UPCOMING EVENTS25th Anniversary Volunteer Sign Up
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Photo Credit: ashesi uni.
SOCA NEEDS YOUR HELP!
SAVE SOCA FROM EVICTION - STAND WITH SOCA AND RESIST INSTITUTIONAL RACISM AT SFU!
Please sign our petition here: STOP SFU’s BLACK COMMUNITY FROM EVICTION BY SLUMLORD STUDENT SOCIETY (SFSS) AND CEO.
"It is with sadness that the SFU Students of Caribbean and African Ancestry (SOCA) announces that after many rounds of negotiations with the SFSS over the past year, we are contacting our followers, members and community for support after being neglected by the SFSS Board of Directors. It is heartbreaking, sad and outright un-empathetic to the plight of the Black Community that SFU SOCA represents. The SFSS is currently building a new Student Union Building (SUB), and will be giving up its lease on the Rotunda once the SUB is completed. This means that SOCA will need a new home to continue our awesome work of supporting marginalized communities and developing student life on campus.
The action of the SFSS evicting a Black Students Group who have been operating in the TC317 The Black Community Services Centre in the Rotunda for 24 years is a textbook example of institutionalized racism against communities of color, where new developments render the most marginalized groups homeless."
In the lease for the SUB, it states under Tenant's covenant: "The Premises will be used only as, and the Society will permit the Premises to be used only as, a social, recreational, administrative and service center for relaxation, enjoyment and service of members of the University community and more particularly for the purposes of 'offices for the Society and other non-profit organizations whose primary functions is to serve students of the University'".
In 2015 SGM Minutes, it also shows that it was always the plan for the Groups in the Rotunda to be allocated a home in the New Student Union Building. One of the Reasons for the Creation of the SUB levy as at the 2015 SGM Minutes 2015-01-21: "Further, clubs and student unions at the university have a desperate need for space and tangible solutions to these issues--this was particularly true for the Student Rotunda groups [MT Note: student organizations based out of the Transportation Centre building] who would no longer have a home beyond 2017 when SFU retook the space".
In 2013/14, when consultations were done regarding the Student Union Building, all the Rotunda groups were invited, and the consensus was that there would be 7 suites, of which the 6 Rotunda groups would be situated (OOC, FNSA, SOCA(ACHSA at the time), SFPIRG, CJSF and Women's Center). We were all invited to focus group session with the project architects, the BuildSFU team even asserted that there would be “eight suites in the SUB for student organizations; three have been allocated to SFSS departments and the remaining five will be assigned to student organizations”.
Please sign our petition here: STOP SFU’s BLACK COMMUNITY FROM EVICTION BY SLUMLORD STUDENT SOCIETY (SFSS) AND CEO.
"It is with sadness that the SFU Students of Caribbean and African Ancestry (SOCA) announces that after many rounds of negotiations with the SFSS over the past year, we are contacting our followers, members and community for support after being neglected by the SFSS Board of Directors. It is heartbreaking, sad and outright un-empathetic to the plight of the Black Community that SFU SOCA represents. The SFSS is currently building a new Student Union Building (SUB), and will be giving up its lease on the Rotunda once the SUB is completed. This means that SOCA will need a new home to continue our awesome work of supporting marginalized communities and developing student life on campus.
The action of the SFSS evicting a Black Students Group who have been operating in the TC317 The Black Community Services Centre in the Rotunda for 24 years is a textbook example of institutionalized racism against communities of color, where new developments render the most marginalized groups homeless."
In the lease for the SUB, it states under Tenant's covenant: "The Premises will be used only as, and the Society will permit the Premises to be used only as, a social, recreational, administrative and service center for relaxation, enjoyment and service of members of the University community and more particularly for the purposes of 'offices for the Society and other non-profit organizations whose primary functions is to serve students of the University'".
In 2015 SGM Minutes, it also shows that it was always the plan for the Groups in the Rotunda to be allocated a home in the New Student Union Building. One of the Reasons for the Creation of the SUB levy as at the 2015 SGM Minutes 2015-01-21: "Further, clubs and student unions at the university have a desperate need for space and tangible solutions to these issues--this was particularly true for the Student Rotunda groups [MT Note: student organizations based out of the Transportation Centre building] who would no longer have a home beyond 2017 when SFU retook the space".
In 2013/14, when consultations were done regarding the Student Union Building, all the Rotunda groups were invited, and the consensus was that there would be 7 suites, of which the 6 Rotunda groups would be situated (OOC, FNSA, SOCA(ACHSA at the time), SFPIRG, CJSF and Women's Center). We were all invited to focus group session with the project architects, the BuildSFU team even asserted that there would be “eight suites in the SUB for student organizations; three have been allocated to SFSS departments and the remaining five will be assigned to student organizations”.
News Article
Student groups blast SFU student union over eviction from meeting spaces
Student groups blast SFU student union over eviction from meeting space - Global News
Student Groups Condemns SFSS for Institutionalized Racism - The Peak
Recap of the Rotunda Space Discussion - The Peak
The Students of Caribbean and African Ancestry (SOCA) has leased a small space in the rotunda of SFU’s Burnaby Campus Student Union Building for more than 20 years, but now say they’re being forced out.
Timeline of Events: Timeline
The groups have also called on SFU’s administration to intervene.
Student Groups Condemns SFSS for Institutionalized Racism - The Peak
Recap of the Rotunda Space Discussion - The Peak
The Students of Caribbean and African Ancestry (SOCA) has leased a small space in the rotunda of SFU’s Burnaby Campus Student Union Building for more than 20 years, but now say they’re being forced out.
Timeline of Events: Timeline
The groups have also called on SFU’s administration to intervene.
SOCA THIS WEEK ISSUES: Newsletter
SOCA Provide resources FOR MEMBERS
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The Students of Caribbean and African Ancestry grew out of a movement on campus to advocate for the issues of black students on campus in 1994. In 1997 we were allocated space and became a central hub for all students to learn about their various perspectives of African and Afro-Descendant Peoples.
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/ Library
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SFU Students of Caribbean and African Ancestry (SOCA) is an equity-seeking group focusing on raising awareness on issues relevant to people of African and Caribbean Descent in Canada and abroad.
Feel free to drop by the Black Community Services Centre in the Rotunda, check out the library, or if you are willing to volunteer with SOCA, send us an email at sign up here or send us an email at sfusoca@gmail.com .
Feel free to drop by the Black Community Services Centre in the Rotunda, check out the library, or if you are willing to volunteer with SOCA, send us an email at sign up here or send us an email at sfusoca@gmail.com .
Get Involved |
a community building experience |
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Students can get involved with SOCA in a myriad of ways. Whether it be helping with the Library and keeping our books up to date, or performing with us as a singer, dancer, poet or any other skill you would like to share with us.
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We organize various events that highlight the varied cultures related to people of African and Caribbean Descent and foster community building among our membership along with other members of the Rotunda Community on Campus.
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organizational values |
Welcome to soca |
HOW TO GET INVOLVED:
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Welcome to SFU Students of Caribbean and African Ancestry, Simon Fraser University’s Black Community Support Group. The SOCA Black Community Services Centre is a welcoming space for people of the varied African and Caribbean Heritages and their descendants.
Why Join SOCARacism and Discrimination affect everyone. Therefore, no matter what your racial or ethnic makeup, everyone is welcome to advancing the fight of anti-oppression and fighting systemic racism. We welcome our non-black allies to join us in fighting for the right to exist without discrimination, racism or prejudice.
SOCA is a student group devoted to creating a safe space for students of African and Caribbean descent and allies on campus. SOCA also partners with a number of organizations such to develop programming and events which promote awareness and the expose the campus community to issues significant to the African and Caribbean Diasporic communities at SFU. |