Issue 3, Volume 123

ISSUE 3

XAVERIAN THE WEEKLY xaverian

Thursday Mar 29 2012

Volume 120 Issue 20

EDITORIAL STAFF

Thursday Thursday, March October 21, 2, 2012 2014 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Volume Volume 123 Issue Issue153 Sean McEvoy121 xw.eic@stfx.ca | (902) 870-9431

OUR STAFF OUR STAFF

PRODUCT ION MANAGER Emma MacPherson EDITOR-IN-CHIEF EDITORS-IN-CHIEF xw.product@stfx.ca

Sean Ron Jeremy McEvoy

MANAGING EDITOR xw.eic@stfx.ca Peter North Joe T hibault xw.managing@stfx.ca | (902) 867-3732

NEWS Antigonish Community Transit

xw.eic@stfx.ca

Newly implemented transit route launched as pilot project in Antigonish

COPY EDITOR MANAGING EDITOR Alexandra Adams Graham PRODUCT ION Haynes MANAGER xw.copy@stfx.ca

JULIA O”HANLEY | News Editor

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Antigonish town and county has a new transit system. On September 15, the Antigonish Community Transit Society (ACTS) launched a pilot project aimed at reducing poverty within the county, increasing accessibility for students within the town, and allowing permanent residents and student alike to see new areas of the county. The service includes one wheelchair accessible bus, with seating for up to sixteen riders.

The service operates on a “flex-route system” with stops throughout the town at various times and locations during the day. Along with a scheduled daily route, the transit service offers one trip into the county each day, arriving at different locations each day of the week.

However, unlike many transit systems throughout the province, the Antigonish Community Transit only operates Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.

The recent implementation of this pilot project is a result of four years of discussions within the ‘Transportation Working Group’, one of eight sub-groups within the Poverty Reduction Coalition in Antigonish. The Poverty Reduction Coalition has been discussing ways to aid permanent residents and students within Antigonish town and county. The flex-route system was chosen as the most effective method following the failure of previous community transit attempts such as ‘Dial a Ride’.

“This [flex-route system] is

based on a system that is going in Halliburton and Hastings in Ontario. We looked at that model and thought: ‘Well, ok, we’ve got almost double the population, and half the square kilometers that they have to cover and theirs is working really well over the past four years.’ So we decided that we wanted to emulate that system here, and that [it] would be our best shot, so that’s what we did,” explained project manager for the Antigonish Community Transit Society, Alida Campbell.

ACTS is a not-for-profit organization, meaning that the transit system operates through a combination of grants from the provincial government, and a transit fee charged to riders who use the service. This fee can be in the form of a two-way bus pass ($2 for students, $3 for nonstudents) which allows a passenger to ride to and from their destination during the scheduled stops during the week, or in the form of a $55 unlimited-ride pass for students, available for purchase at the info desk in the Students’ Union Building.

Presently the student pass guarantees unlimited rides until March 31st, the final day of the pilot project. “If [the transit service] does continue past March 31st, we will honor that pass until April, but we can only guarantee at this point March 31st. Unlimited rides, as much as you want, anywhere you want to go,” Campbell explained.

When asked about the possi-

bility of funding the transit service through a student levy for unlimited rides for students in the future, Campbell concluded, “It’s definitely something that we’re interested in, but I think that we need to prove the process first.”

Campbell also mentioned the potential for students, particularly those who stay in Antigonish for the summer, to visit sites around the county, “If you wanted to go out, [transit travels to] Pomquet Beach Friday afternoon, so if you wanted to go to the beach, not in April, but in July or August or September, that’s a possibility. Throughout the winter, if you wanted to go to Keppoch for skiing or snowshoeing or those sorts of things, then you could do that as well.”

Usage of the bus has thus far been lower than ACTS had hoped. Campbell blames a combination of good weather, tweaking schedules, and a difficulty in advertising the service for the low numbers in the bus’s first three weeks of operation, saying: “I think that once word of mouth gets around and the schedules really start to get out there, I hope it will pick up after that.”

Difficulty in advertising does seem to be a reality for many of the students we interviewed about the transit service. Second year student Michaella Donovan and first year student Alyssa MacNeil did not know many of the details of the service when asked for their thoughts.

“I heard that they made a transit in the area, but that’s all I really heard about it,” Donovan expressed. Although lacking information about the service, first year student Alyssa MacNeil isn’t necessarily opposed to the idea, saying that “it would be more useful than having to cab [to campus], especially in the winter.”

Although some students have heard of the service, including second year student Jane Stevenson, who learned of the bus on Twitter. Stevenson made use of the bus along with three of her friends to travel to shops further from campus. Describing the experience as “awesome”, she continued on to say “The driver was a sweetheart. The bus was new, clean, and smelled nice, and it was cheap, only $2 for students.

The only downfall was the schedule. It only runs from nine to five, which is when most students are in class. I think it would be really beneficial if it ran from 8 AM until 12 AM.” So what do preexisting methods of transportation think of the new service? In conversing with a number of taxi companies around town, the general consensus was that although the bus might influence routes between nine and five, it would still allow for business on evenings and weekends. “I think we would be more concerned if there were actually people on the bus,” stated one spokesperson who wishes to remain anonymous.

Tragedy at the “Foo Mar T” A building used as the set for the “Foo Mar T” for the six year span of CTV’s “Corner Gas” was gutted by fire on the evening of Sunday, September 28th.

The building was home to a small local business in Rouleau, Saskatchewan since the conclusion of the TV series in 2009.

An estimated $100 thousand in damages was caused by the fire which kept firefighters on the scene late into the night.

A nearby town hall was filled with roughly 180 residents attending a party at the time of the blaze. Many of the partygoers left to watch the fire, and were joined by other residents of the tiny town of approximately 450 residents.

16 Year Old Crashes Own Party A 16 year old Washington State resident called the police on his own party on the evening of September 24th.

The teen asked for police intervention after upwards of two dozen teens broke through his neighbor’s fence during a party at his residence.

With his parents out of state, the teen’s party was described as “huge” by local police, who noted large quantity of alcohol bottles throughout the house and the scent of marijuana - an illegal substance in the state of Washington.

27 youth were arrested in the event for various charges.

News at a glance JULIA O’HANLEY | News Editor

Ceiling Tile Disrupts Class in Nicholson Hall A ceiling tile fell in Nicholson Hall Room 350 on Monday, September 29th.

The tile fell during Dr Grenier’s “Violence, Conflict, and Politics” class with a loud “bang”, disrupting the class mid-lecture.

Following the incident, Professor Grenier picked the tile up from the floor, and jokingly made reference to the condition of the aging building.

He then joked that he would bring the tile to the Dean to emphasise his displeasure in hopes of sparking a renovation project for Nicholson Hall amid laughter from the class.

DrunkenClimbers Two men were arrested in Halifax after climbing a crane being used in the construction of the Nova Centre September 30th.

Halifax Regional Police were called to rescue the pair atop the unfinished future home of the one million square foot Nova Centre in downtown Halifax. After climbing the crane, the duo, both age 23 were unable to figure out how to climb down, leaving them stranded on the top floor of the unfinished development.

One man from Halifax has been arrested with public intoxication following this incident. The other climber, a man from Linwood, was charged with public intoxication, resisting arrest, and assault of a police officer after pushing one of the officers during the arrest.

The Xaverian-Volume 123 Issue 3

NEWS

3

Take Back the Night

Students and community rally for an end to sexual violence on campus

ANGELA MACKENZIE | Senior Reporter

After dusk on Sept 25, Take Back the Night, a march focused on raising awareness toward sexual violence on campus, was held throughout the town of Antigonish. With campus rape culture catching media attention across the country, Take Back the Night called attention to the realities of rape and sexual assault on our own campus.

The march began at 7 PM in front of the library with approximately 40-50 students and members of the community carrying posters, poised to spread awareness of campus rape culture here at StFX and abroad.

Thursday’s walk also aimed to provide support to victims of sexual violence at StFX. “I think that by seeing such a strong support to end violence against women and men, the survivors can feel supported and share stories with other survivors,” stated Student Union President Brandon Hamilton.

Other participants included Victoria Fogarty and Katherine MacDonald.

The duo played an integral role in the event, helping organize the evening as part of their service learning. They chose to take part in this event because they believe it is important to spread the message about the realities of sexual violence.

“People who have suffered [can see] that they are not alone, they are supported by people in the community and [that] students [think] that sexual vio-

lence is wrong,” Fogarty suggested, adding, “The idea about the walk is so [students] are able to walk safely at night. This walk was a safe walk for the survivors. It acted like a support group.”

The walk is a symbol of unity, with students coming together in hopes of

Take Back the Night began decades ago in Europe with women joining together to discuss safety concerns when walking through the streets alone at night. Many walks have happened over the years in support of women’s safety, but it was only in the 1970s that such an event was given a

creating a safe environment free from potential crimes “in the darkness”.

“It really opened my eyes,” MacDonald stated. “I will now continue to help with Take Back the Night and become more involved. I understand that we have these problems in our small town [too].”

title. “Take Back the Night” was the title of a speech read by Anne Pride at a rally in Pittsburgh, a title deemed powerful enough to represent the global event. The first event of its kind in Canada was in 1980 in Vancouver. Since then, the Canadian Association of Sexual Violence has designated the third

Friday of September for Take Back the Night.

According to www.takebackthenight.org, at least 1 in 3 women and 1 in 6 men are the victims of sexual violence worldwide, with less than 50% of instances believed to be reported to authorities. Student testimonials regarding these statistics and the event include: “I walk because this in an issue that should not be ignored.” - Victoria Fogarty “I walk because I realize the problem with sexual violence and violence against women needs to change.” Katherine Macdonald “I walk to show my support for survivors. This issue is close to home and it’s a problem that I firmly believe needs a louder voice.” - Alix Cooper “I walk because I want to be a proactive bystander and supporter against violence. [The walk] allowed me to stand up and speak out against [sexual violence] with others who also want to take a stand. It is especially important to me to represent solidarity between women AND men against any form of violence or abuse. We need to stand together, united, with community members and faculty [and] StFX administration to show support for survivors and to help eliminate violence on our campus.” – Student Union President Brandon Hamilton

Wellspring celebrates anniversary Morrison Hall study space marks 20 years in operation LEWIS FORWARD | Features Editor

Wellspring is often seen as one of StFX’s g reatest hidden treasures- and the students who frequent it might just want to keep it that way. With quiet work spaces, comfortable furnishings, a meeting room, a kitchen complete with tea, coffeemaker and cookies, and care provided by the Sisters of St. Martha, Wellspring is meant to serve as a safe space for students where they can find solace from the pressures of university life. If you can find someone who’s willing to share the secret, they ’ll lead you up the stairs west of Mini Moes and into the hidden sanctuary of Wellspring. If the idea of studying with nuns is intimidating- don’t worry. The Sisters aren’t wearing habits, and the only mission wellspring has is to care for students- a feeling that is immediately apparent as soon as you speak to one of the sisters or volunteers who work in Wellspring.

This year, Wellspring turns twenty. Formerly a convent of the Sisters of St. Martha’s, Wellspring opened in September, 1994, after the convent which formerly occupied Morrison Hall closed in Aug ust. The Marthas transformed the space into one in which they

could provide hospitality and a safe space for StFX students.

“Having never been a library person, the open and cozy atmosphere provided by Wellspring and the Sisters was exactly what I needed to keep my sanity during the toughest parts of essay and midterm times,” said fourth-year student Ashley Dug uay. That sentiment is widely echoed by other patrons of Wellspring. In university- especially during midterms and exams- sanity can become a delicate instrument, and the library doesn’t always help restore it. Wellspring ’s most powerful anti-stress device isn’t just the warm, comfortable space, it’s the people who fill the space, and the companionship and community that the space g ives rise to. “It’s also where I made new friends from all over campus who were like-minded individuals but from diverse areas of study ” said Ashley. “I not only have an X family, but a Wellspring family to go with it.”

For students studying far from home, Wellspring can serve as a refuge, and it provides a strong avenue for students to feel at home on campus.

Wellspring is desig ned to be

comfortable. For anyone running low on sanity, tolerance, emotional energ y, or just good study spaces, three hours in Wellspring are worth ten hours in the library. It’s not accidental that focus is intensified in Wellspring- the Sisters who run it lovingly enforce an atmosphere of study. If you need a space to work, it’s perfect. If you need to take a nap, you can.

There’s plenty of room, and plenty of cookies.

The shape of Wellspring has evolved over the years into a space which supports a wide range of activitiesfrom Muslim prayer, meditation, and Taize prayer- to intense twelve hour chemistry benders during exam period extended hours. “Like all living things, it both remains what it was, while also chang ing according to the new needs and people who meet there,” said Sr. Donna Brady, who formerly worked at Wellspring. “ The character of wellspring has been developed by the individuals and g roups who

g race this space, by the various sisters of St. Martha who have worked there, and by the generosity of the members of the Advisory Committee and volunteers who support this work.”

Wellspring is open every weekday, from 9AM to 5PM, with extended hours to 10PM during exams.

4 NEWS

Thursday October 2, 2014-The Xaverian

Frosh Elect Councilor and Senator Annie Sirois and Will Stordy elected as Frosh Councilor and Senator respectively RACHEL REVOY | Senior Reporter

Monday, September 22, first year students had their first opportunity to take part in a StFX Students’ Union election. Annie Sirois was elected Frosh Councilor with 41% of the vote against three other candidates. William Stordy became Frosh Senator by acclimation.

Both first years say they are excited to bring changes to their specific portfolio and speak on behalf of their peers in the 2014-15 school year.

As Frosh Councilor, Annie Sirois from Ottawa, Ontario is in charge of coordinating activities to engage StFX’s newest students. Sirios will have the ability to work with Students’ Union executives and councilors to plan events and activities to enhance the experience for first year students.

“Frosh week is amazing, you meet so many people, you do so many activities, and already I can kind of feel the decline. It would be great to continue with activities where everyone is meeting new people; not for house points, just something fun,” said Sirois on

her plans for the 2014-15 year.

Halifax, Nova Scotia’s Will Stordy is looking forward to fulfilling the role of Frosh Senator. Although dealing with the same demographic as the Frosh Councilor, the position of Frosh Senator works less with event planning and more with academic issues. The Frosh Senator can provide information on how to apply for classes, is able to propose new classes, and is responsible for

discovering new ways of learning.

The Frosh Senator stands as a link between first year students and StFX faculty and administration.

“I just wanted to get involved right away. It’s pretty cool that our school is so small, and it’s a possibility to get involved right away so I just thought I’d go for something. [Becoming frosh senator] seemed like a good way to get involved. The position also appealed to me because it seemed interesting, you meet lots of people and lots of professors,” Stordy expressed.

Both Sirois and Stordy already express a deep attachment to StFX and a willingness to get involved.

“I really liked the small school feel when you know your teachers and you know

your professors pretty well.

The more I heard about it, the more excited I got. As soon as I stepped on campus, it was so beautiful. It feels like home,” explained Stordy about his decision to come to StFX. The decision for Sirois was quite similar: “StFX was my only Canadian option. I was planning on going to a university in the States because of the levels of student engagement. Community is some-

thing we have here - that is definitely something that is lacking in [other] Canadian universities. People seem to just go to school [where] there’s not really an atmosphere, so once my academic advisor showed me StFX, that night I was in the middle of writing my US essays, and I just stopped. I know that StFX is for me, and what really got me was student engagement.

[I think that] StFX has the highest level of student engagement in our country. Everybody who goes here just loves it. I’ve never heard one bad thing about the university.”

So what can you expect om the year ahead from the Frosh Counsellor and the Frosh Senator? “Right now I’m just going to learn how the school system works and then see if there is anything I’d like to change,” mentioned Stordy of his initial plans. “My plans are to make sure the frosh are 100% engaged, really exposing people to different areas of the school,” said Sirois of her upcoming plans.

MacIsaac Hall power struggle MacIsaac Hall without Vice President for month of September CASSIA TREMBLAY | Staff Writer

In a continued trend, MacIsaac Hall has been operating without part of its house council this September. After losing two members of the trio of House President and Vice Presidents in the 2013-14 school year, “The Jungle” is again without a full house on their council team.

Jesse Simbanda, one of the two vice presidents chosen for the 2014-15 school year, announced before move in day that he would not be serving on this year’s MacIsaac house council. Although only one member would have to be replaced this year, losing house presidents and vice presidents is a fate incoming President Elliott Campbell and Vice President Sarah Jahrig already know all too well.

Campbell and Jahrig spent their own frosh week with just a single leader providing instruction and guidance for students in the upper campus hall. With house council playing such an integral role in house dynamic, the remaining 2014-15 house leaders have been faced with a shift in the execution of their loud, friendly, and guiding authority in the early days of the school year.

Having been allocated a responsibility to lead by example the incoming students and those returning to MacIsaac, Campbell and Jahrig were anxious about the situation when Simbanda informed the pair that he would not be returning to help share in that responsibility this year.

However, the situation and timing of his announcement were out of the control of the absent Vice President. Just three days before house council training week, Simbanda broke the news to his MacIsaac family that they wouldn’t be seeing him in Antigonish any time soon. Family concerns and “things out of his control” were cited as reasons for keeping Simbanda at home this year.

The announcement has been described as a “heartbreak” for both house council and residents combined. Simbanda had strong relationships with his house and an even stronger direction, explained Vice President Jahrig: “Jesse embodies Mac. He had all these crazy good ideas that we needed for house council, and he was so enthusiastic about everything.”

So, yet again, MacIsaac and the Students’ Union were scrambling to find a late-hire leader. MacIsaac has put forward a candidate that they feel will be able to use their past experiences to excel in the position as MacIsaac House VP. Although training week is deemed important for networking with other student leaders and learning procedures involved with the job, Campbell and Jahrig are ex-

cited to be able to show the incumbent the ropes.

So how has the unpredictable leadership dynamic affected MacIsaac traditions that have been “Given’ er since ‘67”? “Last year it was really hard for Kelsey [Vice President of MacIsaac Hall, 2013-14] to lose her team because they were each ‘Mac’ in their own way and they knew all the traditions. Living in Mac two years in a row though, it would

be hard to be oblivious to the culture and traditions. She did a good job of upholding them and we are trying to do the same,” explained Jahrig.

It’s a tough job trying to mitigate one of the most intense rivalries on campus, creating a fun and unique living environment, and balancing life as a full time student, but it’s one that MacIsaac house leaders have learned to handle with or without a full house council.

OPINIONS 5

The Xaverian-Volume 123 Issue 3

OPINIONS A Caffeine Conundrum A commentary on the StFX coffee economy ERIKA KINACH | Contrubutor

As a fourth year university student, I can attest that coffee, not water, is the true elixir of life. This trusty companion is by my side every morning, every afternoon, and all night long. As I struggle through papers, meal hall crushes, lab exams and post-Wing Night Thursdays, I have my cuppa joe within reach. I’m not alone in my love for this heavenly substance; the allegiance of Xaverians young and old is proven daily by the ever-growing line at Mini Moe’s.

During the two years I lived oncampus, the fiscal relationship between food and money was lost on me.

I ate the entirety of my daily bread at meal hall and coffee was consumed regularly, both without any visible financial consequences. This is thanks to the $300 DCB I forked over in student fees at the beginning of the school year with my meal plan.

I’m ashamed to admit the amount of money I’ve swiped away, real or electronic, for coffee over the course of my academic career. To put it simply, I could have paid for my X-ring with the amount of money I have surrendered to the mighty Sodexo. I am the person they are singling out when columnists

in Cosmo publish those “Succeed on a Student Budget” articles; I could be one of those token individuals that sacrifice their morning coffees to rake in an extra $200 per month at no extra exertion.

I live off-campus now, as overworked and under-caffeinated as ever.

I’ve set aside a weekly allowance in the hope of masquerading as a young adult who has it remotely together, but I’m finding that most of it vanishes quickly. This is because all of my money is going to the vendors of the gutwrenchingly expensive cups of coffee at various outlets across campus. I almost went into cardiac arrest when I was reminded during my first day back at Mini Moe’s that a small plain coffee was setting me back $2.25--just 75 cents short of a drink special at the Inn. This is where I believe the abomination lies. How can coffee, a relatively inexpensive asset, be so ridiculously expensive on a university campus? I reiterate this with frustration when I remind you that the coffee in meal hall, merely meters away from the notorious food and beverage outlet where this atrocity is committed, flows freely like milk and honey to all that enter

with their swipe card.

When you roam the StFX campus, you’re not roaming Wall Street, the boulevards of Beverly Hills, or even an industrial park filled with wealthy business professionals. You wander the roads of starving students who go to such extremes as illegally torrenting textbooks online to save a couple hundred dollars. But I digress. We are a university campus, and university is expensive. Therefore, necessary resources such as coffee should be set at a significantly cheaper price.

Other universities across Canada seem to have their act together beverage-wise. With some quick research, I was able to determine that a large cup of coffee at Queen’s University, via the Engineering Society’s Café, will only set you back about $2. At UBC Okanagan, students are able to use their variation of DCB at an array of food service outlets such as Tim Horton’s and full service Starbucks at standard prices – if I’m going to pay $5 for a coffee you’d bet your final dollar of DCB I’m going to spend it on a Pumpkin Spice Latte. Trinity Western University in BC trumps all others with the Student Association’s

weekly offering of free coffee for all students from 8:30-4:30 Monday to Friday.

Not all universities are created equal, and while StFX is known across the world for it’s X-Ring, top-notch academia, and the residence experience to beat all others, I believe that the availability of affordable coffee around campus is a serious issue that needs to be addressed and corrected. Of course, nothing’s going to happen because students, including myself, will continue to pay these atrocious prices for a cuppa joe as the weather changes, paper season arrives, and final exams bring forth an impending feeling of doom.

The extra effort of brewing my own thermos of sub-par coffee or the time constraints of visiting James Street for a mid-library session romp are simply too irrational to be considered legitimate options. I acknowledge and surrender to the Corporation as I sit here, sipping my cup of medium roast with a splash of milk, paid for with my little brother’s DCB, ignoring the fact that my current financial commitment to coffee could comfortably feed a family of four for several months. Ignorance is bliss.

The exclusive Students’ Union Council communication breakdown shows symptoms of clique culture on the fourth floor SEAN MCEVOY | Editor-in-Chief

It's disappointing as a journalist when you find yourself writing about the same recurring issues within the StFX Students' Union year after year.

For an organization that lists the terms transparency, accountability, inclusive, and student engagement in their core values, these ideals are sometimes nowhere to be seen in certain day to day operations. While the union does get a lot right, a culture of exclusivity and a reputation that the fourth floor of Bloomfield Centre is like a roped off members only VIP section of a club has persisted for years. It's too early to tell whether the 2014-2015 version of the Students' Union will turn into a clique, however they certainly gave off that impression this past Sunday when the second council meeting of the year was held with zero public notice and zero publicity.

You may be thinking, what's the big deal, nobody goes to council meetings anyway? While you are correct that nobody does go to meetings except for those whose job it is to be there or those who are presenting to council, having no public notice of a council meeting is indeed a big deal. Last Sunday's meeting was essentially the equivalent of a group

of friends getting together in their secret tree house while potentially making decisions that could impact our day to day lives as students. Thankfully based on the minutes of the meeting and live tweets from theucouncillors Twitter account, no major changes were made, however important discussions did occur without the presence of third party objective observers in the gallery. While I trust in good faith that the minutes and tweets were accurate, they are naturally biased. If there was an argument over a controversial topic or something less than complimentary about the union was discussed, do you really think it will be tweeted for the public to see? Highly doubtful. Will an objective third party such as a journalist get the whole story out there? Most likely.

Thankfully the following day, Students' Union President Brandon Hamilton owned up to this failure of communication to students by issuing an apology to the StFX community on theu.ca. "We would like to apologize for this communication oversight", the statement read.

While Hamilton classified it as an oversight, the fact that the meeting was not made public in any way by The U shows

that this 'oversight' is a symptom of a problem within the culture of this student government. In previous years, meetings were usually promoted via social media to notify the student body as well as ourselves at The Xaverian that a meeting would occur. However this past week it was not promoted by the official Students' Union account on Facebook or Twitter, or by theucouncillors account.

Furthermore, Hamilton and every member of the executive team made no mention of it on their respective accounts. To add further insult to injury, the executive member who runs theuofficial Twitter account found time to promote events such as Glow Yoga and a movie at the library prior to that, yet failed to mention an event as crucial as a council meeting.

Glow Yoga and movies are great but students deserve to know when the people they elected to these positions will be making decisions on their behalf. It concerns myself personally on two separate levels. First as an editor, if The U doesn't do their job properly by failing to communicate to students, The Xaverian staff won't know when a council meeting is, and thus we can't do our job prop-

erly. We can't serve our readers who trust us to deliver accurate objective information about our student government. Secondly and most importantly it concerns me as a mere student. The U and particularly the executive team have a responsibility to inform students, be accountable, transparent, engaging, and inclusive. We pay our student fees, while the executive members get paid large honorariums that cover their tuition. We as a student body simply deserve better treatment. If The U can't be bothered to inform students about a council meeting, then they can't be upset when voter turnout in elections are low, or when few students attend union promoted events. It's a two way street, and effective communication is the first step to erasing the epidemic of apathy for student politics which plagues StFX. While the union has now apologized (a truly appreciated gesture) and published the remaining council dates for the semester online, I hope that they now continue to make moves in an effort to be more open, inclusive and engaging with students in all aspects of their operations. Otherwise, the core values of the VIP club need a rewrite.

6 OPINIONS

Thursday October 2, 2014-The Xaverian

Inviting men along

Watson calls for everyone to fight against women’s and gender inequalities RACHEL REVOY | Senior Reporter

Logging onto any social media outlet over the past week will display a link to Emma Watson’s United Nations speech on feminism and gender issues. Watson spoke at an event for the UN campaign HeforShe in the hopes of getting men to support gender equality and to help the world realize that feminism is about all genders and affects everyone. To put it frankly, this speech has people talking.

After doing a bit of research on the backlash Watson has received, it’s evident that not everyone thinks her speech is so game-changing. It’s clear that everyone from feminists to misogynists to those in between are not pleased with Watson’s speech.

Some feminists argue that getting men on board is not the solution to fighting the true roots of misogyny and gender inequalities. Why? In some articles, it is stated that feminism is based on strict patriarchal foundations and is based on fighting violence and abuse inflicted by men onto women.

Therefore, stating that the same things affect men and women degrades those women who have been sexually, verbally, emotionally, and physically abused by men. A feminist world would be a world in which women feel safe and can hopefully find peace and security, especially after experiencing extreme violence or abuse.

As Watson invites the men of the world to “join the conversation”, she is asking men to walk into feminism when they are not invited by all women. The correct approach, say some sources, is for men to invite feminism into their lives. Men should feel they need feminism for its own sake, and they should not be told that “it affects them too” in order for them to care. It does affect men by how it affects the women that they love in their lives.

Watson mentions in her speech how men are impacted by the gender constructs, how they’re told to “be a man” and not be emotional or sensitive, and that by joining the movement they are fighting for their rights.

The argument follows that men shouldn’t need a reason to care about feminism; they should have been caring all this time.

Some hateful people are saying that Emma Watson should shut up or have nude photos of her leaked. Users on the popular website 4chan have threatened to leak her nudes because she spoke about gender issues. Watson spoke about something she felt passionate about, and the response from some faceless entities on the internet is to threaten leaking her nudes.

Just let that sink in. In a way, do these people not reinforce Watson’s statement? The message of her speech was to ask men to get behind feminism and realize that it benefits everyone. Feminism, as Watson states, is everyone’s issue.

These people obviously are perpetuating the need for everyone to be a supporter instead of a hater. One online hacker wrote, “That feminist bitch Emma is going to show the world she is as much of whore as any woman” and

threatened to post her naked photos. That quote poses a question: why do some people, obviously threatened by an openly feminist woman, use any means to degrade her?

Not all the backlash is bad.

The majority seems to be on her side. HeforShe has already gained the support of tens of thousands of men from around the world. Major newspapers in Canada have reported articles supporting Watson’s “game-changing” speech. For the most part, people like that Watson spoke gently and positively on feminism. She made it apparent that gender inequalities are a problem, and she offered a solution. Her solution was to stand together and deal with the problem by destroying the gender boxes and social constructs that are currently in place. “It is time that we all see gender as a spectrum instead of two sets of opposing ideals,” says Watson.

Watson is a figure that people look up to and listen to; it was very brave to stand in front of the world speaking

about feminism, which can evidently be a very touchy subject. Good for her. I think to move our society forward, we should all look at gender inequalities and feminist issues as everyone’s issues. That being said, I do believe men should have decided they needed feminism without asking the questions “but how does this affect me?” In saying that I’m behind Emma Watson’s speech, I realize feminism is multi-faceted and complex in ways that I have yet to fully understand.

Perhaps the way she addressed men was a bit too generous in suggesting they experience similar oppressions on the same scale, but at least she said something about feminism and what needs to change.

Overall, her speech was enlightening and positive in ways that discussions on feminism should be. She addressed a problem, and proposed a solution in HeforShe. Most importantly, she was brave enough to speak about gender issues to a global audience and that deserves praise.

OPINIONS 7

The Xaverian-Volume 123 Issue 3

Thanks but no thanks The X-ring is not and never will be ‘my precious’ ASHLEY DUGUAY | Contributor

As a fourth year student, the question I get asked on a daily basis is: “Oh my gosh, you must be excited to be getting your X-ring, right?!” I mean, I understand where they’re coming from. I did the same thing when I was in first and second year.

You bring it up because it’s really the only thing you two have in common right off the bat, and you don’t want things to get too awkward so you blurt it out. My favourite part of the inevitable conversation is watching people’s faces when I tell them, “No, actually I’m not getting one.” For each and every one of the friends, family members, and total strangers I’ve told, I wish I’d been able to capture their expressions. They were true Kodak Moments. In terms of vocal response, I’ve gotten everything from, “Well, good for you!” to, “What… but… why not?”

Ahh, why not, you ask. Well allow me the honour of informing you - I’m about to go on what my British grand-mum would call a tangent.

First and foremost, I just don’t

want one. I have infantile-sized hands that can’t sustain the stolen space of a ring. It just doesn’t look right. I’ve never liked rings; I’ve never worn rings; and I have no intention of wearing rings in the near or distant future, even if it has a great, big, black X on it. No thanks.

Then there’s the whole, you know, broke student thing. Of course, the reality is that not all students’ parents are able to afford supporting their child through a post-secondary education. As one of these students, I have saved every penny earned and pushed myself to earn every scholarship and student loan I was granted because I didn’t have the security net of my parents to fall back on. At the end of these four years, after all the hard work I’ve done to achieve my goal of graduating university, I don’t want to spend anywhere from a couple of hundred dollars to maybe even $1 000 on a ring that will more than likely end up collecting dust in my jewelry box. I’d rather use the money to start paying off my student loans,

or to buy a plane ticket somewhere new to find a job, or to treat myself to a graduation trip. Some graduates will be lucky enough to afford both.

Others, like myself, will have a choice to make.

Some people have argued that because my hands are so small, it probably won’t be that expensive anyway, and I could get it in silver, which is significantly cheaper. As true as that may be, I have two responses for that: who the heck gets a silver Xring anyway; like, do you even go here? and graduation doesn’t just come with an X-ring. It also comes with families travelling to Antigonish for the X-ring ceremony and the Convocation ceremony, having to pay for hotels, food, graduation gifts, their transportation, their time taken off work, and then of course finding a way to move you and all your stuff back home - or to your next adventure destination.

Again, for some families this will not pose too much of as a financial

stress. For others, the price tag is sky high. You don’t want your special day to be stressful on your family, and you know that by not buying that Xring, you made their trip to your second home a little more affordable. I think when faced with having to decide between the two, the decision is obvious.

The X-ring represents a fantastic thing. It represents a defining period in our lives where we decided who we wanted to become. It represents an unbreakable bond between Xaverians across the globe, and even strangers who are quick to recognize the unmistakable X. But instead of flashing my golden X-ring on Instagram or Facebook, I’d rather flaunt the confidence and wisdom I gained from attending such a distinguished post-secondary institution, and pay forward the knowledge I have obtained to anyone willing to listen. If one day down the road, 25 years from now, I do decide that I want an Xring, I want to make sure that I not only earned it, but that I honoured it

A fourth year’s story The significance of the X-ring ANGELA MACKENZIE | Senior Reporter

As a Fourth Year X Student I have been blessed with the honour of soon receiving my X-ring. As I write this opinion piece, I have 68 days left until that long-awaited piece of gold is placed on my finger. Some students may not be buying their ring; some

may not see the significance of it. However, coming from a family of StFX alumni, the X-ring has been - and always will be - a big deal.

There are approximately twenty of my close family members who have their X-ring, two of whom are my par-

ents. From a young age, I was fascinated by the shiny gold ring on my father’s finger. In fact, there is a picture of two year old me proudly wearing one. If people were to look back on my childhood, some would say I was brainwashed to come here. StFX was constantly a part of my life.

My parents had sweaters, k e y chains, and mugs proudly representing their school. To top it all off, every day I saw that shiny gold Xring on their fingers.

It was not until I arrived at StFX that I truly understood the significance of the Xring. Not only is it

claimed to be the third most popular ring in the world, but it also has a strong meaning behind it. When someone wears the X-ring it’s no longer just a ring. It is a symbol of success, school spirit, and pride. The X-ring is a totem of accomplishment. By wearing one the world knows how hard you worked to get to where you are. Just by wearing a ring others will know that you are dedicated, a hard worker, and part of the best undergraduate experience in all of Canada.

I asked my father what he thought of the X-ring and what it means to him, to which he responded: “Though only a ‘thing’, it’s a constant reminder of your accomplishment, of the social and academic community you shared for 4 years, of your commitment to help make this a better world to the four corners of the earth, and a greeting card to others who have shared the same experience.”

My father’s description has great significance. He states that even though the X-ring seems to be just a thing on the outside, its meaning goes deeper than anyone can imagine. Fellow Xaverians will see this ring from all around the world and automatically have an unspoken bond. It may be expensive, and some may think it’s not worth it. In the end you will have this ring for the rest of your life. You have worked hard for it and you deserve to represent the best university in Canada by wearing the ring proudly on your finger.

8 FEATURE

Accidents happen. When tragedy strikes it surprises and shocks us. When one of us is involved in a tragedy, our needs may increase dramatically for a time. Who is there to help in times of crisis?

When we are far from home there is gravity to this question, and more questions that arise from it: how will family be notified? Who helps us through recovery? For international students studying at StFX- like the four current students and one graduate who were injured in the vehicle accident outside Truro on Friday, Sept 19, there is a university-wide mobilization of resources which initiate as soon as the university is notified of the emergency.

StFX Security is the gateway for news of crises into StFX. After they are notified by the RCMP, Security serves as a conduit of information, relaying the news to different branches of the university.

When international students are involved, the matter inevitably involves International Student Advisor Brenda Berthiaume. Referred to as “our Canadian mom,” by International Councillor Natalie Moo, Berthiaume serves that role in a literal sense. She is the next-of-kin for many students, and is deeply involved with many aspects of their Antigonish lives. She makes an effort to establish

Thursday October 2, 2014-The Xaverian

rapport with all international studentsall 356 of them. This figure doesn’t include many Berthiaume would identify as sharing many concerns of international students who aren’t ‘coded’ international students, such as graduate students, and second- and third-generation students who are still very immersed in their family’s culture.

She has many roles in the life of international students here- from providing immigration advice, pre-arrival and frosh week orientation, to lending bedding materials in their first weeks, to helping with banking, to general troubleshooting, to financial help- and so much more. Students come to her with every imaginable problem (or just to talk), and she sees 15 students per day. “I’m really good at getting to know resources in the community,” said Berthiaume. “If there’s any rock to overturn, I have turned it.”

When she learned through Security on Saturday that five StFX international students were involved in the accident, she entered a support role for the students in hospital, as well as a liaison between the university and family members. Berthiaume immediately cancelled a planned Cape Breton trip involving over 80 international students that was supposed to depart that Saturday morning. News was trickling back to China

already through students who transferred from Changzhou University and who were close with students involved in the accident, but it was Berthiaume who made the first contact from StFX to the families of the students. Family members of some of the students made immediate travel arrangements. Berthiaume was soon on the road to the hospital in Halifax, where one student had been transported in intensive care to the Queen Elizabeth II Hospital while Manager of Student Life Shannon Travers was the first to reach the students in hospital in Truro.

Traveling with Berthiaume in the days following the accident was Natalie Moo. Moo served as a translator. The language barrier for international students can cause difficulty in far easier situations, and so the presence of students like Natalie was instrumental in smoothing out the initial post-accident period. When emergency situations arise, small problems can blossom into massive ones, and so a problem like language difficulty can suddenly cause major issues. Good communication with healthcare workers can mean the difference between a misdiagnosis and a cure. When family members

support for the families of t involved to ease their unexpe tion into the country- taking t ner, finding temporary acco and easing them into any po term accommodations. Pres MacDonald also visited th This isn’t a comprehensive members of the StFX comm visits to the students, in a cla eastern hospitality in a troub The quick response from sity highlights the resources students who are involved wi sis. Immediately, family was An email was sent out on S Sheila Sears, the Interim Health, Counseling, and Learning outlining counseli available to students, and was held that night for stu wanted community. The v made. Superhuman efforts we Moo, International Society Pr ha Ndomo, and Berthiaume to the swath of emails, calls, an they were receiving from con dents who wanted to know they knew was involved.

The resources- includin

of the student transferred to QEII arrived, with them were two translators from Changzhou. Moo spent much of the next week traveling back and forth between Antigonish, Truro, and Halifax.

Berthiaume took the week off from her normal advising duties to focus on the care of the students.

Several representatives of the Student and Residence Life offices, including Travers, who is another primary point of contact in emergencies, and Bob Hale, Interim Director of Student Life, made several trips to visit the students. The Student Life office also provided short-term

leaders and staff- during cris are here during the school ye Whether students (espec year students) know where vices isn’t always clear. Fros entation is where most st exposed to available resourc pus, but as anyone whose e student during frosh week k don’t always remember that s “You sit through all thes you look at the slideshows, b really listening?” asked Mo know anything during frosh was banging my head on wa

The Xaverian-Volume 123 Issue 3

the students ected transithem for dinommodation, ossible longsident Kent he students. e list. Many munity made assic show of bled time. m the univers available to ith these cris contacted.

Saturday by Director of Accessible ing services a gathering udents who visits were were made by resident Bilo respond to nd messages ncerned stuw if anyone

ng student

ses like this ear. cially lowerto find sersh week oritudents are ces on camever been a knows, you stuff. se sessions, but are you oo. “I didn’t week, and I alls all over

campus trying to get things done.”

Another issue facing international students is the cultural difference between North America and the home countries of many students traveling to learn here.

“Counseling is a big thing back home. You don’t just go to see a counselor like that,” says Moo. “It’s hard for students to open up to counselling. I’d say that’s the biggest block, to get them through....Now I understand the use of counselling, but initially, going to counselling is a huge deal. There’s a feeling that if you’re going you must be crazy.”

“It’s a North American thing,” says Berthiaume. “We’re comfortable talking about mental health, and that hasn’t reached very many other countries. If these students are feeling tired, if they are not able to sleep, and they seem particularly withdrawn, they’re not eating, or they’re not going to class, then the topic of a counsellor would be explained to them.”

Berthiaume’s position is part time, and her contract does not extend throughout the summer, nor is the StFX counseling office open during the summer. Essentially, students who remain in Antigonish during the summer are on their own.

“I stayed behind this summer,” said Ndomo, “and went through a very personal experience, but I didn’t have any support. So I didn’t speak to anybody, and because school was out, there was nobody to speak to. What plans are there for international students who don’t go anywhere during the summer? So at least for me, that is a real need. I wasn’t the only one around, so I probably wasn’t the only one who had a need....we need someone to go to.” There was a push over the last two years that Moo was involved with to make Berthiaume’s position full-time, but now they are considering other options.

Hale says that there’s an effort to try and expand counseling through the summer. “[Counseling is] something that got cut back a few years ago, but it’s definitely on our radar to try and expand again. We’re just in the process of hiring a new Director of Health Counseling and Accessible Learning, so that person will be here all summer. So if there was an emergency we could reach our counsellors, or if they need to, they can go through GASHA at the hospital if they need to see someone right away.” Aspiria, a program initiated by the Students’ Union, provides some free telecounseling services to students- as well as advice on drugs, alcohol, finance, and legality. The service is offered in 150 languages.

Four of the students are back in Antigonish, and each has had a Residence Life Coordinator check on them each day since they left hospital. One remains in hospital in Halifax and is out of intensive care.

FEATURE

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10 ARTS & CULTURE

Thursday October 2, 2014-The Xaverian

ARTS & CULTURE People’s Climate March 2014

We’re the first generation to feel the impacts of climate change and possibly the last with a chance to do anything about it KATIE MAIONE | Contributer

After a fifteen hour bus ride, a trip to Yankees stadium, and a few too many drinks in Times Square, seven StFX students and myself found ourselves at the biggest and most important climate change protest in history: The People’s Climate March (PCM) in New York City.

Considering the effect climate change has on the daily life of humans worldwide, I am bewildered that this protest, boasting an attendance of 400 thousand people, was not given the press that it deserved. The PCM was organized by 350.org, a global grassroots movement focused on climate change and climate justice. The group’s name refers to the scientifically accepted maximum amount of CO2 in the atmosphere to preserve a livable planet: 350 parts per million. To put that number into perspective, currently we are just over 400 parts per million. Personally, this number alone scares the hell out of me, and it should scare you too. When studying and learning about anthropocentric climate change and its effects on human life, it’s easy to feel despair and hopelessness. That’s why events like the PCM are so crucial to keep people fighting and maintain hope for climate justice and to work towards slowing down

the destruction of our atmosphere.

On Sept 23, over 100 World leaders attended the UN-hosted Climate Summit. The PCM was the perfect opportunity to recognize that the empty promises of world leaders are not enough to solve climate change. People need to make noise and act so that the environmental movement cannot be ignored. Politicians crassly chase votes at the expense of all else, so only in gathering as a group can we prove that the environment is a voting issue. The PCM succeeded in that regard. It was the largest climate change march in history. Over 400 thousand people – 300 thousand more than expected – took to the streets of Manhattan to act out against climate change and to have our voices and concerns heard. Students, farmers, doctors, mothers and fathers, grandparents, lawyers, teachers, scientists, politicians, and even some of Hollywood’s biggest names were part of the movement – unfortunately, though, I’m still trying to get over the fact that I didn’t meet Leonardo DiCaprio.

I had never been in a march even remotely close to the size of the PCM before; I naturally expected the worst. I had imag-

es of broken windows, burning police cars, and riot gear. It was to my great relief that this demonstration was serene and peaceful. To my knowledge, there were no arrests, no fights, nothing broken; just thousands of people coming together and marching for one of the most important issues of our time. Just a peaceful demonstration protesting the culture of violence against the environment.

While walking through the crowds, you could truly feel a sense of hope and optimism in the air. The artwork that was displayed was so beautiful it took us a while to find our way as we stopped and admired everything.

The signs people held were also extremely powerful and clever.

Standing amongst hundreds of thousands of people, I expected to feel quite small and lost, when in reality I felt larger and more confident than I had ever before.

It’s amazing what the power of solidarity can do to you. One of the most memorable moments for all of us was the moment of silence. At 12:58, the streets fell

quiet, with the only sounds coming from the subways below us.

Hundreds of thousands of people put their fist in the air and waited in silence. At 1:00, screams and cheers erupted from the back of the march, and like a tidal wave of hope, it hit us and worked its way to the front. It was the most amazing experience of my life and still gives me chills.

It’s easy to see the myriad failures of the Western World’s environmental record: fracking poisoning our water supply, deforestation in the boreal forest, the tar sands in Alberta, our refusal to ratify Kyoto, and much more. But giving up can’t be the

answer. This march reminded me, and should remind the world, that fighting still matters. That change can still happen if we let world leaders know that they have no choice but to take action on climate change before it really is too late.

Obama’s words at the summit should make skeptics of demonstrations reconsider: “The alarm bells keep ringing, our citizens keep marching. We cannot pretend we do not hear them.” We must never stop making noise; never stop taking to the streets.

Our children depend on it. We stand at the precipice of disaster, and we need to act now.

The X Homecoming Survival Guide

10 tips for having a fabulous experience GEMMA GLENN | Contributer

We all know Homecoming is one of the most important events of the year. No matter how much alcohol you consume you will never be able to forget your experiences from this infamous day. Here are a few tips and tricks to make your Homecoming adventure incredible.

1) If you have a job, book it off.

The weekend of Oct 3 is a weekend you do not want to miss. Arrange with your boss to get at least one day off on the homecoming weekend. If he or she forces you to work, there’s an easy fix: quit – you don’t need that kind of negativity in your life (we kid; university students need money!).

2) Blue and White It is simply the rule of thumb that every StFX stu-

dent should wear the beautiful colours of this amazing university. Deck yourself out with as much blue and white attire as possible. Representing X and looking spectacular is worth the extra run to Wal-Mart. For the Frosh, many residences will also arrange for you to tye-dye your shirts, which is just as cool.

3) Early Mornings It is necessary to get a good night’s sleep before game day, whether you are a football player or not. 8 AM Power Hour is a thing. 10 AM Power Hour is also a thing.

Prepare to be woken up with music blaring and a drink placed in your hand because it starts immediately. Especially in good ol’ MacIsaac Hall.

4) Residences For most Frosh and second

years, the homecoming celebrations will take place in residence, which is super awesome. Don’t forget to venture out. If you plan to visit other residences be sure that you are properly signed in by a student living in that residence and receive your bracelet by an RA so you can relax and have fun.

5) Meal Hall and Staying Properly Hydrated Be sure to keep in mind your health. Eat and drink liquids aside from alcoholic beverages. Seriously, you will want to last as long as you can so you don’t miss out on all the fun. Even though all the hype of homecoming will energize you, always be respectful and polite to the wonderful meal hall staff; after all, they’re making your food.

6) Cheer until you lose your voice.

Whether you are in your residence, at the game, on Main Street, or in the bathroom, do not hesitate to cheer. Everyone needs to know X is dynamite!

7) Naps With your early mornings, screaming, cheering, drinking, and eating, you will be tired. Probably around midafternoon, take a nap or two.

It will help you last the rest of the evening because the fun doesn’t stop. Time your nap carefully, because you don’t want to miss the game!

8) Go to the Game Even if your only understanding of football is what you watched in the movie A Cinderella Story, still go to the game. Make it your ultimate mission of the day to at-

tend. Both alumni and students will be there to support our X-Men and the University itself. Plus, who wouldn’t want to miss the X-Fam gettogether.

9) Your Alumni are Your Friends The amount of Alumni that show up prove that StFX is an amazing school because even after you graduate you will still actually want to come back. Don’t be shy to interact with any alum, if anything they are just as proud as you are to be a part of X. They’re easy to find because the shine of their X-Ring will blind you.

10) The Inn and the Pub If you actually end up managing to make it to the Inn or the Pub by the end of the day, congratulations, you’re a homecoming warrior.

The Xaverian-Volume 123 Issue 3

ARTS & CULTURE

11

Randy Brecker Comes to X

Grammy award winning trumpet player plays StFX concert series DEVON GREENE | Culture Editor

On Sept 23, students, faculty, community members, and people who had travelled from out of town filed into Nicholson Hall auditorium, leaving only seventeen empty seats. Everyone was there with one purpose: to see renowned trumpet player Randy Brecker live in concert as the second performance of the StFX music department guest concert series. Brecker has been in the music business for years and is well recognized for his technical and artistic jazz playing.

Although formally educated at Indiana University, Brecker learned largely “on the stand” after landing some significant gigs in New York following his university years.

Brecker is still based in New York today and travels all over the world recording and performing music.

It may seem strange at first glance that

such a prominent jazz musician would come all the way to little Antigonish, Nova Scotia to play an undergraduate university concert, but a closer look reveals a lot more to this town than meets the eye. StFX is home to one of the most well-known and respected jazz programs in Canada. The driving force behind this tiny power house is, without question, its dedicated faculty.

“We have one of the strongest jazz faculties in all of Canada,” says music professor, Paul Tynan. Tynan and his colleagues know the importance of the guest concert series and spoke of the sacrifices the department has made in order to keep these events possible.

The department plans to host approximately seven of these events throughout the academic year and is committed to bringing in artists that the students want to see. As a professor of jazz trumpet and

advanced arranging, Tynan asked the students themselves for recommendations for the series. “I asked the students who they wanted to see and Randy was on the list.” Professors at StFX are known for their passion and commitment to their students, and the music department is certainly no exception. “We are miles above [bigger universities]… at other universities you’re a number where you have to prove yourself to get any kind of interaction with the faculty. Here you get that right off the bat,” says Tynan.

Not only are the faculty members dedicated and engaged with their students, they are also all performing artists on their own instruments of expertise, some of them participating in the same type of concerts as guests at other universities. It is the exceptional skill and experience of the

faculty members that makes bringing in artists like Randy Brecker possible.

Professor Tynan played with Brecker in the past, first in Dallas in 2001, and was able to bring him in for the performance. Brecker was accompanied by six StFX music faculty members during his performance, which showcased the talented musicians that make up the StFX music faculty.

For a small town, Antigonish is booming with talent, not only from visitors like Randy Brecker but also from locally based artists. Faculty and students of the music department perform regularly in Antigonish at various locations including the Split Crow on Friday afternoons and Pipers Pub on Monday nights.

To stay up to date on local events, visit the StFX music department Facebook page, “StFX Music News

‘We Couldn’t Agree on a Script!’

A review of the Antigonish Improv Group at the Bauer Theatre JULIA O’HANLEY | News Editor

On Sept 26, otherwise known as Country Night here at StFX, eight students clad in plaid shirts and denim jeans jumped up on stage. No, it was not on the stage at the Inn, though I’m sure there might have been a few up there too, but rather on the stage of the Bauer Theatre.

The folks on stage were members of the Antigonish Improv Group, a group that spends Tuesday evenings in the basement of the StFX Chapel practicing unscripted acting. Last Friday was the final night of a two day fundraiser for the Bauer titled “We Couldn’t Decide on a Script!” with admission by donation.

Although the evening began a little later than its scheduled 8:00 PM opening, actors were engaging the audience well before taking the stage.

Members of the group handed out pieces of paper to audience members, asking them to put “literally anything” on them. The audience proceeded to write lines ranging anywhere from “say something, I’m giving up on you” to “my mouth is on fire” which would be used later in the show.

Robert Chatterton, Elizabeth Thompson, Tori Lang, Lucas Breda, Michael Abernethy, Daire Fitzpatrick, and group organizers Chad Relf and Peter MacNeil acted out twelve scenes over the course of the evening: six to start, followed by an intermission and six more. Before each scene would begin, the theme was announced by the moderator for that scene, and the audience was asked to come up with a topic or context to be used for that theme.

Two of the twelve scenes required members of the audience to join the improvers on stage. The first interactive scene was a scene called Pillars. In Pillars, two audience members were chosen to sit on chairs at the front of the stage. The volunteers were responsible for completing the actors’ lines when called upon. When one of the

actors would tap on the shoulder of the volunteer, hilarious responses ensued.

The actors even went so far as to ask a non-volunteer to participate in the scene, asking a student in the front row to finish one of their lines. I really liked this scene. It had good flow, it was funny, and it was audience interactive.

Moving Bodies was the second interactive scene of the night. In this scene, the two actors on stage could not move any part of their body without the help of an audience volunteer. The two volunteers physically moved the actors by pinching their jeans to move their legs, tapping their back to make them bend, and positioning their arms for emphasis. The actors were fantastic in this scene, jokingly telling one another to do highly mobile tasks such as fetching a book from a bookshelf to keep the volunteers on their toes – pardon the pun.

Another skit that stood out for me was Sentences. This made use of the pieces of paper the audience had submitted before the show, and was actually performed twice throughout the course of the evening.

The actors were able to choose an audience suggestion from the floor, and recite whatever was on the sheet before having read its contents. This definitely made for some interesting conversation.

Shoulda Said and Scene to Music were two scenes that had me in stitches. In Shoulda Said, the audience yelled out, “Shoulda said!”

throughout the scene to make the actor change their previous line to something completely different. Scene to Music involved no words, and used only body language to tell a story based on the audience’s topic of “bathing Grandpa”.

The tone of the scene changed each time a new song was played, and had audience members crying from laughing so hard.

Two scenes I didn’t like as much were VCR and Dr. Know-it-All. In VCR, when scene moderator Chad Relf told them to rewind, the actors would portray their previous lines in reverse until he told them to play, causing them to start again from that particular line. I thought this scene was kind of awkward, and often times the rewind went on for so long that the actors seemed confused. In Dr. Know-It-All, two actors tried to say the same thing at the same

time in a scene regarding a doctor’s diagnosis. I didn’t find this scene to be as funny as the rest, and it was pretty awkward and slightly repetitive.

All in all my first improv experience was fantastic. I laughed until my sides hurt and felt really engaged with what was happening on stage. Although I feared being asked to volunteer at first, the easy-going vibe of the performance allowed me to warm up to the idea throughout the course of the night, though I was not asked to volunteer.

I think the Antigonish Improv Group is truly good at what they do. I have such respect for the confidence the eight performers have to participate in unscripted acting in front of an audience both young and old.

The group performs again on Oct 10 at the Bauer Theatre, and I highly recommend you go check it out.

$16.49 + tax

12 ARTS & CULTURE

Thursday October 2, 2014-The Xaverian

Featured Artist: Riley McGuire Bringing StFX artists into the foreground DEVON GREENE | Culture Editor

This week’s featured artist is 2nd year student Riley McGuire.

McGuire is a second year sociology major with a love of music and art. With his mother, a painter, and his sister, a professional painter, McGuire could not resist giving it a try when he came to StFX. His featured landscape piece was drawn for a class assignment. The charcoal drawing is loosely based on a scene looking off from a bridge near Piper’s Pub. “I was just touring around Antigonish to see if I could find any nice imagery and I actually had dropped something on the bridge and just looked up in [that] direction and saw this view… It was such a foggy day and you couldn’t really see the trees. You could see houses through the trees but couldn’t really see them.

It left a lot to the imagination and I thought that was really cool.” McGuire captures a dark beauty in what is overlooked by many as a mundane scene. The charcoal on mayfair paper creates a foggy effect that leaves room for the mystery that surrounds the barely visible houses through the trees.

McGuire uses visual art and music as way to express unsaid thoughts. “Art, to me, is an outlet.

I’m not big on sharing feelings or expressing feelings and with music and especially with art, painting or drawing, it’s the perfect way to express myself. The fact that other people can tell that expression was an influence on whatever I’m doing is exciting…

Music and art do the same thing for me. It’s sort of a place where nothing matters… It’s like nothing else is there. I’m alone, even if other people are there. I completely zone out, and those are the only things that can do that for me.”

Coming in as a beginner, McGuire had some concerns about exploring a new field of study.

These worries were quickly put to rest once he started his first art class, Drawing 100. “One of my biggest concerns was having no real experience. My teacher, Andy, made the transition seamless.” McGuire credits the passionate and dedicated staff of the department for his progression, and says that they make it an easy environment in which to learn.

“I’ve seen people that couldn’t draw that are now painting beautiful oil paintings in a year. It’s fantastic.” Although the classes are often long and students spend a

Featured Image: “Untitled” 22x28” charcoal on mayfair paper great deal of time on projects outside of class time, McGuire does not mind putting in the extra time because, as he says, “It doesn’t feel like work when you love it.”

McGuire emphasizes the openness and support shown by all the staff and students in the art

department, claiming that it is a great learning environment for artists of all skill levels and experience. He gives a word of advice to incoming students: “[A new student] should expect not to compare themselves to others and [should] go at their own pace, be-

cause you will get there eventually and it feels good when you do.”

Currently enrolled in oil painting and looking forward to photography and batik studio next semester, McGuire will continue to develop his artistic abilities through the StFX Art department.

Death from Above 1979

The Physical World (Released Oct 8, 2014 on Last Gang Records)

RORY MACLEOD | Contributer

Toronto’s Death From Above 1979 have returned from their ten year hiatus with their sophomore album The Physical World.

After a long anticipated return, Toronto noise pop drum/bass duo Death From Above 1979 have finally released The Physical World, the follow up to their blowup debut You’re a Woman and I’m a Machine.

Released a full decade before The Physical World, their debut, which followed a well-received EP two years earlier, rocketed the band to international fame. They toured with huge bands like Nine Inch Nails and Queens of the Stone Age, played on Letterman and Conan, established a large and

dedicated fan base, and then promptly disbanded in 2006.

According to the duo’s drummer, Sebastian Grainger, him and his bassist counterpart Jesse F. Keeler did not speak for five years, citing irreconcilable differences.

They both pursued other musical projects to varying degrees of success: Keeler with successful electronic duo MSTRKRFT; Grainger with a solo career and various collaborations. While the two operated on very different ends of the musical genre spectrum, they shared riffy pop sensibilities that are evident in The Physical World.

In 2011 the band got back together in a highly publicized reunion show at Coachella, in which they announced that they would start touring again. In fact, I was lucky enough to see them on their reunion tour at Ottawa Bluesfest that year. At that point there was still no word about new material other than one-off unfamiliar songs that the two might play on stage.

This June, however, the band announced their new album in an

interview with NME. Fast forward to now, and it finally came out on Oct 8. After a few listens, I have to say, as a long-time DFA 1979 fan, that I have mixed feelings about it. The same pop sensibilities are there in spades, mostly radiating from Grainger’s catchy vocal hooks and the same raw, infectious and driving riffage laid down by Keeler. Somehow, though, the album feels different, and rightly so. In a recent interview with Pitchfork, JFK points out how things have changed now that the two of them are music industry veterans. Wholly unprepared for the reality of their fast track to fame, Grainger adds that they lost the passion along the way. That passion is evident in The Physical World, and although it might come across as stifled, it does feel much more mature.

From the get-go, the DFA 1979 un-initiated will appreciate the sing-along-able chorus on “Cheap Talk” and hardcore DFA 1979 will be happy with the driving and to-the-point riffs of the second track, “Here you go Frankenstein”. You can already feel the give-and-take between the duo. It’s clear that Grainger’s poppy solo career has rubbed off

onto JFK’s bass lines. Although they might be more complex than ever, they are much cleaner, in execution and production. Conversely, Grainger backs off during verses and breakdowns to let JFK’s hooks shine through. They are no longer fighting each other for volume or intensity; the songs seem much more cooperative.

That being said, some of their songs seem almost complacent.

In The Needle Drop’s review, YouTube veteran Brian Fantano raises the same point. At certain points some of Grainger’s choruses sound like poppy clichés, and JFK’s riffs come across as stale or lazy. Although his hooks do not need to be complex to be engaging, he oversimplifies some on the track “Virgins”. Fantano facetiously, yet adeptly, points out that this song seems to be intended for listeners who think that “the Black Keys invented blues-rock.” DFA 1979 have proven before that they can engage the listener with slower tempo tacks, like “Black History Month” from You’re a Woman and I’m a Machine. They do manage to keep your attention with the title track from the album. Although it has a slower tempo and a longer duration, it keeps the listener engaged with mature and reflective

lyrics and effective use of dynamics. Nonetheless, on the track “Always On”, JFK seems like he’s trying to write a riff for Wolfmother, and at certain points, Grainger’s vocal hooks start to sound a little too similar to bands like Mariana’s Trench.

Overall, this album was a really god sophomore release. The band knew that it would not be possible to make everyone happy and live up to the hype. In their album announcement they made it clear that they were making the album for themselves, not the media.

Some of DFA 1979’s fans from the old guard will still appreciate the shredding basslines of “Government Trash” and “Gemini”, while DFA 1979 newbies may appreciate the poppy and accessible hooks of songs like “Nothin left” and “Trainwreck 1979.” Although they claim to be disinterested in the critical reception of The Physical World, they have nevertheless written a very pragmatic and engaging album. Personally, I’m interested to see what the future holds for Death From Above 1979.

The Physical World can be purchased on iTunes and you can preorder their upcoming documentary on Vimeo now.

RATING: 7/10

DISTRACTIONS 13

The Xaverian-Volume 123 Issue 3

DISTRACTIONS KURT BROTHERS | Netflix Addict

Games Corner:

Spotted’s Say: HOCO Memories

Help Captain X to the Football!

Homecoming: StFX’s version of Christmas.

It’s that time of year again, where liquor store sales drastically go up and where bad decisions take place.

With that being said, like any other weekend, those decisions whether good or bad, get messaged in to me. Last Homecoming, I got messages of people peeing on themselves, along with many waking up in the drunk tank, one puking on some random at the game, and a fractured cheek. Those are the real ugly. However, for the most part, I received lots of messages that were filled with school spirit & alumni/student bonding. Homecoming is a weekend where everyone gets drunk and bleeds white and blue, yes, even the ones who graduated in the 50’s. It’s a weekend where few will actually remember, so take tons of pictures. You’ll end the weekend with a massive hangover along with a nice insta pic. I can’t wait to see what messages the page will bring in for HOCO 2014. Go X Go! Sincerely, Spotted

HOMECOMING TIPS PANCAKE BREAKFAST: Make sure to load up on greasy food to line your sTomach for the upcoming alcohol assault.

MORNING DRINKS: Take it easy in the morning, pace yourself. You don’t want to crash and burn at noon. That being said, a shower beer is a must.

TIME CHECKS: Blasting tunes and playing party games might be fun, but missing the game won’t be, keep yourself on a time schedule and make it to the actual event!

Becca’s Blurb “HOCO: THE REAL STORY”

GO HARD: Win or lose Antigonish is going to be alive and bumping. Keep in the loop for the best parties and hit the pub at just the right time!

SPORTS & HEALTH

SPORTS & HEALTH The world of club sports StFX’s ‘other’ realm of athletics is a great way to get your sports fix AARON THORNELL | Sports & Health Editor

Picture yourself. You’re beautiful. You’re feeling fine, taking a stroll around campus on a surprisingly warm evening in late September as you attempt to soak in the last of the summer vibes. All of a sudden you hear a roar emanating from the Oland Field. To your knowledge, there were no football or soccer games scheduled for this hour, and it is hard to believe anyone could get so intense during practice. As you round the corner of the PSC, you see a sport you’ve often forgotten about, despite its common title as Canada’s national summer sport. A lacrosse game is being held, and you soon find yourself belting encouragement to the StFX side, all the while hurling insults towards whatever unfortunate side has made the trek to face the blue and white.

As I often attempt to iterate in this section, the club sports at StFX are amazingly entertaining, despite their slightly lower profile when compared to their varsity counterparts. This is, of course, no fault of the varsity

teams or any of the members who make them up. Club sports simply take a back seat when it comes to publicity and notoriety.

But don’t be fooled – you will more than likely find yourself on the edge of your seat, or, at the very least, with a smile on your face by the end of the game, race, or competition.

The variety put forward by the club sports at StFX is one of the most appealing aspects of these teams. Prior to my arrival at StFX, I had never watched a field hockey game live, nor had I stepped foot in a row boat – now both have been done. StFX is home to a number of club sports: men’s rugby, field hockey, rowing, baseball, lacrosse, cheerleading, curling, dance, and swimming. With so many options in so many different settings, you could find yourself in places you’d never had imagined yourself, screaming at the top of your lungs in support of a sport that, yesterday, you knew almost nothing about. Club sports also offer fantastic opportunities to

expand your sports knowledge, which, if you’re anything like me, is something I constantly strive to do.

So I would like to embark on a personal mission to make StFX a school that not only supports their varsity teams with intensity and panache, but also one that boasts a proud club sports following. One of the ways I plan to do so is through the reporting, as best I can, of the stellar results these teams put up.

I’ll begin with the men’s rugby team, which, for those of you who aren’t aware, is composed of Division I and II teams. This past weekend, the Division II, or B Team, game was postponed due to CBU injuries, although I believe we can chalk that up to intimidation, as the team has won all three of their games this season. The A Team, on the other hand, dropped to 1-3 on the season, as they fell 27-10 to Acadia.

They will look to bounce back in the always-entertaining homecoming face-off, during which they take on top-of-the-table Dal-

housie. The B Team have the same opponent.

The baseball team, competing in the Canadian Intercollegiate Baseball Association, fell 10-1 and 4-3 in back-to-back games against Holland College.

This past week the StFX rowing team ventured to their second event of the season, this time making the trip to Halifax for the Cogswell Regatta. The weekend was a successful one, as StFX defeated rivals Dalhousie in both the men’s and women’s eight person boats. The women’s pair of Anna Seviour and Emily Piggott won their head-to-head against the same opponent. All the boats put in a fantastic effort, and the perfect weather made for an enjoyable time on the Northwest Arm. The school’s lacrosse team also had a successful outing and kept their perfect season intact.

They crushed the UNB Buccaneers with a score of 18-4 on Sunday evening. The league’s leading scorer, X-Man Ian McShane, had a five goal performance.

The field hockey team has been hard at work, in a sport where the season sections itself off into tournaments held on weekends. The team has one of said tourneys under their collective belt, posting a 2-1-3 record through six games. This tournament took place in Halifax, and the squad will be venturing into the strange land of PEI to take part in a tournament hosted by UPEI this weekend.

The rest of the club sports have yet to get underway, but will surely put their best foot, dance step, or curling rock forward when they begin. Perhaps the nicest surprise that club sports produces is that you might not know that the person you sit behind everyday in Nicholson 151 is part of the dance team, or on the starting roster for the school’s lacrosse team. If you do happen to find out that someone you know is a club sport athlete, it’ll give you one more reason to take a step back from the books for a bit and take in some wholesome, riveting action.

The Xaverian-Volume 123 Issue 3

SPORTS & HEALTH

15

Beating up on your stress

There are lots of ways to overcome stressful times - here’s a list of the best ones LAURA ALOISIO | Columnist

The weather outside is changing and so is the focus of most students. Midterms are right around the corner and it’s time to start getting down to business.

Some students will try drinking away their problems, counting on nailing the final to get them through this stress-filled month. Others may ignore the stress, waiting until their worries compound over time, leaving them feeling overwhelmed with anxiety that could lead to more serious mental health problems.

It is important to remember that worrying is actually healthy, if it is used as a motivation to take action. The danger is when we let the worrying build up and expand into multiple facets of our lives, prohibiting us from functioning affectively. In order to balance the positive aspect of stress while reducing the danger of being a victim to its power to control our lives, we need to follow some rules before the worrying begins about that soul-crushing test this week.

Rule 1. Study smarter, not harder. Schedule focused study time that lasts one hour, followed by a short 20 minute break. Watching TV during study time is ineffective, extending the amount of time it takes to prep for an exam, and raises your stress level as you put in more hours and get poor results.

Rule2. Don’t skip that workout.

Exercise is not only a physical release, it focuses the mind by silencing your internal dialogue. It is important for mental acuity that you give your mind a chance to unwind and relieve stress. You cannot listen to yourself panic over the assignment deadline when you’re busy counting down your reps.

Rule 3. Schedule tasks that accomplish your goal. Making a schedule is an actionable task that reduces stress. The schedule should be realistic and personal. If you are not at your best between 9 AM and 10 AM, then that may the best time to schedule a break instead of setting that time to catch up on the first

Via Wikimedia Commons eight chapters of your theoretical physics textbook. A schedule allows us to see our goals as small, achievable wins instead of a large, unachievable event. Remember, the best way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time.

Rule 4. Live in the now. A break has no positive benefit if we spend it thinking about our next task, regretting times wasted, or worrying if we will achieve our future goal. The past is over and the future is uncertain, leaving only the now with any relevance. Be careful to use the past as learning experience instead of a pity party. Learning from our previous experiences is helpful, but the value should be extracted after a quick review of the facts – not an all-day walk down memory lane. It is also important to forgive yourself and find humour in the experience so that it can be closed and put behind you.

Rule 5. When you are fighting to stay awake, sleep. We lose energy and focus when we fight our body’s natural rhythm.

When your body craves sleep, that extra coffee may wake us up, but the height-

ened anxiety it causes increases our vulnerability to drift into worrying about the task at hand and losing focus. Power naps can also be helpful, limiting the time you are away from the task, but extracting an extended benefit compared to a full night of guilt-ridden sleep.

Rule 6. Stay in touch, but ignore the rumor mill. After working hard to keep your own world from spinning out of control, the last thing you need is to visit a friend’s panic land. Being told that 80% of the class from last semester has no value or calling your uncle to see if the Tim’s back home is still hiring is time better spent calculating minimal grades for a pass or, in extreme cases, reading the textbook.

Rule 7. Communicate with your professors. If the class seems overwhelming ask for some one on one time with the professor. They may guide you on where to focus your studying, or explain a challenging concept that you have been struggling to understand. If there are scheduling conflicts, they may consider changing the deadline or exam

date. In any event, by taking control you will reduce your stress level.

Rule 8. Avoid worrying for others.

Worrying may spur us into action, but our worries about the problems of others cannot motivate them to act. Supporting a friend in trouble is noble, but worrying about how they will solve their problem is taking on a responsibility we cannot ultimately fulfill.

Rule 9. Maintain perspective. During your next break, make a list of all the good things you have in your life and what you have already accomplished.

Our bodies are programmed to respond to dangerous situations. Evolution has replaced dinosaur attacks with internal thoughts that may appear as threatening.

We need to balance real threats with ones we have created in our mind and spend time celebrating victories we have achieved Rule 10. Don’t wait to get help.

Worrying about an exam or getting stressed that we may not complete an assignment on time is a balanced reaction to a particular situation. But when worrying about a single problem cascades into anxiety about other aspects of our lives, we can quickly become overwhelmed and unable to function. Before this happens, seek help from friends or access the professional support networks available on campus.

Getting help sooner rather than later can make all the difference.

Embracing anxiety can increase our ability to succeed. By following these rules, we can limit the spillover from worrying about a particular situation to becoming paralyzed with fear. Worrying prepares us for misfortune by allowing us to visualize failure. This drives us to take action that reduces the probability of the event from occurring. By using the rules above to guide ourselves this exam season, we can take action to increase our exam effectiveness and keep anxiety from invading other aspects of our lives.

A sports guide to Homecoming How to get the most out of one of the best sports weekends at StFX AARON THORNELL | Sports & Health Editor

Every year in the early days of autumn, with the rolling hills of Nova Scotia transforming into gorgeous, fiery swaths of red and orange (and the rain beginning to fall), the StFX campus gets painted blue and white. This is of course referring to the famous – and at times infamous – homecoming weekend, when students and alumni come together to celebrate their past or present attendance of this establishment we call St. Francis Xavier University. For many, sports play a central role in these few days. For many, as well, health takes a bit of a back seat.

The centrepiece of the homecoming festivities is, and likely will always be, the football game. StFX take on their rivals, the Acadia Axemen, this year, a side they defeated earlier in the season by a score of 38-29. Last year, the X-Men blew out Mount Allison 30-9.

They will be looking to avenge their home-

coming loss two seasons ago when Acadia embarrassed the X-Men with a score of 41-14 in front of a packed Oland Stadium. This game, it must be said, provides one of the best sporting environments you will find at StFX, as townspeople, alumni, and students fill the bleachers – not to mention the high blood-alcohol levels of many of the latter two.

If football isn’t for you, however, you have nothing to fear. Concordant with the action on the main field, the men’s rugby teams will both be taking on the Dalhousie sides. These games provide a much more relaxed, and if I dare say, casual atmosphere, where fans are welcome to sit around Memorial Field, found between Bishop’s and Somers Hall. Following the first game, in which the Division I teams face off, players will stick around, crack a few beverages, and generally have a good time with opposing players, alumni, and all other fans. It really is a pleasant environ-

ment if you aren’t into arena rock and big crowds. The StFX teams take the games very seriously, however, as they look to uphold the proud tradition of one of the school’s oldest sports. Last year, the Division I team routed St. Mary’s University with a score of 55-7, while the Division II team dropped to King’s College with a score of 41-13.

The women’s rugby team at StFX, whose history is shorter but equally as illustrious as that of the men’s side, will open the athletic happenings this weekend.

They take on rivals Acadia Friday evening at 7 PM. This year, the X-Women have been perfect, winning all four of their games, including a 45-17 victory over the aforementioned Acadia on Sept 20. This game will be a decisive on, as StFX will have the opportunity to take a large step towards collecting their 17th consecutive AUS regular sea-

son title.

The weekend’s sports will close out with the women’s and men’s soccer teams facing the Memorial University Sea-Hawks. Both StFX sides have struggled a bit as of late this season, but will look to right the course against the Newfoundland teams. For the women, Memorial sits only one point ahead of them in the AUS standings, while the XMen will look to snap a losing streak.

So this homecoming weekend, between your power-hour and beer pong tournament, do make an effort to come out and support your blue-and-white. You’ll be able to yell and sing all you like, and you can get dressed up or paint your face. Essentially, it is all you’ve ever wanted to do while drunk anyway, so it is a win-win. Just remember to pack some dry clothes for afterwards because, as anyone who has been to StFX’s homecoming before knows, chances are it will be raining.

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Thursday October 2, 2014-The Xaverian