This guide is laid out in eight sections, plus an appendix that can connect you to resources that fall outside of the institution, but are relevant to your experiences and concerns as a student.
Sections are set up to provide the information in the most accessible way possible, with some providing Q&A type formats and some giving descriptions of how rights are expressed in the policies. Each section lays out the institutional policies, federal or provincial legislation that you can turn to in asserting your rights.
In some cases, certain rights that you have as a student may not be clearly laid out in policies and procedures, but the Graduate Student Society believes that they should be respected as your right through natural justice, social justice, and fairness. In these cases, we have tried to be clear about what you can expect and who to turn to for support in having this right upheld.
Many of the ideas within the sections are connected to other rights, so we will try to connect you to other resources and places within the guide that will provide more information.
Acknowledgement
Land Acknowledgement:
These lands that the Graduate Student Soceity at SFU operates on should be under jurisdiction of xwməθkwəy̓əm, Səl̓ílwəta?, Skwxwú7mesh, kwikwə əm, Semiahmoo, Katzie, Kwantlen, Qayqayt and Tsawwassen nations but, due to structures of genocide that specifially target Indigenous women and two-spirit people, are illegally occupied and claimed by British Columbia & Canada. The GSS recognises that there would be no higher education as we know it in Canada without the original and ongoing colonization of Indigenous peoples and lands, just as there would be no Canada. Right relations requires returning land.
Research & Writing: Chantelle Spicer
Publication and Web Design: Cindy Chan
The Graduate Student Society (GSS) of SFU would like to acknowledge the many efforts that have been put into the creation of this document. This includes the support and knowledges of the SFU Ombudsperson, the Dean of Graduate Studies, the Teaching Support Staff Union, the Executive members and staff of the GSS, and many members who provided insight and feedback. We also would like to acknowledge the financial support of the Student Experience Initiative. It takes a community to bring a project like this together.