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Political Corner: Student debt cancellation is smart, not selfish

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Opinions
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hand holding an empty wallet
We should want the best for graduates. PHOTO: Towfiqu Barbhuiya / Unsplash

By: Olivia Visser, Opinions Editor

Last month, US President Joe Biden announced plans to cancel up to $20,000 USD in federal student loan debt per person. This is a monumental decision for roughly 48 million US students holding onto student debt. Despite the fact that student loan cancellation will improve the lives of millions, some question its fairness. Taxpayers who never received student loans worry this might place an extra financial burden on their families by increasing taxes and inflation, while those who already paid theirs off feel cheated. While these are understandable concerns, student debt relief can help everyone.

Student loans are a good incentive to encourage the pursuit of higher education. BC’s latest labour market outlook predicts the next decade will see 1 million new job openings, but 80% of them will require some level of post-secondary education. Although a university degree is so influential in obtaining a well-paying job nowadays, government loans are the only option for many prospective students with limited financial resources.

Canada’s NDP Party has promised student debt forgiveness for a while now, but the country hasn’t seen many significant strides in this direction. In 2021, the Trudeau government announced its decision to suspend interest accumulation on federal student loans until March 2023. This is great, but it’s a temporary solution that overlooks the barriers faced by people seeking higher education who have no option but student loans. Next year, low income graduates will once again have to face the reality of paying off their ever-increasing federal student loan debt.

University degrees contribute positively to employment rates and earnings, but we’re living through a crisis of increasing costs of living alongside stagnant wages. 49% of Canadian students have student debt at the time of graduating. Student debt relief lets people focus on important expenses and saving for their undoubtedly costly futures instead of paying off loans that create further barriers to living comfortably.

Joseph E. Stiglitz, professor at Columbia University and chief economist at the Roosevelt Institute, argues student debt relief would have a minimal impact on inflation at its worst. Debt relief critics believe student loan repayment rates would be significantly lower after forgiveness, but in reality the difference is “negligible.” Most people won’t be paying their loans back at high rates anyways, so forgiving them will have an insignificant economic impact. Stiglitz’s article for The Atlantic also argues “student-loan debt is linked to people delaying significant life events such as getting married and having children.” It complicates “starting a family or a small business, moving, or otherwise building up lives.” This isn’t good for our economy.

Why is our society so preoccupied with what other people have? We should all advocate for student loan forgiveness because it helps the greater good. Student debt relief will allow graduates to focus on moving their lives forward, instead of feeling dragged down by finances. This can help everyone. Besides, people shouldn’t have to face barriers to education in the first place. Student loans relieve some of that, but they also trap vulnerable and low-income graduates into lifetimes of unrecoverable debt. It’s about time Canada takes tangible steps towards student debt relief.

Soul Style Quiz: Fall-ing in love

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Humour
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Illustration vector of a mint green iPod Shuffle.
ILLUSTRATION: Alyssa Umbal / The Peak

By: Kelly Chia, Humour Editor

Hello my darling sprouts,

You may remember my mother before me, Sylvia XVII, whose express purpose was to divine your perfect style by the mere art of quiz-taking. Now, for my modern perspective as you enter your fall semester. Are you ready to fall in love?

1. What’s your accessory of choice for lecture halls this term, darling?

    1. Your lovely custom-bedazzled iClicker! You dress to impress, and make incredibly permanent decisions based on material you will only use for the first y— I mean, what?
    2. You don three stopwatches with style. The first to check time, the second to remind someone that you have a cool stopwatch, and the third for glorious purposes even I can’t divine. So mysterious!
    3. Oh, a pal for my vintage heart. Metaphorically, of course. Yours truly is very young. You still wear your iPod Shuffle, which has a longer battery life than any phone anyways, and you can play your ten live versions of “Hands Down” by Dashboard Confessional in peace. Emo is so very.
    4. Your accessory is three Red Bulls, let’s GOOOO!!!
An illustration vector of a pair of Ray-Bans.
ILLUSTRATION: Alyssa Umbal / The Peak

2. What do you think you value most in life?

    1. “Everytime we Touch” by Cascada. In your mind, there is nothing more transcendent than 2000’s Eurodance music.
    2. The intangible yet constant pressure of your future to do better, you say? WOW! We’ve got a bummer over here!!
    3. As you do this quiz, you are already starting the cheer, “When I say, ‘Chic,’ you say, ‘Punk!’” I have no power to stop you. A crowd has already gathered around you.
    4. “Value? In this economy?” Fair point, my little energizer bunny. But you must be vulnerable for us to proceed!

3. It’s time for the ephemeral and always relevant question: which line resonates with you, dear?

    1. “Hey now, hey now! This is what dreeeeeams are made of!”
    2. “No line could ever describe my wild, beating heart!” You suddenly shout. A raven mysteriously caws behind you.
    3. “When I was . . . a young boy . . . my father—” That’s enough, you’ve already started singing, haven’t you? Yep, there you go!
    4. “I describe myself more as a circle than a line.” Contrarian, I will compartmentalise you!

4. Of these four completely hypothetical scenarios from my galaxy brain, where do you feel most at home?

    1. The filmset of “Fabulous” from High School Musical 2. Ah, yet another pal after my chagrined theatre student heart.
    2. The actual gears of a grandfather clock, golden and hallowed. You aim to both be unfathomable and consistent, eh?
    3. I can’t even see you. You’ve disappeared into the crowds of Emo Nite!
    4. In . . . in my brain, you say? Why, how intrusive! Why not yours? Or perhaps there is . . . nothing in there of note? Ooooh, burn by the all-knowing Sylvia XVIII!

5. Finally, let’s turn this over: what aesthetic do you think best describes you. Please clap, you’re almost at the results after all!

    1. “Um, like, obviously Y2K.”
    2. “Steampunk all the way.”
    3. “Emo!”
    4. “No aesthetic, just vibes.”

 

If you answered mostly A’s, you are BEDAZZLED BABY!

Why, yes, you do love your Clueless and Mean Girl and Bratz dolls. I know this, but I also know there is more in you, even if you don’t know this yourself. Your key accessory item this fall is your bedazzler. Bedazzle your notes, bedazzle your professors, and your TA’s! And definitely consider bedazzling your coping mechanisms. If there’s one thing you should learn, it’s to never hold back, my darling child.

If you answered mostly B’s, you’ll be pleased to know that you are . . . MEAN GRANDPA!

Dress up in your finest tweed jacket because you’ll need to remind everyone that you are the undergrad doctor on campus! You pride yourself on being undefinable, and unfortunately for you, this is not that kind of quiz. Your best fashion items can be found inside a magical forest, as we all know you are too poor to actually afford quality steampunk items. But do not worry, you will ascend to your fabulous self! With my help.

If you answered mostly C’s, I hereby dub thee STUCK-IN-A03 KILLER QUEEN!

Um, rawr. XD Not to be mistaken for mean grandpa, I would never make redundant generalisations — that’s why there are four results, after all. You need to stay firmly hidden in a Hot Topic to succeed this semester. Your task is to decorate a super long Furby and wear it, sort of like a cute little boa. I’ve already named him: Sir Snurklepops!

If you answered mostly D’s, my CUTE little villain, you are the DEVIL’S ADVOCATE!

Awww, you. I recognize you just wanted to keep picking the answer that seemed the most fun. BUT THERE IS NO FUN TO BE HAD IN FASHION! There is only divination. And I’ve divined you to be THE DEVIL’S OWN APPRENTICE! Luckily, this too has been laid out in my devious machinations. You see, you will continue, contrarian.

Your lucky accessory is your voice: “Well, actually,” everyone in class! I think you should don little devil horns to really get into character, because you are, for sure, a Halloween bitch. Love you lots!

 

New study connects sitting time with increased risk of heart disease

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News
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This photo is of an individual sitting at their computer. Their head is in their hands and they look stressed and tired.
Study says inactive people are up to 50% more likely to develop heart health concerns. PHOTO: Jonadan Cheun / The Peak

By: Chloë Arneson, News Writer

A new study published in the journal of JAMA Cardiology supports the notion that prolonged sitting is associated with increased risk of early death and heart conditions. The research found individuals who sit for more than eight hours a day have a 20% higher risk of cardiovascular disease. 

The Peak interviewed the co-lead of the study, Scott Lear, for more information about their findings. Lear is a health science professor at SFU and has been working on the study since 2003.

The study included over 100,000 people across 21 countries, tracking their heart health over an average of 11 years. It focused on following individuals from countries of varying economic levels.

Lear noted the study may play an important role in preventing early deaths and increasing life expectancy. “People who were active could minimize the effects of sitting,” he said. In the paper, they stated by meeting World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations for physical activity, individuals who sit for prolonged periods can reduce their risk of heart-related issues. 

“Most people probably aren’t thinking about their activity levels,” Lear said. “A simple thing like setting your phone alarm every 30 minutes and getting up to walk around,” can make a big difference, according to Lear. Simple household chores scheduled throughout the day can reduce the impact of those working from home. 

Lear discussed how socioeconomic status affects daily routines and impacts overall health. He noted the majority of studies that have focused on the impacts of sitting take place in higher-income countries. “Most people are working jobs where they sit during the day and then they get their exercise activity during their leisure time,” Lear explained.

The connection between sitting and health concerns was especially significant in lower to middle-income countries, according to Lear. “What we’ve found in our previous research is that this recreational leisure time is almost non-existent,” he said. An analysis of a report released by the WHO suggests that lower-income countries have more opportunities for work and transit-related activity, but significantly less time for leisure. Due to longer average working hours, people in lower-income countries have less time, money, and energy to participate in physical activities outside of work or transit-related movement.

Lear wrote an article for the Heart and Stroke Foundation about “exercise snacking” that outlines the importance of incorporating small bites of movement into our daily routines. He describes simple exercises anyone can do from their living rooms with no equipment or experience, such as jumping jacks or walking up and down a set of stairs. 

In SFU’s news release, Lear also mentioned that clinicians should ensure their patients are incorporating these healthy habits in their lives. “It’s a low-cost intervention that can have enormous benefits,” Lear said.

Cryptid Spotlight: The Bennett Creature

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Humour
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May you all find your references in time. ILLUSTRATION: Jiamin Bai / The Peak

By: Max Lorette, Peak Associate and Certified Cryptozoologist

Dressed in decrepit graduation robes, the Bennett creature lurks between the bookshelves of the reference section. Most who encounter the fearsome creature see little more than a flash of blue and red tattered fabric, before it dashes just out of sight. They say a mere glimpse of the monster’s face is enough to drive even the most hardened post-graduate students to fanaticism. This elusive being is said to hide the specific book you need for that one essay due tomorrow in its lair, sealing you to a fate of one less reliable academic source! Oh, the horror!

Much of the information we have regarding this creature comes from the tales told by a Mr. Hugh Jass, a mere first year in 1987, well before the era of the library’s handy-dandy online catalogue. While records of his story are scattered, we have done our best to piece together the events of that fateful autumnal eve.

It was approximately 6:09 p.m. when Hugh was scouring the reference section. He was already running on five cups of coffee that day, and his whole body was jitterbug with a mixture of anxiety and caffeine. Wandering the rows and rows of shelves stretched out before him, he felt as though he was trapped in a never ending academic maze. Yet, his quest for a particular volume was proving to be fruitless (our expert hypotheses is that it was some kind of scientific journal, but we’re English majors who stay far away from things like that). He was writing a study that was due the next day, and he was doomed if he couldn’t come up with a final source to tack onto his paper!

Despite all the caffeine coursing through his bloodstream, Hugh Jass found his eyelids growing heavier by the minute. It was due to his increasing fatigue that he was almost able to write off the flash of graduation robes darting in front of the maw of bookshelves before him. Almost.

When he saw those suspicious robes once more followed by a sinister laugh, his heart began to race with more than simply the caffeine-induced heart palpitations. Too frightened to move a muscle, he was petrified as he heard thick fabric moving behind him. As Hugh recounted that night in the notes we found, he always mentions how the air around him grew cold, and how for weeks afterwards, he was unable to get the smell of mildew and old paper out of his clothing. “Hugh Jass,” a voice as dry as autumnal leaves breathed into his ear, “The volume you seek has not been seen in years. Might I suggest another?” A loud thump behind him finally jolted him out of his trance. A book lay deserted in the middle of the aisle, coated in dust.

Though the academic source is dubious, we optimistically suppose it could have been helpful. Who knows the intentions of the Bennett creature, truly?

Little is known about Hugh Jass after his encounter with the Bennett creature, only that he never did get around to handing in his paper. Beware of the reference section, my dearest cryptid enthusiast, lest you encounter this fearsome creature on another frightfully chilly autumn evening. And remember, never trust your graduation robes.

An autistic person’s review of “Extraordinary Attorney Woo”

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EIC
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Jun-ho and Attorney Woo reading notes
IMAGE: AStory, KT Studio Genie, and Nangman Crew

By: Olivia Visser, Opinions Editor

Netflix K-drama Extraordinary Attorney Woo follows the life of a young autistic attorney, Woo Young Woo, who lives in Seoul with her father. The series is dramatic and charming, while respectfully addressing serious social issues like mental health, labour rights, and sexism. Many western media outlets have attempted to represent autism on screen with little success. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Extraordinary Attorney Woo effectively captures the many challenges of adjusting to adulthood as an autistic person who just wants to fit in. I could really connect with this sense of isolation depicted on screen. 

It was emotional to see a show articulate the social aspects of disability so well. Many series pathologize autism by using tropes that focus on “symptoms” or treatment rather than the autistic experience. Shows like Atypical and The Good Doctor medicalize autism by frequently showing their autistic characters in therapy. Autism is more than just a disability — it comes with considerable social stigma and isolation. Fitting in at work and even just engaging in simple conversation is a challenge for Young Woo, and she works through this with her friends and family instead of therapy — everyone’s different.

Part of what made the show more authentic for me was its honest portrayal of autism. Young Woo is far from perfect — she has a lot of difficulty with interpersonal relationships. She often finds herself hyper-focused on particular topics like whales and law, and ends up overlooking how other people feel when she has a goal in mind. Like everyone, autistic people have flaws. This series portrays Young Woo’s flaws as natural instead of demonizing her. At the same time, it celebrates her quirks and mannerisms as differences that can make life more enjoyable. 

The problem with autism’s media representation is that it’s targeted towards neurotypical people, who see autistic people’s behaviour but lack an understanding of what goes on inside our heads. TV shows like The Good Doctor and The Big Bang Theory try their best to make autistic people seem aloof, unreasonable, and unrelatable. Because of this, I rarely find myself enjoying shows with autistic characters. Extraordinary Attorney Woo was enjoyable to watch because it often reminded me of myself. Young Woo’s introspective remarks about feeling unfit for society were tear jerking at times.

Genuinely relating to a character is something you nearly never experience as an autistic media consumer, since you have limited and poor representation. Young Woo’s relationship with Lee Jun-ho was familiar and touching to watch, and I appreciated that this show highlights some of the difficulties of navigating relationships as an autistic person. Young Woo repeatedly finds herself more interested in discussing law than her relationship, which hurts Jun-ho’s feelings. She forgets that many people like to be asked about themselves at times, while Jun-ho doesn’t understand that info dumping can be its own love language. It particularly stood out to me when Young Woo expressed frustration with the restrictive nature of her thoughts: “All my thoughts tend to centre around me, so I make people close to me lonely. I don’t know when or why I do that. And I don’t know what I can do to stop it.”

Extraordinary Attorney Woo has its own flaws, despite being one of the more tasteful shows with an autistic character. I had to overlook some blatant clichés like Young Woo having a high IQ and photographic memory. You don’t need to portray autistic people as hyper-intelligent for a show to be interesting! It also has a few content warnings to watch out for: ableism, abuse, suicide, and sexual assault. The most significant criticism comes from those who say Young Woo should be played by an autistic actor. This argument is important. Media representation should start with the hiring process, not with the fictional character we see on the screen. Multiple autistic actors auditioned for Atypical, but a neurotypical lead was hired. Extraordinary Attorney Woo doesn’t have any known autistic cast members, which is a shame. 

That being said, I don’t think we should write the show off as unwatchable. It’s important we continue making strides to expand our neurodivergent representation, even if that means we fail at times. I would love to see Extraordinary Attorney Woo return for its second season with an autistic actor, but more importantly, I hope neurodivergence becomes a normality in television rather than being an exaggerated trope.

How can scientific communication evolve for the average reader?

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Features
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It’s 2022 and somehow, we still need to protest in favour of scientific trust. Alt-text: People holding signs with various messages in a pro-scientific trust protest.

We live in the era of sharing articles after only reading the title (hopefully, you, dear readers of The Peak, don’t follow this trend). How many of us have received a link from loved ones that either seems too unrealistic, comes from a sketchy page, or is outright just a bunch of lies? It’s pretty obvious you didn’t even open the article, Auntie Grace.

Back in 2016, the Science Post, a satirical news publication, published a piece titled “70% of Facebook users only read the headline of science stories before commenting.” This article was shared by nearly 46,000 people, but ironically, the Science Post team only wrote an opening paragraph and the rest was just a “Loren lipsum” placeholder. Later that same year, the Columbia University Data Science Institute found that 59% of links shared on social media were never actually clicked. Who would have thought that in the age of “alternative facts” and fake news, most articles are shared completely unread? I know, shocking.

The sad news doesn’t end there. First, I recommend you to search and read Farad Manjoo’s incredibly witty article “You Won’t Finish This Article,” for The Slate, where he explains common reading behaviours of people — like how much time they spent in specific sections of a webpage or how long they keep their window open. He discovered that even when people open articles, not everyone gets all the way to the end: only between 20–40% of readers finish an article. Although this is bound to change and depends on each media outlet and the content they publish, the trend skews toward articles not being paid much attention to. We are sharing so much data without knowing a lot about it!

So what does all this mean for scientific communications to the general public? The result isn’t good. We’ve seen what mistrust in scientific knowledge can do — anti-vaccine movements have caused outbreaks of easily avoidable diseases like measles, whooping cough, and chicken pox to resurface. Some of the most outrageous conspiracy theories have broken public trust in health institutions and knowledge. This is a complex problem that’s bound to have very complex roots, but something we can do is try to bridge the gap between accurate scientific communications and the general public. We can start by writing about science in a way that is easily comprehensible and compelling.

While I don’t have a concrete answer on how to make a scientific story compelling, I will gladly talk about captivating ways scientists have gone beyond the traditional methods of research dissemination.

 

Social Media

Let’s start with TikTok, one of the most successful approaches to reach the most people, especially younger audiences:

  • Do you like human anatomy? Then here’s an account for you: @instituteofhumananatomy. Be aware though, graphic images of the human body can be seen in this account.
  • Do you like Astronomy and all things space? Then enjoy @astroathens content!
  • Do you want to learn more about chemistry and ecology? Here you go: @coolchemistryguy.

I could keep going on like this for the rest of the article and meet my word quota by just including the usernames of STEM TikTok creators, but I’ll end it there. The point is even celebrities like Bill Nye have very successful, informative, accounts! While it’s true that a lot of fake and troublesome content can be found on social media platforms, there are tons of creators that actually use these platforms to explain and demonstrate complex scientific topics. Last week I spent close to an hour watching TikToks about astrophysics from an actual NASA engineer! TikTok and other similar social media platforms have the potential to teach us about science without us even noticing (I swear that hour only felt like 15 minutes).

 

Podcasts

Let’s move now towards podcasts. To be honest, I don’t listen to podcasts much besides Crime and Forensics, but my lack of experience with them is not a reflection of this platform’s accomplishments. Hearing scientists talk about science with their peers or non-experts in a more informal scenario makes it so much easier to actually understand what is happening. Many scientists have the ability to present and talk about very technical data in a way that is easy to digest. Now, imagine if these same scientists were to be in a podcast, talking about their research, I’m certain scientific knowledge would reach far more people and could even potentially renew an interest in STEM for those who are interested in pursuing it. Although podcasts can also be extremely technical and even intimidating, it all depends on the creator and their intentions. I’m almost certain that for every extremely technical podcast, there are at least three others that are far more approachable — they are podcasts, they just keep coming!

 

Books

Let’s finish with the most traditional one of the list: books. Let me start by asking if you would read a book that is a bit over 300 pages long and that manages to have over 300 citations? Yeah I know, it sounds like a ton of work, but this example is actually the very opposite of it. First, I would like to clarify that when I talk about books as a way to communicate scientific research, I don’t mean your 3,000 page McGraw Hill technical book that will cost you half your monthly rent. I mean books authored directly by scientists that feel closer to non-fiction stories rather than technical books. A couple of weeks ago I finished reading The Genome Odyssey by Dr. Euan Angus Ashley. It talks about how our own individual genetic information has been used in recent years to diagnose and even treat diseases: the most impressive part of it is how easy it is to make a connection and understand the importance of very complex scientific themes. When Dr. Ashley talks about his patients over the years, he talks about how their conditions affect their lifestyles, how his team began the quest to find a diagnosis, and the novelty of their approach towards treating them. It makes you feel like you are not reading about genomics (a word most of us don’t use in our day-to-day vocabulary) but about people’s life stories. By the end of it, you somehow know a lot about the use of genomic data science for medical diagnosis, the definition and expectancy of precision medicine and how it will completely change the medical landscape in the next couple of decades.

When reading and talking about scientific research, sometimes a feeling of dread might come to us as grasping “the big picture” of sometimes very technical subjects can be mentally exhausting. If it’s hard for scientists to understand, just imagine how hard it’s going to be for the general public! There’s a common thread among all of these channels of scientific communication: they’re easy, they’re relatable, and they’re impactful. The way we communicate and interact with day-to-day news has evolved with our usage of communication platforms, but somehow scientific research has been kept behind traditional approaches like peer-reviewed journals which don’t work for the average reader. We should learn from the community of scientific content creators, podcastors, and writers that have taken more modern and creative approaches if we are to break the barriers that limit the spread of scientific knowledge.

Top ten ways to ensure everyone knows you’re a calm and collected person

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Humour
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Very calm, very cool. Nothing wrong here. Illustration: Siloam Yeung / The Peak

By: Maya Beninteso, Peak Associate

1. Cry with every minor inconvenience 

Haven’t you heard? Only calm and collected people cry when their pencil drops for the fourth time in thirty minutes. I don’t know about you but, by that definition, I surely have you all beat in the calmness category (sorry, not all of us can be winners).

2. Talk with the goal of efficiency

Be a time management queen and talk as fast as you possibly can, with as little words as you can. If no one can understand you, that’s on them! Concision. Speed. Success.

3. Always reach your destination at a sprint

This is your sign to dash down the halls of the AQ. Live out your Home Alone rushing to the airport scene (but don’t forget Kevin). Nothing says “I’m cool as a cucumber” like sweating profusely as you sprint your way to your third lecture of the day.

4. Bring your life’s supply of stationery to lecture

Your classic ballpoint pens and mechanical pencils. Your wax seal set. Your standard pencil that is, like you, one sharpening away from its wit’s end. Bring absolutely every piece of stationery that you own (yes, even the lingering bits of crayons from when your biggest worry was colouring inside the lines). Use this tip and you’ll secure the coveted title of #thecalmestperson

5. Ask questions

No question is a bad question! Ask them all! When the professor starts lecture and introduces themself, ask about the origins of their name, the reason why they chose a life in academia, and their life story. Bonus points for frantically taking notes after they answer . . .with a gnawed crayon.

6. Master your courses before they start

You heard me. Finish the syllabus before it finishes you. Study with the intention of schooling your professor. In the event they slip up, your calm and collected self will demolish them with your knowledge, subtly mocking their lack thereof. After all, Type A and toxically competitive people are well known for their ability to be calm.

7. Wear a “I am a calm and collected person” t-shirt

Work smarter, not harder.

8. Drink all the caffeine

Wake up? It’s time for two iced coffees. On your way to campus? It’s time for contemplating your life choices RedBull. Studying in the library? It’s for some highly caffeinated tea, followed by another two iced coffees. With all the empty cups surrounding your very productive workspace, everyone will know how calm you are. Bonus points if you consume caffeine to the point where you get the shakes

9. Narrate your every move aloud 

[insert your name] paces back and forth near the koi ponds, wishing they could drop out, trading school for becoming a part of the school of fish below. Their reflection in the water reflects their moment of self-reflectio—

 

Meanwhile, dozens of students have stopped, watching you and your not-so-quiet moment of introspection. Surely, indubitably, without a shadow of a doubt, they’re all silently thinking just how calm and collected you are . . .

10. Be yourself

If you’re reading this piece about how to let everyone know you’re a calm and collected person, chances are that you’re already calm and collected — and that you likely follow at least one of these tips (tip one hits close to home, huh).

 

NFL star Christian Covington returns home to host annual free football camp

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News
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This is a close up photo of Christian Covington on the football field.
PHOTO: Pranjali J Mann / The Peak

By: Isabella Urbani, Staff Writer

Christian Covington, defensive tackle for the Los Angeles Chargers in the National Football League (NFL), hosted his fourth annual football camp on June 26 at O’Hagan Field in Vancouver. The camp ran from 10:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. and included a Q&A session with Covington and a few of his NFL friends, including Emmanuel Ellerbee, Whitney Mercilus, and current teammate Joe Gaziano. 

“I mentioned free camp for kids and a free trip, and they were like ‘sign me up,’” joked Covington about recruiting his friends. “I only bring guys that I know are going to encompass everything I stand for and everything my family stands for.”

Nearly 70 kids from ages 8–15 came out to the event to participate in a day full of football drills, repping a Chargers shirt with Covington’s number 95 on the front, before ending the day with a complimentary lunch and swagbag with snacks and custom mouthguards from the event’s sponsors. 

While the kids took to the field, spectators had an opportunity to visit the silent auction tent to bid on a variety of gifts ranging from a Nintendo gaming system equipped with two games to Nike shoes. All the gifts were either donated directly to the event or were purchased by Covington himself with all proceeds going to KidSport BC and Sunshine Kids, whom Covington works with in the States.

Although the day was full of football, the camp was open to participants of all skill levels. “I just want kids to be around professionals,” explained Covington. “This is not a day for skill development, this is not a day where you’re going to get recruited [ . . . ] no matter what you want to be, it starts with work ethic, commitment, and sacrifice. Whether it leads to football — great. Whether they want to become lawyers, doctors, it doesn’t matter, let these kids have fun.”

Running a camp has been something Covington has wanted to do since he was five years old. Growing up, Covington was no stranger to practicing with professionals. His father, Grover Covington, is a Canadian Football League Hall of Famer for the Hamilton Tiger Cats and still holds the league record for most sacks — tackling a quarterback before they can throw the ball. For Covington, it wasn’t a matter of when he would host his own camp, it was making sure that when he did, it would be “accessible to everyone in the area” no matter the cost. Although most participants signed up for the camp online, Covington specifically reserved spots for children in low-income communities in Surrey and Vancouver, who might not be exposed to football at all. But when the pandemic began, Covington had no choice but to put his plans for his next camp on hold. Nearly three years later, when restrictions started lifting in BC, Covington knew he had to seize the opportunity and return home.

“It’s been difficult,” said Covington about organizing the camp around the pandemic. “At the end of the day, I am just thankful and blessed that we were able to do something on such short notice. We didn’t really know if we were going to be able to pull this camp off.” Normally, preparations for the event would take place a year in advance. 

Entering his eighth year in the NFL and hosting his first camp since the pandemic, Covington is thankful for the opportunity to come full circle at this stage in his career. “I spent 13 years of my life here. I was at Vancouver College from Kindergarten to Grade 12. It’s very nostalgic to walk around the halls for the first time in a couple years [ . . . ] it’s humbling: knowing where I started, where I came from, and what I had to do to get to this level. I’m eternally grateful for the journey and everybody who was rooting for me.”

The event was packed with close family, friends, teammates, and current Vancouver College varsity football players who helped run stations. Among those special people in his life were his mom and dad who Covington referred to as his “prime examples.” 

His mother Natasha Covington and father Grover are most proud of their son’s kind character, particularly his “willingness to want to come back and help [his] country, province, and community with the kids,” they told The Peak. His teammate and cousin echoed the same sentiment. 

“You can tell that he means a lot to the community,” replied college teammate Ellerbee. “When you’ve reached the NFL, and you come back to your hometown to do this for the kids for free and bring other professional athletes back here, it’s phenomenal,” shared Covington’s cousin Vincent Johansson. 

With the camp behind him, Covington is already optimistic about next year’s turnout. Although 70 kids is an impressive showing, Covington hopes to expand next year’s camp to 200 kids, which the camp drew in before the pandemic. Even with a full NFL season ahead and his own personal foundation in the works, Covington will always make time to help the youth of his community.

Monday Music: Songs to say good-bye to summer to

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EIC
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“Monday Music” in orange block text on a yellow rectangular background with rounded corners and an orange border.
Monday Music: your weekly themed playlist. Image courtesy of The Peak.

By: Michelle Young, Editor-in-Chief

Autumn comes with purple skies, early sunsets, and a crisp wind. To me, fall means oversized hoodies and introspection while the trees shed their leaves. Growing up Latina, listening to Spanish makes me feel comforted: it warms me up like café con leche. To match the melancholic weather, I put together a few cozy songs to listen to on a cool evening drive or chilly September morning. 

“Descifrar” by maye 

Starting off with a smooth beat, maye’s gentle voice compliments the mellow guitar chords in the background. She coos about wanting to find her own happiness, and “sail in other seas” to heal herself. Vocals blur together in harmony to conclude the pensive track, a perfect complement to self-examination and new beginnings. 

“Un Millón” by The Marías  

For a groovy, synth-heavy track, and enchanting vocals, look no further. Lead singer María Zardoya, begins sweetly, singing about a great romance and dancing skin-to-skin. The song builds itself up with upbeat ambience and clear electronics for an atmospheric song to pair with autumn evenings.

“Decir Adios” by CUCO 

Piano chords blend together for this reflective track as CUCO remembers a past relationship. He sings about how “there’s no easy way to say good-bye.” Slowly, strings and percussion are introduced, and hymns of harmonies lead into “the days when the sky cries and tears flood the city.” The song asks for the heavens to guide his partner’s heart, breaking into a fierce guitar solo. 

“LA MEMORIA” by Jessie Reyez

This passionate track embodies the pain of trying to forget a toxic partner. Reyez reminisces as she cries, “You need to lose a war, you need to find a twin, who breaks your heart, who leaves you in sorrow.” The background vocals are haunting, layered neatly behind Reyez’ outspoken narration of being unable to forget. 

“BUEN DIA” by Becky G.

Beginning with upbeat piano, strong vocals, and complemented by brass — this song is about getting back on your feet. “They also broke my heart, they talked about me without reason, I don’t care,” is sung fearlessly, blended into the beat. Filled with empowerment, take on the new season with the “desire to eat the world.” 

SFU Dining Commons: New look, same culinary experience

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EIC
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Photo of buffet-style dining hall with wooden accents
PHOTO: Roshi Chadha / The Peak

By: C Icart, Staff Writer

The Dining Commons is finally open! It boasts 28,000 square ft, 500 seats, and took $26 million to construct. But does it live up to the hype? Not really. I had already moved out of my room on Burnaby Mountain. But since SFU opened what looked like a state-of-the-art dining hall right after I left, I hopped on the R5 to see if it would become my new after-class lunch spot. 

As I entered the area, I was impressed with how spacious it was and the gorgeous light fixtures. There was a lot of dramatic statement lighting. The choices were bold and combined with the floor-to-ceiling windows, they made the space very bright and inviting. I paid $14.49, the lunch door rate. It is cheaper if you get a value pack or a meal plan, which I would recommend if you plan on eating there regularly. I ran into my friend, which was great because two mouths are better than one, considering there are over ten culinary stations to choose from. 

I picked up something from The Hot Plate. It’s a station where you can watch your meal grilled Teppanyaki-style and “choose your protein, veggies, and sauce.” It is a similar concept to Bok Choy inside the Mackenzie Café. I chose rice as a base, tofu, and all the vegetables except carrots. I wouldn’t recommend this option if you are in a hurry as it is made fresh to order, and it took me about 20 minutes to receive my bowl. 

My friend opted to make herself a plate with some of the ready-made options at the global cuisine station and a station advertising Asian fusion. Overall, the food was just okay. The rice in my bowl was slightly undercooked, and the seasonings in both dishes weren’t fantastic. The rice in her dish was a bit too salty and the teriyaki sauce was a little sweet for my taste. I was able to offset it a little bit by adding chili flakes to it to make it sweet and spicy. 

As a vegan, I was happy to see the variety of clearly labelled vegan and vegetarian options. One of them is Sprout, a new station that serves plant-forward dishes. However, there were no vegan desserts and the ice cream machine was out of order. My friend said to pass on the pudding as the texture was a little bit off but recommends the banana bread, as it was moist and comforting. 

So, is the food worth the hype? No. I can’t say it’s much better than what you would expect from what is essentially a school cafeteria. However, the increased variety of foods and expanded seating are a welcomed improvement. Dishes are returned to the dishwashing station as the Dining Commons only offers reusable dishware to eliminate single-use containers. No need to take your food to another study spot on campus because ample outlets and Wi-Fi are available. The Dining Commons is open 24/7 and is a great spot to get affordable food, get work done, socialize, and recharge! 

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Simon Fraser University’s independent student newspaper since 1965.

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For promotional inquiries: [email protected]

© 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