Issuu

THE CAVE Your Campus, Your Voice

Issue 1: May 2019

The return of a student newspaper

See Page 5

Women in Power & Empowered!

ur President-elect of the Guild of Students is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish with a minor in Education. She also holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Food and Hospitality Management along with being a trained teacher. The ambitious young lady simply wants to take advantage of all the opportunities she is given. Some of these things include working with the Government of Jamaica (where she is originally from) in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. back home. She believes knowing a second language is an asset in allowing her to communicate her ideas on a broader platform. She is also very passionate about teaching and would not put it aside. See page 5 for Full Interview

FRENETIC ARTS

In this issue: Interview with President-Elect Thacher Loutin Spotlight: UWIval 2019 Women in sports on campus

See page 18 UWIVAL HIGHLIGHTS

Student Corner & more!

See page 14

CONTENTS

The Editor’s Desk

The Cave Volume I Issue 1 | 3

PCC’s Desk

Dr Sarah Sutrina

Cover Story

Faith Corner

Females in Sports

UWIval Highlights

Spotlight: Frenetic Arts

Student Corner

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The Editor’s Desk

he first rejuvenated edition of The Cave is intended to be an exciting reflection of the achievements made by the women of Cave Hill Campus. This extends not only to students but lecturers as well. So often media is male-centred where the contributions made by women are ignored or not mentioned at all.

he theme ‘Women Empowered are Women in Power’ reflects the victory of our new president elect Thatcher Loutin, serving to impress the idea that women are capable of holding positions of authority; this is something we should all get used to as these rates are only going to increase.

his edition is intended to highlight the achievements of women in areas of sports and the arts while reflecting on those who have passed away i.e Dr. Sutrina. One of the main ideas I hope stays with readers is that women are more than their bodies and their impact on society; while we value our caretakers this is not the only option available to us, women are multifaceted and contribute so much in so many different ways. I hope this edition of The Cave is an enlightening one for members of the Cave Hill campus; your feedback and suggestions on this edition are welcome as we aspire to further rejuvenate the newspaper for the student body. T’afari Steede, Editor.

Credits Managing Editor: Daniel Boxill Publications Committee Chairperson guildpcc@mycavehill.uwi.edu Editor: T’afari Steede Photography Contributors: Alexander Newton Aliah-Rose Taitt Epic Phography Focus Photography

Writing Contributors: Dania Abraham Asha Cumberbatch Kelsia Kellman Asha Marei T’Afari Steede Richelle Taylor Marc-Ari Weekes

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The PCC’s Desk Dear Reader,

thank you for taking the time to peruse this edition of The Cave. It has been a while since Cave Hill his had a student run publication of any kind and I felt it important that we change that.

y hope is that future guilds of students continue to produce this or some other publication and expand its scope and reach. I personally believe that having a student run publication is essential for accountability, transparency and connectivity amongst the campus community. It gives students a place to sound their voices, express their concerns and showcase their creativity. It provides a space for student entrepreneurs to advertise their products, skills and services. It

gives the guild a chance to show what it’s doing and document its projects and initiatives. It allows administration and the various departments once centralised place to try to reach the campus family. It allows alumni to see what’s happening on campus and to reach out to the campus if they choose to contribute to the publication. It provides a place for advertisers, sponsors and the wider corporate Caribbean to try to reach students and gives student run organisations the opportunity to add more value to their sponsorship proposal.

Steede who dedicated herself to the task and proved invaluable throughout this process.

would also like to thank my fellow guild councillors for the time spent with them on the 1018-2019 Guild of Students for the UWI Cave Hill campus and would like to wish the 2019-2020 Guild council the best of luck and greatest of blessings in their endeavours in the next academic year.

t was a long and difficult road to get to this final product and I would like to thank my team and all of those who have assisted and contributed to the making this publication a reality. I especially want to thank my editor, T’afari

Daniel Boxill, Publications Committee Chairperson 2018-2019.

Credits Design and Layout: Daniel Boxill Advertising: guildpcc@mycavehill.uwi.edu OR guildofstudents@mycavehill.uwi.edu The Andrew Gordon Lewis Building, The University of the West Indies, Cave Hill, Barbados.

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Dr Sarah Sutrina anyone can say to compensate the frustration, questions and grief loved ones may feel. No amount of compassion can possibly quell the anger which arises on hearing about the frequency with which murders have been occurring in Barbados recently.

D I didn’t know Dr. Sutrina.

he first time I heard her name was a Tuesday morning, early February in my Modern History lecture. Dr. Clarke had drifted offtopic to speak about the series of murders which had been recently discovered. I was chilled listening to the brutality of her murder and even more chilled to later discover that the accused murderer was someone who had gone to the same primary school I did and lived in my neighbourhood.

he murderer’s victims consisted of a female majority. According to The Nation newspaper, Dr. Sutrina was discovered a day later after the victim’s own mother at Ocean State Northumberland, St. Lucy. It is difficult to manoeuvre around loss, especially when the circumstances surrounding such loss is murder. There is nothing

r. Sutrina was a biochemistry lecturer and joined the Cave Hill campus in 1992, meaning she has been a member of the Cave Hill family for 27 years. She served as biochemistry coordinator from 2003 to 2010. Those who actually knew her, spoke of her love for the sea, and her pets and her genuine excitement on spotting ‘rotifiers’ in a sample of water.

Dr. Sutrina was a person. And that is enough.

ften persons attempt to value the lives of women through the roles they have been in assigned by society - as mothers, sisters, caregivers etc.. However, despite not knowing Dr. Sutrina I think it is important to remember her life for who she was as a person... her passions, joys and her achievements.

he was known for her love of flip-flops, casual attire and her sense of humour. She cared a lot about the environment as she lived a minimalist lifestyle and recycled often. An introvert at heart she had a warm spirit and was passionate about teaching, embracing each and every one of her students.

lthough it is tempting to relate the significance of Dr. Sutrina’s life to the impact it must have had on others (not dismissing it of course) she was someone’s daughter, lecturer, friend….teacher.

Rotifers are microscopic aquatic animals of the phylum Rotifera. Rotifers can be found in many freshwater environments and in moist soil, where they inhabit the thin films of water that are formed around soil particles.

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Cover Story: Interview with Thacher Loutin

By Asha Cumberbatch

hacher Loutin knows that she is unique. In her own words, she goes “over and beyond”, putting service above self. As a spirit animal she would choose the lioness. Why? “Because of the strength, pride and courage the lioness portrays in the forest. I think for me it is the same. People say the lion will never eat grass; it doesn’t matter the economy. It’s not that you won’t adjust to fit the circumstances, but you would try to fix the problem and find a solution before actually giving in.”

“I

am definitely moving on to my masters after this degree,” she insists with a laugh. “Any opportunities I get, I will just grab it. If it is in Dubai I will go.”

“Hummingbirds well, they fly and me I always try to soar.” A: “Where do you see yourself five years from now?”

“W

ell five more years from now I probably see myself being a lecturer; I love teaching. I also think in studying a foreign language, I need to be in-depth and immersed in the culture, so five years from now I may also see myself living in a Spanish-speaking country and probably teaching English to kids who speak Spanish. To be honest I don’t really have a plan five years from now... but the masters is a good start.” A: “How did you come up with the idea for this Arts Beat room?”

“I

t is simple. There is faculty pride on this campus as you would see with the Faculty of Law etc. However, at the time when I came on this campus, I realized there was not any space for Humanities students to mix and mingle. Many of them can’t afford lunch so they need to microwave

their food. The first thing I did was to identify a space. This was actually the old lecturers’ sick bay and I realized it wasn’t being used. So I thought ‘why not approach the Dean’? “To be honest the process was quite difficult, and I think if I didn’t have that perseverance, that fighting spirit this room would not be here today. I practically pulled the funding from my own pocket. Yes, we got a bit of sponsorship but not enough to cover it fully. I paid for the decor myself, did everything myself. Up to today we have more Science and Technology students here than Humanities. We have more Social Sciences students using the lounge and I don’t stop them. I really don’t have a problem with it.” I went on to question the Presidentelect on what her plans were postcampaign.

he replied, “As I said I really don’t have mandates, I am not here to serve myself. I am here to serve the students and I’m open to new initiatives along with solving long-term problems with students. Along with having the University looking in, I want them to become more humane when it comes to students’ financial struggles.” She also said that she wants to lobby for the University to create a comprehensive online space

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The Cave Volume I Issue 1 | 11 where employers and students can connect so that jobs and internships can be advertised and sought. “I look at the fact that the University of the West Indies, is a prestigious University and employers are not going to look for our graduates. I don’t want five thousand math students leaving each year without a clue of what they are going to do after. It won’t help five thousand, but it will at least help enough.”

hacher also intends to assist with the shuttle system, security issues, and respect from administration. She also wants there to be more cohesive integration amongst the faculties where everyone understands that their degrees are equally important. “I want the student population to understand that despite the stigma that the Faculty of Humanities and Education degrees are just liberal, it is not true. The world needs diverse people and what makes us that way are the different faculties we come from and the different degrees we pursue. I would have looked into creating more transparency and unity between the Guild and students. Many students don’t know what goes on in the guild. They just pay their fees and don’t know what it is for.”

to help us; and remember we are coming from different islands. Those businesses and corporations from other islands… no one turns away proposals on education.”

he declares that campus policy must align with its ideals of being a ‘smart-campus’. “You can’t tell me you are accepting students with disabilities and then somebody comes in with dyslexia but there is no lecturer with special needs to cater to them. We cater for the blind, we cater for the people in the wheelchairs but what about people with Autism and things like that? So these are things we are looking into.” A: “Have you always wanted to be in a leading position?”

“A

gain, the question is simple. I don’t feel like I can be a normal student; and when I say a ‘normal’ student I mean I don’t feel like I can just come to school and do academics. No. I believe when you come to University you seek holistic development and even if you are not a leader, at least join a club; at least join a society. Most of us who come from an island join the island association. I never thought I would run for Guild President! I have faculty pride and I certainly love my faculty. Even serving as Humanities and Education rep I never thought that I would feel so passionate about it. Up until now I want to let go of being Humanities [Representative], but I have become attached. I love, love the faculty.”

newsletter is needed, she declares, to inform persons of what occurs. However, she insists that many student outreach plans are provided for, such as those with welfare but some students are often unaware of what occurs. She wants to reignite the promise of the Guild by creating student opportunities for them with regards to scholarships. So how did Thacher Loutin end up “Corporate Barbados is willing running for Guild President?

“L

ast semester I had people telling me ‘ohhh you could run for Guild President’ ‘ohh we see you doing this thing’ and ‘you could do great things’, and ‘you could be a great leader, we see you getting things done’ and I decided you know, even if people didn’t tell me I would still have tried. Even at the point where I realized I was going up against three males, I wasn’t discouraged.” Although she couldn’t ignore the issue of gender she did not allow it to hinder her success. “I didn’t tell myself ‘I am a woman and may not get the opportunities. No. I looked at myself as the candidate who I thought was capable to do the job.”

ighlighting the corruption which occurs during campaigns such as ‘free pizza, rides home and money’ Thacher insists that her campaign was different. Her approach and strategy relied on communication and reaching out to people on a one-on-one level. She pushed for ‘service above self’ and spoke to many persons from different faculties. Illustrating what she was able to achieve as Humanities Rep, she implored persons to consider what she could achieve as Guild President. “What advice would you give to women who may want to run for Guild President in the future?”

“I

would tell them to just believe in themselves and have faith in their own abilities. Don’t just say, do it. Go for it! Bypass gender! If men can do it, so can women and even better.” Gender roles have changed, she

12 | The Cave Volume I Issue 1 insists. Gone are the days where women stayed in the homes taking care of the children and men went out, bringing in the money. Those days have changed where women are electricians, plumbers, Prime Ministers...for example Mia Mottley and Portia Simpson Miller, Jamaica’s first Prime Minister as well. “I remember I went to the Governor General to have a little chat; she said to me: ‘Do not let gender get in your way as a woman. You’re a woman, yes. You know that. . .but in your capacity as serving as Guild President do not associate the position with ‘woman’. Associate the position with you being capable of doing the job and being the Guild President’. I am taking that forward with me.”

lthough some persons have been commenting on social media saying she would not receive the respect she deserves due to her being a woman, she says everyone ‘demands the respect’ they deserve. “ “Do you think women should run more for these leadership positions?”

“Y

es! Absolutely yes. I think society has changed. Women are financial accountants, pilots etc. There are no such things as ‘man jobs’ or ‘woman jobs’; you do a job because you are passionate about it. Our own principal Eudine Barriteau is a woman, the Dean of Humanities is a woman. Let society have faith in us.”

Faith Corner CHRISTIANITY Whitsuntide • Whitsuntide is the week following Whit Sunday • Whit Sunday falls on the seventh Sunday after Easter and will occur on June 9th this year • It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Jesus’ disciples • Whitsun is also known as Pentecost out side of Britain and the Commonwealth • The name Whitsun is a contraction of “White Sunday” ISLAM Ramadan • Muslims all over the world are currently celebrating Ramadan • It started from sunset on May the fifth and lasts until June fourth this year. • Ramadan is one of the most important months in the Muslim calendar where, for the next 29 days they abstain from eating or drinking during daylight hours • For Muslims this celebration commemorates Allah, (the Arabic name for God) when he gave the first verses of the Quran to the Prophet Muhammad in the year 610 A.D. • in addition to fasting Muslims also pray and gather for nightly feasts to break the fast. • Observing Ramadan is only one of the Five Pillars of Islam

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Female Participation in Sports on Campus

By Dania Abraham

he University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus, like St. Augustine’s campus, offers 10 sports that allow students to develop their sporting abilities, as well to improve their physical and mental health. Included in this list are: basketball, cricket, football, hockey, netball, swimming, table tennis, tennis, track and field, and volleyball. All of these sports have male and female teams with their distinct coaches, competitions and training schedules. Students who desire to practice said sports competitively can do so with the UWI Blackbirds team whose main colours are black and yellow.

owever, the male teams receive the lion’s share of public and financial support despite the measurable success of female athletes who represent the UWI Blackbirds.

his trend is by no means unique to UWI Cave Hill but rather it colours modern and traditional attitudes to recreational and competitive sports. On the recreational front, the campus allows for each faculty, halls of residence and island associations to host a week of activities which usually comprises of a fun sports day or sports competition. In addition to this, the Games Committee usually hosts ‘UWILYMPICS:

Chancellor Sports’ in their week of activities. The activities for the various fun sports days typically include races such as ‘lime and spoon’, ‘wheelbarrow’, and a ‘three-legged race’. These events tend to attract both male and female attendees and participants often with the majority of persons present being female. However, in cases when the island associations, halls of residences and faculties host competitions that cater to specific sports, the lack of female participation is glaring.

ccording to the recently sworn-in Games Committee Chairperson, Dionisio Carey, is that the female student body would like to see more femaledominated sports such as netball and volleyball offered for interassociation, inter-halls and interfaculty competitions. During his tenure, he plans to promote more of these sports in on-campus competitions. Carey also extended this to the exercise fitness program of Zumba to encourage more female participation. For the male-dominated sports such as football, basketball, and cricket, he intends to make provision for women-only teams who would then compete against each other (given that there is enough interest).

he new GCC wants to make sports accessible to all women within the campus’ community

at every ability level whether they want to engage in recreational or competitive sports. Despite his willingness to facilitate this, he noted that the vast majority of women who are involved in sports on campus, are those who were involved before they came to UWI and competed with the club and/or national level. Through open dialogue with his women counterparts from the different halls of residence as well as the wider campus community, Carey hopes to conduct some field research to find out how those who had not previously practiced a sport, can be influenced to participate in the various sporting activities hosted on campus throughout the year. Additionally, he hinted at some women-centred incentives to attract the female demographic.

or those young women who have decided to represent the University competitively in one or more of the 10 sports offered, support is limited. Carey underscores this point by stating that “females in sports at Cave Hill haven’t gotten the recognition that they deserve in years.” In terms of public support, the matches of the female UWI Blackbirds are not as well attended as matches played by their male counterparts. Financial support, though, can be more easily regulated to allow for female athletes to benefit. The financial support for female teams

The Cave Volume I Issue 1 | 15 or the lack thereof can be seen in the sports gear, sportswear, coaching staff, monetary gains and the like. Therefore, any disparities in financial support for male and female teams can be immediately identified. Thus, it may generate resentment and/ or demotivation in athletes who feel neglected in that aspect. Carey asserts that athletes must be wary that there are external factors that govern the availability of certain resources to teams who represent the university. The GCC nonetheless vows to assist all athletes in that regard where possible.

he sport of cricket has been intricately woven into Barbadian culture and is, in fact, the most popular sport on the island. Consequently, this strong national culture seeped into the University’s culture thus making cricket the most popular sport at UWI Cave Hill Campus. Therefore, the top male cricketers have enjoyed a ‘sort of’ celebrity status on campus. Moreover, events such as the Vice-Chancellor’s Cricket Match and UWI TV interviews, give them further recognition. The same cannot be said for the top women athletes who attend this institution. The women’s teams represent UWI Blackbirds in competitions throughout the school year often producing noteworthy results. For instance, the Women’s Football Team won the 2017 and 2018 Barbados Women’s Premier League. During the latter edition of the competition, they registered 9 wins, 2 losses and 1 draw with a total of 53 goals scored for the team and 6 goals scored against them in 14 matches. One reliable

goal-scorer for the team is the captain Ashanee Thompson, who plays in the midfield. She will be leading her team into competition from this month at the annual UWI Games to be held at the UWI Mona Campus.

ther outstanding female performers can be found representing the UWI Blackbirds in netball, hockey, basketball, swimming, and tennis. According to the Barbados Netball Association (BNA), netball is the highest ranked team sport in Barbados and has become the sport of choice for Barbadian women. The Barbadian national team is actually ranked 10th in the world. To foster the development of this sport on campus, the University participates in BNA tournaments from division 1-6. One of the senior members and prolific scorer for the UWI Blackbirds Signa Division One Netball Team is St. Lucian born, Roxanne Snyder, who is in her final year of study at the University. For hockey, heavy-hitters like Ayanna Wilson and D’Jamlia Edwards represent the UWI Blackbirds in competitions such as the Barbadian Hockey Federation (BHF) Indoor Competition and the Hockey Scrimfest. The swimming team also caters to female swimmers who participate at the collegiate level in the annual UWI Games and in local competitions. One swimmer to pay attention to is Barbadian Zabrina Holder, who has represented

her country at CARIFTA, CAC, World Championships and Youth Olympics. She has also broken several national swimming records.

WI Cave Hill Campus has also allowed for women representation in tennis at local competitions. Some of the names on the Blackbirds’ roster are Kiana Marshall and Carissa Rudolfo. The female volleyballers too have been representing the campus well. Their participation, however, is not limited to the domestic sphere, where they participate in the Barbados Volleyball Association (BVA) Junior Knockout Competition, but it has reached the international level. Wherein, a UWI Blackbird, Kendia Brathwaite, received a post-graduate scholarship from the International Olympic Academy and partook in the academy’s 25th International Seminar on Olympic Studies last September in Greece. Another outstanding volleyballer, Tisha Solis of Belize, also plays for the University’s female volleyball team. In addition, she represents her country at the national level and played in the XX Central American Women’s Volleyball Championship. The UWI Blackbirds table tennis team, though inactive for most of the year, has put a team of male and female players together. Part of this team is Anthonette Riley, who won the 2017 Games Committee Table Tennis Tournament and is the 2018 Senior Women’s Table

16 | The Cave Volume I Issue 1 Tennis Champion of Barbados. erhaps through open discussions about this issue, female athletes and fans will feel more support and representation on and off campus. The current and first-ever Sports Faculty Guild Representative, Taahir Bulbulia, has pledged his support of more inclusion and recognition of female sports enthusiasts. Together with Bulbulia, the Sports Faculty Representative, Dionisio Carey, the Games Committee Chairperson, and female sports advocate Sherneil Charlery, change might be on the horizon.

UWI Carnival By Richelle Taylor

“How do you go to a wet fete and you don’t expect for you to get wet?”

ell, there wasn’t a single dry spot in the Roy Marshall car park on the 5th of April, as the much anticipated fete on the UWI calendar unfolded. Asa Banton, a Dominican soca artiste, ‘made a mess’ as he ensured the 2019 J’ouvert superseded the expectations of its name and pure pandemonious vibes it was. Banton’s performance took the energy of the crowd to another level, first by his unexpected dispersing of bottled waters to patrons followed by the distribution of multiple tissue paper packs which patrons utilized as rags; from a birds eye view it created a sea of white. By the end of his performance everyone was sure to be wet.

nother crowd favourite was Trinidadian soca sensation, Erphaan Alves, who charmed the ladies with hit songs such as, ‘Overdue’ and brought a heat of affection with his live rendition of, “Blazing love.”

midst all the hype of Uwival events it is worth to mention the value they hold to the student community who partake. Stress Relief UWIval events come at a time just after midterms exams a and little before final course assignments are due. They provide a couple hours where students are sure to take their minds away from the academic stresses and ‘let their hair down’ in the moment. Regional Integration – “Everybody jumping up together, waving up together.” The UWI community itself exemplifies this. Campus-based events such as ‘Uwival’ and Jouverts which provide a raw showcase of regional integration at its best. This is because the event is open to the general public so students and patrons alike capitalize on the opportunity of showing patriotism for their nationality with the waving of national flags and rags of the respective colours of the countries

they represent. Interestingly, it wasn’t by chance that this 2019 Jouvert offered an exciting line-up of DJ’s and guest artistes from the various Caribbean islands. Cost Effective Though many patrons typically opt for casual white attire to highlight the slaps of paint, there’s no need to expense oneself, ‘dressing to impress’ like you would for an all-inclusive, all white event. Simply wear what you have or what you don’t care to lose. ‘Yuh cyan come jouvert if yuh fraid paint or water’ Memories “Take a picture now gimme something ah go remember now”Kerwin Dubois Surely, Uwival is an experience to remember, whether you attended, ‘Carnival Thursdays’, Jouvert or final jump up, those are the memories that will count as you reminisce in years to come about your University life. Just as important as memories, so are the people we share them with, whether it be your ‘feteing famalay’ or UWI acquaintances. The bonding in a different atmosphere outside of lectures is quite special.

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Summer School

IMPORTANT DATES

Application Period (closed): April 01st - May 10th, 2019 Registration Period: May 20th â€“ May 24th, 2019 Deadline for fees: May 24th, 2019 Teaching begins: May 27th, 2019 Late Registration: May 27th â€“ May 31st, 2019

INTRODUCTION The University of the West Indies, Cave Hill Campus will offer a select number of undergraduate courses during Summer School and we extend our warmest welcome to all interested persons. Summer School offers students an opportunity to: 1) accelerate their studies 2) register for remedial classes 3) further personal enrichment The duration of teaching is six weeks, followed by a one-week break before examinations begin. It is anticipated that students will be offered thirty-six hours of instruction, divided into two-hour segments in the timetable (6 hours per week). Please note that specific teaching arrangements in a given course may vary. ELIGIBITY FOR ADMISSION The following persons are eligible for admission to Summer School: (i) Registered students of the University who have not completed the requirements of the degree, diploma or certificate programme for which they are registered. (ii) Students of the University who have been granted leave of absence for Semester I and/or Semester II or part thereof preceding the Summer School. (iii) Persons not students of the University who are eligible to matriculate at: (a) Normal level (b) Lower level

Deadline for Withdrawal and Changes in Registration: May 31st, 2019 Teaching Ends: July 05th, 2019 Study Break: July 08th - July 12th, 2019 Examination Period: July 15th - July 26th, 2019 For full list of course, application and more:

(c) As a mature student APPLICATION PROCEDURE Download application form from the Summer School website at: http://www.cavehill.uwi.edu/summerschool/resources /summer-school-app-form.aspx. Return completed application form along with original and copies of academic qualifications and birth certificate to the Student Affairs, Admissions office. An application fee of BBD$30.00 must accompany the form. REGULATIONS GOVERNING REGISTRATON 1) Each student will be allowed to take a MAXIMUM of THREE courses offered in one or more Faculties. 2) Summer School students who have not been offered a place at the University have no automatic right of acceptance into any Faculty of the University (Ref. (iii) above). 3) Non-UWI students in categories (iii) (a) and (b) above who are accepted into the University may be granted credit/exemption for courses successfully completed in the Summer School provided that five (5) years have not elapsed since the completion of the relevant course(s). 4) Non-UWI students who have not met normal or lower level matriculation requirements, category (iii) (c), are not eligible to receive credit for courses passed at Summer School.

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https://www.cavehill.uwi.edu/summerschool/home.aspx FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Mrs. Carol Jordan 417-4123 carol.jordan@cavehill.uwi.edu Ms. Annmaria Jordan 417-4114 annmaria.jordan@cavehill.uwi.edu

FEE POLICY

REGISTRATION PROCEDURE

The cost for EACH course is BBD$625.00 for UWI students and BBD$750.00 for Non-UWI students. For students from non-contributing countries the fee per course is USD$500.00. The table below lists contributing countries;

1) UWI students should visit CHOL to register. Non-UWI students will be registered by the Admissions Office. Students are required to bring their letter of offer.

Campus Countries

Non-Campus Countries

Barbados Jamaica

Anguilla Antigua & Barbuda

Trinidad & Tobago

Belize Bermuda British Virgin Islands Dominica Grenada Montserrat St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Vincent & The Grenadines The Bahamas The Cayman Islands Turks & Caicos

Fees must be paid in full at the time of registration. If a student has not paid for a course by the end of late registration that course will be removed from the student’s record. Registration fees will be refunded in full only where: (a) The university withdraws a course for which a student has registered. (b) A student withdraws before teaching begins.

2) UWI students can visit the cashier or make a payment online. Non-UWI students will collect the letter from the Admissions Office, proceed to the Cashier and pay for the courses selected. All fees must be paid in full. 3) Return the receipt to the Student Affairs, Admissions to be registered. Registration for a given course will constitute registration for the examination in that course. CHANGE OF REGISTRATION Any amendments to registration (i.e. add or drop a course) should be made by visiting Student Affairs, Admissions to complete a ‘Change of Registration Form’ no later than the end of the second week of Summer School.

WITHDRAWAL FROM COURSES Summer School students may apply to withdraw from a course(s) within the registration period, without penalty. A penalty shall be instituted as follows: (a) 25% of the fees beginning 2nd week of teaching. (b) 30% of the fees beginning the 3rd week of teaching. After the second week of teaching, students who withdraw from a course(s), WILL NOT BE REFUNDED.

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Frenetic Arts

If you have ever been to a Poetry Lime at Barbados Community College, or more recently Pelican Village in the Creative Space, this organization does not necessarily need an introduction. Founded by Luci Hammans in 2016 Frenetic Arts is Barbados’ lead Spoken Word organization. They produce events, outreach programmes and campaigns which ‘facilitate the growth and development of young creatives’ (Marshall, Cyndi). Previously ‘Beatfreeks Barbados’ (British-based) the organization emancipated from its sister organization to develop into something more Caribbean-oriented and authentic.

From left: Faith-Amber Johnson, Jovana Johnson, Luci Hammans

Initially spearheaded by three women: Luci Hammans, Faith-Amber Johnson and Jovana Johnson Frenetic Arts’ aims to: ‘develop a culture of respect, responsibility and professionalism towards youth-centred, arts-based outreach work in Barbados by showcasing the importance of our underrepresented Caribbean voices’.

They celebrated three years in February and have gone on to develop a wellrounded roster of events including : a poetry slam (to occur along with Poetry Lime, don’t worry!) as well as participation in this year’s PACE Vrystaat South Africa literary festival where they intend to send four members of the Poetry Lime community to represent Barbados along with a contingent from Jamaica; some of these include: Cyndi Marshall, NEC Boyce and Akeem Chandler-Prescott. If you wish to support this contingent feel free to contact a Frenetic Arts director at: @freneticarts_ or Frenetic Arts on Facebook to discover more information, event updates and poetry!

From left: Nicholas Boyce, Luci Hammans, Jovana Johnson, T’afari Steede, Faith-Amber Johnson

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Student Corner By Kelsia Kellman Artemis: - “The Wilde Hunt” The hunt has begun anew, And many have already given up hope, As the scared hind simply lopes, Quickly in and out of view. Several have fallen behind, Their boasts have become nothing, But their only claim to...really anything, As they are out bested by the hind. But the others do not falter, Drawing bows and letting arrows fly, But miss mark and do not die, A wise thing too for they are at her altar. They are not the great huntress, And they are not beloved by her, And so, mounts her ire, Of those who have not fallen to duress. And as the hunt continues, She sharpens her arrowheads, For she will hunt them instead. As their blood will be what’s due, In exchange for golden antlers, And bronze tipped hooves, So now they have everything to lose. “For My Mother” For my mother I’ll tear asunder, Anyone foolish enough to insult her. For my mother I’ll draw my bow, And misery her enemies will know. For my mother I’ll happily slaughter, That stupid Queen’s every daughter. For my mother I will not falter, Till Niobe bends a knee at her altar.

For my mother who birthed but two, I will make Niobe rue the day she insulted you. For my mother I’ll make her cry, Endless tears that’ll never dry. She’ll weep and wail because my brother, Has also slain her sons for our mother. By Marc-Ari Weekes “The Queen’s Stream” It’s a tranquil stream with a current to fight god Light, Man, Leviathan, none have ever reached its depths yet it is crystal clear Shallow and beautiful at a glance Notes of knowledge’s sugar seduce the tongue And rightfully so “Drink”, say the wise The wise bathe in it, speaking between hallucinations of other worlds One sip is never enough, most are addicted And rightfully so This current has chiselled it’s path through the earth yet tickles the toes of children at play It’s forever on its way to who knows where but there’s always a moment to feed the trees with its water and laughter Dam it if you dare, try to harvest its energy, divert it from its chiselled course The waters turn red momentarily, Torn down brutally, without a thought, made victim to the merciless focus And rightfully so Still beautiful, still a bottomless pit, still a still spirit Still brimming over with wisdom in the rain to feed the roots of man Forever focused. Stagnation unseen. The Queen’s stream.

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Social Media Influencer & Poet: Janielle Browne! By T’afari Steede

“Every action is a political statement”

had always seen her around at Poetry Limes or at UWI but my first interaction with Janielle was stapled after a poetry reading for Pouii magazine in the Cynthia Wilson Arts Lecture Theatre. With her impeccable sense of style I was pleased to note that she also had great taste in literature. The following semester found us in a course together and through multiple class discussions on philosophical views I grew to realize not only was she wellversed in topical issues but she was also a growing social media influencer due to her poetry. Amassing over two thousand followers on both Facebook (Janielle F. J Browne) and Instagram (@aquanxD), Janielle says she really began to blow up after releasing a video for her poem ‘Melanin’ which spoke on the harmful effects of bleaching one’s skin:

“I

didn’t expect it to blow up,” she says, while contending that the feeling of having strangers approach her in the streets because they related so much to her poetry was definitely appreciated:

“Sometimes I am wary of putting out things that are so personal, but when people relate to it, it kinda makes me realize that nothing is in a vacuum.” Janielle has poetry platforms both online and outside in the real world; but before delving into how she utilized social media as a tool for expression I wanted to find out more Janielle Browne the poet and how she got into poetry.

“I

got into poetry when I was about say, eleven. I always loved literature because my mother was an English teacher so I always had an appreciation for words. As soon as I got into school I got into writing. Do you remember on mother’s day and father’s day in class how they would make you write a little poem? So I guess I started there but I didn’t get into it until I was like eleven and I started to write stories. I realized you could still tell a story with like, fewer lines so I did my first poetry collection when I was like twelve, but I didn’t get it published so don’t get excited! But I was really proud of myself for being able to write and write that consistently so that I could have an actual body of work.” Imagine amassing an entire collection at the age of twelve. I was curious as to whether she had adult assistance or if she undertook this endeavour completely on her own.

“T

his was actually completely unassisted. I used to take my exercise books for school and write stories in them. My teachers [sic] would always be like:’ why do you need a new exercise book again?’ and I would be like: ‘ohh don’t worry about it!’ but I was really just writing stories. Then I got a notebook, cause I really wanted a separate notebook for poetry. It was one of those black and white notebooks with the static on it; you know what I mean? So I wrote pages back to front of poetry. I didn’t really want to share anything with anybody because I just started and it was more of a personal thing. In my classes in secondary school we had a book club thing where we would share our fictional works and everybody would read them, but I didn’t want to do that with my poetry.” “Obviously this was when you were still young, right? So when was it that you were actually propelled into sharing your poetry?”

“A

bout two years later, when I was in third form... about thirteen. My best-friend actually sent me a poem a few weeks ago I wrote when I was thirteen and I was like: ‘you still have that?’ but she was the first person I decided to share my poetry with and she was like : ‘this is really good!’. In our English classes when our lecturers would let us do something creative I

26 | The Cave Volume I Issue 1 would opt to write a poem to give myself practice. Eventually my class started becoming aware that I didn’t only write stories, I also wrote poems. We had this thing in fourth form...it was kind of a harvest celebration and I wrote a poem for it. It was a poem competition actually and there were four of us..but when I had to read my poem the um the microphone got cut off...but I didn’t know. See, I could hear myself but the audience couldn’t hear me. It was so embarrassing, cause it was in front of the whole school. After that it became, like known that yeahh I write...so yeah I guess you can say that is how it got out.” Two of Janielle’s pieces which really stuck with me are ‘PERManent Issues’ and ‘Melanin’ which she performed at the Humanities talent show. These pieces discussed hair and skin-colour politics faced by black people. “ ‘I don’t need a natural hair journey to know that we have journeyed across the transatlantic ocean.’ Can you tell me what inspired those pieces?”

“U

mm, ‘PERManent Issues’ I wrote in 2015. I had just gotten my hair permed/ straightened. I have always been known as this...I don’t want to say ‘deep’ but you know people kind of attached this ‘Erykah Badu’ persona to me because I do poetry and because of the topics I normally talk about. “PERManent Issues’ was personal for me as people were taken aback that I had straightened my hair and I guess I wasn’t going to be a natural girl or whatever...but I was like : ‘none of you are going

to come to my house and help me detangle and deal with my hair’. I wrote it at the time when my mother was like ‘ I’m not going to do your hair anymore’. I was like: ‘I want it straightened and I’m going to get it straightened’ and it was just more manageable for me. People were like ‘you trying to be white’ and stuff like that. It isn’t something I heard a lot but it was something as the natural movement progressed that in order to prove how black you were or like, woke or selfaware that you have to wear your hair natural. So the poem is essentially about the fact that I am completely aware of my history cause I have been a history student for literally more than half my life. I know my roots, I know where we come from and those roots have nothing to do with the roots on my head.

“T

he second one ‘Melanin’ is personal to me because it is something important but I also wrote it for other people. I think I wrote it in 2017 when the bleach epidemic became like ….it was blowing up. It was something that really broke my heart because I was like ‘I don’t understand’. Black people are stunning, naturally. Unassisted. We don’t need help to look good and it was kinda hurtful to see people feel that they are dirty and go damage themselves. It isn’t like makeup where makeup enhances your skin. It became really damaging ...the bleaching epidemic. I wrote about it because somebody needs to talk about it. I also did a video of it. I posted it on my facebook and it got a lot more attention than I expected and I was like ‘ohh okay’. People started sharing my video and I was like ‘this is

cool’. This was on my facebook page. The part that surprised me was when I like, went to town and people were like ‘Oh my God, you’re the girl who did that poem ‘Melanin’ and I was like ‘okay!’. It is very strange to be recognized by strangers.” ‘Blackness’ is a common theme in Janielle’s poetry. “Well when I performed at the Humanities talent show I actually did more poems than just ‘PERManent Issues’ and’ Melanin’. Funny enough that was a theme that was common in all of them... you know,# blackisbeautiful and #melanainmagic. For me it is really important because I am a black girl and it is something you can’t hide like, I mean you can’t just wake up one day and take off your skin to put on someone else’s.. .and when I was like around five years old I had what I think was eczema. It was never diagnosed but I think I had it because I had like really spotty and scarred skin; although I never really saw an issue with it when I went to school somebody got it in their head to call me ‘spotty banana’.

hildren are cruel. I went home, I cried about it and I was like ‘I am here crying and nobody is helping me’ so I was done with that. The next day I went to school...I guess that is where my sass started because I defended myself and from that I was never teased again. I’ve never been approached in terms of racist remarks but it was that experience that kind of made it click for me how people feel when they are discriminated against because of something they can’t

The Cave Volume I Issue 1 | 27 control that is literally skindeep. So blackness has always been really important to me. I was influenced by American media as well because you know about all of the shootings that happen constantly. I couldn’t even fathom being in a situation where because of how you look you are constantly afraid. I think it is important for black young people to understand that different doesn’t necessarily mean bad. The whole idea that came from slavery was to find a difference among people and then use that as a rationale for why they should be enslaved. So differences are used to separate, to divide, to conquer but I feel our differences should be celebrated. I would never be raising up our own black people and putting down white people. I don’t see it like that.

‘B

lackness’ has to be an important theme to her as a young black woman. I asked Janielle if every action then

becomes political, in the sense that one is making a statement simply because of their skin colour and gender.

love performing live because I love to see people’s reactions and I love to hear the snaps (laughs).I love when people go ‘Oooo’ you know? Those are things you don’t get online and I love to get the reactions real-time. It feels more intimate when you can just connect to people who are right in front of you.”

“I don’t think everything you do should be political but I think by default everything you do is a political However another benefit to social statement...because you media is having your work noticed never act out of your by media companies. Janielle did beliefs.” With the knowledge of making a statement in every thing one does I asked her how this translates to performances; whether she preferred an online or ‘in-person’ performance.

“I

really do appreciate my online audience because I believe it is a better way to reach people as you have a larger platform. Sharing is just a click away. I think online is really effective to be honest. But I do

another poem ‘Rape Culture’ which was actually picked up by a local radio station back home in St. Vincent. In that way online has a way of boosting who you can reach. I proceeded to ask her how far she saw poetry taking her career-wise.

“I

’ve always wanted to be a writer. At first I wanted to be a prose writer then I just got into poetry. I kind of look at people like Rupi Kaur...she has gotten so far in terms of her poetry and her poetry is a form of healing and

28 | The Cave Volume I Issue 1 I believe that is what we should do with our words. A lot of my poetry is personal but even when it is it does not just stay with me. Some of my pieces I put out are so personal and I’m like ‘Oh my God’ why did I put that out? But then someone would message me and be like ‘ohh I really related to that piece’ and it makes me remember I am but one part of a bigger tapestry. Even though I am a unique person I am not alone in my experiences. Other people have walked the same path. I hope to one day make money from my poetry as well because when you make money doing something you love, it doesn’t feel like a chore. I guess I just want to speak up for those who are rendered voiceless or those who feel they don’t have the platform to speak...I want them to know some-body gets them.”

Much thanks to Janielle Browne for agreeing to be interviewed! You can find her on instagram: @aquanxD Much thanks to our photographer Aliah-Rose Taitt

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