The Argosy, January 19, Vol. 146, Iss. 12 by The Argosy

THE ARG OSY

NEWS Sackville to take stance on Energy East (Pg. 2)

ARTS & CULTURE Q&A with Stereophonic organizers (Pg. 10)

Grinding in the reference section since 1872

SPORTS Bishop’s to join conference (Pg. 5)

OPINIONS AUS

Saying goodbye to Barack Obama (Pg. 14)

Mount Allison’s Independent Student Newspaper

Cover: Kevin Melanson, Lots of Birds (Reprise), 2016, ink on paper. January 19, 2017 Vol. 146, Iss. 12

02 NEWS

EDITOR: CATHERINE TURNBULL & NAOMI GOLDBERG | JANUARY 19, 2017 | ARGOSY@MTA.CA

CLIMATE JUSTICE

Town deciding whether to oppose Energy East pipeline CATHERINE TURNBULL News Editor On Nov. 6, two Mount Allison students presented a motion to Sackville town council, asking for the town to formally oppose the Energy East pipeline. Energy East is a 4,600-kilometre pipeline project proposed by the TransCanada energy corporation. The project would transport over one million barrels of crude bitumen oil every day from Alberta and Saskatchewan to Saint John, N.B. There has been resistance store the pipeline across the country since its original proposal in 2013. Will Balser, a third-year Mt. A student, was one of the students who presented to town council. Along with a group of peers, Balser prepared the presentation in GENV 4101, an environmental activism class taught by Brad Walters. “We are asking for an official motion and statement on behalf of the town of Sackville from the council in opposition of the construction of the Energy East pipeline,” Balser said. According to Balser, if this motion moves forward, Sackville will be the first municipality in New Brunswick to make such a statement. Balser said the group has been working to present the motion to the MASU as well and would like to eventually present to

the Mt. A Board of Regents. Following their presentation, Balser said he was made aware that Energy East officials began contacting town councillors and have asked for time in council to present on the pipeline. They have been granted time at the Feb. 6 council meeting. Balser said he thinks that TransCanada has enough airtime, citing the Irving corporation, which owns many major media outlets in New Brunswick and has endorsed the pipeline. “We’re students. We have the Argosy; they have the national media,” he said. “We’re not looking for a way to make this pipeline sustainable,” Balser said. “We’ve got a ‘leave it in the ground’ policy, because any increase in tar sands production will lead to an increase in the effects of climate change.” Megan Mitton, a town councillor and Sackville’s Green Party representative, said her priority is to address climate change. “By building pipelines and investing in new fossil fuel infrastructure, we guarantee that we’re going to continue to use that infrastructure for at least another decade. What the scientific community is telling us is that we can’t afford to do that anymore if we want to have a livable climate.” Mitton said that although she feels

familiar with the stance of energy companies like TransCanada and has researched pipelines and climate change in her own background, she understands other councillors asking for more information. Town councillor Bill Evans, who drafted the motion that will be voted on in February, agrees. “By all means, become informed. But having spent time researching the current science behind climate change, this is a nobrainer for me,” Evans said. “We should be mitigating the problem, not making it worse.” Though the Town of Sackville has no decision-making jurisdiction regarding the pipeline project, Mitton says this symbolic action is relevant. “Sackville has said that sustainability is a priority, and earlier this year adopted the climate change adaptation plan,” said Mitton. “In my opinion, this motion falls in line with that. I think it’s important to be clear about where our priorities are and ask the federal government for this.” John Higham, mayor of Sackville, said the council asks three questions of any proposed action. “Several town councils in a row have made a commitment to sustainability,” he said. “We ask our staff to look at the environmental impacts, social impacts and economic impacts of an action in order for us to make a fully informed decision, from that

THE PIPELINE DEBATE OFTEN APPEARS AS THE ENVIRONMENT VS THE ECONOMY JEFF MAN/ARGOSY sustainability lens,” Higham said. Some councillors have expressed concern that the motion would be “anti-business.” Mitton said the false dichotomy between the environment and economy is at the root of these sentiments. “We can’t continue to have these two things seen as mutually exclusive,” Mitton said. “We need to ask how we can combat climate

This Week at MASU council NADIYA SAFONOVA Politics Reporter MASU EXECUTIVE RESIGNATIONS

Vice President External Affairs Tina Oh has resigned from her executive position at thr Mount Allison Students’ Union (MASU). Oh said that she cannot work for an organization that shows discrimination in the form of systemic racism, environmental injustice and disregard for mental health. VP Finance and Operations Alex Lepianka and Bike Coordinator Matt Fyfe also resigned, in solidarity with Oh.

MENTAL HEALTH SUMMIT

On March 11 there will be a mental health summit at Mt. A, which is being planned by the VP Student Life, Anthony Maddalena, along with Shaelyn Sampson, Melissa Baxter and Mathieu Landry from the department of social development. This summit will be open to all Mt. A students. There will be guest speakers along with student-led workshops.

NBSA VICE CHAIR APPOINTMENT

After the removal of Oh, the previous vice chair at the end of 2016, the New Brunswick Student Alliance elected Ryan LeBreton as the new vice chair. The vote was unanimous, with no contention or dissent.

CLUB SPORTS ALLIANCE

This newly approved group will aim to unite Mt. A’s club teams for the promotion and planning of an athletic banquet for club sports. Varsity dance representative Cydney Kane and field hockey representative Brynn Aucoin will be the executive officers of the Club Sports Alliance. OH’S RESIGNMENT COMES AS A SURPRISE TO MANY RYAN MACRAE/ARGOSY

change while making sure that people have jobs and can take care of their families, but they certainly won’t be able to do that without a liveable climate.” TransCanada representatives will present to council on Feb. 6 and the motion will likely come to a vote on Feb. 13.

NEWS

THE ARGOSY | WWW.ARGOSY.CA

STUDENT FINANCES

Bookstore’s delayed opening impacts low-income students

Students left without options to purchase used textbooks

This Week in New Brunswick COMPILED BY NAOMI GOLDBERG News Editor ACTIVISTS PUSH FOR GENDER PARITY IN N.B. GOVERNMENT

A grassroots movement called Women For 50% has formed to lead the effort to implement gender parity in New Brunswick legislature. The group says they are trying to prepare and support women candidates well ahead of the 2018 provincial election. Their goal is for 50 per cent of the candidates running for election for each party to be women in 2018. Currently, eight of 49 MLAs, or roughly 16 per cent, are women. This is down from the peak of 18 per cent in 1999. In an interview with the CBC, former provincial cabinet minister Aldéa Landry said that in her experience, the last-minute panic to find more women to run doesn’t work.

PHARMACISTS CALL FOR PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT TO COVER COSTS OF OVERDOSE ANTIDOTE

As New Brunswick prepares to be struck by a wave of illicit fentanyl, which has recently hit New England, as well as many Canadian provinces as close as Ontario, pharmacists are calling on the provincial government to cover the cost of a life-saving opiate overdose medication, naloxone. The provincial government is currently preparing to launch a prescription monitoring program, which will make it more difficult to access over-the-counter opiates, such as Oxycontin. When the program is launched, addicts in New Brunswick are expected to turn to illegal opiates, such as fentanyl. According to the CBC, officials with the Department of Health said the government does not have plans to start paying for naloxone. TEXTBOOK PRICES ARE A MAJOR STRESS, ESPECIALLY FOR LOW-INCOME STUDEMTS ANDREAS FOBES/SUBMITTED

JILL MACINTYRE News Reporter Many students at Mount Allison have expressed frustration with the delayed opening of the online campus bookstore as a result of renovations to the physical store. Michelle Strain, director of administrative services, explained in an email that during renovations, new shipments of books were stored offsite. Without access to the shipments’ packing slips, the bookstore could not verify prices and availabilities of new and used books. Because of this, it was not possible to open the online bookstore on time. The university bookstore typically posts required reading lists for new courses online midway through the winter break. While the bookstore’s website claimed that it would be operating by Jan. 4, it was not available to students until the first day of classes on Jan. 9. Some students said this delay made it difficult to find more affordable textbook options, such as used books through Facebook pages, Enactus’ Textbook Osmosis program, or online retailers. First-year student Laren Bedgood believes the university should have made alternative arrangements for students to be able to access their required reading lists. “Whether or not I want to buy them [from the bookstore], I think

the option should be there,” she said. “I look for books elsewhere first just to be cost-effective, but I wasn’t able to do that this semester.” The bookstore has a non-compete agreement with the university, which gives it a virtual monopoly over the sale of textbooks on campus. Other than a direct email from a professor, the bookstore is students’ only source of information on required readings. Bedgood also found it difficult to sell her used textbooks from the previous semester, as many students on Facebook groups such as Textbooks Mt. A were hesitant to purchase without a listed title or edition number. According to an email from Cindy Allan, manager of the campus store and support services, “staff worked very hard to ensure the impact [of renovations] on students was minimal.” Strain wrote that “the renovation work was scheduled for four weeks. To lessen the impact on students, we started the project at the end of the exam period.” She wrote that the renovations, mainly to the ventilation system, were time-sensitive and could not wait until the summer. Strain wrote that the website was up and running for the first week of classes, and that students were able to access the information they required. “Students with questions about books emailed the bookstore and staff helped them with the information

they needed.” Bedgood said she called the bookstore on the break during business hours to inquire about the necessary readings for her courses, but was told they could not help. While for many students the closure was an inconvenience, low-income students have been disproportionately left in an adverse situation. According to Tom Hammond, a fourth-year honours economics student, this could compromise the education of low-income students. “Not knowing which books you [needed], not knowing how much they [were] going to cost, and having no time to figure out cheaper alternatives meant that some students were forced to make the hard choice of forking out $500+ to the bookstore, or else risk not buying the textbook,” he said. “Unfortunately, not buying required textbooks is an accepted reality for [low-income] students.” As a result of the delayed bookstore opening, some students were left without adequate time or options to purchase more affordable course texts. According to a 2015 report, post-secondary students from New Brunswick face the highest debt load in Canada upon graduation.

SAINT JOHN POLICE RELEASE SKETCH OF SUSPECT IN BANK HOLDUPS

Five bank holdups have occurred in Saint John since Oct. 28. The police went door-to-door last week with a flyer showing security video stills of the suspect or suspects, and have recently released a sketch of a suspect. The sketch, which is being distributed through media, social media and by police officers going door-to-door, depicts a middle-aged man with short, dark hair. According to the CBC, the police cannot state with certainty that one individual is behind all five robberies, due to the perpetrators in the latest robberies covering their faces and to the low quality of the video surveillance. However, the CBC reported that investigators believe the incidents may be connected, due to similarities such as the type of handgun used and the robbers’ interactions with bank employees.

CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS WITH NOVA SCOTIA TEACHERS UNION AND GOVERNMENT RESUME

Nova Scotia Teachers Union president Liette Doucet said that they have agreed to a new round of talks with the provincial government under a media blackout. Previous contract talks had collapsed in November. CTV reported that the union rejected the province’s latest contract offer that “attempted” to address concerns about classroom conditions, wages and retirement benefits. A spokesperson from the union expressed frustration with Education Minister Karen Casey for raising questions over teachers’ professional development trips to Hawaii and elsewhere. Last week, Casey publicly asked whether a “double standard” was at play, and why approved trips weren’t cancelled once the work to rule campaign began. The union says teachers had already been granted permission to travel to conferences before the campaign began on Dec. 5.

ANNOUNCEMENT

MONDAY, JAN. 23, 2017 AT 4:00 P.M. IS THE DEADLINE TO REGISTER TO TAKE THE MOUNT ALLISON CERTIFICATE OF BILINGUALISM EXAM IN FRENCH AND ENGLISH. COME TO THE MODERN LANGUAGES AND LITERATURES OFFICE, CRABTREE 310, 8:30 - 4:30 TO SIGN UP.

04 NEWS A day in the life of a snow plower

JANUARY 19, 2017 | ARGOSY@MTA.CA

SACKVILLE

KAVANA WA KILELE News Reporter The Argosy sat down with Brent Tower at the public works building to talk about his work as a transportation foreman for the Town of Sackville. Tower plows snow for the town and manages seven others who do the same. Kavana Wa Kilele: Can you walk us through your day after a snowstorm? Brent Tower: There are five of us on call. We usually wake up in the morning or get called at 3-3:30 a.m. We come in and I drive the tandem plow truck. We have two trucks, three loaders, and a grader [a piece of equipment used for snow removal]. We all have our own specific route and we all head out and start plowing. KWK: Which route do you plow? BT: My route starts here and I go up Queens Road to Lower Fairfield. From there I plow across Crossman Road. I come out on Charlotte Street, turn around, go back to Crossman Road. Then I go down to York Street as far as Rayworth Heights. Then I turn around and go back Crossman

Road and onto King Street. I go through King Street right down to Main Street by Sassy’s. I turn around and go back and I plow all the way to Dorchester. Then I come back here and if it is still snowing I turn around and start all over again. KWK: How long does this route usually take? BT: It usually takes me in the vicinity of two to two-and-a-half hours to complete the route. KWK: When you are working your route, are you also plowing driveways? BT: No, that is the private contractors. We only do the roads and the driveways attached to town buildings. Basically, we take care of the town buildings and public roads. KWK: What are some of the things you like about plowing snow? BT: It’s different and every snowstorm is a challenge. KWK: Why did you choose to do this job and how did you get started? BT: I started out here 39 years ago as a heavy equipment mechanic – I

worked out there in the shop doing mechanic work. Prior to that, I did a little bit of heavy equipment operating for a couple of summers. Then I got here and did mechanic work, but I was still operating equipment – I enjoyed operating equipment. The opportunity arose that I could take this position here, and so I took this position and I hung up my tools. Sometimes it gets a little stressful, but other than that, it is not too bad. KWK: Can you expand on the stressful part of the job? BT: We are doing long hours. I am going to take this last snowstorm as an example. Last Sunday morning, we got a phone call at 2 a.m., and we plowed until 1 p.m. that day. The next morning, we were up at 3:30 a.m., and we plowed again. We went over our routes and made sure everything was bare, plowed the snowdrifts back, [and] put down sand and salt. The next day – this would be Tuesday morning – we did a complete cleanup of downtown. So we were back out 3:30 a.m. After a while with the longs days, you get tired and run down. KWK: With 39 years of experience,

THURSDAY, JAN. 19

STEREOPHONIC XIV Richard Ibghy and Marilou Lemmens Artist Talk Sackville Film Society Tintamarre presents: Refuge Grad Week Open Mic Joey’s Night with Habitat

FRIDAY, JAN. 20

Anti-Trump Rally William Robinson: Pickard Quarry Transpose Here Begins the Sequence of Sequences Grad Class of 2017 Pub Crawl

SATURDAY, JAN. 21

Stereophonic: Art and Zine Market Stereophonic: Short Film Showcase Afternoon at Bridge Street Cafe with Kylie Fox Tatamagouche Brewing Co. Tap Takeover Trivia at T&L

TUESDAY, JAN. 24

President’s Speaker Series: Francyne Joe

IN THE EVENT OF A SNOWSTORM, TOWER IS PLOWING AS EARLY AS 1 A.M. BRENT TOWER/SUBMITTED what is the one thing that you would like the public to know about this job? BT: For the most part, the people and the town of Sackville are pretty good people. It’s those who complain.

Somebody always complains, those are the ones I have a problem with. We are out there trying to do the best we can, working through snowstorms, icy roads and everything else.

until Jan. 22 6:30 p.m., Owen’s Art Gallery 7:30 p.m., Vogue Cinema 8 p.m., Motyer Fancy Theatre (daily until Jan. 21) 9 p.m., Ducky’s 9 p.m., Joey’s 5:30 p.m., Wallace McCain Student Centre 7-9 p.m., Struts and Faucet Galleries 7:30 p.m., Brunton Auditorium 9 p.m., Sassy’s Bar 11:30 a.m., Cranewood on Main 3 p.m., Vogue Cinema 3 p.m., Bridge Street Cafe 7 p.m., Ducky’s 6 p.m., Thunder & Lightning 7 p.m., Crabtree auditorium

BE RORY GILMORE FOR A DAY CONTRIBUTE TO THE ARGOSY

MEETINGS TUESDAYS AT 6, STUDENT CENTRE, 3RD FLOOR

EDITOR: DAVID TAPLIN | ARGOSY@MTA.CA

FOOTBALL

SPORTS & HEALTH 05

Bishop Gaiter’s Seek Maritime Success

Addition of a fifth team to the AUS brings competition, stability and renewed excitement The addition of a fifth team in the AUS means that the season will be extended from an eight-week to a 10week schedule, with two bye weeks. “The schedule is set up in a way that makes a lot more sense,” Mounties head coach Scott Brady said. “It’s going to give the guys a better chance to stay healthy the whole way through the season.” In addition to building more rest into the schedule, the addition of Bishop’s into the AUS means some of the quirks of a four-team conference are now a thing of the past. “You are not playing a team three times in a season and potentially playing them a fourth time in playoffs,” Brady said. The problematic interlock week, which saw teams from Quebec and the Maritimes match up, will also be discontinued. “It’s going to make the schedule that much more competitive because every game is in conference, every game counts toward the conference standings,” Brady said. Bishop’s presence as the conference’s fifth team also adds stability to the AUS. In the past, the four-team conference faced uncertainty whenever AUS teams went through periods of financial difficulty and faced the possibility of folding. Along with making Mounties football more visible to potential Quebec recruits, Brady looks forward to reconnecting with Quebec alumni who were instrumental to the Mounties’ success in the late ‘90s. “Seeing the support we have up there is incredible, and I think it’s going to recharge our supporters [in Quebec] to see a game every year,” he said. Despite their difficulties in Quebec – having gone 1-20 in their own conference over the last three years – the Gaiters are 2-1 against AUS opponents.

BISHOP’S WILL MAKE FOUR REGULAR SEASON ROAD TRIPS FROM QUEBEC TO THE MARITIMES NEXT FALL AS PART OF THEIR ENTRANCE INTO THE AUS. IZZY FRANCOLINI/ARGOSY

DAVID TAPLIN Sports Editor Despite strong showings in recent national semifinals, Atlantic Canada’s football conference – the Atlantic University Sports conference (AUS) – has not sent a team to the Vanier Cup since 2007. As a result, many have raised questions about the level of competition in the conference. These questions are often centred around its size. With four teams, the AUS is the smallest conference in Canadian college football, a status that many feel must change if Atlantic Canada is once again to send a team to the Vanier Cup. On Dec. 15, 2016, after much speculation and years of discussion

surrounding the need for a fifth team, the Atlantic University Sports conference (AUS) announced that the Bishop’s Gaiters would be joining its ranks. The agreement is for an initial two-year period before Bishop’s reevaluates its status in the conference. Over the past three years, the Gaiters have had a record of one win and 20 losses against their Quebec opponents. Furthermore, the team has recorded just two winning seasons over the past 13 and has not won a playoff game since 1994. With only 2,300 students at Bishop’s, making it the smallest school in Quebec’s athletic conference, the school’s football program has been eclipsed with the rise of national powerhouses Laval

and Université de Montréal. These two schools are much larger and have expansive operating budgets for their football programs, which have forced the rest of the conference to either invest heavily in their programs or become uncompetitive. After another frustrating season in 2016, highlighted by a 44-0 defeat to Laval and a 61-0 defeat to Montréal, head coach Kevin Mackey resigned from the team. “Having grown increasingly frustrated with the overall conditions and continued leadership turbulence at Bishop’s University, I am choosing to leave on good terms,” Mackey said in a Bishop’s Athletics press release. Around the time of Mackey’s departure in November, speculation

began circulating that Bishop’s may make a move to join the AUS football conference. “For us in the AUS we were, for 20 years now, looking for an expansion opportunity,” Mount Allison’s athletic director, Pierre Arsenault, said. “Bishop’s was looking for a solution beyond their current existence.” One of the oldest programs in the country with a school similar in size and resources available for athletics, Bishop’s resembles its AUS counterparts in all but geography. “Once you could figure out the geography and the logistics of them existing in our league, them as a member really lines up with who we are as institutions,” Arsenault said.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

MEN’S BASKETBALL

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

WOMEN’S HOCKEY

MTA (A) 59 - STU (H) 62 UNBSJ (A) 50 - MTA (H) 63

MTA (A) 78 - STU (H) 68 UNBSJ (A) 61 - MTA (H) 92 DAL AC (A) 42 - MTA (H) 112

STU(A) 1 - MTA (H) 3 MTA (A) 1 - MSVU (H) 3 MTA (A) 3 - UKC (H) 2

MONCTON (A) 3 - MTA (H) 2 OT MTA (A) 1 - SMU (H) 5 STFX (A) 4 - MTA (H) 1 MTA (A) 2 - DALHOUSIE (H) 6

ACAA

Holland 3 MSVU 14 St. Thomas Mount Allison UNBSJ UKing’s College Crandall 1

GP 9 8 9 8 7 9 8

W 8 7 6 4 2 2 0

L 1 1 3 4 5 7 8

PTS 16 14 12 8 4 4 0

*NUMBER NEXT TO TEAM NAME DENOTES NATIONAL RANKING*

ACAA

Holland Mount Allison 15 MSVU Crandall St. Thomas UKing’s College DAL AC UNBSJ 1

GP W 9 10 10 9 10 10 10 10

9 8 8 4 3 3 2 2

L 0 2 2 5 7 7 8 8

PTS 18 16 16 8 6 6 4 4

ACAA

Holland 15 MSVU Mount Allison UNBSJ St. Thomas UKing’s College DAL AC USainte-Anne 9

GP 12 11 12 10 12 9 11 11

11 10 9 6 4 2 1 1

L PTS

1 1 3 4 8 7 10 10

22 20 18 12 8 4 2 2

AUS

St. Thomas 3 Saint Mary’s UPEI St. FX Moncton Da;housie Mount Allison 2

15 13 10 9 6 4 3

L OTL PTS

1 1 6 7 9 13 14

1 2 1 0 3 1 1

31 28 21 18 15 9 7

SPORTS & HEALTH

JANUARY 19, 2017 | ARGOSY@MTA.CA

BASKETBALL

Talented Mounties hope for playoff success Championship aspirations for basketball team as season resumes

BEN WISHART Contributor Halfway through the six-monthlong ACAA basketball season, both the men’s and women’s Mounties find themselves near the top of their conferences, poised to make championship runs. After the first half of the women’s basketball season, it is still hard to tell exactly where they stand and just how good this team could be. Due to injuries and other extenuating circumstances, the Mounties kicked off the 2016-17 campaign with only seven active players. Third-year starter Erin Steeves feels the small roster certainly affected the team early in the season. “At this level of basketball the pace is high, and at times we struggled keeping players fresh. Starting the season with only seven players means that multiple teammates are playing 30-plus minutes in each game, which takes a toll on everyone,” she said. The toll on the short bench showed, as they often found themselves losing close games or blowing leads in the fourth quarter. Despite the adversity, the Mounties head into the new year with a 4-4 record, good enough for fourth place in the league standings. The team’s season found new life with key additions to round out the roster. Katie Horseman, Lauren

MacEachern and Emma Snowdon all joined the team mid-season. These new members, along with dual-sport athlete Kate Ollerhead rejoining the team and rookie Karly Buckingham returning from injury, gave the Mounties the depth to compete with every team in the conference. “[They] have all been great assets to our team in the short time they’ve been here,” Steeves said. “Finally having a team of 12 has improved our intensity in practice, contributing to our success in games.” With the roster now complete, the Mounties hope to climb the standings in 2017 with eyes on an appearance at the CCAA National Championship in Edmonton. “My expectation and the whole team’s expectation is to win our conference championship this year. Everyone seems to be on the same page. We want to win,” Steeves said. The men’s team has had no such trouble with depth, as it has been a balanced, full-team effort that has driven the Mounties to an 8-2 record and third place overall in the ACAA standings. The Mounties’ only two losses of the season came from the nationally top-ranked Holland Hurricanes. Rookie sensation Thomas LeGallais has led the charge for the Mounties this season. LeGallais, a 6’1 guard from Cornwall, Ont., currently

sits third in the league in points per game, with an average of 18.2. “I think the biggest part is having a coaching staff and teammates who believe and have confidence in me,” LeGallais said. “It makes it easier to be confident in myself and just go out and play how I know I can, without having to worry about making mistakes.” The balance of rookie and veteran talent has made for an exciting, uptempo and gritty brand of basketball, one that LeGallais believes can take the team to high places. “Settling for making it to nationals or winning a game or two is just not enough of a standard for our team,” LeGallais said. “I believe we can be national champions, I really don’t see why not. [I’m] not saying it would be easy, but expecting anything less just isn’t an option in my eyes.” In order to qualify for nationals, the Mounties will need a top-two finish in the ACAA championship tournament that will be held at Mt. A this March. Both the men’s and women’s teams have high expectations and the required skill to meet them. The Mounties continue on their road to nationals this weekend as they take on the UKC Blue Devils and the MSVU Mystics with back-to-back games in Halifax.

ROOKIE THOMAS LEGAILLAIS HAS LED THE WAY FOR THE MOUNTIES THIS SEASON PAUL LYNCH/SUBMITTED

THIRD-YEAR ERIN STEEVES SEES THE TEAM COMING INTO ITS OWN WITH PLAYOFFS CLOSING IN PAUL LYNCH/SUBMITTED

VARSITY ATHLETICS

Balls, pucks, and shuttlecocks

Mounties return to new year with renewed optimism for the season’s final stretch

MOUNTIES HOPE TO SKATE BACK INTO THE WIN COLUMN AS PLAYOFFS NEAR PAUL LYNCH

HAMZA MUNAWAR Sports Reporter With students settling into the new semester, Mounties Athletics was in full gear with both the women’s volleyball, hockey and badminton teams playing during the first weekend of the semester. Right before the break, the women’s volleyball team had its

toughest match, playing top-ranked Holland College. The Mounties fought hard, but ended up dropping the game in four sets, losing 1-3. “We were up in every set, but they just came back, we almost came back as well, and although we lost, we are very even with them,” said head coach Paul Settle. The team started this semester off with an exhibition tournament at St.

Thomas University, in which they got another crack at Holland College. The team split 1-1 for a tie and gained confidence for the next time they will meet. Following the tournament, they hosted STU in league play, winning 3-1. This past weekend, the team went 1-1 with a loss against perennial powerhouse Mount Saint Vincent and a win against the University of

King’s College. This leaves the team with a 9-3 record, ranking them third in the conference. The women’s team hopes to remain successful during the upcoming two weekends. “[They] will determine our fate. It’s not the end of the world, but if we do well these two weekends, it’ll set us up nicely for playoffs,” Settle said. The team will not only be playing teams within the top spots of the conference, but will be playing backto-back games both weekends as well. The volleyball Mounties are seeking to end the season being one of the top two teams in the ACAA, which would earn them a bye round during playoffs. The team will be on the road this weekend, facing off against UNBSJ and Holland College. The women’s hockey team returned to action the first weekend of January, facing off against the Université de Moncton. After a tough match, the Mounties fell 3-2 in overtime. The Mounties’ most recent game was this past Sunday, in which they suffered a 6-2 loss against Dalhousie University. Even though they lost, the team has played some of their best hockey over the past few games. “Things are starting to click,” captain Mackenzie Lalonde said. “Every year I’ve been with the team we always come out stronger in the second half of the season, and this year is no different.”

With only six regular season games remaining, the Mounties look to make a late push in the standings to secure a playoff berth. This Sunday, the Mounties will face off against UPEI at home, where they will be looking to walk away with a win and continue to build for the tail end of the season. The badminton team started this semester off with all of its team members healthy and injury-free. This past weekend, the team travelled to King’s for its first tournament of the new year. Captains Olivia Adams and Jaryd Morrisey led the team to another first-place finish. “The additional morning practices have helped in refining shots as a whole,” Adams said. The Mounties are entering the second half of their season, in which they hope to secure the ACAA championship for a record ninth season in a row. The team will be in action this weekend as they head to DAL AC to try to take home another win. Disclosure: Hamza Munawar is a member of the badminton team.

EDITORS: MIRELLE NAUD MALLORY BURNSIDE-HOLMES JANUARY 19, 2017 | ARGOSY@MTA.CA

THEATRE

ARTS & CULTURE 07

Tintamarre confronts migration crisis Theatrical troupe creates and performs innovative show LILY FALK Contributor In contrast to a world that feels mired in chaos and pessimism, Tintamarre’s latest production Refuge confronts topical issues with authenticity and hope. The group takes on a variety of local and global problems in their production, including the world migration crisis, land erosion, and struggling rural communities. In the shrinking village of Porta-Petit, the dysfunctional town councillors cannot seem to agree on anything despite facing land erosion and crumbling infrastructure.

Their antics are being observed by newcomer and talk of the town, A-a-Zed, a “voyageur” who escaped from the imagined country of Tenebria. Tintamarre carefully avoids using the words “refugee,” “migrant” or “immigrant” in their production and instead adopts “voyageur” to leave the conditions of A-a-Zed’s escape up to audience interpretation. The scenes from the hectic lives of the Port-a-Petitciens are punctuated by scenes of people fleeing a distant war and the struggles they face in trying to get to Canada. The play’s structure bridges local and international conflicts, highlighting

the interconnectedness of our planet, our fear of the other, and how our differences can divide us.

“TINTAMARRE [IS]... AN INCLUSIVE, NONHIERARCHIAL SPACE WHERE ANYONE IS WELCOME” The production effectively examines the universal phenomenon of displacement as the Port-aPetitciens fear losing their homes while Tenebrien voyageurs,

having lost everything, search for resettlement in Canada. The play’s subject matter is particularly relevant, as Sackville welcomed two new refugee families in the past year. For many, the process of the play’s creation has been a refuge. Director Alex Fancy described the troupe as a “genuine community...It’s a real refuge in the sense that people come to share experience, interest, talents. Drama is a very therapeutic activity.” Tintamarre prides itself on being an inclusive, non-hierarchical space where anyone is welcome. There are no auditions and no requirements except an openness of spirit and a

desire to collaborate. The play’s theme, characters and plot were first devised through theatre exercises, then condensed and made into a script by Fancy. As he explained, the collective creative process fosters a feeling of collective ownership of the production. Refuge allows us to reflect on how small our differences truly are and how we might better create more joyful, welcoming communities. Refuge runs from Wed., Jan. 18 to Sat., Jan. 21 at 8 p.m. in the Motyer-Fancy Theatre. Tickets are $5 for students and $10 for general admission.

Legally Blonde to stage musical masterpiece

Garnet and Gold’s latest production takes Sackvillians to Harvard WILL PELLETIER Arts and Culture Reporter If you seriously think tangerine is the new pink, you should probably stay away from Con Hall for the next few weeks – you might get locked up by the fashion police. The volunteer cast and crew of the Garnet & Gold Musical Theatre Society (G&G) have been rehearsing for hours each week since late October in preparation for Legally Blonde, the musical. Despite the many hours claimed by rehearsal, the cast is still able to produce a lot of energy on stage, thanks in part to a well-written, upbeat script. Audiences will follow the journey of an incredibly determined character, Elle Woods, played by third-year Morgan Reid. “A fun part for me is to incorporate all the dancing and acting and the singing I’ve put into Elle Woods, and she’s a very bubbly character who’s really energetic,” Reid said. However, the outwardly peppy attitude of her character shrouds a profound story of perseverance. “It’s much less of a stereotype than people assume, there’s a deeper dimension behind the story when you really look at this girl,” Reid said. “I feel like people assume that Legally Blonde is about this ditzy, dumb blonde character who gets into Harvard somehow, [but] I disagree,” Reid said. “For me, Elle Woods is this really bright, empowered girl who is bubbly and social and loves her friends, and at the same time she’s bright enough to study her way into Harvard. And all through [the musical] she’s around these diverse

female characters who’re really empowered.” “You can learn a lot from Elle,” Reid added. For fourth-year student Stephen Buckley, who stars next to Reid as Emmett Forest, the demanding schedule is merely a labour of love. “The most fun thing for me is just running the show. I get such a rush from performing, I think anyone would agree that you just get into it,” Buckley said. “It’s a lot of work, but the process has been very fun so far.” Of course, no production of this scale could occur without similar levels of dedication from all participants. “Everyone’s been committed to it and it’s been coming along really smoothly, which is great because it’s such a fun musical too,” Buckley said. “G&G is for all students who want to come together and put on a show. Even the executives are student-led and volunteers, except our director Karen [Balanne], who is someone from the community [and] who keeps us on track,” Buckley said. One such volunteer executive is fourth-year student Isaac Gazendam, who is in charge of marketing and is one of G&G’s two vice presidents. “In short, I’m in charge of promoting the show. That really means getting word out that the show is happening. I [also] set up partnerships and sponsorships with local businesses, along with lots of smaller miscellaneous things as well, like designing posters, tickets, things like that.” Legally Blonde will open Thursday, Jan. 26, and will run to a final matinee performance on Saturday, Jan. 28.

“...PEOPLE ASSUME THAT LEGALLY BLONDE IS ABOUT THIS DITZY DUMB BLONDE...FOR ME ELLE WOODS IS THIS REALLY BRIGHT EMPOWERED GIRL”

CAST OF LEGALLY BLONDE TIRELESSLY REHEASES IN PREPERATION FOR THURSDAY’S OPENING SHOW SAVANNAH FORSEY/THE ARGOSY

CENTREFOLD BY SAVANNAH HARRIS AND JEFF MANN

ARTS & CULTURE

JANUARY 19, 2017 | ARGOSY@MTA.CA

COMMUNITY

Q&A with the faces of Stereophonic XIV

Coordinators discuss behind-the-scene realities of planning a music festival

CO-DIRECTORS, CORINNA PAUMIER AND SADIE DONAHUE, AND VOLUNTEER COORDINATOR, KATHARYN STEVENSON, OF STEREOPHONIC XIV SAVANNAH MILEEN HARRIS/ARGOSY SD: A lot of genre stuff was [informed by] what our strengths are. MALLORY BURNSIDE-HOLMES considered because last year there It’s been really great having MIRELLE NAUD was a specific genre, Halifornia pop Katharyn, since she worked for Arts and Culture Editors – which is great, but this year we Sappyfest in the summer…Katharyn wanted to expand. jumped right in and saved my ass Starting today, Stereophonic will CP: It’s usually been younger, multiple times. Besides having provide Sackville residents with a smaller bands that are in the Maritime position titles, it being such a small welcomed escape from the frigid area, and those tend to range from team, I would never put a hierarchy reality of winter. In its 14th year, the surf rock all the way up to heavy punk, on it. Also being three females, I feel festival’s new multimedia dimension like garage punk. This year, we have a like it’s much more empowering to plans to merge the music scene with little more electronic, some heavier the visual arts by incorporating a zine instruments, some bands fair and short film screening to the with saxophone, and we concert program. The festival doubles have noise bands. So there’s as a fundraiser for local radio station, a little bit for everyone this CHMA. year. And there’s some We sat down with the festival’s softer stuff, much more folky. directors, Corinna Paumier and Q: What kind of crowd does Sadie Donahue, and volunteer Stereophonic traditionally coordinator Katharyn Stevenson to draw, and what kind of discuss the past seven hectic months crowd are you intending to of organizing the music festival. draw this year? They divulged the laborious process Katharyn Stevenson: behind forming a “dream” lineup, We want to appeal to more working as a female team within a students, make it a more male-dominated industry, and the inclusive environment for people personal rewards associated with that may feel intimidated… A lot putting together a festival – getting us of people may not feel welcome all hyped for this weekend’s festivities. attending something like Argosy: You mentioned hearing Stereophonic, but with the positive comments about the lineup. new programming we are Can you elaborate on the process adding this year, it’s our hope behind forming it? to expand and appeal to other Corinna Paumier: We put out our people that may not want to online application in June and kept it go to a loud punk show on open until the middle of October. We a Saturday night. go through who has applied and then Sadie Donahue: The build it on a rolling basis. bonus and benefit of having Once we closed the application, we a multimedia aspect on the sat down and looked everything over Saturday is that there is going to see if all the bands fit well together. to be a lot of family and underage This year we had almost 80 bands people who wouldn’t necessarily apply. be able to go to a bar and party until Q: How many [bands] do you whenever. accept? Q: Can you guys elaborate on the CP: 21. This is the biggest year yet. structure of your team? Is there any Once you find your dream schedule kind of hierarchy? work together and you think, “This is how it’s going CP: I think we’re really lucky that than try to one-up each to go,” then you get disappointed this hasn’t worked too much as a other. because you have to deal with the hierarchy. Doing this alone would be Q: Do you feel you encounter any reality of people’s lives and schedules. awful, right? biases working in a primarily maleRealistically, every band wants to play SD: Terrifying. dominated music industry? at 10 p.m. on Friday, but that’s a lot of CP: Creating a hierarchy, I don’t CP: It’s really hard sometimes to bands to play in one night. think, is really conducive to having get male members from bands to Q: What aspects of a band do a successful team. Really everyone listen to you or to even credit you with you take into consideration when is helping out with what they can. what you’re doing, or listen to you making a lineup appropriate for Obviously, we each have roles that at all. When you [say], “I need you Stereophonic? we are doing specifically, but that’s on in ten minutes,” and they’re like,

“Yeah, yeah,” and I’m like, “No, I want you on in ten minutes, and if you aren’t, I’m not going to put you on,” then they’re like, “Oh woah, you’re crazy.” But it’s just like, “I’m trying to do my job!” I ’ v e found sometimes people respond to my name differently when I use Cori versus Corinna. Just the tone of the email – and not in all emails – but I’ve noticed the tone in some emails when I’ve used Cori, people address me differently than they do when I use Corinna. Probably because they assume that I’m a male. KS: Dealing with male industry personnel – it’s not nice. Especially being a young female, and also still [being] a student...is really frustrating because they don’t take you seriously. They also, I think, don’t take the festival as seriously, because it’s “Oh, three girls running a festival.” But this festival is still going to be kickass. Just because we’re three women still going to school doesn’t mean we have any less time or energy to give to the festival. CP: [There have been] instances where...[people] have directly messaged Scott [Brown, program director of the radio station]....[Even though] he has nothing to do with the festival apart from being a great support and definitely helping out, he has no [role] in this. And I’ve had the experience where I will be next to or around a male counterpart and they will go to him instead of me, and that’s infuriating. It’s very frustrating. This year, bands aren’t going to have an option, they’re going to have to go to one of us— SD: It’s going to be a vagina regardless! CP: Honestly, I’m really proud of all of us, because we are all women who are not going to take shit, we’re not going to allow people to treat us like that because, again, we have ownership and take ownership [of] this festival. Q: Has planning the festival been a community effort in any way? SD: The artwork that was done – we had BFA students doing that work. It’s pretty inclusive in the sense that these students dedicated some of their time aside from personal art and school art to do something for the festival and keep in mind the style we wanted. It was a

really good support to have. Q: Were you able to compensate t h e

artists? CP: Yes, they were all paid f a i r wages for their art. It’s been really important to us for any artist we’ve employed that we’ve paid them a fair wage for the artwork. For instance, the snake we have used on everything. So it’s not fair to pay someone only $20 for a drawing that has become the symbol of the festival. KS: Savannah [Mileen Harris] did the T-shirts, Hailey [Guzik] did the larger posters, Izzy [Francolini] drew the snakes. They were all super accommodating and very willing to help us out and keep in mind our artistic vision for the festival. Q: What are you most excited about for Stereophonic 14? CP: I’m really excited for the Vogue short film screening. I feel that’s something that has really been lacking in Sackville. I love the Sackville Film Society, but those are big-budget, independent movies, whereas these are mostly New Brunswick artists who are just starting out, or they have not been in the field for a while and are making films that are absolutely amazing and intriguing. I’d love to see people have more access to that because I feel like it’s an untapped market in Sackville. KS: Going off of Cori’s point, I like the idea of marrying different aspects of the arts this year. Stereophonic has been strictly music for a really long time, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but in the same way with Sappyfest this summer, we were really trying to expand and cater to different crowds. CP: It’s really satisfying when you have people coming up to you and being like, “That was so much fun and I can’t wait for tomorrow.” We’ve had lots of people saying, “This show is going to be so great.” That’s really exciting for people to express that already, that they are already feeling that excitement. KS: Having the small comment of “The lineup looks really great,” that makes you feel good. SD: Especially when other bands say, “The lineup is great, I’m excited to be a part of it.” CP: It makes you feel like you’ve done something right. KS: It’s so much stress leading up to it, no matter how prepared you feel...when you’re at the show, even though you might be working, you are seeing people have a good time. It brings that special aspect knowing you were part of making something really special happen for people, and that’s really rewarding...Seeing other people happy makes it all worth it.

ABOVE: THE FESTIVAL’S SNAKE SYMBOL DRAWN BY MT. A FINE ARTS STUDENT IZZY FRANCOLINI/ARGOSY

ARTS & CULTURE

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FOOD

Unsettling the table ALEX LEPIANKA Contributor

As a temporary resident of Sackville, travelling for the holidays complicates my meaning of “home.” In a literal sense, being home means sleeping in the house where I grew up and where my mother still lives. The sight of familiar mountains and the miscellanea of left-behind objects in my childhood bedroom affirm that this house in suburban Vancouver is my home, too. This home in Vancouver has a sense of place as a neighbourhood, in the relationships I have there with my family, and in the food we eat. There is a sense of safety in the way my dad putters around doing small household repairs and in knowing where to find the spare key. Somehow there is always a pineapple resting on the kitchen countertop, Polish

garlic sausage sitting in the fridge, and decaf coffee grounds hiding in the cupboard. These little signs of my parents’ lifestyles are at home in this house, as are the three of us who live among them. But my home is also here, in Sackville, affirmed by my happiness to be back. In Sackville I live among friends and in an apartment enchanted with little, everyday pleasures. When I am away from this home, I notice certain absences: encounters on the library’s main floor, my well-sized coffee mugs, films at the Vogue, and the eggs from the Portage Pork truck at the farmers’ market. These senses of home are markers of my identity. I am a child of my parents. I came of age on public transit to and from my suburb, nourished by European cold cuts and peaches from the Okanagan. But I also live in

this place—in Sackville, on unceded Mi’kmaq territory. Being able to find home here—in the land and the food it yields, in my relationships with this community and in the objects and relationships I enjoy—has made me realize my own responsibilities to this territory. While the holidays raise questions about how we students define home, there are more sobering crises that prompt us to rethink our concepts of home. The experiences of displaced Indigenous peoples, refugees of political extremism, and the working class are routinely dismissed or even expected. Toxic apathy is a normal response to these losses of home. In stark contrast to my freedom and choice to move from Vancouver to Sackville, these bodies are routinely denied attachment to place—to the land that nourishes them and comprises their homes.

The connection between who we are and where we live that makes up “home” certainly includes food practices. But what and how we eat with others is only a part of what defines our self-identity. To respect personhood is not merely to ensure, for example, the physical survival of refugees reliant on Red Cross rations.

Personhood cannot be respected without making ecological and political commitments to ensure that people may live at home, and are permitted to enjoy the fruits of the land without fear of ecological or political violence—to be among the safety and little pleasures of the everyday.

CAREERS

What to be, or what not to be? Female scientists present alternative career paths in the sciences

FAILURE TO LAUNCH IS A COMMON BUT NOT UNCONQUERABLE FEAR LOUIS SOBOL/ARGOSY

EMMA BUSH Arts and Culture Reporter A common assumption among science students is that they will continue on in post-graduate academia by pursuing either medical school or graduate studies in research. As a third-year biology student, I am not alone in being unsure about my own plans after completing my degree at Mount Allison. For students in the sciences who find neither of these paths appealing, last Friday’s seminar on alternate career paths in the sciences provided a welcome breath of fresh air. The seminar, offered by Mt. A, featured four female scientists who increased awareness of less conventional science-oriented

career options. The seminar not only presented less traditional careers based in science, but also demonstrated that women can find meaningful careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), an important step to encourage more women to pursue the sciences. The speakers, all Mt. A graduates, talked to students about their careers as, respectively, a health and wellness coordinator, wildlife technician, associate portfolio manager, and IT consultant at a large accounting firm. Though from different career paths, the women offered similar words of advice to students, with central themes that addressed the importance of volunteer work and

taking risks when exploring future academia and career possibilities. Sarah van der Laan, IT consultant for Ernst and Young in Halifax, advised students about broadening horizons for the future. “Volunteering gives you the opportunity to get

“YOU’RE NOT STUCK. MOVING AROUND IS GOOD. “ involved in different areas of your field that you wouldn’t normally be [involved in],” van der Laan said. A word of encouragement came from Monica Firminger, associate portfolio manager at the OPTrust Pension Fund, which stressed the

importance of not feeling pressure to stay in the same job forever. Firminger advocated for the value of career fluidity and encouraged students: “You’re not stuck. Moving around is good.” Examples of less traditional career paths after undergraduate studies in science can be seen in the Mt. A student community. Recently accepted to the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie, fourth-year biology student Cydney Kane said, “I am not abandoning science, it is becoming a base for everything else...Studying biology fostered a curiosity about the world that I will not lose.” Kane said that during her time at Mt. A, she grew to realize that research was not for her. “I am interested in

the concept of environmental law,” Kane said, referencing her interest in and passion for environmental conservation. “I know that something has to change.” Suzie Currie, head of Mt. A’s biology department, gives advice and encouragement to young scientists every day. “It is important to recognize the creativity and beauty present in science…I encourage young students to keep an open mind and to allow themselves to enjoy things that they maybe thought they wouldn’t like,” she said. Because if you never try, you’ll never know.

ARTS & CULTURE

JANUARY 19, 2017 | ARGOSY@MTA.CA

CAMPUS LIFE

DJ Shub brings beats to the quiet floor

From literary to lit: MASU hosts party in unlikely venue

SQUADS WHO SQUAT TOGETHER STAY TOGETHER SAVANNAH MILEEN HARRIS/ARGOSY

MARISSA CRUZ Arts and Culture Reporter “Back to the Stacks,” featuring DJ Shub, formerly of A Tribe Called Red, closed the Winter Carnival in exciting and surprising fashion last weekend. Hosted by the Mount Allison Students’ Union (MASU), the event took place in an unusual venue – the Ralph Pickard Bell Library.

“HONESTLY I THINK IT’S A TERRIBLE IDEA... A BUNCH OF DRUNK ADULTS PARTYING IN A LIBRARY, IT’S VERY HIGH RISK...” DJ Shub, a Juno award-winning musician who creates euphoric, bass-heavy dance and electronic music, draws inspiration from his Indigenous background. Despite his undeniable popularity, it was a shock to hear DJ Shub would perform in a venue intended for quiet study. Georgina MacFarlene, the library’s access technician, looked forward to the event, since it provided a change to her workday and welcomed new students to the library. “[The library staff was] a little bit intimidated to adapt the space, but excited because it’s a break in the routine,” MacFarlene said. In order to protect the space, librarians and MASU councillors moved computers into storage, rearranged the furniture and cleared desks. Books that could be transported were locked away, and

the ones left on the floor were covered in two layers of cardboard and plastic. MacFarlene understood that some students felt apprehensive about a library party, but thought the event might help students demystify the library and make them more likely to use it in the future. Marc Truitt, the university librarian, was excited for the show. “Students spend a lot of time here and perhaps they want to experience it in a different way,” Truitt said. “If we took the attitude that something [bad] might happen and we don’t [host the event], then we will all be the poorer for that.” Malcolm Elliott, entertainment director for MASU, explained that it was time to change the typical MASU-hosted party location. “Unique venues and novelties attract crowds. Once you do things once or twice, people don’t usually end up coming back,” Elliott said. The venue idea was well received by his peers and consultants when it was proposed in December. Some students were not as optimistic. Third-year science student Farhad Hossain expressed concern about the effect the party’s location would have on the school’s reputation. “Honestly, I think it’s a terrible idea… a bunch of drunk adults partying in a library, it’s very highrisk, regardless of the amount of protection,” Hossain said. Third-year English student Amy Allison expressed her fear for students who use the library as a secure and comfortable space during parties. “Those students no longer have their safe space.” Truitt explained that the library space is special to him as well. “I’m not sure if we are endorsing any sort of drinking or party culture, but we want to be available for those

that want to try something different,” Truitt said. “The library will still be the same safe and sacred space – for both those who are not inclined to go and those who are not.” Elliot does not see “Back to the Stacks” as a party, but prefers the term “concert.” “There are door times and show times like a concert.” Elliot said. Elliott thought about the potential backlash to hosting a party in the library. “[The] only opposition I had in the committee meeting was, ‘What are you going to do about librarians losing however many hours of their work day?’…but that hasn’t really turned [out] to be an issue.” After the event, second-year computer science student Adam Teskey had mixed feelings. “I don’t know if it was an advertising thing, but it wasn’t well attended.” Teskey had higher expectations but still had a good time. “It was fun. One of the reasons I wanted to go was I thought it would only be a one-time thing, so I had to see it.” Teskey explained that the organizers’ work in protecting the space was evident and it went smoothly in that respect. Despite this, he was hesitant whether another show should be held in the library. “There has to be a way to [improve] attendance.”

“THE LIBRARY WILL BE THE SAME SAFE AND SACRED SPACE...” Students happily danced to the heavy beats in a place they might find themselves more than they would like—hidden in the stacks and leaning over textbooks.

POST-GRADUATION

Graduates go abroad

International internships fund postgraduate travels around the world WILLA MCCAFFREY-NOVIS Contributor As the class of 2017 approaches the end of their time at Mount Allison, many are left standing before an abyss that holds limitless potential, but also an overwhelming amount of limitations. Some students opt for graduate studies, while others search for the best employment options to pay off their student debt. Others yearn for the age-old cliché of wanting to “see the world,” which may manifest itself in a two-week backpacking trip booked through Hostel World and Skyscanner. Despite this, more than a few days are usually needed to truly experience a new culture. So, how can students find and fund longer adventures after graduation? International internships can be a lucrative way to immerse yourself in a new place and put your degree to use. Mt. A biochemistry graduate Chris Arsenault experienced this first-hand. Arsenault spent the summer creating scientific teaching material in the public school system in Sargur, India, before returning to Mt. A this year to complete a second honours degree in philosophy. “Everything I was doing there was informing the thesis I am now writing in philosophy about humanitarian aid,” Arsenault said. “I was giving the expertise I had in one of my degrees and taking information for the other.” Arsenault’s best advice to students who are unsure of how to find this type of opportunity is to network. “Professors are a good source to look for any kind of experience in terms of professions,” Arsenault said, describing the many different administrators and faculty involved in developing his internship. A l t h o u g h Arsenault’s internship was unpaid, he was the recipient of a $10,000 Marjorie Young Bell internship grant. The Marjorie Young Bell internship, Mansbridge internship, and Bombardier grant are all Mt. A funds designed to encourage international work experience by offering students a way to afford unpaid internships. While many of the awards are directed at third-year

students, other returning students can also qualify. The federal government designed an International Youth Internship Program (IYIP) for graduates to apply for established internship opportunities. A partner in this program, the Atlantic Council for International Cooperation (ACIC), has 40 seven-month-long internships across the world for Canadian graduates. These internships pay stipends from $1,000 to $15,000 per month and have a wide range of focuses, from health to media relations to micro-finance. Another popular pursuit is teaching English in a foreign country. Some well-known programs include the Japanese Exchange and Teaching (JET) programme, the Canadian Connection in Korea, and the North American Language and Culture Assistants program in Spain. One advantage to these programs is their credibility due to associations with governments. Mt. A alumnus Zachary Townsend graduated with a bachelor of arts in history and English before heading to Nice with the Teaching Assistant Program in France (TAPIF). “Be prepared for a culture shock – it’s something that nearly everyone faces when moving to a new country,” Townsend said. For Townsend, the biggest adjustments included paying out-of-pocket for health care and not being able to find certain culinary favourites, like peanut butter. Prospective French Studies graduate Shaelyn Sampson is applying to TAPIF this year. “I’m hoping to continue gaining different perspectives on the world,” Sampson said about her desire to work in a second language and travel after graduation. “I’ve travelled a fair amount already, and I find every time I do I come back with a new outlook.” With most of Mt. A’s formal efforts on student international experiences focused on secondand third-year students, Mt. A graduates might have to work a bit harder to find financially feasible options. The best thing to do now is to research and reach out. Many deadlines are coming up and there are a myriad of resources at Mt. A; they just take some digging to find.

GRADUATES RUSH TO SEE THE WORLD. IZZY FRANCOLINI/ARGOSY

EDITOR: SHANNON POWER |JANUARY 19, 2017 | ARGOSY@MTA.CA

WGST

OPINIONS 13

Against fascism, for feminism

Fighting for social justice in the face of anti-feminist backlash on campus TASIA ALEXOPOULOS Contributor Once as a bratty child, I said to my older sister that I wasn’t a feminist because I “believed in equality not female supremacy,” and she very patiently explained to me what feminism means: equality for everyone. Over 20 years later I’m a teacher of feminism, a social justice volunteer and an activist. As a feminist and a teacher, I’ve been belittled, challenged and intimidated by students and colleagues, though in the classroom I’ve rarely had the term come to an end with these attitudes intact. I was excited to continue teaching at Mount Allison. This is a great university, but we have our problems. We don’t like to believe that Mt. A has issues with misogyny, racism, homophobia, xenophobia, ableism and classism. Apparently this is a utopia where we’re shielded from the ugly truths of the outside world. However, of all the things I’ve been called, I’ve experienced the most hateful one for the first time here at Mt. A: “feminazi.” The word feminazi is reprehensible, and its casual use is disturbing. Characterizing feminism as violent, feminazi aligns feminism with fascism, with Nazis. It trivializes experiences of genocide and mocks the ways that Jewish bodies, amongst others, were marked for eradication. It ignores white supremacy’s history and frightening resurgence, from formal neo-Nazi political parties to underground vigilante groups. Using the term feminazi is willfully ignorant, is dangerous and creates spaces where white supremacy can flourish. Since September I’ve been called a feminazi twice (that I know of), once by a group of students who have never met me. When they see me in public, they don’t know I’m the

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MOUNT ALLISON FEMINISTS ADVOCATE FOR MANY ISSUES, INCLUDING BEING A PERSON’S RIGHT TO MAKE REPRODUCTIVE CHOICES CAROLINE KOVESI/SUBMITTED

OPINIONS EDITOR | Shannon Power HUMOUR EDITOR | Mark Cruz COPY EDITOR | Claire Henderson-Hamilton

one they called a feminazi. At first I laughed this off. As with most things that deeply upset us, it’s easier to trivialize such experiences. However, I recently had to be in a room with one of these students and I got angry.

“WE HAVE TO DREAM BETTER WORLDS AND FIGHT FOR THEM” I wondered if she realizes that without “feminazis” she wouldn’t be at this university, that people had to fight for something as simple as her right to work out at the gym. Does she realize that people have been imprisoned,

force-fed, beaten, sexually assaulted and murdered for fighting for her rights? Maybe she does, maybe she doesn’t. It doesn’t really matter though. What matters is that it’s alright to call another young woman on this campus a derogatory name, that it’s easier to hurl hate rather than understand other people. Maybe they’re afraid of being identified as feminists because they understand the consequences of being labeled as such. Maybe they don’t know what feminism is and they think I want to force them to grow out their armpit hair. Utopias are rare, and there isn’t one in Sackville. We have to dream

better worlds and fight for them. We can’t shy away from the violent misogyny and racism here. We are part of the world, we have to face the problems of the world. This doesn’t make us weak, it doesn’t damage our reputation. Doing so demonstrates that we are smart enough to know better, smart enough to do something productive with our privilege and smart enough to know that none of us can survive the future without social justice. Call me what you want, I won’t stop fighting for your rights. With the patience that my brilliant, feminist sister modeled for me I’d like to invite everyone who thinks that women’s and gender studies is “not real” or that I’m a “feminazi” to come by my office. I’d be more than happy to discuss WGST with you and address some of your concerns about my particular brand of fascism.

REPORTING staff NEWS REPORTERS | Leo Gertler, Kavana Wa Kilele, Jill MacIntryre POLITICS REPORTER | Nadiya Safonova SPORTS REPORTER | Hamza Munawar ARTS & CULTURE REPORTERS | Emma Bush, Marissa Cruz, Will Pelletier

OPERATIONS staff BUSINESS MANAGER | Tessa Dixon AD MANAGER | James Lantz CIRCULATIONS | Katharyn Stevenson

CONTRIBUTORS Maureen Adegbidi, Tasia Alexopoulos, Lily Falk, Andreas Fobes, Delanie Khan-Dobson, Caroline Kovesi, Alex Lepianka, Paul Lynch, Willa McCaffrey-Noviss, Ben Wishart COVER | Kevin Melanson RUNNING DOODLES | Hailey Dunphey

PUBLICATION board Leslie Kern, Owen Griffiths

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 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-in-Chief 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.

OPINIONS

JANUARY 19, 2017 | ARGOSY@MTA.CA

OBAMA

Saying goodbye to Barack

Despite disappointments with the Obama administration, it was meaningful to have a black president in the White House

MAUREEN ADEGBIDI Contributor By now, most of us are too jaded or frustrated to love Barack Obama the way we might have in 2008. Maybe it was the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the continuous concessions in congress, or American involvement in what led to the clusterfuck that is the crisis in Syria. I could name all of these among other things. I could talk to you about my anger

with America’s continued neoliberal economic and foreign policies under Obama, American neglect of crises in the Global South and the inadequate efforts the United States has put forward regarding climate change and the environment. Eight years under Obama was not eight years of realized lefty dreams, handholding, or even a slightly improved outlook on the dire state of the world. I was disappointed. I rolled my eyes and scoffed at my television, computer, or phone. Come on Barack, I thought. Not good enough, I thought. I still think that. I’m older now, and I know I hoped for too much, especially from the presidential office of a country as practiced and entrenched in neoliberalism as the United States. But to say Obama’s presidency

did not profoundly affect me as an American, a black child, a black teenager and now a black woman would be entirely false. Wholeheartedly, and on a good day with a little pride, Obama was my president. Say what you want about the menace that is identity politics

“HAVING A PRESIDENT WHO LOOKED EVEN A LITTLE BIT LIKE ME BLEW MY MIND” and its contribution to the demise of the left (I’m sure you can find nine Atlantic articles from this week that will agree with you): having a president who looked even a little bit

like me blew my mind. Knowing so many Americans hated him for what he represented while he survived those eight years made me feel like I could take on the world. I felt empowered to have a woman like Michelle Obama live in the most significant home on American soil, even though so many people refused to recognize her accomplishments and called her (and still call her) an ape – something I have been called before. My hair stood on end knowing that two young black girls were running around a house that once belonged to people who would have owned them like cattle. I don’t care if you think that matters or not. I’m telling you that it does. Barack Obama understood the urgency and significance of an album like To Pimp a Butterfly. Barack

Obama went to go see Do the Right Thing with his future wife on the Southside of Chicago for their first date. Barack Obama let a little black boy feel his head when the child timidly asked if his president’s hair felt like his own. And I will always remember, during a time when I cried violently for a boy my age I had never met, Barack Obama said his son would have looked like Trayvon Martin. I shed tears on November 4 in 2008. I shed tears again the morning of November 9 of this past year for a different reason. I will probably shed some more tomorrow. For eight years, my president was black. For a minute every once in awhile, that means the world.

SOCIAL JUSTICE

Challenging not-so-microaggressions

Seemingly innocuous remarks towards marginalized people can perpetuate various forms of inequality and oppression

JILL MACINTYRE News Reporter Last year, during a particularly vitriolic class discussion about Canadian social welfare policy, a classmate told me that Canada should sever P.E.I. from the rest of the country because we are “too poor” to make any meaningful contributions. He said it in a joking manner and probably didn’t realize that I grew up in a low-income household, but that was the day I began to realize how profoundly class has impacted my life. Microaggressions are brief, often daily encounters in which marginalized people are slighted or stereotyped based on their race, class, gender, ability, sexuality and other identities. Microaggressions may seem insignificant to some, but a lifetime of daily denials to our common humanity can create a hostile, violent environment for marginalized communities. In my own life, when someone was blatantly oppressive toward me, at least I knew that in some cases my experiences would be validated by peers or bystanders. I feel fully confident that if I were walking around campus and someone yelled that I was a dyke or a bitch, someone would stand up for me or check in to make sure I felt safe. I feel less confident that my peers would voice opposition to a wealthy student disrespecting meal hall workers or

ALTHOUGH THE MT. A COMMUNITY HAS TAKEN STEPS TO CHALLENGE INEQUALITY, MICROAGGRESSIONS ARE STILL COMMONPLACE CHRIS DONOVAN/ARCHIVES a cisgender student “forgetting” to use a non-binary person’s proper pronouns. These situations are harder to explain and detect than someone yelling a known slur or refusing someone service based on their physical appearance. Because it is not always evident that these situations are, in fact, deeply discriminatory and harmful, these seemingly minor experiences are rarely validated by individuals outside of their community. Though these actions may be conscious or unconscious, they hurt. Marginalized people are expected to grow a thick skin and ignore the “small stuff.” This “small stuff” is the reason we don’t feel safe. In my own experience (and I do not by any means speak for all marginalized people), it has been small, daily actions that have affected me much more profoundly than obvious

circumstances of prejudice. I can write off a drunk guy saying something gross to me at a bar as an isolated experience, but I can’t write off the countless times I’ve been catcalled or made to feel unsafe while walking home alone. Nor can I write off the widely held belief that survivors of sexual violence were somehow deserving of that violence. It’s the seemingly insignificant daily actions of those with power that make me want to yell, cry and never leave my house. It’s straight men who invalidate and fetishize bisexuality. It’s white people who feel entitled to touch Black women’s hair, who commodify their culture, and yet still refuse to support Black Lives Matter. It’s assuming that all Indigenous people are not taxed and go to post-secondary school for free. It’s upper-middle-class students who ask me why I work three part-time jobs

while at university. It’s the fact that many professors at this institution don’t think it’s important to include women of colour on syllabuses. It’s the belief that disabled students should accept the inaccessibility

“IN THE CONTEXT OF A LIFETIME OF CASUAL SLIGHTS AND A LACK OF REPRESENTATION, MICRO-AGGRESSIONS DON’T FEEL MICRO” of our campus. It’s the way men constantly speak over women in the classroom, the boardroom and everywhere in between. It’s the way cisgender people think they have a right to inquire about the genitalia of

non-binary individuals. The list goes on and on and on. It is exhausting. We are exhausted. This is not at all to say that we should pretend like outward displays of violent racism, misogyny, classism and other forms of discrimination do not exist. They do. But in the context of a lifetime of casual slights and a lack of representation, microaggressions don’t feel micro. Instead, to recognize the prevalence of microaggressions is to better recognize the lived realities of marginalized communities, validate our experiences and call for justice in our daily lives. Many people in Sackville hold a vast amount of socio-economic power relative to marginalized communities, and as such we need to educate ourselves on the harm a seemingly insignificant word or action can have on a person who has lived a lifetime of subtle discriminations and prejudiced interactions.

HUMOUR 15

EDITOR: MARK CRUZ | JANUARY 19, 2017 | ARGOSY@MTA.CA

“PERSONAL BRAND”

Trend predictions for 2017 DELANIE KHAN-DOBSON Contributor 1. Thrasher fedoras 2. Phone sex with someone in the same room. 3. Performance art in which the artist simply eats can of cold Chef Boyardee and keeps looking at their phone, repeatedly refreshing Instagram to see if they got any likes 4. Impressionist-style paintings made with bacon grease 5. Posting pics on the Gram when you give your pubes a new do. #pubicselfie

7. Calling your mom more than once a month 8. Deleting all photos of you on Facebook and replacing them with photos of your grandma so you can trick the government into giving you old-age pension early. 9. Garlic finger-scented deodorant 10. Fuck Calvin Klein underwear – Fruit of the Loom is where it’s at. Style them by hiking them up to your belly button so people can see that luscious name-brand.

6 . Bedazzled retainers

BY KEVIN MELANSON

! calling all funny people !

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