Take Back the Night hosts 2nd annual forum

Jeremy Audet, Features Editor » thecampus.features@gmail.com

BUnited Peer Support Centre offers a safe yet spirited Halloween

Casey Hebert SeniorCopy Editor

Though it has only been up and running since the start of the year, the BUnited Peer Support Centre has not failed to make its mark on BU. Only two months into the year, the group has already put on dozens of events and started several initiatives like Wellness Wednesdays or the Community Cupboard that all students can benefit from.

Most recently, the Peer Support Centre wrote itself into the Halloweekend tradition at Bishop’s by putting on a series of events to get students in the spooky spirit.

The Peer Support Centre kicked off their weekend with an informative session on using naloxone to prevent overdoses. This initiative, dubbed “Harm Reduction Halloween,” included a training presentation on using naloxone, an emergency medication used to prevent opiate induced overdose, given by Jordi Hepburn. After the training, which was also broadcast on Instagram Live and subsequently posted to the BUnited Instagram page, attendees went home with their own naloxone kit to keep the Bishop’s community safe.

On Thursday, the centre hosted a pumpkin painting event. From 4:00 to 8:00 p.m., students could show up there to receive free supplies and join in on the event. Pumpkin, paint, brushes, and cleaning supplies were all included. While students painted their pumpkins, the fireplace channel was broadcast on the screen while relaxing music played, setting the event in a warm and

On October 21, Anika Malone and Scotia Sharpe, coleads of the Take Back the Night movement at Bishop’s, hosted a hybrid forum, welcoming about fifteen in-person attendees and another fifteen on Zoom. Last year’s forum, the first held at Bishop’s by the movement, generated a similar turnout but, despite the pandemic-related restrictions, the organizers managed to power through technical difficulties to ignite thoughtful and necessary discussion.

The topics conferred upon have become a vital part of the Bishop’s community since Malone and Sharpe began advocating for better sexual assault response measures on campus two years ago. Sexual assault, consent, gender inclusivity, and the ecosystems of Bishop’s were dissected and studied by attendees who, prompted by questions from the organizers, discussed how we can, as a University community, better the situation on and off campus. Student Affairs Dr. Stine Linden-Andersen, ex-President of the SRC and Bishop’s alumni Morgan Gagnon, Sexual Aggression Response Coordinator Dominique Pelletier, and Student Services Counselor Jordi Hepburn. One quickly understood, given the significant turnout, that the problem of sexual assault at Bishop’s is being taken seriously by the student body and by faculty. However, no concrete steps for bettering the issue were presented or determined. Rather, and this is a positive note, the discussions generated ideas that will hopefully bring about the formation of future measures at the university. The forum, after all, created a safe space for discussing a topic that too often goes undiscussed – it is a step in the right direction. Indigenous Cultural Alliance (ICA). Representatives from the group gave a presentation of how Indigenous women are far more often victims of sexual assault due to systemic racism and inequality. Their discourse was moving and earnest, and one immediately understood how prevalent and urgent the issue is for the Indigenous community. Discussions on the topic orbited around how to educate the student body on Indigenous issues and calming atmosphere. Members of the Peer Support Team were available for individual consultation throughout the event, should students have had anything they needed to talk about. The kettle was full of hot water and tea was made available to attendees.

On Saturday, the Peer Support Centre hosted a how to recognize the way those issues are ingrained in our colonial history, aspects of which remain prevalent today. conjecture or stereotypes, especially regarding studentathletes, good ideas were brought forth. Attendees recognized, by meditating on the difficult questions asked, how big the issue of sexual assault is and how deep it flows. Malone hovered from group to group, attempting to bring the discussion back to Bishop’s, wanting the dialogue to be rooted in how we can make things better at our institution. it pertains to sexual assault. The presenters were quick to recognize that, in most cases, the presumed survivor of assault is a female and the perpetrator a male but the issue is much more complex than the binary assumption it carries around. In fact, as was frequently brought up, males can also be survivors of sexual assault, and oftentimes those survivors do not have access to as many reactive services as females do. Transexual and non-binary people are even more at risk, and, as such, the attendees were forced to question how we can create services that are available and inclusive to all. Furthermore, the attendees recognized that non-binary and transgender voices need to be heard and amplified in our community. list of services available on- and off-campus, and, although there are plenty of good, valuable, and effective services easily accessible for survivors, there is a large gap when it comes to proactive measures. The lack of proactive measures and the abundance of reactive measures seems to imply that sexual assault will inevitably happen and that we can only be so prepared to handle the crisis. This logic is flawed. Attendees quickly recognized that education, discussion, and action are increasingly vital to decrease the number of sexual assaults that occur. in Philosophy at Concordia, gave a short speech on what stops survivors from reaching out and getting help. She brought up institutional barriers, a lack of resources, issues of stereotypes and racism to explain the grim reality. Sexual assault is a problem that roots from and goes far

Students viewing a Halloween movie marathon at the BUnited Peer Support Centre over Halloweekend. Photo courtesy of Theresa Graham Halloween movie marathon from 6:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m., complete with candy, chocolate, and costumes. A poll on their Instagram page had helped them choose the three movies they would be screening that night: Hocus Pocus (1993), Ghostbusters (1984), and Sweeny Todd (2007). The furniture had been shifted around in movie-theatre style to set the movie screening mood, and students could help themselves to candy, chocolate, and chips to snack on while the films played. Tea and juice were also made available. The laid-back atmosphere was perfect for a mellow Halloween.

Not only did the Peer Support Centre screen movies on Halloween night, they also had a tent set up outside of Football House, where they had masks, candy, water, and other necessities should students find themselves in need. Their safety tent provided a pit stop for students heading towards campus or going home for the night.

Despite the challenges COVID-19 has presented, the Peer Support team has had no trouble hitting the ground running. They have consistently managed to put on fantastic events for students to take advantage of and are

Take Back the Night hosts 2nd annual forum

Jeremy Audet Features Editor

Among the people present were, notably, Dean of

New to the forum this year was the inclusion of the

Although the group discussions often veered into

Discussion continued on the topic of gender equity as

Malone and Sharpe had opened the presentation with a

Morgan Gagnon, who recently completed her Masters certainly a welcome addition to campus life! beyond Bishop’s University. However, the organizers announced that a Committee on Sexual Culture will hopefully be established at Bishop’s this semester, where the ideas discussed during the forum will specifically be addressed and hopefully fulfilled.

The impression is that Bishop’s is stuck with having to deal with all these deeply systemic and socially ingrained issues. However, in recent years the institution has implement effective and trusted resources that are there for any survivor of sexual assault. The forum accomplished one of the most important steps in addressing the issue on campus: it generated discussion, promoted education, and drove the topic further into the spotlight, away from the taboos and social blockades that attempt to ignore and disregard the problem. It seemed that the attendees were left not with a feeling of despair, but of hope.

Take Back the Night is leading a virtual march in support of implementing a yearly mandatory bystander intervention training on Nov. 12 at 8:00 p.m. (for more info visit: Facebook Bishop’s Take Back the Night; or Instagram @butakebackthenight)

For a list of resources available for survivors of sexual assault, visit: www.ubishops.ca/future-current-students/ student-campus-life/student-services/health-wellness/ sexual-assault/

The Mitre’s 128th edition opens for submissions

The Mitre has opened to submissions for its 128th yearly edition. The Bishop’s-run journal, the oldest student-run literary journal in Canada, publishes works of visual arts (photography, drawing, painting, etc.) and creative writing (short stories, poetry, songs, etc.) from selected artists willing to contribute. Contributors do not need to be Bishop’s students.

This year’s theme of Movements & Mutations follows the dichotomous model of previous years, where two concepts work in tandem to generate a creative pathway for the journal. In an emailed call for submissions, Veronica Mongiardo and I, the co-editors for the upcoming edition, described the theme as such:

“In a time of immediate and cathartic change, forcefully isolated from the mumbled hum of our daily lives, we have been propelled into a new kind of collective consciousness. We have gained the momentum to undergo a great change which continues to permeate our every lives in many shapes. Revolutions, protests, riots, marches, and a growing social awareness are the expression of a world in movement, eager and driven to create a livable and durable future. By virtue of that movement, our individual and collective identities have mutated, our awareness of the self and of our place in the world strengthened, and our voices have grown louder.

“The skin of our world has surfaced with its fissures, warts, and broken bones demanding that we restore it, for that skin is our skin. We have felt each rip in the fabric

On Nov. 3, the Social Change Hub hosted the AntiRacism Day. This day featured a series of back-to-back events covering a wide variety of topics, from challenges facing BIPOC (black, Indigenous, and people of colour) individuals and communities to grassroots initiatives and conversations on how to fix the issues. One of the events being hosted was the “Unearthing Justices Webinar on Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirited People” (MMIWG2S).

The webinar was hosted by Dr. Vicki Chartrand, Associate Professor in Bishop’s Department of Sociology, and featured Indigenous activists Marlene Jack, Darlene Okemaysim-Sicotte, Chickadee Richard, and Gladys Radek. The event began with Dr. Chartrand presenting the Unearthing Justices Resource Collection, which is available on the Justice Exchange website. It publishes a compilation of many – but not all – Indigenous grassroots initiatives for MMIWG2S.

The speakers then introduced themselves and spoke of their experiences in the field. Marlene Jack began advocating when her sister and her family, the Jack family, went missing without a trace in 1989. She spoke of her experience dealing with the RCMP, which was unhelpful, and the initiatives she took on her own. Since then, she has been strongly involved in supporting the families of MMIWG2S, as well as continuing the search for her own relatives.

Darlene Okemaysim-Sicotte is from Beardy’s & Okemasis’ Cree Nation in Saskatchewan. She has worked at Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies, at the University of Saskatchewan, and is a member of the Saskatoon concerned citizens group Iskwewuk Ewichiwitochik (Women Walking Together). She received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2013, and she has been the Non-Legal Advocate for Iskwewuk for the National Inquiry to MMIWG2S. Okemaysimas our ways of life have been stolen, our illusory comfort has been disturbed, and we have been forced to ask who we are while our burning, flooding, melting planet turns the clock-hands faster and faster, each number on the dial replaced with a disaster.

“All is now changing, moving, mutating, and in most cases we are not always steering that change. But we are creating. Our Art exists beyond the plains of our lives: our Art cannot be pillaged like our land, cannot be beaten by the figures of law, cannot be impoverished by greed, contained by borders and walls, nor brought to drown or starve on the path to asylum. Our Art drives the revolution, gives the people a voice, and expresses our constantly changing selves.

“Our Art, Your Art, will always be the eternal witness to that change. Art is that change.”

The Mitre boasts a rich historical background since its first edition in 1893. Many notable figures, such as Canadian writers and Bishop’s alumni F.R. Scott, Michael Ondaatje, and Ralph Gustafson, have contributed their work to the journal, both as editors and artists. In 2019, due to the work of professor Claire Grogan and then-student Alex Marceau, the complete archive of The Mitre became available online to consult for free. That’s right: if you plan on submitting to the journal this year but need creative input, you can go through all previous editions online. Additionally, there are still copies of last year’s edition available at Doolittle’s. Creators of Bishop’s, pick up a copy Sicotte emphasized that she wanted to support the families of the MMIWG2S while being careful not to further victimize them. Bear Clan introduced herself. She has been a lifetime advocate for MMIWG2S and their families, as well as for broader Indigenous rights and culture. She has worked with others to find missing members of the community, efforts driven by their own resources due to the lack of trust in authorities who, according to her, do not listen. Richard emphasizes that she is independent as her focus centres on her work, not on politics. The Anishinaabe elder sets her priorities on spirituality, ceremony, tradition, and healing. of her niece forced her to realize that the families of MMIWG2S were ultimately alone, lacking support from authorities. That is when she decided to unite the families of victims through her numerous campaigns, including the Tears 4 Justice March that was initiated in 2008, along with other Indigenous grassroots movements. These efforts eventually resulted in a national inquiry.

The panel of strong women then proceeded to address important issues. For instance, they addressed how Indigenous Peoples have lived and are still living through a genocide. “How do we stop it?” asks Radek, given that the government and authorities seemingly won’t do anything. “Why does it always stop at the government’s door?” All speakers addressed the need to “take care of our own,” given that few others seem willing to do so. They expressed very well the frustration felt by Indigenous communities towards not being heard, towards the negative media representation, and towards the inaction regarding MMIWG2S. “We’re disposable,” said Chickadee.

Jeremy Audet Features Editor and Co-Editor of The Mitre

or browse the archives, get inspired, and get creating.

Submissions are due by Jan. 31, 2021, at bu.mitre@ gmail.com. PDF for visual arts; .docx for literary works. For more info, visit The Mitre’s Instagram and Facebook pages,

The Mitre, 127th edition. Photo courtesy of Jeremy Audet.

Webinar on murdered and missing Indigenous women, girls and twospirited people

Virginia Rufina Marquez-Pacheco Contributor

Next, Chickadee Richard, an Anishinaabe elder of the

Finally, Gladys Radek spoke. She says the disappearance

The Dish, or send us an email.

However, this frustration gave way to hope, resilience, and initiative. All women emphasized that supporting the families of MMIWG2S was a priority. It is not about politics but rather about doing the right thing. It is about providing resources, justice and awareness to this violence perpetrated against Indigenous women, girls and two-spirited people. Finally, they made sure to remind the audience that it was important to not leave the Indigenous men and boys out – they are also a target for racial violence.

In the end, Dr. Chartrand asked the women what they wanted to see done in the future. There are many actions that could be taken, such as those put forward by the multiple grassroots initiatives. Namely, encouraging the government to instate the 231 calls for justice from the National Inquiry on MMIWG2S and reviewing the healthcare and police systems are priorities. The message was strong and clear: as Gladys Radek says, “We want justice, and we want to see it now.”