The Argosy, January 26, Vol. 146, Iss. 13

THE ARG OSY

NEWS Oh resigns as vice-president external of MASU (Pg. 2)

ARTS & CULTURE Stereophonic hosts local short film showcase (Pg. 11)

Muriel and Herbert were an inside job since 1872

SPORTS Tips for sticking to your New Year’s resolutions (Pg. 7)

OPINIONS Resistance in the age of Trump’s America (Pg. 15)

Mount Allison’s Independent Student Newspaper

COVER: GHOSTS, JEFF MANN, 2017.

January 19, 2017 Vol. 146, Iss. 12

02 NEWS Oh resigns from MASU, cites systemic racism

EDITORS: CATHERINE TURNBULL & NAOMI GOLDBERG | JANUARY 26. 2017 | ARGOSY@MTA.CA

STUDENT POLITICS

Former vice-president external affairs is outspoken in her environmental activism

CATHERINE TURNBULL News Editor At the Students’ Administrative Council meeting on Jan. 16, Tina Oh resigned from her position as vice-president external affairs for the MASU. Oh cited systemic racism, which she said she has faced during her three years working with the MASU, specifically regarding her work in environmental activism, as the reason for her resignation. Oh has participated in various forms of activism, from being arrested while protesting a pipeline in October to spending a month in Morocco as a youth delegate at the United Nations COP22 climate change conference in November.

“I am announcing my resignation because I cannot work for an organization that neither supports nor understands the necessity of my environmental justice and antiracism work,” Oh said in her address to council. “I cannot work for an organization that feels embarrassed that one of their vice-presidents is doing that work vocally and without shame.”

In solidarity with Oh, MASU VP Financial Affairs Alex Lepianka also resigned, as did MASU’s coordinator for the Sackville Bike Co-op, Matt Fyfe.

“I resigned as an act of solidarity to emphasize the racialized grief and disproportionate targeting of Tina and her work as an advocate for environmental justice,” Lepianka said.

Oh’s resignation followed a complaint drafted by nine signatories, all MASU council members, expressing non-confidence in Oh’s capacity to fulfil her role on the MASU executive.

The Argosy obtained a copy of this complaint, dated Jan. 15. The complaint was sent to Oh by James Gorman, the MASU ombudsperson, who indicated to Oh in an email, obtained by the Argosy, that a motion “to consider impeachment” would be made at the Jan. 16 council meeting.

The complaint was later retracted when signatories indicated to Gorman that it had not been intended as an attempt at impeachment. Gorman, in a private email which the Argosy also obtained, apologized to Oh for misrepresenting the complaint.

In a Facebook message to the Argosy, Gorman wrote that a motion of non-confidence, which the

signatories said they had originally intended to put forward, is not referenced in the MASU bylaws.

“The only formal motion that the ombudsperson can be required to make via petition is one of impeachment,” Gorman wrote. “This was the basis of my misunderstanding.

Ultimately, it was my fault that I did not clarify this with the complainants before I acted on the inference I made.”

MASU president Ryan Lebreton, in an email to the Argosy, wrote that the ombudsperson handles all written complaints within the MASU. “Any member of council may choose to make a motion for a vote of non-confidence, which is not an actionable item, and it is in the purview of the complainant to request this. As a form of action, however, it is under the discretion of the ombudsperson to proceed how they see most appropriate.”

“There have been many informal complaints [made] about Tina’s professional performance in reference to satisfying her job requirements as outlined in the bylaws as early as September,” Lebreton wrote. “Formal complaints were filed at the end of last term, and the discussions about the motion [were] started as soon as students returned on campus for the Winter semester.”

Lepianka said Oh’s work on the MASU consistently included a strong justice component, referencing her contribution to the resistance against correspondence course tuition increases in November of 2015.

“She really stepped up to that role as a consequence of being such a vocal and shameless organizer,” Lepianka said. “Because of her vocalness in opposing some things that were going on in the university, I think that was a beginning point for her being targeted. From there, I think it progressed that more and more small things that Tina would do would be held to standards to which no other executive would be held.”

As VP external, one of Oh’s responsibilities was to represent the MASU with federal and provincial student advocacy groups, including the New Brunswick Student Alliance (NBSA) and the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA). Oh was at the United Nations conference during the Advocacy Weeks for both these organizations, and as such, other MASU councillors attended in her place.

The complaint claimed Oh

was not adequately fulfilling the responsibilities of her position.

The complaint states: “the Mount Allison Students’ Union works incredibly hard to maintain an image that students believe is worth their investment. Having this information and not acting on it is a disfavour to the membership we serve. This is an opportunity to set a precedent for a higher quality executive and therefore union.

“We need to define the standards that this type of performance in a MASU Executive role is not acceptable. We must look at this from a rational perspective and for all the reasons listed below, we believe that there is more than enough ground to warrant a vote of non-confidence.”

The complaint, referencing five bylaws, claimed that Oh failed to adequately represent the MASU within CASA, failed to adequately oversee the MASU Airport Shuttle Service, hurt the reputation of the MASU in her removal as vice-chair of the NBSA and failed to complete required office hours. The complaint concluded that Oh was no longer deserving of the honorarium she was to receive due to these failures.

While Oh was at the United Nations conference, she was removed from her position as vice-chair of the NBSA. “It wasn’t until her forced resignation from the NBSA as vicechair that many councillors, who were dissatisfied with her vocalness and the work that she was doing as an activist, framed her absence as another nail in the coffin,” Lepianka said.

Oh said that given the MASU and NBSA are two autonomous organizations with different responsibilities and her position on the Board of Directors of the NBSA was not compromised by her removal as vice-chair, this circumstance cannot be associated with her fulfillment of the MASU’s bylaws.

In her three years with the MASU, Oh said she was held to a different standard than other members. “I had to work twice as hard, taking on additional roles, because I had to demonstrate how much harder people like me have to work in order to be recognized as an equal.”

Oh said that when she told the executive and council of the opportunity to participate in the United Nations conference, no one voiced opposition. Referring to Oh’s report to council, Lepianka

said, “at the time, the executive recognized that the chance to go to a United Nations conference as a government observer-status delegate was something that would be foolish to pass up.

“Tina also brought it forward to council, where a discussion took place concerning whether or not there would be any need to pass a formal motion to suspend the parts of her bylaws that related to her completing her office hours,” Lepianka said. He said the council acknowledged the importance of the opportunity and “passed an informal agreement to not change any bylaws.”

Lebreton, in an email to the Argosy, wrote that “there was no process taken – formal or informal – to make the appropriate [bylaw] suspensions, as has been done in the past when an executive was unable to fulfil their bylaws. Council was told about the trip but was never asked for their approval.”

According to Oh and Lepianka, a blatant double standard in the complaint was in regard to office hours.

Lepianka said he spent significantly less time than Oh in the office. “If there were councillors who actually wanted to see Tina in the office and noticed her absence, then inevitably they would have also noticed that I was not there,” Lepianka said. “Never once have I been challenged about my absence from the office, but this is something that Tina has been accused of and reprimanded for since the beginning of her term.”

In a private email obtained by the Argosy from Lebreton to Oh, sent to Oh just over four hours before the Jan. 16 council meeting, Lebreton suggested that Oh resign from the MASU, stating that “the MASU is just not the right platform for [her environmental activism].”

In an interview with the Argosy, Oh said she had already been planning to resign, but was frustrated with Lebreton’s email.

“When the president of this organization says that MASU is not the right platform for [my environmental activism], he is saying that MASU is not the right platform to combat racism,” Oh said. “Who decided that MASU was not the right platform?”

“This environmental work is survival,” Oh said. “People are dying, it’s my people that are dying, and to combat environmental racism is not optional work for a person of colour

like me. Because they’re not people of colour, they need to try to understand that. The environmental work that I do is nothing different than the work the MASU should be doing.”

“I have worked for the MASU for three years, and I have personally never experienced any form of racism as a part of this organization,” Osama Al Nammary, councillor-at-large and signatory of the complaint, said. “While I respect that Tina may have had a different experience, I will say that the reasons behind the actions taken may not in fact have been because of racism. Instead, it is possible that she resigned as a response to the filed complaint, which outlined five different bylaws that Tina broke. It is also possible that she resigned as a response to the proposed symbolic vote of nonconfidence.”

The Argosy reached out to other councillors and signatories of the complaint, but those contacted declined to comment on Oh’s resignation.

In an email to the Argosy, Lebreton wrote that “the majority of council, including myself, found Tina’s activism outside the MASU both valuable and important. That said, she was voted into her position to complete a mandate. Some of her activities have taken away from her ability to competently and effectively do her job, which can be reflected by her removal from vice-chair of the NBSA and the action taken by councillors to initiate a vote of non-confidence. Tina has been able to achieve great things outside the students’ union. However, that does not take away from the fact that she, on many occasions, did not fulfil her mandate as VP external affairs.”

When asked how environmental justice was manifested as a priority of the MASU, Lebreton wrote, “the MASU has a Sustainability Coordinator who is in charge of our environmental initiatives, as well as our Green Investment Fund.”

At the council meeting on Jan. 23, Lebreton announced that the responsibilities of the three resigned members would be divided among the remaining executive. Lebreton also reported that, regarding the “allegations of racial discrimination and harassment,” and “whereas the MASU does not tolerate any form of harassment or discrimination,” the ombudsperson would conduct an investigation and present a report “as soon as a conclusion has been found.”

“I AM ANNOUNCING MY RESIGNATION BECAUSE I CANNOT WORK FOR AN ORGANIZATION THAT NEITHER SUPPORTS NOR UNDERSTANDS THE NECESSITY OF MY ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND ANTI-RACISM WORK...”

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PROGRAM CUTS

Entrance into anthropology program suspended

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Students upset about lack of concrete plan for the program’s future NAOMI GOLDBERG News Editor Entrance into the Mount Allison anthropology program was suspended on Jan. 20.

According to Jeff Ollerhead, provost and vice-president academic and research, the anthropology program itself has not yet been suspended. Ollerhead said that a “consultation process” will take place, mostly during this semester, to decide whether to suspend the program.

An anthropology professor will be hired next academic year for a two- or three-year contract so that a normal anthropology course load can be maintained for the next few years. Students who have already declared – as well as those who were about to declare – an honours, major or minor in anthropology will be able to complete their degrees.

The decision to suspend program entry emerged from a consultation process that involved Patricia KellySpurles, a tenured anthropology professor, Nauman Farooqi, dean of social sciences, and Ollerhead.

Ollerhead will speak next week with the university planning committee, a Senate committee that will help determine what the consultation process will look like.

Following this consultation process, the future of the anthropology program could go in multiple directions. Ollerhead said that the program may remain as is,

but that “this would require a certain hiring strategy” in order to continue offering the normal anthropology course load.

Kelly-Spurles said that a sustainable anthropology program would need four tenure-track anthropology professors. There are currently three tenured professors, but as of the 2017-18 academic year, it is expected that Kelly-Spurles will be the only tenured anthropology professor teaching courses at Mt. A. “This is not a decision that has been made because there’s a problem with the program; it’s just that we have to make decisions,” Ollerhead said. “Anthropology happens to be a small program, so if you have something like biology, that has eight or nine faculty members, the chances that you’re going to arrive at that point [where there are not enough professors to teach a full course load] are fewer, whereas for the smaller programs – women’s and gender studies, classics, sociology – they are smaller programs to begin with.”

Kelly-Spurles said she has personally made three formal applications for a fourth tenure-track position in the past few years. All three were denied. “The University continues to say that it’s important for departments to have four people… but we don’t [have four people],” she said.

Alternatively, Ollerhead said that Mt. A might abolish the anthropology program and create an interdisciplinary major. The hiring

committee may also focus on filling expertise gaps in other programs. For example, the commerce department has been granted permission to hire a tenure-track professor with a specialization in gender and management.

Ollerhead also said that a professor may be hired to fill the void of Indigenous knowledge on campus.

An open letter to the University composed by students in response to the announcement states that “Mount Allison promotes itself as a liberal arts university, yet for the second time in a year, an interdisciplinary, liberal arts program has found itself on the chopping block. “[W]ithout a concrete hiring plan or a commitment to Indigeneity, power and class structures, crosscultural studies, or prospective development, it is hard for us to believe that our shared values will be promoted in the future without an anthropology department.”

Honours student in anthropology and co-president of the Anthropology Society executive Sarah Murphy said she is disappointed with the leadership in the anthropology department and in the administration. “It really feels like our department is being undervalued if they can feel justified in halting admission without any kind of concrete plan for the future,” she said.

Kelly-Spurles said she was disappointed with the decision to suspend entry and that she “understand[s] the pain.” However,

CUTS TO SMALL DEPARTMENTS WITHIN THE UNIVERSITY SPARK DEBATE. LOUIS SOBOL/ARGOSY she felt that it was important “to situate this decision in the context of a discussion happening not just at Mt. A, but in universities across the country, about finding ways to better integrate programs.”

“The division of intellectual inquiry into distinct silos is something that anthropologists have strongly critiqued,” she said. “I feel very, very strongly that if it came down to a fight between a position in anthropology and a position in women’s studies, or a position in Indigenous issues, then anthropology for the sake of anthropology has no claim on that.”

Molly Hamilton, a second-year anthropology major and women’s

and gender studies minor, said she felt that Mt. A wasn’t valuing her disciplines. “I kind of feel failed by this university, in that both my major and minor have been under threat of being cut. It just seems like there’s some kind of opinion here that is evaluating what is more important to the university.

“They want to cut anthro so that they can diversify other programs….

Those are all very important, but why does anthropology have to suffer?”

Ollerhead said that ultimately, this is a Senate matter and that Senate will decide how to proceed from here on.

STORYTELLING

Alison Griffiths’ lecture (and a lesson for the Argosy about how to be better journalists)

NADIYA SAFONOVA Politics Reporter Alison Griffiths is an award-winning author and journalist. She has written 10 nonfiction books and a novel and has produced a screenplay and a number of documentaries. Griffiths has also written for the Halifax Chronicle Herald, the Toronto Star, MSN, Metro Newspapers and the Vancouver Sun. On Jan. 17, Griffiths spoke at Mount Allison about her upcoming book, Sitting Bull’s Last Stand: How America’s Most Wanted Man Changed Canada, which she coauthored with David Cruise.

Sitting Bull was a Hunkpapa Lakota Sioux chief who led the resistance against United States policies in the 1860s and 70s. After unsuccessful negotiations for peace with the American military, Sitting Bull and the Sioux went to Wood

Mountain, SK. The Canadian government refused to grant the request for a reserve for the Sioux.

Eventually, they returned to the U.S. and were settled at Standing Rock Reserve in North Dakota.

In addition to introducing her new book, Griffiths spoke about Indigenous history and the conflicts that arise from telling stories from a culture that is not one’s own.

The Argosy took this opportunity to interview Griffiths about ways to improve our own storytelling, specifically about Indigenous issues.

Sometimes you get stopped in your tracks, sometimes you will be accused of all kinds of things, but you go ahead and do it anyway. If there’s a story to tell, tell the story. But go back to the fearless sensitivity; be sensitive about what you are researching and writing – and by sensitive I don’t mean politically correct, I mean sensitive to nuances that we might not understand. There is tons that I write about where I spend more time trying to understand the nuances than the facts. In this case, that’s how you tell those stories.

Nadiya Safonova: Do you have any suggestions or advice for the Argosy about how to cover Indigenous stories?

NS: How do you go about understanding the nuances of these stories?

Alison Griffiths: I would quote a Mohawk friend who says you just say, “to hell with it,” and go ahead.

AG: I think my daughter, being a member of the deaf culture, has said, “be careful of your assumptions.”

Assumptions don’t travel well

from culture to culture. She’s absolutely right. The assumptions that white people have had, from time immemorial, about Indigenous people is that they’re basically homogenous, they think with some kind of big central brain, they all feel the same. Nothing could be further from the truth. There are social structures and hierarchies and, like within our own, cultures within cultures. The biggest tool in a writer’s tool kit to understand those nuances is to keep asking questions. The more you ask, the more you learn and don’t ever assume you know.

NS: And that’s how we develop sensitivity, by asking more? So we don’t end up “barging in” to cultures?

AG: Well, barging in is sometimes good, as long as you barge in with the attitude to learn and find out.

Just keep asking questions – and another thing I would say is be eternally sceptical. I’ve been and am a journalist, I’ve been a screenwriter, a documentary producer, an author, a teacher, – all of those things – but the thing that served me best of all is that healthy dose of scepticism.

Assumptions don’t travel well from culture to culture, but if one assumption does, it is the assumption that pretty much everybody has their own point of view, whether it’s their own story or their own point of view and reason for telling it. So go into every story with scepticism and a kind of emptiness in your mind, which flies in the face of journalism. Go in empty, let the information fill up your tank, then create your story out of that.

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NEWS

JANUARY 26, 2017 | ARGOSY@MTA.CA

RESISTANCE

Anti-Trump rally held at student centre

Students express importance of political awareness in Trump era WILL BALSER Contributor On the day of Donald Trump’s inauguration, over 40 Mount Allison students gathered at the Wallace McCain Student Centre in solidarity with all those affected by his presidency and harmful rhetoric.

The students opposed to Trump’s hateful promises and statements cited the racist, homophobic, transphobic, xenophobic, classist, ableist and sexist overtones in his campaign as the reasons for their participation.

Ali Simbanegavi, a second-year student, said that events such as this anti-Trump rally are important, as they help foster awareness of social issues. “Even though we’re not in the United States, we’re still very much affected by what goes on there,” she

said. She also said the rally was an important community-building event that bolstered support for those who are impacted by Trump’s election.

The organizers of the event, Olivia Landry and Shannon Power, gave brief speeches about the importance of supporting each other moving forward and detailed the problematic nature of Trump’s presidency.

Second-year student Derek Sharp noted the unprecedented level of influence the media has had on the election and suggested that it will increase in the coming years.

“Everything he’s going to be doing now is under the spotlight,” he said.

“If you can defeat the lies, you can defeat him. I think that’s the only way to defeat someone like him. You have to challenge him – you have to tell him, ‘you’re wrong.’”

Fourth-year student Emily Baker believes that many of us are just now coming to terms with discrimination that millions of people have experienced throughout their lives.

“If it’s just hitting me now, I can’t imagine how people who’ve been marginalized for their entire lives have felt during this. I can’t imagine the amount of pain and suffering that they are going through.”

Robin Bamber, a third-year student, said that while Sackville used to make her feel safe, it no longer does. Citing an increase in the local support for Trump via the infamous “Make America Great Again” hats and a growing acceptance of discriminatory opinions, Bamber said, “even though it’s a small town, I’m realizing that there’s more hate than I realized there was.”

LEFT AND BELOW: STUDENTS GATHERED TO SHOW SOLIDARITY WITH MARGINALIZED POPULATIONS MOST IMPACTED BY NEW PRESIDENCY SAVANNAH FORSEY/ARGOSY

FACILITIES

Salt use on slippery Mt. A sidewalks

Use of salt has important impacts on accessibility but has environmental detriments

KAVANA WA KILELE News Reporter The frigid temperatures of Sackville winters create dangerous conditions for many residents in town and on campus. At Mount Allison, facilities management is responsible for making the campus as accessible as possible during this season.

Director of Facilities Management Neil MacEachern said the staff relies on salt and sand to mitigate the conditions created by ice and snow.

MacEachern said Mt. A’s facilities management takes into consideration the environmental impacts of these methods.

“We have not been able to come up with a solution that balances safety to the public, our students, the faculty,

the community and damage to the Mt. A campus that is better than salt and sand,” MacEachern said.

Taylor Crosby, a third-year environmental science student, evaluated Mt. A’s grounds policy when she participated in the environmental audit in May 2016.

She looked specifically at the use of salt and its environmental effects.

According to a report created by Crosby, “salting is not a favourable method of removing ice, as it erodes pavement and concrete, seeps into soils and waterways and is tracked into buildings, causing mess and damage to flooring. Sanding also damages interior flooring and does not actually melt ice.”

MacEachern said that the usual method of dispersal involves a salt

overlay followed by sand. “Depending on the area and temperatures, we will adjust [the method],” he said.

When it comes to the impact of the salt on the surrounding environment, MacEachern said that facilities management is aware there is an impact and does its best to minimize it. “It impacts grass, and that seems to be the biggest impact. We go around and have to do corrections in the spring,” he said.

Crosby’s report addresses both these environmental impacts of salt and sand and alternatives to these methods.

“Many alternatives have been explored for salting, however, they are often expensive and sometimes more damaging to walkways and stone on campus. New alternatives

are constantly being explored, although typical rock salt is the most cost-efficient way to ensure safety in the wintertime.”

Another important aspect of winter weather conditions is accessibility, especially for students with a physical disability. “The accessibility based on what we have done so far has been much better than previous years, but what I will say is that it is a continuous battle,” MacEachern said.

Second-year cognitive science student Danielle DuPlessis understands winter accessibility challenges better than most. Having injured her knee playing basketball in October, she now uses crutches to get around on campus. “Winter is a difficult time to be on crutches because of all the ice and snow, so I

need to be careful not to re-injure my knee,” DuPlessis said.

“Fortunately, it hasn’t been very snowy, so I haven’t had too much trouble on campus. Snow makes it very difficult to get around,” she continued.

DuPlessis said salt and sanding makes a big difference for her – it adds traction and makes her feel more comfortable getting around the campus.

“We would rather be told we have a problem and we go address it, as opposed to someone calling and saying so-and-so just fell and broke their leg or broke their hand,” MacEachern said. “I think the biggest thing is just that we all have a responsibility for safety.”

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05

COLLECTIVE BARGAINING

New year, new agreement

Administration and faculty reach collective bargaining agreements TIERRA STOKES Contributor New collective agreements for faculty and librarians took effect on Dec. 8. These collective agreements are between Mount Allison Faculty Association (MAFA) and the Employer, Mount Allison University.

The collective bargaining process began in June 2016. These negotiations included both the fulltime faculty collective agreement and the part-time faculty collective agreement.

Andrew Irwin, president of MAFA, and Robert Hiscock, Mt. A’s director of marketing and communications, both said that changes in sabbatical replacements are an important difference from the previous collective agreement.

According to Irwin, “five years ago there used to be a lot of replacements of people who went on leave, but over the last few years, that proportion shrank.”

A professor has the right to take a sabbatical roughly every seven years.

Irwin said that at a small university

with small departments like Mt. A, “when you lose one person, that makes a very large hole.”

According to Hiscock, in the new agreement there is a sabbatical replacement plan which involves “replacing either the individual and/ or their teaching capacity so that courses can continue to be taught and programs can continue to be offered.”

The collective agreement states that replacement will be provided for “at least 70 per cent of the courses that would comprise the normal teaching duties of those who will be on leave.”

Faculty evaluations are a second area of change from the 2013-16 collective agreements. According to Hiscock, student evaluations of their professors will now be included in both tenure and promotions procedures.

Irwin also said that under the new part-time faculty collective agreement, part-time faculty are given more professional development resources, such as increased access to books and journals and funds for teaching and research conferences.

“We want to recognize the work that the part-time people do. They

make an important contribution to the life of the university, to our courses, and to our research environment, so we try to support that,” he said.

Hiscock said that the new collective agreements include an increase to the base stipend for part-time faculty members, from 9 per cent to 9.25 per cent of the salary floor [the minimum annual salary] beginning in the second year of the collective agreement.

According to Irwin, the collective agreement “strengthened the language around collegial governance.” He said this strengthens faculty’s ability to “play active roles in decision-making with the university.”

The collective agreements will expire June 30, 2019.

STUDENT BODY

Mature students feel isolated at Mount Allison

NADIYA SAFONOVA Politics Reporter MOVING FORWARD AFTER MASU RESIGNATIONS

JILL MACINTYRE News Reporter Mature students at Mount Allison face a unique set of challenges during their time here at university. Mature students are defined as students over the age of 22 upon application, with fewer than 18 transferrable credits from another post-secondary institution. Many are first-generation university students from low-income backgrounds who have taken time off after high school to work.

Rachel Smith, a political science student in her final year of study, said that being a mature student can be stressful.

After taking a year off after high school to work, Smith attended the University of Regina for two and a half years, before becoming pregnant with her now seven-year-old daughter. After taking a few years off to work, raise her daughter and study at a local community college, she began attending Mt. A while living and working part-time in Amherst.

Currently pregnant with her second child, Smith will be finishing her degree this semester.

“It becomes challenging to have a social life as a mature student when you have a job and a family to manage, on top of classes and school work,” she said. “I feel kind of left out of the

This Week at MASU council

more social aspects of university due to the timing and party atmosphere of many events on campus.”

Smith, a first-generation university student, said that having a strong support system was essential to her success at Mt. A. She also said that most professors have been accommodating to her situation, especially those who have their own children.

According to an email from registrar Chris Parker, there are currently 55 mature students enrolled at Mt. A and six per cent of all annual applicants are mature students. In order to apply, mature applicants must send an updated resume, a letter of intent outlining academic and professional goals and high school transcripts.

Parker wrote that “as with all students, mature students have access to resources such as financial aid, counselling, academic advising, academic support services, the wellness centre and the fitness centre.”

Smith said that the University should do more to specifically accommodate mature students.

“As it stands, I’ve been here for nearly three years and have rarely

heard anything about events geared toward mature students, or even about any academic or financial supports that might be available,” she said.

There are currently no bursaries for mature students specifically, other than a senior citizen bursary for those over the age of 65.

To attract mature students, Mt. A used to offer free tuition for senior citizens over the age of 65, but cancelled this policy in 2014.

Chelsea Doherty, a mature philosophy student, left the University of King’s College and took two years off for mental health reasons before coming to Mt. A. She said that more could be done to accommodate mature students.

“I think that would be really great [if there were bursaries available specifically to mature students] because a lot of people, including myself, take time off to make money to go to school.”

Doherty said Mt. A has been more accommodating to her mental health concerns than her previous university. She also said that she has been able to relate and connect with her professors due to her age.

Following the resignation of the vice-president external affairs and finance and operations, the Mount Allison Students’ Union (MASU) has decided to leave both positions vacant. The remaining executive will divide the responsibilities amongst themselves.

AVIATION PROGRAM CONCERNS BEING ADDRESSED In the past few years, Mt. A’s aviation program has grown significantly.

Unfortunately, as a result of the increase in enrollment, many now face the difficulty in obtaining the required flying hours for graduation within four years.

VP Academic Affairs Mary Emma MacNeil met with the Registrar’s Office and has scheduled a meeting with aviation Program Director Bob Rosebrugh to address aviation students’ concerns.

ANTHROPOLOGY PROGRAM ENTRY SUSPENSION Following the suspension of entry into the anthropology program, VP Academic Affairs Mary Emma Macneil wrote in a facebook message to the Argosy that “the MASU supports students and their request for a concrete plan for the department moving forward.” Macneil sits on the Senate planning committee, which will discuss the future of the anthropology program. She wrote that her role is to “ensure that the student body’s perspective is not neglected during conversations at the committee level.”

HIRING PROCESS REVISION Appointment Chair Cydney Kane has been revising the MASU hiring process.

Kane has proposed to move more of the hiring process from the winter semester to the fall semester. Kane hopes this will reduce the need for unplanned spring hiring, which in the past has conflicted with spring elections and exams.

06 SPORTS

EDITOR: DAVID TAPLIN | JANUARY 26, 2017 | ARGOSY@MTA.CA

HOCKEY & HEALTH

Fight aginst mental illness hits the ice Bell Let’s Talk seeks exposure on Canadian campuses through athletics

MOUNTIES AND UPEI PANTHERS DONNING THEIR TOQUES TOGETHER ON THE ICE BEFORE THE GAME EMILY MACKINNON/SUBMITTED

DAVID TAPLIN Sports and Health Editor Over the past two weeks, blue toques have become as much a staple of the student-athlete’s attire as team jackets and socks with flip flops.

No, they are not the latest release from Under Armour. Rather, the toques were provided by Bell as part of the Bell Let’s Talk Campaign, which began in 2010 with the hope of starting a conversation around mental illness.

Last year, Bell partnered with Atlantic University Sport to raise awareness for the campaign on campuses. This year, Bell extended its

campaign to universities nationwide, passing out the distinctive blue toques to student athletes as part of its initiative to promote mental health awareness on campuses.

This past Sunday, the Mounties women’s hockey team hosted the UPEI Panthers for Mt. A’s Bell Let’s Talk Hockey game, one of over one hundred such games taking place across Canada this month.

Speaking on the difference between this year’s and last year’s campaign, fourth-year offensive lineman Matt Zwicker said, “[This year, Bell] really prepped early and released videos early to try and get the word out.” As a result, the Mounties played in front

of one of their largest crowds of the season.

Zwicker referenced his own personal experiences supporting friends, family and teammates struggling with mental illness as reasons for being involved in the campaign on campus. He also noted the importance of athletes contributing to the community and being a part of campaigns like this.

“At the end of the day, student athletes are just students and we all want to support each other through tough times,” he said.

The game on Sunday began with an announcement of the campaign and its goal to end stigma surrounding mental illness. Both teams took to the ice with their blue toques and, after the

national anthem, took a joint team photo.

The Mounties stormed out of the gates and after the second period it was a 1-1 tie, the Mounties holding a 29-11 lead in shots on net. Thanks to a late penalty, UPEI took the lead with six minutes left, before scoring their third goal two minutes later, to seal the 3-1 Mounties defeat.

Mt. A will look to rebound against SMU in Halifax on Friday, as they are four points behind Dalhousie for the final playoffs spot.

After the game, forward Kelly Matarazzo spoke about this year’s changes to the campaign. “I don’t remember it being this big of an

event, especially taking a picture with the other team. It was kind of cool because it shows the teams can come together to support [ending the stigma],” she said.

Opening up the conversation on mental illness has become important to Matarazzo, since several of her team members have had to deal with mental illness in recent years.

Kelsey MacDougall, another fourth-year on the Mounties hockey team, thinks the prominence of the campaign on campus this year will transcend to the community of Sackville.

“The little kids who are on the ice right now, they are coming up seeing this big sign [about] Bell Let’s Talk and [are] probably asking questions and understanding at a younger age that it’s okay to express your feelings and talk to people and get it out,” she said.

Referring to tragedies that were the result of mental illness and stigma in her hometown of Saint George, N.B., MacDougall said the awareness that Bell Let’s Talk gives to mental illness can have a lasting impact.

“If we make people feel more comfortable and show them that they are supported no matter what [the issue] is, younger kids are going to be less affected by [mental illness] and know that it is okay to express their feelings,” she said.

Bell’s corporatization of the campaign to erase the stigma surrounding mental illness has received criticism since its inception.

While some question Bell’s corporate motives, it has undoubtedly started a conversation among athletes. Along with that conversation, Bell Let’s Talk Day has raised $79 million for local and national organizations combatting mental illness in Canada since 2010.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

MEN’S BASKETBALL

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

WOMEN’S HOCKEY

MTA (A) 78 - UKC (H) 65 15 MTA (A) 64 - 6MSVU (H) 80

MTA (A) 70 - UKC (H) 63 OT MTA (A) 87 - 15MSVU (H) 101 OT

MTA (A) 1 - UNBSJ (H) 3 MTA (A) 1 - 15HOLLAND (H) 3

UPEI (A) 3 - MTA (H) 1

15

ACAA

Holland 6 MSVU St. Thomas 15 Mount Allison UKing’s College UNBSJ Crandall 4

GP 11 10 10 10 11 9 9

W

10 9 6 5 3 2 0

L 1 1 4 5 8 7 9

PTS 16 14 12 8 6 4 0

*NUMBER NEXT TO TEAM NAME DENOTES NATIONAL RANKING*

ACAA

Mount Allison 15 MSVU Crandall 10 Holland St. Thomas UKing’s College DAL AC UNBSJ

GP W 12 12 11 11 12 12 12 12

11 11 8 5 4 4 2 2

L

1 1 3 6 8 8 10 10

PTS 22 22 16 10 8 8 4 4

ACAA

Holland 10 MSVU Mount Allison UNBSJ St. Thomas USaint-Anne DAL AC UKing’s College 15

GP 12 12 14 10 13 13 11 13

W

12 11 9 8 5 3 2 1

L PTS

1 1 5 4 8 10 9 12

24 22 18 16 10 6 4 2

AUS

St. Thomas 3 Saint Mary’s UPEI St. FX Moncton Dalhousie Mount Allison 4

W

15 14 12 11 6 5 3

L OTL PTS

2 2 6 7 10 13 15

2 2 1 0 3 1 1

32 31 25 22 15 11 7

SPORTS & HEALTH

THE ARGOSY | WWW.ARGOSY.CA

MENTAL HEALTH

Mental health challenges during winter

07

Seasonal affective disorder especially prevalent among university students RILEY HIGDON Contributor Do you find yourself feeling a little down in the winter months?

You could be experiencing Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

SAD is a mental illness that can have significant effects on mood and motivation.

Symptoms of SAD may be different for each individual. However, most frequently, individuals experience irritability, low energy, social withdrawal, oversleeping, carbohydrate craving and weight gain.

SAD is a form of depression that occurs with the changing of seasons.

While it can occur at any time of the year, it is most common during the winter among individuals who live far from the equator.

Scientists believe this is due to people’s decreased exposure to sunlight during the shorter, darker winter days. The reduction in sunlight triggers the onset of SAD, leading to a disruption in one’s biological

clock and a drop in serotonin and melatonin levels.

SAD is most frequently diagnosed in young adults and is eight times more common in women than in men. Someone diagnosed with clinical depression or with a family history of SAD has an increased risk of experiencing SAD. Approximately two to six per cent of Canadians will experience SAD in their lifetime, with an additional 15 per cent having milder symptoms, sometimes known as the “winter blues.”

Fourth-year science student Cat Bannon, who experiences SAD annually, talked about her experience after she was diagnosed in her second year.

“I was quickly diagnosed with [SAD], but was told that since it had been going on for so long, it had also developed into clinical depression. I was prescribed antidepressants to be taken during the winter months, as well as vitamin D.” Health professionals can diagnose SAD through physical and

psychological evaluations. SAD can be medically treated through light therapy, antidepressant medication, or talk therapy.

The risk of experiencing symptoms of SAD can be lessened by a few lifestyle choices. Making an effort to get some exposure to sunlight is crucial. Create a sunny environment for yourself in your home and work/ study space. When possible, soaking up some sun in the first two hours after waking up is beneficial. Regular exercise is also important for relieving stress and anxiety and for improving overall mood.

When dealing with SAD, it is important to manage stress effectively, take time to do what you enjoy and spend time socializing.

Seasonal lights are available on campus and can be accessed for a free trial by simply contacting the Wellness Centre. Overall, the best way to cope with SAD is to be aware of it, follow a treatment plan and practise self-care.

MANY PEOPLE USE SEASONAL LIGHTS TO COMBAT THE WINTER BLUES LOUIS SOBOL/ARGOSY

NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS

Getting past the January hump Seven ways to help you stick to your resolution(s)

EQUIPMENT AT THE FITNESS CENTER IS OFTEN AT FULL CAPACITY COME JANUARY RYAN MACRAE/ARGOSY

HAMZA MUNAWAR Sports Reporter Every year, the question most frequently asked on Jan. 1 is, “What is your New Year’s resolution?” We all have things we want to accomplish and changes we hope to see in the new year, so the Argosy asked Mount Allison students to share their resolutions.

“Drinking more water is my first New Year’s resolution. My second resolution is to do something active each day, whether I go to the gym or for a walk through waterfowl park.” – Abby Judges “This year, I decided that I would focus on cutting down on my stress.

Being a varsity athlete makes it difficult at times to have a breather,

balancing academics and my many hours spent in the gym.” – Erin Steeves “This year, I want to get healthy again and get back into shape. I want to improve in school and stay on track with my goals, without being sidetracked by the things that don’t matter.” – Damian Halstead “[I want] to take no losses in 2017, both in basketball and life, and focus on the good things in life. See the positive in everything.” – Alex Chisolm As we near the end of January, many of us will have realized that the resolutions we made over the course of the holidays might not be going exactly as planned. And if you’ve found yourself already slipping, keep in mind that the Chinese New Year is

this Saturday, Jan. 28.

CNN has reported that quitting smoking is the most difficult resolution to keep. Other lifestyle changes are also often tough to maintain. At Mt. A, it’s easy to fall into a routine of going to class, studying, eating out and staying up late. Since this isn’t exactly helpful in keeping health-related resolutions, here are some tips and tricks that will help you make the most of 2017.

Set goals. Goals are very different from resolutions. Because they are often short-term and much more specific, goals are easier to strive for.

For instance, it is more realistic to tell yourself, “My goal is to do 50 push-ups in a row,” than it is to say, “My resolution is to get ripped.”

Treat goals as milestones for the

bigger picture.

Don’t waste time on things you cannot control. Disregard them.

Be optimistic and stick to your plan. Statistically, it takes 21 days to develop a new habit. Change won’t happen overnight, so it is key to remember that whatever your resolution may be, it will take time.

Spice up your workouts. Step out of your comfort zone. The fitness centre offers a myriad of classes. Go out and try some Athletic Cardio or Zumba for some fun. Or, if you’re looking for a more strength-related class, go for the Weekend Chisel.

Get out and experience the power of group fitness.

Emphasize recovery. A good day starts long before sunrise with a good night’s sleep and although this may seem like a simple routine to get into, it is arguably the most difficult healthy habit to develop.

The Internet, social media, academics and part-time jobs take time away from a healthy sleep, not

to mention that lack of sleep heavily influences eating habits and cravings.

Nourish your body. I’m not saying not to have junk food, but staying hydrated and eating a well-balanced diet helps you live a healthy lifestyle.

Having a cheat day or eating comfort food in moderation is a good idea, but the main factor when considering diet is to make sure you get enough of each of the food groups.

LOVE yourself. At the end of the day, you are who you are and to grow, you must appreciate yourself. A healthy lifestyle is as much mental as it is physical.

Remember: healthy living lasts the full 24 hours. Consistency is key and any improvement, small or large, is a step in the right direction.

It’s much easier and encouraging to know that at the end of the day, you have accomplished something that puts you closer to your goal.

So here’s to hoping that this year’s resolution, whatever it is, sticks.

Do you sport?

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“

THEY ARE PRETTY BAD, [BUT] I LOVE WINTER – I JUST DON’T LIKE STORMY WEATHER. I LIKE SLEDDING [AND] SKATING IN WINTER, BUT I DON’T LIKE WALKING TO CLASSES.

“

ALLYSA ROBINSON

“

IT’S BEEN DIFFERENT FROM BACK HOME, WHERE YOU DON’T HAVE TO LAYER UP AS MUCH. [IN LOS ANGELES] IT’S MORE ABOUT WHETHER IT IS GOING TO RAIN – YOU PUT ON [EITHER] ONE JACKET OR TWO – VERSUS HERE, WHERE IT’S LIKE THREE LAYERS OF PANTS AND FOUR LAYERS OF SWEATERS SOMETIMES. I DON’T LIKE THE LAYERING, BUT I DO LIKE THE SCENERY OF WINTER.

“

IT IS VERY PRETTY FROM A DISTANCE WHEN THE FIRST SNOWFALL COMES … AND THEN AFTER ABOUT A WEEK, I’M LIKE, ‘OKAY, YOU CAN GO AWAY NOW, I HAVE HAD MY FUN.’ THEN, IT GETS KIND OF GROSS. IT HAS BEEN VERY SLUSHY BECAUSE IT RAINS A LOT HERE [AND] I AM NOT USED TO THE SLUSH.

I THINK I NEED TO GET SOME WATERPROOF BOOTS. EVEN THOUGH I ONLY LIVE AN HOUR AND A HALF AWAY, I FIND THE SNOW IS MORE PACKED ... BUT HERE, IT IS JUST LIKE A LOT OF WET SNOW.

LAYLIA BENNETT

IT IS QUITE DIFFERENT FROM MY COUNTRY. WHEN I MOVED TO CANADA IT WAS A BIG CHANGE, A BIG DIFFERENCE. BACK HOME, LAYLIA B I LIVED IN THE MOUNTAINS; IT WAS COLD, BUT NOT AS COLD AS CANADA. CANADA IS REALLY COLD; IT GETS TO THE POINT WHERE FIRST-YEAR BACHELOR OF ARTS IT FREEZES, ESPECIALLY IN THIS AREA, IN SACKVILLE. I LIKE THE SNOW; I LIKE THE LOOK OF IT. IN MY COUNTRY, THE SNOW IS COVERED WITH MUD AND DIRT, BUT HERE, YOU SEE THE SNOW AND IT IS JUST WHITE, IT IS PURE WHITE. GLORIA FARAH

CHLOE LAWSON

CHLOE LAWSON SECOND-YEAR POLITICAL SCIENCE MAJOR FROM LOS ANGELES, CA.

GLORIA FARAH SECOND-YEAR COMMERCE MAJOR FROM BEIRUT, LEBANON

ALI AL MASHHAD SECOND-YEAR BIOLOGY MAJOR FROM AL DHAHRAN, SAUDI ARABIA

“

IT IS FREEZING, IT [FEELS] REALLY COLD, BECAU VERY WARM. I FEEL REALLY SORRY FOR THE PEOP I STOP AND ASK THEM IF THEY WOULD LIKE A R SAY, ‘ARE YOU SURE?’ AND OTHERS SAY, ‘NO, WE IT MAKES ME SAD TO SEE PEOPLE WALK HE REALLY DON’T LIKE ANYTHING ABOUT THE WI REALLY COLD….THE WEATHER IS BETTER BACK H

“ ALLYSA ROBINSON FIRST-YEAR BIOLOGY MAJOR FROM SACKVILLE, N.B.

PHOTOGRAPHS BY SAVANNAH FORSEY INTERVIEWS BY KAVANA WA KILELE CENTREFOLD LAYOUT BY HAILEY GUZIK

IT’S DEADLY FOR ME. IT IS ECUADOR, THE MAIN THING I IN ECUADOR, THE [AMOUNT EQUATOR. IT GOES DARK AT IT SWITCHES [WITH THE SEA TO, ESPECIALLY EMOTIONALL CHRISTMAS IN WINTER AND

SAMANTHA PEÑA FOURTH-YEAR INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS MAJOR FROM QUITO, ECUADOR

Q:

“

What

WINTER

MARISSA TROTT FIRST-YEAR BIOLOGY MAJOR FROM DEVONSHIRE, BERMUDA

BENNETT (UNDECLARED) FROM REXTON, N.B.

MIHAR RAOUF FIRST-YEAR AVIATION MAJOR FROM MOSUL, IRAQ

EMILY BAKER

SIMON LYDON

FOURTH-YEAR SOCIOLOGY MAJOR

SECOND-YEAR ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE MAJOR

FROM KENTVILLE, N.S.

USE WHERE I LIVE, IT IS PLE HERE. SOMETIMES, RIDE. SOME OF THEM ARE GOOD’.

ERE IN THE WINTER. I INTER BECAUSE IT IS HOME. ALI AL MASHHAD

“

FROM LINCOLNVILLE, ME.

IT’S SIMILAR TO HOME, [BUT] THERE IS A LOT MORE SNOW. IT’S REALLY JUST AS COLD, BUT [THERE IS] SO MUCH MORE WIND. THERE ARE DEFINITELY A LOT MORE TIMES [WHEN] YOU’RE EXPECTING SCHOOL TO BE CANCELED OR [FOR] PROFESSORS [NOT TO] MAKE IT IN. I AM NOT A BIG FAN OF THE COLD AND I NEVER HAVE BEEN. I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN KIND OF AN INDOOR PERSON DURING THE WINTER, BUT IT IS KIND OF COZY WHEN YOU DO GET TO BE INDOORS, WITH YOUR BIG SWEATERS AND EVERYTHING.

“

IT IS A WINTER WASTELAND, BUT IT’S BEAUTIFUL. IT BRINGS PEOPLE CLOSER. I LIKE IT TO A DEGREE. IT IS NICE TO CUDDLE UP ON THE WEEKENDS….IT SUCKS WHEN IT HURTS TO BE OUTSIDE….[AT] 8:30 [A.M.], COMING OUT THE FRONT DOOR WITH THE WIND RIPPING ON YOU IS NEVER A GOOD TIME. THE WINTER BACK HOME IS BASICALLY THE SAME, IT IS JUST A LITTLE MORE SNOWY AND WINDY [HERE]. SACKVILLE WIND IS A WHOLE DIFFERENT GAME.

EMILY BAKER

S LIKE AN EMOTIONAL AND PHYSICAL CHALLENGE. COMPARED TO IS THE COLD; [IN ECUADOR] WE DON’T HAVE SO MUCH COLD....ALSO T OF] DAYLIGHT IS THE SAME [YEAR-ROUND] BECAUSE IT IS ON THE 7 OR 8 P.M ... HERE, IT GETS DARK AT 5 P.M. [IN THE WINTER] AND ASONS]. THAT IS SOMETHING THAT IS HARD FOR ME TO GET USED LY. IT IS SAD THAT THE DAY ENDS SO EARLY. I LIKE THE SCENERY OF ACTIVITIES LIKE SLEDDING, SKATING [AND] WINTER CARNIVAL.

“

SAMANTHA PENA

IT WAS SHOCKING AT FIRST. I UNDERESTIMATED THE AMOUNT OF SNOW [SACKVILLE] WOULD ACTUALLY GET, [COMING] FROM A PLACE THAT DOESN’T HAVE ANY SNOW, BUT I LIKE THE COLD, SO IT’S NICE. BACK HOME, IT IS REALLY HOT; IT IS ALWAYS HOT THERE, [WITH] NO SNOW, SO WINTER IS NOT AS BAD. SNOW IS PRETTY; I THINK IT IS NICE – EXCEPT FOR WHEN THERE IS RAIN AND IT IS REALLY WINDY – THEN IT IS REALLY COLD.

SIMON LYDON

“

BACK HOME, THE WINTER [USUALLY FALLS TO] BETWEEN 10 C AND 20 C. IT DOES GO DOWN TO 0 C, BUT IT DOESN’T GO BELOW THAT. SOMETIMES WE DO GET A SNOWSTORM, BUT IT IS LIKE 5 CM. SCHOOLS AND EVERYTHING WOULD [BE CANCELLED] FOR A WEEK BECAUSE WE DO NOT HAVE THE EQUIPMENT TO CLEAN IT. IN THE SUMMER I LIKE IT HERE AND IN THE WINTER I LIKE IT BACK THERE. IT IS COLD HERE IN THE WINTER. WHEN IT IS REALLY COLD, -40 C, I WOULD RATHER STAY HOME. I AM GETTING USED TO IT. I HAVE BEEN HERE FOR A WHILE NOW, SO I GOT USED TO IT AFTER I DIVED INTO THE REALITY OF SNOW. MIHAR RAOUF

MIHAR RAOUF

are your thoughts on Mount Allison winters?

IN SACKVILLE

10 ARTS & CULTURE

EDITORS: MIRELLE NAUD MALLORY BURNSIDE-HOLMES JANUARY 26, 2017 | ARGOSY@MTA.CA

STEREOPHONIC

Sackville shines at annual music festival

Fundraiser for campus and community radio station draws diversity of Canadian artists

KURT INDER AND LUKE KUPLOWSKY PLAY SWEET, SWEET MUSIC TO THE BEATS OF BIANCA PALMER. IT’’S LIT MY DUDES JACOB BURNLEY/SUBMITTED

TAYLOR MCCUAIG Contributor CHMA, Sackville’s campus and community radio station, held its 14th annual Stereophonic music festival last weekend, a bright light in Sackville’s blustery winter. The festival was chock full of incredible Canadian artists, a large handful of whom have belonged to Sackville at one time or another.

Stereophonic had notably fewer folk acts this year, instead embracing the more experimental side of the Canadian music scene. It’s exciting to see this festival change and grow, and this year felt like another step forward for the fest.

On Thursday evening, showgoers unbundled from the cold and packed into the front bar of Thunder & Lightning (T&L). The kind and brilliant Newfoundland native Thom Coombes opened the show with witty folk tunes, charming the pants off just about everyone. Self-described on his bandcamp as “uneasy listening,” Coombes’ music had the crowd unsure if they wanted to laugh or cry – most notably with the track “This is Not a Fucking Love Song,” in which Coombes sings, “I wanna be the boy that you bleed on, I’m your pillow I’m your tampon, but this is not a fucking love song.”

After Coombes’s set, I thought Thursday’s shows would gently ease us into the festival, but then La Fete jumped on stage – or, maybe more aptly, the carpet – and proved me

very wrong. Their set was explosive, full of unpredictable energy that kept us on our toes.

Flour, a Sackville band whose music is also strange and surprising, proved to be the perfect closing act of the night. They began their candlelit set with Jon McKiel beating a drum

SACKVILLE STAPLE KLARKA WEINWURM IS A BAND THAT KNOWS EXACTLY WHAT IT’S DOING with a microphone while Andrea Thorne burned incense and sizzled water onto a cast-iron pan. This part of the set felt like being in a half-asleep state where downstairs noises are still a little muffled, only to go down and find Sackville’s Broken Social Scene making experimental music in your kitchen. Even your favourite English professor, Geordie Miller, makes a cameo in this band, at one point delivering lyrics from within the crowd. Flour’s set was emphatic and intricate, a true testament to some of the talented musicians still hanging around town.

Sackville staple Klarka Weinwurm is a band that knows exactly what it’s doing, even if it sometimes thinks it doesn’t. Halfway through its set, drummer Luke Patterson asked his bandmates if he was supposed to start

the song. As soon as he got his answer, though, the show went on without a hitch.

Listening to Klarka Weinwurm’s set was like returning to the always charming and familiar Sackville. The tight set and lyrical sincerity brought much-needed comfort to the chilly bowling alley venue at the back of T&L. On Friday night, everyone returned to the bowling alley for Dan Misha Goldman, LUKA, Kurt Inder and No Problem. Ringing in his fifth show in Sackville in the last two years, LUKA may not be from Sackville, but it’s starting to feel like it.

LUKA’s music is painfully earnest and his voice is as comforting as it is striking, forcing his audience to feel every love and heartbreak he sings to us. Compared to other sets LUKA has performed in Sackville, this one had the audience wanting to cry less and dance more, after a funkierthan-usual version of “Always the Same Bed” and an upbeat rendition of “O, My Heart is Full” – a track that was just released before his last Stereophonic visit, which truly made all of our hearts feel full.

Later that night the crowds trickled into the Legion for a punk revival, a show made up almost entirely of bands who met in Sackville, such as the Protruders, a Stereophonic veteran. Now based in Toronto, Sackville still claims the band as its own. The Protruders’ set cannot really be described as anything but punk: messy and loud, demanding

the attention of the entire Legion.

The band slid seamlessly into each song, rejecting any applause, input or approval. It was clear the band wasn’t playing for us – they were playing for themselves and we were just lucky enough to be there.

Montreal-based Towanda is another Sackville export that we will forever claim as our own. Towanda does exactly what junky and scuzzy punk music should make you do: get out every ounce of anger and aggression you’ve ever had. Once everyone, including the band, had trickled out of the Legion for a cigarette, all you could hear was praise of Towanda, with “it ruled” echoing down Lorne street. “It ruled” is certainly the best way to describe Towanda’s return to the Stereophonic stage for the second year in a row.

Girth closed Friday night’s show.

Although still a relatively new band, it might just be one of the most

A RELATIVELY NEW BAND, [GIRTH] MIGHT BE ONE OF THE MOST DYNAMIC TO HAVE EMERGED FROM SACKVILLE IN A WHILE dynamic groups to have emerged from Sackville in a while. If you think you’ve heard anything like

Girth before, you probably just went to a Girth show and didn’t know it.

The band incorporates pre-recorded beats with a hardcore bassline, an intense drum beat and some killer guitar solos. Its live show is loud and its sound is distinctly its own. I never thought I would hear a Rihanna cover better than the original, but Girth’s remix of “Bitch Better Have My Money” might be that exception.

Honestly, Girth’s audience might have just taken the band’s advice and “Burn[ed] Down the Mall,” if there were one in Sackville.

Saturday had folk scheduled in the early-show slot to make room for a late night of electronic-based music.

The early Saturday show at T&L began with Saint John’s Right Shitty, followed by Halifax’s NightBummerz and closing with London, ON.’s Whoop-Szo. An experimental punk band, Whoop-Szo is quite possibly one of the most important bands coming out of Canada right now. The group navigates colonialism, racism and marginalization through heavy beats and distorted guitars. While performing “Genocide,” Adam Sturgeon, Whoop-Szo front man, reminded a largely white audience of their complacency, singing, “Know your enemy / Come find it in complacency / In the classrooms, education mistrust.” Few bands can put on a show that is both fun and painfully chilling, offering their audience space to think about their lyrics while also letting us enjoy

ARTS & CULTURE

THE ARGOSY | WWW.ARGOSY.CA their unique talent. There might not be anything more beautiful than a band that makes you stop and think critically about the world around you and your place in it.

Another Sackville staple, Jon McKiel, opened the final show of the festival back at the Legion later that night. McKiel brings such ease to his audience that multiple members crowded around him and sat. It’s easy to take McKiel’s talent for granted because he seems to always be playing one show or another, but this show was a refreshing reminder of the incredible music the man makes.

The show took on a more electric turn when pop R&B band Loveland took the stage. I’m fairly certain the band had every single person in the audience dancing, while Erin Mcdonald’s falsetto reverberated over the crowd and put us all in a sexy haze. Loveland made us forget about

the bingo sign behind them, about the fact that we were at the Legion and transformed the space into a true “Dance Party,” as their song by that title would have it.

Joyfultalk was the next performer of the night, an experimental band whose equipment looks like a time machine. Before the set, a friend turned to me and said, “I wish I was on drugs for this,” but even without them, I left the set feeling like I was in some drug-induced state. Joyfultalk’s music is so thoughtful, technical, intense and, frankly, incredibly impressive. They are another one of the many bands Stereophonic booked this year that sound like nothing else.

After L CON’s incredible set that closed the festival, we bundled back up to wander home. Everyone wanted more, looking for an afterparty to satisfy the buzz the music and the beer had created.

11

SIGN UNNECESSARILY REQUESTS APPLAUSE FROM T&L SHOWGOERS JACOB BURNLEY/SUBMITTED

FILM

A cinematic shift in lineup Stereophonic brings new event to 14th annual music fest MARISSA CRUZ Arts and Culture Reporter Stereophonic is always an exciting weekend in Sackville, but this year the festival had a new event up its sleeve. For the first time, a series of short films was screened at The Vogue on Saturday as part of the festival. This allowed the audience a break from dancing at Thunder & Lightning and the Legion and an opportunity to indulge in visual cinematic stimulation – or a box of Mike and Ikes and a small popcorn.

Michael Mohan’s Loveline, Pat Bonner’s Bad Noise, Ryan O’Toole’s Sour World and Travis Welowsky’s Et tu, Dude? are all Canadian-directed short films that boasted titles as intriguing as their material.

It was apparent that Stereophonic organizers were enthusiastic to showcase the work of local writers, producers, artists and directors. Codirector Corinna Paumier explained that the idea for a short film showcase came to her after receiving positive feedback from a small screening at Thunder & Lightning she organized this past summer.

In Loveline, a woman calls a relationship hotline for advice on her complicated feelings for someone she loves. The scenes have no added dialogue, only a voiceover of a woman explaining her complex attachment and fear of lost love.

The film consistently employed the colour blue as a motif. The two lovers interrupt their industrial and residential environments while wearing blue denim, never speaking, only communicating through gesture.

Simplistic and almost motionless shots make the film feel like a recollection of memories. The film romanticizes the intimacy of smalltown love by walking the viewer through a mundane and mysterious love story.

Fragmented moments of the couple walking alongside train tracks and lounging in long grass on warm summer days remind us of our first experiences of love, in all their bittersweet serendipity – perhaps

even the love we feel in the small town of Sackville.

Bonner’s Bad Noise tells the story of an awkward, young band member with performance anxiety who recruits an exuberant, older karaoke singer to play in her set.

Shot at Flourish music festival in Fredericton, the film parallels the music scene that exists in Sackville during Stereophonic. The scenes of the band playing were strikingly similar to what you would have seen at the Legion or Thunder & Lightning this past weekend.

Et tu, Dude? depicts the music scene in London, ON. with specific reference to the influence of the city’s socio-economic climate.

Welowsky interviewed several musicians, artists and owners of venues to illuminate what makes London’s music scene so diverse. The film explains how the music community has been dealing with issues related to postindustrialization. In this intimate film, the artists speak candidly

about their lives and the bleakness – but also joy – associated with the London music scene. Although the film highlights the problems specific to London, these issues can be topical to other regions in Canada like Halifax and Saint John. Adam Sturgeon of Whoop-szo, who played at Stereophonic on Saturday night, made an appearance.

Sour World, written and directed

by O’Toole, left the audience mesmerized by pool reflections and in a haze of bubblegum pink. It was a sugar rush that felt all too relatable, but incredibly surreal.

In Sour World, it is evident the compositions were meticulously considered. The narrative follows a young woman who interacts with props like creamsicles, cotton candy, pink lemonade, wine, Hello Kitty speakers and lava lamps, saturating the screen with nauseating colours.

She wanders the night after getting stood up by a friend with whom she nervously coordinated plans.

“It was certainly inspired in part

by New Brunswick and smalltown landscapes, corner stores and wandering around quiet residential streets at night alone – all of which are ‘pretty Sackville’ in my eyes,” O’Toole said.

Entering the Vogue feels like O’Toole’s description, nostalgic and familiar. Going to the theatre by myself felt much like a reflexive stroll

“IT WAS CERTAINLY INSPIRED BY NEW BRUNSWICK AND SMALL TOWN LANDSCAPES, CORNER STORES AND WANDERING AROUND” home at night in solitude.

Raised in Fredericton, O’Toole now studies at the New School in

AUDIENCE MEMBERS EXPERIENCE CANADIAN SHORT-FILM TALENT AT THE VOGUE SAVANNAH MILEEN HARRIS/THE ARGOSY

New York. He explained his filmcreating process varies from film to film, but typically begins with formal elements of shape and texture. “It’s all very intuitive,” O’Toole said.

He explained that production was intimate, despite the precision required to create the film. There was no formal script and the small crew on set enabled a focus on essential emotions. O’Toole felt that “worrying about all the expensive frills and the production elements distract and often get in the way of those [emotions].”

Stereophonic has once again successfully reaffirmed Sackville’s identity as a prospering music and art hub. Curiously, the sleepy town of Sackville attracts bands from cities like Montreal and Halifax, fostering an eclectic music scene that is anything but lethargic. Stereophonic brought a breath of fresh air to staple Sackville venues like Thunder & Lightning, the Legion and the Vogue – sensorially refurbishing them in the new year.

12

ARTS & CULTURE

JANUARY 26, 2017 | ARGOSY@MTA.CA

REFERENDUM

MUSIC

7 Mondays levy referendum Photos from draws near “Here Begins One-of-a-kind student journal calls for support the Sequence of Sequences”

Karin Aurell (flute), Nadia Francavilla (violin) and Andrew Reed Miller (bass) perform Luciano Berio’s Sequenza series, a technically demanding collection written in the 20th century renowned for pushing the musical limits of the instrument and soloist.

7 MONDAYS 7 MONDAYS 7 MONDAYS 7 MONDAYS 7 MONDAYS 7 MONDAYS 7 MONDAYS 7 IZZY FRANKCOLINI/THE ARGOSY

WILL PELLETIER Arts and Culture Reporter Mount Allison’s popular studentedited journal, 7 Mondays, is once again on the line to have its levy revoked. If the student body votes against continuing to fund the journal, which compiles studentsubmitted works of photography and creative writing, there may not be future editions.

The referendum to decide the journal’s fate will coincide with the MASU elections taking place on Jan. 30 and 31. The question at hand: Should each student continue to pay $3 each year to fund the project? With its 23rd annual issue on the way, 7 Mondays has lasted longer than any other student-produced journal in Canada.

MASU science senator Andrew Moreira explained the importance of such referenda for the student body.

“Every three years a club or service that uses student fees to run, like 7 Mondays, CIS, SRP and the Bike Co-op, must be put to a referendum of the entire student body. This is intended to make sure that the services provided still align with the wants and needs of the student body.

Unfortunately, 7 Mondays is on the block this election cycle.”

Kennedy Lundberg, a fourthyear English major and editor of 7 Mondays, explained why she believes the journal is important to her and the Mt. A community. “It’s amazing to have such a longstanding journal on campus that’s [compiled and

edited] by students.”

“It’s really special that we can have this great conversation about public work and [have] this space to be able to talk about the publication of creative works. It’d be a shame if that disappeared,” Lundberg said.

The journal’s editorial board, composed entirely of volunteer students, selects submitted literary work through a rigorous review method: only unanimous agreement can secure a piece’s place in the journal.

“For this [next] issue, there [are] roughly 60 pages of writing that we’ll be looking at. Every single one of those pages will be discussed, every single piece gets discussed and voted on,” Lundberg said.

With such selective measures, many might be led to believe that the editors only consider work from English or photography students.

However, the journal has always been open to submissions from any Mt. A student.

“Anyone from any department [can submit]. Obviously, you have to be a student at Mt. A, but other than that, there are no real boundaries,” Lundberg said.

Lundberg added, “It’s completely unheard of to have a [student-edited] journal that’s been running for 23 years. That’s … awesome. And we shouldn’t let it stop over a threedollar fee.”

With such a high turnover rate, universities like Mt. A do not provide an ideal environment for longrunning publications. To combat this,

the journal has been quietly advised at a distance by fine arts department head and the journal’s supervisor Thaddeus Holownia since its infancy.

“The third year [in which I was involved], I said we should try to get some extra funds and make it into a photography and literary journal. We got money from a couple different things and we put together the first 7 Mondays that had photographs and creative writing,” Holownia said.

“We did that for a couple years, cobbling the money together, until an ambitious student organized a referendum, which passed, and money was put in place to fund the journal,” Holownia said.

The journal has been funded by the student body ever since. The MASU is mandated to put up the levies of 7 Mondays and other student-run organizations for occasional referendum, although Holownia said that the repetitive referenda are redundant at best and suspicious at worst.

“They should instead be saying, ‘we’ll fund it for 10 years’ [instead of three] so that the editors can use their time more wisely instead of hustling around to get that passed again,” Holownia said.

Compared to the levies of similar student-run organizations, a $3 fee, for a personal copy of 7 Mondays each year, appears small. Whether or not it is small enough for the majority of the student body remains to be seen.

TOP: ANDREW REED MILLER PREPARES TO PLAY BASS. MIDDLE: KARIN AURELL EXPERTLY PLAYS BERIO’S FIRST SEQUENZA. BOTTOM: VIOLIN VIRTUOSO NADIA FRANCAVILLA PERFORMS WITH DEEP CONCENTRATION SAVANNAH FORSEY/THE ARGOSY

ARTS & CULTURE

THE ARGOSY | WWW.ARGOSY.CA

MUSIC

DRINK

13

The sound of Winter cocktail - the hot toddy music and silence William Robinson collaborates with organist Nicholas Veltmeyer

SOOTH YOUR THROAT AND YOUR WINTER BLUES WITH A CITRUS HOT TODDY. SAVANNAH MILEEN HARRIS/THE ARGOSY

KEEGAN HILTZ Contributor It’s the middle of January, and second semester is well underway. If you haven’t caught a cold yet, it’s only a matter of time until you do. After coming down with the sniffles last week, I owe my survival to the hot toddy, a delicious way to fight off a

cold. To fix one up for yourself, all you’ll need is: 1 heaping tablespoon honey 2 tablespoons lemon juice 2 tablespoons of whisky Water Spoon the honey into a large mug and add enough boiling water to dissolve it. If making the grown-up version, let the honey-water cool

somewhat before adding in the whisky, because excessive heat may mess with its flavour. Stir in the lemon juice and top up with more warm water to reach the desired strength.

A hot toddy can be a nice cold remedy because the honey and lemon will soothe your sore throat and the whisky will help you drift off to dreamland – or at least let you forget how sick you are. No matter what it says on the resumé I submitted to the Argosy, I’m not a doctor; if you’re really unwell, don’t use booze and, of course, check whatever medicine you might be taking in case it shouldn’t be combined with alcohol. I like to use whisky, but scotch, bourbon, rum, or brandy also goes well with honey and lemon. Try adding a tea bag of your choice for an extra aromatic appeal; my personal favourite is rooibos. This drink pairs perfectly with hot soup, a warm blanket and a snow flurry outside.

VELTMEYER PLAYS ROBINSON’S COMPOSITION SAVANNAH MILEEN HARRIS/THE ARGOSY

EMMA BUSH Arts and Culture Reporter It was a welcome respite to step out of the wind and cold and into the warmth and peace of the Mount Allison Chapel for an hour of organ music last Friday evening.

The resounding tones of the organ, played by Nicholas Veltmeyer, organist and pianist from Halifax, ushered people into the room. This performance was in collaboration with visual artist William Robinson’s exhibition at Struts Gallery, opening that same night as part of the Stereophonic Music Festival that took place in Sackville last week.

Summoned by the music and a desire to view the performer at the organ in the balcony, the audience was guided into the middle of the building and away from the main pews, congregating at the front of the chapel and upper balconies.

Third-year fine arts student Evan Furness was in attendance. “I liked how when you walked in, it wasn’t apparent where the music was coming from, since you didn’t see the performer. I [also] liked how it was three looped songs so you could stop by, listen to the pieces, and then leave at any point after,” Furness said.

This drop-in style was all-inclusive, with both students and community members in attendance. Small children watched entranced. At times, a baby could be heard chattering.

Long pauses in between pieces added to the dramatics of the presentation, leaving the church silent, except for haunting reverberations facilitating small pockets of conversation or reflection.

This made the eventual continuation of the music all the more striking.

Personally, I felt chills every time the music continued and was moved emotionally to a state of both relaxation and reflection in response.

Robinson is also from Halifax

and produces audio-visual art that consists of site-specific installations, performances, videos, musical compositions, sculptures and printed materials. He has received a Canada Council for the Arts audio research grant for this past year and was also a Sobey Art Award Atlantic regional finalist last year. Robinson explores how the combination of sound and music can bring out narratives of society and history that may have been lying unnoticed in sites or environments.

On Friday night, such an exploration was made of the Mt. A chapel, connected to geological, geographical, industrial and historical origins of its physical components.

This was done by performing organ pieces that had been composed by layering the building plans of the Pickard Quarry and the Mt. A chapel over each other and putting this image into a program that translated, where the lines intersected, into musical notation.

Veltmeyer’s presentation of this organ music was streamed at the opening of Robinson’s show at Struts gallery by a videographer and photographer present in the chapel.

Third-year student Caroline Chamandy said, “I went to the performance and the art exhibition opening [and] found the performance to be both powerful and eerie … initially, it reminded me of [the] German expressionist film [genre].”

The contrast in organ music between bright tones and eerie dissonance seemed to beautifully show both the baseness of the Quarry and the architecturally elevated Chapel in a combination that succeeded in making both more complete in their unity.

To sum up the experience is best done by quoting the young children who were in attendance and, observing and listening in awe, couldn’t help but say “wow”.

THURSDAY, JAN. 26 Interdisciplinary Conversations.................................................................................................. 4:30 p.m. Owens Art Gallery Legally Blonde the Musical .................................................................................................................. 8 p.m. Convocation Hall Mt. A versus Crandall Basketball ........................................................................................................... 6 p.m. Athletic Centre Antlantic Wildlife Institute Trivia Night ................................................................................................... 9:30 p.m. The Pond

FRIDAY, JAN. 27

Free yoga ...................................................................................................................................... 5:30 p.m. Sackville Commons Richard Ibghy & Marilous Lemmens exhibition opening ........................................................... 7 p.m. Owens Art Gallery Legally Blonde the Musical ................................................................................................................. 8 p.m. Convocation Hall

SATURDAY, JAN. 28 Sackville Farmer’s Market ................................................................................................ 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. Bridge St. & Weldon Amanda Fauteux, new works ..................................................................................................... 3 p.m. Thunder & Lightning Chamber music and songs from 1916-17 ............................................................................ 7:30 p.m. Brunton Auditorium Legally Blonde the Musical ................................................................................................................. 8 p.m. Convocation Hall

SUNDAY, JAN. 29

Legally Blonde the Musical ................................................................................................................... 2 p.m. Convocation Hall

MONDAY, JAN. 30

MASU winter elections Elizabeth Jewett Stanley Lecture in Canadian Studies ................................................................... 7 p.m. Owens Art Gallery Riotous Film Society Presents: Daisies ............................................................................................ 7:30 p.m. Library Theatre

TUESDAY, JAN. 31

Huronia Survivors Presentation.................................................................................................. 6 p.m. R. P. B. Library Theatre

WEDNESDAY FEB. 1

Lettuce Eat Community Meal................................................................................................... 12 p.m. Chapel Manning Room Collegium Musicum.......................................................................................................................... 4 p.m. Brunton Auditorium

14 OPINIONS

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

Independent Student Newspaper of Mount Allison University Thursday, January 26, 2017 volume 146 issue 5 Circulation 1,000 Since 1872

LABOUR RELATIONS

The dire state of student employment Student employees frustrated with being underpaid and inadequately supported at Mt. A

on Unceded Mi’kmaq Land 62 York Street W. McCain Student Centre Mount Allison University Sackville, New Brunswick

506.364.2236

E4L 1H3

Email argosy@mta.ca

THE ARGOSY is published by Argosy Publications, Inc., a student run, autonomous, apolitical not-for-profit organization operated in accordance with the province of New Brunswick.

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

ISSN 0837-1024

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

EDITORIAL staff EDITORS-IN-CHIEF | Sylvan Hamburger, Tyler Stuart MANAGING EDITOR | Cecilia Stuart NEWS EDITORS | Catherine Turnbull, Naomi Goldberg ARTS & CULTURE EDITORS | Mallory Burnside-Holmes, Mirelle Naud SPORTS & HEALTH EDITOR | David Taplin OPINIONS EDITOR | Shannon Power HUMOUR EDITOR | Mark Cruz COPY EDITOR | Claire Henderson-Hamilton

PRODUCTION staff PRODUCTION MANAGER | Hailey Guzik PHOTO EDITOR | Savannah Harris PHOTOGRAPHERS | Savannah Forsey, Ryan MacRae ILLUSTRATION EDITOR | Jeff Mann ILLUSTRATORS | Izzy Francolini, Louis Sobol ONLINE EDITOR | Monica Zahl

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

Will Balser, Jacob Burnley, Vince Casey, Eva Gourdji, Riley Higdon, Keegan Hiltz, Josh Johnson, Olivia Landry, Marilyn Lerch,

EDITOR: SHANNON POWER | JANUARY 26, 2017 | ARGOSY@MTA.CA

JOSH JOHNSON Contributor Student employment at Mount Allison has become a significant part of our university experience. This has happened in light of increased tuition costs and the need to enter the full-time work force with both an education and a wealth of practical work experience. While it can be said that student jobs on campus are available in order to enrich our academic experience and prepare us for full-time work, it is also important to note that they fill important roles that support daily university functions and that, as members of this community, we deserve to have our issues addressed.

Unfortunately, student employees are not granted the same protections that are in place for other workers on campus, such as our professors, librarians, facilities management employees and some administrative staff. Instead, we have been forced to work for the university without any legal protections or mechanisms to address our employment concerns.

This is troubling, as a Right to Information Request from 2016 determined that Mt. A does not have an applicable liability insurance policy that protects student employees, such as residence assistants (RAs) or Event

Security Services staff, from lawsuits that could stem from cases in which they are placed in compromising situations (which occur almost every weekend).

Furthermore, almost no students – myself included (now a teaching assistant [TA]) – applying for an on-campus job are provided with a formal job description. This is a serious issue because a job description serves as the legal baseline for determining the duties required of a certain employment position. Job descriptions ensure that employees are fairly compensated and stipulate that legally, employees do not have to perform duties not outlined in the job description, such as cleaning up vomit as an RA. Student employees are also not provided with institutional mechanisms that allow us to file grievances in cases where we are improperly or arbitrarily fired or discriminated against in a hiring process, or where other work-related issues arise, such as sexual harassment

or employer negligence.

In many cases, student employees are also not properly trained and if they are, training is usually unpaid.

For example, TAs for the biology department undergo three hours of unpaid training. This is a violation of the New Brunswick Employment Standards Act, which stipulates that all required meetings and training must be paid. (The same goes for online Moodle training, which is required for other campus jobs).

In addition to these issues, student employees are severely underpaid, compared to other universities in Canada – even those in the Maritimes. Undergraduate TAs at Saint Mary’s, where tuition is approximately $6,860 for a resident of N.S., make $17.11 per hour, compared to a mere $13.30/h at Mt. A, even though we pay approximately $900 more in tuition. They also have job descriptions. To top it all off, our RAs are some of the worst-paid in the country, second-lowest only to UPEI. Although all of these problems

are present, when students have attempted to engage in discussions with the administration about solving them, our grievances and complaints were ignored and productive solutions were not created. Take, for example, the extensive discussions undertaken by the MASU last year on behalf of RAs. The result of these discussions, backed with the creation of a report containing hard data on the underpaid and overworked nature of on-campus student employment, was a reduction of positions and a minor increase in salaries, which led to a net increase of $0 for RA pay.

As student employees, we should not stand for this institutional negligence and we should not support the status quo. Instead, we should make our voices louder and force the administration to take our issues seriously, as they do for other employee groups on campus. As the “Best Undergraduate University in Canada,” we cannot allow for the continuation of this unjust employer negligence.

RESIDENCE ASSISTANTS AT MT. A ARE AMONG THE WORST PAID IN THE COUNTRY ALLISON GROGAN/ARCHIVES

Emily MacKinnon, Taylor McCuaig, Kevin Melanson, Tierra Stokes COVER | Jeff Mann RUNNING DOODLES | Meagan Chaput

PUBLICATION board

Leslie Kern, Owen Griffiths

DISCLAIMERS & COPYRIGHT The Argosy is the official independent student journal of news,

U.S. ELECTION

Fighting for a better world

We must work every day to resist hate fueled by the American election

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

OLIVIA LANDRY Contributor

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.

Since the United States election, many people have told me that I do not need to be concerned about Donald Trump’s presidency because I do not live in the U.S. While I certainly do not have the same fears as many marginalized people living in the U.S., the threat and reality of Trump’s presidency has had an effect

and will continue to have an effect on our country and on our lives.

Trump’s ideas about women, people of colour, queer people, people with disabilities and many others do not go unnoticed, but often go unchallenged or unquestioned by many, which is extremely disturbing.

For so many reasons, these concerns about what Trump represents have a place on our campus. Racism, sexism, ableism, classism, queerphobia, xenophobia, transphobia and many other forms of oppression do not exist solely within the U.S. They are present on our campus.

Mt. A has a culture of sexual violence, and we have seen a rise in hate and backlash against feminists.

Our campus is very physically inaccessible, and we have had to fight to keep our women’s and gender studies program in order to educate people about issues facing

our school and our world. We have racism present within our students’ union and we began the year with a Residence Life Code of Conduct that assigned demerit points as a consequence for sexual violence.

These are just a few examples of oppression and injustice facing our community that must be stopped.

Most recently, the night that Trump was inaugurated, someone drew a Swastika in the snow on the football field. This is not a coincidence or a joke and it should not be taken lightly. This act is a blatant demonstration of hate and to dismiss it is to continue to ignore that we have racism on our campus.

As Tasia Alexopoulos wrote in her Feb. 19 Argosy op-ed titled “Against Fascism, for Feminism,” Sackville is not a utopia; we have to dream of better worlds and fight for them if we want things to change.

With all of this in mind, I am devastated for the marginalized people who will experience an increase in hate due to Trump’s presidency and whose lives will be made difficult or put in danger because of his decisions in the U.S. At this time, I am reminded that we need to organize, take care of each other and ourselves and be firm in our beliefs and actions. I am inspired by the women’s marches that occurred in the U.S. and across the globe and I have hope that events like this will continue over the next four years.

There are a lot of great people on this campus and in this world who are dedicated to fighting oppression and injustice. We need to find each other and know that this work will not stop because of Trump’s presidency.

OPINIONS

THE ARGOSY | WWW.ARGOSY.CA

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

15

Imagine big, witness and resist MARILYN LERCH Contributor

In an unprecedented response to the inauguration of a United States president, the Women’s March on Saturday, Jan. 21, drew more than 500,000 people to Washington, D.C., and 400,000 to New York City. All across the U.S., across Canada from Vancouver to Halifax and all across the world, support marches were held.

This was an inspiring, principled and necessary rebuke to a right-wing authoritarian Republican administration with fascist undertones that vows to introduce a new world order. This

“MASSIVE DEMONSTRATIONS DO NOT A MOVEMENT MAKE” response, possibly the largest global mobilization ever, showed that the incoming billionaire administration does not have a mandate from the people to do what it wills and that it will be met with opposition.

But a word of caution: When the U.S. attacked Iraq, tens of millions of people protested worldwide.

Nothing stopped the destruction of

a culture, the dismemberment of a nation, or what contributed to a “war on terror.” Massive demonstrations do not a movement make. I do not doubt that a movement will arise in the U.S. and around the world. But what is the context in which these movements will develop?

We live in a world where power – social, political, military – is centralized and embedded in a global economic system whose purpose is to reproduce itself and increase profits no matter the cost. It is a world where capital concentration and inequality are unprecedented. What this portends is that a few people who hold enormous power can impact the world. This should indeed frighten us.

But global capitalism is beset by many contradictions. For example, a saturated global market and decades of stagnation force nations to retreat into tariff wars and other protectionist policies. The rise of China creates a whole other set of problems. The system creates demagogues such as Trump and other right-wing alternatives coming to the fore in Europe today. Alternatives to what? Bourgeois democracy sees no alternative to capitalism and so must resort to populist tactics to mask the problems generated by capitalism itself.

Consider that Trump’s

PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD GATHERED TO SUPPORT MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES SAVANNAH FORSEY/ARGOSY inauguration speech outlined exactly what global capitalism has done in the U.S.: closing factories and sending jobs outside of the country where labour laws are less stringent and taxes are lower. But, of course, Trump cannot call global capitalism by name, but rather must point to some malignancy that has deprived the people of jobs and opportunity.

And the response is to reintroduce populism for the times: push xenophobia, foist blame on Mexicans and Muslims, use divisiveness as a

distraction from the root causes.

In my opinion, a movement today that does not address these root causes of climate change, unprecedented wealth hoarding and income inequality, race and class divisions cannot begin to create the kind of movement that may possibly build an alternative to global capitalism. And this applies whether you are trying to get the Sackville town council to oppose the Energy East pipeline, or are confronting Swastika-makers or homophobia in the dorms.

We have to fight for reforms, absolutely. But these efforts must be seen as bridges to alternatives, not as ends in themselves.

Someone said that people can accept the end of the world more readily than the end to capitalism.

These may be the choices. We’ve entered the anthropocene epoch.

Our earth, life itself, is up for grabs.

It is not the time for half measures, wishful thinking, timidity. It is time to imagine big, witness and resist.

FIGHTING HATE

Will hope be enough?

More than just a symbol, the Swastika represents hate, violence, and should not be tolerated

EVA GOURDJI Contributor Saturday morning, many of us woke up to the circulating photo of a Swastika drawn in the snow on our own football field. I am in absolute disbelief that a group of people took the time to express their hatred and intolerance toward certain marginalized groups of people.

The Swastika was used as an emblem for Nazis during the Holocaust, representing a horrifying genocide that killed around six million Jews in the most disturbing ways. The Swastika represents intolerance toward Jewish people and countless other groups targeted during the Holocaust such as homosexuals, people of colour, people with disabilities and communists. It is also used today by neo-Nazi, white supremacist movements to continually enact violence upon Jewish people and racialized minorities.

I have become accustomed to comments about my membership

to the Jewish community and my Middle Eastern heritage. These microaggressions, including jokes about my nose and comments about money, are accompanied by ignorant assumptions about where my family and I come from and how we practise our religion. Though frustrating to face these unpleasant encounters on campus and at parties, I have never felt unsafe at Mount Allison on the basis of my membership to Judaism.

This is no longer the case.

To those who believe this may have been an isolated event, an illthought-out intoxicated decision

made at 2 a.m., or simply a distasteful joke, I firmly believe it means much more than that. I am disgusted that this symbol was deliberately drawn in a place students walk by every single day. This act of hatred serves as a reminder that our interpersonal differences are hierarchical and that those not benefitting from the top position of this hierarchy will continue to experience violence.

Racism, anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry are perpetuated here, despite assertions that Mt. A is always a welcoming community.

Whoever did this has shown far

more than intolerance. This act of violent hatred serves to instill fear in us and make us feel unsafe in the same space where we study. Before the perpetrators had been identified, I walked around campus fearing that I had crossed paths with them at the grocery store, sat next to them in class, or even called one of them my friend.

Now we know that the perpetrators are complete strangers and are neither a part of the student body nor residents of Sackville. Regardless of who they are, by drawing a Swastika, they are proclaiming that they hate me, my family, my culture.

RACISTS, ANTI-SEMITES, AND BIGOTS HAVE BECOME EMBOLDENED WITH THE ELECTION OF DONALD TRUMP SAVANNAH FORSEY/ARGOSY

I believe that the timing of this vicious behaviour was not random. Racists, anti-Semites and homophobes are encouraged by an increasing tolerance of the oppressive mentalities that support their distasteful beliefs. This act occurred on a campus where the term “feminazi” was used casually and where students of colour have expressed experiencing racism through micro- and macroaggressions, both at school and in Sackville itself.

Despite the hurt and victimization I feel, I also feel comforted by the fact that a community exists that will not tolerate anti-Semitism, homophobia, racism and hate.

Another unidentified person stepped onto the football field, drawing the word “Hope” in the snow, turning the Swastika into a capital “H.” It is the actions of these people, people who work to compensate for others’ hate, that create a community that will not tolerate aggression justified by difference. In a world where we must tirelessly fight for equality, it is these actions that continue to give me hope.

16 HUMOUR

EDITOR: MARK CRUZ | JANUARY 26, 2017 | ARGOSY@MTA.CA

JUST A PRANK BRO

FUN N GAMES

Trapped

Local man spends semester stuck behind chainlink fence

Would you rather???

Play with a pal!

MARK CRUZ Humour Editor Fuck a Pillsbury Pizza Pop™ OR a McCain Pizza Pocket™?

Wear the world’s biggest boots OR the world’s tightest jeans?

Have a penis for a nose OR have penises for fingers?

Always walk really slow OR only sprint?

Every time your parents make love, you must watch OR join in, just once?

Constantly smell like Subway OR work at Subway forever?

Smallest head with biggest neck OR biggest neck with smallest head?

Spend an hour in the meal hall compost bin OR eat a plate of that compost?

Poo out of your mouth OR eat through your butt?

PICTURED LEFT TO RIGHT: DENIAL, THEN ACCEPTANCE

VINCE CASEY Contributor ~DAY 1~ The craziest thing happened today.

There I was, reading a book while walking through the academic quad. All of a sudden, BAM. I ran into a chain-link fence. There was a construction worker finishing the fence in front of me. He just looked at me shrugged and walked off...I wonder if this is my buddy Brock’s doing...

~DAY 2~ I called Brock and he said that he has no idea what I was talking about. I spent the night in the fence, since I couldn’t find a way out. It was kinda scary, not bad though. Hopefully today I’ll come up with an escape plan. People on the outside of the fence are acting as if I’m invisible. I know I’m not; it’s a chain-link fence.

Pretty impressive Brock got the whole school in on the joke. I should have stayed off my phone rather than leaving Brock some pretty mean voicemails. P.S. my phone is dead.

~DAY 3~

~DAY 21~

Honestly, thank God I was coming back from the grocery store when I got trapped in here. I wish it wasn’t Tuesday though…not sure how long I can ration two chicken tenders. Yeah I’m still here, second escape attempt was unsuccessful. Supplies running low. Quality of life is diminishing.

I’ve memorized the class schedules of almost all of my peers. My favourite time of day is 1:30 on M-W-F when Elizabeth and Carter always act like they don’t notice each other. I’m excited to see what happens with them.

~DAY 8~

Natasha has skipped four classes this week! She never does that! I wonder if her and Rachel have talked things through about what happened in front of the library last week. Yikes.

I’ve found a lot of old art supplies in here. With them, I have become a proficient craftsman of small trinkets.

You know, like miniature kitchen supplies or tiny musical instruments.

I’ve made a deal with a small boy on campus. He is the only one who notices me. He brings me food in exchange for trinkets. I don’t mind this.

~DAY 10~ Just wanted to mention there is a toilet in here. I’m not pooping in a bucket or anything.

~DAY 14~ I’ve set up an emergency fire beacon on the roof. A plane could fly over and see it. This could be my way out.

~DAY 69~

~DAY ???~ I’ve lost all concept of time. The only real thing in this world are chain links… THERE ARE 1,800,815 LINKS IN THIS FUCKING FENCE. I BET YOU DIDN’T KNOW THAT.

~DAY ????~ There’s a gate in the back of the fence.

I’m going to leave this journal here.

This has been the most embarrassing period of my life. If anyone finds this, please do not submit it to the Argosy.

I have to talk to Brock…

DRAWINGS BY MARISSA CRUZ

! calling all funny people !

WE ARE LOOKING FOR CONTRIBUTORS ILLUSTRATIONS, COMICS, DOODLES, WRITING EMAIL ARGOSY@MTA.CA WITH YOUR NAME AND CONTACT INFO FOR MORE DETAILS ABOUT HOW YOU CAN GET INVOLVED!

BY KEVIN MELANSON