the watch
March 2018
the watch VOL. 51 NO. 6 - March 2018 watchmagazine.ca editors@watchmagazine.ca online@watchmagazine.ca publisher@watchmagazine.ca TWITTER @kingswatch INSTAGRAM @watchmagz
EDITORS-IN-CHIEF
PUBLISHER
ONLINE EDITOR Hannah Daley (outgoing) Isabel Ruitenbeek
TREASURER
Kristen Thompson Nick Frew
CONTRIBUTORS
Normally this space is filled with the editors note, but because this the last issue with our good friends Hannah and Avi, we decided it deserved more than a little blank space. So go on, check out page 4.
Kheira Morellon Avery Mullen Lothian Taylor Michelle Cuthbert Evangeline Freedman
Avi Jacob (outgoing) Jessica MacIsaac Trent Erickson COPY EDITOR Fadila Chater
PUBLISHING BOARD Laura Hardy Mikylah Gillis Isabel Ruitenbeek Zoë Brimacombe David Swick Meredith Dault
LAYOUT
Kristen Thompson Nick Frew
We welcome your feedback on each issue. Letters to the editors should be signed. We reserve the right to edit all submissions. The Watch is owned and operated by the students of the University of King’s College.
But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people not be warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at watchman’s hand. — Ezekiel 33:6
2 The Watch | March 2018 | @kingswatch
the watch IN THIS ISSUE
editors’ note
page 4
online editor’s note
page 5
king’s money
page 6
fyp and the bjh
page 10
frodo
page 12
tefl
page 15
The Watch | March 2018 | @kingswatch 3
Editors’ Note
This month has been a wild one for us, but we’re happy to be here.
We’ve spent the last couple of weeks gearing up for the end of the year, while also preparing things for next year. At our AGM earlier this month, we were both reelected to our positions, which is really exciting. This will be the second year for Nick and the third year for Kristen. We also welcomed some amazing, dedicated and talented folks, Jessica and Isabel, to the team as publisher and online editor, respectively. We’re both really excited to see where next year will take us, though we are sad to be losing two amazing members of the team that have been there with us since the beginning of our time here at King’s and at The Watch.
We’re excited to see her continue to grow. Maybe even one day watch her become the Editor-inChief of the CBC. There’s no stopping her from achieving what she sets her mind to, so watch out. We hope that her time at CBC is rewarding and that she finds success while she pursues her master’s at UBC. They have no idea what kind of talented and devoted woman they have coming for them; they should consider themselves lucky. We know we do. As for the rest of our amazing team who will also be leaving us this year, we hope that their time working with us has been beneficial and that we were able to provide them with experience that will help them with their future.
We’re so grateful for all the amazing work that you did and, without all of you, none of the things we Hannah, our current online editor is leaving us to accomplished would be possible. pursue an internship at the Globe and Mail. We’re so excited to see what she’ll be producing. For those of you that will be returning, we hope you’re looking forward to another year full of hard Hannah is one of the most hard-working and news, dog features and stellar content created by dedicated people we know. She’s always there to and for you. lend a hand to a person in need and amazes us with the inspiring content that she produces. See you in September! We wish her nothing but luck with her time at the Globe and Mail and in all of her future endeavours, whatever they may be. As for Avi, she’s leaving us for her internship at CBC Winnipeg. This of course came as no surprise because if you know Avi you know that she can do anything. Prior to being our publisher, she was the Editorin-Chief alongside Kristen. Since that time, she was really able to hone her skills and grow into a passionate and inspiring leader. 4 The Watch | March 2018 | @kingswatch
Kristen & Nick |w
Online Editor’s Note And.. another year is over for me at The Watch. I’ve been contributing since my second year and started as the online editor in my third. Now that I’m ending my fourth year and about to graduate, it’s time for me to move on and pass the torch to (the very capable and highly impressive) Isabel, who will be the new online editor next year.
this year were great. Each time I look at the proof of the magazine I get so excited, because it’s like each time you level-up somehow. Seeing copies of the magazine disappear so quickly after publication has made me so proud, every time. I love putting your stories on the site, because I know they’ll make their way even further.
My first year on the executive team of The Watch was a ride, for sure. I learned a lot about myself as an editor, as a journalist and about who I want to be as a person. This year, I’ve had the chance to expand upon those lessons and try to better myself and the site. Overall, I’m satisfied with the work I’ve done.
Avi, you’ve done so much as publisher and somehow made it through this role and fourthyear. I’ll always be in awe of you. You’re also graduating and I’m looking forward to seeing what you do next.
That being said, nothing has been perfect. It can still be hard to get contributors engaged and get stories out there. A lot of news on campus didn’t make its way to our site this year. I wish I could have written all of those pieces myself, or been able to pester people a bit more to write stories. If you all help Isabel out a little bit, I think the site could see more great work than it ever has before.
Thank you everyone; readers, contributors and co-workers alike. My academic and personal lives have been enriched in so many ways by my time with The Watch and I can only hope to find a similar experience in the future. Hannah |w
I have faith that Isabel will be able to bring The Watch’s site up to where we all want it to be — a site with coverage of the latest news pertinent to King’s students, features that make readers think and stories that show King’s for what it really is: a place where people do great things, mess up sometimes and often try their best to keep on growing. I’m excited to see what the entirety of next year’s executive will bring The Watch to be. It’s hard to leave a group of people that I’ve worked so hard with over the past couple of years, but I’m so very honoured to have worked, learned and grown with them all and look forward to keeping up with them and their work once I’ve moved on from King’s. Kristen and Nick, the stories you’ve put together The Watch | March 2018 | @kingswatch 5
A King’s Financial Update Avery Mullen
Rising operating costs are threatening to complicate King’s’ plans for a financial turnaround. But at a town hall meeting on Feb. 8, President Bill Lahey revealed that the administration now has the option of drawing on millions of dollars in funds that were previously thought inaccessible. King’s’ expenses have exceeded its income every year since 2014. Lahey mentioned in the town hall, however, that an investigation by legal counsel has determined that $9 million previously thought to be endowed money are actually discretionary funds. Some of those funds may be used to address the university’s financial problems. Endowed money is money that has been donated to the university for specific purposes. It cannot legally be used for other types of expenditures. Discretionary assets can technically be used in any way the administration sees fit, but Lahey has been quick to emphasize that university resources must be managed in a responsible and sustainable way. At the finance town hall and in two private interviews, Lahey stated that no official decisions have yet been made about how to allocate the newfound funds and any strategic expenditures will need to involve plans to replenish the funds. He indicated that some portion of the funds might potentially be used for projects that will increase student enrollment and retention levels, improving cash flow. Lahey’s focus on improving enrollment stems from the fact that much of what he describes as King’s’ “challenging financial situation” is the result of a shrinking student body. Approximately 84 per cent of King’s’ income is tied to enrollment levels, either through tuition fees, ancillary fees, residence fees, or government grants, which are determined in part by number of student attending the university. 6 The Watch | March 2018 | @kingswatch
“Fundamentally, we need a revenue increase. And fundamentally, that needs to come from enrollment,” says Lahey. In recent years, King’s has struggled with a shrinking student population. Between the fall term of 2013 and the winter term of 2016, overall enrollment fell by almost a third, from a high of almost 1,200 to fewer than 850. This is keeping with a nationwide trend of declining participation in humanities-related postsecondary programs. The Foundation Year Programme (FYP) is King’s’ primary driver of enrollment, since most FYP students stay to complete an undergraduate degree. The decline of FYP class sizes was a major factor in the contraction of the overall student body. By the spring of 2017, FYP students totalled just 189, down from a high of 315 at the beginning of 2013 academic year. Cutbacks in government grant levels also contributed to the university’s shrinking income. Between 2010 and 2014, the provincial government reduced the university’s operating grant by 10 per cent, or over $600,000. Between 2014 and 2017, only four out of the 10 per cent of annual funding was restored; at the beginning of this academic year, the operating grant remained six per cent smaller than it was in 2010. The outcome of these trends is that, in the period between the 2013-14 academic year and the 2016-17 academic year, King’s annual revenue fell almost $1 million, from approximately $19.6 million to less than $18.7 million. As revenues fell, annual deficits increased. For the 2013-14 academic year, King’s posted a net loss of approximately $471,000. In the 2016-17 academic year, it lost over $1.16 million. Amidst rising concern from the administration, King’s began to implement a turnaround strategy focused on
improving the university’s brand recognition and raising enrollment. According to Lahey, “the budget for this year was approved by the board of governors on the understanding that it would be the first of, let’s say three to four (budgets)... which would cumulatively resolve that systemic gap between revenue and expenditures.” As part of what budget documents refer to as a “course correction,” King’s has expanded its marketing efforts, particularly online. It has made changes to improve student retention, including an increase in student support during FYP. Improvements to undergraduate journalism programs are ongoing and a wholesale revamp of the masters of journalism program will be completed in 2019. Many of the “course correction” projects have been funded using the $2.2 million in “discovered funds” identified by treasurer of the board of governors, Katrina Beach, and then-bursar Jim Fitzpatrick. “On the recruitment side, we have really expanded our abilities in terms of communication with prospective students, guidance counselors, influencers, their families,” says registrar Julie Green. “We enhanced our social media presence, improved the quality of communications that we are putting out there.” The result of these steps has been a slight rise in the size of this year’s FYP class, to 185 students as of Dec. 1, 2017. Despite this progress, King’s will still post a $1.4 million deficit this year. Going forward, the university will also face increasing pressure from rising operating costs. In recent years, the university’s expenses have been relatively stable. But next year, they are projected to increase by $783,000. This increase is due primarily to rising payroll costs and an increase in the size of the student transfer payments required by Dalhousie University, referred to in policy documents as the “Dalhousie Allotment.” King’s currently has no plans to expand its staff employs. The projected $635,000 increase in salary costs is due solely to wage growth. The “Dalhousie Allotment” is a part of the agreement between King’s and Dalhousie that was a condition of the Carnegie Foundation funding that King’s received in 1920 to build the Halifax campus. Because King’s
students usually also take classes at Dalhousie, for which they do not pay additional fees, King’s provides the transfer payments as compensation for the associated costs. Next year, in response to its own financial challenges, Dalhousie is expected to ask King’s to increase its total transfer payments by $164,000, to more than $3.6 million overall. An external advisor has been hired by King’s and Dalhousie to assess the fairness of the planned increase in transfer fees. The eventual outcome remains unclear. Cumulatively, staffing costs and the transfer payments are expected to lead to a 2018-19 operating deficit of over $2.2 million – the largest yet. In previous years, King’s has covered its budget shortfalls partly by borrowing money. The university now owes over $10.6 million. The administration considers it unlikely that any bank will approve future loans on this scale. Lahey also noted in the town hall that “it becomes very, very questionable if it’s in the best long term interest of the university to further in-debt this small institution.” In the $9 million of unendowed funds, King’s may have discovered a way to mitigate some of the long-term harm that next year’s deficit would otherwise cause. The possibility that the funds were not endowed was first identified by a KPMG accountant while he was conducting King’s’ annual audit last spring. Subsequently, according to Lahey, “we had legal work done, which indicates that in law, I think is the right way of putting it, these $9 million are not actually endowed. They’re available to the college to be used.” Internal discussions about how to use the funds are ongoing. One possibility is that a portion of the resources may be used to accelerate recruitment efforts. Another is that they could be spent partly on upgrading aging infrastructure, with an eye towards making the campus environment more appealing to prospective students and their parents. Lahey has repeatedly and vigorously stated that spending the principal of invested assets is not a viable, long-term option and any funding allocations will need The Watch | March 2018 | @kingswatch 7
to be made in a manner that will bolster King’s’ overall financial sustainability. Vice-President Peter O’Brien and FYP director Neil Robertson have advised Lahey that they believe the maximum number of students that FYP can accommodate, while maintaining the current level of academic excellence, is approximately 250. If the university can achieve a FYP class of this size, it is expected to eventually lead to an overall student body of more than 1000 students, since FYP enrollment levels subsequently translate into upperyear enrollment levels. The master’s programs represent another significant, albeit much smaller, source of students. Next year, King’s expects to accommodate approximately 45 master’s candidates in the Master of Fine Arts program and another ten in the Master of Journalism. Historically, Ontario has been one of King’s’ key sources of new students. However, provincial government grants and aggressive, government-funded marketing campaigns mean that fewer Ontario students are choosing to leave the province for higher education. Growth in the Nova Scotia market is partly offsetting lost students from Ontario. King’s has a significantly higher conversion rate between students who apply and students who actually enroll when those students are from Nova Scotia. British Columbia remains a significant source of new students. Next year’s FYP class is expected to reach about 190, although recruitment efforts are still ongoing. Increasing residence occupancy also continues to be a significant priority for the “course correction.” In order to make King’s more competitive with the local real estate market, residence fees have been frozen at their current levels since 2015.
with their children’s accommodations. The possibility of lowering both tuition and residence fees in order to attract more students has been raised by now-Student Council President Lianne Xiao and then-Financial Vice President Zoë Brimacombe. “I think when we are talking about this as an issue of enrollment, it’s who is able to pay and maybe we are always going to have this captive market of uppermiddle class white students from these schools, and I understand that we are trying to expand that,” said Brimacombe during the town hall. “I think we still have to recognize that there is a distinct impact on how much our university costs in terms of who is here.” Lahey considers the possibility risky, partly because King’s students are primarily upper-middle class and are often better able to afford their educational costs, compared to students at other universities. Lowering fees may not incentivize a significant enough increase in enrollment to compensate for the lost per-student revenue. “King’s has one of the lowest percentage of students that are on government assistance... So, I’m not expressing a definitive opinion, but that body of information tells me that to take a flyer on what would happen if we reduce tuition and combination across the board, might not be the responsible thing to do.” In the long term, Lahey believes that King’s’ reputation for excellence is its most crucial asset and represents its most promising chance of surviving the current financial crisis. “The underlying part of the iceberg is the excellent experience that students have at King’s, both academically and beyond academics. That continues to be my source of abiding hope – and more than hope, confidence.” |w
A major renovation of North Pole Bay was completed in 2016, while Radical Bay was closed to undergo smaller-scale cosmetic upgrades last year. The administration has received feedback indicating that students are generally unconcerned about the condition of the residences, despite aging infrastructure in unrenovated buildings. Some parents are unhappy The Watch | March 2018 | @kingswatch 9
Are FYPin’ kidding me? Kheira Morellon
It is a requirement for journalism students enrolled in the Bachelor of Journalism Honours (BJH) to take the Foundation Year Programme (FYP) during their first year at the University of King’s College.
said. “(I) would have been perfectly fine with having journalism four or five days a week.”
Students say these classes are hard work. Having to balance them, they say, is even more challenging.
For personal reasons, she might have to transfer to another university next year. Because of the grades that she is getting in FYP, she is scared that the new program will not accept her.
With FYP essays, weekly journalism projects and daily readings, first year at King’s can be chaotic for the average student.
The Director of FYP, Neil Robertson, raised some concern at the beginning of the 2017-18 school year regarding the GPA demanded by the program.
Students have struggled to keep up with the amount of work that is required of them. The minimum grade point average (GPA) is 2.7 for these students, whereas the minimum GPA for most degrees at Dalhousie is 2.0.
As he sees it, the Foundation Year can create a challenge for the average student.
First-year BJH student, Kelsey Milley is currently taking FYP. She said making it through this year has been nothing but hell so far. Juggling the workload between the two programs is something that no one prepared her for. Milley also said the lessons that are being taught to her in the two programs can contradict each other. One example is that in FYP, a student is asked to write in a sophisticated vocabulary. Whereas in journalism, it is recommended to write in common language. Now that she has gone through most of the year as a FYP student, she says she does not see how the program benefits her as a journalist. “FYP isn’t going to help me when it comes down to interviewing somebody about Sidney Crosby,” she 10 The Watch | Match 2018 | @kingswatch
Robertson’s general concern is due to the fact that the core of FYP has no direct journalism aspect to it. “[It could] potentially prevent students from carrying on with the program,” he says. Even with these concerns, Dr. Robertson made it clear that FYP brings useful skills for future journalists. The Foundation Year Programme is designed to bring a broader view of the world through the studies of ancient and contemporary texts. He also believes that FYP allows students to look at diverse subjects that journalists could be exposed to in their careers. Tim Currie, Director of the school of journalism, said “FYP is a challenging program that gives academic rigor.” For him, the challenge that the GPA produces is beneficial for the students. He also mentioned that it provides students with an understanding of today’s ideas and their history. The Foundation Year Programme also allows for a broad education in the liberal arts or the sciences.
Currie says that during the BJH upper years, students are required to take more journalism courses. FYP is granting these students a basis of varied knowledge and helping them develop specific skills in the process. However, currently-enrolled students that did not take FYP are allowed to switch into the BJH in their second year. Anastasia Broome, a third-year student at King’s, didn’t know FYP existed when she applied. She decided to take a gap year after high school. When she enrolled at King’s, she registered for only one class: Foundations of Journalism. She loved it so much that she asked to be transferred to the BJH.
Their only common regret is that they missed out on the friendships that are created when students go through FYP together. Though struggling in FYP isn’t exclusive to journalism students, those within the BJH program are in a unique and difficult position. With the GPA requirements set by the journalism school, it’s up to administrators to decide whether or not the requirement is necessary and whether FYP is an actual requirement, or just a recommendation. |w
“You can just go in second year with the kids in your class, instead of FYP you will just need to take four full year courses or eight half year courses to make it up,” Broome said. For Broome, this means her classmates will graduate next year in 2019, but she will graduate in 2020. “If I had known that I would love it as much as I did I would probably (go back and) take FYP, if only for the fact that I feel like I missed out on some rite of passage,” she said. Fourth-year student Cameron Honey-Webb is another student who didn’t take FYP as part of his BJH degree. When applying to university, he realized he didn’t meet the required average to go into FYP, so the administration came forward and offered him another way to get in the BJH. Cameron was able to make up the necessary credit hours during his first year along with Foundations of Journalism. His GPA met the requirement by the end of the year and he was accepted into the BJH in his second year. Neither Broome and Honey-Webb feel like a disadvantage was established due to their absence from FYP, but instead feel like their skills in the journalism program are similar to those of their fellow students. The Watch | March 2018 | @kingswatch 11
One dog to rule them all Michelle Cuthbert
I doubt that at other universities, students go to the Bursar’s Office when they are stressed. It seems to me, the place where you pay your tuition and manage your health insurance is not usually very calming. But we do things differently here at King’s. Frodo, the newest member of the King’s family, makes sure of that. Frodo is a four-month old Nova Scotia Duck Toller who spends his days playing and napping in the Bursar’s Office. He belongs to Jenn Elvidge, the procure to pay officer. Elvidge has noticed that since Frodo’s first day of school in January, the Bursar’s Office has been a little busier. “People come in here to chill out. It’s quite funny,” she says. “People will be like ‘oh my gosh I’m going to freak out, this work is driving me crazy,’ and then they’ll come in here and just have some puppy time.” Frodo loves visitors. His favourite thing to do is to come up to someone new and flop down on his back, paws dangling in the air. It’s prime belly rub position. His interests also include chewing on the bark mulch around Dalhousie’s campus – he’s teething – and playing with students. “I think the students that are here in residence, they have dogs at home and they miss their home,” says Elvidge. “And there’s lots of things that you don’t get in residence that you have at home and I think he adds a lot.” Frodo may only be a young puppy, but he is also a very good boy. The employees in the Bursar’s Office describe him as “chill.” There’s a box in the corner of Elvidge’s office that sports a couple battle scars of puppyhood, but otherwise there is little evidence that he’s still in training. He rarely even barks. “Even when he’s crazy he doesn’t bark,” says Elvidge. “He barked himself awake one day and scared us all 12 The Watch | March 2018 | @kingswatch
but, other than that he’s pretty good.” A day on campus for Frodo starts with a morning nap on his pink and purple blanket beside Elvidge’s desk. Then, around 10:30, playtime begins, and he bounces around the office or the quad looking for new friends. He hasn’t played with Mocha the KSU dog yet, but he has had the pleasure of meeting Casey the Campus Canine. They get along better every day, although Casey wasn’t quite prepared for Frodo’s energy in the beginning. “Casey has only ever been a solo dog, so she is not quite prepared for his level of pounce,” says Elvdige. “They’re almost the same size now though, so she’s getting to be like, ‘oh, maybe you’re not a puppy anymore. Maybe we can be friends.’” Around noon, people in the Bursar’s Office start to bring out their lunch, and Frodo travels from desk to desk trying to look his cutest. If he’s lucky he might get a little piece of celery to chew on, or at least a scratch behind the ears. Then, around 1 pm, it’s time for another nap to nicely round out the day. Frodo is a very busy pup. Elvidge, a King’s grad, loves that Frodo has become a hit on campus. She says it’s nice to see Frodo making a positive connection with so many others at King’s. “I feel like I’m giving back to the community that gave me so much when I was in my university years,” she says. “I’m really happy that I’m able to make people happy with him. He’s a good little nugget.” |w
How to become an expat Lothian Taylor
The end of the year is drawing closer, and for some of you, that means graduation. Before you know it, you’ll be walking across the stage with a degree. Sounds a bit scary, right? Being fresh out of university sometimes means it’s time to head out in the working world, and for some, the first step is to get a flight overseas. After I graduated with my first degree, I moved to South Korea and spent the next two years teaching English as a kindergarten teacher. It was an amazing, rewarding and life-changing experience that I miss every day. The demand for English teachers overseas is always there. Wondering how to break into the market? Here are some tips: Get certified, and do it right: A TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certification is becoming higher in demand in order to land a job as a teacher. Some countries make it a requirement in order to get your teaching visa. You can do these courses online, but make sure to check if their program is legit before you shell out the money. I got my certification (which was half online, half course based) through Oxford Seminars. They also hook you up with a teacher’s network and job board. Do research on what country is best for you: South Korea was my best option because of my interests and connections, but the world’s your oyster. I have friends who teach adults in Japan, at international schools in Dubai and China and some at public schools in Turkey. Look at a few places that interest you, weigh the pros and cons (such as salary, housing, teaching cultures, etc.) and then you can start your job hunt.
It’s good to have copies of your transcripts, your TEFL certification, a background check and your resume ready to go when you start looking for jobs. The quicker you get these to your school, the faster things will go. I learned the hard way by losing a job — my documents were one day late arriving in Korea. Use a recruiter: A good recruiter is your middleman in between talking to you and schools. They will set up interviews and make sure your paperwork gets from you to the teacher, as well as answer any questions. While some people find jobs without them, they’re a great resource if you’re dipping your toes into teaching English abroad for the first time. Don’t sign the first contract you get: You might want to sign the first school that likes you and get going. Seriously, go through everything your contract says and be mindful of any red flags. Are your teaching hours reasonable? Are breaks in the contract? Vacation days, salary, overtime, class size… These are all important things to consider. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, either, or get someone else to look over it for a fresh set of eyes. Culture shock will happen — don’t be afraid: It will be the little things that will catch you off guard, like bread being sweeter, learning a new language or something like carrying around toilet paper in your bag. Don’t stress too much — if you embrace the culture you’re living in, soon you’ll fall into a new routine. You’ll have a support network with new friends and co-teachers. When homesickness hits, your friends and family are easier to reach than ever before. My biggest tip is not sweating the small stuff — dive in, be open to new experiences, and embrace your new life.|w
Get all your documents in order:
The Watch | April 2014 | @kingswatch 15