The Argosy, February 7, Vol. 149, Iss. 14

THE ARG OSY

NEWS Strike (Pg. 2)

Reusing picket signs since 1872

ARTS & CULTURE Stereophonic XV// Nights showcases talent (Pg. 7)

Cold local

OPINIONS Student perspective on the strike (Pg. 13)

CREATIVE “The Paradox” (Pg. 14)

Mount Allison’s Independent Student Newspaper

COVER:ASHLI GREEN, (FORGOTTEN AND REMEMBERED) COLLAGE, 2020.

January 24, 2020 Vol. 149, Iss. 12

02 NEWS

EDITOR: AMELIA MACDOUGALL FLEMING & EMMA CONRAD | FEBRUARY 7. 2020 | ARGOSY@MTA.CA

STRIKE

Mt. A Faculty Association on strike Strike update as of Tuesday, Feb. 4 AMELIA MACDOUGALL FLEMING

News Editor

MAIA HERRIOT Editor-in-chief Just hours before the Mount Allison Faculty Association’s declared strike deadline, the University’s director of marketing and communications, Robert Hiscock, sent an email out to students cancelling classes for the following day. That was Sunday, Feb. 2. As of Monday, Feb. 3, MAFA was on strike.

On Feb. 2, following the University’s cancellation of Monday classes, MAFA released a negotiation update on their website stating that the MAFA negotiations team had recommended to the MAFA executive that they reject the offer the administration had made on Feb. 1. They confirmed that this meant they would be on strike as of Feb. 3 until further notice. They also mentioned that they “remain[ed] open to negotiating” and were “disappointed” that the University was “unwilling to meet with us [on Feb. 2] to reach a tentative settlement before the strike deadline.”

Later that day, the University posted their own negotiation update and sent the link out to students. In the update the University stated that it was “erroneously implied that the University bargaining team is no longer willing to meet,” in reference to MAFA’s update. They clarified that the “University’s bargaining team is willing to negotiate any time and has always been willing to do so.”

According to MAFA, both parties agreed to negotiation protocol at the beginning of the negotiation process which included the stipulation that “Proposals would only be presented and discussed at the bargaining table.” MAFA said on its website that “The publication of bargaining proposals can make a settlement more difficult to reach: once one side has taken a position in public it becomes harder to retreat from that position, and reaching a settlement involves retreating from positions and finding a common ground.”

When asked whether he considered emails and online posts from admin to be bargaining in public, Hiscock said, “We feel we have a strong duty to be transparent about what we’re doing because the institution impacts a lot of people. Students obviously are impacted; faculty members, staff members and the province at large have a stake in what we’re doing.”

He added that in the University’s messages to the students they “try to be very factual” and that they’re “not using emails to negotiate, we’re just saying there’s new content. So any of the content that we’ve put there, in one form or another … has already been reviewed by the bargaining teams.”

“Our negotiating team has been doing its best, but the administration is refusing to address the legitimate concerns of our membership,” said MAFA president Matthew Litvak in a Feb. 3 press release. “This round of negotiation is about protecting the quality of the education that we offer at Mount Allison. Our working conditions are students’ learning conditions.”

On Jan. 24, the MAFA announced that faculty had voted in favour of possible strike action. On Jan. 28, MAFA set a strike date of Monday, Feb. 3 for members of the full-time unit. There was a disagreement between the University and MAFA on the legitimacy of the part-time faculty’s participation in the Jan. 24 vote. According to Hiscock, the University asked the provincial department of education for confirmation of the specifics of the vote because “It wasn’t clear to us.

It seemed like, from what we were getting, there was a fairly low turnout of the part-time group.” On Jan. 31, MAFA held another vote specifically for part-time faculty and 93 per cent of those who participated voted in favour of the motion. MAFA announced that the part-time faculty would join the full-time faculty in what was then the potential Feb. 3 strike.

The two parties have been in negotiations in the presence of a provincially appointed mediator

MAFA REPRESENTS APPROXIMATELY 150 FULL TIME AND 60 PART-TIME FACULTY AND LIBRARIANS, ALL OF WHOM HAVE BEEN ON STRIKE SINCE FEB. 3. GREG ELLISON/ARGOSY since December. According to an update to the negotiations section of the University’s website on Feb. 4, “A meeting between the two bargaining teams has been scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 5. The provinciallyappointed mediator will also attend.”

This comes after three days without meetings. Last week, Hiscock described the meetings to the Argosy: “We have about four people on our bargaining team ... [MAFA has] about four or five people. So it’s sitting down and talking. They discuss things through sharing proposals. If I have a topic I’ll say, ‘Here’s our proposal for this subject’ … and then they just talk. So it’s not very fancy but that’s kind of what it is.”

In the first few days of the strike, some students brought food and coffee to the picket lines while others changed their routes and routines to avoid what one student called “awkward” interactions with them.

On their website, MAFA answered student concerns about “crossing the picket line”: “These pickets do not prevent your access to the university grounds and will be peaceful. Please

feel free to stop and chat with us on the picket lines or at our Strike HQ (170 Main Street, beside Jack’s Pizza).

You are welcome to join us on the picket lines and show your support!”

Many post-secondary organizations have voiced their support for MAFA on Twitter, including the Association of University of New Brunswick Teachers, the University of Northern British Columbia Faculty Association, the Association of Nova Scotia University Teachers, the Nova Scotia branch of the Canadian Federation of Students, the Canadian Association of University Teachers and the Federation of New Brunswick Faculty Associations.

Mount Allison Students’ Union released a statement of neutrality on Feb. 4. President Emelyana Titarenko is quoted stating that because the MASU represents all students, “many of whom have different views on the situation, it is important that [the MASU] respect them by remaining neutral at this stage of the strike.”

Mara Ireta Gordon, a fourth-year fine arts student and photo intern,

said, “The strike has made it really challenging, as a fine arts student, to receive feedback from our professors for the work we will be exhibiting at the Owens in early spring.” She added that while students still have access to campus, “The lack of the valuable critique (from our professors) that shapes this year, and the work we make, is really devastating, and disappointing.”

She said that rushing to get materials together for the Independent Student Research Grant application deadline ahead of the strike deadline “highlighted for me the many ways in which Mount Allison professors are actively involved in students’ learning outside of class hours.”

Brandon Smyth, fifth-year political science student, also supports the faculty: “Everyone knows the incredible impact our profs have both in and out of the classroom. I 100 per cent stand behind our faculty and their right to strike. I hope the administration makes this right.”

Editors’ Note As an independent, student-run publication, the Argosy and its editors would like to express our support of the Mount Allison Faculty Association (MAFA) as they strike.

The Argosy will be operating as usual for the duration of the strike in the interest of providing in-depth coverage of the ongoing negotiation process. We believe our role as a source of information for students is particularly valuable because MAFA does not have the direct line of communication to students that the Mount Allison administration has through the email system.

We are also a platform for student voices. If you have a perspective on the strike that you would like to share, reach out to our opinions editor at lshay@mta.ca.

The Argosy Editorial Staff Maia Herriot, Minnow Holtz-Carriere, Charlotte Savage, Ashli Green, Gill Hill, Emma Conrad, Amelia MacDougall Fleming, Ben Maksym, Lauren Shay, Matthew Cann and Will Traves

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FINANCIAL

03

Money matters: financial literacy session

Mt. A students at presentation learn how to budget and build good credit score ZOE HUNTER News Reporter On Tuesday, Jan. 28, Chris Burke, the branch manager from RBC Sackville, spoke to students about budgeting and credit.

Burke said that he was not here on behalf of the bank, but rather to give advice, saying his talk would simply be “stuff I wish I had known when I was in school.”

Burke started off with budgeting, defining it as “a tool to help you track and manage money.” He said that when budgeting it is important to not only track what your income and expenses are, but also to see how much you can spend and save.

Burke said that students often forget about the last two and that “If you’re forgetting the last two your budget won’t balance.”

Burke said that there is no perfect way to budget. “What you have to find is the right way that is going to work with you, because all of our goals

are different,” he said. “It is about prioritizing and getting what is best for you.” He also said that you have to prioritize your personal essentials, items that are important to you personally. Burke gave an example of this in his own life: “I don’t drink coffee; coffee is not essential to me. I drink Diet Coke. Diet Coke is my life blood. If I do not get my Diet Coke, they do not like me at my branch. I need my Diet Coke and I prioritize that. It is the same thing for you: find out what you need to have a good life.”

Burke gave out some practical tips that students can use to save money.

He said that students should not hesitate to show their student card in order to get discounts. He also said to share subscriptions with friends, buy second-hand and have a saving apps like Groupon.

Burke also spoke about something called a “slush fund.” This is a fund that students should use for emergencies. “Put aside one per cent

of the money you have coming in for emergencies,” Burke advised.

Next, Burke spoke about how to build good credit. His advice to students was to “start early and be patient. When you turn 19, if you don’t have a credit card, you need to get a credit card, because you want to start early.”

He said that when it comes to credit, banks look at the “five Cs of credit.” These are character (how you’re managing your money), capital (how much money you have), capacity (how much you can afford), collateral (assets or security) and credit history.

“The better your credit score, the more doors that will open for you.” A credit score is a number between 300 and 900 that represents how good your credit is. An average credit score is between 600 and 750.

Burke said that the elements that make up credit score are your payment history, account history and credit variety. Burke said that

AN AVERAGE CREDIT SCORE IS BETWEEN 600 AND 750 MADELEINE HANSEN/ARGOSY you should not have too many credit cards because it can hurt your credit score: “No one needs five credit cards.

If one gives you the rewards that you need plus you can manage it within your budget, you don’t need a second credit card. You’re increasing your overall risk and possibly your overall costs.”

“I like how it was quick. I know it’s hard to get a lot of information in an

hour but the representative from RBC did a good job,” said Emma Penton, a second-year student who attended the event. “The most valuable thing is definitely related to credit and credit cards and credit scores. It all makes more sense to me now. Now I have a set plan on how to actually be more mindful with my credit card and how it can benefit me.”

STUDENT POLITICS

MASU election results for upcoming year

Students gather in the Pond to hear platforms of MASU candidates ZOE HUNTER News Reporter On Thursday, Jan. 23, MASU held speeches for the winter election at the Pond. Open positions included MASU president, VP of academic affairs, VP of student life and VP of external affairs.

The first speech was given by Jonathan Ferguson, a fourth-year international relations student running for MASU president.

Ferguson is the president of the Model UN society and on the executive of Mt. A’s International Relations and Political Science Society. Ferguson was not present at the event due to a Model UN conference in Montreal, but organizers played a video of his speech.

One of Ferguson’s main focuses for his campaign was the environment: “We are living in a climate crisis and we have the obligation to act, and there are so many concrete important steps we can take as the students at Mt. A to do so.”

He said he plans on reducing Mt. A’s environmental footprint by “offsetting the carbon emissions produced by the student union offices. Another [step] is being more selective about which events across the country are worth executive travel to. On top of this, more can be done during Orientation Week to promote living a green life on campus.”

The second candidate running for president was Micci Davy. Davy is a fourth-year sociology student as well as the Shinerama campaign chair, coordinator with the Smile program and stage manager for Garnet and Gold. Davy has been with MASU since her first year, doing Orientation planning and working with the

SHARE program.

Davy believes that MASU should be more accessible to students. If elected, she said she would work on transparency.

“I believe an organization is only as strong as the public’s ability to understand and access it,” she said. “We all know that there are tons of opportunities designed to attract everyone on campus, but it is important that students are actually aware and actually understand how they can get involved. MASU shouldn’t be confined to people who have MASU positions.”

Next came the speeches for the candidates running for VP of academic affairs.

First was Khandra Barrett, a second-year chemistry and biochemistry student.

Barrett explained her plans for working towards a more environmentally sustainable Mt. A. “I will advocate working with faculty and students to reduce the amount of paper waste that Mount Allison produces,” said Barrett.

She also said she wants to work towards a standardized grading system. “This will ensure that an A in any class has the same numerical value across all disciplines,” she said.

Lastly, Barrett argued that textbooks can be costly and wants to add more textbooks on course reserve: “I will advocate for there to be more textbooks on course reserve at the library. The amount of textbooks on course reserve at the library should be proportional to the class size.”

The second candidate for VP of academic affairs was Charlie Burke, a second-year biochemistry student and MASU councillor-at-large.

MASU ELECTION RESULTS WERE ANNOUNCED ON JAN. 30. GREG ELLISON/ARGOSY Burke said he wants to improve communication between students and MASU. She said, “I plan on doing this by holding society caucus meetings with all presidents of all academic societies on a biannual basis.

“I plan on working towards a more efficient academic experience for all students. With recent revision of the distribution system, I plan on working with senate to look at both systems to create a system that better benefits all students,” said Burke.

Next spoke the candidates for VP of student life. The first to speak was Justin Hughes, who is a thirdyear computer science major and the current social chair of Edwards House.

Hughes said he wants to increase pay for the house staff in residences.

“At Mount Allison, RAs get paid around $3,300 a year and AcMen get paid $1,400 a year,” he said. “This is about the worst in the country. I think it is time to change that.”

Venna Penney, the current VP of student life, spoke next. Penney is a third-year biochemistry and psychology student advocating for physical accessibility on campus: “Our campus is supremely inaccessible, and I hope to continue to advocate

towards allocating funding towards building upgrades.”

Penney also said she planned on increasing mental health support.

“I would also like to push a hire of a full-time psychologist in order to address the needs of students in terms of mental health services here on campus,” she said.

Eamon McCarron, a third-year math and computer science major and the Hunton House academic mentor, also ran for VP of student life “Every year we have fewer people staying in residence,” he said. “MASU needs to make improving residence a priority. There is a fundamental disconnect between students and Student Life.” He said he plans on improving communication between the two.

The first VP of external affairs candidate to speak was Sydney Thorburn, a third-year international relations major and the president of the International Relations and Political Science Society.

Thorburn plans on working with local landlords to implement a recycling system for apartment buildings: “Something so simple and so widely wanted can have a large impact on building a greener community at Mt. A,” she said.

Thorburn also said she plans on advocating for more student aid: “Specifically within New Brunswick, financial aid for local and international students is becoming increasingly limited.”

Emma Jacobson, a third-year international relations major who ran for VP of external affairs, spoke next.

Jacobson has been working with the MASU since her first year: she has sat on several committees and helped with the Get Out the Vote campaign this past fall.

“Finding housing in Sackville is, to say the least, stressful,” said Jacobson. “There’s a lot of great options, but finding these options can be really difficult.” She said she wants to improve this by updating the MASU housing directory.

“Through updating the locations and contact information for landlords, I’m hoping we can make the process a little bit easier.”

The elections took place between Tuesday, Jan. 28 and Wednesday, Jan. 29. Results were announced on Jan 30. The elected positions are as follows: Jonathan Ferguson to president, Charlie Burke to VP academic affairs, Venna Penney to VP student life and Sydney Thorburn to VP external affairs.

04

NEWS

FEBRUARY 7, 2020 | ARGOSY@MTA.CA

MASU

Understanding the Student Charter

Mount Allison Students’ Union publishes the Student Charter of Rights and Responsibilities

MARA IRETA GORDON/ARGOSY

MARTHA PITRE News Reporter On Jan. 20, MASU announced the publication of the Student Charter of Rights and Responsibilities. The purpose of the Charter is to combine all student rights and responsibilities into one cohesive and accessible document.

The Charter is also

meant to make explicit some of the previously unwritten principles that support the student-University relationship.

The Charter has been in the works since April 1, 2019, when the Students’ Administrative Council passed a motion to endorse the Student Charter of Rights and Responsibilities. A final version of

the Charter was approved by the University president, Dr. Jean-Paul Boudreau more recently.

The Charter explicitly defines (1) individual and student rights and responsibilities; (2) student employee, researcher and volunteer rights and responsibilities; (3) collegial governance rights; (4) academic rights and responsibilities; and (5) community rights and responsibilities. It also outlines the role of the newly -instated Student Charter Advisory Committee as well as the amendment and ratification procedure.

Some notable rights and responsibilities outlined in the Charter include the right to reasonable workload expectations for courses, the right to enough information to make course and degree choices with due regard to program and policy changes, the right to learn in a campus environment that embraces diversity, respect and inclusion, and the right to receive accommodations for any documented disability.

Prior to the publication of the Charter, there was no centralized location where students could access information on their rights and responsibilities. According to MASU President Emelyana Titarenko,

“Some students were reaching out to our MASU executive or our university ombudsperson while others would rely on the student life office to guide them to the right policy or procedure.”

The Charter itself is enforceable.

Appendix A outlines key documents and legislation that are in place to address student concerns or inquiries.

Some examples include the Policy on Students with Disabilities, AntiRacism Education and Response Policy Procedures, the Right to Information and Privacy Act and the MASU Constitution.

“As with most documents of this sort, rights are enforceable whereas responsibilities help in making sure that no one’s rights are being disregarded,” said Titarenko.

Many post-secondary institutions publish some version of a student charter with similar goals in mind.

Titarenko said that the Mount Allison Charter was created with some guidance from Bishops University, St. FX, Saint Mary’s University and McGill University.

In addition to seeking external feedback, the MASU also consulted Mt. A students in the writing of the Charter. Drafts of the Charter were shared with MASU councillors, who

gathered feedback from studentsat-large. “We shared draft 1.16 with the entire student body via email to get feedback there as well. Finally, through the MASU Academic Affairs Committee, our VP Academic at the time was able to get input from the committee members at large,” said Titarenko.

The MASU also said that position papers and releases on academic freedom provided for by the Canadian Association of University Teachers and the American Association of University Professors helped inform much of the present Charter.

In the release published by the MASU last week, it was emphasized that the Charter should re-orient the student-University relationship “as collaborative rather than opposed.”

When asked if this had been an issue previously, Titarenko answered, “To some extent, yes. I think because access to procedures and policies isn’t something the University constantly promotes, some students would at times feel as if the University did not have their best interest in mind. This charter allows students to see that that is not the case in the same manner - it educates the students of what their responsibilities are as well.”

COMMERCE

Commerce alumni speaker series

Malcolm Fraser speaks about his company Innovacorp which strives to change the world EMMA CONRAD News Editor On Jan. 30, Mount Allison alumnus Malcolm Fraser visited the University to discuss his work as an entrepreneur and president of Innovacorp. Fraser, who graduated from Mt. A in 1992 with a degree in marketing, is the president and CEO of Innovacorp, a provincially funded corporation based in Nova Scotia that helps find and fund innovative startups.

Founded in 1995, Innovacorp is an early-stage venture capital organization, putting investments in new companies that have yet to make money. The industries Innovacorp focuses on the most include information technology, life sciences, clean technology and ocean technology.

“I started my first business here at Mt. A,” said Fraser. “I printed T-shirts and I started sitting in front of meal hall. That was sort of the first thing I started as an entrepreneur.”

Fraser spoke about the role his father played in his decision to start his own company. Fraser’s father told him, “Look, if you want to be in control of your own destiny, you have to start something and manage it yourself, otherwise you are at the whim of other people’s agendas.”

During the talk, Fraser spoke about the ups and downs of being an entrepreneur. “One day you’re so excited, you’re going to be the richest

person in the world, and the next day you’re so depressed you’re not sure how you’re going to make do,” said Fraser. “It’s awesome and horrible every day.”

Fraser is currently involved in two art-based projects: he is board chair at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia and a board member of the Sobey Art Foundation. “A lot of that came out of my experience at Mt. A,” said Fraser. “To be able to study commerce [and] have musicians and fine artists around you at the same time is an incredible experience.”

Fraser explained that his company is interested in companies in other provinces, not just in the Maritimes.

“We are not looking for things that you sell here in Atlantic Canada,” he said. “We are looking for things you sell around the world. We make investments in these really earlystage companies. We have a lot of support and advice, which is coaches, experts in intellectual property, commercialization, management and coaching entrepreneurs to help accelerate these companies.”

Fraser discussed the importance of digital literacy and knowing how to use software in entrepreneurship.

“We live in a world where data is becoming so pervasive and so important. People talk about data as being more valuable than oil or gold.

That’s a turning point economically,” said Fraser. “The data that’s collected by how you use Facebook or Instagram, this is all the information

that’s being collected and used all the time.”

“The business world is changing and understanding data will become key to our future success,” said Emma Munro, a fourth-year commerce major. “I think the idea of digital literacy is really interesting and important for us to know going forward in our careers.”

Moving onto the topic of innovation, Fraser spoke about the importance of finding new and better ways of doing things. “It has to have value. It has to add value to something, better than the way that you did it before,” he said. “I can do what I’m doing better, faster and cheaper and if I’m a business that allows me to create more margins out of my products.”

Fraser also spoke about how innovation gives companies a competitive advantage. “You’ve created something that nobody else has. Every business is looking for a way to make their business better than the competitor,” he said. “Finding new and better ways of doing things that have value, that value is measured by creating something unique that no one else has.”

The last focus of the talk was leadership. “Human behaviour is the hardest part of anything, changing anything in the world,” said Fraser.

“A lot of change has to happen. And that means being passionate, that means being aggressive, and that means being persistent. And that is

FRASER GRADUATED FROM MT. A IN 1992. EMMA CONRAD/ARGOSY leadership.”

Fraser’s advice to young entrepreneurs is to build up their credibility and show they know their own data in order to be trusted in the business world. “Change is driven by leadership, and leadership alone,” said Fraser. “It’s the only way [change] can happen. Leadership is the thing that we are missing the most of. You have the passion, the ability to go and take it forward.”

Students also thought that being passionate is an important factor in working as an entrepreneur. “I think as we move into the world, understanding the difference between making money and making a difference is important,” said Mackenzie Gordon, a fourth-year

psychology and sociology student.

“Obviously, you should be able to do both, and know the difference between work that you are passionate about and work that helps get you by.”

“When you’re 22, you have nothing to lose,” said Fraser. “Take all the risks you can, because there is nothing you have that you can lose at that point in time.”

Students who attended Fraser’s talk found his advice to be extremely helpful. “Fraser is right. We’re 22, we should be able to try new things, practice our leadership skills, and take risks,” said Gordon. “Being passionate and inspired by the work that you are doing is incredibly important.”

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STUDENT AFFAIRS

Petition to keep international student affairs coordinator position

05

Mt. A students start petition after SAC dissolves position

EMMA CONRAD News Editor On Jan. 13, the Students’ Administrative Council (SAC) reconsidered a motion to dissolve the position of the MASU international student affairs coordinator due to lack of information from a previous council meeting on Dec. 1, 2019.

MASU first announced its intention to dissolve the position on Dec. 1, but decided against the motion after discussion.

MASU currently has an international student affairs coordinator, a hired position reporting directly to the VP of student life, who works to enhance international students’ experiences while at Mt. A. Additionally, the international student representative, elected by the students rather than hired by the MASU, represents international students in the SAC. Sertara Wilkinson holds both positions for the 2019-20 academic year.

Wilkinson and Aminah Simmons, the ethnic diversity representative for MASU, said the motion to dissolve the coordinator position was reconsidered due to a lack of information at the council meeting on Dec. 1.

“The President talked to other universities of similar size [to Mt. A] about what they have at their schools,” said Simmons, who is also the MASU communications coordinator and policy, research and archiving officer. “[Those universities] only have one position to represent international students.”

“Council decided it was irresponsible and reckless to get rid of the international student affairs coordinator [on Jan. 13]. It didn’t make sense,” said Simmons.

Other international students are also upset about the motion to dissolve this position. Natalia Liste Colomina, a fourth-year international student, spoke about why she believes there should be two separate international positions instead of one: “One of them is an elected position by the MASU and the other one is elected by the students. You get a very different contrast of their input into the role.”

“The international student affairs coordinator chairs the International Students’ Committee, so in that sense we feel as if that represents the student voices,” said Wilkinson. “I filled my committee with eight international students. This is my opportunity to hear what students want and what they need.” Wilkinson also talked about how in her role as coordinator role she mostly mediates with the University; “however, I still have an opportunity to hear the voices from my committee,” she said.

Wilkinson also outlined what her job entails as the international student representative. “As a representative, my job is to immediately find the

SIMMONS AND WILKINSON BEGAN A PETITION TO KEEP THE INTERNATIONAL STUDENT POSITION. AUDE GAZZANO/ARGOSY voices for students-at-large and to work with other councillors. I’m not obligated to speak with the University at all [in this role] because I’m not hired, I’m elected.”

Wilkinson said that no one reached out to her about what she or other international students would think until the motion to dissolve the position was brought up. At the meeting on Jan. 13, Simmons and Wilkinson asked if they could table the motion in order to get feedback from other international students, however SAC voted against that. “We [were] the only two international students in the room,” said Simmons about her and Wilkinson at the council meeting. “We told them we don’t want this and this is not what international students want.”

“The issue that I had was not only did [they] never consult the person that’s currently holding these positions, [they] didn’t give any opportunity for me to speak with my constituents,” said Wilkinson. “In that case you’re hindering me from doing my job.”

Wilkinson and Simmons agree that the same person should not hold both positions. Wilkinson explained how overwhelming it can be for one student to represent all international students. “Representing about 12 per cent of the student body is difficult for one international student representative,” said Wilkinson. “As it stands right now, Mount Allison has the highest per cent increase of international students in all of New Brunswick.”

Simmons also spoke about what

she feels is a bigger issue of not listening to what students want. “My issue with student unions is that we don’t consider student voices and we try to do things based on what we think students want instead of asking them.”

“I think it’s outrageous,” said Liste Colomina. “I don’t think it’s about the fact that we pay this amount of money over Canadian students, I think it’s about the lack of representation that we already have within our student union.”

One argument made for dissolving the position by the MASU executive at the Jan. 13 council meeting was that international students are the only group represented by both a coordinator and a representative.

Wilkinson and Simmons argue there should be more overall positions, not fewer.

“Instead of trying to make council more equitable by decreasing representation, add more coordinators,” said Wilkinson.

“If you’re telling me that I can’t have representation – the representation that I feel I deserve especially when I pay almost three times more than Canadian students – then we have an issue,” said Simmons. International students at Mt. A pay $18,130 a year in tuition, which is $9,360 more than Canadian students.

“There needs to be more representation, not less,” said Liste Colomina. “That’s what I’ve been trying to mention to people, because the councillors are mostly people that are Canadian and not international.”

Liste Colomina also spoke about

how the international student population has been growing at Mt. A over the last few years. “Our student body has been growing ever since I got here. This year [was] the largest international orientation that we’ve ever had, and that’s something that not a lot of people do know,” she said. Mt. A’s international student population is currently 255 students from 52 different countries.

Simmons explained that there are more councillors reaching out to them in support of keeping the position now. Other councillors have given Wilkinson and Simmons their support in favour of keeping these two positions in MASU. “It’s going in a positive direction now, but we’re still facing a lot of stonewalling from other members of council.”

“If you’re not an international student, if you’re not a minority in the same sense as I am, you won’t be able to relate,” said Wilkinson. “You don’t live that struggle.”

“The students are speaking. Listen,” said Simmons. “It’s as simple as that.”

MASU president Yana Titarenko responded to the petition in a statement explaining the MASU’s reasoning for dissolving the coordinator position. Titarenko, speaking on behalf of the executive, said that removing a staff position like the international student affairs coordinator does not decrease representation for international students. “The description of the position did not state that the position must be held by an international student and that it must act to represent the voice of international

students,” she said.

Titarenko also stated that the international student coordinator position is supervised by the VP of student life, meaning the position needs to report to the executive: “This in itself posed a great deal of conflict because it is not always true that staff and their supervising VP align on their goals and, in the end, the VP has the authority to drive the direction of the staff portfolio.”

Titarenko also mentioned that since the MASU has an international student representative on the council they will be able to increase international student representation within the MASU. “The removal of the coordinator position gives full autonomy to the international student representative councillor to better represent the united voice of international students and their concerns.”

Another argument made by the MASU executive was in regard to equitability. They believe that in order to represent students meaningfully they need student-elected councilors who represent demographics, not staff who report to the executive and who are not part of that community.

“This is why we did not move to introduce coordinator positions to all of our representative councillors and why we chose to remove the international student affairs coordinator,” said Titarenko. “Staff positions do not work to represent the voices of the students, they work to accomplish tasks that are set out by their supervisors, the executive.”

06 ARTS & CULTURE

EDITOR: BEN MAKSYM FEBRUARY 7, 2020 | ARGOSY@MTA.CA

STREAMING

Review: Netflix’s ‘Sex Education’

Humorous and heartfelt space for awkward adolescent conversations

“IT’S CHARMING IN A WAY THAT I HAVEN’T ENCOUNTERED IN A LONG TIME – IT REMINDS ME OF ‘GILMORE GIRLS,’ BUT SET IN ENGLAND AND A LITTLE RAUNCHIER.” MADELEINE HANSEN/ARGOSY

HANNAH TUCK Arts & Culture Reporter It’s what inevitably happens: you’re trying to procrastinate starting your homework and you find yourself scrolling through Netflix. I’ll be the first to admit, I find myself there too often. I was stuck in this loop last January when I should have been doing homework and came across

a new show on the platform, Sex Education. I watched the trailer, read the pitch for the show, and decided “What the hell?” before diving in.

Little did I know, I was about to encounter one of my new favourite series.

The pitch for the show is delightfully quirky: Otis Millburn (Asa Butterfield) is a teenager starting a brand new school year. He’s

awkward, shy and not very popular.

His mother also happens to be a sex therapist, which makes being a teenage boy even more difficult. Otis starts a sex therapy clinic after being roped into it by tough girl Maeve Wiley (Emma Mackey), who handles the business end of things. Also along for the ride are Otis’s best friend Eric (Ncuti Gatwa), school bully Adam (Connor Swindells), well-meaning Aimee (Aimee Lou Wood) and swim team superstar Jackson (Kedar Williams-Stirling). There are other colourful characters at Moordale Secondary and in the surrounding community of course, all of whom are incredible, but they deserve to be discovered on their own.

The thing that charmed me most about this show is how it doesn’t shy away from anything. And when I say anything, I mean anything. There are very frank conversations about abortion, the different ways people choose to have sex, how utterly clueless teenagers are (especially when they turn to one another for information) and how, as Otis says in the first season, “We can’t choose who we’re attracted to.”

In the second season (which just came out this past Friday), there is a powerful storyline that involves sexual assault in a way that is true to the offbeat, comedic tone of the show, without brushing it aside. There are candid discussions around sexuality as well, with several of the show’s leads and supporting characters being part of the LGBTQ2+ community.

The script is incredibly clever in that everything is tongue-in-cheek while also being blatantly obvious.

Everything feels well-paced, never rushed, and all the jokes land perfectly. It’s charming in a way that I haven’t encountered in a long time – it reminds me of Gilmore Girls, but set in England and a little raunchier.

All the characters have defined character arcs, ones that will have you cheering for the character you used to hate, and loving to hate some that you thought were okay. You’ll also appreciate how colourful this show is, as I’ve never seen a more fashionable group of high school students.

Pairing this with the gorgeous cinematography of the show, Sex Education is pleasant to watch from a purely visual stance as well.

THE THING THAT HAS MADE IT SUCH A MASSIVE HIT IS HOW HEARTBREAKINGLY RELATABLE IT IS For me, the standout performance is from Gillian Anderson. You’re likely familiar with her as Agent Scully from The X-Files or as Media from American Gods, but here she is Dr. Jean F. Millburn, the wellmeaning, sometimes over-intrusive mother of Otis. Not only does she make the parent character – who is so often forgotten in shows geared towards a teenage or young adult audience – extremely likable, but she also serves as a poignant reminder that people who are older also have romantic and sexual feelings. Jean has

an excellent moment towards the end of the second season that I obviously can’t talk about, but which gives her a moving moment of realization that maybe she should take her own advice sometimes.

While I love everything about Sex Education (as I said, it’s one of my favourite shows), the thing that has made it such a massive hit is how heartbreakingly relatable it is; that’s also what captivated me in the first place. When you’re in high school, or even the early stages of university, you just want to find out where and how you fit in the new social environment. You want to find somebody that understands you, whether they’re a friend or more than that. And everybody has questions about whether or not they’re going about it right, questions that they don’t want to ask their parents or adult authority figures because they wouldn’t understand. Otis’s excess of knowledge thanks to his mother makes him not only a source of comedy, but a source of education as well. After all, that’s the second half of the show’s title.

Sex Education is a show everyone should watch. Not only is it refreshingly real in its depiction of what modern romance looks like when we’re all trying to figure out who we are, but it’s also incredibly watchable (and re-watchable) with only eight episodes a season. It is charming, witty and just generally fun to watch, which is something we all could use a little more of as the cold winter months carry on.

FINE ARTS

Maker Maker series kicks off the new year with buttons Owens Gallery hosts community craft workshop

JULIANNA RUTLEDGE Arts & Culture Reporter “I truly love buttons and the way that they work and how they’re accessible in ways that can spread messages,” said Claire Hunter, a fourth-year fine arts student who ran the Maker Maker workshop last week.

On Wednesday, Jan. 22, the Owens Art Gallery hosted their first Maker Maker workshop of the new year. The project: making buttons.

“Maker Maker is an artist-led workshop series where we make pocket-sized art projects in two hours or less. Tonight’s workshop, DIY buttons, kicks off our winter program,” said Lucy MacDonald, curator of education and community outreach at the Owens. In reference to the larger-than-usual turnout she said, “We wanted to start big and we did.”

Hunter both makes and collects buttons. “I was actually going to do a whole piece on buttons for my fourth-

year project and that’s why [the Owens] asked me, because they knew I had an interest in contemporary button making,” they said. “With buttons, they’re accessible, you can give them away really easily … you can get that message out really quickly.… If it’s really small you have to go really close and look really close to it.”

“BUTTON-MAKING IS JUST SUPER ACCESSIBLE FOR EVERYONE AND WHO DOESN’T LIKE BUTTONS?” The room where the buttonmaking took place was packed, with nearly every seat already taken by the time the event started. Some

participants drew their own designs, while others searched for pictures in magazines and created designs via collage.

“Button-making feels like a really great event,” said Lauren Shay, a fourth-year sociology major who has made it a tradition to attend Maker Maker over the years. “[Buttonmaking is] just super accessible for everyone and who doesn’t like buttons?”

“I’m self-described as being bad at crafts,” said Jilane Buryn, a fifth-year sociology student. “So it was really nice to have something that was accessible and that couldn’t turn out badly, and something that I could actually use. It’s nice to see so many people engaging with crafts.”

Keep your eyes open for the next Maker Maker workshop.

SMALL BUT MIGHTY: DESPITE THEIR SIZE, BUTTONS CAN SEND A STRONG MESSAGE. AUDE GAZZANO/ARGOSY

ARTS & CULTURE

THE ARGOSY | WWW.SINCE1872.CA

THEATRE

Practically perfect in every way

07

Garnet and Gold’s annual production sweeps audiences off of their feet in its 86th year HANNAH LUCAS Contributor Garnet and Gold’s alreadyoutstanding reputation was brought to a new level this weekend with the run of this year’s spectacle, Mary Poppins. Following last year’s beautiful performance of Hello, Dolly, the annual show blew the audience’s minds yet again.

Every aspect of the show felt magical from start to finish. Entering Cherry Tree Lane (otherwise known as Convocation Hall) immediately brought the audience into the world of the Banks family, the gorgeous set having been painted by the members of the cast and crew. The way that the cast moved naturally through the set made it feel as if, just like Bert, we too were members of the little universe that they flawlessly created onstage.

The costumes and props were nothing short of perfect. The fabulous costumes of the title characters drew the audience further into the story.

Every costume fit as if it was made for the actors specifically. Personally, I could not keep my eyes off of Mary’s coat, an extravagant magenta piece that I was completely envious of. The props – which included an heirloom vase that was meant to be broken onstage, Mary’s famous parrot umbrella and a kite that blew us away as it flew away – brought another layer of fun to the already spectacular show.

The most enthralling part of the show, however, was the vocal and physical work of every single person onstage. No two characters felt the same; from the Banks family to the chorus to Poppins herself, every single member of the cast brought an individual light to the stage.

Not only did their outstanding energy and passion shine onstage,

but the gorgeous voices of these talented actors sent chills down my spine a few times. As a spectator, I was very impressed by the sheer talent that every single member of the cast exuded onstage, from the heartbreaking lullaby Being Mrs. Banks performed by Mrs. Banks herself (Mirren Lithwick), to the harrowing Brimstone and Treacle sung flawlessly by Miss Andrews (Sarah English). Another standout performance came with the final ties of the musical, as Poppins (Victoria Rust), Bert (Sam Unger), Michael (Fiona Clancey), Jane (Sarah Workman) and the chorus made jaws drop with Step In Time.

It wasn’t just the acting that had jaws dropping. The crew and the pit band brought the story to life through the beautiful lighting, flawless scene transitions and spinetingling music. The technicians who appeared during the show, be it on stage during scene transitions or behind the soundboard at the head of the theatre, were so professional that it was impossible to tell that they are Mount Allison students. On the underside of the stage, the booming voices of the instruments in the pit brought us through every haunting, empowering, sad and enlightening part of the show flawlessly. Garnet and Gold’s production stands as a reminder that no show is complete without the people behind and below the stage.

Sweeter than a spoonful of sugar and cheekier than a chimney sweep, Mary Poppins was practically perfect in every way, thanks to hard work and long hours. Poppins herself says that anything can happen if you let it, and indeed, something magical happened with the help of an incredibly special group of people.

‘MARY POPPINS’ IS ALWAYS A CROWD PLEASER, AND GARNET AND GOLD’S PROUCTION OF THE CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED MUSICAL IS NO EXCEPTION. BRAEDEN GOLLER/SUBMITTED

MUSIC

Piano ‘bigwig’ lands in Sackville

Russian pianist Kirill Gerstein provides music students with educational weekend MAGGIE PITMAN Arts & Culture Reporter On the weekend of Jan. 25, the Mount Allison department of music welcomed its second annual Bragg artist-in-residence. Versatile and expressive pianist Kirill Gerstein travelled from his home base of Berlin to participate in an interactive teaching weekend with the department of music. Gerstein is one of the top pianists in the field, which makes his presence on our little campus all the more exciting.

Students were buzzing in anticipation of his arrival.

Originally from the former Soviet Union, Gerstein has studied piano all over the world. At age 14, he was the youngest musician to attend Berklee College of Music in Boston. From there he studied in New York City, Madrid and Budapest. His career now has him travelling the world for

performance and education.

As part of his Bragg Artist Residency, Gerstein took part in a piano masterclass, a Q&A session, a recital, a composition workshop and a workshop on the intersecting genres of classical music and jazz. The weekend was chock-full of exciting and educational opportunities for students from all disciplines.

Three Mt. A piano students took part in a piano masterclass where Gerstein personally coached them on a selection of their repertoire for the semester.

“The masterclass was a lifechanging experience,” said Adam Peck, a third-year piano student.

“I essentially received an hour and a half of coaching with one of the world’s top pianists. He’s a brilliant performer and teacher.” Peck even took Gerstein’s teachings and applied them to the way he approaches his other music.

The real highlight of the weekend was watching Gerstein perform a moving and challenging program of piano works. His vibrant performance brought the audience to their feet in an eruption of applause.

“As a pianist, I thoroughly enjoyed Kirill Gerstein’s piano recital,” said Brooklyn Duffie, a fourth-year pianist. “I was thrilled by the vibrant repertoire selections, including a personal favourite of mine, the Liszt B minor sonata. My favourite aspect of the concert was the way that Gerstein chose to use silence as a way to illuminate special musical moments.”

Although Gerstein has a tall and broad stature and an intimidating body language, a more sensitive side of him is seen when he is performing.

Although Gerstein’s performance schedule keeps his calendar full with travel and concerts, he emphasizes the importance of teaching and music education by making room

GERSTEIN WAS ONE OF THE YOUNGEST MUSICIANS TO ATTEND BERKLEE COLLEGE OF MUSIC IN BOSTON AT AGE 14. MADELEINE HANSEN/ARGOSY for regular lessons with his students.

Gerstein feels that as a musician, teaching goes hand in hand with the other aspects of his work.

“If you look at people like Liszt and Chopin and Bach, you’ll realize that they all taught and performed and composed,” said Gerstein.

Gerstein’s attention to the art of teaching is admirable. The fact that such a big name is here teaching in our small town is an exceptional learning opportunity. It’s not every day that we get to learn from one of the best musicians in the world.

A conversation with a member of MAFA’s executive AMELIA MACDOUGALL FLEMING

News Editor

As of Monday, Feb. 3, the Mount Allison Faculty Association (MAFA) is on strike.

The Argosy spoke with

[administration’s] hiring of lawyers who

courses a semester.

“The reality is, people

Roberts. “Increasingly,

According to Statistics

we are employing

Canada in 2015,

are known to be union-

are making $14,000,

people under these

the market basket

busting lawyers to …

maybe $20,000. That’s

stipendiary contracts

measure (standard of

really not negotiating

the reality, which is

and that’s a problem

living) threshold for a

out of good faith,” he

actually under the

[because] they’re

single person in New

said.

poverty line,” said

not well protected.”

Brunswick is about $19,500. It is higher for couples and parents.

Another issue revolves around faculty rights regarding sick leaves.

“We’re trying to make sure that people who are sick don’t have to then further combat bureaucracy or combat arbitrary decisions that are made by the administration about whether they’re paid or not paid,” said Roberts.

A third issue is disability

GREG ELLISON/ARGOSY

MAFA executive Toni

According to the

Roberts who discussed

MAFA website, one of

the strike from the

the key issues under

point of view of the

negotiation is job

union.

security and salary for

Roberts, MAFA’s collective bargaining officer, described

precarious workers.

“THE REALITY IS,

Roberts said

PEOPLE ARE MAKING that part-time $14,000, MAYBE

positions are

$20,000... WHICH IS not fairly

feeling that ACTUALLY UNDER THE compensated. negotiations

POVERTY LINE ”

A part-time

had not been

stipend is about $7,000

productive in the past

per course. Under the

few weeks. “We’ve

most recent collective

had several rounds

agreement, part-time

where things haven’t

faculty are only allowed

gone well. From the

to teach one or two

GREG ELLISON/ARGOSY

their rights. And that’s really disturbing,” he said. “We don’t want to run post-secondary institutions like businesses. That is a huge mistake in terms of how it can shut down creativity, how it can shut down critical thinking, how it can shut down expansive ways of knowing … and

GREG ELLISON/ARGOSY

accommodation for

they need to take for

are tensions between

how the strike revolves

that to me is a real loss

faculty. “We talk a lot

programs they’re in or

the administration

around differences

if we continue down

about accommodation

to complete degrees,”

and faculty and [that]

in morals on the

this road.”

for students and we’re

said Roberts.

we need to work on

two sides. “Some of

those things.... And

these issues are not

unfortunately, they

really about money.

more than happy to

Roberts also

accommodate students

spoke about how

for a number of

the relationship

“THE RELATIONSHIP

[Administration]

reasons. We’re basically

between faculty

BETWEEN FACULTY

wanting to maintain

asking for the same

and administration

AND ADMINISTRATION

control and power

kind of thing,” said

has deteriorated in

HAS DETERIORATED IN

really is about, in

Roberts. “That could

recent years. “[When

RECENT YEARS”

some instances,

be a change in teaching

President Boudreau

are deteriorating and

dehumanizing people,

responsibilities, a

was hired, he] was

that’s really disturbing,”

and for people who

change in committee

very aware of the fact

Roberts said.

are sick or disabled,

responsibilities… It

that there were and

could just be a shift in that setup. It could be a reduction temporarily in teaching until someone can integrate back fully. That’s all we’re asking for.”

The final issue Roberts mentioned was the replacement of faculty during time off, such as sick leave, parental leave or sabbatical: “The replacement of their courses was down to about 30 per cent a few years ago, which means that students don’t have courses

GREG ELLISON/ARGOSY

Roberts spoke about

really pulling back

10

ARTS & CULTURE

FEBRUARY 7, 2020 | ARGOSY@MTA.CA

MUSIC

Stereophonic XV // Cold Nights showcases local talent

The music festival hosts three days of live music throughout Sackville JULIANNA RUTLEDGE Arts & Culture Reporter “One of the goals of Stereophonic is as a fundraiser for the radio station but also to promote local music and foster live music in our community,” said Vanessa Blackier, programming director at CHMA. The Stereophonic music festival took place last weekend from Jan. 31 to Feb. 2, hosting multiple performances in venues around town. The festival is organized by the campus radio station, CHMA, in collaboration with the Thunder & Lighting Pub (T&L) and is currently in its 15th year.

Members of Conduct Becoming performed in Mel’s on Friday night, kicking off the weekend of live music.

The society is made up of musicians who work to produce an album each year dedicated to the memory of Jason Abraham, a Mount Allison student who died of cancer. Clare Maguire, Amy Ward and Keeper E each sang their own songs, accompanying themselves on the piano, guitar and fiddle.

“This year I was approached by James Anderson, [interim station manager] at CHMA, and he said that they [were] looking for Conduct Becoming to do a showcase at Mel’s which I thought was a super great idea,” said Maguire, the manager of the 2020 Conduct Becoming album and a fourth-year psych honours student. Maguire performs under the name Clare Siobhan. “We get to showcase all sorts of cool local talent in a really nice cozy inclusive atmosphere.”

After their sets, Conduct Becoming offered a preview of their upcoming album with eight musicians performing their original songs. All proceeds that Conduct Becoming receives are donated to the Canadian Cancer Society.

Later in the evening, the Booji Boys, Souvenir and BPS performed at T&L. Midday Saturday the Mt. A Chapel hosted Mount Eerie and Julie Doiron.

At Struts & Faucet, Patrick Allaby performed. The Legion also presented an all-ages show featuring CDC, Lillia, Double Dragon Groove Cult, Phone Jerks and Antibodies.

“We try to do a lot of all-ages shows for Stereophonic which is really important.… There’s a lot of people in the community that would love to come to shows,” said Julia Dunn, a fourth-year commerce student who co-organized the festival. “We always try to get local venues and local talent.”

Listeners filled T&L Saturday night to watch bands Diamondtown, Richard Laviolette and Shoulder Season perform. A block away at the Legion, the G.L.A.M. Bats hosted a dance party, then later set up at T&L as well.

“With this Stereophonic, we also tried to incorporate other things besides music,” said James Anderson. “There’s an art show at Hounds of Vintage [and] there’s a dance performance joining the all-ages show at the Legion by the Contemporary Dance Collective.…

There’s also audio art for the first time being broadcasted on the radio.”

“This year we partnered with

Thunder & Lightning [and Conduct Becoming] … because CHMA wants to do things in the community,” said Anderson. “In conjunction with that we’ve also brought in groups from PEI and Halifax that would commonly play all-ages shows and support that kind of culture because it’s a part of Sackville that isn’t well represented throughout the year.”

The events continued on Sunday with Ray Legere + Acoustic Horizon presenting at the Vogue and Mike Feuerstack performing later that day at T&L. If you were able to brave the cold nights last weekend, you found that winter weather can’t stop Sackville from having a good time.

BRE DARLISON/CONTRIBUTOR

GILL HILL/ARGOSY

CHILLY NIGHTS CAN’T STOP THE MUSIC. FESTIVAL BRINGS CHEER TO THE COMMUNITY. AUDE GAZZANO/ARGOSY GREG ELLISON/SUBMITTED

ARTS & CULTURE

THE ARGOSY | WWW.SINCE1872.CA

STREAMING

11

Review: Netflix’s ‘The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina’

A series where high school isn’t the only hellish thing HANNAH TUCK Arts & Culture Reporter Given the popularity of Riverdale, it wasn’t surprising when Netflix reached their hand into the Archie Comics universe to see what else they could do a dark and gritty reboot of.

When they announced it would be a series about teenage witch Sabrina, the Internet was scandalized. Sabrina the Teenage Witch is a classic late-90s show for many people, with Salem the cat being the most iconic image of the original sitcom – and in this adaptation he wouldn’t even talk!

What was the point?

The point was that they’d have a guaranteed audience. Not only is Sabrina headed up by the Riverdale showrunners, but it takes more cues from the recent graphic novel that The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina shares a title with. Plus, Sabrina is a character in the Archie Comics universe, which continues to have many fans clamouring for a crossover episode.

While there haven’t been any yet, both shows are shot in Vancouver and Sabrina has many Easter eggs for fans of its sister show.

The first season starts in the days leading up to the 16th birthday of one Sabrina Spellman (Kiernan Shipka of Mad Men fame in a role she was born to play) which is, of course, on

Halloween. While Sabrina wants to have a normal sweet sixteen party with her friends Roz (Jaz Sinclair), Theo (Lachlan Watson) and her boyfriend Harvey Kinkle (Ross Lynch), the part of her life that she can’t talk about – that is, the witch part – has other plans for her. Her 16th birthday is also the day of Sabrina’s dark baptism, where she will not only officially become a member of her coven and be able to start her studies at the Academy of Unseen Arts, but also sign her name in the Book of the Beast, which would fully separate her from her mortal life. Sabrina doesn’t do it initially, however.

Sabrina is half-mortal, half-witch, and since she’s grown attached to her mortal life, she doesn’t want to sever all connection with it. The first season sees Sabrina struggling to balance both sides of her life without leaving complete chaos in her wake, which is hard when you’re a teenage witch. Helping her keep this balance are her aunts Hilda (Lucy Davis) and Zelda (Miranda Otto), cousin Ambrose (Chance Perdomo) and Mary Wardwell (Michelle Gomez), who isn’t fully what she seems.

The new version of Sabrina Spellman is certainly darker and takes plenty more risks than the original sitcom thanks to it being on Netflix and not a cable television network.

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MAGIC AND MAYHEM AWAIT IN THE NEW NETFLIX ADAPTATION OF A CLASSIC SITCOM. MARA IRETA GORDON/ARGOSY

The show as a whole deals with aspects of Satanism and, because the first season is so exposition-heavy, they aren’t subtle with it at all. This intense focus balances out a little in the second season, but in season three, which just recently came out, the show spends an even amount of time between the mortal realm and hell itself. They literally go to hell.

Shipka is the clear standout in this cast. She makes everything that Sabrina does involving witchcraft and Satanism seem not only believable, but also normal. The show as a whole does an excellent job of transporting viewers to the creepy little town of Greendale, while also ramping up the stakes and the amount of magic power Sabrina can wield each season.

Shipka’s version of Sabrina is smart, snarky, sympathetic, and isn’t about to play by anyone’s rules but her own (much to the chagrin of Aunt Zelda).

When I watched the first trailer back in 2018, I was unsure about the show, but the moment that made me stick with it was seeing Sabrina, having almost gone through with the baptism before backing out, telling the coven “My name is Sabrina Spellman, and I

will not sign it away!”

The show is also a standout

THE SHOW AS A WHOLE DOES AN EXCELLENT JOB OF TRANSPORTING VIEWERS TO THE CREEPY LITTLE TOWN OF GREENDALE favourite of mine for its LGBTQ2+ representation. Watson is non-binary, and the character they play, Theo, is transgender – a delicate subject that the show handles with a lot of grace and understanding. Ambrose is also canonically pansexual and enters a relationship with a fellow warlock despite being under house arrest during the first season. While Theo’s gender discovery does dominate his storylines in the first and second seasons, it never feels drawn out or mishandled.

The writers of the show do an excellent job winding the usual teen drama of relationships and high school with the occult aspects of the show. While the darker, dramatic themes of shows like Riverdale can come across as cringey and poorly written, the writing of Sabrina doesn’t. It fits with the tone of the show, knows what it is and embraces that fully.

The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina kept some aspects of the original sitcom and comics, yes, but has also taken some darker, more adult cues from the graphic novel and modern teen dramas. With a standout cast, some interesting visual effects, and themes of balance and duality running throughout the 24 episodes currently available, Sabrina is sure to cast a spell on anyone who chooses it as their next binge.

12 OPINIONS

EDITOR: LAUREN SHAY| FEBRUARY 7, 2020 | ARGOSY@MTA.CA

COLUMN

Are you addicted to your phone?

Recognizing the signs of phone addiction is important to maintain wellness

RACHEL MACDOUGALL Columnist Physicist and author Michio Kaku said, “Today, your cell phone has more computer power than all of NASA back in 1969 when it placed two astronauts on the moon.”

Smartphones are extraordinarily advanced and have changed the way we communicate. However, despite the positives of advancing technology, there are also drawbacks, such as

the development of “nomophobia,” the fear of being without a mobile phone. People can also become addicted to social media; it is usually the games, apps and online networks that become addictive rather than the physical phones themselves.

As with a substance or alcohol addiction, Internet addiction impacts brain chemistry, particularly the ratios of gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA), creatine and glutamate neurotransmitters in the brain.

These results are correlated to rates of depression and anxiety in the affected population, and the chemical imbalance can have physiological side effects including drowsiness and anxiety. Additionally, these sorts of addictions can negatively impact the quality of life by fueling anxiety, increasing stress levels, exacerbating attention deficit disorders, disturbing sleep patterns and diminishing concentration and critical thinking.

Addiction can also encompass a

variety of impulse-control problems, such as online compulsions including gambling, gaming, online shopping, cybersex addiction (including compulsive abuse of pornography or sexting) and virtual relationships such as the compulsive use of dating apps.

So, how do you know if you’re becoming or already addicted to what’s on your phone? Warning signs can include trouble completing tasks (including homework and assignments), isolation from family and friends, experiencing FOMO (“fear of missing out”), hiding or lying about how much you really use your smartphone and feeling anxious or panicked if you leave your smartphone at home. Additionally, experiencing withdrawal symptoms such as restlessness, difficulty concentrating, problems sleeping, irritability and craving access to your smartphone or the Internet are good indicators that you may have an addiction.

The good news is that there are a number of strategies you can use to get your smartphone and Internet use (or overuse) to what is manageable and healthy. The first step is (can

employer is still sticking to proposals that our members have told us are unacceptable,” she said.

Michaelis said that the university proposals regarding faculty concerns about workload, support for the academic mission, replacements for leave, salaries, pensions, benefits, and pay for part-time faculty remain virtually unchanged.

Only one major proposal, restructuring the sabbatical decisionmaking process, was taken off the table, Michaelis said.

But the university’s administration sees matters differently.

“The faculty association has said that its core issues are academic control and freedom,” wrote Mount Allison’s vice-president Karen Grant in a Mt. A press release.

“The university has not put forward a single proposal that restricts, inhibits, or compromises academic freedom or the control of individuals’ teaching or research in any way. We have repeatedly asked the faculty association to tell us which proposals

they take issue with. They have not responded,” read the release.

Michaelis challenged the factuality of the press release. “[The university’s negotiators] have been told over and over again, since negotiations began, why it is we find their proposals objectionable,” she said.

“I am disappointed. I was very hopeful that we’d be able to get to a settlement,” Grant told The Argosy.

“I think that the university team was very eager and committed to trying to get to a settlement over the course of the weekend,” she said.

“Our team presented different proposals trying to find a way to address concerns that had been expressed by the faculty association.”

Grant said the university is doing the best it can under the circumstances to ensure students are able to stay focused on their studies.

There are no plans for negotiations to resume at this time.

On Sunday, night the administration sent out an email to students through vice-president Ron Byrne. All classes, labs, and tutorials at Mt. A have been suspended until further notice.

Other university services will continue to operate as normal.

Mt. A faculty learned at the end of last week that they would continue to have access to their university email throughout the strike. The university issued a memo to the faculty association on Thursday, outlining

the conditions of strike action.

Michaelis described the memo as unusual. She said strike protocol is generally negotiated in advance with both parties, but this time, the university simply issued a decree.

“The university said at a table quite explicitly that a protocol under the conditions of strike would not be subject to negotiation,” Grant said.

MAFA felt the memo was ambiguous in some respects, and met with Grant to discuss their concerns. They were mainly concerned with access to university buildings.

Grant responded to MAFA’s concerns by clarifying that there would be no additional restrictions on access to the daycare, residences (for faculty who have children living oncampus), and faculty who worship at the campus chapel.

Michaelis said MAFA is still hoping for additional clarification from the university for professors, and lab researchers in particular, who need to access time-sensitive experiments.

“The union doesn’t want its members crossing the picket line, but there are some circumstances in which that has to happen in order for people’s long-term research projects not to be capsized,” Michaelis said.

A second memo issued from Grant’s office stated that MAFA’s other queries were covered by the original document. Faculty may be able to access campus buildings

FROM THE ARCHIVES

THE STRIKE

ALSO RAISES QUESTIONS

CHRISTOPHER BALCOM Former News Editor From the archives brings you old news today. As time passes, the news we report on changes, as does the way we report on it. Conversely, we’ve been covering some of the same issues since 1872. Here is a piece from the last faculty strike at Mount Allison in 2014.

Thurs. Jan. 30 2014: Vol. 143 Iss. 15 Classes have been suspended indefinitely at Mount Allison University, as professors and librarians began picketing outside entrances to campus Monday morning. The strike deadline set last week by the Mount Allison Faculty Association (MAFA) expired following a series of last-minute meetings over the weekend.

“We had hoped that there was a possibility of getting a settlement this weekend,” MAFA President Loralea Michaelis told The Argosy. “The

ABOUT THE IMPACT

ON OTHER

STAKEHOLDERS

IN THE PROCESS, NAMELY THE

STUDENT BODY

you guess?) recognizing that you have a problem, so if any of the symptoms mentioned above sound familiar, take some time to reflect on whether your use of the Internet and smartphones is healthy and is improving the quality of your life, or if it is a distraction. Some selfhelp tips for getting your addiction under control include recognizing underlying problems that may support your compulsive behaviour, recognizing the triggers that make you want to be on your phone or the Internet and strengthening your support network by increasing the number of in-person interactions you have while reducing the number of online encounters where possible.

If you have any questions, would like to learn more or have have suggestions for next week’s column, feel free to email me at healthintern@ mta.ca. You can also email wellness@ mta.ca to book any appointments at the Wellness Centre. Be sure to download the Campus WELL app for more interesting articles and the chance to win a $50 Amazon gift card!

As always, stay happy and healthy!

between 3:00 and 4:00 pm Monday to Friday, with prior permission from Grant’s office.

The university shows no sign of reneging on its earlier promise not to lock out faculty until after convocation in May. The administration requested that faculty who do not plan on striking inform the university within twenty-four hours of the strike. They would resume other responsibilities, but would not be able to teach.

The strike also raises questions about the impact on other stakeholders in the process, namely the student body.

The Mount Allison Students’ Union (MASU) continues to maintain a neutral position.

“At the end of the day, we feel that being neutral [...] is in the best interests of students,” said MASU President Melissa O’Rourke.

“For us to be able to continue enhancing the student experience at Mt. A, it is really important that we’re able to work with both parties,” O’Rourke said. “[W]e want to see this resolved as quickly as possible, we want to see the parties return to the table as quickly as they can, and we want to see a minimal disruption of classes for students,” she said.

“This is our education, and we really want to see a solution found.”

“Students [...] need to try to find a place in the conversation we’re having, with the administration, but also with the public, about the future of Mount Allison as a university,” Michaelis said.

“We hope for settlement and we also hope at the end of all this we will all have a better understanding of what’s at stake than we did when it began,” Michaelis said, adding that

OPINIONS

THE ARGOSY | WWW.SINCE1872.CA

COLUMN

Student perspective on the strike

It is important to consider how the faculty strike may impact students

13

THE ARGOSY w w w. s i n c e 1 8 7 2 . c a

Independent Student Newspaper of Mount Allison University Thursday October 3. 2019 volume 149 issue 4 Circulation 1,500 Since 1872

on Unceded Mi’kmaq Land 62 York Street W. McCain Student Centre Mount Allison University Sackville, New Brunswick E4L 1H3 THE ARGOSY is published by Argosy Publications, Inc., a student run, autonomous, nonpartisan not-forprofit organization operated in accordance with the province of New Brunswick.

EDITORIAL staff EDITORS IN CHIEF | Maia Herriot and Minnow Holtz-Carriere NEWS EDITORS | Emma Conrad and Amelia MacDougall Fleming ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR | Ben Maksym OPINIONS EDITOR | Lauren Shay HUMOUR EDITOR | William Traves CREATIVE | Matthew Cann

HAMISH HALLETT Columnist As a new term started at Mount Allison, no one expected strike action to be so severe, despite the tensions brewing.

Ongoing discussions between the faculty union and the university administration have failed and the strike has gone ahead.

This is not the first time I have seen strike action and from my time seeing it happen, it is not pretty. The second term of my first year at the University of Kent was disrupted in a humongous manner when professors went on strike. Kent faculty went on strike again in December 2019 and will strike a third time for two weeks starting Feb. 20, 2020. Here it is showcasing the broken relationships between faculty and that specific administration.

The bells of resemblance are ringing to this situation here at Mt. A. What is also very apparent in the current circumstances in the small town of Sackville, N.B., is the lack of attention towards student views and how we feel about the strike.

I want to start by saying that I do NOT blame the faculty for striking.

COPY EDITOR | Charlotte Savage

There are a variety of reasons why they are striking. Professors aren’t striking to take time off teaching, marking essays or researching; they are addressing a severe issue. From what I have seen in particular, the professors who have taught me are exceptionally passionate about what they do and a lot of them do not want to be outside in the freezing cold holding banners and asking for action.

Striking was the last resort.

However, there is not enough information about student interests and what we want to be done. With professors striking for who knows how long, Mount Allison students should have some of our tuition fees paid back to us for the lack of teaching and class time. Canadian students at Mt. A pay around $8,770 in tuition each year and international students pay a staggering $18,130. During this strike we will still be paying these immense

fees, despite no teaching and no faculty departments being open.

This is quite frankly ludicrous!

We make this University – students contribute to this University the same way professors and faculty do. When we pay to go to university – especially the number 1 undergrad university in Canada – we expect to be taught five days a week. The fact that professors are striking, which is without any fault to them, means we are no longer getting that promise.

I am fed up with the university institution itself, both here in Canada and the United Kingdom, for the way it is treating faculty and students. We are not consumers; we are people. Enough is enough! I want to write this because someone has to be thinking the same idea as me but is too scared about causing tensions.

Screw the tensions and let us be heard!

WE DEMAND

ACTION BECAUSE WE SHOULD NOT BE PAYING FEES

THAT ARE SO HIGH, WHERE THERE IS A

LACK OF TEACHING DURING THE

STRIKE PERIOD

We demand action because we should NOT be paying fees that are so high when there is a lack of teaching during the strike period. I am calling for MASU to voice this anger because this organization is here for this exact purpose – to express the concerns of students and to have a voice here at Mount Allison. They have released a press release on this situation and they are remaining neutral during this strike period. Further to this, whenever this period ends, they want to advocate a tuition rebate. I know this will be challenging and the MASU, from what I have seen, have done a terrific job here and it seems they have their priorities straight.

Stand united with me to have your voice heard during this uncertain time here at Mount Allison.

PRODUCTION staff PRODUCTION MANAGER | Kiara Mazerolle PHOTO EDITOR | Gill Hill PHOTOGRAPHERS | Aude Gazzano and Pengyi Huang ILLUSTRATIONS EDITOR | Ashli Green ILLUSTRATORS | Mara Ireta Gordon and Madeleine Hansen

REPORTERS NEWS REPORTERS | Laura Skinner, Natasha Gosselin, and Zoe Hunter ARTS & CULTURE REPORTERS | Maggie Pitman, Hannah Tuck. and Julianna Rutledge

OPERATIONS staff SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER | Megan Fitzgerald DISTRIBUTIONS MANAGER | Mickayla Kaiser HR REP | Ryan Schultz

CONTRIBUTORS Emily Shaw, Hamish Hallet, Hannah Lucas, Kaitlyn Keleher, Rachel MacDougall COVER | Ashli Green

DISCLAIMERS & 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

Call for Submissions

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 designs and comics are welcome. The Argosy

Give us your opinions!

Do you have something to say about the MAFA strike. MASU dissolving the International Affairs Coordinator position, or literally anything else?

reserves the right to edit or refuse all materials deemed sexist, racist, homophobic, transphobic or otherwise unfit for print, as determined by the Editors 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.

Send an email to LSHAY@MTA.CA with a pitch or an article and maybe next issue it’ll be in this space instead of another call for submissions!

Comments, concerns or complaints about the Argosy’s content or operations should be first sent to the Editors in Chief at the address above. If the Editors in Chief are 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 Editors in Chief.

14 CREATIVE

EDITOR: MATTHEW CANN | FEBRUARY 7, 2020 | ARGOSY@MTA.CA

THE PARADOX - MIZAN RAHMAN PARK GATES - MACKENZIE CHASE PORTA 400 FILM

CAROUSEL- MACKENZIE CHASE FUJI SUPERIA XTRA 400 FILM

LIGHT AND SHADOWS- MACKENZIE CHASE ILFORD XP 2 FILM

SUBMIT

send your artwork: photos, writing, painting, sketches, series, watercolors, and poetry. anything creative, or artistic, can make it in this section, including doodles (!) we can work with any medium and format. to submit, attach your work with your name, medium, name of the piece (if titled), and any formatting specialties in an email to mtcann@mta.ca. theme for next issue: 2020, new years regrets

CREATIVE

THE ARGOSY | WWW.SINCE1872.CA

I must have a life

15

MIZAN RAHMAN Contributor When the spring comes, let me have a life,

When the ship sails, widen the hands, leap a beat,

In the bundle of cruces, let me tide a bit,

We must depart, even though never met,

When the world cries, I shall spread a smile,

When the time comes, call me to be alive.

Edge of the burg, even a small groove, should rise,

CINEMA, ST GERMAIN - MACKENZIE CHASE ILFORD XP 2 FILM

CHAETEAU, ST GERMAIN, AND MODEL- MACKENZIE CHASE ILFORD XP2 FILM

rose colored glasses KAITLYN KELEHER Contributor

OUT OF FOCUS - ANONYMOUS ILFORD FP4 FILM

When my father told me what a man was supposed to be He never described you And yet

When I looked for one you checked off all the boxes.

16 HUMOUR

CROSSWORD

Across 1. Yard sign 8. Inciting or urging on 15. Leaked, in a way 16. _______ gun

17. Fear of noise 19. Trojan war figure 20. Groups of three 21. It can be cheap 24. Crude group

26. Sheet of stamps 27. Lab eggs 28. Melody 30. Two homophone 32. Lysergic acid 33. Blue-pencil 35. Sharpener 37. Fear of glass 42. Like Swiss cheese 43. Unruffled 44. Moisten flax 47. Fix 48. McCarthy quarry 49. Denebola’s constellation 50. There are too many in December 52. ____ noir 54. Draw 55. Move furtively 57. Vegetable that is secretly a fruit 60. Fear of freedom 65. People who get to leave here 66. Enjoyed by kids and dolls 67. (in letterpress printing) A layer of packing, typically of paper, placed

EDITOR: WILL TRAVES | FEBRUARY 7, 2020 | ARGOSY@MTA.CA between the platen and the paper to be printed to equalize the pressure over the whole forme.

68. Elongates Down 1. Kind of approval 2. Tolkien beast 3. Earth Summit site 4. Grit 5. Half dome structure 6. Answer to “Shall we?”

7. Copy ______ 8. Valentine figure 9. Bibim___ 10. Authentic 11. Town in Wisconsin 12. Relating to a shinbone 13. Negative particles 14. Like some apartments 18. One with a beat 21. Twisting force 22. State categorically 23. Gaga title 25. Body

28. Has stage presence 29. Leaning to the right 31. Marveled aloud 34. Volcanic fallout 35. On the ___ 36. Detachable container 38. Beneficiaries 39. Java neighbour 40. Particular 41. Interminable time 44. Move audience members 45. With malice 46. Ancient hymn 48. Hard to access 51. Slouch 53. ___ instance 54. Baggy 56. Bunsen 58. Peak 59. “Take ____!”

61. Chinese dynasty 62. Affleck or Stiller 63. Contraction 64. Bubblehead

GUYS! THERE’S A STRIKE! WHO KNEW???????

Administration replaces part-time faculty with the ‘Devil’s advocate’ guy from your intro poli-sci class EMILY SHAW Unpaid Intern After seven months of negotiating, full-time professors and librarians at Mount Allison University voted to strike Monday if a new collective agreement couldn’t be reached. Latt Mitvak, president of the Mount Allison Faculty Association (MAFA), said the top issue is the number of faculty members available to deliver programs.

“Over the past 10 years we’ve seen a drop in the number of full-time faculty and an increase in part-time faculty. This creates pressure for delivering programs,” Mitvak said.

“Usually, we’re left to settle positions in the boxing ring in the basement of Hart Hall.”

Mitvak also said there aren’t enough faculty hired to replace retiring professors, those on sabbatical or those placed on medical leave after facing Dr. Lapp in the ring.

University spokesperson Rob Hispenis said the University doesn’t think there’s an issue. Hisdick states that over the past three to four years, close to 90 per cent of teaching hours have been delivered by fulltime faculty members and students thirsty to add to their CV. However, in response to MAFA’s concerns, the University has offered a solution.

“We understand that MAFA is concerned about the hiring practices of part-time faculty, so we decided to honour those concerns and just get rid of them,” Hisweenie said. “Instead, we looked at what makes Mount Allison such a reputable institution: financially insecure students.”

Andrew, better known as that guy in your intro poli sci who thinks his opinion is god, can be found teaching classes in political science, anthropology, art history, women’s and gender studies, Canadian studies

and Latin.

“Andrew’s a go-getter; we could see it in his eyes that he needed to pay rent,” said Hispecker. “And since he seems to know everything, we thought, ‘Well, he might as well just teach the class. All of them.’ ” The Argosy has reached out to Andrew for a comment but was unable to ask any questions as he spoke over me the whole time.

As for the fighting ring? “Oh yeah, that’s a time-honoured

tradition. I still remember having to watch Alex Colville duke it out in the ring,” said Hisactionjackson, shuddering. “Colville was a beast.

We had to extradite him to Kentville because I don’t think he would retire otherwise.”

For future information regarding the strike, students are encouraged to check their emails, where Hislovemachine will be providing regular updates, signed “hugs and kisses.”

BRE DARLISON / CONTRIBUTOR

Mt. Allison Student Liver Union Declares Intention to Strike WILL TRAVES Humour Editor Following the week-long bender undertaken by many Mt. A students during the faculty strike, the Mount Allison Student Liver Union (MTASLU) has declared its intentions to strike, citing poor working conditions, long hours and extreme physical abuse. The MTASLU demands at least a two-day break from drug and alcohol consumption and a long-term commitment to increased hydration.

Should the MTASLU go on strike, Mt. A students can expect to have regular liver functions put on hold, a potentially deadly outcome. There have been extreme amounts of pushback from Mt. A students who are entirely unwilling to compromise on what should be a very reasonable request. “It’s impossible to live like this,” said a representative of the

MADELEINE HANSEN / ARGOSY

MTASLU. “I don’t get what’s so hard to understand. We work almost non-stop and endure constant, excruciating abuse at the hands of the students.”

While the MTASLU representative seemed somewhat reserved and reasonable, the Mt. A students we asked were much more aggressive.

“FUCK that!” said one student.

“I’ve been living by the ‘teacher’s gone, party on’ rule since the fourth grade and I’m not gonna be changing that any time soon.”

Another announced plans to bring in scabs: “Medical science has come far enough to do liver transfers. If my liver doesn’t want to work than it can look forward to being dumped into a bucket of other medical waste and fucking incerated for all I care.”

The deadline for the MTASLU strike is set for Feb. 9 and neither side seems willing to compromise.

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