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Horoscopes November 12 – 18

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Peak Web
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An illustration of a girl, stars and astrological signs strewn in her hair.
ILLUSTRATION: Marissa Ouyang / The Peak

By: Manal Kashif, SFU Student

Aries 
March 21–April 19

Let’s be honest: Aries are the pursuers in any relationship because of their headstrong attitude. You know who else doesn’t stop until they get what they want? The popular girl in every high school romance movie who just so happens to be dating the 6’4 quarterback with a 2.0 GPA (bonus if they’re played by an actor 10 years too old to be a teenager). Aries would give Regina George a run for her money any day. 

Taurus
April 20–May 20

Taurus as a rom-com lead would be too practical of a character, so what better way to stir up their love life than by giving them a strangers-to-lovers plot line? Perhaps being stuck on an economy flight and chatting with a flirty stranger the whole way to your destination will make you put your guard down and take a leap of faith as you explore London together. 

Gemini
May 21–June 20

Step aside, everyone; Lara Jean has entered the picture! No one would handle the pressures of fake dating better than Geminis because who else has a personality with that much duality? Maybe you will find your own Peter Kavinsky this season (it’s a reach, though, but perhaps a situationship?).

Cancer
June 21–July 22

It may be cliché, but we love it nonetheless, so make room for a reunion with childhood friends! Cancers, with their sweet and sensitive approach to life, would instantly shed tears once reunited with the one they met in elementary school who moved abroad but came back at the most inconvenient time in Cancer’s love life. 

Leo
July 23–August 22

Fun, outgoing and incredibly dramatic, Leos give off all the energy of someone who would end up in a high school sweethearts situation. This is the on-and-off, five-breakups-but-are-still-trying-to-make-it-work-in-university type of relationship that has the audience hooked regardless and believing that they’re soulmates because they’re just that cute.

Virgo
August 23–September 22

Pining after your ex? We expect nothing better from you, Virgos. So you can claim second-chance romance as your gateway to keep duping yourself into thinking the person who left you behind years ago is ready for you now. Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again!

Libra
September 23–October 22

Too many options is bad for anyone, including you, Libras. Maybe if you stop flirting with every single person at the bar? Then, you might actually find yourself in a fulfilling relationship someday instead of being stuck as the second lead in a rom-com who is still alone by the end of the movie.

Scorpio
October 23–November 21

Since Scorpio has the flirting capability of a child who pulls girls’ pigtails on the playground, it would make sense for their love story to start with a bucket full of hatred. You can see them in an office chair, seething because their coworker did something to gain their disapproval again (Hating Game, we see you). Or perhaps it’s the guy at school who gets on your nerves, but you’re strangely attracted to him. We can’t wait to see the enemies turn into lovers, though!

Sagittarius
November 22–December 21

Love could be chasing you, but you would still somehow manage to outrun it like the rom-com player afraid of commitment. Take a few steps back, and you might find yourself someone who is willing to love you at first sight. The second meeting might not be in your favour once they see how reckless you are in every aspect of your life. 

Capricorn
December 22–January 19

Sorry Capricorns, but when all your schedule consists of is work and your leisure time filled with even more work, the best that can happen for you is a friends-to-lovers trope because God knows your friends are the only ones who stick around to get glimpses of the rest of your personality. You’re not Anne Hathaway and this isn’t The Devil Wears Prada so stop being a workaholic that puts their job over everything else.

Aquarius
January 20–February 18

Aquarius thinks they’re intellectual enough to not get their heart swayed easily which is why we have upgraded from high school romance territory to college romance. Now, put them in a literature class like Tessa and Hardin from After and watch that resolve go downhill (we know you want to be right). 

Pisces
February 19–March 20

Easily the most romantic sign but can too much romance be a thing? Pisces is indecisive enough on a good day but put them in a love triangle situation and they’ll be making every bad decision possible in a 1 hour 45 minute film. Anyway, team Conrad or Jeremiah?

Student advocacy coordinator discusses AI and academic integrity at SFU

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Peak Web
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This is a photo of ChatGPT open on a laptop.
PHOTO: Emily Le / The Peak

By: Lucaiah Smith-Miodownik, News Writer

The Peak recently spoke with Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS) student advocacy coordinator Trish Everett on how SFU has approached the issue of inappropriate artificial intelligence (AI) usage in classes.

As advocacy coordinator, Everett helps students maneuver withdrawals from extenuating circumstances and through academic integrity hearings. These occur when a student has been accused of academic misconduct or dishonesty. “My role is to start on the student’s side and help them do what’s in their best interest,” said Everett. “Oftentimes that’s helping them understand how to navigate through existing processes.” 

SFU states that while AI “can be used constructively to support learning,” it may also “interfere with meeting the learning objectives” in courses. Learning objectives include the ability to “analyze and interpret ideas” or “evaluate and use source materials.” AI use is a relatively new facet of academic dishonesty and misconduct. As a result, policies around the usage of AI are still being developed at SFU. “There’s no overarching university policy,” said Everett.

Under SFU’s Student Academic Integrity Policy, academic dishonesty and misconduct both refer to actions that violate “the standard of academic integrity,” which can include the dishonest use of AI. After an accusation (likely from “an instructor, department chair, or the registrar,”) the student will meet with the accuser, who will either assign a penalty or drop the case. Most commonly, a first-time offence yields “a failing grade for the assignment” in question.

“The most important thing with AI is it’s really changed the landscape of academic integrity and every professor can and does do something different.” — Trish Everett, SFSS student advocacy coordinator

If a student asserts they were falsely accused of academic dishonesty or misconduct, the case moves to the University Board of Student Discipline (UBSD) and a hearing takes place. If overturned from here, the Board will “decide upon an appropriate course of action,” and the student has three weeks to create a response for the SFU President, should they decide to. After the President’s decision, if the student still does not accept the outcome, they may be able to appeal to the Senate Committee on Disciplinary Appeals (SCODA). Ultimately, SCODA can rule in favour or against the student based on factual error, excessive penalty, or new evidence.

Everett highlighted some less-recognized subtleties, speaking on how penalties for international and domestic students may vary: “On this particular issue, I would encourage you to think about what would happen if you were suspended as a domestic student, as opposed to what would happen if you were suspended as an international student, and the expenses involved as well as the immigration implications.” She said having to leave the country as an international student could mean breaking a lease to find somewhere to store belongings and paying a significant amount of money to retake classes in the future. 

From September 2022 to August 2023, 142 cases of plagiarism were recorded. While the Annual Report on Academic Student Discipline does not divulge the specifics of each case, it does include some examples, such as AI use. Additionally, the report included 370 cases of cheating, including the usage of ChatGPT as an example. The report for the previous year, September 2021 to August 2022, indicates 179 cases of plagiarism and 355 cases of cheating in that period of time.

“To me, it comes down to the question of equity versus equality,” Everett continued. “Currently we have a system that leans towards equal punishment for all, regardless of circumstance. I think an interesting conversation and one well worth having is, is that how we should be doing things, and what roles does equity play when we are addressing [ . . . ] a broad range of different circumstances,” she said.

“The AI strategy committee was formed in the summer of 2024 to look at how the university can explore the opportunities and impacts of AI at SFU in four key areas: learning and teaching, research, operations/administration and external engagement.” — SFU

The type of misconduct a student commits is another nuance Everett discussed. On their third offence, suspension starts to “come into play.” However, the content of these three offences may differ greatly. Everett explained that while one student could fail three final exams by being caught cheating, another student could have committed more “defensible” offences like unknowingly using Grammarly or working with another student against the rules.

“Theoretically, UBSD and SCODA are given leeway to consider the severity,” said Everett. “But again, severity can also be subjective.”

Regardless of international status or the type of offence, rules surrounding AI usage at SFU are unclear. “The most important thing with AI is it’s really changed the landscape of academic integrity and every professor can and does do something different.” She spoke to how “you may have one professor in one course who says absolutely no AI of any kind at all, including Grammarly, and then an hour later you may have another class where your professor is encouraging you to use AI for brainstorming and creating the structure of a paper [ . . . ] and the university is letting all of this happen.” 

On May 23, SFU Senate passed a motion stating that SFU will “develop policy regarding the use of generative artificial intelligence by instructors and students in teaching and learning at SFU.” 

The Peak reached out to SFU for an update on this. “SFU recognizes the significance of the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution and is working on an AI strategy to determine how we can responsibly leverage and utilize the use of AI for the greater good of education, research, and society,” they responded. They explained their newly-formed AI committee will “look at how the university can explore the opportunities and impacts of AI at SFU in four key areas: learning and teaching, research, operations/administration and external engagement. Task forces and sub-committees are currently being assembled to identify priorities and deliverables in each of these areas.”

They also added, “On September 25, the first townhall event took place, focusing AI in learning and teaching. Several more events are planned — the latest information on the AI strategy and currently scheduled events is available on the AI strategy webpage.”

When it comes to inappropriate AI use, Everett said,“There isn’t a lot of precedent to rely on because there aren’t a lot of AI cases that have gone all the way through the appeals process.” She recognizes that “students don’t commit academic dishonesty for funsies” and that it’s “typically an act of desperation” or “there’s just not time to do the work you need to do,” she said.

SFU students have been vocal about their experience with AI on the SFU Reddit page. One issue raised was professors relying on AI checkers to scan student assignments, which would mistakenly flag their work as being generated by AI. Many students spoke on the burden of having to prove they did not use AI to their accuser.

Everett’s advice? Students should reach out to their professors and let them know when they’re having a tough time. “I think that’s been the biggest take-home lesson of pretty much every case I’ve touched in the last three, four years — if the student had been open with their instructor about the struggle that they were going through, it would have done a lot of good in minimizing the later fallout.”

If you wish to contact Trish Everett, you can reach her by email at [email protected].

Plant yourself in purple lights with Alexandra Caprara’s Ultra Violets

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Peak Web
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A woman with dark hair poses with her hand resting under her chin. Purple light streams off of her face with a shadowy effect.
PHOTO: Courtesy of Chelsea Styut

By: Izzy Cheung, Arts & Culture Editor

SFU’s reputation is made through intensive research programs and rewarding co-ops, but what many may not realize is how comprehensive our arts departments are. From Fringe Festival debuts to magical musical performances, arts students and alumni have spoken fondly of how their creative processes have blossomed at SFU. As alum Alexandra Caprara prepares to bring her violet-hazed performance to the IndieFest stage, she reflected on how her time at SFU inspired her work. 

With a master of fine arts in interdisciplinary arts, Caprara’s research in “queer becoming, speculative futurity, and how all that relates back to a study of plant life” drove the creation of her project. The performance, titled Ultra Violets, is a colourful challenge to the discovery of queer identity on an individual level. While the piece will be shown as a part of IndieFest, this won’t be the first time that Caprara has presented this project. 

“When I started this piece, I was in the middle of my masters degree at SFU,” Caprara explained in an interview with The Peak. “I wanted to converge my skills as a director, designer, and mover.”   

Ultra Violets tells a story “set within a world that is part greenhouse and part dance club,” using pivotal parts of plant life and disco cultures to convey its message. Books such as Legacy Russell’s Glitch Feminism and Sarah Ahamed’s Queer Phenomenology provided the theoretical basis of Caprara’s project. In the performance, she explores the “intentional process of abstraction as a way to speculate new ways of seeing and existing in the world” pitched by Russell and Ahamed. 

“‘Queer’ not as being about who you’re having sex with (that can be a dimension of it); but ‘queer’ as being about the self that is at odds with everything around it, and that has to invent and create and find a place to speak and to thrive and to live,” Caprara relayed the quote from bell hooks, emphasizing how these words have “always felt like the essence of what this piece is trying to say, and do.”

The origins of the performance’s visual elements come from a completely different sector of study. Caprara recognizes how “plants have acted similarly throughout history, especially in the contexts of the ways we’ve used them to define movements of queer resistance and love,” and applied it to the basis of the show. 

“I was researching plant growth in greenhouses, and different conditions for growth that can help aid this process,” Caprara said. She highlighted how exposing plants to “bright purple light[s]” can be “faster and stronger than using regular grow lights.

“The photos of this felt all too familiar to what I’ve seen in queer club settings — there’s something punchy and a little mysterious about it tonally,” she added. “The colour purple seemed to fit both the aesthetic of what it felt like to be in a club setting, and also a perfect connection between club lighting and plant symbolism.” The use of violets in the title and the piece seemed to weave themselves in fatefully, as these flowers “were also often used as a symbol of sapphic love in poetry.”

While Caprara’s name is the first on this project, just like how plants grow, there were a variety of elements and helping hands that pushed it to bloom. Receiving support from supervisors, mentors, and collaborators is something Caprara said was “especially impactful.

“The support within my cohort, and within my own team of collaborators for this piece showed me the importance of having a community by your side,” she expressed. “It makes the work stronger, it helps keep you sane, and it’s tremendously more fun.

“This piece was created to celebrate queer joy, and to invite audiences to celebrate alongside us. I hope audiences, regardless of their own relationship to the idea of becoming, feel seen within this work — especially to any of our fellow queer audience members, this is for you. We hope you like it.” 

Catch Ultra Violets at Signals Studios at the Centre for Digital Media on November 21 and 22. Tickets are $21.68 and are available for purchase on showpass.com. 

The resonant harmonies of Ruby Singh’s Vox.Infold

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Peak Web
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A man dances in a patterned blue and pink set of robes with music notes spinning around him.
ILLUSTRATION: Abigail Streifel / The Peak

By: Hailey Miller, Staff Writer

Vancouver-based interdisciplinary artist Ruby Singh released his debut album, Vox.Infold, in January 2022. The sequel album, Vox.Infold II, is set to grace the ears of the public on November 29. In preparation for this, I had the pleasure of seasoning my ears to the sweet a cappella tastings of Singh’s first record.

Vox.Infold showcases “the sheer force of collective vocalization in a musical exploration that intertwines the past, present, and future.” Singh mixes South Asian, Black, and Indigenous elements of throat singing among the 11 featured tracks. Many of these songs include a sonic tranquility of rhythms that sway back and forth like a pendulum. It’s as though each song on the record builds upon the next. From start to finish, the album is a visceral experience that lets listeners immerse themselves in what I can only describe as escapism within sound. Every song off Vox.Infold resonates in a tangible yet trance-like state, as if having an out-of-body experience — in the best way.

Aside from Singh’s vast compositional background, lyrically, the album “explores the gateways on either side of life with songs that welcome incoming souls, mark our time on this earthly plane and honour the outgoing spirits.” 

My favourite song off the record is “Soar | Sore” because of its layered vocalizations piled on top of one another as the whispering vocal resonances and lyrics combine seamlessly. The musical tension surmounts to a climactic a cappella resolution around the 05:35 minute mark where the harmonies merge, complementing the textures of sound and emotion. 

“Allium Redux” showcases throat singing. The track steeps in emotion and urgency, paired with a heavy-hitting rhythm to keep the beat steady as you’re transported through a portal of empowerment. With the swaying and wavering vocal melodies like leaves rustling in the wind, this track is sure to get stuck in your head. Strategically, it’s sequenced as the second-to-last track on the album. I’d consider this a power move for Singh as listeners near the end of the sonically serene journey float throughout the record.

The Vox.Infold collection is not the only hypnotic piece of artwork that Singh has produced. Diving deep into the roots of nature, literally speaking, Singh has experimented with bio-sonification. This is a process that brings plants into music-making by “placing pic-up mics, transducers, [and] bone conductors onto surfaces, inside molds, buried in soil.” Singh’s tests with this process have been conducted with mushrooms, something influenced by “developing an appreciation for the natural world.” 

Singh will be conducting an experimental performance called “Future Mythologies” at IndieFest on November 23. Here, he will “translate global water data into rich, immersive compositions of music, dance, poetry, and projections.” On the album’s release day, November 29, Singh will also be performing at Vancouver’s Lobe Studio. Lobe is the first spatial sound studio in North America that operates with a 4D sound audio system. Many students in the SFU music and sound program are granted the opportunity for artist residencies at the studio. Here, we’re able to expand our horizons in the world of soundscapes and audio, as we start our careers while still studying. Singh’s performance is surely not to be missed and will bring about a full house of audience members and students alike, as he takes the stage and releases Vox.Infold II as music to our ears, evoking a palpable experience. 

Catch Singh’s “Future Mythologies” on November 23, or check out his album launch on November 29. Tickets to “Future Mythologies” are going for $21.68 on showpass.com, and tickets to the Vox.Infold II album launch are $16.61 and can be purchased at eventbrite.ca.

Stop harmful discourse about unhoused people at SFU

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Peak Web
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The outside of a single-person washroom in SFU’s academic quadrangle
PHOTO: Shirlyn Zobayed / The Peak

By: Kenzie Mains, SFU Student

Content warning: discussions of prejudice towards unhoused individuals.

You may be aware of the increasing presence of unhoused people on SFU campuses, whether you’ve seen it yourself, viewed discussions online, or heard conversations in person. With discussions about the housing crisis and unhoused folks comes problematic discourse that treats this vulnerable group as a problem rather than people. It’s not fair to put the blame on them for relying on our campus for resources and comfort. Such rhetoric is all too common and compounded by harmful prejudices, emerging from a wider stigma around houselessness in Vancouver. If anything, the rising number of unhoused people at SFU campuses is another sign that our government’s approach to houselessness isn’t working — and prejudice won’t solve this. 

There have been a growing number of posts to SFU’s Reddit page citing concerns over unhoused people on campus. Stigmatizing stereotypes that frame unhoused people as “addicts” or violent criminals are degrading. These ideas frame unhoused people as “intrusive” to Burnaby campus. It is dehumanizing to falsely suggest these individuals are all automatically a danger to the students and residents of Burnaby Mountain. We cannot attribute a person’s lack of housing to personality flaws. The causes of houselessness are deeply systemic.

A growing number of the unhoused people on campus are also students. International students may face exacerbated difficulties finding work and housing due their visa conditions that limit working hours to 20 per week. Students moving from out of province also may not have relatives or friends to stay with. Attending courses and having access to study areas makes a campus a desirable location for unhoused students. Unemployment and the high cost of tuition and textbooks are additional factors. 

It’s easy to say that unhoused folks should stay in shelters. But this ignores safety and health concerns unhoused people have voiced about existing shelters, and the fact that some are being turned away.

It’s easy to say that unhoused folks should stay in shelters. But this ignores safety and health concerns unhoused people have voiced about existing shelters, and the fact that some are being turned away. Marginalized groups face further barriers: youth, women, and queer people might flee abusive and discriminatory circumstances without being able to find shelter. Indigenous people also face systemic barriers to finding adequate shelter as a result of colonialism. SFU has washrooms and water fountains, couches to sleep on, food, a library, and a warm interior. A secure campus is much safer than other places where people might stay. 

Requests for security or the RCMP to forcibly and permanently remove unhoused people are ignorant and privileged. Since mid-2024, the City of Vancouver has routinely and violently evicted unhoused people from CRAB Park despite a court injunction against such action. Forced removal doesn’t solve houselessness. Ask yourself, when the unhoused are displaced, where do they go? While the city reportedly offered shelter to residents, the residents cited concerns about shelter adequacy, especially around safety. 

The experience unhoused people have with police and security is dehumanizing and traumatic, as if the insults hurled at them by others weren’t enough. Street sweeps are known to result in the loss of property, with belongings either being sent to a landfill, or stolen by police and others. Eviction isn’t a solution. Instead, the crisis of unaffordable housing and houselessness must be treated as such. 

The issue spans beyond SFU’s scope and would require great action from all levels of government to address. Even so, we might alleviate the burden of houselessness for some by combating harmful discourse and ensuring adequate support is available. For example, access to food supports could be greatly expanded to meet need and affordability for struggling students. The university could also provide support for textbook costs for students. The failure of Vancouver’s street sweep policies should make it clear that eviction won’t solve the houselessness crisis. Let’s not bring this practice to SFU campuses. 

The problem with SFU phasing out paper towels

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Peak Web
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A Dyson hand dryer in an SFU bathroom
PHOTO: Puneet Aulakh / The Peak

By: Yasmin Hassan, Staff Writer

If you’ve walked into a campus washroom lately, you’ve probably seen an empty paper towel dispenser with a note that says, “SFU is phasing out paper towel use on campus washrooms” and directs you to use “energy efficient hand dryers.” I used to have no problem using hand dryers, until I learned just how inferior they are in regards to hygiene compared to paper towels. And while SFU says they aim “to reduce waste” and “greenhouse gas emissions,” the reality is SFU is cutting costs due to their layoffs of precarious cleaning staff.

SFU’s commitment to waste reduction states compost, where paper towels end up, is sent to Net Zero Waste Eastgate in North Vancouver. Composting does produce GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions which are harmful to the environment, and SFU also mentioned that plumbing issues from pipes being clogged reportedly cost them $250,000 in 2023. However, SFU is infamous for cutting costs where they want to, often not where needed. Just this April, they announced they would be reducing custodial services to reduce expenses. They choose to cut corners on a basic necessity, treating contract workers as disposable. SFU cuts down on facility services while continuing to invest in global military contractors like Booz Allen Hamilton and CAE. That’s also not to mention the generous salaries of the president and board directors which further begs the question: is this just a convenient excuse for them to save money for themselves?

Hand dryers are unhygienic and inefficient at their sole purpose, no matter how much cheaper and low maintenance they are to maintain.

When there’s airborne particles of all kinds from every orifice of the human body in a confined space, dryers are bacteria breeding grounds. Dyson hand dryers are equipped with HEPA — high efficiency particulate air — air filters, which help reduce bacteria transmission. However, SFU also uses older hand dryers in some areas, which don’t have these filters. A study done by the American Society for Microbiology states that of the 70 bacteria colonies collected from hot air hand dryers in public washrooms, “62 identified bacteria represented 21 species, with a wide variety of environmental bacteria, including Staphylococcus aureus,” which causes various clinical diseases. Even though single washrooms for disabled folks will continue to have paper towels, there are too few of them on campus. Paper towels should be available everywhere to aid immunocompromised and disabled folks from contracting airborne viruses, and prevent anyone from contracting Long Covid on a campus belonging to approximately 37,000 students.

Hand dryers are unhygienic and inefficient at their sole purpose, no matter how much cheaper and easier they are to maintain. While air dryers can reduce staffing time because there’s less need to maintain supply, we’re trading off our hygiene in return.

SFU should consult members of the community as well as their cleaning staff, and be more public about such changes besides ominously-pasted signs on barren paper towel dispensers. They should also aim to institutionalize masks to further prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other easily spreadable illnesses. 

Above all else, taking care of workers is vital to campus life. Whatever SFU does to cut down on labour demands, cleaning staff are vital to a safe campus. Contract Worker Justice has been pushing for SFU to hire their contract custodial workers as in-house staff and released a report in 2022 detailing their unfair working conditions. Paying workers fairly and ensuring working conditions are fair should reflect in the well-being of the school and its inhabitants.

Comic

By
Peak Web
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COMIC: Cindy Wang / The Peak

Masking is a right

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Peak Web
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Illustration of a group of people in masks holding Palestine flags
ILLUSTRATION: Cindy Wang / The Peak

By: Abigail Streifel, Peak Associate

Content warning: brief mentions of genocide.

We’re still in a pandemic nearly five years after the first outbreak of COVID-19, but some places in the US and Canada are criminalizing the use of face masks in public. North Carolina has passed a law that restricts wearing masks, the governor of New York supports similar restrictions, and university campuses in California have enacted policies limiting masks. Here in Canada, people in Toronto have been arrested for wearing masks while protesting. Each of these restrictions seek to stop people from “concealing their identities.” The bans present multiple problems: the first is that they pose a risk to public health, and particularly the safety of disabled people. Second, they specifically target activists protesting against the genocide of Palestinians. Both of these issues are related to the right to keep our communities safe, which should not be questioned.

North Carolina’s law is restrictive despite including some exceptions, such as one which allows people to wear masks “for the purpose of preventing the spread of contagious disease.” That doesn’t account for the other reasons someone may mask to protect their health. Some people wear masks because of immunodeficiencies or other disabilities, not necessarily because they currently have an infectious disease. Note the use of “preventing the spread,” rather than “protecting yourself from infection.” The wording of the law puts people in a position where they aren’t technically allowed, even if they need to. 

By limiting the number of situations where face masks can be worn, these laws cause disabled people to be viewed with suspicion. As the Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund notes, law enforcement would have to ask people invasive questions about their health in order to determine if they can wear a mask. People should not have to justify their decision to mask by divulging personal medical information. There is also little understanding around how a chronic condition may influence someone’s decision to mask, without them being labelled as immunocompromised. The restrictions make it less socially acceptable for anyone to wear a mask, but they especially endanger those who rely on masks to keep themselves safe.

The very premise of these restrictions is unjust: the decision to mask is a personal right that shouldn’t be challenged.

Suspicion towards people wearing masks is not only dangerous to disabled and immunocompromised people. The very premise of these restrictions is unjust: the decision to mask is a personal right that shouldn’t be challenged. Over the past year, university students have been peacefully protesting in solidarity with Palestine, urging their schools to divest from Israel and corporations that enable the genocide of Palestinians. Many of these protestors wear masks to protect their identities, in addition to wearing sunglasses. The risks of protesting are clear, as police have been responding to demonstrations by arresting and sometimes violently assaulting participants. Now, anti-mask laws are being used to further treat protestors like criminals. Protests have been cited as a reason for North Carolina’s bill, and the attorney general of Ohio told universities that activists could be prosecuted for masking.

It comes as no surprise that protestors would want to conceal their faces to protect themselves. On top of arrests and police brutality, there is the threat of doxxing. Remaining anonymous protects protestors from having their information leaked, which can jeopardize their safety and future professional opportunities. The risks are also high for students protesting on campus, who could face consequences from their universities. Wearing a mask is an important way for people to protect themselves while standing up for causes they believe in.

The vast majority of pro-Palestine protests at US campuses are not violent. According to Armed Conflict Location and Event Data, 97% of these protests between October 2023 and May 2024 have been peaceful. Still, the effort to criminalize protestors continues, and anti-mask laws are just another part of that. Cracking down on demonstrations for Palestinian liberation does not keep people safe; it’s done to silence dissent. By making it taboo or even illegal to mask, universities and states deter people from protesting.

Anyone should have the right to wear a mask. Masks keep disabled and immunocompromised people safe and allow them to participate in society. Without masks, existing in public becomes difficult or impossible for anyone with an immunodeficiency. The growing number of anti-mask laws targeting protestors are clearly an attempt to silence anyone fighting against genocide. These restrictions don’t protect anyone. They just make it harder for people to protest against the decisions of their governments and universities.

Remembering Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau

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Peak Web
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PHOTO: Courtesy of @nhlflames / Instagram

By: Izzy Cheung, Sports Editor with contributions from Kaja Antic, Sports Writer 

Content warning: mentions of death by drunk driving. 

On August 30, 2024, purple Gatorade nearly sold out in Calgary. 

The drink isn’t an athlete’s typical choice, as most prefer lemon lime or fruit punch. But, back in 2018, keen fans watched as former Calgary Flames Johnny Gaudreau, Sean Monahan, and Elias Lindholm doused themselves in the purple drink mid game. The drink became synonymous with what was referred to as the Flames’ “top line” at the time. 

It was only fitting that, on the day of Gaudreau’s unexpected passing, bottles of purple Gatorade swarmed the steps of his former team’s arena in memory of the former Flames star. 

Tragedy struck the entire hockey community on August 29 when brothers Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau were struck and killed by a drunk driver. Grief over their deaths was shared throughout not only hockey leagues, but the rest of the sports world as well. As players, their impacts on the game will never be forgotten; as people, their legacies as husbands, fathers, and sons will always be remembered.  

A fourth-round draft pick in the 2011 NHL Draft, Johnny Gaudreau made his name in the NHL not only for his smooth stickhandling skills, but for the path he helped pave for smaller players. Endearingly referred to around the community as “Johnny Hockey,” Gaudreau scored 243 goals and tallied 500 assists in 763 career NHL games. He was drafted by the Calgary Flames, spent nearly ten seasons lacing up for them, and most recently played two seasons with the Columbus Blue Jackets.   

Matthew Gaudreau was best known for his time at Boston College, where he spent four years and notched a total of 16 goals and 47 assists in 119 games. He followed this up with a couple stints with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, the American Hockey League affiliate of the New York Islanders. Matthew soon transitioned into coaching, running the bench for Gloucester Catholic High School. He had won the New Jersey high school hockey championship in 2010 as a player with the school, alongside brother Johnny, and coached by their father, Guy. Matthew was following in his father’s footsteps, as Guy had coached the Gloucester Catholic Rams for 11 seasons before stepping down in 2017. At 29 years old with a baby on the way, his life was only just beginning. 

On the ice, the Gaudreau brothers brought championships to Boston College and dazzled with dekes in-tight. But getting the Gaudreau’s onto the ice took a different kind of motivation. Days at the Hollydell Ice Arena — where their father, Guy, used to work — were spent collecting Skittles off the ice. Skittles that were purposefully placed down by their father, who did so in an attempt to teach his boys how to skate. 

“You and the athlete may not encounter each other in your respective orbits of life — but for a brief 13 seconds, you recognize the love of a father, the penchant for Skittles, and remember that they’re just as human as you are.”

It’s stories like this that make you reconsider your standpoint. For your entire life, you idolize an actor, a philanthropist, an athlete . . . the list goes on. You place them on a pedestal, your mind already deciding that you’re in two different worlds, and that nothing could ever make your paths cross. Then, you hear about their love for Skittles, something propelled by their parents’ quest to provide for their kids in any way they can. 

You and the athlete may not encounter each other in your respective orbits of life — but for a brief 13 seconds, you recognize the love of a father, the penchant for Skittles, and remember that they’re just as human as you are. While both these boys grew to professional men’s athletes, they are cherished just as much for who they were off the ice. 

Teams across the NHL have paid tribute to the Gaudreau brothers by holding a 13-second moment of silence in honour of Johnny’s longtime jersey number, 13. The upbeat, retro-style tune of “Johnny B. Goode” echoed through the Flames’ home arena, the Scotiabank Saddledome, as shots of Johnny flashed across the jumbotron. Florida Panthers players suited up for their game against the Blue Jackets armed with purple Gatorade. When the first puck of the season dropped at Columbus’ Nationwide Arena, the Blue Jackets’ starting line up left the left-wing spot vacant. Flame-turned-Blue Jacket Sean Monahan took the faceoff, passing the puck to where his longtime Flames teammate would have been standing, and both Blue Jackets and Panthers players waited while 13 seconds ran off the clock. 

When Monahan scored in the team’s home opening game, he pointed to the rafters, where his friend’s banner now sits, in a tender moment of reflection. 

In a league that thrives off of physical play and board-breaking hits, Johnny Gaudreau proved that smaller players could dominate the game. His impact is best summarized by Montréal Canadiens forward Cole Caufield, who changed the number on the back of his jersey to 13 following the news of Gaudreau’s passing. 

“I wore #13 at a point in my career because of Johnny and now I will be wearing it again to honor him,” he wrote in an Instagram post detailing his number change. “He paved the way for smaller players and proved we had a future in this game at the highest level. I will forever be grateful to him for inspiring me and others.” 

The Gaudreau brothers’ legacies can be traced back to the very purple Gatorade that sat at the steps of the Scotiabank Saddledome. Anyone within the hockey world knows what it stands for, as well as what it means to the rest of the league. The next time you see a bottle of purple Gatorade or a pack of Skittles, think of Johnny, think of Matthew, and think of how blessed we were to experience their impact on the game of hockey right before our eyes. 

Memos from my damp, clean laundry

By
Peak Web
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Damp laundry left in the washer so long that it has begun to smell mildewy.
ILLUSTRATION: Sonya Janeshewski / The Peak

By: Sofia Chassomeris, News Writer

One hour post-wash

It’s been a soggy 60 minutes. The Human hasn’t been around to check on us yet, and it’s starting to get a little cramped, but we’re hanging on. This isn’t our first rodeo. We socks and undies have been in the wardrobe game for years. We’ve seen it all, from dust bunnies to cobwebs along baseboards, but that new cotton t-shirt? She won’t make it to tomorrow. I hope, for everyone’s sake, we get out of here before then.

Three hours post-wash

This is ridiculous. The Human frequents this establishment — the small, tiled room where us clothes are put to wash — multiple times a day, and completely ignores us. We watch through the circular glass as the flesh-being adorns itself with pretty, pressed denim and bone-dry garments and its glazed eyes pass over our little window without care. Please. It’s starting to smell.

12 hours post-wash

The shirt didn’t make it. The subtle stink of mildew seeps over from her side of the washing barrel and suffocates us all. This metal bed is a breeding ground for bacteria, now. The Human will have to rewash us.

Oh, Human. Please remember us, your loyal friends. Do we not keep you warm or attractive enough, is that it? Have you grown tired of our fading tones and tearing fibres? We long to see sunlight, please — the real thing or the bar soap, we will take either!!

24 hours post-wash

If the Human doesn’t come back for us soon, we’ll all perish. We know how it goes. It forgets us for one day, then another, and the next. After a while there comes a point when forgotten clothes can no longer be rewashed; the Human will bear the stench of mould and apathy no matter how many cycles it spins us on. It may very well be that this is our last time in the washer, with how things seem to be going. Farewell, Human. Hello, thrift store donation bin.

36 hours post-wash

Alas! The Human has come to its senses (or, singular sense, of the nasal variety) and finally bathed us anew. The cotton shirt . . . it may take her a few washes, but she’ll be singing to the tune of Tide Pods and rose petal dryer sheets soon enough. Twin sibling socks are reunited in the clean laundry basket, that one pair of shorts with a stain on the thigh is saved, and all is well. Until next time,

Yours truly,
The threadbare boxers you should definitely keep forever, please don’t get rid of me

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Simon Fraser University’s independent student newspaper since 1965.

Contact us: [email protected]

© The Peak Publications Society 1965-2024

Simon Fraser University’s independent student newspaper since 1965.

Contact us:
[email protected]

© The Peak Publications Society 1965-2024