Perhaps the greatest advancement in politics and policymaking in the last twenty years has been an increasing pivot in the mainstream of acknowledging the human suffering within everyday organs of society, and a greater awareness of prioritising the people within those systems. It is increasingly well-known within society that people should be valued more than the sum of what value they may create. At the same time as this advancement, however, far too many see the system only for its output, and not for the human beings which the system supposedly exists to serve. It is more profitable to discard the wellbeing of the cogs if what the machine produces still holds value. This impersonal governance is everywhere in this day and age, and a wonderfully illustrative example can be found in UBC Okanagan's policies of winter break staythroughs. 

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For background, while winter staythrough is reserved "for those students in exceptional circumstance" (at least, according to UBCO’s website), and has been something of a mainstay for students for quite some time, the $300 fee is a relatively new addition, added within the last three years. Alternatively, if your application is rejected, UBCO directs you towards local hotels with a mild discount (though this option remains considerably more expensive nonetheless). 

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It goes without saying that there are countless good reasons for needing to stay on-campus during winter break. Flights are expensive in December, circumstances may demand you stay in Kelowna, or maybe home life is just rough. Whatever the cause, there are always good reasons for people to stay at school for the holidays. 

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Nobody likes spending the holidays alone. No matter the occasion, people want to spend those cold and dreary weeks embracing one-another over warm food and warmer fires. There are flaws in UBC Okanagan's winter staythrough program, as there are in all programs, but the greatest flaw comes not in what is given, but what is absent. 

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It should be noted that this criticism of the staythrough program understands that there is no real way to fix the fact of isolation. The biggest problem with the staythrough program is that the campus becomes empty, and this is an aspect inherent with the problem, not the system. All the doors become locked and the people are all gone, and there is no easy policy to resolve that. The soup restaurant with the fun owner is always shuttered, no matter what. The vast streets are desolate of anyone, save perhaps yourself and the occasional security guard every winter, without fail. 

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This is likely not a very encouraging article for those set to live on-campus this winter. To them, I apologise, because it really isn't all I make it out to be. It is true that there are few solutions to these issues, yet they do exist. The key to finding family and friends in Kelowna is not to yearn for those at home, but to find them where you are. It is no exaggeration to say that everything on campus simply shuts down; in closing all restaurants, the library, gyms, and the dining hall, a message is unintentionally sent by the campus: there are no places to gather here, so do not waste time trying. Not only should that not be the case, but it is imminently clear that there are always means of finding camaraderie in a cold place far from home.

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There are myriad ways people can be rallied around a warm fire where they would otherwise be on their own, but it always falls on the people in charge to bring them together. If anyone should take charge of handling this issue, it should be the SUO. There doesn't need to be a costly "Eat-In Program" or anything like that, just an opportunity to organise people who otherwise would be on their own for the winter. Organise a potluck, invite people to spend time together at the arts atrium on Christmas Eve — anything. Did you know Hanukkah and Christmas start on December 25th this year? Just saying. 

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Of course, there are also systemic (though fixable) issues within the basic setup of the winter staythrough program. The switch to charging students $300 is understandable in the context of "we need money and are already cutting funds to clubs", but that's besides the point. The exclusivity of staying on-campus should at least find some officially-organised means of bringing people together, rather than relying on people trying to do so on their own. People will always try to band together in the spirit of fellowship, but it certainly helps a lot more when the greatest authority on campus lends its hand. 

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