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Environmental Economist one of Canada’s Clean50

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Mark Jaccard receives award for his work in sustainability

By Graham Cook

When it comes to environmental sustainability, SFU is still represented by members of its community such as Mark Jaccard, a professor for environmental economics who is being recognized for his dedication to sustainable development and clean capitalism in 2013’s Clean50 list.

Delta Management, a boutique search firm with a vested interest in sustainability, selected Jaccard, along with 49 other leaders from a number of fields. The Clean50 are carefully selected from over 500 candidates spanning over multiple disciplines.

“I appreciate being recognized for my efforts to combine training of the next generation of experts with my climate policy advisory work for governments and my public engagement,” Jaccard told SFU media.

Jaccard is no stranger to accolades. In 2007 he was given the President’s Award at SFU for media. In 2008, the Confederation of University Faculty Associations named him B.C.’s academic of the year. He has also received awards for his various writings, has served on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that collectively received a Nobel Peace Prize in 2007, and been awarded The Nora and Ted Sterling Award to honour work that has provoked or contributed to the discussion of controversy. Jaccard’s accomplishments were also recognized by Corporate Knights, which named him a category leader in their supplementary Clean16 segment.

Jaccard’s profile on the Clean50 webpage elaborates on some of the work that contributed to his nomination. “For 25 years, Mark has combined his international experiences in energy and environment analysis and policy with his training of graduate students. Most recently, he served as convening lead author for the sustainable energy policy in the Global Energy Assessment, which was released at the Rio Earth Summit in 2012 after five years of international collaboration among the world’s leading energy researchers.”

Jaccard will accept his award at the 2013 Clean50 Summit in Toronto

Iran embassy closure has big implications for Iranian students in Canada

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EIC
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International students from Iran are still waiting to find out if they will continue their education in Canada

By Erin Hudson

MONTREAL (CUP) – After suspending diplomatic relations with Iran, Iranian students studying in Canada are still waiting on directives from Ottawa as to how, or if, they will be able to continue their studies.

According to the Canadian Bureau of International Education (CBIE), about 4,000 Iranian students are affected by the government’s decision.

The CBIE, an association representing 150 Canadian universities and colleges, is spearheading lobbying efforts to obtain information from the government on future steps for Iranian students seeking consular services formerly provided through Canada’s Iranian embassy. Such services include passport and study permit renewals, documentation to exempt male Iranian students from mandatory military service, and money transfers.

“At this point we haven’t gotten too much by way of official notifications on government websites or anything like that,” said Jennifer Humphries, vice-president of membership, public policy, and communications at CBIE.

“We’ve been seeking some answers from the Canadian government [but] so far we don’t have any sense that this could be done anywhere but in Iran itself which could be a serious difficulty and impediment for students here,” she continued.

A statement from the executives of the McGill Iranian Students Association (MISA) said that students were shocked by the Canadian government’s sudden decision and many are confused as to the legal processes they must now undergo to obtain travel and immigration documents.

“When the Canadian government announced this closure, [we] don’t think they were thinking of the 400,000 registered citizens, Iranian-Canadians, who need consular services. But on top of that, there is a great number of temporary study permit holders like the students,” said MISA executives in a statement.

“Students are already under a lot of stress because of financial problems back home and other things, and this is on top of that.”

Many institutions provide emergency financial aid for students unable to access funds in the aftermath of a situation such the closure of the Iranian embassy, said Humphries.

“Students are worried,” said Pauline L’Ecuyer, director of International Student Services at McGill. The ISS held a meeting with Iranian students last week to hear their concerns and attempt to address them.

“The bottom line is really about the issuance of passports for Iranian students, and that is something that the Canadian government can certainly not do on behalf of the Iranian government,” she said.

According to an email from the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs, the responsibility to “look after” Iranian citizens in Canada rests with the Iranian government. With the Canadian government’s approval, Iran could designate a “protecting power” to another state, entrusting this third party with managing Iran’s Canadian embassy, its property, archives and the interests of Iranians in Canada.

Humphries, however, believes the Canada can take action to address the situation of Iranian students both in and out of Canada. The first action item according to her would be the appointment of temporary duty assignments to the Canadian embassy in Ankara, Turkey, where student visas have been processed since January 2012.

“In terms of students coming in [to Canada] now and trying to have their permits processed through Ankara, our understanding is that there is a bit of a problem,” Humphries said.

She attributed the problem in Ankara to a backlog of files that could be addressed by more personnel tasked with helping to clear the documents and assist in increasing turn around times.

“According to my colleagues, there was some temporary assistance provided earlier in the summer but it would be timely to add some assistance now, because those students are definitely already missing classes,” Humphries said.

In response to concerns of renewals of documentation like passports, Humphries said the CBIE is hoping the Canadian government will take a flexible approach to potentially bypassing Tehran.

“If there could be some flexibility in extensions of study permits until such time as a system is worked out, that would be really great,” she said.

The suspension of Canadian-Iranian relations also has implications for staffing in universities across Canada. A significant number of Iranian students studying in Canada are graduate students who often occupy positions as research and teaching assistants, Humphries explained.

“So if programs were planning on having [Iranian graduate students] becomes T.A.s, there’s a real gap they’re facing now,” she continued. “This is definitely going to be an issue for the universities and particularly for the universities with large graduate programs.”

She noted the University of Alberta, University of Waterloo, McGill University and Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal as post-secondary institutions particularly concerned by the situation facing Iranian graduate students.

University Briefs

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EIC
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By Alison Roach

Wilfred Laurier team suspended for hazing

The entire men’s baseball team at Wilfred Laurier University was suspended after it was discovered that they participated in hazing, specifically an incident involving alcohol. The suspension lasted for four games, forcing the team to forfeit two games against the Western Mustangs and two against the Waterloo Warriors. The members of the team were required to make a presentation for athletic director Peter Baxter, interuniversity sport coordinator Wally Gabler, and vice president of Student Affairs David McMurray. It was decided that the team will be allowed to play out the rest of the season.

 

University of Saskatchewan students protest deportation

Two Nigerian students who attend the University of Regina are facing deportation after violating the terms of their study permits by working off-campus jobs. Victoria Ordu and Ihuoma Amadi both accepted jobs at a Regina Wal-Mart, unaware of the restriction. Both were later arrested by agents of the Canadian Border Services Agency. The women have taken sanctuary in a church in Regina where they have been avoiding a deportation order. U of S group “Students in Solidarity” have started a Facebook group and a petition to keep the two women in the country, with over 200 signatures collected so far.

 

Quebecís planned tuition hikes abolished

Recently elected Premier of Quebec Pauline Marois has decided to put a stop to the planned tuition hikes that sparked the seven-month-long student strike in the province this past academic year. This move marks the end of the tense coalition between student federations FECQ and FEUQ and the association CLASSE, who have collaborated despite historic tensions. Marois decided to abolish both the tuition hike and the controversial Law 12, an act aimed to put students back in the classroom. This marks Marois following through on a campaign promise she made for the September election.

The Big Fair

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EIC
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The peak covers SFU`s Big Fair hosted by Work Integrated Learning. We talked to some of the career and volunteer figures, as well student volunteers and employers.

Created: Julian Giordano

Score: Broke for Free

Special thanks:
Work Integrated Learning
Jeremy Mamisoa
and all the volunteers

Clan clipped by Crusaders, cruise passed Cougars

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EIC
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By Bryan Scott
Photos by Mark Britch

 

Clan lose first game since 2010, win second game

The Simon Fraser men’s soccer team ran into unfamiliar territory on Sept. 15, they lost for the first time since Nov. 21, 2010. The Northwest Nazarene Crusaders ended the Clan’s 24 game unbeaten streak, winning the game at Terry Fox Field, 2–1. “It’s great to have tied the GNAC record for consecutive unbeaten games, but it’s very disappointing not to get the three points today,” said Clan head coach Alan Koch.

It seemed as though the bounces were going against the Clan, as they fired four shots in the first 10 minutes of the game, including a shot off the post. The game remained scoreless for the entire first half; the shots were close at 7–5.

The Clan dominated the shot column at 15–5 in the second half, but not the scoreboard. In the 71st minute, the Crusaders buried their first goal on a scramble in the box. They added their second goal in the 87th minute. Clan midfielder Chris Bargholz managed to knock in a header off a Carlo Basso pass in the 89th minute, but it wasn’t enough. The Crusaders goaltender Alfredo Ontiveros made five saves in the second half alone to keep the lead safe.

The Clan must have learned from their lessons against the Crusaders, because they came out flying against the University of Sioux Falls Cougars. Once again the Clan pummeled the opposing goalie with shots, but still come up scoreless at the end of the first half. This trend wouldn’t last long, as the Clan scored three goals in four minutes to start the second half. After the cougars broke the shutout in the 57th minute, the Clan added more goals to win 5–1. This game also saw four yellow cards, with only one going to SFU.

Splitting this week’s games means the Clan are 6–1 on the season and 2–1 in conference play. The Clan’s next stop is Bismarck, ND to take on the University of Mary Marauders.

Clan gets lumberjacked in Humbolt State

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By Bryan Scott

 

SFU football loses second straight, fall to 1–2

The Simon Fraser Clan football team traveled to Arcata, CA on Sept. 15 to take on the Humbolt State Lumberjacks. The Lumberjacks are the defending champions of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, and are currently ranked 11th in all of Division II football. After conceding the game’s first touchdown at 9:27 of the first quarter, and then another at 13:58 of the second quarter, it didn’t look good for the clan. Clan quarterback Trey Wheeler connected with tight end Jamal Kett less than two minutes later to pull the Clan out of the depths. Bo Palmer managed to pound in a touchdown before the half, and the Clan only trailed by one score going into the second half, 21–14.

The Lumberjacks scored again in the third quarter, but failed to convert. Wheeler tossed a pass to freshman offensive lineman Tanner Davenport-Thuet to pull the Clan within the smallest margin of the game. Unfortunately, the offense started to break down late in the third quarter and early into the fourth. Wheeler threw four interceptions over this time, including a pick six that all but ended the Clan’s hopes of a comeback. Wheeler finished the game 34–57 with 310 yards and two touchdowns, but the four turnovers late were costly.

“I’m proud of the way our guys played,” said head coach Dave Johnson in a media release. “[Humbolt] is one of the best teams in the country and until we made some mistakes late, we had them. We came in and played physical. We’ve seen their stuff, we know what they run, and our guys gave them all they could handle.” The loss drops them to 1–2 on the season.

The next game for the Clan will take them to Monmouth, OR to take on the Western Oregon Wolves. The Clan will need to be on their best game to win, as the Wolves are still winless in 2012 and will be hungry. In the 2011 season, it was the Wolves who won the season series 2–0 with a 35–28 on the road and taking it to the Clan 34–10 at home.

The double edged sword of the Arab Spring

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EIC
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Counter-point: foreign aid has some unfortunate repercussions
To see point, click here!

By Kai Yang Shiao
Graphic by Ben Buckley

During the Arab Spring, the ousting of dictators like Mubarak of Egypt and Ben Ali of Tunisia was heralded around the world as a true taste of democracy in the Arab world. But this landmark event has brought to the surface an ugly, unmentioned truth: the deep resentment of Western countries and symbols made possible by the newly found freedom of expression. It has also often manifested itself in the form of terroristic behaviour. In order to better understand what drives this phenomenon, it is necessary to connect the dots.

Because many of these dictators held pro-Western stances in foreign policy, the United States and other Western countries often rewarded them with military and economic aid. As a result, Egypt became a major beneficiary of this trend. From 1978 to 2002, it was the second largest recipient of military aid from the United States, only surpassed by Israel. In 2010, a year before Mubarak was ousted from power, Egypt received more than one billion U.S. Dollars from the United States. The steady stream of financial support enabled Mubarak to strengthen his armed forces, and therefore maintain his grip on power. In the eyes of the Egyptian people, however, this meant that the United States was implicitly sponsoring an authoritarian regime, suppressing their long awaited desires of living in a democratic political regime.

When members of the Egyptian public were finally able to enjoy freedom of speech after Mubarak’s ouster, they not only did so with wild enthusiasm, but some even translated their anti-American and anti-Western sentiments into destructive and uncivilized behaviour. Many took to the streets in Cairo and proceeded to storm the American embassy and burn its flag.
In Egypt, while symbols of American power were the primary targets, some of these protesters in other countries expanded their scope to indicate their general hatred of the Western world and anything associated with it. In Tunisia, for instance, many proceeded to ransack an American school. In Sudan, these protesters expanded their targets to include the diplomatic missions of other Western countries such as Germany. By practicing guilt by association, they have unjustifiably extended the wrath of their hatred to include attacks on Western symbols or anything remotely associated with the West. Although some of this violence, such as the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya was executed by a local branch of al-Qaeda, the aforementioned acts by the wider civilian population also indicates that anti-Western discourse has become a part of these mainstream societies.

Previously, authoritarian governments were able to keep anti-Western sentiment and their often-violent manifestations under control. By successfully doing so, they were also able to maintain a degree of law and order that has since been eroded with the prevalence of mob-like behaviour as seen in the recent embassy attacks. The recent string of incidents lends strong support to the necessity of re-examining the balance between freedom of expression and law and order in these nascent democracies.

Clan continues to tumble down the standings

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EIC
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By Bryan Scott

 

Women’s soccer drops to 1–5 on season, 0–3 in GNAC

Simon Fraser’s women’s soccer team looked to improve on last week’s losses when they traveled to Western Oregon to play the Wolves, but found themselves in a deep hole from the start. Their opponents outshot the Clan 12–1 in the first half, and held a 3–0 lead going into the second half. The Wolves were relentless, and went on to win the game 4–1. The Clan’s lone goal was scored by freshman Olivia Aguiar in the 85th minute. This game ended their current road trip.

The Clan were hoping a little fresh British Columbian air would boost them into the win column upon their return home. They hosted the Central Washington Wildcats on Sept. 20 on Terry Fox Field. Unfortunately, the home field wasn’t enough to make a win. The Clan were trailing 1–0 in the second half when the Wildcats scored on their own net to tie the game. The Wildcats ended up being the only team to score, adding two more and winning the game 3–1. The loss leaves the Clan in a bad place, 1–5 on the season and 0–3 in GNAC play. They are currently in last place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings.

The Clan travelled to Bellingham, WA on the weekend to battle the Western Washington Vikings.

It’s time to end Islamophobia

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EIC
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Point: The backlash against Muslims needs to get perspective
To see counter-point, click here!
By Rashed Aqribawi
Photos by Ben Buckley

Around two weeks ago, the world bore witness to a riotous explosion in North Africa and parts of the Middle East. Parts of the region, which has been focusing on its own stability since the revolutions that took place last year, rose up and attacked almost every U.S Embassy in North Africa. The protests were not so radical in Egypt, but countrymen in Tunisia and Libya took their protests very far, as the tragic death of ambassador Christian Stevens has shown.

Yemenis, Libyans, Tunisians, and Egyptians took to the streets in violent protest against the release of a film entitled The Innocence of Muslims, an Anti-Islamic film that portrays Prophet Mohammad as a “womanizing homosexual, and abusive individual”. The film has caused distress all over the world, but none so great as the one resulting in the death of an Ambassador.

In response to these protests, Newsweek published an issue entitled “Muslim Rage: How I survived it, how we can end it” by Ayaan Hirsi Ali; naturally the cover bore faces of angry bearded men with the title “Muslim Rage” in large black block letters. This issue caused an outbreak of hilarious tweets mocking the inappropriate title. Active tweeters, who happen to be Muslim, have been hash tagging #muslimrage in response to the issue, covered by NPR.

The urban Muslim/liberal population is not to be feared or condemned in these situations, they merely fall prey to depictions like those of Newsweek and the like. The war on Islam, or The Economist-coined term “Islamaphobia,” has reached its peak. Over the past decade or so, the Muslim world has seen nothing but violence, threats, mockery, and discrimination. With movie after movie mocking the very things they hold sacred — a word that we in the West seem to have forgotten. When one releases a highly-controversial movie in a time where violence, socio-cultural and eco-political tension are boiling at the surface of the Arabian Peninsula, where every man, woman and child are still fighting not for freedom or independence, but for good old fashioned stability and safety, that action will have massive repercussions.

The protests were carried out by men of a different socio-economical cloth than the urban city dwellers, countrymen who are uneducated, unexposed and still maintain a rural standard of living. These men have been hearing nothing but the repercussions of the War in Afghanistan and Iraq, the drones firing through and over Libya, and other North African countries. They hear about the American solider that took to the streets and murdered 16 Afghans in cold-blood, about the U.S helicopter that shot a group of men and children in Iraq (footage that was wiki-leaked) and the drones that killed several Libyan citizens in the cross fire between supposed al-Qaida members.

These actions are unforgivable, violent, and tragic, but it is hardly fair to wage war on all Muslims based on a minority group of zealots, while ignoring the billion other Muslims who didn’t actually murder a U.S ambassador. So to Newsweek-swilling Americans I say this: if you want the “Muslim rage” to end, then remove your NATO forces, take out your drones, unplug your oil drills, and get the hell out.

Cochineal has customers seeing red

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EIC
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Weighing the pros and cons of bug-based food dyes
By Kristina Charania
Photos by Theresa B

In March, bug-derived cochineal extract was discovered as a dye used to color the coffee-giant’s Strawberry n’ Creme Frappucinos, Strawberry Smoothies, Blended Strawberry Lemonade, and various pink-dyed pastries in order to give it the homogenous rosy hue that real strawberries couldn’t replicate. This revelation served as a kick in the pants to both the company and their loyal (and incredibly enraged) vegan customers. Upon evaluation and mass media coverage of this messy situation, Starbucks U.S. president Cliff Burrows released a statement assuring customers that the company would phase out the extract in favour of lycopene, a natural tomato-based dye.

Before ridiculing Starbucks’s lack of common sense, one must realize that there are many legitimate defenses of their use of the extract.
While the idea of crushing 70,000 beetles and devouring the resulting pound of concentrated bug guts sounds like a fantastical lunch from a Tim Burton movie, cochineal extract is highly unlikely to cause your body any harm. The World Health Organization has reported cases of asthma and anaphylaxis (a fancy term for a lethal type of allergic reaction) resulting from the hidden allergens and leftover ammonia in ingested bug-derived dyes. However, cochineal extract cases are few and far in between, and rarely severe. Health Canada has hence approved the additive for use in commercial products ranging from lipsticks and eye shadows to candies, alcoholic drinks, dessert cherries and jams. If you’ve popped a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon lately and haven’t keeled over in a coughing fit, you should be in the clear.

If Starbucks were truly indifferent to their customers’ health, they would likely have turned to an artificial substance like Allura Red (also known as FD&C Red 40) to colour their foods instead of a bug-based dye. Allura Red cannot be easily dismissed as safe. According to a pamphlet from the Center for Science in the Public Interest, Allura Red has been directly connected to the development of hyperactivity in kids and proven to damage DNA in mice. P-Cresidine is a carcinogenic component of Allura Red, and has caused several types of carcinomas in both sexes of mice in controlled laboratory settings. This makes the dye harmful to people of all ages and can have permanent effects on the mental development of children, which is likely irreversible.

Let’s move on to the best news of all: the synthetic dye is derived from petroleum — that should raise your red flags — and used by major companies like Kraft, Heinz, and Coca Cola to dye their products. You would have to boycott tons of mass-produced red or pink foods in order to avoid the dye’s inescapable death grip on your organs.
Bottom line, folks: Starbucks may have lied to consumers and disappointed the vegan community, but they certainly picked the lesser evil by choosing a relatively harmless, natural dye over a synthetic additive that has the potential to affect everyone that consumes it. Avoiding the problems caused by synthetic dyes should certainly nullify the nastiness of sipping on bug juice, if not completely eradicate it.

And, on the bright side: throwing your Allura-dyed Maraschino cherries at people you dislike instead of eating them yourself is more fun anyway.

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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