Vanier Student Life's First Annual Geekcon

Vanier Student Life's First Annual Geekcon India-Lynn Upshaw-Ruffner

Vanier's Student Life team is always coming up with new and creative event ideas for the Vanier population to enjoy. The first annual Vanier Geekcon is no exception.

Geekcon took place on Wednesday, March 26th in Jake's from 10:00am to 3:00pm. Cafeteria tables were moved to make way for the many activities taking place for the occasion.

There were around twenty vendors selling their handcrafted goods like pins, stickers, and other knickknacks. There were also some vendors selling apparel, POP figurines, or commissions for artwork.

There was also an artist present, who drew people in anime-style on a tablet, and projected his drawing on a screen for onlookers to witness his talent.

Activity-wise, there was a raffle hosted by Vanier Student Life (VSL) volunteers - the prizes being popular movie posters. There was also a photo booth where students could wear a mask and a cape, as they posed for a picture with their friends.

Additionally, also hosted by the VSL volunteers, was an art table, where people were invited to draw or paint their favorite superhero, anime, or cartoon character. Volunteers were also hosting superhero and comic book trivia Kahoot games. QueerKid69

Rainclouds are forming on the horizon, as of one of Vanier’s oldest club, The Umbrella Club, has closed.

In recent years, LGBTQ+ issues have been gaining more visibility, and acceptance has become increasingly more widespread. However, this has not always been the case, as queer youth were historically targeted and marginalized due to their identities. Unfortunately, this is sometimes still the case; lots of

Another company was present to give free lightsaber duel workshops, thereby teaching basic sparing and defense techniques to students.

In a conversation with one of the planners of this event, Julien Lefebvre, an employee at Student Life, said that the event was very successful, since all there parties involved were content with the outcome.

Lefebvre said that these types of events are very popular in Montreal and that Student Life’s inspiration for the event involved the want to try something different and bigger.

“We wanted different types of students involved, and everyone has a geek side, so it was the perfect plan for that day,” explained Lefebvre.

Vanier Student Life also wanted to include an activity hosted by Legion 501. They are a troop of Star Wars fans who dress in movie-realistic Star Wars costumes. Lefebvre said that they still got to have The Force Academy at the event to give lightsaber workshops.

Next year, Student Life is looking to have another Geekcon, which they hope will be larger and have different activities for students to enjoy. When reflecting upon the event, Lefebvre said: “The Geekcon is a good event idea, but what’s in the Geekcon can switch”. individuals struggle with their identity, and, depending on their circumstances, may fear for their safety if their identity be made public to their peers, family, coworkers, etc.

Whether it be on a societal level, on a familial level, or on a political level, people who identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community will face some form of othering. Therefore, it is crucial for the community to have safe spaces, wherein they come together and can be

Some possible ideas include having arcade machines like Dance Dance Revolution, as well as a fully-fledged cosplay masquerade.

For Lefebvre, it comes down to the costs, as arcade machines, for example, are expensive to rent. He explained, “Do we want to spend X amount of money on this and cut on an activity that can have more students play at a time?”

One difficulty when organizing the event was finding vendors, as the event was in the middle of the week and many of them have full-time jobs. The Student Life team is still evaluating the outcome of the event, but an idea they had was to have two days of Geekcon, seeing as it might be more compatible with the vendors’ availabilities.

Lefebvre clarified that they were nonetheless psyched about the number of vendors they did have, who, in turn, were happy with the outcome of the event as well.

Vanier Student Life holds many events throughout the semester, and student volunteers are always needed. The volunteering also counts towards Star Hours.

Lefebvre mentioned that if you see a poster or a social media post about an event that would interest you, just go and see either him or Kristen Whitelaw in their offices in B205: “Evauthentic.

As such, a Gay Straight Alliance is an integral part of any educational institution, whose room space serves as an opportunity for Queer youth to congregate, talk about their experiences, to talk about their fears, to celebrate, to have pride, and to see themselves in each one another.

Also, there is something to be said about giving these youth the ability to simply hang out like normal ery time we have an event, we’re always looking for people to help out; we will find a place for you.”

So, if you would like to help out next Geekcon, or in any other Student Life event, be sure to visit B205 to get involved. Vanier Student Life also has a Facebook page (@vanierstudentlife), where you can stay up to date on every

The Closing of Vanier’s Umbrella Club

thing that’s happening. kids, without the pressure that comes with the stereotypes society imposes onto them.

With the last of the Umbrella Club’s executives having allegedly graduated, nobody was left to run it during the Winter 2020 semester, thereby leaving the VCSA to empty out the furniture in the rainbowdecked club room.

Therefore, if anybody is willing and able to step up to the plate, your community implores you to get more information from the VCSA. Afterall, the mere presence of such a club speaks volumes about the potential to promote inclusivity, diversity, and acceptance within Vanier; all it takes is the courage to come out into the light.

Cats and Cake at The Neko Maid and Butler Café India-Lynn Upshaw-Ruffner

Members of the anime club, who were dressed in full cat maid or butler attire, welcomed students to their Neko – or cat – themed cafe.

The event took place on the afternoon of Friday February 28th. There was even one member in full love live cosplay. Warmly welcomed Jacques Wang "For the women who testified in this case, and walked through traumatic hell, you did a public service to girls and women everywhere, thank you" - Ashley Judd.

On February 24, 2020, the #MeToo movement had their most significant and most decisive victory in their journey to bringing one of the sexual predators with the most power in Hollywood to justice. Harvey Weinstein, the disgraced Hollywood movie producer, was convicted of thirddegree rape, as well as of first-degree criminal sexual assault.

Background

In October 2017, The New York Times and The New Yorker published an article reporting on the dozens of instances of sexual abuse, harassment, and rape committed by Weinstein. Soon after the release of the article, over 80 women come Sophie Dufresne

A Wall Street Journal article's heading reads, “The March 8 commemoration has Communist roots, but capitalism by far has done more for gender equality”. This sentence alone has so many errors, so I must break it down. by members of the anime club, students attending the cafe were seated at a neatly set table by a cat waiter upon entering. A menu of different sweets, as well as coffee and tea, were available to choose from.

All menu items were free for customers, and waiters hand delivered the goodies forward to reveal similar experiences of this degree, which involved the once-renowned movie mogul. The story of Weinstein's abuse kick-started what is known as the "Weinstein Effect," wherein other high-profile figures, including Kevin Spacey and Louis C.K., are being exposed for their acts of sexual assault and harassment. With honour, as well as awards being stripped from him, Weinstein effectively experienced a fall from grace. Day only became an official holiday in 1975 but was fought for all over the world since the early 1900s. to students.

The cafe was so popular with students that menu items were running out towards the end of the event; it seemed to have a great turnout.

In past semesters, when the Neko Maid and Butler Cafe took place, there were even line ups to get

After the story broke, the New York Police Department, the Los Angeles Police Department, and the Metropolitan Police Service (in London, U.K.) launched an investigation on all the crimes committed by Weinstein.

In May 2018, Weinstein was arrested by the NYPD, ordered to surrender his passport, and obliged to wear an ankle monitor. He was charged on May 25, 2018, for a first-degree criminal sexual act, two

Between 1909 and 1913, National Women’s Day was celebrated in the United States every February 18th in. This time around, there was chatter amongst the students who seemed eager to attend. Ultimately, this event has built a good reputation, leading to its success.

Visiting the Neko Cafe was a great way for students to end a hectic week with something relaxing counts of rape, and two counts of predatory sexual assault.

Trial

In February 2020, Harvey Weinstein appeared in the Manhattan Supreme Court for his trial. The charges Weinstein was facing were mainly based on the testimonies of Miriam Haley and actress Jessica Mann. Haley testified that, in 2006, Weinstein forced her to give him oral sex, while Mann testified that Weinstein raped her in 2013. During the trial, actress Annabella Sciorra also testified against the disgraced movie producer for rape in the winter of 1993. Even though her accounts happened outside the statute of limitations, prosecutors used her testimony to support the charges of predatory sexual assault charges.

In total, six women testified against Harvey Weinstein at his trial.

In 1910, The International Conference of Working Women, a conference of over 100 women from 17 countries, was held in Denmark. It was proposed that every country should celebrate “Women’s Day” yearly at the same time in order to press their demands for and fun.

If you missed out this time around, you could always visit the Anime Club in D-102. Also be sure to check out their Facebook page: VCSA Anime Club @ VCSAaniclub.

If you want help out at events like the Neko Maid

NEWS

Decisive Victory for #MeToo

and Butler Cafe, stop by

On February 24, 2020, after 26 hours of deliberation, the jury found Harvey Weinstein guilty of committing a criminal sexual act in the first degree, as well as of committing rape in the third degree. However, he was acquitted when it came to the two counts of predatory sexual assault and the one count of first-degree rape.

Aftermath

Weinstein will be sentenced on March 11, 2020. He is facing 5 to 25 years of prison for just the charge of having committed a criminal sexual act. For the time being, Weinstein will be incarcerated at Rikers Island jail. His defense counselor, Donna Rotunno, who maintained that all sexual acts were consensual, will be filing an appeal on Weinstein's behalf. Also, he is still facing sexual assault and rape charges in Los Angeles.

Reactions

better working conditions and fairer wages.

In 1911, Austria, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland celebrated International Women’s Day for the first time.

In 1913, before the Russian monarchy fell and the

their room to become a member of Anime Club, and to check out what else the club has to offer.

Reactions to the news of Weinstein's conviction were swift and decisive. "This is a big day. This is a new day. This is the new landscape for survivors of sexual assault in America", said Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr.

Actress Rose McGowan, who also came forward, added that she "can breathe now."

Another woman who came forward, Ashley Judd took to Twitter to thank all of the other women who testified against Weinstein.

Echoing this sentiment, Ronan Farrow, the journalist who first broke the story of Weinstein's sexual abuses, said, "Today's outcome in Harvey Weinstein's New York trial is the result of the decisions of multiple women to come forward to journalists and to prosecutors at great personal cost

WOMEN'S MONTH

The Role of Marxist-Feminism in International Women’s Day

and risk." First World War, Russian women celebrated their first International Women’s day while campaigning for peace.

International Women’s Day doesn’t have communist roots, it has socialist roots (at best).