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Perfect Fit: The Layering Edition

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Illustration of fashion and home accessories (backpack, pillow, etc.) in shades of pink and blue
Refresh your life with these simple style recommendations. ILLUSTRATION: Kitty Cheung / The Peak

By: Tamanna T., Staff Writer

Spring is the most confusing time of the year for me, because I never know when the weather will change. I constantly check the weather app before leaving my room, yet I still manage to be too hot or too cold. On some occasions I leave without an umbrella only for it to be pouring 10 minutes later. These bewildering changes make it essential to think about layering clothes, so you can stay on top of the weather chaos and adjust accordingly. As someone who has worked in the fashion retail industry for almost four years, here are my top tips for layering.

1. Gather the basics: T-shirts

Basic tees can make or break any outfit, and you most likely have some in your closet already. Having a simple T-shirt in multiple colours increases variety while still keeping your outfits versatile. Pair one with some faded blue jeans and a faux leather shacket for a fit that’s cozy and fly with minimal effort! If feeling hot, you can take off the shacket and you’re still left with a solid outfit. It’s a win-win either way! Simple half-sleeve T-shirts also work well with sweater vests, or underneath oversized hoodies. Both are very on trend right now, especially for those with the fashion mindset of “more is more.”

Have at least one graphic T-shirt. It’ll add a little sassiness and character to any layered outfit. Mintage is a great vintage store that has amazing graphic tees and their clothing is hand-selected. They have a location on Commercial Drive and another on Main Street.

2. The one true pair (of pants)

Bottom essentials really only include a sturdy pair of jeans and a good pair of leggings. You can mix and match pants with a lightweight crop top and vintage faux leather jacket for stylish flair. Layering is all about looking after your body’s comfort no matter the weather, and good quality bottoms are crucial. You want your outfit to look fire, but you shouldn’t actually burn up at the same time.

For those who don’t like the feel of standard jeans or don’t own many, check out KOTN. They’re an ethical and sustainable clothing brand that has high quality denim and other comfortable bottoms for everyone.

3. Jackets ftw!

A jacket is likely the first thing someone will notice about your outfit, so make sure to spend some time on this selection. I personally like Uniqlo jackets, blazers, and parkas because of their great quality. They’re also relatively budget-friendly, which is always a plus in my book. If you don’t want to crowd your closet, choosing a couple pieces that can suit multiple seasons should have you covered for most of the year! These can be layered on top of any clothing item — jeans, leggings, dresses, skirts, and even jumpsuits!

If the weather appears particularly confusing, opt for a water-resistant jacket with a hood. I promise you’ll never be disappointed. 

Layering is quite a lot of fun when you get used to it. Making up outfits in your head, trying them on, and figuring out which combination fits your mood the best is an amusing activity. The key to layering, however, is your own comfort level and how expressive you want to be with your clothing. You can opt for an all-black layered outfit, a monochromatic beige fit, or play around with different colours. At the end of the day, clothes are meant to fit and represent you, not the other way around.

Kalinga is a heartfelt tribute to Filipino caregivers

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A Filipinx woman, sitting in a living room and studying family photos.
Kalinga explores the sacrifices caregivers make. Image: Aimer Films Inc.

By: Charlene Aviles, Staff Writer

When I first watched Kent Donguines’ Kalinga (Care) at Sliced Mango Collective’s movie screening, it felt like reading a series of long-lost journals. The first-person narration of Filipina caregiver stories beautifully captured the sacrifices, heartbreak, and resilience of these mothers. Inspired by his mother’s experiences as a caregiver in Canada, Donguines sheds light on the Live-In Caregiver Program’s effects on Filipino families. While this documentary is educational, it only scratches the surface of this program’s complexities.

Through Canada’s Live-In Caregiver Program, which ended in 2019, families could hire temporary foreign workers to take care of their children or elderly family members. The documentary discusses the stressful working conditions the program’s largely FIlipino applicants  endure in hopes of getting permanent resident status.

Kalinga features the stories of Mary Ann Dumaguing, Maria Facundo-Lilly, and Esther Tabujara — Filipina caregivers living in Metro Vancouver. After moving to Canada, they coped with years of homesickness in hopes of financially supporting their families and eventually sponsoring them to immigrate to Canada. What grabbed my attention the most is these women’s unconditional love for their families. 

While Kalinga is full of touching memories, it also has its heartbreaking moments as the mothers sacrifice time with their own children to be able to provide for them.

I initially thought this documentary would be a highlight reel of the accomplishments of caregivers in Canada. But I was pleasantly surprised with Donguines’ approach to include the women’s raw confessions of their trials. It added a personal touch to the documentary because you learn about the women’s stories at different stages of their careers.

Tabujara’s outspoken nature stood out to me the most. Her need to be honest with the audience was comforting. She expressed her frustration with people’s misconceptions about caregivers. According to her, caregivers juggle multiple roles that are often overlooked.

“Caregivers manage the whole house. You’ll be the nurse when the kids get hurt. When the kids get lonely, you are a mother,” said Tabujara.

While caregivers provide essential labour to Canadian families, they continue to be undervalued. “We have a labour shortage across the board, particularly around domestic work or health care,” said Vancouver-Kensington MLA Mable Elmore. “The Philippines has a labour export policy where they actually export workers.”

The stories in Kalinga are heartbreaking, but they’re needed to address the underlying problem: the lack of legal protections for temporary foreign workers. While the featured stories mention friendly employers, it’s also important to shed light on other workers who are susceptible to exploitation from their employers.

According to Elmore, “We are creating with this program a whole underclass of workers. Hundreds of thousands of workers who do not have permanent residency.”

Kalinga made me reflect on my upbringing with immigrant parents. Hearing about temporary foreign workers’ struggles made me respect and appreciate their sacrifices even more. These matriarchs embody the most important value in Filipino culture: family. 

Watch Kalinga (Care)’s trailer on YouTube. To stay updated with Donguines’ future projects, follow him on Instagram.

Perfect Fit: Picnic essentials

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Peak Web
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Illustration of fashion and home accessories (backpack, pillow, etc.) in shades of pink and blue
Refresh your life with these simple style recommendations. ILLUSTRATION: Kitty Cheung / The Peak

By: Hannah Kazemi, Peak Associate

As we start to see warmer temperatures again, there’s no better way to spend your time than in the sun. Here are my favourite items for the perfect picnic — get outside and soak in that Vitamin D!

 

Tote bags

Do as the cool kids do and get yourself a tote bag (or four). They come in so many colours and patterns, depending on where you buy them from. A tote bag is the perfect addition to any outfit, especially now that farmer’s markets are starting up again — they match the aesthetic perfectly. Vancouver-based brand Tentree has a couple for $25, and each purchase plants 10 trees. What more could you ask for?

 

A light jacket à la Miss Congeniality

Hang up your Super Puff, friends. Spring weather calls for light layers. Opt for something thin to layer on top of a T-shirt or light sweater, and maybe consider something waterproof as well — we do live in Raincouver after all. I love a lighter colour for spring, so keep an eye out for neutrals like beige or cream to incorporate some brightness into your outfit. Thrift stores are great places to look for pieces like this. The options are endless!

 

Reusable water bottle

Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate! I bring a water bottle with me everywhere, especially as the weather starts to heat up. When I have my tote bag with me, it’s so easy to throw it in there and go — that way you’re always prepared and don’t have to keep spending money on bottled water. I’m obsessed with the one from local brand Okay To Rest. It’s currently sold out, but be on the lookout for its return. The best part about reusable water bottles like these is that they last forever!

 

Snacks!

Whether you’re catching up with friends or studying outdoors, snacks are required, especially when you’re spending all day in the sun. My favourite is an apple with chocolate peanut butter from Vancouver-based company Mumgry. Or, if you want an even sweeter treat, check out BAK’D Cookies at a farmer’s market or pop-up around Metro Vancouver. While you’re at it, grab drinks from a local coffee shop! The iced Hawaiian latté from Honolulu Coffee has been my go-to lately.

Save Old Growth interrupts classes at SFU and UBC to raise awareness for their initiative

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Peak Web
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Two activists disrupting a lecture.
Save Old Growth activists target environmental science classes for their interruptions. PHOTO: Zain Haq / Save Old Growth

By: Yelin Gemma Lee, News Writer

Since the beginning of March, Save Old Growth has been interrupting classes at SFU and UBC once a week to raise awareness for their environmental activism campaign. The campaign aims to stop old-growth logging in BC by blocking the Trans-Canada Highway. Although there are some classes selected at random, they’ve been aiming to interrupt forestry classes at UBC and environmental science classes at SFU. 

The Peak spoke to Save Old Growth founding member Zain Haq to learn more about these interruptions. He explained each interruption involves four activists: one to speak to the class for 30 seconds to a minute, one to hold up the Save Old Growth banner, and two to hand out leaflets with details to their next civil disobedience talk. According to Haq, these interruptions have resulted in one to five students in these classrooms coming out to their talks. 

“The first step is to go and ask for permission, if the professor says yes, great, they’re on the right side of history, and if they say no, we respectfully disagree and make the announcement,” said Haq. “If the professors get physical, the person making the announcement kneels down, and continues to make the announcement. At least one professor has gotten physical to the point of becoming violent.”

Haq said although reactions and responses were mixed between classrooms, there wasn’t much variance within a single classroom. 

“In some classes, we get applauded, in others, we get booed,” said Haq. He said the group focuses on those who seemed interested in the campaign and not those who opposed the class disruptions.

Nicole Kirigin, incoming SFSS vice-president university and academic affairs, recorded and posted a video of Save Old Growth’s disruption on YouTube and the video was found circulating on other online channels such as Reddit. The Peak reached out to Kirigin for comments but did not receive a response by publication deadline.

The video shows students laughing or murmuring amongst themselves, while the professor appears concerned while calling someone.

The Peak reached out to Dr. Gordon Rose, whose class was disrupted in the video for comment, but did not receive a response before publication deadline. 

Haq explains why his group chose this method of reaching out. “If you hand out someone a leaflet in the hallway, it’s easy to ignore, but you can’t ignore people who are non-violently interrupting classes and telling the truth about the climate emergency. 

“The climate emergency (floods, fires, storms) don’t ask for permission before occurring, they happen as an act of nature. Those who are transgressively telling the truth, are acting on behalf of nature because nature will kill us if we don’t act now.”

To learn more about Save Old Growth and updates on their initiative, visit their website or their Instagram page.

Connect the Lingo

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Illustration of a character connecting the words “connect the” and “lingo” with a pencil.
ILLUSTRATION: Alyssa Umbal / The Peak

By: Greg Makarov, Sports Writer

Word Bank: over and back, love, yard sale, brace, technical fall, direct free kick, ace, Calder, face wash, drop shot

  1. When a soccer player scores twice in a game
  2. When an opposing player/team fails to touch the ball after a serve
  3. Winning by 15 or more points in wrestling is called a _______
  4. When a tennis player has zero points on the board it’s referred to as ____
  5. This type of foul in soccer results in a player shooting from where the foul occurred 
  6. When a basketball player has possession of the ball in their opponents court and walks back into their own end
  7. The _____ cup is awarded to the winning team in the American Hockey League 
  8. A ____ shot is one in “tennis or squash that drops quickly after crossing the net or dies after hitting a wall”l
  9. An intimidation tactic used in hockey by shoving one’s gloves in an opponent’s face 
  10. When a player’s equipment comes off after a hard hit 

 

Answer Key 

  1. brace 
  2. ace
  3. technical fall 
  4. love 
  5. direct free kick
  6. over and back 
  7. Calder
  8. drop shot 
  9. face wash 
  10. yard sale

A sophisticated sandwich shop just around the corner from SFU Vancouver

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Three open face porchetta sandwiches in a row on a cutting board, with a half-carved pork roast on the right
Dig into this! Photo: @meatandbread via Instagram

By: Gabriel Kitsos, SFU Student

Little about the cold, restless streets of downtown feels inviting, unless you’re near the warm golden glow coming from the wooden interior of Meat & Bread. Its glass window spans across the wall and reveals everything — cooks dressed in black preparing food right at the bar — drawing you in. 

Meat & Bread’s atmosphere is modern, without feeling cold. In fact, the room is quite cozy, with wooden floors, counters, and furniture that command the room’s aesthetic. This, along with the white-painted brick and faded mirrors, create a laid-back café environment.

The first thing on their menu is the porchetta sandwich. It’s their most popular item and even if you ordered nothing else, it’s worth going out of your way to get. Walking inside, you quickly see that the meat is the centre of attention. Their carving station is within two steps of the front door. Behind the carving station’s glass cage is their porchetta, an Italian pork roast, presented as if it’s in an art exhibit. It is a hulking piece of dark-crusted meat, smothered in herbs. The porchetta is brought to life as one of the cooks slices the meat, and then reaches for the decadent strips of pork “crackling,” or crispy pig skin. 

This sandwich is simple, but every component is in perfect ratio. First, there’s the ciabatta bread. While most ciabatta I’ve had is crumbly and dry with a leathery crust, this one is different. It has a thin crust with a toasty brown colour. When cut open and placed on the cutting board, it reveals a light and pillowy interior. 

Piled on top is a mountain of their glistening pork, a mixture of light and dark meat, which lends the bread an abundant amount of its juices. As soon as the juicy pork paints the soft bread, the salsa verde — a fragrant sauce of chopped herbs and oil — is spooned in generous amounts over top, slowly cascading through the crevices of the meat. 

The salsa verde is light and citrusy, a perfect balance to the rich meat. There’s a subtle sweetness deriving from the almost unnoticed fennel seeds. Then follows the perfect contrast to these textures, the crackly pork skin, which is placed on top. Its crunchiness remains even in your last bite. 

You can get your food to go, but it is not very hot, so I suggest heating it up. If you are at SFU’s Goldcorp Centre then you don’t need to go far, as it is next door. The porchetta sandwich sells out quickly so make sure to get there earlier in the day. The sandwich is $12.50, and is certainly substantial for lunch — you might even decide to save some for later.

Webcomics: an underrated form of visual storytelling

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Collage of webcomic characters
Webcomics offer stories that will stick with you for a long time. Image: Sara Wong / The Peak, with images courtesy of John Allison, Minna Sundburg, and E.K. Weaver

By: Jacob Mattie, Opinions Editor

Under traditional publishers, writers and illustrators are bound to the decisions of management. This has led to a conservative trend in publishing, restricting comics to what is perceived to be marketable. By contrast, webcomics aren’t faced with such prohibitive publishing costs, and are often free to explore the author’s most creative ideas. While there are many comics that fall flat, others fuse into something incredible — joining humour and horror, or addressing topics from directions that, at first glance, seem contradictory. 

Many of these comics have been updating for close to a decade, and not all of them are finished yet. As a result of their length, the artists’ styles are often refined over time with storylines diversifying. The bulk of a comic is not necessarily represented by its first few pages. Unlike a book, which has a fixed ending, webcomics are like friends you can catch up with at your leisure. Looking to dip your toes into something new to read? I’ve got you covered:  

The Less Than Epic Adventures of TJ and Amal by E. K. Weaver 

CW: sex, nudity, drug use

TJ and Amal is as cute of a love story as you can imagine. If you like watching two men fall for each other over a road trip, then this is the comic to read. This slice-of-life story describes the ups and downs of life, as well as what motivates two strangers to drive across the country together. Friendly and occasionally explicit, the comic is delightfully human — full of the small moments that fill adventures and provide foundations for a relationship you’ll find yourself cheering for. 

Bad Machinery by John Allison 

Bad Machinery follows the adventures of a few plucky British youth as they take on the problems of maturity, civil issues, and the occasional paranormal phenomenon — often all at once. This comic is somewhat reminiscent of Scooby-Doo, except with better characters, plot, and mystery. It’s hard not to feel affection for the cast of eccentric characters, whose banter gives the comic its charm. The comic is characterized by an off-kilter humour and a delightful representation of British pronunciation.

Stand Still. Stay Silent by Minna Sundberg

CW: body horror, plague, blood, illness, firearms, death

The world has been destroyed by a disease that turns mammals into aggressive lumps of flesh. The remaining “known world” consists of the Scandinavian countries, which have barely been able to survive. Stand Still. Stay Silent follows the story of a low-budget team assembled to gather books from the remains of the old world before it is burnt down in the reclamation process. Sundberg has won the Reuben award for best long-form online comic for her work. This comic stands out for its stunning illustrations; full page spreads of ruined cities, landscapes, and pertinent scenes make the comic really shine.

This week at SFU

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A photo of an SFU golfer looking at their shot after their swing.
SFU takes on the Golden State. Photo: Wilson Wong

By: Isabella Urbani, Sports Editor 

Away Games

March 28: men’s golf at Hanny Stanislaus in Turlock, California (all day) 

  • Day one of two 
  • Finished sixth last meet 

March 29: men’s golf at Hanny Stanislaus in Turlock, California (all day) 

  • Day two of two 
  • Final meet before the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Championships

March 31: outdoor track and field at the Mike Fanelli Track Classic in San Francisco, California 

  • Day one 

April 1: women’s golf at Rjga Palm Valley Classic in Goodyear, Arizona (all day)

  • Day one of two 
  • Finished fourth last meet 

April 1: softball at California State Monterey Bay in Turlock, California (9:00 a.m)

  • Game one of the Tournament of Champions

April 1: softball at Holy Names in Turlock, California (4:30 p.m.) 

April 1: outdoor track and field at the Mike Fanelli Track Classic in San Francisco, California 

April 1: outdoor track and field at the Stanford Invitational in Stanford, California 

  • Day one 

April 2: women’s golf at Rjga Palm Valley Classic in Goodyear, Arizona (all day)

  • Day two of two 

April 2: softball at Academy of Art in Turlock, California (9:00 a.m.) 

April 2: softball at San Francisco State in Turlock, California (4:30 p.m.) 

April 2: outdoor track and field at the Mike Fanelli Track Classic in San Francisco, California 

  • Last day of the meet 

April 2: outdoor track and field at the Stanford Invitational in Stanford, California 

  • Last day of the meet 

April 3: softball at California State Dominguez Hills in Turlock, California (10:00 a.m.) 

  • Last game of the tournament 

Senate vote against mask mandate in special meeting

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A blue disposable mask on a grey background
Masks are still recommended, but not required, in SFU’s indoor spaces. PHOTO: Kai Pilger / Unsplash

By: Nancy La, News Editor 

On March 17, 2022, Senate held a special meeting to discuss implementing a mask mandate on campus. Senator Gabe Liosis started a petition to call for the meeting. Senate rules dictate that a meeting can be called at the request of at least 10 Senators. 

Dr. Réka Gustafson, deputy provincial health officer, joined the meeting to provide context on the province’s current mask guidelines to the Senate. Currently, the provincial health office recommends wearing masks on transit, but they are no longer mandatory in indoor spaces.

The Senate meeting was chaired by president Joy Johnson, who announced she would not be wearing a mask for the duration of the meeting. 

Senator Gabe Liosis moved the motion to “recommend to the president and the Board of Governors that face coverings be required in lecture halls, classrooms, and labs at Simon Fraser University for the remainder of the Spring 2022 semester.”

The SFSS conducted a survey asking students about their views on wearing a mask on campus. The survey received 3,298 responses, with 55% of students wanting a mask mandate at SFU until the end of Spring semester. A higher percentage of  students who identified as disabled and/or immunocompromised “thought face coverings should be required” in indoor spaces until the end of the Spring semester. 

An amendment was made to the motion during debate to include all indoor spaces, such as the library, at SFU. The debate lasted over an hour and the amended motion was defeated. 

The Peak reached out to Liosis for comments. “The main arguments against the motion, which I believe inevitably swayed Senate to defeat the motion, was that of enforcement,” he said. 

“Vice-president academic and provost Catherine Dauvergne, alongside other members of the administration, argued that because there was no public health order to back a mask mandate on campus, that they would have no effective way of enforcing it. They feel that they have no authority to charge Campus Security to enforce a mandate, and it would present faculty and staff with many challenges in terms of enforcement.”

Liosis is “deeply disappointed” with the motion’s defeat. “There are ways that SFU could have enforced such a mandate, but the willingness to explore those options was simply not there. With all problems comes a solution, and the administration was plainly ignoring those solutions.”

In a statement to The Peak, SFU said the Senate debate was “productive.” The school “continues to encourage our students, faculty and staff to wear masks while on campus and has been pleased to see high levels of mask wearing at the university since the province lifted the mask requirement earlier this month.”

Liosis noted the importance of students’ voices in demanding a mask mandate. “At this point, students must continue to vocalize their support for a mask mandate, and pressure SFU to change its mind. At the very least, in the wake of Senate defeating this motion, the university needs to improve its messaging on mask wearing, and strongly recommend and encourage mask usage, instead of leaving it up to chance what students decide to do.” 

First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Student Association changes name

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entrance to FNMISA’s room in the SUB
FNIMISA is currently using their space in the Student Union Building to build connections with the students they serve. PHOTO: Amirul Anirban / The Peak

By: Yelin Gemma Lee, News Writer

During their annual general meeting on November 23, 2021,  the former First Nations Student Association officially changed their name to First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Student Association (FNMISA). 

In the same meeting, updates and changes were made to the association’s constitution, which hadn’t been done since the 90s. FNMISA acting chair Audrey Heath (Gitxsan) said the association had been thinking about the name change for a long time. 

“We are here to support First Nations, Métis, and Inuit students, but our name didn’t reflect that. This was confusing for some people,” said Heath. “We would often come across Métis students, and tell them they should drop by, and the response was ‘Oh I didn’t know I could, I thought it was only for First Nations students,’ but this was and is not the case.” 

Heath explained the association considered various options for the new name such as Indigenous Student Association before settling on FNMISA to be specific and inclusive to their membership. These considerations ensure all of their community members know the association’s services are available to them.  

“This name change is an important part [of] building community relations and creating an inclusive environment,” said Heath. “The name, First Nations Student Association, was not inclusive of all membership. Métis and Inuit students either did not know our supports were available to them, or the ones who were involved felt excluded.”

The FNMISA Board has been transitioning back to being in-person and opening up their new space within the Student Union Building. Heath shared some of the activities and community-building supports the FNMISA offers. 

“This is a safe space available for students to study, socialize, participate in cultural activities, and more!” said Heath. FNMISA offers activities such as board games and a end of term dinner for its members to connect with each other. 

The association recently increased their capacity through hiring an FNMISA coordinator. FNMISA will also receive more funding through an increase in their student levy. This levy increase was passed in last month’s SFSS referendum. Heath said this gives them an opportunity to expand on their support and services. She emphasized FNMISA is open to hearing what Indigenous students seeking support want to see from the association and encouraged them to reach out. 

According to Heath, FNMISA is working with SFSS and the Indigenous Student Centre to host a pow wow at SFU. She said it’s been difficult to facilitate cultural community engagement through the pandemic and she hopes the pow wow will bring the Indigenous community within and beyond SFU together again. 

“This event will allow for a celebration of culture and represent the resurgence of Indigenous Peoples. In this multi-day event, we will have the chance to witness Indigenous dancers and drummers, eat traditional foods, such as bannock, and purchase artwork from talented community members,” said Heath. 

To learn more about FNMISA and their services, check out their website and Instagram.

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Simon Fraser University’s independent student newspaper since 1965.

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© The Peak Publications Society

Simon Fraser University’s independent student newspaper since 1965.

For advertising inquiries: [email protected]
For promotional inquiries: [email protected]

© The Peak Publications Society