The SFU Community Coalition is proud to present three forums in January on what it means to be the #1 comprehensive university in Canada (as ranked by Maclean’s.)

January 13: Is SFU the #1 post-secondary employer?
January 20: Is SFU the #1 comprehensive university?
January 27: Is SFU the #1 campus community?

More information about the forums will be available shortly.

The SFU Community Coalition is hosting a debate between the Burnaby-Lougheed candidates for the BC Provincial Election (Voting is May 12).

Come to the AQ 3181 at 3:30 pm on May 6 to hear what the candidates have to say about post-secondary education and other issues of concern to the SFU community.

Questions will be taken from the audience so you can have your voice heard!

This handbill can be used to promote the event. Print it off and share!

Add the Facebook event to your events calendar!

On Tuesday March 24, the SFU Community Coalition presented our concerns to the Board of Governors Finance Committee.

Myka Tucker-Abramson (graduate student and TSSU member) represented student concerns, and Michael Ling (Senior Lecturer and member of SFUFA’s Executive Committee) discussed the impact of the 2009/10 budget on faculty and teaching staff. Both speeches were excellent.

Click here for Myka Tucker-Abramson’s talk to the Finance Committee – March 26, 2009.

[Check back for a link to Ling's speech.]

Following the Finance Committee meeting, on March 26th over 50 members of the SFU community attended the Board of Governors meeting, where the Finance Committee acknowledged the presentations by Tucker-Abramson and Ling, reflecting that the speeches were thoughtful, important, and well articulated. The Board acknowledged the many visitors in the room, noting the attendance concerned budget issues.

As a student representative sitting on the Board, Kevin Harding did an excellent job shedding light on the discrepancies between the proposed budget and what’s happening on the ground at SFU. Natalie Bocking shared the vocal concerns of SFU’s studentry. Both student representatives voted against the budget.

The SFU Community Coalition continues to work together as a united body that supports well-funded high-quality education for students, humane and efficient working conditions for maintenance and administrative staff, and a balanced workload, rights and sufficient resources for faculty and teaching staff. Together we strive for a better learning environment at SFU.

Representatives from the SFU Community Coalition travelled to Victoria on Friday, March 13th to deliver copies of the petition calling for an end to cutbacks and fair funding to the Minister for Advanced Education, Murray Coell.

While the Minister was not available to meet with the representatives of the coalition–he was busy in meetings ‘all day’–copies of the petition were left in the Minister’s constituency office in Sidney, BC and in the Ministry of Advanced Education office in the Legislature Buildings in Victoria, BC.

The members of the coalition who travelled to Victoria on Friday say that while they didn’t get a chance to meet with the Minister, they still feel that they accomplished an important part of the campaign for high quality, public education.  “The Minister has the petition, he can see the names and comments of over 1,000 members of the SFU community who care deeply about public post-secondary education, and he can see we’re serious,” they said.

A second group of members of the coalition met with Advanced Education official opposition critic Rob Fleming in Vancouver, at the same time as the other group was trying to meet with Murray Coell.  This group delivered a second copy of the petition to Mr. Fleming, and spoke with him for about 45 minutes about the impacts of underfunding on education at SFU and across the province.

High-resolution photos of the Victoria trek are available upon request.

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Interested in participating in future events? Email us at info@savesfu.ca to be added to our list of volunteers and activists.

Want to really be heard about what you think should happen with the university’s budget?

SFU’s Board of Governors approves this year’s budget on Thursday, March 26.  We want you to be part of the crowd overseeing the budget’s approval.  Come to the meeting at the Burnaby Campus – Halpern Centre 126 – at 8:00 am (yes, in the morning!) March 26 to oversee the passing of the budget and find out:

• What tuition fees will look like this coming year
• What cuts are going to be made as a result of the Provincial Government’s mandatory “efficiencies”
• What other impacts staff, students and faculty will face due to the chronic underfunding SFU has to deal with every year.

You won’t be alone in the audience.  The Coalition would love to see over 80 people representing the 80 positions expected to be cut in the gallery.  Bring a friend!

Want to make your voice heard?
Join the caravan to Victoria to present our 1000+ petition to the Minister of Advanced Education, Murray Coell!

Contact Sean Carleton (organizer@tssu.ca) for more information!

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