Satellite Signals
Surrey
On April 26, SFU’s Pipe Band marched from Surrey campus to just north of the City Centre Library to celebrate the opening of Surrey’s new City Hall. Steve Dooley, executive director of SFU’s Surrey campus, said in anticipation of the day, “The procession will be symbolic of how SFU engages with its new neighbour, and how those in the new downtown core are all connected.”
The procession followed the band’s first competition of the season — the BC Pipe Band Association Annual Gathering — where the team claimed the top spot.
Vancouver
Broadcasting buff Jesse Thorn told audience members at Vancouver campus last Monday how he used his college radio show to become the youngest national host in public radio history. The crowd listened as Thorn discussed how he was able to the make his career aspirations a reality in the Internet age.
The show, first pitched as “The Sound of Young America” while Thorn was a student at the University of California at Santa Cruz, was later renamed “Bullseye” to appeal to a national audience. Today, Thorn hosts and produces “Bullseye” as well as other websites, blogs, and video series.
Morris J Wosk Centre for Dialogue
SFU students attended ExpoPlaza Latina last Wednesday, an international business conference that explored Latin America as a potential market for Canadian businesses and its workforce. International speakers spoke about issues and opportunities in energy, oil and gas, cleantech, and natural resources.
ExpoPlaza Latina founder Paola Murillo said in a press release, “For us, it is important for young people who are entering the job market to understand the opportunities that are out there, whether it is here in BC, Asia or Latin America.”
University Briefs
Recruitment company sues University of Windsor for $24M
A company hired by the University of Windsor to recruit international students is suing the school for $24.1 million, claiming that the university violated a contract between the two. Higher-Edge, which runs the Canadian University Application Centre, is alleging that the university “solicited and conspired with Higher-Edge’s personnel to divert business away from Higher-Edge and to set up a competing business.”
Higher-Edge says that it has recruited an estimated 6,300 students to the university — resulting in approximately $400 million in revenue — in return for a fee paid to them by the university. The University of Windsor is currently preparing its statement of defence.
With files from CBC News
U of C holds celebration of life for murder victims
University of Calgary students came together last Wednesday for a community service in honour of the five students murdered on April 15. The victims, aged 21 to 27, were stabbed to death at a house party by a fellow student.
Hosted by the university, the service gave students, faculty and staff as well as those from Mount Royal University and Alberta College of Art and Design an opportunity to remember as a community. Donna Kennedy-Glans, MLA for Calgary Varsity, said, “The community is still grieving. It’s really quite important that we get together and share stories and grieve together.”
With files from Calgary Herald
Anti-gay activist arrested at University of Regina
US anti-gay activist Peter LaBarbera was arrested at the University of Regina last Monday after refusing to leave the campus. LaBarbera, who is with the group Americans for Truth about Homosexuality, was distributing anti-gay literature and graphic images along with fellow activist Bill Whatcott.
The university issued a statement that the two would be monitored to ensure that they would not be promoting hatred, but when a university official asked the two to leave, they refused. The police subsequently arrived, handcuffed LaBarbera and Whatcott, and removed them.
LaBarbera defended his right to be on the campus, saying, “The idea that you can’t have an open debate on homosexuality on a college campus and some speech code is brought in, to kick people off [. . .] seems to me to be pretty undemocratic.”
With files from Global News
SFU Recreation hosts 9th annual RECognition Night
The SFU Recreation Department hosted its 9th annual RECognition Night last week to celebrate and honour the department’s student staff with a classy evening at the Diamond Alumni Centre at SFU Burnaby.
About a hundred SFU Recreation current and former student staff members attended the event, where they enjoyed dinner, speeches from the SFU Recreation director and coordinators, peer-nominated and graduating student awards, and an alumni segment.
The evening was emceed by Shawna Lum, event organizer and recreation coordinator of special projects, as well as Marc Pope, the department director.
When Pope took the podium, he spoke to the department’s growth over the past year: “SFU Rec is a lot more than a gym, a pool, or a basketball league,” Pope said, “[It’s] a place of fun, a place of belonging and a place of endless support, inspiration and innovation.”
Along the lines of support, inspiration and innovation, this year’s RECognition Night featured the inaugural peer-nominated awards. The awards included Rookie of the Year, All Star, and Most Inspirational from the department’s four main areas.
SFU Recreation also celebrated its experienced student staff with the Quaich awards segment, during which the department honoured its top graduating students who have made a lasting mark in multiple areas of SFU Recreation. Coordinators for the fitness, aquatics and recreation sports areas lauded the recipients for their long-standing service to SFU Rec, as well as their exceptional leadership both at work in the SFU Rec community and in their own endeavours.
Joanna Skucas, the winner of the Most Inspirational award from the aquatics area (as well as the recipient of Quaich award), shared some words of advice: “Exercise really helps with stress. . . Sometimes when you have a midterm and you’re stressed, a workout can really help!”
Jason Lu, a graduating student in the BBA and BPK minor program and a Quaich recipient, recounted his experience as a shy first-year student who was exploring the Lorne Davies Complex and eventually mustered the courage “to poke his head” into the fitness centre. Since becoming involved four years ago, he has worked as a weight room supervisor and strength and conditioning trainer, among many other roles.
The event ended around 8:45 p.m., with draw prizes for SFU Recreation swag as well as a Visa gift card. The evening concluded with a slideshow of pictures featuring some highlights from SFU Recreation’s events and campaigns during the past year, as well as some funny pictures of the student staff.
Spring Sendoff concert “made considerable profit”
Following in the wake of the SFSS’ first concert at Simon Fraser University’s Burnaby campus last September, the year-end Spring Sendoff concert welcomed 1400 party-goers for a night of electronic dance music (EDM) before final exams started.
The event featured international DJs as well as artists from within the university community. With headliners 3LAU and Vicetone who have been featured on the world renowned Ultra Festival stage, it was a rare opportunity for SFU artists FKYA and Sajjid to take their craft to the next level.
While the goal might have been to break even financially, the Spring Sendoff seems to have exceeded projections. Brandon Chapman, SFSS business representative and one of the the event’s organizers said, “With over 1400 attendees as well as flawless production, increased sponsorship, dedicated volunteers and world class artists, it was [. . .] a perfect way to end the spring semester.”
For Moiz, one of the Spring Sendoff performers and current SFU business student, this wasn’t just a concert: “It was an opportunity of a lifetime where I was able to share the stage with some of my idols.”
Demands for a concert at SFU began after a failed attempt by an SFU club to bring K’Naan to campus in fall of 2010; the SFSS has since taken on this challenge as a more capable body. Current SFSS president Humza Khan said, “While we lost funds for the first event, we wanted to at least break even while developing a successful show for the Spring Sendoff.”
Not only are organizers claiming that the concert was profitable, but according to Vanessa Herdman, promotions manager at Red Rain, the event was positive and encouraging for the sponsors as well. Herdman told The Peak, “These are the types of events we are looking to get involved in. Community focused events that bring different faculties together to have fun and enjoy some time away from studying.”
Excitement for the Sendoff began to rise as students frantically searched for last minute tickets for the concert on Friday, April 4, while organizers put the final touches on Convocation Mall.
When the concert started at 4:00 p.m., the earlier DJs played their sets to the volunteers who danced in anticipation of a crowd. The event did not start to pick up until around 6:30 p.m. when students began to pour in from all sides of the campus, ready to party.
Students voiced their dissatisfaction at the event’s 10:00 p.m. end time. Ahmed Mohammed, a 4th year Computing Science student at SFU stated that he had purchased tickets to the Spring Sendoff, but didn’t feel he had enough time to enjoy the concert: “This concert is great, but it needs to be longer. I finished class at 6:30 p.m., go home to meet my friends to bring them, rush here for 8:30 and an hour later it’s finished?”
According to Chapman, the SFSS would ideally like future events to start and finish later due to the low attendance between 4:00-6:00 p.m.
Khan explained that the main difference between the Spring Sendoff and the Fall Kickoff was the fact that the organizers had gained considerable experience from the first event, and Khan was able to assist Chapman as the advisor for the Spring Sendoff. There were numerous other changes, like moving the washroom plans from the Maggie Benston Center to SFU Theatre, tightening the fencing, and moving the volunteer tickets stands further out.
The event’s success wasn’t just a plus for its organizers; Burnaby campus’ Highland Pub also saw an increase in revenue on a day that normally “would not have seen any business being so close to finals,” according to Khan.
As organizers feel that the basic concert structure has been successfully executed, they hope that future events can include more students, incorporate more diverse music genres, activities and much more. Chapman suggested organizers “vary up the music style at future events; perhaps starting with an indie folk band or some other genre during the day, followed by an EDM style artist.”
Chapman’s concluding words outlined his hopes for the future: “Community building is an ongoing process and one year of successful events by the SFSS is not going to change the school, but it’s definitely a good start to support other groups’ initiatives.”
Existential Questions at an EDM Concert
We quizzed some of the people at the Spring Sendoff concert on the big questions.
Hosted by Alysha Seriani
Created by Brandon Hillier
No ruffled feathers at Vancouver’s mass pillow fight
Pillows were fluffed and feathers flew at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 5 as hundreds of Vancouverites gathered in the rain outside the Vancouver Art Gallery to participate in the city’s 9th annual International Pillow Fight Day.
The fight works much like a flash mob: pillows are hidden and everything looks like a normal day to passers-by, until the moment comes when everyone yells, “Pillow fight!” and the battle begins.
“Despite the rain, a lot of people still came out. Vancouverites to the core!” said Esther Wei, an SFU student and first-time pillow fighter this year. “I am definitely going again next year.”
There have been over one hundred mass pillow fights around the world over the past years; Zaragoza, Strasbourg, Rome, Paris, New York, and Madrid are six of the many cities that have participated in similar events.
Due to miscommunication on the Facebook page, there were actually two pillow fights this year: one on either side of the Vancouver Art Gallery. One of the fights was larger than the other, but there was no shortage of fun or excitement at either.
This event is just one of many envisioned by The Urban Playground Movement. The group organizes free, non-commercial public events for all ages such as a massive mobile clubbing event in a London train station, a giant pillow fight near the Eiffel Tower in Paris, and a subway party beneath the streets of Toronto. The goal is to accentuate community rather than consumerism on an international scale, encouraging people to get up off the couch and have fun.
The goal was definitely achieved in Vancouver. “It seemed like there were lots of different people there from young to old and different ethnicities,” said Wei. “It didn’t matter who you hit, everyone was there to just have some good old fashioned fun.”
Fearless Leader
If there was ever any doubt in the early moments of fall 2013 that the Simon Fraser women’s basketball team would be able to recover from losing their 2009 recruiting class, that uncertainty has been put to rest.
One short year ago, there was speculation surrounding the team’s ability to replace the output of the program’s three departing seniors, notably All-American Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe, and whether they could recreate the success they saw in their first year eligible for the NCAA Division II playoffs.
Enter Erin Chambers.
The product of national-level athletes and a sports-oriented upbringing, Chambers was no stranger to success on the basketball court heading into her junior season. But with a glaring hole left in the Clan’s offence it fell to the 6’1” Mission, BC native to provide those team-leading numbers, and a nose for the net: a role that she filled with grace and ease.
“It was an honour and a privilege to lead this team this year.” – Erin Chambers
As the Clan’s second highest scorer following Raincock-Ekunwe, Chambers was a natural choice to step up and lead the team in its 2013–2014 season — she had just come off an excellent sophomore season, earning the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year award and averaging 13.5 points per game. Still, many wondered if she would be able to match the 16.5 points per game that Raincock-Ekunwe delivered.
That stat seems a distant memory now, as Chambers took 2013-14 by storm, averaging 23.1 points per game en route to leading her team to their second consecutive NCAA Division II national tournament appearance. She led not only the team in scoring, but also the GNAC and the West Region, and finished the sixth highest scorer in Division II basketball this season. She led her team in scoring in 24 of 30 contests, and scored over 30 points on four occasions this year.
“I hadn’t realized I had that stat,” Chambers confesses when told about her national scoring ranking. “It is definitely an accomplishment, but that was never the goal. I really had a new role this year being looked at to lead our scoring, and I think that I was comfortable in what I was expected to do. It was an honour and a privilege to lead this team this year.”
Her coach, Bruce Langford, credits her success to consistency and versatility, explaining how Chambers’ ability to score in many different ways, while also being able to find her teammates, allows for her increased output.
“Teams tend to focus on her when defending, but we have other assets on the floor that she is able to find,” Langford says. “She takes control when need be, but is not afraid to trust her teammates to do their jobs.”
2013-14 also saw Chambers break seven GNAC records en route to GNAC first-team, West Region second-team and All-American honorable-mention honours, as well as being named the Clan’s MVP. She broke the conference records for Field Goals in a Season (220), Free Throws in a Season (191), Points in a Season (692) and Scoring Average in a Season (23.1), among others, solidifying her and the Clan’s place within the American NCAA.
Chambers explains that the pressure of the game doesn’t affect her, as she is comfortable in the job required of her, on and off the court. “I think there is always pressure, but to some extent that is what I like and why I play the game. I always want to be in it to win and do my best.”
It only takes one conversation with the student-athlete to give you greater understanding of her psyche; Chambers exudes competitiveness, but in a calm, collected manner. She understands her role and how her development will shape her team for a final season, but knows that she cannot do it alone.
“I have always had amazing teammates to work with,” she says. “We are losing four more seniors, who brought so much hard work to what we do. Luckily, we have some great rookies and redshirts coming up for next year who will be able to contribute in their own ways.”
Chambers and Langford both agree that 2014-15 will bring a final season of change to the team, and to Chambers’ role as well. As the team graduates 6’2” player Chelsea Reist and 6’5” player Rebecca Langmead, the height paradigm will shift, and a new playing style will likely emerge.
“I think that we will be a bit more run-and-gun next year,” continues Langford. “We have different assets coming in that will also allow us to press more, so while Erin will need to continue being in great shape, she may see fewer minutes just due to an increased pace on the floor.”
Chambers knows that she needs to make those minutes count. Despite her record-breaking season, she claims there is still room for her to improve. “I will have to build on what I did this year as I head into my senior season, and really commit to becoming a better player in the offseason,” she explained. “I want to keep building my game, improving my shot and my rebounding; there are always ways to become better.”
As preparations for 2014-15 begin and Chambers dons her #3 jersey for a final collegiate campaign, let it be known that when a leader is required, one will emerge. The shoes left empty last year have been filled; the fire sparking Erin Chambers to lead and succeed will fuel the Clan for a final year.
Zuckerberg wants his dollars!
It seems I’m not the only one who feels that Facebook’s recent purchase of the virtual reality gaming technology Oculus VR was the wrong way to go. As I scroll down the Oculus blog page, I’m delighted to read such enthralling public comments as, “I feel like canceling my pre-order,” “No longer interested in Oculus,” and “Fuck you.”
Oculus is a ground-breaking device for virtual reality technology. It’s a motion-sensor headset with a built-in screen that fully covers the user’s vision, and simulates an immersive alternate reality. The headset has most prominently been used for gaming, and has caused an excitable stir among hardcore gamers.
While still in development, the company has been releasing beta “development kits” to consumers, with each new kit being a development update from the last. Essentially, this device is the science-fiction technology of our dreams. When I first heard about it, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on one.
That was until the company sold out to Zuckerberg and his cronies over at that one social network. On March 25, The Guardian reported that Facebook had purchased Oculus for $2 billion, shocking gamers and game-makers alike, who felt this move would lessen Oculus’ impact on the gaming industry. I must say, I do agree.
It’s understandable why Oculus would choose to partner with a larger company, being relatively small and competing with technologies such as Sony’s new headset. Oculus needs all the promotion and funding it can obtain. But why on earth would they choose Facebook?
Does Facebook really intend to get serious with this technology, or are they just experimenting? While Facebook is an international success, it is still a social network, not a game development company. It’s also a company that has gained notoriety for absorbing anything that it feels will make it more money. It looks like ‘Suckerberg’ wants some more pocket-change.
Facebook hastily bought the company without a clear plan. Zuckerberg nodded vaguely at the ability to see others across long distances or watch events (both of which Youtube and Skype have long since accomplished) and said, excitedly, “I can’t wait to start working with the whole team at Oculus to bring this future to the world, and to unlock new worlds for all of us.”
Right. This sounds like the regular glitzy press-rhetoric he probably yanks from his rear at the last minute. Facebook’s motives for using Oculus are too unclear and shifting, and they haven’t historically been a stable platform.
It’s also unnerving that such a ground-breaking technology has fallen prey to a company that makes billions from feasting off people’s private information. Oculus must truly be the icing on the cake. Facebook has, once again, managed to taint innocent technology with its invasive capitalist ways disguised as a friendly embrace.
Oculus could have done so much better. The technology is astounding; it could change the way we perceive reality and ultimately the way we interact and live. I believe it was created with at least some good intent: revolutionizing video games and bringing the world together. But this vision has now been distorted by a company whose sad motives are to dominate, well, everything.
Looks like it’s time to get our hopes up for Sony.
