SFU fundraises for 50th

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September 16, 2013

Last Monday, SFU launched it’s 50th-anniversary fundraising campaign amid a colourful crowd of energetic spectators. The university is hoping to raise $250 million by its 50th birthday in September, 2015.

Dubbed The Power of Engagement, this campaign marks the largest fundraiser initiative ever undertaken by SFU. Currently, the university raises five per cent of its annual $500-million-plus budget every year, but SFU President Andrew Petter hopes that this campaign will represent “a down payment on another half century of excellence.”

SFU is looking to use this campaign to raise money to support everything from student scholarships to building greater community engagement. In a letter to the Vancouver Sun that was published on Sept. 6, Petter outlined how the $250 million target would be spent, should it be achieved.

Cathy Daminato, SFU’s VP Advancement and Alumni Engagement, spearheaded the campaign, and has been planning for the launch for the past two years. Daminato said she saw the anniversary as an opportunity to celebrate the university, and to set the institutions up financially for the years to come.

“When you think that 48 years ago we had 2,500 students, today we’ve got over 30,000 students,” said Daminato, “We’ve got 120,000 alumni in 130 countries around the world . . . It just seemed like a great opportunity to celebrate and a great opportunity to build a campaign around something that was very meaningful.”

Petter hopes that this campaign will represent “a down payment on another half century of excellence.”

The campaign will involve asking SFU alumni, community partners, individuals, organizations, corporations, friends of the university, and even those who don’t have associations with the university to donate to the SFU cause. Daminato points out that some substantial gifts to the university in the past have come from individuals with no previous association with SFU, such as the $12 million given by Marilyn and Stewart Blusson towards the building named after the philanthropic couple.

“I’ll be knocking on quite a few doors,” Daminato said with a laugh. “Meeting as many people as we can, telling the SFU story.” Over the next two years, Daminato and a team of approximately 50 people will be working on building those relationships with donors and convincing them to put money towards various projects and causes.

Another key part of Daminato’s job in fundraising is matching prospective donors to SFU projects that interest them. “They usually have pretty specific goals,” Daminato said. “They have their own philanthropic objectives, so what we look to do is try to find a match between what they would like to accomplish with their funding and what the university needs.”

The $250 million goal was a result of an analysis done by the administration of what SFU currently is able to raise per year, and then stretched a bit beyond that. “But also the number 50,” Daminato laughed. “I cannot tell a lie, it did factor into this. Because it’s the 50th anniversary campaign, we’re thinking in multiples of 50.”

Of the fundraising goal, $100 million will be dedicated to engaging students; this means funding scholarships, bursaries, and awards, and supporting programs such as SFU’s Semester in Dialogue “that go beyond the everyday commitment to provide knowledge,” according to President Petter.

I’ll be knocking on quite a few doors.”

– Cathy Daminato, SFU’s VP Advancement and Alumni Engagement

Daminato also mentioned plans for projects to improve the Bennett Library, a $10 million cultural program investment for the Goldcorp Centre for the Arts, and building a stadium, if that does not end up being part of the BuildSFU project.

Another $100 million will be put towards engaging research, teaching, and professorships, and the final $50 million will support SFU’s community engagement initiatives.

The launch party in Convocation Mall last Monday included speeches from President Petter and notable alumni such as Angus Reid and Ryan Beedie, as well as a dancing flash-mob made up of a sea of SFU community members in red shirts, meant to drum up excitement in the SFU and the larger community for the anniversary.

As Petter wrote in his op-ed for the Vancouver Sun, he sees the campaign revolving around engaging students both on-campus and off.

“What we mean by (an engaged university) is that is a university that not only provides students with an education in the classroom,” wrote Petter. “It also gives them the opportunity, through co-op and experiential learning, to engage in communities.”

Beedie disappointed by reprehensible behavior at their frosh’s failure to receive national attention

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EIC

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September 16, 2013

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BURNABY — With the recent shocking revelations that university frosh activities include idiotic and mindless mob mentality making headlines across the country, SFU’s business school is extremely frustrated and regretful that none of their stupidity has been picked up by any major news publications.

“I was absolutely shocked when I saw the SMU and UBC frosh ‘rape-chant’ stories” explained one upset Beedie frosh-leader. “I just thought it was terrible . . . how does such an idiotic chant make every major newspaper in Canada and no one even says a word about any of the disgraceful activities that went on at our frosh?”

According to organizers of the Beedie Frosh, there were plenty of things being said during their events that could be considered quite derogatory and behavior that was just plain reckless but once again UBC got all the attention.

“We acted like fucking idiots at our frosh, I swear to god” reasoned Bill Paxton, a first-year Beedie commerce student. “I heard a lot of racist, sexist and just moronic banter all over the place but do we get any media attention? No. Meanwhile UBC copies one rape-y chant and gets on front pages everywhere . . . that’s not fair!”

Believing the old adage that there’s no such thing as bad publicity, Beedie is appalled by the media’s lack of interest in their students’ disgraceful frosh activities.

“Just because we aren’t so obvious about our lack of morals and common decency at SFU doesn’t mean we’re better people who don’t deserve at least some local news time.” Paxton continued, distraught about the declining interest in ‘subtlety’ of offensive college behavior, “UBC’s rape chant was just so uninspired . . . it’s nowhere near as creative as our Pipe Band’s orientation rape chanters.”

Although Beedie has stated that the lack of anger towards their students is “in no way consistent with what the students are like as people,” the school has decided to move forward and leave the lack-of drama behind and instead focus on continuing to develop the students as “the assholes of the future.”

IOC vote puts wrestling back in Olympics

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EIC

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September 16, 2013

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After seven months of uncertainty, the wrestling community around the world finally has closure, after a member vote by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Sept. 8 re-instated the sport for the 2020 and 2024 Summer Olympic Games.

In February of this year, IOC confirmed the elimination of wrestling from the core-sports of the Olympic Games, and removed it from the 2020 Olympics onward. Other sports such as baseball and softball were also affected. For both Clan athletes and wrestlers across the globe, the past seven months — since the IOC released the shocking statement that threatened to change the face of their sport — have been difficult and unprecedented.

Wrestlers were undeterred however, as the decision led to a six month-long campaign from the International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles (FILA) to create a bid for possible reinstatement, and to save the future of one of the world’s oldest sports.

FILA’s campaign included changes to their structure, and featured the adding of several additional women’s events, as well as increasing the point scoring to make it more exciting for viewers.

Clan men’s wrestling coach Justin Abdou, a former Canadian Olympian in the 2000 Games in Sydney, says that the decision to save wrestling was the best possible outcome for the sport. “This is huge news, not just for high performance and collegiate athletes, but for any and every person involved in the sport,” he said. “The Olympics are our flagship event, and not being associated with the Games would be devastating.”

Abdou explained that the Clan has a rich history in the Olympic Games, with over 40 SFU alumni Olympic appearances and a combined six podium performances, including two gold medal efforts. Those two gold medalists and two of the Clan’s most prominent wrestling alumni, Carol Huynh and Daniel Igali, had pivotal roles in the reversal of the elimination, acting as two of five panelists from around the world that made up the sport’s delegation at the Sept. 8 vote.

The panelists shared personal and emotional speeches about the importance of the sport in their lives and the importance it will have for young athletes growing up worldwide.

Abdou agrees on the impact of the sport on the world, and explained that without the Olympic dream, numerous young athletes would be training without the goal of qualifying for one of the world’s more premier events. “Watching those athletes on the Olympic stage is extremely inspiring for any young athletes, and it is so important for those possibilities to exist,” he said.

Clan athletes compete at a high collegiate level, with the men competing in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, while the women compete in the Women’s Collegiate Wrestling Association. SFU has historically had great success in their collegiate competitions, including an NCAA All-American in Skylor Davis, and a WCWA championship and numerous individual titles all in 2013.

Looking forward now, the athletes can continue to focus on improving, and striving to earn those coveted Olympic appearances. Following the decision, wrestlers across the world will once again have the opportunity to represent their countries in the Olympic Games, at least through 2024. The six months of resilience and uncertainty have come to a successful end.

“Wrestling is about the Olympics,” said Clan wrestler Ryan Yewchin. “Everyone who has ever stepped on a mat has envisioned themselves winning an Olympic gold medal, and that vision is secure for three more Olympic Games.”

Clan kickoff season with pair of road victories

By

EIC

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September 16, 2013

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By any stretch of the imagination, it was a successful opening week for the Simon Fraser University men’s soccer team. The Clan opened their National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II schedule last week with two non-conference games, and two victories, in California.

Forward Lucas Ferritto was named Red Lion offensive player of the week in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) after netting a goal in each game. And the Clan, which entered the season ranked third in NCAA Div. II by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), moved up to the second spot after the pair of victories.

It was a successful start for the men’s soccer team, unless, of course, you’re the team’s head coach. “Our mentality was lacking,” said head coach Alan Koch after the team’s second victory of the week, a 4–3 triumph over the Holy Names University Hawks.

“We went up by two in the first half but we let them back in it. In the second half we had our best five minutes of the game and scored a couple goals but we let them back in it again.” Koch has been a man to demand perfection since he took the helm in 2008.

Over the years, he’s come pretty close. But falling in the semi-finals of last year’s NCAA Div. II tournament makes a perfect record to start the season not good enough for him. “It’s never easy to go on the road so it’s good to get two wins,” he said. “We still have work to do and we’ll get at it this week as we prepare for Hawaii Pacific.”

The Clan returned home to Terry Fox Field for that match on Thursday, a 2-1 victory, reinforcing their position near the top of the ranking. Though there is undoubtedly work
to do, there are plenty of positives for the Clan to build on
in those three early season wins.

One is the play of aforementioned Ferritto, a senior out of Hamilton who missed time last year with nagging injuries. The diminutive forward’s two goals already match his output from all of last season, in which he played 12 games. The Clan was faced with a lot of turnover this summer — some graduating, others failing to meet what Koch calls “the SFU standard” — so production, and leadership, from senior players will go a long way in helping the Clan make it past the semi-finals this year.

But if you believe one poll, the Clan aren’t far off as it is. The NSCAA, an organization representing coaches at every level of the game in the United States, bumped the Clan up to second place in the NCAA Div. II, up from third. Coach Koch will tell you rankings mean nothing if you can’t match it on the pitch, but the improved ranking is nice to see after the team entered 2013 with a number of questions after all the turnover.

Those questions aren’t yet fully answered, but they’re getting there. A few more wins will go a long way in that regard. But for now, the team must build on its early season success, not revel in it; the only thing that’s good enough for Koch is a championship.

Left of the Dial

By

EIC

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September 16, 2013

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The CJSF offices seem out of time. Amid shag carpeting, countless stickers and posters, and a couple of well lived-in couches, one has to imagine that the space hasn’t changed much since the radio station was first established. If I hadn’t known better, I’d have thought that I had stumbled straight into the late 1970s.

The secluded room in which I’m interviewing David Swanson, the station’s Program Coordinator, doubles as a recording studio, and boasts a large, upholstered single couch, as well as a mess of stray wires and spare CDs. I’m instantly at home. “In a commuter campus, there’s a lot of people that just come up, do their classes, and leave,” David tells me. “[CJSF] is a reason to stay, to make friends.”

But certainly making friends isn’t the only reason to stay — what about their storage room, which features tens of thousands of CDs, cassettes and vinyl records? This room, which is under lock and key at all times, functions as a time capsule as much as it does a music library. The records are in good condition, if a little worn from repeat plays, and the station takes advantage of their diverse collection. “Regarding music, we have everything from death metal to classical music to EDM to local indie rock,” says David. “It’s all different, all the time.”

The CJSF doesn’t just play music, either. They also feature talk shows and multimedia segments that combine spoken word with musical interludes. “Where commercial radio is music or talk, we’re music and talk,” says David. “We get very diverse. Anywhere from environmental rights issues, to LGBTQ rights issues, critical urban discussion, and lots of arts interviews with local artists, Canadian artists and international artists as well.”

Beginning as a music club in SFU’s early days before setting their sights on radio, the station’s first DJs would broadcast unlicensed shows via speakers covertly placed around campus. Eventually they earned a spot on cable FM, and their signal began to attract listeners from across the Lower Mainland. However, despite repeated pleas to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, they didn’t receive an FM frequency until 2002. Even then, the staff of the CJSF could never have prepared for the radical switch from cable to wireless.

“All of a sudden, it got a lot more real,” says Magnus Thyvold, the CJSF Station Manager. “If you’re only available in a limited and somewhat difficult to access way, that’s going to affect your listenership. But once you’re on FM, you can just tell your friends to tune in to CJSF on the radio, and then people listen. They’re calling you up, and you’re getting feedback.” Magnus, who has been the CJSF’s head honcho since 2000, says the move to FM was a necessity. “You’ve got to be easy to access. If people have to do a lot of special stuff to listen, they often won’t take the trouble to find the station.”

We have everything from death metal to classical music to EDM to indie rock. It’s all different, all the time.”

– David Swanson, Program Coordinator of the CJSF

The station stands apart from the corporate stations they share a frequency with, as well as several of their on-campus competitors: They don’t run advertisements, and therefore have more control over the material they broadcast. “[Businesses] can dictate programming based on advertising dollars,” David says. “That doesn’t happen here.”

This freedom of expression gives SFU students a better chance to get involved in the CJSF than they might have at other university stations. “That’s the whole thing with media, is to be able to provide people with the opportunity to express their views on issues, share their interest in art — whatever,” Magnus says. David tells me about the station’s Jambalaya slot, which offers students a chance to test the waters of FM radio with only a week’s worth of experience. “It’s an open format new music show,” he says. “So, someone can figure out if they actually enjoy making radio very quickly.”

Despite controversies in the past, the CJSF is looking forward to a brighter future. “The future for radio — for us and anyone else — is about integrating things like the Internet and social media,” Magnus says. “Now that so much music is available on the web, you can’t just play songs and expect that it’s going to be enough. You’ve got to have more information, more things that create a unique experience.” The station is planning to revamp their web presence in order to foster interconnectivity between listeners and staff.

In honour of a decade on the dial, the CJSF is hosting a party to celebrate their achievement. It’ll be at the Astoria on Hastings Street on September 21. The price of admission? $10 bucks. “There’ll be seven musical acts, some pretty big names — Jay Arner, Bestie — two spoken word poets, and a live art creation project that we’re going to auction off at the end of the night. All the money from that will go to the Safe Amplification Society.” The SAS is a local non-profit dedicated to providing Vancouverites with an all-ages venue for performers, both local and international.

The CJSF’s first official broadcast on the FM is marked on their site as February 13, 2003, which makes their 10 year anniversary party a little late. David puts this in perspective for me. “It’s 10 years on FM, but we’ve been on campus for, like, 46 years,” he laughs. “So there’s a longer history than that.”

The CJSF offices are located in the Rotunda. You can listen to the station on 90.1 FM.

Album Reviews: Elvis Costello and The Roots, Neko Case, and a throwback to Brian Eno

By

Peak Web

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September 16, 2013

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Elvis Costello and The Roots – Wise Up Ghost

It shouldn’t work. Elvis Costello, the angry young man turned cantankerous cynic behind some of the best cerebral rock ever written (see My Aim is True, This Year’s Model and Imperial Bedroom), has been in studio over the course of a year with The Roots, the legendary hip-hop outfit who proved that the genre could do live instrumentation as well as any other. You’re probably thinking what everyone else was when the artistic partnership was announced: what?

But somehow, Costello’s acidic sneer, Mark Kelley’s funkadelic bass and ?uestlove’s jazz-inspired drums combine organically to make Wise Up Ghost one of The Roots’ strongest efforts, and Costello’s best album since his split with The Attractions nearly two decades ago.

Costello’s hip-hop inspired verbal spitfire on tracks like “Refuse to Be Saved” and “Stick Out Your Tongue” is no far cry from his conversational vocals on his early masterpieces, and The Roots — who have proven their aptitude as a backing band during their stint on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon — lend Costello’s songwriting an energy and liveness his most recent albums have been sorely lacking.

The album’s diverse instrumentation, most notably the sousaphone accompaniment of Tuba Gooding Jr., gives the songs a smooth jazz feel that soften the blow of Costello’s often accusatory, sardonic lyrics. Though some tracks, such as the R&B groove of “Wake Me Up,” flirt with easy-listening tropes, Costello’s wordplay and The Roots’ soulful accompaniment give Wise Up Ghost enough bite to avoid being described as — heaven forbid — adult contemporary.

Considering his reputation during his early years as indie rock’s Johnny Rotten, it’s ironic how often Costello endures accusations of softness and acquiescence. It’s refreshing to see that, with the release of Wise Up Ghost, an artist with so many albums under his belt still has a few tricks up his sleeve.

Neko Case – The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You

Man, can she sing. Neko Case’s powerful vocals often play the lead role in her not-quite-country discography, and on The Worse Things Get, her impressive range and dramatic delivery have improved. From the first moments album opener “Wild Creatures” storms out of the gate, you know you’re in for a bumpy ride.

The LP, Case’s best and most personal record yet, was recorded in the wake of a rough period in the songstress’ life: she lost her grandmother and both of her parents, and subsequently sunk into depression. The tracks on The Worse Things Get are emotionally bare and subtly twisted, as are Case’s lyrics: on standout “Night Still Comes,” she coos, “If I puked up some sonnets / Would you call me a miracle?”

Each song seems to find a new subject in Case’s cross hairs. She laments the socialization of gender on “Man,” while M. Ward’s lead guitar crunches; she punishes bad parenting on the heartbreaking a capella “Nearly Midnight, Honolulu;” she even tries her hand at a murder ballad on the horn-led “Bracing For Sunday.”

Her ear for catchy melodies has steadily improved, and tracks like “Calling Cards” and “City Swans” blow the blissful country pop of Middle Cyclone out of the water. The Worse Things Get is also Case’s most musically diverse offering yet, but her creative instrumentation is overshadowed by her quotable lyricism and passionate vocals.

Case’s tightrope act between vulnerability and severity calls to mind Fiona Apple’s 2012 masterpiece The Idler Wheel… Like that record, The Worse Things Get makes the rest of Case’s career seem like a dress rehearsal. She’s always been talented at setting a scene, but as her latest LP proves, her real talents seem to lie in the realm of autobiography.

Brian Eno –Music for Airports

Brian Eno is a hard figure to pin down. Beginning as the keyboardist for the glam rock group Roxy Music, he eventually left the group to focus on his solo career. He experimented with art pop, rock and roll and electronica. He collaborated with David Byrne, Robert Fripp and Harold Budd, and produced musical milestones such as Talking Heads’ Remain in Light and U2’s Achtung Baby.

Despite his remarkable discography, Eno seems most comfortable in the background: he’s rarely pictured on his album covers, and he comfortably shares his spotlight with artists who command more attention than himself. It seems natural, then, that Eno’s musical peak is an album whose greatest success is its subtlety: as the first champion — and arguably one of the inventors — of ambient music, Eno is no stranger to the “less is more” approach to electronic music.

Music for Airports, the first of his four-part series of ambient LPs, is as much about silence as it is about music. Divided into four untitled suites, the album is built around looping piano riffs, synthesized atmosphere and sparse vocal samples. Its tone is calm and ethereal, and seems to inspire an increase in concentration rather than distraction.

It feels cheap to call the album’s minimalist ambience “beautiful,” but the word is fitting: the skeletal piano of the album’s first side and the synthesized delicacy of its second are nothing short of awe inspiring. The shift in instrumentation is subliminal, but meaningful: Eno charts his own musical evolution by having his LP transition from traditional piano harmonies to electronic mood pieces.

Those of you who cringe at the idea of ambient music — or refuse to accept it as music at all — probably won’t find that Music for Airports changes your mind. But for the patient and introspective, this album is arguably the genre’s first masterpiece, and a template that has seldom been equaled and never improved.

Student unearths ancient priestess tomb

By

EIC

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September 16, 2013

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Matthew Go, a 20-year-old undergraduate student at SFU, was part of a group of researchers that discovered the remains of a Moche priestess chamber tomb while excavating in Peru this summer.

The fourth-year archaeology student was the only Canadian taking part in the field school, which was composed of students accepted to the San Jose De Moro Archaeological Project and students from Harvard University. Go, an archaeology major and biology minor with credits for a certificate in forensic studies, acted as the teaching assistant for those interested in biological archaeology.

After making the discovery towards the end of the regularly-scheduled field season, he and a team of eight other archaeologists stayed beyond the scheduled time to excavate the site. They found the remains of a Moche priestess whom they currently believe to be “the highest social, religious, and political leader at the time,” according to Go. The team found seven other bodies alongside her as well as a myriad of pottery, jewelry, and marine-related items.

The chamber represents much that is unknown about the civilization, Go suggests. The conditions in which the priestess was buried, alongside the several other bodies and surrounded by valuables, “can tell us more about the political nature of the people at that time,” said Go. “At the end of the Moche regime, where we suddenly see their disappearance from the archaeological record.”

“This discovery,” he continued, “will really help us understand more how, why, or when the Moche disappeared.” Additionally, the great amount of marine-related articles found in the tomb could help archaeologists understand the people, specifically their relationship with their demise, Go suggests. These articles include seashells, ceramics in the shapes of prawns, and copper plates which, when joined together, create geometric waves.

“One of the key factors that archaeologists think led to the demise of the Moche was a mega El Niño event,” he says, which gave them “torrential rain. It cut off the ecosystem supply of food, etcetera.” The objects could be related, he says, finding this tomb can really help us answer . . . what those people thought, and how they dealt with this phenomenon.”

The skeletal remains were left in the tomb as they were especially degraded and trapped in the concrete-like ground.

All of the artifacts that have been recovered from the chamber have been relocated to their lab in Lima, Peru, to be catalogued and interpreted. Unfortunately for Go, the skeletal remains were left in the tomb as they were especially degraded and trapped in the concrete-like ground of the tomb and too much time would be needed to extract the remains properly.

“I assessed as much information as I could from the skeletons while they were in the ground,” he says. “We will try and retrieve them next year, or sometime between this year and next year.”

Of the skeletons accompanying the princess, there were seven other individuals who accompanied her, ranging from newborns, to infants, to teenagers, and adults. Go says that while there is no evidence that these people were sacrificed for the tomb, such a thing has been found at other Moche sites on the north coast, and they did find evidence showing that “the other individuals were deceased quite some time before being buried.”

Go has been invited to return to the site again next year, but is unsure if he will. He has also been invited by a professor in the department of archaeology to work with him in China, and if these conflict, he might favor the second trip in the hopes of “being more well-rounded” in his field.

After Go is done with his undergraduate degree, he plans to apply to PhD programs in America, and grad programs in Canada to pursue his three interests, “teaching, practicing bio-archaeology, and . . . consulting with forensic anthropology.”

Word on the Street: Quebec Religious Symbols Ban

By

EIC

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September 16, 2013

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Take me to the mountains

By

Peak Web

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September 16, 2013

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To all my fellow SFU classmates that feel homesick for powder covered slopes, who sometimes wish they had been a ski bum rather than an academic, who get giddy when the weather turns cold and snow bases start to form: I have found a restaurant for you. Nestled along Kingsway in Mount Pleasant is the Black Lodge, a “Twin Peaks” themed restaurant that hits all the right nostalgic notes.

Upon entry I was transported to the mountains, and despite the large window revealing the busy traffic of Kingsway, it’s amazing how well this tiny room of a restaurant was able to make me feel worlds away.

With low-key background music and casual mannered staff, I felt a very mellow vibe throughout my whole experience. The tables were made of tree trunk cutouts and the settings were reminiscent of camping gear, creating a cohesive ambiance.

I ordered “Suzie’s Starry Night Chili” and a B.A.L.T (“Tree Hugger”) sandwich, while my friend ordered the small poutine and a grilled cheese sandwich — all of which remained true to the menu’s promise of being able to make almost all meals vegan or gluten free. Our food arrived in a good amount of time and was plated homestyle, like something my mom would have handed to me.

I wanted to take that chili out for a nice dinner and most definitely call it back.

The grilled cheese was made on sourdough bread that tasted extremely fresh. It was something I could make at home, which, in a way, was comforting yet a little disappointing. The poutine was extremely well done with a vegetarian gravy — but not tasting vegetarian in the least — and the curds were perfect sizes and a great consistency. The fries were fresh and obviously oven-baked.

My “Tree Hugger” sandwich was decent, but since it was a little heavy on the Dijon mustard I ended up skipping the bread covered with it. The sandwich ingredients were well thought out though, with a garlic aioli, sprouts, and faux coconut bacon doing a great pork impersonation; it was a BLT with a creative twist.

Last and oh so definitely not least was the chili (oh sweet taste bud gods, that chili). With perfectly cooked and seasoned vegetables, the perfect amount of beans, the entire top coated with impeccably melted cheese, and a generous dollop of sour cream and green onion garnish, this chili was everything I could ever want. I wanted to take that chili out for a nice dinner and most definitely call it back.

My meal — which I was hardly able to finish — came out to be around $15 dollars, including tip and tax (everything on the menu is listed as tax included prices). I give my experience two thumbs up and would definitely go back, if not just to satisfy my chili cravings. If you are a ski bum at heart and looking for a fun, cheap and filling restaurant, look no further than the Black Lodge.

Research Roundup

By

EIC

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September 16, 2013

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New study questions crime and mental illness link

Stefanie Rezansoff is looking to change the public view of the link between mental illness and criminal activity, arguing that we should be blaming the creation of criminal offenders on other factors.

A Dean’s Convocation Medal recipient and current PhD student, Rezansoff became interested in the topic of crime and mental health during an internship at the Regional Psychiatric in Saskatoon, which is a maximum security penitentiary for inmates with mental illnesses. When she returned to school some years later to pursue her Master’s in Public Health, Rezansoff decided to pursue that interest.

In her thesis research, Rezansoff sampled a population of 31,000 provincial offenders — all of whom were serving a sentence of two years or less — in an attempt to analyse the links between substance use, mental illness, and involvement in the criminal justice system.

What Rezansoff found was that despite the prevailing literature that argues that people with mental illness tend to be at higher risk of committing crimes, other factors such as substance abuse, poverty, and social marginalization were more likely causing these people to become involved with the criminal justice system.

“In fact (as a group) offenders diagnosed with a mental disorder — without a co-occurring substance use disorder — were less likely to recidivate compared to offenders with no mental disorder,” said Rezansoff in an interview with The Peak. “But the presence of a substance use disorder significantly increased the risk of reoffending — and particularly so among offenders with an existing mental disorder. And unfortunately . . . the two often co-occur.”

Rezansoff explained that because a lot of mental illness coincides with substance use disorders, there is a perception that mentally ill people are very dangerous. In reality, it’s their substance use — not their mental illness — that leads to their involvement in the criminal justice system.

“Notably, nearly 50 per cent of repeat offenders in British Columbia had a physician-diagnosed substance use disorder in the five years prior to their index offense,” said Rezansoff.

For Rezansoff, changing the perspective on mental illness is only the beginning. Real change will only be made possible through understanding and treatment for both mental illness and substance abuse disorders.

“If we can somehow target that need for treatment, then I think we might be able to see a decrease in recidivism and very importantly — keep people with co-occurring mental disorders out of the criminal justice system and engaged with community services that promote their well-being,” said Rezansoff.

Canada strides ahead in heart health

According to a new study by SFU Health Sciences professor Michel Joffres, thousands of deaths in Canada, the U.S. and England could be avoided with greater awareness of the risks of hypertension.

Hypertension is the leading risk factor for premature death, stroke, and heart disease, however research shows that the condition is largely preventable. Notwithstanding, in 2000, the world was estimated to have close to one billion people with hypertension, with the number predicted to rise to 1.56 billion by 2025.

The study, published in the BMJ Open, analysed data from the three countries and found that although blood pressure levels in all of them are still high, those in Canada and the USA have shown great improvements over the past years.

Hypertension is the leading risk factor for premature death, stroke, and heart disease.

The mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) levels were overall higher in England in all age-gender groups, with 66 per cent of adults aged 20 to 79 being classified as having “abnormal” blood pressure.

In his study, Joffres lists several factors as contributing to England’s higher SBP rates: high-sodium diet, physical inactivity, and a lower level of awareness, treatment and control of individuals with high-blood pressure.

In an interview with Public Affairs and Media Relations at SFU, Joffres attributed Canada’s success in lowering hypertension rates to greater awareness.

Since 2000, Canada has launched annual hypertension recommendations programmes (Canadian Hypertension Education Programme (CHEP)) that work to inform the public about hypertension and the health risks and opportunities to reduce dietary salt.

“The remarkable improvement we have seen in Canada since the 1990s is probably due in great part to the awareness we created with our last study,” said Joffres. “and [with] an excellent program in Canada that followed and has created greater awareness in the physicians’ community.”