Issue 17, Vol. 147. The Brunswickan

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Volume 147 · January 22, 2014 · Issue 17

brunswickan canada’s oldest official student publication.

#STRIKELIFE

Alex Walsh / The Brunswickan

2 • January 22, 2014 • Issue 17 • Volume 147

BRUNSWICKANNEWS

thebruns.ca Check us out daily for all your strike information Dr. Richard E. Lee Optometrist

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New Patients Welcome

January 22, 2014 • Issue 17 • Volume 147 • 3

THE BRUNS

NEWS news@thebruns.ca

UNBSU organizing demonstration Pushing for more student involvement in negotiations

Council passed a motion Sunday night to organize a demonstration on behalf of students. Alex Walsh / The Brunswickan Cherise Letson News Editor The UNB Student Union is taking action against the job action.

On Sunday night, council passed a motion to host a demonstration on behalf of students.

The motion was put forward by vice-president finance Marc Gauvin, who said he was asked about it during the UNBSU general meeting last week.

“Some students had asked us if we would think of doing any kind of demonstration on behalf of students or anything of that matter,” Gauvin said.

Some councillors argued the need for the UNBSU, that’s chosen to remain

neutral during the strike, to show visible action.

“We should stand against the strike . . . I understand that collective bargaining is a right that you have in Canada, but you just don’t strike [to] have a week off.

You strike because you want something, and not talking doesn’t get you that thing faster,” said science councillor Mark Vangel.

“I just want to make [both parties] look like children. Because when they start losing support on both sides, they have no choice but to talk.”

LBGTQ representative Lee Thomas also brought up that many students are wondering what the UNBSU is doing for them, despite their neutral stance.

“We are hearing from a lot of students that everyone is claiming to have the student’s interest at heart but they feel like, [because what the Student Union is doing] isn’t anything visual, they can’t concretely say ‘this is what my Student Union is doing for me,’ ” Thomas said.

“They feel like their Student Union doesn’t have their back [either].”

An ad-hoc committee featuring members of the executive, council and any students who want to get involved will organize the demonstration. An exact date for the demonstration has yet to be set.

Council also passed a motion Sunday to encourage the university to include the UNBSU in any negotiations with

third parties where the outcome significantly affects students directly or indirectly.

“Doesn’t matter whether it’s a strike, a food contract or a new gym. The university makes decisions, they say they consulted with students and we’re stuck with what we got,” said UNBSU vice-president external Greg Bailey, who put forward the motion.

“Especially this week when we’ve got two sides saying they’re negotiating in the best interest of students. I think we put this on the books. We say ‘if you guys are really negotiating in our best interest, then let us have a seat at the table. It can’t be that hard.’ ” Though many councillors agreed

with the idea of the motion, many questions were asked regarding whether or not it would make any difference and what would be considered a “significant impact.”

Bailey said whether a particular negotiation will have a “significant impact” would be decided on a case-by-case basis. He said though the motion isn’t binding to the university, having it on record could provide some backing in future negotiations.

“Every year we have the same discussion and they keep ignoring us,” he said. “So it’s important to have it on the books so we can refer back to the fact that this is what students want.”

Sodexo laying off employees in wake of strike Nick Murray Editor-in-Chief The labour dispute has rippled into UNB’s food service provider.

Sodexo has already scaled back hours as students slowly head home during the strike. Many retail services on campus, including the grill in the Student Union Building, have already shut down. Sodexo district manager Anne McFetridge said as long as residences stay open, McConnell hall will remain at full service.

Employees with higher seniority status were given first choice on the available hours, but those whom Sodexo couldn’t accommodate were laid off. Those workers are permitted to seek employment elsewhere and those eligible could apply for unemployment, and collect if they are actively looking for work.

Sodexo has opened every available outlet for its employees to collect hours, including Aitken Centre events, and

many senior employees have exercised the option to work those shifts.

“As we reduce service levels, particularly in retail, those employees are offered an opportunity to bump into available job space based on their seniority,” McFetridge said. “The most junior ones, unfortunately, are the ones we don’t have work for. Traditionally our unionized staff don’t work concessions, but in an environment like this we’ll offer them anything that’s available.”

Sodexo kept certain retail outlets open including the coffee shop in the Harriet Irving Library and the Tim Hortons in the SUB. They also opened the grill for about two hours in week one of the strike for customers to purchase grab-and-go items like pizza.

McFetridge said they’re doing 25 to 30 per cent of a normal day in sales.

“It’s huge. We anticipated that Tim Hortons would be busier than it is, and we actually thought the library might be busier because in my past experience

the library becomes a popular place because students are focused on keeping up with work so they’re ready when the faculty comes back,” McFetridge said.

McFetridge has dealt with faculty strikes at Acadia, Mount Allison and StFX, and said she’s never dealt with a strike that started this early in the term.

In anticipation of a strike, Sodexo braced itself and reduced its delivery order before the Jan. 13 strike deadline. This way, not as much food will go to waste.

Sodexo is required under contract to keep providing service to residences, but retail outlets are a different story.

“We will never go to the university and say ‘We want to close residence dining,’ “ McFetridge said.

“They, as the client, have the option to say ‘You will close residence dining,’ but they are very sensitive to the fact that not everybody can pack their bags and go. They will always look over those students who don’t have a choice.

No question.”

Sodexo has been cutting back employees and hours of operation since the strike began. Karsten Saunders / The Brunswickan

4 • January 22, 2014 • Issue 17 • Volume 147

BRUNSWICKANNEWS

Campus pubs hope to remain open during strike Cherise Letson News Editor Pubs on campus plan to stay open during the strike – as long as they can, that is.

Patrick Hanson, manager of the Cellar, said if the strike hits the two to three week mark, they may have to consider closing down.

“I anticipate that if the strike goes on for two or three plus weeks, I’m guessing people are going home . . . right now we’re just playing it by ear and seeing how it goes,” Hanson said.

Hanson said the decision to stay open really depends on how many students are still going to the pub. But he said there may be other options instead of fully closing.

“There’s the possibility that we may look at just closing during the day, but still opening in the evenings,” Hanson said. “But again, it really just depends on how things progress in the coming weeks.”

The Cellar also has live acts booked over the next couple of months, something Hanson is keeping in mind.

“If we have to look at closing completely day and night, we’re going have

to look at still paying our guarantees we have with these bands,” Hanson said.

Fortunately, Hanson said the Cellar doesn’t set high guarantees in general, so they wouldn’t lose too much money.

He said there is also the option of opening just for shows.

“If you like the band, you’re coming to see the band. If you don’t like the band, you’re not going to see the band anyway . . . It’s as much of a concern as our regular Monday to Friday business,” Hanson said.

Upstairs at the Social Club, manager Matt Harris said they would stay open no matter how long the strike goes.

“The only thing I could possibly see happening is that we may adjust Friday to a slightly later open,” Harris said.

“Instead of opening at two, we might open sometime between five and seven, and that’s what we normally do going into long weekends.”

He said it’s important to remember that UNB students are not their only customers.

“We also can’t forget we’ve got STU and [community college] there as well. They’re still both operational.

I would suspect it would pretty much be regular hours.”

In case you missed it: WE’RE BACK! It’s a rather long story but we’ll be printing for at least the next five weeks. Check out the editorial at Thebruns.ca for full details!

The Cellar Pub will stay open if enough students keep drinking. Karsten Saunders / The Brunswickan

UNBSU working on back-to-work protocol Cherise Letson News Editor The University of New Brunswick Student Union is working on a backto-work protocol with the for when the strike ends.

In an open meeting with students last Thursday night, the UNBSU answered students’ general questions about the strike as well as what they’re currently doing about the situation.

“We’re speaking with a number of different parties and working on a backto-work protocol of the things we’d like to see going back into the start of school, plus a number of other things,” said UNBSU president Ben Whitney.

This back to work protocol will include a 48-hour notice before classes would resume. It will also include a timeline for when professors can expect work due and extending deadlines for adding and dropping courses.

When finalized, any changes to the academic calendar will also be included in the protocol.

“In terms of deciding how your term is affected, whether March break will be cancelled, whether a term will be extended, that will be determined through senate,” said UNBSU vicepresident internal Jenn Connolly.

“You’ll have student senators there backing up your interests to ensure your term’s the best it can be.”

Depending on how long the strike lasts, the university could look to compressing the semester. If that couldn’t work, they would look to taking away March break. The final option would be to extend the term. However, Whitney said this is nothing official.

In terms of finances, UNBSU vicepresident finance Marc Gauvin said students are losing around $48 worth of education each day. He said other schools in the past have asked for a

tuition rebate for prolonged missed time during a strike.

“This is something we’ve brought up, and the Saint John campus is also interested in pursuing, and we’ll be in talks with the university more as job action appears to be ending,” Gauvin said.

The UNBSU is still encouraging students to refrain from paying tuition, which the deadline has been suspended indefinitely.

Whitney said the UNBSU is still working with the university on what will happen with nursing students who need to require a certain amount of clinical hours to graduate.

“It’s really going to depend on what happens,” Whitney said. “We’re talking to the nursing society and our nursing councillor a lot in working around that, because we know that’s one program that’s short for time on any kind of movements. So that’s not firmly figured out yet, and that’s something we’re pushing for.”

The UNBSU’s proposals for the back-to-work protocol will be submitted to the university and the professors’ union AUNBT. Vice-president student services Chantel Whitman also said at the meeting that UNBSU services would see no changes, with the exception of SafeRide, which, if the strike prolongs, may drop down to one van.

Thursday night’s meeting was part of the UNBSU’s efforts to provide students with unskewed information about the negotiations.

“I think both parties believe that what they’re doing is right,” Whitney said.

“But I think at the end of the day there’s no one out there advocating solely for the student body, and that’s what we’re trying to do.”

W E I V OINT P

on What’s YOUR week? s i h t d n mi

Which of the issues being addressed by the strike situation is most important to you?

Ajayi Ronke

Brenden Lane

Chris Henderson-Berry

Dana Quinn

Drew Graham

“I don’t want any disruption with school.”

“I just want to graduate on time.”

“Withholding money, yet claiming we have small funds.”

“Tuition has been increasing over the past few years, so what have they been doing with that money?”

“After using the one-ply for 4 years, I want some of Eddy’s 3 ply toilet paper.”

Emily Burns

Mary-Kate Pond

Monique Boucher

Nicholas Levesque

Qinhui Feng

“That I wont be able to go on exchange as a result.”

“Stashing all them dolla bills yo!”

“The number of faculty being cut.”

“On the profs side we’re considered one of the best universities for professor quality yet their paid under the national average.”

“I just want to see my professors more.”

THE BRUNS

Students have a voice. So, use it!

OPINION editor@thebruns.ca

Richard Kemick Opinions Columnist Each day that the labour dispute continues, it seems to set another UNB first: the first time that UNB has had a strike, the first time private security was brought in to patrol the campus, the first time an entire semester has been in jeopardy. Though perhaps the most memorable part of this strike is the complete inaction of students.

Aside from the occasional and small groups of students who have joined professors on the picket lines or one of the recent demonstrations, student movements have been noticeably absent. Compared to the recent mass student demonstrations in Vancouver or Montreal, UNB’s student body seems to be suffering from a severe case of inertia. Senior citizens with a Facebook account have more life than we do.

How much do you think the administration pays the university each semester? How much do you think the professors do? I can’t say for certain but I’m guessing that it is right around fuck all. Our tuition is a major source of the university’s financial intake, and it is the university’s finances that are at issue here.

At family dinners, whenever my brother and I would fight over the last pork chop, my mother would simply

reach across the table and eat the pork chop herself. Do you know why she could do this? Because she paid for the damn pork chop! Soon enough, my brother and I stopped fighting over meat and would just split it because doing that was a lot better than having none at all — and for a while my mother was putting on serious weight.

Since it is our money that will decide whether it is the union or the administration that walks away the winner, we have the power to decide on what terms the strike ends.

The longer the strike continues, the more important public opinion becomes as the more likely the province is to enact back-to-work legislation. The most important voice within the public is the student body’s.

Anybody who reads the administration’s website’s analysis of the strike and then goes on to read the union’s realizes that the two sides are unable agree on a single thing. It’s a marvel that they’ve both chosen to use the Latin alphabet. The public will listen to us because we are the objective third party. Ironically, this is probably the most power any of us will have at effecting real change at this university within our academic lives.

We can either weigh in heavily, decisively swaying favour from one side to the other, establishing the student body as something to be respected

The AUNBT marched through Fredericton Friday after receiving a $1 million cheque from CAUT. Alex Walsh / The Brunswickan and consulted on university affairs, a legacy that will last far after the strike is finished. Or we can sit this one out, and maybe watch some Friends reruns.

Despite the apparent apathy of students, the university does still recognize the power that students have when we are able to act as a singular entity.

On Jan. 3, UNB’s Student Union announced that it was encouraging students to withhold their tuition payments in an effort to send a message to both the administration and the union that students “want a new collective agreement, [and to] continue our stud-

ies uninterrupted.”

In response, the university has agreed that the tuition deadline will be postponed “indefinitely,” temporarily parting ways with tuition late fees.

This is no small victory. Getting this university to overlook a fee with which they can charge a student is on par with healing a leper: a miracle.

You know the improv game that beginner drama students play, where they pass around something like a spatula, all taking turns at making it into a different object? Jenny puts it up to her eye and says it’s a telescope.

Devon holds it like a bat and says it’s a bat. (Real original, Devon.)

We are that spatula! The only difference is that the spatula actually has a class to go to. The administration and the teacher’s union keep passing us back and forth saying “Students think this.” “No Devon, you fool! Students think that.”

In this strike, both sides are claiming that the general student body is empathetic to their cause. Obviously, one side has to be lying. Let’s find out which side that is.

Drs. Lenehan/Legere Dr. David Hickey

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BRUNSWICKANOPINION the brunswickan Editorial Board

Editor-in-Chief • Nick Murray Business Manager • Andrew Martel News • Cherise Letson Arts • Lee Thomas Sports • Bronté James Art Director • Alex Walsh Copy • Sarah Dominie Multimedia • Gordon Mihan Web Developer • David F. Stewart Online Editor • Kaylee Moore Staff Advertising Sales Rep • Bill Traer Delivery • Dan Gallagher Arts Reporter • Tess Allen News Reporter • Emma McPhee Staff Reporter • Marc Gagnon Staff Photographer • Karsten Saunders Opinions Columnist • Richard Kemick Videographer • Lance Blakney

Contributors

Ryan Belbin, Michael Bourgeois, Arun Budhathoki, Nikki Lee Chapman, Bobby Cole, Johnny Cullen, Benjamin Dugdale, Anika Duivenvoorden, Shane Rockland Fowler, Scott Hems, Cody Jack, Connor Jay, Kevin Lemieux, Graham Leupp, Sebastian Maynard, Johanna McPhee, Brandon Ramey, Arielle Rechnitzer, Caitlin Sowers, Jacie Targett, Lindsey Weidhass.

The Brunswickan relies primarily on a volunteer base to produce its issues every week. Volunteers can drop by room 35 of the SUB at any time to find out how they can get involved.

About Us

The Brunswickan, in its 147th year of publication as Canada’s Oldest Official Student Publication.

We are an autonomous student newspaper owned and operated by Brunswickan Publishing Inc., a nonprofit, independent body.

We are a founding member of the Canadian University Press, and love it so. We are also members of U-Wire, a media exchange of university media throughout North America.

We publish weekly during the academic year with a circulation of 4,000.

Letters to the editor

Letters must be submitted by e-mail to editor@thebruns.ca including your name, as letters with pseudonymns will not be printed. Letters must be fewer than 500 words. Deadline for letters is Friday at 5 p.m. before each issue.

Editorial Policy

While we endeavour to provide an open forum for a variety of viewpoints and ideas, we may refuse any submission considered by the editorial board to be racist, sexist, libellous, or in any way discriminatory.

The opinions and views expressed in this newspaper are those of the individual writers, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Brunswickan, its Editorial Board, or its Board of Directors.

All editorial content appearing in The Brunswickan is the property of Brunswickan Publishing Inc. Stories, photographs, and artwork contained herein cannot be reproduced without the express, written permission of the Editorin-Chief.

January 22, 2014 • Issue 17 • Volume 147 • 7

Local ceilidh welcomes all

THE BRUNS

ARTS arts@thebruns.ca

Art Battle 90 took Fredericton by storm last Saturday. The battle pitted local artists against each other in three twenty-minute rounds.

The winner of each round won a spot in the final round.

To read the whole story, check out thebruns.ca/art-battle

Angel Terry’s painting won him a spot in the final round at Art Battle 90. Andrew Martel/ The Brunswickan

Tess Allen Arts Reporter

The summers of Amy Mackenzie’s childhood were not spent in your typical preteen fashion. While others her age were lounging on the beach or tr ying to beat the Pokemon League in their parents’ basements, Mackenzie was getting her Celtic groove on with regular ceilidhs at the Gaelic College of Celtic Arts and Crafts in St. Anns, N.S. “A lot of us involved in the pipe world went to the Gaelic College in St. Anns [for summer camp], where every week the students would have workshops with people who are experts in Celtic crafts, whether it’s bagpiping or fiddling or square dancing. At the end of the week they would have a ceilidh where the students perform,” said the current drummer for the Fredericton Society of Saint Andrew Pipe Band.

“It would just be a lot of music, a lot of dancing and a lot of fun – basically just a Celtic jam session.

You don’t need to be well-versed in anything since the audience always gets involved and everyone is cheering and laughing. It’s a really fun event.”

Originating from Scotland and Ireland but now common anywhere where Celtic culture is celebrated, a ceilidh is defined as an informal social gathering with folk music, singing, dancing, and storytelling.

It’s an experience Mackenzie hopes to bring to Frederictonians with the Fredericton Society of Saint Andrew Pipe Band’s second ceilidh fundraiser at the James Joyce Irish Pub on Friday, Jan. 24.

“People can expect a lot of really great music. Lots of people just like to stay on the sidelines and observe . . . but whether you want to get involved in dancing or you have a fiddle or a boron drum and want to jump on the stage, we encourage that as well because that’s what a traditional ceilidh is like,” said Mackenzie, adding that her Grade 2 competitive pipe band requires the funds from such events for their ever-mounting travel costs.

“We’re a pipe band so we travel around and do parades and concerts but our main focus is competition.

We’re the only Grade 2 pipe band in the Maritimes right now so we have to travel to have competitions.”

However, this event is clearly more

than just a fundraiser. Mackenzie believes that for a city like Fredericton with so much Celtic culture and history, a ceilidh would be a perfect fit.

“Fredericton has tons of Celtic musicians… a lot of people [who] can play the fiddle, the small pipes, or who can accompany with guitar and piano, they don’t really have a place do that on a regular basis. We’re trying to create a platform for those artists, so they’re not just playing at kitchen parties or their own apartment,” said Mackenzie. “[This is why] we decided to have monthly ceilidhs, usually on the last Friday of every month. But this month we moved it to the 24th, because it’s Robbie Burns Day. It should be a really fun night. We just hope people will come and have a lot of fun and get a taste of the culture we love to celebrate.”

Entertainers at Friday’s event will range from award-winning musicians like Katherine Moller to local fiddlers and dancers. St. Thomas University student Paige LeClair can’t wait to show off her Celtic talents.

“I’ve been fiddling for 13 years, since the age of seven, and stepdancing for 17 years, since the age of three. When I [found out about] the ceilidh on Facebook, I asked if they needed any entertainment,” said LeClair, adding that Fredericton’s less-than-vibrant Celtic scene was part of her motivation.

“I’ve been living in Fredericton for three years and the Celtic music scene is kind of lacking compared to what I’m used to back [home] in P.E.I., so I had to get involved somehow.”

LeClair will be showcasing some “jigs, reels and maybe fiddle and step-dance at the same time.”

“It’s a casual but lively night and we will definitely have our feet tapping and hands clapping – and it’s for a great cause. Bring spoons and dance shoes because you won’t be sitting in your seat for long.”

Mackenzie couldn’t agree more.

While she’s one of the key organizers for the event, she can’t wait to see what the evening has in store.

“You never know who’s going to show up at a ceilidh and that’s the fun of it.”

The ceilidh will begin at 8 p.m. on Friday at the James Joyce Irish Pub. Donations will be accepted at the door.

BRUNSWICKANARTS

Alan Jeffries brings the joy Tess Allen Arts Reporter

For most babies, learning how to talk is one of the first big challenges in life.

Alan Jeffries was not most babies.

“I had my first guitar before I could talk. I don’t know how much I was really playing it, but I was attempting a lot,” said the Halifax-based artist.

Whether or not Jeffries was doing much hard-rocking at the time, it would prove to be the beginning of a long and fruitful career in bluegrass music; one that blossomed in the summers of his youth playing at bluegrass festivals around the Maritimes with his father -- “It was hilarious to see a kid singing heartbreak songs and murder ballads” – and earned him the title of the Bluegrass Guitar Player of the Year by the Atlantic Canada Bluegrass and Oldtime Music Association in 2005.

“For me, bluegrass is a means for me to get back to that sheer joy of playing music that I felt when I was a kid,” said Jeffries. He reflects on his young touring experience with his father as “a

great inspiration.”

“I still take it seriously but it requires a certain amount of fun to be as good as it can be.”

Jeffries has since experimented with a variety of different genres and launched a debut album. The album, entitled Coffee ‘til Midnight, is a 14-track record recorded in two days that he plans to share with Frederictonians at this year’s Shivering Songs Festival.

It’s an experience he can’t wait to bring back to the region.

“Back in the day, there was a real healthy bluegrass scene in the Maritimes. You could throw a dart at the map and find a festival pretty much every weekend,” he said.

“There’s a lot of stuff out there that has banjo or [other bluegrass elements], and people are really getting interested in that kind of music. I feel like if they really want to see where those influences came from in the spectrum, this is the show to come see.”

This will be Jeffries’ fourth stint playing at the city’s annual Shivering

Songs Festival, and each year, he promises “a fun, high-energy show” with his band, Alan Jeffries & Fifty Shades of Blue.

Jeffries’ performance – aptly titled “Bluegrass Brunch with Alan Jeffries” – will take place at the Fredericton Boyce Farmers Market on Sunday, Jan. 26 at 10 a.m. He encourages all those interested in bluegrass – and even those who know nothing about it – to stop by and have a listen.

“It’s a really fun time. It’s a morning show, which is tough for some folks, but you just come down and there’s coffee on and everybody’s energized – and the breakfast is amazing,” said Jeffries, adding that the event will be “very family-friendly.”

“There are bands doing bluegrass but with a lot of fusion with jazz and swing. If you really want to see a good bluegrass show, this is the one to come and see.”

Tickets for Jeffries’ performance, presented by Picaroons, can be purchased on the Shivering Songs Festival website.

Paper Lions a maritime pride

Paper Lions will be performing as part of the Shivering Songs festival in Fredericton this weekend.

Submitted Marc Gagnon Staff Reporter They’ve played everywhere from Vancouver to China, but this month Paper Lions are getting back to their maritime roots.

The Charlottetown-based indie rock act will be performing at the Shivering Songs Festival right here in Fredericton this month, sharing the stage with luminaries such as Ron Sexsmith, Wintersleep and Thom Swift.

Originally formed as the Chucky Danger Band in 2004, Paper Lions have received acclaim for their unique brand of indie rock, winning the 2006 East Coast Music Award for Pop Recording of the Year, as well as nominations from the CBC Radio 3 Bucky Awards and the John Lennon Songwriting Competition.

While their musical inf luences stretch from the Beatles and Beach Boys to modern east coast acts like Joel Plaskett, guitarist Colin Buchanan says that Paper Lions try to avoid being

pigeonholed to one genre.

“There’s so many different nuances of pop and rock that fall under the [indie] umbrella, so we try to not get too bogged down in that sort of stuff,” he said. “We like melody and harmony, to sing and mix melodies, to hop onto different instruments. We just like to write stuff that we think is fun and catchy and represents who we are.”

When it comes to song-writing, such as with the band’s 2010 hit “Lost the War”, Buchanan said it’s very much a group effort.

“We might with a chord progression, or a riff, maybe a scrap lyric, or just some sort of melody,” he said. “We take it to the studio and we start building around whatever that initial nugget might be. Sometimes it ends up cool, and sometimes it’s something completely different that doesn’t necessarily sound like us - but we try everything.”

Having just finished a tour last fall, Paper Lions are having some down time before beginning to write their next album. Their Fredericton show is

a one-off, as they can easily pop over from their home in PEI. Buchanan says that their days of long, arduous tours are behind them, citing one tour where their bus broke down six times before finally croaking just miles from home.

“We’ve been [touring] for a long time,” he said. “We know how long we can be away from our loved ones and families. We know our limits at this point.”

As for what fans can expect from their Shivering Songs performance, Buchanan promises a great time for their long-time fans.

“We’re always very high energy - we try to involve everybody. We don’t take ourselves too seriously, and we just like to have fun.”

Paper Lions will be performing as part of the Shivering Songs Festival with Wintersleep and Willie Stratton at 9:30 p.m. on Jan. 25. The event will take place at the Boyce Farmers Market and tickets are available on the Shivering Songs website.

January 22, 2014 • Issue 17 • Volume 147 • 9

Alan Jeffries will be performing this weekend at the Bluegrass Brunch. Submitted

THE BRUNS

SPORTS sports@thebruns.ca

The game must go on Varsity Reds season continues

The Varsity Reds will continue with the AUS season despite the strike and games will be played according to schedule. Alex Walsh / The Brunswickan Tyson Hovey The Brunswickan With the Association of University of New Brunswick Teachers continuing to strike, many are left wondering what kind of impact it will have not on the athletics department, but the student athletes.

“We have 200-plus student athletes that aren’t having classes delivered which is obviously very stressful on them,” said UNB athletic director John Richard. “This is our first and foremost greatest concern right now.”

In anticipation of the strike, Richard

said he and his colleagues worked through the month of December to make sure they would be ready in the event of a work stoppage.

“I contacted our national and regional federations to see how it would affect us from an eligibility and event perspective,” he said.

Richard also talked to colleagues across the country who have been in similar situations.

Even though the strike is continuing, Richard says as long as the students are registered for their courses they are eligible to play in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) league.

PANEL

THEY KNOW WHAT’S UP

Bronté James Sports Editor

Absolutely. Why take away the Varsity Reds’ chance at AUS and CIS titles just because the university and AUNBT are butting heads? They didn’t ask for the strike and so they shouldn’t be punished. They are halfway through the season, CIS eligibility has been used, and players have trained and deserve to keep competing.

This gives them a safety net for now, but if the strike continues over four weeks there is a potential loss of a term, meaning the term will be suspended.

“If the term was ever lost there would be some consequences,” said Richard. “But we would work through those with our national federation and make sure there weren’t any long term consequences as far as eligibility with our student-athletes going into the following season [goes].”

Head coach of the Varsity Reds hockey team, Gardiner MacDougall, said even though his players aren’t attending classes, they are staying busy

and active in the community.

“In some ways there’s an enhancement for the athletic part – it is what it is, so we want to take advantage of it,” said MacDougall, adding it has allowed for more time to practice and get involved in the community.

Even though there aren’t any classes at this point, MacDougall said it is still important to maintain structure in their lives and try to be “a little more organized.”

“Where we practiced at three o’clock [before the strike occurred], and did our fitness training either before or after, we now have a full day to try and

plan for our guys.”

Though the bit of extra time helps the team organize and participate in the community, MacDougall knows how important it is to get things back to normal as soon as possible and get the student-athletes back in the classroom.

“There’s two sides to anything and it’s unfortunate that it’s got to this,” said MacDougall. “You look at the tradition of the University of New Brunswick and everybody involved, the administration, the professors, the students – we’ve never had one of these.”

Do you think varsity sports should continue their season during the strike? cellarpub.ca

Nick Murray

Robbie Roos

Absolutely!! You’ve got to think about it from a league and player’s perspective. If you forbid the V-Reds from competing, then you’re messing with the whole league’s structure. Not to mention, all of them have burnt a year of eligibility anyway. So it wouldn’t make sense to stop them from competing midway through the season.

Yes (and I’m sure on this yes this time).

Student morale is at an all-time low and taking away things like varsity sports would only be detrimental.

Editor-in-Chief

Sports Writer

Andrew Martel Business Manager

Yes. Politics and sports should stay separate, like spinach and brownies (seriously, Mom). I believe keeping up the UNB spirit in this time of trouble and uncertainty is necessary for everyone, especially students.

BRUNSWICKANSPORTS

Men’s hockey tied for first with Acadia

Kyle Merritt Sports Writer The Varsity Reds pushed their way into a tie for first place atop the Atlantic University Sport standings, after a pair of weekend wins against the Acadia Axemen and Dalhousie Tigers.

Their first win would be 5-3 over the Axemen in front of 3,350 fans on Friday.

The V-Reds opened the scoring in the closing minutes of the period with Phillippe Maillet banging in his eighth of the season, assisted by captain Chris Culligan.

Acadia answered with a goal from Mike Cozzola with assists from Liam Heelis and Brett Thompson. The scored again, only three minutes into the second period with credit to Tyler Ferry and help from Scott Trask and Colin Archer.

V-Reds’ Thomas Nesbit responded just over a minute later, his seventh of the season.

“I think it’s just the rivalry,” said Nesbit. “We both know there are a lot of other great teams in the league but right now we are one and two [in the AUS] and we have to get through each other to get where we want to go.”

The Reds came out their typical third-period fashion and took the game.

Acadia scored first, early in the final period with a shot by Heelis from Cozzolla, but it would be the Axemen’s final goal.

The V-Reds answered just 14 seconds later with Nesbit’s second of the game and eighth of the season from Marc-Antoine Desnoyers and Cam Braes. Midway through the final frame, Desnoyers caused a turn over at the Acadia line and Cam Critchlow put it in for his seventh of the season.

Followed shortly after by a top shelf goal by V-Reds’ Culligan with a short handed, un-assisted shot, for their fifth and final goal.

The Reds played less than 24-hours later against the Tigers, where they would take their second win of the weekend.

V-Reds’ Cam Braes picked up his eighth of the season capitalizing on a loose puck out front, with Nick MacNeil and Ben Shutron adding the

The V-Reds took a pair of weekend wins heading into the 2014 season. Kyle Merritt / The Brunswickan assists. last couple of games.

Captain Chris Culligan scored on With 7:14 left in the game Dal the power play at for his 14th of the Tigers’ Andrew Rieder took a run a season. The goal was a result of some Thomas Nesbit resulting in an ensuing strong puck movement from Culligan, scrum, which left UNB one man short Jordan Murray and Maillet. and Dal with a 10-minute misconduct.

Dal tried to answer, but V-Reds V-Reds’ Jordan Murray scored goalie Joel Vienneau came up big with UNB’s fourth goal of the game and a solid glove save with 9:21 minutes fourth of the season on the power play remaining. with 4:33 remaining. Maillet and Braes “I didn’t have many shots, I was added the assists. starting to get a little bored,” he said.

UNB swept the Tigers in front of “Then I got the breakaway so it got 2,040 fans with a 4-1 win, shots on me going and excited, got the blood goal 42-17. rushing through my body and I was UNB appears to be well on their way back in it.” to playoff caliber hockey, even with the The V-Reds took firm control of the current faculty strike. first period, outshooting the tigers 18-4 “We have a lot of first year guys, and leading into the second period with they are starting to get a taste of what a score of 2-0. it’s like and that is what it’s like,” said UNB’s Mike Thomas put home the Nesbit.”We are getting there and we’ll teams third of the game just over four be ready.” and a half minutes in for his sixth of Both Nesbit and head coach Gardinthe season. Chris Culligan and Cam er MacDougall agreed that the strike is Critchlow battled hard for the puck, not really a distraction, and yes it’s too chipping in the assists. bad they aren’t in class, but at the same The Tigers put their first point on the time the boys can get more ice time. board with a power play goal from Brad “It’s unfortunate,” said MacDougall.

McConnell and assists from Andrew “They are student athletes first and Wigginton and Bobby Nadeau with foremost and right now they are get6:45 remaining in the frame. ting the physical part of that, but it Cutting laid a big hip check on a Dal will be good for them to get back to forward as he made his way down the the educational.” ice towards the V-Red net. This is conThe Reds travel to Orono Tuesday stant with UNB’s tough and physical to take on the University of Maine play they have been practicing in the Black Bears.

January 22, 2014 • Issue 17 • Volume 147 • 11

THE BRUNS IS BACK