Sports Briefs

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March 7, 2016

WEB-Harper-Lisa Dimyadi — Senior Michael Harper was named GNAC Men’s Basketball All-Conference Honourable Mention.

Men’s Soccer

SFU will play host to Whitecaps FC II on Sunday, March 13. This marks a return for former SFU Head Coach Alan Koch, who coached SFU for seven seasons before leaving for the Whitecaps. Admission to the game will be free.

Track & Field

SFU is sending its largest ever team to the Indoor Track & Field Championships on March 11–12 in Pittsburg, Kansas. SFU is sending a total of 11 athletes, including their first jumper Vladislav Tsygankov and first male sprinter Joel Webster.

Men’s Basketball

Senior Michael Harper has been named GNAC Men’s Basketball All-Conference Honourable Mention. Harper led SFU with an average of 33.3 minutes per game, as well as first in steals with an average of 1.4 per game.

Men’s Wrestling

Junior Tyler McLean and Redshirt Junior Reid Watkins are going to the NCAA Division II Wrestling National Championships. McLean finished third at the Regional Championships, while Watkins finished fourth in his respective weight class. The National Championships will take place in Sioux Falls, South Dakota on March 11.

With files from SFU Athletics

Seven Clan football athletes invited to CFL Combine

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EIC

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March 7, 2016

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Simon Fraser University - South Dakota School of Mines NCAA GNAC Football, Swangard Stadium, Burnaby B.C. October 18 2014. Photo: Ron Hole — Michael Couture (right) was one of the two SFU alums selected in the CFL draft.

Seven seniors from SFU’s football team have been invited to CFL combines. Michael Couture and Quinn Horton have been invited to the 2016 CFL National Combine in Toronto, which will take place from March 11th to March 13th. Earl Anderson, Tyler Nickel, Jamie Puffer, Nikolai Karpun, and Tiernan Docherty have been invited to the Regional Combine in Edmonton which will take place on March 7th.

Couture started every game he played during his four years with the Clan, while Horton finished with the most tackles from a defensive linemen on the team with a total of 37. Being directly invited to the National Combine, they do not have to attend the Regional Combine taking place in Edmonton.

Ever since the season ended, Couture has been preparing for the combine to impress all nine CFL teams that will be there.

“I’ve been training six days a week,” said Couture. “I’m a offensive lineman and Quinn Horton’s a defensive tackle who’s also going, and that worked out really well, because we’re the same age, almost the same weight, [and] we go against each other on the field. We’ve been up here four days a week and then we have a personal trainer in Surrey we’ve been going to twice a week.”

The combine will feature a number of drills that players will have to test themselves on, such as one on one drills, bench press, and 40 yard dash. Each team will also have 15 minutes to interview a player and ask him a series of questions.

“The CFL YouTube site has interviews with some of the players and teams [from past drafts],” explained Couture. “I actually went on and watched every interview that they’ve provided, and I’ve written down every question that they would ask a player [. . .] some of them are tricky, so I’ve written those down and on the car rides to and from school we’ll quiz each other on the questions, just so we get a feel for how we should answer them.”

Couture has also had help from past SFU teammates who have gone through the combine process.

“There was a handful last year, and the year before that we had three guys invited to the national and we had two guys invited to the Edmonton Regional, and both of those guys got invited to the National Combine,” he said. “So we had all of our five draft eligible player at the national. And I was very close with all five of those guys, and so any question I’ve had through the process I’ve been texting them, phoning them, they just give me tips on how to take in the whole process.”

Couture and others hope to join SFU football alumni Lemar Durant and others in the league when the draft is held May 10.

Performance Works Theatre showcases local dance

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EIC

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March 7, 2016

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WEB-Dance review — *Pace* (Act 1) put on by OURO Dance Collective.

Performance Works Theatre on Granville Island simply didn’t have enough seats to hold the number of excited audience members for the double bill of Heather Laura Gray: The Tunnel, and OURO Collective: Pace on February 28.

The 2 p.m. show was pushed back as staff of New Works scrambled to find chairs for a constant influx of people for about 20 extra minutes. When the lights finally went down, I noticed that Performance Works does not black out entirely well — bits of light were visible in the ceiling, betraying the drizzly grey of a Sunday afternoon.

This February edition of New Works: Dance Allsorts brought to the stage two 25-minute “works in progress.” Tunnel, choreographed by Heather Laura Gray, delved into the complex human mind using Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic concepts of the id, the ego, and the superego. Four dancers clad in all black with fully-wrapped white heads represented the dissection of the mind — Emily Tellier as Id, Navid Charkhi as Superego, and Katie Lowen as Ego, with choreographer Heather Laura Gray as the creative addition of the “soul.”

In Tunnel, smoke filled the stage and created a triangle of light that made the dancers’ white heads float eerily in space as they hunched, convulsed, and writhed around the stage. The dancers used the street dance method of popping to initiate their movement and manipulate each other. The jarring muscle contractions in their bodies became electric shocks that moved them around the dark stage, like robots.

The piece developed in a bizarre way, moving through popping, contemporary floorwork, and acrobatics. When Heather Laura Gray entered the stage at the end to perform a mournful solo in a spotlight, I was left grasping at the connection of a deep voice in the soundscore repeating “body of land, body of water” with her searching, reaching gestures.

The second piece Pace (Act 1) is a work in progress created by OURO Collective, an energetic young group of Vancouver dancers with varied backgrounds. The group used strong, driving hip hop music, along with a mish-mash of B-boy, waacking, locking, and contemporary dance styles arranged in intentional lines and shapes.

Pace showcased the strong suits of each dancer: Cristina Bucci’s contemporary hip-hop fusion, Antonio Somera’s sassy waacking, Dean Placzek and Mark Siller’s incredible B-boy floorwork, and Maiko Miyauchi’s graceful edge. Apprentice Kevin Li appeared for a short period of time to “tut” across the stage and mesmerize us with his snakelike hands.

The piece oscillated between the more “free” moments of solos and duets and highly-sculpted shapes. In one section, OURO connected fists in a perfect line, moving like a human centipede across the stage until each dancer broke off. This repeated motif enforced the theme — the isolation and competition of urban society that the individual must strive to break free from.

Both performances received loud affirmation from the audience on Granville Island. But I am looking forward to seeing how both of these pieces develop. Will they manage to individuate themselves in a contemporary dance landscape that is fusing more and more with street styles and martial arts? Admittedly, there was a youthful buzz about the show, and definitely something sexy about the way OURO used the music that had me dancing — more than once — in my seat.

Michael Bernard Fitzgerald captures a sense of authenticity

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EIC

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March 7, 2016

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WEB-MBF listening party - Allison Seto — The manipulation of energy and atmosphere through sound.

Last week, I was invited to an advance listening session of Michael Bernard Fitzgerald’s upcoming indie rock album, I Wanna Make It With You.

As I walked into the Fairmont Hotel in Vancouver I had no idea what to expect. Before that night, I tried to research Michael Bernard Fitzgerald so I would have an idea of how the album listening session would go. I was stuck. Was this a solo act or a band? What was the genre of the artist? I listened to as much of his music as possible, but I could not solve the mystery of Michael Bernard Fitzgerald.

When I reached the second floor, I was greeted by someone named Andrew Ball. Later on, I discovered that he was the drummer for Michael Bernard Fitzgerald. As Ball led a group of us into the hotel room — where the listening session would take place — his upbeat personality created a casual atmosphere. It felt like hanging out with a group of friends. That sense of informality and intimacy was present throughout the entire experience.

As expected, Fitzgerald sang lead and played the guitar while Ball handled the percussion and occasionally sang harmonies. The unique and interesting element in this equation was Frankie Lemon on cello. Strings play a relevant part in Michael Bernard Fitzgerald’s music. To enhance the presence of strings, they contacted people online, and happened to find Lemon. The album listening session was the first time they all played together. We were watching an improvised performance that never felt muddled.

Fitzgerald’s voice was crisp and effortless. Every song felt authentic. The album did not seem to have a specific pace or style; each song seemed to be independent in meaning and serve an individual purpose. This quality reflects Fitzgerald’s statements about the songs in the album being open-ended.

According to him, no song is “wrapped up.” In between songs, Fitzgerald had the tendency to talk about the inspiration or personal story behind a particular song. For example, “A to Z” was created when a friend challenged him to write a song about the alphabet during a plane ride.

Clarifying my curiosity about whether Michael Bernard Fitzgerald was a solo act or a band, Ball told me that performances could range from Fitzgerald alone to a full orchestra depending on the occasion. This particular occasion was a small jam session.

Michael Bernard Fitzgerald’s versatile music reflects an ability to manipulate energy and atmosphere. There is a positive and personable quality to their music that occurs naturally. I am excited to hear the full album when it is released on March 11.

FOOD FIGHT: Five cheap eats near campus

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EIC

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March 7, 2016

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Food Fight is dedicated to highlighting the differences between vegan and non-vegan cuisines. By reviewing restaurants in Metro Vancouver, columnists Yelin and Bart show how you can have the best of both worlds.

We get it, we know you can’t always afford fancy stuff. Your seasonal contract working for Forever 21 just expired, and no matter how much you ‘make it rain’ with your résumé throughout Vancouver, you can’t seem to find work. Your savings are dwindling and your palms sweat while telling your friends you can’t tag along to Earl’s for a birthday because you’re broke as fuck. We’ve all been there, and food fight is here to offer up five cheap eats with vegetarian options.

Disclaimer: some of these places might lack fantastic ambiance and make you really utilize your unlimited student compass card. The purpose of this article is to highlight places with prices great for broke students and mediocrity in everything else.

1. The Famous Warehouse

Locations at 989 Granville St., and 156 West Hastings St.

Everything on the menu is $4.95, including a surprising variety of vegetarian options like the vegetarian quesadilla, veggie burgers, and more. The portions are fair, especially for the price, and the ambiance is alright for a meeting with a friend. Be sure to avoid the rush hours and note they only accept credit or cash. If you have neither, be prepared to use their ATM in the back.

2. Bon’s Off Broadway

Located at 2451 Nanaimo St.

You woke up at 2 p.m. Sunday afternoon with a hangover that demands bottomless coffee and a greasy all-American breakfast. I’ve got the remedy for you. Grab a friend and make the trek out to Bon’s Off Broadway for a proudly advertised all day $2.95 breakfast which includes eggs, meat, potatoes, and toast. In a bit of a nitty gritty ambiance inside and out but with brisk service and perfectly cooked eggs.

3. La Taqueria Pinche Taco Shop

Locations at 2549 Cambie St., 322 West Hastings St., and 1305 Welch St.

Local, organic, cheap tacos with homemade tortillas with a location on Cambie and Hastings. . . need I say more? Vegetarian tacos at $2.50 each or 4 for $8.50, splitsies with a friend if you’re not too hungry — they include two vegan options with mushrooms and zucchini.

4. Sushi California

Locations at 388 West Broadway, and 501 North Rd.

This spot offers large sashimi portions and large sushi rolls for well under $5, and is popular amongst the community for both its quality and quantity. I would suggest avoiding the typical rush hours and not bringing a larger group without a reservation. It’s just a short walk from Lougheed Town Centre station!

5. Basil Pasta Bar

Locations at 636 Davie St., and 1602 Yew St.

Near Pacific Centre downtown and with a motto of “tasty meets affordable,” it’s still not going to be the most extravagant pasta you’ll ever eat. That being said, almost all the dishes are $8.95 and a glass of house wine to accompany your meal is $4. The service is friendly and will tolerate your vegan inquiries with grace. It’s good for a cheaper Italian dinner fare without really sacrificing anything.

CINEPHILIA: The Little Prince goes beyond the standard adaptation

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EIC

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March 7, 2016

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WEB-The little prince - Paramount Pictures — The film adaptation embraces the story within a story format.

When I read Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s The Little Prince in grade seven, it had no impact on me at the time. The book isn’t really for children. It’s an adult story told with the boisterous spirit of a child, meant for those who can’t remember how to perceive the world with imagination. I had to lose my unabashed inkling to trust and believe before I could understand The Little Prince.

Published in 1943, during the Second World War, The Little Prince considers many themes pertinent to the author’s personal life and the time period; Nazism, mortality, and materialism. The novel is about a prince that leaves his lonely asteroid to travel the universe. On his journey, he encounters foolish men that concern themselves with inessential, material things: a king without a kingdom, a businessman who hoards his wealth, and a drunk who drinks to forget he is a drunk, among others.

Because the original story is so episodic and uniquely structured, director Mark Osborne sidesteps the challenge of segmenting the story in his animated adaptation by integrating the novel into the plot of the film as a story within a story, which is an ingenious practical and thematic choice. This is in no way a remake, more a consideration of the book’s ongoing relevance and power. By having a girl directly interact with the novel, she actively decodes Exupéry’s metaphors, demonstrating what the story means to her and us today.

The film is set in contemporary times, which is depicted in boring, rigid shapes — the cars are boxes, the houses are designed in rectangles and the bird’s eye view of the suburban neighborhood is a dull square. The young girl’s mother has a square board that outlines every minute of her life for maximum efficiency, doing away with any awe or wonder. The map for our protagonist’s life is as logical and structured as the design of the square neighborhood in which she lives. The girl is forced to study dense arithmetic. Stories and art aren’t a part of the curriculum. They are expendable.

By not directly adapting the novel, Exupéry himself becomes a character within the film. The man next door, who shares pages of the book with the little girl, is from another world. His kooky inventions, lopsided house, and illogically proportioned figure are alien and distant from all the sharp edges and straight logic. The author of one of the most creative classics of all time is seen as a lunatic and out of touch with supposedly better, contemporary ways of thinking.

The Little Prince is a film about the intangible power of storytelling, about how its value can’t be explained, only felt. Osborne uses three different kinds of animation to consider the impact of the prince’s story on the little girl and the audience, too. The 3D animation captures the realistic spaces with proper depth and shape. Stop-motion is used in the story within the story, and the craft-like aesthetic puts us inside the girl’s imagination. Flat, two-dimensional animation depicts the illustrations from the novel, often in tandem with narration to engage the viewer in a kind of Rorschach test, questioning our rigid perception.

By cleverly adapting the novel as a story within a story, The Little Prince interprets its dense source material, shows the power of stories as it changes the mindset of a little girl, and considers the way the author may have been viewed if he lived in our heavily structured and scientifically-minded society. Exupéry’s message is resoundingly subversive: “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”

If you have faith to follow this film’s ludicrously structured narrative, you will perceive things in an old way — like a child. Eyes provide facts, while the heart is the reason for living in the first place. It’s clear which one is the more essential.

ALBUM REVIEW

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EIC

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March 7, 2016

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Following the release of the Benji in 2014 and Universal Themes in 2015, the 2016 collaboration album Jesu/Sun Kil Moon provides a stable ground that will go on to please the most dedicated of Kozelek fans, and alienate the Benji bandwagoners that despise the Sun Kil Moon (SKM) diary-lyric styles of Universal Themes.

Fans who crave Kozelek’s personal lyricism will enjoy him yelling through essays of lyrics that reflect the same diary-realist-daily routine habits over Jesu’s blasting post-rock/synth timbre, such as in “Good Morning, My Love” and “America’s Most Wanted Mark Kozelek.”

However, older fans of SKM will settle for songs such as “Fragile” that reminisce the nylon fingerpicking of Benji, or songs like “Exodus” and “Beautiful You” that reflect the somber electro-ambient tales of Kozelek & Lavelle’s Perils From The Sea. However, though this an album that is worth checking out for anybody who enjoys post-rock and incredible lyrics, those unfamiliar with either artist should check out their previous discography before jumping into this.

Leonardo DiCaprio finally won an Oscar, and the Internet went wild

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EIC

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March 7, 2016

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THE REVENANT — Leo in his Oscar winning performance in *The Revenant*.

When I was younger, I recognized actors by their faces, not their names. Why would I really need to know that Harry Potter was actually called Daniel Radcliffe? Or that Spiderman was really called Peter Parker — I mean, Tobey Maguire? I was too young to care.

But as we get older, we appreciate these things more, and in doing so, our connections become more real. My connection, for example, to Peter Parker, had me conceding that I might ask him for help on this article, considering his renowned workplace.

That being said, growing up, when I heard the name Leonardo DiCaprio I always thought “Yes I know him. He’s Captain Jack Sparrow!” Only later on, I had an epiphany about the ‘Depp’ of my stupidity. Stupidity is a strong word, but it is definitely apt for describing confusing two great actors who have no resemblance to each other whatsoever — an obvious reason why one should be able to tell them apart. Could Leo have played Jack Sparrow though? Perhaps — as far as birds go, he certainly brings out his inner songbird with his melodic humming in 2013 movie, The Sparrow of Wall Street — I mean, wolf.

If Leonardo DiCaprio were in the Caribbean, it’d probably be on holiday. I can’t see him taking many of those, though, considering the large roles that he plays every year.

Consistency. Leo is the epitome of it. His longevity makes him special. At 41, DiCaprio has played key roles in several noteworthy films. Inception. The Wolf of Wall Street. Django Unchained. Blood Diamond. Those are my personal favorites! Leo has stayed true to his art and kept on acting, despite the Oscar evading him a previous six times he was nominated, before he actually “unchained” it this year. Allow me to unchain the question that serves as the backbone to this whole article.

Did Leo deserve his Oscar? Well, does February 14 deserve to be called Valentine’s Day? In both cases the answer is YES. However, more hearts were probably fulfilled on February 28 when Leo got his Oscar than on Valentine’s Day this year. I was on the train to Chinatown for a comedy show when I first found out. My brother texted me saying “Homeboy Leo got the Oscar!!!!” and my reply was “YESSSSSS! I thought I was your homeboy though?” He still hasn’t replied. . .

I believe Leo won his rightful Oscar. The others were not meant for him. But why this year?

Destiny? The universe? Stars aligning? Or was The Revenant THAT phenomenal? I don’t think we can credit the universe or stars for this one because they would have favoured Matt Damon, on account of how much time he spent up there in The Martian. So no, it wasn’t the globetrotter, Damon, who won the Oscar. It was instead the man who sees the globe as our treasure, as emphasized in his winning speech for “best actor.”

On a night where the media retina was focused and framed around the #OscarsSoWhite controversy born out of a lack of diversity in this year’s nominations, Leo had other ideas for the theme of his speech: #OscarsSoGreen. DiCaprio lamented the mistreatment of the Earth today and bashed the posers and corporations who seek personal benefit at the expense of our planet’s well-being.

What can we learn from that speech? We can play a part in something way bigger than ourselves and bigger than a Hollywood production, or whatever it is we directly manifest our energy into on a daily basis.

Keep fighting for your own Oscar moment.

A brief look at non-varsity athletics

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EIC

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March 7, 2016

1

In the academic world,

there are few rivals more bitter than the one that exists between athletes and non-athletic students. There exists a great debate of whether or not universities should fund athletics as heavily as they do, or if their primary focus should be on academia. Back in 2009 when rumorus of joining the NCAA first began, Dr. Nello Angerilli, Vice President of Students International, stated that “We need to think about what’s best for our student-athletes [. . . they’re] an important component of any university.” This attitude illustrates the value placed on university athletics. Joining the NCAA is far more expensive than the CIS division we were a part of before. Student artists also get drawn into the debate, arguing that the art world is often ignored and neglected, sometimes even cut, in favor of athletics.

A 2014 Rasmussen poll confirmed the results of similar polls done in 2012 and 2013, stating that two-thirds of Americans “think college sports run the show and have too much influence over educational institutions.” While Canada is not as serious as the USA is about sports, SFU’s NCAA status suggest that our school is gradually moving in that direction.

In between the athletes and non-athletic students, there are the SFU students who play sports, but on non-varsity teams, teams who don’t have a fraction of the funding or attention of our varsity athletics. It is not uncommon for varsity athletes to receive full-ride scholarships, whereas non-varsity players are expected to be both students and athletes with very little additional support from the university. The Peak interviewed three members of three different non-varsity teams on campus that are, according to them, underfunded by SFU. I talked to SFU students, and tried to uncover what it means to be a non-varsity athlete.

Interview with SFU quidditch captain, Talor Mykle-Winkler

The Peak: Where does your team practice, compete, etc.?

Talor Mykle-Winkler: We practice on Terry Fox Field here at SFU, and we go all over the place for competitions.

P: How many players are on your team?

TMW: Um, I think we have about 26 registered, but obviously numbers vary from practice to practice and who can come out to games and everything.

P: How is your team doing so far this season?

TMW: We came in third at a tournament a few weekends ago, and that was the first trophy we’ve won, so that was really exciting. We just keep getting better. We have Regionals coming up [. . .] and we’re hoping to come out with a good standing in that.

P: Approximately how much money does your team receive from SFU?

TMW: From SFU? I’m not sure of the figure. . . Most of our money comes from fundraising or the $10 team fee, which players have to pay to get into the club.

P: Would you say your team’s financial status impacts your ability to practice, travel, and compete?

TMW: Definitely not practice, because we have the equipment and any changes to the equipment is just a minor fix, like getting a new screw or some tape. The Rec department doesn’t charge us for field usage, so that saves a lot compared to what community teams have to do with booking fields and everything, so we’re really fortunate to have that accessible. And for maintenance, if we needed to use tools or anything, Rec does have that for us to use.

P: What about competitions?

TMW: It depends on which competition we’re going to. . . that [money] does come out of players’ pockets. For some players, that does affect them on whether they can come to the tournament [. . .]. With the fundraising though, we try to reimburse that or get cheaper rates for the players.

P: How successful would you say the fundraising is?

TMW: Not that successful. We do get some discounted prices for some expenses on things like t-shirts for fundraising, though.

P: If your team had more money from the school, what would or should it go towards?

TMW: It would definitely go towards the travelling.

P: Many would argue that schools should focus their funds on academics, and others often complain that schools overfund athletics and underfund art programs. Do you have an opinion on this issue?

TMW: I actually got into a huge debate with my friend about this. I think it’s really important to have a diverse dispersion of funds for everything, because if everything is put into academics, then there’s no fun stuff for anyone. But if everything is put into sports, that leaves some kids out. So it’s really important that everyone gets the funding they need to make the students happier.

P: What is the benefit of increasing funding towards school athletics?

TMW: I think it could really help build a sense of community and kids would be more willing to participate because most college kids don’t have access to unlimited funds, so if they’re able to save as much money as they can, they can enjoy their time here and go out and have fun and meet new people.

P: Do you think SFU should fund all sports teams equally?

TMW: I’m not sure all teams need the same amount of funding. Some do need it more than others. Like the football team, they hire coaches from outside of the team, where our club is a student-run team so we’re not really paying our coach. It’s more a volunteer position. But in regards to travel, that’s always important. We don’t go quite as far of a distance as they do, but if we had access to, we could go down to other teams and to California and get more competition.

Interview with SFU’s women’s field hockey team president, Maddy Galts

P: Where does your team practice, compete, etc.?

Maddy Galts: We practice twice a week off campus at Burnaby Lake Sports Complex and we play at various fields throughout Vancouver.

P: How often do you compete?

MG: We usually play one game every Saturday, but sometimes we play on both Saturday and Sunday in a given weekend due to makeup games.

P: How many players are on your team?

MG: 15.

P: Approximately how much money does your team receive from SFU?

MG: Anywhere between $500–$1,000 [annually].

P: How does this impact your team’s ability to practice / travel / coordinate / etcetera?

MG: This money, although we greatly appreciate it, really doesn’t cover any of our expenses. We pay the league $1,725 in three instalments throughout the season for field time and umpire costs. We also pay our coaches a salary that ranges from $1,500–3,000, depending on our finances for the year.

P: Does your team get money from other sources?

MG: We get most of our money from fundraising, which is challenging because we are all university students and our time is valuable. It’s difficult to organize events that everyone can attend, and that people will actually want to go to. Our fundraising goal for this year was $3,000. We are also looking into potential sponsorship opportunities and have reached out to a few businesses. Some of our money also comes from player fees. This season the first semester we charged our girls $85, and second semester was $35.

P: How is your team doing so far this season?

MG: Unfortunately our team is not doing too well this season. We’ve had a very hard time securing a coach. Without a coach, myself and few other executive members have had to step up and act as a coach and [disciplinarian] when necessary. As a result, practices aren’t as organized and productive as they should be, and we get no objective perspective and direction during games. This season is the first time since I’ve been on the team that we aren’t making playoffs.

P: If your team had more money, what would and should it go towards?

MG: If our team had more money, it would go towards covering our field and umpire costs first and foremost. It would also go toward new equipment, as we had to fundraise to buy 15 new balls this year. We would also use this money to pay an experienced coach who would be with us for a number of seasons. Leftover money would go toward tournaments that we haven’t been able to enter due to financial deficiencies. All of these are definitely essential components to a successful team. We desperately need a coach, we need to be able to cover our operating expenses, and we need equipment to be able to even play.

P: Many would argue that schools should focus their funds on academics, and others often complain that schools overfund athletics and under-fund art programs. Do you have an opinion on this issue?

MG: I agree that academics are very important, and are the main reason that people go to university. However, athletics contribute to the overall university experience. Speaking from my own experience, I’ve made many friends and great memories on this team than almost any other university related experience. I just think it’s ridiculous how stressed out the execs and I get over the financial issues of the club. A little more money would go a long way and would definitely contribute to our success as a team.

P: What is the benefit of increasing funding towards school athletics?

MG: I think you would see a lot more successful SFU teams with an increase in funding.

P: Do you think SFU should fund all sports teams equally?

MG: I don’t think they should be funded equally. Different teams have different expenses and operating costs, and I think funding should reflect that.

P: What would you say to SFU administration about funding SFU athletic teams?

MG: We cannot represent the school to our full potential with the amount of funding that we currently receive. We need the school to take us seriously and invest in us as a team. Help us make SFU proud.

Interview with SFU dance team member, Matthew King-Roskamp

P: Where does your team practice?

MATTHEW KING-ROSKAMP: Our team practices approximately six hours a week in the gym, and performs at various SFU events, such as basketball games, charity events, etc. We have also performed in outside events such as the Surrey Dance Festival.

P: How many players are on your team?

MKR: There are 15-ish members of the team.

P: Approximately how much money does your team receive from SFU?

MKR: Our team receives approximately $1,500 per academic year. We use this to offset the cost of uniforms. We fundraise through promotion of outside events, raffles, selling makeup products, etc.

P: How is your team doing so far this season?

MKR: We are doing quite well. But, our performance is subjectively judged — we don’t have a win-lose record — so opinions may change throughout the team.

P: If your team had more money, what would and should it go towards?

MKR: If our team had more money, hypothetical things it could go towards would include dance classes run by outside sources, travel and competition entry expenses, and paying for uniforms. I think these would not alter the Dance Team’s overall success, but would greatly increase the ease at which those results were reached. Our time and funds could be more focused towards our success rather than operating costs.

P: Many would argue that schools should focus their funds on academics, and others often complain that schools overfund athletics and under-fund art programs. Do you have an opinion on this issue?

MKR: I would wholeheartedly agree that Universities are overfunding athletics programs and underfunding academic and artistic performance. I am of the opinion that a university exists as an academic institution, and thus should focus the majority of its funds towards academics. Furthermore, I feel that student athletes receive a disproportionate amount of financial and other aids. For example, it is possible for a student athlete to receive full reimbursement for living and tuition expenses [the maximum amount for undergraduate national students for the 2014-15 year was $8,141, international students $13,913] compared to some prestigious academic scholarships of approximately $3,000 per semester. Ignoring individuals, team based funding can also vary widely in comparison to student union organizations.

P: What is the benefit of increasing funding towards school athletics?

MKR: Increasing funding towards student athletics would be beneficial in terms of school spirit and involvement. While SFU is in the NCAA, the comparison of school spirit and student involvement in sports is quite comical.

P: Do you think SFU should fund all sports teams equally?

MKR: Simply put, different sports team are naturally going to have widely varying operating costs. The cost of coaching, managing, and traveling for the football team of more than 40 men will always be greater than the cost of running the basketball team. The swimming team will naturally have more facilities upkeep costs than the soccer team, etc. In contrast, funding all teams equally can hypothetically greatly increase the success of underfunded teams and programs.

The fab, the fear, and the freshman 15

By

EIC

-

March 7, 2016

0

I was on the bus, eating a Rice Krispy square.

While I ate, I noticed someone looking back at me with disgust. She was beautiful and incredibly fit, wearing athletic clothes and perfect eyebrows. As she shook her head, she not-so-discreetly whispered, to no one in particular, “this girl is clearly letting herself go.”

Once we got to Production Station I rushed up the stairs to catch the train. She climbed with ease while I was huffing and puffing. When I finally got up to the top, clearly out of breath and sporting red cheeks, she shook her head again and uttered the words, “freshman 15 is so disgusting.”

What she doesn’t know is that I struggled with my weight.

In preparation for high school grad, I was 5’2” and 105 pounds. The freshman 15 — or the supposed weight gain that university students struggle with in their first year — was the one thing that scared me the most about starting university, and I vowed that I would never “let myself go.”

So in first year, I made it my mission to keep my grade 12 body. I starved myself through classes, only bringing a banana and water with me — and no cash to buy food. I politely declined trips to the food court with my new friends and refused to eat alone in public.

But at home, I ate like the apocalypse was upon us. I would eat heaping portions of everything to make up for the banana and water during the day. When my sisters wanted ice cream, I had ice cream. I smuggled chocolate, chips, and even cold pasta with me to eat in private and binge eat everything, only to repeat the cycle the next day.

At home, I was eating like the apocalypse was upon us.

I weighed 135 pounds at the end of first semester.

To my dismay, I wasn’t losing weight, I was gaining it. I balked at my mom’s attempt to fill my backpack with extra food, thinking that she was sabotaging my plan to lose weight.

But it wasn’t until I fainted at work that I realized that my successive headaches were not coincidences, that driving while seeing double was quite dangerous and that my internal rumblings were not meant to be ignored. My body was crying out for something, anything, and I had cut it off completely.

When I talked to a friend about my weight struggle, she had confided in me that she too had a similar experience with freshman 15. My friend is what most people would consider as beautiful, and her years of playing soccer helped her to develop a slender and athletic physique. It was then that I truly saw that the negative stigma around freshman 15 affected everyone. And no matter how many times I tell her that she is beautiful just the way she is, she will continue to smile and brush it off — just the same way I did so many times over the course of my first year.

Our bodies, regardless of shape and size, are fine the way they are.

I had developed dangerous eating habits out of my obsession of staying skinny, thanks to Photoshopped models and unrealistic body standards. But if even Barbie can figure out that our bodies are diverse, then maybe we need to remember that too. I realize now that my goal is not to be skinny, but healthy.

Even if you don’t look like that Calvin Klein model, it’s okay. Over the course of my struggle, finding help and seeking a safer way to maintain a healthy weight, I began to see how valuable our bodies truly are. Our bodies do so much for us, and regardless of shape or size, it is important to remember that we are not defined by our jean size.

Tips on how to be healthy and happy

Schedule in eating and exercise: we all have busy schedules, so make sure that you set aside time to enjoy your food as well as time to get out for some fresh air.
Bring lunch with you: packing a simple lunch like a sandwich with veggies and fruit will leave you more satisfied — and it costs less too!
Add walking to your commute: obviously this doesn’t mean walking down the mountain to Production Station, but something simple like getting off one stop earlier and walking the rest of the distance is a way to keep yourself moving.
Find a workout buddy: it’s always more fun and motivating when you have someone to go with. A buddy will keep you accountable and will make it less intimidating.
Positive self-talk: remind yourself that you are fabulous and that your outward appearance is only one facet of you.
Have a support system: surround yourself around people that build you up and images that promote healthy lifestyles. Express your feelings and don’t be afraid to fail — just remember to pick yourself back up, with their help.