Issue 82.9

Acadia Univeristy’s Student Newspaper EST.1874 Winter Edition Issue 84.1

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The Athenaeum

Acadia University’s Student Newspaper

Issue 84.1 ASU Box 6002, Acadia University Wolfville, NS, Canada B4P 2R5 Editor-In-Chief: Ruvimbo Chipazi Email: eic@acadiau.ca SUB room 512 EIC Office Hours: Mon & Fri 5- 8pm

Advertising/ Business Inquiries: athbusiness@acadiau.ca Section Editors Art & Culture

Management

Katie Winters

Production Manager

Creative

Lily Nottage

Thomas Morgan

Photo Manager

Features

Soyini Edwards

Brendan Macneil

Business Manager

News

Aqila Walji

Rylie Moscato

Copy Editor

Opinions

Jack Spicer

Josée Léger

Editor-in-Chief

Science

Ruvimbo Chipazi

Laura Porter-Munz

Managing Editor

Sports

Ailish Bergin

Sebastian Farkas

About Us The Athenaeum is the official student newspaper of Acadia University and is published in print and online year-round at theath.ca. The opinions expressed herein do not represent the Acadia Students Union or the staff of the Athenaeum, they are held by the individuals who contribute to the Athenaeum as essential members of our completely student-run newspaper.

We pride ourselves in publishing and participating in a diverse community, and we are more than eager to work with anyone, regardless of age, economic situation, race, creed, sexual orientation, or any other defining or diversive human trait.

Articles submitted will be published at the discretion of the editorial board. If there is content that we feel will not add to the philosophy, dialogue, or tone of our newspaper, it will not be published.

We’re always looking for controversial and thought-provoking material that challenges society and its norms, but any material deemed offensive or hateful will be met with extreme scrutiny. That being said, all of our staff members look forward to working together with writers to improve their quality of writing, and to make sure the Athenaeum remains professional and well-rounded.

The Athenaeum may accept submissions from any student or member of our campus, present and past, and is always looking for more writers and photographers. If you are looking for coverage of an event or story, would like to notify us of a complaint or correction, or would like to submit a letter to the editor, contact Ruvimbo Chipazi at eic@acadiau.ca There are open story meetings every Friday at 5pm in the Athenaeum office, room 509 in the SUB. Everyone is welcome, and we encourage you to join us!

The Athenaeum, since 1874.

LONG LIVE PRESS

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My Time At Acadia University Ruvimbo Chipazi Editor-in-Chief Acadia has been my home for the past 4 years. I’ve experienced many incredible moments and many terrible ones. I have been tested and pushed to my limits. I’ve learned so much and at the same time questioned what the point of living was. Looking back now, I don’t regret coming to Acadia, even though I almost did but my mother reminded me not to throw away the baby with the bath water. All universities have their short comings, what’s important is that the university makes an effort in resolving those challenges and addressing the affected students through continued communication until the issue has been resolved.

If not, disappointment and a lack of trust in the university occurs. I have had many conversations within myself about what I wanted to write, and whether I am ready to share my story is still up for debate in my head but as the saying goes, “if not now then when and if not you then who?”

My time at Acadia has shown me the power of the student voice however, not a lot of students understand this.

Some students genuinely believe that their voices are not worth being heard. Other students end up believing that they are the problem.

I was one of those students. There’s nothing wrong with feeling like that sometimes but understand that its not the truth. Human life is valuable and as long as you have breath, there will always be hope, even when you can’t see it or think you are undeserving of it. Being a student can be tough and I faced many challenges as a black international student.

For one, I never thought being black would become a defining characteristic, I found myself getting labelled as the token black person due to my active involvement with on campus activities. This

made me question whether I was truly deserving of awards and opportunities or was it a result of my skin tone. My observations on race relations and interest in student politics at Acadia began when I met Senewa Sena. She was the only black house council member I knew of at the time and we didn’t even live in the same residence. As an international student and campus leader, I felt comfortable asking her all my odd questions which she answered to her best capabilities.

Senewa introduced me to other students I doubt I would have interacted with if left to my own devices at the time. She talked to me about the ASU elections and how each position had the potential to help students. Senewa was also the only other black student besides me and one of three (including myself) international students to run in the general elections that year. I was running for a councillor position and the feedback I received from students was that I looked unapproachable and intimidating. This made me laugh because people have told me I have a resting bitch face and I tend to wear earphones when I walk because I’m either trying to distract myself from my thoughts or overthinking to good background music.

Overthinking tends to be one of my strong suits. I thought the reasons were justified and so I made an effort to smile more in public and not wear my earphones.

“Being a student can be tough and I faced many challenges as a black international student.”

Due to the exposure from campaigning on campus, more students knew my face and I had a lot of international students approach me with questions about Acadia and Canada. Questions I had no clue of how to answer but had an idea of where they might find answers. This was when I understood the importance and need for representation at Acadia.

I did wonder what reasons some international and minority students had for not feeling comfortable talking to a professor, resident assistant or student government member. In my 1st and 2nd year, I didn’t think my professors would care, I didn’t really know my RA and didn’t know about the student government or what they did. I also wasn’t aware of the resources which were available to me.

The second time I ran in the student by- elections was for Equity Officer (now Diversity and Inclusivity Officer), I questioned why I lost. I smiled more, interacted with more groups of people because I wanted domestic students to understand that, even though I’m from a different continent, I wanted to listen and help. The feedback from that election was mixed, with a few people apparently opting for the candidate with an easier name to pronounce.

I genuinely considered that I was just unlikable. At this point I was balancing working at the Alumni Office, being an editor for the Ath and a course overload. The economic and political instability of Zimbabwe also started affecting my family severely. Money became very tight.

My older brother (’13) stepped in to help my parents pay for my tuition with his savings. I couldn’t keep up with monthly tuition payments and would often get my access to ACORN taken away which left me feeling even more isolated and helpless. I didn’t know my classmates enough to ask for course material posted on

atheditorials ACORN and I wasn’t yet comfortable with talking to my professors about my personal struggles. The only times I really talked to my classmates was when I had to do a group project. I also didn’t want people to get comfortable enough with me to ask me personal questions about my family because I didn’t know if I could hold back my tears. I was feeling the effects of not seeing my family, it had been over 2 years since I had gone home. I was tired and homesick but had to push on.

After these elections I noticed more students approaching me with questions and this time it wasn’t just international students, that made me happy, but it was also draining.

I was also happy when the Diversity and Inclusivity Officer position was switched from being an elected to a hired position removing the barrier of popularity, which is usually a defining factor in student elections.

You shouldn’t have to know most of the university population, to be able to make a difference.

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made aware of more resources I could use. This made me understand how information and a good support system you can physically go to can drastically change an otherwise defeating situation.

If it wasn’t for the Alumni Office, I would have packed my bags and gone home to Zimbabwe where political and economic instability seem to continue unabated. takeover was occurring. I think about that a lot, if another student was going through what I was going through and didn’t work at the Alumni Office, what would have been the outcome? What happens to other students who aren’t aware of the available recourses at Acadia? Do they give up? Switch to plan B or C? Suffer in silence? It’s a terrible feeling to feel as though you must struggle alone (or struggle at all).

Around this time, it became harder to communicate with my family.

Zimbabwe was experiencing 12 hours of no electricity daily and when it wasn’t, network service would be so bad I couldn’t comprehend a short January 2019 came, and I received a call from my mum, telling me that sentence let alone attempt to have a video call. At these moments I truly I might have to come back home because she wasn’t confident in her thought my life was a sick joke due to the people I wanted to talk to the ability to support me financially.

Things had just steadily been getting most, being slightly out of my reach.

I would have high hopes each year harder. I knew my parents were that I would get to see them, and doing their best and that I couldn’t be angry at anyone, but I was. I was as each year passed, I lowered my expectations with each subsequent angry at myself for not working year to avoid disappointment. I harder, I felt like I was taking for distracted myself from my inability to granted the scarifies my family had help myself by helping others. made to support my studies. The first place I went to after talking to Naturally increasing student my mother, was the Alumni Office.

It was my safe space and the closest engagement was a priority but I thought that would be impossible thing to home I had here. I felt without tackling race relations on cared for. They never made me feel campus. An issue I found at Acadia uncomfortable for being myself. was that most people (student, They listened, allowed me to cry without fear of judgement and told faculty and staff) were more focused me of people I could contact within on trying not to offend each other than understand each other. As a the university who would be able community, we will never be able to help me with my situation. I was

to understand each other without communicating with each other, asking difficult and uncomfortable questions. As a perceptive person, I can tell when my differences make people uncomfortable and that naturally makes me uncomfortable. I wanted to help foster spaces where people could have engaging and informative discussions about race relations, equity vs equality, culture, sexual identities and orientations etc. Whilst I was genuinely interested in student politics and bringing about necessary changes from my perspective, I was also driven by an economic interest. I desired financial stability to reduce my anxiety levels and allow me to better focus on my studies. I ran for the president position in the general student elections. ASU executive members are paid well and have a portion of their tuition paid for by the university. I thought if I had that position, I would surely be able to afford the plane ticket home and finally see my family that summer will contributing to a better Acadia.

It was a very terrible time for me, however. I would see a lot of news articles about the current state of Zimbabwe. The growing economic hardships were negatively impacting my life, thousands of miles away with the potential to ruin my academic pursuits. I would think about my last day in Zimbabwe. My father and I woke up extremely early and drove through back routes to get to the airport without getting caught in any politically charged demonstrations as tensions grew thick. I remember hugging my dad goodbye and him going straight to work as if violence wasn’t knocking on the door. For my dad, his only priority was to be able to provide for his family. My anxiety attacks were the worst during that semester.

The feedback I received from those elections were that I was too cute and soft spoken for the role. I was dumbfounded, how did I go from being intimidating and unapproachable to being cute. A lot of people would also comment on how soothing my voice was which I think was to make me feel better. I found it all funny and a waste to be sad about losing because at the end of the day I tried. Things were already changing; I just wasn’t fully aware of it. I was also happy that another black international student ran for president and was interested in student government, giving students a wider pool of diversity to select a leader from and I didn’t feel so alone in the fight for change.

I became the EIC and was awarded the 2019 Student of the Year Award that semester. I was so happy and honoured, but I couldn’t really express that. Many people congratulated me, and I felt guilty because I either wanted to cry or just lay in bed. All the emotions, I had bottled in were just oozing. I thought I would be fine in a few days, like I usually am but I didn’t get better.

I became more depressed, more anxious. I was tired but I kept on going. I didn’t get to go home and see my family that summer as well.

September 2019, I started the semester dead inside and I didn’t even realise it. My body was in survival mode, only having energy for activities my brain identified as necessary. I found myself unable to control my tears in public, being around students who had recently spent their summer with their families made me so jealous and sad. I didn’t know what I had done to deserve such punishment from life. I would cry myself to sleep most nights, craving a hug from

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atheditorials my mum or food I grew up eating.

I had taken on another job at the Wong International Centre to better support myself financially. It wasn’t a choice, but a must for me to survive.

There were days where I would start my day with work at the Alumni Office from 8:30 until my first class at 10am. Finish at 11:30, go back to the Alumni Office and work until my next class at 1:30pm that ended at 3pm. I would then go back to the Alumni Office to work until 4:30pm.

After this, I would have a quick break before going to work at the Wong Centre around 4:45pm which usually entailed accompanying international students to Kentville to get their SIN or Nova Scotian ID. I would be back home around 7:30, have a mental breakdown, cry and ask God why my life is like this, then attempt to do homework and work for the Ath.

I started crying in the mornings as well probably because I realised that my situation had not changed from the previous day. I would feel guilty for not being able to help my family or my country. I wanted so badly to go home but would then feel miserable for being ungrateful and not happy with my circumstance because I knew I was better off than most people in Zimbabwe. I wouldn’t eat because I didn’t have the energy to chew or swallow, I felt unworthy of nutrition and these thoughts and behaviours were reinforced by my financial situation. In my mind, I had convinced myself that it was okay to not eat because I was saving money. I could see my ribcage. Some people didn’t notice my weight loss and some people did. I was asked a few times what my secret to losing weight was because being slimmer is a beauty standard here. I wondered what people would say if I answered stress and starvation?

I wanted everything to stop. I fell physically sick a lot that semester and it become harder for me to be present both physically and mentally.

“I was tired and homesick; I was drowning in a deep pit of depression.”

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I didn’t want to live the way I was living. There were a lot of people that confided in me and asked for help. I couldn’t say no because I know how having one person in your corner can change your perception of reality. What I didn’t understand was that I needed to take a step back. I needed to be patient with myself and understand that a lot of things were out of my control. I focused on being angry with myself for not coping with my situation better.

My grandmother was experiencing serious medical issues during this time and a cousin of mine passed away (not because she couldn’t get access to a hospital but because she couldn’t afford the medication which I can easily get from Shoppers for less than $40). The unfairness of life got to me. All I did was cry. I cried because that was all I could do. I cried because I couldn’t be physically with my family. I cried because it felt as though life kept getting worse even though I couldn’t bear anymore.

I tried to set up counselling sessions that semester, but my schedule was just too busy.

immediately. My problems weren’t so simple, and I hated myself for not getting better quick enough. I was exhausted from constantly keeping myself together. The incident with my department left me weary of faculty and staff at Acadia even though I have had amazing professors who motivated me before. The reality of the pandemic set in when everything At this point my academics were shut down and I wondered why I was being affected and I knew I needed even bothering. It had now been over to reach out to my professors which 4 years since I had seen my family I did. One professor didn’t bother and I started to believe I would never responding to my emails whilst the see them again…. I was tired of being other told me that “anxiety and miserable all the time and tired of depression are the easiest disorders being tired. My mind often wondered to control” and “I should go back to very dark places, but I was able home and see if that helps”. In to overcome them with the right an email…. I didn’t like how she support. I’m still healing even though simplified my experience. If I could its been a very slow recovery with go home to visit, I would’ve already. I many relapses of negative thoughts. I didn’t understand why one professor just remind myself how far I’ve come chose to ignore my cry for help and and how many people genuinely why the other prof (who had been care about me. I understand now my department head since I started that I’m not weak but strong and just in 2016) could be so dismissive of because I’m strong doesn’t mean I what I was going through. Why didn’t can’t be tired. I’ve also learned to be they believe me? Did they genuinely kinder to myself (which I find hard believe I made everything up? Why to consistently do) and appreciate didn’t they look at my past work and my best, even when my best is being ask why the quality of my work had able to only make my bed. dropped? I wasn’t lazy, I just wasn’t motivated. I felt like I had to prove Acadia you can do better to support that my mental health had declined students. There are many wonderful so much. I was tired and homesick; employees, faculty and staff at I was drowning in a deep pit of Acadia who constantly strive to depression. I was devasted because better the university community nobody could tell that I was so close and engage students but there are to giving up and that I was reaching also some who seem to not care for out for help because I did care about the community. I suggest that the my academics. I lost faith in Acadia university have more opportunities that day. I was tired of caring about for cultural awareness training a place, I felt didn’t care about me. I especially for professors because was tired words truly can kill. Hold community discussions with students and senior January 2020, I was numb but so management leaders about race close to the finish line. I was receiving relations. If you’re uncomfortable more support than the previous to talk about it, get a representative semester, but it felt as though from the International Wong Centre some of the people who had been (not just for international students), made aware of my situation were the Black Students Association now waiting for me to get better (which is not just for black students),

the cultural student advisor or the diversity and inclusivity officer to help facilitate such conversations. I ask that as a university we work at creating a racism policy. Currently, only a harassment and discrimination policy exists. Its important, it let students know that you are aware of what they might be experiencing and that there is an opportunity to get help. With regards to student leadership, it makes me happy knowing that many students, both domestic and international are rising to the occasion and working towards a more inclusive student experience.

Don’t get me wrong, a lot still needs to change but from what I have seen so far, I have faith. Change is slow, but truly worth it.

I also suggest that as a university, put equal effort in employing qualified people of colour whilst creating inclusive environments. You can attract the most educated POC to work at Acadia but if they don’t feel included in the environment, then they will just leave. Same goes for students. I always loved working at the alumni office because even though I was from another country, grew up in a different culture and looked so different, they always made me feel included and welcomed. They stepped up to become my family when life made it impossible to be with my biological family. They have contributed to me still being alive today and a lot of them probably don’t know that. I love Acadia even though it gave me many reasons not to. I know that everything I went through has and will shape me into the person I need to become. I look forward to watching you grow Acadia and become better because “By effort (literally: in dust), we will conquer”

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atharts&culture Environmental Racism In Literature And Film Katie Winters Arts & Culture Editor

Everyday it seems that there are heartbreaking instances in the news of disasters that are driven by climate change. Disasters that claim millions of dollars in infrastructure damages and the loss of animal and human life.

The environment is succumbing to the man-made turmoil that has been wailing on the earth for quite some time. However, dangers in the environment do not affect us all the same.

According to Robert Bullard (also referred to as the ‘Father of environmental justice’) environmental racism is “the term used to describe environmental injustice that occurs in practice and in policy within a racialized context”.

Indigenous communities across Canada suffer from instances of environmental racism, racism that is structurally embedded into policy and enforced by local and federal politicians. These acts of racialized environmental violence are often hidden, so how do we learn about them and what can we do? Here are some accessible resources that can help you learn more about environmental racism and the true scope of the problem: There’s Something in the Water: Environmental Racism in Indigenous and Black

Communities by Ingrid R.G. Waldron outlines instances of environmental racism in an analysis of racist policy, particularly in Atlantic provinces.

Waldron discusses neoliberalism’s role in what she refers to as the “slow death” of Indigenous folks. The “slow deaths” that she mentions are referencing the systemically unjust and racialized policies in criminal justice, loan and borrowing procedures, as well as the education system.

Waldron also challenges the popular philosophy “a rising tide lifts all boats”, citing the importance of acknowledging the intersections that occur in environmental racism.

She suggests that in order to remedy the problem, specific policies that clearly target specific groups need to be analyzed and overhauled.

The book discusses the communities of Pictou Landing First Nation, Sipekne’katik Band of the Mi’kmaw First Nation, Eskasoni First Nation, Acadia First Nation, and Millbrook First Nation, as well as Indigenous communities in other Canadian provinces. These communities suffered from contaminated drinking water, polluted air, dumping site on their land, and much more. These

“Indigenous communities across Canada suffer from instances of environmental racism, racism that is structurally embedded into policy and enforced by local and federal politicians.”

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environmental hazards are dangerous and have negative health risks and complications, including cancer. There are many other examples of environmental racism affecting Indigenous communities across the country and in other parts of the world.

The Global Atlas of Environmental Justice is an excellent resource for investigating the many instances of environmental racism that affects Indigenous populations around the world. The Atlas is an interactive map that details 3039 examples of global environmental injustice, with a legend that classifies examples into 10 categories including nuclear, waste management, water management, industrial and utilities conflicts, and fossil fuels/ energy. For those who may struggle with grappling the scope of the issue, The Global Atlas of Environmental Justice is an impactful visual method that clearly illustrates the severity of the problem.

Another example of a visual medium that depicts a Canadian example of environmental racism against Indigenous peoples is a short documentary called “Canada’s Toxic Chemical Valley”. This documentary focuses on the Aamjiwnaang First Nation community in Sarnia, Ontario. There are more than 60 refineries and chemical plants in Sarnia and 40% of Canada’s entire chemical industry can be found there. Sarnia is also home to Canada’s most polluted air. In January of 2013, there was a hydrogen sulfide leak from a Shell refinery in Sarnia.

Workers at the local daycare noticed a “rotten-egg” smell in

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the air and called and reported the leak. Children were hospitalized, but Shell did not adequately alert the community, as a result the children were diagnosed with simply having colds or flus.

Having experienced the air pollution firsthand, the local children made up the rhyme “the more clouds in the sky, the more people will die”.

Environmental racism clearly affects Indigenous populations in Canada and globally. The effects of environmental racism are documented across different media platforms. There’s Something in the Water by Ingrid Waldon, The Global Atlas of Environmental Justice, and the short documentary “Canada’s Toxic Chemical Valley” only begin to scrape the surface of instances of environmental racism against Indigenous folks. I encourage everyone to check out those resources as a starting point, and to continue to research environmental racism and educate the people around them.

Dark Art: Anti-Homeless Architecture Katie Winters Arts & Culture Editor

The world is a scary place right now, and understandably so it is an extra scary place for folks experiencing homelessness in the midst of a global pandemic.

The government is requiring us to stay inside, to practice social distancing, and to avoid human interaction with the exception of acquiring essential services. For most of us, this means taking classes online, working from home, eating and drinking a lot more, and watching a whole lot more Netflix. But what about

atharts&culture those who have nowhere to go?

The government isn’t helping them now, and they certainly were not helping them before all this madness began.

Besides these instances of defensive design, there are strategic policies in place that governments quietly pass to further hinder people experiencing homelessness. For Anti-homeless architecture is example, shortly before the 2010 also referred to as “Defensive Vancouver Olympics the British Design” and it is the intentional Columbia Assistance to Shelter placing of objects and act was passed. Under the guise obstructions in public places with of empathy and humanity, these the aim to drive laws allowed police to force folks homeless folks out of the experiencing homelessness to public eye. It can include dividers stay at shelters or to enter in park benches, coloured rocks various programs. These laws in seemingly random places, were put into place so that and spikes in alleyways. These people who were visiting designs are constructed to look Vancouver for the Olympics were like harmless “art” installations ignorant of the homelessness so that these cities can appear problem in Vancouver. These as the problem-free utopias shelters and programs are not they like to present themselves always safe or inclusive for as. Driving out homeless folks LGBTQ+ folks. Requirements for means that residents, tourists, many shelters demand mandato-

ry attendance of church sermons.

For many, they are not feasible nor are they helpful. For example, most shelters require you to exit the premises by a certain time, requiring you to take all of your belongings with you. For people who work day jobs and do not want their employers to know that they are experiencing homelessness, this presents a significant problem.

The Canadian Observatory on Homelessness is a fantastic resource when researching demographics, policies, and more pertaining to homelessness. The website provides a breakdown for each province including statistics on the number of people experiencing homelessness (which is often underreported), vacancy rates, and statistics on indigenous folks experiencing housing issues. On top of researching the British Columbia’s Assistance to Shelter Act, I also looked at Ontario’s Safe Streets Act. The Act specifically targets instances of panhandling and issuing tickets to people sleeping outside. The Act was criticized for how vague its descriptions were, giving law enforcement officers too much leeway to aggressively police people experiencing homelessness.

Whenever we are permitted to leave our homes again and if you are able, take a stroll or trip downtown and keep an eye out for instances of defensive design.

Research statistics about homelessness and read the first-hand experiences of people experiencing homelessness.

But most of all, have empathy.

Homeless folks are people too and deserve to be treated as such.

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White Women Need To Stop Culturally Appropriating Black Women’s Trends Katie Winters Arts & Culture Editor

In terms of popular culture, you’ve probably heard of “catfishing”, but have you heard of the term “blackfishing?”.

According to U.K. news source, Independent blackfishing is: “a term used to describe someone accused of pretending to be Black on social media by using makeup, hair products, and in some cases, surgery to drastically change their appearance”. Some famous pop culture figures who have been accused of this include The Kardashians, The Jenners, and Ariana Grande. A few common counterarguments I read online in defense of blackfishing either: 1) suggest that White women who appropriate these trends are just appreciating the culture or 2) comments like “well what about Black women who dye their hair blonde?”. In all honesty, I think those arguments are absurd and dismissive of reality and here’s why: My fellow White ladies, this may be a hard pill to swallow but hear me out…: not everything is for us. Not everything is designed to please us. We are not entitled to be a part of every pop culture trend that exists, and we are certainly not entitled to poaching someone else’s culture for our own social and economic gain.

White women appropriate these trends because they think it looks cool and trendy while Black women are simultaneously ridiculed and policed for the

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atharts&culture same trends that are their natural selves. For example, Black girls in the United States are getting kicked out of schools for wearing their natural hair but White women are getting thousands of Instagram likes and followers for wearing the exact same hairstyles. Black women have been consistently discriminated against in the workforce for wearing their hair the way it naturally grows out of their heads and there are currently zero states in the U.S. that ban discrimination of natural hairstyles in the workplace. Racial profiling and police brutality have been affecting Black women for decades and 2020 is no different, for example, the violent arrest of Santina Rao at a Halifax Walmart.

While the appropriation of these trends may not always stem from mal intent, they certainly stem from ignorance.

It is simply not a good look for White women to be profiting off trends that they stole from Black women. For those who argue that it is cultural appropriation for Black women to wear blonde hair: White women are not getting kicked out of school or robbed of careers because they are blonde.

White women are not systemically discriminated against in the workforce or schooling system because they have blonde hair. White women are not getting racially profiled and suffering violence due to police brutality because they are blonde. That is the difference.

So how do we move forward from this issue? I think it is important to not take a White savior approach. YouTuber Kimberly Nicole Foster, who goes by the username “For Harriet”

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comments on pop culture issues like Black stereotypes in media and blackfishing. She states White women need to be allies, space makers not space takers. She says that White women need to be allies in the workplace, in schools, when they see racial profiling happening. Foster says that White women need to acknowledge why ignorant acts like blackfishing are problematic and to use their privilege and their platform to raise awareness about racial justice.

Mental Illness Is Not A White Man’s Disease Kiara Sexton Contributer

Contrary to the common belief, mental illness is not a White Man’s disease. Despite what the media attempts to tell us through the way their stories are told, what our parents might say when reacting to an episode or research that has been done through a Eurocentric lens, we all have mental health. This means that we all have a chance of having a mental illness at some point in our lives, and if we don’t, there will definitely be someone you know who does. Yes, that means Black people suffer too and not just Black Canadians but also, Black people from the Bahamas, from Nigeria, and everywhere in between. In lieu of it being Black History Month I figured I would shed some light on some Black mental health facts. I want to continue seeing Black people prosper. I want them to have nothing but good will and good health. None of that can happen unless we take care of ourselves, especially our brains. Don’t play

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yourself and don’t let that melanin fool you, Black people can have mental illness too and I have the stats to prove it.

Shocking fact: “mental illness has now morphed into a disease of pain and exclusion and is the most mis-constructed and ill-treated disease in the caribbean” according to Bahamas Local. The article provided a lot of facts that may go unnoticed due to the notion behind mental illness within the Caribbean community. However not talking about such issues has caused an increase of the population suffering from a mental illness. It was estimated that by 2020 people with “mental disorders” in the Caribbean would increase by MORE than 50%. To make matters even worse, 80% of those people will not have access to mental health services. It’s bad enough that 60% of mental health patients already are less likely to receive treatment or counselling. In Nigeria, 7 million people suffer from depression and 4.8 million people suffered from an anxiety disorder in 2015 according to the World Health organization. Those are high numbers and to make things even more concerning than they already are, according to the Health Guide there are only 136 psychiatrists in Nigeria. That’s right, Nigeria, the country that currently has a population of 190.9 million people is expecting 136 psychiatrists to tend to the millions of Nigerians who are dealing with mental illness.

Aside from the stigma of those who are dealing with or diagnosed with a mental illness,

there is another factor that plays into the perception of those with mental health and how people get diagnosed. We have a very Eurocentric view on mental illnesses to the point where it interferes with the way we diagnose people. Vice did an article on a recent study that found that the depression screen test did a great job at detecting depression in White adults but not Black youth living in public housing. Reason being, Black youth tend to show their depression symptoms through conflict with others and physical pain or discomfort. A lot of screening was based on studies of middle-class White women and therefore creates a difference in the expressions and experiences. From 1993-2012 suicide rates for Black youth in America have doubled, unlike White youth rates dropping.

We need to start having more open conversations about Black people suffering in silence dealing with mental illnesses. We need to learn how to properly deal with things. We also need to stop basing symptoms on what’s typical and start checking in with each other. Mental illness is known as the silent killer and Lord knows we’re already dying at alarming rates.

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Colourism: How It Came To Be And What We Can

Do To Combat It Shoghi Taha Contributer

As we celebrate Black History Month and the many leaders who paved the way for social, economic and historic reform, it’s always a good idea to look back at their struggles and obstacles in order to truly appreciate how far we’ve come as a community.

Of course, the sheer volume of suffering and tribulations due to mankind’s ignorance on race would be impossible to adequately detail and explain in one short article, so the focus here will be solely on one specific form of racial prejudice: colourism.

Prejudice, like cancer, has many forms. Colourism is a form of racial bias and discrimination where lighter skinned individuals receive preferential treatment over their darker skinned counterparts, therefore causing division within the black community. An easier and quite appalling way to sum it up is to mention the “Brown Paper Bag Test” where access to predominantly white establishments such as churches, universities, restaurants and nightclubs were limited to black individuals whose skin tone was lighter than a brown paper bag. This horrendous practice from the last century stemmed from a Eurocentric nationalist belief that the lighter one’s features would equivocate to

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beauty, intelligence and charisma, with ,of course, “white” being the ideal and desired skin tone. And, just like the majority of present-day challenges in regard to racial ignorance and xenophobia, it all started with slavery.

Back when the practice of slavery was legal, children born from white slave owners and their slaves – mostly the by-product of sexual assault were given special treatment which caused a clear divide and distinction between “house” and “field” slaves. Regrettably, this man-made division contributed to darker toned individuals being even more socially hampered and discriminated against as education, wealth and even freedom were awarded to the lighter skinned individuals.

So why talk about this? Why bring to light such a vile and evil form of racial prejudice that still causes friction and tension when discussed even amidst members of the black community? The answer is quite simple really: because it’s still prevalent in 2020.

Besides a few notable exceptions, the majority of black entertainers and political figures from the past century in Western culture and society were considered light-skinned.

Notable examples include

Mariah Carey to Lupita Nyong’o.

Only then can we truly move forward into the new decade as a strong and proud community that supports each other and This, of course, does NOT imply rises against the real enemy: that lighter skinned leaders and ignorance. community members don’t have their own racial challenges and obstacles, neither does this “Colourism is a article aim to downplay the achievements of so many who form of racial bias have come before us. Simply put, and discrimination colourism, just like bigotry, where lighter skinned sexism, homophobia and so individuals receive many other forms of idiotic social constructs, needs to be preferential treatment shelved away in the annals of over their darker history as human error and stupidity. The only real way to skinned counterparts, do so is to recognize that lighter therefore causing skinned individuals were given division within the an advantage over their darker brothers and sisters and for us as black community.” a whole to unite under the understanding that ALL shades of black are beautiful, from Josephine Baker, Dorothy Dandridge, Rosa Parks, Malcolm X, Halle Berry, Beyoncé and President Barack Obama.

athopinions A Killer Addiction Maddy Johnston Contributor In 1828, the Englishman William Corder was one of the last people to be publicly executed by hanging in Britain.

He was given the death sentence for shooting his lover. So, why was he so special? Journalists, including the BBC’s Michael Bond, identify Corder as one of the first criminals to capture the public’s eye, generating a ‘feeding frenzy’ before and after his execution. His story was communicated in songs, puppet shows, theatre productions, and the barn in which the act occurred became an unofficial tourist attraction. Though we may not think ourselves similar to the public audience of 1828, the truth is that we are, if not worse.

Corder only killed one person. If his crime had manifested today, the likely truth is that we would not pay much attention to it, because the public’s interest in criminals is far more horrific in choice than merely a disgruntled lover. These days, the more horrible the crime and brazen the criminal, the better, hence the public’s fascination with serial killers. Part of this fascination is due to the fact that many of these criminals, are known only to us by their nicknames, remain technically at large (never caught), and thus are subject to the fantasies we spin about them. Some of them, elated by the fact and seemingly fully aware of the public hysteria, even taunted those trying to track them down, sometimes even their victims too. Dennis Rader, the BTK Killer, sent letters to local news media and detectives during his spree in Kansas. David Berkowitz, the Son of Sam, also taunted the police taking part in the largest manhunt in New York City’s history at that time. The Golden State Killer was known to call and taunt his rape victims after he’d terrorized them.

The unsolved nature of some of these crimes, and the public obsession with them, means there is an interest in solving these cold cases. As behavioral science gains prominence as a means to track down potential subjects, and DNA science improves evermore, more and more of these cases are being closed.

Many across the United States were shocked when the image of an elderly man, looking bewildered to be dressed in an orange jumpsuit, appeared on their television screens in April 2018. This man, prosecutors and the FBI announced to the world, was the Golden State Killer, whose crimes are supposed to have run from 1974 to 1986. He had been arrested on the proof that DNA evidence provided. To his neighbours, he was only 72-year-old Joseph DeAngelo, a United States Navy veteran.

The BTK Killer was apprehended in 2004, thirteen years after his last murder in 1991 and thirty years after his first in 1974. In a stroke of investigative genius,

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detectives investigating the cold case, knowing that the BTK Killer was proud of his crimes, began enlisting with the help of local media. They broadcast stories about how the day’s youth did not even know about his murders, and how much of the state had forgotten about his terror spree. Insulted, the killer began again to send taunting letters to the media and to the police, from which DNA evidence was collected and linked to medical testing his daughter had done at her university, which led police to BTK himself, Denis Rader. He is currently in prison and is not expected to be released before he dies.

So, what do you do when there’s a fascination? You exploit it, of course.

Queue Netflix, and their goldmine of content for murder enthusiasts (there was no better way to phrase that).

The following are recent and popular endeavors by the media giant.

The marketing people at the media giant really do deserve a raise, honestly. To issue a statement telling people not to watch a documentary series alone, and thereby triggering a rush of millions of curious people watching it alone?

Marketing. Genius. Of course, I’m talking about Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes. Netflix is notorious for being coy about their viewership and business (they recently refused the C.R.T.C.’s request to hand over the accounts of Canadians using decoy VPN’s to access American Netflix), so tracking down viewer numbers is difficult. But, this documentary was popular enough for Netflix’s catty Twitter account to tweet: “I’ve seen a lot of talk about Ted Bundy’s alleged hotness and would like to gently remind everyone that there are literally THOUSANDS of hot men on the service — almost all of whom are not convicted serial murderers”. Bundy confessed to thirty murders hours before his execution by electric chair in Florida, following a murder spree lasting four years that included two prison escapes.

These confessions were only made once the Florida governor made it clear that he would not be issuing a stay of execution.

Bundy, for his part, claimed he was innocent, only confessing to his crimes in an attempt to gain a stay. Most believe the number of Bundy’s victims is actually higher, due the presence of numerous Jane Does in Washington State, Colorado, Utah, Oregon, Idaho and Florida that for one reason or another are linked to Bundy.

As for the tweet, sometimes I find myself wanting to ask Netflix executives what, exactly, they expected when they cast the pretty-boy Zac Efron as Ted Bundy in the follow up feature film, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile.

Though a dramatized account of the FBI’s freshman Behavioural Science Unit agents, Agents Holden Ford and Bill

www.theath.ca Tench in Netflix’s Mindhunter (based on the real agents John E. Douglas and Robert K. Ressler, respectively) interview real killers. Much was made about the release of season two, wherein the two interview Charles Manson and Tex Watson, portrayed by Damon Herriman and Christopher Backus. In real life, Manson was the charismatic ‘father’ of the Manson Family, a group of young adults who would participate in the murder of actress Sharon Tate and coffee heiress Abigail Folger, among others. Manson persuaded three of his young female followers, along with the handsome Watson, to brutally murder whoever was in the house that night. Watson became somewhat of a sympathetic figure to some in the years following, and that is apparent in Christopher Backus’s portrayal of him. In Mindhunter, he is seen woefully recounting to Agent Ford in the prison gym how hard it is to kill someone, and how his newfound religious faith helps him in prison life. Out of context, the conversation is almost like a down-toearth confession between two normal men. That being said, it is difficult to imagine actually taking it out of context, as it’s rare to come across someone who hasn’t heard the name Charlie Manson.

Recently released was The Confession Killer, the story of Henry Lee Lucas, a man who confessed to around 600 murders he did not commit. Short of considering warlords, this would easily have made him the world’s worst serial killer. This offering tells the story of how the Texas Rangers in Lucas’s home state worked to tie him to murders that he willingly confessed to, despite not being able to do many of them. Famed journalist Hugh Aynesworth published his exposé on the sham, debunking many of the murders that the Texas Rangers insisted he had committed.

Lawmakers in Texas were so committed to remaining the heroes in this situation that they went after the district attorney who attempted to expose them by charging him with various federal crimes, none of which stuck, and by continuing to insist that Lucas was the unthinkable monster they originally claimed him to be.

Lucas himself died in prison, and many cases that he was convicted in remain closed, despite his involvement being impossible for various reasons in many of them, meaning that the perpetrators in those murders are still considered by the families of the victims to be at large.

I highlighted the preceding projects because they are the ones that appear in the search results with you query Netflix’s most popular crime programs (taking into account that Netflix rarely releases viewership numbers). But you might be wondering: okay, they’re popular. So what?

after it was released? Why do people watch, with awe, the terrible Lucas story (and then proceed to tweet incessantly about it)?

Interestingly, the person that seemed to have an answer was Ted Bundy himself.

In the final moments of Joe Berlinger’s documentary, the killer muses: “We want to be able to say we can identify these people. But the really scary thing is, you can’t identify them.” Statistically, and obviously, the majority of the public is not an extreme offender. Serial killers represent a tiny sliver of risk in our society.

But, consider also that many serial killers remain technically at large because they were not caught. If we could identify offenders on sight, they would not be at large. We cannot identify these people because they look like us. In this, they may not be as dissimilar to us as we’d like to think. No, I’m not suggesting that your neighbor is a serial killer. What I’m saying is that evil doesn’t often look evil, or sound evil, or give you an evil feeling.

If that were true, our society would be a crime-less one. That is the attraction for most, the fact that we don’t know what we don’t know.

Because these offenders don’t often look outward like a serial killer (whatever that means), our fascination with them is partially due to the fact that we cannot understand how someone who looks like them, someone like us, could do such a thing. This speaks to a wider problem: the idea that if we cannot see something, it’s not a problem, or the cliché “seeing is believing”. But attacking this wider problem is not something I have the time or patience for, and probably neither do you, reader. What I am interested in, is how the media has managed to make so much profit from such horrible people.

Because this is what they are, horrible.

Hence the criticism for our fascination with crime.

Netflix’s tweet about Bundy was actually quite insightful. Much of the criticism about popular media projects concerning high-profile offenders is that they place attention and glory on the figure of the offender, and not his or her victims.

For example, the real family of Gypsy Rose Blanchard, the famed murderer of her Munchausen-syndrome stricken mother, was met with criticism when they publicly claimed that they did not receive the promised compensation from the making of the award-winning show The Act, which concerns the story.

Members of the public found themselves asking why they, as the family of the offender, should receive compensation from it at all. Much of the criticism of Joe Berlinger’s documentary is due to the fact that the victims receive little airtime, Robert Kenner and Taki Oldham’s The Which brings me to: why are extreme Confession Killer focuses more on people crime shows and movies so popular? Why who believed Lucas was guilty, rather did people rush to watch Conversations than those who were left to deal with an with a Killer alone? Why did people binge incorrectly closed case concerning their season two of Mindhunter immediately loved ones, and Mindhunter does not visit

athscience a single victim of the killers they interview.

What does this mean? It means there is a mutual relationship in Hollywood: Viewers have their obsession fed somewhat aggressively by producers who make money of the offenders, some of whom wanted attention and glory.

Ask yourself this: Why is it that we

www.theath.ca remember the names Charles Manson, Ted Bundy, BTK, Son of Sam, the Golden State Killer, and others? Why do we remember these names and not Rosemary LaBianca, Georgeann Hawkins, Julie Otero, Donna Lauria, or Charlene Smith?

The answer is simple: because those names do not make money. But maybe, they should.

Psychology Is Weirder Than You Thought Marissa Walter Contributor

When many people think of psychology, there is an immediate mental image of a client on a couch and a therapist with a hovering speech bubble asking, “and how do you feel about that?” Numerous studies over the years, have examined misconceptions of psychology.

One such misconception is that psychology is not a science. After all, as humans, we tend to gain confidence in our abilities to understand and predict the behaviour and mental states of others – simply based on our lived experience. And fair enough, but there must be more to it…where does the science come in?

Whether you want to understand treatment effectiveness, why people develop certain fears, or simply why people persist in actions that cause themselves or others pain, there is an experiment, a study, or most likely an entire academic journal, providing insight based on, well, science.

theories. Given that science requires evidence and critical exposure to scrutiny, it can be tempting to assume it is unbiased. It would be nice if that were true!

In the case of psychology, some have argued that the discipline has inadvertently presented a skewed view of the human mind.

A popular University of British Columbia paper asserted that although a significant portion of the discipline’s trusted research is drawn from Western, Industrialized, Educated, Rich, and Democratic (WEIRD) societies, this population represents a “thin, and rather unusual, slice of humanity.”

That is, people who grew up in so-called “WEIRD” societies often act, think, and process quite differently than people who grew up in other areas of the world. If you step back from the science lens for a moment and think instead about your personal experience, this is an obvious point. Whether by watching the Most definitions of “science” will news or by engaging with people include the word systematic. That from different backgrounds, it is is, it is an ordered system under apparent that despite our shared which researchers operate to humanity, there is significant formulate scientific laws and diversity in behaviour, thinking,

and perception.

2017 issues of Psychological Science, a leading academic In fact, some studies have journal – and the results were demonstrated how “WEIRD” staggering. Not a single study subjects tend to be outliers on sampled people from Africa, the domains such as visual Middle East, or Latin America, perception, fairness, and and less than 7% sampled cooperation when compared to people from Asia, leaving the subjects from other societies. For vast majority of those example, certain optical illusions studied from “WEIRD” societies. that tend to fool people from So, almost 85% of the world’s industrialized contexts do not population comprised less than have the same effect on those 7% of the samples in this who grew up in rural, leading journal. Researchers nonindustrialized contexts. tend to acknowledge the extent to which their research can be This is not to suggest that the generalized, but the issue is that aim should be to pit certain when the majority of research groups against one another. A shares the same lack of pertinent word of caution, given generalizability, at some point, a bleak history of some scientists those findings when replicated seeking to bolster racist, enough, generally become xenophobic sentiments by accepted as the norm. positing differences between groups that were not backed by The bottom line is that yes – evidence. Rather, it is an despite misconceptions, Psycholassertion that research should ogy is a science. But perhaps the account for nationality, class, greatest misconception of all, gender, sexuality, race and other is one that is taken for granted, identities so that the bulk of even among many at the top of psychological insight is not the field. Psychology is the study purely derived from a narrow of mind and behaviour, but until dominant cultural lens. deliberate steps are taken by the field as a whole, the picture that A 2018 study examined the the discipline paints of the geographical diversity of samples human experience is limited at in research published in three best and flawed at worst.

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Coronavirus 101 Laura Porter Muntz Science Editor

Coronaviruses are viruses that infect the upper respiratory system and invade epithelial cells, causing disease. Coronaviruses are named for the structure that resembles a crown, or corona in latin, on individual virions under microscopy. This virus was first found in from samples collected from the noses of patients suffering from the common cold, but it has recently drawn media attention from the recent outbreak of 2019-nCoV strain of coronavirus, suspected to have originated from illegally traded wildlife in Wuhan, China.

Viral Infection: The Basics Viruses are biological agents that consist of protein coats that are sometimes encapsulated in a membrane that contains DNA or RNA depending on the type of virus. Coronaviruses have single-stranded RNA. This genetic code is inserted into a host cell (the cells of the individual infected) and the cell’s machinery is hijacked by the virus to produce the genetic code of the virus instead of the cell’s genetic code. Viruses cannot replicate outside of the host cell, so they need a host in order to reproduce. Coding begins, and the cell is now producing new virions that will burst out of the cell, killing the host cell in the process. The newly released virions will find more cells to infect and repeat the cycle. How does this cause disease? Viruses reproduce at a rapid rate, which means exponential numbers of host cells will be destroyed in the process of replication. Cell death = tissue damage. When tissues are damaged, the immune system responds by recruiting a number of immune cells to the infected area. These immune

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cells have a range of mechanisms to eliminate the pathogen, and they are usually the reason you suffer from symptoms. A fever is the immune system trying to essentially burn up the pathogen, inflammation is caused by damaged tissues releasing chemicals that recruit immune cells to come try and help get rid of the pathogen, and even coughing is the body attempting to get the pathogen physically out of the infected respiratory system. Most drugs cannot get rid of viruses (most pathogens like bacteria are killed directly by drugs, but viruses are not a living agent, so antiviral drugs prevent replication so tissue damage can be reduced) so they need to be eliminated from the body by the immune system in order for the infected individual to recover. This is why viruses pose such a serious threat to immunocompromised individuals, who cannot mount a response strong enough to eliminate the pathogen.

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Why is an outbreak so concerning?

Who is at risk?

The human coronavirus strain SARS-CoV was the causative agent for the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak that infected 8000 people and killed 774 during the 2003 outbreak. Another coronavirus caused an outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) that infected 2500 people with 861 fatalities. The coronavirus that caused the SARS epidemic caused extremely severe disease by extending its infection into the lower respiratory tract, something that has not been observed with the 2019-nCoV. While the current outbreak is not either of these strains, there is concern for the virulence potential of 2019-nCoV as it is considered a new, novel strain.

Just like the annual flu season, viral epidemics are are typically more high risk for people who are considered immunocompromised, meaning their immune system is suppressed in some way, the elderly, pregnant women, and those with medical conditions that directly affect immune cells are part of this group. However, some viruses can take out perfectly healthy people.

When healthy people are infected with some viruses, the immune system can sometimes mount and attack on the pathogen so powerfully that it causes a cytokine-storm, where cytokines (substances made

athscience by immune cells) are produced en masse and end up damaging the body in their attempt to damage the virus.

Basically, the collateral damage caused by the immune system trying to eliminate the pathogen can be so severe, it is worse than the disease itself. As of now, most lethal infections of 2019nCoV have been in people who were already considered high-risk, and not part of the healthy popula-

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contact with others, avoid placing your hands on high-touch surfaces such as handrails, counters, and doorknobs.

The source of the virus is not definite, and there is no need to make racist remarks about the cultural practices of Chinese people in finding someone to blame for the outbreak.

Zoonotic disease can result from any interaction between humans and animals. If you get Some Key Facts To salmonellosis from eating raw Know: cookie dough, thats the same The current coronavirus is not type of zoonotic transmission as SARS, but it is in the same family. someone getting a coronavirus Like how pilot whales and killer from eating a wildlife product. whales are within the same The outbreak is considered family; but there are clear under control as of now, with distinctions between the two. lessons learned from the SARS Symptoms consist of a fever and outbreak being put into practice. respiratory issues like coughing, This outbreak is still very new, sore throat, or runny nose. and the specifics about the virus Prevention parameters have been are still mostly unknown, and outlined by Acadia: -Wash your information is changing hands frequently with soap and constantly. water, or use alcohol-based hand Influenza, a disease that can be rub when hands are not visibly prevented by a simple soiled. vaccination, kills 3500 · Cough or sneeze into your Canadians each year. The elbow or a tissue. If using a tissue, Coronavirus is new and immediately place it in the waste unpredictable, and there is no disposal and wash hands. prevention currently available, but you can always protect If possible, stay at home when ill yourself from the viral enemies with acute respiratory symptoms. we do know with an annual flu If this is not possible, limit close shot.

“Symptoms consist of a fever and respiratory issues like coughing, sore throat, or runny nose.”

How do we treat and prevent this virus Development of vaccines and treatments can be extremely difficult for this type of virus as coronaviruses are difficult to grow in laboratory conditions. Viruses are a particularly tricky pathogen to deal with. You’ve probably known someone who came home from the doctor frustrated that they didn’t receive any sort of prescription for their flu or stomach virus, claiming the doctor dismissed or ignored them, but all you can really do with viral infections is manage symptoms and treat secondary infections.

Anti-viral treatment like valcyclovir is rarely prescribed for typical viral infections unless it is a severe infection, or for chronic management such as managing sore outbreaks in herpes patients, or for HIV patients reducing their viral load. Since targeting the virus is so difficult and mutations are rapid, we focus on managing symptoms with drugs to reduce fevers, reduce inflammation that causes coughing or pain, while monitoring for symptoms of secondary infection; like bacteria that may have taken the opportunity to colonize the lungs and cause pneumonia while the immune system was suppressed (known as an opportunistic pathogen). Diagnosis is not simple, and requires throat cultures and blood work to confirm a case of coronavirus as the symptoms are so similar to other diseases.

Understanding Epidemiology/Pathology 101: Pathogen: A microorganism capable of causing disease such as virus, bacterium, fungi or protozoa Strain: a viral strain is a genetically distinct type of pathogen. A common example is flu viruses with different subtypes, or strain.

Virion: A single viral particle that replicates to cause disease and pass the virus to others Outbreak: sudden start of a disease appearing in a population Epidemic: spread of an infectious disease quickly that affects more people than what is typical in a given area Pandemic: a worldwide epidemic Immunocompromised: an individual with an impaired immune system Antiviral: a drug made to eliminate a virus from the body or reduce the viral load on an individual Viral load: the number of copies of a virus in body of an individual Virulence: ability of a pathogen to cause disease Zoonotic: a pathogen that can be transmitted from animals to humans

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athsports&wellness Rookie Oiler Defenceman Excelling On And Off The Ice Sebastian Farkas Sports and Wellness Editor

Ethan Bear is a rookie defenceman for the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers who is having immense impact both on and off the ice. The 22-year old was born and raised on the Ochapowace Cree Nation in Whitewood, Saskatchewan and has looked impressive in his first season as a regular on the Oiler’s blue line. The defenceman has tallied 16 points this season, and many believe his production this season warrants rookie of the year consideration.

be a regular NHLer. Bear was a stand-out defenceman in the WHL for the Seattle Thunderbirds collecting 70 points with 28 goals in his final WHL season – helping the Thunderbirds hoist the league title and a berth in the Memorial Cup. Moreover, Bear received honours for being the top defenceman in the WHL as he illustrated his talents on a nightly basis. Despite his achievements, Bear was only drafted in the 5th round of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft (124th Overall), and the Oilers hoped he would develop his game into something the organization could rely on in the future. Thankfully, for the Oilers, Bear hasn’t disappointed as he has turned into a top four defenceman for the team – playing in a lot of crucial moments when games are on the line.

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in better shape if he was going to make the jump to the next level. The Oilers were impressed with his performance during his two years in the AHL but wanted to make sure he was ready when the time came as they knew he was going to be relied on right away. The Oilers had to rely on Bear even more than expected after Adam Larsson suffered a leg-injury upon blocking a shot in the first game of the season.

Yet, even with Larsson coming back into the line-up, the Oilers have remained reliant on Bear as he has averaged the fifth most ice-time on the team – behind Oscar Klefbom, Darnell Nurse, Leon Draisaitl, and Connor McDavid. Bear will be a crucial piece for the Oilers when it comes to securing a spot in the playoffs for only the second time since 2006.

Bear hasn’t only found success on the ice, but off the ice as well by being a role model for young Indigenous youth in Canada. The rookie defenceman understands the honour and privilege of playing in the NHL, and he appreciates such a reality by giving back to the people who have helped him get to where he is today. Bear is proud of who he is, the family he has, and the rich history his people share as Indigenous people. There are many people supporting Bear back home, and he wants to do his part to give back to his community. That’s why Bear started his own hockey school on the reserve he grew up on in Saskatchewan, to give back to the youth in his community because he wouldn’t be the individual he is today without the support from his community.

Bear spent the past two seasons in the AHL playing for the Bakersfield Condors where he exhibited solid defensive skills with potential offensive upside.

In an interview conducted by the Edmonton Sun earlier this week, Bear commented that much of his success this season is attributed to all the hard work he did in the off-season to get ready for training camp. Bear believed it was just a matter of him According to Bear, the minors “growing up and doing the were pivotal because it made Bear is proud to be Indigenous, things [he] needed” in order to him aware that he needed to get and he’s representing his people

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well both on and off the ice.

Mahomes II Looking To Etch His Name On The Lombardi Trophy Sebastian Farkas Sports and Wellness Editor

The 54th Super Bowl will feature the Kansas City Chiefs against the San Francisco 49ers, and if the Chiefs are to win the Lombardi Trophy quarterback Patrick Mahomes will need to be firing on all cylinders.

Mahomes was born in Tyler, Texas and is the son of former MLB player Patrick Mahomes Senior – the quarterback shares the same name as his father. Mahomes was born with the athletic gene, and if you have caught any of his games during his time as a starter for the Chiefs, Mahomes is definitely not short on athletic ability. The star pivot has an uncanny ability to contort his body in a variety of ways to deliver the football – both while looking and not looking as he is well-known for his “no-look” side-arm passes to open receivers passing his field of vision.

Mahomes grew up watching his father and spending much time in MLB locker rooms, throwing baseballs to Hall of Famers like Derek Jeter. In high school the young quarterback played three sports: football, baseball, and basketball. He excelled in each, but he was outstanding in both baseball and football. In his senior year, he played well enough in both that Mahomes was both drafted by the Detroit Tigers and offered a scholarship to play quarterback for

athsports&wellness Texas Tech. Mahomes decided to play football and while his father was surprised by the decision, he knew his son had what it took to excel in whatever he chose to pursue.

In Mahomes first year as a Red Raider, the star sat on the bench before taking over the starting role in his second year. Under the tutelage of then head coach Kliff Kingsbury, Mahomes found great success as he set NCAA single-game records and was awarded the Sammy Baugh Trophy as the Nation’s top passer. Mahomes decided to forego his last year of college eligibility and enter the NFL draft in 2017. It turned out to be a wise decision for the young athlete as he was selected 10th overall by the Chiefs that year and signed a four-year contract worth $16.42 million.

In his first NFL season Mahomes backed up the Chiefs then starter, Alex Smith, who was traded the following off-season as Mahomes took over the starting role. Mahomes has not looked back since as he has shown that he has what it takes to be a long-time franchise quarterback in the NFL. Head Coach Andy Reid has been a pivotal voice for the young star and has provided the structure and system necessary for the quarterback to thrive. It also helps when you have one of the best (if not the best) tight end in the league, Travis Kelce, along with the fastest player in the league, receiver Tyreek Hill.

This past season, Mahomes had a 66% completion percentage, threw for over 4000 yards, and passed for 26 touchdowns with only 5 interceptions – all while compiling an 11-3 record as he missed part of this season due

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to injury. The Chiefs are in good hands with Mahomes at the helm, and if the team is to win their first Super Bowl since 1969, they will need to rely on him to make game winning plays in big moments.

If Mahomes is to lead the Chiefs to victory, he will be the third black quarterback to win the Lombardi Trophy – joining Doug Williams and Russell Wilson.

History will be made during the 54th edition of the Super Bowl, and Mahomes will surely be a part of the story.

Acadia Labour Movement Acadia Labour Movement Contributor We, the Acadia Labour Movement, numbering more than 100 concerned students, alumni, faculty and community members of Acadia University are looking to have a minimum labour standard implemented at this University.

We are not standing idly by as working members of Acadia are under-represented, underpaid, insecure in their employment, and disrespected in their workplaces and our community. Instead we are standing with the workers in the meal hall who feed us each and every day with positive energy beyond what they are compensated for. We are standing with the physical plant workers who maintain our classrooms but have no say in the operations of the university. We are standing with the teaching assistants, tutors, and residence assistants who make our university experience what it is. We are standing for democracy for all members of the Acadia community, respect for all members of the Acadia community. We are standing for living wages, for job security, and for commitments to health. Our goal is the improvement of Acadia for all those who contribute in its operations. Our goal is a unity of students, of workers, of

faculty, and administrators working together for one another.

Our demands include and are not limited to: •

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Democracy. Members of the Acadia community, including students and supporting staff should have the ability to express their opinions on how the community operates without fear of reprisal and to have those opinions matter when it comes to the operations of the university.

Management on Campus cannot be allowed to threaten workers over expressing concerns about their place in the Acadia community.

Workers and students must have a seat at the table whenever Acadia assesses contracts with third parties.

A system for students and workers to revise the basic labour standards for all workers on campus.

All stakeholders, (students, support employees, faculty) deserve representation on the University’s board of directors.

Low Wages. The members of the Acadia community do good work, over long hours, with a smile. The service they provide to students is key to the operation of this university and they deserve to be paid accordingly.

Workers on campus deserve to be paid a living wage of $15 or more (tied to inflation)

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Job Security. Students have confidence that they will wake up each day and be able to eat in the meal hall. The members of the Acadia community who make that happen deserve the same level of confidence in their continued employment.

An equitable pension plan for all long term campus workers.

Sick days. Sick days prevent the spread of illness, promote the general health of our community, and allow time to recover and bring your best work to our community. All campus workers must be allotted sufficient sick days to achieve these goals and there should be zero penalties for those who use sick days for rest and recovery. Sick days cannot be used in evaluations against those who use them.

Respect. Members of the Acadia community are in fact members of our community. Workers at meal hall support this community and receive no thanks from it. Attempts from students to understand the struggles of our community members at meal hall have been met with hostility from management and this is entirely unacceptable.

Day of appreciation for meal hall workers.

Develop a system for campus workers to share their complaints with the Acadia community in a way that protects them from reprisal.

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The CABJ Are Bringing Diversity To The Newsroom Rylie Moscato News Editor

Canada is a country with demographics that are constantly growing and becoming more diverse.

While the country continues to blossom in that regard, the different news organizations across the country have neglected similar growth in diversity.

Although times are changing, the media continues to show Black individuals unfavourably at points. The unfavourable portrayal coinciding with the lack of representation in the newsroom leads to Black youth being dissuaded to tell their stories. For those youth who are not afraid, the lack of representation can lead an aspiring youth feeling as though they will not have the opportunity to become a journalist themselves.

their youth in order to prepare Black students for a future in journalism.

given the opportunity to go into the newsroom to shadow their Between 1998 and 2018 mentor four times throughout Canada’s top three major news the year. Provided the program is The CABJ’s announcement broke a success in the Halifax area, the publications, the Globe and down the day-long workshop Mail, the Toronto Star and the CABJ plans to expand to other into the four sections it will National Post, had only three Canadian cities by 2021. explore: how to tell a story, how regular Black columnists and The Canadian Association of all of them were males. Not Black Journalists (CABJ) Atlantic to conduct an interview, how to With the extreme lack of shoot and edit, and how to do a representation prevalent in only does this little number Director, Brian Daly, recognizes live report. demonstrate the lack of diversity that “[t]he world needs to hear Canadian newsrooms, J-School in the newsroom but the Noire will hopefully be a starting the voices of the Black youth in Daly stated that he “want[s] to lengthy-time period reveals that Canada”. point that will increase the see our young people create publications do not plan on number of Black youths pursuing changing their ways any time journalism.

This recognition is why the CABJ bold and exciting content that will drive the culture forward”. soon. announced on December 30, Until the program’s youths 2019, that they will be launching With little representation in the the J-School Noire. The project is The project will begin in February begin to fill the diversity newsroom, it is no wonder why currently a pilot project designed and has already secured both gap in the newsroom, Black Whitney Oickle from Global young Black writers feel as if journalists and Black journalism to introduce Black students to they do not have a voice. the world of journalism while in Halifax and Sherri Borden-Colley students will continue to be the from CBC as the first instructors individuals demanding change at for the program. Halifax will be publications across the country. where the program launches Acadia University’s publication from with the first program day The Athenaeum is honoured to taking place at Nova Scotia be led by a strong female Black Community College’s Ivany journalist of their own, Ruvimbo Campus.

Chipazi.

Already full, the program only accepted ten applicants to attend the workshop and who will have their mentor walk alongside them for one year. In the announcement, the CABJ also reveals the student will be

With Canada’s growing diversity, Canadians must commit themselves to make every workplace equally diverse.

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Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls: A Canadian Problem Rylie Moscato News Editor The Government of Canada launched a National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) which began its mandate on September 1, 2016. The inquiry was launched after numerous reports were released identifying a total of 1,181 missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls between the years 1980 and 2012. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s (RCMP) report released in 2014 surrounding the number of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls from those thirty-two years estimates that about three women and girls went missing per month.

Around 1,500 witnesses were interviewed during the three-year inquiry leading to the government concluding that “Thousands of women’s deaths or disappearances have likely gone unrecorded over the decades”.

against Indigenous women has continued in unabated fashion.

Between 2016 and 2019 there were reportedly more than 130 Indigenous women reported as murdered or having a suspicious death. This is close to four deaths per month involving Indigenous women and these numbers do not begin to include the many women and now children of all genders missing.

review described.

Thunder Bay Police Chief Sylvie Hauth announced to the public following this review that she has requested funding in order to place tags on officers so they can be identified by citizens and for there to be cameras put of vehicles and officers in order to provide video recordings of their interactions.

Indigenous people and students in the Thunder Bay area simply do not trust the TBPS because of the There are some serious factors numerous past horror stories. With that attribute to the disadvantages more children being found dead or Indigenous women and children missing every month, Indigenous are forced to endure. Many Indigenous communities in northern parents are faced with a terrible The report goes on to discuss choice: give your child an education Ontario lack the essentials needed how the Canadian legal system with the possibility of them ending repeatedly fails to hold the state and to educate their children. Once up a victim or keep them safe at its actors accountable when they do the Indigenous children in these home though uneducated and communities reach grade eight or not manage to meet human rights unprepared. nine they are forced to go hours and Indigenous rights obligations. from their homes in order to get Many Indigenous women and girls an education at the Dennis Franklin While many people in Canada have been displaced from their are often accepting individuals Cromarty High School in Thunder traditional roles, violating their Bay, Ontario. Far from their parents, regardless of race or ethnicity, political rights due to “concerted there are still unfortunately many these children are forced to face Indigenous women only make up 4% efforts to destroy and replace of Canada’s population and yet 16% Indigenous governance systems with the systemic racism prevalent in the people who are not as accepting.

Indigenous people have been colonial and patriarchal governance Thunder Bay area on their own. of all murdered women from 1980 systemically treated unfairly in the models, such as the Indian Act”.

- 2012 in Canada were Indigenous. past and it has not been put to In December 2018, the Office of These statistics were a clear wake-up The Government of Canada calls a stop. As citizens of Canada we the Independent Police Review call for many Canadians, resulting in for an “absolute paradigm shift” if the launching of the 2016 National colonialism is to be dismantled. It is Director launched a review into the must do more than just accept Indigenous people, we must educate clear in the report that instances of Thunder Bay Police Service (TBPS) Inquiry. ourselves and show that we support after receiving many complaints racism, misogyny and colonialism about the Police Service’s negligence Indigenous people as well. are still prevalent in society today.

The inquiry was supposed to surrounding children going missing investigate the root causes of the We must share the atrocities or being found dead in the area.

With the National Inquiry and MMIWG issue at hand. On June Indigenous women and children are The review found racism at an the more liberal societal views of 3, 2019, the National Inquiry on “institutional level” within the Police forced to face and the heartbreaking citizens today, most could assume MMIWG released its final report to statistics in order to educate those Service. the public. Some of the information that things have gone better for around us. Author Tanya Talaga has a Indigenous women and girls in released by the Government of beautiful book to help educate those Three in every ten hate crimes Canada since 2016; sadly, violence Canada in this report was truly interested. It deals with personal committed against the Indigenous heartbreaking. people in Canada happen in Thunder stories and realities of the children Bay with many of the hate crimes in in the Thunder Bay area titled, Seven Thunder Bay coming at the hands of Fallen Feathers: Racism, Death and Hard Truths in a Northern City. their own police service.

“Between 2016 and 2019 there were reportedly more than 130 Indigenous women reported as murdered or having a suspicious death.”

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“There is a widespread perception [among Indigenous and other Thunder Bay citizens] that TBPS officers engage in discriminatory conduct, be it conscious or unconscious, ranging from serious assaults and racial profiling”, the

With many women and children still missing and murders unsolved, there is a clear problem at hand; however, with time and effort Canadians can begin to make progress towards a better future for Indigenous Peoples.