Maya Barillas Mohan
Cactus Club uniform required for entry
February 3, 2026By: Maya Barillas Mohan, Staff Writer “May I, monsieur, offer my services without the risk of intruding?” Let me introduce myself first. From my white T-shirt, low slung baggy jeans, and ultra-mini platform boots, I look like a Cactus Club patron. Indeed, I am. Your city has an abundance of Cactus Clubs, I understand. I am from a not-so-distant alternate world where there is only Cactus Club. If one fails to fashionably deserve Cactus Club, there is always an Earls or a Joeys placed lowly among the Fuller Family consortium. In this world, I enjoyed endless truffle fries and happy…
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SFYou: Dr. Cornel Bogle
February 2, 2026By: Maya Barillas Mohan, Staff Writer Dr. Cornel Bogle is an assistant professor in the English department currently teaching ENGL 361, “Diaspora Literatures” and ENGL 852, “Studies in Gender, Sexuality, and Literature.” He leads both undergraduate and master’s classes, writes…
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There is a need for third spaces in the roommate economy
January 27, 2026By: Maya Barillas Mohan, Staff Writer In what I call the roommate economy, third spaces serve a rangier function. Third spaces are places that are not home (first) or school/work (second), that are intended for socializing or connecting, and affordable…
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Book club creates community through feminist literature
January 26, 2026By: Maya Barillas Mohan, Staff Writer Content warning: mentions of sexual assault. SFU’s department of gender, sexuality, and women’s studies (GSWS) concludes Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) with community. On January 12, the GSWS book club collaborated with SFU’s Sexual…
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New Year’s resolutions should leave some room for spontaneity
January 20, 2026By: Maya Barillas Mohan, Staff Writer There’s merit in questioning whether you’ll be keeping up with your New Year’s resolution of running every day. There’s a chance you probably won’t. While the new year is a tempting landmark to reconfigure…
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Sam Wiebe says a career in the arts is possible
January 19, 2026By: Maya Barillas Mohan, Staff Writer Looking beyond the fog of midterms and assignments, a career in the arts is actually quite possible in misty Vancouver. A case in point is the SFU English department’s Writer-in-Residence (WiR) program, which bridges…
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Finding warmth in the cold with the Ayx Bus
January 12, 2026By: Maya Barillas Mohan, Staff Writer For some living in the Downtown Eastside (DTES), the warmth associated with the holidays is not a reality. The Ayx Community Bus, a grassroots initiative spearheaded by advocate Fiona York, attempts to lessen the…
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A summer Christmas in Costa Rica
January 5, 2026By: Maya Barillas Mohan, Staff Writer “Pura vida” is the unofficial national motto of laid-back, cloudless Costa Rica. It is the one-size-fits-all response to life’s greatest satisfactions: good food, weather, and company. Because Costa Rica is 10 degrees from the…
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