Board Shorts: July 11, 2019

By: Onosholema Ogoigbe, News Team Member

BCFS presents their campaign about interest on federal student loans to board 

Tanysha Klassen and Jenelle Davies, respectively the chairperson and organizer of the British Columbia Federation of Students (BCFS), presented to the board a federal campaign titled Knockout Interest. 

This campaign is focused on eliminating the interest charged on federal student loans, and aims to gain the attention of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Through extensive research, lobbying, and mobilizing, BCFS hopes to get student support by endorsing letters of support, co-branded posters and pledges, and encouraging students to spread the word on social media. 

“[We] hope to bring the biggest message as possible to the members of the federal government,” said Davies. 

BCFS represents students of all types throughout the province, such as undergraduates and graduates, including part-time students. Klassen and Davies both expressed BCFS’s interest to gain more partnerships for this campaign, such as other student unions. 

SFU Lifeline presentation addresses the assertion of SFSS’s pro-choice policy

SFU Lifeline president and vice president Lois Umali and Lily Moric presented to the board to address previous discussions on the society’s adoption of a pro-choice stance, and how this may affect their club. 

This led to a general discussion on abortion through the lens of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Osob Mohamed, health sciences faculty representative, highlighted that there have been several cases where the Supreme Court is protected by the charter. 

“Do you feel that your interpretation of the charter kind of goes against what was decided by the Supreme Court of Canada?” Mohamed asked the presenters.

In response, Moric stated that they would question what the charter considers a human life. 

“The sort of purity of the personhood of the fetus is also being challenged,” Moric said. “Just because it can’t speak. But their personhood is being challenged if we’re saying that abortion directly kills that fetus.”

The discussion was cut short by at-large representative and acting chair Rayhaan Khan due to shortage of time.

For a more detailed article on this discussion, visit the-peak.ca.

SFSS plans to collaborate with production company Crescendo 1 for the Fall Kickoff

Lastly, the SFSS also disclosed that they are planning to work with music and entertainment company, Crescendo 1, to plan the annual Fall Kickoff event. While previous kickoffs have been made possible with the production company Blueprint,  who will assist in artist relations, artist contracts and bookings, staging, and ticketing for the event.

Johnny Black, co-founder of Crescendo 1, emphasized that the production company is looking to help universities expand their brands, and create a music community in Vancouver.

“Our plan of action… is to help universities in Western Canada [to expand] their events and engage with their audience,” Black stated.

Crescendo 1, although a newer company, has hosted various Breakout festivals, presenting artists such as Migos and Tory Lanez.