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Board shorts

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EIC
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No by-election to be held in the fall

Board voted against holding a by-election in fall 2013 to fill the position of URO as well as the position of Facultyof Communication, Arts, and Technology Representative. The decision goes against a recommendation made in April by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to fill the URO position by a by-election. The URO position is currently vacant, since the winner in the spring election, Alia Ali, was disqualified by the IEC because she was not registered as a student. The motion to have a by-election failed narrowly, with six board members for and seven against. Those opposed believed that the $14,000 price tag for a by-election would not be worth having a URO in place for the fall and spring semesters, while proponents cited transparency and legitimacy as reasons to hold the election.

Let them eat pasta

Board voted to approve entering into negotiations with campus restaurant Club Ilia for a spot in the MBC. The restaurant submitted a proposal for an express pasta bar, to be put in the Ladle’s old spot by the MBC food court. The SFSS has had difficulties finding a food service to put in the space, because of the lack of ventilation.

Club Ilia would prepare all their pasta at their main restaurant kitchen at Cornerstone, circumventing the issue. If an agreement is made, Ilia plans to provide cheap organic pasta plates, including whole wheat and gluten free options, ranging from $5.00 to $9.50.

Parking wars

By
EIC
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WEB-Parking Wars-Vaikunthe Banerjee

Parking at the SFU Burnaby campus is in for a major overhaul this fall, as development has resulted in a loss of 1000 spots for students and staff alike.

Plans for housing development by UniverCity on the Burnaby campus were finalized in March, 2013, to take place in what the university refers to as G Lot; however parking services had anticipated getting some of the space back by the fall. Instead, not only will G Lot be completely unavailable for parking, but B Lot extension (which is located north of Nestor’s beside the elementary school) is also being lost. The losses total almost 20 per cent of the university’s parking spaces.

“We always knew that we were going to lose these spaces for more development,” said David Agosti, Director of Parking Services at SFU. “But I guess because of changes in the housing market and such we were originally supposed to lose them gradually over a period of time, whereas now we’re losing them all at once.”

These losses will affect the around 700 students who normally purchase a G Lot parking permit, as well as the 100 plus students who use Visitor Lot 1 each day. The spaces being lost are some of the least expensive on campus, providing an additional challenge for students. G Lot permits usually sell for $52.27 per month, and the Visitor Lot 1 provides students with an ‘Early Bird’ rate of $3.25 for the whole day.

To alleviate the issues caused by the loss of the over 1000 spaces, Parking Services is currently in the consultation process of creating a Parking Pricing Proposal for the fall. Changes to the plan would include a two tier system that would give students the option of buying an indoor or an outdoor permit.

The outdoor permit would allow students to park in all outdoor lots, including visitor lots, and would sell for $69.88 per month — a price lower than the current B,C,D Lot prices but higher than the G lot price. The indoor permit would allow students to park in all lots (indoor, outdoor, and visitor), and would cost $95.29 per month — a price that is significantly lower than the previous West Mall, Convo Mall, and B, C, Reserved spots.

The Four Day a Week Permit as well as the UniverCity – Restricted and Unrestricted permits have been eliminated. Parking Services is determined to maintain a discounted daily rate lot, which when  located will be underneath the Discovery 1 building. Although it will cost $5 a day instead of $3.25, the area will have double the amount of spaces for students to park.

Despite these challenges, Agosti is confident that SFU will be able to accommodate its population: “We do think we have sufficient parking on campus because there are a number of spaces that are underutilised, so it is just a question of maximizing the use of every spot that’s remaining.”

Currently, there are many reserved spaces on campus that are used only intermittently throughout the week. By eliminating these reserved spots and lowering the prices of previously underutilised lots, Parking Services hopes that there will be enough space for everyone.

“I was in B Lot last semester and it was never full to capacity,” commented SFU student Emma Kehler. “It seems like a good idea to me, as far as I can tell at this point.”

Nevertheless, not all feedback has been positive: “There are some folks who are upset about losing their reserved spots,” said Agosti. “We think is more of a misunderstanding of how things will work, and so we’ve worked in terms of our responses to clarify what we think is going to happen based on what we see around campus.”

Students can contact Parking Services at [email protected] to comment on the upcoming changes, or visit the SFU Parking website to learn more. Parking Services will be going to the Board of Governors to get their plan approved for Sept. 1, and are eager to receive feedback from SFU students in the meantime. No matter the decision, students can be sure that change is imminent at Burnaby this fall.

“People will be inconvenienced, and we’re trying to minimize that,” explained Mark McLaughlin, Executive Director of Ancillary Services at SFU. “Some people will have to change their habits slightly, they might have to come a little earlier, walk a few more minutes or park in a spot they are not presently accustomed to . . . it’s a small price to pay to accommodate 1000 of our community who have no parking come September. We need all of SFU to pull together and help out.”

Turn and face the strange

By
Peak Web
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July 15 2013 copy

Sometimes it’s important to step back and ask yourself: “Why are we here?” Not in the cosmic sense, of course. What I mean is, why am I writing for a newspaper, and why are you reading one?

The standard answer might be something along the lines of “I’m writing for a newspaper because I want to transmit information, and you’re reading a newspaper because you want to receive it.” But without using the word “information,” what does this actually mean?

Suppose that you, like most people, don’t believe that Godzilla is real. In other words, you don’t expect to observe any signs of Godzilla’s existence. You don’t expect to see giant reptilian footprints or hear his distinctive roar, and you certainly don’t expect to meet him face to face. As a result, you don’t expect that you’ll have to prepare for any upcoming Godzilla attacks.

One day, you open the newspaper and read an article that says Godzilla is heading across the Pacific Ocean and straight for the Lower Mainland. After double-checking that this isn’t April Fools’ Day, reading this article changes your expectations. You might even start preparing yourself for a Godzilla attack, or, if you’re still skeptical, you might take that newspaper less seriously from that point onward. Either way, the article somehow causes a change in your behaviour.

“Change” is the operative word here. It’s the essence of information; if it’s useful, it should cause a change in your expectations and behaviour. At its most basic level, the purpose of reading a newspaper article is to improve your set of beliefs about the world, and that means that you have to be prepared to change your mind. Not every change is an improvement, but every improvement is necessarily a change.

This sounds obvious, but too often, we fail to appropriately change our beliefs upon learning new information. Changing your mind means admitting that you were wrong about something, and people will go great distances to avoid admitting an error. In the age of the Internet, chances are you can find a news source that caters to your particular biases, which gives nothing that will surprise you or force you to change your mind. This is a sure-fire recipe for leaving news audiences comfortable, complacent, and ignorant.

I’m sure some readers share the following experience with me: when I use Facebook, I sometimes find that my friends have posted links to opinions articles supporting a cause I know that they already agree with. Sometimes, I agree with the article too — and that’s the problem. When you read an article by someone who agrees with you, and share it with people who already agree with you, who actually benefits?

If you read something without changing your mind, or write something intended for people who already agree with you, you’ve wasted your time. All you’ve done is engage in a complex form of mental masturbation.

So, I return to my original question: Why are we here? I’m here out of the hope that my column causes someone else to notice this “preaching-to-the-choir” style of journalism and call it out for what it is. As to why you’re here, that’s a question you have to answer for yourself.

The 5 Most Annoyed People You’ll Meet on Public Transit

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EIC
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If you’ve ever ridden public transit you’ll know that there sure are a lot of annoyed people out there! Here’s a list of five of the most common types who are going to be just plain irritated by every inconsiderate and rude activity around them . . .

1. The “Quiet, No Headphones, Book Reader”

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One of the most annoyed people you’ll meet on any bus or Skytrain is the person quietly reading a book and not wearing any headphones.

This is the person who will be constantly scowling at you if you blast Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” at a volume that would only be suitable if it was intended for everyone to hear. On top of that they’re always silent and keep to themselves incessantly, trying not to bother anyone, but if someone is making noise eating dill pickle-flavoured rice cakes near them on a bus at 10am, even if they’re only doing it because they missed breakfast and were really hungry, they’ll always grit their teeth to themselves in annoyance.

2. The “Always Offers Seat to the Elderly” Person

SeatFinder_AlexOrtega

The person you’ll probably see shaking their heads to themselves while standing up on a Skytrain or bus more than anyone else is the dude who without fail will attempt to help older or handicapped riders have a more enjoyable trip.

This guy hardly ever sits down and never puts his feet up on another chair or takes up a whole seat for his backpack when there are fellow transit users around.  He’s also the guy you might be able to read as seething with anger if he sees you in the seat that has the “reserved for the elderly and disabled” sign and notices that you don’t bother to look up from your phone or blatantly act like your young, healthy legs deserve a rest more that an old lady with a walker. God, is this guy ever annoyed!

 

 

 

3. The “Trapped by Someone’s Bike” Person

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This is the person who you’re most likely going to overhear complaining to their friend in private after a Skytrain ride saying something like “I couldn’t get off at my stop because I was trapped by someone’s bike.”

This person is the kind of person who doesn’t bring a bike of their own on the Skytrain ever and probably knows that bicycles aren’t allowed during the hours in which their incident occurred, which makes him even more annoyed than other people on public transit! They’re usually also the person who has somewhere to be at an approximate time and can’t conveniently afford to miss their stop because a bike rider is restricting their ability to exit in a timely manner.

4. The “Bus Driver”

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Every bus always has one of them, believe me. You know, the person who always has to sit right up front and be in control of everything.

If a car doesn’t yield to the bus or a passenger doesn’t pay his fare you can always tell that they’re pretty irritated. This is the person who won’t always express their frustration out loud, but you can always see in their eyes that they are definitely one of the MOST ANNOYED people you’ll meet on public transit!

5. The “Irritated by Everyone Anyways” Person

PermaAnnoyed_AlexOrtega

 

This is the person you’ll probably see on every bus or Skytrain looking aggravated at everyone. Whether you’re eating, listening to loud music or breathing too quickly, it’s going to annoy them.

On the other hand though they’re also the person who will be that way no matter where they are. Sure, they’ll roll their eyes at people who put their feet up on seats even when the bus is empty but they have the same reaction when they see someone walking their dog down the street without the correct footwear. This person pretty much just hates everyone and that translates into their public transit experience as well.

Bard Reviews: Twelfth Night and Hamlet

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Peak Web
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Twelfth Night

Bard on the Beach’s modern adaptation delivers laughs

Set in 1913 at the seaside What You Will Hotel and Spa, this is a delightful version of Shakespeare’s classic comedy that emphasizes humour over melancholy. The beautiful set of topiaries, signposts, and bright white furniture, along with the flawless costumes and props brought to life this tale of love and mistaken identity, and the cast did justice to these memorable characters.

After being shipwrecked off the coast of Illyria, Viola (Rachel Cairns), disguised as the page Cesario, becomes a servant to Duke Orsino (Todd Thomson) and ends up falling in love with him. Orsino is in love with the hotel owner, Olivia (Jennifer Lines), but Olivia ends up falling for Cesario when he comes to declare his master’s love for her.

While this mixed up love triangle unfolds, Feste (Johnathon Young), the fool and lobby lounge singer, keeps everyone entertained while Olivia’s uncle Toby Belch (Bill Dow) and his friends Andrew Aguecheek (Richard Newman), Fabiana (Barbara Pollard), and Maria (Naomi Wright) play a nasty joke on the hotel manager, Malvolio (Allan Zinyk).

One major theme throughout this version is sexual innuendo, and there is even some partial nudity during a steamy sauna/pool scene. This was very effective in amplifying the gender confusion between Orsino and Cesario.

Young as Feste did a marvelous job and his musical antics were enjoyable, as he often led the others in song. It will be interesting to see him in a completely different role as Hamlet, also playing in Bard’s mainstage tent this season.

Zinyk’s performance as Malvolio also stood out. His reading of the forged letter declaring Olivia’s love for him was extremely enjoyable. He is portrayed as a more comical character in this production, eliciting less pity from the audience. While I still felt sorry for him, it seems that the other characters showed more compassion towards him in the final scene than I’ve seen in the past.

Lines was impeccable as Olivia, delivering her lines so naturally, and Dow as Toby Belch and Newman as his sidekick kept us laughing as the bumbling drunks. Having seen a few versions of Twelfth Night over the years, I have to say this one is by far my favourite. It is full of hilarity while maintaining emotionally affective and nuanced performances by the entire cast.

 

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Hamlet

The most beloved Shakespearean play gets a modern facelift

It was a bit hard to get used to the fact that this production features the characters using iPads and iPhones in many scenes, but the fact that it is set in present day Denmark and is still an extremely powerful story, speaks to the timeless nature of Shakespeare’s plays.

Hamlet is a huge challenge for any theatre company or director to take on, as they add to the multitude of adaptations and try to breathe new life into what is arguably Shakespeare’s most difficult and most studied work. Collaborators Kim Collier and Johnathon Young were able to meet this challenge with a bold modern version that is captivating all the way through.

As the audience filled the Mainstage Tent, Hamlet (Young) gazed out the sliding glass doors at the back of the tent, paced, and then laid down looking at his iPhone. Young was deeply in character before the play even began, and he held this during the entire three hours, delivering passionate soliloquies and portraying Hamlet’s madness brilliantly.

The speedy remarriage of his mother, Gertrude (Barbara Pollard), to his uncle, Claudius (Bill Dow), sends Hamlet into a fit of anger. After his father’s ghost sets him on a quest for revenge, he slowly becomes mad as he confronts the inhumanity of those around him and struggles with what it means to be alive. His love interest, Ophelia (Rachel Cairns), is confused when Hamlet suddenly rejects her and yells “get thee to a nunnery.” After Ophelia and her father, Polonius (Richard Newman), both meet tragic ends, Ophelia’s brother, Laertes (Todd Thomson), is set on his own revenge mission.

Playing with gender, Hamlet’s friend, Horatio, is played by Jennifer Lines, and Rosencrantz is Guildenstern’s girlfriend, played by Naomi Wright. The only other comical characters are the gravediggers (Duncan Fraser and Allan Zinyk) who sing a song while pretending their shovels are guitars. The music and sound design in this version suites the tone and setting very well, and it is also very modern, even including The Beatles’ “Revolution.” Adding to the technological focus, Hamlet uses a remote control to turn music on and off, but at times this seemed a bit distracting and cheesy.

The problem with the use of modern technology is that it sometimes came off as forced and overdone. There was also a scene where the dialogue said Hamlet had sent “letters,” so real letters were used as props, but it seemed odd that someone in England would send a letter to Denmark in 2013 when they could have just sent an email.

The costumes are largely grey, white, and black, and done in simple lines. The play within the play that Hamlet puts on to uncover Claudius’ guilt, The Murder of Gonzago, is done with puppets and projected onto a screen. Having waited years since I first started attending Bard on the Beach to see Hamlet, I was overjoyed when I heard it would be performed this season, and once again Bard on the Beach delivered an amazing show.

Senate votes to recognize TRC BC national event

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EIC
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WEB-TRC-Michael Swan-Flickr

Last Monday, SFU Senate voted to officially recognize Reconciliation Week, a week of events by separate organizations Reconciliation Canada and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC), which will take place from Sept. 16 to 22. Senate has granted academic amnesty to any student who wishes to miss classes to attend events during that week.  Professors are encouraged to not penalize students who hand in late assignments miss quizzes during that week.

The TRC is an organization whose mandate is to learn the truth about what happened to First Nations peoples at the hand of the Indian residential school system, which dates back to the 1870s and were notoriously abusive and caused a huge loss of identity for those put into the schools. The last residential school in Canada closed its doors in 1996.

Clay Gray, SFSS At-Large Representative and First Nation Student Association member, has been advocating around campus for an SFU-wide closure of all three campuses on Sept. 18 to honour the gathering of the TRC in Vancouver that week. The 18th is the opening ceremony of the TRC BC national event. UBC has already made a similar decision to cancel classes on that day to allow students to attend the TRC opening ceremonies.

Of his campaign, Gray emphasized the importance of “showing [that] the student body and community of SFU are aware of and support this healing and reconciliation process.” He added, “people should understand that this isn’t just an aboriginal issue, this is an issue for all people.” Gray received letters of support from TSSU, CUPE 3338, GSS, APSA, all the campus rotunda groups, and several university professors.

Dr. Jon Driver, SFU VP Academic, spoke on behalf of SFU administration during the senate meeting, and proposed not to close the school for that one day, but instead to recognize the entire week as “a special week.”

The motion proposed by Driver at senate read: “In recognition of the unique national importance of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC), and specifically the BC national event to be held in Vancouver this fall, senate supports the designation of Sept. 16 to 22, 2013, as reconciliation week at Simon Fraser University.

“Senate encourages all instructors to accommodate without academic penalty any students who wish to participate in TRC and Reconciliation Canada events and activities during that week. Senate also encourages instructors to incorporate material relevant to the history of residential schools and the reconciliation process into their courses.”

Opinions from other senators were widely varied, ranging from believing that no recognition should be made at all, to wanting to cancel classes on the proposed day and recognize the entire week. In the end, no amendments were made to the motion, and it passed with seven senators opposed, most of whom advocated for the cancellation of classes as opposed to the recognized week.

In an interview prior to the Senate meeting, Driver expressed that SFU administration was reluctant to close the school, for both practical and philosophical reasons. “We haven’t yet seen a full schedule of activities for the reconciliation week . . . so we actually don’t know anyway which would be an appropriate day to close,” Driver said. He also cited scheduling of exams and planned renovations during winter break as reasons against cancelling classes.

Besides those practical reasons, Driver said, “The more important issue for us is we don’t think cancelling classes or closing the university is the right way to acknowledge the reconciliation process . . . We think we can make a bigger impact on SFU students and staff if we, first of all, ensure that events take place on our campuses, and secondly, that we will certainly be looking to find ways so that students who want to participate in events that are off-campus will not receive any sort of academic penalty for late work.”

Of the decision, Gray said, “I feel it was really positive. The discussion was an hour-long discussion . . . so to have that kind of debate there in itself is positive . . . Hopefully that discussion will motive [the senators] to continue the dialogue in their personal life and professional life.

“Senate also didn’t limit it, saying individual professors couldn’t cancel class. So if any professor does feel like they want to recognize Sept 18, the opening day of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, for its importance, they can still cancel class,” Gray continued. “I would encourage those professors that did feel like that but didn’t see the vote go the way they wanted to take that action themselves.”

Apply to become a Proofreader!

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EIC
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The Peak‘s proofreader is responsible for finding factual, typographical, and stylistic problems in articles. The position is paid $85 per week. Applicants can fill out the form below or submit a paper copy to the Peak offices at MBC 2900. Candidates are invited to make a one-minute presentation on their qualifications at the Peak offices at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 26th, and may face questions; voting will then proceed until 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 2nd. Anyone who has been published in at least two issues this summer is eligible to vote, but any SFU student may apply.

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Apply to become a Peak Columnist!

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EIC
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The Peak‘s columnists get guaranteed space in the paper on alternating weeks for one semester, and are paid $200 at the end of their term. Two columnists will be elected per semester; the one with the higher total of votes will decide whether to write a series of six or seven pieces, and the lower total will get the other set of spaces.

To nominate yourself for a Fall 2013 column, you must be a registered student of SFU in that semester, and you must fill out either the form below or a paper form in the Peak office, MBC 2900. Columnist applicants will have the opportunity to make a one minute pitch at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 17 at the Peak offices, and may face questions. Voting will then proceed until 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, July 24. Anyone who has been published in at least two issues during the Summer 2013 semester is eligible to vote, and will be contacted by election officers with their ballot.

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Apply to be The Peak’s Photo Editor!

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EIC
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0

To apply to be The Peak’s Photo Editor for one semester, fill out the form below. For those who can attend, applicants are invited to give a brief presentation of their plans and qualifications at the Peak office, MBC 2900, at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, July 10. Voting will then be open for one week. Contact [email protected] for more information.

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Peakcast: Gender binary

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EIC
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See what some SFU students have to say about gender binary and the issues it presents

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Simon Fraser University’s independent student newspaper since 1965.

Contact us: [email protected]

© The Peak Publications Society 1965-2024

Simon Fraser University’s independent student newspaper since 1965.

Contact us:
[email protected]

© The Peak Publications Society 1965-2024