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Movember is still a viable movement

By
EIC
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As we draw closer to Movember, get ready to hear from many that because moustaches no longer equal a mandatory accumulation in research funds, there’s no point to growing them.  

Despite this claim neglecting the fact that Movember has raised over $446 million since 2003, this month is about more than sponsorships for facial hair. Movember advocates for awareness about men’s mental and physical health, while simultaneously encouraging early cancer detection.      

So, what about those hipsters who sport the most fashionable modes of facial hair all year long, or those men who can’t seem to sprout one hair above their lips? How are they contributing to the quest for men’s health? Well, the idea that all men must grow beards to support prostate cancer research — or that if they already have a moustache, they’re not doing it for a good cause — are nothing more than common misconceptions.

Whether the choice is personal or one made by stubborn hair follicles, not all men need to modify the way they look to support the eradication of a terrible, terrible disease. That’s almost as preposterous as saying, “There’s no way you can support breast cancer research because you don’t have boobs.”

People can find other ways to support the cause. Besides, when some men look as creepy as Kip or Uncle Rico with a moustache, it’s better for all of us when they choose to be a part of the campaign by different means — perhaps by sporting some moustache gear instead.

Yes, the campaign has been the source of some unrest over the years for the problematic implications many have drawn from it. It employs archetypal masculine mottos such as “Real men, growing real moustaches, talking about real issues,” which once again reduces masculinity to physical characteristics like facial hair. It’s also been used as an excuse to shame women for their own body hair.

Nevertheless, completely boycotting an event that fights cancer is just unreasonable. Whether we like it or not, there is a new case of prostate cancer every 2.4 minutes according to the Prostate Cancer Foundation. Nothing will be done about it by simply sweeping the issue under the carpet.

Movember promotes a sense of community for males by reinforcing a supportive environment for afflicted men and their well-being. Until the people who criticize Movember find a better way to tackle the plethora of illnesses that affect the male population, they have no right to complain about a project that brings widespread awareness and funding to men’s health.

The year Pandora’s box exploded

By
EIC
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Kylie Jenner eloquently stated at the beginning of the year that 2016 was the year for “realizing things.” I wonder if she could see the disasters developing before us. Among the many ruthless acts of terrorism all throughout the world, it seems the realities of the Pandora’s box have poured over the West.

June 12: Omar Manteen took a gun, killed 49 people, and wounded 53 others in Orlando at a gay night club. The world analyzed his ethnicity, his religion, and his sexuality.

June 16: British MP Jo Cox was brutally murdered, and the media received criticism for not labelling the white perpetrator a “terrorist.” People asked whether this would have been the case had the perpetrator been a man of colour.

June 23: When the police officer allegedly responsible for the unlawful death of Freddie Gray in Baltimore was acquitted, some asked why only #BlackLivesMatter and argued that #AllLivesMatter. Others called this racist.

June 24: When Britain announced that it would be leaving the EU, the island divided. Racist and xenophobic hate crimes ensued.

November 8: When Trump was elected as president, the Trump HQ yelled “Lock her up” while the other half of the population labelled Trump misogynistic, bigoted, and corrupt.

In light of these events, we criticized, yelled, meme’d, labelled, and further split our world based on race, gender, and sexuality. Social media reinforces our beliefs and further divides us. We smack ideas into each other’s faces without even a glance or a thought; as a result, we do not heal.

As soon as the results of the election were announced, Twitter lit up with a graphic that established what the outcome would have been if only millennials had voted. We immediately labelled the baby boomers as wrong, as racist, and as sexist.

There’s a reason why we called the US election “Brexit 2.0.” This election relays all the same ideas of racism, and ageist remarks, as what the Brexit referendum vote posed, with the added touch of homophobia and bigotry.

We can criticize Donald Trump all we want. We can share the same articles, like each other’s statuses, retweet that same meme thousands of times, and delete our Trump supporter friends off of Facebook; but doing so only further enforces this divide.

We need to use our anger, our motivation, our fear, and look to find rational solutions to combat bigotry. Let’s speak to and level with those who disagree, and try to use our knowledge to unteach the ignorance that we so often see.

I’m not ignoring the fact that Britain voted to leave the EU due to racist ideations. I’m not ignoring that the US population voted to elect a president who views women as objects, with a vice president who believes in conversion therapy.

I do, however, believe that the American voting system has created a platform for people to validate themselves and these ideas — ideas that many have worked hard to lock up and squash in Pandora’s box. But the box has exploded, and it’s not being rebuilt any time soon.

It’s time we begin to understand that we’re all striving for the same things we wanted 50 years ago: workplace equality, ending racism, breaking the glass ceiling, and abolishing homophobia.

It’s time to change the conversation. Our world is far from the accepting place we all believe it should be.

As stated by Naomi Klein: “So let’s get out of shock as fast as we can and build the kind of radical movement that has a genuine answer to the hate and fear represented by the Trumps of this world. Let’s set aside whatever is keeping us apart and start right now.”

Canadians, the Trump travesty isn’t a joke

By
EIC
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0

Six months ago in my hometown of Eugene, Oregon, then-presidential candidate Donald Trump spoke at our community centre. Protesters turned out from all over the state, bringing posters, banners, noisemakers, and solidarity. I went alone to the rally, a little nervous and shy, unsure of how the Eugene Police Department would react to the protest.

We shouted “Black Lives Matter,” “Muslim Lives Matter,” “Fuck Your Wall,” “No Donald Trump, No KKK, No Fascist USA,” “Women’s Rights Are Human Rights,” and other chants. It was a beautiful night of solidarity in an extremely diverse group of people.

Tensions were certainly high. Trump supporters called us lazy, called us all welfare “leechers,” called the Hispanic and Latinx protesters “illegals,” called the Muslim protesters “terrorists,” and frequently used the N-word and other racist slurs. One man sporting a “Make America Great Again” hat yelled that he hoped I got raped.

When I tweeted about the experience later, I was accused of lying, of trying to make Trump “look bad.” As if he needed any help in that department. But I still had hope. At that point, there was still widespread disbelief that Donald Trump would become the GOP candidate, let alone the president-elect.

But this is our reality now.

On November 8, I watched a map of the United States turn red one state at a time. I watched as Texas, Florida, Ohio, Iowa, Wisconsin, and others all chose Trump over Clinton. I began crying as Trump reached 250 electoral votes, needing only 20 more to win the election.

I cried for my friends living in poverty, as the country voted for a man who doesn’t believe they deserve access to food or shelter in hard times, who calls them lazy, whose supporters call them “leeches” of “the system.”

I cried for my fellow woman-identifying humans, watching America choose a man who’d mocked sexual assault, a highly gendered act of violence. I cried for my friends on the queer spectrum, as the country which hasn’t even had marriage equality for two full years yet voted for Mike Pence, a man who has argued in favour of funding conversion therapy.

I cried for my friends who don’t have the privilege that comes with white skin. I watched the country vote for someone who’s openly xenophobic towards Muslims, who supports harsher punishments for minor crimes that disproportionately affect black Americans, who disrespects native land both politically and environmentally.

I cried for those who haven’t completed their immigration process, watching as the country their parents came to in an effort to escape violence — that the US military often had a hand in creating — voted to “send them back,” as if they have anywhere to go. I cried for those still living in the Middle East, who almost undoubtedly now await even more violence in their region in the interest of oil.

I didn’t stop crying until Thursday morning.

That morning, I woke up angry. At the brokenness of the Electoral College and the absurdity of the two-party system, and at how despite the majority of voters choosing Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump had won the election.

Plenty of my Canadian friends laughed at what a “joke” this election was, trivializing it as if it didn’t affect them, and that especially stung. If you don’t care about the lives of people living in the States, then let’s talk about how your lives will be affected. No, I’m not talking about an influx of American refugees.

Air pollution produced in the States does not stop at the 49th parallel. Neither does water contamination and, in an increasingly globalized world, nor does soil contamination. The transportation of food across borders means that the increased levels of pollution that will arise out of Trump’s grotesque lack of regard for climate change will affect the entire world, and it would be foolish to brush this off as an American problem.

When Trump incites violence worldwide, whether that’s through construction of a wall on our Southern border, or through xenophobic foreign policy, refugee crises will be exacerbated. Millions will be displaced. This is a global problem.

When Trump’s tax policies and blind faith in trickle-down economics, which has been proven time and time again to be ineffective, create another massive recession, the Canadian economy will go down with us. Our economies and politics are inextricably tied together, and the US is a major consumer of Canadian exports.

Canadians, what happened on Tuesday night isn’t a joke. Stripping away fundamental human rights has never been and will never be a joke. A Trump presidency is dangerous for all of us economically, politically, and morally. It’s a danger we need to take seriously.

SFU loses to Cal Poly Pomona on penalty kicks

By
EIC
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SFU outshot the Broncos 12–4 and had five shots on target compared to only two for the Broncos.

It was a game that, on paper, would have been worthy of a matchup much further along in the tournament.

SFU was the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) champion, coming off a 14–1–2 regular season in which the team outscored opponents 46–13. The opponent, Cal Poly Pomona, was the Division II finalist the season before, and had a 12–5–3 record this season. The two had also played each other earlier this season, and SFU won 2–0 on goals from Erik Morden and Rahid Raheim.

But in a win or go home situation, anything can happen. The Clan outshot the Broncos 12–4, but despite that, SFU was forced to go to penalties. When they got there, they weren’t able to convert, despite senior goalkeeper Brandon Watson saving the first two Broncos kicks.

It marks the end of a fantastic season for SFU, albeit probably a lot sooner than they would have liked. The Clan was undefeated for most of the regular season, the lone loss coming November 3 against Western Washington. Adam Jones was named GNAC Player of the Year, a year after winning GNAC Freshman of the Year. Magnus Kristensen was named Defensive Player of the Year, and Riley Pang was named Freshman of the Year. All those players will return next season.

However, the elephant in the room is the situation of hosting their half of the bracket on the road in Seattle at Interbay Stadium, home of the Seattle Pacific Falcons. Despite earning home field advantage, SFU had to play the game in the United States, being the only Canadian team in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). One has to wonder how different this game would have been had SFU played this at Terry Fox Field. The Clan had an amazing home record this year, not losing a single game. The last time they lost at home in fact, was October 16, 2014 against Seattle Pacific.

Would the team have won if was a true home game? We’ll never know. But if the NCAA values SFU as an integral member, this is going to have to change sooner rather than later.

Birth Control: The good, the bad, and the hormonal

By
EIC
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What is birth control?

The most commonly discussed form of birth control is the male condom. Male condoms are a thin sheath of material, typically latex, that slides over the penis to prevent sperm from reaching the vagina.

Close behind in popularity is the Pill. The Pill is a small maleate tablet which contains hormones to alter the body’s chemistry. Pills contain progestin and, in combination birth control pills, estrogen as well. It depends on which brand or type is prescribed. Progestin is a synthetic progesterone, and progesterone is a hormone that helps the uterus prepare for pregnancy. Estrogen affects the sexual development of females and regulates some metabolic processes.

But other than these two popular contraceptives, not a lot of people know what their options are. Other forms of birth control include female condoms, contraceptive sponges, cervical caps, diaphragms, implants, intrauterine devices (IUDs), patches, shots, the morning after pill, and vaginal rings. And those are just the methods for females.

There are also methods for males, but they’re far less numerous. In this article specifically, we’re referring to the female methods, and particularly the methods which alter the body’s chemistry. Not to say male contraceptives aren’t worth conversation — they certainly are — but currently women are the ones being the most affected by contraceptives on a hormonal, day-to-day basis.

Who takes birth control and what does it do for their body?

People with the reproductive organs necessary to carry a human child to term are the ones who are prescribed birth control. Generally, the people who get these prescriptions are also having vaginal sex with a person who has a penis, but it’s not uncommon to take it for health reasons. Because the Pill contains hormones which serve more than one purpose in the human body, preventing pregnancy is not the only reason it can be prescribed.

The main reason most women use birth control is to prevent pregnancy. No method is 100 percent effective, but some method is generally better than nothing. Of course there’s abstinence, but that’s not for everybody.

My old roommate took birth control for a while to help with her acne. It worked wonders: her face was as clear as a cloudless sky. But the side effects that came with her prescription were enough to have her welcoming back the acne. It was preferable to the killer migraines the pills gave her, which would interfere with her work.

My girlfriend takes birth control to deal with her menstrual cramps. They’re worse than the average menstruating person’s, and her doctor even designated abdominal migraines — and yeah, they’re as awful as they sound. One of her side effects is depression, a mental illness that research has discovered may be related to taking the Pill.

Other issues that birth control may help with include irregular periods, menstrual migraines, endometriosis, and polycystic ovarian syndrome.

What are some of the side effects?

Some side effects include anxiety, nausea, weight gain, tenderness of the breast, spotting in between periods, headaches, and mood changes. These all affect different patients in different ways, and the severity of whatever side effects you experience will largely affect whether you continue to use them, as my girlfriend has, or if you stop, like my old roommate.

Will birth control give me depression?

Not necessarily. As mentioned before, a recent study from the University of Copenhagen found a correlation between the birth control and depression, stating that those taking the combination oral pill were 23 percent more likely to be diagnosed with depression, while those taking the progestin pill were 34 percent more likely.

As many scientists (and my psychology professors, at least once a week) will tell you, correlation does not imply causation. However, it seems more likely that the depression stems from the use of the Pill (with the aforementioned mood changes as a listed side effect) than it is likely that people who are at a greater risk for depression opt to use the Pill.

So it’s not guaranteed that the Pill will cause you to develop depression, but it is a possibility nevertheless.

How can the side effects be minimized?

There’s no easy solution for this. Side effects will probably happen to people who take a form of hormonal birth control. However, because there are different types of birth control, and different brands and mixtures within those types, sometimes you just have to shop around to find the birth control option that gives you the best results with the lowest number of side effects.

It can be a long and difficult process — not to mention expensive if you don’t have insurance that helps to pay for your prescriptions — but if you can conquer all of the obstacles in your way, you can find a birth control method that gives you the results you want.

Is birth control worth it?

Only you can answer that question. Whether birth control is “worth it” depends on the user and what kind of trade-off they’re looking for. If birth control stops or at least mitigates some seriously violent cramps, but in return the side effect is a major headache, only the person using the birth control can decide if that’s an acceptable trade.

Just because it’s your decision doesn’t mean you have to go it completely solo. Ask others about their experiences with birth control, and do your research. Don’t forget, one of your best resources is the person who prescribes the methods for you; get your doctor to help you figure out what works for you and what doesn’t.

How to flirt with your cute tutorial partner

By
EIC
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University classes offer students the perfect window to find that special somebody, yet they don’t teach you how to effectively flirt with your tutorial or lab partner. So listen up and take good notes. You might not have a stellar GPA, but hey, winning the heart of that cutie is much more important than paying attention in tutorial.

Debate theory

Girls dig guys who can debate a theory or two at any time. Plus, it really shows your “academia is my soulmate” side. Get her eating out of the palm of your hand while you debate about theories, like whether it hurt when she fell out of the sky, or how possible it is for her hair to look this luscious all the damn time.

Arrange a library date

The sexiest thing to do with your tutorial partner? Just stare. It’s kinda tough to do in tutorial with so much noise and chatter, but in the silence of the library, you can study the colours of his eyes, the bone structure of his jaw, and the curve of his lips. Whoever said anatomy was boring?!

Get the professor’s approval

Show your lady who really dominates the lecture hall by getting in on some witty and intellectual banter with your professor. If your prof springs a 10-point quiz on you, spring back with a confident “I don’t need to study this quiz because I got a perfect 10 right here,” while gesturing at your girl beside you. If she doesn’t get in on that, maybe your prof will swoon at it.

Share your notes

Notes are a coveted part of studying, so show your guy that you care about them by sharing some of your own notes with him. Notes can include the ones that you took when you paid attention in lecture for all of five minutes, as well as doodles of your future family, an ode about how great his hair looks in the morning, or graphs that chart out exactly how perfect his eyebrows are. You’ll both pass this class with flying colours!

Do your research

Ladies love it when you pay attention to their life, interests, and likes — wait, you haven’t been paying attention? You better hit the books and study her social profiles and networks pronto tonto! Be sure to cite Best Friend et al. when talking about how great last night’s episode of The Bachelorette was, or discuss how Ex-Boyfriend (2014) was a real sleazeball. You’ll definitely melt her heart with how much you pay attention to her!

Quotes to hang on small artsy canvases in your middle-class suburban home

By
EIC
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Bakers gonna bake

White, middle-class, suburbia.
With a fair degree of certainty, I’m going to assume that the only activity you partake in more than listening to Tay-tay is whipping up a fresh tray of chocolate chip cookies.

So this quote is a perfectly apt Venn diagram which outlines your life philosophy: there are always going to be people out there who judge you for loving One Tree Hill. Let them.
It’s their loss for never having known the joy of estranged brothers being united through basketball.


Who needs friends when you’ve got casserole ?

Got some leftover asparagus and cheese? Casserole that bitch. Tuna and hummus? Looks like it’s casserole o’clock. Banana and chives? All aboard the casserole express — next stop, my tummy.

Finally made a friend? For the love of God, please don’t casserole Margaret.  

Good things come in small packages, except a small package

You don’t need to get a four by four — nor do you need a 24-inch cheeseburger pizza. That’s right, put down the 60-pack of single-ply toilet paper and slowly back away from Costco. Size isn’t everything. Well, most of the time. (Yes, I’m alluding to micropenises here. Mircopenisi? Regardless, no offence intended towards those who have a micropenis.)

Having an orgasm is a state of mind

Sure, technically it’s a physical sensation. But if you tell yourself, “You know what? Today, I am going to have an orgasm,” chances are you will.

In a similar vein, if you put your mind to being able to rap every verse to Eminem’s “8 Mile,” that’s exactly what’s going to happen, Marshall.

Aspire for greatness, expect mediocrity

You made a good go of it with high school football. But that inevitably led to a saIes job at a local car dealership. I know you go by your middle name, Joe, but your parents named you “Average” for a reason. Embrace it; there’s no shame in it.

When life gives you lemons, get out 50 cents. You’re at a grocery store. Stop fucking stealing, you kleptomaniac

Life doesn’t just give you lemons. This isn’t a fucking Disney movie. You want some lemonade? Get your good for nothing ass to Walmart, buy some lemons, and make it yourself. Or if you’re a lazy son of a bitch, just buy some lemonade. It’s really not that difficult. While you’re there, maybe see what their return policy is on other bullshit proverbial phrases.

 

Tips for millennials on getting hired

By
EIC
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0

Much like how humans need air to breathe and the Internet needs cute cat videos for us to look at, it is a well-known fact that millennials need jobs. But who wants to write a resume or cover letter? Or sit through an hour-long interview with a businessperson in a stiff pinstripe suit?

We’ve got five easy (and much more enjoyable) tips to make that hiring process go by in a breeze instead.

1) Start an underground prosthetics lab in order to make yourself look older and wiser.

I mean, if you can’t get a job because you have a baby face and no experience, then add that experience to your face. Simple math: wrinkles = wisdom, which will reel in the ka-ching!

2) Face the world of unpaid internships by brushing up on your Starbucks knowledge.

Not only is doing coffee runs an essential life skill, it is also a rite of passage. Everyone deserves the experience of muttering, “I’m getting experience,” while gritting their teeth and juggling 15 different coffee orders in their hands.

3) Don’t ever graduate.

With enough sleep deprivation and dorm room cup noodles, it is easy to convince oneself that being a student is a full-time job. The cycle of papers, exams, and stress becomes the sole purpose for existence and fills the void that a job would. This is why I’m doing a double major in communication and kinesiology with a minor in fine arts and am currently starting a masters degree in philosophy — because I love school so freaking much.

4) Go back in time to when there were actually jobs available.

Legend has it that time travel machines exist in generation X’s closets. Us millennials can jack them, go back in time, take the jobs that they speak so fondly of, and come back to the present cultured and successful while they drivel in penniless despair.  Great Scott, we have to go back!


5) Create a YouTube channel to complain about millennial problems.

All you need is a degree that you have no use for and a camera. Set the camera up in your bedroom. Complain about life. Mention said useless degree at least twice in every video you make. Cash in on advertising dollars when you inevitably become famous for being so #relatable.

COMIC: Mystic Man 20 – Blowing Up Excuses

By
EIC
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0

Interview with Deepak Sharma

By
EIC
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2
Deepak Sharma speaks at Wednesday's debate at Burnaby campus. Having stepped down as president after his election last spring, Sharma is hoping to regain the confidence of the student body and return as president-elect.

With the SFSS byelection this week, The Peak sat down with all the presidential candidates for a more in-depth chat than the timed responses at the debates. To find the other interviews, click here for Larissa Chen and here for Darien Lechner. 

Ashley Fraser: Why should students give you another chance after you essentially caused the byelection?

Deepak Sharma: I have never really shied away from why the byelection is taking place in the first place. After I left after being in the first month in office, originally I planned to just walk away from it all. I think the biggest reason why I decided to come back and why students should trust me again and have their confidence in me again is beyond the personal growth and development that comes from any candidate, which I never shy from acknowledging, the biggest thing is, I want to come back and fulfill the various commitments I made and fulfill the various confidence and trust that membership had already earned in placing me in the first place. In addition to that, because one may say you want to fulfill commitments, that’s pretty big isn’t it? What I generally mean by that is apply my experience and knowledge of being a member of the executive for at least over a year and a member of the board for over the past two years. I think that February, March, April, is when I want to apply all that knowledge that I have acquired during the transition period. I think being a part of the SFSS for two years now with very different boards, I think I can take the board to a place where we can prioritize all of the commitments we have made. I have over a year’s experience working with senior management; however, I have essentially been nonexistent with this current board for the almost past six months. I believe it’s very easy for me to potentially basically pick up where I left off with this board, because of the rapport I would have with them.

AF: How is your relationship with everyone who is on the SFSS board since you stepped down?

DS: Up until the Surrey debate I assumed that I had no negative relationship with a single board member, or individual board member. I think you may recall one board member did question my inclusivity at the debate, but I think I have discussed it and perhaps resolved it, and apart from that I would assume they are all my friends still — I would say so, maybe they might beg to differ. Ten out of the 13 people remaining are the people I run alongside, people who I have been working with on projects and initiatives prior to even being on the board. I think it’s a fair question for the membership to ask “Why we should trust you again when you just left us hanging,” however, I believe that’s a non-issue of me working well with the board just because I have that rapport and experience with the board and know their strengths and weaknesses. They know me personally as well. I think that is why it is fairly easy for me to just slide in there and continue to support them.

AF: You claim your resignation was forced. Did anyone at the SFSS actually force you?

DS: I think ‘force’ may be misinterpreted — forced means, forced by SFSS bylaw. So I think in my first public post that I made, where I wanted to explain what I did: take responsibility, apologize to the membership, specifically the board who is affected even more than the membership. I was supposed to be their support team and be that assertive leader; however, I wanted to acknowledge that there was no specific individual that was to blame for my forced resignation, which would be forced due to the bylaws from the previous eight years that we had to follow.

AF: On that note, you waited four months to make a statement after you stepped down. How can students trust that you will be transparent as potential president of the SFSS?

DS: Personally, I was never in denial, but there was a big cloud of regret, sadness, and embarrassment. Since I had vacated that seat, I believe that I let the membership down. It was more sadness that I let down individuals who were very confident in me. The question of transparency, the fact that I was able to be open and honest and acknowledge my mistake, on a personal level — although the timeline was four months later — I think that should provide the membership significant reasoning to believe my transparency and my ability to communicate with what takes place in the workplace. I think that when I look at it professionally, I would be representing a place of over 20,000 members on a day-to-day basis, I think it would be my fiduciary duty to ensure that anything is communicated in a timely manner.

AF: In terms of being transparent, earning back students’ trust, what is one big thing that you would like to accomplish if you were to be elected?

DS: I think we have a great relationship with SFU Health and Counselling, with High Five, our president last year did a great job of building that rapport, as well. I think this year we have some very interested board members who are passionate about this issue although, due to my vacancy they never really got to get to it. I would want to prioritize creating a peer support network, going across all three campuses, going towards, the stigma of mental health in addition to supporting members’ mental health and well-being. That is something that is big that I would like to prioritize that would have a direct and immediate impact on students.

AF: You said you did not decide to run until the last minute. Why should students believe that you are taking this election seriously?

DS: I think students should believe that I am taking this election seriously. The fact that I am willing to take that first step forward to put my name out there and make myself vulnerable to criticism and questions — and very fair criticisms because nothing had been answered in the last four months — letting them know that I have that passion and drive and that commitment that I had made to them, and I am not just simply running some sort of joke campaign, or running a campaign where I may come across as uninterested, however those are sort of secondary reasons. The fact that I went from thinking about transferring from this post-secondary institution, to wanting to not run away from my problems. I think I stress that I directly want to resolve my problems.

AF: At the Surrey debate you challenged candidates to go paperless. Why did you challenge candidates to go paperless if you now have posters up?

DS: I think at that time, I think if we had all committed to go paperless, I think that would have been fair and equal. I think if you take a look at the posters that I have put up, a large majority of them are 8.5×11 rather than 11×17 that other candidates have put up.

I feel really at fault that this election is taking place in the first place so I hope that using a smaller paper size, in a very miniscule way, still reduces the cost of this byelection in addition to obviously the sustainability factor. I think if we were all able to commit to that, it would all be fair and even playing field, but I did put posters up, because going back to your last question, I don’t want to look like I am not taking this seriously and putting in the time and commitment into having a strong campaign.

AF: If you are elected, what do you plan to do about the stadium?

DS: Although this does not gain any extra support or does not strengthen me as a candidate, I have always been, a much bigger supporter of the stadium over the Student Union Building. Although it is not a regular practice to have a student society funding a stadium, as it has always been traditionally viewed as a university or alumni business item, I see this as an opportunity to have our DNA directly imprinted on the stadium, and more accessibility to it. I was very disconnected from the board this past summer, however when I did find out that the stadium was being cancelled, I was very disappointed. At Burnaby, I don’t know the conversations behind why, although it may have been after doing all sorts of research, having it be over three times the amount it was budgeted for and then working towards reducing it, to potentially reduce the cost, but this was upsetting. However, one of my platform points is to find alternative means to a community-based stadium project. I think the first step towards that, even before we start talking about an infrastructure of that stadium is that rapport with the university administration and members beyond athletes, because I think that will be directly beneficial to the stadium as well.

AF: What is your favourite SFU memory?

DS: My favourite SFU memory was how I got involved with the SFSS in the first place. My favourite memory was being part of the marketing campaigning that led to the gathering of almost 2,000 students from all campuses that were able to attend the first-time Fall Kickoff event, which sparked my involvement with the SFSS back in 2013. Since then, I have had many great memories at SFU.

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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