The Argosy, March 6, Vol. 149, Iss. 17

THE ARG OSY

NEWS Divest holds protest during university open house (Pg. 3)

ARTS & CULTURE Sweetest Little Thing returns the 21st year (Pg.7)

Receiving your death threats since 1872

Acr4560786.tmp 1

OPINIONS Fury from the globe (Pg. 13)

CREATIVE “Th Effusion, You” (Pg. 15)

Mount Allison’s Independent Student Newspaper

COVER: Gill Hill, Milk & Roses, Photography, 2020 March 6, 2020 Vol. 149, Iss. 17

3/3/20 10:48:17 PM

02 NEWS

EDITOR: AMELIA MACDOUGALL FLEMING & EMMA CONRAD | MARCH 6. 2020 | ARGOSY@MTA.CA

POLITICS

Community discusses proposed health-care reforms at meeting

FRIDAY, MARCH 6

Concern over hospital cuts brings together Sackville residents, administrators and Mt. A students

Fine Arts Show and Sale 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Purdy Crawford Amy Fung Writing Workshop 12:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Purdy Crawford Relay for Life 4 to 10 p.m.

Athletic Centre

SATURDAY, MARCH 7 Family Swim 2 to 4 p.m.

Athletic Centre

MANY STUDENTS LIVE IN SACKVILLE AND DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO TRANSPORTATION TO MONCTON. GILL HILL/ARGOSY

SUNDAY, MARCH 8 Make Something Sunday 2 to 4 p.m.

Owens Art Gallery Vespers 6 to 7 p.m.

Chapel Manning Room Public Skate 2:30 to 3:30 p.m.

Civic Centre

MONDAY, MARCH 9 British Naval Nursing 1775-1815 Talk 7 to 8 p.m.

Owens Art Gallery Fung Loy Kok Taoist Tai Chi 7 to 9 p.m.

St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church

TUESDAY, MARCH 10 VMSC Speaker David Garneau 4 to 6 p.m.

Owens Art Gallery Geography and Seminar Series 7 to 9 p.m.

Crabtree Auditorium

Environment

WEDNESDAY,MARCH 11 Collegium Musicum 4 to 5 p.m.

Brunton Auditorium

THURSDAY, MARCH 12

President’s Speaker Series: Dr. Mona Nemer 7 to 8 p.m.

Crabtree Auditorium

MARTHA PITRE News Reporter On Feb. 26, hundreds of community members filled Convocation Hall to discuss the health-care reforms proposed by the provincial government earlier this month. The community meeting was hosted by leaders in the MemramcookTantramar region including MLA Megan Mitton, Fort Folly First Nations Chief Rebecca Knockwood and Sackville Mayor John Higham.

Also in attendance were Beauséjour Green party representative Laura Reinsborough (who facilitated the event), Sackville family doctor Allison Dysart and retired physician Ross Thomas.

On Feb. 11, the government of New Brunswick, alongside Health Minister Hugh Flemming and the CEOs of the province’s two health-care networks, announced that six rural hospitals would be set to close their emergency rooms during overnight hours. The Sackville Memorial Hospital, in addition to the overnight closure of its ER, would be forced to move its day-surgery program to Moncton and convert acute-care beds into long-term care beds.

On Feb. 16, after receiving strong backlash from rural New Brunswickers in response to the proposed reforms, Premier Blaine Higgs announced that the closures would be postponed to allow for community consultations. At the meeting, Mitton said that it is unclear what these consultations will look like. The meetings are scheduled to take place in April or May. Despite the pushback, Flemming, Vitalité Health Network CEO Gilles Lanteigne, and Horizon Health Network CEO Karen McGrath will likely still proceed with the reforms after consultations have taken place.

“It was very clear that they still love this plan,” said Mitton at the meeting.

“They feel that our communities and citizens of New Brunswick just don’t understand and just aren’t willing to listen, and that we’re too emotional.”

Mitton said that the way that the reforms were rolled out was “very insulting and unfair.”

During the meeting, Mitton announced the formation of a 12to 15-member interim committee to “push back and offer a different perspective” to Higgs when he visits Sackville in the spring. The committee, still in early stages, will be co-chaired by Chief Rebecca Knockwood and Mayor John Higham, with representatives from all affected areas in the MemramcookTantramar region.

Mitton would like to see representatives from the Mount Allison community, the MASU, the medical community and the hospital auxiliary on the committee as well. The committee is looking for

“THEY FEEL THAT OUR COMMUNITIES AND CITIZENS OF NEW BRUNSWICK JUST

Higgs cancelled at the last minute.

“He doesn’t want to deal with people, especially First Nations.”

Higham said that he was pleased to see the pushback from rural New Brunswick after the government’s initial announcement. “To remove that within five or six days is phenomenal,” he said. “There was a lot of feeling that, unfortunately, rural areas could be picked off on public policy because they’re just so small it doesn’t really matter.” He also said that the overnight hospital closures have negative impacts on other, smaller rural communities.

According to Higham, some smaller health-care systems rely on services provided by the affected rural hospitals.

Dysart argued that the proposed cuts will worsen the province’s medical personnel shortage, and therefore patient care. He said that surgeries in regional hospitals like Moncton are already being regularly cancelled due to lack of medical personnel, and patients are being cared for in hospital hallways while

they wait for a bed. The Sackville nurses who had been given layoff notices at the beginning of February (which have since been rescinded), are already looking for jobs elsewhere because they feel their jobs here are no longer secure.

Dysart also noted that in Moncton, where many services will be moved if the cuts are to go forward, 15,000 people do not have family doctors.

“So, when you think about the big reforms they were going to do, how does that deal with any of the real challenges New Brunswick is facing in health care?” he said. “In fact, I think it makes them worse.”

Thomas said that the cuts have already lessened people’s trust in both of the province’s health networks. “I think they’ve done more harm to recruitment in these past two weeks than all the good they’ve done in the past several years,” he said. Élise Vaillancourt, the MASU’s VP external, raised the point that campus emergencies disproportionately happen between the hours of 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. “Since this announcement, we’ve heard from a lot of students that they’re really scared for what happens when their friend gets sick at two in the morning,” she said.

She also added that many students cannot afford the $80 cab fare to or from Moncton, which she says is “unacceptable for a population of students who have the highest debt load in the country.”

Sackville representatives intend to continue to lead the fight against the proposed rural health-care reforms. If you or anyone you know is interested in helping contribute skills or experience to the committee, the town asks that you fill out the engagement form using the link bit. ly/chcsc.

DON’T UNDERSTAND AND JUST AREN’T WILLING TO LISTEN, AND THAT WE’RE TOO EMOTIONAL” expertise in areas such as data analysis and communications, in addition to the personal experiences of patients, relatives of patients and medical professionals. “It’s a bit messy, but direct democracy is what we need,” said Mitton.

According to Knockwood, the proposed reforms to six hospitals would negatively affect five First Nations communities. “Five chiefs are being very vocal about this and they’re not going to let this slide,” she said. She added that she had scheduled a meeting with Higgs for Feb. 27 regarding the cuts, however

GILL HILL/ARGOSY

NEWS

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ACTIVISM

03

Divest holds protest during open house Students gather to protest Mount Allison’s fossil fuel investments

ZOE HUNTER News Reporter On Friday, Feb. 28 during Mount Allison’s winter open house, Divest MTA organized a protest against the University’s investment in fossil fuel and coal companies.

The group of about 30 students began the protest in the academic quad and then marched to Centennial Hall chanting and engaging with students in the area, including prospective students and their parents. Once they arrived outside Centennial Hall, students expressed their demands through speeches.

Julia Connolly, a third-year student, outlined the demands of Divest Mount Allison. “Every time we meet with the administration, we ask for the same thing, and that is to divest from the top 200 publicly traded fossil fuel companies within the next five years. We have been asking that for seven years,” said Connolly. “Today we are also asking Mount Allison to divest from TC Energy and TC PipeLines, which have funded the Coastal GasLink project which is invading sovereign Wet’suwet’en territory. Investment in these companies is not only unethical, but it shouldn’t be tolerated at all in an institution like this.”

The territory Connolly alluded to is the Wet’suwet’en sovereign nation where land defenders are currently protecting their unceded territory against the proposed multi-billion dollar pipeline project. Canadians are protesting across the country in solidarity with the Wet’suwet’en people.

“Mount Allison has close to $8 million invested in the top 200

IN THE MORNING DIVEST ORGANIZERS HANDED OUT ORANGE PINS TO PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS. YU-SHENG CHIU/CONTRIBUTOR coal and oil companies,” said Nick Nauss, a first-year student who crossreferenced the top 200 publicly traded fossil fuel companies and the Mt. A endowment fund spreadsheet. “These companies such as ExxonMobil, Chevron [and] Hearst Petroleum have been destroying our planet for decades and Mount Allison is profiting off of it. Mount Allison has been telling us that it is more important for the University to engage with the fossil fuel industry rather than disengagement, which they call divestment.”

First-year student Kate Deroches spoke next. Deroches acknowledged that divestment is a complicated issue, but that it is important that Mt. A works toward it regardless.

“We know that it’s complicated, we know that there are systems in place that fundamentally work against

sustainability and that reshaping these systems is no small task, but we also know that it doesn’t matter,” said Deroches. “It doesn’t matter

“I QUESTION HOW MUCH THIS UNIVERSITY ACTUALLY CARES ABOUT THE FUTURES OF ITS STUDENTS” how much work this change takes because it is so necessary, so many lives depend on this.” She also stated her belief that “If the systems under which our society operates are designed to take more and more

from the Earth with no regard for the consequences, we have no hope of long-term survival of our species.

“If [Mt. A] questions whether or not investing in a livable future is worth all the trouble then I question how much this University actually cares about the futures of its students,” said Deroches.

“Divestment is the beginning to a sustainable future,” said Helen Yao, a second-year student. “It entails shifting our economy and our lifestyle towards a living one, towards one focused on sustainability, not profit.”

In 2017, The Guardian published an article stating that 100 companies have caused 70 per cent of the world’s carbon emissions since 1988. Yao referenced this article in her speech: “Disengagement from an industry that has produced 70 per cent of all human carbon emissions is so

important because we believe there is no excuse to continue engaging with the industries that have directly caused human rights crises all around the world,” said Yao. “We need dramatic and radical change because we only have 10 years to address the climate crisis before we reach a point that we don’t want to think about,” said Yao, referencing the UN’s warning in 2018 that in order to keep global warming from rising to a dangerous point (a maximum temperature increase of 2 C), immediate action must be taken within 12 years.

Mt. A administration did not interact with the students protesting.

On March 4, Divest MTA will meet again to hold a walkout in support of the Wet’suwet’en people.

THE STUDENT GROUP HAS BEEN ASKING FOR THE UNIVERSITY TO DIVEST FROM THE TOP 200 PUBLICLY TRADED FOSSIL FUEL COMPANIES SINCE 2015. YU-SHENG CHIU/CONTRIBUTOR

04

NEWS

MARCH 6, 2020 | ARGOSY@MTA.CA

RESEARCH

Psychology department faculty speak to students about their research on panel

Mt. A psychology professors dive deep into their interests and the future of psychology EMMA CONRAD News Editor On Feb. 24 five of Mount Allison’s psychology professors shared their research and answered questions from students about psychological research at a panel set up by Mt. A’s Psych Society.

The five professors who shared their stories were Dr. Rima Azar, Dr. Gene Ouellette, Dr. Mitchell LaPointe, Dr. Odette Gould and Dr. Danielle Douglas. Each professor began the panel by explaining what kind of research they do in the field of psychology.

“My work focuses on the biobehavioural mechanisms linking stress and health to child development,” said Azar. “I have a particular interest in maternal and paternal coping efforts when facing child complex care needs.” Azar also focuses on peer-to-peer support for families with children who have chronic and complex needs, as well as looking at biological mechanisms between maternal prenatal depression and anxiety in relation to birth weight.

Ouellette is a developmental psychologist who has an interest in how children learn early reading skills. Oulette is also interested in how semantics (the study of meaning in language) plays a role in reading and spelling. “My research area originally was in the domain of speech and language development, and then that sort of evolved in the years to a literacy focus, specifically looking at how oral language interacts with how we learn how to read and write,” said Ouellette.

LaPointe, who began teaching at Mt. A this school year, has a background in cognitive psychology. “[My research] has to do with the way attention and memory work together,” said LaPointe. “For example, when you walk into a professor’s office, your past experience with professors’ offices [will] likely shape the way you allocate your attention.” This year LaPointe focused on whether attention can be manipulated and if

that will affect short- and long-term memory.

Gould’s area of research has to do with aging. “I’ve become more and more interested in intergenerational relationships, so how people communicate across generations,” she said. “That has led me in particular to being very interested in how people interact in the health-care system, so how older people make decisions about who to get care from, and also the work experiences of people who work in health care.”

Douglas is a cognitive neuroscientist whose primary interests are in vision and memory.

“Particularly I’m interested in how this region of the brain, the medial temporal lobe, supports memory,” said Douglas. “Understanding how

“WHAT INTERESTS ME THE MOST IS HOW PEOPLE FACE ADVERSITY AND ALSO HOW THEY BOUNCE BACK” vision interacts with memory is actually key to understanding how memory works, as well as the types of memory deficits we see in amnesia and the early stages of dementia.”

The professors on the panel were then asked how they became interested in psychology and particularly in their research areas.

Azar explained that she was born in Lebanon, a country that was at war from the time she was a baby until she was 17. “What interests me the most is how people face adversity and also how they bounce back. There’s also a link to the past: I was a Red Cross member and my mom was a nurse,” said Azar, whose research focuses on health psychology.

“I came to psychology kind of by accident,” said Ouellette. He explained that he only started taking psychology classes beyond

PSYCHOLOGY PROFESSORS SHARED THEIR RESEARCH AND FINDINGS IN AREAS FROM STRESS AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT TO INTERGENERATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS IN HEALTH CARE. MADELEINE HANSEN/ARGOSY introduction courses in his third year of university. “I took a course on language in the brain, and it was the first time I actually took a course that I liked,” said Ouellette. “[I] always thought I would go back [to language psychology] for my Ph.D – I thought at first in speech pathology – but then over time, working with kids, I realized I wanted to go back to psychology again.”

The professors were also asked what kind of advice they would give to psychology students who are looking into doing an independent research study or an honours in psychology.

“In my opinion what matters the most is exposure to research,” said Azar.

“Making the best out of experiences

learning, contributing, producing [and] sharing on research days.”

“If you’re in first year or second year and you don’t know where to start, one way might be to go look at the department website and see what different faculty are doing, because all of the research interests are there,” said Gould. “You can help out with the honours projects, sometimes doing some coding, sometimes just handing out surveys, so you can get your foot in the door.”

Other professors explained how students need to show that they are interested in research by being available to help. “If you’re reliable, that’s half the battle I think,” said Dr. Douglas. “Just making a good

impression on the people that you work with.”

“I think it’s incredibly important for students to hear the experiences of our professors, and to know there’s not one specific path that everyone must take,” said Sarah English, who is doing an honours certificate in psychology and is a member of the Psych Society. “Each professor shared a unique story detailing how they made it to where they are today. The professors offered encouraging, yet practical, advice which I am sure will benefit many students as they continue their studies at Mount Allison and beyond.”

The Argosy is hiring!

We are looking for a news reporter to start as soon as possible and continue in their position next year.

We are also beginning the hiring process for the 2020-21 academic year. Check your Mt. A email for a list of job openings, job descriptions and how to apply.

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CLASSICS

05

Crake Lecture series covers pre-historic remains found in Croatia

Dr. Ivan Radman-Livaja speaks on lead tags and the historic population of Siscia

IN TOTAL, RESEARCHERS HAVE FOUND 300 TAGS WITH NAMES OF 949 PEOPLE. GREG ELLISON/ARGOSY

ZOE HUNTER News Reporter On Wednesday, Feb. 12 and Thursday, Feb. 13, Dr. Ivan RadmanLivaja came to Mount Allison to speak about prehistoric remains found in the Croatian city Siscia and what that reveals about life at that time as part of the 43rd annual Crake Lecture Series.

Radman-Livaja spoke about lead tags, used by craftsmen to sort clothing and other consumer goods, and stone monuments that were found in the old Roman town of Siscia, which is in modern-day Croatia. These tags and monuments have helped researchers learn more about the lives of people who lived in that town.

“Until quite recently it was believed that there were no prehistoric remains

here,” said Radman-Livaja. However, after reading some ancient texts by Roman historian Cassius Dio and German geographer Peter Apianus researchers discovered that may not be the case. After some excavation in Siscia they found some remains, although “Siscia doesn’t have that many monuments compared to some other Roman towns,” Radman-Livaja noted.

Radman-Livaja spoke about around 200 ancient stone monuments that were used as gravestones by the people living there at the time. These monuments were typically made by enslaved people or military workers.

The graves that the researchers found were mostly of people who were literate. He said that these people could have been police, military workers or people working for the state. It was common for gravestones

THE J.E.A. CRAKE FOUNDATION WAS FOUNDED IN 1983.GREG ELLISON/ARGOSY

to be dedicated to the Roman god Jupiter, the king of all gods.

Next, Radman-Livaja showed ancient tags. These were small pieces of lead which craftsmen and tradesmen put on garments after they redyed or cleaned them. These tags were typically reused. According to Radman-Livaja, in order to have a stone monument, one needed to have a lot of money, whereas cleaning or re-dyeing your cloak was more affordable. This means that the researchers could learn about a greater variety of different people from the lead tags than from the monuments. According to RadmanLivaja, “Almost all those tags are names, most likely clients’ names.” In total, researchers have found 300 tags with names of 949 people.

These names provide a lot of information about the people who

lived in Siscia around the first and second centuries AD. Different names were more popular in different areas, so the researchers could see where the city’s residents were from. Slaves were typically named after the area they were from, so this helped researchers discover which areas slaves were taken from. “It gives a tremendous and completely new insight into the ethnic and social picture of the city,” said Radman-Livaja.

“I thought the event itself was wonderful, especially for myself going in with no prior knowledge,” said Taylor Hastey, a first-year philosophy student. “[RadmanLivaja] kept everyone engaged in his topic, something I found him to be extremely enthusiastic and very wellinformed of.”

The J.E.A. Crake Foundation was founded by former classics

professor Dr. John Ernest Alexander Crake in 1983. The foundation supports students in the humanities (specifically classics, music and drama) through scholarships and bursaries. It also holds a fellowship given to a PhD candidate who is expected to finish their doctorate in classics during the time they are teaching at Mt. A. “All these initiatives bring in high-calibre talent to the University and contribute to the life of our town,” said Dr. Ilaria Battiloro, the head of the classics department.

David Wallace-Hare, the current Crake doctoral fellow, will be holding a lecture called Healing the Future with the Past: Replicating and Repurposing Roman Honey on March 2.

SENATE

Two class days added to winter semester

Student senators propose replacing buffer days with make-up classes due to faculty strike AMELIA MACDOUGALL FLEMING

News Editor

At a Senate meeting on Feb. 11, it was announced that an extra two days of class time will be added to the winter semester academic calendar.

The classes will be April 6 and 7, leading straight from classes into exam period beginning on April 8.

This would mean removing the two buffer days after classes finish, while leaving the exam schedule intact. The addition of two days of classes was unanimously advocated by student senators, who view the two added days as compensation for the faculty strike.

“We’ve lost five academic days and this would give us back two of those and therefore allow students to not necessarily have as much of a condensed schedule,” said student senator Sam Unger. He added that this change in schedule will ideally allow for students to complete their coursework without having

assignments cut.

Senate also amended the course withdrawal date as a result of the strike. The withdrawal date was moved from Feb. 28 to March 6 to account for the week of classes lost.

The deadline for professors to return 20 per cent of grades will also be moved to March 6.

There was some concern over losing the two buffer days between classes and exams. Psychology professor Dr. Jennifer Tomes voiced her worries regarding student presentations booked for the original buffer days. “Many departments have research days for their independent study students and honours students that have been planned for the Monday and Tuesday, so they will have to scramble to figure out what to do with those planned events,” she said. “Many of the rooms that they have planned their events in will now have classes.”

Classics professor Dr. Chris Forstall was concerned about

students not being able to manage exams directly after their class of the semester. To this, Provost Jeff Ollerhead responded, “We have looked at that in broad brushstroke terms. We have normal procedures in place for students who do have conflicts or three exams in 24 hours, so we’ve thought about that.”

“This [potential conflict] was something that was under consideration by the student senators, myself and the MASU,” said Unger. “Just given all the externalities around the exam schedule being already released and having those dates already set, and just the general situation trying to make up some teaching days lost.

This is not necessarily the most ideal situation, to lose the buffer days, but definitely one that is preferable to extending the exam schedule and trying to make up the teaching days a different way.”

The Senate meeting also covered recommendations to changes in

academic programs under the 2020-21 academic calendar. This included changes to the religious studies program, including the addition of a course designation in

community engaged learning and the addition of an embedded certificate in community engaged learning.

The next meeting of the Senate will be on Tuesday, March 17 in the

THERE WAS SOME CONCERN OVER LOSING THE TWO BUFFER DAYS BETWEEN CLASSES AND EXAMS. MARA IRETA GORDON/ARGOSY

06 ARTS & CULTURE

EDITOR: BEN MAKSYM MARCH 6, 2020 | ARGOSY@MTA.CA

HUMANITIES

Creative Writing Society returns to campus to foster freedom of expression Club offers dedicated time for writing each week

JULIANNA RUTLEDGE Arts & Culture Reporter

SOCIETY ENCOURAGES ASPIRING WRITERS TO WRITE AND SHARE THEIR WORK. BRE DARLISON/CONTRIBUTOR

“The good thing about a society like this is that you get the chance to just express your own ideas, express your thoughts [and] do what you want to do,” said Justin Hughes, a third-year computer science major, who is copresident of the Creative Writing Society.

After a couple years’ absence, Mount Allison’s Creative Writing Society has returned to campus, run by co-presidents Hughes and Michelle Tan, a first-year environmental studies major.

“I came into the school really excited to join the creative writing club because it was still advertised on the website as being active,” explained Tan. “Then I came here and went to the clubs fair. I realized that wasn’t the case anymore.”

Hughes, who came to Mt. A while the society was still active, never found an opportunity to attend. Later, when the society stopped meeting, he mourned its absence. Hughes and Tan got to talking at the beginning of this school year about the lack of a space dedicated to creative writing and decided to do something about it.

“I’m one of those people that really

enjoy writing but with my schoolwork it doesn’t necessarily mean that I get a lot of time to do it,” said Hughes.

“So that was another aspect of why I really like being involved with this club. It’s a dedicated space to creative writing and it allows me to challenge this side of me.”

“Writing has always been a part of my life … but as time commitments got greater I found it harder and harder to motivate myself in my free time [to] write,” said Tan. “I really wanted some kind of outlet that forced me to write creatively because I have a hard time focusing my efforts.”

Meetings start with a prompt written up on the board. For instance, the prompt at the last meeting was to write a story or poem about math.

While some members worked on their own separate projects during the meeting, others focused their stories on math puns with hilarious results. About an hour and a half into the meeting, the group was encouraged to share their work if they wanted.

“It’s important to have a safe space where you feel comfortable with sharing your work and comfortable asking for help and feedback,” explained Tan. “I think it is really

valuable for any kind of creative endeavours [and] that’s what we try to foster here.”

Those who attend meetings are welcome to spend the two hours working on whatever they prefer, whether that be schoolwork, personal creative work or a response to that week’s prompt. The meetings are designed to be a dedicated time to writing. Typically a dozen or so people show up each week, and although not everyone shares their work, everyone spends the time writing. Snacks are provided.

“I just think creativity is a really important thing and it’s something that’s not really valued in most classes,” said Tan. “Even [in] English classes and the like, it’s very much about composition and analysis and not very much about expressing yourself. I think that’s a really important thing to do – not only as a relaxing outlet but also as a method of self-discovery.”

The Creative Writing Society meets Thursday nights from 7 to 9 p.m. in Avard-Dixon 120. If you’re looking for a dedicated writing time or a space to share your work, be sure to check it out.

DOWNTOWN

Bridge Street business tycoons open new café Sackville business owners start up new café as their next venture

MAGGIE PITMAN Arts & Culture Reporter After selling their family’s popular Bridge Street restaurant Song’s Chopsticks, Mount Allison graduate David Kwon and his mother Aida Song have started a new project.

For many weeks, Sackville’s inhabitants have wondered what would take over the space of the former Bridge Street Café which closed just months ago. Now when you step into the space, you are greeted with an entirely visually different interior to the old Bridge Street Café that we were familiar with. “It’s very modern and chic but still has a cozy and welcoming atmosphere,” said second-year student Elise Hansen.

Kwon and Song have started Aida’s Café as partners in business.

The mother-son duo began this new venture with a bang, with the shop consistently filled throughout the first few days of business. “Song’s Chopsticks was doing really well, but we became tired of it because we were just working all the time,” said Kwon.

“We wanted to bring something new to the town, a place with really good coffee. We worked a lot on picking good coffee beans and actually making the baked goods ourselves every day.”

Aida’s Café is hoping to serve breakfast in the near future but

has started out with simplicity and quality. Baked goods and traditional Korean egg toast are on the menu, as well as a variety of unique hot and cold beverages. The real shining stars are the delicate and delectable macarons, a French confection that is sweet and light in texture. This meringue-based dessert is incredibly difficult to make, as one tiny mistake can ruin the balance and flavour.

“I used to be a cook and now I’m working with coffee and brewing.

I’ve never baked before and making macarons has been a challenge,” said Kwon.

As for beverages, Kwon has taken

“I’VE NEVER BAKED BEFORE AND MAKING MACARONS HAS BEEN A CHALLENGE” special care to make sure the coffee beans are perfect for the kinds of coffee he’s trying to make. With coffee beans from Halifax, you can enjoy espresso, lattes, cappuccinos and drip coffee from Aida’s.

“So far the business has been pretty successful. I think it will really pick up once we have breakfast,” said Kwon, only a few days after opening. “I think we’re just going to start slow, but have

AIDA’S CAFÉ IS HOPING TO SERVE BREAKFAST IN THE NEAR FUTURE BUT HAS STARTED OUT WITH SIMPLICITY AND QUALITY. MADELEINE HANSEN/ARGOSY a really strong baseline of food and drink. That way, customers can come back and enjoy the same quality food every time!”

Kwon gave a few of his menu recommendations. “Some of my personal favourites are our lattes.

Our espresso beans are really nice.

They’re from Halifax and we get them fresh every week, so we use fresh

beans every day,” he said. “Of course the macarons are good. A few of my favourite kinds are the cream cheese, milk and caramel,” he said.

Sackville’s local shops and cafés contribute to the small-town charm that we all know and love, and Aida’s is no exception. If you haven’t experienced it yet, make your way out to Bridge Street as soon as possible.

Whether you want breakfast, a hip hang-out for studying or a great date location, Aida’s is the place for you!

ARTS & CULTURE

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FINE ARTS

07

The Sweetest Little Thing returns for 21st year

Sackville’s art community comes together to celebrate JULIANNA RUTLEDGE Arts & Culture Reporter “Although the Sweetest Little Thing has evolved over the years, the heart of the event remains the same: a fundraiser that is also very much a community event,” said Lucy MacDonald, the curator of education and community outreach at Owens Art Gallery.

The Sweetest Little Thing’s 21st annual event took place last Friday at the Owens. The fundraiser is a joint collaboration between the Owens and Struts Gallery & Faucet Media Arts Centre.

“I THINK IT’S VERY COOL BECAUSE YOU KIND OF GET TO SEE THE GROWN-UP VERSIONS OF YOURSELF, AS A FINE ARTS STUDENT” “The partnership that the Owens Art Gallery and Struts Gallery & Faucet Media Arts Centre has is an important one,” said MacDonald. “We have a long history of collaborating on special programming, and have often worked with the same artists in different capacities. Joining together for this fundraiser is another way to support each other and draw on our collective strengths.”

Although the event typically takes place on Valentine’s Day, this year the event was postponed to Feb. 28 to celebrate Leap Day, due to the Mount Allison faculty strike.

The biggest element of the fundraiser is its live art auction, with 95 artists contributing pieces of artwork. Works varied from their message to their medium, with the main unifying factor being their smaller size.

“Some artists year after year donate works – [including] incredibly prolific artists like Graeme Patterson and Anna Torma, who just won the Governor General’s Award – but also artists who have new relationships with the Owens and Struts donated this year which is amazing,” explained Rachel Thornton, the curator of digital engagement at the Owens. “It’s really special. Faculty [also] donate work and we invite the third-year students in fine arts to donate work too. So it’s kind of an interesting mix of emerging and established artists.”

Works from local, national and international artists were included in this year’s auction.

Many of the names on the walls

would be familiar to those who have attended other events at the gallery.

Works from artists like Janice Wright Cheney, Anna Torma and Laura Vickerson are in the Fairy Tails exhibit that opened at the Owens earlier this year.

Although the fundraiser’s main activity is the live art auction, there is also a cakewalk, an Instant Lovin’ photo booth and a sweetest little treats table.

Community members and local businesses alike donated cakes to the cakewalk. Similar to musical chairs, participants circle the cake table, stopping on numbers on the floor when the music stops as well.

A number is drawn and whoever is standing on the corresponding number wins a cake. This year, it seemed as if every cake was won by the children who attended, with many coming away winners. One memorable cake featured a pile of donuts in the middle while another was decorated as a bumblebee. Three cakes were chosen by an assortment of judges as the winners.

It’s become a tradition for those who attend to dress up for the occasion. Although one lucky winner won the award for best dressed, many did so in order to take fun photos at the photo booth.

“The instant photos shot on our Fuji Instax camera have become a wonderful archive of the event,” said

“THE HEART OF THE EVENT REMAINS THE SAME: A FUNDRAISER THAT IS ALSO VERY MUCH A COMMUNITY EVENT” MacDonald. “There are people who take a photo year after year. I have seen families do this and each year you see the children grow.… I think this sharing captures the community spirit of the event.”

“I really enjoyed it,” said Isabelle Trask, a first-year fine arts student. “I didn’t know that [Sackville] had these types of artist events [and it] is really great for [the] art community. I think it’s really great that a lot of people from [both] inside and outside the community are here.”

The event is organized by staff from both the Owens and Struts & Faucet, but wouldn’t be possible without both community and student volunteers, who help decorate, sell tickets and oversee the event.

“I think it’s very cool because you kind of get to see the grown-up

“IT’S A LIVE AUCTION BUT IT’S ALSO A REALLY FUN COMMUNITY EVENT FOR FAMILIES,” SAID EMILY FALVEY, THE OWENS’ DIRECTOR-CURATOR. GREG ELLISON/CONTRIBUTOR

MASU presents Drag Show

AUDE GAZZANO/ARGOSY

AUDE GAZZANO/ARGOSY

AUDE GAZZANO/ARGOSY

AUDE GAZZANO/ARGOSY

AUDE GAZZANO/ARGOSY

AUDE GAZZANO/ARGOSY

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ARTS & CULTURE

MARCH 6, 2020 | ARGOSY@MTA.CA

REVIEW

Review: ‘Knives Out’ (2019)

A whodunit of epic proportions that is a feast for the brain and the eyes

BETWEEN CHANGED WILLS, FAMILY ARGUMENTS ABOUT POLITICAL BELIEFS AND EVEN A CAR CHASE, THIS MOVIE CONTINUOUSLY KEEPS YOU GUESSING. ASHLI GREEN/ARGOSY

HANNAH TUCK Arts & Culture Reporter “Physical evidence can tell a clear story with a forked tongue.”

This is just one of the gems of dialogue that you’ll find in Rian Johnson’s epic whodunit murder mystery Knives Out. It’s the story of a family who all have something to gain from the death of their wealthy patriarch, but none of them will and who don’t want to admit it.

The colourful characters are played by an all-star cast that truly doesn’t disappoint, and when you combine it with the film’s amazing costumes and sets, Knives Out has set itself up as a worthy successor to the best film adaptations of Agatha Christie’s collective works.

The basic elevator pitch of Knives Out is this: Harlan Thrombey (Christopher Plummer) has just died by apparent suicide, on the night of his 85th birthday. Harlan was a prolific murder mystery author who had ammassed a substantial fortune from

his books. Shortly after the funeral, the whole family, plus Harlan’s personal care nurse Marta (Ana de Armas in a knockout performance), are called to the Thrombey mansion to be interrogated by the local police and private detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) so that any other means of death can be ruled out.

IT TWISTS AND TURNS AND MAKES YOU QUESTION EVERYTHING THAT YOU THOUGHT YOU KNEW ABOUT THE CHARACTERS FIVE MINUTES AGO The rest of the family is just as eccentric as their patriarch. Daughter

Linda (Jamie Lee Curtis) and her husband Richard (Don Johnson) have a booming real estate business, but their son Ransom (Chris Evans) is the black sheep of the family.

Daughter-in-law Joni (Toni Collette) married into the family, but her husband is dead, leaving her to leech off of Harlan’s money through a yearly allowance. Harlan also pays for the education of Joni’s daughter Meg (Katherine Langford), who is the only member of the family who treats Marta as if she weren’t just part of the hired help. Son Walt (Michael Shannon) runs the publishing company that publishes Harlan’s books, but is frustrated with Harlan’s unwillingness to let the adaptation rights be sold. All the key players have alibis for where they were during the murder, but all of them also have motive.

Between changed wills, family arguments about political beliefs and even a car chase, this movie continuously keeps you guessing.

You might expect it to be a simple whodunit, with all the characters being interrogated and Blanc delivering the verdict at the end of the movie, but it is much more complicated. You’ll think you have an answer by the half-hour point, but a new element will be added to the mystery, making it increasingly impossible to solve until the last minute. I’m very glad that I ended up watching the movie at home with my partner, because we were able to pause it to debrief and share our predictions before going back to the movie to see if we were right. I am delighted to say that while both of us were right about elements of the finished mystery, neither of us had the complete solution figured out and we were pleasantly surprised at the reveal.

Johnson has proven himself to be

a tour de force with an original story that he both directed and wrote.

The script is clever in the way that it twists and turns and makes you question everything that you thought you knew about the characters five minutes ago. The script makes good use of the large house and estate that Harlan Thrombey owns, but the story is not confined to the house.

ALL THE KEY PLAYERS HAVE ALIBIS FOR WHERE THEY WERE DURING THE MURDER, BUT ALL OF THEM ALSO HAVE MOTIVE Johnson was highly criticized by Star Wars fans for his story choices in The Last Jedi but I quite liked what Johnson did with his stab at a Star Wars movie, especially mid-trilogy.

It was a hard thing to do, and he’s clearly taken what he learned from his Star Wars outing and applied it to a movie that was so good I’m still processing it.

One of the elements that makes Knives Out so well-done is the contemporary story elements in what feels like a classic murder mystery. De Armas has far more to do than you would think based off the trailers.

Marta is from an immigrant family and risks everything by getting involved with the Thrombey family, who simultaneously offer to help her financially and keep her family safe while also threatening to reveal her mother as an undocumented immigrant. She is extremely likable as a main character, and you cannot help but be on her side from the

minute she appears on screen.

Other standouts in the cast are plentiful as this film is filled to the brim with genuine movie stars. Chris Evans as trust-fund outcast Ransom does an excellent job of being a jerk, turning it around, and then turning it all around again so he’s back to being a jerk. Jamie Lee Curtis has the best wardrobe of the movie by far, and is also the most engaging member of the Thrombey family as the new leader of the family once Harlan dies.

It’s also worth noting how impeccably all of the characters are dressed. The colour palette of this movie is incredible, and the costumes complement it perfectly.

Each character gets their own distinctive style with pieces that reflect it. My favourite costume pieces include everything that Jamie Lee Curtis wears, Marta’s scarf, the gaudy ensemble that Harlan’s mother wears, and of course Chris Evans’ fisherman’s sweater – it simultaneously makes him look like a dad while highlighting his Captain America physique at the same time.

It’s honestly incredible. I don’t know how they did it.

Even if you’re not a fan of murder mysteries (which I’m usually not), I can guarantee you’ll love Knives Out. The script is fun and clever, and the stakes are always just high enough to make you rethink what you thought you knew about the movie, without feeling like they’re pushing the boundaries of what it’s trying to be.

It’s a good thing that Johnson has already said he’s writing a sequel, because this film has rightly earned him a new legion of fans, ones that are hungry for whatever mystery Benoit Blanc will be solving next.

Review: ‘Parasite’ (2019)

A compelling class commentary told in spectacular cinematic fashion HANNAH TUCK Arts & Culture Reporter While I was scrolling through my Twitter feed this fall during various study breaks, I kept seeing people rave about a popular thriller from South Korea called Parasite. I’d only seen the posters and a GIF or two, all of which made me feel like the movie wasn’t quite my speed. As I mentioned when I reviewed The Babadook, I’m a weenie. I don’t do well with scary movies, and the poster and trailer for Parasite made it look a little like a scary movie. Besides that, it was also from South Korea and while it has subtitles for Western audiences, I was still a little worried. I can barely speak a language besides English, and I’m used to English films. Would I be able to keep up while reading the subtitles and paying attention to the action in the movie?

I stayed away from Parasite for a long time, even as it started

racking up more and more awards, like the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival (the festival’s highest honour), the BAFTA award for Best Foreign Language Film and a Golden Globe in the same category. Parasite was also nominated for six Academy Awards, and deservedly so. The night before the Academy Awards, I finally sat down and watched it.

It was late, I was a little tired, but I decided that if there was ever a time to watch Parasite, it was the night before it went on to win in some of the most prestigious award categories in Western culture.

I’m happy to say I made an excellent choice.

Parasite is a film about the poor Kim family. They are all unemployed, trying to scrape by on odd jobs, when family friend Min (Park Seo-joon) comes by. He gives them a scholar stone, which in Korean culture is meant to bring material wealth to the family, as a gift. He later asks one

of the sons, Ki-woo (played by Choi Woo-sik), to take over his position as an English tutor for the daughter of the rich Park family. Ki-woo gets an idea after his first day: the Park family is gullible, so why not get the rest of his family employed? He pretends to barely know his sister Ki-jung (Park So-dam), or “Jessica” to the Parks, so she can be brought on as an art teacher for the younger Park child. Ki-woo’s father Ki-taek (Song Kang-ho) soon becomes the driver for Mr. Park, and after the family stages an incredibly clever heist, his mother Chung-sook (Jang Hye-jin) is the new housekeeper. Things start to unravel when the former housekeeper for the Parks, Moon-gwang (Lee Jeong-eun), comes back for something she left in the Parks’ basement. This secret is the catalyst for the end of the movie, one I can guarantee you will never see coming.

It is no surprise why this film ended up winning four Oscars – it is sharp,

funny, and twists in a way that I never expected. You think you know what is going to happen when you watch this movie, but then there is a new development, and you’re left guessing all over again. Bong Joon-ho, the director and screenwriter of the film, does an excellent job of subtly setting things up just for them to come crashing down at the end. It is a shame that none of the actors were nominated in America for their work, as everyone in the film is excellent and never let the ball drop for a second.

Still, Parasite winning four Oscars is a triumph for the international film market. Not only does it mean that Western audiences are open to the idea of more diverse films (even those with subtitles!), but it also means that the Asian film industry now has a stake in Hollywood, one that it is bound to make good use of.

Whatever Bong Joon-ho does next, he will have plenty more attention, but it will surely be just as stellar. As

he said so poignantly at the Golden Globes, “Once you overcome the one-inch tall barrier of subtitles, you will be introduced to so many more amazing films.”

Parasite is not just one of my favourite movies of the year. It is one of my favourite movies ever.

The script is so clever, the visuals are stunning, and the acting is some of the best I’ve ever seen on film. The scene where the family dupes the Parks into hiring a new housekeeper alone is worth studying in classes, as it is a pure masterpiece. Even if you’re wary of subtitles like I was, I urge you to give Parasite a try. It is the step in the right direction in terms of diversity among Western cinema both in front of and behind the camera, but it’s also just a damn good movie, and that alone is something worth celebrating.

ARTS & CULTURE

THE ARGOSY | WWW.SINCE1872.CA

BLACK HISTORY MONTH

Accomplished speaker discusses Black Loyalist history and its importance today

11

Dr. Afua Cooper comes to Mount Allison for Black History Month

MAGGIE PITMAN Arts & Culture Reporter Dr. Afua Cooper was the ideal speaker to finish off an eventful Black History Month at Mount Allison. Serving as the seventh poet laureate for the Halifax Regional Municipality, Cooper also teaches in the department of sociology and social anthropology at Dalhousie University. Her PhD in Black Canadian studies and the African diaspora made her the perfect candidate to speak at Mount Allison’s Black History Month celebrations.

According to Cooper’s website, her specialties include “African Canadian culture, gender, slavery, abolition and freedom, Black orature, education and Black agency and political consciousness.”

Cooper emphasized the importance of the way we teach Black history in school. In particular, she focused on the history of Black Loyalists and how this area is taught as a part of a racial justice education. She explained that the Black Loyalists were a group of African people who fought on the side of the British in the American Revolutionary War. The British had promised that at the end of the war these people would have their freedom be transferred to a British colony with resources and tools.

These promises were not kept and the Loyalists were forced to flee Canada in search of freedom.

Cooper began her talk by reciting one of her poems, 15 Ships to Sierra Leone. She then took the audience

“IT’S 2020 AND I FEEL LIKE WE’RE LATE! LET THE DOCUMENTS SPEAK, LET THE FACTS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES!” on a journey through the history of Black Loyalists fleeing Canada on ships in search of more freedom back on the African continent. “My question is: Why is Loyalist history knowledge part of New Brunswick and Nova Scotian history but isn’t a part of the curriculum?” said Cooper.

Furthermore, she challenged the audience to consider what is meant by racial justice as a whole and asked us to consider how we would define the term.

“In the same way we talk about the expulsion of Acadians in Canada, I would like to see the same spotlight

“MY QUESTION IS: WHY IS LOYALIST HISTORY KNOWLEDGE PART OF NEW BRUNSWICK AND NOVA SCOTIAN HISTORY BUT ISN’T A PART OF THE CURRICULUM?” shone on the history of the Black Loyalists,” said Cooper. This talk underscored how the many important aspects of Canadian history and Black history are overlooked in the current education system and that we have the power to change that.

“It’s 2020 and I feel like we’re late!

Let the documents speak, let the facts speak for themselves!” Cooper said in her conclusion, noting that there is enough research and documentation out there about this history to make it worth highlighting in an educational context, and that it is up to us as learners to recognize its importance.

In her introduction to the afternoon, Kim Meade, vicepresident of student life, noted that recognition and celebration of Black history should be an ongoing process, not just something that we practice in February. “This was an excellent event and we are committed to further programming being offered by Ivan Okello, our Black student advisor and diversity educator,” said Meade.

“EDUCATION IS A CRITICAL ASPECT OF OUR LIVES FROM THE WOMB TO THE TOMB,” SAID COOPER. AUDE GAZZANO/ARGOSY

12 OPINIONS

THE ARGOSY

FROM THE ARCHIVES

w w w. s i n c e 1 8 7 2 . c a Independent Student Newspaper of Friday March 6. 2020 Circulation 1,500

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

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

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

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

REPORTING staff NEWS REPORTERS | Laura Skinner, Natasha Gosselin, and Zoe Hunter ARTS & CULTURE REPORTERS | Maggie Pitman, Hannah Tuck. and Julianna Rutledge SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER | Megan Fitzgerald DISTRIBUTIONS MANAGER | Elliott Jones HR REP | Ryan Schultz

CONTRIBUTORS Emily Shaw, Hamish Hallet, Jillane Buryn, Nora Livesey, Rachel MacDougall COVER | Gill Hill

DISCLAIMERS & COPYRIGHT The Argosy is the official independent student journal of news, opinion and the arts, written, edited and funded by the students of Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick. The opinions expressed herein do not necessarily represent those of the Argosy’s staff or its Board of Directors. The Argosy is published weekly throughout the academic year by Argosy Publications Inc. Student contributions in the form of letters, articles, photography, graphic designs and comics are welcome. The Argosy reserves the right to edit or refuse all materials deemed sexist, racist, homophobic, transphobic or otherwise unfit for print, as determined by the Editors in Chief. Articles or other contributions can be sent to argosy@mta.ca or directly to a section editor. The Argosy will print unsolicited materials at its own discretion. Letters to the editor must be signed, though names may be withheld at the sender’s request and at the Argosy’s discretion. Anonymous letters will not be printed.

Comments, concerns or complaints about the Argosy’s content or operations should be first sent to the Editors in Chief at the address above. If the Editors in Chief are unable to resolve a complaint, it may be taken to the Argosy Publications, Inc. Board of Directors.

The chairs of the Board of Directors can be reached at the address above.

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

On Monday, Mount Allison announced the honorary degree recipients for this year. One of the recipients is editorial cartoonist Michael de Adder. De Adder is an eight-time winner of the Atlantic Journalism Award. He currently freelances for the Halifax Chronicle Herald, the Toronto Star and Ottawa Hill Times. “I wouldn’t be an editorial cartoonist if it wasn’t for the Argosy,”

said de Adder. “I received two degrees – a bachelor of fine arts from Mount Allison University and a bachelor of editorial cartooning from trial and error at the Argosy.”

The cartoons below were published in the Argosy between 1988 and 1991 during de Adder’s time at Mount Allison.

EDITOR: LAUREN SHAY | MARCH 6, 2020 | ARGOSY@MTA.CA

OPINIONS

THE ARGOSY | WWW.SINCE1872.CA

COLUMN

13

Fury from the globe

It is important to consider how the faculty strike has impacted international students

HAMISH HALLETT Columnist Saturday, Feb. 8, 2020 was a big day for Mount Allison students, who saw a collective agreement reached between the University faculty and the University administration. I have to say I was very relieved this disruption only lasted five days. The way this strike was dealt with and the lack of clarity for many students were less than desirable, but I think all of us are glad we are back in classes and back in a routine.

Despite Mount Allison students going back to classes, international students have been left with a bitter taste in their mouths. Compensation

of $200 was given to all students, seen as an “equitable” way to say “sorry” to students.

Well, I am sorry to inform you, but this is a load of lies.

This is not equitable at all for international students, who pay double the tuition fees of Canadian students. Storm Gibbons, who is a second-year psychology major, believes “There has been a lack of support and disregard for international students from the MASU and Mt. A and this is disheartening.”

It has been calculated that international students got around 26 per cent of the money they lost during strike action. Canadian

students got a whopping 66 per cent of the money they lost, which is a catastrophic difference in the amount of compensation. Is this really equitable? Think about it this way.

If you had a cake that you needed to divide between sets of people, you are giving almost the entire cake to Canadian students and giving the crumbs to the international students.

It is an utter slap in the face to international students.

International students deserve higher inconvenience compensation.

Natalia Liste Colomina, a fourth-year sociology major, feels “It is deeply disappointing to see how in the past month international students have had to fight to be heard by the student union. International students are tired of constantly having to explain our status and place within this institution.”

The student group Students 4 MAFA had to help us to get our voices heard because our voices are muted in this institution. A group of international students, including me, had to voice these concerns to the MASU. Mary Mulugeta, a secondyear psychology and biology major, feels the “lack of representation for international students has made the issues far more aggressive because we had students who are

not internationals decide decisions for us.” While we were saying all of the things that we were not happy about, the mouths of the MASU representatives dropped to the floor.

Our list of concerns included the low amount of compensation international students were receiving, the lack of an international student voice within this university and a clear divide in cohesiveness between international and Canadian students.

International students do exist, and there are people behind those flags hanging in Jennings Dining Hall.

It is not just a decoration to make Mount Allison look like they are so welcoming or another empty gesture to Canadian multiculturalism.

There are voices behind each of those flags!

There is a bigger institutional problem with this University and its relation to international students, and I have seen it myself for six months. I respect the individuals who are part of MASU and do their best to represent students’ voices. Still, I do not believe they are doing enough for internationals. The student union should be representing all student voices, not just those of Canadians.

An international centre is not enough and putting flags up in Jennings is a pathetic excuse for actually caring

about us.

What international students want is for the administration and MASU to consider their opinions and give them a better voice on this campus. Giving one or two positions on the MASU to international students is not enough and is quite frankly disrespectful to us. You are telling me that one or two individuals can represent 43 countries outside of Canada? I think not. There needs to be more people representing international students within the MASU or, more broadly, Mt. A. If not, this global voice will grow stronger and more ferocious than ever before.

More international representation within the MASU is needed and this not just from me, Storm, Natalia or Mary, but this is from everyone from an international background.

Someone has to say what is on everyone else’s minds and that this issue is sticking out like a sore thumb.

COLUMN

Why you should see a counsellor (yes, you!)

There are many reasons why you may want to talk to a counsellor

RACHEL MACDOUGALL Columnist Life as a university student can be difficult, even overwhelming at times. From deadlines to relationship issues, it can be a lot for anyone to handle on their own. You don’t have to be in the middle of a crisis or meltdown to benefit from seeing a counsellor to voice your frustrations, concerns or future plans.

Science shows that young adulthood is the best time to form good mental health habits, including talking about your emotions and stress. Research, including surveys conducted by the World Health Organization, shows that the majority of mental health issues manifest between the ages of 14 and 24.

Talking to a therapist or counsellor is part of good mental health hygiene, and along with methods like

mindfulness and meditation, it can help you manage any mental health issues you may be facing or gain some extra support in times of need.

Besides, you won’t be alone: a 2017 Student Health 101 survey revealed that 35 per cent of students across Canada have previously attended counselling.

There are many reasons why you may want to talk to a counsellor.

Research shows the most common reasons for seeking counselling are anxiety, depression, stress, relationship problems, family issues, suicidal thoughts, academic performance problems, sleep problems and loneliness. Counsellors can also help you find and connect with more specific resources that may be helpful to you, such as support groups or medical professionals.

So, what should you expect at a counselling session? At your first session, your counsellor will ask you

how you’re feeling. You should feel free to answer openly and honestly because your counsellor is trained to be non-judgemental and prepared to listen to what you have to say.

Like any relationship, working with a counsellor requires trust and openness. They will also ask you why you sought therapy, your personal history and current situation, and any symptoms you are currently experiencing. Almost everything you discuss with your counsellor is confidential, so don’t worry about your parents “finding out” about what you talked about with your counsellor. Your counsellor will only share something with another practitioner with your written consent or if you are in immediate danger of hurting yourself or someone else.

But remember, counselling isn’t something to be ashamed of, and it’s your right to disclose or not to disclose the fact that you’ve been in

Meet Rev. Perkin As Mount Allison’s Chaplain, Rev. John Perkin offers counselling, small group nurture and pastoral care, and mentoring in spiritual as well as academic areas.

Find him in the Student Centre (second floor), the Chapel, or e-mail chaplain@mta.ca.

counselling to your friends or family.

At Mount Allison, there are several counsellors who you can book an appointment with or talk to during drop-in hours Monday and Tuesday from 1 to 4 p.m. and Thursday from 5 to 8 p.m. You can also chat with the mental health educator, who can help you learn to be more mindful and even work with you to create a personalized wellness plan.

If you have any questions, would like to learn more or want to let me know what you want to see discussed in this column next week, feel free to email me at healthintern@mta. ca. You can also email wellness@ mta.ca to book any appointments at the Wellness Centre or counsellor@ mta.ca to book an appointment with a counsellor. Be sure to download the Campus WELL app for more interesting articles and the chance to win a $50 Amazon gift card! As always, stay happy and healthy!

14 CREATIVE

EDITOR: MATTHEW CANN | MARCH 6, 2020 | ARGOSY@MTA.CA

In Memorial AMY WARD Contributor

How is it that Someone I have never known Could have passed on Vast depths of meaning and of love To me They, without direct encounter Have provided aim and reason Now I find my course has altered Just as though a fresh salt Wind has graced my sails From above Reminding me of love, of

Wonder to the world, of mind Though word alone is not a lot A spirit carries plenty to impart In exhale, bits of meaning fall As gentle snowflakes coming down to play Its evidence an ever presence In between the lines Here we are, as each and every Faces to the wind and blinking in the sun To live this way Is to live in love

AS BELOW SO ABOVE, WATERFOWL PARK MACKENZIE CHASE

TREES AND LADDERS - MACKENZIE CHASE FUJI SUPERIA XTRA 400 FILM

WINTER SUNSETS AT HOME - MACKENZIE CHASE PORTA 400 FILM

FRAMING FRAMES, WATERFOWL PARK MACKENZIE CHASE

SUBMIT

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

THE ARGOSY | WWW.SINCE1872.CA

Take a Trip

CREATIVE

15

MARK SAUNDERS Contributor

Take a trip to the edge of the night Don’t be afraid, don’t try to fight Just let go and enjoy the flight Let the world fade into black Ignore that thing hanging on your back Take it all in your stride Though your love you try to hide There is no escape from your own pain All attempts would be in vain Take a trip to find the truth

Within this life so uncouth Your anger fades with your youth Take a flight into your lost dreams Nothing is ever what it seems Take it all in your stride There is no need for you to hide You can’t escape this world of pain Feel blood beating in your brain Take a trip Take a trip with me Take a trip

CAR - MACKENZIE CHASE ILFORD XP2 FILM

CAR ON REFLECTION - MACKENZIE CHASE ILFORD XP2 FILM

UNTITLED - MACKENZIE CHASE ILFORD XP2 FILM

The Effusion, You

MIZAN RAHMAN Contributor

The mesmerism in your eyes compelled me to forget my belonging, The script of your lovely tongue restrained me to fly.

The stupefaction I’m held by is not just a moment of time, materially it’s the life, I feel.

The opus of your shape, by only auditing, I absorbed the strongest liquor of the century.

The surge I endure, from deeming a bit luster of yours, I feel severe!

Look, you, this is not the side effect of your entity.

You, the part of vindicated me, You inlaid and it’s completed .

I’m majestic with your contiguity.

CHATEAU ST GERMAIN- MACKENZIE CHASE ILFORD XP2 FILM

Take a trip and see Take a trip into your own mind Don’t be afraid of what you find Let it go leave the world behind Take it all as it comes Dance to the beat of the ghostly drums And in the end it’s overblown Where once was fire, new grass has grown Leaving a memory of pain You can finally break the chain

16 HUMOUR

EULOGY FOR A CROSSWORD AND A COMPUTER

EDITOR: WILL TRAVES | MARCH 6, 2020 | ARGOSY@MTA.CA

Rxmance - Dumb Boi Clique - Mediocre @ Best -----------All at once, All at The Pond.

Friday the 13th, 830p I RODE MARITIME BUS TWICE IN 24 HRS

NGL I’M AFRAID OF THE IRVINGS BUT EMILY IS NOT

Mount Allison to begin ceremonies with traditional Irving donation acknowledgement

“Golly, I sure hope the Irvings buy our newspaper next.”

EMILY SHAW Contributor Following recent discourse, Mount Allison is taking steps to pay its respect to the traditional custodianship of the land. While this area is known as Sackville, N.B., the land is part of the greater territory of the Irvings.

“Pro-oil industries continue to be under-represented in Canadian higher education institutions and our universities are committed to do their part to close this education gap,” said University spokesperson Olive Huile.

“We’re taking an approach that really speaks to the history of the founders of this nation: affluent white families stealing resources from the land.”

The acknowledgement is to be made at all community and public events on campus, followed by the whipping of Divest activists. In addition, the University intends to further its agenda by divesting from disciplines such as environmental sciences and the arts and by replacing Montie the Mountie with a barrel of crude.

“It really speaks to my culture,” said Saint John resident John Saint.

“It makes the transition of coming to a liberal arts university a little easier.”

While many applaud the University’s decision, there are still those who remain hesitant. “Honestly the whipping is a bit excessive,” shrugged Noah Fracking, a former anthropology major and Divest MTA activist. “I preferred it when they had the commerce students throw peanuts at me.” The Argosy cannot comment on the man hiding in the

bush behind Fracking.

“Oh yeah, the peanuts?” chuckled Saint, dressed in his traditional garb of a button-up dress shirt, leather loafers and an inflated ego. “Fucking classic. Part of the commerce

MADELEINE HANSEN

curriculum is actually just heckling arts students as they walk by AvardDixon.”

The Argosy applauds the efforts made by the University and remains committed to covering this story.

ASHLI GREEN | ARGOSY

Fear and Loathing on Maritime Bus TRILL WAVES Humour Editor I’ve been on this bus for nearly three hours. The window next to me is open slightly and the cold mist from the fog occasionally gives me a spritz to the face. It’s almost as though the bus is spitting in my face. I ask myself what I did to deserve this, and come up with nothing.

My hearty pre-bus meal of a number 3 combo from Burger King with a dessert of two apple turnovers is not sitting well and I’ve been slightly nauseous and bloated for the entire ride. The large iced tea I drank didn’t help either. I will not be making my way to the tiny bathroom at the back of the bus. I won’t make a rookie mistake like that ever again.

My fellow passengers consist most notably of a man with multiple face tattoos and a man in his mid- to late-twenties wearing yellow-tinted wrap-around sunglasses who’s been to the bathroom twice and appears to be tripping on shrooms. I envy him – anything to escape this painful reality.

I started sending out tweets as a cry for help about half an hour into the trip. I think I made four or five, will probably send more soon. We stopped in Truro about an hour ago.

As we pulled off the highway, 90 per cent of the bus riders started to put on their jackets and other outerwear and pat their pockets in search of their packs of cigarettes.

Like clockwork they walk off the bus and gather under the no smoking sign of the terminal while the driver

loads parcels into the cargo hold of the bus. The air is thick for the next 20 minutes and I’m briefly thankful for my open window.

I had intended to do some coursework during the trip, however the bus’s wifi isn’t turned on. Why would it be. I truly do believe that this is what purgatory is like. Far from heaven but not quite hell. I drafted a message too long to send on Instagram messenger to Drew Dudley, the motivational speaker who comes to Mt. A during O-Week, about how the speech he gave during this O-Week wasn’t as good as the one he gave in 2016. I decide not to send it.

I realize a day late the crossword hasn’t been sent in and that I haven’t written any content of my own this week. Super. My mind is turning to mush. I briefly consider climbing out of the window, doing a sick tuck-androll onto the shoulder of the highway and calling my parents to come pick me up by the nearest exit.

I have nothing to look forward to in Halifax. I’m not going there to party.

I’m going to get poked and possibly irradiated by my orthopedic surgeon.

Life’s good. The bus pulls into the Dartmouth terminal. I grab my things and vomit onto the concrete as I step off the bus. I begin my trudge home, looking forward to the appointments and most importantly the return trip I have tomorrow.

If reading this made you ask yourself “is he ok” the answer is yes, I will survive to bus another day.

Thank god.