NEWS
Visiting scholar talks existential despair and Buddhism (Pg. 3)
Trying not to fall since 1872
ARTS & CULTURE Is Sackville prepared for sea level rise? (Pg. 6)
SPORTS Women’s volleyball team well-matched (Pg. 11)
OPINIONS On Indigenization at Mt. A (Pg. 13)
Mount Allison’s Independent Student Newspaper
COVER: LUCY KOSHAN, KITCHEN WINDOW, PENCIL CRAYONS ON PAPER, 2019. January 24, 2019 Vol. 148, Iss. 7
02 NEWS
EDITOR: MAIA HERRIOT & MINNOW HOLTZ-CARRIERE | JANUARY 24, 2019 | ARGOSY@MTA.CA
ACADEMIA
First female physics professor awarded tenure in dept. history
THURSDAY, JAN. 24
Dr. Catherine Lovekin was also recently involved in recording the entire lifecycle of a nova as part of an international group of researchers
Interdisciplinary Conversation: Connection 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Owens Art Gallery foyer Author and Activist Talk: Robyn Maynard 7 to 8:30 p.m. Brunton Auditorium
FRIDAY, JAN. 25 Resume Workshop 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Student Centre room 289 Integrated Resource Planning for NB Power 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Dunn 316 Faculty and Student Recital 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Brunton Auditorium Wine and Cheese in Support of the Student Refugee Program 7 to 9 p.m. Cranewood on Main
SUNDAY, JAN. 27 Vespers 6 to 7 p.m. Chapel Manning Room and Chapel Sanctuary The Lifers 6:30 p.m. Thunder and Lightning Make Something Sunday: Warp and Weave 2 to 4 p.m. Owens Art Gallery
MONDAY, JAN. 28 Graduation Preparation Series (GPS) 7 to 8 p.m. Dunn 106
TUESDAY, JAN. 29 Quaker Worship 12 to 1 p.m. Chapel Sanctuary
WEDNESDAY, JAN. 30 Collegium Musicum 4 to 5 p.m. Brunton Auditorium
Student Success Course 6 to 9 p.m. Crabtree Auditorium
MOST NOVAS ARE DISCOVERED TELESCOPICALLY. HOWEVER, ONCE A YEAR A NOVA WILL BECOME BRIGHT ENOUGH TO REACH THE NAKED EYE. LOUIS SOBOL/ARGOSY
AMELIA MACDOUGALL-FLEMING News Reporter Shortly before the winter semester began, astronomy professor Dr. Catherine Lovekin became the first woman to be granted tenure in the history of the Mt. A physics department. Lovekin’s new position will take effect as of July 1, 2019. Of the promotion, Lovekin said, “I’m very happy to be tenured. I really like Mt. A so I’m very glad that I’m going to be able to stay for quite a long time now.” Department head Dr. Dave Hornidge is also excited about the news. “We should make a big deal out of it. Catherine is a really excellent scientist, and we are super lucky to have her,” said Hornidge. “Having her as a role model is huge and I think that this is going to be a definite net
positive effect. I think she has already encouraged more women to take physics. Anecdotally, I would say she’s already made a big difference in terms of more women summer students and generally women involved in the department.” Veronika Dornan is a fourth-year physics honours student who is doing research with Lovekin. She said, “I’m really excited. Personally, I’ve felt very lucky that I already wanted to work in astronomy and I was really happy to find out that the one astronomy professor was also the one female professor. It’s very exciting for me to be able to see someone like myself in a position that I want to go into.” As a newly tenured professor, Lovekin has already brought attention to the Mt. A physics department through her recent involvement in tracing the life cycle of a nova star. According to Lovekin, “A nova
occurs in a binary star system. You have two stars in orbit around each other and one of the stars is about the same mass as our sun but much older. It’s evolved and it’s called a ‘white dwarf.’ It’s about the same mass as our sun but it’s about the same size as the earth, so it’s very compact.” The companion star can transfer mass in the form of a layer of hydrogen onto the white dwarf. “Then if it gets thick enough and hot enough that layer can start to undergo nuclear fusion. The hydrogen starts to fuse to the helium. This happens fairly suddenly … all of a sudden that whole layer starts to burn and the whole thing gets much brighter. And that’s what we see as a nova.” Lovekin was part of an international team of astronomers known as BRITE who were recently able to monitor a nova for its complete life cycle. “What’s really
interesting in this case is usually, when a nova is first detected, we have surveys that are looking for things that appear. But by the time that happens it’s a day or so later. In this case, because we got lucky, we were watching that patch of the sky when it happened,” said Lovekin. “Novas are pretty common, so when people said we found something bright, we were able to go look and say yes, it got bright and we’ve got the whole light curve from the very beginning. That doesn’t happen very often.” The new information this research provided increases astronomers’ understanding of what happens in the early phases of a nova cycle when nuclear fusion begins and the star begins producing energy, and also provided supporting evidence on theories of stellar evolution.
NEWS
THE ARGOSY | WWW.SINCE1872.CA
GEOGRAPHY
03
G&E seminar covers gendered place names Dr. Lauren Beck speaks about her North American research on Westernized topynymy AMELIA MACDOUGALL-FLEMING News Reporter On Jan. 16, the Geography and Environment Seminar series welcomed Dr. Lauren Beck to present her research on gendered place names in North America. Beck began by explaining how place names come to be. “Whether or not a place already had a name, [settlers] would conceive of a European-derived name. The types of names that were chosen, for the most part, were inspired from two sources: by either the king, so the patron of the person undertaking the naming… [or] they extracted names from Christianity. At the time, 80 per cent of saint names were masculine,” said Beck. She used Saint Lorenzo as an example of a masculine place
name: “Saint Laurence [is] another masculine – probably white – person manifested in a place just outside of Mexico City. We have this sort of disconnect between the people who live there and the name that they are receiving which is from a completely different geographic context.” Beck explained that part of the purpose gendered place names served was to create “a sort of vanity map that allowed those men to see themselves on the map.” Beck continued by saying, “Names like these are colonizing and Westernizing; they whiten space. We also acknowledge that they are, not surprisingly, all masculine as well, so we are continuing to struggle to see women on the map.” Beck also spoke about place names that are less subtle and explicitly involve gender and race. One example
Beck gave was Whorehouse Meadow in Oregon. Beck also spoke about naming places after women’s bodies: “There are several places in the United States named for a woman’s nipple. Just one, not both. As far as I know, nipple is not a geographic phenomenon.” Beck also used the example of a racial slur that refers to Indigenous women. According to Beck, there are 27 places in Canada that contain this word in their name. “This sort of toponymy, beyond making people uncomfortable, also signifies that men can come from women’s bodies in more than one way as women are being used as a place where men can transact their lives,” said Beck. Following the presentation, there was discussion between Beck and other faculty who attended the talk. Much of the discussion revolved
around renaming places and the tension that surrounds this practice. Geography professor Dr. Tim Reiffenstein said, “We’re starting to read North America as Turtle Island. So, what purpose do you see that serving? It seems like already, discursively, there’s a renaming going on, but the name hasn’t gone to a name board or anything.” To this, Beck explained that in order to rename a place, there needs to be some consensus. She said that, in her opinion, because not all cultural perspectives favour calling Canada Turtle Island, it might not catch on officially on a large scale. The next talk in the seminar will be on Wednesday, Feb. 6 at the Owens, where Ted Rutland will be presenting on neighbourhood planning and race issues in Halifax.
SACKVILLE WAS NAMED FOR THE VISCOUNT SACKVILLE, A BRITISH SOLDIER AND POLITICIAN DURING THE AMERICAN WAR OF INDEPENDENCE. LOUIS SOBOL/ARGOSY
RELIGION
Justin McDaniel talks Buddhism, monastic living and experiential learning Religious studies lecture takes on misconceptions about mindfulness and meditation MINNOW HOLTZ-CARRIERE News Editor On Jan. 16, students and faculty gathered to listen to Dr. Justin McDaniel talk about existential despair. McDaniel, who teaches in the department of religious studies at the University of Pennsylvania, spoke about two courses he teaches – one where students live according to a fabricated but strict religious doctrine and another that centres around reading as a way of dealing with mental health and stress – that connect with themes of mindfulness, community and dealing with pain. For McDaniel, teaching these courses came from a positive place – recognizing that students were interested in mindfulness and Buddhism, as well as the feeling that few people actually understood these things beyond a surface level. “I got sick and tired of people talking about mindfulness all the time,” said McDaniel. McDaniel used to be a Buddhist monk and has taught meditation and mindfulness courses in the past, but expressed frustration at the lack of understanding of Buddhism as a whole within mainstream mindfulness: “There’s more to Buddhism than meditation. They’re actually human beings, they have rituals and practices and they have history and literature – why are they always just reduced to a good self-help method?” McDaniel stressed the community aspect of Buddhist practice over individual self-improvement. “We can’t divorce, when we study mindfulness or we study Buddhism, the community that it’s a part of,” he said. “Meditation is not about
self-acceptance. It’s about selfdismantling the very sense of self that is you. And there are many rules that will help you do this.” McDaniel said that his experiences as a Buddhist monk helped to reinforce this idea. McDaniel’s life as a monk was highly regulated and his duties often involved the local community, like teaching children and overseeing funerals, while meditation was mostly in groups rather than alone. “This was the least free environment I’ve ever been in,” he said. “I didn’t make my own schedule. I didn’t say, ‘Y’know, Abbot, I’m just going to spend the day really getting to know me, just accepting my faults and my fragility,’ like no!” To further emphasize his point, McDaniel told two Buddhist stories about compassion and community. In one, a monk isolated himself from his community for decades in order to meditate, learning nothing in the process and distancing himself from his religion by distancing himself from others. In another, a woman named Kisa Gotami grieving her husband and children was able to begin healing by realizing that others had experienced the same pain as her and she was not alone. “Everyone suffers, everyone hurts,” said McDaniel. “Meditation and discipline and stories are supposed to teach you that you’re not alone, you’re part of a community, and a community of caring, a community of compassion.” The product of this was a course called Living Deliberately. McDaniel’s students took on restrictions and rules in their everyday lives, drawing on Islamic, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist and Christian monastic systems for inspiration while studying these same
religious systems and ways of living. “They slowly, over the course of the semester, take on more rules,” said McDaniel. This encompassed everything from clothing (all black or white) and diet (vegan, with exceptions) as well as chants (jokes written by McDaniel in multiple different languages so they were indecipherable to his students), meditation, and a prohibition on using electricity. The course culminates in a month-long vow of silence. “If they want to eat meat they have to kill the animal themselves – which by the way has happened. If they want to drink they have to make their own. Students also had a limited amount of money they were allowed to spend each week outside of rent and utilities, which McDaniel said resulted in students forming “natural communities” and buying groceries and eating together. McDaniel’s second course came from a similar place. “I had so many students who said that they didn’t have time to read,” said McDaniel. “I wanted to bring a course that [said], ‘Okay, I’m going to give you a break; I don’t want any more excuses. We’re going to read good literature and we’re going to deal with feelings, we’re going to deal with pain.’ We have a big suicide problem at Penn. We have three mental health centres and they’re packed all the time.” The course was eight consecutive hours a week and 75 per cent of the grade was participation. “They read a book cover to cover and that’s it, and then we sit and discuss it,” said McDaniel. “They’re not allowed to take notes, they’re not allowed to accumulate information, there’s no test at the end, they just read and they
all become, in a sense, experts on that book as they read it for the first time together.” “We do just good literature about people who have suffered and people have gone through something they might have gone through,” said McDaniel, wrapping up the lecture. “Not to give them answers – novels don’t necessarily give you answers, but they give you a way of articulating things, and also remind you, just like the first course, like the story of Kisa Gotami, that you’re not alone. The feelings that you are having are genuine. The feelings you’re having are feelings that people have had for
centuries. As long as there’s been humans there’s been anxiety about ‘What do I need, where am I going, and why am I here?’ Those are the things that we deal with.” The talk was organized by the religious studies department and funded by the A.J. Ebbutt Memorial Fund and Bukkyo Dendo Kyokai, the Society for the Promotion of Buddhism. “[McDaniel] is a great teacher and that’s something we care about at Mt. A,” said Dr. Susan Andrews, who hosted the event at the Owens. “It’s so exciting to welcome him here to talk.”
MCDANIEL IS AN AUTHOR AND SCHOLAR OF EAST ASIAN RELIGIONS WHO TEACHES IN THE RELIGIOUS STUDIES DEPARTMENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA. LOUIS SOBOL/ARGOSY
04 ARTS & CULTURE
EDITOR: BEN MAKSYM JANUARY 24, 2019 | ARGOSY@MTA.CA
MUSIC
Renowned musicians visit Mount Allison for Bragg Artistin-residence opportunity
Pieczonka and Andrist give combination of recitals, masterclasses and lectures for music students ISAIAH YANKECH Contributor Over the past few days, Mt. A’s department of music had the delight of hosting Canadian soprano Adrianne Pieczonka and pianist Rachel Andrist. Both of the musicians came with international recognition under their belt and shared their musical knowledge through masterclasses, coaching sessions, lectures and a performance of Franz Peter Schubert’s reputable song cycle Winterreise (Winter Journey), D. 911, with text by Wilhelm Müller. “As a first-year student, it was humbling to have the opportunity to work with them,” said Sarah MacLoon, a first-year voice student. The performance of the song cycle was a highlight, with several students eagerly waiting for it. This wellanticipated recital presented students with a rare opportunity to hear a full song cycle in their music department while completing their music degree,
since it is more common for students to only hear bits and pieces from song cycles. From the opening sung lines of the first song, Gute Nacht (Good Night), the audience was struck with Pieczonka’s powerful voice and stage presence, and Andrist’s competence on the piano was equally evident.
“I HAD CERTAINLY NEVER HEARD A VOICE QUITE LIKE THAT LIVE BEFORE” Andrist’s beautiful playing mirrored Pieczonka’s emotions throughout the whole song cycle, said MacLoon. Pieczonka’s performance brought the most out of the journey element of the cycle, as each song was sung with a distinctive character. For example, song 10, Rast (Rest), is moderately
LAST WEEK, SOPRANO ADRIANNE PIECZONKA AND PIANIST RACHEL ANDRIST WARMED OUR CHILLY CAMPUS WITH A RECITAL OF SCHUBERT’S WINTERREISE SONG CYCLE. LOUIS SOBOL/ARGOSY paced with the singer searching for shelter, and Andrist effectively highlighted the chromatic harmony changes in the piano accompaniment. In contrast, song 18, Der stürmische Morgen (The Stormy Morning), is a rather short movement that zips by within the blink of an eye. Both piano and vocal parts evoke elements of the violent weather through quick rhythmic figures, a mixture of stepwise motion versus large leaps, and lots of accidentals that help create tension and musical drama. One of the most impressive elements of Pieczonka’s performance was the clarity of her diction; singing with crisp articulation is always a work in progress for singers, and hearing the professional Pieczonka perform with such excellence was a valuable learning experience. For example,
in her third song, Gefrorne Tranen (Frozen Tears), both Pieczonka and Andrist brought the story in the text out to its fullest. Pieczonka’s talent was brought out through her clear difference between the distinctive articulations, and Andrist similarly portrayed this through her own articulations, where one could hear the sounds of teardrops underneath Pieczonka’s melodic lines. “Observing the duo, I noticed how they both took cues from each other, and like how Andrist always felt equal to Pieczonka, never too quiet or too loud based on the mood of the song,” said Reade McGrath, a first-year pianist. Pieczonka is the first Bragg artist-in-residence hosted by the department of music. The Bragg Music Opportunities Fund was
established in 2017, providing funding to host world-renowned artists, student performance and touring, and technology equipment. Students have had time to work and interact with Pieczonka and Andrist personally through a question-andanswer period, lectures and coaching sessions. “I was floored by the performance, as I had certainly never heard a voice quite like that live before,” said McGrath. As an avid Lieder performer, watching this performance has further enhanced my love of singing songs by Schubert. Performing an entire song cycle from memory is always an admirable feat, one which voice students here can aspire to achieve throughout their singing career.
Music Department Hosts Conference to Honour Bernstein’s 100th On January 25th and 26th, Mount Allison’s Department of Music will play host to a series of lectures and concerts in celebration of what would be Leonard Bernstein’s 100th year. The life and work of the famed American composer will be explored by keynote speaker Dr. Paul Laird, celebrated author, lecturer, and Director of Musicology at the University of Kansas. Mount Allison’s own Dr. Elizabeth Wells, herself a Bernstein authority, will be presenting throughout the conference. The Leonard Bernstein at 100 conference will begin on Friday, January 25th at 1:00 p.m. with a joint lecture on Bernstein’s Musical Theater by Drs. Laird and Wells, followed by an exploration of Bernstein on video, a conversation with Dr. Laird, and a 7:30 p.m. concert of Bernstein works featuring Music Department faculty, students, and guests. On Saturday at 9:00 a.m. the conference resumes with a second Musical Theater session by Drs. Laird and Wells, featuring performances by Music Department vocalists. At 11:15 a.m., Mount Allison faculty, students, and alumni will present lectures and musical performances. All events will take place in Brunton Auditorium at the Marjorie Young Bell Conservatory of Music. Leonard Bernstein was a key figure in the history of American music and one of the most recognized figures of the last century. A composer, conductor, pianist, music educator, and cultural ambassador, his enviable career included helping to bridge the divide between classical and popular music. He brought music education to children through his Young People’s concerts, conducted the New York Philharmonic, and composed seminal musical works like West Side Story. As Dr. Wells explains, “Leonard Bernstein continues to be an important figure in music and his 100th anniversary is the perfect time to reassess his legacy and be reminded of the important music he wrote. I am thrilled that we are celebrating Bernstein at Mount Allison this year.”
The conference is free to attend and open to the public. For additional information, call (506) 364-2374 or e-mail music@mta.ca. To view the detailed schedule of Leonard Bernstein at 100 events, visit www.mta.ca/music/.
ARTS & CULTURE
THE ARGOSY | WWW.SINCE1872.CA
AT THE LIBRARY
Talking about the theremin and the unreliable narrator
CAMPUS LIFE
05
Sean Michaels, author of Us Conductors, hosts book reading at Mt. A
JULIANNA RUTLEDGE Arts and Culture Reporter Author Sean Michaels visited the Ralph Pickard Bell Library last Wednesday to talk about and read from his debut novel, Us Conductors, which won the Scotiabank Giller Prize in 2014. Music librarian Laura Snyder, an avid fan of Us Conductors, introduced the author. “One of the real tests of a good book, of course, is whether you would read it a second time,” she said. “I’ve been busily rereading it this past week in preparation for this event – and yes, it’s at least as good the second time through.” Us Conductors is the story of Lev Sergeyevich Termen, the inventor of the theremin, one of the first electronic instruments; and of Clara Rockmore, his student and the theremin’s greatest player. “It’s a story of their love, and it’s a story of the reach that this instrument had; it’s a story of the highs and lows of Termen’s life,” explained Michaels. “And it is also packed full of lies.” Michaels wrote the book based partially on the true story and partially on his imagining of the story. “Most of it is true but every scene is made up,” he said. Michaels reflected on the nature of writing, noting that it is very solitary work that involves many hours sitting and wrestling with words and sentences. “To come tonight and see all of these strangers, who are curious about those dumb sentences I spent all that lonely time wrestling with, whether they’ve read some of those
sentences or whether they have yet to read them or may never, it’s very moving,” he said, gesturing to the crowd before him. “Thank you.” The author touched on his early career as a music journalist, when he wrote for a MP3 blog called Said the Gramophone that was started in the early 2000s to share reviews of new music. His work with music meant that this was not Michaels’ first visit to Sackville, as he has covered Sappyfest, Sackville’s annual music festival, for several years.
“ONE OF THE REAL TESTS OF A GOOD BOOK OF COURSE, IS WHETHER YOU WOULD READ IT A SECOND TIME” Michaels explained where his inspiration came from for Us Conductors, referencing the one night he heard a stunning theremin performance on the radio and mistook it for a soprano singer. When he realized that is wasn’t a human singing, but an instrument playing, he was immediately curious. The audience watched a video featuring a masterful and haunting performance on the theremin by Clara Rockmore. “Who is that woman?” Michaels asked after first seeing the video, and explained how
the performance had inspired him to write. “What is going on in her head as she plays that? Something’s going on in her head. What is she thinking? What is she remembering?” This was followed by a slightly less masterful demonstration of the theremin by Michaels, who openly admitted to not being the best or most attentive player. He explained how the unusual instrument works and invited the audience to come up after the talk and try their best to play. Jokingly he played happy birthday for a member of the crowd. Renée Belliveau, who currently works in the Archives, explained that although she had heard of the author before she had yet to read Us Conductors. “He seemed really interesting and the book seemed really interesting, so I thought I would check it out and it was a great talk,” she said. Later in his talk, Michaels read three excerpts from the novel. During one he asked for a moment of audience participation, asking his listeners to make the sound of the theremin, which he described as “dz eeeee ooooo.” To everyone’s amusement, the crowd did so. “I didn’t really know what I was getting into,” said Jacob Macpherson, a second-year geography student. “But I did actually end up really enjoying it. I found the way he wrote things was really engaging.” 2020 will mark the 100th anniversary of the theremin’s invention.
THE STORY OF THE THEREMIN, ONE OF THE FIRST ELECTRONIC INSTRUMENTS, IS DESCRIBED IN DETAIL BY AUTHOR SEAN MICHAELS IN HIS NOVEL, US CONDUCTORS. ASHLI GREEN/ARGOSY
EMMA BIBERDORF/ARGOSY
Who will win what?
Mt. A students discuss the films that have received Oscar buzz this year JANE REMPEL Arts and Culture Reporter There has been no shortage of buildup for one of Hollywood’s most anticipated events of the year. Few can resist the temptation to tune into the Academy Awards and contribute to the banter about who will win and what cringe-worthy moment will go down in history. How can we help it? Buzz surrounding which big celebrity will step in as the host this year has been a hot topic in the media. If you haven’t a clue what I am talking about, Kevin Hart had been confirmed as the host for the evening, but he stepped down from the acclaimed gig after several homophobic tweets he made between 2009 and 2011 resurfaced. Gabrielle Gagnon, a fourth-year PPE student, volunteered Emma Watson to fill the role. “She’s a huge advocate, and uses her fame for good,” she said. “She’s already super accomplished, and she would bring freshness and youth to the institution that is characterized by older white males”. If you decide to opt for watching instead of reading during this upcoming reading week, here are some suggestions from Mt. A students on which films might be in the running for an Oscar. When Brock O’Brien, a fourthyear sociology student, had time away from the football field this last year, he was able to visit the theatre to see Avengers: Infinity War and Black Panther. On his predictions for the films at the Oscars, O’Brien said, “The visuals were standout features for both films, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see either of them in the visual effects category.” Black Panther made a whopping $1.35 billion at the box office, which a pretty good indicator for how it was received by the public. Fourth-year English student Alexa Mutch said “A Star is Born is definitely on my watch list!” The star-studded cast includes Lady Gaga, Dave Chappelle, Sam Elliott and of course Bradley Cooper, who starred in, wrote for, directed and produced
the film. While Cooper is no rookie when it comes to the Academy Awards, this will be his first time attending the event wearing several hats for his backstage contributions to the film. Another newcomer to the directing scene is John Krasinski, who also starred in, wrote for and directed the highly praised horror/thriller film A Quiet Place. Given the response this film received by the public and critics, the film was only nominated for Best Original Score at the Golden Globes. Let’s hope the Oscar buzz for this film will be less quiet, as the originality of Krasinski’s piece proved that less is certainly more in the case of his innovative film. One cannot talk about the Academy Awards without discussing the reputation the award show has of creating some of the most iconic, cringe-worthy, hilarious or heartwarming moments that flood our newsfeeds for weeks following the night, from Ellen Degeneres’ celebrity-packed selfie in 2014 to Chrissy Teigen’s face becoming a widely used meme in 2016. Gagnon mentioned that her favourite Oscars moment was when the public rallied behind Leonardo DiCaprio to finally win his long overdue first Oscar in 2016. “We get to see such famous people interact in ways that make them much more relatable,” she said on the role of social media and viral moments at the Oscars. What’s more relatable than a casual Best Motion Picture award mix-up, right? As fun as it is to toy with the hypothetical fates of these films at the Academy Awards, the nominations will be announced by the time you read this article, so I’ll let the Academy members do their job. Of course, if you were too busy doing productive things this winter break, first, I applaud you, and second, I will remind you that there is still time for you to transform yourself into a movie critic. Mark your calendars folks: Jan. 22 is the night!
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ARTS & CULTURE
JANUARY 24, 2019 | ARGOSY@MTA.CA
CLIMATE CHANGE
CAMPUS LIFE
Listening for listening’s sake
Adelle Elwood shares a weekly fullalbum experience with listeners at Mount Allison MAGGIE PITMAN Arts and Culture Reporter
Sea levels are rising... are we prepared?
ANDREW LINTON Contributor
The environmental activism we most commonly see and interact with is focused on reducing human impacts on the environment. Whether it be decreasing plastic use, greenhouse gas emissions or release of harmful chemicals, such preventative efforts fall under the umbrella of mitigation, which, in the case of climate change, is essential for ensuring a habitable future. That being said, the effects of climate change are already being felt today in the form of intensifying weather events, rising sea levels and increased incidence of flooding and drought. In response to these challenges, local governments are becoming more engaged in climate adaptation work. Climate adaptation involves making proactive choices about how we live, so that we can become more resilient in the face of future climate impacts. Sackville is particularly vulnerable to coastal and freshwater flooding, since much of the town and surrounding region lies near or below sea level. The existing system of dykes holding back the powerful tides of the Bay of Fundy is aging and, given the projected rise of sea levels, too low to protect the town from storm surges. Recently, on a water management infrastructure bus tour, the Sackville town engineer, Dwayne Acton, suggested to my geography and
environment class that the dykes should be raised to a height of 13 metres, from their current average height of 8.6 metres. However, he said there are no immediate plans to complete this project due to barriers in land ownership and a lack of access to funding. Freshwater flooding is also a prominent concern in Sackville. Acton went on to describe how the existing water management infrastructure was built to maintain agricultural lands. It is of insufficient capacity to accommodate storm water from extreme weather events on top of waste water for a town of 5,500 people. “Sackville is a bathtub with the aboiteaus as the drains,” Acton explained. Existing aboiteaus – gates in the dykes allowing water to flow into the bay of Fundy – are currently too small or silted shut. An ongoing $1.1 million aboiteau expansion in west Sackville is underway, aiming to improve water flow and reduce flooding risks. The Town of Sackville, in partnership with Mount Allison and local environmental non-profit EOS Eco-Energy, have recognized the importance of engaging in climate adaptation work. This can be seen in the collaborative creation of a Climate Change Adaptation Toolkit in 2013 and a Corporate Climate Change Adaptation Plan in 2016. These resources have guided adaptation projects, including the town’s ongoing Lorne Street redevelopment, which is set to increase storm and waste water
holding capacity. The Adaptation Toolkit and related workshops provide advice for community members, by educating on flood preparation and advocating for development of water management assets such as rain gardens. Making a case for climate adaptation work may not be as glamorous as for renewable energy projects. Adaptation work that focuses on education and infrastructure improvements, though essential to future prosperity, seems to have a less immediate impact in the present. However, the effects of increased flooding in the Tantramar region would be extensive. A research team including Dr. David Lieske, a Mt. A professor, estimated that a dyke breach flooding event would cause damages upwards of $5 million. Increased incidence of flooding will endanger valuable agricultural lands in the region, posing risk to the local food supply. Transportation infrastructure is also vulnerable. The CN rail line and the TransCanada highway lie in the floodplains, as do many local roads. For example, in early November 2018, flooding left Route 935 to Wood Point impassable, temporarily limiting residents’ access to emergency services. The consequences of that unpredictable event give a greater sense of urgency to investing in Sackville’s short- and long-term plans to alleviate flood risk. Are we prepared for what’s to come?
Each Wednesday evening in the Marjorie Young Bell Conservatory of Music, friends gather in room 100. On those nights, what is a classroom by day turns into a comfortable venue for the Eclectic Listening Club. Together, participants sit and listen to an album of eclectic music from start to finish, taking it in without expectation or distraction. The atmosphere is welcoming yet quiet as students congregate to hear the latest music selection. Adelle Elwood, a third-year music student, came up with the idea to make a listening club while driving in her car. “I was listening to music really loudly and having a nice time just experiencing it,” she said. She said she decided to start this small group on campus so that she could enjoy music with her friends. Students in the music program are required to listen to music often, mostly focusing on the classical genre. The curriculum requires students to think about and analyze the music; to not only listen but contemplate the meaning and structure behind each piece. Elwood views this club as a refreshing hiatus from that world of deep and critical listening. “Because we have to listen to a lot of classical music in this program, it’s just nice to listen to something else,” she said. “Listening Club is a time where we can just enjoy music and we don’t have to think about it too much.” At the Eclectic Listening Club,
participants can sit in chairs, on the floor or even bring yoga mats and lay down. The environment is very casual and invites you to have the most pleasant experience possible. “There are no other sounds. It’s kind of a different experience to have the music around you instead of just hearing it from your headphones,” said Elwood. “More people should come lay on the floor and listen to music with me!” Similar clubs take different forms all over the world. Some are exclusive to vinyl, while others require the listeners to wear noise cancelling headphones. With these clubs, enjoying recorded music becomes a social activity rather than part of a chore or obligation. The music itself is a variety of eclectic albums ranging from Pulitzer Prize-winner Kendrick Lamar to Polaris Prize-winner Jeremy Dutcher. The club has experienced these artists as well as the Slits, Animal Collective, Wulfpeck and Florence and the Machine. Each week, Elwood chooses an album based on her own findings as well as the recommendations of others. She hopes that the variety of music provides the opportunity for participants to branch out from their own music tastes. Listening for listening’s sake is something that is not often done in this age of multitasking. Consider joining Adelle and the Eclectic Listening Club on Wednesday nights at 8 p.m. Stray from your everyday music tastes and experience something new and exciting.
SAVANNAH FORSEY/ARGOSY
ARTS & CULTURE
THE ARGOSY | WWW.SINCE1872.CA
MUSIC
T&L hosts the weird and wonderful B.A. Johnston
07
Let’s talk about the strangest musician I’ve ever encountered DEREK SHARP Arts and Culture Reporter I wasn’t sure what to expect from my first B.A. Johnston show. My preparation consisted only of viewing the poster (a black and white flaming tiger) and my editor-in-chief’s insistence that I must go and report on what I saw. These details, though minimal, did suggest something remarkable. And now, two days post-concert, I’m at a loss for how to communicate the enigmatic beauty that is a B.A. Johnston performance. Should I start with his incredible entrance that involved sparklers and workout beats, or should I mention his frantic, funny, catchy, earnest music that made up the bulk of the excellently paced show? If I went down that rabbit hole, I’d risk forgetting his strange and delightful dance moves, which would be a complete journalistic failure. His
dancing is amazing: simultaneously robotic and acrobatic, his wild gesticulations establish a hyperactive mood that he maintains throughout the entire show. One moment he’ll be standing on a chair, waving his arms rigidly to the beat, and the next he’ll be doing the worm on the floor, or maybe prancing around and having audience members chug their beer. So, like, my problem is that there’s a lot going on at a B.A. Johnston show. I’ll start with the facts: the concert started around 9 p.m. at Sackville’s own Thunder & Lightning bar. B.A. Johnston, from Hamilton, ON, is more or less a one-man band, unless you count his iPhone. Johnston found a way to prance and dance throughout the tightly packed venue, even running outside once or twice and throwing snowballs back into the bar before running in himself. The small space was crammed with around 30 people, and they were all
completely enamoured with B.A. Johnston. It’s not entirely surprising that such a charming and likeable performer could wrap a crowd around his finger. The crowd enthusiastically sang along at various points throughout the night. This is a testament to the nature of B. A.’s fame; his work relies on small, very devoted fan pockets throughout the country. Sackville, it seems, is a one of these pockets; he told me that he plays here at least once a year. Several audience members told me they’d lost count of how many times they’ve seen him, though it would definitely be in the double digits. And having come to appreciate Johnston’s unique musical style and candour, it’s easy to see why you’d want to see him multiple times. His whole onstage persona is outrageous, and would likely be crushed by a corporate producer; Johnston is indie as hell and his music
is all the better for it. It allows him to be unpolished and relatable, right down with the rest of us.
ONE MOMENT HE’LL BE STANDING ON A CHAIR, WAVING HIS ARMS RIGIDLY TO THE BEAT, AND THE NEXT HE’LL BE DOING THE WORM ON THE FLOOR This blue-collar appeal of Johnston’s work becomes obvious the more familiar you become with his discography. It perfectly embodies plenty of working-class frustrations, giving his audience tangible experiences to relate to. A
B.A. JOHNSTON’S ECCENTRIC PERFORMANCES HAVE CULTIVATED A SMALL BUT LOYAL FOLLOWING ACROSS CANADA. MADELEINE HANSEN/ARGOSY
great example would be his song Dayoff is a Dayoff. B.A. sings about how he knows his boss is going to call him in so he plants himself next to the phone and drinks generously all night. When his boss does call, he can honestly say no. It’s snide, cutting and hilarious. Not all of his songs are so biting though; some are just plain funny (I Wanna Drink With Aliens) or occasionally touching (My Heart is a Blinking Nintendo). Johnston is currently touring across Canada, and is releasing a new album The Skid is Hot Tonight soon. You can – and should – find his music on Bandcamp. He’s great, he’ll be back, and you should see him when he is. If you ask, he’ll give you a crisp high five, guaranteed. Would Kanye do that?
PCCA artist profiles
Some of Sackville’s student artists discuss their work DEREK SHARP ARTS & CULTURE REPORTER Over the last few days I’ve talked with four student artists whose work is displayed at the Purdy Crawford Centre for the Arts (PCCA). Each has mentioned how Sackville’s and Mount Allison’s artistic communities have affected their work. To see the truth of this, one need only stroll down
past the Waterfowl Park and the recently installed Arts Wall, which celebrates generations of Sackvillian artists. If the community is the pond where fine arts students can grow, the BFA program is a waterfall they need to jump. Braden Chetwynd, a fourth-year student, described the program’s flexibility as key. “All the profs are so amazing at never hindering you,” he said. “If I was
in a drawing class and I wanted to do a project that wasn’t necessarily drawing, it was always just, ‘Go off and do it!’ ” And, if the PCCA is any indication, do it they did. The fourth-year and departmental shows are currently on display at the PCCA. The atrium is full of student work: it lines the walls and hangs from the ceilings. Chetwynd, who is the president of the Fine Arts
Society, organized the departmental show. He says the show’s goal is to allow the students to define themselves in a public way, and to say, “This is what’s important to me. This is what’s important to my art practice.” Lucky for us, four of the featured student artists agreed to speak with me about their work and what makes it important.
BRADEN CHETWYND Braden Chetwynd is a fourth-year fine arts student from Shelburne, N.S. He’s been an artist for most of his life, and recently he’s found his own voice. “A lot of my work is based on pop culture and media,” he told me. “I’m really interested in how it becomes appropriated and taken and people can make it a reflection of themselves. What people are watching, what people are listening to, it all says something about them as a person.” Chetwynd’s self-portrait series What Becomes a Legend Most, nestled up on the third floor, is a striking example of these sensibilities. “It’s based on a series of ads from the 1960s,” said Chetwynd. “They
would take different celebrities and put them in this fur coat.” He is specifically inspired by Judy Garland’s shoot; she’s a celebrity who Chetwynd feels connected to, and who he draws upon for much of his work. “This one was about stepping out from that image and taking it on myself,” he said. The images themselves are glamorous, with an air of old Hollywood blended with 60s extravagance. By showing us not only the final image, but also plenty of the apparently “rejected” images, Chetwynd is engaging with selfdefinition and self-discovery. His work asks us, how are we seen by ourselves and others?
Photos by Savannah Forsey Design by Morgan Bender and Ashli Green
MARY SCOTT
Mary Scott is a fourth-year bachelor of arts student from Ottawa, Ont. Scott’s fine art experience prior to Mount Allison was fairly minimal. She had taken some art classes at high school where her teacher encouraged her to pursue art once she graduated. “When I came to Mt. A … I found that I had a knack for photography,” she told me. “I’m really intrigued by landscapes,” Scott said when I asked about her photographic passions. “I feel like there’s more to it, there’s a narrative there.” When it comes to Scott’s work, this subliminal narrative is always present. The four landscapes currently on display in the PCCA were taken while Scott was on exchange in Scotland. She used the same camera that her father had
used on his own Scottish adventures in the 80s. Wrapped up in the sentimental images are questions about her relationship with her ancestry and her own place in the world. They stare out over water and over landscapes, encouraging the viewer to sit with her and simply look. When asked about how the Mt. A community affected her art, she highlighted how creating your own degree expanded her outlook, saying, “It’s made me more openminded, considerate.” Finally, she ended the interview with this: “If you’re really passionate about art: do it. See where it takes you. Especially if you’re at Mt. A, you have the option to do everything.”
VERONICA KERRIGAN Veronica Kerrigan is a fourth-year fine arts student from St. John, N.B. After hearing her speak about her art, it’s evident that her work is integral to her identity. “I was always the kid that was drawing all the time,” she said. “I was like, ‘Huh, maybe I should do art school?’ That she found her artistic identity so early is fascinating considering Kerrigan’s exploration of childhood in her artwork. Kerrigan’s massive drawing The
Party dominates the first floor of the building. It’s an illustration of a photograph depicting a children’s birthday party. “I was making a lot of work that focused on these nostalgic family photographs … kind of exploring the way people elevate these notions of childhood and nostalgia,” Kerrigan told me. Kerrigan explores this theme in a few brilliant ways. Illustrating a photograph with pencil crayons is a great material basis for this exploration. The pastel colour
palette Kerrigan used represents her belief that these memories and tokens from our childhood we hold onto are fictitious and idealized. And in basing her drawing on a photograph from her own childhood, Kerrigan turns this discriminating gaze inward. Her drawing is delightful, colourful and fun. It also reinforces the unreality of those memories. It’s clearly been interpreted and transformed. Her work encourages rigorous self-examination.
ASHLEY HENWOOD
Ashley Henwood is a second-year fine arts student from St. John, N.B. Like many of her peers, she had a penchant for art from an early age. “When I was in high school, I actually wasn’t allowed to take any art classes. My parents wanted me to do sciences and math, to have my bases covered, which was smart. But now I’m here – I obviously knew where my passion lies,” she said. Being at Mt. A has enabled Henwood to explore various other media beyond the ones she was comfortable with. Hendwood’s
sculpture Creepy Garden Girl, currently found near the back of the first floor of the PCCA, is a product of this exploration. What got me most were the fingernails – I’ve never seen a flower wearing nail polish. Looking at Henwood’s piece, the notions of personhood I’ve long thought I understood are challenged. “I’ve always been kind of obsessed with the idea of plants as living beings and organisms,” she said. “I always had this idea in my head where plants were living
in the same sense as humans were living.” She said she wondered what would happen “if a human looked at a plant and thought of it as another being.” The Creepy Garden Girl certainly embodies this questioning of our notions of life: it’s uncanny, which means it’s effective. Speaking to her time at Mt. A, Henwood said, “I’m really grateful for the opportunity to be here, and I really appreciate all the profs helping out.… [They] help me, and encourage me along the way.”
10 SPORTS
EDITOR: ALYSSA DONSTON | JANUARY 24, 2019 | ARGOSY@MTA.CA
VARSITY
Badminton team takes win at ACAA Mounties now looking hopefully towards the championship
THE MOUNTIES ADD ANOTHER WIN TO NINE CHAMPIONSHIP BANNERS CAPTURED IN THE PAST TEN YEARS. MOUNTIES ATHLETICS
JESSICA FIRMINGER Sports & Health Reporter During the Atlantic Collegiate Athletic Association (ACAA) Badminton Tournament, the Mounties badminton team took first place, followed by University of King’s College in second and
Dalhousie Agricultural Campus in third. This has not been the badminton team’s first successful season: in the past 10 seasons, the Mounties have captured the ACAA championship banner nine times. The current 2018-19 season began with an uncertain start for the team,
which had a large turnover due to injury and loss of graduate players. Steve Scott, the head coach of the badminton team, still feels sure of the team’s success, despite the turnover. “This season we are in a period of development with our team, as some of our top players have graduated and King’s has been aggressively
recruiting and developing some top players over the past few seasons, thereby making them much more competitive,” Scott said. “Saying that, our team still has more depth of good players than our competitors so we are still [favoured] to win the regular tournaments.” Adam Peck, a second-year music student, is playing his first year on the badminton team and placed second in the men’s double event with Andrew Cundill. “This season started a little rough due to injuries and we’ve been fortunate to have a full team again,” Peck said. “Lately there’s been some great teamwork and our doubles games have seen a lot of improvement.” During the ACAA tournament, the Mounties placed first in three of the events, and second in another six. “This past weekend, as a whole, the team played to its potential, which allowed us to win,” Scott said. As the team approaches the ACAA Championships, they are training routinely to prepare for the event. “We prepare for our tournaments through our regular varsity practices by doing various intensive drills, whether they be footwork, strokes or rotation drills,” Scott said. “Several of our team members will also train and
practice outside of our regular three varsity practices per week.” Madison Morrissey, a fourth-year history student, is playing her fourth year on the badminton team and placed second in a women’s double event with Selina Gaudreault and in one of the women’s single events. “Our team’s strengths this year have been our commitment and dedication as a team to practices and tournaments,” Morrissey said. “Our bond as a team also helps with our progression through the tournaments and practices.” Morrissey is playing her last year on the badminton team before she graduates, but anticipates a strong team in the upcoming years. “I look forward to seeing all the returning players come back as a stronger and competitive team,” Morrissey said. The team has one more event on Saturday, Feb. 2 at Dal AC before the ACAA Championships, which are taking place on Saturday, Feb. 16 at their home location, the Mt. A Gymnasium. “[I’m] looking forward to how our team handles the championship,” Peck said. “Our team is definitely running for winning the championship.”
This is your brain on exercise Taking the time to move for your mental well-being
EMILIE COMFORT Health Intern Exercise is frequently discussed in terms of its physical benefits, but its psychological benefits are often forgotten. Exercise can have psychological benefits, which many people are unaware of, and can have a positive impact one’s overall well-
being. When a person exercises, there are both short-term and long-term benefits. According to Wendy Suzuki, professor of neural science and psychology at the Center for Neural Science at New York University, individuals will feel a mood and energy boost immediately after exercising. Long-term effects of
exercise include the ability to focus for longer, improved long-term memory, better mood and increased energy. Chelsey Wheaton, a fourthyear psychology student, finds that exercise boosts her mood when she is feeling down and it’s a great break from school work. Perhaps this is because you don’t have to focus on anything except your workout. “When I don’t exercise, I feel like I have less energy,” Wheaton said. According to the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), regular physical exercise can reduce depression and anxiety. “Exercising has helped with stress and anxiety because it keeps you focused in the moment,” said Alexa Mutch, a fourthyear history and English major. “I often find myself not thinking about other things going on outside of the gym.” Taking the time out of your day to decompress can help you manage stress, which is very beneficial as
students in particular tend to live in quite stressful environments. A common question about the benefits of exercise is, how much exercise do I need to get in order
“EXERCISING HAS HELPED WITH STRESS AND ANXITY BECAUSE IT KEEPS YOU FOCUSED IN THE MOMENT.” to receive these benefits? The good news is you don’t have to become a triathlete or a marathon runner. Suzuki suggests that exercising three to four times a week with a minimum of 30 minutes per session is sufficient.
During your sessions, aerobic exercises that increase your heart rate are recommended. Fortunately, you do not need an expensive gym membership to achieve these benefits. A simple walk during your day or taking the stairs when they are available are simple but great ways to increase your heart rate. While it is important to recognize that exercise can help reduce depression, anxiety and a variety of other conditions, if you find yourself struggling with these issues, Mount Allison University does have services available for students. The Wellness Centre offers counselling by appointment, as well as walk-in counselling from 1 to 4 p.m. on Mondays and Tuesdays and from 5 to 8 p.m. on Thursdays. There are also psychologists and a psychiatrist, to whom students can be referred by a health-care practitioner.
SPORTS & HEALTH
THE ARGOSY | WWW.SINCE1872.CA
VARSITY
11
Mounties take on MSVU women’s volleyball team An exhilerating matchup last week has us looking forward to the upcoming home game
BOTH TEAMS REMAIN NECK AND NECK THROUGHOUT THE THIRD SET, WITH MOUNT A TRAILING BEHIND MSVU IN THE LEAGUE’S RANKINGS. EMMA BIBERDORF/ARGOSY
NATASHA GOSSELIN Sports & Health Reporter Mount Allison’s women’s volleyball team faced Mount Saint Vincent University (MSVU) this past Saturday, Jan. 19, in a four-set matchup here in Sackville. MSVU is currently ranked first in the league with 24 points, while Mt. A trails behind by only 8 points. The first set started with an significant lead for MSVU. When the first timeout of the game was called, Mt. A was behind by 13 points, with the score at 25-12. Although the Mounties put forth their best efforts,
the final score of the first set was ultimately 25-12 in favour of MSVU. The Mounties tried to make a comeback in the second set but struggled to follow through. The first timeout of the set was called early in the game, with the score being 3-0 for MSVU. The strategic timeout calls by coach Paul Settle gave Mt. A an opportunity to swing the momentum. By the second timeout, Mt. A was only falling behind by nine points, making the score 16-7. Third-year Mountie setter, Rachel McDougall, was able to bring up the score through a streak of consecutive serves, which contributed to Mt. A’s 16 points against MSVU’s
23. The final score for the second set was 25-19 for MSVU. This gave MSVU a 2-0 lead. As Settle pointed out to the team, “Small errors we were making were causing the point deficits.” Mt. A lead in points for the majority of the third set. The first timeout of the set was called with the score tied at 12-12. The third set saw some hard hits, tough serves and great dives, with both teams remaining neck and neck throughout. The
second timeout of the set was called at 24-22 for the Mounties. The final score of the third set was 25-22 for Mt. A. This gave the Mounties a fighting chance against MSVU, who lead 2-1. The fourth set saw the most action and had the crowd on the edges of their seats. The Mounties did not start off as strong as they previously had, but it was clear they were not giving up. The first timeout of the set was called
THE FOURTH SET SAW THE MOST
ACTION AND HAD THE CROWD ON THE EDGES OF THEIR SEATS.
with a score of 15-10 for MSVU. Mt. A lagged behind 21-14 at the last timeout of the game. A surprising call was made by a referee giving the game winning point to MSVU. Upon highly demanded review, the point was given to the Mounties. This left the final score at 25-21 for MSVU. Despite the Mounties’ best efforts, MSVU won the game with 3-1 sets against Mt. A. The Mounties will play their next game at 7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 25, against University of King’s College here in Sackville.
SHARE
What and who are we entitled to online? @SheRatesDogs, humour, and the horrors of online harassment
JILLANE BURYN SHARE Intern In mid-December, a new Twitter account called @SheRatesDogs was created, and though the name of the account is reminiscent of another
account that rates our canine friends based on cuteness, the “dogs” rated on @SheRatesDogs are of another variety. This new account rates terrible texts, tweets and messages from the exes of the people who’ve submitted them. Most of the interactions shared
by @SheRatesDogs are outright cases of harassment. In the month and a bit since the account was created, it has garnered 112,000 followers and has made 461 tweets. The popularity of this account likely indicates that the experiences shared on it appeal to a large crowd. This appeal could be for a number of reasons, including the ability to relate to the experience of cyber harassment, a fascination with the horror of cyber harassment or – judging by the replies to some of the tweets – a belief that these encounters are humorous. These three reasons can all act together in tandem, as humour and disbelief can be ways of coping with the common but unfortunate experience of cyber harassment. Though these experiences may seem funny when removed from us online, the feeling of discomfort that comes from reading the exchanges
on @SheRatesDogs feels more appropriate. Many of these messages are threats consist with stalking, and most of them explicitly convey the message that the titular “dogs” feel entitled to the attention and time of the person they are messaging. Online dating apps and social media have made us more accessible to each other than ever, but this has led to a belief that, because we are more accessible, others are entitled to access us whenever and however they want. This belief is dangerous. We are not entitled to someone else just because we can access them online any time. We should not believe that we are, even
if we have spent time with them in person or have connected with them sexually or romantically. The hundreds of examples of this belief on @ SheRatesDogs are cyber-based manifestations of systemic violence and harassment. No one owes us their time, online or elsewhere, and we should respect the boundaries set by others. Repeated harassment is not an appropriate display of interest, telling someone to leave us alone online is not rude, and an online culture where harassment is normalized is not acceptable.
NO ONE OWES
US THEIR TIME, ONLINE OR
ELSEWHERE,
AND WE SHOULD RESPECT THE
BOUNDARIES OF OTHERS.
12
SPORTS & HEALTH
JANUARY 24, 2019 | ARGOSY@MTA.CA
PHYSIOLOGY
The dark side of studying
Improper posture when studying leaves students with long-term physical consequences
HOURS SPENT HUNCHED OVER TEXTBOOKS AND COMPUTERS CAN LEAD STUDENTS TO EXPERIENCE NEGATIVE PHYSICAL REPERCUSSIONS. ASHLI GREEN/ARGOSY
JESSICA FIRMINGER Sports & Health Reporter
Attention all daredevils: if you’ve already tried your hand at extreme sports from skydiving to heli-skiing
and are now searching for your next risk, look no further than studying for your next midterm. Despite its seemingly harmless nature, doing schoolwork has the potential to lead to severe physical consequences. In order to keep up with their increasingly heavy workloads, students often sit for long periods of time at a desk with poor posture, putting them at risk for not only short-term physical effects, but permanent health complications. Anna Balodis, a licenced occupational therapist, has encountered students that are physically suffering due to incorrect positioning when studying. “Looking at the short-term effects, improperly sitting all day can cause neck and back pain, eye strain and headaches,” Balodis said. Balodis warned of the potential long-term outcomes of maintaining poor posture when working at a desk. “Obesity, changes in spinal curves, nerve impingement, chronic pain and venous insufficiency are possible consequences of consistently poor posture,” Balodis said. Mackenzie Cooper Young, a second-year arts student, reported experiencing discomfort after prolonged studying. “If I’m studying and slumped over my notes for a few hours, my back will get sore and my
neck tends to crack more.” As a freestyle skier, Cooper Young has suffered many injuries, but attributes the discomfort when doing schoolwork to the act of studying alone. “I’d be hard pressed to think of a body part I haven’t hurt while skiing,” Cooper Young said, “but the pain when I’m studying isn’t from a preexisting injury.” Cooper Young has found relief by switching up his position when studying and taking breaks. “I try changing my posture from time to time, and I find taking breaks every once in a while to stretch helps,” Cooper Young said. Balodis suggested solutions for the resulting discomfort and ways to avoid permanent physical damage. “Prevention would include proper ergonomic set up of the work space,” Balodis said, “and regular movement breaks to change position, stretch or go for a walk.” Former Mount Allison student Stacey McCann pursued physiotherapy after finishing her degree at Mt. A, and commonly treats students with health complications from working at a desk.
“The most common type of injury I see with students is neck or back pain resulting from either overworked, weak, or tight muscles,” McCann said. “Over time, people sometimes develop a head forward posture leading to increased pressure on the neck.” McCann offers manual therapy services and modalities for pain control after pain and stiffness from working at a desk, but stressed the importance of education in injury prevention. “ E d u c a t i o n regarding proper positioning to correct the aggravating factor of the injury is really key to fixing the problem.” She said, “There is a lot involved with proper positioning, including the height of your chair, the height of the desk [and] the distance of the computer.” Soper Physiotherapy provides services in Sackville for students with injuries from improper positioning when studying, and can be contacted for information at (506) 536-8081 or sphysio@bellaliant.com.
“OVER TIME, PEOPLE
SOMETIMES DEVELOP A HEAD FORWARD
POSTURE LEADING TO
INCREASED PRESSURE ON THE NECK.”
RETHINK THE DRINK
Party culture on university campuses
Panel of experts and students discuss binge drinking behaviour at #ReThinkTheDrink NATASHA GOSSELIN Sports & Health Reporter “Party culture,” which is often related to binge drinking behaviours, is commonplace in universities across Canada. On Jan. 9, Mount Allison’s Student Union hosted #ReThinkTheDrink, an event focused on discussing party culture on campus that aimed to reduce the harms of alcohol. The event, hosted by Mt. A’s health intern Emilie Comfort, featured a panel of five individuals, including students, mental health advocates and local paramedics, all of whom were asked their opinions on a series of questions. The event began with the question, “Why do you think alcohol and binge drinking is such a big part of university culture?” “Students tend to binge drink over drinking casually because of time restrictions,” said one student panelist. “Because of our busy schedules, we are more likely to drink excessive amounts in one night compared to moderate amounts throughout the week.” “The culture of binge drinking is common because of the social change in environment,” said another panelist. “Students might be experiencing living on their own for the first time as well as finally being
legal drinking age. The accumulation of temptation results in the excessive drinking culture.” A second question presented to the panelists was, “Where does most drinking happen on campus?” A student residence assistant claimed that she witnessed peers encouraging drinking within residence. “What else is there to do in Sackville?” she said jokingly. As the saying goes, you are a product of your environment, and most drinking incidents occur in private homes and residences, the paramedic panelist agreed. One audience member pitched in by stating she felt a lot of pressure while in residence to drink in order to be social. Although it was her decision not to drink, the pressure was not subtle. #ReThinkTheDrink helped open up discussion about the concerns and different aspects of the drinking culture seen in universities. Panelists generally agreed that it is more productive to foster a healthy party environment for students rather than create a restrictive and dangerous alternative. As the events slogan stated, “Don’t be afraid to crush a water.” For tips or information on responsible drinking or alcohol harm reduction, contact Mount Allison’s Wellness Centre at 506-364-2163 or wellness@mta.ca.
MADELEINE HANSEN/ARGOSY
EDITOR: OLIVIA WIGMORE | JANUARY 24, 2019 | ARGOSY@MTA.CA
INDIGENOUS
OPINIONS 13
What does Indigenization at Mt.A look like? It’s the responsibility of faculty, staff and students to work towards the inclusion of Indigenous knowledge on campus and in our classrooms
KIARA BUBAR Contributor In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada published 94 Calls to Action, which addressed many issues involving Indigenous people in Canada and called the federal government to take action in many facets of Canadian society. One of these Calls to Action was dedicated solely to education, which has been deemed one of the most important parts of reconciliation – though, according to the wise words of Jesse Wente, it’s hard to reconcile something that was never “conciled” in the first place. So, instead of reconciliation, I will be taking up Indigenization and how the idea of Indigenous inclusion applies to Mount Allison. Let’s start with what Indigenization does not mean. It does not mean placing blame on yourself or others who have settler heritage. You cannot be responsible for others’ actions, especially those of the past. All you can be responsible for are your own actions. One of the fundamental steps to Indigenization is recognizing the honest history of Indigenoussettler relations. History is easily distorted by those in power, and it is so important to realize the
EACH SYLLABUS DISTRIBUTED AT MOUNT ALLISON INCLUDES AN OPENING NOTE ABOUT THE UNIVERSITY’S FOUNDATION ON TRADITIONAL, UNCEDED MI’KMAQ TERRITORY, BUT THIS IS NOT ENOUGH TO EFFECT MAJOR CHANGE. ASHLI GREEN/ARGOSY more accessible to Indigenous student, but having a diverse student truth of what has happened in the As an educational institution, past to better understand current Mount Allison needs to recognize students. Statistics Canada states that body also enriches the institution problems. Indigenous people have traditional knowledge along with the biggest gap in education between itself. Multiple perspectives yield a been oppressed in numerous ways the modern knowledge that we Indigenous and non-Indigenous wide array of ideas and innovations throughout history, including the learn every day. Traditional and people is how many graduate from that contribute to the community. We installation of the Indian Act of 1876, modern knowledge are not mutually university. Transitioning to postcannot boast diversity and inclusivity treaty violations, and residential exclusive, nor is one superior to secondary education can be difficult without including a diverse array of schools. The main goal of these acts the other. They can coexist in an and daunting. This is especially the voices and perspectives. was to assimilate Indigenous people academic setting and complement case for first-generation students – Our university bears the into settler culture, which meant one another. The two perspectives those who are the first in their families responsibility of delivering the revoking the right for Indigenous offer different points of view that can to attend university – who have little most educational and inclusive people to speak their language, enrich the academic environment in support, experience intergenerational environment possible. To reach this practice ceremony, and celebrate which we are engaged. Furthermore, trauma, and experience their own goal, we must Indigenize the campus their culture. Since ceasing these Mount Allison was established on struggles and setbacks; this is the by embedding the knowledge, assimilation techniques, we have been Mi’kmaq territory. In order to be truly case for many Indigenous students language, and culture of Indigenous working diligently to reclaim and Indigenized, we need to recognize entering university. The ability to people into the institution. Our embrace our traditional teachings and incorporate Mi’kmaq culture obtain higher education is invaluable, university is more than capable of and ceremonies. Although we should and teachings into our current ways as it gives students the skills necessary this, and I hope that we can make not live in the past, it is important to of knowing. for critical thinking, to enroll in other Mount Allison an intellectual space acknowledge and understand these Another essential element to educational programs, and to get a job. that welcomes everyone. events so we can learn from them. Indigenization is making university So, not only do these skills benefit the
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14 OPINIONS Fast fashion: the cost of looking good
JANUARY 24, 2019 | ARGOSY@MTA.CA
SUSTAINABILITY
Mass clothing producers use methods that are resulting in widespread envirnmental degredation
GABRIELLE GAGNON Contributor Picture this: You go to the mall, telling yourself you won’t buy anything today. At H&M, you see a top on a window mannequin and fall in love. You tell yourself, “I’ll sleep on it. If I still love it tomorrow, I’ll come back and get it.” The next day you come back for the top, but H&M has changed their inventory, and the mannequins are dressed in completely different clothing. Sound familiar? What you’ve just experienced is fast fashion, one of the most polluting industries on the planet. Fast fashion is the production of clothing fabricated quickly and inexpensively, following trends to get clothes in storefronts as quickly as possible. Zara and H&M are usually pinned as the face of the fast fashion industry. Previously believed to be the second-most polluting industry after big oil, numbers are finally showing up to debunk that myth. While its ranking as a world polluter is still being debated, there is no question that this industry has a hugely negative impact on the environment, and in more ways than one.
Look in your wardrobe, and the dominating fabric you’ll most likely find is cotton. A principle fabric in clothing production, cotton production is remarkably harmful to the planet. Normally a perennial plant, cotton is grown as an annual plant to satisfy industry needs. This process relies heavily on water, a growing issue in the face of shrinking water resources around the world. Cotton growth also contributes to heavy emissions of pesticides and other harmful chemicals dumped directly into freshwater sources. Moreover, the fashion community has recently been talking about “closing the loop”: an idea emerging that there is enough fabric on the planet to clothe its entire population, so much so that there is no longer a need to farm and cultivate new materials for clothing. It suggests that clothes that are no longer being used should be broken down and repurposed. H&M has even come out with a sustainability campaign, growing larger year by year. However, their clothing rotation – the addition of new clothes on storefronts while swapping out older items – still remains one of the most frequent ones in the industry, begging the question of whether they really are walking their talk. What’s more, finding data on big companies like H&M, Zara, and Walmart and their environmental impact is impossible. Companies simply aren’t keeping track or are not publishing this data at all. Can you imagine why? Thankfully, there are alternatives,
such as thrift stores – if you can find one that isn’t rampantly problematic – and a new industry cropping up to face the problem. Often referred to as “slow fashion”, or eco-friendly brands; these brands focus on using sustainable materials and processes . However, one can already guess that this kind of production doesn’t use the cheap tools or labour that fast fashion does, thus ramping up prices (upwards of $50 for a sustainable top). This suggests issues of classism
regarding sustainable fashion and the sad reality that fast fashion offers accessible, fashionable clothing for relatively no expense to pennypinching young people. This article has barely scratched the surface of this environmental problem. Not included in this piece are the environmental impacts of shipping, unethical human labor (like the 2013 Savar building collapse in Bangladesh, killing 1,134 people, the majority probably garment workers),
and how the production of clothing items designed to break down after a few wears might be a symptom of a larger system – capitalism-induced materialism and consumerism, anyone? Alternatives are possible for those who can afford it, leaving environmentally-conscious students and lower-class workers in the dust. Fast fashion provides trendy clothing for cheap financially, but with a high ethical price.
H&M AND ZARA ARE WIDELY KNOWN AND LOVED FOR THEIR TRENDY, RELATIVELY ACCESSIBLE CLOTHING, BUT THAT CONVENIENCE IS HAVING AN INCREASINGLY NEGATIVE IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT. MADELEINE HANSEN/ARGOSY
COLUMN
True leadership takes the form of service and inspiration
Past and present leaders demonstrate leadership through collaboration, not control
REV. JOHN C. PERKIN Columnist This semester, I am teaching a fourth-year seminar that explores scholarly challenges in the quest for the historical Jesus. In this course, we dive more deeply into the gospel accounts of Jesus’ life and ministry, and try to discern the difference between what Jesus actually said and those words that have been redacted,
altered, shaped and even created by the church tradition. One of the stories told in the gospels that many scholars agree is likely from Jesus himself is his statement that ‘The great must be humbled, the first will be last.’ The gospel writer Luke alone tells the story slightly differently from the others, noting that Jesus also said, “The greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like one who serves.”
This past week, I spoke at a student leadership conference and began reflecting on these biblical words, as I think they hold great wisdom. Over a decade ago, I directed Mt. A’s leadership program for several years; during that time I read and reflected and consulted widely on the nature of leadership. One of the things I always thought, but never acted on, was that the name “Leadership Mt. A” should be changed to “Leadership and Service Mt. A.” Sometimes, leadership and being a leader is not about the role we seek, but the role we play through serving. We might serve in response to a need, to a challenge, to a set of expectations or to an opportunity that presents itself. True leadership, I think, is not about the person who leads, but the service that they offer. As I reflect on leadership, it is clear to me that it must be built on some essential, foundational qualities. We might have our own list of those things that characterize leadership, but these foundational qualities include recognizing a need, building on earned trust, working collaboratively
to engage others, drawing on the experience and knowledge of others, and having persistence and commitment in working towards a common or shared goal. I think of the leadership speakers we had at Mount Allison 12 years ago; some were ordinary people thrust into new roles by circumstances. They were not famous or widely known, but they were people who offered of themselves in critical times, providing great leadership and service when it mattered. One of those people was Stephen Brunet, the then-mayor of Bathurst, in 2008. Following a horrific van crash in January of that year that took the lives of eight people, seven of them members of the basketball team – it was the Humboldt Broncos tragedy of that decade – the mayor brought that community together and provided leadership to a community that otherwise would be without direction. Leadership is about recognizing the need and the opportunity, and also engaging, acknowledging, collaborating and being persistent and committed. I recall the words of
Martin Luther King – who stepped into his role because he needed to, not because he wanted to; because he was asked to serve, not because he desired it; because there was a need, not because he was simply ambitious – who said, just a couple of months before he was killed by an assassin’s bullet in 1968, “You don’t have to be great to serve, but you have to serve to be great. Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and your verb agree to serve. You don’t have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve. You don’t have to know Einstein’s theory of relativity to serve. You don’t have to know the second theory of thermodynamics in physics to serve. You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love.” If we want to be great – that is, to be a leader – we must learn first and foremost to be least and last; to lead, we need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love. And to be a leader, it is essential that one must be willing to serve.
STUDENT ADVOCACY
Student representatives suggest changes to universities country-wide
CASA delegates given the opportunity to recommend institutional changes
EMELYANA TITARENKO Contributor Recently, MASU president Emma Miller and I had the opportunity to attend the Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA)’s Advocacy Week. We travelled to Ottawa where we met with several key politicians and stakeholders to discuss our recommendations for improving the post-secondary student experience in Canada. CASA is a non-partisan, not-for-profit national student organization, established in 1995. CASA represents 280,000 students through undergraduate, graduate and polytechnic associations across Canada as it strives to advocate for accessible, affordable and highquality post-secondary education. The Mount Allison Students’ Union (MASU) has been a member of CASA
since its renewal in 2010, which was passed through a referendum after a temporary leave. Federal advocacy is a key priority for MASU as we work to improve the post-secondary experience for our students. It is within the mandate of the vice-president external affairs to act as the primary delegate, while the president acts as the secondary delegate at the CASA table. This year, as the vice-president external affairs, I was elected to sit on the board of CASA as the director of equity, diversity and inclusion, which resulted in Miller becoming the primary delegate and the voice for the Mount Allison students. During Advocacy Week, which this year was held from Nov. 26 to Nov. 30, Miller and I participated in bringing fresh ideas to Parliament Hill. This year, the week included meetings with 145 ministers, members of Parliament, senators, post-secondary stakeholders and the prime minister himself. In the meetings, Miller and I, along with the rest of the CASA delegates, brought forward six recommendations. In the 2018 budget, the government committed to investing $5.5 million over five years to combat gender-based violence on campuses by creating a framework that prevents campus sexual assault. CASA recommended that the government instead create a standard through the Standards
15
OPINIONS
THE ARGOSY | WWW.SINCE1872.CA
Council of Canada which would tell colleges, universities and polytechnics across Canada the minimum services they are expected to provide to prevent and handle cases of sexual violence in the best manner possible. Over the years, the government has continued to strengthen youth employment. However, many postsecondary students are still not able to access many employment opportunities. This Advocacy Week, CASA has begun to advocate towards 100 per cent work-integrated learning (WIL) opportunities by recommending that the government invest in expanding the Student WIL Program to include opportunities in non-STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) fields such as business, humanities, arts, social sciences and education. When it came to international students, CASA recommended that the government exempt postsecondary institutions from Article 91 – which states that only authorized representatives can advise individuals on immigration matters – so that their staff can provide guidance and support for international students as they navigate the immigration system. Additionally, CASA advocated that the government modify the study permit to allow international students to participate in full-time WIL placements.
As more students strive towards pursuing graduate degrees, CASA recommended that the government creates an upfront, non-repayable grant for graduate students. Finally CASA and its partner, Quebec Student Union, recommended that the government increases funding in student-led research programs through the Tri-Agency (a conglomerate of the three Canadian government researchfunding agencies) to give students more autonomy in their innovative research ideas. The federal government shows openness and engagement towards championing student issues, and we witnessed this during the annual CASA Advocacy Week. A lot of support was demonstrated from members of the cabinet, MPs, senators, leaders of the opposition and stakeholders, which meant CASA had the opportunity to present the recommendations directly to the prime minister and minister of youth, Justin Trudeau. Trudeau not only attentively listened to our recommendations but also assured us that young people’s voices are being heard and that there is already progress being made on some of our recommendations.
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EDITORIAL staff EDITOR IN CHIEF | Catherine Turnbull MANAGING EDITOR | Alix Main NEWS EDITORS | Maia Herriot, Minnow Holtz-Carriere ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR | Ben Maksym SPORTS & HEALTH EDITOR | Alyssa Donston OPINIONS EDITOR | Olivia Wigmore HUMOUR EDITOR | Trill Waves COPY EDITOR | Charlotte Savage
PRODUCTION staff
PRODUCTION MANAGER | Morgan Bender PHOTO EDITOR | Gillian Hill PHOTOGRAPHERS | Savannah Forsey, Emma Biberdorf ILLUSTRATIONS EDITOR | Ashli Green ILLUSTRATORS | Louis Sobol, Madeleine Hansen
REPORTING staff NEWS REPORTERS | Amelia MacDougall Fleming,
For more information about CASA’s Advocacy Week 2018, visit casa-acae.com.
Maisaa Al Tamki, Laura Skinner ARTS & CULTURE REPORTERS | Derek Sharp, Julianna Rutledge, Maggie Pitman, Jane Rempel SPORTS & HEALTH REPORTERS | Natasha Gosselin, Jessica Firminger
OPERATIONS staff
BUSINESS MANAGER | Mirelle Naud DISTRIBUTIONS MANAGER | Julia Campbell HR REP | Allison MacNeill
ONLINE staff
ONLINE EDITORS | Morgan Bender, Mac Clevinger SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER | Tori MacBeath
CONTRIBUTORS
Rev. John C. Perkin, Emilie Comfort, Jillane Buryn, Andrew Linton, Kiara Bubar, Gabrielle Gagnon, Emelyana Titarenko COVER | Lucy Koshan
PUBLICATION board Michael Fox, Dave Thomas, Mark Nicol, James King
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
RECOMMENDATIONS MADE TO THE PRIME MINISTER INCLUDED METHODS OF PREVENTING GENDER-BASED ASSAULT, AS WELL AS IMPROVING THE EXPERIENCES OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS WHILE THEY STUDY IN CANADA. EMELYANA TITARENKO/ARGOSY
Argosy Publications, Inc. Material cannot be reprinted without the consent of the Editors in Chief.
16 HUMOUR
CROSSWORD
ACROSS 1. Vague, or unwilling to share personal information 10. Spoke out loud 16. Unit of energy provided by food, for short 18. Something that causes a negative reaction 19. Prefix meaning “new” 20. Christian group that tends to reject many modern technologies 21. Precious stone 22. Sirius XM, for example (2 wds.) 26. Sir McKellan of X-Men 28. Second-largest province of the Philippines 30. An empire, or a piece of living room furniture 31. Organization the Student Centre ATM is affiliated with (2 wds.) 32. Prefix meaning “isn’t” 33. What they might call Ms. Deschanel in Russia
34. Chain restaurant that controversially changed its name 36. Beanie Baby manufacturer 37. Sharp, observant, attentive 39. Band behind the hit Steal My Sunshine 40. Meredith Grey’s workplace (abbr.) 42. A plan or agenda for a trip 46. How a material feels to the touch 48. Canadian author who said she wanted Drake to appear in her TV show 50. Leaf water, if you ask coffee drinkers 51. The 44th president of the United States 52. How a French woman would say “sorry” 54. To publically heckle, satirize or make fun of 56. Situation where you might need a compass
HEAVY HITTING “JOURNALISM”
57. In support of or in favour of 59. What some workplaces require employees to wear to ensure their safety 60. Auto manufacturer responsible for the Sunfire 63. Get-up 64. First word in the title of a famous book written by 48-across 69. Precedes Barbara, Clarita and Claus 70. These will snap back if pulled too far 72. Type of experience offered by the Oculus Rift 73. The department Toby worked in on The Office 74. Incorrect spelling of the famous grey-eyed Green Gables resident 76. You sent these on MSN messenger 77. The sound of windchimes in a light breeze 80. Like a cracker that’s lost it’s crunch 82. Old-timey exclamation of surprise 83. Doubled, this follows a whip 85. Donkey resident of the Hundred Acre Wood 86. Liquids found in the flesh of fruits 87. Your dog’s doc 88. You can use these to stay dry or stay cool, depending on the weather 90. Separate 91. Tube that connects the mouth and stomach 92. Professionals in the business of selling and buying property and homes 93. Vegetable often confused with a green onion DOWN 1. Possessing supernatural powers 2. Designer _____ Saint Laurent 3. Branch of linguistics that focuses
EDITOR: TRILL WAVES | JANUARY 24, 2019 | ARGOSY@MTA.CA on the meanings of words and phrases 4. Domain for websites based out of Istanbul 5. This is often used for aromatherapy (2 wds.) 6. Currency used in Iran, Yemen, Oman and Morocco 7. A little, tiny amount 8. Only number that is the square root of itself 9. Containing a lot of NaCl 10. Second word of “the golden rule” 11. Absolutely jam-packed 12. A sacred text in Judaism 13. Super cool, bro 14. Give off or exude 15. What the D in LED stands for 16. Health seed that was once used as “hair” for ceramic animals 17. Someone with a very tall and thin figure 23. What British people stereotypically call the bathroom 24. Boot-shaped European country 25. What Simon might give a contestant if he doesn’t like their audition (2 wds) 27. A very important song 29. A short period of an intense activity 33. You can’t divide by this number 35. Desperate request 38. What movies and TV shows are designed to do 40. Of considerable importance and weight 41. Crispy and cheesy dish 43. A lamb’s mom 44. Internet service provider based in New York 45. Course you may hear Psych majors complaining about 46. How high most people can count on two hands 47. Slang for what a kid might watch
on Saturday morning 49. Tinder, Uber and Twitter are examples 50. A children’s rhyme refers to this as a “little piggy” 52. “My Heart Will Go On” diva 53. To upset someone with something you said 55. A surgeon or a military soldier may perform this 56. “___ and behold!” 58. Dracula’s alternate form 61. Serena Williams and LeBron James are professional examples of this 62. Is emotionally invested 65. Like a wild party 66. More cold and slippery 67. A face commonly made by someone who is grumpy (2 wds.) 68. Being this is important, according to Oscar Wilde 71. Dragon that was fought by Bilbo Baggins 72. Like an infection or a quickly spreading meme 74. A long, long time 75. International organization that President Trump wants to get rid of 78. Frat guy name that rhymes with “trial” 79. The Kinks met her in a club in North Soho 80. Something you might text a friend if you wanted to know what was up 81. A large unit of land 82. The day before something 84. Second-biggest bird on the planet (third if Sesame Street is, in fact, on Earth) 86. You may need strong hands to open this 89. You might call this on a friend if they’re making something up
COMICS AND MEMES
First-Year Student Reportedly Feeling They’ve “Got the Hang of this University Thing” TRILL WAVES Humour Editor An anonymous first-year student has reported to the Argosy that they feel they really know the ins and outs of university life. After finishing their first semester living in Campbell Hall, they said, “I don’t get the big deal. It’s not even that hard: you just go to class sometimes and half-ass the assignments and you pass the semester.” The student – who just finished their first semester with a C- average, which in their words was “absolutely acing it” – sees nothing but academic success in their future. “C’s get degrees, man, which means I don’t even bother trying,” they said. “I just came here to half-ass my bachelor and drink.”
Witnesses reported that the firstyear student has said they are “really looking forward to second year,” when they’ll climb another rung on the social ladder. “I can’t wait until the frosh get here next year,” the student has reportedly stated. “I’ll be sure to show ’em the ropes and buy them booze. I’ll be like their king haha.” While the student’s academic prospects seem a rather low priority, they’ve got big aspirations. “I’m trying my hardest to get on on the Canadian Party Life, 5th Year and especially Total Frat Move Instagrams,” they said. “That would be absolutely nuts, dude. If I could do that I would be a god, an absolute legend.” We here at the Argosy’s humour section wish this anonymous student all the best in their bright future.
MADELEINE HANSEN
Cars??
On my pedestrian campus??
TRILL WAVES