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SFU alleges TikTok added unauthorized AI additions to their advertisement

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Peak Web
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A black car sits in the middle of a light blue pool in the middle of convocation mall, while also merging into the concrete ground.
PHOTO: Courtesy of Aidan Ramage / Reddit

By: Mason Mattu, Section Editor

Does SFU have a pool in convocation mall? Or a parking lot that allows cars to park inside the pool? Those are the kinds of images that Aidan Ramage, a student at the SFU Beedie School of Business, saw via an official SFU advertisement on TikTok. 

Ramage told The Peak, “I felt a bit betrayed; we have a beautiful campus and have hundreds of artists enrolled full-time at SFU. Choosing to circumvent available resources in favour of artificial intelligence (AI) is disgusting to see from such a big institution.” 

“The university did not approve the ad, which used generative AI to fill in areas above and below a video frame,” SFU told The Peak. “Once SFU was aware of the ad, it was immediately pulled. Our team is working to ensure that it will not happen again.” 

TikTok offers various advertising tools. Smart+ campaigns involve AI-driven analytics, and with an add-on called Symphony, businesses can generate parts of the advertisement using AI. However, TikTok’s advertising guide describes Spark Ads as a campaign option with manual control. 

The university denied enabling any of TikTok’s AI creative tools in their ad suite on their end, opting to use a “Spark” manual campaign without any “automated creative optimization features” enabled. There is no mention of these AI tools on TikTok’s page on Spark Ads. 

According to the platform’s advertisement policies, any ad content that is “inaccurate, misleading, or false” is banned from the platform. The SFU advertisement is misleading because there is no pool within convocation mall.

A representative from ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, refused to speak on the record with The Peak, instead asking to be put in contact with SFU to work on fixing any technological problems. The Peak followed up with SFU, who stated that “the university is no longer using the previous ad format, which caused TikTok’s AI features to alter our original assets without our knowledge. Due to the platform’s popularity with potential student audiences, we continue to run ads on TikTok but have switched to a new ad format that prevents AI optimization.”

“There was no indicator from TikTok that the ad included AI-generated content,” Beedie student Aidan Ramage said. “This is another thing that confused me, as normally, videos and ads on TikTok indicate when content has any traces of AI-generation.”

This is not the first time that users of TikTok’s advertising suite have complained about unauthorized AI additions to their advertisements.

Video game company Finji recently criticized TikTok for adding unauthorized “racist and sexualized” AI changes to a character in an advertisement.

They were also unable to make changes to these variations. Like SFU, the company claimed they had AI “all the way turned off” in the ad suite. According to reporting by IGN, a customer service representative from TikTok confirmed that Finji’s AI tools were indeed turned off. 

One user on the r/TikTokAds subreddit also complained about unauthorized additions to their manual ad campaign. “I have NOT activated smart creative on my campaign, yet it seems to be on. When I watch my own ad, AI-generated changes have been made like changing the music and adding animations or AI stock images.” 

This is the second time the university has found itself in a controversy regarding AI-generated promotional material. Recently, the SFU Bookstore was accused of using AI-generated art. 

Fasting can unlock a healthier and more sustainable lifestyle

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Peak Web
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a Black hijabi woman breaking her fast with a date. There is a plate of dates beside her.
ILLUSTRATION: Abigail Streifel / The Peak

By: Heidi Kwok, Staff Writer

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, during which fasting is observed by Muslims as a form of spiritual worship. In the Islamic case, fasting is the abstention from both food and water from dawn to sunset. As one of the five pillars of Islam, Muslims fast during Ramadan to develop restraint from shahawāt (desires) and shubuhāt (doubts) in order to become closer to Allah (The God) through the attainment of taqwā (being mindful of God). Through deprivation, the resulting hunger and thirst serve to foster greater empathy for the less privileged. Outside of Islam, the ritual of fasting — albeit with variability in the type and duration of fasting — is likewise commonly practised in other religions, including Judaism, Buddhism, Catholicism, and Hinduism. For instance, some Catholics refrain from meat on Fridays during Lent. While in Hinduism, some practitioners may only consume a single vegetarian meal a day during celebrations and honorary occasions. The benefits of fasting extend beyond the spiritual, and into enhancing the physical and mental health of its practitioners, the achievement of a more sustainable lifestyle, and improving the health of the planet. 

Unlike diets that restrict what you can eat, intermittent fasting describes a schedule of eating and not eating at predetermined times.

What this might mean is that a person may choose to only eat at certain hours of the day and refrain from eating for the remainder — a break from the three-meals-a-day eating pattern that many people are accustomed to in the modern world. A lack of readily available nutrients during fasting transforms the cells of the body into survival mode, triggering the detoxification of old cells in a process known as autophagy. Autophagy is a little like Marie Kondo’s organizing method. Damaged cells that don’t “spark joy” are discarded as junk and salvageable parts are repaired into functioning cells. What could follow are health benefits such as decreased risk of cardiovascular disease and improved liver and gut function and evidence of greater mental well-being for those with mood disorders. I can personally attest to the efficacy of intermittent fasting as someone who has observed their dad transform from a person with high cholesterol and poor liver function to a noticeably healthier and more cheerful person through informal periods of fasting due to the influence of Buddhist teachings. 

Interestingly, a 2022 study examining the impact of various types of religious fasting on planetary health found that fasting can contribute positively to the environment through reduced consumption. Many religions abstain from consuming alcohol during fasting periods. Some alcoholic beverages that have been fermented, such as beer and wine, are considered ultra-processed foods due to undergoing intensive industrial and manufacturing processes — to the detriment of the environment through waste generation and pollution. Other industrialized food production, like livestock rearing and meat production, are also responsible for significant greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, land use changes, and habitat loss, not to mention a major source of carcinogens for humans. Because the consumption of red meat is often not permitted during fasting, the planet may very well be better off with this drop in demand. Shifting to a plant-based diet or cutting out meat altogether can result in a significant reduction in GHG emissions.

Needless to say, you don’t have to be religious to capitalize on the health and environmental benefits of fasting. If you do decide to give intermittent fasting a try — with the consultation of your health provider — you can always draw inspiration from the myriad of religious fasting rituals. While temporary withholding from food and water (as is done during Ramadan by Muslims) may not be viable for some people, other faiths various dietary-restrictive fasting during days of significance. Whether or not you choose to perform one kind of fasting or another, there is something to be learnt and maybe utilized from the ritual of fasting.

Fascism across borders: the Canadian companies collaborating with ICE

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Peak Web
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A photo of Hootsuite headquarters.
PHOTO: Gudrun Wai-Gunnarsson / The Peak

By: Olivia Sherman, Peak Associate

Content warning: mentions of gun violence.

The United States’ Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has enacted detentions and mass deportations against undocumented immigrants for over two decades — this has surged in frequency since President Donald Trump’s second term began. 2025 was the deadliest year for people in ICE custody since 2004. This January saw ICE commit two gun killings. More than three people were also shot in 2025 by ICE. 32 people died in detention centres in 2025, and at least six more so far this year. Their families say this was due to health complications from neglected healthcare and abuse. Human rights advocates and immigration lawyers have also reported inadequate healthcare and sanitary conditions. In January, protests in Minneapolis, where two killings were filmed and uploaded online, spread across the US, and garnered worldwide media attention and solidarity. 

Anti-ICE sentiments have also grown in Canada, as has the spotlight on Canadian companies aiding, benefitting from, and collaborating with ICE and its increasing number of detention centres across the US. One of these is Hootsuite, a Vancouver-based marketing company. On January 30, demonstrators arrived at Hootsuite headquarters to protest against the company’s involvement with ICE. Despite freezing temperatures and heavy rain, around 500 protestors arrived at Hootsuite’s Mount Pleasant headquarters, blocking 5th Avenue and carrying signs down Main Street to raise awareness. 

Hootsuite describes themselves as a “platform to manage, monitor, and measure” social media presences and they have a contract with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE and its activities. It’s worth up to $2.8 million and has transactions as recent as September 2025 for Hootsuite’s services. Hootsuite CEO Irina Novoselsky stated in late January that Hootsuite provides “insights that drive better decisions and accountability, without endorsing specific actions or policies.” 

In an internal call to Hootsuite employees, obtained by The Globe and Mail, Novoselsky said the company “did nothing wrong” and that “ICE is a customer within the public affairs group.” In the same call, Novoselsky also claimed reports on their collaboration with ICE are “fake news.” 

The January 30 protest was organized by Democracy Rising, a grassroots Vancouver-based anti-fascist organization. Fascism is a right-wing populist movement, often relying on the scapegoating of marginalized groups to carry out authoritarian acts. Historically, these acts consist of censoring the media, expanding territory through annexation, dehumanizing chosen scapegoats through fearmongering, and mass imprisonment and eradication of perceived enemies to the regime. 

The Peak spoke with Democracy Rising co-founder Kalifi Ferretti-Gallon, who says the community-led organization is “firmly rooted in our backyard.

“We have a community that we want to protect and we want to engage [ . . . ] If you have offices in Vancouver, you’re part of this community.” Although the scope of Canadian companies collaborating with ICE is nationwide, Ferretti-Gallon notes that there are local avenues for action and change. Many of the companies working with ICE have offices in Vancouver, such as Quebec-based security firm GardaWorld. They provide security guards to an ICE facility dubbed “Alligator Alcatraz” for its human rights violations and the hundreds of undocumented disappearances of its detainees. 

Independent Canadian journalist Rachel Gilmore has documented several more companies working with DHS and ICE, including IT firm CGI and media company Thomson Reuters. Both have offices in Vancouver. Canadian real estate agency Avison Young is currently selling two of their US-based warehouses to ICE for processing facilities, as the Globe and Mail reported. 

Democracy Rising wrote an open letter to Hootsuite, condemning their continued involvement with ICE and stating their concern “that ICE has become the enforcement arm of a fascist regime” with inhumane conditions in facilities, including accounts of documented sexual abuse and deaths in custody. The letter calls for an end to all ICE contracts and a commitment to not aid in further “authoritarian enforcement.” This would align with Hootsuite’s own commitments to “equality and anti-racism, community and environmental well being, and disaster response,” the letter points out. 

“Anything less will remain a stain on Canadian history,” the open letter states. “Canadian businesses have no place working with them.”

As of the interview in late February, Ferretti-Gallon states that Democracy Rising has not seen a response to their letter, and has “not really seen any kind of action on them, on their social media or in any kind of official public capacity.” 

BC Green Party leader Emily Lowan attended the January 30 rally, calling for action against corporations benefiting from ICE. Lowan has also been a critic of the Jim Pattison Group and the company’s recent agreement to sell a warehouse they own in Virginia to be used as an ICE processing facility. The Jim Pattison Group is the second-largest privately held company in Canada, with ownership spanning from broadcasting, agriculture, car dealerships, outdoor signage and advertisements, and multiple grocery chains, including Save-On Foods and Nesters Markets. 

While the company stated it wasn’t aware of the intended purpose of the facility after its initial agreement to ICE, they still received public backlash. On January 30, the Jim Pattison Group made a single-sentence announcement that the transaction “will not be proceeding.” A few hours after the Hootsuite protest, protestors reconvened outside the Jim Pattison Group offices in a celebratory demonstration. Also hosted by Democracy Rising, the protest outside Hootsuite was followed by another one on February 21.

Ferretti-Gallon formed Democracy Rising last year with her partner in solidarity with “nationally coordinated protests that were happening in the US.” The No Kings rallies in the US were a response to Trump’s second term and his authoritarian administration. “We’re trying not just to use this organization as a vehicle for protest, but also to build community, because we are realizing that’s the best way to fight fascism,” Ferretti-Gallon said. 

The violence seen conducted by ICE is a symptom of a rising growth of right-wing authoritarianism across the globe, and isn’t unique to the US. Canada’s recent Bill C-12, or the Strengthening Canada’s Immigration Systems and Borders Act, is one example. The bill, recently passed by the House of Commons, is not yet law but could allow the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration to change, cancel, or suspend immigration documents, increase Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) authority over who is allowed in, and suspend applications if it is in the “public interest” to do so. Several migrant advocacy groups have spoken out against this bill, including the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change, who are in a coalition with Democracy Rising and staged their own protest outside Toronto’s Hootsuite offices on February 26, which also called to reject the bill.

Ferretti-Gallon explained this rise in border security is directly linked to recent threats of annexation by Trump.

“Fascism really begets fascist behaviour.”

— Kalifi Ferretti-Gallon, Democracy Rising Co-founder

Saying Canada is increasing their “strongman behaviour” at the border in response to these threats. “We are calling on these offices and these kinds of entities, including public institutions like US embassies and the CBSA, to stop directly supporting ICE, stop profiting from ICE, stop facilitating and hosting ICE.”

Monday Music: Songs to stand up to the man

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Peak Web
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A photo of a fist held upwards against a pitch black background
PHOTO: Luis Quintero / Pexels

By: Mason Mattu, Section Editor 

From Mark Carney’s austerity measures, to a skyrocketing cost of living, and the potential for an East-West pipeline to go through stolen Indigenous land, we’ve got a lot to be angry about in this country. The number one perpetrator? The Man. The Man could be capital, the rich, those who profit off endless wars, colonial governments, or fascists like Donald Trump. 

Traditionally, protest songs have been upbeat. But these aren’t average protest songs. I present you with some songs that can fuel your rage against The Man. 

“I Pity the Country” by Willie Dunn 

This track by the late Indigenous singer Willie Dunn addresses the struggle of being an Indigenous person in Canada. “Police they arrest me / Materialists detest me / Pollution it chokes me / Movies de-joke me.” This song is so sad — it’s as if the speaker has given up all hope of change as the guitar strums. That the impacts of colonialism are inevitable, cyclical, and permanent.

However, this changes towards the end when he tells us that “revolution is brewing,” bringing in a sense of hope and agency to the act of protest. Listen to this song and let’s get to work. 

“Jack’s Dream” by James Gordon 

Jack Layton inspired Canadians with his vision for Canada and was responsible for the New Democratic Party securing the status of official opposition after the 2011 federal election for the first time in Canadian history. He passed away that same year. 

Politics aside, this song lays out Layton’s vision for a more humanistic Canada. One in which no person goes starving, and where we mobilize to create economic change. His masterful delivery combined with phrases that Layton used himself reminds us that his dream is not dead and it is our responsibility to keep it alive. 

Gordon reminds us of Layton’s last line in his posthumous letter to Canadians — “Love is better than anger / Hope is better than fear.”

“There’s a Tumour in the White House” by Dan Mangan 

Vancouver-based singer-songwriter Dan Mangan wrote this during Trump’s first administration, yet the message still rings true today. “There’s a tumour in the White House / There’s a blowhard at the gate / Choke-holders in the squad car / Bootlickers on parade,” he sings with a lingering sense of pain in his voice.

Mangan encourages Americans to take action by talking to one another, including talking to their Trump-supporting family to change their minds. What I think we can learn from this song is that deep within everyone lingers a sense of morality. As he says, “maybe it’s not too late,” if we reinvest in speaking out and up as a form of protest. 

“Stephen Harper Hates Me” by Cathy Cook 

Cathy Cook, an Indigenous woman, recorded this song on the brink of the 2015 federal election. She fused blues and Indigenous drumming while asking former prime minister Stephen Harper why he hates her. The “her” in question represents different marginalized Canadians — including a fired climate change researcher, a veteran on the brink of suicide due to chronic underfunding for Veterans Affairs Canada, and a seasonal worker. 

This song was part of the Stop Harper movement that saw Trudeau — who we thought was a once in a lifetime leader (we were wrong) — elected. Replace Harper with Carney, and you’ve got a good summary of what’s going on in Canada right now.

Get moving with Indangamirwa Vancouver

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Peak Web
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A photo of dancers from Indangamirwa performing
PHOTO: Courtesy of Angelique Muhorakeye

By: Heidi Kwok, Staff Writer

Indangamirwa Vancouver is a dance group “dedicated to the preservation, education, and appreciation of traditional Rwandan music, dance, and culture.” For the troupe, cultural dance is more than a form of entertainment but also “a means to educate, communicate, and preserve ancestral background all while fostering togetherness.” The Peak interviewed Angelique Muhorakeye, chairperson of Indangamirwa and SFU alum, to learn more about the origins and inspirations behind their performances.

This interview has been edited for clarity and concision.

When was Indangamirwa Vancouver established? What motivated you to form the dance group? How has it evolved since then?

Prior to coming to Canada, I belonged to another group, also called Indangamirwa, based in Nairobi, Kenya. As refugees in Kenya, there are a lot of vulnerabilities that can lead someone astray. So dancing was used as a way to heal people and to keep young people busy and connected. 

Now I’m here. This is another test for me, so I thought of looking for Rwandans who live here and seeing if we can start a dance group. In 2015, my sister and I, along with two other dancers, established the group. We were then invited to perform at a wedding, which motivated us, and out of passion we just continued. 

Year by year, we would have different people coming from Rwanda joining. We started becoming really strong in 2018. We now have 16 members. Last year, we had our 10th anniversary, which was a huge success. The entire community showed up and everyone wanted more! 

Could you tell me more about the types of dances that Indangamirwa has performed in the past?

We do both Intore and Amaraba. Intore is specifically for men, because the word means “warrior.” Traditionally, they were meant to guard the king and the kingdom. With Amaraba, mostly women do it. It’s a dance that could represent anything, but our dancers usually imitate cows with big horns. That’s why you see a lot of hands being raised. 

There are also other different types of dances depending on where you’re from and which part of Rwanda. Most of the time we are celebrating something. Either the birth of a child, a wedding, love, it’s always something being celebrated — something beautiful. That’s why our dance involves smiling throughout.

You are a dancer, a language interpreter, and an advocate for refugees and immigrants in Canada. How have these different experiences shaped or influenced your artistic practice?

They’re intertwined. Like I mentioned, we come from a refugee background. There are a lot of negative influences that come with it because there’s poverty involved. So having an artistic background helps with being creative and taking that art into the community so that people will have something to do instead of being idle. 

When we go perform, we involve people. We have children’s groups where I sometimes go to teach how to dance, to connect with their African background and heritage. We also have women who are going through healing, and some of them are immigrants. 

The language part helps me because the people we deal with here were immigrants and from the same background of the languages I speak.

It’s a communal type of work because it’s collective and it’s through association. That’s why, back home, a lot of people know how to dance — not because they’re dancers — but because that’s the way you spend your time, connecting to your ancestral dance. 

What does it mean to you to perform and showcase Rwandan music, dance, and culture here in Canada?

There’s pride in who I am. It gives me confidence to stay, to love who I am, and to connect back to where I’m from, which influences where I’m going.

I’m a cultural ambassador. If I have something beautiful, why not share it?

— Angelique Muhorakeye, chairperson of Indangamirwa Vancouver

Every time I dance, I’m healing. I’m working out. There’s just a lot of benefits. Why not give it to the other person?

Our performances always end with interactions that encourage people to dance with us. You get to have a different kind of outlook on things when you participate. 

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

I would just tell people to get up and dance! It doesn’t matter what you’re dancing — just get off that couch and dance. Don’t worry about people looking at you — just enjoy yourself. And if people see that you’re happy, they will join you, because joy is contagious.

Follow the dance group on Instagram @indangamirwa_vancouver for more information and news on upcoming performances.

The shit files: The SFU Shitter begins his carnage

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Peak Web
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Lana Del Rey sits comfortably on top of a chair.
IMAGE: Courtesy of Lana del Rey / Youtube

By: The SFU Shitter

My friends, the time is now for poop liberation. My good friend, the SFU Pisser, started this movement. Now, it’s time for us to end it. Our goal? Better quality washrooms. Bidets in every single one of them. How will we achieve it? Join our struggle! 

Our struggle is a principled one. We are not reckless shitters — we are targeted ones. We will take our poop to the front lawns of SFU’s executives. That includes you, president Joy Johnson. We will not rest until we can peacefully shit on campus. 

For my first letter to The Peak’s readership, I thought I would write about my forthcoming activities in the best way I know how — verse. I have parodied Lana Del Rey’s latest song, “White Feather Hawk Tail Deer Hunter,” because the title represents how long we have waited for improved toilet sanctuaries on campus. 

It’s my white feather 0-ply AQ 6000-level toilet paper,

Likes to keep me cool in the hot breeze summer.

Toilet’s always broken like a John Deere mower,

I wish there was a bidet, it’s such a bummer.

One day when I shat . . .
A solution, 

Popped into my head — retribution. 

In the dark (snap), snap, crackle pop, tch, 

I’ll shit on the lawns of those who make the big decisions.

Everyone knows I had some trouble —
Going poo-poo on campus.

And I wanted to know if I could use your phone,

To film myself going poo-poo on the VP-finance’s front lawn cause I’m . . .

Positively poo-poo, everything that I do,

Don’t know how exactly liberating it could be? 

Whoopsie-daisy, yoo-hoo, letting all my poo-poo,

Out on the lawns of those busy executive bees. 

Take your hand off the record button, hun, 

If I yell, “Yoo-hoo, constipation’s almost done.”

Whoopsie-daisy, yoo-hoo, 

I imagine you do,

Know exactly how quintessential having an SFU Shitter can be.

It’s my white feather hawk tail damaged toilet,

I’m going to shit on Joy Johnson’s lawn, it’s my own verdict.

Now I have an APB from the police, come and get me. Oh perfect. 

I’ve just been shitting, waiting for some press coverage.

I usually have a musty throne for the summer, 

Yeah, I’ll shit on your lawn, it’ll recover sooner than your next budget blunder.  

Put that fancy bidet on my ass — no worries in September, 

I love my ass, I’ll fight for my toilet throne ’til I feel Bidet’s pleasure! 

Everyone knows I had some trouble,

Finding places to shit on campus.

And I wanted to know if I had your support,

To bring our shit to the chancellor’s front lawn — it’ll help me shit in peace on campus.

Whoopsie-daisy, just shat on the VP-facilities’ front lawn,  

Whoopsie-daisy, just shat on Joy Johnson’s mansion’s stairs.

Whoopsie-daisy, just shat in an executive’s brand new car,

Whoopsie-daisy, just shat all over the Board of Governors’ rug.  

Whoopsie-daisy, I feel very OK,

Whoopsie-daisy, now that I have the chance to shit OK.

Whoopsie-daisy, share this song with a friend,

Whoopsie-daisy, poop liberation must never end.

I’m the white feather hawk tail SFU Shitter,

I’m not a cat but I’ll make you feel like you’re all my litter.

Get ready, the world is my toilet baby,

I wish you could all see the mess I’m about to create-y (THIS RHYMES!).

Whoopsie-daisy, maybe I’ll shit on a dean’s lawn,

Whoopsie-daisy, my underwear’s just a social construct.

Whoopsie-daisy, you better watch your back.

Whoopsie-daisy, the SFU Shitter is here,

Whoopsie-daisy, you all should fear. 

Pilates is for babies . . . is what I said before I tried it

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Peak Web
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A man wearing a baseball cap trying to do pilates. The girls behind him are giggling because of how much pain he’s in.
ILLUSTRATION: Victoria Lo / The Peak

By: Noeka Nimmervoll, Staff Diva

The Navy SEALs taught me that nothing is forever except discipline. Now that I’m retired, I pump five tonnes of steel in my garage every day for 15 minutes straight like the beast I am, to remind myself that this ass might retire, but it won’t quit. Last Tuesday night, mid-routine, my neighbour Janine showed up to my garage to complain about all the carnal screaming I was doing at 11:00 p.m. She told me that all my screaming was getting in the way of her “sleep” and that she was going to call the police. She said she was teaching a Pilates class at 7:00 a.m. the next morning and she needed her rest. I told her if Pilates was a real exercise, I might take her seriously. Janine got right in my face and told me I couldn’t handle her class. 

Oh, it’s so on, Janine. I signed up for her 7:00 a.m. class and sneered in her face. “You don’t know who you’re messing with. You can’t handle the beast.” Her eyes flashed like Satan operating a flamethrower. “I’m gonna serve you your own ass on a platter,” she whispered. 

OK, it’s 7:00 a.m. and Janine walks in and claps her hands, her eyes scanning every person in the class. “Hey everyone, how are we doing today? Alright, everyone ready for an hour of your body on fire? We’re blasting those thighs and abs today. Keep your eyes on me, ’cause we’re moving fast.” She looks at me and gives me a stink eye. “No breaks today. OK, on your mats!” 

She puts on some Carly Rae Jepsen and starts demonstrating the first activity. “Three, two, one, let’s go!” Sweat is rolling down my face by the time I’m on my third leg lift. My entire body is shaking even though I’m just lifting my legs, and I can’t see Janine anymore because of my eyeball sweat. She starts yelling for us to get on our feet for squats and pulses. “DON’T STOP, ONLY 30 MORE SECONDS!” yells Janine. DAMN, Janine. All I see is red and I think I’m fading in and out of consciousness. 

As we’re pulsing, I start thinking about how I should not have drunk that case of PBRs last night,’cause I think my body is trying to sweat all of the beer out. My mat is so slippery. “NOW ONE LEG PULSE!” screams Janine. I look over at her. She’s got this rabid look in her eye — and she’s staring right at me. Terrifying. I get on one leg and bend my knee and — BOOM, down I go. All the ladies gasp in unison. I am staring at the ceiling, gasping for air, and then I get on my side and hurl onto the ground. This is rock bottom, I think to myself. Suddenly Janine appears right in front of my face. “HEY, GET UP!” yells Janine. “NO EXCUSES! GET UP OR GET OUT! YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE BEAST! YOU ARE WEAK! YOU ARE WEAK!!!!” 

Since Janine is usually home around 3:00 p.m., I’ve adopted a new schedule. I wake up at noon, do my workout, then go to the bar from 3:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. I haven’t seen her in months. I will never get rid of the image of her red, sweaty face screaming at me while I lay in a puddle of my own barf and sweat. She is tougher, meaner, and stronger than any of my former Navy SEAL bosses, and they were VERY intense about their paperwork. 

What does it mean when doctors ask “are you sexually active?”

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Peak Web
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a woman during a doctor’s visit at the hospital. She sits on top of a hospital bed, and the doctor is standing to her right, asking her questions.
PHOTO: RDNE Stock project / Pexels

By: Noeka Nimmervoll, Staff Writer

Content warning: References of sexual activities. 

The wrinkling of paper underneath you as you sit atop the patient’s table. A cold stethoscope against your skin. The question, “are you sexually active?” These are all part of a regular doctor’s appointment, but one can be exclusionary if it’s being asked by someone who has a narrow and heteronormative understanding of sex.

In the wide spectrum of human intimacy and relationships, what counts as sexually active?

It seems the definition is different for everyone, and this reality is not reflected in a doctor’s checklist. For health-care to be truly inclusive, doctors should be more specific about what they mean when they ask, “are you sexually active?”

Doctors ask about sexual activity ultimately with the patient’s best interests in mind, but they do not make it clear how you should answer — what kind of sexual activity is being asked about? It’s important to have conversations about using condoms to prevent STIs in penetrative anal sex between men, or using dental dams when having oral sex. It is easy to withhold valuable information if you assume that your doctor is asking about penetrative vaginal-penile sex, when that doesn’t apply to you! Perhaps you are straight, but you masturbate, or you prefer fingering with your partner(s). Being honest about how you are sexually active opens up conversations about contraceptives, screening for STIs, and vaccines for HPV, among other things. Additionally, if you are showing symptoms of a yet-to-be-diagnosed condition, information about your sexual health may be the piece of information needed to understand what’s going on. However, when treated like a binary “yes or no” question, instead of a conversation, your individual identity and sexual experiences are undermined, and have the potential to prevent you from receiving quality health-care. Among the many different reasons for doctors to understand a patient’s sexual health, some are only applicable to certain types of sex. For example, the doctor might be inquiring about your sexual activity to assess which contraceptive to recommend to you — which is only applicable to certain kinds of penetrative sex. The vagueness of asking “are you sexually active?” may limit honesty between patients and healthcare professionals, and disproportionately affect marginalized communities.

Sexual health education is part of the BC school curriculum, but it is often based in heteronormative assumptions, impacting doctor-patient relationships. Everybody has their own experience with sex education, but mine memorably involved a timed game of put-the-condom-on-the-banana, and did not discuss 2SLGBTQIA+ experiences and sexual health. Personally, I got my queer sex ed from Glee and my friends, but it shouldn’t be on the individual to fill in the blanks about what a system should already be teaching. This heteronormativity that guides our sexual education is reflected in the doctor’s office by making 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals feel less visible. People who need to “come out” to their doctor must overcome more barriers, including social stigma, vulnerability, and fear around patient-doctor confidentiality, to access the same medical care as their cisgender, heterosexual peers. 

I recognize that this question becomes more personal and invasive the more specific we get. But this question itself is aged and heteronormative, and it heavily excludes 2SLGBTQIA+ communities and countless people who partake in outercourse. I know it may seem like a small thing, but words matter, and they reflect the broader culture of exclusion and heteronormativity. By properly explaining the definition of sexually active, people have better opportunities to discuss and improve their sexual health.

Cunk on Mountain: SFU professor reveals what politics really are

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Peak Web
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Our Staff Writer poses curiously while interviewing his professor.
PHOTO: Niveja / The Peak

By: Niveja Assalaarachchi, News Writer

They say that politics is real, veryrealpolitiks, I think, is what the experts call it. But does it really feel real right now? Are we living in a simulation — is it all AI? Why does the orange man want to drink our maple syrup? Why doesn’t he just drink his own? Why are the French Canadians so unhappy? Is it because we don’t have a baguette on our flag? In order to dive into the heart of what’s happening at SFU, in Canada — hell, even the world, I have taken on the task of speaking with a leading academic. 

Dr. Aaron Hoffman is a professor in the department of political science at Simon Fraser University. He specializes in international relations, US foreign policy, terrorism and counterterrorism, trust, and political communication (whatever that means, I think it’s code for something). I’m Niveja Assalaarachchi, and this is Cunk on Mountain. 

Niveja:  Professor, one of your specializations is in international relations. Recently, Prime Minister Mark Carney had a major speech in Davos and talked about the old world order never coming back. Is this why my delivery parcels never arrive on time?

Professor Hoffman: Uhhh — it’s a great question. I don’t think that’s what the relationship is about. He’s really talking about the way in which the rules of the old international order worked and he’s saying that those are now broken. But I don’t think this has anything to do with your UPS deliveries or your Amazon packages.


Niveja: More on a domestic front — professor, we live in a country that has two legal traditions in different parts of the country. Doesn’t this mean I’ll be arrested twice? Isn’t this concerning? 

 

Professor Hoffman: Because there are two legal traditions in the country — you might be arrested twice?b g

 

Niveja (voice over as he walks across the pristine English countryside, deadpan): Sometimes, people are intimidated and overwhelmed by my intelligence. Or as the Québécois say, “HOW OUAI DARE OUAI YOU?” Thank you. I spent a year there. 

 

Niveja (back to the interview): Yes . . . Québec has its civil traditions. The rest of the country follows a different set of traditions — you know . . . one time I went to Save on Foods in Coquitlam, and I might have stolen chili. I then took my bowl to Montreal, where I ate it next to a dumpster. Will I be taken in twice? 

 

Professor Hoffman: Ummm . . . I doubt you’ll be taken in twice, but you could be tried in two different courts — that might be something to look forward to.

 

Niveja: OH MY GOSH! On this point of Québec, we’ve seen a rise in the Bloc Québécois party in Québec. What is this party? Are they trying to block out the country or what else are they trying to do? 

Professor Hoffman: Block out the rest of Canada.

Niveja: Is this what is happening?

Professor Hoffman: Kind of . . . hahaha . . . I guess I’ll leave it at that.

Niveja: My final question. All the members of parliament usually meet at Parliament block in Ottawa. But to my knowledge, they’re working out of a train station. Why has the government taken this step, and if they’ve done it there, why haven’t we seen any progress on the gondola here at SFU?

(uncomfortable pause)

Professor Hoffman: Hmmm . . . That’s an excellent question. I hadn’t made this connection between the train station they’re working out of and the gondola, but I can see it very clearly now, so very perceptive. I think it’s because — basically, the reason why they’re working out of a train station is that the government is too cheap to actually pay for the proper facilities and that’s why we haven’t seen the upgrade to the parliament or the gondola at SFU. 

Niveja: Well, what a shame! Thank you so much, professor.  

Well, it’s very apparent how the shifting tides of political relations are changing the country and the world. This journey has seen me be able to reveal more of the circumstances behind this. Join me next time — if there is one.

Centre for Comparative Muslim Studies holds lecture on the path forward for Gaza

By
Peak Web
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Rabbani and Moustafa’s portraits are collaged on top of an image taken in Palestine that has a sign. The sign has a blue arrow pointing to the left, reading, “to Gaza.”
PHOTOS: Courtesy of SFU Centre for Comparative Muslim Studies (Mouin Rabbani and Tamir Moustafa), Emad El Byed / Unsplash (Gaza sign)

By: Niveja Assalaarachchi, News Writer

On February 4, the Centre for Comparative Muslim Studies held a lecture on the future of the Gaza Strip. The talk highlighted the background of Israel’s genocide in Gaza and the origins of the Palestinian struggle. The talk also discussed recent developments, such as US President Donald Trump’s ceasefire deal for the region and his Board of Peace, which aims to control the territory. 

The lecture’s keynote speaker was Mouin Rabbani, a researcher who specializes in the Middle East and Palestine. SFU International Studies professor Dr. Tamir Moustafa also moderated discussions at the lecture.

Rabbani opened his talk by pointing out that the creation and modern demographics of the Gaza Strip were a modern artificial invention. This is because the territory was where people displaced by the Nakba — the 1948 ethnic cleansing of at least 750,000 Palestinians by Israel — were corralled. Israel has repeatedly aimed to delegitimize and destabilize an independent Palestinian authority and land belonging to it since the time of the Nakba. Citing scholar Dr. Sara Roy, Rabbani highlighted that, following the Six-Day War in 1967, Israel pursued a policy of “de-development” in the Gaza Strip — an act to systematically destroy a particular region’s economy to render it impossible to compete in the global market. 

The ambition to depopulate the Gaza Strip never quite disappeared throughout Israeli history, and that the Israeli far-right espoused it for decades.

— Mouin Rabbani, policy analyst, Middle East Council on Global Affairs nonresident senior fellow

Rabbani argued the October 7 attacks in 2023 served as a catalyst to bring these ideas into the mainstream of Israeli political thought, helped by the indifference of many Arab nations to intervene. 

According to Rabbani, Trump’s decision to negotiate a ceasefire deal with Israel in 2025 was due to Israel failing to achieve a quick military victory in the region and growing internal pressure. The agreement was unveiled in September 2025 and called the 20-point peace plan. The deal called for the deradicalization of Gaza, forbade militant organizations like Hamas from participating in the area’s future, and emphasized providing humanitarian aid in Gaza, among other things.

Article 9 of their agreement focuses on the redevelopment of the Gaza Strip. The agreement stated that a “technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee” would temporarily govern under the supervision of the Board of Peace. The Board has pledged $7 billion US in redevelopment aid to the Gaza Strip. However, it has faced concerns over potential conflicts with the United Nations’ (UN) role in international relations. UN experts “warned that key elements of the plan are deeply inconsistent with fundamental rules of international law and the 2024 Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice that demand Israel ends its unlawful presence in the occupied Palestinian territory.” In a UN press release, they said, “Imposing an immediate peace at any price, regardless of or brazenly against law and justice, is a recipe for further injustice, future violence, and instability.”  

Rabbani condemned the peace plan, saying that it failed to include “Palestinian rights to self-determination, including sovereignty and statehood, and in return, accountability for any of the limitless crimes committed by Israel during the Gaza genocide.” Many Palestinians share these concerns, as the plan does not guarantee political autonomy. 

Given growing concerns in international circles that the Board is merely a front to replace the UN, Rabbani called the endorsement of the Board by the United Nations Security Council “absolutely bizarre.” 

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Simon Fraser University’s independent student newspaper since 1965.

Contact us: [email protected]

© The Peak Publications Society 1965-2024

Simon Fraser University’s independent student newspaper since 1965.

Contact us:
[email protected]

© The Peak Publications Society 1965-2024