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Study shows the response to COVID-19 in Canada disproportionately affects women

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PHOTO: SJ Objio / Unsplash

Written by: Kyla Dowling, Staff Writer

Women are disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to SFU health sciences research associate Dr. Julia Smith. A co-lead on the Gender and COVID-19 Project, Smith has been gathering data since the beginning of the pandemic to inform the policy response to COVID-19. 

The data revealed that frontline workers — the majority of whom are women — are overwhelmed with their work, mental health, and care work in the home. 

Smith explained responsibilities such as taking care of children and elders primarily fall on women. She said, “Women are giving up work so they can take care of children, elderly relatives or, in some cases —  if they’re frontline workers — they’re giving up work because they’re worried about infecting elderly people who are vulnerable.” 

She said this has a great financial cost, “Sometimes they’re giving up work because they can’t manage both.” 

In the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, “women became poorer than men disproportionately and it took longer for women to recover economically.” The COVID-19 pandemic is acting similarly, and Smith acknowledged COVID-19 acts differently across demographics. 

A large number of women have been unemployed since the pandemic began. Smith cited this as a concern because, “the longer people have been unemployed, the harder it is for them to get back to work, so we need to start asking questions about the long term economic effects.” 

The Gender and COVID-19 Project, which is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Canadian Institute of Health Research, has two goals. 

The first revolves around documentation. Using the Gender Matrix, a research tool designed as a framework to be populated by data, Smith and her colleagues intend to record the gendered impacts of the pandemic response. 

The second goal is policy analysis, which Smith described as using the data “to shine a light to policy makers to show the wide-ranging effects that policies have and encourage them to take a more gender-based approach.” 

Smith said in Canada, COVID-19 has not derailed progress towards gender equality — though it has amplified the need for it. “COVID-19 has made things even more urgent [ . . . ] We need accessible and affordable childcare. We need equal pay for equal work. We need affordable housing and access to clean water, including Indigenous communities.” 

You can find more information on the Gender and COVID-19 Project by visiting their website.

Senate Report: March 1, 2021

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Photo from Peak archives

Written by: Karissa Ketter, News Writer 

Endorsement of the Burnaby Mountain Gondola

Last senate meeting, president Joy Johnson announced SFU is “working really hard to advocate for the gondola [ . . . ] to improve transportation up onto Burnaby Mountain.” Johnson remains “confident that this is the right project and the right time.”

“I wanted to give a real shout out particularly to the students who have been working hard,” said Johnson. She acknowledged SFSS president and senator Osob Mohamed, for her work raising awareness with the media. 

Johnson also recognized vice-president external Joanne Curry, who has been engaging with Burnaby City Council, as well as Burnaby mayor Mike Hurley.

Johnson said, “We are encouraging people to write letters into the mayor and Council of Burnaby [ . . . ] to advocate for this really important infrastructure for Simon Fraser University.”

Brief on data breach 

Senator Daniel Leznoff requested a briefing on the recent data breach. Leznoff asked for context such as source, intent, potential for ransom, and intervention with law enforcement. 

Johnson replied, “I don’t have a full answer to your question. I do know that there was a ransomware request but we had all the data backed up so we didn’t need to pay any ransom.” She reported that they have been working with RCMP.

According to Johnson, “There have been similar attacks to universities across Canada. Other universities are really experiencing a great deal of difficulty.” She said SFU is continuing to think carefully about data breaches in the future. 

Senator Colin Percival, who specializes in computer security, said, “[With] these sort of widespread attacks, people are going after money.” He acknowledged there are some organizations that undergo targeted attacks for information, yet concluded this attack is not likely consistent with this goal. 

Calendar Committee alters semester instruction day guidelines

Senator Stephen Spector proposed a motion to recommend that the guidelines for the amount of instructional days fall between 60 to 63. This is to replace the guideline of strictly 63 instructional days which has been in place since 2003. 

Spector explained, “The requirement to have 63 days of instruction worked fine, until the Olympics,” which is when the provincial government mandated a spring semester reading week. 

At this point, Spector said SFU “quickly ran into a situation where there simply weren’t enough days in the year” to maintain the strict 63 instructional day requirement as per the 2003 motion, which also required classes to begin on a Monday.

The policy would allow for some flexibility while aiming for the full 63 days. Senator Daniel Leznoff voiced concerns that overtime instruction would be compromised if calendars are repeatedly approved at 63 days. 

The motion was approved as each calendar will be approved individually by the senate. Johnson noted that if there are concerns around instructional days, they can be discussed when the semester arrives.

SFU’s pandemic promises have not been actualized

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Petter’s words last year have been proven to be hollow. Photo courtesy of Greg Ehlers

by Dev Petrovic, Staff Writer

It’s been just over a year since we put campus life on hold and transferred our school lives online. It’s also been just over a year since SFU promised to maintain a certain standard for students, despite this virtual shift. Yet, the standard SFU claimed to be committed to maintaining isn’t supporting students as promised. 

In April of 2020, former president and vice-chancellor Andrew Petter released a statement in which he addressed how SFU is planning on “remaining engaged” throughout the pandemic. He stated that SFU has sought to uphold their “high standard of support for students through new channels, expanding communication and, just as importantly, listening.” While I can appreciate the optimism in this statement, based on what has happened since, it is entirely unclear what systems of support Petter was referring to. 

Certainly, the heightened use of Zoom and Canvas couldn’t count as a channel for student support. Other than the use of these platforms, SFU continues to function the same way it did at the beginning of lockdown, and it’s questionable whether this is a high standard.

It doesn’t seem that SFU has implemented the “listening” aspect of this statement either. As far as I’m concerned, it feels like an ongoing battle to be heard by the administration. I am not the first to express that the lack of communication between the administration and students has not improved over the course of COVID-19. These vague statements don’t actually promise anything of concrete value. 

The statement mentions that SFU has added resources in housing, financial support, and mental health. SFU set up an Urgent Response Fund, which was available for students requiring access to technology, to afford travel expenses to return home at the beginning of the pandemic, and living expenses for students disconnected from family or support systems. I don’t doubt that the fund was of assistance to some students, those who received the fund’s support are more than deserving of the financial assistance. On another note, it seems as if the fund only applied to a certain body of students with very particular extenuating circumstances, which can be limiting in a time where so many students are struggling. 

Students who are just barely getting by and/or don’t fit the criteria for the fund are left behind from receiving support from SFU even though they would greatly benefit from the aid. Besides, SFU isn’t even losing money with the initiation of this fund — it all came from alumni donations. There really isn’t very much stopping SFU from expanding the criteria for who can receive this fund. The tuition increases that went forward despite the concerns students expressed regarding financial stability during the pandemic especially didn’t help this exclusion. 

Additionally, the form of ongoing mental health support that SFU prides itself on rests on the apps MySSP and Here2Talk. However, these apps have received a lot of negative feedback around their lack of truly assisting students with their mental health. They are also not a replacement for quality in-person counselling services — which are currently unavailable due to campus restrictions. Supporting students during a global crisis takes more effort than pushing the already available phone services or simply reminding students to prioritize their mental health. I expected SFU to introduce some alternative options for students who are facing mental health obstacles at this time. These alternatives could include increased attention towards video call counselling, or an adjustment in the student healthcare insurance plan so that students can gain better access to a registered clinical counsellor. Alas, this clearly never happened. 

SFU has neglected to fulfill the empty words they promised students. Moving forward, this will continue to be an issue once classes resume in-person unless SFU finally decides to implement feedback given by the student body. Petter said that SFU had made it their “mission to do everything we can at this time of crisis to support our communities.” Though it’s clear that SFU has not done everything they can to support the SFU community.

New president and vice-chancellor Joy Johnson has not been in the role for very long, and although she’s made her own promises, we have yet to see concrete changes in mental health services and in the virtual learning experience. Of course, changes to this degree can be a long process, but it’s important that we as students don’t forget to hold the SFU administration accountable for failing to commit to what they promise to do. We are paying thousands of dollars for them to serve us, after all. It isn’t fair to feel like we can’t believe anything they tell us. Hopefully Joy Johnson will be more willing to communicate and listen to student concerns because we deserve to feel like we matter, not like we’re being lied to.

SFU professor discusses “the motherhood penalty” in the workplace

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PHOTO: Camylla Battani / Unsplash

Written by: Karissa Ketter, News Writer

“My focus this [International Women’s Day] was to debunk the language of choice that is so often used to frame how women navigate their impossible slate of labours,” said SFU sociology professor Dr. Amanda Watson in an email interview with The Peak. 

This includes the “motherhood penalty” which “refers to gaps in pay, stigma, the long-term consequences of inadequate benefits, and their absence in leadership.”

The wage gap between men and women persists in our culture predominantly because women commonly seek flexible work arrangements so they can look after their children, Watson said. Society often frames this obligation as a choice for mothers in our culture — the language of choice for working women is “more meaningfully imagined as a strategic way to cope with sexist labour divisions and family precarity,” explained Watson. 

Watson acknowledged the “motherhood penalty” is much greater for Indigenous women, women of colour, queer and trans women, and women with disabilities since they “already experience negative perceptions of their competence in male-dominated workplaces.” 

This extends to young women — who may not want children at all, but are consistently seen as potential mothers, Watson said. The result is being “judged as less committed to their jobs on top of sexist and racist stereotypes about women’s competence and commitment.”

Watson said to take International Women’s Day to “think about how to educate ourselves about our unchecked biases and how these play out in organizations and society at large.

“Workplace organizational culture can do a lot to destigmatize family-friendly policies, especially by having senior leadership equitable culture,” said Watson. 

She explained part of this social shift should include men in leadership roles being mindful of scheduling meetings and opportunities for business development to take place at appropriate times for all employees. 

“There is so much that can be done to shift both the ‘motherhood penalty’ in paid work and the unequitable division of unpaid work in families that has been laid bare by the [COVID-19] pandemic,” said Watson.

“If I had a magic wand, the first thing I would do is launch comprehensive child care programming that is universally accessible, affordable, high-quality, and diverse.” Watson explained this has proven to “immediately reduce inequality between women and families.” 

She reported “several studies in the US and Canada have now indicated that single mothers have been hit harder than other parents in the pandemic with respect to job loss.”

This is because stay-at-home measures resulted in children’s facilities — daycare, childcare, or school — being greatly affected in March 2020. “Since women are less likely than men to work in jobs that can be done remotely and [single-parent] households are far more likely to be headed by women, single mothers were particularly hit,” said Watson. 

Throughout the pandemic, the federal government of Canada altered their qualification requirements for parental leave, said Watson. She added, “I think it will be interesting to see if we come out of this crisis with the much-needed updates to the policy that scholars and policy experts have been calling for.”

In relation to International Women’s Day, Watson said it’s an “anti-racist, feminist, New Year’s Eve, where we take a look at where we have come in the struggle for equity over the past year, and recommit ourselves to the struggle for the year to come.” 

Watson’s first book, The Juggling Mother: Coming Undone in the Age of Anxiety, is available now. She is currently working on her next book, researching the Birthstrike.

2021 Faculty of Communication, Art, and Technology holds undergraduate conference

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Photo courtesy of Simon Fraser University.

Written by: Jaymee Salisi, News Writer 

On March 5, 2021 the eleventh annual Faculty of Communication and Technology (FCAT) undergraduate conference was held online. The conference provides students within the faculty the opportunity to showcase their ideas and interests in a community forum. 

With 63 projects and 84 student presenters, this year was the faculty’s largest conference. Keynote presenter Jeff Ward and a panel of four FCAT alumni shared career stories and offered advice to students.

During the panel’s discussion about the alumni’s current jobs, user experience designer and School of Interactive Arts alum Sean Warwick advised students to maintain a connection with colleagues throughout their academic careers. He said the interactive arts field is “a lot smaller of a community once you get out into the world.” 

To prepare for jobs out of university, panellists emphasized students should “be creative with getting experience,” whether through attending networking events, collaborating with faculty professors, or offering to help with social media at a current job.

Communication alum and marketing coordinator Tiana Marconato said jobs often look for writing samples. Her recommendation was for students to draft press releases independently or to reach out to local media outlets for publication.

Student attendees asked how selective they should be when looking for jobs. Kathleen Estanislao, digital marketing manager, advised job seekers to connect with existing workers at the job they are applying for to learn about the work environment before accepting an offer. 

The four alumni agreed it is important to have some flexibility because “your first job isn’t necessarily going to define your career [but] ultimately, you want to be happy on some level.” 

In his presentation, Jeff Ward spoke about his experience as an Indigenous entrepreneur, web designer, and software developer. He discussed the importance of centering values and ethics around work to ensure balance and fulfilment.

Ward currently works with nonprofit organizations, charities, and Indigenous initiatives to focus on “the impact of others through technology.” He helped develop an app called Next 150, which aims to advance reconciliation by educating users about the Indigenous land they are on.

Students asked Ward whether he finds value in career advisors with varying opinions from his own. He told students to look for people with “a diverse range of inputs.” He said it is important for people to balance their surroundings with others who can provide different perspectives, as well as with people who have similar views to maintain core values.

After the speeches, students shared their work. Presentations were split into two blocks, lasting one hour each. There were eight different rooms with an average of four projects being presented in each of them. Rooms were organized by theme, ranging from crisis disaster response to interactive design and media arts. 

Some speakers explored the narratives presented in certain news outlets, and others brought forward solutions to individual and global issues.

The event concluded with FCAT dean Carman Neustaedter thanking participants for their efforts in organizing the conference.

Don’t rush into post-grad life

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Throwing your cap should lead to freedom and exploration, not stress. PHOTO: Vasily Koloda / Unsplash

by Alex Masse, Staff Writer

The spring semester is almost at a close, and many students at SFU are one step closer to graduating and entering what many hail as the “real world.” For many people, this is a scary endeavor, especially with the pandemic bringing anxiety to new highs. However, even outside of a global crisis, students should not feel the pressure to rush into another occupation right after graduation, but  should use the time as an opportunity to regroup.

There’s a misconception that after completing the years-long marathon of a degree, students have to immediately dive into the lifelong journey of retaining employment. But making quick decisions from a pressing feeling of having to be productive could hurt in the long run and may lead to taking a job that isn’t a good fit. Often, the first offer a student gets is not going to be the best one, and the last thing they want is to end up in a job they hate.

Obviously some students have financial pressures that lead to taking that first offer. Many can’t afford to wait for the perfect opportunity to fall into their hands, or to take a break to recover from school. Not to mention the negative effect the pandemic has had on student job opportunities. However, this haste shouldn’t be an expectation for all.

Graduating from university is an incredible achievement, and something many people never manage to do in their lives. I’ll be the first in my family to do so, and I’m sure I’m not the only one in that boat. University is a long, challenging journey and completion alone should garner celebration. 

Post-grad anxiety is also a very normal feeling. Even if people don’t talk about it, the worries are still there. Anxiety rising during this pandemic isn’t a good thing by any means, but if there’s one thing to take from that, it’s that students aren’t alone in their concern.

There are people who are trying to destigmatize solutions for this anxiety. Regrouping at home after graduation, for example, allows for saving money, alongside providing the most valuable currency of all: time. It’s not the most glamorous thing to do immediately after donning the cap and gown, but if it’s an available option, it can be a great occasion to reflect on both the past and future in preparation for the latter.

Management researcher David Burkus said in a TED talk that “so many college graduates immediately start wanting to make all their dreams come true at once — this can go wrong in many ways.” He’s right: there’s nothing wrong with being ambitious, but expecting to walk into a perfect life after graduation often leads to stress and burnout — not an ideal situation to be in.

Post-graduation life should be seen as a time of celebration rather than one of duress. There should be time for reflection, instead of rushing towards the first offer you receive. That post-grad life you want will come, but rushing to get there is not worth the hardship it may bring.

Survey compensation is a must

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Survey compensation can benefit both survey takers and creators. PHOTO: Lukas Blazek / Unsplash

by Victor Tran, SFU Student

Once in a while, students get emails asking them to complete surveys for SFU, external companies, and even other students. Even though these surveys can be completed in students’ free time, they still demand time-consuming labour, with some surveys taking up to 15–20 minutes to complete. Because of this, survey compensation should be required, as it will not only pay for our labour but also increase response rates.

Every survey estimated to take 10 minutes or more should come with compensation for the best chance of success. Spending more than 10 minutes on a survey without any rewards can be a real pain, especially surveys with 40–50 questions, which can be demanding on a person’s time and attention. Consequently, the longer the survey, the worse the answer quality. Survey abandonment rates also increase with longer surveys, with 7–8 minute surveys seeing completion rates drop to as low as 5%. Survey compensation could solve this problem effectively.

With survey rewards, participants will have more incentive to finish a long survey. Though survey prizes may not sound appealing to businesses and schools who have to pay for them, the effect can be beneficial to both students and survey creators.

The most popular survey prizes are direct rewards and indirect rewards, each with pros and cons. Direct rewards (either monetary or non-monetary) are prizes given directly to the survey taker. This kind of reward can be very effective — especially for students — as free stuff can be appealing. Yet, not all free rewards are enticing to everyone. For example, if a person who doesn’t own a pet sees the reward is a voucher for a pet store, they may not take the survey. Survey creators can solve this issue by letting survey takers choose a more relevant reward. This can be done by working with a wide range of product suppliers to diversify the reward pool or launching a reward survey to indicate the most wanted prizes. Thus, survey creators may obtain a wider range of results as more people flock into filling in the questions for relevant compensation.

However, direct rewards have the potential to hurt the survey results. People might rush through the questions just for the rewards or complete irrelevant surveys — like if a person who doesn’t own a pet completes a pet store survey. Survey creators need to compensate their ideal patrons in an appropriate way to get optimal results.

Indirect rewards have the potential to do that. These rewards are when survey creators make a charitable donation in the participant’s name. This type of reward may not be as effective as direct rewards in increasing response rates. However, indirect rewards can potentially increase the quality of the survey results. Participants may want to complete the survey to help others and therefore won’t rush through them for self-interest. Surveys with indirect rewards would be perfect for students who want to help others easily by exchanging their time and effort to complete a survey.

For student-run surveys, due to the costs of this kind of compensation, it might not be possible to offer rewards. Instead, students could choose alternative options such as making the surveys shorter for an increased response rate. Yet, with large corporations and organizations like SFU, compensation is a must for all participants. Not only because of benefits brought to both parties, but also for the labour demanded from survey participants.

Compensation is needed for the benefit of both participants and survey creators. Students give their labour and time for the benefit of survey creators; thus compensation is needed to pay off that labour. However, they have to acknowledge that the type of compensation can make or break survey results, requiring an adequate method to give it.

The “Leave Meeting” button: The red forbidden fruit

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PHOTO: Maksym Zakharyak / Unsplash

By: Nathan Tok / Peak Associate

English 404W class. Week 2.

When I first hath heard of Topics in Medieval Literature, I was told tales of its lethality, and its lethargy, of its length without end. My superiors uttered to me dreaded tales of the horror, something to be whispered in some dark far-off RBC castle. Those doyens did urge me to flee. Fool that I was, I threw caution to the wind and had dared to take the class during the online epoch. 

Perhaps . . . perhaps, this was a recompense for my sins.

I fancy thoughts of a Zoomless screen to peruse chain mail in peace (and not the sort about SFU’s academic integrity). Surely none would detect my absence. I am nameless in an army of named rectangles. In the darkness of a camera-less screen, there is no fellow greater or lesser than the other. My thoughts dwell on that red doorknob near the bottom right. 

“Hark,” my roommate beckons to me. “I have procured some rich and delectable pizza.”

I wave him away. “Dear fellow,” I call back, “I am in the midst of some great learning undertaking. Nourishment will have to await.”

He shakes his head in sadness and leaves. “Churl,” I think to myself. “What sort of fool stays in this room forsaking such Neapolitan delicacies?” Again I tempt myself with thoughts of taking my leave.

“Dear students,” the droning on continues, “let us break down these concepts in some breakout rooms.” The man pauses as if expecting some reaction from his poor jest. There are none.

I am transported into another black void. Others soon join me. We discuss how the great world events of our time are affecting those in another faraway land. Unemployment and depression. Inequity and inequality.

“LEAVE!” The crimson oblong calls to me. I stare at it with great curiosity. “Leave and never return,” it whispers again.

“I cannot. I made a pledge to myself, temptress. I shall strive for academic excellence and maintain my presence in class this period.”

“To what end? How will this help you adhere to your fate? Do you truly feel like a scholar here? You are merely kept on to fulfill a regulatory length of time to meet scholastic requirements.”

“No, you are wrong!” I say. “It is for the community of the learned. Intellectual interaction. That is the purpose of this Zoom assembly.”

“Simpleton! Surely you cannot believe that you can truly gain wisdom from merely watching a video? Alas! Next they will tell us to go on YouTube.”

“Yes!” I cry. “And so much the better. For learning can now take place anywhere and at your choice of time.”

“Then why not leave? Bear notice of my wisdom and all the knowledge of the world will be at your fingertips. Do not confine yourself to this foul make-believe room. ”

“Your powers are nothing here Knave! One cannot break a promise to thy ownself without losing a piece of the soul.” But I look on in wonder. Had I just been outwitted by a mere box? Was I really spending my precious youth foolishly? I am still pondering such deep inquiries as I see a new box appear on screen. 

“Meeting has been ended by the host.”

And the pizza is still warm.

Top Ten things that can be substituted for a personality

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

By: Kyla Dowling, Staff Writer

  1. Liking an obscure musician that other people definitely haven’t heard of 

We all know this person, and honestly? We all are this person to some extent. I wouldn’t blame you for making Mitski the centerpiece of your personality . . . if you didn’t act like anyone who only knows her music from TikTok deserves to be guillotined. Anyways, we all know that the real cool people are the ones who listen to heavy metal songs about She-Ra characters. 

2. Owning a hat shaped like Squirtle

Is this a callout for the kid in half my classes in high school who exclusively wore black jeans, a black shirt, and an enormous Squirtle hat? Yes. Sorry, Joseph. Not all hats can be a personality trait, but all Pokémon merch can be. Just ask The Peak’s humour editor — all I know about her is that she has a Charmander tattoo. 

3. Possessing moldavite 

If you’re on the witchy side of TikTok, you’ll know that moldavite is supposed to get rid of every shred of negative energy in your life. While I refuse to discount the effects of moldavite, I do acknowledge it can definitely become one’s entire persona. You fail a class? Moldavite. Your fish dies? Moldavite. You get fired? Moldavite. It’s definitely because this crystal is taking out the things in your life that no longer serve you, not because you were profiting off of TikTok.

4. Holding gatherings during a pandemic 

Didn’t you hear? Bonnie Henry said that 10 people are allowed to gather outside from a distance now! That definitely means that the house party I threw to celebrate my hedgehog’s birthday is totally okay. I mean yeah, there were 25 people there, and yeah, I hooked up with Chad who hooked up with Monica who hooked up with Kelsey, so we weren’t exactly at a distance, but we’re in a bubble so it’s fine! It’s party time betches [champagne emoji] [laughing emoji] [devil smiling emoji]*

*A dramatic reenactment of my elementary school best friend’s Instagram story from March 16, 2021.

5. Having seen Hamilton live 

Whether it was Broadway, West End, or a really questionable all-white adaptation that the local private school put on, people who have seen Hamilton live will not let it go. I mean, what does it matter that you met Lin-Manuel Miranda (which I did) and asked him a question at the stage door (which I did) after seeing the show with the original cast (which I did)? People who brag about that are so terrible.

6. Having stickers on your laptop

Given that we might have a full return to in-person classes, it only makes sense that I remind you that the stickers on your laptop absolutely count as a personality. No matter whether you have a sticker reading “gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss” or one that says “don’t talk to me until I have my coffee,” your laptop is the new ‘introduce yourself’ discussion board. I would say to be prepared for your classmates making snap judgments of you based on your corgi and performative activism stickers, but they’ll be too worried about whether or not their Michael Scott sticker gives off the right impression. 

7. Calling animals by names like “doggos” 

For you, raccoons are trash pandas. Dogs are doggos or puppers, or, god forbid, flufferinos. If you have a pet, you call it  your “fur baby” and probably have an Instagram account with 15 whole followers. Fur baby? You have a fucking pet frog. And please leave the embarrassing quirky words for the millenials. They’re already defending Eminem, so there’s no going back for them.

8. Being in a pyramid scheme

Heeeeey girly! How’ve you been since we got into that huge argument in the fifth grade about which Monster High doll I am? (FYI, I’m totally Lagoona.) I was just thinking about you and was wondering if you were interested in an amazing business opportunity. All you have to do is promote and sell our 100% natural raspberry mango-flavoured bleach! I would love for you to join our #bossbabenation!*

*ripped from my Instagram DMs

9. Working for The Peak 

I added a Snorlax emoji to our Slack emoji list the other day and it brought me immense joy. My roommate told me that I was saying things like “Monday Music” and “Opinions in Dialogue” in my sleep. Please send help. 

10. Iced coffee

Oh my god. You really read the title of this one and went “Finally, one I can relate to!” even though you know caffeine makes you anxious. Anyways, go eat something that isn’t a $1 iced coffee, goob. That eye twitch looks funky on Zoom.

What Grinds Our Gears: People staying silent as I get misgendered

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It’s not that hard to correct people on their mistakes. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

by Meera Eragoda, Copy Editor

I am non-binary and I use they/them/theirs pronouns which most people are on board with. Of course, I am very femme-presenting so being misgendered constantly has been a reality that I’ve needed to adjust to. Because of this, I’ve also had to get used to correcting people constantly. And honestly, it gets exhausting.

I didn’t realize how much work it was until I was on a Zoom call where someone new misgendered me and a friend corrected them right away. It was nice not having to negotiate with myself about whether I wanted to feel self-conscious about speaking out, or whether it was just better to accept it and be misgendered. That was the first time I realized that all the work to correct people shouldn’t be on me, especially when those around me consider themselves allies.

So please, show up for the people in your lives that don’t use the pronouns they were assigned at birth. Correct people who misuse pronouns because you know the person being misgendered may likely be going through the same process of negotiation and internal turmoil that I have, and still do.

I realize that some people may not want more attention drawn to them with these corrections, so it’s important to have a conversation about what they feel comfortable with first — but at least let them know that you’re thinking about this. As for myself, I seriously appreciate not having the onus just on me.

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Simon Fraser University’s independent student newspaper since 1965.

Contact us: [email protected]

© The Peak Publications Society 1965-2024

Simon Fraser University’s independent student newspaper since 1965.

Contact us:
[email protected]

© The Peak Publications Society 1965-2024