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Douglas denounces racism
via online statement

» Dench urges Douglas community to listen and learn

Atiba Nelson
Staff Reporter

 

s part of Black Out Tuesday, Douglas

College’s Twitter feed featured a black
square in solidarity with the Black Lives
Matter movement. Accompanying the

4@)\ Douglas College @douglas:

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Listening and learning - Douglas 360°

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log.douglascolle

college -

College stands with people of colour to act
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The following is a personal statement from our...

black square was a link to a blog post from
Douglas College Associate Vice President of
Academic and Student Affairs, Sarah Dench.

Dench’s post outlined her reflections
on the protests and unrest in the United
States, which are occurring concurrently
with the pandemic. The post also

Jun 2

Douglas College opposes all acts of racism and stands with people of colour
to actively combat systemic bias in our communities. Read a personal
statement by our AVP of Academic and Student Affairs Sarah Dench.

 
 

anor 18 Staal [a

Tweet via @douglascollege on Twitter

Trending careers and.

industries during COVID-19

» A surge in demand for eligible workers

Tania Arora
Staff Writer

 

he global economy came crashing

down due to COVID-19, a pandemic
that wasn't really expected. Some could
not escape the drastic effects of it, the
majority of which have been related to
job loss. Many businesses had to shut
down or reduce operations and cut costs
to cover up the losses even after being in
operation for a long time. According to
Statistics Canada, “In February, prior to
the COVID-19 economic shutdown, the
unemployment rate was 5.6 percent. It
increased to 7.8 percent in March and 13.0
percent in April.”

But there have also been many
industries and companies that have been
looking for candidates due to the increase
in operations when the economy started to
reopen. So, if you are a recent graduate or
lost your job during the pandemic, consider
being a part of these sectors; the demand

for candidates in here will not be dropping
anytime soon.

Essentials goods & services

The industry of essential goods and
services helped people survive during the
pandemic and continues to do so. The
demand in the industry almost doubled
due to a hike in transactions and many
employees leaving due to the fear of the
virus. Essential service providers include
plumbers, electricians, and others who
repair or build the required parts of our
houses or workplaces. Candidates looking
to be skilled tradespeople have significant
potential for growth ahead of them.

Insurance sector

We do not understand the importance
of being insured until someone close

to us (or even ourselves) faces a risk

to their lives. The pandemic helped us
understand that everything is uncertain,
and hence, it is essential for us to be
insured. The insurance providers are

acknowledged Canada’s history of racism.
The statement encouraged educators to
be “actively anti-racist—speaking and
educating to oppose racism and systems
of oppression.” She went on to urge the
larger Douglas community to “think about
how we take action— personally, and as
organizations.’

Included with the post, after Dench’s
validation, was this statement: “As an
institution, Douglas College opposes all
acts of racism and stands with people of
colour to actively combat systemic bias in
our communities. Students who experience
grief, trauma, or stress resulting from
racism and violence are encouraged to seek
support.” The statement also included a
list of links sponsored by Douglas College
where students can seek support if needed.

The statement mirrors other
sentiments expressed throughout the British
Columbia higher education landscape.

The same day Douglas College released its
statement, Simon Fraser University (SFU)
President and Vice-Chancellor Andrew
Petter released a similar statement. The SFU
statement also mentioned the institution’s
appointment of Dr. Joy Johnson (the
incoming President and Vice-Chancellor

of SFU) to a committee advancing “equity,
diversity, and inclusion.” In his online
statement, Petter wrote this: “It’s all of our

 

looking for candidates to meet the
increasing demands.

Financial sector

After every downfall in the economy
there comes a stabilizing point after
which the graph moves upwards. The
sector saw a plummet in the transactions
during COVID-19 and which see a
higher rise after reopening as every
individual will start investing more and
finding ways to cover up their losses. The
candidates who are looking forward to
entering the financial sector must get
ready to bear the workload.

Telecommunications

Many industries have shifted to the

remote module of running the business. It
is now easier and cost-friendly to set up a
work from the home team without creating
a room for it. The call and queries from
people also increased during the COVID-19,
and companies now need candidates to help
solve the customer influx.

  

¢ A surge in demand for eligible workers
¢ North Vancouver begins legalizing
public drinking
e Protests good; Trump rally bad
..and more

responsibility to combat racism, but none
more so than those of us who have benefited
from white privilege.’

Douglas and SFU joined UBC as
post-secondary schools with anti-racist
statements. Santa Ono, President
and Vice-Chancellor of the University
of British Columbia posted a letter to
the UBC Community on June 1, 2020.
Ono's statement, the longest of the
three statements, outlined British
Columbia's oldest university’s institutional
commitment. Most notably the UBC
President committed to diversifying
the faculty through the allocation of
President’s Excellence Chairs—faculty
positions created to attract outstanding
educators and researchers to UBC—to
black and Indigenous faculty members.
Ono also asked the University community
to reach out to him if they thought that
there was more that UBC could do to
combat racism.

If students are interested in resources
and materials on combatting these issues,
Douglas College’s Student Engagement
and the Office for Student Support and
Conduct offers the “Let’s DO Respect”
campaign which aims to end sexual
violence, racism, homophobia, and
transphobia at Douglas with information
for learners on campus.

 

 

Photo by Billy Bui

Public Health & Government

If you wish to be one of those in government
or health, go ahead, as the industry will
never die down. The government has also
been looking for people or officers to join
them as many departments have been
created and will be added to further handle

the public concerns.