What Grinds Our Gears
What Grinds Our Gears: Charity campaigns at the checkout
January 12, 2026By: Petra Chase, Features Editor I recently moved close to a Walmart and inevitably find myself there for essentials. Every time, I’m asked if I want to add a donation onto my bill. This seems like a convenient way for shoppers to make a small difference, with wallets already open. It’s typically only a couple dollars — much less than the five perishable items that somehow came to a whopping $38 being held hostage at the register. But I’m shopping at Walmart because of the rising cost of groceries, like the low-income families that have always been Walmart’s main customer…
Continue reading
What Grinds our Gears: Train to Braid
December 20, 2025By: Nuha Maisara, SFU Student Do you ever switch trains at Columbia, only to see the wait time for the next Production-Way line is . . . 15 minutes? And of course, we cannot forget the growing mob of similarly…
Continue reading
What Grinds Our Gears: Friend who guesses the movie’s plot
June 24, 2025By: Rusham Verma, SFU Student Never have I ever had a friend guess the plot twist of the movie I was showing them in the first 20 minutes. Oh wait, yes I have. And I’m guessing you have too. There’s…
Continue reading
What Grinds Our Gears: Wet SFU seats
June 16, 2025By: Corbett Gildersleve, News Writer SFU has completed multiple outdoor renovation projects over the last five years: updating the convocation mall, the top of the Rotunda, the applied science building, and the AQ gardens. You’ve spent millions of dollars to…
Continue reading
What Grinds Our Gears: Non-removeable promotional stickers on books
January 13, 2025By: Yildiz Subuk, Staff Writer While it’s important not to judge a book by its cover, the consumer has every right to be upset by non-removeable promotional stickers. These stickers usually advertise an accomplishment the book has achieved, like an…
Continue reading
WGOG: SFU doesn’t provide a list of vacant/occupied rooms on campus
February 2, 2023By: Ben McNallye, SFU Student Picture this: you need a quiet space for a quick Zoom meeting on campus. You fly through the AQ, WMC, or wherever, looking for an empty classroom. You find one! Go, you. But moments after…
Continue reading
What grinds our gears: A lack of campus study spaces
April 8, 2022By: Craig Allan, Peak Associate; Jacob Mattie, Opinions Editor As a student whose home has more distractions than it does workspace, I usually come to school to get my work done. My favourite place to work at the SFU Burnaby…
Continue reading
WGOG: The need to imitate meat in vegetarian food
March 24, 2022By: Tamanna T., Staff Writer It is ridiculous for vegetarian food to imitate meat. For the first 19 years of my life, I followed a strictly vegetarian diet, with a protein intake coming from curries, stews, stir fries, and dried fruits.…
Continue reading
WGOG: The varied thrush
March 16, 2022By: Michelle Young, Copy Editor I’m sleeping soundly in my bed, feeling toasty under the blankets. Then, the sound of a whistle. Not once, not twice, but from the early morning to early evening — at irregular increments. It is the…
Continue reading
What Grinds Our Gears: SFU Burnaby being one big design flaw
March 4, 2022By: Hannah Kazemi, SFU Student Burnaby campus is ugly. The buildings are glum, the hallways are dark, and the overall vibes suck so bad. Walking through the AQ at 4:00 p.m. in November feels like I’m dragging my feet through…
Continue reading
