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Strong recruitment class join solid group of veterans for SFU softball

By
Peak Web
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A bit of snow won’t stop the Clan for long this season. (Photo courtesy of SFU Athletics)

By: Dylan Webb

With heavy snow falling in the Lower Mainland as recently as this week and temperatures dropping below zero on a nightly basis, you might be surprised that softball season is technically already underway and just a couple weeks from being in full swing. The SFU Clan and its five new recruits for the 2018 season, despite less than ideal softball weather at home, are eagerly preparing for a season in which they hope to continue establishing themselves as a respectable National Collegiate Athletic Association softball program, currently the only one of its kind in Canada. The team is coming off the excitement of a team-building expedition to Australia, in which the Clan got some much-needed time on the field to sharpen up thanks to the friendlier weather on the other side of the earth. They will now settle in at home for a couple weeks before the regular season really gets going with the team enjoying five of the first six games it plays in the friendly confines of Beedie Field.

The team has already started non-conference play, currently holding a 3–0 record in neutral games. They begin their 2018 Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) campaign on March 3 at home as they face off against Montana State University Billings in back-to-back games before hosting Concordia University the following weekend. The team hopes to improve on a dismal 12–32 record from last year, which saw the team go winless for eleven straight games at one point.

The team enters the 2018 season having added five new recruits, a promising freshman class, to the squad as they look to inject their lineup with a youthful boost. Newcomers Kyra Watson, Megan Smith, Kate Fergusson, Hannah Boulanger, and Alex Ogg will attempt to contribute to the success of the team as it seeks a breakout season and an elusive playoff berth. Despite the excitement of this injection of new blood into the Clan lineup, the focus is likely to be on the now-senior players such as Victoria Saunders, Taylor Lundrigan, Alia Stachoski, and Taylor Gillis, as well as junior Hailey Gearey, to lead the team offensively and from the mound as they did last season.

Like previous years, the team’s preparations for the new season has been affected by the snowfall seen in the past few months. The winter likely poses a unique set of challenges for the team relative to other teams in their conference, as Burnaby Mountain is the most northern field the GNAC teams play in.

On the mound, Stachoski and Jessica Tate return to the team looking to solidify the defensive side of things for the Clan. With respective earned run averages of 5.27 and 3.84 and records of 4–15 and 0–2, the pitchers undoubtedly would like to improve their statistics in the 2018 season. However, despite slightly inflated numbers due to the struggles the team faced in finding wins, the two pitchers definitely provided a consistency last season that should be valuable again this year. Watson will be the newest addition to the Clan pitching staff, a Langley, BC native hailing from Yale Secondary.

Behind the plate, veteran Katherine Murnaghan looks to draw a significant portion of the work with junior Samantha Ruffett and the versatile Amanda Janes available in supporting roles. With respect to the catchers on the team last season, Murnaghan led the way offensively with a .269 average and 21 hits. Murnaghan’s impressive .992 fielding percentage, in what is typically one of the more challenging defensive assignments, demonstrates her capacity to impart some wisdom by experience on the younger catchers on the team.

On the infield, newcomers Boulanger and Fergusson join the squad as the Clan look to build up its defensive capabilities. The two players join veterans Lundrigan, Courtney De Adder, Gearey, and Saunders on the smaller part of the diamond. Gearey likely holds the most intrigue coming off a very strong freshman season in which she ranked in the top five on the team in all major offensive categories. Lundrigan figures to be the most prolific contributor from the infield corps as she looks to repeat her dominant, team-leading offensive performance from last season in which she posted an absolutely scorching .396 average with a blistering 55 hits in only 139 at bats.

In the outfield, Meghan Smith, the sole newcomer locked into an outfield position, complements a very strong veteran core that looks to provide the bulk of the Clan offence while anchoring the outfield defence. Chelsea Hotner, Dallas Tilley, and Gillis will return to the team looking to build off their strong offensive seasons, particularly in the case of Gillis who led the team in at bats last year.

Offence was the brightest aspect of the Clan season last year as three hitters had a better than .300 batting average. Lundrigan, Gillis, Gearey, and Saunders led the way at the plate, but the team as a whole arguably performed best on the offensive side of things. The team looks to build on this offensive success by rounding out the other areas of their game in order to take the pressure off their bats.

The team has already started off on the right foot in non-conference play having defeated Chaminade in back-to-back games outscoring their opponent 23–8 across the two games. Stachoski picked up the win in both games, starting the year in ideal form and logging some key early season innings in what has been challenging spring training as far as live game action is concerned. Hopefully the team will benefit from some kinder weather in the coming couple weeks in order to secure some much-needed field time.

All in all, the 2018 SFU softball roster looks as strong as it has in recent years and it is shaping up to be a better season than last year as some exciting freshmen complement a solid core of senior players with some real offensive talent. The team kicks off their hunt for a GNAC playoff spot March 3 at Beedie Field at 1 p.m.  Come out and support the team and catch some early spring softball!

Begin your March with an artistic flair at these events

By
Peak Web
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(Linda Shu / The Peak)

By: Alex Bloom and Eva Zhu

Growing Room: A Feminist Literary Festival comes back to Vancouver

(Image courtesy of Room)

Growing Room: A Feminist Literary Festival will be hosted by the West Coast Feminist Literary Magazine Society from March 1–4; the society also publishes the journal Room. The intent behind Growing Room is to bring to the forefront voices that aren’t heard as often. The event’s pamphlet states that “. . . a festival such as this plants the roots for creating, maintaining, and growing equitable spaces for the future.” There will be an opening night party on March 1 to begin the festival. Admission is $15. It will feature music by Too Attached, a band consisting of siblings Vivek Shraya and Shamik Bilgi, and will take place at The Fox Cabaret from 6:30 p.m.–11 p.m. Following open night, there will be an assortment of panels, readings, workshops, and special events offered from March 2–4.

     The multitude of events will cover just as many topics. For example, the workshop Making Visual Poetry: Translating Written Form into Graphic Content examines the nature of poetry and the interaction between written and visual art. Another workshop, Writing White*: Seeing Privilege as a Writer focuses on how a writer’s identity can affect their work. In addition to the workshops, the panels, and the readings by various writers, professional manuscript consultations will be available at the cost of $35. These manuscript consultations are offered only for manuscripts of 10 pages or less, so don’t bring the seven-part series you’ve been working on for the past 15 years. That said, it is a valuable opportunity for anyone working on a shorter piece.

Admission prices for workshop vary depending on length, but all panels and readings are by donation. Events are held across several locations in Vancouver. More information regarding specific events, registration, and locations can be found on the festival’s website.–AB

WePress art collective offering free workshop at SFU Woodward’s

(Photo courtesy of WePress)

WePress is not only a collective of creative minds ranging from artist, to typesetter, to drummer, but it’s also a community artspace in the Downtown Eastside. Every month they host various events and workshops, such as bookbinding, quilting, and box-making which aims to contribute to a sense of community empowerment in the Downtown Eastside. As stated on their website, WePress hopes that through making art, these people will be able to “build community capacity and resilience.” Events hosted by the collective are safe spaces for queer identifying people, so creatives of any kind can be part of the fun.

     Making Art in the Neighbourhood is a FREE workshop that lets participants make their own block print. It’s a perfect opportunity to meet other creatives from the Lower Mainland while learning how to carve a linoleum block. WePress will also host a presentation on the Sketchbook Project, a public art exhibition showing sketchbooks created by participants from the Downtown Eastside and professional artists. The exhibition is a partnership between Gallery Gachet (which is run by artists who make it their goal to empower other artists) and Powell Street Festival Society (whose goal is to celebrate Japanese-Canadian arts and culture). If you have nothing to do the night of, I highly suggest you attend the event. Getting to create art while socializing with potentially like-minded people? I call that a win-win.

The workshop and presentation will be held at the Djavad Mowafaghian World Art Centre in Goldcorp Centre for the Arts on March 1 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. The Sketchbook Project exhibition will be at Gallery Gachet from March 9 to March 18. –EZ

Meditation is more than an ascetic self-delusion

By
Peak Web
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deep meditation open mind

Written by Faizan Ahmed Arif, SFU Student

Meditation is for people who were born in monasteries or small villages; it is for the Eastern philosophers. Essentially, it is for people who have way too much time on their hands. They cross their legs, close their eyes, and somehow, supposedly, become mythically wise.

The popular perception of meditation, which confines it to the lives of monks and ascetics, is the perception that kept me from actually trying this practice for many years. I would say to myself, “I don’t want to transcend life; I want to live it well!”

Compelled partly by the recommendations of public intellectuals that I admire, like author and neuroscientist Sam Harris, and partly by the fact that some of my mind’s bad habits, like chronic worrying and an unhealthy perfectionism and orderliness, had gotten out of hand, I finally decided to try this ancient practice on for size in February 2017. It may have been the best decision I’ve ever made.

Recall a time when you were completely focused on what you were doing, like playing a sport or writing a paper. The task became all that mattered. Time sped up, your energy rose, and you were less attached to the output of your effort, focusing instead on the intrinsic experience the process was providing.

Renowned psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi calls these “flow” experiences. Through meditation, one can permanently abide in such a state. Even walking to class could become one of the most ecstatic experiences of your life once you develop the level of attention that makes day-to-day life truly stimulating.

A few months after I had started to meditate daily, I sat down to have dinner. I’m prone to overeating, and as I neared the end of my first serving, I started to fantasize how good the next serving would be. Usually, I would indulge in this fantasy to the point of eating more than I could easily digest.

This time, however, this urge passed without compelling me to eat more. I realized that meditation wasn’t just making me more aware of what was happening around me; it was teaching me an exceptional level of awareness of my own body. Once I attained that awareness of my base urges, they became as impersonal and irrelevant as a passing car.

You do not have to rely on my self-reported subjective experiences to convince yourself to meditate. Learning to pay careful attention to the present moment comes about through measurable neurophysiological changes. A study done at Harvard, which subjected participants to an eight-week course in mindfulness meditation, described by The Harvard Gazette as “[focusing] on nonjudgmental awareness of sensations, feelings, and state of mind,” found that it shrunk the grey matter in the parts of the brain related to stress and increased it in parts of the brain related to self-awareness and compassion.

The “flow” experiences I referred to earlier involve reduced activity in the brain’s midline regions, which are referred to as the “default mode network.” When you’re not focused on anything, these regions are highly active. During meditation, these regions are silent, because you are paying attention to your breath and being vigilant about distraction. Interestingly, over time and with practice, these regions get less and less active even when you’re not meditating.

I speak from experience when I say that you start to pay more and more attention to just sensory phenomenon: sounds, tastes, sights, and feelings. You’ll see that boredom actually does not feel boring when you try to see how it feels, and that the sound of a moving bus might be the most soothing melody in the world.

“Flow” is no longer reserved exclusively for stressful or difficult situations. It is your default state. The result? Black coffee starts to taste as good as hot chocolate.

Before you spill your bitter brew over the newspaper in sheer disbelief, let me assure you that all these experiences are available to you — at a price. After all, these things are impossible to realize without actual daily practice.

Start with 10 minutes a day. Over time, you may get the urge to raise it to 20 minutes, or even more, simply because the practice becomes more and more pleasurable as you learn the intricacies of it. Even if you keep it at 10, however, I feel no hesitation saying it is enough.

As you go about your day today, notice the parts of it when you are waiting for something to happen, like your bus arriving. Each time you identify such a part, ask yourself: “What would this feel like if this was the most ecstatic experience of my life?” Whatever you imagine the answer to be, the reality could be even better, and meditation can help you realize it.

SFU football takes huge step forward with strong recruitment period

By
Peak Web
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With 19 new recruits, the Thomas Ford era has officially begun. (Photo courtesy of SFU Athletics)

February 7 marked National Signing day for National Collegiate Athletic Association football. While head coach Thomas Ford arrived relatively late, officially starting the job on January 15 this year, there are still many faces to be excited about for SFU football going forward, and many more to come. As stated by Ford in an interview with The Sports Network, SFU has already gotten 19 commitments from athletes on both sides of the border, and are hoping to add more by the time the season kicks off. Meet some of the recruits that stood out to us from the 2018 signing period! 

Quarterback of the future?

Justin Seiber, quarter back

6’3”, 185 lbs

Last played: Kentwood High School

Hometown: Covington, Washington

One of the major positions that Simon Fraser was actively recruiting, it looks like SFU now has their quarterback of the future. Miles Richardson will be entering his senior season next year, and so looking towards the future made a lot of sense. Given the elite level that Seiber played at this past season at Kentwood High School, we may even be seeing some competition at the position as early as next year. Last season saw him boast a QB rating of 121.9, throwing for 299 yards per game with a .668 completion percentage. He also threw for 36 touchdown passes and seven interceptions in 11 games played. One of the standout performances of his high school career came on September 29, 2017, where he threw for 526 yards (fourth best in Washington State’s history), four touchdowns, and zero interceptions, while getting the game-winning touchdown with 2.8 seconds left on the clock. He’s a good size for the position at 6’3”, 185 pounds, and will look to terrorize opposing defences on Burnaby Mountain for years to come.

 

Major defensive signing

Shane Ward, middle linebacker

5’11”, 232 lbs

Last played: Sierra College

Hometown: Spanaway, Washington

Ward will bring a much-needed presence to the SFU defence, if his physical resume has anything to say about it. Just look at some of his physical attributes, as per Hudl:

40-yard dash: 4.8

Shuttle: 4.4

Bench: 370

Squat (lbs): 505

Deadlift (lbs): 495

In other words, don’t mess with this guy. The middle linebacker last played football at Sierra College in California, and has been brought to SFU on a football scholarship, just three hours north of his home in Spanaway, Washington. He should bring size and athleticism to the middle of the field, and help the SFU run defence along the way. Just don’t try to outlift him at the gym.

Best name

Tank Brewster, defensive end/linebacker

6’2.5”, 245 lbs

Last played: Mount Si High School

Hometown: North Bend, Washington

You know the Wu-Tang Name Generator that everybody tried out when they were in high school? I imagine that Tank Brewster got his name after his parents took a whirl on the defensive lineman name generator. He is much more than just a name, however, and backed up the “Tank” part with a great senior season this past year. He had 55 tackles, according to Hudl, including 8.5 sacks and one forced fumble. For his efforts, he was an All-State game nominee, as well as a All-League defensive end. Brewster is also a tank in the classroom, with a 3.1 GPA.

Most versatile

Robert Meadors wide receiver/outside linebacker

6’2”, 195 lbs

Last played: Heritage High School

Hometown: Vancouver, Washington  

While he will be moving to a city with the same name as the one he lived in across the border, Meadors was a strong presence on both sides of the ball for Heritage High School. His highschool mixtape shows him scoring touchdowns on the offensive side of the ball, and making goal line stops on the other end. Granted, he will probably primarily play as a wide receiver for the Clan, as he was named Second Team All League wide receiver this past season. He had 46 receptions, 729 reception yards, and eight touchdowns on offence, while making 79 tackles and grabbing three interceptions on the defensive side.

Complete commitments (as per SFU Athletics)

Thomas Bambrick DT

Tank Brewster DE

Evan Currie DB

Mason Glover CB

Casey Kendall CB

Bowen McConville DE

Isaac Muckian LB

Drew Nicholson LB

Shane Ward LB

Ethan Calapp OL

Nick Giffen OL

Dylan Hartman WR

Robert Meadors WR

Reace Mok RB

Devin O’Hea WR

Tyler Oliver WR

Lucas Sabau RB

Justin Seiber QB

Who is representing BC in PyeongChang?

By
Peak Web
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Canada currently has 27 medals at this year’s Olympics. (Photo courtesy of stux)

By: Eva Zhu

It is no surprise that Canada dominates at the Winter Olympics. We are consistently ranked top five in medal count and send hundreds of our best athletes to compete. This year — at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang — is no exception. 225 athletes were sent to the games, with 30 of them from British Columbia, and 63 having trained in this province at one point or another.

ViaSport, a non-profit organization funded by the provincial government, has and still is funding athletes who dream of playing their sports professionally. They have access to more than 70 BC sports organizations that deliver sport programs and services daily and gain access to coaching resources and information. The organization has world class programs and facilities which provide a daily training environment for athletes competing on the national and international stage. Here are the 30 athletes from BC competing at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympics, celebrating the excellence that has come out of BC on the world stage.

Andi Naude

After not making the 2014 games at Sochi for freestyle skiing, Naude swore to work harder than ever to make the 2018 games (her hard work paid off!) She earned her first medal (bronze) at the 2015 World Cup in Lake Placid and since then she has added to her medal count, now boasting nine in her career. She was born in Saskatchewan, but now lives in Penticton, BC.

Cassie Sharpe

Sharpe is a real threat on the international freestyle skiing stage. She won silver at the 2015 World Ski Championships, and just weeks later, won gold at the World Cup in France. In 2016, she won gold at the Oslo Winter X Games while wearing a back brace and won gold again at the 2017 World Cup with a badly broken thumb. To top her amazing string of victories together, she just won gold in PyeongChang at the women’s ski halfpipe event!

Denny Morrison

Morrison is a long track speed skating Olympic veteran having competed at Turin 2006, Vancouver 2010, Sochi 2014, and PyeongChang 2018. He also has an impressive amount of hardware, winning silver at Turin, gold at Vancouver, and silver and bronze at Sochi. He was born in Chetwynd, BC and grew up in Fort St. John.

India Sherret

Born and raised in Cranbrook, BC, Sherret went to the 2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games representing Canada, finishing a commendable fourth place. In 2015, she was the world junior champion in ski cross. However, not everything was going well in her life, as she suffered from bulimia nervosa for four years. After taking the 2015–16 season away from skiing to treat the disorder, she returned to skiing in 2017. In January of 2018, she finally made the World Cup podium with a bronze.

Jamie Macdonald

Although short track speed skater Macdonald lives in Montreal, she grew up in Fort St. John, BC. She made her World Cup debut in 2015, winning silver in the 3,000 m relay and in 2016, she took home an individual bronze medal at the World Cup in Dordrecht. She didn’t stop there, because in the 2016–17 season, she won five World Cup medals. At the PyeongChang selection trials, she finished second overall.

Jane Channell

Before competing on the world stage in skeleton racing, Channell was a varsity sprinter for Simon Fraser University. After graduating in 2011, she moved to Whistler to train full time. She stood on her first World Cup podium in December 2015 with a bronze medal. In January 2016, she upped that to a silver and matched that in the 2017 World Cup.

Josie Morrison

Long track speed skater Morrison has competed in multiple international championships, failing to medal until November 2017 when she took home World Cup bronze in the team pursuit. However, in 2011, she took home gold at the Canada Winter Games in Halifax. PyeongChang is her first Olympic games.

Justin Kripps

Former Summerland, BC resident Kripps is also a veteran on the Olympic stage, having competed at Vancouver 2010, Sochi 2014, and now PyeongChang 2018. Him and bobsleigh teammade Jesse Lumsden won the two-man silver at the 2017 World Championships. His Olympic experience has been rocky, finishing last at Sochi. He redeemed himself by winning gold at PyeongChang!

Kelsey Serwa

After multiple serious injuries, freestyle skier Serwa stood on the podium at Sochi with a silver medal, after fellow Canadian gold medalist Marielle Thompson. From 2011–15, she tore her anterior cruciate ligament twice and had to undergo surgery, which forced her to take time off. She began the 2017–18 season with a third place finish at the World Cup season-opener for her 19th World Cup medal. Adding to her success, Serwa won gold at the women’s ski cross event at PyeongChang.

Kevin Hill

Hill, a Vernon, BC native, dominated the snowboard cross event at the 2015 World Championships and won silver. A week later, he kept that winning streak going, receiving another silver at the Winter X Games in Aspen. In December 2013, he placed third in his first World Cup podium. He placed eighth at Sochi, and is currently competing in PyeongChang.

Marielle Thompson

At Sochi, Whistler resident Thompson fought hard to make sure the women’s Olympic ski cross gold medal was won by Canada, which it was! Thompson won gold over teammate Kelsey Serwa for a 1–2 finish on the podium. After making her World Cup debut in 2010, Thompson won her first gold medal at age 19 in 2012. She ended that season with six World Cup podiums, with three golds. She became the first Canadian ski cross racer to win a Crystal Globe.

Simon d’Artois

D’Artois made history when he became the first Canadian man to win the ski halfpipe event at the 2015 Winter X Games. He then made his first World Cup podium finish in 2017, placing third. He was born in North Vancouver, but now lives in Whistler.

Spencer O’Brien

At age 15, O’Brien switched from snowboard halfpipe to slopestyle when her local mountain stopped building the pipe. The switch paid off, as she won bronze at the 2008 Winter X Games in Aspen and then silver in 2009. She medaled once again in the X Games and in 2013, she won gold at her first World Cup championships. After taking a break after being diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, she went back to the world stage in 2016, capturing gold at the 2016 Winter X Games. She competed in Sochi, making PyeongChang her second Olympic games.

List of Athletes

Andi Naude

Andrew Ebbett

Benjamin Thomsen

Broderick Thompson

Carle Brenneman

Cassie Sharpe

Denny Morrison

Emma Lunder

India Sherret

Jamie Macdonald

Jane Channell

Josie Morrison

Julia Ransom

Justin Kripps

Kelsey Serwa

Kevin Hill

Larkyn Austman

Manuel Osborne-Paradis

Marielle Thompson

Megan Tandy

Mercedes Nicoll

Meryeta O’Dine

Reid Watts

Sarah Beaudry

Simon d’Artois

Spencer O’Brien

Stefan Elliott

Teal Harle

Tess Chritchlow

Yuki Tsubota

Women’s basketball win exciting season finale, await playoff fate

By
Peak Web
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Tayla Jackson played some big minutes in the fourth quarter while battling foul trouble. (Photo courtesy of SFU Athletics)

After what was, to that point, the most exciting game of the season on Tuesday night, the Clan outdid themselves again on Thursday evening. Taking on Montana State University Billings (MSUB), SFU and their opponent battled back and forth all game, with the home team eventually taking the win. Here’s how it happened:

In the first half, neither team could do anything to separate themselves from the other. The largest lead of the half was six for SFU, which they were able to do three times. Every time, MSUB bounced back, not giving the Clan any breathing room. While the Clan led for most of the half, the two teams would go into the break with a score of 33–31 for the home team, setting the game up for an exciting second half.

SFU began the second half in the driver’s seat, pushing the lead to ten after a three-pointer from Sophie Swant a few minutes into the third quarter. As good teams always seem to do, however, MSUB bounced back with an 8–0 run of their own before the Clan could get any real momentum. The Yellowjackets would then take their first lead of the game after a layup from Rylee Kane, before a Jessica Jones three-pointer for SFU regained the Clan a one-point lead heading into the fourth. Both teams knew the playoff implications of this game, and were positioned for an exciting fourth quarter.

The fourth quarter would prove to be a nail-biter, as neither team took control of the game at any point, even down to the last few seconds. With Tayla Jackson struggling with foul trouble, head coach Bruce Langford elected to bring her back into the game with 3:30 to go in a tie game. Right away, she made her presence felt, scoring the next six points for the team, and coming up with a huge block on the defensive end. With 26 seconds to go, however, she fouled out on a very questionable call, with the score 75–73 in favour of SFU. After making the first free throw, Rachel Koehler missed the second, before MSUB was able to steal the ball back and call a timeout. The ensuing possession was frantic as Koehler missed two shots in the paint before Swant came up with a huge rebound and was fouled. She would hit the ensuing two free throws, and win SFU the game 77–74.

Swant led the Clan with 17 points, seven assists, and two blocks. Jackson also came up with 16 points and two blocks. MSUB’s Kane led the game with 28 points, while Alisha Breen had 20 points for the visitors.

SFU has battled adversity all season, with a small roster size and injuries to key players throughout the campaign. After the game, Langford had this to say: “It feels nice to get the win, yeah it’s good [. . .] it’s definitely the most unique season I’ve ever had [. . .] it’s been a challenge in many ways. I think the last three or four weeks we’ve put together some pieces that have been helpful.”

The Clan now have a stronger hold on the sixth and final playoff spot, although they are still far from a lock for the postseason. Both Concordia and Washington play this weekend, and a win by either or both would create a tiebreaker situation for heading into the GNAC Championships.

New Music Friday

By
Peak Web
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0
(Linda Shu / The Peak)

By: Alex Bloom, Gabrielle McLaren, Courtney Miller, Natasha Tar

“Moon River” – Frank Ocean

Courtney Miller: First, why would anyone ever try to redo “Moon River.” Second, this is so so so extra with the layered vocals and the overproduction

Gabrielle McLaren: There’s a lot going on here . . . Maybe use it for a montage of someone running through the woods and then standing on a bridge while nostalgically looking at the lights of the city while contemplating their core issues?

Natasha Tar: Hot trash.

Alex Bloom: I love Frank Ocean, but I’m not feeling this one.

“Vincent” – Ellie Goulding

CM: I hear Ellie Goulding is a bit of a trash human being, but this isn’t awful — just done before by better people.

GM: I mean I’m not mad? I’m not impressed?

NT: Her voice is nice, meh lyrics though.

AB: Usually not my kind of thing, but I won’t skip it.

“Bottom of You” – Beatchild, the Slakadeliqs

CM: I know my general thing is to tastefully dislike 99% of these playlists, but I actually kind of, maybe, like this? I dunno. Cue the existential crisis. It is a bit repetitive though.

GM: Every time I start getting into it, the beat and mood changes and I get confused.

NT: I thought this was going to be rap! What’s going on??

AB: This song isn’t exactly sure what it wants to be, but maybe that’s the point? I’m not complaining, though.

“Hammer” – Bisa Kdei

CM: I don’t dislike it, would not seek it out, would not change the dial. Do people still say “change the dial”? Is that still a thing? Is it a different generation?

GM: Cool story, grandpa. On the song: OK, now we’re talking.

NT: I really like this actually.

AB: Smooth vocals and production. I’m definitely downloading this one.

“Sister” – Tracey Thorn, Corinne Bailey Rae

CM: I like the percussion and sometimes the melody, but otherwise it’s unimpressive.

GM: I don’t understand the BLOOooooOOoh sound that came on, but I’m actually into these vocals.

NT: For new music, this sounds like it’s from another generation.

AB: For me this song almost works . . . almost.

“Cutting Ties” – 6LACK

CM: How about, no. Monotonous and blasé.

GM: *long sigh* I feel like I’ve heard this before. And I didn’t like it then either.

NT: Ditto. All rap sounds basically the same to me.

AB: I’m gonna be that guy, but all rap doesn’t sound the same, a lot of rap these days does suck though.

“Thought Contagion” – Muse

CM: Lololol, Muse still exists? This intro sounds familiar. If you like Muse, then knock your socks off.

GM: When they invent time travel, I’m going to bring this song on a USB stick to 12-year-old me, slip it in the mail slot, and she’s going to have the best week of her life.

NT: This song should definitely be on a Scooby Doo movie soundtrack.

AB: I support the soundtrack idea, but I wouldn’t listen to this in any other context.

“Le fils à papa (remix)” – Vianney

CM: I like it. The remix isn’t as atrocious as I feared.

GM: So they made some choices as far as sound goes, but I’m down for these lyrics and fascinated by the occasional Shakira-trilling to his voice?

NT: Most of it is good, but honestly the weird yells in the chorus part kinda scare me.

AB: The vocals remind a little bit of Stromae, and although listening to this reminds me that my French isn’t as good as it used to be, I like it a lot.

“Sauce It Up” – Lil Uzi Vert

CM: Could this intro be any more unexciting. Save three minutes and 27 seconds of your life and skip it like I will now.

GM: The song peaks before it even begins when you read the title.

NT: Best part: the title. Worst part: the song.

AB: I’ll be honest, I just put this song on the playlist because the title made me laugh.

“Cocky” – A$AP Rocky, Gucci Mane, 21 Savage, London On Da Track

CM: Yeah, too fucking cocky without anything to back it up, get off my Spotify. Why do people give you money, they should be taking money from you to stop this trash.

GM: Why.

NT: I heard the words “candy mountain” and “layer cake” so is this song about . . . Candyland??

AB: I recognize A$AP Rocky is talented in his delivery, but his lyrics almost always make me cringe.

“Run For Your Life” – K.Flay

CM: I’m 95% sure I’ve heard this on a Charmed soundtrack somewhere, like when Phoebe *spoiler alert* goes dark for a spell.

GM: In what context do you listen to this other than ‘it’s part of the soundtrack of the movie I’m currently watching’?

NT: OK.

AB: I’m running.

“Wait by the River” – Lord Huron

CM: Does this guy do water songs because he’s named after a lake (fun fact: the lake is named after the Indigenous nation, so name-ception)? Without the creepy top layer of effects, it’s not half-bad. A little oldies-esque.

GM: I’m onboard. I can’t explain why, but I am.

NT: I remember he did most of the music for A Walk in Woods, so that was cool. This has a bit of a slow-dance vibe that’s different from that soundtrack, though.

AB: Why don’t we meet at a coffee shop by the river instead? It’s cold outside.

Art they should display at SFU

By
Peak Web
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0
Illustrations by Cora Fu

By: Hannah Davis

The $7 Coffee

This is a performance art piece that will last 10 hours. This art piece starts with a simple empty generic coffee cup sitting in the middle of Convocation Mall. Students will pass it by, taking no notice, maybe even occasionally kicking it over. After exactly five hours, a hired performance artist will appear out of nowhere. They will be dressed as any SFU student is — in a hoodie, jeans, a rain jacket, and semi-messy hair. The performance artist will then begin trying to pick up the coffee cup . . . but every time they get it off the ground, they drop it because it is too heavy. They repeat the line: “Coffee weighs heavy on my wallet and on my mind.” Students will walk by and see themselves in the fake student, inspired (but probably not) to stop drinking coffee. This really is a humanistic piece, if I, the artist who has no recollection of what it was like to be a student, do say so myself.

A giant butt sculpture


This piece is a giant butt sculpture to be placed beside the observatory on the SFU Burnaby campus. This is to demonstrate that, yes, while we are studying science, astronomy, and the infinite mysteries of the ever-expanding universe here at SFU — we are all still simply searching for some booty.

Who’s Tired?

This is a series of paintings to be hung around the SFU Academic Quadrangle. Each painting will be titled Who’s Tired? — and this will be indicated by a plaque hanging above the frame. When a student walks up to see the painting, they discover it is no painting at all, but a mirror. To this, the student will roll their eyes and walk away. This piece is jarring, reflective, and might (but, again, probably won’t) help students get more sleep. If we really wanted to help students get more sleep the university could lay off with all the irrelevant readings and random assignments . . .  but that’s not how university rolls.   

Free food performance piece

This is another performance art piece to occur at SFU. This one will demonstrate the ways in which students, burdened with some sort of financial instability, are always grateful to be fed for free. The piece will seem like a free food fair, because different tables will be giving away a variety of meals. In reality, the cooks are all performance artists who ACT like real cooks. All the students who eat for free will be taking part in a beautiful live performance, but they won’t even know it — they’ll just be appreciating a good meal.  

Free money performance piece

Another performance piece, consisting of a whole new cast of performance artists and actors. These actors will be handing out $50 bills to any student who walks by. These $50 bills will be attached to a fishing line, and once the student walks far enough away, the performance artist will yank the money out of their hands. In exchange, another actor will throw an iClicker at the student, which the student can keep. The student will inevitably say something like “I’d rather have the $50,” to which the actor will reply, “Sorry, you have to keep the iClicker instead, and you’ll use it in maybe one class for assignments that count for maybe 3% of your total grade.” This piece illustrates the ways in which university students must give up insane amounts of money for things that do not make sense. Every student who unwillingly participates in the piece will hate it.

Stuff we like and don’t like

By
Peak Web
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0
(Elena Hsu / The Peak)

By: Hannah Davis

Stuff We Like:


Re-watching The Office

It is no brag when I say that I have watched the show three times through . . . because I have spoken to people who have achieved that number and tripled it or better, leaving my three in the dust. One of my favourite aspects of the show is the way in which the writers have developed the character of Michael Scott (Steve Carell). His actions and words often make him entirely insufferable; and yet the writers have constructed him with such care that, incredibly, he is capable of redeeming himself at the end of each episode. The same dimensions and complexities are given to characters who may on the surface just appear uptight, or annoying, or mean. Excuse the cliché, but such is life: you’ll sometimes have to get to know a character in order to discover the really good stuff about them.

 

Stuff We Don’t Like:

Loose ground tiles at SFU

I don’t know if you’ve encountered these loose ground tiles, but if you haven’t, I guess you’re walking in all the right places. They can be spotted easily, but only retroactively. I have walked into quite a number of these in my undergrad career. They’re scattered about the outdoor walkways around West Mall and Convocation Mall, and when it rains, they fill with cold, cold water. I don’t know how the tiles get loose, but they crack and become slanted, and when stepped on at just the right angle (an angle I seem to always find), they will splash murky water up onto your pants and shoes. Worse yet, they get your socks wet. Watch the heck out for them.

Long story short: SFU is more beautiful than you think

By
Peak Web
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0
Image credit Tiffany Chan

By: Jennifer Low

When I first applied to SFU, I thought the school’s mascot was a bulldog. It was the general consensus amongst those of my friends who were already attending, and it seemed more likely to be a school mascot than Terry Fox. It was only when I had been attending university for two months that I finally got curious enough to Google my new school mascot. “What do you mean your mascot’s name is McFogg the Dog?” I heard from my Thunderbird relatives, and how could I not agree that we were just asking to be picked on as a clan of kilt wearing, moustached Scottish terriers.

In my two years of university, I’ve almost never heard anyone say anything positive about SFU. It’s slander day in and day out, and the most troubling thing? It’s always SFU students who are dishing out the negativity. “SFU is a prison,” they say. “What are you in here for?” But really, it’s hypocritical to complain about a lack of school community when you make no effort to build one.

I used to be like that. When others asked me what the greatest thing about attending SFU was, I always gave some half-joking answer about never having to walk through the rain to get to class, and then fell silent. It was that silence that made me wonder why I had nothing else to say.

Perhaps I had contributed to the jokes about SFU’s concrete structures and twisty, dark hallways, but I honestly never thought of SFU as a bad place. It wasn’t always a dismal, cloudy institution that was practically a ghost town after 4 p.m., but it wasn’t always the glossy front cover of a university advertisement either. It was just somewhere I had to be almost every day for the next few years.

One afternoon, I was walking through the Academic Quadrangle courtyard on the Burnaby campus, just feet from the reflecting pool, on my way to the bus stop. With barely a cloud in sight and the sun glistening against the smooth glassy surface of the water, I had no choice but to stop, take in the crisp mountain air, and look around. I would like to say that this moment was like a scene from a Hollywood movie where I, the main character, had a sudden epiphany that made me change my entire perspective, but alas reality does not deliver on such philosophical moments of enlightenment. In that moment, standing in the AQ Courtyard, I simply wondered how I had walked through the area so many times without stopping to look.

Someone once told me that Los Angeles is the ugliest city: a concrete jungle suffering beneath the sheer weight of its population or from a lack of urban planning, whose one redeeming quality is that it has the most beautiful places. I have come to realize that this is also true of SFU.

Perhaps the discovery of my school pride was only profound because the epiphany didn’t hit me like a bolt of lightning and instead took weeks. From that moment, as the days wore on, I found that every once in a while I would stop and find a scene of remarkable beauty. SFU was not just some ugly piece of concrete: I just hadn’t been paying attention.

Take the walk through the Trottier Observatory and Science Courtyard, for example. It is nothing short of picturesque. Convocation Mall, set aglow with lights and wreaths around Christmas time, is one of my favourite places. Despite the stress of exams, it makes me smile to see groups of SFU students huddled together, caring for that poor soul who has back-to-back exams by bringing them hot chocolate or offering them a free Christmas snack. Another place I love is a window in the depths of Robert C. Brown Hall where you can take a perfect picture of the snowfall that Burnaby Mountain is known for without having to step out in the cold.  

My favourite place by far has to be the rooftop in West Mall, where no matter the weather I can always seem to see both the mountains and the city skyline. That rooftop will always hold special meaning for me as I stumbled across this beautiful place on my first day at SFU, when not even Google Maps knew where I was going. A friend and I snapped a picture on top of that roof and swore that the day we graduated we would return to recreate the photo.

When that happens, I don’t want to be a prisoner desperate to escape the confines of the concrete walls, but someone who is proud to have called SFU home during the course of their degree. Someone who found beauty in a place that is written off for its foreboding exterior.

People still laugh when they hear the name of my school mascot and I still enjoy the occasional joke poking fun at SFU’s architecture, but when anyone asks me what is great about SFU, I am never at a loss for words.

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Simon Fraser University’s independent student newspaper since 1965.

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

© 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