Volume 49 Issue 18

Volume 49 | Issue 18 | February 25, 2015

Leaked documents suggest TCSA President conspiring with Trent Conservatives for a ‘TCSA Takeover,’ defederation from CFS my chairing into question.”

By Jack Smye

Planning a TCSA takeover

Last week, a series of private Facebook messages were anonymously leaked to Arthur Newspaper that appear to show Trent Central Student Association’s (TSCA) President Braden Freer compromising his ethical responsibilities in a conversation with Corey LeBlanc, the Vice-President of the Trent Conservatives student group.

The messages, which were verified by both Freer and LeBlanc, cover a variety of controversial topics including the prospect of de-federating the union from the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS), the recently rescinded Israel divestment policy, and how the Trent Conservatives group can ‘take over the TCSA.’

Who’s anti-CFS motion is it?

INside:

At the start of the leaked messages, dated from the days before and after the union’s January 29 annual general meeting (AGM), Freer sent a draft motion to LeBlanc that would have asked the membership to endorse a petition to de-federate from the Canadian Federation of Students.

The motion argued that because the CFS considered a motion to join the Boycott, Divest, Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel in August of 2014, and because the TCSA successfully voted to rescind their own BDS policy (something which had not yet happened when the motion was sent) the values of the two organizations no longer align.

The motion was meant to be brought up at the AGM and LeBlanc, in an interview with Arthur, stated that he was going to propose it during the Any Other Business (AOB) portion of the meeting. The meeting never made it to AOB, however, because time ran out.

The origins of this draft motion are now in dispute as both Freer and LeBlanc point to each other as its author.

When asked who drafted the motion, Freer said, “It was drafted by [LeBlanc] and sent to me. He asked for context and edits. Specifically, he sent the wording and said if I wanted to present this, how would I present it?”

LeBlanc, however, denied this claiming that Freer sent him the motion unsolicited. “[It] was just sent to me by Braden. I did

agree with the motion I suppose, I agree with the principles of it, but if you’re asking if that was my idea – that was not my idea and there was no previous discussion. It was simply posed as ‘Hey could you do a couple things in AOB.’”

Conflict of interest?

In addition to raising questions about the anti-CFS motion, the leaked screenshots also add yet another layer of contention to controversy surrounding the rescindment of the TCSA’s BDS policy against Israel at the January 29 AGM. Prior to the meeting, at which he acted as chairperson, the screenshots show that Freer gave LeBlanc (also the president of Trent4Israel) advice on how his group could win the vote.

According to the screenshots, Freer told LeBlanc to seek the support of Dr. Asaf Zohar (a Trent Professor and Governor who supported the rescindment) saying, “If Dr. Zohar shows up… I believe it would go far. None of [the TCSA] directors or the cabinets would accept going against him.”

Freer also pointed LeBlanc towards an internet article on human rights violations in Gambia saying, “[I]believe you’re taking the ‘would we begin to BDS other states that have HR violations route’…That just popped up in my Twitter feed, thought it would be of assistance.”

Furthermore, he offered advice on how to obtain membership support and suggested that 30 students would be

Student leaders address Trent BOG

enough to get a majority vote.

When asked about this, Freer said “When I did it, I didn’t view it as coaching.

I viewed it as a member wants to know how to change something because they disagree with it. I was, in good faith, telling them how to do it because if I didn’t help, then I’m not being helpful to our members.”

Helping members of the union is within the mandate of the TCSA President, but a conflict of interest could be seen to arise when that same President is also chairing the meeting where the motion is taking place.

In response to that, Freer disagreed that his personal attachment to the motion affected his ability to chair and maintained that he followed the official procedures professionally.

However, TCSA by-laws state that the chairperson of a meeting “is required to provide no public comment of personal belief on matters… while serving as speaker. He or she must remain impartial at all times on matters before the Board.”

Where the issue becomes unclear is whether or not private Facebook conversations should be considered a breach of this, particularly when they are with an individual who has a vested interest in the decision.

At the time the Facebook conversation took place Freer knew that he would be serving as chairperson of the AGM and at one point told LeBlanc, “I’ll have to stay away from inviting [students to the prorescindment Facebook group], can’t risk inviting someone who disagrees then calls

TCSA prescription service a success

After the AGM took place, the screenshots show Freer congratulating LeBlanc on the success of the rescindment motion. It is at this point they begin discussing how the Trent Conservatives could “take over the TCSA.” Freer begins the discussion by saying “As my by law change did not go through, I would encourage you to run for [Vice President of University & College Affairs].”

He then says, “as well, I would encourage a Trent Conservative take over as many board positions as possible.”

While both Freer and LeBlanc maintain that there was nothing serious about the term ‘take over’—Freer arguing that it was an inside joke and LeBlanc stating that it was never serious—Freer explicitly states “I would suggest supporting [name redacted] for Prez. Looks like less of an overt takeover that way.”

The conversation also had Freer suggesting general advice on how to proceed, which positions would be easiest to run for, and Freer requesting that the two of them meet up for a “TCSA takeover planning session.”

When asked to contextualize this, Freer said “It was a running joke between myself, Corey, and [the Trent Conservatives President]. I thought of those two as very passionate individuals, and the response was ‘oh, it’s a takeover’ (sarcastically).”

LeBlanc echoed a similar sentiment in a separate interview, noting that he was laughing at the word ‘takeover’ in the conversation as though it were a joke. He also said, “I don’t understand what the story is here. Students get to vote in the TCSA elections, so if we had every single person that we ran elected - that’s not a takeover, that’s democracy.”

LeBlanc added that while there was some consideration amongst the Trent Conservatives to run for positions on the TCSA Board of Directors, “[Student Government] isn’t something that any of us want to get involved with immediately, and none of us have chosen to run.”

Nonetheless, Freer acknowledged that this whole thing looks bad on the TCSA, admitting that he feels the student body would be “frustrated” and “angry” about the content of this conversation.

Art for Awareness’ Rent reviewed

Comment: Harper’s Anti-Terror Act

Contents

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This Issue in History: Volume 26 (1992), Issue 18 Following a disastrous year for college pubs, a committee was formed to revive perhaps the most infamous of them all—the Jolly Hangman Pub of Peter Robinson College. After much success in fundraising, the committee announced it was likely to reopen the pub soon.

The aptly named Hangman Restoration Committee sought to raise up to $15,000 to renovate the Hangman so that it was compliant with new liquor license laws. These laws required the building to have food serving facilities, a private washroom for staff, industrial plumbing, and ventilation systems. Additionally, the fire code was changed so significant wiring work was also necessary.

Despite these lofty goals, the committee saw much support from students and local artists who viewed the Hangman as an important cultural venue. Benefit events were held at Artspace and the PR Dining Hall.

Despite the closure, the Hangman’s liquor license was not revoked at any point, so operations were conducted out of the Dining Hall when possible.

The previous academic year (1990-91) saw the closure of both the Ceilie and the Hangman, largely due to budgetary concerns related to staffing.

The Hangman closed in November 1990. Managers Louis Fagan and Patrick McMahon simply couldn’t afford to pay the staff ’s wages, despite being able to cover operating overhead, and made the decision to close. They felt this decision would send a message to the university’s administration that their demands on campus pubs with respect to overhead charges and not allowing pubs to run deficits were unreasonable.

Of course, in true Hangman style, there were also simultaneous allegations that the place stayed open hours after 2am on some nights, and that drug sales and usage were permitted inside. This didn’t factor into the decision to close (which was made by pub management and not the university) and was never substantiated, though also not unlikely.

Page 15: Sports t 5SFOU WPMMFZCBMM UFBNT DPODMVEF SFHVMBS TFBTPOT

Back page: Listings & Live Music In Champlain it was a slightly different story. The Ceilie couldn’t afford to pay wages either, but by December 1990 they had also racked up $17,000 in debt with Trent’s Liquor Management Office (LMO). Before they could pay their staff, they had to pay that down.

The Ceilie’s manager Rob Gvozden made the decision to close it in February 1991 (co-incidentally first reported on in Issue 18 of that volume of Arthur).

This move confused Cathy Wilson of the LMO, who had received a cheque for $13,000 from the Ceilie earlier in the week. She figured the remaining money could be made up from the remaining bar stock in the pub.

Still, Gvozden held that if he hadn’t made the decision to close the pub the university probably would have sooner rather than later.

As for the Hangman, Peter Robinson College absorbed the remaining deficit once the Hangman was closed so the fundraising efforts could focus entirely on renovations and restoration.

There were still concerns, however, about how the money would be spent once it was raised. Because of past mismanagement, “we are constantly being audited [by Trent]� said Adam Brown of the Restoration Committee. He also indicated that a separate account was set up for the raised money such that it would be totally separate from the finances of the college itself or the college cabinet.

Eventually the Hangman did reopen, thanks in part to a newly-ensured reliable stream of funding.

In the Spring elections of 1992, Trent students made it easier for pubs to operate by voting 70% in favour of a $2 levy to go towards the operations of campus pubs.

That said, in the end the Ceilie got the last laugh. The Jolly Hangman was closed again in 2002 when Peter Robinson College was sold off. The pubs levy still exists today, but it’s now known as “The Ceilie Pub and College Pubs Levy� since no pub other than the Ceilie remains in operation at Trent.

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CampusNews Student leaders talk student issues with Trent’s Board of Governors

By Adriana Sierra

Student leaders from various organizations, including college cabinets, the Trent Central Student Association (TCSA), the Graduate Students’ Association (GSA), the Trent Part-Time Student Association (TPSA), and Trent International Students’ Association (TISA), recently met with Trent University’s Board of Governors to discuss university issues.

The purpose was to bring forth student voices and perspectives to influence future decisions regarding Trent University. The meeting was driven by conversations concerning faculty-student relationships, international and domestic student recruitment, and financial support.

Both Braden Freer and Hien Nguyen, representatives of the TCSA and the LEC College Cabinet respectively, focused on Trent’s faculty-student relationship.

Nguyen argued that, “an excellent instructor who is passionate about teaching, who

takes student success as important to the outcome of their research, who engages with students above and beyond the minimum weekly office hours can make all the difference in the success of students.”

Freer supported this statement by arguing that it was precisely the relationship with his professors that made him feel “like an individual, and not just a number,” that influenced his decision to complete his studies at Trent University.

Freer argued that the faculty-student relationships allowing interaction to take place outside the classroom in an informal setting are crucial to what it means to be a Trent Student.

Nguyen stated that this aspect of Trent life is being lost as a result of the mounting importance of research and the increasing part-time employment of instructors.

Nguyen argued that both of these factors affect faculty-student relationships, in that they lead to a decline in faculty-student interactions and to a lack of priori-

tization on teaching. Many departments and professors adhere to the importance of this relationship and provide opportunities for such an interaction to take place.

However, the significant shift in the nature of student-faculty relationships remains an area of concern in both student development and Trent’s identity.

Another important issue was that of financial support, especially to international, graduate, and part-time students.

The representatives of these organizations argued that on-campus jobs are lacking for students who do not receive financial aid in the form of OSAP, and that bursaries are also less available.

In addition, Trent lacks links with downtown businesses that would make part-time jobs, summer jobs, or internships more accessible to all Trent students.

The provision of this kind of financial support would ameliorate student debt, provide an opportunity for résumé building and hands-on experience, and decrease financial pressures on students.

A third area of concern discussed with the Board of Governors involved Trent’s recruitment strategies. TISA argued that international student recruitment was increasingly focused around students from wealthier countries who can afford to pay for the incredibly high tuition of almost $20,000.

In addition, scholarships for international students have experienced a slight decline. These recruitment strategies not only reinforce the notion of international students as “cash-cows,” but also overlook numerous regions of the world with students that can both afford to pay full tu-

ition as well as add to Trent’s acclaimed multiculturalism. The decline in scholarships and the limited areas of recruitment contradict with the Trent International Program’s motto: “Where the World Learns Together”.

In order to address these biased international recruitment strategies, TISA brought forth an initiative that was proposed last year but never took-off. This initative would see international student leaders return to their home countries to give informal talks about Trent at their countries’ schools.

According to TISA, the international student community is open to this idea, but it is the university’s role to seriously implement this initiative.

The TPSA President, Ashley Bonner, argued that Trent’s appeal as a university could be greatly improved if it were to take action to divest from fossil fuels.

She stated that this sort of action would not only increase Trent’s media coverage, but would also provide a unique appeal to students interested in environmental programs, which are one of Trent’s strengths.

Divestment could potentially affect Trent’s recruitment and could be seen as a decisive factor in student enrollment and desire to come to Trent.

This broad range of issues was presented to the Board of Governors with hopes that the University would take student voices into account when planning for the future.

Such meetings are necessary to create a connection between the university’s governing bodies and students, however, they can only be effective if student voices are acted upon and not just simply heard.

TCSA’s Direct2U Presricption service an overwhelming success

By Ugyen Wangmo

Direct2U Prescription (D2U), a delivery prescription service administrated at Trent University by the Trent Central Student Association (TCSA), is seeing a continued rise in the number of students using it as it nears the end of its second year.

The service currently has about 350 active students on Alliance Pharmacy and has already given out about 850 scripts from the TCSA office since September. The service is provided by the TCSA through student benefit provider C&C Insurance and Alliance Pharmacy.

“We have been successful because of our close working relationship with the health services who are fully supportive in making this work for the students,” said the Operations Manager at the TCSA, Tracy Milne.

Outside of collaborators, one other reason for success is the ease and convenience of the service, especially for those living on campus, she added, provided the fact that a large number of students live on campus.

The program has been so successful that they are now looking at having surplus

money come back to them from the benefits plan because D2U saves money for both TCSA and students, informed Milne.

Currently TCSA is looking at what they can do with the surplus money—for one they are planning to bolster the current benefits plan, add another practitioner, or increase percentage coverage, she said.

Another option is to share some of the finances with the health service, helping students understand what coverage they have, how to use it, and how to get the most out of it.

According to Milne, the main reason for switching from their previous benefits provider, ACL Student Benefits, to the current provider, was the D2U Prescription program. It works in a very simple and easy way such that prescriptions will be safely delivered to the students the very next day for convenient pick up on campus. Besides, the service has made it easy for students to transfer medications from another pharmacy, or have the option to refill medications. Further, the actual administration of it is also very simple for the union.

According to the TCSA President Braden Freer, the amazing feature about the service is it saves time and money for students. Students using D2U Pharmacy will have up to 100 percent of the cost of generic prescriptions while the cost of brand name prescriptions can be covered up to 80 percent, he explained. Those who use traditional pharmacies will have generic prescriptions covered to 80% and brand prescriptions covered to 60%.

However, if the students have a brand prescription and are not allowed to have generic placement, then C&C alters the

benefits coverage card to receive the same coverage, informed Milne.

According to Milne, this service has really resonated with students and caught on far more than originally anticipated.

She says that St. Mary’s University was the C&C’s leading school last year with Trent just behind them.

But this year Trent has beaten the former leading school in terms of number of students registered with the Alliance pharmacy, and the number of scripts that have gone through the office.

Milne also said that according to the recent survey conducted by TCSA, out of the 564 respondents only 8% indicated they were not satisfied with the program.

“It is so easy! I get a text asking to refill my prescription, it comes to campus the next work day, and picking it up is quick and hassle free. I love, love, love it, please keep it just like this!” said one survey respondent.

Similarly, one of the students on D2U plan shared with Arthur that, “D2U delivered my prescription right at my door when I was away for reading week,” and she only had to inform them where she was located.

While the comment made by that frac-

tion of dissatisfied students indicated issues such as having to provide credit card information, or having to grab medications on weekends when the office is not open, and also having some types of medication not eligible to be delivered, such as narcotics.

In response to the comments TCSA will extend the hours of operation, but not until they move into the new student centre.

However, students can request their medications be delivered to their home, she suggested. But unfortunately they cannot change their policy of requiring a credit card, which is to hold funds during the blackout period, she said. And, we also cannot ask the Alliance Pharmacy to start delivering narcotics, she added.

D2U Alliance pharmacy has also made available over the counter items for students, and this was introduced at the TCSA office few months ago.

It works in a similar way where students can go on the Alliance website to have the delivery on campus the next day. The delivery is free, requiring the students to pay only for the item.

Currently C&C Insurance/Student VIP, Trent’s current student benefit provider, have 11 schools using the Direct2U service.

Volume 49 | Issue 18 | FebrUARY 24, 2015

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Campus

Trend towards casual academic positions harming education

By Renzo Costa

Part-time precarious positions have negative impacts for students, teachers and for education in general. At Trent, the casualization of the academic labour force has been incrementing in the last few years, as a part of the general trend of flexibilization under neoliberalism.

Dr. Jacqueline Solway, a Trent professor and member of the International Development and the Anthropology departments, expressed that “the casualization of teaching positions at Trent is part of a wider casualization of the labour force in the post-Fordist society.”

She argues that it is taking place in every sector and not only in academia.

Dr. Solway agreed that tenure positions are the most secure jobs and that the casualization is pernicious as it produces more exploitative labour relations. Parttime staff are paid very low wages, do not have job security, and are alienated as they feel a sense of not belonging.

There is a key distinction to make in terms of part-time teaching positions. On the one hand, there are part-time faculty staff hired per course, which are members of CUPE. On the other hand, there are limited term appointments (LTA). LTA contracts are generally nine months and have a lower wage, lower benefits, and usually a higher teaching load.

LTA’s have a fundamental contradiction, Dr. Solway argued, since they are members of TUFA they are expected to conduct research, but are not well supported as a result of having temporary contracts.

Baris Karaagac, a Trent professor also in the International Development Studies program, argued that there is no guarantee of tenure when engaging in contractual part-time work. He expressed that there is a trend in making these types of employment even more precarious in the name of budget balancing and cost cutting.

Mr. Karaagac stated that the biggest challenge of LTA positions is job security, since every year the contract must be renewed. Furthermore, he argued that not knowing if you are teaching next year undermines highly valuable educational continuity and institutional time.

In terms of the effect on the student experience, both CUPE and LTA staff have enormous challenges to establish continuous relationships with students.

Dr. Solway asserts that on the one hand, a person teaching a course for the first time could bring excitement and energy to the classroom, but on the other hand there will not be continuity.

Mr. Karaagac articulated that continuity is extremely important. He is on his third LTA and the three years have allowed him to develop long-term ties with students, which have a very positive effect on the student-professor relationship.

“Continuity allows students to take more from professors and vice-versa, but precarious forms of employment in academia have made it very difficult to develop such relationships”, he added.

Dr. Solway also expressed sadness about the fact that many students will go through their university experience having

very few courses taught by permanent faculty, which diminishes continuity and stops students from getting to know their professors.

Mr. Karaagac also said that prior to being on a LTA, he was a member of CUPE. He commented that those types of employment makes you see yourself as disposable since as soon as the contract ends you have nothing to do with the organization, institution or program.

He argued that CUPE members do everything they can and put a lot of time and effort in teaching, but this usually goes unrecognized.

Moreover, Dr. Solway agreed that it is also hard to keep part time staff accountable, since hiring takes place with not much knowledge of a person’s ability to deliver a course, and therefore it is risky for departments and for students as well.

In addition, it is problematic since the casualization of the academic labour force often generates tension as part-time staff is hired to teach core courses, which can lead to inconsistencies.

On a side note, there has been a decreasing number of faculty staff hired compared to that of administration staff.

It has been argued that there has been a proliferation of administrative tasks such as reports and forms, which demands more staff. However, the proportion of university budget to pay administrators has grown at the expense of the proportion that is used to pay the teaching faculty.

In terms of how administrative employment has increased, Mr. Karaagac argued that there has been a process of bureaucratization, and a trend towards putting managers in charge of universities instead of academics. Many of these administrators are paid significant salaries, while contract faculty are rewarded extremely low salaries.

The crumbling of the ivory towers caused by their casualization raises a number of serious political questions: What type of education do we want?

Should education be a commodity?

Should educational institutions be run as any other corporation?

Photo for illustrative purposes only. By Jenny Fisher

TCSA commissioner unveils Farmers’ Market discount card

By Renzo Costa

The TCSA and the Peterborough Farmers’ Market are planning on launching a special discount card for purchases made at the local farmers’ market. A trial run is going to take place from February until August.

Alaine Spiwak, the TCSA Ethical Standards Commissioner, has been working towards creating a Farmers’ Market discount card for Trent students during her term on the TCSA board. The card would allow students to get different types of discounts at the market.

Spiwak is currently negotiating with vendors about what these discounts would look like. For some, it will involve a 10% discount, and for others, special deals such as “buy one and get another free.”

The types of discounts will be flexible enough to allow vendors to alter them according to changing circumstances. It will also allow students to build relationships

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with the vendors and further improve their connection with food sources.

Spiwak also agreed that every vendor is different, and that the discount will be different according to each vendor.

One of the main reasons why the TCSA is pursing this initiative is to support local businesses. The card will not only allow students to purchase locally grown, higher quality products, but will also support the Farmers’ Market community and build lasting relationships between students and vendors. Spiwak expressed: “a big part of my role is ensuring standards of quality of products on campus.”

Some have argued that the produce of the Farmers Market is more expensive than the products found at major grocery stores.

However, the quality of the products found at the Farmers Market is higher, according to Spiwak, since they are fresher and are not GMO’s.

The card will provide an incentive for

students to purchase from the Market, since it will address the price difference and make it more economically attractive. In addition, the information campaign about the market will create more awareness among the student population and further encourage students to purchase produce from local farmers.

Spiwak also argued that the stigma around pricing at the Farmers Market is largely unfounded. She has found that the prices are actually not much different if quality is taken into account.

Spiwak is also compiling a list of product prices to compare the costs at the Farmers market versus large grocery stores. She argued that some products often have the same price range. For example, the price of a dozen eggs at the Farmer’s Market is similar to the price at large grocery stores (around $3-$3.50).

Reflecting on the discount idea, Spiwak expressed that “it is kind of disturbing to

think of the kinds of foods we can get all year round at the grocery stores and still look fresh regardless of where they come from.” In contrast, the market offers seasonal foods, which are fresh and locally produced.

The discount card initiative will give students an opportunity to enhance their food choices and therefore increase the level of food security.

The cards will be available for pick up at the TCSA office and will include a package with information about the market, its location and hours, bus info to and from the market, and a guide to the different discounts. In the future, the idea is tha students will be able to use Trent’s student card to get the discount.

By the time you read this, the discount cards will be ready for students to pick up.

They’re available in the TCSA Office, Suite 110 of Champlain College, as of February 23.

Campus

B!KE director taking local thinking to global conference

By Amina Yusuf

B!KE’s executive director, Tegan Moss, will be representing Peterborough at the World Bicycle Forum (WBF) in Medellin, Colombia from February 26 to March 3. The event celebrates individual, group, NGO, business and government achievements advocating cycling.

The theme of this year’s Forum is Cuidades Para Todos, which translates to “Cities for all.” There will be productive discussion surrounding the coexistence of bicycles, pedestrians, and motorists in cities.

The first Forum, hosted in Brazil in 2011, was held a year following a Critical Mass (a monthly bicycle ride) crash that occurred in the Brazilian city of Porto Alegre. The traumatic event was initially commemorated through the first World

Bicycle Forum. The event has been held for three consecutive years and is hosting its fourth Forum this weekend.

The event will be comprised of panels, workshops and performances geared towards engaging attending representatives, like Moss, in active discussion surrounding cycling. Attendees will be encouraged to brainstorm ideas that can be implemented in local settings, increasing the safety of cyclists, pedestrians, motorists and drivers alike.

In remembrance of the Critical Mass crash from years ago, the Forum consistently strives to prevent similar instances from occurring.

Moss will be sharing the successes of Peterborough’s Cycling Hub, B!KE, and will also be presenting programs run by the organization that have allowed people to incorporate cycling into their daily lives.

B!KE is a local non-profit organization that promotes bicycle use within the Peterborough community. They offer bicycle repair and maintenance through a program called Open Shop where volunteer and staff mechanics offer their expertise.

Other programs run by B!KE include Youth Earn-a-Bike where youth simultaneously acquire knowledge on cycling safety and etiquette while building a bicycle over the course of eight weeks, and Pedal Power, which is a five-week riding program geared towards 5th graders.

These programs are made easily accessible to the community and tailored to encourage cycling as a mode of transportation.

In a release, Moss states that, “one of the things that makes B!KE so unique is that by using [their] services you not only learn to repair your own bike, but you also help other community members meet their

transportation needs at the same time.”

About the WBF, executive director, Tegan Moss, states that “what [B!KE is] already doing in Peterborough is huge, I can’t wait to learn from people across the world about strategies to make [B!KE’s] programming even more effective and inclusive.”

There will be 130 speakers from 50 countries at the World Bike Forum, and among them will be B!KE’s Tegan Moss speaking on behalf of Peterborough’s Cycling Hub. Moss will be active on social media and making updates throughout the duration of the event. She can be found via twitter @CyclingHubPTBO and via Facebook at facebook.com/communitybikeshop.

More information about B!KE can be found at their website (communitybikeshop.org) and at their downtown shop located on 336 Rubidge St.

The establishment of the policy was the idea of TCSA President Braden Freer, who was inspired by the land acknowledgements that occurred at meetings for the Canadian Federation of Students.

“After discussions with our Indigenous commissioner and the First Peoples House of Learning, the proposed wording was introduced as an Operating Resolution to begin the formalization,” said Freer.

“As this had been well received, the decision was made to present it as a Policy Resolution to make it more formal.”

The policy resolution was received favourably as well, as a vast majority of association members voted in favour of the policy at the AGM. Freer said he had a couple reasons for the establishment of the new procedure.

“The reasoning behind my interest was

twofold,” he said. “As TCSA President I was looking for ways to be more inclusive and recognize the Indigenous peoples of the area, as well as respect Trent’s history working with Indigenous peoples.

The second was outside of academia. I have a personal interest in Indigenous culture and thought it appropriate that it be recognized more within the student union.”

Along with the support of the voting membership, Freer says the new policy has been received well by many.

“Have we been publicly recognized for it? No, but that was never the intent of the policy, nor does it need to be. The appreciation and warmth that has been communicated from Indigenous students, staff or faculty has been steady and I would say notable in my own opinion.”

Neither Freer nor Adam Hopkins,

Acting Director of the First Peoples House of Learning, were aware of similar policies elsewhere at Trent, but both noted that while they are not necessarily mandated by policy, the university does make similar forms of acknowledgement.

“I am not aware of any policies,” said Freer, “However, that being said, I have not researched to see if there are any.

The only similar practise that comes to mind immediately is the inclusion of the Honour Song in larger university affairs.”

Hopkins’ statement on the matter was very similar, “I am not aware of such a policy,” he said, “However, the university does acknowledge first peoples in other ways such as the condolence cane at convocation.

The land acknowledgement is very common now amongst all types of meetings across the university.”

TCSA officially adopts land acknowledgment policy

By Zachary Cox

The Trent Central Student Association (TCSA) will be recognizing the history of Trent University’s land prior to each of their meetings following the establishment of a new policy at the Association’s Annual General Meeting held on January 29, 2015.

Any official TCSA function, including board, council, and general meetings, will now commence with a representative of the association recognizing the land as follows: “The Trent Central Student Association wishes to acknowledge the Anishnaabe and Mississauga peoples and their traditional territory, in which this meeting is taking place.”

The policy, which was easily voted through by membership, is now one of the many ways groups at Trent recognize the history and peoples of the region.

Volume 49 | Issue 18 | FebrUARY 24, 2015

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Campus

Trent faculty tackle that age old question: What is love?

By Ugyen Wangmo

Love! Is it objective, subjective, or even dangerous? With its sea of connotations one would ever wonder, ‘what is love?’

The month of February reminds everyone to once again ponder upon the topic of love. But, it is such that culture, time, and situation changes the understanding of the love as we know it to be true. So to truly figure out ‘love’ it needs exploration from various points, which one single individual knows not of.

However, to shed an element of knowledge on the topic that is as high as sky, some faculty members of Trent University explored ‘love’ from the stance of pre-modern studies, and with an academic tinge.

Professor of Ancient History and Classics, Dr. George Kovacs, presented the disparate versions of Greek myth that chronicles the origin of Eros, personifica-

Codex Manesse, 71v, Kristan of Hamle (medieval Lovers, pulled in a basket).

Date: between 1305 and 1315

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tion of love. He pointed out how for one, he is a primeval deity who embodies love and order. While on the other hand Eros is the primordial force of the universe, playful and frequently causing trouble. Professor Kovacs questioned on how Greek mythology was not up to the task of creating a single definition of love, and opened the discussion as to if it can be reconciled.

‘Platonic love’ was the subject explored by the Professor of Philosophy, Dr. Byron Stoyles. He suggested that the use of the label ‘platonic’ in the modern world is not according to what Plato meant when referring to love. Today, the term is attached to intimate relationships that lack sexual intimacy.

But for Plato, love was that in which one man loved another for his spiritual beauty more than for physical attractions.

And it is achieved by refining the physical desires and directing one’s mind to love for wisdom, although without necessarily suppressing one’s sexual emotion. Thus, Plato’s conception for the best kind of love is thoroughly erotic, says Professor Stoyles.

Switching the tone of love, English Professor, Joanne Findon ventures Criseyde’s love through Geoffrey Chaucer’s Triolus and Criseyde. Dr. Findon presents on a love that is complex and nuanced. Through the poem, she brings forth the complexities of Chaucer’s ideas about love - that it is complicated and becomes more human when freed from the ideals of ‘courtly love’.

Love is an object of importance between husband and wife, and that was the idea presented by the Professor of History Ivana Elbl.

By going back in time to 1434 to 1436, when arranged marriages were the norm in the European elites, she presents the episode when Prince Pedro of Portugal, Duke of Coimbra and his consort, Isabel of

Urgel campaigned against marriages without love. Dr. Elbl brings forth the importance of the authenticity of the emotions expressed and the non-literary description of marital love as a lived experience.

“Are humans capable of pure love?”

Love which is entirely devoid of self interest, a love that seeks, expects, and hopes for absolutely nothing in return, and characterized by total abandonment of oneself to the beloved, was the topic explored by the Professor for Philosophy, Dr. Michael Hickson. He finds the concept of pure love to be intriguing, but also disturbing at the same time.

It is not humanly, but a love one would show only for god, he said. And, even if humans are capable of pure love, he questioned if it should be considered healthy.

He supported this by presenting the argument of France’s two top-ranking Catholic Bishops over the topic. And how the debate was won by the concept that “human love is and must be partly self-interested!”

Taking an entirely different turn, dangers of loving making in eighteenth-century Britain was the presentation made

by History Professor, Kevin Siena. He outlined his collaborative research project to explain the many methodological obstacles that medical historians face when trying to assess epidemiological data from periods long ago.

After working through the challenges, they arrived at a relatively reliable conclusion that, “love making in eighteenth-century Britain was ‘very’ dangerous,” stated Dr. Siena, though it depended on where one lived.

The eventual exploration on love was made by History Professor, Jennine HurlEamon, who tried to find traces of romantic love among the illiterate poor in eighteenth-century England. She made aware

God Speed! by Edmund Blair Leighton, 1900: a late Victorian view of a lady giving a favor to a knight about to do battle

of the methodological challenges to find evidence of conjugal love among them because of this groups lack of education or resources to write letters. Further, army wives were notorious figures of abandonment after the husbands had left for war, she added.

However, Dr. Eamon’s research into the married lives of soldiers shows the possibilities for romance among the lowest classes, and that separation cannot necessarily be taken as a sign of lack of love among the poor. But the bigger question, according to her research, is whether love is something that transcends any historical, cultural, or socioeconomic context.

Even after understanding the concept of ‘love’ through the aforementioned different windows, one still wonders, ‘what is love?’

LocalPage

How to get something done at Peterborough City Hall

By Ayesha Barmania

Say you have a great idea for Peterborough. It’s a very reasonable project or policy that would vastly improve the quality of life for residents of the city. It’s something that would fall under the purview of the municipal government, (e.g. improving sidewalk accessibility). How would you go about getting it done?

There is an immediacy to municipal government that opens it to citizen input in ways that the provincial or federal government cannot accommodate. From their collection of your garbage to the fact that City Council meetings are located downtown and are open to the public, the operations of City Hall are available for citizens to interact with.

Moreover, the key players in City Hall, like councillors, are community members that are often engaged in the city in other ways. Their presence and involvement in the community gives the public opportunity to engage with them outside official capacities and approach them outside of their office.

Cheryl Lyon, local community mobilizer, put it in an interview with Arthur, “if you’re in a city the size of Peterborough or smaller, you actually know the people who are involved there; you see them involved in other places in the city. There’s a personal face there.”

City councillors are available for meetings with interested citizens. This can be an effective way of having your project or interests noted, and even just to have your questions answered. Gaining support from individual councillors can be the key to having a favourable reception at a City Council meeting where it will be decided if the project should be a priority of the City.

Otherwise, the City Clerk can ensure that messages are relayed to the council

as a whole and information is distributed.

The Clerk’s office is also responsible for arranging delegations at Council meetings. A citizen can register as a delegation, which gives them the opportunity to address council for seven minutes and then field questions.

Other than City Council, citizens can get engaged with City Hall through Advisory committees that are designated for certain issues (e.g. public library, accessibility, housing).

John Kennedy, City Clerk, in an interview with Arthur said, “Advisory committees are committees that are a bit closer to the community. I’d suggest because there is the opportunity to attend them, citizens also have the opportunity to apply to be on them.” Advisory committees advise on project concepts and other matters related to their purview.

To combat a perception that municipal government is inaccessible to citizens, there are a number of alternative systems being advocated for in the city. Lyon has spoken to City Council in support for Participatory Budgeting (PB), a strategy that is becoming popular in small to midsize cities that sees city money allocated to a fund spent on projects citizens choose.

The goal with PB is to engage citizens with municipal governance beyond consultations and involved in revenue and expenditures within a limited scope.

Of course, everything in government takes time and is subject to democratic processes. Just because one citizen thinks it’s a good idea does not mean others will.

This should not deter participation, but should encourage it instead.

Lyon said, “The more we understand it and the better we understand it, the more easily we can use it: to have our issues heard, and our influence. That can have a great effect on democracy, beyond just getting what you want.”

Booklover’s guide to Peterborough: Black History Month edition

By Brian Hough

In this edition we’ll be celebrating Black History Month with a slew of great books to be found downtown.

Books And Things: (Water St. between Simcoe and Hunter) Start here to find a number of classic African-American narratives including My Bondage And My Freedom by Fredrick Douglass ($6), and single text contain-

ing both Douglass’s Narrative Of The Life Of Frederick Douglas, An American Slave, as well as Incidents In The Life Of A Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs ($9). Beside both of those you’ll also find W.E. Dubois’ The Souls Of Black Folks ($3).

Dixon’s: (Water St. between Simcoe and Hunter) Look in Dixon’s classic literature section for Trinidadian writer Sam Selvon’s Moses

Ascending ($5.95). Selvon actually spent some time in Canada, teaching Creative Writing at the University of Victoria. After that, he worked as a janitor at the University of Calgary, only to months later become a writer-in-residence there.

Although he failed to attract the attention of the Canadian audiences and critics, his work did go on to receive many national awards from Trinidad and Tobago (although several posthumously).

In Dixon’s contemporary literature section you’ll also find Ghanian author Ama Ata Aidoo’s most popular, as well as her first 1977, novel Our Sister Killjoy ($7.95).

You will also find there Jamaican-American author Michelle Cliff ’s 1987 novel No Telephone To Heaven for ($6.95).

Mark Jokinen’s: (Water St. between Simcoe and Hunter) Mark’s buy two, get three deal is going strong, so stop into get some perhaps slightly pricier but harder to find stuff.

First published in 1988, Tsitsi Dangarembga’s Nervous Condition ($10) explores the life of Rhodesian families in post-colonial Rohodesia, to understand the history of what we know of as Zimbabwe and the legacies of colonialism.

Somali writer, Nuruudin Farrah’s Sweet And Sour Milk is available. It is the first of the this perennial Nobel candidate’s trilogy

Variations On the Themes Of An African Dictatorship.

One of the few Trinidadian writer’s to break into international readerships without ever leaving is Trinidad Earl Lovelace, having written both While Gods Are Falling ($8) and The Wine Of Astonishment ($8).

All of the above can be found in the African Literature section.

Knotaknew: (George St. at the corner of Sherbrooke) Canadian author Esi Edugyen’s critically acclaimed (and Canada Reads contender) Half-Blood Blues is available ($8.50).

Antiguan Jamaica Kincaid’s hard-hitting, short, and powerful Lucy is in the contemporary fiction section ($7.50) as is the recent Canadian smash and CBC mini-series, Lawrence Hill’s The Book Of Negroes.

Thea’s: (Water St. between Simcoe and Hunter) Drop by Thea’s to pick up two books from Nobel Laureate and American writer, Tori Morrison’s renown books, Sula and The Bluest Eye ($10 each). The Bluest Eye, Morrison’s first book, led to being both critically acclaimed, and creating efforts to ban it for the way it dealt with incest and child molestation and their intersection with racism.

Volume 49 | Issue 18 | FebrUARY 24, 2015

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Arts

Theatre Review: Art for Awareness’ Rent is a gift to

By Caleigh Boyle

Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred moments, five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred reasons to go see Rent the Musical at Showplace!

Art For Awareness, a local group with a mission to raise awareness of social issues through various art performances, has without question done so with this year’s production of Rent. Taking place in the East Village of New York City, Rent follows the lives of eight different characters all searching for love and living for today.

Struggling with poverty, addiction and HIV/AIDS, these characters take us through a year of their lives and expose the reality of these situations.nIt’s not pretty, it’s not fun and it’s not easy, but they are a community fighting for rights, fighting for life.

Written by Jonathan Larson and first performed on Broadway in 1996, Rent has become a musical sensation, shattering stigmas and stereotypes surrounding mental illness and HIV/AIDS. Having won four Tony Awards, this musical is not one easily reproduced and Art For Awareness has done so brilliantly.

It is certainly no secret that Peterborough has an incredibly talented theatre community, and Art for Awareness has brought so much of that talent all onto one stage with the result being indescribable.

With each character perfectly cast, it’s as though these actors were born to play these roles.

The play begins with Mark Cohen, played flawlessly by Ryan Hancock, bringing the audience into the lives of the people of his world. Leading the audience through the story, Hancock captures the essence of “La Vie Boheme.”

We soon meet Roger Davis (Mark’s roommate), played by Carl Christensen, and Mimi Marquez, played by Shannon McCracken. As the passion between

Roger and Mimi grows, the actors give a breathtaking, tear-inducing performance.

While sharing the heartache and challenges they suffer with the audience, they pull us in as if there was no boarder between audience and stage.

McCracken owned the stage every time she was on it filling the theatre with her voice, especially during her performance of “Take Me Out”, where she revealed Mimi in all her wildness. It is from this song that McCracken shows the audience how Mimi grows from the beginning of the paly to the end.

Benjamin Coffin III (Benny), the scummy landlord and old friend of Mark and Roger, is trying to evict the duo from their apartment. Played by Kelsey Powell, Benny represents the wealthy and quickly becomes the villain of the musical.

Powell’s performance not only shows the “corporate” side of Benny, but also portrays the empathy that he has for his old, once very close, friends. Powell shows the audience that Benny doesn’t have to be the bad guy, but he certainly can and will be.

The romance between Roger and Mimi is not the only hot and heavy love on stage. Bronte Germain who plays Joanne Jefferson and Hannah Bailey who plays Maureen Johnson, work off each other in a way that is so powerful, so that there is no doubt of the love between Joanne and Maureen.

These two mighty vocalists expose something real, through trial and tribulations love is love is love is love, and when you’ve got it and it’s good, don’t let go. Bailey shines as Maureen and the entire audience was in agreement. Her solo performance of “Over The Moon” had the theatre filled with laughter, while showing the audience that there isn’t anything this woman can’t do.

Many of the characters in Rent are living with (not dying from) HIV/AIDS including Tom Collins, played by Dane Shumak and Angel Dumott Schunard, played by Andrew Root. These characters grow on stage, they struggle on stage, and both Shumak and Root bring to life a love that is pure and selfless.

Watching both actors sing “I’ll Cover

You” is chilling and outstanding. Root fills the shoes, or rather knee-high leather boots, of Angel, and does so with incredible ease and grace, everything that Angel represents. Root’s performance comes close to stealing the show from tabletop dancing in high-heeled boots, to wonderful wigs and sequined dresses.

Angel is the embodiment of love and life, which she spreads throughout the entire Rent community.

While the cast carries their characters fiercely from beginning to end, their extremely talented company carries them.

Made up of talented dancers, actors and singers, the company of Rent represents the street life of the East Village. Watching these actors move naturally in and out of each other is mesmerizing. The whole production of Rent is made entirely of strong links with solos from Meg O’Sullivan, Jade Plumley, Carly Webb, Kalene Lupton and many more.

Rent, Art for Awareness and everyone involved, has given Peterborough an incredible gift. This performance far exceeds any expectations I had and is without a doubt the best performance I have ever seen in Peterborough.

The actors in this show do not hold back and there is no question that every single person on stage and behind the scenes has put their entire heart and soul into this production.

Running from February 20-28 at Showplace, this is one show that you are not going to want to miss. Tickets are $26 or $21 for students.

Dealing with very real and very challenging subject matter, Art For Awareness, I believe has done just what they set out to do; they have got the conversation on HIV/AIDS, mental illness and addiction rolling. I believe it is not possible for people to leave this performance without talking and without having questions.

Movie Review: A Methodical Deconstruction of Hot Tub Time Travel

By Brian Lukaszewicz

There’s a fine line between stupid funny and just plain stupid.

The original Hot Tub Time Machine was a masterclass in balancing that line. It took an uproariously ridiculous concept and – with a wink to the audience – gave it just enough structure to glue all of its absurd storylines together. It was perhaps my favourite comedy of 2010, and one of my tops over the last few years.

Hot Tub Time Machine 2 maintains the franchise’s storied tradition of crude characters and hot tub based time travel, but it feels like something’s missing this time around… most of the pieces that made the first one great are still in place, they’re just not adding up to the same magic.

Lou (Rob Corddry), Nick (Craig Robinson), and Jacob (Clark Duke) are still enjoying the spoils of their trip back in time from the first movie. Lou uses his knowledge of the future to steal ideas from tech companies with his massive corporation Lougle. Nick rips off pop songs from as yet undiscovered artists. Jacob lives at Lou’s house and he’s comfortable… though Lou’s sort of trying to turn him into his butler. All of them are the same guys we knew back in the first movie. If anything, Lou has gotten worse.

But as often it does in sequels, disaster strikes. Lou is shot in the ummm…crotch

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region… by an unseen gunmen and the guys are forced to use the hot tub time machine again to find the killer. Only instead of going into the past they get sent 10 years into the future.

The first act plays out exactly as well as you would expect from a first act based on a handful of throwaway jokes – albeit hilarious throwaway jokes – from the end of the first movie. It doesn’t take long for the setup to start feeling drawn out.

Still, that’s not the heart of the issue with HTTM 2. Once the guys started time travelling again the beginning stumbles don’t feel that important anyway. It’s really the choices made after that where I think the real issues lie.

For one, HTTM 2 just isn’t as grounded as the original. Now I know it seems foolish to say any movie about travelling through time is grounded, much less one with a title like Hot Tub Time Machine – obviously I’m referring to that in a relative sense – but the difference is there, and it’s important.

The plot of the first Hot Tub Time Machine was a lot simpler – four guys who get sent to the past just trying not to screw up the future before their time machine gets fixed. The comedy came from relatively down to Earth places, with contemporary characters essentially thrown into an ‘80s movie. We had something familiar to draw from.

HTTM 2 focuses on a rather confusing

time travel plot that includes alternate universes and the past actually being the future. A lot of the comedy is derived from weird quirks and inventions we may find in the future. The ‘80s had rules. We know what the ‘80s are like. The future doesn’t, and there are times when the scenarios feel a tad too manufactured to be funny.

Likewise, the first film was a lot more thematically coherent, a sort of deconstruction of that nostalgia for the past we all have and the desire to reconnect with people who used to be close to us. Now it’s not that I’m watching Hot Tub Time Machine for its deep inner meaning, it’s just that the presence of that sort of underscoring theme gave some purpose and direction to that movie, a general flow to the proceedings, and though the sequel tries its best to recreate this, it comes up lacking. There are times when HTTM 2 just feels like a collection of scenes.

What I’m really hitting at here – and I’ll admit this could be limited to Hot Tub Time Machine movies – is that travelling to the past is just a lot more fun than travelling to the future. More relatable anyways.

I’ve also been tempted to point to John Cusack’s absence as the reason for that perceived dip in quality. He’s a great actor, and his ‘80s movies credentials made him a hilarious choice to plop into that time

period. I think though what I really miss is what his character brought to the table: he was that oh so important straight man who brought that aforementioned deeper meaning. His story was the thread that held that first movie from crossing that line from stupid funny to just stupid.

Now I know, it’s not entirely fair to spend an entire review talking about why one movie doesn’t stand up to another – and contrary to how it must sound I didn’t just want a rehash of the original – but it’s hard to explain what’s lacking in the second installment without referring back to the first. The missteps in HTTM 2 are subtle and the comparison is just the easiest way to highlight them… and I’m on a deadline here.

Still, I feel uneasy about how many words I’ve spent picking out flaws. While the issues with HTTM 2 are elusive enough to take 600 or 700 odd words to explain, its strengths don’t take nearly that long. The characters are still great, the writing can still be uniquely funny, and the cast is still as lovable as ever.

Which is why I had a lot of trouble rating this movie. It has its faults sure, but Hot Tub Time Machine 2 doesn’t feel like a mediocre comedy. With those, usually at best you break a smile or two. When HTTM 2 is funny, it’s laugh out loud pain-in-your-gut funny. That ought to be worth something.

Opinionpages

Editorial: Why we published Editorial: Freer should resign the Freer conversation story from the TCSA presidency

By Pat Reddick

Publishing an article like the one on the cover of this week’s issue is never something an editor wants to do. In fact, it’s with great displeasure that we do so. But, there is no doubt in our minds that it was something we had to do.

As editors, each time we publish an issue we view it as essentially performing a service to the community our paper was created for—the students and community members of Trent University.

In our view, part of that service is to responsibly report on matters of the public interest, no matter how uncomfortable it may be to do so.

This is a right that has been challenged and upheld by numerous court decisions in Canada. The most recent and most relevant is Grant v. Torstar, a case before the Supreme Court of Canada in 2009.

The court decided that responsibly reporting on matters of the public interest means getting everyone’s side of a story, and covering the story without malicious intent. It, of course, must be a matter of public interest in the first place.

In our view, the story on the cover is a matter of public interest primarily because it centres on the president of Trent’s largest student association, Braden Freer.

Furthermore, the conversation concerns two topics which Arthur has reported on in the recent past: the rescindment of the TCSA’s Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions policy against Israeli Apartheid, and defederation from the Canadian Federation of Students.

It also concerns a conservative takeover, jokingly or not, of a student union, a topic which is well-precedented in other publi-

cations.

Regardless of its precedence, the TCSA is holding an election in less than a month, and students have the right to know about anything that might impact that election.

In this case, it seems that it will not, and that is reflected in the article.

It was only after our reporter Jack Smye demonstrated, beyond any doubt in our minds, that he was conducting the story responsibly and without malice, that we agreed it would be published. Smye contacted each party involved in the leaked conversation, and gave them both followup interviews when he received answers that didn’t match up or caused further allegations.

A question that will no doubt arise is how can we justify reporting on what was a private conversation.

In our view, the conversation ceased to be private when screenshots of it were uploaded onto a publicly-accessible, anonymous file sharing website. While anyone can read them now, that itself does not merit coverage. It’s because of their relevance to the public interest, as I argue above, that we conducted this story.

Furthermore, no one at Arthur took those screenshots, nor did anyone here seek them out. These documents were given to us anonymously. No misconduct was done on our part in receiving them.

We carefully weighed the story’s interest to the public against all other factors, and it was our conclusion that to not cover the story for reasons of personal discomfort would be to fail in our role as editors.

We believe doing so is for the public good. It is in Trent students’ best interest to know the details of that conversation.

By Matthew Rappolt

It is unfortunate, and maybe even unfair, that Trent Central Student Association President Braden Freer’s career in Trent student politics will close on this sour note.

Regardless of the fallout from his leaked conversation with Trent Conservatives VicePresident Corey LeBlanc (see cover story), Mr. Freer has already chosen not to seek reelection in next month’s TCSA general elections and so, one way or another, his time with the union is now at its end.

I have known Mr. Freer for the better part of three years, since he was first elected to the TCSA board in 2012-2013, and although we have at times disagreed on aspects of Trent politics I am of the opinion that he has, for the most part, done an respectable job with the important portfolios he has taken on.

Under his presidency the TCSA has successfully grown its health and prescription benefits; it has maintained its excellent stewardship of the Trent Express bus service; it has implemented an important Aboriginal land recognition policy; and it has made meaningful strides forward with its student centre project. Given all of this, it should be made clear that the legacy of Mr. Freer’s time as TCSA president is not one of administrative incompetence.

However, the 18 screenshots leaked anonymously to Arthur last week paint a picture of an executive who, at a crucial moment in his presidency, failed to recognize and uphold the standards of conduct required for his position.

Although Mr. Freer maintains he did not break any TCSA by-laws during his conversation with Mr. LeBlanc (an opinion with which I disagree), it must be stated that at the very least his actions were not in accordance with

their spirit nor were they in accordance with the spirit of professionalism, openness, and respect for which the Association strives.

One of the TCSA president’s most important responsibilities is to build and maintain meaningful relationships within the broader student and university community. Unfortunately, Mr. Freer’s leaked comments could now result in significant damage to the Association’s public image as well as to the relationships of trust it has built with its own members, with Trent administrators, and with the broader Trent community.

Mr. Freer clearly should have known better than to actively assist Trent4Israel in their BDS rescindment campaign when he was scheduled to act as AGM chairperson, his actions have now called into question the legitimacy and neutrality of that meeting.

He should also have known better than to use terminology like “TCSA takeover” to encourage members to run for office, especially since the Association has only recently recovered from the disastrous slate campaigns of 2008.

Finally, he should have known better than to be party to disrespectful comments made about TCSA directors and members of the administration as these comments reflect poorly on the Association as a whole.

I can sympathize, to a certain extent, with Mr. Freer’s argument there should be some division between one’s personal and professional personas. After all, everyone has said things in private that they would not wish to see publicized.

In this situation, however, given that the conversation in question so intricately involved details of TCSA politics, I believe that Mr. Freer’s words and actions cannot be divorced from his position as the president of Trent’s largest student union. Therefore, I am sadly forced to concolude that he should resign as TCSA president.

Open letter: Corey LeBlanc on the leaked screenshots (I would like to note that I write this letter without any idea of the content of the Arthur article.)

I am writing this open letter; directed to all students, faculty, staff and administration at Trent University, to express my deep concern with the article published by the Arthur, in this issue, which contains content based on a ‘leaked’ private conversation between myself and TCSA President Braden Freer.

I would first like to thank all students who voted in favour of rescinding the TCSA Israel-Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions policy at the TCSA AGM on the 29th of January. You have allowed inclusivity and tolerance to prevail on campus – and have facilitated an environment which will allow honest exchanges between Pro-Israeli and Jewish students at Trent, with their Palestinian counterparts.

You have set a precedent, students, and I cannot express how much our Israeli and Jewish community – both here at Trent, as well as Peterborough as whole - are thankful for it. I am also happy to let you know, that the initial planning has begun on some exciting future events to be held, following through on this commitment of collaboration made by Trent4Israel.

Now to address the article.

The article is based on a private Facebook conversation between myself and

TCSA President Braden Freer. I will not speak on behalf of Mr. Freer, but I will discuss my portion of the conversation.

The basis of my portion of the conversation is three-fold.

1) I ask Mr. Freer a series of questions regarding AGM procedure, as well as his personal opinion on how things are going to unfold regarding the Israel-BDS motions. I also briefly discuss how our (Trent 4 Israel) campaign is going.

2) I discuss my personal opinion on several matters regarding the TCSA, including the restructuring of the TCSA as proposed by Mr. Freer at the TCSA AGM on January 29.

3) Finally, I briefly discuss a potential run for a position on the TCSA Executive and/or Board with Mr. Freer. I end up deciding against running this year – as I have made prior commitments which I am focused on fulfilling. If I was to run for the TCSA - I would do so with an open schedule so I could commit 110% of my energy towards representing the TCSA membership.

I would have never imagined this conversation – one which I believed was completely private – would be ‘leaked’ and commented on in the public realm.

I am deeply troubled that our student paper, Arthur, would publish an article based on this ‘leaked’ information. An article about ethics; which itself is potentially unethical. Ironic?

Regardless of this, I have said noth-

ing within this conversation that I would not say to anyone in public. My views are well known. I hate to use labels, but I am what some would call a ‘Conservative’ minded-individual. I strongly believe in the lowest possible fees for our students.

Furthermore, I believe that our student association, as well as our mandatory levy groups, should refrain from political advocacy – outside of advocating for the students attending our institution.

I support Mr. Freer. I feel Mr. Freer has done an excellent job as our TCSA President, and his hard work in office will benefit Trent, and the Trent community, for years, and decades, to come. The Student Centre would not be possible without the hard work done by Mr. Freer. The Direct2U prescription service would not run as smoothly as it currently is, without Mr. Freer. In regards to Mr. Freer’s proposed restructuring of the TCSA – I fully support/supported Mr. Freer with that.

It is regretful that it was not given the opportunity to be voted on by you, the students, and that Mr. Freer was not given the opportunity to defend the changes himself. I had an opportunity to sit on the TCSA’s ORDC (Organizational Review and Development Committee), and I was able thoroughly review the proposed changes. They were, in my opinion, logical - and needed.

To conclude this letter, I would ask you, the students, to keep this all in

mind. Mr. Freer, as well as myself, had/ have no intentions rather than to better the Trent experience for all students. Mr. Freer has been an excellent representative for our student body, and I do not believe his conversation with me changes any of that.

Mr. Freer will continue fighting for Trent regardless of where he is, and regardless of what he is doing.

As will I. Thank you.

Sincerely, Corey R. LeBlanc

Do you have something to say?

Send your letters to: editors@trentarthur.ca

and make your voice heard!

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Volume 49 | Issue 18 | FebrUARY 24, 2015

Opinion

Comment: Harper’s Anti-Terror Act is a threat to Canada’s identity

By Yumna Leghari

The late 1950’s and early 60’s in Canada were an era of determining nuclear policy. It was the time of Diefenbaker, and Canadian identity was under the limelight.

Many view this time period as the paradigm shift towards “Americanization” as Canada joined the Nuclear Family. Scholars and citizens determined that Canada was losing a sense of self, that any agency it held as an individual nation was being shed as the government acquired nuclear arms in negotiation with the United States.

In the eight years that Prime Minister Steven Harper has been leading the nation under the Conservative party, Canada has seen the pendulum swing once again towards foreign policies that aligns itself with the United States.

Harper has been quoted saying it is anti-Semitic to display pro-Palestinian sentiment. Omar Khadr, a young boy infamous for his controversial imprisonment, has only recently returned Canada and is finally dwelling in a Canadian prison facility after years of being detained Guantanamo Bay with no charges, despite being a Canadian citizen.

These topics are a can of worms that when opened, lead to hours of polarized and heated discussions. There is a continuity within them though, and that is the intertwined politics and partnership of the United States and Canada. There was a time when the United States was intimidated by Canada’s relationship with nations like Cuba, during the leadership of Pierre Trudeau, who often came under fire for supposedly having Communist sympathies.

Through the eras of Diefenbaker, Mulroney, and Harper, we have seen the nation shed much of its contrasting identity from the United States regarding environment protection, new bills, and foreign affairs that incredibly benefit and profit our neighbours down South. This is a sweeping analysis that ignores the rocky bits and pieces that are the complexities of any situation, yet sets the basis for an incredibly

controversial Federal bill that the Conservatives are attempting to pass as we speak.

Shrouded in vague terminology and general statements, the Anti-Terror Act, Bill C-51, has been proposed by the Conservative Party who seem to be in quite a rush to pass it. The Liberals have disappointingly shown their support, while the NDP leader Tom Muclair has declared the party’s opposition to the bill.

Bill C-51 is being painted as an effort to protect Canadians against terrorism.

Three months after the tragic attack on Corporal Nathan Cirillo and Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent, and within the absurdist theatre of fear mongering and conceptual threats of ISIS to the everyday Canadian, Bill C-51 fits nicely into the narrative that has travelled through the United States to Canadian doorsteps, permeating our media and foreign policies under the rule of the Harper government.

In a similar fashion to the October Crisis in 1970, the Anti-Terrorism Act is reminiscent of the War Measures Act. Rather than being enacted in times of immediate crisis, Bill-C51 would be an ever present entity. The bill will allow enforcement officials to have greater powers to make arrests based solely on suspicion. Citizens will be detained for seven days with no charge rather than the current three days, as well as extending the reach of the “no fly list.”

The power the Anti-Terror Act will place in the Canadian Security Intelligence Service’s (CSIS) hands is extremely problematic. Essentially, it will lead to a secret police under the CSIS umbrella that will monitor online activities of Canadian citizens, seeking to “disrupt” any suspected terrorist activity. The goal is to make it illegal to “promote” terrorism.

Harper has already claimed that it is anti-Semitic to show Pro-Palestinian sentiment so where will the line be drawn, and what exactly will entail “promoting terrorism?” Political and Historical Academics are still arguing over the definition of terrorism and have yet to agree on any objective characterization.

C-51 was under scrutiny before it was

even proposed by lawyers and civil liberty groups. Many are unaware that the Canadian government is already dealing with several law suits concerning oversight of nation security. Therefore it is ridiculous that this act is under discussion as Canada already has more than sufficient laws to deal with such crimes and is already being accused of breaching security laws.

There has been little analysis of the consequences of the proposed bill, save an in depth study by Professor Ken Roach and Craig Forcese. These three papers, Advocating or Promoting Terrorism, New CSIS Powers, and Information Sharing are an essential read for anyone worried about this legislation.

Under the magnifying glass much of the bill is subtext, an inception or “a bill within a bill,” which goes much further than just preventing terrorism but simply gaining more access to private information. One can see this in the subsection of the Anti-Terror Act, entitled, “Security of Canada Information Sharing Act.” Many important questions still remain unanswered, such as whether protests will be counted in the new bill, which could greatly affect Indigenous groups, yet the

Conservatives have already rushed the bill from the House of Commons to the Committee.

In light of Black History Month and the recent hate crimes committed against Muslims in Chapel Hill, arsonist attacks on mosques globally, and violence against individuals mistaken for Muslims such as Sikhs, we must acknowledge that this will inevitably become a racial issue, which will target visible minorities on a daily basis if the bill passes.

Post 9/11, the United States went through a metamorphosis; foreign policies transformed, the Patriot Act was introduced, people were plucked off the street by authority forces and the collective consciousness of citizens was vulnerable as seeds of fear were planted to the greater advantage of those in power, in order to gain even more power.

Steven Harper’s speeches to the public are an eerie echo of U.S. President George W. Bush’s tyranny pre-Iraq invasion. If the Conservatives are successful and Bill C-51 is passed, Canada will shed even more of its identity and the course of its future will take an all-too-predictable turn towards partisanship and intolerance.

Comment: Chapel Hill shooting exposes the bigotry of New Atheism

By Graeme Scott

The assailant who killed a Canadian soldier in Ottawa, in October of last year, was widely reported to have been inspired

by Islamic State, as was the hostage-taker in Sydney Australia, in December. Although neither of them committed the heinous acts with any planning from ISIL, it was obvious from their behaviour (in person and on social media) that the propaganda from Islamic State had inspired them to do so.

This is certainly not a wild assumption; after all, it would be absurd to claim that the underlying motivation was, say, a parking dispute. However, when Muslims happen to be victims of hateful violence, absurdity takes centre stage. Craig Hicks fatally shot three young Muslim students in a Chapel Hill apartment in a premeditated execution-style attack, but the media coverage quickly emphasized a parking dispute between Hicks and the three slain students as the underlying reason.

In short, an anecdote about something as mundane as a parking dispute is portrayed as the main motivation for following three people into their home

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and murdering them. If arguments over parking space could inspire triple homicides so easily, society would surely collapse in a maelstrom of violence. No, the murders that Hicks committed were obviously about something else.

Hicks’ wife stated to the press that he “believed in equality, in same sex marriage”, which is supposed to preclude the possibility that he committed a hate crime. His blatant support for writers and pundits who spread anti-Muslim bigotry under the pretext of “New Atheism”, is suddenly relegated to periphery. Hicks’ Facebook page was inundated with pages and photos depicting any religious belief as primitive, volatile, and morally unconscionable, with a particular emphasis on Islam. This is the central tenet of so-called New Atheism: all societal problems will disappear if all religious faith is somehow eliminated.

Many celebrities of the “New Atheist” movement, such as comedian Bill Maher, spew intellectually shallow arguments about Islam and blame it for making its adherents violent, dangerous, and barbaric. They frequently retort that they are only mocking Islam as an ideology and not denigrating or threatening

Muslims as a populace. But by and large, they are not simply critics of Islam, such as Salman Rushdie, and several of them make no distinction between the belief and the believers. This goes deeper than garden variety stereotypes or facile arguments.

Sam Harris, neuroscientist and guru of New Atheism, is a firm proponent of racial profiling, torture, and invading Middle Eastern nations in order to “civilize” them. He adheres to the conspiracy theory that Muslims are planning to overpopulate and subjugate Europe, and at one point promoted the idea of preemptively firing a nuclear bomb at an Islamic nation if the nation had successfully developed a nuclear device of its own (unbeknownst to Harris, Pakistan has nuclear weapons). Men like Harris do not need to resort to brutal violence against Islamic polities or people, as state military power does the work for them, but inevitably, some people take a pragmatic approach to the undercurrent of violence within these Islamophobic rants.

Over three and half years ago, a man in Norway also immersed himself in xenophobic, anti-Muslim media before deciding to act upon his beliefs. His name

was Anders Breivik, perpetrator of the deadliest terrorist attack in Norwegian history. In the popular press, there was next to no in-depth analysis or criticism of the growing far-right, anti-immigrant ideology which Breivik followed faithfully, nor was the influence of Muslimhating demagogues like Geert Wilders or Pamela Geller even alluded to.

Western media and 24-hour cable news paid a paltry amount of attention to the Oslo-Utoya massacre, and it seems as though this new hate crime (along with daily arson attacks on mosques) will again fly under the radar. By diverting attention to the outrageous excuse of a “parking space argument” and systematically downplaying anti-Muslim hate crimes, we are ignoring the growing bigotry pervading our society, and putting lives at risk as a result. The aforementioned antitheist writer Sam Harris once claimed that “some beliefs are so dangerous that it may be ethical to kill people for believing them”; in North Carolina, it looks like someone put those words into action.

Addendum: I am an atheist, and people like Harris and Maher will never speak for my beliefs or lack thereof.

Clubs&Groups Canadian Mining Awareness: Putting value on gold, not just a price

By Carly Hayes

Priceless heirlooms, expressions of love, symbols of prosperity, even the minerals used to produce our everyday products— society values gold for many reasons. But what is the true price of gold?

Throughout world history, gold has been used as a measure of wealth—whether that is a symbol of prosperity, or an actual means of determining the value of currency.

With Valentine’s Day recently behind us, the consumption of gold drastically increased, as a way of expressing love and affection.

But understanding the true cost of gold—beyond its market value or price tag—requires looking at the devastating environmental and human costs that result from its production.

First, there are the environmental impacts. According to the mining watchdog group Earthworks, the production of just one gold ring results in 20 tons of waste.

In order to extract the gold, toxins such as sulfuric acid, arsenic, and copper must be drained from the ore when it is exposed to air, and often these toxins end up in waterways surrounding the mine.

The next stage in making that gold ring

is the process of roasting ore, which causes mercury to be released into the atmosphere. Then, the ore is doused in cyanide in order to separate the gold from the ore.

Despite the contested environmental impacts of cyanide, its use allows mining companies to use lower-grade ore, of which more is required to produce that one ring. This causes greater digging and increased tailings with higher concentrations of chemicals.

In the Yanacocha mine in Cajmarca, Peru, the presence of this chemical in the local water supply has been linked to rising levels of gastrointestinal cancers and

wide-spread trout die-offs in the region.

But what about the stimulation of developing economies that gold mining provides, in the form of jobs, manufacturing and production, and increased trade?

Mining in developing countries often results in the displacement of alreadymarginalized Indigenous and rural populations, along with the loss of assets, income, and security of jobs, food, and homes.

Not only are the labour rights of local workers in these mines continuously violated, they are often the target of violence and human rights abuses.

The world’s largest gold-mining company, Barrick Gold, is currently embroiled in a court case regarding its Tanzanian mines, where workers are frequently shot at with live ammunition, according to MiningWatch Canada.

The victims of these crimes often have no remedies to turn to in the aftermath, due to the power imbalance between foreign corporations and local governments.

Economic benefits to foreign direct investment in mining for export are also highly contested, as studies have shown that countries with higher levels of primary-resource extraction by foreign companies tend to get stuck in a static comparative advantage, with an inability to move into higher levels of manufacturing and production.

This is due to the fact that innovation is stifled, with resources being directed into the export-led industry, with little evidence of backward-linkages of money, technology, or human capital.

If you are interested in learning more about the environmental, economic, and social impacts of mining both within Canada and around the world, join us at the next Canadian Mining Awareness meeting, or check out Canadian Mining Awareness on Facebook.

TMSA: What is Islam and #WhoIsMuhammed

By Bakhtawar Riaz

Islam calls humanity to the service of the One, Omnipotent Creator. It instructs people on how they may live together in peace and harmony regardless of race, class, or belief.

The unity of purpose brought by all previous religious guides is highlighted as well as traditional morality, the equality of the sexes before God and the virtues of patience and humbleness.

“Mankind! We created you from a single soul, male and female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may come to know one another. Truly, the most honored of you in God’s sight is the greatest of you in piety. Surely Allah is Knowing, Aware” (Translation of the Qur’an 49:13).

A former professor of Religious Studies and Management at St. Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova Scotia summarizes the epistemology of the word “Islam” in the following manner: “Islam is a term that is derived from two meanings. The first is ‘salam’ which simply means “peace.” The other is ‘submission’- a conscious submission to the Will of God.

In fact the two meanings are not dissimilar because putting both roots together, it follows that Islam is the attainment of peace through voluntary submission to the will of God. In that sense, when we’re talking about peace here, we are talking of both internal peace within the individual and peace without it (Islam). It is important to indicate that submission here is not just lip service but rather a submission that manifests itself in the actual life of a Muslim; the deeds and actions of the individual. In other words, it manifests itself in the love of God and in following the commands and injunctions that have been given by Him. If you observe how Islam plays out for the vast majority of Muslims, you will find it being played out in the following manner. Islam is about striving to be the best you can be. Islam is being hospitable to one another. That hospitality is not just about housing people and feeding them; it is about listening and understanding.

This is the essence of Islam that has allowed Islam to flourish around the world gathering a billion and more followers.

Islam was not conquered by the sword, although some groups may represent it

as such. Islam was brought into hearts by actions that freed the minds, hearts, and spirit. It was not brought into the hearts by actions that destroyed those things.

The best representation of Islam on Earth is one whose mannerisms have been hijacked by those who claim to love him the most. Anyone who has read the biography or studied the life of Prophet Muhammed (Peace Be Upon Him) would be perplexed as to who exactly these people are honoring.

I can’t speak to the Muhammed that ISIS or the like honour, but I wholeheartedly testify that I honour the Muhammed who said, “A true believer is one with whom others feel secure” (Sahih Bukhari).

The Muhammed who consoled a young boy whose bird died. The Muhammed who, after years of persecution, finally conquered Makkah and instead of enacting revenge on those who persecuted him declared, “Go, You are all free!” (Sahih Albani). I testify to honour the Muhammed whose very character was the Qur’an.

With ISIS, Al-Qaeda and the like dominating their twisted version of who Muhammed (PBUH) was, it is necessary for

us Muslims to take back the narrative and remember the true example of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

So Trent Muslim Students’ Association brings you “Islam Awareness Week.” A week where you can come ask your questions and decipher the truth. This year we will be covering the most common misconceptions: Jihad, Prophet Muhammed (pbuh), hijab, and Qur’an respectively beginning Monday March 2, to Friday March 6 at Bata.

Join us for our various activities and events (see below)!

And make sure to follow our conversations with our various hashtags!

Islam Awareness Week schedule of events: March 2-6, 2015 Monday

Tuesday

Misconceptions of Jihad.

2-4pm, Bata Library room 103

Prophet Muhammed (PBUH).

5-7pm, Bata Library room 103

Students will be asked their understanding of jihad and then told the actual meaning (I.e to struggle). They will then be asked to write what their inner struggle (jihad) is.

We will talk about the personality and significance of the Prophet Muhammed (PBUH).

There will also be a hashtag #WhoIsMuhammed.

Wednesday

Thursday

Hijabi Diaries The Qur’an.

6-8pm, Otonabee College room 204 6-8pm, Bata Library room 103

This will be our discussion on People will be able to drop by hijab and its significance. our booth and ask any questions they have about the Qur’an.

In the evening there will be an event called “Hijabi Diaries” In the evening we will have an which will be a light hearted event with recitation of the In the evening we will have a discussion on hijab and Muslim Qur’an and a short lecture on There will also be an online lecture on the life and times of women’s experiences wearing its significance. hashtag #MyJihad where students the Prophet (PBUH) hijab and their motivations etc. can share their struggles with us on Twitter or Facebook. In the evening there will be a lecture on the meaning of jihad.

Friday Prayer and Wrap-up We will talk about prayer in Islam and will generally be open ended where people can come ask any questions they have from the week.

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Volume 49 | Issue 18 | FebrUARY 24, 2015

Clubs&Groups

By Steve Snow

Pawel Pawlikowski’s Ida, up for the Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award, is a rare film that focuses more so on showing than telling (not unlike Bergman films).

(Unfortunately this article is being written a mere five days prior to the Academy Awards, so the mystery will have been already revealed by the time your eyes read these words).

Set in 1960s Poland (formerly the Polish People’s Republic), we are introduced to Anna, a novice nun preparing to take her vows. Anna is told by her prioress that she must first visit her aunt Wanda, who is her only living relative. It is through this meeting with her aunt Wanda that Anna’s world is shaken.

Wanda acts as a deliberate foil to Anna; Wanda is a sexually promiscuous chainsmoking alcoholic judge, who gives in to temptation and satisfies most of her inner desires, whereas Anna is an abstinent, straight-edged nun who lives entirely for the church.

Upon meeting Wanda, Anna is told that she is not actually who she thinks she is, but rather, she is Ida Lebenstein. Wanda reveals that Ida’s parents were of Jewish faith and that they were murdered during the German occupation of Poland in WWII. Ida was raised as orphan Anna in the convent and has lived there ever since being taken in.

Anna/Ida’s aunt Wanda tries to open her eyes and show her that there is more to life than the convent in which she grew up.

Wanda introduces Ida to her various vices, as well as jazz music, and even tries to set her up with a man.

Ida, more interested in unearthing her past, ignores her aunt’s behaviour and the two of them search for the location of her parents’ remains.

Shot in black and white and in a 4:3 aspect ratio, Ida at first glance appears to be a film from many decades ago, yet it is crisp and so beautifully shot that it is clear that it was recently crafted. This gives Ida a timeless quality; if you stumbled upon the film and didn’t know any information about it, you would have difficulty placing its inception.

As mentioned above, the film shows more than it tells. There are of course dialogue sequences and verbal interactions

Trent Radio welcomes fabulous weirdos

By James Kerr

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“Fabulous Weirdos”: a term I heard the other day applied to Trent Radio Programmers. I opened my mouth to object, I made a few guttural sounds, mentally reviewed several of our hundred-some programmers, and wiggled my eyebrows. Ultimately, had to admit that there was some truth there. But it’s an encouraging truth.

As programme director at Trent Radio, I encourage our programmers to pursue only the most selfish artistic visions. I simply facilitate their voice towards a dreamy, vague, horizon-like goal. Like Buddhism, starship voyages, and perfection itself, this goal is certainly unattainable—assumed so at launch—but you are ultimately better for the journey.

It is only sometimes that all these tunnel visions align into a juncture, and we at Trent Radio come together en masse to accomplish some broader artistic goal.

One of these is happening the day this issue circulates, Wednesday February 25, “Geek Day”. You can tune in to 92.7 FM all day today and hear your fellow students and community members ramble on about everything from cat breeds to Doctor Who to Archie comics. The day is notoriously popular among our programmers, and it doesn’t stop there, goodness no.

Later that day, there is a Geek Day Afterparty at the Spill (414 George St N) featuring the music of Bloody Boy Blue (the keytar avenger), Math Jarvis (who dances like a caveman), and Big Damn Heroes (and their rollerskatin’, bustin’ rhymes).

As well, there shall be various old video game systems (NES/SNES/N64—if you know what those nonsense letters mean, good for you) on different screens around the place, all night long.

Now, I’m an utter shut-in, and like the common mole, my ears are too sensitive

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between characters, however there are an abundance of non-verbal scenes in which the audience must deal with the uncertainty of Ida’s situation alongside her. We come to understand Ida not through her words, but through her body language.

The film is gorgeously shot, showcasing the serene beauty of Poland’s landscape.

Each shot of Anna/Ida has this divine, iconic quality, which I’m sure is every bit intentional as it is ironic (given her religious upbringing).

Film critic David Denby provides some contextual information about the time period the film is set in: “Between 1939 and 1945, Poland lost a fifth of its population, including three million Jews. In the two years after the war, Communists took over the government under the eyes of the Red Army and the Soviet secret police, the N.K.V.D. Many Poles who were prominent in resisting the Nazis were accused of preposterous crimes; the independent-minded were shot or hanged. In the movie, none of this is stated, but all of it is built, so to speak, into the atmosphere…”

Denby dubs Ida “a compact masterpiece [that] has the curt definition and the finality of a reckoning—a reckoning in which anger and mourning blend together.”

Ida is ultimately about the struggle of identity. Who is Anna/Ida? Does she discover who she (thinks she) is? Is that even an answerable question in the context of an 80 minute film? Ida is about trying to make sense of a world that appears senseless.

Please join us for a free screening of Pawel Pawlikowski’s Ida on Wednesday, March 4 at Market Hall (140 Charlotte Street). The show begins at 8pm.

to bear loud music. However, were I not already committed to programming that evening, to the prospect of playing Nintendo at the Spill I would say: “Press Start.”

Not enough geek for you? Then—because the geek goes on and on—the following day, February 26, Trent Radio is hosting one of the Jolly Hangman Pub Nights at Sadleir House (751 George St N) starting at 9pm. Please consider yourself invited, whatever your interests. There will be board games, if only to help us all overcome our minor social stigmas and interact in some way moderately meaningful.

The point is—and there is a point beyond all this shameless self-promotion— we’re all in our own little heads. Rather than shaking yourself violently and screaming, “Get out of your head!” and being generally frustrated with yourself and the obscurity of your passions, I suggest instead finding a way to make peace with your inner love of Pokemon, origami, alphabetising or Star Trek. Bring it into a social atmosphere. Your enthusiasm is more intoxicating in others than you expect.

I don’t personally enjoy talking about the wonders of the pre-1989 Easy Bake Oven, but I understand some people do, and will do so at great length—the wonders of cupcakes, cookies, and more!

If you listen in to Trent Radio 92.7 FM on Geek Day, you’ll hear people being passionate about their interests. That night at the Spill, students and community members will be literally rocking out to those interests, and at the Pub Night at Sadleir House the following night we shall be socializing among those interests, and beer.

Maybe I’ll come to love the Easy Bake Oven? Maybe you’ll come away being interested, too. Ultimately, there is some geeky interest alive in each of us, however obscure, and that’s okay.

Being a Fabulous Weirdo is pretty nifty.

SportsPage Sports Brief

Trent volleyball teams wrap up successful regular seasons as women prepare for playoffs

By Matthew Seaby edited by Arthur Staff

Trent University’s Women’s Volleyball Team opened their match with one goal in mind on Sunday, February 15, afternoon: the playoffs. Against the Fleming College Knights, Trent took all three games. Each set was won by a convincing margin (25-11, 25-9, and 25-11) as Trent secured their final win of the regular season.

Despite being in a four-way tie for second place (by points) the Excalibur Women’s Volleyball team had the tiebreak, so long as they secured the win.

Now the Women’s Volleyball Team receives a well-earned rest as they prepare for OCAA Championship tournament in two weeks time. The team is in the hunt for a birth into the medal rounds as they look to improve on their OCAA bronze from 2014.

The Men’s Team entered their game on Sunday in the same situation as their female counterparts. Win against Fleming, and they would be in. Lose, and play for berth into the OCAA Championship Tournament in a single winner-take-all

Comic

match.

The match with Fleming proved to be an exciting one. With the Fleming Knights just ahead of Trent in the standings the teams were on an equal footing.

Trent opened up play strong, overcoming Fleming in the first set by a margin of 25-23.

In the second set Trent and Fleming battled it out well past the 25 point marker with Trent eventually being overcome by a final score of 31-29. In the third round Fleming carried their momentum to 25-21 margin of victory.

Despite strong play from Trent in the fourth (and final) set, Fleming surged in the last plays of the game to take it 25-20.

After falling to Fleming the week before, the Trent men took Niagara College to the court on Saturday, February 21st at 12:00 pm in a winner-take-all showdown.

Despite a strong performance, Trent fell three sets to one and will unfortunately not continue into the OCAA Championship Tournament. However, the men can hold their heads high after a season that saw them place in the top half of the OCAA East Division.

By Paul Sanderson

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Volume 49 | Issue 18 | FebrUARY 24, 2015

listings Clubs & Groups Learn to Fence! Practices are Thursday 6:30-8:15pm and Sunday 7-9pm in the Main Gym. No experience required. You need to arrive in workout gear with athletic shoes, all other equipment is provided.

It is $20 for the semester. For more information go to trentu.ca/fencing or email courtneypeeters@outlook.com Weekly Open Mics EVERY Thursday evening at 8pm at the Trend pub in Traill college!

Hosted by the Trent University Music Society. Bring your instruments or just come to listen for a night of good music and good company. Free admission, all welcome! More info: trentumusic@gmail.com.

Come learn basic to advanced Arabic! Our classes cover reading, writing and speaking. Weekly Arabic classes every Tuesday from 5-6pm at GCS 108. Absolutely free!

Sadleir House All events in this section take place at 751 George St N in Peterborough.

Come visit the Sadleir House Library Open Mondays 11am-4pm, 6-9pm, Tuesday 1-9pm, Wednesday 12-9pm, Thursday 1-6pm, Friday 11am-5pm, Saturday 11am-4pm in Room 107 (wheelchair accessible). The Sadleir House Library is a free lending library open to all students and community members. With over 4000 books covering general academic interest and 2000 films focusing on international titles, documentaries, art house, and LGBT interest.

Trent Queer Collective - Trans*Space. 4th Wednesday of each month (next date is Feb 26), 6-8pm Lecture Hall (room 106) wheelchair accessible A hang-out place for Peterborough and area trans*-identified and questioning folk to come hang out, chat, share knowledge, be ourselves, and build or find a sense of community and support.

Come meet other local trans folk, enjoy free snacks, and maybe do some arts and crafts or play a board game depending how you’re feeling! (Please note that this is a drop-in space, so while you’re more than welcome and encouraged to come for the entire two hours, you’re also more than welcome to stop by for a shorter time!)

Trent Visual Arts Network (TVAN) presents “Bringing Artistic minds together.”A month-long student exhibit exploring a variety of artwork styles. All of February in Hobbs Library (room 101, wheelchair accessible). This network was founded on building a community through visual art.

We aim to expose Trent University to a more vibrant and present art culture. We currently run three weekly workshops on campus; sketching, painting and photography. Whether you are a full-fledged artist or someone who just has a love for art, this network aims to connect people from diverse backgrounds to bring more texture to what we know as Trent University and the city of Peterborough. NOTE: Exhibit is NOT accessible for viewing when Hobbs Library is in use. Please call ahead: 705-742-3686

SUDOKU

Community Workshop on Anti-Black Racism

and Anti-Racist Practice. Wednesday, February 25th 5-7pm in Hobbs Library (room 101, wheelchair accessible). Facilitated by ki and j of Community & Race Relations Committee. Appetizers will be provided by Food Not Bombs Peterborough Trent Radio Geek Day Pub. Thursday, February 26, 9pm-12am Dining Hall (room 209).

Celebrate your inner geek with us... In celebration of our all day of the Geek (Wednesday), come out to our pub night at Sadleir House. Bring fun geeky stuff like games, comics, or books. CFFF 92.7fm in Peterborough.

Back Room Cabaret: Performing Stories of Love. Thursday, March 5, 9pm-12am in the Dining Hall (room 209). “It’s not a love story, it’s a story about falling in love”.

On March 5 spend your night at Sadleir House to experience The Back Room Cabaret: Performing Stories of Love. Organized by upper year English students, we present a modern cabaret complete with songs, dancing, and creative performances that demonstrate how the expression of love can transcend beyond the pages of literature.

This is an all ages event with bar services available.

How Can we Create a More “Liveable” Peterborough? Tuesday, March 10, 6:30pm.

Lecture Hall (room 106, wheelchair accessible). Facilitated by Brianna Salmon of Peterborough GreenUp and Tessa Nasca of B!KE. BYO mug. Transition Skills Forum.

Join us for this session. Everyone is welcome. $5 or pay what you can, preferably in Kawartha Loons. Pre- registration is requested. Contact Patricia 705 876 -6873 or patremy@bluewin.ch. The Transition Skills Forum is an all-volunteer initiative of Transition Town Peterborough and is Sponsored by Sustainable Trent. The TSF is a member of the Kawartha Loon Exchange

Trent Centre for Human Rights, Equity, and Accessibility (CHREA): MV-1 Services. The MV-1 Vehicle provides shuttle services for Trent students, staff, and faculty with a wide range of disabilities. Passengers are individuals experiencing challenges in negotiating distances, topography and pitch that are inherent in the physical landscape of Trent’s campus. The MV-1 service is free-of-charge and can take you anywhere you need to go on any Trent campus (Symons, Traill, or Water St. Residence); rides can be booked online through http:// www.trentu.ca/ohrea/mv1.php. If you have any further questions do not hesitate to contact Trent’s Andrea Walsh (Accessibility Advisor) at 705-748-1011 Ext. 6002.

Walkhome—Trent’s safe walk service. Late class? Working in the lab? Call us for a walk; 25 minutes from Symons or Traill (downtown) Hours of operation: Monday to Friday: 7pm to 1am, Saturday & Sunday: 9pm to 1am 705-748-1748 Walkhome—Pre-book your safe walk. Do you regularly have practice Monday night, work in the Library Tuesday night or go downtown Friday night? Our team of volunteers walkers can meet you, on campus or downtown. Monday to Friday: 7pm to 1am, Saturday & Sunday: 9pm to 1am. Call us 705- 748-1748 or email walkhome@tretnu.ca

send yours to listings@trentarthur.ca

to Prebook a walk.

Worried about a course this semester? We want to help! Register for the Academic Mentoring Program to request an upper-year student mentor. Mentors meet regularly with students to discuss course concepts and build an understanding of course material. To request a mentor, or to volunteer, visit trentu.ca/academicskills/ peermentoring.php.

Do you find your class readings overwhelming? Could you use a little help organizing your study time? The Academic Skills Centre is the best place to come to get your daily academic life under control! Book an appointment online through your Student Experience Portal at trentu.ca/sep. Click on “Book Appointments” and select “Academic Skills”. We’re located at Suite 206 in Champlain College and our services are always free!

Local Peterborough’s 10th Annual Seed Sale & Swap Seedy Sunday. Sunday March 1, 1-5pm at George St. United Church. FREE. Come out to buy or trade seeds & get inspired for spring. Seedy Sunday is the perfect place to get the knowledge, tools and resources you need to get growing this season. There will be vendors selling a huge variety of locally grown seeds & other gardening products. Local gardening and community groups will be available to offer resources, advice and information. There will be skillsbased gardening workshops and a seed exchange area where participants can trade seeds or purchase some for a donation. For more info find us at: Facebook: Peterborough’s Seedy Sunday Web: www.urbantomato. ca Twitter #ptboseedysunday An eclectic group of editors and writers, we meet the last Monday of every month from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the Community Room at Princess Gardens in Peterborough, Ontario.

We network and share training and educational opportunities. We also bring in speakers and learn from one another. Trent students who are interested in learning more about editing or business writing are welcome. No dues or fees. We’re an open, not-for-profit organization. Contact: Jane Davidson 705-772-7692. bestwritecom@gmail. com. www.bestwritecommunications.net Travel AND work over the summer - get certified during Reading Week! Travel/ Teach English -TEFL Certification with The TESL Trainer at One World ESL School. www.tesltrainer.ca Contact: tesltrainer@sympatico. ca ESLHelp & Editing.

Contact: worldeslschool@sympatico.ca

one-

St. John’s Ambulance Standard First Aid Our Standard Certificate is valid for 3 years! Includes CPR and AED training! This course provides a certificate in Standard First Aid & a CPR/AED certificate. 13 to 14.5 hours of instructional time (2 days); includes 435-page First Aid/CPR/AED book. **This course is required by the WSIB if your place of work employs more than 5 employees per shift.** Upcoming sessions: Weekdays(8:30-4) March 4-5, 19-20, 25-26, or Combo Course SFA/Level-C CPR (8:30-5:00) Feb 28-Mar 1, Mar 4-5, 7-8, 14-15, 19-20,

Thursday

Friday

21-22, 25-26, 28-29, Contact: sjapeterborough@bellnet.ca, 705-745-0331, sja.ca St. John’s Ambulance CPR Recertification (Weekdays at 6:30 pm, or Saturdays at 1:00) Mar 7, 10, or 21. Call for additional dates, or organize your own group at a convenient time at any location--discounts for groups! sjapeterborough@bellnet.ca, 705-745-0331, sja.ca

Arts Kris & Will: Arenalodge. Exhibition runs until March 28 at Artspace, 378 Aylmer Street North.

The Peterborough Storytellers usually meet on the third Wednesday of the month, from 7 to 9 at the Peterborough Public Library.

Our next meeting will be on March 18 (World storytelling day. Theme “Wishes”).

TTOK would like to invite you to the book launch of Janette Platana’s new book of short stories, “A Token of My Affliction,” on Thursday, February 26th, 2015 @ 7:30pm. $20 at the door (includes a copy of the book). These cheerfully disturbing, gleefully outraged, and frequently beautiful stories portray the lives of apparently ordinary people who struggle to live without compromise in a world where things can be true without ever being real. The Black Honey Writers - Ryan Kerr, Kate Story, Joe Davies and Janette Platana - are all scheduled to read. Guests are invited to video for posterity their own readings from the book. Visit JanettePlatana.com to find out more... TTOK, 159 King Street (around back) Joe Morris with Mark Molnar and Craig Pedersen w/ in fallow. At Curated (203 Simcoe St. Unit 5, Charlotte Mews) February 28, 8pm. $15/$10 advance https://www.facebook. com/events/331748267025811 Collage party Hosted by Curated and Emily Wilkins. Friday, March 13, 7pm at Curated (203 Simcoe Street, Unit 5, Charlotte Mews) Free! More info: https://www.facebook.com/ events/788206394607494 Kawartha Youth Orchestra presents: Music Magic. Come join the Kawartha Youth Orchestra for their first concert of 2015, “Music Magic” on Sunday, March 1 at Market Hall. Ticket buyers will hear our region’s talented youth “make magic” performing some of the world’s greatest music, including Schubert’s famous “Unfinished” symphony and Bizet’s Carmen Suite as well as oboe and violin concertos by graduating members of the KYO! Tickets for this 3pm concert are $15 for adults ($5 for youth and $20 at the door) and available by visiting the box office or purchasing online at markethall.org.

Yacht Rock Party at The Gordon Best Theatre. March 6 at 9pm. $10. The Rebirth of the Uncool - Smooth Music for All. Dave Tough and Kelly McMichael are pleased to present a heartfelt tribute to the smooth and sophisticated sound of yacht rock, the middle-of-the-road pop-rock heard on commercial radio and personal watercraft throughout the 1970s and 1980s.

Send your listings to: listings@trentarthur.ca

Saturday

t TUMS Open Mic @ The t Mike Jordan @ Carpe t Rick Fines Album ReTrend (8pm) Diem Cafe (6pm) lease Party @ Market Hall (8pm) t PTBO Poetry Slam @ t Colonel Tom and The The Spill (8pm) American Pour @ The t Elliott Brood with The Garnet (9pm) Wilderness of Manitoba @ Red Dog (9pm) t Alyssa Morrissey @ The Bourbon Barrel Sa- t Blasphemia Infiniloon (9pm) tus V Featuring Sanguine Glacialis, Natas t Worst Gift, Alba- De Satan, Bastard Son, tross, Watershed Hour, Latrodectus @ the Spill Hello Babies @ The Spill (9pm) (9pm) t Odd Man Rush @ Puck n Pint (9:30pm)

This Weekend in Live Music: presented by ElectricCityLive.ca

t The Chris Culgin Band @ Pigs Ear Tavern (10pm)