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SFU Pipe Band’s Tori Killoran is here to change your perspective on the bagpipes

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Photo courtesy of Tori Killoran

By: Natasha Tar, Peak Associate

Fast Facts
Name: Tori Killoran
Pronouns: She/Her/Hers
Department Affiliation: Criminology (fifth-year student)
Hometown: Pitt Meadows, B.C.
Hobbies: Playing the bagpipes, highland dancing, and going for bike rides
Fun Fact: She started dancing when she was two years old, so she’s been dancing for almost 20 years of her life.

This August, the SFU Pipe Band joined 8,000 other pipers and drummers in Glasgow, Scotland to perform at the World Pipe Band Championships. The band has now triumphed as world champions seven times since their official conception in 1981, finishing fifth this year and thereby maintaining last year’s position.

This is all very impressive, but how much of this did we actually know already? Did we know that SFU had a pipe band? Are we wondering why SFU is host to a pipe band when we’re over 6,000 kilometres away from Scotland?

Before we think too much of the band itself, we must remember our connection to Scotland. Simon Fraser, our university’s namesake, was born to Scottish immigrants in New York, 1776. Because of this, our university has adopted a Centre for Scottish Studies, the Clan name for its athletic groups, and, as we now know, a pipe band. While the band had a humble beginning, simply as a way for our school to have more character, it has now grown into a worldwide entity.

To put this entity into perspective, we sat down with pipe band member Tori Killoran, a fifth-year criminology student at SFU with a flair for bagpipes and highland dancing.

Before she entered the world of piping, Killoran began highland dancing, a solo Scottish dance. She describes highland dancing as “more of [an] athletic type rather than a balletic type of dancing” that involves a lot of jumping and complicated footwork. She explains that after she began highland dancing, the accompanying music of bagpipes really caught her attention and she was inspired to learn to play.

From there, Killoran joined the Kamloops Pipe Band and then moved into the youth pipe band at SFU, known as the Robert Malcolm Memorial Pipe Band. “From there, the SFU Pipe Band is kind of the final step,” Killoran says.

“I was really quite amused and astounded at everything the Pipe Band was doing. I just really loved their music and I thought, ‘That’s the band I want to play with’ because they sounded so good and I wanted to be part of it.”

I ask her if it’s a bit surreal to have a top-tier pipe band in Burnaby. “Yeah, there’s a lot of people who really are actually surprised that there’s a big Scottish culture in the Vancouver area because we are so far away from Scotland,” she said. “It’s cool to be so far away yet so connected.”

Despite the distance, this year SFU’s band once again made it to the championships, and Killoran explains that “the world championships were huge, again, just like every year.” 13 nations were represented by the 214 bands in attendance, and over two days, 30,000 attendees watched pipers from New Zealand to Zimbabwe perform. The event was also live-streamed, so anyone who couldn’t make it to Glasgow could still tune in.

But Killoran proves the most memorable moments happen within the SFU Pipe Band itself. “There was this one concert that we did in 2015 and it was a fundraiser [. . .] At the time, one of the members of the pipe band had just been diagnosed with cancer. Unfortunately, he has now passed away.”

As part of the fundraiser, members of the band shaved their heads. “In particular, there was this one guy who had a pretty big beard, and a lot of people liked it. So he raised, just by shaving off his beard, an extra $100 . . .”

Now having all this information with me, I can ask Killoran my burning question: how do the bagpipes even work?

From the blow pipe, air is filled into the bag. When the bag is squeezed enough, then sound comes through the “chanter,” which is where the piper makes the tune by covering different holes. The “drones” are three pipe-like things near the top of the bagpipes, which is for the “background music,” according to Killoran.

“It’s not that the instrument itself gets easier, but you get stronger as a player,” she explains.

Despite the glory the band receives and the instrument’s complexity, the bagpipes still get tons of flack. I ask Killoran what she thinks when people say they “hate the bagpipes.”

“They probably haven’t heard a really good bagpiper to be honest,” she says. “It isn’t really a nice instrument if the person is squeaking a lot [ . . . ] Once you become confident with the pipes and you can play tunes well, they’re quite a nice instrument.”

“Hearing a good bagpiper or a good pipe band can really change someone’s perspective of bagpipes.”

From that, I hope many at convocation are inspired by the mix of youth and older pipers from the SFU band who play there. You might assume the competitive nature of the pipe band would make them intimidating, but Killoran assures me that the piper community is tight-knit enough that new and seasoned players are happy to mingle and support each other, especially at events like convocation.

Of course, getting to that professional level takes a lot of work. “[Piping] is kind of a mix between [a] hobby and a job for several reasons,” Killoran explains. “It’s a hobby because it’s something that we all really enjoy doing [. . .] but also a job because it takes up a lot of time for us. [. . .] I guess another way to look at it is as an ‘intense hobby.’”

Killoran also comments that while balancing school and the pipes can be challenging, she finds that piping and dancing act as a sort of “brain break” from studying.

In her first year, Killoran moved from Kamloops to Vancouver in order to start her studies at SFU and try out for the SFU Pipe Band. For most of us, first year was daunting enough, but Killoran explains she had “to learn all of this music because the [band] had a concert in Glasgow that year.”

“There was all of the competition stuff [and] it was just pages and pages and hours [of] repertoire that I was to memorize for the year if I wanted to be in the band the next year.”

However, Killoran found that it wasn’t all stress. “It was really tough to balance it all, but I found that learning the tunes actually kind of increased my productivity of studying because it was like a break, but, again, not actually a break. [. . .] That following September, I was invited to actually be a full member.”

Nearing the end of our conversation, I ask Killoran if she has any general advice for someone who’s interested in learning the bagpipes or even highland dancing.

“I’d say honestly just go for it. Find an instructor or contact the SFU Pipe Band or the [Robert Malcolm Memorial] Pipe Band just to get yourself started,” she says. “It can be as competitive as you want or you can just do it recreationally, both dancing and [piping] as long as you just get started.

“I’m a little bit biased because I love both of the things that I do, but it’s just such a great community to be a part of, really small, close-knit. [. . .] I would say just go for it, don’t let anything stop you. [. . .] You’re never too old to get started.”

For those of you who still believe SFU is community-less, the pipe band is yet another family that you can find on campus and become a part of. The youth pipe band (ages 6 to 18) starts up again on September 15, and any inquiries about joining any of the SFU pipe bands can be sent to [email protected].

SFU Rugby lose season opener 34–7 to Surrey

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As stated by head coach Conan Cooper, this is a good platform for SFU Rugby's season. (Kelsey Nikl / The Peak)

On Saturday, September 15, the SFU Rugby team opened their season with a home game against Surrey. The team played a tight game, but a few mistakes made the difference in what would end up being a 27-point loss. The score, however, is not representative of how the game was played.

This is what head coach Conan Cooper had to say on the topic in a post game interview with The Peak:

“Early in the season a little bit of indecision and just making the wrong call at the wrong time because [there’s] a group of new guys back together again. We made three or four decisions that gave them the ball. One of them they ran back in and three of them they kicked penalties off,” before adding, “For sure that score did not match the play, the play was very even.”

Penalties certainly hurt the team, and Surrey was able to capitalize. In early season play, however, this can be expected as the team is still not in the full swing of things. As the season continues on, expect to see the amount of mistakes, and their severity, decrease.   

“We’ve had a lot of good practices, it’s been focused a lot on fitness and just getting new guys in. So what I’m seeing now already is some of our attack phases that we haven’t even practiced [are being brought back from last season] and there’s a better gel than I saw at the start of last season,” said Cooper.

While starting out the season with a loss is rarely a positive thing, it sets a base for the team to work on heading forward.

“This is actually a very good platform for us, because the new guys have now been let in and they’ve seen the system live. It’s one thing to practice it but to actually play it out with these guys live – now there’s a bit of bonding that’s happened, a little more understanding of how our structure goes as we play.”

The lone try of the game for SFU Rugby was scored by Matt Herbert.

Peak player of the game: Tachara “Magic” Makanza

It’s only right to give the player of the game to Magic, who returned to the rugby field after spending over two years out battling injuries. He seems sure to be a force on the field for the team all season. This is what he had to say on his return, via message:

“It had been over two years since my last ‘dance,’ and I was beginning to lose the feeling [of playing], so one can imagine how anxious and apprehensive I felt when I had finally gotten the opportunity to dance again amid my recovery from torn ligaments. Thankfully, fueled by passion and trust in my new family [with the Clan], within the first 10 seconds of play all [negative] thoughts fled my conscience and freed me from constraint. I’m more than happy to say it felt like home. Excited for the future.”  

Board Shorts

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Irene Lo / The Peak

Written by: Amneet Mann, News Editor

 

Board increases budget for website redevelopment

In the latest Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS) board of directors meeting, the board passed a motion to increase the Web Site and Tech Support budget by $9,000. The funds for this budget increase were obtained from the unrestricted operating surplus.

The board also approved $7,500 plus tax to appoint Ballistic Arts Media Studio Inc. as the vendor for the website redevelopment.

The motion was carried, with the abstention of applied sciences representative Kia Mirsalehi.

 

Board recaps meeting with Beech’s office in response to SOCA complaint

Vice-president external relations Jasdeep Gill provided the context of the meeting, which was prompted by an email the board had received from Burnaby North MP Terry Beech’s office. The email was sent in regards to a complaint sent by the SFU Students of Caribbean and African Ancestry (SOCA) to Ahmed Hussen, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship of Canada.

Gill summarized that board representatives had an “informational meeting” with Beech in which the shared-space model being proposed for the Student Union Building (SUB) was discussed.

“The meeting was great, and then they did understand where the SFSS was coming from as the shared space model,” said Gill.

She stated that the board has since received an email from Beech’s office stating that the Department of Immigration had been forwarded the details of the meeting, and that “there’s no further action that they’re taking at this moment.

“As of now, they’re not requesting anything of the society, and the initial correspondence has been sent back,” said Gill.

SOCA president Giovanni Hosang stated that SOCA “also reached out.”

“We will be hearing additional information from the Department of Immigration as well,” he said.

 

Board holds discussion regarding SUB space with representatives from rotunda groups

Representatives from the organizations currently operating within the rotunda were invited to the board meeting to discuss SUB space. Further details regarding this discussion from The Peak will follow.

 

Board forms sexual violence and prevention working group

Gill began this discussion by stating that the SFSS is not currently covered under GP 44, SFU’s Sexual Violence and Misconduct Prevention, Education and Support policy.

“The recent events have [ . . . ] made this policy an absolute priority this year,” said Gill. She stated that the SFSS was looking to collaborate with the Women’s Centre, Out on Campus, and SFU’s Sexual Violence and Prevention Office to develop the policy.

“I’d also love the board’s support on this so future incidents of sexual harassment that do take place in the board can be handled at light speed,” she said.

 

Board approves motion to submit collective letter for AGM report

Gill brought this motion forward. She stated that, as president Jas Randhawa had missed the September 5 deadline to submit a president’s letter for the Annual General Meeting (AGM) package, the board had drafted a collective letter to be added to the report.

“I just assumed that it would be better to have the message come collectively since I wasn’t able to get my agenda items onto the AGM,” commented Randhawa in response.

The motion was carried with the abstention of Randhawa.

 

Board approves posting of impeachment press release document on official SFSS channels

Rihani commented that the document had already been distributed via the board members’ personal social media channels. He stated that the purpose of posting the impeachment press release on the SFSS’s website was to “show people that this is the general voice of the board that’s been decided on together.”

Randhawa commented that he wanted to motion to add his own document drafted in response to the impeachment press release onto the SFSS website as well to “share my perspective on the channels.”

Rihani responded that the board could not address Randhawa’s motion in the current board meeting as it had not been officially added to the meeting’s agenda.

The motion was carried with the absention of Randhawa.

 

Board decreases budget for SCC Barbecue Social event

The budget, which was approved to be up to $2,100 in the previous Board of Directors meeting, was decreased to $1,100.

Gill explained that the board had approved the previous amount in the case that the Mechatronics Systems Engineering Student Society (MSESS) was unable to get a grant approved for the event. As the MSESS was successful in obtaining the grant, the SFSS could reduce their investment in the event.

The motion was carried.

Eighth Grade is a brutal yet loving confrontation on adolescent misery

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Photo courtesy of A24

By: Kate Olivares, Peak Associate

This review contains no spoilers!

It’s perhaps the biggest cliché to say grade eight sucks. But unlike so few works of art, Bo Burnham’s breakout film not only chooses to not only deconstruct its unique pain, but also dares to make others experience it all over again.

      Eighth Grade follows 13-year-old Kayla Day as she maneuvers her last week in junior high,  dealing with anxiety, insecurity, and an intense desperation to belong. What results is a generous dose of skin-crawling second-hand embarrassment scene after scene as the film forces the audience to relive the most awkward, feverishly-repressed memories puberty entails. My commitment to avoiding spoilers withholds me from describing such events in the story, but you have my word: they are agonizing.

     As a devout critic of cringe humour, I am amazed by how Burnham uses it in this film. Cringe humour is often used to create a two-dimensional punchline to elicit an easy laugh, but here, the cringe is not cynical or cheap, but empathetic and raw. By making Kayla such a well-rounded character, the embarrassment we experience with her becomes an extension of our own adolescent identity: our skin crawls not because we despise her, but because we are her. Unlike cringing at Michael Scott’s idiocy, we shy away from her actions out of an intense connection to what she feels. The choice to provoke discomfort is the basis of the film’s emotional core: it is brutal and uncompromising, yet compassionate and kind. This achievement lies with the movie’s heart and soul, actress Elsie Fisher. Fisher beautifully portrays a girl exhausted with her world, but who remains unwaveringly kind. While the intimate relationship the audience builds with Kayla makes it painful to see her experience her turmoil with school, it also makes Kayla experiencing her joys an even more rewarding experience to watch.

     Social media is an inevitable aspect of any modern portrayal of eighth grade. As Kayla diligently scrolls through today’s various media platforms, trying to break out of her shell on her own terms, it brings up a really interesting dynamic between performing online and anxiety. More specifically, the double consciousness most teens bear through heavy social media use: are these platforms a tool, or a detriment for shy teens? Eighth Grade understands that kids can be desperate to express themselves even though they have no idea who their own “self” may be — and portraying this inherent contradiction in social media with such nuance, and such care, helps make Eighth Grade’s script so effective.

     For fans of Burnham’s work, it’s a remarkable thing to watch him extend his trademark self-awareness past his own consciousness, and apply it to this remarkable protagonist. Despite the film’s aforementioned challenges to to the human condition — or perhaps because of it — Eighth Grade is a hilarious delight. The film is a soul-healing gem among the barrage of summer blockbusters. It encourages you to feel, to empathize, and forgive your 13-year-old self for trying so desperately to be a human being.

 

The Americans of SFU want political engagement to surpass geography

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Image courtesy of New America Media

By: Gabrielle McLaren, Features Editor 

3 to 6 million American citizens are living outside of the United States, for a variety of reasons. And as it turns out, Metro Vancouver appears to be a hotspot for American expats living in Canada. Among them: 183,155 eligible U.S. voters as of 2016, which is more than the population of Abbotsford to give you an idea. It is the largest number of any major city outside the United States.

A group of them at SFU have nicknamed themselves “Americans of SFU,” and are committed to “getting out the vote” despite the distance.

If you were wandering around Convocation Mall on Thursday, September 6, you might have missed their stand in the midst of fire pits and enormous lines for free food, but they were there. Their table was decorated with a red tablecloth and two American flags, and covered with information packets, business cards outlining the process to get registered, and even registration packs.

“I always felt that with what’s going on with politics in the states right now, it’s really important to be engaged sort of in the democratic process,” said James Smith, a dual citizen and staff member at SFU who took a vacation day to man the booth. “Basically I just started to reach out to anybody I could on campus that [ . . . ] was an American citizen and to see if we could get something going in terms of voter registration or anything like that,”

Smith made connections with like-minded grad students and faculty members. They also checked in to see if an undergraduate club had been formed by SFU undergraduates, in the same way that the Chinese Students Association or the Students of Caribbean and African Ancestry are active on campus, but found nothing. Right now, their core group is only four or five members, but the club is only a few months old. They’re hoping to expand their activities through social media and actual acts of presence on campus, such as their Week of Welcome stand.

For the Week of Welcome, their main goal was to register voters abroad for voting in the midterm elections.  

“[Midterm elections] happen every two years, and every two years every member of the lower house of Congress, the House of Representatives, is up for election. And a senate term is six years long, so about every two years about a third of senators are up for election,” Smith noted for Canadian students who may not be used to the United States’ multi-election system.

“That’s the entire sort of legislative branch of the American government that is basically there to hold the other branch accountable,” he said. “It’s very important to be engaged, especially in the current political climate, to be involved in all federal elections whether it’s a presidential election or not.”

The vice-consul of the United States Consulate in Vancouver, Weldon Montgommery, was also present at the event. The U.S. Consulate is a resource to support American citizens in the city, regardless of whether they find themselves in Vancouver for work, travel, or schooling. Assistance with passports, registering to vote, keeping tabs on where American citizens are in case of a natural disaster or emergency abroad — all these sorts of things are covered by the Consulate and other branches around the world.

While not everyone has to worry about knowing where the nearest consulate is on a day-to-day basis, according to SFU, around 20% of the university’s undergraduate population are international students. In fall 2017, 28.3% of graduate students were international students and 27% of them had earned their bachelor’s degree outside of Canada. While it’s not clear how many of these students are American, according to the University’s headcount, the percentage of international students is growing.

For the Americans of SFU, getting in touch with the student body is crucial since they represent the largest segment of the SFU community. Furthermore, the 18–29 year old demographic (AKA the age of most students) is also notorious for low voter turnout. In the last presidential election in 2016, only about half of 18–29 year old Americans eligible to vote actually cast a ballot. And the problem isn’t just American: in 2015, 57% of Canadian 18-24 voters voted, which was in itself a huge leap from 2011.

“If you’re an American citizen you can vote from anywhere,” Smith noted. “But it can feel sometimes like just voting isn’t enough engagement with the democratic process in the States.”

Smith also mentions that students should feel welcome and comfortable to reach out to other organizations, since American expats are far from being alone in Vancouver. As an example, Smithx offers the Vancouver chapter of Democrats Abroad.

“Even if you are not in the States you can volunteer to do things like phone banking, or candidates within the States are doing texting campaigns and that kind of thing. You can donate to campaigns in the States if you’re a U.S. Citizen . . . ”

Bottom line: there’s a lot of different ways to get involved, and Americans of SFU are also getting their hands dirty and digging into other sides of the issue. Another member of the small group, Dr Melek Ortabasi, noted in an email to The Peak that: “We’ll also be organizing some phone banking parties in the coming weeks. We’ll be calling in support of Democrats Abroad, or your candidate/campaign of choice. Anyone can do it!”

To make the time fly even more quickly, the Americans of SFU will be booking rooms on the Burnaby campus in the evenings to call together. Ortabasi also provided the link to a Doodle, to which she encourages volunteers to sign up.

“If you haven’t phone banked before, it’s easy,” said Dr Ortabasi in an email statement. “We’ll be using the CallHub software platform, which basically supplies you with ready-made scripts and makes all the calls for you, for free! All you need to bring is a laptop, some earphones/buds, and a positive attitude (well, OK, some snacks would be good too).”

While this event is definitely more partisan, Ortabasi is clear that the Americans of SFU are not necessarily a partisan organization as a whole. Smith also emphasizes this facet of their group.

“The reason that we discussed this initiative to be non-partisan and to be able to get the support of, for example, the consulate here in Vancouver . . . to get the support of the university as well,” Smith says. It’s a question of putting political engagement at any level over partisan engagement at any level.

Eager to see Americans of SFU grow, Smith mentions that students can reach out to him at [email protected] should they want to get involved. A lot of the voter registration onlines are only in October, according to Smith, so there is still plenty of time to get involved.

“If American citizens in Vancouver or in British Columbia want more information about voting overseas, they can email the consulate at [email protected],” Montgommery tells us as well.

For Canadian students who need only turn up at a local elementary school or library to vote, looking at the lengths to which expats can go to stay in touch with politics back home can also be thought-provoking. The Americans of SFU offer some interesting food for thought as Canada gears up for its next federal election in 2019, and Burnaby South prepares for a by-election even sooner.

Album Reviews

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By: Youeal Abera and Geron Malbas

 

K.T.S.E. by Teyana Taylor

K.T.S.E., just like Teyana, is lovable for three reasons: it’s dynamic, honest, and unabashedly authentic.

     In 2014, Teyana Taylor released her debut album, VII. Although a great contribution to R&B, the record was immensely underappreciated. Nevertheless, this past June, Teyana released her second studio album, K.T.S.E. (Keep That Same Energy). With it, Teyana made one thing certain: she will no longer be ignored.

     The album begins with the sexy “No Manners,” where Teyana boasts over her sybaritic relationship with her husband. The following track entitled, “Gonna Love Me,” has Teyana singing from a much more vulnerable place where she sincerely asks, “Are you gonna love me?”. Further along the tracklist, Teyana celebrates her sexual liberation with tracks like “Hurry,” and “3Way.”

     However, the album’s preeminent track, “Rose In Harlem,” stands as the highlight of the album. With lyrics like, “Grew out the concrete, you know it ain’t sweet,” the song seems to warn her musical counterparts that thanks to her Harlem upbringing, Teyana is more than capable of overcoming any curveball Hollywood throws her way. -YA

 

Troye Sivan – Bloom

      If you mix amazing pop music, romance, and unapologetically queer representation into a piece of music, you get the beautiful floral arrangement of an album that is Troye Sivan’s Bloom.

     On this album, you get songs like “My My My!”, “Lucky Strike,” and “Plum” that explode with energy and passion both in the album’s rhythm and beats. But you also get slower songs like “Seventeen,” and “Postcard” which serenade listeners with the emotions attached to young love and relationships.

      Bloom comes out a little under three years after Sivan’s premiere album, Blue Neighbourhood (2015), but you can hear both the growth and maturity Sivan underwent during his astronomical rise to musical fame.

      I definitely recommend leaving this album on repeat because of how seamlessly the songs transition into one another, and how easy of a listen the album is as a whole. – GM

 

Love Me/Love Me Not by HONNE

     If you love music that gets you grooving or puts you in a mood to dance, then this album is definitely for you. HONNE’s Love Me / Love Me Not takes their synth pop- and R&B-fuelled style to the next level with more featured artists and a more vivid sound than their previous album.

     The vocals on this album seem to be sharper and more pronounced than their first, bringing a lightness to each song that always puts me in a good mood. Songs like “Location Unknown,” “Me & You,” and “Crying Over You” get my body swaying and head bobbing along. In addition, featured artists on the album like Tom Misch and Nana Rogues were all paired to their respective songs beautifully.

     For anyone who enjoys music best for dancing in the comfort of their bedroom, or jamming along to on their commute, this album will pleasantly fit that category. – GM

 

Silk Canvas by VanJess

     Many may believe that R&B is “dead.” But with artists like VanJess, this couldn’t be further from the truth.

     This year on July 27, VanJess dropped their LP titled Silk Canvas. Packed with 14 beautiful tracks, Silk Canvas is quite arguably one of the best R&B releases in recent memory. The hypnotizing melodies, the luminous 808 drums, and enchanting harmonies which Ivana and Jessica Nwokike showcase throughout their album makes Silk Canvas the masterpiece that it is.

     Perhaps the greatest feat that VanJess accomplishes on Silk Canvas is their ability to integrate traditional R&B, Afrobeat, and soul into an alternative audio-sensory collage. As a result, listeners take a musical journey that is far too difficult to compare with anything released on the pop charts.

     Tracks include the sensual “Control Me”, the infectious “Through Enough” featuring GoldLink, and triumphant “Best Believe” which altogether make Silk Canvas a terrifically diverse record. – YA

 

Women’s soccer kick off GNAC season with convincing 4–1 win over Western Oregon

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Emma Pringle is one of the favourites to lead the GNAC in scoring this season. (Photo courtesy of SFU Athletics)

Things could hardly have gone better for the Clan as they held their home opener on Saturday, September 15 against Western Oregon. The team dominated in all aspects of the game, and showed off the attacking style of play that head coach Annie Hamel discussed to The Peak in a preseason interview. With the win, SFU is now 1–0 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC). Here’s how it happened.

Jenna-lee Baxter got the GNAC season started on the right track, scoring a goal into the top-left corner of the net six minutes and 11 seconds into the season. Before the end of the first half, she would show off her playmaking abilities, putting in a perfect cross to Emma Pringle who headed it in for the second goal of the game. The teams would go into the half with a score of 2–0.

Things weren’t as easy to start the second half, as a goal for Western Oregon by Alexie Morris made the score 2–1 in the 63rd minute. Less than 10 minutes later, however, Pringle responded in a big way. She took a pass at the top of the box for Baxter and could not have placed it better into the net, as the ball hit off of the crossbar and in. Shortly after, Teagan Mackay’s first goal of the season ended all possibilities of a comeback, making the game 4–1, which would end up being the final score.

When asked after the game what it means for the team to start the season off so strongly, Hamel responded with:

“It was good performance. Good and bad moments today throughout the game but thankfully we were able to capitalize on some great opportunities and put the game away on Emma’s second goal to make it 3–1.”

Peak player of the game: Emma Pringle/Jenna-lee Baxter

The attacking tandem was at its best today, and both players played excellently. The pair continuously made each other better last season, and this season looks to be no different. When asked after the game on their efforts, this is what Hamel had to say:

“Emma and Jenna have a great partnership, it just clicks. The fun thing this year is that we are getting production from different players at different times, something we’ve struggled with in the past.”

When asked about Pringle’s scoring abilities, Hamel responded with:

“Emma is an extraordinary player, she is always a threat for the opponent and a player they have to account for. Her work ethic and positioning are brilliant. We are so lucky to have her on our team.”

What’s next:

Next, the team will travel to Western Washington University to face off against the Vikings, a team that will also look to compete at the top of the conference. The game is on Saturday, September 22 and kicks off at 4 p.m. This is what Hamel had to say about SFU’s next opponent:

“Western Washington [is] a tough opponent with quality players. We will be looking to build off our performance today and fine tune some detail in our defensive and attacking structure to limit the mistakes in our next game.”

Peak Speak: What Do You Think You Were in Your Past Life?

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On this week’s episode of Peak Speak, we ask students what they think they were in their past lives.

Created by Gene Cole and Dino Dang

Meme culture around our student politics is getting in the way of taking it seriously

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Photo by Maxwell Gawlick / The Peak

Written by: Youeal Abera, Staff Writer

In 2018, millennials have found a primary method of communication on social media can be through recurring jokes.  Meme culture, the habit of conveying messages through captioned and/or edited images and jokes, is often a go-to method for articulating opinions online. Although this form of communication usually stems from a light-hearted foundation, it isn’t uncommon to come across a meme that pokes fun at a rather serious incident.

As many of you may know, on September 24 the Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS) will have their annual general meeting. At this particular meeting, in light of certain claims, it will be decided whether or not the current SFSS president will be impeached.

Under the given circumstances, the potential impeachment of the SFSS president stands as a fairly serious situation, one which should carry a particular level of seriousness, correct?

Well, it doesn’t seem to be so far.

In recent weeks, the popular online group SFU Dank Memes Gang has posted memes that make light of the possibility of the SFSS presidential impeachment. These memes have accumulated a fair number of likes, and have become a fairly common topic for the page in the past several weeks. One recent example from the page is an image of the president’s face photoshopped on top of a muscular cartoon figure. A caption underneath reads, “Better back the fuck up before you get smacked the fuck up.”

The Internet is a chaotic place. We are all well aware of this truth. Nevertheless, when it comes to issues of allegations and grave conflict, the constant flow of memes may have harmful consequences.

What needs to be vehemently considered is the degree to which individuals receive their news from meme pages. Believe it or not, some SFU students receive their news and information of what’s transpiring at school through SFU Dank Memes Gang. With such a light-hearted tone, it fails to provide a refined outlook of what’s truly occurring within the SFSS, which can greatly misrepresent things to students who are trying to learn and keep up with the situation.

This has already been a significant point of discussion throughout the recent political climate of the US. Proceeding 2016’s election of Donald Trump, the US has become inundated with a number of vexing presidential decisions. Consequently, many Americans have taken upon themselves the task of alleviating the severity of such political decisions with the manifestation of comedic memes and meme pages. By now we’ve all seen many depictions of Trump as a Cheeto, but it distracts from the greater issues by falling on jokes that get endlessly repeated.

Just like America’s comically charged political atmosphere, the creation or distribution of memes, that cover the claims and incidents of the SFSS may need to be reconsidered. Sure, these posts are intended to be innocuous and funny. But the content of SFU Dank Memes Gang is both belittling the ardent affairs of the SFSS, and raises a concern of meme-viewers failing to conceptualize the severity of such instances.

Zombie apocalypse fashion journal

By
Peak Web
-
2
Illustrated by Phoebe Joy Lim

Written by: Hannah Davis

Dear Diary,

It’s been eight days since the zombie apocalypse. A small group of unlikely friends, including myself, are living in an abandoned weapons and survival gear factory, so we’ve been able to successfully fend off the zombie hordes outside, as well as reenact scenes from Saving Private Ryan.

The other day I met a really nice zombie named Benjamin, and I’ve been keeping him hidden in the rafters since then. He’s a really good guy, but the other survivors wouldn’t understand: they’re all “we must avoid getting The Infection” this and “Rebecca, we’re afraid you’re going to contaminate us all if you keep trying to touch the undead” that.

Needless to say, they don’t know about Benjamin, my rafter zombie boy, because they wouldn’t approve. It doesn’t matter though: I sneak up to see Benjamin when nobody’s looking and we make out. Maybe I will even give him my flower one day, but that’s a story for another time.

What I am really writing to tell you, diary, is that something amazing is happening. Ever since the zombie apocalypse, I’ve realized that all those Hollywood survival movies are really accurate. Take it from me, those characters on screen look exactly like actual apocalypse survivors.

I started to notice the changes slowly. On the first night of the apocalypse, I had run out of my house wearing pyjamas when an undead mob came through my neighbourhood one moment, and the next, I was suddenly in a completely new set of clothes. My flannel bottoms turned into heavily pocketed, durable cargo pants . . . my housecoat turned into a form-fitting black tank top and an army style jacket . . . strangest of all, I was suddenly equipped with a utility belt filled with pocket knives, can openers, and even some band-aids.

When I would get dirty pre-apocalypse, it would get everywhere: all over my face, my arms — wherever dirt could stick, it would be there. But now, I get this thing I like to refer to as dirt contour. It’s a phenomenon I mysteriously have no control over.

Whenever dirt gets on my face (and there is always dirt on my face, duh), it sticks only to the places that are most flattering. It smudges in the hollows of my cheeks and along the sides of my nose, acting as a sort of magical mucky bronzer. Similarly, sweat will only shine on my cheeks, the top of my lip, anywhere that will make me look glowy but not gross. Even the cuts on my face look nice. I got a scratch the other day, right along my cheekbone, but its placement absolutely complimented the shape of my face.

These last few days have been very weird, diary, and Benjamin is a very bad listener, so I am glad I have found a friend in you. I wish I could hear what you think about the fact that my hair never, ever gets greasy, and that my bra is more supportive and push-uppy than ever (which is especially great when I decide to run in slow motion). I feel like there is a Hollywood make-up artist watching over me . . . doing all they can so I do not look, gasp, unattractive.

Thanks for listening, diary. Until next time,
XOXO
Rebecca

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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