Campus celebrities Russell Nahdee, Ryan Flannagan, and Simon Du Toit will test their culinary skills in a chili cook-off, November 15 in a teepee in the Campus Community Garden.
Students plan to spend Wednesday night sleeping outside to show their commitment to First Nations issues and invite the campus community to make a contribution.
The Sleepy in the TiiPii event will see members of the Native Student Alliance stay overnight in a teepee pitched in the Campus Community Garden outside 372 California Avenue. They are seeking pledges of donations toward their club, as well as two causes:
- the Can-Am Indian Friendship Centre, which is searching for a new location since being flooded out of its previous home; and
- the Tiny House Warriors project to stop the Kinder Morgan TransMountain pipeline from crossing unceded Secwepemc Territory.
President Jessica Chenier says the alliance has set a goal of $1,000. Club members invite visitors to discuss the living conditions in First Nations communities across Canada, and to join them for two meals — a lunch of traditional corn soup and fry bread, and a celebrity chili cook-off for dinner.
The lunch will begin at noon and continue until 3 p.m. while supplies last, in exchange for a free-will donation.
Dinner is served at 5 p.m. and will consist of five batches of chili, including vegetarian and tomato-free options, by three cooks well-known to the campus community: Outstanding Scholars program co-ordinator Simon Du Toit; associate vice-president, student experience, Ryan Flannagan; and Aboriginal Education Centre co-ordinator Russell Nahdee.
Vote for your favourite. The winner gets bragging rights, and if this video is any indication, they are ready to brag:
Kathryn Pasquach, Aboriginal outreach co-ordinator, says the event promises to be a lot of fun.
“The campus really won’t want to miss out on this event. It’s a great time to socialize and support some great initiatives,” she says. “The commitment and dedication these students have made is incredible.”