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Local company now offering full-pay internships due to careless mistake by unpaid intern

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Unpaid intern’s incompetence results in payment

By Brad McLeod

VANCOUVER — Amidst the recent backlash against unpaid internships in BC, local corporation Hamtrax, announced on their website last week that all future internships will be “full pay with benefits,” a move that they have since blamed on one of their incompetent interns.

While the announcement has certainly made them hugely popular with university students looking to gain work experience while also eating and living indoors, Hamtrax has not been pleased with their now-paid interns.

“We gave him one thing to do, one thing” explained Hamtrax’s frustrated CEO Dave Klimchuck, “We just told him to put a message up on the website that we we’re hiring interns, that’s it, and he had to go and include all this information about fair pay and benefits, and now we have to pay him for it!”

Although the individual in question, Ryan the Intern, has been in some hot water over the “this isn’t free labour” slip-up of the new internship program write-up, Hamtrax has not been able to have him fired thanks to the conditions Ryan accidently included in the new intern agreement.

“I can see messing up and writing that we pay interns, that’s a mistake anybody could’ve made, but this asshole accidently included all sorts of rights and proper conducts for termination for interns” continued an exasperated Klimchuk “God, these interns are a pain in the ass . . . and thanks to their fuck-up they’re now some of the highest paid employees at this company!”

According to the terms written by the clueless intern, not only do interns have to be a paid, but they have to receive minimum wage which is more than he says he deserves after his blunder.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean for any of this to happen” Ryan the intern told The Peak apologetically. “I just looked up the proper legal requirements for internships in BC when I put it up on the website, I know they didn’t ask me to do it, it was just an honest mistake, I swear!”

The mistake has now cost Ryan his unpaid internship and forced him to start receiving financial compensation for his labour. He will also now be joined by plenty of other foolish young hardworking, career-driven students.

“This never would have happened if we just had interns who didn’t try to actually work and just slacked off all the time like young people are supposed to,” complained one of Hamtrax’s hundred vice-presidents, Mike Steele. He explains, “We only got into this mess because Ryan showed initiative; hopefully giving them some money can make them complacent enough to stop trying and just be like everyone else who works here.”

Even though they might not be happy with their new internship program, Hamtrax now has no choice but to follow through on it but rumours have swirled that despite the pay it won’t be the happiest place to work.

“Apparently the company is so mad about what Ryan did that they’re going to make interning there into the least fun time they can” explained Matt, the prospective future intern. “I’ve heard it’s going to be long hours, irrational bosses, uncomfortable co-worker relations, I mean, what kind of work experience is that?”

Where are they now? – May 20th, 2013

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EIC
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Ever wonder what happened to those celebrities who were everywhere back then, but have since fallen off the face of the earth? Well, stop asking yourself stupid questions like an idiot and find out where they are — now!

 

The Original Host of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

First host of the 7th best late-night talk show on TV

Of course, everyone knows and loves the long-running late-night talk show The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and its current host, Jay Leno; but whatever happened to that hilarious, squeaky-voiced, working class guy who originally hosted it? Well, apparently he’s still around and entertaining people across the world with his comedy. He also hosts The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

 

World Trade Center Tower B

I know, I could never tell them apart either

As much as we’d all love to forget, the destruction of World Trade Center Tower A in the tragic events of September 11, 2001 is something that will stay ingrained in all of our minds for as long as we live. But whatever happened to its twin, World Trade Center B? According to everything I’ve read, B just wasn’t able to survive as a single act and must have descended into obscurity after A’s demise.

 

Your Nose

The one you had stolen as a child

You might not remember any of this but when you were a kid your uncle stole your nose and never gave it back. Don’t worry though, it was actually just his thumb and you’ve had your nose this whole time. Your virginity on the other hand, he took that for good.

Word on the Street: Election Results

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EIC
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Q: What are your totally reasonable thoughts about the election results?

 

Christy Clark is worse than Hitler! Did you hear what she said about the Poles? “The Poles were wrong . . . We can’t trust the Poles!” What year is this?

Tim Gunderson, Has trouble with homophones

 

I’m pissed off. I was sure the NDP would win! They HAD it! They were ahead by so much! How do you blow a lead like that! Godammit Bergeron!

Bill Johanson, Mixed up NDP/Toronto Maple Leafs Supporter

 

I am ecstatic. It’s so nice to finally see a nice guy lose!

Sam Dorsee, Long Suffering Jerk

 

I’m not surprised at all by the results. No one is ever going to win an election with a “hope” and “change” message.

Jerry Levy, Doesn’t follow American Politics

 

I’m shocked and disappointed. Based on the poll I did of my five friends I thought there was no way my party could lose.

Felix Astrado, Communist Party Supporter 

SFU Professor Power Rankings (Week 3, Summer 2013)

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EIC
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1. Dr. Winston Hubbard | Mathematics

Hubbard’s been rolling this semester with a couple of stellar back-to-back lectures to kick off the summer. Look for him to continue his perfect semester when he takes on Linear Algebra in week 3.

Last Week: 1

 

2. Dr. Claude Brooks | Geography

After some opening week jitters, Brooks has found his form and is teaching with total confidence and poise. Brooks currently holds a 4.7 score on Rate my Professors, a number that is only going up.

Last Week: 3

 

3. Dr. Sonia Bowers |History

Bowers struggled early on with her PowerPoint slides but quickly managed to turn the lecture around and by the third hour was a truly dominant force of Weimar Republic knowledge.

Last Week: 2

 

4. Dr. Pat Mills | English

Despite some inconsistent TAing over the past few years, Mills is having a solid semester and is backed up by a great supporting cast. His class is definitely not to be dropped.

Last Week: 8

 

5. Dr. Miranda Kelley | Chemistry

Kelley has been surprisingly strong in his first two lectures after she closed out last semester with an error-filled final exam. Expect her performance to dip though as midterm season approaches.

Last Week: 5

 

6. Dr. Stanley Ortega | Criminology

Although Ortega’s lectures have been hit-or-miss so far, his reading selections have been great and he’s currently holding some of the best office hours of his career. If you’re looking for some extra credits this semester, his class could be worth a late add.

Last Week: 4

 

7. Dr. Juan Garrett | Computing Science

Garrett finally got his chance to teach an upper division course this semester and has not wasted the opportunity. His whopping 95.6% student attendance in week 2 speaks for itself.

Last Week: 6

 

8. Dr. May Hill | Kinesiology

After 3 semesters off dealing with an undisclosed maternity leave, Hill has shaken off the rust and is now clawing her way back to being one of the university’s premiere professors.

Last Week: 35

SFU professor to speak at European Parliament

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EIC
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Mark Jaccard will present on Canadian oil sands and emissions

By Leah Bjornson

The European Parliament has invited SFU professor Mark Jaccard to Brussels to debate the merits of the Fuel Quality Directive (FQD), a policy that would classify global fuel sources by the emissions caused by their production and transportation. The FQD would single out crude from Canada’s oil sands as the most harmful to the planet’s climate.

Jaccard, a professor in the School of Resource and Environmental Management at SFU, argued for an end of the expansion of the Alberta oilsands.

The FQD is part of the European Union’s commitment to reduce carbon emissions from transportation by 20 per cent between now and 2020. Its policies aim to help European countries reach greenhouse gas emission targets by classifying global fuel sources by their level of emissions and encouraging the use of cleaner and lower-carbon fuels.

Different fuels are produced from different raw materials, and depending on extraction, refining processes and associated energy needs, these materials can differ greatly in their Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions.

The FQD distinguishes between these by labeling them as conventional oil (less dense or less viscous crude oils), gas-to-liquid, or natural bitumen (more dense, in a sense heavier, and more viscous), shale oil, and coal-to-liquid. Natural bitumen, like the oil sands, emits greater amounts of carbon dioxide per megajoule of energy used to transport them than conventional oil.

According to Jaccard, Canada is not on a path to meet the 2020 target, and points to oil sands as the reason: “Sadly, Canada’s oil sands continue to make a name for our country, for all the wrong reasons.”

In a study commissioned by the government of Alberta, it was found that oil extracted from the oil sands emitted 12 percent more emissions than oil produced in Europe, with some studies estimating that the oil sands pollute up to 23 per cent more than other sources. The Canadian government has been engaged in a lobbying campaign to stop the EU from adopting these fuel standards, which they claim could hurt oil sands exports to Europe.

The FQD has been opposed by the Canadian government, who are concerned that if the oil sands were labelled ‘dirty’, this designation could greatly impact future markets for Canada’s oil sands products.

“By treating oil sands crude as a unique high GHG-intensive ‘feedstock,’ it is effectively shutting oil sands crude, and products derived therefrom, out of the EU market,” reads the Natural Resources Canada website. “Canada will not hesitate to defend its interests should FQD single out oil sands crude in a disproportionate, arbitrary, and unscientific way.”

Canadian officials are also worried that if the FQD is passed, Canada’s largest oil sands importer, the US, might quickly follow suit. With this in mind, Natural Resource Minister Joe Oliver recently said in Brussels that Canada would consider filing a complaint with the World Trade Organization if the EU goes ahead with the directive.

Jaccard’s role in deciding the fate of the FQD is to share his economic and environmental insights to the European Parliament. Also a member of the 2007 Nobel Prize winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Jaccard and climatologist James Hansen, from NASA’s Goddard Institute, will make presentations in Brussels, at The Hague in the Netherlands, and at a public event at the London School of Economics.

“Dr. Hansen and I are honoured to be asked to provide guidance to the European Union on such a critical policy decision.” said Jaccard. “We hope to provide clarity not only on the current detrimental impacts and implications of allowing oil sands growth to continue unchecked, but how continuing to say yes, regardless of geography to our country’s dirty, energy-intensive products will have global implications for others, long-term.”

The debate on the morality of unpaid internships

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EIC
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WEB-Intern Photo-Vaikunthe Banerjee

Companies like Vancouver-based HootSuite under fire for the practice

By Joel Mackenzie
Photos by Vaikunthe Banerjee

The ballad of the unpaid intern is far from new, but is one that is starting to be sung a little louder. Unpaid internships in British Columbia are prevalent and undertaken by many BC graduates to gain experiences in their fields of choice, despite being technically illegal in the province.

One Vancouver-based company came under fire recently for offering unpaid internships. The digital media company HootSuite earlier this year received much online criticism for doing so and has since promised to provide full payment and interest to unpaid interns working from October 2012 to April 2013.

The company is not unique in offering such positions: they are common in many employment sectors, prominently in journalism for local newspapers and radio stations, in marketing, and even in organic farming. Nationally, the University of Toronto Students’ Union recently called on Ontario’s Minister of Labour to end unpaid internships, stating that 300,000 Canadians are “illegally misclassified” as interns, trainees, and non-employees, according to The Huffington Post.

However, not all unpaid internships violate the BC Employment Standards Act — such as strictly educational internships — illegal internships are defined as involving an employee, or a person completing labour or services performed for an employer, and not being paid at least the BC minimum wage. Practicums are separated from internships in the act, as they may be unpaid, and involve practical training that is part of the formal education process completed for school credit.

Many are torn by the idea of unpaid internships. David Lindskoog, a career advisor for SFU’s Surrey campus, believes that there’s not really an easy answer either way. “From a student’s perspective there are compelling reasons to do one if you can . . . I think a lot of students out there are . . . in a situation in which any experience is better than no experience.”

Lindskoog continued, “From a systemic perspective . . . personally I think there’s kind of a fundamental problem with unpaid internships in that, not everyone can afford to work for free . . . If your life situation is such that you can afford to take that hit, then you’re gaining an advantage on others who don’t have that opportunity.”

Douglas College student Eric Wilkins disagrees with what he calls the “slave labour” of unpaid internships. It is wrong for an intern to have to complete “work that would ordinarily have to be done by someone else” without being compensated, he says. “For many students already burdened with loans, a full-time unpaid internship can be a daunting, if not impossible prospect.”

Wilkins explains, “The line between practicums and internships . . . has to be erased. Practicums are internships; the fact that practicums are mandatory for completion of certain credentials doesn’t change the work that students have to do.”

Liam Britten on the other hand, a Douglas graduate and current SFU student, finds internships to be “an accepted part of many career trajectories.” In his personal experience with two unpaid internships in the past, he received “invaluable . . . guidance and practical instruction from working professionals,” and was allowed the “opportunity to make mistakes and grow from them, [which] obviously wouldn’t be tolerated from a paid, full-time employee.”

Britten sees internships as a stepping stone, and explained how “Regular staff always have a soft spot for someone who will do [work] for free, especially if you show a good attitude in the process. It brings respect.”

Lindskoog offers this advice to students who are considering completing an unpaid internship: “Make sure you’re doing it for the right reasons . . . make sure that you’re aware of your rights in the Employment Standards Act, [that] there’s actually a training or educational component to the internship, and that it’s not just you going in and doing the same thing that a paid employee would be doing anyways.”

Lindskoog does suggest that it is important to remain in touch with the people you meet during an internship, to keep up those connections. “You’re going to take some things out of that,” he said, “You’re going to learn more about yourself [and] about the industry you’re working in, about what’s actually out there and whether you like or dislike these things at all.”

International Headlines: May 20th, 2013

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EIC
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Pyramid voted Egypt’s favourite polyhedron for 4,000th straight year (Egyptian Shapes Today)

White House interior renovations were an inside job (Daily American Conspirator)

Bowling news not frequent enough to fill weekly magazine (Bowling Monthly Magazine)

Pyongyang voted “world’s ONLY livable city” (North Korean Free Press)

Paul McCartney purchases ‘love’ for 16.8 million dollars (Living Beatles Times)

University Briefs

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EIC
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VIA Rail bombing planner possibly a Quebec university student

By Kristina Charania

Although Ahmed Abassi, 26, is currently arrested in the U.S. for attempting to expedite one of the VIA Rail bomb plots, a man by the same name is registered as a chemical engineering master’s student at Laval University. The university will not confirm whether its student and the offender are the same person, simply stating than someone named Ahmed Abassi is a registered student. Chemical engineering professor Alain Garnier said that he is not permitted to speak to the press about Abassi, who he confirms was not a student in any of his classes.

With files from The Toronto Sun

Swimming dinosaurs will lend insight on present day organisms

After examining 15 feet of claw marks on ancient rocks in China, University of Alberta palaeontologist Scott Persons, has concluded that dinosaurs once swam extended distances with coordinated motion. The fossilized tracks, he suggests, were left by a two-legged carnivorous dinosaur whose feet barely grazed the bottom of the now dry riverbed.

“From dinosaurs, we’ve learned about colour vision in some of today’s animals, and the ancient animals are linked to the evolution of other life we take for granted, like birds and flowering plants,” he says. He will continue to study swimming dinosaurs in order to gain further knowledge on evolution and current life on Earth.

With files from University of Alberta News and Events

King Richard III researchers present at SFU

On May 14, two of the researchers who discovered King Richard III’s remains in a Leicester parking lot visited SFU’s Wosk Center for a public presentation. Turi King and Jo Appleby discussed how they connected King Richard’s DNA to that of a distant living relative.

“[Their] rare fusion of forensics and archaeology analysis in this case yielded a lot of information about the probable cause of this king’s death. He was likely hacked to pieces,” notes Robert Gordon, SFU director and professor of the School of Criminology. King Richard died in 1485 while battling for English throne as the last reigning member of the House of York.

With files from SFU PAMR

Demographic shift causes decline in university enrolment

University of Victoria undergraduate enrolment has fallen short of expectations by 750–800 students for the last two years, hinting at a narrowing youth demographic and soon-to-increase competition between schools for new students. The university’s associate vice-president of student affairs Jim Dunsdon said that Canadian universities outside of immigrant heavy cities like Vancouver, Toronto, and Calgary are suffering from the same issue. According to BC Stats, these student decreases are not a temporary problem — they’ve projected a 48,000 person decrease in the 20–24 age range by 2018.

With files from The Martlet

SFU student named national HSBC Woman Leader of Tomorrow

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EIC
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WEB-HSBC Woman Leader of Tomorrow-SFUPAMR-Flickr

Chantelle Buffie was recognized for her entrepreneurial achievements by Enactus Canada last week

By Alison Roach
Photos by SFU PAMR

Chantelle Buffie, a SFU Beedie School of Business student, was named the 2013 HSBC Woman Leader of Tomorrow at the Enactus Canada national competition in Toronto last week. Enactus Canada is a group of student, academic, and business leaders with chapters throughout the country, including one at SFU.

Buffie spent a week in Toronto, first at the Enactus conference, and then networking with Telus team members — where she currently holds a job back in Surrey as a business analyst. She also continues to take part time classes at SFU, and work on the business she and partner Sonam Swarup founded, Fusion Kitchen.

All these accomplishments led to Buffie being awarded the regional, and then the national title. “I went to Toronto just to support the [Enactus SFU] national competition team that was going, and to see if I won the national award,” said Buffie. “I was against a lot of accomplished females as well, so I was quite surprised that I won.”

The title comes with a $2,500 prize to be used by the Enactus SFU chapter to start a program that targets helping women develop socially and professionally, a concept that Buffie is no stranger to. Fusion Kitchen, which celebrates its second birthday at the end of this month, is a startup social enterprise that offers cultural cooking classes in Vancouver, taught by immigrant women.

Buffie explained that her and Swarup’s backgrounds led them to come up with the idea for Fusion Kitchen, as a way to ease the transition of women who are newcomers to Canada.

“Her parents are from Fiji and my mother comes from the Phillipines,” said Buffie. “We really wanted to ease the transition of immigrant women, or males as well, coming into Canada. A lot of the time they come from very educational backgrounds; a lot of the women we see have masters and PhDs, and it’s sad to see that they’re not getting into the areas they want to get into.”

She continued, “We want to break that cycle, and offer them a work experience that other employers might not provide.”

Initially, Buffie and Swarup intended to focus on recent immigrants, people who had been in the country for less than two years, but found that many applicants to teach the classes were not that new to the country, but still having difficulty transitioning into Canadian life. The two women Buffie and Swarup are currently working with have been in the country for about five years or so.

Fusion Kitchen initially began as a simple school project for a social entrepreneurship class Buffie took in fall 2011, but quickly blossomed into something larger with the support the girls found. “We got a lot of positive feedback from Shawn Smith [a Beedie lecturer], and the SFU Beedie community,” said Buffie. Fusion Kitchen won the first top prize of the Social Entrepreneurship Accelerator program and awarded $2,500 to go towards the business.

Fusion Kitchen has now offered six classes, but is having some venue issues now that their previous venue, Save-On-Meats, is currently under renovations. Buffie and Swarup are currently focusing on looking for a suitable space to continue the program. Once classes are up and running again, the team hopes to target more corporate groups who want to do social teambuilding events through the classes.

For now, Buffie continues to divide her attention. “My focus right now is Fusion Kitchen, building up my experience at Telus, and school,” she said with a laugh, “Finishing up school!”

burns-i-vew: Election Day Revelations

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EIC
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Election Day Revelations - burns-i-vew - Stephen Kloppenburg (1)

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Simon Fraser University’s independent student newspaper since 1965.

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© The Peak Publications Society

Simon Fraser University’s independent student newspaper since 1965.

For advertising inquiries: [email protected]
For promotional inquiries: [email protected]

© The Peak Publications Society