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Let’s talk about bitches

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Bitch. It’s a powerful word.

When you read the word “bitch” — or hear a classmate, a family member, or a friend say it aloud — how do you react?

Since bitch has never in my life been regarded as a socially acceptable or positive term to describe women, I’ve always had a particularly negative reaction to the word. Almost always, “bitch” is a slur, used to demean and degrade a woman for behaviour that society has deemed unladylike. I grew up immersed in a culture that finds no redeeming quality in a bitch, and any time I hear it directed at anyone — women in particular — I flinch.

Words are never inherently bad. They are neutral entities, with goodness or badness that is dictated by us. The fault in the connotation of the word bitch is the fault in our society for deciding that traditionally “bitchy” qualities are unseemly, especially in women. We warped the word for a female dog into a slur against women to satisfy a dominant, misogynistic culture.

Lately, there has been a surge online and elsewhere to reclaim “bitch” from its history of disparaging use, just as “queer” has been reclaimed (mostly) for the non-straight population. This is a step in the right direction because the way to decrease the negative connotations is to increase the positive ones. We need to change how people perceive, receive, and process the meaning of “bitch.”

Smile, bitches

The phenomenon of “resting bitch face” (RBF) is almost unanimously touted as an insulting critique of how women don’t automatically revert to a smile in a relaxed moment. It’s derogatory and horrible. Nothing screams the patriarchy more than a group of men calling a woman a bitch because she doesn’t smile enough for them. RBF reminds us why “bitch” is such a complicated word.

“Bitch” as a slur against women in power isn’t new. Women in roles of power, especially in managerial or supervisory positions, require their employees to do things within a certain time frame or with a high level of efficiency and quality. While this is commonly seen as perfectly acceptable, and even encouraged, in their male counterparts, it often results in women being called bitches for supposedly abusing their power. The process to reclaim hardworking bitches is already ongoing.

The problem is what bitch means to you is different from what it means to me.

Now more than ever, women are trying to embrace and disarm the firepower of such a linguistic move by calling themselves “bitches in charge,” “bomb-ass bitches,” and other variations. And it’s working. For me, someone who usually has a knee-jerk negative reaction to the word, I’ve been self-describing as a “badass bitch” whenever I’m on fire in the workplace.

The problem is that what the word means to me and what it means to other people isn’t always the same. The context in which the word is used also makes a great deal of difference. What comes across as empowering, laudable, and even encouraged in a women’s studies class turns menacing in a hurry in a dark alleyway.

So who can say bitch?

Then, of course, is the issue of who is allowed to use “bitch.” Only women? Only a certain subset of women? I’ve talked to a bunch of ladies, and the almost unanimous response is that straight men cannot and should not use the word at all, not even in the positive sense we currently see. “Men always use it in a shitty way, they shouldn’t be allowed to use it at all.”

Queer men and non-binary folks are a different story. Some of these people have also experienced the disgust, the shame, and the ridicule that come with being derogatorily called a bitch. So, many argue that we should consider the appropriateness of the term based on sexuality and experience. It’s an understandable response, but it doesn’t solve the problem.

This is not to say that only men use it negatively. It is so much a part of our culture, ingrained in our understanding of the world, that women use it to insult other women. The fact of the matter is that tone indicates intent, regardless of gender. Some of the older women in my life even use it as a teaching moment: “That woman is such a stuck-up bitch, you do not want to be like that.”

Ultimately, a lot of a word’s ability to inflict emotional suffering lies in the intent. The best way to speed up the process of the reclamation of “bitch” is to get men — queer or straight — and everybody in general to use it in a positive rather than a negative fashion. The faster we can influence and reshape our reaction to and our conception of bitches, the faster we arrive at a society where a bitch is first and foremost a successful, powerful, confident lady.

Parquet Courts lacks stylistic cohesion, but made for an interesting show

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New York based band Parquet Courts stopped in Vancouver on August 27 at the Vouge as part of their latest tour.

Parquet Courts walks a fine line between being a post-punk revival band and a post-punk cover band. If the nostalgic post-punk elements were somehow more smoothly and completely integrated into the whole sound, then these guys would be in the clear. But the seeming lack of cohesive vision in the band’s flavour did not allow this to happen.  

Parquet Courts comes from Brooklyn, New York, and they exude the style you would expect them to have coming from such a stylish hometown. They brought the arty and jazzy cool of new wave New York bands such as Television and Sonic Youth. Experimental elements abounded: atonal flourishes, dissonant chords, and unconventional percussive parts that at times had a Frank Zappa vibe.

Unfortunately, there seemed to be a few different bands up there. One a Television cover band, another a Pavement cover band, and finally the actual band Parquet Courts. It was like the band couldn’t make up their mind as to who they were. Although the Pavement or Television fanatic would’ve been in their glory — at times if you closed your eyes you might feel like you were transported into an ‘80s New York club — ideally we want to see fresh licks from young talent.

But the saving grace was when co-lead singer Andrew Savage announced that they were about to play a few new songs. The first was “Human Performance,” the title track off their new album. That song was seriously good. The modernity of their sound promises a bright future for the band. And I have to say, Savage’s performance was absolutely captivating. After every song that he sang, I couldn’t help but turn to my friend, point to him, and say, “I like that guy.” He was punk, he had soul. He was versatile, he sang from a dark place and just unloaded all his emotion onto the audience in a flurry of flying spit.

In terms of skill, the whole band was great. While there was never anything super complicated about their arrangements, they played with an awareness of punctuation. Notes ended with an energy and polish that showed their skill and meticulousness. It’s clear that these guys are serious about their music.

NEW MUSIC FRIDAY

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Follow The Peak on Spotify to stay up to date on New Music Friday.

“33 ‘God’” – Bon Iver

Jessica Whitesel: I am the first to admit that I am a huge Bon Iver fan and this song doesn’t change that. It is a little more uptempo than say “Skinny Love,” but that is not a bad thing. Neither are the smaller electronic flourishes that help to break up the backing track.

Jessica Pickering: I never really got the Bon Iver hype. Maybe I’m too high-strung to understand why anyone would want to listen to this. I honestly feel like I’m going to fall asleep because this song is too chill (which is a weird thing to complain about but here we are).

Sarah Finley: Bon Iver has a permanent place in my heart, perfect for autumnal cool breezes and falling brown leaves. Major piano chords combine with a more electronic-y vibe in this track to create a much more upbeat vibe than anything on For Emma, Forever Ago or his self-titled 2011 album.

Justin Stevens: If you can get over the chilling little voices that interject throughout the track, you get a curious masterwork on your hands. It’s unsettling but at the same time very beautiful. It feels like the best kind of dream: the one you can continue to find meaning from.

“Freedun” – M.I.A. feat. Zayn

JW: The song is pretty mediocre. While it is nice having a female rapper and male singer, it is not her best song. The rhymes feel forced, and her flow just feels off. It’s not so bad that it makes me want to scream, “Make it stop!” I don’t really want to seek it out to listen to either, though.

JP: M.I.A., I expected so much more from you! The rhymes aren’t bad but the delivery is weak. Also, why the hell is Zayn on this? He sounds so out of place with his whisper-singing. Both artists seem to have very different ideas of what this song is about and how it should sound.

SF: M.I.A. is perf for your female empowerment playlist, and this track is no different. Zayn’s backup vocals provide a nice complementary touch, combining with catchy percussion.

JS: I’ll give this song credit where it’s due: it actually made me laugh out loud. “I’m a swagger man rolling in my swagger van from the People’s Republic of Swagistan.” Ten points to Gryffindor for those lyrics.

“3 Wayz”– Ty Dolla $ign feat. Travis Scott

JW: “Z” is not how you pluralize things. “Z” is for the beginning of words like zoo and zebras. Aside from the “Z,” this is your typical Ty Dolla $ign and Travis Scott song. But it also sounds like it might have been a rejected T-Pain and Wiz Khalifa song so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

JP: It physically pained me to use a dollar sign as an “S.” The only people I have ever known to pull shit like that were in the seventh grade at the time. Grow up and make better music.

SF: This track is just . . . boring. We get it, you’re rich with an affinity for codeine, Henny, and three-ways. The lyrics are unoriginal, blurring together with every other marginally famous rapper’s.

JS: I get the feeling you have to be high to appreciate this track. Seeing as I’m not high, I just don’t get it. Those last 10 seconds were pretty good, though.

“Jesus Alone” – Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds

JW: This is not a song for everyone. It feels dark, foreboding, and like it is building to the first killing in a horror movie. But I like it. It takes a certain type of confidence to embrace a sound like this one and that is pretty great.

JP: I love creepy talking at the beginning of songs. No, really, it’s my favourite. And, as it turns out, it’s a reoccurring theme in this song. Fantastic. The line “You’re an African doctor harvesting tear ducts” is just a really fun addition as well. Bless the fire truck that just drove by and drowned out this song for a moment.

SF: Is this song on a soundtrack for a weird sci-fi movie? Coming in at just under six minutes long, this track is a time investment, and quite frankly, not a worthwhile one.

JS: Mix the voice of Johnny Cash with the otherworldliness of David Bowie and “Jesus Alone” is what you get. A nightmarish western-style tune that will leave you petrified forever.

“Make You Feel Good” –  Fetty Wap

JW: I know it is 2016, but like I am beyond tired and I felt like it was 2006. This is when it sounds like this song was recorded. While the backing track feels a little modern the uncredited female singer and auto-tuning just is a little bit old and overdone. Pass this one and listen to any song that survived your memory from 10 years ago.

JP: Yesterday I saw a gif on The Peak’s Twitter page that perfectly summarizes this song. I don’t even want to say anything else, I just want to link the tweet and have everyone go look at it so here it is, folks! Too lazy to click the link? It’s a dumpster on fire.

SF: The structure of this track leaves me entirely confused, with Fetty Wap only having one real verse in this track, sandwiched between two 30-second sections that I suppose could be described as choruses.

JS: I can remember a time when making fun of generic rap songs was fun. Now, it’s just downright depressing. Did I secretly become old and out-of-touch overnight? Is this what rap is now? By God, I think the hip-hop genre just had a fucking stroke.

“Timeless” – James Blake feat. Vince Staples

JW: I was all prepared to like this song until the weird noise in the backing track came in and it made me want to turn my alarm off. Once it stops it is OK again, but you are just waiting for it to start over again and then it just sucks.

JP: What is this nonsense? I thought the goal of music was to be enjoyable. Apparently these two would beg to differ. I’m just trying to picture what type of person willingly puts themselves through this.

SF: Complete with what sounds like a car alarm going off in the background, this track seems like nothing more than noise. It’s like James Blake and Vince Staples are trying to do an impression of Kendrick, but painfully and dramatically failed.

JS: Timeless? HA. I can’t decide if this is rejected cellphone alarm or someone trying to make a song out of a tornado warning siren.

“Send Them Off!” – Bastille

JW: I like Bastille — well, at least I thought I did. But they are just sounding same-y. This song just sounds like a moodier version of their last single “Good Grief,” complete with the weird old-timey movie clip at the beginning. I honestly was expecting more and I’m disappointed.

JP: I would like to personally thank Bastille for the first good song on this playlist. I love this song, which is good because I just downloaded this song as part of my pre-order of their new album. Ending seems a bit abrupt but other than that it’s one dynamite track (I just re-watched Wreck-It Ralph, please forgive me).

SF: My middle school angsty self feels represented in the lyrics here. My adult, university self can’t help but giggle at lyrics that bemoan a desire for their minds to be liberated. Gag.

JS: The horn instrumentals on this track are utterly bodacious. It made me want to grab a cape and spandex and wreck some bad guys. Unfortunately, once the actual lyrics hit the scene you can’t help but feel the song takes a step back from the potential intensity it offers. I’d wait for the inevitable spin class remix instead.

“I Get it Now” – Fjord

JW: This is a pleasant, electronic-infused indie-type track that is pretty low-key. But even though it is a good song it just is kind of boring and not very memorable. If it came on though I would happily listen to it.

JP: Holy shit, two redeemable songs in a row? Christmas came early this year. Don’t get me wrong, this song isn’t the best I’ve ever heard, but compared to some of the other garbage this week it’s fantastic. A tad repetitive but overall it’s listenable.

SF: Melancholy chords introduce the song, soon followed by equally melancholy lyrics. Echoey vocals combined with electronic instrumentals make this track land somewhere between sad and hypnotic — but good all the same.

JS: I got a crisp $100-bill that says this song will be featured in the next trailer for the Fifty Shades of Grey sequel. It checks the box of every generic steamy romance trailer prereq: sultry voice? Check. Melancholy instrumentals? Check. Completely forgettable lyrics? Double check.

“Ain’t My Fault” – Zara Larsson

JW: This song sounds like a Rihanna reject. But like 2008 or 2010 Rihanna. It isn’t special and it has been done before, but we are probably going to be hearing a lot of it so just be prepared for that. I am not ready and honestly it makes me kind of sad.

JP: Listening to this song is like listening to a really drunk girl at a party trying to explain drama: I just want to give you a glass of water and a piece of bread. I don’t even know what she’s saying anymore, she just needs to sleep it off.

SF: Beginning with a literal school bell ringing, Zara Larsson’s new track has me chronically cringing. Grossly repetitive and severely auto-tuned with weak bass drops scattered here and there. I couldn’t wait for it to end. Forever.

JS: Hey Zara, Rihanna called. She wants you to stop trying to mack her style. This instrumental is less what I would expect on a hip-hop single and more in line with the start screen for a shitty Kickstarter RPG made in under an hour. But all in all, call your teenage cousin up and tell her you found a track that’s as basic as her hairstyle.

“Rivals” – Usher feat. Future

JW: Oh Usher, your abs are so good but your music is so boring. You should just dance, and dance. Maybe just take your shirt off too, but for the love of God stop making music. You even made Future sound boring.

JP: Usher I thought I left you in 2010 where you belong. Just accept that you peaked (which is a miracle in and of itself) and quietly fade into obscurity like everyone wants you to. You’re almost 40 for God’s sake. Go play golf or something.

SF: Usher and Future pair to make — surprise — a song about relationships! Slow-paced in what I can only assume is an attempt to sound more romantic than overtly sexual, this track failed to impress. On an unrelated note, how long until Usher retires?

JS: This feels less like a love song and more like a drunken freestyle of Usher and Future fighting over a microphone. It’s quite possibly the laziest serenade I have ever heard. This couldn’t enchant the pants off a plastered housewife.

“Tomorrow” – Shakey Graves

JW: I really like this one. It’s just a nice track. It might not be super memorable but I really want to listen to more of their music. It kind of has a nice sort of indie-folk vibe, but more indie than folk. Also on a side note, all portraits should have flowers in place of faces it’s more fun that way.

JP: I am severely neutral towards this song. I think normally I wouldn’t like it but I’ve been so negative with this week’s playlist and I desperately want to add some positivity. So this is definitely a song and some people might like it, others won’t, and that’s all I have to say about that.

SF: I’m always here for some Shakey Graves. Aside from simply having cute album artwork, the one-man-band never fails to impress with slightly gloomy lyrics sung to upbeat instrumentals.

JS: Oh great, another whiny acoustic singer! As if we didn’t have enough of these assholes to begin with. Pass!

“Get Low” – James Vincent McMorrow

JW: In the spirit of the early 2000s (since that’s apparently where my mind is today) I was fully expecting this to be a cover of Lil Jon’s “Get Low” and even though this is a really good song, I just really wanted to hear him sing “Awww skeet, skeet,” but like my mom says sometimes life just sucks.

JP: This song could be worse, but it could be way better too. The nicest thing I can say about it is that it is not the worst song on this week’s playlist which earns the week of September 2, 2016 a massive and resounding yikes.

SF: Calm head-voice vocals + romantic lyrics + slow percussion + soft piano chords = a perfectly relaxing rainy day track. Bless these songs to pieces.

JS: After myriad forgettable tracks, this doesn’t quite reach the heights of memorable but certainly comes close. The electric guitar in this track is poignantly simple and the chorus is hauntingly addictive. While the song didn’t grab me, the artist has definitely garnered my attention.

Did I mention I’m queer?

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[dropcap]G[/dropcap]rowing up, I was pretty queer for a straight girl.

When I was in high school, I always had a “gal pal.” At the time, I thought of them in the most innocent way: they were just girls I was unbelievably close with, girls I called my BFF, and girls I would make out with from time to time.

While I was in high school, it never occurred to me that I was queer. Looking back, I can’t believe it took me until my second year in university, until I was 20, to realize that I am.

In high school I wasn’t very open about the fact that I frequently kissed girls. I knew I liked boys, and that boys liked me too, and as far as I was concerned, that was enough for me to be “a straight girl.” This isn’t something I am proud of, but it’s something I’m now comfortable admitting.

I grew up in a pretty progressive household, and I feel infinitely lucky to be able to say that. My parents raised me on the idea that sexuality is fluid, that love is love, and that everyone can look past gender and just see beauty if they choose to do so.

Fast forward to my second year at SFU. I wish there was a moment I could point to that made me aware of my sexuality, but honestly I just woke up one day and knew that I wasn’t straight. Twenty plus woman-crushes are more than just a coincidence.

How does the straightest girl in a friend group tell people she’s not straight at all?

Even after I realized I was super queer, I didn’t talk about it for a year or two. At the time, I was dating a guy. And I told myself I couldn’t tell anyone this new fun fact about myself, but in particular him and his friend group. I didn’t feel comfortable telling them about this. My then-boyfriend and I had been together for well over a year, and his friends had become my friends, but I couldn’t help but feel that none of them would appreciate what I was telling them and the courage it required.

Honestly, I thought they would make jokes about it. And while I’m now in a place where I can joke about my sexuality, back then I was terrified of having people judge me, make fun of me, or worse, not believe me.

A very close friend of mine, who had no clue I was queer, once said in conversation that I was “the straightest person [she] know[s].” My chest got tight and I felt sick. How does the straightest girl in a friend group tell people she’s not straight at all?

In the beginning of third year, that boyfriend and I broke up. And it was honestly one of the most liberating experiences of my life. The breakup coincided with me jet-setting off to France for a year for a foreign exchange. In France, I began to feel more comfortable with myself. I made an awesome group of friends, people whom I knew loved me and would keep loving me if I told them I was queer.

I never quite mustered up the courage to tell them I was bisexual. I was always ambiguous when we talked sexuality, saying things like “everyone is at least a little gay,” and just hoped they would read between the lines. They would see me kiss girls at bars, and I even kissed some of them, so to a certain extent, they knew. But it wasn’t until I returned home from my exchange that I start owning my queerness.

When I got back from France, I looked for a new friend group, and I stopped spending time with anyone who didn’t make me feel good about myself. With my new friends, I remained very ambiguous about my sexuality.

But then I met someone who changed all of that. After months of chasing a girl I met at a bookstore, she finally became my girlfriend. But with this incredible woman came the moment where I had to start being more open about my sexuality.

Slowly, I told my friends, and while they were surprised, they were supportive. Same goes for my family. I even eventually told that group of friends from my first year in university.

There were moments of disbelief from some as I was coming out. And of course there were some awkward moments too.

But being out now, I have never felt more relaxed or more comfortable with myself.

SFU at the Olympics

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Helen Maroulis, who last participated for the Clan in 2014, became the first American female to win gold in women’s wrestling

The Olympics ended on August 21, and while Canada fell in love with Penny Oleksiak and Andre De Grasse, a number of current and former members of the SFU community achieved great things at the Rio Olympics. Here are some of the notable highlights.

Bronze for Glaesser

The 24-year-old computing science student, Jasmin Glaesser, won bronze in women’s team cycling. It’s her second bronze medal, after winning one at the 2012 Olympics in London in the same event. “I’m proud to have won another bronze here in Rio, four years after stepping on the podium in London,” Glaesser told SFU News. “Our medal four years ago came as a surprise but this time around it represents four years of hard work, dedication, and commitment.” Glaesser is also the daughter of Uwe Glaesser, a professor in the computing science department at SFU.

Nayo and the women’s basketball team

SFU had a representative on one of the Olympics’ biggest stages, with Nayo Raincock-Ekunwe on the Canadian women’s Olympic basketball team. During her time at SFU, Raincock-Ekunwe was a standout on the women’s basketball team: she was named GNAC Player of the Year in 2013, and averaged 16.8 points and 12.4 rebounds. Despite a heartbreaking loss to France in the quarterfinals, she had a pretty good tournament. She averaged 7.7 points and six rebounds per game, and 22.5 minutes of action per game. Her tournament-high was 10 points against France, but her biggest moment came against Serbia in group play. With less than a minute to go, she converted a crucial three-point play, giving Canada an important win.

Helen Maroulis: America’s golden girl

Arguably the biggest highlight from an SFU perspective was Helen Maroulis’ Olympic experience. Maroulis became the very first American to win gold in women’s wrestling, winning in the 53kg division. What made this achievement even more remarkable was that she defeated Saori Yoshida, considered a legend in the sport because she was the 13-time world champion and three-time reigning Olympic champion heading into the match. “I’ve been dreaming about wrestling Saori for so long,” Maroulis said to NBC afterwards. “She’s a hero. She’s the most decorated wrestler in the sport. It’s such an honour to wrestle her.” Maroulis went undefeated during her time at SFU, winning four WCWA championships in the process. She’s also indicated that she is “open” to a career in MMA. Could we be seeing her in the octagon sooner rather than later?

SFU women’s soccer draw 1–1 with UBC

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Olivia Aguiar, seen here in action last season, scored the first goal of the match to give SFU the lead.

If Saturday’s result was any indication, the women’s soccer team is poised for another competitive season. The Clan tied their crosstown rivals 1–1 in their first game against each other in eight years. UBC are currently the defending CIS champs in women’s soccer, whereas in two years prior to last season, SFU only managed a combined total of three wins, making this an impressive performance for the team.

“I thought the girls fought hard,” said Head Coach Annie Hamel after the match. “It’s good for us to play a good opponent to see where we are at and see what we need to work on. I’m just glad that we were injury free.”

The game started off poorly for the Clan. For the opening minutes, UBC had the clear advantage in both possession and chances on goal. In fact, the Thunderbirds had a goal ruled offside just seven minutes into the game. But by the end of the half, SFU found their footing. Allyson Dickson made a great pass to Kaely Biring who couldn’t finish, and Emma Lobo had a chance at the side of the net that was caught by UBC goalkeeper Hannah Boshari.

The second half when the Clan reached the same level as the visitors. Emma Pringle, the new signee from North Vancouver, had a glorious chance to give her team the lead. Sent in all by herself, she mishandled the ball, leaving it to harmlessly dribble to the UBC goalkeeper. A few minutes later, SFU opened the scoring. Off a corner, redshirt senior Olivia Aguiar drove a powerful header right through the goalkeeper’s hands to give the Clan a 1–0 lead.

From there, it was just a matter of SFU trying to hold onto the win. UBC played with a sense of urgency once there was less than 10 minutes to go, and they got their wish. Off of a mistake by Dickson in the box, UBC forward Sydney Jennings calmly side-footed it into the bottom left corner, tying the game up at one.

Afterwards, coach Hamel expressed pride in her side’s performance. “I take from the game that I’ve got a good squad and I have depth. That’s what I found out today, I can rely on all my players. Everybody played today, everybody that was not injured, and we had success whoever was on the field.”

Hamel noted that she “still doesn’t know what her starting 11 will look like,” but stressed that everyone who played during the game impressed her enough to be considered. 

SFU’s next game is their home opener, when they play Academy of Art this Friday at 4:30pm.

Student athletes storm SFSS board meeting to protest stadium cancellation

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On Wednesday, executives from the Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS) Board of Directors told Ryan Yewchin that he “was quite frankly the only student who had expressed any displeasure” with the stadium aspect of Build SFU being cancelled.

During Thursday’s SFSS board meeting, Yewchin and a horde of student athletes attended to show that wasn’t the case.

Yewchin, a former member of SFU’s wrestling team and a part of the the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), wanted the SFSS to know that their quick decision to scrap the stadium aspect of Build SFU didn’t go unnoticed.

“I think we showed that we made a clear, physical statement to board that there is a great deal of passion surrounding this project and that what they’ve done isn’t OK,” he said. “Their membership does not agree with their decision.”

Athletes from the football, wrestling, and women’s swimming teams, among others, were present in the crowd. Teams such as men’s and women’s soccer expressed their regrets, as they were unable to attend due to training camps.

“[…] what they’ve done isn’t OK. Their membership does not agree with their decision.”

– Ryan Yechin, former SFU wrestler

The athletes filed in at the start of the meeting, which prompted the board to add a discussion item to the agenda about the stadium cancellation. The discussion had been left off the meeting’s agenda following the decision to cancel the multi-million dollar project.

The spokesperson for the group was SFU football player Ante Milanovic-Litre. Milanovic-Litre read a letter on behalf of Olivia Aguiar, the president of SAAC, who was unable to attend the meeting.

In her letter, Aguiar accused the SFSS of “[using student athletes] as a fulcrum to pass the Build projects, to only take the stadium away.” Aguiar’s rationale was that, with the number of students composing the 546 who voted in the 2015 AGM, the student athletes who voted ‘yes’ were what pushed the vote to over 81 percent. The vote needed a 75 percent approval to pass.

Currently, the financials of the the project are not clear, with SFSS and SAAC presenting different information on how much money is or was available, as well as SFU’s role in the discussion. SAAC members wanted to know why the project is being cancelled, rather than renegotiated, as the newly projected $30-million cost is three times higher than the original estimate. This increase in cost reportedly led to the project’s cancellation.

The transparency and communication of the board came under fire repeatedly throughout the discussion. Many athletes in the room said they found out about the cancellation from Facebook, rather than through any direct communication from the SFSS.

“For them to have this lack of transparency regarding issues surrounding the project leading up [to] their decision to cancel it — especially with not a full board, an interim president, it’s cancelled in the dead of summer when people are in August exams or away — it’s just a horrible time for us to try and engage with them,” said Yewchin.  

At one point during the meeting, Build SFU general manager Marc Fontaine was asked if a stadium could be built for the $10 million that was originally allotted. His response was “probably, but it would be a really bad stadium.”

For Milanovic-Litre though, the value is in having a place to play in front of the SFU community.

“We want our families to be at our home. This is where we study, this is where we play, this is who we play for,” said Milanovic-Litre. “When I go to BC Place, the seats aren’t that comfortable for me. When they are saying [that] we’ve got to build comfortable seating — no one is spending the night at the stadium.

“It doesn’t matter what the occasion is, a sporting event usually lasts about three hours. We’re not looking for leather seats.”

He also pointed to the press boxes and the roof as aspects that could be downsized in order for a stadium to be built on a budget.

The SAAC will likely have a presence at the next board meeting on September 1, since the board is aware that they will be attending and can prepare for further discussion.

Board of Directors meeting | 24 August 2016

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Peak Publications Society Board of Directors Meeting Agenda

August 24, 2016

The Wallflower Modern Diner

Chair: Max Hill

In Attendance:

  • Maia Odegaard (Board Secretary, non-voting)
  • Max Hill (Editor-in-Chief)
  • Paige Smith (Collective Rep)
  • Kevin Rey (Collective Rep)
  • MuhammadQasim Dewji (Employee Rep)

 

 

  • Call to Order

 

  • Approval of Agenda

 

  • Approval of past minutes from July 28, 2015

 

  • Financial update

 

Maia to present the state of the Society’s finances through June 2016, including update on our investment portfolio.

 

  • Investment update

 

Maia to present the state of the Society’s finances through June 2016, including update on our investment portfolio.

 

  • Meeting time for the fall semester

 

The board to decide upon a regular meeting time for the fall semester.

 

  • ACP National College Media Convention

 

Maia to present proposal for travel and accommodation budget to take a small group of students to the ACP conference in Washington, DC.
Adjournment


The Peak offices

Chair: Max Hill

In Attendance:

  • Maia Odegaard (Board Secretary, non-voting)
  • Max Hill (Editor-in-Chief)
  • Paige Smith (Collective Rep)
  • Kevin Rey (Collective Rep)
  • MuhammadQasim Dewji (Employee Rep)

 

 

  • Call to Order: p.m.

 

  • Approval of Agenda

 

  • Approval of past minutes from June 23, 2015

 

  • Financial update

 

Maia to present the state of the Society’s finances through June 2016, including update on our investment portfolio.

 

  • Investment update

 

Maia to present the state of the Society’s finances through June 2016, including update on our investment portfolio.

 

  • Pay scale for volunteer proofreaders

 

Paige to present Natalie’s proposal that we set up a system for paying our volunteer proofreaders.

 

  • Election of board member for hiring panel

 

Max will lead the election of a board member to serve on the hiring board to decide the paper’s staff

for the Fall 2016 semester.

 

  • Adjournment p.m.

Approved by _______________________________________ & ________________________________________ on July 28, 2016.

SFSS scraps Build SFU Stadium

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As announced last week by the Simon Fraser Student Society, the Stadium portion of the Build SFU project has been terminated before ground had even been broken on the project.

After estimates predicted that the project would likely cost  three times as much as the projected ten million dollar price tag, the SFSS Board of Directors decided to terminate the project at their last board meeting on August 11.

“On July 5, we got the cost estimates from the architects, and it was a $22 million hard cost,” said Arr Farah, VP University Relations for the SFSS. “After you add in the soft cost, it was around $30 million.” The hard cost refers to the cost of construction itself, whereas the soft cost includes such expenses as legal, architectural, and engineering fees.

“Our budget was only 10 million — that’s all students approved,” Farah added. “So it was safe to say we just couldn’t afford this project anymore.”

The development comes while construction of the Student Union Building (SUB) has been underway for months.

“It’s a difficult decision, but when you think about all the other students in the school in its entirety, you really do comfort yourself saying it is the better decision for all the students”
– Larissa Chen, Interim President of the SFSS

It wasn’t an easy call to make for the Board, especially for members like Farah and Interim President Larissa Chen. Both were members of last year’s Board of Directors, who were the ones to approve the Build SFU project in the first place.

“It was a very difficult decision,” said Farah. “I know for Larissa and I, we were on the board last year, we were part of the push to get the vote for both the SUB and the stadium project. I think there’s a lot of emotional attachment to this project.

“It’s just not feasible,” he continued. “The real responsible decision is just to cease the project and that’s what’s in the best interest of student who are paying today and in the future.”

In regards to student payments, the Board guaranteed that there won’t be any increases to the levy due to anything like cancellation fees, which was a fear expressed by students online. As it currently stands, the levy will remain the same, though there is a chance it could be decreased, according to Farah and Chen.

“I think in terms of [a levy decrease], it depends on the conversation we have with SFU and Scotiabank,” said Chen. “We don’t want to give any false promises in advance, but we’re definitely going to be taking into consideration that the Stadium project will not be moving forward and continue to choose what’s best for all students.”

Those conversations will likely happen during the upcoming fall semester, and Farah indicated they are the biggest priority right now for the SFSS.

For the foreseeable future, the Terry Fox Field will remain the same as it is now.
For the foreseeable future, the Terry Fox Field will remain the same as it is now.

The decision comes weeks before the start of the semester, which will also see a by-election for a new SFSS president and Environment Faculty representative. The choice to discontinue the Stadium project will likely be one of the last that Chen has to oversee as interim president, and one which she said was very challenging.

“It’s a difficult decision, but when you think about all the other students in the school in its entirety, you really do comfort yourself saying it is the better decision for all the students,” she said. “The onus isn’t on anyone, it’s just that it’s not possible.

“The decision was very, very hard because I was on board last year and we definitely did push for both the Stadium and the SUB and we really believed in it. We really wanted to see it pass and be successfully completed.”  

When asked about how this might affect the SFSS’ relationship with SFU Athletics, Chen hoped that they would be able to see that the project wasn’t feasible.

“I think that in terms of our relationship with SFU Athletics, there’s really not much we can do to control how they perceive the situation. All we can do is provide them with the facts and the cost estimate as it stands right now which is very much outside of our scope,” she said.

Farah agreed, adding that there is a difference between SFU Athletics and the student athletes whom the SFSS represents.

“Our relation with the athletics department is [the same] it’s always been. [There is that element that] they always want us to work together and collaborate on different things,” he said. “But when it comes specifically to student athletes, I think it’s important to note that the SFSS has been in support of, the Board has been in support of — we really pushed to get this vote.

“We need to do, as Larissa said, what’s in the best interest for all our students.”

Peak Speak: How Much Does SFU’s President Make In A Year?

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In this week’s issue, The Peak featured the 2016 salaries of SFU’s Administrators. So in this episode of Peak Speak, we ask students how much they think president Andrew Petter makes in a year and what they think about the actual figure.

Special Thanks to Zach Siddiqui