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The Parker falls short of potential

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EIC
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Newly opened vegetarian restaurant succeeds in sustainability but fails in taste.

By Alexis Lawton-Smith
Photos by Katie Huisman

It’s a Saturday night, and Vancouver is at its usual temperament: rain falls from the sky, traffic is congested, and partygoers meander the streets, giddy for upcoming debauchery. My sister and I are also at our usual temperament — hungry. Fortunately for our growling stomachs, we are heading down Main Street to a new vegetarian restaurant located on the outskirts of Chinatown: The Parker.

The Parker is almost at capacity when we enter, but luckily two bar seats are available. In hindsight, it would have been wise to call for a reservation. The concept of The Parker is vegetarian boutique, and “boutique” definitely describes the size of the establishment: the restaurant is a mere 500 square feet and only seats about 25 people.

The interior is minimalist, with only mirrors, concrete, recycled chairs, and plywood for the benches and bar. This intimate and conservative decor fit with the main theme of the restaurant: sustainability with no waste.  Co-owner Steve Da Cruz is the bartender this evening and explains that the restaurant tries to recycle all packaging and compost all leftover food.

As we read the short menu by candlelight, the server explains that it changes daily depending on available ingredients. This showcases another motif of The Parker: the restaurant is committed to supporting locally produced goods whenever possible. The lack of excess is well hidden though. The surrounding mirrors give the illusion of a much wider space, and the unique menu gives the illusion of luxury and abundance.

All the dishes are prepared to share — similar to tapas — and come as they are ready. With difficulty, we finally decide on four dishes: cauliflower soup, chickpea fries with house-made ketchup, poached pear with Solefood (a local company) greens and the daikon.

The cauliflower soup and poached pear with greens arrive first. The cauliflower soup is served thick, almost like a puree, and is topped with goat cheese, blue cheese, thyme and apple. As our spoons dip into the steaming concoction, we embark on our first taste. “Interesting,” is the first comment, followed by: “I can only the taste the goat cheese.” While we both like goat cheese, it overpowers the soup, and any hint of cauliflower is smothered. The salad shares the same unfortunate fate. It is overwhelmed by the arugula, and the dressing is so subtle that it can hardly be tasted. Slightly disappointed, but not yet fazed, we wait for the next bit of nourishment.

The chickpea fries and daikon arrive a few minutes later. The fries are stacked like Jenga, and our hurried hands take a fry and dip it into the house-made ketchup. The texture is surprising, with a crispy outside and a very moist, crumbly inside. The ketchup is tangy with a hint of sweetness. I soon wish they sold bottles of it. Our final dish is the daikon.

The daikon is presented as a steaming bowl of broth filled with seaweed, bok choy, and shiitake mushrooms. Again, our reaction is much the same as the cauliflower soup: “I can only taste the shiitake mushrooms.” Regrettably, shiitake mushrooms are not a favourite at our table. The seaweed and bok choy are fished out, but the broth and mushrooms are left for the compost. We sigh, push it aside, and wish we had ordered the brussel sprouts. Although our childhood selves may have shrieked in horror, the brussel sprouts looked absolutely delicious as they were placed in front of the person next to us.

The Parker is commendable for its focus on sustainability, but it lacks the flavour needed to succeed as a great vegetarian restaurant. The mirrors and unique menu create, at this point, only illusions. The Parker didn’t leave us with a bad taste in our mouths; it left almost no taste at all.

Beyond survival

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EIC
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If Canadian literature is to survive, it needs to develop a strong national presence.

By Hannah Bellamy
Photos by Connor Stefanison

Canadian literature is approached with almost as much diversity as the nation itself. For some, Canadian literature means the Farley Mowat short story they were made to read in school. For some, it is just a fragment of our national presence, but for others, it is the most valuable presence we have to offer. In late October, six significant contributors to the Canadian literary firmament spoke before a sold out audience at the Vancouver Arts Club Theatre. These included Margaret Atwood, Emily Schultz, Dionne Brand, Louise Dennys, Aritha Van Herk, and Graham Gibson. The discussion continued a question that Atwood asked in 1972 with Survival: what is Canadian literature, and why should we be concerned about it”

Atwood suggested that survival is Canada’s national identity, much like the frontier is to our southern neighbours and the island is to Britain. The panelists asked what has become of Canadian literature since Atwood’s initial considerations.

The perspectives of the panelists were varied, but seemed indicative of the current discussions about Canadian literature. Ours is a moment in which the slow and silent assault on Canadian arts is a problem. We currently do not have a government that supports the arts as much as many have long expected. This co-dependence on government was made especially obvious when a non-profit organization, Canadian Conference for the Arts, was shut down at the end of October as a result of losing government funding. The loss of this organization leaves us with a few questions: should the government be prioritizing the arts and if not, what are alternative non-governmental forms arts organizations can take on?

The changing forms of literature — how it can be created, accessed, and shared — were alluded to when Emily Shultz, the youngest of the panelists, was asked about young Canadian writers. As founder of an independent online literary magazine, Schultz sees potential in the internet for young writers and readers. Because of its accessibility, the internet provides a platform for Canadian literature to make its way into the awareness of young people, unlike the young generation when Atwood’s Survival was released.

[pullquote] The loss of this organization leaves us with a few questions: should the government be prioritizing the arts and if not, what are alternative non-governmental forms arts organizations can take on?[/pullquote]

Author Graham Gibson also spoke about the importance of getting young people reading. More specifically, he called attention to Canadian education and the national content it provides for children. One member of the audience asked the panel what Canadian literature should be taught in schools. When panelist Aritha Van Herk suggested the new Oxford Anthology of Canadian Literature, another audience member apologetically interrupted to say that, while teachers like her are aware of the new Canadian literature available, they simply do not have the funding to buy it for their students. For this reason, the non-Canadian canon prevails. This is a problem in itself: without sufficient funding to Canadian educators, Canadian literature has a hard time making its way onto anyone’s reading list.

The discussion repeatedly returned to political and institutional involvement in Canadian literature, specifically the recent regulatory attempts to censor internet content. This is a problem because it restricts readers from accessing the already-inaccessible Canadian literature that exists. Panelist and publisher Louise Dennys claimed that any government worth anything should support carrying national values internationally, and that literature is the best way to do this.

The panel discussed other possibilities for the Canadian literary identity that have emerged in recent decades. In contrast to Atwood’s survival identity, Dennys, who emigrated from Britain in her 20s, suggested that the identity of Canadian literature is exotic and sexy. This is perhaps a reaction to the mosaic-like quality of the divisive national identity: in a country as multicultural as Canada, there are difficulties in defining what is “Canadian.”

This was epitomized in Brand’s insistence that the identity of Canadian literature is heterogeneity. Gibson attributes the diversity of Canadian literature to the freedom of not having a singular national identity, yet the diversity that creates Canadian literature seems to be all the identity necessary for international respect.

Perhaps the most pressing issue that arose from the panel was where Canadian literature is going. The following day on Twitter, Atwood announced: “Reading The Blondes by Emily Schultz: wow+haha+eek!” Maybe she’s onto something about the relation of the internet and the future of young, emerging Canadian literature: it’s still young, with a lot of growing ahead. Maybe soon it will be properly funded and represented, so that it may speak for our diverse nation.

The art of community

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EIC
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The Eastside Culture Crawl invites community to observe artists in natural habitat.

By Alison Brierley
Photos by Straight Line Designs


The Eastside Culture Crawl offers something for everybody. Running from Nov. 16–18,  the affectionately nicknamed “Crawl” first opened its doors in 1997. The original purpose of the three-day art show was to promote a few local artists and their work near the upcoming holiday season; now, however, the Crawl has grown to display the work of over 300 artists to an audience of more than 15,000 people in 75 buildings. Attendees of the Crawl are able to explore the work of artists between various venues in East Vancouver free of charge. The most enticing aspect of the Crawl is the opportunity to walk into the artist’s lives.

Judson Beaumont, a furniture designer, owner of Straight Line Designs, and participating artist of the Crawl says: “It’s almost like going inside their head. You get to see how an artist lives.” This is the defining feature of the Crawl. Visitors are exposed not only to art, but toartists and how they work. “It’s like an open house,” Beaumont explains. “I want people to see the process of art, the unfinished, the starting, the sketches ,and the drawings.”

[pullquote]“It’s almost like going inside their head. You get to see how an artist lives.”[/pullquote]

This unique experience stems from the community of artists that exists within the showcased buildings, such as 1000 Parker Street, one of the original Culture Crawl buildings and the location of Beaumont’s studio, comes from humble beginnings. Beaumont reminisces about first moving into the building, “There were no windows, no heat, no light, but within six months it was full of artists and all of a sudden we had this community.”

The Crawl prospers within this sense of community and offers an outlet for young artists to showcase their work. “It’s a great venue for up-and-coming artists,” Beaumont says. It teaches them how to get exposure, how to get experience and how to get their name out there. Ultimately, the Crawl can “break them or make them.” Furthermore, it offers a source of inspiration for other new artists hoping to pursue a career in the arts. “I’m passionate about what I do; I want to share my experiences, I want to talk to young artists,” Beaumont says. By recognizing the importance of art within a community, he has also become involved in neighbouring high schools, colleges and universities, and often appears as a guest speaker. This passion is reflected in the Culture Crawl and its ability to enthuse and inspire visitors, whether they may be artists themselves or not. “Even if you don’t like art . . . give it a shot,” Beaumont encourages. For first time Crawlers, the show will expose a flourishing creative niche in the Vancouver community.

“There are some really amazing creative people that are coming out of this city,” Beaumont says. “I think Vancouver has a lot to offer.” The Crawl offers an opportunity to explore this, while exposing people to a history of Vancouver artistry that started 15 years ago and still thrives today. The Crawl continues to grow every year, and its expanse over numerous sites can often be overwhelming. Beaumont advises: “Do your research and pick out what you want to see, and then go.” The variety of art showcased during the Culture Crawl includes everything from paintings, sculpture and photography, to woodworking, drawing and textiles. “I’m still amazed when I talk to people and what they remember me from is the Culture Crawl,” Beaumont says.

Sports spotlight: Mathis Baumbach

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EIC
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Mathis Baumbach is finishing off his fifth year at SFU, he was one of Clan football’s graduating seniors celebrated last week on Terry Fox Field

By Clay Gray
Photos by Mark Burnham

Anyone who has stepped foot on one of the three SFU campuses will know the school’s current motto, “Engaging the World.” For some, this slogan is nothing more than a catch phrase. But for Mathis Baumbach, engaging with the world is something he does in his daily life. He is an economics major from Dusseldorf, Germany and is in his fifth and final year at Simon Fraser.

Throughout his university career, Mathis has not had many opportunities to return to Dusseldorf, and now considers Vancouver to be like a second home. “I see myself as a German, but your environment shapes you as a human being.” However, Mathis hasn’t given up all of his German roots, and when asked which country’s beer he preferred, admitted that, “I love my Alp beer. It’s a refreshing good taste, but I have to admit that there are some really good micro-breweries in Canada.”

As a student of economics and number 11 on the Clan’s football team, Mathis has a working knowledge of how time is a limited commodity. In fact, Mathis attributes his success in time management to his studies, saying that, “In economics you learn that you only have 24 hours in day . . . you only have so much time.” However, Mathis said, “I go to class and I enjoy myself. Stephen Easton is my absolute favourite professor.” He continued to say, “[Although] I have been influenced by [the football team], I think the things that have shaped me the most are my professors. As I made progress in my first and second years of university, I really learned to appreciate economics . . . the SFU economics department is something special.”

With most days starting early and ending late, being busy is a regular occurrence for this 6’5” tight end, and even though he is over 7,000 kilometers away from his hometown, Mathis stays connected with home through his early morning routine.  Mathis gets his day started with a healthy breakfast and a reading of the Handelsblatt, the German equivalent of The Wall Street Journal. Mathis said, “My mother taught me that you can’t go to school without a good healthy breakfast, and I always make sure I have my lunchbox packed.” After breakfast, Mathis heads up the mountain to attend class for a few hours until it is time for the daily team meeting, which also doubles as lunchtime. Mathis then hustles into the basement of the Lorne Davies Complex, where he straps on his pads and runs onto Terry Fox field for a two-and-a-half hour practice. After practice, number 11 hurries home, where he spends a few hours hitting the books before rewarding himself with a few games of FIFA Soccer. Mathis says, “It’s my favorite game. I usually play two or three games online and then go to bed.”

During his five-year stint at SFU, Mathis has seen the Clan’s football team come up against its fair share of challenges and tragedies. In Mathis’s first year at SFU, 2008 the Clan’s football had turned the corner, finally finding success in a 5–3 season and a trip to the Canada West Universities Athletic Association Conference finals, after three straight winless seasons.  However, just a week after the season ended, the announcement that SFU would be joining the NCAA erased much of that progress.  The discrepancies’ between the eligibility bylaws would see many forced out of the locker room due to a technicality, as the CIS allows six years for an individual to compete in varsity athletics while the NCAA allows only five. Mathis said, “A lot of soon-to-be seniors lost their last year.”

Sadly, the switching of leagues would not be the only adversity faced by the Clan. On Nov. 11, 2009, SFU’s quarterback, Bernd ‘Bernie’ Dittrich, passed away after losing consciousness in the swimming pool on Burnaby campus. Mathis said, “To this day, I think about Bernie all the time and how much he would have deserved to have had the chance to be a senior here as well.” Mathis continued, “A lot of people don’t know anything about him, but he was a hard worker . . . and he treated every person the same way no matter where you were from.”

All the trials SFU football faced during the past five years had head coach Dave Johnson craft a simple yet powerful saying for the Clan, “Celebrate adversity.” On Nov. 3, SFU football hosted their last home game of the season. A game, which Mathis felt, embodied Coach Johnson’s motto, as it was a come-from-behind victory where the Clan were down 24 points at half time, but rallied back to win 41–37.  Mathis said, “I feel like I’ve internalized the idea of celebrating adversity. After fighting through these hard years and all this pain and all the suffering and adversity, finally we reap the benefits of not giving up, and won against the best team in the conference [Humbolt State].”

Clan too strong for Lumberjacks

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EIC
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SFU football score 34 straight points to beat Humboldt State, 41–37

By Bryan Scott
Photos by Adam Ovenell-Carter

The Simon Fraser football team celebrated their Senior players last week when they played host to the Humboldt State Lumberjacks, who sit in the top spot in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. Terry Fox Field was appropriately foggy for the Clan’s final home game of the season. The Lumberjacks beat the Clan by 20 points earlier in the season in Arcata, California, so SFU was looking for a better result this time.

The game did not start well for the Clan. Humboldt State used their running game to push down field quickly. The most damaging play was a 55-yard run by runningback Victor Spencer. Then quarterback Casey Mintz hit Brandon Kakitsuka with a 28-yard pass to give the Lumberjacks a 7–0 lead.

Things would not get better from there. Clan reciever Tore Corrado fumbled after a catch, at the SFU six-yard line. This led to another touchdown for the Lumberjacks, leaving the Clan down by 14 points early on. The Clan offense could not get anything going, and were forced to punt the ball after three plays. Humboldt State took this opportunity to possess the ball. They used 11 plays and ran five minutes off the clock, finishing with a field goal to lead 17–0.

Later in the half, SFU got the ball back inside the Lumberjack’s zone after a 20-yard return for Corrado down to the 39-yard line. The Clan got close, but could not finish the drive with a touchdown. They went for it on fourth down, but Lamar Durant could not hold on to the ball for the first down, and Humboldt State took over on their own 23-yard line.  Once again, they used the running game play after play, putting up many yards against the Clan defense. Lumberjack running back Nick Ricciardulli rushed the ball for 49-yards on his third carry of the drive into Clan territory. They pounded the ball on the ground three more times before finishing the drive with a short pass into the end-zone. The Clan, down 24–0, needed to respond before halftime to avoid being completely embarrassed on home field.

On the ensuing possession, with just over five minutes left in the half, the Clan woke up. They started on their own 21-yard line, utility guy Ryan Blum made a few good rushes to start the drive. Then Wheeler connected with Durant on back to back plays for 14-yards each ,which put the Clan in great position. On third down and six to go, Wheeler hooked up with Kyle Kawamoto for 33-yards down to the Humboldt State five-yard line. The Clan offense was still having trouble finishing in the red-zone. They lucked out on a pass interference call to get a new set of down which they managed to score on, cutting the lead to 17 points at halftime.

To start the second half, the Clan defense was spectacular, especially against the running game. They forced three fumbles on three straight Lumberjack drives to start the third quarter. First, Dylan Roper forced Ricciardulli to fumble. Alex Iezzi picked up the ball for the Clan and ran 32-yards for the touchdown, which cut the lead to just 10. Next, it was Roper who recovered another Ricciardulli fumble on the Lumberjack’s 37-yard line. After a few passes to Bobby Pospischil that got them to the one-yard line, Wheeler finished the drive on his own. The Clan were down by three points.

Iezzi cashed in for his second defensive touchdown of the game, when he picked up another Lumberjack’s fumble and returned it 53 yards. The Clan missed the extra point but now had the lead 27–24. They did not let the Lumberjacks score in the third quarter.

Durant got in on the action to end the third quarter when he pulled down a 42-yard pass from Wheeler. The Clan scored 34 points unanswered to lead the game 34–24 going into the fourth quarter.

The Clan looked like they were going to roll right over the Lumberjacks when they forced yet another fumble and took over in great position. Unfortunately, Wheeler was picked off at the opposing 19-yard line, and the ball was returned 81 yards for the score, adding even more excitement to this game. The extra point was blocked so the Clan still had a 34–30 lead.

The Clan offense did not get much going on the next few possessions, and the Lumberjacks took advantage of the fog when Mintz found Tommy Darcey for a 31-yard pass for a touchdown, putting them up by three points, 37–34.

There was no way the Clan were losing this game, not when Durant and Wheeler feel like putting on a show. On the next drive, Wheeler hit Durant with a 45-yard pass, and Durant fought his way past two defenders to give the Clan the lead.

The Clan defense continued their great play — they stuffed the Lumberjacks on several occasions from very close range. The Lumberjacks failed to score and the Clan knocked off the best team in the conference in impressive fashion.

Clan graduating running back Bo Palmer was excited after the game “It makes it even better that we were able to win my last home game at SFU. This one is definitely the highlight of my Clan career.”

The Clan are now 5–5 on the season and 4–5 in the GNAC. The senior players on the team will always remember their epic last game on Terry Fox Field.

Top ranked Clan ready to compete in NCAA Championship

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EIC
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Despite being the GNAC champions three times in a row, the Clan head to their first NCAA Championship tournament.

By Bryan Scott

The Simon Fraser men’s soccer teams were already Great Northwest Athletic Conference champions when they hosted the Western Washington Vikings in their final season game last week. They were still awaiting their fate in the NCAA championship team announcements were released later on in the week. The Clan played a strong game and came out on top 3¬–0.
The Clan did not want to give the Vikings a chance, once again shooting early and often. It didn’t take long Clan midfielder Colin Jaques to find Justin Wallace for the game’s first goal in the 11th minute. Michael Winter added another 10 minutes later to double the lead to 2–0. The Clan fired 15 shots in the first half, but only four of them found the net. In the second half, they managed to get seven on target but only John Hodnett found the back of the net off a rebound. JD Blakely was solid in net, recording the shut-out.

With the win, the Clan finished the regular season with a record of 16–1–1 and 12–1–1 in GNAC play.
The NCAA tournament takes place over the next three weeks culminating on Dec. 1st in Evans, Georgia. This year there will be 35 teams competing for the title. It is a single elimination tournament, meaning that the Clan needs to win every game from here on out to win the championship.
They had to wait until Nov. 5 to find out who they would face in the first round of the NCAA championship tournament. When the brackets were finally revealed, it looked good for the Clan. They held on to their first place West Region position and earned a bye into the second round of the tournament. The Clan gladly took the bye after they have spent two years being unable to compete in the final tournament due to their previous NCAA eligibility. Clan midfielder Michael Winter showed excitement, saying “As a senior this is my only chance at an NCAA Championship, and we are going to compete as if we will never have this chance again.”

The Clan’s faced the winner of the Nov. 8 game between the fourth ranked California State University Stanislaus Warriors and the fifth ranked Notre de Namur Argonauts. The Warriors ended up taking the game 3–2 over the Argonauts which set up the second round match with the Clan. The game took place on Nov. 10 and will be covered in a later issue of the Peak.
SFU’s rivals from GNAC Seattle Pacific lost their first round game to California State Los Angeles on the other half of the regional bracket.

Clan compete in their first West Regional Championship

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EIC
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SFU’s cross-country teams compete hard at West Regional Championship, but do not qualify for nationals. 

By Bryan Scott

The season has ended for the Simon Fraser cross-country teams. They were the first non-American team to compete in a post-season competition in the NCAA, when they went to Honolulu, Hawaii last week.

The women’s team performed well at the West Regional Championship, placing sixth in the six-kilometre course, and the men finished in 13th place on the eight-kilometre course.

The women’s team was led by Freshman Peggy Noel who finished 18th, with a time of 22:25.25. Another freshman Kansas Mackenzie finished in a time of 22:31.38 to wrap up 20th spot. Captain Lindsay Butterworth finished in 76thth place after being sick throughout the week. The first place finisher on the women’s side was Susan Tanui from Alaska Anchorage University with a time of 21:18.50.

On the men’s side it was Adam Reid who finished in the highest position for the Clan. He completed the course in 34:07.56 to earn 42nd spot. Travis Vugeveen and Timo Hoberg were close together finishing 69th and 72nd respectively. Micah Chelimo from Alaska Anchorage earned top spot on the men’s side. Chico State University took home both the men’s and the women’s team competitions.

Only the top five teams make in on to the NCAA championship, so it is an unfortunate finish for the Clan but they were strong throughout the season and will look to improve for next year.

Clan are the best at Clansmen Invitational

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EIC
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Clan earn 40 team points and take the Clansmen Invitational

By Clay Gray
Photos by Mark Burnham

The 2012 Clansmen Invitational was held Nov. 2 and 3 with the men’s university division going down on Friday alongside the women’s open division. A solid showing from both wrestling teams kept the universities’ men and women’s open titles in Burnaby. On the first day, there were several stand out performances. They came from five men (Sukhan Chalan, 57 kg, Josh Punzo, 72 kg, Sanjay Rekhi, 82 kg, Manvir Sahota, 90 kg, and Kooner Gurjot, 130 kg) and one woman (Danielle Lappage, 63 kg) standing atop the podium on Friday. The Clan’s medals didn’t end there, as SFU would snag three silvers and two bronzes to bring the total medal count 11 for Friday divisions. The dominance of SFU’s women was evident in the team scores for the competition as they ended the day with 40 team points while the second place team would finish with only 22. Women’s head coach Mike Jones said, “It was a good home opener for our young athletes. Overall I thought we performed well but when you have a group of 20, someone is going to be disappointed with their individual results.”
Saturday’s competition saw only men taking to the mats in their open division. Although the Clan had high hopes for some of its wrestlers, only two would step onto the podium, with Sukan Cahal placing third, and Sunny Dhinsa taking second. Cahal came up short against the eventual champion, Zach Sanders, dropping into the backside where he would face current teammate Skylar Davis. After a victory over Davis, Cahal squared off against a former teammate in the medal round, which he won in a nail-biting a decision. Men’s head coach Justin Abdou expressed admiration for Chalan’s performance. “[He] wrestled well, his only loss in either tournament came from a four time division one All-American and recent university worlds bronze medalist,” said Abdou.
The Clansmen Invitational is known for attracting some of the best heavyweights from around the world, and this year was no exception. SFU’s freshman sensation Sunny Dhinsa started the day with a bye into the quarter-finals where he dealt Puerto Rico’s Edagardo Lopez a defeat via a two-round decision. In the semifinals, Sunny grabbed hold of another decision over Burnaby Mountain’s Jaspreet Sahota. However, victory eluded Dhinsa in the finals, as Tervel Diagnev of Sunkist Wrestling Club proved to be too much. The loss was not taken too hard by the 19-year-old Dhinsa, since Diagnev recently placed fifth at the London Olympics. When asked about Sunny’s performance, Justin Abdou said, “The Clansmen was one of Sunny’s first tournaments for the Clan. He was in a deep weight class that had a former NCAA Division I champion place fifth. This tournament gives us a benchmark of where we are and an idea of what we need to work on in order to get the same level as the top five heavyweights in the world.”

SFU hosts Anime Evolution convention

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EIC
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After a short hiatus, Anime Evolution returns in full force with a new governing body

By Rachel Braeuer
Photos by Vaikunthe Banerjee

On Nov. 3 and 4, SFU’s Burnaby campus was overrun with Endermen, Links, and even a few Pokemon while it played host to the rebirth of Anime Evolution’s annual convention. It was appropriately dubbed Akimatsuri, a condensation of the Japanese phrase aki matsuri, meaning “autumn festival,” a nod to the fact that this is the first year the convention has been held during any time of the year but summer.

This is also the first time the convention has taken place at all since 2010. While Anime Evolution’s normal three-day event was slated to run from Aug. 13-15 in 2011, it was cancelled, leaving ticket holders and fans in general out of the funds paid for tickets and in the dark regarding the convention’s future.

AE Conventions Corporation, the group that produced anime evolution conventions until 2010, cited various legal and financial issues leading to the 2011 convention’s failure to launch. Anime Evolution is now run by the Vancouver Anime Convention Society, a registered non-profit organization that they state will allow “certain benefits we didn’t [have] before that should lead to more opportunities and reduced costs for the convention.” It will also allow them to partner with other organizations more easily.

The convention itself maintained the same amount of material that their usual three-day event would hold, jam-packed into a two-day format. The halls of the AQ were as busy as a normal school day, except the crowds lasted late into the night, with the last panels wrapping up at 2:00 a.m., only to have the first panels restart the next day at 9:30 a.m.

A big part of any anime convention is cosplay, or costume play, in which fans dress up as their favourite characters from different shows, mangas, movies, etc., often getting completely in character by adopting their personas and mannerisms. The Peak was able to speak to Wayne and Garth, from Aurora, Illinois, who came all that way to “see the show,” said Wayne; “and to maybe score — schwingity-schwang,” added Garth.

The feel of the event was more of a meeting of friends than an opportunity to listen to panels and talk to industry professionals. “It’s more random, I have tonnes of friends here, so I’m always looking for them. As for the guests, if I get to see one, I get to see one,” said Chris Jensen, who started cosplaying about five years ago, and has been a self-defined nerd his whole life. “It’s like nerd mardi-gras almost,” echoed Natasha Pereira, dressed as Belarus from the Hetalia: Axis Powers series. “There’s so many fandoms, there’s so many people to talk to, so many things to see — I can’t get enough of it.”

The next Anime Evolution convention is slated to run sometime in 2013 and will reconvene with their usual three-day format.

SFU co-hosts Media Democracy Days

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EIC
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The event focused on media politics and affecting change

By Jennifer Bednard
Photos courtesy of Flickr

On Nov. 2 and 3, students and community members alike descended on booths and panels in the Vancouver Public Library building as part of Media Democracy Days, an annual event organized by both the SFU communication department and members of independent media organizations, to discuss issues in the print and broadcast media. “The big question is, ‘what are timely and relevant issues,’ ” explained Josh Tabish, lead coordinator of this year’s MDD, “‘[and] how does the media inform our understanding of them and action around them?’ ”

The event included workshops, a documentary screening, keynote speeches, and panels on a variety of topics ranging from data and political marketing to the use of scientific evidence in the news. “It’s not just for communications students,” said Kavya Joseph, co-coordinator of the event, “We targeted the international studies department, political science, women and gender studies, environmental science . . . For people in the sciences, it’s knowing to be aware of your relationship with the media and how it affects how science is received by people.”

The diverse programming was made possible in part by an increase in donations. Tabish explained, “This year we got very lucky and received a very large donation from VanCity Credit Union, which gave us more time to imagine more creative programming, rather than trying to scramble together funding.”

Though programming and panel design is decided primarily by members of the communication department at SFU, Kathleen Cross, a professor of communication studies who has been involved with the event for some time, says that there is a high degree of community engagement and involvement as well. She stated, “From the very beginning, it was based on a combination of academics and community. It wasn’t just an academic conference, and it wasn’t just a community conference or practitioners’ conference on how to make things better — it was both. Change will happen when you have a good combination of theory and practice.”

Change in media organizations has been a goal of Media Democracy Days since its inception in 2001. “There was a major media buy by CanWest,” Cross explained, “It was one of the first times that there was a major change in concentration of ownership, and people were very concerned about that. They said ‘We’ve got to start talking about this.’ ” Conversations at previous Media Democracy Days events led to the creation of The Tyee, an online alternative news source and Open Media, a national lobby group that focuses on media and communications issues.

This year’s Media Democracy Days were marked by an unprecedented amount of student involvement. “We had an army of volunteers,” Tabish said, “We could have taken the school over! It was unbelievable. We had to turn people away.” Courtenay McLaughlin, a communications student and volunteer, discussed reasons to get involved, saying “I think it’s a really important opportunity for all communication students to get involved with on some level, because MDD really is the crux of what the communication program is all about.”

Tabish added that the event can benefit students who are looking to get jobs in the media industries. “MDD offers a few things. It brings together all of the progressive and independent and alternative organizations in the Lower Mainland, so for people who want to work in this field, it’s kind of a wonderful show-and-tell session. And through the panels, for people who wish to work in these areas, this is a great way to have a kind of bird’s eye view on what type of media culture exists in the Lower Mainland.”

Organizers said that the biggest benefit of Media Democracy Days is how the event allows like-minded individuals to come together to change the system. Joseph explained, “It’s not just about talking about the media. It’s not just about dialogue. It’s also about creating a platform to bring together so many different people so that we can actually create some kind of change in the media system.”

Cross also points out that this focus means that MDD has produced some outstanding results. She stated, “Open Media was started by four twenty-somethings, and they created one of the most incredible and the most effective national lobbying groups on media and communications issues that we’ve ever seen in this country. You don’t need to be a corporate lawyer to do these things.”

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Simon Fraser University’s independent student newspaper since 1965.

Contact us: [email protected]

© The Peak Publications Society 1965-2024

Simon Fraser University’s independent student newspaper since 1965.

Contact us:
[email protected]

© The Peak Publications Society 1965-2024