UNIVERSITY NEWS

A TIME FOR NEW TRADITIONS: HOW SFU IS INDIGENIZING CONVOCATION

“We wanted to explore how we could honour our graduates while also honouring the long history of the land we’re on, and the Indigenous peoples who have been on these lands since time immemorial.”

If you tune in to SFU’s Virtual Convocation this June, you’ll notice a set of new convocation traditions stemming from the university’s ongoing commitment to reconciliation.

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NEW GENERATION OF YUKON FIRST NATIONS LANGUAGE SPEAKERS HONOURED ALONGSIDE ELDERS

In partnership with the Yukon Native Language Centre and the Council of Yukon First Nations, SFU's Indigenous Languages Program honoured eight graduates with the language proficiency certificate and 13 fluent speakers of Gwich'in, Hän, Kaska, Northern Tutchone, Southern Tutchone, Tagish, Lingít and Upper Tanana at a recognition ceremony on the territory of the Ta’an Kwäch’än Council and the Kwanlin Dün First Nation.

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REVIVING ENDANGERED BLACKFOOT LANGUAGE USING DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY

SFU researchers have created a new online resource to help people learn Blackfoot, an endangered language spoken since time immemorial by First Nations in what is now known as Alberta and Montana. The free resource teaches vocabulary, pronunciation, sentence formation and tests understanding. The learning tool launched on June 21 in honour of National Indigenous Peoples Day.

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RESOURCES + OPERATIONAL UPDATES

WONDERING WHAT RESOURCES ARE AVAILABLE FOR YOU AND YOUR FAMILY?

We invite you to learn more about the resources available for you and your dependents through Homewood, SFU’s Employee Family Assistance Program. A Lunch 'n Learn info session for leaders will be held via Zoom on Wednesday, June 23 from 12-1 p.m. (PDT).

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FIND OUT WHAT STUDENTS THINK ABOUT RETURNING TO CAMPUS

In May, the university invited more than 5,800 graduate students to participate in the Learning Experiences Transition Survey for Graduate Students. The survey complemented an undergraduate survey conducted in March. Discover what students shared about preferred learning activities, instruction and their hopes for the future.

ARE YOU WORKING ON INNOVATIVE CLIMATE SOLUTIONS?

If developing new knowledge on climate change mitigation and adaptation solutions is the type of research project work you are doing, please consider submitting a proposal to the Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions. Submission deadline is August 4, 2021. Proposals may be submitted by a team’s principal investigator, who must be an SFU faculty member.

VISIT THE POLLS THIS WEEK

If you live in Burnaby, please consider voting in your upcoming by-election for two Councillors on June 26.

FEATURE EVENT

June 23 | Hosted by Pride at Work Canada

BEYOND DIVERSITY TOWARDS DIGNITY

While diversity changes who is in the room, dignity honours the full authentic self and allows equal participation in the discussion.

This virtual panel conversation will examine how we move from acknowledging diversity to affording all employees dignity in our workplaces. Together with business and community leaders, attendees will learn about celebrating and creating a sense of belonging for LGBTQ2+ employees.

June 25 | Hosted by SFU Labour Studies and SFU Public Square

SHOULD A JUST RECOVERY FROM COVID-19 INCLUDE A BASIC INCOME FOR B.C.?

This panel discussion will look at the recommendations and findings from the Final Report of the British Columbia Expert Panel on Basic Income. Speakers will also discuss the report’s recommendations, including improved wages for low-paid workers and a more just labour market for B.C.

Tune in and hear from panelists from the Worker Solidarity Network, B.C. Federation of Labour and UBC's Vancouver School of Economics.