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w at er lo oc hr on ic le .c a W at er lo o C hr on ic le | T hu rs da y, Ja nu ar y 31 ,2 01 9 | 4 666 Victoria St. N., Kitchener Mon.-Fri. 9-9; Sat. 9-6; Sun. 10-5 We reserve the right to limit quantities. Some items may not be exactly as shown. Some items may be limited in quantity. www.kwsurplus.com a uniq ue sho pping experi encek-w surp lus $1499 AROMA HOME COLOUR CHANGING ULTRASONIC DIFFUSER Dual comfort - cozy plush or cool spandex Assorted colours compare @ $14.99 $699 32 fl oz. 946 ml compare @ $10.59 SIMPLE GREEN STAINLESS STEEL CLEANER & POLISH $1499 other scents to choose from compare @ $45.00 THERAWELL 4 PC HARMONY ESSENTIAL OILs SET $899 great for entryways easy clean 3 ft x 4 ft grey rubber backed mat PLASTIC BIN BOXES $799 THE ORIGINAL CLOUDZ MICROBEAD TRAVEL PILLOW $249 9" 99¢ 5" or 7" $795 18" $395 12" Works with all essential oils Freshen & Purify your home Includes AC adaptor WATERLOO - A Univer- sity of Waterloo student has been recognized by the province for her work es- tablishing a racial advoca- cy centre on campus. Fiqir Worku, 22, vice- president of the UW Black Association for Student Ex- pression, was a driving force behind the creation of the Racial Advocacy for In- clusion, Solidarity and Eq- uity (RAISE) centre. She is one of three recipients of the 2018 Lincoln M. Alexan- der Award, handed out ear- lier this week. "I'm honoured and grateful, especially to all the people who helped this whole initiative get to where it is today. It wasn't just me," Worku said Tues- day afternoon, a day after being honoured in Toronto on Lincoln M. Alexander Day. She singled out other members of the association and the Waterloo Public In- terest Research Group for their help. The award, presented by Ontario Lt.-Gov. Eliza- beth Dowdeswell, was cre- ated in 1993 and is given to three young people who have demonstrated exem- plary leadership in pro- moting positive social change. It is named after former lieutenant-gover- nor Lincoln Alexander - the first black lieutenant- governor of Ontario, the first black member of Par- liament and the first black federal cabinet minister. RAISE officially launched this semester but has been in the works for more than a year. It aims to tackle issues like racism and xenophobia on cam- pus. "Waterloo has such a di- verse campus, and this isn't being addressed," Worku said. "It's essentially a space for peer support. We have hours every single day for people to drop by if they have any concerns or just a space to talk in a non-judg- mental way," said Worku, who was born and raised in Waterloo. The group is also work- ing to establish a formal in- cident reporting system where students can have their complaints or con- cerns officially recorded. Many students don't be- lieve issues like racism, sexism or homophobia ex- ist on campus, she said. RAISE includes a team of six executives and two co- ordinators. More than 30 students have already ex- pressed an interest in vol- unteering, Worku said. The co-ordinators are the only ones who receive any pay- ment for their work; each receives a $500 honorari- um. Last March, the UW Fed- eration of Students voted to approve a 20-cent increase in student fees to fund the centre, but Worku said re- cent changes by the provin- cial government to make most student fees optional could put its roughly $7,000 budget at risk. "It's definitely concern- ing," she said. "We don't have any other partner- ships or sponsors." Worku is in her fourth year of health studies at UW and wants to get involved in policy work after gradua- tion, focusing on health in- equality in Canada. The other recipients of the award this year are Ma- naal Chasso of Ottawa and Lisa Wang of North York. Each recipient receives a $5,000 cash award and a cer- tificate. Nominations are being accepted until May 31 for next year's awards. Go to www.ontario.ca/page/ho- nours-and-awards for infor- mation. Fiqir Worku is vice-president of the University of Waterloo Black Association for Student Expression. She has received the Lincoln M. Alexander Award for her work. Metroland file photo UNIVERSITY OF WATERLOO STUDENT WINS LINCOLN M. ALEXANDER AWARD JAMES JACKSON jjackson@therecord.com LOCAL