Five movie stars who did 2013 right

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January 13, 2014

Tom Hanks

Delivering one of his finest performances in Saving Mr. Banks this year, Hanks has been on my list for quite some time. The world may worship him for his supposedly brilliant roles in The Da Vinci Code or Cloud Atlas, but an actor of his caliber needs an equally purposeful movie that will challenge him to explore his talents and showcase his exceptional character work and this was it. Of course Emma Thompson does a wonderful job but it would be a mistake not to acknowledge how great of an actor — not to mention, how incredibly handsome — Tom Hanks is.

Bradley Cooper

Cooper has been on top of the world ever since People named him 2011’s Sexiest Man Alive. Who cares if The Hangover Part III was one of the worst movies ever made? We at PQ appreciate true beauty and sexiness — and this movie star has been blessed with both. This year, he surprised and impressed film aficionados as FBI agent Richie DiMaso in American Hustle, which has been generating a lot of Oscar buzz. As long as Cooper continues to deliver good performances and look good doing it, we’ll forgive him for the occasional B-movie or popcorn flick.

Sandra Bullock

We at PQ tend to focus on male style and sexiness, but Bullock had a knockout year and deserves to make the list regardless of gender. After the one-two punch of Gravity and The Heat, she’s cemented herself as one of Hollywood’s biggest — and most bankable — actresses. Good looking women are an integral part of Hollywood and good looks she’s got, but Bullock is more than just a pretty face: after her Academy Award win for 2012’s The Blind Side, 2013 proved that she’s got more than enough acting chops to stay relevant into 2014 and beyond.

Jennifer Lawrence

You were expecting this, weren’t you? I mean, yes, she fell on the stairs at the Oscars (which was just downright embarrassing) and she is madly in love with french fries, but this actress has continued to impress us over and over again. From portraying strong-minded and independent Katniss in Catching Fire or as erratic Rosalyn in American Hustle, Lawrence has proved beyond a reasonable doubt that she’s quite versatile and has worked extremely hard to get where she is today — not to mention she is just hilarious. It certainly doesn’t hurt that she’s also one of sexiest women in Hollywood.

Leonardo DiCaprio

Who cares if The Wolf of Wall Street has a rape scene in the end that no one wants to talk about? Leonardo DiCaprio is the man as he plays Jordan Belfort, the film’s morally bankrupt but devilishly stylish protagonist. The movie is essentially the story of an asshole, told from an asshole’s perspective, and Leo (as usual) knocks it out of the park. DiCaprio has received all-around favourable reviews for his acting in the movie, cheating on his wife and swearing like a sailor all while looking like a perfect 10. He is truly a movie star who is ‘doing it right,’ including donating a huge chunk of his paycheque this year to LGBT friendly organizations. Way to go, Leo.

Become a PQ Superstud

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EIC

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January 13, 2014

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Listen, every guy wants to be a stud and pick up ladies (unless he’s happily married, gay, asexual, or is just trying to watch the game). It’s the reason men spend so much money on designer clothes, take several hours grooming themselves every morning, and dedicate so much of their lives to working out at the gym. Guys today assume they have to work hard at making themselves attractive and pleasant to be around in order to get a woman, but they are dead wrong.

Most men don’t understand the first thing about what women really want, and who knows women better than a man, so listen to me. What women are attracted to is actually quite simple: you just need to stop worrying so much. Dating doesn’t need to be complicated, just follow these five easy-to-follow pieces of advice and you will be irresistible to all women.

1.

Have confidence in your symmetrical face

Whether you’re approaching a woman at a bar or trying to get that second date, there is only one thing that women care about: your attitude towards your perfectly proportional face. Just having confidence in your symmetrical eyes, nose, and mouth is guaranteed to make you 100% more attractive to women. Don’t be that schmo who hangs his gorgeous face in shame; just have some confidence! Come on, it’s that simple!

2.

Have a good sense of humour about your perfectly chiseled abs

While most men might think that all women care about is a perfect body, having a sense of humour about that perfect body is way more important. Women hate guys who take their six-pack too seriously. In fact, an exclusive PQ survey has shown that over 100% of ladies believe that being able to laugh about how jacked you are is more attractive than just having a super-hot body. So please, loosen up about those tight muscles and don’t be a robot. It’s not complicated, just be attractive and charming!

3.

Be humble about your amazing career and extreme wealth

Nobody likes a braggart, and boasting a little too much about your six-figure salary or beach-side property is a definite turn-off for most women. So please, scale it back, and try to undersell yourself a little. Only bring up your summer house in Barbados if it comes up naturally, don’t force the issue. Women prefer a humble millionaire over a cocky millionaire any day.

4.

Have good posture and be over six feet tall

You might not even think about it, but the power of having proper posture in attracting women cannot be matched, as long as you’re over 6’. Slouching can make any man who’s otherwise attractive in every other way look as unattractive as someone who’s say, only 5’11”. Don’t make this simple mistake! Straighten out your back, be a naturally tall person, and you won’t be able to stop women from coming onto you if you try!

5.

Be yourself, if you are one of the following people

Doesn’t it always seem like it’s the simplest things that we forget? It should be obvious, but the best way to get ladies to be into you is to be yourself (provided that you are one of the following people: an architect, a lawyer, an astronaut/basketball player, an academy award-winning actor, a neurosurgeon with a black-belt, Tom Hanks, Ryan Gosling, a Seattle-based radio psychiatrist, humour editor at The Peak, a maritime lawyer who dabbles in water-colour painting, George Clooney, Channing Tatum, a close relative of Channing Tatum, Cuba Gooding Jr., Will Smith, Paul Rudd).

Ping Pong Phenom

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EIC

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January 13, 2014

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He’s 18, but doesn’t look it. He doesn’t look like a ping-pong player either, but he is, and a damn good one at that. After just four years of hitting balls with a paddle, he’s well on his way to becoming a master of his trade. He’s already the best in the world in his age group, yet few people could tell you who Luke Henry actually is. Fortunately, PQ uncovered everything there is to know about the least famous superstar on the mountain.

IT’S LATE on one of the first Saturday nights of the young fall semester at Simon Fraser University, and Pauline Jewett House, one of the school’s many residential buildings, is appropriately busy. First- and second-year students emerge from their dorms and flock to the bus stop, wearing far too little for the dropping temperatures, and ready to find love for a night.

On the fourth floor of the nearly empty building, ping-pong balls line the halls. But there are no red cups, no strewn-about PBR cans, and no lingering scent of AXE body spray left behind by the young varsity athletes that live here, if only at night.

All there is, is Luke Henry. He’s alone, as he says he often is, smashing ping-pong balls off his very own green and white tabletop, fastened to the built-in desk in his room. It’s a small room; there’s little space to move around. While his popped-collared, high-heeled floormates commandeer the common room, Henry works on his serve in his tight corridors. The concrete wall is hardly a worthy opponent for his swerving service, rebounding his Three Stars back out of his open door. He learned long ago that few can match up with him.

SFU’s table tennis prodigy is far from the school’s darkest secret, but he might be it’s best kept one.

HE DIDN’T start early. In fact, the 18-year old phenom first picked up a ping-pong paddle just three years ago, and only because there was a table at his rowing club.

The Grimsby, Ont. native moved to Toronto with his family to pursue rowing with the Argonaut Rowing Club, one of Canada’s oldest, and most prestigious clubs, when he was 13. He was always good at rowing. But one day, he explains, a ping-pong table just appeared in the club after practice. After picking up the paddle and acing his first serve (or so the story goes), it wasn’t long before he left the oars behind. He was always better at ping-pong.

“It just felt natural,” he says. “The paddle just fit in my hand. From that first swing, I knew it was something I wanted, needed, to pursue.

“In rowing you always know your next move. You know, ‘stroke, stroke, stroke.’ But ping-pong is so reactionary,” explains Henry.

He leans forward, a smile breaking through his stern demeanour. “Where or when the ball is going to come to you is a mystery you have to solve in a split second. The angle of your opponent’s paddle, how he hits the ball . . . it’s fun, man.”

He’s had that same enthusiasm for his sport for three years now, and it hasn’t waned for a moment. He’s driven, only by himself — he was emphatic that his parents put no pressure on him — to be the first Canadian to make the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Top 20.

“There are some stereotypes surrounding table tennis,” he says. “And understandably. Ma Long, Xu Xin…the best players are all from China. Right now the ITTF’s Top 5 are all from China. People think if I’m from North America, from Canada, I can’t be any good. I want to do what I can to change those stereotypes. I want to leave my own mark.”

He’s well on his way. Henry has dominated competition up to this point; he currently ranks first in the ITTF World Boys Junior Top Twenty. He’s never lost a game, which bodes well for his transition to senior competition next year.

His game is a combination of natural strength, acquired through rowing, and learned finesse. Hours and hours of practicing his spin has given him a shot unparalleled in the world of ping-pong. But outside that world, Henry strives to be just another kid.

He’s doing the college thing the best that he can ó meeting friends, watching hockey, falling behind on his readings ó because he knows he can’t play forever. He’s better than everyone when it comes to ping-pong, though he knows that won’t always be the case.

“Ping-pong is a big part of my life right now, but really, it’s such a small part of it as a whole,î he says. ìI know that. So I need to make sure I can grow to be the best at other things, too.”

He’s just started his college career as a Kinesiology major, something he admits will help him learn more about how to use his thick frame to further dominate his opponents.

But it’s also just the start for him as a ping-pong player, too. Luke Henry has been a central figure in the world of table tennis for a few years now, but few on the outside know who this kid is. He’s not just a guy who bats balls off a wall to pass the time; he’s a superstar in the making.

Sorry, Luke. the secret’s out.

PQ in Review

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EIC

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January 13, 2014

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Twerking twenty-year olds, crack-smoking politicians, retiring teenyboppers — 2013 brought a barrage of sensational headlines. But, unsurprisingly, the most important and influential news stories of this past year came from right here in the centre of the pop culture universe: Burnaby Mountain. And Peak Quarterly was there to cover them all, the most prominent of which we are showcasing in PQ in Review.

Greatest political intrigue | Illicit Election

The SFSS had its annual elections last March resulting in notably big wins for current president, Humza Khan, and external relations officer, Chardaye Bueckert. The two won by margins of 648 and 123 votes, respectively. Another hard fought race was for university relations officer, with Alia Ali stealing the win by 29 votes. Yet, what election is complete without some controversy? Ali was later disqualified, having withdrawn from classes under extenuating circumstances.

Update: The SFSS did not replace Ali whose position will be, once again, up for grabs in SFSS elections this March.

Biggest blunder | Bad faith blues

2013 started off with some labour drama as SFU was found guilty of bargaining in bad faith with the local union, CUPE 3338. We all remember the picket lines and angry protests from several years back, but this specific issue arose after the university put proposed amendments to the Pension Plan on the table for bargaining; SFU had previously signed an agreement with the union in Oct. 2010 that restricted them from putting any new proposals on the bargaining table from that time on.

Update: SFU and CUPE 3338 settled on a four-year deal on June 28, which retroactively began on Apr. 1 2010 and therefore ends on Mar. 31 2014. As of yet, they have not reached an agreement on the Pension Plan.

Most viewed story of all time | SFSS incident snowballs

Peak Quarterly flew off the shelves last October following an incident that took place in the SFSS offices involving members of the Board of Directors. Moe Kopahi, member services officer, allegedly struck Monique Ataei, environmental representative, while grabbing his phone out of her hand. As a result, Ataei called for Kopahi’s resignation, and Kopahi stated his intention to stay on in his position and criticized Ataei for “claiming false accusations.” The outrage was especially poignant online, as it became the most shared and commented upon story of the year. Comments reached both extremes, spanning from “This drama is absolutely disgusting and makes our sfss members look incompetent” to “Moe, your sfss career is done.”

Update: Several Board Members stepped forward after the incident, citing their own experiences of harassment in the SFSS offices. A mediator was brought in at the end of November to help resolve the matter between Ataei and Kopahi.

Most controversial external news coverage | Bali bungle

On Jan. 25, The Province ran an article claiming that SFU students on field school became ill in Bali after drinking methanol-laced spirits. What followed was a flurry of responses from the students in Bali, who said the claim was “grossly exaggerated.” Scott McLean, acting director of Public Affairs and Media Relations at SFU, felt it might have been “only speculation on [The Province]’s part.” Still, news of the issue reached papers outside of British Columbia, making it one of the most troubling (and perplexing) incidents of 2013.

Update: As of now, Michael Howard (who led the field school in Bali) is not leading future trips. McLean was unable to respond to Peak Quarterly before press time.

Best challenge to UBC | Blue-ribbon Brewing

What year would be complete without SFU triumphing over UBC in some way? SFU’s brewing club S.F. Brew beat out UBC’s brUBC in October during a ‘friendly’ home brew competition. Beers were evaluated by a panel of judges on appearance, aroma, flavour, and overall impression. SFU student Natasha Peiksar’s IPA, Hop-A-Rella, took home best in the IPA category as well as Best in Show. She says the beer is called Hop-A-Rella because a couple of girls brewed it.

Update: Get buzzed on SFU pride and taste the girls’ first beer ever brewed later this year; the win earned the girls a commercial brew of 12,000 litres.

Best literature | Notorious Novel

SFU’s most provocative publication of 2013 came from professor Morten Jerven, whose book, Poor Numbers, points to a lack of knowledge about the reality of economic development in Africa due to poorly collected data. As might have been expected, many African officials took offense to this. He was even expelled from several international conferences this past year, one of which he learned about when he was already in the Heathrow airport — yikes.

Update: Bill Gates named Poor Numbers one of his favourite reads of 2013, saying “[Jerven] makes a strong case . . . But as I argue in my longer review, that doesn’t mean we know nothing about what works in development.”

Most successful event anywhere | DJs deliver

To begin the new school year, the SFSS hosted SFU’s first ever successful Kickoff Concert, last year’s having been stunted by K’naan’s failed appearance. Roughly 1800 danced the night away on Sept. 13 in Convocation Mall. It featured performances by Carl Louis & Martin Danielle (CLMD), Dzeko and Torres, Mat Zo, and DJ contest winner, SFU student Sajjid Lakhani. The student society president, Humza Khan, considers the event a groundbreaking success, saying “Nothing like this had ever happened before at SFU,” and that he is “sure that hosting such events will be easier in the future.”

Update: K’naan was unable to comment as to whether or not a redemption concert was in the foreseeable future.

Most newsworthy human | Role Model

Last June, SFU’s Jessica Kruger made headlines across the country after entering the Lise Watier Something Sweet modeling competition with the hopes of becoming Canada’s first quadriplegic model. The only female member of the BC wheelchair rugby team, Kruger took a break from her work speaking at schools and conferences with WorkSafe BC, to enter the competition.

Update: When voting took place in July, Kruger beat out 400 contestants to claim first prize in the contest. In Fashion Magazine online, Kruger spoke to her importance as a beauty ambassador, saying “Just because you’re in a wheelchair or you have a disability, it doesn’t mean that you can’t be seen as beautiful or that you can’t be seen in the fashion and modeling sphere.”

Greatest philanthropist | Philanthropic phenom

Many student initiatives made great strides this year, showcasing SFU students’ commitment to the world. One of the most notable examples was Sport for Food, an organization aimed at raising food, funds, and awareness for local food banks, co-created by SFU student Richard Loat. Over the past three years, the organization has raised the equivalent of 500,000 pounds of food for food banks across the country.

Update: While Loat was in the Philippines helping to rebuild after Typhoon Haiyan, he was notified that he had won a spot in a U.K.-based accelerator program, Sirius, to help launch his non-profit. Sport for Food will receive a 12-month place in Sirius’ accelerator program, plus £12,000 per team member.

Social media superstars | Translink Torment

This year’s stars of social media are SFU students Katie Nordgren and Alexa Dredge, who launched a website called “Harassment on Translink.” What began as a GSWS course requirement quickly went viral, and the two were featured by CBC, Huffington Post, and The Province. The site’s goal is to raise awareness of harassment on public transit by “compil[ing] stories of these experiences to demonstrate the reality and severity of this particular issue to TransLink and the City of Vancouver.”

Update: The girls aspire to implement an app, a text alert system, and a system-wide anti-harassment campaign to further combat harassment. On Dec. 31, Nordgren and Dredge posted the following online, “While we hope that future developments and improvements in policy and safety measures . . . renders this site eventually obsolete, we pledge to keep this going as long as it’s needed.”

Ten Manliest Movies

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EIC

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January 13, 2014

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The Maltese Falcon

It would be sacrilege to snub Bogie on this list, and though Casablanca is my personal favourite of his, The Maltese Falcon trades the former film’s subtlety and beauty for hard-boiled detective story charm. Humphrey stars as Sam Spade, a saucy, snarling PI sent to investigate a murder and a missing artifact. There’s slippery flatfoots, femme fatales and plenty of razor sharp dialogue — the film is basically a perfect introduction to the film noir flair that the forties had in spades. For an equally thrilling ride, seek out Dashiell Hammett’s novel, on which the film is based.

Citizen Kane

Orson Welles’ 1941 masterpiece, which some have called the greatest film of all time, is a powerful parable about the dangers of fame, greed, and selfishness. It’s also one of the ballsiest flicks in history, not-so-subtly based on the life of media mogul William Randolph Hearst. Not only is Citizen Kane one of the most notable classics of the Golden Age of cinema — of which every man should have some knowledge — it’s also a complex and moving tale of one man’s gradual disillusionment and decay, one that will inspire you to live a better life and be a better man.

12 Angry Men

Sidney Lumet’s first feature film was an adaptation of a teleplay by Reginald Rose about twelve jurors arguing over whether or not the defendant — whom we never meet — is guilty. Starring Henry Fonda in one of his best roles as an unnamed juror who refuses to vote guilty, the film is required viewing for those who want to learn how to handle prejudice, and influence your peers. The entire film takes place in a single room, and as each character’s viewpoint gradually changes, you’ll gain a valuable message about courage, determination and goodwill towards your fellow man.

Die Hard

Action movies aren’t always the best guides to gentlemanhood — the protagonists swear, treat women like objects and generally communicate through violence rather than words. Though Die Hard doesn’t exactly break these tropes, it does bend them, featuring a main character who gets beat up enough to seem like an actual human being. The film, which was directed by action veteran John McTiernan, features an equally manly performance by Alan Rickman, as the leader of a dangerous terrorist group.

Raiders of the Lost Ark

Dum da dum dum, dum da dum… Raiders is the first and best entry of the Indiana Jones trilogy (Crystal Skull doesn’t count), featuring such classic sequences as the stone rolling through the tunnel and the Nazi face melting conclusion. Harrison Ford’s piss and vinegar performance as Indiana Jones is among the manliest of all film characters, one that continues to inspire men to wear fedoras, thinking they can recreate Indy’s suave adventurer charm. They can’t — and, most likely, neither can you — but that doesn’t make Raiders of the Lost Ark any less of an action adventure classic.

The General

Charlie Chaplin who? If you’re looking to get into silent films — a truly classy choice — there’s no better place to start than Buster Keaton’s magnum opus, The General. Released in 1926, the film was a flop with audiences and critics, although it’s hard to see why — Keaton’s astounding commitment to physical comedy and knack for simple storytelling make this one of the greatest films to come out of the silent era.

The Lord of the Rings

Believe it or not, some men still haven’t gotten around to seeing Peter Jackson’s awe-inspiring adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy. Full of death-defying swordfights, family struggle, grandiose adventure, tests of friendship, and moments of sublime beauty, Jackson’s steady handed adaptation must be seen to be believed. However, I recommend searching out the extended versions — not only are they more faithful to the books, but they also work better as films, expanding the universe of Middle Earth and deepening the journeys of its characters.

The Civil War

Ken Burns’ epic documentary, which takes almost an entire waking day to watch in full, is well worth the time and effort. The film, which is made up entirely of photographs, period tunes, and interviews with historians and other experts, tells the full story of North America’s most devastating military conflict, one which divided our neighbour to the South and changed the face of the world as we know it. After hearing this film’s amazing true stories — from the bravery of the soldiers to the political genius of honest Abe — you’re bound to be inspired.

Raging Bull

A stark black and white portrait of anger, jealousy, and loneliness, Martin Scorsese’s masterful 1980 flick features Robert De Niro’s best and most memorable performance as Jake La Motta, an Italian-American middleweight boxer whose anger issues and abusive marriage lead him to a life of misery. Though this is hardly a film about boxing, the film’s scenes in the ring are among the most visually enthralling in cinema — never has bloodshed looked so beautiful.

Lawrence of Arabia

In the wake of Peter O’Toole’s death, Lawrence of Arabia is even more of a must watch. David Lean’s epic — and I mean epic — is a retelling of the life of T.E. Lawrence, the British Army hero who fought in the Middle East during World War I. O’Toole’s performance is emotionally complex and completely satisfying; his struggles with personal allegiance and the horrors of war is both unique and universal. Lean’s filmmaking is equally fantastic: the scene where Lawrence slowly morphs from a speck in the desert to a full-grown man is a grand reminder of what filmmaking can accomplish.

How to tie a bow tie

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EIC

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January 13, 2014

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Step One: Drape the bow tie around your neck and hold both the ends. Make sure the right end is about an inch longer than the left.

Step Two: Cross the long end over the short end so that the two pieces are touching at the thinnest part of the bow tie. Make sure to leave a little breathing room.

Step Three: Pull the longer end around, making a loop between the two. The longer end should still be slightly longer than the short one. This process should make a knot.

Step Four: With the shorter end, make a fold to the side so that the large middle section of the end is folded and to the side. Hold the loop between your shirt’s collar point.

Step Five: Place the other end of the bow tie overtop of the folded end. Make sure it’s running along the middle of your shirt.

Step Six: Use the folded end to pinch the dangling end. Make sure you have a good hold on the long end and that the two pinched sides of the folded end are equal.

Step Seven: Feed the long end through the knot you made in step three.

Step Eight: Tighten the bow tie by pulling on the front and back of both ends equally. Keep doing this until it’s as tight and as even as you like it.

Step Nine: Walk out the door looking classy as fuck.

5 in-class craft cocktails

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Peak Web

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January 13, 2014

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So, you tanked your first semester and, given the GPA priority on enrolment dates, you got last pick of courses for the spring. You got stuck with what no one else wanted: the 8:30 am tutorial, the three-hour break at the Surrey campus, the Friday evening class that runs until 10:30 pm. The gap between your classes Tuesday night and Wednesday morning is so slight that you’re considering spending the night on the benches in the Rotunda instead of dragging yourself to Burquitlam and back again.

In short: you need a drink. Only problem is, thanks to your $250 textbook for Intro to Macroeconomics, you’re temporarily light on boozing money. Never fear: these simple and cheap cocktails — easy to make with readily available on-campus ingredients — will keep you both steadily inebriated and fiscally solvent.

The Ides of March

> 4 packets White Spot ketchup

> 1 packet pepper

> 1 packet salt

> 1/2 cup water

> 1 oz. vodka

The perfect liquid courage for your midterm exams. Cover rim of plastic Triple-O’s cup with salt. Add water and stir in packets of ketchup, one at a time. It’s not quite Clamato, but it will do. Add vodka and season with pepper to taste. For garnish, ask the cashiers for one of those pickles they usually drape over the wrapped burgers. If they refuse, tell them you know the ingredients of their secret sauce.

The President Petter

> 3 oz. bourbon

> 1 oz. water

Drink what the big boss drinks. This cocktail takes the edge off of early morning finance meetings, faculty interactions, and those tedious Convocation speeches. Serve in an “Engage SFU” coffee mug. You could garnish with a lime wedge, but garnish is for vice-presidents.

The Five Corners

> 1/2 oz. Renaissance drip coffee

> 1/2 oz. Higher Grounds drip coffee

> 1/2 oz. Nature’s Garden drip coffee

> 1/2 oz. Tim Horton’s drip coffee

> 1/2 oz. Starbucks drip coffee

> 2 oz. Bailey’s

When served warm, this drink is a great way to ward off the chill of foggy SFU mornings. Or, serve over ice for a cool, refreshing variation. Given the difficulty of finding ice on campus, you might have to settle for room temperature. Cheers!

The Virgin Petter

> 4 oz. water

A gentler version of the classic for those who can’t quite fill the big man’s shoes.

The White Mowafaghian

> 1 oz. Tim Horton’s “espresso”

> 3 packets of CoffeeMate powdered creamer/sweetener

> 1 oz. dark rum

> 1 oz. vodka

> 1 oz. milk

Stir CoffeeMate and rum vigorously into the rapidly congealing espresso until mixture thickens. Pour the syrup over ice stolen from the faculty lounge, and add vodka and milk. Stare into the abyss.

Abbotsford vs. Homeless

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EIC

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January 12, 2014

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Society is reflected in how it treats its poorest citizens, the most vulnerable who could often use a hand up when they’re knocked down by the trials of life.

Abbotsford has been the subject of much disapproval and speculation due to the recent behaviour of its government, police force, and certain residents this past holiday season. Christmas is a time for giving, a time to be spent safe and warm, yet Abbotsford seems to be edging some of its citizens away from what little luxuries they have created for themselves.

On December 20, the BC Supreme Court announced that the homeless camp set up in Jubilee Park had to vacate by Saturday the 28. Each night this park became a shelter for 30 to 40 homeless men and women, with their tents and wooden barricades protecting them from the harsh winter elements.

The decision to take down the camp came after the lawyer for the city stated that there is ample space for these citizens inside shelters. City officials cited health and safety concerns to justify forcing the camp to be vacated.

However, ample space doesn’t mean that these people will all accept shelters as their place of residence during the holiday season. Furthermore, the lawyer representing the homeless camp has publicly questioned whether or not there truly is enough space for all of these displaced Abbotsford citizens, especially during the busy Christmas season.

This is not the first time that the city of Abbotsford has challenged its homeless population. This past summer, city workers attempted to rid the park of its residents by spraying chicken manure at the homeless camp, leading to a lawsuit filed in November by residents and activists. Two weeks after this event, residents of the area alleged that police slashed and bear-maced tents assembled in the camp.

After forcing these people out, who is going to help them? The average person doesn’t want to get involved, either out of fear or simple disregard. Perhaps gatherings like these hit too close to home for some. By witnessing these large groups together, people are forced to truly see the homeless that are around them on a daily basis. This challenges the barrier many put up, making it more difficult to keep the homeless population a distant background thought as opposed to the very real occurrence that is homelessness in the lower mainland.

This attitude of “not in my backyard” isn’t going to solve anything. The members of the community, the local government, and the police force should be working together to find a solution or a space for the homeless, rather than constantly displacing them. An “out of sight, out of mind” mentality does not solve anything.

BuildSFU: SUB Site Selected

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Peak Web

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January 7, 2014

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After a detailed site selection phase, the site for SFU’s Student Union Building was determined. Simon Fraser University’s SUB will be built at the “Crossroads” site. An interview with Marc Fontaine (BuildSFU General Manager) discovers why this site will be an ideal location for the SUB.

Summary of proposed changes to the Peak Constitution

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EIC

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January 7, 2014

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A legal document such as the Peak Publications Society can be a daunting thing to read, particularly when you’re looking for differences between two versions. Here is a simple summary of the proposed changes. Your suggestions, objections, and other thoughts are invited in the comments below, or at <david at the-peak dot ca>.

The Big Changes

Formal recognition of an Editor-in-Chief.

Bylaw 5 of the current constitution leaves the structure of The Peak‘s editorial board entirely in the hands of the Peak Collective, defined as “all members of the Society who have been listed in The Peak masthead in two (2) of the last five (5) issues of The Peak.” Although we currently have a Coordinating Editor who takes responsibility for the publication as a whole and acts in a leadership role, that position can be abolished at any time, and it has no disciplinary power whatsoever. In fact, if an editor were to be elected and either prove unable to fulfill their duties, refuse to do so, or simply produce a bad product, the only options are a recall vote of the Peak Collective (Bylaw 5.2.c), which is unlikely to succeed due to the small group of mostly friends who usually dominate the Collective, or a termination vote by the Board of Directors (Bylaw 4.2.d.ii), which can only be held for extreme transgressions such as sexual harassment or gross negligence.

The draft constitution devotes Bylaw 5.1 to the requirement that The Peak have an Editor-in-Chief. This person will be elected by the Peak Collective (which will include all Society Members who contributed to The Peak at least twice in the current semester). They will have power to write a binding editorial manual for The Peak, to distribute formal warnings at their discretion (with three warnings being sufficient for the Board of Directors to vote to terminate), and to investigate and respond to complaints. They will also sit on the Board of Directors, sit on the committee that hires the rest of the Editors, and have a veto over proposed changes to the editorial structure of The Peak.

Editor hiring committees.

Bylaw 5.2.b requires that editors be selected in elections in which only Peak Collective members may vote. Despite the existence of voting, this is a profoundly undemocratic system. While the letter of the rule states that elections are held every semester, and indeed that is how it is done, in practice, only the first election is a challenge. Once an editor has won a single election, they are nearly guaranteed to hold on to the job until they quit. The small pool of voters is dominated by the editors, who do not want to offend their colleagues and usually vote for the incumbent; contributors are also allowed to vote, but rarely challenge the status quo. Contributors have often said that they would like to run for the editorial position of their favoured section, but don’t want to risk angering the incumbent. This also results in extremely long editorial tenures (as long as three years in a row in the past five years), and makes it difficult to dislodge under-performing editors. In practice, editor elections have not created a meritocracy, but a gerontocracy; in the past five years, with semesterly elections for between 10 and 15 positions, only once has an incumbent sought re-election and lost.

The draft constitution stipulates that editors will be selected once a semester by a three-member hiring panel consisting of the Editor-in-Chief, one member of the Board of Directors, and one former Peak editor selected by a vote of the Peak Collective. I expect that a three-member panel can be expected to take their responsibilities in selecting the editorial staff very seriously — more seriously than a group of largely uninterested voters, at least — and while it is possible that such a committee could make nepotistic decisions, it still seems to be an improvement over the current system, which almost guarantees it. Importantly, a small panel will be able to administer tests and consider writing samples as part of the selection process, which a larger voting group such as the Peak Collective simply can’t.

Board of Directors changes.

Like all legal societies, ours refers all major financial decision-making to a Board of Directors. Our current constitution specifies a seven-member board (plus a seat for the non-voting Business Manager of the Society). One member is the Alumni Representative, who is to be appointed by the SFU Alumni Association. In practice, those appointments have not been received, and that seat has been vacant for several years. Additionally, I do not see how SFU’s community of alumni are stakeholders in the Peak Publications Society.

The draft constitution removes the Alumni Representative from the board and replaces them with the Editor-in-Chief. I feel that it’s important that this position be given a clear leadership role in the organization, including a seat at the Board; this replacement also ensures that the Board will have an odd number of members, preventing tie votes.

Membership and quorum changes. (updated)

Currently, every fee-paying SFU student is a member of the Peak Publications Society. While it’s a nice arrangement for political purposes, it has two important practical problems. We currently can’t alter our constitution without a meeting of five five per cent of the membership, which last semester worked out to 1,504 people, which is for practical purposes impossible. We also can’t provide a complete list of our membership, since we don’t control or have access to those records, which could potentially cause us some legal problems in the future.

The new constitution makes it so that only directors, editors, collective members, and employees are members of the Society, and others can only be added with a vote of a Collective or a vote at a General Meeting. The chief advantage of this arrangement is that the size of the meeting required for major decisions and changes can be raised to 30% of the membership. I regret that it’s necessary to revoke the membership of the mass of SFU students, but in practice, this doesn’t reduce their privileges very much: all SFU students who are not disqualified by some other concern retain their ability to contribute to our publications and apply to become editors or employees, while every student remains able to seek refunds of their subscription fees. There are no formal provisions for the average SFU student to sit on the Board of Directors, but since new members can be added at every General Meeting, where At-Large members will be elected, there will be ample opportunity for interested students to get involved.

The minor changes

Recognition of the Graduate Student Society. The GSS was only formed in 2008, so our constitution still refers to “the SFSS” (the undergraduate student society) throughout. The new Constitution’s definitions section refers to the “Student Societies,” referring to the SFSS and GSS in aggregate. A side effect of this definitional change is that the three At-Large Members of the Board of Directors will now be elected by the “Student Societies” rather than the “SFSS,” guaranteeing one spot on the Peak Board of Directors to an SFU graduate student.

New Statement of Purposes. The current statement of purposes was written before the invention of the Internet, and reflects it. We also feel that it doesn’t adequately capture the goals of our organization. We have re-written a version that is more modern and more clear about the role that we see for The Peak in the SFU community.

New Code of Ethics. The current constitution outsources the Code of Ethics to the Canadian University Press, a national organization of student newspapers that we are not certain we want to continue our membership in. The draft constitution includes a new, homegrown Code of Ethics that covers the major points while removing the possibility that our operations could be influenced by ideologically-motivated changes made to CUP’s code in Toronto.

Closure of the “two semester loophole.” The constitution defines membership in the society as expiring when the member has not taken any courses at SFU for two semesters. This creates a loophole allowing people to remain editors of The Peak for two semesters after they graduate. The draft constitution closes this loophole by removing the two semester grace period.

Non-eligibility of outside governors. The Peak is a newspaper, and the central concern of our society is journalism; as a result, our independence is of paramount importance. The current bylaws allow officers of the student societies and members of the university’s governing bodies to be editors or Board members at The Peak, which creates potential for conflicts of interest. The new constitution prevents such people from being Editor-in-Chief, At-Large or Collective members of the Board of Directors, or Editors.