Crossing the Line

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January 12, 2015

“The MBB seminar this afternoon is cancelled. The speaker has been arrested.”

It was an email that the biochemistry department at Simon Fraser University will likely never forget. The message explained the absence of Dr. Lynne Quarmby, which prevented her from giving a seminar on November 21, 2014.

Her arrest, along with those of over 100 others, was a part of a struggle against Trans Mountain, a Kinder Morgan-owned company conducting surveying work on Burnaby Mountain in preparation for the expansion of the Trans Mountain Pipeline.

To understand why Quarmby and the other protesters thought the cause was important enough to be arrested for, we must go back to the beginning of the process, starting with the pipeline itself, and understand the different organisations that have fought for or against the project.

Trans Mountain and Kinder Morgan

The Trans Mountain pipeline, in operation since 1953, transports crude oil, semi-refined, and refined products from Strathcona, Edmonton, through the interior of British Columbia to terminals in Burnaby, Westridge, and Puget Sound. The 1,150 km pipeline currently transports 300,000 barrels per day of product, 26 per cent of which are destined for the Burnaby terminal.

Although Trans Mountain states on their website that “no spill is acceptable,” they also list a fairly extensive history of spills. Their website details 81 spills of various oil products.

According to their website, the company’s spill reporting criteria has also grown less stringent over time — until 1988, any leak, break, fire, or explosion would be reported, whereas a threshold amount of hydrocarbon or gas is currently required order for the spill to be recorded.

A major spill occurred in July 2007 when construction crews working on the Barnett highway punctured the Kinder Morgan pipeline. Over 1,400 barrels of crude oil were spilled onto nearby properties and eventually into Burrard Inlet. The British Columbia Ministry of Environment website reports that 50 homes and properties were affected by the 30 metre “geyser” of oil that sprayed for about 25 minutes. The oil affected approximately 1.2 km of shoreline and cost $15 million to clean up.

Due to the spill and the risk of future incidents, the City of Burnaby is now officially opposed to any increase in oil transport. The city takes issue with the significant risks that moving more oil poses to the city and its communities, as well as the surrounding environment. The City of Burnaby was given intervenor status during the Public Hearing process that was a part of Kinder Morgan’s application last October.

The proposed expansion to the Trans Mountain Pipeline would nearly triple its capacity, enabling it to transport 890,000 barrels a day. It would cost $5.4 billion and involve the construction of 994 km of new pipeline and the reactivation of a further 193 km. However, concerns remain that the increased transport of oil and resulting traffic in the Burrard Inlet could lead to serious environmental damage, something the National Energy Board of Canada is required to consider before approving such projects on behalf of the federal government.

National Energy Board

The National Energy Board of Canada was established in 1959 by the Canadian government. Comprised of engineers, auditors, legal staff, and various other professions, the NEB acts as Canada’s energy and safety regulator.

The organisation received the application from Kinder Morgan to expand the Trans Mountain pipeline in December 2013. The project page on the NEB website lists 12 issues that it would consider in the hearing process, which included risks to the environment and economic benefit. However, the NEB also notes several issues that it would not consider.

It states that “the Board does not intend to consider the environmental and socio-economic effects associated with upstream activities, the development of oil sands, or the downstream use of the oil transported by the pipeline.” The NEB only considered the direct effects of the pipeline and its construction, rather than the increased tanker traffic, consumption of fossil fuels, and the development of the tar sands.

The City of Burnaby

The final stage of the project entails the construction of a pipeline that will traverse Burnaby Mountain. Trans Mountain requested permission from the National Energy Board to do surveying work on Burnaby Mountain in order to determine if it was feasible to build the pipeline directly through the mountain. However, municipal bylaws protected the proposed worksite as a conservation area.

In September 2014, the City of Burnaby filed civil action against Kinder Morgan, claiming that its operation in the conservation area would violate those civil bylaws. The city’s suit was eventually dismissed by the BC Supreme Court, although the city will appeal the court’s decision.

In response to the City of Burnaby’s opposition, Kinder Morgan delivered “dear neighbour” letters to Burnaby residents in October 2014. The letters explained that the surveying work was in preparation for the expansion of the pipeline through Burnaby Mountain, rather than through the streets of the Westridge neighbourhood.

Later, Trans Mountain posted a video on its website in which the president of Kinder Morgan Canada, Ian Anderson, acknowledged the concerns of Burnaby citizens about the surveying work.

“We are being respectful to the environment, and when we are done, we will leave the mountain as healthy as we found it,” Anderson assured the community. He also explained in a post online that by routing the pipeline through the mountain, the project would cost $40 million more than previously expected.

In late October, Kinder Morgan filed a lawsuit against five important members of organisations opposing the pipeline project.

Lynne Quarmby, Alan Dutton, Stephen Collis, Adam Gold, Mia Nissen, and Burnaby Residents Against Kinder Morgan Expansion (BROKE) were sued for $5.6 million in damages.

BROKE is an organisation of concerned citizens, founded in July 2012. The group is non-profit and run by over 200 volunteer members. Its goal, as stated on its website, is to “prevent the expansion of the Kinder Morgan pipeline, tank farms and tanker traffic through science, education, advocacy, and partnerships.” BROKE has held various events in Burnaby, including a Town Hall meeting, environmental movie screenings, and public talks.

BROKE and other defendants have decried the suit as a Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation (SLAPP), meant to intimidate the accused into silence and mire them in unexpected legal costs.

Burnaby mayor Derek Corrigan responded to Kinder Morgan directly, including delivering letters to Burnaby residents on October 13, and making a public statement on November 20. The statement details that the City of Burnaby is opposed to the proposed pipeline expansion project and is “determined to stop Kinder Morgan from carrying on destructive work in the Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area.”

Simon Fraser University also weighed in on the project. In early November, SFU’s Centre for Public Policy Research published a report on the economic benefits of the Kinder Morgan expansion project. The report found that “the employment, property tax and fiscal benefits of [the project] are very small in the context of the overall provincial economy and significantly overstated by [Kinder Morgan].”

Work Begins

On October 23, 2014, the National Energy Board of Canada issued an order that granted Trans Mountain access to sites on Burnaby Mountain, despite municipal bylaws otherwise preventing it. This was the first time the National Energy Board had issued such an order to a municipality, and it remains a contentious issue.

Later that month, work crews arrived on Burnaby Mountain, along with protesters. In a striking display of devotion to the cause, an 18-year-old demonstrator chained himself beneath the vehicle of a surveyor.

Many members of SFU became intimately involved in the protests, with two professors actively participating and one, Quarmby, eventually being arrested. Other faculty, staff, and students showed their support by signing various petitions and circulating them via email. One email-based open letter gathered 450 signatures, and a petition on Change.org currently has over 1,700 signatures.

On November 14, Kinder Morgan was granted an injunction by the BC Supreme Court, declaring that anti-pipeline protesters had three days to dismantle their encampment on Burnaby mountain. Over 100 protesters remaining at the work site were arrested and charged with civil contempt.

Dr. Lynne Quarmby

One of the first and most notable people arrested was Dr. Lynne Quarmby, a tenured professor at Simon Fraser University.

In an emotional speech to the media just before her arrest, Quarmby explained that she felt that the Harper government had made a “sham” of the National Energy Board Act. She went on to explain that civil disobedience is a recourse for engaged citizens, and a responsibility of being a Canadian citizen.

However, involving herself personally in protests was not new for Quarmby. In 2012, she was arrested for impeding the progress of a train transporting coal to Tsawwassen, along with 12 others.

Quarmby explained to The Peak that her motivations for being involved directly in the protests were fostered long ago. “I grew up in a very rural area and I spent my entire childhood out of doors,” Quarmby said, describing how being a biologist allowed her a deeper appreciation of humanity’s relationship with nature.

In particular, the controversy over the pipeline stirred her to action because she “felt very much betrayed by [her] federal government in the way that they’d rewritten the laws so strongly in favor of these oil companies and so much against the citizens of Canada.” She went on to explain that she had faith in Canadians, and believed they “were not going to let Kinder Morgan ruin [her] life.” All this contributed to her decision to cross the police line, which led to her arrest.

It may seem highly unusual for a tenured professor to be involved in civil disobedience. However, Quarmby explained while that being a professor and the molecular biology chair at SFU is her biggest time investment, every Canadian should feel that they have the freedom to make personal commitments to a cause like environmentalism.

Quarmby also explained that the events are a First Nations issue, arguing that Kinder Morgan has “totally disregarded [the] constitutional rights” of the First Nations involved. The survey site, as well as SFU, is on unceded Coast Salish territory. In particular, Burnaby Mountain is shared between the Tsleil-Waututh, Squamish, and Musqueam peoples. “Their culture carries a sacred responsibility to take care of the land,” said Quarmby. “We need to respect that.”

Aftermath

The injunction against protesters expired on December 1, and Kinder Morgan’s application to extend it was rejected.

Kinder Morgan’s charges against protesters were also thrown out due to the inaccuracy of the GPS data given as part of the injunction. The coordinates, it was proven, were up to 30 metres off.

Due to surveying data from the studies conducted on Burnaby mountain, Kinder Morgan has concluded that the pipeline must be routed through the mountain with a tunnel or redirected along the streets. Thirteen trees were cut down to clear ground for equipment, and Burnaby Parks Forestry Department’s report on the damage concluded “the impact of this action will be felt for many years to come, and will extend much further than the direct area of intrusion.”

Although Burnaby Mountain is now quiet, protesters have since set up a camp just outside the current Kinder Morgan Westridge Marine Terminal. Established at the end of December, the camp is currently occupied 24/7 by protesters who intend to continue promoting dialogue about the pipeline expansion project.

Moving Forward

Dr. Quarmby is emphatic that regular citizens’ opinions on the pipeline matter and are, in fact, critical. She believes that there are many ways people can get involved in stopping the pipeline on Burnaby Mountain.

Quarmby offered a few strategies to influence this particular issue in Burnaby, saying that “spreading the word” is the number one way people can get involved. She also stressed that citizens should “educate [themselves] and talk to people about it.”

Unfortunately, in this particular situation, Quarmby said that the information available on the National Energy Board website is not an honest depiction of the environmental risks.

She also suggested that those who are interested could speak with protesters to learn about grassroots protesting, or support them with donations of hot food or coffee.

At the policy level, Quarmby suggested that while “turning off the tap on fossil fuels” would be “absurd,” a moratorium on new fossil fuel projects would be reasonable and responsible. She also noted that there needed to be a better understanding on how continued use of fossil fuels is affecting the environment.

With the back and forth between the city, Kinder Morgan, and protesters, there doesn’t seem to be any guaranteed future for the pipeline.

Many NEB critics are calling attention to its ability to ignore municipal laws; this situation could prove to be a test case whose ultimate outcome will be the foundation of future legal battles.

The pipeline itself stands to transform the Lower Mainland if it progresses. Increased tanker traffic in the inlet and construction on Burnaby Mountain might well become part of the Burnaby’s scenery in the near future.

However, whatever the outcome, many parties have made it abundantly clear that this pipeline and what it represents is very important to them — perhaps important enough to continue to be arrested over.

Student entrepreneur launches swim gear site

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EIC

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January 12, 2015

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WEB_Student Makes a Splash_Brandon Hillier — Viktor Holicek got his entrepreneurial feet wet late last year after a trip to Taiwan.

Fourth year SFU business student Viktor Holicek is making a splash with his startup distribution website for swimming sports watches.

The site, Swimovate Canada, connects students with unique fitness equipment, provides details as to how the equipment can be best utilized, and links users to blogs related to fitness and swimming.

Holicek’s website eventually emerged from an idea he had for a device that would help swimmers track their workouts. “During my exchange in China, some friends and I were brainstorming ideas for swimming products,” he explained. “I knew enough about swimming to see [. . .] a business opportunity here in Canada.”

A competitive swimmer himself, Holicek originally envisioned the device as a lap-counting system for the entire swimming pool, but quickly had to change his plans. He explained, “After realizing how complicated and slow to implement that would be (pools are publicly owned for the most part), I started thinking of how to make a personalized gadget that would serve the same purpose.”

Although he originally wanted to develop his own watches, Holicek discovered a small husband and wife operation in the United Kingdom which offered a similar product.

“I’d like to get into manufacturing my own products eventually.”

Viktor Holicek,

SFU business student

From there it was a matter of getting in touch with them and working out an agreement for distribution, trademarks, licensing, and so on.

Marketed as “the only watch that counts,” PoolMates tracks statistics such as stroke count, distance, speed, calories, times, and efficiency. It can also upload the statistics to a computer, where users can track their progress.

“Ideally, I would have liked the chance to build the gadget myself had it not already existed, but taking on the distribution was probably enough to start on,” Holicek explained. “I’d like to get into manufacturing my own products eventually.”

Holicek eventually created the site Swimovate, which connects swimmers of all ages with tools to help them set their goals and push themselves harder — without needing to have someone to time them.

As demonstrated by his jet-setting lifestyle, Holicek is the type of person who constantly challenges himself. “I’ll often get an uncomfortable feeling in my gut when I’m not somehow improving or trying new things,” he told The Peak. “I appreciate my time at SFU, but I have to keep in mind the sheer number of other business students graduating each year who have the same skills and experience as me, if not more.”

With that in mind, Holicek is currently looking to gain more practical experience to complement his academic education. He assured The Peak, however, that this doesn’t mean he’ll stop pushing the limits of innovation.

“It reminds me of that saying,” he said, “If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always got.”

Transgender professor named women’s literary organization’s Critic-in-Residence

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EIC

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January 12, 2015

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CMYK_Lucas Crawford_Georgia Straight — Lucas Crawford holds the position of Ruth Wynn Woodward Lecturer at SFU, serving from September 2013 to August 2015.

SFU Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies (GSWS) professor Lucas Crawford has just been named the Canadian Women in the Literary Arts’ Critic-in-Residence for 2015.

The honour of being selected as the Critic-in-Residence has been awarded to one researcher each year since 2013.

In the past, Crawford has focused much of his research and presentations on fields such as fat studies, queer politics, and transgender architecture. During this virtual residency, Crawford’ goal is to “[bring] implicit gender biases in the literary industry out of the closet and to help rectify these biases by publishing reviews of literature written by women.”

The Canadian Women in the Literary Arts is a unique literary organization, in that it not only welcomes but actively encourages both queer women and transgender people to apply for the position. This is still a fairly uncommon practice, and something that Crawford feels is incredibly important in the Canadian literary landscape.

As a transgender man himself, Crawford hopes that people will gain a larger awareness of the categories of “woman” and “transgender” through his work.

According to the organization’s website, the residency aims to “foster criticism that promotes public awareness of women’s literary and critical presence in Canadian and Quebecois letters.”

Crawford’s goal is to “[bring] implicit gender biases in the literary industry out of the closet.”

For Crawford, one of the major aspects of being a Critic-in-Residence is the fact that people in the literary community who identify as “genderqueer/non-binary transgender often experience many barriers” — both in positions of writing and critiquing.

Lucas explained that in 2013, the number of men who reviewed literary pieces by other men was skewed to a disproportionate ratio of about three to one compared to the reviews of women’s literary work. By including female and transgender researchers in these residencies each year, CWILA aims to shift these skewed statistics within the Canadian literary scene.

During his time as the Critic-in-Residence, Crawford plans to focus on reviewing works that are either written by or feature transgender people and styles. Crawford hopes that, from his critiques of others’ pieces in the field, people will grow to question why “we tend to regard non-transgender [cisgender] modes of life as universal or ‘relatable’ in literature, when they are not.”

Ultimately, Crawford hopes his residency gives him a chance to “intervene in the national conversation about where our literature is headed” in what he sees as a vital time in our history — a time when a better representation of all genders is starting to emerge in literary and societal circles.

Students should get out and vote in this year’s federal election

By

Peak Web

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January 12, 2015

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We’ve now entered the year 2015: federal election year. On October 19, Canadians will once again have the chance to choose the people who will govern our nation for the next four years. That date is now about 40 weeks away, so it’s time to start thinking about what our plan is for that seemingly-distant date. Will we bother to exercise our democratic freedoms, or will we sit at home and complain endlessly about the results of an election we opted to take no part in?

I know most of our readers hope that the Conservative government will taste defeat this year, if for no other reason than to believe it will stop me from singing their praises. This result, however, is far from certain, as early polls show all three major parties (sorry, Elizabeth May) are scoring relatively tight numbers overall.

Based on the numbers, it appears that we university students may have the power to influence the result of this election and the future of our nation. While the Big Three remain neck and neck in most areas, there is one demographic that is overwhelmingly Liberal: 18–29-year-olds, many of whom are university students.

And yet, as a member of the Conservative Party, I am not concerned by this. You may wonder why this is, but the answer is really quite simple: this age bracket, where Trudeau appears to be receiving the majority of his polling support, has repeatedly been the one with the worst voter turnout come election day. According to Elections Canada, the previous federal election featured a mere 38.8 per cent turnout for those aged 18–24, and a slightly better but still terrible turnout of 45.1 per cent for the 25–34-year-olds.

By failing to vote, we give our elected officials justification for not listening to our issues.

While the Conservative in me is content with the election win, the rest of my 29-year-old brain wonders what the heck is going on, especially since those two demographics tend to be the ones from whom I receive the most comments about how Harper is ruining this country.

I understand that many Canadians justify their lack of participation in democracy with the claim that politicians don’t care about youth issues. While I won’t dispute this claim, this turns into a bit of a cyclical argument, especially because youth tend not to have much of the standard currency that gets politicians to listen: actual currency.

The only thing we have is our voice, and if we don’t bother to use it on the one day when it really matters, politicians have no reason to listen or care about youth issues. By failing to participate, we give our elected officials justification for not listening, as such a small turnout is hardly going to influence the results.

Irish dramatist George Bernard Shaw once famously noted that “Democracy is a device that ensures we shall be governed no better than we deserve.” If you think you deserve better, it’s up to you to follow the political decisions made this year, and to participate and elect the government you think we deserve. Otherwise, you and all those who failed to do their democratic duty are to blame for the results.

I know what I’ll be doing on October 19. Do you?

Woohoo, Boohoo

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EIC

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January 12, 2015

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Woohoo: Being sorry

It’s an incredibly valuable and genuine thing to truly feel sorry. What’s even more genuine is when you express these feelings with sincerity to another person.

Sincere apologies build connections, mend close relationships with loved ones and friends, and help one to develop both personally and interpersonally. Many times, giving a sincere apology can be a difficult task, but imagine what a terrible world we’d live in if no one felt apologetic towards one another.

Those who give sincere apologies are put at odds with their own beliefs — they must examine and reflect on their actions, and then internalize their situation so that they can learn about it for next time. I find that this is one of the most valuable lessons a person can learn.

Boohoo: Saying sorry

A couple days ago on a fairly crowded bus, I accidentally brushed up against someone — and by “brush up,” I mean I barely touched her as I shifted past. She immediately turned to me and said “sorry!”

Returning from a restroom on campus yesterday, I opened the door just as another person approached. He stood to the side and waited for me to exit. “Sorry,” he said.

I find myself a little frustrated by how we tend to apologize to other for really no reason at all. No harm was done in either of these situations, so these instant apologies aren’t justified and seem, frankly, a bit ridiculous. I find that anxiety propels our “sorry” culture, as people are afraid to come off as rude while in public. The use of “sorry” now occurs so often that it’s been ingrained into our psyche to use in even the most meagre of situations.

So please, folks, give an apology when the situation actually requires one, and when you say “sorry” to someone, make sure you mean it.

Everyone Hates a Vegetarian

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EIC

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January 12, 2015

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My foot squished with water when I stepped into the shoe repair shop. I was looking for waterproofing spray. My shoes were old leather ones that I had bought second hand, and I didn’t think they’d be half as spongy as they were in wet weather.

Holding a can of mink spray, I asked the friendly owner if it was made of real mink. He jutted his head out. “Of course,” he said, and delved into the many benefits of real mink.

I shouldn’t have said it. “Hmm, I don’t really like using animal products,” I admitted, in a store that smelled like leather to a man who smelled like leather. He looked down and shook his head very slowly and deliberately, like I had told him he worshipped a false prophet.

“The artificial stuff is made from chemicals,” he said. “It’s not good for the Earth. Sure, the mink spray isn’t too good for the minks, but it’s natural. It’s . . .” he went on. I was now one of the many hippies who had confronted him to belittle his cruel and unusual business.

It really had nothing to do with him. Vegetarian ethics have been a part of my life for the last six years; it’s something that’s about myself, not anyone else. It’s been a process that’s helped define who I am, even if my eating habits are continuously changing.

I still can’t decide on exactly the best diet, one that blends health and ethics. With the same thought process I had as a teen, I am still upset at the fact that we have to kill to exist. At the same time, I recognize that this is true for every living being, vegetarians included.

“I’m gonna keep looking. Thank you!” I said. The tanner turned around fast enough for me to see.

Bean Awhile

When I was a teenager, ethics were simple. If I didn’t eat meat, I wasn’t killing or harming anything, I was consequently allowing more food to be produced, and I would be the healthiest I could possibly be. If everyone did the same, we would probably have less health issues, less global hunger issues, and less animal abuse. I didn’t expect everyone to do the same right away . . . but I kind of expected everyone else to do the same, eventually.

After years of consideration, I’ve realized that these ethics aren’t so simple. I’m not perfect, and no one else is, either. Also, the more I judge and try to control others, the less they want to listen to me.

For myself, I was able to eat only plants, and it did good, so I did it. I stepped up to a vegan diet for about three quarters of a year a while ago, which felt even more in line with my beliefs.

But I didn’t do it properly. I mostly ate beans. Gratuitous amounts of beans. Eventually, I felt so unusual that I went back to eating a meat-based diet, to try to feel healthy again.

What’s funny is that most often I hear people say they do the opposite: they try vegetarianism to feel healthy. Usually because they’ve watched some documentaries. There’s a good chance that vegetarianism can lead to good health, and there’s a good chance that one can find an overwhelming number of writers or speakers who support this idea. But the same goes for eating a healthy meat-based diet. It’s pretty easy to make your claim either way.

Pesky-tarian

“Are you eating this now?” is the standard line of questioning I hear from my mom every time she brings out a platter of cheese. Last time, she held oysters. Every time I visit, she’s tried to guess what new restriction or allowance I’ve created for the season.

I currently eat pescetarian, which is vegetarian except for the inclusion of fish; I’ve found reasons for justifying eating this way. I feel healthiest eating higher amounts of protein and fat, with lower amounts of carbs. I’m also more convinced that the fact that humans have evolved while eating meat-based diets has made our bodies best suited to doing so.

But, I still prefer to not eat animals that have the high cognition level of pigs or cows, along with the damage to the Earth that often comes with raising such large animals on a large scale, if I can avoid it.

Of course, there are problems with the pescetarian rationale, as well. The food that we eat now is not the same that prehistoric humans ate. There are high levels of mercury in fish, and there are hormones, steroids, or genetic manipulations in them and other animals; the fruit we eat is sweeter than it ever was before; we have plants and chemicals that never before existed. We live in a different world, and we eat different food.

But what else can we do, other than try our best? I feel healthiest eating my current diet, perhaps due to biological factors, but also maybe due to psychological ones. Still, I feel like I boycott many of the problems of large-scale, factory farming. My diet is not perfect, but neither am I.

I hope that people can eventually work together to make a better world through diets, but to make a better world would mean agreeing on what a good diet entails. I can’t even agree for myself which path is best.

But we don’t have to agree on eating ethics. What we do need is to keep talking about these issues, and adapt ourselves to what feels right without closing our minds to new or old ideas. Let’s not stick with an idea because we’ve told ourselves we have to, even after it’s stopped making sense.

Let’s listen to each other, to our bodies, and to our ethics. Eating will always be a personal experience, but it can also be made a personal journey.

Meet the Clan: Brit Townsend

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EIC

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January 12, 2015

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WEB_Brit Townsend_Brandon Hillier — Brit Townsend has coached the both the cross country and track teams since 1998; before that she was a student at SFU.

“Everything has changed here over the years,” cross country and track head coach Brit Townsend reflects on her time at SFU. “The facilities have changed. I would even say the students have changed, the type of students.”

Townsend has had a firsthand view of the changes over the years, having begun at SFU not as a coach, but as a student — she graduated in 1986 with a degree in communications and kinesiology.

“It was pretty small when I went here,” she continues. “It was pretty easy to get in, and now it’s one of the best in the world. It’s kind of neat to be a part of that.”

Now, as coach, she has the chance to give students the opportunities and guidance she received here as a student.

“I came from a family with no money at all,” the longtime coach explains of her humble beginnings at SFU. “The head coach at the time, Hal Warner, was watching me run at a meet and came up to me and said, ‘How would you like to come to SFU? I’ll offer you a scholarship.’”

At the time, Townsend had already committed to UBC — but the lure of a scholarship proved too much to resist, and the rest is history.

“I didn’t know anything about university. I was the first kid in our family to have gone to university, so I said sure.”

As time went on, Townshend became an established runner. At one point she held the Canadian records for seven different events, and was invited to compete for Canada in the Olympics — she suited up for the 1984 Olympics and ultimately made the team in 1988, but missed the event due to an injury.

“I feel that I’ve had a really successful career, but it’s really motivating to help others enjoy that same experience.”

She got her chance to do just that when she was named the new head coach of the cross country team in 1998. At the time she was hesitant to take the job, and was hired on an interim basis.

“I was asked to be the head coach, and I was sort of torn because I was working in real estate at the time, and I had a three-year-old and a one-year-old, but I ended up taking the job and said I would try it for six months. And now I’ve been here 17 years,” she says.

“I always wanted to coach, I just didn’t know if I wanted this kind of commitment that early,” she recalls. “But you start recruiting really good athletes, and then they become a part of your life.

Here at SFU, she pushes students to succeed both on the track and in the classroom. “I want to have a high-performance environment up here — academically and athletically — and make sure that we give every opportunity for the kids to succeed in both.”

However, the job is certainly not without its challenges. The nature of university athletics means that the team is constantly changing, and that the coach has to find new runners to fill the gaps of those who graduate or become no longer eligible.

“I find that to be the most challenging part of the job, recruiting. You spend a lot of time recruiting the athlete to come here and they have a lot of options — a lot of options south of the border, we lose a lot of kids there — and find it challenging to replace my stars,” she notes. “You develop them for four years, and they’re fantastic — and they’re gone.”

Townshend is also limited in who she can recruit.

“The challenges are always financial. Being able to offer scholarship money to kids and keep them in Canada [is a challenge],” she adds. “Academics are a challenge. The academic level at the university is tougher and tougher, and you get high school students that have been great in community service and have been working really hard at their sport, [but] sometimes they don’t have the level of academics they need to get in here. That’s a shame.”

The school’s transition from the NAIA (a lower-level American college athletics league) to the NCAA has also proved a challenge in recent years.

“Transition is hard but good,” she says. “However, we’re not going to win the championships that we did in the NAIA. We won five consecutive national titles in cross country [. . .] we hold so many records in the NAIA.

“The level of competition is so much higher and so much tougher.”

However, this year was a milestone year for both the men’s and women’s cross country teams. The women’s team captured the conference and regional titles — both firsts — while the men qualified for the national champions for the first time while in the NCAA. While five straight national titles might not be in the cards, both teams seem destined for continued success under Townsend’s leadership.

Ask Professor Peak Week 2

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EIC

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January 12, 2015

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Help! If I drop out of university, I’ll be shaming my parents!

DEAR PROFESSOR PEAK: I feel like I’m in university to please my parents. Being an only child from a wealthy family of university graduates, my parents expect me to continue the family ‘legacy,’ graduate with some important degree, and be some important title. I’ve never really been interested in university, and I’ve told my parents this, but they insisted I attend this institution that I don’t really care about. I’m in a bachelor of arts program without a major because I can’t decide on one that interests me. Instead, I’d like to do carpentry or something similar, but I’m scared that if I fight my parents over it, they’ll see me as a huge disappointment or some dud that doesn’t have a life. Why can’t they just understand that you don’t have to be in university to be successful? ––– CONFLICTED CARPENTER

DEAR CONFLICTED: You’re the one who has to spend eight-plus hours a day (at least) doing whatever job you end up in, so you’d better darn well enjoy doing it! But I suspect you already know that. As for your parents, remind them success comes not from your fancy job title or your impressive degree, but from your accomplishments and how you make an impact on the world. In other words, success comes from what makes you happy! It wouldn’t hurt to let them know the opportunity prospects for trades jobs (carpentry included!) are ranked extremely high in BC, and trades tend to pay quite well. Sure, you may have a few tough conversations with your parents right now, but it’s safe to say the rest of your life is worth those momentary rough patches. ––– PROFESSOR PEAK

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Darn! SFU just isn’t evil enough for me!

DEAR PROFESSOR PEAK: I am a 22 year-old science student. Believe it or not, I’m in my fourth year. However, the last few months I have become worried that I’m not getting the best out of my education at SFU. It’s not that I don’t study hard — it’s SFU itself. In all my time here, I have not handled one death ray. There are no classes on how to use neuroscience to brainwash people to do my bidding. How will I become a mad scientist if I have no experience in these essential areas? Does UBC have death rays? I just have a feeling I’d be getting a better education in evil elsewhere. ––– ASPIRING MAD SCIENTIST

DEAR ASPIRING: Well, it looks like you’re in a bit of a pickle, as SFU doesn’t (for legal reasons) overtly offer any courses in mischief or merrymaking, let alone evil-doing or world domination. But fear not: there are workaround ways to learn sinister skills at our hallowed institution! Engineering Science 470: Optical and Laser Engineering Applications will give you a great way to develop your death ray building skills! Just work on that evil laugh and you’re set. ––– PROFESSOR PEAK

Women have nothing to fear from pursuing a career in cinematography

By

EIC

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January 12, 2015

3

A moving image and its impact on viewers has always fascinated me. I love to create, I love to work in an intense environment, I love being surrounded by passionate people, and I love film. All these factors combined lead me towards an education in cinematography.

As an aspiring cinematographer, I study light, framing, and lens choices in hopes of one day being the head of the camera and lighting department on a film set. As a cinematographer, I would be responsible for making all the artistic and technical decisions in relation to the film image.

Currently, I am studying in the SFU film program in order to reach this goal, and though I am currently in a supportive and inclusive environment, I know that as a woman I will face discrimination that my male classmates will never have to deal with as aspiring filmmakers.

In 2013, women accounted for less than three per cent of cinematographers working on the top 250 domestic grossing films. No female cinematographer has ever been nominated for an Academy Award, and those females who have succeed in the field — such as Ellen Kuras, Mandy Walker, and Maryse Alberti — are not very well known or celebrated.

While the film industry has its own unique problems regarding sexism in both the content it produces and the treatment of its own working members, I believe it originates from something deeper in our society. Starting from a young age, women are not encouraged to pursue technical careers in general, and instead are pushed towards more traditionally female-occupied fields. This phenomenon is commonly spoken about with regards to jobs in the sciences and maths, but also applies to other technically-based careers such as cinematography.

No female cinematographer has ever been nominated for an Academy Award.

I’ve heard several different excuses for why there is an underrepresentation of female cinematographers: it’s too technical, the equipment is too heavy, women can’t handle the brutal hours.

But I feel cinematographer Claudia Raschke put it best by stating, “When you go to an interview or onto a set, as a woman you are incompetent until you prove you know your stuff. As a man, you are considered competent until you are proven totally incompetent.” Too often, women aren’t trusted to execute this kind of work.

When I first developed an interest in cinematography, I was quite intimidated by the technical knowledge that seemed to be required. This type of ‘shop talk’ can make it hard for already isolated aspiring female cinematographers to break into the field. I know that without the mentors I had teaching me along the way, I would still feel very lost, and might not have pursued cinematography at all.

Unfortunately, many women haven’t been lucky enough to find the support and encouragement I have. The boys’ club mentality is still going strong, and many continue to use the physical, technical, and leadership aspects of the job to justify the lack of females in the field. Existing female cinematographers have proven that these are falsehoods, and that women are just as capable cinematographers as men.

My talent, style, creative choices and skills as a cinematographer are not dictated by my gender, and it is extremely important that women continue to develop an interest in cinematography. We need female cinematographers for the same reason we need female writers, directors and editors: cinematographers are storytellers. Through all the equipment and technology, they are telling a story. They bring their own style, story and perspective to their work. To shut women out of this field would be a profound loss for the film community and its audiences.

New dining options to open on SFU Burnaby

By

Peak Web

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January 12, 2015

0

WEB_Jugo Juice_Erik Sagmoen — Jugo Juice is ready to open for business.

Plans for a new food venue in Discovery 1 are now complete, with an expected opening this summer, pending final budget and permit approvals.

Ancillary Services at SFU will also unveil a Jugo Juice in the next week, which will be located in the Academic Quadrangle right next to the Renaissance Coffee.

Located in the Fraser International College (FIC) building, the Discovery 1 dining hall will be renovated to enhance the dining experience for students attending the college.

According to Mark McLaughlin, executive director of Ancillary Services, the existing services aren’t enough to support the growing FIC student population. “Right now we have a little food cart down there that really just kind of a stopgap measure for those students,” he said.

The new design will offer international cuisine and coffee, among other items, and will likely run five days a week. “I guess you could call it a mini Mackenzie Cafe,” said McLaughlin.

In previous years, students attending FIC would have to travel up the hill to get food from either venues at Cornerstone or Mackenzie Cafe, braving sometimes frigid weather conditions. According to Ancillary Services, the new dining facility is meant to remedy that.

“I guess you could call it a mini Mackenzie Cafe.”

Mark McLaughlin,

executive director of

SFU Ancillary Services

For McLaughlin, it’s important to not just focus on what SFU students on campus need, but what is necessary for the community as a whole — FIC, UniverCity, Cornerstone — to thrive and grow. “When we look at the campus, we just don’t look at [SFU],” he explained. “For us the campus is the entire mountain, because the campus does not stop at Strand Hall.”

The SFU Board of Governors also announced in November that planning is underway for the possible construction of a new dining hall at UniverCity, to open in 2017.

He continued, “UniverCity is part of our community, and so we look at what opportunities and what services we could offer students over there. You know, we really do try to think long-term, and [. . .] about sustainability and future generations.”

Though space on the mountain is limited, McLaughlin explained that Ancillary Services is constantly looking for new and innovative ways to enhance the dining experience here at SFU. As part of their mission, McLaughlin said that they hope to provide students with a dining experience that includes both big name brands, such as Starbucks and Tim Hortons, and the local, such as Mackenzie Cafe.

In particular, Ancillary Services is looking to support big name brands that adopt sustainable food options for students at competitive prices. “In Ancillary Services, we use what’s called the triple bottom line,” said McLaughlin, “it’s just not about the money, it’s about creating community, about social values as well.”