VOL. 168 ISSUE 3 MAY 24, 2021
OPI NI ONS
F EAT U RE S
ART S & C ULT UR E
H UM O UR
Mental health awareness gestures don’t consider everyone
Free stuff? Yes, please
A playlist for the rom-com protagonist you wish you were
Funky forecasts for your week
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A textbook case of unaffordability The SFSS petitions for Open Educational Resources p.4
Volume 168, Issue 3
Maggie Benston Centre 2900 Simon Fraser University 8888 University Drive Burnaby, BC, Canada V5A 1S6 Phone: (778) 782-5110
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COVER Gudrun Wai-Gunnarsson THIS WEEK’S CONTRIBUTORS Ahmed Ali, Ana Arozarena, Tanveer Kaur, Roopjit Kaur, Maya Ramadhina, Alyssa Umbal PEAK ASSOCIATES Gurleen Aujla, Charlene Aviles, Harvin Bhathal, Sara Brinkac, Maple Sukontasukkul
NEWS VANDU calls to revise Vancouver’s decriminalization policies
STAFF WRITERS Kelly Chia, Carter Hemion, Nancy La, Alea Mohamed EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Meera Eragoda eic@the-peak.ca COPY EDITOR Paige Riding copy@the-peak.ca
OPINIONS The SFU SSA on why Hartosh Bal is not welcome to speak at SFU
NEWS EDITOR Michelle Young news@the-peak.ca NEWS WRITERS Karissa Ketter, Jaymee Salisi OPINIONS EDITOR Dev Petrovic opinions@the-peak.ca
FEATURES Concerns surrounding youth and Vancouver’s new drug decriminalization model
FEATURES EDITOR Marco Ovies features@the-peak.ca ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR Sara Wong arts@the-peak.ca HUMOUR EDITOR Kyla Dowling humour@the-peak.ca
ARTS & CULTURE
PRODUCTION AND DESIGN EDITOR Siloam Yeung production@the-peak.ca
Asian-centred films for your next movie night
ASSISTANT PRODUCTION EDITORS Brianna Quan, Josh Ralla PHOTO EDITOR Gudrun Wai-Gunnarsson photos@the-peak.ca
HUMOUR
MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Karla Salazar multimedia@the-peak.ca
SFU textbook shares its gripping story
ASSISTANT MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Rashi Sethi
Get involved!
How it works!
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PROMOTIONS MANAGER Julie Vu promotions@the-peak.ca WEBSITE MANAGER Reza Shariatzadeh web@the-peak.ca DISTRIBUTION COORDINATOR Deby McIntosh BOARD OF DIRECTORS Kelly Chia, Pablo Clairmont, Emma Dunbar, Meera Eragoda, Angela Wachowick, Yuri Zhou
NEWS
May 24, 2021
RESEARCH RIGHTS
POLICY PROPOSALS
The policy has been critiqued for its low drug thresholds.
PH OTO : Jean Swanson via Twitter
VANDU calls to revise drug decriminalization policies
The City of Vancouver’s model will set a precedent for all of Canada KA R ISSA KET TER // NE WS W RI TE R
The Vancouver Area Network of Drug Users (VANDU) and allied organizations held a press conference on May 11, 2021 calling on the City of Vancouver and Canada’s federal government to revise their newest drug policy proposal. The new Vancouver Model was recently submitted to Ottawa for approval and asks for Vancouver to be exempt from the federal Controlled Drugs and Substances Act. It’s described as a form of decriminalization that takes a healthcare-based approach.
their own power, budgets, and image over and above the lives of people who use drugs.”
The City of Vancouver is proposes that individuals be able to hold a certain amount of illegal drugs without being charged for simple possession. This model includes a voluntary referral system through which drug users can access support services if they choose.
Kali Sedgemore, an outreach worker, also addressed concerns with how the Vancouver Model disproportionately affects youth, as it allows the VPD to continue intervening with youth through Diversion Pathway programs. The voluntary referral system to support services for adults is not made available to young people at this time.
Teaching Support Staff Union begins first bargaining session with SFU for RA rights After over a year of delays, SFU agrees to grant research assistants standard employee rights JAY M E E SA L I S I / / NEWS WR I TER
On March 23, 2021, the Teaching Support Staff Union (TSSU) and SFU administration had their first meeting to negotiate a collective agreement. To bring SFU to the bargaining table, the TSSU gave the university multiple legal notices, publicly campaigned for the RA rights, and built community support to pressure the administration. With the consultation of RAs, the TSSU presented a proposal that focused on: •
Including RAs in all types of research work
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Providing job transparency
“We all know that means involuntary care [ . . . ] Youth don’t need involuntary care, they need harm reduction support,” said Sedgemore. Involuntary care is used when youth refuse or are too ill to legally consent for rehabilitation, forcing them to be admitted.
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Protection against inequities such as harassment and intellectual property theft
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Respecting research workers by building a fair wage and benefit system
“Decriminalizing the simple possession of drugs should help to destigmatize drug users. This stigma often prevents them from seeking help,” according to the City of Vancouver.
The City of Vancouver reports that harm reduction strategies such as prevention and treatment strategies have produced an increase in people seeking treatment.
•
Extending existing TSSU Collective Agreement rights and benefits to RAs
Scott Berstein, director of policy for the Canadian Policy Drug Coalition, said the current model has “serious flaws that will undermine its intended health and social benefits.”
Sedgemore also noted concerns with how the Vancouver Model would increase risk for Black and Indigenous youth. The Vancouver Sun reports that 2014 data shows Black and Indigenous people are overrepresented in drug use data.
One of the issues outlined at the conference was the lack of consultation with people who use drugs. ”Because of this, the Vancouver Model fails to reflect the realities of current drug use,” said Berstein. Caitlin Shane from Pivot Legal Society said, “The people who most need the benefit of decriminalization — folks who are poor, unhoused, racialized — these are the folks who are remaining unprotected and overcriminalized [in the new model].” Another flaw is individuals carrying “unrealistically low” amounts of the drug. These thresholds “seriously undercut the intended benefits of the current proposal because [they’re] not based on reality,” said Berstein. According to Shane, the City of Vancouver also said the data they used in creating the drug threshold policies was out of date. “Basing a precedent setting based on bad data is reckless, anti-scientific, and dangerous,” said Berstein. The conference presentation noted concerns with the Vancouver Police Department (VPD)’s involvement. “This is a conflict of interest as the whole point of decriminalization is to remove police from the process, not bring them closer to it,” said Berstein. VANDU called on the City of Vancouver and Canada’s federal government “to meaningfully engage people with lived experience and allow them to co-develop a vision for decriminalization.” They asked to update thresholds to accurately reflect drug use patterns and terminate VPD relations in regards to drug policies. “There is no legal requirement that police or law enforcement be anywhere involved in this process and yet the Vancouver Police Department has been given the final say,” said Shane. “Police have demonstrated time and again that they are far more invested economically and otherwise in protecting
Harsha Walia, executive director of the BC Civil Liberties Association added, “Racial inequalities exist in many aspects of Canadian society, including the economy, education, health care and more.” She noted the overcriminalization of Black and Indigenous people in BC as “both a symptom and a cause of systemic racism.” The Simon Fraser Student Society noted this concern in their BC Police Act Review in April 2021. They said youth who use drugs “have experienced disproportionate harm due to policing instead of receiving support.” They also encourage transformative justice in BC, “challenging the notion that increasing police presence and practices will increase safety.” When asked if VANDU has seen any sign of hope of working with the City of Vancouver to revise their policies, VANDU member and host of Crackdown podcast Garth Mullins said, “I haven’t seen any yet.” According to CBC, Vancouver mayor Kennedy Stewart said that there is not enough time to revise the new drug decriminalization policies before the federal election. In response to the policy’s critiques, the City of Vancouver issued a statement: “The Vancouver Model, as a whole, takes a leading approach to decriminalization that is well considered, compassionate, and based on local data, with the goal of reducing stigma and transitioning to a fully health-focused approach to substance use. “The exemption we are seeking is the first of its kind in Canada [ . . . ] We respect the views of VANDU and other groups, welcome their continued advocacy, and hope we will continue to work together to update the model.” Mullins said, “Decriminalization is not enough — we need to get [a] safe supply because we have had record overdoses in this past year.” However, “removing police is key — it's an important first step.” By removing the police from the lives of people who use drugs, it “invites us to rejoin society.”
SFU administration agreed to give RAs a “payroll deduction for tuition, grievance procedure, bullying and harassment, and health and safety precautions,” TSSU chief stewards Seamus Bright Grayer and Katie Gravestock told The Peak. According to Gravestock and Grayer, the university’s proposal focused on the definitions of “research” and “research assistant work.” SFU also wanted the terms in the Collective Agreement to reflect the BC Employment Standards Act, Gravestock and Grayer said. The chief stewards consider this agreement to be “the bare minimum for workers in BC.” For the TSSU, “a collective agreement means gaining access to mental-health coverage and sick leave.” RAs are currently excluded from standard SFU employee medical and dental benefits. They have reported receiving unfair and irregular wages. As the university prepares to reopen in September, Gravestock and Grayer believe gaining rights for these items is especially important. This first bargaining session had been delayed since 2019 when the university signed an agreement with the TSSU. The Memorandum of Agreement of Voluntary Recognition stated bargaining would begin by May 2020. Vice president, research and international pro tem Dugan O’Neil previously told The Peak, “a number of complications [arose] in the process of identifying and transitioning RAs to becoming SFU employees.” O’Neil said the current terms and conditions of RA employment can change once collective bargaining with the TSSU is finished. “Every day that goes by is a day where RAs on campus are left without crucial rights and protections [ . . . ] SFU has treated researchers as second class workers for too long and it's well past time to right that wrong,” Gravestock and Grayer said.
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NEWS
News Editor Michelle Young
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News Writers Karissa Ketter and Jaymee Salisi
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news@the-peak.ca
MONEY WOES
SFSS calls for Open Educational Resources for students They argue that funding for textbooks is needed to alleviate students’ financial burden NANCY LA // STAFF W RI TE R
The Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS) recently launched a new petition to support the use of Open Educational Resources (OER) and increase textbook affordability for students. The SFSS proposed the use of OER, including open textbooks, multimedia, and assessment tools, as a solution to rising educational costs. “We incorporated the student responses in the textbook statistics from the SFU bookstore, and then we talked about how we can alleviate financial burdens attributed to these costs,” former SFSS education representative Emily Liu said. According to the petition, SFU students spent an average of $244.17 on textbooks and course materials per semester in 2019. The campaign also asked students how they would reallocate textbook money. Responses included rent, groceries, and utilities. The school established an OER Grant Program in 2016 that is funded by the Office of VP Academic and Provost, said Liu. She added instructors can access funding up to $5,000 for creating or using OER in their courses. However, the grant money is coming to an end as resources dry up due to lack of funding, Liu explained. “If the petition receives positive response from students, it can be used to negotiate for further funding,” Liu said.
Liu noted the difficulties in professors adapting to OER.
“The focus of the OER student campaign [ . . . ] is to let students know the alternatives to expensive commercial textbooks and other course materials, and that their instructors have the power to adopt and adapt existing OER or create their own.” In addressing the challenges the OER movement faces, Liu noted the importance of SFU playing a bigger role to encourage instructors to use OER. “SFU does promote OER in their policy, but they don’t really do anything to encourage instructors to adopt or adapt it [ . . . ] It’s really hard to incentivize instructors to use extra time to learn about OER.” The SFSS urged faculties to adopt OER as classes move online; however, it was met with resistance, Liu explained. “The response from faculty wasn’t that great because everyone was scrambling to transition their courses online.” Mark McLaughlin, chief commercial services officer, said in a statement to The Peak that SFU is working with students on the topic of textbook costs by “shift[ing] access to course material to an online model that favours student choice and affordability.”
P HOTO : Allyson Klassen / The Peak
The shift from physical textbooks to online versions has reduced the costs of course material by 59%, which is “now an average of $99 per term,” according to McLaughlin. He added that online course materials “[provide] enhanced features for student accessibility, including text to speech and screen reader capabilities, as well as [allow] for access on any device, with or without internet.” Liu explained that while professors have been incorporating online course materials, it’s hard to gauge how much of those are open resources. McLaughlin did not discuss the OER Grant Program in his statement, but noted the availability of library staff and Centre for Educational Excellence as resources for instructors looking for OER support. “The Library is also currently working on longer-term recommendations to increase support for using and developing OER and for advancing open education more broadly at SFU,” McLaughlin added. “We are listening to student voices and as part of that we have been keeping costs in mind when making decisions on textbook and course materials.”
JUSTICE AWARDS
SFU hosts Rosemary Brown Memorial Symposium on Women & Social Justice
Anya Sass and Dr. June Francis receive Rosemary Brown Awards CHARLENE AV I LE S // PEAK ASSO CI ATE
“Social justice is more than building equity,” said Sass. “It’s about actively dismantling ideas and structures that are oppressive or exclusionary and rebuilding them to better reflect the diversity of experiences and identities within communities.” Reflecting on her volunteer work with refugees in South Africa, Sass highlighted the importance of local organizations’ grassroots initiatives that supplement government support for refugees. On behalf of the Rosemary Brown Award for Women Committee, Patsy George presented the award for women to Dr. June Francis, a Beedie School of Business associate professor. Dr. Francis is the cofounder of the Co-Laboratorio Project and the director of SFU’s Institute for Diaspora Research and Engagement. Driven by her upbringing in Jamaica, Dr. Francis described the hope that accompanied Jamaica’s independence from England but also recognized the role colonization continues to play.
The Rosemary Brown Award for Women Committee, SFU Public Square, and the department of gender, sexuality and women’s studies (GSWS), held their 17th Rosemary Brown Memorial Symposium on Women & Social Justice on May 6, 2021.
“The same logic that colonized the world is the same logic that’s creating this inequity, and it’s the same logic that we need to dismantle if we’re going to achieve freedom for women and girls and for people of colour worldwide,” said Dr. Francis.
The annual award night recognizes those actively involved in social justice initiatives.
According to Dr. Francis, neocolonialism continues to oppress former colonies. She acknowledged that colonization did not end with Jamaica’s independence, because trade rules and globalization connect Jamaica’s economy with England.
Dr. Tiffany Muller Myrdahl, GSWS and urban studies professor, presented the undergraduate award in Social Justice to SFU student Anya Sass. Based in Cape Town, Sass worked on the Adonis Musati Project, which supports refugees and migrants through various initiatives including counselling and workshops.
While describing colonization’s long-term consequences in Canada, she cited the overrepresentation of Black and Indigenous peoples in the homeless population.
“You’ve got to address power. Who has power in the system? Who makes the decision?” Dr. Francis said. When asked by an audience member about how to work towards equality, Dr. Francis urged the audience to acknowledge and study inequalities, prioritize and commit to social justice in all institutions — especially Eurocentric universities, and consciously restructure policies and institutions to implement reform.
The same logic that colonized the world is the same logic that’s creating this inequity, and it’s the same logic that we need to dismantle if we’re going to achieve freedom for women and girls and for people of colour worldwide. D R . J U N E F RA N CI S // SFU associate professor
To conclude the event, honourable Melanie Mark, BC’s minister of advanced education, skills, and training, gave her keynote speech. “We have to acknowledge where we come from in order to set our sights on what needs to change,” said Mark. The full event can be found on SFU GSWS’ YouTube.
OPINIONS
May 24, 2021
BACKSTAGE REVEAL
Broadway has an inclusivity problem
Disparities in appropriate representation and casting are prominent issues in the Broadway community.
Before the New York staple returns, the needs of marginalized performers must be addressed
KYLA D OW LI NG // HU M O UR E D I TO R
Broadway’s reckoning has finally come. Over a year after all shows shut down to curb COVID19’s spread, Broadway aims to return in September 2021. However, individuals within and around the industry aren’t happy about this return — primarily because of the lack of inclusivity and accountability within New York’s theatre industry. Broadway has a problematic history. From the classic musical The King and I to the more recent Tootsie, the industry is laden with problematic representations. The former portrays Thailand in a negative light and, before its 2018 revival, cast white actors as Thai characters. Meanwhile, Tootsie, based on the 1982 film of the same name, relies on a slew of transphobic jokes. The growing discontent with Broadway was sparked by the controversial casting of Amar Ramasar in the 2019 revival of West Side Story. Ramasar, during his time in the New York City Ballet, was involved in sharing explicit photos of a female dancer taken without her consent. The scandal resulted in a lawsuit and numerous protests outside of the theatre that hosted West Side Story; however, it was to no avail. Meanwhile, in April 2021, The Hollywood Reporter published a piece exposing producer Scott Rudin. Rudin, a fixture in both Broadway and Hollywood, is notorious for his abusive behaviour towards his staff, but this was the first time his actions were publicly announced. This article was the second of three major publications that rattled the Broadway community. The first was written by former Hamilton cast member Daniel James Belnavis who discussed his experience being in a show that, was performed by actors of colour, but
was primarily produced and run by white men. He played the ensemble role of Man 6 — almost always played by a Black queer actor — and was consistently told that his role was unimportant, cuttable, and was overlooked for various promotions. His recollection of this experience has not been addressed by any of the producers he named. Hamilton is a show that centres people of colour in a historical period where they were severely oppressed, but the show has come under fire before — for glorifying capitalism, for glamorizing slave owners, and for suffering from an inexplicable inability to cast dark-skinned women, especially as the love interest. No matter how progressive the show may appear, rich white men are just getting richer by exploiting and demeaning racialized actors.
But before Broadway reopens, both theatregoers and those within the industry must consider the ramifications of carrying on as normal. The call for Broadway to be inclusive, though, did not just come from Belvanis’ article, it also stemmed from Scott Rudin’s exposé and Broadway fixture Karen Olivo’s subsequent boycott of the industry, as well as the transphobic mess that is Jagged Little Pill.
P HOTO : Joan Marcus / Kennedy Center
The Alanis Morissette jukebox musical named after her album Jagged Little Pill centres around high schooler Jo. The problem? Jo, in the pre-Broadway production, was referred to with they/them pronouns. Originally, Jo had a plot surrounding their gender crisis, and was understudied by a non-binary actor, but was rewritten to be a cis character for the Broadway run. When asked to speak out about this, the social media team behind the musical as well as the cisgender actress who played Jo both denied the character was ever non-binary, despite since-deleted Tweets saying otherwise. Despite this, both Jagged Little Pill and Hamilton have brought a fair amount of representation to the theatre industry. Jagged Little Pill centres on a queer relationship while also handling topics such as addiction, racism, and sexual assault. Hamilton allows people of colour to portray a historical narrative from which they were excluded. It would be easy to call that enough — to put up with the sheltering of abusive men and the bigotry hidden by Broadway’s queer reputation in exchange for meagre amounts of representation. But like Olivo, Eden Espinosa, and many other individuals involved in the industry, I want more. As a queer woman, I’ve only been represented a handful of times onstage. Other marginalized people have not yet been represented. Nonetheless, Broadway has certainly made strides towards inclusivity. Ali Stroker, the first actress who uses a wheelchair to be on Broadway, won a Tony for her performance in a revival of Oklahoma!. She was also in Deaf West Theatre’s revival of Spring Awakening, a stunning performance that centred Deaf actors and was the first Broadway show to provide interpretation for Deaf and Blind audience members. The industry is also notable not only for having many queer performers but for centring queer stories. But before Broadway reopens, both theatregoers and those within the industry must consider the ramifications of carrying on as normal. I, for one, know that I cannot continue to be complicit in an industry that supports abusers and invalidates people of colour and the queer community. Can you?
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OPINIONS SCHOOL’S IN SESSION
Opinions Editor Dev Petrovic
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opinions@the-peak.ca
CONSULTATION CONSIDERATIONS
Returning to in-person classes may be more difficult to plan for than anticipated SFU has failed to address several aspects needed for a safe return to campus
There are still questions P H OTO: Ahmed Ali / regarding vaccinations and The Peak international students’ travel. A LEA MOHAMED // STAF F W RI TE R
Back in March, SFU announced that they’re working towards a full return to campus for the Fall 2021 semester, per BC Public Health guidelines. There are still so many unknowns with how this return to campus will work, including the additional cost of international students returning to Canada, vaccine availability, and the everchanging COVID-19 situation. For there to be a safe return to campus, all of these concerns need to be addressed by SFU, with plenty of notice before the fall semester, so that students can be informed in advance. International students make up a large and important component of the SFU community. At the start of the pandemic, many students moved back to their home countries, while others opted to stay in the Lower Mainland. However, the impact of this pandemic on international students has recently taken on an additional obstacle with which domestic students do not have to deal: a mandatory hotel quarantine. According to the federal government, all passengers on international flights to Canada must personally pay for a three-day hotel quarantine, and only at hotels pre-approved by the government. Currently, the only broad exemption is for the Temporary Foreign Workers program. The only way that SFU can plan for a return to campus is if there is a federal exemption for international students or a plan for international students to quarantine in their homes here in the Lower Mainland. Another possibility could be for SFU to arrange a reimbursement system for students required to pay for the three-day hotel quarantine. BC’s vaccine plan is also an obstacle for SFU’s return plan. BC is focusing on an age-based vaccination program, where 18–24-year-olds are scheduled last to receive vaccines. While the government promises the first dose by June, the mean age for undergraduate full-time students at SFU is 21.3. This means that when second doses come around, the majority of SFU undergraduate students will still be in the last group to be fully vaccinated. There are two paths SFU can take with this information. Either SFU can choose to require that students are fully vaccinated before returning to campus, or they can let students return to campus after the single dose — if second doses are not administered to most students by September. Either way, it all depends on BC’s vaccine rollout. If things don’t go according to SFU’s plan, students may be left in the dark regarding the return to campus. A return to campus has the potential to bring back some much-needed normalcy and routine for students. But, there are still so many ambiguous factors that may change before we can move back to in-person campus life. From the perspective of a student, it is unwise for SFU to make this kind of promise so far in advance. If this last year has taught us anything, it’s that plans can change at the drop of a hat.
The Institute for the Humanities chose controversial journalist, Hartosh Bal, to speak on the farmers’ protests in India.
P HOTO : Ahmed Ali / The Peak
Hartosh Bal shouldn’t have been invited to speak at SFU The Sikh and Punjabi communities need to be consulted before speakers like Bal are invited TANV E E R KAU R AND RO O PJ I T KAU R O N B E H A LF O F T H E S IK H ST U D E N TS’ AS S O C IAT IO N ( S SA )
Content warning: mention of genocide and sexual harassment On April 16, 2021, the Institute for the Humanities at SFU planned an online event regarding the ongoing farmers’ protest in India called No Farmers, No Food: Indian Farmers Confront Authoritarian Neoliberalism. At first glance, it seemed like a great initiative taken by the institute to educate its students on the political events taking place in India. However, after realizing what keynote speaker Hartosh Bal stood for in the past, the Sikh and Punjabi communities at SFU were disappointed. SFU needs to consult with the Sikh and Punjabi communities before allowing speakers like Bal to represent them. Bal is the nephew and an outspoken supporter of the former director-general of police of Punjab, Kanwar Pal Singh (KPS) Gill. KPS Gill is known in the Sikh community as the “Butcher of Punjab,” for he led a brutal campaign of rampant human rights abuses in Punjab in the late ’80s and early ’90s. According to Human Rights Watch, Gill was directly implicated in practices such as abduction, torture, and custodial murder of thousands of Sikh youth, the abduction and disappearance of human rights defender Jaswant Singh Khalra in 1995, and sexual harassment in a decision upheld by the Supreme Court of India. Despite Gill’s name being synonymous with terror and brutality, Bal has defended his uncle’s legacy on several occasions, including in an article entitled “Lessons not learnt: The Left and Right have distorted KPS Gill’s success against terrorism.” According to Bal’s article, "The credit for peace in Punjab goes almost entirely to the combination of [Gill’s] leadership and the political climate he was allowed to operate in. Moreover, those who accuse [Gill] of succeeding through unchecked force simply do not know what they are talking about." Bal downplays Gill’s role in history by using statistics generated by data collected from the Institute for Conflict Management in India. Ironically, this institute was founded and led by KPS Gill himself. This data ignores thousands of extrajudicial murders that took place and were researched by Jaswant Singh Khalra before Gill ordered his abduction and murder. SFU’s commitment to engage with its students and community is at odds with its decision to host Bal,
especially since UBC had recently cancelled a similar event due to the same concerns from the Sikh and Punjabi community. When individuals who do not represent our communities are invited to speak, then we as SFU students have the right to voice our concerns and opinions. In the future, we believe it is important that SFU consults with affected communities when educating students on their narratives. In response to the controversy, the SFU Sikh Students’ Association (SSA), Punjabi Students’ Association (PSA), and the UBC SSA emailed a private letter to the Institute for the Humanities regarding Bal’s past, and expressing concerns over enabling the acceptance of Bal’s appalling beliefs and actions. Along with the letter, SFU SSA tweeted and posted their concerns on Instagram and Facebook. On April 23, the SFU SSA received an email from the Institute for the Humanities stating that the event had been postponed. The Institute for the Humanities listened to the concerns of the Sikh and Punjabi community and are open to a discussion to compile a list of informed and appropriate speakers on the farmers’ protest. After the postponement of the event, the SFU SSA was ambushed by journalists in support of Bal. An article written by Gurpreet Singh from The Georgia Straight labelled the SFU SSA as “radical Sikhs,” which is a false statement. Any student or a group of students has the right to question the invitation of someone who supports a mass murderer. We, as SFU students, have full academic freedom to voice our concerns regarding what takes place in our institution, especially when it’s regarding our communities. While we do appreciate the Institute for the Humanities for listening to our concerns and postponing the event on the farmers’ protest with Bal, we hope that going forward, we continue to be consulted regarding events that speak for our communities so that potentially harmful voices are not represented. Currently, the SFU SSA and PSA are collaborating with the Institute for the Humanities on potential speakers that are better representatives of our community and are better suited to speak on the farmers’ protest.
OPINIONS
May 24, 2021
MENTAL HEALTH IN-VISIBILITY
Mental health advocacy doesn’t equal visibility for everyone Marginalized groups are consistently left out of conversations surrounding mental health and treatment CARTE R HEMI ON // STAF F W RI TE R
Mental health awareness is vital to mitigating stigma around mental illnesses and improving access to health care, but awareness gestures often leave people out of the conversation. General mental health advocacy leaves out the most marginalized voices and their lived experiences. Mental health awareness is often centred around sharing the experiences of people suffering from mild to moderate anxiety disorders and/or depression. Such presentations leave out and regularly demonize people with other disorders. While it is important to spread awareness about anxiety and depression, they should not be the sole focus of mental health initiatives. When prioritizing anxiety and depression, many advocates uplift people with these disorders at the expense of people with more stigmatized mental illnesses. One common example of this is the argument that people with anxiety or depression are not violent or dangerous, while attributing those traits to people who experience psychosis or other heavily stigmatized symptoms. This kind of ideology promotes ableist ideals and further harms people who deserve the same understanding and acceptance. It is wrong for any movement to throw marginalized people under the bus for the sake of other groups gaining acceptance. When one in three Canadians have a mental illness in their life, it is necessary to bring awareness to all facets of mental health. It is erasure to selectively address the most common mental illnesses just because they are more socially acceptable to talk about. Expanding our knowledge on anxiety and mood disorders is important. Spreading wider awareness about eating disorders, personality disorders, impulse-control and addiction disorders, psychotic disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorders, dissociative disorders, trauma-related
It’s important to listen to the most impacted voices to lessen the stigma of mental illness.
disorders, and neurological disorders among other categories is also vital. With the heavy focus of awareness movements being on moderate anxiety and depression, mental health advocates often push lines of thinking that do not address the root of mental health concerns. For example, advocates frequently promote Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT) as a first-line and catch-all treatment plan, while other kinds of therapy and treatments go widely unrecognized. CBT is not trauma-informed and can even be harmful for treating some mental health concerns. This approach to treating mental health concerns, while helpful for many, also promotes that irrational thoughts cause maladaptive behaviour and mental illnesses. When therapists focus on changing distorted thoughts or on retraining a person’s behaviour without addressing the underlying causes, they leave out an important foundation for personal growth.
I LLU STRATI O N : Maple Sukontasukkul / The Peak
harms people with trauma as a result of racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, classism, and whorephobia — as well as other forms of bigotry. Their voices deserve to be heard too, and that does not happen when mental health awareness focuses on changing maladaptive thinking without addressing the root causes of mental health concerns.
While it is important to spread awareness about anxiety and depression, they should not be the sole focus of mental health awareness.
While in many cases the harmful thoughts that perpetuate unfavourable behaviours and mental rituals can be irrational, they can also come from real and continuing experiences. Basing mental health awareness on a CBT-style approach exclusively leaves out people whose stress and struggles come from physical health concerns or trauma perpetrated by others’ actions, among other causes. This further
Gestures of awareness are not enough to protect mental health in Canada. We need to actively seek out information from the voices with a wide array of lived experiences so that we can educate ourselves, work towards creating a more comprehensive health care system, and actively address the prejudice and barriers in society that lead to mental health concerns. For mental health advocacy to move from awareness to action, we need to listen to the most stigmatized and marginalized voices and take their lead.
data to determine whether those who are vaccinated can spread COVID-19 — this change in protocols disregards those who are unvaccinated and medically vulnerable. It also does not provide any guidance on how new guidelines would be regulated, and instead calls for the honour system. This is fraught with issues as many refuse to mask, even with mandatory mandates.
I know the curve is going down in both Canada and the US and that's promising. However, after a year of half-hearted restrictions and half-openings, I can’t help but think we should be implementing a different approach — one that doesn’t carelessly open up our society for the sake of going back to “normal.” My heart aches for countries that can’t fathom a return to normal right now due to vaccine inequality.
These new guidelines put many at risk for the sake of “returning to normal,” when masks should still play a large factor in protecting those who are unvaccinated or unable to be vaccinated. It also doesn’t give me much reassurance when I think about how long it took to implement masks earlier on in the pandemic — when previous pandemics, like SARS, had already proven it effective.
I wish we had followed in the footsteps of places like Taiwan and New Zealand early on, who have been able to return to life safely while maintaining their economy. It’s too late for that now, but I think the way we’ve seen the pandemic take its course over the year should indicate we shouldn’t be rushing to open — especially with concerns of more transmittable variants.
VICE recently published a piece that argued people are traumatized from the pandemic, which is why we continue to wear masks. The author said because of this, some “can’t quit” pandemic behaviours. The piece framed COVID-19 as a thing from last year which completely ignores that we’re still in a pandemic that’s far from being over. Canada has reported about 5,000 cases daily, while the US has an upward of 20,000.
Health experts have already said we’re in a race between the vaccines and the variants. Why wouldn’t we try to slow down these variants with the layers of protection that we know work?
PANDEMIC PRECAUTIONS
We shouldn’t rush to go back to normal The pandemic is still an ongoing battle
MICHE LL E YOUNG // N E WS E D I TO R
COVID-19 vaccination rollout began a few months ago in Canada — 38% of our population has received one dose, and 3% of the population is fully vaccinated. In the US, those numbers soar to 47% and 37% respectively. Not even half of North America is fully vaccinated, and yet many insist on the fast return to “regular life.” In this piece, I mean a regular life as one that is mask-free and fully open, something that shouldn’t be considered just yet. The CDC has already rushed to state that those who are fully vaccinated can drop their masks and stop distancing. In some establishments, those who are fully vaccinated can now walk in public without a mask. Yet, with not enough
Masks should still play a large factor in protecting those who are unvaccinated or unable to be vaccinated.
I am also looking forward to seeing my loved ones and going outside without fear of contracting a virus. However, working from home and having this concern is a privilege not afforded to essential workers who continue to face this threat daily. There is currently not enough information about transmission and variants, but we do have the opportunity to begin to get a grasp on COVID-19. Here, it doesn’t make sense to me to sacrifice the potential health of other people for selfish purposes. While I understand that not everyone can stay home and that those with sensory and other issues might not be able to wear a mask, completely removing these restrictions is a risk I don’t want to take.
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FEATURES
A list of perks university students can get in Canada
BY KELLY CHIA
From streaming services to software, here are some resources you have access to as a student
By Kelly Chia
PHOTO: Ivan Samkov / Pexels
Now that I’m in the last portion of my degree, I find there are many services that SFU provides that I didn’t know about as a first-year student. I wanted to compile some of the resources I found that will hopefully help a fellow student save some money (especially with tuition increasing every semester).
STUDENT DISCOUNTS Many retail stores offer student discounts, so it’s useful to see if student discounts are available before you shop and to bring your student ID. For example, Apple offers up to $250 in savings on iPads, MacBooks, and other select products. Students could also consider the Student Price Card (SPC), which is $10 for a one-year membership and provides a 10–20% discount in over 450 stores.
SOFTWARE This is a list of free or discounted software which are useful for schoolwork and personal projects. Github Student Developer Pack This is a compilation of offers and services that partner with Github. Many are specific to developing coding skills, like educative.io, where students have six free months of access to Python and Machine Learning courses. Some may be useful for students looking to set up a portfolio for their work, like namecheap and Name.com, which let students register a domain for free. Canva is great for designing graphics and templates for personal and professional work, and students get a 12-month subscription to Canva’s pro tier. Free Windows 10 Education key This is particularly helpful for students who are building their own PCs and don’t have an operating system (OS). In my experience, buying PC parts can be really expensive, so it was nice to have easy access to an OS and not have to worry about purchasing the license. Adobe Creative Cloud Suite Students get the Adobe Creative Cloud suite at $25.15 a month, giving them access to all of Adobe’s editing, photography, and design apps on desktop and mobile devices. Microsoft Office 365 Microsoft Office 365 offers students Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote for free while they are a student. They also offer 100GB of space on OneDrive. SFU Vault SFU Vault is a Cloud-based storage space with apps for desktop, Android, and iOS. This means if you want to save files from your phone on the app, it will sync to your computer. It includes 50GB of space. SFU Webhosting SFU students can host 10GB of webspace, which can be used for making their own website or uploading study and work files. This is also a good option for hosting your portfolio.
SFU LIBRARY As a student, you have access to academic databases and journals. One of those databases is a film platform, Criterion-on-Demand, which features more than 1,500 titles including feature films and documentaries. You can watch action films like Alita: Battle Angel or documentaries from as recent as 2020 like I Am Greta. The SFU Library also opened up their Media and Maker Commons space last year. Currently, the space is open for limited by-appointment services for SFU instructors, but when we return to campus, it’s bound to be popular. There are media spaces designed for recording podcasts and a video studio where you can set up lights, a green screen, and more. Once you complete the safety workshops on Canvas, you gain access to the 3D printer, scanner, laser cutter, or dremel for personal or professional projects. Lastly, did you know that you can borrow video game consoles from the library? You have to search for “console” and filter the search for “other”, but from there, you can find the Nintendo Switch, the Sega Genesis, and more. You can also find games to play on there, too!
LEARNING RESOURCES This section includes online classes that students can take recreationally, or university courses that they may be curious about but can’t afford to take. LinkedIn Learning Formerly known as Lynda, LinkedIn Learning provides a variety of courses, from professional development classes like accounting software and small business marketing, to creative classes like how to render and illustrate. Students can connect their school account to LinkedIn and access all offered classes for free. edX edX partners with universities like Harvard and Berkeley to put out courses that students can audit. For free, students can access course materials but would not be able to access or complete assignments or exams with instructor support. I last took a 100-level computing science class with edX, giving me access to a discussion forum with other students, recorded lectures, and assignments. It was really insightful, and I recommend checking it out if only for the variety of classes offered to students.
ARTS & CULTURE
May 24, 2021
“Great Big Bundle Of Love” by Brenton Wood
“You’re Kind” by Paul Simon
“Anyone Else But You”
by The Moldy Peaches
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ARTS & CULTURE FULLY BOOKED
CUT ABOVE THE REST
Arts & Culture Editor Sara Wong
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arts@the-peak.ca
May 24, 2021
ARTS & CULTURE
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14 HUMOUR
Humour Editor Kyla Dowling
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humour@the-peak.ca
The SECRET LIFE of an
SFU textbook My page-turning journey of love and heartbreak Written by Harvin Bhathal
Illustrated by Maya Ramadhina
I was conceived one dark, rainy night in the dimly lit dorm room of a graduate student who can now be referred to as Dr. Sharon Weed. Over the next year, Dr. Weed would go through the ups and downs of what can only be described as writing a book.
We bonded quickly. Kai loved to read and I loved to be read, from end to end. She saw me. She could read who I really was.
expensive, which seems kind of exploitative of universities and authors. I wouldn’t be here without Dr. Weed but the truth is the truth.
Even though I had to share her with other textbooks, or sometimes be stuffed into the dark abyss known as her backpack when she had to go to her other classes, it was all okay because I was Kai’s.
I went for a relatively high price because Kai took care of me, which led me to believe I would be going to another good partner because I had no other experience that indicated otherwise. I soon learned that I would be very mistaken.
Then, one fateful day, my first page was printed and I was born. By my 420th page, it was time to explore the world. I left my childhood home and arrived at Simon Fraser University. I remember immediately thinking, “That sure is a lot of grey.” It took a couple weeks but eventually I was chosen — my first love. Kai was a communication major with a mind molded by the brightest of scholars (and also Marshall McLuhan). Out of the hundreds of textbooks in the SFU bookstore, she chose me. She opened me up and took in a breath of air. No one had ever done that before. From what I could tell, she liked how I smelled. I liked how she smelled too.
She cried sometimes when she was overwhelmed with coursework, but I was always there to support her with my knowledge. Honestly though, it was mostly her. She took my knowledge and transformed it into such immaculate presentations. This included one on how the government is listening in on everything people say and, as such, it’s better to simply hand all of one’s personal data over willingly. Now that’s what a real education looks like. But soon, our time abruptly came to an end. Kai needed the money to buy more textbooks and she sold me — a decision I eventually understood. Turns out, we’re really
Brad. The mere thought of his name gives me shivers. A business major who thought his communication minor was “a waste of time,” he was nothing like Kai. Brad was the real waste of time. Our relationship immediately started off on the wrong foot. Trying to shove me into his overpriced laptop bag, he bent my cover and several of my pages. He proceeded to try and fold my sheets of paper back. I was irreversibly damaged; I never recovered.
Brad’s next crime was spilling his Venti triple-espresso caramel macchiato from Starbucks while trying to open me up after arriving late to lecture because he “needed” that $14 monstrosity. Worst of all, he smelled like an Abercrombie & Fitch store and never took the time to take my air in. Not that I was as crisp as I once was — I can blame Brad for that. The semester eventually concluded and he passed the course with a C+, proudly bellowing from his chest, “Cs get degrees!” Yeah, okay, Brad. Cs may get degrees, but job opportunities will avoid you as if you were a disease. With the semester over, I thought, “It can’t get worse, right?” Dr. Weed published a second edition of me and I have been rotting in a box in Brad’s garage for the last four years.
Devil politely requests that people stop advocating for him An exclusive interview with the Devil himself Written by Alea Mohamed Illustrated by Alyssa Umbal In a shocking turn of events, the Devil has requested that people stop advocating for him. Despite his initial gratitude, the Devil worries those speaking on his behalf are doing a terrible job of it— especially you, Steven. You know what you did. We at The Peak have scored an exclusive interview with the Devil himself. Check out what he has to say: P: You have always had such a strong base of advocates. Why ask them to stop now? D: One thing that I have learned in my long career as the King of the Bottomless Pit (which refers to hell, not Robert C. Brown Hall) is that the people who advocate for me are just doing a really bad job of it! At this point, I don’t even want this subpar level of advocacy. For example, who do you all think of when you think of “Devil’s advocates”? Alex Jones, Ben Shapiro, Tucker Carlson — not great company.
If someone like, say, Oprah, wanted to be my advocate, I would be all over that! I no longer want to be associated with those types — I have to keep some class, right? P: You listed some pretty popular names there. How do you feel about the average Joe playing Devil’s advocate? D: I would rather go to heaven than have some Reddit bros be on my team. If you are going to advocate for me, I’m going to need some research! You’re going to have to come up with an argument, cite your sources, and keep it professional. You know, I have never once been bigoted. Sure, I “tempted Jesus” and “knocked a third of the moon, sun, and stars out of the sky” and “possessed Andrew Petter so I could use him to run SFU into the ground,” but discrimination? That’s crossing a line. For some reason, all of my advocates are a bunch
of narcissistic, misogynistic clowns. At first, I was excited that my name was being used to defend the Blue Man Group — and then I realized that’s not what people meant by “blue lives.” They are using my name to spread all kinds of hate! I love chaos, but sometimes you have to draw the line. P: Any last remarks? D: I want to tell all of my advocates that it’s been a good run. We started out strong, but everything started to fall off at the end — like, it went from your average 100-level political science course bad to Twitter troll between the years of 2015 and 2019 bad. Y’all are ruining my image, so leave my name out of this! Thank you to the Devil for making the time to meet with us today! He can be found in any applied science class.
HUMOUR
May 24, 2021
Your Weekly Horoscopes
May 24–30 Written by Ana Arozarena
ARIES — Mar 21–Apr 19
LIBRA — Sept 23–Oct 22
I slid down Lil Nas X’s pole to hell to gather this advice: wear your sunscreen. All the smoking hot demons do it, and so should you! Even Satan (who’s currently going through a tough breakup) managed to agree, through a series of hiccuping sobs, that we should all care about preventing sun damage.
Love: 3/5. Health: 4/5. Lucky numbers: 7, 18, 43. Chances of being caught off guard by that old Sarah McLachlan commercial about dying animals and bursting into tears over your bucket of vegan cheese puffs: 5/5.
TAURUS — Apr 20 –May 20
SCORPIO — Oct 23–Nov 21
You will encounter an unreasonably fast slug this week. It will be hidden in the forest and will grant you all you desire. Find the message hidden in the iridescent slime, and read it aloud – unless you’ve gotten it confused with Gemini’s slug, in which case, don’t even think about reading it.
Let’s face it, Scorpio. You’re too stubborn to take any advice. In addition, you’ve been acting pretty suspicious lately. ARE YOU EVEN WHO YOU SAY YOU ARE?! Phew. Got a little worked up there. Now that I think about it, I would take this as a sign to work on those trust issues.
GEMINI — May 21–Jun 20
SAGITTARIUS — Nov 22–Dec 21
Take care of your mental health this week, Gemini, and become the mysterious forest entity you’ve always wanted to be. It may seem slimy, but taking time for yourself is key! Don’t be afraid to send some of those needy people in your life on a wild goose chase. Now you can sip your morning coffee in sweet, sweet silence.
If you’ve heard it before, no you haven’t. In fact, please destroy this document immediately. Cut it up into tiny strips, mix it with organic matter, feed it to a large family of ravenous worms, and then deliver what remains as a sacrifice to the compost bin run by aggressive raccoons over at West Mall.
CANCER — Jun 21–Jul 22
CAPRICORN — Dec 22–Jan 19
This week is all about emotions. That’s right. Go feel your feelings. Go use that student care insurance for at least three sessions with a burnt-out school counsellor before your coverage runs out! I’m rooting for you! Also, no, rewatching your favourite show on Netflix is not the same thing as therapy (no matter what that counsellor claims).
Do you remember those Capri Sun juice pouches? Stabbing the flimsy straw through the plastic to reach that juicy Tropical Punch flavour and sucking it down as if it were the hot blood of your enemies? Claiming the crown and reigning over your army of goblin brethren? Ah, to be young.
LEO — Jul 23–Aug 22
AQUARIUS — Jan 20 –Feb 18
I’m not saying it’s true, but I heard from every one of your classmates that they’re tired of hearing about your succulent collection. They all thought that at precisely the same time, tearing the fabric of the universe. It gave me a splitting headache and my sewing skills aren’t what they used to be, so thanks for nothing.
Listen closely to the call of your heart, Aquarius. Or, let it go to voicemail. Better yet, block your heart’s number and find solace in the cold recesses of your brilliant and calculating brain. Nothing is more romantic than a candlelit evening with you, yourself, and the quiet but sexy Canvas app.
VIRGO — Aug 23–Sept 22
PISCES — Feb 19–Mar 20
I know you’re known for your honesty, Virgo, but please don’t tell Taurus about the slug thing. I already feel guilty enough as it is! Uh, if you don’t mention it, you will meet a tall, handsome stranger this week. Totally.
Another day, another day. Followed by . . . another day. The landscape is desolate and nothing happens. Nobody comes, nobody goes. It's awful. “Let’s go,” you might say. But we can’t. We’re waiting for Godot.
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16 DIVERSIONS
Business Manager Yuri Zhou
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business@the-peak.ca
CROSSWORD Across 1. Christmas song 6. Spanish house 10. Misters 14. Worship 15. Preacher's word 16. Famous canal 17. Mamas' mates 18. Pacifist Christian branch 20. Foretelling signs 21. Naval off. 22. Stationed 23. Jewel 25. Railroad station 27. Type of football pass 31. Unlock again 35. Bullring shouts 36. Hangman's loop 39. Enthusiastic review 40. Soft metal 41. Farm units 42. Originally called 43. Swarm 45. Motif 46. Obey 47. Prompt (2 wds.) 49. Six-legged animals
51. Leaks slowly 54. Actor ____ Hanks 55. Pursue 58. Friend (Fr.) 60. Respond (to) 64. Paused 66. Follow 67. Of the mouth 68. Capsule 69. Short distances 70. Vatican VIP 71. Part 72. Breakfast bread Down 1. Guitarist's aid 2. Eden dweller 3. Thick cord 4. Grove products 5. Inferior 6. Arrived 7. Make right 8. Perceive 9. "Raggedy" doll 10. Member of Congress 11. Showy flower
12. ____ of passage 13. Plant's beginning 19. Wind instrument 24. Aquatic mammal 26. Gift 27. Game of chance 28. UFO pilot 29. Belief 30. ____ Ness monster 32. Sudden fright 33. Occasion 34. Requires 37. Native mineral 38. Highway vehicle 44. Projectile 46. Keepsake 48. Track competition 50. Most painful 52. Barbecue site 53. Aroma 55. Cut wood 56. Brave one 57. Right away (abbr.) 59. Not busy 61. Sailing 62. Mugs 63. ____ pilot 65. Mar. follower
SUDOKU
SFPIRG Fee Refunds for Summer 2021 Semester: Email admin@sfpirg.ca between May 26th 10 a.m. and June 2nd 3 p.m. to opt-out of SFPIRG membership. More info at https://sfpirg.ca/events/