
24
January 15, 2007
LAST WORD
of the SFSS
The weird world
If you know what this photo is of, then perhaps you are part of the SFSS culture.
I
t’s an SFU tradition as old as time itself.
First we have a student union election,
then immediately after, the pages of
The Peak get filled with irate letters from
defeated candidates. They chronicle their
whiny checklists of grievances (real or imagined), and complain about the multitude of
ways they were wronged by a corrupt and
crooked system in the race they just lost.
I don’t write to whine or complain. I lost
quite soundly, and I don’t think it was the
result of anything other than the will of the
voters. During the course of the campaign
I got to know Derrick Harder quite well,
and I am confident he will make an excellent and innovative president. I think he is
a really clever guy, with a brilliant and independent mind, and I have no doubt that
both the SFSS and SFU will benefit greatly
from his leadership.
All this being said, however, if I have
learned one thing from my botched run
at the presidency, it is just what a strange
and isolated subculture the Simon Fraser
Student Society truly is. Turnout is always
atrociously low in this school’s student
elections, and from the looks of it, the
single biggest cause of the phenomenon is
the simple fact that no one seems to have
much incentive to actually make it any
higher. People vote when their interests are
at stake, and unless you’re currently on the
SFSS payroll, or sleeping with someone who
is, chances are your life isn’t terribly influenced by anything the student union does.
So we get a government by and for people
who are already part of the bureaucracy,
have friends in the bureaucracy, or aspire to
be the bureaucrats themselves someday.
Upon declaring my candidacy, I was
surprised to learn that there are all sorts
of blogs and articles kicking around the internet in which people analyse and editorialise on the happenings of the SFSS. While
running, I tried to keep up-to-date on such
writings, but found it incredibly difficult.
Unless you’re already part of the student
union subculture, nothing makes sense.
People are constantly throwing out names
and terms you’ve never heard of, and citing
by-laws and rules you have no idea existed.
For example, consider this random passage I plucked from the Comments section
of the website of Titus Gregory, one of the
best-known SFSS bloggers:
“There were no unauthorised cash payouts
to her as I understand it, and either the IRO
or the GIO approved of or were aware of all
of her actions. The labour committee chose
to make a case based on their own mean assumptions, interests and political goals and
then used terminology that closely resembles that used by their legal counsel in court
last week to publicly condemn her, whose
real ‘crime’ might have been that she asked
too many questions about accountability at
the CFS national budget committee about
loans to the DSU.”
Such a passage is largely incomprehensible, yet it describes something the author
feels passionately about and something
he or she believes should influence the
conduct of SFU voters. Because I’ve picked
up some of the lingo during my run, I can
now understand enough of the above paragraph to know the author is attempting to
explain something to do with the circumstances surrounding the recent mass im-
peachments of SFSS officers (which, you
may recall, was the reason we were forced
into having an emergency election in the
first place). Yet even after having spent
countless hours chatting with all manner
of insiders and hangers-on, to this day I
still don’t entirely understand why we even
had an impeachment, and I strongly doubt
the majority of SFU students are any different. Ultimately the entire ‘scandal’ that
prompted the unprecedented political upheaval was a highly obscure, bureaucratic
feud that only had relevance if you were
already knee-deep in the world of SFSS
politics. It’s a truly sad state of affairs when
even the student union’s scandals are too
boring and complicated for average students to understand.
Now to repeat, my intention is not to
whine. The kids who work at the SFSS are
a hard-working, dedicated lot, who I am
sure genuinely believe they are performing some manner of valuable service for
us the students. From what I have seen,
however, the SFSS has a rather backwards
understanding of itself. We are supposed
to be grateful for it, and the things it does,
and generally admire it from a distant
perspective. The students themselves are
sometimes briefly useful — when there are
petitions to signs and quorums to achieve
— but generally the bureaucracy is so
firmly entrenched and self-sustaining that
the participation of ordinary students is at
best a quaint and incidental occurrence.
It’s been said that long after the planet is
destroyed by nuclear war the vast offices of
the United Nations will continue to function merrily away. I believe the same could
more or less be said of the SFU student
society. It will continue to function for
years — and no doubt decades to come
— doing more or less what it does now, and
run by the same sort of people who run it
now. And the vast majority of students will
always remain indifferent, with both the
entrenched bureaucrats and the bored student majority each helping perpetuate and
justify the attitudes of the other. It’s not
necessarily anyone’s fault, but I think students should be aware that at its core the
SFSS is basically just another campus club,
with an esoteric appeal, limited membership, and nerdy subculture. Kids who like
anime join the anime club, and kids who
like titles, rules, by-laws, and bureaucracy
elect and run the SFSS.
I had a thesis that if an average, ordinary,
well-meaning student ran for president
on a highly populist platform, he could
probably mobilise enough of the apathetic
student majority to get elected, an event
which would in turn dramatically shock
the entire SFSS system. That clearly didn’t
pan out in my case, but it could in the future. No matter how you slice it, this was
truly a bizarre election, and I may very well
have simply been the wrong person in the
wrong place at the wrong time. I don’t think
I’d ever want to run again, however. Once
you’ve been inside the sausage factory you
don’t have much of an appetite anymore.
By J. J. McCullough,
defeated candidate
Last Word Policy
The opinions presented here are the author’s, and do not necessarily reflect those of The Peak. This space is here for the exchange of ideas and opinions. Articles
should be 800-1,000 words. For more information, call Debby Reis at 604-291-4560 or e-mail [email protected]. Say anything, the last word is yours!
the peak

NEWS PAGE 8 - StudentUnion.ca

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