Solidarity and Advocacy News
The Okanagan College Students’ Union Stands in Solidarity with Trans Athletes: A Call for Accountability and Inclusivity in PACWEST
The Okanagan College Students’ Union is proud to reaffirm its unwavering support for trans athletes and the broader 2SLGBTQIA+ community in light of recent developments in the Pacific Western Athletic Association (PACWEST).
The Okanagan College Students’ Union is proud to reaffirm its unwavering support for trans athletes and the broader 2SLGBTQIA+ community in light of recent developments in the Pacific Western Athletic Association (PACWEST). Following an investigation into a transphobic incident during the October 2024 women’s basketball game between Columbia Bible College (CBC) and the VIU Mariners, PACWEST took the necessary step of suspending the CBC women’s basketball head coach. While this disciplinary action marked progress toward addressing discrimination in sports, subsequent events have raised new concerns.
In the aftermath of the suspension, the CBC team launched a public campaign and the coach has taken legal action in an attempt to overturn the suspension. These moves threaten to undermine the essential steps taken to combat discrimination and could send a disheartening message to trans athletes and their allies throughout PACWEST.
At Okanagan College we believe that sports should be a safe and inclusive space for everyone, regardless of gender identity. Trans athletes deserve the right to participate fully and equitably without fear of harassment or exclusion. We have seen firsthand the impact that discrimination can have on individuals and communities. It is for this reason that we are speaking out - because standing by silently is not an option.
When incidents like this arise, accountability is not just about responding to the moment; it’s about setting a standard for the future. Attempts to reverse disciplinary action not only put the safety of athletes at risk but also undermine trust in the systems designed to protect them. This is a pivotal moment for PACWEST to demonstrate leadership and reaffirm its commitment to inclusivity, fairness, and safety for all athletes.
We call on PACWEST to:
Stand firm against external pressures to reinstate the suspended coach, prioritizing the safety and well-being of all athletes.
Reaffirm your commitment to creating and maintaining a safe, equitable, and inclusive sports environment for everyone.
Call on the CBC Bearcats to publicly commit to fair and safe play by clearly stating that harassment, discrimination, and hate have no place in their organization, and that they will fully respect and uphold eligibility rules for trans athletes.
Implement comprehensive safety planning practices to protect the well-being of all athletes, with specific measures to ensure the inclusion and safety of trans athletes.
Discrimination has no place in sports - or anywhere. Leadership means standing with marginalized communities, taking decisive action, and ensuring that every athlete is treated with dignity and respect. We urge PACWEST to seize this opportunity to lead by example and show that inclusivity is not just a policy but a fundamental value.
The Okanagan College Students’ Union remains committed to its support for trans athletes across the PACWEST Conference. We will continue to advocate for environments where every player feels safe, supported, and seen.
In solidarity,
Okanagan College Students’ Union, Local 1
OCSU Statement of Settler Colonialism in Palestine
30 days cannot begin to encapsulate the profound agony endured during 75+ years of occupation. This month marks a devastating milestone, with over 10,000 lives lost in Gaza, and thousands more missing, unmarked, and unidentifiable.
The OCSU has always been a champion for student voices, but our silence has been a deafening contradiction of our principles. We would like to make it clear that genocide should never be a subject of neutrality.
30 days cannot begin to encapsulate the profound agony endured during 75+ years of occupation. This month marks a devastating milestone, with over 10,000 lives lost in Gaza, and thousands more missing, unmarked, and unidentifiable.
The OCSU has always been a champion for student voices, but our silence has been a deafening contradiction of our principles. We would like to make it clear that genocide should never be a subject of neutrality.
We grieve for the loss of homes, dreams, aspirations, and lives affecting men, women, and children. We mourn for the loss of safety. We ache for those left orphaned and widowed, for the martyrs and survivors. We mourn the dispossession of Indigenous Palestinian land and civilians.
We stand in solidarity with our Indigenous and Racialized peers who bear intergenerational traumas stemming from settler colonialism, land seizures, apartheid, and genocides.
We have the responsibility to educate ourselves on the history and context of this dire reality. We extend our compassion to the Palestinian, Arab, and Jewish communities who have shouldered the unfair burden of tirelessly educating us whilst continuously fighting for their own humanity. We stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people who risk their lives daily to document and communicate to the western world. They speak to us in a language foreign to them, pleading with us to witness their struggle and to see their humanity. We stand by the Jewish community, whose grief and fear have been exploited by corrupt, greedy, and oppressive systems to enact a cycle of continuous violence.
To our peers, community, and members, we implore you to:
Take the time to learn with us and review these resources
No amount of words or expressions of compassion and solidarity can ever fully capture the overwhelming grief, tragedy, suffering, and trauma brought about by this genocide. Above all, let us hold each other with more compassion and create space for learning, understanding, and collective grief.
We maintain hope that through united efforts, we can persistently call on our representatives, sign petitions, rally, amplify Palestinian voices, and educate ourselves to demand a ceasefire.
Collectively and individually, the OCSU acknowledges our ongoing need for learning and unlearning. We must stay united to champion the liberation of Palestine, Congo, Sudan, Hawaii, the Uyghurs, and Indigenous People of Turtle Island, just to name a few.
Liberation for one means liberation for all.
From the river to the sea,
OCSU
OCSU Letter of Support for Emily Carr University Walkout
To: Emily Carr Students’ Union, Premier David Eby, Minister Anne Kang and Honourable Selina Robinson
Cc: Emily Carr University Board of Governors & Administration
The OCSU is writing this letter of support for the student walk out by the Emily Carr Students’ Union on December 1st in opposition to the proposed increases to international Student fees for Emily Carr international students and members of the ECSU. The Okanagan College Students’ Union strongly opposes the proposed increases to international students including 30% for new students and 10% for returning students. International students are already paying four times more in fees than their domestic counterparts. In 2017, international students contributed $4.15billion in spending, created 31,400 jobs, and contributed $2.37 billion to the provincial GDP.
They are already contributing their fair share to the BC economy. This continual pillaging ofinternational students is discriminatory, predatory and inexcusable.We are calling on Premier David Eby, Minister Anne Kang, and Honourable Selina Robinson tosupport the BC Federation of Students, and all post-secondary students of British Columbia byimplementing legislation to regulate international student fee increases in an equitable mannerto domestic students.We also call on our elected officials to reinvest in post-secondary education through additionalgovernment funding which has dwindled to just 43.6% in total operating revenue, down frommore than 80% in the 1980s, and more than 90% in the 1970s. With a reported $5 Billionsurplus, this is the opportune time to support our future work force and policy makers.The students of British Columbia have had enough of our post-secondary institutions andgovernment treating international students like cash cows. We stand in solidarity with the ECSU,and all international students in BC, and across Canada. We demand better for our peers.
In solidarity,
Okanagan College Students’ Union
Local 1 BC Federation of Students