Do I absorb Jeff Bezos’ worth if I eat him or does everything stay the same?
From, Didn’t Get a Scholarship This Term
• • •
Dear Didn’t Get a Scholarship This Term,
I would advise against this. You can’t even stomach capitalism now. Swallow this man whole and you’ll turn out like that guy from my high school who went grad camping the year before I graduated: in the hospital, getting your stomach pumped because you partied harder than you could handle. And just like that guy, you will turn into what my classmates called “grad camping Jesus,” coming back from the hospital in three days ready to drink more capitalism.
Love, Peakie
• • •
Dear Peakie,
Where at SFU can I take a dump in peace?
From, KO
• • •
Dear KO,
Nowhere. Even if you find a washroom that features neither a window in your stall nor incessant chatter from students who haven’t washed their hands since preschool, the shrieks of your lonely soul will echo loudly within the porcelain throne, disturbing you. No relief awaits you. Accept your fate and start going numbers one and two before you leave your home every morning.
Love, Peakie
• • •
Dear Peakie,
Just came to say that you’re a beauty and a cutie. Much affection. Also, don’t forget to go to the gym tonight.
Love, Peakie
• • •
Dear Peakie,
Thanks, babe! You have an impeccable way with words and such beautiful positive power. I’m obsessed with you, and I will see you at the gym tonight. Look at me through the mirror glass with adoration. Let’s do 10 reps of evil incantations together if the 22.5-pound dumbbells are taken again.
Life at SFU isn’t easy. It’s not the humdrum grey and red that gets you, but the illusion that you might be different. That you’re the cool one. Then year after year, you lose. You lose friends. You lose bits and pieces of yourself. The light in you slowly winds down. I chuckle thinking about what I used to be. Now, the stench of Prego seeps through my crevices. Students pass by me frequently. Once friends, now strangers, carrying neatly packed lunch boxes in tow. I haven’t known the touch of a human hand in years. So many years.
It really isn’t easy, being a microwave. There were days when students knew me and tried avidly to find me: I smile back on those days vividly. I was that microwave. I’d wait excitedly as the freshmen posted pictures of me online to tell everyone about me — a true treasure find. It’s true: I was hiding on the first floor with two other microwaves.
Compared to those popular food spinners over at Maggie Benston, we were like holy messiahs to students who wanted their food warm. We were gods — at least for a little while. And then, as time went on, we became just as common as any other microwaves.
Fish, curries, lunch boxes that people didn’t know weren’t microwave-safe . . . Thanks to these, I watched my first friend spiral into obsolescence. I remembered as it released its last feeble beep, the sauce-slathered machine finally approaching the eighth level of microwave hell.
One day, a metal mug was left on top of my friend, as if taunting us with the promise that someone might approach us. And now, like us, it might never be touched again. I watched my companion of many years become crusty and unloved. Soon, I became much the same.
Carrying the slight musk of sardines, our broken selves linger on. But the acidity of our sauce stains worsen each and every day. As if reminding us, gently, that all things fresh must come to an end.
What might students expect when they make a mental health appointment with SFU Health & Counselling? The Peak had a chance to conduct an in-person interview withMartin Mroz, Director of SFU’s Health & Counselling Services, and Tammy Nazaruk, Associate Director of Health Services, to talk about the mental health services that the clinic provides.
Nazaruk explained that there are many factors that may intimidate students about seeking help for mental health. The stigma attached to mental health, which may be stronger in some cultures than others, is a crucial one. She also noted that it takes a lot of courage to discuss one’s vulnerabilities in a counselling session, and that developing a trusting relationship with a mental health professional may take time.
Health & Counselling makes a continuous effort to erase the stigma attached to mental health issues.
“Our health promotion team works on trying to improve setting around the university to foster well being and eliminate unnecessary stress.” said Mroz. He also pointed out that a student initiative called HI-FIVE, which focuses on eliminating stigma attached to mental health by encouraging the values of compassion and respect, originated from the clinic.
Mroz expressed that Health & Counselling aspires to “make care about the client.” Their philosophy is to recognise that barriers to wellness may come in many different forms, and that they may not always be obvious. They try to work with the clients to understand what sort of care they need.
After talking to Mroz and Nazaruk about barriers to accessing care, we spoke more at length about how students can start their mental health journeys at SFU Health & Counselling.
The Peak: I want help with my mental health, but don’t know where to start — where should I go first?
Health & Counselling: Talking to an Access Case Manager would be a good starting point. They can have a conversation around what’s going on with [students], and then help to determine the best avenue to go — whether it’s a referral to a doctor, a counsellor, or another mental health specialist. [They also help with] choosing resources like workshops and [The Student] Learning Commons. It’s all pretty individual. The best thing to do is to reach out. We implemented My SSP as a way to increase access, for people to reach out to a professional 24/7. It has information on services we provide. [It also] creates a lower barrier for someone not comfortable talking about mental health in English.
P: How can I make an appointment with an Access Case Manager? H&C: Same-day access is available [in the clinic].
P: Who is eligible for mental health services?
H&C: All SFU and FIC students, whether they are part-time or full-time, are eligible for mental health services. In some cases, if a student is taking a semester off, and they’ve been seeing us before, they can still make appointments with us. However, if the student is taking time off of university for a long time, we encourage them to seek care within the community.
P: If I am on the waitlist, how long will it usually be until I can see a mental health professional? H & C: It varies and depends on what [you’re] looking for. If [the client] is suicidal, hearing voices, recently assaulted, or homicidal we’ll try to see them right away. We save a lot of appointments for same-day access, but they do get filled up quite quickly.
Our name “Health & Counselling” is a little deceiving. Someone may come in for a mental health issue and [automatically assume] that they need counselling. However, maybe they don’t need to see a counsellor, but to talk to somebody right then and there. We’re trying to create [a system] so that they don’t even have to go on a waitlist, but [rather] talk to somebody for 20 minutes and get the [necessary] resources. We’re trying to figure out ways of providing the level of care that’s needed right then and there. [On the other hand] if somebody comes in and they insist on seeing a counsellor [to work on a particular issue], then they will go on a waitlist. P: Would my parents/guardians know I’m seeing someone/a professional at Health & Counselling? H & C: No. [The] only time confidentiality is broken, is [when there is] imminent risk to self or others, [or if there are legal issues] like an ICBC claim — in the latter cases a conversation between physician and student would take place, and only information pertaining to that will be revealed. We might not know what the situation is in [student’s] home, and by sharing we can do a lot of damage. Sometimes family can be part of the solution, and hopefully we can work with the student if that’s the case. P: Do all three campuses (Burnaby, Surrey, and Vancouver) provide counselling services? H & C:All three do. In Surrey, we don’t have a physical clinic because we don’t have a doctor there. There is a conversation about providing equitable services at all campuses and trying to create better access. P: What can students expect on their first mental health appointment? H & C:It depends on what you’re coming in for. If you’re coming in for counselling [because] you have an issue that you want to start talking about, say, your relationship with your parents makes you unhappy and you want to work on that, you can expect to come in and fill out some paperwork and start from there. If you came in feeling like you’re in panic and you don’t know what to do and you’re highly escalated, then you should expect to have somebody that would try to calm you down. On the form, there is a ‘reason for visit’ section which helps providers to begin conversation.
P: There are different types of mental health professionals available in the clinic, like psychologists, mental health nurses, and clinical counsellors. How do the services they provide differ from each other? H & C:[The] Access Case Manager is the first person to see to have that conversation. They can clear the understanding of what it is [you’re] looking for and help you get into the right avenue. A counsellor is somebody you see for a period of time to work on something you want to change or improve in your life. That’s more therapy-based.
Mental health nurses do more practical things. They would be seeing students who are identified in our forms as “going through crisis.” Sometimes they can be referred back from a provider/doctor to talk about tips around sleep, hygiene, stress management, or side-effects of medication. If the client is recently diagnosed, nurses can give them a description about their diagnosis.
Doctors can diagnose mental health conditions and prescribe medication. People might never think to see a counsellor or see somebody for mental health reasons, but they might see a doctor for physical symptoms like sleep issues, pain in chest, weakness in legs, etc., so the doctor may recognise signs of anxiety or depression. They will work with the client to make a care plan that is appropriate. They may continue to see them if the patient doesn’t want to see a counsellor, and the doctor might provide some counselling in the exam room [if necessary].
P: How frequently can I see a mental health professional? H & C: Depends. It might be every other week. Somebody might be seeing a counsellor but have regular check-ins with a mental health nurse. They might be able to see a nurse during the time they’re waiting for the counsellor.
P: How can I get follow-up appointments with the same person? H & C: You can book when you’re about to leave, or you can call, or drop by anytime we’re open.
P: Can I change my counsellor if they are not a good fit for me? H & C: Yes. Getting a counsellor should be like trying out shoes. That’s one of the reasons why we got My SSP. You can get one-on-one counselling and multi-session counselling. It was designed for an international student population, so you can get it in a lot of different languages and you can get counsellors from different cultures.
P: How can I evaluate whether the treatment/counselling is working? H & C: There are some tools we use in the clinic that assess anxiety and depression. It would also be a conversation between the student and counsellor around what’s going on, and making note on that each session — [like] where improvements are and what areas they struggle with. We use PHQ-9 (Personal Health Questionnaire with nine questions) to assess depression and GAD-7 (Generalized Anxiety Disorder questionnaire with seven questions) to assess anxiety. Forms may be part of the session. Sometimes doctors can ask you to fill it online while they leave the room, or the clinician may have a conversation with you while filling out the form. Throughout the interview, Mroz expressed that Health & Counselling strives to provide the best care that they can.
“It’s heartbreaking to hear people coming in trying to access care [but] they [might] not know how to advocate for themselves or they don’t know what they want [yet]” said Mroz. “With limited resources, we want people’s experiences in Health & Counselling to be positive. They might not necessarily get what they want, or what they thought what they wanted when they came in, but we want them to leave with the feeling that somebody cares.”
Maintaining proper procedures remains an issue with the SFSS Board. Photo: Chris Ho/The Peak
By: Gabrielle McLaren, Editor-in-Chief
Note: The views expressed in the following article are solely my own and do not represent the views or politics of The Peak as a publication or a society.
If I have time or if the agenda sparks my interest I occasionally accompany whichever Peak staff member is attending the SFSS’s Board meeting. It’s nice to see what Board members are working on and later recognize them in the halls, with an idea of who they are and what they believe in. It can also be incredibly frustrating to watch them do things like carry motions that involve society funds without seeing finalized supporting documentation.
Faculty of Education representative Emerly Liu recently brought a motion to the table to allocate $1,500 to the International Women’s Day Young Women in Business gala, noting that more money would be allocated “after we figure out the budget.” The motion was added to the agenda at the start of the meeting and amended again prior to its discussion — a pet peeve of mine since it makes meetings harder to follow for guests (a.k.a. members of the society who deserve to know), but something that’s not technically wrong. One Board member asked a question to better understand where money was coming from, which VP Finance Tawanda Nigel Chitapi and Executive Director Sylvia Ceacero answered. So far, so good.
Enter Faculty of Health Representative Osob Mohamed: “I just want to say that I don’t feel really prepared [ . . . ] at the moment. I have never seen this document unfortunately and they were sent after the Board meeting had started [ . . . ] It’s like 16 pages and it’s pretty text-dense and for that reason I don’t know if this is something that you can bring at another Board meeting when we’ve all had time to read it over — but right now I just don’t have any information to base this decision on.”
Excuse me? A motion was added to the agenda during a meeting, amended during a meeting, and Board members were only given the supporting documentation during the meeting — when they theoretically should have been busy in the meeting listening and interacting with each other instead of doing paperwork and prep. And nobody thought that this was somewhere on the spectrum between silly and downright irresponsible?
VP Student Life Jessica Nguyen responded that the delay was because multiple SFSS staff members were heavily involved in doing due diligence and reviewing the document. Timing is a poor excuse for why Board members were denied the opportunity to inform themselves in turn. I trust the competence of the SFSS’s hardworking staff, but I’m bothered by how OK everybody was to support something without reading the official, finalized paperwork to understand. Or, on the flip side, asking colleagues to support something without giving them the opportunity to come prepared.
Not that many of them seemed to mind, frankly. The motion was carried with three abstensions who asked to be noted in the minutes and who I’ll therefore note here — Osob Mohamed, Shina Kaur, and Fiona Li. President Giovanni HoSang, as chair, did not vote.
I’ll acknowledge that certain Board members — namely Nguyen, Liu, and Chitapi — may have seen the report or drafts of it, by virtue of their positions or involvement with the project. Possibly, Board members spoke to each other about this informally. But this is conjecture on my end, and these things shouldn’t replace a final proposal or memo.
The gala seems like a valuable addition to campus life, worthy of funding. Plus, in the grand scheme of things, $1500 isn’t the end of the world. According to HoSang, pressure to vote on motions without adequate discussion or question periods also characterized the Board’s decision to increase the allowable deficit for Fall Kickoff — which escalated to a six figure deficit.
So what we have here is a pattern of board members voting without giving each other or demanding for themselves the time to consider motions appropriately. This is the equivalent of not doing your readings before class — except this isn’t PHIL 115 that you hate but took for the Q credit. It’s a job that students trusted you could do and are now paying you to do.
If this is how it’s going to be, motions shouldn’t be added to meetings day-of. Going forward, I would like to see sharable forms of supporting documentation and memos given to guests along with the agenda. It’d be nice to have something to follow along and understand how our Board members are voting and why.
Writing for Self-Care was one of the many workshops that was offered by ARThrive, which is a partnership program between SFU’s Sexual Violence Support & Prevention Office and the SFSS Women’s Centre. The workshop was led by Amber Dawn, who currently teaches creative writing through SFU Continuing Studies. She is the author of prize-winning books How Poetry Saved My Life: A Hustler’s Memoir, Sub Rosa, and Where the Words End and My Body Begins.
The aim of the workshop, according to its Facebook page, was to “explore personal strengths and values, choice and desire, memories and healing.” This, of course, could only be done if we could trust that this was a safe space to share thoughts and feelings.
That’s why I was delighted to see that the organizers had created a cozy and welcoming atmosphere for participants. When I walked in, I was immediately greeted by friendly faces from the organizing committee. Participants were provided with pretty little notebooks and other merchandise, like ARThrive pins and bookmarks. A small selection of delicious food was also provided by a catering company which supports Syrian refugees.
The workshop itself focused on two main writing exercises. For the first one, we were invited to think about five places where we felt a sense of belonging or comfort. Then, we were asked to pick one place and imagine that we were transported there, so that we could explore the five sensory experiences that this particular place entailed. I chose my childhood bedroom.
Dawn gave us a series of small prompts such as “what are the smells that you’re taking in?” and “how does the floor beneath you feel?” Each memory that I scribbled on my notebook helped me to walk further down memory lane. Even though I am physically thousands of miles away from my parent’s house, for an hour I truly felt like I was back in my old room with its purple wallpaper and sunlit balcony. Sometimes self-care can simply mean allowing yourself to reminisce about happy memories.
After the first round, participants were asked to share their choice of place. Some of the most interesting choices included an old car, a hallway in a museum, and a forest. Dawn made sure to tell us that the sharing was completely optional, that this was a non-judgmental space, and that one could pass on disclosing their place if they wished. Although I chose to share my piece, I appreciated her effort to create a sense of boundary.
After a small refreshment break, we started the second exercise. We were given a handout of the poem 36 Reasons Why I Want To Grow a Garden by Jill Battson. This time, Dawn asked us to list the reasons each of us wanted to participate in healing using the same lyrical style of this poem. I really liked the choice of poetry for this exercise because — rather than being loaded with metaphors and hidden meanings that only SparkNotes could help me decipher — it was easy to understand and connect with.
Simple yet meaningful lines like “I want to smell the earth after rain and after sun” somehow reassured me that my motivations for self-care do not have to be complex. This exercise reminded me that there’s beauty in simplicity, and any reason you may have for wanting to take care of yourself is valid.
All throughout the workshop, Dawn provided words of encouragement and compassion to the participants. Her first theme effortlessly harnessed the power of imagination through creative writing. Her guided writing prompts helped us to situate ourselves in a snapshot of the past and relive a comforting memory. The second activity was also thought-provoking and beautifully designed.
Overall I had a very wholesome experience partaking in ARThrive, and I commend the organizers for creating a space for self-care amidst the hustle and bustle of university life.
Written by Juztin Bello, Madeleine Chan, Kelly Chia, Gabrielle McLaren, and Zach Siddiqui
If you read the Percy Jackson books, then you know that the twelve Olympian gods of Greek lore travel wherever the flame of civilization goes. The flame has gotten a bit tired of investing so much of itself into the U.S. to no avail, so it’s taken a vacation up north . . . and the gods have taken some, um, interesting new forms to match their new winter home: Simon Fraser University, sitting atop Mount Burnabus.
Bow down or bow out: the Burnympians are ready and waiting for YOUR worshipful sacrifice.
Zeus
Erika Hance
God of inconvenient weather and cheating Chads
Daddy of the gods, Zeus oversees all of Mount Burnabus. Every day, fuckboys on campus pray to him for static electricity to zap their coifs into place. When snow falls and fog rolls in, it’s because Zeus is hiding his emotional unavailability from his lovers — and hiding them from Hera.
Hera
Erika Hance
Goddess of jealousy of all non-mountain universities and Diamond Alumni Centre weddings
Queen of the gods, Hera rules by her disloyal husband’s side. When she’s not busy tormenting Zeus’s illegitimate children from lower-elevation universities, she’s spreading her blessings at DAC weddings. No blessings for the happy couple, though — she’s there for the guest who’s sobbing into their cake, envying the newlyweds’ happiness, and wishing for a better relationship.
Poseidon
Erika Hance
God of the AQ reflecting pond, Concreteshaker, patron of koi fish
Dwelling in the AQ pond, Poseidon personally eats the trash in the water so the koi fish don’t. Failed quizzes, condom wrappers, Mini Mart receipts exposing your mini-Oreos diet, your devil’s-advocate ex . . . Next time you consider jumping in, following the siren song of granola wrappers chanting “one of us!”, remember that he’s in there and it could get kinky.
Demeter
Erika Hance
The goddess of the succulent, patron goddess of mom friends and hungry students
Whenever Demeter visits a dorm room, a new succulent mysteriously appears there. She’s the source of Munchie Mondays and impromptu Krispy Kreme fundraisers. Most importantly, she governs the SFU seasons — unfortunately, she takes plenty of long, off-campus naps, leaving students begging for spring weather to no avail.
Hephaestus
Erika Hance
God of getting you fired up while listening to ignorant, morally corrupt classmates
Strongest during in-class debates, Hephaestus ignites fires in students forced to listen to a classmate express their views on issues such as the wage gap or climate change — with neither actual knowledge on these issues nor a moral compass. Instead of a morning star or battleaxe, Hephaestus equips his followers with comebacks sure to wound more deeply than any physical weapon could.
Apollo
Erika Hance
God of slacking off in classes and driving to school with his chariot of choice — the Tesla Model S.
Apollo spends his time “vibing out.” Wherever he walks, he amplifies the arrogance of that one student nearby (there’s always one nearby) who won’t stop talking about his brewery. Apollo’s student-worshippers tend to go blind, as he regularly bathes them in something their eyes aren’t prepared for — direct sunlight.
Artemis
Erika Hance
The goddess of the Burnaby wilderness and the hunt for adequate exam grades
Artemis blesses students with the adrenaline of the hunt, as long as they consume her nectar and ambrosia: Red Bull and Canvas lecture slides. The wild animals roaming SFU assemble offerings under the moonlight in her honour. Artemis casts a wary eye on campus meninists: it’s said that if someone says something misogynistic three times, Artemis will come to personally hunt them.
Hermes
Erika Hance
Messenger of the group chat that’s popping during lecture while you’re trying to pay attention
Hermes is responsible for all of those notifications you get on your phone and/or laptop while you’re trying to take somewhat coherent notes. Those who deny him are only met with more worthless notifications. If you message your group chat and don’t get left on read by every single person, then Hermes has truly blessed you.
Aphrodite
Erika Hance
Bathroom-lurking goddess, soothing the student body and its soul
In the time it took your bowels to process those Taco Cantina leftovers, Aphrodite has executed a perfect winged eyeliner, distributed pads to souls in need, complimented several outfits, and gushed about one introvert’s OTP after clocking their fandom pins. She’s beauty, she’s grace, and her random acts of kindness are the reason we haven’t launched ourselves down Gaglardi in a wheelbarrow.
Ares
Erika Hance
Lord of war and man in your history class way too comfortable asking what kind of bullets were used to massacre civilians
He’s not actually a god at all. He’s just a random student who’s auditing PSYC 367 — he’s that guy taking it to get into the minds of serial killers who dismembered women “for academic reasons.” He was even happier in ENGL 113W telling a TA that Shakespeare was a pussy for writing off-stage murders. He keeps bickering with an underpaid sessional about irrelevant military history, as if dropping the tutorial’s first ‘fuck’ wasn’t enough.
Athena
Erika Hance
Goddess of galaxy-brain moments, fierce attire, and the war against bad grades
The brains of the bunch, Athena is said to pass around the one brain cell that SFU students share to those she deems worthy. Rumour has it that she sprang from Zeus’ head fully dressed in Beedie School of Business-branded merch, armed with a smart pencil, ready to aid students in taking legible notes.
Dionysus
Erika Hance
God of blacking out on cheap wine and requesting the DJ at The Study play “Mr. Brightside” . . . again
Always one for a good time, Dionysus bestows good vibes and cheap pre-games. Students acknowledge Dionysus by belting out one of his many prayers from the “songs that make white people go crazy” playlist. If you get a little too sloppy on a night out, Dionysus won’t judge you. (Though the people around you, watching you try to steal a pinball machine after puking all over it, might.)
Hades
Erika Hance
God of the parking garages, where souls travel to die, and the mounds of hoarded ticket fine money hidden beneath the concrete
Ruling the bowels of SFU, Hades commands legions of undead parking officers. Powerful spirits wander this world,
those whose parents were rich enough to make down-payments on their cars. It’s said that students who consume the fruits of his domain, conveniently placed open parking spaces, can never leave the garage — that’s why you’ve never heard of anyone at this school content with their parking.
This week, some might call you an evil-hearted monster for spilling the tea to your seminar section about which of your classmates have been skipping class to go underwater basket weaving. Reassure yourself with the Dark Lord Voldemort’s words. “There is no good and evil . . . only power, and those too weak to seek it.”
Taurus — April 20–May 20
You’re going to be so exhausting this week. Friends may expect you to be there for them, family may expect you to call them, and the edgy young man in camo, pajama pants, and rainboots may expect you to tap him into the SkyTrain station. But you won’t do any of that. Human relationships will fade in the light of Neo New Luxury Space Classical Macroeconomics.
Gemini — May 21–June 20
You are questioning your own worth a lot this week. Why doesn’t the transit system consider it worthwhile to plan its schedules around you and your needs? If you run late, remind yourself: You don’t run for busses, busses run for you.
Cancer — June 21–July 22
It’s OK to break down this week. When you arrive at your least favourite class, you have your choice of self-relief. Dump out onto the floor the heavy, scholarly contents of your PHYSICAL baggage or unload upon the class your EMOTIONAL baggage.
Leo — July 23–August 22
Your powers have descended to their lowest, coldest point this time of year. Give in and buy an expensive pillow and blanket set from Indigo. When the cashier tells you that the pillowcase and the pillow are charged separately, your lethargy will force you not to raise any Karen-esque tyranny.
Virgo — August 23–September 22
Sickness lingers at the edge of your skin this week. Tip the balance in your favour by fortifying yourself with maple and brown sugar oatmeal, honey, various berries, and milk over water. Create your own happiness.
Libra — September 23–October 22
Audit a session of BUS 237: Introduction to Business Technology Management sometime this week. Maybe you’ll finally learn to responsibly manage your messy personal business.
Scorpio — October 23–November 21
You’re going to do a lot with your tongue this week. So remember you need to be brushing it. Don’t let the biofilm blooming on your tastebuds embarrass you during a class discussion.
Sagittarius — November 22–December 21
Your imagination is running wild. Remember to keep fantasy separate from reality. You may dream about finding academic sources that won’t eat your life-force with every paragraph, but it’s time you woke up.
Capricorn — December 22–January 19
This week, stop criticizing your classmates for their apparent worthlessness. At least they know how to vacuum.
Aquarius — January 20–February 18
Aquarius season? No . . . it’s DISHES season. It means you have two choices this week. Wash your dishes, or shut up and wash your dishes.
Pisces — February 19–March 20
Hold your cards close to your chest this week. They might have the souls of innocents imprisoned inside of them, just like in the first season of Yu-Gi-Oh!, and they need to be protected.
The Sexual Violence and Misconduct Policy Advisory Committee first started working on the policy in Fall 2016, reaching out to the community for input and jurisdiction. SFU’s Board of Governors then approved the policy on March 30, 2017. The policy includes a requirement that it be reviewed every three years.
Currently, the purpose of GP 44 “is to affirm the University’s commitment to maintaining and enhancing a safe and healthy campus for all members of the University Community and to state the University’s commitment to addressing Sexual Violence and Misconduct.”
This is to be accomplished through a multi-faceted approach that includes various kinds of training for staff, “trauma-informed support,” and “clear and fair processes for managing and investigating reports.”
The process of revision is currently ongoing, and is divided into seven stages: planning, promotion and communications, key stakeholder consultation, drafting recommendations, university community consultation, revising phase, and final approval.
The final Campus Strategy on Sexual Violence and Misconduct Prevention is planned to be released by April 2020.
A total of 22 stakeholders amongst, faculty, staff, and students, were involved. Among them were the Teaching Support Staff Union (TSSU), Active Bystander Network, Simon Fraser Student Society (SFSS), Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies Student Union (GSWSSU), and more.
CJ Rowe, Director of the SVSPO, said “it is important to gather feedback from diverse members of the university community so that we can work to better understand and address the identified gaps.”
Their team conducted a short, four question survey of students that ended on January 30. It asked community members to specifically focus on certain parts of the policy that were underlined in red, accompanied by annotations. These signified tracked and proposed changes made easily detectable for those viewing GP 44 for the first time.
Rowe noted that, “within the first round of consultations, no fundamental changes to the policy were suggested. What became clear in our conversations is that there needs to be more clarity with a few key components in the policy.”
Accessible language is used within the policy, allowing a broader audience to engage with the policy and have a clearer understanding, noted Rowe.
“This policy, like the majority of SFU policies, impacts all of us.”
On Monday January 27 at 10:00 a.m., SFU students and community members participated in a walkout in support of the Wet’suwet’en First Nation. They gathered in Convocation Mall before joining a larger protest at City Hall.
The Facebook event page explains that “Wet’suwet’en sovereignty and unceded lands are under attack. We are asking you to join in the international call for support issued by the Wet’suwet’en Nation by organizing walk outs across British Columbia and Canada.”
With regard to the specific issue that the protest focuses on, the event page notes that “Wet’suwet’en First Nation are under attack by the RCMP for defending their land against the Coastal Gaslink LNG (Liquified Natural Gas) pipeline.”
After students had gathered in Convocation Mall, the microphone was opened for speakers. Priority time with the microphone was provided to Indigenous students.
Miriam Abel, organizer volunteer, explains the purpose of the protest.
“The RCMP is still fighting against [the Wet’suwet’en Nation]. That does not only break Indigenous laws but also Indigenous sovereignty, and so we’re here today to show solidarity and make a statement that it is not okay.”
For Abel, the protest was necessary “ [ . . . ] especially now after BC has adopted the UN Declaration of Rights for Indigenous People [ . . . ] in that declaration, it says that Indigenous people have the right to defend their land, and that’s what the Wet’suwet’en Nation is doing and BC is basically breaking their own law.”
Students held signs with sayings such as, “no consent, no pipeline” and “Indigenous peoples matter.” The largest white banner reading “Wet’suwet’en Strong” hung in front of the crowd.
In the beginning of the rally, SFSS President Giovanni HoSang led the crowd in a chant.
A protester (that wished to remain anonymous) noted that “we were uninvited guests on Indigenous lands, yet we still occupy them. So when Indigenous people are being mistreated and their lands are being disrespected and taken and they’re not being listened to, it’s our job to stand [ . . . ] with them.”
“We’re not giving them a voice, because they always had a voice. It’s just their voice has been silenced, so we’re trying to give them a platform where their voices can be heard,” the protester concluded.
The group then proceeded to transit from the Burnaby campus to Vancouver City Hall to join a larger group of protesters from all over Metro Vancouver.
Hundreds of students from high schools and universities walked out of their Monday classes to join the protest at Vancouver City Hall. Scheduled speakers at the larger rally included Jo Walden, Jean Swanson, Ida Manuel, Jaye Simpson, Patricia Kelly, and Dakota Bear.
How do I get between the purple block and the green one?! Illustration: Marissa Ouyang/The Peak
By: Tiffany Chang, Peak Associate
I think most people — if not everyone — has noticed how the maps of the SFU campuses all lack sufficient detail. It’s no secret that sparsely-labelled geometric shapes don’t actually help people navigate the many mazes making up our academic institutions. Instead of leading us to our appropriate classrooms, they only lead us to even more confusion.
As someone who already isn’t great with directions, if it weren’t for additional resources like signs and the SFU Snap’s “room finder” function, I would’ve constantly been getting lost during my freshman year. The first time I saw a map of the Burnaby campus, I was absolutely appalled. I had never seen a modern map look so primitive.
I don’t understand how anyone could think people would be able to get around if they used these maps that have only a very basic outline of buildings, or only name larger areas like the Maggie Benston Centre and Academic Quadrangle. Not to mention the fact that class schedules use acronyms, which SFU automatically expects students to be able to match to the patchwork of buildings on these maps. This is on top of assuming students know how the hell to get into the oddly shaped blocks by squinting at tiny print-maps.
I’d rather skip the maps altogether and ask someone nearby, or spend half a day walking around to discover my classrooms’ whereabouts than waste precious time pouring over these sad excuses for maps. Apparently, certain people thought incorporating the bare minimum would suffice, but this decision clearly wasn’t the brightest.
I hope SFU considers designing better campus maps in the near future — though a part of me doubts it’ll happen.
