When board member Ahmad Jalil first gained access to UNBC’s student newspaper office, Over The Edge, he described an eerie scene, “It was like an apocalypse in there.” A dusty desk had a sun-washed receipt with barely legible digits dating from 2019, “you know, you finished a work day, you left, and you just never came back for four and half years.” From there Jalil acted as the Editor-in-Chief and began future-proofing institutional knowledge and establishing practices & procedures.
Fast forward a year, and Jalil alongside a refreshed board of directors has rejuvenated the newspaper, developed a partnership with the local Citizen newspaper, and now campaigned successfully for a graduate student levy with the UNBCGSS. With goals of strengthening a vibrant workspace and active participation in the society backstopped by new funding, Jalil acknowledges the question of accountability and the importance of student engagement to halt mismanagement, “There’s no University overseeing this process.”
Story also available on frequencynews.ca, 88.7 FM in Prince George—Lheidli T’enneh, and cfur.ca/listen-live Mon-Fri 7:30am & 5pm PST
CFUR Radio Society’s journalist, Ian Gregg is funded by the Local Journalism Initiative (LJI) through the Community Radio Fund of Canada (CRFC).