Douglas Students' Union
88 7th St V3L 5B2 New Westminster, BC, Canada

The DSU recognizes February as Black History Month, and we also acknowledge that Black History is something that should be highlighted and celebrated all year round. We are also reflecting on the idea of intersectionality, a term coined by Dr. Kimberle Crenshaw. We’re constantly working to understand how aspects of a person’s social and political identity combine to create different experiences, and can also effect levels of discrimination and oppression. For example, the la...yered identities of race along with sexual orientation, gender identity, nationality, class, disability. Another consistent question we are asking ourselves, is how we, the Douglas Students’ Union, can continue to do better to highlight black history and voices all year round. We will be sharing posts on our stories in the coming weeks (and on-going), to elevate and amplify black voices and contributions. We will be highlighting stories and contributions of ALL black folks, to do our part to ensure these stories are not erased or forgotten. This includes black folks who may also be women, transgender, queer, have disabilities, and other layers of identity. We encourage you to listen, learn, and share black history, stories and contributions. And to continue having difficult conversations around anti-blackness and racism with yourself, family, friends and those around you and in your communities. #BlackHistoryMonth #AmplifyBlackVoices

Just a reminder, for those of you who are new Douglas students this semester, you can opt in to the health and dental plan! The deadline is TOMORROW, Friday January 29th at 4pm!

Students are facing a lot of stressors right now. We're facing unemployment and underemployment, coping with pandemic restrictions, struggling through online c...ourse delivery, and dealing with everything else that life is throwing at us. The BC government has a service to help students if you need to talk through any mental health issue you might be facing big or small. If you need help, use it. It's here for you. See more

Student Elections for the DSU Board of Directors is here! Here is the official notice with dates and positions available to run for. For more information or details head over to our website - https://www.thedsu.ca/governance/dsu-student-elections/ or email the electoral committee at [email protected]

Day 1 of our Advocacy week is here, and today we are talking about the Moose Hide Campaign, a grassroots movement of Indigenous and non-Indigenous boys and men who are standing up against violence towards women and girls. Take action by signing the pledge here https://moosehidecampaign.ca/get-involved/make-the-pledge

Every winter semester, the DSU hold elections for students to run to be a student representative on the DSU Board of Directors. Here is a video outlining a few of the responsibilities of the different positions you can run for. For more details about these positions and the election, head over to our website https://www.thedsu.ca/governance/dsu-student-elections/ or email [email protected]

Happy New Year! Is getting winter tires still on your to do list? Save up to 10% on tires, mechanical parts and labour at Kal Tire. See app for details https://qrco.de/bbUrWt

A large part of what the DSU does throughout the year is work to advocate to make education affordable and accessible for students through a variety of campaigns. Join us on social media next week, January 11-15, as we highlight a new campaign each day from eliminating interest on federal student loans to ending period poverty, so stay tuned on what the campaigns are and how you can be involved and support them! (**the photos in this post were taken pre COVID-19)

Thursday November 19th (TOMORROW), join us for our Zoom Budget Chat about Fees Let's chat about your experiences with & suggestions with or about Tuition fees, Ancillary fees, service fees for the 2021-22 Douglas College Budget! There will be 2 sessions tomorrow, so drop by either between 3-4:30pm or 5-6:30pm, whichever time works best for you! (same session, just happening twice to accommodate for more schedules). Zoom link is posted in Linktr.ee in our bio

Today from 3-4:30pm, drop in and let's chat about Quality of Education and your suggestions on how to prioritize it in the 2021-22 Douglas College budget!

November 20th is Transgender Day of Remembrance. Today, we honour the memory of and remember all the transgender lives that has been lost due to anti-trans violence. #TDOR

Have you downloaded The Deals App yet? It’s a free app for students that provides you discounts across the province. And don’t forget to check out this Giveaway over on their page!

Next week, learn about the medicine wheel and the different components of Emotional, Physical, Mental & Spiritual self care at our Indigenous Centered Self Care Workshop! This workshop will be facilitated online through Zoom by Susan Powell. Susan is of Lakota & British Isles ancestry, and has been a holistic health educator for the past 40 years. Zoom link posted in bio!

Today, from 3-4:30pm or 5-6:30pm, drop in to chat about the Douglas College budget in reference to services! Services can be anything from the physical spaces, academic or support services to library or counselling services, and more! Log in to our zoom chat to talk to some DSU student reps about your experiences or suggestions you have about these! Zoom links are in the event description here

*Closed captioning available for this video* We are meeting candidates from the different parties in the New Westminster and Coquitlam-Burke Mountain electoral districts - asking them questions to get to know them better, where they stand on issues that are most important to Douglas students - all to help inform your vote! Jennifer Whiteside is the BC NDP Candidate for the New Westminster electoral riding. Learn more about Jennifer at her website - https://jenniferwhiteside.b...cndp.ca/ Pledge to vote https://www.takeitover.ca/ Learn How to Vote https://elections.bc.ca/ *The Douglas Students’ Union, a member local of the British Columbia Federation of Students, is a non-partisan organization that advocates for the rights of post-secondary students at Douglas College. This election, students from across the province are coming together to work on the Take It Over campaign; a campaign that encourages all students to pledge to vote in this October provincial election. *We invited candidates from the two electoral ridings of the Douglas College campuses to take part in a Q&A session to discuss the issues and priorities that students are facing in their education and their daily lives. These videos are not endorsements of any specific candidate. All candidates had the opportunity to respond to the same set of questions and to let students know what they, and their party, are planning in their platforms to address student needs.

Today, November 17th, is International Students Day!

Advanced voting starts today, are you headed to the polls? Pledge to vote today - www.takeitover.ca

TOMORROW - Tuesday Nov. 17th, join us for our Zoom Budget Chat about Services! Let's chat about students' experiences with & suggestions for physical spaces, academic or support services, library, counselling etc... for the 2021-22 Douglas College Budget! We'll be having 2 sessions tomorrow, so drop by either between 3-4:30pm or 5-6:30pm, whichever time works best for you! (same session, just happening twice to accommodate for more schedules). Zoom link - 3-4:30pm - https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83644890680 Zoom link - 5-6:30pm - https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83605444858

Advanced voting for the BC election starts today until October 21st. Head over to https://elections.bc.ca/ to see where you can vote in the advanced polls And don’t forget to pledge to vote in this election at www.takeitover.ca #bcelxn2020 #bcpoli #takeitover

*Closed captioning is available for this video* We are meeting candidates from the different parties in the New Westminster and Coquitlam-Burke Mountain electoral districts - asking them questions to get to know them better, where they stand on issues that are most important to Douglas students - all to help inform your vote! Adam Bremner-Akins for MLA is the BC Green Candidate for the Coquitlam-Burke Mountain electoral riding. Learn more about Adam at his website - https://w...ww.bcgreens.ca/adam_bremner_akins Pledge to vote https://www.takeitover.ca/ Learn How to Vote https://elections.bc.ca/ *The Douglas Students’ Union, a member local of the British Columbia Federation of Students, is a non-partisan organization that advocates for the rights of post-secondary students at Douglas College. This election, students from across the province are coming together to work on the Take It Over campaign; a campaign that encourages all students to pledge to vote in this October provincial election. *We invited candidates from the two electoral ridings of the Douglas College campuses to take part in a Q&A session to discuss the issues and priorities that students are facing in their education and their daily lives. These videos are not endorsements of any specific candidate. All candidates had the opportunity to respond to the same set of questions and to let students know what they, and their party, are planning in their platforms to address student needs.

The British Columbia Federation of Students is hosting a special, student-focused townhall with participants from the BC Green Party, BC New Democratic Party, and BC Liberals this Friday October 16th from 7-8pm on Facebook Live! Check out the details through the event here!

www.takeitover.ca

This week (October 4-10) is Mental Health Awareness Week. We asked some students how they manage and relieve their stress, here's what they had to share! We hope you enjoy the video. Stay safe!

How are you voting? Advance Polls, mail-in-ballot or on election day? Let us know and pledge to vote at www.takeitover.ca Election day is October 24th Advance Polls are October 16th-21st or you can vote by mail!

Have you pledged to vote in the upcoming provincial election yet? Head over to www.takeitover.ca and pledge to vote today! And don't forget about the contest going on right now. Pledge to vote, and be entered to win! Contest closes Monday October 12th at 5pm!

Today, October 4, communities all across Canada will honour the lives of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and gender diverse peoples, support grieving families, and create opportunities for healing. Tune into the Native Women's Association of Canada virtual vigil at 11am PDT. Find the link in our bio. http://ow.ly/gOyc50BGFxw

October 4 is an awareness day called Sisters in Spirit. On this day, communities all across Canada will honour the lives of missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and gender diverse peoples, support grieving families, and create opportunities for healing. Indigenous women in Canada experience a massively disproportionate rate of violence and it is a national tragedy and emergency. The DSU has called upon the Minister of CrownIndigenous Relations, Carolyn Bennett, to i...mmediately create and implement a National Action Plan to prevent and address this violence. A National Action Plan was supposed to be created by June 2020 but is still not done. Here are some ways your can take action on the issue - - Watch Our Sisters in Spirit on youtube to continue learning: https://youtu.be/zdzM6krfaKY - Do what you can to raise awareness about this issue and have conversations about it with people around you. - Contact your local MP to call for the immediate creation of the National Action Plan to address violence against Indigenous women, girls and 2-spirit people. - On October 4th, light a candle or turn on an electric candle, and place it in your window sill. - Join the 2020 virtual Sisters in Spirit Virtual Vigil tomorrow, Sunday Oct 4 at 11am PDT through the Native Women's Association of Canada page.