Senate: New School of Communications and discontinued programs at UFV

New programs emerge as old ones say goodbye

RACHEL TAIT

“Senate is the academic governing body of UFV, with the acting university president and vicechancellor James Mandigo as the chair. They are responsible for making decisions on everything academic, including: approving new courses and programs, approving changes to programs, and setting entrance requirements and the academic calendar. The Board of Governors, which looks at the business side of the T, is advised by Senate on matters of mutual interest.

All at the university are welcome to attend Senate’s public meetings, held once a month. Senate makes decisions that impact the daily lives of both students and faculty. This article will recap the main agenda items of the hybrid Senate meeting on Friday, May 5, 2023.”

Acting provost, Tracy RyderGlass motioned to discontinue the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN): three-year (fast track) option. Originally suspended for a year back in June 2022, the program was paused to “provide the time to restructure and renew the BSN fouryear program before phasing out the 3-year fast track option.”

According to the motion, removing this program “allows for a net growth in the overall nursing program because of changes being made to the LPN access program.” Part of the proposal stipulates that “because it is moving to accommodate two intakes of 40 students each, clinical placements and sessional requirements will be consistent across the BSN Program, an advantage given the challenge in staffing clinical placements.”

According to Dr. Alastair Hodges, the dean of the faculty of Health Sciences, there will be six more students graduating in the BSN program annually. Hodges added that this is “one of three changes in the program.” While the fast track option is no longer being offered, it is reported that “the BSN credential will not change, and the same number of students will graduate each year with a BSN degree.” The motion was voted in favour by the senate board. Ryder-Glass also motioned for the immediate discontinuation of the Hospitality and Event Management certificate program. “It was decided that this program was not a priority for program development.” The certificate program was first suspended in 2020 before being renewed in 2022 for two years. However, there have been no student applications for the program, nor are there instructors who can teach and facilitate the program at UFV. The motion to permanently suspend the program was adopted.

The senate also voted on the motion to discontinue the Associate of Arts Diploma, theatre option. The program has seen low enrollment in the last five years. It was reported that there are currently no students who would be impacted if the program were to be permanently discontinued. The board voted in favor of the motion.

The senate board also voted in favour of replacing the department of communications with the school of commu- nications, housed within the faculty of humanities, College of Arts. An increased demand from students has pushed for an expansion in Communications, and this change, “will allow for broader curriculum offerings, interdisciplinary collaborations, and greater visibility with external partners.” UFV already has the budgetary requirements to allow the transformation.

“In addition to the minor in journalism currently in the approval process, Communications is exploring opportunities in the areas of organizational communication, public relations, cross-cultural communication, social media, and digital communication.” The minor in journalism is now slated to be completed by April 2024 instead of April 2023.

Abbotsford wrestler wins silver in Argentina

On May 5, Jasmit Singh Phulka of Abbotsford, B.C. won silver at the Senior Pan-American Wrestling Championships in Argentina. Phulka defeated Victor Eduardo Hernandez of Mexico in the semifinals, but lost to Jordan Burroughs of the U.S. in the championship round. On May 28, Phulka will participate in the World Team Trials in Montreal before moving on to Italy and Turkey in June, then Spain, Hungary, and Poland in July. Phulka traces his wrestling roots to Abbotsford’s Miri Piri Wrestling Club.

Mission plans new $50 million Silverdale Connector

This proposed infrastructure project, tentatively referred to as the Silverdale Connector, will connect Silverdale with other areas in Mission. Although its specific location has yet to be determined, officials will soon enter into the planning phase, where routes will be considered. The connector is expected to take between 10 and 30 years to complete. With Mission’s population set to double over the coming decades, the Silverdale area will likely see a considerable expansion. The proposed connector should ease growing concerns of traffic congestion among locals, though the ultimate cost and environmental impact of the project are far from being known.

BY JAYDEN TALVIO Lifestyle//

Survey finds most Abbotsfordians aren’t recycling properly

In a recent audit involving 362 Abbotsford homes, 88 per cent of recycling carts contained impermissible objects. For people whose recycling was especially contaminated, they were given formal warning letters. In the case of a second violation, these residents could be ticketed. What is allowed inside of the carts is limited — some recyclable materials must be brought to recycling depots instead. Items that are not permitted in bins include: glass, plastic bags, foam packaging, wrappers, hazardous waste, books, plastic toys, and paint and oil containers. This knowledge is especially concerning given that Canada’s rate of plastic recycling is a pitiful nine per cent.

Expelled

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government expelled Chinese diplomat Zhao Wei from Canada on May 8 after evidence suggested that Wei attempted to target Conservative MP Michael Chong and his family by seeking classified information about them. Chong was targeted for his outspoken disapproval of how China treats its Uyghur population. Regarding the expulsion, Trudeau said, while making his way to a cabinet meeting on May 9, “We needed to move forward in a responsible way to send a very clear message that we will not accept foreign interference and, regardless of whatever next choices they make, we will not be intimidated.” Wei had five days to leave Canadian soil. China denied interference and expelled Canadian diplomat, Jennifer Lynn Lalonde, in response.

Emmaline Spencer — Opinion Editor

Freedom to move (but nowhere to go)

Our communities are built for cars, not people. Could 15-minute cities be the solution?

MATTHEW IDDON

Have you ever noticed how ugly “beautiful British Columbia” can be? While walking around Langley recently, I was repulsed by how concrete and car-centric my surroundings were. Aesthetics aside, I also realized that many parts of the Lower Mainland simply aren't designed for those of us who prefer to walk. Shrinking sidewalks, encroaching cars, and long stretches of urban nothingness make the ordeal of walking anywhere unappealing at best, and dangerous at worst. There is simultaneously not enough space for human movement, and too much space between our homes and essential resources. It’s time to reduce the inflated importance of cars in our society.

In the face of such alienating infrastructure, more and more Canadians are becoming aware of “15-minute cities.” Aspects of this concept could be an antidote to the overwhelming number of cars on the road, as well as the bloated spaces built to contain them. Yet a more skeptical sect within the population has turned the issue into a strangely contentious one.

The Washington Post describes the 15-minute city as a place where “every resident can reach essential resources by foot, bicycle or public transport within a quarter of an hour.” If I apply this concept to my own suburban life in the city of Maple Ridge, a 30-minute walk to the grocery store gets cut in half. Sounds great! Given the choice, I would much rather comfortably walk around my city than take my car. Cars are convenient, of course, but also financially burdensome. With gas prices and temperatures both expected to soar in the summer of 2023, it’s unfortunate that many people will have to choose between draining their bank accounts or walking long distances in 30°C heat for groceries.

A walkable city could be a more equitable city for those affected by the high cost barriers of car ownership. Plus, less time spent sitting in traffic could benefit mental health, and less pollution absolutely benefits environmental health. What’s not to like?

Apparently a few things: As the COVID-19 pandemic has shown, there are those who will strongly and vocally oppose anything that infringes upon a shared nationalist sentiment of

“freedom.” Bafflingly, 15-minute cities have become a hot button issue for the freedom-fighters. The best explanation for this that I could find came from The Western Standard. Their article essentially cited the rambling hypotheticals of a conservative Facebook group where 15-minute cities have been labeled “totalitarian,” “ghettos,” and “the end of freedom.”

The fear that 15-minute cities will not allow anyone to leave their “zone” seems to have precedent in the English city of Oxford, where measures have been taken to reduce traffic congestion. In order to avoid further abuse of city officials by enraged citizens, the Oxford City Council has since been obliged to remind people that, no, they are not actually infringing on anyone’s freedom of movement. Regardless of what you think of the Oxford example, it’s important that we as Canadians don’t allow our love of freedom to impair our ability to think critically.

The whole thing is reminiscent of the infamous PragerU video which asserts that cars equate to freedom, and therefore the “war” on cars is a war on freedom. Frankly, I think North Americans could stand to be a little less infatuated with cars. What’s so “free” about a machine that can only drive on government-maintained roads anyways? I’ve certainly never felt the sweet call of freedom while bumperto-bumper on the Hwy-1 at rush hour.

It’s important to remember that the “15-minute city” is a collection of various hypothetical urban planning concepts, and not a globalist agenda. Making cities more walkable doesn’t mean anyone will be forced to give up their car, only that those without cars will have a chance to access their community like everyone else. And for what it’s worth, Vancouver has been nearing “15-minute city” status since at least 2022. As we begrudgingly march into the future together, there will undoubtedly come a time when we will have to re-evaluate the importance of the almighty car in our daily life, in our infrastructure, and in our culture.