Guest Post

Books have the power to connect us in socially distanced times — Writing about the importance of books and reading for a university audience is akin to preaching to the choir, but I think the pandemic has provided an opportunity for all of us to reflect on the role that literature can play in our … Read more

Give up privilege — In her recent guest post on this blog, Dr. Satwinder Kaur Bains provides us (people of European descent) with a clear and powerful call to action: To move past rhetorical statements denouncing racism and to instead take tangible steps to change ourselves — and in the process to dismantle the structures … Read more

A call to action – have you heard this before? Not so long ago, a small brown girl attending a school in Abbotsford in a mostly white, privileged neighbourhood found herself being paraded around classrooms by her white teacher one morning. The teacher showed her off with great flourish to the other white teachers, saying … Read more

Our role as a university in addressing racism — We have been shaken by the recent death of George Floyd at the hands of police. Within a space of a few weeks. the media has confronted us with two deaths by design: the asphyxiation of George Floyd and the shooting of Ahmaud Aubrey. Both occurred … Read more

UFV condemns racism and offers support — Dear UFV Students, George Floyd. Breonna Taylor. Tony McDade. Ahmaud Arbery. These names are added to the long list of victims of systemic racism and racial injustice in our society. While these are American victims, Canada is not free of these same injustices. This is evidenced by the … Read more

Expertise, bureaucrats, and civic commitment: why universities matter more than ever — Last weekend, while reading something about the anti-science and anti-reason pronouncements and actions of American conservatives, I mused aloud, “remember Allan Bloom?” Thirty years ago, his best-selling and controversial book, The Closing of the American Mind (1987), was at the centre of conservative … Read more

Living our mission in a time of crisis – When I arrived at UFV last fall, one of my first tasks was to kick off the effort to develop a new strategic plan. At the time, I saw this as a terrific opportunity to develop a rich understanding of my new environment. And it did: … Read more

Dear Students, As we enter the next month of our new reality, I wanted to take the time to connect with you and to let you know that I’m thinking of you. I know that things have been stressful and that you’ve had to respond to a lot of change. I know that your semester … Read more