Active Measure and Active Blind Spots

Documentary fails in its critique of the Trump and Putin presidencies

On October 11, in the Schwartz building, room 215, the Antigonish Film Festival screened the documentary, “Active Measures,” about the confusing and complex ties between President Trump, Russian oligarchs (and mobsters), and Russian President, Vladimir Putin. 

There is a lot going on in this documentary, and in the parlance of Online™, it possible has the most going on. It is a mix of legitimate concerns about Russian interference and ties to the American President, but much of this information is received uncritically from ghoulish American apparatchiks with a history of loudly calling for war against any nation brave enough to denounce American imperial and commercial interests. 

It provides a very superficial history of the end of the USSR, making connections between the state asset sell-off to Putin and, completely and bizarrely, ignoring completely the involvement of American interests and advice on how to sell off assets of the Russian state. The resulting oligarchic make up of Russian commercial and financial classes are a result of American support and involvement. The privatization drive by American interests, a deeply neo-liberal austerity ideology, would be replicated again and again against other nations by the International Monetary Fund to significant damage to those nations. So much damage in fact, that the IMF later apologized for their blinkered ideology to Greece for worsening their economic situation. 

To be sure much of the information contained in the documentary has already been reported on by various news outlets in varying amounts. Active Measures, is among the first to put the information together into a single documentary that runs about two hours, end to end. It rushes at a breakneck pace, often introducing a talking head for split seconds, hardly enough time for the audience to know their name and their connected organization (at one point I looked down to take a note and when I looked back up there was a brief mention of Chilean President, Salvador Allende, but had appeared so quickly that I failed to understand his connection to the narrative, and the documentary failed to note that he was assassinated by CIA-supported operatives and ushered in an era of extreme authoritarian violence that Chile struggles to reconcile to this day). It struggles to find a place to end the documentary and, like an undergrad with too many sources for a short essay, continually shovels lesser and lesser information near the end of the film. 

The documented ties between the Trump Organization’s minions, like Paul Manafort, and Russian business men and criminal enterprises, are myriad. The sheer amount of paperwork, from a wide variety of sources, legal, financial, and personal, is staggering. However, had the documentary restrained itself by focusing on the paper ties between the two groups would have been a full-feature film in itself, it may have been engaging and more easily followed. Instead, the director reaches and makes a concerted attempt to include, not only the vast volume of paper trails together, but also, interviews with a surprising number of American politicians, ambassadors, think tank fellows, political junkies, and, improbably, CIA employees and directors waxing richly about foreign involvements and the danger of Russia. With all this information, including background and a detailed biography of Vladimir Putin, the film loses focus and directive and becomes about everything.

The thrust of this film is that Russia is a dangerous, unpredictable actor that threatens the world stage with war. About which there is some truth. Russia invaded George under false pretenses in 2008, has backed Ukrainian separatists from 2014 onward (even providing soldiers and arms), and invaded and annexed Crimea in the same year. However, it’s hard to take seriously the warnings about interference and the dangers of war from men and women who represent organizations that have, not only called for unilateral warfare against a staggering number of nations, but have also been involved in regime change around the world (and this is only counting from the end of the Cold War).

The documentary takes to task the confusing game of shell corporations that the Trump Organization has used to hid, obfuscate, and launder money into the United States from foreign nation and businesses. However, this critique is not particularly strong considering this problem is not unique to the Trump business or to Trump himself, but is widely prevalent across financial interests in America. This critique would be much stronger if it did not limit itself to Trump but was widened to include American neo-liberal capitalism. Trump is just one of many bad faith financial actors facilitating foreign influences and money into American politics and economics. 

This is not a “what-about-ist” review of the film, but an earnest critique of the wide and considerable political and ideological blind spots of the director. What good is a critique of President Trump if you do not also critique the system that made it possible for a person like him to become wealthy, powerful, and influential? In the quest to portray Vladimir Putin as having flawlessly executed some Machiavellian scheme, the director has actually portrayed the American government and its institutions as hapless, naive simpletons, which, in actuality, is a form of twisted and unintentional macabre comedy. 

Putting aside the fact that America has exercised nearly unlimited covert and overt operations to destabilize nations it deemed problematic through violence, murder, and propaganda. The reality is that American political establishments have, for the last 50 or so years, been so bent on undermining the basic regulations and legal protections that prevent economic and political abuses, that they have allowed the system to produce ever increasing wealth disparities and allowed business interests, of which Trump is but just one of many, to gain power and influence and, all in the name of misanthropy and gluttonous personal greed.

But, is it worth watching?

If you’re curious about the relationship between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin and not sure what’s all the fuss is about and you want to know, you will probably enjoy the film.

Although, if you’re already knowledgeable about that relationship and are looking for a deeper critique of the world at large, watch anything by Adam Curtis.

Stray Observations:

The documentary takes Russia Today television to task for having on conspiracy theorists (like Orly Taitz and Alex Jones) and rightly so, however, it makes no mention that many American media outlets boosted their image and status much more so than Russia Today ever could have. Taitz herself had appearances across American media during Obama’s time as president.

Criticizes the role that men like Paul Manafort and Roger Stone had with Donald Trump but makes no mention that these men have been closely tied to American politicians and the GOP since the Nixon administration.

Mentions the “troll farms” and “fake news” that pushed anti-Clinton and pro-pro-trump messages but ignores the, arguably, best bit of propaganda, which featured a psychedelic cartoon of a very muscular Bernie Sanders in a speedo.

Suggests that “Pizzagate” and Seth Rich murder conspiracy was a Russian operation, but more likely they boosted American right-wing conspiracy theorists and let the American Media continue the job they do best; providing uncritical coverage of sensational news.

Dear StFX: Sexualized Violence Happens #HereToo

***CONTENT WARNING: The following stories contain information about sexual assault and/or violence which may be triggering to survivors. Following this collection, a list of resources has been published. Please do not hesitate to contact any of these resources if you find yourself struggling.***

The following stories were collected to demonstrate the extent to which sexualized violence is an issue #HereToo. One in four women will experience sexualized violence in their lifetime - but it isn’t just a statistic. It isn’t just something we read about in the news, or hear about on TV - it is a real, far too prevalent issue on this campus and many others. Thank you to everyone who was able to find the courage to share these stories with us.

#IAmHer

As someone who has been sexually assaulted– I believe that institutions, students, faculty, and community members should work towards creating a more informed policy so that victims of sexual violence can feel more secure about coming forward.

A student who was taken advantage of last year who did, in fact, come forward was let down by her OWN university. StFX did not inform her that her rapist’s suspension was lifted and that he was to be returning back to campus for the new school year. She felt unsafe, as would anyone. She left this province–– she left this campus–– she returned back home. The university took away her voice. The school failed to protect her because he, a student who decided to take advantage of another, has the RIGHT to his education.

The school failed to protect ALL students because we still do NOT have a name, ID picture or a clue who this sexual predator is.

StFX… did you not think that having that student back on campus wouldn’t trigger the girl who went through something no one deserves? Do you think the rapist is more entitled to his education here at StFX than the victim? Do you think he won’t do it again just because he’s “learned from his mistake?” I can honestly tell you that this is and will never get easier for the victims. I used to be proud of this university but your actions towards this makes me nothing but disappointed and full of anger.

It only takes one individual to force themselves onto another. It only takes one pill and a blink of an eye to drug someone. It only takes one individual to rape more than one student. Many students have come forward but due to putting the blame on the victim, hearing out the sexual predator and favouring in their favour or the lack of evidence they were turned away.

THIS. IS. WHY. WE. DON’T. COME. FORWARD. #IBelieveYou #IStandWithYou #IAmHer

• Anonymous

A common story that I hear around campus is women speaking about being sexually assaulted on campus and not reporting it. Why? When someone is a victim of crime, wouldn’t the logical progression be to seek justice? I can’t speak for everyone, but I am a survivor. Last year, during my very first week on campus I was raped in my own room in residence. I don’t really have any desire to relive this experience, even in print. I decided to not report my assault for a few reasons. The first being that I had no idea how it would be done. Throughout orientation week I was never clearly told how to report or what the difference was between reporting and disclosing. There was a lack of clear education and information. It seemed to be hidden by discourse about the policy and the progress that the university was making. On top of that, I was terrified about how a report and investigation would influence my education. I was so excited to finally be at university and I knew the sacrifice my parents have had to make to send me to StFX. I did not want to go through a process that I had already heard, one week into my time here, was not supportive of survivors and seriously detrimental to survivors’ right to education. I can only say that I felt sheer terror at the thought of the university administration and going through the reporting process. This university’s administration has done nothing to date to demonstrate to me that they would protect and support me. There is no evidence that there is any compassion for the trauma survivors that go through at the upper levels of this administration as evident by their actions over the last weeks and their response to criticism in emails that were tone deaf and disappointing. This administration has to demonstrate that it is dedicated to providing safe spaces for survivors. Improvement of the sexual violence policy is necessary, but also improvement in the education of the administration about how to support them during and after their interaction with the university justice system and show this community their dedication to real action. The administration has a responsibility to keep members of this community safe. They continue to fail. For all the people on this campus who are survivors and all those who could become survivors because of this administration's inaction: wake up and face this issue with real preventative action. I am ashamed of this university. I want to be able to be proud of my X-Ring, not embarrassed for wearing a symbol associated with a school that doesn’t support survivors.

• Anonymous

In my first year at StFX, I was invited back to a guy’s house to hang out. We spent time talking and decided to smoke together. During this time, I was laced and immediately began to lose control of my body. He quickly found a way to isolate me from the others in the house. I had never been so scared before. I couldn’t form sentences, I couldn’t feel my body, and I started to feel confused about where I was and who I was with. He began to move closer to me and touch my body. I was so shocked that I couldn’t move and wasn’t even able to form the word ‘no’ in my mind. Due to the events that took place that night, I have developed anxiety in social situations and around other males. I am constantly worried about going out, running into him, being laced again, or coming anywhere close to an experience like this one. I have never shared this story and the only reason I will now is because I have never felt comfortable to come forward due to the lack of support at StFX. StFX does NOT value my safety over the safety of their reputation and image. The lack of efforts to end sexualized violence on campus are sickening. After the media attention StFX has received this month, I know that I am not safe on this campus. I know that I will never be safe on this campus. More horrifically, I know that I can’t trust StFX to protect me and my body.

• Anonymous

I'm a Part-Time Instructor at StFX. Some time ago, at a reception, a faculty member asked me about my racial background. Not really knowing what to do, I answered candidly. The faculty member then said that those of my race and skin tone were “the better looking ones.” They then offered some of the reception food to me, by dangling it over my head and beckoning me to eat. I felt completely humiliated and powerless. The room was also filled with other faculty members and students. It's not possible for me to report anything like this (or anything worse), because I would lose anonymity through the process, and this could endanger my job. In my case, it would be as simple as not being offered another contract.

• Anonymous

My first year on campus, I became involved with a guy who was in four of my classes. We were in no way shape or form exclusive, and my interest in him was more or less platonic. One night when we were hanging out, he brought me to his room and started trying to kiss me. At first I tried to pull away, but he was unrelenting, so I gave in, although I didn’t want to. As I had previously been sexually assaulted numerous times, I felt that I was powerless to stop things. He tried to take my pants off, and when I said no he shoved his hand down them anyways. He then vigorously attempted to finger me. The action was causing me pain, as I was not aroused and did not want this to occur. I told him to stop, and that he was hurting me, but he would not listen. Although things didn’t end up going any farther on that evening, I walked back to my residence after the fact with tears streaming down my face and blood trickling down my thighs. Having previously been in a sexually abusive relationship, I did not know at the time that this was wrong, and thought that I was in the wrong for feeling the way that I did about the situation. I thought that this was the way that sex happened, and I had always felt that it was my fault that I was feeling that way and wondered what was wrong with me. Sexual assault is rampant on the StFX campus, and sometimes when these things occur we may not believe that anyone else feels that way and believe that we are alone. To anyone on this campus who has experienced sexualized violence, I believe you. I am here for you. And I support you.

• Anonymous

“Do you want to go upstairs?” He asked while we danced in the basement of MacPherson. I went to MacPherson consistently, most of my friends were from there. And in my drunken state, I said yes.

We go upstairs where I met his roommate. We spoke for a little while and then he left the room. Now it was just me and him. “Drink this.” He gave me a drink, I don't remember what it was. “Do you want to smoke?” He let me have some of his vape. I don't know what was in it. I remember coughing.

We spoke for a little while. Then he started kissing me. We kissed and it was fun. Then he started taking my clothes off as he pushed me down. I asked if we could slow down because I didn't know him. “We're not strangers. We spoke for a little while.” He said as he kept undressing me. I was falling in and out of consciousness. I don't remember exactly when he entered me. But I remember the laughter of my friend and the look on his face when I looked towards the door and saw him. “Close the door!” He shouted and my friend left. I remember their laughter even after the door closed.

In and out of consciousness. I remember my legs above his head, limp. The pain of him ripping inside of me.

I don't know when he finished, but I remember laying on my side, exhausted, naked, tired. “Do you want me to walk you back to your residence?” I said yes.

So I got dressed and walked out with him. Halfway back to residence, I saw a friend. I ran to him and hugged him, began to cry, “I want to go home.”

The next day my friend laughed at me and informed me of what he saw in the room. “You were so drunk,” he laughed. I nodded and tried not to let it bother me. It took me months to realize he should've stopped what happened. I don't know who I'm angry at or if I'm angry at all. I'm not friends with him anymore. He doesn't understand why. Sometimes he's offended I don't talk to him anymore. Maybe he doesn't even realize what happened that night. I didn't for a long time.

But I don't hang out in MacPherson anymore.

• Anonymous

Why I didn’t report: because he was my boyfriend. Because I felt like I owed it to him. Because I was “his property.” Because I thought that that was normal. Because I didn’t know any better.

• Anonymous

It was my first year. I had been casually hooking up with a friend from my residence building. One night after drinking heavily I went up to his room to see him. His roommate answered the door and told me my friend wasn’t there. I found out later that he had been lying, my friend was sleeping just behind the door. I stumbled back to my room and got into bed. Shortly after, the roommate came down into my room and got into bed with me. My roommate was away for the night and I had forgotten to lock my door. He started kissing me forcefully, while I attempted to turn away and push him off. Once he pulled out his penis I vocalized my objections. I told him “no I don’t want this,” but he persisted in having me touch him. Finally, once my objections grew to be too much, he left for the bathroom. I quickly locked my door behind him. I felt scared that night and many nights after that. I didn’t tell any administration or my RA since I thought they wouldn’t be able to do anything for me. I continued to see him (and still do) regularly in residence, meal hall, and throughout campus. Each time my heart would pound, my stomach would tighten, and I would flinch if he approached me. It has exacerbated my depression and made me afraid in my own home, this is why #IStandWithHer.

• Anonymous

I was overwhelmed with excitement to attend StFX. Throughout my academic career, I was constantly recognized for my performance and grade point average. I grew up being the smartest in my class, I just always knew that I’d thrive in University as it was supposed to be the best days of my life. However, that was not the case. During my first week at StFX, a Resident Assistant (someone who was supposed to be there to help frosh like myself and be someone I could go to for any questions or help) sexually assaulted me. I plead out repeatedly to stop but he wouldn’t. The second I finally got away, I was in shock and had this need that I had to tell someone immediately. I ended up finding StFX officials to report it to and they then informed the campus. However, nothing was done. They did not reach out to me after that night. He remained in a position of power and did not receive any repercussions. I was devastated and it made me feel like I wasn’t important at all. He didn’t care what he did to my body, and the school sure didn’t care either. I ended up blaming myself. I couldn’t help but think if I were more attractive, maybe he wouldn’t have done that to me. Or maybe if I were more intelligent, or kind or anything more than what I currently was. He made me feel like I was nothing, the university enforced this feeling by not doing anything about it. I felt worthless, I felt gross, I felt like I should die. Every time I would see him around campus, I’d end up in pure panic and would stop whatever I was doing to run to my dorm and lock myself away. There were so many nights that I’d spend crying in the shower attempting to wash off the filth he made me feel like I was. Needless to say, my grades slipped as I not only lived in constant fear but lived in a place that wasn’t safe as nobody cared about my safety. I attempted to go back to school the following year with ambition to succeed as it’s who I am, but it was completely impossible. The moment I would see my abuser walking around in a place that protected him so well, I’d instantly want to curl up in a ball and just cry. I ended up dropping out of StFX as they made me feel like I was worthless with their lack of concern and failure to help.

• Anonymous

I am nineteen years old and am currently attending University of New Brunswick in hopes to receive a degree in Mathematics. I am an independent woman, who has struggled immensely with Mental Health but never strength. I have overcome many obstacles that my life has thrown at me. I have been knocked down numerous times just to stand back up and be pushed back down again. But I always found the strength to move on. However, a little less than a year ago I was raped by a student currently attending StFX. Having this happen opened my eyes to our society, our justice system and the university atmosphere which is supposed to be a safe place for students. This man was never charged, even after the horrendous nightmare of my rape kit and having a witness and presenting my story to two separate police officers, and then was and released back to campus. Although I do not attend this school, it haunts me every single day. Seeing the story of a young girl who was also raped by someone attending that school, not only threw me into an anxiety attack, I felt out of control of the things that people can do to my body. I have suffered from extreme nightmares, depression and panic attacks because of my rapist. I can’t wear certain clothes, go to certain places or even find the motivation to make myself presentable half the time. I am sharing my story to not only raise awareness of sexual violence, I am writing it in hopes he will see this. So this is for you: today I speak to you on behalf of myself and how you have affected my life in hopes to help another person moving forward. First and foremost, I would like to start off by saying you took something from me. I’m putting the assault aside and speaking psychologically here. Physically, days after the assault happened I was ok. I was sore, shaken up, but physically I was ok and I knew I could heal... physically. Mentally, I never think I will wake up from that nightmare. I had already been suffering from mental illness as mentioned before, but being raped, having intercourse with someone you don’t want to, emotionally destroyed my confidence, my grades, my sleep and my relations with any guys for the future or even relationships with friends. How am I supposed to get close to the opposite sex again, without bringing up what happened to me? I can’t be touched certain ways, I can’t be looked at certain ways, I can’t read certain things, watch specific movies, or even sometimes take a good look at reality. I want you to know, that I am one of the strongest people I know and I’m proud to say that, but you made me feel weak. Not only did you give me a memory that will haunt me for life, you gave that same memory to my parents, my sister and my closest friends. I act weird sometimes, I do things I don’t normally do and people question me. How do I properly tell them why I am the way I am? If there’s anything you take from this, if you even listened or cared, I want you to know: no matter what happens today, tomorrow, or in the future, you will always be guilty in my eyes. No apology, no handwritten letter, nothing can take back what you did to me, what you took from me psychologically. I pray for any girl who walks in your path again, I wish I could protect them, but now I question if I can even protect myself.

The stigma of girls acting in a way that would make guys want to have sex with them, what they wear, how they talk, what they’re doing with their life, that stops here. Because I am here to tell you I will move on with my life, I will finish my university degree in mathematics, I will someday marry a man who treats me with nothing but respect and in the far future raise my kids to do the same. I am disgusted with you, and I will never under any circumstances forgive you. I will always blame you and always remember you until the day I die. Please, never do this to someone again, I beg you. Rape psychologically hurts a human and is EQUALLY as painful as a physical wound.

• Anonymous

It has been a long road, the reporting process of sexual assault through the school. At the beginning the misconduct office will give you options and tell you the school has a system in place to believe the survivor. It’s so comforting to hear this from the school, to know that they’re going to try their best to have your back. Maybe you’re not quite comfortable going through with the full reporting process yet. So you start with just writing a statement to put into words what happened to you, and that’s enough for now. The school tells you if he has a second offence you’ll be notified and you can reconsider sending in your statement then. Maybe in a little bit you start to feel that itch in the back of your brain, something you can’t ignore. So you ask the school, what next? They go into detail about a hearing through the school, writing a victim impact statement. Let’s say you agree to this hearing and submit your statement. It takes a couple weeks and you’re so nervous but you try to remind yourself that the school has your back. Maybe he’s deemed responsible for what he did and pays a consequence doled out by the school. Then he applied for an appeal, oh god what’re you going to do now? They say it’ll be a couple days to review but it’s been a little over a week. A week later they overturn his appeal and you’re relieved, the school had your back. Then you start to question. If someone is found responsible for sexual assault through the schools own process, how do they justify only suspending him for a year?

• Anonymous

#IStandWithHer

When I was a student at StFX in 1996 an incarcerated young man, who was in jail for sexual assault, was actively recruited to come play for StFX hockey. He came, on full “leadership” scholarship and proceeded to sexually and physically assault a young woman who he met and dated at StFX. Charges were filed and yet StFX stood by him. Young female professors who tried to stand up and call attention had their future careers at StFX threatened. As students, some of us tried to voice our concerns and we were dismissed and ignored. I’m so sorry that we couldn’t have done more to make the campus safer and to encourage the university to take some responsibility. I’m so proud of everyone who is contributing their voices and I am in awe of the incredible bravery of those who are standing up and saying “no more.” Sending all of my love and strength to Antigonish and to those on campus who are continuing to fight.

• Anonymous

I am sorry for the times

All my male privilege crimes

All the nights I crossed the line

Pretended what is yours was mine

Had a cloud inside my mind

In the line it must be fine

We are that close by design

But every thought I had was grime

I can’t believe that if we danced I thought I should deserve a kiss

I can’t believe the type of filth we would discuss while we would piss

I can’t believe the subtle warning signs that I would always miss

Too caught up in your tits to shake the fog and get a fucking grip

And while I never did commit

The heinous act after a date

Just because I didn’t take the cake

Still in my hand a plate

Still in my head I thought my fate

Would end inside somebody else

If all I did was stay up late

And bought you shots off of a shelf

Just because I never pulled you close I’d still participate

In a culture fuelled by evil in a culture numb to rape

In a culture filled with hate

Girls night out gets lined with tape

Crime scenes encased in blame

Where we throw shame at those encased

Maybe let’s starts to educate

Those that might conceive these plots

Instead of dancing in our circles

Instead of putting victims off

Instead of hiding in a box

Scared of idealistic thoughts

Scared of making some men cross

Because they might be at a loss

When they have to treat a woman like human fucking being

Maybe then from every bar and scummy hole we’d see them fleeing

And the repressed and scared and frightened wouldn’t have to stick to dreaming

Of the nights where they let go of all the tightness they were feeling

Recognize the pain inside, facilitate, embrace the healing

Stop the screaming

• Graham Perrier

To whom it may concern, or bother to listen,

As an adult female student, I always thought it was silly how my mom would always worry about me taking night classes or studying on campus too late at night. The idea of me walking home when it is too dark wasn’t something I had thought that much into. To make my mom happy I would drive to campus when I knew I was going to be studying late so I wouldn’t be walking home alone in the dark. It never dawned on me this was solely because I am a woman, their fears were not from a place of personal safety but protection from others.

I never saw the problem. When any individual that attends StFX is asked by a friend or family member how school is the most common answer you hear is “StFX is like family, it’s a place I can call home.” That is how I had always felt. StFX was the only school I applied to because of its traditional values and because I had never heard anything bad about it. I was excited to be a part of the StFX family and would proudly wear my X-Ring. I’m not sure if I feel the same way anymore, and that is because I am a woman.

StFX was always somewhere I thought I was safe, somewhere where faculty and students looked out for each other. Obviously, I was sadly mistaken, the importance of female safety is not always in the agenda of those who are able to make change and choice on this campus.

Tonight, I walked home alone in the dark through campus and found my heart beating faster than normal. I found myself not listening to music and constantly checking over my shoulder and walking so fast I was out of breath by the time I got to my apartment. For the first time at StFX I felt unsafe because I am a woman.

This school has started to become too focused on their reputation of being a party school and changing their image that they have forgotten why this school is here. And in case you’re one of the people who have forgotten, this school is supposed to be a safe place for students to identify themselves, grow up, learn, socialize and have the best years of their lives while growing within their fields of study. When did this school lose their priority of keeping students safe regardless of gender?

What will it take for StFX to take their female students seriously? Is this man’s education more important than mine? Is this because of my gender? A man accused of such terrible things is allowed on my campus that now feels unsafe, and yet he is only one example. Why was the campus community only notified when it was featured on the news? Who are you truly trying to protect? As a woman on campus, why was I not warned that there was an accused rapist on my campus, and is he truly the only one?

Let me just say that I am not naïve enough to think that this doesn’t happen at academic institutions around the world because unfortunately it does. Women are taught to protect their bodies because of the actions of men who are unable to control themselves. I just keep on thinking “what if that girl was me?” How could this university that I love, and call my home, be so interested in money or reputation, and not about its students? I can now only protect myself because what if this was me, what would happen to me? The university would do nothing to protect me at all, solely because I am a woman.

In reflecting on my time at this university I find it easy to say that in the future I would not advise my own daughter that the best choice for undergraduate studies is StFX. I do not think this problem is going to get better. It is apparent, even within the past couple of years, when I don’t know if they will fight for her to feel safe because she is a woman.

• Anonymous

Available Resources

Antigonish Women’s Resource Centre and Sexual Assault Services Association

• A feminist, community based women’s organization providing services to women and adolescent girls that include crisis and ongoing problem-solving support, information, advocacy, accompaniment and referral.

  • Phone number: 902-863-6221

  • Address: 204 Kirk Place, 219 Main Street, Antigonish

  • Hours of operation: Monday to Friday  9:00 to 4:30

StFX Health and Counselling

• Phone number: 902-867-2263

• Address: 3rd floor, Bloomfield Centre 305

• Hours of operation: Monday and Thursday, 8:30AM - 8:00PM Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, 8:30AM - 4:30PM.

StFX Student Life Office

• To report sexual assault or sexual violence perpetrated by a StFX student or faculty member, contact Student Life reception to set up a meeting with Matt Gerard, student conduct officer, to leave a statement. (*note that disclosures to other staff or faculty are not considered formal reports)

• Emergency shelter is available through Student Life for students who don’t feel safe returning to their residence room/building or house.

  • Phone: 902-867-3934

  • Address: 306A Bloomfield Centre

Antigonish Men’s Health Centre

• Offers health care services for males 12 years and older.

  • Phone number: 902-863-2358

  • Address: 275 Main Street, Suite 103, Antigonish

  • Hours of operation: Tuesdays 8:30 to 6:00 or by call/appointment.

Victim Services Emotional Support – 1-902-490-5300

• Emotional support for victims of sexual violence with no police involvement necessary in order to get support.

  • Hours of operation: Monday to Friday, 8am to 4pm

The Sexual Assault and Harassment Phone Line - 1-902-425-1066

• Offers non-judgemental, active listening and support to anyone who has experienced or has been affected by sexualized violence.

  • Hours of operation: 12pm - 12am, 7 days a week.

Nothing but Farce

New twitter account preserves campus stereotypes for humour

Last month, a Twitter account which self-describes as a, “Local account for all things satire,” popped up.

So far this account, named Campus Crow, has posted 36 tweets indulging in StFX stereotypes, poking fun at some faculty, and more humorous content. I can’t blame anyone if they haven’t heard of this; Campus Crow has 307 twitter followers, and typically gets 2 retweets per post. They do tend to get an average amount of likes, usually falling between 30 to 60 likes or more.

Among their most liked content includes, “Finance Major Realizes Return on Bag of Refundables From StFX Hoco Not Enough to Cover Damages of Hole Punched Into Wall...” and, “Student Who Can’t Wake Up For 8:15 Class Attends an 8am Power Hour on a Saturday”, with 92 and 106 likes respectively.

A quick glance at Campus Crow might tip off some readers as being directly influenced by The Onion, a famous satirical news website. Certainly the headlines are inspired by The Onion, having the same sarcastic tone. The Onion’s articles usually come in two different styles: things that ‘everyone is thinking’, or professionally written articles that are hilariously untrue.

Campus Crow is emulating the former, but since it is related to StFX, the types of jokes they can post are stricter. Most of Campus Crow’s posts are related to StFX’s party reputation, residence stereotypes, or jabs at everyday life on campus.

As Campus Crow is restricted to Twitter and its small character limit, I’m not sure if it can really be called satire at all. With The Onion, the joke doesn’t stop at the headlines. The real satirical element is found in the content of their articles.

In the article, “Tour Guide One Stop Behind Clearly Giving More Interesting Tour”, the joke isn’t just that it’s a thought many people have had before.

The joke is in the continuation of this premise, by way of fake interviews and situations to prove that one tour guide was, indeed, boring. I

n addition, Campus Crow’s inspiration is criticizing the sensationalism common in news websites. Basically, satire is a perfect word to use to describe The Onion and other sites of its ilk. But when you don’t have the context for these headlines, the joke is left half-finished. Obviously, Campus Crow is meant to be a Twitter account posting quick jokes, using stereotypes and situations any StFX student could understand.

Do I find them funny? Well, I suppose so. I’ve seen all 36 of their tweets and most of them I found a little funny, but nothing made me really laugh. Honestly, the things Campus Crow chooses to make jokes out of might be a little too predictable to be effective.

Photo: Twitter @CampusCrow

So is Campus Crow satire as it claims? I don’t think so. To be satirical is to be critiquing something, and I’m not convinced that’s what Campus Crow is trying to do. That then begs the question, what kind of effect does this Twitter have on the StFX student body? Setting aside the fact that Campus Crow’s reach is relatively small, there is something kind of problematic in making fun of stereotypes without any sort of context. Even as a joke, stating negative stereotypes about certain residences without any kind of critique arguably promotes the stereotype rather than call it out. In between this semester and the last, StFX made some tough decisions about many residences. Lane is no more, and University Ave is now co-ed. There has been an obvious attempt to change residence culture at StFX.

Taking that into account, maybe we should all be more mindful about how we stereotype different residences and try to foster a more positive atmosphere. Although I don’t think that Campus Crow is very relevant when it comes to negative stereotypes (like I said before, the account is harmless and doesn’t have a huge audience), it will be interesting to see if this account continues to gain followers and see what part of StFX student culture it jokes about next.

From Pen to Paper

A look into Inktober and the impact it makes

October rolls around and for most people we think of Halloween, but for the creative minds, this is a time to put your art skills to the test. Inktober as it’s affectionately called, is a month of daily artistic challenges focusing primarily on Instagram.

It began in 2009 when Jake Parker decided to create a series of challenges to improve his skill and drawing habits. The challenge for him was to draw something different every day for the month of October and he invited people to join in on his journey.

The large-scale challenge initially came to be by loose construction, where people created their own prompts and posted their creations online.

In 2016, there came the first official prompt list due to the growing interest and high demand for a guide. The rules are simple, as per inktober.com; make a drawing in ink, post it and hashtag it with #inktober and #inktober2018, and repeat for every new prompt.

This is an interesting concept for a myriad of reasons, not only is it an encouraging practice for artists globally, but it reinforces the development of new and strong habits. This movement can also carry the power of messages, user @ tiuladokow on Instagram makes her work known to be indigenous, Palaun specifically, related.

The idea is expression and, in a time where voice is becoming increasingly restricted by governments and media, this presents an opportunity to demonstrate the different ways that voice can be expressed.

The Mi’kmaq people, as an example, are known for their artistry; decorating objects with intricate patterns of different coloured porcupine quills or making beautiful regalia, their authentic expression comes through the art.

Artistry is still prominent in the Mi’kmaq community today. Alan Syliboy and Leonard Paul are two examples of local artists who highlight aspects of indigenous culture.

Paul’s works feature legend drawings, powwow dancers, and nature, and Paul has also published works for other indigenous peoples such as the Cree.

As Inktober gains even more popularity, I think it will present itself as a very powerful means of message. I emphasize indigenous expression and artwork because of its lasting tradition and rich history.

Angela Miracle Gladue from A Tribe Called Red says, very poignantly, “It wasn’t that long ago that dances were outlawed, and our culture was outlawed, being indigenous was illegal and so for me it’s really really important to represent these dances outward and in the world on stages and in spaces where we once weren’t welcome.”

Photo: Instagram @tiuladokow

Gladue brings forth how times have shifted and what the arts can mean to an individual and to a group.

It is important to recognize how individuals have suffered and had some of the most basic aspects of their lives removed from them, and how only recently has that been reinstated, but the journey towards truth and reconciliation is still on-going.

Inktober as an online platform brings the arts to the center stage offering recognition for all artists. It is the opportunity for artists to bring forth their cultures and express the adversity they have faced and what it means to them through unique art from prompts.

Originally, Inktober was meant to strictly be ink based, but as popularity has built, they have opened the platform to different art styles and have even seen the expansion into writing in the forms of poems and short stories based on prompts. Inktober is for the arts, so however you want to express yourself, take part. It’s an awesome way to gain some recognition for yourself or whatever you choose to represent.

Mike Stern Performs at Schwartz Auditorium

Jazz legend’s stellar performance at StFX wows the audience

Distinguished guitarist Mike Stern performed a full band concert at Schwartz auditorium during the evening of October 1, 2018.

In the Spring of 2014, Stern, Artist-in-Residence, hosted two hands-on jazz clinics with students and a concert in Nicholson Hall.

What do Blood, Sweat & Tears and Billy Cobham have in common? They both signed Stern while he was in his 20s. The jazz maestro then got a break when Miles Davis brings him onboard Davis’ own comeback album The Man with the Horn in 1981.

150 people gathered to listen at Stern’s full jazz band. Music alumna of StFX, Sam Wilson, was in the audience at both StFX shows in 2014 and 2018. Having made the trip down from Halifax, Wilson commented “Mike played with so much joy tonight. I drove from Halifax to get re-inspired to go home and play. Even with an injury, Mike was resilient and sounded as great as he did in 2014.”

Wilson refers to an injury that happened in 2016. In New York City nearby Stern’s apartment, he fell and broke both humerus bones while hailing a cab before leaving for tour two years ago on July 3.

The incident left nerve damage that impaired his ability to hold a pick with the right hand. As a result, Stern glues the pick to his hand in order to hold it in place while he strums.

His injury did not keep Stern from the recording studio for long. The dedicated musician released a comeback solo album Trip in the fall of 2017.

Stern has been on tour since then. The band lineup at his most recent StFX performance features Stern on guitar, Tom Easley on bass, Kenji Omae on saxophone and Tom Roach on drums. Easley, Omae and Roach are professors of Music at StFX.

Speaking with a reporter from The Xaverian Weekly after the show, Stern mentions how this second visit is a special return to campus, “The acoustics in the auditorium are beautiful and the talented musicians I played with tonight were fantastic. Always a great energy on campus. It’s a privilege to be back and I think I’ll enrol if I get invited here again.”

Photo: Andrew Conde

Once in a while, when the band was jamming, Stern would shout “Yeah, man!” or stick his tongue out. The musician from Boston, Massachusetts was unreserved, intimate and funny.

The band brought to life the classic “Red House” from Are You Experienced by The Jimi Hendrix Experience as the encore song. Stern claimed it to be the only song from Hendrix he knows how to play, and he played it masterfully.

“It’s the best performance I’ve seen here. Mike is a gifted guitarist and vocalist who has performed with the likes of Miles Davis. Fusions particularly stood out for me. Mike usually plays in unison with the saxophone, bass and his back and forth with the drummer tonight was mesmerizing.” Said jazz student Jerry Ko post-show.

Stern stuck around to meet Ko and other audience members after the concert and sold out all copies of his latest album Trip.

While the performance was stellar, a part of me questions why the best venue on campus was booked for Stern on Treaty Day?

Our Treaty Day event, including the appointment of Kerry Prosper as Knowledge Keeper, is undermined when hosted in the lower-quality venue with fewer seating.

Stern goes on to play gigs in Paraguay, Norway, Belgium and Germany among other places around the world in the next two months.

The traveling musician leaves a lasting impression on our university. Stern’s infectious passion for jazz inspires just about anyone to pick up and play an instrument.

Discrimination on Campus

Why it’s not all sunshine and rainbows being openly LGBTQIA+

Imagine you decide to go out and have fun with your friends one night. At some point, you go to the bathroom, and when you do, another person in there makes unwelcome comments based solely on the type of people you are attracted to, or because you don’t dress like people of your gender stereotypically should. Would you feel safe, or would you avoid going out to places where the way you’re treated is defined by who you are?

It’s 2018, and the reality described above is sadly based on a real-life situation written about anonymously in the Xaverian Weekly’s last issue. The individual was confronted in the bathroom of the pub for being gay, and homophobic slurs were directed towards him and his friends later that night. Perhaps, in light of this incident, the StFX community should question whether we are truly a Xaverian family that is inclusive of all our members, including those who are LGBTQIA+.

Of course, the obvious solution for experiencing discrimination or feeling unsafe during a night out at the pub would be to simply not go out. After all, alcohol lowers inhibitions, so there’s more risk of an altercation if you’re visibly LGBTQIA+ at a bar. However, telling those in the LGBTQIA+ community to stay home for their safety causes further marginalization, instead of addressing the causes of discrimination like homophobia. Everyone should have a right to be in public spaces, day or night, without being in danger due to their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Photo: Facebook @KentMacDonald

How members of the LGBTQIA+ community dress or physically look can put a target on their back on campus as well. Deciding to wear nail polish, earrings, or having short hair can potentially out a member of the LGBTQIA+ community. Those changes in physical appearance are minor compared to the changes that transgender people undergo, like hormone replacement therapy and other surgeries. Especially on a campus with a strong party culture that tends to subscribe to gender norms around physical appearance, not conforming can easily become a safety issue or a trigger for discrimination.

In addition to the incident at the pub, there was a string of discriminatory comments made by Joachim Kane on an announcement of the StFX Ceremonial Flag Plaza posted on Dr. Kent MacDonald’s Facebook page.

Due to the permanent installation of the pride flag, Kane left comments such as “X ‘needing’ to fly that freak flag is cow-towing to socio-sexual fashion.” Members of the community quickly made it clear that the comments were unwelcome, with MacDonald responding that his posts on social media were meant “to help celebrate the Xaverian spirit...to pull the community together...not tear it apart.”

While the rate at which the comments were shut down is a sign of broader community acceptance of LGBTQIA+ members, the comments themselves show that there is still work to be done. The traditions of a Catholic campus linger, evident by Kane readily using “traditional Christian values” to defend why a pride flag shouldn’t be flown. Those tensions with religion are something that LGBTQIA+ members often struggle with, especially when accepting their sexuality. Even though the permanent installation of the pride flag signals a general acceptance of the LGBTQIA+ community, it won’t change the minds or behaviours of all.

In light of recent events, it’s clear that StFX might need to have a discussion about discrimination towards the LGBTQIA+ community on campus and what changes can bring about more acceptance of its members. After all, members of the LGBTQIA+ community aren’t asking to be privileged and protected at a higher standard than everyone else, but for the chance to live a life where they can dress, act, and love who they want in a way that reflects their sexuality and gender identity.

If you would like to learn more about the LGBTQIA+ community, or are experiencing discrimination based on your sexual orientation or gender identity, the following resources are available:

X-Pride Society: xpride@stfx. ca.

Human Rights and Equity Advisor: http://www2.mystfx.ca/equity/.

StFX Gender and Sexual Diversity Advisor: https://www. facebook.com/gsdsastfx/.

May I Have Your Attention Please

The importance of mental health literacy in the teaching environment

Today our attention is in constant demand. Demand from work, demand from family and friends, demand from the endless onslaught of notifications on our phones and computers, and of course demand from ourselves. Everything that we do requires our attention at the cost of something else. With these constant demands stimulating our brains, inevitably things will reach a boiling point. For many that may be fatigue, for some this leads to anxiety, and for others it may come to a tragic and fatal conclusion. These responses are a result of our overly stimulated environments waning on our mental health each day. In particular, when our focus and attention is taken away from the most important demand of all, our personal health, it is then that such negative responses can occur.

While some people do have strong mental health, it is important for all to engage in the conversation of mental health literacy and be aware of resources available for support.

Recognizing the importance of mental health, a team of experienced educators and mental health experts hailing from Teenmentalhealth.org and several universities including Dalhousie, UBC, Western, and StFX joined together to create a resource for future and current educators to learn mental health literacy for the teaching environment.

Dr. Chris Gilham of the Faculty of Education at StFX helped to create the seven module resource to increase educators’ knowledge of mental health and how to support those in need of help.

The module’s two goals are to “enhance mental health literacy of teacher candidates in Canadian Faculties of Education and other educators” and “enhance mental health literacy of teacher candidates in Canadian Faculties of Education and other educators.”

Dr. Gilman and his team hope to achieve these goals in the free online resource. As an aspiring future educator myself, this resource stands as a valuable tool to help support future students’ mental health needs.

To give some perspective on the severity of mental health issues in Canadian society, the Canadian Mental Health Association has several facts about mental health.

For instance “by age 40, about 50% of the population will have or have had a mental illness,” and also “suicide accounts for 24% of all deaths among 15-24 year olds and 16% among 25-44 year olds,” and so on. The latter truly exemplifies the degree to which mental health, especially amongst our high school and university students, is of crucial importance. It seems that at the ages of 15-24 so many factors come into play that have an effect on mental health.

Photo: teach/educ.obc.ca

Expectations for grades, social relationships, university applications, moving away from home, deciding on your path for the future, and even simply learning more about yourself are but a small list of the changes that occur largely throughout high school and university. In these environments, educators are a large contributor to the academic stresses that some students may take too harshly. The busy schedule of balancing class upon class as well as one’s social life and personal health is a juggling act that many students have difficulty managing. However that is not to say that educators are the cause of such difficulties that students face, after all students are students for a reason, and classwork, assignments, and tests are all a part of the job. Having future and current educators be experienced with the Teach Mental Health resource will lead to them being better able to oversee students as they navigate the turbulent waters of the education environment.

For any future educators, social workers, or whoever may be interested, the free online resource is available at http://teach.educ.ubc.ca/mental- health-literacy/. For mental health resources on campus and in Antigonish visit https://www.stfx.ca/student- life/health-and-wellness.

Note from the Co-Editor-in-Chief

Upcoming investigation into StFX’s handling of alleged sexual assault case

The Xaverian Weekly is aware of an alleged sexual assault that occured last November on StFX’s campus.

We are also aware of a recent news article written by Brett Bundale of the Canadian Press and subsequently published in Global News, Huffington Post, The Globe and Mail and Narcity.

This article makes specific claims centering around StFX’s administration and their handling of said sexual assault case.

We are currently in the process of interviewing requisite individuals, as well as investigating into why these decisions were made on the administrative level.

While we believe in giving everyone the right to due process, we also understand the controversy surrounding this case, and why students may feel betrayed by the administration.

It is important to note that we are independent and autonomous from the University and Students’ Union.

As the primary source of news for students on campus, we understand the responsibility we have in delivering honest, unbiased, well thought out articles. Our goal is to have our report on the matter in our fifth issue published October 25. The Xaverian Weekly stands in solidarity with the StFX community condemning sexual violence and harassment.

StFX's "New" Torrenting Policy

Permission to torrent granted for academic purposes

Over the summer the IT services at StFX sent out notices that all torrent traffic on their network would be blocked going forward, unless an application was filled out requesting access for work or academic related uses. While the notice was sent out in the summer IT Services informed the Xaverian that torrent traffic has always been blocked by default on their network, and the notice should be more regarded as a reminder to staff, students, and faculty. 

For those not in the know, Torrenting is a method of sharing files between two or more users over the internet that has increased in popularity over the death of previous peer-to-peer networks like, Napster, Morpheus, and Kazaa in the early 2000s. Torrents rely on a torrent file that connects the user to any number of other users who also have part, or all, of the file they want to download. The file itself that a user wishes to download is not hosted by any website, but split up across any number of people. Torrents have existed in a grey area, legally, due to the method of sharing. However, attempts by copyright holders to exert their legal rights have been made with varying amounts of success. In some countries, ISPs (in Canada this would be EastLink, Bell, Vidéotron, Rogers, or Sasktel), have monitored the traffic of their customers and can cooperate with copyright holders to identify piracy and enforce corporate interpretations of copyright laws. In other cases, a copyright holder may upload a torrent file to a torrent search website and then as users download the file, the holder may be able identify piracy via the public IP address of pirates. While this has led to some success in prosecuting theft, it has also led to innocent people being prosecuted as it is not always the most accurate form of detection and can easily be avoided by using a VPN (virtual private network).

Users who use Torrent software are also at risk of downloading malware, viruses or other security breaches. The file being downloaded can always be disguised as the desired file but may be malware instead. Not all sites that offer torrent files for download are reputable and may contain malware instead of software, videos, or music that the user intends to download. When using torrent sites, always be sure to do proper research to avoid using websites of ill repute. Additionally, the software which users may download to use torrent files may also, in extremely rare cases, be itself malware of ransomware (in which a malicious person takes over the user’s computer and threatens to delete or share files from their computer unless a ransom is paid), which happened in 2016 to popular Mac OS torrent program, Transmission. There is also the very rare chance a malicious user will use a torrent user’s IP address (which becomes visible to the file host when downloading a torrent) to make a form of attack against the user. Although, this is extremely rare (if unheard of), it is technically possible. To avoid this potential security breach, be sure to use a VPN.

Invariably, when policies and laws are made about torrents the refrain of defence is that torrenting itself is not illegal and there are legitimate uses for torrents, which is true. Many companies use torrent-style software to distribute their software cheaply, like Blizzard did in 2006 to distribute World of Warcraft. However, the more likely truth is that the majority of torrents are made to share copyrighted material. Copyright holders are are, and have been, litigious to the extreme. Users charged with sharing even a single song have faced fines of tens of thousands of dollars, and while courts are slow to realise the absurdity of expecting huge sums of money for a single 99¢ infraction. Rights holders have even tried to charge “facilitators” of piracy, going after ISPs, institutions, and companies whose internet access was used to download copyrighted materials, which is perhaps the main reason that StFX has blocked all torrent access, as torrent bandwidth is, almost certainly, dwarfed many times over by the bandwidth usage of Netlfix and Youtube.

If you believe your need for torrents on campus has legitimate, academic, or business purpose, please contact IT@stfx.ca to request access.

One Year On and CETA is Gaining Strength

A message from the Minister of International Trade Diversification

Global trade impacts the lives of middle-class Canadians every day. From the blueberries you put in your oatmeal in the morning to the mackerel you cook at night for dinner- Canadians are very much a part of important global relationships that impact the lives of millions of people around the world every day. 

As we mark the first anniversary of the signing of the Canada European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), I would like to reflect how this agreement is creating more well-paying jobs in Canada and lower living costs for middle class Canadians. 

CETA is a trade agreement between Canada and the European Union (EU) that at its core lowers tariffs and opens access.  That means for Canadians benefit from greater choice and more buyers for the goods we make every day and services we can provide from ICT to transportation engineering. CETA goes further still by addressing things such as labour standards, the removal of unnecessary regulatory requirements, automation of border procedures, and many other factors that shape how Canada trades with the EU. Taken together, CETA makes it easier for the first-time or would-be exporter to crack into the lucrative European market and grow.

In just one year after signing CETA, we have seen 98 per cent of all tariffs between Canada and the EU become duty free. That is real change for Canadian families who now don`t have to pay the extra taxes on imported goods. But it isn’t just real change for consumers; it is also real change for Canadian businesses.  At the Port of Montreal alone, we have seen 20 per cent more traffic in goods headed across the Atlantic. 

Photo: international.gc.ca

This enormous step in growth for Canada and the EU has been the reason why new shipping lanes have been added to accommodate container traffic.  When 9000 tariff lines drop to zero, workers and farmers, entrepreneurs and artisans can compete and succeed with any one based in Europe, a market of over 500 million consumers.  

Canada`s success depends on our government`s ability to diversify trade. The EU is the world`s second largest economy and Canada`s second largest trading partner after the United States. As we look to our neighbour to the south and the intensifying trade situation we find ourselves in, it is evident that Canadian jobs and Canadian families depend on the success of CETA. 

Canada’s success also depends on doing trade differently.  The Opposition favours the speed of the status quo approach but we all know that has left far too many on the sidelines, ill-equipped or unable to take advantage of new access to more markets. 

Our government will not settle for any deal, we want the right deal and will do the work necessary to get it.  

CETA ensures that increased trade workers’ rights and environmental protections are enhanced and protected and that small and medium-sized businesses gain meaningful access to procurement and sales across the EU. 

We got CETA signed by thinking about what would make that budding entrepreneur, small business owner, farmer or manufacturer better equipped to compete and succeed. 

We will continue to keep Canadians and Canadian businesses in mind when we are working to expand trade diversification. It is our job to open more doors and make sure that Canadians have access to global markets. CETA paves the way for new customers, clients and the good middle class jobs that come with it.

Construction Woes

The impact of revitalizing campus

Chances are, you’ve encountered one of the many construction projects on campus already. While it may not seem incredibly disruptive, the number of ongoing projects over the next few years are sure to have an impact on such a small campus.

Among the projects that the university is currently pursuing is the construction of the Mulroney Institute of Government, and the renovation of the Oland Centre and Nicholson Tower. The ambitious Xaverian Commons project also includes building the StFX Ceremonial Flag Plaza and the Centre for Health Innovation over the next couple of years. Despite the advantages to updating campus infrastructure, is it worth going through the chaos of construction?

One of the immediate impacts of all the ongoing construction projects is the amount of noise they produce. Unfortunately, the heavy machinery involved and the general process of creating a building means construction is rarely a quiet process. That noise can prove to be distracting for classes and offices surrounding the construction areas. Not to mention, the loud intermittent clangs from the construction areas don’t always inspire confidence in the final product or the safety of those areas.

Navigating around campus has become a constant guessing game while the construction is underway. Moving between classes now means figuring out how to efficiently get through closed roads and manoeuvre between upper and lower campus, among other things. The construction at StFX makes campus less accessible, an issue the university already struggles with.

Those who drive face difficulties during construction as well, including limited parking space. Already scarce parking spots are being enforced with parking passes for the second year in a row, adding another factor to keep track of for those commuting to campus. Furthermore, it’s more difficult to drive through campus with the ongoing construction projects, especially those blocking portions of the road in the middle of campus.

Photo: Phoebe Cseresnyes

Construction is causing havoc in terms of class and office locations. Classrooms have been created in almost every building on campus, which are not always the most accommodating to technology or learning in general. Some faculty and staff offices have been moved twice over the last year, with another move to come when Nicholson Tower reopens, disrupting their capacity to get work done on campus.

The construction doesn’t come without financial costs. This is the first year that a $125 fee has been added on student accounts to fund the new Fitness Centre. The fee was subject to a referendum last year, and the expansion is a welcome project for the Oland Centre; on the other hand, this new fee will be paid over the next 10 years, which means current and future students will feel the impact on their bank accounts over their time studying at StFX.

Many senior and junior students won’t get to see the final product of the construction projects, even though they’ve funded part of them through tuition fees. It may be only eight more months until the Mulroney Institute opens for most people on campus, but not all. While there’s always the chance to see the changes by coming back for homecoming, it might make dealing with the effects of construction a bit more justifiable if upper year students got a glimpse of the final product before graduating.

Construction on campus causes many headaches, especially as students begin to settle into the routines of the academic year. Hopefully the inconveniences will be worth the investment the university is making into updating and beautifying campus; but until the projects are finished, it might be worthwhile to invest in a hard hat to get in the spirit of the challenges facing construction on campus.

The Internet Blamed Ariana Grande for Mac's Death

Calling out the trent of blaming women for the addictions of men like Mac Miller

On September 7, Mac Miller died from an overdose. Although I was not a fan of the rapper myself, I absolutely knew of his existence and his place in pop culture. Listening to his albums after his death, one thing is abundantly clear; his appeal comes from the nostalgic feelings a lot of his songs bring. 

His 2018 album Swimming is a perfect example of this. Swimming will surely become one of my go-to ‘rainy day’ albums. In particular, I really enjoyed the tracks “2009” and “Ladders”. “2009” is a song that pulls you in with its classical introduction, and I really enjoy the lyrics regarding his rise to fame, especially when he says, “Sometimes I wish I took a simpler route, Instead of havin’ demons that’s as big as my house.” As for “Ladders”, the juxtaposition between the happy atmosphere of the instrumental and the lyrical theme of hard work that might come crumbling down is something I really find interesting. 

His overdose made headlines immediately, but the odd thing about the coverage of his death was how another name was constantly being paired with his – Ariana Grande. 

Truth be told, my first encounter with Miller was his featuring on Grande’s breakout hit “The Way” (2013). For people who aren’t entirely familiar with the rap scene, that might be your only exposure to Miller, aside from him being Grande’s long-time friend, and boyfriend from 2016 until May of this year. If you were oblivious to the professional and personal relationship between these two celebrities, it’s likely that Miller’s unfortunate passing brought those facts to your knowledge... but for all the wrong reasons. 

When news of his death hit, I happened to be scrolling through Twitter. After my initial shock of the headlines passed, I was faced with hundreds of comments on both of Grande’s Twitter and Instagram pinning the blame for his overdose on the singer. Twitter user @CompetitiveToo commented, “You did this to him, I can’t believe this...you should feel absolutely sickened! Treat him like dog shit, threw him to the curb like he was nothing.” Another user, @SuperGleesh, said “I mean IDC what anybody says I’m 100% blaming this on you.” Many replies were much more vulgar and insensitive, all making sure Grandewas aware of them by tagging her Twitter username in their messages. On her Instagram, the vitriol was so severe that Grande’s Instagram comments section was disabled. 

Beyond the internet hate-machine, which was likely half genuine hate and half ironic hate, isn’t it crazy to pin the blame for a man’s overdose on his ex-girlfriend? I think this opens a serious conversation; when men make poor decisions, oftentimes the women in their lives are called out. Besides Miller and Grande, there is controversy that surrounded Italian actress Asia Argento and her late boyfriend, Anthony Bourdain. In July of this year, the 61-year-old chef committed suicide, and many people online held Argento responsible. I think this is a horrible trend and contributes to blaming women for things they can’t control. The death of Miller caused widespread hatred towards Grande – just another thing on the list of things people have blamed her for this year. During Aretha Franklin’s funeral, the singer was clearly groped by a pastor, but many complained more about her attire at the funeral than the actual sexual assault. The music video for her hit song “God is a Woman” also received backlash online for its feminist themes, such as literally breaking a glass ceiling in the video (‘break the glass ceiling’ is a term feminists often use for describing the invisible barriers women face in the workplace). 

Miller and Grande were long-time friends and eventual lovers until this year; however, Miller’s struggle with addiction began long before meeting the pop star. Miller admitted to music news website The FADER in a 2016 documentary that he, “...hated being sober. I wanted a drug to do.” While the rapper acknowledged his issues and had sobriety goals, it was hard for him to get out of the mindset that he needed drugs to function. Miller didn’t completely succumb to addiction in his entire life, taking steps every now and then to get clean. On September 14, Grande ended her social media silence and made an Instagram post about her ex. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t fix or take your pain away” says the caption. 

It’s unsurprising that Grande was named as the catalyst for the rapper’s OD. After all, we live in a society that blames women for the actions of the men in their lives. A glaring example of this is the culture of victim blaming, where victims of sexual assault are sometimes blamed due to their clothing, attitude, etc. Miller’s addiction did not begin when Grande broke up with him. She helped him with some of his pain when they were together, but ultimately had to move on for reasons the general public has no business knowing.

When you love someone, oftentimes the reality is that you can’t truly evolve with that person in your life. Maybe you both have different career goals, or maybe, like with    Miller, you have an addiction problem that is hindering your relationship. 

Miller was battling addiction for most of his life. What was Grande supposed to do that she hadn’t done already? Even if she had stayed with him and he passed on anyways, would she have been blamed for not helping him enough? Either way, the internet would have made her out to be the bad girl in all of this. What exactly was mentioning her on twitter and flooding her Instagram with accusations supposed to do? Fix things? 

I can’t even imagine the kind of pain Grande was going through at the time, and as a celebrity with an active social media presence, I’m certain she caught wind of a portion of those comments. Even weeks after his death, some media outlets reporting on his cause of death feel the need to include Grande in their headlines; an example being The Sun’s article entitled, “‘LIQUID HEROIN’ Lethal cough syrup drug blamed for Ariana Grande’s ex-boyfriend rapper Mac Miller’s death is sweeping the UK.” Abusing her relationship with him to gain internet traffic just proves that the world will never let this one go. 

Miller’s death will forever be linked to Grande. “You don’t go down in history because you overdosed...” was another introspective moment by Miller to The FADER. Though overdosing ended up being the 26-year old’s fate, I hope he’ll go down in history not for his death, but for his music and career. In addition, I really hope the online reaction to his death sparks a larger conversation about the insensitive hate-mongering aimed at women.

The Anti-Capitalist Passions of Jake and Elwood

“It is easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism”

At first blush The Blues Brothers (1980), is a riotous, fun film about two brothers with a concern regarding their dress that could even give the Mods or the Greaser’s of the 50s a run for their money. 

Dressed in matching black suits, ties, hats, and glasses, they increasingly appear as two troublemakers with hearts of gold out to pay off the property taxes due to the city by an orphanage run by nuns. Despite their run-ins with the law they care for each other, and for their those around them. In essence, it’s a movie about the bonds of brotherhood and friendship.

However, a closer viewing of The Blues Brothers reveals a much more important message, an anti-capitalist message. The Blues Brothers are not just a happy-go-lucky pair out on a hedonistic jaunt, with a devil-may-care attitude towards the law and those that get in their way. They are on an adventure; a direct assault on the burgeoning heart of modern capitalism, as it was beginning to take off in the late 70s and early 80s, a foreshadowing of the coming age of corporate raiders, the financializing of the modern economy, and the complete destruction of the communities that sustained and supported the downtrodden and oppressed in society. 

Let us take a brief journey through the events of The Blues Brothers that express the will of people in the face of destructive capitalism.

In the works of Karl Marx, there is an often-misquoted line about religion, which, in full, reads, “Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people.” 

For Marx, despite what was implemented and understood after his death, religion was the panacea that allowed the countless masses, oppressed by the forces of Industrial Capital, to experience reprieve and relief. Flawed as it may be, it was one of very few remaining forces that gave the proletariat hope. It in this context that we may understand the impetus of the divine mission felt by Jake and Elwood Blues. 

Themselves raised in the Catholic orphanage, they understood that the orphanage, flawed and violent as they experienced it, was the only remaining barrier between food, shelter, education and extreme poverty in the form of homelessness. The religious institution is the pain-relief that so many poor and indigent children rely on in the film and in the increasing urbanization of America in the aftermath of industrialization. 

In this time period, American cities were hollowed out of wealth, infrastructure, investment, and communities due to varying degrees of racist and classist policies, that banks and corporate predators would be all-too happy to exploit in the coming years, as pressure on cities to maintain solvency would cause them to cut off important charitable networks of public money; much in the same way that the International Monetary Fund would famously (and repeatedly), despite dire warning, demand that poorer, debt-stricken nations end progressive social safety networks in their nations before receiving aid.

While certainly true that religious exceptionalism has done terrible deeds to the children and people of America and rightfully deserve to be taken to task for their awful deeds, from San Francisco to the nightmare orphanages Ireland and beyond. It should not go without notice, that many thousands of nuns, women, no less in an institution of rapacious men, and some priests, saw the horror of capitalist predation on society and were moved to protect some vulnerable people from it as best they could, in this vein we have Jake and Elwood on their divine mission to protect the children and orphanage from homelessness.

Jake and Elwood, not content with aiding the mission of the poor and indigent in the form of religious pain-relief, also take on the state throughout the film. Diverging from Marx in his critique of capitalism, Mikhail Bakunin famously warned of the dangerous powers of the state and in this vein, The Blues Brothers do all they can to inhibit the actions of the state against their own divine mission. 

Throughout the film the brothers are shown to have extreme disregard for the state, insofar as one must exist within the state (as one exists within capitalism) and they are duty bound to pay off the property tax bill of the nuns. Elwood is on the run from the police as he has a number of parking tickets and moving violations made against him and his vehicle, 172 in fact. While these petty fines and notices may amount to little more than a few dollars, their existence is a form of vagrancy law, a tax or fine, on the poor. 

The police in the film, like in life, are often seen to have nothing better to do than to chase breakers of petty rules and drivers from neighborhood to neighborhood, enforcing the laws of the state regardless of their usefulness or the cost to the public. This is exemplified in a number of scenes where the police chase Jake and Elwood through a downtown scene, causing extensive damage, and later when the two show up to the city hall to pay the bill the whole square is filled with police and military forces, perhaps foreshadowing the nature of current militarization of police, over a number of parking and traffic tickets. It should also be noted that the two of them are not chased only by the police, but by a group of Nazis out for revenge for driving them off a bridge in an earlier scene and that the chase by the Nazis is little different than the chase being made by the police; mirroring each other in the same way that the farm animals could no longer distinguish pig oppressor from human oppressor.

Lastly, the initial police chase takes place inside a mall. Driving wildly, through shop after shop, smashing display after display, the Brothers do not just evade and race away from the police but seem to take calm pleasure in causing absolute wanton destruction in the mall. In a sense, it is the revenge of the outside against the cold, impersonal consumer capitalism. The bright lights, sea of colours, and extreme abundance of the American mall stands in stark contrast to the beginning of the film, where the Brothers experience the dim, ragged existence of the poverty-stricken orphanage. The film draws the connection between the “haves” of society and their enforcers (the political elite, the store owners, police, and the state), and the “have-nots,” the poor, impoverish fringes of society that exist eternally on the edge of destitution if not for the tireless work of charitable causes, the few remediation’s against rapacious capitalism.

The Blues Brothers take full aim of the economic trends prevalent in the American economy and urban centres of America and relishes in their destruction. Even being the riotous, dream attack on American capitalism, the story, while ending in small victory, remains furiously tethered to reality. Our anti-capitalist heroes end up in jail after saving the fortunes of the orphanage and of the indigent children who rely on the charity of the nuns. The machine of modern capitalism continues despite their divine mission, and ever encroaches upon the life of the public. As true as ever, as the old saying goes, “It is easier to imagine the end of world than the end of capitalism.”

X Marks the Spot

Introduction of X on birth certificates

Let’s talk about sex. No, not that kind, but the actual genetics that make up who we are. Sex is different than gender, in that it is not how you identify, but what genitalia you are born with. These are important distinctions because sex can be a determining factor for what health issues you may face as you age. Some common examples are that osteoporosis is a higher risk for women, and men can develop prostate cancer. People often speak as if the two are interchangeable, but that is where the trouble begins.

Nova Scotia government has proposed changes to birth certificate registration, to become effective in January. This will put Nova Scotia among the ranks of Ontario, Newfoundland and Labrador, Alberta, Yukon and the Northwest Territories who have already established these changes. The changes will give people the option to enter X rather than male or female in sex identification and waive the fee for registration. The language is important to remark as it speaks of sex rather than gender.

Parents will have the option to enter their children under any given surname and there will be a removal of the requirement for anyone 16 or older to get a statement from a health professional to change their sex indicator. Policy states that less time will be required as a permanent resident before they can apply for their certificates, reducing from one year to three months

As a cisgender man, which means that I identify as the sex I was born in, which is male, I do not feel I have the voice to comment on something that does not apply to me directly. I reached out to several sources in hopes of having input, but given the personal nature of the issue, I have not received comment. As a result, I am pushed further to address the issue myself.

What does the introduction of an X option have to do with anyone who doesn’t identify as transgender? Almost nothing; the only place where there could be concern is medical professionals dealing with individuals who identify as transgender. If their identification lists one thing rather than another, there may be surprises during emergency surgeries and negative effects in medications applied to a patient. The details for this are not clearly identified in the information posted about the changes being made and must be clearly laid out to protect the health of those it impacts, and the safety of those who practice medicine. This is where the language of sex identification and gender plays such a large role.

My take on the matter is that if it does not affect me, and it won’t have adverse effects on people’s lives, the medical profession, or have any impact but helping those who struggle with identity, then why not? There are larger issues facing society than how a person identifies, but we should value and respect the individual and their plight for acceptance.

That does not slow down the comments feeding in from across the province. On 101.5 the Hawk’s facebook page Catherine Ann Marie Lacasse comments “When you are born you have body parts that clearly define your gender.” This statement lacks the understanding between sex and gender, remarking that the two are one and the same. Other comments are equally as uninformed and are, for the most part, derogatory. As someone who does lack the understanding of what it truly means to be transgender, I look to ask questions, to get informed and to be as accepting as possible. Fear and hate are most often propagated by the unknown.

If you have any questions, concerns, comments or would like to make a posting, please contact us at the Xaverian Weekly. We would love to hear from you.

Collaboration or Competition?

How do you and I make us?

It was the battle of the century, two opponents and one minute on the clock. Eagerly awaiting the starting bell, they clutched their chopsticks. The bell sounds and they begin, shaky hands inserting into metal nuts to stack on each other in hopes of having the tallest tower. 

With three ties in a row, the final match ends when one contestant drops their highest nut off the tower. This is an activity that happened in my introductory business class this week. The purpose of the activity was to examine the principles of competition and collaboration. The game made me question which was more effective, and which has a greater presence on our campus?

StFX is a big supporter of community and kinship. The university encourages students and professors to work together to attain common success for the betterment of everyone. 

Collaborative learning encourages students and professors to set goals, to assess and to develop ideas together, with its small class sizes this is exactly what our school strives to do; but this is not a theme that applies strictly to the classroom. From house events, our sports teams, the societies, and the programs developed within the area and abroad, StFX applies a sense of teamwork in many branches of its work.

Competition is a healthy part of learning, as it forces people to push beyond what they may believe to be their limits. Those same collaborative groups at StFX compete regularly whether it’s amongst themselves, opposing schools, or other groups. Competition drives us to excel, or at least it does if it’s good natured and if we have the ability to achieve success. 

As someone who always enjoyed sports, albeit was terrible at them, nothing was worse than the dreaded beep test in school. The concept is simple, you run back and forth across the gymnasium and with each beep your time to run across is shortened. 

My, at the time, robust body was unable to keep up with the beeps and very quickly I was eliminated. When finished there was nothing left for me to do but wait, while others would complain or disrupt those who were still running. There was no driving force for me to get back up and run again, or to try and compete with my peers as it was evident they would outrun me, so competition becomes considerably more finicky. 

I believe StFX has the right idea with prioritizing collaboration over competition because as we build relationships that will carry over as alumni, and stay with us forever, we learn to interact, gain information and ideas, and to accept responsibility within our roles. 

Whether it’s the friends we make, or the ring that binds us, there is a strong sense of community on campus. Competition is a wonderful driving force if you are passionate about the subject or activity at hand, but it isn’t a means to promote continued success. 

Competition can also be detrimental if people don’t know how to cope with loss, and it can lead to conflict. What differentiates this conflict from conflict within collaboration is that within a group, the conflict can be resolved with discussion and expansion. If it comes down to it, any person in a group can be replaced; whereas in competition the only resolve is to compete again. 

We all want to be the best at anything we do, it’s natural to want to succeed. Working with a partner or a team often has unforeseen benefits and can help with the natural progression to grow. 

When partnered with competition, I believe the two can be instrumental to the success of a person and their peers, but if I had to choose, it would definitely be collaboration. 

I Think I Underestimated University...

And other things that went through my mind during early years at X

Everyone gets told pretty cliché advice when starting out as a university student. Don’t procrastinate, don’t get behind on your readings, all that stuff; it’s all good advice, but it’s a little obvious. Obviously, we shouldn’t procrastinate, but you will at least once. It’s evident that the assigned readings are important, but you’ll be lying if you say you’ve never at least thought of skipping one. I’m not here to give people tips that they’ve heard a million times. Instead, I want to share some of the things I learned about adapting to university social life and adapting to living on my own.

I found my frosh year pretty difficult to get used to at first. It took until after Thanksgiving to really feel comfortable on campus. Frosh week felt like one-half partying and one-half summer camp, especially with O Crew banging on our doors at early hours and memorizing all those house chants (I was a Chillis Chick, so the chants were a pretty focal part). Being in a new town, with no one familiar around, I decided to try and be as approachable as possible. I was majorly worried that I’d end September with no real friendships. I decided to be fearless by introducing myself to random people I met at meal hall, it was not something I would normally do. But honestly, a couple of those people I approached in frosh week meal hall turned into real friends that I’ve had through my entire eXperience. So my first piece of advice is this – don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. Even if you’re shy, get out of your comfort zone just a bit and talk to people. Sure, many people I hung out with in frosh week never became friends of mine, but had I not made those attempts, I would have never made those connections.

In second year, I moved from MacKinnon Hall and into an apartment in Somers and I’ve been there ever since. Though it’s not exactly the same as living off campus – no rent every month, no landlords etc, I think some of my experiences getting settled into an apartment ring true for everyone. By far the most difficult thing to get used to was the garbage. Getting on top of our garbage, recyclables and especially compost was annoying, mostly because of fruit flies. The super hot September weather, paired with leaving our garbage in the apartment for too long, is what drew the flies out. The only way we were able to get rid of them was putting glasses of cider vinegar covered with plastic wrap around the apartment. I doubt we were the only ones who were too naive about garbage while making the transition from a residence to an apartment! 

Today I feel foolish for having been so unequipped to deal with garbage; something I used to think was pretty basic. Underestimating everyday chores was definitely the biggest mistake I made when transitioning to a new living environment. And I won’t lie – it’s just more unnecessary stress on top of why we’re all here: to get that degree.  In the end, we learned from our mistakes and never had a problem of that magnitude in our apartment, but I really feel bad for anyone going through a similar experience right now. Getting on top of your own housework makes your living space less stressful, and I think it contributes to how well you study, too. 

I don’t think university is as much about preparing you for the “real world” as it is forcing you to face real day-to-day problems. University is an important stage of your life, it is a transitional step from youth to adulthood. Getting out of my comfort zone and taking my living arrangements seriously really did help me adapt to this stage in my life. Hopefully my experiences help anyone else having a rough time settling into their once-in-a lifetime experience as a StFX undergrad.

Coady Confidence High Amid Controversy

A walk through the Institute with Dr. Webber

You would be forgiven for not knowing, or much at all, about the Coady Institute, a part of St. Francis Xavier for more than 60 years. Although a quiet and reflective part of the university, recent events have thrust the Institute into the spotlight regarding alleged financial fraud and an article in the Chronicle Herald detailing the “droves” of staff reported to have left the Institute over the change of direction since the hiring of Dr. June Webber as director three years ago.

Dr. Webber was kind enough to talk to the Xaverian about some of the controversy surrounding the Institute not long after her arrival. Dr. Webber was unable to provide any details regarding the dismissal of Mr. Marlow, as that case is currently before the courts. However, Dr. Webber did provide some time to show me around the Coady Institute, a world-renowned organization interested in providing important educational opportunities to community leaders from around the world committed to fighting for economic and social justice.

I had intended to directly ask Dr. Webber about the staff who had supposedly left Coady due to the reportedly “toxic environment” that a number of other staff members had written about in an internal letter to the Executive of the Institute, but first Dr. Webber introduced me to some of the people who work and attend the Coady Institute’s impressive programs. I was introduced to some inspiring people who come from incredible backgrounds and their attendance at Coady is certainly a testament to their strength of character and will.

I wanted to know how Dr. Webber felt about the level of turnover reported in the Chronicle Herald last month. According to their source, 19 people had left the Coady in the time that Dr. Webber had taken helm of the Institute; however, Dr. Webber disagrees and counters that only 16 people had left, and a 44% turnover is a natural rate of turnover for the Institute. Dr. Webber defends the number of leaves as a mixture of retirements, staff leaving for other opportunities, as well as natural changes in staff. The Chronicle Herald had reported that Dr. Webber planned that the reduction of the staff also came from the plan to end the use of associate staff, but when I asked Dr. Webber about this she replied that the Coady Institute will continue to use associate staff and that the reporting by Chronicle Herald was “inaccurate,” in fact Dr. Webber is hoping to add greater staff representation from the global north and south.

Part of the controversy regarding Coady and the staff resignations, is that under Dr. Webber, there has been a change of direction for the Institute, some claiming this change is deleterious for the Institute and disrespectful of staff. I asked Dr. Webber about this and while she did acknowledge there was a new direction for Coady, she disagreed that it was substantially different from the founding principles of Moses Coady. 

The direction was made, she told me, after feeling that there was good foundation for the work of the Coady, but that at the time of her arrival it lacked strategy. When Coady was founded, there were very few developmental organizations in the world and the Institute’s mission was wide-ranging. Since that time, however, developmental organizations are much more commonplace, and Dr. Webber believes now, more than ever, Coady must have a stronger strategy and direction in order to compete among the myriad of organizations struggling to be a part of the solution in the world. She told me that Coady is changing perspectives, from a deficit model of support, to an asset model.

This is one part of the three major differences Dr. Webber sees as having usher in since her helming of the Coady Institute. Summarized briefly; first, the Coady Institute seeks now to work with an overarching strategy to understand the contexts of where they are and consolidation the collective thinking of people with Coady. 

Secondly, it is important to look at and assess the programs that Coady is using, how can they most effectively direct their energies. 

Finally, Dr. Webber sees Coady has having a place not just in the developing world, where, historically, the focus of Coady programs have centered, but now, seeking a truly global approach that includes the inequities experienced by communities in Canada and America and other developed nations, indeed during my tour of the building Dr. Webber highlighted the recent initiative to bring Indigenous Canadian women to Coady to become leaders in their communities. It is no secret that communities and people across Canada and America face severe resource, infrastructure, and support shortages and inequities (infamously, a considerable number of indigenous communities have gone decades without clean water in Canada), while populated by ambitious and talented people, just waiting for opportunity, an opportunity that Dr. Webber hopes that Coady can provide to people from Canada to Zambia to India and all and any nation in between.

Before I leave, I ask Dr. Webber how she feels about the reputation of the Coady Institute considering the controversy that’s made its way into national news. She answers firmly, that the Institute does remarkable work internationally and that their capable and talented staff are needed more than ever to counter the rise of inequality globally and in Canada.

Class of 2022 First Impressions

First-year students comment on their experience during O-Week

On September 1, StFX welcomed the class of 2022. For most of these students, coming from across Canada and the world, this was the first time they’d set foot on the StFX campus. First impressions are pretty important, so this week, I decided to see what kind of impression our campus is making on this year’s newcomers! Here’s what they have to say: 

“My impression of StFX so far is amazing. Everybody here is so friendly and welcoming, especially the upper years, and it has been a ton of fun doing all the X-Fest activities with my house.”

- Jacob Koep, Engineering

“It’s only been a day and a half but I already know I made the right choice coming to X. I’ve already met some amazing people, had some bomb food, done so many fun things and I know there’s way more to come! Everyone has been super welcoming and kind, and really helpful with showing me around! I look forward to making a difference in the X community, finding myself and being a part of such a great experience!”

- Olivia Conrad, Nursing

“Antigonish seems to have A LOT of spirit!  A little rough at the beginning trying to make friends, but I hope it will pick up soon. Small campus so it’s easier to travel to classes. Shout-out to O-Crew for being so helpful.”

- Mark Carroll, Music 

“My first impression of StFX has been a memorable one. The orientation week activities were so fun, I got to meet so many new people and my first few classes were amazing! I look forward to the rest of the year as well as the years to come!”

- Olivier Charles, Human Kinetics

“My first impression of StFX is that it is an extremely inviting and friendly community. Everyone is very approachable and easy to talk to!”

- Mackenzie LeVernois, Chemistry and Business

“People here have been so amazing, I’ve known people here for what? Four days? And they are so compassionate and wonderful, kind. I had a panic attack on my second day here and my roommate who I barely know talked me through it the whole time. People in classes I barely know will always talk to me and invite me to sit with them and talk to them. This place is a wonderful community full of empathetic people who truly truly care about you!”

- Anonymous

“X already feels like I’m at home. Everyone here already feels like family and the environment makes me eager to learn!”

- Adrianka Forrest

“The school is awesome, felt like home instantly. The students and professors are welcoming. One or two professors were strict, but for the most part they were good.”

- David W., Business & Emily D., Business

“Campus is nice and super clean. Everyone is kind too. Classes are fun and the professors aren’t scary which is good.”

- Eryn Reader

“I’m impressed by how welcoming the community is on campus. From the upper year students to the professors, everyone has each other’s backs.”

- Jem McDonald

“I feel like all first year students are blessed to be on this friendly campus.” 

- Isaac Tait

Mac Miller: Rest in Peace

The youthful rapper created musical artistry that’s well beyond his years

I was 13 years old when I first heard Mac Miller rap. The song was a clever, catchy hymn called “Knock Knock.” In it, he spoke of youthful recklessness and unprovoked abandon, “I feel like a million bucks” And “Smoke joints in the whip, no cops can bust me”. For a kid who was just beginning his junior high life, it was a risky, provocative ballad that I couldn’t get enough of. As I grew up, so too did his music which underwent a progression more akin to a grizzled veteran. His frat rap style was what shot him into popularity with the song “Donald Trump”, and his commercially successful album Blue Slide Park.

He then touched into his introspective side with Watching Movies with the Sound Off in 2013. It produced the trippy opener “The Star Room”, and a funky collaboration with Schoolboy Q on “Gees.” 

In 2016, his album Divine Feminine focused on the lessons he had learned from the women in his life. This included his ex-girlfriend Ariana Grande, and his mother. It represented another cog in his ever spinning wheel of art. 

Photo: NPR

Miller also produced unique aliases for music, with mixtapes from his alter ego Delusional Thomas and songs from Larry Fisherman. It was another way of him to further venture into his creative soul and continually develop as an artist. 

Mac Miller died on Friday September 7, at the tender age of 26. He was born Malcolm James McCormick in Pittsburgh, a city seldom known for rappers, save for Wiz Khalifa.  Yet, at 18 years old he rose to prominence with his hit mixtape K.I.D.S (Kickin’ Incredibly Dope Shit).

His death was one that sent shockwaves rippling throughout the rap community, with tributes aplenty pouring in. He was universally beloved, from the likes of John Mayer, Elton John and Drake. Heartbreakingly, one of his last tweets was, “I just wanna go on tour”. 

His most recent album labelled Swimming was released on August 3, the same day Astroworld gobbled up the headlines. Yet, when one means to appreciate music, the 13 track album dwarfs Travis Scott’s in pure creative ingenuity. 

His death was from a suspected drug overdose, and his lyrics have waxed poetically gut-wrenching with the opening song from Swimming, “Come Back to Earth”: “They don’t want me to OD and have to talk to my mother, telling her they could have done more to help me and she’ll be crying saying that she’ll do anything to have me back”

As I solemnly listened to his music on repeat this past weekend, one song hauntingly stood out; “Brand Name”, from his GO:OD AM album. The lyrics start off with him disregarding the notion of working a “9 to 5” day job as “I’d rather end up either dead or in jail.” Near the end of the song, he seems to foreshadow his demise:

“To everyone who sell me drugs / don’t mix it with that bullshit I hopin’ not to join the twenty-seven club.”

Despite his success in the music scene, he recently broke up with pop singer Ariana Grande, in May of this year after two years of dating. Weeks after the breakup, he was cited for a DUI for smashing into a utility pole with his Mercedes G-Wagon. He was very open and honest about his drug addiction that has haunted him since his high school days, and it was a tumultuous 2018 that had many worried for his health. 

Let’s remember him for all the unique music he provided for all of us, and this quote from “Dunno”, 

“I think we might just be alright / Thank God”

Welcome to StFX’s Orientation Week

Advices and more regarding the secrets to living a healthy O-Week

Welcome all to orientation week at StFX. Have a safe week ahead and let’s party hearty together.

As a New-Brunswick scholar in university since 2013, I witnessed 6 orientation weeks, including this upcoming week. From parties with the University of Windsor to StFX, here are some practical orientation-week advices:

1. Join a society on campus. Societies always welcome new recruits early in the semester.

2. Log into Moodle and read the syllabus for each class this semester. In my opinion, a head start on the year’s readings and assignments facilitates the transition from Summer to Fall.

3. A nap is suggested in the medical science of my mind to revitalize the senses.

4. Go to activities organized by the university. Should the activity lead to getting frisky, practice our strong consent culture and get permission from the other participant.

5. Attend off-campus events hosted by fellow students and friends. Contributing burgers or sausages usually gives you access to a local party-house barbeque.

The best advice I can give to our reader is to retain the information that speaks to them from these advices and experience their own version of orientation week.

As I enter my final year at StFX, one thing remains abundantly clear: This school is way too friendly. 

I met so many friends I can not recount a time when I have walked across campus and did not come across someone I knew. The tight-knit community is just one reason why you will enjoy being here. With that being said, here are some tips I have learned on how to make your O-Week amazing:

1. You will be meeting a ton of people, and that can be quite nerve-racking; however, everyone is in the same boat as you, and simply talking with someone can help ease their nerves. 

2. StFX Book Buy and Sell on Facebook. Join that group and you can get your textbooks for considerably cheap. It is way better then getting gouged by the StFX bookstore.

3. Water is your friend. Seriously. I was never a huge water fan until I discovered the magic of sparkling water with brands like Perrier, Montellier, and if you are feeling really lavish, Voss Sparkling. This amazing drink is most important on those mornings when you wake up parched like a Sahara desert in the midst of a drought. 

4. Attend a football game. These games tend to bring out alumni, faculty and student-alike. Even if you don’t know what a first down or interception is, simply coalescing with others will make your time there worthwhile. 

5. Be active! StFX has a host of fields and trails to satisfy your athletic body. There are tennis courts located on Main Street and Columbus Field and several trails for running around the outskirts of Antigonish.