Today, Monday, February 25, at noon, will officially mark the end of the SFSS nominations. Wednesday, February 27 is when candidates can officially begin campaign activities. The first debate will be Tuesday, March 4 11 to 1 pm, Atrium Cafeteria (MBC) for all candidates running for non-executive positions. The second debate will be Tuesday, March 11, 11 to 1 pm, Atrium Cafeteria (MBC), again for all candidates running for non-executive positions.
Monday, March 17 is when candidates must officially stop campaigning and voting will take place March 18, 19, 20, 2008. (all this info can be found at www.sfss.ca/elections/iecindex.htm)
Monday, February 25, 2008
Dr. Michael Geist talks about E-Publishing & The Law
Michael Geist hosts the Canadian Journalism Foundation Event
March 6 2008, 'E-Publishing & The Law'. He will discuss the
legal issues that are impacting everyone from the seasoned blogger to the
average internet user, followed by a Q&A moderated by Sally Armstrong. It will be
Thursday, March 6, 2008, 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m at MaRS Discovery District, CR-3
101 College St at the SE corner of College & University.
Anyone who blogs, comments, sends e-mail or otherwise publishes
electronically is subject to the laws of defamation and libel,
according to University of Ottawa Law School professor and
internationally renowned expert on law and the Internet, Dr.
Michael Geist. The Internet and new technologies have ushered in a
seemingly unlimited array of possibilities for access to
knowledge, creativity, and public participation. Dr. Geist will
highlight the role that the Internet is playing for new creativity
and knowledge sharing, while identifying the business and policy
challenges that this creates for journalists and journalism.
Dr. Michael Geist, Canada Research Chair in Internet and
E-commerce Law at the University of Ottawa, has written numerous
academic articles and government reports on the Internet and law
and was a member of Canada's National Task Force on Spam. He is an
internationally syndicated columnist on technology law issues with
his regular column appearing in the Toronto Star, Ottawa Citizen,
and the BBC. Dr. Geist serves on the Privacy Commissioner of
Canada's Expert Advisory Board and on the Canadian Digital
Information Strategy's Review Panel. Moderator Sally Armstrong is
a veteran journalist and author of Veiled Threat: The Hidden Power
of the Women of Afghanistan.
You can join The Canadian Journalism Foundation (CJF) on Thursday, March 6, for
this event, which is free of charge and open to the media and the public.
Seating is limited. If you plan to attend, please register at
info@cjf-fjc.ca or visit www.cjf-fjc.ca/programs.htm to
register online.
The Canadian Journalism Foundation was established in 1990,
The Canadian Journalism Foundation (CJF) is a
not-for-profit organization that exists to contribute to the achievement of
excellence in Canadian journalism. Better journalism means a better-informed
citizenry and an improved democratic process. Through leadership seminars,
panel discussions and other activities the Foundation builds bridges and
fosters open, informed dialogue between leading public and private
organizations and the media.
For further information: Heather McCall, Program Manager, The Canadian
Journalism Foundation, hmccall at cjf-fjc.ca, and/or see
www.cjf-fjc.ca This information was distributed to by CNW Group Ltd.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Media for voters, dismissed by voters?: No VFM in The PEAK
Mark Latham - Founderof VoterMedia.org is not the first to be turned down by the peak in an effort to self-promote a fun new idea for SFU students. SFU's February's 6 'Voter-Funded Media' (VFM) February Contestants (myself included) received a copy of the Opinion Article he called, "We can create media diversity".
No, the PEAK often has plans of its own and our ground-breaking innovations might as well be centrally-dominated by less and less understandable comic strips, or has that already happened? I think the PEAK should enter the March VFM Contest. Or is Media accountabliity too much for them to handle? I dare you!! Read what Mr.Lathan wanted to say and decide for yourself:
"Kimberly Brown’s article “Monopoly: Media Edition” (The Peak, February 4, 2008: www.the-peak.ca/article/1863) explained clearly how the rising concentration of media ownership is weakening Canadian democracy. We cannot elect the best leaders and hold them accountable, if we lack the political insight that a vigorous diversity of skilled journalists can provide.
But there is hope: a rapidly growing media reform movement is exploring many ways of strengthening public-interest journalism. One strategy is now being developed in Vancouver, and tested at UBC and SFU. It’s called voter-funded media, or VFM.
The basic idea is simple: let voters allocate some public funds to competing media. This will give the media more incentive to serve the public interest. To test this model, I sponsored the first-ever VFM implementation in UBC’s January 2007 student election. Thirteen media groups competed to give student voters insight into electoral candidates’ platforms, experience and so on. We were pleased with the results, so implemented VFM again in the January 2008 election – see www.votermedia.org/ubc for links to media content, especially the UBC Insiders blog.
A VFM competition has now started at SFU, with six contestants so far – see www.votermedia.org/sfu. Improving on the UBC once-a-year model, the SFU design lets students vote for competing media year-round, with prizes awarded monthly. The upcoming SFSS elections and referendum will show us what these diverse voices can contribute.
So check out the SFU voter-funded media websites, and vote on their quality. Enter the contest as an individual blogger, or put together a new campus media group. Our goal is to spread this political reform to larger democracies, as well as to corporations."
Also see http://votermedia.blogspot.com/2008/02/ubc-vfm-results.html for Mr. Latham's thoughts on UBC's VFM.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Snow Days
Wednesday February 7th, 2008, classes were cancelled at 4:30 following extreme weather conditions on Burnaby Mountain. The hasty last-minute decision caused a panic among students with vehicles and transit-bound. Buses were not running and many were claiming the Roads were closed.
There were staff and students warning student that they could not leave the buildings as it was unsafe. We were al supposed to huddle together in some KIN room and wait it out. This strategy was over-cautious at best.
Some did not listen and left in car or on foot regardless. Students driving down the hill were occasionally forced to abandon their vehicles on the side of the road. There were a few crashes and a total gridlock in term of driving.
Fortunately, I was hiking down the mountain. Passing cars and trucks alike, it did not seem like these drivers or their cars were going anywhere fast. An hour or so later, I had arrived to the Duthie and Hasting 135 bus stop to find about 50 fellow students in the same situation.
Recently there have been several classes cancelled and SFU has declared snow days this past several weeks of the 2008 spring semester. The weather is not as bad now, so keep those fingers crossed and make sure to bring up some good boots to class if it starts to get bad, unless you want to spend the night sleeping in a Gym at SFU.
There were staff and students warning student that they could not leave the buildings as it was unsafe. We were al supposed to huddle together in some KIN room and wait it out. This strategy was over-cautious at best.
Some did not listen and left in car or on foot regardless. Students driving down the hill were occasionally forced to abandon their vehicles on the side of the road. There were a few crashes and a total gridlock in term of driving.Fortunately, I was hiking down the mountain. Passing cars and trucks alike, it did not seem like these drivers or their cars were going anywhere fast. An hour or so later, I had arrived to the Duthie and Hasting 135 bus stop to find about 50 fellow students in the same situation.
Recently there have been several classes cancelled and SFU has declared snow days this past several weeks of the 2008 spring semester. The weather is not as bad now, so keep those fingers crossed and make sure to bring up some good boots to class if it starts to get bad, unless you want to spend the night sleeping in a Gym at SFU.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
SFSS Newletter Summary and text Jan 08
Going through the newletter put together by someone down at the SFSS,
I have decided to present the main point for those who don't want to
read the whole thing. I have also copied the original newletter
below this 16-point summary:
1. The SFSS Tuition Fee campaign: A bunch of talk of tuition increase.
2. Defederation-Telling the CFS to Turn Down the Suck: Arguments against
SFU's student union's envolvement to the CFS.
3. SFSS Board of Directors Elections will receive Nominations from February
11-February 25 The Campaigning Begins February 27
and ends: Monday March 17. Voting is March 18, 19, and 20, 2008. See:
http://students.sfu.ca/elections/students/index.html ,
http://www.sfu.ca/senate/ and/or http://www.sfu.ca/bog
4. Senate and Board of Governor Elections: Elections to Senate and the Board
of Governorsare happening in February 2008. Balloting is on-line (see:
http://students.sfu.ca/elections/students/index.html ,
http://www.sfu.ca/senate/ and/or http://www.sfu.ca/bog/)
5. Reading Week planned for 2009: looking into a reading week in March,
possibly during UBC's Spring break.
6. Online voting may soon come to the SFSS Elections
7. How to get involved in your Society-join a committee: asks for a brief
statement of interest to 'Accessibility Fund Advisory Committee'(treas@sfss.ca),
The Commercial Services Committee' (mso@sfss.ca), 'Constitution and Policy Review
Committee'(uro@sfss.ca)or 'The Finance and Administrative Services Committee'
(treas(at)sfss.ca) (by Feb 6). See the copy of the newsletter below for more details.
8. Graduate Student Society Logo Contest, Benefit Plan Deadlines, Annual General
Meeting and Upcoming Graduate Student Socials
9. SFU's Tutorial System: after $16 million in deficit next year, recommendations
include completely cutting the tutorial system.
10. Ombudsperson Office structure changes: Ombudsman acts as a mediator between
students and administration.
Student Society would like the Ombuds Office to be funded by both the SFSS and the
University. Currently the Ombuds Office is funded entirely by students through the
SFSS. The outcome is still uncertain.
11. A New Website: The sfss website will be updated, allowing DSUs to book rooms
without leaving their computer lab or common room.
SFSS Minutes and Work Reports available too.
12. Information on the SFSS' Transit Campaign
13. Student Common Rooms: 8 Departmental Student Unions lost their common rooms
3 years. Common rooms allocation depends on University departments. The SFSS received
requests for advocacy and met with SFU administrators. There isnt support for a
centralized space policy. If you are concerned about student space go to room 2220
of the MBC, and talk to your University Relations Officer.
14. Student Space Renovations in Forum Chambers,Atrium, and Rotunda.
15. Learn How to Apply for Grant Funding:
16. Re-introduction to The Board:
I received the following email from the SFSS 2/07/08 5:18 PM:
"Your Simon Fraser Student Society Semester Newsletter has been released for
the Spring!
Open the attached document to take a look at what your Society has been
doing this term and what we'll be focusing on this semester..."
The attachment (also found at:
http://www.geocities.com/joe_surplus/SFSS-Newsletter-Spr08.pdf )read:
"STUDENT NEWS January 2008
a publication of the Simon Fraser Student Society
In This Issue: Tuition Fees, Defederation from CFS, Lobbying MLAs for increased
funding, Common Rooms, Transit, New SFSS Web site, Online Voting, Reading Week,
Dual Funded Ombuds Office, Space Consultations, March Elections, Senate and BoG
Elections, Grad Issues, Committee Vacancies and more!
Tell the CFS to Turn Down the[y] Suck
In March 2007, 78% of SFU voters said that they want out of the Canadian Federation
of Students (CFS).
Your SFSS clearly heard your voices and we are working hard to achieve our
independence.
SFU students currently give the CFS over $430,000 per year.
Leaving the CFS will allow us to create a better campus by improving our services,
campaigns, and social events - we
will improve student life at SFU.
Leaving the CFS will not result in the loss of any services that SFU students
currently enjoy - like TravelCuts or the ISIC card.
The SFSS actively lobbies for SFU student issues on campus and in BC by meeting
regularly with many administrators,
MLAs, MPs, and other key decision makers.
We are addressing the issues that are important to you –transit, fees, quality
of education, student rights – and making
our university better.
The CFS pays for its campaigns with our money, but keeps us at arms length from its
spending decisions. By leaving
the CFS, students will have direct control over this money.
We will advocate more effectively for issues that are important to our students.
Invest your time and money where you live. Breathe new life into SFU. Tell the CFS
to turn down the suck.Take back your campus.
See www.sfss.ca/independence for more detailed information and background to this
ongoing story.
Had Enough of High and Rising Tuition Fees?
Fed up with low government funding of post-secondary education? The Simon Fraser
Student Society has launched a campaign for compliance with Canada’s
treaty obligations regarding tuition fees.
Over 2500 SFU students, faculty and staff members have already signed a petition to
increase public post-secondary education funding and halve tuition fees over three
years. In fact, the Simon Fraser Student
Society, Graduate Issues Committee, Teaching and Support Staff Union, CUPE Local 3338
and CUPE
Local 5396 have each risen to the occasion and formally endorsed this call. The
Faculty Association has also lent its support by calling for increased public funding
to improve quality and accessibility of education.
On January 24, the proposals for increased postsecondary education funding and
reduced tuition fees, put forward by the SFU community, will be put to SFU’s Board of Governors, which
will be asked to lend its support.To get involved, sign the petition, or find out more about the campaign, please
contact atlarge1@sfss.ca, find the related Facebook event on the “Simon Fraser
Student Society” Facebook group, or drop by the Student Society offices in the
Maggie Benston Centre.
STUDENT NEWS January 2008
Simon Fraser Student Society Elections are coming!
The Student Society’s 2008 General Election is fast approaching,
which means it’ll soon be time to think about running for office!
Official nomination forms will be handed out at the SFSS general office starting on
February 11, which you’ll then
have two weeks to complete and turn in before the race officially begins on February
27. Campaigning will last for 13
school days, and voting will occur on March 18 through 20.
Students can run for any of the multitude of offices in
the SFSS political system, including the executive positions of President, Treasurer,
Member Services Officer, External
Relations Officer, Internal Relations Officer, and University
Relations Officer, or any one of the six faculty representative spots on the SFSS
board of directors (Arts faculty rep, Science faculty rep, Applied Science faculty
rep, Health Science
rep, Business faculty rep, and Education faculty rep). Lastly, there are also two
“member at large” board seats available
to contest.
Anyone can run, and anyone can win! Check out the official SFSS election web site
at sfss.ca for more information.
- J.J. McCullough – SFSS Chief Electoral Officer
Spring 2008 Election Dates
Nominations Open: Monday, February 11
Nominations Close: Monday, February 25
Campaigning Begins: Wednesday, February 27
Campaigning Ends: Monday March 17
Voting will take place on March 18, 19, and 20.
Senate and Board of Governors Elections
Elections for Student Representatives to Senate and the Board of Governors will take
place in February 2008. Balloting
will be on-line and all students are eligible to vote. Watch for detailed information at the end of January:
http://students.sfu.ca/elections/students/index.html Go online for more information:
http://www.sfu.ca/senate/ , http://www.sfu.ca/bog/
Reading Week
At a meeting of the Senate Committee for University Priorities your student
representatives successfully advocated
a recommendation to Senate for the creation of a reading week during the month of
March. In January, Senate voted
unanimously to support the motion. Following logistical details from the Senate
Calendar Committee, Senate will
review the motion again.
With a bit more advocacy from your student representatives, come 2009 SFU could
see a reading break around the
same time as UBC’s annual spring break!
Online voting planned for 2009
Responding to many student requests for online voting, myself and University
Relations Officer Amanda van Baarsen
have spent considerable time investigating this option.
Following some recent consultations with the University, the SFSS has been granted
access to the appropriate technology
and has agreed to invest resources into developing the necessary program.
I am pleased to announce that, beginning in 2009, our Simon Fraser Student Society
elections will be held in the
same manner as the University’s Senate elections, using proven voting software that
is easy, accessible, and secure.
- J.J. McCullough – SFSS Chief Electoral Officer
STUDENT NEWS January 2008
Simon Fraser Student Society
Volunteer for a Committee!
There are vacancies on a number of committees of the Student Society,
open to any interested student. If you’d like to put your name forward,
send us a brief statement of interest by February 6th to the appropriate
contact address below. Keep in mind these positions entail a commitment to attend
regular meetings.
Accessibility Fund Advisory Committee Students
with disabilities and any event organizer can use this fund to increase accessibility
and remove barriers to participation in Departmental Student Union, Club, and
Student Society meetings and events. Meetings: biweekly on Tuesdays at 12:30 pm
Openings: 1 Contact: treas@sfss.ca (Adam Lein)
Commercial Services Committee
The Commercial Services Committee reviews the performance and operations of the
Society’s commercial services
(e.g., the Highland Pub, Quad Books), and sets goals and direction for these
operations.
Meetings: biweekly on Tuesdays at 1:30 pm Openings: 2 Contact: mso@sfss.ca (Joe Paling)
Constitution and Policy Review Committee
The Constitution and Policy Review Committee reviews all proposed changes to the
SFSS’ governing Policies, Constitution,
and By-Laws. If you have a knack for wordsmithing, a hankering to propose policy
changes, or just want
to learn more about the documents behind the action, this committee is the place for
you.
Meetings: biweekly on Thursdays at 11:30am
Openings: 1 Contact: uro@sfss.ca (Amanda van Baarsen)
Finance and Administrative Services Committee
The Finance and Administrative Services Committee discusses and approves grants to
clubs, departmental student
unions, and graduate caucuses; drafts and reviews the Society’s budget; and makes
recommendations to the Board
of Directors on expenditures. Meetings: biweekly on Tuesdays at 11:30am Openings:
1 Contact: treas@sfss.ca (Adam Lein)
GSS - Graduate Students Society
Upcoming Events And Deadlines:
-On May 1 the new Grad Student Society will be fully online and grads will not be
SFSS members any
more. If you have questions about this please visit www.sfugradsociety.ca/about.html
or e-mail Clea
Moray (Grad Issues Officer) at gio@sfss.ca.
-Benefit plan deadline Jan. 30. This is the deadline for new graduate students
enrolling in the spring semester) to add family coverage,
rescind waivers, or opt out of the plan. More info:http://www.sfsbenefits.com.
-Grad Student Society Logo contest. Design a logo for the GSS and win $200: The
Grad
Student Society needs a logo, so we’re holding a logo design contest open to all SFU
grad students. At the
GSS Annual General Meeting in late February grads will vote on which design they like
best. Accepting
submission from now until Feb. 18: Details about the contest are available at:
http://www.sfugradsociety.ca/logo/
-Annual General Meeting of the GSS. The first ever general meeting of the GSS, and
unlike
those chilly SFSS general meetings, this one will held indoors. Feb. 21st, 4:00 pm,
room B9200.
-Upcoming Grad Socials: Downtown grad social: early Feb, date TBA, Burnaby grad
social: mid-March, date TBA, Surrey grad social: this spring, date TBA
General Stuff, Join the GSS Facebook group to stay informed and connect with other
grads: “Grad Student Society @
SFU” or facebook.com/group.php?gid=4759357437
-Are you a parent? Join the SFU student parents discussion group:
http://groups.google.com/group/
sfu-student-parents
-Have any comments or questions about being a grad student at SFU ? We’d like to
hear it -- grad students
can contact the SFSS or GSS at (e-mail) gio@sfss.ca or info@sfugradsociety.ca
GSS web site — http://www.sfugradsociety.ca
STUDENT NEWS January 2008
Simon Fraser Student Society
Protect the Tutorial System!
It’s been a busy start to the semester for SFSS executives
- President Derrick Harder, University Relations Officer
Amanda van Baarsen and Graduate Issues Officer Clea Moray have recently met with
several MLAs and MPs in January to discuss the lack of adequate education funding in the upcoming provincial budget. The provincial report on
the 2008 budget consultations was released by the Provincial Standing Committee on
Finance and Government Services
in mid-November. Unfortunately, it failed to address insufficient operating grant
funding, an issue of critical importance because of its effects on the University’s
budget.
Simon Fraser University is looking at a near $16 million
deficit for next year. Last year, when the University was facing an $11 million
deficit, 22.5% of the TA/TM budget
was cut in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Some of the more frightening
recommendations currently being
considered by Senate committees include completely cutting the tutorial system and
imposing new restrictions on course
selection for students already enrolled in programs. Do you have the courses you
want to take for the next two or three
years all planned out? You may have to plan again unless the politicians and
administrators can be convinced otherwise.
Since November, your SFSS reps have met or scheduled meetings with each of the nine
MLAs on the committee –
including Education Minister Murray Coell – to discuss the lack of attention paid to
the realities of operating costs associated
with post-secondary education. Your Student Society is directly lobbying for your
interests!
Background - SFU and the Provincial Budget
Every year the Provincial Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services
releases a report with recommendations
to the government on funding priorities based on consultations with its
constituents and
various lobbying groups. Under the section titled “Post-Secondary Education”,
the feedback presented included the high cost of education, the interest
charged on student loans, improvements to student financial assistance,
access and funding for graduate students, a cooperative education tax credit, and
the lack of
sufficient operating grants provided to institutions. While the report made
recommendations based on nearly all of the
feedback, the section on insufficient operating grant funding remained unaddressed.
Simon Fraser University is looking at a near $16 million deficit for next year. This
is predominately due to insuffi-
cient increases in revenue to cover the inflationary increases in the cost of
education over the past few years. Although
the provincial government has agreed to cap tuition increases at 2% (based on the
Consumer Price Index) next year
and for the remaining years of their term, they are failing to cover the addition
inflationary costs of education (as was
explained in Campus 2020 as the Higher Education Price Index). As a result of this,
SFU is looking to once again cut
areas of its budget in order to balance it for its Board of Governors.
This year’s report is available online at:
http://www.leg.bc.ca/cmt
New SFSS Web site Coming
The first makeover of Student Society space will be the
SFSS Web site. By February this year the site will be redeveloped
with a new colour scheme, professional layout and
improved functionality.
Clubs and Departmental Student Unions will be able to
book rooms without leaving their computer lab or common
room. The SFSS Minutes and Work Reports will be there too,
providing for better accountability of your directors.
The Student Society Web site has needed redevelopment
for a long time, and it has taken the initiative of this year’s
Member Services Officer to get the job done.
Dual Funded Ombuds Office
An Ombudsman in a university acts as a mediator between the student’s interests and
the administration, ensuring
that all members of the university community receive fair and equitable treatment on
campus. Currently the Ombuds
Office is funded entirely by students through the SFSS. However, the Student Society
would like to implement a
dual-funded service, that is, to have the Ombuds Office be funded by both the SFSS
and the University. A dual funded
Ombuds Office would enhance the administrative fairness of our academic experience
through increased institutional
legitimacy and an increase in its resources and budget. The SFSS is currently in
negotiation with the University
on this issue. At present however, due to University’s tight budget year and despite
positive feedback from both sides
of the table, the outcome is still uncertain.
If all goes well, the Ombuds Office will see some significant changes for the better
beginning September 2008!
New SFSS Web site Coming. The first makeover of Student Society space will be the
SFSS Web site. By February this year the site will be redeveloped with a new colour
scheme, professional layout and
improved functionality. Clubs and Departmental Student Unions will be able to book
rooms without leaving their computer lab or common
room. The SFSS Minutes and Work Reports will be there too, providing for better
accountability of your directors.
The Student Society Web site has needed redevelopment for a long time, and it has
taken the initiative of this year’s
Member Services Officer to get the job done.
STUDENT NEWS January 2008
Simon Fraser Student Society-Transportation Service Getting Better
In the wake of last semester’s solid 92% vote in favour of extending the UPass to
2011, your student society brought
hundreds of complaints to Translink, passing on stories about lineups on the #145,
scheduling problems on the #143,
and the occasional rude bus driver among other issues.
It’s worked - service is better this semester. As the semester progresses, however,
we need to make sure that service
keeps improving, and our concerns are heard. Upcoming projects will need student
input too, from big plans such
as the Evergreen Line to Coquitlam or the B-Line service on Hastings, as well as
redevelopment of the upper bus
loop (by the Cornerstone building) and the Production Way Skytrain station.
As always, please send your complaints, concerns, questions, and compliments to
transit@sfss.ca so that we can
bring them directly to Translink. For further info on any transit issues, contact
SFSS President
Derrick Harder at pres@sfss.ca.
Common Rooms - An Endangered Species
Within the last three years at least eight Departmental Student Unions have lost
their common room space. Responding to student requests for advocacy, your Student Society has been meeting and discussing options for change with the University in addition to mobilizing a unified approach for students at the department level.
At the moment, the power to allocate student common rooms lies solely within
University departments. Historically,
this issue has been a low priority item on almost all departmental
agendas and it remains so to this day. Despite the fact that many new buildings have
sprung up in the past couple of
years, SFU is still facing a space crunch -- the direct result of which has been the
systematic elimination
of student space on campus. In fact, in the last three years at least 8 Departmental
Student Unions
have lost space they were using for their common room.
Your Simon Fraser Student Society has received a wave of student requests for
advocacy this term and we are responding! Thus far we have been meeting
with various University administrators in an attempt to alert them of the issue and
press for action. As it
stands, there isn’t much support for a centralized space policy in favour of students.
However, this isn’t
the end of the fight. As this is an individual departmental responsibility, individual
departments need to
be lobbied. Your student society is available and ready to assist in the mobilization
of concerned students.
This is where you come in! If you are one of those students who is facing a Department
al Student Union
that is falling apart due to a lack of student space, and you would like to do
something about it, come to our
office in room 2220 of the MBC, enjoy our couches, microwave and free phone, and talk
to your University
Relations Officer on how to go about lobbying your department for a common room. Let
us help you!
Grant Funding - Money to Move You
SFSS members- that’s students like you- have used SFSS
Student Union Grant Funding for many exciting studentrun projects on campus.
SFSS Grant Funding has started a bike tool cooperative, run successful
Frosh weeks, organized graduate colloquia, invited guest lecturers, published
newsletters,
presented career nights, promoted disability awareness, supported
weekly seminars, and much, much more. Student union members interested in applying
for Grant Funding should talk to the SFSS Organiser at organiser@sfss.ca. SFSS Grant
Funding
for student unions comes from your SFSS student dues, and substantial funding is
available.
What if you’re with an SFSS Club instead? There’s also Club grant funding available,
so email
sfssgo@sfu.ca to find out more. If your project doesn’t fit with a Club or Student
Union, talk directly to the elected SFSS Treasurer at treas@sfss.ca to see how the
SFSS can support your initiative.
Good luck!
SFSS Board of Directors Contacts
President - Derrick Harder 778-782-6564 pres@sfss.ca
External Relations Officer - Amy Fox 778-782-6564 ero@sfss.ca
Graduate Issues Officer - Clea Moray 778-782-6563 gio@sfss.ca
Internal Relations Officer - Haida Arsenault-Antolick 778-782-6560 iro@sfss.ca
Member Services Officer - Joe Paling 778-782-6564 mso@sfss.ca
Treasurer - Adam Lein 778-782-6562 treas@sfss.ca
University Relations Officer - Amanda van Baarsen 778-782-3182 uro@sfss.ca
At- Large Rep - Alex Hemmingway 778-782-6561 atlarge1@sfss.ca
At- Large Rep - Natalie Bocking 778-782-6561 atlarge2@sfss.ca
At- Large Rep (Grad) - Mike Letourneau 778-782-6563 atlargegrad@sfss.ca
Applied Science Rep - Bryan Ottho 778-782-6561 appscirep@sfss.ca
Arts & Social Sciences - Tyler Massee 778-782-3182 artsrep@sfss.ca
Business Administration Rep - vacant 778-782-3182 busrep@sfss.ca
Education Rep - vacant 778-782-6561 edurep@sfss.ca
Health Sciences Rep - Madiha Mahmood 778-782-6561 healthscirep@sfss.ca
Science Rep - Anna Belkine 778-782-3182 sciencerep@sfss.ca
SFSS General Office 778-782-3181 sfssgo@sfu.ca www.sfss.ca
STUDENT NEWS January 2008"
Friday, February 1, 2008
SFU leaving the CFS? ~an ongoing debate
The Canadian Federation of Students was formed in 1981 to provide students with a united voice. At the time, students felt their collective interests would be best represented to federal and provincial governments as a united group.Now in 2008, it is believed that since tuition fees, financial assistance programs and funding for research are set directly or indirectly by both levels of government, it is vital that students collectively organise to ensure that students' rights and concerns are fully represented.
The Canadian Federation of Students claims that members benefit from services and discounts, and advocacy. These discounts include deals on cell phones, travel, food, clothes and more. Current advocacy issues include the 'No Means No' Canadian Federation of Students campaign to end date rape and dating violence (see article www.cfs-fcee.ca/nom
The Federation comprises more than 500,000 students from over 80 university and college students' unions across the country. Members in British Columbia's include Locals 03 (UBC-Okanagan), 75, 05 (Capilano) 73, 18, 33, 76, 26, 61, 13, 72, 66, 53, 86, 04, 23 (SFU), 15, 89 (UVic Grads) and 44 (UVic). Alberta members include both the Alberta College of Art and Design Students' Association and Graduate Students' Association of the University of Calgary. Saskatchewan has five memebers. Manitoba also has five. Ontario boasts over thirty members and two prospective members. Québec's three members include Concordia, Concordia Grads, and McGill University's Post-Grads. The University of New Brunswick Grads are the sole NB members. Nova Scotia has six current member and one perpective. PEI has three members and Newfoundland & Labrador have five. Great...
Many at SFU, however, feel that the CFS's claim on $430,000 of annual student fees is
unnecessary. The SFSS (Simon Fraser Student Society) is working towards independence. In March 2007, 78% of SFU voters said they want out of the non-governmental organisation (NGO) known as the CFS (Canadian Federation of Students).The reasons why some students want out may include some are all of the following arguments: (1) The CFS denied our proxy-vote in 2006, despite their own rules allowing for it. Undemocratic. (2) Tuition freezes, caps, and reductions in this province have happened near or around election years. (3) Alberta has a similiar tuition cap as BC, with almost no CFS presence. (4) The British Columbia component of the CFS went three years without audited financial statements, despite spending over $200,000 of our (us student's) money, each year. (5) The BC Component of the CFS has interfered in SFSS elections (as reported at www.peak.sfu.ca/the
Some students fear the consequnces of leaving the CFS. For example, SFU Students may not want to lose any services by leaving the CFS. However, Non-CFS members still have access to Travel CUTS, Student Phones, housing4students, and other CFS commercial services. SFU students will still be able to get the ISIC card. On the other hand, many believe that the CFS is a democratic body working for student interests. However, SFU (representing almost half of the BC Component's budget and members) has one vote at any CFS meetings while Vancouver Community College has two. CFS-BC has also circumvented both the desire and needs of graduate students.
If you would like to help the 'We Want Out' campaign by postering, writing on chalk board, handing out leaflets, helping organize our carnival, or helping us table, email (mso@sfss.ca).
For those of you who have the good sense to stay away from facebook, here are some helpfull links the 'WE WANT OUT' group posted:
My Response to Chairman Reid, Robin Steudel and Aman Bains:
http://www.the-peak.ca/article/1752-co
A well argued response to Miss Bocking:
http://www.the-peak.ca/article/1744-wh
Caelie Frampton's Article on the CFS (not the official opinion of the SFSS)
http://www.geocities.com/joe_surplus/u
Kwantlen's Independence Website (not in concert with the SFSS)
http://www.cfstruth.ca/
Well-written blog post (not the official opinion of the SFSS)
http://afreak.ca/2008/01/17/i-am-not-t
Amy Fox's Well Written Article in the Peak
http://www.the-peak.ca/article/1566-wh
Alex Hemingway's Response to Mr. Fergusson
http://www.the-peak.ca/article/1445-fe
Peak Coverage from Sept 2007, Free at Last?
http://www.peak.sfu.ca/the-peak/2007-3
Peak Coverage from May 2007, We Want Out
http://www.peak.sfu.ca/the-peak/2007-2
Studentunion.ca, Mr. Gregory's Blog (not the official opinion of the SFSS)
http://www.studentunion.ca/
Peak Column, Federation Blues, by Derrick Harder
http://www.peak.sfu.ca/the-peak/2006-3
CRTC Petition for Democratic Media
More than 1,800 Canadians wrote to the CRTC last summer supporting the 'Stop the Big Media Takeover' campaign asking for rules to ensure the diversity of voices in our broadcast system. In January, the CRTC released new policies, acknowledging Canadians’ concerns about media ownership concentration, yet doing little to reverse the situation.
Supporters' comments to the CRTC documented a deepening concern in cities and towns across Canada about availability of a diversity of viewpoints, information and programming choices, especially from local media. They point to a concentration of media ownership, media companies costs cuts reducing local newsgathering and reporting, and their continuing failure to invest in Canadian content programs. Excerpts from these comments can be found here (http://democraticmedia.ca/sites/democraticmedia.ca/files/crtcdiversity_commentsCC_0.pdf).
The CRTC says it will do thye following 4 things; (1) Review its policies to ensure “the development of a healthy community broadcasting sector.” (2)
(3) Stop a single company from controlling a number of stations and specialty channels that together reach more than “45 per cent of the total television audience share.” (“cap on common ownership of TV services”). (4) Stop a single company from owning radio, TV and a daily newspaper in a single town or city (“prohibition on cross-ownership of media”).
However, the CRTC is refusing to deal with these immediate problems: (a) Remove any licence requirement for media companies that own several outlets to maintain separate newsgathering operations in each outlet, and depend instead on a voluntary code to ensure that editorial decisions remain separate. This decision will benefit Quebecor in Quebec and Toronto. (b) Nothing to prevent foreign ownership of the media, as we saw with the approval last December of the sale of Alliance Atlantis Broadcasting – the last independent Canadian specialty programming company – to U.S. investment bank Goldman Sachs through its Canadian minority partner CanWest. (c) Nothing to encourage more original programming that reflects the diversity of the Canadian population.
Without the voices of those Canadians who wrote to the CRTC last summer supporting the 'Stop the Big Media Takeover' campaign it could have been much worse. To help suuport this campaign for more Radio and television space for democratic debate join the campaign at www.unionvoice.org/your_media/join.html . You may also speak with your local MP and/or federal candidates about your opinion of current Canadian media.
Visit DemocraticMedia.ca to find out what’s new in Canada’s media democracy movement. As the Campaign for Democratic Media continues to grow as a national network, donations are being accepted to help sustain this work. To find out how you can become a financial supporter of the Campaign check out www.democraticmedia.ca/donate.
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