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On December 3, 2020, as per Xaverian tradition, the class of 2021 received their coveted X-Rings. Deciding what to engrave on the inside of one’s ring can be a big decision, and we were curious about what this year’s class had in mind — so we asked them to tell us about what they chose! To learn more about each ring, click on a photo and mouse over it to read the wearer’s explanation.
COVID-19 has taken a toll on small businesses. This holiday season, shopping local will help your favourite neighbourhood shops keep their doors open! In Antigonish, there is no shortage of local businesses to choose from. Below, we have included some gift ideas from some of our personal favorites as inspiration. Happy shopping, and Happy Holidays!
1. Give the Gift of a New Tattoo
New ink can be expensive, so help out a loved one this year with a gift certificate to one of our local tattoo shops! Dane Hiltz at Freedom Electric Tattoo offers a range of tattoo styles, and also sells prints of some of his designs for a moderate price, which lend character to any room. A great gift for any tattoo enthusiast!
At Folklore Tattoo, Emily Kane and Colleen Murray offer specialized, strictly Blackwork tattoos. While they aren’t offering gift certificates this year, Emily also sells screen-printed totes and apparel with unique designs on her Instagram page!
2. ...or of a Great Hair Day
Vivid Hair and Body is well known for their magnificent hair coloring and modern cuts. Not only do they have gift certificates available for purchase, but they also stock scrunchies and various other hair products. There’s also Vivid Sidekick, a permanent popup featured by the salon, which sells homeware, clothing, and other accessories.
3. Deck the Halls with a Locally Grown Christmas Tree (and the table with a chicken!)
Loch Abar Chicken Farm is the perfect place to support local. If you’re in the market for a tree, look no further! These farmers are also well known for their chickens, so if you’re not in the mood for a traditional Christmas turkey, a local chicken is the perfect way to celebrate!
4. Anyone for Five Golden Rings?
Cameron’s Jewelry is a great local option for all your jewelry needs. The kind and knowledgeable staff would be happy to help you find anything you may be in the market for – golden rings, necklaces, watches, and all sorts of other giftware.
5. Treat Your Favourite Foodie
A favourite among the Antigonish community, Peace by Chocolate recently released new items in time for the holidays. Whether your loved ones are fans of milk, dark, caramel, nuts, or fruit—they’re sure to have something delicious in stock! Pair the chocolate with a t-shirt or the Hadhad’s new book, and you can check any chocolate-lover off your list.
For the chef in your life, you might consider gifting some fun new seasonings. Big Cove Foods offers a variety of unique and delicious spice blends that make dinners shockingly easy! You can find all their products (including some fun jellies) online, or a smaller selection at Happenstance in downtown Antigonish.
Just across the street at the Five to a Dollar, you might also pick up some fun flavours of Tidal Salt, harvested straight from the Nova Scotian sea! The company’s goal is to relocalize sea salt, and they sell their product in individual jars or sample-sets.
Not sure the actual food gifts would make it to Christmas? Why not pick up a giftcard to your loved one’s favourite restaurant! The Tall & Small Cafe, The Waffle Bus, Gabrieau’s Bistro, Justamere Cafe & Bistro, Little Christo’s, Townhouse, Snow Queen, Love Eat Asian, Myer’s Tea Room, and the Brownstone all offer gift certificates in any amount. At The Waffle bus, you can also pick up packaged coffee and their logo tee-shirts—perfect for the waffle lover in your life!
6. …or Your Favourite Fashionista
Trendy’s Clothing and Shoe Shop is your stop for a slightly higher price range gift. Trendy’s offers a great selection of footwear, and some very nice clothing. If you’re searching for Burks or Blundstones this season, this is the perfect place to go. Sheepskin wool insoles from Lismore Farm, another local business, are a great compliment to a new pair of shoes!
Wallace Leathers is your one stop shop for all things leather, they carry a variety of items including beautiful leather gloves which are perfect to keep you warm all winter, shoes, and handcrafted leather journals. Check out their facebook page!
Photo by Sarah Laffin
7. Give the Gift of Relaxation
Antigonish Nail Boutique is skilled at full sets of nails. They also do manicures and fills, making a gift certificate to the shop a great gift for any nail lover. Along with nailcare, they also sell Hempz Lotion, which is perfect for a stocking stuffer, or a homemade spa kit!
If you aren’t a fan of the at-home spa experience, a day at Baile Mor Salonspa might be more up your ally. The spa offers a number of different relaxing experiences, including massages and facials!
For a Gold Dust Tanning is a great place to get a tan, and pretend you got to go somewhere warm over the holidays instead of being stuck in the cold. Pick up a gift card here and help your loved one pretend they aren’t stuck in the snow.
8. For The People Who Have Everything
The Plum Tree Gift Shoppe is a great place to find the perfect Christmas ornament for your loved one, or pick up a new Christmas-themed print for your wall. They also carry candles, journals, socks, and sweet treats—great for stuffing those stockings!
The Posh Peppermint is another great place to buy something fun or unique for someone who has everything. They carry a huge variety of gifts, including home decor, candles, ornaments, art, and the quintessentially Nova Scotian gurgle jug.
Briefly mentioned earlier, Happenstance also stocks a wide range of gifts, and specializes in things unique to Nova Scotia. Pewter, tartan, pottery, and a range of books by Nova Scotian authors are just a few of the treasures you might find here. A great place to shop for someone who might not make it home for the holidays this year!
The Antigonish Farmers Market is also home to a lot of great gift options. Now in their new building, the Market offers many vendors and is the often the perfect place to find options within your price range while supporting local. The market is open every Saturday from 8:30am to 1:00pm, and will host a series of special Christmas markets Wednesday evenings in December.
And finally, Red Sky Gallery is the best place to get all of the cards you need this holiday season. Each card is made by a local or provincial artist, and would be a treat to find in the mailbox.
We’ve tried to include as many local businesses as possible in this guide, but ultimately only had room for so many. If we’ve missed your favourite, or if you run a local business you think we should know about, please tell us (and our readers) about it in the comments below!
On October 17, 2017, Gordon Edgar Downie died at the age of 53, after a short battle with glioblastoma, a type of brain cancer. Tragically gone too soon. Gord Downie released both solo albums and was the lead singer of the Canadian rock band the Tragically Hip.
Gord’s brother, Patrick Downie, claimed that Gord worked throughout his entire cancer battle, as his passion for music was what kept him sane. All the songs in Away is Mine were written after his diagnosis. They were the last 10 songs that he both wrote and recorded.
His second, but not final, posthumous album, Away is Mine is two albums in one. First, a regular collection of new songs, and the second half are the same songs, yet entirely acoustic recordings. It was released on October 16, 2020. Marking 3 years after Downie’s death. The album is uplifting and unexpected for a posthumous album. The unedited acoustic version is raw and pure, focusing on his voice rather than the music. His entire album evokes emotion and his voice is a perfect way to reminisce, this album filled with the last songs he sang before his death.
The final song in the album, “Untitled,” is my personal favourite; it is also the one that touches on his disease. All 10 songs were recorded over a period of 4 days in July 2017 just two and a half months before his passing. I recommend listening to the acoustic section before the others if you plan to listen to the whole thing.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have all been experiencing the fatigue of social distancing, being away from those we enjoy spending time with. Though restrictions have opened to what we now refer to as a ‘bubble,’ large gatherings are still not permitted. This has inevitably caused much-loved events to be postponed or cancelled. Traditions of gathering with large, at-times rowdy groups of friends, family, and strangers, have all been put on pause. The spirit of such traditions, however, has remained alive for many here in Nova Scotia since the very start of quarantine in March 2020.
The Ultimate Online Nova Scotia Kitchen Party COVID-19 Edition Facebook group (UONSKP) has been steadily gaining momentum since it was first created on March 19, 2020. Following the shutdown of many businesses, and a mandate by the government regarding safe distancing, the group served as a space to highlight the resiliency of many Nova Scotians and offered a place to support each other from afar. As an online recreation of the classic East Coast kitchen party, the videos of music shared amongst the group quickly became a hit with those who hold Nova Scotia near and dear to their hearts.
Videos of families playing music, with some playing instruments like guitar, fiddle and even spoons, breathed life and hope into many of our lives once again. Given the uncertainty of the pandemic, many felt it was nice to keep this tradition alive, albeit looking a little different from usual. If anything, the online format has given the traditional gatherings a broader audience, and has allowed more people to enjoy them. Some who have moved away from home have said that seeing so many people become involved has cured their homesickness, and allowed them to connect with their East Coast roots again.
As the description promises, the idea of the Kitchen Party did indeed clear up some of the pandemic fatigue we are all surely experiencing. The Facebook group is poised to clear up some of the “doom and gloom” on all of our Facebook feeds, and wished to flood them with kindhearted music and fun. No matter your musical abilities, the UONSKP offers a space to connect, and enjoy some long overdue party vibes from the comfort of your own home. Grab your bubble, grab some food, and sit down to enjoy – or dance it out – to performances from some friendly faces around Nova Scotia, or abroad.
This year marks the 102nd anniversary of the end of the Great War and Canadians will be gathering in very different ways than past years.
A tradition in Canada, along with most of the worlds western nations is to gather on November 11th, the anniversary of the end of World War 1 to honour and remember those who died fighting for our freedom. This year however, COVID-19 has made this nearly impossible for communities across Canada.
In Antigonish, 2020 started off with a bright future for Legion Branch No. 59 as they moved the Antigonish cenotaph and First World War memorial from Chisholm Park to Columbus Field to accommodate the ever-growing crowds which gather in remembrance. The project was reported across Nova Scotia and represented to many how Canada still deeply cares and is thankful for all the veterans that call Canada home. Unfortunately, the Legion will not be able to host a public service at the cenotaph this year due to concerns over the coronavirus.
This year like many other events, Canadians are asked to stay home for Remembrance Day and use the day as a solum day of thanks and remembrance. The Royal Canadian Legion will continue this year like previous years to sell poppies at local businesses to raise money and give Canadians a chance to show their support for the Armed Forces without endangering public health.
As Canada goes further and further into the 21st century, there remains fewer and fewer veterans of Canada’s participation in the major conflicts of the 20th century. The last veteran of World War One passed away in 2010 at the age of 109, and World War 2 and Korean War veterans are now an average age of 88 and 95 respectively.
This ushers in a generational change that will see Canada lose its elderly veterans and be forced to focus on the veterans of the 21st century war on terror, while not forgetting those who served in peace keeping operations in the 80’s and 90’s. Canada’s approach to caring for her veterans has changed, with advances in medicine there are less people walking with physical battle scars like amputated legs or arms, and more with mental and emotional scars like Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
The wars in the Middle East have created a middle-aged veteran's group that will need all our support for many decades to come and ask us to remember those who’ve died in pursuit of installing freedom to every corner of the world. There are young children still without mothers and fathers, and parents who were forced to bury their children before they had the chance to breed families of their own.
Although some wars fade into the memory of Canadians, Canada must never forget the veterans who still live with those experiences every day and the loved ones of those who never came home. Surely there will be future world conflict that will see Canada send more of its young people to sacrifice their lives to protect their homes and their families. Students and young people must remember that they are only 1 day away from possibility being veterans themselves.
I’ve recently been described as having “forgotten what it means to be part of the community,” because of some tweets about Mulroney Hall. To clear things up I want to tell you what it means to me to a member of this community.
To frame this discussion, it’s important to differentiate between StFX, and X. StFX is the institution; it is the structures and decisions put in place by administrators to run this organization. X is the community; it is the body of students that live together, learn together, and become friends during their time at this university.
Being a member of this community means holding the institution accountable and rejecting the decisions that hurt us. Students have a proud history of action. We have rallied against sexualized violence, we’ve marched for racial equality, we’ve fought for our rights in response to the waiver. This is the essence of X. We come together en masse when we need each other, and we aren’t afraid to question authority. When we act, we are capable of making change to this institution.
StFX on the other hand, puts up a veneer of caring. The performative emails and social media posts that exclaim commitments to equality and promises to change amount to nothing. Instead of funding increased supports for the most vulnerable members of our community, we build shrines to alumni. Instead of adequately funding student advisors, we rename a lounge and raise a flag. As students, we know that we have a choice to either fight or accept. Often, we accept, knowing that we’re unlikely to succeed.
To me, being a member of the community means the time I was invited to participate in a Smith House Colloquium on Free Speech. It means that when the senior admin were gathered in that living room trying to justify the idea of bringing Donald Trump to campus because “it would be huge for us,” I had to either speak up or maintain my relationship with the most powerful people at the university.
To me, being a member of the StFX community means the time when I sat in my office listening to a student cry for two hours because they had been made homeless by a residence suspension.
To me, being a member of the StFX community means when the university welcomes police to campus with open arms in the middle of the largest protests against police violence in history.
To me, being a member of the StFX community means the daily promises to change, and the daily failures to follow through.
StFX is not a community.
Being part of the X community means the time my neighbors in MSB all chipped in to buy care packages for each other during exams.
Being part of the X community means the creation of the Peer Support Program, solving a problem the university had failed to address.
Being part of the X community means the time that students organized the largest protest march in Antigonish history in support of Black Lives Matter.
Being part of the X community means the commitment to each other, and our willingness to change.
X is a community.
So, to the people who think I’ve rejected the StFX community, you’re right. I reject your Mulroney worship, your lies, and your failure to act. If you want us back in the fold, take a note from the students. Follow through on your promises, start treating us as partners in education, and listen when we tell you what’s wrong.
I go to StFX, but I belong to X.
With November, the countdown to the much anticipated X-Ring Ceremony has started. The Ceremony takes place every year on December 3 and it is a tradition loved by the entire Xaverian community. It is celebrated as a traditional rite of passage for Xaverians that are moving into their next chapter of life. This year's ceremony brings many challenges as the StFX community fights the coronavirus pandemic. I sat down with Shanna Hopkins, Director of Alumni Affairs and Murray Kyte, Vice President of Advancement, to talk about what we can expect from this year's ceremony. The two had to introduce a number of changes this year to ensure everyone's safety, but ultimately these changes allow for us to keep the ceremony in person.
Murray explained that it was agreed that if the ceremony can be done safely it must happen as it is so important to the University and students. The plan for this year's ceremony is very indefinite, and new challenges may result in some changes to the ceremony. Hopkins also said that the plan was not concrete, she explained, “The plan is very fluid, and nothing is finalized.”
Both Murray and Hopkins are Xaverians themselves and understand the importance of the X-Ring and although there will be many changes, both are working very hard to ensure that the event can be the best it can be, while being as safe as possible. Hopkins explained, “It’s something that both Murray and I are very passionate about, as we are both Xaverians. We want to ensure there’s a way that we can safely and successfully host this event.”
Some may wonder why the X-Ring ceremony will be in-person, while the Fall Convocation will be virtual. It is important to understand it has nothing to do with priority, but simply risk management. Many graduates that will be a part of Fall Convocation are not currently located in Antigonish and are outside of the Atlantic bubble, while majority of the students that will be participating in the X-Ring Ceremony are currently residing within Antigonish, making it much more possible to have an in-person X-Ring Ceremony.
There is much thought going into planning the ceremony in order to ensure that everyone stays safe. As of now, the ceremony will have a very similar layout as the Xaverian Welcome but the major difference will be that while during the Xaverian welcome, students were spread out all across campus in different buildings, for the X-Ring Ceremony, they will be spread out within the Keating Centre. Students can expect to be placed in Coach K Court, The Auxiliary Gym, Conference Centre Rooms, and even the Auxiliary Rink.
The ceremony's traditional order will be flipped around, and the last part of the event will be receiving the ring. Within tradition, students will still get to receive their rings in the main Keating Centre, just in groups, at different times. Other changes from the past X-Ring ceremonies include mandatory masks, reduced stage party, and a limited number of guests and faculty. Students will also not be allowed to take group photographs after the ceremony. It is also encouraged that family and friends are not invited to StFX or Antigonish to ensure the community stays safe. Additionally, it will be a requirement to RSVP in order to attend as exact numbers are needed to successfully plan this event.
During the ceremony, students can expect to be socially distanced and to walk single file when going to receive their rings and during the lighting of the candles. It has also been announced that the Honorable Frank McKenna will be addressing the students during the ceremony.
Hopkins and Murray are working closely with Frank McKenna and his team to ensure he can attend the ceremony and are very hopeful he will get to speak in person as he is currently within the Atlantic bubble. Ultimately, it is essential for the StFX community to understand the importance of continuing to follow public health safety guidelines to ensure the community stays safe from the virus. StFX is in a very special position in that we can still have these types of events. Murray stressed, “A message I would give to the students would be to carry on with staying safe, keep wearing a mask, maintain social distance, wash your hands, keep doing all the things everyone’s been doing because it has allowed us to do things that nobody else in the country can do.” It is critical that we as a community continue to do what we have been doing in order for us to have this year’s ceremony.”
Meanwhile, as the organizers continue to think, plan and have many discussions with Public Health authorities, the StFX community continues to work together and follow safe practices to ensure the event can be held smoothly. Despite the many challenges faced when planning this special event, Shanna and Murray have been working very hard and understand the significance the X-Ring holds to students. Murray concluded by saying, “I’ve gotten a ring, Shanna’s gotten a ring, it is a unique, shared bond between all Xaverians around the world. Many try to replicate us, but they can’t, there is only one X Ring!”
Murray’s words hold true, despite the challenges we face as a community, we need to acknowledge how lucky we, as Xaverians, are to be able to still gather as a community and share the unforgettable experience of receiving the famous X-Ring that connects us all forever, symbolizes our hard work, friendships, and our one of a kind StFX experience.
A large number of students and faculty marched through the StFX University campus on 22 October to raise awareness about gender-based and sexual violence and to send out the message that it is important to stand together and know that support exists. The annual "Take Back the Night" march, sponsored by the WMGS society, urged the participants to bring a phone or flashlight to "shine a light on sexual violence" and raise awareness about it. The goal of the "Take back the night" was to ensure that we eliminate sexual violence at the University and in all of our communities. It was all about reclaiming the night and the space that is associated with gender-based violence.
A book "Sexual Violence at Canadian Universities" says at least one in four women attending college or university will be sexually assaulted by the time they graduate. It sends chills down the spine of anyone to think how something as simple as walking back to the hostel or your apartment in the night is not safe
It was heartening to see that all the participants adhered to social distancing norms and other restrictions due to the pandemic. A poster-making session was also organized by the StFX Women and Gender Studies Society before the rally.
Photo by Addy Strickland
Sarah Elliott, StFX Students’ Union President and Catherine Kennedy, the sexual violence prevention and response Advocate were the MCs for the night. The senior leadership at StFX wanted to attend the rally but were unable to do so because of an emergency senate meeting that was scheduled at the same time as the rally. However, their message was shared with the crowd and I would like to state it here because I think these were very powerful and impactful statements, statements through which we can hold them accountable. It stated, “Sexual violence has been invisible for far too long. We thank and commend the visible @ X team, the StFX Student’s Union, and the Antigonish Women’s Resource Centre, and the Sexual Assault Services Association for their leadership tonight for making the invisible visible. We know that you or someone close to you has been impacted by sexual violence, whether a sexist joke, derogatory comment about one’s gender, or an act of sexual assault. Sexual violence results in serious short and long term negative consequences for individuals, communities, and societies. At StFX, we know that in the past, some experience of sexual violence were not disclosed often because the person was trying to forget about it, felt it was a private matter, or wasn’t serious enough, thought it was their fault, or didn’t think anyone would help. It is serious, it is not your fault, and we will help, StFX has zero tolerance for sexual violence of any kind….”.
A number of resources are available at StFX such as the StFX Health and Counselling Centre and the Visible @ X Team. Off campus resources include the Antigonish Women’s Health Resource Centre and Sexual Assault Services Association, the Naomi Society. The crowd also raised a huge round of applause to Heather Blackburn, Sexual Violence Prevention and Response Advocate, who is instrumental in making the event possible.
Addy Strickland, the coordinator of the Peer Support Program as well as the Arts Section Editor also addressed the rally. Addy is a fourth year Honours student in the Department of Developmental Studies and is studying how we can use art and community to forward social change. Addy has been heavily involved in the sexual violence prevention and advocacy on campus and in her speech she provided details of the support being offered by the Peer Support Program at StFX, which is functional in-person this year at Bloomfield 417, Monday-Friday 12-5 pm.
Addy and Emma Kuzmyk realized the gaps in our campus’ mental health and sexual violence support services and spent a year and a half, building, researching, and convincing administrative members and Students Union that the program was necessary ad a valuable addition to student wellbeing on campus. Addy says that, “It took a lot of convincing.” But finally resulted in the appointment of the Sexual Violence and Prevention Advocate, Heather Blackburn and the start of the Peer support program.
The rally was also addressed by Carla Stevens, a Mi'kmaq woman, and a mother of three amazing daughters. She is the project coordinator of the Circles of Support project. She asked the crowd to observe a moment of silence to honour all the women victims of sexualized violence. She said: “I challenge you as students and scholars to no longer be by-standers and to take a stand against gender based and sexual violence in your community and university.”
Last but not the least, Emma Kuzmyk who has worked for Antigonish Women’s Resource Centre, VP Academic for Student Union in 2019 and is a co-founder of Peer Support Program, said: “Not everybody gets to heal from the traumas of sexualized violence but those of us who do, should work toward building a safe community, where healing or being heard is not something that is reserved for the lucky. You have a duty to the people who aren’t in the room. Please don’t forget about them. There are voices missing from our march today, there are faces who are not in the crowd, and we can't forget about the them, because when we use the word survive, it means that not everybody does.”
For those of us participating in the event for the first time, "Take Back the Night" is the earliest worldwide movement to protest gender-based violence. The phrase "Take Back the night" was used as the title of a 1977 memorial read by activist Anne Pride at an anti-violence rally in Pittsburgh. According to some reports, one of the first "Take Back the Night" marches was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in October 1975, after the murder of a microbiologist, Susan Alexander Speeth, who was stabbed to death while walking home alone.
When walking around campus going from class to class there seems to be something different amongst the students. It is not the masks, the stickers on the floor on indicating where to stand or the hand sanitizer every 10 feet. It is something more...something missing.
That inner excitement, that buzz, that something to look forward to seems to be gone for many students
COVID-19 has changed many things at X but there is one that hits home for many. The SPORTS! To all the X-Men and X-Women fans that miss cheering for their favourite player, team or university. While unfortunately there are no sports at X so far, all teams are still hard at work preparing for that call saying ‘the season is back on’! You may be wondering how the teams are managing through the changes COVID-19 has caused with practices as well as their season being put off. The head coaches of some of X’s most prestigious teams were happy to give the insider scoop of their league's forecast, team performance and player morale.
X-Men Football:
Head Coach Gary Waterman gives his updates on the team's strategy while abiding the Covid guidelines.
“We have had to adjust the way we do things to ensure that we are following the Health guidelines. It has made it quite challenging at times because of the restrictions to the amount of people who can practice at one time. The current guidelines say that we can have no more than 50 participants on the field practicing. We have 81 players on our roster so we have had to adjust our practices accordingly. It was even more challenging earlier when we could have no more than 10 people in a pod at one time. We found ourselves spending a great deal of time on practice planning. We had to be extremely organized and communicate in advance with our players in terms of how the practice would flow to ensure that we were following the health guidelines. In addition, we were not allowed to use our locker room early in the process so players were required to bring their gear back and forth from home to practice. There were a lot of moving parts.
From a team morale perspective we had to be very deliberate in messaging about focusing only on the things that we can control and not becoming distracted by the things out of our control. Overall I think our team morale has been positive, but our ability to come together as a group has definitely been affected. With the gathering limitations we were not able to bring our team together all at once. The typical team bonding that naturally occurs within a team has been slowed and we have had to be more deliberate in our attempts to get to know each other.
No new information about playing next year. We are all waiting to see how things transpire with regards to COVID-19 and what our new normal will look like. However, recruiting has definitely changed. We can no longer bring players to campus for a visit and there is a national ban on in-person recruiting for all sports. Technology has been our main method of communication. Between Zoom meetings and online conversations we find ourselves having to come up with more creative ways to build those strong connections with our future X-Men.”
X- Women Hockey:
Head Coach Ben Berthiaume touches on future play and team growth.
“The team continues to not only work hard on the ice and in the gym but in the classroom, which is a great sign for this group moving forward. We are also very appreciative of the support we are receiving from our Athletic Director Leo MacPherson, President Dr. Hakin and the university administration, without their support we would not be on the ice and doing what we love.
As a team we are practicing 4 times a week which consists of a lot of small area games and a 3 on 3 tournament every Friday. The team also has 2 off ice work out sessions to help prepare for the winter schedule if there is going to be one. We are looking to begin some blue and white games to give us some extra competition in November. The team morale seems to be pretty good considering we are not playing any games and having that competition that they practice hard for. The ability to be together as a group and get on the ice certainly helps with the team morale.
We have heard there is a good possibility that there will be an AUS season in January, the AUS will make a decision in the next two weeks. The Atlantic provinces and STFX have done such a great job with COVID 19 pandemic that we are very hopeful we will have the opportunity to have competition begin in January with an AUS season.”
X-Men Basketball:
Renowned Head Coach Steve Konchalski discusses adjusted practices and team morale.
“Since Oct. 1, sports activities in Nova Scotia have allowed up to 50 participants without social distancing or masks (once you leave the playing field you must put on your mask – in locker rooms for example) so we basically have been able to have normal practices for the most part. Prior to that date we were restricted to 10 athletes per group (basket).
Right now we are practicing four times a week and preparing for some kind of a season after Christmas. Currently, the AUS is formulating a return to play formula for the winter sports that hopefully will satisfy both Public Health in all the Atlantic provinces as well as the AUS Board (Presidents). My understanding is that a decision will be made by mid-November which of course will be dependent upon the virus remaining under control into the new year. The health and safety of our student athletes are of course our first priority.
I would say our team morale is excellent despite the uncertainty prevalent in the world today. Our practices have been extremely competitive as I know that basketball is an outlet that helps young people cope with the anxiety that covid has brought to the entire planet.”
X-Women Basketball:
Head Coach Lee Anna Osei fills us in on the season status and the support they have been receiving.
“Earlier in October, U Sports officially cancelled the U Sports Championship to ensure the safety of all student athletes, coaches and athletic departments. This means that conferences will now dictate what the season will look like from a provincial and local standpoint. To date, there are still uncertainties about what the status of the AUS season is.
Though nothing that has been confirmed for official AUS games, we are hopeful for the opportunity to play in the future, whether that be in official games, exhibitions or scrimmages. In the meantime, we have a weekly Game of the Week against our male scout players that gives us an opportunity to work on our Xs and Os throughout the semester. Our athletic department has also done a phenomenal job of providing structure for our athletes in programs like StFX Leadership Academy and celebrating varsity Players of the Week.
We consider ourselves lucky here at StFX. Our institution is a U Sport school that represents the highest percentage of F2F classes, and this has also meant that we have been afforded some privileges for contact practices with covid protocols of sanitation and safety in place. We have as much as possible simulated our practices and training schedules to provide a sense of routine and normalcy for our players.”
It is amazing to hear all the time and effort being put in by coaches, players, athletic management and league officials. The planning and execution that goes into each meeting, practice or team bonding is huge. This is driven by one thing. The love and passion for sport. Even if the season has been put off everyone is trying to make the best of what is happening. It is heartwarming and amazing to see.
Here are some words of encouragements from the X-Coaches to the X-fans:
“X fans! We look forward to hosting you at our home and away games - you collectively are our sixth man! Although we have not had the opportunity to play in front of you, be assured that we will remain ready to dawn the blue and white when that time comes. We appreciate your support , and welcome you to contact varsity athletics if there is any way that we can support you - Hail & Health!” - Head Coach Lee Anna Osei
“X fans, we miss you and look forward to the day when we can get back on the field and welcome you back to the games.” - Head Coach Gary Waterman
“We are so appreciative of the support we get from all our fans. Looking back to last year's AUS final with 1300 people in the building was incredible and certainly loved all the support, the atmosphere was certainly electrifying. We look forward to getting back to playing in front of our fans soon and showcasing the talent of the women’s game. “ -Head Coach Ben Berthiaume
In the last several months, I have had time to reflect in a way that I have not had since I started university nearly five years ago. It is true that time moves faster as you get older. My friend Annie once said that the days are long, but the months and years go by quickly. She was certainly right on that front. The global pandemic, abrupt conclusion of my time at StFX, and the largest movement protesting anti-Black racism in the world, pushed me into a spinning whirlpool. I felt helpless as I spun around and around getting just enough oxygen until finally, I was sucked to the bottom of the ocean. When I finally emerged, I felt like the survivor of a shipwreck like we see in the films, arduously emerging from the waves with my clothes tattered and my hair stringy, exhausted and dehydrated but grateful to at last be on land. The global pandemic and the Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests meant that there were millions upon millions of others that were trudging their way onto land, just like I was.
Since the time I first saw what racism looked like, at the tender age of six, I have been trying to do what I can to contribute to its abolishment, however small and insignificant these efforts may seem in the larger scheme of things. In university, I was often asked about why I was so involved and what motivated me. Before you ask, no I did not think I could end racism at StFX. However, I did think it was my responsibility to ensure that StFX was a better place for the Black students that came after me than it was for me. These ambitions motivated me to write about racism for the StFX Alumni Award essay competition, to help create Academic Success for All to assist student athletes, to join the Student Executive and later run for President. These actions, among others, were all taken with the hope that somehow in the end it would all mean something.
At StFX, whether it was my classmates or all the way up to the University President, the school was distinctly and characteristically White, like most universities. As a person who eventually made her way to the top of formal student leadership, I saw firsthand how the university operated. Hint: White folks are making all the decisions and there is a focus on mazuma. This is also how the government and most organizations and companies work. Upon understanding that these two elements had the greatest influence on decisions at the university, my team and I quietly studied the best ways to fulfil our objectives for students’ interests and then we presented them in a manner that best aligned with the goals of decision-makers. Take notes, I am giving free advice.
As Students’ Union President, I was often the only Black person in these “higher-up” spaces if not accompanied by my team. For Black people it is always a dance; speaking eloquently but not too forcefully, confirming you were born in the country but with a laugh so as to avoid awkwardness, not reacting angrily in the face of blatant racism but instead walking away or politely educating those who insulted you. But why? Why can’t I just curse out the dummy that said, “All Lives Matter” upon seeing my BLM pin? Or why does the Black soccer player who gets called the N-Word on the field, get reprimanded for reacting angrily? The answer is because we can only be Black in a way that is palatable for White people. This is called White fragility and at its core, it prioritizes the feelings of White people above the trauma and experiences of Black people. It is the art of silencing Black folks through defensiveness, indignation, or by withdrawing from the conversation. It is also presenting excuses for behaviour or having “hurt feelings,” and weaponizing tears whenever Black people talk about their experiences. I hate to break it to you, but you’re not the one who was harmed and now you’re just taking space away from those who had been willing to share their pain with you.
In a recent conversation with a girl I grew up with, I was shocked to hear about the incidents of racism that she endured during her time in school. The rest of our group had grown up in the immigrant communities of Calgary and been surrounded by students who looked like us. This was in stark contrast to my friend’s experiences of having grown up in a predominantly White area and attending White schools. She said that what started in elementary school as pencils and erasers being stuck in her hair (with the teacher’s approval) then evolved by high school into students making monkey noises in the hallways and referring to Black students by the N-Word as they walked past. This was a daily occurrence. And it seems that these racist high schoolers share tactics inter-provincially, because my cousin in Halifax described similar experiences and named her high school’s hockey team as particularly egregious perpetrators of racism. A quick temperature check at E.P. Scarlett and Halifax West respectively, revealed that the racism continues in similar forms to this day. Of course, there were and are no consequences for any of the students participating in these behaviours.
The first time I was called the N-Word, I was too young to remember but I doubt my parents will ever forget it. The first time I personally recall it happening was at StFX. I was running past Riley Hall when someone yelled, “RUN NI––ER, RUN!” This incident was in my first year and I will contrast it with a different incident from my third year. As background, at the end of October 2017, Frank Magazine published a racist cartoon of Halifax activist and poet laureate, El Jones.1 Her face was drawn to resemble a Blackface caricature reminiscent of the Jim Crow era. The condemnation of the image was widespread and almost immediate. A few weeks after this controversy, a Xaverian Weekly Senior Reporter wrote a piece called “Define before you assign” which is luckily still searchable on The Xaverian Weekly’s website. 2
In this piece, the writer discusses what is considered racism and who is considered a racist. The examples he provided included thinly veiled references to what happened to El Jones as well as discussions about culturally appropriative Halloween costumes. Before I begin my discussion, I would like to note that the writer was a White male. I am not averse to White males discussing racism, however seeing as they benefit from both male and White privilege, it is incumbent for their conversations to be grounded in fact, evidence, and data about people of colour. It is impossible for White males to form an opinion about racism based on how they have experienced it. Why? Because White males do not, cannot, and will never experience racism. I said what I said.
I would argue that the article the writer wrote was not based in evidence or facts, it was solely speculative. He was not willing to outright state that he did not believe that the caricature of El Jones was racist, perhaps for fear of repercussions. He skirted the topic, questioning if drawing exaggerated features on a person who may have already had some of those features, was racist. He argued that models get their skin lightened on covers of magazines all the time, but no one says anything about that. Then he went on to question why Black celebrities that wore Whiteface did not get backlash in the same way that a White celebrity wearing Blackface would receive and wondered aloud whether cultural regalia as a costume was truly culturally appropriative. Note that in each example, he questioned if any of these situations even had anything to do with race in the first place. He concluded by saying we should not call people racists easily, because it is a “powerful word.”3
Based on the arguments he presented, I imagine the writer also claims colour-blindness about race and questions why White people cannot use the N-Word. For brevity’s sake, I will only offer a short analysis. First thing to know, the Transatlantic Slave Trade happened. This slave trade reduced African and Indigenous peoples to chattel and irrevocably changed the power dynamics and path of development for our world. Therefore, the interactions between White and Black peoples will always show dynamics of power and privilege, meaning that even if you switch the roles of a White and a Black person in a situation, it will not have the same impact. There is a reason for that. Furthermore, skin lightening is not relegated to the cover of magazines, in fact it happens in real life. All over the world, dark-skinned people attempt to lighten their complexions with the use of harmful chemical products to try to get closer to European beauty standards and with the hope of being better accepted in their societies. What you are witnessing in both instances is colourism; maybe the writer could have looked that up? For the record, Blackface caricatures were used as an oppressive tool against Black peoples and their core intention was to remove Black people’s humanity and relegate them again to a lesser-than status. These caricatures were used popularly even within the last 50 years. The type of speculation that the writer used in his article, aims to gaslight Black people and erase their lived experiences by calling those experiences into question while simultaneously minimizing the harm committed against Black people in those instances.
If comparing these two incidents, from my first year then my third year, and having to choose between being called the N-Word from a window versus reading the Xaverian writer’s racist ‘lite’ article, I would prefer to be called the N-Word again. But why would I choose that? Because for me, there is a comfort in knowing who is unapologetically racist. Then I can hate them, avoid them, hold them accountable, educate them, rehabilitate them etc., whatever I choose to do. Part of what made the writer’s article so infuriating, is that he wrote in a way that tried to avoid responsibility for the opinions he offered. It was the illusion of objectivity and of not taking sides, similar to the tactic used by whomever runs the “stfx memes 1853” Instagram account, when they discussed what is happening in Nova Scotia surrounding the moderate livelihood fisheries built by the Mi’kmaq. Both individuals used questions and speculation with the aim of not being held to account for the racist and white supremacist ideas they were proffering. I personally prefer to simply know who is racist, so that I can respond accordingly.
When my cousin was talking about the racism she experienced at Halifax West, she made a very powerful argument. She said today she sees the same people who all their lives tormented Black students, now attending Black Lives Matter protests. They either do not mention their past actions or explain them away as ignorance or a lack of maturity. She asserted that these excuses were unacceptable because being racist is not merely a stage or a normal part of growing up and it also dismisses the irrevocable harm towards Black students who suffered these daily abuses. There are plenty of people, plenty of White people, who grew up without having been racist towards or saying racist things, to their classmates. These former high schooler’s actions, like the
Xaverian writer’s and the meme account owner’s, must be understood as deliberate and therefore need to be addressed and held accountable as such.
Unfortunately, the type of racism that the Xaverian writer and the meme account owner were demonstrating is the type of racism that most people suffer from. Most people do not go around in KKK hoods with nooses propped in the back of their car. Racism is mostly subtle and exists in the unquestioned biases and attitudes of the people who we interact with everyday. Do you have any Black people in your close circle? No? Have you ever wondered why? I am sure you can name the capital of England, but do you know the capital of Nigeria? Why not? And have you ever wondered why you know, what you know and why you don’t know, what you don’t know? Reni Eddo-Lodge, author of blog “Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People about Race” which later became a published book, discusses how structural racism is difficult to hold to account. She says racism is both structural and institutional, but also notes that it is built into spaces much broader than our traditional institutions.4
Eddo-Lodge describes institutional racism as dozens, hundreds, or thousands of people with the same biases coming together to make up an organization. The outcome is a White workplace culture set by these people and it exists through implicit biases, snap judgements, and assumptions about an outsider’s competence.5 If we return to examine our institutions through the lens of structural racism, what will we learn about our schools, universities, hospitals, government agencies, and police departments? If we know that White workplace culture exists in these places, it means that anyone outside of that culture learns to either conform or alternatively, face failure as an outcast.6The culture of these institutions also determines what we learn, what we know, and what is visible to us.
While I was at StFX, there were serious issues with how Black students were treated as well as many gaffes from the university that could have been easily avoided. To make visible these issues and these instances, I shall name a few. The “We Are StFX” video filmed without including any people of colour. The exclusion of Black students during social events. Without forewarning, watching the public humiliation of one of our mentors and not being asked if we were okay afterwards. The constant equity forums where students give their time, emotional labour, and expertise, just for nothing to come of it. The recruitment of Black students, but only for the athletics program. The concentrated focus on the student accounts of International students. The lack of institutional resources for Black students. The little to no representation of Black people among professors and senior administration. And more recently, a missive that was sent out by the university informing students of RCMP presence on campus for COVID spot checks framed as positive news. This last one was particularly stinging because it happened just two months after global protests calling out police brutality against Black people.
Eddo-Lodge says collective bias is what has real impact on people’s lives. She explains that people with biases hold positions of power, they teach, they prosecute, look at university applications, and hire staff.7 You may even have noticed how bias played a role in some of StFX’s decisions, outlined in the previous paragraph. We already know that people with Black or Asian sounding names are less likely to receive interview call backs.8 So I wonder to myself, is it the person that calls me the N-Word on the street that harms me most, or is it the person that prevents me from getting a job and contributing to my community? (This is not permission to use the N-Word).
When Dr. Adolph Reed Jr. came to StFX, he challenged me to think about racism, white supremacy, class, and inequality from perspectives I had not considered before. I would stay up late those nights, analyzing his arguments again and again, trying to see if they somehow fit into my knowledge of critical race theory. At times, I even changed my mind from previous ways of thinking (always an uncomfortable process). One of his arguments that resonated was that we should examine the contexts under which racism and white supremacy become more powerful to effectively address inequality, opposed to focusing on just labeling the forces that cause those inequalities.9 By using this line of thinking, I ask what conditions previously existed and currently exist at E.P. Scarlett, Halifax West, and StFX that allow for the unequal treatment of Black students? What context emboldens White students to make monkey noises in the hallways and hockey players to use the N-Word? What circumstances make it so that Black youth are primarily recruited for their athletic prowess instead of their academic success? What processes at StFX University make it so difficult to follow through on equity initiatives? How does White workplace culture influence each level of university decision-making? Once we can answer these questions, I dare say we can begin addressing the inequalities that Black students face everyday.
But what until then? I mean as Black students, we have our coping mechanisms. We code-switch, we hang out with other Black people, we used to complain to our beloved ADSA advisor and hang out in her office, and when the bland food got to be too much, we would call our friends over and cook a feast. While reading this essay, I am sure you felt uncomfortable at certain points. After all, the truth is never heard easily. But understand that Black students, in just one moment, feel what you are feeling now at maybe ten or twenty times the intensity, at multiple instances throughout each and every day. So, you can sit there, feeling guilty and uncomfortable, or perhaps you can make the decision to finally work on rectifying your internalized biases and racism. Yes, it will be a long process, but it is so important. The support for Black Lives Matter fell among White people, from 60% support in June, to 40% in September.x This is not just a statistic; this is real life. Do the work on yourself and at the very least, you will come out of it a better person. Only, of course, if that is your intention. Whatever you choose, Black people will keep on keeping on as we always do, but just don’t expect me to be polite the next time you ask me if my hair is real.
Michael Tutton, “Frank Magazine to Alter 'Racist' Cartoon of Black Poet El Jones after Boycott Calls,” Toronto Sun (The Canadian Press, October 11, 2017), https://torontosun.com/2017/10/11/frank-magazine-to-alter-racist-cartoon-of-black-pet-el-jones-after-boycott-calls.
Caleb Scargall, “Define before you assign,” The Xaverian Weekly (The Xaverian Weekly, November 14, 2017), https://www.xaverian.ca/articles/define-before-you-assign?rq=nose.
Scargall, “Define before you assign,” 1-2.
Reni Eddo-Lodge, “Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People about Race,” The Guardian (Guardian News and Media, May 30, 2017), https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/may/30/why-im-no-longer-talking-to-white-people-about-race.
Reni Eddo-Lodge, “Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People about Race,” 2.
Reni Eddo-Lodge, “Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People about Race,” 2-3.
Reni Eddo-Lodge, “Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People about Race,” 4.
Dina Gerdeman, “Minorities Who 'Whiten' Job Resumes Get More Interviews,” HBS Working Knowledge (Harvard Business School, May 17, 2017), https://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/minorities-who-whiten-job-resumes-get-more-interviews.
Adolph Reed, Jr., “How Racial Disparity Does Not Help Make Sense of Patterns of Police Violence,” Nonsite.org, September 16, 2016, https://nonsite.org/how-racial-disparity-does-not-help-make-sense-of-patterns-of-police-violence/.
Deja Thomas and Juliana Menasce Horowitz, “Support for Black Lives Matter Has Decreased since June but Remains Strong among Black Americans,” Pew Research Center (Pew Research Center, September 16, 2020), https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/09/16/support-for-black-lives-matter-has-decreased- since-june-but-remains-strong-among-black-americans/.
As we mark the 27th year Anniversary of Mi’kmaq History Month. Preet Banga, news section editor with the X-Weekly interviewed Terena Francis, the coordinator for Indigenous Student Affairs at StFX about her role and how she is trying to promote an understanding of the Mi'kmaq culture and traditions on the campus.
PB: Please tell us about your role as the Coordinator for Indigenous Student Affairs and some of the challenges you face?
TF: A big part of my job is to support Indigenous students to be successful with their academics, to do this we must ensure that we offer supports that have a holistic approach. I help the students navigate the campus community. I work under the Student Life Department and we are trying to work more as a team and work together to support the students, a case management style. So, this year I am referring more students to different resources within campus and help them navigate that. I also help students with filling out scholarship forms and bursaries. I offer academic supports such as tutoring and note takers. I also link the students with external supports, that would be relevant to their needs.
I want to ensure that the staff that I am referring students to, are also culturally aware and understand Indigenous issues. These are some of the challenges that I face. However, it is getting much better. We are providing cultural awareness training, equity and diversity training and those challenges are slowly going away. People are becoming more aware and understanding in how to better support the students. We need to have a holistic approach when working with Indigenous students. So, I guess my main worry is that I don't want the Indigenous students to feel that they are sacrificing any part of their identity, or their dignity, to receive an education. I try to host events -- traditional and cultural events. I try to ensure that they are continuing with their practices here on campus that they would have done at home.
In the past, I did lot of recruitment with the Mi’kmaq schools locally and within Nova Scotia. I am also a part of the Indigenous Advisors Networking group. The Indigenous advisors get together twice a year. We support each other, because we understand and can relate to the challenges we face at our universities. I also work as a liaison between community sponsors and the students. A lot of times, I help the students navigate the resources that are provided through their community sponsors as well as on campus.
Another part of my position is to educate the campus community through cultural awareness training. I collaborate with different faculty members, with efforts to host events that would support decolonization and educate the campus community on Indigenous issues. I sit on a lot of committees to try to give an Indigenous perspective. However, right now, my focus is on student success. And that's where I would like to focus this year, especially with the pandemic.
PB: What sort of counselling or support are your able to provide to the indigenous students?
TF: The most important thing is that I can relate to the students. I know where they are coming from and they can relate to me. I feel that they are very comfortable to come to me. I provide a safe space for them where they can discuss any issue, maybe in regards to racism or a
professor might have made a comment that they felt was not right. So, we have discussions here in my office where students can release fully.
The lack of knowledge and understanding about our Indigenous history creates ignorance in regard to our past and our present. As a result, there are lot of opinions out there that necessarily are not educated opinions. We are an institution of higher learning and so my hope is that the students will take it upon themselves to seek out opportunities to learn more about the Indigenous people of Canada. It is very important to learn about the Mi’kmaq people in this area.
PB: What are your suggestions to build awareness about the Mi’kmaq people and their history?
TF: One of the main reasons for lack of cultural awareness is the absence of Indigenous employees and Indigenous perspectives. I believe we need to hire more Indigenous staff. We need Indigenous people sitting at those tables to ensure our perspectives are being included. Also, the curriculum should be made inclusive of Indigenous knowledge. Thankfully, StFX is listening to our recommendations, slowly, as you know, all this is a process. I was pleased this year they hired Michelle Sylliboy, who is Mi’kmaq, her classes include conversational Mi’kmaw, along with a few other courses. This is a step forward!
We have a faculty member in the anthropology department, Jane McMillan that works closely with our Elder-in-Residence Kerry Prosper. They work well together ensuring that we are educating the campus community on issues. However, that’s not enough. Mi’kmaq History month is when we highlight some issues, but it shouldn’t only be limited to one month a year. We need more faculty to incorporate Indigenous Knowledge in their curriculum, of course being fully informed of the topics and genuine is a must. Not just faculty though, all of the campus community should know that it was Treaty Day, that the Mi’kmaw are not the only ones to celebrate Treaty Day, we are all Treaty People.
The deliberately discriminatory draconian blood ban is how Canadian Blood Services (CBS) chooses to kill people every single day. Their present policy states that men who have sex with men (msm) must practice total abstinence of sexual contact for three months to be granted the privilege to donate. This also applies to trans women who have not had gender affirming surgery who have sex with men. The ban ignores advances in screening which are now able to detect cases as new infections within nine days of exposure.
PrEP, short for pre-exposure prophylaxis, is a drug which according to the CDC reduces the risk of contracting HIV from sexual practices by 99% as opposed to those not on the drug. This drug is heavily marketed at msm and trans individuals and apps like Grindr encourage its use by adding "on PrEP" as an add on to your HIV status option, where you can also add your last date tested. While none of these boxes are mandatory to fill out, it does support the information from the Unifor website stating that msm (and presumably trans folks as well) are more likely to know when they're been exposed that their heterosexual counterparts. Despite this CBS still refuses to make their questions related to behaviour, preferring to run on assumptions; a monogamous gay couple is not allowed to donate but a woman can ride a new disposable douche daily, provided she has a vagina, and still donate.
It's pretty sad that the Umbrella Academy did a better job of discriminating blood donation based on behaviour of a man who has sex with men. It was based on behaviour. Imagine. But no, we instead are given the Luther treatment of having our blood being basically inhuman.
It's pretty obvious that people are just plain homophobic. Read the CBS frequently asked questions and try sifting through their political paragraphs for an actual answer to the question that doesn't boil down to "gay blood is dirty, we ignore science that doesn't support this." Having the Student Union Building choose to support this was disrespectful to every person who saw it had to laugh it off. Hatred based discrimination has no place in a build that's supposed to be for ALL students. Take the hate home. Ninian's Cathedral is an on campus location that isn't part of the campus itself, it's part of the community of Antigonish. A community which is far less likely to walk into the heart of campus to donate than they are to come from the sidewalk to donate. More donors and the school engages in a positive way with the town. Everybody wins and the place not for the gays is the church once more. If we can't have human levels of respect you can at least let us have a laugh.
Nobody should have to walk past a reminder of ignorance reducing them from a who to a what.
Following the death of US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Badger Ginsburg and the online praise she was receiving, I became aware of a number of articles suggesting that Ginsburg in fact did not have a favourable record when it came to issues of Indigenous rights. The proposed ‘champion for all’, though instrumental in the assertion of women’s rights in America, had what some would call a ‘mixed record’ when it came to more intersectional feminist views.
I felt that it was important to look into the cases that make Justice Ginsburg’s record on Indigenous cases less than the caliber of judicial excellence that much of the public remembers. A quick search yielded results that I had not previously thought to look into given the widely publicized image of Ginsburg as the ‘Notorious RBG,’ the fierce fighter of women’s rights.
During Ginsburg’s tenure as Supreme Court Justice the opinions she wrote for the court regarding what are referred to as “Indian Law” cases were comparatively less favourable towards groups of Indigenous people than had been written in previous years. Ginsburg’s record upholds the opinion that she was unreceptive to indigenous claims. In hindsight, it can be inferred that the Supreme Court itself has shown preferential treatment to those enforcing state rights, rather than Indigenous rights or what is referred to in Carole Goldberg’s analysis of past Indigenous cases involving Ginsburg as ‘tribal rights’.
Ginsburg’s record is particularly interesting as it is her opinions that are the bigger issue, not necessarily how she voted in these individual cases, where scholars take issue. One such opinion which she wrote in regard to the City of Sherill V. Oneida Indian Nation frequently pops up as one of the more problematic. The case itself dates back hundreds of years, to the American Revolution. The Oneida had broken ranks with the other Iroquois Nations to support the US, providing the army with corn that was considered a much-needed resource at the time. Following the Revolution, in acknowledgement of their efforts, the US signed a treaty with the Oneida to provide 300 000 acres of land in what is now New York. Later, in 1970, New York pressured the Oneida into signing all but 5000 acres of their land away. The US never intervened, despite a 1790 law stating land could not be allocated without express permission of the US. By 1838, after more pressure from the state, the Oneida only owned 32 of the original 300 000 acres.
By the nineteenth and twentieth centuries numerous attempts to reclaim Oneida land were made. When the Oneida finally managed to reclaim a small part of their ancestral land, however, another issue occurred. Though Oneida was understood to be a sovereign nation, as the treaties that were signed outline, the City of Sherill was still imposing a tax on their land. When brought to the Supreme Court, the decision was rendered in favor of the City of Sherill, which lower courts have suggested acts as an invitation to deny Indigenous claims in the future. In Ginsburg’s opinion to the court, she consistently references the Oneida’s dispossession of land as ‘ancient’ rather than recognizing that their rights were being dismissed in the present. The struggle that the Oneida were currently facing was disregarded. As a historian, I find fault in the lack of understanding about the depth to which these issues persist, and the past in which they are connected to.
In more recent years, Ginsburg’s voting had been more favorable towards the affirmation of Indigenous Sovereignty. In one of her last votes, Ginsburg voted 5-4 in McGirt V. Oklahoma. This ruling affirmed that the eastern half of Oklahoma was considered Native American Territory. If anything, these facts point to a need to grapple with dissenting stories opposing a common public storyline. Ginsburg’s opinions to the court also outline a distinct gap in the law more generally when it comes to the understanding of
Indigenous traditions, law, and ways of understanding the world. Nearly nobody is untouched by an ingrained history of colonialist views. Ginsburg, though the pinnacle of women’s independence, lacked the capacity to understand the Indigenous perspective for much of her law career.
StFX anthropology professor Dr. L. Jane McMillan is the recent recipient of the Atlantic Book Award for Scholarly Writing for her powerful release, Truth and Conviction: Donald Marshall Jr. and the Mi’kmaq Quest for Justice. Praise and recognition have been widespread since the book was released in late 2018, and she has since travelled to Harvard University as an invited speaker, and Toronto as an awardee.
On October 2, 2020, Dr. McMillan sat down with Staff Writer Nathan Penman to discuss her recent book award, the ongoing acts of aggression toward Mi’kmaq fishers, and what students can learn from Donald Marshall Jr.
***
NP: To start, could you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you do?
JM: I’m a legal anthropologist and an applied anthropologist, so we do anthropology that hopefully does something that informs policy or can drive change. We identify social problems and work with community members to try and address those problems using whatever means we can. It is a really collaborative, community-led type of work that I do. I’ve had the wonderful privilege of working with the Mi’kmaq Nation for close to three decades now.
NP: Why did you write Truth and Conviction, and was it difficult trying to balance academic objectivity with your personal relationship to Donald Marshall Jr.?
JM: Well, it was a project that had been going on for a very long time. It was a project that was based on my Ph.D. dissertation, and then life got in the way. When Junior was alive, he wanted us to write a book together and we didn’t get to that work fast enough. He passed away in 2009, but I never lost sight of his desire to make sure that stories and his legacy continued.
So, I took that on, and my goal with the book was to honour his legacy and hopefully mobilize people to continue to act. To give them some insight into how he was thinking, but also [his] transformative impacts in terms of justice reform and treaty rights. I mean, it’s a heck of a story, he really was a remarkable man. But in writing it, I was also grieving the loss of somebody that I loved and cared about—somebody I spent many years of my life with. I spent a lot of time reflecting on our relationship and on our life, so that was a deeply personal experience for me. It wasn’t always easy, there were a lot of tears. A lot of tears working through that, but [there was] a lot that I needed to keep to myself because I’m quite a private person, so even putting in the personal anecdotes that are in there was pretty tough.
NP: You recently won the Atlantic Book Award for Scholarly Writing. How did it feel to receive it, and what does this award mean to you?
JM: I was absolutely thrilled and honoured. I didn’t expect to receive the award. It means a great deal to me—the recognition is very affirming. It was a difficult book to write and one never knows how that type of work is going to be received as balancing the academic and the personal is always a bit of a challenge. And the recognition from the Atlantic Book Award—they wrote a really beautiful letter to me talking about the timeliness of the work, particularly in light of all of the racism and the tragic consequences going on over the summer.
NP: Dr. Ingrid R. G. Waldron’s There’s Something in the Water won the Scholarly Writing award last year, and this year you won it with your book, Truth and Conviction. To you, do these recognitions mean something for future work in mobilizing Mi’kmaq and Indigenous knowledge, ways of living, or current struggles?
JM: Well, I certainly hope so. I hope people will keep speaking out, the academy will keep writing and reporting, and news venues like yourself will keep the stories alive and in the headlines, and not just for the horrific sensationalism but getting at the root causes. Because it’s not until we address the root causes of inequality and discrimination that we’re going to make any change. This is why we’re seeing such important work being done by the Mi’kmaq Nation today to assert their livelihood rights against all of the obstacles that have been put before them that exclude them and prevent them from doing what is rightfully theirs. I think those moments are really important and that the press needs to accurately reflect those moments. There’s been a shift in the discourse around what the Mi’kmaq have been doing and there seems to be more positive support, as there should be, for treaty rights assertion.
NP: On September 18, The Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaw Chiefs declared a State of Emergency in response to the hostilities surrounding fishing treaty rights and their assertion. Your book describes how these came about. So, what do you think about the recent fishing rights disputes and the State of Emergency in Mi’kmaq’ki?
JM: Well, there are two important things, I think, for me. One, I 100% support the Assembly of Chiefs and the Mi’kmaq communities for asserting their livelihood rights and going out on their self-regulated livelihood fisheries. That’s been a long time coming, and that activity should not be criminalized in any way. It is legal under the Constitution, the Supreme Court, and of course through the Treaties.
I am terribly disappointed in the response from non-Indigenous fishers, but these conflicts aren’t new. The gear conflicts, the maliciousness, the destruction of traps, of boats—of anything that can interfere with the Mi’kmaq doing their ceremonial or livelihood fisheries—has been going on for many, many, many years. And the Mi’kmaq haven’t been well protected nor have their rights been well recognized. So, I think what I really enjoy seeing right now is the unity of the Mi’kmaq Nation in going forward in supporting each other; those that gathered down there for the Mawiomi yesterday, those that gathered in Potlotek, and those that are supporting the Membertou fishery.
That to me is always what Jr. Marshall would’ve wanted. You know, I think that he would be thrilled to see that kind of leadership, that kind of collective action. That was what he was aiming for when he continued on with that fight.
NP: Your book talks about continuing Donald Marshall Jr.’s desire for the Indigenous Peoples’ rights to be respected by everyone. I have to ask, what do you think the Department of Fisheries and Oceans could or should do to protect Mi’kmaq fishers and their rights?
JM: Well, I think there needs to be a whole-scale restructuring of the Fisheries in order to include, respect, and educate others on that space in the fishery. There needs to be very a distinct place for Mi’kmaq rights to the resource, and they need to stop interfering with the livelihood aspects, they should be enabling commerce rather than disabling it. And I think that the education programs of the regulatory body have to shift so that everyone understands there are Mi’kmaq rights to fishing and that other Indigenous communities also have very similar rights to access these resources in Canada and they can no longer be excluded from that. There’s a lot of work to be done. They also need to be protecting Mi’kmaq gear and Mi’kmaq lives around that water against the hostilities and conflicts.
NP: What do you think people should understand about the Friendship and Peace Treaties of the 18th century?
JM: They are living treaties. They have been affirmed by the Supreme Court of Canada and they are upheld in the Canadian Constitution. The Mi’kmaq have an unbreakable bond to those treaties and live by and adhere to them. And all of the settlers who live in this territory are also treaty people and have an obligation to live the treaties as well, and that means honouring and respecting the relationships and, ideally, someday getting to the place where they are constantly celebrating those relationships rather than fighting over what those rights may be.
NP: What do you think, then, that StFX University as an institution and its students could be doing to assist Mi’kmaq People trying to assert their treaty rights—their re-affirmed rights?
JM: I think we’ve got a great administration in place right now that are very supportive, and they want to be good neighbours to the Mi’kmaq Nation. The Indigenous student services section of the university needs some growth, it needs some support, it needs more resources put toward it. So that’s one thing the campus can do. I think the campus can also welcome the dialogue and help shift the conversation from one of antagonism and racism to one of peace and friendship. As you mentioned, to be living the meaning and intent of the treaties in better ways.
I think that we fly the Mi’kmaq flag, we acknowledge we’re on Mi’kmaq territory—those are important symbolic steps—but substantively, there’s work to be done in our research relationships, our teaching relationships, and our service relationships. And I think that those changes are coming, I think that there is certainly the political will on campus and that students are all benefiting from exposure to Mi’kmaq culture and Mi’kmaq knowledge. And Indigenous
knowledge isn’t general, and I think that everybody is learning and participating in that way, and we’re all better off for it.
So, I think more and more engagement and more and more opportunities for land-based learning. Our knowledge keeper on campus, I think that he could benefit from more resources because he’s really tapped a lot to educate and help people learn, but he can’t do it all—he’s a busy man—so we’d like to support Kerry Prosper in whatever ways we can. And I’d like to see at some point see the university set up sort of a space that’s both sacred and educational, and we could put in an ethnobotanical garden that relates to Indigenous knowledge, medicines, and plants, and maybe have a wigwam where we can do teachings and have the community come in and share their knowledge with us and have them be properly compensated for that exchange.
NP: Me, I’m from Sydney so I’ve grown up with some familiarity of Mi’kmaq knowledge but when I came to university—it just opens your eyes to just how much you don’t know. And having more of those opportunities to learn can never be a bad thing.
JM: I also think that we need more Indigenous faculty—we need more diverse faculty. But, more Indigenous faculty and staff, for sure. It’d be great to have a Chair of Indigenous Governance in the Public Policy and Governance program. A Chair of Indigenous Environment in the Climate and Environment program. A Chair of Indigenous Health in the Health program. A Chair of Indigenous Business—I mean we can have it everywhere.
NP: Let’s circle back to your book. In it you state: “The adversarial justice system features the state as the victim and punishment as the cure, in a narrow adjudication process separated from the community.” I wonder, then, to you, what would a pluralized justice system in Nova Scotia or Mi’kmaq’ki look like?
JM: It would be one where the community has way more input in the remedy. The restorative justice processes are fairly inherent in Mi’kmaq belief systems and they could be brought forward and brought into practice. The Wagmatcook Court is a great start, and they are working really hard with community members and [they] have their Elder advisory circle. They work with the Mi’kmaq legal support network which provides some customary and law and court worker support.
But I think we can take it a step further and see some self-determined justice institutes being brought forward relying on Mi’kmaq legal principles and I’d like to see that happen. So, I think that the Mi’kmaq have always had an interest in creating their own courts—it doesn’t have to look like a Canadian court, it doesn’t even have to be called a court, for the sake of this conversation. Or, [it could be] a justice lodge or someplace where people can come and gather and gain the teachings they need to repair whatever harms have been committed. And to reintegrate people back into the communities so people can go on living in a good way.
NP: As a follow-up, what would you say to those who have doubts in Indigenous People’s ability to judge or mediate through these justice circles, or so on, when harm is done to the community?
JM: I think regardless of what kind of justice system you have, you have people who doubt it. I mean, we certainly can’t have blind faith in our justice system in Canada; it makes mistakes, it makes a lot of mistakes. And Donald Marshall’s wrongful conviction is but one of many, many more. And, so, I think any sort of system that’s trying to generate knowledge, repair harms, and deter people from committing further offences and working to re-integrate people, of course, is going to run into its problems. But I think that the benefit of Indigenous legal principles and practice is that they’re far more focused on rehabilitation and reintegration than punishment. And I think that our justice system would benefit from changing its lens to one that’s far more rehabilitative and reintegrative than its focus on punishment because it’s not working.
NP: I think your passion for telling Donald Marshall Jr.’s story and telling people today why it’s important to continue his legacy—I think it speaks in the book, so I really do want to commend you for a quality book, and like I said I thoroughly enjoyed and learned a lot from it. I really do hope that our readers will do the same.
JM: Thank you, Nathan, I appreciate that.
On October 17, 2020, more than 300 people rallied in Chisholm Park to demonstrate their solidarity with Mi’kmaw fishers. The purpose of the rally was to demand that the RCMP and elected officials honour the Treaty of 1752, which guarantees the Mi’kmaq right to fish for a moderate livelihood, and to act to stop acts of violence and terror against Mi'kmaq fishers. This comes after a week of violence in Saulnierville, where white vigilantes have been cutting traps, raiding lobster pounds, and making threats against the wellbeing of Mi'kmaq people.
The rally began at 6pm with a drum performance of “Honour Song” by Graham Marshall; Billy Joe Muese; Noah Mathews Crimons; Salena Sylvester; Charlotte, Margaret, and Dolena Poulette; and Michelle, Christina, and Rosie Sylliboy. Following the performance, a number of Mi’kmaq community members, as well as a few settlers, took the stage with words of outrage, encouragement, solidarity, and hope. Chris Frazer, professor of History at StFX, acted as the event’s emcee. An experienced organizer and activist, Frazer also played a large role in making the event happen.
Dolena Poulette of Membertou First Nation giving the opening prayer.
Photo by Addy Strickland
Among the speakers was Michelle Sylliboy, a Mi’kmaq artist from We'koqma'q Cape Breton and Professor of Art and Modern Languages at StFX University. Sylliboy emphasized the role of the 1752 treaty, stating that Mi'kmaq people have been here for a very long time, and will be here for a very long time, despite government efforts to silence or ignore them; “we’re not going anywhere,” she said. She called on settlers—her allies and neighbours—to write their elected officials, and ask for justice. “That email that you send to the Prime Minister is a legal document, and they can’t ignore it … you voted them in. They work for you. It’s pretty clear that they don’t work for me anymore, but they work for you,” she said.
Salena Sylvestor, a mom, leader, and Community Studies student who travelled to Antigonish from Membertou First Nation, also took the stage. Sylvestor was emotional, sharing her thoughts about ongoing events in Digby, and explaining to the crowd what was happening there; cut traps, flares, violence, fire. If these acts were being committed by Indigenous people, she stipulated, the RCMP would be employing force to make it stop. She asks, “where’s that force now?”
Sylvestor was followed by Mary Isaac, who reminded the crowd about the real root of the issue. “This is about corporations trying to steal our natural resources and keep us fighting as a distraction,” she said, and encouraged everyone in attendance to “unite as one people” instead of resorting to violence and conflict.
Dolena Poulette, from We'koqma'q First Nation, April and Darlene Prosper, from Paq’tnkek First Nation, and Marin McBeath, a history student at StFX, also stepped up to the mic.
While the speakers were on stage, two rubber boots also made their way through the crowd, collecting funds to be sent to the front lines in Digby and put towards buying necessary supplies. Attendees raised a total of $1145 in monetary donations, and event organizers are looking to collect further donations in material items to send along as well. Readers looking to lend support are encouraged to write, call, or email their elected officials to call for action. Monetary or material donations are also welcome. Charlotte Conolly, an activist from Halifax (K'jipuktuk), has created a list of the various places to donate, alongside templates for reaching elected officials, lists of most needed supplies, and trustworthy news sources; her list can be found online here.
Three dancers led the march.
Photo by Addy Strickland
The rally ended with a march, led by three young dancers, routed from Chisholm through the StFX campus. Marchers waved at the Antigonish RCMP station as they made their way back along West Street.
A livestream of the event can found on The Xaverian Weekly’s Facebook page, here. A recording of the event will also be shared on this week’s episode of Social Justice Radio, Thursday at 5pm on 93.3 The Fox.
Editor-in-Chief Will Fraser sat down with each of the candidates for 2020-2021 First Year Representative.
Candidate: Hunter Park
Slogan: Let’s make this year like no other, vote for Hunter!
WF: Tell us a bit about yourself and why you decided to run.
My name is Hunter Park. And I'm from a small island in southern New Brunswick with a population of 2500 people. And I came to StFX because I had visited here a couple times, and I love the community feel. In high school, I was co-President of Student Council. I was vice-president of my class and editor of the yearbook. So, I love being involved and I love student government. I'm a first-year business student at X and I'm staying in MacIsaac Hall, and I'm loving it here.
WF: Can you tell us what the job of first year rep involves?
So, the first-year rep to me is to represent the views of everyone in first year, and what they would like done. So basically, advocating for what they want as a group and being there to listen to their opinions and what they'd like to do.
WF: What is your platform?
My platform is based on three main points. The first one is equity and diversity. The second one is student involvement and activities. And the third one is safety.
So, in equity and diversity, I'm openly gay. So I understand how it feels to be left out, and I understand the importance of inclusion on campus and Equity and Diversity being something that StFX strives for, I would love to stand for that as well and it would be my goal to make campus feel like a safe place for everyone.
So, student activities. I understand there's a house point system here, but not a lot of people know how many points their house has, or what the rankings are and I would like to implement a system whether that be an app or a website, where students can see where their house is standing, and what activities there are to participate in. and saying that I would also like to have more fun activities, while maintaining safe COVID regulations.
Moving into safety. The main thing that I've heard the students of the class of 2024 want is to reduce restrictions. So, my goal is to maintain a balance between staying safe during COVID, and loosening restrictions as much as safely possible.
WF: If you can only accomplish one thing on your platform, which would it be?
If I could only accomplish one thing on my platform, it would be the Student Involvement part. It would be to make it a more fun year for everyone and to listen to what activities and things students would like to do this year.
WF: The Students’ Union has historically been criticized for being elitist. How will you make The U more open and approachable to students?
I never had that impression personally of the U, but now that I know that that's a reputation that they have had, I would strive to approach everyone in first year and try to make them comfortable giving input and communicating with the union input in what happens with the union and communicating with me for the union.
WF: What do you think of StFX’s handling of COVID-19? What would you change?
I'm very happy that we get to be here in person, and I think that StFX has done a great job with creating a place where we can feel safe. However, there are a few things that I would change, such as I would remove masks in residence buildings and in meal hall, I would create eating areas per each residence house so that you're not sitting with people from different houses, that way you can feel safe in your residence and maintain distance from people within other residences.
WF: Looking at the other candidates, why should first years vote for you over them?
I personally love all the other candidates and spent time with a lot of them and I think that we'd all be really good choices for the part. However, I as well as other candidates have had experience with student government and representing people. And I would love to represent students of '24.
WF: If you were to lose the election, which candidate do you hope would win?
All three candidates have advantages, specific advantages, so I can't pick one to win.
WF: Anything else you’d like to say to first-years?
I'd love to have this chance to represent you guys and I hope in the case that I do get elected, that you feel comfortable talking to me about anything, and I'm doing this for the class of '24.
Editor-in-Chief Will Fraser sat down with each of the candidates for 2020-2021 First Year Representative.
Candidate: Brendan Roberts
Slogan: satisfying your hunger for change
WF: Tell us a bit about yourself and why you decided to run.
My name is Brendan Roberts. I'm from Calgary, Alberta. I, you know, grew up in Calgary, but I lived in Halifax for a few years. My family still has a cottage in Nova Scotia, that we usually come back to. You know, so I do, I do have a bit of a connection to Nova Scotia and that's sort of why I came to StFX originally. I'm running because I've always really been interested in student government. So I was my high school student council president and I've always been trying to get really involved. So you know, here at StFX, I'm actually the director of academics for the Schwartz Business Society. And yeah, I'm just running because, you know, I've heard from a lot of different students just, you know, there's some clarification, I think that could be made, just regarding different policies, especially in terms of the COVID-19 policies, that maybe students aren't fully understanding and I'm not saying that, you know, we're gonna get everything changed, and it's not going to be a normal year, because it isn't a normal year, but, but perhaps maybe just asking for a bit more clarification from the university.
WF: Can you tell us what the job of first year rep involves?
It's obviously to represent the voices and the opinions of all first years on campus to the best of your ability. So, for me that looks like, you know, trying to try to take polls and surveys from first years. So I would definitely try and incorporate as much input from the broader first year community as I could, you know, I can, I can always just ask my friends, my personal group of friends, but that doesn't necessarily represent everyone else on campus and I know, you know, opinions vary between residences and friend groups and programs and stuff. So it's kind of just taking all the opinions of all first years on campus, and trying to decide, you know, what's in the best interest for everyone and I can obviously relate to that, because I'm a first year myself.
WF: What is your platform?
So, I have three main points for my platform. The first is diversity, equality, and, just inclusivity on campus. So, trying to promote kind of those three things and diversity amongst different people and also trying to promote and support the different groups and kind of programs on campus. So ones like the, different societies that support different minority groups, as well as like the sexual violence support program, I can't quite remember the name, but there is one on campus that I would like to support a little bit more and kind of promote it and make people aware that those programs are on campus, for the students to access if they need them. My second biggest point, or platform policy idea would be trying to work with the university and with the Students' Union, just to, if we are still required to self-isolate, after the semester one break during the holidays. It's trying to make a better self-isolation plan. So just, you know, taking what we learned in semester one and applying it to semester two, and just trying to, you know, maybe that's something that looks like pushing the start date of classes back another two weeks, as we did in semester one, or maybe it looks like starting classes on a normal time, but doing the first two weeks online so that students have something to do while they're self-isolating. I mean, there's a million other possibilities. So, it's kind of just taking everyone's sort of opinions and ideas and trying to collaborate with everyone. And then my third and final biggest point is just as I said before, working with the university and working with first years to help sort of provide a bit of clarification and communication between first years and the university administration just to you know, if there's policies or rules that students don't quite understand, sort of trying to voice on behalf of the administration, why things are that way, and then also voicing the concerns of first years for policies that maybe, you know, we don't quite understand and we don't feel that should be in place, voicing those concerns to university administration. So, to kind of create a bit of a two-way street there.
WF: If you can only accomplish one thing on your platform, which would it be?
If I had to pick one, honestly, it would be trying to promote the diversity and the inclusivity on campus just because, you know, people can live with some odd rules and restrictions in place in terms of the COVID-19 crisis but for people who are maybe facing discrimination or things like that, that's something that they're going through every day and I think that for trying to make a difference in their lives for people who have maybe been going through this their entire lives, this is probably what I would want to try and accomplish the most. But, obviously, that's not to say that I'm going to work any less hard at trying to create communication between university administration students, first year students, in terms of the COVID-19 crisis.
WF: The Students’ Union has historically been criticized for being elitist. How will you make The U more open and approachable to students?
You know I think that by being a first year student, myself, and not having any previous connection, or any connection at all, to the U, I think that sort of the first step here, you know, I've heard, you know, people, you know, when whenever there's sort of a bigger, sort of godlike figure, in this case, I guess you could call that the U, people will always be critical of organizations like that. But, you know, for me, I want to try and be sort of communication between the students and the U. So, by being a first-year student, by not having any connections to the U, I think that I can be a bit more approachable than, say, one of the VPs on the U.
WF: What do you think of StFX’s handling of COVID-19? What would you change?
Yeah, so I mean, this is obviously part of my platform, so I've spoken a bit on this already. But I think that StFX has done an amazing job. You know, in hindsight, we can talk about all the little things but, but in hindsight side effects has done an amazing job at handling this crisis, just because, you know, they, they took a world pandemic, and, worked with the community with intergovernmental organizations, provincial government with the health care system, and put in place a plan so that students could come from across Canada, and there's even a few, you know, students from outside Canada that are able to come in and study here and we're one of the only universities really, that I've heard of that is doing in person classes at all. So, I think that's a really amazing thing and it's, it's such a privilege, and I think that all the students here should be so appreciative and very lucky,
that we're in a position where we can, you know, be a part of this. Now, having said that, you know, I do think that there's some restrictions, you know, that are maybe a little over the top. For example, you know, the other day, my dad picked me up, he was taking me out to lunch and it was, I believe is on Sunday, but I was walking out to the car, he parked a couple streets over just on campus but I had to walk in, you know, I walked with my face mask on, but I was walking alone, there's no one out. So, you know, it seems a little odd that we have to wear face masks outside, you know, especially when we're not near anyone. You know, another big thing I think, for me that I would like a bit more clarification on is, you know why we have to wear face masks when we're in our residence with, you know, a couple people of we're in our rooms and we have friends over whatever, why we have to wear masks then but you know, we can go to meal hall and, and you can have 15 people or whatever sitting at a table from all different residences, eating without your masks. So, you know, just things like that, I think, could use a bit more clarification and maybe some review from the university but in, you know, in the grand scheme of things, I think universities done an amazing job.
WF: Looking at the other candidates, why should first-years vote for you over them?
I think first year students should vote for me because, well, I was, at first the only candidate and I'm one of the only candidates still to have actually released a platform. You know, I have my website linked to my bio that goes into fairly good detail just about my platform, my points and my points of recommendation, but, you know, I'm still one of the only candidates to actually have released a platform at all and I'm the only one to have gone into detail about how I'm going to get things done and exactly what it is I want to try and do. I think that the other thing is, I'm, you know, I've taken a lot of time, especially just this past weekend, where I was walking around with my campaign manager, Marcel, and I was just walking around, you know, just around campus, and we went to the wheel, and just talking to people and just sitting in and seeing what their concerns were, and trying to understand, you know, because my opinion of what's important as a first year might be very different than someone else's. So just trying to understand different people's opinions, and different people's experiences. As a first-year student, I think it's sort of what sets me apart from my opponents.
WF: If you were to lose the election, which candidate do you hope would win?
I can honestly say, you know, all the candidates are, really good people, I don't think I could pick just one candidate. You know, I can say great things about all of them. Katia, she's a really, really kind person, she has, you know, a great deal of respect for me, she's, sort of one of those people who is, you know, she tries to see the bright in things, and she tries to work hard for what she believes in. Hunter actually released a platform a few days ago on his Instagram and, you know, he's been pretty vocal about, you know, what his, what his platform is, and what he wants to try and accomplish in the university. And Anna you know, she's also just an excellent, she's a very kind person as well, like, she, you know, she's working hard and you know, she's just overall a very decent person, a very kind person to speak to, and I think that, you know, whoever gets elected on Thursday you know, they'll have my support and I think any one of us would do a great job.
WF: Anything else you’d like to say to first-years?
I think the biggest thing for me is as much as I would love to have your vote, and I, you know, I will obviously continue to campaign 'till the end of the campaign period. And as much as I want to say, you know, vote Brendan and support me in my platform and, and work with me, you know, the biggest thing is just get out and vote. So, on Wednesday, students, you'll get an email to your X account, with a link from the Students' Union, just where you can log in, and you can vote on Wednesday. But yeah, the biggest thing is just vote and don't forget that on Wednesday, there's a meet and greet at the Inn and if you can show proof that you voted, you get 50% off appetizers.
Editor-in-Chief Will Fraser sat down with each of the candidates for 2020-2021 First Year Representative.
Candidate: Katia Beales-Salovitch
Slogan: A voice for you.
WF: Tell us a bit about yourself and why you decided to run.
So, I'm Katia, I'm originally from New Jersey, but I live in South Carolina now. My mom went to X so that's what drew me to the school to begin with. I'm a business student, and I'm minoring in political science. I plan when I graduate to go into politics. So, when I saw this opportunity, I jumped at it.
WF: Can you tell us what the job of first year rep involves?
The job of the first-year rep is really about advocating for the first-year reps, you know, every year, there'll be different issues and different things that come up in discussions. So, it's just making sure that you are making decisions and speaking on behalf of the class and not just you know, your personal opinions.
WF: What is your platform?
My platform this year is "a voice for you." and what this means to me is making sure like I said in the previous question, really making decisions and speaking on behalf of the class, far too many times this role is used as a way for, you know, someone to make their own personal decisions on what they think is best and I'm really about my platform is really about making sure everyone in our class as many as possible, you know, can really get their opinions and their ideas out during our first years, students here at X.
WF: If you can only accomplish one thing on your platform, which would it be?
If I can accomplish one thing, it would really be about the main point of my agenda, which is a voice for you. My goal is, if I'm elected to, to hear out as many first years as possible, whether that be in person, you know, COVID-19, it's a little hard so that'd be in person or on social media or, you know, through email or whatever. To really just get to know first-years and see what they want to accomplish this year. You know, of course, every person has a different idea. So, you know, to get a cohesive conclusion of what everyone wants to accomplish is my goal.
WF: The Students’ Union has historically been criticized for being elitist. How will you make The U more open and approachable to students?
Especially nowadays inclusivity is a huge deal, especially to me personally, I think that constantly working on making not only the Student Union, but you know, our class, our school and, you know, everything on campus as inclusive as possible is always a constant goal that we should be working on, and with my platform a voice for you, I think that part of that is, you know, being inclusive, not just listening to people that I personally hang out with, or see on a daily basis or have in my classes, but, you know, see the person that I normally would never come across on campus and listening to what they have, I don't want to just listen to people that have the same opinions as me. If not, you know, that would just be my agenda I want, I genuinely want to hear everyone out because I think that's the best way we can come up with ideas and goals that we want to accomplish, just, you know, sometimes other people that you wouldn't even think to talk to, you have some of the greatest ideas. And that's something that I just really want to focus on this year, and make sure that everyone's included, and not just me, or, you know, whoever wins for sure, not just us, you know, kind of thing.
WF: What do you think of StFX’s handling of COVID-19? What would you change?
It's a great question. So, I'm from the States. So definitely, COVID-19 is way worse there and it's not being handled the best, most of my friends are having to be sent home from college, which is not the best scenario, especially because most of my friends are first years, I think StfX is handling it honestly, so good. You know, we're one of the only schools that is in person at all, let alone we have no cases so far, which is, you know, amazing. We've all been able to, you know, still socialize, and, you know, following the COVID guidelines and all that and we've also still got to, you know, participate in all these great things, there's been so many volunteering, there's been hikes and stuff, you know, I think, I really do think X has done a great job and the only thing that I would push to find out soon is what, you know, Christmas break and second semester is going to be this year, you know, I know, that's a lot of stress on people's minds, and, you know, with plans and just, you know, the second semester in general. So, I definitely would want to find out as soon as possible, what that entails and, you know, what are what are the options for that?
WF: Looking at the other candidates, why should first-years vote for you over them?
I really do think all of our candidates this year would do an amazing job. They're all so nice, and, you know, awesome people that I've really been grateful to get to know, these people, like I said, I would never have talked to outside of this. So, it's really awesome that I've gotten to do that and that's exactly what I hope for of I become first-year to just meet more people just like this. I think that my experience in high school will really help me with this role. I've had a lot of leadership experience, you know, being president and being on other members of executive teams for my high school and leadership activities. I have a huge passion for this, it's not just something that is a fun thing for me, I really do love it. And it's something that I want to do, you know, this is what I want to do as my career. So, I put a lot of focus into this and a lot of time and effort into this. So, I think that although my other candidates are great, because my passion is so huge for this, I will be spending so much time and you know, my mind will really be focused on this throughout the year.
WF: If you were to lose the election, which candidate do you hope would win?
If I lose the election, I hope that whichever candidate people, you know, connect with the most, of course, I want to win, you know, anyone that's running wants to win, but I really do want all the first years that decide to vote to vote for who they think is best. You know, of course, everyone has friends and, you know, you know, people from this that are the other thing, but I think everyone should vote for who they think is going to do the best job and who lines up with what they want to do the best. I think everyone has their personal opinion, and I hope whoever, I really do hope whoever gets the most votes, and whoever people align with the most wins, and that will do the best job for our first year because it's my first year as well. So, I really do want any of the four of us to succeed.
WF: Anything else you’d like to say to first-years?
I want to say that I know this year is not the most conventional year with COVID-19. But, you know, we just got to take it day by day and you know, the stresses will go away, hopefully soon.
And, you know, to keep their heads up and within this election, like I said, you know, vote for who you personally think will do the best for you. If that's me, great and if not, that's totally okay. My campaign is about a voice for you because I want to listen to everyone's opinions and have conversations and, you know, really make this year about all of us as it should be, you know, we're all first year it's not just me, so I hope that if I'm elected, I get to meet as many of you guys and,
you know, have conversations with you, whether that be about student union business or not.
But you know, please feel free even after the election to direct message me on my Instagram or Snapchat me or email me or whatever, ask me or talk to me about anything.
Editor-in-Chief Will Fraser sat down with each of the candidates for 2020-2021 First Year Representative.
Candidate: Anna Hancin
Slogan: Let's make this year unforgettable
WF: Tell us a bit about yourself and why you decided to run.
So, my name is Anna Hancin. I am originally from Lindsay, Ontario. I have had lots of experience throughout my high school career, I progressively got more and more involved in my high school years, I realized that I love to make a difference in the school community. I was a founder of our high school's mental health team. So, our goals were to advocate for mental health resources within the school and within that group, I was able to organize mental health conferences, advocate for students get some resources available. So, I feel like I am qualified for this position because of that experience. As well, as part of the mental team, I was also a school announcer, so I am very articulate, and I'm confident in my speaking. I like to advocate for others and organize events for the better of the community. I love to talk to others and listen to others, get their inputs. I enjoy advocating for others listening, and I'm passionate about what I do. When I set my mind to something, I do the very best that I can to make that happen. I'm very determined and passionate.
WF: Can you tell us what the job of first year rep involves?
My job is to represent first years in the Student Union. So, I am here to be your voice in the Student Union, advocate for what the first-years want, the changes that they want to see. I want to make sure that the class of 2024 is happy and is represented I am your voice. Especially during COVID, as a part of my campaign, I've made myself available using email and Instagram, and I really just want to connect everyone amongst this pandemic. We're all going through this together. So, I want to bring all of these first-years together to share their experiences.
WF: What is your platform?
So, my slogan or motto this year is to "make this year unforgettable." It is an unprecedented year for sure. So that's why I want to bring all of these people together, we're all going through this crazy time together and I want to make sure students are getting the resources that they need. I want to make those resources available for the students and want them to know what's available. Yeah, and I'll advocate for first year students within the mandate of my position. So my goal is to advocate for communication between the administration and the students for mutually acceptable agreements.
WF: If you can only accomplish one thing on your platform, which would it be?
I think that the mental health of the students is one of the most important things. Making sure they are getting the resources that are available to them to help them through this odd COVID pandemic. Because it's such an odd time so many things have been changed in our first-year university experience that I want to have some achievable goals to make sure everyone is staying well and staying healthy.
WF: The Students’ Union has historically been criticized for being elitist. How will you make The U more open and approachable to students?
In my position I'm here to represent all of the first-years so I my platform is open. I am willing to listen I love hearing other opinions. So, I will bring what people are asking requesting to the table, make sure that these first years get their voices heard. And yeah, we're all we're all going through this together. So, I want to make sure that we're all treated fairly and equally.
WF: What do you think of StFX’s handling of COVID-19? What would you change?
I am quite impressed with how the school has set into place all these regulations and rules. Yes, it is hard for first-years to have that true university experience. But I am also really impressed and proud of how us first-years have handled it so far. I want to try and get those classic events like homecoming, house hockey things that are up in the air, we're not sure what's going to happen, I want to make sure that if those don't happen, we adapt to something within the COVID regulations. I think I want to work with the Student Union to make those events available to all first years and work within the health regulations, and the school regulations.
WF: Looking at the other candidates, why should first-years vote for you over them?
I am very approachable. I always take a positive outlook on life. So, I feel like listening to their problems, other thoughts, we can turn that into a positive experience, make a positive change for the better. I'm very open. I'm very passionate about what I do. So, I am going to make sure that not only that they're heard, but there will be action, there will be change. I also know that I want to make achievable goals for the first-years, and I feel like I can make those goals realistic. So that way, I'm not making any empty promises. We are working with what we have and from there, we are going to achieve our goals and make a difference.
WF: If you were to lose the election, which candidate do you hope would win?
I think everyone who I'm running against Hunter, Brendan, and Katia are all amazing people, they're also hard working. I would love to see any of them win and represent the first-years all fairly, equally, and take that positive outlook that I really want.
WF: Anything else you’d like to say to first-years?
I'll try and make the best of this COVID situation. Stay positive, stay healthy, and let's make this year unforgettable. Let's make the best of it.
It is rightly said that true heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic… It is the urge to serve others at whatever cost.
In the past few months, we heard many new words in the context of Covid-19, that have become a part of the daily vocabulary. Some words such as "corona warriors" or frontline workers, stand out immediately and bring a sense of gratitude for them. However, some undervalued heroes of the Covid-19 pandemic, who really need to be recognized, are the cleaning staff, very critical to preventing the spread of the virus. One such hero at StFX is Gail Bowles-Fraser from the cleaning staff, who is a very familiar face for all of us.
Gail is always there to help the new students at the residences, sometime even teaching them how to do laundry. The past few months have been challenging for Gail, who took some time off in summer, and is now back, ready to help us.
Gail grew up in Toronto but has been working at the University for the past 16 years. She lives with her husband in Antigonish. The people are very loving and supportive, she says. Talking about mental strength, Gail said, "the students provide me strength. And my source of motivation is seeing higher year students who are close to me. That is what gives me strength."
Gail said, "students become my family.” Her husband, Paul Fraser, is also very supportive of her work. Asked if she feels safe being back at campus, Gail says "knowing that there are testing rules on campus and everyone will be tested for Covid-19 before they arrive on campus made me feel safer too." "I can't wait to see all the students back on campus!"
Gail, who grew up in a rough neighbourhood in Toronto, but her husband is from Antigonish. She found the people here very nice, and this has been her since she moved here with her husband. Gail is very well connected with other community members and during her time off from the campus in summer, she would sometimes have tea with others at the porch. She really wants to do more for the Friendship Corner and the Library in Antigonish. However, the community that she loves the most and knows very well is the campus community. "I love that summer is over and the students are coming back… I am no longer just the cleaner to them; I feel more connected to the students here at StFX… almost as if I am their honorary aunt."
Gail loves to learn about other cultures and accept them in her life. Perhaps that’s the reason she is so close to students at StFX, who come from different backgrounds. Recalling her childhood, Gail says, "it was hard for us to be a blended family because we have many different blood streams and therefore different personalities but I believe that kindness helps to win people over, and I actually learned this from my mother."
She usually visits her family twice in a year but was not able to go this year because of Covid-19. She was also scheduled to visit Australia this year to visit her stepchildren and grandchildren, but it had to be cancelled. "My dream is to see the whole world," says Gail.
