The Argosy, May 10, Vol. 148, Iss. 1

NEWS Two faculty to be hired for Indigenous program (Pg. 2)

ARTS & CULTURE ISSG has grown in number and achievements (Pg. 5)

Losing our damage deposits since 1872

CENTREFOLD Fine arts graduates display end-of-year work (Pg. 6-7)

OPINIONS Meet you on the barricades (Pg. 11)

Mount Allison’s Independent Student Newspaper

COVER: SYLVAN

HAMBURGER, COALESCE, RELIEF JIGSAW PRINT, 2018.

May 10, 2018 Vol. 148, Iss. 1

02 NEWS

EDITOR: MINNOW HOLTZ-CARRIERE | MAY 10. 2018 | ARGOSY@MTA.CA

COLLECTIVE BARGAINING

Changes to custodial schedule spark response from community Negotiations between Mt. A and CUPE 2338 to begin over the summer THURSDAY, MAY 10 International Diatom Workshop Gairdner Life Sciences Building, 9-10 a.m.

Faculty Council Meeting Dunn Wu Centre, 10-11:30 a.m.

Senate Tweedie Hall, 1:30-3 p.m.

FRIDAY, MAY 11 Harper Warm-Up Harper Hall, 8-10 p.m.

East Coast Kitchen Party Jennings Hall, 9:30 p.m.-12 a.m.

SATURDAY, MAY 12 Fine Arts Grad Exhibit Opening Reception Owens Art Gallery, 4 p.m.

Grad Class Group Photo Convocation Hall, 5:15 p.m.

Baccalaureate Service Procession Convocation Hall, 7 p.m.

Baccalaureate Service Convocation Hall, 7:30 p.m.

Garnet and Gold Gala Student Centre, 10:30 p.m.

SUNDAY, MAY 13 President’s Meet and Greet Hammond House and 82 York St., 10 a.m. & 11 a.m.

Service for Alumni, Students and Friends Chapel, 11 a.m.

Graduating

Commerce Graduate and Alumni BBQ Tweedie Hall, 12:30 p.m.

Convocation Weekend Recital Brunton Auditorium, 2-4 p.m.

The Matter At Hand Opening Reception Owens Art Gallery, 3-5 p.m.

REX! by Tintamarre Motyer-Fancy Theatre, 4-5 p.m.

Night of Appreciation Jennings Hall, 8:30 p.m.

MONDAY, MAY 14 Convocation 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.

CATHERINE TURNBULL Editor-in-Chief Members of the Mount Allison community are pushing back against proposed changes to the custodial schedule which could cause “severe strain” to the lives of affected custodians. That is the view of Dave Thomas, a political science professor and one of many faculty, staff and students who are supporting the workers.

On April 9, a shocked Hiroshi Kawai left a meeting with Campus Services to visit his wife Angela Thibodeau, who is the administrative assistant for the departments of classics, philosophy and religious studies in Hart Hall.

Kawai, who has been a custodian at Mt. A for 10 years, had just been told that management had proposed changing his shift from daytime hours to 3 to 11 p.m., beginning in September. The changes would affect nine custodial positions.

Kawai said he and the others present were told by Campus Services Management not to let the information leave the meeting room.

Since this meeting, the custodians have been told by Facilities Management that they are free to speak about the issue, but all have declined to speak with the Argosy due to the nature of the situation. The following information about Kawai’s experience has been provided by Thibodeau, his spouse.

When he first began working at Mt. A, Kawai worked night shifts, changing to day shifts after five years because of health issues. Even if Kawai is not made to switch shifts, he and Thibodeau do not want other custodians to have to take on night shifts, which they fear can have detrimental effects on the health and home lives of employees.

Kawai and the other custodians were not provided with clear reasons for the changes, according to Thibodeau.

Thomas said he first heard about the situation through word of mouth from friends and colleagues like Thibodeau and Kawai. “It is unfortunate that people working in academic buildings were not consulted or informed of this through any official channels,” said Thomas, who responded quickly to the information. “My response was that we needed to do something immediately to support the custodians. This is when word started to spread, and people were encouraged to send emails directly to the managers of the custodians, cc’ed to other administrators at the University.”

Thomas said that “No rationale has been provided to the community that would warrant such a drastic upheaval in the lives of our custodians, even when we have asked managers directly in emails. Everything I’ve

CUSTODIANS WERE INITIALLY TOLD BY CAMPUS SERVICES MANAGEMENT NOT TO LET INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROPOSED SHIFT CHANGES LEAVE THE MEETING ROOM. ASHLI GREEN/ARGOSY heard about these events sounds like a horrible situation for the custodians.

The custodians are members of our community and shouldn’t be treated like this.”

While they do not have exact numbers, Thomas and Thibodeau said they both knew of many faculty, staff, students and alumni who responded to the situation, through email or otherwise. Thibodeau said faculty and students in Hart Hall approached her to voice their support and concern and to tell her that they had sent an email to campus services about the issue.

In an email obtained by the Argosy, Donna Hurley, manager of Campus Services, wrote in response to such inquiries, “Please note we are in the very early stages of implementing changes to a limited number of custodial positions in a limited number of buildings. This would involve a shift beginning at 3 p.m., a schedule similar to that worked by other University employees. The evening shift would be in effect from September through November and January through March each year, with employees having the option to return to a day shift for the other six months of the year. There are no plans for layoffs or for overnight work as part of these changes.”

The email continues, “All Facilities Management employees, including custodians, are valued members of the University community. Custodians have been, and will continue to be, fully involved in the implementation of these changes. In addition, as members of CUPE 2338 [the union for trades, groundskeeping, custodial and security employees at Mt. A], they have specific rights within their

collective agreement, including rights related to these types of situations.

The University respects these rights and is also working with CUPE 2338 leaders as part of this process.”

The Argosy obtained at least three copies of this email from faculty and students who had contacted Hurley.

Thomas said he hopes “to see the custodians’ union do everything in its power to make sure that no custodian is forced to make the switch to nights against their will.”

It is unclear whether the decisions being made by Campus Services Management are in accordance with the most recent collective bargaining agreement.

Article 23 of the agreement, which can be found on the Mt. A website, outlines standards and exceptions for hours of work. This collective agreement covers the period from July 1, 2015, to June 30, 2018.

The article states that the normal work week for all employees “shall consist of a maximum of thirtyfive (35) hours to be worked in not more than five (5) consecutive days of seven (7) hours each, Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon and 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm.”

It proceeds to outline exceptions to these regular hours of work for custodians. The exception for night shifts reads, “Custodians in academic buildings on night shift shall normally work a thirty-five (35) hour week consisting of five (5) consecutive shifts of seven (7) hours each, Sunday through Thursday, from 5:00 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., with a half hour unpaid lunch break.”

In terms of schedule changes, the agreement states that the employer may establish abnormal schedules for

short-term periods in consultation with employees. It asserts that “Abnormal schedules may only be established by mutual agreement,” and those changes must be outlined in written notice to the union.

Referring to employer-initiated schedule changes, the agreement reads, “Through attrition or through exceptional circumstances, subject to operational requirements, changes to the normal hours of work and/or to the normal work week, as outlined in Article 23, may be made by the Employer in consultation with the Union.”

The employees’ union that includes custodial employees, CUPE 2338, has officially taken on the issue.

Thibodeau said that some custodians are optimistic about the dialogue between the union and management, while others are discouraged by the way the process has unfolded.

In an email to the Argosy, Steve Butler, the local president of CUPE 2338, said he is grateful for the interest in speaking about the plans but cannot comment on the specifics of the situation.

“Unfortunately I cannot comment at this time due to a freeze put on these plans,” Butler said, “because we have decided to take them to the table for discussions during our contract talks. Hopefully we can either come up with an alternative to their plans or try to convince them to rethink the situation all together.”

Hurley wrote to the Argosy that “The custodial department staffing item has been referred by agreement to collective bargaining, which are expected to start over the summer.

Therefore, we are not at liberty to discuss these specifics at this time.”

NEWS

THE ARGOSY | WWW.SINCE1872.CA

INDIGENIZATION

03

Mt. A to hire two Indigenous studies faculty Tenure-track hires will be part of the University’s creation of a new Indigenous studies minor MINNOW HOLTZ-CARRIERE News Editor Mount Allison University is currently in the process of hiring two faculty members for tenure-track positions in a new Indigenous studies program.

Seven candidates gave teaching and research presentations from April 16 to 24 in the Mawita’mkw, a designated place of Indigenous gathering on campus. The topics were diverse, addressing subjects like biopolitics and Indigenous subjugation, Indigenous perspectives in environmental studies, and colonial dynamics in New Brunswick.

“Indigenous studies covers everything. You have Indigenous law, medicine, education, literature, science, I mean Indigenous everything,” said Dr. Paulette Steeves, one of the applicants. Steeves is a Cree-Métis paleo-Indigenous archaeologist and currently a professor in Mt. A’s anthropology department. She presented her research and teaching talks along with the six other candidates, but said the University did not offer her a job.

Emma Hassencahl-Perley, former Indigenous affairs coordinator, said the candidates under consideration were varied in their research interests and ideas for courses and “what they thought a first-year Indigenous studies course might look like.… I was just thinking, ‘Wow, we should hire five instead of just two.’ ” The program will eventually give students the option of completing a minor in Indigenous studies.

However, the program currently has no set curriculum or courses, and the University will not begin to build it until the hiring process is over.

“This is not the last two [Indigenous studies] hires I hope the University

does,” said Provost Jeff Ollerhead.

“I hope it’s the first two hires.” New faculty members’ areas of specialty will likely shape Indigenous studies course offerings at least in the short term, said Ollerhead, but “The long term goal is to be broad and across the whole campus.”

Interdisciplinary courses were mentioned by a number of faculty and staff as a good way of accommodating the broad scope of what an Indigenous studies program might look like. Doreen Richard, former Indigenous affairs coordinator, said, “I definitely want to see different programs or departments involved in it, because it’s not a one-department job. That’s not the way Indigenous people work – we work through collaboration with each other.… I’d like to see people working together instead of apart.”

Actually building the program may take some time. New courses could be offered as soon as the fall semester under the X991 code for special topic courses. However, any new regularly offered course needs to be approved by the Academic Matters Committee as well as Senate, and the University’s current plan to formalize Indigenous studies as a minor would involve the same process. According to Ollerhead, expanding the minor into an Indigenous studies major would likely take several years.

The program will be guided by Universities Canada’s 13 principles of Indigenous education.

These principles aim to increase representation of Indigenous people in Canadian universities and encourage Indigenization of campuses and curricula. They were developed by Universities Canada in consultation with Indigenous communities and include directives like “Ensure

institutional commitment at every level to develop opportunities for Indigenous students,” “Continue to develop resources, spaces and approaches that promote dialogue between Indigenous and nonIndigenous students” and “Recognize the importance of providing greater exposure and knowledge for nonIndigenous students on the realities, histories, cultures and beliefs of Indigenous people in Canada.”

Groups like the Indigenous Student Support Group, the Indigenous Advisory Circle, MASU and the faculty council will also play important roles in building the program.

Steeves said she hopes to see Mount Allison work with local Indigenous communities to design the program.

“Here in the Maritimes you have 15 Mi’kmaq communities.… If you want to plan a program, you reach out as nation to nation,” she said.

Richard expressed a similar desire for communities in the area to be involved in the process. “Someone out West will develop an Indigenous studies minor that’s totally different than the one we develop here,” she said, “because it depends on the territory you’re teaching it in, or that you’re building it in.”

The creation of an Indigenous studies program also fits into a long-term effort to decolonize and Indigenize the University in line with the Truth and Reconciliation Committee of Canada’s 94 calls to action. Richard hopes to see further small steps toward Indigenization on campus, as well as major ones like the addition of a new minor. She suggested more Indigenous artwork around campus buildings and more signage using Indigenous words as examples of simple gestures that will

SPECIAL TOPIC COURSES COULD BE OFFERED AS SOON AS THE FALL SEMESTER, WHILE ESTABLISHING A MAJOR COULD TAKE YEARS. ASHLI GREEN/ARGOSY make a difference.

Ultimately, Richard said she thinks that reconciliation comes down to a sense of responsibility and eagerness to make it work on the part of University faculty and administration.

“The University has a responsibility to make those things happen.…

It’s not going to happen overnight, I wouldn’t expect it to happen overnight,” she said. “But … they need to pull together and have dialogues.… If they don’t have them within their departments then they’re doing a disservice to their department and to the University.”

Undergraduate Indigenous studies programs have been implemented at other Canadian universities, including UBC in 2001, Concordia in 2012 and Dalhousie in 2015.

“Indigenous people themselves are at a place of recovering and healing

where we do have people all over,” Steeves said. “You see schools now advertising not for one Indigenous scholar, but for two, four, five, which is fabulous.”

Steeves also spoke about the importance of Indigenous knowledge and scholarship. “Every school, every student should have an opportunity to hear Indigenous knowledge,” said Steeves. “Boy, if you really want to learn what all the excitement about Indigenous knowledge is about, read some Indigenous scholars! They’re fabulous! They’re great! It’s a whole new worldview.”

Hassencahl-Perley added, “It just makes me very excited for the next group of Indigenous students that are coming in, and for the Indigenous students that are here now to be able to see themselves in positions like that. I just think it’s very exciting. It’s a long time coming, that’s for sure.”

FACILITIES

Building the future of science at Mount Allison Newly renovated Gairdner and Barclay buildings create new research space for life sciences AMELIA MACDOUGALL-FLEMING

News Reporter

Since Monday, Mount Allison science faculty have been moving into the newly renovated Gairdner building and will continue to do so until the end of May. The space, which is focused on environmental science, will provide offices and lab space for research groups in the departments of biology, biochemistry and geography and environment.

The project was announced just over two years ago in March 2016 following a call for funding for the Strategic Infrastructure Fund (SIF) from the federal government.

Through this fund, the University was awarded $13.5 million, half of which would be paid by the federal government. The provincial government and the University would each pay for a quarter of the project. In addition to the SIF award,

the university added money to the project bringing the final cost to about $18.8 million.

Before the Gairdner building was renovated, many faculty members and students noted that there was not adequate space on campus for wet research and, as a result, labs were dispersed across campus. Some faculties had work space in as many as three spaces across campus. “The new building consolidates everything into one space,” said Josh Kurek, a geography and environment professor.

The SIF project also includes renovations to the Barclay building.

The renovations involve restructuring labs and creating gender-neutral washrooms. The renovation of Barclay aims to make science labs more accessible at the University. “We’re trying to get as many teaching labs as possible shifted from Flemington over to Barclay because Flemington is

completely inaccessible. But Barclay is very good for people with mobility issues,” said Amanda Cockshutt, dean of science and the project’s academic administrator. “All of the spaces in the new building are completely accessible, and that’s really important going forward.”

The Gairdner building will be built with ramps, elevators and accessible washrooms on every floor.

The new Gairdner building will be an open concept building, according to Douglas Campbell, a biology professor. The shared labs all have glass walls and students passing by will be able to see the research. There will also be a flexible learning area that has moving doors and can be used for teaching space.

The labs will be equipped with new material that is compatible for specific research in wet sciences. “We worked with architects over the years to design space that meets our research

needs,” said Kurek. For example, the lab will have new equipment such as salt water taps, deionized water taps and fume hoods. There are also controlled environment spaces to grow cultures for research.

The design of the new Gairdner building aims to foster an environment for experiential learning. “I firmly believe that we have to focus and communicate the things that we actually do well,” said Campbell. “And it’s the experiential side where we can hope to excel.

We are never going to compete with course selection with University of Toronto, but we can get students involved and give them opportunities to do research.”

THE PROJECT COST ABOUT $18.8 MILLION AND WAS FUNDED JOINTLY BY THE FEDERAL AND PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENTS AND MT. A. ASHLI GREEN/ARGOSY

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NEWS

MAY 10, 2018 | ARGOSY@MTA.CA

COMMUNITY

New program addresses barriers faced by graduating students with social disabilities Transitioning for Life to connect Mt. A students and disability services with wider community

THE PROGRAM OFFERS SUPPORT AND SKILLS-BUILDING TO STUDENTS WITH SOCIAL DISABILITIES. LOUIS SOBOL/ARGOSY

MIRELLE NAUD Editor-in-Chief For some graduates, finding employment and means for independent living are more challenging than for others.

Employers often emphasize strong communication skills, which can create barriers for job-seekers with social disabilities.

This barrier, among others, was pointed out by Margaret Tusz-King, the executive director of Open Sky Co-operative, at a workshop for their volunteers. Located in Middle

Sackville on an 11-acre farm, the cooperative is modelled after European care farms and provides residence and vocational and skills training for adults who face social barriers due to autism spectrum disorder and other social disabilities.

Tusz-King often describes the post-graduation challenges that adults on the autism spectrum face as falling off a cliff. In a press release this April she said, “Students have often fallen off the cliff at the end of high school, with huge gaps and no clear sign posts between where they are and how and where they want to be

employed or living as adults.”

Several years ago, the co-operative began having conversations with Mount Allison and Tantramar Regional High School to connect and build on their existing programs to help students avoid falling off these cliffs. Called Transitioning for Life, the program is set to begin this fall and will offer functional skills and social skills–building programming to assist students’ transition into employment and independent living situations.

“A lot of the struggle in finding employment is around the social aspects in finding employment,” said Anne Comfort, the director of the Meighen Centre, which provides services and accommodations to Mt. A students with disabilities. “So by helping to build on those skills we hope that the employment will come.”

The program will connect university and high school participants with peer mentors recruited from Mt. A’s student body and the Meighen Centre. As volunteers, peer mentors will receive training and participate in social activities at the high school and University as well as social dinners at Open Sky. The program emerged from the ideas of Jocelyn Young, the resource teacher at Tantramar High. She noticed how some students who had

excelled academically were still living at home and not finding volunteer or employment opportunities after graduation.

“Everything we were doing was not really sustainable,” Young said, referring to the programs already on offer at the high school.

“Because while we were working on these things here, [the students] are still graduating and not doing anything.”

One in 66 Canadian youths between the ages of five and 17 are on the autism spectrum, according to the Public Health Agency’s most recent report. The number of youth on the autism spectrum has been rising, although the reasons for this are unclear.

At Tantramar High today, about 65 students are on personalized plans, including students with autism and ADHD. Young believes all of these students could benefit from the program. At the University, about 12 students a year have diagnoses on the autism spectrum, particularly Aspergers, according to Comfort.

The overall hope for the program is that “when we graduate our students we’re not just seeing them go home, because that’s what happens now –

they go home,” Comfort said. “I hope that through this they build those skills so that they’re going to work, or that they’re living alone, or are going to graduate programs.”

Transitioning for Life is funded by a $38,000 grant from Autism Speaks Canada (ASC), a charity affiliated with the controversial US-based Autism Speaks.

However, most of the labour and resources involved with the program (approximated at $150,000) will be delivered in kind from Open Sky’s program coordinator Jennifer Longpre, Tusz-King, the resource department at Tantramar and the Meighen Centre. Open Sky is not affiliated with Autism Speaks nor Autism Speaks Canada.

Transitioning for Life will be offered through the Meighen Centre at the University and the resource department at the high school.

Eligible participants include students who are on the autism spectrum, experience social anxieties or other social barriers, and see themselves benefitting from the program. No documentation is necessary to participate and programming is free.

“STUDENTS HAVE

OFTEN FALLEN OFF THE CLIFF AT THE END OF

HIGH SCHOOL”

STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT

Student journalism award recognizes illustrations editor Sylvan Hamburger made substantial contributions to the Argosy in a number of roles MIRELLE NAUD Editor-in-Chief There are several aspects of today’s Argosy for which readers can thank former staff member Sylvan Hamburger. Previously an illustrations editor, editor-in-chief, news reporter and contributor, Hamburger has been awarded the Crake-Sawdon Award for his substantial and varied contributions to student journalism.

The award was established in the honour of William Boyle Sawdon, a former editor at the Argosy and Sackville Tribune Post. It is awarded annually to a student who has made outstanding contributions to student journalism on campus.

Before working at the Argosy, Hamburger contributed illustrations to the McGill Daily in Montreal, where he was a student. After a year, he transferred to Mount Allison and eventually pursued work at the student newspaper here.

Hamburger was interested in illustrating, but was not hired as an illustrator when he first applied.

Through the encouragement of Richard Kent, the editor-in-chief at the time, he continued to contribute

occasional illustrations and written pieces throughout the year. The following year, he was accepted for the position of news reporter. Since then his involvement with the paper has grown in multiple directions, eventually coming full circle to the position that initially inspired him.

Hamburger said his interactions with the illustrations editor at the McGill Daily gave him the idea to implement a similar position at the Argosy. Previously, the Argosy had employed only one illustrator, and much of the visual content was clip art and unoriginal content which Hamburger said “felt like a real shame given the artistic community in Sackville and at Mount Allison.”

As editors-in-chief, Hamburger (then in his fourth year) and Tyler Stuart hired Jeff Mann as the first illustrations editor at the Argosy.

Along with production manager Hayley Guzik, the pair created a newspaper with a stronger emphasis on student artwork. They also promoted more investigative content and established fairer pay for some positions, particularly reporters.

However, Hamburger adds that the pay increase, “given what [reporters] were putting in, still wasn’t enough.

There’s always room for it to grow.”

Author to over 30 articles and well over 30 illustrations, Hamburger has covered important stories of the University and Sackville community.

His investigative work includes coverage of the Women’s and Gender Studies department cuts (co-written with Tyler Stuart), a topic that reached national attention; the spiking of students’ drinks at local bars (cowritten with Catherine Turnbull) and more recently, Mt. A’s history of faculty strikes and the town’s vital connections to its foundries.

Investigating the foundries was one of Hamburger’s most memorable experiences as a staff member. “The opportunity to report and really engage with the local history of Sackville and talk about the foundries and the way artists in the community engaged with the foundries was a really fruitful experience to go through,” he said.

Hamburger is graduating with a BA in fine arts and a double minor in English and geography. He hopes to find work as an emerging artistin-residence and plans to pursue work opportunities independent publishing.

Hamburger, whose artwork engages local histories and

archives, sees “quite a few parallels between my work at the paper … and some of the visual work I’m making.”

Working at the Argosy has significantly shaped Hamburger’s time at Mt. A. “I feel like I learned so much more from working at the

paper and the people I met … than I could have ever in just one class,” he said. “I’m really thankful for that and that there’s still a publication that’s independently run and that has the creative freedom the Argosy has.”

HAMBURGER WORKED AS A CONTRIBUTOR, NEWS REPORTER, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF AND ILLUSTRATIONS EDITOR IN HIS TIME AT THE ARGOSY. ADRIAN KIVA/ARGOSY

ARTS & CULTURE 05

MAY 10, 2018 | ARGOSY@MTA.CA

DRAMA

From Mount Allison to Matchstick Theatre Alum Jake Planinc brings contemporary Canadian theatre to Halifax with new company

JENA MCLEAN Contributor Today, he’s Matchstick Theatre’s artistic director, but Jake Planinc didn’t always hold a love for theatre.

While growing up in St. Catharines, Ont., he disliked attending shows with his father.

“He’s not a theatre person at all but he sort of forced me to do it,” said Planinc on the phone recently, “which I resented for a very long time.”

However, upon seeing a Chekhov play that “blew my little mind when I was eleven,” Planinc decided: “I like this now.” He got into theatre, playing the Baker in Into the Woods before getting involved with Sears Drama Festival.

“That let me act a bunch and also I got to direct,” Planinc said. “I also met many of my closest friends there.” Mount Allison eventually recruited him to play basketball, which hindered his ability to remain involved in theatre.

Then, halfway through his degree, Planinc said he had a sort of epiphany.

He quit the basketball team and was cast in a production of Enemy of the People at the Windsor Theatre (now Motyer-Fancy). This Ibsen play “was the beginning of the change for me,” Planinc said.

Planinc was seen onstage in the Windsor/Motyer-Fancy Theatre’s Possible Worlds, Noises Off and The 4-H Club before deciding to try his hand at directing again. In his

time at Mt. A, he helmed three productions: a student-written play and two Chekhov shorts, The Bear and The Proposal. Yet he said his greatest lesson came from the drama program’s broad-based nature.

“You come out of that program extremely well-rounded,” Planinc said. “You understand how important every single role is to the process.”

Before graduating, Planinc said he “could feel the bubble bursting,” and began to set up a post–Mt. A career. He produced a play – ‘Art’ by Yasmina Reza – in Ducky’s to better understand the practicalities of doing theatre outside of school. Following convocation, Planinc “moved to Halifax right during the Fringe that year and went to see everything [he] possibly could.”

After this, Planinc connected with Alex Mills and Chelsea Dickie, with whom he now runs Matchstick Theatre. He said the company allows him to “do the things that [he] want[s] to do,” which include directing shows and filling an untapped niche in the Halifax theatre world.

“I figured out that nobody here staged contemporary Canadian plays,” Planinc said. Matchstick has taken up that mantle since its creation in 2015.

The standout production in their history, according to Planinc, is Catherine Banks’s Bone Cage. The play was nominated for Outstanding

Production by a New or Emerging Company at the 2018 Merritt Awards.

“We didn’t win the Merritt, which sucked, but the reception from the community was excellent,” Planinc said. “A lot of people came up to us that night and congratulated us and said they were watching us carefully.”

There’s plenty to watch for.

Matchstick has a full year of contemporary Canadian theatre planned, including a production of The Woodcutter by Don Hannah and John Mighton’s The Little Years. They will also partner with Neptune Theatre’s Open Spaces program to produce Michael Melski’s Joyride.

“Once a year Neptune gives a free week of rental in their studio space to an independent company,” Planinc explained. This not only eases some financial strain, but will also “be a great chance to show what we’ve got to a huge, new pool of people.”

As Matchstick gears up for a full year, Planinc wants current drama students to know that “The real world is not like school.

“The social world of it is just as important as the quality of your work,” he said. He also advised graduating drama students to “Get your friends together and do something outside of school right now, as fast as possible.

It’s much easier than you think it is.”

“IT’S GOING TO BE A GREAT CHANCE TO SHOW WHAT WE’VE GOT”

BONE CAGE, WRITTEN BY CATHERINE BANKS, WAS NOMINATED FOR A 2018 MERRITT AWARD. MATCHSTICK THEATRE COMPANY/SUBMITTED

INDIGENOUS ACTION

Indigenous Student Support Group celebrates a year of growth After raising Mi’kmaq flag and hosting first Powwow, ISSG continues to build momentum DEREK SHARP Arts & Culture Reporter It’s been over five years since Chris Metallic, a young Indigenous Mount Allison student from Listuguj Mi’gmaq First Nation, disappeared one night after a party.

The community searched for Metallic for months, trying to trace his steps from where he was last seen getting pizza. He has not been found. Sackville still bears scars from this time, including weatherproof missing posters which have become a fixture of the town.

Kiara Bubar, the current president of the Indigenous Student Support Group (ISSG) understands this tragedy is what created the group she now leads.

“When Chris disappeared, there were a lot of students that felt quite lost within the community,” said Bubar. “They didn’t know where to go for support … and so the students decided to make a support group of their own.”

In this way, the ISSG is a reminder of Metallic’s disappearance. In the

past five years, however, the ISSG has come into its own as a campus presence. “It’s basically a big friend group,” said Bubar. “That’s what a lot of the students need, especially Indigenous students coming from smaller communities to this big academic setting. What they need is a big group of people to say ‘We are here to support you.’ ” This support takes many forms, Bubar explained, such as “just getting together and talking, various activities, making crafts, going to sweats in Dorchester.… Having those connections is very helpful for the students.”

When Bubar says students, she means all students. While the ISSG maintains an Indigenous focus, everyone with an open mind and heart is welcome. “Although it is titled the Indigenous Student Support Group,” said Bubar, “it is open to anyone who is interested in learning about Indigenous culture, what’s going on with Indigenization on campus and anyone who is interested in supporting Indigenous students.”

The group’s recent successes and

“IT WAS SO LOVELY TO BE RECOGNIZED FOR WHAT WE’VE DONE”

impact have reached outside of the group’s membership and into the larger campus community. In the 2017-18 school year, the ISSG both organized and fundraised for the permanent installation and raising of the Mi’kmaq flag on campus.

They also held the first Powwow on school grounds. Both events were resoundingly successful.

This stellar year was capped off with an award: the Mount Allison Students’ Union presented the group with the ASCAR for Club/Society of the Year. “It was so lovely to be recognized for what we’ve done,” said Laylia Bennett, one of the group’s co-presidents for the 2017-18 school year. “It was really great for our contributions to the Year of Indigenous Action to be so widely celebrated.”

What’s next for the ISSG? They’re bigger than ever and they’ve gained momentum, which is something they hope to maintain in the next school year. They’re already planning another Powwow. Bubar said she and Edmund Jay, her co-president for the 2018-19 year, are “already talking about what kind of stuff we want to do next year. We’re both so excited for what the next year will bring.”

ASHLEY CUMMINGS (LEFT) RECEIVING THE CHRIS METALLIC PRIZE IN INDIGENOUS LEADERSHIP AT MT. A’S FIRST POWWOW. SHIMING HUANG/SUBMITTED

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AT THE OWENS

MAY 10, 2018 | ARGOSY@MTA.CA

Fine arts students sing their swan so

Graduates exhibit work on cam

Written by Alix Main Although the fine arts graduating students’ exhibit is an annual event, one would be mistaken to characterize it as repetitive. This year, the show features several talented soon-to-be alumni exhibiting their “swan songs,” as per the title of this iteration of the exhibit. While each piece is unique in subject matter, medium and content, they are united by their shared experiences and contexts.

The experience of putting together an exhibition, in and of itself, is a valuable one for students. “I think it’s a really great opportunity to share our work on a platform that our peers and the broader community can access,” said exhibiting artist Lucy Koshan. “It also feels really good to see the work out of the studio.”

Several students’ work addresses subject matter they’ve worked through both in their studies and personal lives over the course of their degrees.

“While gathering for this show, I chose work that I feel speaks largely to how I am continuously working – not just on this series but also looking at much of my work,” said Jennifer McKelvay on her exhibited work. “As through most of my work that I have created in my last two years at Mount Allison, I have been

looking at relationships: between myself, friends, family and men.”

McKelvay, who is showing a selection of images from her larger series titled This Is Where My Heart Breaks, said that her photographs “look at the theme of the mundane.”

Gabrielle Johnson, another graduating student, is also exhibiting work that speaks to larger themes in her life.

“Over the course of my time at Mount Allison, I was able to go spend a summer in Iceland on a program … that aims to reconnect people with Icelandic heritage back with their roots,” said Johnson.

“I was reconnected with distant family and this experience has had the greatest impact on my art practice.” She has returned to Iceland more than once since her original trip, and new bodies of work have resulted from each visit.

“The Mount Allison fine arts program has allowed me to explore my connection with Iceland through painting, sculpture and most recently photography,” she said.

Other students, including Sarah Rollins and Andreas Fobes, are showing work that speaks to their exploration of specific subjects and media.

“This works encompasses the themes

of sentimentality and nostalgia which have appeared in a lot of the work I’ve made during my time at Mt. A,” Rollins said of her vividly colourful painting.

Fobes’s work epitomizes his experimentation with stop-motion animation throughout his degree. “With this project I wanted to try and make something a little slower and simpler.

As far back as second year I’d had these vague ideas of animating some kind of musical performance,” Fobes said.

“Those ideas eventually developed into this project, with the ‘performer’ being this puppet of myself and the music being audio of me practicing my guitar, which I had been recording in various locations for around a year.”

Logan Milne’s work is connected with the wider Sackville community as well as the student presence in town. “Someplace in Sackville and 110 Days of Walking reprsesent one year’s worth of selfexploration through a daily commitment to walking in Sackville,” explained Milne. “I chose the Sackville landscape as my focus because the memories made here are both emotionally and physically connected to the land itself.”

Milne said she worked to depict the

connection she held with the physical world around her. “I believe that the body is an extension of the landscape, and as rug hooking demands a lot from the body, I view each hook that I make with wool to be a declaration of love, a continuous pursuit to understanding exactly what went on during my time here.”

Sylvan Hamburger’s piece consists of 42 jigsaw prints fitted together.

Although they are displayed together at the Owens, Hamburger’s work involves the larger Sackville community as well.

He has reproduced individual prints to be posted in various locations in Sackville as an engagement with the wider cultural community outside of the University.

The Sackville community welcomes students for the duration of their degrees and its role is easy to spot in the work they create. However, the way students affect the town can be less apparent. While their presence here is often temporary, students’ work can impact the nuanced relationship between university and town, as well as individuals both in and outside of Mt. A’s academic bubble, long after their departure.

See Swan Song on the second floor of the Owens Art Gallery until June 24.

Works on di

Artwork depicted by Jenn

THE ARGOSY | WWW.SINCE1872.CA

07

songs

mpus one last time

isplay at the Owens Art Gallery, April 20 – June 24 Reception with remarks 4 p.m. Saturday May 12

Photos: top left and bottom centre by Savannah Forsey, rest by Katherine Reiss Backdrop from “coalesce” by Sylvan Hamburger. Layout by Mirelle Naud y (clockwise from top left): Logan Milne, Sarah Rollins, Gabrielle Johnson, Madeleine Anderson, nifer McKelvay, Lucy Koshan, Jennifer McKelvay, Sylvan Hamburger. Bottom left: Andreas Fobes

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ARTS & CULTURE

EDITORS: BEN MAKSYM & ALIX MAIN MAY 10, 2018 | ARGOSY@MTA.CA

REVIEWS

The Good Villain: Letterman admits his ignorance for all the right reasons MARK TURNER Contributor David Letterman is a self-proclaimed “ignorant” man. In his Netflix special My Next Guest Needs No Introduction, this ignorance is paired with openness, curiosity and humility. Letterman interviews a group of people as diverse as you’ll find on American television. From Malala Yousafzai to Barack Obama, Letterman’s five-part special will perhaps be best remembered by the variety and breadth offered by its guests.

As the lives of the interviewees are explored, the experiences and difficulties they have faced are

brought to the forefront. Jay-Z says of growing up in Brooklyn’s Marcy Projects, “No one survives that.

You’re either going to jail or get killed.” Letterman doesn’t shy away from these topics, instead drawing on his own moments of ignorance to flesh them out in captivating and nuanced ways.

The special’s final interview hosts Tina Fey. In this episode, Letterman says that when he had a television show, “People would always say to me, ‘Why didn’t you have any women writers?’ and the best I could come up with is, ‘I don’t know.’ ” Letterman exposes his own malpractices and ignorance to provoke a discussion around workplace diversity,

COLUMN

then relinquishes control of the conversation to Fey. Letterman transforms into a passive actor and allows the issue to be illustrated

by Fey as fully and deeply as she desires before moving on. In doing so, he provides a platform and a voice to those who can use it to raise awareness about important issues that plague Western society.

As the series’s host, it is Letterman’s responsibility to direct the conversation. His decision to flesh out the limitations of his own perspective to fuel conversations that are at the forefront of civil discussion reveals the character of the series, the guests and Letterman himself.

Annihilation is a summer must-read!

TINA OH Columnist

LOUIS SOBOL./ARGOSY

ANNA HARDIE Contributor Annihilation, a movie based on the book by Jeff VanderMeer, was released in theatres across the globe this spring. Though I have not seen the movie yet, what I can say is that book itself is eye-opening, and I strongly recommend it.

The best way I can describe the book is to compare it to a peculiar gem whose colour you cannot quite pinpoint. It’s hard to completely grasp every aspect that makes this book the beauty it is, which makes it all the more compelling to reread over the course of time.

To give a bit of background about the plot, Annihilation is part of a trilogy about a team of four women

excavating an unknown, “hazardous” area called Area X. The team’s goal is to learn as much as possible about Area X and bring that knowledge back to civilization, or the “real” world, where they come from.

One night, as I lay in bed unable to fall asleep, I thought to myself that this could be a great time to start this book, since it had been assigned for my English class. Instead of falling asleep, I found myself awake in the early hours of the morning, having read the book from front to back. My brain ached with all the information, themes and messages I had identified.

As I closed the book I was wrapped in an introspective state and filled with a sense of discovery I’d never felt before.

Unsurprisingly, Annihilation was all I could talk about for the next couple days. It is a page turner – as you can probably tell from the fact that I read it in one go – as well as being a very philosophical book. Some of the big themes and concepts in the novel are nature versus humanity, science versus oblivion, religion, and knowledge. If any of these topics interest you in the slightest, I urge you read this book.

Annihilation was the first book I wanted to reread this summer, and I am happy to report that I found just much new insight as I did when I read it the first time. I don’t think this book will ever get old, and it has earned its place on my bookshelf with my other favourites.

This week, along with hundreds of students I will be graduating in the class of 2018. I will not, however, be walking on stage during Convocation. Instead, after careful deliberation, I have decided to protest my convocation. This is why.

In my first semester of university, athletes on the Mount Allison football team dressed up as the Jamaican bobsled team, with some painted in blackface. A brief, 200-word apology appeared in the school newspaper.

Yet the black students’ advocacy group (then called BSAAT) said it wasn’t enough. The administration did nothing more to address antiblackness on campus.

Under the rug it went.

In my second semester of university, the CBC reported that Mt. A had the highest reported sexual assault rate among New Brunswick’s post-secondary institutions.

In response, the administration sent a campus-wide email admonishing the CBC report saying that it was “misleading” and invalid. In making that statement, the administration further erased survivors and the sexual violence that happens on our campus and residences every single day.

In my second year, Mt. A attempted to raise tuition for correspondence courses, which are a necessary aspect of modern and accessible education.

Soon after, they gutted funding to the Women’s and Gender Studies program – one of the most vibrant and popular programs on campus.

Students and faculty protested against the administration’s lack of transparency and authoritarianlike processes. While we won our education back two years ago, it was quietly decided a few weeks ago that the administration would terminate correspondence offerings

for upcoming years. Universities are becoming increasingly elitist and business-like, continuing to construct higher education as inaccessible for people from working-class and lowincome backgrounds. As university president Robert Campbell said in an interview, students need to get over their “tuition-phobia.”

Under the rug it went.

In my third year, I witnessed the Mt. A president physically step on students peacefully occupying his office. Students have been pressuring the University to divest its investments in the fossil fuel industry for over five years. We are taught climate science and the urgency of climate change in our studies, so why is it morally acceptable for a public educational institution to invest in privately owned Big Oil? Over my years at Mt. A, I have witnessed many situations of disappointment, intense racism and sexism that have been exacerbated by the administration and their complicit silence. That being said, I am also incredibly proud of the education that I have been privileged to receive.

I have made important friendships and profound relationships with professors and staff that I will foster for life.

I am protesting my Convocation to demonstrate the structural inadequacies and failures of this institution by boycotting this quintessential act of university tradition. For what I have stood for and learned at this institution, I am boycotting my attendance to support those who have been systemically rejected from receiving an education.

For those who have somehow survived it, I have the sincerest respect. Congratulations to firstgeneration students, undocumented students, migrant students, lowincome students, queer students and racialized students. I am cheering for you.

09 Arts students: Determined or doomed?

ARTS & CULTURE

THE ARGOSY | WWW.SINCE1872.CA

CAREERS

As convocation approaches, arts students consider what awaits for them after they step across the stage MAGGIE PITMAN Arts & Culture Reporter There is a well-known saying that suggests that if you find a job doing something you love, you will never work a day in your life. Some students may begin to question this counsel as convocation weekend quickly approaches, accompanied by uncertainty about next steps for their careers. In my experience, those of us in arts programs have been fed this saying time and time again by family, friends, mentors and professors, but fear about finding jobs can leave us discouraged. What really awaits fine arts and music students after they cross the stage at convocation? It turns out that there might be more than you may think.

There is an extensive list of potential jobs for students coming out of a

degree in fine arts or music, though none of these come without hard work and determination. A fine arts graduate might consider illustration, printmaking, designing or even creating and selling their own work.

A graduate of a music program may consider a career in the military, teaching, therapy, freelancing or as a professional musician.

These options are just the tip of the iceberg. Interestingly enough, medical schools often take interest in students with music degrees as they are known to have good work ethics as well as steady hand movements.

Hard work is the key, and Mount Allison offers many tools to set its students up for success.

One helpful workshop offered

on campus is targeted to those interested in pursuing business after completing their arts degrees.

This “artpreneurship” workshop focuses on collaborative entrepreneurship in the arts industry. Students are assigned projects involving their chosen arts field to be completed with guidance from professionals and faculty members. Erik Garf, a graduating drama major, attended the workshop. “This weekend helped me realize how beneficial it is to work cooperatively with business students who can teach me how to build a business plan to effectively produce my art in my career outside of university,” he said.

Marcie Meekins graduated from Mt. A in 2012 with a BA in history

“YOU CAN’T BUY YOUR WAY INTO MUSIC OR ARTS CAREERS.”

and religion. She always had a passion for music and eventually decided to pursue it as a career. “Ten years of formal piano lessons and a real passion for music as healing therapy drove me to get involved with the music industry,” said Meekins. Throughout her career, Meekins has learned that no one just hands anyone a job. “You can’t buy your way in music or arts careers,” she said. “It takes hard work, dedication and pure talent to succeed.

What I find the most striking about graduates of these programs [is] how deeply passionate they are about their vocations. They live art. It’s not something that you leave at the office at 4:30 p.m. and head home; it is their lives. Their dedication is an inspiration to those watching.”

When Meekins went back on the job market in 2016 after a few years in the industry, there was one thing

that struck her about her search for careers. “No matter what posting I looked at, they all had one thing in common. You needed a bachelor’s degree to even be considered.” Many long-term career opportunities won’t even consider the possibility of hiring someone without the skills learned while working toward an undergraduate degree. “I use the skills that I obtained during that time every day of my life. Writing, research, debate, communication skills – those are the backbone of successful careers.”

Meekins concluded by saying, “In short, what is next for Music and Fine Arts grads? Whatever they put their minds to. They have the skills and the education needed to succeed and we know for sure that they have the dedication.”

STUDENT PROFILE

Exploring the nanorealm

It’s a small world after all, at least according to Nolan Parker

LEFT: TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPE SCAN OF GOLD NANORODS GROUPING TOGETHER. RIGHT: PARKER HARD AT WORK SYNTHESIZING COMPOUNDS IN THE LAB. KATHERINE REISS/SUBMITTED

KATHERINE REISS Contributor In the movie adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s beloved classic The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, the Lady Galadriel states that “Even the smallest person can change the course of the future.” It’s an apt reminder to not forget the impact of the small things, people or in this case particles that surround us every day. When it comes to this world of the proverbial unseen, Nolan Parker is an expert.

Having just completed an honours degree in chemistry looking at nanorods, Parker is no stranger to the small. Nanorods are tiny, rodlike structures that are so miniscule they’re invisible to the naked eye, and can only be viewed by very precise

(and expensive) instruments such as the transmission electron microscope (TEM), which uses electrons to image molecules.

“Nanoparticles, and more specifically the nanorods I studied, have a plethora of potential uses including chemical sensing, photovoltaic cells and biomedical imaging,” Parker said.

Making these seemingly magical particles has almost become second nature to the chemistry major.

“First, I take a compound containing molecules of gold and create seed particles from it,” he explained.

“Those are small, round nanoparticles that I then use to grow nanorods out of.” Once he makes these gold nanorods, Parker can change their properties by putting different capping molecules, called ligands, on

different parts of the nanorods.

For his honours research, Parker’s ultimate goal was to see how changing the ligands affected how the nanorods grouped together.

“I experimented with various ligands,” Parker explained, “and pioneered using Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy [an analytical technique] to characterize my newly created compounds.”

Thanks to Mount Allison’s unique research opportunities for undergraduates, Parker was able to gain lab experience in the summer after his second year as a research assistant in Dr. Meli’s nanoparticle research lab.

“Dr. Meli was actually the first person to introduce me to nanomaterials,” Parker said. “I had never seen them in class before that,

much less done any lab experiments with them. She’s the reason I’m pursuing postgraduate studies in this field.”

In the fall, Parker will begin his PhD at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia. There he will be working with Dr. Byron Gates, a Canada Research Chair in surface chemistry, who investigates nanomaterials with a focus on nanoelectronics and biomedicine. “It’s a large group, unlike here at Mt. A, but I’m excited about the work I’ll get to do,” Parker said.

Parker’s interest in science began when when was quite young. “As a child I was given one of those ‘101 chemistry experiments’ books and I would goof around with it,” he said.

“I probably made more baking soda and vinegar volcanoes than any kid

really should.”

It’s been a long journey of scientific discovery since then, of which he can now say Mt. A has been a significant part. Though he’ll move out west for the coming school year, Parker says he’ll “never forget the time [he] spent here,” just like he still remembers continuously creating miniature volcanoes to watch them bubble in wonder.

Mt. A may be a small school, but it’s a small school that does great things thanks to students like Parker.

So dream big, grads of 2018, and as you head off on new adventures outside of Sackville, remember to carry that small town in your hearts wherever you go.

10 OPINIONS

MAY 10, 2018 | ARGOSY@MTA.CA

LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

What does Mountie Pride mean to you?

ADRIAN KIVA Outgoing Editor-in-Chief We have made it to the end! The academic year is over, the final issue of volume 147 of the Argosy is complete, and volume 148 is well underway.

I want to use this special issue to thank those students who shared their voices by contributing articles to our opinion section. I want to bring these articles – specifically those critical of the university – together, and reconcile them with that unmistakable feeling welling up in all of us this week: university pride.

This year, students addressed many issues that have long been affecting our campus. Saskia van Walsum, Sarah Murphy and Dr. Brad Walters wrote about potential cuts to the anthropology department, emphasizing the importance of active listening in all areas of academia. Cara MacKenzie addressed shortcomings within the Sackville Pride Parade, calling for the centring of queer voices. Marissa Cruz called to centre racialized voices and called on white students to be more proactive about racial discourse. Ashley Rose Cummings asked potential allies to listen to Indigenous students before getting outraged. Lauren Latour called for divestment (again), this time in response to NYC’s decision to divest from the fossil fuel industry. Hannah Mackellar made a video highlighting accessibility issues on campus, while Jill MacIntyre called on the University to reconsider the meaning

behind merit-based scholarships in a way that better prioritizes low-class students’ experiences.

Reviewing these articles draws attention to their intersections. Many issues on campus have to do with the increasing corporatization of Canadian universities. Many are calls for allies to stand up and speak out.

A lot of us are not directly affected by these issues, so it can be easy to ignore or discount them. I have had a fantastic time during my four years on campus. In many ways, Mount Allison has lived up to its promises to me: the personalized degree, the sense of community, the faculty, staff and administrators who genuinely care. It’s easy to be happy to be here.

But that joy eventually changes: it becomes a feeling of pride, or gratitude, or belonging. I think it’s important to ask why we feel proud, grateful, or welcome, because it’s hard not to get defensive when those feelings are challenged.

Your university is not the sum of your experiences here. Your university is the sum of your experiences, those of all your classmates, and those of all the people who work here. Your university is also the money that supplements our tuition to fund this institution, as well as the public and private interests implicated by that money. Your university is the people who are excluded so that we can be exclusive.

Criticism and pride are often seen to be at odds with each other, both by the critical and the proud: my activist friends deriding the new football field, angry students messaging the paper

about how our criticism damages the University, unending promotional content from the University itself that refuses to be critical in any way.

But I think pride and criticism can be brought together.

It’s valid to be proud to be here.

It’s valid to take cap and gown photos in Waterfowl Park, to cheer for basketball buzzer beaters and to celebrate seeing your thesis sitting snug amid one hundred–odd years of student research.

But I want us to collectively rethink what #mountiepride means.

We can be proud of our time here while helping to make that time better for everyone else. Supporting the football team should not get in the way of being critical of the University. In fact it’s vital that it does not, otherwise we’ve already lost half the school. Vocal minorities can advocate change, however when we go forward together, the work is not only less burdensome, but more representative.

This may read as naive, but I think it’s pragmatic. In anti-racist organization, a common tactic is to focus on changing institutional norms of behaviour rather than dealing with individuals’ racial biases one by one. But if we’re all jet-set to go off and be the movers and shakers Mt. A wants us to be, it would be fantastic if we were all better allies. University is special: it’s the ideal place for us to have these one-on-one conversations and learn from each other.

There are so many issues to get sad about or mad about – and then to engage with. I don’t think there

WHO DO YOU CHEER FOR? ADRIAN KIVA/ARGOSY is enough support given to those organizations that provide spaces on campus for this engagement. I’m talking about Divest MTA, ACID, Catalyst, and others. Where are the MASU policies for the issues these opinion pieces raise?

This is a call to action: a call to get involved in those issues that do not directly affect you. This is a call for critical spaces to open up. But mostly – in this issue read by parents, alumni and graduating students – this is a call to think long and hard about what Mountie Pride means to you.

COLUMN

Graduation, celebration, and the coming of spring

THE REV. JOHN C. PERKIN Columnist The coming of spring, in the European tradition, has always heralded the sense of renewed hope and optimism in the world. It is the time for romance to blossom, along with the flowers of the trees and fields; it is a time when both nature and people are reinvigorated in their hopes and dreams.

It is perhaps hard to believe in such

a hope in the spring of 2018. Over the last month, Canada was saddened and dismayed by news of a tragic bus accident involving a junior hockey team that took many lives. As a nation we were further saddened and dismayed by news of the murderous actions of a young man in Toronto who took ten lives using his vehicle as a weapon. Internationally, we learned in disbelief of the use of chemical weapons against the citizens of Syria, including children. The violence and atrocities taking place around the

world challenge our fundamental beliefs in the goodness of people, and, even in the springtime of the year, we wonder if there is hope.

Against this dark backdrop, we nonetheless dare to celebrate: We celebrate our graduating students and their accomplishments; we rejoice when they cross the stage and receive the fruit of their labours, their degrees. It is important to rejoice, to celebrate, not only what they have accomplished but what that represents.

Graduation, fittingly in spring, is nothing less than a symbol of hope.

Throughout its long and storied history of education in the liberal tradition, Mount Allison has been a place that prepares people to enter into the world as those who have something to offer. The original purpose of Mount Allison – rooted in its church origins, and nurtured through its teaching and study and its extracurricular life – was to raise up young men and women who would bring the values of the university and the church into their professional lives, their communities and on into the world. Preceded by the traditional religious blessing of our graduates in the baccalaureate service the night before, convocation is not the celebration of achievements in years just past, but is also the celebration of possibilities and potentials for years to come.

Many universities were founded by churches in the 19th century, and they began with the same goal and mission: to prepare their young men, and in some cases also young women, to learn not only about the world they would live in, but to learn how to live in that world with the love and grace of God. While most universities have since moved away from their

church origins, the continuing ideals and values are in keeping with their origins: to educate and nurture adults who are not only aware of their world, but who also have the desire and skills to respond to its challenges.

The message has always been the same: the darkness of the world can seem overwhelming, but we cannot and must not be overwhelmed by that darkness. We cannot change the whole world, but we can be a light in our small corner of it. Let us not be so overwhelmed by the darkness that we do nothing; rather, let us be light to those around us, and join with others, so that collectively our light brings hope and healing to our world.

I rejoice in those who have graduated in years past, and who have been effective agents of healing and hope, of transformation and renewal, in ways small and large in their communities, their countries and even on the global stage. I rejoice in those who graduate this year, for the hope, enthusiasm, energy and commitment they bring to our world.

I rejoice in the light of learning and of love that will shine in the dark times of life; I am reminded of this light in the world, even as I see the light in the chapel still shining through stained glass.

EDITOR: CATHERINE TURNBULL | MAY 10, 2018 | ARGOSY@MTA.CA

ACTIVISM

OPINIONS 11

Allyship, perfectionism, and humility

MURPHY REMEMBERS AN INSTANCE IN WHICH ANTI-PERFECTIONISM POSTERS WERE HANGING A FEW METRES AWAY FROM A BANNER CELELBRATING MTA’S NO. 1 RANKING. LOUIS SOBOL/ARGOSY

DANIEL MURPHY Contributor Recent social justice advocacy at Mount Allison has focused heavily on “allyship” in activism. In the Argosy last month, Tina Oh delivered an astute critique of the Mt. A Feminist Leadership Conference’s approach to this topic. She examined the role

of allyship in challenging oppressive norms and argued that discussions of allyship are missing the mark by neglecting minority representation.

My interest was piqued further when a friend of mine attacked the article on social media for its “racism against white people,” an objection levied most often due to unfamiliarity with sociological jargon. Like my

friend, my upbringing was very sheltered, and I have known the helpless feeling of speaking the same words as someone else in a completely different language. After a couple hours of conversation, we agreed firmly on most of the questions that had been raised. The backlash he received condemning his post was not oppression, but his experience ironically illustrates the point he had initially failed to see in Oh’s article: if we react superficially to others’ expressions of their experience instead of seeking to legitimately understand their perspective, we will separate ourselves from all perspectives but those most similar to our own.

This anecdote would most often be used as a moralizing piece about “free speech” and “echo chambers,” but the more interesting observation is the pragmatic failure of so many presumably well-meaning people to address the issue at the root of the conversation raised by Oh’s critique. Responding with criticism alone must be acceptable, but not preferable. To create meaningful change is to embrace a deep humility: to accept things as they are, not as we would like them to be, and to seek

others whose experiences provide new insights.

On this campus, anti-perfectionism posters were hanging for months in study areas just a few metres from the massive banners emblazoned with our title of “No. 1 Undergraduate University in Canada.”

The exceptionalism is insidious. We spend years learning to approach complex and myriad problems within an environment that qualifies progress with a single score, determined more often by what we fail to replicate than what we ourselves produce.

I have fallen into this trap repeatedly, even when critiquing others for doing much the same. I criticized Divest MTA, even though I agreed with its goals and made no constructive contribution. I’ve joked about the Argosy, but this piece is my first submission. This tendency is true of all of us, activists and critics alike.

If to be an ally is to be engaged in a process of finding better ways to challenge oppression, then the process of becoming a good ally should involve constant reexamination of that process itself.

That’s not going to be easy, but it will certainly be rewarding.

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EDITORIAL staff EDITORS-IN-CHIEF | Mirelle Naud, Catherine Turnbull MANAGING EDITOR | Alix Main NEWS EDITORS | Maia Herriot, Minnow Holtz-Carriere ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR | Ben Maksym COPY EDITOR | Charlotte Savage

PRODUCTION staff PRODUCTION MANAGER | Morgan Bender PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR | Gillian Hill PHOTOGRAPHERS | Emma Biberdorf, Savannah Forsey ILLUSTRATION EDITOR | Ashli Green

VIDEOGRAPHER | Louis Sobol ONLINE EDITORS | Morgan Bender, Mac Clevinger

Between the bank of Styx and the gates of hell The future is a grim place – this is one of the few things of which we can be sure. From the looming threat of war between superpowers with weapons of mass destruction, to climate change, economic anxiety and the rise of racist movements, all omens point toward one thing: at some point in our lives, we are going to march through hell.

What makes these catastrophes peculiar is that we all know vaguely how to avoid them. The vast majority of humans have a rough idea of how to avoid climate change or solve social miseries. What makes these series of impending catastrophes even more baffling is that they are avoidable, but we know we are marching toward them anyway and little is done to avoid them.

The possibility for a bright future is there. We have the means to abolish any form of economic misery. The means to secure a reduction in future greenhouse gas emissions could be found through geo-engineering.

Breakthroughs in science, such a gene therapy, could make our lifetimes considerably better and longer.

Robotization has the capacity to free millions of humans from mindnumbing and physically devastating labour, as long as it comes with a redistribution of wealth that guarantees a decent life for all. We all

w w w. s i n c e 1 8 7 2 . c a

ILLUSTRATORS | Lluba Miltsova, Louis Sobol

REVOLUTION

ALEXIS BLANCHARD-METHOT Contributor

THE ARGOSY

know the questions of the future are not questions of engineering. They are questions concerning eight billion humans that must be tackled by eight billion humans. They are political questions that deserve political and henceforth collective answers – not technical ones.

The questions that remain are: how do we get through hell? Are we going to be dragged into the fire by the uncaring arms of Mother Nature, or by the cold invisible hands of the market? Or, are we going to march though it together, caring for each other and making it to the other side to enjoy the wonders we could be creating?

If so little is being done to avoid impending disasters, there must be forces in the way of possible solutions. These forces are not the lizardmen or the freemasons, but social forces that allow a tiny portion of humanity to hold dominion over the rest of the biosphere. These forces are the movement of capital, for which the production of profit is the only imperative, even at the cost of our extinction. They are the various nations states that divide us with borders and citizenship statuses, mobilizing the interests of some human groups against others when unity of purpose at a global level is necessary to tackle our problems.

We won’t make it without a direct struggle against these forces and those who side with them, despite

SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER | Tori McBeath

REPORTING staff NEWS REPORTERS | Maisaa Al Tamaki, Amelia Fleming ARTS & CULTURE REPORTERS | Maggie Pitman, Jane Rempel, Julianna Rutledge, Derek Sharp SPORTS REPORTER | Emma MacMillan

OPERATIONS staff HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER | Allison McNeil

CONTRIBUTORS Kristie Earles, Breana Darlison, Anna Hardie, Adrian Kiva, Jena McLean, Alexis Blanchard-Methot, Daniel Murphy, Tina Oh, Carly Penrose, the Rev. Perkin, Katherine Reiss, Will Traves, Mark Turner COVER | Sylvan Hamburger

PUBLICATION board Leslie Kern, David Thomas, Mark Nicol

DISCLAIMERS & COPYRIGHT The Argosy is the official independent student journal of news, opinion and the arts, written, edited and funded by the students of Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick. The opinions expressed herein do not necessarily represent those of the Argosy’s staff or its Board of Directors. The Argosy is published weekly throughout the academic year by Argosy Publications Inc. Student contributions in the form of letters, articles, photography, graphic designs and comics are welcome. The Argosy reserves the right to edit or refuse all materials deemed sexist,

THE QUESTION REMAINS: HOW DO WE GET THROUGH HELL? METHOT HOPES WE WILL FIND A WAY TO DO IT TOGETHER. BREANA DARLISON/SUBMITTED

racist, homophobic, transphobic or otherwise unfit for print, as determined by the Editors in Chief. Articles or other contributions can be sent to argosy@mta.ca or directly to a section editor. The

all of our politeness and restraint. It is imperative that, from now on, the collective control of humans over their social conditions walks hand in hand with our capacity to control nature. We must take back our lives.

“May you live in interesting times” is, purportedly, an old Chinese curse that describes our

predicament perfectly. We stand at a crossroads in history. Will we take our responsibility and spit at the face of doom, or die a messy and forgotten death? The choice is ours, and I have made mine.

To those I have met in these past four years: I wish you good luck, and I will see you on the barricades.

Argosy will print unsolicited materials at its own discretion. Letters to the editor must be signed, though names may be withheld at the sender’s request and at the Argosy’s discretion. Anonymous letters will not be printed.

Comments, concerns or complaints about the Argosy’s content or operations should be first sent to the Editors in Chief at the address above. If the Editors in Chief are unable to resolve a complaint, it may be taken to the Argosy Publications, Inc. Board of Directors. The chairs of the Board of Directors can be reached at the address above.

Correction: In the April 5 edition of the Argosy, reporter Jena McLean interviewed Decima Mitchell about her impending retirement from the position of Resident Designer at Motyer-Fancy Theatre. The costume design for Noises Off! was erroneously attributed to Mitchell, when it was fine arts student Ruthie Payzant who was costume designer for that show.

The Argosy regrets these and other errors. Errors requiring correction should be emailed to argosy@mta.ca.

All materials appearing in the Argosy bear the copyright of Argosy Publications, Inc. Material cannot be reprinted without the consent of the Editors in Chief.

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ACROSS 1. Properly and officially trained and recognized for a specific subject or skill 6. This is often used alongside cinnamon and cloves 13. A shorter album released by an artist 14. You might feel like this if you’re not doing so hot 15. “Oh, I understand” 16. What squirrels stockpile for the winter 17. Delicious Indian flatbread 18. American channel featuring Full Frontal with Samantha Bee 20. Not apes 22. The older of two related individuals with the same name 24. Entertainment company in America only available on premium cable or satellite networks 26. Online dating platform that your aunt

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is probably on 28. The sound a dove makes 29. Respiratory virus of which there was an outbreak in 2003 30. Certain four-wheel-drive vehicles can handle all of them 31. This population has gotten a bad rap thanks to Stephen King 35. Dreamworks movie about a blue bird, or the “Grande” river 36. Someone who prefers to spend time on their own (2 wds.)

37. List of letters that aren’t consonants 39. Related to the eyes 41. Like professors or those giving speeches 45. A natural log 46. Exclamation following something bad happening 47. Prefix to -bolic, -rexic

CAREERS

Help wanted!

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49. What wrestlers and boxer fight over 50. Sometimes you can skip this on YouTube 51. This is exposed when people wear a crop top 54. How trick-or-treaters get homeowners’ attention 58. Denotes a hypothetical situation 59. Old-time video game that came with a mat 60. The main character of The Jungle Book 62. Auditions, but for a sports team 65. These are the people you would stereotypically ask for a cup of sugar 68. Group responsible for the song “Take on Me” 69. This little girl was almost tricked by a wolf in a bonnet (in the Disney version) 72. The amount of R-E-S-P-E-C-T Aretha Franklin is asking for in her song (2 wds.)

74. Rear ends, in Ireland 78. Ankle tendon 79. Fertilized egg 83. The spookiest of the Great Lakes 85. Short for Leonard 87. Application that lets you talk face to face, but from miles away 88. Storage areas at the top level of a home 89. Fell back into old bad habits, or had a recurrence of disease 91. Dried seaweed snack popular in Nova Scotia 92. Trees associated with mother and earth goddesses; symbolizes strength 93. These are what distinguish woodwinds and brass instruments

DOWN 1. Places where learning occurs 2. “Captain ___” was a Disney film starring Michael Jackson 3. You can delay someone by giving them the ___________, or giving them useless info 4. Russian rulers 5. Singer of the hit song “Replay” 6. A similie uses like or __ 7. Citrus fruit used to describe objects that don’t work 8. Kings of _____ 9. Last name of Trang who slept with Coach Carr in mean girls 10. Vanilla and Cube both name themselves after this cool state of matter 11. Apparently wolves can be this, according to a retired Sackville restaurant 12. Places where you go if you have a urgent medical problem 13. Gas station owned by ExxonMobil 15. Country professed to be a Holy Land that is currently embroiled in conflict 18. To be caught off guard 19. Horse house 21. The Big Apple 23. Adjective meaning round in shape 25. A slow, methodical martial art 26. These sea creatures can be electric 27. Swampy ground 28. Forensic science TV show that takes place in Miami, New York and Las Vegas 30. Black, sticky substance that is used in roads

ADVICE

WEATHER Monday

Graduation POPT (Probability of Parental Tears): 55% High: Hearing your name and getting your degree on stage Low: Waiting hours while they list OTHER people’s names

Entry-level positions Sackville We know it can be hard to find a job right out of university, especially with all you new grads entering the workforce. Luckily, the Town of Sackville understands this, and is advertising jobs tailored specifically to recent grads to help them get their foot in the door and build a resume that gives them a leg up in their careers.

DOG PAPARAZZI: Inspired by how much university students freak the hell out every time they see a dog even near campus, some Sackville residents are paying graduates to take selfies with their dogs or run Instagram accounts for their canine pals. Successful applicants will be paid for all posts that receive more than 30 likes.

ATMOSPHERE BUILDER: Here’s your opportunity to become an overqualified employee at a coffee shop, just like the barista with a master’s degree. Several cafés in Sackville are now seeking graduates to “talk about smart stuff” at their establishments over the slow summer season. Intellectual conversations

allow cafés to maintain an atmosphere of prestige and contempt that can be felt the second someone walks into the store. Employees will be required to use at least three academic words or phrases per five minutes of conversation.

SWAN: Since Herbert and Muriel passed away, the town has been in mourning. But, in accordance with the town’s progression through the five steps of grief, it has been decided that we must move on. Thus, the town is hiring recent graduates as stand-ins for the beloved swans.

NOTE: Tetanus and rabies shots – or else a REALLY good immune system – are necessary to be considered for this job.

TEST SUBJECT: Totally unrelated to the last job, Mount Allison is looking for test subjects for its immunology and microbiology courses. While not required, it has been strongly recommended that individuals considered for this position spend a long time in Swan Pond…

SUBMITTED BY CARLY PENROSE

32. Rory Gilmore’s mom 33. You might get these if you touch a toad!

34. Second part of the famous, monsterinhabited lake in Scotland 38. Lovable snowman that “likes warm hugs” 40. Your grandmother might exclaim “_____ loo!” if she sees something shocking 42. You can do this to your hair with a wand 43. Trendy purple sweet potato 44. Precedes emm, enn, oh and pee 47. Explicit version of “as heck,” in a text message 48. Without further ___ 52. Admired devotedly 53. Tasting like apples, bananas or punch 55. You might yell this if you stub your toe 56. The first of its kind 57. To put pages together into a book 58. This affects the exposure of your photo 60. The time zone you would be in if you were in Alberta 61. He is, you ___ 62. _____ thighs save lives 63. An event for providing enthusiastic support for a candidate or team 64. Audi sports car model 66. Monty Python’s quest is for this holy item 67. Catch one of these at the Irving on Main Street 68. Poetic, mournful exclamation 70. Milk and espresso beverage 71. To rub out mistakes 73. A microscopic, disease-causing agent 75. Not the front 76. The other option 77. A pre-plant 80. Wonder Woman actress’s first name 81. These may follow the third period if the game ends in a tie 82. You may apply for this government program if you can’t get work 84. Hunton, Harper or Bigelow are examples of this 86. You might have to put these in your bibliography if you can’t find a year of publication for your source 90. Abbreviated name for gym class

Tuesday

TRILL WAVES Contributor Well, it looks like you fuckin’ made it.

You’re graduating, or maybe you’re just here for the liquor drinks and the good times. Either way, it’s friggin’ party time. If you are graduating, I’m going to give some tips on both how to physically graduate (accept degree, etc.) and also how to survive after Mt. A ( :,( ).

Tip 1: Don’t graduate. Instead of walking across the stage when your name is called, just don’t.

Remain seated and silent. Take that, establishment. Also I’m pretty sure you don’t have to pay off student loans until after you graduate, so if you don’t graduate you don’t have to pay off your student loans, which is a pretty big win. You also wouldn’t have to leave Mt. A, which would be sweet because you could just keep

hangin’ out in Sackcity.

Tip 2: Don’t get a job. A lot of people go to school for the wrong reasons: to get a career, to sustain themselves and put bread on the table. Absolutely wrong. Everyone should know that the only reason you go to school is to party. What you really learned these past years is how to really put it back and keep it down. At this point, you might as well just keep the drinking and partying going. That’s all you really learned anyway, and you’re more than qualified to keep it up.

Tip 3: idk man, i don’t mean to get all sentimental but i’m rly gonna miss all my pals who r graduating this year. best of luck to all of you guys, honestly. i hope my tips helped u all out. catch u on the flip side, gang.

Idk man. Bittersweet about it all.

Have fun, guys. xoxo – Trill.

Feel relieved to be done; party with friends before going home POPT: 0% High: Hanging out with friends and feeling good about having no homework Low: N/A

Wednesday

Family dinner with the WHOLE family (including aunts and uncles who did not come to grad) POPT: 20% High: Having everyone celebrate you Low: Having every family member ask what you’re going to do now

Thursday

Start to miss your friends; look for jobs; come to the realization that you have be an adult POPT: 89% High: Not having pick courses for next year Low: Fear of the future

Friday

Partly cloudy