Volume 150 Issue 2 October 5th, 2016
Editorial Board
Editor-in-Chief - Adam Travis Business Manager - Nicholas Williams News - Stephanie Sirois Arts - Katie Kim Sports - Anne Ugabi Photo - Bradley Parker Production Manager - Connor Jay Copy - Jadrien Hong Multimedia - Camile Coulombe
Staff Advertising Manager - Pouria Poursaeid Delivery - Dan Gallagher Staff Reporters -David Bardwell, Nathalie Sturgeon
Contributors Justin Collett, Anna Jackson Kyle Lamkin, Caroline Mercier, Rowan Miller, Katie Morehouse and Stacey Taylor
About Us The Brunswickan, in its 150th year of publication, is Canada’s Oldest Official Student Publication. We are an autonomous student publication owned and operated by Brunswickan Publishing Inc., a nonprofit, independent body. We are a founding member of Canadian University Press, and love it dearly. We are also members of CUPWire, a media exchange of university media throughout North America. We publish monthly during the academic year with a circulation of 4,000. We publish weekly, online at www.thebruns.ca.
Letters to the Editor Letters must be submitted by e-mail to editor@thebruns.ca including your name, as letters with pseudonyms will not be printed or posted online. Letters must be 500 words at maximum. Deadline for letters is Friday at 5 p.m. before each issue.
Editorial Policy While we endeavour to provide an open forum for a variety of viewpoints and ideas, we may refuse any submission considered by the Editorial Board to be racist, sexist, libellous or in any way discriminatory. The opinions and views expressed in this publication are those of the individual writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Brunswickan, its Editorial Board or its Board of Directors. All editorial content appearing in The Brunswickan is the property of Brunswickan Publishing Inc. Stories, photographs, and artwork contained herein cannot be reproduced without the express, written permission of the Editor-in-Chief.
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Table of Contents 4
Women unite to take back the night Words by Stephanie Sirois Photography by Bradley Parker
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Gallant addressess TAB criticism Words by Adam Travis Photography by Adam Travis
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Learning and healing for all Words by Katie Morehouse Photography by Adam Travis
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Scent From Above: Dr. Pat Post’s Mystical Memoir Words by Katie Kim Photography by Rob Blanchard
Back, back, back it up Words by Bradley Parker
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Fool’s Gold: UNB Shocases Student Artwork Words by Nathalie Sturgeon
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Gallery 78 Celebrates 40 Years Words by Nathalie Sturgeon Photography submitted
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AUNBT, UNB avoid strike by signing new agreement Words & Photography by David Bardwell
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[insert label here] Words by Caroline Mercier
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One Chord to another: Rock band Sloan on the 20th Anniversary of the album Words by Katie Kim
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World class boxer devoted for life Words by Anne Ugabi Photography by Bradley Parker
One of these commutes will spike your blood sugar, increase your risk of diabetes and heart disease, make you prone to depression, and decrease your overall happiness and life satisfaction. You can probably guess which one.
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WOMEN UNITE TO TAKE BACK THE NIGHT Women tell their stories to address violence against others and what isn’t working. Words by Stephanie Sirois Photography by Bradley Parker 4
It’s a brisk fall night in Fredericton and there are hundreds of women marching down Queen Street for the right to their lives. The energy and emotion is high; some women shout until they’re hoarse while others wipe tears off their cheeks or hold onto friends. One women with short hair wearing a denim jacket is chanting with a defiant note. “What do we want?” “Safety!” “When do we want it?” “Now!” The crowd roars the answers back to the queries. “I love to hear everyone screaming their lungs out,” says one woman to her friend beside her. A paramedic driving an ambulance leans out his window. He is traveling in the same direction as the crowd of hundreds of women walk past, chanting and shouting while cops on motorcycles direct traffic and guides in high visibility vests walk alongside the protesters. The street lights reflect off his round glasses as he rests his chin on his hand. “What are you marching for?” he asks. A woman with curly brown hair turns to face him. “Women’s rights,” she says...
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Take Back the Night is a tradition 31 years in the making in this small city and led primarily by the Fredericton Sexual Assault Centre. Jennifer Richard is the director of community development at FSAC and doubled as the emcee for the 2016 Take Back the Night march. The theme this year was “survivors deserve better.” “It’s symbolic. We call it take back the night but it’s really about sharing the experience that women and other people like gender minorities have,” said Richard. Richard said these marches began as events held in Europe in the ‘70s at around the same time sexual assault centres were formed. These events and centres spread across Europe to North America and all over the world. “They were really a grassroots movement in response to the common theories women have of harassment of feeling unsafe, of sexual assault, generally of violence against women,” said Richard. In New Brunswick, Take Back the Night marches are common. Saint John holds theirs on the same night as Fredericton, Moncton has their march in October, and Miramichi and Woodstock also hold their own events, according to Richard. The common thread which ties all these marches together is the fact that women do not feel safe. “We place less value and have less equality as women 6
than other genders. We treat them differently. We don’t treat them quite as human and that makes it easier to dehumanize them and use dehumanizing language and use dehumanizing violence,” said Richard. Common practices Richard has heard women use while walking alone include carrying keys, walking in groups and calling each other once they arrive home. Richard prefers to wear headphones so if anyone is catcalling or sexually harassing her, she doesn’t hear it. “Most people aren’t aware that sexual harassment isn’t against the law so there’s no charge that can be laid on sexual harassment,” said Richard. Richard said charges of criminal harassment can be laid, but it is what we think of as stalking. These charges don’t come into play unless the harassment causes reasonable fear for their safety, it happens over time and a record is kept of it. “Sexual harassment is a human rights violation.” Richard cautions against asking women what they can personally do to end sexual harassment because “it’s not up to women to end sexual harassment”. “That’s a really old fashioned way to think about it, that’s never worked,” said Richard. “That’s the way we’ve been thinking about this issue for the last 50 years and it really hasn’t gotten us anywhere. We have to start thinking about this in a different way.”
*** “Join together, free our lives, we will not be victimized!” The air hasn’t warmed any. A woman near the middle of the pack stamps her feet as she marches along, and waves at the cars who honk in support as they go by. Bystanders are watching the long line of women from their porches, windows and sidewalks. Some of them cheer. It’s heard later that a woman has been sexually harassed while on the march. *** Violence against women is a broad field to step into for different reasons. It can cover anything from intimate partner violence to missing and murdered indigenous women to how women’s’ bodies are treated with hostility. Jula Hughes works on research studying the application of criminal law on marginalized communities as well as teaches law as an associate professor at UNBF. She marched in this year’s take back the night event. “There’s always been a question of what’s the appropriate community response to both this form of gendered violence and the discourse that surrounds it,” said Hughes. “Which has been mostly about women being told not to go certain places, not to dress a certain way, not to behave a certain way, not to let their guard down, not be by themselves, this long list of things that women are not supposed to do in order to avoid victimization.” Hughes said those discussing how society fails victims of sexual violence also talk about how the courts and the police fail them which also enforces the idea that sexual assaults are very common. “One of the real complications about enforcing things like sexual assault laws, is the legal system has not been terribly effective and doesn’t have a lot of credibility in enforcing sexual assault laws,” said Hughes. “Everyone watched the trainwreck that was the Ghomeshi trial. If they didn’t know before, they do know now.” The people who attend Take Back the Night, including Hughes and her daughters, don’t think these problems of violence against women and the feelings women get while walking alone are acceptable. “Being in a group of people who all don’t think this form of discrimination is acceptable is how things should be,” said Hughes. “It reminds us we’re a part of a community, the struggle is bigger than ourselves and that’s important.” ***
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One woman walking in the march starts up a new chant and everyone joins in. “Survivors unite, take back the night!” Another woman has a symbol on the back of her jacket. It’s of a clenched fist in the middle of a symbol which looks like a circle on top of a plus sign. It’s a symbol of radical feminism and inclusion.
*** The Mi’kmaq Wolastoqey Centre in Fredericton has statistics which put the recent count of murdered and missing indigenous women at over 1200. The second annual Red Shawl Campaign is held the first week of October to provide healing for their families and create public awareness of this important issue and honour these women. The campaign was first created by elder in residence Imelda Perley. She prefers to be known by her Wolastoqey name of Opolahsomuwehs. She saw the Red Dress project created by metis artist Jaime Black and decided to recreate it with shawls. The shawls represent healing and a circle of life for First Nations communities, from being wrapped in a shawl at birth, to wearing one themselves as adults. The colour red is symbolic of all indigenous people. When she speaks about her spirituality, Opolahsomuwehs holds eagle feathers. “When you talk about something as sacred as spirituality and these red shawls, the red shawl campaign is the essence of the spirit of the women that are missing and murdered and to heal, [what] this does it grounds me and keeps me knowing that I’m honouring this mission because I carry truth 8
words,” she said. Opolahsomuwehs said women in the Wolastoqey culture are highly revered and she does puberty rituals because she is concerned for young women growing up, and how young boys need to know how to respect women. She doesn’t think enough is done to prevent violence against women. “We need to care for everybody, not just indigenous women, but the reason there’s a campaign is because they’ve been neglected,” said Opolahsomuwehs.
“How many of these families are still waiting years and years after and they haven’t been found? At least we can have closure now.” Opolahsomuwehs is concentrated on breaking the cycle of violence, on starting her day with ceremony and gratitude, on healing with hope. She prays for those who offend and those who have been offended and she wants to help people with their anger which makes them hurt others or want to hurt others. She wants people to march and to pray for those who have been lost and the families waiting for their return. “I want people who come to pray, to pray for those families of murdered and missing women or even the spirits do those women so they’ll be found, and there will be peace for their families.” *** At the end of the march, everyone clusters in front of the steps, cheeks flushed in the bad lighting. The St. Mary’s Women’s Drumming group is performing for the first time in public. Their piece is called “The Warrior Woman Song.” It is dedicated to indigenous women, murdered and missing.
Gallant addresses TAB criticism
Words & Photography by Adam Travis On Sept. 21 Premier Brian Gallant came to campus with a message for students, but students also had a few messages for him. Since its announcement this spring, the New Brunswick Tuition Access Bursary (TAB) has been met with both praise and scorn. Supporters applaud it for allowing low-income students a chance at an education that they wouldn’t otherwise have access to. Opponents claim it does nothing to stem the flow of graduates leaving the province. Kendra Haines, a graduate student in the faculty of education, is one such critic. She was especially concerned with the government’s attitude towards jobs for recent grads. “Yes, we aren’t expecting $90,000, but to be told by the leaders of the province that we should accept jobs that are ‘below’ us, that kinda raises little red flags.” “TAB doesn’t directly affect me because I’m a grad student. Although I make less than the threshold, I’m not qualified [to receive TAB].” Haines was also concerned about cutting programs like the tuition rebate program to fund TAB. “I know personally that [the tuition rebate program] kept a lot of
people here because it was offsetting paying back student loans; it was offsetting living costs.” The tuition rebate program was a rebate on provincial income taxes, equal to 50% of tuition costs, up to a lifetime total of $20,000. While it was popular, Robert Burroughs, executive director of the New Brunswick Student Alliance, said it missed its mark. “In terms of retention, the tuition rebate program wasn’t efficient,” said Burroughs. “We’re quite hesitant to support retention measures … 90% of students, even when offered money [to leave], would stay.” Even though they want to stay, graduates are in a tough situation. The average New Brunswick student debt load is, at $35,200, 50% higher than the Canadian average. This significantly impacts students as they transition into the workforce, said Burroughs. Students are less able to wait for the job they want or to start their own business. While some students found issue with when financial aid is given, for others, there’s just not enough around. Jeremy Murray, a fourth-year media arts and cultures
student, would like to see more aid for students with disabilities. Murray himself is diagnosed with a form of cerebral palsy and is dependant on a wheelchair. While he faces no challenges mentally, physical and financial barriers are abundant – and costly. Murray is limited to living in the sole accessible residence on campus – which costs him $4,500 a semester. “I have no choice … If I could live somewhere cheaper, I would.” He also makes use of another grant to pay an attendant to aid him with winter transportation. “These are things that could be addressed by the government by giving more towards infrastructure, and realizing the living costs for people with disabilities are much higher.” Living off-campus is inconvenient for Murray due to the lack of both accessible accommodations and transport options. While he recognizes that the number of students with disabilities is much lower than the number of students in financial need, Murray still wants to see more support for the group. “The number [of students with disabilities] keeps increasing, but the funding just stays still.” Addressing criticism of TAB and the distribution of funding for students, premier Brian Gallant said it’s a consequence of high demand and low supply of funds. “Some people would like [TAB] to apply to more people, but at the end of the day we have scarce resources.” The TAB program is very much for a specific group in need. “We could have spread some of the money to all students including those from affluent families, but we chose a targeted approach towards low-income and middle-class families,” said Gallant. Despite criticism of the program, it’s unlikely students will see any changes to TAB. “As of right now, we’re going to stick with the program as it is. No program is always going to be perfect.”
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AUNBT, UNB avoid strike by signing new agreement hadn’t been finalized, the faculty would have had the option to move toward declaring a strike. A new collective agreement has been During the last round of finalized this month between the Association negotiations in 2014 the negotiation over of UNB Teachers (AUNBT) and the wages broke down and the faculty went on University of New Brunswick in Fredericton. strike for two weeks before the provincial Among the negotiation points government intervened and forced their were salary, bereavement leave, long-term return to the bargaining table with a new disability accommodations and retirement mediator. incentives. If the collective agreement Marc Gosselin-Lavigne, an UNB Words & Photography by David Bardwell
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alumnus, recalled the 2014 strike during his last year at UNB; he and his friends were concerned about graduation dates being pushed. “The worst part of the strike by far was the uncertainty before and during the strike. Once the strike ended, it was a bit rocky, but everyone adapted.” Gosselin-Lavigne said he’s glad the two sides took steps to not cause stress or uncertainty for current students, as even
The proposed collective agreement was signed before the previous contract expired by AUNBT and UNB. Both sides said they came to the bargaining table with the main goal of avoiding a strike like the one in 2014.
after the 2014 strike ended it thinned and rushed the curriculum of some courses, making it more difficult to learn. Both the university and the faculty aimed to prevent issues like that from arising this year by pushing a contract through earlier than expected. Sue Blair is the chief bargainer for AUNBT. “We wanted to … find some common ground in terms of salary; where we’re at, in contrast to the comparison group because that was a big issue last time,” said Blair. In addition to salary increases, pre-tenure instructors can now apply for an early 6-month sabbatical at 85 per cent
pay in the same fashion a tenured instructor may. “This time we actually signed a tentative agreement before [the contract] expired and ratified it within a couple of weeks of its expiration,” said Blair. Blair said despite the quick resolution, the faculty got several of the key issues handled. “We got a tweak to the stipend for online teaching … the bereavement leave [policy], the naming of faculty members … we really focused on the academic side of things. [We were] trying to make it a better learning environment.” Van Lantz is the chief bargainer for the university.
“We have four years now before we’re at the table negotiating again. That’s a big thing [both sides] agreed on,” said Lantz. Among the key changes which will affect classrooms in the long run were adjustments to the hiring committees. “The faculty council can now appoint a search committee of faculty members who are more relevant to the field in which they’re hiring,” said Lantz. Faculty members over 65 remain ineligible for several group insurance plans, but have had their healthcare spending accounts increased from $1600 per year to $2300 with a four per cent per annum increase. The new bereavement leave policy allows faculty members up to five days of paid time off when an immediate family member passes away and one day for more distant family members. Lantz said in the back of everyone’s mind was an obligation to the students and the university as a whole to ensure the agreement was both timely and acceptable for both sides. “The university was coming to the table with a real openness in this round. Particularly to avoid another strike,” said Lantz. The new contract is in place until June 30, 2020 and technically started on July 1, 2016, but wasn’t finalized until Sept. 19. 11
Learning and healing for all Words by Katie Morehouse Photography by Adam Travis
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The Mi’kmaq Wolastoqey Centre is planning to build an active learning centre as well as a sweat lodge for all students on campus. The centre first opened its doors in the 1970s as a university initiative, when first nations students and aboriginal professors were demanding classes on native studies. Based on the students’ requests, UNB created the Mi’kmaq-Maliseet Institute, later named the Mi’kmaq Wolastoqey Centre. The centre was established as its own unit in 1981. The elder-in-residence, Imelda Perley, prefers to be known by her native name, Opolahsomuwehs. She wants to teach each faculty on campus what the sweat lodge is, how to use it, what it’s used for, and that it’s open for everyone to use. “I want to go to the faculty of Nursing and say ‘this is another way that my people heal;’ I want to go to the faculty of Law, ‘this is a right that has been forgotten, and that needs to be acknowledged as a right again.’ I want to go to Forestry, ‘why do we use Alder, why do we use Birch, why do we use Cedar, why do we use Red Willow tobacco?’ It has everything to do with how we use the forest, and it will teach them as well,” said Opolahsomuwehs. She also hopes the Engineering faculty would be able to create the lodge on campus so that everyone can use it year-round, even during the winter. This learning centre will house classrooms, offices for instructors, and a gathering place for elders. David Perley, the director of the centre, has already held a meeting with the President’s office over the subject, and says he supports their idea. Perley said in the past first nations students have been asking for things mostly directed towards the field of education. “There was also a request to have counselling and so on, so they’re all education related, and that’s why it’s within the department of education,” said Perley. The centre wanted to provide first nations students with the chance
to come to university, even if their high school marks were not good enough to get accepted into their program of choice, so they created Bridging Year. Bridging Year is an eight-month program where First Nations students can upgrade their high school marks that were not high enough to be admitted into the university. “If they’re interested in Arts, for example, then we prepare them to go into the Arts program,” said Perley. Opolahsomuwehs says the level system high schools give their students makes going to university especially challenging for First Nations students. “Unfortunately, most of the aboriginal students are put in to the level three program, which doesn’t give them college prep courses,” said Opolahsomuwehs. “So what we have to do is bridge that gap when they get here.” If a student successfully completes the Bridging Year program they will be guaranteed acceptance into any UNB undergraduate degree of their choice, with the exception of the Education and Law programs. David Perley is hoping to expand from education towards other areas. He wants to offer education on land claims, sovereignty and treaty rights. “We want to have a research unit here for the first nations communities,” said Perley. “We want to expand and not just focus on education-related courses; we want to establish a link with other faculties and insure that we offer courses that will address the needs of first nations.” Destiny Sabattis is a fourth-year nursing student at UNB, as well as one of the students holding a seat with the Aboriginal Nursing Initiative. She says she has had a few classmates that have come from the Bridging Year program, and she thinks it’s a great service for First Nations students. “It provides an amazing opportunity for those students who need the extra time to upgrade their courses and get used to the university environment,”
said Sabattis. She loves the idea of a sweat lodge and learning centre on campus, especially for students who are unable to get back to their own communities or students who aren’t affiliated to the people that run sweat lodges in the community. “It would be a great way to stay connected to the culture while attending university, as well as a great way of de-stressing,” said Sebattis. “It’s also a great way to expose [others] to our cultural practices.” The centre is planning on running their Red Shawl event this year as another way to expose more people to their cultural practices. The event was first created by Opolahsomuwehs last year when she was out west and saw red dresses hanging up in a city. She wanted to do it here, but give it a more indigenous look made shawls instead to represent the dead and missing women who would have been wearing them. To the First Nations, the shawl represents healing and follows indigenous women throughout their lives. When they are born, they are wrapped in their mother’s or grandmother’s shawl, and it symbolises them being hugged and protected. There are four colours on the medicine wheel, including red which is symbolic for the indigenous people, and that’s where Opolahsomuwehs came up with the idea of having the shawl being red, like the dresses she saw out West. This year the event will feature a little girl’s shawl that was hand-weaved and donated by a woman. “It’s telling people that there are ways of healing and that the more that march with us, and the more that are aware of it, the more that just take a moment to stop and close your eyes and send a prayer to the family who’s waiting for their daughter or their mother or their sister or their niece to come home through that door again,” said Opolahsomuwehs.
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Back, back, back it up Words by Bradley Parker If you’ve never experienced catastrophic data loss, you probably don’t think about how many backups of your files you have. But let me ask you this: if I took your laptop and smashed it to bits how screwed would you be? Did you just lose all your papers, assignments, resumes, and funny cat photos you saved? As the resident tech guru for my friends and family, I’ve had to help dig people out of this hole before, but an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. When it comes to keeping your data safe, you’ll want to keep important files in at least two places. A flash drive or external hard drive is no replacement for offsite or cloud storage. If something catastrophic happens such as your house burning down and your laptop AND external drive were both in there, you’re still screwed. Enter cloud storage. There are three major cloud storage providers, Dropbox, Google Drive, and Microsoft Onedrive. Each of the three of them offer a free basic account, and allow you to purchase additional storage in the terabytes. Let me say that again, for literally zero dollars you can keep your most important files safe. As an added bonus, keeping your files in the cloud lets you access it anywhere. Forget to print off that assignment? Need to your resume right now? No problem. You’ve always got it. Most of these services also offer some version control. That means when you accidentally save over a file, you can get the 14
version from 2 hours ago that you didn’t just ruin. Google Drive The newest service, Drive is attached to your Google account, You already have one of these if you use gmail. Google offers 15 Gigabytes (GB) of storage for free, shared between your Drive and Gmail. Some organizations like STU use Google Apps for their email, so STU students have Google Drive assocaited with their @stu.ca accounts. I’ve become a big fan of Drive lately, since you can use Google Docs with Drive to edit documents easily on the go. Onedrive Microsoft’s cloud storage offering provides users with 5 GB free and is attached to your live account. Chances are if you have an email that ends in @hotmail, @live or @outlook you already have one. Dropbox The oldest is a paltry 2 GB, but you can earn more with referrals. Both people get an extra 500MB (half a GB). This is where I kept most of my files for the longest time, but lately I’ve been moving more and more things into my Google Drive. Dropbox still works great though if you don’t like Google products. All of them work similarly; install the application on your PC / Mac, the mobile app on your phone, and all 3 have a web version you can use on other computers. Once you’ve installed your chosen
provider’s apps, then just put everything you’d hate to lose in there. I really advise keeping files in folders like “School stuff” and “Job application stuff”. It makes finding files 8 months from now a lot easier. Even Dropbox with 2 GB will still keep lots and lots of text based documents like resumes and important term papers. If you keep a lot of photos or videos you’ll likely run out of space pretty fast. You can buy more space on your cloud provider but that can get expensive. I’m a photographer and I have 4.5ish TB of storage in my desktop (1 TB = 1000 GB), which would cost me about $140 a month (!) on Google Drive. If you’re like me, check out a service like Crashplan or Backblaze. They offer unlimited backup for much lower costs (less than $100 a year in my case). The catch here is you don’t get files synchronized across your devices or all the neat features the other cloud providers have. This works great for things like backing up all my photos and videos from one computer. I’ve left out iCloud, Apple’s cloud storage platform, up until this point because I’ve never used it myself since I don’t use exclusively Apple products. If you’re a heavy Apple user it might be worth checking out. It offers 5 GB for free. I hope you read this all the way though. I know it’s not the most riveting topic, but trust me, it’s like insurance: something that you never think about or appreciate until you need it.
[insert label here] Words by Caroline Mercier
Labels are commonplace in our society. As humans we use them to describe everything from flavours to species, and our world would not function as well without them. Generally speaking, they have a positive effect in daily life with regards to organization. However, what effect do these labels have when we use them for humans? Historically, labels have been used to create what is normal, and thus, what is abnormal: white vs. people of colour; abled vs. disabled; straight vs. queer. As a result, they have been a significant part of systematic oppression and discrimination. Closely following these norms are stereotypes which can be very detrimental when taken for fact. Generalized statements can disenfranchise people from groups that are already marginalized. For instance, if stereotypes of groups A and B are opposing with no middle ground, a person who is felt to have traits of both now fits in neither. These stereotypes and norms have been prominent in the unfair treatment of marginalized groups. For instance, Canadian Blood Services (CBS) will not receive a blood donation from a man who has had sexual relations with another man within the past year. Many of these laws were implemented with more severity during the AIDS epidemic in the late 20th century and are still enacted presently. They are based in the idea that men who engaged in homosexual activity were at a higher risk of contracting HIV. “Men who have sex with men,” as it is coined by CBS, are the only large demographic strictly screened for blood donations. Arguably this is because of the stigma surrounding
non-heterosexual sexual practices that leads to significantly less education about safe sex in a demographic that without the aspects of oppression and discrimination would be at no higher risk than any other. However, labels including their stereotypes can make an individual feel more comfortable with themselves. If you strays from the norm, it can be emotionally taxing to try and fit in the box society tells you to. However, if there is another box that you fits into, that taxation can be lifted leaving you happier. Labels can make life simpler when those in a marginalized group are trying to advocate on behalf of themselves against discrimination and oppression. Labels or no, there are positive and negative aspects of both. It is very important to remember two things: firstly, just because you label or do not label yourself, does not mean that your identity is any more or less important than someone who prefers the contrary. The way that someone identifies is entirely valid and personal to them. Secondly, people are not their labels. Underneath that shroud of words that people use to describe themselves is just that, a person – a person with thoughts and feelings, no more or less important that yourself. As such, a person’s labels can change as much as they themselves do, and should not be questioned. Individuals have the right to identify as they feel, and no matter the terms of one’s identity, with labels or not, that have the right to be respected and for their identity to be valid.
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Scent From Above: Dr. Pat Post’s Mystical Memoir Words by Katie Kim Photography by Rob Blanchard
If you are a business student at UNB you have probably heard of Dr. Patricia Post. It’s not surprising why, given that she has lead an extraordinary life; you can now read first-hand about her experiences. Post, a senior teaching associate of the business faculty of UNB, recently published her first memoir Scent From Above: The Mystical Memoirs of Patti Post. Post claims that the inspirations for the novel were her “run-ins with the paranormal,” coping with tragedies and the fact that she “needed to stop telling stories.” “I thought if I wrote them down, maybe I’ll stop telling stories in class,” she said. This memoir, which is displayed outside the business faculty’s office next to academic publications and textbooks, seems a bit out of place at first. The cover of a girl standing on a ladder against a background of stars and clouds, however, seems very appropriate for the content of the book. Unexpected might be the best word to describe this memoir, which traces Post’s life from her birth to her thirties. In those thirty years, Post describes her journey through adoption, experience with post-traumatic stress disorder and finding her birth mother. The cover of the book displays two names: Rosalie Lawrence and Patti Post. Rosalie Lawrence, the writer of this book, is the name that Post found on her adoption papers when she was a child. “When I was nine … I picked [my mom’s cedar chest] with a paper clip. I knew I was adopted, but I didn’t know that I had another name.”
She then decided to keep two separate diaries, one for Rosalie Lawrence and one for Pat Post. “I think my ego split right there … I kept one [diary] for my mother, and I knew she was reading it so I put things like ‘I love my mother.’ And then I had a black leather bound [diary] and I kept it in the basement because my mother wouldn’t go anywhere near there.” The style of writing is almost as interesting as the content. There is a running theme of paranormal throughout the book, such as the mentions of “spells” and detecting people’s “essence.” Post attributes this to the misdiagnosed head injury she suffered as a child, when her gym teacher inadvertently hit her head with a baseball bat. This accident cost her “most of [her] sense of taste and smell.” “I have spent the ensuing years fantasizing about what life would be like for someone with an extraordinarily sensitive olfactory system – a system so sensitive that it could detect people’s deepest and darkest secrets,” said Post. As might be expected from the magical theme of the memoir, the overall comical tone of this book is unlike what the readers would expect from a business professor’s memoir. In fact, the story begins with Headmistress Hilda talking about “what an honour it is for a Soul … to be granted another life on the Earthly plane”. The novel then traces through Post’s childhood in a small town. In her teenage years she was so unhappy with her living situation that she wanted a “one way ticket out of this hell hole” for her sixteenth
birthday. Writing a memoir gives the writer a chance to reflect back on their life. Post said that not attending university earlier in her life and not learning another language are some of her regrets. Leaving the small town, however, is not one of them. “I lived in a really small town with … an alcoholic father. My parents weren’t big on education. So I married the first guy that came along,” said Post. Memoirs are by nature quite personal. It allows the readers to gain a better insight into the author’s life. This novel has special significance to Post as well, beyond being her first memoir. “[The book] was my mother’s 90th birthday present,” she said. Post admits that the hardest part of writing the book was the fact that she had been “hoarding the dark times in the back of [her] head,” but that decided it was time to “share some of my personality.” Scent From Above: The Mystical Memoirs of Patti Post is available at the local chapters, Amazon and Kindle. The eBook version is not the only digital thing about this memoir. The book offers a link to a website where the readers can view related photographs. Post shares a lot of her stories in class; some she completes, some she cuts off midway with a promise for the full story some other time. Take a look at Scent From Above to learn more about Post’s life experiences – maybe the next time you are sitting in her communications class, you won’t be left wondering what stories she has left to share. 17
Fool’s Gold: UNB Showcases Student Artworks Words by Nathalie Sturgeon Jeremy Murray brings his camera up to his eyes. In that moment, everything around him fades away as he focuses on the world in front of the lens. Murray is a 23-year-old media arts and cultures student at UNB. He is doing a concentration in film production but also loves the art of photography. “It’s all about perspective,” he said as he explained his photographs. Murray was born with cerebral palsy, a permanent movement disorder that affects motor skills. As a result, he uses a wheelchair. It is unfortunate that injustice towards those with disability still continues today; partly because of such injustice, Murray states that being a person with a disability offers a different perspective of the world, often fueling his artistic inspirations. “I use my creativity and my art to call attention to things that I see as issues or injustices or misunderstandings toward disability. I feel my disability gives me a unique perspective,” he said. Murray participated in the Fool’s Gold Ball on April 1, an event showcasing artwork made by the students in the arts faculty. He presented a photograph of himself sitting on the curb without a curb cut, unable to move forward. “It’s something so small, something people take for granted, but it means the world to someone who’s in a wheelchair,” he said. The powerful message of Murray’s artwork was evident to the audience, and it was even purchased as a result. “Taking photos of the small things that are barriers and [bringing] them into light,” is the mission of Murray’s art. However, there are some challenges – physical and artistic – that make producing art difficult. 18
“Like many artists, I always struggle with the idea of whether or not I am good enough,” he said. The future is bright for this young photographer, who hopes to open his own film production company in the near future. His filmic vision is also influenced by his experience as someone with a disability; in fact, he not only wants to represent the struggles of disability, but bring them to the surface of art production. “In a year, or two or three, I would like that to be successful – successful enough that I could hire other people,” said Murray. “The main goal of my production company has always been to hire the majority of my [workers] and they would have a disability.” *** For Rebecca Goodine, graphic design and Illustrations are creative outlets. The 21-year-old Fredericton woman graduated from UNB in May with a major in media arts and cultures. “The program introduced me to a variety of mediums and helped me [turn] some of my artistic interest into more disciplined practice,” said Goodine. Goodine was also a part of the Fool’s Gold Ball and said it was amazing to participate in an event with artists from all different kinds of disciplines. “[It shows that] arts are alive and
well at UNB,” she said. Despite keeping most of her artworks for personal enjoyment, Goodine considers all of her works projects on their own. More specifically, why and when the artwork is made proves crucial to the understanding and prescribing meaning to her art. “I’ve found my most rewarding works to be anything stemming from digital games, whether I was acting directly as an artist on the project or working in more of a producing role,” said Goodine. Under-appreciation of her art is one of the biggest challenges Goodine faces. A general disregard for the process of creating artwork results in people requesting “cheap, free, fast and great [works of art],” unfairly burdening the artists. Murray and Goodine are a part of UNB’s artistic community. Events like Fool’s Gold Ball provide opportunities for these artists to present and appreciate the talents we have at UNB. According to Armstrong, the faculty of arts is hoping to hold the event again next year. “We like to celebrate community, we like to celebrate artistic ability and we love that all that stuff is happening [in] a common space where everyone can get involved, including people from the community,” said Armstrong.
One Chord to Another: Sloan on the 20th Anniversary of the Album
Words by Katie Kim The Juno-award-winning band from Halifax is on a special tour celebrating the 20th anniversary of the album One Chord to Another. The band is scheduled to perform at the Fredericton Playhouse on Oct. 12. Chris Murphy, a member of the band, believes that the fans still love the music after 20 years thanks not only to its musical qualities, but also the meaningful story behind it. “[The album’s success] is an underdog story. We were kind of over and then we put this record out – and then it became quite popular.” One Chord to Another was released in 1996, and contained tracks such as “The Good in Everyone,” “Nothing Left to Make me Want to Stay,” and “Autobiography.” The last two were written by Murphy, as well as three other songs, for a total five songs on the album. The album was widely praised, and even won the Juno award for best alternative album in 1997. The album had commercial success, too, ranking No.16 on the Canadian Albums Chart upon its debut and selling 80,000 units in Canada. In 2000, it was even voted the ninth greatest Canadian album in a music magazine poll. There are many labels defining Sloan, most of them trying to convey an understanding of the genre and the style of the band’s music. One example is description of the band’s genre as “power pop” by billboard.com, which Murphy describes as “loud but melodic rock music.”
Although the description may not be entirely accurate, the band’s incorporation of many harmonies and loud guitar sounds perhaps gave rise to this description. Another example is the label of being a Beatles-influenced band. While Murphy agrees that most popular rock bands have been influenced by the Beatles in one way or another, he does not agree that it’s the most accurate description of the band. He added that the label most likely “stuck after we mentioned [the Beatles] few times in an interview,” but that the band is also influenced by a whole range of other musicians. However, labels are just labels. While they may sometimes be convenient, it doesn’t affect the band or their music to any significant degree. “I don’t care much about what we’re defined as. If it’s an easy thing for people to use to describe us, we’re fine,” said Murphy. The band consists of Chris Murphy, Patrick Pentland, Jay Ferguson and Andrew Scott. It is difficult, however, to assign one specific role to each members. Unlike many bands with well-defined roles and positions, all of Sloan members write their own songs. What is more interesting is the fact that each member contributes at least one song per album and sings their own songs. While the band harmonizes and produces music together on stage, Murphy said that each members have their own defining musical styles. “Depending on who’s singing
and writing the songs, you can tell who it is because they have their own styles.” The members also switch the instruments they play when they perform live. Murphy believes that this allows the audience to have a different experience in their live shows than when they were simply listening to the studio albums. “The studio version doesn’t feature everybody in the band playing. It’s usually one or two people playing everything in each song. And then when we play live, it’s all four of us playing.” In fact, while Murphy plays guitar for the live shows, he does not necessarily play all the guitar on the record. Each members have a different style of performance, and the different styles of performance results in a different sound altogether. The unique style of Sloan is not only evident in their songwriting practices but in their performance as well. Instead of having another band open for them, Sloan usually perform by themselves. “We usually do a full night of just us,” said Murphy. The fans of the band definitely have a lot to look forward to on the Playhouse performance. For starters, Sloan will be performing the entire album of One Chord to Another before closing out the night with some of their biggest hits. Murphy said that while it “won’t be a long night,” it will be a show that the fans will love.
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Gallery 78 Celebrates 40 Years
Words by Nathalie Sturgeon Photography submitted Inside a 19th-century Victorian mansion with a plum-like exterior there exists a gallery that spans three generations and has had over four decades of art displayed on its walls. Gallery 78 has been displaying Atlantic Canadian art for 40 years, which the gallery describes as a “milestone.” To celebrate their history the gallery is hosting an anniversary exhibit starting Oct. 7. Works including paintings, prints, photography and ceramics by artists such as Molly Lamb Bobak, David McKay and David Silverberg will be on display. Gallery 78 first opened in 1976 by James and Inge Pataki. James was a classical musician who joined the Brunswick String Quartet at UNB and Inge was a visual artist. The couple, who arrived from Europe in 1970, immediately saw the potential for art in New Brunswick’s capital city. “We started in our house … I think I started with a dozen artists,” said 20
Inge Pataki, president of Gallery 78, about the beginning of the gallery. Over the years the couple has hosted renowned artists in their space and has also welcomed new artists who were emerging into the art scene. “We have a concentration on paintings, with some paper drawings, original prints, sculptures, [and later on] extending to photography, that one of a kind of pieces of craft, ceramics and glass … we have a number of exhibitions,” she said. The gallery quickly became a hub for various artists with vastly differing styles of art. Inge soon realized that they needed a bigger space to host their art. “There was one building, the Crocket House, that we heard was going to be available because the offices in that building had moved across the [river to] Marysville Place. The building became available, we prepared a proposal for the provincial government [about] what we wanted to do, creating something like art gallery precinct,” said Inge. The government accepted the Inge’s proposal, and the space was
transformed into an art gallery in December 1989. The building’s extra space is reserved as studios for artists, and is also a home to a local theatre company called the Calithumpians. For Inge, this anniversary is of great significance. It is a chance to celebrate the huge success with her family, artists, collectors and lovers of all art forms. “A story of a success for New Brunswick in [way] of business, to have a gallery celebrating 40 years of [success], it’s fantastic. It proves art is alive and well in Fredericton,” said Inge. Indeed, the continuing success of Gallery 78 represents the success of a unique form of business in Atlantic Canada. The gallery not only has developed a reputation among local artists and art lovers as an art dealer, but has extended their reach beyond Atlantic Canada. “Based on our reputation as art dealers, we are the only art gallery ever in New Brunswick to become a member of the Art Dealers Association of Canada.” Inge herself has been awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal for her significant contribution to the cultural life in Fredericton and New Brunswick. Inge believes that a community cannot be as vibrant without art; and her contribution to the local community lies in the fact that she has made a difference in the community through art. Although the gallery will begin its anniversary exhibition on Oct. 7, the exhibit will be available online by Oct. 4. Several exhibits will be on display over the next few months to celebrate the gallery’s anniversary. In fact, all of the gallery space will be displaying contemporary works of art and selections from “paintings from the past and historical highlights” from the last 40 years.
5 Tips for Mindful Eating Words by Anna Jackson, RD
It’s the night before an exam and you’re stressed. You open a box of crackers to snack on while studying, and before you know it, you’ve polished off the entire box. Woops! The next day, you’re so busy that you end up skipping breakfast and lunch. You come home that evening absolutely starving and eat way past the point of fullness. Afterwards you feel uncomfortable and guilty. Can you relate to either of these situations? The concept of mindfulness is an ancient Buddhist meditation practice, focused on bringing attention to the present moment. Today, psychologists use this technique in counselling to help individuals live in the moment and reduce stress levels. Mindfulness can also be used to help develop a positive relationship with food. Mindful eating is not a diet. Mindful eating is about eating the foods you want, and truly enjoying them. It is not about restriction or deprivation. Mindful eating involves being in tune with your body by slowing down, expressing gratitude for the food you are eating, and paying attention to why you eat. Here are five tips to help you master mindful eating: 1. Eat regular meals. Eating regular meals helps to keep your blood sugar levels stable, maintain your energy levels and prevents excessive hunger, which can lead to overeating later on. It is harder to control how much you eat when you’re running on empty, and we also tend to opt
for less nutritious options when we’re starving. Set yourself up for success by spacing meals 3-4 hours apart and having a small snack in between meals if necessary. 2. Eat slowly and enjoy each bite. It takes about 20 minutes from the time you start eating for your brain to realize that you’re full. Often times, we eat so quickly that we don’t give our brains the chance to receive the signal that we are full, which can lead to overeating. Take some time to chew your food well, and truly enjoy your meal. Set down your fork between bites. This allows you to focus on chewing your food rather than going straight for the next bite. Eating slowly is also important for optimal digestion. When we eat too quickly, we often end up feeling bloated and gassy. 3. Limit distractions while eating. We live in a fast paced society. Many of us can often be found eating on the run. Eating breakfast in the car on the way to class, relaxing with your supper in front of the TV at the end of the day, and snacking while studying are all examples of distracted eating. Eating while distracted takes away from the enjoyment of your meal, and makes it more difficult to listen to your body’s hunger and fullness cues. Whenever you are eating, switch off your TV or laptop and create an electronic-free zone. Limiting your distractions while eating allows you to fully engage your senses. Pay attention to the colour, texture, flavour, and aroma of your meal. 4. Ask yourself why you’re eating.
Sometimes we eat because our stomach is grumbling. Sometimes we eat because we’re happy or sad. Sometimes we eat simply because food tastes good! It is important to recognize that different types of hunger exist. Physical hunger builds gradually, occurs several hours after a meal, and leads to a feeling of satisfaction once you’ve eaten. Emotional hunger develops suddenly, can persist despite a physical feeling of fullness, and can lead to feelings of guilt and shame after eating. Sensory hunger is hunger that develops when food is in front of us. Who can say no to a freshly baked cookie straight out of the oven? Before you eat, take a moment to ask yourself which type of hunger you are experiencing. If you notice that you are frequently eating due to emotional hunger, this might be a sign that an underlying issue requires some attention. 5. Take small steps. Mindful eating doesn’t happen overnight. Developing a mindful relationship with food takes time and consistent practice. Start with one or two meals per week, and build from there. Focus on progress, not perfection! A registered dietitian can help you achieve your nutrition goals. The UNB Student Health Centre offers one-on-one nutritional counselling to all full-time UNB and STU students for FREE. Drop in or call the Student Health Centre at 453-4527 to book an appointment. No referral is needed.
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World class boxer devoted for life Originally, Brewer wanted to focus on MMA style fighting, but after his first Photography by Bradley Parker boxing lesson, he fell in love. “I enjoyed the UNB athletes are some of the best competitive nature, man against man … to me that’s real”. in the country: varsity teams are regularly Brewer had his first amateur fight recognized at the regional and national level. at the age of 23 in 2009 and has since been But UNB’s star athletes aren’t undefeated; he is currently at 19 wins and just varsity reds - club sports and individual athletes from campus shine in their own right. 0 losses. He does have one draw: in his fifth fight against Francis Lafreniere. One of these athletes is former That was the fight that changed UNB student Brandon Brewer. things for him. “Driving home from Moncton I Brewer is making waves in the was really upset,” said Brewer. “If I wanted to Canadian boxing scene and is the current make a run at it I had to dedicate everything Canadian light middleweight champion, but the road to that title hasn’t been an easy one. to it, meaning quit my job and find sponsors and train all day and train all night. So I did.” Brewer comes from a working class family in Brewer quit his job but at the time, Nackawick. which had been his only way of supporting A good student in high school, himself and his dog Samson. So with the last Brewer also captained many of high school $20 in his pocket, he poured $10 of gas sports teams. After graduation, he came to into the rested tank of his car and went on UNB to study mechanical engineering and a mission to find sponsors. He came home persevered till his third year when he that day with $100, and the drive to turn admitted to himself that it wasn’t for him. “The further I got into it, that $100 into $500. Since then, he hasn’t stopped. the more I realised I didn’t want to do it.” At this point, Brewer had devoted The party student lifestyle had caught up with his whole life to boxing and that’s what drove him. “I knew I needed to kind of kick myself him in the ring. “It’s hard to beat a man who in the butt so I joined the military,” he said. had nothing else to lose. I could not let Three years in, though, Brewer realised the military wasn’t for him either and [anyone] win because I felt like I’d lost enough.” got out. While he dropped the uniform, he He stuck with that motto and after kept the discipline. his ninth fight he went pro in 2012. Brewer After leaving the military, he was getting good – too good – to a point bounced from job to job before he decided that nobody wanted to fight him. That’s to give fighting professionally a real shot. “I where Lee Baxter, a promoter from Toronto, loved to fight and I was good at it, I heard a stepped in to help him get fights. quote one time that if you’re really good at Since going pro, Brewer has fought something you should get paid for it.” Words by Anne Ugabi
all over Canada and even in the states, as far as North Carolina. In May of 2016 Brewer and Lee co-promoted a card here in Fredericton that saw over 3,500 people pack the Aitken Center. In addition to packing the Aitken Centre, many people got to see first hand what Brewer likes to call “the Plaid Army,” Brewer’s most dedicated fan base. Brewer’s fight name is Brandon “L-Jack” Brewer, the L-Jack standing for lumberjack - in reference to Brewer’s home of Nackawic, home of the world’s biggest axe. Brewer encouraged his fans to come out to the fight dressed as lumberjacks, something many fans took very seriously. People grew their beards out or wore fake beards and came to the fight dressed head to toe in plaid. The Plaid Army is something Brewer is very proud of – going as far as trademarking the term. When he’s not fighting, training for a fight or spoiling his rottweiler Samson, Brewer also gives back to his community. After hearing that the breakfast program at his old elementary school in Nackawic had been scrapped, he set up a breakfast by donation. Brewer has also set up a $2 raffle for fans to win ringside seats; with 100 per cent of the proceeds go to the Fredericton Homeless Shelter. Gearing up for his 20th fight, Brewer is hoping increase his record to 20 for 0 right here in Fredericton. Tickets can be purchased at Naturally Fit, Reads Newsstand in Fredericton, Robin’s Coffee in Nackawic and at the Aitken Centre box office. 23
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