I am with you on the question of why the Admin keep outsourcing surveys and other data-related initiatives. We may recall also that the university paid some huge amount of money to get the US accreditation that allowed SFU to join NCAA. (Rumors put that figure
at way over a million dollars, it seems impossible to get any real accounting on these things.)
From: Richard Coe <coe@sfu.ca>
Sent: July 13, 2020 8:25:28 PM
To: Eugene McCann
Cc: academic-discussion@sfu.ca
Subject: Re: The future of "The Clan"
Is there no one in the SFU Administration who is competent to organize a survey? Does anyone know how much they paid this company, let alone why it was a higher priority than other things it could have been spent on?
From: Eugene McCann <emccann@sfu.ca>
Sent: Saturday, July 11, 2020 5:17:26 PM
To: Eugene McCann
Cc: academic-discussion@sfu.ca
Subject: Re: The future of "The Clan"
Sorry for another email,
**Note: This is not the survey you may have filled out a little while ago. That other one was from the student athletes. This one is from a company hired by SFU Administration.
Eugene
Dear all,
Apparently SFU is running a survey intended to gather input on "The Clan" as the team name. Please consider giving your thoughts ... (Deadline is this coming Tuesday!).
Apparently this survey’s been live since July 3. I first became aware of it a few minutes ago on Twitter. I don’t remember any mass emails to the university community about it. Maybe I missed them. Also, apparently the university “small virtual
discovery sessions [focus groups?] with representation from” among others, SFU Faculty. I wonder who has been included in the faculty one?
Please consider filling out the survey!
Eugene
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.
They also ask for emails to be sent to SFU administrators (see the petition link).
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
_______________________________________________________
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
_______________________________________________________
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
|