No sense to the Nobel Peace Prize

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October 21, 2013

Ten days ago, the 2013 winner of the Nobel Peace Prize was announced. This year featured a record number of nominations for the award, and the committee was no doubt hard-pressed to choose a winner among so many deserving people and organizations. When the decision was announced, many were shocked to hear that the winner of the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize was the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

While it is hard to say that this award wasn’t deserved, it is equally difficult to see the justice in giving an award to an organization that is literally performing the task it was created to accomplish: to verify both the prohibition and elimination of chemical weapons by the signatories of the Chemical Weapons Convention. It is an important goal, but the work seems less than equal to the reward — an award whose recognition would be better afforded to many of the other nominees.

Take, for example, Malala Yousafzai, a voice for women’s right to education in her home district of Swat in Pakistan. For taking a stance, she was targeted by assassination and shot by Taliban gunmen. When she first started speaking out, she was 11 years old; at the time of the assassination attempt she was 15.

Contrast her story with that of the OPCW. While both espouse ideals that appeal to our Western frame of mind, Malala’s story carries with it the weight of someone who stuck to her beliefs and principles despite threats and action taken against her. So far, it has cost the OPCW nothing to oversee the dismantling of Syria’s chemical weapons, it has just brought the organization publicity as the world focuses on the nation’s ongoing civil war.

So far, it has cost the OPWC nothing to oversee the dismantling of Syria’s chemical weapons.

No one has threatened to dismantle the organization, nor have the members of the organization become targets for assassination. But Ms. Yousafzai nearly paid for her principles with her life at an age when most of us are thinking about getting a driver’s license.

It seems to me that the Peace Prize has become a political award. Were it not for the conflict in Syria bringing the issue of chemical weapons to the forefront, it is doubtful this organization would have been recognized, as they have yet to pressure either the United States or the Russian Federation to destroy their stockpiles.

When Barack Obama received the prize, he had been in office for less than a year, and won for the peace processes and demilitarization initiatives he intended to accomplish (and still hasn’t). Since winning the Peace Prize, President Obama has ordered numerous drone strikes, and even violated the territorial sovereignty of the nation of Pakistan in order to capture Osama Bin Laden, something that could technically be construed as an act of war. Yasser Arafat also collected a Nobel Peace Prize for his role in the Oslo Peace Accords, despite having used violent terrorist tactics against the State of Israel for decades.

Parties such as these are not worthy of recognition by such an august body as the Nobel Committee. It’s time they stopped awarding these prizes based on politics, and reward those who take great risks for the greater good of humanity.

Clan persevering through tough season

By

EIC

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October 21, 2013

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The results are still short of what the Clan would hope for, but amidst this difficult transitional season, the SFU women’s soccer team is showing no signs of quitting.

After a winless five-game home stand at Terry Fox Field, capped off by a 7–0 lambasting at the hands of the second-ranked Western Washington Vikings, the Clan women hit the road, where the competition didn’t get much easier. Still, in two games away from home last week, the team refused to pack it in.

Against the Central Washington Wildcats, ranked 10th in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II field, the Clan lost 4–1. Head coach Shelley Howieson’s team trailed 3–0 at halftime, but put together a better second half, tying the Wildcats with a goal apiece in the final 45.

Sophomore midfielder Karm Jawandha was also forced into goaltending duties midway through the second half after starting keeper Simone Tessler, who had just returned from injury the game prior, was knocked out of the game.

Dealing with these sorts of injuries has been quite an issue for the Clan this season. Said Howieson after the 7–0 drubbing against the Vikings at home: “When you go up against the number-two ranked team and don’t have all hands on deck it’s tough, and that showed in the result.”

It’s tough no matter the opponent, and as tough as it has been for the team, and as much as it has cost them, it has been somewhat of a rallying point for them as well.

In the second game of their three-game road trip, the Clan dropped a 2–0 result to another top-10 ranked school, the Western Oregon University Wolves. Tessler was able to return from her injury and make the start, and made four saves in the loss, but there were still plenty of missing pieces.

“The result is frustrating because we gave a really spirited performance,” said Howieson after the match. “With injuries, we really had to piece together our line up and the players gave a great effort.”

There are positives for the Clan; in a year that started with so many question marks, Howieson and her staff are able to see what some of her players are capable of, players who might not have had a shot if it weren’t for injuries. Of course, the counterargument is that, in a year that Howieson would be one to build upon, there has been little opportunity for cohesion and development.

Just past the midway mark of the season, there are still plenty of questions surrounding the SFU women’s soccer team. But one thing isn’t in question: no matter their opponent, and no matter who’s in the lineup — or out of it — the Clan won’t quit.

Clan volleyball splits two games

By

EIC

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October 21, 2013

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Call it a wash. Last week, the SFU volleyball team earned its first Great Northwest Athletic Conference win of the season, only to drop their next contest. After defeating the Western Oregon University Wolves in four sets on Oct. 10, the Clan lost their next game, a three-set sweep at the hands of the Saint Martin’s University Saints, just two days later.

Two 1–1 weeks, after dropping their first two conference games of the season are a welcome improvement, but the Clan still have much to prove. Nevertheless, there is a foundation to build on, evidenced in the win over Western Oregon.

The Wolves actually took the first set of that match handily, 25–16. But the SFU ladies stormed back, taking the next three sets with scores of 25–20, 25–18 and 25–21. The sets were relatively close, but in past years Clan teams have struggled to win the close, competitive matches.

This game showcased the upward progression in both morale and play that new head coach Gina Schmidt has brought into the roster. “The team did a great job of staying patient,” said Schmidt after the game. “We were able to make adjustments as the match went on and we had consistent performances from everyone on the floor.”

Consistency must be one of the main focuses for the Clan going forward. Four SFU players — Devon May, Amanda Renkema, Mackenzie Dunham and Kelsey Robinson — reached double-digit kill totals in the game against WOU, and both Robinson and junior Alanna Chan had 14 digs in the contest. But in the game against SMU, the team struggled to match those totals.

Only Robinson would reach double-digit kills — and just barely, tallying 10 — while the Clan averaged only 18 points over the three sets . “SMU competed very well,” said Schmidt, succinctly, post-game. “We weren’t able to match their intensity.”

The loss dropped the Clan’s conference record to just 2–4, but a 7–5 overall record and two wins in their last four games are promising. The ladies have already doubled their conference-win total from a year ago, and have shown clear improvement over last season. Now, it’s all about keeping that pace up.

Registrar leaves for UBC

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EIC

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October 21, 2013

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Dr. Kathleen Ross has left her position as SFU registrar and executive director of Student Enrolment for the position of associate vice-president, Enrolment Services and registrar at UBC. On Nov. 1, Ross will begin a five-year term at UBC as the new associate vice-president, Enrolment Services and Registrar.

The appointment was announced in a UBC broadcast email on Aug. 30, and the completion of SFU’s fall convocation ceremonies marked the end of Ross’ time at SFU. Ross had been in her position at the university since 2007.

UBC advertised globally for this position and selected Ross from the applicant pool which included candidates from across North America. According to Randy Schmidt, associate director of Public Affairs, Ross was selected because of her outstanding leadership in similar roles, her strong student focus, and her experience with student information systems.

Schmidt says that UBC expects Ross “will help ensure UBC continues to be a leader in the provision of outstanding student services, will help attract outstanding students to UBC’s two main campuses, and will move our student information system to the next level.”

There’s not a lot of people, nationally. The pool is not deep.”

– Dr. Tim Rahilly, SFU associate vice-president, students

During her time at SFU, Ross completed an EdD in Educational Leadership, and was awarded the Dean of Graduate Studies Convocation Medal for Academic Excellence in spring of 2011.

The SFU registrar is responsible for overseeing student records, such as registration requests, class lists, and grades, as well as academic integrity issues, strategic enrolment management, and acting as the secretary to Senate.

Dr. Tim Rahilly, SFU associate vice-president, students, is now leading a search committee to fill the registrar position. The registrar reports to Rahilly, who will act as chair on the search committee for the new registrar. Also included on the committee will be two deans (including one faculty dean), the president of the faculty association, two elected faculty at-large members, two staff members from SFU Enrollment, and a representative from the SFSS.

The search kicks off on Nov. 4 with a community consultation, where, according to Rahilly, community members and stakeholders are welcomed to “identify the characteristics and traits of someone who should be in this role.”

The committee will then decide whether there are sufficient candidates for the position internally, or if they would like to look externally as well.

“There’s not a lot of people, nationally.” said Rahilly. “The pool is not deep. It’ll be a lot of work for us to find suitable candidates. We’re a big school, we’re a diverse school, and British Columbia is not an inexpensive place.”

During the search process, committee members will be able to gather feedback from the community, but will not be able to give back any information beyond the point at which they are in the search. “What we’ll share is, we’re searching, we have candidates, we’re shortlisting, they’re coming to campus, decision pending, board accepted, we have a registrar. So if you see a puff of white smoke, it’s like a pope, we have a registrar,” said Rahilly.

Once the search committee has selected a candidate, that candidate will need to be approved by the VP academic, Jon Driver, recommended to president Andrew Petter, and then recommended by Petter to the Board of Governors. Rahilly hopes to have a candidate found by May. During the interim, Rahilly and various staff members will be stepping in to fulfill the various duties of the registrar.

“It’s with very mixed emotions that I see Kate go,” said Rahilly. “I’m delighted for Kate that she is progressing in her career and has the opportunity to go up a step in terms of rank, and UBC offered that opportunity. I personally think she would have been foolish not to have taken it.”

Ross declined to be interviewed for this piece.

Cross-country impresses at WWU Invitational

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EIC

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October 21, 2013

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With a second-place finish for the women’s cross-country team at the Western Washington University Invitational last week, and a fifth-place finish for the men, the two teams are nothing if not reliable.

Both sides have shown steady improvement over the course of the season, and have produced consistent results in each event; and after a week off from competition, the rest proved valuable as both sides impressed.

Senior Kirsten Allen led the way for the women’s side, finishing the 6km race in just 22:10, good enough for sixth overall. Captain and fellow senior Lindsey Butterworth was not far behind, finishing in 10th place, just 11 seconds behind Allen.

Freshman Rebecca Bassett and sophomore Emma Chadsey finished just one second apart, in 20th and 21st respectively, with times of 22:45 and 22:46. Sarah Sawatzky would round out the Clan’s top-five and scorers, finishing with a time of 22:50.

Though the team finished second overall, the women actually finished first among collegiate teams at the WWU event — the only squad to finish higher was the Greater Bellingham Running Club.

The men’s side, despite trailing their Clan counterparts, still had a solid event. Junior Austin Trapp was the team’s top runner, finishing the 8km race in 30th place, in 33:08. Finishing just one spot and four seconds behind him was teammate Cameron Proceviat, while Brendan Wong, Oliver Jorgensen, and Stuart MacDonald also scored for the men’s team, coming in at 41st, 43rd, and 59th, respectively to round out the Clan’s top-five.

Last week, the Clan were ranked regionally by the US Track & Field Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) with the men making their USTFCCCA rankings debut since entering the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The men were ranked ninth in the West Region, while the women came in third — the women are also ranked seventh nationally.

Their impressive showings at the WWU Invitational won’t hurt those rankings and, after another week off, the team will hope to improve on them in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championship on Oct. 26, in preparation for Nationals later this season.

University Briefs

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EIC

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October 21, 2013

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College of medicine at U of S is on probation

The College of Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan has been put on probation by its accreditors for the second time. The Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools/Liaison Committee on Medical Education has placed the undergraduate medical program on “accreditation with probation.” Reasons for the ongoing issues with accreditation are attributed to an outdated curriculum and a lack of student diversity. The university’s president addressed concerns, saying students “will be graduating from a fully accredited medical school that happens to be on probation.”

With files from The Sheaf

TWU alumni weekend

Trinity Western University’s Alumni Association recently introduced a new celebration event, their first annual alumni weekend. The event was geared towards welcoming new alumni and creating a sense of unity between alumni, old and new. The weekend included a pancake breakfast, a kids’ zone, alum reunions, soccer games and the “Hey! Ho! Alumni Show.”

The AA’s new direction has the purpose of strengthening the network of alumni, working in conjunction with its other programs like the mentoring program in which working alumni are paired with current TWU students in order to provide them with career opportunities.

With files from Mars’ Hill

MUN resource centres contest audit

The Memorial University of Newfoundland’s Student Union (MUNSU) is imposing an audit of all the student resource centres they fund. Each centre receives $1,000 from the MUNSU, which with be withheld until all the audits are complete. This is a problem for the Disability Information Support Centre, which is resisting the audit on the grounds that the centre deals with confidentiality.

The Student Parent Assistance and Resource Centre also takes issue with the audit since the MUNSU refused to help the centre in past financial situations. Travis Perry, director of finance and services for the MUNSU says the student union will continue to discuss the matters at hand with the various resource centres since the audit is a “practice that [they] want to implement across the board.”

With files from The Muse

Local guy definitely going to go out and hit on girls . . . tomorrow

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EIC

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October 21, 2013

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BURNABY — According to sources, university student Jordan Pitre is unwavering in his belief that tomorrow will “definitely” be the day that he hits on girls he sees on campus.

Although the student’s confidence is self-described as staunch and self-assured, when asked about why he didn’t just do it today, Pitre summed up that he was “feeling kind of hungry,” and that his “shirt is kind of old,” and that his “cell phone battery was a little low” and therefore was “not really feeling it.”

Pitre, who is reportedly so lonely he sometimes asks people for directions even though he already knows where he’s going, has thought a lot about how he will approach the women.

“I’ll just walk up to a cute girl and introduce myself and ask them how it’s going” he told The Peak, “it’s such an easy thing to do . . . tomorrow.”

He explained that he already has a variety of ideas locked and loaded for starting conversations with girls like, “Hey, it’s totally random, but I thought you were cute and I had to come and say ‘hi.’ Hi .” He even thought about trying the line “Ever wanted to start a conversation but didn’t know what to say? Well this is what I came up with.”

He also brilliantly came up with a false time-constraint like “I’m just on my way to class,” so they won’t think he will linger.

“I mean, what’s the worst thing that could happen? They blow me off and think I’m creepy?” Jordan concluded. “There’s like 30,000 people at this school, that’s not such a big deal.”

Immediately after saying this, two stunning Asian girls walked by, and when asked why he didn’t hit on them, he said “What? Like right now? No, no, I can’t do that. I kind of have to go to the bathroom right now so it wouldn’t be good. Tomorrow, man.”

We need not fear a nuclear Iran

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EIC

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October 15, 2013

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FREDRICTON (CUP) — There has been a great deal of concern in the news about whether or not Iran is a threat. The nuclear program in Iran is close to levels that would allow it to create nuclear weapons. I am here to dispel myth and give you reasons why you should not be afraid of Iran.

Iran is an Islamic republic in the Middle East with a moderately modernized military, a space program, and surplus in its budget from oil exports. Iran is dominated by the Shi’a rather than most of the Middle East that is Sunni, which means that Iran’s neighbours are not very accommodating.

The United States and many western nations see Iran as a threat due to the success of their nuclear program. Iran claims that this nuclear program is for medical and energy purposes, but the West is frightened by the increased efficiency of their program.

Iran has never invaded another country.

It has supported armed factions in other countries, and sent some of its special forces into the Syrian civil war, but so have the US and countless other western countries. If there should be no reason for anyone to be afraid of Iran, why does the media and the U.S. continue to bring up the subject?

The Americans have continually used whatever means necessary to harm Iran.

The explanation is quite simple; the US dislikes the tone Iran has taken since the 70s. In 1979 the Shah of Iran, a dictator put in power by the US and the United Kingdom decades before, was overthrown. In an instant the US lost another ally in the Middle East and a source of cheap oil. The US then covertly supported Iraq with weapons and funds to combat Iran in a terrible war that saw wide-scale use of chemical weapons.

After this, the Americans, with their partner Israel, have continually used whatever means necessary to harm Iran. When Iran was furthering its development of uranium enrichment in the beginning of 2012, their lead scientists were killed by car bombs. According to Al Jazeera, Iran claimed Israel was behind the attacks.

Recently, the European Union and the US have placed embargoes and sanctions on Iran, tightening the pockets of ordinary Iranians. It seems that the US and their allies are bullying a country simply because it wants to sustain its country with nuclear power.

The time has come once again for the United Nations General Assembly meeting. The new president of Iran is asking for talks with the US about Iran’s nuclear program. This does not seem like the violent, evil, hate-mongering autocrat that America claims he is.

Hopefully the dialogue will come with an agreement that allows both sides to calm down, respect one another and become allies against instability in the region. Or, they can go back to what they do best: hating each other.

Art au naturel

By

Peak Web

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October 15, 2013

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During the evening of Oct. 3, I visited Hot Art Wet City on Main Street to peruse the gallery’s’ most recent exhibit: Boobies & Weiners: An Immature Look at the Nude, which is on until Oct. 26.

From the get go, it was obvious that the presentation space would include more than just still images, photographs, drawings, paintings and sculptures of naked body parts. Opening night is usually not the ideal time to take in an art show. In fact, the gallery was so packed with wriggling bodies of viewers trying desperately not to spill their drinks that a return trip would be in order. Luckily, HAWC founder and owner Chris Bentzen was happy to receive me the following day.

“Hot Art Wet City is meant to be accessible and fun for both viewers and emerging talent,” says Bentzen. “We rotate our exhibits to feature both curated artist selections and shows that propose a theme to creators who are invited to submit proposals.”

Boobies & Weiners falls into both of these categories. With over 80 artists displaying pieces in both showrooms, calling the exhibit an orgy for the eyes would be an understatement.

With this in mind, it is only natural that each artist take a unique position with regard to the naked human form. For some, like Vince Hemingson, photography is the medium of choice. In his work, La Lucha Libre, a tag team of oiled and buxom beauties display their signature moves in a large print mounted on aluminum. Only their faces are covered by the characteristic masks of the mexican wrestling tradition.

Still others, like ARGH!, prefer a sculptural approach. Here two skeletons are strategically positioned in a corner, one sitting with protruding golf ball eyes, and a second, kneeling and wearing a wig on her head, which is hunched over in the first skeleton’s lap. It’s the very embodiment of the boner for everyone to see.

Apart from many other tongue-in-cheek representations of our favourite genitalia, the gallery space also plays host to Art or Bust, which is curated by Jenn Brisson. This exhibit-within-an-exhibit features breast casts of women that have known someone with, or who have themselves been affected by, breast cancer. These busts will be auctioned off in order to raise money for the cause.

It is evident that HAWC is doing much more than simply elevating low brow art to a popular gallery status: it is using Bentzen’s tactics of cutting edge event development to create a social environment which fosters community values and a better understanding of underground, outsider and art brut sensibilities. Quite a satisfying change from your average one-night-stand.

Clan bounce back against Saints

By

EIC

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October 15, 2013

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After their first loss of the season, the SFU men’s soccer team was looking to get back into the win column last weekend as the team visited Saint Martin’s University in Lacey, WA. Like their record, it wasn’t a perfect effort, but the Clan pulled out a 2–1 victory against the Saints on the road, further cementing their spot at the top of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.

After dropping a game against their biggest rivals, Seattle Pacific, on the road, the Clan needed a bounce-back effort as the team wouldn’t play at home again until Oct. 12 (after time of press). “We need to re-group and increase our collective focus ahead of our next match . . . This conference championship is going to be a dog fight,” said head coach Alan Koch, after the loss to the Falcons.

It took a full half against SMU for that regroup to really get going, but just two minutes into the second half, sophomore forward, Colin Jacques, opened the scoring for the Clan, giving his team a lead it would not relinquish.

“I still feel that we can play a lot better than we are right now.”

– Alan Koch,
head coach

Fellow sophomore, Ryan Dhillon, would double the Clan’s lead in the 68th minute, and a Saints goal in the 83rd minute proved to be too little to late for the home team. Freshman keeper Brendan Watson stayed solid, earning the win for SFU.

It wasn’t as pretty or dominant a win for the Clan as the team would’ve hoped, but after a disappointing loss just days before, any win was welcome.

“We are very happy to bounce back and get the win and the three points,” said Koch. “I still feel that we can play a lot better than we are right now. If we had buried our chances in the first half we wouldn’t have been in a close match at the end.”

Though the team still has much to improve on, it is still easily at the top of the conference: SFU had a 9–1 record at the time of press, second-place Seattle Pacific was sitting at 6–1–2. This ranking speaks volumes about the level of talent on the team, and to its ceiling, if there is one.

The Clan do have some ground to make up in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) rankings, as they dropped from first- to ninth-place in the Div. II poll after their defeat. But the team is built to improve on its win against SMU, and continue its trend back upwards.

Perfection is expected from this team, both internally and from its fans. Perfection is unattainable now, but expect the team to find a way to make up for it.