The Peak, Simon Fraser University's Student Newspaper since 1965, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada V5A 1S6, e-mail: epeak@mail.peak.sfu.ca, phone: (604) 291-3597 fax: (604) 291-3786
Volume 93, Issue 1 May 6, 1996 Features 

Who Was Maggie?

by Mason Wright

So who was Maggie Benston, anyway? And why is she getting a whole building named after her?

These questions will likely be asked several times in the first few weeks of the Maggie Benston Student Services Centre's life. And I, being the adventurous young man that I am, will try to answer them.

Maggie Benston was a charter faculty member of the university. Before her death in 1991, she was a champion of SFU's interdisciplinary approach to academic inquiry.

She first joined the university as a faculty member in the department of chemistry before joining the new department of computing science as a faculty member. She was instrumental in helping to create the women's studies program as well.

Her ideas to create more academic choices for students and to increase the role of women in science endeared her to students, as did her view of students as scholars in the academic community. She died of cancer at the early age of 52, but will be remembered forever because of the new facility.

In October 1995, a committee that had been struck to name the student services building recommended that the building be named for Dr. Benston. They believed that Dr. Benston was the most appropriate person to recognize in the naming, and felt that since so few buildings on campus are named after women, Dr. Benston was surely a suitable choice.

Additionally, the committee suggested that Dr. Benston be introduced to visitors of the building on a commemorative plaque.

Bill Stewart, director of student services, was not on the committee, but he supports their decision.

"I'm glad that Maggie Benston is recognized as someone on the campus because I think she did some good things for women and for SFU," he says.

Still, Stewart feels that other options could have been explored further.

"I think if I had been involved myself I would have raised the possibility of having a First Nations name of some sort or other, perhaps after someone from a nation that was on Burnaby Mountain or around Burnaby Mountain."

This would "bring Simon Fraser together with the First Nations peoples," says Stewart.


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