Issue 5 Volume 60

e x p l o r at i o n w i t h i n t e n t i o n

The Inquirer The official student newspaper of canadian university college

a n au ro r a c h ro n i c l e s pu b l i c at i o n

{D r. H ay n a l ta k i n g t h e Plu n g e w i t h O u t wa r d Pu r s u i t s}

issue

5

volume

60 • November 30, 2012

Editor’s Note Inside...

The truth of the matter is that you always know the right thing to do. The hard part is doing it.

- H. Norman Schwarzkopf

3

IN THE BRAIN

Gendercide Effects You, Here.

4

How to Survive Living On Your Own

The World

5

Our Place in the Darkness

It’s late and, quite honestly, I’m out of words. How many disappointments and frustrations are left before I can just...breathe? There’s too much that seems to make my breath come short. Suffocating.

Where is home? Where can I go to unwind? Who will be around? Who is my friend?

Enemies are the blank pages that should be filled with neatly organized paragraphs that defy constraints set by them. Enemies are the silences bouncing off of high walls. Enemies are the blank looks that do not register the pain that seems to flow red in the streets.

Break the silence.

Fill the pages--write. Scream at the top of your lungs-breaking down walls. Make them hear you, make them feel you. Do not be silent. Find your voice.

Without your voice, you cannot help yourself. Without your voice, you cannot help others.

Others like you are out there. Open your mouth, write your words.

You exist, Let them know.

Sapphire w.

Listen: Let It Be by Blackmill To submit questions, response, art, or an article: - www.caucsa.tumblr.com - sachronicles@gmailcom October 26, 2012

6

Rhizomatic religion

8

To My Roommate

Response to Sawyer

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The Listener

11

For Kitty Lovers...

12 From your SA

14 LIKE A WRITING DESK

In the brain

When the sun is wrapped up [in darkness] And when the stars fall, dispersing, And when the mountains are removed And when full-term she-camels are

G e n d e rc i d e a f f ec t s yo u, h e r e.

neglected And when the wild beasts are gathered And when the seas are filled with flame And when the souls are paired And when the girl [who was] buried alive is asked For what sin she was killed And when the pages are made public And when the sky is stripped away And when Hellfire is set ablaze And when Paradise is brought near, A soul will [then] know what it has brought [with it].

Qur’an 81:1-14

When I was a young girl, all throughout elementary school, my

Europe? So why do they does the media dehumanize the girls and women

mother would wake me up on cold, dark winter mornings such as these

of India this way? 1.8 million girls born between 1985-2005 were battered

ones now, make me breakfast, and would have me sit at the living room

to death before they turned 6 years old. 106,000 young women were burnt

table with my unfinished homework spread out neatly, errors marked in

to death in just one year. 1 woman is killed every 5 minutes, as millions

pencil, waiting for me to complete it in its full correctness. Although it felt

of women are abused and brutally forced through multiple, back-to-back

like punishment, it was merely routine. Why did my mother deem it so

abortions to rid girls!

important that I be better than average? Better than “just another girl”?

Every time I fussed and pouted about the early mornings, not once did

was interviewing me, why reporters consistently chose to ignore my

she ask me if this is the life that I wanted, or asked me what my dreams

remarks [...]. Look at any other genocide: it is the powerful that have

were. Those early mornings that I protested against the pain of a 6:45am

played the biggest roles! She said, because their audience (in Europe)

homework time, my mom would counter me saying, “Sapphire, you are

wouldn’t like to hear it or understand it!!

going to sit down and do your work. You are very smart and very capable

and you will succeed.” However, because of the above-average importance

If the media itself views women as ‘sexual’ or ‘reproductive’ resources for

and consistency she put into my education and well-being in general, my

men to use, it makes the work of campaigns like mine that much more

mindset about education and being successful; a “somebody” never left

difficult4.”

me.

Fast-forwarding in the future, I look around me in this society and

Last year, I asked a documentary film maker from Europe, who

The media sets the tone for how the public thinks, acts and reacts.

Some may wonder after reading this, “Why does it matter to me?

I live in North America and I’m not persecuted like that. It’s probably

the majority of others and notice that the emphasis on being a successful

just an international problem.” This is where your questions are wrong.

woman is not a shared priority or concept. In fact, being female in general

Dead wrong. It is this precise attitude that turns a blind eye to an es-

is not looking at as necessary and in many places in the world, females

sential role that females play in our societies and our world and, more

are killed, aborted, persecuted, tortured, left uneducated, and ultimately

importantly, to the fact that females are equal to males and deserve just

silenced just for being born a girl. In 2006, Rita Banerji , female activist

human rights. Women are not second class-citizens, objects, or “things”

and writer, began The 50 Million Missing Campaign to first, raise global

that are placed on earth to serve anyone or anything. The reality that

awareness about this massive, human rights atrocity[...]. And “ [...] to

women are treated with horrifying disrespect and are assaulted and

build a grassroots, public momentum that will demand official account-

killed worldwide, including here in Canada, speaks to what we have been

ability and action, of the kind that all genocides warrant. She writes :

taught by society about the world’s women, sisters, and mothers, that are

eliminated.

1

2

3

“Yet, I also have to say, that sometimes there are ways in which

the media has presented this issue that I find deeply despairing. It’s

almost like they end up further dehumanizing this human rights catas-

est in politics or global issues, you are still human. We are all human.

trophe! I am always shaken up by questions that use phrases like “the

Think before you whistle at a girl, put your arm around her without

dropping sex ratio,” or “the shortage of women in India” “Shortage” is

asking, make a pass, or even say, “hey, you guys”. These actions towards

a word used when we discuss ‘things’ --‘resources’ -- like food, land and

women further objectify us and if we are to live in a world of mutual

water, things that we use! Not human beings!

respect and love, by our Christian standards, it is time to change the way

we think and treat each other.

Perhaps it is this view of women as use-based commodities by the

I doesn’t matter if you aren’t an activist or, plainly, have no inter-

Footnotes:

media, which also makes it attempt to rationalize this genocide – as if 1

there’s actually a legitimate explanation for it. Or they patronize this 2

bizarre idea that economic incentives should be given to people to not kill 3

girls and women!!

Would we try to rationalize any other human genocide? Would

we think giving economic incentives to Europe or to Rawanda or Bosnia would have stopped the genocides there? Would we speak of the Jewish genocide as the “dropping Jewish ratio” or as a “shortage of Jews” in

The Inquirer

4

http://ritabanerji.wordpress.com/

http://50millionmissing.wordpress.com/

http://www.itsagirlmovie.com/blog/why-it-s-a-girl-is-a-different-kind-of-film

http://genderbytes.wordpress.com/2011/06/12/why-education-and-economics-are-not-thesolution-to-indias-female-genocide/ http://www.causes.com/causes/74219-the-50-million-missing-a-campaign-against-india-s-female-genocide

Page 3

In the World

H ow to S u rv i v e: L i v i n g o n yo u r ow n

by M a n u M ay u r

Some call it minimalistic; she calls it “simplistic” Living on your own as a student of post-secondary education can be a challenging one, especially, if you are a foreigner.

Chantal Leotaud has come a long way from the twin island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, also known as the land of the Hummingbird. The Inquirer had the privilege of getting the inside scoop of what her life has recently come to be.

Chantal’s cozy bungalow-type apartment has a tropical feel to it. Her kitchen cupboards were bare except for two plates, an assortment of seasonings, and tea. However, out of a small nook, she revealed rice, pasta, and pasta sauce. It was close to suppertime and she begged for me to stay for a bite. I could not bear to use her already depleted groceries but she insisted.

It pays to be an Outward Pursuits student, I noticed, since Chantal afforded the tiniest pot I had ever seen. Out of it, she made pasta and then tea. I was, at first, nervous to try her pasta but it, evidently, was the best pasta I had had in my life! I could not help but ask why she decided to live a life of such minimalism to which I was corrected when she said, “it is nothing short of simplistic.”

Later on, she baked a concoction of greens, oats, and seasoning to take her through the week and I was blown away by how quick and easy these recipes were, and might I add, quite satisfying. Even though she has a little, she has so much to share. It was indeed a pleasure spending time with her and she welcomes anyone that would like to take a look at simple living that is affordable and enlightening.

When living a simple life, it is important to not panic, and do not be afraid to talk to someone about what you are experiencing. They may just know of someone that is eager to help (ahem Dr. Lehmann).

Having a hard time affording groceries?

Visit the local food bank on 5225-53rd Street; their contact number is 403-782-6777.

Are you in need of a garbage container?

Try a cardboard box with a garbage bag inside.

Don’t have the funds to do it all on your own?

Split costs, such as internet, groceries, toilet paper, shampoo and other hygenic materials (especially if you’re a girl) with your roommate/s Can’t afford a bed frame?

Invest in a mattress and grab a friend to pick up some wood factory crates from beside the ABC. Invest in grocery items that can go a long way: Ex. Flour, cooking oil, oats, beans and peas, rice, potatoes, pasta and vegetables.

Do you have a kitten that needs to be neutered or spayed?

Call the Ponoka Central Vet. They are located at 4102-64th street, Ponoka, and charge around $90 and that can easily be split among the roommates who also love your feline member of the family. Give them a call at 403-783-5200.

In today’s society, there is a definite materialistic pressure.

However, if you’re trying to redefine yourself as independent, it’s time to get creative, get simple, and perhaps make some sacrifices. Maybe all the frugal living will pay off for a great Christmas vacation!

If you have any queries, further suggestions, or you want to check out Chantal’s abode, please contact Manu Mayur at SAChronicles@cauc.ca and our Facebook page: The Inquirer – Official Student Newspaper of Canadian University College for a peek into living a simple life.

October 26, 2012

O u r Pl ac e i n t h e Da r k n e s s

by Ev i e da r k ly

“People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within.” - Elisabeth Kubler-Ross “I will love the light for it shows me the way, yet I will endure the darkness because it shows me the stars.” - Og Mandino “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” - John 1:5 (ESV)

This piece is more about saying thank-you than anything else. Writing for

creatures to the feast of Creation.” - Wendell Berry, The Art of the Com-

the CUC newspaper has become much more than I ever anticipated. I feel

monplace: The Agrarian Essays

honoured to have my words printed alongside my peers whom I respect and admire on The Inquirer editorial team. I find myself eagerly awaiting

“The world is so empty if one thinks only of mountains, rivers & cities;

every issue just to be stimulated and enriched by reading their articles.

but to know someone who thinks & feels with us, & who, though distant,

And so I want to thank you, dear reader, for joining us this semester.

is close to us in spirit, this makes the earth for us an inhabited garden.”

Thank you for reading our humble words; thank you for reading mine. I

- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

want to extend a special note of gratitude to the students and teachers that have reached out to the editorial staff in various ways regarding our

“What should young people do with their lives today? Many things, obvi-

articles this semester. Whether you were concerned about our “motives,”

ously. But the most daring thing is to create stable communities in which

challenged by our ideas, curious about our identities, or comforted by our

the terrible disease of loneliness can be cured.” - Kurt Vonnegut

efforts towards creating a community, thank you for writing in. I hope more of you will do so, because we really do want to create a community

“I can no longer condemn or hate a brother for whom I pray, no matter

here at CUC through the expressive medium of our school newspaper.

how much trouble he causes me.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Faith in Community

As we all prepare to take a much-needed (and deserved!) break this

Christmas, I want to send you off with a few things to think about. With

my column, I have sought to advocate for human rights and government

are a part of it? Are you like me, fumbling in the darkness, trying to find

transparency. Sawyer’s pieces on religion and spirituality have raised

your way down a path never before traversed? Are there others around

some difficult but important--vital, even--questions for us as members of

you, doing the same? What if you reached out? Touched hands? Held that

the Seventh-day Adventist faith to ask ourselves, and those who lead us.

other person to you tightly and began to walk, arm in arm, two bodies

Are you lonely, or do you live in community? Do you feel like you

now wading through the night. And then what if you came across another

Think about the purpose of you. Your existence. What are you here

person, and another, and another, and a multitude of hands extended

for? Finding meaning and purpose has been a human quest since Aristo-

towards you and from within you and suddenly you weren’t fumbling

tle first coined the word eudaemonia: living a virtuous life in accordance

anymore, you weren’t alone, and you weren’t afraid. No one ever prom-

with reason; loosely-translated as “human flourishing.” Scholars and

ised this Earthly existence would be without darkness. If anything, we

authors in philosophy, psychology and religion have wrestled with this

were guaranteed it. Can we come together and find our way through the

question. From the existentialism of Jean-Paul Sartre and Soren Kierkeg-

shadows together? Or must some of us remain in the trenches?

aard to the psychologists Abraham Maslow and most recently Martin Seligman, finding well-being has been seen to fundamentally revolve

around finding purpose or meaning. Perhaps as in the quote from Eliza-

you’re not alone, right?

What is your place in the darkness? Can I join you? You know

beth Kuber-Ross, this is the light than can shine from within us.

Thanks again for reading. See you in the New Year.

Now, think of the purpose of a community. Why do we join togeth-

er? And how do we join together? I leave you with three quotes which I

Your friend,

think are meaningful to defining ourselves in community:

Evie Darkly.

“The guilty one is not he who commits the sin, but the one who causes the

“Healing is impossible in loneliness; it is the opposite of loneliness.

darkness.” - Victor Hugo

Conviviality is healing. To be healed we must come with all the other

The Inquirer

Page 5

R h i zo m at i c r e l i g i o n To Sawyer,

do not consider these people hypocrites. I do not consider these people my enemies. I do not deem then as judgmental. I actu-

My anonymous friend, I have been reading your articles faith-

ally admire them because they have the guts to stand up for

fully since the first issue. I admire your radical and reforma-

what they believe is the cause of Christ regardless of how they

tion spirit but I would like to share a few of my concerns with

may look (now I am not justifying all the terrible things that

you. I want to make it perfectly clear that If the question about

have been done but I think you get my point). If I criticized

your identity is raised it is not because we dismiss your ideas

them, wouldn’t I be doing the same as them? How often we

but because your ideas concern more than just yourself. It con-

become the very object that we are criticizing. Ellen White says

cerns a body of believers.

in the Desire of the Ages that when Christ rebuked sinners he

Your articles have been nothing less than criticism after

did so with tears in his eyes, “He (Jesus) was never rude, never

criticism about the church. You stated in your second article

needlessly spoke a severe word, never gave needless pain to a

that you nearly stopped coming to church when you saw that

sensitive soul. He did not censure human weakness. He fear-

woman’s ordination was voted down. As far as I am concerned,

lessly denounced hypocrisy, unbelief, and iniquity, but tears

anyone who is discouraged from worshipping with the com-

were in His voice as He uttered His scathing rebukes.”1

munity of believers based on an administrative decision has no

I have stood on both sides of the coin my friend. I know why

authority to be speaking on spiritual matters.

those in the left think the way they do and why those on the

If what you want is a revolution, a reformation, or a revival to

right think the way that they do. I have been there and done

happen within the church then I encourage different tactics

that, this is why I am so compassionate for those who are in

other than those of secular regimes. The Church is not a perse-

the left and on the right, because I understand. It helps unity

cuting government it is a family. A functional family does not

to see things through someone else’s eyes. We as a church are

criticize each other under disguise but rather it speaks openly

already fractured as it is, we don’t need anymore left hooks as

and directly. They sit face to face, they know who is saying

if the issues aren’t obvious. The leadership is not as rigid as

what and they cry, hurt and push through the issues together

you make them out to be. I am from Silver Spring Maryland; I

as a unit.

live down the street from the General Conference world head-

You asked in one of your articles “Why should it not be person-

quarters. I go to church and shop at the same grocery stores

al anyways? It is my faith” Your faith and your biases should

with the leaders of the world church and trust me, they are

not be confused. You and I, and the rest of the church for that

aware and compassionate of the same issues that we are talk-

matter, all share the same faith. There is one faith and I am

ing about.

sure that you and I (and those you criticize) could all sit around

So here we are, you and me, two people that agree (but prob-

the table cry over what Christ spilled blood and resurrection

ably for different reasons). I don’t doubt your intentions are

means to us. There is no reason to criticize each other’s faith

genuine and the only thing I am assuming about you is that

simply because we have different convictions and biases.

you love God with every fiber in your being, which is why I am

Faith doesn’t criticize, hypocrisy and judgment criticizes.

responding. I don’t mind if you continue to criticize because

Faith builds faith and edifies other people and in the Christian

criticism is good, but if you choose to continue to do so then

Paradigm it does it out in the open without secrets. You do

stop hiding behind Sawyer.

not stand alone in this; we are all the church even if you don’t

I want to be your friend; more specifically I want to be your

agree with everyone who is part of the body. The church as

brother. Let’s examine the evidence and listen to one another.

an administrative organization and the church as an organic

I see we have lots of family problems and we have hurt each

organism, which is the love of Christ, are two separate things,

other many times in the past and I cant promise that we wont

and I warn you to not cast judgments on Jesus bride simply

hurt each other again but what do you say to stop criticizing

because you recognize that she is not perfect (and trust me, you

each other and just begin to heal together? the way the apostles

do not have to remind Jesus that she is not perfect).

did without secrets and out in the open? Lets do this as the

I think you and I would agree on many things. I am for wom-

church.

an’s ordination and I am all for dancing. I used to break dance

Hope to hear from you soon,

in high school and cypher rap in the hood with my homies and I

Grace, peace and joy to you,

still do it. I also recognize that many people are against it but I

Alex Portillo

October 26, 2012

Dear Mr. Portillo:

hypocritical, considering the way you criticize my faith. Also note how your

allusion to the Bride of Christ refers to the feminine in the negative: the bride

Thank you for the opportunity to elucidate my position. My column has

been a method of introducing ideas into the public sphere that, for a plethora

who is submissive, the bride who is imperfect. It’s not that the metaphor is

of reasons, are not discussed in church. It is not okay to say someone is infe-

bad, or that we should be equal to God, but patriarchal language is slanted to

rior because of a lottery at birth. We should be even less okay with this in our

favour the masculine over the feminine. This does not mean that women are

church. These biases impose the type of culture of silence and secrecy that you

inferior to men.) The message of unity at the cost of equality institutionalizes

also attack.

discrimination and misses the heart of Christ’s message: “There is neither Jew

nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for

I have not written a single article to criticize the Church; instead, I

write to raise questions and exchange knowledge, though I think the phrase

ye are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:27-29). The same form of other-

“if the shoe fits…” certainly applies. Although our church does need change,

ness restricted black South Africans from full access to Helderberg College;

I don’t think that it will happen until we transform the way we think. You

the same form of otherness forces the LGBTs in our communities to suffer in

have not given me a reason to reveal my identity, other than, from what I can

silence. As a body of believers, we have refused to talk about this issue except

gather, you want to sit around a table tearfully. Yet you have already used the

to condemn. We voice tolerance, but permit intolerance, forcing people into

minor details of my identity to make ad hominem attacks, rather than discuss

silence.

my ideas, which you seem to have misunderstood.

to consider my ideas, rather than my identity. The politics of identity are

For clarity, and perhaps to update those who have not been reading as

In the next issue, I had hoped to change the focus of my readers

diligently as you, I would like to provide the key ideas I’ve developed in my

more complex than what you make it seem, and sociological conditions often

articles. Starting with the first issue:

marginalize and oppress, restricting the voices of those discussed in the

previous paragraph. By asking for my identity, you reduce my ideas to an ad

You brought up that you agree with me on some of my points because

you “used to break dance in high school and cypher rap in the hood with my

hominem argument, so that you can name me, target me, and try to reform

homies and I still do it.” I’d like to point out that my first article, the one that

me. You want to make my articles personal to discredit my arguments when,

references dancing, says this: “But dancing is not really the problem. The

as you say, my ideas “concern more than just [my]self. It concerns a body of

underlying issue is our fear of change and progress, the way we run away

believers.” My articles are about 50-60 people on this campus (statistically,

from distractions without critical thought. […] Tradition is beautiful and

LGBTs compose 10% of any population, including that of the church), about

rewarding, but it shouldn’t keep us from developing new ways of connecting

the women in our church, about the minoritarian groups of our world. The ad

with God or reaching out to others. I don’t want a stagnant church; I want a

hominem demonstrates your insensitivity to just how unforgiving society and

church of progress.” The concluding line, “Let us dance,” appears more as a

even our church can be. While you might not intend to do so, the ad hominem

metaphor of a vibrant life than a demand on the church. To demonstrate the

opens up the opportunity for gender, racial, abled, xenophobic, or homophobic

underlying purpose of the article, I must quote another paragraph: “Perhaps

slurs, which do not belong in any type of civil discourse. I hope you have not

the distractions are not the issue, but out approach to them. We exert tremen-

experienced the pain of verbal, physical, or social discrimination, but we need

dous amounts of effort to identify distractions, and once we are successful, we

to create a safe place for people to begin to talk about these very painful and

condemn them. Then, they make us ashamed about our indulgences (or we

isolating issues. I raised a set of questions regarding authority: “Why should

shame others for theirs). The fear of committing heresy makes us stagnant;

I not voice my perspective? Does one individual have more authority than

our conservatism urges us to act defensively. Instead of abandoning distrac-

another? Are you concerned that I’m not a Theo major? Is there some hierar-

tions, I’d like to suggest we transform them.” In summary, I proposed chang-

chy of ideas? Are you afraid that I am a woman?” You didn’t address any of

ing our ideology of negation to one of affirmation. To act out our faith in such a

these questions directly; instead, you wrote, “anyone who is discouraged from

way that it generates and accepts new ways of living.

worshipping with the community of believers based on an administrative

decision has no authority to be speaking on spiritual matters.” An administra-

I had hoped that people would bring that frame of mind when they

read “Women’s Ordination and Racism in the Adventist Church” in the second

tive decision based on inequality de-authorizes an institution from speaking

issue. In this article, I wanted to inspire others to think of the wider cultural

on spiritual matters. The newspaper is “without secrets and out in the open”

impact of our Church’s administrative decisions. Although many agree that

concerning ideas. My name does not matter. I am Rita, Salome, Rupert, Sam,

ordination should be gender-equal, they often do not consider their responsi-

Jean, Camille, Bobby, Edna. Edwin, J.L. Our particulars do not matter; our

bility to discuss or promote change. I used a historical account of an “adminis-

pain should matter to everyone in a love-based institution.

trative decision” gone wrong, a past mistake, to emphasize our responsibility

in the present. Today, an “administrative decision” makes it difficult for me

student who used to have no one to turn to. I can make theoretical arguments

to attend church because our church considers it a biblical issue, implicating

all I want, but things change when real people become involved. Rather than

the validity of the Holy Book, or at least the way Adventists read it. I reiter-

the usual rhetoric concerning my identity, we received a number of responses

ate from my article: “Inequality in church policy made God a non-real being to

to aid and to share the pain of being alone. Why are we even asking if women

me. The unfair treatment of others based on social constructs and difference

deserve to be ordained? Why are we allowing people to suffer because they

is a human invention, a mindset.” (Paragraph four of your letter seems rather

aren’t born as heterosexual men? (continued on the next page)

The Inquirer

In my fourth article, I had the privilege of introducing our campus to a

Page 7

(continued from previous page)

to identify such places on campus? Again, I do not know what would be

Response #1:

acceptable and more importantly, what would work. One small sugges-

Thank you for publishing the article about homosexuality. As another

tion might be the posting of the following symbol on an office door that

CUC student who faces the same issues, I was encouraged to find that it

quietly and unobtrusively signals that the faculty member is someone

inspired discussion about a subject that is often considered taboo. And to

who is willing to listen to LGBT issues:

the anonymous student: although I will probably never know who you are, and you will certainly never know who I am, thank-you for making me feel less alone.

This is the person I want to embrace and cry around the table with. To the CUC student who wrote this submission, any member of the Newspaper team will be honoured to support you in any way that we can. We want to thank you for having the courage to respond to our paper, and we will always respect your anonymity. Hopefully the second response will give you the opportunity to feel even less alone.

To the Editor, The Inquirer Nov. 19, 2012

Image displays green circle and pink triangle

Sincerely, Dear Editorial Staff, John McDowell, PhD

I accept and respect the fact that The Inquirer is a paper by and

for students of Canadian University College. I, as a faculty member, thus

Dean of Arts

prefer to refrain from comment on items or issues reported. I was moved, however, by the commentary and especially the letter published in the

Canadian University College

November 16 issue: “Rhizomatic Religion.” While I was saddened to read of the individual’s struggle being a gay student at CUC, what the article made me realize (anew) is that whatever else my Christian duty requires, it certainly asks—if my conception of Christ’s ministry is correct—that part of my call is to be party to efforts that seek to reduce pain and suffering. I am not particularly interested in engaging in a debate about the “sin” or “acceptability” of homosexuality—I will leave that to others.

What I asked myself is, “What can I do in the light of what I understand my Christian calling to be”?

One of the things that particularly caught my attention in the let-

ter was the sense of fear, self-hatred, and isolation. The student writes: “What is one of the saddest things about going through this experience at

Thank you, Dr. McDowell, for your compassion and initiative. The newspaper would like to invite other faculty members who would like to place the pink triangle on their doors to contact us by email. We may have a few questions, but we will be glad to provide you with the symbol to demonstrate your care and understanding of the LGBT community.

CUC is that you do it alone.” Could it be helpful, I wondered if LGBT students knew that there were, on campus, safe places where they could talk to faculty without fear of censure or condemnation? I don’t know. Maybe, maybe not. That would be for students to determine. If such places where available (and helpful in easing the pain of isolation), I suspect that I am not the only faculty member on campus who would be comfortable discussing LGBT issues with students. Such a safe place, to be safe, would (of course) absolutely respect the individual and the individual’s confidentiality, and be, if nothing else, a non-judgmental ear where acceptance of, and respect for the person is paramount. [Are we not called to see Christ in all with whom we come in contact?] The trick, of course, would be how

October 26, 2012

Thank you readers for allowing my articles to spark discussion and educate you on issues that are, to some, uncomfortable. Thank you for allowing at least one person to feel a little less alone.

I write for the silently suffering, and I write for the people that are not aware of the suffering. To everyone, regardless of gender, race, or sexual orientation, “your church may condemn you, your friends forsake you, but there isn’t a god who loves you more.”

To M y Ro o m m at e

by Yo u.

God has blessed me with the opportunity to share time and space with two of the most amazing people I have had the privilege to meet. I have been roommates with Shalisa since 2010 and well even though Natalie wasn’t my roommate she lived in our room as well. In 2011 we all decided live together and it has been a journey. We went through some rough times, alot of

Dear Roommate, Please refrain from leaving stringy strands of your hair on the shower wall. It actually freaks me out.

Thank you.

arguing and fighting but however, we realize that our friendship means everything to us and I love them with all my heart.These girls have seen me at my lowest times and they still loved me.

Because of their testimonies and just the love they have shown

Hey. For the record, it means so much to me that you ac-

me I am changed person today. I just wanted to say that I love

cepted me when I said I’m gay. It’s hard living... here. But your

you guys and I wouldn’t trade my roommates for anything in the

friendship keeps me going. Thank you.

world! No matter what we go through we can overcome anything

with God in the midst. Thank you guys for being the best roommates a lonely Bahamian girl in the big country of Canada could ever ask for. Ps. I would like to put in that no matter what we argued about our cookie nights would always solve the issue!

- Terez Musgrove

Hey. For the record, it means so much to me that you accepted me when I said I’m gay. It’s hard living... here. But your friendship keeps me going. Thank you.

To my roommate: Your dirty socks are everywhere! I live alone.

- Clem Morton

Dear Roommates. Thanks for always taking care of business, also known as: “the dishes”.

- Love OMG

If you go to the bathroom and the toilet doesn’t seem to be working quite right, don’t just leave it as a wonderful surprise for someone else to joyously discover, just take care of it. Plunge your own plug!

Dear Char-Bar and Ginger, Thank you for being the most insane roommates ever and making my first two years of university be the most incredibile experiences. Ginger, thanks for the late night writing/poetry

Dear roommate,

seshes and cleaning up even though you hated it. Char...LOL oh Char. I miss doing your hair and thanks for letting me eventu-

Thank you for making me tea every night. It helps during this dreary winters. Gros bisous.

ally rub your back. I know it must have taken a lot. I love you girls forever.

- Chantal Leotaud

- Sapph

The Inquirer

Page 9

t h e l i st e n e r “W inter P aradise ” - D estiny ’ s C hild ‘Tis the season for some sultry soul Christmas tunes! (Featuring Beyonce and her backup singers, also known as Des-

“L uxury P roblems ”- A ndy S tott , L uxury P roblems

tiny’s Child.) Now, before you judge me, I’ll have you know

Easily on the top of my year-end list is Manchester producer

myself during Christmas time. As the only sister that can’t

Andy Stott’s forth LP Luxury Problems. Ambient minimalism shimmers through a dub techno prism as Stott’s sound is viscerally transformed into a more haunting and emotional version of its former self. Partially responsible for this reinvention is the addition of vocals from his childhood piano teacher Alison Skidmore, whose unearthly voice Stott layers and loops upon itself in a dizzy dream at the bottom of the ocean. On

that this album is a serious tradition amongst my sisters and sing, I would relish in the vibratos and many Beyonce-esque runs that my sisters would perform. Ah, the memories. I hope that you enjoy the bompin’ beats of DC as we enter into the holiday season!

“W hite C hristmas ” - B ing C rosby Now THIS one is a particular fave especially during long car

the title track, Stott achieves the coveted and complex balance

rides. Have you ever passed a car and its driver and passenger

between low-ended, throbbing funk and atmospherical, under-

are clearly not paying as much attention to the road as they

stated techno. This is a night with no moon, so put your head-

are to the horrible rendition of Christmas songs they’re belting

phones on. Trust me.

out (off tune) from the inner core of their selves? That passenger…is me. And this is the song that I would be singing that

“S ister W inter ” - S ufjan S tevens , S ongs for C hristmas

effectively distracts the driver. Be safe on the roads, folks.

- S.W.

Sufjan (yes, we are on a first-name basis) crafts a very different Christmas carol with 2006’s “Sister Winter.” It begins pensively, fragilely communicating the emptiness and darkness that sometimes arises with the Christmas season. In a time where everyone is expected to be happy, feel blessed and experience connectedness with those around them, those who deviate from these assumed norms are made to feel inferior. Is there something wrong with you if Christmas makes you feel low? Sufjan

“S crunter ” - M adame J effery The intro to this song gets me, every time. My two step becomes ten and Christmas is the marrow that dwells in my bones, it sustains. Happy holidays, indeed.

explores this isolation delicately, both lyrically and instrumentally, before he reaches the light at the end of the tunnel at the resolution of the song. Here, gentle optimism lies, as well as words that could easily be from me to you:

“O ne man ron B

parang ”

- T he

incredible

My-

The music video for this song is HE-LARIOUS! The song on its own is okay but with the video is Gold. If you’re unable to

And my friends, I’ve

receive a parang for the holidays, give yourself one and have a

Returned to wish you all the best

great time with it.

And my friends, I’ve Returned to wish you a happy Christmas

-E.D.

October 26, 2012

- L.B.

Fo r K i t t y lov e r s...a n d h at e r z

Chi-chillin like a chinchillaaa!

Cat’s in the bag!

Sleepy kitty.

The Inquirer

Intensely peering kitty...

Kitty with the sniffles =(

Sloppy kitty.

Page 11

F rom yo u r SA: U s e Yo u r Vo i c e!

The Student Association bylaws can be a bit of a read and as

month. Read through them carefully. The bylaws have been implemented

students overloaded with classes and homework, there may be no time

for the student body’s own interest. Ensure that changes do not just

to read through 29 pages where a big chunk of it does not even relate to

benefit those in office, but it benefits the student body as a whole. Don’t

the majority of students. We may see it as a guidebook for those who are

be blindsided, realizing too late that you are uncomfortable with a change

in office, something that tells them how to do their job. But the bylaws do

in the bylaws. The latest budget has been printed in this issue of the

not simply tell those in office how to run things smoothly, there are impor-

newspaper. Each student contributes $82.00 to the Student Association

tant portions that relate to the student body and their rights. It gives the

budget. The Executive cabinet and the Senate have tried their best to

student body a voice.

allocate the money fairly and logically, but there could be something that

Besides yearly elections of the Executive cabinet, there are other things

has been missed. It’s your money; don’t be passive with how it’s spent.

we have a right to weigh in on. I have pointed out two very specific mat-

The Executive cabinet and the Senate do not try to make decisions that

ters in which the student body has a say: bylaw amendments and finan-

will make you uncomfortable. It just may be that they are unaware of the

cial decisions. These are two things that are significant to the student

concerns and suggestions, so take advantage of the avenues of communi-

body because (1) bylaw amendments affect our best interest and (2)

cation that were mentioned in the previous issue of the newspaper such

financial decisions affect our money.

as e-mail, Tumblr, and writing in to the student paper and your Senate

officers. Let’s make a difference.

The latest bylaw changes will be printed in the newspaper every

ARTICLE XII - BYLAW AMENDMENTS

Art.V: SA REPRESENTATIVES ON CUC COMMITTEES do not exist in

Para. 59: Amendments to these Bylaws

current Bylaws.

A.

See removed statements in strikethrough, added comments in bold

Amendments to these Bylaws may be submitted for Senate

ratification by the following: SA Executive Cabinet, Senate referendum,

underlined.

and CUCSA membership by initiative or appellate action.

ARTICLE II – SA Executive Cabinet

B.

Para. 24: Staffing Authority

A proposed amendment(s) to these Bylaws shall be referred to the

2. Director of Student Life:

Campus Life Committee with recommendation to the University College President’s Cabinet and shall be sent to the members one (1) week prior

b.

to the meeting.

records relating to students serving on CUC committees (subject to and

C.

within Art. V: SA REPRESENTATIVES ON CUC COMMITTEES).

These Bylaws may be rescinded, altered, amended or added to by a

Is responsible for maintaining all attendances, documents, and

simple majority of the General Assembly, on notice of not less than one (1) week, subject to a quorum.

ARTICLE VIII - FINANCES

ARTICLE IV – THE SENATE Para. 32: Senators on CUC Committees

Para. 46: Accountability and Financial Appellate Action

A.

B.

representatives of the CUCSA when the positions are not filled by CUCSA

Any member of the CUC Student Association may appeal financial

Senators shall be nominated to serve on CUC Committees as

decisions or financial bylaw changed through the following process:

Members.

1.

B.

Following notice of the change, a member of the Student

The committees that will have a position for a Senator shall be

Association may approach a Senator with their concern. If the member

chosen by the University College Executive Cabinet, and communicated

is still dissatisfied after speaking with a Senator, they may submit a

to the Senate by the CUC Vice-President of Student Services.

petition, with a minimum of 50 signatures, to the Senate for review. Upon

C.

Each Senator can hold a maximum of two (2) committee positions.

receiving the petition, the Senate must re-open the topic for discussion

D.

The Chief Senator shall be responsible for filling these vacancies

and make a final decision within two (2) weeks. The Student Association

E.

Nominations must be made before the end of the Winter Semester

President and Vice President for Student Services must be notified of the

preceding the year of service.

petition by the Senate before the Senate may proceed with re-evaluation.

2.

CANADIAN UNIVERSITY COLLEGE

All appeals must be initiated within one (1) week of receiving notice

STUDENT ASSOCIATION

of the change.

Senate Proposal (Bill#: 12-05, Ed. 1)

Summary of Senate’s Changes to the Bylaws This edition of the Bylaws supersedes the Bylaws dated April 2011.

CANADIAN UNIVERSITY COLLEGE STUDENT ASSOCIATION Senate Proposal (Bill#: 12-04, Ed. 1)

Sponsor: Jee Hwan Choi, CUCSA Academic Vice President Subject: Budget Proposal Due Dates Purpose: To clear discrepancies within the Bylaws regarding the subject Detail

Sponsor: Jee Hwan Choi, CUCSA Academic Vice President

There are various due dates for the SA budget proposal to the Senate.

Subject: Student Representatives on CUC Committees

This bill proposal also includes corrections on some of the references.

Purpose: To clear discrepancies within the Bylaws regarding the subject

See removed statements in strikethrough, added comments in bold

Detail

underlined.

October 26, 2012

ARTICLE III – SA EXECUTIVE CABINET OFFICERS Para. 26: Tenure of SA Executive Cabinet Officers B.

The SA Executive Cabinet officers shall be

rewarded for their services by a stipend determined in the CUCSA budget to be signed in contract at the beginning of the Fall semester. See Art. X Art. VIII for more information.

ARTICLE VII – COMMUNICATIONS Para. 41: Authority of the Publications Editors A.

The Aurora Chronicles Editor shall:

3.

Working with the Communications Vice

President and Financial Vice President, present to the Senate a proposed budget for approval by the first third week of the Fall semester.

ARTICLE VII – COMMUNICATIONS Para. 41: Authority of the Publications Editors A.

The Aurora Borealis Editor shall:

3.

Working with the Communications Vice

President and Financial Vice President, present to the Senate a proposed budget for approval for The Aurora Borealis by the first third week of the Fall semester.

ARTICLE VIII – FINANCES Para. 44: Accounts A.

There are to be four (4) accounts under

jurisdiction of the CUCSA: The General SA Account, The SA Reserve Account, the Aurora Chronicles Account, and the Aurora Borealis Account.

1.

General SA Account

c.

The CUC General SA fund shall only be used for

expenditures approved by the CUCSA Executive. All planned expenditures must be included in the Senate approved SA budget (as described as Art. X, Para. 41, C).

ARTICLE VIII - FINANCE Para. 48: Executive Stipends and Senate Evaluations F.

If adjustments are made, the amount subtracted

from an officer’s budgeted stipend amount will be returned to the SA General account, to be used at the SA Executive’s discretion, subject to Art. X, Para. 45, E. ARTICLE VIII - FINANCE Para. 48: Executive Stipends and Senate Evaluations H.

The Senate also has the responsibility of

evaluating the Aurora Chronicles Editor and Aurora Borealis Editor through the same methods described in C., but on a deadline basis rather than a semester basis. See Art. IX, Para. 41 and 42.

The Inquirer

Page 13

like a writing desk

with ginger

In Lewis Carrol’s book, Alice in Wonderland, the Mad Hatter asks “Why is a raven like a writing desk?” and the guests at the tea party attempt to solve the riddle. Several pages later, the Hatter admits “I haven’t the slightest idea.” This scene was meant to illustrate the mystical, magical world that Alice has fallen into, a place of leisure and adventure. In turn, this column is a cove of possibilities, where whatever you create, write, draw, photograph, or imagine can come to life. In each issue, you can flip to this section to find voices of others that are meant to express, inspire and stimulate.

To submit your creative pieces, email us at: sachronicles@gmail.com

H aikus You are all I have and that, my dear, will always be enough.

T he P innacle , B efore P lummeting A comma, a pause in your breath of cinnamon and earl grey tea, an abrupt part of your lips like the vessel of atmosphere suspended between earth and sky and you remain neutral, entirely.

An unfinished story...

Can you feel my heart punching my ribs from inside, dying to touch yours?

You reach for my core, crashing onto my heart’s shore, I sink into you.

I have taken root and cling to the earth in you, begging for water.

It doesn’t matter how little sleep I may get, I will dream of you.

W inter The sun’s skirt swishes along the horizon’ spine, flickering shades of pumpkin skin and grapefruit flesh, kissing black cherry treetops, leaving lipstick stains that refuse to fade until my arrival, glazed with an icing sugar gown.

An instant chill sweeps, shaping giant icicle towns.

October 26, 2012

I P refer D reams Written during Evensong September 22, 2012 Inspired by Aaron Boscanin’s rendition of Concerto for Violin “Fire and Ice by S. Barber

Time mixes with space, Error falls into panic, And emotion swivels, The fire of the moment Sinks into the ice Of another unravelled second.

Revelation gives way to Peace and, Intensity to the stillness Where dusts settles, The eagle rests her wings, Knowing now the end of listless ness, And the sweet memory Finds new way to my heart.

- Eric Anderson

C harles W anke (V ersion ) Y ou

should date an illiterate girl .

Date a girl who doesn’t read. Find her in the weary squalor

of a Midwestern bar. Find her in the smoke, sweat, and varicolored light of an upscale nightclub. Wherever you find her, find her smiling. Make sure that it lingers when the people that are talking to her look away. Engage her with unsentimental trivialities. Use pick-up lines and laugh inwardly. Take her outside when the night overstays its welcome. Ignore the palpable weight of fatigue. Kiss her in the rain under the weak glow of a streetlamp because you’ve seen it in a film. Remark at its lack of significance. Look for love.

Let the anxious contract you’ve unwittingly written evolve

slowly and uncomfortably into a relationship. Find shared interests and common ground like sushi and folk music. Build an impenetrable bastion upon that ground. Make it sacred.

Retreat into it every time the air gets stale or the evenings too long. Talk about nothing of significance. Do little thinking. Let the months pass unnoticed. Let her decorate your room. Get into fights about inconsequential things like how the shower curtain needs to be closed so that it doesn’t collect mold. Let a year pass unnoticed. Begin to notice.

Figure that you should probably get married because you

will have wasted a lot of time otherwise. Take her to dinner on the forty-fifth floor at a restaurant far beyond your means. Make sure there is a beautiful view of the city. Sheepishly ask a waiter to bring her a glass of champagne with a modest ring in it. When she notices, propose to her with all of the enthusiasm and sincerity you can muster. Do not be overly concerned if you feel your heart leap through a pane of sheet glass. For that matter, do not be overly concerned if you cannot feel it at all. If there is applause, let it stagnate. If she cries, smile as if you’ve never been happier. If she doesn’t, smile all the same.

Let the years pass unnoticed. Get a career, not a job. Buy

a house. Have two striking children. Try to raise them well.

Fail frequently. Lapse into a bored indifference. Lapse into an indifferent sadness. Have a mid-life crisis. Grow old. Wonder at your lack of achievement. Feel sometimes contented, but mostly vacant and ethereal. Feel, during walks, as if you might never return or as if you might blow away on the wind. Contract a terminal illness. Die, but only after you observe that the girl who didn’t read never made your heart oscillate with any significant passion, that no one will write the story of your lives, and that she will die, too, with only a mild and tempered regret that nothing ever came of her capacity to love.

Do those things because nothing sucks worse than a girl

who reads. Do it, I say, because a life in purgatory is better

unfulfilled—a vocabulary that parses the innate beauty of the world and makes it an accessible necessity instead of an alien wonder. A girl who reads lays claim to a vocabulary that distinguishes between the specious and soulless rhetoric of someone who cannot love her, and the inarticulate desperation of someone who loves her too much. A vocabulary that makes my vacuous sophistry a cheap trick.

Do it, because a girl who reads understands syntax. Lit-

erature has taught her that moments of tenderness come in sporadic but knowable intervals. A girl who reads knows that life is not planar; she knows, and rightly demands, that the ebb comes along with the flow of disappointment. A girl who has read up on her syntax senses the irregular pauses—the hesitation of breath—endemic to a lie. A girl who reads perceives the difference between a parenthetical moment of anger and the entrenched habits of someone whose bitter cynicism will run on, run on well past any point of reason, or purpose, run on far after she has packed a suitcase and said a reluctant goodbye and she has decided that I am an ellipsis and not a period and run on and run on. Syntax that knows the rhythm and cadence of a life well lived.

Date a girl who doesn’t read because the girl who reads

knows the importance of plot. She can trace out the demarcations of a prologue and the sharp ridges of a climax. She feels them in her skin. The girl who reads will be patient with an intermission and expedite a denouement. But of all things, the girl who reads knows most the ineluctable significance of an end.

She is comfortable with them. She has bid farewell to a thousand heroes with only a twinge of sadness.

Don’t date a girl who reads because girls who read are

storytellers. You with the Joyce, you with the Nabokov, you with the Woolf. You there in the library, on the platform of the metro, you in the corner of the café, you in the window of your room.

You, who make my life so difficult. The girl who reads has spun out the account of her life and it is bursting with meaning. She insists that her narratives are rich, her supporting cast colorful, and her typeface bold. You, the girl who reads, make me want to be everything that I am not. But I am weak and I will fail you, because you have dreamed, properly, of someone who is better than I am. You will not accept the life of which I spoke at the beginning of this piece. You will accept nothing less than passion, and perfection, and a life worthy of being told. So out with you, girl who reads. Take the next southbound train and take your Hemingway with you.

Or, perhaps, stay and save my life.

than a life in hell. Do it, because a girl who reads possesses a vocabulary that can describe that amorphous discontent of a life

The Inquirer

Page 15

Word Search

Compliments of Nicole Dutnall

Band Choir Filipinoclub Acronaires multiculturalClub social justice newspaper swimming club spanishclub Basketball racquetball pingpong theo club prayer room kidschurch hobbema yoga gym PLT studentassociation Senate History club volleyball Badminton running club sa forum

October 26, 2012