Vol 124 Issue 12

SELLING OUR KIDNEYS SINCE 1895

@XAVERIANWEEKLY

VOLUME 124 ISSUE 12 FEB 11 2016

the

xaverian TUITION HIKE PAGE 2

OPINIONS keyboard courage page 5

FEATURE swiper no swiping page 10

CULTURE i want to go home page 12

SPORTS & HEALTH hanging up the skates page 15

news 2

thursday february eleventh, 2016

THE xaverian

Feb 11 2016 Vol 124: Issue 12

OUR STAFF EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Julia O’Hanley xw.eic@stfx.ca MANAGING EDITOR Ryan Finn xw.managing@stfx.ca ART IST IC COORDINATOR Devon Chisholm xw.artistic@stfx.ca COPY EDITOR Molly Schreiber xw.copy@stfx.ca NEWS EDITOR Izaak MacMullin xw.news@stfx.ca OPINIONS EDITOR Emily Keenan xw.opinions@stfx.ca FEATURES EDITOR Paige Chisholm xw.feature@stfx.ca ARTS&CULTURE EDITOR Rachel LeBlanc xw.culture@stfx.ca DIST RACT IONS EDITOR Ty Kingston xw.distractions@stfx.ca SPORTS&HEALT H EDITOR Shelbi Kilcollins xw.sports@stfx.ca SENIOR REPORT ER Lauren Agnew xw.reporter1@stfx.ca SENIOR REPORT ER Sebastian Jurga x2014hbq@stfx.ca STAFF WRIT ER Alejandra Torres x2015lqa@stfx.ca STAFF WRIT ER Jane Stevenson x2013gcp@stfx.ca COLUMNIST Lindsay Johnstone xw.columnist1@stfx.ca COLUMNIST Caitlin Vance xw.columnist2@stfx.ca DIST RIBUT IONS MANAGER Alyssa MacNeil xw.distributions@stfx.ca xw.eic@stfx.ca for general inquiries xw.managing@stfx.ca for advertising The Xaverian Weekly is the official student newspaper of St Francis Xavier University. The Xaverian Weekly is published on Thursdays by the Xaverian Weekly Publications Board and is editorially autonomous.

The Xaverian Weekly is a proud member of the Canadian University Press, North America’s largest cooperative of student newspapers.

FREE Media is the Xaverian Weekly’s national advertising agency. submissions

The Xaverian Weekly welcomes submissions of articles, letters, photos, and graphics.

Submissions must be received by Friday 5 pm the week prior to publication. Submissions should be sent to xw.eic@stfx.ca or to the

relevant section editor.

The editor-in-chief and the section editors reserve the right to refuse to print submitted material and to edit submissions for length and/or style. The Xaverian Weekly will not print material that is racist, misogynistic, sexist, homophobic, or libellous. opinions

Opinions expressed in the Xaverian Weekly are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Xaverian Weekly or the Xaverian Weekly Publications Board. copyright

All materials appearing in the Xaverian Weekly are copyright their creator(s) and may not be used without permission.

CONTACT US Twitter: @xaverianweekly Facebook: The Xaverian Weekly www.xaverian.ca FIND US Room 111D, Bloomfield Centre PO Box 294 StFX University Antigonish NS, B2G 2W5

EDITOR: IZAAK MACMULLIN xw.news@stfx.ca

Open contributor meetings are held Sundays at six in the newsroom: bottom floor SUB, left from the bookstore. X

Tuition on the rise The province’s elimination of tuition cap helps increase StFX tuition by 18% IZAAK MACMULLIN News Editor Your tuition is about to get significantly more expensive over the next three years. As part of an effort to achieve financial stability, StFX will be hiking tuition fees at a rate of 6% every year for three years.

“So what StFX did is they took the 3% that they normally do, and they added another 3% on top. So it ends up being a total of 6%. So tuition is increasing by 3% more than expected. [...]

A total of 18% over three years,” Students’ Union President Troy Mrazek explains.

According to Mrazek this tuition increase is part of a region-wide issue as universities across Atlantic Canada are struggling due to increasing debt and mounting pressure from cash-strapped provincial governments to become more financially stable and less reliant on government funding.

“It’s the provincial government instituting it, and it’s essentially saying to the universities, ‘Clean up your act, we are not going to bail you out if you are in bad financial order.’ So if you are really, really in debt and you need finical support above and beyond what the province already gives, they are not going to give it to you. So this is the one time, adjust your fees accordingly so that you are competitive, but also accordingly so that you can stay alive as an institution” Mrazek explains.

The Students’ Union has lobbied both the province and the university extensively with little success.

Mrazek says they tried to convince the Nova Scotiangovernment to leave the

tuition cap in place by saying, “Please don’t unregulate this; don’t leave it up to the institution. Please support us, please help us, don’t put it on the backs of students.” Mrazek adds, “Well then they put it on the backs of students – [the government] left it to the universities to decide. So then it turned to, ‘University, please, we understand you are in dire financial need or you need this to sustain and be competitive, but don’t put it on the backs of students.’”

There will a chance for students to learn more about these increased costs and ask questions at public forums that will most likely happen shortly after reading week.

“They are trying to do consultation sessions with all students around the changes. I’ve been working with Andrew Beckett, the VP Finance and Administration. He wanted to do a couple town hall sessions of information and then question and answer,” Mrazek says.

Mrazek is very interested

in where the money raised by the tuition increase is going.

He wants to make sure it will end up benefitting students.

“We know there is going to be some type of increase, but what we are concerned with is where the increase is going.

That extra money [the university] is bringing in, is it just going to go fund the debt that has accumulated over the last few years? Or is it actually going into services that are going to benefit students? Our number one thing is, we need to reinvest in student services. We need more supports. If we are going to grow our international student population, we need more than a part-time international student advisor.”

The Xaverian was able (via email) to get in contact with the department of the Minister for Advanced Education and Labour, Kelly Regan. They offered the provincial government’s view of the situation, writing, “When tuition was frozen years ago, it created inequities that put some univer-

sities at a disadvantage. Some schools’ tuition was frozen at a much lower level compared to similar schools and programs. Universities should be able to charge similar amounts for these similar programs.”

Regan’s office also sought to outline the steps that have been taken to make universities more financially stable.

“University sustainability isn’t an issue specific to Nova Scotia – schools across the country are working to rein in costs and balance budgets. In our province, part of that work has been developing a new MOU between the province and the universities. And last year, government passed the University Accountability and Sustainability Act to help ensure Nova Scotia’s institutions are sustainable and here for years to come. The Bill also requires universities to provide financial reports and updated forecasts every year.

Finally, the email listed the options available to students who are struggling to afford tuition. “Nova Scotia has one of the best student assistance programs in the country - provincial loans are interest-free, there are up-front bursaries and grants students don’t have to repay, and the loan forgiveness program can wipe out a student’s entire provincial loan, worth up to $15,000. We’re also working to ensure youth have the skills, training and experience they need. For example, government’s Graduate to Opportunity Program links new graduates with employers offering great jobs requiring little experience. So far, we’ve connected more than 100 new grads with jobs.”

Response to advisor issue Bob Hale’s thoughts on the lack of compensation for the LGBTQ advisor IZAAK MACMULLIN News Editor Last issue the Xaverian ran a story about the fact that the LGBTQ advisor at StFX, Chris Frazer, receives no compensation for his work.

We reached out via email to Bob Hale, Director of Student Services, for comment, but unfortunately by the time he was able to respond the issue had already gone to press.

Here are his comments about the situation.

“My goal in leading Student Services is to see all our Student Advisors be full time employees. Right now, Aboriginal, International and Advisor for Students of African Descent are all sessional and as you have pointed out, the LGBTQ Advisor is not a paid position.

Jacqueline DeLeeBeeck, Director of Student Life and I

will be looking at what other institutions of our size across the country have in place for a LGBTQ advisor. As well, we will speak with the society and current advisor, Chris Frazer to see what their needs are and of course their thoughts on a full time advisor (And I think I know the answer on that).

Over the past few years, Students Services has seen cuts to the budget and that is

certainly part of the reason for no change in these positions. I have been working closely with Andrew Beckett, VP Finance and Administration to ensure that we see some growth this year. I know both he and Dr MacDonald support increasing our budget, but given the current fiscal challenges we are facing, it is tough. However, I am optimistic that we are on the right track.”

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Chinese New Year At X IZAAK MACMULLIN News Editor Despite being thousands of miles away from friends and family, the Chinese students at StFX manage to bring a taste of their culture here every year. The Chinese New Year celebration, run by the Chinese Students Association, welcomes all members of the campus to a celebratory feast and show of music and dancing. This is the 17th consecutive year this event has taken place.

The Xaverian was able to speak with Xiaoxiao Zhang, the president of the Chinese Students Association and one of the three organizers of the event. She outlined the importance of the New Year festival (also

know as spring festival), saying, “It’s the most important event in China, the festival, because its just like Christmas in foreign countries. It’s very big and important. There are many family and friends in China far from you; during the spring festival you should come back. All the families and friends get together to share the pleasure, share the happiness, and talk about the last year and what happened, and start a happy beginning in the next year.”

One of the most important aspects of the festival is the food. As Zhang explains, “Food is so important to all the Chinese people…

Dumplings are important because you need to make them all together, every person helps with the dumplings. You cook it, you make it all to-

gether, and everyone attends.”

Setting up the festival has been a huge amount of work for the Chinese Students Association, because its executive only numbers three people. Zhang attributes this limited participation to the challenges associated with schoolwork in a foreign language. “All the Chinese students like the Chinese Student Association, but, because they are new students, they think that studying will be hard for them so they don’t want to spend much time in other activities…But they will all come to join, it is our festival.”

Fortunately, Zhang says a large number of Chinese students do get together to help make the food before the event, cutting down that

part of the workload, and almost every Chinese student attends.

According to Brenda Berthiaume, the international student advisor, this event is a great opportunity for the Chinese students to feel at home. “They are so far away from their home, and where all their parents and family must be gathering and celebrating, and it’s one of the most important events of the year in China. So I can only imagine how many people travel back to their home, even if they are working different parts of China, and this is the one time of year where they all gather. So I think it is really important for these students because at least they can come together, and they are so excited when other people want to come, and they can give them that

as a gift, and share [this part of their culture].”

Berthiaume emphasizes what an achievement it is for the Chinese students to pull off such a demanding event, considering the workload they deal with. “I’m just tremendously proud of our Chinese students. Think of how hard they have to work to do their courses - they are reading their textbooks two, three times. They are still translating all of their words, or some of them. They work so hard, and yet they take time, because they love their culture, to share their language. They offer conversational Chinese class for free for anyone who wants to join them, could be students or faculty. And they have two events a year that are big.”

Presidents Colloquium on Refugeees SEBASTIAN JURGA Senior Reporter The first President’s Colloquium of 2016 was hosted in Lane Hall on Feb 2nd. The subject of the speech: the Syrian War and its resulting refugee crisis, which affects its surrounding countries and most of the European Union.

The goal of the colloquium was to raise awareness of this large problem and get people involved in the issue, and it also aimed to promote a positive view on the integration of refugees into Canadian Society.

Even though a residence may seem like an odd place to host such an event, the Pit served its purpose well and was filled to capacity. The opening speech was given by Dr. Kent MacDonald, the President of StFX. Dr. MacDonald opening with the importance of the discussion, recognizing the importance of SAFE (the Syrian-Antigonish Families Embrace), and the opening of the committee StFX for SAFE, run by Benjamin McGrath.

MacDonald praised the work of SAFE, saying, “This movement,

this outreach behind our university and community, is what really makes StFX strong [and] unique”.

He went on to introduce the key speakers of the event, such as Tareq Hadhad and his family, the first Syrian refuges who have been settled in the Antigonish area, quoting Hadhad’s story as “an amazing tale of survival, and one of great humanitarian crisis that is perhaps even worse today than it was last month.” Another person of interest who opened Mr. Hadhad’s speech following Dr. Kent MacDonald’s introduction was Dr. Joseph Khoury. The StFX English Professor was actually a refugee himself, hailing from Lebanon.

Khoury introduced Hadhad’s story by putting the refugee crisis in statistical perspective. “Syria is not a huge country. In 2013, it had the population of 22 million. That’s 22 times the population of Nova Scotia on a country that is only three times our size…and about half that population are now refugees. Of those, six million have fled Syria and six million are internally displaced…320 thousand people

have been killed, or to put that into perspective, about 1 200 people a week. Of those killed, over 120 thousand are children, and 1.5 million have been wounded or permanently disabled.” He continued, drawing light on the size and scale of the refuge crisis, saying, “Six million - that’s six times the population of Nova Scotia - are without home, without food, water, medicine, or heat for the cold. The majority of these poor souls are women and children - in fact, about one half are children.” He went on to mention his past struggles as a refugee, and his escape to Canada. “We escaped, and were welcomed by the wonderful people of Ottawa, and we remain grateful.”

Tareq Hadhad took the floor afterwards, explaining his story.

A young man, only 23, he was finishing his education in the field of Medicine at the University of Damascus when the war started. He explained the impact of the war on his city, and his home in the southern suburbs of Damascus. “Our whole family lived in one building. This is the Syrian kind of life.

Photo: Dylan Lawrence

It was a peaceful life; everything was arranged to be a bright future for us all.” He continued with his perspective on the bombing of his University, which happened only three hours after his narrow escape back to the place where he grew up, and the terror he experienced, saying, “Thoughts of leaving Syria started when I came back from university...a rocket hit near us. This was the most danger me and my brother faced.”

Though luckily neither Hudhud nor his brother were injured in the attack, it was a close call - one that was enough to convince him and his family to depart for Lebanon, where they would spend over a year before being accepted into Canada. As it is illegal to be a refugee in Lebanon, each day was dangerous and conditions in the camp where they stayed were poor. “The victims of Syria are those who are still there, who face the hardest of conditions,” he finished. Yet despite the adversity, Hadhad displayed a great sense of humour, and his English was quite refined for only having spent

little over a month and a half in the country.

The final part of the Colloquium emphasized the importance of action, with the overall theme of the evening being one of narrow escape and hope for humanity. “There is nothing truer than helping another human being,” Dr. Khoury said.

Those who pass by Governors Hall and Somers and Powers apartments will see that the telltale thermometer sitting on the island of grass in between the roads in and out of StFX now reads 30 thousand, with the actual number being “closer to 35”, according to Khoury. Dr. MacDonald personally put forward 5 000 dollars in StFX’s name, while Sylvia Phee of the Unifor Local 2107 mentioned the Union would also donate 5 000 dollars, with an additional 1 000 dollars from the local chapel.

Fundraising continues for SAFE and the Syrian Refugees, with the long term goal of raising $100 thousand and bringing two more refugee families to Antigonish

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thursday february eleventh, 2016

State of the job market A look at employment prospects for students in this economy IZAAK MACMULLIN News Editor With the price of oil and the Canadian dollar experiencing steep declines, and the economy in a slump, jobs are not always easy to find. Graduating university students searching for employment face a particularly challenging dilemma, given their lack of experience and large amounts of student debt.

So what is the state of the job market, and what should young people keep in mind when entering the workforce?

According to the Chair of Economics at StFX, Greg Tkacz, “the Canadian economy in general right now is in a bit of a transition phase. We’ve got at lot of things happening right now with oil prices dropping like rocks, there are far fewer opportunities out west, so to speak. The oil patch isn’t hiring as much, it is in fact laying off a lot of people. Because of the drop in oil prices Canadian exports are not going to be as

strong, and the oil that we pro- portunities in certain resource could be spending a lot of monduce out west is high cost oil. exporting industries, things like ey on infrastructure projects..

They don’t make a profit at 27 lobster. Canadian lobster is go- we’ve got the ship building condollars a barrel, they need at ing to be much more competi- tract already underway in Halileast 60 dollars a barrel to turn a tively priced than U.S. lobster in fax and we expect there is going profit.” the US market.” to be more money for infrastrucWhile this situature in Nova Scotia.” tion is bad for the CaStudents may be nadian dollar and bad concerned about the for Alberta, Tkacz examount of debt they plains that it could are incurring to comalso create opportuniplete university, and ties in Eastern Canamay be unsure of da. “On the flip side, their job prospects one of the repercusThe Canadian economy in general after their degree, sions of falling oil right now is in a bit of a transition but Tkacz feels that prices is that it has phase. pursuing higher edudriven down the valcation is still a worthue of the Canadian Greg Tkacz Economics Professor while career choice. dollar, which makes When ask if having a Canadian manufacdegree is still a very turing and other resource exThere is also the issue of the important asset in todays econports cheaper on world mar- new Liberal government’s omy, Tkacz replied, “A degree is kets, so there are a lot of promised infrastructure fund- one of the few things you can opportunities now opening up ing, which Tkacz believes may prove in economics. Having in those kinds of industries. We have a positive effect on the more education leads to higher expect that regions like Ontario economy. “We are also poten- lifetime earnings, so on average and Quebec will start benefiting tially going to benefit from a people with degrees make more from that. Nova Scotia can start stimulus package that the fed- money than people without debenefiting in the sense that eral government could be put- grees. It gives you more opporthere are going to be more op- ting together right now that tunities, and it gives you more

upward mobility as well. You’re not going to stay at a starting level job forever, having this degree is almost a prerequisite to move up, especially if you take on managerial roles.”

According to Jane MacDonald, the manager of the Student Career Centre, there are some opportunities for students who are about to graduate. “The Nova Scotia government did release a new initiative to hire more youth within the government, so right now through their website they actually distinguish between youth and more experienced people. That was launched just before Christmas so that should hopefully ramp up in the next couple months.”

MacDonald suggest that to gain an edge students should “do a little more networking, in order to see what employers are looking for and how their skills and abilities fit. So you have to convince an employer that they should hire you, so thats difficult.”

Amnesty International at StFX Alex Neve outlines his vision of the Canadian role in promoting human rights LAUREN AGNEW Senior Reporter As the Secretary General of Amnesty International for Canada, Alex Neve has an extensive resume. He boasts an LLB from Dalhousie University and a Masters Degree in International Human Rights Law from the University of Essex, as well as teaching positions at Osgoode Hall and the University of Ottawa. He has worked as a refugee lawyer as well as serving on numerous refugee studies boards, has been named an Officer of the Order of Canada and an has received an Honorary Doctorate of Law degree from UNB. On top of that, Neve is a husband and father to three children, one of whom, Brennan, is a StFX student in his fourth year. Brennan was present in the audience of the Schwartz auditorium on Tuesday night, along with a multitude of other students, faculty and community members, to hear his father speak about Canada’s role regarding human rights around the world.

Neve introduced his topic by applauding the efforts of StFX students in the “Get Out The Vote” campaign held earlier this year, but cautioned that now is not the time to become complacent.

Although, as Neve says, “this new government has truly given rise to an expectation of substantial change [...] it has be-

come their brand,” we have in fact “lost considerable ground” on the human rights front. He highlights this by delivering three anecdotes about the international position on human rights. The first was about a man Neve met in Guinea, West Africa, in 2001, who exclaimed to his peers “Canada is the land of human rights.” The second, in 2010 a U.S. Marine asked him “What’s with you guys? I thought you were the human rights good guys.” The third and final indicator of change as Neve sees it was a close Canadian ally making a comment about how Canada is “never predictably a partner” in human rights.

This shift, as Neve describes it, is where Canadian politics needs to focus in year one. “Human rights sets the tone for government, the direction for governance, and are at the very heart of governing.”

Neve then went on to present six areas of improvement and fundamental principles that people concerned about human rights in Canada need to focus on in the coming years. These included the universality of human rights, gender equality, indigenous rights, global cooperation and leadership, peacemaking and peacekeeping, and embracing dissent and welcoming critique. He gave many arguments for each, and take-away points included the notion that “when you sit on the

sidelines and point at the field, you are not part of the game”.

He was referring to what he views as Canada’s noncommittal attitude towards the human rights front, and believes that even though we were once known as “the land of human rights,” we can never be complacent when it comes to precious and essential rights and freedoms.

Above each of these fundamental principles, Neve offered a ten-goal checklists for completion by the Trudeau government in year one, including a national inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women, transgender rights, and reform of Bill C-51. He would like Canadians to embrace the “robust advocacy” that we are entitled to, and encourages students and other members of the community in the audience to “Write your MP. Ask him or her what they are doing to make sure [these things] happen in 2016.”

Neve believes that “even in deeply terrible, troubling times, we still need to stand strong for human rights.” According to Neve, his call to action at StFX is echoed by his long career of speaking up for human rights.

Throughout the question and answer period, he challenged students to fight to stay informed as he claims much of the modern media attempts to keep the millennial consciousness in the dark.

At the end of the day, Neve believes that “In social change,

we are always trying to find ways to harness the outrage”.

Photo: Lauren Agnew

opinions

5 EDITOR: EMILY KEENAN xw.opinions@stfx.ca

I’m not here to be your friend EMILY KEENAN Opinions Editor

I’m not here to be your friend. The Xaverian does not exist to placate the student body, or to tell you what you want to hear. We are here to inform, to entertain, to question, and serve as a critical voice.

The Xaverian is a studentrun paper. We don’t pretend that our opinions are better than yours because we work for the paper. We’re just the twenty or so students on a campus of four thousand putting the work in every week to ensure that you’re able to pick up the paper at your leisure. That luxury, which you may or may not enjoy, is made available to you by countless hours of work on our part. We put in the legwork, do the research, write, edit, edit again, and then spend a sleepless night

tinkering with Adobe InDesign to ensure that all the dots on the page line up around our carefully spacedout stories.

I’m not complaining. I love my job. What I don’t love is to hear about petty, narrowminded, ignorant people posting on YikYak, of all places, to complain about this newspaper.

I repeat: The Xaverian is a student-run paper. Our staff is no different from anyone else on campus, save for having opted to get involved in print media. We’re not professional journalists, and most of us have no aspirations to pursue journalism beyond our time here at StFX. Each individual student on campus is equally as capable of contributing to the Xaverian as we are, so if you’re of the opinion that we’re biased, then get off

your ass and write for us.

Don’t think we did a good job covering a story? Do a better one. If you have a problem with something written here, take two minutes and send an email to the section editor. There’s a reason our emails accompany the section headers.

Universities enshrine liberal values and uphold the freedoms of speech and thought. If you think the Xaverian is too left-leaning, you’re probably right. It’s safe to say the majority of students on any campus are more liberal-minded, and we reflect the same demographic as the student body. However, if “the subjectivity kills [you]” (Anonymous, 2016), then first of all I challenge you to write anything objectively. Objectivity does not exist. The news section is written as bias-free as possible, but if you’re reading

pages five through seven and think my views are affecting my writing, damn right they are. It’s an opinion and is clearly labeled as one in case you couldn’t figure it out.

Furthermore, if you take issue with our apparently one-sided coverage, do something about it. I would be thrilled to have someone write semi-frequently from a conservative perspective.

Just because I don’t necessarily agree with you doesn’t mean your opinion is any less legitimate.

As much as this piece is written out of exasperation, I also write with sincerity. It’s easy to sit back and criticize, but criticism without proactive engagement only leads to stagnation. This past week I received my first ever email from a student providing feedback about a spread in our Jan 28 issue and I was

ecstatic, albeit surprised that it took five months for my section to elicit a response from someone.

That being said, the student body obviously has a lot to say about the Xav; it’s not that the paper doesn’t start a conversation, it’s that it’s not being communicated effectively. We want to hear your feedback. If you have something you want to say, unpleasant though it may be, it’s our job to hear you out.

Posting on social media is equivalent to apathy, as far as I’m concerned. You don’t have to like the paper, but if you don’t, do us the courtesy of telling us why rather than using shady, anonymous backchannels. It’s fine to talk shit. All I ask is that you do so efficiently. We want to be better, and have been doing considerably so, but first we need to know what we’re doing wrong.

The curious case of American politics Trump: a bad joke gone too far SEBASTIAN JURGA Senior Reporter Sometimes I wonder what American politics are really about: is it the election of one of the most powerful leaders in world, or simply sensational entertainment for the masses? Indeed, some personalities of the Oval Office in the past have been dubious to say the least. From Clinton’s sexscapade with Monica Lewinsky to George W. Bush’s $1.3 trillion scavenger hunt for nuclear weapons, for some, America’s past choice of presidents are almost impossible to understand.

Obama changed that in 2008, bringing controversial, but in my opinion much-needed change and professionalism to US politics. However, the glory days of Obama’s America are drawing to an end with this year’s upcoming election. And I fear America is heading back to the dark ages of the early 2000’s.

Donald Trump: a bad joke taken too far, or the catalyst that will “make America great again”?

Regardless, he’s still leading in the polls. Despite having come in second place to Cruz in Iowa, it’s still looking good for Trump. He could very well be the leader of the Republican Party for the November 2016 election, and that would put him only a few

baby steps away from the presidential position.

What would that even mean, though? At this point, I’m sure the people who support Trump don’t fully understand what he plans do if he becomes America’s next big wig, least of all Trump himself. From his questionably racist views on Muslims and Mexicans (some of whom he’s sure are “good people”) to his solution for the Syrian refugee crisis, he makes news and gathers publicity however he can, usually by insulting anyone who questions his shifty ideals.

Speaking of Syria, apparently Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are responsible for the rise of ISIS. Who would have thought the opposition could have organized radical extremism while running the US government?

Yup… makes sense. He’s got a great solution to the refugee crisis, though, to simply make some “safe zones” in the country itself. How he plans to do this without deploying a military force into a country without any definitive borders I’m not sure, but hey, it’s certainly got a nice ring to it.

In other Trump-related news, aside from his solution to national security “issues” that involves marking minorities in a database, he also shares another characteristic with Adolf Hitler: a nomina-

Trumpbridge Photo: distracify.com tion for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Trump has clearly proved his peace-loving ways time and time again with statements such as, “I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody, and I wouldn’t lose any voters, OK.” Does this nomination make of any of his avowed views significant? Hell no; but then again I don’t think the leader of Nazi Germany was exactly a herald of peace either.

This nomination seems crooked to me, but who am I to judge. I’m not even American. The thing that worries me is that he seems to be the

opposite of what both America and the world need. I could see his stance on Syria becoming too extreme for anyone’s good. Considering several former Republican presidents had some obsession with invading the Middle East, I do not think it would be farfetched for him to do the same.

He’s certainly got the support of people who would like to see that happen. The latest front of the Republican candidate caucus is New Hampshire, and its citizens, are receiving some lovely “robo” calls from some of his most

blatant supporters, white supremacists. The message reads out: “The American National Superpac makes this call to support Donald Trump.

We don’t need Muslims, we need smart educated white people. I am a farmer and white nationalist. Support Donald Trump.”

Well, can’t argue with that logic. That’s definitely the kind of person I’d want to be associated with.

I hope the Americans realize what will happen if he wins the presidency. Like any bad joke, this is going a bit too far.

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thursday february eleventh, 2016

In defense of political correctness Is everyone too sensitive or are you just an asshole?

JANE STEVENSON Staff Writer I recently saw a tweet where, in various headlines, the term “political correctness” had been changed to “treating people with respect.” Political correctness is defined by the always-reliable Wikipedia as “using words or behavior which will not offend any group of people. Most people think it is important for everyone to be treated equally, fairly and with dignity. Some words have been used for a long time that are unkind to some people.”

Despite the harmless nature of this definition, people seem to think political correctness is a huge problem. US presidential hopeful

Donald Trump has said that one of America’s biggest problems is being politically correct, despite the existence of matters such as extreme poverty and global warming.

In my travels around the Internet, I often see comments on news articles or opinion pieces where a marginalized group or individual has stood up against injustice: “Everyone is too sensitive! Take a joke! It’s a free country, I can say whatever I want!” Is everyone really too sensitive? And is it too much to ask to be treated with respect?

One of the greatest things about our country is that we have freedom of speech. I can tell you that I think the recent tuition hike is bullshit

and that our government should do something about it without worrying that I’ll get thrown in jail.

However, the freedom of speech clause doesn’t say that you have free speech without repercussions or without someone else exercising their own freedom to disagree with you. So no, when someone calls you out on saying something that may be sexist, racist, or homophobic, they’re not limiting your free speech.

They’re asking you to stop being an asshole.

It’s easy to ignore issues in our society by dismissing those who attempt to address them. By saying everyone is too sensitive, you’re trivializing the issue, which tends to shut the

discussion down and prevents us from advancing toward equality.

If you had a relative who was dying of cancer and I made a joke about it, you would probably get upset. If I dismissed you and said you were too sensitive, you would think I was a huge jerk. Why is it any different when we’re discussing injustices faced by marginalized groups of people? Take the r-word for example.

We’ve almost completely eliminated a word that used to be used colloquially.

Why? Because it’s not nice to make fun of people with disabilities.

If it feels like a hassle to avoid using hateful speech or makes you uncomfortable when someone calls you out

on it, stop and think what it must feel like for the person on the receiving end of your words. Is it really that difficult to think before you speak to avoid ruining someone’s day and delaying progression towards equality? I challenge you to learn the terminolog y of what is considered “politically correct”.

Five minutes of Google searching is all it takes.

Don’t make shitty, overdone sexist jokes and apologize when someone points out that something you said was offensive. Being politically correct or treating people with respect is not as big and scary as some people make it seem. Educate yourself, and use your knowledge to spread positivity and progressiveness.

Call me what you want You might be an asshole, but I’m not so sensitive SHELBI KILCOLLINS Sports & Health Editor I have had the privilege to ring in the New Year with countless forums, discussions, and conference presentations based on the power of language and the potential for oppression via words. Although many conversations entailed the necessary eradication (or potential for re-empowerment) of racially driven, sexist, culturally insensitive terminology, the most common word presented as a topic for debate was slut.

Slut, in its literal sense, refers to an individual who indulges in the pleasure of sex with varying partners on a frequent basis. Although currently its definition is often ignored when used, there is no doubt its initial introduction was grounded in a gender hierarchy, favouring the decisions of men. However, words and their use evolve, and the extent to which we give them power among a growingly hypersensitive bubble need to as well.

Call me a slut. The word ‘slut’ has grown to possess such minuscule value in comparison to its original meaning and is now applicable to a vast spectrum of scenarios that it’s employed arbitrarily.

In fact, sometimes it can even be endearing.

I have a close friend who primarily addresses me as, “Hey slut!” She wouldn’t casually use this term with a stranger and utters this statement as a form of humor that ultimately solidifies our rela-

tionship.

However, when used by a man in a method to belittle my less than there outfit or my questionable back-wall dance moves, I’m still not compelled to lecture him on its origin. If slut is made to reference my sexual history then the individual’s logic is inconsistent because I am the only one with knowledge of those statistics.

I am sure of who I am, and acknowledge that my sexual choices are distinctly disconnected from my levels of intelligence, kindness, morality and creativity. Terms like slut, whore, and ugly are not only grounded in superficiality and can only be assessed subjectively but simply put shouldn’t offend you because they aren’t a reflection of your character or influence in the world. Why isn’t it more hurtful to be called vain, vindictive, or boring? These descriptors have powerful definitions that attack an individual’s relationships and person.

So, we’re not friends and you’ve decided to call me a slut. If you’re a boy and we’re at the bar, or my personal fave, yelling it from your vehicle, thank you for helping me identify the ignorant swine lingering on the StFX campus.

I now have a mental image of the cowards with whom myself and my friends should avoid romantic involvement.

Females also like to throw the term out particularly when intoxicated or among a jealous fit, but once again, I’m left unfazed because you’ve

only displayed your lack of imagination and weak vocabulary. Your suffering English lexicon has made it look as though I thrive in all other branches life with your decision to use such a meaningless word.

If you are called a slut, do not cry or w o r s e , whine. Laugh if said by a friend, have an intellectually stunning response if spewed by a meathead, or simply remember that that boy will not have the luxury of having sex with you.

We need to check our priorities, be confident and orchestrate a symphony of work so loud it drowns out unworthy voices and meritless language.

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7

from the editor: restructuring the u JULIA O’HANLEY Editor-in-Chief On Sat Feb 6th, theU held a ‘special,’ three-hour long council meeting to discuss, on top of ordinary business, the recommendations of the so-called Organizational Review Committee (ORC), or as I like to call it, the “turning-theU-into-a-businesscommittee.” Whatever your take on the changes, big movements were made and it’s important for us to be aware. For objective observations, check out the council minutes from this meeting that will be posted on theu.ca in the days to come.

The ORC was comprised of Students’ Union President (and self-titled CEO) Troy Mrazek, a Business student; VP Finance and Operations Alex Carney, another Business student; nonvoting member Sean Ryan, General Manager of theU; Chair of Council Mike Masserey (Arts); and Arts and Off-Campus Councillors Isaac Turner and Mikaela Henderson, respectively.

Business Councillor Taylor Chase originally rounded off the cohort but was replaced late in the review process by Turner when Chase made his bid to run for President of the Students’ Union.

Numerous Students’ Union executives applied to fill the executive position held by Carney, and from rumblings I’ve heard from internal sources, there was no explanation as to why the VP Finance was selected. Concerns have been raised as to the message this selection sent, especially given the outcome of the recommendations, which are seen by many as very un-Students’ Union-like. With three out of the five students on the original committee studying Business (including one of the business councillors and the Finance executive, no less), plus the manager of theU, the tone of the review committee rings clear.

This committee was assembled to find places to cut costs, not to improve student experience.

Now, this is not me being a petty, nit-picky critic of the structure of the Students’ Union.

In fact, I will outline what I be-

lieve are the positives that emerged out of this report, as there were a number of future improvements outlined. However, if you look at other changes I will highlight, there is a clear dismissal of numerous grassroots services provided by theU and an evident consolidation and elimination of positions that decreases the number of participants involved in theU. The Union’s press release states, “These changes do not mean that TheU will be stepping away from issues such as environmental sustainability and/or local food systems. We feel that these changes will give more students opportunity to access funding for initiatives that will help shape our campus and town.” You can talk the talk all you want, but the outcomes of the report absolutely do not walk the walk.

THE GOOD In my opinion, the foremost gain outlined in the review was section three of the press release, which outlines the addition of a full-time staff position to replace the role of VP Communications. This move puts us in line with most other student unions’ in the region that are moving to do the same. It never made much sense to me why the role was within the Students’ Union executive anyway.

Whereas roles like the President and most other Vice-Presidents require a great deal of advocacy, the communications post has always been just that communicating the message.

The overall finances of theU as well as its general management are full-time, non-student positions, so it only makes sense for its communications operations to be so as well. As the Xaverian falls within the broad umbrella of the VP Comms, I for one would be much more comfortable having a continuous, more qualified and experienced resource to rely on rather than a new student representative every year.

Phasing out the Senior Class President and Vice President is another good move. The responsibilities previously allotted to these roles are to be absorbed

by the VP Activities and Events.

This shift will have little effect on the executive portfolio, as the VP A&E and bar manager have already been covering most of the grad executive duties this year. In my opinion, this position has never been more than a glorified popularity contest anyway. I would agree with the general discussion in council that having two additional students planning and promoting events for the grad class when theU already has it covered is a bit of a waste.

The same goes for the phasing out of the event coordinator.

I think all of this will serve to spice up the role VP Activities and Events. I get that ERC’s take up a lot of the VP’s time, but if that were to be streamlined, it would seemingly be a much more attractive role if the position placed more emphasis on event-planning throughout the year. I hesitantly agree with the notion that by allocating these three positions’ duties to the VP Activities and Events Office, more students and student groups would be in a place to host events; however, I don’t see how this couldn’t already have taken place within the current structure.

The decision to eliminate one of two House Council Coordinators is also a smart move. To be honest, I had no idea there was even was two of them. Maddie Gillmeister has made her presence known during her time as House Council Coordinator, showing up to forums for residence changes, posing in the House President holiday photo with VP Internal Bridget Burgess, etc. Maybe I’m wrong, but I don’t feel as though Connor O’Brien, the other HCC, has been overly active, and Gillmeister seems to be doing just fine.

The addition of a Research and Policy Associate to the office of the VP External is also a good move. Whereas other executives have numerous resources (sub-offices, etc), the VP External was only senior to the Sustainability Office and the Campus Food Strategy Coordinator, and both of these posi-

tions, might I add, have been eliminated (more on that later).

The VP Comms, for example, has two Research Officers, whereas the VP External has none. Our VP External, Emily Gale, is our representative to external governance structures.

She meets with the provincial and federal governments, as well as provincial- and federallevel student lobby groups, and she has no research assistance.

It’s probably one of the most important jobs within the Students’ Union in terms of “working for you,” so more assistance is not a bad thing.

THE BAD Following the theme of phasing out/eliminating sub-executive positions, I think the recent elimination of the Sustainability Officer and the Campus Food Strategy Group Coordinator was uncalled for. This is where I think the tone of the selective committee shows its colours.

When positions that have flourished and expanded in recent years are on the chopping block, it becomes clear that this committee is primarily concerned with cutting, trimming, and streamlining rather than the actual efficiency of theU. The Sustainability Office’s action plan, featured on theU website, is comprehensive.

There are numerous plans and initiatives planned, underway, or already completed that are, in my opinion, too valuable to disregard. Yes, there is an Environmental Society that could work toward these goals in the future, but they lack the credibility and additional resources offered through the office. There are solar panels on the room of Bloomfield because of this office - tell me any old society would be able to accomplish that.

The loss of the Campus Food Strategy Group Coordinator is even more disturbing. The food bank on campus is a valuable resource, and I seriously cannot believe that the Students’ Union, which prides itself in “representing students,” would make cuts to this valuable resource.

This position is the front-runner on initiatives like Trick-or-Eat and Skip a Meal, which are piv-

otal in gathering donations for the Food Resource Centre on campus. This suggestion and the fact that it was ratified by Council takes privilege to a new level. Add this to incoming VP Academic Ryley Erickson’s comments during the debate, in which he claimed the only people he knew who used the food bank were people who forgot their lunch at home that day.

There have been more than 200 new users of the Food Resource Centre in this academic year, a statistic brought to light during the Council meeting. If we are cutting resources while demand is increasing, we are in a sad place. Couple this with Erickson’s privileged attitude on the matter and I worry for the direction of theU in the year ahead.

The third issue I have with the onslaught of recommendations was the decision to make the Equity Officer an elected position that sits on council. If the intention motivating this decision was to give a voice to the Equity Office in Council, then I can live with that. I have concerns, however, not only for the loss of resources that comes with the loss of an office but also for the election process. The Students’ Union elections are open – anyone can run. This runs the risk of electing a popular student who might not necessarily be qualified for the position. Besides, if the Equity Office is to represent those marginalized on campus, isn’t opening the position to what inevitably becomes a popularity contest directly contradictory?

So other than the addition of some unnecessary words to most titles within the executive, that just about sums up the Council meeting. The Chair of Council becomes a year-round position, essentially meaning they will get paid for work they were already doing, which I suppose is noteworthy. So what do you think? These are your representatives and these changes will shape the face of the Students’ Union in the years to come. Have your say: mail me your thoughts on the restructuring of theU at xw.eic@stfx.ca.

drunks, partying, fighting, and arguments, all well past established quiet hours, threaten my well-being and academic achievement. Two or three disturbances on a school night are not uncommon. Lack of intervention encourages more bad behaviour, later nights, and causes more disturbances for well-meaning students.

I’m not paying over five grand a term to have to deal

with these situations on a regular basis. I’m not asking for perfection. I’m just asking that Residence Life fulfills their promise to “maintain an environment that promotes a positive living and learning community.” My experience in residence has heavily influenced my decision to move offcampus next year.

Thank you for your time, Ben Chisholm

Letter to the editor

Residence experience proves lackluster BEN CHISHOLM Contributor To the editor, This is a public complaint to Residence Life Staff at StFX. This letter will tell you why Residence Life is not fulfilling their promise to “maintain an environment that promotes a positive living and learning community.”

I live in a large residence on

campus and my particular floor happens to lack an RA. Needless to say, my time in residence has been interesting.

Using real examples from my experience, I will give you the reasons why I feel my safety, well-being, health, and learning ability have been threatened throughout the course of my just over four-month-long stay.

Unchecked vandalism, vio-

lence, and lack of supervision make me feel unsafe in residence. My window has been punched in, a fire extinguisher has been set off causing floor evacuations, and altercations have taken place on my floor.

All of these actions were avoidable had there been a responsible party to intervene and deflate the situation.

Shopping carts in the hallway, screaming/sobbing

8

thursday february eleventh, 2016

SWIPE RIGHT OR LEFT? FEATURES EDITOR | PAIGE CHISHOLM OPINIONS EDITOR | EMILY KEENAN

SWIPE RIGHT

BY RACHEL REVOY “They met on Tinder? Oh, that’s not going to work out,” rings a chorus of naysayers.

For some, meeting on Tinder is considered a rare event that will inevitably lead to catastrophe. Why should someone denounce how couples should or should not meet? I say if it works for you, then it works.

There is a blatant stigma surrounding meeting people seriously off of a dating app.

Various factors lead to this stigma because of the assumed purpose of Tinder. The common accepted use for Tinder is casual, no-strings-attached sex. Nothing is wrong with this usage, but perhaps it paints Tinder as something based on casual sex when, in reality, you will get out of the app what you intend to use it for.

Remember, just because some choose to use Tinder for their casual sexual fix it does not exclude the possibility of meeting a wonderfully romantic partner.

The social media platform is based off of rules of consent, and it allows you to have a conversation with an individual before the initial meeting. Better than meeting a stranger with no background knowledge… right?

There is something beneficial to having the opportunity to converse with a new attractive match before you make the step to meet in person. This way you can find out common interests and get a read on their personalities before spending your time with them. Therefore, it is an efficient way of cutting out wasting time with people who you won’t get along with.

More realistically Tinder is painted in a bad light because of creepy matches. We’ve heard the horror stories or experienced them ourselves: the demands for nudes; the aggression when one does not reply in a timely matter; or the uninvited name-calling. The unexpected reality that people can and do have relationships that started off of Tinder may come as a shock, especially after understanding the dark side of this social media platform.

Let me play devil’s advocate for a second.

Sure, I am entirely biased. Sure, Tinder does not seem like a truly romantic mode of meeting your perfect patch. But in the unexpected process of meeting matches there is nothing wrong with exploring a relationship in the long term. If you chance upon a perfect match, don’t let them go just because of the way you two were brought together.

“Won’t it be embarrassing to tell your parents/friends/children how you met?” No, nothing is embarrassing about finding someone you love. If anything, it’ll be a comical thing both members of the couple can laugh about, thinking, “We were such a product of our time.”

Sometimes, we download Tinder for fun, meet a few fun folks, and then one of them sticks around. It shouldn’t be that surprising.

Look at Tinder as an open door - a possibility to meet people you wouldn’t usually meet. Maybe it could bring you to a sleazy pick up line or an uninteresting one-time date, but it could also bring you to a significant love story.

SWIPE LEFT

BY EMMA BASTARACHE Many students have blindly and shamelessly downloaded the infamous app Tinder. Tinder is categorized as an online dating app but is better known in our society as a “hot or not” hookup app. I will admit I have downloaded and used this app.

My profile consisted of pictures of myself and two of my friends eating garlic fingers (from the Wheel, of course) in the same pose on different special occasions. It even made it to the front page of Reddit once in Montreal. One could say I was Tinder famous for bit. Yet despite all of this, have I found love, or am I even looking for love, on Tinder? Not a chance.

On Tinder’s website the slogan reads, “It starts here. Friends, dates, relationships, and everything in between.” The purpose is to meet people. What happens afterwards is up to the people involved.

When deciding to swipe left or right, you’re really deciding whether or not you find the person in question attractive.

You’re not matching with anyone based on his or her intelligence, interests, or personality; on Tinder, it comes down to how hot someone looks in the pictures they’ve chosen of themself. No one is swiping right and thinking, “Wow, I bet this guy/girl is really smart”.

Here’s the thing: people meet in amazingly fantastic and horribly mundane ways.

It’s happening right now: two people are doing something unexciting like buying televisions or walking their dogs. They catch eyes - and then a great love story begins. No, not everyone meets in a hip Parisian cafe, but who really has stories like that? What makes a love story great is the content, not the fact that you both swiped right.

This appearance-based method of deciding whether or not it’s a match services hookup culture, not meaningful relationships. Most of the time, the only thing you know about your matches at first glimpse is what their face and maybe body looks like.

Rarely does anyone take advantage of the option to write anything as their bio, and when they do it’s normally a quick and witty one-liner or something along the lines of, “Willing to lie about how we met.” That’s

9

how ridiculous Tinder is. Even if you DID find your Tinderella, you’d probably tell people you met at a café, or you had a class together.

Once you’ve matched with someone, that’s normally the end of the of your journey together. Of my 100 matches, 72 of them never sent a message. Although we each swiped right to each other, neither of us took the initiative to send the other a message. This goes to show that Tinder is mostly just an ego booster, not a place to find love. It’s nice to know that people you find attractive also find you attractive, and it’s nice that you never have to acknowledge each other once you know this. Of the 28 who did send a message, 21 of them made a comment about how attractive my pizza and/or I were in my pictures and four of them were my friends.

That leaves three people who politely asked, “Sup,” to which I never replied.

In the end, Tinder can be fun but normally leads to nothing, or a one-time drunken hook up. Maybe the reason I never found love on Tinder is because I never made an effort for my profile to appear to be anything more than an ode to the Wheel’s garlic fingers. But in a community as small and friendly as StFX, isn’t it easier to just say hi to your meal hall crush rather than endlessly swiping left and right trying to find bae?

10

thursday february eleventh, 2016

culture

EDITOR: RACHEL LEBLANC xw.culture@stfx.ca

Adapting to Caribbean lifestyle Living and learning in Barbados LINDSAY JOHNSTON Columnist Adapting to a new culture is never an easy thing to do.

Here in Barbados, there are numerous cultural differences, uncertainties, and new ways of looking at things perhaps even things you thought you already knew about.

When you are visiting somewhere new for a short time, perhaps a holiday where you partake in tourist type activities, or maybe when you are on a group tour of a new place, you don’t really get immersed in the culture. You are “just visiting.”

You aren’t usually expected to “know” the local customs in any detail. But attending university full-time in another country, and living in a different culture, is a very different story.

You are in a new world.

This has been my experience in Barbados. I want to reflect a bit on one central cultural difference that I have been observing and experiencing daily, and it is something that has affected everything I have done since I arrived. It is something that I thought I knew all about; and it is something that I never contemplated as being a challenge to understand.

What is it? The concept of time. And all the related concepts that flow from our understanding of time, like pacing, and when things will get done, and what a schedule means, and on and on.

I have learned Barbadians has a distinctly different understanding of time than what I grew up with in Canada. In fact, those concepts of time which I have developed over my life are no longer relevant while I am living here.

I have had to learn a whole new understanding of time, and all the things that relate to it. This is not an easy task.

I recognize that not everyone in Canada shares an identical understanding of time, but, there are at least some common assumptions which we mostly share. We all know some folks who are rarely late for meetings, classes, or work, -and these same people schedule their leisure activities and recreation and such, so that they, in fact, have a relatively scheduled lifestyle.

Some people time their activities down to the minute. In fact people who are very “time focused” pretty much have to have things scheduled, or they can’t participate in an event.

While we might not all be so time focussed, we do share common expectations - when will things will start? When will they finish? How long will it takes to get a reply to an e-mail? In Canada, our day is time oriented. Meetings, classes, appointments, are all scheduled around precise time; clock time.

Ever Thought About Saving time? Losing time?

I did not fully realize it before I moved here, but that clock based approach is just a

cultural assumption that we make, and probably don’t think about very much. We just learn it. We speak about saving time, buying time, spending time, or losing time.

We make time into a commodity. Time is money. We attend to the clock as a central value.

But what if your day was not based on the clock, and attending to the clock was not a core value for us? What if a more central value was on maintaining relationships, and following tradition, so that things like family time (contact and needs of your family and relatives, and the needs and traditions of your community), and social time connecting with others, was more valued? What if the culture placed more emphasis on having a relaxed lifestyle?

Classes begin on time here, but when it comes to things like events starting on time, or when one might need confirmation, or correspondence via e-mail, it generally takes a lot longer to receive replies.

On my first “tourist” type event, we waited an hour and a half for the tour to start.

When I was on a short boat tour, the operation ran about an hour behind schedule. Or when a taxi driver says “Yeah, I will be 10 minutes.

They really mean 30 minutes.

At least.

So I have been learning that in Barbados, the society functions a little differently when it comes to time. Some people refer to Caribbean time as “Island time”. Here,

we do focus on what people need, instead of the rigors of a clock. I t ’ s is a slower pace here, and people are more relaxed.

People are not rushing to get to the next place, to make the next meeting.

They are living in the moment.

Given broad concerns in the “western world” about the long term health impacts of what might be seen as an epidemic of stress and being driven, perhaps we could learn a thing or two about how we approach time. Barbados is a lovely developing nation and has done just fine with regard to how they manage their time. I think it is totally ironic that many Canadians seek out (on their highly scheduled vacations) the very quality of a relaxed way of life they can find in a country like this. *Lindsay is a 3rd Year StFX Student on an Exchange Program for the winter term at the University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus, Barbados.

It’s Yours.

Antigonish Mall has a new name! antigonishmarketsquare.com

Where did our culture go?

A thespian’s tale of theatre in today’s world ROB HALLIGAN Contributer Where has our culture gone? Why do we ceaselessly pour through endless online photos and quizzes aimed at passing time and helping procrastinate on that project due tomorrow? Our lives are flying by at lightspeed and we could care less so long as we have our mind numbing computer screens to hide behind. These empty comments on social media leave us in a false sense of accomplishment. I ask you however, when was the last time you felt raw emotion in the flesh? No not watching a sop story on Netflix but a real un-

touched, unedited, emotion cause by human to human interaction. When was the last time you went to the theatre?.

How could theater, especially theater in Antigonish really matter in a world as fraught and divergent as ours? Not to sound overly grand, but so much of the toxicity in this world comes from a collective draining of empathy. We don’t understand each other, and we don’t want to. But theater invites us, no, forces us to empathize. Theater is like a gym for empathy. It’s where we can go to build up the muscles of compassion, to practice listening and understanding and engaging with people that are not just

like ourselves. We practice sitting down, paying attention and learning from other people’s actions. We practice caring.

I have been very fortunate to have graced many a stage in my young life so far. I have played many a role where such empathy can be found, yet when coming to X I was sad to see that the productions put on have been rather dated. These last two years we have had rather depressing shows grace our lovely theatre and nothing has really jumped at me to attend or audition. It wasn’t until Slut: The Play that my ears perked up. The show lead by Laura Pichette was the modern lift Theatre Antigonish needed.

Something relevant and powerful that spoke to today’s generation. I am not opposed to the classics, I have been fortunate enough to sing in shows like My Fair Lady, Les Mis, Phantom, and Jesus Christ Superstar to name a few. I am not here to parade my accomplishments around and step on the hardworking toes of those who volunteer their time. We can go farther as a community if we have show’s that speak to our generations problems.

Slut was a revelation as it spoke to us the students.

Mental illness has been a big topic on campus recently.

Shows like Next to Normal or Spring Awakening with their

beautifully simplistic music and powerful lyrics would draw the attention of a greater volume of students, especially if executed properly.

I care about theatre. Theatre makes up a lot of my life, be it listening to cast recordings or reading into a multilayered character that I will be playing in the future. Theatre brings people together in a way that no other genre of entertainment can. It can hit all of the emotional strings of a wedding, a funeral, and a birthday party, all in one hour and a half show.

So I would ask that you turn off your phone for an hour or two and go see a show. Let’s learn to feel again.

11

Artist of the Week: DJ BabZ The first year, mind blowing artist we all love CLAIRE KEENAN Contributor Any who frequents the Piper’s Pub is certain to have heard of the latest of Artist of the Week. Michael Frappier, better known by his MacNeil-coined nickname, DJ BabZ, has risen to stardom on the StFX campus from dorm room raves, to house parties, and now as an employee of Piper’s Pub. As only a freshman, DJ BabZ has quickly made a name for himself that won’t be going away anytime soon.

Like most artists, Frappier started DJing at the young age of 14, when he felt that he could do a much better job than the DJ his high school had hired for a dance. Soon after, the aspiring DJ bought himself his own set, a Hercules RMX, and began to practice. The Montreal native quickly became the go-to DJ for all his high school dances and was hired by an event’s organizer who loved his set.

From there, DJ BabZ started to gather more fame as he began to work for two separate event-planning companies and worked weddings, street festivals, bar mitzvahs, conferences, and business parties, among others. Although the young DJ has no certain plans in making a profession out of his craft, he thoroughly enjoys performing whenever he can.

When asked about music preferences and styles DJ BabZ responded, “A DJ is ... trying to create an environment where [he/she is] try-

Photo: Facebook ing to take a person on a journey and every single time I play, the dance floor is mine. I have free reign.”

As the lighthearted, easygoing Marauder he has come to be known as, DJ BabZ was happy to share his favourite DJing gigs, as well as ones that didn’t go quite as planned. “[It] was my first wedding I ever did alone. I was at a cottage and it was a 17 hour wedding. You can read weddings very quickly. On their big day, people know what they want, and I kind of have a somewhat, al-

ready-made playlist of what I think they’ll want to listen to. But a full day, that was different. Even at breakfast, people were loving it, the music was clicking. [Sometimes] you freeze and you aren’t sure if they’re going to like what you play next, but it’s up to you to take that risk and at that wedding, it was worth it.”

DJing over eighty weddings in the past five years, Frappier recounted a ceremony that wasn’t received as well. “I was three hours from home and all four of my speakers broke. To make

it all worse, it was a big Irish g uy marrying a Latina lady. Let’s just say both families were out for blood.”

Although BabZ does not hesitate to laugh about those misfortunes, he also admits that, like most other careers, DJing began with endless hours of trial and error “to learn songs, how to count beats, and feel comfortable with equipment.”

He goes on to say that although he is well-known on campus for creating the perfect party atmosphere, he is frequently told that he is nothing more than a “pro-

fessional iPod player.” However, these opinions are from people who have not seen what truly goes on behind the flashing lights and turntable.

Despite any criticism he gets, Frappier firmly believes that a DJ is the best wing man/woman anyone could ask for. When all the right songs are being played, the dance floor is emptied of all worries. Anyone who has attended one of his evenings at Piper’s can attest that this skill is truly what makes DJ BabZ Artist of the Week.

ture Nova Scotia has to offer. Head out to Halifax, where you will find the most bars per capita in Canada. Go hit the slopes at Wentworth. Drive down to Cape Breton and drive the beautiful Cabot Trail.

read something that isn’t a text book, and treat yo’ self - you deserve it. The semester is half way over, you’ve earned some time to take a break.

No plans? No problem.

How to make this reading week your best one yet ALEXANDRA GUYE Contributer It either seems like last week or last year since you had a break from school.

Whichever the case may be, I’m sure everyone is excited to be taking a breather next week. No 8am classes, or 7 pm “recommended” lectures (we all know that they will be examined on) and no useless breaks in between.

And whether you are heading back to the nest, or hanging out in the Nish, this break can be as great or as awful as you let it be.

Spring break is a bittersweet break - for many, it is

the calm before the storm, the week before all our midterms, papers, exam preparation and critical assig nments. So before you get caught up in the moment, here are some tips to make this break a good one in the long run: Sleep: Before you do anything, catch up on all the sleep you’ve been missing out on, whether it’s from studying or watching just one more episode of that show on Netflix..at 2am.

Make a to-do list to keep yourself on schedule: Plan to at get a start on those pa-

pers you’ve been putting off. Once you begin, finishing it off will be a lot easier when the semester resumes.

Visit Family and Friends: Even though a lot of us refer to X as home, it’s always nice to visit with family. Talk to your family about doing some bonding activities, seeing a few movies or hanging out in the nest. Seeing your family is always a great way to spend the break.

Explore Nova Scotia: If you’re sticking around Antigonish, let off some steam and discover the vast cul-

Explore the Nish: Can’t get a car? No problem! Even just exploring what our downtown area has to offer is rewarding! I mean, why not get to know the area you’re going to be in for at least 4 years?

Take some time to yourself: I mean, isn’t that what spring break is for? Relax,

Head down South: If it’s too late for you this year, you can always start planning a trip south for reading week next year. Getting time by the warm sun is the best way to escape the crazy Maritime weather.

Well, there you have it!

Take this time to rest, rejuvenate and recuperate to get ready for the last few months of the semester.

12

thursday february eleventh, 2016

I JUST WANT TO GO HOME ALEJANDRA TORRES Contributor “But mom…I just want to go home”. This is probably the last thing a parent wants to hear for what seems to be the millionth time in a Skype conversation on a Friday night.

My heart breaks every single time I have to admit this to my parents because I know they are constantly worried about how I am doing, and confessing I want to go home does not help out with their peace of mind. Being away from home can be really hard, especially for international students.

Getting adjusted to a new culture, different food that is constantly making you sick, weird grading systems and a freezing gloomy weather can be very hard. When I arrived to St.FX it was my first time not only in the university, but in Canada as well. I flew alone from my hometown to a whole different country hoping that I would be strong enough to deal with the change. But the adjustment was not as smooth as I hoped it would be, it actually was and still is one of the biggest challenges I have ever faced. I even contemplated buying a one way ticket in December and not coming back for the next term because I simply wanted to go home.

Homesickness is like a slick little bug that sneaks under your skin when you least expect it, and it bites you very hard where it hurts the most.

It can crawl into your soul by simple stuff such as seeing pictures of your home on Facebook or it could hit you right in the face during a call with your family. Needless to say, I think we have all experienced this feeling at some point during university. It is true that it hits some, like me, harder than others but this is not something to feel ashamed of. Why should I have to hide the fact that I miss my parents and that I wish I was sleeping in my own bed? Should I have to keep all of the pain that not being able to see my boyfriend smile or my sister roll her eyes at me causes me bottled up inside my chest? Is it really that weak to confess that I despise the weather and that if I could I would take the first

plane home right back to the beach? Yes, I am homesick every single day in Canada but guess what? It is completely okay. It is certainly not a weakness or an impediment for me to do what I came here to do. I used to think that being this homesick made me too feeble to overcome the challenge of studying in a polar opposite country to mine, but I learned that I had the power to use what hurt me the most to my own advantage.

I have never been someone who hides what they are feeling because I think being vulnerable doesn’t imply being in a state of defenselessness but rather I find beauty in the raw catharsis of what I am feeling.

Some call me an extremist for I do not believe in what Aristotle would refer to as “the mean between the extremes”.

I am someone who will either feel everything too its full potential or will feel nothing at all. This has always been a struggle for me and it definitely wasn’t very helpful when dealing with homesickness.

The friends I made here could not understand why I always seemed to have a hint of sadness in my eyes even when I would laugh and my loved ones back home were preoccupied by the amount of crying calls I would make to them late at night. One night after a very troubled and stressful voice note sent to my best friend I received a 7 minute lecture from her that really opened my eyes.

“Since you have been in Canada I have never heard you say once that you are happy. I know you enjoy being there and that you are completely grateful for the opportunity you have. But I know that you are not fully content with the life you have over there. I feel as if you have grown accustomed to having bad days and whenever you have a good one you will actually rejoice about a day not sucking. Honey, that is not a way to live. You cannot live your life as a numb robot that no longer sees the happiness in small things but rather expects for the day to be completely gray. It is not good for you. That is not what your college experience should be

about .”

And just like thatboom-it hit me, I could no longer let this feeling undermine my experience and my life. It was after that point that I decided to own my homesickness instead of letting it own me.

Everyone has heard the cliché saying “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” probably a hundred times in songs, Tumblr posts and cute Instagram pict u r e s .

What once was the reason for me thinking of leaving Canada and going back home turned out to be what would help me stay here instead. Being homesick didn’t kill my dreams of being a future journalist or creative writing major instead it made me and my goals stronger. I decided that if I was going to sacrifice not being home then I would have to make that sacrifice count. My focus would be to gain as much knowledge as I could and put all of my effort into my classes because I was going to earn my ticket back home. It dawned on me that I was eventually going to go home and when I did I didn’t want to regret not having taken advantage of the opportunity I had just because I was homesick. So instead of using my homesickness as an excuse to stay in my room and bawl my eyes out I took my homesickness and stamped proudly on my chest as a driving force to excel in every-

Photo: tumblr thing I did. That knife that was constantly slashing my heart into little pieces was taken away and replaced with band aids earned from no longer being an unstable nervous wreck that was ready to throw the towel in the middle of the race.

Now here I am almost in the middle of the second semester of university proving not only to myself but to everyone else who feels “ready to go home” that you are stronger than what you believe yourself to be. I still get homesick every day but I’ve learned different ways to cope with this feeling. Staying productive-either with schoolwork or actual work- helps tremendously to keep my mind off the fact that I am not home. I’ve learned that there is always something you can do whenever you are feeling sad and if you don’t find anything then Netflix is always available to help. I am not say-

ing I’ve completely mastered keeping my feeling under control since I still get the blues which might involve a spontaneous crying session followed by a big comforting cup of hot chocolate. This is a very important part of this whole process because you are bound to have breakdowns and shouldn’t repress them for that’s even worse. It is best to get them out of your system and then move on. And let me assure you, you can move on.

With only half a semester left I look back at everything I’ve accomplished and how far I have gotten and I am very proud of myself. I might have stumbled on this path quite a few times and I might have caused myself to stress out unnecessarily but I made it this far. Now whenever I call my parents, even if I am not feeling good, I’ll look up at my computer screen and smile while saying “I’ll be home soon”.

want to be editor-in-chief? send a cover letter, resume, and writing sample to xw.eic@stfx.ca

deadline to apply march 4 2016

distractions

13

EDITOR: TY KINGSTON xw.distractions@stfx.ca

This is Danny McBee. He is a bee. Danny is quite regular, or he

Danny’s job is to watch and guard the honey. Every now and

thinks he is. He tries to be.

then, Danny has to let out honey. It is a very tedious process to let out honey. You must find a sensitive spot and rub it back and forth.

Eventually the tension gets SO bad, that honey shoots out for all the world to enjoy.

“I love letting honey out,” says Danny, “But one must be careful how often one lets out honey. If you let

out honey too often, you run out, and it starts to hurt. If you let out honey too little, it all Gushes out in a

great flood of honey. If you wait Too long, say two weeks, it lets itself out on its own. Then I have a great flood of honey without doing my favorite thing to do. Once a day is usually just right.

Ty’s review of OM2G Ty Kingston Pretty Princess As an actor in the recent play ‘One Man, Two Guvnors’ I can give you the unbiased opinion that it is the single greatest masterpiece that was ever graced upon our earth.

Simply put, I was astounded by both wonder and immense pleasure. I actually ejaculated in my pants watching it. It was not just because the play contained sex Gods Mitch Anderson and Ryley Erickson.

The plot was perfect. The directing and acting was immaculate.

I have never witnessed so much synergy in all my life. It’s like they all bathed in Tequilla and became one being.

The real star of the show was of course Tree #2. I want to personally plead with her to quit her studies and hit Broadway. Her tears could cure cancer; shame she does not cry.

The one criticism is of that butt plug Ty Kingston. Where does he get off? Almost ruined the play thank Christ for Ryley and tree #2.

What’s on Ty’s mind?: The Puzzle snowsnowsnowsnowsnowsnowsnowsnowsnowsnowsnow snowsnowsnowsnowsnowsnowsnowsnowsnowsnowsnow snowsnowsnowsnowsnowsnowsnowsnowsnowsnowsnow snowsnowsnowsnowsnowsnowsnowsnowsnowsnowsnow snowsnowsnowsnowsnowsnowmiseryowsnowsnowsnow snowsnowsnowsnowsnowsnowsnowsnowsnowsnowsnow snowsnowsnowsnowsnowsnowsnowsnowsnowsnowsnow snowsnowsnowsnowsnowsnowsnowsnowsnowsnowsnow snowsnowsnowsnowsnowsnowsnowsnowsnowsnowsnow snowsnowsnowsnowsnowsnowsnowsnowsnowsnowsnow

14

thursday thursday february february eleventh, eleventh, 2016 2016

sports and health

EDITOR: SHELBI KILCOLLINS xw.sports@stfx.ca

What you’ve missed this month in sports An update if you’ve been living under a rock (or maybe in the library) SHELBI KILCOLLINS Sports/Health Editor 1. House Cups: Although this time of the semester is littered with quarter life crises, endless appetites and an inability to care about anything, one moment that seems to fire up the entire X population is hockey house cups. So far three have been featured: TNT/Chillis, BurMAC and Bathtub cup. TNT beat Chillis: 4-0, but the chicks among the stands were able to maintain their own, ripping their vocal chords at the expense of a well articulated cheer. O’regan took home the win in the Bathtub with a score of 3-2 and Macisaac assholes have been floating on cloud nine since their overtime win against the neon orange brawlers. Nonetheless StFX’s prowess to party leaves us all winners in the end.

2. Superbowl XLVIII: The Super Bowl was unsurprisingly another Christmas for corporations. Among the aesthetically and emotionally moving ads Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos left Levi’s stadium, trophy in hand after beating Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers 24-10. The half time show though headlined

by Coldplay was acceptably interrupted by a dramatic performance involving Bruno Mars and Beyonce divulging into the racial inequity paralyzing America.

3. Phaneuf Moves to the Capital : On Tuesday, February 9th former Toronto Maple Leafs captain was traded to the Ottawa Senators. Although this decision has received a wealth of criticism, general manger of the Sens, Brian Murray claims, “It’ll give us more security on the back end. It’s about getting an experienced leader, a hardworking, competitive guy to add to our top four.” Included in this trade the Senators will also receive: Matt Frattin, Casey Bailey and Ryan Rupert plus defence prospect Cody Donaghey from the Maple Leafs in exchange for defenceman Jared Cowen, forwards Colin Greening, Milan Michalek and Tobias Lindberg, as well as Ottawa’s second-round pick in the 2017 NHL Draft. It’ll be interesting to assess the dynamic of the battle of Ontario following this nine player swap.

4. Josh Donaldson stays in the Six: Josh Donaldson agreed to a two year, $29 million contract, avoiding arbitration with the Toronto Bluejays. This is excellent news for the franchise as the AL MVP winner made a significant impact statistically on third base this past season. Canada is ready to come together and once again marvel at this Southerner’s presence at Rogers Stadium, while we pray for an arrival to the World Series.

5. John Scott: There is no denying the NHL bureaucrats, particularly Garry Bettman have a reputation for being well, awful. Their disconnection from the purity of hockey was most accurately portrayed with their reaction to fan’s push for former Arizona Coyote, John Scott to be in the 2016 All-star game in Nashville Tennessee. Although Scott possesses the reputation for being an enforcer and not a particularly skilled player such as Karlsson, the all-star rosters were determined by fan votes and he was desired. After discovering this, it appeared that the NHL front office did everything in their power to keep the grinder out the game; he was traded to the Montreal Canadians, who right away sent Scott to their AHL affiliate, the St. Johns Ice Caps, in St. Johns, Newfoundland.

The NHL commission had the audacity to ask Scott, “Is this something your kids would be proud of ?” Despite this absurdity Scott decided to play and was well received by both fans and players representing the east and west. He went on to score two goals in the game, get in a brief/humorous tilt with Patrick Kane and win MVP of the All-Star weekend. Although Scott will probably never step into an NHL game again, his choice and outrage from the fans sent a clear message to the NHL.

Sexual healing How a little touch can make a big difference CAITLIN VANCE Health Columnist With Valentine’s Day around the corner, some of us find ourselves preoccupied with the idea of love. We long for the connection and emotional highs that come with being in a loving relationship.

As humans we are social creatures, with a hard-wired motivation that drives us to create and maintain relationships in our lives. The thought of a relationship, with the trust, respect, and physical closeness that comes with it is very pleasing. Physical contact is an essential part of healthy relationships.

In many ways, touch has a calming and reassuring effect on

us. Whether you’re in a committed relationship, a notsure-what to call it situation, or even single this Valentine’s day- it can be a great time to physically express your love towards others using the power of touch.

If you are sexually active, you can appreciate how good having sex feels. Regular sexual intercourse not only feels good, but can also provide us with many health benefits.

Sex relieves stress, boosts immunity, reduces pain, and helps you sleep better. Couples who have regular sexual intercourse report greater feelings of connection and intimacy in their relationships.

Sexual intercourse, under certain circumstances, may

also help increase self-esteem. Ensure you’re having safe sex with others to provide yourself with the above benefits without the added risk of contracting sexually transmitted disease. If you are currently in a relationship but choose to abstain from having sex, there are many other ways to create closeness by using touch, such as with cuddles, hugs and kisses.

Who doesn’t like snuggles?

The comfort of being held in someone else’s arms can be extremely calming and pleasing. Cuddling has similar beneficial health effects on us as having sex does. Cuddling improves immunity, is a natural pain reliever, and also

lessens fear and anxiety. You don’t have to cuddle or have sex with a romantic partner in order to reap some of these benefits, as any touch in general is good for us! You can totally cuddle your dog, cat, or best friend. Or if that’s weird for you, make it a habit of giving your friends a hug when you meet up for coffee.

Even patting someone on the back or touching them on the arm when they tell a funny joke will bring greater connection and closeness to your relationships.

Some researchers have even found that self-touch can give us similar health benefits as touch with others. Giving yourself a warm hug or massage can help calm you down

and increase your mood. The thought of giving yourself a big hug or kiss on the arm may seem bizarre, but hey no one sees what you do by yourself any ways.

We can incorporate touch in our lives, where appropriate of course, to establish greater feelings of well-being and connection in our relationships. Hug your friends and family, kiss and caress your lover(s), and snuggle your pets often. Make an effort to express your love for those special people in your life not only this Valentine’s Day, but everyday. Touch is both extremely valuable to our health and makes us feel wonderful, so why shouldn’t we do more of it?

15

The glory days are gone How it feels to retire at 25 JENNA DOWNEY Contributor I take a deep breath as toss my stick in the corner, put my gloves on the shelf above my stall, and set down my helmet. Glancing down the hallway, I see my former teammates talking and laughing as they file off the ice, exhausted but satisfied after a hard skating practice. The younger girls have no idea what the next few years of their hockey careers have in store, and their only concern is with whether they will make it to meal hall before it closes.

I close my eyes as I sit in the coach’s room, remembering the way my quads would

feel after a Tuesday skate. I remember the way my wrist would ache after spending an hour on the blue line, taking slap shot after slap shot, trying to convince younger teammates to screen the goalie: “I won’t hit you, go stand in front of the net”.

It seems like a lifetime ago that I was playing in an AUS Final, absolutely exhausted, but undeniably thirsty for that game-winning goal from the point, that crisp white banner, and those god-awful, oatmeal-colour hats. As my seventh year in varsity athletics comes to a close, I remember what it means to wear an X on my chest.

Looking back on seven years, the seasons seem to

blur together. Wins, losses, ties, medals, and heartbreaks; each of these represents a part of the person I have come to be. Whether I sat on the bench for taking too many penalties or scored the game-wining goal in overtime to take us to Nationals, there was no place I’d rather be than on the ice with those girls. And as much as it hurts to say goodbye, there is no way I would take it back.

For one thing, hockey paid for my education. Without those countless hours travelling, skating, training, and playing over the course of 20 years, I would never have ended up at St. FX. I would never have a Human Kinetics degree and I would never be

heading off to pursue a Masters in Sport Psychology.

I would have also never met the girls who became my family.

Moving from the shy first year with the highest penalty minutes in the league to the Captain of an AUS Champion team was the result of family-like bond shared by XWomen Hockey, and I am forever grateful for that.

After five years of playing at the CIS level, four major concussions, three years wearing a letter, two major injuries and one final year as

coaching, I can finally say that I have given everything to hockey. It is as inherent to me as breathing or walking.

To hang up my skates at the end of the season knowing it will be my last seems impossible. Life without hockey is uncharted territory; I find myself unable to set clear and reasonable goals without a time line. I don’t have a championship to worry about, so going to the gym feels empty. I no longer have to be the toughest girl in the corners, or the first to cross the line after the 12-minute run, so how do I push myself ? Every aspect of my life used to be tied to being a better hockey player. Now that hockey is no longer a factor, I am unsure how to go about my day.

This may seem dramatic to those who have never fallen in love with sport. But as anyone who has ever played on a team can attest to, there is more to sport than sheer competition. As I move away from hockey and onto a new chapter, I know that one day something will spark my interest in the same way hockey did all those years ago. When I look at all the first, second, and third year players, I am reminded of the rush of adrenaline I felt before every practice, waiting for the zamboni to roll off the ice so that I could feel that sizzle on my blades. I remember my last game as a captain, standing in the tunnel and tapping every player’s gloves as they hit the ice, ready to give blood, sweat, and tears to the game we all love so much.

The game will change one day; soon there won’t be players I recognize on the team. Girls that were in diapers when I retired will take over, and there will be players better and faster than I ever was. And that’s ok.

That’s the way it is supposed to be. Even though hockey will forget me, I will never forget what it has done for me, and how it has shaped me into the person I always wanted to be.

16

thursday february eleventh, 2016

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