The Argosy, March 20 2014

Mount Allison’s

THE March 20, 2014

ARGOSY Independent Student Newspaper

Amused by the word ‘bonspiel’ since 1872

Vol. 143 Iss. 18

Mount Allison University’s Salsa Dance Society perform at the MOSAIC banquet. Other performances at the banquet included Highland dancing and singing. (Anna Gores/Submitted)

MOSAIC banquet celebrates diversity

Mount Allison University’s studentled Multicultural Organization and Social Arena for International Cooperation (MOSAIC) hosted their fourth annual banquet at Jennings Dining Hall last Saturday.

The 200 attendees enjoyed student performances and a menu showcasing foods from around the world.

MOSAIC is run by an eight-person executive including international and Canadian students. According to the group’s Facebook page they aim to “[bridge] the gap between students from different cultures and [promote] multiculturalism at Mount Allison University.” MOSAIC has hosted the banquet every year since its formation four years ago.

MOSAIC president Kelly Yoo said

planning for this year’s banquet began in December. “[Preparation] takes quite a long time,” she said.

The menu is drawn up by MOSAIC and passed on to staff workers at Jennings, who give the executive a price. Planning continues until the night of the banquet when student volunteers arrive at Jennings to cook. “[T]hey will have all the ingredients that we ordered ready,” Yoo said.

Although often students do most of the work, this year Yoo said meal hall staff “took care of eighty to ninety per cent of preparation.”

The event featured a variety of performances. Mt. A’s Salsa Dance Society demonstrated a variety of their favourite styles, and Susan Parker performed a traditional Highland dance. Ayana Kawada and MASSIE student Hibiki Okajima also performed a song in Japanese.

In addition, two students were given the Class of ‘33 Award. The award is presented to two returning international students who have “enriched the university community through participation and leadership in campus life, and promotion of cultural diversity and understanding.”

Mt. A Vice-President International and Student Affairs Ron Byrne

presented the award to Rayan Bouhlel from Tunisia and Patricia Lawrenz from the United States.

The event also featured multiculturalism-related trivia questions and a video prepared

by MOSAIC in which a number of students explained what multiculturalism meant to them.

Manaal Farooqi, MOSAIC secretary, said that the event demonstrated that “food is a great catalyst for great discussion.” Farooqi was also one of two MCs for the evening, along with Angad Singh Dhillon.

Farooqi said a number of sponsors helped MOSAIC cover the cost of the event, including the CampbellVerduyn Family, Ron and Anne Byrne, Adam Christie, Sassy’s, Jack’s Pizza and the Mount Allison Students’ Union.

The event appealed to a wide range of people, with attendees of diverse ages and backgrounds. The event may have been particularly attractive to local families, as MOSAIC offered free tickets to children under five.

Farooqi and Yoo said that they do not specifically target members of the wider Sackville community. “It happens naturally,” Farooqi said.

News

Opinions

Entertainment

Guests enjoy food from around the world at Jennings Miriam Namakanda News Writer

Bigelow renovations continue: Pg. 8

Gunn looks at recent student protest: Pg. 5

Haligonians invade the Legion: Pg. 8

Guests were encouraged to wear traditional clothes. (Anna Gores/Submitted)

Arts & Literature Inside...

Swing Society’s annual show: Pg. 12

News Ship’s Log Opinions Science Centrefold Entertainment Sports Arts & Literature Pg. Humour

2 4 5 6 8 10 12 13 915

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NOBODY SHOWS UP TO HEAR ISRAELI HUMANITARIAN Poor turnout for event attributed to timing

NEWS

March 20, 2014

argosy@mta.ca

More renovations underway for Bigelow House

Residence to reopen for students in September Miriam Namakanda News Writer

Bigelow House is slated to become one of the most comfortable residences on campus. After extensive renovations, the residence will be open for students again this fall.

Michelle Strain, director of administrative services at Mount Allison University, said that the renovations were a result of continuous feedback from students who said they wanted more single en suite rooms in residence. As a result of having more ‘super singles’, Bigelow will go from housing 108 to eighty-four students.

Each room will come equipped with a microwave, mini fridge, built-in closet, and desk. Strain said students “really liked the [Campbell Hall] layout,” and described the renovated Bigelow as a “miniCampbell.”

The renovations will also include an overhaul of “plumbing, electrical, mechanical, ventilation, heating and

Bigelow will be under renovation until mid-Augsut. (Chris Donovan/Argosy) fire safety systems,” Strain said in an interview with The Argosy.

The house will also feature some gender neutral bathrooms like those

UNB cuts Bathurst nursing program Program to close with class of 2017 Nick Murray

The Brunswickan FREDERICTON (CUP) — UNB’s Bathurst campus will flatline after 2017.

Last Monday the university informed nursing students in Bathurst that it was discontinuing the program after the class of 2017 graduates.

UNB’s Dean of Nursing Gail Storr said a big reason for scrapping the program was due to a lack instructors in clinical placements to accommodate the number of enrolled students.

“It’s become increasingly difficult to secure [clinical] sites for the number of students we have,” Storr said, adding that having the Bathurst campus compete for open placements with NBCC or the Moncton campus “doesn’t necessarily line up in the best way with the curriculum and what the learning needs are.”

Enrolment at the Bathurst campus is capped at twentysix students in each year

of study, but it had been a struggle to reach the mark.

Last year, only fourteen students were accepted; there are fifty-three more students their second to fourth years.

Another factor in the decision was that in negotiations with the regional health authority regarding student placements, a proposal was put forth in October for students to be bilingual.

“They backed down on the bilingual aspect,” Storr said, “but the latest thing that we have for them is that they wanted our students to understand French.”

While Storr assured financial reasons were not at all part of why the program is being shut down, the Bathurst program “has never been financially self-sustaining.”

While the university will certainly save money by discontinuing the Bathurst program, it’s unclear as to exactly how much.

Storr was unable to provide the operating costs of the Bathurst campus and was not prepared to discuss the finances surrounding it. A right to information request has been placed with the university secretariat for that information.

Read the full article online at thebruns.ca

of Hunton House, which Strain said were popular among Hunton residents.

It will also be the first on campus

house to feature exterior and interior access with university identity cards.

Enrolment at Mt. A fell by approximately 180 students this year.

When asked if this influenced the renovations Strain said, “our concern is filling the buildings,” adding that reducing the number of beds was necessary to make the building more attractive to students.

“This building will be sustainable,” Strain said.

Because first year students make up the majority of on-campus residents, declining enrolment has a significant impact on campus housing. As a result of recent changes moving the annual ‘room draw’ earlier in the year, more students are willing to stay on residence for a second year. Strain added that the house is already almost full of returning students for the 2014 Fall semester, who have claimed all the single en suites. A number of double rooms are yet to be filled by first-year students.

In the summer of 2015, more renovations will be made to create a “a glass atrium to connect Bennett and Bigelow Houses with floor lounges that will overlook the playing field,” said Strain. There is also a roof replacement in the works.

The cost of the current renovations will total over $3 million. Strain said the funds “come from the

accommodation fees paid by students living in residence,” adding that the costs of future expenses like the roof replacement will be tendered separately.

The contract for the renovations was awarded to Moncton-based Avondale Construction, who have worked with Mt. A before. “[W]e know them and are happy to have them back,” Strain said.

Students and staff received an email from Mt. A’s Director of Facilities Management, Rob MacCormack, on March 7 to notify them of the closure of the Hillcrest parking lot. The parking lot is located on the corner of Salem and York, behind the Observatory. Avondale Construction need access to the parking lot to store their materials and equipment, MacCormack said in the email.

The project is expected to end in mid-August, at which point the parking lot will re-open.

As for other residences, Strain said a new driveway similar to that of the Bigelow and Bennett Houses is planned for Hunton House to make move-in days easier. There are also plans in the works to create en suitestyle bathrooms in Windsor House.

With files from Christopher Balcom.

Award presented for cabin design Contestant donates prize to organizers Kevin Levangie

Political Beat Writer Sackville-based NGO Community Forests International (CFI) has found a winner for its ecocabin design contest. Nathan Fisher, an intern architect living in Toronto, designed the winning submission, and donated his $1,000 prize to CFI. The cabin will be built outside of Sussex, New Brunswick, as the first step in the construction of a “Rural Innovation Campus,” like the one CFI has already built in Tanzania.

CFI works primarily in Tanzania, aiming to reduce the effects of climate change, promote sustainability, and help Canadians and Tanzanians make a living with minimal environmental impact.

CFI Executive Director Jeff Schnurr said the idea to have a campus where environmentally friendly technologies could be tested came from seeing Tanzanian communities piloting green technologies CFI introduced.

“We came up with the idea to have a physical space, called a Rural Innovation

Nathan Fisher’s moveable cabin won CFI’s design contest and $1,000. (CFI/Submitted) Campus (RIC), where we want to bring all these technologies and kind of use the Silicon Valley concept of a tech accelerator where there’s mentoring, support, funding, resources,” Schnurr said.

The success of the Tanzanian campus lead CFI to construct a similar one in New Brunswick. Schnurr said, “[W]e decided we would take what we learned in Tanzania and try it here, which is kind of the opposite of how international work usual goes, but that is kind of our style.”

CFI purchased the land, Whaelghinbarn Farm, in 2012 in order to preserve the property that had been used for organic farming and restoration forestry for forty years. Schnurr added

that the design competition was seen as an opportunity to begin innovating before construction even began: “We thought, why don’t we start the innovation process with our accommodation?”

CFI decided to crowd source designs for the ecofriendly cabin. Fifty-seven submissions were made, with contributions from as far away as Japan, Poland, and Spain.

Fisher donated his winnings to CFI. In a CFI release on their website, he said, “As a designer I really appreciate the generous prize for competitions such as this one and the effort to find a sponsor.” Fisher continued, “I would, however, like to donate the entire amount to CFI. I was unaware of CFI’s initiatives until this

competition and have come to really appreciate the work that has been done and goals for the future.”

Fisher’s “Nomadic Cabin” design sleeps two to three people, is transportable, and is projected to cost between $6,600 and $8,500 to build. One of the contest’s judges, Craig Applegath, an architect, said of the cabin: “The Nomadic Cabin entry meets all of the competition requirements in spades. It is compact, easily constructed from local material, is easily movable, and is beautiful.”

Construction on the cabin will begin in the spring.

“We’re going to start as soon as the snow melts, and be done by the end of the summer,” Schnurr said.

The Argosy

www.argosy.ca

NEWS

Union’s future in question University of Windsor students reject executive Travis Fauteaux The Lance

WINDSOR, Ont. (CUP) — Outgoing executives for the University of Windsor Student Alliance (UWSA), representing over 10,000 full-time undergraduate students, are scrambling to make decisions that will determine the fate of the union after the 2014 General Elections resulted in a vacancy of all executive, board of directors, board of governors, and senate positions.

Just a week before voting began, a group of students concerned about the lack of involvement in the elections—in addition to concerns about the election process itself—began an online campaign to encourage students to vote “no” or “none of the above.”

By the time the polls opened, the group’s Facebook page had accumulated over 1,000 ‘likes.’

All executive candidates were running unopposed, and were all rejected by voters, raising concerns about what comes next.

UWSA president Rob Crawford said that there is work to do in the next month to ensure students are not dramatically affected in the fall. “[W]e’ve come to the conclusion that a lot of the operations that the UWSA does over the summer can be completed by our full-time staff,” Crawford said.

“It does mean that the work load is going to be a lot higher for them, but it doesn’t mean that we aren’t going to be able to put on a Welcome Week and continue to offer our health and dental plan, or the other services we offer,” Crawford said.

Adam Bednarick, the fourth-year student who founded the “None of the Above” campaign, said that he is expecting more work ahead, but he is proud of what has been accomplished.

“We’re going to make sure students’ voices are heard,” he said, adding that elections results were a surprise. “[W]e just were shocked at the level of impact that we had,”

Bednarick said.

Bednarick said his group will be digging into the by-laws looking for “weaknesses, irregularities, and any faults that may exist” to recommend changes.

At a UWSA Council meeting on Jan. 30, council approved a number of controversial revisions to election policy, including the recognition of slates.

Fourth-year student Jeff O’Brien had considered running for a position, but dropped out of the race when he realized the implication of running against a slate.

O’Brien said the only slate contesting the executive positions— Windsor United—had a platform that differed dramatically from his own. “I felt that even if I was successful in winning, I would be unable to accomplish what I actually want to do,” he explained.

“I think in the long run it could end up being a good thing for the University of Windsor,” Crawford said, adding that the success of the ‘no’ campaign could present “a chance for rebirth.”

Find a full, updated version of the article at uwindsorlance.ca.

Strike impacts student recruiters Email buddy program has yet to resume Kevin Levangie

Political Beat Writer Mount Allison’s faculty strike not only saw classes cancelled, but also disrupted routine tours for prospective students. Tours that were usually guided by a large pool of student guides were modified, and were instead run by a smaller, handpicked group of guides. The university’s email buddy program was also suspended for the duration of the strike, and relaunched Tuesday.

Cydney Kane, a member of the Email Buddy program, through which current Mount Allison students correspond with prospective students, said in an email Sunday that the mentor Email Buddies “were notified mid-strike [that] the program was postponed until the strike was over,” because they did not want the strike to be the focus of the communications. Kane added that “weeks after the strike, there is still no sign of the program starting again.”

“The admissions office is working to match up current students with future students this week,” said Mt. A Vice-President International and Student Affairs Ron Byrne. While the number of email buddies is lower than previous years, Byrne said “the program is active and we look forward to matching up current and future students.”

A student tour guide, who wished to remain anonymous, said that in preparation for the March 7 open house, guides were “told to skim over the entire issue of the strike, and try to avoid the topic altogether.”

3

This Week in the World Joanna Perkin

Small budget to stop terrorism

Kenya’s Anti-Terror Police Unit is working with a very small budget to stop a second Westgate Mall-style terrorist attack. The Associated Press is reporting that the anti-terror unit is operating on a shoe-string budget of $2,205 for January, February and March, a total of $735 a month. Sixty-seven people were killed when Nairobi’s Westgate Mall was attacked by Somali militants in September 2013. Many fear a similar attack will be attempted in the near future, and are concerned that the limited budget makes it hard for police to adequately prepare. President Kenyatta has pledged greater resources to police and military. He and his vice-president have taken twenty per cent pay cuts, and have urged other government officials to take pay cuts too. A Kenyan Member of Parliament earns $45,000 on average during a three month period.

A government spokesperson denied that the anti-terror unit was only given $2,205 this quarter, but did not provide alternate figures.

Malaysia Airplane still missing

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has said that the communications of a Malaysia Airlines plane that went missing over a week ago were deliberately disabled. According to satellite and radar evidence, the plane changed course after the communications system was disabled, and could have continued flying for up to seven hours. He did not openly say that it was a hijacking, but simply stated that they were looking into all possibilities. The plane had 239 people on board, two of whom had stolen passports. The foreign ministry of Malaysia has asked for the help of other twenty-five countries in locating the airplane. There were 153 Chinese citizens on board, thirty-eight Malaysians, along with citizens of Iran, Canada, the US, Indonesia, Australia, India, France, New Zealand, Ukraine, Russia, Taiwan, and the Netherlands.

Man fatally shoots his own son

A teacher will not be charged after fatally shooting his own fifteen-year old son.

Jeffrey Giuliano went outside his New Haven, Connecticut home in September 2012 when his sister called to say that someone was trying to break into her house next door. Giuliano saw a person he didn’t recognize who had a ski mask over his face, was dressed all in black and was manipulating the lock on the front door. Giuliano yelled at the boy to stop, and the boy supposedly growled in an aggressive tone. Giuliano noticed a small, metallic object in the person’s hand that was believed to be a knife or gun. Giuliano fired seven times at him, and later found out that it was his son who had suffered three gunshot wounds. The Associated Press reported that it is unknown why the boy was sneaking around at night with a roll of duct tape and a flip-style knife.

Six soldiers killed in Cairo

Tours for prospective students were slightly modified. (Carly MacDonald/Mt. A) The student showed The Argosy an email from Luke Dowling, the university’s campus liaison officer, sent to student tour guides on Feb. 12. The email stated that during the strike, the department was “using caution on how they approach recruiting and admission.”

It continued, saying that they “had been running modified tours since the MAFA strike began.”

Mount Allison Vice-President, Student Affairs Ron Byrne said that the decision to limit the pool of guides was made “trying to manage the human resources of the guides based on logistics.”

Byrne said the main qualities considered in determining which students were selected to give the tours were “availability,” and “historical reliability.”

Byrne said there were many prospective students who wanted to visit during the strike period, “so rather than [asking all of the guides] queries of ‘I’m available, I’m not available,’ [Dowling] made the decision to use that kind of logistical analysis to choose campus tour guides.”

Byrne said that thirty-four students usually give tours, but

would not confirm how many were temporarily off the job during the strike. “Those who gave tours included a wide range of students that represent a cross section of our university community,” he said.

Byrne said the tours continued almost as normal, with only minor changes: “There was no modification of the tours, per say, with the following two exceptions: We advised people to park at ThorntonEdwards, for the reason that it would be respectful for both parties, because we knew the picket lines would be there.” Guides met visitors in the parking lot and began the tours there.

“Normally we don’t greet the visitors at the parking lot, we normally have them come to us, but we decided it would be better practice for the duration of the strike, just to make sure people are feeling more comfortable,” said Byrne.

The other large change was that visiting students did not meet with professors as is often arranged under normal circumstances. “We normally try to book appointments with faculty, but this time we felt it might put faculty in an awkward position,” Byrne said.

Six Egyptian soldiers have been killed by gunmen at a checkpoint in Cairo, The BBC reported. Two bombs were also left behind by the attackers, but were diffused shortly after. This violence comes only two days after another soldier was shot dead in an attack on an army bus in Cairo. Hundreds of soldiers and police have been killed in numerous attacks by Islamist militants since the upsurge of violence after President Mohamed Morsi was overthrown by the military last July. The attack was carried out as the soldiers took part in their dawn prayers. The military has accused Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood of carrying out the attack, although the Brotherhood has denied these accusations and any involvement in violence, saying that it is committed to a peaceful campaign.

Self-harm more common in Canadian hospitals

Mental health services in Canada are under increasing strain as an alarming amount of teens are showing up at emergency rooms across the country with self-inflicted injuries or suicidal thoughts, The Canadian Press has reported. The Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario reports seeing twice as many teens for mental health purposes than they did just ten years ago. Wait times for outpatient services have grown to eight or ten months, and mental health providers are facing unprecedented workloads across Canada. Many specialists say that many youth who are seeking help for self-inflicted wounds do not have the hallmarks of a psychiatric disorder, which doctors say is very distressing, leaving them with no clear answers to why they are seeing an increasing number of teens with these kinds of injuries.

Corrections Richard Kent Editor-in-Chief

The Argosy misspelled Darrell Theriault’s name on multiple occasions, including the masthead and photo credits, in the March 13 edition.

The Argosy regrets this and other errors. Errors requiring correction should be emailed to Editor-in-Chief Richard Kent at argosy@mta.ca.

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SHIP’S LOG EVENTS Last Lecture

T h u r s d a y M a r. 2 0 , 7-10PM Bruntion Auditorium G r ad C l a s s E ve n t : Fo r m a l academic event for the grad class with a reception to follow in the lobby of t h e C o n s e r v a t o r y.

Film Society

T h u r s d a y M a r. 2 0 , 7 : 3 0 Vo g u e C i n e m a Fo l l ow i n g a f o u r ye a r separation, Ahmad returns t o P a r i s f r o m Te h r a n a t his Frenc h wif e Mar ie`s request, in order to finalize their divorce.

During h i s b r i e f s t a y, A h m a d discovers the conflicting nature of Marie`s relationship with her daughter Lucie. Ahmad`s efforts to improve this relationship soon unveil a secret from their past.

J e n n i f e r We l s h , P r e s i d e n t ’s S p e a k e r s

M o n d a y M a r. 2 4 , 7 - 9 P M University Chapel A Concert of Cantatas.

The Mount Allison choral groups will present Cantatas by composers Bach, Willan, and Raminsh. Mount Allison Choral Society and Elliott Chorale, directed by Gayle h Martin. University

EXCLUSIVE ARTICLES ONLINE Follow @The_Argosy and @argosynews for breaking news and MASU updates from news staff.

Chapel, 3pm. Admission is free, all are welcome t o a t t e n d . Fo r m o re information please e-mail music@mta.ca or call 506364-2374

Student Success Course

We d n e s d a y M a r . 2 6 , 6 - 9 PM Crabtree Auditorium The Student Success Course is designed to help build the research, writing, critical thinking, s t u d y, n o t e - t a k i n g , a n d time management skills that will help students succeed in their courses.

A RT S & M U S I C Bi-Annual Show and Sale

T h u r s d a y M a r. 2 0 - 2 1 , 1 0 5PM Tw e e d i e H a l l Come out and purchase or peruse the fine work the students in the Fine Arts Program.

Tintamarre Presents: V I LLAG ES

T h u r s d a y M a r. 2 0 - 2 2 , 2 6 , 8-10:30 PM Con Hall Tw o v i l l a g e s h a v e m a n y reasons for mistrusting e a c h o t h e r, b u t i t w i l l t a k e just one more crisis in

each place to bring them t o g e t h e r. W h a t l o w e r e d the water table on the island of Hurlevent?

And why is the mainland v i l l a g e o f Po r t - à - Pe t i t ( a k a Po r t a p i t y ) a b o u t t o flood?

Student Recital

S a t u r d a y M a r. 2 2 , 8 - 1 0 PM Brunton Auditorium Student Recital - Samara R i p l e y, s o p r a n o w i t h J o r d a n F i s h e r, p i a n o.

Brunton Auditorium, 8 pm. Admission is free, all a re we l c om e t o a t t e n d . Fo r more information contact the music Dept. at music@ mta.ca or call 364-2374

A Concert of Cantatas

S u n d a y M a r. 2 3 , 3 - 5 P M University Chapel A Concert of Cantatas.

The Mount Allison choral groups will present Cantatas by composers Bach, Willan, and Raminsh. Mount Allison Choral Society and Elliott Chorale, directed by Gayle h Martin. University Chapel, 3pm. Admission is free, all are welcome t o a t t e n d . Fo r m o re information please e-mail music@mta.ca or call 506364-2374

Collegium Musicum

We d n e s d a y M a r . 2 6 , 4 - 5 PM Brunton Auditorium Collegium Musicum - Pe r f o r m a n c e s by the students of the Department of Music.

Held weekly in Brunton Auditorium. 4 pm.

Admission is free, all a re we l c om e. Fo r m o re information please call the Department of Music at 364-2374 or email music@mta.ca

S oc & Psyc S ociet y Tr i v i a N i g h t

Thursday March 20, 9pm T h e Po n d

Tr e e o f L i f e Screening

Fr iday Marc h 21, 7pm Library Theatre

March 20, 2014

argosy@mta.ca

T h e M TA B i o S c i e n c e a n d Classic Film Societies are joining together to present a s c r e e n i n g o f Te r r e n c e M a l i c k ’ s T h e Tr e e o f L i f e .

Monomyth, The Mouth Breathers, and Nap Eyes

Tu e s d a y M a r c h 2 5 , 9 : 3 0 p m Join CHMA for a free s h o w a t t h e Po n d . D o n’t f o r g e t t h a t i t ’s a l s o Tw o o n i e Tu e s d a y.

Mokomokai, Greasebeast & Asian Dad Black Baby

We d n e s d a y M a r c h 2 6 , 10pm The Legion Get a little heavy on a We d n e s d a y n i g h t w i t h local favourites and Pe t e r b o ro u g h h e l l - r a i s e r s .

Call for Nominations

Crake-Sawdon Award for Outstanding Contributions to Student Journalism Value $1000.00 Applications/nominations must include the following: • A letter of application/nomination indicating contributions and qualities that merit consideration in the area of student journalism (one page maximum) • A list showing involvement in print journalism at Mount A • An unofficial copy of the nominee’s/applicant’s transcript Applicants or nominees must also arrange for two letters of reference to be sent to Dr. Owen Griffiths by the due date. At least one letter must be from a person familiar with the applicant’s/ nominee’s work in print journalism at Mount A. Applicants can include other relevant material if they so chose.

All materials must be submitted by April 4, 2014.

Completed applications should be submitted to Owen Griffiths, Department of History, Room 211, Hart Hall. Questions can be directed to: ogriffiths@mta.ca.

ONLINE:

The Argosy

www.argosy.ca

EXCLUSIVE ARTICLES ONLINE Follow @The_Argosy and @argosynews for breaking news and MASU updates from news staff.

Quebec has many pressing problems

The PQ is wrong to think language is one of them Tessa Dixon

The desire for acceptance is deeply rooted within human nature. Indeed, feelings of alienation are highly disarming and debilitating. So, what is a person to do when they feel unwanted by the province they call home?

April 7 will mark something far beyond a Quebec general election.

It could determine the direction of Quebec’s political and economic system, civil liberties, culture, and, most importantly, its place in relation to the rest of Canada.

Pauline Marois, the premier of Quebec and leader of the Parti Québécois (PQ), has long since held

the belief that Quebec will prosper economically and culturally from a separation from the rest of Canada. So what does this mean for Canadians— if Quebecers will still be allowed to call themselves that? It is not a simple division and distinction of a territory.

An individual’s identity and love for their country is not easily dissolved, nor should it be.

Let the identity crisis ensue.

It is clear that Marois’s hopes for a majority government are closely intertwined with a desire for a referendum on the separation of Quebec—no matter the disruption it will impose on the economy, the educational and health systems, employment, and industries.

According to Philippe Couillard, the leader of the Quebec Liberal Party, if a referendum were to pass, “the impact on the province would be harsh. It will severely, severely hurt Quebec for many, many, many years, economically.”

It is important to consider the international implications of

Quebec’s separation from Canada. To what extent will passports, borders, international agreements and alliances be affected?

Not helping tensions, The Office Québécois de la langue Français (OQLF), or the ‘Language Police’ as they are more commonly known, have recently been in attack mode.

Reminiscent of a dystopian society once depicted in George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, the PQ government is forcing the hand of many business owners—including encroaching on their social media pages—to eliminate any English from their menus, signage, and service.

Earlier this week, the OQLF confronted the owners of a gourmet salad restaurant in a predominately anglophone part of Montreal over their artwork. While ninety per cent of their restaurant features the French language, the OQLF was concerned with artwork on the walls that contained English words. According to the restaurant owners, “everything is a little bit scary and unstable in

Quebec right now. It is more of a fight against, do we leave? Do we stay? Are we made to feel comfortable? Are we encouraged as small businesses in Quebec to thrive or are we just made to feel uncomfortable?”

The notion that intelligent, entrepreneurial, and vibrant individuals are questioning their place in their own homes in fear of inadequacy is quite horrifying. The survival and success of any society lies within its future generations, and the PQ is edging them out.

It is highly unsettling how skewed the government’s priorities have become. After a string of highly politicized and publicized strikes, corruption charges lain against Montreal officials and the publication of a racially controversial charter of values—it is clear that Quebec is riddled with problems, and it is ludicrous that the government has chosen to fight the fire with language laws.

OPINIONS A RGOSY

THE

w w w. a r g o s y. c a

Independent Student Newspaper of Mount Allison University Thursday March 20, 2014 volume 143 issue 18 Since 1872 Circulation 1,700

62 York Street W. McCain Student Centre Mount Allison University Sackville, New Brunswick E4L 1E2

506 364 2236

THE ARGOSY is a member of the Canadian University Press, a national co-operative of student newspapers.

ISSN 0837-1024

The Underbridge Press is a student-run publishing organization at Mount Allison University.

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Richard Kent

Mt. A students show resolve where the MASU does not

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CIRCULATIONS

Megan Landry

On Friday, March 7, a group of students gathered in Gracie’s for a protest demanding a tuition rebate for the events of the strike. Even before the protest had begun, the student body was torn, with some supporting the action and others condemning it.

Indeed, the protest was probably the most controversial event on campus since the strike itself. The protest taking place on Mount Allison’s open house day may have potentially damaged the school’s reputation.

However, the most common criticism I heard about the event was that it was unnecessary, since the Mount Allison Students’ Unioin (MASU) had already submitted a proposal to the university on the issue. Some have even argued that the protest was damaging, insofar as it made the university even less likely to provide a tuition rebate to us ‘troublesome’ students.

I can understand the concerns about the open house, though I have heard that interactions between protestors and prospective students were generally amicable. Furthermore, I would personally prefer that anyone considering Mt. A was made aware of the strike and its aftermath so that they at least have a complete picture of the school. Since I somehow doubt the university was advertising that whole debacle, I have no qualms with protestors taking up the responsibility of information.

The other criticisms, however,

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MASU could learn a thing or two from student protest action at Mt. A. (Chris Donovan/Argosy) stray farther from the realm of credibility. First of all, the notion that the university would withhold a rebate simply to spite the protestors is more concerning than the actual protest. While I suppose it is possible, I’d honestly be more sickened with the administration in that case for engaging in such petty revenge politics than I would be disappointed in the protestors for ‘costing’ us a tuition rebate.

But was the protest necessary?

This is where things get a little more nebulous. The MASU did submit a proposal to the university regarding a tuition rebate, specifically advocating—much as the protestors did—that the approximately $850,000 of faculty wages saved during the strike should be distributed to students.

Much like the MASU’s response during the strike itself, I found this to

be a well-intentioned and beneficial step, but yet also found myself wanting something more. Their proposal struck me as a good start, but the fact that that was the extent of their visible effort was somewhat concerning.

After all, the MASU is an organization specifically designed to advocate for the interests of students.

A tuition rebate would have a concrete benefit for students, and it’s something in which a large portion of the student body is quite interested. There’s even a recent, very applicable precedent set by the three-week strike at the University of New Brunswick, where students were indeed given a rebate.

In light of this, I expected the MASU to be distinctly more passionate in their push for a tuition rebate. This is something their constituency wants—something many believe they deserve—and yet the

students’ union considered it sufficient to submit a modestly worded proposal and call it a day.

In this sense, I believe the protest was necessary in that it succeeded where the MASU failed: it showed that a non-trivial portion of the student body wants this tuition rebate, and that we are driven enough to fight for it. We’re not just going to submit a polite request and then demurely roll over if and when it’s rejected.

Regardless of whether we receive a rebate or not, it is important to demonstrate that the students are not simply resigning themselves to the will of the administration; many of us have passionate opinions, and we have a right to express them. Sadly, that’s something the MASU seems to have forgotten.

New Brunswick. The opinions expressed herein do not necessarily represent those of The Argosy’s staff or its Board of Directors. The Argosy is published weekly throughout the academic year by Argosy Publications Inc. Student contributions in the form of letters, articles, photography, graphic design and comics are welcome.

The Argosy reserves the right to edit or refuse all materials deemed sexist, racist, homophobic, or otherwise unfit for print, as determined by the Editor-in-Chief. Articles or other contributions can be sent to argosy@mta.ca or directly to a section editor. The Argosy will print unsolicited materials at its own discretion. Letters to the editor must be signed, though names may be withheld at the sender’s request and at The Argosy’s discretion. Anonymous letters will not be printed.

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All materials appearing in The Argosy bear the copyright of Argosy Publications, Inc. Material cannot be reprinted without the consent of the Editor-in-Chief.

SCIENCE

March 20, 2014

argosy@mta.ca

Mt. A student interns at Smithsonian Museum

Intership gives hands-on, world class experience Madison Downe

Online Editor

This reading week, I spent my time working as an intern at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. In a city full of fantastic (and free) museums, those associated with the Smithsonian are in a class of their own. From art galleries, to air and space museums, to zoos, these public spaces create widely accessible and beautifully crafted educational environments.

Behind the walls of the exhibits lining three stories of the Museum of Natural History are floors with offices, laboratories, scientists, libraries, and thousands, if not millions, of specimens. While I had just a small glimpse behind the scenes, I saw entire floors devoted to the study of minerals, anthropological objects from around the world,

and molecular laboratories decoding the mysteries of ancient organisms.

I spent my time in the Department of Botany.

Spanning two floors of the building, the herbarium at the museum is one of the largest in the world. The multitude of specimens in this department means that the vast majority of this information is not available to the general public.

I assisted the development of a database which will allow the distribution of informative scientific research, in this case the extensive collection of the botanist José Cuatrecasas.

His extensive photographs, spanning seventy years, are a valuable scientific and cultural resource that will soon reach a wider audience.

The Smithsonian Institution is one of the major scientific research organizations in the world with multiple research centres and a plethora of public museums and educational opportunities.

They offer more than 1,800 internships each year as well as research fellowships for a diverse range of projects.

Mount Allison students find plenty of unique spring

break opportunities, from organizations like Global Brigades to more typical beach vacations, but there are also options available for those looking to do a more educational work during the week. Programs exist for every possible interest and discipline as long as you are able to expand your search beyond your region or even your country.

The structure of internships is designed to benefit both the employer and the intern by providing a valuable learning opportunity and the possibility of employment.

Unpaid internships have been criticized in recent years for the ease with which they can exploit young workers, and how they can become an opportunity only for those who can afford to work unpaid for an extended period of times.

Personally, I spent a week when I wouldn’t normally be working gaining a brand new and valuable experience. Ideally internships expose the interns to new possibilities in their preferred field, and provide a taste of the work experience.

That is precisely what I learned, and I would jump at the chance to return.

Neil Young launches new music player PonoPlayer compatible with FLAC Allison O’Reilly

Science Editor

For those in the audiophile community, the term ‘MP3 player’ may as well have four letters. But thanks to famous Canadian musician Neil Young, those who wish to listen to high resolution (24-bit/192kHz) music easily will finally have an outlet. The Pono digital music player, which launched its Kickstarter campaign last Wednesday, will be a highfidelity alternative that is as convenient and portable as an iPod or other MP3 players.

The word ‘pono’ is Hawaiian for righteous. Young, who is PonoMusic’s founder, has been working with audio engineers for several years to create the player. Young has been a longtime critic of the highly compressed and less dynamic audio quality of most digital music.

Young pitched Pono in Austin, Texas at the South by Southwest Festival last week.

South by Southwest is a set of film, interactive, and music festivals and conferences that take place annually. The following morning, the Pono Kickstarter launched. At press time, the campaign has raised four million dollars USD, with 12,000 backers.

Young’s Pono ‘ecosystem’ consists of two distinct platforms: the PonoPlayer hardware, and the PonoMusic Web store.

The PonoPlayer definitely sticks out in comparison to other music players—the hardware itself is a small device measuring five inches high by two inches wide, with a triangular shape. It will feature a touch screen and total of 128GB of storage. The player also features a light that indicates when you’re listening to a “certified PonoMusic song,” but the details of what will set those files apart remain a mystery.

The triangular shape of the player enables the player to use a large, cylindrical battery, which the team at PonoMusic claim is “more efficient than a flat battery.” The shape also allows a user to easily hold the device in one hand, while also being able to lie flat on a desktop to keep the display

visible.

The player’s main sell is its compatibility with highresolution music files, such as FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF, and ACC (unprotected).

To accompany the player is a PonoMusic web store at ponomusic.com, which will charge between $14.99 to $24.99 USD per album. Prices for individual songs have not been disclosed.

The device and web store are slated for an October 2014 release, with an expected retail price of $399 USD. Already, Pono has garnered multiple endorsements from famous artists. As a Kickstarter perk, backers can receive artist signature series PonoPlayers with engraved signatures from the likes of Willie Nelson, My Morning Jacket, Tom Petty, Arcade Fire, Beck, Dave Matthews, and, of course, Neil Young himself.

“Pono is about the music, it’s about the people who make the music and the way it sounds to us when we’re in the studio making it,” Young says in a video on the Kickstarter site.

“It’s about you hearing what we hear, and that hasn’t happened in a long time.”

Atrium of the Natural History Museum (above) and Downe’s office (below). (Madison Downe/Submitted)

Blood test detects early onset of Alzheimer’s Test could open doors for treatments Allison O’Reilly

Science Editor

Alzheimer’s disease, a common form of dementia, is a serious condition without a cure, and often worsens as it progresses.

However, researchers have developed a simple blood test that can predict whether a healthy person will develop Alzheimer’s symptoms within two or three years. If larger studies show promising results, the test could fill major gaps in the understanding of brain degeneration, which is thought to show symptoms at a stage when it is too late to effectively treat.

Neurologist Howard Federoff of Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, D.C. led the latest study. He and his team tested participants’ memory and cognition skills, and took blood samples approximately once a year for five years. Using mass spectroscopy, the blood plasma of fifty-three of the participants

was analyzed with Alzheimer’s disease; eighteen developed symptoms during the study, and thirty-five who remained relatively cognitively healthy.

In those participants with Alzheimer’s, the research team found ten phospholipids that were present at lower levels in the blood than normal. The source of the ten molecules is not known, though they are suspected to be present in cell membranes. Federoff proposes that concentrations of the phospholipids might reflect the breakdown of neural-cell membranes.

A test based on the work of Federoff and his team would be advantageously simple.

Monique Breteler, head of epidemiology at the German Centre for Neurodegenerative Diseases in Bonn, claims: “If you are able to screen the population for those destined to get Alzheimer’s, and who may therefore benefit from any treatment that is developed, then you need to use material you can access easily, like blood.”

Other research has found differences in patterns of other molecules in the blood of people with Alzheimer’s when compared to healthy controls. Case-control studies

are tricky, however, as they often fail to take into account normal variation between individuals. Federoff hopes to have his results validated in independent labs, in larger studies, using a more diverse range of participants.

“We also have to look at different age groups and a more diverse racial mix,” Federoff stated.

There is currently no effective treatment for Alzheimer’s. The disease is expected to double every twenty years worldwide: from 35.6 million individuals in 2010, to approximately 115.4 million by 2050, according to the World Health Organization. Many efforts to develop drugs to delay Alzheimer’s progression have failed, mainly because the drugs were evaluated too late in the disease process.

The results of this test have researchers hopeful, as it opens the doors to developing earlier treatment options.

“The preclinical state of the disease offers a window of opportunity for timely diseasemodifying intervention,” Federoff said. After more testing undergoes, a screening test based on the findings could be available in as little as two years.

The Argosy

www.argosy.ca

SCIENCE

Honours Profile Michael Colburn

Researchers in Kenya used voice recordings

Allison O’Reilly

Science Editor

Michael Colburn is a fourth-year computer science honours student working with Liam Keliher. His thesis is entitled “Linear cryptanalysis of SPN-based Block Ciphers.”

Keliher is a computer science professor at Mount Allison whose current research is in cryptography, which is the practice and study of techniques for secure communication in the presence of third parties. His primary focus is on the design and analysis of block ciphers, particularly the substitution-permutation network (SPN) structure. Colburn’s honours project fits nicely in this vein.

A cipher is a pair of encryption and decryption algorithms. Colburn’s research entails applying linear cryptanalysis to an SPN-based block cipher called PP-2, which has only been published last year. A block cipher operates on big chunks of data at a time.

Colburn has been generating very large amounts of data at random, and encrypting through the SPN-based block cipher. Linear cryptanalysis involves exploiting a linear relationship between the input and the output, in order to figure out a key. A block cipher is made up of many steps called rounds (which is usually the same step iterated over and over). Each round usually has its

Elephants distinguish between sex, race

Martin Omes Science Writer

Michael Colburn working in his Dunn building office. (Chris Donovan/Argosy) own key. To guess the key, this involves taking the input and the output at the same time, and processing them back one round. Depending on whether they have the same value, Colburn will increment a counter corresponding to the key that was guessed at both ends.

This will be done many times over the generated data. If one of the counters is sufficiently different from the rest, it could potentially indicate the key for the round.

The goal of this research is to get a whole round key. This can prove that the cipher can be attacked with linear cryptanalysis.

New encryption algorithms get proposed all the time. According to Schneier’s Law, anyone can design a cryptosystem that they themselves can’t break. Researchers rely on others to break it, or to prove that the system is secure. The PP2 cipher that Colburn is working on has not received a lot of attention, as it is only a year old.

Colburn is testing whether the cipher is secure before it is used.

“Everything has to do with cryptography in some capacity,” Colburn says. “[If ] you want to use online banking, you have to use cryptography to communicate with the bank. You have to make sure that the bank is who it says it is, and that no one can eavesdrop on your connection, for example.”

Colburn always knew he wanted to work with computers. Developing an interest in math, Colburn attended Mount Allison intending to major in the field. Introductory computer science is a required course for math majors, and upon taking the class, the subject appealed to Colburn so much that he switched majors.

Colburn intends to continue his studies in computer science by obtaining his master’s. He hopes to continue his research in either cryptography or computer security.

Although elephants have been known throughout history for their impeccable memory, recent studies have shown that elephants are incredible listeners as well. African elephants that hear human voices can distinguish between different sexes, ages, and even ethnic groups, according to a new study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Such keen ears are necessary when trying to survive in territory marked by humanelephant conflict. African elephants are the largest land animals on Earth and are considered a vulnerable species due to habitat loss and illegal hunting for their ivory tusks.

Researchers decided to play recordings of human voices for elephants at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya to see how they would respond. They heard voices from local Maasai men, a group that often herd cattle and come into conflict with elephants over access to water. Other voices were Kamba men (who are usually employees of the park), young boys and girls, and female Maasai speakers. The researchers then took a speaker, camouflaged it with a screen

woven of palm fronds, and placed it about fifty metres away from where they expected wandering elephants to end up. All of them spoke the same phrase, “Look, look over there, a group of elephants is coming.”

When the elephants heard the male Maasai voices, they tended to gather together, smell the air with their trunks, and then move away. When they heard voices from the others, they did not move at all, or show any concerns.

“Their response to hearing Maasai men talking was to be alert, to move away, but not to run away in total fear,” Keith Lindsay said, who is a conservation biologist in the Amboseli Elephant Research Project.

The Kamba men speak a different language than the Maasai, so it is likely the elephants were picking up on the linguistic differences, rather than the underlying differences in their voices.

However, the researchers thought of this as well, and remixed the voices to sound more like a women’s voice, but the animals were not fooled by it.

The project took two years to complete. They intentionally spaced out the sessions, so the elephants would not get used to the experiment.

When it comes to recognizing people, elephants may not be alone in this ability. Other research has suggested that wild bottlenose dolphins in Brazil have become so familiar with humans that they engage in cooperative hunting with artisanal fisherman.

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7

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TUITION REBATE

March 20, 2014

argosy@mta.ca

Around twenty-five Mt. A students protested on campus in favor of a rebate—compensation for the academic disruption caused by the three-week faculty strike. (Chris Donovan/Argosy)

Mt. A students seek tuition rebate from university Reluctant administration points to fiscal sustainability

Tyler Stuart & Taylor Losier Features Staff

A sentiment of disappointment and frustration over the threeweek faculty strike has manifested into a demand for a tuition rebate from Mount Allison students, with student demonstrations and over 540 letters sent to MASU and the administration.

The strike removed twelve instructional days from the term after Senate restructured the calendar.

This created monetary savings for the university because faculty members were not paid during the strike.

A week after the strike ended, the Mount Allison Students’ Union (MASU) released a tuition rebate proposal aimed at compensating students for their lost time in class.

Soon after, The Argosy’s Editorial Board endorsed the idea of a tuition rebate.

The university saved $856,948 over the three-week period, according to MASU, which used the average tenure and tenure-track faculty average salaries to calculate the figure.

Since helping draft MASU’s proposal, Ryan Harley, MASU vicepresident, academic affairs, has met with students and administrators to discuss the rebate.

“A tuition rebate speaks volumes about an institution’s commitment to its students,” Harley wrote in an email. “While we understand that the university may feel as though the money otherwise spent on academic salaries should fund the university’s normal operations of services, we feel as though the undue pressure students are currently working through begs the kind of financial

compensation for which we have asked.”

In a CBC interview, MASU President Melissa O’Rourke and Mt. A Vice-President, International and Student Affairs Ron Byrne discussed the reasons for and against a tuition rebate.

Mt. A has cited the enrolment shortage of roughly 180 students as a financial concern during the strike and now regarding a tuition rebate. While Mt. A claims on its negotiations page that the shortage caused a budget shortfall of $850,000, it expects to have the same revenue in the upcoming fiscal year as this year.

Byrne used key words in Mt. A’s strategic plan—quality and sustainability—as reasons why the administration is proceeding with caution.

“Fiscally, Mt. A is very, very, very prudent,” Byrne told The Argosy.

“We don’t pay any interest on loans; we don’t carry debt. So every dollar that gets earned can be reinvested in the community, not in paying some bank.”

In an attempt to ease the transition back to class, the administration has extended library and student centre hours, enhanced bursary and wellness services, and increased the number of workshops.

But the administration’s hesitancy toward the tuition rebate received a negative backlash from students.

Alex Thomas, a fourth-year sociology student and one of the founders of the Student Strike Headquarters, called in during the CBC interview to advocate for a rebate.

“The biggest glimpse we’ve gotten into the administration’s position was through the CBC interview a week ago,” Thomas said. “And I think through that interview there are lots of indication that no tuition rebate would be granted.”

Ruthie Payzant, a fourth-year fine arts student, said that if the administration does not offer a rebate, graduating students will bear the largest burden.

“We have lost hundreds of dollars

to this strike and will possibly never get any of it back,” Payzant said.

“And yet the university will have the nerve to contact us in a few years’ time asking us to donate to them.”

Laura Sponagle, a second-year psychology student, said that if Mt. A does not reimburse its students, it would not live up to its reputation as Canada’s best undergraduate university.

“If we were the number one university, they would put student needs first,” Sponagle said. “That’s what universities are for; that’s who keeps them running: the students.”

Jillian Ellis, a second-year fine arts and environmental science student, received late fees for her tuition during the strike.

“I definitely want some money back; I can’t believe they charged me late fees for my tuition when I didn’t pay during the strike,” Ellis said. “Why would I pay thousands of dollars for an education that I wasn’t getting?”

Another concern raised by students is the status of international students, who make up around ten per cent of the student body and pay $15,215 for tuition, more than twice that of Canadian students.

Hamza Adlew, a first-year student from Libya, said that because staying home during the three-week strike was such a bad experience, he is in favour of a rebate.

“It would [be] really unfair if the university pays the full-time students the same amount of money as international students,” Adlew said.

MASU addressed this concern in its rebate proposal, but it did not specify how much money it would like allotted to individual students.

The University of New Brunswick (UNB), like Mt. A, faced strike time due to labour disputes. Although the strike lasted three weeks, students will only miss four days of class time, as the administration cancelled reading week and prolonged the semester. The students were compensated for the four instructional days lost.

MASU has pointed to the

situation at UNB as a strong case for a tuition rebate. UNB’s strike, which also lasted three weeks, caused less academic disruption to the term than at Mt. A after the calendar revision.

At UNB, full-time students received a refund of $235, while parttime students were given $117 for the disruption. International students, who pay more than Canadian students at UNB as well, received the same amount of money as fulltime students.

University of New Brunswick Students’ Union (UNBSU) President Ben Whitney, who heads the Fredericton campus’s union, said that securing a rebate for the students was essential.

“Students were heavily impacted by this labour disruption, in terms of missed class times, changed schedules, and a number of other issues,” Whitney said. “A payment to students as a result of the strike was a clear indicator of the fact that students were hugely inconvenienced and this was a small way to make amends.”

Efforts by UNBSU to acquire a rebate included online petitions, much like that of MASU. “We did a fair bit of work coordinating a media push around the idea and tried to build some consensus in the public eye,” Whitney said. “Our student board of governors worked incredibly hard on a proposal that was taken through the board’s finance committee and ultimately accepted by the board of governors.”

The process of securing a rebate at UNB was not as contentious as that at Mt. A. Peter McDougall, UNB vice-president, human resources said that UNBSU was vocal during the strike negotiations, and that the administration heard and answered its demands.

“Our students’ union has been very active over the course of negotiations.

It was certainly important, and I think it resulted in us doing the right thing.”

McDougall said that there was little reservation about the rebate.

UNB acquired over $3 million in

gross savings over the course of the strike. Factoring out the $1 million in expected expenditures, the residual was just over $2 million, which went toward the rebate.

“The background on it was that the university didn’t have an interest in having a financial gain from the fact that there had been a work stoppage,” McDougall said.

UNB students were pleased with the rebate for many reasons, including the gesture by the administration.

“I’m pleased that we got a tuition rebate. When you ask someone for a certain service, and they don’t accomplish what was asked of them, it’s only natural that you receive reimbursement,” third-year science student Monique Boucher said. “In our case, it’s the exact same principle.

The exact dollar amount could have been either higher or lower, but all that matters is that we got one.”

In its return conditions, the Mount Allison Faculty Association (MAFA) requested that $100,000 of the money saved during the strike be used in a bursary fund to help students with financial need.

The proposal, which was based on a back-to-work protocol at Brandon University, was denied by the university and will be addressed in upcoming arbitration.

MAFA President Loralea Michaelis said that faculty members are divided on the issue of whether a tuition rebate is appropriate.

“I know a lot of members are in favour of a rebate; others are more skeptical,” she said.

While there is overwhelming student support for a tuition rebate, students, administrators, and faculty members have criticized the monetary value assigned to education in the rebate.

“When we think of reparations, we think of money,” Michaelis said.

“Even if they did give a rebate, it still probably wouldn’t repair the damage. It wouldn’t be meaningful enough to give the community an idea that what happened ought not to have happened.”

The Argosy

TUITION REBATE

www.argosy.ca

MASU used its website and social media to gain rebate support. (Chris Donovan/Argosy)

UNB refund $117 $235 Part-time

Full-time

Strike Length: 21

Enrolment was

Alex Thomas organized a student rebate protest on Friday, March 7. (Chris Donovan/Argosy)

Acadia refund $275 $375 Full-time

9

International

Strike Length: 22

St.Thomas refund $200 $400 Full-time International Strike Length: 40

180 students below expected = 10 students

Enrolment budget shortfall

$850,000

MASU claims Mt. A saved

$856,948

ENTERTAINMENT

ONLINE:

LIVINGSTON ARTIFICIALLY WRITES CANADIAN FOLK MUSIC An interesting premise ends in a lacklustre product HARLAN PEPPER DO NOT DELIVER Hamilton band’s album is boring and derivative

March 20, 2014

argosy@mta.ca

Psychedelic and indie music collide at the Legion Kavorkas offer a new lineup and altered sound Cameron McIntyre

Entertainment Writer

Psychedelic garage rock was on full display last Friday at the Legion. The three bands performing—Walrus and the Grubbies, both of Halifax, and the Kavorkas from Sackville—all had distinctive takes on the subgenre, yet all hung close enough together to make the night a complete and complementary package.

The Grubbies, who opened the Friday night show of Stereophonic in January, began the night with their poppy tunes. They were first and foremost agreeable and, while not adventurous, they did not need to be. Their music was light-hearted and the audience found it easy to stay in the rhythm. As good as this made the music initially, near the end of the set it began to feel a little tried and lost some of its lustre and memorability in the process. Their catchiness really got the audience into the performance as a whole well, setting the stage for a night with a more active crowd than is the norm.

The Kavorkas brought a new lineup to the Legion, morphing

Bassist Adam Mowery of the Halifax band the Grubbies (left) serenades the audience as guitarist Andrew Mazerolle (right) accompanies him. (Chris Donovan/Argosy) from a three- to a two-piece act.

The lineup transformation resulted in a great change to their sound as well. Previously, the Kavorkas had been a fairly predictable indie rock band, but on Friday they were much more experimental, depending more heavily on instrumentals and effects.

The difference made for a pleasant surprise. That is not to say that there were not any growing pains. The duo seemed a bit overworked in their more strenuous positions, trying to account for the work of three between the two

MT. ALLISON : 10.25 (W) X 8 (D/H)

of them. Nonetheless, it was evident that the Kavorkas have a lot of room to grow and that their newfound sound is ripe with the possibility for innovation.

Halifax’s Walrus finished the night with their heavily psychedelic garage rock. Each song changed its pace a couple of times, shifting between vocals with heavy reverb over slow, gilded guitar riffs and wild, thrashing guitar and bass climaxes. However, in this back and forth, some of the nuance got lost: the vocals were too

quiet when the band picked up and the band was under-utilized when the music slowed. Despite this, what Walrus brought was a remarkably well-polished product that was easily the most professional of the three acts.

Like their Stereophonic showing in January, Walrus’s music matched up very well with the other performances, each sounding similar but not enough so as to force the night into monotony.

It felt like the possible combinations of psychedelia and indie rock were

all on display, letting the audience walk away satisfied no matter what appealed to them the most.

The night was well-attended at its onset, but as it wore on the crowd began to dwindle, shrinking from a number approaching forty to approximately twenty people. Long spaces between performances also made the show longer than it had to be, as Walrus did not begin playing until after midnight.

Music from the Grubbies and Walrus can be found on Bandcamp.

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Wadjda shines in Sackville Saudi film offers an uplifting look at adolescent life

Mixed Tape Each week, The Argosy asks a member of the Sackville community to create a mixtape playlist on a theme or topic of their choosing.

I love music. Cliché? Maybe, but it is also true. If you come into my office you’ll usually hear something playing in the background—jazz, blues, classical, bluegrass. I like to work with an instrumental backdrop. If you see me out walking my dogs, chances are I will have my headphones on. When I’m at home, my partner and I have the record player going constantly.

Director Haifaa Al Mansour poses with her camera. (Haylie Niemann/Wikimedia) struggles throughout the movie, as she is interested in rock ‘n’ roll music, wearing sneakers, riding bikes, all of which are frowned upon or forbidden by her school. She is told at many points, usually by Ms. Hussa, to stop standing out, to conform and move on, but she doesn’t; Wadjda must have her bike. The bike represents the culmination of her rivalry with Abdullah, a neighbourhood boy (played by Abdullrahman Al Gohani); it represents her will to win.

The relationship between Wadjda and Abdullah is fun to watch, as the two

are constantly teasing and playing off each other.

Wadjda is a really good movie.

The acting is quite good, especially

by Mohammed, who sets a cheerful tone for a film that could very easily have been depressing. By virtue of its setting, the film engages with Saudi culture—one that those in the West may find distasteful or opaque—but avoids moralizing one way or another in favour of plot. The end result is an even-keeled look at one girl trying to find carve out her identity amidst rigid ideas of what women should be.

Jazz trio warms up the Owens Myriad 3 bring a host of original compositions Cameron McIntyre

Frequently, music finds its way into the literary courses I teach. This semester I am teaching a class on writing by women in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries (English 3661). Rather than try to move chronologically in this class, we are looking at thematic clusters that allow us to compare writing from a variety of historical and cultural contexts.

I’ve been working on a playlist to accompany the syllabus. For me, unexpected connections come from unexpected mashups. I’ve suggested some textual pairings from the course (and some not on the syllabus at this time), but they are only suggestions.

Here it is so far: “Bang! Bang!”—Le Tigre (From the Desk of Mr. Lady) This song is a response to the shooting of unarmed African immigrant Amadu Diallo by members of the NYPD Street Crimes Unit. Four officers shot Diallo forty-one times.

This song calls out police brutality and racial profiling and calls on the public to demand justice. We listened to this song after reading June Jordan’s “Poem About Police Violence.”

“Work Song”—Nina Simone (Forbidden Fruit)

Entertainment Writer

In front of the Alex Colville serigraph prints at the Owens Art Gallery, Myriad 3 played modern jazz piano that veered toward the experimental.

The Catbird Jazz Society and the Department of Music at Mount Allison hosted the Toronto jazz trio the Wednesday before last. The show was the first that the society has held in the Owens. The trio and the dimmed gallery lights established a comfortable atmosphere that starkly contrasted the snowstorm that raged outside.

The impression given was that they had a deep reverence for traditional roots but wanted to innovate beyond them, and they did just that. The music twisted, turned, stopped, and started, but amidst its acrobatics, it retained a consistent and emotive tone. However, the tone did change from piece to piece—dark and moody in some, and triumphant and full of hope in others. The excesses in instrumentation worked because of how well they functioned together as a unit.

Cohesion seemed to be the group’s strongest point. It was in their approach to musicianship as well: each member composed their own set of pieces, which were fleshed out with a little exposition in the pauses

11

Erin Wunker

Sam Moore It’s been awhile since I had as little of an idea of what to expect going into a movie as when going to Wadjda.

Hearing that the movie was filmed in Saudi Arabia by its first female director, I couldn’t help but worry that the film would be a depressing story of oppression that would offend my sensitive Western values (that’s a joke). What I got instead was an uplifting story of a girl struggling to find her place in a complicated society.

Wadjda follows a young Saudi girl of the same name, who joins her school’s Qur’an competition in order to win money for a bicycle. Throughout the movie she has to contend with her school’s strict principal, marital strife between her parents, and what is expected of her, on top of studying for the competition. Waad Mohammed shines as Wadjda; she’s smart, sassy, energetic, and carries the film easily.

Ahd is stern and intimidating as the school principal, Ms. Hussa. The way that two play off each other is one of the better aspects of the film; the frustration the two feel at each other is almost palpable. Wadjda

ENTERTAINMENT

Myriad 3 are wrapping up their sixth Canadian tour. (Monika Traikov/Submitted) between the sixteen arrangements they played. The set as a whole was split into two sections, which gave the audience the chance to get to know the performers on a more personal level.

The trio showed off their traditional jazz roots as well. This was most notable in their take on Oscar Peterson’s “C Jam Blues” and a bebop medley that encompassed some of the genre’s standards. Aside from these two pieces, the entire performance was made up of original compositions and each had its own distinctive personality. Standouts included “Little Lentil”—a piece written by the trio’s drummer, Ernesto Cervini, about his son when he was still the size of a lentil, which featured a xylophone that made the song lullaby-like—and “Mr. Awkward,” which faked out the audience at the end, resulting in a

premature applause.

“The Strong One,” played close to the start of the set, was particularly interesting. It toyed with a clocklike drumbeat, slightly altering it throughout the piece. The result was a weird sensation of time becoming slower and slower as it neared its end.

“Tell,” also the name of their album, stood out because of its remarkable bass line, which allowed for a lot of variance in both the drumming and the piano on top of it, demonstrating the full range of the group.

The trio consists of Chris Donnelly on piano, Dan Fortin on bass, and Ernesto Cervini on drums. They met during their studies at the University of Toronto and have since become highly regarded in the Toronto jazz scene. The band has now returned to Ontario, where their sixth tour of Canada is drawing to a close.

Nina Simone’s “Work Song” personifies an incarcerated woman’s experience. It also acknowledges and riffs on the structure and style of call and response singing that took place amongst chain gang workers.

This song lets us think about the gender of work as well as the gender and racialization of incarceration.

We listened to it alongside reading Virginia Woolf and Alice Walker.

“Rise to the Sun”—Alabama Shakes (Boys & Girls) Because sometimes work structures everything else and you just need a good, loud, rocking rhythm to get through the day. I’d pair this with Susan Glaspell’s “Trifles” or Clarice Lispector’s The Hour of the Star.

“Ancestors”—Tanya Tagaq & Bjork (Sinaa) Tagaq’s contemporary innovations on traditional Inuk throat singing and Bjork’s radicalisms are brought together in a search for, and a construction of, a kind of ancestry.

Collaborative work by poets Rita Wong and Larissa Lai would make a great intertext.

“Snowfalls in November”— Julie Doiron (Julie Doiron/Okkervil River) We did a unit on representations and negotiations of motherhood. I love the way this song both acknowledges and alters our expectations. Diane di Prima’s “Song for Baby O” might make an interesting comparison.

“Battle Cry”—Angel Haze (Dirty Gold) A former student recommended this album to me when I was crowdsourcing songs by women or womenidentified artists who are categorized as ‘strong’, ‘innovative’, ‘cutting-edge’, and ‘risk-taking’. I might read this alongside Mina Loy’s “Feminist Manifesto” and the Combahee River Collective’s “Manifesto.”

“Tania”—Julie Ruin (Julie Ruin) Kathleen Hanna recorded this album when she was on a break from Bikini Kill. “Tania” is a song about female friendship. Toni Morrison’s Sula is the first text that comes to mind.

“Queen of Apologies”—The Sounds (Dying to Say This To You) This song is a deft negotiation of the ways in which apologizing can become gendered.

“We Can’t Be Lovers With These Guns On Each Other”— Rae Spoon (Love Is a Hunter) Heteronormative bar pickups get turned on their heads. Listen while reading Ivan E. Coyote’s Stone Butch Blues.

“Horses”—Patti Smith (Horses) Poetic innovation? Check. Refutation of feminine stereotypes? Yes. Intertextual references to literary figures? Indeed. Listen to this while reading Lisa Robertson’s XEclogue, which brings in Smith, Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, and Virgil.

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March 20, 2014

Video games now an elderly pastime

Do video games aid mental health?

Célina Boothby Many studies have supported the idea that the competitive and aggressive nature that video games present can be detrimental to our mental health and promote dramatic, unrealistic, and violent depictions of situations.

However, a nursing home located in suburban Tokyo is pushing the norms and promoting the use of video games and home computer entertainment to their residents.

Japan’s population has been declining since 2007, but due to healthy diets and active lifestyles, the Japanese are living longer than ever. Even with a lowered birth rate, nursing homes around the country are filling up fast. And with full homes comes great mental strain on the geriatric population living in such different environments than they are used to. This is where the entertainment industry is looking to appeal to the older populations through video and computer games in order to bring happiness and an active lifestyle back to them.

These homes are government approved and include assisted bathing, physiotherapy, lunch, and a series of arcade and video games. Among the nursing homes you can find games such as Thrilling Snakebuster III and Whack-a-Mole, plus many more. Developers say that the motion of whacking a stuffed mole strengthens legs and hip muscles, which are extremely important in the prevention of falls. Cognitive games allow for increased cerebral blood flow (especially to the frontal lobe), which may help to slow the deterioration of memory, and eventually help prevent disorders such as Alzheimer’s.

Granted, it is difficult to provide scientific evidence that such games are providing physical improvements, but psychological advancements are without question present in such homes. Nurses claim that “faces light up,” and residents’ moods change for the better when they play these games in such social settings.

Video games were once thought of as strictly sedentary and solitary, where little physical movement was required. In present day, with improving technology, sensors on the television screens are measuring body movement and ensuring people are up and moving along with the characters on the screen.

Research has also supported that such games where kicking

argosy@mta.ca

Mt. A top-ranked in ‘14

and punching (in the air of course) are strong aids during monotonous rehabilitation of the elderly. Using the Kinect motion sensor for the Xbox console, physiotherapists have been able to create their own games that focus on specific exercises on specific areas of the body to allow for strength training in that location. Medical facilities are naming such a breakthrough health concept as ‘rehact’—a contraction of rehabilitation and active.

Physical therapist Keizo Sato of Japan works with such companies to provide game software that specifically boosts strength in elders. He seems to think that Nintendo will soon follow behind with their own version of such ‘exergames’. The Wii Fit series has also been a huge contributor to engaging elders in dry and boring nursing homes.

Such games are without a doubt a strong foundation to aiding the Japanese population’s huge medical costs that coincide with their aging population. It is great to hear that with such advancements in technology, it is going toward a useful cause of engaging elders’ mental health.

Stay healthy folks!

Célina Boothby is Mount Allison University’s Health Intern

Mounties able to nab top recruits this off-season Benjamin Foster Sports Writer

After hosting their first ever Uteck Bowl in front of a national audience, the Mount Allison Athletic Department has not stopped their hard work. Canada Football Chat recently ranked the Mounties eighth-best in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) in off-season recruiting. “[Head coach Kelly] Jeffrey has done a tremendous job in building a program that we can all be proud of. Recruits see that,” said Mt. A Athletic Director Pierre Arsenault.

“No question winning helps.

Now that we have won the [Loney Bowl], the players considering Mt. A [as a place to play football] can trust us.”

The Mounties have more recruits than usual this season, with twenty-six and counting.

And the class has quality.

It is headlined by defensive lineman Shaun Robinson, a Halifax native. Robinson was heavily pursued by many teams in Ontario but chose Mt. A. “Robinson got lots of national interest and we are thrilled he chose Mt. A. We first saw Shaun in his grade nine year and we knew then he was going to be special,” said Jeffrey. “We did quite

a few more visits before he committed earlier this year.”

Other highly revered recruits from this year’s class are defensive back Nate Rostek, receiver Idahosa Yorke, and defensive back Giovanni Holmes.

Winning the Loney Bowl is not the only factor that makes Mt. A attractive. “What really sold me was the coaching staff and the guys on the team,” Yorke said. “The environment of the school itself felt like a home away from home.”

“Camaraderie is our best feature. To a man, the recruits cannot believe how tight and close our team is,” Jeffrey said.

The Mounties pride themselves on not only getting good football players, but also people with character who excel academically.

“When I look through our program right now, it is all players that are good people who fit this university.

We never would have come back from 1-4 without good people,” Arsenault said. “The adversity eats up other teams, and we passed the test. That is the substance of this school.”

Since Jeffrey took over full time as head coach in 2009, players from Halifax have been picking Mt. A over other Atlantic University Sport (AUS) schools in high rates.

This year, over half of the Mounties recruits are from Halifax. Players such as Jacob Leblanc, Quinn Everett, and Jordan Redding all hail from the Halifax area, and all were key cogs on this year’s team.

“Our staff has done a great job understanding the Halifax

market. When you look back we have had many big victories getting players from the capital of Nova Scotia,” Arsenault said. “Guys hear about the positive experience and follow their high school teammates.”

“All AUS teams work hard to put a strong foundation in place. The very best programs do not rebuild; they reload,” said Leo MacPherson, ex-CIS president and current Saint Francis Xavier University athletic director. “Coach Jeffrey has done a great job of doing just that.”

Jeffrey and his staff have developed a recruiting philosophy that wants forty-five per cent from the Maritimes, forty-five per cent from Ontario and the other ten per cent from elsewhere.

“Getting on national television for three hours was priceless. That would cost millions in advertising that we cannot afford,” Jeffrey said.

“Having that opportunity to basically sit in the home of every eligible recruit absolutely helps.”

“We want the best of the best from this part of the country,” said Jeffrey. “I believe this program can not only win many more AUS championships, but take a Vanier Cup back to Sackville,” Holmes said.

It is hard to step right in to AUS football, especially immediately after high school.

But the team’s future looks bright. They will not stop at just making the Uteck Bowl; they are setting their goals high.

Greenwood, Nova Scotia and never looked back. She played for a mixture of girls and guys teams. In her first year of midget she was part of the Midget Vixens women’s team that won provincials.

“The second I stepped on campus I loved it,” the proud owner of two rats, Steak and Eggs, said of her choice to come to Mt. A. She was able to come in contact with Ball before committing. “He told me that I might not play much the first year. I still really wanted to play, so I did.”

In O’Brien’s first year, the Mounties made it all the way to a one-game AUS final.

O’Brien had one of her best hockey memories during those playoffs: “I was really excited when I learned I was going to dress for the playoffs tournament. I remember when we came back to win

to make the final, we were all jumping on each other and the celebration is something I will never forget.”

After backing up in her second season, she finally got the opportunity to be the starter goalie this season and excelled in the position. It will be good to see O’Brien and the Mounties push to see through their dreams of hanging the AUS women’s hockey banner in Sackville in the goaltender’s final year.

Better Know a Mountie Kate O’Brien Benjamin Foster Sports Writer

The 2013-14 Mount Allison women’s hockey team was a team that would never let you catch your breath.

Unexpectedly, they were able to rally to a winnertake-all final in the Atlantic University Sport (AUS) final before losing to Université de Moncton (U de M). One of the biggest reasons they were able to surprise the entire Atlantic University Sport (AUS) was the incredible play of goaltender Kate O’Brien.

The third-year goaltender finally got the chance to start in her third season with the Mounties, and she shined all season. In the regular season, she had a goals-against average of 2.64 and a save

percentage of .904. She was a big part of the streak that saw the Mounties win eight of nine games and get themselves back into playoff contention.

“We started a bit rough.

We had our troubles focusing on the games so [Coach Zach Ball] got us to do stuff as a team. Once we started spending time together everything turned around.”

In the playoffs, O’Brien was one of Mt. A’s best players.

She only let in 1.82 goals per game and kept the Mounties in the Saint Francis Xavier University (St. FX) series when they faced two must win games. In the final, she was just barely out-duelled

by Moncton goalie Gabrielle Forget in a final none of us will soon forget.

“Once we beat St.Thomas we started believing. Then we beat St. FX when nobody believed

O’Brien won nine games in 2013-14. (Sue Seaborn/Mount Allison) in us that was incredible,” O’Brien said. “These playoffs were something I want to experience next year as well.

That’s my goal.”

The five-foot-ten Mountie started playing goalie in her first year of bantam hockey in

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HAS ART GOTTEN TOO WEIRD? A critical look at modern art HOW READING LINKS FICTION AND LIVED EXPERIENCE How Anne of Green Gables sparked one reader’s love of literature

ARTS&LITERATURE

Psyche transcends boundaries of story-telling Interpretive play leaves some viewers in the dark Julia McMillan

Arts and Literature Editor Psyche is a dive into the world of mythology, where physical and psychological limited are pushed, and where love reigns supreme over logical and mortal boundaries. The piece was a student-devised production inspired by the classical myth of Psyche and Cupid. Directed by visiting Crake Fellow in Drama Mike Griffin, the piece was collectively developed by Ian McMullin, Kaitlin VanKoppen, Anna Shepard, Kennedy Lundberg, and Samantha Bixby.

The piece was made up of brilliant individual parts. It was built upon expressive, perfectly timed, and powerfully evocative choreography that was expertly executed by the cast of four dancers. The characters immersed themselves fully into the performance, moving with ease between their various roles. Their movements were emphasized by the light and shadow play that served as innovating framing devices to help viewers navigate the performance, and served to highlight the moral ambiguity of the piece. The set moved fluidly between the construction of a

Psyche used modern dance and physical theatre to explore the transcend qualities of love and mythology. The piece was performed on March 14-15 with Murmer in a joint production entitled Transcending Boundaries. (Mike Griffin/Submitted) setting and its deconstructing into props. The piece was tied together by flawlessly mixed music, with each part of the montage setting the mood, and filling the audience with hope, dread, and anything in between.

However, despite all of these expertly conceived parts, something was slightly amiss with the whole.

The performance seemed at times to be too abruptly fragmented, and because the plot was filled with so many different sequences, the storyline was ambiguous at best. The lack of dialogue made the connective elements between events in the plot unclear, and it was easy to lose track of the characters because most actors played two interchanging parts.

Audience member Erik Sin noted that while the performance was “really visually appealing,” the plot

was too obscure.

“I found the story really difficult to follow. And the story line I was able to follow I found very misogynistic and creepy.”

However, not everyone shared Sin’s perspective. Luke Trainor was moved by the performance, and it left him at a loss for words.

“Psyche was unlike anything I had seen,” said Trainor. “[…] Although I was not familiar with the story, the sharp actions made by the flawless cast to music would somehow pull thoughts out of me, which resulted in me making up my own story to the play—which proved to be more relevant in my experience as a spectator. Words can’t quite capture the feeling that this play created.”

In many ways, this speechlessness and this disagreement between

audience reactions was precisely what Griffin and his team hoped to achieve.

“It’s more about what you see the story as, rather than what I’m telling you in my director’s note,” said Griffin. “Because it’s so image based, it’s about what you as an audience are seeing, rather than having a prescriptive sensibility of ‘this is what I’m supposed to think it is.’ […] I’m much more interested in sitting in the questions than giving all the answers.”

Griffin and the company are right to dismantle our reliance upon clearly outlined and explained artistry. Theatre should both give and require something of its audience, and by leaving the performance intentionally ambiguous, Psyche gives the viewers a degree of creative and interpretive freedom. In this sense, the entire process—from production,

performance, and viewership— becomes an interactive creative exercise.

However, although room for ample interpretation was the most interesting part of Pysche, it was also paradoxically the most limiting element of the piece. The performance occasionally felt inaccessible, and I found myself repeatedly—even tiringly—trying to make sense of the scenes I’d just witnessed. As soon as I thought I’d made a sensical connection, something would occur to destabilize my imagined storyline.

I would have benefitted from an outline of the myth in the program, and the show could have benefitted from a smaller cast.

I’m not principally adverse to this kind of artistic practice, nor am I unfamiliar with it. But the works I find to be most effective are those that leave enough hints for the viewers to connect the fragments—leaving room for mistakes and ambiguity, but allowing moments of logic to arise.

For me, these connective hints did not occur frequently enough in Psyche.

But this was, incontestably, the most important element of the performance: the part where I say “for me, it was this way, ” and someone responds to say that they had a drastically different experience. The discussion and disagreement the piece generated, coupled with its visual and technical proficiency, made this performance not only memorable, but a significant achievement and innovation for Windsor Theatre.

Murmer questions science and champion love Baglole mixes heartache with humour Julia McMillan

Arts & Literature Editor As Murmur opened, audience members were met with a sparsely furnished set, in the centre of which sat a hospital bed. A friend and fellow viewer observed that when a hospital bed is on stage, you know the show is going to be a tearjerker—either that, or it’s going to be riotously funny.

In fact, Murmur proved to be a mix of both. Using comedy and heartache in equal parts, the student devised play, written and directed by fourth-year student Heather Baglole, examined the ostensible relationship between love and biology.

As a study of the fragility of human life in contrast with the enduring nature of love, the performance prompted the audience to wonder whether there are some questions that science can’t answer about the human heart.

The storyline centred on the marriage between a

Left: David and Anabelle converse during a flashback scene; Right: The cast gathers around Anabelle’s hospital bed, the main setting of the play. Murmur was performed with Psyche during an evening of student devised productions.The shows were originally scheduled for Feb. 14, but were delayed due to the strike. (Paul Del Motte/Submitted) young couple, Anabelle and David. Anabelle (played by Kelsey Otto) suffers from a heart murmur, and after a big fight with David (Sam White), she slips into a deep coma. Her terminal condition leaves David to tenderly, yet desperately, ruminate on his first and only romantic relationship.

Anabelle is treated by David’s sister Cora (Piper Riley Thompson), a doctor with a hardened and cynical outlook on love. Her resistance to the affections of TJ (Nicholas Alberts), a lovesick nurse, are explained by her

scientific background and a previously broken heart.

Although the play’s subject matter is necessarily emotional and suspenseful, the heavier parts of the performance were broken up by subtle, yet highly effective winks of humour.

Baglole’s writing allowed space for her actors, White and Alberts, most notably, to imbue the performance with comedic relief through their gestures, intonation, and facial expressions. Both White and Alberts displayed a tremendous sense of comedic timing, while managing not to compromise the psychological

intricacies of their characters.

In this way, it was the small gestures that brought the writing to life, and filled the performance with personality and nuance. However, just as the play’s subtleties were its strong points, at times the sentimentality of the more significant moments were lost due to a tendency to overact the more emotional scenes.

There is a fine line between touching and melodramatic, and there were moments that tended to lean towards the latter, particularly during flashbacks.

That said, for the most part

the actors were comfortable and at home in their characters. Thompson in particular acted with a sense of ease and commitment to Cora that enabled the audience to connect to her throughout her emotional and psychological development.

The non-linear progression of the piece is divided between the present moments in the hospital and Anabelle’s comatose flashbacks. To heighten this effect, the play made use of dramatic lighting techniques designed

by Gregory McLaughlin, and videography by Xavier Gould.

“I wanted to use [videography] to signify the differences between Annie’s ‘mindscapes’ as we called them,” Baglole said. “Each had a different theme (music, poetry, movies, and novels), and the video uses pictures and clips to help shape those different worlds.”

These effects significantly contributed to the show’s innovation and intrigue. It provided another layer of audience interpretation and gave a new dimension to the otherwise minimalist set.

Murmur was Baglole’s first self-written and directed play.

14 ARTS & LITERATURE

March 20, 2014

Quintet revisits old folk tales Ventus Machina performs at Brunton Daniel Marcotte

Arts & Literature Writer

Folk tales and classical music came together harmoniously last week as Ventus Machina, a wind quintet featuring Mount Allison faculty and guests, performed a selection of pieces inspired by various storytelling traditions. The recital, entitled “Fairy Tales and Legends,” was held in Brunton Auditorium on March 13, and impressed the humble audience with a unique and fascinating collection of sounds and pieces.

The Ventus Machina quintet comprises five excellent musicians with exceptional chemistry: Mount Allison’s own Karin Aurell, on flute, alto flute, and piccolo; Christie Goodwin, oboe and English horn; Jean-Guy Boisvert, clarinet; Ulises Aragon, French horn; and Patrick Bolduc, bassoon.

Each instrument lends its distinctive qualities to the ensemble’s presence, creating an ethereal yet folkloric sound that effectively invokes the French and Acadian tales that the group strives to renew and recreate. From the lilting and

airy tones of jubilant fairy tales to the dissonant and darkly textured harmonies of more somber stories, the Ventus Machina quintet constructs an instantly recognizable musical quality that expertly balances an authentic and robust homage to French cultural traditions and the virtuosity demanded by their classically inspired repertoire.

After kicking off the concert with their rendition of Mozart’s highly popular piece “The Magic Flute,” the quintet dove right into their musical storytelling by performing a recently completed piece entitled “Legends of Acadia”

by Moncton composer Richard Gibson. The piece is comprised of three movements, with each one exploring a different Acadian folk tale. To help the audience visualize their rendition, the performance was accompanied by a media presentation that told each story in words and images alongside the evocative music.

As is often typical of the Acadian folklore tradition, these tales often contained elements of the supernatural.

For example, the first movement, entitled “Le Vaisseau Fantôme,” explained the story of the eponymous ghost ship that was allegedly cursed by its mistreated captives, forever damned to haunt the seas. Other movements like “Évangéline” engage with Acadian social and political history by retelling

the harrowing narrative of a young couple that was separated during the Expulsion of the Acadians during the French and Indian War of the eighteenth century.

The quintet also performed a variation of Maurice Ravel’s “Mother Goose Suite,” as well as Darius Milhaud’s “La Chemineé du Roi René,” a piece that invokes a diverse series of scenes and images from Medieval Provence.

Finally, the ensemble concluded their performance with an arrangement of the much-celebrated “In the Hall of the Mountain King,” led

by Bolduc’s sinister bassoon melodies that embodied the goblinoid figures of Edvard Grieg’s from his “Peer Gynt Suite.” While some prefer to tell stories through words, the members of Ventus Machina are proof that equally beautiful and meaningful stories can be told through the medium of music.

The ensemble was formed in 2011 as a result of collaboration between l’Université de Moncton and Symphony New Brunswick, and remains committed to representing both musical performance and education. In July 2013, Ventus Machina launched their newest addition to their selection of summer programs, entitled the Wind Masters’ Workshop. The quintet is set to perform with the Symphony New Brunswick Virtuoso this weekend in Moncton and Saint John.

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Swinging to the beat Mt. A dance groups join for annual performance Taylor Losier Features Writer

Students and community members were treated to a swinging good time on March 14 and 15, when the Mount Allison Swing Society held its sixth annual dance show.

Hosted by the society, it featured eighteen different performances by Swing members, as well as the Dance Society and Varsity Dance showing off their own styles.

With such a wide variety, there was much for the audience to enjoy. Dancers were flipped, spun, and tossed into the air during the hour and a half performance, relying on their partners to catch them in time to move on to the next sequence.

Dancers of different degrees of experience performed to a wide variety of songs, demonstrating to the audience the different techniques that they had practiced throughout the year: Swing Society performed swing, salsa, and tango, while the Varsity and Dance Society demonstrated their skills at hip hop, ballet, and jazz.

The show was the result of

several months of practice; the Swing Society dedicates the first semester teaching the various groups new moves, while the next semester is spent preparing for the show.

Although the preparations for the show began earlier this year, some of the routines still had to be pared down due to the strike.

“Typically, people who start out doing swing haven’t done it before, and it gives them a chance to try something new. It’s something that really anybody can do,” said Sarah Peverill, an instructor for the beginner swing class. “I was really proud of my students; they performed really well.”

Peverill was also a member of the advanced swing group, and took part in the final performance of the show: a fifties-themed dance to “Candyman,” choreographed

by Chelsea Poole and Max Pistner, president and vicepresident, respectively, of Swing Society. The performance was comprised of spectacular moves and impressive teamwork, with call backs to the dancing style of the fifties. “[The show] was very nice. You could tell that they put a lot of hard work into the show,” said second year student Brandon Williams.

“I don’t think having it in the gymnasium did the show justice, but the dancers pulled it off.”

While the dance show was

held in Brunton auditorium last year, due to scheduling conflicts, this year it was held in the gymnasium at the athletic center.

However, the change in venue did not stop the performers from giving it their best. While mistakes were made throughout the performance, everyone performed with grins on their faces. During the Friday night performance, as the advanced swing group performed to “Shiver my Timbers,” a pirate-themed piece, Pistner had to leave the stage mid-performance, as he tore the meniscus in his knee. This was due to an injury received during the first semester. However, he was back for the Saturday shows.

“It’s always stressful, but it’s a good kind of stressful,” said Swing Society Treasurer Elizabeth Nagy, listing setbacks such as injury and change of space. “But the executive always pulls together to help out, and in the end we’re pretty proud of our society,” Nagy, a fifth-year student, has been a part of the society since her first year at Mt. A and is one of several graduating students within the society.

For her, the final show is bittersweet: “I’m going to miss it; next year[‘s society] is going to be different, but still good and I hope that it continues to shine.”

The Argosy is hiring its

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF for the 2014-2015 publishing year

Qualifications:

Excellent leadership skills Interest in student journalism Experience in editing and design an asset Must be a Mt. A Student

Term: May 1, 2014 to April 30, 2015 Honorarium $5000 paid quarterly

Please submit a cover letter and resume, along with the name of a faculty member available for a two-year board term to: Human Resources Representative Charlotte Henderson at cnhenderson@mta.ca

Applications due:

Midnight, March 26

HUMOUR

March 20, 2014

argosy@mta.ca

Across 1. Crystal-lined stone 6. Offensively malodorous 10. Drift 14. Colorado resort 15. Coastal raptor 16. Notion 17. Not now 18. Earl grey is one 19. Speaker’s platform 20. Promising 22. They come from hens 23. Atlantic food fish 24. Ancient ascetic 26. Giggles

30. Precipitous 32. Backside 33. Small 35. Malicious burning 39. Fragrance 41. Tear 42. Depart 43. III 44. False god 46. Once again 47. Increase 49. Bovine mammaries 51. Gather on the surface, chemically

54. African antelope 55. Rodents 56. Betrothal 63. Decorative case 64. Defeat disastrously 65. Not at any time 66. Canvas dwelling 67. Indolent 68. Nigerian monetary unit 69. Jittery 70. Cobras 71. A mixture of 2 or more metals

21. Price 25. Secure against leakage 26. Not first 27. Part of a foot 28. ___-friendly 29. Unselfishness 30. Malicious 31. Erratum 34. Colored part of an eye 36. Rational 37. Not under 38. Current event information

40. Rip 45. Breathing organ 48. European peninsula 50. Chaperone 51. Mountain crest 52. Old hat 53. Bitten 54. Movable fence barriers 57. Gestures of acceptance 58. Swallow 59. Breakfast or supper 60. Wickedness 61. A Roman emperor 62. Mobile food surface

Down 1. Celebration 2. Jacob’s brother 3. Chooses 4. Profound 5. Make wealthy 6. Malodorous 7. Chocolate cookie 8. A Central American sloth 9. Tenant 10. Throughout far and wide 11. Maxim 12. Pretend 13. Thigh armour

(CUP) — Puzzles provided by BestCrosswords.com. Used with permission.