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A belated, and perhaps elliptical, contribution. Personally I don't care about the team name, and I find the argument about the NCAA and player discomfort quite compelling.
But re: our namesake, it so happens that my kids last Christmas gave me a 2007 re-edition of The Letters and Journals of Simon Fraser, 1806-1808, originally published in 1960. (Yes, I am the kind of person who is very happy with such a gift.) I suspect the appearance of this book, and resulting interest in Fraser among BC leadership cohorts (themselves at that time overwhelmingly white, male, and post-Hibernian), may have had something to do with our university's getting named after him several years later.
On S.F.'s origins and allegiance, as several people have stated, he was born in New York State to Scottish parents. However, the family were Loyalists at the the time of the Revolution (Simon himself was born in 1776) and so they moved to Upper Canada in 1784. Simon Fraser made his long career as a member of the Northwest Company, and was buried (at least according to my Christmas book) in St. Andrews West, Ontario, in 1862. So, about as Canadian as anybody could be, before there was any such thing. FWIW!
JDF
ps I believe it was the Musqueam people who gave SF his hardest time.
Professor, Department of English Simon Fraser University Burnaby/Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
From: David Macalister <david_macalister@sfu.ca>
Sent: July 3, 2020 12:12 AM To: Eugene McCann; academic-discussion@sfu.ca Subject: Re: The future of "The Clan" I have mixed feelings about this topic. I will try to keep my comments brief because we have all experienced an exponential growth in the volume of messages coming to our inbox during the recent pandemic.
First, I would ask that Eugene please refrain from speaking on behalf of all Scots. I was born in Scotland. I have been a faculty member at SFU for 18 years. To many Scots, Clan membership is a source of considerable pride. I see it as a source of some pride. My family comes from the Clan MacDonald. I see that as a source of some pride (although it does not get me a cut rate at the hamburger chain), and while there are many Clans that see themselves opposed to other Clans, my grandfather married a woman from the Campbell Clan... historical enemies. Were it not for this odd pairing, I would never have come into this world, so while I don't believe in the longstanding prejudices some Clans hold for others, it does not take away from the pride that many Scots feel for their ancestral heritage.
Second, Simon Fraser was indeed born in New York, but not in the United States of America. At the time of his birth, the United States would not come into existence for another six weeks! He was born in May of 1776, so he was indeed born in a British colony. His parents, both born in Scotland, drew their lineage from a long line of nobles of Scottish ancestry. The Clan Fraser is one of the oldest Clans in recorded history. The first recorded Simon Fraser dates back to at least 1160, where he held lands in East Lothian, bordering the Scottish capital of Edinburgh.
It is very unfortunate that the racist KKK has co-opted the homonymn of Clan as the Klan, such that the very mention of the term brings to mind racist ideas; but the Klan is not a Clan. It is a collection of racist bigots whose ideas should not be tolerated for a moment.
The idea of adopting an indigenous name for SFU's teams is not necessarily a bad idea, but it does nothing to reflect the history and heritage of the man whose name is attached to our university. I understand that the Kwantlen people did their best to eliminate Simon Fraser and his accompaniment in 1808, and he was lucky to escape with his life. Having also taught and worked at Kwantlen Polytechnic University for 15 years, I have no hestation in supporting a recognition of the pre-colonization residents of these lands. It just doesn't directly connect to the heritage of the university's namesake.
David MacAlister, MA, JD, LLM President, Western Society of Criminology
Simon Fraser University | Saywell Hall 10134 From: Eugene McCann <emccann@sfu.ca>
Sent: July 2, 2020 4:08 PM To: academic-discussion@sfu.ca Subject: The future of "The Clan" Hello colleagues,
I hope you don’t mind me adding to your mailboxes. Some of you might be aware from being on social media or looking at the news media over the last few days, that there is a renewed push to change the SFU sports teams’ nickname. Currently it’s
The Clan but, in a recent survey, 77% of the 163 student athletes who responded were in favour of changing it.
They say they feel very uncomfortable, embarrassed, and even fearful when they play American teams, which is all the time, since SFU became an NCAA school. (If you’re still not seeing the issue, say it out loud!). So, this is why I bring this
to the faculty email forum: the name Clan is harming our students. That makes it squarely our concern.
The students have a petition that
you can sign, if you are so inclined. It already has 7,500 signatories.
They also ask for emails to be sent to SFU administrators (see the petition link).
They have come up with a clever and pointed social media hashtag, #IamNotYourClansman, presumably referencing this documentary film and James
Baldwin’s work. And they have been active in the news media. See, for example: Othniel Spence’s moving essay and Mason
Glover’s CTV interview. Our own colleague, Holly Anderson (Philosophy), has been forthright in the media now and in the past
about the problematic name.
For me (a 17-year member of the SFU faculty), I fully support the students. The name has got to go, and soon. Its fate was sealed when the University decided to join the NCAA. The only question is why it's taking SFU so long to change it, given
the hurt it’s causing.
The main argument against the proposal (largely in comments below the line in news articles about this issue, rather than from current students) is that getting rid of “Clan” disregards SFU’s Scottish heritage. As a Scot, I have some thoughts ... Appeals to ‘heritage’ are particularly charged these days and should be treated with a great deal of care. But the appeal to Scottish heritage in this case is a thin argument at best. As you know, Simon Fraser wasn't from Scotland. He was from New York. Moreover, I have a feeling that some people in Canada think that one’s “Clan” is somehow a big deal for the average Scot. It is not. Very few Scots care. Yet, some in this debate are arguing that, if the SFU name is changed, the new name should reference Scotland too (I see ‘Claymores’ raised as an option). For me it would be best if the new name didn't celebrate a small country half a world away and its people’s role in colonizing this continent. My feeling is that the University should get rid of “Clan” and should invite local First Nations to lead a renaming process that is appropriate. This would be an opportunity to engage in our reconciliation agenda and, I think, would be supported by most of us at the university. (Although, I would note that one of the things that the students are frustrated about is that deliberations and consultations over this issue have gone on for a while and they feel that they may be being used as a stalling tactic. A respectful consultation should be done with as much alacrity as possible.) I am in no way involved in this campaign but I greatly respect those who have been out front in it (see names above). For me, the least I can do is sign the petition, email the admin, and provide my particular Scottish take. Best, Eugene _______________________________________________________
Eugene McCann University Professor, Geography Associate Faculty, Sociology & Anthropology Simon Fraser University Managing Editor, EPC: Politics & Space Personal website: https://emccanngeog.wordpress.com Collective website: http://research.northumbria.ac.uk/urbanfutures/ Contact information: Department of Geography, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, British Columbia, V5A 1S6, Canada Unceded territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. Email: emccann@sfu.ca; Phone: 778-782-3321; Fax: 778.782.5841 |