With the death of our dear printer, we set out upon the only appropriate course of action.
Have an obituary entry? Fire off an email to [email protected]
Created by Brandon Hillier
Hidden spaces on Burnaby campus
There is something about hidden spaces that makes me feel all cozy and warm inside. As a commuter student, I am up at SFU’s Burnaby campus for my classes only, and as soon as they are done I bolt out to catch the 145 bus before having to mingle with the swarm of other undergraduates who are trying to do the same.
On a not-so-special day, walking through the AQ, I thought to myself “where the heck am I going to study for the next hour?” I found myself walking slowly past the SFU Gallery, and lo and behold, a white mass was unveiled. I was not so sure what to make of this scene, but to me it looked like a huge white fort encompassing nearly the entire room — and two others, like myself, had also discovered it.
A boy and a girl were sitting on top of the structure with a Persian carpet laid underneath them, their heads nearly grazing the ceiling. Enthralled at this discovery, though slightly confused, I took delight in seeing comfy grey and red pillows strewn along the white painted wood deck. It made me want to just sit there — and study of course, in my new magical place.
people are asked to come and activate the space, experience and play in the space.”
Melanie O’Brian, curator and director of the SFU Gallery
There is an entire room inside the fort structure, hidden away from view. What visitors find here is another makeshift gallery inside the fort that you have to climb into. Paintings such as John Innes’s controversial 1843 James Douglas Building the Hudson’s Bay Post at Victoria, as well as porcelain plates and miniature bronze figures adorn the inside walls, all of which come from SFU’s massive art collection.
Samuel Roy-Bois’s latest exhibition Not a new world, just an old trick is about architecture and space. Indeed, this piece taps into the nostalgia of a long lost childhood with innocent days of exploration and a sense of curiosity. Director and curator of the gallery, Melanie O’Brian, says, “There is an activity happening in this gallery and people are asked to come and activate the space, experience and play in the space.” One has to literally walk around the entire white fort structure to see what she means.
With most galleries, there is a “do not touch” sign hung amidst the displays, but this installation asks you to directly engage with it. “You are allowed to climb on it, it’s assessable, it feels intimate — it feels like a fort,” says O’Brian.
Not only is Samuel Roy-Bois a recent recipient of the notable 2012 Vancouver Mayor’s Award for Public Art, there are also many impressive works within his installation that have been collected by SFU for over 50 years. “The collection has almost 5,500 works, mostly hidden, although 49 are out on display, hand chosen by the artist himself.”
Of Roy-Bois, O’Brian says, “He is interested in bringing the viewer through a succession of roles and positions, rather than as a classic and passive spectator.”
Evidently, no matter how long you have been going to the Burnaby campus there is always something new to find and discover. Take a break from your usual hangouts spaces and try something new. Believe me, you won’t regret it.
Heteronormativity is everywhere: continued
In the first installation of this column, I discussed my own experience of heteronormativity in the heterosexual world, and why it is harmful to queer people. In this installment, I will address the internalized heteronormativity that many queer people — myself included — have to grapple with.
This internalized heteronormativity is something I have heard queer people outright deny. It’s simply not possible, in their minds, to be both queer and heteronormative. This is simply not the case. The damage done by heteronormativity is compounded when a queer person internalizes it, as I did at a young age.
I believed that one day I would find a nice, effeminate young man.
Although I was a vocal queer activist in my youth, I was unable to be open with myself or others about my own sexuality. I had always known that I was interested in women, but I did not tell anyone until high school, when I fell in love with Sabrina. She was a student a year younger than I was: tall, pretty, and somehow different from her friends.
One of my best friends, Rachel, had asked why I never had crushes. I said that I did, but that I kept them to myself. She was hurt, as she always told me about her latest love interest, no matter how trifling he ultimately was. I decided to fix this at lunch hour.
“Hey, Rachel,” I said, catching the attention of the other two members of our clique as we stood in a circle. “I have a crush.” I could not help but smile as her eyes widened.
“Yeah? Who?”
“Sabrina van Heusen.” I was unsure how to preface such a shock. My friends, Rachel included, had often asked me if I was gay due to my disinterest in boys, so I knew this would radically alter their image of me. When asked to clarify, I told them I was bisexual, which they thought very cosmopolitan.
Rachel was appeased, not only because she had the information she sought, but because she had “always wanted a gay friend.” I was embarrassed by this tokenism, but I did not have terms like “heteronormative” with which to articulate my discomfort. I was happy that she was happy — I was accepted.
Damage done by heteronormativity is compounded when a queer person internalizes it.
The news spread like wildfire: a grade nine girl had a crush on the tall grade eight girl in the Emily the Strange T-shirt. I was furious with Rachel, who meekly conceded that she had told a handful of people about her new gay friend.
I was grateful that no one knew who it was. When another girl was outed by fellow students two years later, she was not so lucky. A school counsellor told her to suppress her nature in order to preserve her future, as it was “just a phase.”
I was socialized by events such as this to believe that, although queerness was fine at a distance, it was simply something I could not be. I owed it to myself, my friends, and my family to be heterosexual. I believed that one day I would find a nice, effeminate young man who I could settle for, which never happened. My self-esteem was on a downward trajectory.
Coming out is something I have never regretted. I out myself whenever someone misidentifies me as heterosexual, and I hope they think twice when making assumptions about others as a result. Given the heteronormative atmosphere I — and all queer people — are raised in, living openly is exhausting.
I hope this article not only gives hope to queer Peak readers, but reminds heterosexual readers that their words have the power to remedy this.
The joy of eating with others
For the past four months, my home has been the meeting place of a weekly dinner party. The dining room becomes filled with close friends (sometimes too many), pots are filled with starchy pasta, and counters are covered in basil, garlic skins, and bottle upon bottle of wine. This may sound like a nightmare to some, but I love it.
Ever since I was a child, I’ve always loved big dinners with a lot of people around, talking loudly while passing the salt, and just generally enjoying each other’s company. Unfortunately for me, my family was always rather small, so this was a rare occurrence. Now that I have my own home, though, I try to have people over as often as I can. This kind of gathering brings together two of my most favourite things: food and good conversation.
In a time when being busy is glorified, iPhones are intimate confidants, and food is prepared quickly and eaten even quicker, there is something satisfying and rewarding about taking the time to sit down and eat, slowly. It doesn’t even matter if the food is particularly good (give me Chinese takeout, for all I care). What’s important is that your day — and the day of your real-life confidants — is slowed down a bit and you have a moment to genuinely connect, in person.
There is something rewarding about taking time to sit down and eat — slowly.
When my boyfriend and I first started inviting people over for dinner once a week, it was a small group, around four or five of us, all connected by a love of literature and art. This was what the group started out as: a place for us to share things we were working on, or just discuss things we’d read and seen. As the group expanded and changed, so did our conversations. It no longer mattered what the content was, it was the form we all grew attached to.
These nights soon brought out 11 or 12 of our friends, and we had to build an attachment for our table just to fit everyone shoulder to shoulder. One night, a large amount of pasta burned in the pot and I had to run out and buy more. Forgetting my keys, I was locked out of our apartment building, buzzing the front door continuously for 15 minutes (the buzzer goes to my boyfriend’s cell phone, which was on silent).
However, despite this mishap and others — namely involving several broken wine glasses — the evenings were a good opportunity to see friends and sit around a table and eat for hours.
Our Monday nights brought us together when normally, our busy lives would keep us from seeing anyone for weeks at a time. They were always set aside as the time to gather, and it was something we all looked forward to: starting out our weeks on a high note full of pasta, tomato sauce, and red wine.
Now that the semester has started again, and my boyfriend has started grad school, it’s harder for it to be a weekly occurrence, but we are still going to try to welcome people into our home every now and then for good food and company — for our souls and our bellies. Only this time, it’s going to be soup.
An open letter to “bros”
I’m writing this to all the “bros” out there who don’t understand why the UBC Frosh chant was so horrific. Bringing up rape culture clearly makes some of us upset. Every time something like the UBC frosh chant is exposed, the bro-militia rolls out to offer their ill-informed opinions. I don’t just mean hate speech, I also mean comments like, “I know rape is bad, but people are making way too big of a deal out of the chant.”
I used to be a “bro,” too: I used to laugh at rape jokes, I used to sexualize women to their faces, I even once said oppressive things about a women’s group that I felt was threatening my privilege. But now I’m here to tell you to shut up.
The Frosh chant was a manifestation of rape culture and it perpetuated rape. Period. I’m not going to explain why the chant is so wrong to you, I shouldn’t have to. There’s already so much information about why it is so wrong, but you probably choose to ignore it. You are probably not interested in the facts; you choose to deny the evidence because you don’t want to claim responsibility for yourself.
Rapists aren’t bogeymen hiding in bushes — they’re family members, teachers, friends, and lovers. People who rape are just like you and I, and if one in three women has experienced sexual violence, then I guarantee you it’s likely you have shook hands with someone who has committed sexual assault.
Maybe, as a “bro,” you’ve participated in something like the Frosh chant, made rape jokes, or used derogatory language to talk about women, or perhaps you’ve even committed an act of sexual violence. When we defend activities like the recently exposed Frosh chant, we contribute to a culture that normalizes rape, trivializes the act, and blames the victim. But I bet you hadn’t thought of that.
You choose to deny the evidence because you don’t want to claim responsibility.
When a woman approaches you on the street, I can bet it is not her intentions or your safety that you think about. You don’t know how women experience the world — probably because many of them don’t feel comfortable telling you — and you’ve never even thought to ask. While you’re using your big words to defend violence, you don’t know anything about what it’s like to be half of the population, you only know what it’s like to be a bro.
The fact that you feel the need to defend rape culture makes me feel sorry for you, because perhaps it is your insecurity and self-doubt that make you say such things when confronted about them. It’s unfortunate that society puts such unrealistic expectations on masculinity and teaches us to be violent. It’s unfortunate that many of us never had a proper male role model.
Men need feminism too, but you probably don’t know what I mean by that. Being a feminist man isn’t about brownie points, it’s about being a decent human being, learning about yourself, and treating women like human beings and not objects.
Your emotions are your responsibility, so the next time you get that squirmy, slimy feeling inside when you find yourself confronted by something like a critique of the UBC Frosh chant, do not use your oppressive voice to state your oppressive opinion. All opinions are not made equal, and yours is not only wrong, but it’s offensive, hurtful, and ignorant — as ignorant as one is when one is not the victim.
You have no right to an audience for your excuses, your trivializing remarks, your statements made in defense, your offensive commentary, your claims of injustice, or your hate speech. Instead of having a temper tantrum, allow yourself to feel the shame you feel in that moment. Trust me, it’s good for you; you’ll not only grow from it but you will also spare making a complete fool out of yourself.
New SFU social networking site connects users anonymously
Brian Park, an SFU software engineering student, spent his summer designing and programming SkaleFree, a free social networking website made specifically for SFU students.
The site, www.skalefree.net, is designed to give students the ability to meet with other students with common interests for purposes ranging from forming study groups, to selling textbooks, to simple friendship.
“A big part of university really is about social networking and the social experience,” said Park. “We just felt, even though there were a lot of different ways you can meet people at SFU . . . the way you can meet people is still the traditional way that you would in the past.”
He continued, “We wanted to take the luck out of it . . . to give people control over who they meet and their own life goals within the university context.”
On SkaleFree, users create a free profile with just an email address and user name, and can create and respond to posts seeking study groups or friends. The user profiles, as well as the posts, include as much or as little information as the user wants, like their personal interests or the classes they are taking.
SkaleFree separates itself from other social networking sites by not promoting the creation of an online image, such as on Facebook or Twitter. According to Park, this image reduces other sites’ ability to effectively encourage social networking.
“Trying to make your image look good,” according to Park, reduces its “use as a social networking tool . . . people are starting to feel like it’s just for entertainment.” SkaleFree does not allow photos, and encourages you to give only “the information you need to share in order to effectively find the right person.”
SkaleFree separates itself from other social networking site by not promoting the creation of an online image.
In response to the potential problems of anonymous meetings through the site, it employs a reputation system, in which users can be voted up or down by others, such as on the large international social networking site, Reddit.
Each profile can only vote on another’s reputation once, requiring users to build substantial relationships with other individual users, says Park. In this way, people who might “use the site in dishonest ways,” or “trolls,” are prevented, and users can gain “social power,” which they could use to become chosen before others for selling textbooks, for instance.
This solution is itself an experiment, according to Park, who describes himself as being flexible on the site’s design, “Until people actually use it and give us feedback . . . then we’ll see what the problems are and make adjustments.”
Park, who completed a Bachelor’s degree in marketing at UBC before coming to SFU, insists that monetization through the website “is not necessary. I’m not looking for money.” It includes no advertising, and he says that the only advertising he would allow in the near future is that which is school-related, such as on-campus services.
Park can see the site expanding to other universities and communities. He asked, “If its helping people’s lives in the university context, then why not in other universities, or in Vancouver in general?”
At SFU, Park sees the often-commented upon “commuter-school problem” that he wants to change with SkaleFree. “You should want to come to SFU not just for class, but to meet people,” he stated.
Clan duo make 2014 CFL draft fall prospects list
The Clan football program has a rich history in the Canadian Football League, with alumni signing professional contracts almost every year, representing the school and the team in the highest level of football competition offered in Canada.
This year appears to be no different, as two SFU athletes find themselves in the top-15 of the CFL draft rankings. Seniors Casey Chin and Matthias Goossen, both British Columbia natives, made the Fall 2014 cut, ranked 12th and 15th respectively in early September.
With Simon Fraser now a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), recruiters’ eyes are turning more and more in the direction of the sole Canadian school in the league. As a new era begins for the school on the hill, the importance of feeding the CFL becomes even greater.
“There is definitely more pressure to be sending guys to the CFL now,” explained Clan head coach Dave Johnson. “Being able to offer the NCAA experience in Canada is such a draw for young talent, and as we begin to attract the best players in the country, we need to prepare them for potential CFL careers.”
That spirit and passion for the sport in Canada is what excites Johnson as he talks about the Clan’s CFL ties, and the trust that he has in Simon Fraser’s ability to offer a unique opportunity to student-athletes is unwavering.
“We are the only NCAA school in Canada, and I believe that our team needs to be comprised of a Canadian core . . . we aim to develop players to a point where professional scouts are looking at them for the future.”
And that tradition runs deep, with over 140 Clan alumni having signed with CFL teams since the school’s opening in 1965. In 1970 alone, 23 players from the 9-0 Clan squad were drafted into the league. It was certainly a unique year, but very indicative of the quality of players that have moved through the program.
“I have CFL scouts coming to watch games, and review game tapes; they can’t talk to the guys but they tell me that we really have a different calibre of player here. We are strong, we are tough and that is evident when the draft does come around,” Johnson continued.
With the 2013 season having begun, CFL scouts have certainly not overlooked the talent on Terry Fox Field. Both Chin and Goossen are deserving of the accolade, but equally humble, crediting much of their personal successes to their teammates and the program.
“It was exciting for sure to be recognized, and I have put in a lot of hard work during my time here, but nothing is set in stone,” said Goossen, an offensive lineman. “Right now I am focussed on this season with the Clan, so maybe after our season is done I can turn my attention to the draft, but right now we have work to do.”
Chin, a linebacker, had similar comments when asked about the accolade, explaining how important the team’s success is to the individual athletes that comprise it. “I work hard and try to do the right things on and off the field,” he mentioned. “It’s neat to be on the list but it is really about the team, and as we do better the more they notice individual players.”
Johnson is confident that following the 2013 collegiate season even more Clan athletes will be in consideration for professional contracts. “We have a strong senior class this season and I can see upwards of five guys having shots at the CFL from this year’s graduating class alone.” He continued, “We have great calibre athletes on the field which just pushes everyone else to become stronger to learn to play with and against them in
every practice.”
Chin agrees, and while he was appreciative of making the initial draft rankings list, he knows that his team’s talent runs extremely deep. “There are a lot of guys on our team that could have been on that list, Matthias and I were just lucky enough to have been chosen.”
As the Clan continue to improve within the Great Northwest Athletic Conference and make history as the first Canadian institution in the NCAA, the pressure to feed Canadian football programs will only increase, but Johnson and the Clan are prepared for the challenge.
“We offer a great, well-rounded program here. Being in the NCAA is a completely one-of-a-kind experience and combine that with the outstanding education that our student-athletes receive, it gives our student-athletes so many options. Our hope is that everyone can continue their athletic careers if they so desire, and our program’s success has and will continue to make that possible in the CFL.”
Letters to the Humour Editor
Dear Editor,
Do you think you’d ever do a “Letters to the Editor” segment in the humour section, you know where people write in questions and you answer them and then you publish that?
– Sharon Berkley, Vancouver, BC
Hey Sharon,
Thanks for the letter! I don’t think I’ll ever do a “Letters to the Editor” segment. It just seems like something you’d only have to resort to if you were really out of ideas and I think that I’m a little better than that.
-Brad McLeod, Humour Editor
* * * * *
Dear Editor,
Could you at least publish my letter and your response to it and then label it “Letters to the Humour Editor?” I think that would be kind of funny.
– Sharon Berkley, Vancouver, BC
Hey Sharon,
Although I agree that would be “kind of funny,” which is what I strive for, it still seems like something only someone who was very desperate for content would do. I don’t think that will ever happen to me.
-Brad McLeod, Humour Editor
* * * * *
Dear Editor,
I know what you’re probably going to say but the exchange we’ve had so far would be funny to publish as a “Letters to the Editor” segment. You know, just me suggesting it and you resisting it, and then it’s funny because people will see that you did end up publishing and it be like ‘wow he must actually be desperate despite saying he’s not.’
– Sharon Berkley, Vancouver, BC
Hey Sharon,
Again, this isn’t a bad idea, it’s just that I don’t think I need to resort to this kind of thing. I have plenty of great content and don’t need to do this kind of thing. However, if I were to do it, I think I’d need to write a couple of fake letters myself to go in between our exchange that had more obvious jokes. You know, just to break it up a little. But again, I don’t envision it ever coming to this.
-Brad McLeod, Humour Editor
* * * * *
Dear Editor,
What do you think would happen if Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, considered the fastest man in the world, were to spend time with American sprinter Tyson Gay, who is considered the second fastest man on earth?
-Tony O’Toole, Kalamazoo, MI
Hey Tony,
I think they would be fast friends.
-Brad McLeod, Humour Editor
* * * * *
Fig. 1: Fast Friends
* * * * *
Dear Editor,
I think you’re the greatest, someday I’d like to grow up and be just like you. Anyway, I was just wondering, could you think of a funny name for an Adam Sandler themed board game? I’m asking for a friend.
– John ‘Johnny’ Smith, Poughkeepsie, NY
Hey Johnny,
Thanks for reading! No problem, Sandlers of Catan.
-Brad McLeod, Humour Editor
* * * * *
Fig. 2: Sandlers of Catan
* * * * *
Dear Sharon,
Hey, just wondering if you wanted to send any more letters. I still don’t think I’ll ever do a “Letters to the Humour Editor” segment but you know . . . just in case it might be nice to have a few more.
-Brad McLeod, Humour Editor
* * * * *
Dear Sharon,
It’s been a couple days and I haven’t heard back from you, it’d be great to get some letters. I’m not desperate for content or anything . . . I just decided this is actually a really funny idea. You know, you suggesting the “Letters to the Humour Editor” segment and me rejecting it, that’s hilarious. But, I just don’t think it’ll really work unless it goes on for a long time. Please write back.
-Brad McLeod, Humour Editor
* * * * *
Dear Sharon,
Any letters? I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings before by rejecting the “Letters to the Editor” segment, I just thought I was going along with the joke. Please write some letters. I’m not desperate, it’s just a really funny idea, you were right!
– Brad McLeod, Humour Editor
* * * * *
Dear Sharon,
Okay, I’ve been lying! I am desperate for content; I always have been! I NEED to do a “Letters to the Humour Editor” segment! Seriously, I’ve got pretty much nothing else. Please, please, please write another letter to the editor asking us to do a “Letters to the Editor” segment! Come on, answer me! I can’t do this on my own!
– Brad McLeod, Humour Editor
* * * * *
Dear Editor,
I’m glad you’ve finally come around on the “Letters to the Editor” segment. I didn’t think you’d ever have to resort to anything like this, I mean how hard can it be to fill a few measly pages every week? I’m pretty sure I could come up with enough ideas.
– Sharon Berkley, Vancouver, BC
Hey Sharon,
Thank you for writing another letter! This job isn’t as easy as it seems, it’s hard to come with ideas every week. Your “Letters to the Editor” idea was good though so feel free to pitch any of your other ideas, it would really help me out.
– Brad McLeod, Humour Editor
* * * * *
Dear Editor,
I think I’ve helped you out enough already. Now that I know how little content you’ve got I think I might go another route with my ideas . . .
– Sharon Berkley, Vancouver, BC
Hey Sharon,
What do you mean?
– Brad McLeod, Humour Editor
* * * * *
Hey Brad,
If I have more ideas than you, like this brilliant “Letters to the Editor” gag, why should I be writing to you?
-Sharon Berkley, Humour Editor
Dear Editor,
Wait, how the hell did this happen?
-Brad McLeod, North Delta, BC
* * * * *
Hey Brad,
Thanks for the letter! Do you think you could send me a few more? I’m not desperate or anything I just think this “Letters to the Editor” thing might be able to take up a whole page if we have a little more back and forth.
-Sharon Berkley, Humour Editor
* * * * *
Hey Brad,
Goddammit you were right! I’m out of ideas! Can you send me another letter, please? I really think with some pictures this could be a full page! Please, you’d really be helping me out!
-Sharon Berkley, Humour Editor
* * * * *
Hey Brad,
Whatever, I quit.
-Sharon Berkley, Humour Editor
* * * * *
Dear Editor,
Have you ever thought about doing a “Letters to the Editor” segment in the humour section?
-Stan Simpson, Burnaby BC
Hey Stan,
Back the fuck off, YOU’RE NOT STEALING MY JOB!
– Brad McLeod, Humour Editor
Clan continue dominance
It’s hard to improve on a perfect record to start a season, but SFU’s men’s soccer team may have done just that last week. After two close games on the road against California State University-East Bay and the Holy Names Hawks, the Clan flipped the switch at home.
Admittedly, it took a bit longer than one may have hoped, as the Clan fell behind early in their home opener against Hawaii Pacific.
“The guys that started the game played great,” said head coach Alan Koch of his team. “But unfortunately we went a goal down. [HPU] scored on a great free kick, it’s one of their biggest strengths. I give our guys a lot of credit. They dealt with the adversity and stepped up to the plate. The guys who started the game kept playing well and the guys who came in off the bench took it to a whole other level.”
Jovan Blagojevic was one those players to come off the bench, entering the game in the 33rd minute. Seconds after stepping onto the pitch, the junior from Coquitlam tied the game at one apiece. Before the first half was over, sophomore Colin Jacques put his team up 2–1, a lead the Clan would not relinquish, winning the match by the same score.
“I’ve got to thank my teammates,” said Jacques of his game winner after the game. “They really tired out the [opponent’s] starters in the early going. We came in with fresh legs. We were able to take it to them and score a couple goals.”
Things were a bit different in the Clan’s second home game of the season. “A couple of goals” would have been sufficient. Instead, the Clan fell just one short of double digits in a 9 – 0 romp of the Trinity Lutheran Eagles last Saturday in the last game of their non-conference schedule.
The game winner came early — a penalty kick tally from senior Carlo Basso in the first minute. It was lights out from there. The eagles would score an own goal, and Jacques would make it 3–0 before 30 minutes had been played.
The score actually stayed reasonable until the 70th minute, when the Clan would tally three more goals over a 10-minute span. North Vancouver’s Jason van Blerk scored on a header off a corner, Glenn Paden scored his first as a member of the Clan off another penalty kick, and diminutive senior Lucas Ferritto scored his third of the season to make it 6–0.
And in the final 10 minutes of the game, Ferritto would add another, and Paden two more to complete the hat trick, and the scoring. Paden would later be named Red Lion Player of the Week in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) for his troubles.
“We have all sorts of different guys who can score so it was nice to see so many players get on the scoresheet and it should give them confidence heading into conference play,” said Koch after the blowout victory.
It should be enough to give the hard-to-please Koch a little confidence too, as is the play of his goalkeepers: perhaps lost in the nine goals is that his keeper didn’t give up any — the Clan’s first shutout of the season.
“All three of our goalkeepers have played now and have played very well,” he said. All three of the Clan keepers are new to the team this year. “I give Toscanny [Pandu-Oesman] a lot of credit. He was very composed, his decision-making was very good, his communication was good. I hope as a goalkeeping tandem they can keep giving us strong performances.”
The same could be said for the whole team. Entering the GNAC portion of their schedule, the Clan look poised to make another run at the top spot in the conference, and even the NCAA Division II championship. After their 4–0 start, the squad has climbed from third to second and now to first in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America rankings. The team obviously won’t pot nine goals every game, but it shows what a powerhouse this team can be.
Kickoff Concert rocks Convo Mall
There was a palpable curiosity in and around convocation mall on Sept. 13, as tall blue event gates were set up to fence in the night’s festivities. The SFSS ventured to host “the biggest party at SFU,” with their Kickoff Concert, featuring performances from DJ acts Carl Louis & Martin Danielle (CLMD), Dzeko and Torres, Mat Zo, and a lucky SFU student who won the DJ contest. The event boasted a turnout of approximately 1800 people.
As he has been coined on Facebook, “Party President” Humza Khan and the SFSS worked tirelessly to make this incredibly ambitious event a reality and to provide it at a student friendly price, too. It was no easy task, especially since, as Khan said, “Nothing like this had ever happened before at SFU.”
An attempt was made in 2010 with the K’naan concert, an event that ended with a no-show from the headliner and hundreds of students requesting refunds. Khan denied to comment on the profitability of the Kick-Off Concert, as the SFSS is still in the process of paying for various services related to the event.
“We are still receiving a lot of the invoices, so an exact number is hard to measure, but the good news is that the event’s expenses are projected to be well within the budget we had prepared, showing that the management of the budget was extremely effective,” said Khan.
Nothing like this had ever happened before at SFU.”
– Humza Khan, SFSS president
Before the party was in full swing, students had the opportunity to visit the various booths set up around the perimeter of the venue, including the Pepsi Taste Challenge, Spirit Bear Coffee Co., information on Build SFU, as well as a free Kijiji photo tent with purple accessories as props.
To begin the event, Sajjid Lakhani, the winner of the SFU DJ contest, had the opportunity to open up the show. The first few acts earlier on in the afternoon enjoyed an audience of few people, but what the event lacked in numbers, it made up for in enthusiasm. A small crowd of approximately 30 people gathered up front as Carl Louis & Martin Danielle (CLMD) took the stage.
By the time Dzeko and Torres were well into their set, a huge crowd of students were ready to fully embrace the mantra “Eat, sleep, rave, repeat,” with arms in the air and feet that barely touched the ground.
Typical of any large event, on-site security could be seen handling a few medical situations that arose throughout the night. Close to 9:00 p.m. — an hour before the intended end time — there was an abrupt interruption in programming caused by some minor technical difficulties; however, the technical staff quickly saw to the issue and the show was back on within minutes, allowing Mat Zo to finish the show off strong.
Khan expressed that he was very happy with the event. “I have never seen so much positive feedback from students on any SFSS project, ever since I’ve been at SFU,” he stated. “There was a sense of pride amongst SFU students and the school spirit on display was very heartwarming.”
Concert-goers ranged from first year students, attending this event as one of their first and highly formative experiences of SFU culture, to more established students giving SFU events another shot.
“Historically we’ve had a bad reputation with these shows,” Khan stated, and continued to say that once people have seen the success of this event, “that stigma will be removed.”
“I am really proud [that] my team and I have achieved something no one in SFU’s recent history has achieved,” said Khan. “Since most of the basic groundwork has been done already, and we now have the university’s confidence in us, I am sure that hosting such events will be easier in the future.”
