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Dear Peakie: Toddlers, takeout, and terrible fates

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PHOTO: Kyla Dowling / The Peak

By: Kyla Dowling, Staff Writer

Dear Peakie,

This pandemic has allowed me to really embrace my introvertedness. Not having to interact with anyone outside of my house most days has been very comfortable but I’m worried my social skills are irreparably damaged. Do you have any advice on how to slowly wade back into the world of socialization?

Sincerely,

Lonli Bitchell

Dear Lonli Bitchell, 

The best advice I can give you is this: take baby steps. And I mean literal baby steps. Find your way to your nearest daycare and, in the least-creepy way, have a conversation with some six-month-olds. You’ll find that their vocabulary of “hungry!” and “waaaah” is eerily similar to your speaking style during quarantine. 

Once you’ve struck up a good conversation there, move onto toddlers. They can fully form sentences and there’s no better socialization practice than playing “Mommy and Baby” in which you are Baby and they are Mommy and they forcibly shove you into a corner while they snort Pixy Stix. This will prepare you for anything. I mean anything.

Love, Peakie

~

Dear Peakie, 

How do you get out of bed in the morning?

 – Snooz Dogg

Dear Snooz Dogg, 

Of course! As an extraordinary advice-giver at The Peak and a bonafide influencer™ (yes I have 50 followers on Twitter, no I will not be signing autographs), I know a lot about staying motivated and productive. Your first step, of course, is to own a bed. Your next step is to get all comfy in said bed, so you have something to look forward to after you rise and grind. Then, you’re going to want to master meal prep like me to start your day right. I UberEats whenever I need food. And no, I don’t get out of bed to get the food. 

That’s right! I’m this successful despite never moving from bed. I simply seduce the UberEats drivers into hand-delivering my six chicken McNuggets every evening. One of them, Cecil, has actually stuck around for a few days now. He’s like a cat, if a cat sleeps in the bathtub and throws out your empty takeout containers in exchange for the year-old peanut butter jar in your pantry. So yeah. Don’t get out of bed. I’m sure Cecil has a friend I can set you up with.

Love, 

Peakie 

~

Dear Peakie,

I’m becoming increasingly overwhelmed with this main character role I’ve been assigned. I feel exhausted with all of these character development arcs and general sexiness of which I am in charge. Please help. 

Sincerely yours, Protagonist-chan

Dear Protagonist-chan, 

Wait— protagonist-chan? Am I speaking to a weeb? Of course I am— what else do SFU students do besides watch decades-old anime via Discord and cry? 

Anyways, let’s look at your allegedly sexy main character-ness through an anime lens. According to my research, the vast majority of anime protagonists lead miserable lives (that has to be true for you, given that you go to this school) in which they lose things such as their families, their powers, and sometimes their memories in a weird Riverdale-ish twist. (At least they don’t talk about the epic highs and lows of high school football). Additionally, anime protagonists tend to die in the end. So don’t worry a bit! You’ll either ask a class of children to kill you or you’ll go on a murder spree because you think you’re God and then suffer the consequences. Either way, there’s no character development after you kick the bucket . . .  unless you’re the protagonist of Angel Beats. Have fun in perpetual afterlife SFU. 

Love,

Peakie

BC alters legislations to recognize gender diversity

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PHOTO: Delia Giandeini / Unsplash

Written by: Karissa Ketter, News Writer

The BC provincial government reported on March 10, 2021 that 600 instances of gendered language across 15 ministries had been rewritten to “ensure that all British Columbians have equal access to government services no matter their sexual orientation, gender identity, race, or cultural beliefs.” 

Provincial minister of jobs, economic recovery, and innovation Hon. Ravi Kahlon told The Peak in an interview, “Government leads. If the government is not taking action, if we are not reflecting that change, then how can we expect society to do so? We have a responsibility in government to [ . . . ] make sure that everything we do is open and accessible.”

Examples such as “sister” and “brother” have been changed to “sibling,” Kahlon reported to The Tyee. Similarly, “husband” and “wife” have been rewritten to “spouse.” There are also instances of “man made” which have become “human made.”

He understands “we’re the first government to do something like this in Canada.” Kahlon hopes the federal government and other provinces will follow because “as a country we have a lot to do, we have a long way to go.”

Part of Kahlon’s focus is understanding how gendered language affects government and economic recovery through the COVID-19 pandemic. He said, “We put a gendered lens on all policies we bring in to see the impacts.” This includes budget reports, legislation, and policies. 

“There’s a lot more work to be done — this looked at all regulations but we know that there’s still going to be more legislations or laws that maybe go further back [ . . . ] so we’re going to continue that work,” said Kahlon.

In 2017, Kahlon was asked by premier John Horgan to report on human rights commissions in BC. Through this process, Kahlon heard stories from British Columbians about the importance of how we are asked to identify on passports and driver’s licenses. He heard it disenfranchised people’s identity. At that point, Kahlon began this project. 

“If you’ve ever faced discrimination, then you understand why this is important,” said Kahlon. “If you haven’t, perhaps you don’t know because your privileges don’t allow you to see that — for us this is front and center. Human rights is critically important.

“Anyone that can find criticism in efforts to make government more accessible to everybody in BC is missing the value of what government means.” 

A Beedie fashion scramble

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Humour
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PHOTO: Gudrun Wai-Gunnarson / The Peak

By: Emma Jean and Paige Riding

“STACIA! Get in here!! Shut the door, will you?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Listen. Something really, really bad happened, but you can’t tell anyone.”

“Of course not, ma’am.” 

“Good. Now, Stacia, you know the Spring Beedie School of Business collection pitch meeting is in 45 minutes. I may or may not have dropped my list of ideas in the shredder along with some . . . less than savoury company tax records I was trying to get rid of, but that’s irrelevant. What is relevant is that I need to brainstorm fashion ideas for our merchandise catalogue STAT.”

“Understood, ma’am. Have you considered Beedie laptop covers made with recycled materials? It will allow students to feel a sense of identity as they head back to in-person classes after a great time spent alone.”

“God, no. Stacia, can you please get realistic here? Ok, think. Kids love dual monitors on their computers. They also love those God-awful fanny packs. I’ve seen so many pleather ones my eyes water when I drive on West Campus Road. Why don’t we make dual fanny packs? Two pockets. Less complaints from those brats and their fake pocket jeans. As you know, Stacia—”

“Fake pockets are to encourage the purchase of a really, really cute bag. Yes, I know ma’am. You put that in your intro to Introductory Fundamental Fashion Fundamentals Volume II.”

“Exactly. See, there is a reason we keep you around, Stacia, since it sure isn’t your merchandise ideas. God. Alright, we slap an SFU Beedie logo on the fanny packs. Charge the bargain price and we’ll sell out within a few days. What’s the bargain price again, Stacia? $450? No, that’s outrageous. Charge $600 at least.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Okay, what else can we do. Stacia, you’re one of the Gen Z, aren’t you? How old are you again? You know what they like.”

“I’m actually 37, but if we considered that the average income of Canadian part-time workers is about $1,544 a month, and that a gross income before living expenses, we may wish to find a more realistic price—”

“Oh, I’ve got it! College kids hate skinny jeans now, apparently. That’s a real problem for us knowing how cheap that fabric is and how quickly people have to buy new pairs as they keep falling apart. Why don’t we start selling them ironically, like an ugly t-shirt that becomes cool, and bribe a bunch of TikTok teens to wear them as a Y2K throwback while they dance to the hits of Taio Cruz? That’s $300 at least. Would writing ‘Beedie’ on the bum be too Juicy Couture 2003? Wait, that’s actually brilliant.”

“Writing this down now, ma’am.”

“I hope you’re getting this down, Stacia. I’m not going to remember this on my own. I also haven’t touched a keyboard since 1992 and I don’t intend on starting now.”

“Yes, writing this down now, ma’am.”

“Ultimately, it doesn’t matter what we throw in that catalogue. Those snobbish clowns will print whatever the hell we decide in their Spring issue like we invented the unpaid internship. Also, if you tell anyone about this, you’ll never work in this industry again. Okay, bye, Stacia!”

It’s time to start using content warnings for course material

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Distressing course content should be communicated to students before they take the class. PHOTO: Gudrun Wai-Gunnarsson / The Peak

by Kyla Dowling, Staff Writer

Whether it’s the content warning that displays in the left corner of a Netflix screen, or a giant “TW” at the beginning of a TikTok video, content and trigger warnings are being used more frequently. These warnings caution viewers that sensitive content lies ahead, and allows them the option of not engaging with the material or to mentally steel themselves before engaging. So then, why aren’t our professors using trigger warnings when it comes to sensitive course content? 

Trigger warnings are a controversial topic in academia, with some believing they are akin to censorship, or that they act as a barrier between students and learning. As someone who has been impacted by a traumatic experience, I find it absurd that something intended to be helpful is seen as contentious. A study from 2019 suggests that trigger warnings are unnecessary and, at worst, do more harm than good. While this may be true for the participants in that study, no two people will ever experience trauma in the same way. The overuse of content warnings could potentially distract or diminish the effect of more vital trauma-related warnings, but that does not mean they should not be used. By prefacing content with a warning, people are given the option to protect their mental health and not expose themselves to something that could induce a traumatic reaction. 

Recently, in one of my English courses, I ran into this issue. My professor had given us a trigger warning for one of our assigned readings; however, they only stated the chapter in which the explicitly triggering content occurred. There was no warning about the uncomfortable foreshadowing or that the triggering content was the inciting incident in the story, and would thus be a prominent theme throughout the entire book. I felt trapped. I could skip over the chapter and suffer through reading the next 200 pages detailing the traumatic ramifications on the main character, or I could try to communicate with my professor. The latter option wasn’t a fair one either. Why should I have to reveal my trauma to a stranger in order to be accommodated? Either way, the damage was done — the six chapters I’d already read were triggering enough to harm my already fragile mental health.

This experience could have been avoided, and so could many others, if professors would put informative content warnings on course materials. Cautioning the class that one chapter discusses a traumatic event does nothing when the plot of the entire novel revolves around it. Alternatively, professors could stop choosing course material in which women are abused, assaulted, and murdered. In every English course I have taken so far in my undergraduate career, there has been at least one required reading centering around the dehumanization of women. It’s important to note that this is only what is triggering to me and different people will be affected by different content.

Professors need to warn students about potentially triggering material, not just the week the readings are assigned, but in their course outlines. I would never have chosen to take this course if I had known how triggering the readings would be. Throughout the entire pandemic, students have been urging SFU to take mental health more seriously. The school needs to make sure that we are able to take classes without fearing for our mental health because no one thought to include a trigger warning. At the very least, they should be explaining why such traumatic material is integral to our learning.

SFU needs to level the playing field for refugee students

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The WUSC office on Burnaby campus needs more support. PHOTO: Gudrun Wai-Gunnarsson / The Peak

by Dev Petrovic, Staff Writer

SFU Student Services recently announced they are increasing their efforts around admission inclusion and accessibility for refugee students. While the initiative is still in its early stages, concerns around the difficulty of the current admission process and lack of situation-specific accommodations still remain. For SFU to truly consider how to be more inclusive of refugee students, there need to be more specific adjustments in how the admission process is conducted, as well as increased monetary involvement. 

As mentioned in the statement, the current admissions process is academically focused and does not consider external factors — such as socio-economic status and previous learning environments — that may impact an applicant’s formal academic achievements. Wafaa Zaqout, coordinator for the Refugee and Newcomers program, explained that refugee students “are often driven and passionate, but need to focus their energy in places outside of school.” For example, having to work several jobs and take care of family members, among other obstacles, may deter them from being able to fully commit to the expectations of a post-secondary environment. For this reason, adapting admission requirements — as offered as a potential solution in the statement — is certainly something that SFU needs to focus on first and foremost.

While this is a great first step, SFU also needs to consider their role in partnering with sponsorship programs. Currently, SFU offers the World University Services of Canada (WUSC) Student Refugee Program, which is a sponsorship program funded by a portion of the Student Activity fee. Through this program, refugee students are fully supported through sponsored tuition, textbook fees, and some living costs. The problem is that this program is created to be a highly competitive and rigorous process, requiring academic achievement evaluations, language proficiency tests, several interviews with partner organizations and sponsors, medical and security tests, as well as an evaluation of their ability to resettle in Canada. On top of that, only 80 students are accepted every year. 

Not only is this process incredibly daunting, but also rejects a large portion of the hundreds of students who apply every year, regardless of their academic ability. Not to mention that a process this long and exhausting neglects the consideration of applicants who may not have the support or resources to even go through with it. It also takes on a relatively classist and Anglocentric approach. Every applicant’s secondary school circumstances are not consistent with SFU’s educational expectations, and refugee students may not have access to this standard. A student’s initial English and French proficiency should not entirely discount them from being a successful candidate at a post-secondary institution.

All of these evaluations are not equitable expectations from applicants with a refugee background. After all, the process is not anything even remotely comparable to the application process for both domestic and international students. I understand that the WUSC sponsorship program is partnered with SFU, not run by them, and that these aren’t necessarily requirements that the school implements. However, SFU also has the power to make adjustments, as well as create alternative programs that can ensure the application process is equitable. 

The sponsorship program may have its limitations, but this does not mean there aren’t other actions that SFU can take to increase its educational accessibility for refugee students. As already mentioned, the regular application process needs to change. To supplement this, SFU could renegotiate with its sponsors (WUSC) to increase the number of accepted students, partner with a different program, or create its own program altogether. Whatever the action, there are realistic approaches for SFU to take. 

Another option could be re-locating funding to prioritize the refugee student program. In last year’s SFSS referendum, a WUSC student fee increase was approved, yet the number of sponsored refugee students has not changed very much. This is a minor solution for a much greater issue. Small fee increases can only do so much when what is really needed are concrete, systemic changes to the admissions system. Altogether, it may be a minor price that the SFU community may pay, but certainly should not be a monetary issue for SFU considering there always seems to be funding for various expensive, consistently delayed construction projects. 

After this statement from SFU’s Student Services, I do hope that refugee students are given the attention and support from SFU that they deserve. It’s a start to have disparities in the admission process acknowledged. But there is much more work to be done to adequately support refugee students wanting to join the SFU community. Engaging the world means engaging all students, including the unique experiences of those who come from a refugee background.

Local band Black Pontiac discusses the creative process behind their new music video and upcoming album

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Black Pontiac’s latest single “Soda Pop Rock” is climbing the charts! Photo courtesy of Black Pontiac

By: Kimia Mansouri, SFU Student

Editor’s note: Answers have been edited for length and clarity.

Following a recent online performance at The Roxy on March 19, the members of Black Pontiac — lead singer Matty Mclaren, guitarist Mack Riddell, drummer Sam Riddell, and bassist Avery John Shoesmith — are gearing up to release a new album, From Bad to Worse (And Back Again). The up-and-coming band recently debuted a music video for one of their songs, “Soda Pop Rock.” In an interview with The Peak, Black Pontiac discussed the experience of creating their first music video, the inspiration behind their art, and more.

The Peak: How was working with a green screen in the “Soda Pop Rock” music video? Would you do something like that in the future? 

Matty: We made a whole day out of it and the whole studio was basically just a big green room and I think the point was to make it as cheesy as possible. I’m hoping people got that vibe or picked up on that irony. I think if we were to do it again, we’d want to make it worse, so to speak. I think we want to make it seem more low budget and more ironic. 

Mack: We all think that we’re the bosses, and then Avery just comes out like, “You’re over here, can we get somebody over there— 

Matty: “We need the camera from this angle right here, we need a little bit more emotion!”

Avery: Yeah, all the ideas came from Sam for that.

Mack: Actually Sam got it from Community. 

Avery (deadpanning): So we’re not original at all pretty much is what we’re getting at. 

Matty: But what is art if we’re not stealing from someone else?

Avery: It’s like that book Steal Like An Artist. 

P: Tell us about working with director Alberto Marenco Saenz. How was the experience for you?

Mack: It’s really awesome that he wanted to work with us on the dumb ideas we had. I thought he did a good job and he was just really professional the whole time. It was really great to work with somebody so professional. 

P: What other forms of media inspire your music?

Mack: I think a good test to see if a song is good and timeless is to think about whether it could be an intro song to a movie or the cut-to-credits song of a movie. Because they always use the freaking coolest songs in movies to cut to the end credits, like the “Misirlou” intro in Pulp Fiction. It’s a cool test to have for some types of songs to see if they would fit into a movie, and what type of movie they would fit into. 

P: Ponyboy and “Soda Pop.” Are these names perhaps inspired by the movie The Outsiders? And if that wasn’t the inspiration, then what was?

Matty: Yes, that is exactly what was going on. My initial idea for the album was The Outsiders but I’m thankful that everyone talked me out of it because that’d be pushing it too far. First off,  people are always going to associate the album name with the movie, and second off, people are going to be like, “Oh they should just name their next album, ‘Stay Gold.’” It’s okay to take influence, but people have to be able to see your work as its own thing as opposed to just a derivative of something else, and I think there’s a fine line there. 

P: The covers for your singles and EP Ponyboy all have a psychedelic look to them. Who is the artist behind these covers? And why did you choose this theme? 

Matty: That was a guy I know, Adam Rashid. He’s an artist from Vancouver and was recommended to me by a friend who knew him through the music scene. I had been looking at his Instagram profile, and I just felt like this is the guy that we needed for our cover art. Good cover art is so important because, even if it’s a good song, if I don’t like the cover art, I can get turned off it immediately. When I reached out to him, I said, “I think you have this really cool style, and I think it would really work for the sometimes bizarre aesthetic that we hold up.” The cover art really pops and captures people’s attention really well. 

P: How’s the new album coming? What is your creative process? 

Matty: The album is basically done. We’ve finished tracking and everything. It just needs to be mixed and mastered now and that’s all on our producer, Matt Di Pomponio. Then probably one or two more singles and we’re hoping to put it out this summer. 

At the very start, we all get together and somebody has an idea and I think a lot of it starts with a feeling. We start with the groove, the rhythm, the feeling, and everyone’s playing their instrumentals, and then I’m there to facilitate the melody, the lyrics, and the story I want to tell. What is it that I want to talk about, and it depends on how I’m feeling or if I had just thought of something or if it comes to me in the moment. And then from there, when we go to the studio. I think a lot of the creative decisions that happen are meant to facilitate that feeling. How can we accentuate that feeling that we started with? Like a song like “Island Honey” that’s going to be on the album. It’s about summer, freedom, being young and wild, and having hope for the future.

Mack: All of us liked “Island Honey” at first, but we didn’t want to put it on the album, and then Sam was like, “his could be a hit,” and I think Avery thought so too. I wasn’t crazy about it. It was a good song, but it wasn’t as developed as the other songs. And then we go to the studio, and the synth part comes on and it just freaking changed everything. It totally adds another feeling to it. There’s a feeling there, and it’s weird, the synth part just changed the whole freaking song. 

Matty: The synth really brought that feeling to another level. You can start with a great song, but if you lose that feeling, then it’s not the same and you’re not going to be happy with it. 

P: Do you have any plans post-pandemic with your new album dropping?

Matty: We would like to go on tour; world domination. That’s the plan. I think that we just got to get ourselves out there.

Mack: I think up until this point, our strongest asset has been playing live, and now that we’ve made this album, I think it’s right in line with what we’ve been doing live. It might even be better. I think it’s just really exciting to have that kind of lining up with the vaccines coming, and the signs that COVID-19 is ending. To tour with that material is just really exciting. Whatever happens, I’m just glad we have this material coming out.

Check out Black Pontiac on all streaming platforms, and stay tuned for their new album  From Bad to Worse (And Back Again). 

Need to Know, Need to Go: April 5–11

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Arts
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Illustration of a blue calendar, with "Need to Know, Need to Go" written on top
Arts & Culture events to catch around the city. Image courtesy of Brianna Quan

By: Gurleen Aujla, Peak Associate

Indigenous History in Colour | Wed–Sun from 11:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m., now until May 9 | $8 with valid student ID, FREE for Indigenous peoples | Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art

In this contemporary exhibit, Luke Parnell, an artist of Wilp Laxgiik Nisga’a and Haida heritage, explores the transformations of Indigenous art through time. Indigenous History in Colour delves into the relationship between Northwest Coast Indigenous oral histories and conceptual forms of art. The “playful juxtapositions and bold commentary” of the exhibit are inspired by the artist and activist Bill Reid. Parnell’s exhibit features eight paintings, a short film, and more. Tickets can be purchased online through the gallery’s website. 

President’s Dream Colloquium: Dana Claxton | April 8, 4:00 p.m.–5:00 p.m. PST | FREE | Online

Dana Claxton, former Ruth Wynn Woodward Endowed Chair at SFU, is a multi-disciplinary artist whose work has travelled the world. She has been showcased in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (NYC), Sundance Film Festival, Vancouver Art Gallery, and the National Gallery of Canada, among other notable places. Claxton’s talk will address “Indigenous beauty, the body, the socio-political, and the spiritual.” Tickets can be reserved online via SFU Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies’ website. 

CreativeMornings Vancouver: Sirish Rao | April 9, 8:30 a.m.–10:00 a.m. PST | FREE | Online

Born in Bangalore, India, Sirish Rao is the co-founder and artistic director of Vancouver’s Indian Summer Festival, which showcases art through a South Asian lens. Rao has also authored 16 books. He is a leading artist in contemporary Indian storytelling. This event aims to celebrate the creative talent in Vancouver and provide a space for people to connect. Tickets can be reserved online through SFU Woodward’s Cultural Programs’ website.

Your weekly SFU Horoscopes: April 5–11

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Humour
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An illustration of a girl with long flowing hair. Astrological signs and stars shine around her.
ILLUSTRATION: Marissa Ouyang / The Peak

By: Gurleen Aujla, Peak Associate

ARIES: You’ve waited until the last minute to watch your lecture recordings and you’re furiously trying to learn about the difference between prosimians, monkeys, and apes at four times speed. Try throwing your laptop in the trash and head to Nesters Market to buy seven single bananas — one for every miserable day this week. 

TAURUS: You know your finance exam is coming up, yet the couch seems to have swallowed you. But don’t worry, you know yourself best. Slide down from the couch to the floor and have a movie marathon. Your feet will be on the floor during the exam, so you’re basically studying, anyway.

GEMINI: Finals are creeping up. You can still remember making what you took as awkward eye contact with your TA over Zoom as she talked about not cramming the night before. But she knows you wouldn’t do that. You cram the day of!

CANCER: You’ve got your Google Drive folders, chapter notes, and highlighters ready to tackle finals. To stay on track when distractions appear, try short study sessions throughout the day and you’ll feel uber-confident — until your professor puts the exam in the Discussions folder instead of Quizzes on Canvas. 

LEO: You’re reading this surrounded by an exhibit of take-out containers from your sushi, pizza, and burgers. You’ve been burning the midnight oil this week, but your efforts will pay off. Leave your dungeon and take the time to make a simple home-cooked meal tonight . . . maybe try a sushi burger?

VIRGO: It feels like you have a million tabs open, which might be true with the three screens you have going. Your paper is nowhere near done because you switched topics halfway through, but you’ve helped a close friend on their group presentation all while mentally planning for your new sticker business.

LIBRA: Your group presentation is tomorrow and you’ve spent the last 43 minutes designing the title slide. But, hey! At least you’ll have good aesthetics. Try setting a recurring 25-minute timer to get it done while cursing SFU’s pass/fail option to cover all your bases, personal and professional.

SCORPIO: You’re overwhelmed while juggling school, work, and family commitments. You feel like each day merges into the next and can’t decide whether to cry or laugh about it. Maybe switch from espresso to herbal tea and figure out what task you can scrap. Can you even fit in crying?

SAGITTARIUS: You’ve spent the last hour scouring blog posts for the best finals study tips, and yet your textbook is gathering a film of dust. Your mind keeps drifting off everywhere, even to planning your virtual birthday party. Please go to office hours. Your TA might help with decoration ideas!


CAPRICORN: You’ve been methodically preparing for finals since March. You’re beyond prepared for anything your professors can throw at you. This week, put your phone on “Do Not Disturb” and relax. Try not to think of the Rate My Professor reviews which say your professor is known for throwing curveballs on the exam . . .

AQUARIUS: You just finished your fourth Zoom call of the day and are absolutely exhausted. Rest assured, finals will end and you can have your personal freedom back. This includes the ability to lounge on the couch. You can scream into the couch pillow instead of your bed pillow for a nice change of pace.

PISCES: You have a strange urge to dye your bangs pink with all the stress from finals. Word of advice: watch the lecture recording first. You aren’t even sure if you watched or dreamed that you did. Second, look up some bleach fail videos. Then you can make a hair decision.

Contract Worker Justice campaign urges SFU to employ food and service workers directly

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News
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PHOTO: Gudrun Wai-Gunnarsson / The Peak

Editor’s note: a previous version of this article referred to Martin Pochurko as “Porchuko.” It has now been corrected. 

Written by: Karissa Ketter, News Writer 

SFU students, staff, and worker unions released an open letter to end outsourcing of contract workers. It addressed president Joy Johnson and vice-president finance Martin Pochurko. 

In an interview with The Peak, SFU professor and co-founder of the Contract Worker Justice campaign John Calvert said, “COVID-19 has highlighted the vulnerability of these workers.” 

He said while UBC and the University of Victoria have made accommodations for their workers throughout the pandemic to prevent mass layoffs, SFU’s service workers faced layoffs due to the contracts SFU holds with Compass-Chartwells. SFU currently hires all cleaning and food service workers through third party company Compass-Chartwells.

SFU PhD student Jade Ho told The Peak that, in addition to the open letter, the campaign used social media to “highlight some of the things that the workers don’t have, or have very limited access to — so for example they have no access to childcare, limited maternity leave, they don’t have a living wage, or extended health benefits.”

The open letter notes that workers have a lack of vacation time, limited dental and health plans, lack of access to SFU’s facilities, and limited life insurance — unlike other SFU staff. 

The campaign asks SFU to end their contract with Compass-Chartwells but to rehire the workers. 

“We are particularly concerned [for] the university [to] respect the fact that these workers have given service over the years — they should not be [rehiring workers] in a manner that would create additional insecurity for these folks. There should be a clear commitment that the university will employ the current staff,” Calvert said.

The campaign says because SFU accepts the lowest bid from third party companies, there is no guarantee SFU will rehire the same workers at the end of the contract. They cite hiring workers in-house would increase job security. 

Ho explained Compass-Chartwells makes a profit off the SFU contract. If the “workers can be in-house workers, then all of that profit generated can go back to their wage or give them better benefits.

“It’s really important that people get to know these workers, who they are, and what their working conditions are like,” said Ho. 

“They’re just as much part of the community as we are — SFU could not function without these workers.

“There has been a push especially on the part of [Johnson] to make SFU more of an inclusive university — a university that respects diversity,” said Calvert. 

“The exclusion of these particular workers is not consistent with the overall direction that the president is trying to push the university towards. There are some basic issues around justice and fairness that the university should be addressing.” 

He clarified the campaign does not aim to “[point] fingers at the current president — she inherited the current arrangement. She now has the opportunity to take a fresh look at these issues.”

Calvert said he observes workers to be primarily women of colour and immigrants. However, there is no data regarding the diversity of these workers, since they are not direct employees of the university. 

“If we’re going to talk about the university being inclusive, then we need to look at everybody who’s contributing to the education programs that we all participate in,” said Calvert. 

Ho confirmed since the letter was sent out on March 17, they had not received a response from administration. The letter was sent with 80 signatures from faculty. Since then there has been an additional 245 signatures from faculty, students, and staff.

Calvert hopes the delay in response means SFU is “seriously looking at the issue.” 

Ho is hopeful they “can push the president to come and have a chat with [them].” Until that is possible, she encourages students and staff to get in touch with the campaign to be involved.

The Peak reached out to Johnson, but she did not respond by the publication deadline. 

SFU staff and students can respond to the campaign’s google form to get in touch or email them at [email protected]. They are active on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. 

Pandemic pain poems

By
Humour
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0
ILLUSTRATION: Siloam Yeung / The Peak

By: Subaig Bindra

Echoes, Silence, Patience, and Grace

I try calming my worries by listening to Foo Fighters during cold showers, but then I worry about the ethics of using so much fresh water.

ILLUSTRATION: Siloam Yeung / The Peak

Groceries

The only time I get to talk to girls is when I am at Superstore.

I make sure I really need something obscure and hard to find, so we can look for it together. All we do is make eye contact and walk past the bulk packs of socks. How romantic, my lack of romance.

The cashier guy gives me a confused look as I walk to him with my soy milk, mangoes, three contrasting bell peppers, and a Khadi bag.

Don’t worry, boy. I do drugs, too.

ILLUSTRATION: Siloam Yeung / The Peak

Oma

I sit out on the porch in shorts and flip-flops when the sun shines.

My photochromic glasses get a hard-on and the passersby gaze at my hairy body. 

It makes me reminiscent of old times. Oma would apply copious amounts of coconut oil on my soft toddler skin as I’d sunbathe and nap all day. I miss her.

(Oma is not dead yet).

ILLUSTRATION: Siloam Yeung / The Peak
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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