Issue 6 Volume 50

The Peterborough and Trent University

Independent Press

Volume 50 | Issue 6 | October 19, 2015

Photo provided by Reba Harrison

Trent Alumni Stephen Stohn gives back with a $1 million donation to new Student Center

INside:

Photo provided by Reba Harrison

Interview with the president: Part 2

2015-2016 trent radio schedule

colleges and departments

spooky tales for the campire

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Apologies to kawarthaNOW for unintentionally using an unauthorized image of Michael Skinner that did not belong to us. We acknowledge this copyright infringement and ensure it will not occur again! Sorry Lois.

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A quick note: Arthur Newspaper was not responsible for the “Vote for the Conservative Party of Canada” inserts found within the newspaper. Though intended as an Anti-Conservative campaign, the inserts were quite offensive without context. We apologize to anyone who found these troublesome.

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opinion

Editorial: is the student voice being represented?

By Zara Syed

This year, Arthur Newspaper is celebrating its 50th year. When Yumna and I were running for the position, we envisioned retrospective issues to highlight the different stages the paper has gone through.

We were big fans of previous co-editor’s Matt and Pat’s initiative This Issue in History to highlight Arthur’s past. When we started the position, it was a real treat to pour over the old issues spanning the 1960’s to the late 1990’s.

When we interviewed Stephen Stohn in Issue 4, we asked him if he had heard of Trent’s controversial move to sell off the downtown colleges. It turns out he was not made aware of this until our discussion.

In my interview with John Muir and Jill Staveley, we discussed Trent’s identity and how we have to keep re- telling our history to the new generation of incoming Trent Students. Students are often unaware that not only were there colleges downtown, but student housing and a whole culture of which only fragments remain.

Over the weekend I attended John Muir’s sixtieth birthday at Sadleir House. It was a lively coming together of a community rarely seen on campus anymore.

Some, or most of you, may not know who this great man is, but have most likely heard his beautiful deep voice over the airwaves of Trent Radio. You might not even know who Tom Symons is, or Bonnie Patterson. That is why we reprinted some of these stories from old copies of Arthur, to give you context to the discussion at Trent University and the student voice.

When I came to Trent six years ago, I was an off- res student. I had no idea the richness of this community that

was around me at George and Parkhill, and it was a sad and lonely time for me.

Disconnected from campus and college life, I was one of those kids you hear about having retention issues. Though I sometimes wish I could have experienced the enthusiasm of our great colleges, it gave me a unique perspective on the Trent experience.

I only knew about Trent’s history because a Traill College student named Meghan Kelly led an alternative tour.

During the tour she told us that people were waiting for Traill students to graduate and move on, and forget about Traill.

However, that didn’t happen. Though it is a concern among students who love the College that it is being forgotten about financially, and that it will be left to crumble, there is a life at this little college on the hill that is quite different than that at main campus.

Trent University is undergoing various structural changes. Arthur is not as radical as it once was, and though we remain critical of things, we acknowledge the administration has good intentions.

The restructuring of the Colleges has been a controversial topic. Some say it’s old news, but really, it’s too soon to tell if the changes that were made are effectively engaging students the way Academics once used to by managing the Colleges.

The part- time positions faculty once held have now been replaced by full- time administrators. College Secretaries have been replaced with eight student interns per college on minimum wage salaries.

Already, as one can see in Betty Wondimu’s article, we can catch a glimpse at how this shift in power is affecting the Colleges at an internal level.

The question to be asked in light of

the new Student Centre is, were we asked what our money should be used for?

Reba Harrison discusses the problematic vote of 13%, but as highlighted in the old issues, this has been an ongoing struggle at Trent University.

In a conversation with Steven Pillar, Vice President of Finance and Administration at Trent, I learned that the Student Centre was mostly paid for with levy fees. $10.5 million to be exact, with Trent University making up the rest in $4.5 million dollars.

At my time with the Trent Central Student Association, I remember this being an initiative that was by students for the students. Now, there is classroom space designated in the Centre. The TCSA will probably get a nice office, but my hope is that other student groups will get the space they deserve as well. That will, of course, be seen once it’s built, and that is the whole point of this thing; being a Student Centre.

When asked about the $50 million campaign that was on the poster for the Student Centre Gift announcement, Pillar spoke to the various initiatives this money will go towards.

Reorienting some space within Bata Library, and fixing the skylight and expansion in Durham in Oshawa was mentioned.

When asked if any of this money would be designated for Traill College, the answer was, “No. Currently, there is no money in the budget at Traill as it is going under review this year.”

However, not allotting a single penny of this campaign to Traill College is problematic for several reasons. Sure, it’s going under review this year, but it’s still open. This College generates only $200,000 in revenue, with no graduate fees set in place to sustain itself the way other

Colleges on main campus are able to.

We are focusing on all these areas of Trent’s development, and are even offering a $500 scholarship to incoming Humanities students. This is a wonderful initiative that I wholeheartedly support.

Enrolment is one issue to spend resources on, but what about retention? The funding allocation to the Humanities, as depicted in our department articles, reveal what incoming students are in for when they want to enrol in that amazing waitlisted film course, for example. In order for the Humanities to thrive, we need more in the budget for just tables and chairs.

Many people may not know this, but York University has a college system. It’s so weak that it’s practically unheard of. Due to the provincial funding model, we are moving further away from being a small Liberal Arts University to chase dollars and cents, and increase our enrollment.

Dalhousie, Acadia and Mount Allison are all small Universities that have thrived in being leaders of quality education.

Trent needs to recognize its identity, and promote it. We aren’t an overcrowded big- city degree machine. We stand at #3 in Undergraduate Research in the country.

Trent University is caught between two visions; the vision of Tom Symons, and the vision of Bonnie Patterson.

It’s up to us, the student body and administration, to figure out who it is we’re going to be. The challenges of relying on public funding are certainly daunting, but we have the potential to be known for just what Professor Hodges (Chair of English and Cultural studies) hopes, “the best Humanities Undergraduate Institution in Ontario, and why not?”

A tall tale from your editor

By Yumna Leghari Urgent Report to the Anti-Colonial Crown 19 October 2015 TOP SECRET Making Copies Prohibited Copy No. 1

Erable Telegramme, Late tonight, T. Sulcair invited me to come see him. We spoke alone.

He stated that the onslaught of Tory propaganda and the stifling of the CBC was his primary cause of concern.

I was told previous to this private council to remain silent about our meeting place. Sulcair insisted upon my confidentiality.

“Listen, this isn’t about the Cons. Well, it is. Just listen.”

His head cast a shadow behind him, crawling all the way up to the ceiling. His frantic arms shifted light from the fireplace, casting strange shadows around the den in which we sat. I asked him to refrain from evasiveness.

“It’s s late. I have driven two hours from West from Goddamn Montreal at this ridiculous hour. Frankly Sulcair, you’re making me nervous. What the hell is going on?”

He leaned in close to me, and grasped my hands too tight. His fingers were yellow from his habitual cigars. All busy men smoke. I am sure this is an anecdote that exists.

Sulcair was indeed a busy man.

“It’s the Tories. They’re phonies!”

I accused Sulcair of drunkenness, of dragging me away from my bed.

“Yes, Sulcair. The Tories are phonies.”

I pat him on the shoulder and got up to leave.

Suclair pushed me back onto the velvet chair with surprising strength, his eyes lighting up. He looked scared.

“We had just adjourned a parliamentary debate on the refugee crisis. It was all I could do to keep my cool. I bust out of that cursed hall as soon as I could for some fresh air.

I kept thinking to myself, it’s like those damn blue-ties have no souls. And then I saw him.”

Sulcair shuddered, a layer of goosebumps appearing on his clammy skin. He was still wearing his tweed suit. The man hadn’t changed all day.

“I turned onto Slater when I saw Peter MacKay hiding under a pine tree. You know, the kind of pine where the branches hit the ground really low. The kind you used to hide in as a kid! Anyways, I see these smart brown loafers sticking out from under this tree, and take a peak between the branches and… Oh, God.” Sulcair buried his face in his palms in a devastated fashion. Had someone died? Worse, was Larper in the lead?

Sulcair’s hands shook and he took a large swig of scotch. A log in the fireplace cracked loudly, making us both jump.

“Jesus.”

He stood up, his shadow fully domineering the room.

“They’re not real,” He whispered hoarsely. “H-He… HE DIDN’T HAVE EYES. They’d melted right out of his sockets. He had what seemed like dried wax clumped around his these black holes in his face, just like-!” Sulcair gestured to a beeswax candle on his table. The candle had been burning for hours and wax dripped down the sides in the typical way that candles do.

“They’re sentient wax figures. All of them. I’ve been tracking it for days and it all makes sense now. They’re never at Pride! It’s always sunny at pride. Beevus Larper only speaks in shady parking lots in the middle of nowhere, and we all have to sign these damn wavers promising not to take any photos. NO FLASH CAMERAS? NO SPOTLIGHTS? Have you ever seen Larper break a sweat? He’s never looked quite right, those eyes are too deep set. “ “Wax? What are you on about? They may have empty policies but they’re not fucking museum props Sulcair.”

“Come with me.”

He guided me up a flight of stairs and proceeded to unlock an industrial padlock; T. Sulcair was on edge.

At this point, I made a mental note of every occurance in order to relay this telegram, as I felt a creeping apprehension. I entered a dim room with Sulcair directly ahead of me. As my eyes adjusted, my ears became aware of muffled grunts and the clink of metal.

Slowly, my eyes travelled around the room.

I began to feel each hair on my body

simultaneously rise like that of a spooked cat. I felt my mouth go dry.

“What the hell Sulcair!? Are you insane?”

Men and women huddled against the walls of the room.

They were chained to each other and gagged. I froze in place, looking for something to knock Sulcair out with.

That couldn’t end well, the man could be the next Prime Minister.

As I planned an exodus, Sulcair scurried to a small fireplace in the corner. With shaking hands he stoked a small fire. A glow filled the room and the eyes of the captured grew wider with every flickering flame.

I could see my reflection in the back of Sulcair’s head. I stared at myself. How long have these poor people been held captive? When did Sulcair lose it? Jesus fucking Christ.

Sulcair continued to stoke the fire, and it grew healthier.

The protests of the captives grew lethargic around me.

A strange sense of quiet overtook the room. I pondered, still burning holes into Sulcair’s shiny scalp with my eyes. I saw a woman reach towards me through the chains that constricted her.

I watched her via Sulcair’s bald head.

As she stretched cleaned forward towards me, her skin seemed to fold over and envelop the chains wrapped around her. The fire burst brighter, and the groans of the prisoners grew louder and slower like a warbled tape player in reverse.

Bodies began to boil and bubble. Faces drooped and hair fell out in clumps. Fingernails slid off fingertips like egg yolks off plates and jaws gaped wide; teeth escaped mouths like chicklets one by by one. Ear lobes drooped, collarbones caved, and the perceived flesh around me disintegrated.

The captives were all recognizable Tory figures. Please note this. I could not assess faces and names in my shocked state. A proper investigation into missing peoples must be organized, though I do not recommend this as a priority.

We are in a state of National emergency.

Avertissement! Les Conservateurs ne sont pas ceux qu’ils semblent être. Alarme! Urgence! Au secours.

Larper ne puisse savoir.

J’répète, les Conservateurs ne sont pas ceux qu’ils semblent être. S.O.S.

Volume 50 | Issue 6 | October 19, 2015

3

National

Syria:“Looking Back. Moving Forward.” A panel discussion

independent.co.uk

By Adriana Sierra

Last Thursday, October 8, the Kawartha World Issues Centre (KWIC), the World University Services Canada (WUSC), and the Student Association for International Development (SAID) hosted a panel to discuss the Syrian Refugee Crisis and Canada’s role.

The well-balanced panel was comprised of Dr. Feyzi Baban, a professor of International Development Studies at Trent University whose research focuses on migrant routes and the politics surrounding refugees; Lilas Aidk, a Syrian refugee who arrived to Canada this past July; Gloria Nafzinger, the refugee coordinator of Amnesty International in Canada; and Brenna Farren, co-chair of WUSC. An audience comprised of both students and community members alike filled Bagnani Hall, with more than 90 attendees.

The discussion centered around two crucial topics related to the refugee crisis in Syria. The first of these issues was the stigma surrounding refugees, which in turn has informed policy and directly relates to the second over arching theme of the evening, which was the lack of an adequate response form the international community, ``including Canada.

The term “refugee” is misleadingly associated with dangerous, negative, and bogus connotations. Refugees around the world have been stigmatized and have increasingly been constructed as detrimental to nations. This erroneous yet

prevalent view of refugees has informed the international community’s response to the crisis, which can be described as mediocre at best.

Gloria Nafzinger argues that “the biggest threat that we have is to overcome xenophobia and the fear of most Canadians when talking out the other.” She stated that Canada’s policies on refugees have been based on the widespread belief that refugees are a threat to national security, which has lead to regressive legislature.

In other words, Canada has been taking steps backwards by removing refugees’ rights one piece of legislation at the time.

This is reflected in the declines in government-funded refugee programs, barriers for privately funded programs, and Canada’s inaction in regards to Syria.

Nafzinger suggested that the way forward is to undo the work of the past ten years, and to open borders rather than close them. In order to do this, however, perceptions on refugees must change and that is the greatest challenge.

Mainstream perceptions on refugees do not reflect the reality of the situation. Dr. Baban, who travelled to refugee camps and witnessed the flow of refugees escaping from Syria, noted that those who managed to leave Syria have done so because they have the socio-economic means. Before their lives were disrupted by conflict, refugees had jobs, homes, families, education, and a decent livelihood.

Refugees who have left Syria have done so because, as Dr. Baban phrased it, “everybody’s war is being carried out in the middle of Syria,” and they are seeking a safe place where they can continue to carry out their lives.

Additionally, it is important to note that the most intense forms of solidarity are happening in places that have welcomed the largest number of refugees. Dr. Baban described the situation in Lampedusa. It is illegal to help refugees in Lampedusa but despite this law, fishermen are constantly aiding refugees who are attempting to cross the treacherous passage on ill-equipped

and overcrowded boats.

Brenna Farren also described the sense of solidarity and the mutual learning that students who have been involved in WUSC and who have been engaged with refugees have experienced.

It is crucial to re-conceptualize refugees around more positive connotations, as policy surrounding the crisis reflects the current negative perception of refugees.

Nafzinger stated that the policy response around the world has largely been to “build up walls and put up fences.” However, she also stated that refugees, like water, will inevitably keep coming and keep finding cracks in these barriers to trickle through as the conflict in Syria escalates.

It is for this very reason that borders should be opening, rather than closing. The journey of refugees is far from easy. It is incredibly dangerous, expensive, and difficult to leave Syria and arrive to Europe. However, while the European Union has closed its doors to the vast majority of refugees from Syria, neighbouring countries like Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon have absorbed most of the 4 million refugees who have left the country.

Turkish law prohibits those of “the east” to be granted the status of refugees, which means that opportunities for Syrians in Turkey are limited: there is no employment other than under-the-table jobs, no adequate education systems for children, and no possibility for a future in Turkey.

Lilas Aidk spoke of this matter, arguing that as a single mother with two children, she could not afford to stay in Turkey due to the lack of education for her children and the lack of opportunities for herself. It is for this reason that many refugees have embarked on the treacherous crossing to Greece and into the European Union.

However, the issues do not end once refugees make it into the European Union.

The Dublin Protocol states that refugee claims must be made at the point of entry to the European Union, which places Greece under disproportionate pressure.

Greece, in light of its economic situation,

is not an appealing place for refugees and does not have the capacity to absorb such large numbers, WSO refugees continue into the European Union with hopes of being able to make their claims as refugees in northern countries.

However, Europe has made it incredibly difficult for refugees to make their journey and to claim refugee status. With borders closing, heavy surveillance, and mediocre resolutions to accept refugees, their numbers are in the thousands when, really, they should be up in the millions. Refugees escaping a conflict that they have no control over have only found roadblocks along the way.

As Dr. Baban stated, the “crisis” is not a crisis at all for the European Union or the international community – countries in the Global North, where the refugees seek to continue their livelihoods, are wellequipped to absorb a much larger number of refugees than what they have so far and than what they have proposed for the future. The crisis is a crisis for refugees, not for the rest of the world.

But despite the failure of the international community to address the situation, efforts of solidarity have emerged. WUSC, for example, seeks to bring refugees to Canada through education. WUSC at Trent will be bringing two refugees in the upcoming academic year, and is currently raising funds to bring a student refugee for 2016.

In addition, many nations have opened their doors to refugees in times of crisis, as the Syrian crisis is only one example of refugee movements around the world. Ngina Kibathi, a Kenyan student, positively noted that “as much as there are a lot of people who are not doing anything, there are many people who are doing something.”

In order to address global refugee movements adequately, changing the stigma around refugees is crucial and necessary.

Amnesty International’s campaign rightfully seeks to change these perceptions and actions by promoting a simple yet powerful and much needed message: “I Open My Doors For Refugees.” Do you?

What is the Trans-Pacific Partnership?

By Troy Bordun

4

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) has been in the works since 2010. Intensive debate took place at the end of September 2015 and continued until a deal was reached on October 5. The 12 countries – Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, U.S., and Vietnam – will continue to review the details in the coming weeks and likely ratify the plurilateral agreement in the next few years.

Together, these 12 countries make up approximately 40% of the world’s gross domestic product, so this trade deal will have implications beyond the borders of the countries directly involved. Presuming the success of the agreement, other countries have now expressed interest in joining.

The conceit of the TPP is to better link the Americas to the Asia-Pacific region. The most significant aspect of the agreement is the elimination or reduction of tariffs within the signatory nations. For example, Japan is one of Canada’s best trade partners; the elimination of tariffs on industrial goods as well as agriculture will mean bigger profits for big Canadian businesses.

Prior to the TPP agreement, dairy farmers protested in Ottawa. The concern was lost profits and lost jobs. The deal, however,

www.trentarthur.ca

is manageable for Canadian dairy farmers.

There was talk of allowing foreign dairy to take up 10% of the Canadian market, but the agreement proposed 3.25% instead and a compensation package of $4.3 billion for dairy farmers. The TPP will also allow Canadian dairy farmers easier access to new markets. According to some experts, however, the TPP won’t necessarily lower Canadian grocery prices.

There is larger concern for the automotive industry. Prior to the agreement, 60% of vehicles would need to come from countries within NAFTA. Now, only 40-45% of the parts need to come from TPP nations.

Some believe this will result in a cut of up to 20,000 Canadian auto workers.

On the business side, the TPP will allow for “intracompany travel” and temporary work trips in various sectors including banking, engineering, architecture, and for environmental consultants.

Within the TPP countries, telecommunications will get more rules and regulations in an effort to create fairness. There are also digital economy provisions that further aim to protect digital commerce, copyright, and intellectual property.

Stephen Harper’s government is happy with the deal. In an interview with Arthur, Michael Skinner, the Conservative MP candidate for Peterborough-Kawartha, noted

the key feature of the agreement: further removing government from business. He believes that businesses can flourish with this new deal; with more profits, he said, more people will be hired and, the bigger businesses grow, the more taxes they will pay.

He feels this is a “positive cycle.”

Skinner failed to mention the investorstate provisions of the TPP. Under the new agreement, corporations can sue governments over public policy and decisionmaking, in secret tribunals no less. In this “positive cycle,” money gained from corporate taxes goes back into the hands of corporations, as these claims can sometimes cost Canadians millions of dollars.

For the Council of Canadians (CoC), this is one of the major points of contestation in the TPP. A number of national and international individuals have also heavily criticized parts of the TPP, including the secretive aspects of the negotiations, the large scope of the agreement, and specific clauses deemed controversial.

While the trade agreement may benefit businesses, there are fewer rules about labour practices (despite some obvious ones such as no child labor and other workers’ rights) and environmental regulations.

Further, it is no original observation that improving business profits usually just in-

creases the wealth of the already wealthy.

In Canada, jobs may be easily exported to cheaper labour in countries such as Peru and Vietnam.

Additionally, many have expressed concerns about patents and pharmaceuticals.

On the U.S. side, intellectual property rights for new medicinal developments will result in more expensive medication. The CoC goes as far as to claim that the poorest countries within TPP itself will not be able to access new drugs. The TPP deal gives next-generation pharmaceuticals an eightyear patent, which, according to experts, will make medicines expensive for other countries. Five-year patents were recommended but not implemented.

For these reasons, among others, the NDP and Greens have taken a firm stance against the TPP. Dave Nickle (NDP MP candidate for Peterborough-Kawartha) bluntly stated in his Arthur interview that what we need is not “free trade,” but “fair trade.” On the other hand, Liberal leader Justin Trudeau supports “free trade”; he was reluctant to say whether he is for or against the agreement.

The agreement won’t be released until November 5. Many feel the document should have been released prior to the election. Until then, you can view the old chapters of the TPP via wikileaks.org.

Water Wise initiative

By Ugyen Wangmo The search for Canada’s most innovative approach to reducing campus water-use footprint in post-secondary schools across the country is back for its third year running.

“Most Water-wise School Competition”, an annual event held by the Canadian Institute of Plumbing and Heating (CIPH), challenges students to make real change to water use. It is an opportunity for students to develop an action plan to conserve water at their schools, using an interdisciplinary knowledge of water conservation.

“This competition is a theoretical exercise designed to give students a real world problem to examine and respond [to],” says Matt Wiesenfeld, program manager of CIPH, adding, “It encourages the students to get their minds out of the classroom [and] to think about how they can really make a difference.”

The participants receive feedback from industry experts about the feasibility of their proposals, but it is not to say that they are expected to necessarily execute them, clarifies Wiesenfeld, explaining that it will involve a significant amount of additional practical and, in some cases, political effort; however, CIPH are hopeful that one of the teams will be able to actually go to that next level of implementation in the near future.

“Besides encouraging students to make meaningful environmental changes, the Water-wise Competition was also initiated to introduce students to the plumbing and heating industry,” added Joe Roma, select PR for CIPH. He hopes this competition will attract students to CIPH, an industry that offers a multitude of career options and great income potential.

According to the company’s press release and a recent national Leger Survey, 75% of Canadians make only modest or no efforts to conserve water. The survey, which was conducted for the CIPH, looked at several significant opinions about water use.

Ralph Suppa, President and General Manager at CIPH, notes that “[w]hile a

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significant number of Canadians seem to be making an effort to conserve our water resources, it’s clear there is much more to be done to increase the awareness and importance of this issue.”

Water-wise is one of the many initiatives of CIPH, a company which is committed to helping Canadians execute smart decisions about water use and conservation.

The thrust of the program is to motivate as many forward-thinking students as possible to develop an action plan to bring real change to the way the school community use and think about their water habits.

According to the release, this two-month challenge, irrespective of scholarly disciplines, allows students to develop and present through online submissions a viable plan to reduce the water-use footprint at their school in an economical, manageable, and user-friendly manner. The viable plan requires a practical, detailed, and technical approach, a creative manner to execute (through implementation and/or marketing), as well as a thought towards balanced financial implications (initial costs and potential savings).

The challenge runs twice, from October 15- December 15, 2015 and from January 1-February 28, 2016. However, participants can execute the plan only once, but with the option to run it at either time of their preference.

Besides contributing towards water conservation, the programs also provides benefits to students at the individual level.

For one, the students will work with and learn from CIPH Mentors through the association’s Young Executive Society. Upon delivery of the presentation, the first 100 students will enjoy participation incentives, including $50 Visa gift cards, and will be a part of all promotional outreach done through CIPH. Further, the winning team for first-place will bag a prize of $3,000 and runners up will receive $1,500.

The winners for the most water-wise action plan for 2015-2016 academic year will be announced on March 11, 2016, the World Plumbing Day.

Human Rights Day

By Adriana Sierra

Trent University celebrates Human Rights Day on Wednesday, October 21. The program for the day includes the Presidential Advisory Council on Human Rights, Equity, and Accessibility (PACHREA’s) meeting and a series of workshops throughout the day led by notable people with unique approaches to human rights.

From 1:45 – 2:30pm, the keynote address will be given at the Great Hall of Champlain College by Raj Anand, who is a former Chief Commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission and is currently involved in the practice of law that relates to human rights. The talk, titled “Advancing Human Rights at University and Beyond”, will seek to shed light on emerging issues in human rights in Canada, especially within the context of the University.

From 3:00 – 4:00pm, students and guests will have the option of attending one of three distinct workshops.

The “Joy of Gender: Understanding Transgender Lives in Context, Historical, Cross-cultural, and Biological” will be hosted by Hershel Russel in the Champlain Living and Learning Commons. Russel, a psychotherapist who has focused on trans people and their families, and is himself a transgender man, will discuss transgender experiences as ordinary components of

human diversity. In addition, he will explore transgender people’s struggle for human rights through international efforts.

“Project Revision”, hosted by Professor Nadine Changfoot at the Champlain College Morton Reading Room, will address common understandings of ability and disability. The workshop will feature a series of videos on the subject of disability to demonstrate how arts-based approaches can be used in struggles for human rights and to promote a re-thinking of art’s role in human rights, as well as of common conceptions of ability and disability.

Lastly, “They Say That I Have Girl Knees: Gender Transgressions All Around”, will be held in OCA 128 and will be facilitated

by Professor Karleen Pendleton-Jimenez.

Pendleton-Jimenez conducts gender justice workshops in which she asks attendees, particularly students, about the things they know to be true about gender. The workshop will present “words, perceptions, and insights about gender diversity as articulated by grade 4-12 students,” in order to provide a mutual learning experience and a re-thinking of gendered landscapes.

If you would like to find out more about Human Rights Day at Trent University, follow this link: https://trentu.ca/ohrea/ pachrea/PACHREA-Fall2015.php”https:// trentu.ca/ohrea/pachrea/PACHREAFall2015.php

Volume 50 | Issue 6 | October 19, 2015

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T.H.B. Symons addresses the community (Oct 17, 1964)

“Your Excellency, we have found that in this age of instant coffee and even instant tea, there is still no such thing as instant university or, indeed, as instant education. The founders of Trent were able and willing to look afresh at every facet of university life, to examine all possibilities, and to experiment and to pioneer whenever and however they saw fit. From this process of study and planning has emerged a university with a distinctive philosophy and a character of its own, which may guide it and perhaps inspire it through the years to come.”

Your Excellencies; My lords; Your Honours; Mr. Minister; Reverend Sirs; Distinguished guests; Members of the Board, of faculty and staff, and of the student body of Trent University; Ladies and Gentlemen: It is my privilege and pleasant duty to welcome you here today at the official opening of Trent University. I do so most warmly and I thank you for coming to join with us in celebrating this happy occasion.

We are, of course, particularly honoured and delighted that Their Excellencies, the Governor-General and Madame Vanier, have been able to grace this meeting with their presence, and that the Governor-General has consented to declare Trent University open.

It is surely a good omen for our national sense of values in Canada when the first citizen of our land is prepared to place first upon his heavy agenda participation in matters educational as he is doing today and as he will be doing again on Monday when he goes to St. Catherines, there also to declare open a new university, our sister institution, Brock University, to whom we send warm greetings and good wishes today.

The presence of the Governor-General is a reminder too, of the fact that, in founding a university here in Peterborough, we are doing something which will be of interest and service to all Canada, and which is of national as well as local significance.

Nous sommes fières, votre Excellence, que notre premier collège portera le nom de Champlain, ce qui témoigne d’une part, que nous restons sensibles a l’histoire de notre pays et, d’autre part, qu’a l’université de Trent on tien beaucoup a forger des liens durables entre les deux races qui, ensemble, établirent les fondements du

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Canada.

It is also fitting and a happy thing that the Honourable Mr. Davis, the Minister of Education and of University Affairs of our province, is able to be with us and to take part in this occasion. The charter which Trent University holds was conferred by an Act of the Legislature of Ontario which received Royal Assent on the sixth day of March, 1963. Moreover, this University has benefited enormously—indeed, has been made possible—by the substantial, the understanding, and the enlightened support which has been given to it by the Province, acting upon the advice of the University Affairs Committee and under the leadership of the Minister.

Nevertheless, Trent University is in a special sense related to the community in which it is located—to Peterborough, to the Valley of the Trent, and to Eastern Ontario. No new university has received a greater measure of support from its home community—for which heartfelt thanks— as well as from many friends across the land. It was this support and in the final analysis the dedicated service given by men and women here in this community—many of whom are present today— which made Trent University possible and brought it into being.

It also gave to the University much of the special character and outlook which already make it distinctive. Located in the historic Valley of the Trent, and in this old Ontario city of Peterborough with its long tradition of interest in the arts and letters, it is natural that this University should feel a particular interest in the study of history and the culture of its community and of our nation. It is very much the hope and wish of everyone associated with Trent University that it may become in fullness

-T.H.B. Symons

of time a useful and significant centre for Canadian studies. By this is meant the study of our Canadian civilization—for such there is—in its totality: its history, literature, art and institutions, its people, and its sciences. In relation to this programme, Trent University is planning in the near future to give sponsorship and support to a new quarterly, to be named a Journal of Canadian Studies.

The magnificent permanent site of Trent University will also be a factor shaping its character in the years to come. This campus, comprising as it does some 1500 acres of rolling and forested land straddling the historic Otonabee River for nearly two miles, and on the very edge of the Canadian Shield, is surely one of the loveliest of any university in the world; and holds open for the University the doors of opportunity to an exciting and unlimited future.

But the character of this University is related to even deeper considerations than these striking physical factors of site and location—important though these are. It is the product primarily of the men and women who serve it and who are part of it—of the founders and the donors, the governors and the staff, the students and— one day—the alumni.

Thus many people have already contributed to the character of Trent University in the seven years which have elapsed since the Citizens Committee was first formed in 1957 to explore the possibility of creating a university in this area. Much of this time has been devoted to thought and planning for the University by two major groups—the Academic Planning Committee and the Campus Planning Committee, ably assisted by some distinguished and experienced advisers—as well as to the essential activity of the Founding Board and sponsors in rallying funds and public support. In consequence, it may fairly be said that Trent has benefited from a programme of careful study and intensive planning extending over a number of years. Your Excellency, we have found that in this age of instant coffee and even instant tea, there is still no such thing as instant university or, indeed, as instant education.

The founders of Trent were able and willing to look afresh at every facet of university life, to examine all possibilities, and to experiment and to pioneer whenever and however they saw fit. From this process of study and planning has emerged a university with a distinctive philosophy and a character of its own, which may guide it and perhaps inspire it through the years to come.

The philosophy which inspires Trent is

based upon the conviction that education is, inescapably, an individual experience— individual to each student, to each teacher, and to every scholar who may come to it. And this philosophy is reflected in the teaching methods of Trent University which seek to encourage each student to find a close and a direct contact with his teachers through the tutorial and seminar approach to instruction. The founders of Trent have kept in mind the dictum of Henry Adams that “A teacher is for eternity—one can never tell where his influence ceases,” and they have thought therefore to place the first emphasis upon creating a university here in which the standards of teaching and of scholarship are of the prime concern.

This philosophy of our University is also reflected in the decision that Trent should be a collegiate university—that is, that it should be made up of smaller sister colleges, which will be the fundamental units and the chief feature of Trent University.

Every student and every faculty member at Trent will belong to one or another of these colleges. In this way, through the colleges, members of the University may be helped to preserve a sense of individual identity as the University grows larger, and to find richer personal associations and a greater measure of academic assistance than would otherwise be the case.

May I close upon a more personal note?

I was deeply honoured when the Founding Board invited me, in May of 1961, to undertake the Presidency of Trent University. I have appreciated greatly and I thank you now publicly for the unfailing support, and the confidence and co-operation which have been extended to me since that time by the Board, and, too, by this community—of which my wife and I are very happy to be new citizens, by an interested and widely diverse public stretching across the land, by the government of our Province, by a dedicated and distinguished staff, and—most recently—by our students. This has made my task a most pleasant and rewarding one.

Your Excellencies, looking back upon what has already been accomplished at Trent, looking upon those who are its present Board and staff and student members, and looking upon this heartwarming gathering today. I am moved to hope—and to believe that we are establishing here a great University, one of excellent standards and of fine character. May it give service to this community, to this province, to Canada, and to many scholars from lands overseas through generations yet to come.

Thank you.

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March held to save the downtown colleges Tuesday, November 2, 1999

by Wanda Nanibush News Editor

“PR and Traill not for sale” was one of the many slogans shouted at a recent walk to save the downtown colleges.

The October 20 walk was in response to rumours of the impending closure of the downtown colleges.

Trent University’s Task Force on SuperBuild Growth Fun released its report October 25, which calls for “expansion and growth, together with consolidation at Symons Campus.”

The Task force was set up to “review and evaluate Trent’s space-planning and capital needs within the parameters and criteria” which the provincial government set out under its new SuperBuild Growth Fund for Post Secondary Education.

SuperBuild Growth, a plan to invest $742 million in Ontario’s higher educations sector for capital projects, was announced in May 1999 budget. The Ontario government did not release the criteria that universities’ proposals would have to meet for funds under Superbuild until October 18.

It was in protest of “consolidation” on main campus that more than 100 students and faculty walked from Traill College to Peter Robinson College (PR) and finally up to Symons Campus. Trent University President Bonnie Patterson cancelled a

meeting to come to Bata Library Steps and listen to the protesters’ concerns and voice a response. A number of students and faculty gave speeches to a cheering crowd.

Vinita Ramani, an international student completing a special emphasis program at Trent, was the first to address Patterson and the crowd. “Having lived at Traill, having taken courses downtown, having the downtown space as a transition for me to be a part of the university and town has been really important for me to feel comfortable in this community,” said Ramani.

Ramani also emphasized the importance of the artistic spaces in downtown as central to student experience at Trent.

Student Dave Wallbridge distributed flyers about the Canadian Federation of Students’ (CFS) Access 2000 campaign.

The campaign fights government cuts and “why we have to fight to save our space and the uniqueness of Trent.”

Cultural studies professor Alison Hearn compared the relationship between Trent and Peterborough to a marriage. “It’s a lovely relationship. Let’s not screw it up,” said Hearn. Many walkers felt the downtown colleges serve as the major bridge between Trent and the Peterborough

community.

John Wadland, program director for the Frost Centre which houses Trent’s graduate programs in Native Studies and Canadian Studies at PR, put the “marriage” in terms of the history of Trent.

“I have always thought of the downtown colleges as the launching pad of this university. They existed before the main campus [Symons]...The people [of Peterborough] actually got together and bought this university with their coffee money,” said Wadland.

Despite attempts by one protester, graduate student David Dunne, to silence Patterson, the crowd encouraged her to speak. Patterson encouraged Trent;s current financial difficulties as the major impetus for the task force and current administrative decision-making. Patterson refused to take the downtown colleges off the chopping block in the search for “firm financial ground.”

Since the report has been released, mobilization against the proposal has become crucial. Falina Norred, a graduate student and walk organizer, was quick to condemn the task force report. “It’s an ideological document, but it’s pretending not to be. The task force, in its main concern for dollars and cents, is in a

power position by naming the terms on which the discussion will take place,” says Norred.

What is seen as the biggest opposition to the proposal and an administration that thinks in terms of finances is a voice backed by money and reputation. Tom Symons, Trent’s founding president, fits the bill and has publicly stated his lack of commitment to the proposal to shut them down.

Peter Kulchyski, chair of Native Studies, also has little positive to say about the report. “As far as Native Studies is concerned, we are not at all happy with the proposal. We want to enhance [the downtown colleges] by joining them. It would be a desperate mistake by administration to shut them down.”

Kulchyski wants to go ahead with another proposal called Connexus which would see $7-8 million put into the downtown colleges in the form of a First Nations House of Learning and Humanities centre located at PR. “The [task force] proposal is a mindless, bureaucratic, technocratic, unimaginative and deeply flawed piece of administrative drivel,” adds Kulchyski as his personal opinion.

Unfortunately, Patterson was unavailable for further comment, but her views will be soon publicly known as all SuperBuild proposals have to be submitted by November 15. *Editor’s Note: This is a reprint from an article written in Arthur Newspaper in 1999. We felt that the piece would provide context into the dialogue surrounding department and college structures, which much of the paper centers on this week.

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Canadian Studies: “hopeful but precarious”

By Ugyen Wangmo

Funding cuts and the elimination of academic programs in the Humanities is a plight facing universities around the globe - and Trent University is no exception.

Across the Humanities department, 11 full-time tenured faculty members were lost last year through the retirement incentive program. And, out of those lost, only two appointments were made for replacements: one replacement was for the Canadian Studies Department and the other for the Media Studies Department.

In pursuit to understand the status of each Humanities program at Trent, Arthur sat down to interview the Canadian Studies Department Chair, Christopher Dummitt.

“The loss from losing three tenured faculty members is profound,” said Professor Christopher Dummitt.

The department saw three very important professors leave by taking the retirement incentive program the University put out last year.

Dr. John Milloy, one of the country’s leading experts on residential schools; Dr. James Struthers, a great historian of the welfare state in Canada; and Dr. Davina Bhandar, who examined the notion of the migrant concept of citizenship, took the retirement package last year.

“We lost so much expertise in so many different areas,” said Dummitt. “But we are lucky enough to get one replacement, given the fact that there are other departments who weren’t so lucky but are just as desperate.”

In losing those three professors, Dummitt estimated that the Department lost at least roughly $500,000 in terms of salary and benefits, while the replacement will cost the University less than $120,000.

The vast majority of the university budget

normally goes towards staff costs, especially full-time faculty members.

The University does not supplement any research funds; however, every tenured faculty member gets an additional $1,200 a year according to the current agreement, said Dummitt. Further, the departments get a very small amount of money, between $1,000 to $1,500 per year, for printing costs.

The Canadian Studies Department is very small, with only two full-time faculty members, Professor Christopher Dummitt and Professor Bryan Palmer. Michèle Lacombe from the Indigenous Studies Department and Jonathan Greene from Political Studies teach one-third of the time in Canadian Studies. The staff also consists of 10 part-time professors and one support staff.

The main challenges facing the Canadian Studies Department is to exist as an independent department because, being as interdisciplinary as they are, they don’t

have many majors, says Dummitt, but they do teach a lot of students from many different departments.

However, the current President has supported interdisciplinary studies by saying that the funding will follow whichever department the students go. So, it will not be based on the number of majors but, rather, class enrolment and staffing needs.

According to Dummitt, “The budget cut is making it extremely difficult to staff courses, to offer courses in a whole bunch of different areas, and to have those courses taught by experienced faculty who are here for the career.”

An increasingly vast number of courses are being taught by part-time faculty, who do not get enough pay and/or have no job security. “Further, the lack of full-time faculty means the fewer full-timers we do have will be really stressed because they are expected to do a lot of the administration of the university and, naturally, there are few-

photo by Roy Nicholls

er faculty to go around,” Dummitt shared.

Their main struggle, he reiterated: “We do not have enough people.” When he first came to Trent in 2007, there were 90 fulltime professors in the Humanities and now there are less than 50. Over the past eight years, half of the professors who have left have not been replaced. “It is a very big number!” he emphasized.

The Department of Canadian Studies started not as its own independent department, but as a program in the early 1970’s, according to Dummitt. In 1972, the first person hired to teach interdisciplinary Canadian Studies was John Wadland.

Arthur found that the Department really grew up as an outgrowth of different professors in different departments all wanting to really place an emphasis on the teaching of Canada. Many discipline representatives came together and overtime, it grew into an actual department with full-time faculty attached to it.

One of the Department’s biggest achievements is making Trent one of the best places to study Canadian Studies across the country. Trent University has maintained a commitment to the study of Canada at Trent, including most recently, the creation of School for the Study of Canada this summer, said Dummitt.

He added, “The biggest success has been in Trent acknowledging the central place that Canadian Studies has had within the university as a key, identifying feature about what Trent is [all about and to] say that it is something we do really well.”

The current situation of the Department is “hopeful but precarious,” admitted Dummitt. The Department is really grateful for the support they’ve received so far but are very conscious that more needs to be done in order to be a functional and sustainable Department in the long-term.

Indigenous Studies: a lack of resources and faculty

By Keila MacPherson

Trent University is academically diverse with many prospective students and current students looking to further their education in science, nursing, business, arts, and humanities courses.

However, Trent may be facing an identity crisis.

Over the past few years, students have seen a decline in the number of classes offered in the departments of Arts and Humanities, programs that were once heavily influential at Trent.

The Indigenous Studies program is a program that stands out at Trent because of a strong local community of Indigenous peoples. Although it stands out, Chair of the Indigenous Studies Department, David Newhouse, said they have seen a decrease in their allotted budget over the past 20 years.

Although exact monetary amounts could not be provided, he gave some insight into the dwindling resources that the Indigenous Studies Department receives.

“We used to get about 15 CUPE stipends and Long Term Appointment (LTA, or fulltime) staff on a contract basis. We are now down to about 9 CUPE stipends,” Newhouse explained.

A stipend is the currency CUPE deals in that allocates the resources to departments, which determines what courses can be run in an academic year.

One stipend is equal to one full-year course from September to April. Half a stipend is equal to one semester-long course, either from September to December or from January to April.

Departments have to start making staff-

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ing plans for the following academic year one year in advance. They send their request to the Dean of the department, who lets the department know what resources they have been allowed. The department then has to make adjustments from there.

In the past five years, there has been a reduction in part-time faculty and no growth in the number of full-time staff.

Some of the full-time staff transferred to the First Peoples House of Learning department when it became separate from the Department of Indigenous Studies, but the same full-time faculty has been around for almost 20 years.

The Department of Indigenous Studies also runs a graduate program. This is another area where the Department runs into staffing issues. According to Newhouse, out of the 10 faculty members in the Indigenous Studies Department, two are on leave

and the Department has not received any replacement staff even though they were promised one person.

“What that means is that the supervision of grad students has had to be spread over a small number of faculty. We need people to supervise, so supervisory roles of the remaining faculty have increased as well.

Graduate programs require tenured faculty. You can’t build and maintain a graduate program on part-time faculty,” stated Newhouse.

In addition to the stagnating Department staff size, there has been an increase in enrolment. Newhouse shared that class sizes have nearly doubled in the past five years, even though they are still a smaller department.

The University, however, does not account for costs associated with increasing class sizes.

“The University has introduced a new system of accounting for revenues and expenditures, which they are calling RCM – Resource Centered Management. What they’re attempting to do is match revenue from students with enrolments and salary expenditures. Programs are expected to cover their costs,” said Newhouse.

He explains that, in conjunction with the union, Trent faculty have joined to establish the Financial Information Sub-committee (FISC). The sub-committee is a joint committee of university administration and Trent University Faculty Association (TUFA).

The purpose of FISC is to act as an avenue through which Trent can share its financial information with professors and staff.

There are many other departments facing the same issue, the main one being the large number of staff members approaching the age of retirement, Newhouse stated.

“Most of our faculty members are in their early-60s, so over the next few years, without any replacements, we are going to be left with very few faculty members. By 2020, if everyone retires when they turn 65, we will have just about two faculty members left.”

Newhouse also explained the University’s staff replacement policy, which is a “one-for-two” deal; for every two members that retire, departments are given one replacement.

This is going to continue to be an issue until Trent figures out how to appropriately distribute their resources and stop giving the arts and humanities courses the short end of the stick.

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The college system: the past and present

By Dan Morrison

On the back of a 1957 letter from the local Quaker Oats president, Trent was established as Peterborough’s university.

To ensure a sense of academic fellowship, Trent’s first President Tom Symons, ensured Trent was based around a collegiate system.

Trent’s college system is based on that of UK universities Oxford and Durham, the difference being that these are privately funded institutions. Trent, however, relies on public funding.

For example, a portion of Oxford colleges’ income comes from trading and investments, whereas Trent colleges are funded solely by student membership fees.

The college system as an entity emerged during the 13th century.

Following riots between locals and townspeople, Oxford established colleges as halls of residence for students, inspired by residences housing secular clergy at Merton College, Oxford.

Since then, collegiate systems have spread to eighty universities across sixteen countries.

As well as providing residence and community for students, the college system is supposed to act as a hub for academia. As former Head of Alumni Bob Taylor-Vaisey has said: “Colleges that have a unique identity and provide the much needed balance of community and scholarship, academic and personal growth, will give any university a competitive advantage to attract prospective students. A university with a robust college system is fundamentally different from a university without one.”

Until 2012, Trent colleges were headed by academics. They have since been replaced by student support professionalsa somewhat Newspeak term for adminis-

Sourced from Trentu Archives trators.

This can be seen to represent a shift in the college’s role, with administrators aiming to cut the costs of an expensive system and meet the needs of an expanded student base, a system seemingly more geared towards fostering community and putting a roof over students’ heads.

This is does not necessarily have to be a bad thing. At my home university in the UK, Lancaster, Colleges are a source of socials and support networks, as well as being responsible for your accommodation.

Very quickly, students make friends and have a very clear of sense of belonging. The support networks also work very effectively to ensure student welfare.

Associate Vice-President of Students, Nona Robinson highlights changes such as the addition of academic instructors to each college and the positive outcomes of increased accessibility and traffic.

Director of Colleges Barry Townsend adds that the base line survey assessing student satisfaction with the colleges is still in process, but will provide a good measure of how the new structures are working, and how relevant the colleges are.

Additional improvements focused on increasing student space and improving infrastructure are also underway.

Robinson and Townsend both emphasized the importance of life learning and academic learning, life learning being best learnt amongst your community and friends.

Colleges are designed to provide you with life skills that will enable students to succeed and be happy, to gain those ‘soft skills’ employers are after. With regards to academia and colleges, it may be worth bearing in mind what Thomas Reid once said- ‘too much learning is apt to make men mad.’

Ultimately, Colleges are there to for your time off too.

The question about how the colleges stay relevant is pressing. Roughly 60% of first year students live off campus, so it can be difficult to see how they fit in to college culture.

Any re-assessment should look at strengthening ties towards this community, possibly by encouraging intra-mural competition and college specific societies, such as sports teams.

This way, students buy into the university more, and could help Trent improve its student retention rate. The living learning communities are a good example of this, but it can still be developed upon.

Taylor-Vaisey argued that a strong college should be visible both on and off campus, extending itself into the community giving students more opportunity to engage with the colleges.

Dr. Michael Alcott has also referred to the architecture of the colleges. Champlain, particularly, has striking buildings, but they are old and not particularly comfortable spaces to be in. Reconciling the difference between the aesthetic beauty of the area with comfort will be crucial going forward.

Given the evolution in the colleges’ role, re-assessing their function, or what it should be, would be sensible. They were established as institutions centred on academia, but are now run by administrators and function more as residential communities. Re-assessing their role could lead to a streamlining that maintains their profitability and enables them to fulfil their specific role even more effectively.

Taylor-Vaisey, an alumni who embodies Trent’s traditions, had this to say: ‘Strong colleges, whether in a traditional collegiate university or not, are superior vehicles to provide a university with something badly needed … a sense of being different.’

Educational austerity: what it means for Trent nunc cognosco ex parte

By Adriana Sierra

The tale of budget cuts to higher education institutions in Canada is an old one.

It is ironic that one of the very pillars of progress has become significantly underfunded in the name of “progress” itself.

The decline in public funding for universities, in addition to shifts in the job market, have begun to progressively transform universities into entities geared towards efficiency, profitability, and “economic sustainability.”

Trent University is no exception. Trent’s Strategic Mandate Agreement, approach to instructors, and focus on specific programs are linked to what some may call “austerity measures in the education system.”

The Department of Modern Languages and Literature provides an example of what has been a department-wide struggle.

One of the most significant changes has occurred in the number of tenured faculty members. Tenured instructors are those who hold a permanent position within the university, meaning that they have access to full employment benefits and job security.

Faculty members who do not have this privilege, and there are plenty of them, often work on a contract basis, meaning that they have very limited job security.

Twelve years ago, the Department of Modern Languages and Literature employed 10 tenure faculty members.

Today, that number rests at 2.3. The effects of this are significant not only to faculty members, but to students as well.

The lack of permanent positions means

that the composition of departments is subject to constant change. To students, this means that professors are constantly changing.

This structure hinders the possibility of harbouring student-faculty relationships, which have been characteristics of Trent University.

For students, this makes it more difficult to determine thesis supervisors, to request reference letters, and to know what professors will be teaching courses in the future.

The Department of Modern Languages and Literature argues that the near-vanishing of tenure faculty is partly due to the retirement incentive program.

After faculty retire, they are not replaced, leaving those who stay with a much greater load on their hands.

Additionally, Kevin Steele, Canada’s leading higher education monitor, argues that universities have increasingly focused on programs deemed to have a higher marketvalue when it comes to entry-level pay and returns after graduation.

This means that departments in the hard sciences, though not exempt from the effects of budget cuts, receive more support, while liberal arts and sciences, the historical foundation of modern universities, are the most affected.

Trent’s Strategic Mandate Agreement reflects this trend. Although it retains many of its notable “soft science” programs within the Areas of Institutional Strength, Environmental Science is at the top of the list.

Additionally, Environmental and Sustainability Science is also at the top of the list in the “Proposed program areas for growth.”

Although Trent does have strong departments

and programs in Humanities, Social Justice, Development, Indigenous Knowledge, and Education, and has a unique environment for interdisciplinary studies, the supremacy of scientific knowledge is still notable.

If Steele is correct, then it is no surprise that the Department of Modern Languages and Literature now boasts only one major and one study-abroad program – a stark contrast from the 3 majors and 3 study-abroad programs that it once had.

While we reminisce of a time when education was valued for something other than its immediate profitability.

Sylvie Berard, Chair of the Department of Modern Languages and Literature, reminds us of something that the government seems to have forgotten: that all academic disciplines and education in itself have something to offer that goes far beyond money.

“If it is true that we live in a global world, then Modern Languages and Literatures courses are as close to it as you will get,” Berard notes.

Universities should not be scrambling for money. Education should not exist to simply make a profit – it is not an industry, but a necessary pillar of progress.

Volume 50 | Issue 6 | October 19, 2015

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Campus

Professor Hodges provides insight into the humanities

By Yumna Leghari

For the last few years, the air permeating the Humanities has been one of panic and pessimism. Whether at Traill or at Symon’s Campus, a dialogue on what will become of the Humanities was quite common, as was a creeping sense of doom amongst faculty and students.

This was a product of funding concerns, retention issues, and enrolment numbers. Many Trent undergraduates and recent Alumni of the Humanities can attest to this commonplace worry. Today, the approach has changed in tackling these challenges.

Arthur recently sat down with Professor Hugh Hodges to discuss the state of the Humanities programs. Hodges has been acting chair of both the Cultural Studies Department and the English Studies Department for the past year. On the surface, this seems like a trying situation, yet Hodges had many positive things to say about his position.

He stated how the connection between Cultural Studies and English were not being explored to their fullest extent in the past, and that both departments could truly benefit from each other.

Having the same chair for both departments has been beneficial, and has allowed for a stream of communication that was not necessarily there before. The departments have treated this idea as an experiment, and thus far, it has proved to be a positive one. Communication is quick and efficient, and there is less lost in translation between the two departments.

Quite contrary to the pervasively attitude of previous years, there seems to be a spark of excitement within the Traill College as of late. Hodges explained how he thought that much of the negativity surrounding the Humanities and Arts was more a

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matter perception.

“The perception was more grim than the reality.” When viewed through a more optimistic lens, it becomes clear that the Humanities were not under a siege as many would have thought. Hodges stated, “Once you open up the doors and windows, you see how many colleagues you have. A couple of years ago, things seemed grim.

But it was the way we were looking at things ... we were living in a state of constant crisis, and were made to feel that way because departments were fragmented, and competing with each other, rather than working together. Now, we feel like we can do this in a positive and exciting way.”

Hodges insisted that he has refused the narrative of crisis. “It was Hunger Games there for a while, but once you refuse that paradigm, the reality is that we [arts and sciences] all sink, or we all swim.”

He discussed how the budget issues still existed, but wanted to avoid the discourse of the Sciences versus the Humanities.

“If there are budget cuts due to money being funnelled to other departments of the University, it is still a positive thing.

Any increase in enrolment, whether it is in the Sciences or the Arts, is a positive increase. As a University, we must grow together. When the institution wins, we win.”

Professor Hodges mentioned how the main issues the Cultural Studies and English Departments go through are limited resources and spaces. As great as higher rates of enrolment are, there are setbacks.

The more students that enrol, the more resources that are necessary to provide for these students.

As of now, constricted budgets do not allow for this. Hodges used the example of an Experimental Film course at Trent. There is only enough equipment for eighteen students, yet thirty-five to forty students had applied to this course.

“Seminar sizes are getting larger, and we need bigger spaces. In all honesty, it’s a good problem to have,” Hodges stated.

He told Arthur how the departments want to expand, but there needs to be space and resources for them to do so.

“There must be a balance, as the beauty of seminar is that students can feel com-

fortable having a dialogue with their professor. If seminar sizes and enrolment increase, and classes are moved into larger spaces, what will happen to this dynamic?”

These are all questions being explored

by Hodges and his colleagues, who have an new all encompassing vision for the humanities and the arts.

Some goals are to offer rich and diverse options without cluttering the program.

The departments have been working on cross-listing many programs between English Studies, Cultural Studies, Classics, and Media Studies. They are also in the process of weeding out courses that raise concerns of repetition, by being too similar to each other.

“It’s an exciting prospect, that by broadening these horizons, students will have more options to explore and connect their interests.”

He mentioned how President of Trent University, Leo Groarke, brings a very positive energy to the University, which is encouraging for the Humanities. Hodges also referred Moira Howes, Dean of Arts and Science, as having a great role in motivating the Humanities positively. Hodges agrees with the vision of Professor Michael Eamon, who believes that there should be a stronger undergraduate presence at Traill College, which is the central location for most Humanities students.

The departments can benefit from each other, and create a hub of Humanities undergraduates. This will create an atmosphere for undergraduates who won’t feel caged into their discipline, and will have more freedom to explore all the programs.

“We could make this the best Humanities Undergraduate Institution in Ontario, and why not? That’s what we absolutely can be, and what we should be striving towards,” stated Hodges.

comic by Ad Astra comix

An interview with the President Part 2 program at the Durham campus. One of the new things we are doing at both campuses is developing new programs.

It’s a difficult time to be a University graduate. As young people entering the job market, we are constantly being told: “If you want a better job seek a higher education.” When entering the job market with that degree, and not being able to get those better jobs, we are told that we wasted money getting that degree in the Arts or Humanities.

Photos by Keila MacPherson

By Zara Syed Earlier this month Arthur got the opportunity to speak with Dr. Leo Groarke about the changes taking place at Trent Univeristy.

It was a busy time in his schedule, and we were grateful to have not just his input, but Marilyn Burns’, Executive Director of Marketing & Communications, Recruitment & Admissions, input as well.

Thank you for giving us your time, we understand you are quite busy.

Groarke: It’s a busy time of year! Tomorrow I am attending the first Council of Ontario Universities meeting of the year.

The COU comprises of all the presidents of Universities in Ontario, and we’re meeting with Premier Kathleen Wynne.

That should be fun.

Groarke: *laughs* Well it will depend on what she has to say, I guess. It’s a little early in the academic year to know where the government is at. I would say that the Government has in mind what is called the funding formula review. So, they are reviewing the way they fund Universities across the province, and that is one thing that’s on the agenda.

There has been a lot of discussion about the funding formula, and how as a small University we are in a tight spot if funding is based on enrolment. How have we combatted the challenges Trent faces this year in terms of enrolment?

Groarke: Yes, Trent does face some issues regarding enrolment. This year is a difficult year as the Trent- Queens program has left. That’s a program that had five hundred students, and we have to replace them.

However, I hope we’re not just going to talk about the problems at Trent. I think it’s healthy to recognize those problems, enrolment is absolutely key to turning our budget issues around. Despite the difficult problems with the budget, there are lots of exciting things going on.

You’re right, we would love to know about those positive changes. What are some of the exciting things going on at Trent?

Groarke: In my first year we have restructured, revised and done a tremendous amount of work on our recruitment of students.

We have brought someone in to do a review, and have profoundly changed the way we recruit in order to present Trent in a much better light to prospective students. Marilyn Burns runs our recruitment of operations, and can speak to some of those changes.

Burns: It all came from Leo’s vision; he’s very involved and very engaged. So, that’s a cultural shift for the university in a sensehaving a President who engages deeply in that dialogue and drops into meetings (sometimes unexpectedly). That’s a really good thing, because what that means is we end up with two campuses that are thoroughly engaged in recruitment.

This past weekend is a great example, we were at the Ontario University Fair.

What you’ll see there is a gigantic 90foot booth with a video wall 30 feet wide that’s got amazing footage of our campus.

That must really bring the beauty of our campus to the University fair.

Burns: Yes, it is really wonderful. What happened from there was that faculty, staff members and some alumni came to the booth and actually became part of that storytelling at Trent!

So it was an amazing day, we had significantly increased numbers of individuals picking up books and becoming engaged to come to Trent.

We had a much better presence in terms of our presentation and that kind of thing, and that’s just the beginning for that plan to help us address the shortfalls of past years’ enrolment.

Other than an increased presence at the fair, what other initiatives are in the works for Trent’s enrolment?

Groarke: You will have seen there have been huge changes to the website in comparison to last year. Of course, the website is for everybody at in the Trent community, but one of the reasons we changed the website is to be more attractive to prospective students.

In a way what you said applies because we have this beautiful and visual campus.

The videos really show that off.

We’ve become much more daring and adventurous when it comes to telling people about Trent.

Burns: Another exciting thing we have introduced this year is a Humanities award.

Anyone who comes to Trent with a 75% average or higher in the Humanities receives a five hundred dollar award.

It unlocks the possibilities in the Humanities. We’re really bringing in more interest in that department, and it’s a bit of an experiment to see what happens with that in a couple of years time.

Groarke: You (and all students out there) should know that University graduates have a higher success rate in employment than college graduates.

The COU has put together a brochure to clear up the misconceptions of the University myth. The statistics are pretty compelling.

Of course, education is broader than employment and it’s certainly broader than very specific employment. But even if you look at it from the point of view of employment you think yeah okay, University is the best education for people’s future.

That’s reassuring, and we at Arthur Newspaper would tend to agree with that statement. These new programs are certainly exciting, it seems like Trent is offering such a variety of courses in comparison to previous years.

Burns: There’s also a Human Resources program that exists at both campuses, so students that are coming out of the institution who want to increase their chances of employability can do so with this certificate.

Groarke: H. R. is a good example, because we offer this certificate that takes one or two years to complete, either in Peterborough or in Durham. The requirement to get into it is just to have a University degree. That has started to take off in a very positive way at both campuses.

Burns: Biomedical Science is another exciting new development happening at Trent.

Groarke: This is an undergraduate program that needs one more level of approval, so it’s in the works. Other developments that are taking place on the Peterborough Campus are construction for the new baseball diamond and a new sports field.

(The Colleges discussion continued...)

Trent University was meant to be a small University. With this focus on enrollment, does Trent no longer see an emphasis on the College system as a workable model?

Groarke: Things have quite changed from where the College Systems were first established. If you want to have a conventional college, you need to have undergraduate students who live there ideally

campus

for four years. That is the traditional model and it is an interdisciplinary model, and the faculty need to be very engaged in that model. Typically, a faculty member runs the college and there are social events and dinners that make sure that faculty and students interact with one another. Now, lots of that doesn’t go on at Trent now. So, if you want that conventional college, we need to move in that direction.

When you talk about the Symons campus, there are complexities here. One of which is that the faculty have gravitated more to departments than to the colleges.

There is a little bit of that which exists on the Symons campus, the Lady Eaton College but I think that over time Trent overall has become like other universities in Ontario, and the focus is on departments.

There is some of that which exists on the Symons Campus; Lady Eaton College, for example, has a vibrant college culture.

Over time, universities in Ontario has shifted their focus on departments. So, you have the Anthropology department, the Sociology department, the Chemistry department, and really, that becomes the unit which student lives revolve around So certainly we have migrated in that direction in many cases, and of course in many cases that’s what faculty and students want.

Why we’re focusing on the College system changing, and in fact this shift you are speaking of, is that there has been a shift in incentive for Academics to run the Colleges. For example, there are three areas where professors can divide their work: Classes, research and service. Running a College is not considered a service, so why would faculty be motivated to gravitate towards them rather than their departments?

Groarke: I think that running a College can be part of service, at least it should be, but I think that you’ve put your finger on an issue to be thought about. And that is for colleges to work, it has to be about engagement between faculty and students.

That means that faculty must be engaged with the colleges. Some faculty are but some of them are not. That is part of the challenge.

The people who designed it, of course, did not want it to fail. There was a natural move for Trent University, which in many ways is more like other universities, but I think you put your finger on it before that the financial model has been modeled after an emphasized enrollment growth.

We’re having some deep conversation here! I’m really enjoying it.

We enjoyed the conversation too! We at Arthur Newspaper are interested to keep the conversation going about Trent’s developments, the Trent community feels about it. Write to us to share your thoughts on the ongoing developments at editors@trentarthur.ca

Groarke: What we want is to keep viable Humanities. Due to the new emphasis on careers, it’s challenging to get students to come to Univeristy now. So, one of the things we’re doing in offering the scholarship is hopefully attracting more enrolment to the campus. Youth and Child studies, for example, is a new

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Campus news

Campus News

Trent University’s new Student Centre “gift” Rudnicki cheerfully confirmed this story at the event on Tuesday.

Upon being introduced by Dr. Groarke, Stohn took his place on the stage and told the audience that his student life at Trent University helped to shape his future.

Referring to this as the “Trent Experience.” Stohn spoke of the importance of giving what you can to better what you love, and seemed pleased to be helping Trent move forward with this development.

“The goal of the $50 Million Campaign is to enrich the student experience,” said Dr. Leo Groarke, president and vice-chancellor at Trent. “Stephen’s gift honours the very best of Trent’s tradition of empowering the student voice in a unique, interactive learning environment.”

The release talks about empowering the student voice, yet the inclusion of this voice is controversial.

The Student Centre ‘History’

By Reba Harrison

On Tuesday, October 13, a tent was pitched in the parking lot beside Bata Library where TCSA president Aliane Spiwak and Trent University president Dr. Leo Groarke made an important announcement. Trent alumnus Stephen Stohn donated $1 million to Trent University for the construction of the Student Centre.

This earned him a standing applause at the event and naming rights to the future lecture hall of the Centre. Dr. Groarke called this a gift from a former student, helping current students, as well as future students.

TCSA volunteers handed out noise makers, refreshments, and free t-shirts that read “I am the Future” on the front, and the campaign’s motto, “Unleash the Potential” across the back. The campaign’s Strategic Communications Officer, Denise Runicki, commented that the shirts are to inspire and encourage student [participation] with the reminder that students of Trent University hold the power to shape their future. Their potential to do the best that they can is represented by this campaign and the t-shirts.

Trent alumnus Ken Hartwick introduced a promotional video for the Trent $50 Million Campaign. As the chair of the campaign, Hartwick appeared proud while motivational sentences flashed on the screen between photos of students on Trent University’s campus.

The number of students present in the crowd was approximately comprised of 150 people.

The ceremony ended with Spiwak presenting a promotional t-shirt to Stohn, which had handwritten thank-you notes covering it.

College representatives then presented Stohn with each of the college scarves. In their words, he has “earned his colours” of all Trent University colleges.

Who is Stephen Stohn?

Dr. Groarke introduced Steven Stohn on Tuesday as a Trent 1988 graduate with a double major in Economics and Philosophy. Stohn also received an Honorary Degree from Trent University in June 2015. Dr. Groarke joked that in Stohn’s student years, he had a short-term career in a band called Milk & Cookies.

Stohn, mostly known for his work as an Executive Producer for the T.V. show Degrassi, is a cornerstone in Trent history as the founder of both Trent Radio and Arthur Newspaper.

In his years creating the independent press, Arthur rotated through countless titles until one drunken night, Stohn suggested the name “Arthur”.

This name was in reference to what guitarist George Harrison of The Beatles had named his hairstyle.

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The Student Centre was proposed to the students of Trent in 2013 and quickly became a large controversy after a referendum vote for the Centre passed with only a 15% student turnout. The vote listed four options, of which students were asked to check off only one. The options consisted of three different amounts of student financial contribution and a fourth option of no contribution.

Students knew little [to nothing] about the proposed Student Centre before being asked to vote. All three options of financial contribution were merged together and counted as a “yes” vote. With only a 13% student turnout agreement, the TCSA still passed the Student Centre’s proposal on behalf of the students.

Spiwak came into office of the TCSA after the Student Centre was decided upon, and is aware of the referendum vote controversy. Still, Spiwak firmly believes in the Centre’s potential. Spiwak stated that sometimes students come into the TCSA office and wish to inquire about the referendum questions, but she unfortunately has no answers as she was not involved in the process.

There was talk last year of part-time students paying a levy for the Student Centre, which raised further controversy as they were not previously offered the option to vote. In the end, part-time students did not pay any levies for the Student Centre.

Spiwak explained that part-time students are part of the TCSA only as of September 2015, and were not asked to vote on the Student Centre beforehand.

Student Centre floor plans In order for the TCSA to call a vote for a Student Centre levy of part-time students, full-time students would need to be allowed to vote as well.

Since there are many more full-time students than part-time students at Trent, Spiwak is concerned that the vote would result in a “yes” for the part-time students to pay a levy, regardless of what part-time students truly want.

“I am unsure if it would be fair to put part-time students in that position. How could we find a way to accurately reflect what part-time students want in regards to the Student Centre?” she wondered.

This is a question that has yet to be answered.

Spiwak understands that the fee of ninety dollars per student is difficult for many, but she is excited about the Centre and says that students will be able to have more control over the operations and changes of the building than they do throughout the rest of campus. The two examples given were adjusting food service hours to meet student needs within the Centre, and the installation of gender-neutral washrooms.

The implication by Trent University that students are willingly paying this levy to support the Student Centre has created a little heat in the voice of some students.

The press release calls students the “driving force” of the Centre, but with the referendum vote bringing the attention of only 15% of the student body, one questions how accurate this statement is.

During her speech, Spiwak mentioned her pride for the dedication of current students to pay for the centre. How many students know that they are paying a levy to build a centre? How many students actively support it? These are the questions that are not being asked or answered by entities on campus. If you were hoping to somehow refuse your payment to the Student Centre levy, you are two months too late.

The $15 million Student Centre has already been paid for; $4.5 million from Trent University’s own efforts, and $10.5 million from a full-time student levy that was taken this past September.

Third Floor

Trent’s $50 Million Campaign Trent Media Relations and Strategic Communications Officer Kate Weersick had this to comment: “The $50 Million Campaign is not a result of the pledge. It has been an ongoing campaign [which] was launched to coincide with the 50th anniversary. The campaign includes many projects across the University with the Student Centre being one of those projects. The Student Centre Challenge was issued by students at Trent in March of 2015 to Board members, faculty, staff, and retirees to help make the new Student Centre a reality.”

According to the campaign press release, students asked the Board of Governors, staff, alumni, and faculty to contribute an equal amount of Student Centre funding as the students’ levy total ($10.5 million total) within five years time. It appears that this request resulted in the “Student Centre Challenge.”

This $50 million goal will not to be poured completely into the Student Centre; it will help to upgrade, maintain, repair, and expand Trent University.

Of the many projects planned, two that stick out are upgrading Bata Library with a skylight, and expanding Trent University campuses into Durham Region.

Unfortunately, no budget is mentioned for Catherine Parr Traill College, which will be undergoing review soon.

The Student Centre: Planning Ahead Without graduate offices, it is hard to imagine that the Centre can replace Traill College or Sadleir House. However, the Student Centre does plan for three seminar rooms and one large lecture hall, which may be to allocate the Traill campus classes.

Concerns have been raised regarding the student centre, how it will impact Traill College and Sadleir House, and how it fits into the college-designed campus of Trent.

Runicki feels that the Student Centre will enhance the college experience by bringing together on- and off- campus students.

In this way, she sees the Student Centre providing a space for student knowledge and creativity to come together.

Spiwak says that the TCSA will still support the colleges and their traditional environment and fun rivalry, but that the Student Centre will bring together students from every college. It will help give students a place of belonging who do not feel a strong connection with their college.

Spiwak further stated that the Student Centre would provide more study spaces for students, especially during exam period. Students usually must head to Bata Library early in order to score a study space. Students like Sarah McDonald are excited for this promise, “It is just too bad that we current students won’t get to enjoy this! I’m happy that future students will.”

The Student Centre will centralize extra-curricular activities by providing event and meeting spaces for TCSA Clubs & Groups, according to Spiwak. These spaces would be free for the use of TCSA clubs and groups, and work on a firstcome, first-serve basis, while encouraging regular patterned booking; this being a tentative plan.

As Student Centre funding does not include TCSA finances, Spiwak does not expect any significant funding amount changes for clubs and groups. It is important to her that small clubs and groups get access to the same opportunities as large ones, and centralizing seems to be the answer. This will hopefully encourage student group collaboration and lead to the heightened success of Trent’s extra-curricular activities.

Editor’s Note: A special thanks to Kate Weersink, Media Relations and Strategic Communications Officer at Trent University, for providing us with these images and being a wonderful resource for this Issue. You rock Kate!

Second Floor

First Floor

Volume 50 | Issue 6 |October 19, 2015

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campus

This year’s drama: must see theatre productions

by Jenny Fisher

There are three theatre productions coming from Trent University this 2015-2016 season. Trent’s Classics Drama Group is putting on “The Frogs” and The Anne Shirley Theatre Company (ASTC) will be presenting “Heathers” and “Heaven.”

“The Frogs” is being directed by Trent Alumni Kayla Reinhard, and is set to be presented February 3-6 at the Nozhem Theatre in Gzowski College or at the Market Hall. “Heathers” is ASTC’s musical and is being directed by Trent student Lucas DeLuca. It opens at Market Hall on March 11 and will play through to March 19.

“Heaven” is being directed by Benjamin Harrison and is expected to have its first show on January 28 at Theatre on King.

“This year, we are putting on an ancient comedy by Aristophanes called ‘The Frogs’,” shared director Kayla Reinhard, and added, “At the time, it was written as a political satire because it was during a very tumultuous time for Athens.

They were dealing with corrupt politicians, constantly verging on war, and overall a poor political climate. We’ve adapted the story slightly and cut [out] many of the direct references he makes because we know not every audience member will be up on their ancient Athenian politics.”

Lucas DeLuca talked to Arthur about his upcoming production of “Heathers”, explaining, “This show is most definitely a dark comedy but it carries enough heart to keep you on the edge of your seat on the verge of laughter and at times tears. The musical Heathers is an adaptation from the very popular cult classic movie of the same title.”

Theatre company Samuel French describes the world of the Heathers: “Westerberg High is ruled by a shoulder-padded, scrunchie-wearing junta: Heather, Heather, and Heather, the hottest and cruelest girls in all of Ohio. But misfit Veronica Sawyer rejects their evil regime for a new boyfriend, the dark and sexy stranger J.D., who plans to put the Heathers in their place - six feet under.”

It’s no surprise that another amazing dark play is being presented by ASTC. DeLuca said the first reason he chose to put

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on “Heathers” was “it encompassed elements of every show I’ve done at Trent with the Anne Shirley Theatre company. It was funny, very much like ‘Legally Blonde’; it has a message, much like ‘Spring Awakening’; and it has plenty of darker themes like ‘Sweeney Todd’. The second reason is that this show, though it appears on its surface just a dark comedy, says so much about the human condition and how we adapt and cope in a changing world. ‘Heathers’ deals with teen suicide, bullying, eating disorders, physical and sexual abuse, not to mention a plethora of other issues. This show is crude, rude, and most importantly, a triumph of the human spirit.”

Regarding the auditioning process behind “Heathers”, DeLuca shared: “Auditions this year were beyond tough; the amount of talent in the room was unreal.

The biggest downside to doing a musical I’ve found as a first-time director is that, no matter how many talented people audition, there are a finite number of characters written into the show. I was lucky enough to have an amazing panel of people with me in the room to help make all the decisions, from our Music Director Justin Hiscox and Vocal Director Mark Hiscox, to our Stage Manager Leigh Kasaboski and Choreographer Elizabeth Moody.”

The last play “Heaven” is very exciting because it is an all-Canadian show.

“Not only is it written by a Canadian playwright (George F. Walker), but it also is set in a Canadian City (Toronto),” shared Benjamin Harrison, “Heaven” director. Harrison also remarked, “The best part about this show is that, even though it deals with the darkest side of humanity, it also allows for a lot of comedy in how people grieve. This is something that is not unique to this show, but is something that I notice in theatre written in the past couple decades.”

Harrison explained that he chose the play “Heaven” because “of how it goes about dealing with adult themes. A very upsetting moment will appear on stage only to be followed by a very comedic scene. What makes this show great is that the comedy does not serve to diffuse or belittle what has just been seen, but to contrast the darkness so that the audience may truly understand the depth of what

just happened.”

When asked to provide a brief summary of the play, Harrison said, “The plot of this show is fairly simple. The story is about a lawyer living with the consequences of a cop’s actions; as people close to the lawyer are killed by the police officer, the lawyer tries to deal with the increasing grief and guilt until the lawyer and cop die to each other.”

Harrison makes a special plea to all firstyear students at Trent University: “Please

check out more than just ASTC productions [‘Heaven’ and ‘Heathers’] and look at companies local to Peterborough. There is great theatre in this town and it is very easy to find if you are looking for it.”

Reinhard of “Frogs” also wanted to make a special thanks: “None of this would have happened without the support of [George Kovacs], the Classics Department, and the Indigenous Studies Department.

Thank you all and I hope to see you in the audience!”

Arts&Culture

By Amy Jane Vosper

The Trent Film Society is thrilled to be bringing The Rocky Horror Picture Show to Market Hall for one night only! On Wednesday, October 21st at 8:30pm, we are offering you a night of absolute pleasure… all for FREE! The night will feature local talent performing “shadow cast” interpretations of your favourite songs while we screen the film. There will be tantalizing treats, terrifying trivia and a floor show that is guaranteed to make you sizzle in your seats. Audience partici…

(SAY IT!)… pation is highly encouraged and there will be prizes for the best costumes.

Never been to a screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show before? Don’t worry; here is all the information that you need! Rocky Horror originated as a stage production; a musical written by Richard O’Brien which hit premiered in London in 1973. The musical paid homage to science fiction and low-budget horror films with a sexy, tongue-in-cheek style. The story revolves around a young couple who accidentally stumble upon Frank N. Furter’s Castle. Within the castle walls, they meet a host of strange characters and discover that they have arrived on a very special night. The stage production became a hit and ran for 2,960 performances!

In 1975, the stage show was adapted into a feature film. Young actor Tim Curry portrayed Dr. Frank N. Furter on stage and reprised his role for the film. Richard O’Brien, the writer, also reprised his role of Riff Raff; the doctor’s awkward assistant.

Barry Bostwick and Susan Sarandon

joined the cast as Brad and Janet; roles for which they would always be famous.

Though the film was not well received by critics, audience members loved it!

With special screenings at midnight, The Rocky Horror Picture Show became the most famous “midnight movie” ever.

Not only did viewers return to watch the film repeatedly, they began to actively

participate at the screenings. They would dress up as their favourite characters, sing along with the songs, act out parts of the film and design “call-backs”- phrases and jokes that they would yell during certain moments of the film. Soon, “shadow casts” would emerge where people would mime dialogue, lip-sync songs and act out the entirely of the film during the screening.

Forty years later, The Rocky Horror Picture Show remains a treasured cult classic; many cities still run midnight screenings of the film with audience participation. We wish to offer you a full Rocky Horror experience; so we encourage you to dress up, dance, sing along and get into the spirit. You can find a whole list of participation activities online, but here are some of the most popular ones: - Bubbles (no rice please!) for the wedding scenes - Newspapers to hold over your head for Over at the Frankenstein Place - Toast (unbuttered) and party horns for when Frankie calls for a toast - Toilet paper for Dr. Scott We just ask that you be respectful of the space and not throw anything at the screen or the performers.

The screening will be held at Market Hall on Wednesday, October 21st. The doors will open at 8:00pm and the show will start at 8:30pm. If you wish to obtain an advance wristband, which ensures that you will have a seat in the theatre, you can pick one up from the box office at Market Hall from noon to 5:00pm on the day of the show. Advance wristbands are not required, however, you are welcome to grab your wristband on your way into the show.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact the Trent Film Society (trentfilmsociety@gmail.com) and be sure to check out the Facebook event page for interesting links and information about the screening.

Get ready to give yourself over to absolute pleasure and let there be lips!

Movie Review: Midnight in Paris(2011) We all delve into a little bit of “golden age thinking” from time to time, the thought that our present is far less exciting and meaningful than the past. Perhaps some of us look back to the 1980’s, studying the pastels of Miami Vice and the music that made the time period seem so carefree.

Others may look to the 50’s or the 60’s, but Gil Pender (Owen Wilson), the lead character in Woody Allen’s Midnight in Hollywood at Home is a weekly column by filmmaker, Paris (2011), dreams of wandering through writer, and critic Keith Hodder that highlights the the city of love in the 1920’s. variety of films and television programs that Netflix has to With some beautiful and enchanting offer, along with recommendations of what to watch next and movie magic in tow, he gets to do just that. his opinions on the world of entertainment. Follow him He gets to travel back in time to visit Paris @KeithHodder and feel free to suggest a film.

– when it sizzled.

Don’t let the seemingly cheesy premise fool you. Midnight in Paris is one a clever story device that takes us back Unfortunately, Pender, a Hollywood of few films that transforms itself into an to an age where artists, writers, and sing- screenwriter itching to become a novelist, experience. There’s no goofy sci-fi ers flocked to Paris to contribute to the arrives 90 years too late, but that doesn’t explanations or gadgets here, but instead community and find inspiration. stop him from falling in love with the city and its history. His wife, played by Rachel McAdams, seems less than thrilled, passing on midnight walks through the cobbled streets in favour of fancy wine tours and shopping sprees.

It’s on one of his late-night strolls that Pender stumbles into the past and finds himself face-to-face with the likes of F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, and Gertrude Stein.

It’s a reveal that is just as magical for the audience as it is for Pender before Allen’s signature brand of comedy chimes in. His writing dances on a fine line between fact and myth as he introduces these iconic figures and works them into the plot.

What makes the trip all the more alluring for Pender is a beautiful woman, one who seems in touch with her sur-

roundings, and who plays to his natural and romantic nature. So, while his wife navigates the touristy Paris in the present day, Pender is tempted to cheat on her in the past. Only Woody Allen could write such a morally twisted story without making you judge its lead character.

In fact, you hope that he finds what he’s looking for, as his wife and in-laws are deplorable characters that highlight the pompous nature of the American upper class.

Try pitching this film to your friends and mention Owen Wilson’s involvement and they’ll probably doubt everything you’ve said. His name often conjures up images of a stoned Californian surfer rather than a writer that emulates Allen’s neurotic persona, but Wilson delivers.

His witty and philosophical words are Allen’s, but the performance is his own. You can’t help but relate as his character dashes back and forth though time, driven by his infatuation with the city and an enchanting woman within it. It’s his schoolboy charm that inspires the character and empowers our connection with him.

Midnight in Paris is a feel-good film. It will warm you with the amber glow of the Paris street lamps, will make you laugh with its impossible premise and how its icons are presented, and will enchant you with an escape that will make you forget all of your troubles - after all, that is what Pender is running from.

But even Paris in the 1920s has its problems, and the past beyond it can seem like a worthwhile dose of nostalgia to those who called the 1920’s home.

What to Watch Next: The Rewrite and Magic in the Moonlight

Volume 50 | Issue 6 | October 19, 2015

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Local Tunes

The Beaches: raw punk synth-pop hailing from Toronto guys to other artists an insult, or a compliment?, How do you view this way of describing a band?

By Tyler Majer

Continuing Arthur’s coverage of The Beaches coming to Peterborough, I got into some email correspondence with the band to try and provide some extra insight into their sound, personalities, and their general musical aura.

Leandra: It’s hard to know how a band sounds if you’ve never actually heard them before. I think making comparisons is a great way to get someone interested in a new band. When people compare us to other artists we see it as a compliment because many of the comparisons are artists that we actually look up to/are inspired by.

Who are you? Can each of you describe yourself in a few words?

Kylie: Kylie Miller, lead guitarist / back up vocalist of The Beaches. I’m totally obsessed with music, and always have been.

I am a super hardworking individual who seems to always be doing / working on something. I’m also super into fashion, my favourite designers being Acne and Saint Laurent, and I also love to cook! Food + music + fashion + friends = my life. Jordan: Manic.

Eliza: Coffee enthusiast, barista, beat maker, Beach.

Leandra: Sometimes I feel as though I am a young plastic bag drifting through the wind.

If you had to pick one song, for fans, or an audience to listen to, what would that song be?

Kylie: I would say Something In The Way off Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged in New York record. Kurt’s vocal performance is absolutely haunting in that song - it is so moving.

Jordan: Loner was a pretty defining song for us, it’s one of the only songs I’ve ever written that’s about an actual experience we’ve gone through.

How do Toronto, and its culture influence your sound?

Eliza: P.Y.T. (By Michael Jackson) Just because.

Leandra: Overdone by Bombay Bicycle Club

school our music taste evolved and we figured it was time to make a change; that change was The Beaches. The following year Le joined and here we are.

Who are your influences?

What is Toronto’s music scene like?

Kylie: There’s so many!! Let’s see…

Nirvana, The Cure, Annie Clark, Jack White., Robert Fripp (via the album Scary Monsters by David Bowie), Dinosaur Jr., Queens Of The Stone Age. See, I told you, so many!

Jordan: Bowie, Debbie Harry, St Vincent, Talking Heads, And The Cure.

Leandra: Emily Haines, Annie Clark, all 3 Haim sisters, both Miller sisters.

Eliza: Toronto’s music scene varies quite a bit. There are so many bands out there and it’s interesting being exposed to them all.

We’ve seen everything from emerging Alt act Alvvays, to Country (our gal pal Jessica Mitchell), to straight up pop. And there have been a lot of awesome acts coming from the Toronto scene that have found success. We’re lucky to live in a city that’s so welcoming to all kinds of music.

Favourite Alcoholic Drink?

Kylie: Ice-cold tequila, with lime and salt!

Or a big ol’ glass of red wine.

Jordan: Old Fashioned.

Eliza: I really enjoy Beau’s at the moment.

We played Beau’s Oktoberfest last weekend and drank an unsafe amount of their beer.

It is now my drink of choice. Congrats Beau’s.

Leandra: Guinness.

Have you guys played Peterborough before? If so, what are your experiences with Peterborough, If not, why here?

Where did you guys get your start? Can you speak on the formation of the band?

Jordan: When we were kids Kylie, Eliza and I were in a Disney pop punk band called Done With Dolls. It was a fun project for a while but when we got to high

All: We played the Hootenanny on Hunter St. last year, it was a great time. There were so many people who came out to the festival. We’ve also played the Red Dog, which we will be visiting again with K.I.D. (also hailing from Toronto) on October 24th for our upcoming tour.

Thoughts on the upcoming election?

Leandra: I think everyone should go out and vote!

As an artist, is someone comparing you

All: It affects our sound in more ways than one might assume. Going to see concerts and going out to bars and listening to bands is such a prevalent part of Torontonian culture, and we’ve been very influenced by that. We try to go and see as many shows as we can, and these shows that we see often affect us. Whether it’s something we see a band do on stage, an outfit a lead singer wears, or within the band’s songs themselves - we try to emulate the things we like seeing others do and make them our own, thus affecting our overall sound.

I listen to you guys, and I hear Metric, mixed with grunge/punk, almost like a Bikini Kill sort of vibe. Do you think that that is an accurate description?

All: That is a totally accurate description of the old EP’s. Leandra (our keyboard player) is definitely influenced by Metric, specifically Emily Haines. She’s often inspired by their synth sounds / unique synth parts which make their songs so powerful.

The sound of the newer material we’ve been working on is a little more riffy, a little more glammy and a little more vibey.

We like to call it glam/garage/synth-rock.

PS: Kathleen Hanna is a BADASS. The Beaches will be playing on October 24th at The Red Dog, with K.I.D. (Kids in Despair) Make sure to check them out!

E.P. review: pussyfooting is the opiate of the masses

By Tyler Majer

Track Listing 1. Pretty Little Killer 2. Morning Wood Chorus 3. Love & Rockets 4. Fashion Hole No Pussyfooting’s newest E.P. was released on a bright yellow cassette tape. The cover consists of a black-and-white side profile of the band bordered by bright red, and the statement “Pussyfooting is the Opiate of the Masses” emblazoned in yellow. Seems like a formidable statement for a four-song E.P. However, their efforts on this short album are just as provocative, and interesting, as the statement listed above.

The E.P. opens with a murder ballad that breaks right into a bluesy-garage-like guitar riff that battles alongside the saxophone for domination of the track. The lyrics are splattered with imagery of a blood-curdled, angry wife shooting up prosecutors, judges, and the like – a bit reminiscent of the black comedy crime film, Natural Born Killers (1994).

Neither guitar nor sax takes over, and in the end, both team up to help the pretty little killer complete her killing spree. With

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lyrics like “[s]he’s the woman that I love” from the vocalist, and the almost rockabilly-like beating of the drums, you feel like you are right there, taking every shot and stepping over each body.

The second track has a humorous title, “Morning Wood Chorus”, but is entirely serious otherwise. It is a love ballad.

The saxophone plays resonating low tones until a solo break around the 1:20 mark.

The lyrics, “[a]in’t nothing wrong with a short time”, makes this slow, thumping piece almost emotional.

It seems to be a parting song, whether for a woman, a city, or an idea. This song, perhaps the calmest on the album, is also the most emotional.

“Love & Rockets” takes off somewhere around where “Pretty Little Killer” leaves off. With a quick intro of some grungestyle guitar, the horn soon interrupts. The fast rhythms mere, and the vocals soon follow. It is a quirky little song that questions love and its intentions, and does so by asking questions laden with humour and sarcasm: “If I blast off into space with my rocket ship humming, would you look up into the sky, would you shed a tear?” Before you even realize, however, the song is over. It

is a quick little ditty, which moves like a locomotive, and is driven by love, confusion, and one dirty saxophone.

Finally, the last song on the album, “Fashion Hole”, begins with some electronic vibes. This song, with its sci-fi background synthesizers and its groovy and slender pace, is the fastest of the bunch.

The song is driven by the synthesizer, but then the sax breaks back in around the 1:30 mark, and it is a duel between the two coolest instruments that the band plays.

Lyrics like “[b]e a fashion victim... These leather boots, why don’t you like ‘em, for

all the strung-out boys and girls” seem to criticize the idea of fashion and its role in deviating cultures (Punk, Grunge, etc.), but that is just my idea and I may be talking out of my ass.

All in all, No Pussyfooting’s E.P. is one of the most full-sounding 4-songers around, and succeeds in employing a diverse sound, almost like a sped-up, angry version of The Burning Hell. Goddamn, does it sound great.

Listen to No Pussyfooting on: nopussyfooting.ca

Battles on tour in support of La Di Da Di

By Lyne Dwyer and Troy Bordun

I saw Battles in the spring of 2007 at Lee’s Palace in Toronto. They were touring on the Atlas 12” single and, if my memory is correct, they opened with this song. I suspect many of us were familiar with the Battles EP’s but we weren’t ready for this new sound. As they wrapped up “Atlas”, we could barely bring our hands together to clap. This wasn’t the Battles we knew, and this was a very good thing.

Eight years later, Battles returned to Lee’s on October 1, 2015. Unlike the earlier show, the venue was certainly at capacity.

The crowd was energized and surely more familiar with the two albums since Atlas: Mirrored (2007) and Gloss Drop (2011).

The latest tour is in support La Di Da Di (2015). All albums were released on Warp Records.

Stylistically, Battles is a combination of experimental math-rock and dancepop. They have described themselves as a group strongly interested in repetition and have emphasized the art of looping as the backbone of their work. Their music is an organized chaos, balancing the complicated interplay of Ian Williams (guitarist)

and John Stainer (drummer) with Dave Konopka’s minimal aesthetic (guitarist).

The set featured mostly new material, likely because of the band’s commitment to musical progression. Additionally, all of Mirrored was written with Tyondai Braxton, who left the band amicably shortly after the album’s release and a few tours.

The 2011 album also featured a number of guest artists and vocalists, so playing these tunes live – really live – is now impossible.

That being said, on October 1, Battles did play “Futura” and “Ice Cream” from Gloss Drop. Both these tunes have an “afro-pop” sound, to use the title of a Don Caballero song, Williams’s prior band. “Ice Cream”, the opening track and single, features Matias Aguayo on vocals. At the Lee’s show, with Aguayo’s pre-recorded vocals in Battles’s hands, “Ice Cream” became a remix of itself. “Atlas” worked in the same way, but the band exchanged Braxton’s vocals with a London-based school choir.

This change added a whole new dimension to the tune. “Atlas” concluded the set and the crowd could not have been more pleased.

On to the new songs: Battles began their set with “Dot Com”, the seventh track from La Di Da Di. This opening tune served as a taste of the new sound and it provided hints of recognition of what the old fans could expect. The unexpected influence of Toronto’s Holy Fuck can certainly be heard in this song.

In addition to “Dot Com”, Battles played “FF Bada”, “Summer Simmer”, “Tricentennial”, and “Tyne Wear” from the new album. The title of a Battles piece often indicates something about the sound.

“FF Bada” is one of the most math-rocksounding tracks while “Summer Simmer” slowly transforms math-rock into a groovy dance, albeit with an abrasive synth during the chorus. On “Summer Simmer”, similar to other tracks, Williams rocks the guitar and the synth at the same time. This always makes for an outrageous sight.

“Tricentennial” immediately announces itself as a fanfare and is equally as short.

The fanfare is not a line of trumpets, but Williams’s and Konopka’s synchronized guitars with brass-like effects. I watched the guitarists during the entire song – they

Arts

never took their eyes off each other. As complicated as their music may be, the intense concentration for the math-rock/ classic rock crossover is something I’ve never seen before. After “Tricentennial”, Battles calmed themselves down with “Tyne Wear”, a short, looping slow-jam complete with sleigh bells.

For an encore, Battles played the single from La Di Da Di, “The Yabba.” This tune undoubtedly shares Don Caballero’s fascination with technical rock. Williams and Konopka often write their guitar tracks separate from one another, thus when they reunite to create music, the result is a barrage of seemingly conflicting melodies and rhythms that eventually pair well together as the song progresses.

The body language and interplay of the band was entertaining and memorable. The anticipatory nature of the music and the emphasis on the multiple themes in each track lent itself well to a massive stage presence. Williams seemed to physically embody their use of polyrhythms and Stainer, likely due to the towering height of his signature crash symbol, was soaked head-to-toe in sweat, barely a half-hour into the night. His physical exertion did not rob him of his energy. While Konopka reserved himself physically, he was more eager to address the audience directly between songs, creating a level of involvement that cannot exist while they are at play.

The opening act, Buke and Gase, are also on tour with Battles. Their respective sounds complement each other well and, combined, both bands make for an aurally pleasurable evening.

Rockabilly, jeans, and plaid

By Tyler Majer

The Spill always hosts the coolest bands and Wednesday was no exception. Bands Five Shots to Ragtown and Run Coyote played a thumping blues- and country-filled show.

Opening act Five Shots to Ragtown, consisting of Adam “The Kid” Theriault, Chad “Slick” Jeffrey, and Andrew “Ace” Vatcher, kicked off the show with a blues-filled set.

Three blues-laden singers playing amped-up, rock style versions of blues standards were the perfect opening band to draw people in and to get people excited for Run Coyote.

When asked to describe their sound, “The Kid” responded, “[f]iiiire,” and chugged his beer. So, take that as you wish. Every other question I asked yielded the same response, minus the chugging of the beer. Five Shots to Ragtown are a fun band and their shows usually bring the same rag-tag group of folks, so make sure to check them out any chance you get.

Run Coyote are a band hailing from the London/Kitchener area. Sam Allen (vocals and guitar), Jake Allen (guitar), Andrew Dal Cin (drums), and Amanda Grant (vocals and bass) are the four members in this group of blues, country, rock, rockabilly, indie, and psychedelic vibes. All of these genres culminate into a Timber Timbresque alternativerock sound. Both singer and guitarist wore jean-on-jean outfits, reminiscent of country acts during the 1970s, and sported Fender Telecaster and Stratocaster respectively, which is yet another throwback to the early days of country and rock ’n’ roll.

When asked to describe their influences, Run Coyote’s Allen said it is “[t]he in-between years of rock ’n’ roll, before the Beatles and after Elvis - that period that is thought of as a dead period of rock ’n’ roll.” Allen also mentioned that they listen to a lot of rocka-

billy and spaghetti western type music.

Their influences make perfect sense. Nick Cave-style ominous and jarring sounds kick off their layers. The lead singer adds rockabilly yelps, and indie-rock help is added by the background vocals. A thumping blues bass and simple yet perfectly fitting drum patterns complete their sounds.

However, their live performance was slightly different than their album sound.

This can probably be attributed to the fact that Grant, the other lead vocalist in Run Coyote, could not attend the concert. While obviously the same band, the album shows off their country and folk influence. Overall, Run Coyote is a band that is covered in jean and plaid. Both in person, and in their sound, fans can see the tears in their jeans and the worn-out flannel. Their button-up shirts are frayed, their guitars are dusty, and their sound is not to be missed.

Recommended tracks by Sam Allen: “Only Human”, “Wreck of a Man”, “Love like a River” Run Coyote just recently released an album entitled Youth Haunts and released a video for their song, “Only Human”. Check out their music on Facebook or Bandcamp, and be sure to come out to see them the next time they’re in town!

Pictured: Run Coyote

Volume 50 | Issue 6 | October 19, 2015

17

Community

Two Generations on Trent Radio and Trent University time. When in 2003 I started at Trent-

By Zara Syed

An informal interview with John K. Muir, General Manager of Trent Radio and Jill StavelEy, production manager and Rock and Roll Fairy Godmother.

Syed: How did Trent Radio come about?

Muir: It was , and I think Stephen (Stohn) may have told you, it started as a Trent University radio service community programming for the local commercial radio stations.

The CRTC came in 1968. It required both local input and feature programming on FM radio. There was an FM station here and Trent students made radio programs that were broadcast on the local FM station to fulfill their obligation for the CRTC to have their FM license. Trent Radio would need four or five hours of radio programs in the Bata Library in the Audio- Visual studio and play on the local FM stations.

Syed:

So...

it

wasn’t

always

here?

Muir: It wasn’t anywhere. There might have been an office on campus at the library but there was a movement across other campuses and across Canada interested in Trent specifically to start their own radio.

We went to the students for a referendum for it to start in 1977. And the students unfortunately said yes.

I’m going to give you more of a symbolic than a chronological story. Realizing that Trent is a small university in a small town, that really the excitement, the part that makes both Peterborough and Trent better, is some kind of engagement between the Trent Community and the Peterborough Community. So we saw ourselves as one part of that.

You can quote me as saying that we rode on the coattails of what Tom Symons had created at Trent University, which was something absolutely stunningly stupendous and probably not replicable. Though it was not to be replicated, at least we could surf on that.

StavelEy: That’s a long quote.

Muir: Well, he just did something totally amazing and totally inspiring and we wanted to be part of that.

We wanted to be part of what those men and women were inspired by Tom Symons in doing amazing things and Peterborough.

So I would say that if I have a point to make in all of this, something I’ve never said before is the success of Trent Radio or Sadleir House is to Tom and the people who wanted Tom to come to Peterborough to start a University.

Syed: Yeah, he’s so cool, I can’t even imagine how awesome it must have been to be around in that time at Trent.

Muir: Yeah! He’s very cool, he’s very consistent. He’ll give you criticism and you won’t even know he’s giving you criticism.

You’ll say something and he’ll look at you and he’ll go like, “there are many that agree with you.”

Syed: When first and second years. We often ask, do you know about Trent Radio do you know about Sadleir House? Often enough, they don’t. They have no idea what anything downtown is anymore.

StavlEy: And they haven’t, for a very long

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Muir: They don’t know what anything is, that there’s a Fencing Club or a Philosophy Society. They don’t know this community.

StavelEy: Because you constantly have to re- promote every single bit.

Muir: Well that’s true too, but also Trent is so diffused it’s not good at promoting it’s own culture. I would say that there are people in the registrar’s office that are trying to promote Trent culture to people that haven’t even come to Trent yet… but it’s not entirely engaged.

StavelEy: There doesn’t seem to be the same type of meeting space or community because everything’s online, in your bedroom with your laptop or whatever and people don’t come downtown in the same way.

What access do they have to this culture?

Muir: Well there used to be The Hangman, the Senior Common Room or even Champlain College in the Great Hall.

Syed: I find it interesting that you bring up spaces for conversation. Are you guys from an era of Trent where conversations actually did happen?

StavelEy: Sure! I’m the second last generation to graduate from PR (Peter Robinson College).

So the Trent that I knew was very PR- based and very much around here. I spent very little time on campus actually when I was going to school, most of my classes were down here.

It feels like an entirely different vibe now, more cliquey almost.

Syed: Do you think the colleges being restructured has anything to do with that?

Muir: They’re not colleges. They’re camps. Colleges used to be run by academics who chose who the president was, they had a great deal of power. They were actually academic institutions, not a bunch of tents with camp counselors telling you how to brush your teeth.

Syed: How do you feel about what has gone on with the Colleges, the replacement of part time faculty with full- time administration?

Muir: In my opinion, they are full time social workers, not academics.

StavelEy: To speak of Christine Diaz, however, she was an administrator who was inspiring because she was part of the college system, she was the college secretary.

Muir: There was a whole secretary infrastructure.

StavelEy: I ran into her at the folk festival last week and she still knows who I am.

Muir: You are trying to create a community of scholars, whatever that is, but if you’re 19 years old you can fuck whoever you want.

You can do whatever you want, you don’t need someone to hold your hand and say, “now dear, you have to be very careful.” It’s infantilizing, you’re adults! You’re going to take on difficult subjects of rementions.

StavelEy: And you’re not going to learn how to trust yourself.

Syed: When I came to Trent in 2009 the

downtown seemed very disconnected from campus life.

StavelEy: There’s nothing to draw you in. I used to work at The Hangman my first year here. That was this really important thing because the growth that you go through at University is only partially about what you learn in class. It’s about everything else you do and being able to meet with people and being able to explore and trust yourself.

One of the important things that I feel we encourage here at Trent Radio is to fail early, and to fail often. We want people to own their mistakes and to do it here and to feel like you can do it here, because unless it’s something malicious, we want people to push their boundaries.

Muir: Bonnie Patterson said, we try to provide student success. I want people to throw themselves against the wall and realize they fucked up, completely.

Syed: So is ment due to tured? Or the way

there a lack of engagethe way things are struchave we just changed we educate ourselves?

Muir: Well that’s just it, to me if you have Colleges that are run by academics who are interested in their own research and in the scholarship, then you have much more a chance of becoming committed. I’m not putting anyone down but you’ve got a lot of kids coming in scared whose parents say you have to have a degree to succeed in the world.

StavelEy: Well that’s what the world is telling them.

Muir: You get drunk, you get laid, you get a degree and that’s it- see ya.

StavelEy: It’s because people don’t know what else to do right, it’s like the Canada Food Guide, they tell us that we need to eat this much meat and this much grain but it’s actually put together by all the different farmers that are trying to sell their stuff so it’s the Universities that are telling you, you need University. They need to sell tuition.

Syed: How else do you feel that Trent has changed since you attended school here?

it is rather than just being passive about it, rather than just waiting for other people to tell them what the truth is.

I’ve been with Trent Radio for forty years, and was lucky enough to be around in 1975. I didn’t know Tom Symons for many years, he was just this character.

I went to see him to talk about Trent Radio, and he told me what to do. He said, “stop talking and write it down.” Very practical right? All your ideas, write them down. That way you can send them to people. It’s a lot more efficient that way.

So there’s that and how really what Trend Radio is here for is for people to exploit it, and to exploit their opportunities here. Both in the community and to do stuff and participate and engage in the world because then, you know, you die.

Are you going to be a banker? Are you going to be a mother, a father, a daughter?

Are you going to go into the army and kill a bunch of people? And then you die, so what are you going to do? How do you want to engage? You’re a cultural force.

StavelEy: There’s also this joy, and one of the reasons why Peterborough itself is this amazing arts hub, is that nobody can make enough money to do anything. So no one can really become holier than the rest of everybody else.

Muir: You don’t actually have famous guitarists of Peterborough driving a Rolls Royce, you just don’t have that.

StavelEy: No, but you have them gigging four nights a week. People who are working radio, who are working their shitty telemarketing job, they’re taking all of their passion and it’s coming out in an outlet. In their art and in Trent Radio.

Trent Radio doesn’t make radio, we do a little bit now with some grants but it’s all local art. We don’t make radio, we simply provide the space for other people to make radio. It’s not our voice, it’s the voice of our community. And if no one wants to say anything, then we are silent.

So people come in and realize if they aren’t here it’s not going to happen.

People say, how come you don’t have this show? And we respond with, “well why don’t you do it?” And they say, “I can?” And then people come in with their passions.

StavelEy: Well Trent also made the mistake of trying to have too many courses.

There are too many programs.

Muir:

Muir: Oh yes, CSI is exciting, why don’t we do forensic science. That’s sexy!

Syed: Well I hope you guys don’t mind being quoted on all this stuff.

StavelEy: You know, because they can’t put in enough energy and funding into any single one of them.

Whereas before when I went to Trent it was renowned for Cultural Studies which was really cool, which is what I did, and Comparative Development Studies.

Muir: Well, we’ll deny it all. And you can quote me on that.

Syed: Well funding is spread out to support all these programs, but the funding formula heavily relies on enrollment.

Muir: When you’re poor, and you don’t have a lot of money you sort of get around not having money. And Trent’s never had a lot of money.

When I was talking about the coat tails, what Symons did and what those guys and gals did was light a fire under people to become committed to learning about themselves and more about the world.

Our job here at Trent Radio is to set students and community members on fire for getting out there and finding out what

Or

they

develop

passions.

StavelEy: Sure. And caffeine addictions.

92.7 FM

Volume 50 | Issue 6 | October 19, 2015

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community

New Copper Drawings: an exhibit at Gallery in the Attic

By Keila MacPherson

If you don’t know the name Joe Stable, you should. Stable is a local Peterborough artist with a new exhibit at Gallery in the Attic (GITA) called New Copper Drawings.

“About four months ago, I discovered these sheets of copper. I looked at them and said, ‘What can I do with them?’ So, I bought some and took [them] home. I

looked at it [the copper] for two days and then I went, ’I can draw on them!’ So, I went and bought this embossing tool and started drawing on them,” explained Stable.

He has lived in Peterborough for about 40 years and his name is well-known among the arts community, which, let’s be honest, makes up a healthy chunk of the overall Peterborough community.

Before moving to Peterborough, Stable lived and worked in Ottawa for a year. Before that, he worked with the Niagara Artist Company, the oldest art co-op in Canada.

He moved to Peterborough in 1976 to be a curator at Artspace.

Stable draws a lot of his inspiration from Picasso as well as an artist named Paul Klee. His [Stable’s] drawings are fluid and continuous, and the copper drawings, while on a different medium, are an extension of what he is known for.

“This is a new direction for me in working with that copper material. I have my own technique of drawing, which I have

developed over 50 years, and when you look at the copper drawings, you’ll see,” Stable described, continuing, “I work from the negative. I’ll draw a line to create movement in between and then I’ll continue that. I like to work continuously.”

A word of admirable caution: once you get Stable talking about his art, it is hard to get him to stop. Inspiration radiates off his every breath and movement. He is eager to show and tell, like a proud soul that has found its calling.

In fact, he enjoys his artwork so much that he is willing to give anyone who goes to the exhibit a remarkable discount - I won’t say how much, just to retain shock value. Each framed copper drawing will be available for purchase at $50 a piece.

There is another exhibit running simultaneously with Stable’s, which runs seasonally at GITA. Every season, the members and artists of GITA get to display their artwork in the studio space. The show that is currently being run is the fall show.

“In November, there will be another group show, for Christmas. There will be all

different art and there’ll be probably twice as much in here,” said Stable, remarking, “People go crazy for the Christmas show.

It’s a real sweet, wonderful thing to hang.”

The pieces range from paintings to sculptures to textiles, and the artwork changes from show to show. Rebecca Black, a communications studies student at Concordia University, works as an intern at GITA and helps with shows at the studio.

“I was taking in all the art and all the different styles; you can see how much of a wide range there is. I felt pretty overwhelmed by all the different art and it was nice to have Joe come over and be, like, ‘This is how we’re going to make it flow.’

It’s not only one medium, not just painting; there are sculptures [and] there’s fabric, too,” said Black.

There is even one piece of artwork that uses vinyl records to make animal sculptures, and paintings on what appears to be stone but is actually Styrofoam and stucco.

Stable’s exhibit and the Member’s show will be open and free to view until October 31.

The Peterborough Poetry Slam heads to Nationals!

By D Dmuchowski

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The innate human need to express ourselves through the written word has existed for almost as long as language itself. This written art form has been used to express a vast spectrum of emotion in ways that aren’t necessarily restricted to the formalities of classical literature. This liberty of creative expression has led to countless derivations of classical poetry.

One form that has begun to emerge with increasing popularity is spoken word poetry. Spoken word poetry uniquely combines wordplay, storytelling, and performance, including gestures, tones, and facial expressions to create an amalgamation of sensory stimulation that captivates audiences. The movement of modern North American spoken word poetry was born in Harlem through the

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poetry of the Harlem Renaissance, and has its roots in politicized African-American communities there.

Spoken word has since become wildly popular and is now a worldwide phenomenon. Poetry has long been an integral part of Peterborough’s local arts scene, and we are proud to have our very own homegrown team. This year, the exceptionally talented Peterborough Poetry Slam Team, consisting of members Jon Hedderwick, Sasha Patterson, Xandra Leigh, Jasher Guiel, and Ziy von B, will be representing our small but creatively robust city at the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word in Saskatoon from October 18-25.

The poets have been hard at work preparing for this prestigious event.

Peterborough Slam Poetry Team member, Sasha Patterson, remarks, “November

marks the 9th year that the Peterborough Poetry Collective has been around. The Collective is made up of a small group of poets and organizers who put on monthly slam poetry competitions and workshops throughout the year. In May of this year we had our team finals where a bunch of poets competed to win a spot on the 2015 team.

The top five poets were Jon Hedderwick, Ziy Von B, Xandra Leigh, Jasher Guiel and myself. We’ve been rehearsing two days a week since June, competed at the provincial Slamtario competition in July and placed 3rd, and are now headed to Saskatoon on Friday to compete at the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word, a competition that happens every year in a different Canadian city.

Spoken word has become the tool used by systemically marginalized populations subordinated into existing power

structures to voice emotionally charged political protest outside of academic institutions and small press. It has created an intentional space and community that celebrates subversive identities and politics.

The team’s gofundme page explains: “This year’s Peterborough Poetry Slam team offers a unique approach to poetry, exploring themes such as love, betrayal, international development, fascism, identity, gender, body politics, and the zombie apocalypse.” While humorous, it speaks to the importance of the political dynamics that are common in this art form, which truly gives meaning to the phrase, “the personal is political.”

The team is well acquainted with the implications this accessible form of personal expression is, as they state, “We have seen first-hand how poetry has saved people’s lives, started vital conversations, forged connections, and inspired new ways of thinking and being in the world.

The next Peterborough Poetry Slam open mike is on October 22 at The Spill, with feature poet Rick Webster. Everyone is welcome to participate and perform.

Sign-up starts at 7:30pm, and the event starts at 8:00 pm.

community

Blue Jays: game 5

By Jordan Porter

Alright, everyone, let’s take a deep breath.

After four of the most stressful yet exhilarating hours Toronto baseball fans have experienced in the last 22 years, it seems that the Toronto Blue Jays mean business and have seemingly come back from the dead to defeat the Texas Rangers in round one of the American League playoffs.

The Blue Jays closed a two-game deficit in the series only to return to an anxious Toronto crowd on October 14 for a truly dramatic victory.

The Rangers started off strong with an early run, then Rangers’ Shin-Soo Choo hits a home run on his first pitch from Blue Jays’ Marcus Stroman, establishing a lead of 2-0 early in the game.

Blue Jays’ Kevin Pillar revealed his superpowers once again with yet another phenomenal diving catch to get the Jays fired up. A strong start from Rangers’ pitcher, Jason Hammel, left two Jays stranded on base to close off the second inning, leaving them [the Jays] swinging at an attempt to get on the board.

It was beginning to seem like an unwritten rule that whoever scores first, wins in this series between the Jays and the Rangers; luckily, the Blue Jays aren’t superstitious.

There is no doubt that this Game 5 performance given by these two teams is one for the history books, but can we take a second to admire what could have quite possibly been the most interesting 7th inning baseball has ever witnessed?

In an almost one-hour long inning, there were protests, freak plays, and, at $20 a beer, probably the most expensive display of littering that the Rogers Centre outfield has ever seen, when the Rangers took the lead 3-2 on a bizarre circumstance that could only

Trent teams move to OUA

By Matthew Douglas

Trent Excalibur volleyball and men’s rugby programs are playing their last season in Ontario Collegiate Athletic Association (OCAA) competition, as they prepare to return to the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) next year.

The OCAA holds leagues and tournaments mostly reserved for Ontario colleges with two-year programs; however, in recent years it has welcomed a few four-year universities such as Trent’s volleyball and men’s rugby program.

Trent’s teams have fared quite well competing in the OCAA, in particular men’s rugby, who medaled in three of the last four years with a fourth-place finish the year they didn’t, and women’s volleyball, who finished fourth last year and the year before that, bronze.

The men’s volleyball hasn’t been quite as successful, but last season, they made the playoffs before being knocked off by Niagara.

In a press release by Trent Athletics, men’s volleyball head coach Mike Hubicki stated, “Our team is building

happen to a Toronto team in the playoffs.

Jose Bautista seemed to take personal offence to this ruling, judging by the authority with which he swung for the fence with two Jays on base, and sent the ball into the upper deck, flipped his bat approximately 87 feet in the air, and ran like a goddamned hero rounding the bases.

This act of heroism brought the total score to 6-3 Blue Jays, and that is where it remained.

Now, let’s take a second to address the issues of officiating. The role of any umpire is a challenging one but these guys know what they are getting themselves into, and, let’s not forget, they are qualified individuals that know everything there is to know about the game and its rules.

They have to make tough calls in spite of the roaring crowd of the home team and in spite of the professional athlete screaming in your face, questioning your judgment.

The umpiring throughout this series has been a topic of controversy, as well as a couple of questionable judgments from the guys “upstairs”. (Odor’s foot was off the bag in Texas; we know, they know it, it all worked out, let’s get over it.)

Despite the ups and downs of Wednesday night’s game, the baseball gods were surely smiling down on Toronto, even with the roof closed.

Thanks to a couple of key plays by some of the Blue Jays’ top players, and some fortunate (for the Jays) errors made by the Texas Rangers in the 7th inning, the Blue Jays rose from what most thought to be an insurmountable 2-0 series deficit, and clinched the American League series.

The Jays will now advance to round two against the Kansas City Royals, starting the series off in Kansas City. With any luck, now that the Blue Jays have coined a new love for baseball in Canada, our citizens will be just as good as Americans at catching – despite our short season.

My spoiled ballot

By Jeff Campbell

to be a strong contender for entry into OUA … We will be building on an 11-7 record and look forward to joining OUA for the 2016-17 season.”

The teams moving to OUA will likely face stronger competition. OUA schools have their student athletes for four years, which gives teams more time to develop and, on the whole, are much bigger schools that select from large student bodies.

However, the move should also help Trent recruit athletes.

Trent athletics director Deborah Bright-Brundle told the Peterborough Examiner, “From a recruitment perspective, it helps to have all our athletes being recruited for competition in the OUA.” If the start of this season is any indication, Trent men’s rugby is well on its way to putting together a team that will compete in the OUA. In four games thus far this season, the team has rolled through their competition, outscoring them 267-36.

Neither of the volleyball teams have started their regular season.

Like approximately 3.6 million other Canadians, I decided to vote in advance this election. However, my experience this Monday at the Lion’s Centre in Peterborough was not ordinary.

After registering to vote, I watched the electoral officer tear my ballot from the book. It was folded, initialed, and handed to me.

I opened it when I reached the voting booth and discovered that it had already been clearly marked with an “X” in favour of the local Conservative candidate, Michael Skinner, the last name on the ballot.

As I knew who I was going to vote for, and their name was halfway down the ballot or so, it was only chance that I noticed.

I brought it to the attention of the electoral officials, who all seemed surprised and concerned. They apologized profusely, said they did not know how it could have happened, and replaced my ballot, discarding the first.

This is concerning for several reasons.

Had I handed the ballot in as received, it would have been counted as a valid Conservative vote.

Had I not noticed, any vote I made that was not for the Conservative candidate would have spoiled the ballot, eliminating

my non-Conservative vote.

I have since learned there have been reports of “pre-marked ballots” in Vancouver, but those were described as “black streaks” and have been explained as a “printing error.” As my ballot was clearly marked with an “X”, the same explanation does not seem credible here, leaving several important questions to be asked.

How did this happen? Are there more “pre-voted” ballots like it out there? Did someone with access to the ballots make an innocent mistake, or was this something more sinister, like the six cases of voter suppression and electoral fraud proven in court against the Conservative party regarding the 2011 election?

I’ve reported this incident to Elections Canada. As a Canadian, I hope a thorough investigation is done, and that some of these questions can be answered. In the meantime, I would recommend voters be careful and check their ballots thoroughly before voting.

By Marina Wilke

Hot Dish: Twice Baked Squash

If you have been to the market (or grocery store for that matter) you will have noticed the abundant varieties of squash, proudly displayed in all their oddly shaped glory. They may seem like intimidating vegetables with their thick multi coloured skins and strange comical shapes, but they are cheap, quick and easy to prepare.

I have used acorn squash for this recipe but you could easily substitute butternut or even a sugar pumpkin as the body of this simple, satisfying dish.

Ingredients: 1 acorn squash 2 Tbsp. butter 1 tsp. dried oregano 1 tsp dried thyme ½ tsp red chili flakes Salt to taste Parmesan cheese (optional) Instructions: t

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Celsius. Cut the squash in half down the middle and scoop out the seeds. Place them cut side down on a

t

t

baking sheet and cover the bottom of the sheet with water. When the oven is hot, place the squash in the oven and roast for 40 minutes.

You can check if the squash is ready by poking a fork, or the end of a knife through the skin.

The fork should pierce it easily.

Remove the squash from the oven (leave the oven on) and carefully scoop out the flesh into an ovenproof bowl (if you don’t break the skin you can return your squash mixture to the shell for fancy presentation).

Add the butter, oregano, thyme, chili flakes and salt mix thoroughly. Arrange your mixture in the intact squash skin or ovenproof dish and sprinkle parmesan over the top. Return to the hot oven and bake for 10-15 minutes. Remove, let cool and enjoy!

Hint: If your squash is large only use half for the twice baked mixture and save the other half for soups or just to be eaten on its own in all its sweet roasted glory. Also if you clean the seeds they can be tossed with salt and olive oil and toasted in the oven as a delicious salty snack.

Waste not, want not.

Volume 50 | Issue 6 | October 19, 2015

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spooky Photo by Samantha Moss

... Are those really just branches scratching at your window? Was that really just your cat’s shadow? Is everything truly as it seems? Peterborough’s topsy-turvy hills, domineering trees, and vast old graveyards leave much to the imagination. So, to feed this wild imagination we all possess, Arthur Newspaper’s staff decided to write some spooky tales for you folknicks this Halloween. Feel free to read these tales aloud around a cracking fire, or cuddled up in bed on a typical howling October night in Peterborough. Enjoy!

The Attic Room

By Keila MacPherson

Kids have active imaginations, no doubt, but how much of it is “imagination”? Let me regale to you a little story that still gives me chills to this day…

When I was a child, my younger sister, single mother, and I lived in my grandmother’s house. It wasn’t a very old house. The wind didn’t whistle through the windows at night and trees only sometimes made bony-fingered hands appear on the walls; there was nothing extraordinary about the house. Oh, except the basement.

There’s always a creepy basement, right?

But that is not where this story takes place.

This story takes place in a room we shared, which held one of two entry points into another stereotypical scary place: the attic.

We had a penchant for telling each other scary stories, even though we knew we wouldn’t be able to sleep after. Lottie is two years younger than I, and at the bright ages of 4 and 6, we were little sponges of visualization; anything we were told, we imagined quite vividly.

We would hide under our blankets and tell scary bedtime stories after mom had tucked us in and kissed us goodnight.

“Did you hear the one about the dog and the stranger?” I’d ask.

“No,” Lottie would timidly reply.

“Do you want to hear it?”

“Yeah!”

“Once there was a girl who had a dog and her parents were going away for a few nights. “‘Now, don’t you worry, honey, we will be back in a few nights,’ her mother assured her, ‘If you get scared, Spot will be with you, just put your hand at the edge of the bed and he will lick your hand.’ So, the parents left and the girl was alone. “ ‘This isn’t so bad,’ the little girl thought to herself.

She puttered around the house, watched TV, and did her homework. Then nightfall

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came. She started to get scared, so she put the ghosts lived in the attic of this house her hand over the edge of her bed; Spot – perfect nightmare fodder, considering licked her hand and she felt comforted. the attic entrance was right above our “The next day was the same: she got bedroom’s doorway. A few nights later, I home from school, did her chores and had a terrible nightmare. A vivid one. homework, and when nightfall came, she When I fell asleep and started dreaming, was still feeling uneasy. it was as if I hadn’t fallen asleep at all. Lottie As she was settling in to sleep, she heard and I were lying in bed, pretending to sleep dripping coming in from the bathroom. so that we could get a candy bar and a toonie Drip, drip, drip. in the morning when our mom checked in Naturally, the little girl got up and on us. Then I heard a scratching, light but checked the faucets; there was nothing sharp, on the wooden headboard - or was it wrong with them. coming from the closet?

Feeling even more scared, she went back Suddenly, the closet burst open and to her bed and put her hand over the edge a dark shadow flew over my head and for Spot to lick her hand. Still, she heard into the bed beside me. I was scared so I ‘drip, drip, drip.’ She got up once more to covered my head with the blankets. Then I check the dripping. This time, she checked heard the scratching again, only this time, in the shower. it was coming from beside me.

As she pulled back the curtain, there I slowly peered over the edge of my was Spot, hanging from the shower head. blanket and there was Lottie, red-eyed with If Spot was hanging from the shower head, a huge mouth and fangs protruding from who was under the bed?” it.

Lottie started crying. I never meant to She let out a snarling growl and dove for make her cry, but she is an intense dog-lover.

That’s not exactly a ghost story, but it is pretty freaky.

One thing I forgot to mention about our grandmother’s house is that at night, it got so still, so silent that you could hear every movement. The floors were ceramic or hardwood. My mom felt that the house was haunted, and she told us so.

Every house my mom lived in had been haunted, or so she had said, with ghosts “attached” to Source: mrjohnson23.blogspot.com them. She told us

my face. That’s when I woke up, panting and afraid to open my eyes, squeezing them shut. I slowly, slowly opened my eyes to the pitch black room and dared to turn to look at my sister sleeping peacefully beside me.

I was calm for a moment… until I saw her face.

It could have been the lighting of the room, just a shadow, but as I mentioned already, when I had opened my eyes, the room was pitch black.

When I looked at her face, the terror that had subsided deep down into the core of my being returned in a flash.

What I was seeing was not my sweet baby sister, but a little girl with gaping black holes for eyes and a deep, dark, wide mouth drawing all the oxygen from the room at that moment. I started shaking her to wake her up and I cried and held her when she did.

To this day, I can’t be 100% sure that what I saw that night, in that house, was just my imagination.

Nightmare on Harper Street

By Dan Morrison

Steve carried his cumbersome body through the door, dropping his keys towards the table. He picked them up from their temporary refuge on the floor - as usual, he had missed the point. Tired, he hobbled through to the lounge. Hunched over slightly, it was the hobble of an elderly priest after mass - drained but satisfied. He had fulfilled his conservative duty.

Previously artful, the room had aged as quickly as he had, unrecognizable from its early glories. Where there had been pristine paintwork, now it faded and crumbled.

Photos were dusty, ornaments chipped; liberty and prosperity had been repressed. The armchair he slouched in had worn quickly of late, much like himself.

He scanned the street through the gap in the curtains.

Halloween had fallen on October 19 this year. His beady, deep-set eyes moved steadily; he did not need to squint, it came naturally. As his eyes reached the right hand-side of the window, he fell into a deep slumber. *

*

*

The door rattled, each rattle offset by giggles and muffled voices. ‘Hall-o-ween,’ he muttered to himself. He picked up a couple of candy bars - not nearly enough for the huddled masses, but why care?

With a few tugs of the door, he swung it open on its creaky hinges, revealing the sights that so revolted him year after year. Dressed head to toe in long, black robes, the children peered up at him through the only revealing part of their clothing: the eyes. Why did they have to come here?

‘TRICKK OR TREEAAT,’ rang out.

‘Just some candy, sir, nothing more. None of the other houses even answered the doors,’ sang the chorus.

‘You aren’t even from this neighbourhood, why have you come out all this way?’ Steve yelled.

The one voice now spoke above the rest. ‘Well, none of the other neighbourhood’s will even let us through. There are roadblocks. And everybody knows you’ve been the most generous, so we came to you first.’

Those days had long gone. A mixture of age and a pensioner’s income had reduced his willingness to be nice, to be generous.

‘And why must you wear such scary outfits?’ he asked.

The kids shuffled awkwardly, shifting their eyes from one another’s gaze, to Steve, and then back to each other.

The same voice came back, less certain this time.

‘It’s… just our culture. We are not doing any harm,’ the child replied.

Steve sighed. As he offered his paltry supply of candy, a voice could be heard across the street.

‘Hey, guys, you are more than welcome here!’ Heads

spooky

swung around to look across the street.

Of course, he would have lots to offer, wouldn’t he?

Ever since he had moved into his late father’s cottage, Justin had been stepping on Steve’s toes. First, he had taken over as head of the neighbourhood watch and the council, becoming lax on drug takers in the process. Then he had tried to open up the local schools to children from the poorer peripheries of the area - Steve had managed to use his waning influence to stop that.

‘I have plenty of treats for all your kids, come on over!’

Justin called.

The juvenile mass scurried to Steve’s more polished neighbour. Nicely tended hanging baskets intermingled with Halloween decorations, and freshly carved pumpkins that looked too good to be true - maybe they are? - sat on his porch. He showered the kids with candy and treats, praising their outfits.

Steve tutted. The ghost of Justin’s father had haunted and obsessed him. In the half light of the night, he could almost see him taunting, goading him on.

Steve could almost see mortality coming for him.

He had aged, he had worn - he had become irrelevant.

Almost on cue, a roof tile crumbled off of his decrepit house, as if to remind him that his past glories were just that: the past.

Will he ever awake from his slumber?

The Terrifying History of Sadleir House Revealed

By Keith Hodder A Note from the Editors: In 1917, the estate of Eliza Stratton sold Sadleir House to local contractor Richard Sheehy after the tragic passing of her husband, James Robert Stratton, publisher of the Peterborough Examiner and member of the Canadian Parliament for Peterborough West, in April 1916. His death and its cause were never published or recorded.

The recently discovered document that follows is a record made by Tanner Fougere, a local appraiser at the time, who was hired to interview Mrs. Stratton by the lawyers in charge of her late husband’s estate. They believed she was making the decision under a state of duress, as she agreed to sell the house for a price well under market value.

What you will read below is an unabridged version of the report published by local appraiser Fougere, and formatted in narrative style for clarity and legibility by us here at Arthur. None of the words or statements have been altered or changed in any way, and while we cannot verify this transcript due to a lack of archival information (particularly on the excavation of the Sadleir House lawn and grounds in 1917), we can assure you that none of what you’ll read has been manufactured.

Fougere & Associates Appraisers Interview with Mrs. Eliza Stratton, widow of James R. Stratton October 10, 1917

Mrs. Stratton looked unwell. Her complexion was pallid and her eyes wandered in haphazard and unsettling fashion. It’s hard to keep her attention. Her cheeks are gaunt and her eyes are ringed with purple hues that signal a lack of sleep. The only remnant of her character is her posture - her back stiff and her shaking hands clasped.

I offered her tea, but she didn’t drink. I offered her a fresh biscuit, but she didn’t eat. It seems that the drive for sustenance has escaped her.

Nonetheless, I asked my questions and gauged her state.

I asked Mrs. Stratton if she knew who I was and what my purpose was, and without meeting my gaze, but rather the floor’s, she replied,

“Yes. You’ve come to make me stay. Just like the others. Just like him.”

I assume she talks of both Mr. Driver and Mr. Walker, the attorneys of her husband’s estate and the men who hired me. I assured her that I had come with no agenda other than to learn more about her and the Sadleir House property.

I informed her that her price of $14,000 for the property was less than half of my appraisal of $30,000. Her eyes connected with mine. It seemed that whatever was once behind them had long left and there was nothing but pure, unadulterated fear.

“Would you not wish to leave the home in which you loved and lost?” her voice quivered. “Would you not wish to leave the home in which your lover had passed?”

This was where the reports given to me by Mr. Driver and Mr. Walker conflicted with those of Mrs. Stratton. Prior to my interview I was told that Mr. Stratton died of a heart attack and that his body was discovered in his office downtown. According to their reports, he had been quite ill and suffered from a persistent ailment of which no cure had been found.

I reiterated this to Mrs. Stratton.

“He killed himself. My poor James slit his throat in the bathtub,” she said; there was no deviation in the stern tone of her voice. “And before that, he killed all of his Hackney horses in the coach house that he built to keep them warm over the winter. Slit their throats, too.”

To say I was shocked would have been an understatement, and it took every ounce of restraint to ensure that I did not reveal my unsettled nature to Mrs. Stratton. To do so would be unbecoming. “There are no such records,” I countered.

“Mr. Walker and Mr. Driver saw to that,” she said. “They asked that I bury Mr. Stratton on the property.”

“Your husband was laid at rest in the Sadleir house grounds?”

“Yes, but you will find nothing there.”

Her statement perplexed me. “Surely you remember where he was buried, do you not?”

Her vacant look returned and she spoke to me as if her knowledge were common, “Of course I do, but Mr. Stratton is still home.”

The room had gotten colder. My hairs stood on end and I convulsed

with the quickest of shivers. Surely, I had misunderstood. “He’s under the house?”

“No. He asks me to stay.”

“I don’t understand.”

“The horses wake me up. I confused their screams for the winter’s wind.”

“Is it not?” I asked, voice shaking. Mrs. Stratton had not slept for some time. She looked as such. The mind sees and hears and conjures the worst of horrors in such a state.

“They can be quiet even when the wind blows,” she replied. “He quiets them night after night.”

I knew not what to say. Silence gripped me.

“When he’s finished, he sits at the end of the bed we once shared.

He is but a shadow blacker than black, but the smell is his own,” she continued. “I know it’s my James.”

“Mrs. Stratton, you have not slept, you are not well.” This was the only explanation for her words and behaviour. “You must rest.”

“I do not wish to hear the horses,” her voice raised. “I do not wish to stay. If I don’t leave, he’ll see to it that I never do.” Mrs. Stratton then collapsed into tears. She was unable to be calmed or convinced of her safety and the interview was concluded.

Post Script (as of December 12, 1917): It brings me much sadness to note that Mrs. Stratton had taken her life days after our interview. She was found in the bathtub, having cut her own throat.

I could do nothing more for her other than forward the information and my appraisal to both Mr. Walker and Mr. Driver as was requested of me.

They informed me that the property was excavated, but nothing of Mr. Stratton and his horses was found. The news of her death had spread and the house sold for a paltry $12,750. Since then, I have passed Sadleir House and as the wind blows, I can’t help but wonder if I, too, can hear the horses screaming.

I wonder if I, too, will wake in the late night to find Mr. and Mrs. Stratton sitting at the foot of my bed and wishing that I join them.

Volume 50 | Issue 6 |October 19, 2015

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listings: Want your event in the paper? Send yours to listings@trentarthur.ca

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Pay for your bike with experience points! Level up your mechanical skills by volunteering in our teaching shop to earn experience

LOCAL

points, then put your skills to use by refurbishing a bike from our dungeon! Collect 100 points in the shop and the bike is yours!

For more information or to register for the EarnABike Programme, contact B!KE at jeff@communitybikeshop.org.

Chocolate Extravaganza:Tuesday, November 3rd from 5-7 pm @ the Spoon. $5-$10 sliding scale.

Join food alchemist Dan Ledandan as he explores the craft of chocolate making and leads us in a spectacular night of celebrating cacao in all its forms!Take part in chocolate tasting, have the opportunity to design your own chocolate creations and more! In the spirit of Halloween and the Day of the Dead you are encouraged to bring costumes, snacks to share, musical instruments or whatever else you wish to contribute to add to the festivities The Seasoned Spoon:The Seasoned Spoon Café is grateful for the support of Trent students. Refundable levy requests by registered students will be accepted until Friday, October 23rd. We serve delectable, local and organic food Monday-Friday from 8:00-3:30 in Champlain College. For more information about the Spoon and our programs go to www.seasonedspoon.ca Sauerkraut Workshop: Using traditional recipes and fresh fall produce from the Trent Gardens, this workshop will teach you how to make your own super nutritious and delicious preserves that will last you all winter long. Sauerkraut;

a staple for any local food lover’s fridge! Wednesday October 21 from 5:00 - 7:00pm at The Seasoned Spoon.

Volunteer Call-out:Exiting Opportunity! THE SEASONED SPOON IS LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS! It’s that time of year again when Spoon kitchen is firing back up and fresh organic produce is pouring in from the gardens. We need lots of extra help to keep things in check and maintain optimum kitchen flow.

We are seeking out new volunteers with keen interest in food issues, a desire to learn kitchen ninja skills and an inspiration to contribute to community building.

Please email spoonvolunteers@gmail. com if you are interested or for more info.

Peterborough Downtown Farmers’ Market.

Wednesday’s 8:30-2:00pm. Louis St. parking lot (near Charlotte & Aylmer, next to Shopper’s Drug Mart). Every week until Oct. 30.

Follow us on Twitter: @PtboWedMarket. “Kawartha’s own, locally grown.”

An Evening of Stories of Reconciliation with Elder Shirley Williams: Friday, Oct. 30 2015, 7:00 – 9:00 pm. At the Unitarian Fellowship of Peterborough 775 Weller Street (at Medical Drive) $5-10 donation or pay what you can. Free parking.

Fun Mystery Quiz Night with Italian Dinner Buffet: Saturday Oct 24th, 2015 6 pm. St Andrew’s United Church. 441 Rubidge St, Peterborough. Tickets $20 Facilitator’s Collective Information Session: Have you heard about The Seeds for Justice Facilitator’s Collective with KWIC? It’s entirely youth-driven, and its goal is to develop and deliver social

and environmental justice-themed workshops to youth in the Peterborough area. Want to learn more?

Attend our Facilitator’s Collective Information Session on Tuesday, October 12 from 2-3pm, in the KWIC-ERS Resource Centre.Training session will follow on October 17.

For more details, contact Rachelia Giardino at workshops@kwic.info

Arts B L A C K L I G H T: Dance with the Dark on Devil’s Night with DJs Dauri Cems, Gnosys, Aquapher and Benny Black where you come as the decoration with a chance to play with black-light paint and costumes...party will provide a blacklight environment FRIDAY, OCT. 30, 2015 8pm Sadleir House. ONLY $10 TICKETS AVAILABLE ONLY at www.mediaartspeterborough.org Attend a jazz performance! Donna Collison & Biff Hannon Jazz Duo at Curry Village: Saturday, November 7th, 2015 (306 George St. N., Peterborough) The House of Haunt: Peterborough legends No Pussyfooting will be returning to the stage at the Spill and you aren’t going to want to miss this. Television Rd rounds out this stellar lineup. They’ll have their sophomore EP released by then, and they’ll bring their signature haunting style, complete with dazzling vocals and vertigo inducing keyboard! It’s always a helluva party with these folks, don’t miss out! Doors at 8:30 PM. Music at 9:00 PM $10 at the door, or $7 if you show up in costume!

street style

People often ask us, “why don’t you guys put yourselves in Street Style?”

We thought about it, but decided it would be much too narcissistic to do that.

That was until one fall day when my coeditor was looking particularly cute and I forced her to pose for my camera.

With those matching pale turquoise accessories how could I not?

You can’t tell, but she’s actually glaring at me. Thanks for being my model Yumna!

And of course there’s Stephen Stohn, looking dapper as ever at the Escape Maze challenge we participated in together. We had to dress up in old timey clothes, but his shoes rocked that 18- year old inside a 67- year old’s character.

Stephen Stohn always has great shoe game.