The Northern British Columbia Graduate Students Society (NBCGSS) at the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) are hosting an online talent show and live stream concert by local band Patchwork to wrap up the 2020/21 academic year. 

Abby Dooks is originally from Dartmouth, NS and has been living in Prince George since early 2020. Photo courtesy of Abby Dooks.

Abby Dooks, director of external relations says the NBCGSS, says the event is a chance for graduate students, some of whom are graduating this year without the usual pomp and circumstance, to celebrate their achievements and connect with other grad students in BC.

“We’ve invited the other grad societies of British Columbia, so you’ll be able to interact with grad students from SFU, UVic, UBC, and obviously everyone is welcome to attend”, says Dooks. 

The event will be held on March 25. The talent show will run from 6 to 8 p.m. on Zoom with the live stream following from 8 to 9 p.m. on Vimeo.

The term for NBCGSS directors ends on March 30 and as Dooks says, the NBCGSS is “trying to get in as many events as possible right now for grad students before we head on to the next chapter.” This includes an April Fools trivia event and the annual board of directors election. COVID-19 has impacted the upcoming election, making nomination requirements harder to fulfil as there are less students on campus to provide signatures. Another barrier is the requirement that directors be living in Prince George which Dooks notes excludes some international students.

“It’s a policy that we would have liked to have changed,” said Dooks. 

For the winter 2021 semester, UNBC has 616 graduate students and 148 of them are international. At almost 25 per cent of the total graduate student population, international students make up a significant proportion of NBCGSS membership. Dooks says that the NBCGSS hopes that UNBC will consider this when planning for the fall 2021 semester. As reported by CBC, the provincial health authority last week advised universities and colleges to expect in-person classes starting in September. Dooks, who recently attended an executive committee meeting with the BC Federation of Students, expressed optimism at the idea but has concerns about the logistics for some students.

“The university regulations may change, but travel restrictions might not change with them,” Dooks said, which could leave international students stuck, and those that have moved out of town to finish their final semesters in a position to have to move again.

“Hopefully the university will come out with a hybrid plan that will allow those flexibilities to occur so that international students won’t be left behind,” said Dooks. 

While the opportunity to engage students from the comfort of her home and stay connected to UNBC students across the world has been a benefit of the shift online, Dooks says “you just can’t replace those face to face interactions.” 

Listen to the interview on CFUR-FM: