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| Students of Colour at University of Victoria demand that White students pay for their education |
Do you ever wonder what happens in the political scene on Canadian university campuses? I’m not talking about pipeline protests, mildly conservative speakers being shut down by censorship campaigns, or the Marxist stammerings of washed out humanities professors.
I am speaking of the goings of the ‘student governments’ that serve as elected representatives for the student body, advocating on their behalf and providing services. You will not be surprised to learn that at my university, student government politics serves as another steward of the socially encouraged doctrines of diversity, equity and inclusion. Nowhere is this more evident than in the referendum questions students have the privilege of voting on every year.
What would you expect a student referendum questionnaire to be composed of? Perhaps you remember one or two campus issues from your time at post-secondary if you attended. Are you imagining issues concerning fee amounts, types of events held, course offerings, the installation of a new sports area, or a fraternity backed resolution to loosen alcohol restrictions?
World University Service of Canada
Upon opening my ballot, I found that the first question inquired if I wanted to increase my student fees by the cost of a cup of coffee per term to bring another refugee to campus. The additional annual refugee would be sponsored through the World University Service of Canada (WUSC), which has chapters in over ninety campuses across the country. The added funding contingent on a “yes” vote from my peers would also provide more money to help WUSC refugees studying here.
Students of Colour Collective
The next question was whether I wanted to pay a small amount more in student fees to increase the funding for the Students of Colour Collective. It’s worth noting that this collective already receives student money as it is. The first question asked students to increase their fees in order to directly increase racial diversity on campus, and the second question asked us to increase fees once more – this time to celebrate racial diversity.
If you are wondering what a racial collective looks like in the 21st century, it is very similar to how it sounds! The Students of Colour Collective has its own room in the Student Union Building open “primarily” to non-white students. In addition to providing anti-racism and inclusion training for some university staff, it also provides resources to “primarily” non-white students. I am curious as to whether the word primarily was added to provide a thin veneer of liberalism to their clearly racially communitarian project. It is true that they provide community events for all students, but their weekly meetings are open to only non-white students.
Only White Students Not Allowed To Have Identity
I don’t take issue with the concept of identity collectives, provided that they are equally encouraged for all identities. I don’t have an issue with student government, provided all positions are elected and all viewpoints are accepted equally. What this referendum reveals, however, is the nature of the ideological climate on campus. What Canadians need to understand is that anti-Canadian and anti-white sentiments are not outliers in universities today, they are the norm.
Proud vocalizations of these sentiments are in the mouths of university officials, on posters, in the university administration, in student government, and in activist student organizations. Being white or proudly Canadian is seen as a shameful thing – a sin that can only be expunged through advocating on behalf of other peoples against your own people.
What advantage could we patriotic Canadians possibly have in the face of the capture of our institutions by radicals? The fact that all of the facts on immigration, demographics, Canadian history, ethnocentrism, ethnic majority rights and group behaviour are on our side certainly helps. But when it comes to students, perhaps the more important advantage we have is that the ideas we advance are truly rebellious.
