Results Announced: Inaugural Election for Black Caucus Steering Committee

Centralize and regularize certain events such as Black Grad, Black Student Orientation, and a Group Mentorship Semesterly meeting or more for Students to attend and meet professors.

Solidify the appointed roles and also generally make it accessible for people to get involved. Ensure to get quickly added to the mailing list when they are interested

Discussion on the Black Student Centre

Make it more accessible for people to find and join Black Caucus 

Hybrid general meetings every month. Online accessibility is important, and so is in-person connections to build rapport. 

Black Caucus should establish community guidelines, and a fair policy / accountability process for how to handle misconduct. For example, if the Caucus felt the need to expel a member from the Caucus for causing harm, what would that look like? What would support for the person harmed look like? 

Establish and document a good transition / onboarding system for Black Caucus elected members and volunteers 

Link Black students with professionals Mentor and mentee programmes

Continue Black Grad!! 

A newsletter with highlights and opportunities to get involved 

End-of-year celebrations of Black Caucus members’ achievements 

Host a discussion imagining what Canada’s first historically Black University could look like community series discussions about any subjects, with live-graphic recording. Example here.

Have information and updates about events, meetings, updates publicly available on the Black Caucus website and social media Host annual general meetings 

Green Book (Sharing internal knowledge and experiences of Black Folx at SFU) 

An academic research webinar to showcase the research of Black Caucus members.

Expanding funding opportunities and scholarships for international students could be a transformative initiative for the SFU Black Caucus in the 2023-2024 academic year. Creating scholarships specifically aimed at international students from Black backgrounds would be a powerful way to support their educational journey. These scholarships can be merit-based or need-based, enabling talented students to access quality education without financial constraints.

Informative workshops

More dances that bring together and celebrate different cultures

More in person events that facilitate open conversation on difficult topics or life in general - workshop based 

Game night

Annual or bi-annual conference about different subjects (with free entrance for Black students). Have local speakers and fly in speakers from various places 

Get to know each other and set the main priorities within SFU Communities

Build connections between students, staff, and faculty; host casual social events, professional networking events, mentorship program Black student orientation 

Collaborations with other Black organizations and businesses, including grassroots groups/initiatives, in Canada. Local examples Hogan’s Alley Society, Vancouver Black Library, etc 

Launch SFU-sponsored trips to Ghana for small cohorts of Black students, staff, and faculty who are descendants of enslaved Africans to reconnect with heritage, history, and identity

In-Person Tea Time Meet-ups (Monthly would be great! I'm thinking an informal meeting for community building in addition to general membership meetings) 

The Black History Month programming was very good. Maybe a Spring Social? a Winter one?

Black Co-Working Sessions (Online/Remote) 

SOCA Collab Meet-up 

SFU DNA Collab Meet-up 

SFPIRG Collab Community Workshops 

Hogan's Alley History Event 

Vancouver Black Library Meet-up 

SFU Black Archives Presentation(s) 

Film and show screenings (documentaries, Black fiction and non-fiction) 

Cookout(s)

Listening Parties (For the albums people want to celebrate, past and newly released)

In-person events hosted in the Vancouver core, for example, around the location of Hogan’s Alley or at the Vancouver campus.

Would love to experience a formal Black dinner in the winter, before exams just as a “Keep going and look fabulous while you are at it.” message

Faculty, alumni and Students meets. Black Caucus student Orientation Black Caucus student Events- formal and informal Lobby for the general interests of Black students

A networking event from different organizations for students.

More events and workshops engaging the black community at SFU and getting students more involved in the caucus

More in person events :) maybe a welcome/orientation early fall?

interested in supporting what the group would like to move forward - can support with leadership contacts

At least one social to meet those in Caucus in person - perhaps a workshop or talk on how to navigate academia while being Black - a workshop or talk on Black community building

A mixer or networking event for Black graduate students

Mentorship programs for research projects, facilitating research and volunteer positions for students in the Black community relevant to their fields of study.

Mentorship and networking. Connecting with the larger Black community across the lower mainland, including SFU alumni.

Meet-n-greets for our Black community at SFU, “Culture without Borders” - an event where we can talk about our similarities and differences as people of the African Diaspora.

Any event that brings Black and non-Black students together.

Black History Month Initiatives Event supporting Black small business owners

Black Caucus Fall/ Spring gathering and orientation Black Grad Black history month celebration event

More celebration

Fundraisers for Black-focused events, mixers to meet friends, discussions of issues pertaining to Black folks

First year social Mix and mingle of alumni and current students and faculty

Grad ceremony Career connections nights, Community engagement events, A party, Skill development, Conferences, Guest lectures on Blackness/career/EDI/socially relevant topics, Mentorship opportunities, Travel opportunities

Clear antiracism redress policies amidst racial attacks on campus 

End carding and racial profiling at the Dining Hall (Unlike other students, Black students are asked to prove they paid after already being seated. Or students told they don’t look like their ID photo and denied entry) 

Get SFU to collect race-based data (ethically) 

Representing collective voices and criticisms of SFU's actions and policies (i.e. having members comment on a regressive policy, performative news story or pattern of inadequate intersectional support for Black folx on a shared Google Docs document, aggregating member comments, and then present to various stakeholders at SFU as a representation of not just 1 person but a group of 100+ Black folx at SFU). Compare and contrast SFU's current approach to intersectional anti-racism (and history of anti-blackness) with other institutions, cities and cultures to illuminate oversights, highlight alternatives, and help folx better envision what safer and sustainable possibilities are out there.

Safer work environment for black students, staff and faculty.

Increase and bolster Black student presence within university administration through partnerships and collaborations with SOCA and ASA on either their events or advocacy 

Lack of representation in faculties 

Formalizing Black Caucus' place in SFU governance structure Formalizing the group’s place in SFU governance structure Staff to support Black Caucus operations 

Hold the university accountable to SFU Black faculty cluster-hiring and Black student office (these are both delayed!) 

Implement and uphold everything in the “Scarborough Charter on Anti-Black Racism and Black Inclusion” that SFU signed

Advocate for enhanced curricular offerings reflecting the Black experiences at SFU, including a Black and African Studies major, taught by Black professors Support professional development opportunities for Black people at SFU

Bring in more lecturers and staff who identify as black.

Putting pressure on the university to follow through with their EDI commitments as well as acknowledging the work that has been done by other Black groups at SFU (not just claiming their success) 

More Black Faculty Push for more race sensitive training for syllabus

Increased funding for Black Caucus

Ensure SFU Administration cements Black Caucus annual funding. We can't do much efficiently without money and autonomy 

More scholarships for black students

Get funding for off campus mental health like UBC's Mental Wellness Pilot Project for Black Students, Faculty and Staff

Advocate for more Black student bursaries, awards, and scholarships Support students experiencing anti-Black discrimination, racial violence, and human rights violations at SFU and advocate for reporting mechanism for racism

Justice for black people

Housing crisis,

Food insecurity 

Raising student expenses (education, res housing, groceries, tuition, books, etc) 

Inequality and issues of discrimination among black students.

Supports for Black refugee students, who are at a unique intersection 

Creating opportunities for mutual aid and community care among SFU Black Caucus members (ongoing, low-entry-barrier spaces and time to reconnect as a community). Collaborating with other intersectional advocacy groups to amplify SFU Black Caucus voices, build solidarity, and cross-pollinate ideas and shared causes. 

Mentorship for grad students and young faculty would be awesome

Highlighting Black joy and success, especially throughout the year and not just during February