| The Peak | |
| School: | Simon Fraser University |
| Type: | Weekly Student Newspaper |
| Format: | Tabloid |
| Headquarters: | MBC 2901, 8888 University Dr., Burnaby, BC |
| Foundation: | 1965 |
| Owners: | The Peak Publications Society |
| Circulation: | 10,000 |
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 was founded on October 6, 1965[1] [2] 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.[3] Because no name had yet been decided, the first printed issue was unnamed;[4] 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.
Many Peak staffers have gone on to careers as journalists and authors. Notable Peak alumni include journalist and author Allen Garr; Vancouver Province copy editor Lorne Mallin; author and interviewer John Sawatsky, award-winning Calgary Herald journalist Michelle Lang; comedian Mark Little from Comedy Network's Picnicface; Charles Demers, a comedian and author of Vancouver Special; journalist Stephen Hui, author of 105 Hikes In and Around Southwestern British Columbia and other guidebooks; journalist Tara Henley, author of Lean Out: A Meditation on the Madness of Modern Life; and professor Ian Rocksborough-Smith, author of Black Public History in Chicago.
There are 15 editors who comprise The Peaks editorial board: editor-in-chief, copy, production and design, assistant production and design (2), news, assistant news, opinions, features, arts, sports, humour, photo, multimedia, and assistant multimedia. They also have three possible staff writer positions available, as well as a volunteer proofreader position. All editorial roles, with the exception of editor-in-chief and volunteer proofreader are hired on a semesterly basis. Editors may, and very often do, seek multiple terms, sometimes ultimately spanning several years. There is no sports editor position in the summer semester. Until December 2016 there was a paid proofreader position, but it was discontinued as a paid position.
There are several non-editorial roles, hired at an hourly/salary rate, which are not rehired each semester, including social media and promotions coordinator, business manager, web manager, and distribution manager (2). The business manager has historically been the most long-lived position at the paper, and is thus the repository for much of the newspaper's institutional memory. The Peak also maintains a board of directors under the larger Peak Publications Society, which makes certain other decisions, mostly financial in nature. This board is made up partly of editorial staff, partly of "at large" representatives, and of The Peaks business manager.
From 1980 to September 2012, The Peak functioned as an editorial collective, without a managing editor or editor-in-chief position. Each editor maintained general control of their section or process, while broader decisions were made by consensus by the editorial collective as a whole. Peak editors were elected by the paper's voting "collective," which formally consisted of all editors and recent writers, for a period of one "semester" (what SFU calls its trimesters).
As of September 2014, The Peak once again operates under the management of an editor-in-chief, with a hiring process used to employ section editors. The editor-in-chief is still an elected role as of February 2019.
In July 2022, The Peak added the position of fact-checker, to aid the copy editor and section editors in their fact-checking duties.
Like many student newspapers in British Columbia, The Peak is formally run as a registered non-profit society under the BC Societies Act, 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 at SFU as part of the university's student activity fee, which are used to partially fund the paper's operations.
A number of Peak staffers have also held prominent roles in Canadian University Press, the national student newspaper cooperative and wire service, of which The Peak was a long-standing member.
| Petra Chase | 2024 | |||
| Kelly Chia | 2023 | 2024 | 1 | |
| Michelle Young | 2022 | 2023 | 1 | |
| Meera Eragoda | 2021 | 2022 | 1 | |
| Marco Ovies | 2020 | 2021 | 1 | |
| Gabrielle McLaren | 2019 | 2020 | 1 | |
| Alex Bloom | 2018 | 2019 | 1 | |
| Courtney Miller | 2017 | 2018 | 1 | |
| Max James Hill | 2015 | 2017 | 2 | |
| Alison Roach | 2014 | 2015 | 1 | |
| Alastair McColl | 1980 | 1980 | 1 | |
| Jimmy Tan | 1980 | |||
| Dean McMillan | 1979 | |||
| Trish Webb | 1979 | 1979 | ||
| Jackie Brown | 1978 | 1979 | ||
| Lee Rankin | 1978 | 1978 | ||
| Maureen McEvoy | 1977 | 1978 | ||
| Shane McCune | 1977 | 1977 | ||
| Irwin DeVries | 1977 | 1977 | ||
| Marc Edge | 1977 | |||
| Frank Rotering | 1973 | 1973 | ||
| Ron Roth | 1972 | |||
| Keith McQuiggan | 1972 | 1972 | ||
| Bob Mercer | 1971 | 1972 | ||
| Ron Verzuh | 1971 | 1971 | ||
| Wilf Wedmann | 1971 | 1971 | ||
| Cameron Beck | 1970 | 1971 | ||
| George Keter | 1970 | 1970 | ||
| Donn Korbin | 1970 | 1970 | ||
| Phil Dubois | 1969 | 1970 | ||
| Gordon Hardy | 1969 | 1969 | ||
| Stewart Gold | 1969 | 1969 | ||
| Ed Wong | 1968 | 1969 | ||
| Jaan John Pill | 1968 | 1968 | ||
| N. Alan Bell (3rd time) | 1967 | 1968 | ||
| Mayling Weaver | 1967 | 1967 | ||
| Ronald Nye | 1967 | 1967 | ||
| Simon Foulds | 1967 | 1967 | ||
| Michael J. Campbell | 1966 | 1967 | ||
| Allen Garr | 1966 | 1966 | ||
| N. Alan Bell (2nd time, acting) | 1966 | 1966 | ||
| Gillian Lindridge | 1966 | 1966 | ||
| N. Alan Bell (1st time, acting) | 1966 | 1966 | ||
| Sam Steenhuus | 1965 | 1966 | 1 |
Max James Hill worked as copy editor, features editor, and proofreader before being elected EIC twice.
Courtney Miller worked as copy editor before taking on the role. She also spent some time as interim business manager during a changeover in personnel.
Alex Bloom worked as assistant multimedia editor and arts editor before taking on the EIC role.
| Alison Roach | January 2014 | September 2014 | 9 | |
| William Ross | May 2013 | December 2013 | 8 | |
| David Dyck | September 2012 | May 2013 | 9 | |
| Mike Mason | 1971 | 1971 | ||
| Wilf Wedman | 1971 | 1971 |
| Olivia Visser | Summer 2023 | |||
| Gem Lee | Fall 2023 | Spring 2013 | 2 | |
| Nancy La | Summer 2022 | Summer 2022 | 1 | |
| Michelle Young | Fall 2021 | Spring 2022 | 2 | |
| Paige Riding | Summer 2021 | Summer 2021 | 1 | |
| Meera Eragoda | Spring 2021 | Spring 2021 | 1 | |
| Juztin Bello | Fall 2019 | Fall 2020 | 4 | |
| Zach Siddiqui | Summer 2018 | Summer 2019 | 4 | |
| Natasha Tar | Summer 2017 | Spring 2018 | 3 | |
| Courtney Miller | Spring 2017 | Spring 2017 | 1 | |
| Natalie Serafini | Summer 2016 | Fall 2016 | 2 | |
| Joel Mackenzie | Summer 2015 | Spring 2016 | 3 | |
| Max James Hill | Spring 2015 | Spring 2015 | 1 | |
| Natasha Wahid | Spring 2014 | Fall 2014 | 3 | |
| Estefania Duran | Summer 2013 | Fall 2013 | 2 | |
| William Ross | Summer 2012 | Spring 2013 | 3 | |
| Erica Zell | Fall 2010 | Spring 2012 | 5 | |
| Kendra Wong | Summer 2010 | Summer 2010 | 1 | |
| Maia Britt Odegaard | Fall 2008 | Spring 2010 | 5 | |
| Stephanie Orford | Fall 2007 | Summer 2008 | 3 | |
| Michael Hingston (2nd time) | Fall 2006 | Summer 2007 | 3 | |
| Derrick Harder | Summer 2006 | Summer 2006 | 1 | |
| Michael Hingston (1st time) | Summer 2005 | Spring 2006 | 3 | |
| Dan Pinese | Spring 2005 | Spring 2005 | 1 | |
| Mark Little | Summer 2004 | Fall 2004 | 2 | |
| Nicole Vanderwyst | Spring 2004 | Spring 2004 | 1 | |
| Shawn Hunsdale | Fall 2003 | Fall 2003 | 1 | |
| Ben Pearson (2nd time) | Summer 2003 | Summer 2003 | 1 | |
| Elisa Kosonen | Spring 2003 | Spring 2003 | 1 | |
| Sarom Bahk | Fall 2002 | Fall 2002 | 1 | |
| Ben Pearson (1st time) | Summer 2002 | Summer 2002 | 1 | |
| Doug Yovanovich | Spring 2002 | Spring 2002 | 1 | |
| AnniqueElise Goode | Fall 2001 | Fall 2001 | 1 | |
| Lindsay Nielsen | Summer 2001 | Summer 2001 | 1 | |
| Tejpal Swatch | Spring 2001 | Spring 2001 | 1 | |
| Glen Callender | Fall 2000 | Fall 2000 | 1 | |
| Sarah Isaacs | Summer 2000 | Summer 2000 | 1 | |
| Erin Fitzpatrick | Summer 1999 | Spring 2000 | 3 | |
| Kris Anderson | Fall 1998 | Spring 1999 | 2 | |
| Angela Aujla | Summer 1997 | Summer 1999 | 7 | |
| Guy Leets | Fall 1996 | Spring 1997 | 2 | |
| Teena Aujla | Fall 1995 | Summer 1996 | 3 | |
| Tom Lakovic | Summer 1995 | Summer 1995 | 1 | |
| Sophie Leake | Spring 1995 | Spring 1995 | 1 | |
| Craig Lawson | Fall 1994 | Fall 1994 | 1 |
| Karissa Ketter | Fall 2022 | |||
| Nancy La | Fall 2021 | Spring 2022 | 2 | |
| Michelle Young | Fall 2020 | Summer 2021 | 3 | |
| Michelle Gomez | Summer 2020 | Summer 2020 | 1 | |
| Gurpreet Kambo | Fall 2019 | Spring 2020 | 4 | |
| Paul Choptuik | Summer 2019 | Summer 2019 | 1 | |
| Henry Tran | Spring 2019 | Spring 2019 | 1 | |
| Amneet Mann | Spring 2018 | Fall 2018 | 3 | |
| Cecile Favron | Summer 2017 | Fall 2017 | 2 | |
| Ashley Fraser | Fall 2016 | Spring 2017 | 2 | |
| Jamal Dumas | Spring 2016 | Summer 2016 | 2 | |
| Melissa Roach | Summer 2015 | Fall 2015 | 2 | |
| Stephen Hui | Spring 2002 | Summer 2003 | 5 | |
| Jessica Johnston | Summer 2001 | Spring 2001 | 2 |
| Michelle Young | Summer 2023 | |||
| Olivia Visser | Fall 2022 | Spring 2023 | 2 | |
| Luke Faulks | Summer 2022 | Summer 2022 | ||
| Jacob Mattie | Spring 2022 | Spring 2022 | 1 | |
| Lubaba Mahmud | Fall 2021 | Fall 2021 | 1 | |
| Dev Petrovic | Summer 2021 | Summer 2021 | 1 | |
| Madeleine Chan | Fall 2020 | Spring 2021 | 2 | |
| Nicole Magas | Summer 2019 | Summer 2020 | 4 | |
| Gene Cole | Fall 2018 | Spring 2019 | 2 | |
| Eva Zhu | Summer 2018 | Summer 2018 | 1 | |
| Zach Siddiqui | Fall 2016 | Spring 2018 | 5 | |
| Adam van der Zwan | Fall 2014 | Summer 2016 | 6 |
| Daniel Salcedo Rubio | Fall 2022 | |||
| Meera Eragoda | Summer 2022 | Summer 2022 | 1 | |
| Marco Ovies | Summer 2021 | Spring 2022 | 3 | |
| Harvin Bhathal | Fall 2020 | Spring 2021 | 2 | |
| Kelly Chia | Spring 2020 | Summer 2020 | 2 | |
| Winona Young | Fall 2019 | Fall 2019 | 1 | |
| Jennifer Low | Summer 2019 | Summer 2019 | 1 | |
| Gabrielle McLaren | Spring 2018 | Spring 2019 | 4 | |
| Jessica Pickering | Summer 2017 | Fall 2017 | 2 | |
| Tamara Connor | Fall 2016 | Spring 2017 | 3 | |
| Max Hill | Fall 2013 | Spring 2015 | 5 | |
| Rachel Braeuer | Summer 2013 | Summer 2013 | 1 | |
| Ljudmila Petrovic | Summer 2012 | Spring 2013 | 3 | |
| Kelly Thoreson | Spring 2011 | Spring 2012 | 4 | |
| Stacey McLachlan | Spring 2009 | Fall 2010 | 5 | |
| Shara Lee | Fall 2008 | Fall 2008 | 1 | |
| Maia Britt Odegaard | Summer 2008 | Summer 2008 | 1 | |
| Paul Hiebert | Fall 2007 | Spring 2008 | 2 | |
| Iain W. Reeve | Summer 2007 | Summer 2007 | 1 | |
| Debby Reis | Summer 2005 | Spring 2007 | 6 | |
| David W. McLeish | Spring 2005 | Spring 2005 | 1 | |
| Sabine Boersch | Summer 2004 | Fall 2004 | 2 | |
| Matthew Schum | Spring 2004 | Spring 2004 | 1 | |
| Amy Zhang (2nd time) | Fall 2003 | Fall 2003 | 1 | |
| Rhianna Coppin | Spring 2003 | Summer 2003 | 1 | |
| Ian Rocksborough-S. (2nd time) | Fall 2002 | Fall 2002 | 1 | |
| Amy Zhang (1st time) | Summer 2002 | Summer 2002 | 1 | |
| Ian Rocksborough-S. (1st time) | Spring 2002 | Spring 2002 | 1 | |
| John Kennedy | Fall 2001 | Fall 2001 | 1 | |
| Alexander Zabjek | Summer 2001 | Summer 2001 | 1 | |
| Josh Byer | Spring 2001 | Spring 2001 | 1 | |
| Dee Hon | Summer 2000 | Fall 2000 | 2 | |
| Bess Lovejoy | Fall 1999 | Spring 2000 | 2 | |
| Ryan Roddy | Fall 1998 | Summer 1999 | 3 | |
| Guy Letts | Summer 1997 | Summer 1999 | 7 | |
| Mason Wright | Summer 1996 | Spring 1997 | 3 | |
| Misha Rainer | Spring 1996 | Spring 1996 | 1 | |
| Craig Lawson | Fall 1995 | Fall 1995 | 1 | |
| Glen Callender | Summer 1995 | Summer 1995 | 1 | |
| Holly Keyes | Spring 1995 | Spring 1995 | 1 | |
| Cherata Yawsen | Fall 1994 | Fall 1994 | 1 |
| Petra Chase | Summer 2022 | Spring 2024 | 5 | |
| Sara Wong | Spring 2021 | Spring 2022 | 4 | |
| Meera Eragoda | Summer 2020 | Fall 2020 | 2 | |
| Marco Ovies | Spring 2020 | Spring 2020 | 1 | |
| Andrea Renney | Fall 2019 | Fall 2019 | 1 | |
| Alison Wick | Summer 2019 | Summer 2019 | 1 | |
| Winona Young | Fall 2018 | Spring 2019 | 2 | |
| Natasha Tar | Summer 2018 | Summer 2018 | 1 | |
| Alex Bloom | Summer 2017 | Spring 2018 | 3 | |
| Jessica Whitesel | Spring 2016 | Spring 2017 | 4 |
| Isabella Urbani | Fall 2021 | |||
| Dylan Webb | Fall 2019 | Spring 2020 | 2 | |
| Andrew Ringer | Fall 2017 | Spring 2019 | 5 | |
| Nick Bondi | Fall 2015 | Spring 2017 | 4 | |
| Austin Cozicar |
| C Icart | Summer 2023 | |||
| Kelly Chia | Summer 2022 | Spring 2023 | 3 | |
| Sara Brinkac | Spring 2022 | Spring 2022 | 1 | |
| Carter Hemion | Fall 2021 | Fall 2021 | 1 | |
| Kyla Dowling | Summer 2021 | Summer 2021 | 1 | |
| Paige Riding | Fall 2020 | Spring 2021 | 2 | |
| Zach Siddiqui | Fall 2019 | Summer 2020 | 3 | |
| Zoe Vedova | Spring 2019 | Summer 2019 | 2 | |
| Aaron Richardson | Summer 2018 | Fall 2018 | 2 | |
| Janis McMath | Fall 2016 | Spring 2018 | 4 | |
| Justin Stevens | Summer 2016 | |||
| Jacey Gibb |
| Brianna Quan | Fall 2021 | Spring 2022 | 2 | |
| Siloam Yeung | Fall 2020 | Summer 2021 | 3 | |
| Marissa Ouyang | Spring 2019 | Summer 2020 | 3 | |
| Timothy Chow | Summer 2018 | Fall 2018 | 2 | |
| Linda Shu | Spring 2017 | Spring 2018 | 3 | |
| Phoebe Lim | Fall 2016 |
| Karla Salazar | Summer 2021 | |||
| Dhivya Manohar | Fall 2020 | Spring 2021 | 2 | |
| Marcus Blackstock | Fall 2019 | Summer 2020 | 3 | |
| Melissa Campos | Spring 2019 | Summer 2019 | 2 | |
| Adam Madojemu | Summer 2016 | Fall 2017 | 5 | |
| Paige Smith | Fall 2014 | Spring 2016 | 5 |
| Gudrun Wai-Gunnarsson | Fall 2020 | 9 | ||
| Chris Ho | Fall 2017 | Spring 2020 | ||
| Alexa Tarrayo | Summer 2017 | |||
| Lisa Dimyadi |
This position was previously called the associate news editor.
| Yelin Gemma Lee | Fall 2021 | |||
| Jaymee Salisi | Spring 2021 | Summer 2021 | 2 | |
| Karissa Ketter | Fall 2020 | |||
| Mahdi Dialden | Fall 2020 | Fall 2020 | 1 | |
| Paige Riding | Fall 2019 | Summer 2020 | 3 | |
| Jess Dela Cruz | Fall 2019 | Spring 2020 | 2 | |
| Onoshelema Ogoigbe | Summer 2019 | Summer 2019 | 1 | |
| Michelle Gomez | Spring 2019 | Spring 2019 | 1 | |
| Srijani Datta | Summer 2018 | Fall 2018 | 2 | |
| Henry Tran | Summer 2017 | Spring 2018 | 3 | |
| Nathan Ross | Spring 2014 | Spring 2017 | 10 |
| Kitty Cheung | Fall 2021 | |||
| Josh Ralla | Spring 2021 | 1 | ||
| Siloam Yeung | Spring 2019 | Summer 2020 | 5 | |
| Brianna Quan | Summer 2018 | Summer 2021 | 10 | |
| Krystal Shiu | Summer 2018 | Fall 2018 | 2 | |
| Timothy Chow | Fall 2017 | Spring 2018 | 2 | |
| Gabriel Yeung | Fall 2017 | Spring 2018 | 2 | |
| Elena Hsu | Spring 2017 | Summer 2017 | 2 | |
| Matthew Fong | Fall 2016 | Summer 2017 | 3 | |
| Linda Shu | Fall 2016 | Spring 2017 | 2 |
| Rashi Sethi | Summer 2021 | |||
| Karla Salazar | Fall 2020 | Spring 2021 | 2 | |
| Calvin Truong | Fall 2019 | Summer 2020 | 3 | |
| Marcus Blackstock | Spring 2019 | Summer 2019 | 2 | |
| Melissa Campos | Summer 2017 | Fall 2018 | 5 | |
| Alex Bloom | Spring 2017 |
| Luke Faulks | Spring 2022 | |||
| Victoria Lopatka | Fall 2021 | Fall 2021 | 1 | |
| Tamanna T. | Fall 2021 | |||
| Charlene Aviles | Fall 2021 | |||
| Carter Hemion | Summer 2021 | Summer 2021 | 1 | |
| Nancy La | Summer 2021 | Summer 2021 | 1 | |
| Kelly Chia | Summer 2021 | |||
| Alex Masse | Spring 2021 | Spring 2021 | 1 | |
| Kyla Dowling | Spring 2021 | Spring 2021 | 1 | |
| Emma Jean | Fall 2020 | Spring 2021 | 2 | |
| Serena Bains | Fall 2020 | Fall 2020 | 1 | |
| Dev Petrovic | Summer 2020 | Spring 2021 | 3 | |
| Michelle Young | Summer 2020 | Summer 2020 | 1 | |
| Madeleine Chan | Spring 2020 | Summer 2020 | 2 | |
| Meera Eragoda | Spring 2020 | Spring 2020 | 1 | |
| Kim Regala | Spring 2020 | Spring 2020 | 1 | |
| Lubaba Mahmud | Fall 2019 | |||
| Marco Ovies | Fall 2019 | Fall 2019 | 1 | |
| Katie Hemion | Fall 2019 | Fall 2019 | 1 | |
| Kelly Chia | Summer 2019 | Fall 2019 | 2 | |
| Ana Staskevich | Summer 2019 | Summer 2019 | 1 | |
| Kitty Cheung | Spring 2019 | Summer 2019 | 2 | |
| Michelle Gomez | Fall 2018 | Fall 2018 | 1 | |
| Youeal Abera | Fall 2018 | Spring 2019 | 2 | |
| Amal Javed Abdullah | Fall 2018 | |||
| Winona Young | Summer 2018 | Summer 2018 | 1 | |
| Victoria Lopatka | Spring 2018 | Summer 2018 | 2 | |
| Eva Zhu | Spring 2018 | Spring 2018 | 1 | |
| Gabrielle McLaren | Fall 2017 | Fall 2017 | 1 | |
| Aaron Richardson | Fall 2017 | Fall 2017 | 1 |
| Michelle Chiang | Fall 2019 | Spring 2020 | 2 | |
| Aiya Bowman | Spring 2018 | Spring 2019 | 4 | |
| Gene Cole | Summer 2018 | Summer 2018 | 1 | |
| Natasha Tar | Spring 2017 | Spring 2017 | 1 | |
| Margaret Li | Fall 2016 |
The Peak publishes weekly during SFU regular semesters, which totals 13 issues per semester, and 39 per year. Currently, The Peak is one of 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 Press.
Edmonton Journal columnist Michael Hingston published a fictionalized account of his time at The Peak, titled The Dilettantes (Freehand Books). It was named one of CBC Books' must-read books of Fall 2013.[5]