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Strike 101

By
EIC
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5

By Rachel Braeuer
Photos by Ben Buckley and Vaikunthe Banerjee


Here, for your reading pleasure, is a guide to all things job action at SFU so you can pull your heads out of your asses and stop saying shit like “fucking TAs need to go back to work” when they’ve never actually initiated a picket line and have arguably created more work for themselves making this job action affect students as minimally as possible.

 

KEY TERMS

Union
Yes, I’m defining this, because some of you seem to think it’s just a bunch of greedy people wearing sandwich boards. OED defines trade union as “an association of the workers in any trade or in allied trades for the protection and furtherance of their interests in regard to wages, hours, and conditions of labour, and for the provision, from their common funds, of pecuniary assistance to the members during strikes, sickness, unemployment, old age, etc.” In this case, there are two distinct unions involved: the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) division 3338 (SFU’s local chapter), and the Teaching Support Staff Union of SFU. Each union has its own distinct issues that were not resolved through the bargaining process.

Honouring picket lines
In order for unions to have credibility, they will honour one another’s picket lines as a show of solidarity. This isn’t a bunch of jerks not wanting to work, but rather a group of workers who are sensitive to another group’s cause and who support the fight for worker’s rights. The TAs haven’t actually staged an all-out strike as of yet (they did vote in favour of it, but haven’t done it as of print), but they have honoured CUPE’s picket lines and stood in solidarity with them. Similarly, CUPE and TSSU’s picket lines blocked the normal routes for Translink buses, and since Translink’s office staff  is a member of COPE 378’s union, and Coast Mountain Bus Drivers are members of CAW 111, they honoured the picket lines and used alternate routes and stops. As well, since the picket lines were legal (they were voted on and gave the employer notice), no student had to come to campus today nor cross the picket line if they didn’t want to without fear of academic repercussions.

Bargaining
When you’re in a union, you get rights, benefits and wage increases for everyone. These are achieved through a bargaining process where the employer and the union sit down and reach a collective agreement, which then dictates how things will go for the next few years. For two years, neither group has been able to achieve a collective agreement with the SFU administration. When bargaining fails, a union is forced to resort to job action to remind their employer and the people they service that their roles matter. In prolonging bargaining, SFU has not given any of the workers these unions represent a wage increase for two years.

 

TSSU

This group is comprised of teaching assistants, tutor-markers, sessional instructors, language instructors, English language and culture and interpretation and translation program employees. These are the people teaching your tutorial, the people marking your assignments in a large seminar even if you don’t have tutorials, the people running your labs, and often the ones teaching your entire class.

Just because someone is your professor doesn’t mean they’re faculty with tenure and a guaranteed position. If they aren’t listed as faculty on your department’s website, they are making more than a TA does, but nowhere near as much as a salaried professor, and with little to no job security. If a faculty member ever started teaching a course that a TSSU member has been teaching for years, they’d be out a job.

ELC teachers help international students get their English language proficiencies up such that they can go to Fraser International College, and then into second-year undergraduate classes. They’re the ones getting all of these “worldly” students proficient enough in English to actually “engage” in course material. Considering that an international student pays $540.20 per credit hour while a domestic student pays $167.10, you’d think the teachers who make their attendance possible would be valued employees. However, the push for them to get paid higher wages (they make roughly as much as a TA does) and to operate under the same terms as other TSSU members has been overlooked.

TAs get paid about $25–30/hr. That’s not terrible, but those “hours” are questionable: they get a flat rate, and then extra time based on actual contact with student (i.e. how many tutorials they run and how many office hours they hold). Really though, a TA is a student trying to finish their degree, but now they have to attend your shitty first-year lectures to try to convince all of you to care about a subject you definitely didn’t do the readings for. Then they have to read and grade all of your papers and assignments. For some faculties, I imagine this could go fairly quickly, but if you have 60 students, and each one writes a seven-page paper, I don’t want to think about how many hours those will take to read and respond effectively to. If I’ve read the TSSU’s old collective agreement correctly, there is no way for a TA to make more than $27k/year, and that’s with them getting the absolute maximum amount of contact hours possible. I’m not sure if this takes into account the $1,500 a semester they pay back to the school. As well, factoring in that TAs probably aren’t living with their parents, we can’t think of them as another snotty student. They’re working professionals trying to earn a living relevant to their studies and future career goals. Really, a slight increase to their wages wouldn’t be ridiculous.

Don’t think this is a comprehensive breakdown of the labour disputes on campus. If you still haven’t figure out the difference between CUPE and TSSU, please shut up and enjoy your days off. Alternately, I’d love to get your informed opinions. This is taking a large toll on students and you should have an opinion about it.

CUPE

CUPE SFU has 1,020 members, and represents seven different groups of workers on campus. They are: workers in clerical, support, library and technical positions at SFU; support staff for CUPE Vancouver local; Food and Beverage Services workers at the Highland Pub; Higher Grounds, Ladle and catering departments of the SFSS; the cleaning staff of Best Facilities; support and advocacy staff people at the Simon Fraser Student Society; the employees of the Graduate Student Society; and the employees of the Simon Fraser Public Interest Research Group. These are the people typing things out for your department, fixing the projector in your lecture hall so your prof can show slides that were copied and pasted from the online textbook, the people who process your last minute tuition fees payment so you can enrol in classes, and the custodial staff who clean up all the coffee cups you leave behind like you’re at the movie theatre.

Specifically, CUPE say they’re striking to refuse “Four more years of ‘zeroes’ [wage increases], the possible loss of significant pension benefits, a drastic reduction in sick leave benefits, scheduling provisions that could end two-day weekends.” For many of us who work part or full-time in un-unionized jobs, these demands don’t mean much, but if the work these employees are doing is their sole source of income, this will affect their lives for years to come as workers and retirees.

Right now, a departmental secretary is a grade six on CUPE’s old pay scale, meaning they tap out at $41k/year. If we assume a 35 hour work week, that’s roughly $22/hr. That’s a pretty standard wage, and it’s also the maximum pay for that grade, meaning to make that you’d have had to be typing up course outlines and notices for at least three years, and chances are you didn’t start with that position. A friend of mine is an admin assistant at a small shipping firm and makes $18/hr after working there for two years; she started making about 14 in an entry-level position. Four more years of no wage increases, cuts to pension and no two-day weekends after committing a decent chunk of your life to what’s supposed to be a progressive institution is a pretty raw deal if you ask me, especially when you could ostensibly make much more elsewhere.

TAKEAWAY

Look, things have gotten increasingly more intense on all fronts lately. Shit got real on Wednesday, which saw a 24-hour strike where a few picketers got hit by cars and a cult-favourite professor was unfairly barred from entering a parking lot. The good news is with Vince Ready coming in to help mediate bargaining, things are progressing. However that doesn’t mean there’s a definite end in sight yet. It’s hard to fairly summarize what’s on the table because, after two years, more and more issues have amassed, leaving the initial disagreements over the collective agreements buried in a bunch of back and forth and updates about job action. You don’t have to take a side, but if you give even a single fuck about workers’ rights, you can agree that going two years without a current collective agreement is a load of crap. For those that have been paying attention, this seems to be the consensus: we’ve received a couple of open letters with more than 70 signatures all together of faculty and students alike who support the TSSU and CUPE. “Peak Speak” was filled with people who support CUPE and TSSU despite our polling people up on campus during the day of the 24-hour strike. If people willing to cross a picketline support the strike, why hasn’t this been resolved yet?

The kids just want to learn

By
EIC
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0

Researchers who moonlight as teachers to maintain their position aren’t helping

By Bryan Scott
Photos by Mark Burnham

For the most part, students come to school to learn and get a degree, or to become more knowledgeable and experienced in a certain discipline. The point is to get further education and to expand your horizons. I find it particularly frustrating when I get into a classroom and realize that the professor is only there because, as a researcher, they have to teach a minimum number of classes. These classes can be anything, and most of the time the professor does not give two fucks about the topic. When professors are hired based on their research, and then forced to teach a class, are we getting educated? Last time I checked, I didn’t pay thousands of dollars to learn from a textbook and have a wall of a professor who cares more about what his cat did this morning than the basics of the class.

It makes sense that you would give a professor with next to no social skills and zero experience teaching an easier, basic class to teach. Unfortunately, their highly superior brains and unmatched thought processes are unable to compute with the “normal” student brain. Try explaining addition to a four year old: even though you understand it perfectly, it becomes frustrating to explain what you think is a simple concept to a confused audience. When someone decides they want to be a teacher in a kindergarten class — you know, where you learn about colours and take naps — they have to complete a University degree, and then go through a professional development program or teacher’s college, because teaching is a skill, and even after learning it, it’s hard.

Who in their right mind would assume that someone who polishes their particle accelerator every day can teach basic physics to first-year students, or to anyone for that matter? To teach, it is essential that you express the concept in its simplest form so that it can be understood. That would be impossible for someone who has worked their whole life trying to push the boundaries of their specialty. It would annoy them if a student didn’t understand a “simple” concept — they know the answer, so why don’t you?

Do not get me wrong: there are some professors who can do both. They are solid lecturers and provide excellent research results. But in science, these professors are especially few and far between. I have been at this school for almost six years, and I am fed up.

If we are really meant to learn, and to excel, then someone needs to take a long hard look at this way of teaching. It simply does not make sense, and the students are suffering for it. If we can’t figure out what is going on in our classes, then how are we supposed to become researchers, teachers, professors, or anything for that matter?

If things were my way, they would completely separate the researchers and the lecturers. The researchers could get all the grants they want and would not have to deal with the irritating students. The lecturers, who enjoy teaching and genuinely want to see students succeed, can handle us, and they don’t have to be annoyed by pesky research and grumpy students.

It’s your party and you’ll cry if you want to

By
EIC
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0

Especially if you don’t opt in for first party

By Paul Hurst

As I mentioned in a previous article, I’ll be explaining the two main components of your car insurance policy. You already know a bit about third party from the previous column: extended third party, anything above $200,000, is optional, but not first party.

You can buy your $5 million from ICBC or other insurers, but it really only comes into play in very serious injury claims.

With first party coverage, it’s all optional: you can buy all, some, or none of it. You can also buy it from other insurance companies, but the private insurers can pick and choose who they sell it to, based on the customer’s claims history. ICBC can limit or even refuse to sell first party to the worst drivers. I suggest you shop around.

Collision and Comprehensive coverage are the first two major subsets of first party.

Collision is for damage you do to your own car. If you’re in an accident that’s your fault, this coverage pays to repair or replace your car.

Comprehensive is everything else. If some space junk from the International Space Station happens to smash into your car, Comprehensive is the financial deflector shield. The adjuster will code it as a “missile.” Fire damage, theft of or from your car, a horse chewing on the paint job (I had one or two such claims) or a child chewing a seatbelt are examples of “Comp” claims. As are regurgitated alcohol stains, which I suppose you know about.

When you pay your deductible, it’s for first party coverage. The deductible has been around for several hundred years. It’s a sign of good faith on your part that your claim is legitimate when you pay it. You are sharing the risk. It’s also supposed to reduce fraudulent claims, and claim costs.

Specified Perils coverage includes some of the situations included in Comprehensive, but as per it’s name, only specific ones. Comp is much more commonly purchased.

RoadStar and RoadSide plus are basically for long distance trips. If you head to the states, Vancouver Island or up north regularly, either are good to have. RoadSar is a bit confusing. You are called a “RoadStar” if you have a good claim history and the 43 per cent discount. You are then entitled to purchase the RoadStar Travel Protection package.

It includes rental car insurance if you vacation in, say Hawaii. It will also help with costs incurred in an accident further afield. If you are not a RoadStar driver, you can buy RoadSide Plus instead, which is also very good coverage.

When I adjusted claims that happened out of province, it was always easier for the customer if they had been wise enough to buy either travel plan prior to leaving BC.

Loss of use is the third major subset of first party. RoadStar and RoadSide Plus have it as part of their packages. If you only want stand-alone loss of use, it’s nice to have if you’re at fault and need a rental car to replace yours while it’s being repaired.

Throwback Review: The old days of jazz

By
EIC
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0

Wes Montgomery’s Smoking at the Half Note deserves to be dusted off.

By Colin O’Neil

In June of 1965, Wes Montgomery and the backing band of Miles Davis recorded a show at New York City’s jazz club, The Half Note, and subsequently released the live album, Smokin’ at the Half Note. Listening to this album, I am drawn back to a different time, when jazz mattered. Today, it’s tough to imagine jazz as relevant. Say “jazz” and think Miles Davis, Louis Armstrong and John Coltrane, men who may have once been great, but now are dead. Well, Wes Montgomery is dead too, but like many of his contemporaries, he still makes waves. Smokin’ at the Half Note is not just a lazy old jazz album; it’s music in motion, it’s fast and chaotic, it’s the pushing of what we know as musical boundaries, and it’s worth a listen.

Smokin’ at the Half Note showcases guitarist Wes Montgomery, pianist Wynton Kelly, bassist Paul Chambers and drummer Jimmy Cobb. It has long numbers, furious-fast solos and complex chord changes, all structured around musical arrangements. But, in typical jazz fashion, they stray far and wide from these arrangements, only to return to them with a responsive roar from the audience. “Four on Six” begins easy enough, only to take off in all directions with intertwining piano and guitar riffs, so quick that by the time you revel in a particular slide, bend, or roll, the music itself is long past, on to bigger and better things. Only after nine minutes of managed chaos does it all come back together. “Impressions” is another fast one. The drummer motors things along while Montgomery tries to keep up. His notes change fast but his riffs slide with unbelievable ease into each other. The piano drifts in and out, as if it is somehow lost in the whole thing, only to find its footing and return.

It seems strange to be writing a review of a jazz album released in the 60s. This album is from an age and a genre that has largely moved on, but is representative of a place and time. If you play guitar with any great ambition, Wes Montgomery is a name you will sooner or later come to know. But even if you don’t, I urge you to lose your preconceived notions about jazz and give it a shot. It signifies a part of music that is largely absent today, as we struggle to exist within time frames, radio-friendly content, and repetitive musical genres. Smokin’ at the Half Note exists outside the musical norm.

Forget it Jake, it’s Chinatown!

By
EIC
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0

One stormy afternoon of discovery in Vancouver’s Chinatown.

By Sara Bohuch
Photos by Sara Bohuch

I’m sitting by the windows of the Tim Hortons on Pender and Abbot, watching the rain pound the pavement outside. Hardly the place one would expect to start a foray into Vancouver’s famous Chinatown, but the coffee is cheap. November has arrived in a wet wad of grey, and I’m aiming to tackle one of the largest Chinatowns in North America, armed only with gumboots and a belly full of caffeine. The goal is simple: scout out the good spots. I finish my coffee and head out.

First stop is the International Village across the street. Some of you might be familiar with this mall due to the movie theatre perched on the top level, but most have never felt the urge to explore the twists and turns of the lower level stores. That would be to your detriment, for the kinds of stores found here are numerous and eclectic. From cashmere (LG Cashmere) to children’s books in Russian (World Kids Books) to hand-painted leather bags (Silk Route Treasure Ltd), there are a million gift options here. One of my favourites has got to be the Japanese dollar store, Yoko Yaya. This place sells everything from kitchen supplies to CD covers, and every time I go in, I pick up something else that I forgot I needed, for a price that agrees with my student budget.

[pullquote] Red maple leaves and green bamboo line the walkways around the massive fish pond, and the small pagoda just off the water is the perfect place to sit and enjoy the surroundings out of the rain.[/pullquote]

I head down the street towards a small black storefront with large yellow letters proclaiming “Erin Templeton”. The smell of leather is strong, bags and accessories being the focal point, with two racks of vintage sweaters and dresses lining the sides. The upscale, quirky decor and the tastefully classical music piping on the speakers are big fat “out of my budget” signs, but I saunter over to the racks anyways. The price tags leave me pleasantly surprised: mixed in with the pricey pieces are items for around $30. I spot a workshop through the door in the back. As it happens, the proprietor, Ms. Templeton herself, uses recycled leather to handcraft all of the different bags and accessories that line the shelves.

One of the most beautiful places in Vancouver is Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden and Park, which must be seen to be believed. Since I am on a budget however, I aim to explore the smaller version next door, Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Park, which is free to the public. Even in the storm, the place is stunning, and the urban surroundings make the setting even more remarkable. Red maple leaves and green bamboo line the walkways around the massive fish pond, and the small pagoda just off the water is the perfect place to sit and enjoy the surroundings out of the rain.

I head down to the nearby Artista Gallery, one of the many jewellery shops that set up shop on Pender street. While there are many decently priced pieces made from carnelian, jade, and turquoise, along with strings of pearls hanging from the walls, it’s the prints that catch my eye. In the back of the store, past the porcelain figurines and carved game sets, there are stacks of oil and ink paintings, varying in subject matter and complexity.

After pawing through the prints, I stop by the New Town Bakery and Restaurant for sustenance. After seeing the menu I decide on a sticky rice roll, wonton soup, baked pork bun, and tea. All of this is under $10 (the soup is the most expensive at around $5), and as the smells of baked honeyed sweetness and savoury sauces waft by the table, I hope that the food tastes as good as it smells. It does: the bun and roll are flaky, soft, and as big as a linebacker’s fist. The soup and tea are warm and filling, and paired together they make the perfect meal for a dreary day.

I set off to one of my absolute favourite stores in the area, Bamboo Village. From electric flowers and polished rosewood, to military communist paraphernalia and old film cameras, the shelves and walls are stacked with items that defy imagination, explanation, and, occasionally, logic. Red tassels drip from the bright lanterns on the ceiling while Bruce Lee, Mao, and cigarette girls pose on nearby posters. Charms and candy are stacked next to paper cloths and silk robes.

The biggest surprise of the trip is the newly opened Chinese Tea Shop. More of a tea boutique, the products are intriguing even to a non-tea drinker such as myself. The staff are knowledgeable and patient, and provide a sample of the products to customers before purchase. In addition to the various loose leaf, bricks, and cakes of tea being sold, small clay teapots and delicate cups are for sale.

From coffee to tea, and from daylight to darkness, Chinatown provided a colourful afternoon, despite the rain.  For the sake of curiosity, or for the desire for really good food, Vancouver’s Chinatown shines even through the stormiest of days.

The Parker falls short of potential

By
EIC
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0

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

By
EIC
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0

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

By
EIC
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0

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

By
EIC
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0

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

By
EIC
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0

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.

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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