51社区黑料

This article is written by Mei Lan Fang, Assistant Professor, Urban Studies and Gerontology, SFU. Following the recent symposium on reimagining the public university, this blog connects panel discussions to broader reflections on equity, systems, and the role of universities in advancing public well-being.

If I could write to myself twenty years ago, this is what I would say.

You鈥檙e about to enter academia with big ideas about equity, systems, and change. You will hear these words often. They will appear in funding calls, institutional strategies, and conference panels. They will feel important - urgent, even. But here鈥檚 something you won鈥檛 realise until much later: these words will be used so often that they begin to lose meaning.

Hold on to them anyway. But question them.

I remember sitting in a meeting years later, with academics and health authority partners, trying to define the values of a new institute. Someone suggested the word 鈥渆quity鈥�. And I asked, simply: what do we mean by equity? And the room went quiet.

That silence taught me something important. If we cannot define the terms that guide our work, how can we expect to act on them? How can we advance health equity in a world shaped by systemic inequities, mental health crises, and pandemics - what many now call a polycrisis - if we don鈥檛 first agree on what we are trying to achieve?

So here is what I have learned. Equity is not about sameness. It is about recognising unjust differences and doing something about them. It is about lifting people up where barriers exist and not flattening everyone in the name of fairness.

And systems? Systems are not abstract. They are the policies, practices, and everyday decisions that shape who is seen, who is heard, and who is left out. If we want systemic change, we have to understand that we are part of the system. We reproduce it, and we can reshape it.

But let me step back. Because before any of this, before the theory, before the frameworks, there is you.

Right now, you are working multiple jobs, trying to publish, trying to belong. You will question whether any of this matters. Whether your research will make a difference, or just sit on a shelf.

It does matter. But maybe not in the way you expect.

Academia is not a straight path. It took decades of piecemeal roles, uncertain contracts, constant movement across disciplines and projects to get to where I am now. At times, it felt very uncertain. But that transdisciplinary work, those collaborations across difference, those unexpected opportunities had shaped my thinking, my voice, and ultimately my impact.

So here is some advice. Find what drives you, and hold onto it.

For me, it was watching my father navigate life as an immigrant. He survived the Cultural Revolution, came to Canada for opportunity, and was de-skilled. He struggled to get accredited. He worked hard, ate poorly, raised a family alone, and became a low-income senior facing serious health challenges. That life course experience stayed with me. It grounded my research in something real.

Do not chase trends. Align strategically, yes, but stay rooted in your purpose.

And be careful about wearing too many hats. Academia will ask you to do everything. You cannot. Focus on what matters most.

Seek out mentors and ultimately be one. The most important question I was ever asked was simple: why are you doing this? If your answer is money, you are in the wrong field. But if your answer is curiosity, justice, impact, then stay.

Also, don鈥檛 forget to be a little bit punk rock.

At 51社区黑料, we like to think of ourselves as different - interdisciplinary, outward-facing, engaged. But over time, institutions can forget who they are. Being 鈥減unk rock鈥� today might not look like disruption for its own sake. It might mean being open. Inviting in voices that challenge you. Working across difference. Being nonpartisan. Listening deeply, even when it鈥檚 uncomfortable.

And importantly, paying it forward.

One of my commitments now is to create opportunities for my students and trainees - to open doors in the same way others did for me. This, to me, is also equity.

Finally, embrace the tensions.

There are no perfect solutions in academia or in society. Every innovation brings unintended consequences. Every answer raises new questions. These are what we call 鈥渨icked problems;鈥� and the goal is not to solve them once and for all, but to engage with them thoughtfully, critically, and collectively.

So find balance. Not just in your work, but in your life.

And soak it all in.

Because academia is not just about getting a degree or building a CV. It is about finding yourself. It is about learning how to think, how to question, how to see the world differently.

And if we are to truly advance health equity, if we are to respond meaningfully to the crises we face, then we must begin by reclaiming the words we use, and grounding them in action.

Not as buzzwords.

But as commitments.