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Listing gender on official documents is pointless

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Bureaucratic practices are useless enough anyway. PHOTO: Sharon McCutcheon / Unsplash

by Madeleine Chan, Opinions Editor

If you’ve ever downloaded your advising transcript from goSFU, whether to help with advising or just to weep at the slow decline of your GPA, you may have noticed that it lists a gender. This is the same with any driver’s licence, passport, or other official document that may be used for identification. However, this facet of identification is not 100% accurate and shouldn’t be the standard to include on these files.

First, I don’t see how having one’s gender on SFU’s advising transcripts helps anyone. For starters, it is more difficult for non-cisgender people to be properly identified, as it cannot simply be changed with a few clicks on goSFU. It also insinuates that gender is of importance to a student’s value and assumes that it is important for advisors to consider in their evaluations. Other categories like projected academic level and total units accumulated that are specific to a student’s studies are necessary, but an arbitrary gender category is not one of them.

The same irrelevancy goes for identification issued by governments. Typically, citizens have only had the option to designate themselves male or female, if they have a choice at all. This enforces the idea that there are only two genders that exist. Though, in 2018, the BC government allowed an “X” designation to be allotted for driver’s licences and BC services cards instead of the standard “M” or “F.” While this was definitely a great step towards inclusion of non-cisgender people, it still recognises the gender binary as the norm, and all other gender identities as “other.” This isn’t an ideal way to include non-binary identites and it would be better if the category was abolished entirely.

Gender on identifying documents may be there to aid in confirming one’s identity, but it leaves out one very big point: that one’s gender identity does not necessarily correlate with one’s appearance or biology. For example, a person who identifies as female, but wears clothes that are typically thought to be “male” may not be recognizable as the “F” on their ID. In addition, someone who has not or cannot go through the arduous process of changing their ID could be stuck with the letter they were assigned at birth. Relying on attributes like height and eye colour that aren’t based on an outdated system of gendered perceptions would be more ideal for truly being able to confirm someone’s identity.

For some gender non-conforming people, having their true gender listed in an official way may be wholly validating, and I would not want to take away from that. However, eliminating the category of gender entirely in an official capacity makes it so that they are not listed as an incorrect gender from birth, and loosens the tight grip the gender binary has on the populace. If not for inclusion’s sake, then for accuracy of identification.

iDKHOW critiques convention with some good old-fashioned Razzmatazz

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Arts
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iDKHOW’s album will send you on an investigation of evil corporation Tellexx. Courtesy of Fearless Records

By: Madeleine Chan, Opinions Editor

Concept albums are one of my favourite things in the world. I think artists that put in the effort to create a cohesive story throughout an album should be praised more for their ingenuity. So imagine my delight when I discovered a whole ass concept band.

I DONT KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME (sometimes styled as iDKHOW) is a band composed of two former members of bands Panic! At the Disco and Falling in Reverse. As the narrative goes, iDKHOW is a band from “30 plus years ago that never got their big break” whose tapes were discovered in 2017 by someone with the screen name “_SRCHPRTY_”, who then began posting them online. The complete story is purposely unclear which has led to in-story conspiracies along with a heavy dose of speculation by fans.

Razzmatazz expands on the narrative by adding elements of potential time travel and mind control, broadening the world even further. The fictional governmental corporation Tellexx that surrounds the band’s mythology also plays a bigger role as the company that seemingly controls the band through these methods. Given that the band members arguably come from two big players in the music machine, the message is a clear outcome of their past experiences and serves as a metaphor for the bureaucracy and toxicity of the entertainment industry. Lead singer Dallon Weekes doesn’t deny his critique of entertainment culture and has even made it the topic of multiple songs.

Many of the songs in Razzmatazz contain thinly veiled criticisms of the music industry. Lead single “Leave Me Alone” does this most plainly in its chorus telling entertainment “big shots” to essentially fuck off through seething vocals. In one of my favourites, “Mad IQs,” the band sings sarcastically of controlling entities and willful ignorance through lyrics like “Watch your colonial tongue / I’ll watch you tighten the noose.” These are set against funky rhythms and melodies to create an infectious tune. “Lights Go Down” features a repetitive chorus that talks of endless dancing (like most party songs), but in the verses subtly pokes at celebrity culture and breaks from the on-beat choral pattern. Title track “Razzmatazz” finishes the album talking about the facetious “magic” of Hollywood with an equally magical saxophone solo to send us off.

The songs in the album aren’t all connected, but it doesn’t matter when sonically they match and flow together. The overall sound is the epitome of the alternative style, drawing from a myriad of eras of rock, pop, and jazz, yet still sounding new and modern. The choice of including synthesizers along with standard acoustic instruments also pulls from both the future and past simultaneously. In addition, the futuristic aesthetic found in their music videos and songs contrast so interestingly with the painful realities of the present day music industry.

What makes the world-building even better is that only the physical copy of the album has two bonus spoken-word interludes and extended cuts of the songs. This not only is reminiscent of times when you couldn’t just get everything online and had to seek out new music and bands in-person, but contributes to the narrative of discovering iDKHOW’s physical recordings. The interludes feature robotic Tellexx voices reminiscent of corporate PSA’s and in-flight greetings, with one at the beginning and end to perfectly immerse you into the story.

This type of care in crafting a multimedia narrative that is both engaging for listeners and defies expectation is so unique. While iDKHOW still operates within the music industry, they also cleverly critique it. Razzmatazz combines good music, an overarching narrative, sci-fi, and criticism of powers structures, all some of my favourite things, into one amazing piece of art. I don’t know how, but I may listen to them 24/7.

 

MAGPIE Research Group discuss research on COVID-19 data and models

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IMAGE: United Nations COVID-19 Response / Unsplash

Written by: Karissa Ketter, News Writer

Dr. Caroline Colijn, Dr. Jessica Stockdale, and Dr. Paul Tupper from the MAGPIE Research Group featured as the guest speakers for the November 5, 2020 Cafe Scientifique hosted on Zoom. Dr. Colijn, Dr. Stockdale, and Dr. Tupper are researchers that work on “forecasting [COVID-19] cases, estimating how well distancing measures are working or not working, and how much change we need to make to get cases back in decline,” as introduced by moderator Cynthia Henson. During the event they focused on sharing their COVID-19 data extrapolations, models, and challenges they face in their field. The Peak previously had the chance to speak with Dr. Colijn, in which she spoke on projecting trends in COVID-19 using mathematical modelling.

READ MORE: “BC’s COVID-19 health policies are being informed by SFU professor’s research”

At this event, Dr. Colijn noted the importance of analyzing the extrapolations — which estimates the growth of cases assuming nothing else will change — of where BC’s COVID-19 cases will end up if public behaviour stays constant. They noted that they prefer to analyze their models as extrapolations instead of forecasts or predictions of what the future may hold. Dr. Stockdale said as estimating public behaviour is difficult, they don’t refer to their data as forecasting because of the many factors that could influence the movement of the curve, such as change in public policies, public health orders, or a change in public behaviour.

According to Dr. Colijn, BC worked hard to flatten the curve of cases when the pandemic began. As the cases started diminishing, BC started reopening: now their data shows an extreme second wave of cases that is larger than the original wave. Dr. Tupper noted that they can “predict things about the virus, but predicting policy maker’s behavior and public behavior [is] really hard to do.”

Image Courtesy of MAGPIE Research Group

Dr. Stockdale elaborated on some of the challenges they face when analyzing their data. Researchers need to “balance picking a model which is complicated enough that we think it’s really representing what’s happening in the real world, but also simple enough that we can be confident in our estimates and also that it’s interpretable” for the public or fellow researchers.  

During the question period, some asked about the danger of asymptomatic carriers. Nearly 20–40% of adults and 40% of school-aged children are infected with COVID-19 and never develop symptoms, according to Dr. Colijn and Dr. Tupper. They added that it’s difficult to have concrete numbers, as they don’t know the rate of false-negatives. These carriers spread the virus to others in the community. Dr. Stockdale commented on the importance of physical distancing in these scenarios. She stated that “the people who are physical distancing are less likely to go out and see people, so they’re less likely to get infected [therefore] if a social distancing person does get infected, because they’re seeing others less, they’re less likely to pass on that infection.” Dr. Colijn also said that social bubbles of six people are extremely helpful in slowing the spread of the virus.

Discussion also took place around the COVID-19 cases in elementary schools. Dr. Tupper concluded that “it seems that ventilation is very important” alongside the wearing of masks and physical distancing to keep cases low. Dr. Tupper presented models that show lowered predicted COVID-19 cases when intervention and testing happens in the classroom compared to the natural flow of infection with intervention and testing. He stated the projections concluded that contact tracing and close monitoring “[reduces] the size of the cluster” by less than 50%. 

 

Image Courtesy of MAGPIE Research Group

Furthermore, Dr. Colijn elaborated on their future work in “[understanding] something about local transmission” and the diversity of the genome sequences found all over the globe. Her example was that if two colleague’s virus genome sequences are not similar enough then they can conclude that they haven’t infected each other. According to Dr. Colijn, they can use that data to “really improve the monitoring and control of transmission” by separating which strains are increasing and which are falling away. Dr. Colijn noted that the end idea “would be to [ . . . ] trigger action to look for strains that might be escaping a vaccine.” 

Dr. Colijn further explained that “as far as we know right now, the diversity of the virus isn’t suggesting that we need different vaccines for different places” or different strains and that COVID-19 is mutating at one-third the rate the flu does. 

Dr. Colijn concluded by noting that for more information she recommends watching the documentary Totally Under Control. She “found it to be like watching a very slow and fascinating trainwreck.”

Student swears by swimming in dense scholarly articles for quarantine workout

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Humour
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PHOTO: Nikko Macaspac / Unsplash

By: Paige Riding, Humour Editor

When this pandemic started, I really didn’t go out and move around as much as I used to. With half the population deciding to take up running or biking for the first time in their lives during this ample opportunity to spread their little spitties everywhere (why did so many people do that? Imagine voluntarily running at all, not to mention now?), I didn’t love the thought of going out. Now here I am, eight months later, and I’m absolutely shredded. Want to know how I did it?

By sitting on my ass. 

Desperately trying to get through a single sentence in my assigned article readings.

I should clarify; when I say shredded, I mean it. My eyes are destroyed from all this blue light I’m glaring at. Thanks to my professors opting for four times the amount of readings now that we’re online (makes sense to me), I can’t focus three feet in front of me. I don’t need to, though. All I need are the articles to keep me in tip-top shape. 

The process is simple. I open yet another photo-only PDF, sigh as my warm-up because that means no hunting for the answers to this assignment, then prepare to get lost. Totally lost. Wholly lost. Why-the-shit-are-the-sentences-so-long-and-complex lost. Then the blood really gets pumping. Or boiling. Or both.

Nothing hits like a sentence with more commas than my grade 10 papers when I just discovered what FANBOYS are and absolutely ran with them. Like a relay, the sentences will continue trudging along, heading in one way and then the next, so utterly and wholly bewildering you will find yourself hunting for the end of the sentence in preparation, then losing your spot because you didn’t put your fingertip on the right word or you swore you would remember but then got lost somewhere on line 14 and had to blink your sore eyeballs, and—

You get it.

It’s a foolproof way to exhaust any motivation you had to do well in the course — possibly even your life! The jargon forces you to leave the PDF to look up various definitions, adding a bit of spice in the mix. By the end of it, you’ll reach your fullest form. Having 23 articles to get through may be a temporary problem, but the knowledge you absolutely will not pick up from wasting your time trying to decipher these things lasts forever.

Why risk heading to a gym or the outside world when that one oddly specific multiple choice question from that one article you swear you read that one time makes you sweat enough? Are these sentences dizzying enough for you, yet? And this piece isn’t even peer-reviewed! Trust the scholars dedicating their lives to having their abstracts alone sourced by students because they saw the first main sentence and dipped. They know what they’re talking about. At least, I think they are?

The Bright-er Side: Greater understanding from professors has been amplified by the pandemic

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ILLUSTRATION: Siloam Yeung / The Peak

by Meera Eragoda, Arts & Culture Editor

Remote learning has been good at times, but the transition has also been stressful at times. Many of my online classes now have discussions on Canvas which require an extra effort to formulate ideas that wouldn’t be present in in-person classes. This, on top of extra smaller assignments, a pandemic that doesn’t show any sign of abating, tumultuous politics in North America, and dealing with personal issues, is less than ideal.

These past two semesters, however, I’ve been lucky enough to have professors who are understanding of all of the above. The transition to online learning hasn’t been easy on many of them either, but their willingness to accommodate students’ struggles shows that the pandemic hasn’t hardened all instructors. 

When I talked to one of my history professors last semester about missing a couple of discussions, he not only told me not to worry about them, but also that I didn’t need to do the upcoming one. This semester, I asked my labour studies professor for a 24-hour extension for an assignment and was granted an extra week. This professor also told our entire class that he wouldn’t be taking marks off for late assignments and that people don’t need to stress about handing them in on the same day.

Many instructors have also amended their curriculum to include less stressful assignments (or at least not stressful in the same way). A class that I was going to take last semester had changed an assignment from a very research intensive paper to an account of life under COVID-19. This flexibility allowed for students to only recount their own experiences and not have to worry about having to source information from libraries and navigate archives virtually.

Even though some of these allowances are pretty minor things, having instructors be so flexible is beyond important for students’ well-being and I’m incredibly appreciative. As the talking point goes, “we are in unprecedented times.” For instructors not to recognize that and be a little less understanding when setting deadlines and assigning work adds more stress on students. I know it’s not always possible to be flexible but more professors should be trying where they can.

Podcasting Your Research paves a pathway to a new audience

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Arts
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The workshop emphasized the democratic aspect of podcasts and gave an overview of the technical skills needed to start one. PHOTO: OCV Photo / Unsplash

By: Emma Jean, Staff Writer

Academia and podcasting have a similar problem: unless you’re involved in them, they seem incredibly intimidating to get into. With academia that’s mostly true; a number of economic, systemic, and personal reasons make it inaccessible for a lot of people. With podcasts, however, that isn’t the case — to the same extent. If you have access to a recording device, editing software, and an internet connection, that’s all you need to share your work with the digital world. So what happens when you blend the two worlds together? According to SFU associate publishing professor and podcaster Dr. Hannah McGregor, you find a way to “mobilize knowledge” to a brand new audience. 

In McGregor’s online workshop, Unlock Your Research Impact: Podcasting Your Research, co-hosted with Lupin Battersby, she laid out the approaches that academics and enthusiasts take in creating podcasts, and a DIY plan for how to start one with no experience. As the host of Secret Feminist Agenda and Witch Please, Dr. McGregor’s experience as a podcaster is evident throughout the event, as is her enthusiasm. 

As she sees it, there are two main types of informative podcasts: radical amateurism — amateurs who research their passions and present that in a thought-provoking way — and nontraditional scholarship — academics who want to modernize their research and make it accessible to anyone who’s interested. If you think you could fall into one of those categories or even a blending of the two, McGregor had some DIY tips of what you could do to start a podcast tomorrow. 

As the workshop continued, McGregor created a step-by-step roadmap for aspiring podcasters. The first step is understanding the basics: podcasts are MP3 files that are uploaded to RSS feeds, or as she puts it, “a beautiful relic of an earlier internet.” She noted that, because of bare-bones minimum of the work and the non-algorithmic or corporate-driven platforms that they’re found on, podcasting remains a largely low-barrier medium where truly anyone could break through and find an audience. If you can understand those basics, you’re on your way to becoming a podcasting superstar. Pack it up, Joe Rogen. 

Next comes the technical part: understanding how to record a podcast. As McGregor puts it, learning how to podcast is like learning to play the guitar: you can learn the basic elements, play the top 40 hits and be just fine at podcasting, but mastering it takes a lifetime. Once you’ve chosen a format based on your topic and the labour you wish to put in, which she emphasizes varies wildly depending on which kind you choose, you can start writing, recruiting, researching, and producing the details you need to do it. 

The third part quickly turned into tech rundown as instructions on how to make a podcast took place. McGregor threw down pointers for how to make the best product you can:

  • Recording: 
    • A microphone — preferably analog for quality or USB for convenience (can be found for a low cost at electronics stores or online marketplaces like Facebook);
    • A quiet, sound-baffled space — blanket forts encouraged.
  • Editing:
    • For software, McGregor recommends Hindenberg as the best software and Garageband and SFU Library’s Adobe Audition as the best zero-to-low-cost options;
    • Back up all your audio files;
    • Create a distinct “audio palette” and style guide made up of the signature sounds, music and speech for your podcast that make you recognizable.
  • Publishing:
    •  RSS feeds will do the work for you, but find your best method.
  • Publicizing your work:
    • Find your audience and promote your podcast where they are.

With the rapid-fire advice, the workshop laid out a solid guide to hitting the digital airwaves. 

As McGregor spoke about podcasting as an often democratized, ground-up ecosystem, one that many people can access and contribute to, it seemed to offer an opportunity for the closed-off world of academic research to take notes. If greater access to information became possible, like it’s been through podcasting, that could lead to a more informed world. If you want to contribute to that, or if you’re just excited about what you’re learning and want to share it with the world, take McGregor’s advice and a microphone and go for it. 

An audio recording of the workshop is available on Soundcloud.

SFU Stadium Project delayed to early 2021 following initial delays

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News
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PHOTO: Gudrun Wai-Gunnarsson / The Peak

Written by: Mahdi Dialden, News Writer 

The previously anticipated SFU Stadium Project has been delayed after an update from senior director of Athletics & Recreation, Theresa Hanson. “We expect the stadium completion in early 2021,” Hanson said. The Peak had previously reported on the delay announcement in August 2020, in which it was anticipated the project would be ready by November 2020.

READ MORE: “SFU Stadium Project delayed to November 2020”

In an email interview with The Peak, Hanson said, “The SFU Stadium Project is well underway and progressing nicely. The unique, cantilevered roof canopy is in place, and is a beautiful feature of the stadium.” She added that “the seats will be arriving [on] campus shortly and are expected to be in place by end of November/early December.” The stadium will seat 1,800 spectators. The press box, football locker room, and other amenities are also being worked on as the project continues. 

Given the green light to begin construction in December 2018, the Stadium Project was most recently anticipated to be ready by November 2020, after a delay that urged the construction to be done by Summer 2020. Due to delays surrounding COVID-19, the project’s completion has been postponed again. The pandemic has “impacted the delivery of some materials, as well as the speed of work onsite,” Hanson said.  

The NCAA Division II fall championships sports of football, men’s and women’s soccer, volleyball, and cross country were cancelled in late August, and competitions across all varsity sports have been suspended until January 7, 2021. 

“At this time, the NCAA Division II winter championships sports of basketball, swimming, wrestling and indoor track and field are scheduled for March 2021, and we expect to make a decision regarding winter sports participation within our GNAC conference before the end of November.

“Football, soccer and track and field [teams] have been training on Terry Fox Field throughout the stadium construction,” Hanson explained. “For varsity competition, we are setting our sights on full stadium usage for the fall 2021 seasons, if the current public health situation allows for that.”

“We are exploring options to share a look inside the new stadium with our community in the New Year,” while adhering with physical distancing guidelines and limited attendance. 

To keep up with Terry Fox Field and the construction site, there is a live webcam on the SFU website that showcases the progress and is updated every 15 seconds for 30 minutes. 

Monday Music: Songs for late night introspection

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Arts
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"Monday Music" in giant yellow block letters with a red background
Monday Music: your weekly themed playlist. Image courtesy of The Peak.

By: Harvin Bhathal, Features Editor

What I look for in music is the embodiment of self, where self is more than just an idea, it’s a lived experience. Each song is its own space, its own experience, and certain factors such as its lyrics, sound, tone, and more help the song become firmly entrenched in my mind. When it does, it allows for introspection — particularly late at night when the noise from the day quiets down and all I can hear are my own thoughts. These songs have given me moments of inner peace for the short time they span and they are moments I treasure. 

“Pass The Hours” by MorMor

Courtesy of Don’t Guess

Through subtle ambience, echoing reverb, and a soothing chorus, Toronto’s rising indie-pop sensation MorMor takes you to a place in your mind where you can release any built-up stress in “Pass The Hours.” The rhythm of the guitar pattern represents the mundane and repetitive nature of the day, and the groove of the bassline represents the desperation of wanting to break free from those shackles. It all culminates in the chorus where MorMor’s dreamy, atmospheric voice shines and you’re free.

“Out Getting Ribs” by King Krule

Courtesy of True Panther Sounds

The haunting guitar riff, a constant in the background, lays the foundation for King Krule, an artist whose music spans genres such as punk jazz, darkwave, and trip-hop, to express his thoughts in a way that can best be described as pure emotion. “Out Getting Ribs” doesn’t make you want to escape your feelings but to rather rejoice in them because they’re what make us who we are. Krule was only 17 when he created this masterpiece, a fact I still find unfathomable every time it crosses my mind.

“White Ferrari” by Frank Ocean

Courtesy of Boys Don’t Cry

The excellent production on “White Ferrari” is a highway for Frank Ocean, an R&B icon for today’s generations, to weave through a narrative of unrest and comfort — a dichotomy that comprises much of our lives. The lyrics that speak to finding inner-peace, haunting moments of silence, and a song structure that is uncommon to today’s music caught me off guard the first time I listened and brought tears to my eyes.

“Space Song” by Beach House

Courtesy of Sub Pop Records

Beach House, a dream pop and neo-psychedelia duo, has made music that has gotten me through many tough times over the years. However, no song has helped more than “Space Song.” Listening to this song now is just as cathartic of an experience as when I first heard it years ago. The atmospheric voice of Beach House, combined with the chorus’ guitar riff that sounds as if it’s crying, create a space that is simultaneously filled with both emptiness and fulfilment. Coupled with lyrics that allow for introspection, the song is overwhelming in terms of the emotion it evokes but in a way that makes you want to return to this feeling again and again. 

“Never Leave You Lonely” by Lord Fubu

Courtesy of MARINO INFANTRY RECORDS

Lord Fubu, a young producer from Jacksonville, Florida, transforms a sample of Clara La San’s, “In This Darkness,” and makes it his own through an ambient beat, making the chorus deeper and the core of the song even softer. “Never Leave You Lonely” an amalgam of two styles that balance each other out. The ambience of this song releases any tension you may have and provides a calming presence. 

More songs for late night introspection:

“Baby Blue” by King Krule
“The Morning” by The Weeknd
“The Line” by Mood Rings
“On the Sea” by Beach House

Need to Know, Need to Go: November 16–22

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Arts
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Illustration of a blue calendar, with "Need to Know, Need to Go" written on top
Arts & Culture events to catch around the city. Image courtesy of Brianna Quan

By: Meera Eragoda, Arts & Culture Editor

Vancouver Podcast Festival | November 18–22 | Online | Free to $5

Presented by DOXA (Vancouver’s documentary festival) and co-sponsored by SFU Woodwards, the Vancouver Podcast Festival is back with virtual content. The festival, which aims to expose attendees to the potential of podcasts, is back for their 2020 run with workshops on how to create various genres of podcasts and talks with hosts of local and international podcasts. Some notables include SFU publishing professor Hannah McGregor, Vancolour’s Mo Amir, and Sandy Hudson and Nora Loreto, hosts of Sandy & Nora Talk Politics. 

Chutzpah! Festival | November 21–28 | Online | $18

Started by the Vancouver West Side Theatre Society, the Chutzpah! Festival focuses on platforming Jewish experiences, stories, and values through performance art. This year’s festival includes a concert with a “folk-rock twist,” stand-up comedy, and a dance piece that revolves around a dining table.

Mental Wellness and COVID-19: What’s Gender Got to Do With It? | November 19 at 12 p.m. | Online | Free with registration

SFU’s Public Square, City Hive, Centre for Dialogue are presenting Mental Wellness and COVID-19: What’s Gender Got to Do With It? as part of their Distant, Not Disengaged talks. Speakers Kelley Lee and Julia Smith will explore the why women are disproportionately experiencing stress during this pandemic and how gender-based policies can prevent this. 

Chai Chat: Body Positivity and Colourism | November 20 at 11:30 a.m. | Online | Free with registration

SFU’s Health & Counselling is presenting Chai Chat: Body Positivity and Colourism, a conversation facilitated by Health Peers. Health Peers are not trained counsellors but are people of colour who are creating a safe, inclusive space for students of colour to attend and explore these topics.

Multitasking helps students tune in, not out

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Opinions
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PHOTO: Gudrun Wai-Gunnarsson / The Peak

by Serena Bains, Staff Writer

Before the pandemic forced us all to watch our professors struggle with technical difficulties through a screen, we were doing so in-person. Even then, I was one of those students who looked like they were never paying attention. I would be balancing two screens and a journal on my desk while listening to music through my headphones. While I understood the perception that I wasn’t paying attention, it was one rooted in a lack of empathy and a misunderstanding of what differing learning styles can look like. Professors should promote a diverse learning environment, instead of punishing anyone who learns differently from the norm.

Every student knows their own learning style best. For example, journaling helps me get out any intrusive thoughts that affect my ability to focus and music prevents any auditory distractions. Despite this, once in a while professors would ask me if I was listening during lecture or advise that I listen more. It became common enough that at the start of the semester I would go to office hours simply to disclose how difficult it was to focus without the help of my practices, and to ensure them that I was listening and not being disrespectful. Not only did I have to take the time to go to every professor’s office hours — which is a nightmare for someone with anxiety — I was also put in a position where I felt I had to justify my preferences. Often, it would result in disclosing my disabilities, when I wouldn’t have done so otherwise. I ultimately learned less from the class and lost potential office hours to help, which wouldn’t have happened if the professors were understanding from the start. 

Now with remote learning I find myself in the same situation, where professors are being more strict about “being present.” Some classes mandate that cameras remain on and that students don’t distract others in front of them by doing anything other than taking notes. Beyond not respecting the privacy of students’ homes, this practice is simply unrealistic for people who rely on focusing in other ways. 

Being at home creates a more distracting learning environment than ever, therefore, attempting to focus requires greater work. Disincentivizing personal practices that help students focus is absurd and prevents students from learning, as opposed to promoting their learning. In this remote learning environment professors consistently ask students to be patient, which is reasonable. But this request is hypocritical when professors do not have the same patience for students trying to learn in the best way they know how.

Not to mention that a practice does not have to be aimed at a disabled student to be ableist. While mandating that students’ cameras are on and that they avoid being “distracting” does disproportionately affect disabled students, it also affects abled students. Everyone has accessibility needs when it comes to learning. Some of which include dividing your focus with things like knitting, listening to music, writing, drawing, stimming, and crafting, to name a few. Denying students their accessibility needs not only prevents students from learning, but is discriminatory. 

Whether in-person or online, professors should teach from the standpoint of universal design, which provides all students an equal opportunity to learn. By having a flexible learning environment that accommodates all individual learning styles, not only will students be less distracted, but they’ll be able to learn and address their individual accessibility needs. When professors extend the same patience and respect they expect in return it promotes a more diverse learning experience that everyone can find value in.

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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