By Eleanor Qu and Justin Stevens
Berthouse: Birdbath
An open letter to the person who stole my bookbag
Dear sir or madam,
Before I begin, may I be the first to thank you for stealing my book bag? While your act of thievery was neither cunning nor daring, I must thank you nonetheless for taking my bag rather than one of the actual valuables of my fellow editors lying adjacent to it.
Speaking of my bag, it is currently safely back in my possession after I was contacted by Translink telling me they had found it on one of their buses. I do not know what possessed you to leave the bag aboard the 135 bus, but I have my theories.
I imagine you were sitting on the bus ready to pry into my bag with your pig-like hands. But lo and behold, when you found nothing shiny inside (my apologies), in a fit of rage the bag somehow escaped your sweaty trotters. Even more tragic, before you were able to retrieve it you were distracted by some new odour permeating your folds. You then stumbled off the bus in a rush, late for your appointment at the herpes clinic.
But this is just one theory; in another, you step off the bus to skulk around a preschool both hands never visible throughout, and in yet another you have to make it to the dumpster behind Safeway before they throw away the expired eggs. I have many more theories, but I doubt we will ever completely understand what happened, as modern science has only scratched the surface of the effects of syphilis on thinking patterns.
One piece of advice though, rather than leaving the bag inside a bus, next time try throwing yourself in front of one.
But what I’m still struggling to understand (not unlike how you struggle with reading) is why you pinched my bag.
The obvious answer is for money. I must apologize, then, for forgetting to leave my phone or wallet inside my bag. I can only imagine the disappointment you felt when you discovered nothing worthwhile inside it, especially after all the time you spend trying to figure out how to work a zipper.
For future reference, if you are ever again tight on money, might I suggest gainful employment at the dick-sucking factory? Perhaps your estranged mother could give you a reference.
But maybe your motive was not cash, rather the raw unadulterated thrill of getting away with a crime more of ignorance than intellect. If so, I suggest a legally encouraged method of getting your chemically induced jollies. Some sort of gruesome sex act (or in your case, a sex act) perhaps?
Rather than stealing someone’s rightful belongings, try taking a whack at your own genitals, no matter how hilariously, then sadly, then hilariously again deformed they may be. I only tell you to do this yourself because I cannot imagine that any human being or animal being paid any fathomable sum of money would delve into the matted canopy of pubic hair, crusted urine and general disgust in search of your aforementioned sex organs.
Anyways, if my analysis of the situation is completely sound and error-free, let it be recorded in the annals of The Peak that you, my friend, are a ham-fisted, illiterate, piss-soaked, baby penis, obese, pedophile, syphilitic, herpes-ridden, sack of shit garbage eater. However if any detail may be so far as even an iota off then I would greatly enjoy hearing from you.
Warmest Regards,
Gary Lim
Humour Editor
Peakcast #7
This week, editors David Dyck, Alison Roach, Will Ross, and Bryan Scott discuss the SFSS election results and SPORTS! With special guests Clay J. Gray and Adam Ovenell-Carter.
Let’s get physics-cal
Beginner level physics texts need to focus on the facts, no matter how daunting
By Ben Buckley
Why are students in high school and first-year university taught outdated theories?
Physicist Richard Feynman said that if all scientific knowledge were destroyed and only one sentence survived, the most important statement would be the atomic hypothesis: “that all things are made of atoms.” In the 21st century, most people accept that atoms exist, and have some understanding that they’re made up of electrons, protons and neutrons.
But looking through an average first-year physics textbook, you’d think that atoms were a frightening new discovery reserved for advanced students.
The textbook from my introductory university physics course doesn’t mention electrons until page 564, and doesn’t cover the working of elementary particles until the last tenth of the book.
Most introductory physics courses teach the same topics in a similar order. Students first learn classical mechanics, like Newton’s 17th-century mechanics describing the motions of macroscopic objects, mainly celestial bodies and projectiles, or the classical electromagnetism, encapsulated mostly by James Clark Maxwell’s 19th-century equations.
Newton and Maxwell’s theories helped to advance science, and remain a useful approximation of reality, but they are flawed. Both the classical theories predate the proof of the existence of atoms and completely ignore their existence, a glaring omission if I ever heard of one.
So again, why are fledgling physicians taught these outdated theories? Modern theories require more complicated mathematics and are ver y counter-intuitive; classical theories are mathematically simple, and, it is argued, provide a safe introduction to physics. They are lies that happen to be easy to teach.
Because of this, authors and educators often treat relativity and quantum mechanics as spooky, mysterious ideas that no one truly understands. Maybe decades ago, but not anymore. A basic understanding of the principles of modern physics is well within the grasp of a motivated high school student. Even the mathematics involved are only slightly more complicated than Math 12, at least for simple problems.
Left to our own devices, humans are terrible physicists; even with “classical” problems, it took geniuses like Newton and Maxwell to come up with theories that came even close to describing reality. If their theories were really intuitive, undergraduates wouldn’t struggle to learn them. If schools are going to teach a counter intuitive theory, they might as well teach the correct one, rather than clutter students’ minds with falsehoods they have to unlearn.
The top priority of a science class should be to teach the truth. We must get used to the world of relativity, quantum mechanics, and atoms. It is, after all, the world we live in.
If we don’t wise up, our concerns will get U-Pass’d over
By Rachel Braeuer
Photos by Mark Burnham
Of course students want a cheap U-Pass. Of course students want more buses. Of course students want buses to run at more convenient times and until the wee hours of the morning.
Most of us are struggling financially, and we’ve all felt the “will I get off this winter hell mound?” fear. But let’s get real: TransLink isn’t going to invest more resources into an area that, because of the U-Pass, they continually receive a flat rate from.
Right now university students pay $36 per month for their U-Pass, which is $16 less than a highschool student pays for a monthly concession pass that will likely not take them out of the zone they and their school reside in. Given SFU’s large commuter basis and satellite campuses, it’s likely we will be using our extremely discounted pass to travel in all zones, or at least two.
Assuming Translink’s pricing for its regular adult monthly passes doesn’t leave a huge profit margin, for every U-Pass being made use of, they’re losing out on a potential $88–$134 per student. Multiply that by the 25,000 students currently enrolled at SFU and that’s a lot of money.
A lot has been said about the Gondola project, much of it negative. Some are concerned about the impact it will have on the protected environmental area it will run through (although, if you’ve looked out the window while riding the 145 lately, you’ll notice clear-cut patches striping the sides of the mountain, so perhaps this work is already under way).
Residents of the Forest Grove area it will run over are concerned with having a gondola flying over their houses every 20 seconds during peak hours. But TransLink has said “there is not approved funding at this time for the Burnaby Gondola Project.” Right now the Gondola is probably third in line behind both the Evergreen line and the proposed subway on the Broadway corridor.
These projects will likely be heavily subsidized by fees levied at car owners, which seems fair. Both routes are heavily congested even in off-peak hours.
Freeing up lanes makes sense for drivers, but when’s the last time you saw stop-and-go traffic coming up Burnaby Mountain Parkway? Drivers won’t want to fund this project because it doesn’t affect their commute.
If we’re serious about improving transit to Burnaby campus, it’s time we start rethinking the implicit value in our discounted passes. It wouldn’t be heinous to siphon some funds from UniverCity’s residents considering the added property value the Gondola would create for them, but ultimately it’s the students who will benefit the most from it. More than a costly outdoor stadium, I’d wager.
We’ve had a sweet cheap ride these last 10 years with the Universal Pass, but maybe it’s time we started paying our own dues. Increasing U-Pass costs to the equivalent of a concession pass is still more than affordable, and if that helps free up some extra cash for TransLink to throw a few more buses our way in the meantime or a Gondola along the way, all the better.
Better yet, we could look into alternative forms of fundraising for the project. But it’s pointless to lobby TransLink for more services and resources when we continue to pay less for more.
SFU hosts Vaccine Resistance Movement event, despite controversy
Some worry that the venue gives undue legitimacy to the group’s claims
By Sheila Bissonnette
Photos by Sanofi Pasteur / Flickr
Given the extensive media coverage surrounding Vaccine Summit: Vancouver 2013, an event held last Tuesday night in the Fletcher Challenge Room at SFU Harbour Centre, the turnout may have left the Vaccine Resistance Movement organizers disappointed.
The scant attendance of approximately 55 participants at the large venue may be indicative of the lack of support in numbers for the anti-vaccine movement. An estimated 93 per cent of the population routinely chooses to get vaccinated in order to prevent infectious outbreaks.
Eliza, who preferred to keep her last name out of print, is the parent of two-year-old Bailie and seven-year-old Jessica, and falls within the majority category of parents who choose to vaccinate their children. “I don’t think the issues they are addressing are improvement of vaccine quality in a collaborative effort with the pharmaceutical companies, or even the fact that we may be over-vaccinating our children. It is such an extreme stance to say you are completely anti-vacination.”
The panel of experts at the event consisted of parents with autistic children and several naturopathic representatives who spoke about the negative impacts of vaccination and the alleged scientific link to autism spectrum disorder.
“The reality is that we cannot prove vaccines are not related to autism numbers spiking in the past 10 years or so,” stated one parent (who prefered to remain anonymous), who uses natural immunity methods such as breast-feeding for extended periods of time and probiotics to prevent infectious diseases.
“We have to be more careful about vaccinating our kids every chance we get without knowing fully the effects of what we are injecting into their bodies. I know people who have kids with autism and believe me, it is not easy.”
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a condition that impacts normal brain development and affects social relationships, verbal communication skills, and developmental milestones. ASD common characteristics include, difficulties with communication and social interaction, repetitive interests and activities, inability to tolerate sounds and unusual attachments to objects or routines.
“These parents want answers,” stated Joel Lord, the head of the Vaccine Resistance Movement.
Although advertised as an open debate, questions from the pro-vaccine attendants were met with laughter and heckling. The efficacy of the polio vaccine was questioned by several presenters, as was the use of vaccinations for preventing the spread of smallpox.
In his closing speech, Lord made a plea for parents to use natural immunity as a means of protecting against infectious outbreaks and to resist vaccines. When asked why he chose SFU as a venue for the event, Lord stated, “We respect SFU and obviously our work infuriates a lot of people, we chose SFU because this work deserves what a university offers.”
The event had originally been advertised at a suggested donation rate of $25, however those who were unable to pay were turned away, “because we need to make the money back paid for security,” mentioned one event organizer.
A Simon Fraser spokesperson confirmed that the group was charged an additional $760 in order for the university to beef up security for the event.
Recently the university has come under fire from the media regarding the decision to rent space to the anti-vaccine resistance group. Major media outlets have been keen to cover concerns over SFU’s decision to allow the Vaccine Resistance Movement to hold the anti-vaccine rally at the downtown campus.
The SFU rental agreement holds no clauses preventing groups from renting the meeting space on the university grounds. In an interview with The Peak, SFU president Andrew Petter defended the decision to rent space for the event, stating “The university is a public forum, where any groups can rent space to hold events.” He continued, “The university has a policy which supports freedom of expression. This does not mean that we agree in any way with the views expressed.”
SFU’s Faculty of Health Sciences spoke out on the issue, posting an open statement saying “The Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) was surprised to learn that SFU has rented space to the ‘Vaccine Resistance Movement’ for their Summit 2013 on our Harbour Centre Campus.
“Renting space to outside organizations for events such as these is done without any academic oversight. FHS disavows any support or affiliation with this event, which we believe to be anti-science and contrary to good public health practice.”
The official statement was followed by a link to the BC Centre for Disease Control page on vaccine safety, and a personal statement of FHS dean Dr. John O’Neil, who expressed concern that “the public may interpret this as an indication that SFU supports the perspective of the VRM. Nothing could be further from the truth.”
He went on in his statement to declaim the scientific evidence used by the VRM to assert that autism is caused by vaccines, pointing out that the scientific paper on which the claims are based was written by a researcher with a plain conflict of interest, and the evidence falsified. The paper itself was later labelled as an “elaborate fraud.”
ISSA mounts campaign for more funding
The international studies student association is advocating for one more faculty member to alleviate problems in the school
By Alison Roach
The International Studies Student Association (ISSA) has launched a campaign this semester advocating for more funding to the international studies program, specifically in the form of one new faculty member.
A newer program at only seven years old, the school of international studies has run into funding issues that are inhibiting its ability to grow, according to ISSA president Erin Wyllie.
“The problem is that international studies as a program can’t grow enough to accommodate the students who want to go into it,” she explained. “So students come to SFU particularly for the international studies program, and then they find that they’re not actually able to get into the program.”
This program has become even more inaccessible recently. The school raised the minimum GPA level to declare into the program to a 3.0. Currently there are approximately 200 students declared in the program, and another 260-odd students on the waitlist.
Besides the limited number of seats within the program, there are also issues of resources for students who have been accepted. Wyllie pointed to the fact that there is only room for eight students to do an honours thesis per semester, due to the lack of faculty thesis advisors, and a bottleneck that forms in the upper division courses of the program, delaying graduation times for some students. Specifically because of two mandatory upper level courses that are in constant high demand.
The Peak spoke with faculty of arts and social sciences dean Dr. John Craig, who expressed concern over the predicament facing the international studies program. “I’m very, very concerned,” said Craig. “Students that are not able to complete programs because there aren’t sufficient resources… that’s a great concern for me.” The ISSA’s campaign has been putting pressure on both Dr. Craig and VP academic Dr. Jon Driver to approve the appointment of a new faculty member to the school, largely in the form of an email campaign.
“I know that one more professor is not a huge thing to ask for, but it’s a step in the right direction,” said Wyllie.
The process for appointing a new faculty member is a lengthy one: new appointments are recommended by the director of each school within the faculty to Craig, who then selects from amongst those which he will recommend to the VP academic.
“Jon Driver has largely delegated the responsibility to deans, but he has maintained control over the authorization of positions,” said Craig. From there, Driver brings all faculty positions he has approved to SFU’s Board of Governors for ultimate approval. Craig explained that he only goes to Driver with these recommendations once a year, in October, and then only makes a handful of endorsements: four or five for the entire faculty.
This is due in part to the fact that resources are tight across the university, according to Craig. “Unfortunately, we started something once upon a time when the university had more money, and now as a result of a variety of factors including the wider credit crunch and provincial funding — so provincial funding’s flat, there’s a cap on tuition fees set at two per cent, there’s no new money coming to the university whatsoever — these are lean days.”
This past October, Craig decided against recommending the school of international studies for a new position, in light of
a new faculty appointment in September.
Craig suggested that restructuring in the school may be an option to look into. “There are particular requirements in the fourth year, and that strikes me as a little odd,” he stated, referring to those two mandatory upper-division courses.
Wyllie proposed that the structural issue is not with the school, but with the entire university’s funding model. “In the actual breakdown of funding for the school, lower division business students and science students are allotted two times as much funding as arts students. I know that ours is a smaller problem, but I think it feeds into a larger problem of how funding is being distributed.”
Wyllie went on to say that when she voiced her concerns to Craig over this funding model, he admitted that it was a very outdated one, and that it’s something that newly appointed associate VP academic, Dr. Gordon Myers, should be looking into next year.
“It’s just such a rigid model, and of course those classes are going to need more funding, but at the same time it’s just not fair,” said Wyllie.
In the meantime, the ISSA is continuing to advocate for their cause, speaking to various campus groups about the issue including forum, the student senate, the SFSS, and SASS. They also held a town hall meeting last month, which was attended by Craig and school director Dr. Alec Dawson, who supports the student-led campaign, according to Wyllie. When contacted by The Peak, Dawson declined to be interviewed.
“We’ve gotten response from it, and I do feel like it’s moving forward,” said Wyllie. “Having this conversation all the time is important.”
SFU students to attend Model NATO summit
Six students discuss international policy in Brussels
By Leah Bjornson
Photos by Mark Burnham
Six SFU students will make their mark on the global stage this summer at the second edition of Model NATO Youth Summit, which will be hosted in Brussels.
The delegation will be made up of six students: Max Budra, Gurpal Sandhu, Chantal Esperanza, Anneke de Geus, and Basak Kalkavan, as well as their ambassador, Michael Thorburn, who represents the state in the North Atlantic Council.
But what is model NATO? Most of us are familiar with Model UN, whether we experienced it in high school or simply heard about the UN in school or on the news.
NATO, on the other hand, is somewhat less well-known. Historically, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization was a system of collective defense which was created in the aftermath of WWII and during the start of the Cold War.
NATO’s original goal was “to keep the Russians out, the Americans in, and the Germans down.” After the fall of the USSR, NATO extended its activities into political and humanitarian situations with a focus on regional cooperation between NATO and its neighbours. “NATO has image problems,” commented Max Budra, one of the SFU students set to go to Brussels. “So I think [the Summit] is important, because its not just limited to official NATO members. It provides the outside with a look in, and shows that NATO not just about US imperialism.”
The Model NATO Youth Summit is the largest international simulation of NATO’s decision-making process in the world. Similar to Model UN, students involved in the Model NATO will represent one of 28 member states and debate on current social and political international issues, such nuclear nonproliferation and the conflict in Syria. No matter what stance they take during the summit, the delegations’ decisions must be based on the interests of the country they represent.
Although their first choice was to speak on the behalf of Canada, the SFU team will be representing our neighbour to the south in Brussels this summer. Despite his concerns that NATO is seen by some as an extension of US power, Budra is excited to represent one of the largest powers in the organization. But with great power comes great responsibility, and the team’s preparations reflect this.
“There’s going to be a lot of brushing up on US foreign policy and the intricacies of NATO,” Budra laughed. “It was our second choice, but I’m happy to represent the US. It’s like being king for a day.”
When asked if playing this prominent role at the Summit worried him at all, Budra responded, “Sure, there’s maybe a bit of pressure, because you’re kind of leading [the Summit], and America is not always the most popular country, but its nice to have a bit of power and be able to put forth proposals on your own terms.”
This group of students is the first from SFU to ever attend the Summit, and only the second group of Canadians. However, acceptance is only the first step on the road to Brussels. The trip to the Youth Summit will cost delegates roughly $400 for their participation fee, excluding all travel expenses. Already, the sixth member of the team has dropped out for financial reasons.
Despite the huge effort required to get to the Summit, the experience is likely to be one these SFU students never forget, and may even be a springboard for the delegates to future careers in international relations.
“I like to think Barack Obama will be paying attention to what I do,” chuckled Budra. “But who knows.”
Beedie students organize talk on the future of transit
Last Thursday, a group of students from the Beedie School of Business organized a public talk on the issues of public transit and sustainability in this province. The event was held from 4:30–6:30pm in the Mezzanine level at SFU Surrey.
As part of “Business 486 Leadership,” taught by Professor Dianne Cyr, groups of students picked a not-for-profit organization and implemented their leadership skills. Students Ben Jan, Joyce Mai, Jerry You, Robin Dong, and Jason Yang decided to work with Sustainable SFU to support the GetOnBoard campaign.
The event featured Gordon Price, director of the city Program at SFU (and former city councillor of Vancouver and Translink), as well as Surrey city councilor and transportation chair Tom Gill.
Price led most of the talk, and encouraged the audience’s participation. He discussed how the U-Pass system came
into being in Metro Vancouver, and the way it has transformed how young people think of transit and sustainability. “It was a shock to find out how many students were prepared to take transit,” Price said, citing other factors such as the high cost of parking at SFU and UBC.
Price pulled a transit stub from his pocket. He held it up, and said it cost him $5.10 for a three-zone trip to Surrey. He then asked a student from the audience how much a car trip costs him. After some calculations, the student figured that an average roundtrip to school with gas and a toll fee costs $15. Price followed by asking what a trip on transit costs the student, to which he replied, “it was free.” His next question was what the marginal cost of the U-Pass is, which to students appears free.
“What the U-Pass does for transit is what this society does for the car,” Price said. He said most people do not work out the cost of a car trip, instead trips “appear free.”
“We associate transportation with freedom,” Price explained.
Price asked the audience what we want as a society, the illusion of a free car, or the illusion of free public transit. The audience commented that they would want transit over roads if it could be delivered with more frequency. “When you are asking for frequency you are asking for government to take on an expensive proposition,” Price countered.
According to Price the province can either invest in the new Massey Tunnel, or transit expansion in Surrey. The audience commented that the tunnel would most likely come first. The reason according to Price, is that cabinet members are in a “transportation bubble,” citing that they live in Victoria, have drivers, and have free trips around the province. According to Price, if you are asking a cabinet member “to build a multi-million dollar investment in Translink, it’s hard to relate to and is not their life experience.” However for a generation of university students, the UPass has opened a new world of transportation in the form of public transit, where many students say they could see themselves never buying a car. “U-Pass has been your key to a lifestyle that up until recently, not many people could understand,” Price said. “You know the metro region in a way a driver could not know possible.” Price commented that senior government is building transportation of the 20th century, making driving the only option, which he said the Massey Tunnel project reflects. “If congestion builds up . . . they build a new one.”
Price concludes that Metro Vancouver should design the region for “mix use,” with high transit and all amenities within walking distance of transit. “The U-Pass is the key. It changed your lives.”
City councillor Tom Gill, spoke about transit development within the City of Surrey. “We need to change the car culture,” said Gill. “When I reflect on . . . the last 18 years, not much has happened when it comes to transit infrastructure,” despite a population now over 500,000 with 1,000 new residents moving in each month.
“We need to look at a strategy to reduce cost of transit so we can increase demand,” Gill said.
The talk ended with an open floor for audience questions and answers. A student asked how people can be convinced to join the transit culture. Gill replied, “Your generation has a different philosophy than ours. This generation is doing something great and phenomenal,” while Price said, “My generation doesn’t believe that your generation would rather use transit than the car.”
Nick Smith from Sustainable SFU commented on this question, urging students to convince other people to use transit for environmental and health reasons, and to “concrete that compelling story.”
Another question from the audience was in regards to affordability of the three-pass system and whether it could be made more equitable. Price replied, “Do not make transit a social service,” stating that transit will get reduced funding if it becomes a social service.
