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Council Commentary

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SFSS board appoints new CEO

By recommendation of council, the SFSS board of directors has appointed a new chief electoral officer (CEO) to head up their independent electoral commission (IEC).

Oscar Sanchez was favoured by the council over opposing candidate Lindsay Shepherd in a vote of 23–4. He will serve in his position until November 30, 2015.

As the only candidate present, Sanchez fielded questions from council and board members for over 40 minutes.

During the question period, Sanchez shared his goals to double voter turnout from the previous election and to increase transparency in the electoral process.

“I’ve seen a lot of processes both in elections and in workplace environments that have been hampered by miscommunication and by misunderstood intentions,” said Sanchez.

President Chardaye Bueckert commended him for his performance in what she called “the most intimidating job interview ever.”

 

No to Build SFU presents to Council

Students from the group, No to Build SFU, made a brief presentation to council on Wednesday night regarding the upcoming SGM and issues related to the Build SFU Student Union Building (SUB) and Stadium projects.

The group asked council members if they would disseminate the information on the site, NotoBuildSFU, to the student body. The site contains information related to the projects, and asks students to sign a petition contending that the SFSS Annual General Meeting held on October 22, 2014, “was not a democratic representation of student confidence in Build SFU.”

“Our concern is that, so far, as Build SFU has proceeded, there has not been a counterpoint offered that has official support or funding,” said Kaitlyn MacInnes, one of the group’s organisers and a fourth year history student. “We’re just trying to provide a balance so that students can see both sides of the argument and vote as they see fit.”

SFU hockey fall to first place Spartans on the road

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EIC
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Though they scored on their first power play, the Clan were largely ineffective with an extra man, going one for seven (14.3 per cent).

The SFU’s men’s hockey team scored the first goal in their Thursday night game against the Trinity Western Spartans at the Langley Event Center, but the game quickly went downhill from there.

Clan defenceman Matthew Berry-Lamontagna opened up the scoring on the power play with a shot from the point at 5:25 minutes in.

SFU began playing a strong game, maintaining possession of the puck. However, once the Clan turned the puck over, Trinity Western were able to convert the turnovers into solid offensive opportunities — and goals.

The first period for the Spartans came on a breakaway. Trinity Western forward PJ Buys drove the puck in to tie the game.

However, this tie would quickly turn into a lead for Trinity Western. About two minutes later, forward James Russell put the Spartans up 2–1, and just over a minute later, BC Intercollegiate Hockey League (BCIHL) leading scorer Cody Fidgett solidified Trinity Western’s lead with his 19th goal of the season.

As a result, Clan starting goalie Jordan Liem was pulled with less than a period of play, in favour of backup Andrew Parent. Initially, the goaltender was successful, as SFU point leader Nick Sandor scored to put the Clan within one — a score that would hold until the second period.

However, just a little over three minutes in, Trinity Western scored their fourth of the game; this proved to be the final nail in SFU’s coffin. Although the Clan dominated much of the first half, the Spartans controlled much of the second period.

Trinity Western would add one more in the period to take a commanding 5–2 lead. Having made only two saves on four shots, Latimer was chased out of the net, and Liem made his return to the crease.

What followed was a relatively low-key third period. The Spartans were content to clamp down on the Clan’s offensive chances and protect their lead. Tempers flared over the course of the game, and the after-whistle activities became more heated. This culminated in 10 minute game misconducts for SFU forward Pavlo Zerebecky and Spartan defenceman Deryk Kirchner.

As a final kick in the teeth to the Clan, Trinity Western scored a sixth and final goal with only 1:34 left in the game.

Though they lost 6–2, the Clan outshot the Spartans 37–26. The high shot count emphasized SFU’s inability to finish — though their cycle game was in fine form, they had a hard time getting quality shots to the net and putting the puck in. Although they scored on their first power play, the Clan were largely ineffective with an extra man, going one for seven (14.3 per cent).

SFU will get the chance to avenge their loss next Thursday, when they return to the Langley Event Center to once again face the Spartans. They will be looking to give Trinity Western their first loss since November 29 (The Spartans last loss was in a 5–2 shootout to SFU). With this victory — and the Eastern Washington loss — the Spartans clinched a spot in the BCIHL playoffs.

Clan prevail over Saint Martin’s Saints

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EIC
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Erin Chambers had 14 points and seven assists on the night.

This Thursday night, the SFU women’s basketball team played the Saint Martin’s Saints in the West Gym. The Clan came into the game with a 7–6 overall record, good enough for fourth in the league, while the Saints entered with a 4–9 record, which put them at ninth. Needless to say, it was a game the Clan were expected to win.

The game began with SFU winning the opening tip-off, and the Clan got off to an early 17–10 lead thanks to a 10–5 run. Saint Martin’s game plan early was evident, which was driving to the basket and drawing fouls. However, SFU’s three-point shooting was excellent, and the Clan established a 22–14 before settling for a 44–35 lead at the end of the first half. The highlight of the half was a basket by Alisha Roberts, who pulled off a nice move one on one before driving to the basket for the easy layup.

In the second half, SFU once again got off to a good start, scoring many times off fast breaks and starting off on a 10–4 run. The rest of the half was very even, with the teams trading baskets back and forth until the end of the half. The final score was 83–70 SFU. Freshman Rachel Fradgley had a fantastic game, with a game high 20 points and going nine for 10 from the field, as well as going two for two from the line. Senior guard Erin Chambers led the team with seven assists, as well as contributing 14 points of her own.

With the win, head coach Bruce Langford ties former women’s basketball coach Allison McNeill’s record of 363 wins in SFU’s women’s basketball program. After the game, he was humble about the record and instead put the focus back on the team. “Well I’m just happy we won today’s game. We need it for our league record after our bad game the other day,” he said.

The joint-record holder also commented on the difference between the first and second half. “I thought we were a bit better shooting in the first half for sure. We were unbelievable from the three point line in the first half, and I thought in the second half we were just holding on, looking over our shoulder.”

The next game will be Saturday night against Western Oregon. If they score another a victory, Langford will break the all-time wins record. Tip-off is at 7 p.m.

Kayak is political and personal

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EIC
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Some people are so insufferably righteous that you can’t stand them. You know the type: in a way you admire them, but those feelings are quickly overcome with the urge to slap them in their fair-trade-buying, bicycle-riding, self-satisfied faces. That’s how Mrs. Iverson feels about Julie.

Julie (Marisa Smith) and Peter (Sebastian Kroon) meet at university while Peter is a student at the Sauder School of Business and Julie is studying ecology. Peter’s mom, Annie Iverson (Susan Hogan), is very proud of the path her son’s life is on — she envisions him using his degree in business to get a stable job with a good retirement package, buy a house, and have a couple of grandchildren for her.

All of that changes, however, when Peter falls for Julie. He adores her for fighting for what she believes in, no matter what. As Julie travels around the world joining in protests and other forms of activism, Peter watches YouTube videos of her in action and awaits her return. Mrs. Iverson keeps waiting for the ‘Julie Phase’ to pass, but it never does.

Mrs. Iverson — Julie never calls her by her first name — tells this story from her kayak as she conjures the ghost of Julie and recounts the series of events that led her to be stranded. Sitting in a kayak for over an hour on stage must be pretty uncomfortable, but Hogan delivers an impressive performance as a distraught mother who tried to protect her son from Julie, the environmental crusader.

With humorous, realistic characters, Kayak raises some important questions about the future consequences of our actions, and prompts us to think about our own impact on the environment. However, I felt that the message of the play could have been articulated even more clearly through these characters, and the plot became a bit muddy near the end with what I felt was a false ending and a confusing resolution.

Despite this, Kayak is a powerful story, and I’m glad that Jordan Hall was able to incorporate the subject of global warming in his work without it feeling contrived.

Alley Theatre presents Kayak at the Firehall Arts Centre from January 7–17. For more information, visit firehallartscentre.ca.  

When jokes hit the real world

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EIC
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It’s a sort of sick kismet that on the week I’m slated to write my Editor’s Voice, my once-a-semester opportunity to address our newspaper’s readership directly and on any topic of my choosing, the name Charlie Hebdo is still making headlines. And while I don’t pretend that the work I do for The Peak as humour editor is comparable to what some satirists have made careers out of, I’d like to use the opportunity to talk about a time when print humour affected my life. ­

More than once during my time as humour editor I’ve faced criticism from some, telling me to take more risks with my writing and target certain people or organizations, but I digress. Humour isn’t something that always has to come at someone else’s expense and I stand by that. I don’t brilliantly lampoon controversial figureheads or use my words to suggest political change; nor do I have a fraction of these humourists’ reach or influence. I write articles about fake Jurassic Park movie scripts and draw weekly comics about agoraphobic superheroes.

When I was editor-in-chief of a different student newspaper last year, we came under scrutiny for publishing a staff writer’s humour article that mentioned a police department by name and linked them to accidental distribution of candy laced with LSD. The piece itself was relatively weak — relying on over-the-top description more than cleverness — but I had approved the piece regardless. (Since humour is wildly subjective, it’s hard to dismiss something simply because you yourself don’t find it funny.)

The week that followed the article’s publishing was one of the most stressful times of my life. It wasn’t until I received an email from the CBC, asking me to comment on the police department calling for a retraction of the article and apology for its publication, that I knew anything was amiss. As it turns out, the police had emailed me prior to this, though it went to my junk folder because sometimes life is awful and hates you like that.

It used to be my mantra to never apologize for something our student newspaper published regardless of its reception.

Up until that point, it had been my mantra to never apologize for something we published regardless of its reception. After all, newspapers are meant to create and curate content, not apologize for it. Unfortunately, this incident came at the same time that we were in the midst of renewing our study levy contract with the school. Someone told me they had contacted the college’s Board of Directors and my thoughts immediately jumped to what the fallout could be: student newspapers, for those who don’t know, survive largely on the income provided with student levies. Without one, I knew the publication wouldn’t be able to survive for long.

We ultimately took the article down and I issued a personal apology to the police department, using the most diplomatic language possible to say how wrong we were to publish it in the first place. My apology was accepted and within a few weeks any scrutiny from the public had fizzled.

While the stakes were probably never as high as they were in my mind, I made the conscious decision that stubbornly defending a subpar article wasn’t worth the bleak possibility of future generations not having the same newspaper I’d known and loved for years. I decided that I’d rather swallow my pride and wave the apology flag than have the newspaper not be there for future Jaceys. I wouldn’t say I regret the choice — our contract was renewed weeks afterwards without any hiccups — but I sometimes wonder what would have happened if I had stood by the article and refused to apologize.

Losing sleep for a few weeks pales in comparison to events such as what happened to the employees of Charlie Hebdo on January 7, but what I’m trying to say is that as harmless as writing humour may often seem — some of the editors at The Peak even refer to the section as “jokes” — there’s always the possibility that real-world repercussions can arise from it. Don’t let the fear of backlash hold you back from writing about certain topics, but keep in mind that some people might not necessarily find the humour in your jokes about LSD.

Peak Speak: Sir John A. MacDonald Day?

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EIC
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The Peak’s humour editor Jacey Gibb’s adventures out into the field to ask SFU students the tough questions.

Protesting pipelines will not help our environment

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EIC
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While climate change is likely our world’s greatest threat, pipelines are not at the crux of the problem, and protesting their construction is not a solution to alleviating climate change.

Oil is mined or pumped from underground. After being extracted and sometimes upgraded, oil is then transported via rail or pipeline to a refinery, where it is refined into various products ready for consumer use.

Pipelines are a conduit in this cycle. They’re also somewhat replaceable. Without them, crude-by-rail has grown exponentially over the last decade, as a lack of pipeline infrastructure has led to increased rail infrastructure. Companies like CN Rail and Canadian Pacific Railway have thrived as they continue to carry increasing amounts of oil.

In other words, whatever does not get transported by pipeline will eventually get transported by rail, and crude-by-rail carries many of the same risks as transportation by pipeline — spills often occur. In order for pipeline protesters to achieve their goal of ceasing oil spillage entirely, they ought to successfully block locomotive travel — and for that matter, oil tanker trucks and ships — in addition to pipeline construction, which is clearly not a sensible solution.

But even more important is the demand for oil that triggers its transportation in the first place. We should really be lying down on runways to protest air travel, or blockading major intersections to protest driving gas-fueled vehicles. If we weren’t so reliant on oil for our day-to-day activities, there would be no need for Suncor to pump oil out of the ground, and no need for Kinder Morgan to transport it.

To cease oil spillage altogether, protesters must successfully block all other forms of oil transportation.

So how can society advance into a greener future? Given the capitalist framework of our modern world, the private sector needs to be the engine of this electric car, and the government its driver.

Socially conscious consumers are a minority. We therefore need a renewable energy source which is less expensive than fossil fuels and which people will actually use. In order for this to happen, we need more capital to invest into research on the development and infrastructure of a clean energy system. Such a system can then expand, and will cost less to produce and consume. This can occur through government subsidies and creating investor-oriented tax incentives for clean energy, in addition to organizations taking it upon themselves to invest directly in clean energy companies.

For many developing nations, oil is cheaper than investing in clean energy; it may seem unfair for these nations to forego economic prosperity in the name of preventing climate change. However, as clean energy technology improves and becomes cheaper, and as the price of oil trends ever upwards, it may be economical even in the short-term for these nations to to invest in renewables over oilfields.

In North America, two excellent examples of clean energy advancement have come from the least likely of people. The Rockefeller Brothers Fund recently replaced about $50 billion of its oil and gas holdings with clean energy investments, and back in 2013 Stephen Harper gave big Canadian oil and gas companies $400 million to subsidize development in wind, biofuels, and carbon capture storage technology.

This is the type of activity that will lead to a renewable-energy world. Rather than blockading pipeline construction in an ineffective attempt to reduce the flow of fossil fuels that we ourselves demand, we should be looking for proactive strategies to help our population seamlessly transition from fossil fuels to clean energy without drastically hampering economic activity. The science behind renewable energy is nearly there; now it’s all about the financial capital.

In-depth news coverage is not meant to be laughed at

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EIC
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When we discuss the pivotal shifts currently occurring in journalism, the rapid expansion of online media and the departure of printed press is often among the first things mentioned.

While this shift is without a doubt taking place, there is another transformation that deserves just as much, if not more, attention as the digitalization of our news: mainstream news channels are no longer the leaders in reporting hard-hitting stories. This position is now being filled by a recently popularized media form: fake news.

I am sure many of you have watched or have heard of programs such The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, and The Colbert Report, the latter of which recently celebrated its finale. All of these programs mix biting satire with their presentation of real events.

This type of entertainment has proven itself popular with audiences, and has therefore led to a great expansion of the genre. But what no one accounted for when these programs emerged was that they would replace mainstream news channels in terms of the best source for relevant and important stories.

Increasingly often, national news broadcasters report on subjects that are of little substance. Mainstream news is now more like a source for gossip than anything else — reporting on trivialized events rather than controversial, important material. After skimming last week’s headlines, I was unable to find any in-depth coverage that hadn’t been watered down to keep audiences content.

Mainstream news now reports on trivialized events that contain little controversial material.

That being said, it’s not hard to imagine why fake news has seamlessly absorbed the title mainstream media once held. These programs pick up on the relevant and significant stories of the day, and create broad-minded editorials to provide the audience with effective and entertaining analyses of these events.

The main reason for the apparent reversal in content is that ‘fake news’ does not have to worry about offending parts of their audience for addressing these controversial issues, mainly because they are protected by their label as a satirical news outlet.

Mainstream outlets, on the other hand, do not have the same freedom to openly debate or criticize world events, as they have become preoccupied with the business side of media. If they lose their audience, they lose their revenue. The more large-scale media corporations focus on attracting audiences, the more journalistic substance they have to sacrifice to keep said audiences happy.

I find this particularly troubling. As much as I enjoy news-parody programs, networks should not have to compromise their reporting for any reason. After all, good investigative journalism involves finding fringe opinions and controversial stories to create a larger picture of the global and local communities of which we are a part.

Instead of avoiding the big stories in favour of inoffensive fluff, mainstream news should reinvest in investigative journalism to try to uncover the controversial stories that they would typically shy away from. While ‘fake news’ provides some great laughs, it should not have to replace the sources it mocks. Mainstream media must reclaim their authoritative and professional status by moving away from the safe topics that make them indistinguishable from BuzzFeed.

Keep on Trockin’: men in pointe shoes are coming to Vancouver

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EIC
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What would have once only been considered fodder for variety shows or slapstick comedy, men dancing en pointe has become big business for Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo. The all-male ballet company was founded in New York in 1974, and has performed in over 500 cities worldwide since.

“They’re not very easy to get. They are so busy — one of the busiest companies in the world,” explained Svetlana Dvoretsky, president of Show One Productions, who will be presenting the company in Vancouver this month at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.

The company tours extensively, including an annual trip to Japan where they have a cult-like fan base, but they haven’t performed in Vancouver since 1985. “They’re lucky,” said Dvoretsky. “In today’s market, it’s difficult and competitive [to attract an audience].”

Les Trocks, as they are affectionately known, seem to fill a niche in the ballet market, as no other company offers a show like theirs. “There is one company in Russia that is similar, but not on the same level,” said Dvoretsky.

The success of their show comes not only from their comical parodies of classical ballets, but also from their impressive technique. “The show is very accessible,” said Dvoretsky. “Some people think it’s just a gay show or for gay people who like ballet, but it’s for all kinds of people.” Ballet aficionados will appreciate the quality of the technique and the references to classic ballets; others will appreciate the humour and dedication, and many more will be attracted by the show’s drag element.

All the company members are ex-principals from professional ballet companies, and they all love what they do. “I think they’re very honest and sincere in what they do,” said Dvoretsky. “They don’t cut corners.” Their dedication is evidenced by the fact that the company has class every day unless they are travelling — even on performance days.

While the company is comprised of only male dancers, their shows usually have both male and female roles; you’ll be sure to see a ballerina with a hairy chest wearing a tutu. “You have to relax right away and not take it too seriously,” laughs Dvoretsky.

The company sets the mood for the show before the curtain is up by making a comical announcement about casting changes to warm up the audience. As Dvoretsky explained, “It helps the audience overcome expectations.”

The show in Vancouver will include the company’s signature interpretation of Swan Lake, a section of various pas de deux from modern works, Go for Barocco (a Balanchine satire), and the Russian classic Paquita. “It does help if you know the history of classical ballets,” said Dvoretsky, but for those who need to brush up, a thick program is provided with synopses of all the ballets. Included in these programs are biographies of the dancers and their alter-ego characters based on famous ballerinas.

Slapstick humour, hilarious interpretations of the classics, and impressive technique all make Les Trocks fabulous and unforgettable.

Les Ballets Trockadero will perform at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre on January 24. For more information visit trockadero.org.

Still Alice is a genuine portrayal of life with Alzheimers

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EIC
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Still Alice, based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Lisa Genova, stars Julianne Moore as a 50-year-old linguistics professor who is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s disease. Being diagnosed with this disease at such a young age is extremely rare, and the film follows her journey through the stages of the debilitating disease from the beginning of her symptoms to the eventual end of her ability to retain any recent memories

The disease begins with subtle signs: from a renowned linguist forgetting the word ‘lexicon’ to forgetting what lecture she was meant to present, and then onto more complex memory loss as time goes on. We watch as she becomes lost in familiar places, as she forgets names and favourite desserts. Moore presents us with a character that resembles friends and family members many of us may have known or will know during the course of our lives.

Along the way, viewers are presented with the harsh realities that so many face when diagnosed with this disease. We witness the struggles faced by her loving husband (Alec Baldwin) and her three children (Kristen Stewart, Kate Bosworth, and Hunter Parrish). Of particular importance is her children’s struggle to face the reality early on that they each have a 50 per cent chance of inheriting the disease, and passing it along to their children, too. Whether or not they choose to get tested and learn the results is an choice they each must face individually.

The movie does a good job of portraying Alice in a genuine manner. Moore has said in interviews that she spent a great deal of time around those with Alzheimer’s to understand how they feel and act in daily life, and her research shows in her performance throughout the film.

At times, the camera work changes to show things from her perspective — a little out-of-focus and blurred in some areas. As she progresses through the disease, we witness someone who was so strong in her language skills transformed to someone who depends on her iPhone for constant note-taking and reminders. Later on in the film, Alice breaks down when said phone is lost, but is unaware of its importance when it is no longer in sight.

We also bear witness to a private moment in which she devises a plan for her future self behind all the other characters’ backs, and the harsh reality that comes from reading said plan in a more advanced state of her disease.

 

Still Alice is a powerful film that is sure to impact those who have been touched in some way by Alzheimer’s, and give those who have not a glimpse into a reality they may never have imagined before.

 

Still Alice opens in Vancouver on January 23.

 

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Simon Fraser University’s independent student newspaper since 1965.

Contact us: [email protected]

© The Peak Publications Society 1965-2024

Simon Fraser University’s independent student newspaper since 1965.

Contact us:
[email protected]

© The Peak Publications Society 1965-2024