2009 Referndum Questions
Please distribute widely,
The following questions have been put to ballot by the SFSS Forum, a representative body consisting of members from every Faculty and Departmental Student Union as well as the recognized constituency groups of the SFSS (Residence Hall Association, Out on Campus and the Women’s Centre being active members).
These questions are placed concurrently on the online ballot with the SFSS Election period, set for 17-19 March 2009.
Active Undergraduate students who wish to register a “yes” or “no” side have until Thursday Noon, 26 February 2009. For more information on registering a campaign please contact the Independent Electoral Commission: elections@sfss.ca or through their website, http://elections.sfss.ca
Question 1: Increase in CJSF Fee
Whereas CJSF Radio is a student-supported radio service providing free training to student and community volunteers in broadcasting and journalism and has not had an increase in fee levy in over 12 years, and
Whereas CJSF would like to improve its service and accessibility to students by establishing a satellite studio in conjunction with the W2 project adjacent to the new downtown SFU Contemporary Arts campus, and
Whereas CJSF requires national advocacy support for issues such as CRTC regulation and copyright via a strong student radio movement and the National Campus/Community Radio Association
Do you agree to an increase of 75 cents per full-time students (38 cents per part-time student) on the current $3.00 ($1.50 per part-time students) allocated to the campus radio station; with 25 cents of this increase (13 cents per part-time students) going to the National Campus and Community Radio Association?
Question 2: Society Affiliations
Whereas last March 66% of SFU students who voted chose to leave the Canadian Federation of Students; and
Whereas membership in said organisation was a toxic and problematic arrangement; and
Whereas the Canadian Federation of Students is an ineffective organisation;
Do you agree to the following, in order for the Simon Fraser Student Society to avoid entering into a binding contract with an extra-univerisity student association/federation or society for at least the next five years, that,
1) No SFSS Board of Directors or meeting of Forum can vote to reinstate or acquire membership in an extra-university student association or other similar body
2) That the Simon Fraser Student Society will remain independent of any extra-university association or similar body for at least the next five years
By Law Change 1: Updating External Relations Officer Position Description
Whereas SFU undergraduates are no longer members of the Canadian Federation of Students and therefore, there is no need for us to have a liaison to this body:
Do you agree to amend By-Law 4. (1.) (c.) to read “Act as a liaison between the Society, and other student unions,” and thus remove reference to the Canadian Federation of Students?
By Law Change 2: Prevention of Outside Interference in Elections
Whereas it’s annoying enough having to deal with SFU undergraduates pushing their wares on you without non-SFU undergraduates engaging in the same annoying tactics; and
Whereas it’s against current election policy to allow outside campaigners to interfere in SFSS elections; therefore,
Do you agree to the addition of By-Law 14 (15) (b.) which reads; “Only Members of the Simon Fraser Student Society may campaign for or on behalf of candidates or referenda during any election period,”?
By-Law Change 3: Democratic Reform to SFSS Forum
Whereas SFSS Forum is an advisory body to the Board of Directors and therefore it makes no sense that directors have a vote on said body; therefore
Do you agree to the following By-Law amendments in order to give forum an independent voice?
Delete By-Law 7 (2) (a.) and rearrange all following clauses of By-Law 7 accordingly, this currently reads “Forum shall consist of: a. The members of the Board.”
Add By-Law 7 (5) to read, “Notwithstanding By-Law 7 (2) members of the Board of Directors shall be honorary members of Forum as referenced in By-Law 1.”
By-Law Change 4: Accountability in External Provincial and National Student Organisations
Whereas membership in external provincial and national student organisations in the past has been subject to dubious standards of accountability; and
Whereas external provincial and national organisations have limited the constitutional charter rights of undergraduate students to freedom of association; therefore,
Do you agree to the creation of By-Law 22 and amendments to By-Law 17 as written in “Appendix A” setting standards of accountability for membership in external national and provincial student organisations?
Appendix A: Accountability in External Provincial and National Student Organisations
[Creation of] By-Law 22: Accountability in External Provincial and National Student Organisations
1. The Society may become a member of a provincial or national student organisation that requires the Society or its members to pay a membership fee to that organisation, but only if the Society and the organisation enter into a binding, written agreement, which will remain in effect as long as the Society is a member of the organisation. The agreement must guarantee the following:
a. The Society’s membership in the organisation does not preclude the Society’s membership in other organisations.
b. The organisation will make its by-laws, policies and minutes available online to all members of the Society within three (3) months of their approval.
c. The organisation will, within two (2) months of receipt of a written request from any member of the Society, provide to them a copy of any document in care or control of the organisation not lawfully required to be kept private.
d. The organisation recognizes that the Society reserves the right to terminate its membership in the organisation according to the Society’s by-laws and policy and according to any of the following procedures:
i) by resolution of the Board if the Society joined the organisation by resolution of the Board;
ii) by resolution of a General Meeting if the Society joined the organisation by resolution of the Board or by resolution of a General Meeting; or
iii) by referendum in any case conducted in accordance with By-Law 17.
2. If the Society terminates its membership in an organisation as described in By-Law 22(1) by any means other than referendum, and if the Society normally collects a membership fee from its members on behalf of that organisation and remits it to that organisation, then the Society will immediately cease collecting fees.
3. If a resolution is put to referendum to terminate the Society’s membership in an organisation as described in By-Law 22(1), and if the Society normally collects a membership fee from its members on behalf of that organisation and remits it to that organisation, then a resolution to cease collecting the membership fee shall be automatically put to referendum according to By-Law 17 to occur concurrently with the referendum on ceasing membership in the organisation.
By-Law 17 (3) amended to read:
Resolutions may be put to referendum by a simple majority vote of the Board or Forum, except where prohibited by these By-Laws, or upon presentation of a petition to the Board which contains the text of the proposed resolution and the signatures of five percent of the members in good standing of the Society, or according to By-Law 22(1)(d) or By-Law 22(3).
Top 50 Universities in the World
The top 50 Universities in 2008 are published on October 9 in THE and they are listed below:
Current Transit Situation
The morning rush hour deposits more than 14,000 students at the University of B.C. alone with a bus arriving about every 42 seconds. Add in Simon Fraser University, the B.C. Institute of Technology and Vancouver Community College, all with multiple campuses, and you have a flood of youngsters with bulky backpacks joining the morning commute.
Source: The Vancouver Sun
Coast Mountain was only able to make minor adjustments yesterday, putting on some extra buses from Production Way to Simon Fraser University and from Metrotown to Capilano University.
Source: The Vancouver Sun
But there were still passups, particularly on the No. 143 from Coquitlam to SFU, on the No. 25 from Brentwood to UBC and on the No. 44 from downtown to UBC.
Source: The Vancouver Sun
September 1: No Credit Cards
When you try to pay your tuition on http://go.sfu.ca/, it will not let you.
That’s Right! For those of you who are currently registered as an undergraduate student or are coming into Simon Fraser University, you will realize a message that says “We regret to inform you that effective September 1st, 2008, the University will no longer be accepting credit cards for tuition and ancillary fees.” on your enrollment appointment email.
Simon Fraser University is currently facing (estimated) $15 million deficit. This is because the Government of British Columbia put a maximum on how much universities can increase their tuitions by, which is 2%. Also, due to the inflation, the amount that the Government of British Columbia funded a few years ago is not as much as the amount funded now because they have not kept in pace with the inflation. The University of British Columbia and the University of Victoria are also in the same situation.
Currently, the University is spending too much money on Credit Card payments for tuition. When you pay by credit card anywhere, the credit card company (such as VISA or Mastercard) takes a percentage as processing fee. In this case, the credit card company is taking a percentage of your tuition to use as processing fee. The credit card company also charges the university for other fees. There are around 25,000 students at Simon Fraser University and if more than half of the students are taking more than 4 courses and are paying by credit card, then that would put the numbers in 7 figures).
In order to make up for the deficit, the University has decided to cut the credit card payment option for tuition (you can still use your credit card in the bookstore).
Not only are credit cards being removed from the University but tutorials, professor hours, amount of teaching assistants are being decreased. This is why Psychology doesn’t have anymore tutorial blocks.
Simon Fraser University is not the only university that is cutting the credit card processing feature. University of Alberta is doing it too [source] and they started on July 1, 2008.
If I remember correctly, a university in Alberta removed their credit card processing feature and a student paid their tuition at the school registrar using pennies.
This is bad news for those who are trying to get AirMiles :P.
Edit: I just received a message from Stephen Price from the Dean of Science office that “everyone still has the option of adding Simon Fraser University as a bill payee to their telephone or online banking account and paying that way (which is way better - no lines!).” He also provided a link for more information and that link can be reached here: http://students.sfu.ca/fees/howtopay/#tuition
SFU Schedule of Dates 2009-2012
These are the scheduled dates from Spring 2009 to Summer 2012. (including the newly introduced Reading Breaks). First and Last Day of School are labelled with green. No Schools are labelled with Red.
Spring 2009
- January 1 - New Years Day (No School)
- January 5 - Classes Start
- February 16-17 - Midterm Break (No Classes)
- April 6 - Last Day of Classes
- April 8 - Exams Start
- April 10-13 - Easter Weekend (No School)
- April 22 - Exams End
I’m Registered, Now What?
A lot of students (first years) have been asking me what to do after they have registered their courses. After you register for your courses, you need to buy your textbook. Your textbook should be available on MySFU (http://my.sfu.ca/). It should list your courses, books and the prices that they sell it for at the bookstore. You can buy them either online or at the bookstore.
From my past experiences, it is cheaper to buy your courses from 3rd parties (such as Chapters, Amazon). Just copy and paste your ISBC number to the amazon or chapters search box and see their price. Throughout the course of the last 3 semesters, I have saved a total of more than $400 from the listed price at MySFU.
Another thing that I would recommend is that if you are in the sciences or applied science, I would recommend you to get the Chapters iReward card. You get to save 10% on all books or textbooks that you buy from them. 10% is a lot when you are buying science or applied science textbook. The math textbook costs around $140. You get to save $14. That is only one course. If you were to buy textbooks for 4-6 courses, you would save around $60-$90, even though the membership price is $20.
After getting your textbooks, you will have to pay your tuition. If you are paying before August 31, you have the option of paying by credit card on the internet. If you do not wish to pay by credit card or you are paying after September 1, you will have to go to the Student Services Center in the Maggie Benson Center and pay your tuition there. You have the option of paying by Cash, Certified Cheque, or Debit Card (i think).
In the upcoming week, I will post why you cannot pay by credit card after September 1.
SFU Academic Calendar of Events
Many people have been asking me about significant dates at Simon Fraser University. Instead of telling people repeated, I have decided to make a blog post about it so anyone (not just the people who talk to me) can look at it. The below dates are for the fall semester only. I will post the Spring significant dates in November.
August
- 28/29 - Photo ID and upass for first years
September
- 01 - Labour Day - No School (Monday)
- 02 - First Day of School (Tuesday)
October
- 06 - Last day for undergraduates to drop courses except under special procedures applicable in extenuating circumstances
- 13 - Thanksgiving Day - No School (Monday)
November
- 11 - Remembrance Day - No School (Tuesday)
- 26 - Last day for undergraduates to drop courses under special procedures applicable in extenuating circumstances
December
- 01 - Last Day of Classes (Monday)
- 03 - Examination Period for Undergrads begin
- 15 - Examination Period for undergraduates end.
Total Number of School Days
- Monday - 12
- Tuesday - 12
- Wednesday - 13
- Thursday - 13
- Friday - 13
New SFU Health Care
The Health Plan Question passed at board 28 July 2008:
Are you in favour of a fee increase of NOT MORE THAN $198 per year for the purpose of offering both an undergraduate extended health plan and an undergraduate dental plan (inclusive of an undergraduate health/dental plan reserve fund and committee, broker fees, premium taxes, the cost of the plan(s), and a 1% service and handling charge requested by the University); commencing 1 January 2009?”
What it will cost: Everything above included, about $185 a year! The $198 offers a ceiling in cases costs go up in the second year.
(This includes a small reserve fund of $5 to the Simon Fraser Student Society to help mitigate administrative costs, 1% tax to the University for collecting the new fee, and the $178 cost to for the plans)
What it will cost for eight months coverage, starting in January 2009 (full year plans starting 1 September 2009) about $125
Who’s covered: all undergraduate students will be automatically enrolled, students with comparable coverage from work, parents or spouse will be able to take advantage of online opt-out with proof of insurance.
What’s covered (Extended Health Plan, $75 per year)?
Prescription drugs,
Covered at 80% with Pay-Direct Card, no forms!
No deductible
BC Pharmacare formulary (all drugs listed with BC MSP are covered)
No annual maximum
Brand name drugs allowed when Physician specifies “no substitution”
Drug exceptions allowed
Vaccinations,
Covered at 100% for up to $150 a year.
Vision Care,
Eye exams, covered $60 per 24 months
Eyeglasses and contact lenses covered $100 per 24 months
Laser eye surgery covered at up to $150
Extra coverage in Vision Network
Paramedical practitioners,
Physiotherapist, Chiropractor, Naturopath, Osteopath, Speech
Therapist, Registered Massage Therapist, Podiatrist/Chiropodist ,
Psychologist, Registered Clinical Counselor.
Covered 100% up to $30 per visit to $400 annual max. per category (HCC
also offers some services here unlimited and free to SFU Students).
Extended Care, 100% coverage for:
Ambulances
Durable Medical Equipment: including wheelchair rental, crutches, braces,
prosthesis,
Dental Accident
Diagnostic Services
Home Nurse
Tutor benefit: $10/hour, $300 max. per accident or illness (effective
if the student is immobilized by accident or illness for a period
greater than 7 days).
Custom made orthotic inserts for shoes (when prescribed): up to $300 /
policy year.
Custom made orthopedic shoes up to $300 per policy year
Accidental Death and Dismemberment (aka “Life” Insurance), up to
$15,000 per accident.
Travel Medical,
100% coverage, up to $5,000,000 per lifetime (that’s five million!),
120 days per trip, coverage for entire duration of academic exchange,
internship or co-op term
Trip cancellation: $1,500 maximum
Trip interruption: $5,000 maximum
Trip interruption and trip cancellation insurance is the 1st of its
kind in Canada, and exclusive to studentcare.net/works
What’s covered (dental plan, Lisa needs braces)?
Up to $600 per policy year insured (+network coverage)
Network coverage, the health plan broker has arranged for many professionals to lower their prices by 20% so students pay almost nothing or nothing. A list of providers is available on the studentcare website.
Preventative Services (Recall exams, cleanings, extraction of impacted teeth, etc.) Insured up to 80%, +20% network coverage for full 100% coverage at many lower mainland dentists. 1 recall exam per 12 months.
Surgical & Restorative Services (Fillings, Extractions) Insured up to 70%, +20% network coverage for full 90% coverage at many lower mainland dentists. 4 Units of scaling per year.
Endodontics & Periodontics, (root canal, ouch, gum treatment), Insured up to 70%, +20% network coverage for full 90% coverage at many lower mainland dentists.
Major Restorative (Permanent crowns, bridges, etc) 20% network
coverage at many lower mainland dentists.
The total annual premium is guaranteed for January 2009 implementation, plus 1 full policy year (September 09 – August 2010). The total annual premium includes all insurer costs, premium tax, and all studentcare.net/works service fees
Broker (Provider): Studentcare (The fastest growing Student Health Plan Broker in Canada)
http://www.studentcare.net/
This has the potential of being one of the best Simon Fraser Student Society Services since the U-Pass (Translink: Universal Pass)!
It is important to note that the Simon Fraser Student Society Extended Health & Dental Plan is not carved in stone, rather it can be an organic, evolving service where the key coverage priorities change as students begin using the Plan. Plan benefits can and should be improved and adjusted in future years based on further surveys and actual usage data. By starting with a moderate-to-high level of coverage, and appropriate cost, the Simon Fraser Student Society is in the best position to respond to he specific needs of its membership over the medium to long term.
Also, you will be able to “opt-in” your spouse and any dependent children at the same rate.
Written by The Office of the President of the Simon Fraser Student Society for the members of its society.
Degree/Job Comparison (Based on Annual Salary)
280,000 - Prime Minister of Canada
278,400 - Chief Justice of Canada
186,200 - Premier of British Columbia
163,040 - City of Toronto Mayor
140,000 - Member of Parliament
126,278 - City of Vancouver Mayor
117,950 - Governor General of Canada
98,000 - Member of Legislative Assembly of British Columbia
95,000 - Bachelor of Science Acturial Science
95,000 - Bachelor of Science Mathematics
95,000 - Bachelor of Science Statistics
80,000 - Bachelor of Engineering Mining, Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineering
73,000 - Bachelor of Engineering Electrical, Electronic Engineering
72,000 - Bachelor of Business Administration / Bachelor of Arts Economics
70,000 - Bachelor of Science Computer Science
70,000 - Bachelor of Business Administration Business Management
70,000 - Bachelor of Commerce
63,000 - Bachelor of Science Chemistry
58,000 - Bachelor of Science Physics
52,000 - Bachelor of Science Biology
51,000 - Bachelor of Arts Sociology
49,000 - Masters of Science Psychology
45,000 - Bachelor of Arts English
44,000 - Bachelor of Arts Philosophy
42,000 - Bachelor of Arts Fine Arts
40,000 - Bachelor of Arts Antropology
38,000 - Master of Arts in Music
21,000 - University of British Columbia AMS Executives (2007-2008)
18,000 - Simon Fraser University SFSS Executives (2007-2008)
All other Bachelor of Arts degrees are lower than 38,000 and will not be listed.
“Those earning the above-average incomes generally had degrees in applied fields: business, engineering, plus some sciences. The one constant seems to be a solid grasp of math.” - MacLeans
The above statistics are taken from a November edition of the MacLeans.
SFU WQB / Prerequisites / Retakes
When you receive your marks at Simon Fraser University, it will say A+, A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D, or F.
If you receive an F, you will not receive credits for the course and it will hurt your GPA significantly if you are in your first two years. If you did not receive an F and still got credits, then you passed the course!
WQB
The Simon Fraser University requires all students to do something called the WQB. This WQB requires the student to take 6 credits worth of writing courses, 6 credits worth of quantative courses, 6 credits worth of Social Sciences Breadth courses, 6 credits worth of Science Breadth courses, and 6 credits worth of Humanity Breadth courses. Breadth courses only count if the courses are outside of your department. I will explain this later. In addition to the 30 credits mentioned already, students will also be required to take two additional courses outside of the student’s major program. The two additional courses does not need to be designated as breadth.
Students that are in the Faculty of Arts doing a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Fine Arts are required to take 2 additional courses (14 courses in total as opposed to 12 courses).
Although I mentioned that students need to take 12 courses or 14 courses, this value may decrease. Say that you take Political Science 101 with Andrew Heard during the Spring semester, you will get 3 Social Science Breadth credits and 3 Writing credits. This allows you to “kill 2 birds with one stone”. Some students might look at the course schedule and see that COGS 100-3 gives you a B-Soc, B-Sci, and B-Hum course credit. Unfortunately, you can only pick one of those breadth to count.
I mentioned early that you will pass a course as long as you get a D. Although this is true, you will only receive WQB credits if and only if you get C- or higher in the course. Say that you and your friend gets D and C- respectively in Political Science 101, you will not get the WQB credits but your friend will.
Some friends have asked me why we need to do WQB. The answer is simple and it can be found off the Simon Fraser University website:
- A superior education, with greater applicability and relevance
- Our students will graduate as improved writers, with better quantitative reasoning skills and a greater breadth of knowledge.
- Better preparation for careers
- Many employers value writing and quantitative skills as well as depth of knowledge in disciplines.
- Better writing and quantitative abilities increase the probability of gaining admission to graduate schools (GREs) and professional schools (LSATs)
In the Faculty of Science, we are required to take courses that are from other departments. An example of this would be that a Biology major would be required to take CHEM 121 and CHEM 122. Currently, CHEM 121 has a B-Sci credit. Although your major requires you to take CHEM 121, you are still allowed to count your CHEM course as one of your B-Sci credits.
Prerequisites
Science courses are hard courses because they require you to think hard and will require you to understand the materials. In the Faculty of Science, we have something called a “minimum grade requirement”. With this minimum grade requirement, a grade of C- or better is required on all prerequisites. This means that if you want to take MATH 152 (Calculus II) and you only received a D in MATH 151 (Calculus I), then you may not take the course and you will have to retake MATH 151 if your program requires it.
Although the Faculty of Science has a “minimum grade requirement”, this does not apply to other faculties. The School of Engineering is in the Faculty of Applied Science and offers a course called Electric Circuits I (ENSC 220). ENSC 200 requires PHYS 121 and 131, MATH 232 and 310 as a pre-requisite. Although Physics and Mathematics are in the Faculty of Science, the minimum grade requirement does not apply. All you need in PHYS 121 and 131 is a D in order to get into the course.
MACM courses are a unit set of courses. MACM 101 (Discrete Mathematics I) is offered by the Faculty of Applied Science School of Computing Science and all other MACM courses are offered by the Faculty of Science Department of Mathematics. Since MACM 201 (Discrete Mathematics II) is offered by the Department of Mathematics, a grade of C- or greater is required. CMPT 275 (Software Engineering I) requires MACM 101 as a prerequisite but the course does not require a grade of C- or greater.
Retake
I mentioned early that you have to retake a course if your mark is not satisfactory. At Simon Fraser University, you can retake a maximum five courses in a normal degree program where you are only allowed to repeat a course once. If you need that limit to be raised, it can be raised at the descretion of the dean but your should see your academic advisor before applying.