By: Mason Mattu and Lucaiah Smith-Miodownik, News Writers
Editor’s note: The ranking of these stories is roughly based on the number of articles written on each topic, whether these stories appeared on the cover of our weekly issues, and readership statistics from issuu.com. Multiple links under a single topic are presented in chronological order of publication.
- Support for Palestine in the community, ongoing
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Throughout 2024, The Peak dedicated coverage to Israel’s ongoing genocide of Palestinians and SFU’s investment in weapons contractors. Interviews with various advocacy groups highlighted calls for a free Palestine on campus and beyond.
In late March, The Peak reported that 140 SFU faculty members representing SFU Faculty for Palestine (F4P) signed a collective statement that “endorses the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement and denounces antisemitism.” F4P is a global movement with chapters across North America dedicated to supporting Palestinian liberation.
In late May, SFU administration agreed to discuss divestment in companies that supply arms to Israel, including CAE Inc., Booz Allen Hamilton, and BAE Systems. Come summer convocation, some graduates donned keffiyehs and held up Palestinian flags as they crossed the graduation stage in continued protest. In September, the SFU Student Strike for Palestine held a general assembly on campus to also protest “SFU’s investment in the ongoing Palestinian genocide.” This meeting came after SFU president Joy Johnson’s school-wide message that SFU will not weigh in on “partisan political matters and current events.”
The Peak also covered the student-formed chapter of Independent Jewish Voices (IJV) Canada on campus. The larger organization’s mission is “to amplify the voices of Canadian Jews in support of justice in Israel-Palestine and at home.” This spring, IJV expressed concern over a proposed adaptation to the BC government’s definition of antisemitism, brought forth by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance. They were concerned that criticism directed at Israel would fall under antisemitism given this new definition. In November, IJV SFU voiced their “desire to have an identity that goes beyond Israel and gets back to core Jewish values.” The club told The Peak about their alignment with the broader campus movement for Palestine. IJV member Omri Haiven expressed, “The purpose of the university as an institution for social and environmental justice will be called into question.”
- 2SLGBTQIA+ rights and recognition in the community, ongoing
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The Peak reported on SFU Queer Collective’s June 5 webinar, which focused on how universities should work to foster welcoming environments for queer individuals. The event also centred on ways to combat anti-2SLGBTQIA+ hate and rhetoric. Anti-Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) educational program protestors across Canada have claimed they are defending their “‘parental rights’ in deciding what their children learn” or religious beliefs. John Rustad, leader of the BC Conservatives, said “there’s no hate” in anti-SOGI protests. Dr. Travers, SFU professor of sociology, told The Peak that Rustad’s claim was “anti-LGBT” and that there’s been a “rise in politicians who are ‘using fear-mongering around queer and trans inclusion.’” At the webinar, speakers emphasized the need for meaningful, long-term change as opposed to simply “checking a box.”
“It’s putting it into practice and actually acting on these [ideas] in good faith that doesn’t always happen,” said Jude Mah, SFSS’ Out On Campus (OOC) coordinator. Presenters also spoke about “incorporating queer and trans experiences across curricula,” and deferring to those with lived experience for guidance: “Oftentimes when curriculums are developed, it’s developed about a community — forgetting that that community is often sitting in the seats that you’re teaching to,” said Mackenzie Kolton, Egale Canada director for learning.
The Peak also covered the OOC’s November 20 Transgender Day of Remembrance event in the Student Union Building ballroom. The ceremony was held to honour the now 359 trans people globally who lost their lives in 2024. Those leading the event read the names of these individuals, followed by a poetry reading, and opportunities for art and reflection. The day is designed “to share in the moment, to care for each other, to find light, and life, and connection out of the pain of the oppression that the trans community faces every day,” said SFSS accessibility coordinator Brianna Price.
- SFU community speaks out after layoffs, ongoing
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In the summer, “SFU laid off nearly 100 staff and eliminated positions citing budget concerns,” including inflation and a decline in international student enrollment. Lakshmi Gosyne, associate director of the Administrative and Professional Staff Association, confirmed an anonymous tip The Peak received that “many of those laid off were either on or returning from medical leave, and those impacted were disproportionately women close to retirement.” Gosyne described how those laid off were not forewarned, and were barred from asking questions about the layoffs.
In December, The Peak reported on a development from the Teaching Support Staff Union (TSSU), which detailed the university’s decision “to increase the vehicle allowance perk for SFU executives by about $75,000” amid the summer layoffs. A vehicle allowance is a sum of money an employer pays to cover an employee’s vehicle expenses. In the school’s statement to The Peak, SFU described how the increase in vehicle allowances aligned with BC Public Service Policy, and that this rate “had not been increased since 2007.”
The decision and its timing were subject to criticism as Kayla Hilstob, TSSU chief steward, and Derek Sahota, TSSU member representative, indicated that it was “egregious” for SFU to be “‘designing’ the layoffs in the ‘exact same time frame’ as their decision to increase this perk.” Sahota labelled the move as a “gross misuse of public funds.”
- AI and academic integrity at SFU, November
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SFSS advocacy coordinator Trish Everett spoke with The Peak at the end of the year regarding SFU students using artificial intelligence (AI).
Everett explained the process a student must navigate if accused of cheating with AI — one she is there to assist with. After a student meets with their accuser, cases move through the University Board on Student Discipline, and potentially to the Senate Committee on Disciplinary Appeals.
There is currently no school-wide policy regarding the usage of AI in classes though one is in the works. Professors have varying expectations about what is acceptable and Everett noted that these discrepancies can leave students confused. In addition to these nuances, Everett spoke to the potential differences in consequences between a domestic and international student caught cheating, citing “expenses involved as well as the immigration implications.” She encouraged students to engage in honest communication with professors to prevent potentially difficult situations.
- Street sweeps and violence at the CRAB Park encampment, ongoing
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Content warning: descriptions of police violence.
The Peak also covered the Vancouver CRAB Park encampment and those who sheltered there. From March through July, The Peak reported that residents were experiencing street sweeps carried out by the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation. Despite the Park Board informing residents in March that they could return after an intensive clean-up, the invitation was short-lived as the Board forced residents to vacate in April. The Board also confiscated residents’ belongings in the process.
In May, The Peak reported on park bylaws established in April that stated residents could shelter in the park but had to “pack up [their] belongings by 7:00 a.m.” Only those in the designated area, which fit 14 residents, were permitted to stay past that time. Park rangers enforced these rules strictly and also barred “volunteers and media from entering” the camp.
On September 24, Board officials slashed a tent and seized the belongings of a mother who had given birth 30 hours prior. The mother called the event “demonic.” Soon, on October 23, residents were informed via an eviction notice that the Park Board planned to close the encampment by November 7. At this time, seven individuals were still sheltering in CRAB Park. This decision was made despite pushback from various groups, including advocates and residents.
- SFU community makes strides, ongoing
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In April, the Pacific Institute on Pathogens, Pandemics and Society (PIPPS) research institute based at SFU Burnaby released a study “emphasizing the need for broader awareness and understanding of Long COVID among healthcare professionals and the general public in Canada.” In May, The Peak reported that PIPPS had also “led 25 workshops helping people build more than 500 air filters to clean the air in their homes and reduce exposure to fine particulates from wildfire smoke.”
In August, the SFU Pipe Band won third place at the World Pipe Band Championships in Glasgow. They placed top three for the first time since 2012. Robert MacNeil, president of the SFU Pipe Band Society told The Peak it was wonderful to win third and attributed the win to “steady improvement in competition.”
In September, the SFSS hosted the Fall Kickoff Music Festival at the Burnaby campus after a “five-year hiatus.” Chitransh Motwani, SFSS vice president of events and student affairs, said, “We wanted to give students an opportunity to celebrate together, fostering a stronger sense of community and belonging, which has been a priority for us.”
The Peak also spoke to SFU professor Esther Verheyen, whose lab worked with the Baylor College of Medicine to identify “a gene which may reverse symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.” The team’s paper discovered that the fruit fly gene Cdk8 and human equivalent CDK19 helped reduce movement impairments in fruit flies when added to their cells. The impairments in the flies were similar to some of the symptoms associated with Parkinsonism, particularly “stiffness, difficulty walking and balancing, and tremors.” Professor Verheyen said she hopes the scientific community would take this new information and “collectively move it forward” on Parkinson’s research.
Other students were also in the spotlight. SFU Beedie student Vansh Sobti created an “anxiety hoodie.” His business, Cloud Nine Clothing, seeks to promote “ultimate comfort and relaxation” for students. The hoodie’s “discrete stress ball” under “the cuffs of its sleeves” is “made with a heavy fabric to help soothe the wearer.” Sobti told The Peak that his brand’s mission is “to promote better mental health and make people feel more comfortable in public.” He also expressed his goal to make the hoodies “available in therapy studios” and partner with universities “to make the anxiety hoodies official school merchandise.”
In October, The Peak spoke to SFU master’s student Vanessa Hum. Through her research, she found that “over 2,000 collisions” involving birds hitting windows at the Burnaby campus occurred in “over nearly half a year.” Hum said SFU needs to better its approach to bird collisions by installing Feather Friendly branded “dots” that make glass visible to birds at “high-risk locations on campus.” She also pointed out that not enough black bird silhouette decals are effectively put up on Burnaby campus windows. Hum secured funding for this project and gathered over 900 signatures from SFU students to “show SFU management that this is an important student-led issue.”
- Programs close due to budget cuts, June
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2024 saw the closure of the SFU Woodward’s Cultural Programs and two language programs. The university stated that its budget deficit led to the closure of these programs.
The Woodward’s programs served as a “catalyst for the creation of new work” for nearly 15 years, involving “over 200 events each year focusing on contemporary arts, dance, theatre, cinema, and music.” The programs also exposed students to the local professional arts scene according to Jim Smith, co-founder and artistic and executive director for DanceHouse. In response to the closures, the SFSS stated that the university “has a responsibility to its community not only as an educational institution but also as a cultural and economic center in BC.” They said these cuts reduce “SFU’s ability to fulfill this role.”
Language learning programs, part of SFU’s continuing studies department, were also cut this year. The English Language and Culture program offered students the opportunity to improve their English language skills. The other language learning program cut was the Interpretation and Translation program, which offered “specialized training for medical, legal, and translation interpretation to prepare students to become professional interpreters and translators in these fields.” It also trained “fluent professionals to facilitate effective cross-cultural communication.” 36 instructors were let go without consultation with the Teaching Support Staff Union.
The SFSS also stated that “layoffs are not just numbers on a balance sheet; they represent a significant erosion of the support structures that enhance our learning environment.”
- Students sleeping on campus as living costs skyrocket, October
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In October, The Peak reported that there was an increase in “the number of SFU students found sleeping at the SFU Burnaby campus.”
The situation reflects a national struggle. In the past few years, Vancouver’s cost of living and housing prices have risen. Vancouverites now have an expected cost of living of $4,000 a month — a near “3% increase from the previous year.” The Peak spoke to SFSS president Emmanuel Adegboyega, who said the “continual increases in tuition” and the rising cost of living in Vancouver produce a situation where students are no longer “able to afford to live on or off campus.”
Abegboyega said “better housing options” for students have been at the “frontline of [the SFSS’] advocacy to the university.” He explained how possibly “rezoning areas surrounding the campus” in Burnaby could create more capacity for housing. SFU worked with the provincial government to add another 445 beds to the Burnaby campus by fall 2027, but added that “this doesn’t begin to put a dent in the waitlist for on-campus housing, nor the housing crisis overall.” He also mentioned that the SFSS planned to propose more cooperation between the province, university, and businesses to invest in housing projects.
- Community responds to BC’s move to recriminalize substance use, June
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Content warning: mentions of death and overdose.
In early 2023, the BC government gained approval from Health Canada to implement a three-year pilot project for the decriminalization of possessing small amounts of illicit drugs. After multiple attempts by the provincial government to reverse this decision, they recriminalized drugs in April 2024.
The Harm Reduction Nurses Association (HRNA) previously filed an injunction against the provincial government when they moved to alter the decriminalization project. The HRNA proclaimed that the government had “declared some lives unworthy of saving” due to the lack of social support for people who use drugs in public. The organization told The Peak that “when we see public drug use, it is because people do not have housing, services, or safe places to go — and because people want to stay alive, not die alone and out of sight.”
- SFU safety and risk services launches SFU campus safety app, November / ongoing
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In an effort to promote safety and emergency preparedness on campus and in UniverCity, SFU’s safety and risk services (SRS) department launched the SFU Safe app in October 2024. The app includes emergency alerts, an option to report incidents and hazards, and “campus maps showing first aid and automated external defibrillators (AED) locations.” The app also offers contact information for different safety and support resources on campus, such as “the Indigenous Student Centre, Sexual Violence Support and Prevention Office, Crime Prevention, and more.”
The Peak spoke to Galib Bhayani, SRS’ chief safety and risk officer, who said the app allows students to “plan their campus experience” and for SFU to “effectively communicate emergency notifications around traffic, weather, wildlife, and more.” SFU SRS plans to review the app and its efficiency on a yearly basis.
The Peak plans to investigate campus safety in the next issue.
