With the new semester underway, and with many of you new here to SFU, The Peak brings you a quick rundown of all the hot spots up here at Burnaby Campus.
Created by Brandon Hillier
Every poet is a Force Field unto herself
Poetry: the polarizer of literature. Most people I know either adore poetry or cannot fathom the appeal. To be honest, I don’t know what poetry I like. I enjoy listening to poets read aloud, but I can’t figure out what style of poetry I prefer to read.
“That’s the beauty of an anthology,” counters Susan Musgrave, acclaimed poet and writer, from her Copper Beech House Bed and Breakfast in Masset, Haida Gwaii. Musgrave says she often tells her MFA students at UBC that it is “not wrong to not like something.” The beauty of an anthology of this size is the diversity of styles, thoughts, and opinions within. Musgrave suggests I read poetry anthologies at random — pick a page, read a poem; if I like it, seek out more by that writer.
In April 2013, Mother Tongue Publishing released a perfect book for that experiment: Force Field: 77 Women Poets of BC. Edited by Susan Musgrave, the collection was a huge undertaking that began as an idea in the summer of 2010 when Mother Tongue publisher Mona Fertig was staying at Musgrave’s bed and breakfast.
Musgrave says she agreed to the idea, although she later had some apprehension when considering the scope of the endeavour. Recent anthologies have celebrated Canadian women poets and BC poets separately, but there has not been an anthology of women poets of BC in 34 years, and none of this size — Force Field weighs in at 390 pages — since Women’s Eye: 12 BC Women Poets (edited by Dorothy Livesay in 1974) and D’Sonoqua: An Anthology of Women Poets of British Columbia (edited by Ingrid Klassen in 1979).
It is “not wrong to not like something.”
The difficult part, Musgrave explains, was determining who would be in the book and whom they had to leave out. “We could easily do a second [book], but I don’t think Mona [Fertig] has it in her,” laughs Musgrave. She believes that the “consciousness [the anthology] raises about women in BC” is valuable.
Fertig and Musgrave started with a list of 30–40 poets they wanted to include — obvious poetic heavyweights such as Lorna Crozier and Daphne Marlatt. They then put out an open call for poets, which resulted in more than 150 submissions.
“We started as 55 [poets], then increased it to 75, and eventually we had to cut it off at 77.” Still, many poets were not included, such as Sarah de Leeuw, who won the Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize this year. Others, like Rhea Tregebov, bowed out in order to make room for younger poets to be included.
Musgrave was charged with the difficult task of then choosing which poems to include. “I didn’t just choose poems I liked,” explained Musgrave. “If I just chose my favourites it would be a very different book.”
After initially asking writers to submit 10 poems, she asked them to narrow them down to four favourites. Arranged alphabetically, each contributor in the anthology received equal space: four pages of poetry preceded by a short bio and headshot.
While gender inequity is an issue in the literary arts, as well as many other fields, Musgrave does not press this point when we speak. She puts more emphasis on how writing reflects the “struggle, suffering, and little joy that life has,” and if writing helps you get through it.
While I still don’t know what style of poetry I like, I’m a little closer to figuring it out.
Manitoba Blue Cross a bad fit for SFU
After recent grievances, it has become apparent to me that SFU should switch its ihaveaplan’s travel insurance provider to one appropriately designed to service BC residents.
Last November, I had to go to the ER while in the US. Before I went to the hospital, I made sure I talked to CanAssistance as instructed by SFU’s Travel Health Passport. I was told which hospital I was allowed to go to, and that my bill should be covered.
However, I received a call the next day from Manitoba Blue Cross telling me they wouldn’t cover my $4,000 bill because they thought I had gone with a pre-existing condition. My condition was not pre-existing, and after hours on the phone with the hospital, I was able to obtain the evidence to prove this.
When I tried to contact Manitoba Blue Cross again, I learned the number on their forms only works in Manitoba. In BC, this number connects callers to the closest Blue Cross — the Pacific Blue Cross, for us. For those wondering, their out-of-province number is 1-888-596-1032.
I spent many hours on hold with Pacific Blue Cross while they took my information and tried to process my claim. It was only later that I realized I’d been given the wrong number and was talking to a different insurance company.
I was informed that my credit rating would be affected.
Everything took time. I had to wait a week for someone to call me back regarding any questions, and it took weeks for certain forms to be mailed — all of which had to first be submitted to BC Healthcare to prove they weren’t covered by MSP. This took 16 weeks.
A month after I’d been to the hospital, I was contacted by a collection agency. Despite still waiting for my claim to be processed, I was informed that I owed a large amount of interest and that my credit rating would be affected. On the other hand, Manitoba Blue Cross didn’t express sympathy about the collection agency, and explained that I should have paid the $4,000 bill up front and waited for reimbursement. As I’m sure is the case with most SFU students, this was not possible.
Last month, Manitoba Blue Cross paid the hospital for a portion of my bill, because the physician at the ER had a separate bill that had been overlooked. It’s been 10 months since I went to the ER, and I still have a $500 bill that may not be covered because it wasn’t submitted before the deadline. If I had had the proper information, I would have been able to submit it on time. If I had been able to call Manitoba Blue Cross from the beginning, this could have been avoided.
Employees from both Pacific and Manitoba Blue Cross couldn’t comprehend why a BC resident was using Manitoba’s Blue Cross; they said Manitoba Blue Cross is for Manitoba residents, and that Pacific Blue Cross services BC residents.
When I did eventually get in touch with Manitoba Blue Cross, I told them they needed to give their BC clients a number that works in BC. The employees I spoke with told me their phone number works in Manitoba, and that it’s the standard number they give out. Frustrated, I asked to speak with a manager. I was told he would contact me, but I never received any call.
Manitoba Blue Cross explained I should have paid the $4,000 bill up front.
While I continue to wait for answers, I remain frustrated by the preventable challenges that I have had to endure. All of these obstacles could have been avoided had I been provided Manitoba Blue Cross’s out-of-province number to begin with, and if SFU’s travel insurance provider through ihaveaplan.ca was one actually designed for those in our province.
How to save money as an SFU student
University may seem like an impossible time to save money, but after four years as an undergrad, I’ve learned many ways to stretch my paycheque and save whenever I can.
On top of tuition, students fees, textbooks and a U-pass, there is the additional cost of school supplies to consider. Binders, paper, and pens cost money, but they don’t have to cost a lot. Many thrift stores have an office section where you can purchase previously owned backpacks, binders and notebooks — many of which have hardly ever been used.
Spending dollar store prices on name brand school supplies will save a lot of money over the course of your degree, so why not scour the office aisle of the thrift store instead of buying from the bookstore?
Bringing your own travel mug to to coffee shops is also a great way to get more bang for your buck. The majority of coffee shops award discounts for those bringing their own mug, with Renaissance Coffee and Higher Grounds both offering this savings option — 10 per cent is taken off your purchase every time. This may sound small, but over the course of a month or an entire semester, the savings add up and can help stretch your coffee budget further! These two cafés also have stamp card programs, meaning that every eighth or so drink is free.
Even the biggest cost outside of tuition — books — don’t have to cost as much as you may think. There is a Textbook Trade Center page on Facebook where students post used course materials they have for sale, as well as books they are wanting to acquire. Because the texts posted here are used, it’s much cheaper than going to the SFU Bookstore, and you have the potential of making money by selling your old course materials.
Using the library is also a great avenue. By combining the collective powers of SFU’s libraries and your own local libraries, it can be quite easy to obtain books depending on which courses you are taking.
Between second hand stores, savings programs at coffee shops on campus, and alternative routes to obtaining course materials, it is possible to save bundles of money as an SFU student.
Take control of your university experience
When I started at SFU two years ago, I was told that it is a “commuter campus” with little sense of community. While this notion is commonly thrown around, it’s definitely a misconception. The most important advice I can offer any student — in first year or otherwise — is that the university experience is what you make of it.
If you are a student attending classes and promptly heading home right afterward, you’re opting out of many opportunities to get involved with the many different communities on campus.
One of my recommendations for any new student is to check out SFU Volunteer Services. They link students to many campus opportunities in a variety of fields. Additionally, they provide a chance for a student to network with other students and enrich their community through different passions.
My brief experience with SFU Volunteer Services in my first semester led me to write for the ENGAGE blog, a forum dedicated to exploring the ways a student could get involved on campus. Though that was only a short commitment on my part, it was a valuable experience. I began by explaining what my interests were, and I was recommended an opportunity that suited who I was as a volunteer, and the amount of available time I had. If you find yourself overwhelmed — or the opposite — by the different choices available on campus, this is the place to find your starting point.
Meeting other people on campus is a great conduit both for making friends and for finding ways to get involved. Many students are affiliated with various groups on campus which welcome new participants at any time. Through this, it is possible to build a social network that allows you to be privy to what is happening on campus while also being able to avoid the potential discomfort of showing up alone. Start by introducing yourself to classmates, because you already have one thing in common by being here.
Another important place where community is fostered on campus is the academic groups within a faculty or department. When you declare a major, minor, or certificate, you are gaining membership into a group with a plethora of ridiculously cool people. Professors and graduate students may be intimidating when they are teaching you, but they are generally really approachable and love to talk about their research and experiences in the field.
Meeting people on campus is a conduit for making friends and finding ways to get involved.
I, for one, feel most comfortable on campus walking through the SFU Linguistics Department, because I feel a part of that community. There is a strong sense of belonging when you can get excited about very specific things in a field and not be questioned about why you have a favourite click. It should also be noted that events hosted by a department tend to feature free food or coffee for those who show up.
Moreover, SFU is home to many communities built around common passions outside of academic fields. For those interested in health or sports, SFU Recreation and Athletics offers ways to support or get involved with SFU’s teams. For the average student, there are options to join sports clubs, intramural teams, and a diverse selection of classes ranging from burlesque to fencing. If social or environmental activism are more your thing, SFPIRG and Sustainable SFU are always looking for students to get involved.
Between academia and broader universal interests, there is community at SFU, if one knows where to look. SFU is only a “commuter campus” for students who view it as such.
Letter to the Editor – September 3, 2013
Dear editor,
I’d like to thank Leah Bjornson for her article “Religious traditions should be adapted globally”, because of how forthrightly it sets out the challenge of religious tradition in the face of modern society.
However, I believe she approaches the problem backwards by taking modernity as the normative standard. The whole point of religious tradition is to oblige us to a certain way of life which may or may not be completely compatible with modern, “global” lifestyles. There certainly is room for adaptation and reinterpretation, but the danger behind such calls is that by adaptation, a tradition risks losing its fundamental meaning.
The traditions do not exist merely for themselves, as Leah seems to suggest, but are meant to perfect human behaviour for the sake of union with the divine. Religious traditions, therefore, do not exist simply as cultural artifacts, but as the direct means by which religious faith itself is propagated within a community; it is the means by which society itself is changed.
Religion summons humanity towards something greater than itself, and so it demands that society conform to its standard. This is in complete contrast to what modernity would have us believe — that individual fulfillment and self-actualization are the highest ideals we ought to uphold.
Rather, religion says that humanity is incomplete without contact or discourse with the sacred. The sacred is not a vague force, but the real foundation of order and meaning for the whole universe, known not merely in religious texts, but through the proper exercise of human reason. Of course such ideas are inconvenient for those steeped in the ideals of modernity, which is probably why calls to adapt religion to contemporary society are so prevalent.
Sincerely,
Juan Tolentino
SFU Alumnus
You are cordially invited
It’s September once again, so let me take the time to say welcome back to SFU! I’m so pleased that you’ve picked up The Peak, and even more pleased that your eyes have alighted on this column.
A brief introduction is in order: I’m Natasha, and I’m working on my MA in French Literature here atop Burnaby Mountain. I’m an American, and have been in Vancouver since April of 2013, making me fairly new to beautiful BC. I have a taste for the undiscovered, for adventure and exploration, and I have a pesky penchant for word-smithery (yes, I did just make that up). And now, I would like to cordially invite all of you to walk with me this semester.
Not literally. I mean, we could meet over coffee or something else of your fancy if you’d like to actually walk with me, but I was speaking metaphorically. Throughout this semester, I am going to explore Vancouver looking for spots that speak to me in some way.
Not to get too la vie bohème on you, but I’m a lover of beauty. The record store wall covered in fraying posters, the warm scent of butter wafting up from a plate, the crooked smile of a bartender, the minute movements of a dancer — I can’t help but be intrigued. I’ll share my experiences of each of the places I uncover here, in this column, every other week. Get it now? The invitation to walk with me?
This column won’t simply be a review of a person, place, thing or event, because there are plenty of critics out there who have seen more than I, and who have legitimate credentials and expert opinions.
I will communicate a concept of space and how our surroundings are influenced by us.
What I will attempt to communicate is a concept of space and how our surroundings both influence and are influenced by us. I plan to write about really cool places within the context of the subtle — or not-so-subtle — neighbourhood nuances that make them interesting.
I’m hopeful that this column will provide all of you with a fresh perspective: that of a newcomer, of a non-Canadian, and of an outsider. I’m hopeful that you’ll be able to look at this great city through a shiny new lens and discover along with me what makes it diverse, welcoming, gritty, beautiful, and real. Like the wrinkles on a wizened face, I’m looking for the quirky and unique places that speak to Vancouver’s personality, for better or worse.
I hope you’ll join me.
A new chapter in SFU volleyball
When you enter a new league such as the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) — a league featuring some of the best collegiate athletes in the world — as the Clan did three years ago, there will be a learning curve. In SFU’s first few years in the world’s largest collegiate sports league, that curve proved steep for several SFU teams.
After three years, though you might not expect to be world-beaters, you’d at least expect progress. But in the case of women’s volleyball, after three dismal seasons in the NCAA Division II, it’s tough to say there’s been much — if any. But now, armed with a new coach and a new atmosphere, the squad might finally be trending upwards.
To say the team has in fact regressed might sound harsh, but it might not be untrue, especially when looking at the numbers alone. In their first season in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC), the Clan posted 4–14 conference record. In the two seasons since, the team has won just two games total, going a combined 2–34 in GNAC play.
Six conference wins over a span of three seasons was enough to instill a major change in the Clan locker room. Former head coach Lisa Sulatycki stepped down at the end of last season, marking the first step in a change of direction for the team.
The next step was the hiring of Gina Schmidt, a native of Beaverlodge, Alberta, to replace her.
Schmidt, who had a decorated career as a player with Oregon State University, spent the past five seasons as the top assistant coach for Div. I’s University of Montana Grizzlies. That wealth of experience, particularly NCAA experience, is something the team had sorely been lacking, and something she hopes can help her new team.
“The NCAA is different from the Canadian system [CIS] in a number of ways so obviously my background as a player and coach in the States has been helpful stepping into this position,” she said. “I am already familiar with many of the players in our conference from my time recruiting for Montana and, as a result, I know the kind of athletes I need to recruit to our program in order to be successful. I think if we can expand our recruiting efforts and I can pass on some of my experiences to the current players in our program, we will be heading in the right direction.”
That said, she’ll be the first to tell you that “heading in the right direction” does not mean an immediate turnaround. Far from it.
“There is no such thing as a quick fix when it comes to building a program or changing the culture of a team [or] organization,” she admits. “However, I believe that there are a lot of pieces already in place here to allow for the rebuilding process to happen sooner than later. But as with anything, it is a process.”
So far, it’s been quite a slow one, but Schmidt is someone who hasn’t been in many losing locker rooms throughout her career (her Grizzlies team won nearly 60 per cent of its games with her on the coaching staff). A new, winning attitude stemming from its new, winning coach might just suit this team well. And it might just turn that process into progress.
Schmidt, in talking about why she chose to come to SFU, says all the pieces are in place for that to happen.
“I saw this position as a great opportunity. From the outside looking in, SFU is a great school in a great location and the athletic department has had a lot of success in several sports. I figured there is no reason that SFU can’t have that same sort of success in volleyball.
“I only had a few weeks to work with my current team before school got out in April,” she continued, “but I’ve really enjoyed being back in the gym with them this preseason. I think we have great group of girls and I’m looking forward to the season ahead.”
Of course, only time will tell how this team fares in 2013, but for the first time in a while, it’s safe to enter the season with a little positivity. There’s still a long way to go, as Schmidt will tell you, but for now, we can confidently call it a work in progress.
U-Pass to transfer to Compass Card in 2014
With TransLink starting beta testing on its widely publicized Compass Card system, SFU students can expect to see their U-Pass transferred onto Compass sometime next year. TransLink is currently in the process of implementing the new system as a digitized way of paying transit fares.
The system presents minimal changes to the way SFU students access TransLink services, though presents more concerns for those not eligible for a U-Pass or similar institutional cards. TransLink’s official website claims the card will be very easy to use, and is an appropriate advancement for the modern transit system.
The Compass Card has been touted as a reflection of the increasing digital/card-based representation of finances in modern North America, and features include eliminating the need for loose change, reloading online or via a phone call, and ability to be replaced if lost or stolen. To use, the cards must be scanned in and out when entering or exiting a transit vehicle or area, with appropriate fare being deducted from them.
With the Compass Card, students will no longer need to pick up their U-Pass on campus each month, and can instead top up their existing Compass Card with unlimited fares online or by phone.
“The Compass Card is new technology that has been successful around the world, and it has been very successful in very large transit markets,” said Derek Zabel, TransLink Media Relations. “They offer customers a lot of flexibility and a lot of convenience as well, and students will find that flexibility and convenience aspect of it is going to save them a lot of time.”
Zabel said that the U-Pass “tradition will continue,” with the Compass Card adding no additional costs to students, and offering an unlimited amount of fare on each institutional card. The main difference, Zabel explained, is “a little bit more peace of mind,” as, unlike the current U-Pass cards, lost Compass Cards can be cancelled and replaced.
Soon, the “massive IT project” that comes along with implementing the card will begin with a testing phase. Testing in the early fall will involve volunteers using the system to detect potential problems, a phase which will last for about three or four weeks. Zabel said that phasing in the new cards will involve a “slower transition,” starting later in the year and continuing into early 2014.
The Compass Card will give students a little more peace of mind.”
– Derek Zabel, TransLink media relations
Online criticism of the new system exploded when it was announced that with the Compass Card bus fare tickets purchased with cash will not be transferable onto SkyTrain, meaning that paying with cash and starting a journey on a bus will require one to pay two fares. TransLink has cited the cost of upgrading the fare boxes on buses, an estimated $25 million, as too high to justify.
Possible future uses of the new system have also raised some privacy concerns, as both TransLink and the provincial government have suggested linking the Compass Cards with BC identification cards. Zabel has been quoted in the Vancouver Sun as saying that TransLink is “really interested” in doing so.
The same idea is suggested in the government’s white paper for the new ID card program, as well as the BC Transportation Ministry’s technology plan for 2012–13 and 2014–15.
A similar idea is already being put into practice at UBC, where the new UBCcard will be used as a student’s ID, access card for the gym, library, and other facilities, a prepaid debit card, and the U-Pass.
This use of the Compass Card would provide a convenient means to store information, make payments, and facilitate travel, but as Vincent Gogolek, executive director of the BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association has pointed out, this would also seemingly increase the ease of tracking people’s movements by the organizations with such information, as well as stealing identities, with the cards holding so much personal information, according to The Vancouver Sun.
Zabel has said that TransLink is keeping Compass “strictly” as a fare payment card for the time being.
Russia deems multi-coloured olympics rings ‘too gay’
As part of their recent attempts to not let any of their sports buddies find out that they’re anything but a fiercely hetereosexual nation, Russia has banned the Olympics’ official multi-coloured rings logo from appearing anywhere during the games.
According to Russian government policy, having over three bright colours in such close contact violates their anti-gay laws. The decision is set to be followed by a detailed investigation by the Kremlin into what this whole “four-man bobsled” activity is all about.
With files from Russia LGBToday
