June 15, 2021

First month of the new SFSS 2021/2022 Year!

Appointments 

  • VP Events & Student Affairs, Jess Dela Cruz, is elected as Vice Chair of the Executive Committee. 
  • Priyanka Dhesha is appointed as Associate Vice-President University & Academic Affairs. Read more about it here.
  • Nimrit Basra is appointed as Associate Vice-President External & Community Affairs. Read more about it here.
  • Devynn Butterworth as the Vice Chair of Council for the 2021/22 Council term.
  • Various Executives and Non-Executives of Council were appointed to multiple Hiring Committees.

Executive Committee

  • Executive Committee Annual Plan is released.
  • Executives were updated on return to campus as they joined a Town Hall with Bonnie Henry for Post-Secondary Students.
  • Memorial of Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc Residential School Survivors was held in front of the Student Union Building. You can watch the livestream here: https://www.instagram.com/sfss_events/.

Motions 

  • Motion carried that the SFSS Stand in solidarity with Palestinian students at SFU, release a statement condemning the ongoing occupation and colonization of Palestine, to develop and adopt an issues policies on the Palestine-Israel conflict, support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement that aims to end the occupation of Palestine. View full motion here. 
  • Council approved an interfund loan of $200,000 from the Student Expansion Fund to the Operating account to be rapid when the SFSS receives its summer student fee revenue from SFU.
  • Motion carried that the SFSS release a statement that publicly condemns the Chinese Communist Party for its ongoing genocide of the Uyghur peoples and that the SFSS draft and adopt an issues policy regarding the Uyghur Genocide outlining its stance in solidary with Uyghur students at SFU, draft an adopt a financial policy of divesting and boycotting companies that benefit from Xinjian’s Uyghur internment camps, and strike a working group to research and draft the aforementioned statement and policies. View full motion here.
  • Motion carried that Council writes a statement in support of the Access for All Campaign, that the SFSS drafts letters to the provincial government and SFU advocating for the demands outlined in the Access for All briefing note, compile resources for international students, BIPOC students, and prioritize international students and migrant students. View full motion here.
  • Motion carried to strike a Colombian Solidarity Working Group to draft a statement on the ongoing Protests in Colombia to prioritize the voices of Colombian students at SFU. View full motion here.
  • Motion carried that the SFSS endorse the petition “Adjustments to SFU’s Transcript and Grading System” and work with students on the SFU Senate to move towards more common grading schemes such as those at other North American post-secondary institutions. View full motion here.

Standing in Solidarity 

  • The SFSS Executive Committee approves the MMIWG2ST Statement to stand in solidarity and support with Indigenous families and communities affected.
  • The SFSS Executive Committee acknowledges the impacts and trauma the current events regarding the Kamloops Indian Residential School have brought to Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc, as well as Indigenous People(s) and communities across Turtle Island. Read full statement here.