The Peak
Encyclopedia
The Peak is the independent student newspaper
of Simon Fraser University
in Burnaby, British Columbia
, Canada
. It is split into six major sections: News
, Opinions, Features
, Arts
, Sports and Humour
.
The Peak achieved full financial and editorial autonomy from the Student Society in a 1995 decision, bringing The Peak in line with the majority of Canadian student newspapers. Student newspapers seek autonomy mostly to avoid conflicts of interest, in which the Student Society or the University attempts to exert control over the content of the paper.
Notable Peak alumni include journalist and author Allen Garr
, Vancouver Province copy editor Lorne Mallin, author and interviewer John Sawatsky
, and award winning Calgary Herald
journalist Michelle Lang
.
The Peak functions as a collective; there is no Managing Editor or Editor in Chief position. Each editor maintains total control of their section, while broader decisions are made democratically, by the editorial board as a whole. The Peak also maintains a board of directors, which makes certain other decisions, mostly financial in nature. This board is made up partly of editorial staff, partly of "at large" representatives. Peak editors are elected by the paper's voting "collective," which formally consists of all editors and recent writers, for a period of one semester. Editors may, and very often do, seek multiple terms, sometimes ultimately spanning several years.
The Peak employs a Distribution and Archives Manager, and a Business and Advertising Manager. They are hired, not elected, positions. The Business and Advertising Manager has historically been the most long-lived position at the paper, and is thus the repository for much of the Society's institutional memory.
Like many student newspapers in British Columbia, The Peak is formally run as a registered non-profit society under the Society Act of British Columbia, known as the Peak Publications Society. Technically all SFU students are members of the Peak Society, and refundable membership dues are imposed on all students as part of the university's student activity fee, which are used to partially fund the paper's operations.
.
Student newspaper
A student newspaper is a newspaper run by students of a university, high school, middle school, or other school. These papers traditionally cover local and, primarily, school or university news....
of Simon Fraser University
Simon Fraser University
Simon Fraser University is a Canadian public research university in British Columbia with its main campus on Burnaby Mountain in Burnaby, and satellite campuses in Vancouver and Surrey. The main campus in Burnaby, located from downtown Vancouver, was established in 1965 and has more than 34,000...
in Burnaby, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It is split into six major sections: News
News
News is the communication of selected information on current events which is presented by print, broadcast, Internet, or word of mouth to a third party or mass audience.- Etymology :...
, Opinions, Features
Feature story
- Published Features & news :While the distinction between published features and news is often clear, when approached conceptually there are few hard boundaries between the two. It is quite possible to write a feature in the style of a news story, for instance...
, Arts
ARts
aRts, which stands for analog Real time synthesizer, is an audio framework that is no longer under development. It is best known for previously being used in KDE to simulate an analog synthesizer....
, Sports and Humour
Humour
Humour or humor is the tendency of particular cognitive experiences to provoke laughter and provide amusement...
.
History
The Peak was founded on October 6, 1965 through the merger of SFU's two original student newspapers, The Tartan and The SF View. The Tartan had published six issues under the editorship of Lorne Mallin, while the SF View had published one, edited by Rick McGrath. Because no name had yet been decided, the first printed issue was unnamed; the October 20, 1965 issue was the first to carry the banner of The Peak.The Peak achieved full financial and editorial autonomy from the Student Society in a 1995 decision, bringing The Peak in line with the majority of Canadian student newspapers. Student newspapers seek autonomy mostly to avoid conflicts of interest, in which the Student Society or the University attempts to exert control over the content of the paper.
Notable Peak alumni include journalist and author Allen Garr
Allen Garr
Allen Garr is a journalist, author, and journalism instructor based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Garr is well-known in the city for his editorials covering civic politics in the weekly Vancouver Courier newspaper...
, Vancouver Province copy editor Lorne Mallin, author and interviewer John Sawatsky
John Sawatsky
Ferdinand John Sawatzky is a Canadian author, journalist and expert on interviewing techniques.-Early career:Born in Winkler, Manitoba, he graduated from Mennonite Educational Institute in Abbotsford and attended Simon Fraser University in the late 1960s. Graduating in political science, he...
, and award winning Calgary Herald
Calgary Herald
The Calgary Herald is a daily newspaper published in the Canadian city of Calgary, Alberta.- History :The paper was first published on August 31, 1883 by Andrew Armour and Thomas Braden as The Calgary Herald, Mining and Ranche Advocate and General Advertiser. It started as a weekly paper with only...
journalist Michelle Lang
Michelle Lang
Michelle Justine Lang was a Calgary Herald reporter and the first Canadian journalist to die in the War in Afghanistan.-Career:...
.
Staff and Structures
There are 11 editors who comprise the Peak Editorial Board: Copy, Production, News, Associate News, Opinions, Features, Arts, Sports, Humour, Photo and Multimedia.The Peak functions as a collective; there is no Managing Editor or Editor in Chief position. Each editor maintains total control of their section, while broader decisions are made democratically, by the editorial board as a whole. The Peak also maintains a board of directors, which makes certain other decisions, mostly financial in nature. This board is made up partly of editorial staff, partly of "at large" representatives. Peak editors are elected by the paper's voting "collective," which formally consists of all editors and recent writers, for a period of one semester. Editors may, and very often do, seek multiple terms, sometimes ultimately spanning several years.
The Peak employs a Distribution and Archives Manager, and a Business and Advertising Manager. They are hired, not elected, positions. The Business and Advertising Manager has historically been the most long-lived position at the paper, and is thus the repository for much of the Society's institutional memory.
Like many student newspapers in British Columbia, The Peak is formally run as a registered non-profit society under the Society Act of British Columbia, known as the Peak Publications Society. Technically all SFU students are members of the Peak Society, and refundable membership dues are imposed on all students as part of the university's student activity fee, which are used to partially fund the paper's operations.
Printing
The Peak publishes weekly during SFUs regular semesters, which totals thirteen issues per semester, and 39 per year. Currently, it is one of a very few student newspapers that continues to run weekly issues during the summer. Like most of Canada's major student newspapers, The Peak is a member of the Canadian University PressCanadian University Press
Canadian University Press is a non-profit co-operative and newswire service owned by almost 90 student newspapers at post-secondary schools in Canada. Founded in 1938, CUP is the oldest student newswire service in the world and the oldest national student organization in North America. Many...
.
See also
- Simon Fraser UniversitySimon Fraser UniversitySimon Fraser University is a Canadian public research university in British Columbia with its main campus on Burnaby Mountain in Burnaby, and satellite campuses in Vancouver and Surrey. The main campus in Burnaby, located from downtown Vancouver, was established in 1965 and has more than 34,000...
- Canadian University PressCanadian University PressCanadian University Press is a non-profit co-operative and newswire service owned by almost 90 student newspapers at post-secondary schools in Canada. Founded in 1938, CUP is the oldest student newswire service in the world and the oldest national student organization in North America. Many...
- Student newspaperStudent newspaperA student newspaper is a newspaper run by students of a university, high school, middle school, or other school. These papers traditionally cover local and, primarily, school or university news....
- List of student newspapers in Canada