Nutrition

July is all about nutrition. This month, we want you to focus on incorporating at least one NEW healthy food into your diet. This can be a daily snack, a side dish, or a whole meal. But is there anything in particular that you want to improve on in your life? Maybe you want to improve your memory, or buff up on your energy?

Recently, I found an article about the Mediterranean diet at www.sciencedaily.com. For those of you who don’t know, the Mediterranean diet originates from the countries surrounding the Mediterranean sea in Europe. “Mediterranean diet consist(s) of fish oil, olive oil, fish meal, butter, eggs, black and garbanzo bean flour, wheat flour, vegetable juice, fruit puree and sucrose.” (ScienceDaily) Meals made for this diet are usually higher in healthier fats than the typical Western diet that most domestic students are accustomed to in Canada. This diet boosts energy and, in turn, confidence, as you may not feel full and bloated after eating. Exercise is easy to add into a daily schedule as this “diet” isn’t really a diet, it’s a number of healthy choices compiled into your regular meals. The fats (olive oil, butter, eggs) mean that you will be eating less junk and fewer greasy foods because you won’t be craving them anymore. You’ll find yourself turning to chicken/fish or any kind of protein, and vegetables for lunch and dinner. These choices are the best for your stomach, according to ScienceDaily. It increases the good bacteria in your stomach and allows for better digestion.

To a large number of students, summer means vacation, sun, and relaxation. The summer months offer tons of beautiful weather to enjoy. This also means there has been a shift in the meals students eat. The summer is the best time to switch to a healthier diet. It has a plethora of delicious ingredients. Chicken souvlaki is my go-to dinner (but you can use souvlaki marinade with anything) and it majorly utilizes summer ingredients in the salad. Here is the recipe that you can use, or even play with a little — www.gimmesomeoven.com/chicken-souvlaki. Hopefully this meal will lead to healthy eating choices for the rest of your summer semester.

— Piper (Active KSA)

Meet Piper and Nate from Active KSA!

Fitness

Fitness! It’s easy to say you’ll keep up with it, but it can become a chore. Have no fear, Active KSA is here. We still have spots for our Standup Paddle Boarding Lesson and Whistler Hike (open on June 25). Fitness can be fun when you plan things with friends. Get the word out about these two awesome events!

If you can’t make it to our events, it is easy to find others instead! Articles on DailyHive will show you cool things offered this summer. Vancouver Trails is a great source for finding sweet trails to go hiking, no matter your skill level. And check out your local community centre for other group events that will get you outside and get you moving. We will have the Fall Events posted on our website and Eventbrite very soon!

— Piper & Nate (Active KSA)

Will you take the challenge to live without or reduce your plastic use for one month in July?

Plastic Free July is an annual, month-long challenge to protect the oceans and change our habits. For more details on the challenge, visit www.plasticfreejuly.org.

You can challenge yourself (and your friends) to give up on specific plastic items and keep it going all month. You can avoid the most common single use plastic items — to-go coffee cups, straws, plastic bags, and water bottles — or challenge yourself to give it all you’ve got and eliminate as much plastic as you can.

Don’t forget to pledge to take the challenge.

If you’re not sure where your plastic comes from, you can do this quiz. You’ll get some results and the outcomes are used for research.

We’ve all heard the three ‘R’s’ — reduce, reuse, and recycle — but there are two more to consider when you’re trying to prevent using plastic:

     •   Refuse things you don’t need,
     •   Reduce the things you do need,
     •   Reuse what you’ve got,
     •   Recycle what you can,
     •   Rot (compost) what you can’t.

If you are curious about this idea of the five Rs, read on.

A few of my favourite ways to reduce waste during the summer are:

     •   Enjoy an ice cream cone instead of a cup
     •   Host friends for a potluck instead of getting take out
     •   Get your beer and cider in a refillable growler instead of cans
     •   Sit at the cafe, enjoy a few minutes of relaxation, and enjoy your coffee or tea
     •   Carry reusable cutlery, a napkin, and water bottle when you’re out and about

Do your best and don’t panic if you don’t get through the month perfectly. Look at where you ended up with plastic and see if you can take a different approach next time. Good luck on your challenge and let us know your tips and tricks!

— Mairi & Tia (Sustainable KSA)

Five Exercises to Study

Over the next few months, Active KSA will start to bring our readers tips and ideas to help them strive for a healthier and more active lifestyle.

Physical health is one of multiple things students tend to avoid with their hectic study and work schedules. You might think going to the gym once a week is enough, but when it comes to your body, take care of it — it’s the only one you’ve got.

Here are some ways to #getactive without leaving your study area:

1.  Pushups. 10 a day will increase the strength of your arms and chest, and help with the upper back too! Those long hours of studying will not tire you out so quickly with better posture. You can modify the pushups if the traditional way is tiresome, then build up to it.

2.  Shoulder raises. Raise them periodically from time to time, bringing them right up to your ears for about 10 seconds at a time, and it will drastically relax your body during the study session.

3.  Planking. Try to do it for 30 seconds, 3 times a day. This exercise tones stomach muscles and you will find that your balance has significantly improved over the first few weeks.

4.  Head Rotation. Try doing this when your brain is too full and starts pulling your head toward your notes. Sit up straight in your chair. Then look at the ceiling for 10 seconds. Then the ground for 10 seconds. Repeat for left and right sides. Rock your head back and forth shoulder to shoulder while looking at the ground. But never do a full rotation.

5.  Squats. Aim for 15 a day! Not only do squats tone your legs and glutes, but you’ll find that running and jumping will improve as well. Also, by strengthening your legs, your circulation will get better and you may find yourself more awake and alert.

Without regular exercise, a body becomes stagnant, depressed, and slow. The negative side effects are evident within a month of not exercising. But by adding in small workouts to your everyday routine, you can conquer the low-energy blues and #getactive!

— Piper & Nate (Active KSA)

Farewell + A Corgi

Hello!

This post will just be a quick one from me, Kendell Kitt, the KSA's Clubs & Outreach Coordinator for the last 3 years. I'm the one who has been scheduling, planning and occasionally breaking the KSA blog since the beginning. If you ever saw our intro post, I'm the one who loves smoothies, waking up early and photos of corgis.

This post is to let everyone know that I am moving on from the KSA (to pursue a dream of living in a small town). As a result, this blog may be not be updated as frequently and you may notice a change in the 'voice' of the blog.

Me (Bottom) with my Street Team Volunteers! 

The past 3 years I've worked on a variety of student life and engagement projects that all aim at increasing the community and campus life here at KPU. It's been an absolute blast and I've met so many passionate students that are working hard to grow the sense of community here at KPU. My famous last words: Don't just go home after class! Get involved (volunteer, join a club, join a committee, enter a school contest, study on campus), go to events and make memories on campus that are unrelated to class!

Cheers (+ thank you for a great 3 years),

Kendell Kitt

ps. Here's a corgi.

KSA Spotlight: Alicia Poon

There are some pretty amazing people that work to support students at the KSA. Every month we'll feature a staff member (and occasionally Council member) so you can actually put a face to the name/event/project. This month, I invite you to meet Alicia, the Student Service Coordinator for the KSA Benefit Plan!

Here are a few things about Alicia... 

1. How did you come to work for the KSA?
I was a student at kpu back in the fall 2005 and ended up spending time in the Grassroots (formerly The Fishbowl or The Oasis lol) and got a job in the KSA run café for and a year later got the job as a part timer helper in the KSA Extended Health and Dental Office.

2. What is your position and can you provide a brief summary of what you do?
I am the Student Service Coordinator for the KSA Benefit Plan. I facilitate the plan for students. Help them understand what their plan is and how to best use it. I also do a lot of other jobs to help students utilize their plan.

3. What is your favourite thing about working here?
The environment. The people. I have been here for 13 years, 12 of which are in the health and dental office and I have always enjoyed it.

4. Best activity to do on the weekend?
Go to Whistler.

5. What is something that makes you unique?
I am fairly gutsy. I like to take on challenges, dares and am ruthless in competition. I once shoved a stranger is a glacier fed lake because he deserved it lol (if you find me on campus you can ask me the story-I swear I'm not mean)

6. What is your favourite food?
I love Asian food, most types.

7. What is one of your best memories at the KSA?
A few years ago at a staff retreat we got to go to a place I hadn't been since I was in grade 4 and I jumped in ice cold water with colleagues and we shared our life stories and it was a great time I wont soon forget.

Also every time Start Coordinator Steph Chee got pranked with a banana, that bit is classic.

Want to do more with the KSA? Volunteer with our START Program, Peer Support or the KSA Street Team. Looking to do more as a student? Consider attending a committee meeting or running in election next Spring. Want to work for us? Check out our job postings here.

What does water have to do with Indigenous rights?

The war on Earth is a lot of things: it’s fracking, deforestation, mining, pipelines, and the ever-increasing cost of space itself in British Columbia, specifically Metro Vancouver. I could go on to talk about the raging wildfires that decimated roughly 4,260 square kilometres of British Columbia forest in the summer of 2017 or the ever-increasing list of endangered species. Violence against the Earth is not conventional, immediate, or overt but systemic and socialized, as well as government-sanctioned. All of this is immense and crucial not just to our survival on Earth but our ability to thrive. 

Photo via The National Observer

It’s easy to separate social injustice from environmental injustice. After all, what does water have to do with Indigenous rights? A lot, it turns out. Studies show that 400 out of 618 First Nations in Canada had water problems between 2004 and 2014. The 1876 Indian Act severely restricted Indigenous agency over their land, especially for women, and the effects have carried on until the present.

It is the impact of environmental injustice on Indigenous women that is so often left out of the conversation. In fact, violence against Indigenous women is often not even considered an environmental issue. In their latest update, the RCMP estimates the current number of missing and murdered Indigenous women to be 1,181 since 1980, making Indigenous women six times more likely to be victims of homicide than non-Indigenous women. Indigenous rights activists, however, dispute the RCMP’s claim. It is difficult to know the real number as the RCMP does not systematically track data

Photo via CBC

Why are Indigenous women at an increased risk of violence? The short but storied answer is Canada’s legacy of colonialism. Statistics Canada estimates that 80 percent of Indigenous reserves have median incomes below the low-income measure, with women falling at the lowest pay grade. Poverty makes women more vulnerable to the consequences of natural and human-created disasters like earthquakes and oil spills because they do not have the means to relocate or seek medical care. Given that women are often the sole caretakers of children, and responsible for the collection of both food and water, the aftermath is almost impossible to recover from for some. Often, women are forced into homelessness or occupations that put them at a higher risk of violence. A Globe and Mail study found that at least 18 Indigenous women were victims of convicted serial killers since 1980, most notably pig farmer Robert Pickton. Some of his victims have yet to be identified or located. In addition, Amnesty International notes that, with increased presence of non-Indigenous workers on Indigenous land, there is increased violence against women and girls. Where the land is exploited, women are exploited.

Melina Laboucan-Massimo, a female Indigenous activist.
Photo via Yes Magazine

Despite Canada touting its position as equal and fair for all, there is little to no incentive or space for female climate leaders, especially Indigenous. Among the honourees of Canada’s Clean 50 award in 2017, 43 were men and 7 were women (it is also notable that Clean 50’s slogan is “Outstanding Contributors to Clean Capitalism”). Paul Polman, CEO of Unilever, the net worth of which is currently estimated at $143.9 billion, was awarded the United Nation’s highest environmental accolade, “Champion of the Earth,” in 2015. From Al Gore to Elon Musk, the face of sustainability is primarily male, white, and rich. Capitalism rewards production, not conservation.

It will no longer serve to avoid the truth, which is that human wellbeing must be included in the definition of a sustainable planet. Right now, it is limited to LED lights and solar panels. We have forgotten how to sustain human life. The climate crisis we face now is a reverberation of hundreds of years of stealing land, exploiting people, and taking more resources than can regenerate, borne from profiting from the Earth over respecting those who live here. Placing the fate of the planet in the hands of the rich, white, and male determines what the future of sustainability will look like: $100, 000 cars and the number of missing and murdered Indigenous women growing every year.

It is impossible to have justice for the planet until there is justice for women, who currently make up just over half of the worldwide population. If we cannot treat the women who create and define our society as sacred, how will we treat the Earth as such?

-- Tia (KSA Sustainability Specialist) 

KSA Spotlight: Nate Huggins

There are some pretty amazing people that work to support students at the KSA. Every month we'll feature a staff member (and occasionally Council member) so you can actually put a face to the name/event/project. This month, I invite you to meet our Active KSA Specialist, Nate!

Here are a few things about Nate… 

1. How did you come to work for the KSA?
I came to work for the KSA by joining the Grassroots team last September to pay for my tuition. It was my first job and I was welcomed into it with open arms by both the staff behind the counter as well as the folks down at the KSA. I'm really glad I worked at the Cafe first because not only did I get paid but I also got to meet so many cool new people within my first year at KPU.

2. What is your position and can you provide a brief summary of what you do?
My position is the Active KSA Specialist. So at Active KSA we organize events for students, and we give them an opportunity to explore and play within the community as well as go out and do things they normally wouldn't get to do on campus. We get to do all sorts of outdoor events such as canoeing, bike riding, hiking, stand up paddle boarding, and later this summer we plan to have a game of Quidditch at Stanley Park. 

3. What is your favourite thing about working here?
My favorite thing about working here is the people I work with on a daily basis, but also the people I get to meet on the events we run. Each event is different. The organization and execution of the event is more or less different each time, so it keeps me on my toes.

4. Best activity to do on the weekend?
My favorite activity to do on the weekend is hang out with friends or play video games with my brother.

5. What is something that makes you unique?
Something that makes me unique? I genuinely love to make people smile and laugh. Not to sound too cheesy, but I love to play in all aspects of my life. Be it on a screen, with cards, on a field with a ball, or just playing with different voices in an attempt to make people giggle. I've got a surplus of energy so this job is perfect for me. 

6. What is your favourite food?
My favorite food is Burgers. I could eat them for breakfast, second breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

7. What is one of your best memories at the KSA?
One of my best memories at the KSA was doing Open Mic Night with my Supervisor. We sang "This Kitchen is Not a Home" from SpongeBob. It was hilarious, I hope to be there for the next Open Mic as well. 

Want to do more with the KSA? Volunteer with our START Program, Peer Support or the KSA Street Team. Looking to do more as a student? Consider attending a committee meeting or running in election next Spring. Want to work for us? Check out our job postings here.

Waste Audit Part 2

In January, I introduced the idea of a waste audit and wrangled some of my coworkers into doing audits to share with you.

Waste isn’t exciting but plastic waste is leading to big problems. Just in the past few weeks, CBC found microplastic in Canadian bottled water, China doesn’t want our materials for recycling, and Canadians create a lot of garbage. Combating our reliance on plastic and getting away from the idea we can just throw things ‘away’ is getting more important every day.

We had three KSA staffers audit their homes for a week to look at the waste they generate. All of our auditors are recent graduates or current students living with a roommate in Metro Vancouver and have municipal or building wide recycling services available to them. As a comparison, we’ve included the USA average figures from the EPA (they’re newer), but in 2013 Canadians generate waste at the same, or higher rates!

Now, let’s talk numbers. (Or at least, read the nice chart).

The average American creates 1.9kg (about four pounds of butter) of waste each day. Of this, 0.68 kilograms (about 1.5 pounds of butter) is recycled or composted and the rest is sent to landfill. For a duo, as in our auditors case, this would be doubled to nearer 4 kilograms a day with 1.37 kilograms going to recycling and compost. Our auditors calculated over one week and we included everything even if it wasn’t typical of their weekly waste.

• Nicki’s household generated an average of 1.07kg of waste each day. Over the week their waste broke down as 25% for the organics bin, 19% for paper recycling, 47% for their recycling bin and most of that was heavy glass bottles. Nicki’s landfill amount was very small at only 0.77 kgs. They’re looking for ways to reduce plastic food wrapping. 
• Steph’s household generated more landfill bound waste, about 84% of their weeks waste, though they acknowledge that they had some things this week that wouldn't be in their usual week’s waste. Steph found the biggest challenge knowing what went where and has set out to set up a recycling station at her place to make sure what can get recycled does. 
• Tonya’s household generated 7kg of waste, but 65% of this was recyclable glass containers and more than 80% of their weekly waste was recycled or composted. One of their biggest changes is eliminating single-use coffee cups. 

If you haven’t done an audit yet check out our last post to find out how to do your own!

Okay, math over. Now, what can you do?

Don’t stress or panic! Making changes towards reducing the waste you create shouldn’t make your life miserable. Some things might happen easily and others might take some trial and error. Still, other things you might decide not to change and that’s okay. What works for you and your roomates or family is where you should start. Our auditors sat down and we talked through their burning questions.

1. What can I do without changing how I shop or eat?

• Make sure you’re properly sorting what waste you do generate and recycling as much as possible by looking at your Municipality’s website, using tools like Metro Vancouver Recycles. 
• When you go out, stop and make sure you’re sorting you waste correctly. If there’s no compost bin, take your compost home to your bin. 
• What small changes can I make when I grocery shop: 
• Purchase whole fruit and veggies without plastic wrapping, and reduce your reliance on processed (pre-packaged) foods. 
• Bag your groceries (and any other shopping) in a reusable tote bag. 
• As you run out of things, look for a lower waste alternative like a bar of unwrapped soap instead of a plastic pump. 
• What else can I do? 
• Drink tap water and use a refillable bottle. On campus, the Waterfillz machines filter the water so it’s cool, clean and tastes great. Metro Vancouver has good tap water. 
• Avoid purchasing items wrapped in plastic. 
• Eat your leftovers and store them in reusable containers. 
• Get in the habit of carrying a reusable bag. 
• Ask for no straw when you’re out for drinks or getting a smoothie. 

There are loads of folks on social media sharing the changes they’re making to reduce their waste. They share about making DIY cleaning products and makeup, tricks for eating out, and making a paper sack for your compost bin. To find resources that work with you, find someone whose voice resonates with you, who has a similar lifestyle, or whose advice meets your needs most.

• Ree’s candid blog has tons of advice about reducing waste when going to events, festivals, making your own body products and even videos with tips for ways to use cloth napkins. https://www.fortnegrita.com/pages/start-here
• Gitte Mary is a young woman living in Denmark. She blogs about her zero waste challenges and goals. http://www.gittemary.com/
• Cassie Vee makes videos about zero waste living and fighting racism. She’s got great videos on make up remover and hair care. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCznqMUWYyOVwJ04x8tPLOQ/featured
• Megean is a mom with a young family and her 30 day challenge is a great way to get started if you love challenges where you can tick things off the list or have a different task everyday https://zerowastenerd.com/beginners-guide
• Plastic Manners started as a year long project to live without plastic and has great ideas for reducing plastic in your life: https://plasticmanners.wordpress.com/tips/
• The Clean Bin project was based in Vancouver so the film is both interesting and useful as they created a list of local resources. It’s not perfect but it can be useful. https://cleanbinproject.com/takeaction/resources/

You’re going to have loads of questions so look for groups on Facebook, ask the companies you buy things from if they can reduce the waste they create or for solutions like makeup or grocery shopping. There are also quite a few good books that most libraries have that can help you out. Find us on Twitter (@sustainableksa) or comment on the blog to ask questions or share things you find help reduce your waste at home!

--Mairi

Club of the Month: Kwantlen Music Students Association

Every month we (try to, yes sometimes it just doesn’t end up happening, we’re sorry, please forgive us) feature a KSA club and highlight the fun/cool things that make their club different from the others. It’s a chance to get a little inside information, and see what events and meetings they have coming up.

Our April Club of the Month is the Kwantlen Music Student’s Association. Hear more about the club from the Club President, Emma.. 

Club Executives:  Amy Wack (Treasurer), Alexa Reimer (Coordinator),
Emma Dotto ( President / Founder), and Jeremy Laity (Vice President).

“I started the Music Students' Association because I had a real interest in musician's health as I was dealing with some performance injuries myself. While researching musician's health, I happened upon the McGill University's Musician's Health Club Instagram account and realized that this was something I could bring to KPU. 

From there, the club has grown into a multi-faceted association targeting not only musician's health, but also funding masterclasses, organizing social events and providing performance opportunities for the music students. 

Some events the KMSA have hosted include an Alexander Technique workshop, a Performance Anxiety Workshop, a Spring Formal (featuring the KPU Music Big Band and Jazz Combos), a Jazz Jam night, and, a Piano Masterclass with one of KPU Music’s top 25 alumni.”

 "All You Gotta Do Is Swing" Night    

“What makes the KMSA unique is that it is a club that recognizes the areas in which music students need more support and then takes action to help that by hosting workshops, masterclasses, social events, and jam nights. The executive team is compromised of music students helping music students.”

 "All You Gotta Do Is Swing" Night    

“We are currently getting our monthly Jazz Jam Nights off the ground! These nights are the best because it gives everyone a chance to let loose and just play music with friends and have a good time.”

 "All You Gotta Do Is Swing" Night    

“As the semester is winding down, so are we. However, we have some big plans for the next Fall and Spring semester! Some more masterclasses, workshops, and hopefully another Spring Formal!”

Learn more about the Kwantlen Music Student’s Association or join as a member by checking out their FB page: https://www.facebook.com/kpumusicstudents/. 

Amazing Race Video

March was a special month for us because we held our Amazing Race: KPU Edition event! It was a part race, part challenges event hosted by Active KSA and KPU Sport & Rec. Teams competed against each other for the best finish time and the winners won cash prizes!

Here’s a little recap of what went down...

Want to know more about Active KSA events? 

Council Recap: April 6, 2018

The incoming KSA Council met twice last week, on April 2 and and April 6.  The incoming councillors swore their oaths of office, and voted on the new Executive at the first meeting, and the second meeting was primarily taken up with appointing councillors to various committees.
Here are the FIVE things you NEED to know from this week's’ Council:

#5
One of the first orders of business for the new council is to appoint councillors to the various committees of the organization.  Committees are where new ideas are developed, and recommendations made for the Council to vote on. The committees of Council are the Appointments committee, the Environmental Sustainability committee, the External Affairs committee, the Finance & Operations committee, the Governance committee, the Social Justice and Equity committee, the Student Life committee and the University Affairs committee.  All of the committees have seats reserved for students - apply at kusa.ca/committees

#4
Murdoch de Mooy was elected VP University Affairs.  While de Mooy previously held the position of Arts Faculty Representative, he was defeated by Jazicka Rai in the 2018 General Election for Mature Students Representative. He continues to hold his seat on Council because he is a student representative on the University Senate.  If the Bylaw changes been approved at the 2018 AGM, senators would no longer be on Council, but the meeting did not have the required 200 people for quorum, and the bylaws were not changed.

This is not the first time that a student senator has been elected to an executive position.  
Christopher Girodat, appointed December 2011 as Director of Student Services and Executive Chairperson, was recently made an honourary member of the association for his contributions to the organization. Girodat is most well-known for his role in organizing students to introduce unprecedented levels of accountability in the society. Chris’s other accomplishments include replacing the entirety of the KSA bylaws, implementing accounting best practices, hiring a new general manager, increasing trust in the student body, as well as inspiring generations of KSA council members. Steven Button, appointed November 2013 as Director of Student Services and Executive Chairperson, was a quiet and stately presence at the KSA during his term, preferring to take care of the behind-the-scenes work so critical to the workings of the student association, and largely leaving the spotlight to his colleagues.  

#3
David Piraquive was appointed VP Student Life. Piraquive has been involved with the KSA as a student member since he was appointed to the External Affairs committee in September 2014.  He was elected as a Arts Faculty Representative in the 2017 general election, and successfully re-ran in the 2018 election. You might’ve met Piraquive collecting signatures for the Grants Now! campaign this past spring.

#2
Joseph Thorpe, the new VP Finance & Operations, is the ‘newest’ member of the executive team.  He was appointed as the Queer Students Liaison at the 2017 AGM, and continued to hold the position after the by-election, as no one ran to replace him.  He successfully ran in the 2018 General election. Thorpe has been working at Career Services at the University, and is an HR student. He was very involved in the Pride float for the 2017 Pride Parade, and we are excited to see what he has planned for this year!

#1
Caitlin McCutchen was re-elected Vice President External at the Council meeting on April 2, and following that was elected President by the Executive Committee.  McCutchen first got involved with the KSA for the 2015 get out the vote campaign, and went on to serve as a student at large, and then a Senate representative, before running as women’s representative in the 2017 election.  She is no stranger to leadership, having served as the Chairperson of the Alliance of BC Students since June 2017. In her first term as VP External, McCutchen oversaw many campaigns, including the a more mindful U campaign for mental health, and a campaign for student housing with the ABCS, which influenced the government’s commitment in the 2018 budget of $450 million dollars over three years to build student housing.  

You can keep track of what the new Council is doing here on the blog, and in the meeting minutes of KSA Council and Committees, which are available after approval on kusa.ca/committees.

Life on Campus

The Provincial budget was presented on February 20th and it was a really exciting day for everyone at the KSA who works on campaigns. We have been pushing for more student housing since 2016 and this year the government announced $450 million for on campus housing in the province! This is huge, and it means that institutions across BC can now propose housing projects and borrow money directly from the government to build them.

This is really exciting, and we can’t wait to see where housing ends up being built. So, just in case we get housing here, here are some tips from the pros, or at least from some people I know who have lived on campus before:

1. Open your door. If you stay in your room with the door closed, you’ll miss out on the best part of residence, the lifelong friendships with all the people on your floor. Casual interactions with everyone wandering by are a great, no pressure, way to meet people, get invited to things, and signal that you want to chat.

2.  If you share a shower, bring flip-flops. Also if you have never had a roommate before, mentally prepare yourself for sharing a shower with a bunch of people.

3.  On the subject of roommates, set rules with roommates up front. It might seem weird to do at first, but if you never tell your roommates that you hate being the only person to take out the trash then you will resent them for months, and they will be surprised when you finally explode. It’s way easier to be able to say ‘Hey, I think it’s your turn this week’ because you already decided to share that task.

4. Bring a fan (and a space heater if you’re allowed). There is a very low chance that the temperature the building happens to be is the temperature that you want it to be.

5. Go to the orientation. You meet a whole bunch of people right at the beginning, and go into the year with so many new friends. Also you almost definitely get free food (to the right you will see me, eating all of the free food at our welcome week).

6. Staying on campus late and just hanging out without a set activity in mind is a super good way to get involved with things that are going on at your campus. Several people in our office said they entered campus life because they lived on campus, and described it as the best part of their university experience (pro tip, you don’t have to actually live on campus to do this).

7. Plan something for your first weekend. Lots of people visit home the first or second weekend, and if you stay on campus without any plans it can be quiet and feel a little lonely. Find some other people who are sticking around, or explore the neighbourhood around campus.

8.  Late night fire alarms. This is an experience that is pretty well universal, I have heard from people at UBC and Uvic where fire alarms get pulled as a practical joke (at 3am on a Wednesday… not cool) or SFU where the fire alarms get set off in old buildings because of the steam from showers (also at 3am..whyyy) and basically everywhere that there is residence because people think they can get away with smoking in their rooms. Because residence buildings are so densely filled, firefighters have to respond to a fire alarm immediately, even if they need to leave an actual fire to do this.

9. Expect some level of nonsense. One of our staff knows someone who lived on campus at Uvic, this was back when the campus was covered in bunnies. Her dorm was on the ground floor, and one night someone dropped a bunny into her window. Chaos ensued while the little bunny jumped around looking for an escape route, and the bunny, while alarmed, was fine. This exact thing will not happen to you, but you can probably expect to leave with at least one good story.

We don’t know if KPU will be one of the institutions that gets to build new housing, but just for fun, let us know what your ideal student housing situation would be in the comments.

Thanks for reading

Nicki