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How to make friends at SFU

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Humour
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ILLUSTRATION: Public Domain Vectors

By: Rufus the Raccoon, Friendship Expert

Making friends is hard. At SFU, it can be hard as concrete. Humans call it a “commuter campus” for a reason! Everyone is in a rush to get somewhere else, and few people leave room to socialize. Although making new friends is difficult, I’ve picked up some strategies over the years that are guaranteed to win over almost any human being!

Go someplace unexpected

This one has worked wonders for me. For some reason (most) humans love it when I hang out somewhere I’m “not supposed to.” Last week I ate my lunch in the West parkade, and this girl got out of her car just to take pictures of me! Soon enough, a small crowd had formed, and everyone was Snapchatting their new best buddy. I felt like royalty, to be honest. Consider also hanging out in someone’s private group study room or a lecture hall for a class you’re not in. Preferably, leave some muddy paw prints around. Humans love those. The more unexpected, the better your chances of making friends.

Look cute

This one is easy once you get the hang of it. Humans are suckers for the strangest things. For example, every time I literally just stand up, I’m met with an enthusiastic “aww” or something of the like. Plus, if you’re quiet and patient enough, you’re almost guaranteed a share of their food. They’ve stopped doing this in recent years, something about creating a serious wildlife disruption, but don’t listen to them! Not having to search for meals is great for the raccoon population! I think.

Bring them food and leave out where you got it

Speaking of meals, I’ve got another way to wow your future friends! This one involves already having food (I know, bummer) and offering it to your intended companion. Now, this is the prime opportunity to show off a little. One time, I found an entire uneaten Tim Horton’s sandwich outside the Student Union Building, and you would not believe the look on this one guy’s face when I dropped it in front of him. Now, whenever he sees me, he stops and says hello! I find that unopened food usually works better than dumpster scraps. I’m not one to complain, but humans are picky, I guess.

Don’t be discouraged if things don’t work out the way you planned. From my experience, making human friends takes a LOT of trial and error. Fear not, though, because I guarantee that my advice will be of universal value to all readers. Get out there and make some friends!

 

Top ten ways to make a good impression on your TA

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Humour
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Very calm, very cool. Nothing wrong here. Illustration: Siloam Yeung / The Peak

By: Maya Beninteso, Peak Associate

  1. Tell them you’ve taken the class five times 

    Brag about your unmatched experience with the course. After all, what’s more impressive than being extremely acquainted with the course content? The paper? Done it. The exam? Taken it so many times to the point where you’ve memorized the short answer questions.

  2. Manifest

    I will make a good impression on my TA. I will make a good impression on my TA. I will make a good impression on my TA. I will make a good impression on my TA. I will make a good impression on my TA. I will make a good impression on my TA.

  3. Actually attend office hours . . . for a quick therapy session

    Chances are, not a single student is attending office hours and your TA is bored. Do them a favour and spice up their abysmal hour on Zoom by telling them your life story. Leave your TA in awe by framing your traumatic experiences as humorous because — admit it — your life is a joke at this point. Bonus points for brave students who use this on your psychology TA. They will either identify with your experience, or you will experience some blatant psychoanalyzing and unqualified diagnoses (yes, plural).

  4. Triple your paper’s word count 

    Fun fact: TAs LOVE it when your paper could double as a textbook. Whoever said quality over quantity simply didn’t have enough to give in the first place. When your TA is still marking your paper at 3:00 a.m. the day they promised grades would be released, I guarantee you they will give you a shout out on a strongly worded Canvas message when they are finished! Write to your heart’s content, because writing an excessive amount of pages is better than being left alone with your thoughts.

  5. Pull a Houdini 

    Impress your TA with your magic skills and disappear from the course! Every time your TA sees your empty seat in tutorial, they will be left in awe! Surely this tip will leave you with a standing ovation (cannot guarantee good academic standing, though).

  6. Pretend you’re the TA

    Come to tutorial prepared with ice-breakers that all students love, and then proceed to ask every single student to share one fun fact about themselves! Your TA will be impressed that you guessed their extremely original lesson plan. The students scour through appropriate fun facts, obviously omitting their shriveling will to stay in the class.  Meanwhile, you meander around the tiny tutorial room and assert your dominance as the new and improved TA. Your TA will likely up and leave with pride as you’ve done their job better than they ever could.

  7. Use “piggybacking off of what [insert name of tutorial member that you will likely get wrong] said” in a sentence. 

    Demonstrate your understanding of what your fellow tutorial member said by repackaging their answer. The sheer act of saying this will result in your TA believing that you know what you’re talking about. Spoiler alert: you don’t, but you don’t want your TA to know that. Your “comprehension” of the course material will shine through if you use this sentence, and will simultaneously lead your TA to believe you are a good student (lol).

  8. Puns. Just puns. 

    TAs will appreciate your passion for the subject, especially when expressed in pun form and executed pun-intentionally. This will look different for every major, but here are some examples:

    Math: Well, that adds up.
    Chemistry: I only make chemistry puns periodically because all of the good ones argon.
    Biology: Don’t cell yourself short.

  9. Ask them all the questions, especially ones answered on the syllabus

    As we all know, TAs are not human beings. They are, in fact, robots that are designed to cater to any question you may have. Ask them about how much an assignment is worth when it is clearly stated in the course outline. Bonus points if you do so repeatedly, because they will be flabbergasted by your curiosity and inability to, I don’t know, read. All in all, they will be impressed . . . that you got into university.

  10. Drop out

    This is your sign. Do it. It will impress your TAs because they never had the guts to do it themselves. Maybe this is my sign. You know, I’ve been pondering the meaning of life as I sit here in the pits of my mind, and in the pit of the Avocado. What is success anyway? I don’t need a degree to be successful. Though, my family might give me the third degree should I drop out. But I mean, yeah, I’m gonna do it. I’m finally going to pursue my dream of having my own farm and living a peaceful yeehaw life. 

Horoscopes: June 20–26

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Peak Web
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An illustration of a girl with long flowing hair. Astrological signs and stars shine around her.
ILLUSTRATION: Marissa Ouyang / The Peak

By: Kelly Chia, Humour Editor and Perpetual Elf Ranger

Aries: 

When I rolled a die for the kind of week you were going to have (an EXTREMELY reliable predictor for astrology), you got a 10/12! In this arbitrary universe and our limited time together, a ten means you get ten extra minutes in your midterm exam to do what you gotta do. Use it well, young one. 

 

Taurus:

Oh my god . . . Taurus. Where’s the rage, bud? A two?! Yeah, the pollen has been looking at you wrong lately. I think you should sneeze on a tree, just to show the tree what it makes everyone feel. It’ll be good for your fortune, I promise.

 

Gemini:

As I suspected, Gemini, you are trying to wring out the last of that Gemini charm before Leo steals all of it. A perfect 12/12! It’s time to develop your philosophy into a lifestyle book. Maybe think of imparting this godly advice to your descendants. Really. You’re perfect. 

 

Cancer: 

The magical die has decided you are an eight. But you know what, Cancer? You are a 10/10 friend in my heart. This week, focus less on numbers and more on you. You’ve got a stand-up smile, old pal!

 

Leo: 

Find it in your lion-hearted soul to be humble this week, Leo. Why, you rolled the lucky number nine. On your walk today, look for nine dogs. It’ll be like playing “I Spy,” except with every puppy, you experience more delight! SO LUCKY!

 

Virgo: 

You find yourself striving towards perfection, and at an 11, you’re almost there! Hey, take a breather this week. Maybe the character development you need is, well, rest.

 

Libra: 

Six isn’t bad, Libra. It’s the perfect balance between something mediocre and something extreme. Hey, aren’t you all about balancing? Maybe you and that scale of yours can have a chat this week about trying something fun. I suggest diving into a water park and flinging your arms up.

 

Scorpio: 

Four, huh? This week, Scorpio, you may have signed up for a group presentation begrudgingly. I’m here to tell you that it’ll be okay, despite all odds. You’ll eventually be able to celebrate this hard event like all SFU students do — with a Tim Horton’s. Rooting for you.

 

Sagittarius: 

Um, you rolled a one? Sorry Sagittarius, I think it’s time to accept that you will straight up not have a good time this week. Your Spotify will constantly pause while playing your music. Try finding a prophetic protagonist-defining item! I suggest: a ring, a tome, or a REALLY nice stick. That will give ya some extra luck!

 

Capricorn: 

The ever serious Capricorn, I have rolled a five for your misdemeanors. I know what this means! You have to push your luck and put on a musical. Just try! I know you have it in you to be a theatre kid, bud, I can sense it.

 

Aquarius:

Hi Aquarius, I was able to divine your fate through this random die this week, as I’ve done with the others. A three is not as bad as it sounds. Triangles are often symbols for unity! Confide in your friends this week. Maybe friendship was the answer all along.

 

Pisces: 

Finally, Pisces. I always feel bad that you come last in our horoscopes, but maybe it’s worth it for LUCKY NUMBER SEVEN. I feel confident that you’ll achieve what you want to! Carry a map with you, and you’ll find a surly wizard to entrust your wicked fate. I CAN’T wait to see what you do.

The most popular Starbucks drink according to your major

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Humour
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Illustration of a a black coffee, accompanied with a student who has glasses, and a collared shirt beneath a green sweater.
ILLUSTRATIONS: Angela Shen / The Peak

By: Isabella Urbani, Staff Writer

From the people who brought you your name intentionally spelled incorrectly, comes an even more aggravating experience to your local campus Starbucks. If you haven’t picked your major, or better yet, you randomly settled on the same major half of your high school was choosing, Starbucks is here to help your indecisions stick around longer by dictating your beverage choice for life.

Business — Watered Down Iced Coffee

We’d like to make it clear that we didn’t purposely make you the worst cup of iced coffee you’ve ever tasted, although you do pop up behind the counter as soon as we open trying to convince us that you know just how to improve our business model. Sure, if you think drapes will improve our pyramid scheme, then go right ahead. You don’t even like coffee, you just want the notoriety that comes along with being a busy Beedie boy. That’s why you let your coffee sit there all day while you go on about how tired you are and how you practically live on caffeine, when we all know you’ve been a frappuccino drinker since the day you were born.

 

Communication — Vanilla Oat Latte

You’re the sole reason we run out of oat milk by the hour. You can see a communication student from a mile away. The way they hastily rack their eyes over the menu, even though they’ve literally never, and will never, venture beyond their usual latte. Swapping vanilla for hazelnut? Yeah right, psh, are you FOR REAL? Communication students just want to cozy up next to the fireplace with their hot coffee and their knit sweaters acting as drink sleeves while they read about capitalist realism. I swear there is a joke in there somewhere . . .

Separate illustrations of a watered down iced coffee in a Starbucks coffee cup, accompanied with a shoulders-up portrait of a student in a suit, a Vanilla Oat Latte, accompanied with a shoulders-up portrait of a student in a cozy sweater, an iced fruity drink, accompanied with a shoulders-up portrait of a student with dyed hair and piercings,
ILLUSTRATIONS: Angela Shen / The Peak

Arts —The Fruitiest Refresher

You would think an art student would be the first to hop on some latte art, but you’re wrong. It’s all about the refreshers, rain or shine. Seriously, they even know about refreshers that aren’t written on the menu. It’s like they’re a part of a secret club. One student asked for The Fruit Basket. I thought they were joking right? Like the painting? No. I learned it was a drink. Try for yourself, only if you’re an arts student of course.

 

Education — Black Coffee

How can a major full of the most charismatic people drink the most unbearable coffee? I know you plan to become teachers one day, but life hasn’t been sucked from your soul yet. Stop subjecting your taste buds to this! No matter how many times you get it, it will NOT get better. “Starting ahead of time,” you joke wryly as you make a sour face swallowing the ink in your cup. But kudos to you for always bringing in your own god awful bedazzled thermos with your name on it. And your metal straw which somehow has that awful 2015 black and white checkered pattern on it.

Science — Chai Tea

Your palette is way too sophisticated for coffee, but your brain? Well, it’s screaming for you to drown yourself in six shots of espresso, pronto. Way to not let those impulsive thoughts win! You head to your little nook in the back and only get up once an hour for some more tea like it’s a reward. Someone probably would have caught you sneaking out of the store in the morning after you spent the night if it weren’t for that pesky business student who swings by each day.

 

SFUnexplained: The geese are out to get us!

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Humour
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Photo of a flock of geese with angry eyebrows doodled over their faces
PHOTO: Amirul Anirban / The Peak (doodles by Gudrun Wai-Gunnarsson)

By: Olivia Visser, Staff Writer

Have you noticed things just haven’t felt “right” lately? You’re not the only one. My pitch got no responses from the News or Opinions editors, but I promise you this isn’t some conspiracy theory! A publication is a publication, right? Yes, this is a journalistic approach into what’s really causing the downfall of society as we know it. Surprise, surprise: it’s geese.

Canada Geese, to be more specific. A national shame. Literally the worst part about visiting the lake or beach. Noisy, aggressive, pesterous little things. According to anecdotal evidence (the most credible type), geese have been secretly gathering to form what they refer to as One World Goose. Apparently, our famed Canada Geese have been plotting alongside various other species to form a Global Goose Alliance (GGA). Snow Geese, Barnacle Geese, and even Magpie Geese were among the many gathered last Tuesday at Trout Lake Park in a demonstration. I visited the scene to document what all the quack was about.

“There’s more than one type of goose, you know,” said one Canada Goose who wished to remain unnamed. Many attendees were peaceful demonstrators, but others shared more insidious motives. The geese admitted to intentionally disrupting our society by stealing food and causing noise disturbances. I saw a few nibbling on hotdog buns and potato chips. I really don’t think it ends there. I mean, does no one else see the danger of having an elite group of geese have so much power over us!?

Anyways, I heard some talk about mischief like intentionally contaminating lake water, and I think you know what that means. The geese are out there making sure we’ll always be in a pandemic. Don’t let me say I told you so. I remember doing a bit of research beforehand but couldn’t seem to find any articles to support this theory. To find out more, I asked around. This question triggered some aggressive responses.

“HONK!” shouted one goose. My question was so upsetting he didn’t want to speak to me in English. This is evidence enough. I’ve found what they don’t want me to know.

I came home that night confused yet motivated. Canada Geese are clearly part of a global movement to dismantle humanity. The lack of online information about this only speaks to the fact that our government is trying to hide it from us. Why? Could it be, the Geese have already infiltrated Parliament? Am I too late in uncovering what might be the biggest discovery of the 21st century?

Get the word out.

Signed,

Duncan Duck, Investigative Journalist

SFU suggests new system of decision-making for its Board of Governors

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News
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The photo is of the outside of SFU. The AQ, the pond, and the green space can be seen. The sky is clear and sunny.
The policy will consider community feedback before its decided on. Image courtesy of Allyson Klassen / The Peak

By: Chloë Arneson, News Writer

On May 10, SFU proposed new amendments to their policies on the Board of Governors (BoG)’ decision-making process. The general counsel and university secretary would be able to make amendments to university procedures without Board approval. The general counsel and university secretary would additionally have the power to approve and make changes to definitions applicable to university procedures and policies. These policy amendments have not been approved by the BoG. 

The BoG is the senior governing body of SFU. They are responsible for the “business of the university [regarding] property, revenue, and policies.” The Board consists of 15 members including SFU administration — chancellor of BoG Tamara Vrooman and president Joy Johnson — elected faculty, students and staff, as well as appointees chosen by the provincial government.

SFU claimed this proposal would provide “improved efficiency and expediency, and better use of resources. Policy B10.00 describes the processes to create and revise policies so the university community has increased transparency into the process.” 

In an interview with The Peak, SFU external communications assistant director Will Henderson said the Board will seek community input going forward. “Given the high degree of interest, the policy office will be reaching out to student, faculty and employee groups to offer to answer their questions about these proposed amendments.” Henderson remarked. “Feedback will be considered in further amendments to this policy.

“B10.00 is an existing policy that was created to provide guidance and support to members of the university community who are developing new university policies or revising existing policies.” He added, “The policy increases transparency on this process. It also helps reduce bureaucracy and increase efficiency for members of the university community who develop, oversee and implement policies.” 

Save SFU Democracy is an organization created as a result of this potential decision. In a press release, they stated that “giving unsupervised power to one individual at the university to make changes to the documents that guide SFU is a direct attack on the democratic structures that keep SFU running. 

“This proposal has far-reaching impacts,” writes the press release. “It can affect policies on student misconduct, freedom of expression, sexual violence and assault, whistleblowing, and human rights.” Save SFU Democracy produced several action items for staff and students to join them in speaking against the decision. They encouraged students to email the university or message them on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to voice their concerns before May 25. Their action toolkit outlines the issue in more detail and provides more instructions on how to influence this policy decision. 

The Peak reached out to Save SFU Democracy for more information, but did not receive a response by the publication deadline.  

You can follow Save SFU Democracy on Twitter for more information on their campaign. For further information regarding policy development, you can visit the FAQs on the policy development and revision website. 

NDP announces $3.75 million in graduate research scholarships

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Peak Web
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The photo is of the front of NDP MLA Anne Kang's office. The brick building's window has Kang's name and a photo of her face on it.
NDP MLA Anne Kang hopes the scholarships will help increase accessibility to education. PHOTO: Amirul Anirban / The Peak

By: Pranjali J Mann, News Writer

SFU is set to receive $630,000 in domestic graduate research scholarship funding. The provincial government’s press release notes the scholarships will be awarded based on merit. The focus will be research-based projects in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and business disciplines.

The research funding comes as an effort of the BC government to close BC’s skills and talent gap, under the StrongerBC Economic Plan. This particular “investment will support 250 awards of a minimum of $15,000 each through March 2024.”

“One of the ways we can strengthen our communities is by investing in students so that they feel ready to take on whatever comes their way,” said Katrina Chen, MLA for Burnaby-Lougheed.

To find out more about the grant, The Peak contacted Anne Kang, minister of advanced education and skills training. Kang mentioned the BC graduate scholarship program was started by the government in 2018 with $20 million invested so far. 

She noted throughout 2022–23, the $3.75 million fund will provide domestic graduate scholarships across 10 post-secondary institutions. This includes British Columbia Institute of Technology, University of British Columbia, University of the Fraser Valley, University of Victoria, and SFU.

Kang underlined the funding is coming because the provincial government wants to “work hard to invest in affordable post-secondary education and break down barriers for people by investing in post-secondary institutions.” According to her, these scholarships can be used by graduate students to “cover their life expenses such as tuition, rent, food, childcare, and transportation. The purpose is so they can focus on their studies and be successful.”

For all domestic undergraduate and graduate students, the government offers these grants through the Student Aid BC program. Under this program, $50 million has been invested this year, covering financial assistance for about 4,000 graduate students in BC. 

On April 14, Tuition Freeze Now held a rally outside of Kang’s office in protest of the cost of tuition. International student fees and tuition has increased by 4% within the last year.

Kang added the issue of affordability is being worked on and several steps included a funding review looking into cost of living and tuition for all twenty five post secondary institutions in BC. She also stated, “I am very confident by 2028 that the government and post secondary institutions will have invested in 8,000 student housing. That means there will be more affordable housing and safe housing on campuses.”

Kang said education is being made more affordable in BC by “eliminating tuition fees for former youth in care” and allowing adults to receive free adult basic education.

Government pledges $2 million towards community-based food projects

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Peak Web
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The photo is a close-up picture on multiple piles of fresh vegetables. In the picture are onions, tomatoes, lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, and squash.
Bibeau toured the Greater Vancouver Food Bank, which has recently increased food storage capacity by 3,400 cubic feet. PHOTO: Mark Stebnicki / Pexels

By: Chloë Arneson, News Writer

On May 25, the federal minister of agriculture and agri-food Marie-Claude Bibeau announced up to $2 million from the local food infrastructure fund (LFIF) will be put towards 38 projects across the province. 

The fund offers grants to charitable organisations, Indigenous groups, not-for-profit cooperatives, and small municipalities. Over the course of five years, $60 million will be put towards sustainable and health-conscience food systems. 

The government of Canada released the news on their website, expressing the need for these community based projects. They stated, “All Canadians, regardless of where they live, deserve to have access to safe and nutritious food.” Pricing varies according to each region and the cost of food can be significantly higher in Northern and remote areas in Canada due to isolation and socioeconomic challenges. Northern areas are geographically disadvantaged because transport cost of food dramatically increases food prices. In Nunavut, where 86% of residents are Indigenous, the same bottle of juice that costs $6.79 in the Lower Mainland costs $34.99. The press release called for regionally tailored solutions. 

By providing the funding for communities to build their own food systems that meet their needs, the government stated they are “committed to working with community-based food security organisations to ensure they have access to the necessary tools that help them to meet the increasing and immediate needs of people experiencing food insecurity.”

The Greater Vancouver Food Bank is one of the organisations that received funding from the LFIF’s previous round of grants. They have recently installed a new walk-in fridge and freezer at their downtown Vancouver location. The Greater Vancouver Food Bank currently serves over 10,000 individuals and families in need of support every month. 

David Long, CEO of Greater Vancouver Food Bank Society, expressed the donation from the LFIF was urgently needed. “We are seeing a record-breaking number of new clients seeking our support each month,” said Long. “This infrastructure support from the federal government came at a time when we needed it the most.”

Because of COVID-19, many Vancouver residents faced food insecurity that continued throughout the course of the pandemic. In addition to limited delivery options, many of the city’s food services were shut down, which restricted access to affordable healthy food. Losing employment as well as inequities that disproportionately affect disabled people and BIPOC individuals contributed to the effects of this insecurity. According to The Cloverdale Reporter, the pandemic caused mostly low-wage workers to lose their jobs. These jobs are primarily held by women and people of colour. 

Applications for funding from the LFIF are being accepted until July 15, 2022. 

For more information about the Local Food Infrastructure Fund, you can visit their website or call 1-877-246-4682.

What Grinds Our Gears: We’re not in a state of perpetual panic over the tank farm

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Peak Web
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0
The Burnaby Mountain tank farm
“Look Ma! The poorly designed, dangerous energy tech of the past!” PHOTO: Amirul Anirban / The Peak

By: Luke Faulks, Opinions Editor

We complain, but SFU’s Burnaby campus is a uniquely beautiful spot for a school. Secluded at the top of a mountain, we’re as close as you can come to a literal ivory tower of education. But thanks to the Burnaby Mountain tank farm, our stunning locale becomes a death trap for SFU students and staff — and for some reason, we’re not up in arms about it. 

A simple scroll through the City’s 2015 report on the farm will send your blood pressure through the roof. Thanks to the installation, we’re all put at risk of massive fires and poisonous hydrogen sulfide emissions. And because the goons over at Kinder Morgan decided to plonk the farm on the side of a mountain, we’re doubly at risk of fire and fumes when an earthquake occurs.  

“But surely,” one thinks, “an institution that lined up to denounce the project in 2016 has prepared extensive evacuation and disaster relief protocols in the event of an explosion?” Wrong.

SFU did issue new policies for emergency responses, including amendments to the school’s mass evacuation and shelter in place plans. But neither set of plans addresses the fact that both points of egress (Gaglardi Way and University Drive East) intersect right above the tank farm! So, in the event of a fire, go closer to the start of it! In the event of toxic emissions, swing by and take a whiff! 

Every day, thousands of SFU students learn on a campus that’s straddling a ticking time bomb. Beyond the implications for climate change and beyond the implications for the sensitive environment of the Burnaby Mountain Conservation Area, we need to be losing our collective shit over the tank farm’s potential to burn or choke out our campus.

A talk on Palestinian leadership under the British Mandate

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Peak Web
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The photo shows the city of Palestine Israel. The buildings are condensed and in close proximity to each other. No people can be seen.
The talk was a part of the larger three day event — Palestinian Days at SFU. PHOTO: Amal Abdullah

By: Yasmin Vejs Simsek, Staff Writer

On June 1, SFU’s Centre for Comparative Muslim Studies (CCMS) held an event at Kwantlen Polytechnic University in collaboration with The Caucus. Educator and activist Bassam Abun-Nadi explored the absence of military academies in Palestine and its effect on the country’s anti-colonial struggle. 

The British Mandate for Palestine started after World War I and lasted until 1948. It saw British rule over Palestine after the fall of the Ottoman Empire. The British Mandate was “the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people.” When talking about Palestine’s history, Abun-Nadi, explained, there are three antagonists — The British imperial project, the Zionist movement and the Palestinian leadership, being the urban notables.

Abun-Nadi explained the Mandate resulted in the notables (an urban and elite social class) of Palestine becoming parliamentarians — which could be thought of as government officials. This, however, came to an abrupt end with the Nakba — which refers to the displacement and ethnic cleansing of 750,000 Palestinians from their home country. Following the Nakba, the urban notables became the Palestinian leadership. Abun-Nadi explored the notables’ responsibility in losing Palestine and their anti-colonial struggle.

Being an educator himself, Abun-Nadi focuses on the impact of education on Palestine’s history. He observed the absence of military academies in Palestine, a free school to train men for the Ottoman army. This was important as several of the officers who came out of the academies in other parts of the Middle East went on to become anti-colonial figures and leaders of their home countries. Because Palestine lacked military graduates, the urban notables were forced to adopt leadership. 

There are several reasons there are no military academies in Palestine, according to Abun-Nadi. The first being “the Ottoman Empire did not design its institutions with the collapse of the empire in mind” and therefore did not plan for new borders. 

Secondly, military academies were only located in regional capitals. Holy cities and their surrounding areas were exempt from being drafted, leaving Jerusalem unable to have military academies. “What that meant is that Palestine barreled into the Mandate era without any institutionalized knowledge on how to resist an occupation,” said Abun-Nadi.  

This left the country with no one but the notables and peasants, who had no military training or no education at all, respectively, added Abun-Nadi.  

“In analyzing the anti-colonial struggle of the Palestinians, one would imagine had they had military officers it would have decisively changed the way that they were able to engage with the British empire,” said Abun-Nadi. The absence of military academies, and therefore officers, left the notables in charge. 

“The urban notables were not incompetent. They were not. The urban notables were supremely competent in all the wrong things.” The notables’ lack of leadership training may have enabled the occupation, but it was not a fault of their own. 

“The game had changed in such a way that the tools they had at their disposal just didn’t work anymore. They were playing chess while everyone else was playing rugby,” said Abun-Nadi.

Abun-Nadi ended with encouraging people to forgive each other and the urban notables for their share of the responsibility of Palestine’s past in the spirit of truth and reconciliation.  

Abun-Nadi is an SFU alumni and the founder and president of the grassroot organization RECLAIM, which works “to bridge the gap between Muslims and non-Muslims through education.” This talk marked the first of three Palestine Days at SFU, hosted by CCMS, MENA film festival, Institute for the Humanities, and other groups, at SFU. The Palestine Days lasted from June 1–3 and included film screenings, lectures, and workshops all surrounding Palestine and its peoples.

You can learn more from Abun-Nadi on his podcast “PreOccupation: A Not-So-Brief History of Palestine” and attend the next Palestine Days events. A Sky with no Stars will be available soon on CCMS’ Youtube channel.   

For more information on the Palestinian occupation, visit Amnesty International’s website or United Nations’ Human Rights Comission’s website.

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Simon Fraser University’s independent student newspaper since 1965.

For advertising inquiries: [email protected]
For promotional inquiries: [email protected]

© The Peak Publications Society