By: Lucaiah Smith-Miodownik, News Writer
As a new semester begins and summer slowly fades to fall, the Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS) Council continues to convene for bi-weekly meetings. For those new to campus life, Council serves as the governing body for the student society and holds the “responsibility to represent and work in the best interests of all SFU undergraduate students.” The group includes executive officers and student group representatives. The Peak attended the meeting on August 27 via Zoom to kick off the semester.
Support for Palestine
The meeting opened with an acknowledgment of the SFSS’ 2022 IP-10 policy, “which commits the SFSS to supporting Palestinian liberation, self-determination, and the global Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement.” Councillors also noted the SFSS’ endorsement of the apartheid-free communities pledge, “a coalition of communities who pledge to work together to end Israeli apartheid.” The SFSS formally expressed their desire that the federal government enact a two-way arms embargo, halting “both the import and export of military goods and technology” to and from Israel.
The Peak followed up with SFSS president Landy Liu for more information. Liu said that IP-10 “remains an active policy that guides how the SFSS approaches activism in line with undergraduate student interests. In this sense, its mention tied directly to the recent call for an arms embargo.” He also said, “As for the letter to government, my understanding is that our vice-president equity intends to bring this forward and follow up with the Equity Committee. However, that step has not yet happened.”
Science Week of Welcome
Next, the Science Undergraduate Society (SUS) presented a grant proposal for their Week of Welcome from September 22–27, an event designed to welcome first-year students into the field. SUS represents over 4,000 students, with nine departmental student unions participating in this year’s event. The society requested a budget of $5,640.87, a decrease from last year’s $6,234.83. Individually, the highest ticket item was t-shirts, with an estimated cost of $1,505.28.
SUS emphasized that the event’s importance lies in community and academia. Incoming students have the opportunity to develop relationships with peers, while also networking with faculty and older students. Each day of the weeklong gathering will be tailored to specific departments, like chemistry or physics, with the last day being a day-long event for all science students. Activities include games, crafts, and t-shirt decorating. For the 2025 iteration, the society expressed a goal of 100 attendees.
Discussion ensued regarding cost specifics and the possibility of decreasing the proposal budget. Councillors inquired if costs could be reduced through removing an iPad as a prize or eliminating t-shirts, and asked questions regarding the sourcing of merchandise. After some back-and-forth discussion and failed motions seeking to adjust the budget, the original motion was ultimately passed with one vote of dissent.