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2012 Western Conference Playoff Preview

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EIC
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By Adam Ovenell-Carter

 

Vancouver

Prediction: lose in WCF

The Canucks, almost inexplicably, are well within the hunt for the President’s Trophy this year for being the team with the best record through the regular season, and it would be their second straight. But, we all know where that got them last year. The Canucks dominated the league through the 2010-2011 regular season campaign, but it didn’t win them the Stanley Cup. This year, they haven’t really dominated anything, yet somehow they find themselves in the thick of it again. That speaks to the ridiculous talent and depth on the roster while on one hand it could be seen as concerning that the Canucks can’t seem to put teams away with ease. The whole year has been a set-up for the playoffs, and the Canucks will have home ice advantage through at least the first two rounds. The Canucks are playing just so-so hockey, but if they can turn it up, they could go deep, again.

 

St. Louis

Prediction: lose in WCSF

The Blues have been the surprise team of the year, led by surefire coach of the year Ken Hitchcock. They can play an almost mind-numbingly boring defensive game, buts it’s undeniably effective. The Blues are easily first in the league in goals against per game, allowing just 1.86 a game — the second place Kings come in at 2.02, nobody else is even under 2.20. Goalies Brian Elliott and Jaroslav Halak have been nothing short of sensational, combining for 15 shutouts (nine and six respectively). Elliott is a leading candidate for the Vezina Trophy as the league’s best netminder, and Halak has shone in the playoffs before. For teams like Vancouver and San Jose who often rely on offense, the Blues could be nothing but a nightmare. However, the Blues struggle to score goals, and are quite young and inexperienced when it comes to the playoffs. If they run into a hot goalie, they could be toast.

 

Los Angeles

Prediction: lose in WCQF

Any home ice advantage the Kings get will be because they won their division, but do they deserve it? They are one of the most enigmatic teams in these playoffs (joined by Washington in the East), and one of the most inconsistent. Jonathan Quick has been stellar in net for the Kings, and their defensive style has put them behind only St. Louis in the goals against category. Their biggest issue is unquestionably their inability to score goals; the Kings have the third-fewest goals-for in the NHL. What’s troubling is that the Kings paid big prices to bring in big names like Jeff Carter and Mike Richards, but both have been big disappointments. They say defense wins championships, but don’t expect one in Hollywood this year. A matchup against a playoff-tested team like Chicago could spell disaster for the Kings.

 

Nashville

Prediction: lose in SCF

Nashville is easily one of the most intriguing teams heading into these playoffs. They gave the Cup finalist Canucks all they could handle, and only got better this year. Shea Weber and Ryan Suter are arguably the league’s top defensive pairing, and Pekka Rinne is a world-class netminder who almost stole the series against Vancouver. They added Andrei Kostitsyn and Paul Gaustad at the tradeline, and paid quite a heavy price to do so. However, the Predators’ undoing last year was their inability to score, and these trades, along with the late-season addition of former Predator and KHL superstar Alex Radulov helps big time certainly helps that. The Predators finally made it past the first round for the first time in franchise history last year, and you can bet they’ll be plenty hungry to get past that this year — and you can bet they will.

 

Detroit

Prediction: lose in WCQF

Not a lot needs to be said about the Red Wings. They’re perennial contenders, and for good reason. They have Pavel Datsyuk (who the NHL’s players voted as the best player in the world), they have Henrik Zetterberg, Johan Franzen, Niklas Kronwall . . . the list goes on. Oh, and that Nicklas Lidstrom guy. The Wings are a tried and true playoff team, and have the Stanley Cup rings to show for it. Jimmy Howard has finally hit his stride over the past two years, and has emerged as one of the NHL’s better goaltenders. They’re well-balanced, well-coached, and well-managed. The only problem is that they won’t have home ice advantage to start the post-season, and are matched up against the hot pick Nashville Predators in the first round. That said, they no doubt have the resources and experience to pull off the ‘upset’, it’s just a matter of whether they will.

 

Chicago

Prediction: lose in WCSF

The Blackhawks aren’t what they once were, that’s for sure. Still, Chicago isn’t a team to be taken for granted. Marion Hossa has been one of the best two-way forwards — let alone players — in the game this year, and Patrick Kane is always dangerous. Jonathan Toews, in spite of his concussion issues, is still one of the game’s best and was on pace for the NHL’s goal-scoring lead, and even a Hart Trophy before he got injured. Duncan Keith is back from his five-game suspension for his elbow on Daniel Sedin, and isn’t that far removed from being named the league’s top defenseman. The Hawks have plenty of talent in their core group, but after that, the skill levels drop pretty significantly. They might not have what it takes to win another Stanley Cup, but they definitely have a chance at pulling off an upset or two

 

San Jose

Prediction: lose in WCQF

For a long time, it was looking like the Sharks were going to miss the post-season, which could’ve put them into fire sale mode come the offseason. It could still come to that if they can’t make it deep into the playoffs, and that could be a challenge given their first-round matchup against the Blues. The Sharks know all about making it to the Western Conference Final, and made it there last year too. They looked poised to finally make it over the hump and into the Cup final, but the Canucks ousted them in only five games. With almost the same roster, they barely squeaked into the first round this year. Joe Thornton has proven he can be a playoff performer, as has the rest of the team, but they’ll all need to step up big time to make it out of round one.

 

Phoenix

Prediction: lose in WCQF

The Coyotes are eerily similar to the Predators of last year. They play an incredibly stingy defensive game that can drive fans and opponents both insane. They get by with whatever offense they can muster, and are riding an up-and-coming goaltender who has been lights out of late (Mike Smith recorded a 54-save shutout last week). That got the Predators out of the first round last year, but they lost to the Canucks in six games in round two. A Phoenix–St. Louis matchup would serve them well, as they wouldn’t have to worry too much about their offense breaking through the dam. But, a first-round series against an offensive team like Vancouver could spell their end. It won’t be easy for the Coyotes to upset anyone, but like Nashville last year, have a chance to surprise.

 


 


Softball team earning their stripes

By
EIC
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0

By Adam Ovenell-Carter

At times, the Clan softball team has looked like last year’s version of the squad, when the bats dried up and the pitchers were off the mark. One thing they’re clearly not, however, is scared, and through 20 games, the Clan are putting up a statement season with 14 wins and counting. In fact, you could make the argument the Clan are doing the intimidating this season.

Cara Lukawesky has been nothing short of sensational for the Clan this season, and leads the conference in wins with 13, and saves with three. She’s been everything the Clan could want in a pitcher — and then some — and is no doubt one of the GNAC pitchers feared most by opposing hitters staring down at the plate. Even Kelsey Hawkins has been solid as the number-two pitcher, sitting third in wins herself.

As automatic as Lukawesky, and even Hawkins are on the mound, the same can be said for her teammates at the plate. When the Clan win games, they don’t just walk away with the victory — more often than not, they walk all over the opponent. They’ve outscored their opponents 164–104 this season, and a few big reasons why are Kelsey Haberl and Sammie Olexa. The two have been lights out for the Clan, and currently sit one-two in batting average and on-base percentage (with Haberl reaching base an almost unprecedented 62 per cent of the time, blowing away the comptetition). Haberl is third in slugging percentage, and Olexa is sixth in the GNAC in runs batted in. Just as projected at the start of the season, these players have taken control of the ship and are leading the Clan through their best season in the NCAA.

It’s not like they haven’t had help, however. Leah Riske is ahead of Olexa in RBIs, sitting in a tie for third with 27. Carly Lepoutre is right around the top of the conference in steals. The list goes on, but the stats only tell half the story, at best; so far we’ve completely ignored the Clan’s defensive game, save for the pitchers. The team has allowed the fewest runs in the league, and while that has a lot to do with their pitching prowess, the Can’s overall defensive game is vastly underrated. In all facets of their game, they’ve come a long way from their 12–19 season last year. For the first time in a quarter century, the Clan won’t be playing in post-season competition, but that doesn’t mean they have nothing to play for.

That they won’t be able to compete for a national championship is not indicative of the team’s play; they simply can’t play because of their current status as a new member of the NCAA. Still, the Clan are clearly playing to assert themselves in the GNAC, and are clearly doing so. They might not win a national championship, but they’re certainly gaining national attention. And they deserve it, because the Clan, from top to bottom, are playing excellent softball, and giving the rest of the GNAC something to worry about.

2012 Eastern Conference Playoff Preview

By
EIC
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1

By Adam Ovenell-Carter

 

New York Rangers

Prediction: win Stanley Cup

Everyone knew the Rangers were going to be good this year, but it’s probably safe to say few expected them to be this good. They’re neck-and-neck with the Canucks for the President’s Trophy, and are tops in the East in a number of different statistical categories. The addition of Brad Richards has proven to be one heck of a pick up for previously-maligned GM Glen Sather, and a deep roster only reinforces the team’s regular season. Henrik Lundqvist will likely run away with the Vezina Trophy, and could easily steal a round or two for the Rangers if his teammates falter. With a Stanley Cup winning coach behind the bench and a deep lineup, it’s not likely that’ll happen.

 

Boston

Prediction: lose in ECF

No one in Vancouver needs a reminder of what the Bruins are capable of, but here’s one anyway. They’re still the big bad Bruins capable of beating you and beating you up, and that’s what got them past Vancouver last June. That said, they barely beat Montreal and Tampa Bay along the way, so they’re not invincible. Tim Thomas isn’t on the roll he was last year, and the team, top to bottom, is no doubt exhausted from their Cup run last year. But, given the talent and brawn they have, would you bet against them without thinking twice? They have three lines that can score, check, and stop goals, and still have the game’s reigning top defenseman — and hardest shot — in Zdeno Chara.

 

Florida

Prediction: lose in ECQF

The Panthers management opened up their wallets and spent all they could this past summer in free agency, but it was mostly just to meet the salary cap floor. Nonethless, the Panthers surprised almost everyone by making the playoffs for the first time in 12 years. At first glance, they seem like little more than a bunch of spare parts and overpaid free agents, but they’ve come together to win the Southeast Division (although they were aided by the incompetence of the Washington Capitals and to some extent, the Winnipeg Jets down the stretch). As good as a season as they’ve had, they’re still not ready to go far in the playoffs, and will likely be one of the first top seeds to be eliminated.

 

Pittsburgh

Prediction: lose in ECSF

The Penguins are flat out scary. They have the NHL’s top point-getter in Evgeni Malkin, while he and James Neal are second and fourth in goal scoring, as well. And let’s not forget Sidney Crosby, who’s consistently called the best hockey player in the world. The Kid has 34 points in just 20 games this year, which would put him on a 140-point pace over an 82-game season. Yeah, no ill effects there. They have Jordan Staal, a candidate for the Selke award as the top defensive forward. Marc-Andre Fluery has gained consideration for the Vezina. Matt Cooke has worked on his game to settle it down and it’s been nothing but beneficial. They don’t take as many penalties as they used to, but they play tougher, which will prove invaluable given who they’ll be playing in the first round.

Philadelphia

Predicition: Lose in ECQF

The first round matchup between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia promises to be the most exciting — and most heated — of all eight first round matchups. The Battle of Pennsylvania has become the Vancouver–Chicago matchup of the East. There’s been plenty of animosity between the two teams and no love lost in the verbal warfare that’s been going on, and if the series degrades into a fight-filled hate fest, the Flyers could have the upper hand. The Flyers won’t beat you up like the Bruins, but they’ll wear you down and piss you off — and when you’re up against Crosby and Malkin, getting those two off their game could prove to be the difference. Their one major downfall is goaltending: Ilya Brzgalov hasn’t exactly been a world beater this year, and has been shaky in past playoffs. Against Crosby and Malkin, that could be the difference.

New Jersey

Predicition: lose in ECSF

As per usual, no one has been talking about the Devils this year, but in the middle of a 100-point year, they deserve more attention. Ilya Kovalchuk decided to play like he’s capable of playing, and was a superstar for the Devils this year, and he’s probably the team’s lone game breaker. He’s had plenty of support from captain Zach Parise and veteran Patrik Elias (who, with almost zero acknowledgment, has put up a point-per-game season). Adam Henrique is a strong candidate for the Calder trophy as the league’s best rookie, but has yet to experience the grind of the NHL playoffs. However, the rest of the Devils’ roster is chock-full of seasoned playoff veterans, led by multiple-Cup-winning goalie Martin Brodeur, who has quietly rebounded with an impressive year. That said, they might just not have the talent — especially on the backend — to get past the second round.

 

Ottawa

Prediction: lose in ECQF

Like the Blues in the West, the Senators have been the darlings of their conference. No one pegged them to make the playoffs, let alone challenge for the Northeast division lead, but they did, and turned heads along the way. Oft-berated centre Jason Spezza has been sensational for the Sens this season, but he’ll be judged by how he performs in the playoffs. Erik Karlsson had a season for the ages, posting almost a point a game from the blue line, while maintaining a plus-17 rating, and Milan Michalek came out of nowhere to score 35 goals. Of course, there’s a possibility it might just be a group of players having career years all at the same time, but if they can keep it up through the playoffs, who cares? That’s a big if, and the Senators might not have the mettle — and especially not the goaltending — to make it very far.

 

Washington

Prediction: lose in ECQF

What to make of the Capitals? They stunk for the first part of the season, and haven’t exactly been a revelation since. Really, they made the playoffs by virtue of every other bubble team settling for mediocrity (save for Buffalo, but their start was so bad their fantastic finish couldn’t make up for it). But as ho-hum as the Capitals have been, they still have the tools do serious damage in the playoffs. Alex Ovechkin, for all his struggles, is still one of the best hockey players in the world. Nicklas Backstrom is finally back and healthy, and he’s one of the best set-up men in the NHL. They have the skill — so much so that The Hockey News had them as Cup winners in the preseason — but they can be stubborn and selfish, and that could, and likely will, be their undoing before they make it very far.

Clan kick off outdoor season in style

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EIC
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By Adam Ovenell-Carter

After a highly successful indoor season, SFU’s track and field team is poised to impress in the outdoor portion of their 2012 season as well. In their first event of the season, the Clan did just that, continuing their success from their indoor season at the Ralph Vernacchia Open, hosted by Western Washington University.

Ryan Brockerville’s season got off to a fantastic start, as he continued his strong year. For the third straight year, he won the 3000-metre steeplechase competition, and his first-place finish earned him an automatic qualification into the GNAC championship meet. Brockerville has dominated the event, and as he finished in 9:03.95, he not only broke the record for the event, but broke his own.

Brockerville was no doubt the star of the men’s side at the event, but that’s not to take anything away from his teammates. It was freshman Stuart Ellenwood who led a strong Clan contingent in the 800-metre race. He finished the event in second place, just ahead of teammates Adam Reid and Yubai Liu, who finished close behind in third and fourth, respectively. The trio didn’t gain an automatic qualification, but all three earned provisional ones. Two others, Anton Hemeniuk in the steeplechase and Travis Vugteveen in the 1500-metre, did as well, rounding out the men’s provisional qualifications in the individual races. The quartet of Ellenwood, Liu, Vugteveen, and Zach Conard ran to a third-place finish in the 4×400-metre relay, capping an impressive outing for the men.

Not to be outdone, the women’s side turned in an equally impressive performance. Sophomores Sarah Sawatzky and Lindsey Butterworth, who both finished first in their respective races, led the Clan. Butterworth is no stranger to the top of the podium, and ran her way there again in the 1,500-metre race, but Swatzky’s win in the 800-metre event was the first win of her collegiate career. Fittingly, Sawatzky (as well as Butterworth) earned provisional qualifications to the GNAC championship.

Michaela Kane joined Butterworth in meeting the 1500-metre standard, as she too earned a provisional qualification; Andrea Abrams and Charlotte Crombeen accomplished the same feat in the 100-metre hurdles.

The women’s side also had a great day off the track. Jade Richardson had another first-place finish for the Clan, winning the discus with a throw of 42.06 metres, putting her straight into the GNAC championships. Crombeen had another impressive showing in the long jump, as did Mercedes Rhodes, as the duo earned provisional qualifications. Aisha Klippenstein in the triple jump, Michelle Stuart in javelin, and Ryley Carr in the hammer throw joined them in that regard, rounding out a fantastic start to the season.

The Clan’s record is impressive enough, but one must remember the Clan are in their outdoor season now, and are at the mercy of Mother Nature. She tried her best to slow the Clan down, but she couldn’t — and that didn’t go unnoticed by the team’s head coach.

“I was very happy with our first meet,” said head coach Brit Townsend.  “It poured rain the whole day and was unseasonably cold.  The athletes kicked off the season with several GNAC qualifying performances and some individual titles.”

Those finishes speak for themselves, and it’s clear the Clan are ready to pick up right where they left off from their podium-topping indoor season.


Thomas Mulcair voted in as new NDP leader

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EIC
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By Lee Richardson 

Montreal MP takes 57.22 per cent of the final vote

TORONTO (CUP) — Thomas Mulcair has been voted into the position of leader for the federal New Democratic Party.

Members of the party voted over the course of a two-day convention in downtown Toronto on March 23 and 24. The winner emerged from the initial seven candidates that were cut down over the two days.

Mulcair received 57.22 per cent of the final ballot, with former NDP president Brian Topp coming in second with 42.78 per cent. In the end, four rounds of voting were needed to reach the announcement of Mulcair as winner. After lengthy delays in the voting process, Mulcair took to the podium to present his victory speech about 12 hours after results of the advance votes were announced.

“The challenge that faces us is not a failure of ability or talent, it’s a failure of leadership,” said Mulcair in his victory speech. The crowd, which hit a peak of about 4,600 people Saturday, gave Mulcair a standing ovation as he took the podium and remained standing throughout his speech.

During his comments, Mulcair, a Montreal MP, highlighted a need for the public to be considered as much part of the NDP’s central agenda as what goes on within Parliament.

“We will unite progressives, unite our country, and together we will work towards a more just and better world,” said Mulcair in the final speech of the night, which also referenced a decline in youth voter turnout in recent federal elections.

“It’s not that they don’t care, it’s that they don’t trust that their vote will make a difference,” he said in regard to youth voters.

Saturday’s result came after a day of lengthy delays. Lines of NDP members at Toronto’s Metro Convention Centre faced waits before casting a vote, while the NDP’s specialized vote website suffered a slowdown because of an apparent high volume of traffic, as well as a reported cyber-attack.

Lines at the convention centre stood still for such long periods of time that those successful in casting a vote drew cheers from the waiting lines.

Leadership candidates dropped out of the three voting rounds, with the first round beginning Friday night. Current MPs Paul Dewar, Peggy Nash, and Niki Ashton, and Nova Scotia candidate Martin Singh had exited the leadership race by the end of the second round. After stepping down, Singh passed his support to Mulcair, while Dewar and Nash stayed neutral.

British Columbia MP Nathan Cullen was knocked out of the final ballot after coming in last in the third round of voting. He remained neutral after releasing his supporters.

It was during that third round that technical problems escalated.

Stagnant lines developed in the convention hall as the lagging vote website slowed the process. People also had trouble casting votes online. An alleged attack on the voting website by an outside party was suggested to have been the cause of the delays.

The technical difficulties led to complaints over social media from those waiting to vote in-person and online. The NDP resorted to staggering voters casting a ballot in person and those voting online, to keep visitor traffic at a slower, steadier rate. The fourth round of voting was also extended by an extra hour, in order to enable online voters to vote.

“Still can’t vote on the web: ‘Sorry, The site is temporary unavailable. Please try again later,’” tweeted user Tod Maffin.

“Been trying to vote since 7:04pm. No Luck. Will there be a time extension in the name of #democracy?” said Kathleen Mathurin over Twitter almost an hour after the tweet was posted.

Social media was a large aspect of the two-day conference, as Mulcair’s campaign team was trying throughout Saturday to trend on Twitter and hosted meetings of social media users to boost their online profile.

Students left out of federal budget

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EIC
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0

By Emma Godmere

Despite focus on research and innovation, no new student aid initiatives announced in budget

OTTAWA (CUP) — Higher education in the context of research and innovation stole much of the spotlight in the Conservative government’s 2012 budget delivered March 29, but students and youth seeking greater financial aid were otherwise left in the dark.

Apart from a heavy focus on industry-related research and additional funding for one particular youth employment program, Canadian post-secondary students were largely missing from the 2012 budget.

“The plan’s measures focus on the drivers of growth: innovation, business investment, people’s education, and skills that will fuel the new wave of job creation,” Finance Minister Jim Flaherty told reporters in advance of the budget’s unveiling in the House of Commons.

The Conservatives placed a clear emphasis on partnerships between businesses and universities when it came to research funding: among their plans, they intend to dedicate $14 million over two years to double the Industrial Research and Development Internship Program, which currently supports 1,000 graduate students in conducting research at private-sector firms.

The Conservatives also plan to send $6.5 million over three years to McMaster University for a health care research project, and will dedicate $500 million over five years to support modernization of research infrastructure on campuses through the Canada Foundation for Innovation, starting in 2014 – 2015.

Reflecting similar numbers mentioned in the 2011 budget, federal funding to the tune of $37 million annually was earmarked for Canada’s three research granting councils, set to begin in 2012 – 2013. Despite this, the document noted that “granting councils will be pursuing operational efficiencies and reallocation of funding from lower-priority programs to generate savings,” and that the government would “fully reinvest 2012 – 2013 savings in priority areas of the granting councils, particularly in industry-academic partnerships.”

Living up to rumours that have swirled in the media over the past few days, the government cut funding to Katimavik, a popular youth program that supported young Canadians traveling the country to participate in volunteer projects. In the budget, the government announced its intentions to continue to invest in “affordable, effective programming” and that Canadian Heritage would pledge over $105 million in youth initiatives, though few details were provided.

In the area of job creation specifically for youth, the Conservatives announced they would add another $50 million over two years to the existing Youth Employment Strategy, which, according to the government, connected nearly 70,000 youth with work experience and skills training last year.

And while the government reaffirmed their plan to forgive student loans of up to $40,000 for new doctors and $20,000 for new nurses and nurse practitioners who plan to work in rural and aboriginal communities, starting in 2012 – 2013, this plan had already been announced in last year’s budget.

The 2012 budget is also considered the final report of the stimulus phase of the government’s economic action plan, launched in 2009. This signifies the end of the Knowledge Infrastructure Program, which provided nearly $2 billion over two years for construction projects at university and college campuses across the country. Budget 2012 reported that a total of 515 projects were completed under the program, and while five have yet to be completed, no further federal funding will be provided for those unfinished projects.

The Conservatives, as expected, will also reduce government employment by 4.8 per cent, or 19,200 jobs, though details surrounding which departments or programs will be affected — such as the federal public service student employment program — have yet to be shared.

The Conservatives also laid out additional departmental cuts to Human Resources and Social Development (HRSDC), noting that some changes will “transform the administration of grants and contributions to enhance online delivery and reduce red tape and the paper burden for applicants and recipients.” Cuts to HRSDC in the 2012 budget start at $6.3 million in 2012 – 2013 and jump to $183.2 million by 2014 – 2015. No details were given as to the potential effect these cuts could have on the Canada Student Loans Program.

Additionally, the government announced its plans to eliminate the penny. Pennies will no longer be produced and distributed to financial institutions starting in fall 2012, though the coins will still be allowed in cash transactions.

Cuts to the CBC were also laid out in the document, starting with $27.8 million in savings in 2012 – 2013 and rising to $115 million in 2014 – 2015.

Similar to the 2011 budget, the Conservatives are aiming to lower the deficit to $1.3 billion by 2014 – 2015 and achieve a $3.4 billion surplus by 2015 – 2016.

SFU team participates in annual Canstruction event

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EIC
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0

By Sahira Memon

Rose constructed from 4,000 cans to raise funds for local food banks

Downtown Vancouver, including iconic buildings such as The Four Seasons Hotel, the HSBC Pendulum Gallery at Hornby, the FortisBC Building, and the Flour Building is home to 20 structures of varying shapes and sizes, made entirely from cans of food.  A number of schools and companies were represented, and this year marked the first time that SFU was among them.

Canstruction Vancouver is an annual design competition that encourages the participation of teams of architects, engineers, designers, and schools in creating giant structures made of canned food, with the winners having the opportunity to have their work displayed in public art exhibits all across downtown Vancouver. At the close of the exhibits, all of the cans used in creating the structures are donated to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank. Since 2002, Canstruction Vancouver has been responsible for raising a total of 1,056,043 cans for the community.

“SFU has been asked to compete year after year, but no one’s really taken initiative,” said team co-captain and faculty of environment student representative Maziar Kazemi to The Peak.

In January, this competition came to the attention of Kazemi and the Faculty of Environment as “a good opportunity to get into the community and do something charitable,” according to Kazemi. They then began rounding up students to create a team, including a variety of students from the Faculty of Environment, School of Interactive Art and Technology, engineering sciences, and arts and social sciences. They also worked to receive support from the community, and they received a substantial amount with the SFSS advocacy committee, Sustainable SFU, the Faculty of Environment, SFU Facilities, SFU Community Trust, MET Printers, and SIFE: Let’s Can Hunger, along with local businesses contributing to the team.

The SFU team was able to raise the most money for the event, and was praised as the most dedicated team by Canstruction co-chair Janice Podmore.

The team of students succeeded in replicating the Simon Fraser Rose, a hybrid rose named in honour of the explorer Simon Fraser. The centre of the 4,000-can rose is meant to symbolize the three SFU campuses connected as one, the petals represent Metro Vancouver, and the leaves of the rose represent all of British Columbia.

“As a whole, the three separate parts of the rose combined reflect the community fostered by Simon Fraser University and the essence of the City of Vancouver,” said Kazemi in an email to The Peak.

The rose can be viewed at the HSBC Pendulum Gallery at Hornby from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and all exhibits will be on display until April 4.

The SFU team also has the chance to win the Vancouver Sun Viewer’s Choice Award for their work. Kazemi hopes to create a Canstruction club and continue SFU’s participation in this event for years to come.

“It’s really important to show that SFU students don’t just excel in academics . . . we are also thinking of the world,” said Kazemi.

SFU consults with the stars

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EIC
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By Alison Roach
Simon Fraser Consulting holds networking event for business students

When Barry McDonald, a partner in the Tax Services practice of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), announced last Wednesday at the ‘Consulting with the Stars’ event that he would be talking about what his firm looks for in new employees, all the students listening visibly straightened.  This wasn’t particularly surprising, given that PwC is one of the biggest names in the consulting industry and a company from which many of the members of the audience would accept a job in a heartbeat.

This past Wednesday, Simon Fraser Consulting (SFC) and the Golden Key International Honour Society came together to put on Consulting with the Stars, a networking event that brought in over 40 consultants from 19 different consulting firms to interact with prospective employees in an intimate setting.  The event was a success, with tickets selling out and bringing in 140 attendees. Kiran Dhinsa, a current TA in the Beedie School of Business at SFU, said of her goals for the evening: “I’m looking at my options tonight; I want to find somewhere to go after school.”

This sentiment was echoed by many of the students who attended the event. They listened eagerly to those who spoke, introduced themselves and shook hands with professionals in the industry, and talked with them about their personal career experiences. The night was a chance to survey career options, to see what is available in the consulting field and even possibly make an impression. The companies represented varied from huge, well-established international networks to smaller, newer business that were looking to increase awareness through the event.

This was the first time that students from various faculties were invited to participate in an event like this. Many attending students were from business, engineering, and applied sciences, to name a few. Ehsan Jozaghi, the president of Golden Key, said, “This is the first event we’re doing, and the first time we’ve sold tickets to anyone who wants to come.” Many students, however, were invited specifically for their high GPAs.

Chris Kwong and Sam Seyfollahi, both engineering students, were invited by email to the event because of their high academic achievement, and were excited about the opportunity. Kwong lauded it as a great opportunity for students. “You get a lot of information, and to see what’s out there for after graduation.” Seyfollahi was equally enthusiastic about the event, saying, “I just got advice from one of the actual consultants, it made my day!”  Before this event, this is not an opportunity that would have been available to them as engineering students.

The event had a very open format to allow students to speak to whichever professionals they wished, as well as a round of business ‘speed-dating’.  The room was arranged with high round tables without chairs, with one or two consultants stationed at each table. Students were then put into groups and given a few minutes at each table to speak with the professional placed there before moving on to the next table at the sound of a bell. This structured session was off-balanced by more open time when the attendees and consultants were able to walk around and talk freely to whomever they wished.

This was the inaugural event for Simon Fraser Consulting, which was founded just last year. The founder of SFC, Jorge Vasquez, said of the night, “Consulting is a very elitist industry. This is a landmark event because SFU doesn’t exist in the consulting industry; the idea is to put SFU on the map.” The event was completely student organized, and even managed to bring in representatives from ‘the big four’, the four largest international professional services networks. The companies represented at the event had never recruited from SFU before according to Vasquez, who said that one of the main goals was to “showcase our talent and the human capital we have.”

Geoff Bazira, the senior product manager at Systems, Applications, and Products in Data Processing (SAP) and a former SFU student, summed up the tone of the night when he half-jokingly opened his speech with “I hope you don’t mind that I do a bit of a promo [for SAP], I’ll take resumes too.”

Vic Toews’ war on terror

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EIC
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By Christopher Nichols

“Drilling for fear makes the job simple.” –Eddie Vedder

The Harper Government is becoming more like the Bush Administration with each passing day. Apparently uninterested in public and professional opinion, social issues, and international advising, the Conservatives have recently pushed forward with a slew of farcically right-wing policies that Harper’s old buddy George would, I imagine, have supported. It seems Harper isn’t aware of the reputation Bush’s policies and beliefs earned him in international circles if he thinks these are the sort of actions that are going to put him on the map.

What makes the Conservative government most resemble the Republican Party is the rampant anti-intellectualism it propagates and employs. While the Conservatives have not reached the point of calling college-goers ‘snobs’ or educated people ‘elitists’, they have picked up on the Republicans’ more dangerous anti-intellectual tactic of fear-mongering. We’re being subtly encouraged, through backhanded and sensationalist rhetoric, to stow away our rational side in favour of our paranoid side (which is much more easily manipulated), always under the guise of ‘the interest of public safety’. While I could point to several examples of this, there is one recent quote which I think sums it up quite nicely, and I’m fairly certain you know which one it is. In a bid to justify the recently-tabled Bill C-30, a massive online surveillance bill which would give the government authority to rifle through anyone’s online activity without the need of any real justification, public safety minister Vic Toews boldly stated that you are either “with us, or the child pornographers.” So, the new definition of ‘valuing one’s privacy’ apparently includes a clause about supporting kiddie porn. I must remember to look that up on Urban Dictionary.

Ah, the good old ‘us versus them’ approach. Always good for whipping the sheep into action. This trashy piece of propaganda has cropped up in various forms throughout history, usually as a means of justifying otherwise-controversial political move. By reducing the issue to a very stark black-and-white picture, with order on one side and evil on the other, it’s easy for the government to talk people into giving up their rights and liberties so they can push their agenda through unimpeded. It’s a bit disturbing how many people will immediately reach for the nearest beer bong to swallow the Kool-Aid as fast as they can.

Of course, dissenters will remain, which is where the truly loathsome element of this political tactic comes into play: turning the issue around on uninvolved people and bullying them onto the bandwagon with the promise of the worst kind of public vilification if they do not comply. People are sucked in by the threat of being labelled a ‘pedophile sympathizer’ if they so much as question Toews’ bill, let alone actually speak out against it. Given that calling someone a pedophile is currently on par with calling someone a war criminal, who wouldn’t be afraid of being maligned in such a way? The rhetoric may not work, but fear sure as hell will.

A consequence of both these effects is that once people have hopped on the bandwagon, they are easily persuaded that those who have not joined them are the scum of the earth that they themselves were once portrayed to be. I’m not entirely sure about the psychology behind this, but it seems like overcompensation to reassure themselves that they are, in fact, riding the high horse. We are an insecure species after all, especially in times of crisis — something that politicians understand all too well.

In this way, the tactic combines some of the worst elements of paranoia, public shaming, and mob mentality into a disgusting, greasy soup that the populace is only too eager to lap up. It was employed during the First World War, whern protesting against the war was considered a sign of sympathy with the baby-bayoneting barbarians apparently running rampant in Germany in those days. It cropped up again during the Cold War, when the slightest dissent was enough to have you labelled a godless commie or pinko (whatever McCarthy’s favourite word happened to be at the time) and get you blacklisted from . . . well, everything. Remnants of this era are still in place today; Republicans gravely utter the words ‘socialism’ and ‘communism’ to describe a future under Barack Obama and terrify voters onto their side. (Relying, I suspect, on the idea that most Americans don’t know the difference between the two systems — just that they’re evil!)

By far the best example is Bush’s famous speech in 2001, when he declared that in the War on Terror, you were either “with us or you are with the terrorists”. Refusing to invade Afghanistan alongside America was decreed as tantamount to aiding and abetting al-Qaeda. Now consider Toews’ recent proclamations in comparison and, I hope, shudder. I certainly felt some uneasy deja vu. The only difference between Bush’s War on Terror and Toews’ war on privacy is the fact that the latter isn’t firing cruise missiles at houses where he thinks pornographers might be hiding. But by using the exact same warlike rhetoric, almost verbatim, he fights the same battle in spirit. It is a form of political blackmail, nothing more.

The funny thing is that, with a bit of scrutiny, the whole sham collapses instantly. I ask you: if you denied me the right to poke around in your email as I pleased, would it be reasonable for me to call you a pedophile? Of course not. You just don’t want some self-righteous asshole shoving his big, meddling nose into your private life. Why should you allow Toews that ability? I would warn you, his proboscis is even bigger than mine.

I hope the Canadian public has enough common sense to not swallow the outrageous propaganda being presented here, and I hope that the same people value their rights and dignity enough to call Toews’ bluff. At that point, the would-be mugger of our privacy will be revealed to have been waving a starter’s pistol in our face all along.

Go ahead, punk — make my day.

SUB conscious

By
EIC
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0

By David Dyck and Kelly Thoreson

A Student Union Building has been on the minds of undergraduates for years. How come we never hear about it?

Eleven per cent of undergraduate students determined the fate of a $65-million project this year. The Build SFU referendum question, calling for a levy and appropriation of funds to construct a student union building at SFU’s Burnaby campus, passed with only 190 more votes in support of the project than against it. This project will affect students attending SFU starting in 2014, when the levy will be introduced; students in upcoming years, with an even higher levy and on-campus construction; and students for generations to come with the presence of a student union building. Despite the long-term ramifications of this project, however, only 2,196 students bothered to vote on it.

Student space has been a long-standing issue at SFU, with student sentiments made evident through surveys regularly conducted on undergraduate students. The Canadian University Survey Consortium (CUSC) conducts surveys on all undergraduate students from participating universities every three years and covers a wide range of students’ university experiences. Institutions can then compare their results against others across Canada. SFU’s Undergraduate Student Survey, on the other hand, looks at SFU undergraduates every year and shifts its focus depending on which issues require data. For instance, until 2008 the survey was very focused on academic concerns and has only recently shifted to analyze broader issues faced by SFU undergraduates. CUSC sends out 1,000 surveys to randomly selected undergraduate students from each university and often receives fewer than 500 responses from each institution. By contrast, the SFU Undergraduate Student Survey sends surveys to all SFU undergraduates and typically receives around 5,000 responses each year.

CUSC’s reports indicate that SFU students are less satisfied than students from similar universities — typically mid-size institutions that offer both undergraduate and graduate programs, such as UVic or Ryerson — in regards to access to both social and study space. In 2011, 71 per cent of SFU respondents were satisfied with social and informal meeting places on campus and 69 per cent were satisfied with study spaces. Compare this to 76 per cent of students from similar universities who reported being satisfied with social and informal meeting places on campus and 71 per cent who were satisfied with study spaces. This trend was even more pronounced in 2008 when only 53 per cent of SFU participants reported satisfaction with social and informal meeting places and 51 per cent reported satisfaction with study spaces — compared to students from similar universities claiming 74 per cent and 68 per cent satisfaction with these spaces, respectively.

The SFU Undergraduate Student Survey confirms these findings indicating student dissatisfaction with space on campus. When asked what single thing SFU could do to improve student experience, improving facilities has been one of the top three responses since this question was first asked in 2008. Student comments reveal that their concerns with facilities sometimes have more to do with the state of campus bathrooms or the sad abundance of concrete than with student space; however, an overwhelming number of responses indicate that students are unsatisfied with space — particularly for studying — on campus. While a SUB might not directly help to solve this issue, it could help to divert students away from designated study spaces by providing somewhere for students to go between classes other than the library. Furthermore, building plans for the SUB are still being negotiated — which means that study space may even be included in the new building.

The SUB isn’t purported to only solve issues of space, however. As a central meeting place, a SUB is also intended to foster a sense of community, or — as KC Bell, SFU’s director of special projects, wrote in a 2005 memo — function as the “non-academic heart of the institution”. Bell notes that the Maggie Benston Centre was intended to fulfil many of the traditional functions of a SUB, but it fell far from short when “virtually none of the community-building purposes [were] attempted or met” — which is one of his reasons for recommending a SUB. Among what Bell lists as being successful in student union buildings are clubs rooms, multi-faith centres, student programming offices, a women’s lounge, First Nations student centre, and a graduate student centre, as well as amenities like study and lounge space, a movie theatre, and a food court.

Just like facilities, suggestions for improvements to student life and campus community have consistently made the top three responses to what single thing SFU could do to improve student life in SFU’s Undergraduate Student Survey. Some students even suggested that a SUB be built in their responses to this question. Based on findings from CUSC, these issues surrounding community and student life appear to be unique to SFU. In 2011, 53 per cent of SFU respondents indicated that community on campus required improvement, compared to 39 per cent of students from similar universities. Similarly, 49 per cent of SFU respondents said that opportunities for a social life required improvement, compared to only 36 per cent of students from similar universities. In 2008, 63 per cent of SFU respondents claimed that a sense of campus community required improvement, and 50 per cent reported that opportunities for social life required improvement — compared to 37 and 30 per cent of students from similar universities who felt similarly about these issues, respectively.

Campus community really contributes to a sense of belonging at university. In response to what single thing SFU could do to improve student experience, an SFU Undergraduate Student Survey respondent wrote, “Increase and Improve [sic] the sense of community and school spirit. This is the core aspect of university life that SFU fails to meet. Student after Student [sic] lack the emotional attachment to the campus and dismiss it as simply a place where they are forced to go and regurgitate information. However, if emphasis was placed on creating a stronger sense of pride and spirit within SFU, students would be able to embrace the campus as their own and allow them to fully enjoy the dynamic experiences that entails [sic] the post-secondary experience.” In CUSC’s findings on students’ sense of belonging at their university, SFU students consistently disagreed more with the sentiment that they felt a sense of belonging on campus than their peers from similar universities.

The conversation surrounding campus community and student space hasn’t escaped the watchful — if forgetful — eye of the SFSS, either. In an attempt to foster student space on campus with an eye towards a SUB, the SFSS initiated the space expansion fund in 1989. The space expansion fund is $15 collected from students every semester, which has accumulated to around $3 million, according to the SFSS website. There have subsequently been several consultations surrounding a possible student union building, with the knowledge that the university would not foot all of the costs of such a building.

In 2007, the society, with assistance from SFU administration, crafted a pre-planning study, which took a close look at the kind of SUB they would like to see. Part of the problem identified was that 84 per cent of student space was concentrated in five buildings: the Maggie Benston Centre (MBC), the AQ, West Mall Centre, the transportation centre, and the Applied Science Building. Of that 84 per cent, the MBC accounted for 40 per cent of total student space at SFU Burnaby.

By-and-large, the idea that the MBC just isn’t enough space and doesn’t fulfil the mandate of a SUB has been reflected by students and student representatives. In 2008, students were asked what they would like to see in a SUB. Answers included another pub, women’s space, a party room, and a health centre. Only six people attended this consultation, which was advertised using Facebook.

Maggie Benston Centre: The SUB that wasn’t

The MBC accounts for 40 per cent of student space on the Burnaby campus. The SFSS helped fund the renovations of the building with $8 million, and they lease space from the university in  the building.

 

The MBC was intended to be a “one-stop-shop” for services provided by the University and the SFSS. However, it doesn’t act as a focal point of campus community for several reasons. First of all, the majority of student space is used for offices and support. Furthermore, all of the spaces intended for students in  the MBC are spread over four floors.

 

KC Bell, SFU’s director of special projects, wrote in a 2005 memo that “virtually none of the community-building purposes [were] attempted or met” that could make the MBC a more successful stand-in for a student union building.

 

The MBC doesn’t function as the heart of the campus like a SUB is purported to be able to do. This is largely due to the lack of comfortable gathering spaces — among other issues. If you have ever walked through the MBC, it is obvious that it is not exactly serving the functions of a SUB like the ones at UBC or UVic.

 

The most important distinction between the MBC and the planned SUB is ownership. The MBC is owned by the university and leased to the SFSS, while the SUB will be owned by the SFSS.

There have also been surveys done by the university and the SFSS about what kinds of space students want on campus. In a 2007 proposal to enhance student life, a research group commissioned by SFU conducted a survey asking students about what they wanted. Of the 105 students who responded to the question, “Regarding study areas, what makes the area most attractive?”, 65 respondents stated that it was a vacant area as opposed to back to back or side by side seating. Only 34 answered the follow-up question, “why?”, 22 of whom gave the answer “peace and quiet”.

The most recent space survey done by the SFSS was earlier this year. Although the questions were not directly SUB-related, based on 225 responses, 156 said that they preferred individual study space, consistent with the 2007 survey of students who said that peace and quiet was the most important thing they looked for. Following individual study space came group study space, lounge and social space, and recreational space, in that order.

This survey was done in the wake of the controversial recommendation from the SFSS space committee to evict the Simon Fraser Public Interest Research Group (SFPIRG) after their lease was up. The committee argued that the prime real estate that the SFPIRG offices hold would be better suited as more general student space, which is lacking on campus. After protest from SFPIRG, the SFSS agreed to switch gears and do a broad consultation about what kind of space students want. The results, as you can see, were pretty much the same as they’ve always been.

The SFPIRG problem is part of a larger problem here at SFU: the fragmented organization of campus groups. The Rotunda groups are in the Rotunda, the SFSS is in MBC, The Peak is squirrelled away next to forum chambers, and many departmental student union offices are in the AQ. These are all groups that ideally would, and on many other campuses do, work together in close proximity. Instead of going to a single place to choose how to engage in our community, we have to seek out specific places on our own. It isn’t the most community-oriented strategy, and it leads to apathy. If you’re lucky enough to be a part of a student organization, your experience isn’t typical here at SFU. No wonder most people want more study space; it’s all they came up the hill to do anyways.

Now that we’ve decided to pay for it, it’s time for us to decide what we want the SUB to look like for the next batch of SFU students — and maybe even with more than 11 per cent of students’ input.

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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