On April 22, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the Canada Emergency Student Benefit (CESB) action plan to provide approximately $9 billion to domestic post-secondary students during the COVID-19 pandemic.
From the months of May to August, students may apply for the $1,250 monthly benefit. This value increases to $1,750 for students with codependent(s) or a permanent disability. CBC News noted that this benefit, available to those without jobs or those making less than $1,000 a month, will assist young people “falling through the cracks” of already established relief programs like the Canadian Emergency Response Benefit (CERB).
The Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS), along with other student societies across Canada, have been lobbying the federal government for more support for students during the pandemic. In an email to The Peak, VP External Relations Jasdeep Gill elaborated on the Board’s efforts to encourage an inclusive and sufficient benefit program for all students.
“There have been many Board members involved in the advocacy efforts that have included directly communicating with provincial and federal representatives, media outlets, grassroots organizations, student coalitions and other student unions,” wrote Gill. She added that the SFSS has also worked with federal representatives over email and Zoom to encourage action.
According to Employment Minister Carla Qualtrough, the CESB may only be claimed by Canadian students studying in or out of the country. According to the Government of Canada’s website, international students may apply for the CERB if they stopped working due to the pandemic and did not quit voluntarily. As of now, this is the only aid option available for international students in Canada.
“For lobbying directed at the government, a lot of our focus has been on pushing for the inclusion of international students in the various aid options,” said Gill.
The SFSS Board has written a letter to BC Premier John Horgan as well as a letter to Trudeau in collaboration with other student organizations, emphasizing the inclusion of all students in its aid options.
“We continue to believe that the only way to ensure that no one is left behind during the COVID-19 pandemic is by making all students and recent graduates eligible for the CERB,” said the letter to Trudeau, sent April 15. The letter also discussed the millions of students, including those over 30 and international students, who may not benefit from the current changes to the Canada Summer Jobs program, which Trudeau announced earlier in April.
The SFSS also called for the inclusion of international students for the CESB in the letter to the Premier of BC. The letter, signed by the SFSS, explains how the pandemic impacts international students depending on summer jobs that may have been compromised in the unprecedented situation.
“International students directly contribute to our province’s economy, diversity and prosperity. Now is the time for us to take action and directly contribute to their safety and security in a time of global crisis,” said the letter to Premier Horgan.
SFSS to provide up to $15,000 for SFU Surge Hackathon
The funding will go toward SFU Surge’s first hackathon, which is to be held in the Spring 2021 semester.
Hilal Asmat, co-president of SFU Surge, said that a hackathon gives participants the opportunity to learn new technology and meet with companies for recruitment opportunities. She explained that they are hoping to make this an annual event, and will in the future hopefully be able to rely on funding from sponsors rather than the SFSS.
Asmat explained at the Board meeting that some changes had been made to the event since their last time speaking to the SFSS, including making budget cuts and changing the number of participants from 400 to 300. Due to COVID-19, they have also moved the date from November 2020 to the Spring 2021 semester, either in March or April.
Vice-president of SFU Surge Praneer Shrestha noted that they are not likely to receive sufficient funding from sponsors, considering that this is their first time throwing the event. As such, this is why they require funding from the SFSS, according to Shrestha.
“A large scale hackathon is super long overdue. Other schools are already running it in BC, in Canada, and in North America, and we would be raised to a competing level with them,” said Asmat.
Applied Sciences Representative Nick Chubb said that “I personally have been to hackathons before, and I have found that they are very helpful for myself; for meeting more people, learning more for my career.”
The motion was amended for the SFSS to provide up to $15,000 to the hackathon, down from it’s initial $20,000.
SFSS formally endorses the SFU C19 Coalition
The SFSS passed a motion to formally endorse the SFU C19 Coalition, which was formed in response to COVID-19.
According to their website, Coalition is “a group of grassroots organizers advocating for all students and workers at Simon Fraser University.”
Health Sciences Representative and incoming SFSS President Osob Mohamed explained that one of the groups main goals is to “make sure that international students are being included in [receiving federal funding] and making sure that students are also getting what they need.”
“I think that an endorsement from the SFSS would be particularly strong because we do represent students on campus, over 26,000 voices,” Mohamed added.
President Giovanni HoSang stated that he was in full support of this motion, noting that “I think this is in line with our signing onto the Don’t Forget Students letter.”
Jasdeep Gill said that funding for international students is something that the SFSS is currently advocating for to the federal government, noting that, “I think as the new Board comes in it’s a really good opportunity for them [ . . . ] to stay on top of it [ . . . ] if we keep up the pressure then I think something can be done.”
By: Harvin Bathal, Juztin Bello, Kelly Chia, Nicole Magas
OK, I’ll admit it — the power of being the Features editor has finally gotten to my head. When the opportunity to interview The Peak’s beautiful animals had been taken with gusto, I got the chance to publish the piece of my dreams. So here it is: up close and personal with our most precious pets.
Photo: Harvin Bathal
Today has been a good day for Malki (left) and Toby (right), but they’re tired now. “We went on such a nice walk today, all around the farm,” Malki barked to The Peak. Toby chimes in, “Yes, yes, good walk, yes!”
Malki is a Great Dane and Bull Mastiff mix (75%-25%). She’s a little older, the alpha, if you will. Her attitude isn’t present in moments like these because she’s happy — but oh does she have an attitude.
Toby is a Pitbull and Bull Mastiff mix (75%-25%). He’s just a happy little fellow. His day begins with a big yawn and stretches, and then he immediately starts playing with his big sister.
He looks up to Malki, but sometimes, she gets annoyed by him. It happens when you live with someone.
But one thing they’ve always been appreciative of is living on a farm.
“The space!” excitedly barks Toby, “So much space!!!”
Rolling her eyes at Toby, unimpressed, “Yes, there is a lot of space. It’s a dog’s dream, the fresh air and open grass field,” she pauses, “That’s how you give a response.”
Toby, who lacks self-awareness, continues on with his day, wagging his tail, as if he didn’t just hear that. He lives in blissful innocence.
But when it’s time to sleep, they become inseparable. They’re each other’s blankets, snuggled in their sleeping area.
“Toby is Toby but at least he’s warm,” Malki barks.
“Toby is warm, Toby is happy,” Toby concludes.
– HB
Photo: Juztin Bello
On any given day at any given time, passersby of the Bello household will be greeted by the sight of two fluffy heads poking their little snouts against the window in the front room, looking curiously at the world going by. On their tiny hind legs with their fuzzy butts shaking excitedly in anticipation, and often accompanied by the sound of delighted woofs, these two lovable pups yearn for and anticipate whatever that given day has in store for them.
The two puppies in question, Tobi (age one, right) and Hershey (age four, left) are both Pembroke Welsh Corgis with a thrill for adventure and love for the occasional banana — as a treat.
Hershey, born on Christmas Eve, came to the Bello household at the age of one and has been a staple to the house’s napping culture ever since. With ears as large as her appetite, this little lass knows what she wants and when she wants it. As the alpha, Hershey enjoys leading the charge on begging for food while the family eats and picking fights with Tobi over petty food-related incidents; but ultimately, she loves spending time with her brother and splitting a treat with him— as long as he doesn’t come within a metre from her and attempts to steal her treat or toy. Her trademark growl and sense for knowing when someone in the house has come home solidify Hershey as the perfect guard dog, a position she takes with pride despite her short stature.
Tobi, the baby of the household, lives life as any escapade-seeking puppy would: one destroyed tennis ball and chaotic walk at a time. What Tobi lacks in size compared to Hershey he makes up for in tail, which Hershey definitely isn’t jealous of. Totally not. When prompted to be let outside, Tobi is already there the moment the backdoor leading to the yard opens. In contrast to his sister who enjoys lounging on the patio in the sun, Tobi likes to chase just about everything from one end of the yard to the other. The only thing he loves to chase more than bugs and tennis balls being thrown in the yard is his own tail, which, again, Hershey is totally not jealous of. While forgetful in how to get down the stairs (despite being taught it over and over again) Tobi knows exactly when to cuddle up on a rough day — and, trust, this is just as much for him as it is for you.
What’s in store for these two charming canines is truly anyone’s guess, but they can promise that whoever passes by that window or comes through that door will be greeted with a snoot, witness the cute, and be hit with that signature Corgi sploot.
– JB
Photo: Kelly Chia
Phoenix has recently turned three years old, and adult life has not changed his enthusiasm for life and its small creatures. A Samoyed, Phoenix’s lips are often upturned into a wide smile, though whether he is actually content depends on how testy he feels that day. Today, he has attempted and once again failed to befriend neighbourhood cats Tommy and Finnigan, and he feels a little defeated, but seems to forget this quickly enough.
At first glance, Phoenix looks like the living embodiment of a noble snowball. His tail curls so it just touches his back, and the picture together with his fluffy cloudlike fur ascends him to model status. But actually, he has bigger aspirations: Phoenix dreams of becoming a singer. It is quite a sight: his mouth pressed into an “o”, hiding his wolf-like teeth as he sings soulfully. Every person who enters the Chia home, stranger or friend, is treated to his signature “woos” of joy as he is always eager to perform for an audience.
To that effect, Phoenix always makes sure he looks like a star for any impromptu paparazzi shots, cleaning his paws fastidiously and tossing a dirty look to anyone who catches him looking so vulnerable and unkempt. At times, he releases a dignified huff – practicing a confident stride sure to win the attention in his poop-scoopers’ Zoom calls.
In a vulnerable moment, Phoenix barks to The Peak, “I don’t understand object permanence!” When asked to clarify what he meant, he pawed at a nefarious puzzle box that hid his treats from him. Clearly he has been robbed from what he deserves, and his poop-scoopers are cruel. But he is quick to forget (or to forgive), and flashes a stunning smile.
“I want a walk,” he finishes with a low woo and a paw shake for good measure. Walks are everything to Phoenix — if he doesn’t receive at least one awed coo from the neighbours, he will sulk on the floor for hours. But as he winks, it is evident that this pretty pooch will get everything he wants, anyway. Except the attention of the cats. – KC
Photo: Nicole Magas
Life in quarantine has been hard for one small parrot living in a Burnaby suburb.
Like many other small household pets, Cygnet, a four-year- old White-Faced Cockatiel, has been facing a mental health crisis since the beginning of lockdown in early March. The principle trigger in this struggle, according to Cygnet, are the hands.
Hands that want to hold, pet, and tickle are nothing new to Cygnet. He’s been jumping and dodging hands since he arrived in his current home in September of 2017. However, Cygnet has noticed a marked increase in the amount of cuddling and hand-holding he has been expected to endure during the crisis, and he’s pleading with pet owners everywhere now to show some restraint and understanding to their small animal companions.
“I’m not opposed to hands, per se,” Cygnet told The Peak via a Twitter interview. “Hands do wonderful things. They fill my seed bowl. They clean my cage. They open the window blinds in the morning. The problems start when the hands want to hold me. That’s unacceptable.”
Even when the hands “hold birb gentle like hamburger” as one popular internet meme instructs, the confinement is too much for birds like Cygnet. “I’m claustrophobic,” he explains. “I feel like my mental health needs are not being accommodated during quarantine, and I’m sure I’m not the only one, either. I hear the cats are going through similar struggles. These are trying times for all of us.”
Cygnet wanted it to be made clear that despite the hands repeatedly violating his personal space, he has never resorted to biting. “I’m a good boy,” he says proudly. “And no hand is going to take that away from me.”
If there’s one thing being stuck in isolation is giving us, it’s the chance to get through all the movies we’ve been meaning to watch. Stargirl, a Disney coming-of-age film released in March 2020, was one of those movies for me. It follows the story of Leo Borlock, played by Graham Verchere, who moves to Arizona with his mother after his father passes away. There he meets quirky and mysterious Stargirl Caraway, played by Grace VanderWaal. Leo is obviously fascinated with Stargirl, watching her from afar and stealing glances at her odd mannerisms. It’s apparent that they will quickly begin their adolescent relationship. However, unlike most coming-of-age movies, the film doesn’t tell a love story — it tells a story about staying true to your individuality.
Leo grew up with a love for unique attire, such as ties with porcupines on them, but this love is quickly tamed after he is bullied for it and he learns to blend in. He tones down his wardrobe, wearing only subdued colours, like navy blues, browns and greys, and becomes consciously quiet in an attempt to avoid drawing attention to himself. It’s how he survives the harsh world. Then enters Stargirl, wearing colourful patterns, singing to everyone with her ukelele, and carrying around her pet rat.
Stargirl’s character is a bit overly eccentric. I can’t imagine anyone singing “Happy Birthday” to their crush on the first day of school and tracing back neighbourhood tragedies to send people anonymous gifts. She ultimately comes off as a character only made to teach our protagonist a lesson, acting as a gateway for Leo to crack open his shell. In some ways though, she’s refreshing; Stargirl holds genuine kindness in her heart, and that’s a wonderful lesson for us. She ultimately stays true to herself until the end, making the best decision for her relationship with Leo.
The film portrays their connection simply as a rush of emotions. They are happy in each other’s company and, at first, oblivious to the world around them. It seems as though it is only because Stargirl is so different from anyone he’s met before that Leo is dating her, without considering her true individuality. This is painfully clear when he begins questioning why she wouldn’t simply tone her personality down for the sake of fitting in, as he did. Leo’s character would have been immensely stronger if he hadn’t pressured Stargirl to fit in, if he didn’t need her to show him the value in authenticity.
The fundamental issue I have with the movie is that it is ultimately Stargirl, and not Leo himself, who pushes him to understand the value of individuality. It shouldn’t be up to her to demonstrate what it means to be yourself. Stargirl is more than a teacher, but in the film, that’s all she serves as. At Leo’s urging, Stargirl dulls herself down, reverts her name to “Susan,” and blends in. And Leo actually appears happy about it. It isn’t until Stargirl realizes that she’s unhappy with this new version of herself that she once again embraces her eccentric personality.
SPOILER ALERT:
Stargirl goes back to being herself and essentially forces Leo to do the same. She arranges for him to sing at the school dance, which sets up a space for him to face his peers and gives him the chance to prove he doesn’t care what others think. Upon hearing that he’ll be a guest singer, Leo only takes the stage because he’s expected to do so. If it wasn’t for Stargirl, Leo would stay boring. Why couldn’t his character simply develop as an individual and change in a way that didn’t require Stargirl to put in the effort?
Still, Leo’s revelations come too late, because once he embraces the porcupine-tie side of his personality, she’s gone — literally vanishing into the night.
Stargirl has its moments, but it would have been better executed if Leo came to this realization on his own. Then again, the film doesn’t want its audience to be like Leo. It doesn’t want to show them a relationship where one couldn’t fully embrace the other, and where the connection is built solely on the idea of what someone else could be. Instead, Stargirl urges its audience to chase after nonconformity; to never change your personality for anyone or anything, and as cliché as it sounds — to be yourself.
Consider some of the benefits to learning at home this semester. Photo: Maxwell Gawlick/The Peak
By: Nathan Tok, Peak Associate
Ever taken a distance education course? It can be annoying. Too much of the course is self taught through reading of journal articles and textbooks, there’s not enough interaction with the teaching staff, and no lecture to explain to you what on earth you’re reading. But those are just the downsides. It can also be good for students to take remote courses — as long as they keep their minds open. During this pandemic, when we’re all forced to be remote, it can be helpful to look for the silver lining in our situation so we don’t go through this entire semester under a cloud of pessimism.
Imagine this: you’re standing at the bus stop in 32 degree weather getting ready for a tutorial that’s just 50-minutes long. You’re hot and sweating and you’re probably gonna be late as you’ve just watched the third R5 pass by because it was too full. Well, this summer semester you won’t have that problem. Simply roll out of bed, attend that Zoom tutorial, maybe say one or two generalized things to show that you’ve totally done the readings, and then commute back to your bed. Done! Tutorial over and back to Animal Crossing.
This relaxed environment will also make this summer a great time to explore courses for WQB requirements. For me, as someone who tends to stress less about getting everything perfect during the summer, taking fun electives seems during a semester that I don’t have to physically be in class seems like the perfect pairing. Because everything is now fully remote, I can enjoy learning about the things that interest me since I’m in the comfort of my own home.
Of course, remote learning is not the best way for meeting or interacting with people, but saying “I agree” when responding to a post on a Canvas discussion board is better than nothing. At least it gives you the chance to talk to someone else outside of your household, and provides a nice change of pace from the constant pandemic complaining on group chats. After weeks of social starvation, I bet seeing your classmates’ faces on BB Collaborative video presentations will be a welcome relief. Hopefully when the quarantine ends, those Canvas discussions will give you and your classmates lots to talk about in person.
Now is the time to be kind to yourself. Illustration: Maple Sukontasukkul/The Peak
By: Michelle Young, Staff Writer
While for many the switch to social distancing wasn’t very difficult, for others it has been — and that’s OK. These changes were abrupt and we will all respond differently as we’re adjusting.
People aren’t meant to live in isolation, and require social connection to remain healthy. It’s unrealistic to expect students to function at the same level as they would under regular circumstances. Many of us are faced with surges of anxiety as we watch the news and hear of the COVID-19 cases rapidly rising by the day. We’re putting on our strong faces; we shield our emotions behind quarantine memes and apocalyptic jokes. We’re all turning to different forms of coping mechanisms to help deal with the shock and stress of everything that’s happening, and that’s OK. However, one thing that is utterly necessary amid all of this is allowing vulnerability.
Vulnerability essentially allows us to be honest about our emotions and recognize our feelings. This means experiencing our emotions fully with a sense of openness and acceptance. Constantly dealing with all this uncertainty and invisible danger produces a lot of emotions that we may not necessarily be familiar with. As a result, we may not know how to cope with these new, dominant emotions. Being vulnerable allows us to experience our emotions sincerely, can aid in connecting with one another, or simply give us the chance to indulge in our feelings.
As noted by the US National Library of Medicine, being in a state of heightened emotional strain can make us more prone to sickness — and we don’t need that right now. To help curb emotional turmoil, we can turn to our social supports and allow ourselves some emotional honesty with other people. But we can also practice emotional honesty by ourselves. Studies have shown that awareness of our feelings reduces stress, helps us focus, and gives us a better understanding of ourselves and one another. This can be a difficult task, since it’s easy to fill up the days with activities that don’t require internal reflection. Many of us are staying home as if the COVID-19 crisis is simply abstractly “out there,” not affecting us.
However, the crisis is affecting us, one way or another. Some of us may be suffering from loneliness as a result of being away from loved ones. Others might be stressed out about how this pandemic is going to affect our families and friends. As our workload shifts to accommodate working at home, we may become overwhelmed.
By acknowledging our situation — allowing ourselves to be vulnerable — and reflecting on how it makes us feel, we can recognize that it’s natural to be sad, anxious, or frustrated with these circumstances. Through this realization, we can also determine why we feel this way, what we can do to address our emotions, and how to help ourselves feel better — even if it’s just by a little bit.
There are currently a few free online counselling resources with professional therapists available to students. These include Here2Talk (a resource for post-secondary students in BC which provides mental health support) and My SSP to assist SFU students. While there are mixed opinions on the effectiveness of these services, sometimes simply venting to another person can be helpful.
Ultimately, allowing ourselves to both experience and work through our emotions right now is not only OK, it’s also necessary for our well-being. We shouldn’t be held to expectations of acting like everything is fine; the reality is that we’re in a global pandemic, things are a long way from “fine.” Embrace your emotions, allow vulnerability, and open up to one another. As cheesy as it sounds, we’re only human, and the only way to get through this is together.
While we are all stuck at home, many artists have moved to online platforms as a means of communicating their art and doing their part to minimize our isolation-induced boredom. I decided to utilize this commodity and explore different genres of dance from the shoebox space of my own bedroom.
Harbour Dance Centre (HDC), a popular Vancouver studio for adult drop-in classes, has been continuing their dance instruction via Zoom as part of their HDC Live live-streamed classes. I figured, what better time to try out a class than during a global pandemic?
Having attended some in-person classes at HDC, my expectations were already pretty high as I’ve had consistently good in-person experiences with the studio. Nonetheless, I went in a little concerned about some of the potential difficulties of taking a dance class at home. Would I knock something over or kick someone as I tried to move around the limited space of my home?
After browsing HDC’s website for their live stream class schedule, instructor Lauren Maynard’s Sexy Street jazz class seemed like an easy decision. I had seen a little bit of Maynard’s class when visiting HDC on a different occasion and had always wanted to try out the seemingly upbeat and lively class. Maynard started the class on time, bringing her enthusiasm and vibrant attitude to the screen. For those on the shy side, the option of turning off your camera is available. However, if you feel comfortable, the video option allows for increased student-instructor communication.
As someone with some dance experience in ballet and contemporary styles, I took the advanced beginner-level even though this was my first time experimenting with this genre of dance. I found the difficulty level to be on par with the website’s description. However, HDC also offers absolute beginner and introductory classes for those who do not have any dance experience.
The lesson started with an upbeat warm-up of some body-loosening and grooving exercises, followed by some light stretching. Maynard impressed with boundless energy and an ability to engage with her students despite the limitations of virtual learning.
The rest of the class consisted of learning a choreography combination, which Maynard modified for attendees who may have less room at home. Although a virtual lesson naturally does not have the perks of attendees immediately communicating with their instructor, Maynard was careful to check in with us at many points throughout the lesson to ensure that everyone was on track and felt comfortable with the pace of the class.
The class was an hour long and cost me $10. It offered me a much needed break from the pandemic madness and provided me with an emotionally uplifting and positive hour of physical release. Being with other individuals in a high-spirited environment amidst the current global state of chaos proved to be therapeutic, and I felt more connected to myself and others — even through a computer screen.
If you’re feeling like you want to express yourself through movement, or if you’re just looking for a fun workout, I recommend Harbour Dance Centre for a feel-good and professional virtual dance class. If you’ve ever been too nervous or busy to try an in-person dance class, HDC’s live-streamed lessons are a great way to start. They offer a variety of courses, and more details can be found under the Schedule tab on their website — participants can also register on this tab. For a single HDC Live session, attendees must purchase a $10 single-use pass, or may opt for ten classes for $90.
SFU must be willing to make structural changes for remote learning to be successful
By: Devana Petrovic, Staff Writer
Over the past several months, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact around the globe, and our SFU community is no exception. One of the most obvious ways that SFU students have been affected is by the transition to online instruction. Whether we’re dealing with serious financial strain (i.e. job insecurity or hardware costs of adapting to online school), a loss of motivation, or a technologically clueless professor, every university student has been affected one way or another. So with the social distancing measures still in place, and the summer semester just starting, I have some concerns that I’m sure many other students share as well. Will professors be more prepared this time around? Will our remote learning be a little less chaotic? There were many problems with the abrupt switch last semester that I hope have been addressed and corrected for the benefit of students this semester.
Let’s start with a big one: equality. Not all students have equal access to the same spaces, technology, or uninterrupted free time while studying from home. I hope that SFU has put some thought towards ensuring equity in class arrangements, including encouraging professors to practice additional sensitivity to the various situations of students — first and foremost ensuring accessibility and fair expectations during these confusing and difficult times. SFU has already stated that there will be no pass/fail option for students in the summer semester. That being the case, I hope adjustments have been requested of individual departments to ensure fair grading takes into account inequalities in students’ situations.
Similarly, it is important that class arrangements integrate inclusive and accommodating measures that ensure no student is denied the option of gaining course credits during the summer due to the lack of their accessibility needs being met. Classes that rely a great deal on class presentations, field work, or lab attendance are going to need to ensure that all students are able to participate equally as their circumstances allow. This includes allowances not only for technology, but also for the ability of students to safely leave quarantine zones. This will likely require assessment of each individual students’ abilities at the beginning of the semester. Failing to provide these accommodations may result in students withdrawing from enrollment until in-person classes can resume again, delaying completing their required credits.
Additionally, courses that rely on timed exams are going to be a problem for some students in quarantine. A two-hour timed exam set in a particular time frame does not consider the barriers that students face when completing an assignment in their own home, without access to on-campus commodities such as a quiet work environment (e.g. the library), or access to reliable Wi-Fi. Moreover, many students have families, dependent loved ones, pets, and any number of other responsibilities in their homes that may be difficult to ignore during a high-stakes, timed event like an exam.
Reconsidering the necessity or form of timed exams is especially important, as I have found that the added stress of a timed final during COVID-19 is an unnecessary burden on the anxieties that a university student already faces. Just speaking for myself, but requiring a final of this nature would have been no more beneficial to retaining course content last semester than alternative assignments that provide a more reasonable time limit. I have found that added research assignments or even untimed take-home finals have been much more productive forms of examination in these particular circumstances.
SFU students pay this institution a whole lot for our education and expect the quality of that education to reflect the money that goes into it. In the time of a global pandemic, it’s understandable that we all have to make some adjustments. However, the onus should not be on students alone to shoulder the unreasonable expectation that remote instruction be as similar to in-person learning as possible. SFU should also be willing to adapt and accommodate to what is reasonable in these unprecedented times. Anything less is not a proper utilization of student tuition money.
These are exceptional circumstances that are beyond anyone’s control, and expecting students to follow the same academic structures as pre-quarantine learning is frankly unfair and unrealistic. Hopefully with the added notice, the summer semester’s agenda will be more clear and SFU students won’t have to experience another semester of chaos.
The new normal has to be better than the way things were before. Photo: Izaz Zubayer/The Peak
By: Nicole Magas, Opinions Editor
It’s week nine of lockdown in Canada; longer for those of us who took precautions earlier to safeguard ourselves or the vulnerable people we love. Restlessness has set in for some, resignation for others. As SFU students begin summer semester classes, the return to school is either going to be a torture or a much anticipated return to routine.
It seems the longer we sit in quarantine, the more one word is spoken almost as much as COVID-19 itself: normal. There have been calls to get the economy back to working as “normal,” speculation on what the “new normal” will be, even wistful comments on when things might return to “normal” — before COVID-19 was such a deep, terrifying part of our lives.
The problem with “normal” is that it idealizes our thinking about the world. In much the same way that some people nostalgically look back on “simpler times,” the idea of returning to a “normal” existence makes us underestimate just how ugly and terrible certain parts of that existence were.
A “normal economy,” for example, means 500,000 people living in poverty in British Columbia alone. In West Vancouver on April 22, a vacant lot sold for just over $1 million, and instead of questioning why an unused plot of land sold for such an obscene amount of money in an era when many Vancouver residents can’t find affordable rent, the headlines screamed about how it sold for nearly half a million less than asking price.
Now that we’re all forced to stop the frantic buzz of activities that usually occupy our minds from day to day, it’s worth taking this time to reflect on whether or not this is the “normal” we want to return to.
To be sure, the advance of COVID-19 through our communities and the terrible toll it has taken in terms of loss of life, loss of health, and loss of economic security is miles away from an ideal situation. However, we shouldn’t allow ourselves to feel nostalgic for another less-than-ideal situation, just because it’s not as bad as the one we’re in right now.
If anything, the COVID-19 crisis has shown us the ways in which our “normal” system is cracked and flawed. Service industry employees, nurses, and janitorial staff have become overnight heroes keeping us fed, keeping us healthy, and keeping our spaces sanitized. And while we’ve been gracious enough to consider things like hazard pay and wage increases for these folks, it’s worth keeping in mind that “normal” for these workers in the not-so-distant past meant unbelievably long hours, poverty wages, and a supreme lack of appreciation.
Once the pandemic subsides, these frontline workers we are currently praising aren’t going to be any less essential than they are now. It’s absurd to want to go back to the way things were, as if we can just forget how eye-opening these past few months have been.
Instead of gazing out the window, longing for the world to go back to the way it used to be, we should be considering the ways in which we will need to pressure our leaders to make the world better when this is all over. Returning to “normal” is not an option. We’ve seen the cracks in the foundation now, and it’s imperative that we don’t continue to build our society on unstable ground.
