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SFU continues to struggle with winless weekend on Vancouver Island

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Ryan Sandrin got his fourth start of the season over the weekend. (Photo courtesy of SFU Athletics)

By: Dylan Webb

After the SFU Hockey team underperformed through the first 11 games of the 2018–19 BCIHL season, turning the page to the season’s second half should have been their much needed reset. Instead, SFU’s struggling more intensely than ever, and the team’s hold on a playoff spot is weakening as they stumble into 2019 with a 1–3 losing record.

Though the Clan the year on a positive note with a much-needed win against the league-leading Trinity Western University (TWU) Spartans, that victory has been quickly overshadowed by three straight losses to weaker opponents.

On Friday night in Victoria, SFU fell by a score of 4–3 to the last-place UVIC Vikes. In this game, SFU couldn’t muster the effort that had let them defeat the Vikes in their previous two meetings this season. Following the loss, unfortunately for fans of Clan hockey, SFU travelled up the island to Nanaimo, where they would succumb to another tight, one-goal loss. Visiting the VIU Mariners on Saturday, SFU lost after the Clan allowed a staggering 45 shots on net.

This worst-case weekend scenario for SFU means that the team is now entrenched in the fourth playoff seed, dreams of catching TWU for a first-place finish quickly fading. At least for now, the focus of the Clan shifts to simply securing a playoff spot in the face of the resurgent UVIC Vikes, who now sit only six points back from the Clan for the final playoff seed.

Friday night in Victoria had Clan goaltender Ryan Sandrin drawing his fourth start of the season with his perfect 3–0 record put to the test. Making 13 saves on 17 shots in his third start of the campaign against UVIC, Sandrin’s record fell to 3–1 as he and the Clan were unable to defeat the Vikes for the third time this season. While the Clan started the game with an early, unassisted tally from newly-added forward Kyle Bergh, the first period was the determining factor in the loss. Allowing three goals on nine shots in the opening frame, including a short-hander, SFU shot themselves in the foot early and were never able to recover from the early deficit.  

On Saturday night, the Clan’s struggles continued in another nail-biter decided by just one goal. Motivated by a raucous home crowd, the VIU Mariners peppered the Clan net throughout the game which allowed them to break through for five goals. While SFU forwards Mitch Ledyard and Jakob Krannabetter each tallied in the first period, porous defensive coverage allowed VIU to match them with goals from forwards Kobe Oishi and Dylan McCann.

After trading two goals each again in the second period, SFU fell 5–4 after a lone third-period marker from VIU forward Brett Witala gave the Mariners enough breathing room to grind out the win despite a late push from the Clan. Goaltender Michael Lenko made 40 saves in the loss, bringing his record on the year to 4–7 with a 3.84 GAA and a .878 save percentage.

Following the second loss of the weekend to VIU, mounting frustration was palpable in the Clan dressing room with coach Mark Coletta imploring his team to “come together for each other” so that the Clan can come closer to achieving their potential as one of the “fastest and most skilled teams the BCIHL has ever seen.”

When asked about the most pressing areas of play needing improvement by the Clan as the playoff race intensifies, Coletta pointed to team unity, disciplined systems play, and, more than anything else, the rekindling of an undeniable desire to win as key adjustments the team needs to make in order to increase the likelihood of the team clinching a playoff spot early and continuing to battle for more favourable seeding.

What’s next:

SFU now looks ahead to hosting the league-leading TWU Spartans on Saturday, January 26. While the possibility of catching the Spartans in the league standings is increasingly out of reach, the game does present the Clan with an opportunity to defeat their main rival for a second time in a row, solidify their playoff spot, and set the tone for what is possibly going to be a first-round playoff matchup between the two teams.

Following the match-up with the Spartans, the Clan will gear up for a carbon copy of the road trip they just completed, with the necessity of securing four points intensified further after a poor showing this weekend. As the playoff race intensifies, the Clan must find a way to harness their speed, skill, and depth to get on a roll as the calendar creeps toward the playoff month of March.

SFU swim dominate UVic, fall short against UBC

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The Clan will be looking to build on this performance when they face NCAA competition. (Photo courtesy of SFU Athletics)

On Friday, January 18, SFU hosted UBC and UVic for a swim meet on Burnaby Mountain. While SFU were not quite able to keep up with their Vancouver rivals, they dominated the Victoria swimmers with ease. There were multiple strong performances from SFU athletes, which bodes well for the swim team as they prepare themselves for NCAA DIV II competition.

SFU sophomore Jayden Cole was the first to take a first-place finish at the event, doing so in the 100-meter backstroke. He swam an impressive 57.20. In the same event, teammate Jimmy Zhang finished third with a time of 58.60.

Gabriel Lee also managed a first-place finish in the 100-meter butterfly event with a time of 55.81.

SFU senior Mackenzie Hamill was his usual strong self, topping his third-place finish in the 200-meter freestyle by winning the 400-meter freestyle with a time of 4:04.20. He will certainly be one of the Clan swimmers to watch closely for the rest of the season.

SFU made their presence known in in the 200-meter backstroke, taking three of the top four places. Collyn Gagne (2nd, 2:02.07), Cole (3rd, 2:05.31) and Rolando Hernandez (4th, 2:06.88) all impressed in the event.

Gagne, however, improved on his second-place finish by winning the 200-meter individual medley with a time of 2:05.70. Teammate Andrew Woinoski finished in third with a time of 2:10.93.

The other Woinoski (Tim) also claimed a top spot in the 800-meter freestyle, finishing second with a time of 8:24.45.

On the women’s side, Jessie Gibson had a great race in the 200-meter butterfly, finishing first with a time of 2:16.35. Her teammate Erin Lawrance finished third in the race with a time of 2:18.58. Gibson also raced well in the 200-meter backstroke, finishing second with a time of 2:20.26.

Kristen Olvet also had a strong meet, highlighted by her second place finishes in both the 800-meter freestyle and the 400-meter freestyle. Her times were 9:09.40 and 4:26.66, respectively.

Where SFU really shined, however, was in the relay events. Cole, Antonio Marino, Lee and Adrian VanderHelm combined for a first-place finish in the medley relay with a time of 3:46.19. This was followed up by a first-place finish in the 400 meter freestyle relay when VanderHelm, Hernandez, Mathew Fuller and Lee finished with a time of 3:25.96.

The women finished second in both relays. Gibson, Jordan Doner, Kaleigh Sharkey and Sara Whelan combined for a time of 4:20.19 in the medley relay, while Gibson, Kennedy Loewen, Sharkey and Whelan joined forces in the freestyle relay.

What’s next:

The team will prepare itself for a meet against American competition on Saturday, January 26 when they travel down to Idaho. They will be facing off against the University of Idaho and Grand Canyon University.

SFU Beedie School of Business and KPMG co-create a novel education program

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Written by: Sakina Nazarali, Peak Associate

SFU’s Beedie School of Business (SFU Beedie) has partnered with KPMG, a professional service company that offers auditing and accounting services, for a new graduate program that will teach audit professionals enhanced digital and cognitive analytic skills.

SFU Beedie announced the three-year partnership in December via a press release on their website. The partnership between the two organizations was signed in November 2018. SFU Beedie was chosen by KPMG because “the school demonstrated its ability to deliver this forward-looking program through an advanced online interface, alongside in-person teaching sessions,” according to the release.

The program, titled Digital University, “focuses on developing auditors for an era of machine learning, artificial intelligence, and other digital advances” said Will Henderson, manager of communications and public relations of SFU Beedie in an email interview with The Peak. He describes the program as “open to qualified CPAs within KPMG’s Audit practice with 3–6 years of experience.”

Upon successful completion of the Digital University program, auditors will earn a graduate certificate in Accounting with Digital Analytics and they also have the option to continue their training to obtain a Master of Science in Accounting with Cognitive Analytics, according to Henderson.  

The certificate program will be launched in summer 2019 and it will conclude in December 2019, according to Henderson. The MSc program, on the other hand, will be launched in summer 2020, and certain auditors who have earned the certificate will be nominated to enrol in the MSc. The entire program, including the certificate and the MSc, is part-time and will take about two years to complete, he added.

“KPMG’s Digital University program is the first of its kind in Canada and focuses on developing auditors for an era of machine learning, artificial intelligence, and other digital advances,” said Henderson. “The program will offer KPMG professionals the training, practical experience and work environments they need to accelerate their careers in the fast-changing data age.”

The program will not only aim to bolster practical knowledge in data analysis for participants, but also encourage them to “combine these skills with critical thinking to derive meaningful business insights from data,” according to the SFU press release.

Digital University participants can keep working while completing the program’s course requirements. “Around 80 per cent of the course work will be delivered online . . . But students also will attend a limited number of face-to-face classes led by Beedie professors,” said Andrew Gemino, SFU Beedie’s associate dean of graduate programs in an interview with The Globe and Mail.

“The Digital University relationship between SFU Beedie and KPMG in Canada reflects a shared commitment to developing innovative business professionals who will lead the way in their industry across Canada,” said Ali Dastmalchian, SFU Beedie’s Dean, in the university’s press release.

With files from SFU Beedie School of Business and The Globe and Mail

SFU men’s basketball wins game of a lifetime against MSUB

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Michael Provenzano led the Clan with 32 points in 44 minutes. (Photo courtesy of SFU Athletics)

Wow. In what was quite possibly the most exciting regular-season game in SFU history, the Clan pulled off a big win. Since joining the GNAC, this was the longest game in SFU basketball history, and the thunderous crowd was sent home happy. More importantly, the win snaps a five-game losing streak for the Clan, and should do wonders in helping the team get their season back on track.

While SFU played very well in regulation, the Montana State University Billings Yellowjackets refused to go down easy. After winning the first half by a score of 37–31, the Yellowjackets did everything they could down the stretch to force the game into overtime.

The Clan held a six-point lead with under a minute to go, but were unable to close out the game due to the play of MSUB’s Zack Rollins. Rollins hit a three to cut the deficit down to three with less than 40 seconds remaining, and then he was fouled on another three-point attempt with eight seconds left. He calmly hit all three free throws, which, after the potential game-winner was missed by SFU’s Jordan Muir-Keung, sent the game into overtime.

Late-period heroics saved the Yellowjackets again in the first overtime frame, but this time, the hero in question was Tyler Green, who had all 12 of his team’s points in the frame. After hitting two free throws to shrink the deficit to one, Green fouled SFU’s Michael Provenzano with two seconds remaining in the frame. Provenzano hit both attempts from the stripe, increasing the lead to three with two seconds to go. By some sort of miracle, Green hit a deep three-pointer off the ensuing inbounds, sending the game to a second overtime frame.  

Both teams looked tired in the second overtime frame, only scoring four points a side. Provenzano had all four points for the Clan, but neither team was able to score over the final 1:51 of the overtime period.

By the third overtime period, the Clan had had enough. Strong play from all five members on the court allowed for the team to pull off the victory. Julian Roche gave the Clan a three-point lead with under thirty seconds remaining, before stretching it to five by hitting two clutch free throws late. Eventually, the team would win by a score of 112–107.

“It was a battle to see who would break and I was proud our guys refused to lose,” said head coach Steve Hanson after the game, who had never participated in a triple-OT game before (not that many people have).

When asked what the win will do for the Clan going forward, Hanson responded: “To have confidence moving forward, you have to find a way to achieve a great result. This was a great result. Our guys have this in their pocket now and can revert to this experience when in tough and tight games moving forward. It was a crucial game.”

Peak player of the game: Michael Provenzano

Provenzano had a fantastic game, leading all players with 32 points in 44 minutes. He did so efficiently, going 10–17 from the field, 4–6 from three, and 8–9 from the free throw line. He also added in six assists and four rebounds.

“Mike is a guy our team looks to when we need to make a play or earn a tough bucket. We have lots of guys scoring, but he took advantage of how they were playing our bigs,” said Hanson. “He made some tough shots and was clutch from the free throw line.”

What’s next:

The Clan will enjoy their home court a little longer, as they host University of Alaska Anchorage and the University of Alaska on Thursday, January 24 and Saturday, January 26. If either of those games are anything like Saturday night’s, you’re going to want to be there.

Staying In: Élite

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Image courtesy of Zeta Producciones

Best for: Mystery lovers; Riverdale escapees; tea enthusiasts  

By: Zach Siddiqui, Copy Editor

Why did you have blood on you?

That, translated from Spanish, sets the tone for Netflix’s Élite. Released on October 5 last year, the series covers the tangle of social classes as middle-class students Samuel, Christian, and Nadia receive scholarships to Spain’s most famous private high school, Las Encinas.

It’s instantly volatile, as the scholarship kids spark resentment to smoulder in Las Encinas’s shamelessly bourgeois student body — for reasons that are much more complex than you might guess at first. But tension tends to end in a snap, and what starts with friction ends in a student’s death . . . The resulting investigation is intercut with the students’ salacious day-to-day lives leading up to the poolside murder.

Dealing with classism, death, romance, and high drama, it’s hardly new to compare Élite to shows like Gossip Girl, How to Get Away With Murder, and Big Little Lies (look, another murder-weapon trophy!). But the show polishes and repurposes iconic-but-tired dramatic tropes and character archetypes, spinning them into a wholly refreshed narrative that gleams more opulently than Cartier watches.

It’s yet another dead-girl mystery, but the plot has far more at stake than just the victim. Characters like resident alpha-bitch Lucrecia and the egotistical Guzmán seem too familiar, but they quickly develop in un-expected routes.

Even the romances vary wildly. On one hand, we get the stale love triangle between Samuel, his paroled brother Nano, and disenfranchised rich girl Marina. On the other, we also get fascinating ones like Christian being drawn into the complex, newly open relationship of wine-heiress Carla and her boyfriend Polo.

Élite does justice to the rest of its strong ensemble, too. Nadia and her brother Omar, raised in a traditional Palestinian Muslim home, get surprisingly nuanced and culturally resonant portrayals. Meanwhile, Omar, Christian, Polo, and unhappy tennis star Ander all explore their non-heterosexuality in diverse and distinct arcs.

What I really loved about the show, though, is the moral balance. The characters are sympathetic, but never completely moral. They’re fascinating, but you know you’re not looking at role models. Élite captivates with the scandal, but it stops just short of unhealthy romanticism.

Like Lucrecia tells the police: “When a new species is introduced in an ecosystem, it is always altered.” Check out Élite to see what happens when coincidence and intrigue adds three scholarship kids to the mix of Spain’s richest communities.

Élite is available on Netflix.

Love Letter to SFU #1

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Image courtesy of Pixabay

By: Jennifer Low, Peak Associate

Dear Simon Fraser University,

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?

In truth, I really can’t. Not only do you not boast enough sunshine, but it feels as if you can’t actually make up your mind about which weather to have. I’ve heard what they all say, calling out your dismal hallways, foreboding architecture, difficult transit, and unsettled student government, but there is beauty in imperfection. And, contrary to what they might believe, I know there is beauty in SFU.

The first time I saw you, I was in the lineup at Production Way for the 145. In the bleary morning fog, I joined a zombie-esque line up of students trudging up the mountain on a crisp September morning. I found beauty in the guy who moved his backpack so I could get on and the girl who slid off her seat during a turn and erupted in a fit of giggles. There was kindness in the student who let a peer nap on his shoulder, and in the way every student muttered “thank you” to the driver when they arrived at their destination.  

The first time I felt the touch of your hand was on my first day of school. Even though I felt shy and small in my first ever university class, you extended your hand to me and introduced yourself. Through the years, you have continued to introduce yourself time and time again so I never have to sit alone in lecture. Every handshake and every new person I meet brings new experiences and friendships into my life, and I will forever be grateful for those connections.

SFU, you and I shared our first meal at a Welcome Week event. Student volunteers were flipping massive shapeless pancakes onto plates and other students were striking up conversations at random tables of people they’d only just met. The morning air was filled with chatter and friendly conversation as students bonded over trying to decipher the abstract shapes off their pancakes. With smiles all around and more than enough syrup to go around, finishing 8:30 lectures never tasted so sweet. I couldn’t remember the last time I ate a truly filling breakfast before I rushed off to school, so I’m glad I got to share it with you.

I remember a Monday afternoon spent studying by the window in the applied sciences building, when I first heard the voice of SFU: the odd electronic melody of someone’s iPhone game escaping their headphones and distracting absolutely everyone in sight. I would have expected an angry reaction, or for the sound to be completely ignored by a school known for its antisocial student population. Instead, I got a silly, exaggerated eyeroll from the girl in front of me, as a conversation sparks between a group of seven or so strangers. What started as a shared mild annoyance at a gamer, so invested in his quest that the world disappeared, became a friendly conversation about courses and schoolwork before dissolving back into newly comfortable silence. Your voice was so friendly, funny, and kind that I felt included and accepted in a place where everyone said it would be impossible.

Your smell is warm like the crackling firepit at the center of the AQ, where I played a game of giant Jenga for a half an hour with some friends. Every so often, you would stop to cheer us on and give me advice on your way to your classes, suggesting which block seemed to be the loosest even if you weren’t there to see the game’s final results.

SFU is its students, and there is something truly beautiful about that.

With love,

-Jennifer

Crowdfunding for alternative medicine treatments may harm cancer patients

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Written by: Nathaniel Tok, Peak Associate

In early January, an SFU health sciences professor and a University of Alberta health law and policy professor published a paper on the negative effects crowdfunding has on cancer treatment.

Jeremy Snyder from SFU and Timothy Caulfield from UAlberta published their findings in The Lancet, a medical research journal. Their study, which began in May 2018, aimed to better understand crowdfunding’s involvement in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and why cancer patients choose to pursue CAM as treatment.

The exact definition of CAM varies, but the term often covers practices such as homeopathy, aromatherapy, herbal treatments, et cetera.

Crowdfunding for medical treatments is not unheard of, but crowdfunding for CAM cancer treatments has become more widespread, being frequently meant to supplement or even replace traditional evidence-based treatments. Snyder and Caulfield’s paper estimates that up to 50% of all cancer patients engage in CAM treatments.

As part of their research, Snyder and Caulfield identified 220 active cancer-related crowdfunding-for-CAM campaigns on the platform GoFundMe in June 2018. Of those campaigns, 85% were based in the US, 10% in Canada, 4% in the UK, and one campaign each in Germany, Ireland, and Spain. Out of these 220 cases, 38% of campaigns used CAM to supplement conventional treatments, 29% did not want to use traditional treatments, and 31% were not able to access traditional treatments.

Many crowdfunding campaigners are in serious condition, with some being in the terminal stage of their cancer diagnosis. Snyder and Caulfield’s paper reports that 28% of patients pass away mid-campaign.

Snyder told The Star that patients are often encouraged to try CAM by their friends and family. According to The Star, there are also patients who pursue CAM treatments under the conviction that “scientifically proven treatments are harmful,” as reflected in many crowdfuding campaigns’ claims.

The problem, according to Halifax oncologist Daniel Rayson in an interview with CBC, is that hese CAM treatments are not proven to work and could even harm patients if they inhibit the patient’s use of evidence-based treatment, such as chemotherapy or radiation therapy,

Furthermore, Snyder told The Peak in an email interview that these CAM treatments can significantly tax patients of their time, savings, and other resources, leaving them with little to spend with/on “loved ones or other pursuits” and also potentially leading them to a “more painful death.”

He added that CAM treatment campaigns can also help spread misinformation about CAM’s medical potential.

“This form of fundraising supports access to unproven and potentially dangerous treatments, may direct people away from traditional treatments, and spreads misinformation about the efficacy and safety of unproven treatments,” wrote Snyder.

Snyder said to CBC News that part of the appeal of these CAM treatments are the claims of “outstanding healing results.” Snyder added that he “was a little bit surprised and disturbed by how many people were actively using crowdfunding to turn away from effective treatments.”

In his email interview with The Peak, Snyder said he will continue his research into crowdfunding’s role in other unproven medical treatment plans but hopes his current work will illustrate the “potential of crowdfunding to expand access [for treatment options] on the radar.”

With files from Business Insider, CBC News, and The Star Vancouver.

SFU establishes new partnership to support urban Indigenous community

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Written by: Henry Tran, Coordinating News Editor

On January 10, Simon Fraser University and the Surrey Urban Indigenous Leadership Committee (SUILC) established a novel partnership to increase programs and services for Surrey’s urban Indigenous community — including but not limited to professional, research, and academic opportunities.

The Collaborative Relationship Agreement took about one year to come to fruition, according to Keenan McCarthy, co-chair of SUILC and president of the Nova Métis Heritage Association.

In an email interview with The Peak, McCarthy stated that this new agreement will help the SUILC meet some of their strategic objectives to better the lives of urban Indigenous individuals within Surrey, such as expanding the leadership capacity of Indigenous individuals within Surrey and increasing funding for new and improved programs and services to support the city’s urban Indigenous people.

“The campus and the city are growing and we want to ensure Indigenous voices are helping to shape the future in Surrey,” said McCarthy. “We are happy to work with the Surrey campus because our mission is to provide a collective voice for the urban [Indigenous] population in Surrey.”

Both McCarthy and SFU president Andrew Petter signed the agreement during a ceremony at SFU Surrey. There is currently no deadline on when this partnership will end between the two organizations, McCarthy said. “It is our hope that this partnership will continue for many years,” he added.

“SFU is honoured to be entering into this collaboration agreement with SUILC . . . By working together, we can make an important contribution to advancing the process of reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Surrey,” said Petter in a press release by the university.  

The SUILC is a “coalition of organizations . . . created in 2015 to guide the development of a Surrey Urban Aboriginal Social Innovation Project,” from which the All Our Relations Social Innovation Strategy was drafted, according to McCarthy. The strategic plan outlines some tactics to better the lives of Indigenous people within Surrey, which approximately houses the “largest urban Indigenous population of any city in Metro Vancouver.”

When asked why this partnership was formed, McCarthy answered: “[. . .] we want to increase education and understanding about the 14,000 urban Indigenous people living in Surrey. We are very diverse and have a lot to contribute to this campus and this community.”  

McCarthy also stated that the new partnership with SFU will enable the SUILC “to leverage new funding to support [their] work and enhance the university environment for Indigenous students (and potential students).”  

“We have a lot of good will built up with the university and we are looking forward to what we can accomplish together for the benefit of the urban Indigenous community. The agreement is a great milestone, but now we have to roll up our sleeves and get to work,” he concluded.

With files from SFU News.

Environmental reform must commence in the next decade, scientist says

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Written by: Youeal Abera, Staff Writer

On January 10, SFU Harbour Centre hosted a public lecture from Dr. Joeri Rogelj, a renowned environmental scientist and contributing author of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). In his lecture, titled “Solutions For 1.5 Degrees: Which Path to Climate Change,” Rogelj explained what must be done to keep global temperatures under 1.5°C above pre-industrial warmth.

Before touching on the specific methods and actions that could help maintain the global temperature goal, Rogelj explained where the figure of 1.5°C came from. Following IPCC’s two-year review of the most effective methods of reducing climate change, they concluded that a 1.5°C increase would be significantly safer than 2°C.

A 1.5°C global increase, Rogelj explained, can only be attained through carefully calculated carbon budgeting, limiting the amount of greenhouse gases released. After this, Rogelj offered a few strategic approaches to help achieve the 1.5°C goal which focus on removing carbon dioxide (CO2) from Earth’s atmosphere.

One approach Rogelj shared was reforestation, which involves planting and rebuilding large bodies of trees. Trees remove CO2 from Earth’s atmosphere, absorb it into the tree’s roots, and emit oxygen back into its surrounding environment.

Another of these strategies was bio-energy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS). A refined form of environmental technology, BECCS involves building power plants which convert CO2 emissions in the air into more sustainable forms of energy, such as electricity or ethanol.

After going over carbon-removal options, Rogelj provided several other ideas. Among these were reverting to electricity to power our buildings and cities, substituting residual fossil fuels with low-carbon options for modes of transportation (i.e. using smart cars over gas-powered vehicles), and pushing for more environmentally sustainable agricultural processes, such as merging livestock and crop production.

Rogelj warned his audience that for limiting global climate increase to 1.5°C to be feasible, these methods and designs must be enforced within the next decade.

Following Rogelj’s lecture, Mark Jaccard, a professor at SFU’s School of Resource and Environmental Management, concluded by speaking to the audience about the significance of greenhouse gases as well as the collective responsibility the global community has in reducing them. He noted that reducing greenhouse gas emissions is “a global collective problem” and that government institutions are needed to solve it.

“It’s not good enough for us to say ‘look how stupid the politician is.’ We have to be able to design policies that a politician can do that would show leadership, do the right thing, and get them re-elected.”

Additionally, Jaccard shared a number of key practices that reduce greenhouse gases, such as pursuing carbon neutrality (obtaining a net-zero carbon footprint by balancing the amount of carbon released and taken from Earth’s atmosphere) and reverting to more sustainable eating habits (avoiding meat).


“Solutions For 1.5 Degrees: Which Path to Climate Change” is part of an ongoing lecture series from SFU’s Faculty of Environment called the Climate Future Series. Additional information on the IPCC, as well as the global incentive of keeping climate change to 1.5°C, can be found at their website.

SFSS and GSS endorse SFU Tuition Freeze Now

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Written by: Henry Tran, Coordinating News Editor

Several student groups on campus have endorsed SFU Tuition Freeze Now, an independent campaign to reject SFU’s proposed tuition fee hikes for fall 2019 for all incoming and current SFU students.

SFU Tuition Freeze Now was formed in October 2018 and has garnered the support of the Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS) Board of Directors and Council, the Graduate Student Society (GSS), the Teaching Support Staff Union (TSSU), SFU Left Alternative, and SFU Students of Caribbean and African Ancestry (SOCA) for their campaign.

SFU Tuition Freeze Now will voice their concerns about the proposed tuition hike at the upcoming Board of Governors meeting, which is set to take place on January 24 at 8 a.m, at the Vancouver campus.

In fall 2018, SFU administrators held a consultation session with SFU students, faculty, and staff about the proposed fee increase for the 2019–20 fiscal year. At this meeting, it was revealed that the tuition increase could range from 2–20% depending on the program students are enrolled in and whether they are a domestic or international student.

SEE MORE: “Students demand that “SFU Freeze Tuition Now!” as the university plans fee hikes”

Part of why SFU is proposing an increase is the lack of financial aid from the B.C. government. Peter Keller, SFU vice-president academic and provost, explained in a previous Peak article that the province remunerates SFU based on how many domestic grads and undergrads it enrols. However, SFU has exceeded this enrolment target, and the B.C. government is not paying the institution extra for the surplus.

As part of the provincial legislation, SFU has the right to increase tuition for domestic students by a maximum of 2% a year. For international students, there is currently no cap on tuition hikes. As a result, raising international students’ tuition is SFU’s only means of compensating for its underfunding, according to Keller in a previous Peak article.

However, some students don’t necessarily agree with the university administrators’ reasoning, and suggest that the university adopt an alternative budget.

Matt McDonald, SFU PhD student in economics claimed in a previous Peak article that SFU has consistently stated that “tuition and fee hikes are necessary to maintain a balanced budget,” but also that the institution has always made surpluses during the years where tuition and fees were increased, with the majority of the surpluses being invested into its endowment fund.

The Peak recently sat down with Kayla Phillips and Seamus Grayer, two co-organizers of SFU Tuition Freeze Now, about the group’s plans for the upcoming Board of Governors meeting. Phillips is a masters student in political science, and Grayer is a masters student in communication.

Grayer explained that at the January 16 meeting of the SFSS Council — an advisory board for the SFSS which comprises elected representatives from department and faculty student unions as well as constituency groups — the SFSS councillors have voted to support freezing tuition at SFU for the next two years.

The SFSS Board of Directors, on the other hand, will not be advocating against the proposed 2% increase for domestic students, according to Samer Rihani, acting president of the SFSS.

“We’re advocating for all the initiatives of SFU Tuition Freeze Now except for the 2% increase as we believe it is necessary due to costs of inflation,” said Rihani in an email interview with The Peak on behalf of the SFSS directors.

Besides this caveat, the SFSS Board of Directors has endorsed SFU Tuition Freeze Now and “their virtues of affordability [and] student activism,” said Grayer.

“We are trying to highlight how the consultation process has not been transparent and we are trying to convince the Board of Governors that they should implement an [alternative] budget that does not include tuition hikes,” said Phillips.

Phillips further explained that the SFU Tuition Freeze Now will have approximately 10 minutes to present their appeal to the Board of Governors. They will express how difficult the whole tuition-increase consultation process has been, particularly due to a “dearth of information” about the university’s operating budget. They will also discuss students’ experiences in their presentation, such as how tuition hikes have affected students in the past.

Phillips also mentioned that members of the SFU Tuition Freeze Now have tried to draft an alternative budget, but a lack of available financial information has made this difficult.

“We’ll finish up talking about our proposed motion to have an [alternative] budget drafted so that Board of Governors will have something different to vote on at the March’s [Board of Governors meeting] other than just the budget that’s already been posted,” Phillips added.

In response to the allegation that the university has not been transparent about its proposed tuition increase process, Martin Pochurko, SFU vice-president finance and administration, stated in an email interview with The Peak that: “Our process has been consistent over the past several years [ . . . ] The budget is currently being assembled by various departments across the University and as such the detailed numbers are not yet available to be shared.”

Pochurko also quoted a section of University Policy B10.15, the policy which governs “consultation with students on tuition fees,” Pochurko says.

“The final draft budget document recommended by the University administration to the Board of Governors will be made available to the Societies in advance of the meeting at which the Board of Governors will be asked to approve the recommendation[s],” he quoted from the policy.

The Peak reached out to Keller, but he was not available for comment by the publication deadline.

“I don’t think they ever expected as much resistance as they got. I’ve been here for 6 years at this point [where tuition has increased in the past] . . . and this is something that kinda happens and is never questioned,” said Grayer. “Affordability needs to be on the top of the priority list for this administration.”

Phillips also commented, “Besides freezing tuition, this is about [communicating to the university] that they can’t just do whatever they want and expect students not to speak out.”

Grayer and Phillips explained that SFU Tuition Freeze Now will also work with other institutions across Canada in the long run to make post-secondary education more affordable for everyone.

“We’ve been talking with the University of Regina, UBC, Selkirk College, so trying to build [a] unified university presence that’s outside of SFU to show the province and ultimately the federal government as well that this is something they need to invest in,” said Phillips.

Prior to the Board of Governors meeting on January 24, the GSS and the SFSS will hold a light breakfast from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. to accomodate students at the Vancouver Harbour Centre campus room 2290.

“They’re not going to listen to anything unless we get students’ [support] and we welcome student involvement in our campaign. It’s not just our group speaking for our group,” Grayer concluded.

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Simon Fraser University’s independent student newspaper since 1965.

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© The Peak Publications Society

Simon Fraser University’s independent student newspaper since 1965.

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

© The Peak Publications Society