Mount Allison’s
THE April 10, 2014
ARGOSY Independent Student Newspaper
Mad as hell and not going to take it anymore since 1872
Vol. 143 Iss. 21
The fume hoods in Flemington, such as the one pictured above in lab 213, have been condemned since September. A report from November confirmed their leakage. (Nick Sleptov/Argosy)
Ireland resigns over faulty fume hoods concerned. Many biology students are familiar with the Flemington Building’s lack of ventilation, which is necessary for animal dissections and etherizing fruit flies in genetics classes. In November, The Argosy reported that several biology professors also need ventilation for their research. “It’s already had a strong effect, in Animal Biology, even though samples aren’t preserved in formaldehyde… they’re preserved in fermium, a very pungent arable nasty thing,” said Chris Zinck, a second-year biology student. “It’s so atrocious smelling, it causes migraines.” “Some of our most hazardous labs have moved to the biochemistry lab space in Barclay, an inconvenient contingency that was supposed
He’s headed the biology department for five years, but on April 2, Robert Ireland resigned from his position, citing the university’s decision not to repair ventilation systems in the Flemington building in time for the next school year. “For many years we’ve been promised that we would get ventilation
in this building,” Ireland said. “The provost and dean [of science] assured us come September 2014 we’d have at least one lab ventilated.” But on March 31, Ireland was informed in an email from science dean Jeff Ollerhead that there was “a zero per cent chance” that Flemington would receive adequate ventilation in the coming year, with Ollerhead adding, “I am as frustrated as anyone else, but this is the reality.” Ireland, who has been a professor at Mount Allison since 1992, said after receiving the email, “enough is enough, I resigned.” In his official resignation letter, Ireland stated that “since the university declines to address basic health and safety problems pertaining to our students and staff, I can no longer execute my duties as head of the
Biology Department as required by the collective agreement (clause 18.12.2) as such I resign my position as head immediately.” “I can’t in good conscience do this to the students and the faculty, I can’t be party to another patchwork solution to something completely avoidable if only the administration would stand up and do it,” he added. “It wasn’t my intention to do something [disruptive] with this, I did it because I don’t think I can do my job properly under the circumstances,” he said, “perhaps this will indicate the amount of importance we attach to this issue, but I think that was already understood. It would be sad if one had to resign to make it clear that health and safety are important.” Ireland is not the only one who is
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Former biology department head says ‘enough is enough’ Clay Steell
to be temporary, two years ago. The department worries that this supposedly stop-gap measure will become permanent and our labs will forever be housed in the Barclay building, in unsuitable facilities shared with biochemistry. The administration continues to exclude the entire biology department from what they are really planning. This pattern of secrecy does not reassure anyone in the least. Apparently the administrators know what is best and will let faculty and staff know what is happening when they feel like it. Some Mount Allison family!” read an email from a source whose work is affected by the improper ventilation. The source requested anonymity in concern for
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Inside... News Opinions Sports Centrefold Science Arts & Literature Entertainment Humour
Turnout grows for rebate protests: Pg. 2
Dixon: Gun control a must for U.S.A.: Pg. 5
Tintamarre stresses inclusion: Pg. 12
SappyForever wait is almost over: Pg. 13
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OIL SPILL IN THE WMSC MASU votes against supporting Protest to Divest NO CONFIDENCE IN CAMPBELL, GRANT Administrators walk out of faculty council meeting
April 10, 2014
argosy@mta.ca
Students bring protest to Centennial Hall Parties overcome differences for future protests Kevin Levangie
Political Beat Writer The number of students participating in Mount Allison University’s third tuition rebate protest swelled to over 100 last Friday, approximately four times the turnout of the previous demonstration. A group of students marched across campus, including a stop outside Centennial Hall, chanting and singing refrains such as: “We want an education, we don’t want no corporation.” Mount Allison Students’ Union was more involved in this protest than the last, with President Melissa O’Rourke encouraging all students to attend in a mass email. She also addressed the crowd prior to the march. Several executive members and councillors were also in attendance, in contrast to the previous protest, which saw no MASU representation. “We had a great turnout, and I feel like the spirits were really high,” said Alex Thomas, one of the protest’s
Students march across campus in favour of tuition rebate. A final protest is planned for this week. (Nick Sleptov/Argosy) leaders. Connor Wheaton, a student who led the group in song during the demonstration said he felt the protest went “very well.” Thomas framed the student dissatisfaction within the context of larger concerns about university governance, such as the recent faculty vote of non-confidence. He attributed
the higher turnout to multiple factors, such as the MASU email, and general “increasing frustration.” When asked if there were plans to ensure a large turnout for the final protest on April 11, Thomas said, “We’re going to chalk up the sidewalks, try to get everyone to tell everyone, and frame it as the last protest. A final chance to let it be
known that we want a tuition rebate.” Thomas reported there was some tension between him and the other “Unhappy Mount Allison Students” (an informal group of protest organizers) and MASU, saying, “[O’Rourke] is happy to support the mandate of pursuing a tuition rebate, but she wants to keep it isolated. She totally can’t
get behind general dissatisfaction with the administration, which was how I personally framed the tuition rebate issue.” He continued, “She feels councillors have a good taste for whether or not the administration has been listening, and they feel that they have, except for on this issue.” O’Rourke said she would rather not publicly address Thomas’s statements. “The comments that I made with Alex were made in private, and I don’t know if I feel comfortable addressing those,” she said. “We’re very excited about the protest on Friday. We’re very excited about having it focus in on the rebate. This week’s protest should be great,” O’Rourke said. O’Rourke said MASU plans to continue working with Thomas and his fellow organizers to “try and get as many bodies out as possible.” In a follow-up interview, Thomas said,“I feel it is relevant to contextualize the tuition rebate issue within a broader climate of dissatisfaction about the administration, particularly dissatisfaction coming from faculty.” Despite this, Thomas said it was important to work for MASU support. After talking to O’Rourke a second time, he said, “whatever message we are coming together about on Friday [will be] something we can all support.”
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Environmental fund survives GIF will fund Mt. A farm, electric vehicle charger Kevin Levangie
Political Beat Writer The Mount Allison Student’s Union Green Investment Fund (GIF) has survived another referendum, with a little help from MASU’s council. The GIF received 65.9 per cent of votes in favour of renewal of its $10 levy, narrowly missing the two-thirds majority necessary for approval. The levy received 551 votes in favour and 285 against. A hundred students marked that they were abstaining from the vote. Earlier this year, MASU received legal advice telling them that any referendum that fell between fifty and 66.6 percent support could be considered a non-binding referendum. Council can approve non-binding referenda with a vote, as they did in this case. Two referenda from earlier this year, the 7 Mondays question and the winter carnival
referendum, also ended up in limbo and received funding authorization from council. The GIF’s mandate is to reduce carbon emissions in the Sackville region by providing grant funding to projects that pass a two-stage selection process. The GIF will fund two projects for certain in the 20142015 year, and will be tentatively supporting another pending further development. GIF will be giving $10,552 to reopen the Mount Allison farm. GIF coordinator Lauren Latour told council the application was a collaborative effort between students and administrators. Latour said $8,500 would be “going to capital expenditures to get the farm up and running,” with the remaining $2,052 going to pay students who will be employed by the farm in the summer. The administration aims to have the farm up and running this summer, and will provide food with “zero food miles” to Jennings, meaning the distance traveled is so short carbon emissions are negligible. Latour added that farm is “going to be organic, free of pesticides and herbicides, and [will be using] minimal heavy equipment.” The second project was proposed
as a part of a larger package by EOS Eco energy, a local NGO dedicated to reducing energy consumption in the Tantramar region. “EOS asked for $18,000; we are recommending to supply them with $10,500. That is going to cover an electric vehicle charging station somewhere in a public space in Sackville, to allow for an increased number of electric and hybrid vehicles,” said Latour in her presentation to council. As it stands, there may be a scarcity of electric cars in Sackville. “We didn’t know how many electric cars there were in Sackville, but we came to the conclusion that was probably because there is no electric car charging station in Sackville,” said Ryan MacRae, a town councillor who is involved with the GIF. Latour said installing the station will bring electric vehicles. “The town of Sackville and an independent citizen have specified they would be purchasing electric vehicles should the charging station be put in,” she said. Councillor Liam St. Louis said he was “resolutely against” the motion, calling it “huge amount of money as effectively a subsidy for very few people.”
Grocery Runners face criticism Co-op worried that new venture will jeopardize local business
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This Week in the World Joanna Perkin
Afghanistan holds landmark elections
On Saturday, Afghanistan held an election to vote for the new president, which signifies the first ever democratic transfer of power in the country. Heavy rains fell, but this did not stop seven million men and women from finding pollings station at which to vote. Voters were in line an hour before the polls opened, and BBC correspondents compared the atmosphere to a carnival. Voting was also extended an hour to enable more people to cast their ballots. The Taliban had vowed to disrupt the election, although all 400,000 of the country’s police and soldiers were out in force to protect voters. Ten per cent of polling stations were closed after being deemed unsafe, and three significant attacks occurred across the country. It will take approximately six weeks for the results to be counted. Eight candidates are vying to replace President Hamid Karzai, who is constitutionally barred from seeking a third consecutive term.
Four dead after Fort Hood shooting
Last Wednesday night, Ivan Lopez, an army specialist who served in Iraq, opened fire at the Fort Hood army base in Texas. He killed three people and injured sixteen more before taking his own life. CBC News reported that there is evidence that Lopez was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, and was in a very unstable psychological state. Three victims remain in critical condition and are awaiting more surgery. In 2009, Fort Hood suffered the deadliest attack on a domestic military base in U.S. history, in which thirteen people were killed, and more than thirty injured. Lopez’s motive for the April 2 attack remains unknown.
Ebola clinic attacked in Guinea
An Ebola outbreak in Guinea has killed eighty-six people across the country in the past month. A crowd of angry people attacked a centre where people have been held in isolation, forcing an international aid group to evacuate the centre on Saturday. The mob of people accused Médecins Sans Frontières health workers of bringing the disease to Guinea, where the disease has never been seen before. Ebola is transmitted to humans who have eaten bats, or an animal that was bitten by a bat, but the Associated Press reports that this reality has not stopped the spread of misinformation and fear. Guinea’s government has openly stated that international aid groups such as Médecins Sans Frontières are key to arresting the spread of the disease. There is no cure for Ebola and up to ninety per cent of patients die from the strain that has been found in Guinea.
London smog raises health concerns
Miriam Namakanda News Writer
Greta Patterson, local manager of the Sackville Co-op, is upset that a recent student initiative has opted to transport groceries from Amherst instead of from within Sackville. “You’re taking money out of the town, and you are taking money out of the province,” Patterson said of the student-run grocery service. Tyrell Giffin, president of the Grocery Runners, said that the initiative is geared toward students who were already interested in purchasing groceries from the Sobey’s in Amherst. “My main issue is that we were not consulted, because it is something we already offer to the Mount Allison students,” Patterson said. Community members can call the co-op and have over forty dollars of groceries delivered for a five dollar charge. The startup is a project for the Entrepreneurship and Venture Creation course at Mount Allison University. Giffin said that the class had been working on the project since January, but it was only launched in February. “There isn’t really any conflict from our side,” Giffin said. “We polled 255 students, 126 of which said that they would prefer their groceries from Amherst, and forty-six said they had no preference.” Based on these results, the Grocery Runners decided to partner with Sobey’s in
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The local co-op is upset with the new student business. (Chris Donovan/Argosy) Amherst. Students are charged five dollars for every hundred dollars of groceries. Giffin said that offering the same service for businesses in town would be “less glamorous.” “Why would [students] pay us to pick up their groceries [if] they can walk down the street and pick them up themselves?” he asked. While the group is happy with their operations thus far, they are aware that a number of students do not want to use the service. “We have had people tell us that they wouldn’t use our service because they would prefer to get their groceries from here, and that’s fine,” Giffin said. Patterson said her reaction would have been different “if it was just a six week project meant for Mount Allison students.” However, because of how successful it is, the program may remain in Sackville for some time. Giffin said the group is interested in eventually expanding its services beyond the student body. When asked about the magnitude of the loss for the co-op, Patterson said, “I do not know about the exact project and how it is affecting us.” “The amount of business we have done and the amount of business the
grocery stores would do regardless is negligible,” Giffin said. He reported that about eight students use the service each week. “Students should be reminded that the [Mount Allison Students’ Union] bought shares in the Co-op and since then Mt. A students have been members,” Patterson said. “A lot of the groups in the university get funding through our fifty-fifty program [...] I am always supportive and give them donations and products to help them with their fund-raising,” she said. The fiftyfifty program is a raffle in which members can buy tickets to win half of the money raised, with the other half going to a given cause. The coop directly supports other groups and events, such as the recent MOSAIC banquet. “I would expect that students would support the Co-op in return,” she said, but clarified that she did not see her disagreement with the Grocery Runners as a conflict. Giffin maintains that the polls helped the group make a final decision. “That’s what the consumers wanted and that’s what we’re going to provide,” he said.
Schools in London, England closed their playgrounds and kept the children inside after the smog levels hit the top level of ten last week, the Associated Press reported. The London Ambulance Service said that it has been seeing an increasing numbers of calls from people with breathing difficulties, asthma, and heart problems, raising concerns for the people living in London. Many were hoping that the smog would be carried away by winds coming from the Atlantic, but for many others, the smog was still a huge concern. Gary Fuller, an air-quality expert, told AP that the recent smog had caught public attention because it was visible, whereas pollution is often hard to see. He also mentioned that there has been an increase in diesel vehicles.
Troops take over Brazilian slums
Nearly 3,000 Brazilian troops have occupied one of Rio de Janeiro’s most dangerous slums in preparation for June’s World Cup soccer tournament. Turf fights between gangs, muggings, drug wars, and car robberies, among other crimes have increased in recent months. The slums, called favelas, are generally controlled by local drug lords. People in the area are known to live in fear, BBC News reports, although since the military occupation, the war-like situation has been pacified, if only slightly. Tanks, helicopters, and armoured vehicles are all being used in this “pacification” of the area.
Malaysia will not give up its search
Malaysia has vowed that it will not give up trying to find the missing jetliner that disappeared on March 8 with 239 on board. No trace of the jet has been found so far, the Associated Press reported, although there have been many efforts to solve its mysterious disappearance. Malaysia’s defence minister has said that an independent investigator will join the search to lead a team to search for the missing plane, and will be made up of three groups: one looking at maintenance, structures and systems in the air, one examining operations, and one considering medical and human factors. The Associated Press reported that finding floating wreckage is key to narrowing the search area and to backtrack to where the plane hit the water. If there is no floating wreckage to be found, it would take years and an enormous international operation to do a survey of the entire Indian Ocean floor.
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April 10, 2014
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argosy@mta.ca
Proposed budget met with student critisism mentioned that scholarships are staying the same, and it seems a bit unfair to put the responsibility on students to fund things.” While most students seemed to be looking for improved services, budget manager Chris Milner stressed that the new costs would go toward balancing out the university’s deficit and maintaining what services the university currently has, rather than improve upon them.
Students question raised fees Taylor Losier
Features Writer
Only a few students managed to leave their pre-exam workload behind to attend a presentation of the draft budget, given by several members of the Mount Allison administration. Although there was a small turnout to the student presentation, administrators faced concerns over the implementation of lab and technology fees, the reason behind the deficit, and whether or not to expect any improved services. There is a new technology fee of fifty dollars, which the university claims will create a revenue of $118,550, while the addition of a lab fee of twenty-five dollars will bring in an additional $112,500.
Student attendance was low at the administration’s budget presentation on Tuesday, April 8. (Chris Donovan/Argosy) These fees will go into general revenue. With these new fees, as well as the three per cent tuition increase, offcampus students will pay approximately $400 more, and on-campus students, who will also be facing residence
and meal plan increases, will have to pay anywhere from an additional $800 to $900. “The new budget seems to penalize students and I’m wondering at the fairness in that,” said Mariah Martin Shein, who studies cognitive and computer sciences. “They
“It’s like telling someone who lost a leg to be happy that they didn’t lose both.”
The tuition increase stays within the cap imposed by the government, which stands at three per cent for the next three years. However, the ancillary fees Mt. A looks to implement don’t factor into the cap. The government won’t enforce the cap itself, but in
annual funding letters, it will ask universities to respect the limit. Science senator John Fraser said that although Mt. A offers benefits such as small class sizes, its tuition comparison is questionable. “I think it’s a little unmeasured of Mt. A to take the country average,” said Fraser. “I think Mt. A should really be localizing their tuition status on the Maritimes, especially New Brunswick.” Other students said that the changes were warranted. MASU councillor Rayan Bouhlel said that if the increased tuition ensures the improvement of services, they are justified. “I do see a justifiable need for the increase in the fees in order not only to maintain the services we are offered, but also explore expansion and potential addition of new services,” he said. The budget will be sent to the Board of Regents for final approval in May. Fraser said many students
already feel estranged this year as a result of the strike and the tuition rebate debate, creating a vastly different community than in previous years. “It’s a tough place for students, because the administration is screwing us over with the tuition rebate, and most students have so much work to do that no one even cares. What would it even take for students to evoke action? That’s a different question that I really can’t answer.” While the student budget meeting was a first attempt at quelling student anger, the administration recognizes that they still have a ways to go before they win over students. “We knew that it wasn’t going to be a popular decision,” Milner told the audience at the meeting. “It’s like telling someone who lost a leg to be happy that they didn’t lose both. But we did so in the way we thought would less impact students.”
Mt. A gives profs no time No confidence in to prep for budget meeting UNB administration Faculty question ‘consultation’ Tyler Stuart
Features Editor
Administrators gave faculty just under two and a half hours to read over Mt. A’s proposed budget for next year before its presentation at senate, straining the relationship between faculty and administration even further. The document, sent to faculty at 12:02 pm April 1, contained several items that raised professors’ eyebrows. Last Tuesday, after teaching a third-year history class, Owen Griffiths had just enough time to print out the proposed budget before hustling to the Wu auditorium for the 2:30 pm senate meeting. “When we are hearing from our senior administrators, including the president, talk about the importance of consultation, then the reception of the budget a couple of hours before the meeting––as essentially a fait accompli––flies in the face of those claims,” Griffiths said. In the meeting, administrators blamed the enormity of the draft budget for its tardy submission.
Loralea Michaelis, a political science professor, said that the budget meetings were traditionally preceded with a more intensive consultation process involving the whole community. “The failure to circulate in advance is all part of the breakdown of the consultative process,” Michaelis said. Despite the lack of time for preparation, faculty members disputed several proposed changes, including cuts to custodial staff and sabbatical replacements. Budget officer Chris Milner said the administration does not intend to release any fulltime custodial staff, but that casual staff might be. “We’re not reducing the custodial because we feel we have too much custodial. We’re doing it because we need to balance the budget,” he said. President Robert Campbell said that as the demand for custodial services fluctuates, so does that for academics. “The demand for academic services rises and falls according to on the one hand the number of students that you have, and on the other hand the revenue you had,” he said. While Campbell said the administration had no plans to let go of faculty, he said that certain measures must be taken to manage the loss. “You hold off on a hiring there; you do one less sessional
replacement there; you have a few less courses here; you add them all up,” he said. According to Campbell, such actions saved the university $450,000. Michaelis said that topic of sabbatical replacement cuts only arose haphazardly in a joint discussion meeting, despite requests from various departments for replacement staff and courses. “That’s not proper consultation, that’s not taking the advice of faculty,” Michaelis said, “that’s knowing what the advice is and dismissing it out of hand without any real discussion.” Campbell said that when he arrived at Mt. A the traditional consultation process had “run out of steam.” The current process, he said, goes through directors on the Board of Regents, vicepresidents, and deans. Michaelis, who recently resigned as head of the political science department in protest over a lack of sabbatical replacement, said the budget process must change in order to regain faculty support. “The problem lies in perception,” Griffiths said. “When repeated requests are made––reasonable requests to provide information that is easily accessible––and it is not acted upon, it creates perception of suspicion.”
UNB vows to address concerns Cherise Letson The Brunswickan
FREDERICTON (CUP) — Like Mount Allison University’s Faculty Council, a number of separate faculties at the University of New Brunswick (UNB) have recently passed motions of non-confidence in their senior administration. Over the past couple weeks, four faculties at UNB—science, engineering, arts and business—have been passing non-confidence motions against UNB’s senior administration, meaning president Eddy Campbell and the vice-presidents. The education faculty also passed a motion, however, it doesn’t exactly state non-confidence, but still echoes the similar concerns as the others. The faculties argue there is a lack of transparency with UNB’s financial planning. With academic departments receiving $1.2 million in cuts, they fear the university has strayed away from its core academic mission, leading to concerns for its future. “There is no transparency in that budget process at all. And it doesn’t appear to us
that it’s based on any kind of academic objectives,” said Cliff Shaw, chair of earth sciences and member of the UNB academic council. “It doesn’t meet the needs of the academic units and if it doesn’t meet the needs of those units, it doesn’t meet the needs of the students.” UNB’s English department chair Jennifer Andrews said UNB’s faculties can’t handle more cuts. “It becomes very clear that departments are at the point where they are on the brink of losing accreditation, losing the abilities to deliver certain key programs, whether it be graduate or undergraduate programs, and the ability to serve students in the meaningful way,” Andrews said. UNB president Eddy Campbell said in the statement on Friday, April 3, that he understands faculties’ frustrations and the university is working to address them. “We understand some members of our faculty are frustrated right now, and we sincerely want to work with them to address their concerns. They have provided us with questions. We have already provided some responses and we will be sharing more information soon,” Campbell said. “We are committed to providing more information about the decisions we make and why we make them. This
is an investment in the future of UNB.” Non-confidence motions are not binding at UNB, meaning the senior administration doesn’t need to act upon them. However, the faculties hope that their motions will bring a change of direction for the university. Shaw said it’s something UNB’s Board of Governors will need to address eventually. “I think that’s ultimately what we’re trying to do, to bring the attention of the Board of Governors to the problems we are facing in the university,” he said. “And that these problems we don’t feel our current senior administration are addressing, or are even capable of addressing.” Shaw said these motions are unrelated to January’s strike. Professors’ union AUNBT has had no involvement in the passing of these motions. “These are a result of long-standing issues that the [faculty] chairs and other faculty had with the way the university is administered,” he said. “And as we’ve started digging further into the finances of the university, we’re discovering more and more things that make us question whether or not they have the best interest of UNB’s academic programs at heart.” Cherise Letson is News Editor for The Brunswickan.
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SULLIVAN: FAIR ELECTIONS ACT STRENGTHENS CANADIAN DEMOCRACY No, Harper is not twirling his moustache as you read this BRADY: RESPECT YOUR INTERNET ANONYMITY Because we’re not all so lucky
Green Investment Fund is a good idea But it has been implemented poorly Liam St. Louis Shortly after voting to continue the Green Investment Fund (GIF) on March 31 after an inconclusive referendum, the Mount Allison Students’ Union’s (MASU) Students Administrative Council (SAC) voted to approve $10,500 to subsidize the installation of an electric car charging facility (ECCF) in Sackville. This was one of three projects the MASU Sustainability Committee recommended the GIF be invested in out of the nine that applied. To almost all councillors, the projects came as a surprise: we had never been informed of the projects we were voting on, and were given very limited information during the session. The motion to approve was introduced, and after only a few minutes of debate (very little of which actually focused on the merits of the project), council put it to a vote and approved the funding 14-3. The vote troubled me for a number of reasons. As the only councillor to speak against the project, I thought it was a poor decision.I thought it betrayed an incredible lack of oversight by council over how we spent the GIF; council did not even bother to seek justification for the recommendation. Finally, the cavalier
attitude councillors must have had towards their constituents to approve this without seeking input or at least an explanation threatens to erode student support for the MASU in general and for the GIF in particular. So is this even a good idea? While I was at first resolutely against it, reviewing the documentation and discussing the issue with the Sustainability Coordinator softened my views. Here are the answers I found to some of the concerns people had: But there are no electric cars in Sackville! True, but even if only a few people switch most of their driving from gaspowered to electric (and certainly a few will), more than 10,000 kg of carbon dioxide emissions will be eliminated. Can you not charge an electric vehicle at your home? Yes. There is little practical need for an ECCF in Sackville, since most long drives go to a place like Moncton where there is one already and most short drives don’t deplete the battery. But a very large aspect of this project—I’d say larger than actually making it easier to own an EV—is changing the perception of ease that people base their purchasing decisions on. We can talk about whether this is the most cost-effective electric vehicle marketing campaign, but its an important aspect to consider. Will not only rich people buy electric vehicles? While you can buy an older hybrid quite cheaply, electric vehicles do tend
towards the upper end of the price scale, and it will most likely be the more prosperous Sackvillians who use this. In a perfect world, they would foot the bill themselves; until then, the carbon emission reductions might not happen without GIF funding. How does this help students? The GIF’s mandate is to reduce the carbon footprint of the Sackville area. To focus on achieving environmental goals, it doesn’t consider whether it helps students, or even how many people it helps in total, if the environmental effects are good. Whether or not we should change that mandate is a different discussion we can have, and a different article. Why don’t we wait for something better? The GIF can carry over funding if it receives no noteworthy applications. This project does have a noticeable effect on emissions, though, and there was no sense waiting around for the perfect project when this one works pretty well. My own views are conflicted; I no longer think it is a terrible project, but it does not make as much sense to me as other initiatives we approved, like reopening Mt. A’s farm. I do not know what to think., I am still very concerned, however, that council as a whole did not demand to have these or indeed any concerns alleviated before voting on this project. Yes, we should have faith that the Sustainability Committee did its job, but council should not take as gospel the recommendation of a bureaucratic
committee and vote entirely on faith. The elected body needs to have the final say on how the MASU spends its money; if council does not bother to ask questions and get answers, how can it possibly make an informed decision? In my experience, students were virtually unanimously opposed to this decision, a fact that was particularly troubling in the wake of a successful referendum—would students have been so generous if this decision had been made a week before and not a week after? The outcry was predictable, and by voting so quickly without seeking either input from constituents or any justification from the Committee, council failed to act on behalf of students. When councillors act without performing their due diligence, students stop supporting MASU; if we want students to keep paying fees and passing referendums for MASU initiatives, council has to consider its spending carefully, without relying entirely on unelected bodies like the Sustainability Committee to do the considering for them. After doing some research, reviewing the application, and discussing the issue in-depth, I think that what I thought was a terrible idea is, at the absolute worst, mildly ill-advised. But the real tragedy here is council’s failure to demand the information necessary to reach that conclusion itself and its callous disregard of student opinion. There are two sides to every story— next time, let’s try to hear both before we spend student money.
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editorialstaff
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Richard Kent
FEATURES EDITOR
Tyler Stuart
SCIENCE EDITOR
ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
I am feeling a little depressed lately. Maybe it’s partly because of the snow, maybe because students aren’t getting a tuition rebate. But mainly it is because I am stressed, and I feel as if I have no support at the university. I have grown up in Sackville, and I cannot begin to tell you how much I love Mount Allison. That will never change. I think students deserve a tuition rebate, but that’s not what I want to argue here. I think that students deserve, more than anything, support. This semester has been extremely stressful. The three week strike had a serious impact on every student at Mt. A, and no one seems to be helping to make it easier. I am a student on campus, first and foremost. I am also a town resident, and a residence assistant. And I can tell you, my mental health is seriously suffering because of the lack of support from the university this semester. Now, let me clarify: the university in this context includes administration, professors, and many other people who work for Mt. A. I want to say that I have found the librarians, custodians, and many other people very kind throughout this experience, and have done more than their share. However, I have been completely appalled at how things have gone throughout the strike and the aftermath. Once the strike was over, I was
hoping that things would get back to normal. But it is far from normal. I have gone four and a half weeks getting as little sleep as I can, while still hoping to function the next day. I have been going to bed late and getting up early so that I can try to finish my assignments to the best of my abilities, while still trying to continue working at my various employments. Relaxation is no longer in my vocabulary. I don’t seem to have time for anything. I wake up, shower, eat in residence because I don’t have time for meal hall, work on assignments, go to class, go to the library for the half hour or hour breaks I have in between, eat when I get the chance, sometimes even at meal hall, go to any mandatory meetings I have, and study for the remainder of the day. I have come close to crying in public many times in the past few weeks. After the strike, I expected the course outlines and assignment expectations to change in my classes, but they did not. I am doing the exact same amount of work that I was supposed to do before the strike, except take three weeks off the semester for the strike, and two weeks off for the week before and after spring break, in which professors did not have anything due. Same workload. Five weeks fewer. This is just unreasonable. I have asked my professors for extensions. They have all been denied, except for one class
extension. The professors are being unreasonable in their workload, and in their expectations, as if all students are in only their class. And the university is doing nothing to help. So there are counsellors who now take appointments on Saturdays. This has not been communicated to students. I ask you: who has time to go see a counsellor? I sure don’t. Free time is most definitely something I don’t have. I have been trying to figure out which assignments I can skip in order to accomplish others. I understand that students were expected to keep up with our workloads during the strike, however, as the strike went on, we were unsure of what we should be doing anymore; we had no guidance, and quickly lost motivation. I am very studious. I take my studies very seriously, and I like things to be done well. Honestly, though, I don’t think I care anymore. I feel that my professors have been unreasonable and not willing to accommodate me. The university seems to want to put the whole thing behind us, and do not seem to understand or care that the mental health of students is suffering enormously. Counsellors are not visible or accessible, and they are obviously not being very realistic in offers for their help. I want to reiterate that there are many people who work on campus who have given
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Miriam Namakanda POLITICAL BEAT WRITER
Kevin Levangie
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Letter to the Editor
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contributors up loads of their free time to help students; many individuals (such as the librarians, for whom I have unlimited amounts of appreciation) have shown how immensely they care about the students, but the majority have not. I understand that this letter must seem very vague. You’re probably wondering what the point of this letter is. What I want people to understand is that students are suffering. We need help, and we need it fast. I want someone to care. Students are giving up the little free time we previously had to sit and do assignments that we’re not really sure how to do in the first place, but we don’t have time to ask questions, so we just do it to the best of our abilities. In return, I think that professors, administration, and counsellors in particular, should be willing to give up a little bit of their free time, and circulate around the library, meal hall, or Gracie’s, and see what they can do to help students. My mental health is suffering. And I am not the only one. Ask anyone. Have they cried lately? Have they felt like it? Do they feel stressed? I bet they’ll say the same as I did. Mt. A, please start showing that you care about your students. It is your responsibility, and we’re not asking for much.
Sue Seaborn, Célina Boothby, Clay Steell, Bernord Sowbry, Paul Del Motte, Sam Moore, Austin Landry, Karissa LaRocque, Brandon Williams, Joanna Perkin, Kegan Smith, Tessa Dixon, Liam St. Louis
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Marilyn Walker (Chair), Dave Thomas, Dan Legere, Filip Jaworski
disclaimers and copyright The Argosy is the official independent student journal of news, opinion, and the arts, written, edited and funded by the students of Mount Allison University in Sackville, 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. Comments , concerns, or complaints about The Argosy’s content or operations should be first sent to the Editor-in-Chief at the address above. If the Editor-inChief is unable to resolve a complaint, it may be taken to the Argosy Publications, Inc. Board of Directors. The chairs of the Board of Directors can be reached at the address above. 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.
6
April 10, 2014
OPINIONS
I hate this class! Distribution courses need a redesign Brandon Williams In university, there is subject matter that you focus on most: your major. There is great flexibility too; one can strive towards two subjects to major, or an infinite amount of subjects with a minor. However, at Mount Allison, it is required students take a certain number of ‘distribution courses’ to supplement their chosen major and minor. The idea is that in taking a certain number of distribution courses, on top of your focused major and minor that you will finish university as a ‘well-rounded’ individual. Since when is ‘well-roundedness’ defined by course codes on a transcript? It means little if the distribution course means little to the student. I feel that the quality of my education is being diminished because of the courses I am pre-determined to take, but do not interest me, for the sole purpose of fulfilling mandates set by university administrators. This conceptualization is useless if the student is disheartened and uninspired, a notion that can transfer to their other courses that were once
truly important to them. With the stress and work that university brings, it would be wise to not tamper with innate curiosity and passion for a given subject. Students should not be sitting in class and questioning why they are even attending the class. Current distribution requirements need more flexibility in choosing which distribution interests a particular student. In saying this, I do not think every student thinks this way; there is likely a political science major out there who, aside from their political science courses, also enjoys science and classics, and therefore it is a treat for them to be able to take a classics course amid a sea of political science lectures. Am I really more well-rounded if I take a class that I spent the entire semester unengaged with? And why is it that some courses are only offered every few years? This is not to discredit the importance of a wellrounded education, but the interests and well-being of students must be taking into the consideration. Distribution requirements and course selection should be reevaluated to perhaps include less required distribution courses, in order to provide students with more chance to follow which courses they are passionate about. This is then taking into the account the interest of the real-life student, and not the theoretical ‘well-rounded’ one the university is trying to mould together with their set of mandates.
argosy@mta.ca
Violence marches on It’s simple: More guns equals more deaths Tessa Dixon In an age where mass shootings seems to have become the norm, ‘lockdown’ has become an integral term for students. In 2012, twenty first grade students and six teachers were killed at Sandy Hook elementary school in Connecticut. There have been forty four school shootings since then, with twenty eight deaths and thirty seven injuries. Despite the common occurrence of shootings, the preventative and reactionary measures to shootings have changed little. The United States government has maintained traditional and defensive tactics that simply are not working. Congress has increased their budget to promote safe school environments by twenty nine million. Ninety per cent of districts have tightened security since Newtown, including lockdown procedures and the use of fences, IDs and security cameras. Some schools have considered providing teachers with guns. But is arming minimally trained schoolteachers the best method of
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combating gun violence that congress could conceive? Money and resources are a façade of security. Following the Sandy Hook shooting, Congress turned down a proposal by Newtown families to strengthen screening procedures for those buying guns. Obama viewed Congress’ decision as “shameful.” Last week, specialist Ivan Lopez killed three people before committing suicide at Fort Hood. Clearly, enhanced security is not the answer. If it can happen on a military base, where everyone is armed to the teeth, it can happen anywhere. The discussion between hardline gun supporters and those that strongly oppose it is not fruitful if it is defined by people who priorate proving their ideal correct instead of focusing on the effect that the outcome of their disagreement has on innocent civilians. This becomes especially difficult, as gun supporters perceive gun related tragedies as proof that citizens have the right to bear arms. It is not the average citizen, however, that is charged with the task of protecting civilians. It is properly trained officers who bear that chosen responsibility. Owning a gun does not make you an arbiter of justice or protector of civilian liberties. Rather, it opens the door to conflict and suspicion. In November 2013, Renisha McBride was shot in the face and
killed by a man that believed she was trying to break in to his home. In fact, she was looking for help after being injured in a car crash. The man also maintains that the shooting was accidental. The thought of an adult male fearing for his life in face of an injured teenager is farcical. It would be quite difficult to ‘accidentally’ shoot an incapacitated teenager in the head. If he truly feared for his life, he could have called the police. However, his constitutional right allowed him to take measures in to his own hands. What does an organization like the National Rifle Association say about incidents of guns increasingly being used in mass shootings?: “We will not allow law-abiding gun owners to be blamed for the acts of criminals and madmen.” Clearly, the NRA’s tact has not improved since staging a convention in Littleton, Colorado days after the shooting at Columbine High School that killed 15 people, including the shooters. Was the man who shot Renisha McBride a law-abiding citizen? It is hard to imagine that people want to be a part of a society that views shooting an innocent civilian as a rightful constitutional fulfillment.
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SPORTS
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SEX BOMB The sports section takes on athletics in the bedroom A.J. PIERZYNSKI, A LIABILITY? The ageing Red Sox acquisition could haunt the Red Sox in 2014
Better Know a Mountie
April 10, 2014
The sight of cellulite Losing the look of cellulite
Kaleefah Henry Benjamin Foster
Sports Writer
Célina Boothby Kaleefah Henry came to Mount Allison two years ago, with the experience of winning and playing highlevel basketball his whole life. This has helped him step right into a leadership role with a young Mounties basketball squad. In his first two years at Mt. A, the guard has been named both Rookie of the Year (2012-13) and Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the Mounties basketball team (2013-14). “It is great winning the awards,” Henry said. “The rookie one was neat, MVP was so cool. It feels good to be acknowledged for your play.” The Brampton, Ont. native started playing basketball in grade two and hasn’t stopped practicing his skills on the court since. In 2007, he was part of the Brampton Rebels team that not only won provincials, but also took home the title at nationals. “As a kid, the teams I was on were consistently top five in Ontario. That year was awesome, winning provincials, then advancing to the Canada Games to win nationals,” Henry said. In the ninth grade, they played in the top division for the first time and finished among the top three teams in Toronto. That was just a warm up to his grade ten
Henry was named MVP in 2013-14 (Sue Seaborn/Mt. A) season that saw the Crusaders go unbeaten with forty-seven straight victories. Henry also played football right up until the end of high school before he chose to put all his time towards basketball. Mt. A basketball coach Duane Starrett recruited Henry and convinced him to come play for the Mounties. “I decided to come to Mt. A not only for the basketball but also the opportunity to get a university education,” Henry said of his choice. “My first year here was a big adjustment but it has been great. I am a big city guy but Mt. A is good for me. There is not many schools where you can find a place to just relax and study on a Friday night like here.” This past season, Henry averaged thirteen points while assuming a bigger role with the team. Because of the youth of this year’s squad, Henry was forced to step up as a leader.
With almost the entire team coming back next season, Henry is confident the squad will get even better. “Guys still need to come in and work hard. We expect to improve and we have most of our starting line up back.” Basketball has played a giant role in Kaleefah’s life. “It really keeps me focused and disciplined. It helps me lock in on other things as well such as schoolwork.” The 2013-14 Mounties basketball team should come out strong led by their MVP Kaleefah Henry and the rest of the squad that now has an extra year of experience.
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Exercise? Diet? Surgery? Oh my! Women (and men) have been horrified at the sight of cellulite and its unappealing look. So what is the background to cellulite, why do people get it, and how can we reduce its appearance? Medical News Today defines cellulite as a condition in which the skin appears to have underlying fat deposits, and is most often found around the buttocks and thighs, usually occurring only after puberty. So how can we take care of our bodies and ensure that these fat deposits don’t override our physical appearance and take over our self-esteem as well? There has been great debate about specific exercises that are targeted to reduce cellulite if you only ‘crunch a certain way’ and ‘squat in this specific position.’ All in all, it has been found that exercise can reduce fat, but there is no way to spot-treat cellulite. In order to reduce the visibility of these fatty areas, proper exercise, nutrition, circulation, and control of fat-storage hormones must be practiced. So what causes cellulite? To some extent our genetics can affect the amount of cellulite we have. Being a female also greatly increases your odds of
acquiring cellulite, as women tend to have a higher fat content and also hold more fat in their buttocks and thighs. Unfortunately, this means that no matter how hard these people work out, they may never get rid of all their cellulite. Reducing cellulite’s appearance is a more realistic goal, according to Arlene Hundt, who founded the Brooklyn Bridge Boot Camp in New York. Hundt says the keys to a cellulite reducing action plan are to lose body fat, firm muscle underneath skin, follow a low-carb diet, and boost circulation and blood flow. Circulation: Boost your blood flow and circulation in these problem areas by getting massages and performing regular exercise. Cardiovascular training will get the blood pumping into and out of the heart faster and sending it to your extremities, therefore increasing circulation and tackling those fat deposits. Switching from hot to cold water while taking a shower can also improve circulation. Diet: A low fat diet is the key to any weight loss program, especially if you are tackling areas that are specifically filled with such fat. Stick to lean meats and load up on fruits and veggies. Avoid things like sugars, starches, alcohol, and anything that is processed. According to the Harvard School of Public Health, foods with low gluten have been shown to aid in weight loss. Choose a thin mini bagel instead or quinoa instead of a heap of white spaghetti.
Exercise: Cardiovascular exercise is important to reduce fat. By performing interval training you can maximize your results. Perform fifteen minutes of hard-core biking/ running/rowing then switch to fifteen minutes of jogging or using the elliptical. Strength training is also crucial, as tightening the skin and muscles will reduce the visibility of cellulite. Aim for training of the lower body at least two times a week and increase weight over time. Stick to low weight and lots of reps to really tone out. Then move your way up! Try step-ups (step up on a chair or bench in your room for twenty reps each leg), lunges (walking or stationary for thirty-fifty reps on each leg), and squats (keeping weight on your heels and perform roughly fifty reps). Due to your genetic makeup or gender you may not be able to completely erase cellulite. But remember, these marks are a part of your body and you must stay within healthy limits. Don’t push your self too hard in hope of completely eradicating them, when sometimes just being able to reduce the signs of cellulite is right. Remember we all have some (or will have some as we move into our golden years) and living a healthy and balanced lifestyle is your best bet. Listen to what your body tells you. Stay healthy, folks! Célina Boothby is Mount Allison University’s Health Intern.
Writer Benjamin Foster (Pre-1990) and Editor Alex Bates (Post- 1990) sit down to detail the greatest Capture the Flag game of all-time. Alex: The post-1990 squad is based
on experience, speed, and of course, trash-talk. Despite being the younger squad, this team still has tonnes of experience. Derek Jeter is one of the greatest Yankee captains of all time and Mia Hamm is the third most capped player in soccer history. They lead a squad that has collected thirty Olympic gold medals, seven World Series victories, and six Super Bowl victories since their conception into professional sport. The squad includes some of the fastest athletes of all-time: Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps, and Devin Hester. Bolt currently holds the world record in the 100 meter dash, by a full tenth of a second. Phelps known for his twenty-two Olympic medals in the pool, and Hester has a plethora of NFL records returning punts and kicks. Ichiro and Mia Hamm offer relentless endurance. What I really like about this team is their ability to intimidate opponents with their words. Richard Sherman, is one of the greatest trash-talkers since 1990; Dikembe Mutombo is known
for his signature finger-wave after a big shot block; and Bill Belichick is one of the most intimidating people in all of sport. These guys won’t be afraid to go up against anyone, and they won’t back down no matter what the situation.
Ben: Speed, size and fear: these are
the three assets I was looking for when I assembled my Capture the Flag team from pre-1990. My team is full of cheaters, gamblers, speedsters, and superstars, and will do anything to win, literally.
Coach Don Cherry is an obvious selection, no one can get more out of the team than “Grapes” himself. Of course Cheery will need “Number Four” on his team, and with today’s medicine, Bobby Orr’s knees should easily make it through the match.
Speaking of amazing medicine, Ben Johnson is one of the fastest runners in the history of the world and a “good Canadian kid,” just like coach Don Cherry prefers. With Pete Rose and Michael Jordan on the field, my team will not be afraid to gamble. Jordan’s a pretty good winner too. Yvan “The Roadrunner” Cournoyer is also no rookie when it comes to winning, having earned ten Stanley Cups in his time. All-time stolen base record holder Rickey Henderson will contribute speed and will not be afraid to go at it headfirst. “The Battle of the Sexes” makes me trust that Billy Jean King will never back down. To get to our flag, you’ll have to go through the best fighter ever, Muhammed Ali. Bo Jackson is one of the best athletes to be ever born and he has already showed he can handle more than one sport. Look for him to use his superhuman strength. After all, “Bo Knows.” Finally, O.J. Simpson can teach the rest of the team how to stay out of jail. We are ready to capture the victory, rookies.
TH E A R G O S
2013-201
RICHARD KENT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
LISA THERIAULT ILLUSTRATOR
KEVIN LEVANGIE POLITICAL-BEAT WRITER
NICK SLEPTOV PHOTO MANAGER
SUSAN PARKER COPY EDITOR
TYLER STUART FEATURES EDITOR
JULIE WHITENECT PRODUCTION MANAGER
SAM SHURY
CIRCULATIONS MANAGER
TAYLOR LOSIER
BENJAMIN FOSTER
FEATURES WRITER
SPORTS WRITER
ALEX BATES SPORTS EDITOR
IAN MALCOM HUMOUR EDITOR
KIMBERLY SAYSON COPY EDITOR
CHRIS DONOVAN PHOTO EDITOR
MARTIN OMES SCIENCE WRITER
G O SY STA F F 2013-2014
EMILY JAMES
PRODUCTION ASSISTANT
ALLISON O’REILLY SCIENCE EDITOR
CHARLOTTE HENDERSON OFFICE MANAGER
CAMERON MCINTYRE
JULIA MCMILLIAN
ENTERTAINMENT WRITER
ARTS & LITERATURE EDITOR
NORMAN NEHMETALLAH ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
DANIEL MARCOTTE ARTS & LITERATURE WRITER
CHRIS BALCOM NEWS EDITOR
JAMES ISNOR IT MANAGER
MADISON DOWN ONLINE EDITOR
JOHN TRAFFORD OPINIONS EDITOR
MEGAN LANDRY BUSINESS MANAGER
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RACHEL HANAKOWSKI COPY EDITOR
ONLINE:
STEM CELL DATA FALSIFIED Team from Japan found to have used fake data in breakthrough study HONOURS PROFILE Biochemistry student Meggie Reardon worked at Dalhousie University
SCIENCE
April 10, 2014
argosy@mta.ca
Biology department head resigns over fume hoods Continued from cover “The final blow came last fall when all of our fume hoods were condemned,” continued the email. “It is hard to measure dollars against cost in human health. And, we have had plenty of that.” “We’ve had three cancers in biology; it doesn’t mean causation of course, but people are concerned,” said Ireland. Crandall Engineering did an external report on Flemington’s ventilation system last year. According to the report, “exhaust ducts through the core of the building appear to be leaking.” The firm estimated that it would cost the university $300,000 to install adequate ventilation in Flemington’s room 213, enough to support fall and winter lab sections. “It’s just one lab,” Ireland said, “the entire Barclay building’s ventilation was done in a year, and their saying they couldn’t do one lab in five months is silly.”
Ireland was uncertain why the construction project was not going forward as planned. “We’ve been told over and over again the money’s there, that it’s going to happen, and now it’s not going to happen.” According to Ireland, Ollerhead in his email “implied that there was some disagreement at a senior level” without providing any details. Ireland said Ollerhead emailed him again the next day, saying “the rationale is simple, Facilities Management cannot consult, design, tenure, or build a ventilation system for Flemington 213 to be ready in the fall of 2014.” When asked if Facilities Management gave a reason why the ventilation couldn’t be installed, Ireland said, “It’s difficult to get a response out of Facilities Management.” Rob MacCormack, the head of Facilities Management, and David Stewart, the vicepresident responsible for facilities, both declined to comment on the situation. Ollerhead also believes there is a problem, but wouldn’t say whether money was available for the renovations.
“Improving ventilation in the Flemington Building is a priority for me. Some of the proposed solutions are complex and require significant lead times to implement. It is therefore likely that some
“The university needs to make some decisions: if we allow it, we need to increase the resources in that area, or we cap enrolments. Biology’s not getting the attention we need, certainly compared with other departments.” work will be done during the summer of 2014 while other work will have to wait until
the summer of 2015 and/or different solutions employed to address the ventilation issues identified by the University’s consultants,” Ollerhead told The Argosy. “In terms of funding, no decision… has been made as of this date. The University is still developing a budget for 2014-2015. This said, I am confident that funds will be allocated to improve ventilation in the Flemington Building once solutions are selected,” Ollerhead added Karen Grant, Mt. A’s Provost, told The Argosy in an email that “[n]ecessary work on the Flemington Building will begin later this spring,” but declined to comment further, referring inquiries to what she called Ollerhead’s “comprehensive” comments. Ireland cited Flemington’s lack of ventilation as a problem for the biology department’s growing enrolment, which has doubled over the last fifteen years. “Students have moved into the life sciences,” he said, “Pre-health is becoming more popular. We’d like to run a human anatomy course, the sort of course that needs
basic facilities with adequate ventilation.” He was critical of the university’s capacity to plan in this regard. “The University Planning Committee isn’t a planning committee, it’s a knee-jerk response committee,” he said, “it seems to respond to problems instead of long-term planning. We’ve had more five-year plans than that space should allow. Mount Allison tends not to take direction, we tend to drift.” “The university needs to make some decisions: if we allow it, we need to increase the resources in that area, or we cap enrolments. Biology’s not getting the attention we need, certainly compared with other departments.” Ireland proposed a longterm alternative to the ventilation issue: a new academic building for the life sciences. “There’s a good case to be made for planning a new building,” he said, adding that the university should, “plan it now, for ten years from now. I won’t see it, but our new faculty and new waves of students will see it.” He compared it
to the new Purdy Crawford Centre for the Performing Arts, saying “it serves a need for some specialist programs. Let’s see if we can find the external sources for a life sciences building, which we know is going to attract a lot of students.” Ireland hopes that his resignation will not negatively affect the biology department’s faculty, staff, or students. In the meantime, Ollerhead has assumed all department head responsibilities, and has offered Ireland’s position to faculty members. None have yet offered to do so. Ireland made clear that he “was not trying to be disruptive. I’ve done all the things I could, signed all the forms, got the job ads organized. I will provide whatever support I can to my replacement.” The department head position opens up July 1, and its occupancy is not yet determined. Ireland plans on maintaining his normal teaching and research schedule. “I’m going to spend my time and energy on doing things more useful: working for students.”
Still looking for a place to rent? 5 A & B Wellington Street - Available for May 01, 2014. Five minutes from campus. Each spacious apartment has five bedrooms, 2 large bathrooms, large lounge and kitchen. Rooms can be rented individually or in a group. Heat, power, water, high speed wifi, laundry & dryer included in rent. Parking for 8 vehicles and snow removal included in rent. Rent Apartment A (upstairs): $325 per room Rent Apartment B (downstairs): $300 per room
Call Mona @ 536-0004 or email: mona.aslam44@yahoo.com
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SCIENCE
Researcher tests bee sting pain Honeybees sting student for science Keegan Smith Michael Smith is a supreme badass. That’s the only term one could use to describe a man who had himself stung over 200 times by bees. Why would anyone do this, you ask? In the name of science, of course. While studying honeybee behaviour and evolution as a grad student at Cornell University, Smith received a bee sting to the testicle. Surprisingly, he found the sting remarkably painless, and wondered how location
played into the pain response. The pain from a variety of insect stings was ranked by Justin Schmidt in 1990, in what is commonly known as the Schmidt Index. Pain is notoriously difficult to quantify, but studies have found that the best way to go about it is to rank it on a numerical scale. The Schmidt Index is a scale from zero to four, with a two representing the sting of a honeybee, which is described as “hot and smoky.” Four on Schmidt’s scale is reserved for the undisputed sting king, the South American Bullet Ant, which Schmidt describes as being “pure, intense, brilliant pain, like fire-walking over flaming charcoal with a three-inch rusty nail grinding into your heel.” One thing that
is not explicitly mentioned by Schmidt, however, is sting location—he notes that various body parts would likely respond differently, but this hadn’t been tested. Enter Michael Smith. Cornell’s ethics board has no policy regarding selfexperimentation, and Smith was able to test the stings on himself without red tape. So, at nine o’clock every morning, Schmidt would come into the lab and, before beginning his “routine bee work,” he would begin his tests. Capturing five bees observed in “guarding behaviour” near the hive entrance (visible from their stance, guard workers are far more likely to sting immediately), Smith would press a bee against a chosen body part until he felt the sting, continuing to press for another five seconds. He then left the stinger in for a full minute before removing it. And then he would repeat this twice more per body part. This went on
for thirty-eight days. Oh, and did I mention that before and after his test stings, Schmidt would “calibrate” himself by stinging himself on the forearm? Or that, when he was done stinging himself for an hour, he would go in for the rest of his normal workday with his bees, in which he was routinely stung? So, you’re asking, between squirms of sympathy pain, if you’re anything like me, what were his findings? Well, Smith notes that the map of sensory response and the map of pain response don’t overlay as you might expect. His scale, from one to ten, found the upper arm at the bottom of the scale (averaging 2.3). At the top was the penis at 7.3, the upper lip at 8.7, and the nostril at nine. Schmidt told one reporter, “You’re going to want more stings to the penis over the nose, if you’re forced to choose.” Until you can say that, with hard evidence behind your opinion, you have not chosen the thug life. Nor has it chosen you.
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Window’s Cortana wants to help you Siri-like program aims to organize Martin Omes Science Writer
Every person needs assistance in some form, whether it be from setting an alarm, to writing down important dates on a calendar. To some people, that would mean having a personal assistant to learn about you, the topics you care about, and your dayto-day routines. Getting your own personal assistant will be easy now for Windows Phone owners, as Cortana is on her way to save the day. As the Artificial Intelligence who famously helped Master Chief in the popular firstperson-shooter Halo save the universe, Cortana has a vast amount of experience behind her ready to bring forward. Her appearance in Windows Phone 8.1 is a result of years of work from researchers, engineers and designers across Microsoft. “She is a combination of advanced technology across areas like search, natural language, and machine learning that Microsoft has been able to bring to life, along with a distinct personality that is inspired by one of the biggest franchises in Xbox history,” Marcus Ash, Windows Phone group program manager, said during a press conference.
To add to the excitement, Jen Taylor, the voice of the Cortana character in the Halo series, will voice the program as well. True to her form in the game, Cortana begins learning about you from the first moment you begin to speak to her. From then on, she stores information and uses it to make recommendations or suggestions that will be tailored to your needs. Like a real-life assistant, her biggest strength lies in her ability to adapt and predict your needs. A great example of this is for travel. Cortana knows when you’re planning to travel. She’ll track your flight, advise you when to leave early due to bad traffic, inform you of the weather at your destination, and keep you up-to-date on developments. Cortana is quite similar to Apple’s personal assistant Siri, but it seems to be an improved version, capable of even more, and will provide great competition to Apple users. It can also be used as your personal assistant without ever having to speak commands, by entering searches and commands in the keyboard in those quiet environments. It seems as though Microsoft took its time to produce Cortana and looked at what made Siri successful and what did not work to provide its users the best possible service. Windows Phone 8.1 will be available on new devices in late April and early May, and will be spread to some of the older, compatible devices.
Researchers claim to know how the zebra got its stripes Study out of UC Davis uncovers the benefit of having stripes Sarah-Anne Steeves Through the use of statistical models, researcher Tim Caro of the University of California at Davis has found a strong correlation between the presence of stripes in zebras and the presence of blood-sucking flies. For a long time, numerous theories have circulated explaining the presence of the zebra’s trademark pattern. A popular one was that the presence of stripes was used to confuse predators. Others believed that the stripes served as a cooling mechanism for the mammals, some form of camouflage, or a tool for social interaction. To answer the question of how zebras got their stripes, researchers looked beyond zebras and into the equid family. The equid family is a branch of mammals that
includes horses, zebras, donkeys, and approximately twenty other genera. It is a common trait among all these animals to have some form of striping on a portion of their bodies. Researchers were interested in looking at where these stripes were located on the animals, as well as the concentration. Next, researchers sorted the location of where both the nonstriped and striped members of the equid family lived. By mapping the location of both the current and extinct members of the equid family, a set of correlations appeared. The presence of stripes is more common in locations that blood-sucking and potentially disease-carrying insects are found. The correlation between stripes and insects held true against multiple statistical models that measured the range predators, distribution of forest, and numerous other environmental factors. Brenda Larison of the University of California at Los Angeles, however, remains skeptical of the findings. She explains that the development of the zebra’s stripes is most likely much more complex, and she anticipates further discoveries. She also points
Zebra stripes, previously a mystery to scientists, may be used to evade fly bites. (Safari Partners/Flickr Creative Commons) out that the majority of the other theories have yet to be tested. This, she explains, causes “a lack of direct evidence.” Then there is still the remaining question of why a fly would rather a
solid-coloured animal compared to that of a striped colour. It has been found that flies for some unknown reason do tend to avoid black and white surfaces. Zebras, with their short hair, are
very susceptible to flies. This could explain why zebras develop a uniform striped pattern compared to other members of the equid family, who developed stripes on a portion of their body.
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“COLLECTIONS”: LAURA WATSON’S START SHOW Exhibition examines vastnesss of time and space MILK BAR WORLD PREMIERE Contemporary opera performed by Mt. A students
ARTS&LITERATURE
Rose Leonard presents homecoming show ‘The Crow’s Home’ brings BC imagery to Sackville Daniel Marcotte
Atrs & Literature Writer After living for many years in Victoria, B.C., artist Rose Leonard has returned to her home province with a beautiful collection of glass etchings, stone sculptures, and paintings that are now featured at Fog Forest Gallery. Her exhibition, entitled “The Crow’s Home,” depicts a variety of wildlife from both western and eastern Canada and showcases the diversity of artistic skills that Leonard has acquired throughout her
lifetime. In order to represent the story of her life and family through art, Leonard hand carved a six-foot cedar totem pole that is the exhibition’s titular sculpture and central piece. Entitled “The Crow’s Home,” it demonstrates her craftsmanship and humble storytelling by specifically incorporating symbolic animals from sea, land, and sky. In a cyclical pattern, the totem pole tells Leonard’s story of “leaving the nest” to find herself on the west coast before returning home to New Brunswick. In addition to illustrating Leonard’s cultural background, the sculpture is the pinnacle of her creative abilities and a testament to the importance of family. Leonard often refers to herself as “the Crow” or “Kahkahuhs” in Maliseet, a cultural tradition that she has engaged and identified with in many of her artistic works due to her family heritage. She also associates her
mother with this symbolic bird and describes the spiritual connection she believes they share, even across great distances. “If something happens in my mother’s life that affects her emotions,” she says, “I know, and I feel it. And vice versa.” Although this exhibition is by no means her first solo show, it is unique in the sense that each piece is a personal creation not intended for any particular client. Leonard described this as a refreshing change from her usual schedule, because she could take the time to catch up on personal projects. “This is the first time I’ve ever done any work without a client or a place in mind for it,” she says. “[The exhibition] is a collection of things I’ve wanted to do for some time.” Throughout her career, Leonard has always strived to find a practical balance between artistic expression and financial stability, and stresses the
importance of remaining professional in order to be taken seriously as an artist. Her philosophy is that “the business side always comes first,” and has marketed her trade to wealthy B.C. clients and companies who commission personal decorative projects and large glass murals. “The art world is like anything else,” she explains. “It’s who you know.” Originally from Saint John, N.B., Leonard has recently relocated from B.C. to a rural cottage not far from Sackville. She lives with her partner Alana Brownlee, whose involvement with Leonard’s artistic process and business management is so influential that many of the exhibition’s works are signed “Leonard and Brownlee.” After she graduated high school and moved to the west coast, Leonard started her career in carving and sculpting by making realistic animal decoys and targets for hunting practice. Later on, she began to teach
herself the extremely specialized and intricate art of glass carving and etching. The process involves creating a design and transferring it to a pane of glass before using a focused sandblaster to erode the glass in several stages until the final product is achieved. While she respects others’ decisions to go to college or university, Leonard chose not to attend a post-secondary institution because she wanted to pursue her own custom path. “I felt comfortable with my own abilities,” she explains, “And it worked out alright.” In the near future, Leonard plans to hold glass etching workshops to help young aspiring artists to learn her trade. Her exhibition can be viewed at the Fog Forest Gallery on Bridge St. until April 26.
The process behind the production
A backstage look at Tintamarre’s Villages Daniel Marcotte
Atrs & Literature Writer Since the troupe’s inception in the late 1960s, Tintamarre has created and performed a wide variety of bilingual comedies that engages with contemporary issues, while providing an environment for students to learn about theatre and language. The group’s most recent production, Villages, has been praised by audiences and performers alike, proving this unique organization’s value to Mt. A and the Sackville community. Directed and coordinated by Alex Fancy,the production premiered on the weekend of March 20. Villages, which is set in the humble Café du Quai in the fictional mainland town of Portà-Petit, brings a diverse collection of characters and personalities to the stage that simultaneously clash and complement one another. As the authorities threaten to close the nearby island of Hurlevent while the Kappa City media sensationalizes the brewing division, Hurleventeurs and Port-à-Petitiens learn to respect each others’ regional identities in order to confront their imminent social and political situation. The troupe is currently preparing for their annual Tintamarrathon tour in May, in which they will travel to several schools around New Brunswick and Nova Scotia to perform a condensed version of Villages and conduct a theatre workshop with students. “Anyone who has toured will say this is a unique experience, as they meet more than three thousand students at various levels and in two provinces,” Fancy said. At the very heart of Tintamarre lies the spirit of collaboration and cooperation, as the story and characters are developed as a group
From script to stage: The Tintamarre productions are created by its members in a collaborative playwriting experience. Select members of the troupe are currently preparing for their upcoming Tintamarrathon tour in May, where they will performVillages at regional public schools. (Left: Bernard Soubry, Right: Paul Del Motte/Submitted) through a unique improvisational process. Students are encouraged to build upon each others’ ideas and flesh out the characters they portray. “It takes a village to make a play,” Fancy said. “There’s nothing like witnessing the ownership and pride of actors playing characters they helped to create.” For many of the play’s actors and actresses, conceptualizing their characters was as introspective as it was creative. Natasha Kilfoil, who portrayed the enigmatic figure de proue, spoke about Tintamarre’s improvisational exercises as a “cure” for shyness. By joining Tintamarre, she explains, she gradually became more comfortable with herself on stage and confident as a performer. “It’s been a drastic change,” says Kilfoil. “Now I don’t even remember what it’s like to not be comfortable
with [performing].” She also believes that Tintamarre has changed the way she sees herself as an individual, as she feels more confident with expanding her own boundaries. “It’s very healthy to learn how to be a goof without feeling like you’re diminishing your own self-worth.” One of Tintamarre’s primary goals is to help students engage in both English and French within a safe and creative environment. “Tintamarre brings together people whose levels of fluency vary greatly,” says Fancy. “We celebrate our differences and we all learn from each other.” Bernard Soubry, who graduated last year, values the opportunity to “use his mother tongue” at Mt.A. “[Tintamarre] taught me that language isn’t a barrier to be surmounted,” says Soubry, “It’s
something to be played with, even as you learn.” Soubry is proof that Tintamarre’s magnetic effect goes beyond the university itself; despite completing his degree at Mt.A, he has continued to work with the theatre troupe on the production of Villages. After being involved with Tintamarre since 2010, he couldn’t help but return to help out with the recent production. “I come back to Tintamarre again and again,” Soubry said, “because I knew it was a welcoming space. It felt like I was coming back to family, each and every time.” Cate Spiers, who took part in Villages as well as Tintamarre’s production of ALBUM in 2013, said that recurring elements and jokes are often added to the script each year to spark extra laughs from returning audience members.
“We always make references to previous plays, previous characters and conflicts,” she explains. Spiers also says this ongoing process helps to foster a community of familiarity and encourage returning students to contribute to the broader narrative. “I was really happy with last year’s production, and this year I felt much more confident with voicing my opinions.” Fancy said he is looking forward to creating and directing the next instalment of Tintamarre in September. “Next year we will, in all likelihood, visit the island [of Hurlevent] as a route to environmental awareness and economic viability,” he said, encouraging newcomers to get involved with the powerful project that is Tintamarre. “Come to at least two rehearsals, and know that your friends are waiting for you.”
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B.A. JOHNSTON PRESSES NIPPLES UP AGAINST JAZZ GUYS Sackville regular brings the laughs in tow
The Argosy
ENTERTAINMENT
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George’s Roadhouse ends regular operations Venue remains open to host planned events
Cameron McIntyre Entertainment Writer
One of the most iconic fixtures of culture in Sackville has closed for regular business hours. George’s Fabulous Roadhouse had its final regular night last week and is now to be closed except for booked events. “George’s is closing down for regular business just because no one has been going to the meals—the breakfast used to be popular but now it’s just five or six people showing up,” said Darren Wheaton, the owner of the bar for the last seventeen years, who sat down with the Argosy earlier this week. “Financially, it is not worth it. And less and less students are going to the shows, so we started doing less and less shows.” “It’s cyclical. Students will be right into bands for quite a bit. Then that group of students leave and next group of students come in who aren’t as into the live music as much. This
Sackville’s own Kappa Chow play to an excited George’s Roadhouse crowd at the Fine Arts Society Halloween Party in October of last year. (Chris Donovan/Argosy) group is starting to come around but just a little bit too late for George’s,” Wheaton said. Planned events are still going to be running there for the foreseeable future. This weekend will be a busy one for the bar. The Tantramarsh Blues Society will be hosting famed blues guitarist Guy Davis there on Friday, April 11, the final day of regular classes for the Winter semester. This visit will mark the fifth time that the New York acoustic blues act has played his music at the venue
with various types of support since the birth of the Blues Society in 2001. The annual CHMA programmers’ party will be at George’s the following evening. Other events that are sure to prompt the bar to open include SappyFest which nets huge crowds each summer, and George’s annual Boxing Day bash which brings in upward of three hundred people through the door over the course of the night, and private events around the community. The Roadhouse has a long history.
The building itself was only turned into a bar in 1970 but was built in the early 1900s. Originally it served as a hotel, called the Colonial Inn, located next to the train station so as to capture the most amount of travellers’ business. The hotel was converted into apartments before the top two stories were torn down in the mid-seventies. Since then it has undergone massive changes but has been open since 1970 as a bar in one form or another, aside from the occasional closure. “When we started off, we tried to
Sappyfest organizers reveal book details The wait may finally be over for supporters
Mixed Tape Teenage Redux — Karissa LaRocque Maybe it’s because the term is almost over, or maybe it’s because I’m writing a thesis on gendered assumptions about teenage girls in the public poetic sphere of the literary marketplace, but lately I’ve been returning to teenage music, teenage feelings, teenage pining. Camp out in your bedroom and get some serious moping done to these songs.
Brandon Williams Last summer, I was fortunate enough to have been able to attend what was the eighth edition of Sackville’s beloved summer music festival, SappyFest. I fell in love with the festival, and what it means to people around here, immediately. It the big festival in a little town saw Bridge Street closed off to traffic, as the main stage and vendors took up much of the street. Acts like Chad Vangaalen, Joel Plaskett, and Shotgun Jimmie graced the Bridge Street stage. I could not have thought of a better way to finish off the summer of 2013 before heading back to school. However, the future of Sackville’s music festival came into question following the end of last year’s festival. After eight years of putting on the music festival, SappyFest organizers were confronted with a rather large budget deficit, which made it unclear as to whether the music festival would ever be put on again. SappyFest answered this looming question with the launch of an Indiegogo campaign, which debuted with
figure out what we would do to get the students down there,” Wheaton said. “Then I came up with the idea of doing live music because there was no one really doing it about seveneen years ago. It worked out well.” Over its years of operation, the bar has played host to the Sheepdogs, the Weakerthans, Eric’s Trip, Said the Whale, Shiny Toy Guns, the Constantines, and a slew of other performances, making it far and away one of the most prolific venues in town.
“Easy Easy” – King Krule This kid has teenage restlessness down to an art. “Punk as Fuck” – The American Analog Set “I’m on your side / And we’re always right / It’s perfect.” “You Gotta Feel It” – Kevin Drew Is there something transcendental about dirty poetry? SappyForever, the SappyFest photobook, is at the printers and will be released soon. (Sappyfest/Submitted) the promise of a coffee-table book, SappyForever. The book was said to be a compilation of photos from throughout the festival’s history. A minimum donation of $100 to Sappyfest’s campaign guaranteed donors a piece of the limited run. Sappyfest organizers were able to sell all their books, and the Indiegogo campaign was a huge success, meaning the beloved festival would continue.
However, one question remains for many: ‘When the heck are we getting our books?’ Now, that question been answered as well. By way of their Facebook page and out of the blue, Sappyfest issued a statement last Thursday: “Hello folks, we are happy to announce that the SappyForever book is at the printers and will be in our hands in a few short weeks, barring any major technical
issues. … The book took a lot longer to produce than expected, but we’re sure it was worth it. Thank you again for your patience, and always, for your support,” the statement read. Expect the launch of the book in the not-so-distant future, and mark your calendars for Sappyfest nine, which is set for August 1-3 this summer.
“Strange Forms of Life” – Bonnie “Prince” Billy Billy’s got it bad. “Cigarette in your Bed” – My Bloody Valentine In youth is pleasure. “Lover’s Spit” – Broken Social Scene I refuse to make a mixtape without this song. Whatever. “Why Do I Feel?” – The Shaggs Good question.
“Vaire” – XXL Xiu Xiu and Larsen team up to make you sad. “Sleep Tonight” – Stars Want to feel sorry for yourself ? You can either put on a Múm album or you can listen to Stars. “Barking at your Door” — Nathan Lawr Ancient Greek Lyric poets had a word for poems about lamenting at a lover’s door: Paraklausithyron. Lawr’s no Callimachus, but his modern take on the genre is just as good. “I’m on Fire” – Bruce Springsteen What do you call that feeling of slow burning desire, of restless despair that hinges on the edge of transcendence? I don’t know, ask Bruce. “Ribs” – Lorde “The drink you spilt all over me / ‘Lover’s Spit’ left on repeat / my mom and dad let me stay home / it drives you crazy getting old” “School Night” – Ani DiFranco I believe that no one should be ashamed of songs that make them cry. So here you go. Karissa LaRocque is a 4th year English student. She writes and edits for 7 Mondays.
14 ENTERTAINMENT
April 10, 2014
The Invisible Woman nearly works
Summer sequels and debuts abound Look out for these films in the coming months Austin Landry Whether you’re spending your summer toiling away at a dead end job or anxiously searching for a summer job, a career path, or a graduate program, the movies will always be there for you. Here are a few impending releases to look out for in those harrowing months when The Argosy isn’t available to guide your tastes (and when you’re probably closer to a functioning movie theatre):
Fiennes, pictured above at the Minghella Film Festival, plays Dickens in the film. (Marie-Lan Nguyen/Wikimedia Commons)
Last Film Society feature suffers from bad editing Sam Moore I can’t remember the last time I saw a movie that was truly hindered by its editing, despite high-quality performances. The Invisible Woman is just such a movie. The film follows a married schoolteacher named Nelly, played by Felicity Jones, as she is haunted by memories of a past love affair with Charles Dickens, played by Ralph Fiennes. It’s through Nelly’s reliving of her relationship with Dickens that the main narrative of the film is shown. As I said before, the performances in the film are quite good. Felicity Jones does a compelling job as both an emotionally distant middle-aged woman and vulnerable teenager. The supporting cast performs more than adequately. But if this movie is one thing, it’s Ralph Fiennes’ show. He directs it and, even though Felicity Jones gets more screen time, he is
its star. Fiennes does a fantastic job as Dickens; he is at once jovial and pained. In many ways Dickens is like a child in this, with all the positives and negatives that come with that label. It is Fiennes’ performance that really sells the movie as a whole, and without him everything would be fairly lacklustre. The main problem I had with the movie is its pacing. This is due in part to its editing. Usually, the point of editing in film is to make itself inconspicuous and when it doesn’t, it usually makes it self known to make a point. In Alfonso Cuaron’s Children of Men, there is a scene where no cuts are made; the entire scene is done in one take, from one angle. In a fast paced movie filled with quick cuts, which is the norm nowadays, this scene establishes a sense of gravity simply through its editing, or lack thereof. At many points in The Invisible Woman, it seems that the filmmakers are trying to achieve a similar tone through similar means; however, they’re unsuccessful. Many of the transitions between Nelly’s present life and flashbacks are bookended with lingering shots focusing on her face or of her walking along a beach. This is done because the filmmakers want to establish the emotional
turmoil Nelly is experiencing in reliving these memories; her struggle is supposed to show in the pained expression of her face, or the difficulty with which she walks. I say all this not because that’s the effect, but because what the filmmakers were trying to say was painfully obvious. What you get instead is many shots that last too long, capturing some of Jones’ less emotive moments. The result is a film that seems to chop itself into very definite sections, some quite interesting and some less so. This effect messes with the pace of the movie. The Invisible Woman is an interesting movie. It has some great performances that are marred by distracting editing. At times the film seemed like a series of short films, or, more bleakly, a series of false starts. By the film’s end, I felt more than a little conflicted. There was an obvious amount of good work put into this: the story was, at least most of the time, very interesting; the acting, especially by Fiennes, was quite good. However, the choppy nature of the film kept it from gaining any really narrative momentum or even finishing in a satisfying way. Despite all its good parts, The Invisible Woman left me bored.
SPRING SESSION COURSE OFFERINGS MODERN LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES DEPARTMENT GERM 2701 - THE NEW GERMAN FILM TAUGHT IN ENGLISH AND NO PREREQUISITES REQUIRED (Offered May 5th to June 20th Mon and Wed from 9-12 pm) SPAN 1101 - INTRODUCTORY SPANISH I NO PREREQUISITES REQUIRED (Offered May 5th to May 28th Mon to Fri 9-12 pm) SPAN 1111 - INTRODUCTORY SPANISH II SPAN 1101 IS THE PREREQUISITE (Offered May 29th to June 20th Mon to Fri 9-12 pm) PLEASE SIGN UP BEFORE APRIL 15TH QUESTIONS? PLEASE CONTACT: MLL@MTA.CA OR 364-2478
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Transcendence Dir. Wally Pfister – April 18 Oscar-winning cinematographer Wally Pfister (Inception, The Dark Knight) makes his directorial debut by starring Johnny Depp as a scientist whose ambitious project leads extremists to make an attempt on his life. Nearing death, his ‘consciousness’ is uploaded to a computer, but is it really him? Transcendence could (and would do well to) lend itself to explorations of thought-provoking philosophical and existential concepts. The Two Faces of January Dir. Hossein Amini – TBA (May) Patricia Highsmith, the author of Ripley’s Game and Strangers on a Train, also wrote the sixties psychological thriller novel this film is based on. It will star Oscar Isaac (in his next major role after the brilliant Inside Llewyn Davis) and Kirsten Dunst and Viggo Mortensen as an American couple who become entrapped in a web of conning, murder, and betrayal. The Rover Dir. David Michôd – June 13 With Animal Kingdom (2010), David Michôd helmed one of the most astonishing and exciting debut films by an Australian filmmaker this century. The Rover, his next movie, is another venture into the crime drama genre, but this one takes place in the near future. Michôd knows where and how to place his camera, and the teaser trailer echoes the Coens’ No Country for Old Men with hints of moral quandaries for star Guy Pearce and co-star Robert Pattinson. And before you ask, Pattinson auditioned for his role and won over many other actors.
Maps to the Stars Dir. David Cronenberg – TBA (Summer release possible) Canadian auteur David Cronenberg (A History of Violence, Eastern Promises) continues challenging himself by adapting a satirical drama involving a Hollywood family and their two damaged children, both of whom are former child stars. Cronenberg called it a “hard sell” as both a commercial and independent venture, but expect a one-of-a-kind film that blends humour and insight in unexpected ways. 22 Jump Street Dir. Phil Lord and Chris Miller – June 13 Phil Lord and Chris Miller have recently encountered enormous success with The Lego Movie, and they’re set to follow that up with another comedy, this one a liveaction sequel to 2012’s 21 Jump Street. Building off of Channing Tatum’s and Jonah Hill’s onscreen chemistry in the first Jump Street should be secondnature, with this sequel taking place in a college setting and providing a fertile foundation for plenty of sightgags and referential humour. How to Train Your Dragon 2 Dir. Dean DeBlois – June 13 While the multiplexes will be receiving an influx of teens and young adults for 22 Jump Street, the same theatres will be drawing perhaps even larger numbers of children and their parents for the release of yet another sequel: DreamWorks’s next entry, How to Train Your Dragon 2. The first film was the best movie DreamWorks had produced since the original Shrek in 2001, and expectations will be high as ever for its follow-up. Jersey Boys Dir. Clint Eastwood – June 20 It’s hard to believe that Million Dollar Baby, the film that proved Clint Eastwood was in fact better as a director than as an actor, was released nearly a decade ago. Since then, he’s made several fine films, but none of those were musicals. Eastwood breaks into the unfamiliar genre by adapting Broadway hit Jersey Boys. Despite the film’s impending release date, very few details about it have been unveiled. Usually this is a sign of a lack of confidence in one’s work, but Eastwood has earned the trust of millions of moviegoers with most of his directorial ventures of the past decade.
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A VAST CYBER-WASTELAND Try the internet out sometime—there’s a lot of stuff there. FACULTY COUNCIL TRANSCRIPTS A veritable laff and two halves!
HUMOUR
Across 1. Double agents 6. As a result 10. They come from hens 14. Beautify 15. Hindu princess 16. Flame 17. Tropical vine 18. Wings 19. A Roman deity 20. Communicable 22. 1 1 1 1 23. DIY enthusiant’s buy 24. Terrapin or tortoise
26. Self-centeredness 30. Breakfast bread 32. Bacterium 33. Ancient Biblical kingdom 35. Run off to marry 39. Klutzy 41. Metric unit of area 42. Kidney-related 43. Tale 44. Bronzes your skin 46. Stars 47. Hebrew unit of dry measure 49. Tenant
51. Orbital high point 54. Fellow 55. Formal dress 56. Vote 63. Largest continent 64. Double-reed woodwind 65. Not tight 66. A hole that release air 67. Coloured part of eye 68. Aromatic compound 69. Border 70. Not a single one 71. Not those
Down 1. French Sudan 2. Chief Norse god 3. A unit of bread 4. Sea eagle 5. Light informal meals 6. Attribute 7. Angelic headgear 8. A Central American sloth 9. Afternoon snooze 10. Easy 11. A very tall fellow 12. A thin porridge 13. Detect
21. An indefinite period 25. Utilizer 26. Auspices 27. Lady’s man 28. Chocolate cookie 29. Make pregnant 30. Pentateuch 31. Portent 34. Information 36. Burden 37. Sheet of glass 38. Otherwise 40. Sort
45. Aspersion 48. An opiate 50. Lace place 51. Sisal 52. Modeled 53. Being in debt to 54. Fliers in V’s 57. A river in Spain 58. Stab or thrust (archaic) 59. Nibble 60. Lavish affection (on) 61. Purposes 62. No more than
(CUP) — Puzzles provided by BestCrosswords.com. Used with permission.
Tantramarsh Blues Society presents
Guy Davis
Friday, April 11, 9:00 pm,
George's Roadhouse 67 Lorne St., Sackville NB
Tickets: $12 in advance at Ducky’s, $15 at the door, Students $8 (ID required) Tantramarsh Blues Society: www.mta.ca/tbs
Rod Allen’s Used Cars