When it's not really about a name

I recently received a telephone call from Vancouver Courier news reporter Cheryl Rossi asking me about the naming of the new VSB school.  You will, I trust, be able to read her article sometime in the next few days. [You can find her story here.  I appreciate the sensitive and balanced approach she took to this issue]

I felt saddened by the line of questions because it was focused upon the process and the nature of my role in the process.  I would have rather spoken about the wonderful women that was Rose Point.  At first I tried to say nothing and asked to end the conversation.  The reporter was good at her job and kept going.  I hope that my responses honour the principles of respect that I try to follow.  I really don't want to engage in a back and forth who said what, who did what.  That, to me, will diminish the possibility of this very potentially historic opportunity of naming a school.

After thinking about the issue I called the reporter back to try and explain why I think debating the process misses the point of this issue.  But I don't think I was effective.  I'm not interested in trying to respond point by point to things the reporter is attributing to the Acadia School PAC Chair.  

Here's the gist of what I wanted to say.

First, I really work hard to avoid personal attacks or criticisms of individuals. I don't always succeed, but I do try. It seems counter productive to me.  I work professionally in an area of study where I am witness to much harm and dysfunction and thus I find it very important to try and avoid personal attacks.

Second, I have clear and well defined perspectives on many issues.  I am also quick to apologize without condition when I make a mistake. 

Third I believe it to be my civil duty to be involved in my community.  As a parent from about 1998-2009 I was involved in school PAC’s Jules Quesnel, Queen Elizabeth, Kitsilano, Churchill, and U Hill Secondary.  I also was a DPAC exec for about 6 years (from about 2003-2009).  I was involved in getting the University Neighbourhoods Association to set up a school action committee and worked with a range of local folks to lobby and advocate for our children in this area.  In all of these things what you see is what you get – an involved, hardworking person, who cares.  As a parent advocate I saw my role as advancing the well-being of all children, not just my own children, through my involvement.  I was involved with the S.O.S. Movement in 2001-2002 (and beyond) to work to ensure that all children could get a good education. 

Fourth I advocate and try to follow a radical democratic practice of openness.  You can see my longstanding campaign for real local government in the UBC area as published on my blog and that concern is what propelled me to run for elected office here for the UNA last fall.

In terms of the specific issue here I have tried to be clear to the people that I know, work with, and speak with (these folks don’t normally include journalists) where I stand and what I think.  Some family and friends might suggest I am too free with my perspective.  

I don’t believe that I am the first person who thought that Rose Point would be an appropriate choice for a school name.  I do know that I was the first to go and visit with the family to ask for their permission to suggest to people that Rose’s name be placed on a VSB School.  

I spoke with the Point family at Musqueam in the last week of November to ask for their blessing.  On November 23rd I posted a notice of the school naming process (one this blog) and expressed my hope 

“that we will be able to suggest to the School Board a name (or names) that honour the people upon whose lands our new school is being built and all the people who have worked to make education possible and meaningful throughout our great province!” 

And then, after having spoken with the family, posted a note about the issue where I stated publicly 

“It would would be a powerful act of respect to place Rose Point's name upon the new K-8 school being built at UBC.”

I track the visits to my blog and note that there was a lot of increased traffic during this period of time and that it would appear that many people were reading and forwarding links to my blog around the internet. 

This is normally considered a good thing.

http://universitytown.blogspot.ca/search?updated-max=2012-12-15T16:20:00-08:00&max-results=4

New VSB school might be named after well known Musqueam Elder!

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Tuesday, February 5^th, a meeting of the Vancouver School Board (VSB) school naming ad hoc advisory committee was held.  This committee was struck to review and recommend to the School Board potential names for the new kindergarten to grade 8 school now being built on the site of the old University Hill Secondary School (UHS recently moved to it’s new building and location at 16^th and West Mall). I had the privilege to sit on this committee as a community member participant.  My appointment was made through the UNA.

The committee met once in late November to receive directions on how the VSB proceeds on the matter of naming a new school.  Then VSB’s communication department set up an online form to solicit suggestions for a name.  More than 200 submissions suggesting over 30 different names were received!  Apparently the last time a new school was named in Vancouver only 4 or 5 submissions were received.  It is refreshing to see all the interest and excitement.  

At the meeting two names stood out: Rose Point School or Acadia School.

Strong committee support was present for naming the school after Rose Point, the well known and highly respected late Musqueam Elder who touched many lives here at UBC, in her own community, and far beyond over the course of her life.  Rose passed away July 2012.

Rose Point was, by all accounts, an amazing person.  Originally from Seabird Island near Mission, Rose spent much of her adult life advocating for education and human rights. Educational philosopher Nel Noddings advocates a pedagogy of care: Rose embodied this ideal through her commitment to education for all people. Colleagues in my department at UBC speak with warmth about the ways that Rose touched their lives. 

Rose touched many lives, not just those here at UBC - she worked tirelessly in her home community of Musqueam to see the rights of her people respected; she advocated for all children –no matter where they were from- in our public schools; she provided educational support at BCIT and mentorship to students at UBC; she was a life long learner, mentor and teacher.  All through the education world in Vancouver and beyond the mention of Rose's name brings forth warm recollections. 

It would be really amazing and wonderful if the school board does indeed decide to place Rose Point's name upon the new school here on the unceded traditional lands of the Musqueam people.

The other name, Acadia, was strongly supported by the school’s current parent community and by their young children.  Acadia was supported because it is the name that the current children are familiar with (Acadia Road School has been the temporary name for the school in it’s temporary location on the grounds of Queen Elizabeth Elementary School) and is the road along which the new school is to be built.  

With the long history of colonial-settler based names on our schools in Vancouver it seems to me only right that this very special new school have a name that speaks to everyone, that reflects the historical and cultural significance of where we are currently located, and that it does so by honouring a women who saw the value in being inclusive of all peoples.  I do hope that the Vancouver School Board will be able to honour our place and our future through their selection of a new school name for the areas newest school!

The matter now passes to the VSB staff who will prepare a report to the facilities standing committee. The standing committee will review the staff report and then make a decision as to the new school name.  The standing committee’s decision will then be forwarded to the school board for the final decision.

My previous blogs on this issue can be read here:
http://universitytown.blogspot.ca/search?updated-max=2012-12-15T16:20:00-08:00&max-results=4

Editorial on UNA Funding Legal Firm, The Ubyssey

While I don't think The Ubyysey's reference to south campus development is fair (many among the UNA Board oppose the excessive south campus over-development), they hit the nail on the head with the comments regarding the Musqueam development. The student newspaper has a full length story on the UNA's recent decision to fund a legal firm's series of Campus Resident articles into leasehold values.

The Following editorial was posted in The Ubyssey, Jan. 2, 2013

UNA reaction to Musqueam development smacks colonial

As the Musqueam prepare a development that could change the look of the population of the University Endowment Lands, some familiar faces are doing some hand-wringing.
The University Neighbourhoods Association (UNA) has commissioned a study to see if the Musqueam development will impact the value of residents’ 99-year leases. They insist that they don’t see the Block F project as a liability — though they gave $15,000 to a former UNA director’s law firm to investigate the financial impacts of the development on existing properties.
The association loves to stop things from happening on campus, but it’s crazy to think that opposing this massive development could go well for them. Any paranoia about the Musqueam development carries an odd note, given the explosion of development on south campus.
After all, it’s not like the UNA was here first.