The Watch April 2014 by The Watch

the watch APRIL 2014

DROPOUT IS FYP WORTH HANGING ON? BY SABINA WEX + PAUL REBAR

RENOVATIONS | CROWDFUNDING | KING’S CUP

From the Editors, We survived! We have no idea how. But we did it. We produced four issues we love (while making courageous and successful attempts to pass journalism) and managed not to kill each other in the process. We even spared everyone else’s lives as well! That, my friends, is an achievement. This year, we didn’t dig up every little scandal on campus, and we didn’t fling dirt wherever it would fly. Instead, we focussed on the hard work of our fellow students, and what they were choosing to write about. We looked for stories and opinions that mattered. We think we chose well. We hope you thought so too. As this issue publishes, we depart from this delightful mess of a magazine, which we cobbled together with an incredible crew of contributors all year. And we leave it in the very capable hands of Grace, this past year’s copy editor, and Nick, one of our most faithful contributors. Thank you, and see you on the other side, Evan & Pippa *** It’s Grace and Nick! Next year, the school will be slightly different. Many parts have gone through serious renovations – Alex Hall, the Chapel, and the Pit. But don’t exclude The Watch! There are going to be some new faces around town. You’ll see new editors, new writers and of course the writers you all know and love. Although it’s sad that we’ll be reporting less … much less, we’re very excited to take on a new role at The Watch. We’ve been constantly thinking about what cool and interesting things will happen at King’s and around Halifax next year. But we’re also ready for those stories that nobody will see coming. We want our legacy to be fun, flamboyant, serious, saucy and just a bit controversial – what is journalism without generating discussion? – and we can’t wait to get started. Of course, we’ll need all the help we can get, from our lovely and informative outgoing exec and you, the Watch’s audience, authors and subject-matter. Send us emails over the summer of what you want to see next year, and we’ll try to make it happen. Look for the Watch when you get back to Halifax next fall – we have … well, if not necessarily big plans, plans for our frosh issue. It’ll be a cross-Canada endeavour, with Nick on one coast and Grace on the other. We’ll see you in September! Grace & Nick 2 The Watch |April 2014| @kingswatch

the watch VOL. 31 NO. 4 - APRIL 2014 watchmagazine.ca watcheditors@gmail.com TWITTER @kingswatch INSTAGRAM @watchmagz

EDITORS-IN-CHIEF Grace Kennedy Nick Holland Philippa Wolff Evan McIntyre

CONTRIBUTORS

Sophie Allen-Barron Jeremy Foote Charlotte Harrison Madi Haslam Maddie Johnson Sydney Jones Erin McDonald Jillian Morgan Sean Mott Paul Rebar Olivia Rempel John Sandham Sabina Wex Amelia Wilding

PUBLISHER

Rachel Ward

TREASURER

Quinn Harrington

PUBLISHING BOARD Alex Bryant Adrian Lee Jake Eidinger Jordan Parker Kelsey Power Fred Vallance-Jones

LAYOUT

Evan McIntyre Philippa Wolff

We welcome your feedback on each issue. Letters to the editors should be signed. We reserve the right to edit all submissions. The Watch is owned and operated by the students of the University of King’s College.

But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people not be warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at watchman’s hand. — Ezekiel 33:6

the watch IN THIS ISSUE

Letter to the Editors 4

The 2014 King’s Cup 14

King’s Briefs 5

Inside King’s 16

Some thoughts on King’s fraternities discussion.

They’re a bit slimmer than boxers but more spacious than thongs.

Spoiled Greens 8

Green Week 2014 added more events, but left some students wanting more.

Wardroom Renovations 9

There’s already chalkboard pillars, what other improvements are needed?

Student Loans 9 The province is crafty.

Reviewed 10

KTS’ productions of Twelfth Night and Melancholy play.

Dropping Out 12

Intramurals at their finest.

Evan went to Father Thorne’s office this time.

Opinions 18

A former Watch EIC is frustrated with Quebec’s elections policy.

Funny Stuff 19

What the Wardroom could look like. KINGSNEWSHFX retires.

The Kijiji Find of the Year 20 Way better than your summer sublet.

FYP Survey 22

It’s very unfortunate that Jesse Hiltz got engaged.

Puppy Love 23 D’awwwww!

There are a lot more empty seats in Alumni Hall these days.

The Watch | April 2014 | @kingswatch 3

Letter to the Editors On March’s FRATERNITIES Story BY: SARA O’BRYON

King’s has been a beautifully welcoming and open campus throughout my four years here, but most of you have no idea who I am. My name is Sara O’Bryon, and I come from New Orleans, Louisiana. Perhaps I was naïve, but it wasn’t until last year that I saw the prejudices of my hometown arrive at King’s. I have seen my friends attacked because of who they choose to associate with. I have seen the resentment and sadness build in their countenances. I have seen how their voices are drowned out by those calling them rapists. To be clear, I hate fraternities. I grew up in a city that is founded on fraternities and is still run by them. I mean, geez, I just wrote my CSP thesis on how ridiculous these exclusive men’s clubs are! And, when these exclusive, male groups hold power in institutions there is a real problem. I would never prohibit fraternities, though. Maybe my American is showing, but people can do what they like. They can associate with whoever and whatever organization they want to. Unless, of course, they are hurting someone. The institution itself is flawed in many ways, as pointed out by other King’s students. The one aspect I would like to touch upon is the fraternity’s attachment to rape culture. Absolutely. Fraternities can create an atmosphere that allows sexual assault to happen. What I’m not sure about is where this is happening on King’s campus. Kappa Alpha is a fraternity. Kind of. I make fun of them a lot because they are almost too pathetic to be considered a fraternity. I define them as a Literary Society for men. They write, they read, and they discuss. They like what they do. They like their little community. So, it came as a surprise to me that anyone would be upset with KA. From my frame of reference they are so harmless I almost consider them irrelevant. Why would or should 4 The Watch | April 2014 | @kingswatch

this small group affect me at all? And, then, Bethany Hindmarsh said in March’s Watch article: “When they say, ‘Oh, we’re just a literary society, we’re not a fratty group,’ then it’s actually even more sensitive to suggest that women can’t read literature with you.” I was amazed. As if, the mere fact that these men get together and read somehow translates into a personal attack on women. I was offended by the statement. I do not gage my self-worth or my intelligence from men. Nor should anyone on this campus. If you are unhappy about the society being exclusively male, petition the fraternity to allow women. Do your research; KA has historically had female members. If you are upset that there is an all-male literary society, form an all-female one or start a chapter of a sorority. I do think that there is a place for all-male and all-female education systems. Many people disagree with me, and that’s fantastic. There seems to be no place to speak out against the popular opinion. All I have seen is people attempting to force others to realize how wrong they are. There has been no attempt to try to understand why these boys felt like they had to make a smaller, all-male environment. Though, I do not and would never wish to silence those who feel unsafe around KA members or at parties that are hosted by KA members. Everyone is entitled to their feelings. Particularly those who received threats - I hope that those responsible were disciplined appropriately because each and every one of us should feel safe on our campus. However, I would ask those that feel unsafe, where does that come from? Does it stem from what those members of the fraternity have done to you? Does it stem from stories and gossip you have heard about the organization? Or, does it stem from a prejudice

you hold against fraternity members? Is it similar to how unsafe my friend felt around me when she found out I was dating a girl? There is a prejudice against fraternity members on this campus. Like most prejudices it stems from fear. I’m as much a fan of transparency as anyone else who has spoken up in this debate. But, I’m guessing most people imagine these secrets involve virgin sacrifices to a snake-like demon (No? No one has seen that episode of Buffy? Sigh). Their secrecy is not so they can sacrifice the young, but so their community is special for them. Fraternities provide a community, like any other organization, society, or club. It is a place for these men to turn – a way to make relationships that will span the rest of their life. And the secret aspect builds that foundational bond. Would I join? Ha, no. I hate fraternities. But it is their choice to make. If they are happy, then should I not be happy for them? Is rape culture and sexual assault and misogyny boiled down to these 15 men getting together once a week, saying a chant, reading poetry, and drinking? I hope not! |w have I been yelling about for Or else, what 22 years?

Sara O’Bryon is a 4th year CSP student at King’s. Her parents would be so proud. You can submit a letter to the editors too! Just email: watcheditors@gmail.com

KING’S BRIEFS. Patrol Cutbacks

BY: NICK HOLLAND

It’s likely that fewer patrol staff will be hired next fall, as King’s is looking to hire professional security to watch over the campus after hours. The proposal was first introduced at the last KSU council meeting, where Alex Doyle, director of facilities at King’s, said Patrol should have never been given security duties back in 2009. In an interview with The Watch, Doyle cited concerns for hiring students to watch over the school after hours. “We’re expecting Patrol to provide the security element for the campus. They’re not trained… They’re not security. They’re Patrol,” he said. In 2009 there was a budget cut, which cut campus security. In September of that year after hours duties, such as locking doors and putting the flags up, weren’t being done. Patrol was asked to take on those duties, but ended up taking on more. Doyle said it would be disastrous if a student were attacked while on a shift. “The university has been going through a

major review over the last two years. They’re looking at everything they do well and (what) they don’t do well,” he said. “And one of the things is policies, due diligence and risk management.”

them about how minimal the losses will be. It makes sense to a lot of people,” he said.

The cost to hire security isn’t known yet, as the university will hire from Dalhousie security or an outside firm. But Doyle ensured tuition rates would not rise because of it.

Hatt said administration is looking to have students manage the room booking service, and the advancement office has been trying to start up a job bank for almost a year.

But the decision to bring forward this proposal has some KSU councillors questioning it, saying cutbacks would take away jobs for students. But Doyle said the university has an obligation to protect all students. Nick Hatt, dean of residence, said the numbers show there will be roughly 10 jobs lost. He and Doyle are on the same page. “We’re kind of bare bones, in a way, that we have a lot of shifts and we have just enough workers to cover all those shifts,” he said.

So will the university do about those lost student jobs?

There are also talks about a conference services system, which would have the university renting out rooms during the summer and Hatt said students would be needed. Talks will still continue, for now. Doyle said the next step is to figure out what works best for the university. |w

Hatt has heard from people who work on Patrol. “When I explained to them, the idea of campus safety, I also talked to

Interim J-School Director garners Libris nomination On March 24, Stephen Kimber received a phone call informing him of his nomination for a Libris Award in the category of non-fiction book of the year. His book, “What Lies Across the Water,” was published last August.

Previous award winners in the non-fiction category include prominent Canadian authors Margaret Atwood and Stephen Lewis. This year’s longlist of nominees also features astronaut Chris Hadfield and Hockey Hall of Famer Bobby Orr.

Kimber, the interim director of the King’s School of Journalism, went home that night and shared the news with his family as they waited for the official announcement on Monday.

“The challenge for a non-fiction writer is to shape the facts into a story without ever making stuff up.” Kimber says of his writing style. “But that’s what I like to do.”

“(To be named on) the longlist is very nice. I’m just happy to be on it,” Kimber says.

Kimber’s book tells the story of the Cuban Five, a group of Cuban Intelligence Agents who infiltrated anti-Cuban terrorist organizations in the United States in the early 1990’s. The agents were arrested years later and sentenced to lengthy prison terms. The circumstances and legitimacy of their imprisonment have since become hot topics in both the United States and Cuba.

“I would consider it a pretty big deal,” says Carolyn Gillis, who manages the King’s Co-op Bookstore. “This is the bookstores across Canada nominating (and voting on) anyone in publishing.” The King’s Co-op Bookstore was also nominated for the campus bookseller of the year Libris Award.

“It’s also what I like to read,” he continues.

BY: JOHN SANDHAM

he was in Cuba doing research for a novel he was planning to write. One afternoon, Kimber asked his guide if he thought Cuban-American relations would improve with the recent Presidential election of Barack Obama. The guide told Kimber he believed nothing would change “until they solve the problem of the five.” “From a practical standpoint,” Kimber says, “(the nomination will) bring attention to this book, which is important. (It will) get the message out that there is this story (about the Cuban Five) that isn’t very well known or understood in Canada.” The longlist of 10 nominees in the non-fiction category will be trimmed down to a shortlist in April, with the winner being announced on June 2. |w

The idea for the book came to Kimber “totally by accident” a few years ago when The Watch | April 2014 | @kingswatch 5

FINALLY DONE!

BY: JILLIAN MORGAN

Photo: Madi Haslam Nearly all of Alex Hall’s west wing has been rebuilt. With entirely new ceilings and walls, along with better insulation, and electrical and heating systems, students returned to see a brand new building. “It’s been a very extensive renovation,” said facilities director Alex Doyle. “This is the first chance that, not only the King’s community, but students and everybody can see what it means to make a change in these rooms. I think the students will be very pleased with the result of their rooms. It looks like a brand new building.” With a total retrofit of Alex Hall, King’s could expect to save 50 per cent in electrical costs. However it’s uncertain if renovations to the bay residences will take place. “Hopefully we can find the monies to do (the East wing of Alex Hall),” Doyle said. “Then we would do the Bays. (Radical Bay) is the oldest. It was built in 1929 and there have been no major improvements since so it’s in desperate need of a facelift.”

able to “get well over $1 million of work done for just $10,000,” as most of the costs were covered by insurance. Repairs to the fourth floor were mostly cosmetic with the exception of the room where the original leak was discovered, which has since been completely rebuilt. On the third floor, at least 60 to 70 per cent of the floor was removed. The second and first floors are currently under construction. Thermostats were also “streamlined so that there will be one to control each room in the room it controls,” Doyle is quoted saying in the council meeting. Marina Duggan, a second-year student who lived at the Lord Nelson, is hopeful that the changes made to Alex Hall will make for a more comfortable living experience.

Doyle mentioned in a Feb. 23 student council meeting that “if (King’s) were to try to improve energy efficiency in the bays we would need a total retrofit.”

“Last year was really annoying because it might be too cold or too hot in one room and it made everyone uncomfortable,” said Duggan, “I like the idea of everyone having their own temperatures because not everyone is used to the same heat. I hate the cold, but the person in the room next to me might like it.”

“Everything that’s going back in (Alex Hall) is energy efficient,” said Doyle. “All the lighting is LED and it’s 85 per cent more efficient than what was in there before. It’s going to make a major difference.”

In the meeting, Doyle explained that the renovations have taken much longer than expected because “the damage has been more extensive than could have been anticipated.”

Doyle said in the meeting that King’s was

“Until the work is done and the bills sub-

mitted we won’t know the cost of the work at Alex Hall,” said bursar Jim Fitzpatrick. “By May the final accounting should be done.” All students moved back into Alex Hall between March 31 and April 5. “Moving down to the Lord Nelson was pretty stressful, as a lot of us got in the night before classes started,” said Duggan. “However the walking has been good exercise and I think everyone had gotten a chance to be a part of the city as a whole more. Not just a member of the campus life.” “From the sounds of things they really couldn’t have guessed that this would happen. Most say it was because of the snaps of cold and warmth we got over the winter break,” said Duggan. “Probably the only way something like this could be avoided in the future would be to keep the building at a steady temperature at all times and change the piping. With old buildings like on campus it’s pretty likely that the older pieces won’t last.” Facilities are currently working on a Flickr account displaying the different stages of the renovation. |w

Funding a Solution

BY: SEAN MOTT

Paying for tuition is a major concern for students in Nova Scotia. Those who don’t have scholarships, family support or student loans have to take on part-time jobs to pay for their studies. It’s a difficult issue to solve. Rebecca Zimmer faced this problem of tuition payment and came up with a creative solution: Crowdsourcing. Zimmer, a 26-year-old student from Saskatchewan, is in the one-year bachelor of journalism program at King’s. Over December, she worked to pay for half of her tuition, which totals around $10,000. She then applied for a bursary and got another quarter amount of the money she needed. She was unable to get a student loan so she was left with around $1,000 in unpaid tuition. That’s when she got a fresh idea. “I commented on Facebook that I needed 200 people to send me $5,” she said. “I said it as a joke but a whole bunch of people said, ‘I’ll give you $5.’ “A couple of people said I should crowdsource.” Crowdsourcing involves setting up an account online where people can donate money to a cause or project. Zimmer’s account, which was set up at gofundme.com, quickly surpassed her goal of $1,000. While she initially saw it as “begging on the Internet instead of begging on the street,” she’s grateful for the help. “I was so happy to have that much support

Photo: Sean Mott in my corner,” Zimmer said. “It was overwhelming how people loved me and believed in me.” Tracey Pelham, another journalism student at King’s, donated $100 to Zimmer’s cause. Pelham is in a good financial position and knew she could help Zimmer. “I just felt for her,” she said. “She should be able to get her education.” “In her situation, what other option do you have?” Pelham added. “You either do nothing and you can’t get your education or you ask people for help. “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that.”

A HOST of Opportunies The King’s history of science and technology program has come into money, receiving over $222,000 in grants from the Social Science and Humanities Research Council. The smaller $22,000 grant is for the HOST department’s international workshop on history of marine sciences, in honour of Eric Mills. The workshop, in June 2014, is organized in partnership with York University, Dalhousie University, the Nova Scotia Institute of Science, and others. “(Mills) was teaching at Dalhousie and because he loved the history of science so much, he created with Gordon McOuat the history of science and technology program,” program director Melanie Frappier said. “So it’s kind of a way to celebrate his

Zimmer recommends crowdsourcing for students who have run out of options. “It’s not for everybody,” she said. “You have to accept that you need help and for some people that’s hard to do. “You shouldn’t feel ashamed about it. You have to let your guard down.” While Zimmer can’t reimburse donators, she wants them to know their help is appreciated. “I’m definitely going to do something for the people who helped,” she said. “I have a list of everyone who donated.” |w

BY: GRACE KENNEDY

career and what he has done for the college.” The second grant, coming in at over $200,000, will help fund Gordon McOuat’s project of developing research and teaching partnerships with universities in China and South East Asia. This money will fund the project for several years. The grant may enable McOuat to bring researchers from countries like India or Singapore to King’s to interact with the community by teaching courses, leading reading groups, or meeting with students.

have students go and study in South East Asia and in China, and have them come back and tell us about their experience and enrich what’s happening in the world.” The grants indicate that these projects are some of “the best research projects in the humanities in Canada right now,” Frappier said. Students are also encouraged to engage in these projects. “Although it’s a faculty member that’s received this, it’s done in the King’s spirit of ‘we want to bring students along for the ride.” |w

“That’s going to be quite an exciting adventure,” Frappier said about McOuat’s project. “We hope that eventually we’ll be able to The Watch | April 2014 | @kingswatch 7

SPOILED GREENS

BY: SABINA WEX

They were supposed to get a kegger, but North Pole Bay got a pizza party instead. They didn’t mind; they happily ate the free pizza given to them by Sustainability King’s for their victory in Green Olympics. The next day, the cardboard pizza boxes had been disposed into the garbage instead of the recycling. “Green week is not putting a Bristol board, glitter scoreboard at the bottom of your bay trying to win a kegger, that’s not what creates environmental change,” Chapel Bay resident Matthew Apostolides said. North Pole Bay had collected over 400 bottles for Green Week’s bottle drive. All of the money collected from returning the bottles was given to Friends of Gilda, an organization that provides cancer information to patients. Sustainability King’s held their annual Green Week from Feb. 24 to Mar. 1. Bays and floors in Alex Hall competed in Green Olympics to discover which residence is the most environmentally conscious. Each bay or floor had a representative who asked the residents about their shower times, collected garbage bags from them for weighing purposes, and checked if lights were on in rooms when no one was home. “I hope that, especially resident students, were made more aware of their habits,” Sustainability officer Brianna Aird said, “and about reducing waste, particularly food waste.” One competition in Green Olympics was seeing how much waste the bays and Alex Hall wasted in Prince Hall. For two dinners of Green Week, a Sustainability executive would sit with two garbage bins—one for each residence—to weigh at the end of the night to discover which residence wastes more food. Sustainability president Heather Brimicombe said the Sodexo staff was shocked by the large decrease of food waste during those two nights that Sustainability collected it. Apostolides works for Sodexo 15 to 20 hours per week. He said the amount of food waste hasn’t changed since those two nights during Green Week. 8 The Watch | April 2014 | @kingswatch

“I’m just looking at this girl, sitting there on her iPhone with her nails freshly painted holding a disposable Tim Hortons cup wearing all new clothes,” Apostolides said. “I look at that, and I think, how are you supposed to take someone like that seriously when they’re saying, ‘Yeah, this is going to create change,’ when they’re embodying exactly what’s wrong?” Green Week also consisted of a mini ecofair with organizations like the Ecology Action Centre, a clothing swap, and talks by King’s professor Stephen Snobelen and Green Party Member of Parliament Bruce Hyer. Aird and Brimicombe said that most of the Green Week events went well. But this is the first Green Week that they’ve held events other than just Green Olympics and the Dark n’ Dirty Challenge, a series of environmental prompts for day students. “We were expanding horizons in the best way possible,” Brimicombe said. “Obviously trying new things out, there’s going to be some slip-ups here and there, and some things could have been done better.” Brimicombe added that Sustainability is creating a list of things to improve on for next year. Aird said she wants to spread this year’s Green Week events throughout the year, except Green Olympics and Dark n’ Dirty. She added that she wants to host a conference in the first few weeks of school to teach students about environmental issues and to teach them how to take environmental action. “The whole point of sustainability is not having something that just happens once and nobody really remembers,” Apostolides said, “it’s about creating long-lasting change.” |w

Not Interested

BY: SOPHIE ALLEN-BARRON

The announcement that the Nova Scotia provincial government would be eliminating interest from provincial student loans came as welcome news to many Bluenosers, especially in light of the proposed three per cent hike in tuition fees. But Nova Scotians looking to stay in the province post-grad have other things to take into consideration. Genevieve Fay said she was excited by the prospect of the eliminated interest. “During the last election there was a lot of talk about eliminating interest on student loans, and it sort of seemed like a pipe dream because rarely does the government do nice things for students.” Fay is a second-year King’s student studying international development at Dalhousie. A day student who lives with her family in Halifax, Fay initially received her loan in her first year. Her skepticism preceded the government’s announcement that it will be eliminating a tax rebate which allowed graduates choos-

ing to remain in the province a maximum of $2,500 annually. Finance Minister Diana Whalen announced the cut April 3.

The Breakdown It may sometimes seem as though Ontario rules the quad. However, the Maritime Provinces Higher Education Commission reported that Nova Scotia permanent residents accounted for 431 out of 1169 students enrolled at King’s in the 2012-2013 school year, or about 37 per cent. Statistics Canada reported that Nova Scotia has the third highest average tuition in the country with $6,185 per year, only falling behind Ontario and Saskatchewan. Comparatively, the countrywide average is $5,772. With fees, the average King’s arts student pays $7,900 annually. Science students pay a bit more at about $8,800, and journalism students pay between $8,100 and $10,200 a year (students in the one year BJ program pay a higher price).

Those studying in the Maritimes are reported to have the highest student debt in the country, with a national average of $28,000. In contrast, the average Nova Scotia provincial loan is $5,600. Borrowers with a loan of that size stand to save about $800 in interest. Canadian students are reported to take an average of ten years to repay their government loans. Whether the province’s decision to eliminate both the tax rebate and the interest benefits students overall is hard to say. However, the interest elimination program will cost the provincial government an expected $1.6 million a year, while the tax rebate set them back an estimated $49.5 million. The elimination of interest applies to residents of Nova Scotia with a direct-lend style loan. The tax rebate applied to any student choosing to live|wand work in Nova Scotia after graduation.

Wardroom Renovations: Ongoing? Worn-in couches, rickety tables and what some might refer to as a mysterious musky smell. To an outsider, these characteristics aren’t appealing, but to a King’s student, they sound like home. The Wardroom is famous for its cozy, laid back atmosphere. But after celebrating its 35th birthday last month, some students joke that the bar might still have its original furniture. “It’s kind of like a dad’s basement,” said Taylor Saracuse, a fourth-year student at King’s and a bartender at the Wardroom. Although King’s students love the ‘homey’ charm that the Wardroom offers, facility workers have been talking about renovating the space for quite some time. The challenge is keeping a balance between the ‘basement’ feel students know and love while still managing to upgrade the bar and make it an overall cleaner and more comfortable place. Plans posted in the Wardroom demonstrate the proposed ideas for the renovation and claim that the upgrade will begin happen-

ing this summer. Some students are skeptical. “Advancement has announced there is going to be an update in The Wardroom this summer,” says Saracuse. “That being said, I’ve heard that every summer since I’ve been a first-year.” It seems to be one of those things where there has just been a lot of under funding and more urgent things have always come up. Alex Doyle, director of facilities at the university, was unable to comment. Erin McIntosh, a first-year student and avid pool player at the Wardroom, is excited about the renovations and hopes they happen soon. “I fell in love with The Wardroom during frosh week,” says McIntosh. “ King’s to me is the Wardroom, but it definitely needs some TLC. As long as the renovations don’t attempt to modernize the bar too much I would love to see some upgrades happen.” Kaitlynn Burns, also a first-year, agrees with McIntosh.

BY: MADDIE JOHNSON

“I like the idea of a renovation,” says Burns. “But I would hate to come back to school in the fall and have the Wardroom closed because of it.” If the renovation does not take place this summer, the Wardroom staff hope that some improvements will still take place, at least behind the bar. “There are just a lot of simplistic things that need to be in place in order for it to be a more functioning bar,” says Saracuse. Much like everything else at King’s, the Wardroom has been around for quite some time and students cherish the bar in a special place in their hearts. Students are cautious about a full renovation but almost all would agree that some upgrades are necessary. As to when the renovation will actually take place, that is still a mystery. |w

Check out Page 19 to see what the Wardroom could be in 2015. The Watch | April 2014 | @kingswatch 9

Twelfth Night

REVIEWED

BY: JEREMY FOOTE

The KTS production of William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, directed by Bryn Shaffer, is a wonderful blend of playful melodrama and intense longing. The plot is well known: the young Viola finds herself shipwrecked in Illyria, and joins the retinue of Duke Orsino under the guise of a young man named Cesario. Orsino thinks himself in love with the lady Olivia, who in turn falls in love with ‘Cesario’, and of course Viola is in love with Orsino himself. It’s a love triangle with one great twist – at least, before Viola’s brother Sebastian arrives in Illyria and the cases of mistaken identity become truly ridiculous. Every single member of the cast and crew served to breathe some life into this well-known tale, but the show revolves primarily around Miranda Jones’ Viola, Mike Tucker’s Duke Orsino and Stephanie Hood’s Olivia. Each of the main characters is fully realized, dancing gracefully through the back-and-forth of unrequited love. Jones shows a nice depth as Viola: the audience sees just how much she struggles with her disguise as it works entirely too well on the enraptured Olivia. Tucker all but steals his scenes as the Duke – the spa scene is probably the most noteworthy – and he knows how to play off of Jones’ energy. Hood is also quite strong as the dominant Olivia, who knows what she wants and is not afraid to say it. Of course, one cannot go far without mentioning the colorful secondary characters. Leading the charge is Tom Lute as the smarmy and magnificently self-absorbed steward Malvolio, who is led to believe through a letter planted by Meg Collins’ canny Maria that his lady Olivia is in love with him. Rounding out the deception are the perpetually drunk Sir Toby, his friends Sir Andrew Aguecheek and Fabian, and finally Feste the fool, played by Jonny Bolduc, Alexandra Eaton, Claire Burnard and Kya Mosey respectively. Their ensemble scenes provide arguably the best comedic chemistry of the play. Mosey’s Feste is particularly amusing with her turn as a priest who appears to taunt Malvolio. Brody Wilkinson-Martin and Rolando Argueta also make a solid showing as Sebastian and his companion Antonio. What the pair lack in enunciation is more than made up for with feeling and a wonderful sense of camaraderie throughout. All of the secondary personae are unique and memorable, and although there were a few line interruptions, these characters give the best laughs of the show. The running gag of John Maize as Valentine – Orsino’s musical aficionado – hilariously butchering well-known songs on the recorder works well to cover up most of the awkward scene transitions. Various members of the cast dancing from point A to point B helps as well, but there still is a noticeable, if necessary, amount of ‘dead air’ between certain scenes. Shaffer’s choice to set Twelfth Night in the Roaring Twenties works well to aestheticize the crucial cross-dressing (the mustaches!) elements of the play, but aside from wonderful set and prop design, there is little reason to do so other than to get away from the typical Elizabethan setting. Ultimately, the play does the setting justice, and the universally strong performances from cast and crew made Twelfth Night a must-see. |w Photos: Olivia Rempel 10 The Watch | April 2014 | @kingswatch

REVIEWED

Melancholy Play BY: AMELIA WILDING

I will admit, with the hip-hype surrounding the phrase ‘Why are you like an almond?’, I was expecting Melancholy Play not to meet the expectations it had set up for itself. Sarah Ruhl’s melancholy melodrama is a difficult play to navigate, with a script that is demanding of its actors’ emotional timing and range. However, Josh Feldman, a first-year in his KTS directorial debut, manages to navigate Ruhl’s complicated script with little fault and delivers an unexpectedly humorous and charming piece of theatre. Melancholy Play follows the life of Tilly, a chronic melancholic, and her interactions with individuals who, more often than not, fall in love with her. Played by Simone Hogeveen, Tilly’s wistful demeanor and attraction entice both the audience and the other characters. Tilly could easily be a flat, whimsical character, lacking any real substance, but Hogeveen fully embraces melodrama to accentuate Tilly’s deep sense of self. Thomas Jestin, as Lorenzo, is the perfect misplaced European. Jestin is a comedic force, especially as the lovesick therapist who ends up self-medicating to get over his attraction to Tilly. However, he sometimes overdoes the melodrama, and his mixed accent muffles many of his hilarious lines. Tilly’s true love, Frank, played by Matt Buckman, is a stoic tailor who delights in Tilly’s melancholia and is suddenly not attracted to her once she is overcome with happiness. Buckman brings subtle grace and emotion to the role; his interactions with Hogeveen are earnest and his paired monologues with Justine Christensen, as Frances, are well executed. Christensen, a newcomer to the KTS, subtly conveys an array of emotions through her interaction with other characters and her incredible transformation at the climax of the play (no spoilers, I promise). Playing opposite Frances’ melancholia and obsession with Tilly, is her partner, Maddie Harper’s Joan. Harper does well with the role and especially delights the audience with her enthusiasm for duck-duck-goose; Joan’s problems are entirely scriptbased, as her character doesn’t quite seem to fit with the rest of the play’s melodramatic characters. One of the most stunning and effective components of Melancholy Play was the musical accompaniment by Eliza Niemi on the cello. The cello’s inherent melancholic tones accentuated the more melodramatic moments of the play. Niemi brought a fullness to the production with music that drew the audience further into Tilly’s story. Benjamin Singbeil’s simple set design leant itself to eased transitions from scene-to-scene, and the floating window frames were provocative and effective in design. Lights, by the trifecta of Dylan Tate-Howarth, Alex Bryant and John Maize, and Josh Fraser’s sound design completed the production’s scenes. Clarice Diebold and Genevieve Nickle designed simple and well-suited make-up and costumes, respectively. The only technical distraction was green masking tape on the floor, where black duct tape may have been an easy fix. The answer to “Why are you like an almond?” is still unknown, but congratulations to Feldman on a fine inaugural production. |w Photos: Evan McIntyre The Watch | April 2014 | @kingswatch 11

DROPPING

OUT

BY: SABINA WEX

Photo: Paul Rebar After learning about Plato’s Philosopher King, Carrie (not real name) noticed how FYP students felt as though they were at the same level as Plato’s intellectual ruler. “I think that people kind of started to espouse a kind of pretentiousness and sense of superiority because we felt that we were reaching the highest intellectual peak,” Carrie said. “I can’t get on board with (that) because I think it’s kind of ironic and demeans the whole point to philosophy.” Carrie didn’t return to King’s after the winter break. FYP lost 18 students from Dec. 1, 2013 to March 1, 2014, according to a draft from King’s enrolment management. Withdrawal rates have been slowly increasing for four years, with two students dropping out in 2009/10, to 10 students leaving in 2012/13, to 18 students gone this year. Carrie enjoys philosophy, but felt that King’s limited her ability to interpret it. She expected FYP to incorporate history and literature to allow for a better understanding of the texts, but she realized earlier on 12 The Watch | April 2014 | @kingswatch

that philosophy was the main focus. “When writing a FYP essay, there was only the opportunity to speak from the writer’s perspective, and in many ways just reiterate what the writer was saying,” Carrie said. “Whereas if you try to inflict any opinion on it—and even if you did back it up very specifically—because you are contradicting the text, you are automatically wrong.” Marie (not real name) also dropped out of FYP this year, but in February. She had seen the reading list for FYP and knew that there would be constant essay writing, but she said she didn’t realize how hard FYP would be. “I literally felt like I came from grade nine and went to university,” Marie said. “It just always felt like I couldn’t get a good mark.” At an enrolment town hall meeting on March 31, FYP director Daniel Brandes recommended adding a writing sample to the admissions process. Brandes argued that an applicant’s writing sample can show her potential to learn how to write a strong FYP paper. By admitting stronger

applicants, the students will likely be less stressed when writing papers. “Anything we can do to be precise in terms of making sure that students are going to be successful here is a good thing,” King’s registrar Elizabeth Yeo said. “(But) we need to make sure that we’re not inadvertently setting up a barrier to students coming here.” Both Marie and Carrie cited mental health issues as one of the factors that led them to withdraw from FYP. Yeo, who also sits on the enrolment management committee, said that many students have recommended that the school provide more mental health resources. At the enrolment town hall, FYP associate director Susan Dodd mentioned that many FYP students visit Dal Counselling throughout the winter. But because of Dalhousie and King’s high demand for counselling, Dal Counselling can only service students in the short-term. Yeo said she believes that early intervention with students is a good way to prevent more withdrawals from FYP. This year,

Dodd was completely focused on student affairs. Yeo said that the communication between Dodd and the FYP tutors gave many students the opportunity to speak with Dodd about their options for success in the program. “I realized part way through that I valued anonymity and I didn’t have that,” Carrie said, “and I didn’t really have any of the space I needed.” Marie, who comes from Nova Scotia, said she felt like she had “to be from Toronto” to fit in with other King’s students. She added that skirts and dresses were fancy for her high school, but at King’s, it wasn’t an anomaly. When Marie told her friends that she was going to leave King’s, she used a personal problem to cover up that she couldn’t afford to stay at King’s. The school hadn’t given her any bursaries. “I wasn’t going to stay and waste more of my money that I saved forever if I’m just going to fail,” Marie said. Yeo said that in the past five to seven years, she has been told that more and more students have dropped out of other universities. “Anything that’s happening at King’s seems to be reflecting a larger trend,” Yeo said. The recession has made post secondary education a financial burden for some families and many students must obtain part-time jobs to continue their education. Yeo worries that balancing a job with school creates more stress for students.

Above: Hannah Martin, who is currently studying Photography at NSCAD, left FYP this year. Below: Alex Fraser also left FYP to study Nautical Sciences at Dalhousie. (Photos: Paul Rebar)

At the enrolment town hall meeting, KSU president Michaela Sam, who was also part of the enrolment management committee, mentioned that the school wants to provide more on-campus jobs, but has few resources to do so. Both Marie and Carrie are working full-time jobs now. Marie is unsure of her plans for next year, but Carrie will attend a different university next year. “FYP is such a fantastic program for the right person,” Carrie said, “and I just wasn’t that person.” |w

Editors’ Note Marie and Carrie asked that their names removed from this piece because they share personal information about their mental health and personal/family finances.

The Watch | April 2014 | @kingswatch 13

KING’S On a sheet of ice, in an area of town King’s students seldom venture, an age old rivalry was rekindled. The third annual King’s Cup went down at the Halifax Forum on March 14. It pit team Alex Hall against a team representing the Bays. It was a hard fought game, but the Bays’ men and women ended up winning the cup 3-2. Goals scored by the Bays were by Reid Plaxton (2) and Silas Brown. John McDonald and Thomas McCrossin put points on the board for Alexandra Hall.

14 The Watch | April 2014 | @kingswatch

Jacob Saltzman duked it out with Sam Legere in the third period. With DJ Gabe Flaherty providing pump up tunes, a great time was had by all. “The 2014 King’s Cup, prodly sponsored by vodka in a Gatorade bottle,” said one student on the game’s facebook event page. Bay captains: Silas Brown and Jacob Saltzman. Alex Hall captains: Sam Legere and Owen Melanson

CUP ‘14

BY: EVAN MCINTYRE

The Watch | April 2014| @kingswatch 15

S ’ G N I K E INSID

BY: EVAN MCINTY

3 5

Gary Thorne is the chaplain at King’s. His office is located on campus in the hallway near the A&A building’s lobby. He gave The Watch a tour of his office. 1. Chess Board: I bought that chessboard in Morocco. I went there for three weeks with my daughter when I retired after 24 years in the military. I brought it back because I wanted people, as soon as they came in to my office, to know that this was a place where nothing is in a hurry; where conversations can go on for a long time and there can be lots of pauses. It represents a notion where two people can be with one another and be in conversation without words - in the same way that two people playing chess might focus on the board, knowing that they’re present very much to one another, but in silence. So, that’s the type of mood and context that I wanted to create for students, faculty and others coming to the office. 16 The Watch | April 2014 | @kingswatch

2. Window: I was the rector of St. George’s round church down on Brunswick street from 1989-2006. In 1994 there was a fire that did $6 million dollars of damage. Three young people, aged seven, eight, and nine, caused the fire. That’s one of the old windows from the church.

was in the chalice, it had become a slushie. At Harry lake, we start communion in the dark, facing east so we can be embraced by the rising sun.

I just reminds me of the church, the 17 years I spent there, forgiveness (for the boys) and the fire. It’s a beautiful piece.

6. Purim Mask: Two Jewish students came by a few weeks ago. Purim is a feast where people dress up and give each other gifts it’s a real community thing. How special it is for students to come and include me as a part of their community and their gift giving. This is a beautiful inclusive, embracing outreach that was a wonderful demonstration of a healthy faith community.

3. Painting: In 2008/09 there was a beautiful painting of the burning of St. George’s church that was stolen from this office. This outdoor painting was done by Jane Bruce-Robertson, an artist from Ithaca, New York. 4. Painting: The lower painting was done by our artist in residence in 2010, Andra Striowski. She also painted Colin Starnes’ portrait in Prince Hall. It is of having communion at Harry Lake during our winter retreat. It was so cold that morning, that five minutes after the wine

5. Robes: These are just robes that I use when I go to chapel. They cover up the messy clothes I have on sometimes.

7. Purple Stoll: This is traditionally what a priest wears when someone comes to make a confession. It hangs there to acknowledge the fact that any conversation that happens in this room is entirely confidential and private and won’t be shared with anybody. |w

Personal Credits Notice

If you received a Common Experience Payment, you could get $3,000 in Personal Credits for educational programs and services. The Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement. The healing continues. Since 2007, almost 80,000 former students have received a Common Experience Payment (“CEP”) as part of the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement. CEP recipients are now eligible to receive non-cash Personal Credits of up to $3,000, for either themselves or certain family members, for educational programs and services.

of multiple CEP recipients can be combined to support a group learning activity. How can I get Personal Credits? Each CEP recipient will be mailed an Acknowledgement Form. If you do not receive an Acknowledgement Form by the end of January 2014, please call 1-866-343-1858. Completed Acknowledgement Forms should be returned as soon as possible and must be postmarked no later than October 31, 2014.

What are Personal Credits? Personal Credits may be used for a wide range of educational programs and services, including those provided by universities, colleges, trade or training schools, Indigenous Institutions of Higher Learning, or which relate to How do I redeem my Personal Credits? Once approved, you literacy or trades, as well as programs and services related to will be sent a personalized Redemption Form for each individual using Personal Credits at each educational Aboriginal identities, histories, cultures entity or group. Once the Form is received, or languages. CEP recipients have the option of provide it to the educational entity or group How much are Personal Credits? sharing their Personal Credits with listed. The educational entity or group Adequate funds are available for each CEP certain family members, such as: must then complete and mail back the recipient to receive up to $3,000 in Personal • Children • Spouses Redemption Form postmarked no later than Credits, depending on your approved • Grandchildren • Siblings December 1, 2014. educational expenses. Which educational entities and groups are included? A list of approved educational entities and groups has been jointly developed by Canada, the Assembly of First Nations and Inuit representatives. If an educational entity or group is not on the list, please consult the website for more information. Will I receive a cheque? No. Cheques will be issued directly to the educational entity or group providing the service. Who can use Personal Credits? CEP recipients can use the full amount themselves or give part or all of their Personal Credits to certain family members such as a spouse, child, grandchild or sibling, as defined in the terms and conditions. Personal Credits

What happens to unused Personal Credits? The value of unused Personal Credits will be transferred to the National Indian Brotherhood Trust Fund and Inuvialuit Education Foundation for educational programs. For more information, including how Personal Credits can be redeemed by certain family members of CEP recipients that are deceased, visit www.residentialschoolsettlement.ca or call 1-866-343-1858. The IRS Crisis Line (1-866-925-4419) provides immediate and culturally appropriate counselling support to former students who are experiencing distress.

1-866-343-1858 • www.residentialschoolsettlement.ca

Opinions

On Quebec’s Mockery of Democracy BY: CHARLOTTE HARRISON

I guess I never really considered what it would feel like to be denied the right to vote. With Canadian voter turnout so low these past few years, especially in the under-25 bracket, we’re used to worrying about the opposite problem: how to get people to care about exercising their democratic rights. So it was kind of exciting to hear friends and acquaintances in Montreal, my home since September, talking about the April 7 provincial election as though it mattered. The controversial Quebec Charter of Values is certainly a factor; many students are opposed to the banning of non-Christian symbols from the public sector. It was this issue that put the fire in my young-voter’s heart as I made my way to the Atwater metro station to register on Sunday, March 24. I studied French at Dalhousie in conjunction with my journalism degree, and remember discussing French nationalism. Certainly France has a rich and valuable cultural history, from Gide to Cézanne, Sartre to Monet— I don’t think anyone could deny that. But racism has been bound up in French values for as long as there was something to cry “Vive la” about. Ghettoization and marginalization of immigrants has come to be expected in France, but not in Canada, which prides itself on valuing multiculturalism. And the Parti Québécois is well aware of this, so is doing their darndest to suppress votes that are unlikely to be in their favour—namely those from Anglophones and students. My boyfriend Symon is both of these, and since we share a lease, we were invited to have our eligibility considered together. 18 The Watch | April 2014 | @kingswatch

The registration took place in a hoity-toity office above a mall, and as soon as we stepped out of the elevator, students were warning us not to bother—we won’t be voting in this election. Still, not to be deterred, we took a number and seated ourselves in the waiting area. The three requirements for voter eligibility as outlined on the official government website are “be 18 years old or more; be a Canadian citizen; be domiciled in Québec for six months,” so I had packed my Canadian passport and our lease (which began August 1, 2013). I also had my driver’s license and my health care card on hand, both registered in Nova Scotia. While waiting our turn, we noticed a young woman enter. She was immediately taken aside by one of the government representatives, an older Québécois man, who asked her whether she was a student. “I don’t see how that’s relevant,” she replied, to which he answered sternly, “It’s relevant because I say it’s relevant,” and proceeded to lecture her on the notion of “domiciled”, which ambiguous term has been the source of all this commotion. Even if potential voters appear to have all the required documentation, they can still be denied if the representatives decide there isn’t sufficient proof of being “domiciled.” A domicile is not the same as a residence; it’s possible to have several residences, but legally, you only have one domicile. The Civic Code of Quebec states that “the domicile of a person … is at the place of his principal establishment,” and further that “change of domicile is effected by actual residence in another place coupled with the intention of the person to make it the seat of his principal establishment.”

Legally, I shouldn’t be required to show proof of Quebec health care or a Quebec driver’s license, so long as I’m capable of demonstrating that I’ve been living here. When we did finally make it to the other side of the partition, where three representatives invited us to be seated on the opposite side of the table, we were quickly told that we didn’t qualify. “Are you students?” they asked—I said ‘no’, but I don’t think they believed me. “Have you worked here?” I have, as a cashier at a grocery store, but I didn’t bring a T4 because it isn’t required by law. “A lease isn’t enough,” they said when I presented my papers. “Even if you bought a condo here, it wouldn’t necessarily be enough.” “‘Domiciled’ is where your heart and soul is,” one representative told the group in the waiting area. I’d need a whole other article to tell you how much I love this city, which is certainly in my heart and soul forever. I tried speaking French, but no one was listening. We were ushered out with a photocopy of the Election Act, which didn’t answer my question at all: |w Who are they to say I don’t belong here?

Charlotte Harrison was Editor-in-Chief of the Watch in 2011-2012. She graduated from King’s in 2013 and currently lives in Montreal, where she is a freelance writer.

Visions of The Wardroom BY: ERIN McDONALD

When you return in September, you just might see a brand new Wardy, complete with: exotic animals, gambling machines, “dance” poles, “dancers,” weekly Chad Kroeger performances, departures and arrivals signs, cheesy graffiti art, chandeliers, Moet Chandon Rose

#RIP @KINGSNEWSHFX “I did it for me.” - Walter White.

I guess it’s time for me to announce my retirement. If you didn’t know already, I’m the person behind the satirical, ALLCAPS twitter account, @kingsnewshfx. I started it last February, because I wanted to say dumb things online without them being attributed to me. I’d like to thank anyone who favourited, retweeted, or replied to my tweets. In doing so, you gave me the unnecessary attention I desired and inflated my ego. We need to kill some space so here’s some of the more popular tweets. Evan McIntyre

The Watch | April 2014 | @kingswatch 19

the kijiji find of the year BY: SYDNEY JONES

Kevin Leitch and Michelle Manette are practically strangers, but their blood tells a different story. “If I knew I had a daughter I would have named her Elizabeth,” says Kevin softly. “I always liked the name.”

After many online attempts to find Kevin, Michelle says she started to lose hope. “I was running out of ideas to do it privately,” she says. “And then I found these ads on Kijiji for long-lost relationships.”

Michelle said she was skeptical about the e-mail. To verify that he was her biological father, Michelle asked Kevin where he might have met her mother for the first time. He replied with a specific address in Dartmouth.

“I drove myself crazy since I was 11 years old trying to find him,” says Michelle, her eyes finding Kevin’s on the other side of the room. They are the colour of a dark knot in driftwood. Behind his glasses, Kevin’s eyes are a deep brown; almost perfectly matching hers.

“I sort of got that feeling growing up like when twins have that sensation that there’s someone else out there,” she says. Michelle says she was raised by her mother and step-father with little information on who her biological father was. “I observed my family a lot growing up and I realized I was a lot taller than them, a lot darker,” says Michelle with a thoughtful frown. “I had thick brown hair and everyone had blue eyes and blond hair.” The only solid information Michelle had on her biological father was the name: “Kevin Leach.”

Kijiji is a website for classified ads that is open to the public. Michelle says she discovered many ads written by people seeking their biological parents. She decided to post her own “wanted” ad, and wrote a quick paragraph which included her mother’s name and the name of her biological father, spelt “L-E-A-C-H”. “My ad went viral, from Kijiji to everybody else’s Facebook pages, which I didn’t even know about,” says Michelle. “Within three days, my ad went from 200 to 10,000 views.” Michelle’s fiancé Michael MacCaull was astounded by the results; “It was kind of weird

“I thought it was spelt either L-E-E-C-H or L-E-A-C-H,” says Michelle. For 15 years, Michelle searched. She tried Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, and even the phone book. But ‘Kevin Leach’ didn’t seem to exist. Though Michelle was driven to connect with her birth father, she worried about the outcome. “I put my search on hold because I always wanted to find him but there was a feeling that set me back,” says Michelle. “I didn’t want him to think I was coming to find him for money or child support or, you know, anything that would scare him.” 20 The Watch | April 2014 | @kingswatch

On January 8th, Michelle received an e-mail from her Kijiji ad. It read “Hello?” and was sent by the e-mail address: ‘kevingleitch66@gmail.com’. She then received an e-mail asking her what her date of birth was and whether she was male or female.

Kevin and Michelle sit across from each other in her apartment. She is getting ready in front of a mirror in her kitchen. In a few hours, she will be meeting her biological grandparents for the first time.

“It always felt like something was missing,” says Michelle.

at first, I was a little bit concerned,” he says.

Photo: Sydney Jones

“I had to go outside and have a cigarette, thinking of what I would say, I started pacing, thinking I probably shouldn’t have done this…,” says Michelle. “My biological father had found me.” “I’ve seen so many movies where adopted children try to find their biological parents and they’re rejected almost instantly,” she says. “I was preparing myself for that for so many years.” Kevin says he also had uncertainties about meeting Michelle for the first time. “I didn’t know if she was going to accept me for who I am,” says Kevin as he looks at Michelle across the room. “If she just wanted history and medical information that would have been fine with me…whatever she wanted.”

history and medical information that would have been fine with me…whatever she wanted.”

“He actually treats me like a newborn daughter,” says Michelle. “He goes around and shows people my pictures.”

Michelle says she always imagined her father as a lanky 21-year because that’s how her mother remembered him.

On January 23rd, Kevin and Michelle meet for the first time at a coffee shop. Kevin arrives first.

“He’s really taken an interest in her, it turned out way better than expected,” says Mike. “I mean from a Kijiji ad what really can you hope for.”

Both Michelle and Kevin say the biggest challenge with their new relationship is in how they divide their time between each other and the rest of their families.

In 26 years, the only time Kevin left Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, was to Calgary for a brief six-month trip.

“We’re trying to build this huge relationship but we’re also trying to maintain our own relationships,” says Michelle. “You have to remind the rest of your family, ‘I love you’.”

“I said ‘Michelle’, and she turned around and she got me,” says Kevin, shaking his head in disbelief. “The second I saw her I knew that I loved her and I knew she was part of me.” Over the next few hours, Michelle and Kevin talk about the beauty of bagpipe music, the frustration with being unable to carry a tune or play a guitar, and the guilty pleasure of smoking Canadian Classics cigarettes. “Neither of us wanted to tell each other that we smoke,” says Kevin with a light chuckle. “It was like ‘How can she be so much like me without me having been around?’” Kevin says he’s devastated that he missed out on so much of Michelle’s life. “Sometimes I feel disappointed,” he says calmly. “And I wonder what trials and tribulations I missed of hers.” “But there are still so many things you haven’t missed,” says Michelle as she hops off her chair and carefully removes a picture frame from the wall. “I don’t think I’ve ever shown you,” says Michelle as she hands a picture of her at her graduation to her father. “The middle dress is the one I wore.” The room is silent for a moment as Kevin’s dark brown eyes glide over the happy photograph.

“There are all these coincidences that drew us together,” says Michelle. When she was 21, Michelle lived on the same block as Kevin’s aunt; a place Kevin frequently visited. “Kimmy might have even talked to you,” says Kevin with a playful smile. But fate kept tempting them to meet. A few weeks after they met, Kevin took Michelle for a drive. As he rounded the corner onto his street, Michelle was shocked; he was driving down her mother’s street. “I’ve been down my mom’s street so many times this year,” says Michelle. “They only live a few blocks away from each other.” Had she run into him before they met, Michelle says she probably wouldn’t have suspected he was related to her. “My mom told me he had thick long black hair,” she says.

Editors’ Note: This story was written by Sydney Jones for her Foundations of Journalism course. While it isn’t about King’s, Syd pitched it and it was too good for us to pass up. At The Watch, we hope to promote and feature King’s students’ work as much as possible. If you have an great article that you think King’s students would be interested in reading (online or in print), email: watcheditors@gmail.com

“When you’re a kid, you have all these activities you can do, like go to the zoo, but at 26, the only thing I can really do is just spend more time with him,” she says. “We haven’t even dealt with the past yet,” says Kevin. “It’s just about what’s going on right now.” |w

FYP SURVEY We asked students in the Foundation Year Programme a few fun questions about the program. 54 students responded. Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s what they think.

I did about X/5 of my readings: 1. 4/5 - 42% 2. ALL OF THEM 19% 3. 3/5 - 17% 4. 1/5 - 10% 5. 2/5 - 7% 6. Not a lot - 5%