SFU to offer both remote and in-person classes in the fall
Written by: Michelle Gomez, News Editor
SFU will be offering most classes remotely for the fall semester, with the potential to open some courses for in-person instruction.
SFU’s Vice-President Academic and Provost pro tem Dr. Jonathan Driver made the announcement via broadcast email on May 11.
Subject to governmental regulations, SFU will hold in-person classes “where the learning objectives cannot easily be replicated through remote instruction.” Although it is unclear what classes fall under this description, the announcement notes that it could include “laboratory-based classes, field trips, and graduate student classes where in-person participation is essential.”
President Andrew Petter said in an address to the SFU community that SFU will be easing some of the COVID-19 measures on campus, working with health authorities and the provincial government.
Petter went on to remark that co-curricular and extra-curricular programs “may proceed on an in-person basis.” Plans for residences have not yet been announced.
The announcement also noted that SFU will look to simplify academic requirements to “enable students to progress through their programs more easily,” although the nature of these changes has not been disclosed.
“Your health and safety is our priority. We’re working closely with public health authorities and the province to incorporate this priority in everything we do,” said President Petter in his video address.
“We will continue to communicate frequently, and to provide avenues for you to reach out for support.”
YWiB SFU’s International Women’s Day Gala 2019.
Photo via Facebook courtesy of the Simon Fraser Student Society
Written by: Madeleine Chan, Staff Writer
The eight winners of the 2020 SFSS Women of the Year award, from each of SFU’s faculties, were announced earlier in March via social media.
The awards would have been presented at the International Women’s Day Gala, organized by Young Women in Business (YWiB) SFU; however, the event was cancelled this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Peak has reached out to the winners to discuss their accomplishments over the past year and their reactions to receiving the award.
According to the SFSS, these awards “honour self-identified women who set the bar high and drive positive change in their faculties.” The candidates were first chosen by an independent selection committee, and then the finalists were voted on by SFU students through a web survey. The recipients are as follows: Izyl Canonicato, Jessica Dela Cruz, Peyton Winslade, Marium Zaki, Tara Trang, Camelia Tavakoli, Aleisha Fernandes, and Eva Ang.
Camelia Tavakoli from the Faculty of Environment, along with being proud of becoming a more “powerful person” over the past year, has contributed to her department through research on public health and the environment. On winning the award she said: “I think more than anyone, I proved to myself that despite all the difficulties, I made it! I [would] like to dedicate this award to all the women who are doing their best in life. Ladies! Keep your chin up, and SHAKE IT OFF!”
Eva Ang from the Faculty of Science has earned multiple awards for her contributions to the SFU and BPK community. This year she took on the role of Assistant Director for the BPK Peer Mentorship program. On receiving the Women of the Year Award she commented, “As a young girl, I never would have thought I would be able to accomplish such [a] milestone [ . . . ] I feel humbled and honoured to have won this award, but I could not have done it without the support and care from my family, peers, and SFU community — thanks for inspiring me everyday!”
Alongside finishing her degree this Spring, Peyton Winslade from the Faculty of Business was a teaching assistant for BUS 361 which “runs as a fundraiser for the Canadian Cancer Society.” She wrote to The Peak, “I am extremely lucky to have met and learned from many intelligent, badass, and authentic women at SFU [ . . . ] I am flattered to have been nominated and selected alongside other passionate and accomplished women from across our campus.”
Marium Zaki from the Faculty of Communication, Art, and Technology is proud of recently landing her “dream job” as a wedding planner with a top wedding planning company. “I am truly honoured to be winning this award. I come from a country where minority rights are nonexistent and I have spent my life doing social work for women, LGBT groups, etc. I just want to raise awareness for the issues minority groups tend to face every single day and how we can all help even a little bit in order to make this world equal for everyone.”
Jessica Dela Cruz from the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS) noted that the accomplishment she is most proud of this year was getting to be FASS’s Engagement Programming Assistant (EPA). Through this role, she has helped to plan events such as Clubs Days, Welcome Day, and FASS On a Boat. On receiving the award she said, “It has represented my growth in the past two years as an SFU student [ . . . ] to have my efforts recognized and appreciated [ . . . ] makes me passionate to continue to do more and do better.”
Aleisha Fernandes from the Faculty of Health Sciences is proud of completing all of her courses and her third co-op term. She has been a part of the Faculty of Health Sciences Peer Mentorship Program for four years, and has also worked on a number of initiatives with SFU Health and Counselling. On winning the award she commented, “I want to thank everyone for taking the effort to nominate some pretty amazing women [ . . . ] shoutout to all of the inspirational people in my life that have pushed me to keep pushing my limits.”
Izyl Canonicato from the Faculty of Applied Sciences did not respond in time for publication. Tara Trang from the Faculty of Education declined to respond.
Aries: How’s that “grass is greener on the other side” mindset going for you now? Take the time to forgive yourself for that compulsory Amazon purchase. Which one, you ask? Maybe the one that didn’t help you build your alternate reality. But you’re used to those.
Taurus: It’s your time to shine, Taurus. Utilize your season to explore new artistic endeavours. Try recording yourself banging your head against the window, since you can’t go out, and play that instead of the three albums you’ve had on a loop for weeks. And that to-do list you have? It needs you — you don’t need it.
Gemini: Never one to settle, this pandemic proves extra confusing for you, Gemini. Just continue festering in that one confusing or uncomfortable moment on which your mind never stops dwelling. It provides some stability for you — for once.
Cancer: Quarantine provides you more of what you want: time for introspection. Like repeating laps in a Mario Kart race, you will almost certainly run into a banana peel around the same place each time. But at least you would look mysterious and hot doing it.
Leo: You’ve been holding on to the memories of a situation you will never be able to revisit. But there’s no point ruminating on it; nothing will change. Whether you’re playing an old favourite video game nonstop or trying to remake that childhood meal that sends you back to the early 2000s, your memories will always show everyone liking you way more than they actually did.
Virgo: You may be considering a chaotic quarantine makeover of sorts, whether it be on your body or in your surroundings. With stick-and-pokes being too risky (or are they?) and cutting your hair being too cliché, you’re better off embracing your inner anarchist and making over your governmental system.
Libra: Whatever you do, don’t open Omegle like you did years ago. As you probably already know, the rare validation from strangers does not outweigh the amount of dicks you’ll see. Try The Sims instead. At least there you can have a person in your life who listens even after you set their kitchen on fire.
Scorpio: It’s just you, your water bottle, and the dust bunny collection on your windowsill against the world. For their sake and yours, keep working as hard as you always do: just enough to stay hydrated, but not enough to clean up your life.
Sagittarius: They don’t call you a mutable sign for nothing. You don’t listen to a thing your friends tell you. You can mute anyone at any time — except that voice in the back of your head telling you to listen to Twice, just this once.
Capricorn: You joke with your friends that you grew up to become Squidward — sarcastic, witty, and the best part of the show. In reality, you’re Mr. Krabs. No, not just for the money factor. You just have a weird laugh.
Aquarius: Some call you detached from many emotions, while others say you are obsessive once you become interested in someone or something that piques your short attention span. One thing is certain: quarantine is showing you that hiding your tears by crying in the shower doesn’t hit the same when there’s nowhere else you could really be instead.
Pisces: Desiring the satisfaction of feeling accomplished, you may begin feeling burnt out due to limited opportunities being presented to you. Just keep pursuing that quarantine hobby. You swore you would, even though posting about your Etch A Sketch masterpieces on social media doesn’t feel as rewarding as talking about them in the AQ.
PORT COQUITLAM, BC — On Tuesday morning, local quarantiner Angelica Velasquez reported that her neighbour’s plants were looking hot as fuck, especially the maidenhair fern growing in their window.
“She [the fern] has always been a real cutie, but today she’s really serving a look. Just check out that hydration, that chlorophyll,” said Velasquez. “I just really admire her vibrancy in these tough times. She’s so strong.”
Green and glamorous, the maidenhair fern moved into the neighbourhood about five months ago, says Velasquez, though she has led a fulfilling career so far. To date, the fern has made it to the Forbes 30 Under 30, ran for the presidential nomination in the US 2020 Democratic primary, and killed Albus Dumbledore.
“Of course, it’s all such a sad reminder of how much of a shut-in I’ve been these days. But at least someone’s getting the spotlight,” says Velasquez, the “spotlight” in question being the rays of the sun.
Now, Velasquez says, her neighbour’s maidenhair has inspired her to take initiative and drop the “dead weight” in her life, to focus on the future. Amongst other things, the fern has inspired Velasquez to finally dump her deadbeat boyfriend, whose only response was a texted “sorry I cant fuckin be her :/ [sic].”
Velasquez was unable to provide her neighbour’s name or contact information, though she notes that this may have to do with their refusal to communicate through any medium other than speech bubbles in Animal Crossing.
Aside from their general beauty, maidenhair ferns, or adiantum, are known for their ability to shed water without getting wet themselves. It is rumoured that pop icon Taylor Swift’s “Shake it Off” was actually ghostwritten by a maidenhair fern, though this might just be another piece of gossip circulated by Swift’s evil ex-manager.
Photo: RADIUS
"We have a tagline: a home away from the neighbourhood."
By: Meera Eragoda, Arts Editor
Photo: RADIUS
Editor’s Note: This interview was done prior to COVID-19 quarantine measures.
Name: Leo Dittmer
Pronouns: He/him/his
Department Affiliation: Faculty of Environment: Human Geography
Hometown: Clavet, Saskatchewan
Favourite bird: “Chickadee. My grandparents had them at their farm and they had a really big window in their living room so I would just sit in the window and look at the birds.”
I sat down with Leo Dittmer to learn more about his experience being enrolled in the RADIUS SFU program this semester. The first thing I noticed was that he was wearing a great shirt with small printed roses all over it. He had just gotten Veggie Lunch in MBC and had come to the realization that perhaps he should have heeded the warning of the person serving him that the spicy sauce was quite hot. His laugh was exuberant, which was delightful to hear.
Dittmer is an undergrad in human geography, though he switched majors from interactive art and technology (IAT). He was at Langara College when he took an urban geography course that really set off his passion for it.
“It was really cool to understand why humans have made cities and why we live the way we do, and how sometimes the way we live doesn’t work for us but we still live like that [ . . . ] It’s also an interesting topic because more and more people are living in cities.”
I recently learned about RADIUS and got curious. According to their website, RADIUS is a “social innovation hub based out of the Beedie School of Business, SFU, and located in the heart of Vancouver at the Charles Chang Innovation Centre.” Their mission is to run “programs to collaboratively develop, test, and accelerate innovative responses to tough social problems.”
The specific program that RADIUS runs which Dittmer is in is called the Civic Innovation Change Lab (CICL). The ideal applicants from SFU are third or fourth year students in any department. This semester they included people studying a range of subjects from health science to gender studies, and even one who wasn’t previously an SFU student. The CICL is meant to help students develop and implement real solutions to existing problems.
Every semester’s CICL has a different theme. Just last semester, that theme was Neighbourhood Resilience. Along with Dittmer, there were 13 others who were accepted into the cohort.
When asked about his experience, Dittmer states: “Coming from what is literally classified as a village, it’s really interesting to learn about cities. It’s so cool.” He adds with a laugh, “Stars in my eyes.”
Given his passion for cities, the CICL, and specifically this semester’s topic of Neighbourhood Resilience, appealed to him. He heard about it from a friend and since he was interested in business, decided to apply.
“I thought that [experiential] learning would be cool. I’d also contemplated taking some business courses [ . . . ] It’s not super business focused but [ . . . ] you do want to create a project that could fund itself.”
He expands, “The topic [ . . . ] is something that comes up in geography a lot. I had just taken GEOG 312 Geography of Natural Hazards and we talked a lot about resiliency and how people can recover from natural disasters [ . . . ] I thought it would be cool to do something [with] this.”
Dittmer explains what neighbourhood resilience means by explaining that the City of Vancouver’s neighbourhood resilience plan is intended to help “neighbourhoods to recover or bounce back from long-term shocks and things like that. Also [ . . . ] short-term shocks and everyday stressor type things, like affordability, racism, loneliness.”
The idea that Dittmer’s group (one of four groups in his cohort) is working on is called the Neighbourhood Clubhouse. “We have a tagline: a home away from home for the whole neighbourhood.” The idea is to have a kind of semi-open, semi-private space in a neighbourhood where people can drop by, hang out, and meet each other.
Their inspiration came from doing “a really big survey that got a lot of attention. Over 200 people filled it out. And we did a bunch of in-person interviews and research.”
Dittmer was concerned about a survey conducted on the people in Vancouver. “We found that [ . . . ] over 80% [of people in Vancouver weren’t] close with a neighbour of theirs.”
Dittmer believes this is important because “neighbourhood resiliency is really important for disaster recovery. And also just makes your life better. That’s one of the hard things about the Lower Mainland. People are so spread out and so far that [ . . . ] if you can know people in your neighbourhood and be like, ‘This is somewhere I belong and I know these people and I can talk to them,’ — that’s something that really helps.”
And Dittmer can relate. I ask what his thoughts are on his own hometown of Clavet in light of all the geography courses he’s taken and he jokes, “I don’t know why anybody lives in a village.”
Following this, Dittmer then gets serious and admits one of the things he misses is being physically close to the people he cares about. “There are people I care about in the Lower Mainland, but everybody lives all over.”
On how the Neighbourhood Clubhouse would be different from a community centre or a library he explains, “We’re envisioning a space for the people and probably run by the people as well.” People would be able to bring in food, board games, books, and be as social as they like. The goal is to have it be very accessible, but Dittmer acknowledges they still have to iron out some kinks.
“Do we want people to pay some kind of membership to upkeep the space? Do we want it to be locked up at night? Those are the kinds of things we’re still trying to figure out.”
There are also other types of barriers that come from people being hesitant to take advantage of collective and communal resources. As Dittmer explains, “Something that I heard a lot when I was doing interviews with people in Vancouver is that there’s a lot of social anxiety or there’s an assumption that you’re not welcome in whatever spaces.” He says people seem to think, “Oh that space is not for me. It’s for whoever or it’s for these very cool hipster people.”
Relating this feeling to the project, “I think that’s something we’ve been thinking about from the beginning: how do we advertise the space as being for everybody, and [that] everybody is completely welcome here, and we want everybody to come in and give it a try? And that’s something we’re still figuring out a little bit.”
Dittmer, however, seems heartened by the abilities of everyone in his group to achieve this. “I love doing interdisciplinary projects. I love working with people from other disciplines.” He explains that it’s the different perspectives he appreciates the most.
In addition, he’s hopeful in the project because of the ability CICL has to be “working adjacent” to the City of Vancouver. “Every Tuesday, we’re at City Studios, which is run by the City of Vancouver, so we use their space but the employees have been very helpful [ . . . ] One of them has been working to get us in contact with the person who runs the Thingery [which are lending libraries that the community contributes to].”
“We are talking to someone from the VIVA Vancouver team; [the team] focuses on activating public space in Vancouver. He was giving us some insight as well [ . . . ] So there’s definitely been lots of City people involved.”
When I asked Dittmer what he thought was one of the most memorable parts of CICL had been so far, he didn’t have to think long.
“Our midpoint presentations. It was all of our classmates, all of our instructors, all of the people from City Studio, and we also had four guest panelists that came. There was somebody from RADIUS, a person from Vancity who does their community projects, a planner from the City of Vancouver, and someone from Beedie. Getting to do our midpoint presentation in front of them was one of the scariest things I’ve done in my undergrad, but it was also really cool and interesting [ . . . ] At that time, we hadn’t selected an idea. We had kinda come up with three ones that we would be interested in doing. They gave us feedback on everything, and it was very scary but very cool.”
The business exposure he’s had through CICL has met his initial interest. “I was just thinking it would be interesting to explore how our economy works, and maybe some ways we can function outside of a typical capitalist paradigm. And that’s one kind of interesting thing that has come up a lot in our course: the sustainable innovation of it. And social innovation. Creating something for good. Something that can hopefully fund itself and keep operating so you don’t have to rely on money from the City or from grants.”
So does this mean Dittmer is hoping this project will actually be implemented after the program? Definitely!
“It’s not any kind of guarantee but that’s the mindset that we’re in. We would actually like to be able to do it [ . . . ] There are quite a few grants and things [ . . . ] so we’re really hoping we can keep pushing it forward when [CICL] is done.”
As for the future, Dittmer believes, “It would be really cool to work in community planning, like planning cities. I think that’s some of why this topic and this project have been so exciting for me. I would love to run with this all the way to the end.”
He’s also entertaining the idea of doing something in the arts or with writing. Dittmer’s passion, energy, and drive shone through to me and I was left with the feeling that whatever he goes into, I’m sure we can expect some very interesting things to come out of it.
As well, I’m struck by how innovative and socially-conscious SFU’s CICL program is and I would encourage everyone reading to take a look at their website for more information.
SFU was ranked first in the world by the Times Higher Education’s (THE) 2020 University Impact Rankings for its contribution to sustainable cities and communities.
Times Higher Education is an independent data-providing organization that ranks universities globally. THE’s University Impact Rankings specifically assess universities’ efforts in maintaining the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), all of which are found on their website.
President Andrew Petter explained in a phone interview with The Peak that this ranking is a result of both SFU’s internal sustainability initiatives as well as a number of community engagement projects.
“This ranking is really reflective of not individual effort, but of collective effort. A lot of the research we’ve done on sustainability has been done by faculty members; a lot of the advocacy on sustainability around our investment strategy, for example, has come out of student groups like SFU 350.”
The Director of SFU’s Sustainability Office Candace Le Roy highlighted a few of SFU’s sustainability initiatives in a phone interview with The Peak.
Amongst them was the Sustainability Mobility Advisory Committee (SMAC), a committee made up of faculty, staff, and students who collaborate on implementing environmentally sustainable practices in the university. She also highlighted the art and heritage work SFU has done, including work done by the SFU Office for Aboriginal Peoples and both SFU Woodward’s Cultural and Community Programs. Le Roy explained that such initiatives aim to focus not only on the environment as a form of sustainability, but also the focus on the social and cultural life of communities served by SFU.
“Our work on sustainability at SFU is a University-wide initiative [ . . . ] that’s what makes our work on sustainability so effective,” Le Roy stated to The Peak.
Le Roy also emphasized SFU’s research in sustainability. Along with receiving a gold rating for its sustainability research in 2018, SFU has recently opened a school of Sustainability Energy Engineering (SEE), which welcomed its first cohort in Fall 2019. The SEE program is housed in SFU Surrey’s new sustainable building.
Even SFU’s choice of incorporating a multi-campus system contributes to sustainability, explained Le Roy, as the lack of commuters reduces transportation emissions and lowers the school’s carbon footprint.
Le Roy also noted that thanks to the SFU’s energy management team, the school has been able to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) to surpass the provincial target. “It’s not sexy work,” Le Roy said. “It’s flogging away and trying to find things like, how do we change a doorway in a building so that we can shave off a little bit more GHG.”
SFU was also ranked ninth in the world for its contribution to climate action. Recently, SFU committed to a five-year strategic Sustainability Plan which focuses on combating climate change, and consists of 16 sustainability targets. Before COVID-19, the Sustainability Office held community dialogue sessions with students and faculty about whether or not SFU should declare a climate emergency.
“It’s really hard to introduce an emergency declaration in the middle of another emergency,” Le Roy said. “So what we’re working on now until this settles down is to develop some climate action principles for the institution for our recovery plan.”
“Climate change is an existential threat to society and to the world,” said Petter. “The fact that we’re in the top 10 in the world in leading university responses to climate change is really encouraging but it’s no reason to rest on our laurels.”
As for the future of SFU’s Sustainability Office, Le Roy reported an oncoming collaboration with SFU Embark. Le Roy hopes to integrate students into SFU’s climate action and sustainability initiatives through consultation.
SFU also ranked highly in the Peace, Justice & Strong Institutions goal (fourth). Petter noted that programs like SFU Public Square and the Centre for Dialogue were major contributors to this goal, particularly with regard to raising public awareness on justice issues and public policy.
Petter concluded his interview by expressing his appreciation for faculty, staff, and students for the sustainable cities and communities goal amidst the pandemic.
“As much as COVID-19 is a dominant issue right now, there are other issues that we are contributing to that are also important and that we’re very much a leader,” he said.
“I’m confident SFU will continue to lead in the future.”
Newly elected Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS) President Osob Mohamed may have started her term in the midst of a pandemic, but that has not dampened her excitement for the upcoming year.
The previous Health Sciences Representative spoke with The Peak about why she decided to run for president and what she hopes to see the Board achieve during her term. From advocacy endeavours to accommodations for all SFU students, Mohamed has big plans for the coming year.
“I served on the Board this past year as the Health Sciences rep, and it was a good experience. It was very much my introduction into the student society and into student unions in general,” began Mohamed. This experience introduced her to the capabilities and responsibilities of the Board, including membership engagement and establishing solidarity with student groups.
“But, on the flip side, I also as a Board member started to see a lot of the gaps in our governance practices [ . . . ] when you’re on the Board, you quickly realize that one year is not a lot of time. And it’s not easy to get much done in one year.” She hopes to push initiatives forward and focus on organizational restructuring during her term.
“During my time as president, I want students to feel seen and supported by the SFSS. I want to ensure that we are consulting with students on a regular basis before making decisions that impact them,” said Mohamed.
Mohamed also noted that the Board is in the process of developing a student advocacy office.
“I anticipate that students are going to need help now more than ever, as we are not sure what’s going to be going on with grade appeals in the coming semester and course delivery.”
The incoming president hopes the Board will “ensure that the quality of the services we offer are intact, and that we’re addressing important student concerns such as finances, housing, food security, academic accommodations, and more. It will take work, but we will do everything we can to make it happen.”
So far, the Board has moved the food bank service online and continues to lobby for the inclusion of international students in the Canadian Emergency Student Benefit (CESB).
Furthermore, Mohamed wants to ensure that course delivery for the Summer, Intersession, and potentially Fall semesters run smoothly.
“We learned a lot over the last couple of weeks about what to do and what not to do over the coming semesters — so for Summer and Fall — and that’s going to be us making sure that we’re pushing the university to make the right decisions.”
The issue of tuition prices for an exclusively online semester is also being discussed by the Board and staff at the university, according to Mohamed.
Mohamed explained some goals she has for the SFU community in the months to come. From both a university and government level, Mohamed wants the SFSS to be more active in supporting student movements; this includes supporting Tuition Freeze Now and pushing for a freeze on tuition increases for the 2020/21 year. Additionally, Mohamed wants to ensure that the SFSS is fighting for students’ rights and well-being with every initiative pushed forward.
She also noted that she hopes to work on smaller projects such as Open Educational Resources and free menstrual products on campus.
“The students have elected a strong Board, and I anticipate that the SFSS will be going through some big changes this year. Student advocacy and activism should be at the forefront of any student society or student union, and we are no different. I want to help foster this spirit into the SFSS for the upcoming year and years ahead. I’m excited to see what the future holds.”
As the Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS) Board switches over for the upcoming school year, it is time to say goodbye to the 2019/2020 Board. Outgoing President Giovanni HoSang shared his parting thoughts with The Peak on his time with the SFSS.
Can you list some highlights of your time with the SFSS?
HoSang’s main goal coming into the year was to improve the relationship between the SFSS and the students, the Rotunda community, and the independent student societies. A highlight for him is seeing more of a bond between all of the groups now.
One of the Board’s key accomplishments in bringing these groups together was the decision to grant the Rotunda groups space in the new Student Union Building (SUB). “I think that is something that shows how the Board can start listening to students,” said HoSang.
HoSang is also proud of the student activism that occurred over the past year, stating that, “I really think the whole activism profile of the SFSS, or of the student body at large, has really been lifted due to a lot of advocacy on my part.”
HoSang added that he is happy with how the Board has handled COVID-19. He noted that in addition to launching $150,000 in emergency funds for students, the SFSS also successfully lobbied the university regarding alternative grading options for the Spring 2020 semester.
What were some of your biggest challenges in your time with the SFSS?
One of HoSang’s biggest challenges was leading a Board that had opposing views on a number of issues, and him being on the minority side of those views, making it difficult to pass certain motions.
“Looking back on all of that I recognize that they were just challenges, and the fact that we overcame those challenges is very positive [ . . . ] I’m thankful for the ability to do some pushing and pulling to get stuff done.”
What was your main accomplishment as president and what was the Board’s main accomplishment as a whole?
As president, HoSang’s key accomplishment was “being able to inspire a lot of students to get involved within the student society.” He noted that the SFSS had a record amount of candidates in the 2020 elections.
According to HoSang, the Board’s biggest accomplishment was “being able to push through a lot of motions and have a lot of impact on the whole of the society.” He added that the Board was able to accomplish many of the big goals that they laid out for themselves at the start of the year.
“Even though people have different views on stuff, we were able to actually come to agreement on a lot of issues. Things that you would never have thought that we would have got through, we did.”
Any advice that you would give to a student considering running for a position in the future?
“Never ever be afraid to speak up for what you believe in.” .
What would you like to see the incoming Board accomplish next year?
“We brought back activism this year, and next year I think is the opportunity to build student power as a whole across the province.”
He added that the next Board will be crucial in important topics such as climate action, solidarity, better support for international students, and lowering student fees.
“We should definitely use this as an opportunity to make sure that students are centred across the province and across Canada. This Board will be very vital in doing that type of relationship building and movement building.”
In discussing the incoming president Osob Mohamed, HoSang said, “I am really excited to see what the society will be under her leadership. Just as I look back on presidents such as Chardaye Bueckert, I look forward to a president such as Osob Mohamed.”
Was it all worth it?
HoSang concluded that running for president was worth it and he would definitely do it again.
“A lot of tears sometimes, a lot of passion, but a lot of joy and laughter [ . . . ] I have grown immensely.”
Monday Music: your weekly themed playlist. Image courtesy of The Peak.
By: Meera Eragoda, Arts & Culture Editor
Editor’s note: All of the Monday Music for the Summer 2020 semester will now be available on The Peak’s Spotify playlistso you can listen more easily!
There’s a lot going on right now with COVID-19. That may leave many of you feeling stressed, overwhelmed, and anxious — I definitely am. When it’s all gotten to be too much, I’ve just binged TikToks for an hour straight to take my mind off everything. But there’s only so much time you can spend listening to the same sound bites that everyone uses for their TikToks over and over again. So instead of further delving into TikTok holes, here’s a selection of some moody, eclectic, upbeat, and energetic albums that you should dive headfirst into.
Xiuhtezcatl Martinez is a 19-year-old Indigenous activist and musician of Aztec descent. While we all know Greta Thunberg, Xiuhtezcatl has been an activist since he was six and has been one of the youth at the forefront of climate change advocacy. He’s done collaborations with Shailene Woodley, and Willow and Jaden Smith. Break Free weaves in violins, piano, and melodics with both English and Spanish rap. Xiuhtezcatl’s message is serious; the whole album is filled with messages of Indigenous resistance, resilience, optimism for the future, and the power of youth. Lyrics such as “our ancestors taught us that although our people were colonised, our temples destroyed, and our ceremonies forbidden, our legacy would live on in flowers and songs” send a clear message of hope. Listen to this for motivation to keep fighting against climate change and for Indigenous sovereignty, or if you generally need messages of hope. Start with “Break Free,” “Sage Up,” and “Tlahuiliz/Light.”
This is a dual album drop from Princess Nokia, a multi-talented Nuyorican. Her music combines a variety of different styles: Everything is Beautiful embraces her hip-hop and pop side, and Everything Sucks embracing her harder side, including songs that are a throwback to her youth in the goth/punk rock scene. A lot of her music embraces her Puerto Rican and Caribbean roots, and she also sings in both English and Spanish. Many black women get pigeonholed into certain types of music, but Princess Nokia refuses to let the music industry dictate what she can and can’t do. She has refused deals with larger record albums to retain control over her music. Everything Sucks has a chaotic energy to it but is a compelling listen while Everything is Beautiful has happier and more upbeat tracks but Princess Nokia still manages to infuse it with feminist lyrics. Start with “Sugar Iced Honey Tea (S.H.I.T),” “Soul Food y Adobo,” and “Welcome to the Circus.”
This is a weird, quirky, eclectic, cult classic from the 1970s. It was initially only sold in a record store in Los Angeles, but for some reason, apparently Sears (a department store that no longer exists in Canada) gave away a free copy with every purchase of a Simmons mattress. Garson’s Plantasia is filled with early electro and synth. It’s very ambient, calming, and chill. I can definitely feel the plant energy and sound waves coming off it and it makes me feel like I’m a plant surrounded by other plants, swaying in the wind, living my best plant life. Admittedly, I have also played it for my plants. Honestly, I don’t even know how to describe it, but please listen. It’s an experience. Start with “Music to Soothe the Savage Snake Plant,” “Plantasia,” and “Swingin’ Spathiphyllums.”
Moody is the best word to describe this album. Brian Eno, a producer and musician credited with creating the term “ambient music,” contributed to In Conflict with synths, guitar, and vocals, and his electro-ambient influence is very evident in several of the tracks. This album features slow lyrics, violins, and piano. It is heavily moody, atmospheric, and at times ethereal. It’s all very mesmerizing, and listening to it makes me feel like I’m riding electronic waves through a cloudy, deep blue sky with the moon shining brightly above me. It feels very paradoxical with Palett’s ability to create music that’s both clear and muddy at the same time. Start with “Song for Five & Six”, “I Am Not Afraid”, and “On A Path.”
On April 22, Prime Minister Trudeau proposed legislation that would grant post-secondary students and recent graduates access to their own pool of COVID emergency relief funding. The Canada Emergency Student Benefit (CESB) would provide students with $1,250 per month until August 2020. Students with disabilities or those caring for others would receive $2,000. A summer grant program offering up to $5,000 for student volunteers, and a $75 million pool for Indigenous students, have also been proposed.
On the surface it would seem quite generous for the federal government to invest so much (a total of $9 billion) specifically for students. And in fact, it is especially timely as many of the jobs that students rely on — typically part-time employment in the service sector — have now been shuttered due to the pandemic. Students who have completed their studies as far back as December 2019 also get a bit of relief with this fund. However, when compared to the funding that is currently being offered through the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB), it’s clear that students are getting short-changed in a big way with CESB.
The CERB was created to avoid over-taxing Employment Insurance (EI) funds. Instead of having 7.3 million Canadians apply for EI all at once, the CERB funnels applications who lost their jobs specifically because of COVID through their own stream. Those applying to CERB must have had an employment income of at least $5,000 in either the 2019 tax year or in the last 12 months — this is a major sticking point for a number of demographics and communities, students among them. Full-time students who are unemployed or work limited hours (either due to seasonal employment or irregular shifts) may not make the $5,000 cut off. The CESB is intended to close that gap.
However, some quick head-math shows that students applying for CESB will receive much less than they could otherwise get through CERB, if they qualified. If approved, CERB recipients are eligible for $500 per week for 16 weeks, or roughly $2,000 per month for four months. This difference doesn’t make a lot of sense. It’s not like students don’t also have adult expenses that need to be paid. The cost of housing alone for students who don’t live rent-free can easily reach the $750 difference between CERB and CESB, not to mention tuition isn’t cheap either. Even for students who do live at home, it is likely that they have family members who have also lost employment due to COVID, making overall household expenses tight all around.
Additionally, the creation of the CERB and the CESB leave international students in a bit of a lurch. Student expats who chose to remain in Canada are eligible for the CERB but not the CESB — but only if they make the $5,000 cut-off. Given that international students face restrictions on how many hours a week they can work while classes are in session, reaching this cut-off may be even more difficult.
All these difficulties beg the question: why not simply make the CERB universal? By this I mean a single relief fund that can be applied to for anyone residing long-term in Canada. Given that COVID relief funding for seniors financially affected by the pandemic is going to be its own separate thing, it seems ludicrous to keep patching all the financial leaks in various populations with separate piecemeal funds. A universal relief fund would provide all people living in Canada who are without income during this crisis with enough temporary funds to see them through this first wave at least. This would also ensure that those who need help get it in a timely way, instead of waiting for new relief proposals to be approved through Parliament.
As has become a common refrain now, we’re all in this together. There’s no good reason why all of our financial concerns shouldn’t be addressed together as well.
Correction (May 12, 2020): A previous version of this article stated that students with disabilities could receive $1,750 from the CESB.
