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Nico-meets-stereolab: a review of MEMORIALS’ All Clouds Bring Not Rain

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A portrait photo of Verity Susman and Matthew Simms
PHOTO: David Masters

By: Jonah Lazar, Staff Writer

Formed by Verity Susman and Matthew Simms, MEMORIALS is an art-pop duo out of Canterbury, England. Their debut record, Memorial Waterslides, won the group a modest following, and from this success they have been on a tour across Europe and North America since the start of this year. The duo released their sophomore album on March 27, titled All Clouds Bring Not Rain. 

All Clouds Bring Not Rain begins with “Life Could Be A Cloud,” a song that feels like a Stereolab reimagining of The Velvet Underground’s indie anthem “After Hours.” “Life Could Be a Cloud” opens with lead singer Verity Susman’s isolated vocals, but quickly builds into an uplifted and joyous buzz of drums, vocal harmonies, and reed instruments. This energy builds into the following track, “Cut Glass Hammer.” Recurring metaphors drawing on cosmic bodies followed by the repetition of the lyric, “nothing is exactly how it feels” gives an impression of a surreal, psychedelic love, untethered from reality.  

But this synthetic energy soon cuts out, replaced by slow strums of a guitar, or perhaps even a mandolin, with Susman’s distinctive vocal taking centre stage in the third track of the album, “I Can’t See a Rainbow.” Through metaphors of being stranded out at sea layered with raw vocals, this song sends a message of hopelessness and emotional vacancy. 

The next few tracks return to the eccentric pace set out by “Cut Glass Hammer,” with frenzied combinations of vocal harmonies, asymmetrical drum loops, and even more synths than before, keeping you on your toes. Right when this energy culminates to an almost unbearable point, they take the foot off the gas and return to the lazed whimsy found earlier in the album, with “Reimagined River.”

This is followed by what I consider the strongest track of the album, “Mediocre Demon,” which defines itself through a funky bassline, brassy, big-band overtones, and drums reminiscent of something by TV Girl. All of this is cut through by a hypnotic vocal drawing on the recurring themes of the ocean, the sky, and the heavenly bodies which are also recurrently present throughout the album.

All Clouds Bring Not Rain was recorded in a barn in the south of France. The rustic, echoed tone produced as a result of this bleeds through in Susman’s vocals in the following few tracks, especially in the second last song of the album, “Wildly Remote.” This track is very reminiscent of Nico, with that characteristically fuzzy production and low-register, droning vocal. The other songs at the tail-end of this album, in particular “Lemon Trees” and “Holy Invisible,” also employ this fuzzy, textured vocal to great effect by splicing it with some of the more experimental sounds from the first few songs of the album.

Overall, the duo’s creative songwriting and Susman’s smooth vocals in All Clouds Bring Not Rain make it a record that you can listen to repeatedly. 

MEMORIALS performed All Clouds Bring Not Rain at The Pearl in Vancouver on May 8, but their tour didn’t stop there. They’ll be on the road in the US, Germany, Italy, and a few stops in between over the next few months. All Clouds Bring Not Rain can also be found on all major streaming platforms.

Nutritious Nibbles: Pouding chômeur

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PHOTO: Courtesy of @pardonyourfrench / Instagram

By: Rehana Hayat, SFU Student

Pouding chômeur is a delightful dessert that my family enjoys during all four seasons of the year! The title of this dessert in French translates to “pudding of the unemployed.” The dish originated during mass unemployment in Québec caused by the global oil crisis in the 1970s. In their quest to find meals with low-cost ingredients for their members, a workers’ union from Québec wrote about it in a contemporary cookbook.

While the pudding’s sauce base was made with brown sugar and water in its original recipe, as maple syrup became more affordable by the 2000s, it became a part of the sauce. Here is how I usually like to make pouding chômeur!

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup flour
  • ⅓ cup granulated sugar 
  • ¾ cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½  cup brown sugar
  • ½ cup water
  • ¾ cup maple syrup

Notes: 

1) The ingredients and instructions here describe how to make two servings for this recipe, though you may experiment with making more or less servings.

2) I suggest you make the solid portion and sauce separately. 

Instructions:

  1. First work on the solid portion, starting by adding a cup of flour into a mixing bowl.
  2. Then, add in ⅓ cup of granulated sugar that is followed by a teaspoon of baking powder.
  3. Next, put in a ¼ teaspoon of salt, followed by adding in a ¾ cup of milk and half a teaspoon of vanilla extract.
  4. To make the sauce, bring out another mixing bowl. Then, add in half a cup of brown sugar and half a cup of water.
  5. Add in a ¾ cup of maple syrup for the sauce. 
  6. Bring out a larger baking tray, then place in the solid portion followed by the sauce on top.
  7. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees, then place this tray into the oven. Let it bake for about 30 minutes or until the batter has fully solidified.
  8. Let the resulting dessert cool down for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Hopefully making this recipe turns out great for you. Remember, it is also important to stay patient for the cooking and baking process. Personally, I usually fast for 21 hours on Mondays during the summer, and it does take me a lot of time to cook a healthy meal for myself, so I must remain patient throughout. In the end though, my favourite dessert is still pouding chômeur!

 

I went on a Scientology speedrun . . . this is what happened

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ILLUSTRATION: Jackie Peng / The Peak

By: Micah True, The Masked Writer

Every great voyage is in some ways destined to fail. Did the ill-fated explorer Ernest Shackleton ever expect to return? What about Chris McCandless? Or even the indomitable George Mallory? Each of these geographically challenged men ventured into the void, never to return, and such was the fate I anticipated when I stood shaking with nervous anticipation on the corner of Hastings and Homer last Saturday afternoon.

Standing before me, in all of its glory, stood my Everest, the Church of Scientology of Vancouver.

On the outside, the building strangely resembles the 4th and Arbutus CIBC branch, but on the inside, I expected to find vaults full of secrets that only those in a secret society would ever dare to hold. 

Dressed in my sister’s gymnastics leotard and wearing a makeshift mask made out of a comforter I’d found in the basement, I blended in perfectly with the pulsating hooded and masked masses who were quickly emerging from every sidestreet and corner to join the growing crowd. 

Having started the day feeling so fearful at the thought of the challenge ahead of me, a sudden calmness descended over me as our planned meeting time ticked closer. I heard of  the rendezvous via Craigslist (I was looking for a new fish tank) and was unsurprised to find that this ragtag group of basement dwellers and layabouts weren’t prepared to start our speedrun until a tawdry 3:00 p.m. Don’t the youth of today, and by that I mean anyone outside of my school year, not realize that some of us have errands to run? Truthfully, the later start just left me with more time to turn my nerves to shreds, but I let everyone within earshot know that the old adage “the early bird catches the worm” carries weight for a reason! One scrawny attendee with a really bad perm stifled a yawn and told me to zip it, and coincidentally ended up being the only member of our crew to find himself in cuffs at the end of the day. Funny how the world works when your brother is a police officer . . .

As I not so subtly alluded to, our dreams of tearing through the Church were short-lived. With 10 minutes to go until tee time, our growing congregation had caught the attention of a number of elderly bystanders. Sensing our excitement, and noting that the current cost of living crisis offers no reason for anyone without a trust fund to break into a smile, suspicions were raised and the police were called. Most fled the scene, but a few of the hardiest folks, including myself, stood our ground. Slowly, a strikingly handsome man emerged from a squad car, and as he cautiously approached, he started whispering indecipherably in tongues. Step-by-step, he inched closer, until standing mere meters away from me, he took off his hat and looked straight into my eyes. Stretching out his hand as if he was taming a lion, he purred softly, “I’m Operating Thetan Cruise, but you can call me Tom.” Then, he kicked me in the balls. 

Sorry folks, no look inside the Church of Scientology. This was all clickbait. 

I attended a cultural book club filled with white women so you don’t have to

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PHOTO: Polina Lavor / Unsplash

By: M. Escritora

With some free-time on my hands, I decided to join an “empathy-forward” book club hosted at my local Bed Bath and Beyond location. I was ecstatic that we would be discussing a book narrated in first-person by a second-generation immigrant like myself. I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika Sanchez showed the rift between how immigrant parents compose their new life and how their kids actually get to live. Novels that cast open the terrors of adjustment and alienation always spoke to me. Literature should be uncomfortable to be powerful, right? I really related to the protagonist in this one; the character’s struggle with extremely strict parents reminded me of how ostracized I felt growing up. She was locked away from the city her parents were wary of and vilified. 

Five minutes early is late, or so I thought. When I arrived, towers of militantly-folded bath towels obscured any signs of human life. Maybe I was just plain late and missed the book club? Venturing deeper into the carpeted alcove, I realized the book club participants were initially camouflaged as shoppers among the wheat and cream coloured linens. A lady, presumably the leader (because she had the freshest bleach-and-tone), pulled from her trendy purse the novel I’d been reading in slips. “Let’s get started. Did anyone else seriously crrrrrrrrave carrrrrrrne asada after reading this?” I cringe as she dramatically rrolls her Rrrrrs, a flash of embarrassment singing in my temples. I used to pray my parents wouldn’t give away their newness to English with those same R’s, and here, some white lady is acting like it’s appreciation?

I listened intently. It almost seemed like tears were welling up in some speakers’ eyes. “It must have been so hard to migrate to North America,” an effusive blonde gushes. “I am very lucky my family has been here for generations to what was previously ‘barren land.’ Migration sounds like a struggle — I just can’t imagine having to walk more than a few hundred meters to the grocery store —” here, she pauses for a shudder, “Let alone kilometers through a desert just to cross the border, like the protagonist’s parents.” 

Another participant chimes in about the unwelcome, harsh conditions depicted in the novel, citing how grateful the contrast to the fictionalized Mexican village made her remember “the little things, like magazines, return policies at the mall, and our hockey team.” Belonging goes so deep for some they can’t even imagine life without the complete Maslow’s hierarchy. Hello, self-actualization. 

I hear a lot of “the main character’s so brave,” and “she’s so strong,” pitter-pattering through the room. My personal favorite: “The imagery of the landlord berating the family for cooking traditional Latino food was devastating. I am a nice landlord, I only ask them to keep their window open.” I chew on the end of my pencil, thinking about how my P.E. teachers never accepted that I couldn’t participate in contact sports because I couldn’t see moving targets, not to mention didn’t grow up playing “pickleball” or “flag football.” The book club members seem so close to understanding that celebrating differences welds together a diverse society, but the point woozes right over their head like a dodgeball. Latino acceptance goes as deep as mall food court quesadillas. 

“I did not see that plot twist coming.” Because stereotypes make up your literary forecasts. 

This book club experience felt weirdly like gossip rather than criticism as we discussed marginalized realities from the periphery. A novel puts you at a safe distance from a life that isn’t your own, but grievance isn’t action. As I fumbled to exit that bland and liminal department store, I knocked loose a display of dish towels. Product of Guatemala. Go figure.

In the headlines: Bowen Island campus, data centres, and so much more!

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By: Tomos Land, Staff Writer

The BC New Democratic Party and BC Conservatives to write joint-manifesto for 2028 election as part of cost-cutting measures

KPMG awarded $20 million contract by Vancouver City Council to increase shareholder value in Downtown Eastside

Richmond Night Market announces expansion plans amidst refreshments increase at triple the rate of inflation 

TMX “probably not that harmful” to human health, says Alberta-based business consortium 

Millenium Line Wi-Fi dead spot linked with momentary boost in happiness, finds ministry of health

Mount Pleasant residents consider strike action amidst tote bag shortage

SFU Board of Governors proposes new Bowen Island campus to improve sense of community

Temporary closure of SFU pool probably won’t last much longer, finds TransLink’s Burnaby Mountain gondola consultant   

Government officials say data centers will aid climate change efforts by reducing human water consumption

Mining company says tax credits, provincial subsidies, and taxpayer funding is not enough to ensure “competitiveness” at Whistler retreat with NDP ministers

Vancouver landlords forced to increase rents just to afford FIFA World Cup tickets

MBA programs to offer classes in price-gouging and surveillance pricing in bid to modernize curriculum

“Repulsive, degrading, and disgraceful” — BC Premier lashes out against water-based hot chocolate

BC universities increase domestic tuition rates, citing executive pay squeeze

Academic quadrangle not that hard to navigate, claims sixth-year PhD student

New littering regulations come into effect at SFU, angering raccoon lobby

Grass not always greener, finds ex-lawyer turned landscaper

Hunting lobby dismisses potential benefits of wind energy, citing bird collision concerns

Builders association pretty certain lack of housing stock fueling affordability crisis

Brave lieutenant general forced to rearrange speaking engagements following exposure to Nanaimo bar on ferry crossing

GSS and SFSS express concern over heating conditions in student residences

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Photo of a SFU residential building on a sunny day.
PHOTO: J.J. Jang / The Peak

By: Niveja Assalaarachchi, News Writer

On April 27, the Graduate Student Society (GSS) and Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS) issued a joint letter to SFU Residence and Housing regarding concerns over heating and cooling facilities in student residences. The letter alleged that inadequate student housing cooling facilities created a dangerous environment for students to study and live in. This letter was shared with The Peak. 

The Peak reached out to Kody Sider, the director of external relations at the GSS, as well as Hyago Santana Moreira, the SFSS vice-president university and academic affairs. Sider alleged that students were regularly suffering through temperatures above 26℃, which is the province’s legal limit for living spaces according to subsection 9.33.2 of the BC building code. 

“The university has done little to handle heat in the residencies that they manage. Students regularly have to sleep and live in heat upwards of 32℃.” said Sider. SFU has a ban on air-conditioning (AC) units for safety reasons. They cite “potential damage to the property, electrical load limits, and liability,” in addition to “water leakage” and “increased humidity leading to mold growth” as potential concerns. Sider said despite this ban, the university doesn’t provide a suitable replacement for residents. “Students regularly talk [to us] about how when they reach out to housing, housing tells them to just buy a fan or open the window . . . Almost every student that I know who lives in housing already owns at least one fan.” said Sider. “The university’s recommendations are based on the individual, treating it as an individualist issue, even though it’s a systemic issue.” The Peak reached out to SFU for comment, who noted that “students who are concerned about heat in residence are strongly encouraged to reach out to Residence and Housing staff for advice on options and tools to reduce the impact of heat in their unit.”

Moreira added that the university’s accessibility plan has made commitments to accessibility for campus residencies, sharing that “cooling facilities are a matter of medical accommodation.” He said, “SFU has a lot of commitments and they should be looking at our asks not as extraordinary asks, but as part of their own duty in respect to what Senate and what governance has already decided would be good for students, how they should prioritize the well-being of students.”

Sider expressed that the university administration advocates for climate resilient housing, but don’t implement the measures.

“They fail to practice what they preach internally, where they allow students to effectively be baked in their own apartments and then just telling students to get a fan or just not respond to students at all.”

— Kody Sider, director of external affairs at SFU Graduate Student Society

The student societies introduced four recommendations to improve housing conditions on campus in their letter. The first recommendation called for the university to lift the ban on air conditioners. As air conditioners are costly, the university should accommodate vulnerable students and “immediately streamline the process for priority students with medical conditions to install portable, high-efficiency cooling units.” Sider said this process does not currently exist, and different needs should be evaluated individually.  

The letter’s second proposal lists additional short-term measures designed to help students. They suggest the establishment of designated temporary cooling centres at every student residence, supplying air coolers and cooling kits to students. 

The letter’s final two proposals focus on long-term aspects of student housing development at SFU. The student societies call for the university to launch an independent building performance audit to analyze the climate and energy capabilities of each SFU building. Additionally, they propose the university publish a roadmap for thermal infrastructure in a three-year timespan, and install AC infrastructure in places where it is feasible. 

In a statement to The Peak, the director of SFU Housing and Residence Zoe Woods said that arrangements were underway “to prepare for the possibility of a hot summer ahead.” She stated that the preparations were being undertaken in coordination with different SFU departments to support residents at the Vancouver and Burnaby campuses. Woods said that SFU Housing and Residence’s preparations were “accompanied by outreach from the GSS and SFSS” and thanked them “for sharing their concerns.” 

The Peak also corresponded with the SFU Residence Hall Association (RHA), the primary organization that represents students living on campus, about the letter. Outgoing RHA president Vinisha Kadyan said in an email statement that “while the proposals raised by the GSS and SFSS provide a constructive starting point, it is important to consider whether they are sufficient to fully address the problem.” She noted that “some of these solutions may take time to implement and may not provide immediate relief for those currently affected.” 

Additionally, she said her organization believes Residence and Housing should be more concrete and communicative in their approach to cooling residencies by implementing short-term solutions such as “arranging temporary relocation options within cooler residence buildings when indoor temperatures exceed safe limits” while long-term structural changes are undergoing improvements.

Kadyan revealed that the GSS and SFSS did not include the RHA in the joint letter. She noted that “a collaborative approach between student organizations could have strengthened advocacy efforts, and created a more unified response before moving directly to a public joint letter.” She noted that the RHA had been discussing these heat concerns with the university as a “part of broader conversations about student living conditions.”

Moreira said, “At the time when the letter was sent, we would [have] liked to partner with Residence, but they are at a time of transition” and there was confusion surrounding whether they were fully a part of SFU and what decisions they could make. However, Moreira added, “I bet that the students and the RHA will agree with us that changes are needed.”

Indigenous Student Centre observes Red Dress Day

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Illustration depicting a red dress hung on the branch of a willow tree.
ILLUSTRATION: Victoria Lo / The Peak

By: Niveja Assalaarachchi, News Writer

On May 5, the SFU Indigenous Student Centre (ISC) hosted a community care circle on Burnaby Campus in honour of Red Dress Day, which commemorates Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit Peoples (MMIWG2S+) of Canada. The community care circle served as an opportunity to bead and offered Indigenous students a “space to rest.”  

In a statement to The Peak, ISC’s Indigenous administration and events coordinator, Audrey Heath (Gitxsan Nation) said community care circles are spaces “created for Indigenous students, facilitated by ISC staff, counsellors, Elders, and caseworkers from the Sexual Violence Support and Prevention Office.” She shared the space was a way “to gather with community and participate in a way that feels right to the student, whether that includes sitting and listening, sharing with the group, participating in an activity or enjoying a meal.”

Red Dress Day was first commemorated in 2010 when Jaime Black, a Métis artist, opened the REDress Project, which featured art installations to visually recognize the systemically higher rates of violence against Indigenous women. The red dresses, which are often prominently displayed in public, serve as a symbolic reminder of the large number of victims who have been lost as result of this wide-ranging scale of violence. 

Heath shared that community care circles are organized by the ISC on days that are particularly important to “honour and remember our community who have experienced harm or are no longer with us.” This occurs chiefly on four days: February 14, the Women’s Memorial March; May 5, the National Day of Awareness for MMIWG2S+; the Moose Hide Campaign, typically held in May; and September 30, the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation. 

Heath explained it was important for the centre to hold care circles at these times, because “on these days we talk about a lot of difficult issues which can be emotional.

“Indigenous Peoples are often called to educate others about the truths of these days, which can cause further emotional labour on already difficult days.”

— Audrey Heath, coordinator of the SFU Indigenous Student Centre

Heath, while pointing out that events like these are a part of the university’s commitment to truth and reconciliation, emphasized the need for reconciliatory practices to emerge outside of Indigenous spaces. 

The centre suggested attending an event that raises awareness about MMIWG2S+ and financially supporting organizations like the Native Women’s Association of Canada, Aboriginal Mother Centre Society, and the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre, as ways to support MMIWG2S+. 

The center also suggested reading through the National Inquiry on MMIWG2S’s final report, alongside wearing red on May 5. 

For more information, visit www.sfu.ca/students/indigenous/events/red-dress-day.html

Migrants suffer cuts to health-care amid changes to immigration law

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Stock image of a health-care worker in their scrubs, stethoscope visible. They are typing on a computer.
PHOTO: Nuttapong punna / Adobe Stock

By: Lucaiah Smith-Miodownik, News Writer

The Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP) is a national program designed to provide temporary care to vulnerable groups, such as refugees, until they are eligible for permanent public health insurance.

Since its inception in 1957, the policy has undergone significant shifts. In 2012, then prime minister Stephen Harper introduced dramatic cuts to the program, resulting in a total denial of health-care for some refugees, and a drastic reduction for most. With treatments such as medications or prosthetics left uncovered, serious pushback from health care workers ensued. Ultimately the cuts were found to be unconstitutional, and in 2016, the IFHP was fully restored to its former capacity.

Now, a decade later, the pendulum swings once again.

Beginning May 1, the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada Department (IRCC) announced reductions to the policy’s supplemental coverage, meaning that refugees are required to pay “$4 for each eligible prescription medication filled or refilled under the IFHP,” and “30% of the cost of other eligible supplemental health products and services, including dental care, vision care, counselling, and assistive devices.”

The Peak spoke with Byron Cruz, a member of Sanctuary Health, for more information on these policy cuts. Sanctuary Health, a part of the Migrant Rights Network, focuses on ensuring “access to services for all regardless of immigration status or documentation.”

Cruz explained the extreme challenges brought on by original reductions to the IFHP in 2012, including “phone calls from pregnant women who did not have access to health-care,” and people having “to go at 4 o’clock in the morning to do a line to the immigration office in order to get an approval to go and see the doctor.”

While he worries these same challenges will once again become common, current coinciding federal policies will make these cuts even more detrimental. Cruz referenced Bill C-12, which allows for unprecedented “information sharing about migrants across all government levels,” both in and outside of the country, among other measures.

“C-12 and the cuts to IFHP are part of the same package.” Cruz added,

“We have provincial politicians in British Columbia blaming migrants for using health-care, for using social services, or using foodbanks.”

— Byron Cruz, Sanctuary Health outreach worker

While reductions to IFHP will harm migrants, many also consider the decision to be a financial mistake. According to the British Columbia Medical Journal, these cuts “will result in a need for more emergency room visits, more in-patient hospital stays, more physician time, and, ultimately, higher costs overall.

“By pushing people who are unable to afford entry-level access to care into clogged emergency departments and hospitals bursting with patients, the IRCC decision tightens critical bottlenecks in an already overstretched health system and makes it harder for everyone to access what they need.”

Despite these claims, the government maintains that cuts to migrant health-care are designed to support “the long-term sustainability of the IFHP so it can continue providing essential support to current and future beneficiaries.” 

The Peak reached out to IRCC Minister Lena Metlege Diab for comment, but did not hear back by the publication deadline.

 

Students can be “middle powers” through collective action

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Two students at a board planning some action or activism with a few sticky notes or papers on the board.
ILLUSTRATION: Jackie Peng / The Peak

By: Tomos Land, Staff Writer

In his special address at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January, Prime Minister Mark Carney garnered plaudits worldwide with a powerful speech on the future role of “middle powers” on the international stage. Middle powers are countries that try to influence geopolitical issues between great powers like the US and China, due to their geographic, economic, and diplomatic positions. Carney made a compelling argument for a re-calibration of international rules and norms. He argued that Canada should form issue-based coalitions with other nations who share similar values like diversifying trade, promoting gender equality, and supporting poverty reduction. This idea also holds lessons for individuals who want to stand up to the growing powers of archaic institutions and malignant corporations.

The central argument of Carney’s address focuses on the power of cooperation between nations who have found themselves subordinate to the US and China. This call to act collaboratively mirrors the founding principle of trade unions, namely the strength of collective action, which presents employees with an opportunity to bargain on a more equal footing with their employer. As economic inequality grows in Canada and the rights of workers across the globe continue to deteriorate,

Now more than ever is the time for the workers of the world to recognize the power of collective action. 

Advocacy also extends beyond the workplace. As students, we must do more to exercise our power to hold the executive teams of our institutions accountable and create a learning environment that empowers everyone to get the most out of their university experience. Taking part in groups that advocate for change on campus, participating in student societies or even running for election to the Board of Governors or Senate are all ways that we can work with other students to ensure that our voices are heard. In June 2025, four years after a group of SFU students threatened to go on hunger strike to force a divestment from fossil fuels, the university announced its investment portfolio no longer holds fossil fuel assets. SFU350, a student-led club focusing on climate action, campaigned tirelessly for eight years and were eventually successful in forcing the university to divest its assets. The club is an excellent example of how student activism can lead to meaningful change and continues its work campaigning against the Trans Mountain Pipeline Expansion on Lhuḵw’lhuḵw’áyten (Burnaby Mountain). Additionally, after penning an open letter with seven climate demands to the university in 2021, the Board of Governors met the first demand in April 2022 declaring a global climate emergency. This declaration empowered the university to take action to mitigate this emergency. They later laid out these actions in the SFU 2025 sustainability plan. 

Clearly, enacting meaningful change in our communities is possible, and it is made so much easier when we do so collectively. Trade unions, advocacy groups, and student organizations all benefit from the type of collaboration between individual “powers” (yes, that means you!) that the prime minister is calling for. Only together can we capitalize on the strategic autonomy that can help us prosper in an uncertain world. 

Brighter Side: Making the most of your last summer class

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Grass hill near the Trottier Observatory / Reading in the sun
PHOTO: Maya Barillas Mohan / The Peak

By: Maya Barillas Mohan, Staff Writer

Spring semester always feels like a struggle for the finish line with the summer semester lurking around the corner. Possibly the best-lit semester of the school calendar, actually. I’m from the prairies, so the weather doesn’t turn or stay nearly this nice this easily in Alberta. School is the whole reason I get to be in this situation at all, as arduous as it can sometimes feel. Starting in May and ending in August, this sunny semester is the most relaxed part of my year. Maybe the slim course selection helps — I’m lucky the last class I need to graduate was offered. 

It only took 10 (!!!) seasons of finals to know my way around SFU. While the Burnaby campus is closer to a fortress than a cruise ship, you will interact with its multi-layered design differently throughout the year. In winter, you get access to a 3 inch curving track crossing the koi pond, whereas in the summer, you actually get to see the fish! In the summer there’s nooks and hills atop the mountain itself, making way for some eccentric study spots near the AQ pond. On the inner stairs by the Trottier Observatory, find a spot in the plush grass under a big tree. Luxuriating under the shade is best accompanied by a book so your laptop and eyes don’t have to struggle against the glare. When I graduate, I think I’ll miss getting a green apple and a soft croissant from Nesters.

Bookending classes with a snack or a stroll around the low-rise apartment buildings is idyllic in a way I just know my future work office won’t be. 

In my experience, summer classes are smaller, so the lessons feel a bit less opaque than the usual crammed lecture halls are. Something about the long days lining up with the last mile of my degree means I can remove the tunnel-vision essay goggles for the dewy start of a semester one last time. Being a student means priorities overlap and conflict, but it’s easier to manage with a lighter course load and more elbow room on campus. 

Sitting by the window can be a welcome distraction — but the extra-long days mean that balmy Burnaby will still be waiting for you after the drudgery of a tutorial limping on with its broken projector. With this being my last semester, I’m glad it fell together in such a way that I can finish strong, and maybe even a little sunburnt from sitting beside that AQ window.

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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