The Campus - March 29th '21

SINCE 1944

MARCH 29, 2021

Vol. 76, No. 10

student-run since 1944

Getting back to BU

Classes expected to be in person next fall | Page 3 Announcement may be premature | Page 5

One Year Later (poetry) | Page 8 High odds for excitement | Page 10

Saint Patrick’s given the green light | Page 7

SEED Portfolio annual report | Page 12

Graphic by Leea Rebeca Ruta

Design by Jess Lapenna & Hugh Godman

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NEWS

THE CAMPUS MARCH 29, 2021

Cassie MacDonell, News Editor » thecampus.news@gmail.com

THE EDITORS 2020-2021 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF HUGH GODMAN

thecampus.editor@gmail.com

SENIOR COPY EDITOR CASEY HEBERT

thecampus.copyeditor@gmail.com

COPY EDITOR JUSTINE TREMPE thecampus.jce@gmail.com

LAYOUT EDITOR JESS LAPENNA

thecampus.layout@gmail.com

BUSINESS MANAGER JUSTIN BRANT

thecampus.business@gmail.com

NEWS EDITOR CASSIE MACDONELL thecampus.news@gmail.com

OPINIONS EDITOR SAFIA HAFID

thecampus.opinions@gmail.com

FEATURES EDITOR JEREMY AUDET

thecampus.features@gmail.com

ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR BRIDGET BOUCHER thecampus.ac@gmail.com

Bishop’s Rotaract organizes their first Health Week From March 15 to 19, Bishop’s Rotaract, a new club on campus, ran their first-ever Health Week. The event consisted of different speakers, events, and recommendations focusing on student mental, physical, and social health. With it being the middle of the semester and the end of midterms, it is common for students to prioritize their grades and classes over their health. This culture is expected of students.

The Bishop’s University Rotaract club was started in the summer of 2020 by Lora DiMauro and Isabelle Lefebvre, meaning the club is in its first year of operations. Rotaract is a university-led organization that allows students to give back to the community they are learning and living in. This includes the university community itself and the city or town where the university is located.

While there are executives in the club that get projects off the ground and communicate with the club sponsor, Rotaract allows students to lead in their community since every member is expected to contribute equally. Various members can be tasked with Fiona Doran Social Media Coordinator

running a specific meeting or creating project initiatives. One of the most important parts of the Rotary organization is community; upon graduation, a Rotaract member can find their town or city’s Rotary organization and can join to give back to their next community.

They have a large network of members who all want to give back.

Monday commenced the week with a list of recommended podcasts for student listening. I listen to podcasts while cooking, doing homework, and walking. Podcasts are a great alternative to reading, as I feel like I don’t have time to read while in school. My favourite from the list posted is the Mental Illness Happy Hour, with the episode posted during Health Week being an interview with Chanel Miller.

Tuesday recommended a list of books for students to read. As mentioned, I often feel that I have little time during the school year to read, so I bought books online and shipped them to my home address to read during the summer. The one I am the most excited about is Notes on a Nervous Planet, which focuses on how the current world could be hindering our happiness (and how to find balance).

Wednesday offered students a yoga class

by Naw Just Breath, followed by a cooking class with Karen Jacobs. Jacobs works for Boston University in the Department for Occupational Therapy, and the recipes for that week revolved around St. Patrick’s Day. One recipe explained how to make a homemade version of the Shamrock Shake, a McDonald’s staple, which tasted amazing.

Thursday began with a workout taught by Stephanie Edwards, who usually teaches her A.B.B. class through the SportsPlex. The pandemic put a halt to her classes, but she hopes to offer them again shortly.

Friday, the final day, featured the first Health Week speaker, Gerald Oler, who also created a Rotary. Oler is an occupational therapist from Botswana who helps the elderly in his community find purpose in their lives.

The second speaker of the day, Adrianna Mendrek, joined to talk about meditation and mindfulness. She is a professor at Bishop’s University and a face that many may know.

If interested in joining, you can find Bishop’s Rotaract on Facebook or Instagram @bishopsrotaract.

Three Bishop’s students act as delegates in Daughters of the Vote program Cassie MacDonell News Editor

Bishop’s students Maia Luger, Carrie Robinson, and Evelyne Verrette were selected to act as delegates to represent their federal riding in DAVID ROSSITER the Daughters of the Vote program. From March 5 to March 8, 338 thecampus.sports@gmail.com women across Canada attended the Daughters of the Vote conference ECONOMICS & to represent both their community and vision for the future of politics.

BUSINESS EDITOR Delegates were given the opportunity to learn more about Canada’s political institutions and processes; take part in workshops, panels, SAMY CAUVET thecampus.businesseditor@gmail.com and training; and network with professionals and other like-minded women.

GRAPHICS The Daughters of the Vote initiative by Equal Voice began in 2017 LEEA REBECA RUTA to mark the 100th anniversary of some women getting the right to graphicseditor.thecampus@gmail.com vote in Canada. Furthermore, it commemorates the still incomplete SOCIAL MEDIA journey of women’s full participation in politics today. Young women and gender-diverse youth born between Jan. 1993 and Dec. COORDINATORS 2001 were invited to apply for the Daughters of the Vote program, FIONA DORAN & with the objective of allowing these individuals to become familiar MACKENZIE HOLMES with Canada’s political institutions and take action in their local communities for years to come. The ultimate goal is to ensure women PHOTOGRAPHER are dynamic and equal voices at every political decision-making table THERESA GRAHAM in the country.

Even though the conference was virtual this year, meaning participated in a fictive simulation about the pre-budget consultation THIS ISSUE’S CONTRIBUTORS students were not able to travel to Ottawa to sit in the seats of their Shannon McRae respective Members of Parliament in the House of Commons, spirits Daughters of the Vote delegates. Evelyne Verrette on left, Maia Luger top right, Sydney Wilson were kept high. Robinson explains that delegates “made the best of and Carrie Robinson bottom right.

Rhiannon Day the experience and put in extra effort to make group chats, follow one Photos provided by subjects, collage by Cassie MacDonell Emily Whalley another on social media, and connect virtually.” In an article from Shane McFarlane NOTL Local newspaper, Robinson discusses the speakers who most Duncan Crabtree stood out to her: Jody Wilson-Raybould, the former Minister of Justice ahead of the 2021 budget, an experience she found “interesting and Max Toguri-Laurin and Attorney General who had an empowering story about sticking to challenging.” Verrette was also provided with the opportunity to her morals and ran as an independent, and second, Jean Augustine, connect with her MP from Bloc Québécois. the first African-Canadian woman to be elected to parliament.

All three women are involved in the Politics and International Other highlights of the program included Luger attending the mock Studies Association (PISA) at Bishop’s, with Luger as President, committee regarding the Implementation of Mi’kmaq Treaty Fishing Robinson as Communications Director, and Verrette as a general Rights to Support a Moderate Livelihood. Representing King-Hants, member. the riding in which the Sipekne’katik moderate livelihood fishery is For further reading, visit the Bishop’s PISA webpage where these located and the riding in which the violence towards Mi’kmaq fishers young women share their first-hand experience in a blog post: https:// transpired, Luger explains she was “proud to sit on this committee www.bishopspisa.com/post/daughters-of-the-vote-information-andand use [her] voice to uplift those of Indigenous peoples.” reflection.

Verrette, representing her home riding in Trois-Rivières, Quebec,

SPORTS EDITOR

SINCE 1944

NEWS

SRC covers all tutoring costs for rest of semester With final exams quickly approaching, the SRC has offered to cover tutoring costs for the remainder of the semester. By entering the promotional code “SRCWINTER2021” in the Nimbus app when checking out, tutoring fees will be covered for the selected session.

The Dean of Science and Dean of Arts have contributed funds for this opportunity.

Kaitlyn Van Schyndel is a first-year student taking a double major in Health Science and Sports Studies who is currently being tutored. She explained that with a heavy course load, being tutored helps her stay on schedule with assignments and tests in addition to furthering her understanding of the course. Van Schyndel is one of many students that received an entrance scholarship at Bishop’s.

“One class I have trouble with is physics,” she explained, “I have a hard time understanding the material, and online classes make it especially difficult for me.”

She further explains that the covered cost has been a relief for her since she is a student. “I don’t have to worry about trying to budget as much or teaching myself the material before the exam.” Many students like Van Schyndel have benefitted from the SRC’s promotional code for free tutoring.

Tutor and biology student Samantha Lane offers input.

“I find great joy in helping my peers and welcome the challenge of finding new teaching strategies because everyone learns differently.” Lane believes that tutoring is a great student job that strengthens her core knowledge

Shannon McRae Contributor

of a subject, and she finds joy interacting with others.

“Students who have financial struggles or are unable to pay for several sessions can now get all the help they need before exams.” Lane tutors BIO196, CHM191, and CHM192 while hoping to add more to her list in the future.

To find a tutor, students must download the Nimbus App and use their myBU email to search for tutors for their classes. All tutors have been interviewed and achieved a grade of 80 per cent or higher in the course. Tutors are paid fifteen dollars an hour, have the flexibility to make their hours work around their schedules, and are in high demand. Bishop’s University is always looking for new tutors, and all that fit the criteria are welcome. Currently, one class that needs a tutor is PMA353.

Majority of classes expected to be in person next fall

Sydney Wilson Contributor

COVID-19 affects many aspects of our lives, and the impact on education has not gone unnoticed. Students went from classrooms to living rooms, sitting alone in front of a computer. Students struggled to focus, and work ethic and motivation fell. On March 19, students and faculty were surprised and excited to receive an email indicating that classes would return to in-person learning in the Fall 2021 semester.

Dr. Stine Linden-Andersen, Chairperson of the Bishop’s University COVID-19 Task Force, provides more insight about the return. She believes masks will still be required indoors for at least the start of the fall 2021 semester to promote safety for students and faculty. Professors will have the option to teach up to 20 per cent of classes online.

Dr. Linden-Andersen believes staff have learned a lot this past year and have discovered advantages to online teaching that can be carried into next year.

Amanda Mumford, a current Bishop’s student, explains she “really missed the socialization and energy” an inperson classroom provides. Of course, she says, it is important everyone remains safe. Alexander WisemanBeese is among the students who believe that “as long as vaccines have rolled out,” students should be allowed to return to the classroom in the fall. The student adds that the protocols Bishop’s has put forth thus far have given them confidence in the decisions the school makes regarding the pandemic.

COVID-19 has impacted both classroom learning and the ability to socialize outside of academics. Incoming Bishop’s University Commerce Society (BUCS) president Victoria Black stresses the importance of socializing outside of class once everything returns to in-person. She explains that over the past year, BUCS had to implement online events which proved to be challenging but overall successful. Victoria and her team have contingency plans in place and are preparing to return to in-person events for the next school year. They are excited to have people socialize at their events while remaining safe and comfortable.

Grsphic by Leea Rebeca Ruta

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The Politics and International Studies Association (PISA) also had to adapt events in a virtual environment.

Victoria Perak, Director of Events, “had to adapt to the ever-changing public health regulations” by transitioning events such as guest speakers and information sessions online. PISA had many online events throughout the 20202021 school year, which helped students remain engaged with peers and professors. Victoria hopes that by fall, PISA will be able to have in-person events, depending on public health regulations.

Students weren’t the only ones affected by online school—professors also struggled. Reena Atanasiadis, Dean of the Williams School of Business and finance professor, describes her experience. She finds it difficult to interact with students online, especially since most keep their cameras off. To combat this, Professor Atanasiadis tries to grasp student understanding of concepts by encouraging engagement through polls on Teams. This helps students that are too shy to speak in class and also confirms students understand the material. Even though Professor Atanasiadis has done a great job adapting teaching to an online environment, she misses in-person interaction with her students and is looking forward to teaching in a classroom environment again in the fall.

Dr. Terry Eyland is an associate professor and the Department Chairperson of Economics. Students who have had Dr. Eyland as a professor know he has lecture videos about course content to help students better understand topics covered in class. He had these even before the pandemic. After introducing these videos, the overall average of his class increased by 10 per cent, and feedback from students indicated these videos were very helpful. Shortly after this, he was part of a pilot project to offer online classes in the spring semester. He enjoys teaching online; however, students can easily fall behind, which led him to introduce biweekly quizzes. After this, Dr. Eyland taught a blended learning class. Students learned the theory at home, and he was able to facilitate discussions in class to help students understand the applications of

theory. He found this to be quite successful. He thinks a blended teaching method will likely continue into the fall 2021 semester. With all this previous experience, Dr. Eyland was prepared for teaching online this past year.

However, with this being said, he is looking forward to teaching in person again and misses interacting with students.

As difficult as the pandemic has been, students and faculty at Bishop’s University have been able to adapt.

However, many look forward to the return of in-person learning in fall 2021.

and Acknowledgement. We acknowledge the Abenaki people and the Wabanaki Confederacy, the traditional stewards and protectors of the territories upon which we are learning. In performing land acknowledgement, we make what was invisible visible, and invite the land, the First Nations people, and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission into our conversations. This act of naming - of inviting something into language - is an underlying principle of advocacy and lies at the heart of higher education. The etymology of advocacy is ad (to add) + vocare (call or voice): the origin of the word’s meaning is to give voice to something or to call out in order to initiate dialogue. The “ad’ prefix makes explicit the importance of multiple voices - and by extension multiple perspectives. In this sense, advocacy compels us to acknowledge a diversity of thoughts and opinions as a starting point rather than as an ideal outcome. In institutions of higher learning, we have a responsibility to honour spaces for emerging and established voices to engage in productive, respectful, and sometimes even uncomfortable conversations where individuals are safe to speak truth to power, explore and challenge dominant ideologies, and call out injustices and inequalities in order to imagine new ways of existing.”

Dr. Jessica Riddell

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OPINIONS

COVID-19: One year later March 13, 2021, marked the one-year anniversary of our first COVID-19 lockdown. Over the past year, we’ve had ample opportunities to mull over the changes that the pandemic has brought about and dissect the various phases that we’ve endured.

My roommates and I often reminisce fondly over the start of the pandemic. It’s strange but true: March 2020 was undoubtedly an anxiety-inducing month, but there was also a lot of excitement underlying the global shutdown. For the first time in our lifetimes, everything stopped simultaneously. We had time to breathe, to spend time on hobbies, to pick up new interests… Things were quiet, and despite the uncertainty, that quiet came with peace.

We look back and laugh at the start of the pandemic when there were debates on the efficacy of masks. It’s ridiculous to believe now, given what a staple they have become in our day-to-day lives. I remember travelling home at the end of March 2020, taking the plane with a bare face, sandwiched tightly in between other French immigrants who wanted to make it home before the borders closed. Back then, wearing a mask was an anomaly, and most went through life with no face coverings until a month or two later.

We also find it odd how the pandemic has us romanticizing the parts of life we used to dread or complain about. At the end of the fall semester, my roommates and I huddled

THE CAMPUS MARCH 29, 2021

Safia Hafid, Opinions Editor » thecampus.opinions@gmail.com Casey Hebert Senior Copy Editor

together and the couch and reminisced about the sweaty karaoke nights at The Lion. The thought of being pressed to strangers, getting our feet stepped on by high heels, staring out of the foggy windows and wishing for a breeze of cold air to sweep the bar and cool us down, all the while screaming along to whatever was being sung on stage brought us close to tears. Because, uncomfortable as it might have been, that was life. We’ve come to long for the

Photo courtesy of Casey Hebert

sensory experiences foregone in our covidian era.

Despite the pandemic pushing people apart, there was also a feeling of unity. Some strangers saw this as an opportunity to be kind to each other, standing on their porches or balconies singing together or applauding essential workers for carrying on and doing the jobs we can’t live without. Others, though, showed the worst of themselves, stocking up on toilet paper or hand sanitizer and selling it back at a ridiculously marked-up price to the desperate and terrified. Some refused to take the pandemic seriously, and still do, putting others at increased risk.

It is the understatement of the year to say that the pandemic has changed our lives, but it is nevertheless true. In our current states, it can be difficult to remember just how things have changed, having become so deeply accustomed to our “new normal.” This article certainly depicts the pandemic through rose-coloured glasses, neglecting to touch on the millions who have died, lost their jobs, been evicted, or had to endure unparalleled suffering. I do this not to minimize the horror that the pandemic has inflicted but to encourage us all to find moments of peace and personal growth. To see the glass as being half full, and to reckon with the year we’ve just endured together. Here’s to hoping next year’s article will tell a different story.

Mandatory sexual harassment prevention training After the recent murder of Sarah Everard in London, England, a shocking statistic surfaced from the All-Party Parliamentary Group for UN Women, a group of UK MPs and Peers established to support UN Women’s work in the UK. It found that 86% of women between the ages of 18 and 24 have faced some kind of sexual harassment.

According to the Canadian Women’s Foundation, in Canada, people aged 15-24 are 18 times more likely to experience sexual assault than Canadians 55 and older. A common misconception is that only women can be sexually assaulted. While women are 10 times more likely to be victims of police-reported sexual assault (as shared by the foundation), men can also be victims.

Based on these horrifying statistics, I think Bishop’s University should have mandatory annual sexual harassment preventative training. This is because Canadians between the ages of 15-24 are likely to be victims of sexual harassment. It would include educating students on the specifics of sexual harassment, what to do if they are a victim, and how to prevent it. Unfortunately, some people do not even realize that their actions can be seen as sexual harassment and how unsafe their victims may be feeling.

As well, I feel like it would be important for students to know who to contact if they wish to speak to someone about any incidents or situations they have experienced. It took me a while to realize that Bishop’s University has counsellors who are available for free to all students. In addition, the university website has resources for students including information about who to contact if you need help or someone to talk to. These resources should definitely be more publicized and spoken about.

As people have been applying to Bishop’s University for the Fall 2021 semester, I have had these students reach out to me with their questions. Some of them include why I chose Bishop’s, and what makes Bishop’s different from other universities. Conversely, someone asked me if I feel safe on campus at night. My answer to that was yes; the campus is well-lit, security patrols throughout the day and night, and resources such as SafeWalk are available to students. Nevertheless, I feel like Bishop’s University could do more.

As great as the Orientation Week speaker organized by the SRC is, allowing the students to learn about consent, many people do not pay attention or simply forget. Therefore, it is my hope that having a mandatory annual sexual harassment prevention training for all students would help spread knowledge. Having it every year would reinforce these

Sydney Wilson Contributor

important lessons, and hopefully prevent people from not caring or not paying attention.

The main goal of this training would be to help more students understand how their actions could be harassment, while also providing resources to help your friends, peers and others if they are victims. People take situations more seriously when they know someone who has been impacted since it makes the scenario more real and immediate for them. Another useful aspect would be to teach students how to defuse possible situations, or how to recognize harassment and put a stop to it.

Overall, I truly believe that introducing an annual sexual harassment prevention training seminar and making it mandatory for all students and staff would be beneficial in spreading awareness about the seriousness of this issue.

Bishop’s Orientation Week Sexual Violence Prevention Workshop – Can I Kiss You? Source: https://blog.ubishops.ca/can-i-kiss-you-sexual-violence-prevention/

SINCE 1944

OPINIONS

Announcement for in-person classes may be premature In an email sent to the entire university, Bishop’s revealed their plan to open up the campus fully for the Fall 2021 semester. That is, in-person classes, every building open, and encouraging all students to return to campus.

On one hand, this news is certainly providing a sense of hope. After a year of the pandemic, which people believed–hoped–would not last, the announcement that Bishop’s University is planning to return to a given definition of normal for the next year is…heartening. At least to me, who is currently living in residence and has longed for in-person classes in a safe environment since we were all sent home last year.

With many provinces now easing restrictions and coming out of lockdowns, and the current distribution of the vaccine both in Canada and around the world, it is understandable to plan ahead, to hope for the best. To hope that a more normal life can resume. That is the hope of Bishop’s University in announcing their plans now, with more than a month of the semester to go.

However, despite my tentative hope and excitement, I am uncertain whether this decision should have been announced at all. Perhaps the university should have sent a statement of intent rather than a decision that seems quite concrete. Or at least waited until the end of the semester.

Even with the vaccine, nothing is certain–the pandemic has taught us that, if nothing else. When they sent us away last March, it was meant for two weeks; spend that time at home, then come back. Then we learned that it was not mandatory to return to campus at all, that all in-person activities were suspended for the rest of the semester.

The convocation would be in person, however. Soon, the situation would improve.

Yet, convocation was not held in person at all, despite its delay for that very purpose, and the 2020 fall semester–

which debuted in a less-restrictive yellow zone–ended with most of the school on lockdown and most of the students in their homes. Given that Bishop’s has not decided if it will go ahead with its Exchange program for next year, the decision to announce a full return to in-person activities is puzzling and appears premature. It has given me cause to hope, but also cause to look askance.

Of course, that is not even mentioning what international students must be thinking, or others who stayed away from campus this year for fear of being infected with the virus. Nothing is set in stone, of course, and the university has planned for these people by keeping certain classes hybrid or fully online. Nevertheless, there does not seem to be strict guidelines to ensure that people who will not, or cannot, return to campus will not be metaphorically left out in the cold.

The truth is, no one knows how the next few months will look, and that is without even considering the upcoming fall semester. Will borders still be closed, like the current situation with the Canada-US border? How easy or difficult will travel be from country to country, or even province to province. Much can change in a matter of days, weeks, or months, as we have all learned the hard way.

While I do commend the spirit of preparation and initiative shown by the school, for if there is to be a return to “normal,” as much time as possible will be needed, I remain uncertain facing their announcement. Is it too soon, I wonder, to recommend a full return, to promise this? It is impossible to know how the world will look, how the pandemic itself will evolve, by the time fall 2021 comes around. Will the situation have improved, or worsened? And how will that impact students who are either currently bracing themselves or leaping in joy from this announcement by the principal?

Safia Hafid Opinions Editor

Photo courtesy of Casey Hebert

The environment and COVID-19: what Bishop’s can do to help With the world around us changing at a rapid rate, seeing impacts within the environment is inevitable. Given the new norm of staying at home and reducing travel, it may seem as though these impacts can take a positive light.

However, with policies such as a reduction of reusable items alongside the disposable masks littering every street around the world, and a completely new priority of COVID safety rather than that of environmental protection, the changes are not all positive.

Nevertheless, there are small efforts that you can make within Lennoxville to live more greenly in the midst of a pandemic.

One of the major environmental aspects that we can strive to improve is our consumption habits, especially those regarding food. Although it is easy to shop as if it is the end of the world and to stock up every time we head to Provigo, we must do better if we want to create a healthier world post-COVID. A simple change that most of us can implement is to compost our food scraps.

Keeping a “brown bin” in our apartment kitchens reduces methane emissions from landfills and reduces carbon footprint. The compost that is created can then be used to feed house plants and saves a trip to the dumpster every time the trash is full.

Another simple yet effective way to reduce waste and prevent purchasing items that are often in single-use

plastics is to grow your own herbs for the kitchen, such as basil, oregano, or cilantro, which can be fed by the compost you have produced.

A different step, if composting is not feasible, is to adjust consumption to only buy what is needed. Taking a trip to local stores such as Marché 5ième Saison to purchase loose fruits and vegetables will not only save money in the

Photo courtesy of Safia Hafid

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Rhiannon Day Contributor

long run but will also support local businesses and prevent the purchase of single-use plastics that many vegetables are packaged in at large grocery stores.

Additional important environmental impacts that specifically stem from the new practices caused by the pandemic concern masks and cleaning supplies. To start, reusable masks should be worn whenever possible, though that is not always feasible.

With new policies requiring disposable, procedural masks in order to effectively reduce the transmission of the virus, make sure to dispose of these at the receptacles around campus in order to promote the recycling of these materials. At the very least, cut off the straps from the mask before disposal in order to prevent harm to wildlife.

Cleaning supplies can also be another harmful aspect of the pandemic, so make sure to choose reusable rags and environmentally friendly cleaners, or even take the steps to make your own!

Most importantly, I am incredibly proud of each and every student here for their commendable efforts in adapting to the new life we must lead in order to keep all of us safe.

As we move forward, I encourage every Bishop’s student to take strides in reducing their environmental impact alongside the school’s efforts and to consider the effects of their everyday life on the world around them.

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FEATURES

THE CAMPUS MARCH 29, 2021

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

The Mitre’s 128th edition to launch in April

Source: The Mitre Archives

The Mitre is Canada’s oldest running literary journal, spanning 128 years. Since 1893, it has been run by Bishop’s students and faculty, with students taking the helm and more of the responsibilities in the latter part of the twentieth century. The Mitre actually doubled as a newspaper and included alumni news, opinion pieces, photographs, and historical essays. Then, in 1944, The Campus newspaper was launched, followed in 1957 by the Alumni Newsletter. As such, The Mitre eventually became a creative arts journal, featuring art, photography, short stories, plays, poems, and even songs.

This year’s edition, the 128th of its long catalogue, titled “Movements & Mutations,” is going to be launched at the end of April. The two editors, Veronica Mongiardo

Spring hits Lennoxville

Jeremy Audet Features Editor

and myself, have been working since October to gather submissions and put together an edition that represents and embodies the restless social climate of the past year. Doing so was not easy; given the complications engendered by the pandemic, all of our promotional material had to be disseminated online through emails, social media posts, in-class shoutouts, or by reaching out to artists directly. However, with the help of our two graphic designers, Luke Munro and Olivia Hamilton, who created appealing designs for The Mitre’s social media platforms, over eighty people submitted. In total, by the January 31 deadline, we had over two hundred and fifty pieces to consider for publication.

For a literary journal, this number may seem modest, but given the journal’s lack of submissions in previous years, such a number was a pleasant surprise. In the end, after we established a long list of about ninety pieces, we accepted sixty-two pieces of art and creative writing, boasting a 25 per cent acceptance rate.

What this means is simple: the quality of what is featured in this year’s edition of The Mitre is exemplary and truly features the best of Bishop’s. This also means that we were able to select pieces that fit in our creative vision, for the role of the editors is not only to select the best pieces but also to organize the contents to ensure a pleasant and appositive flow of reading. As such, we selected pieces that, when placed together, created three distinct sections.

The first section consists of pieces that touch on narratives or demonstrations of coming-of-age and intergenerational relationships. The second section puts together pieces that touch on personal and social unrest, and movement, grand and small, or the lack thereof. The final section comes as an accumulation of the previous

two, including works that present themes of nostalgia and memory.

The three sections come together to embody the climate of the last year, featuring pieces that touch on epiphanies, the bittersweetness of growing up, the pains of aging, rebellions and movements, solitudes and separation, anxieties and restlessness, longing for better times, longing for lost people, and simply longing.

The process, although long and challenging, of putting together this edition was extremely rewarding. We got to go through and siphon the best creative works of the Bishop’s community and its many ties in Canada, and we were left inspired and happily surprised. I do believe, despite the lack of an entrenched artistic scene at the university, that the student body boasts some truly creative minds. The Mitre is the place to include these minds, this year and all future years, and the many things they have to say.

In the coming months (most likely over the summer), the university will be searching for next year’s editor(s). If editing a literary journal (and earning course credits and a stipend) seems like something that could interest you, keep an eye out on your student emails, or follow The Mitre on Instagram (@themitrebu) and Facebook to keep up to date.

The official launch of “Movements & Mutations” will be sometime in April, online, and open to all. It will feature readings from contributors and short presentations, as well as some creative exercises and a brief open mic.

The complete archives of The Mitre’s 128th editions can be found online, at https://www.ubishops.ca/library/oldlibrary/the-mitre-archives/

Casey Hebert Senior Copy Editor

Over the past few weeks, the seasons have been doing the dance they usually do in March, stepping between cold winter temperatures and warm spring days. The past week or so, however, gave students the impression that spring was here to stay!

With temperatures between 14 and 20 °C in the last week, Bishop’s students are getting a new breath of life to revive them. Coming out of hibernation, students can often be seen sitting on their porches, parking lots, or in the space in front of their apartment buildings.

In most virtual classes, at least one student can be seen sitting out in the sun while they attend their lecture. Square Queen has been bustling with more life than it has seen since the first big snow hit, and it is extremely rare not to see students and Lennoxville locals out and about on strolls around town throughout the day. Bare arms and legs are seen on every street corner as summer wardrobes come back to the front of the closet.

Though the river has frozen over and melted a few times in the past weeks, it has now fully thawed and is running through Lennoxville once more. Some bigger clumps of ice are persisting on the ground, but overall, the snow has all but melted away. The brown grass that pops up after the long winter months is now visible throughout Lennoxville, a sight that has been rare since November. Birds and bugs have made a reappearance, with geese flying back into town. The chirping birds help make our bright morning wakeups easier, even after the clocks changed and stole an hour of sleep away from us. The evenings stretch out longer now to compensate, though, with the sun setting some time after 7:00 p.m. Everywhere in town, we see signs of spring.

Though there are lower temperatures coming up on the weather forecast, and anyone who has spent a year here before knows the bait and switch of springtime at Bishop’s, the few warmer weeks we’ve had have made a consequential difference on the mood in Lennoxville. Now nearing the end of the semester, with all of the anxieties and assignments that entails, some sunshine has been greatly appreciated and has done everyone some good. We can only hope that spring will come to stay before the end of term.

Photo courtesy of Casey Hebert

FEATURES

SINCE 1944

Saint Patrick’s Day 2021 given the green light Wednesday, March 17, marked this year’s Saint Patrick’s Day. With the pandemic still raging on, Gaiters had to surrender yet another year of celebrations on Reed Street, but the foresight this time around gave them the opportunity to plan alternative celebrations, and plan they did.

Now in an orange zone, a certain degree of gathering is permitted outdoors, something that many students took advantage of, especially considering the gorgeous weather.

With indoor gatherings still forbidden, many students took to the streets of Lennoxville instead, bringing lawn chairs and furniture out to the front of their buildings and soaking up the sun. In Little Forks and on Connolly Street, you were sure to see students clad in green playing beer pong and spike ball, tossing a ball around, or simply sitting out front of their building, all with green drinks in hand.

With such an informal St. Paddy’s this year, it was easy for students to prolong the party and spread the celebration over several days. Since St. Patrick’s fell midweek on a Wednesday, students celebrated on the weekend of the 13th, Wednesday the 17th, and the weekend of the 20th. We may have surrendered the usual wild party on Reed, but we made up for it by making the party last!

The smaller gatherings that sprung up were not without risk, though; police officers and campus security were patrolling the Lennoxville area to ensure public health guidelines were being respected. On Wednesday morning, the SRC posted a Saint Patrick’s Day message that read, “Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! Be aware of increased police presence in Lennoxville,” making sure that students were cognizant of the risk that came with their gatherings. The police did not hesitate to inquire with groups about the number of households present, ready to hand out fines as necessary.

Students were not the only ones to plan events around Saint Patrick’s Day. The Gait hosted a St. Paddy’s-themed bingo night and the BUnited Peer support centre organized an Irish movie night with trivia about the country to honour the origins of Saint Patrick’s Day.

Casey Hebert Senior Copy Editor

Despite the change of face to Saint Paddy’s from what we are used to, Gaiters found a way to mark the occasion. Overall, the day was a success in spite of the pandemic, pointing once more to the resiliency of the Bishop’s Community. No pandemic could ever get in the way of the Bishop’s experience!

Photo courtesy of Casey Hebert

The Politics and International Studies Association The Politics and International Studies Association (PISA) here at Bishop’s has become a prominent voice in the university community. This student-run organization represents all students within the Politics and International Studies Department and is led by a four-person executive team elected each year. This association was created in order to aid, educate, connect, and inform their community through facilitating events, communicating opportunities to their peers, and to overall unite the Political and International Studies community within one collective organization. In order to do this, PISA has facilitated events such as trivia and speaker nights, as well as created and promoted content such as blog posts, interviews with political figures, alumni, professors, and much more. This year’s PISA executive team, Maia Lugar (President), Marie-Pier Allard (Vice-President), Carrie Robinson (Communications Director), and Victoria Perak (Events Director), have guided their association through the trials and tribulations of COVID-19 all while providing engaging events, intriguing content, and unity through their unwavering support and dedication to the department and the overall Bishop’s community.

Maia Lugar, President of the association and a graduating student, is proud to have led PISA through this difficult year. “Being a part of PISA and working with the fantastic women on the executive team has taught me how much we can accomplish when we have a strong team to support us,” she mentions. While running for the position last year, Lugar campaigned with the goal to create a space among Politics and International Studies students that could be used as an opportunity to learn with, and from, each other. Lugar is delighted to have given experiences she had never before thought possible

by PISA, including interviews with prominent women within the department and with the head of the UN Secretary General’s Peacebuilding Fund, Marc-Andre

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Franche.

Director of Communications Carrie Robinson is also

Photo courtesy of PISA

pleased with everything that PISA has achieved. As the executive lead for content creation and communications, Robinson mentions that the growth of engagement she has seen, notably among all social media platforms that PISA operates on, is one of her proudest accomplishments. Not to mention the increasing departmental recognition and the approachability that this team has exuded within the past year that she has been Director. Robinson and her fellow executive team members have worked vigorously during their term in order to provide a remarkable PISA

Rhiannon Day Contributor

experience in spite of the pandemic.

This dedicated executive team has provided events, content, and support to the students of the department, but not without assistance from the accompanying members of PISA. Each executive is assisted by an adjoining aide. This year’s aides, Mauladad Bashar Doost (President’s Aide), Katherine Hackett (Vice President’s Aide), Lily Schriker (Communications Aide), and Rhiannon Day (Event’s Aide), are accompanied by FirstYear Representatives Lessica Tchiloemba and Alexe Cyr. Bashar Doost, President’s Aide for PISA, is elated by the experience he has had this year as a member of the association. He commented on his involvement so far: “I got [connected with] PISA because I wanted to be a part of the team that worked for the betterment of the student experience of the Politics and International Studies department, and I am proud of everything that our team has accomplished despite the challenges that the pandemic brought.” PISA has proven to not only be an invaluable organization for the students of the department, but also for the members of the association itself.

PISA is proud to announce that executive elections are once again right around the corner. Open to all members of the Politics and International Studies department, students can now run for President, Vice President, Communications Director, and Events Director. Aide and Representative positions will open up for application at a later date. In order to run, students are asked to provide short biographies and headshots by April 2, with campaigning lasting from April 6 to April 8. Voting will then commence on April 9 for next year’s executive teams. The current PISA team looks forward to an exciting election and a promising upcoming year.

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ARTS & CULTURE

THE CAMPUS MARCH 29, 2021

Bridget Boucher, Arts & Culture Editor » thecampus.ac@gmail.com

Shows to binge that aren’t Grey’s Anatomy or Friends We’re officially one year into “the new normal,” and if you’re as bored as I am, that can only mean that you, too, have watched through basically Netflix’s entire catalogue.

When you ask your friends for their recommendations, you hear the same things: Grey’s Anatomy. Friends. Stranger Things. Which are all good shows, but if you’re like me, you’ve already watched them all, more than once.

So what’s a bored, COVID-conscious citizen to do while they’re stuck at home?

Hopefully, find something on this list to help get them through the home stretch.

Bridget Boucher Arts & Culture Editor

If you liked Family Guy: • Big Mouth: welcome to middle school, featuring the voices of comedic duo John Mulaney and Nick Kroll.

• Archer: James Bond, if he were an animated man-child with mommy issues.

• Bojack Horseman: washed-up celebrity Bojack Horseman adjusts to life as a hasbeen.

If you liked Friends: • Grace and Frankie: two elderly women become unlikely friends when their husbands leave them—for each other.

• Modern Family: three different families face trials and tribulations of modern life.

• Schitt’s Creek: a rich family who loses it all finds themselves living in a town they bought as a joke.

If you liked Shameless: • Sex Education: Otis’s high school career can’t get any worse—until his sex therapist mother volunteers to help his classmates with their woes.

• Santa Clarita Diet: a married couple’s perfect suburban life gets turned upside down when one of them suddenly becomes a zombie.

• Spinning Out: a figure skater battles her mental health and her overbearing mother on her journey to the top.

If you liked Grey’s Anatomy: • Dead to Me: a recently widowed woman joins a support group and makes an unlikely friend.

• Elite: high school students at an elite preparatory school in Spain become entangled in a classmate’s murder.

• How to Get Away With Murder: five law students join the class of famed defence attorney Annaliese Keating.

If you liked Suits: • Broadchurch: the disappearance of a young boy rocks a sleepy town on the English coast.

• Community: when it’s found out that a lawyer doesn’t actually have all his credentials, he must return to community college.

• Ozark: a family moves to their lake house in the Ozarks to pursue the family business: money laundering.

If you liked Stranger Things: • Umbrella Academy: seven orphans are adopted by an eccentric and wealthy man who runs an academy for superheroes.

• Everything Sucks!: welcome to freshman year, 1996, where everyone’s lives aren’t exactly all that and a bag of chips.

• Derry Girls: five friends attend high school in Ireland in the ’90s.

If you liked Bridgerton: • The Queen’s Gambit: the chronicles of a young chess prodigy and her downward spiral towards psychosis.

• Alias Grace: the most famous Canadian murderess stands trial for the murder of her house mistress.

• Outlander: Claire accidentally travels back in time to the Jacobite Revolution in Scotland and must figure out how to return to her own time.

One Year Later Emily Whalley Contributor

One year later and where are we?

We try to laugh it off To celebrate our survival But how many of us didn’t make it to this day?

We’ve lost friends Gotten closer to family We lost an hour to daylight savings Gained an hour and a half for curfew We see those we live with every day For too many days We worry about those we may never see again One year later and here we are Our lives are small and contained They fit so neatly inside of a bubble The walls slowly closing in on us While life slowly opens up again Our worlds open and shut Expanding and Collapsing like lungs gasping for breath Desperate for more One year later and here we are Cheers to those who fell apart And to those who picked up the pieces Cheers to those who risked their lives to save others And to those whose lives could not be saved Cheers to another year May we all be here for the next one

Sainte-Catherine Street by Adrien Herbert Safia Hafid Opinions Editor

The air is thick with it–

Honks and shouts and cries The motor of buses and cars And a city that is awake; The light that filters

Soft, warm, just out of reach, Shining behind a tall, many-windowed building

A storefront that cares naught for nature; What a quaint picture–

Out of time, a window to the past: Trams and old motors And the fashion of an era bygone; A snapshot of a cold, lively day

Pedestrians all bundled up, Of a street in a French-speaking province

With proud French-written signs.

SINCE 1944

ARTS & CULTURE

Sports are Back!

Across 1. Gymnasium 4. Footy 7. Both teams made it to the 2019 playoffs 8. An athletic instructor or trainer 11. Mascot 12. Canada’s national sport 13. Beat the Mounties Halloweekend 2019 14. Can’t wait to cheer from here 16. ___ Arena 17. John H. Price Sports and Recreation Centre 19. 15 players on the field Down 2. ___ Gym 3. Hashtag 5. 2019 Men’s Basketball team 6. The newest varsity team 9. Tailgating event 10. The D 11. One of the two co-ed teams 15. ___ Field 18. ___ Night in Canada

Created on CrossWordLabs.com

Comic by Leea Rebeca Ruta

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SPORTS

THE CAMPUS MARCH 29, 2021

David Rossiter, Sports Editor » thecampus.sports@gmail.com

Women’s basketball 2021 preview In honour of college basketball currently being in the spotlight due to March Madness, I decided it was time to take a look at the Bishop’s men’s and women’s teams and preview what’s in store for 2021.

The last season of RSEQ basketball in 2019/2020 was a good one for the women’s Gaiters team. They finished 10-6 and scored the most points out of any team in the league by a large margin. Unfortunately, they were not able to compete this year due to COVID, but the quad is looking forward to a potentially massive season beginning next fall.

Holes to fill Luckily for the Gaiters, they were a young team in 2019 and don’t have too many pieces leaving their squad.

However, those who will be graduating from the purple will be sorely missed, though their absence will provide an opportunity for others to step up in 2021.

Marie Barouette and Metchline Gabelus were both starters on the 2019 team who will have graduated by next fall. They contributed on both sides of the ball and were solid rebounders.

Sabrina Binta-Kone began her Gaiters career as a member of the varsity soccer team before transitioning to the varsity basketball team, a very impressive feat. She quickly got the hang of RSEQ ball in 2019 and was primed

to have a great second, and senior, season in 2020 before the pandemic derailed everything.

Returning pieces The prevailing attitude on campus in preparation for the 2021 women’s basketball season is certainly one of optimism. The best duo in the whole league, Amaiquen Sicilliano and Jael Kabunda, are ready to once again take the RSEQ by storm. Sicilliano somehow improved on her unbelievable 2018 freshwoman campaign in her Sophomore effort. She had by far the most points per game in the whole league with 21.5 and no one else averaging 15. She won the Bishop’s University female athlete of the year award as well as RSEQ MVP and many other accolades.

Sicilliano is far from the tallest player on the court, but good luck trying to stop her. The point guard from Buenos Aires’s speed, skilled hands, and ability to both drive the hoop and swish a 3 make her one of the most entertaining athletes I’ve seen in my 3 years at Bishop’s. Coming into her senior season in 2021, I believe she can lead this Gaiters team as far as they’ve ever been.

Mentioned above was that Sicilliano led the league in points per game, well second place belongs to fellow Gaiter, Jael Kabunda. Kabunda was a freshwoman in 2019, and she became the second Gaiter in a row to win RSEQ

Men’s basketball 2021 preview In honour of college basketball currently being in the spotlight due to March Madness, I decided it was time to take a look at the Bishop’s men’s and women’s teams and preview what’s in store.

The 2019/2020 season was an electrifying one for the men’s squad. They battled their way through the playoffs and ended up facing the UQAM Citadins in the Quebec league (RSEQ) championship. After a once in a lifetime buzzer-beater three from Joany Castor-Thidel, the Gaiters moved on to the nationals. Unfortunately, the team was not able to carry on the momentum last year with the season being cancelled due to COVID, but there are lots to look forward to in the upcoming basketball season.

Holes to fill Two fifth-year seniors from the 2019 season, Abdul Kamane and Yassin Naji, will be missed on the court.

Both forwards, the two players were trusted with starting almost every game, and both averaged higher minutes per game than anyone else on the team except Nervens Demosthene. Standing at six foot eight inches, Naji played at both the power forward and centre positions; his versatility, rebounding, and free throw efficiency were key contributing factors to multiple Gaiters wins.

Speaking of Demosthene, he is certainly the biggest hole to fill for the Bishop’s squad. The guard from Terrebonne,

David Rossiter Sports Editor

Photo courtesy of Emery G

David Rossiter Sports Editor

Quebec, was not only the men’s basketball MVP in 2019/2020 but also the athlete of the year for any sport at Bishop’s.

Demosthene led the Gaiters in scoring with 17.8 points per game. He was known for his ability to slice through man and zone defences like a knife through butter. His ability to drive to the hoop was evidenced by him getting to the free-throw line and shooting a whopping 173 free throw attempts, 63 more than the next highest amount on the team.

Returning pieces While the graduating players above certainly leave big shoes to fill, the Bishop’s Gaiters are lucky to have a great group of players returning who are up to the task.

Bishop’s Gaiters freshman of the year, as well as rookie of the year for the men’s basketball team and member of the RSEQ all-rookie team, Carl Jacob, will play a huge role in the upcoming season. Jacob played confidently for a freshman, not afraid to shoot tough shots and 3 pointers.

His athletic frame of six feet and five inches helped him contribute on the boards as well, even notching a doubledouble vs. UQAM. After a year of training and with an expanded role in 2021, Jacob is primed for a breakout season. Fellow freshman James Murray is sure to see expanded playing time in 2021 as well.

High odds for excitement

women’s basketball rookie of the year after Siciliano 2018.

Kabunda played extremely confidently for a first-year university player. She also had the second most rebounds per game in the league, averaging 10.5. This means that Kabunda averaged a double-double, an extremely rare accomplishment for anyone, let alone a freshwoman.

So, with young players coming into leadership roles, the women’s basketball team has an extremely bright 2021 to look forward to, and train for, in the coming summer months.

Connor Kelly will be entering his senior season and will be looked to for experience and leadership. A threepoint specialist, Kelly hit some huge shots late in games, including in the playoffs. In his best performance of the regular season, Kelly lit up Concordia with five threepointers and 22 points. A guard with good vision and basketball IQ, Kelly can be counted on to make the right play at the right time; this maturity will be a key part of his 2021 campaign and hopefully will set a standard for the Gaiters.

Photo courtesy of Blair Shier

Shane McFarlane Contributor

Do you want to turn a less-than-thrilling sports game into something exciting? Want to make a few bucks (and lose a few more) from home? Then I have just the thing for you!

Welcome to the exhilarating world of sports betting!

In the last year and a half, I have been introduced to a few different online gambling websites, all of which share the same concept. You are presented with a list of odds on every game in any sport and, if you pick the right side of the bet, you win money. They can be as simple as who wins the game or as complex as what the combined score of both teams will be over or under, contributing to a wide range of betting options. When betting on the Super Bowl, for instance, you could gamble on the outcome of the coin flip or the

colour of the microphone. Generally, I’ll bet on who will win the game and their over or under score.

There are some differences and complexities depending on the site, though. Bet365 uses the same type of odds system as are used in Vegas, with pluses and minuses. Plus bets are more lucrative if they hit (meaning that you’re betting on the underdog winning), but the odds are generally balanced on either the plus or minus side. Sports Interaction, on the other hand, goes by a point system, so it’s just a basic multiplication of the money you put down times the odds of you winning. For instance, if you put down a dollar and the odds are 2.10, then you would win $2.10 on the bet.

SPORTS

SINCE 1944

The benefit of this type of gambling is that you don’t need to put much money down but can still win big on a small wager. I don’t usually put down any more than a dollar or two, and even that can be anxiety-inducing as it is! Even with only a dollar down, I have been able to win $120 by parlaying six games together. A little sum can go a long way! Unlike the casino, where you can lose it all in an hour, these online sports bets prolong the fun. I started my account in December 2019 with a $20 deposit, and am still playing off of that money today.

The real advantage of sports betting, though, is not the potential gain, but the entertainment factor. Having any amount of money on any game, regardless of the sport or your personal feelings towards the teams, makes the game thousand times more exciting. You’ll find yourself jumping up and cheering on whatever team your bet is on.

I would not recommend betting against your favourite teams, since then you’ll become

conflicted when they are losing. It’s best to stick to impartial games where you aren’t emotionally invested and don’t really care who wins (unless you’re betting for them to lose!). You would never see me betting against either the Toronto Raptors or the Montreal Canadians, but that doesn’t mean that I won’t bet for them to win and cheer even harder when they score!

If you’re looking for some cheap entertainment during this COVID season, look into some sports gambling as a way to get your heart rate up and watch some great games while you’re at it. I encourage students who want to place low-stakes bets and have a good time to get into wagering on the games! Whether you’re betting through the site or just picking out bets and doing them with friends, the thrill of a friendly wager certainly makes gameplay more entertaining and helps keep the game social while still being safe.

Sherbrooke Snowshoe racing in 1909: the original Winterfest?

Though snowshoe racing is today an international affair, it has a fascinating legacy here in Sherbrooke. This legacy is closely connected to the Sherbrooke Snow Shoe Club (SSSC) founded in 1877 and still running.

Archived in the Bishop’s Old Library above McGreer hall are the records of the “oldest, continuously operating snowshoe club in the world,” according to the SSSC’s former president, Stephen Moore.

One of the most intriguing moments of this club’s history is its co-hosting of the 1909 Sherbrooke Snowshoe races when several clubs from Quebec arrived to participate in both races and festivities. The SSSC’s weekly meeting minutes from 1908 to 1909 provide lots of insight into what this midwinter, competitive and convivial event looked like, 112 years ago. Though the times were certainly different, the motivation behind this sporting event is reminiscent of our own winter sports gatherings at Bishop’s.

In a December 1908 SSSC weekly meeting, the February 5 to 8, 1909 race weekend was first brought up. A fund was raised among the all-male members and all were expected to contribute, except those who had joined that season.

SSSC members also decided that they should greet other members of snowshoe clubs who would be arriving by train in early February. They thought it important to inform them of the local hotel accommodations for their weekend stay. This was long before Expedia.ca…

The SSSC’s race weekend planning continued to progress on January 20, two weeks before the race. It was decided that their clubhouse would be opened during the races so that coffee and sandwiches could be served to visiting snowshoers while a “quiet smoke [would be] enjoyed around the fire.” These were relatively active men, but smoking had not yet been proven harmful.

The last meeting the club had before the race weekend

was on Wednesday, Feb. 3, 1909. Final preparations were made: an invitation to church on Sunday was accepted, a menu for the clubhouse’s Saturday afternoon gathering was finalized, and pipe smoking materials were organized.

In addition, this meeting demonstrates the multi-sport nature of these Snowshoe races: a team and team captain were chosen for the Friday, Feb. 5, 1909 hockey match between the SSSC and the Tuque Rouge Snowshoe Club, Sherbrooke’s other major Snowshoe club and the SSSC’s francophone counterpart. Finally, the members were invited to join a “Subscription Ball” hosted by the “Sherbrooke Snowshoe Carnival President” on the Monday evening after the race weekend. With four days of sport and festivities being held in the coldest period of the year, it would not be a stretch to say Bishop’s students continue a similar tradition today with Winterfest!

The SSSC’s minutes do not reveal the locations and times of the races themselves, though Stephen Moore helpfully explained that “the short distance races, like a modern-day track meet, would likely have been held at what is commonly known as “the Parade Grounds,” a park still in use on Queen Victoria Boulevard, north of Montreal Street.” Long-distance races, on the other hand, “would have been held in the surrounding countryside.”

All in all, the 1909 snowshoe racing experience in Sherbrooke sounds very foreign. Contenders could arrive only by steam train, smoked the afternoon away, and attended a Monday evening ball. At the same time, the event had a spirit of competition and camaraderie in the coldest days of winter that is familiar. Bishop’s students carry on an annual legacy of February festivities in the name of sport and good cheer to this day. Long live winter sports and the celebrations they encourage!

Students react to reopening of fitness centres On March 9, the campus fitness centre in the Sportsplex reopened, to the joy of many. The gym had been missed by the student population these past few months.

While the summer of 2020 offered the possibility of outdoor activities, the fall and winter semesters, with stricter restrictions, affected the students’ abilities to move considerably: “from the beginning of the Fall semester and throughout the winter season, I felt overwhelmed by school. I definitely neglected my physical health during this period,” explains Mélina Poulin, who will graduate from Bishop’s this semester. Many students similarly saw their mental health deteriorating with lack of exercise during the past few months.

Jean-Philippe Jeske, a student at Champlain College says: “I used to go around 3-4 hours per day 4-7 times per week,” but as the pandemic forced gyms to close down, he humorously described his body more as “fat, round and

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bulging” from the inaction of isolation. He adds: “My mind couldn’t function without the gym, so now I go to the gym to appease my obsession with moving heavy objects.”

But while the gym’s benefits for mental health are well documented, its attraction as a social gathering space is often undervalued. Mélina says: “Before the pandemic, I went to the gym once or twice a week except on busy weeks. […] I aimed to drain my stress and spend good energy, while having fun with my gym partner.”

One of the principal challenges in going to the gym since the reopening is indeed the obligation to work out alone.

The benefits of working out with a partner include better accountability, more regular sessions, and spotting while lifting. It can also bring a wider diversity of exercises and encouragement through difficult parts and consequently plays a big part in improving mental health.

Overall, do students feel safe going back to the gym?

Duncan Crabtree Contributor

Source: Bishop’s archives

Justine Trempe Copy Editor

Cécilia Alain, a third-year Bishop’s student, says: “People need to move and I think it can be done safely. I feel like the problem is in house parties and [gatherings], not in sports facilities.” Mélina agrees: “I believe Bishop’s has put in place the necessary measures to limit risks of infection.

However, I kind of feel insecure going to the gym by myself as I would be nervous about wearing a mask, following distance measures and using equipment properly.”

Like many who do not live near campus, Mélina will not be coming back to the gym this semester. “It would be too time-consuming, and I don’t feel like going there all alone.”

For those who are coming back into a regular workout plan from a pandemic-forced break, be careful to go slow to avoid injuries and remember to follow measures in place so that everyone can feel safe.

Hopefully, the social aspects of the gym that we currently miss will come back for fall 2021.

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ECONOMICS & BUSINESS

THE CAMPUS MARCH 29, 2021

Samy Cauvet, Economics & Business Editor » thecampus.businesseditor@gmail.com

SEED Portfolio annual report Since the new team of SEED student Portfolio Managers came in around March 2020, the portfolio returns reached 43 per cent, beating the S&P/TSX Index by 1.2 per cent. This translates to an increase in total Assets Under Management (AUM) of roughly 186,000 dollars. In October, the SEED Portfolio ranked within the top 3 per cent of all portfolios in Canada, outperforming most professionally managed portfolios in terms of performance, despite being limited to only Canadian equity.

The diversified portfolio has exposure to nearly each sector within the Canadian Economy and is currently led by a team of six Portfolio Managers: Brandon MaillouxChagnon (Energy & Utilities), Michael Karras (Basic Materials), Hugh Godman (Industrials), Max ToguriLaurin (Consumer Staples & Retail), and Jean-François Cardinal (Financials & Real Estate). With their tenure coming to a close at the end of March and current Research Assistants soon beginning their rotation, Sylvie Bequet, Program Head, has been accepting applications for new RAs lately.

SEED stands for “Success through Education,

Max Toguri-Laurin Contributor

Entrepreneurship and Dedication.” It is a two-year investment management program where students control a real Canadian stock portfolio worth 620,000 dollars. This is an incredibly unique experiential learning opportunity available to all WSB students that demonstrate passion and knowledge for investing. BUFS (Bishop’s University Finance Society) membership is actually viewed as an asset in the selection process. Those who pass the interviews are accepted as Research Assistants (RAs) for the first year of the program at the end of which they receive three credits, learning the fundamentals of equity research from a top-down approach. This investing approach involves looking at the macroeconomic factors that drive the markets and identify which sectors have potential for future value or growth. Afterwards, they select a company in each sector that is expected to do well, analyze it and present their results to a board of external directors. If students are successful as RAs, they spend their second year of the program, for which they receive another three credits, acting as Portfolio Managers and spending time directly managing the assets within their

assigned sectors.

“Being part of SEED has been a privilege. From analyzing businesses to writing an investment thesis, the two-year program allowed me to get hands-on experience in portfolio management and develop a unique skill set.

The moments that I’ve shared with the other members of the program are definitely memories from my time at BU that I will cherish for years to come,” says Kevin Guay, an alumnus from the class of 2020.

“SEED gave me the ability to learn something new in class and turn around and apply it in real time with real money. Other business schools dream of a student investment fund like SEED—we Gaiters are lucky,” testifies Noah Jepson, another class of 2020 graduate.

If you are interested in joining the SEED Portfolio, every year, around March, you can send your professional CV and cover letter to the program head’s email at sbequet@ ubishops.ca to be considered.

Raise a toast to St. Paddy’s Day Samy Cauvet Economics & Business Editor

On Wednesday, March 17, 2021, the Canadian stock market closed with positive returns for the day. It might seem like a statistical error, but St. Patrick’s Day has been bringing the green to financial markets repeatedly over the years. The celebration is a good omen not only for day traders but also for bars, restaurants, and other retail businesses. Indeed, at least 5.9 billion dollars is expected to be spent in total on St. Patrick’s Day celebrations every year. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that this holiday is one of the booziest days of the year. On average, more than 13 million pints of beer are consumed worldwide—that’s a lot of beer—and the average partier spends about 30 dollars on St. Patrick’s Day. Normally, Reed Street would be flooded with beer trucks and partygoers, but this year it was a lot quieter than normal and, yet, still was a good day. As students went into the woods to party to avoid the police, things definitely looked a lot different for businesses this year.

Bar owners in Sherbrooke said this has been slower than a normal holiday, but that was within their expectations. “This year’s crowd has actually worked to our advantage,” said most of the bar owners interviewed in Sherbrooke. Usually, St. Patrick’s Day crowds would be overwhelming, but this year’s smaller crowds were manageable, making it a successful and fun holiday for them. Due to the COVID-19 regulations, we will have to wait at least another year for the festivities to return to normal, but, in the meantime, businesses still came up with original ways to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day this year.

I’m not sure if it’s the same for you, but when I think about St. Patrick’s Day, I immediately think about one of McDonald’s greatest ideas known as the limited-edition green milkshake: “Shamrock Shake.” Every year, McDonald’s releases a mint-flavoured milkshake for one month leading up to the festive day. This milkshake is a great example of a very well-thought marketing campaign. The goal is to create a sense of urgency and excitement for an average product that wouldn’t exist if they simply added a mint chocolate chip milkshake to their permanent menu. Simple, but brilliant!

Graphic by Leea Rebeca Ruta