Time to cut down on cut blocks

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October 15, 2013

In the NFL, the “zone-blocking” scheme is a powerfully simple approach to blocking assignments that allowed the Denver Broncos to ride to back-to-back Super Bowl championships in the late 1990s, helping put the cap on John Elway’s illustrious career.

Then-head coach Mike Shanahan didn’t originate the system (that honour is bestowed on the legendary Vince Lombardi and Alex Gibbs) but is perhaps the most famous example. Given that professional sport inherently breeds a copycat environment, “zone-blocking” is installed in every football team’s playbook. It also legalizes a brutally unfair rule that is emblematic of the continued legislation that marginalizes defenses.

In ‘man’ schemes, offensive linemen are assigned individual defenders to block. But some exotic defensive alignments disguise and alternate how defenders will play — dropping back in coverage or rushing the quarterback — potentially ruining man-to-man assignments.

The ‘zone’ scheme simplifies this. An offensive lineman is now responsible for a ‘gap’—a region of the field where a defensive player may rush the quarterback. This simplifies pass protection and is enormously valuable in the run game: linemen no longer have to account for moving parts.

But perhaps more importantly, this scheme also ludicrously legalizes the ‘cut-block,’ where an offensive lineman can dive at any defensive player’s knees and ‘cut’ him down. This creates lanes for a running back, and cleans a quarterback’s sight for quick passes thrown parallel to the line of scrimmage. It also allows a 300 pound man to hit another athlete in his knees, and roll up on him.

This is idiotic in an age where player safety — greatly driven by fear of lawsuits — is given paramount importance. The NFL swears that former defensive linemen and their coaches are okay with the rule, but that is inconceivable.

Offensive coaches childishly complain that banning cut-blocks would eliminate the run game and create size mismatches in pass blocking. Why is there no hue and cry when defenders are buried under pages of rules that make the game almost impossible to play cleanly and fluidly?

Even more absurd, the rule allows offensive linemen to cut defensive players in the open field away from a play while the defender is, essentially, defenseless. However, if a defensive player delivers such a block, they are lambasted and hit with flags and fines.

Ndamukong Suh, who has a history of extra-legal activities after the whistle, was assessed a mind-boggling $100,000 fine this season for delivering a cut-block on an interception return.

In the pre-season, San Francisco 49ers offensive lineman Joe Looney threw a cut-block on Minnesota Vikings defensive-tackle Kevin Williams. Looney was not flagged, fined, or suspended; but his teammate, nose tackle Ian Williams, was not so lucky.

Two weeks ago Williams was the victim of a cut-block and collapsed with a broken ankle that ended his season. Again, no discipline, neither during nor after the game. The list of these egregiously unfair examples is too exhaustive to detail.

After Williams’ injury, Giants defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins gave an interview to Sports Illustrated where he bemoaned the protection denied defensive linemen: “. . . people are getting hurt and it’s their livelihoods in jeopardy just because someone wants to take an easy block.” He continued, pondering why “those types of things are ignored when we do everything to protect other players.”

The NFL already hosts a fleet of bizarre double standards, allowing offensive players to lean on defensive backs downfield and stiff-arm would-be tacklers (in the face), while enforcing protections (on quarterbacks, in particular) that players are coached to take advantage of. The cut-block is just another in a sea of inequalities, but is one of the few that could potentially ruin and end careers. How about equal protection for all? Not just for those that, as Gred Bedard of Sports Illustrated succinctly states, “put up fantasy statistics.”

Research Roundup

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EIC

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October 15, 2013

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National study focuses on women living with HIV

Angela Kaida, an SFU professor of health sciences, is leading SFU in Canada’s cutting-edge research on the prevalence of HIV in women.

Without a doubt, the biological differences among men and women are vast, and include an increased susceptibility of women to HIV. This vulnerability is amplified by social and cultural factors such as poverty, marginalization, violence and gender inequalities.

Kaida is the BC lead of the Canadian HIV Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Health Cohort Study (CHIWOS), a research project with three other principal investigators around the country that focuses on women-centered health care to address these issues. SFU is one of three Canadian universities associated with the project, along with a team of investigators from across the country who are collaborating on the study.

Robert Hogg, a fellow SFU health sciences professor and director of the Epidemiology and Population Health programat the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, leads the connection of CHIWOS to the Canadian Observational Cohort (CANOC) study.

“The etymology of HIV in women has been changing over the last few years,” explained Kaida. “The aim of the study is to see how women-centered health care may a make a difference in the lives of women living with HIV. We’re really trying to meet women where they’re at.”

CHIWOS’ methodology focuses on community-based research in Ontario, Québec and British Columbia. The study is partnering with policy makers and HIV positive women from all social gradients across the country. The individuals who will profit from the study provides are part of the collection process, and that’s where the emphasis on community lies.

Already, interesting findings have come out of the BC portion of the study regarding the province’s Aboriginal population. In BC, one third of HIV-positive women are Aboriginal, a finding that is not reflected in Ontario or Québec.

“We’re taking a different approach to how we’re implementing the study. It’s from a community perspective from the beginning,” said Kaida. “We’re excited to see what kind of impact this has.”

She continued, “We’re very interested in how access to good quality health care can differ by social axis: are we seeing, what we would call, ‘more vulnerable’ women with lower income and lower literacy compared to higher income, higher literacy?”

The study requires participants to complete a questionnaire with a trained peer interviewer and to take part in a follow-up interview 18 months later. Study results are planned to be release in early 2015.

WEB-research oceans-PAMR copy

Doctoral graduand a friend to the fishes

Making waves on Canadian coastlines, doctoral graduand Brett Favaro has received a Liber Ero doctoral fellowship at the University of Victoria for his research on reducing bycatch in commercial fishing traps.

According to Favaro, a course on the biology of marine fish at at the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre sensitized him to issues such as the damage that unrestricted commercial fishing activity can have on marine ecosystems.

After the University of Victoria was contacted by the BC prawn fishery, who hoped to investigate the issue of conservation, Favaro was presented with the opportunity to apply his knowledge to a real industry problem.

In his doctoral thesis, “Can fishing gear protect non-target fish?”, Brett examined the impacts of commercial fishing and evaluated how fisheries might reduce non-target catch, or bycatch. Building upon this, Brett designed and created a device that would keep threatened rockfish species out of the prawn fisheries’ traps.

“I didn’t appreciate how hard it would be,” laughed Favaro in an interview with The Peak. “Marine biology is really hard because to do the simplest thing you have to rely on a lot of technology.”

“The problem is these traps go down 100m, so that’s pretty deep. That’s too deep to scuba dive down, and it’s too expensive to send ROVs [Remotely Operated Vehicles] down to study them for any sort of extended period of time. So the first thing we had to come up with some way to look at what was going on in the traps.”

Favaro’s research culminated in the creation of a device that was designed to keep rockfish out while keeping the prawns in. However, scientific innovation for Favaro isn’t enough; it has to be a useable tool for the industry.

“You can’t just look at what it does to your bycatch rate . . . you have to introduce a technique that is also viable for catching fish. But you also have to look at what it does to other species. So it’s very, very complicated, but you have to look at whether its practical for use in the fishery.”

Favaro’s involvement with the industry has not stopped at technological innovation. Since writing his thesis, Favaro has written a letter to the editor of Science, challenging the federal government’s rationale for reducing fish habitat protection, and helped draw attention to the need for a made-in-BC Species at Risk Act in a provincial letter-writing campaign.

Yet, Favaro refuses to call himself a politically motivated scientist. “All that we were doing was doing science on essentially statements,” explained Favaro. “So instead of just accepting that the fisheries act was getting in the way of everyday activities, we treated that as a hypothesis and tried to find data or evidence [to support that].”

“I just felt it was a natural extension of science to take that and find data and test it, just like you would test any hypothesis.”

Away from BC’s coast, Favaro’s future research will take him to the Arctic, where he will conduct his post-doc on how to solve bycatch problems in uncharted waters.

The Cloaked Crusader

By

EIC

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October 15, 2013

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Women who wear a hijab or a burka often have to deal with harsh criticisms. Being a feminist, I have never had a problem with any woman covering any part of her body — or exposing it, for that matter — as long as she has not been forced to do so.

It’s infuriating to hear the suggestion that all women who cover their heads or their bodies have been brainwashed into doing so by a patriarchal society, especially since I most often hear this complaint from fellow feminists.

Pakistani television network Geo’s animated series Burka Avenger offers a response to critics. The show revolves around a super heroine named Jiya: an intelligent and compassionate teacher by the day, and a brave and strong fighter who prevents girls’ schools from shutting down by night. Her fighting style is as unique as the series itself: she uses books and pens to attack her opponents, highlighting the program’s very prominent message of the pen being mightier than the sword.

Her opponents are Vadero Pajero (a corrupt politician), Baba Bandook (an evil magician) and, above all, literacy. They share the mutual belief that a girl’s place is in the kitchen. In the first episode, the two are depicted discussing how pointless it is to educate a girl, considering she will just end up getting married, taking care of the home, and preparing meals.

Women who cover themselves can also play their part in changing the world.

This series could not have been released at a more crucial time in Pakistan. Malala Yousafzai, the 16 year-old Pakistani women’s rights activist who was shot by the Taliban in the head for fighting for an education, recently became the youngest Nobel Peace Prize nominee.

In a speech to the United Nations, she argued, “The extremists are afraid of books and pens. The power of education frightens them. They are afraid of women. The power of the voice of women frightens them.”

Aaron Haroon Rashid, the creator of Burka Avenger, had Malala’s story in mind while coming up with the theme of the show. The shutdown of girls’ schools by the Taliban inspired his idea of a female protagonist who fights for literacy and women’s rights.

The series revolves around a small fictional village called Halwapur, a device meant to target the lower and the lower-middle class viewers of Pakistan who may not understand the importance of sending their girls to school.

Though these issues rarely surface in the Western world, there are still many families in Pakistan who are completely against the idea of a girl acquiring an education — after all, what could possibly be more dangerous than an educated woman?

The Burka Avenger has inspired controversy. Many critics have expressed their disappointment over the fact that Jiya covers herself with a full burka when she could have explored other options, such as a shalwar kameez, a traditional dress worn by men and women in Pakistan.

Blogger Bina Shah expressed her disapproval by bringing forward the point of view that “Pakistani girls and women need to know that their natural state of being is not hidden away, shrouded by yards of black cloth to make their presence in society acceptable, safe, or halal . . . It will horrify me if little girls start wearing burkas in imitation of their hero, because that would be indoctrination of the worst kind.”

Haroon, on the other hand, has made repeated attempts to defend his creation by saying that the burka is the only culturally appropriate costume for a Pakistani super heroine, as she could not have possibly been dressed in a revealing costume like Wonder Woman or Catwoman. Furthermore, during the day, Jiya chooses to wear her shalwar kameez without a hijab.

Burka Avenger is influential and noteworthy in many different ways. It has made significant attempts to diminish the divide between different kinds of feminists in Pakistan — the ones who choose to cover themselves and the ones who don’t. The series acknowledges the fact that women who cover themselves can also play their part in changing the world, and that their clothing doesn’t really matter when it comes to their passion for women’s rights.

The show encourages the perception that women who don burkas are independent, free-thinking citizens who are capable of whatever Jiya is capable of. Burka Avenger will help parents of young girls to get accustomed to the idea that, even if they do send their daughters to school, these daughters will not end up losing their cultural roots — something many Pakistani parents fear.

I hope that Burka Avenger will continue to make a difference in Pakistan, a country on the brink of political turmoil, with neverending drone strikes on one hand and fear of the Taliban on the other. If nothing else, the program will challenge traditional gender roles and stereotypes in Pakistan, and could inspire a nation of young women to become the leaders of tomorrow.

SFU welcomes new Writer-in-Residence

By

Peak Web

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October 15, 2013

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Award-winning author Madeleine Thien grew up in Vancouver and even attended SFU as a student. Her prose is lauded as “elegant” and “deeply empathetic” with “language both precise and lyrical,” handling sensitive subject matter with compassion.

Thien is now returning to Vancouver for eight months — as the SFU English Department’s new Writer-in-Residence. She normally splits her time between Montreal and Berlin: “I left [Vancouver] when I was 28. I’m 39 now and I’m just excited to be back here.”

“I travel a lot, partly due to circumstances and partly for research. If I’m writing about a particular place, I like to immerse myself in it,” explains Thien, who has also lived in the Netherlands, Quebec City, and Hong Kong, where she teaches in a Masters program. She also lived in Cambodia, surrounding herself with the culture and the politics, which contributed to her 2011 novel Dogs at the Perimeter.

Thien studied english literature and dance at SFU, and later transferred to UBC to complete her degree in literature and creative writing. She also completed UBC’s creative writing MFA program during which she finished her first book, Simple Recipes.

Published in 2001, the collection of short stories received the City of Vancouver Book Award and the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize. Her 2006 novel, Certainty, also received critical acclaim; it has been translated into more than 18 languages, and won the Amazon/Books in Canada First Novel Award, as well as the Ovid Festival Prize of Romania.

If I’m writing about a particular place, I like to immerse myself in it.”

Madeleine Thien, author

Thien’s current novel-in-progress is about music students at the Shanghai Conservatory in the 1960s. The idea came from “many different things crystallizing,” says Thien. “The students are studying western classical music just before the Cultural Revolution in China. [The novel] looks at the transmission of ideas and artistic practices, and how political thought travels from East to West and West to East.”

During her time as Writer-in-Residence, Thien will be working on her new novel as well as holding office hours to consult with students, and curating and hosting public events. The inaugural reading and reception for the Residency was on Sept. 27 at SFU Woodward’s. “I felt really at home,” Thien says nostalgically.

Previous SFU Writers-in-Residence include poets Fred Wah, Larissa Lai, and Daphne Marlatt, Wayde Compton (prior to his position as Director of The Writer’s Studio), and, most recently, Canadian Métis playwright Marie Clements.

“Anyone in the university and in the community is able to submit,” says Thien, explaining how her consultation hours work. She usually teaches creative writing for fiction but other genres are acceptable too.

“We have an open discussion that will hopefully be helpful for them. It is very individual. It’s mentoring but it is more a peer-to-peer, writer talking to writer. The best I can do for any other writer is to give a sensitive reading of their work, being as good a reader as possible and reflecting the work back to them. I learned this from teaching as well as working with my own editor — editing, revising, re-engaging with the piece.”

Album Reviews: Miley Cyrus, Oneohtrix Point Never, and a throwback to Bjork

By

Peak Web

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October 15, 2013

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Miley Cyrus – Bangerz

You can’t blame Miley for trying. In the midst of weekly PR disasters — the latest being the ongoing feud between the singer and Sinéad O’Connor, formerly an influence — Bangerz would have sold millions of copies, regardless of the amount of effort put into it. It’s worth noting, to the duogenarian diva’s credit, that her newest LP is far from acquiescent.

In fact, it’s one of the most ambitious records so far this year: Cyrus tries her hand at hip-hop, electro pop, funk and salsa, all within 13 lean, Ziplock-sealed tracks.

Of course, almost none of this works. Album opener “Adore You”, which is Bangerz’ best track by a country mile, is weighed down by clunky, been-there-done-that lyrics. “SMS (Bangerz),” featuring Britney Spears, showcases the best of Cyrus’ countless attempts at rapping throughout the album, but is a convoluted, overproduced mess. “FU” might be the LP’s most egregious misstep: through a half-hearted and woefully adolescent Lady Gaga impression, Cyrus uses the term “LOL” as a verb without her ever-present tongue in her cheek.

Cyrus’ more sensual lyrics walk the tightrope between laughably adolescent and cringe-inducing, and she’s unable to tame the country twang that escapes through attempted dance anthems like “We Can’t Stop” and “Drive.” The uncomfortable sexual energy — if you can even call it that — from Cyrus’ notorious VMA performance is in full force throughout the record. Cue a collective sigh.

But the unsung hero of Bangerz is, without question, its producer Mike Will Made It. The album’s syncopated hip-hop beats, aluminium vocals and subtle string arrangements are the paint by numbers norm of contemporary pop music, but Mike rises to the occasion with enough enthusiasm to make it sound just like the first time. Unfortunately, it’s not enough to make Bangerz any less of a disjointed mess than Miley’s tumultuous personal life.

Oneohtrix Point Never – R Plus Seven

It’s early. I’m sitting at my desk listening to R Plus Seven, drinking not-quite-coffee from The Peak’s brand new percolator. I’m alone and overtired. This office, so often filled with the frantic din of student journalists, has a silent, almost churchlike quality when it’s empty.

Jotting down the occasional note to myself, I’m enraptured by the album’s peculiar brilliance. It’s a singularly strange soundtrack to my lonely Thursday morning.

Daniel Lopatin, the man behind Oneohtrix Point Never, has always been willing to play with ideas of what music can be — his previous record, 2011’s wonderful Replica, was pieced together entirely from 80s commercial jingles. R Plus Seven is harder to describe: each of the album’s 10 tracks eschew format and structure, exploring a sound or vocal sample to its apex and then veering towards another.

There are occasional bursts of eclectic brilliance and long ambient passages connecting them, like an unfinished symphony written on a thrift store synthesizer.

Considering how often Lopatin is accused of over-intellectualizing music, R Plus Seven is remarkable in its spontaneity. The freeform jazz influences and music concrète sound collages of the LP’s more experimental passages are a change of pace from Replica’s restless circumlocution.

Lopatin’s fascination with primordial synthesizers is still in full form on tracks like “Problem Areas” and opener “Boring Angels,” which play like a post-modern interpolation of a John Hughes soundtrack. For an album so unconcerned with any overarching theme or sentiment, R Plus Seven is surprisingly cinematic in tone.

It’s later, now: coworkers and hangers-on have begun to trickle into their office chairs to prepare for the day, and the album’s tonal ingenuity has been confined to my headphones. But if anything, this only serves to exaggerate its appeal; R Plus Seven is a world all on its own, and one that I have had the immense pleasure of visiting.

Bjork – Homogenic

Björk is on the outside looking in. She interprets electronic music in the same way that she interprets the English language — from a 90-degree angle, sewing together disparate threads like an impressionistic seamstress.

In the aftermath of her sophomore album Post, which won her unprecedented acclaim and celebrity status, Björk did what any introvert would: she fled. In the furthest recesses of her extraterrestrial mind, she plotted her retaliation, note by note.

Homogenic is the result of Björk’s self-imposed exile, an album full of contradictions: nature versus technology, fiction versus reality, optimism versus melancholy. Each song seems to shed light on some universal aspect of human nature, while simultaneously focusing on the minute details of the singer’s own personal life.

Gone are the inviting string arrangements of Post and the almost-pop of Debut. From the galloping drum machine opening of “Hunter,” Homogenic immediately announces itself as a work of art, difficult and tempestuous even by Björk’s standards.

But there’s also beauty to be found in the album’s industrial tundra atmosphere. “Unravel,” a love song repurposed as a warped fairytale, features some of Björk’s most beautifully organic vocals, while “All Is Full of Love” serves as a hopeful epilogue to the LP’s emotive parallelograms. The seamless marriage of subtle strings and abstract electronic beats throughout Homogenic punctuate the singer’s expressive intonation, in flux between the natural world and the one inside Björk’s Casio keyboard.

Björk’s vertical career trajectory ended with Homogenic as precipitously as it began. Each of her subsequent efforts have felt like admirable footnotes, intent on recapturing the glacial perfection of her third and best LP. It’s hard to blame her — every self-respecting singer-songwriter in the twenty-first century has, in their own way, been trying to do the same.

University Briefs

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EIC

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October 15, 2013

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VIU now offers journalism minor

Added to the list of credentials six months ago, Vancouver Island University offers the only BA minor in journalism in BC. After strong advocating by faculty members, VIU is to provide the credential with minimal financial cost, with only one course added to make this a reality. Journalism professor, Richard Dunstan, said it is an excellent program because it works well in conjunction with another major or minor in programs such as global studies or political studies.

With files from The Navigator

Pride week comes to Mt. Allison University

Last week saw the first ever Pride Week at Mt. Allison’s University. Organizations combatting homophobia at Mt. A, such as Get REAL and the Catalyst Society, brought this event to the university for the first time in order to raise awareness of LGBTQIA issues and to deconstruct and eradicate various homophobic attitudes. The week consisted of events such as a rainbow flag raising ceremony, a bake sale, and an “I Love You Philip Morris” movie night, and ended with Hand Holding Day on Oct. 11.

With files from The Argosy

Algonquin College spends on energy savings

Algonquin College has begun an initiative to make college life a little greener. The green initiative, named ESCO2, has already affected change in all the residence buildings, installing new water-conserving fixtures in all the washrooms. The new toilets use half the amount of water per flush, saving both water and money for the college.

Sarah Dehler, the school’s sustainability coordinator, said, “As we’re reducing our waste, we’re reducing our demand on that city infrastructure,” claiming that as well as reducing their ecological footprint, Algonquin college is “being a good corporate citizen.”

With files from Algonquin Times

Police take issue with Dal’s unofficial “Dawgfather”

Known to many Dalhousie students as the Dawgfather, the man who sells hot dogs outside the student union building has recently had his hotdog truck impounded by police. He admits that this is the third time that the “Dawgmobile” has been seized, this time due to multiple alleged unpaid tickets, collectively valued at over $9,000.

The Dawgfather said he is outraged and that this accusation is false. In the meantime, it is business almost as usual. He is currently operating out of a U-Haul at the rate of $50 a day until the Dawgmobile makes a comeback.

With files from Dalhousie Gazette

Vegan hospitalized after potential ingestion of trace amounts of egg

By

EIC

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October 15, 2013

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VANCOUVER — A distraught vegan was submitted to Vancouver General Hospital last week claiming to be “tainted.”

Zach Whitney, a 27-year-old vegan man, checked himself into the hospital Saturday at approximately 3pm, telling emergency staff that he had ingested some vegetarian nut burgers which he later found out may or may not have contained trace amounts of egg.

“I’ve failed! I’ve failed! I am not worthy. I am no longer… vegan,” Whitney reportedly cried out repeatedly upon his arrival at the hospital before eventually curling up in the corner and rocking gently back and forth.

Distraught, Whitney would not leave the premises until he was “cured” and repeatedly asked hospital staff to pump his stomach. After hospital staff refused he then attempted to drink a bottle of bleach to induce vomiting.

This led to doctors having to wrestle the bottle away from him before hospital security escorted him off the premises.

Multiple sources confirmed Whitney then spent the rest of the day shuffling up and down the street mumbling, “who am I?”

“The man showed no signs of having been poisoned,”explained Dr. Jeremy Lai, who witnessed the incident. “In fact, he was in perfect health but he kept on screaming, ‘I’m dying, I’m dying’ and asking me to pump his stomach.”

“It was a long day,” Dr. Lai continued shaking his head, “I’m just glad its over.”

Obama challenges Assad to game of basketball for control of Syria

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EIC

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October 15, 2013

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WASHINGTON — After watching Space Jam with his daughters Malia and Sasha over this past weekend, President Barack Obama made a public challenge to the Assad regime: a game basketball to decide the fate of Syria.

The stakes will be high; with a win the Assad regime would be given back full-autonomous control of the country, while a loss would mandate a final surrender of their sovereignty rights.

“I think this is a marvellous opportunity for us to put this matter to bed once and for all,” explained Obama in response to the American populace who found his urge to strike the Assad regime militarily to be “too costly, too violent, and too time-consuming.”

According to Obama, the basketball game offers a cheaper, faster, and hopefully less violent resolution. The match would be played in the Syrian capital capital of Damascus and would be between the best players from the United States Congress and the Syrian Leadership.

When asked about the United States’ chances of winning, Obama noted “If Bin Laden is any indication of the average height of the radical middle-eastern leadership then I think we may have some trouble in the paint, but if we focus on solid defensive fundamentals, I think we can pull this off.”

While Obama has not yet selected his roster, sources close to the White House say VP Joe Biden has been trying to impress the president recently by tossing paper balls into trash cans in the oval office. Unfortunately, Biden was effectively humiliated thought, when Obama asked him to jump over said trash can.

President Obama’s public challenge didn’t come without some competitive taunting, however, mentioning in his speech. “It’s time for us to settle this like men. By trying to put a ball through a hoop more times than the opposing team . . . unless of course, you’re scared . . .”

Off to a swinging-good start

By

EIC

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October 15, 2013

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The men’s golf program at SFU is one filled with historical success, but in the late ‘90s and early ‘00s, the team disbanded. Fortunately those days are over, and since it’s reinvention in 2008, the men’s golf team has been steadily building momentum.

In the Clan’s first three seasons in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) the men suffered due to a lack of experience and a short roster, finishing at the bottom of the conference standings. Last season, with the addition of a strong group of freshmen their potential became evident: although they fell short of a regional qualifying performance, placing third at the Great Northwest Athletic Conference championships, the future looked bright.

Fast-forward to present day, where, following the completion of the fall portion of their new 2013 season, the men sit undefeated against all GNAC competitors, having had the most fall success since rejoining the Clan family several years ago. Led by head coach John Buchanan, the team is proving that they are ready to play in the big leagues.

Their performances in the fall season have been very good, placing in excellent positions at all three tournaments in the short preparatory season. Championship season begins in February 2014, and their head coach knows there is still work to do.

“We have so much potential this year, and I see us fighting for the GNAC championship title,” said Buchanan following the Clan’s recent performance at the Chico State Invitational. “I would like us to be able to qualify for regionals, but we need to see a bit more consistency. I have guys shoot an 80 in the first round then a 70 in the second; if we can harness that ability and be more consistent then we would really have some impressive performances.”

In the first tournament, the Clan started strong at the Western Washington Invitational, led through the three rounds by captain Mike Belle. Belle carded rounds of 76, 71 and 70 to place in a tie for seventh overall and lead his team to a top-three finish. The tournament also marked the first collegiate play for freshman Kevin Vigna, an Eddie Hogan Cup and Pacific Northwest Junior Boys’ Amateur Championship winner from this summer.

The following week the men finished eighth at the Golf Week Division II Fall Invitational, a tournament open to the top 50 teams in Division II of the NCAA. Their performance saw them lose only to higher ranked teams, and, once again, they did not lose to a GNAC competitor. Belle was the team’s top finisher, placing 14th individually, thanks to rounds of 78, 73 and 80. Following his performance Belle was named the GNAC Golfer of the Week.

We have so much potential this year, and I see us fighting for the GNAC championship title.”

– John Buchanan, head coach

To close out their season, the men traveled to the Chico State Invitational, where after battling through heavy weather culminating in the cancellation of the final round of play, the team finished fourth overall. This time it was sophomore Bret Thompson, last season’s GNAC Golf Freshman of the Year, who led SFU through the tournament finishing in a tie for third place.

Thompson was in great position for the win before gale-force winds ripped through the course forcing the final round to be terminated before its completion. Thompson carded rounds of 73 and 69 to earn third position.

Following this performance the men improved in the national rankings moving from 49th to 36th overall in Division II — the team debuted at 77th in the 2012-13 season. The men will now turn their attention to training as they prepare for the upcoming championship season that begins in February of the new year.

“The spring season is different, there is a big break between now and then,” said Buchanan. “The men will really have to focus in the offseason here to come back ready to play, especially in the poorer conditions that accompany the second season.”

Having already accomplished a lot in the fall season the Clan golfers will be back in 2014, rain or shine, and ready to compete for their best season in the NCAA yet.

East Side Story

By

EIC

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October 15, 2013

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For many, it’s ironic to think of the Downtown Eastside — Vancouver’s poorest neighbourhood — as the city’s last hope. Just the thought of East Hastings conjures images of addiction, AIDS, prostitution and death. On top of this, recent gentrification attempts have been met with violent protests that have generally been more destructive than productive.

Since most attempts to improve the neighbourhood have been met with criticism, it is hard to see how the black hole of the DTES can provide the thriving metropolis of Vancouver with any benefits.

In the recent decade, Vancouver has seen rapid population growth. In 2012 Statistics Canada reported Vancouver as the fastest-growing Canadian city, with growth rates well above the national average. Not only is Vancouver growing faster than a weed, it is also reported as Canada’s densest city, with 5249.1 people per square kilometer.

Herein lies the source of Vancouver’s exorbitant living costs. With an increasing number of people in the city and limited space to accommodate them, housing prices rise. In the last two decades, housing prices and rents have soared. Landowners have made millions, resulting in another claim to fame: Vancouver, Canada’s most expensive place to live.

For middle and low-income individuals seeking homes, however, this is bad news. Many are forced to move outside of the city — and away from their jobs — as rent becomes too expensive. This also makes life hard for individuals seeking jobs upon graduation. Many opportunities are found in the city, but for most, living downtown is out of the question. By default, business and housing development has expanded to some of the only affordable land in the city, the downtown Eastside.

However, as the region averaging the lowest income in Vancouver, the services that are moving in do not cater to the community. With gentrification efforts increasing, the area is becoming less and less welcoming to its lower-income population. What Vancouver has effectively become is an inequitable city colonized by the rich. Only the lucky few who can afford it have the privilege of living downtown.

Mark Townsend is the executive director of the Portland Hotel Society, a non-profit working on affordable social housing projects. He ultimately believes that Vancouver is in this state because the city has no development plan. The city has alluded that they have a plan for more equitable development, but, as Mark puts it, “it’s kind of like a wild, wild west thing.” We have let the city grow in whatever direction it chooses with no plan on how we are going to make Vancouver an affordable city.

Townsend compares the development of Vancouver to that of early London or New York City, both of which have imposed rent controls and designated spaces for subsidized housing, two things Vancouver has failed to implement.

What Vancouver has effectively become is an inequitable city colonized by the rich.

However, there is still hope for Vancouver to repave its path down a more equitable road to development. Mark Townsend offers solutions: “How are we going to make our city more affordable? Some of those things people won’t like — rent controls, zoning things that are going to remain for low-income, and catering to who’s already here. So, to me, there needs to be a moratorium or a sober second thought to how we are going to move forward.”

Ultimately, these solutions that Mark isreferring to are subsidized housing, zoning and rent controls. This is where the Downtown Eastside comes in. Amid its dirty, druggy stigma, it is the only Vancouver region that has encouraged inclusive, equitable metropolis development. Subsidized housing and zoning have been observed in the Downtown Eastside for the last decade.

Non-profit organizations such as the Portland Hotel Society have purchased hotels in the Downtown Eastside and turned them into single room occupancies for lower-income individuals. The rate is set at $375 a month — the welfare allowance for housing. Housing priority is given to low-income individuals working in the city who have no home.

The provincial government has also hopped on this project, purchasing more hotels, and renovating them to accommodate as many people as possible. Not only does this project allow individuals to live in the city who could otherwise not afford it, but it also helps people get off the street.

The Downtown Eastside makes a remarkable effort to cater to the individuals living there. A prime example of this is InSite, the only legal drug injection site in North America. Just last week, InSite celebrated its 10-year anniversary.

The advent of a legal injection site has produced much federal and provincial controversy; however, in just the decade that InSite has existed, the life expectancy in the Downtown Eastside has risen. Between 2006 and 2011, the disparity between life expectancy in the DTES and the rest of British Columbia fell from 5.2 years to 2.3 years.

DTES5

Working with the Portland Hotel Society on East Hastings for 22 years, Mark Townsend states: “When I first started, 20 years ago, people were dying of AIDS, dying of overdoses; that’s why we came to be involved with an injection site, because so many people were dying. Healthcare has become more relevant and more attuned to the population that it is dealing with. In the old days you had to go to them, now they come to you, and they try and come to you in an appropriate, cultural way.”

However, health care opportunities in the Downtown Eastside haven’t always been so accessible. “In the old days, it was hard to get services,” Mark says. “We’d send people to services and they’d tell a woman with buzz cut hair that she needed to grow her hair long and wear lipstick. She would be ‘better’ if she did things a lady should. But that wasn’t the issue at all. Now people are being met much more where they are.”

The Downtown Eastside stands alone as Vancouver’s last hope at becoming an inclusive, metropolitan city.

Beyond the stigmatized, overtly negative portrayal of the Downtown Eastside, there exists a population of artists, teachers, entrepreneurs and more, living a middle-class lifestyle. Generally speaking, facilities such as InSite do not cater to their needs; however, local businesses and organizations have made a valiant effort to cater to everyone.

Take, for example, the Radio Station Café, the perfect place to enjoy a latte and catch up on some reading. From the vintage woodwork that lines the floor, to the vibrant fresh flowers that line the windowsills and entryway, to the friendly baristas and vast panini selection, the café wouldn’t be out of place in the Granville or Main Street area.

What distinguishes the Radio Station Café from other gentrification attempts in the East Side community is its inclusivity. While the café is attractive to middle-class residents in the community, it also encourages lower-income individuals to utilize its services.

The Radio Station Café is a non-profit operation that provides a cheap place to enjoy a coffee and a safe place to lounge for the afternoon. With its affordable prices and warm atmosphere, the Radio Station Café attempts to support all members of the Downtown Eastside community.

Save On Meats, another Downtown Eastside staple, began a meal token program in order to help the community’s less fortunate population. Customers are able to purchase $2.25 tokens that can be redeemed for breakfast sandwiches. Many have taken to handing out these tokens in lieu of cash to the area’s homeless population, in order to ensure that their money is spent on a nutritious hot meal.

On the other hand, young entrepreneurs are, by and large, opening businesses in the Downtown Eastside which only cater to the middle- and upper-class members of the neighbourhood, ostracizing the lower-income percentile. This type of gentrification encourages development by pushing out one class of people, not building an inclusive sense of community. Hence why recent gentrification attempts have been met with ardent protests.

Although the Downtown Eastside has not seen the same industrial, metropolitan expansion as other regions in Vancouver have, it has seen a different, more equitable development. The Downtown Eastside creates an affordable, inclusive community integrating various social classes. It is the only area in Vancouver that has promoted affordable living, making space for lower-income individuals to remain in the city. So maybe there is more to learn from the Downtown Eastside than we think.

On top of this, the development of Gastown, Yaletown, and other such ventures have left Vancouver with very little unindustrialized space. At this point in time, the only affordable living space is in the Downtown Eastside. The municipality or provincial government must take control of this land and distinguish it as an area that welcomes individuals of all incomes.

The Downtown Eastside stands alone as Vancouver’s last hope at becoming an inclusive, metropolitan hub, rather than an inequitable city for the rich and fortunate. With already-imposed subsidies on housing, zoning controls, and the inherent effort to integrate various groups of Vancouver residents, we have a lot to learn from the community.

So the next time you drive along East Hastings, don’t turn your nose up at the drug use and homelessness — consider the inspiring things that the community has achieved, and consider the role the Downtown Eastside will play in the future of Vancouver.