www.thebruns.ca
Volume 147 · March 12, 2014 · Issue 23
brunswickan canada’s oldest official student publication.
THE NEW
EXECUTIVE
2 • March 12, 2014 • Issue 23 • Volume 147
BRUNSWICKANNEWS
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Science Representatives: Sydney McAdam, Luke LeBlanc Business Representatives: aronke Wade Williams, Samantha Michaud, Ajayi Oluw
Cherise Letson News Editor The UNBSU general election may be over, but due to technical errors the online ballots, voting for the board of governors positions has been extended until March 14. Technical errors aside, the election brought in a voter turnout of 17.7 per cent – a 0.2 per cent drop from last year. Current UNBSU president Ben Whitney said the voter turnout results were expected due to the voting period falling over the March break. “I would’ve liked it to be higher but with the voting period taking place right now we expected it could be a bit lower. All in all it’s not a bad turnout and we’re looking forward to working with the new exec members.” Current UNBSU vice-president external Greg Bailey was elected next year’s president. Though he ran uncontested, he’s grateful for the win. “I’m just happy that I have the chance to stick around and apply all of the lessons I learned this year,” Bailey said. “Probably the thing I enjoyed most about being VP external was interacting with other student organizations and seeing how they do things differently; I’d like to spend the next year trying to implement them.” Lee Thomas, who also ran un-
Council Updates Emma McPhee News Reporter
UNBSU talks hiring VP finance At Sunday’s council meeting, the UNBSU discussed whether a restructuring of their organization should include changing vice-president finance and operations from an elected to a hired position. UNBSU president Ben Whitney said that many universities hire a financial director instead of having an elected vice-president in charge of finances. “It’s essentially because of what the position is responsible for. It’s a multimillion dollar budget. It’s a way for them
contested, was elected vice-president internal. Nicole Saulnier won over Stephen Likely for vice-president external. William MacMackin beat Justin Lee for vice-president f inance and operations and Elizabeth Teague was elected vice-president student services over Kasra Tamjidi. Bailey said he was encouraged by the “calibre of candidates” this year, and looks forward to working with the new executive. “Being on the executive is a timeconsuming job. It takes up more of your life than other jobs,” Bailey said. “I’m glad to see that the people who ran took the job seriously, and I think we’ve got a good year ahead.” Though the voter turnout was lower proportionately due to high enrollment, there were actually more ballots cast this election than last. He said the UNBSU needs to try a new approach for next year. “Looking at the demographics, the three faculties with the voting percentages above 10 per cent were Renaissance College, kin and science,” Bailey said. “I think we need to start tailoring our approach by looking at how we could can get the other faculties interested in what’s going on. It’s not about more communications, which is the most overused election promise ever, it’s about communicating a message that actually sticks.”
Engineering Representatives: ell Elizabeth Calvin, Kelsey Morrissey, Andrew Russ Arts Representatives: ns Marc Gagnon, Samantha Irma Sapi, Kevin Colli Computer Science Representative: Jesse Reid Education Representative: Emily Ripley Student-at-large: Alec Boudreau, Kurtis Layden Accessibility Representative: Jeremy Murray Women’s Representative: Jessica Dobson Aboriginal Students Representative: Kastina Inman Off-Campus Student Representative: Sarah Rouse Residence Student Representative: Arielle Rechnitzer SUBS Inc. (1 year): Wade Williams Student Undergrad Senator (1 year): Edward Choi, Tyler Coffin, Mark Vangel SUB Board of Directors: James Tibbetts, Thomas O’Mahony Brunswickan Publishing Inc. Board of Directors: Johanna McPhee, Bobby Cole
Board of Governors: VOTING EXTENDED
With files from Emma McPhee
to mitigate some sort of financial risk and a lot of these schools see fit to hire them,” he said. Computer Science representative Andrew Martel said that the main focus of the vice-president of finance and operations is more on clubs than the budget and that it should be an elected position. Nursing representative Laura Carr said that hiring it as a long-term position could create continuity in budgets from year to year but Marc Gauvin, vice-president finance and operations, said that continuity currently comes through the UNBSU general manager Karen Miner. Martel proposed a motion that the advancement committee of the UNBSU research and review the possibility of hiring the vice-president finance and
LEE THOMAS
Board of Governors voting extended
Kinesiology Representatives: Hailey Rendell, Alyssa Whelan
VP Internal
Bailey elected president uncontested
Law Representative: Josh Toombs
VP External NICOLE SAULNIER
news@thebruns.ca
Nursing Representative: Emily Jackson
operations. The motion was passed unanimously. At the moment Whitney said they have no plans implementing this proposed change. It is just a topic they want to consider when the UNBSU undergoes a review.
Motion passes for genderneutral washrooms at UNB LGBTQ representative Lee Thomas put forward the motion at council on Sunday to have the UNBSU support having single-stall, gender-neutral washrooms on campus. Thomas said that the washrooms at UNB exclude people who do not identify as male or female and that private, single-stall, gender-neutral washrooms
VP Student Services ELIZABETH (BESS) TEAGUE
NEWS
Renaissance College Representative: Travis Daley
VP Finance and & Operations WILLIAM MACMACKIN
THE BRUNS
President GREG BAILEY
March 12, 2014 • Issue 23 • Volume 147• 3
are the best option for all members of the university. However, not all buildings on campus have single-stall washrooms and Thomas said the university has not made any clear move towards changing this. Accessibility representative Jeremy Murray said that the best way to get single stall washrooms is through the renovations being made to accommodate the need for accessible washrooms. Nursing representative Laura Carr asked if all washrooms couldn’t be changed to co-ed to simplify the process. Thomas said that with the difficulties she has faced for simply wanting to change some of the washrooms to gender-neutral, she didn’t see that moving forward. Instead, it’s having organizations such as the UNBSU show
support that will push for change. “If we can move forward to support it, then it will help when we have a more specific thing we’re aiming to do,” Thomas said. Thomas’s motion for UNBSU support passed unanimously. UNBSU president Ben Whitney said the UNBSU will use their resources to advocate for gender-neutral washrooms now that the motion was passed. “We’re going to just be in support of the students who need genderneutral washrooms. We’ll be advocating through capital budget planning and teaching,” Whitney said. “Accessibility and I think just being comfortable, being able to thrive in your environment is key.”
4 • March 12, 2014 • Issue 23 • Volume 147
Humanitarian brings new perspective on volunteering Marc Gagnon Staff Reporter In his 27 short years, Navonel Glick has seen and done more than most will in an entire lifetime. As program director of the humanitarian non-governmental organization IsraAID, Glick spoke to UNB Fredericton students on March 10 about the experiences that have shaped his life for the past seven years. He explained how he went from apathet ic chemistr y student to dedicated altruist; seeking a change of scenery from the freezing McGill campus, he decided to embark on a four-month volunteer stint in Nepal. “I thought I’d come back and keep working, like going on sabbatical,” he said. “But instead I ended up staying for 4 years. And that led to a change of career.” Glick eventually found himself working for the Israel forum for International Humanitarian Aid (IsraAID), a group whose efforts range from disaster relief in places like Kenya and the Philippines, to financial and medical projects designed to provide long-term sustainability – something they believe is the key to real change. “You want to find someone in a crisis situation, who doesn’t have the mental space to able to address tomorrow, and really help them build a situation where they can think about how to make their own lives better,” he said. The goal of Glick’s presentation was to address the misconceptions that exist around humanitarian aid, and that well-intentioned volunteers can sometimes do more harm than good. While Glick feels that humanitarian work is something that everyone should experience, he emphasized that activists should focus on sustainability, as opposed to “feelgood” short-term aid that often does not last. Instead, he believes that donations made to reputable charities or NGOs can be the most effective way of providing lasting change. “If they choose to go volunteer
BRUNSWICKANNEWS Brief Cases:
Finding your niche Graham Leupp The Brunswickan
Navonel Glick, program director of IsraAID, spoke on campus last week. Submitted. somewhere they [should] have an he said. idea of what they’re doing and ask “I had a similar one in NYC after ‘is it sustainable?’ ” he said. Hurricane sandy, where an American “Would it be better, instead of family asked where we came from, spending thousands of dollars to and the mother was shocked and go volunteer for a week and build a couldn’t stop hugging us – she wrote hut when you’re not a construction us back a few months later, saying worker, would it be a better idea to thank you.” spend the summer working and send Naomi Rosenfeld, director of Hilthe equivalent amount of money to lel of Atlantic Canada and organizer an organization?” of the event, said that Glick’s presWhile his work with IsraAID has entation was meant to give students put him face-to-face with human a different perspective on volunteer suffering in places like the Sudan and work. Haiti, Glick said that the positive “I think that it’s important to get experiences in his work more than out of your own life and mundane outweigh the bad. problems,” she said. “When people from different cul“We all get very involved in our tures get together and try and help, own lives, and that perspective of it’s amazing the positive feedback really seeing what’s going on in the you get. In the US, I was recently world is an important lesson for us all in Colorado after the floods. There – especially during midterm season. was this woman who almost fainted I hope people take away just a little when she saw from how far we had bit of inspiration.” come to help, she started crying,”
Take a walk through the King’s Place Mall and you’ll see many things: stores, a kiosk and a food court. At some point you may notice a pleasant smell wafting from one of the stores. And it’s not a candle or perfume shop, either. It’s the Shamporium, where Ruth McLellan runs the place smoothly with a combination of hard work and expertise. McLellan opened the Shamporium back in 1997. She said it’s been interesting working in the soap business, a field where people don’t always know what’s right for them. “A big part of running the store is educating my customers on what’s good for their skin and for the environment,” McLellan said. “Sometimes it’s an adjustment for them, but the right kind of product is good for your skin and your pocketbook.” McLellan was inspired to open the Shamporium after having her own struggles finding the right soap products. She wanted to provide close, easy access to the products people need for their skin problems. “I’ve always struggled with skin sensitivities and respiratory issues from the environment,” McLellan said. “And if it was hard for me to find products that worked or me, then everyone else with skin sensitivities was having a hard time as well. It’s easier to find those kinds of things now.” There were a few things to consider when deciding to open up the soap shop, one of them being the location. “I like the approach people have down here,” McLellan said. “People down here aren’t just hanging out at
the mall . . . they have jobs, and that’s where business truly is.” However, there have been a few stores that have closed in Kings Place recently and there is a lot of empty space. “Vacant stores are a downside, since every vacant store is one less that’s bringing people in. And I also lose the flexibility of my hours,” McLellan said “But I have a lot more security in here, and hey, I don’t have to shovel snow.” As far as costs, McLellan had to find the money to get started, but it wasn’t too hard for her. “Being a more mature person, I had a good relationship with a bank,” McLellan said. “I went to then, and got a loan. I didn’t have a whole lot of problems in that area.” Getting start-up money was easy; the soap business has become extremely competitive. With hundreds of companies both big and independent, it can be hard to stand out. McLellan has figured out her edge, in the form of both convenience and expertise, not to mention a superior product. “I have more of a captive market here, being in the mall,” McLellan said. “And for a lot of people today convenience is big. They’re always on the move, and they’ll get things where it’s easy, which is where my location comes in.” McLellan has come a long way since 1997, becoming not only a store owner, but also very knowledgeable in her chosen field. “The best advice I can give is to find your niche,” McLellan said. “Figure out who your customers are, and then provide your service accordingly.”
The Shamporium is an example of how a small business can find its niche. Graham Leupp / The Brunswickan
BRUNSWICKANNEWS GATHERING PEOPLE, GATHERING IDEAS Fredericton’s third Great Gathering happening this Saturday
March 12, 2014 • Issue 23 • Volume 147 • 5
CLUB SANDWICH:
Showing students how to rock (climb) Andrew Martel Business Manager
The Great Gathering brings people together from all walks of life to discuss ways to improve community. Andrew Meade / The Brunswickan Emma McPhee News Reporter For some, the thought of a large group of people meeting to discuss and reach consensus on varying issues in a community is daunting, but Fredericton’s Great Gathering proves that not only is this possible, it can bring concrete change. On March 15, the Greater Fredericton community will be welcomed to the Fredericton Capital Exhibition Centre to partake in the third Great Gathering – an open space forum that tackles the question of “How can we work together to make Fredericton better?” The event is hosted by Greater Fredericton Social Innovation Inc. (GFSI) of which UNB is a member. “[The Great Gathering] is a largescale consensus decision-making model. It brings together all the different energies of the commun-
ity into some kind of harmony,” said Dennis Atchison, co-chair of the event. “People choose which topics they want to discuss. It’s an opportunity to get the community together to discuss their different passions.” In the spirit of an open space forum, the agenda is created by the participants. All discussion is based on what the participants bring to the table. “No agenda, no expectations – whoever comes are the right people, whatever happens is the right thing and so we don’t really know what’s going to come out of it. It’s up in the air,” said Jamie-Leigh Haughn, volunteer and community development coordinator of GFSI. Topics of discussion can range everywhere from food and affordable housing to strategies for preventing homelessness. This will be Fredericton’s third
Great Gathering. Past events have resulted in the creation of organizations such as the Greater Fredericton Volunteer Centre and the New Brunswick Community Gardens. The Bulk Food Bag Program introduced to UNB this year is also a direct result from a Gathering. As members of the community, students are encouraged to participate. “This is an opportunity to give them a voice because they are going to have the chance to speak in front of people important in Fredericton,” Haughn said. “It really does level the playing f ield and push towards concrete change,” Atchison said. Students will also have the chance to learn something too. “The students who’ve been involved [in past events] have had an opportunity to see community development in action and be a
part of a large movement and feel that they’ve made an impact on the community,” said Shirley Cleave, UNBF’s associate vice-president academic and the university’s representative on the Great Gathering planning committee. “I think it’s a good chance for the university to be present in the community.” Participating in the Great Gathering is simple as showing up with a willingness to share ideas and John Coates, the other co-chair of the event, said the event works best when people from all walks of life are involved. “The more variety we can get in the room, the more effective the outcome,” he said. The event will run on Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Registration can be done online at Frederictongreatgathering.com or at the door.
College hill implementing more polling stations for provincial election Cherise Letson News Editor Fredericton students may find it easier to cast their vote in September’s provincial election. Expanding on a pilot project from the 2010 election, Elections New Brunswick is rolling out new campus polling stations across the province, including more for college hill students. “We’re going to try to serve a lot more campuses and we’re going to set up in areas that are high traffic and very apparent and obvious,” said Mike Quinn, chief electoral officer for Elections New Brunswick. In the 2010 election, there was
only one campus polling station in Fredericton, which was located in a secluded office in the UNB Student Union Building (SUB). But this fall, there will be one located at St. Thomas University and NBCC. The polling at UNB will be moved from an office to the busy SUB cafeteria. There will also be more campus polling stations added in the Saint John, Edmunston and Moncton areas. Students who claim residence in New Brunswick will be able to vote the candidate in their campus riding, or at their home riding. “We’ll have all of the same services that we had before, but this time we’re going to concentrate on the
high-traffic areas and do them in the last week of the election.” Quinn said. Quinn said the 2010 campus polls brought in 2665 votes. He hopes to see this number increased with the new stations. “[Youth] have a certain point of view that should be put forward and I think that the more people that take part in the democratic process, the stronger it is,” he said. UNB Student Union president Ben Whitney said bringing UNB’s polling station to the SUB cafeteria is a good move. “Necessary privacy measures will obviously be in place, which should alleviate many concerns,” Whitney
said. “Making voting more visible and easier for students is a great way in which to encourage folks to get out to vote, and I’m excited this is happening in the provincial election.” With more polling stations planned for campuses across the province, he hopes the new system will get students more engaged in government. “This is a great way to help get students out to vote and have them get more involved and interested in provincial politics,” he sais. “Voting is incredibly important and any way we can make it more accessible for students is great.”
UNB’s Rock and Ice Climbing Club wants to reach new heights this year. The club, dedicated to indoor and outdoor climbing, has introduced new programs for students and community members. “We’ve developed a few new programs, like Beginner Hour,” said club president Magda Celejewski. “Beginner Hour is a good time because you meet other beginners, so other people at the same stage as you are. That’s the whole basis of that program is to not intimidate others.” The Rock and Ice club, which has been around since the 1970s, has grown its outdoor programs as well, including Rock Schools. “In the fall, it’ll be more of a beginner Rock School where we introduce rock climbing outside to those who haven’t done it before. In the spring, it’s more advanced Rock School,” said Dominic Caron, club secretary and community member. “We also have Ice School which happens in February. This year it occurred in Sussex. [It’s like] climbing giant ice pillars, like waterfalls that have frozen over.” This year, the club has around 180 members. These are students and community members who have paid the membership fee and participate during some of their climbing hours. However, this is a drop from their peak years, where they used to have 300 members. “Part of our decreasing membership is because of the access fee that community members now have to pay. It is $100 for non-students to have access to [the LB Gym],” said Celejewski. However, the club is strongly supported by a core group of volunteers who monitor climbers and create new routes so it is never the same experience. “[The club] helps form a community of cooperation, of helping each other out, and figuring out the sport. It’s very tight-knit,” said Caron. The club also organizes events throughout the year for students and the community, both as a form of sport awareness and as a fundraising tool. One of these events is the adrenaline-filled Banff Film Festival. “One of the new things we did this year was the Banff Film Festival at the Playhouse,” said Celejewski. “We’ve been hosting it for 20 years, and it’s usually at MacLaggan Hall and it always sells out. So we thought to move it to the Playhouse and it worked really well.” To climb at the LB Gym rock wall, it costs $3 for non-members, and $2 to rent shoes. The money raised through this fee, as well as their other fundraisers, is used to repair walls and fix holes. Last year, the club put some of the money raised towards ice-climbing boots for their Ice School. Membership is $50 for the year, “But if you’re interested to start, come down and talk to one of the monitors,” Celejewski said. “If you’re keen to climb, just come on by. Your first climb and shoe rental is free.” For more information on the club and climb times, check out their website at UNBrockandice.ca, or contact them at climb@unb.ca.
March 12, 2014 • Issue 23 • Volume 147 • 6
THE BRUNS OPINION editor@thebruns.ca
Richard Kemick Opinions Columnist We get mad when the administration doesn’t consult students. We get mad when the administration doesn’t care about student debt. We get mad when the administration views the student body as President Eddy Campbell’s own personal safari. So it was no surprise to see our absolute elation upon the announcement that, in response to student demands, the administration was giving each student a whopping $200 for the class time missed during the strike. Yes, it was great to see the Student Union and Graduate Students Association do something other than plan sockhop socials. There is something odd, however, about the $200. No, it isn’t the fact that $200 for three weeks of missed school means that the administration considers one week to be worth $67, therefore meaning that a semester of 13 weeks should cost $871. No, it wasn’t even the fact if the administration did not go G20 and hire its own private security firm that the refund would be significantly larger. What is odd about the $200 buyout was how gleefully the student body has accepted it without ever considering others who were affected by the labour disruption. During the strike, due to the inability for both sides to reach an agreement, many employees of UNB’s food service union were unable to work the hours to which they were entitled. While it is impossible for Student Union president Ben Whitney to write about the $200 refund without the excessive use of OMGs, ROFLs and heart-shaped emoticons, there has been no talk of support for the food service union. If food service workers expected fellow unions to act in solidarity with them and in a socially-conscious way within their own communities, they had better go somewhere else.
The Student Union is, after all, a union – at least theoretically. When the word “union” takes up half of your name, you have to anticipate the fact that many people will confuse you with some sort of organization. And a part of being a union is buying in to the belief that not only is our influence greater collectively than separately, but that we can use that influence to aid others, particularly other unions. In other words, the Student Union and GSA can act as the university’s ethical barometer, something against which the rest of the university’s various unions and administrative bodies can measure themselves. Can we really fault Eddy Campbell’s administration for being entirely selfish and narcissistic when we ourselves are as equally self-interested? The short answer is yes, of course we can. The long answer, however, is (as long answers are wont to be) slightly more complicated. The Student Union and GSA have been pathetically silent on the injustice done to UNB’s food service union by the administration. While students lost class time, food service employees were losing paycheques. Although it is difficult to say which one was more important, the fact remains that both the SU and the GSA stayed true to their self-serving nature and have turned a blind eye towards the strike’s many detrimental effects that did not immediately affect students. I understand that students are incredibly busy people – especially with all the sock-hop socials we have to choose from. I also understand that it is not our responsibility to take every injustice within this university upon ourselves. But when our elective bodies actively ignore the attacks on other unions, our own union is seriously compromised. The Student Union and Graduate Students Association must invest themselves in fostering a vibrant, equitable campus and not just trying to convince people to take one of their crappy stu-
the brunswickan
Editorial Board
Editor-in-Chief • Nick Murray Business Manager • Andrew Martel News • Cherise Letson Arts • Lee Thomas Sports • Bronté James Art Director • Alex Walsh Copy • Sarah Dominie Multimedia • Gordon Mihan Web Developer • David F. Stewart Online Editor • Kaylee Moore Staff Advertising Sales Rep • Bill Traer Delivery • Dan Gallagher Arts Reporter • Tess Allen News Reporter • Emma McPhee Staff Reporter • Marc Gagnon Staff Photographer • Karsten Saunders Opinions Columnist • Richard Kemick Videographer • Lance Blakney
Contributors
Ryan Belbin, Michael Bourgeois, Arun Budhathoki, Nikki Lee Chapman, Bobby Cole, Johnny Cullen, Benjamin Dugdale, Anika Duivenvoorden, Shane Rockland Fowler, Scott Hems, Cody Jack, Connor Jay, Kevin Lemieux, Graham Leupp, Kenya Marcelline, Sebastian Maynard, Johanna McPhee, Brandon Ramey, Arielle Rechnitzer, Caitlin Sowers, Jacie Targett, Lindsey Weidhass. The Brunswickan relies primarily on a volunteer base to produce its issues every week. Volunteers can drop by room 35 of the SUB at any time to find out how they can get involved.
About Us
The Brunswickan is in its 147th year
The UNBSU isn’t the only union on campus
During the strike/lockout, Sodexo food services reduced its hours and laid off staff. Karsten Saunders / The Brunswickan dent agendas. A little while ago, the Brunswickan hosted the Student Union election debate. The best candidate, by far, was Lee Thomas, running for vicepresident internal. Thomas is a good candidate because she said something other than the knee-jerk catch phrases of “we need to consult students” and “reduce tuition.” We all know student consultation is an empty promise since our presidentin-waiting, Greg Bailey, has actively campaigned and voted against a student referendum. Furthermore, we all know reduced tuition isn’t going to happen and has turned into the “Support Our Troops” of this campus: nobody’s really
sure what it means exactly or how it will actually work, but it sounds like a neat enough idea. Thomas was the best candidate because she has a tangible idea that will better this university’s culture: genderneutral washrooms. Sure, it isn’t an incredibly sexy idea, and it doesn’t allow for the endless running and rerunning of photo-ops, the kind Mr. Bailey and his bullhorn are always on the hunt for. But Thomas’s idea isn’t ideological pablum; gender-neutral washrooms force this university to drag itself out of its industrial revolution mindset. Gender-neutral washrooms will remove barriers that inhibit the cultivation of a campus culture that welcomes a larger
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of publication as Canada’s Oldest Official Student Publication. We are an autonomous student newspaper owned and operated by Brunswickan Publishing Inc., a nonprofit, independent body. We are a founding member of the Canadian University Press, and love it so. We are also members of U-Wire, a media exchange of university media throughout North America. We publish weekly during the academic year with a circulation of 4,000.
Letters to the editor
Letters must be submitted by e-mail to editor@thebruns.ca including your name, as letters with pseudonymns will not be printed. Letters must be fewer than 500 words. Deadline for letters is
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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 newspaper 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 Editorin-Chief.
amount of people. I grew up in Alberta during the Klein years and like the rest of us Albertans, I gleefully accepted my $400 cheque when the province was giving away money for the hell of it. But what Albertans, myself included, have come to realize is that everybody has a price and ours happened to be quite low. The $1.4 billion payout came at the expense of our province’s schools, hospitals, and infrastructure. UNB’s payout has come at the expense of our unions, and that should have been worth at least $400 too.
W E I V OINT P
on What’s YOUR s week? i h t d n i m
What are your thoughts on the current situation in Ukraine?
Alex Nadeau
Alex Phillips
Byanka Simon
Danyelle Arsenault
Emma Thomson
“They need help. Whether or not it is Canada, US or UK or even Russia. Diplomatic solution not military.”
“Where is the Ukraine?”
“Dicks.”
“It sounds like a good movie plot.”
“It’s very concerning . . . Cold War round 2?”
Evan Landry
Ian Phillips
Jonathan Bunn
Jordan Thorne
Shayna MacDiarmad
“I think Russia is just Putin’ on a show.”
“Russia is not happy but it will hopefully work out.”
“Maybe $52 billion can buy them Ukraine too?”
“What the hell is happening in Ukraine?”
“I think the whole thing is being blown out of proportion.”
BRUNSWICKANARTS
8 • March 12, 2014 • Issue 23 • Volume 147
“Where are you from?” Arun Budhathoki The Brunswickan
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Everyone becomes a racist at least once in their lifetime, knowingly and at times unintentionally. Racism is a global, social, human, inherent problem. The sudden urge to dislike someone different than one’s group is not a new phenomenon. It comes naturally – we fit easily in our group, but struggle to mingle with a different one. Perhaps it is psychological or natural, I do not know, but I strongly feel that human beings are generally hostile to the outer groups. There are exceptions, however. Last week while talking with a friend about how people here mistake you as a part of another group I coined a new phrase: “mismatched racism.” She lived in Norway and England prior to emigrating here with her parents who have roots in Iran. I bring this up because she said people ask her if she’s from Pakistan or Saudi Arabia rather than asking where she is from. If you listen her speak, one cannot assume she’s from that region. Not all Asians are Chinese. Not all Europeans are British. Not all westerners are Americans. My argument here is that there
are hundreds of people in Canada who have moved from one country to another, have different accents and certainly do not belong to a visible majority group like Indians, Bangladeshis, Sri Lankans and others. So why are there people here, even international students, who bluntly tell me (not ask), “Are you from India?” I understand that most people do it unintentionally but again the majority of the people make a false assumption. The first problem with mismatched racism is when someone asks a person if they are from a particular group instead trying to acknowledge their real origin that person can turn hostile, exasperated and knackered. When that happens there’s possibility that they try to reinforce their own identity through various means – forming groups or associations and staying away from the majority group. This enfeebles the integration process and even complicates the progression of multiculturalism. In Europe, it is already failing. The second problem is that such events instill hostile feelings in the person against the groups that they are matched with. But being human being and from the land of Mt. Everest I do not like people assuming that I’m
from one so-called particular group. Such assumptions do in fact abate the possibility of making new relationships with others. Immediately I assume that people who ask such questions are not broad-minded and hence do not require my friendship. I’m working on this and next time if anyone asks me that way I’m going to fire back with question if they are from another country and observe their reaction. I’m jesting. The third problem is since I’m new here it is difficult for me to give up my origin and past. If I settle here only the second or third generation will be able to integrate completely, which means, I have to deal with this issue for life. Even while trying to enter the Social Club and Cellar I have to show them my passport because there’s no birthdate on my UNB identity card and feel harassed as I neither have driving license or other IDs with a photo and birthdate despite telling them I’m a grad student! I love Canadians and international students but whoever reads this I hope when you meet someone different next time you’d start conversation in a proper logical manner by saying: Where were you born?
Crosses and closets on campus Tess Allen Arts Reporter When John Staples got wind of the news last semester that a St. Thomas University student was asked by his church leaders to stop volunteering due to his sexuality, he was brought back in time 11 years. “I’ve known since the age of eight that there was something different about me,” said the Fredericton native and vice-president of Spectrum, UNB and STU’s LGBTQ resource group. “Having grown up in the church for 20 years, my pastoral staff were informed that I was hanging out with members of the gay community. . . and essentially I was asked to no longer volunteer. It really took its toll on me.” With this in mind when he heard of the similar plight of STU student Colin Briggs last semester, Staples finally concluded that “enough is enough.” The result of this conclusion? The Cross and the Closet, an evening of educational discussion about the LGBTQ and Christian subcultures, what and why each demographic believes what they do, and the impact it has on those caught in the middle. The event – slated for Thursday,
March 13 and open to all – will bring together members of the local LGBTQ and Christian communities, featuring an expert panel with representatives of STU Campus Ministry, Counselling Services and Spectrum, among others. Staples hopes to have these worlds get to know one another in a respectful and open atmosphere – as well as debunk some of the myths and rumours surrounding both demographics. “Respect, education, acceptance, and progression in our own society – that’s what it’s all about. We live in 2014; there’s no reason homophobia or religion-phobia should exist. [Learning to] get along would improve the quality of life for so many people,” said Staples. “It’s recognizing that you might not be the same as me and that’s okay. At the end of the night we want to have a respectful, ‘get to know each other’ time where we can agree to disagree agreeably.” Staples plans to let each demographic voice their own opinions and engage in an educated discussion, before opening up the floor to questions and comments from the audience. He will make a point of reminding those in attendance that this is to be an environment of acceptance.
“Some people – it doesn’t matter what the demographic is – have been brought up [a certain] way and really embrace that and when it gets challenged, they tend to get more passionate than others,” he said. “I will start the evening with a strong emphasis on [that fact that] we are here in an atmosphere of respect, an atmosphere of learning, and we’re not here to offend anybody.” Looking to the future, Staples hopes events like The Cross and the Closet will encourage more open dialogue between both demographics, especially in the event of an incident like that which happened to him and Briggs. “If something like this did happen in the future, it would be great not to hear all the snap judgements and the comments against either the LGBTQ or the Christian organization,” he said. “Hopefully in the long run, it will foster a better understanding of why a group does what it does, and why that’s okay. If you don’t believe that way, that’s alright too.” The Cross and the Closet will take place at STU’s Brian Mulroney Hall in room 101 on the evening of Thursday, March 13 at 7 p.m.
March 12, 2014 • Issue 23 • Volume 147 • 9
THE BRUNS
UNB Art Centre celebrates World Water Day
ARTS arts@thebruns.ca
Tess Allen Arts Reporter Alanna Baird was on the cusp of finishing her engineering degree at the University of New Brunswick in 1977 when she realized she was more interested in the drawings in her lab reports than their content. She dropped out of the program and instead took up roost at the New Brunswick College of Craft and Design, where she quickly discovered her true passion and launched an illustrious fine arts career. Now, she’s heading back to school – but not in the way you might think. Baird will showcase her latest body of work, a scintillating school of fish made out of recycled materials, for the UNB Art Centre’s World Water Day exhibit starting on March 14. “[My work] is very unique. Unique is one of those overused words, but this is truly unique in that there isn’t anyone else doing it,” said the St. Andrews artist, who has been “redefining the art of recycling” for the past 21 years. Baird’s solo exhibition, entitled Plenty of Fish, incorporates everything from cat food tins to old copper roofing to create a series of ocean-dwelling critters that both astonish and inspire. This is the first time it will be showcased in New Brunswick, and Baird can’t imagine a better venue. It’s a perfect fit for the university’s celebration of World Water Day, a United Nations initiative held annually on March 22 to recognize the value of water globally
and to advocate for the sustainable management of water resources. “People will walk into the gallery and the first thing they’ll see is bright, shiny metal fish. But then they’ll realize that the fish are made out of a waste material and start making connections . . . It comes as a surprise because you don’t associate something you throw away regularly with something beautiful and sculptural,” she said. “My pieces have nothing to do with the kind of stuff that washes up on the beach, but there is an awful lot of rubbish out there floating up. [You’ll get] the association of waste material and water, which is very precious to us, and how that translates into an object that is precious in another way.” Baird’s Plenty of Fish will be presented at UNB’s Memorial Hall in the fashion of a real school of fish, by dangling from the ceiling and moving with the air ducts. She can’t wait to see her work outside of the confines of her small studio by the water in St. Andrews. “There is something very creative about taking individual pieces and combining them, through grouping them together in such an exhibit, and making something more,” she said. “The exhibit becomes more than the individual works. I am not only taking tin cans to make a fish, I am taking fish to make a school.” But Baird’s school won’t be swimming alone in Memorial Hall from March 14 to May 2. Nova Scotia artist Wilma Needham
Alanna Baird’s Plenty of Fish, along with Needham’s Souvenir, is on display at the UNB Art Centre. Karsten Saunders / The Brunswickan will bring her exhibit Souvenir to the UNB Art Centre from a recent showing at the Dalhousie Art Gallery in Halifax. The exhibit provides multiple perspectives on Niagara Falls through a selection of photos, mixed media and new media, and aims to engage viewers in an examination of environmental, political and social issues that have played out around the falls.
“Individual parts of the exhibit speak about the emotional and visceral experience of this powerful place but also about the history and social relations that develop around such a phenomenon,” said Needham, who is a native of Niagara Falls, Ont. “Having experienced World Dater Day every day of my growing up life, I have known the wide implications of disrespecting and working care-
Guitar show with a twist Kevin Lemiuex The Brunswickan Memorial Hall will be hosting a guitar jam on March 12, but you won’t be hearing “Wagon Wheel” or any other classic campfire songs. Steven Peacock and Gerry van Wart are a duo of classical guitarists who are always busy. With the release of their upcoming album, entitled Luminosa, this is an opportunity for them to show their variety of music, ranging from baroque to 20th century works. “Of course we will be playing contemporary South American stuff but then because of the new CD, we find the music quite affirming,” said Peacock.
“We found we could get that type of sound from different areas too, so we will play a baroque piece, some folk pieces and a couple of our own arrangements of Irish songs.” The free show is put on by the Arts Centre at Memorial Hall as part of their Music on the Hill series. Peacock was once a music and English professor at UNB. He has now recently moved up the hill to St. Thomas, where he teaches in the fine arts department. Peacock loves collaborating with artists like van Wart. “Collaborating with another classical guitar, there’s a lot of independence and freedom. We both get to be soloistic, but at the same time we’re
part of a duo. Two guitars can play twice as many notes, we can extend the range.” Peacock thinks it’s important for students and the public to come out to shows like this around campus. “They’ll be captivated. We have two guitars playing at the same time. It’s a chance to hear slightly more orchestral textures,” he said. “Mem Hall is a great place to play acoustically; the
colors and the frequencies go out quite nicely. They get to see a great variety.” Varieties for Two Guitars takes place at Memorial Hall on Wednesday March 12 at 12:30 p.m. Peacock promises you’ll be out within 50 minutes.
fully with such a vital element of our environment. My work gives a very personal perspective on this.” Baird and Needham’s exhibits will be on display from March 14 until May 2 at the UNB Art Centre at Memorial Hall. The galleries are open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays and for special events. Admission is free.
10 • March 12, 2014 • Issue 23 • Volume 147
Imaginary games, real art
BRUNSWICKANARTS
Marc Gagnon Staff Reporter To Sarah Petite, games aren’t just entertainment – they’re art. In her new exhibition at the Charlotte Street Arts Centre, Game Theory, Petite has taken familiar board games – checkers, chess, backgammon – and turned them into striking pieces that seem drawn from the fevered mind of an insane mathematician. Painted on wood with encaustic (hot wax) paint, the works in Game Theory take the motifs & geometric shapes of board games and radically deconstruct them, using vivid colours and roughhewn strokes to focus on the clash between order and imagination. Feeling like a collection of century-old relics pulled out of a grandparent’s attic, the exhibit contains everything from slabs of wood that resemble cave paintings to pieces that have a 3D isometric effect like Q-Bert on acid. Fredericton-based Petite says that the inspiration for the show came from her lifelong love of board games and abstract expressionism, and her desire to integrate the two. “If I look back in my journals I’ll see the phrase ‘imaginary games’ popping up,” she said. “When you’re working on an abstract painting, you’re playing chess against yourself. Every time there’s a move in the game, it realigns things. It makes things more complicated, and you try to work towards this balanced
Karsten Saunders / The Brunswickan image of the final painting. So the games and the abstract painting and the encaustic all finally came together.” Petite has been using encaustic for 25 years of her 30-year career. A tricky medium to handle which requires a complex heating rig to keep liquefied, she claims that encaustic gives a unique effect that no other paint can. “The fellows in New York, the abstract expressionists, experimented with it,” Petite explained.
“You can do all kind of things like paint on a thick layer, dig into it, fill it with another color, take a scraper and scrape it off. There’s all kinds of variations on that particular technique.” While the title of the exhibition might make you think otherwise, Petit claims that she doesn’t actually understand the concept of mathematical game theory. “I have to confess it’s probably just a nod, because I don’t have the brainpower to do that,” she said, laughing.
Petite went on to say that while the finer details of math might elude her, she did integrate some notable aspects of game theory into her show, such as the famous prisoner’s dilemma. Ultimately for Petite, the appeal lies in the interplay between knowledge and artistic interpretation. “I see artists as kind of amateur experts. You read about something, it fascinates you, you distill it down and it comes out in your art. So it’s a kind
of communication of your wonder and fascination.” Petite said that while she’s been working on Game Theory for at least three years, she still has more pieces waiting to surface. “I’m still thinking on the next thing I want to do. I’m thinking about fractals . . . I might be getting in too deep.” Game Theory, at the Charlotte Street Arts Centre’s Glencross Gallery, runs until April 14, 2014.
BRUNSWICKANARTS
March 12, 2014 • Issue 23 • Volume 147 • 11
Songs of the week.
by Sebastian Maynard
M83 – I Need You
WEDNESDAY, MAR. 12
March 11 will see the release of the soundtrack to the upcoming film Divergent. A$AP Rocky, Skrillex, Kendrick Lamar and Tame Impala are all set to be featured on the album, as well as M83, with their track “I Need You.” The song starts off soft, with vocal distortions more similar to what Bon Iver has been doing lately than to recent M83 tracks. The track soon crescendos into a dramatic second half, even featuring a saxophone solo. This isn’t the first time M83 has helped scour a film, as they also composed the soundtrack for 2013’s Oblivion.
Varieties for Two Guitars performance by Steven Peacock and Gerry van Wart. 12:30 p.m. at Memorial Hall, UNB campus. Free. Check out the article by Kevin Lemieux in this week’s issue!
THURSDAY, MAR. 13 International Women’s Day Snack ‘n’ Chat. 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. at the University Women’s Centre. Bread & Roses with the Alex Bailey Swing Band. 7 p.m. at Connexion ARC, 440 York St. $10.
Rick Ross – Sanctified (feat. Big Sean and Kanye West) When Kanye West released his latest album, Yeezus, a common knock on it was that people wanted his old music, with the soul samples and laidback melodies of his early work. Rick Ross’s “Sanctified” might be as close as Kanye will come to that. With Betty White providing a screeching harmony, the song is more reminiscent of “Otis” or something off Cruel Summer. The song itself is one of the best from Ross’s recently released Mastermind, with Kanye even addressing people’s problems with his new music (“when Ali turn up and be Ali, you can’t ever change that n**** back to Cassius”) and Ross doing his best drug dealer stunting (“soldiers all in gators, new Mercedes for cadets”). Overall, though, it is the beat that steals the show.
The Cross And The Closet presentation. 7 p.m. at Brian Mulroney Hall, STU campus. Free. Check out the article by Tess Allen in this week’s issue!
FRIDAY, MAR. 14 World Water Day at the UNB Art Centre, with artists Wilma Neeham and Alanna Baird. 5 p.m. at Memorial Hall, UNB campus. Free. Check out the article by Tess Allen in this week’s issue!
Smoke DZA – Hearses (feat. Ab-Soul)
Cinema Politica presents Carré rouge sur fond noir. 7 p.m. at the Conserver House, 180 St. John St. By donation.
On April 1, Smoke DZA will be self-releasing Dream.ZONE.Achieve. When speaking about his decision not to go with a record label, DZA explained that he wanted to make sure that “you, the kid somewhere, that kid anywhere, is getting it how I want you to get it.” With that we have a song off the upcoming release, featuring TDE’s Ab-Soul. The track has the two MCs “giving out hearses,” with Soul singing a catchy chorus and both rappers delivering impressive verses over a smooth DJ Dahi production.
SATURDAY, MAR. 15 Kate Leth signing Adventure Time. 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Strange Adventures, 68 York St. UNB Relay for Life. 12 p.m. to 12 a.m. Lady Beaverbrook gym, UNB campus.
Dear
SUNDAY, MAR. 16
Ari.
Donna Washington – Storyteller. 2 p.m. at the Fredericton Playhouse. $15.
MONDAY, MAR. 17 Monday Night Film Series presents Le Weekend. 7:30 p.m. at Tilley Hall, UNB campus. $7.
If you have a question for Dear Ari, email Arts@thebruns.ca with the subject line “Dear Ari,” or tweet her @AskDearAri
Dear Ari, I have a co-worker who doesn’t do his fair share of work, and it bothers me because I actually give a shit about my job. I can’t talk to my boss about it though because he adores this co-worker. How do I stop this from driving me crazy? Sincerely, Frustrated Frank Dear Frustrated, While it can be extremely difficult to ignore when a co-worker doesn’t seem to be pulling their weight the way you are, you need to make sure that your focus stays on yourself. You can only control what you yourself do, and so it’s not exactly your place
to determine whether or not your co-worker cares about their job. That being said, if you have specific evidence of your co-worker performing poorly, you can bring that to the attention of your superiors. W here you feel u ncomfor table speaking directly with your boss about the issue, if you have a supervisor or manager who works “below” your boss you may want to approach them first. Consider the fact that your boss may have a faulty idea of who exactly your co-worker is. As front-line staff, you have a different perspective and different circumstances in which you deal with this person as compared to your boss. They may actually
appreciate your point of view if you bring something to their attention of which they had been unaware. You should attempt to stay neutral, and let your professional evaluation of your co-worker have more resonance than your own personal opinion. Shifting your focus back onto yourself and putting your energy and effort into your own performance will ultimately benefit you much more than allowing your co-worker to drive you crazy. Don’t let your co-worker have that much power over you. At the end of the day, you only have yourself to worry about. Affectionately, Ari
HAVE AN EVENT THAT YOU’D LIKE ADDED TO THE ARTS CALENDAR? EMAIL ARTS@THEBRUNS.CA OR CALL THE OFFICE AT 506.447.3388
March 12, 2014 • Issue 23 • Volume 147 • 12
THE BRUNS
SPORTS sports@thebruns.ca
V-Reds veteran wrestler Shawn Daye-Finley (top) glances up at the scoreboard as he takes down Connor Hodgins of the University of Calgary in the 76kg gold medal match. Sarah Badibanga / The Brunswickan
Daye-Finley golden again at CIS nationals Lee Thomas Arts Editor The Canadian Interuniversity Sport Championship was a mixed bag for the UNB wrestling team at the Currie Center two weeks ago. Three V-Reds wrestlers withdrew on Day 1 due to injuries which quickly ended any hope for a team title. Brock University swept both the men’s and women’s team titles, but head coach Don Ryan said if UNB didn’t have so many injuries so early in the tournament, the men’s team could have possibly finished second in the rankings. Despite their team’s woes, the VReds did manage to claim two medals
at the tournament: a bronze for rookie Allyssa Cleaves and gold for fifth-year veteran Shawn Daye-Finley. “I’m happy [with] the athletes who won [a] medal,” said Ryan. “We came in here with higher expectations, and the results at the end of the day weren’t what we expected.” Ryan also said the tournament is very emotional. “The highs are high and the lows are low,” he said. “Some of the athletes who win aren’t expected to win, and some of the athletes who are expected to win don’t do as well, but that’s why we compete in the sport.” Daye-Finley concluded his final year of CIS competition on a high note, winning a gold medal in the 76 kilo
PANEL
THEY KNOW WHAT’S UP
division against Connor Hodgins from the University of Calgary. “I came out here to win, nothing else seemed acceptable,” said Daye-Finley. “I probably could have wrestled a better final, but I played it safe and just did what I had to do to get the job done.” The Dartmouth native is in his first year of a Master’s degree in sport and exercise science. He’s wrestled for UNB for six years, and plans to remain with the team as he trains to qualify for the 2016 Summer Olympics. Daye-Finley credits his success to his family, coach Ryan and his pretournament ritual. “Every tournament I have in New Brunswick, I make a point of getting a hotel room and treating it just like any
other tournament on the road and my family helps to provide that,” he said. “I definitely look to my mother. She was a single mother growing up and paid for me to go on all those trips before I was fortunate enough to have funding from the university.” But Daye-Finley wasn’t the only V-Red to medal at the championships. Allyssa Cleaves is a rising star on the women’s team, winning bronze in the 51 kilo division in her first year of CIS competition. The second-year civil engineering student transferred from Brock last year, but didn’t intend to wrestle at UNB. “After having that much time off [from wrestling], I just started to miss it again and I was ready to get back on the
mat,” said Cleaves. “Still, coming back into it I wasn’t sure how competitive I wanted to go . . . but as the season went on and I was continuing to go along with the training and everything, and I decided I did want to do CIS and Junior Nationals.” She credits her success at the tournament to her decision to wrestle in a higher weight category. “I normally cut to 48 kilos, but we decided I would go 51 . . . I was intimidated about that because I normally wrestle 48 so it was a little bit out of my comfort zone,” she said. “But just the fact I wasn’t cutting weight, I was
SEE WRESTLING PAGE 15
What was the best game, of any sport at UNB, to watch this season? cellarpub.ca
Bronté James
Nick Murray
Easily the men’s soccer team’s bronze medal game at CIS. Not only did every game go into OT, and two into a shootout, but the anticipation to place top in the country on home turf, well, you definitely felt the pressure. That was probably one of the more stressful and exciting games I’ve covered this year.
I’m going to go back to November to the men’s soccer team’s CIS bronze medal win over the York Lions. Three games in a row they went to doubleovertime, and this time UNB won in penalty kicks after losing by the same fashion the night before.
Sports Editor
Editor-in-Chief
Andrew Martel Business Manager
I’d have to say the early November match for men’s basketball between UNB and UPEI where Javon Masters went on to put up 44 points. He started the rest of the month raking up games with 25 to 42 points. Though it was an amazing season for Masters and the team, that 44-point game against UPEI has to stand out for the V-Red nation.
Peter Ryan Sports Fan
The best game of the year by far, was the men’s first basketball game of the AUS Championships against X. I know it was a loss, but they showed the most heart and determination I saw out of them all season, and definitely made a statement for future years to come in the Metro Centre.
BRUNSWICKANSPORTS
March 12, 2014 • Issue 23 • Volume 147 • 13
Something worth dying for | One step at a time Scott Hems The Brunswickan
Running a marathon can be emotionally rewarding. jop.ct / FlickrCC
It took 24 years of hell to understand. Even if it killed me, it became an obsession to pursue the goal which I was born to succeed. My dream outweighed my doubts, and I stepped towards something I owed my younger, overweight and depressed self. One day, you will live a dream worth every minute of your life - it’s why you were born. Every dream is entirely possible, and I needed to prove that. I wanted to run a full 42.2 kilometer marathon, despite never running more than 12 km at a time. My doctor not only believed I couldn’t do it, but apparently my life was partially at risk by doing this. I’ve never spoken of that until now. If you find something you are willing to die for, you know the quality of life. For 70 days, all I thought about was the finish line. It was more than weight loss, or just proving everyone wrong – the ones who spat in my face. It was a responsibility. No one was going to do this for me. I ran the longest miles of my life, melting the weight off. I couldn’t fail this time, despite the death I felt with each step. My body was tortured, people were malicious to me and yet courage
Inner peace and outer strength Kenya Marcelline The Brunswickan Deep breaths fill the lungs as yoga enthusiasts inhale the brisk air, and slow exhales lead to automatic relaxation. Muscles relax, and the mind takes a plunge into a deeper realm. A feeling of vibrancy flows through the body, and a revival of energy is found. This is a feeling Rachel Barrett experiences more often than others. Barrett is an avid yoga enthusiast, and is also a yoga instructor at Moksha Yoga on King Street and at UNB, and holds classes for kids throughout the community. But she hasn’t always felt a connection with her mind and body. “When I initially started practicing yoga I was overweight and uninspired,” she said. “Each and every time I stepped onto my mat I felt increasingly more peaceful and connected to my inner truth.” Barrett has remained in control of her mind and body over these past couple of years and has changed herself for the better. Growing up, she discovered she had scoliosis in two places of her spine and she has fused vertebrae, which caused her an extreme amount of discomfort. She had very limited mobility and aggravated pain often. All these problems, not to mention the many psychological limitations she faced when she was younger. Being overweight, Barrett felt her body couldn’t do what others could. “A consistent yoga practice enabled me to touch my toes for the first time in my life and complete many half and full marathons,” she said. “The physical experience of change cultivated the understanding that mind and body are always in a state of transformation – whatever I believe to be possible, is.” To her, yoga is the connection to all
Though sometimes painful, yoga can actually help you relax. Kenya Marcelline / The Brunswickan life. It really doesn’t matter how flexible Maintaining a clean diet with an exone is, and if they can physically hold a cessive amount of dark chocolate has pose, but it’s the practice of setting all also helped her feel much more at ease attention to the present moment. with her body. “My passion is to demonstrate Her progress helps her feel more through my life that yoga is everything. present in her life, eat cleaner foods and Yoga is the awareness you bring into stay away from foods that don’t agree your life as it is happening,” said Bar- with her – but she always has time for rett. “Yoga is how you listen and what a lot of dark chocolate. you hear, yoga is noticing how it feels “The biggest thing I would say yoga to see others with love, yoga is the has taught me is that there is always refinement of the senses or the way in more room to love, always more space which we relate with ourselves and the to grow, always another opportunity world around us.” to practice kindness, and the world She encourages her students to take needs it,” she said. “When we leave normal yoga practices into the real to love ourselves fully, completely and world. without conditions the way in which “What use is the peace and loving we come to our friendships, our work, kindness you feel on your mat if the mo- our relationships, everything changes.” ment you leave you dive immediately Barrett has learned through the back into action/reaction judgment practice, “The most important thing I mode?” take from yoga is how my body is always Yoga has taught her to always be true teaching my mind how possibility is to herself, honour her body and listen infinite. Today’s courage is tomorrow’s to her heart while letting go of the strength.” concern of other people’s viewpoints.
existed. I received messages from strangers begging me to run this marathon. People had read about me losing 100 pounds, and said they needed me to do this for them. People with obesity, heart problems, or who simply believed they couldn’t do it were messaging me. Emotion overtook my training. It was much more than a marathon at this point. In those months, I was harassed, contemplated suicide once more, and had my heart broken yet again. I was spat on, laughed at, mocked, tormented, doubted and I even quit at one point. And damn if it wasn’t the best time of my life. For every doubt I had, there was a small voice deep in my mind saying I couldn’t quit. The voice in your heart is more powerful then the one laughing in your face. I was down 114 pounds overall in the weeks prior. I couldn’t walk most days, and the map of the marathon course cost me a perfectly good set of pants. Losing count of how many times I crossed the walking bridge to a dying sunset over the Fredericton skyline, I found the belief I was willing to die for. For my final run, I went back to where it all went wrong for me. During my first ever attempt at a long run, a car of teens pulled over to harass me. I cried my way home and attempted to
take my life once more. Now here I was, 114 pounds lighter, with less than 2 km in my final run of marathon training. Within 500 meters of the exact spot it happened: someone pulled over to throw garbage at me. In a weird way, I needed that. It reminded me why I was doing this. Pursuing a dream means overcoming a lot more than a few simple minds. I approached the start line more terrified than I had ever been. The moment had come. So much was riding on these next few hours. I had no idea I had already won, regardless of how the next 26 miles went. There is much more to life than adversity. We were born incredible. We just focus so much on the end result we overlook what it takes to get there. So much pain was about to happen to me. But for the first time I was not only ready, but knew the quality of life was worth dying for. “In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure.” – Bill Cosby And in case you think about giving up, here is another piece of motivation. “The only thing that stands between you and your dream is the will to try and the belief that it is actually possible” – Joel Brown.
BRUNSWICKANSPORTS
14 • March 12, 2014 • Issue 23 • Volume 147
THEBRUNS.CA
The final whistle for women’s basketball Bronte James Sports Editor The Varsity Reds women weren’t able to make the top six spots for the Atlantic University Sport (AUS) finals, and so they finished their season with their 58-49 loss to the St. Francis Xavier X-Women. It wasn’t their only loss of the season. The women finished the year with a 5-15 record and had no winning game streaks. This year was an improvement, however, over their staggering record last season of two wins and a high of 18 losses – their only two victories over Cape Breton University (CBU) and the University of Prince Edward Island
(UPEI). Both wins were at home. But the trouble started from the very beginning when to-be third-year Claire Colborne quit the team before the regular season began. In an article in the Daily Gleaner by Bill Hunt, Colborne is quoted saying she “was not happy with basketball and [hasn’t] been happy for a while.” Colborne had gone through the pre-season training and games, but neither head coach Jeff Speedy or her teammates knew she was leaving. It wasn’t all bad though, as they were able to defeat each team at least once – taking two wins over CBU and Acadia and one win over UPEI and Dalhousie. Against the Axewomen first year Awo Farah was five-for-five in her free
throws, assisting in the 85.7 percentage in free throws of the game. Katelyn Mangold gave her team 15 points and teammate Rachel Cleary was close behind with 12 of her own. Twenty days later, against the CBU Capers, Farah led her team with 12 points and Cleary was in second with 10 points. The women were able to improve their record, winning three more games this season than last, but it’s just the beginning. They need to put up a strong defence to keep leads as well as put more in the net to help take the lead. If they keep improving at the rate they are, a few seasons from now they will be a real threat in the AUS league.
The men’s basketball team lost a heartbreaker to StFX in the AUS quarterfinals. Alex Walsh / The Brunswickan
Men’s basketball team fall in AUS playoffs Bronte James Sports Editor The Varsity Reds went 10 for 10 this season, topping their 7-13 record last season. Missing Atlantic University Sport (AUS) playoffs last season, the men snagged fifth place in the top six standings and met with Acadia, Saint Mary’s, UPEI, StFX and Cape Breton for the Atlantic title. They were unable to move past the first day, falling to the St. Francis Xavier (StFX) University X-Men 89-88 at the Metro Centre in Halifax, N.S. The X-Men trailed the Reds for the first half, but Will McFee and StFX’s
Julius Antoine went back and forth with three-pointers, ending the third. Antoine led his team in points, getting the game high for the X-men with 22 points. With only 0.4 seconds left in the fourth quarter, V-Reds’ Ryan Smith was able to draw a foul and was on the free throw line with two points to tie the game and pushed it to overtime. Smith would only hit one of his free throws and the X-men would take the game 89-88, ending the Reds’ season in the first game of the playoffs. Masters had a game-high 25 points and teammate Will McFee added 18 points, while Daniel Quirion added 13 and Ryan Smith scored 10.
Despite the one-point loss, first-year Javon Masters received Rookie of the Year award, second team All-Canadian as well as a spot in the first team all-star – the only V-Red to take away an award this weekend. He also leads the CIS in point scoring. The men played StFX on Feb. 8 and Feb. 22, losing their first game 81-66 and winning the second one 91-78, meaning the AUS game could have been anyone’s. Overall, the men were only able to take a two-game winning streak during the regular season. Their home stats were 6-3, proving to play better with the home court advantage as they only had a 4-7 average away.
BRUNSWICKANSPORTS
Pickard-Tattrie is taking off for Thailand
FROM WRESTLING PAGE 12 stronger and healthy and I could wrestle the way I normally do at any practice.” The tournament was one of the first major university competitions to operate under the new wrestling rules, which changed the scoring system as well as the length of rounds. Instead of three two-minute rounds per match, there are now two threeminute rounds. Ryan said that the new rules affected the outcome of the tournament for many athletes. “[With the new rules], your conditioning has to be a lot better . . . We saw this over the weekend: near the end of each round, people lost matches because the fitness wasn’t there,” said Ryan. “And you have to actually wrestle, whereas before the rules allowed for a lot of stalling and going to clinches.” Ryan added the new rules also make the sport more spectatorfriendly. “We’re seeing higher scores because people are actually wrestling a lot more, so it’s a lot more exciting. Before 1-0 you could win a match, or a 1-1 tie, and now there’s like 18-16 scores.” Ryan also said it’s a lot more fanfriendly and easier to understand, making it a lot more exciting. Daye-Finley encourages anyone thinking about joining the UNB team to give it a shot. “[Wrestling is] the one sport that I’ve ever played that what you put into it is what you get out of it,” said DayeFinley. “There are many other sports where that’s not the case, sometimes the scout doesn’t see you, and if you don’t get that break you don’t make it. So I’d like to encourage just anyone to try it, and to try to have fun doing it.” In addition to Cleaves and DayeFinley, the final results of the tournament saw UNB athlete Amanda Eng place 7th in the 48 kg division, Brittany Dillman place 6th in the 55kg division, Mario Tran place 6th in the 54 kg division, David Gillis place 6th in the 57 kg division, Vincent Cormier place 7th in the 61 kg division, Erik Joy place 6th in the 65 kg division, Jordan Townsend place 8th in the 68 kg division, Sean Isnor place 7th in the 72 kg division, Grayson St. Laurent place 4th in the 82 kg division, Alex Thomas place 4th in the 90 kg division, and CJ Thoms place 7th in the 130 kg division. The Black Bears Wrestling Club will be heading to Edmonton for Junior and Senior Nationals March 20 – 23.
March 12, 2014 • Issue 23 • Volume 147 • 15
Bronte James Sports Editor Three of UNB’s students are heading to Bangkok, Thailand for the Right to Play (RTP) Global Youth Summit. First year track and field and cross country sprinter Aly Pickard-Tattrie is one of those three. “I am really excited,” she said. “This is something that I’ve always really wanted to do.” The Global Youth Summit is a leadership conference which hosts about 50 delegates – 30 of which are Canadian – as well as 20 youth from RTP programs in Asia, and representatives of RTP national offices. The conference works with RTP, which is a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing sports to those who cannot afford it on their own. “Play is NOT a luxury,” says the mission statement on the RTP website. “It is a tool for education and health . . . a game of football can teach children about tolerance and peace, and a game of tag can teach about malaria. Play helps teach important life lessons and develop skills like cooperation, leadership and teamwork.” Their slogan is “when children play, the world wins.” The program started in 1994 as “Olympic Aid” in Lillehammer, Norway, at the winter Olympics, and was only extended to Thailand in 2006. “Sports was a big thing to me growing up, I played a lot of them and I know that they can teach you
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life skills,” Pickard-Tattrie said. “So to be able to use those to teach kids who don’t necessarily get to play in their developing countries, it’s just something that I felt was really important.” Pickard-Tattrie is only in her first year at UNB. A Varsity Reds member, she is heavily involved with RTP UNB. She is also a part of Habitat for Humanity Fredericton and a first year representative for Bridges House. She went to the first RTP meeting to see what it was all about and decided it was something she really wanted to become involved in. “Our varsity athletes are very involved in our Right to Play organization, so it’s very much promoted for us to get involved,” she said. She went through the application process, had her interview and was one of the 30 Canadian delegates chosen. Vaccinations and seminars on what to expect, what their roles are and other details of the trip come later on in the year, but what Pickard-Tattrie and the other delegates need to focus on is individually raising $3000 before they leave – giving UNB representatives a grand total of $9000. Acting as a coach for her high school’s track team, she is used to the leadership role. The kinesiology student used to be the running track coach at her high school, North Colchester High in Nova Scotia, as well as an athlete herself, focusing on the 100 metre and 200 metre races. “I was a coach and a participant, so it
was interesting coming here and finally getting that coaching, instead of having to coach myself.” She said it was definitely interesting, but hard at times. “I actually found when we went to our first meet, I was more nervous for my kids to run than I was about myself,” she said. Pickard-Tattrie said she is looking forward to going to Thailand for RTP, but isn’t looking forward to the exhausting trip. “It’s going to be a very exhausting trip because I move back into residence the day that I get back,” she said. “Two days of travel, six days there and you’re going half way around the world.”
The RTP program has helped more than 56,000 children and youth, with a participation rate of over 45 per cent females and over 1,000 coaches. UNB holds various fundraisers throughout the year including coaches going barefoot during games to raise awareness, flag football tournaments and other events. “Right to Play’s mission is to use sport and play to educate and empower children and youth to overcome the effects of poverty, conflict, and disease in disadvantaged communities,” according to their website.
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