SFU students are expressing concern over a Facebook page for a SFU White Student Union that appeared yesterday.
The page posted the following description of their mandate:
“We welcome students of European descent to follow and contribute to the SFU White Student Union. [. . .] European-Canadian students on college campuses face unique and immediate challenges that are ignored or even actively denied in today’s cultural climate.”
The page appeared on Facebook on Tuesday, November 24 and as of Nov 25 at 1:11 p.m. has 24 likes. This follows the creation of a similar page for a UBC White Student Union that appeared on November 22.
CBC reported that pages similar to the UBC page have appeared at campuses across Canada and the US at institutions such as UCLA, University of Victoria, and University of Toronto. CBC also suggested that the pages could be linked to a post on white supremacist website The Daily Stormer.
The SFU page contains language nearly identical to the page at UBC and other pages, which has led many, including CBC, to conclude that the pages are a hoax and may not be linked to students at the universities they claim to represent.
The Peak contacted the page on Facebook, and while the administrator did not respond to questions regarding their identity or if they could prove they were a student at SFU, they did provide explanation for their motive.
Said the administrator, “I have been inspired by the White Student Union at UBC and decided to start this club. Whether or not this group continues is up to the administrators of SFU.”
Director of University Communications, Kurt Heinrich commented on the page: “This Facebook page is not an official SFU page or group and [that] is concerning. We understand a number of our students are upset by it and we will be investigating any further steps that can be taken to support these students and address their concerns.”
Heinrich said that although the administration had already contacted Facebook over the page, students can report the page by using Facebook’s inappropriate content reporting tool.
All departmental student unions and student clubs at SFU run through the Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS). VP External Relations Kathleen Yang addressed student concerns about the page: “I’ve just checked with our staff and the white student union is NOT an SFSS affiliated or supported club. This group is not affiliated with the SFSS in any way and does not at the moment have a pending application to gain club status.”
She continued, “Posts from the page are almost identical to posts from other ‘white student union’ pages in BC. Nevertheless, we shall be monitoring the situation closely.”
