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1 min 0 1828

What Grinds Our Gears: Laughably inconvenient goSFU updates

Olivia Visser November 26, 2024

SFU students like to complain about our digital infrastructure. I can attest to this because I am a student, and I’m complaining right now. Everything from Canvas being slow to courses filling up in minutes is enough to earn a top post in r/simonfraser. I like to imagine that SFU’s IT department had these posts in mind when they decided to schedule their latest update during most people’s enrollment dates — a crisp screw you to the haters.   This isn’t a complaint against SFU’s IT department as a whole; I know it takes hard work to keep our systems safe…

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St. John’s wort plant in bloom.
4 min 0 1600

Traditional medicine is health care

Olivia Visser September 26, 2024

Many people grow up believing that everything under the alternative medicine umbrella is false and misleading. However, this distrust can be particularly problematic when it carries over into traditional medicine. Evidence-based arguments fall short when considering the lack of funding…

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An outdoor cat
3 min 0 1477

Keep your cats indoors!

Olivia Visser September 18, 2024

Like most people, I always appreciate coming across a friendly neighbourhood feline. I love cats as much as any other cat person, but there’s no denying that outdoor cats wreak havoc on local ecosystems no matter how friendly they are.…

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Two people laughing and looking at a phone.
1 min 0 2485

Bright-er side: Disabled queer solidarity

Olivia Visser August 2, 2024

I’ve had many low points in my life, and during most of them I felt an unwavering sense of support from fellow disabled queers. From acts like offering free produce in a community group, to providing guidance when navigating the…

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A disabled parking stall.
4 min 0 2350

Yes, disability justice concerns you too

Olivia Visser August 2, 2024

As of 2022, 27% of Canadians 15 and older and 40% of seniors identified as having a disability. While 27% may not seem like a high number to you, consider that this means one of every four people you know…

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Cars driving on a highway.
2 min 0 2214

What Grinds Our Gears: Traffic tailgaters

Olivia Visser August 2, 2024

I can’t think of anyone who’s a fan of being tailgated. It’s not just the passive aggression that bugs me — small following distances are dangerous and horribly inefficient. It’s common sense that following too close to the car in…

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7 min 0 2064

I’m proud of my mobility aids

Olivia Visser July 23, 2024

Around 57% of adults in Canada use a mobility aid. If that doesn’t sound correct to you, it’s probably because you’ve never realized that glasses are an assistive device. However, glasses have become commonplace in society — with over 2…

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A cell phone on the Instagram login screen.
7 min 0 2721

Opinions in Dialogue: Should we worry about performative activism?

Yasmin Hassan July 23, 2024

Content warning: brief mentions of death and police brutality. Performative activism refers to actions taken by someone to project a persona of allyship without true dedication to the cause in their personal life. This can include sharing social media posts…

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an orange every child matters shirt
4 min 0 1686

Residential school deniers show us colonialism is still rampant

Olivia Visser June 17, 2024

Content warning: mentions of unmarked graves, genocide, death, and abuse. When more than 200 unmarked graves were discovered at Kamloops Residential School in 2021, a movement to uncover the extent of residential school graves gained traction. As evidence pointed to…

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A shelf with vegetables. In focus are green onions and bunches of carrots.
4 min 0 1573

Wellness influencers should prioritize fact over fad

Olivia Visser May 30, 2024

Content warning: discussions of diets and eating disorders. In an effort to improve my health by reducing symptoms like fatigue and digestive discomfort, I recently began paying more attention to my diet. I know I don’t consume as much variety…

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