Issue 5, Vol. 150, The Brunswickan

WINTER PARKING WOES

PARKING ON CAMPUS DURING WINTER MONTHS LEADS TO ANGER AND FRUSTRATION

Volume 150 Issue 5 January 11th, 2017

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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@brunswickan

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Table of Contents 4 Students salty about winter parking at UNB

8 Polytechnique victims honoured

11 Planning your personal finances

12 The Everywheres talk music and social awareness

15 Study abroad opportunities with UNB Global Team

20 La La Land review

22 Red, white and almost Gold

Words and David Bardwell Photography by Adam Travis

Words by Bradley Parker

Words and Emma MacDonald Photography by William Beaty

Words by Katie Kim

17 How students are beginning 2017

Words by Katie Kim

Words by Nathalie Sturgeon Photography by Adam Travis & Nathalie Sturgeon

10 LGBT groups calling for more safe spaces on campus

Words by Stephanie Sirois Photography by Bradley Parker

Sponsored Content

Words by Rob Trites Photography by Kristopher Wilmot

23 Varsity Reds over the break

Words by Anne Ugabi Photography by Andy Campbell

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News

Students salty about w Words by David Bardwell Photography by Adam Travis The roads aren’t the only thing on campus with extra salt this term.

Parking on campus is worse than ever due to poor clearing, questionable decisions to keep the university open in bad weather and the wrong parties using student parking.

Brianna McPhee said she’s been at UNB for three years 4

and has noted a recurring issue with the quality of roadway maintenance done on campus.

“The first two years I attended this school I lived off campus … I always had to be at least 45 minutes early to arrive in time to find parking,” said McPhee

“There were some days where I missed my classes because I couldn’t find parking.”

McPhee said this year in particular has been harsh for those

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winter parking at UNB seeking parking however, for a variety of reasons.

“This year parking has been so terrible that even though I live closer … I still have to come about 45 minutes early and I’m not guaranteed a spot,“ said McPhee.

Part of the problem may be due to a low number of parking spaces being available in key areas.

“[The university] should either limit the amount of passes they give out, or provide more parking lots for us students,” she said.

The university stated as of the 2015-2016 year that there were 3,914 parking spaces on campus, with 254 being located at STU.

During the same time, the university sold 1,580 passes to faculty and staff and 2996 to students of UNB, STU and NBCC.

This leaves a deficit of 662 spaces on campus, provided all pass holders are present at a given time.

However, due to staggered class times and varying course loads, this sits above the national average of passes sold 5

News per parking space according to the university.

McPhee noted that in addition to the parking spaces central to campus being overused by students, even some of the student-only parking has been utilized by faculty and staff.

“I’ve seen in multiple different circumstances, the teachers and staff with UNB staff passes, park in the students parking lot(s); that should be unacceptable,” she said.

McPhee said she’s also dealt with issues even navigating some lots, with the two-day storm prior to exam week this December being no exception.

“I’ve had to shovel my car out of the parking lots many times in the past, and I’ve gotten my car stuck more times than I can count due to the parking lots not being cleaned properly, if at all,” said McPhee.

Regan Worden, an environmental geochemistry student, said she’s perplexed by the decisions of the administration on issues surrounding parking and road maintenance, especially during the December storm.

“The first big snowstorm of the year, they didn’t cancel school, UNB did not have the parking lots fully plowed, or plowed very poorly,” said Worden.

She said she grew concerned as the day went on that where she parked was likely to be rendered impassable before she could depart.

“I had to move my car three times after parking because I thought I would be stuck later on in the day.”

Worden said the university seemed to take note by cancelling classes the following day due deteriorating conditions.

That cancellation came after early morning courses on both UNB and STU campuses had already finished.

Worden said the university needs to do a better job salting, sanding and plowing during storms if they wish to stay open.

“I could have easily accidentally hit another vehicle trying to get in or out of a parking spot,” she said.

One of the things she’s noticed is there’s a lack of adequate plowing during heavy snowfall, adding there should be additional emphasis on peak hours for students.

Another part of the issue she’s seen is some residence students leaving their cars in the wrong parking lots overnight, leading to poorly cleared spaces the following day.

“I don’t think that the light snow would be an issue but

CONGRATULATIONS

Russel Layden BBA STUDENT

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Annual

BUSINESS awards dinner

2016 IGNITE FREDERICTON SCHOLAR’S PRIZE WINNER

Awarded on November 24, 2016 at our 29th Annual Business Awards Dinner.

Above: Russel Layden, BBA Student, accepting the Ignite Fredericton Scholar’s Prize from Larry Shaw, CEO, Ignite Fredericton.

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WWW.BUSINESS.UNBF.CA

News

it’s the snow that really packs together when it’s humid outside that causes the most issues,” said Worden.

Her concerns also extend to sidewalks, trails and stairs, in particular the area around stairs, which she’s slipped on quite a few times.

UNB’s interim head of security Randy Mahoney acknowledged that parking can become difficult during the winter and says security does its best to be flexible.

“There is some confusion sometimes when people can’t see the lines,” said Mahoney.

“We do use discretion for parking violations in the winter time, especially when those lines aren’t visible, but there are some cases where someone is obviously parked illegally and they are ticketed accordingly.” he said.

Mahoney said it varies from location to location, but

that there’s generally as many signs as possible to indicate what isn’t a valid parking space.

Mahoney also said part of the issue with clearing the parking lots stems from residence students not following the rules.

Students in residence sometimes don’t move their vehicles to designated storm parking which can result in slower clearing.

Mahoney suggested students looking for parking near the centre of the campus during storms should consider the lot below the BMO Centre as it is close to the SUB and other key facilities.

“If students are not sure where they can park, [especially during storms], they can check our website.”

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News

“It could have been any of us,” - Polytechnique victims honoured

Words by Emma MacDonald Photography by William Beaty Before winter exams the Women in Engineering Society hosted a ceremony for the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.

The event was to honour the victims of the Montreal Massacre, raise awareness of gender-based violence and promote increased female participation in 8

the STEM fields.

The Montreal Massacre occurred on December 6, 1989, when 14 students were fatally injured in a shooting at l’École Polytechnique. Most of them were engineering students — all of them were women.

The organizers of the event, WES co-presidents and third-year engineering students Hannah Menely and Leah Edmonson managed to make the honoring of a

tragedy that occurred 27 years ago real and relevant in a well-attended, well-organized event at Head Hall.

Lori Leach, who teaches sociology courses at UNB, chose to focus her speech on raising awareness about the ongoing difficulty to establish the STEM fields as viable female professions.

“It may seem as if issues of inequality in STEM are passé. We know they are not,” said Leach.

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Leach showed how remembering the events of the past can lead to a vision for a better future, one that has more females studying engineering than the current 18 per cent, a number that is in decline.

It’s not just the low enrollment rates of females in STEM fields however, but the continued expectation that they’re not really supposed to be there.

“For fear of sounding like the screaming girl in engineering, I can’t share my thoughts in class,” Leach said, sharing an excerpt from an email from one of her female students.

Menely is a software engineering student who has experienced the marginalization that often comes along with being a minority.

“I had a professor … I sat in the front row every day, I asked him questions, I went to his office hours … I got an A+ in

that course. But he didn’t bother to learn my name. There were maybe 25 of us in his class and there were 2 girls, and he learned everybody else’s names except for ours.”

Mandy Smith and Kaitlin Paulsen are fourth-year chemical engineering students, a field that has a much higher rate of female enrollment than software or electrical.

“We’ve got the nickname ‘fem eng’ cause there’s so many of us,” shared Paulsen.

Paulsen and Smith were some of many female engineering students who reported no gender-related issues during their studies at UNB.

In fields of engineering with increasing female enrollment there are decreasing reports of discrimination, with many students having only positive experiences throughout their studies.

CONGRATULATIONS

Smith expressed disappointment at the low number of male students in the audience,

“I always try every year, I’m like to my guy friends ‘let’s go, let’s go’ … but maybe it’s just not as important to the men as it is to the women.”

UNBSU President Travis Daley stated, “Whether the turnout is what they wanted, they got a very influential audience … along the back row was UNB’s entire executive team and I think this says a lot.”

The ceremony honored the victims’ memory with a candlelight service, but for many it was the closing remarks of Christine Plourde that put the incident into perspective. During her time as a UNB civil engineering student, Plourde attended the funerals of some of the women killed.

Her words rang true and the room was emotional as she spoke.

“It could have been any of us.”

WWW.BUSINESS.UNBF.CA

Marissa Simard BBA STUDENT

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th

Annual

BUSINESS awards dinner

WINNER OF THE 2016 McCAIN SCHOLAR’S PRIZE

Awarded on November 24, 2016 at our 29th Annual Business Awards Dinner.

Above: Kevin Chase, VP Finance and CFO, Day & Ross, presents the McCain Scholar’s Prize to Marissa Simard, BBA Student.

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News

LGBT groups calling more positive, inclusive spaces on campus Words by Stephanie Sirois Photography by William Beaty A necessary voice on campus, that of lgbt students, has been struggling under the weight of providing visibility to those who don’t always feel like they can speak safely. Now, they are determined to find a positive space, even if they have to make it happen themselves.

Hayden Richardson is one of the executive members of Qmunity, an LGBT student organization dedicated to uniting, supporting and providing visibility to gender and sexual minorities.

Their three main purposes are to provide programming, education, workshops and services to campus, to increase visibility of LGBT presence on campus and most importantly to provide positive spaces.

“We use the words positive spaces instead of safe spaces because we don’t believe there’s any way to completely ensure safety in any space,” said Richardson.

The decision to use the word positive instead of safe comes from seeing events such as the shooting at Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando. 49 people were killed and 53 others were injured after Omar Mateen, a 29 year old security guard opened fire inside on June 12.

“Obviously you can’t always manage who’s coming or going in spaces so we use positive spaces instead because it’s more realistic, the words are more intentional.”

The difficulty in creating safe spaces on campus is increased by a lack of resource center. Centers can used as meeting places for the community to touch base or help inform those looking to know more and as a base of operations for any initiative.

“You can look at almost any Canadian university and you’ll find one, so UNB is behind in that regard, we don’t have a resource center that develops programming that specifically targets lgbt students, giving them lgbt specific services and counselling,” said Richardson.

There isn’t a paid representative at UNB to bring these concerns to the administration or faculty, or to help communicate the reasons why it’s needed. If the campus community aren’t trained to engage with other respectfully, situations can happen such as ignoring preferred pronouns, or using a name the person no longer identifies with, or class material which isn’t inclusive.

There aren’t measurable ways to determine how many students or faculty and administration identify as lgbt on the UNB campus which also makes it difficult to determine which services are needed and how they can be applied best,

“As of now at UNB all that is left to a volunteer basis. It’s always the students who take care of it, so students are taking their time to educate.”

Richardson says despite the situation sounding so negative, UNB has been receptive to the concerns raised and helpful to the 10

cause.

“They’ve helped us with so many programs. They gave us free tshirts and balloons and everything we’ve asked for, they’ve done their best to give it to us.”

Mark Walma is the assistant vice president of student services at UNB. He’s responsible for everything from programming for student success, student health and wellness in regards to counselling services and the student health center and student life in residences.

He came to the role at the end of the summer and has since been spending the majority of the time speaking to campus members about what issues need to be addressed and how to better serve students.

“While there have been fantastic people who have worked very hard in the past, I don’t see a lot of concrete work has been done, or at least done at the moment. We’d like to do more and that’s the plan.”

Walma said the request for a funded representative and a possible resource centre has been brought up by different groups and is under consideration, however there is no hard date he can commit to where he can confirm those services will be set into place or if they will be.

“You’ve heard about budget issues and I don’t want to make this all about the budget but we have to in Student Services, make good decisions with the money we have to provide services with students and we’d like to do that.”

An idea about providing some available space for a positive place has been picking up steam which Walma said is comparable to the Women’s Centre in the Student Union Building. But first Walma wants to make sure that’s his decision to make, not to mention if anyone else has a claim on it or if the lgbt groups would be interested in it.

“I want to make this a communication, I want to continue the dialogue … Let’s figure out the best way to approach this, what’s our options and what’s the best way to do it?”

The goal of the process is to be as inclusive as possible and Walma is hoping to help students feel safe on their campus.

“I think maybe the lgtbq plus community hasn’t been included as much as they should have been, and let’s work on that.”

In the meantime, the students at Qmunity keep in contact with students, administration and do what they can with what they have.

“Campus culture is tough for lgbt kids and if we don’t have those services and we don’t have those programs and nobody’s taking the initiative or providing the funding to make those resource centers then you can only be so progressive,” said Richardson.

“You can only do so much and a lot of that falls on students which is tough. It’s so tough.”

Opinion

Plannig your personal finances Words by Bradley Parker Personal Finance Primer

I’m lucky that I think personal finance is fun and exciting and I love numbers and spreadsheets. Not everyone is as into number crunching and retirement planning as I am, though.

In fact, a olt of people’s approach to personal finance could be summed up as “ignorance is bliss.” But given the job market and slim likelihood most students won’t go into a 30-year career with a pension at the end, personal finance is more important than ever.

Credit Cards:

This one is very dependant on your bank and how they choose to show things in their online banking. Be very careful when you’re reading your credit card balance. With your chequing or savings account a positive number represents money you have in the account, credit cards are the opposite.

A credit card balance of $50 means you owe them money. But if your balance is -$50 then you have likely overpaid your bill, and have a positive balance. In other words, they now owe you money! Simple, but I had a friend once accidentally over pay her bill by a few times, and couldn’t figure out how the number kept going up!

The other thing some people don’t realize about credit cards is that you don’t have to pay interest right away! Say your billing cycle starts new on the first of each month. On Jan. 15 you buy a pizza on your credit card. You get your bill on Feb. 1, and that bill due date is Feb. 22. Technically, you don’t have to pay for that pizza for over a month. As long as you get in the habit of only spending what you can afford to pay back, this is a great way to build up your credit score and if your card offers cash back or other rewards, a great way

to get free stuff! (Check out the bruns online this week for another story about credit score) Retirement Planning:

I know I know, “but Brad, I haven’t even started my career yet! How am I supposed to start retirement planning?” When you’re planning to retire, time is your greatest ally because of a little thing called compound interest

Compound interest is when you get interest on interest. When you have a balance on your credit card, that is bad because the amount you owe keeps going up and up. But when you’re putting money away compound interest is your best friend. If you skip ordering pizza one night a month and save that $20 every month for the next 20 years, with a modest interest rate of 4 per cent, you’d have $7337.72 saved up, despite only putting in $4800.

If you go to your bank right now though, you’re likely not going to see a savings account that offers 4% interest (if you do, let me know!). That is largely due to the fact that we are in a period of historically low interest rates.

But fear not: you try and get better returns by investing in the stock markets!

Don’t be scared, investing in the stock markets don’t have to (and shouldn’t) be like the Wolf of Wall Street.

I’ve been investing in the stock market now for a few years buy putting a little bit of money each month into an index fund.

From the FAQ section of Dan Bortolotti site canadiancouchpotato.com:

First it’s important to understand what an index is: it’s a group of stocks or bonds used to measure the performance of a particular market.

For instance, the S&P/TSX Composite includes about 250 companies traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange, and it’s considered a barometer of the entire

Canadian stock market. …

An index mutual fund holds all (or almost all) of the stocks or bonds in a particular index. The idea is to produce a return extremely close to that of the overall market. That’s different from the goal of “actively managed” mutual funds, which try (usually unsuccessfully) to choose individual securities that will outperform the market.

I highly recommend reading more of Dan’s material. It is a fantastic source of more information. But the takeaway for now is that an index fund is an average of the stock market, and over time the stock market goes up.

They key to making long-term gains is to not panic during financial crises like in 2008. By the time you panic and pull your money out, you’ve lost any gains you made. If you leave your money in your index fund, then when the markets recover you’ll be back on top!

I’ll leave you with two further resources if you want to learn more.

First is the Canadian couch potato blog.

If you want to invest in Canada, but don’t want to be stuck micromanaging and agonizing over which stock to buy, check it out. It is the easiest way to get started with. http://canadiancouchpotato.com

If you’re a redditor, www.reddit. com/r/personalfinancecanada is another great place to learn about this kind of thing!

Bradley Parker (despite what he might want you to believe) is not a Lawyer or Financial Advisor. Anything he writes about is his own opinion, and does not represent the views of the Brunswickan. Anything he writes should not be construed as individualized advice.

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Arts

The Everywheres talk music and social awareness Words by Katie Kim

“Like an old quilt passed down to you,” the music of The Everywheres speaks the ideals freedom, love and groove in a nostalgic way.

The Halifax-based band is touring with Wintersleep this January, and they are set to play at the Fredericton Farmer’s Market on Jan. 13.

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Bianca Palmer, the band’s drummer, said that the band tries to bring the romantic sounds of the sixties and the seventies to the current audience.

“Our band likes to feel good, old familiar sounds feel good, like an old quilt passed down to you. We’re just adding our

own patches to make it more relevant.”

Palmer said that the band is looking forward to their Maritime tour with Wintersleep.

“[Touring] with Wintersleep has been the sweetest cherry we’ve seen in quite some time,” said Palmer.

Arts

While being able to perform for a larger audience is definitely an exciting prospect for an artist, Palmer also talked about some realistic problems that artists face.

“The industry standard pays in humble amounts and in ‘opportunity’ or

‘exposure’,” said Palmer.

She also had some interesting stories to tell about the band’s past touring experiences.

“Definitely looking forward to having a rental van this time round, last time we went on tour our $1500 van [broke] on

us half way through, we kept it together like champs though, and our angel of a friend Estan offered to drive us the rest of our dates in his parent’s van. “

When asked about their upcoming performance in Fredericton, Palmer was certain that while the band will be “shaking 13

Arts and screaming inside,” they will look “totally conservative yet poetic.”

Then, when the audience least expects it, Palmer promises that the band will be running laps on stage, dancing and cheering and playing the guitar in a way that will make you wonder if the guitarist’s real birth parents are John Mayer and Jack Johnson.

“Stand back Wintersleep,” she added jokingly.

In addition to their Maritime tour, The Everywheres has a new album that is planned to be released in early 2017. This new album has a special significance to Palmer.

“So far composing and recording together has been a lot of fun and has spilled out of us pretty naturally, it’s also one of the first times I’ve been asked to compose a song for a band, so obviously

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I’m thrilled.”

For Palmer, the spontaneity that resulted in the song “Medusa” makes it her favourite The Everywheres song.

Similarly, she said she is looking forward to experimenting with and mixing the sounds of new concepts and players.

“The way I like to explain playing for a singer-songwriter is that they walk in the room with a box, the box being the skeletons of a song, the songwriter asks everyone to put something in the box, but it has to fit in order to work. This is cool, and some players never get bored of this formula, but what if the box was passed around? “

While Palmer is passionate about her music, she is also passionate about gender equality and diversity in a music scene. Palmer said she recognizes the importance of bringing awareness to the

issue of equality.

“No one really wants to talk about this stuff, it’s depressing and/or triggering, but after getting assaulted at an Everywheres show in Halifax, I snapped. Why is this happening at our shows? Why do I participate in a community that doesn’t respect their people?”

Although much work still needs to be done, Palmer believes that sharing her experiences can help make a difference.

“We the people can be the change, and if you believe in change then believe that people can change. Let’s move forward and dance as better, smarter, stronger, loving people and celebrate this union that is demanding peace and respect to the people and to our land.”

DISCOVERING

POTENTIAL

th

Annual BUSINESS awards dinner a special ‘thank you’

congratulations again to our

distinguished award recipients: 2016 certif icate of appreciation NBIF New Brunswick Innovation Foundation Calvin Milbury, Chief Executive Officer

Raymond Fitzpatrick, Investment Manager (Accepting on behalf of NBIF)

2016 certificates of achievement

to our valued sponsors: titanium sponsors McCain Foods Limited

platinum sponsor

at our 29th Annual Business Awards Dinner held

TMX Group

FCNB (Financial and Consumer Services Commission)

& Global Head of Financial Institutions Scotiabank

students in the Faculty of Business Administration on November 24, 2016.

gold sponsors

Bayer

Managing Director

achievements of our students, faculty and alumni.

Scholarships and bursaries were awarded to

CPA New Brunswick & CPA Atlantic School of Business

MICHAEL MILLIE (BBA ’96)

to all who joined us in celebrating the exceptional

Ignite Fredericton

HABIB DABLE (BBA ‘91, MBA ‘94 )

President, U.S. Pharmaceuticals

thank-you

Grant Thornton Scotiabank

silver sponsors Enterprise Rent-A-Car www.business.unbf.ca

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Sponsored Content

UNB’s Global Team provides students with the opportunity to expand their horizons

Have you ever wanted to see Paris from the top of the Eifel Tower or walked the Great Wall of China?

What about studying Shakespeare in the country of his birth or gaining international work experience in your field of study?

Have you ever considered working with partners in Africa to understand issues from a different cultural perspective or simply learning about other cultures while meeting new people on campus?

If you speak to many UNB students, they have achieved this and more!

Global Learning and Engagement UNB’s Global Team is committed to internationalizing our campus and expanding the horizons of students by designing and delivering international experiences which complement UNB’s academic programs. These real world opportunities provide handson learning and bridge the gap between classroom theory and how things actually happen on the ground.

Students can no longer focus on one discipline and be ready for the Canadian work force. Employers are looking for those students who know their area of study but also have the soft skills required to make a difference. Students need to show potential employers they can communicate effectively, network, problem solve, practice analytical thinking, work independently and keep a cool head when things go wrong. They must also be flexible, adaptable and speak with experience. A second or third language is always an asset. Acquiring the whole package can be a challenge.

One way to build these essential soft skills is to travel abroad during your time at UNB. The Global Team provides a wide range of opportunities including the Travel Study Program (2 weeks), Summer Schools (2 months) and Exchanges and Internships (4 months). We also support the international placements for Engineering and Science Co-op Program and other self-funded opportunities. UNB is a recognized organization under the International Experience Canada program and can guide students through the maze of yearlong international work permits in 32 amazing countries.

All opportunities are secured through our 89 University to University agreements and incorporate a comprehensive pre-departure, in-country and reintegration program. Safety and security are one of our highest priorities and all placements have been vetted to ensure the students receive the best academic and personal experiences possible.

In addition, students can receive financial support from the Travel Bursary and a variety of available scholarships.

Amounts range from $500 to $6,000 depending on the program, their length of stay and the partnerships. In most cases students can receive academic credit, Coop credit or the Certificate of International Internships.

Another way is to get involved in the activities happening right here on our campus. The Global Learning and Engagement Team provides many opportunities for students who may not be able to go away, but are interested in developing stronger

soft skills by welcoming and engaging with students from around the world. Join an international student group such as Learn to Play, volunteer with the International Student Advisor’s Office, sign up as s tutor or become a peer mentor for exchange students during their time at UNB.

An international experience, at home or abroad, can change the way a person sees the world. Many of us have preconceived ideas of how the way the world should work, but dont really understand an issue until it affects us personally.

Daily experiences like crossing the street, grocery shopping, taking public transportation, calling home, using foreign currency or opening up a back account can be overwhelming until you have done it a few times. It’s these types of experience which enable us to grow as people, think outside the box and find answers to problems we didn’t know existed.

Over the next few months, the Global Team invites you to get involved and increase your international IQ. Check back each month and learn more about the opportunities available and the activities on campus. In January we welcome new international students. The first week of February is International Development Week. March hosts Africa Night. April is the deadline for academic exchanges, and in May the QES Scholars depart for Commonwealth countries around the world.

For more information contact us at Global@unb.ca

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Arts

New year, same you?

How students are beginning 2017 Words by Nathalie Sturgeon Photography by Adam Travis & Nathalie Sturgeon

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Winter break — a time where students get to forget about their grades and live in a constant excitement of presents and sleeping in on Monday. Students ease back into the traditional family visits, slip easily into food comas, and try to relax before returning to school in January.

Students have just a short amount of time before returning to the 18

academic grind, but many enjoy the time away from papers, midterms and lectures.

Kyle Masterson, a second-year computer science student at the University of New Brunswick, spent his winter break relaxing, using the time to lounge and spend time with family.

“I always spend Christmas at home with my family and brother,” he said.

For Masterson, it’s a sense of familiarity that makes the holidays a good time.

“I’ve always spent Christmas this way, for years. It would feel wrong to celebrate it any other way.”

Masterson said it’s easy to disconnect with family these days, and the break gives him the time needed to really reconnect with those close to him.

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“My Christmas traditions involve a mandatory meatball dinner on Christmas Eve, followed by going to a Christmas Eve service,” he said. “Afterwards, my Mom gets everyone to open one gift.”

That gift, according to Masterson, is time-honored pajamas for the sleep on the eve of Christmas.

Even though Masterson enjoys the familiarity that winter break offers, he also wants to begin his own traditions. This year, Masterson and his friends planned a Secret Santa:

“Which immediately becomes a game of trying to figure out who had who.

The best part was nobody knew what to get anybody, so the gifts ranged from plasma balls, to hair elastics, to a big book about cows,” said Masterson.

He said his friends are often very focused during the school year and don’t spend as much time having fun. The holidays give them the time to laugh and enjoy each other’s company.

Heading back to school might mean a change of pace for Masterson, as he has some New Year’s resolutions to keep.

“I want to give more time to myself,” he said. “It’s easy to get carried away in work, or school or with friends. I want 2017 to be about personal growth,” said Masterson. “One of the most important keys to keeping this goal is for me to learn to stand up for myself, whether it be saying no to people, speaking out if something bothers me.”

With those goals in mind, Mas-

terson said he’s ready to tackle his next challenge. The computer science student is participating in a co-op with J.D. Irving’s IT division as a programmer.

“I’m excited about my co-op because I will be moving to a new city and it will be my first time living away from home,” he said. “This co-op is also with a large company so it will be a great learning experience and networking for my future.”

Masterson isn’t alone in his traditions and resolutions. Other students were happy to share their seasonal stories.

Pat Mollins, a first-year software engineering student at UNB, said he spent his winter break in Moncton with his family.

Besides visiting his aunt’s house every year for dinner, Mollins said that the best part of returning home was reconnecting with his friends who have moved away for school.

“Some friends and I went to Crabbe Mountain, and for the last run of the day we went down one of the forest trails and I ended up falling into three feet of snow.

One of my friends came after me and that all he saw was two boots and a head stick

up,” said Mollins.

He too has a resolution. “I resolved to lose at least 20 pounds by the end of this year.”

It’s a challenge to keep New Year’s resolutions, but hopefully the rest enjoyed during winter break will keep the students committed to their goals.

Mollins said he’ll be attending the gym more and making time to eat better.

He’s excited to return to school, but will miss those fun trips with friends and sleeping in.

Similarly, while some students look forward to returning to a fixed schedule, Masterson said he enjoys the free time that the holidays offer and that he is sad to see that the holiday season has gone so quickly.

“This break has finally given me a chance to stop and breathe. So, I’ll miss the lack of responsibility and the free time that it provides,” said Masterson.

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Arts

La La Land review: Competition and compromise in the magical world

Words by Katie Kim From the dazzle of the neon lights to the frustration of cars stuck in traffic, La La Land lays out a romantic story in Los Angeles, which is filled with history and

beautiful scenery, yet cruel to the dream chasers that live within it. Among these dream chasers are Sebastian, a jazz pianist who is determined to save jazz from dying, and Mia, and an aspiring actress who is also a storyteller.

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Other than their common struggle to reach their goals, Sebastian and Mia don’t have much in common. Sebastian’s dream is to open his own jazz bar and play the music he wants to play; as a “classic” jazz pianist, his idea of keeping the genre alive is to make sure that people hear it, not necessarily to become a touring musician. Mia is also striving to achieve her dreams by attending numerous auditions and has a day job as a barista. Even when she decides to write her own play instead of auditioning, she has to be “discovered” by someone famous to become a wellknown actress.

The description of how or why the two fall in love is replaced by musical sequences in the movie. The two sing and dance with the setting sun and the stars in the background. Sebastian tells Mia that the beauty and the excitement of jazz comes from the competition and compromise amongst the players as they improvise on stage. In the beginning, however, the Sebastian and Mia do not have to compromise anything — they just compete for their dreams as they always have.

Unlike its beginning, however, the end of the relationship is very clearly displayed on screen, perhaps because it shows the compromise between the two.

When Sebastian argues that playing for The Messengers, a contemporary jazz

Arts band that he formerly disapproved of, was part of him “growing up”, and Mia disagree, saying that he shouldn’t give up his dreams, the green curtains that looked peaceful during the “City of Stars” sequence now seem unsettling. The hilltop view where they sang their first duet no longer seems magical.

At the end of the movie, Sebastian and Mia both achieved their own dreams. The ending seems very unlikely — an actress just starting to get major projects blossoms into a big star while also getting married and raising a kid in just five years, and a penniless jazz idealist is able to run a successful jazz bar in the neighborhood where similar bars had to close down due to a lack of customers — so this situation seems like a miracle.

However, the ending scene leaves the audience feeling bittersweet.

This is ironic, as the movie has been telling

the story of optimistic dreamers that constantly spoke of how important their dreams are while glossing over the details of their romantic life.

Similarly, there is a discrepancy between what the audience knows about Sebastian and what they know about Mia. While Sebastian’s solo performance that defines his position as an uncompromising jazz musician and his performance as a pianist for The Messengers are both fully shown, Mia’s self-directed play that led to her discovery, So Long, Boulder City, is not shown, and her first major movie that revolved around her own story is not shown or even named.

Perhaps this points back to the idea of compromising. Mia’s compromise in the movie was at the very beginning when she worked as a barista. When she quit her day job after being encouraged

by Sebastian and became fully devoted to

her acting and writing works, she only had to compete. That’s why her unsuccessful auditions in the beginning are shown, but not her later successful works. On the other hand, Sebastian still has to compromise, even after finding Mia. Ultimately, this movie is a story of compromises.

The bittersweet ending seems more reasonable when you see the movie not as a story of dream or love, but of competition and compromise. Whether you are at least comforted by the fact that the characters’ compromises led to their dreams or disappointment that they couldn’t stay together is left for you to decide.

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Sports

Red, White and almost Gold

Words by Rob Trites Photography by Kristopher Wilmot In Canada, the World Junior tournament is a tradition like no other. It mixes our intense patriotism with our passion – and aptitude – for hockey. The pulse of the country seems to pick up significantly as we progress through the round robin and the team’s performance becomes banter for passing conversation and meetings at the water cooler.

That sentiment rings holistically true all over the UNB campus and throughout the city of Fredericton. The first discussion many students have when returning from winter break is, “where are we watching the gold medal game?” As one of the many former sports editors of the Brunswickan, I have seen a lot of winning hockey teams during my tenure at UNB and had the distinct pleasure of covering the V-Reds during their golden run to the University Cup in 2016. This town loves a winner and has grown to expect great things from any hockey team its population holds stake in. For most of the gold medal game at this year’s WJC, it looked like Canada would be bringing home the bacon to feed this nation’s insatiable appetite for hockey greatness.

Many of my most fond UNB memories involve immediately going to the 22

cellar after – or during – a day of classes and indulging in multiple $10, $11 and now $12 pitchers to blow off steam by stretching the limit of my student loan and socializing with like minds. The best memory I have of the Cellar, though, is when Canada capped off its run in the 2015 WJC tournament by hoisting the trophy. Everyone in attendance had a singular goal and that was to sit down, drink nervously and cheer Canada to victory by collectively singing the anthem before the game and by going bananas when they put one in the Russian net.

I have a chipped tooth and torn ACL to prove how hard I celebrated that night.

When Canada eventually won that game after a hairy comeback attempt by the Ruskies, the Cellar exploded. Chairs were broken, beers were spilt and we couldn’t be happier.

Hockey is our game and we’d put the finishing touches on a tournament we hadn’t won since 2009. There was a palpable atmosphere of relief, joy, gratitude and unbridled patriotism that night – pure Canadianity.

The buzz leading up to the gold medal game this year was a little more muted, mostly thanks to the New Year’s Eve defeat we suffered to the Americans for the first time in WJC history. When both Canada and its southern rival moved on to the final game, however, the intensity knob got cranked to

11. Canada was getting a shot at almost immediate revenge against its bigger, stronger North American sibling. The narrative pretty much wrote itself and everyone – including this writer – was on edge in the lead up to puck drop, waiting anxiously to see how this story would resolve.

Unfortunately for Canada – but fortunately for the rest of my teeth – the Americans overcame a two-goal deficit in the third period and withstood an onslaught from the Canadian power play in the 10-minute overtime. Once the game advanced to a shootout, the intensity and anxiety had mounted to an unbearable level but as we progressed through the shooters it became clear, this was not to be Canada’s night.

Troy Terry, who scored three goals in the USA’s semifinal shootout victory over Russia, scored the golden goal with a brilliant five-hole finish that was eerily reminiscent of the ones he had put away just the night before. The crowd was silenced, the balloon of excitement was popped. We lost. Forced to settle for a silver medal that couldn’t possibly console a nation, or the good people of Fredericton, New Brunswick.

A lot of parallels can be drawn with this loss, and the one our university’s hockey team suffered two years ago at the University Cup in Halifax. UNB and Alberta had been jockeying for the No. 1 spot in the top 10 rankings all year long and they got to have their final showdown in the winner-takes-all, one-game final for the then – CIS gold medal.

The Golden Bears dominated the game from tip to tail and the Varsity Reds had to head home with theirs between their legs.

Almost two years removed from that devastating defeat, UNB is back on top of the nation, defending its 2015-16 championship and set to host the U Sports University Cup tournament this spring. Just like the V-Reds, Team Canada has a winning culture and will make the necessary adjustments to reaffirm their status as not only a great hockey program – the best hockey program.

Sports

Varsity Reds over the break

Words by Anne Ugabi Photography by Andy Campbell The December break wasn’t all about rest and relaxation for some of the UNB Varsity teams who saw some exhibition action.

The men’s volleyball teams first exhibition game at the Currie Center saw them face off against the Winnipeg Wesmen. The Wesmen side come out strong in the first set to win it 25-22, they lost the second set by 3 points when UNB rallied to win the set 25-21.

The Wesmen won the last two sets 25-17, and 25-22 respectively; allowing them to win the game 3-1.

Tristen Burridge and Sam Alves led the Varsity Reds efforts with 11 kills each, Burridge also had the most digs for the UNB side at 8.

The second game against the Wesmen saw the Varsity Reds fare better, but still not enough to overcome the visiting Winnipeg side. The visitors won the first set 25-11, UNB came back in the second set to win it 25-20. However, the UNB side fought harder and after losing the third set 25-17, to

win the fourth set to by two points when and it ended 32-30. With both sides at 2-2 at the end of the fourth set, a deciding fifth set was played; The Varsity Reds couldn’t quite push past the Winnipeg Wesmen and the final set ended 15-12; the visiting Wesmen took the game 3-2.

Burridge again led the UNB side with 17 digs, while Eivind Anderson registered 13 kill and 13 digs.

The last game of the 3 game series against the Winnipeg Wesmen saw them down the UNB Varsity Reds 3-0, to complete a three match sweep in the exhibition match up when they won 25-17, 25-16 and 25-19.

Burridge again led the UNB attack with 8 kills, while teammate Ryan Colpitts registered 7 digs.

The Varsity Reds men’s hockey team also saw some action over the break in the annual Peterbilt Atlantic Pete Kelly Cup. The two-game match up saw the UNB Varsity Reds face of against the York University Lions. In the first game the Varsity Reds defeated the Lions 6-3; fourth year forward Philippe Maillet started the scoring early in

1:42 of the first period. He went on to score two more of the six goals that night, with the other three goals coming from Philippe Halley, Randy Gazzola, and Francis Beauvillier, Cam Braes had three assists.

The second night of action saw more domination from the Varity Reds who took the game 6-1 to complete the two-game sweep of the tournament. Stephen Anderson scored three of those goals and was also named the Peterbilt Atlantic Player of the game for the UNB side as well as being named a tournament all-start, teammates Halley, Braes and Cameron Brace added a goal each to the final score. Alex Dubeau was in net for the Varsity Reds and stopped 18 out of the 19 shots and was also named to the tournament all-star team, along with Halley and defenceman Marcus McIvor.

Men’s basketball had a chance to shake off the cobwebs ahead of regular season action when the Varsity Reds hosted the Holland Hurricanes in a two-game exhibition series after Christmas. The visiting Hurricanes are the top-ranked team in the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association and the first game was a close one between the two sides.

The Varsity Reds managed to hang on till the end to defeat the Hurricanes 97-91. Javon Masters led the scoring for the UNB side with a game-high of 25 points, Jamaal Potopsingh recorded 12 points and 5 rebounds, while Hess Mayele registered 11 points.

The second game of the exhibition was even closer than the first game with the game was neck and neck by the end of the 4th quarter. Rookie guard Chris Spurrell got a pair of free throws with seconds to spare on the clock to give the Varsity Reds the win with a final score of 73-72.

Masters led the scoring again on night two, recording 17 points, Spurrell had 14 and Jesse Kendall added his own 11 points.

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