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Arts festivals and shows for students this August

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Arts
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Courtesy of Powell St Festival.

By: Alison Wick, Arts Editor

This is the last summer issue of The Peak, and so we have curated a list of the best (and mostly free) arts festivals and shows happening in the city. Even though you’ve given all of your money to the university, don’t spend all of August too broke to have some fun — check out these affordable, accessible, and unique Vancouver arts events.

One of the works from Language Matters, the graffiti art exhibit running until September 16. Courtesy of Bill Reid Gallery Courtesy of BC guide to Art and Culture.

Ongoing until the fall — Language Matters and qaʔ yəx^w at the Bill Reid Gallery

The Bill Reid Gallery is one of the special artistic perks that SFU students receive. It is free at any time for SFU students (regardless of whether you are enrolled that semester) and the Gallery offers free tours every day at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. This August, in addition to its permanent collection, the Bill Reid Gallery has two special exhibitions: qaʔ yəxʷ – water honours us: womxn and waterways and Language Matters. Open for all of August and free to see, the Bill Reid Gallery is the perfect alternative to the sometimes busy and expensive Vancouver Art Gallery across the street.

Carleen Thomas at the Burnaby Village Museum Learning House last year. Courtesy of Burnaby Now.

Weekends from Aug 3–31 — Indigenous Learning House at the Burnaby Village Museum

Every weekend in August, the Burnaby Village Museum invites a local Coast Salish artist and/or educator to the museum’s Indigenous Learning House. The Learning House is meant for exactly what it sounds like — a place of learning and respectful cultural exchange. The learning house is open from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. when artists are there (check the online schedule for what day each artist will be there) and attendance is free.

Handpan Journey, pictured above, is one of the artists performing on the street stage at the festival. Image courtesy of the Powell Street Festival.

Aug 3–4 — Powell Street Festival in Vancouver’s historic Japantown

This celebration of Japanese-Canadian art and culture is the largest of its kind in Canada! Historic walking tours of Vancouver’s Japantown, traditional and contemporary Japanese Canadian performances, food trucks, craft booths, and more will fill Powell St and Alexander St. There will be things to buy, of course, but the festival itself is totally free. Enjoy the music, the performances, craft tents, and display booths, and take some artist’s cards for when your bank account allows for more generous patronage.

Local blues and roots band Soda Crackers are one of the four groups performing at Trout Lake in August. Image courtesy of the Soda Crackers.

Aug 7–28 — Trout Lake Outdoor Summer Concert Series

Every Wednesday the Trout Lake Community Centre (TLCC) hosts local bands and musicians in the park. Right in front of the playground on a comfy patch of grass, it’s the perfect place to take the oldest and youngest people in your life. It’s a perfectly low-key, weekly, family-oriented event that anyone can enjoy. You will want to make sure you get to the last music night on August 28, as the Illuminares Lantern Festival returns in spirit as a lantern procession around the lake, complete with crafts and performers. There is a kids’ art station and cheap eats for purchase in the form of a food truck or a TLCC Youth Popcorn Fundraiser.

Tidal Beats with Erica Dee and Friends (August 9 at Crab Park) is an example of the breadth and excellence showcased at Vines. Image from Vines festival.

Aug 7–18 — Vines Art Festival at Parks throughout Vancouver

This is the fourth year of this Vancouver grassroots festival of art and activism. Vines seeks to bring art “out of the theatre or gallery and into community parks, paths, and trails making it accessible to all [ . . . ] creating works at the intersection of environmental and social justice.” All performances and events are held outdoors in parks across the city — no tickets or memberships needed. Browse their full program and list of events on their website; I guarantee you will find something you won’t want to miss.

Aug 10 — Decolonize and Anti-Oppression Community Workshop at the Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House

We have to remember that each of these arts festivals and all our summer fun is happening on unceded and stolen territories. It is our responsibility, speaking to fellow settler students, to not only learn how to be good allies with Indigenous Peoples but to unlearn and re-evaluate our own socially ingrained colonialism. Although this is not a festival like the others on the list, this sliding-scale workshop is accessible to students and is a great opportunity to help continue your summer in a good way.

Reece’s 2018 video works Muster Gester (left) and Hold Me (right) at the Belkin Gallery. Courtesy of Belkin Art Gallery.

Until Aug 11 — Surrounded: Skeena Reece at UBC Belkin Art Gallery

This is the last day to see this exhibition which features an artwork, The Time it Takes (2017), that actually began as a performance at SFU’s Audain Gallery in 2016. Said artwork is now being acquired by the Belkin Gallery at UBC. The exhibition features multiple works by Reece, including works that document the creation of this piece. Entry is free and the gallery offers drop-in tours between 12:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.

Aug 11 — Comics for Comics at Cloudscape Comics in Memorial Park

B.C. non-profit comics organization Cloudspace Comics Society is giving out comics for every comic you make. Make a strip or a page and receive a free comic! A place to create art, get art, and hang out with people making art. People of all ages and walks of life are welcome and there are no tickets or fees required.

The student made short Ricecake profiles the Vancouver Queer and Asian dance party of the same name. Image via Queer Film Fest.

Aug 15–25 — Vancouver Queer Film Festival

From performances to international features to local student made short films, the Queer Film Festival is an event to look forward to year-round. From a documentary about the gay men’s choir touring the deep south with an interfaith choir to youth drag workshops to locally made films about Vancouver’s Queer community, the festival promises a film for everyone. The festival offers discounted tickets to students as well as bundled tickets (a six-pack for $50 for students). Entertainment that is unique, high-quality, and affordable? Maybe I really can have a hot girl summer.

Aug 24 — Friendfest 2019

This one day festival is being organized and put on largely by students — including SFU alumni! The event intends to feature underground and up-and-coming Vancouver artists and performers, showcasing the breadth of unique talent we have in the city. With the cost of tickets at just $10, this all-ages event in East Van is one you can’t afford to miss.

A look at the inside of Banner’s Heart of Darkness, now on display at Emily Carr University. Courtesy of Fiona Banner.

Until Aug 25 — Fiona Banner aka the Vanity Press at Emily Carr’s Libby Leshgold Gallery

Opened in early July as a part of Emily Carr’s three-day symposium on artists’ publishing, this exhibition showcases the work of Londan based artist and leading voice in the field of artists publishing, Fiona Banner. It centres on her 2015 publication Heart of Darkness, a magazine style re-imagining and recreation of the 1899 novella — setting the story in the financial district of London instead of the Congo. The exhibit also includes other recent works as well as some of her first publications. The Gallery is open from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. and is free for the public.

Fourth-year students try to sacrifice first-year student to the enrolment gods

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Humour
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Photo curtesy of Chris Ho

Written by: Gabrielle McLaren
Photo by: Chris Ho

On the evening of July 16, SFU Security heroically saved a first-year student from a group of fourth-year Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences students who were attempting to ritually sacrifice the freshman in hopes of securing better enrolment dates. 

The saved student, English and history joint-major Remy Thompson, was abducted by the party of fourth-years while standing alone in the dark at the edge of the woods where the temporary lower bus loop stop is located. Thompson was hoping to go home and finish his sudoku before bed as a reward after a long day of studying and staying hydrated.

The Peak, SFU’s ambulance chasers, rushed to the scene of the crime to meet Thompson moments after his rescue. A trembling Remy hugged an aluminum foil blanket to himself as he recounted the ordeal. 

“When they took the blindfold off, I realized that they had brought me to a clearing in Burnaby Mountain Park,” Remy shuddered. “The fourth-years were erecting a large stake above a bonfire sustained on printed syllabuses and SFU grad school pamphlets. There was a lot of chanting and some candles I recognized from the gift section of Indigo book stores. I really thought that was it for me.

“I closed my eyes and my last thoughts were, I hope my group project members finish the presentation and deliver it with professionalism and panache without me. And then SFU Security arrived and I realized that I was saved.”  

According to Thompson’s advisor, the first-year has a 4.0 GPA, a loving family, a supportive boyfriend, good posture, and an avant-garde fashion sense which culminated into his reception of three entrance scholarships, each personally deposited into his bank account in the form of cold, hard cash by Andrew Petter. Thompson is an active SFU community member, the president of his departmental student union, a student athlete on SFU Curling, and he also volunteers at a soup kitchen once a week. He holds a seat on SFU Senate. Since covering his story, the entire Peak staff has fallen in love with him, and we’ve hung posters of his face around our office, too. 

The Peak managed to break into the specialized occult detention facility where the dissident students were being held for an exclusive interview with the party leader to find out more about what drew them to human sacrifice.

“All hail the breath of his life,” the student said to our reporter in a ghoulish voice that have caused them unstoppable stress dreams to this day. “All hail the lucky blood in his veins and the glorious light in his eyes. Drink his life, drink his blood, take his light! The 11:30am tutorial will be mine!” 

At this point, our reporter fled the scene and briefly considered abandoning student journalism entirely to become an SFU tour guide. However, their editor convinced them to speak to Adam Smith, the SFU Security guard who was the first to arrive to the grizzly scene. 

“I don’t know,” said Total Hero Smith. “I think they were trying to absorb the kid’s life force? His enrolment date was May 6, how fucking wild is that?” 

Currently, SFU Security is opening an investigation to determine if this strange occultist trend may explain a string of disappearances on campus that took place from 1973–87, 1995–2002, and 2019–?

Group Projects – Comic

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Humour
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Comic by Kitty Cheung

Roommate life: Dishes held hostage

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Humour
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Written by: Vrinda Kapadia

After a day of enduring a million hours of tedious lectures, snappy tutorials, and hastily finished assignments on an evening beautifully frosted with a dreadful four-hour lab, you are unexpectedly, boundlessly exhausted. As you swing along merrily on a crowded bus, suffocated and roasted by the heat with a thousand other commuters, how you wish you were just home. 

Heaving down the stairs to the basement apartment you share with a roommate, you pray for your home to be at least half as tamed and orderly as when you left it. You unlock the door. Immediately, the realization that you seriously need to work on your relationship with God hits you smack in the face.  The kitchen top is covered in a white powder. You panic and swipe a finger on the white dust to figure what the hell it is. Turns out, it is just flour. The sink is overflowing with your roommate’s dishes. Your belly begs for food, so you rummage for your bowl in the mess. To your surprise, the exquisite Value Village kitchenware you lovingly picked out yourself is missing. There is only one suspect to be confronted: your roommate. 

 

The text message conversation goes as follows: 

 

Me : Hi mate, how’s it going? Have you seen my dishes around? 

 

Simon : No dude. Why? 

 

Me : Look Simon, I swear I left my bowl out in the morning to dry by the sink and now it is nowhere to be found.

 

Simon : Whaaaaat are you TALKING about?! 

You think I have your stuff. Wow, you have serious trust issues!

 

After being vilified for accusing your roommate, you decide to investigate further into this mystery and possibly gather evidence to support your case. 

 

Me : So, I was on Facebook and I saw you had a great time with Tina today. You baked a brownie in a cute mug in the microwave!? THAT WAS MY LOVELY BEAR MUG! I never even washed it with hot water and you radiated it straight for 10 MINUTES? What were you thinking?

 

Simon : OKAY god I’m soooooooooooooo sorry. Whatever It’s just a mug.

 

Angry and exasperated, you stomp over to Simon’s room and bang on the door. No response. Desperately, you kick it open. In a flash, there is an instant familiarity to certain items on the desk where Simon is working. But before you make sense of what is happening, Simon leaps from his chair and shoves you out of the room. 

 

Leaning against the door from the inside, he screams: “Ugh, did you not have an assignment or something due today?”


He has your bear mug, your two bowls, and most of your cutlery. So you scream in return, “Give me back my dishes!”  

“Fine, let’s be a pair of wise businessmen. When I saw Tina going crazy over your girly set of bowls, I wondered if there were other people out there willing to buy your kitchenware. For starters, I decided to set the price ridiculously high, and believe it or not, I have got quite a few inquiries.”

In your head, plays a montage of all the sweet moments you spent with your dear mug, glasses, and bowls. Emotion overrides you, and you are not going to sell away your dear belongings.

 Simon: “So assuming, you are in, let’s break it as 60-40 split since it was my idea-”

 You: “Hold the hell up! I don’t want to sell the stuff. I want them back or else!”

  And as you push on the door, Simon resists from inside. He manages to turn the lock and does a maniacal laughter. Enough with the nonsense, you warn him once, twice . . . but he stays adamant on his decision to kidnap and sell your dishes. Finally, fed up with your lunatic roommate, you contact a demolition team to come blast down the door. 

 

SFU’s less noteworthy alumni

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Humour
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Photo curtesy of Pexels

Written by: Hannah Davis, Peak Associate

The Peak had a glorious opportunity to interview one of SFU’S most average alumni, Brian, who is a manager at a local sports equipment store. He insists that SFU failed him, as once he graduated, every job he applied to required at least three years’ worth of experience. As he so eloquently points out, this  “is impossible, because how could I have enough time to get work experience while my school was riding my ass asking me to write papers about mitochondria?!” 

 

The Peak set out to understand how SFU’s inpact on a former student’s life. 

 

The Peak: So Brian, how many years has it been since you graduated? 

 

Brian: It’s been two years. 

 

The Peak: And tell us what you’ve been up to since then? 

 

Brian: Well, I’ve been working as a general manager as a sports store. I tried to get a job related to my degree in bio-metaphysical mathematics, but since everything in that field required 3+ years’ experience, this was my best option. 

 

The Peak: What’s a typical day as a manager for you? 

 

Brian: I wake up, and think, “back on the old grind.” Do you know that expression? It’s just something we say at the store. 

 

The Peak: Yes, I am familiar with that expression. 

 

Brian: Yes, I say it a lot at work, it’s just a thing we do, and it makes me more relatable as a manager. It also makes me feel more motivated to become a successful person who’s time at SFU doesn’t define them for the rest of their life. 

 

The Peak: What’s a typical day look like for you?

 

Brian: I get up in the morning and say out loud in the mirror, “Well, back to the old grind, Brian” and shrug at myself. Then I take my degree that is framed on my wall and I whisper to it: “Well, you haven’t helped me at all, have you?”, and the degree says nothing, because it is simply a piece of paper which I worked four hard years to receive. 

 

The Demon and the Concrete Man – Chapter 2

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Humour
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Photo curtesy of Pixabay

Written by: Kelly Chia, Staff writer

University > Simon Fraser University

The Demon and the Concrete Man

By: xxXRavenclaw_BeedieWannabeXxx

Chapter: 2/?

Updated: November 10th, 2016

Id: 694201111

 

[Disclaimer: okie, so it wooks wike my wittle fanfiction isn’t getting the attention that I deserve! (╬⓪益⓪) it’s okay! Your Goddess is merciful, and has decided that you can have more of my divine magic. And stop flaming my story, ya snobs! My creative voice will NOT be silenced. The only criticism I accept is praise, and you’re lucky I even let you give it!]

 

“You sick son of a b—“ I growled, seething through my fangs. My lover had been turned to stone.. Just thinking of him made me swoon: I thought of his curvaceous figure, and how I could see myself in him.. how perfectly I would fit if I sat on him… But there in my way was this poor excuse of an instructor who would pay the price to high hell. 

 

“—of a beautiful mother, yes,” the villain professor whimpered, cleaning his pathetic lenses, “Now, you really are wasting my time. I have to assign four consecutive tests in my six hour Psyc 100 lecture, so I really must get going.” 

 

I shivered viscerally…. He really was a monster. (A/N: Okay, but admittedly, monsters can be a bit hot… HOO, I’ve got to fan myself already… )

But then, oh ruthless Loki, that wicked professor took off his glasses. It was like I was seeing him in a whole new light… and that light was glorious. He looked like a mix of Seto Kaiba (A/N: I know she is MY/Kathearrynne’s love, but this is my best friend’s husbando, SHOUTOUT xoxo) Seto Kaiba (A/N: This is for my best friend!!! I’m looking out for you, my love! Even though it’s my/Kathearrynne’s love) and Brendon Urie. It was a.. what’s that overrated guy called.. Wonderman moment. My inner lady suddenly started salsa dancing, and boy, was she excited. I felt a tinge of guilt, and I liked it. 

 

“Stop undressing him with your pervert eyes!” I hear a high pitched screech, resembling that of a bitchy pterodactyl. I took one look at her magenta pink hair and I KNEW she was a CAPITAL B preppy bitch. I whipped my waist-length hair, and put my crimson nails square on my hips. “And who’s asking, peasant?!” I asked savagely, glaring deep into her bitchy poop coloured orbs. 

 

She clicked her nails, and oh, that’s when I knew it was war. “Stacy Von Tussle,” it even sounded bitchy. “Pay attention, edgelord.. I’m going to participate the hell out of discussion time, respond to all the Canvas discussion questions offered… and what are you going to do? Mope to your..” she paused, scoffing like a harlot, “..little avocado man?”

 

I was enraged. She had insulted my man, and threatened to snag.. even snog.. my other man. I butted out of her way and tailed Mr. Hottie Prof. This was far from my classes at WMC, but those business classes hardly seemed to matter when I had business to make with the professor. 

 

======== Back at the Pond ========

 

We passed by the pond and I once again stared longingly into my round man.. my attention divided between two people that could rock my vampiric world if I let them. (A/N: I think it’s time to reintroduce that fan into the writing room… things are getting steamy..!) “I think not, DEMON!” Stacy roared, pushing something SEARING into my side. “What have you done?!” I panted, clutching my side, pulling the fiendish thing.

 

A silver blade?!

 

No.. it couldn’t be. How could she have known that I, Kathearrynne Targaryen Dark Snow Ketchum, was a vampire?? My fangs bared and my blood orbs blinked rapidly as I seethed at the pain. 

“Rot in Hell, the professor will have me and only me to deal with,” Stacy laughed, and pushed me into the pond… which was filled with holy water all of a sudden?!

 

======== Chapter End – Preview ========

 

Author: I really did bring it on if I do say so myself.. I mean really, who could predict that twist?!

Professor: Actually, I could…

Author: No one asked!! Oh boy, what will Kathearrynne do now? Told you guys I might off her! I was serious!!

Stacy: Oh boohoo, she’s sad.. whatever, just write my romcom with the Professor.

Author: Do you know his name?

Midsommar: worth the hype but not for the squeamish

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Arts
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Image courtesy of Square Peg and B-Reel Films via W Magazine.

By: Ana Staskevich, Staff Writer

Midsommar, directed by Ari Aster who also directed the 2018 horror Hereditary, wastes no time throwing its audience into the seemingly idyllic fields of Hälsingland, Sweden. Filled with flowers, gorgeous scenery, and psychedelic drugs, the film appears to be set in complete paradise — that is, if you can look past all the sacrificial cult stuff.

We follow the emotional journey of Dani Ardor, who suffers from anxiety and panic attacks which are heightened by a tragedy she experiences at the start of the film. Her boyfriend, Christian, and his friends, Josh and Mark, plan to embark on an anthropological thesis trip to Sweden, invited by their friend and Hälsingland native Pelle. Dani comes along for the ride, desperate to escape the muteness of her old life despite the rough waters between her and her boyfriend.

Once the camera dips upside down as the group enters Hälsingland, shit really starts to hit the fan. Immersed in a world of white gown-clad Swedes and funky tea, the promise of the everlasting midnight sun turns sour as the festivities of the “midsommar” festival begin. Make no mistake, this is still very much a horror film — just not in the traditional sense that you might think. There are no monsters obscured by darkness and no cheap jump scares that seem to happen every 15 seconds (I’m looking at you, Insidious movies!). Rather, the horrors are out in the open, right amidst the beautiful Swedish women baking pies and the aesthetically pleasing architecture. Aster does not shy away from the gore, and the film left me feeling queasy in a lot of its scenes.

In a recent interview, Aster has described this film as a “break-up movie [that is] more a fairy tale than a horror film”. While that may be the director’s intention and interpretation, there is a definite sense fear that follows you along every minute of this 2 hour and 47 minute “fairy tale.” 

This film has been rated as R for a reason, and there are major trigger warnings for suicide, intense violence, and sexual content (do NOT take these warnings lightly!). If you are a horror movie fan, especially if you enjoyed Hereditary, you will be pleasantly surprised by Aster’s mindfuckery and attention to detail in this movie. However, just keep in mind that there are restrictions to Midsommar for a reason, so maybe avoid watching it on a full stomach.

If our leaders won’t call racism what it is, how are we expected to fight it?

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Opinions
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It's time for Trudeau to confront Trump on his racist speech. Photo: /Rolling Stone

By: Kate Olivares, Peak Associate

In the latest addition to his racist repertoire, Donald Trump recently told four U.S. congresswomen of colour to go back to their country. It’s nauseating and despicable, but I want to address the strange hesitation from powerful figures to call this racist president, well, racist. 

Most political figures bend over backwards to express outrage without using this word, or exclusively limit the label to the actions rather than the person committing them. Some examples include Nancy Pelosi, Theresa May, and our own prime minister. As Trudeau continues his quest to be the Wokest™ world leader, he nobly professed that “a Canadian is a Canadian is a Canadian” while notably refusing to critique President Trump. 

I suspect that this partly stems from fear of making a racism accusation. Such an accusation is serious and powerful, which is exactly why they must be made. However, somewhere along the line, it has become more insulting to call someone racist than it is to actually commit a racist act.  

To call out or not to call out racism may seem like a futile debate to have, but political rhetoric bears serious ramifications. Failing to condemn the leader of the free world for telling congresswomen of colour to go back to their imagined countries of origin allows for such acts to become normalized. When leaders give washed-out responses to blatantly racist speech, they change the realm of acceptability, and are thus complicit in exclusion and violence towards racialized minorities. On the other hand, denunciations of racist acts by world leaders will slowly break down such systems, facilitate difficult yet crucial conversations, and foster inclusivity. 

The more we push our elected leaders to represent our morals, denounce racism, and actively defend diversity, the better off we will be.

 

Board Shorts: July 25

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News
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Image: Irene Lo

By Gabrielle McLaren, Editor-in-Chief

Board redirects SASS Fest (frosh) executive team to Executive Director to seek funding 

Representatives for the executive team of the Society of Arts and Social Sciences (SASS) gave a presentation on SASS Fest: a two-day welcome event including a sleepover and a variety of activities. The executive team hoped to secure a $4000 grant that would help them subsidize ticket prices. 

Ultimately, the board redirected the team to Executive Director (ED) Sylvia Ceacero given outstanding concerns about the proposed budget. This also ensured that the group adhered to proper SFSS procedures, which include going directly to the ED instead of the board for grant requests under $4000. 

Board formally endorses the British Columbia Federation of Students’ Knock Out Interest campaign 

The Knock Out Interest campaign’s goal is a direct appeal for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to eliminate student debt. Campaign representatives had presented to the board during the last meeting. Other student groups that have endorsed the campaign are based at Douglas College, Selkirk College, Northern British Columbia University, and Vancouver Island University. 

Board moves to update the Surrey campus committe’s membership policy 

“These rules were a little bit restrictive before,” explained Sarah Edmunds, the SFSS’ Campaign, Research, and Policy Coordinator. According to Edmunds, the policy changes will make it easier for students whose home base is the Surrey campus to engage in committee life even if they are not enrolled in classes at Surrey every term. 

SFSS to review its by-laws in preparation for changes to the BC Societies Act 

See more at the-peak.ca 

In preparation for changes to the B.C. Societies Act, the SFSS is set to review its by-laws to make sure that it remains in compliance once those changes are enacted. 

“We need to be putting our ducks in a row for when those changes come, so we can adapt our by-laws and re-present them to the membership,” ED Sylvia Ceacero told the board.    

Ceacero has already started the process of hiring a consultant with experience in updating by-laws, and has also taken steps to access additional information via Vantage Point, a professional development group for non-profits. 

Ceacero estimated that these changes would be done by Fall 2020. 

SFSS to discuss officially supporting efforts to ban conversion therapy in B.C.

ED Sylvia Ceacero brought this issue to the board after it was raised by Out on Campus Coordinator Ashley Brooks. In early May, the provincial Green Party presented legislation to officially ban conversion therapy (interventions designed to “correct” the identities of sexual and gender diverse individuals to fit cisheteronormative categories). Public support for this motion has been picked up since, including through petitions on sites such as change.org. 

“Personally, I think [conversion therapy] is barbaric,” Ceacero said. She asked the board to consider taking an official stance supporting this ban. “As a society, we need to push to make sure that we are as forthcoming and as clear with our intention that we will support banning this practice.”

Osob Mohamed, faculty of health sciences representative, agreed with Ceacero’s statement. 

“I also think this would be a really great time to hopefully continue thinking about implementing an issues policy,” she said. “Political discourse often ends up here and gets echoed here [ . . . ] we could end up seeing a lot of these things being implemented and we definitely want to take a stand against this and make sure that we are not funding these things in terms of clubs. 

“So I’m hoping that if we do decide to put out a statement [ . . . ] that we could also think about implementing a homophobia policy, et cetera.” 

This sentiment was echoed by SFSS president Giovanni HoSang. 

Further discussion on this issue will be held at a later date, once board members have had a chance to research this topic and prepare. 

Fall Kickoff update

Vice-president student life Jessica Nguyen announced that Fall Kickoff was moving forward and that the event’s Facebook page and early bird ticket sales ($30 each) would go live the next day. 

HoSang took the time to commend Nguyen on her hard work and dedication to the project during the meeting. 

The Peak is working on a longer story to look into this announcement more in depth.

Let students decide how many courses they can and cannot handle

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Opinions
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Should there be class caps for new students? Screenshot: Gabrielle McLaren

By: Grace Lo, SFU Student

When I entered SFU, I attended a course planning session with an academic advisor. Upon seeing the five courses in my course cart, she suggested I drop at least one of them. I’m still not sure if I had a desire to push myself out of my comfort zone or if I was acting out of spite, but I nodded yes to everything the advisor said, went home, and proceeded to enroll in all five courses when my registration date came around. 

It wasn’t easy, but I managed to finish the term with my sanity intact. Ever since, I have taken five courses almost every term.

While this suggestion is not official SFU policy, incoming freshmen are often recommended to take three courses — maybe four at most if they want to challenge themselves — to make sure they start their academic career on the right foot. I know many of my peers choose not to take more than three courses a term for their academic and mental well-being. 

I also know a number of young undergrads who experienced academic burnout after they overloaded their class schedule. Their experiences present a very compelling argument for maximum course caps, particularly for new students. But students are all different, both in preferred learning styles and personal circumstances. 

While there’s an argument to be made about how my “head down, eyes forward” learning style isn’t the most well-rounded student lifestyle to adopt, I work best when I don’t have too much free time to be distracted. I often prefer a heavier course load to facilitate that. Moreover, I don’t have the luxury of time or financial freedom to spend an extra year or two beyond the classic four-year undergrad program. 

Rather than placing class caps on incoming students, I think informed course planning is far more valuable to student success. After our first disagreement over an appropriate academic workload, the academic advisor became more familiar with my learning habits, academic goals, and life outside of school. She’s now one of my go-to people for personalized academic advising. 

When it comes to course planning, students shouldn’t have to follow a blanket statement or assumption about what’s best for them. Instead, they should have the opportunity to work with their academic advisors to create plans that suit their needs and help them succeed they way they work best.

 

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Simon Fraser University’s independent student newspaper since 1965.

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© 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