By: Eden Chipperfield, News Writer
On January 31, Business Administration Student Society (BASS) councillor Meha Sidhu requested that the Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS) Council dedicate BASS a permanent home in the Student Union Building (SUB). Sidhu noted the current space designated for BASS is too small to host their 14 umbrella clubs and accommodate drop-in hours.
The request was met with questions and concerns from the Council. The SFSS was concerned that approving space for BASS in the SUB would decrease space for accessible student study rooms.
The Peak spoke to Sidhu about BASS’ need for a space in the SUB and the challenges they have faced.
“One of the keys to being in a business degree is to be able to foster greater community within our Beedie community and with other faculties,” said Sidhu. BASS has 14 affiliated clubs within its reach, including the Student Marketing Association and Young Women in Business.
When space in the SUB was being allocated to student groups in 2019, BASS did not have representation on the Council, thereby missing the window for claiming a room. Sidhu said she is “the first one to come back to represent BASS at the Council.”
The current BASS room is a small space in the West Mall Centre. Sidhu advocated for an open-door policy, which she believes is not possible in the current BASS room. An open-door policy for Sidhu means students can drop by at will to ask questions about their courses and engage with the Beedie community. The current space is also used as storage to hold various items for BASS and other club events. Sidhu reported, “The room is, it’s not suitable to host a whole group — a whole executive team — it’s only suitable to maybe have office hours.”
Sidhu has stressed “BASS is open to any space that can hold a capacity of 10 across campus.” The association prefers the SUB due to its connection with other student unions and groups. The Council has supported the idea of advocating for BASS to find a permanent space on campus, but there has yet to be any update on the progress of this survey.
During the February 28 Council meeting, when the SFSS first reviewed the motion, SUB building coordinator Cicely A gave a presentation on understanding BASS requests from a staff perspective of room booking. Cicely explained the SUB is the only building on campus that the SFSS and other student unions can acquire free of charge. Through gathered statistics, Cicely explained that out of the 171 active clubs, only 14 are business/Beedie-related. This means that only 8% would benefit from the arrangement. Cicely argued that Beedie has access to rooms through funding but agreed that the organization should have space to host up to two to three people. This space might not be available within the SUB.
Cicely was also concerned that while BASS currently has an active team, they worried that if the union becomes less engaged, their room won’t be used — when it could be used as bookable study space for students.
Sidhu addressed this comment by arguing that BASS “has been active for a long time” and this can be traced back through the engagement development office, where the organization is held accountable for being connected with the Beedie community. Regarding the claim that BASS only benefits 8% of the student body, Sidhu said, “I don’t think it’s fair to make those comparisons.” She added, “We make maybe 50% of events on campus and contribute to campus culture. We can positively contribute to SFU.”
The Peak contacted the SFSS for a statement on the BASS room, but they declined to give a comment.
