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NEWS
News Editor Karissa Ketter
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News Writers Chloë Arneson and Pranjali J Mann
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news@the-peak.ca
HEGEMONIC HEALTHCARE
Migrant Student Union hosts town hall on healthcare for international students The rise in international student health fee causes financial stress
P RA NJALI J MAN N // NE WS W RI TE R
Currently, international student healthcare fees are mandatory. The Migrant Student Union (MSU) chapter at SFU organized a hybrid town hall for students on universal healthcare fees on June 23 alongside the Simon Fraser Student Society. International students from SFU, other Designated Learning Institutes in BC, and students from American universities presented their thoughts on the medical healthcare and dental fees international students pay. The event was held in collaboration with other on campus groups and community organizations including the Teaching Support Staff Union (TSSU), Graduate Student Society (GSS), Sanctuary City Vancouver, and BC Health Coalition. At SFU, new undergraduate, graduate, and exchange program international students are required to have medical insurance through Guard Me. Additionally, new international, exchange, and study abroad students are also required to apply for BC Medical Services Plan coverage. An international student from Kwantlen Polytechnic University opened the discussion by saying he knew the pain and hardships international students faced, in addition to living away from family. He underlined the additional financial burden of any kind “adds up a lot of depression. And so I think this needs to be removed so we can help international students in a much more integrated way and in a positive way.” A former SFU student also brought out the issue of exploitation of international students. They said, “It’s just getting worse. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada is being
more horrible than ever, in terms of making sure everyone is precarious. Folks mentioned the inflation rates, but really it’s just like mental health crises — you just don’t have the support you need.”
Folks mentioned the inflation rates, but really it’s just like [a] mental health crisis — you just don’t have the support you need. SF U A LUM NI
An undergraduate student at SFU noted, “I realized that I have to get two jobs just to make ends meet, pay my tuition, paying rent, and groceries and everything like that [ . . . ] How I look at it is that migrant students, a lot of the time, subsidize everyone else’s education.” It was mentioned a government mandated 2% cap exists on tuition fee increases for domestic students but not for international students. Hence, for international students, “campuses can actually increase it by 10%. And students can’t do anything.”
PHOTO: Dom Fou / Unsplash
The concern was echoed by Eshana Baran, SFSS vice president external and community affairs. Her presentation noted this healthcare fee is an unfair measure which negatively impacts international and migrant students. Baran stated the international student health fee as of now is $75 per month, per person. Baran called it a “violation of Canada Health Act.” The Canada Health Act contains a principle of universality, where all residents of Canada are entitled to uniform terms and conditions. She noted this fee was a double charge, imposed due to the health care switch from Medical Services Plan to the Employer Health Tax (EHT). Explaining further with some statistics, she noted students with families are burdened with as much as “around $150 per month, per family.” Baran said, “In 2018, international students contributed $3.9 billion in GDP, $2.45 billion in labour income, and $392.9 billion in income tax.” According to Baran, “Essentially, Canadian universities and colleges are relying on international students to manage the budget shortfalls. “The institutions just rely on international students to fund post-seconday education.” A toolkit was also shared with attendees for those interested in learning more. Follow @msu.at.sfu for campaign updates.
Council discuss changes to policies on in-camera discussion Council members concerned over the transparency of the executive’s governance
Policy amendment for in-camera sessions At the June 22 Council meeting, Judit Nagy, SFSS vice president internal and organizational development, introduced a motion to suspend policy PM-1.2., which dictates how policy is notified and changed. This is because “a time sensitive situation has come up surrounding the amendment of old policies,” and would therefore “allow [the] Committee on Councillor Breaches of Confidence (CCBC) to continue its work expeditiously.” The motion passed and PM-1.2 was suspended. After PM-1.2’s suspension, Council discussed time sensitive changes to R-9 and SO-22. The motion proposed only councillors and invited third-parties will be allowed into in-camera meetings. Additionally, if a councillor is not present for an in-camera meeting, they will not be given the information that was discussed.
our in-camera discussions are not granted any access to the in-camera discussions.” He added, “It’s very frustrating and very concerning. This is highly irregular, and I don’t see how you could desire it.” Reed continued, “There’s just a lack of transparency that has taken place with regards to this. This was proposed within the last 24 hours, we were given no clear information about this, and now we’re asked to vote on it.” Nagy responded, “That’s actually incorrect.” She said directors who are not present for in-camera meetings are not allowed to view the discussions, which “is not actually irregular.” She added, “I highly encourage Council to let CCBC do its job, and do it well.”
Nagy stated the policy suspension had already been put into place in the last Board meeting in March. “This is highly, highly important to pass. We have work to do. This needs to be handled now,” said Nagy.
Rea Chatterjee, vice president equity and sustainability, added, “I just want to reiterate a sentiment that a lot of people have been saying: this is becoming increasingly concerning with the lack of transparency, and also the lack of time that was given to everyone for a decision this big. This undermines the democratic nature of the society as well.”
Matthew Reed, history student union councillor, raised concern about this policy. “This is a highly questionable motion to propose. You are essentially saying that any councillor members that are not in attendance of any of
Vivian Ly, Disability and Neurodiversity Alliance member, echoed similar concerns. “I do not have any trust in this process right now as a councillor, because this does not seem to be good governance at all.”
P RA N JA L I J MA N // NEWS WR I TER
After voting, 56% of Council voted in favour of Nagy’s policy amendment. This fell short of the two-third majority it required to be passed. The motion was not carried. SFU Bridging for Future Initiative Arthur Lee, sociology and anthropology councillor, presented the SFU Bridging for Future Initiative to Council. This initiative aimed at assisting and supporting students who are directly or indirectly affected by civil and international conflicts. Lee highlighted the initiative as a support tool for students in response to major international conflicts, such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He stated this was in accordance with similar past attempts of the SFSS to support students through implementations like the Palestine policy. This proposal is set out to roll in a three-step basis. The first step would include communicating with the university regarding what has been done already. This would be followed by consultations with SFSS and students to get an understanding about what the SFSS can do to support the student body. The third step would be to implement measures agreed upon in their student consultation in coordination between the SFSS, staff, and students. The proposal passed unanimously.
