NBCGSS: UNBC’s Graduate Student Society

Brooke Boswell
NBCGSS President

Grains from NBCGSS! Whether

you are a new or returning graduate
student, we hope you are enjoying your
new semester as we celebrate UNBC’s 25th
Anniversary.

The Northern British Columbia Graduate
Student Society is here to provide
services and support the quality of life
of graduate students at UNBC. Founded

Maryna Dakhno
Team Member

here is a new nook on the block, where

you are invited to relax around a fire
with a circle of friends. The grand opening
of the UNBC pit house was on September
6. A traditional winter dwelling used by
many indigenous people, the pit house
was built in the Dakelh style, on traditional
territory of the Lheidli T’enneh, in Forests
for the World behind UNBC. Dakelh are
indigenous people from north-central
British Columbia. Over the summer, a
handful of students dug four feet into

September 17, 1997, NBCGSS provides
an extended health, vision, and dental
plan, research equipment rentals, and
various social events around campus.
NBCGSS Executive and Graduate Council
members represent grad students on
boards and committees on campus, and
advocate on your behalf to university
faculty, staff, and administration.

It has been an amazing term as President
of NBCGSS, with an impressively dedicated
team of colleagues on the Executive

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the ground, transported and assembled
logs, and covered the structure in dirt.
The class chose to only use ropes, rollers,
muscles, and the occasional chainsaw.
Having the house extend into the ground
helps to keep it cool during hot summer
days, and warm during winter. Not only
were students taught how to build this
traditional First Nations house, they also
told UNBC about how they learned a lot
about aboriginal culture and earned school
credit. Vince Prince, the course instructor,
says that completing the pit house in

only a month was a big challenge. He also
commented that the bigger challenge they

and Grad Councils. In the world of

student societies/unions, NBCGSS is still
considered relatively small and young, and
it has been a very rewarding experience to
see our work bringing vitality and visibility
to our organization. The time has come,
however, to pass the torch of many of our
positions into new, very capable hands.

NBCGSS will be holding elections for
its executive and council on October
10. Information sessions will be
provided throughout the beginning

Catalyst for the Cultural Revival at The Pit

had to overcome was not lifting the logs
without machinery, but getting approval
to get this project off of the ground. The
pit house was built by fifteen First Nations
Studies students, a few of which were high
school youth. This course is part of UNBC’s
Undergraduate Experiential Service
Learning Program; the program takes
students outside of the classroom to learn
real life skills in hands-on situations. By
becoming a recipient of a 25th Anniversary
Award, the course also received funding

to hire these same students as tour guides
of the pit house in the future. “People

are very curious and excited to hear

UNBC Life 5

of September, and the nomination
period will run from September 22 to
29. Successful nominees will campaign
from September 30 to October 9, and

a question and answer session will be
scheduled during this period as well.

Please contact the NBCGSS office (7-168)
for more information: gssoffice@unbc.
ca or 250-960-5671, or you can reach

us on Facebook. Our office hours are
9:00am-1:00pm, Monday to Friday.

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more about the Dakelh culture, and the
students are eager to share what they
have learned throughout the course,”

said Jennifer Pighin, a teaching assistant
with the course. “The pit house has truly
become a space of cultural exchange, and
another catalyst for the cultural revival

of Dakelh knowledge.” Those of you who
have already been for the short hike to get
away from the first week’s university stress
might have encountered this impressive
structure. Passer-bys are more than
welcome to come in and build a fire inside,
as long as they do not disturb the tidiness
and peace of the pit house.