Issue 3, Vol. 150, The Brunswickan

Volume 150 Issue 3 November 2nd, 2016

Editorial Board

Editor-in-Chief - Adam Travis Business Manager - Nicholas Williams News - Stephanie Sirois Arts - Katie Kim Sports - Anne Ugabi Photo - Bradley Parker Production Manager - Connor Jay Copy - Jadrien Hong Multimedia - Camile Coulombe

Staff Advertising Manager - Pouria Poursaeid Delivery - Dan Gallagher Staff Reporters -David Bardwell, Nathalie Sturgeon

Contributors Justin Collett, Anna Jackson Kyle Lamkin, Caroline Mercier, Rowan Miller, Katie Morehouse and Stacey Taylor

About Us The Brunswickan, in its 150th year of publication, is Canada’s Oldest Official Student Publication.

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

We are a founding member of Canadian University Press, and love it dearly. We are also members of CUPWire, a media exchange of university media throughout North America.

We publish monthly during the academic year with a circulation of 4,000. We publish weekly, online at www.thebruns.ca.

Letters to the Editor Letters must be submitted by e-mail to editor@thebruns.ca including your name, as letters with pseudonyms will not be printed or posted online. Letters must be 500 words at maximum. 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 publication 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 Editor-in-Chief.

Find us online at thebruns.ca

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Table of Contents 4

Stigma around mental health means late diagnoses of illness Words by Katie Morehouse Photography by Bradley Parker

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Fighting Back with a Creative Mind Words & Photography by Nathalie Sturgeon

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Letter to the Editor Words by Dr. Nicholas Tracy

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Silverwave Brings Local Films to a Broader Audience Words by Katie Kim

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Feed Your Brain!

Words by Anna Jackson, RD

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Campus Security head focusing on student patrols Words by David Bardwell

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42nd Engineering Coaster Derby Photography by Bradley Parker & Kyle Lamkin

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Don’t let the FLU get the best of you Words by Stacey Taylor

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Esports Words & Photography by Bradley Parker

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University acknowledges unceded land Words by David Bardwell Photography by Bradley Parker

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Babes: A Youtube Original Series Words by Kennedy Welsh

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The Case For Free Tuition Words by Nate Wallace

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A Day in the life: With Laura McNicholas Words by Anne Ugabi

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Men’s Soccer AUS Preview Words by Anne Ugabi

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Stigma around mental health means late diagnoses of illness Words by Katie Morehouse Photography by Bradley Parker Lee Thomas crawled into bed, curling themself up into a ball.

Their eating disorder had been running rampant, causing them to binge and purge all day, and they were exhausted. It was the summer of 2012 and Thomas was monitoring for the Neville Jones House on campus.

“I ended up passing out and throwing up blood,” said Thomas. “And the next morning I called counselling services. I 4

was just so tired of being tired.”

Thomas graduated from UNB in 2015 with a double honours in political science and english. They say that the mental health services they used in university were invaluable. Thomas wasn’t diagnosed with a mental illness until their first year of university.

Over the course of their four years at UNB, Thomas was diagnosed with bulimia nervosa, bipolar disorder, social anxiety and ADHD.

According to the Canadian Mental Health Association,

one in five Canadians will experience a mental illness in their lifetime, and it’s estimated that 10-20 per cent of youth in Canada have a mental illness.

Once Thomas reached out for help at UNB, they received a lot of support. After seeing a counsellor, they began seeing a doctor, a psychiatrist and a dietician — all on campus.

“I had my counsellor, my doctor, my dietician and my psychiatrist all kind of having my back which was awesome,” said Thomas.

Along with their support team, Thomas developed some positive coping mechanisms. Going to the gym is a major resource a lot of people use to de-stress, but Thomas said because of their personality, going to the gym just doesn’t work out for them. Instead they prefer their own healthy coping methods.

“I like to take long baths,” said Thomas. “I write a lot. I journal a lot. I reach out to people both online and in real-life so I have a really good support system of friends that I can reach out to.”

Thomas said they have had to deal with negative coping mechanisms as well. Thomas turned to self-harm as well as trichotillomania (compulsive hair pulling). Thomas started to pull out their eyebrow hair during their second year of university, and they didn’t even realise they were doing it. They said it began slowly at first.

“All of a sudden I was like, ‘Oh, my eyebrows are looking a little thin, I gotta colour them in,’ and then it just got more and more intense until there are photos of times when I straight up have no eyebrows,” said Thomas.

There are other, healthier coping mechanisms that work for others, like UNB Saint John graduate Natalie Bowie. During times like exams or other stressful moments, she has her own form of coping.

“I tend to sleep or rant to people when I’m stressed,” said Bowie.

Dr. Rice Fuller is the director of counselling services and the senior director of health and wellness at UNB. He has noticed that people dealing with mental health issues can sometimes turn towards negative coping mechanisms like drug abuse, alcoholism and suicidal thoughts. Even though it’s a bad coping mechanism, a person still uses it to relax.

“[The coping skill] helps people to cope with intensely painful emotional stress or emotional problems,” said Dr. Fuller.

While working on campus over the last eight years, Fuller has noticed that more and more students are needing counselling services. He believes the most common reasons students seek help through counselling are because of student debt and lack of job opportunities.

“It used to be there was almost a guaranteed job for you if you went through university, and that’s not the case now,” said Fuller.

The most common mental illnesses students seek

counselling for are anxiety disorders and depression. While the counselling services are situated on UNB campus, they provide services for STU students as well. Fuller has estimated that about 900 students from both UNB and STU come to counselling every year, equalling out to around 3,500 appointments.

“We’re seeing nine to ten per cent of students for individual counselling here, which I think is consistent with what other universities’ counselling centres see,” said Fuller.

Kirstin Duffley, the mental health coordinator for UNBSU, said that she’s noticed more students coming forward for help with their mental health issues than they have before because of how people are more open to discuss their mental health problems.

“In today’s society, more people feel comfortable talking about it and aren’t just holding it in anymore,” said Duffley. “Seeing that there are more diagnoses means people are getting help with what they need.”

Although people are becoming more comfortable to talk about their mental health issues, there’s people who still perpetuate in the stigma.

According to a study done by the Canadian Medical Association, only 49 per cent of Canadians said they would socialize with someone who had a serious mental illness, and 27 per cent were afraid of being around people who suffered from a serious mental illness.

There have been signs the stigma has lessened over the past few years. Duffley said it’s gotten a lot better since she first started going to UNB three years ago. During her first year, Duffley noticed posters along the walls on campus that showed different people from STU and UNB who have a mental illness, but are self-defining themselves as more than their illness.

The campaign is called MyDefinition, which was created

by Thomas when they were VP internal for UNBSU in 2014 to help stop the stigma around mental illness. From the posters, Duffley said she noticed a decrease in mental illness stigmatization on campus.

“I think the university campus is way ahead of the rest of the society because I find it a way more open community,” said Duffley.

With a rise in mental health awareness, there’s always the possibility of there being a class created to help people understand mental health issues more and how to help others with a mental illness. Duffley believes it’s a good idea to help inform others on the truth about mental health issues, but Thomas is more on the fence with the idea; they believe that instead of focusing on the students with mental health problems, we should focus on the bigger picture.

“I think it’s time that we take a step back and be like, ‘what’s wrong with how we’re operating this institution?’ This isn’t unique to UNB, it’s the institution of postsecondary education in general,” said Thomas.

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Campus Security head focusing on student patrols Words by David Bardwell UNB security is adapting following the recent departure of its former head, Bruce Rogerson, who took over in 2010.

Randy Mahoney, acting director of UNB Security, said since he’s taken over this year there’s been a greater emphasis on student patrol services.

Mahoney said part of the reason this has been a focus is because students tend to interact well with campus patrols.

“It’s much better to have students — and I hate using this word — policing students, instead of us [the non-student staff] policing students, in my experience,” said Mahoney

The student patrol system is an integral part of the security team and Mahoney hopes that it will remain so.

“They’re our frontline staff. Any social events that are going on, it is the students that are in there,” said Mahoney.

Travis Daley, president of the UNBSU, said in an email that students certainly should see campus patrol as being a viable resource as it would help improve overall safety on campus.

“The UNBSU has had conversation with security and the chief of CP’s about how they can effectively cooperate with campus group to improve their services.“

Daley said he sees the importance of having additional employees of the campus patrol if the opportunity arises, adding that it would expand their impact on

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campus safety.

Student patrol members were formerly called student police, but Mahoney said the word ‘police’ was removed due to confusion over their status as security workers rather than police officers.

One of the most visible roles the student patrol takes on is the campus safewalk system. If an individual wants to be escorted home then two members of the patrol, one male and one female, will provide a safe walk home.

As an additional safety measure, campus security maintains a set of emergency phones on campus, which Mahoney said are tested on a weekly basis.

These phones act as a one-way call system for anyone in distress. The phones are located in front of the campus bookstore, the Head Hall parking lot, the lower Joy Kidd parking lot, the STU path to the SUB, the Lady Beaverbrook Gym, Aitken Centre parking lot, Chapman field and in the Magee house parking lot.

“If there are any issues [with the phones], we tend to them as soon as we can.

It’s just a matter of getting the service techs in,” said Mahoney.

The phone system UNB Security has in place allows up to three calls to be simultaneously routed through their main line.

Mahoney also said there are security speed dial buttons on all of the payphones and elevator phones on campus.

In addition to the more obvious

security tasks, one role of security is simply letting groups, clubs and societies into meeting places after hours.

Jesse Wilson, event coordinator and graphic designer for the UNB eSports Society, said his experience with security thus far has been positive when accessing the venues the group booked.

“[They] seemed to respond about as quickly as they could so I’m quite happy,” said Wilson.

Wilson said sometimes security workers would even take note and express interest in the events.

UNB Security also asks students to notify them in the event that an emergency call is made with a cell phone because security services act as guides for emergency personnel entering campus (though this isn’t necessary with any on-campus landline as an emergency call notifies security automatically).

He emphasized the concern that emergency workers may be unfamiliar with navigating certain portions of the campus, noting the dead-end street in front of Carleton Hall is often overlooked even by those familiar with the campus.

“Say someone calls an ambulance … You just don’t know where they’re coming from or if they know the campus so [once] you have emergency responders on the way, by letting us know we can assist directly by offering first aid to an individual, but we can also guide emergency service people to the person in distress,” said Mahoney.

University acknowledges unceded lands

Words by David Bardwell Photography by Adam Travis After more than two centuries of using unceded Wolastoqey lands, UNB’s faculty of arts has voted to open meetings with a territorial acknowledgment as part of its effort to indigenize and decolonize the university.

This statement — now issued before any public event and, in some cases, before commencement of a course — explains that the territory is covered by the treaties of Peace and Friendship, signed in 1725, and notes that the surrender of land

and resources was never included.

Acting dean of arts Joanne Wright said the discussion around acknowledging the traditional land had been brewing in the faculty for some time. Some instructors had already begun to make similar statements on their own, but the Arts Council never formally addressed the notion until this year.

“The university in general is thinking about ways in which it can indigenize and decolonize itself,” said Wright.

“This conversation has been going on in [the faculty of] arts for years, there has long been professors and various researchers who have acknowledged territory

in various settings.”

Wright said feedback has been generally good, noting that the university as a whole had been discussing the prospect of an indigenous studies course at the undergraduate level.

“I’m not quite sure what will become of it, but this is another thing that’s been in the works for some time … something to keep your eyes open for,” said Wright.

Wright said she thinks there will be more acknowledgements and interest in indigenous issues in the future.

“I think it will, in time, become 7

campus-wide. There are already people in other faculties making statements [of their own] and they’ll continue to do it,” said Wright.

Wright said there’s a university-wide committee dedicated to these issues and added that arts in particular had been evaluating what’s already being done and how well they’re meeting the needs of indigenous students.

“[We’re asking] what are the gaps? Where could we be doing more? Arts is setting up its own committee to see what’s in place and what needs to be done to be

as a whole.

“You ask average New Brunswick students what they know about the Mi’kmaq, Wolastoqey or Passamaquoddy and they’ll tell you they don’t know much about it; it’s not being taught in the schools,” said Perley.

Perley said he thinks it’s important for all members of the UNB community to know about the history of the land.

“If you look at the Peace and Friendship treaties, signed by our ancestors back in the 1700s, those treaties never transferred title to the English crown. It was an agreement to co-exist peacefully and live

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We would like to begin by acknowledging that the land on which we gather is the traditional unceded territory of Wolastoqiyik (Maliseet). This territory is covered by the Treaties of Peace and Friendship which the Wolastoqiyik (Maliseet), Mi’kmaq, and Passamaquoddy peoples first signed with the British Crown in 1725. The treaties did not deal with surrender of lands and resources but in fact recognized Wolastoqey (Maliseet), Mi’kmaq, and Passamaquoddy title and established the rules for what was to be an ongoing relationship between nations.

proactive on these issues.”

David Perley, director of the Mi’kmaq-Wolastoqey Centre, said he was extremely pleased to hear that arts wanted to formalize a statement and was even consulted on evolving the statement to better acknowledge the local population.

“One of the first versions of the statement was stating it recognized that UNB is on unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq and Wolastoqey; I had to let them know that the Mi’kmaq’s traditional territory was further north in the province — we’re on traditional Wolastoqey territory.”

Perley said it was significant for this kind of information on traditional territories to be shared, not just so people will know where UNB is located, but also a bit more of the history of the Mi’kmaq and Wolastoqey people 8

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in harmony with one another. There’s no provision in any of the treaties which transferred title, so we still have title,” said Perley.

The faculty of education has also voted to have a similar acknowledgement, which is located in their course descriptions.

“They also made it so that all education students must have a least a three credit-hour course in First Nations content for them to graduate,” said Perley.

He remains hopeful changes like these will come to all the faculties across campus, and that reception thus far has been positive from the administration.

VP Academic George MacLean has been an advocate for indigenous issues since his arrival at UNB.

“The [statement] that I’ve used …

recognizes that we are on traditional territory of the Wolastoqey. It’s a significant statement that says what needs to be said,” said MacLean.

MacLean said he’d like to see more people get engaged with the statement though, either by discussing it with others or researching what the statement is about.

One of the first times he recalled hearing an acknowledgement of territory was during his time at the University of Manitoba. A new president was hired and made a statement recognizing the traditional territory of the local indigenous populations.

“Everyone looked around and went ‘what was that?’ What was fascinating to me was that people immediately began looking around and everybody seemed to begin thinking, researching and talking [about the territory.]” said Maclean.

“So we went to the Bald Eagle House, the aboriginal house on that campus and talked to the elders there [...] because this was new to all of us.”

He said it confused a lot of people when he first arrived at UNB and prefaced meetings with that statement, noting that he felt honoured when several indigenous students approached after a meeting and thanked him for making them feel welcomed.

St. Mary’s First Nation is the band located closest to UNBF, and their chief, Candice Paul, said she’s excited to hear about the decision, and says she’s seen a growing trend in public organizations acknowledging traditional territories.

“I think it’s how every meeting should be opened,” said Paul. “I was in Toronto at the health minister’s meeting all week and every meeting I went to, they acknowledged it. It’s definitely a positive step in educating people.”

Paul said as a university it’s even more important to help educate students on indigenous issues.

“I find it disturbing that most people know more about the histories of other countries that they do about their own,” said Paul, “So the more we can get [statements like these] out, the more that will change.”

Fighting Back with a Creative Mind: Elly Roberts’ Journey Through Mental Illness 9

Words & Photography by Nathalie Sturgeon There is a small window in a brightly-lit apartment that Elly Roberts calls home. She grabs a pencil and begins sketching. Her hand moves effortlessly against the page as if it knows where to go before her mind does. A storm of creative impulses suddenly surge through her, finding comfort in the chaos.

Roberts moved to Fredericton from Perth, ON, about a year ago. She is in her second year of the visual arts program at UNB.

“For me, doing anything creative gives me an opportunity to express myself, something that is very important to me,” said Roberts.

Expressing herself is exactly what helps Roberts face the struggles of mental illness that she deals with in having situational depression and social anxiety; Roberts is fighting back with her creative mind.

Dealing with her mental health is a daily battle for Roberts. On many days, she lacks the ability to get out of her bed, often causing her to miss time at school and cancel plans with friends.

On other days, the weight of her depression makes Roberts unorganized.

Things like schoolwork, dishes and laundry are left uncompleted. Many of her nights are plagued by insomnia and her days riddled with negative thoughts about herself — her appearance, her guilt about missing school or not doing the dishes fill her head.

It’s a vicious cycle for a young artistic mind.

“Every day seems like a fight against yourself,” said Roberts.

What makes it even worse is the fact that the paralyzing anxiety can come out of nowhere. The word ‘paralyzing’ seems all too real to Roberts, who often finds herself unable to move.

But even on the bad days, Roberts said there are things to learn.

When faced with an obstacle, we might fail, but failure allows us to learn a value lesson for the future.

“When I’m going through a 10

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We need to re-think the way we talk about mental illness so that we can learn how to better understand those who suffer from all different kinds of mental illness.

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depressive episode I still manage to stay on top of my studies and work, as well as taking care of myself,” she said. “This is something that takes a lot of effort for me to do and I’m proud of myself for it.”

Roberts said it’s hard to overcome challenges, but finding a support system, establishing a routine and getting enough rest have helped her defeat the challenges.

Roberts has joined forces with Wear Your Label, a Fredericton start-up company that tackles mental illness through fashion.

Two UNB students, Kayley Reed and Kyle MacNevin, were working with a mental health organization when they decided to start Wear Your Label. The company has since become a highly successful business.

Having suffered from mental illness, Reed and MacNevin decided to reach out to people across Canada to help fight a seemingly uphill battle for the stigma surrounding mental illness. Roberts was one of many who responded to this mission and is now a role model with the company.

“I have found it much easier to talk about my struggles with depression and anxiety, as well as helping others with their struggles regarding mental health [since working with WYL],” she said. “I no longer feel alone or isolated because of my illness, because WYL has shown me that I’m not

alone in my fight.”

Interacting with people who suffer from the stigmas surrounding mental health issues motivated Roberts to become a role model.

“We need to re-think the way we talk about mental illness so that we can learn how to better understand those who suffer from all different kinds of mental illness,” said Roberts in her interview for Wear Your Label.

For Roberts, it just isn’t acceptable that people are dismissed due to others’ lack of understanding of mental illness. And that’s where her new challenge begins.

Roberts knows there are still bumps in the road — she will still get anxious when the professor calls on her in class, she will still avoid large crowds and she will still change her tone when she’s upset — but the beauty of it all is that she knows that she isn’t alone.

She said no one is the same and no one experiences mental illness in the same way. Her advice to others is simple: be aware, engage in self-care and remember that physical health is as important as mental health, as they often go hand-inhand.

“Your health is your priority, so take care of yourself to the best of your ability,” said Roberts. “Don’t forget it’s okay to ask for help.”

In Photos: 42nd Annual Coaster Derby

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Babes: A YouTube Original Series Fredericton web series shows what it’s like to be queer in a small town.

Words by Kennedy Welsh

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From beauty vlogs to Russian dashcam footage, there’s hours of videos on YouTube just waiting to be consumed. AJ Ripley decided that instead of getting lost in the oversaturated cat video genre, they’d make a video series about something not seen enough: a more authentic portrayal of a queer person’s story.

In 2015, Ripley, one of the co-producers of series titled Babes, pitched the idea of a YouTube show that tells the story of a queer person from their own perspective, rather than mainstream media’s usual portrayal.

Babes was a perfect opportunity to dive into producing for Victoria Clowater, who is currently completing a second undergraduate degree at UNB. She has been involved with the New Brunswick Filmmakers’ Cooperative back in 2011 and Babes was a next step in her film journey.

The Brunswickan got the chance to ask Victoria some questions about the adventure that started simply and has evolved into an ever-growing series.

Bruns: How did you decide to do a YouTube series?

VC: As a queer person, I knew that I wanted to create media that better represented people who don’t see characters like themselves on-screen. The entertainment we consume shapes us in many ways, and yet it often leaves many people unrepresented. I want to reflect the diversity of the world we live in on-screen.

When the writer, AJ Ripley, brought the series to me, it was a perfect fit — it was the kind of story I wanted to tell, and I was ready to produce something, so we decided to collaborate.

YouTube is an amazing opportunity for emerging content producers to share their work with the world. Before the advent of YouTube, there were way more gatekeepers in the way of getting your content to audiences; web series have emerged as a popular format, especially for queer content. They’re also easy to create when you are an emerging content creator and your resources are limited.

We began planning the series in early 2015, and shot in February of 2016.

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It came out in the summer, and in August we filmed two new episodes, which we will be releasing soon.

Bruns: How did you pick a topic?

VC: AJ wanted to write about the queer experience from the perspective of a non-binary trans man. There is a dearth of positive queer representation in media, and so it was really a case of wanting to tell our own stories and provide that sense of being represented to fellow queer people that lead to the creation of the series.

Bruns: What were your hopes and fears for the series?

VC: We’ll keep creating the series as long as we have the means to do so, a story to tell and an audience to watch it.

We’ve also poured a lot of ourselves into this

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other people think the series is worth sharing, it means a lot to us.

Bruns: If you could describe Babes in one word, what would it be and why?

VC: Innovative. Our goal with the series was to be innovative - we’re trying to break ground by telling new stories, but at the same time, Babes is not a ‘coming out’ drama. While all queer people have to come out, there’s more to our lives than that. We wanted to tell this story in our own way, true to our own personalities. Representing those who are under-represented, but telling stories in a tongue-and- cheek way, was the right move for us.

Bruns: What can you tell us about the second season of Babes?

VC: We’re taking the story forward

As a queer person, I knew that I wanted to create media that better represented people who don’t see characters like themselves on-screen. The entertainment we consume shapes us in many ways, and yet it often leaves many people unrepresented. I want to reflect the diversity of the world we live in on-screen.

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project, and so naturally sharing something like that with others and hoping they like it is necessarily nerve-wracking. We released the first season episodes on a weekly basis, and when our audience kept coming back week after week, we knew that people felt connected to the series.

Bruns: When you first started, did you ever see it becoming what it has?

VC: We dream big. We want people to relate, and we want to share Babes with large audiences. We also want people to enjoy the series. We hope we can spread it even further, and grow our audience even more.

At the same time, we’re pretty blown away by the successes of the series so far. It’s been a lot of hard work to get to this point, and when

in season two. It’s hard to build a conventional story in such a short format, but we’ve got the groundwork laid and we’re looking forward to some more complex storylines, season-long story arcs, and some recurring characters. We also want to continue to keep people laughing.

In the meantime, we are trying to share season one with new audiences. We’ve been submitting to web festivals around the world, and we had a pretty great day yesterday — our series won the “Best Web/New Media Screenplay” award in the September edition of the Canadian Diversity Film Festival. We’re definitely hoping for some more laurels soon!

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

Letter to the Editor Words by Dr. Nicholas Tracy

The Federation of New Brunswick Faculty Associations has this week been paying particular attention to the far from Fair Employment practices of universities. In a press release on Oct. 28, Jean Sauvageau, president of the FNBFA stated, “For more and more faculty and staff who work and teach in universities across Canada, employment is anything but fair. Contract academic staff face major challenges because their employment status is temporary and their access to work is limited.”

Probably the most destructive aspect of the situation — not only for the teachers themselves, who provide at least a third of the classes at Canadian universities, but also for the students — is that university administrations have applied inappropriate “just in time requisitioning” to teaching contracts. In effect, teachers do not know until the beginning of class whether they will be teaching or unemployed. This insecurity of contract is devastating not only for the teacher but also for the quality of the teaching. Who can devote the time to preparing to teach a course that may not run?

University administrators will claim that they cannot make commitments because students hold the reins and the whip. This is defeatist at best and disingenuous at worst. If students are credited with the maturity needed to choose which courses they will take, that maturity might also extend to requiring them to make choices six months in advance of the beginning of class.

Learning how to plan in advance might be considered an appropriate part of the university experience! Besides, it says very little for the capacity of university administrators at all levels if they cannot predict the potential of different courses, and determine six months in advance which should be offered, and how many students should be permitted to attend. More effective curriculum planning, permitting firm contracts to teachers, would strengthen the university “brand,” with important implications for students who depend on it for future employment, and would enable teachers to “get a life.”

Fall 2016 Schedule CONCERT

DATE

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari Nov. 2nd 2016, 7:30pm Remembering the Nov. 13th 2016, 2:00pm ‘Great War’ Through Music Road Movies

Nov. 19th 2016, 7:30pm

Adults $27 Seniors $22 Students $10 Buy 3 Music on the Hill Performance Series tickets, get 1 free

www.unb.ca/cel/music

musicart@unb.ca

506 453-4697

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Don’t let the FLU get the best of you!

Words by Stacey Taylor, Nurse Practitioner, UNB Student Health Centre

Influenza virus or “the flu” is a common upper respiratory infection. It often starts with a headache, body aches, chills and a cough or sore throat. These symptoms are quickly followed by fever, loss of appetite, fatigue, runny nose and sneezing. Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea may also occur.

The flu is easily spread from person to person through contact with droplets that have been coughed or sneezed into the air by someone who is already sick. It can also be spread by shaking hands with an infected person or touching a contaminated surface (e.g. a doorknob), and then touching your eyes, nose or mouth.

Most people who get the flu will recover within seven to ten days. However, people with chronic illness such as asthma are at increased risk of developing more severe complications from the flu (e.g. pneumonia).

The flu can lead to missed time from work or school. At university, students who get sick may have to miss classes, quizzes or midterms, hand papers in late and even delay exams.

If this happens, you should contact your professor ASAP! Students requiring medical documentation should contact the UNB Student Health Centre to book an appointment right away.

The UNB Student Advocate on campus is available to assist students with more complicated requests for academic deferrals.

Although the flu is very contagious, it is also very preventable! There are many things that you should do in order to prevent illness caused by the flu virus. Getting a flu shot every year is one of the most effective ways to prevent catching the flu and spreading it to others. Flu shots are now available at the Student Health Centre and are being offered at various locations across campus for all students, faculty and staff! Flu clinic

schedule for October & November 2016, including: Wednesday, Nov. 2, from 12 p.m. to 3:30 p.m in Gillin Hall room D117.

Thursday, Nov. 3, from 12 p.m. to 3:30 p.m in human resources (in the IUC — physics and admin building) in room 106.

Thursday, Nov. 17, from 12 p.m. to 3:30 p.m in the HIL in room 109 (the reading room).

Friday, Nov. 18, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at STU in the J. B. O’Keefe Fitness Centre.

The flu shot costs $15 for students and $25 for staff and faculty — a very cheap investment in your health! You may even qualify for a free flu shot — ask how when you come to get yours! We can only accept cash or cheque at the time of the injection. Be prepared to wait 20 minutes after your injection.

You can also do your best to avoid the flu by washing your hands frequently with soap and water and regularly using hand sanitizer, not touching your face, coughing and sneezing into your elbow or sleeve rather than your hand, cleaning and disinfecting common areas like doorknobs, light switches, and keyboards, and staying home and resting when you get sick. Water, fruit juices and soups can help to prevent dehydration; if you are very sick and not sure what to do, call Telehealth at 811 to speak with a registered nurse.

No one wants to let the flu get them down! Following these simple strategies can help you to prevent flu, minimize interruptions to your studies and help you reach your goal of academic success at UNB!

By Stacey Taylor, Nurse Practitioner, UNB Student Health Centre, October 2016

YOUR CAMPUS & HOUSE MERCH SUPPLIER Contact James Wood 478-4337 16

Opinion: The Case for Free Tuition

Words by Nate Wallace Photography by Kunal Shah, Flickr CC Let’s talk about free tuition.

Bernie Sanders’ proposal to make post-secondary education tuition-free galvanized millions of young people across the border. It’s an idea that has seeped its way into Canada and infected our entire generation. The surprising part, however, is that in many countries across the world this is already the reality — and not just in developed northern European countries. I spent my past summer at a university in Bhutan, a tiny developing country in the Himalayas with a population only marginally higher than New Brunswick, which guarantees a free post-secondary education for its people as a right, not a privilege.

The average student debt in NB is over $35,000, and this is unacceptable. Tuition is effectively a highly regressive flat user fee imposed upon everyone who wants to use what is essentially a public service and this creates a massive barrier for social mobility. Poverty among today’s young people is a rampant catastrophe. The economic case for investing in public education is already settled; to compete in a modern economy we need a highly skilled workforce. Investing in human capital is the surest way to kick-start productivity growth and subsequently expand private investment. In a place like NB, which has an enormously difficult time attracting and retaining young people — and hasn’t seen a single iota of productive growth since the financial crisis in 2008 — this is especially prevalent. We can’t afford not to invest

in post-secondary education by abolishing tuition fees across Canada.

The price of this policy is about $8 billion. Canada has some of the lowest corporate tax rates in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD); we don’t have an estate tax, capital gains are 50 per cent exempt from taxable income and we still have the stock-option tax loophole from Justin Trudeau’s broken promise. Tax loopholes allow billionaire families like the Irvings to stash billions offshore in Bermudan bank accounts and our stumpage fees on crown lands are so low that they count as an illegal tax subsidy on the export of our softwood lumber under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), meaning they are slapped with a tariff at the border. We are practically giving away our trees to the Irvings. $10.7 billion could be saved in our healthcare system in the purchasing of drugs if we adopted a national public Pharmacare plan, due to increased bargaining power of the government in bulk purchasing. The top five Canadian banks made $9.9 billion in profits in the last quarter and Canadian corporations are sitting on over $600 billion in wealth which they are not investing. We live in one of the richest societies in the world — the money is there, all it takes is the political will for a government to reach out and take it.

On Nov. 2 there is a rally to abolish tuition beginning at noon at the UNB Quad and it will march down to the Legislative Assembly at 1 p.m. and end at 2 p.m. It’s time to stand up and demand post-secondary education as a right, not a privilege.

Nate Wallace is a UNB Student taking the Renaissance College leadership programme and minoring in public policy.

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Silver Wave Film Brings Local Films to a Broader Audience Words by Katie Kim Silver Wave Film Festival is returning for the 16th year to present local films to an international audience and to present international films to New Brunswick’s local audience. This annual festival showcases films shot in NB as well as some of the best Canada and the global film community have to offer. This year the festival is taking place on Nov. 3-6 at six different venues across the capital city.

Cat LeBlanc, co-organizer and programmer for the film festival, said that the primary focus of the festival is to present New Brunswick films.

“[The idea for the festival] came up years ago when staff and board were talking about how NB filmmakers were making really good films, and there wasn’t really a showcase event for these films.

It’s also very difficult for people to get into other film festivals because they are so competitive.”

It seems like the festival has been successfully fulfilling its goal: connecting filmmakers to the audience. Not only do local filmmakers get a chance to reach out to a broader audience, but they get networking opportunities and a chance to win some grants.

“It’s a really great platform for independent filmmakers in New Brunswick.

Because we showcase films from around the world, it’s a great incentive for those filmmakers to come to the festival. It’s an event one a year to network and talk to each other about filmmaking,” said LeBlanc.

Short films of all genres are accepted by the festival. Due to this relatively broad field, LeBlanc said that the festival always has a great variety of films.

“We get everything, from short comedies, dramas and horror films to 18

animations, experimental films and music videos. We get a wide range of movies every year.”

Despite the variety of films selected, there is only one criteria in which all films are judged: quality. LeBlanc said that the festival is looking for stellar content, and that has not changed in the past 16 years.

“[Quality] is always the underlying assessment. Whether it’s experimental or a documentary, drama or comedy, a good story and good acting is [key].”

Film screenings take place in six different venues, one of which is the Tilley Hall of UNB. Ticket prices range from $5-$9 and there are student discounts. The festival wants to encourage student attendance, and LeBlanc has provided a list of films that might be of interest to this demographic.

Beerocracy

The world premiere of this feature documentary is screened at the Tilley Hall on Nov. 3. Directed, produced and written by Alex Vietinghoff and Shauna Chase, Beerocracy explains the craft brewing industry in New Brunswick, “a small province vying to be a national beer destination. Customers and regulations that shape the competitive landscape are also explored. Given the rise of the craft beer industry in Fredericton, this documentary is particularly relevant to the local audience.

Judgement Day

Prior to the screening of Beerocracy, another world premiere will be presented. Judgement Day is a music video directed by Brendan Mittelholtz and written

by Eric Claybourne which tells the story of

“a man tormented by his past in what could be his final hour.”

Tall on Talent LeBlanc said that the Friday night screenings at the Tilley Hall, an event called Tall on Talent, will be appreciated by students for their comedic potential.

Hotdogs for Nekrasov, directed by Carlee Calver and Benjamin Dugdale, tells the story of Donna and Nekrasov, who are looking for the perfect husband and the perfect hotdog.

Several films screened at Tall on Talent are the works of UNB film production classes, such as Knots and Prods and The Way the Cookie Crumbles.

There are also films from Fredericton’s 48 Hour Film Competition, including Thatch Road and The Glitz.

There are also some films that take an interesting approach to filmmaking.

Hands #1 by Peter de Niverville explores the wetlands through the lens of a pinhole camera.

New Brunswick Short Film Spotlight

Two films — Sour World and Brookside Mall — by director Ryan O’Toole are going to be presented on Nov. 5 at the Tilly Hall. O’Toole is a local filmmaker, former UNB student, and former UNB media artist-in-residence.

Sour World tells the story of Sandy, “a young shut-in,” that is excited at the prospect of making a new friend, but she is left wandering the city when “ditched” by that friend. Brookside Mall is described as a film that is “a structural portrait of Fredericton’s Brookside Mall.”

eSports Growing at UNB

Words & Photography by Bradley Parker Sweat pouring down a competitor’s face, a stadium packed to the rafters with screaming fans, massive prize money on the line. The twist? Rather than athletes skating down the ice or running up the court, these people are gathered to watch eSports, that is, competitive videogaming.

ESports have been on the rise in recent years, with tournaments of all levels attracting people to play games like League of Legends - often abbreviated to LOL or League, Rocket League, and Super Smash Brothers, also know as Smash Bros. In 2013 the League championships sold out the home of the LA Kings, the Staples Center, in Los Angeles, mere hours after tickets went up for sale. That same year they filled the 40,000 seat World Cup Stadium in South Korea. Another 27 Million more watched that event online.

Physical athletics aside, both

traditional sports and eSports require a time commitment to improving technical skills and having the determination to practice day in and day out. Ben Jardine, a competitive Smash Bros player with the UNB eSports Society and fourth year student at UNB, says he spends a few hours a day just devoted to technical skills.

“Esports is in my mind is just like all the rest of sports, you have Shaquille O’Neal who goes and does layups and layups and layups ... I sit down and I do the tech skills I need to, I do my wave dashes, and my auto cancels,” says Jardine, as Smash Bros lights up the screen behind him, “If I don’t have [those skills] on point, I’m actually at disadvantage compared to other people”.

How does that stack up to traditional athletes? Former Vred swimmer Chali LeBlanc says she spends training “Our mornings are only just over an hour of swimming” she says, “I find myself doing like 22 hours a week. 30 in total including dry

land”.

Some people see eSports as an easier alternative to fostering the same team building and goal achieving, “You don’t outgrow your keyboard, and almost any computer can play League” jokes Jardine.

Whereas sports like Ice Hockey have large initial start-up costs for equipment, as well as recurring costs for traveling. In contrast you can start playing many eSports using the laptop and internet connection you almost definitely have.

Unfortunately, you might not be heading up to the Aitken Centre any time soon to watch a varsity eSports game. “eSports isn’t something the Varsity Reds is looking at being involved in.” says Andy Campbell the Communications Manager for the Vreds, “We follow USports Canada (formerly CIS) and Atlantic University Sport as our guide, and, currently, eSports is not something they’re participating in”. At the time of printing, the AUS and USports Canada had not responded to our requests for comment.

Some Canadian universities have managed to find success in eSports. UBC’s eSports Association won $160,000 at the North American Collegiate Championship tournament last summer, one of the top eSports tournaments in North America.

Universities in Atlantic Canada aren’t focused on trying to grow their eSports associations says Shawn Goff, president of UNB’s eSports Society. “As far as I know, UBC is the only one who has been able to work their school in that way and get that reputation. Otherwise it seems to be a very US-centric thing. ”

UNB currently does not have scholarships to award for eSports accomplishments, but has a Gogii Games Scholarship for students enrolled in software engineering.

Anyone looking to start playing competitively can find more information about the UNB eSports Society on their facebook page.

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A day in the life: with Laura McNicholas

Words by Anne Ugabi Photography by Kyle Lamkin This past month, the Brunswickan had the chance to take a peek at into the daily routine of one of the many talented Varsity athletes here at UNB.

Laura McNicholas — originally from Doncaster, England, first came to UNB through an old teammate. After speaking with head coach Jon Crossland and other coaching staff, as well as speaking to her potential new teammates, she had made up her mind and decided to move across the pond; she’s called Fredericton home for the past five years.

Laura obtained her undergraduate degree in kinesiology here at UNBF, making dean’s list multiple times. She stayed at UNBF to pursue a Masters in Education. Having completed that she is 20

currently in a no-degree.

In these five years Laura has played for the UNB women’s soccer team every season and for her, it’s a welcome escape.

“[soccer] is something that has been in my family for a long time — I think that’s because it’s a stereotypical English thing — but I love everything about it: the competitiveness, the passion.” It was this passion and love for the sport that drove Laura to balance being a student with the demands of sports at the university level.

This student-athlete combination doesn’t come without drawbacks. “It was difficult at first,” said Laura, “but over time you become better at time management … the support system you have around you makes it so much easier.”

Time management wasn’t the only thing Laura struggled with. “Sometimes

it’s difficult to make friends besides your teammates. You spend all your time with these girls … they are going through it with you.”

Laura also said that being a student-athlete has helped her grow vastly as a person and has brought along new opportunities, like the chance to coach. “I love the fact that I can have a positive impact and allow others to enjoy the sport as much as I do. It’s a good way to give back to the community and hopefully the players I coach can be wearing a UNB jersey too! That would be pretty cool.”

In addition to allowing her to give back to her community and teaching her how to prioritise and organize, being a student-athlete has helped Laura be more sociable and understand people better.

“[I’ve] become more understanding of people’s situations in life.

Dealing with adversity is something we do throughout the season, especially dealing with the emotions of 27 girls. That helps prepare you somewhat for adversity that happens in everyday life.”

When she isn’t practising or studying for school, Laura likes to unwind by watching Netflix, reading or hanging out with friends.“Being an athlete doesn’t make me any different to anyone else, I still have fun and relax the same as any other student would.”

Right now, both UNB soccer teams are gearing up for the AUS championships which start Nov. 3 and Laura is expecting her team to perform well, hoping to cap off her final year of university soccer by bringing home the banner.

The Brunswickan wishes Laura and her team the best of luck as they head to CBU to play in the AUS championships.

Be sure to check out Laura’s Day in the Life video on the Brunswickan’s Facebook page.

Feed Your Brain!

Words by Anna Jackson, RD With mid-term season in full swing, and exams quickly approaching, your nutrition is more important now than ever. Your brain uses approximately 20% of the calories you consume daily to function properly.

Unfortunately, there is no magical food that will make you smarter. However, your brain does need a steady supply of nutrients to function properly. Your diet has an impact on the brain neurochemistry that controls your mood; your response to stress; as well as your higher brain functions that control learning, memory and intellectual functioning. Here are 5 tips to optimize your diet to kill it during exams!

1. Hydrate with water.

Did you know? Your brain is 73% water. It takes only 2% dehydration to affect your attention, memory and other cognitive skills. Women require approximately 9 cups of fluid per day, while men need about 12 cups. All beverages (except alcohol) contribute to your daily fluid intake. If you struggle to meet your daily fluid requirement, bring a water bottle with you to class to keep by your side as a visual reminder. Tip: A fun way to stay on track with your water intake is to download the “Plant Nanny” app, which sends out reminders to drink water in order to “water your plant” to help it grow.

2. Eat more eggs.

Eggs are a versatile, budget-friendly nutritional powerhouse! One whole egg

provides one-quarter of the daily requirement for choline for men, and one-third of the daily requirement for women. Choline serves as a building block for acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter involved in memory. Observational studies have associated higher dietary choline intakes with better memory performance in healthy adults. Tip: Pressed for time and don’t know what to make for supper?

Switch things up and have breakfast for dinner! Whip up an omelet filled with spinach, mushrooms, peppers and cheese.

Pair with a few pieces of whole grain toast and you’ve got yourself a quick, well-balanced meal!

3. Fill up on fatty fish.

Fatty fish is an excellent source of the omega-3 fatty acid DHA (docosahexaenoic acid). DHA helps to keep the lining of brain cells flexible so memory messages can pass easily between them. DHA may also prevent the build-up of beta amyloid plaques, which are protein deposits that can impair brain-cell communication. Salmon, herring, mackerel and sardines are all excellent sources of omega-3 fats. Budgeting tip: Go for canned! Canned fish is shelf stable, requires no cooking, and provides the same health benefits as fresh fish.

4. Choose foods high in magnesium.

It is estimated that almost half of Canadians over the age of 19 are deficient in magnesium. Magnesium is needed for healthy bones and teeth and for proper nerve functioning. Magnesium has also

been associated with reduced anxiety, lower blood pressure, and reduced risk of diabetes. Good food sources include nuts & seeds, dark green vegetables, and whole grains.

5. Treat yourself to dark chocolate!

For many of us, the stress that comes along with exam season can lead to cravings for sweets. A serving of dark chocolate is an excellent way to satisfy your sweet tooth. Dark chocolate contains phytochemicals which have been shown to protect nerve cells, increase blood flow to the brain, and improve anxiety and depression symptoms. Choose a high quality bar that is at least 70% cocoa and enjoy a few squares as a sweet ending to your meal. Bottom line: Eating regular, well-balanced meals and snacks during exam time will provide your brain with a steady supply of nutrients to help you stay energized and focused. Eating a nutritious diet can help improve memory in both the short-term, and long-term. Focus on establishing healthy eating habits now to help preserve your memory as you age.

For answers to your nutrition questions, book an appointment with the Student Health Centre Registered Dietitian. To book an appointment call (506) 453-4837 or drop in to the Student Health Centre, located on the third floor of C.C Jones Centre. Dietitian services are FREE to all full-time UNB and STU students. No referral is needed.

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Men’s Soccer AUS Preview Words by Anne Ugabi

With the end of regular season coming to a close UNB’s soccer teams are preparing themselves for AUS championships, with men’s soccer being held right here at the BMO field hosted by the Varsity Reds.

The men’s team are currently in 5 th place out of the 10 teams in the AUS conference, although it’s not where the team might have wanted to be at the end of regular season, with a mix of new and old players in their starting line up it was expected that this would be a rebuilding season. Head coach Miles

Pinset conceded this fact; “It has been an interesting and challenging season. We have had to make adjustments this year in our style of play as there are 4-5 new players in our line-up that were not part of it last season. We have been very solid defensively, allowing only 3 goals which is the best in the country.

Obviously we would like to have scored more foals throughout the season but when working with new players and a new style of play, the creating goals sometimes is the last thing to fit in place.” It is this solid defense line and new style of play that has often left the Varsity Reds goalless when the final whistle was blown; with 5 out of the 11 games played ending in a draw. Although Pinset does think the team is in a good place in the lead up to AUS, with AUS being at home this season home-field advantage will be really useful - “Playing on our field, being in our locker-room, playing in front of our fans, sleeping in our own beds”.

The Varsity Reds will defend their AUS title starting Thursday, the schedule is yet to be determined at the time of this publication. Ahead of the AUS tournament the Brunswickan has put together a preview of the teams in attending AUS championships this. Note: this information was correct at time of this article being written. The standings may have changed because a number of the teams had games in hand at the time.

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CBU Capers

Acadia Axemen

From: Syndey, Nova-Scotia Current ranking: 1st Position last year going into playoffs: 2nd Number of AUS all stars from last season: 3, all first team All stars

From: Wolfville, Nova-Scotia Current ranking: 2nd Position last year going into playoffs: 1st Number of AUS all stars from last season: 2, one first team all star and 1 second team all star

Dalhousie Tigers

StFx X-Men

From: Halifax, Nova-Scotia Current ranking: 3rd Position last year going into playoffs: 2nd Number of AUS all stars from last season: 3, one first team All star and two second team all stars

From: Antigonish, Nova-Scotia Current ranking: 4th Position last year going into playoffs: 8th Number of AUS all stars from last season: 3, all second team All stars

UNB Varsity Reds (AUS champs 2015)

UPEI Panthers

From: Fredericton, New Brunswick Current ranking: 5th Position last year going into playoffs: 9th Number of AUS all stars from last season: 4, three first team All stars and one second team all star

From: Charlottetown, PEI Current ranking: 6th Position last year going into playoffs: 10th Number of AUS all stars from last season: 2, one first team All star and one second team all star 23

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