Left of the Dial

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September 16, 2013

The CJSF offices seem out of time. Amid shag carpeting, countless stickers and posters, and a couple of well lived-in couches, one has to imagine that the space hasn’t changed much since the radio station was first established. If I hadn’t known better, I’d have thought that I had stumbled straight into the late 1970s.

The secluded room in which I’m interviewing David Swanson, the station’s Program Coordinator, doubles as a recording studio, and boasts a large, upholstered single couch, as well as a mess of stray wires and spare CDs. I’m instantly at home. “In a commuter campus, there’s a lot of people that just come up, do their classes, and leave,” David tells me. “[CJSF] is a reason to stay, to make friends.”

But certainly making friends isn’t the only reason to stay — what about their storage room, which features tens of thousands of CDs, cassettes and vinyl records? This room, which is under lock and key at all times, functions as a time capsule as much as it does a music library. The records are in good condition, if a little worn from repeat plays, and the station takes advantage of their diverse collection. “Regarding music, we have everything from death metal to classical music to EDM to local indie rock,” says David. “It’s all different, all the time.”

The CJSF doesn’t just play music, either. They also feature talk shows and multimedia segments that combine spoken word with musical interludes. “Where commercial radio is music or talk, we’re music and talk,” says David. “We get very diverse. Anywhere from environmental rights issues, to LGBTQ rights issues, critical urban discussion, and lots of arts interviews with local artists, Canadian artists and international artists as well.”

Beginning as a music club in SFU’s early days before setting their sights on radio, the station’s first DJs would broadcast unlicensed shows via speakers covertly placed around campus. Eventually they earned a spot on cable FM, and their signal began to attract listeners from across the Lower Mainland. However, despite repeated pleas to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, they didn’t receive an FM frequency until 2002. Even then, the staff of the CJSF could never have prepared for the radical switch from cable to wireless.

“All of a sudden, it got a lot more real,” says Magnus Thyvold, the CJSF Station Manager. “If you’re only available in a limited and somewhat difficult to access way, that’s going to affect your listenership. But once you’re on FM, you can just tell your friends to tune in to CJSF on the radio, and then people listen. They’re calling you up, and you’re getting feedback.” Magnus, who has been the CJSF’s head honcho since 2000, says the move to FM was a necessity. “You’ve got to be easy to access. If people have to do a lot of special stuff to listen, they often won’t take the trouble to find the station.”

We have everything from death metal to classical music to EDM to indie rock. It’s all different, all the time.”

– David Swanson, Program Coordinator of the CJSF

The station stands apart from the corporate stations they share a frequency with, as well as several of their on-campus competitors: They don’t run advertisements, and therefore have more control over the material they broadcast. “[Businesses] can dictate programming based on advertising dollars,” David says. “That doesn’t happen here.”

This freedom of expression gives SFU students a better chance to get involved in the CJSF than they might have at other university stations. “That’s the whole thing with media, is to be able to provide people with the opportunity to express their views on issues, share their interest in art — whatever,” Magnus says. David tells me about the station’s Jambalaya slot, which offers students a chance to test the waters of FM radio with only a week’s worth of experience. “It’s an open format new music show,” he says. “So, someone can figure out if they actually enjoy making radio very quickly.”

Despite controversies in the past, the CJSF is looking forward to a brighter future. “The future for radio — for us and anyone else — is about integrating things like the Internet and social media,” Magnus says. “Now that so much music is available on the web, you can’t just play songs and expect that it’s going to be enough. You’ve got to have more information, more things that create a unique experience.” The station is planning to revamp their web presence in order to foster interconnectivity between listeners and staff.

In honour of a decade on the dial, the CJSF is hosting a party to celebrate their achievement. It’ll be at the Astoria on Hastings Street on September 21. The price of admission? $10 bucks. “There’ll be seven musical acts, some pretty big names — Jay Arner, Bestie — two spoken word poets, and a live art creation project that we’re going to auction off at the end of the night. All the money from that will go to the Safe Amplification Society.” The SAS is a local non-profit dedicated to providing Vancouverites with an all-ages venue for performers, both local and international.

The CJSF’s first official broadcast on the FM is marked on their site as February 13, 2003, which makes their 10 year anniversary party a little late. David puts this in perspective for me. “It’s 10 years on FM, but we’ve been on campus for, like, 46 years,” he laughs. “So there’s a longer history than that.”

The CJSF offices are located in the Rotunda. You can listen to the station on 90.1 FM.

Album Reviews: Elvis Costello and The Roots, Neko Case, and a throwback to Brian Eno

By

Peak Web

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September 16, 2013

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Elvis Costello and The Roots – Wise Up Ghost

It shouldn’t work. Elvis Costello, the angry young man turned cantankerous cynic behind some of the best cerebral rock ever written (see My Aim is True, This Year’s Model and Imperial Bedroom), has been in studio over the course of a year with The Roots, the legendary hip-hop outfit who proved that the genre could do live instrumentation as well as any other. You’re probably thinking what everyone else was when the artistic partnership was announced: what?

But somehow, Costello’s acidic sneer, Mark Kelley’s funkadelic bass and ?uestlove’s jazz-inspired drums combine organically to make Wise Up Ghost one of The Roots’ strongest efforts, and Costello’s best album since his split with The Attractions nearly two decades ago.

Costello’s hip-hop inspired verbal spitfire on tracks like “Refuse to Be Saved” and “Stick Out Your Tongue” is no far cry from his conversational vocals on his early masterpieces, and The Roots — who have proven their aptitude as a backing band during their stint on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon — lend Costello’s songwriting an energy and liveness his most recent albums have been sorely lacking.

The album’s diverse instrumentation, most notably the sousaphone accompaniment of Tuba Gooding Jr., gives the songs a smooth jazz feel that soften the blow of Costello’s often accusatory, sardonic lyrics. Though some tracks, such as the R&B groove of “Wake Me Up,” flirt with easy-listening tropes, Costello’s wordplay and The Roots’ soulful accompaniment give Wise Up Ghost enough bite to avoid being described as — heaven forbid — adult contemporary.

Considering his reputation during his early years as indie rock’s Johnny Rotten, it’s ironic how often Costello endures accusations of softness and acquiescence. It’s refreshing to see that, with the release of Wise Up Ghost, an artist with so many albums under his belt still has a few tricks up his sleeve.

Neko Case – The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You

Man, can she sing. Neko Case’s powerful vocals often play the lead role in her not-quite-country discography, and on The Worse Things Get, her impressive range and dramatic delivery have improved. From the first moments album opener “Wild Creatures” storms out of the gate, you know you’re in for a bumpy ride.

The LP, Case’s best and most personal record yet, was recorded in the wake of a rough period in the songstress’ life: she lost her grandmother and both of her parents, and subsequently sunk into depression. The tracks on The Worse Things Get are emotionally bare and subtly twisted, as are Case’s lyrics: on standout “Night Still Comes,” she coos, “If I puked up some sonnets / Would you call me a miracle?”

Each song seems to find a new subject in Case’s cross hairs. She laments the socialization of gender on “Man,” while M. Ward’s lead guitar crunches; she punishes bad parenting on the heartbreaking a capella “Nearly Midnight, Honolulu;” she even tries her hand at a murder ballad on the horn-led “Bracing For Sunday.”

Her ear for catchy melodies has steadily improved, and tracks like “Calling Cards” and “City Swans” blow the blissful country pop of Middle Cyclone out of the water. The Worse Things Get is also Case’s most musically diverse offering yet, but her creative instrumentation is overshadowed by her quotable lyricism and passionate vocals.

Case’s tightrope act between vulnerability and severity calls to mind Fiona Apple’s 2012 masterpiece The Idler Wheel… Like that record, The Worse Things Get makes the rest of Case’s career seem like a dress rehearsal. She’s always been talented at setting a scene, but as her latest LP proves, her real talents seem to lie in the realm of autobiography.

Brian Eno –Music for Airports

Brian Eno is a hard figure to pin down. Beginning as the keyboardist for the glam rock group Roxy Music, he eventually left the group to focus on his solo career. He experimented with art pop, rock and roll and electronica. He collaborated with David Byrne, Robert Fripp and Harold Budd, and produced musical milestones such as Talking Heads’ Remain in Light and U2’s Achtung Baby.

Despite his remarkable discography, Eno seems most comfortable in the background: he’s rarely pictured on his album covers, and he comfortably shares his spotlight with artists who command more attention than himself. It seems natural, then, that Eno’s musical peak is an album whose greatest success is its subtlety: as the first champion — and arguably one of the inventors — of ambient music, Eno is no stranger to the “less is more” approach to electronic music.

Music for Airports, the first of his four-part series of ambient LPs, is as much about silence as it is about music. Divided into four untitled suites, the album is built around looping piano riffs, synthesized atmosphere and sparse vocal samples. Its tone is calm and ethereal, and seems to inspire an increase in concentration rather than distraction.

It feels cheap to call the album’s minimalist ambience “beautiful,” but the word is fitting: the skeletal piano of the album’s first side and the synthesized delicacy of its second are nothing short of awe inspiring. The shift in instrumentation is subliminal, but meaningful: Eno charts his own musical evolution by having his LP transition from traditional piano harmonies to electronic mood pieces.

Those of you who cringe at the idea of ambient music — or refuse to accept it as music at all — probably won’t find that Music for Airports changes your mind. But for the patient and introspective, this album is arguably the genre’s first masterpiece, and a template that has seldom been equaled and never improved.

Student unearths ancient priestess tomb

By

EIC

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September 16, 2013

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Matthew Go, a 20-year-old undergraduate student at SFU, was part of a group of researchers that discovered the remains of a Moche priestess chamber tomb while excavating in Peru this summer.

The fourth-year archaeology student was the only Canadian taking part in the field school, which was composed of students accepted to the San Jose De Moro Archaeological Project and students from Harvard University. Go, an archaeology major and biology minor with credits for a certificate in forensic studies, acted as the teaching assistant for those interested in biological archaeology.

After making the discovery towards the end of the regularly-scheduled field season, he and a team of eight other archaeologists stayed beyond the scheduled time to excavate the site. They found the remains of a Moche priestess whom they currently believe to be “the highest social, religious, and political leader at the time,” according to Go. The team found seven other bodies alongside her as well as a myriad of pottery, jewelry, and marine-related items.

The chamber represents much that is unknown about the civilization, Go suggests. The conditions in which the priestess was buried, alongside the several other bodies and surrounded by valuables, “can tell us more about the political nature of the people at that time,” said Go. “At the end of the Moche regime, where we suddenly see their disappearance from the archaeological record.”

“This discovery,” he continued, “will really help us understand more how, why, or when the Moche disappeared.” Additionally, the great amount of marine-related articles found in the tomb could help archaeologists understand the people, specifically their relationship with their demise, Go suggests. These articles include seashells, ceramics in the shapes of prawns, and copper plates which, when joined together, create geometric waves.

“One of the key factors that archaeologists think led to the demise of the Moche was a mega El Niño event,” he says, which gave them “torrential rain. It cut off the ecosystem supply of food, etcetera.” The objects could be related, he says, finding this tomb can really help us answer . . . what those people thought, and how they dealt with this phenomenon.”

The skeletal remains were left in the tomb as they were especially degraded and trapped in the concrete-like ground.

All of the artifacts that have been recovered from the chamber have been relocated to their lab in Lima, Peru, to be catalogued and interpreted. Unfortunately for Go, the skeletal remains were left in the tomb as they were especially degraded and trapped in the concrete-like ground of the tomb and too much time would be needed to extract the remains properly.

“I assessed as much information as I could from the skeletons while they were in the ground,” he says. “We will try and retrieve them next year, or sometime between this year and next year.”

Of the skeletons accompanying the princess, there were seven other individuals who accompanied her, ranging from newborns, to infants, to teenagers, and adults. Go says that while there is no evidence that these people were sacrificed for the tomb, such a thing has been found at other Moche sites on the north coast, and they did find evidence showing that “the other individuals were deceased quite some time before being buried.”

Go has been invited to return to the site again next year, but is unsure if he will. He has also been invited by a professor in the department of archaeology to work with him in China, and if these conflict, he might favor the second trip in the hopes of “being more well-rounded” in his field.

After Go is done with his undergraduate degree, he plans to apply to PhD programs in America, and grad programs in Canada to pursue his three interests, “teaching, practicing bio-archaeology, and . . . consulting with forensic anthropology.”

Word on the Street: Quebec Religious Symbols Ban

By

EIC

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September 16, 2013

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Take me to the mountains

By

Peak Web

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September 16, 2013

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To all my fellow SFU classmates that feel homesick for powder covered slopes, who sometimes wish they had been a ski bum rather than an academic, who get giddy when the weather turns cold and snow bases start to form: I have found a restaurant for you. Nestled along Kingsway in Mount Pleasant is the Black Lodge, a “Twin Peaks” themed restaurant that hits all the right nostalgic notes.

Upon entry I was transported to the mountains, and despite the large window revealing the busy traffic of Kingsway, it’s amazing how well this tiny room of a restaurant was able to make me feel worlds away.

With low-key background music and casual mannered staff, I felt a very mellow vibe throughout my whole experience. The tables were made of tree trunk cutouts and the settings were reminiscent of camping gear, creating a cohesive ambiance.

I ordered “Suzie’s Starry Night Chili” and a B.A.L.T (“Tree Hugger”) sandwich, while my friend ordered the small poutine and a grilled cheese sandwich — all of which remained true to the menu’s promise of being able to make almost all meals vegan or gluten free. Our food arrived in a good amount of time and was plated homestyle, like something my mom would have handed to me.

I wanted to take that chili out for a nice dinner and most definitely call it back.

The grilled cheese was made on sourdough bread that tasted extremely fresh. It was something I could make at home, which, in a way, was comforting yet a little disappointing. The poutine was extremely well done with a vegetarian gravy — but not tasting vegetarian in the least — and the curds were perfect sizes and a great consistency. The fries were fresh and obviously oven-baked.

My “Tree Hugger” sandwich was decent, but since it was a little heavy on the Dijon mustard I ended up skipping the bread covered with it. The sandwich ingredients were well thought out though, with a garlic aioli, sprouts, and faux coconut bacon doing a great pork impersonation; it was a BLT with a creative twist.

Last and oh so definitely not least was the chili (oh sweet taste bud gods, that chili). With perfectly cooked and seasoned vegetables, the perfect amount of beans, the entire top coated with impeccably melted cheese, and a generous dollop of sour cream and green onion garnish, this chili was everything I could ever want. I wanted to take that chili out for a nice dinner and most definitely call it back.

My meal — which I was hardly able to finish — came out to be around $15 dollars, including tip and tax (everything on the menu is listed as tax included prices). I give my experience two thumbs up and would definitely go back, if not just to satisfy my chili cravings. If you are a ski bum at heart and looking for a fun, cheap and filling restaurant, look no further than the Black Lodge.

Research Roundup

By

EIC

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September 16, 2013

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New study questions crime and mental illness link

Stefanie Rezansoff is looking to change the public view of the link between mental illness and criminal activity, arguing that we should be blaming the creation of criminal offenders on other factors.

A Dean’s Convocation Medal recipient and current PhD student, Rezansoff became interested in the topic of crime and mental health during an internship at the Regional Psychiatric in Saskatoon, which is a maximum security penitentiary for inmates with mental illnesses. When she returned to school some years later to pursue her Master’s in Public Health, Rezansoff decided to pursue that interest.

In her thesis research, Rezansoff sampled a population of 31,000 provincial offenders — all of whom were serving a sentence of two years or less — in an attempt to analyse the links between substance use, mental illness, and involvement in the criminal justice system.

What Rezansoff found was that despite the prevailing literature that argues that people with mental illness tend to be at higher risk of committing crimes, other factors such as substance abuse, poverty, and social marginalization were more likely causing these people to become involved with the criminal justice system.

“In fact (as a group) offenders diagnosed with a mental disorder — without a co-occurring substance use disorder — were less likely to recidivate compared to offenders with no mental disorder,” said Rezansoff in an interview with The Peak. “But the presence of a substance use disorder significantly increased the risk of reoffending — and particularly so among offenders with an existing mental disorder. And unfortunately . . . the two often co-occur.”

Rezansoff explained that because a lot of mental illness coincides with substance use disorders, there is a perception that mentally ill people are very dangerous. In reality, it’s their substance use — not their mental illness — that leads to their involvement in the criminal justice system.

“Notably, nearly 50 per cent of repeat offenders in British Columbia had a physician-diagnosed substance use disorder in the five years prior to their index offense,” said Rezansoff.

For Rezansoff, changing the perspective on mental illness is only the beginning. Real change will only be made possible through understanding and treatment for both mental illness and substance abuse disorders.

“If we can somehow target that need for treatment, then I think we might be able to see a decrease in recidivism and very importantly — keep people with co-occurring mental disorders out of the criminal justice system and engaged with community services that promote their well-being,” said Rezansoff.

Canada strides ahead in heart health

According to a new study by SFU Health Sciences professor Michel Joffres, thousands of deaths in Canada, the U.S. and England could be avoided with greater awareness of the risks of hypertension.

Hypertension is the leading risk factor for premature death, stroke, and heart disease, however research shows that the condition is largely preventable. Notwithstanding, in 2000, the world was estimated to have close to one billion people with hypertension, with the number predicted to rise to 1.56 billion by 2025.

The study, published in the BMJ Open, analysed data from the three countries and found that although blood pressure levels in all of them are still high, those in Canada and the USA have shown great improvements over the past years.

Hypertension is the leading risk factor for premature death, stroke, and heart disease.

The mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) levels were overall higher in England in all age-gender groups, with 66 per cent of adults aged 20 to 79 being classified as having “abnormal” blood pressure.

In his study, Joffres lists several factors as contributing to England’s higher SBP rates: high-sodium diet, physical inactivity, and a lower level of awareness, treatment and control of individuals with high-blood pressure.

In an interview with Public Affairs and Media Relations at SFU, Joffres attributed Canada’s success in lowering hypertension rates to greater awareness.

Since 2000, Canada has launched annual hypertension recommendations programmes (Canadian Hypertension Education Programme (CHEP)) that work to inform the public about hypertension and the health risks and opportunities to reduce dietary salt.

“The remarkable improvement we have seen in Canada since the 1990s is probably due in great part to the awareness we created with our last study,” said Joffres. “and [with] an excellent program in Canada that followed and has created greater awareness in the physicians’ community.”

Fighting has its place in hockey

By

EIC

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September 16, 2013

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There is a popular expression that goes, “I was at a fight and a hockey game broke out.” This is a casual observer’s idea of hockey, and underscores one of the most controversial issues in the National Hockey League: fighting.

The NHL is the only professional North American sports league (with the exception of mixed martial arts’ Ultimate Fighting Championship) where fighting is legal and sometimes even encouraged. Traditionalists swear by its spot in the game, but this once-popular opinion is dwindling because of the injuries, namely concussions, fighting often brings. But despite its drawbacks, fighting must remain in the National Hockey League (NHL) in order for the league to prosper, and ironically, for the protection of its players.

In order for the league to grow, and as Canadian hockey fans would hate to admit, the NHL needs the American teams to prosper financially, and fighting brings interest to the sport in non-traditional markets because of its entertainment value.

Whenever a fight breaks out, fans rush to their feet, caught up in the unbridled spectacle of adrenaline and testosterone that only hockey provides. Fights are the most watched highlights, as one hockey fight video on YouTube has 400,000 views while Evgeni Malkin’s goal-of-the-year has 200,000. Fighting drums up excitement and interest the NHL needs, especially if it is to compete with other sports in America.

Even beyond its entertainment value, fighting has an almost paradoxical importance: it is integral to the safety of the players because it quells dirty hits. For example, when Wayne Gretzky played for the Edmonton Oilers in the 1980s, his linemates were skilled forward Jari Kurri and enforcer Esa Tikkanen — Tikkanen’s job was to protect Gretzky and Kurri by way of his fists.

Opposing players wouldn’t dare take a run at either Gretzky or Kurri because they would have to answer to Tikkanen, who is recognized as one of the game’s best agitators. Protection is not just for superstars either, it is for the entire team; Tikkanen would fight any opponent who dared go after a teammate.

The role of the “goon” still exists in today’s NHL, though it is diminishing. It is not a coincidence that with fewer fighters being employed, the number of dirty, blindside hits has risen. There is no Esa Tikkanen to stop perennial rat Matt Cooke from elbowing the head of an unsuspecting opponent. Hockey needs fighters to keep players like Cooke in check, because the oft-inconsistent discipline of Brendan Shanahan (the NHL’s Director of Player Safety) is not doing its job.

The case against fighting is that it is dirty and has a high probability of injury, and therefore should be removed from the game; however fighting is not hockey’s dirtiest or most dangerous play. The most dangerous play in hockey is the blindside hit, where one player throws his body at an unsuspecting victim, who has little chance of defending himself — and is almost always seriously hurt.

Fighting, however, has two willing combatants, both with ample opportunity at self-defense and, often, respect for his opponent: one will often see the two fighters removing their helmets to constitute a level playing field. There is no respect in the blindside hit.

Fighting has its place in hockey: to entertain and defend. Without fighting, the NHL could see less interest in American markets and a rise in blindside hits to the head, either of which could be a bigger blow to the game than any punch thrown. Therefore, fighting is not leaving hockey anytime soon.

5 Gift Ideas for SFU’s 50th Anniversary

By

EIC

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September 16, 2013

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SFU kicked off its celebration for the school’s 50th anniversary last week and although it may have been hinting at wanting $250,000,000, as we all know, we rarely get what we really want. (I made similar hints for my birthday in March and only ended up getting a new sports jacket). But just what do you get for the school that has it all? Well, here are a few ideas that SFU students could get their school for the big 5-0. I know it’s early, but when it comes to getting your university an anniversary gift, you can never start thinking about it too soon.

1. An Engagement Ring

It might be its 50th anniversary but for a lot of students their relationship with SFU is just beginning and what could be a better way to show real commitment than a ring that embodies the school’s favorite buzzword. An engagement ring for SFU is the perfect way to say “I’m willing and ready to spend the rest of my life having you call me asking for money.”

2. Gold-Coating for Terry Fox Statue

For those looking to stay traditional for the “golden anniversary,” there is no better present than a shiny new gold coating for our friend Terry in the AQ. Not only would you be sprucing up SFU’s campus making it the envy of all its friends but you’d also be contributing to Terry’s dream of a golden statue of himself that originally fueled his Marathon of Hope.

3. A 1965 Ford Mustang Convertible

If my predictions about the date of the apocalypse are indeed correct (third time’s the charm) than in 2015 SFU will probably be going through a bit of a mid-life crisis. Hopefully it won’t last too long but can’t you just see SFU, for a couple years, cruising down the mountain in one of these babies reliving the glory days?

4. A SUB Building

Sometimes you buy a gift for someone else that’s actually just for yourself. That’s what this is. Sure, SFU might prefer to get something cool, like a bumper pool table, but what could make it more happy than seeing you happy? (Answer: a bumper pool table).

5. A Campus in the Bahamas

SFU is a hardworking university and it deserves a place to relax. A campus in the Bahamas is a great way to show SFU how much you care about it. While this gift might not seem totally selfless, unless you are able to only sign up for classes at this campus, your commute alone will let SFU know how much you love it.

Decriminalizing marijuana makes perfect sense

By

Peak Web

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September 16, 2013

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I have a confession to make. Like Liberal leader Justin Trudeau, Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne, and Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, I have smoked marijuana. If you have not, it’s very likely that you’ve came across the sweet and skunky smell while walking down Hastings, up Granville around Gastown, or through Kitsilano.

You have smelt the “Mary Jane” so much that you might find it hard to believe it’s actually illegal in British Columbia. Sensible BC aims to change this, and if you are like me and have dabbled in the occasional dube, it’s a campaign worthy of your support.

A 2012 Angus Reid survey found that 60 per cent of people in BC wanted marijuana to be legalized, and it’s likely that those people will come out to the polls and support its decriminalization. According to Sensible BC, our province recorded over 19,000 marijuana possession incidents in 2010 alone.

It needs to collect signatures from 10 per cent of registered voters in every BC electoral district.

In a National Post article from August 20 of this year, Chief Constable Jim Chu of the Vancouver Police Department said, “when confronted with simple possession of cannabis, [a police officer’s choice] is either to turn a blind eye or lay charges.’’

He is well aware that a ‘’simple’’ possession charge will result in a criminal record, and that future travel, employment, and citizenship opportunities for those individuals involved will be met with barriers. In order to address the issue, the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police met last month and decided the best way to handle these simple incidents is to fine marijuana users.

Instead of wasting time, money, and resources on charges the police already want to do away with, the campaign has suggested writing a new law called the Sensible Policing Act. Under the new law, possession of cannabis would become decriminalized in our province. What this means is that our police can invest more time putting real criminals behind bars, making our province a safer place as a result.

Our province recorded over 19,000 marijuana possession incidents in 2010 alone.

Recently, our friendly Washington neighbours decided to legalize the whacky tabbacy, put their police to better use, and cash in on the dispensaries that will be sure to generate economic opportunities. It’s hard to say, but I think the Americans got this one right, and it’s due time for BC to take a small step in a similar direction — which is exactly what the new campaign by Sensible BC is doing.

What does it take for something like this to happen? It is no easy task, I can assure you. The Sensible BC Campaign started last week. In a 90 day period, it needs to collect signatures from 10 per cent of the registered voters in every single one of BC’s 85 electoral districts. That’s about 400,000 signatures. If you compare this campaign to the anti-HST campaign, it’s easy to see how challenging a motion like this truly is.

If you are interested and want to help with the campaign, you can visit www.sensiblebc.ca to find a canvaser in your elector district to register your support. If you are really enthusiastic you can even sign up to be a canvasser yourself. Because at the end of the day, putting our province’s resources where they are needed the most is a change I think we would all like to see.

“M” is for Misogyny

By

EIC

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September 16, 2013

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After hearing the chant used by the students of the Sauder School of Business at the UBC FROSH week, my first reaction was, naturally, of disgust and horror. However, I decided to look into the matter and see why something like this would happen in the first place.

Let me just start by saying that many online articles reported the fact that this chant has been used by students throughout the past 20 years. Seriously, UBC? It speaks volumes about the first impressions that are being given to students that something as atrocious as this chant has been going on for such a long time, propagating rape culture and promoting the worst sort of misogyny.

It may be a chant today, but it could be something as serious as sexual assault tomorrow.

It takes a specific kind of a mindset and a certain kind of an environment to give birth to something as hateful as this. I took the liberty of going through many online comments and several commenters said they couldn’t be bothered about something as “small” as this. Hey, it was just the “energy” there. It was just a bunch of students saying something silly at night — why take it seriously?

I’ll tell you why. It may be a chant today, but it could be something as serious as a sexual assault tomorrow that you’ll be asking me to just “get over.” We need to put a stop to this poisonous way of thinking before it results in real world consequences. “Wild” and “out of control” students need to realize that they can be held accountable for their behaviour. This kind of speech is intolerable in a healthy and developing environment.

According to the Vancouver Sun, Lucia Lorenzi, a PhD student at UBC, was immensely upset about the lyrics of the chants. As someone who had gone through the painful and unimaginable experience of being sexually assaulted in her teenage years, what made her even angrier was the fact that the students who used this chant were instructed to keep it a secret. This kind of behaviour indicates that the students and the leaders both were aware of the fact that this kind of behaviour was wrong and could hurt someone, yet they chose to go ahead with it regardless.

The fact that there are people who have to beg others to take this matter seriously saddens me to the core. Rape is a terrible thing. The fact that there could be students out there on that campus who had gone through this kind of an experience scares me, because it is hard to imagine what they have gone through. Yes, you could say that this is about your freedom of speech, but it is a very dangerous statement that threatens “young girls” on campus — something not to be taken lightly.

Robert Helsley, the Dean of the Sauder School of Business released a much-awaited statement condemning the actions of the individuals involved, stating, “What is reported to have happened at FROSH this year is deeply upsetting and is completely inconsistent with the values of the school and UBC.” Also, two student leaders are said to have resigned after the offensive chant was shouted by the students.

Kudos to The Ubyssey (UBC’s student newspaper) for bringing light to this story and to the students who signed the petition against this chant. However, there were some who had the audacity to defend their school despite the offensive nature of the FROSH chant. Humanity has no bounds, and neither does compassion, which is why it doesn’t matter what school we go to, as long as we hold on to simple, basic human values.

Sadly, this isn’t the first time such behaviour from students has been revealed to the public. Yale University’s Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity several years ago chanted the pro-rape slogan, “No means yes! Yes means anal!” on campus and were banned from carrying out any activities on campus for the next five years. Something similar and equally disturbing happened at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, where students at FROSH came up with a chant that endorsed forced sexual encounters.

Jared Perry, President of the Saint Mary’s University Students’ Association, told CBC News, “These are great leaders. This was simply a moment with a lack of judgment.” Mr. Perry, firstly, I do not think I will ever be able to refer to someone like that as a leader. Yes, I agree that everyone makes mistakes, but it takes a special kind of cruelty and stupidity to say words like “no consent” or “underage” and not realize the kind of impact your words may have.

These are great leaders. This was simply a moment with a lack of judgement.”

– Jared Perry, President of the Saint Mary’s University of Student’s Association

There’s a reason why stuff like this keeps happening again and again, and we need to look into it. Okay, so you might not be in favour of stronger punishments, but there are so many other options on the table that can be explored.

For example, all these FROSH events can be monitored so that something as foolish and embarrassing as this doesn’t happen, something that could give the entire university a bad name. Rape sensitivity training is another solution, where students could be taught about the awful nature of rape culture and the horrible things that it promotes. There are solutions; we just need students who are willing to take this problem seriously enough to find the best ones.