UFV CHASI Hub

On June 17, 2026, members of the UFV and local community came together for the 4th Annual Pride Tea Dance. This joyful event was made possible by a collaboration between UFV's Student Change Makers club, UFV Office of Sustainability, the UFV Faculty & Staff Association, and CHASI

We were thrilled to welcome DJ Mila, who kept us moving and on the dance floor all the way to the end!

CHASI would also like to extend a massive thank you to all of the volunteers who helped with the event, and the departments, businesses, and individuals who donated prizes for our raffle draws:

- UFV President’s Inclusive Community Fund (James Mandigo, UFV President)
- UFV College of Arts
- UFV SCMS
- UFV’s VP Students
- UFV Faculty of Science
- Kevin Jeske
- Lisa Moy
- Greendale Acres Farm
- Oldhand Coffee
- UFV Alumni Association
- Alchemy Accounting
- Forest Echoes Cabins

And of course, our sincere thanks to everyone who took time out of their days to celebrate love, pride, and dance with us. We can't wait to do it again next year! 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈

The CHASIcast is pleased to welcome Dr. Craig Jennex, an associate professor of English at the Toronto Metropolitan University. Join host Dr. Martha Dow and Dr. Jennex as they discuss the widespread impact of collective social dance in q***r history and how dance can inspire hope in the present day.

Click the link in to listen, and to read Dr. Jennex's new open access book, Liberation on the Dance Floor: https://blogs.ufv.ca/chasi/chasicast-21/

The CHASIcast is also available to stream on your favourite podcast services — including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music/Audible, and more.

And don't forget, you can dance with us tomorrow at the 4th Annual Pride Tea Dance — details here: https://blogs.ufv.ca/chasi/2026/05/22/pride-tea-dance-2026/

University of the Fraser Valley - UFV UFV College of Arts UFV Research Office James Mandigo, UFV President

Jennifer Martel is our June CHASI Champion!

Jen’s role is the Sustainability Manager in the UFV Office of Sustainability.

Jen has led multiple collaborations with CHASI, including the annual Pride Tea Dance (returning June 17, see our previous post). Jen serves our UFV community by keeping us all aware of the impacts of our work on the sustainability of the community and nature around us. By working with collaborative partners like Jen, CHASI’s work is amplified and our impact is bigger. Jen is also a decorator extraordinaire, who keeps the Tea Dance looking amazing!

A CHASI champion is someone who has been pivotal to CHASI’s success, and embodies changemaking, community, collaboration, and student support. We will be highlighting a new champion each month!

University of the Fraser Valley - UFV UFV College of Arts UFV Research Office James Mandigo, UFV President

Don your favourite apparel and join us for a celebration of community joy at the 4th Annual Pride Tea Dance! This UFV tradition is returning to the Abbotsford campus on Wednesday, June 17, and everyone is invited to celebrate and party in an inclusive, welcoming community.

This year, we’re putting the emphasis on the DANCE part of tea dance, so get ready to move and groove to a live DJ! There will also be free barbecue, $5 drinks at the bar, prizes, and more!

When: Wednesday, June 17, 2026, from 4:00–7:00 PM
Where: Abbotsford Campus K Building, south patio

This is an all-ages event and is open to UFV students, staff, faculty, and community members. Vegan and gluten-free food options will be available while supplies last! This is a gold-certified sustainable event.

The Pride Tea Dance is a hosted in collaboration between CHASI, UFV Office of Sustainability, and the UFV Faculty & Staff Association, with support from the UFV President’s Inclusive Community Fund. If you have any questions or would like to support this event, please reach out to [email protected]!

University of the Fraser Valley - UFV UFV College of Arts James Mandigo, UFV President UFV Research Office UFV Student Union Society (UFVSUS) UFV Alumni Association

Congratulations to the entire Food and Agriculture Institute team on a thought-provoking event with yesterday's Grounded Innovation 3.0! We were appreciative of the opportunity to learn from the speakers, and for the inclusion of CHASI Director Dr. Martha Dow for the panel discussion of One Health.

Learn more about FAI's work at https://www.ufv.ca/food-agriculture-institute/

Ana Adamik is our May CHASI Champion!

Ana’s role is Operations Manager in the office of Research and Graduate Studies (UFV Research Office).

Ana supports CHASI with all things operational, but in particular keeps our contracts and finances in order. These are critical pieces that allow CHASI to do our community work and provide research experiences for our students. Ana is patient and goes the extra mile to help us understand budgets and always makes every opportunity a learning one. Thank you Ana for your support of CHASI — we couldn’t do it without you!

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A CHASI champion is someone who has been pivotal to CHASI’s success, and embodies changemaking, community, collaboration, and student support. We will be highlighting a new champion each month!

University of the Fraser Valley - UFV UFV College of Arts James Mandigo, UFV President

In today's , Len Garis and Todd Schierling discuss managing cancer risk in Canada’s fire service: both what the data says, and what a path forward could look like.

blogs.ufv.ca

Indigenous people in Canada experience:
- 2.5 times more residential fires
- 3.2 times higher hospitalization rates for burns
- Up to 10.4 times higher fire‑related mortality

These disparities are not random — they reflect structural conditions. In the return of , today's article explores the targeted interventions that can dramatically reduce that risk.

Read more:

blogs.ufv.ca

Since 2023, CHASI has worked in close partnership with Abbotsford Restorative Justice and Advocacy Association — a perfect example of how research done at UFV can be directly applied for real-world positive impact.

Read more: https://blogs.ufv.ca/blog/2026/04/chasi-research-supports-restorative-justice-work-in-abbotsford/

UFV Research Office James Mandigo, UFV President UFV School of Criminology and Criminal Justice UFV College of Arts