Nicole Magas
It is not an insult to call people racist when they are being racist
July 26, 2020By: Nicole Magas, Opinions Editor, and Manisha Sharma, Peak Associate On June 17, the leader of the NDP party, Jagmeet Singh, was kicked out of Parliament over not apologizing for calling Alain Therrien, a Quebecois MP, a racist. The underlying reason for his expulsion was that his use of the word “racist” was considered “unparliamentary language,” and that he refused to apologize for saying it. It seems that those in Parliament would much rather dismiss racist ideologies and systems than acknowledge racism is still alive and well in Canadian politics. To them, the word “‘racist”’ is considered unparliamentary language when hurled…
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We cannot risk becoming complacent with the presence of COVID-19 in our lives
July 18, 2020By: Nicole Magas, Opinions Editor In a July 6 open letter to both the federal and provincial governments, several current and former health experts pleaded for a more rapid and relaxed reopening plan that would resume in-person classes, allow for more…
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Black Hair in Focus offers a nuanced discussion on the power, politics, and beauty of Black hair
July 13, 2020By: Nicole Magas, Opinions Editor On June 30, SFU Students of Caribbean & African Ancestry (SOCA) hosted Black Hair in Focus: The History and Politics of Black Hair, a live online discussion on how Black hair has been coded, stigmatized,…
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We need to prepare for the psychological fallout of COVID-19 before it hits
July 13, 2020By: Nicole Magas, Opinions Editor A global pandemic is not a good time for anyone. Even those of us of the introvert persuasion are now looking at our four walls and wondering when it will be safe to have unrestricted…
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Post-COVID-19 SFU will be a truly alien world
July 6, 2020Update (5/6/2020): A previous version of this story included rumours of Club Ilia's permanent closure that have since been confirmed as false. By: Nicole Magas, Opinions Editor SFU is famous in the Sci-Fi world for being the setting of several…
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Anti-Indigenous racism in healthcare should have been addressed years ago
July 5, 2020By: Nicole Magas, Opinions Editor There are a lot of conversations going on right now about the issue of over-policing and ongoing police brutality in Canada — particularly against Black and Indigenous folks. While this issue is important and absolutely needs…
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What Grinds Our Gears: No one should be shocked by recent coronavirus surges
June 27, 2020By: Nicole Magas, Opinions Editor During the June 15 COVID-19 briefing, Dr. Bonnie Henry announced that an outbreak of the novel coronavirus had been discovered in a small fast food restaurant. While no known exposure to customers occurred, she used this…
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There is no good reason not to change the name of our sports teams
June 22, 2020By: Nicole Magas, Opinions Editor The recent Black Lives Matter protests around the world have turned a new page in the chapter of global anti-racist conversations. Locally, SFU’s athletics teams’ name has once again been the subject of critical scrutiny. Admittedly,…
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The virtual convocation was a disappointing end to four years of hard work
June 20, 2020By: Nicole Magas, Opinions Editor For the past four years, convocation time has been an absolute nightmare as a student still slogging through classes. For reasons I have never been able to understand, the celebration is held in the middle of…
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Opinions in Dialogue: Systemic change can’t happen without racial solidarity
June 13, 2020By: Kelly Chia, Features Editor; Meera Eragoda, Arts Editor; Nicole Magas, Opinions Editor Introduction 2020 has been a difficult year for a number of racialized communities. The pandemic spread of COVID-19, which precipitated violent anti-Asian backlash and which disproportionately affected Black…
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