Re: SFU graduate students

[Michael Hathaway <michael_hathaway@sfu.ca>]

Thanks, Nick and Eugene for raising this. I think it is a great idea,
and good to know that this is also being raised at UBC.

I think that in the short term we should ask the admin to support this
for SFU grad students and in the long term it might be best raised
collectively, with all of the universities asking the feds to support
this, as the government is supporting companies and workers.

It is a relatively easier way to support grad students in Canada via
universities rather than many thousands of people individually. It
could be our way of saying that we respect their work, and welcome
them back to Canada when they are able by waiving tuition, remembering
that Canada's research, especially the natural sciences and
engineering, is mainly built with the labor and brain power of
international students. We will for sure need federal support to
expedite these students getting their visas re-approved if we are
lucky enough to have them return.

best, Michael

Michael J. Hathaway
Associate Professor of Anthropology
Simon Fraser University
Coast Salish Territories

http://www.sfu.ca/sa/People/faculty/michael-hathaway.html
https://sfu.academia.edu/MichaelHathaway

On Tue, Mar 31, 2020 at 10:03 AM Eugene McCann <emccann@sfu.ca> wrote:
>
> I have similar worries to Nick.  I have heard that the idea of waiving tuition for grad students is being discussed at UBC.  It seems like it may be a relatively straightforward way for the university to put (or leave) more money in grad student pockets in this time of crisis.
>
> Best,
> Eugene McCann
> Geography
>
> > On Mar 31, 2020, at 8:22 AM, Nicholas Blomley <blomley@sfu.ca> wrote:
> >
> > I am very concerned for our grad students - research plans are in disarray, as they can’t access labs, or engage in fieldwork; RA and TA funding may be uncertain etc.
> >
> > I am particularly concerned with our international grad students: many may have left the country to support family, making return uncertain. While domestic students may be able to go on leave, this doesn’t seem viable for students on visas, who presumably lose their status if they are not ‘in school’.
> >
> > Any temporary solutions? I hear of pressure at other universities for a tuition freeze, for example. That would take some weight from our already worried grads.
> >
> > Nick Blomley
> > Geography
>
> _______________________________________________________
> Eugene McCann
> University Professor, Geography
> Associate Faculty, Sociology & Anthropology
> Simon Fraser University
>
> Managing Editor, EPC: Politics & Space
>
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>
> Email:  emccann@sfu.ca; Phone:  778-782-3321; Fax:  778.782.5841
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