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Top 10 NHL Draft picks for 2016

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EIC
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[dropcap]I[/dropcap]’ve often said that the NHL Draft is my favourite time of the hockey calendar. I love the suspense when a trade is announced, and I enjoy projecting where players could go and what role they could eventually play.

With no Canadian NHL teams making the playoffs, the top 10 positions of the Draft will feature a lot of presence from the Great White North. Four Canadian teams are in the top five, with Toronto and Winnipeg occupying the first two spots. Six of the seven Canadian teams are in the top 10, so instead of trying to predict the whole first round, I’m going to try and predict the top 10 picks.

1st Overall, Toronto Maple Leafs: Auston Matthews

I believe the Leafs have narrowed down their selection to two choices: Auston Matthews or Patrik Laine. Matthews is projected to be a legitimate number one centre, something the Leafs haven’t had since Mats Sundin left town. Matthews has been the projected number one pick since September, and the fact that he plays centre definitely helps his case. As shown by the two Stanley Cup finalists this year, you have to be good down the middle to succeed in the NHL.

2nd Overall, Winnipeg Jets: Patrik Laine

The Jets have it easy this draft, as they are going to pick either Matthews or Laine, depending on what the Leafs do. Back in the fall, I predicted that Laine would be drafted between the 5th and 7th spots. Well, all he’s done since then is win the World Junior Championships with Finland while finishing the tournament with seven goals in seven games, win the SM-Liiga and the Jarri Kurri Trophy (the Finnish league equivalent of the Conn Smythe), and be named best forward at this year’s world championship. He has the potential to become a 40-goal scorer in the NHL, and the Jets are very fortunate that they will be able to draft him.

3rd Overall, Columbus Blue Jackets: Jesse Puljujarvi

At the beginning of the year, most places had Puljujarvi as the clear second overall selection. However, Laine has played so well that he knocked fellow countryman Puljujarvi down into the clear-cut third place. Not only did he also win the World Junior Championship with Laine, he was named best forward and the MVP of the tournament, as well as leading the tournament in scoring with a whopping 17 points in seven games. He’s been compared to Jamie Benn of the Dallas Stars, as his 6’3’’ frame makes him very tough to play against.

4th Overall, Edmonton Oilers: Matthew Tkachuk

For this piece, we’re assuming that no team will trade their pick, though I suspect Edmonton might just do so. In any event, if they do keep it, it’s a bit of a stretch to take a defenceman here, so I think they will take the best player available in Tkachuk. He impressed mightily in the OHL with the London Knights this year, scoring 107 points in 57 regular season games, and 48 points in 22 postseason games as the Knights went on to win the Memorial Cup. Perhaps a player like Jordan Eberle will be traded to make room for Tkachuk.

5th Overall, Vancouver Canucks: Pierre Luc Dubois

Jim Benning loves his big, two-way players, and Dubois fits the mould perfectly. Compared to Anze Kopitar, he put up 99 points in 62 games with the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles of the QMJHL, scoring 42 goals. His versatility is also a big asset, as he can play either on the wing or at centre. This player is the perfect fit for the Canucks and what they are currently trying to do.

6th Overall, Calgary Flames: Olli Juolevi

The Flames have a plethora of young forwards, but they lack a true number one defenceman — something they need to become true contenders in the league. Juolevi could be that player, but he won’t jump into the NHL right away. He’s a great skater, and with patience, I think he can soon become the player on the blue line the Flames desperately need.

7th Overall, Arizona Coyotes: Jakob Chychrun

Back in November, I had Chychrun pencilled in at second overall. He’s fallen significantly since then, but he’s still had a good season with 49 points in 62 games. It’s simply a case of players such as Laine and Tkachuk playing very well, causing him to fall down a bit in the rankings. Besides Oliver Ekman-Larsson, the Coyotes don’t have much on defence, so I think this pick makes a ton of sense.

8th Overall, Buffalo Sabres: Mikhail Sergachev

Sergachev has been linked by multiple sites to the Sabres, and it’s easy to see why it’s a natural fit. Buffalo looks set upfront, with the likes of Jack Eichel, Evander Kane, and Ryan O’Reilly; now they have to improve on the blue line if they want to contend. Sergachev put up close to a point per game in the OHL last season, and could be a solid fit alongside Rasmus Ristolainen.

9th Overall, Montreal Canadiens: Alexander Nylander

One of the biggest problems for Montreal last season (besides losing Carey Price) was the lack of high-scoring wingers. Nylander is a potential solution to that problem. The younger brother of William Nylander, Alexander was named CHL rookie of the year after putting up 75 points in 57 games for the Mississauga Steelheads. He may not be ready to be in the NHL next season, but he could be a big contributor for the Canadiens going forward.

10th Overall, Colorado Avalanche: Michael McLeod

Labelled as a two-way centre, McLeod seems like the perfect replacement for Ryan O’Reilly. Having only put up 61 points in 57 games hurts his draft stock, although he did play for an average Steelheads side alongside Alexander Nylander. Ultimately, McLeod would be a good fit with the Avalanche.

CENTRE STAGE: BroadWHAT?! brings musical improv to the masses and How to Survive an Apocalypse is a witty rom-com for the end times

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EIC
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How to Survive an Apocalypse starred Sebastien Archibald and Claire Hasselgrave.

BroadWHAT?!

Off Key Improv

June 15 – 19; Studio 1398

Most people have heard of Theatresports or been to one of their hilarious improv shows on Granville Island, but musical improv is still relatively new to our city. Off Key Improv plans to bring it to the masses with their new show, BroadWHAT?!.

In this completely improvised Broadway show, the cast will take audience information and answers to specific questions to create original characters and plots, while using the stereotypes, tropes, and song structures of Broadway classics. Producer and artistic director Jennifer Pielak explained that this is the biggest show her company has ever done. After the success of last winter’s Love, Musically (an improvised musical version of Love, Actually), they wanted to do a full-length musical with wide appeal.

It may seem impossible to rehearse for something like this, but Pielak explained that the company studies musicals: from the upbeat opening number to the climactic revolutionary song, they try to replicate musicals using other characters and an original plot. They have also been studying the dance moves used in musicals in order to incorporate them at the appropriate times as well. They will reference hits such as Les Misérables, Rent, Wicked, and Grease.

The cast of this show has to think on their feet, and Pielak said it’s a bit like acting, directing, and writing the show all at the same time while on stage. The company began with most members coming from an improv background but, especially for this show, Pielak felt it was important to bring in some new members with musical theatre training to complement the group. Now they are learning from each other and joining forces for this musical improv project.

Lighting director Jordan Boivin and stage manager Linnea Perry are both SFU alumni, as well as music director Peter Abando. For any musical theatre fan, this show is sure to delight, and for those new to the genre it will be a fun way to be introduced to the sights and sounds of Broadway.

 

How to Survive an Apocalypse

Touchstone Theatre, Firehall Arts Centre, Playwrights’ Theatre Centre

June 2-11; Firehall Arts Centre

“The apocalypse will not be gluten-free,” says Jen as she packs containers of rice into a large plastic tub. With little storage in the one-bedroom apartment she shares with her husband, Jen has replaced their ottoman with two packs of bottled water and is prepping for any kind of environmental or natural disaster — or for the end of the world if it comes to that.  

This new play by Jordan Hall is a witty romantic comedy that deals with themes of preparing for the end of times and the importance of self-reliance. It is also a chronicle of the trials and tribulations of modern urban life for someone in their twenties. I found it to be an accurate, although exaggerated, depiction of that lifestyle.  

Jen (Claire Hesselgrave) and Tim (Sebastien Archibald) have been married for a few years. Jen is a magazine editor struggling to keep her publication alive, and Tim is an unemployed game designer who eventually decides to devote his time to creating an end of the world simulation featuring the two of them. They are both unsure how their lives ended up this way, and Jen begins to question her marriage, feeling like she settled for Tim when she should have been with someone more daring or less “nice.”

As Jen learns about prepping for the end of days from the hot new consultant sent to save her magazine, she tries her best to impress him with her new foraging skills while convincing herself she is not attracted to him at all.

I enjoyed the witty one-liners and relevancy of the struggle that seems to plague my generation. It is so hard to grow up expecting to be able to own a house and have a stable job in your profession of choice and then finding it inordinately difficult to do so. Not living up to the vision you have of your future self is one of the most difficult things to come to terms with, and these characters all grapple with it in their own ways.

Aside from falling into the predictable adultery and rom-com ending, this was a stellar play from an emerging playwright. How to Survive an Apocalypse shows that as much as we may try to prepare for the end of the world or the onset of climate change, there are some things in life we can never be prepared for.

City and Colour will never be called a Fragile Bird

By
EIC
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Comfortable both solo and in a group, Dallas Green can command a stage.

It’s not often that the opener gets called back for an encore, but the stadium was hungry for Shakey Graves when he started packing up. He gestured to his wrist by way of excuse, but thanked everyone for liking him that much.

Graves opened for City and Colour at Rogers Arena. A mix of blues, rock, and folk, Graves and his band were well-loved by the folks waiting for City and Colour. This was his first arena show, and he killed it. Smooth guitar, dulcet yet powerful vocals, and fantastic drums — particularly on “Dearly Departed” which turned out to be a huge fan favourite. This guy was a great time, with his signature suitcase drum and laidback style. “Only Son” was another winner with the audience.

Ontario-native Dallas Green’s City and Colour was quite the contrast to the big rock sound of Shakey Graves, opening with the nine-minute “Woman” off of his latest If I Should Go Before You. The soulful alternative rock project featured spectacular lights as an accompaniment to the gainful guitar and swaying bass. As a result, stage movement was limited, but City and Colour more than made up for it with audience interaction.

Green’s ensemble played favourites “Sleeping Sickness” and “Waiting . . .” as well as a few off the latest album. There was dancing in the aisles to the smooth vocals. Though it was pretty difficult to tell what the lyrics were, Green’s voice fits the music so well that it almost doesn’t matter. They closed out the group portion of the evening with “As Much as I Ever Could,” that is a great closing out song from Bring Me Your Love.

Then Green did some solo performances: “Bobcaygeon” (a Tragically Hip cover), “Save Your Scissors,” and the popular love song “The Girl,” which the band came back on for. He handled the stage as well alone as he did in the group, and the audience loved every second.

As soon as they left the stage, the stadium was calling them back for more, and City and Colour delivered in spades. They came right back in with “Fragile Bird,” a more upbeat, groovy song that once again saw the audience on their feet and swaying to that bassline. The night ended for real on “Sorrowing Man,” a melancholy rock ballad with a lot of powerful emotion in both music and vocals.

It was not the kind of concert that sees the audience on their feet for the entire time — aside from the floor seats, because once one guy stands up, everyone else needs to in order to see. It was a chill, but massively enjoyable time for all. This was a show about the music, and coming together as a group of people who appreciate excellent songwriting.

Jessy Lanza avoids being a conservative radio icon

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EIC
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Current radio tastes aren't where Lanza's music has its home, but she is OK with that.

Jessy Lanza, an R&B synth-pop artist from Hamilton, Ontario, released her first solo album Pull My Hair Back in 2013. Since then, she’s gone on to collaborate with musical groups including Caribou, Mezzanine, and Ikonika. On May 13, she released her second album, Oh No. Lanza clearly has talent, and with each new release she displays more and more solidity as a performer and artist.

The Peak had the pleasure of talking to Lanza, and got to ask her a few questions about school, and the nature of top 40 music.

The Peak: Did you always know that you wanted to study music formally, or was it something you chose from other competing options?

Jessy Lanza: I was always making music from the time when I was a little kid, but I think when it came time to choose if I was going to go to school — I just didn’t really know what else to do. I wasn’t really good at anything else [. . .] but I just decided to go for it. It seems like it made the most sense — at the time.

P: What would you say is the most valuable thing you gained from school, from your experience there?

JL: I think when I was at school for jazz piano especially, all the people who are teaching and all the people around you, they’re all just obsessed with music and a lot of obscure jazz music as well. So I got exposed to a lot of artists and records that I never would have heard before. So I think it gave me this appreciation for digging a bit deeper than what is on the radio or what is considered the canon of really great albums. It kind of pushes you to search a bit deeper.

P: I read another interview that you had where you said that you sort of aim to write radio hits, like “Umbrella” for example, but then what you end up producing maybe falls short of that and then that ends up being your record.

JL: Yeah, I mean, I think that both Jeremy [Greenspan, Lanza’s songwriting partner] and I think we both have too much of an interest in music that is just not quite straightforward enough to be on the radio — it wasn’t always like that. Maybe if Jeremy and I were releasing music in a different time maybe we could get our music on the radio. I feel like people’s limit for what can be radio music or top 40’s music is just something really conservative in the past 25 years. I think like 30 years ago it was a lot more open.

P: So is that, you think, a product of the people working for radio not wanting to take a risk and play music that isn’t successful right now, or is it more about the listeners not wanting variety? Is it more the actual radio employees or the listeners do you think that’s causing the restriction?

JL: It’s hard to say. I think it’s just a weird time for people working in media, whether you’re in TV or radio — I don’t mean hard — I mean it’s like transitional, things are changing and old methods that used to make people a lot of money . . . it’s just not the same anymore. So I think people are being a bit safer and less willing to take a risk if they don’t think it’s going to make money because everyone’s so afraid of becoming totally irrelevant and obsolete. But yeah, it is a very safe kind of time in a lot of ways unfortunately . . . but it always changes!  Things always cycle back.

Be sure to catch Lanza’s show on June 21 at Alexander Gastown.

Larissa Chen to continue as interim SFSS president

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EIC
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Larissa Chen will be handling the roles of President and VP Student Services for the time being.

Larissa Chen will be staying on as the interim president of the Simon Fraser Student Society for the summer semester.

As per a press release from the SFSS, Chen will be maintaining her role for the time being as the board’s bylaws require. Chen took over for Deepak Sharma on June 2, when bylaws forced him to resign for failing to meet membership eligibility requirements.  

The board is not allowed to make any formal changes to its leadership structure until September, and it has not yet been decided what those changes might be.

For now, Chen is just cautiously optimistic about staying the course as interim president.

“I’m obviously nervous, but very well-supported. Our team is great, and they’ve done a very good job of being understanding,” she said. “I’m just excited, we have a lot of projects ahead of us, and now we can get started and really get rolling.”

She will still be responsible for her initial role on the Board of Directors, which is VP student services. She said that a lot of the presidential tasks will be delegated amongst the other members of the executive to help her maintain her increased workload.

“In terms of balancing both those roles, it’s been discussed before that VP Student Services is a great deal of operational services. However, there are these governance aspects where you can engage with students and get consultation and feedback with students, and I think that’s really great, which is why I applied for this role,” she said.

“Moving forward, I will still do the responsibilities the president is named to, but with a service focus and still making sure [both my roles] are being done well and that there is always someone taking care of any tasks.”

VP external relations Christine Dyson acknowledged that students might be feeling a little wary of the SFSS right now, but that they should still have faith in what this year’s Board of Directors can accomplish.  

“I would say right now we do have a lot of — I don’t want to say negative — I would say news stories coming out and there are a lot of issues that have been developing, but I would say really focus on what the board is doing this year,” she said.

“We had our board plan, we worked on that, there’s some really good things coming out of that. Also, we’re working off of the strategic plan from last year, and that’s great because the society hasn’t had a strategic plan before, so this is the first year it’s really being implemented.”

Chen said that she understands that students are upset about what happened with Sharma, and said that the reason board members are not rushing any decisions is to make sure they make the best decision for both the Board and for students.

“I think that in terms of the Deepak situation, it’s fair for students to express their concerns, and I think it’s fair for them to be upset about it,” she said. “We will definitely be weighing out all the aspects and all the catalyzing effects of any option and all the options that are available to us.”  

This means that the Board will take their time in deciding how to proceed come September instead of making any decisions or announcements to the public.

“At this point in time, we’re still trying to weigh out all our options,” said Dyson. “That’s why we’re going to wait a few weeks and make sure we suss it out properly, and then at that point in time we’ll have a formal release of what the plan will be going forward.”

SFU and ResLife have failed women on campus

By
EIC
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[dropcap]P[/dropcap]rovided you don’t live under a rock, you have most likely heard of the three rape allegations against one male SFU student that have recently come to light. According to news reports, the alleged rapist was permitted to live on Residence through the Fall and Spring semesters alongside his victims. Two of said victims have reportedly dropped out of university and have removed themselves from residence due to feeling so unsafe.

Overnight, this issue has provoked widespread concern among staff and students alike, with the dominant tone of response being anger and shock — and rightfully so. Upon questioning, both ResLife and SFU have hidden behind vague, PR-saturated statements. SFU spokesperson Kurt Heinrich claimed that SFU worked with the RCMP and “undertook measures to ensure the safety of the campus community,” as The Vancouver Sun reports.  

One of the victims reportedly felt too unsafe to eat at the Dining Hall alone, or leave her room. When the victim and her parents pressured SFU to act on the allegations, he was merely moved to a different building — where no other female student was warned. How can this be framed as ensuring safety? As a female student at Simon Fraser who currently lives on SFU residence, I do not feel safe. I do not feel protected. ResLife and SFU have allowed a dangerous man to infiltrate our small, friendly residence community, with no warning whatsoever.  

As a former employee of SFU ResLife, I have witnessed people evicted for “alleged drug use” and “excessive noise complaints.” Trivial reasons, justified with well-worded proclamations of keeping this community “safe.” I don’t know about you, but I would much rather live next to a stoner than a rapist, obviously.

As a female student who currently lives on SFU residence, I do not feel safe. I do not feel protected.

Ironically enough, I was reprimanded for (albeit, aggressively) questioning ResLife’s sexual assault policies in a training session. Their response was to quickly gloss over the topic, and the session continued. It seemed then, and is clear now, that they have very few answers. In fact, the organization is still grasping at straws on how to handle such a serious crime. When I asked current ResLife employees to comment on the situation, I was quickly given the business card of yet another media representative, and informed that they had strict instructions from their bosses to refuse to comment.

When moving into residence, you are required to sign a contract that explicitly states that you agree to “abide by all federal, provincial, and local government laws, regulations, and bylaws and all SFU rules, regulations, [and] policies,” or SFU may “terminate” your contract. SFU’s pathetic sexual assault policy states that any form of sexual violence will not be tolerated. Newsflash: rape is not only illegal and reprehensible, but explicitly against the contract that is so often wielded over residents’ heads for much less important issues.

The image SFU and ResLife desperately try to create is that of a safe campus. On residence and throughout SFU, I hear a lot from staff and administration about the “community”: that it is safe, healthy, and inclusive. Now, when I think of these ideals, I feel sick and betrayed. I can’t help but feel infuriated on behalf of those girls who were made to fear their own living space, while SFU and ResLife hid behind empty rhetoric.

In a “safe” community, two girls wouldn’t feel so at risk that they would decide to quit school, and an alleged rapist would not be permitted to share a bathroom with unknowing, unwarned residents.  

With our ongoing, seemingly undeserved reputation of being a ‘progressive campus,’ I would have expected a much faster and adequate response from the administration. This obvious lack of diligence infuriates me. I’m angry for myself, for my peers, and for the victims. These actions have not only failed to protect the survivors, but all women residing on campus.

Kevin Morby brings the Media Club to its feet

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EIC
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This man knows how to work a crowd, even if it is with bad puns.

An intimate night of music at the Media Club started with Jaye Bartell, a solo act featuring only Johnny Cash-style vocals and exquisite finger-picking skills on an acoustic guitar. Bartell’s voice was deep and soothing, despite also sounding melancholic.

He didn’t move around a lot, looking rather emotionless and a little nervous while he was playing. In between songs though, Bartell seemed to relax more and made small talk. His music is more folk than pop, but if that’s not your style, don’t fret — it grows on you as he plays. The crowd could tell there was talent in the house, as Bartell received plenty of applause at the end of his 30-minute set.

By the time Kevin Morby took the stage, clad in a beige blazer and bolo tie, the Media Club was packed. His type of pop is laced with rock and folk, with lots of percussion punctuating the songs. There’s a freshness to Morby’s music, and it’s hard to discern where it comes from. His sound is all at once comfortable, familiar, and yet new. It could be from the bluesy bass, the great rhythm, or toned down rock edge — but what I do know is that it was a great show.

Great musicality and a big sound helped Morby command the stage. The crowd emphatically followed the singer/guitarist’s lead, head-banging and dancing energetically to each song. People were standing on the furniture just to catch a glimpse over all the moving bodies.

He kept the crowd entertained between songs with various attempts at stand-up comedy. Let’s just say, it’s a good thing he’s more serious about music. A fan told him to name his next album “Pho!” (pronounced foe). To which Morby responded that it’s pronounced “fuh” but that it was a “fuh-nny” idea.

I think you can imagine the half-hearted applause and scattered groans which followed. However, his jokes did pass the time while he was tuning, and kept the audience engaged. It was even a little endearing to see him try so hard.

Morby played a new song, “Tiny Fires” to the great delight of the crowd. He also played fan favourites like “Miles, Miles, Miles” with his band, and did a few songs solo, including “Black Flowers.” It didn’t matter whether he had a band or not — every song was greeted with raucous approval by the audience.

For a Tuesday night, Vancouver partied pretty hard and it’s all thanks to the great talents of Bartell, Morby, and company. No one left the Media Club without a smile on their face and their blood pounding through their veins to the echo of the kickdrum.

dvsn makes performing live look effortless

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EIC
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The duo started their tour off on a high note.

On June 8, Canadian R&B duo and recent OVO signings dvsn played their first show of their debut tour at Fortune Sound Club, to support their debut album Sept. 5th. The duo consists of talented singer Daniel Daley and producer Nineteen85, who’s become well-known for producing Drake hits such as “Hold On, We’re Going Home” and “One Dance.” Think of electronic/trap R&B, with a lot of sexual innuendos mixed in the lyrics.

The evening started with the in-house DJ. At the beginning, he was trying to get the crowd going to not much effect. But once the place started to fill up around 10 p.m., there was a lot more energy to it. Of course, with dvsn signed to OVO, founded by Drake, you knew there would be some Champagne Papi songs, with remixes of “All Me,” “Controlla,” and “Still Here.”

Once dvsn got on around 11 p.m., they opened with probably their most recognizable song in “Try/Effortless,” with a snippet of Drake’s “Fire and Desire” mixed in. After “With Me” and “Do it Well,” they went into “Too Deep” — the definitive crowd favourite of the night, which includes some super sexual lyrics that they are getting well-known for. Other highlights included “Hallucinations,” and a Prince tribute with a cover of “Purple Rain.” It wouldn’t be an OVO concert without some more Drake as well, so they played their part from “Faithful,” one of the better songs off Drake’s new album in my opinion.

It’s very rare that you can hear an entire artist’s catalogue in one concert, but dvsn managed to play all 10 songs off their only album in just over an hour. They hit multiple high notes perfectly, and they sounded exactly like the album, which is not something that you can say for most acts. I had also never been to a concert at Fortune before, and I was pleasantly surprised at how good the acoustics were. The bass was thumpin’ and you could perfectly hear the vocals.

In all, it was a great concert. If you’re a fan of R&B such as the Weeknd, I definitely recommend giving these guys a listen.

Levitation Vancouver is set to kick off festival season

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EIC
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King Tuff preforming at Rickshaw during last year's festival.

Summer has arrived, which means music festival season is swinging into full gear.

Although there has been some disappointment with the cancellation of the Squamish Valley Music Festival, there are still plenty of other festivals to fill the emptiness.

Levitation Vancouver is back for its second year from June 16–19, featuring artists with an emphasis on psychedelic or experimental sounds. Having gone last year, I recommend this festival to anyone who has the means to attend.

The festival is spread out between the Commodore and select venues. Groups such as garage rock band together PANGEA start the festival off on Thursday night at the Cobalt respectively, for some shows you won’t want to miss.

Tycho’s chilled out electronic ambience will fill the Commodore on Friday, changing the atmosphere from the psychedelic glam pop/rock from of Montreal, and surf punk sounds of FIDLAR.

Beachy surf vibes mark the midway point of Friday with Allah-Las, their music steeped in a 1960s sound reminiscent of the Zombies or the Kinks. Vancouver-based punk group White Lung rounds out Friday’s schedule for Levitation.

Los Angeles experimental electronic master Flying Lotus headlines on Saturday, and is sure to have accompanying psychedelic visuals to set the tone. Californian band the Growlers are set to play beforehand, with a sound that bridges rock, country, surf, and pop into the umbrella of psychedelia.

Another highlight of Saturday will be Thee Oh Sees. John Dwyer always brings a great energetic live show, and since he’s touring with two drummers right now it’s sure to be an excellent set.

Night-time shows will take place at the Cobalt, Imperial, and Rickshaw Theatre after the headliners finish at the Commodore. You can expect to see some great acts, with bands like Montreal-based Suuns, electronic synthwave artist Com Truise, stoner-psych heavyweights Dead Meadow, and mutli-genre/jazz-fusion/electronic bassist Thundercat.

A nice aspect of this festival is that you don’t need to pay for the full weekend, or even a full day. Tickets for the different venues are sold separately, so if you’re only interested in seeing a band or two in the evening you won’t have to break the bank. Or, if you’ve been at the festival since 4 p.m., you don’t have to feel pressured to go see another handful of bands later on in the night.

Administration allegedly mishandled three sexual assault allegations

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EIC
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Three sexual assaults have allegedly taken place at SFU Residence, with the university being accused of mishandling the accusations.

In the midst of rolling out community consultations for SFU’s new standalone sexual assault policy, reports have emerged that this past year that administration may have mishandled sexual assault allegations from three students against a male student in residence. The mishandling could implicate the top levels of administration including President Andrew Petter, VP Academic Jon Driver, and Associate VP Students Tim Rahilly.

What happened?

The first individual alleges she was raped by the male student in October of 2015 while living in residence, according to The Vancouver Sun. The second alleges a sexual assault happened during the Christmas Break outside of campus.

Both students withdrew from classes shortly thereafter. It was in February of this year that the mother of one of the individuals wrote to President Petter to bring his attention to the issue. However, it was not until April that the mother met with several members of the administration.

What was the administration’s response?

It was reported by the Sun that the male student was moved to another residence — according to some reports, to an even larger room. Kurt Heinrich, a spokesperson for the university, told The Peak that the university conducted a safety assessment “in conjunction with the RCMP.”

Heinrich emphasized that the male student in question was no longer on campus, but would not say whether that was due to university action or some other reason. It is unclear whether the student is still enrolled in the institution.

He would also not get into the specifics of any other measures taken by the university, despite saying to The Peak, “We’re doing our best [to be] as transparent as we can.”

Several friends of the survivors have claimed that the university has encouraged them to keep quiet about the allegations. They also claimed that they have been physically threatened by the accused student’s friends.

What are they saying now?

As of now, Petter, Driver, and Rahilly have all declined to comment.

The Peak questioned Heinrich about why the university’s legal counsel was present at the April meeting if not to protect the university from liability. Heinrich said “that wasn’t necessarily the case,” but wouldn’t say why Li-Jeen Broshko, the lawyer, was present.

Heinrich refused to comment on many aspects of the story, including two of the female individuals withdrawing from classes, citing privacy concerns and a wish to not interfere with the ongoing RCMP investigation.

Said the Teaching Staff and Support Union (TSSU) in a statement made available to The Peak, “The SFU Senior Administration needs to take responsibility for their decades of inaction and start being part of the solution rather than silently perpetuating injustice.”

The Peak will update the story as more information becomes available.

 

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Simon Fraser University’s independent student newspaper since 1965.

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

© The Peak Publications Society