Exciting Renovations to Come to The Charles V. Keating Centre

Upon, scouring the internet for information and to do some research to write this article, I found practically nothing about STFX’s renovations to the Charles V. Keating centre in January. After an interview, I have since realized there are so many exciting improvements to come.

It’s no secret that the fitness centre at STFX is getting old, offers too small of a space for our number of students, and that many students opt for a membership at Goodlife Fitness as an alternative.

Therefore, I have brought in staff member Bob Hale, director of Ancillary Services here at STFX, and asked him some questions about these renovations.

I first inquired about what these renovations would entail. Essentially, our fitness centre on the first floor will be completely gutted and will be replaced by new classrooms. The fitness centre will be moved to the second floor and will nearly triple in size.

The fitness centre will be moved to the second floor and will nearly triple in size. There will be new locker rooms as well and the welcome desk will be updated. Furthermore, there’s an additional multi-purpose space being built for yoga, stretching, or almost any type of activity. Finally, the auxiliary gymnasium will get new flooring, and will be replaced by a multipurpose floor plan, for basketball, indoor baseball, and floor hockey. There will also be walls that are updated to get rid of mold. Overall, the Charles V. Keating centre will be freshened up, with these impressive renovations.

I also wondered about the timeline for these exciting improvements to our school. Fortunately, our fitness centre will stay open until April 2023, when most of us go home for the summer. However, the pool, and racquetball courts will close in January 2023. Everything is scheduled to reopen in September 2023.

There are also economic factors to consider surrounding the renovations of which I inquired to Mr. Hale. Asking about the staff, he replied that, “if anything, these renovations could create jobs, with more staff and more space to do activities.” Additionally, this project, which will cost about 15 million dollars, was partly funded by our student body. If you remember, or even attended this school at that time, several years ago students voted on a donation fee, and this fee has been accumulating. This means that STFX students are giving back to their community, and it will pay off, as these renovations are a huge win for our student body.

Overall, this project is very promising, and should give rise to many feelings of excitement for the student population.

Meet Maddie Kwan: StFX Intramurals Marketing and Social Media Coordinator

Intramurals are a great way to get involved around campus, from hockey to basketball to water-polo, there is a little bit of something for everyone. Maddie Kwan is from Hong Kong and is a third-year student in Human Kinetics and Sports Management. She is the Marketing and Social Media Coordinator for XREC Intramurals. Maddie says, “she believes intramurals are just awesome for staying active, social, getting involved in the community here at X and taking a break from one’s studies,” and I think many would agree with her.

Maddie’s main goal for her role at StFX is to “promote participation amongst all StFX students in Intramurals by managing our social media platforms and beyond.” Her job requires much creativity, management, and organization. Maddie says that on a typical day she will “edit, caption and post daily games schedules, the various activities, registration posters and pretty much all other content related to XREC and Intramurals.” She also says that her role “involves a great deal of photography and videography.” With this come a few challenges, saying “I sometimes find it challenging working in such a creative and artistic job as it is something you really need to be in the mood for (with all the creative juices flowing). However, most of the time it’s still such a unique way for me to express myself!” Although at times challenging, there are many rewards. Maddie says she enjoys how it allows her to meet students from different programs and years that she wouldn’t have crossed paths with before.

According to Maddie there is lots to look forward to in the upcoming year. She says “this year we are bringing back our flag football league, which was unfortunately postponed for the past two years due to COVID. It used to hold great popularity back in its day and is sure to be an exciting event for everyone! We will be hosting two leagues for this - a men’s and women’s league which will take place on weeknights!” She also highlighted another event that has come back post-covid, “last weekend, we also hosted another event put on hold for the past two years and that was our Annual Alumni Homecoming Fun Run. It was super cool to see a huge array of individuals from varying StFX graduating classes all dedicated to coming together for this epic event on homecoming morning!”

Maybe surprising, or perhaps not, Maddie’s favorite sport is innertube water polo, saying “It’s pretty much all laughs in the pool with your friends. It’s hilarious to see everyone flipping over in their tubes, splashing about, and getting super competitive and into the game.” Maddie says she hopes to get as involved as possible this year and to try new things she has never tried before. She states that no matter what your preference may be, you should get involved, “Intramurals create this stress-free, non-judgmental environment where everyone can get involved no matter their background is as long as they are simply a student of StFX. I don’t think I have ever thrown a football in my life. However, I’ve gathered a group of buddies for our flag football league and know even if we don’t win the league - it’s going to be a good time guaranteed!”

Maddie has also taken on a new role as the social media lead for motionball at StFX. She explains that there are many similarities between motionball and intramurals as they both are about promoting and creating opportunities in sports and activity. Motionball is targeted towards bringing together people from the Special Olympics community with members of the Antigonish community. Maddie says to look out for a few things they have coming up this year including #NoGoodWay Day taking place November 16th, this raises awareness and educates people on the inappropriateness of the “R” word.

Lastly, Maddie mentioned “getting involved with the StFX community by means of work experiences and involvement in societies has changed my entire experience at StFX. It’s given me a great sense of purpose and belonging in being able to combine my love of recreation and physical activity towards a greater community. To anyone considering joining a new club or society at X, I’d say GO FOR IT - you will have no regrets! The worst thing that could happen is you meet some cool and interesting people and learn so much from the exciting new experiences you immerse yourself in.”

The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation at StFX

On the second National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, StFX University held a commemorative ceremony for the children that attended residential school. Students were invited to tie an orange ribbon to remember the children that did not make it home and as a sign of acknowledgment and respect of those who attended residential school as well. The ceremony, and the day itself, serve as reminders that the residential school system is not just a relic from Canada’s past. Many students attended the ceremony, including the majority of StFX’s varsity athletes. A moment of silence on campus also occurred at 12:00 p.m. as a sign of respect. Students were asked to wear orange shirts if they had one, as September 30th is also Orange Shirt Day.

Though the university was planning on a much larger ceremony, Hurricane Fiona disrupted those plans. The university intended to have a ceremony similar to last year’s, with speakers and guests from the community and other communities nearby. However, due to power outages and wind damage, the university opted for a smaller ceremony. In the days leading up to the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, the university was selling orange shirts designed by StFX student and Indigenous artist Tyler Rankin.

Shirts were available at the library on campus and all proceeds went to the Indigenous Student Society. The Nurturing Netukulimk art exhibition that had opened on campus on September 15th was also open to the public for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The exhibition featured art from many Indigenous students and community members.

Overall, the ceremony was conducted beautifully and the StFX community worked with the resources they had to produce the best result they could. It is likely that next year’s ceremony will return to the previous format.

X-Oceans Outreach: 9th Annual World Oceans Day and Interview with X-Oceans Outreach Director

The 9th annual World Oceans Day celebration at StFX took place in June of 2022. It was a Saturday and a day off for most, but the J. Bruce Brown building was alive, well, and bustling with the crowd. The annual celebration began in 2009 when the United Nations General Assembly officially declared the 8th day of June as “World Oceans Day”. StFX caught up with the celebrations in 2013. It was World Oceans Day from which X-Oceans Outreach was born.

X-Oceans Outreach is a program that is run throughout the year through the biology department, whose director, coordinator, and nurturer is Regina Cozzi. As an avid supporter of the program, I thought this the perfect opportunity to conduct an interview with Mrs. Cozzi.

The first question I asked was: “What are your roles at the university and how did you become involved with X-Oceans Outreach?”

Mrs. Cozzi replied: “I’m a Senior Laboratory Instructor for the first year Biology courses, Bio 111 & 112, and the X-Oceans Outreach Director. X-Oceans evolved from our annual World Oceans Day event hosted by the biology department. Every June since 2013, schoolteachers who attended the events would ask us if we could visit their classrooms to promote marine biodiversity and ocean concepts to their students. So, we started visiting schools with live marine organisms, and it all snowballed from there. We now have a reputable program promoting ocean literacy to youth in rural schools and communities.”

Next, I inquired: “Has X-Oceans evolved from previous years? How so?”

She responded: “Yes, absolutely! The program has evolved tremendously in the last few years, thanks to funding contributions from Fisheries and Oceans Canada and NSERC PromoScience. We’ve developed a strong team of outreach coordinators and hire over 20 student facilitators annually.

We serve 4 neighboring rural counties and reach over 4000 youth per year. Our program was recently endorsed by UNESCO IOC (Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission), which is a wonderful achievement!”I wanted to know, considering how active the program is, if she saw X-Oceans expanding in the future. To this she replied: “Yes. I see it expanding to additional geographical regions in the near future. The demand is certainly there, the requests for school visits keep coming in.”

Finally, I asked her: “Is there anything else you’d like to share? A fond memory? A favorite touch tank animal?”

She answered: “I have many fond memories… here’s my latest: Last month, at the end of one of our school visits, one of the kids asked this as we were leaving: “When are you coming back?”. That was very heart-warming. X-Oceans outreach truly has a lasting impact on our youth.”

Indeed, it has! Many of the X-Oceans student facilitators feel a similar way about X-Oceans. “I’ve grown lots of valuable friendships and lots of connections and new knowledge,” says Tyler Reed, an X-Oceans student facilitator in the biology program who was hired this summer. “It was joining X-Oceans that made me realize how fun biology is”, he says. He also tells us about a cool field work job he acquired through the connections he formed at X-Oceans.

The program is not limited to biology students and hires students from a wide range of programs. Over the summer, there have been students from Human Kinetics, Earth Science, Education, PGOV etc. who have made a lasting impact and contributed greatly to the X-Oceans Program by devoting their time and energy as student facilitators and volunteers. If you are interested in volunteering during the school year or are looking for a summer job, send a message to x-oceans@stfx.ca.

PS. Mrs. Cozzi has yet to reveal her favourite touch tank animal. Perhaps you should join X-Oceans to find out!

Creating the It’s Okay Campaign with Josh Kroker

StFX is a university known for its partying, even having been named as “Canada’s top party school” in a Macleans article from 2017. Intrinsic to Xaverian culture is “Wing Night” at the Inn or a night out at Piper’s. But how does this impact students? Many people new to the university may feel overwhelmed and pressured to keep up with others. This is especially true in residences for first year students new to the school who may never have been exposed to anything like this before. There are a few alternatives for students who want to spend a night in, but this doesn’t change the pressure they may feel from peers. This is where the It’s Okay Campaign comes in. The Campaign was created by Josh Kroker, and I had the chance to sit down with him to learn more about the future of the project. Kroker is a second-year student in the Public Policy and Governance program. He is heavily involved in the StFX Student’s Union, having been the first-year rep last year, and a representative on the Board of Governors this year. 

The campaign’s goal is to combat toxic culture on campus surrounding drugs, sex, and alcohol. It acknowledges the pressure students feel to engage in activities with which they may not be completely comfortable. Kroker emphasized how, instead of telling students what not to do, the campaign aims to change mindsets and let students know that it’s okay to take a night off. When asked if the campaign provides alternate option for students, Kroker said he “hope[s] to work with the Keep it Social Ambassador and with Res Life to get some activities going and to future grow the movement.” The campaign doesn’t tell students that it is bad to drink or to go out for a night at the Inn, but instead lets students know it’s okay to take part in other activities instead—that “it’s okay to just meet up and go for a walk and call it quits and do your homework.” The inspiration for the creation of the It’s Okay Campaign came from Kroker’s own experiences in his first year. He mentioned how “a lot of the time I felt like I didn’t take a night off, and I didn’t live a sustainable life in order to keep in balance my academics, my social life, my extracurriculars, and I got really tired and really sick part-way through.” He reflects how his experience likely isn’t unique to him. Many students feel as if this partying lifestyle is the only way they can get to know and fit in with others. Having a healthy outlet, and knowing that it’s okay to take that out, is invaluable.

Kroker further mentioned working with the Student Council, Res Life, and the department under Elizabeth Yeo, the head of student services at StFX. He also explained that he reached out to community leaders back in his hometown of Lethbridge, Alberta. He has gotten insight from many people eager to help grow a healthy community and is ready to get it up and running.

Currently, Kroker said he is focused on a poster campaign to further spread word about the program. Over 70 posters will be put up around campus residences, including the Somers and Power Hall apartments. He mentions that the campaign is still “in its infancy,” but he hopes to continue to help it grow. The original plan was to see the launch of the program happen before homecoming. Unfortunately, this timeline did not work out, but Kroker spoke about how he is trying to get it started by X-Ring or the week students return from Christmas break.

When asked about the future of the program, Kroker said they were starting with small goals. Right now, the focus is getting the posters up around campus, as well as getting into different activities with Keep It Social and Flourish at X. He spoke of how this is a long-term process, not a short little “fix”. Eventually Kroker said he hopes “to spread this around to different universities.” He further mentioned that he wanted to get connected with Students Nova Scotia, and from there, launch the program to “Students Alberta, Students Ontario and we can grow this even more.”

This is, of course, the long-term goal. Presently, the focus is the launch at StFX and growing the campaign from the ground up. The hope of the movement is to make students feel less pressure to have sex or consume alcohol and drugs. It has a lot of support from various groups on campus and a passionate creator paving the way. StFX has a strong party culture, and only time will tell of the promising potential of the It’s Okay Campaign.

Meal Hall Response to Hurricane Fiona

Hurricane Fiona significantly affected StFX, creating a long-term power outage and damage across campus. Throughout this time, many campus services closed; however, Morrison Hall remained open, providing students with food and electricity. Though these services seem simplistic to students in everyday circumstances, the hurricane brought many difficulties in presenting them. In an interview with Tim Hierlihy, the general manager, Debbie Kopf, a chef on staff, and Kris Benoit, the residence dining manager, these struggles were further explained.

Morrison Hall has faced hurricanes before, but Fiona proved to be the most challenging. Benoit shared that the team is “always somewhat prepared [for the hurricane], but when it actually comes down to it, you start to realize how many moving parts are involved.” Some struggles, such as limited supplies and transporting the food, were issues that an outside perspective would overlook. Benoit continued, saying that the duration of the power outage was one of the most significant and unexpected obstacles they faced. Having had to purchase their supplies ahead of time, Benoit shared that he knew they could serve people with what they had for a few days. However, he aired further concerns, saying “you start to get a little worried about if the supplies are going to be able to supplement the extra food that we’re having to serve.”

Benoit, Hierlihy, and Kopf also shared concerns over the number of people they had to serve. Because of limited food access, there were already more students coming to Morrison Hall than on an average day. With the added influx of people from the Antigonish community, the numbers continued to rise. Hierlihy estimated that over 2000 people had come in on Saturday, September 25th, which was the first day following the hurricane. Kopf added that she saw “kids who graduated years ago that were here.” It seemed that anyone who did not have power to cook at home was coming to Morrison Hall for a hot meal. Kopf additionally shared that while there was an increase of people entering meal hall, she was the only one working in the kitchen. The other two staff members had been unable to come in. Hierlihy later added, “factors like limited staff, power outage—all of those things come into play.” He emphasized how their plans had to change with each new element. These experiences have shown them what could occur in future storms, as well as the conditions they could continue to face.

  “[The students] had the three most important things; electricity to charge their devices… a place where they could meet their friends safely, and they had hot food,” Benoit said when asked about student response. All three concurred that, with these in place, the students seemed content with what was provided. However, when asked what the students should know about what occurred, Hierlihy said that he “[doesn’t] think they properly understand the complexity of what was going on to get that to happen.” He shared that the main kitchen, which cooks most of their food, was located downstairs. Without full power, the elevator that usually brought food up to the main level was not working. Two to three people “had to hand-bomb the food up the stairs,” explained Kopf. She also revealed other difficulties, such  as how “the big oven didn’t get wired until 12:30 to 1:00 o’clock, and that’s the only oven we had.” Benoit provided the numbers with which they were working: one of four combination ovens, and one of three deep-frying stations.

Their limited supplies also posed a problem, especially as they reached the second and third days of the power outage. Something as common as ice started to become a concern. “We couldn’t chill down pop, or we couldn’t leave food out for longer than a certain period of time,” Benoit stated, “food had to go into walk-in freezers and fridges.” Hierlihy elaborated on the ice concerns, adding that he “raided every bit of ice on campus that he knew of” before Hurricane Fiona had hit campus. Ice was only one of the many products that had to be stocked prior to the hurricane. Other supplies Hierlihy mentioned included paper plates, cups, and disposable utensils, as he knew that washing so many dishes would not be possible.

Toward the end of the interview, the marketing coordinator Syahrul Anwar Jamaludin joined the conversation and shared the importance of communication during the aftermath of the hurricane. The StFX Campus Food Instagram played a crucial role in informing the students about what was available; students are advised to follow the account as storm season approaches. The account later made a post with a thanks to the staff, which many students and families have commented on to express their own appreciation.

Hierlihy ended the interview with a thanks himself. He wanted to voice his gratitude to “the partners around the university and the students. Everybody’s cooperation during that time went a long way.” Benoit also wanted to remind students that although future storms may cancel classes, “the staff are still taking a huge risk coming to work every day to provide food service,” and to recognize this importance. Despite the difficulties that Hurricane Fiona presented for the dining hall staff, they successfully pulled through and provided students with all they possibly could.

Violence in Hockey

Since the beginning, violence has been an element of hockey. Throughout history, many players have been subjected to violent acts far more severe than those permitted in hockey. These cases of violence have been dealt with on an individual basis and rules have been established in relation to many incidents.

Now more than ever many individuals and organizations are advocating to put an end to fighting in hockey. I personally believe this is wrong. With the advancement of hockey equipment technology and the science which encompasses athletic performance, the game is becoming faster than ever. To maintain its traditional elements, hockey must remain a high-contact sport, despite the game's increasing speed and player skill.

To begin, I must address how fighting impacts the game. Hockey is such an emotional sport. The highs and lows of each game are what make sports interesting and keep fans engaged constantly. As mentioned before, hockey has become faster than ever. As a result, momentum plays a significant impact on the outcome of each game. Fighting in hockey is sometimes misunderstood to imply two of the toughest players going head-to-head. Of course, this occurs, but often the best players and leaders will step up on occasion and fight to re-energize their team.

Next, I’d like to address how fighting helps build teams. Fighting helps teams find their character, and as well creates rivalries. Nobody likes to see a teammate go down. When a teammate goes down, regardless of the opponents’ intentions, fighting allows players to defend their teammates and police others. As repetitive as it may sound, hockey has become so fast. I emphasize this point because things happen so quickly. Hits that happen half a second too late can result in injuries, this is where policing steps in. Players hold other players responsible for their actions. Nobody can argue the fact that teams that stick up for each other come together. Those are the teams that ride their highs and lows together. It builds confidence on the ice, comradery in the dressing rooms, and friendships outside the rink.

We cannot forget to mention that the NHL is a business. Fans are attracted to fighting. In my opinion, there are very few hockey fans, casual or die-hard, who don’t enjoy fighting. They may not understand why, but it provides entertainment. Casual hockey fans may not know the rules of hockey, but fighting may get them into a seat, which means more money. Thinking back to when I was a kid and frequented many QMJHL games. My sister was too young to understand what was happening but the excitement in her eyes when two players would drop the gloves would be enough to convince my parents to bring us to the next game. This is true for hockey at all levels where fighting is still permitted. Fans will continue to pay to watch games knowing there is a chance there may be a fight.

Throughout history, there has been violence in hockey. We’ve all heard the story of how the first hockey game ended in a brawl. Fighting is a traditional part of the sport. It always has and, in my opinion, it needs to stay.

In all honesty, I don’t know what most professional players have to say about fighting in hockey. But I’m sure most if not all players in the NHL grew up watching hockey fights. For them, it’s most likely always been a part of the game and they haven’t given much thought about it. In modern hockey, the fighting remains on the ice, players respect each other, and any altercations rarely continue after the game's end.

Many will argue that fighting must be removed due to emerging research on head injuries in hockey. I agree that head injuries are terrifying, and nobody wants to see another player get hurt. This risk has always been there. Players willingly step foot on the ice day in and day out knowing there’s a risk of injury. If you're reading this, you should express your thoughts on violence in hockey before it's too late.

“The Always Positive New Music Review Show Hosted by A French Professor”: The Intrigue of Professor Skye’s Record Reviews

Reviewing music is a heavily saturated market on YouTube. In a world of Anthony Fantanos, ARTVs, Mic the Snares, and Todd in The Shadows’, Professor Skye’s Record Review brings a unique perspective to the platform. With provocative titles, long-form academic reviews, an iPhone camera, no editing, and a budget microphone, Professor Skye’s no-frills and heart-filled style is taking the music community by storm. Skye Paine, 44, is an Associate Professor of French and Chair of the Modern Languages Department at The College at Brockport, State University of New York. Growing up in Boston, Paine was exposed to a wide range of music from his brothers. “I’m the youngest of four brothers, so all my brothers have different musical tastes. I just wanted to be like them. So, growing up, it was just an organic mesh of classic rock and hip-hop. [Jimi] Hendrix was the first musician that I heard where I decided I needed to dedicate my life to thinking about music. I begged my parents to buy biographies, I rented the documentary at the video store; anything that had to do with Hendrix. I did that with Hendrix, and I did that with The Beatles.” Along with Hendrix and The Beatles, Neil Young and David Bowie were two very important artists to Paine’s seminal love of music. “The first album I ever bought was a David Bowie cassette, his 1986 album ‘Never Let Me Down.’ That was a weird introduction to music, but that was where I got the idea that just sitting around listening to music is something I really like doing.” In 2000, Paine graduated from Wheaton College in Massachusetts with a bachelor’s degree in French, and earned his doctorate from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2010. Eight years later, Paine decided to start his YouTube channel. “I did it for two reasons. The somewhat sad reason is that it’s hard to get young people these days interested in learning a language, at least in America … so I needed another outlet: a place to just talk. The happier reason was, I was dating a woman and her daughter was really into YouTube, so I learned that YouTube was where the discourse was most interesting. I realized there was a place for me if I did my thing.” Furthermore, the decision was centered around guilt. “I had this weird feeling of guilt ever since I stopped paying attention to new music. Music meant so much to me growing up, and at a certain point, the ‘mid-twenties music death’ happens; it happens to everybody. You hit 24 or 25 and suddenly, the music that’s in the past is good, and the music that is now is not. I needed some way to fight that, and the channel was sort of an artificial way of pushing myself to do that.” Kanye West and Daft Punk were two artists that Paine still closely followed throughout his

mid-twenty’s music death. When Kanye released 2015’s ‘The Life of Pablo’, Paine subscribed to his first streaming service. Through Tidal, he decided to listen to new albums each week. In late 2018, “Skye’s Sweaty Record Review” was born. After some restructuring, Paine settled on the name “Professor Skye’s Record Review” in October of 2019. “Every couple of months, I’d have a big hit video for me. That would be maybe a hundred views or a couple hundred views. By the end of the first year, I had 360 subscribers, but I wanted to get 1 subscriber a day for as long as the channel was going.” With his reviews of The Strokes’ “The New Abnormal” and Fiona Apple’s “Fetch the Bolt Cutters,” Paine noticed his channel was beginning to snowball. Coupling the intrigue of a French Professor reviewing music and Paine’s unique approach to reviewing music, the channel took off at the start of the pandemic. One of the most distinct features of Paine’s channel is the provocative, thesis-like statements that serve to title his videos. Examples include, “Beach House Makes Life Better”, “Big Thief and the TIME GOD,” “Hippo Campus Makes You Ride or Die”, and “The Weekend is Robert Downey Jr?” “When I started doing my videos, I titled them with three words. I thought that would be an engaging way to do it, but it just wasn’t. I realized if I had a summarizing sentence that’s a little bit off beat, a little bit unexpected, then that might draw people in.” Professor Skye couples these memorable titles with a unique concept in the YouTube music reviewing scene: he doesn’t review albums he dislikes. “I really believe in humanity and the importance of studying what humans can do. When I think about music, movies, or art, it’s more than just ‘Oh, someone made some cool content’. Human beings did something that is this amazing. Online discourse favours people saying, ‘this is trash, not good’. I don’t blame people; if I see [Anthony] Fantano call something ‘not good,’ I am more likely to click on it than if I see him giving a normal review. Our lizard brains like to see people being trashed. I’m trying to be a force against the snark and negativity. There’s a consumer mentality towards art, where consumers of art feel as if they own it, and I’m trying to be a force against that as well, and say ‘let’s just engage with the art as the artist gave it to us.’” In the years since starting his channel, Paine has collaborated with some of the YouTube music community’s biggest heavyweights, like Anthony Fantano and Mic The Snare, and has interviewed one of the most engaging bands in the modern landscape, Black Country, New Road. As of March 2022, Professor Skye’s Record Reviews has garnered over 35,000 subscribers on YouTube and shows no signs of slowing down any time soon.

The Saint Mary’s River vs. the Cochrane Hill Gold Mine Project

The Saint Mary’s River is most widely known for being Nova Scotia’s longest river. This river represents far more than this. It is an incredibly important home to several endangered species such as the wood turtle, mainland moose and most importantly, the Atlantic salmon. The amount of biodiversity that is supported within and surrounding the Saint Mary’s ecosystem is often overlooked but is necessary for maintaining the health of the Saint Mary’s River and the community it supports.

The Saint Mary’s River Association are a group of community members taking action to protect and preserve the river. There has been a major ongoing project to restock the river with Atlantic Salmon, which over the past few years has been showing genuine promise in returning the Atlantic Salmon to their prime. The Mckeens drainage basin is an especially productive area with rare footage recently being recorded of Salmon spawning here. The Salmon is slowly getting back to their prime in this river because of the incredible biodiversity that it holds and the help of the Saint Mary’s community.

Unfortunately, the biodiversity that this river supports does not garner the recognition that it deserves. Despite the millions of dollars that the Saint Mary’s group has invested into the restoration of the Atlantic Salmon here, all their work is at risk. Atlantic is proposing a Gold Mine to be put in place on Cochrane Hill. This proposal is for about 600 acres of land directly above the Archibald Lake drainage basin (which creates a cold-water refuge site for salmon when it runs into the Saint Mary’s) and more importantly the Mckeens drainage basin. A large chunk of this proposal is for a tailings pond that would be 70m tall and 2km long above some of the most productive salmon spawning area in the river, that’s in the Mckeens drainage basin. This tailings pond would potentially leach into the drainage basins on either side of Cochrane Hill, creating an imminent threat for the Salmon of the river.

Making matters worse is the fact that the community that must face the environmental devastation of the mine will gain no monetary compensation. A few short-term jobs will be generated within the community, but the company does not even make the promise of hiring 10% of it’s employees from the community. The provincial benefits are only marginally better, with a 1% royalty on the project. What is astounding about this number is how other provinces such as British Columbia have a 13% royalty for gold mining. In comparison, Nova Scotia is essentially giving away it’s land for free and mining companies are coming in hand over fist to pick up all the mining contracts available. These mining companies are going into rural Nova Scotian towns, with the promise of creating much needed jobs and leaving the community with environmental degradation that will last far longer than the brief economic relief. Atlantic Gold says “This is not your grandfather’s mine” to try to appease the community members fighting this mine. The irony in this is palpable, as the mining done a century ago with mine shafts was certainly safer ecologically than the open pit mine being proposed at Cochrane Hill.

I interviewed Scott Beaver, the president of the Saint Mary’s River Association, and he had a hard time conceiving the scale not only of the mine but the impact that it would have on this beloved river. The Saint Mary’s River Association has hired environmental consultants to

come and assess the potential effects of the Gold Mine on the community. Their findings have been overwhelming. “Significant risk and minimal benefit” is how Scott Beaver summarized it. Scott Beaver has been president of the Saint Mary’s River Association since 2016. He has devoted countless hours to the community and to the health of the river. Unfortunately, since the Cochrane Hill Gold Mine was first proposed in 2017 by Atlantic Gold Corporation, most of his time has been spent fighting for the health of the salmon that he has come so far to recover. One of the mines proposed by Atlantic Gold has already been put in place. The Touquoy Mine in Mooseland is a cautionary tail for what Cochrane Hill could one day become.

Even worse is that the odds are stacked in favor of the Gold Mine. The process for determining whether the mine should be allowed to go through is called an approval process. The key word is “approval” because the entire process is centered around approving the mine to go ahead with their plan. Even if there is community pushback for the mine, in scenarios such as the Cochrane Hill Gold Mine, at best the mine may be delayed for a few years and must make some small changes to their plans. Even if their plans are rejected, they can resubmit another proposal a few years later. After speaking with Scott, he said that the only way to generate real change is to change the archaic mining laws in Nova Scotia. One strategy could be increasing the royalties that mining companies must pay, this would help to decrease the number of mines in Nova Scotia.

The Saint Mary’s River represents a battle ground for the recovery of the Atlantic Salmon and the health of the ecosystem it signifies. We are in the middle of a climate crisis, and it is battles that the Saint Mary’s group is fighting that will create a positive impact today and for generations to come. If you are interested in learning more, please visit “The Gold Mine Conversation: Cochrane Hill Gold Mining in NS”. If your interested in helping the Saint Mary’s River Association in their fight against the proposed gold mine, go to stmarysriverassociation.com and donate today!

From Stonewall to X-Pride, with Dr. Chris Fraz

January is pride month at StFX but organizing the celebrations amid the new wave of the pandemic has been challenging. However, Amy Macdonald, the Gender and Sexual Diversity Advisor at StFX has been relentlessly leading the efforts towards organizing a virtual series of pride events at StFX.

The event "Spill the Tea-From Stonewall to X-Pride" began with an introduction of Dr Frazer, the Professor of History at the StFX, who is an icon with powerful and important presence in the 2SLGBTQIA+ plus community both on and off campus. Chris has also produced "Priscilla, queen of the Highlands" which is our local drag show for over 18 years. Chris is a well-respected faculty member on campus, being a professor at the department of history in the Faculty of Arts. Chris has also published two books. When not teaching or writing, being a politician or engaging in activism you will catch Chris on stage.

In their introductory remarks, Dr Frazer said, "I am a historian but I'm also a member of the community, so I have a personal investment in coming to understand the history and how people like me come to be and how we improve our lives and those of our community. I am a political activist also and so when I look back, the whole reason for studying history is really to understand why things have happened and what has to happen in order to make the world better and that's a material process we need to be able to lay our hands on the world around us in order to be able to change it. None of us can do this on our own, we're social beings - human beings - and so in the end of the day it's necessary for us to rely on each other and to help each other through moments of crisis and also for us to share a common vision for what this world could be like."

"I just want to say historically as well as politically is that it's about the roots of our impression as 2SLGBTQIA+ people or queer people if you want use that shorthand. First thing I will say is that is that we are oppressed, we're still oppressed, we have a wider menu of rights than our predecessors did, but we still have not arrived at the promised land and there's still a way to go. So, we need to understand how it is and why it is that that we still continue not have a full membership in the society in which we are born into or into which we arrive at, by another means. So, the truth at least from my perspective is that we live in a pretty

exploitive world and in order to exploit, you need to find people to exploit and then you have to oppress them. So, we are oppressed. The roots of our oppression I think are intersectional. I work with an intersectional analysis, but I have to add that my approach to intersectional analysis is never on a personal level, so I don't look at somebody and try to figure out what their intersections are to me. It's issues and movements that are intersectional and we always have to look at how things that affect us also have effects on other people.

The first assertion, Dr Frazer makes is that the "oppression of queer people or 2SLGBTQIA+ people has its roots in the oppression of women or the identification of women and their subsequent oppression by people who identify as men mainly because in the emergence of private property and the accumulation of wealth it became important and necessary in order to be able to transfer that wealth from one generation to another… It's all about regulating sexuality. It's all about controlling people's bodies and one of the aspects of controlling women's bodies is to ensure that there had to be some way of certifying what was acceptable form of sexual activity, which worked… So, almost at the same time that women are being reduced to the secondary status, in fact I would say becoming the vessels through which property gets transferred from one generation to another, there's also a more or less systematic imposition of prohibited sexual practices was wrapped up in the term sodomy. It is not what we think it is today."

They said, anti-homosexual laws in Canada were anti-sodomy laws. The laws that prohibit homosexual activity still exist in some states, for example Texas still has anti-sodomy laws on their books. It's illegal in Texas, it was illegal in Rhode Island when I did my graduate work there and they were all referred to as the sodomy laws. These laws actually refer to a wide range of sexual activities and commonly defined originally as laws that prohibit any sexual activity that does not lead to procreation.

The second assertion that Dr. Frazer makes is that in periods of radicalization and even revolution, sodomy laws are among those to be the first cost. When people are tired of living under exploitative and oppressive regulations they tend to take a pretty close look at how their relationships with other people are defined and they want to rebuild them, and this also includes how we relate to people on very personal physical, sexual terms too. It did not mean that they were encouraging

sodomy, but they didn't see the point of controlling and regulating people's bodies. This was a period of feeling of freedom.

Dr Frazer explains that those laws, and the early French code in 1791, which abolished sodomy then gets wrapped up into the Napoleonic codes which then becomes the first civil law across all of Europe and that's what led to actually a recession in the oppression of queer people in Europe. It's not until the rise of nationalism in the last half of the 19th century in Europe that we see a very focused attempt to reassert sodomy laws and pretty much begins in in Germany after it gets established as a nation around 1870-71. With the collapse of that German Republic and the aftermath of Germany's defeat World War Two, which is a very radical moment in German history that we see the rise of the modern 2SLGBTQIA+ movement of resistance. Its birthplace is in Germany. By 1929 the queer community in Germany was on the verge of forming their own political party to begin campaigning politically, legally democratically in Germany to achieve the abolition of the sodomy laws in Germany which were known as paragraph 175 they were very close to succeeding and then suddenly this guy Hitler comes to power and crushes everything in Germany. So, this is the rise and then the absolute complete defeat of queer liberation movement in the 1930s.

Dr Frazer further traced the beginning of modern queer oppression in North America and Europe and the pattern of organized public resistance. In 1969, it was just a matter of time… it was only it was only two years after the riots at the black cat and it was a similar kind of story, it's centered around the stonewall which was not much by the way, it was a bar that catered to gay people that it was owned and run by the mafia.

Explaining the "rebellion" or the "protest" against the police there, he said that Stonewall was not that different from any other rebellion or resistance or riot or protest. I just think it was the time and it resonated across the country and by the next year we had the first gay liberation march. That was the beginning of a pride, really and it just took off. It was as much timing as anything else. People were ready for it and especially the younger generation were ready for it.

Dr. Frazer said, “I'm so impressed with the younger generation these days. I just think they do the most amazing things and so we get all the support in the world.

Explaining about the movement in Canada, Dr. Frazer said, three years later after Stonewall, that wave starts in Canada, and we see it and it in Nova Scotia in 1972 with the formation of the gay alliance for equality. In 1972 on June 4th, so the very first thing they did was to establish something called the gay line which was a phone hotline and they staffed it with volunteers and circulated a number in the personals of publications like the Herald and so on for as long as they could. The idea of this help line was for people who were in distress or needed help in some way, who were queer would have somebody finally to reach out to and to offer a sympathetic ear. It is maybe hard to imagine these days but 1972 that was just like a miracle, a really vital service this organization was offering. They also established a publication. So, they began publishing and this was the origins for what we have now in the form of Waves you know, but we still have a publication that speaks about our community. They also decided to begin a fund-raising campaign in order to purchase their own building as which would then serve as a broader Community Center in Halifax… That was also by the way the moment when we had a stable performance space for those of us who were drag performers.” Dr Frazer said, "I arrived in Antigonish in 2004 and I was coming to Antigonish from Providence, Rhode Island. I went to university doing my PhD work at Brown University." Dr Frazer recalls how he eventually became president of the Queer Grad body and got a chance to organize the very first pride month, which actually lasted six weeks. Dr. Frazer also recalls their meeting with Leslie Feinberg there at an event they organized, and shared their experience of "a whole other level of learning about myself, and about the approach to organizing."

Dr. Frazer said he carried all that experience to Antigonish. "I had intended to behave myself when I got here I wasn't gonna raise a fuss. I wanted to get my tenure I wanted to be in a secure job and finally make some decent income for the first time in my life." He recalls that November there was a gay student from the Bahamas who was hospitalized after a home assault. After that in February, a well-known gay man in the community was also attacked and hospitalized. In March, I got attacked. There were three attacks in a time of six months, and it was pretty queer that something had to be done, he said. "At that time, I was involved with an ad hoc group on campus called the committee against misogyny and homophobia which was mainly feminists and supporters. Again, I come back to this notion about our oppression being intersectional and our necessity to rely on each other as

allies That's when the idea was hashed out to have an LGBTQ advisor at StFX. The then Vice President, Students asked me if I was willing to take on that job and "I think I thought about it for a few minutes and said, yeah I'm gonna do it. As much as I wanted to play it safe and to make sure that I got tenure, there would be no point to it if Antigonish and StFX never became a place that I could live in without having to look over my shoulder or how could I raise my kids in an environment like that. So, you can't. You have to roll up your sleeves and you have to get to work. Well, I was a drag performer, and I was a bit political. So, I knew how to do two things one was to organize protests and the other thing was how to organize shows. I decided I would rely on those talents and so that led to the to the formation of X Pride and the very first Priscilla in 2005."

"We have been growing ever since but still have a long way to go, says Dr. Frazer and we've been going ever since, and we've been growing every year we have a still a long way to go but an awful lot has been accomplished," Dr Frazer said.

Our Mental Health and Wellbeing, The Value of Proper Treatment and the Ignorance of Our Society, a Discussion. Ft. Sebastian Harenburg.

As a species, it is undeniably true that our health and overall wellbeing is complicated. Throughout history, our medical understanding of health has twisted and changed into that which we know now. As of today, our physical and mental health are treated as separate entities. They are mutually exclusive, with no interaction between the two categories. That is completely false, and a result of stigmas, misnomers and information spread by uneducated individuals. In reality, as individuals, we are the result of our combined mental and physical wellbeing. We are the centre point, the middle of the Venn Diagram, whatever way you wish to interpret it. We are not 2-dimensional beings. We are complicated and beautiful, but our society does not allow that. Our society is still built upon the concept that our physical well being holds more value, and our mental health need not be addressed. Our society is one of fools.

In more recent years, mental health has been on the forefront of everyone’s mind. At least in my case, tips and tricks on dealing, living and in some cases treating one’s mental health problems are all over social media. However, many of these are unrealistic. Mental health treatment is not something one can walk into with the ideation that you will be cured quickly. It is a slow and gruelling process and more often than not, the so-called “antidote” is never found. Mental health treatment is about learning to live with all your flaws and mistakes, it’s about learning to love yourself and let yourself live. And yet, despite all of this information and education being spread, those that are still living in the medieval ages are allowed to speak. Those loud, arrogant and uninformed individuals often have the loudest voices. As such, on a broader scale, mental health is still stigmatized. It is often still seen as a phase, particularly in younger individuals. It is often still seen as a need for attention as opposed to a cry for help. It is often written off as a “bad day”, despite the fact it’s often been a bad life. Our mental health issues are being brushed aside and mistreated, and personally, I’ve had just about enough.

On the contrary, society has taken our physical health in stride. If you’re ill, you can go see your general practitioner for 5 minutes and walk out with a prescription. If you have an injury, you can call 911 and receive immediate treatment, or visit the ER and be treated with respect. If you have a common cold or the flu you can take time off of work or school in order to rest. So can someone please tell me why you can’t do the same if you can’t move because your depression has decided to take residence on your shoulders? Why, if you walk into the ER and say you’re feeling like you’re a danger to yourself they’ll make you wait for 3 hours. Why if you call the NS mental health line you get put. on. hold. Please, someone - anyone tell me.

In actuality, there is an incessant overlap between our physical and mental health conditions. In recent years, the mental aspects of physical health are being more addressed. The concept that when a patient is diagnosed, they are anticipated to go through a series of emotions and states to cope with the weight of said diagnoses. The same understanding and reasoning is not given to mental health patients. Despite the fact that there are physical aspects to mental health issues. Those that suffer from mental health conditions are much more susceptible to physical chronic illnesses and pain.

In a number of cultures, mental health is still regarded as something “taboo”, and as such, there is often very limited, realistic information regarding the symptoms of mental health. I have been

clinically diagnosed with moderately severe, major depressive disorder. So let me tell you, depression hurts. As a collective, the emotional aspects of depression are those that are most talked about. The physical ones however are rarely mentioned. Deposition can impact one’s sleep, appetite, and pain tolerance and can cause muscle aches, headaches, stomach pain and vision problems. There are so many physical aspects of depression, and that’s just one mental health disorder.

On the search to learn more about how our society has treated and informed individuals about these overlapping aspects of our health I reached out to Sebastien Harenberg, a sport and exercise psychology professor who teaches here at StFX

Professor Harenburg was a breath of fresh air in the midst of the devasting research I had gathered for this article. He provided a series of enlightening opinions on the matter and proceeded to partake in one of the most interesting and academic conversations I’ve ever encountered. I prepared a series of questions for Sebastian, and his responses were not only heartfelt and empathetic but also logical and well thought out.

In your opinion, how should a professor respond to a student that approaches them seeking support for mental health issues?

“It’s a really good question, as to, how someone should respond to someone with mental health issues (…) For me, one of the fundamental realisations is that high school teachers or university professors or coaches are not trained to diagnose or treat, or for anything with these issues. Referral is the most important thing to do once you find out someone is struggling. (…) In my opinion, one of the things when it comes to mental health is that mental issues are not necessarily visible, and (as such) a lot of times it requires the student to self disclose and that requires a basis of trust”

Do you believe there is a difference in severity or the treatment of physical health in comparison to mental health?

“Well to me, they are not entirely separable. To me, if you’re having an injury there are mental components that come with it and if you have a severe mental injury there are physical components that come with it.”

Should mental health treatment be insured in Canada?

“It quite obviously should be in Canada, but I think what we’re seeing, and its quite remarkable that in a country as civilized and as rich and as progressive as Canada is, is that there’s not more support for mental health.”

Following these questions, we engaged in an interesting conversation regarding the impact upon the professor when a student seeks support for their mental struggles.

“If you are not trained, or have not experienced it, it can put you into situations that you are uncomfortable with”

One of the most notable points he shared with me was in regards to the role a professor should play when a student is struggling.

“It is not my job to dig into something and say, Hey! You tell me what’s going on, but my job is to say hey! How can I support you right now? How can I help you be okay? That is the number one priority, that you are okay, we can talk about academic performance after.”

As a closing point, I asked whether Sebastian had any advice or wisdom he would be willing to share with the StFX student body.

“StFX is here, and StFX cares. If you’re struggling, don’t assume that your professor is uncaring and know that you have support. You always have the option of going to the counselling centre, and you always have the option to take advantage of the multitude of services available.”

Professor Harenburg was a delight to speak to. The amount of care and respect he has for each of his students is astounding and wonderful to see. We had a wonderful conversation regarding the difficulties of implementing change within our society, the financial struggles associated with it, and generational stigmas that impact our mental wellbeing. At StFX, we are profoundly lucky with the number of services provided to us, however, that does not mean we cannot improve. While StFX has a wonderful foundation, the rest of our country does not.

Within Canada, the number of reliable mental health services out there is laughable. There is an abundant lack of resources available to those who need them, and those that are available are not properly funded, nor are they accessible to all. In the North, particularly the Northwest Territories there is an extreme lack of mental health professionals available, resulting in an obscenely long waitlist if you are seeking support. Hence, very few can actually receive treatment out of fear that they are taking someone else’s spot or just lack of time. In a number of provinces and territories including the Yukon, Nunavut, British Columbia and Manitoba, therapy is only covered through health insurance if one is institutionalized. This can not continue, and quite frankly is atrocious.

Representing StFX University, we as a community hold more power than we realize. The purpose of this article is not to berate or target you as individuals. It is to inform and educate you on the severity of these issues from someone they are directly affecting. I want to be treated with respect, I want to be able to receive the help I need. I understand that I am incredibly lucky, with the financial capability and familial support to seek proper treatment, but I am deeply discouraged by the fact that not everyone can do so. Mental health treatment is invaluable, equally so to that of physical health treatment. To the reader, I implore you to further educate yourself on this topic, be empathetic to those suffering around you and try to understand the severity of this issue. If you as a reader are willing to share your story, please contact me, and I will ensure that is told. You deserve to be heard, you deserve to be respected and you deserve to be valued.

Contact information: email me at x2021cto@stfx.ca or text me at 902-324-9978

Causes of Climate Change and How Students Can Help

Climate Change is defined as a long-term shift in weather or temperature patterns. Although this can happen naturally, the current shift is the result of hundreds of years of burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and gas. The burning of these materials emit greenhouse gases which get caught in the Earth’s atmosphere, trapping the sun’s heat. As a result, the Earth’s temperature has raised approximately 1.1oC from its usual levels. Consequences such as extreme weather, severe fires, intense droughts, flooding and rising sea levels as a result of melting polar ice will be seen.

One cause of climate change is the increased rate of deforestation. A lack of trees means that there is less vegetation to pull carbon dioxide—the primary greenhouse gas emitted through human activities—from the air. Increased levels enhance something called the greenhouse effect. This is when greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, absorb solar energy, keeping heat close to the Earth’s surface.

Another cause of Earth’s rising temperatures includes our cities’ connections to greenhouse gases and pollution. The reliance of these dense populations on fossil fuels makes them the highest greenhouse gas emitters. 60% of the world’s greenhouse gases are released by cities, even while they make up a mere 2% of the Earth’s surface. The lack of green spaces within cities only exacerbates the issue.

Over-consumption is a large factor in climate change. Use of power, how an individual moves around, what they throw away, and what they eat all contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, consumer goods such as clothing or electronics increases them as well. Not only do many humans create a lot of waste, but the fossil fuels needed to manufacture all the goods and services produces large amounts of greenhouse gases.

But what can students do to help? There are, in fact, many opportunities for individuals who wish to do something to slow down the rate of climate change. Things such as walking or riding a bike instead of driving, while small on the individual scale, can have a large impact if many make the effort. The well-known saying of “reduce, reuse, recycle” is a great proverb to take advice from. Single use plastics are very harmful to the environment, so reuse what you can and recycle what you can’t. Throughout campus many waste-bin areas are available where garbage can be sorted into different categories for more effective recycling. Additionally, obtaining

consumer goods from sustainable sources is a great way to make sure the production of a product doesn’t directly harm the environment. It also is a way to support companies that try to limit their effects on surrounding ecosystems and habitats.

On a larger scale, it is important to make one’s voice heard to local politicians and lobby groups. Climate protests outside of City Hall have been ongoing throughout year and are likely to continue into the new semester. Organized by local activists, community members and students come together to make known their desire for change. Such requests include the use of more renewable energy, as well as demands for governments to set better targets for to combat global warming. As the saying goes, the more the merrier! These groups, while effective, can always use more support. StFX has a society called the Antigonish League of People for Climate Action (ALPCA) where students looking to get involved in the community can meet and rally for their goals. This group is a great way to step into the climate action community.

Interview with Aimee MacDonald, StFX’s Gender and Diversity Advisor

Since it is Pride Month at StFX, I decided to speak with Aimee MacDonald who is StFX’s Gender and Diversity Advisor. Aimee grew up in Cape Breton and went to StFX herself, she has been married to her wife for five years and they have two children together, a 14-year-old daughter and her three-year-old son.

Aimee wanted this job for many years, being a queer person herself she saw the challenges she has faced throughout her life. When she came out, she had a community that supported her, and she understands that not everyone has the same experience. Aimee wanted to give support to people and wanted people in the community to know that they are not alone.

Aimee’s role as StFX’s Gender and Diversity Advisor is very diverse, she advocates for students who fall into the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, she provides necessary resources for students that are culturally relevant to help them succeed both academically and socially, and she educates the campus community on current issues that the 2SLGBTQIA+ community is facing.

Aimee says that to her pride means being able to be together as a community, being visible, being safe, remembering those who paved the way for her to be able to live her life the way she lives it, and it also means people are free to be loved and to love somebody else without fear.

So far there has been several activities throughout pride month at StFX. Aimee says they’ve had a flag raising, a vigil where the community came together to remember the siblings they have lost and recognize their contribution to the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, trivia night, a ‘spill the tea’ activity by Dr. Chris Fraser, activities with the StFX art gallery, and of course the popular sex toy bingo! Once there is less restrictions Aimee is hoping to turn their tradition of a rainbow party that normally happens at the end of pride month to a queer prom!

Students who are not a part of X-Pride or the 2SLGBTQIA+ community are still welcome to attend events if they come with an open mind. Students and staff should call out misgendering, not allow for homophobic and transphobic comments, and stand up to bullying, the more students who do this the less it will happen, it is important as students to be active allies!

Aimee concluded by saying “everyone experiences the community in their own way no matter how they identify. Gender identity, sexuality, is all fluid people change and that's okay. My role is to support people in helping them understand themselves and understand the resources that are available to them, so no matter who you are you have a community in my office, within X-Pride executives and in X-Pride society. We are much larger than people know, and I think the more people that come together the bigger, stronger and more visible the community will be.”

The UN’s Sixth Annual Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Report

Discourse around climate change is nothing new. Protesters have been taking to the streets for decades in the fight for both climate change and global warming. Politicians have made empty promises and made the environment a key issue in their campaigns, all while building new pipelines and pursuing economic interests, at the peril of the environment. Scientists have been ringing the alarm bells for ages, and yet, companies still fail to change towards a more sustainable future and economy. Some politicians even deny that climate change exists at all. In 2021, the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released their AR6 report on the state of the global climate and the fight against climate change. They have been releasing yearly reports for 6 years. The panel’s findings are grim to say the least.

Scientists have been warning the general population that we must keep our rising global temperature below 1.5 degrees Celsius or we will run the risk of encountering very dangerous living conditions in the future. According to the IPCC’s report, the earth is warming very quickly. As set out in their report, we are already approaching the 1.5°C threshold. Humans have been estimated to have caused a rise of approximately 1.07°C of our current global warming trend. By staying below the 1.5°C threshold, we could prevent some of the irreversible consequences of climate change, but we will still face some scary stuff.

By staying under 1.5°C of warming, according to the report, it is still likely that the Arctic will continue to warm quickly. Furthermore, if we fail to meet this threshold, the consequences will worsen, every additional 0.5°C of global warming will have some very serious side effects on

the climate. The more we warm the planet, the less the environment can absorb all the greenhouse gases we emit. This would only worsen the effects of the climate changes occurring.

As outlined by the IPCC, unless we cut our emissions of greenhouse gases drastically and soon, we are on track to warm the global temperature by at least 2°C. We are already at the halfway point. The IPCC’s report includes 5 scenarios of the severity, the Arctic could warm before the end of the 21st century. In all scenarios, the threshold of 1.5°C is at least reached. In other scenarios, the increase is at over 4°C. Staying within the range of 1.5°C is our best-case scenario.

Despite the scary possibilities outlined, there is hope. By reducing our greenhouse gas emissions now, we can prevent anything more than a 1.5 degree rise from happening in the future. The reports from the UN are not meant to scare us, but to push us to take climate change seriously and to act while we still have the luxury of time. We still have time, at least a decade, to move to a cleaner and sustainable future. Let’s use this time wisely.

NS Men’s Health Barber Shop Talks

The Barber Shop Talks was an event hosted at Dennis Hall, Coady West, for two hours at the end of last November. Its goal was to provide a Safe Space for Black men to talk about Race, and mental health, all while receiving a free professional cut, fade, or shave. Hosted by Black student advisor, Tara Reddick, in collaboration with the NS Men’s Health League (NSMHL), the event was well received, and a total of eleven Black men attended it. The NSMHL has hosted similar initiatives, mainly across the greater Halifax region. But, for Antigonish, it was definitely the first time that a mental health talk has ever been incorporated into a pop-up barbershop.

Mental health and hair care, it may go without saying, are among the many services that have been tested and exasperated by this pandemic. But, for members of Antigonish’s Black community, these specific two are hardly more scarce now than they were prior to Covid.

Antigonish has plenty of places to get a haircut, but it is not easy to find ones which cater to the unique needs of Black students. In previous years, the host of the Barber Shop Talks invited Black barbers from Halifax to improve the situation. And, providing services at the Talks this November successfully included one professional from Halifax, as well as two StFX students: Armando Pascual de la Cruz, and Wankunda Bwalya. Since there remain no professional Black barber shops in Antigonish, often times, students capable of providing amateur cuts are relied upon, as Reddick states “We have some very talented Black students who fill the gap in essential hair services for our Black student population”. Some, she comments, “end up perfecting their skills over their academic career here at StFX”.

Black health care professional Dr. Ron Milne was also present at the event, offering discussions on various issues pertinent to mental health in The Black community. Among the notable topics covered was how the lack of medical data on African Canadians, relative to white or Caucasians, affects Black Men’s health. From this, discussions were raised on issues which included misdiagnosis, deficits in cultural understanding, and, the fact that Black people are generally unable to see African Canadian therapists.

The sharing circle made for a steady vibe wherein everyone was on the same level. Questions discussed here by Dr. Milne included: What happens when you start to feel down? What is a stress response? And, who would talk to if you had mental health issues? Two quotes from the responses that day are: “It can be tough for Black males to admit they need help or have a mental health problem”, and “There needs to be more people to talk to on campus and in the community”.

Regarding these sentiments, Reddick comments: “StFX is trying to make mental health a priority and has partnered with the people’s counselling clinic to provide Black staff, students, and faculty with culturally relevant counselling services”. The NS Men’s Brotherhood has also recently hosted a similar event for females which included related discussions along with free mini manicures. Evidently, the format works. It is a creative asset in breaking the stigma of talking about mental health in the Black community; particularly during this pandemic. Due to the latter, however, it is not clear when the next Barber Shop Talks will be. Reddick informs that the NSMHL plans to do more of them on other campuses as well as X in the future. Reddick, herself, hopes that our campus will feature another Talks before the pandemic’s end, noting that this first one was certainly well received.

StFX Explains their Choice to Keep Exams In-Person, Despite Outbreak

Despite the rise in COVID cases on campus StFX has decided to continue with in person examinations, this has left students with many questions.

Many students are concerned about attending exams in person with a large number of students during a coronavirus outbreak on campus. I spoke with Elizabeth Yeo regarding this concern. She said “We have been in direct contact with officials from NS Public Health and will be adhering to the protocols they have established. Public Health has determined that exam settings are low-risk environments for COVID-19 transmission.” She says they will ensure safety by enforcing mask wearing, ensuring physical distancing and screening for COVID-19 symptoms. Yeo also said that “laboratory-confirmed positive COVID-19 cases are required to isolate and therefore cannot attend an in-person exam.”

Yeo noted that although many students and faculty are concerned about StFX’s plan to proceed with in person exams but there are also other members on campus who support the original plan of in person exams. StFX has been working with NS Public Health and she says, “they have assured us that proceeding with an in-person exam schedule can be done in a safe way.” Administration also understands other perspectives and so they have allowed for faculty members to proceed with in-person exams, as scheduled, or will allow for faculty members to move to a take-home format and have allowed for the option of taking exams in January. If students decide to take their exams in January, they will not need to return earlier than scheduled, but the start of winter term classes might need to be altered for those individuals to write their exams. They are still working on this decision.

Additionally, many students have had concerns that this could be a new variant, as our campus community is experiencing an outbreak while many of us are double vaccinated. When asked if this was a new variant Elizabeth said, “Some people who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 will still get sick because no vaccine is 100% effective.”

During these uncertain times, if students are struggling with their mental health, there is a collaborative care team of physicians, nurses and counselors at the StFX Health and Counseling Center who are available to help students. There is also online support at Togetherall, TAO self-help, Good2Talk and the Crisis Text Line.

Ultimately, with the end of the Fall semester, it’s important that students follow Public Health’s guidelines and work together as a campus community to get us back on track for the Winter term. Stay safe!

Decision Regarding Status of Exams December 8th

As many of you are aware by now, the current COVID-19 situation at StFX is dire, with 21 students testing positive for COVID-19, as of Wednesday, December 8, including 12 confirmed cases announced on Tuesday. More confirmed cases are expected in the coming days, and the school is encouraging students, staff, and members of the community to get tested as soon as possible. Of course, this leaves many wondering about the status of exams, with first term classes finishing up on Tuesday and in person exams scheduled to begin on Thursday, December 9. Unsurprisingly, Nova Scotia’s chief medical officer, Dr. Robert Strang, suspects rising cases to be related to this past weekend’s X-Ring ceremony and celebrations. If you are fully vaccinated, you must monitor yourself for symptoms until December 18 and book a PCR test. If you are not fully vaccinated, you must isolate regardless of if you’re experiencing symptoms or not, and, in general, anyone experiencing COVID-19 symptoms should get tested immediately. Nova Scotia Health’s mobile unit will be at the Keating Centre on campus on Wednesday from 2 pm to 6 pm, and Thursday from 10 am to 3 pm. You can book an appointment or drop in.

An email from President and Vice-Chancellor Andy Hakin was sent out to students, faculty, and staff regarding exams, stating that members of administration would be meeting with public health to discuss the issue. Undoubtedly, many were anxiously waiting with emails open for the final decision. In a follow-up email from acting Academic Vice-President and Provost Timothy W. Hynes, it was announced that scheduled in-person exams will proceed, unless the instructor has changed the mode of delivery. If students have not been contacted by their professor regarding a change, the exam will proceed as scheduled. Faculty must notify their students, their deans, and the Registrar should they change the exam delivery mode. Instructors who move to a synchronous online exam must ensure it matches the date and time of the pre-existing exam schedule, and instructors who move to an asynchronous online exam must ensure the deadline is consistent with the pre-existing exam time. In short, students will have the option to write in whichever format their professor chooses, or if they are unable or uncomfortable to write in December, they may instead choose to write in January. Nova Scotia Public Health officials have assured the University it is safe to write in person, but despite recent events, social isolation requirements, and the fact that many students are uncomfortable writing exams in person, this final verdict has been decided.

Decision Regarding Status of Exams

As many of you are aware by now, the current COVID-19 situation at StFX is dire, with 21 students testing positive for COVID-19, as of Wednesday, December 8, including 12 confirmed cases announced on Tuesday. More confirmed cases are expected in the coming days, and the school is encouraging students, staff, and members of the community to get tested as soon as possible. Of course, this leaves many wondering about the status of exams, with first term classes finishing up on Tuesday and in person exams scheduled to begin on Thursday, December 9. Unsurprisingly, Nova Scotia’s chief medical officer, Dr. Robert Strang, suspects rising cases to be related to this past weekend’s X-Ring ceremony and celebrations. If you are fully vaccinated, you must monitor yourself for symptoms until December 18 and book a PCR test. If you are not fully vaccinated, you must isolate regardless of if you’re experiencing symptoms or not, and, in general, anyone experiencing COVID-19 symptoms should get tested immediately. Nova Scotia Health’s mobile unit will be at the Keating Centre on campus on Wednesday from 2 pm to 6 pm, and Thursday from 10 am to 3 pm. You can book an appointment or drop in.

An email from President and Vice-Chancellor Andy Hakin was sent out to students, faculty, and staff regarding exams, stating that members of administration would be meeting with public health to discuss the issue. Undoubtedly, many were anxiously waiting with emails open for the final decision. In a follow-up email from acting Academic Vice-President and Provost Timothy W. Hynes, it was announced that scheduled in-person exams will proceed, unless the instructor has changed the mode of delivery. If students have not been contacted by their professor regarding a change, the exam will proceed as scheduled. Faculty must notify their students, their deans, and the Registrar should they change the exam delivery mode. Instructors who move to a synchronous online exam must ensure it matches the date and time of the pre-existing exam schedule, and instructors who move to an asynchronous online exam must ensure the deadline is consistent with the pre-existing exam time. In short, students will have the option to write in whichever format their professor chooses, or if they are unable or uncomfortable to write in December, they may instead choose to write in January. Nova Scotia Public Health officials have assured the University it is safe to write in person, but despite recent events, social isolation requirements, and the fact that many students are uncomfortable writing exams in person, this final verdict has been decided.

Students Hope for Online Exams as Covid Cases Rise in the Area

This year's X-Ring Ceremony sure was a memorable one, an email sent by the University reported 12 positive Covid-19 cases and are anticipating more. Students are now advocating that StFX moves exams online to keep both students and the community safe.

Last night, an online petition started by Marie-Anne Sergent has over 3000 signatures in support of changing examinations to online. Marie said she began this petition because she heard that many students were concerned about the outbreak and that most students shared the same opinion. She was amazed by the amount of support the petition got, with 3000 signatures in under 24 hours. Not only are students signing petitions, but faculty are too. Students have been reaching out to Marie through DMs, thanking her for speaking out. She says she is happy the Student Union has now shown their support, it shows they care and are doing their jobs. Ultimately, it could alter the StFX’s decision. Marie says the school has not yet reached out to her regarding the petition.

I also talked to Jack Irvin, the President of the Student Union about the Student’s Unions decision to support exams moving online. Jack says, The Students Union is for student advocacy and from what they have heard students want exams online. Last night the Students Union sent out a ‘Covid-19 Student Mental Health Wellness Survey,’ to hear students’ opinions. Overnight more than 800 students took the survey expressing their anxiety and stress about in-person exams. Students also said they believe that in-person exams would impact their academic performance. Jack noted that the petition made it clear to them that students want online exams. The President said he has met with different people from the University, and they are weighing many different things when it comes to making their decision, Jack is unsure what is going to happen at the moment.

It is not yet known if StFX will move examinations online, but with exams beginning tomorrow we can expect a choice from the University soon. We can only hope StFX empathizes with their students.

Photo from theU- StFX Student Union Instagram page

StFX Subway Athletes of The Week: First Snow of The Year Didn’t Stop These Players From Bringing The Heat

X-Women Basketball Kimberly Kingsbury and X-Men Basketball Dondre Reddick were named the StFX Subway Athletes of The Week. Today I dove in a little deeper to better understand the story behind these standout athletes and what fuelled them to become the athletes they are today!

First, I talked to X-Women Basketball guard Kimberly Kingsbury, a fifth year BASCH student from Nepean, Ontario. This past week, she played two strong games, she scored a game high of 24 points and then followed the next game with a team high of 11 points!

What drives you to train every day?

I really enjoy playing basketball and learned early on that training is an integral part of being an athlete. It helps that it is something I enjoy doing and find relaxing, so when I get stressed or overwhelmed, I always turn to basketball.

Who is the biggest role model in your life?

The biggest role model in my life would have to be my dad! He played a lot of sports growing up, so he knows a lot about the work and politics surrounding sports. He has always helped me develop my game. Ever since I was a kid, he would sacrifice his time to come watch me play sports and train with me, without question. I wouldn't be the player or person I am today without his support and guidance.

What is a challenge you overcame to get to where you are today?

A challenge I have overcome was probably moving away from a big city in Ontario and coming to live in Antigonish! I had no friends or even people that I knew, I was taking a full course load, living on my own for the first time, and was not able to come home whenever I would have liked. It really made me develop as a person and I found out a lot of new things about myself.

Advice you would give to athletes looking up to you right now?

If I could give any athletes some advice, I'd have to say always try to be the hardest worker. There's always going to be a player who is faster, more talented, a better shooter...etc, but if you can be the hardest worker and always give your best it will pay off. Coaches want players who will work hard and listen to them, and in the end, you will be rewarded!

Next, I spoke with Dondre Reddick of X-Men Basketball. He is a hometown standout athlete from Antigonish and a third year Arts student. He was the player of the game in STFX’s gripping 112-101 win over SMU Saturday night! Dondre also had a big double-double night scoring a career-high 35 points!

What drives you to train every day?

What drives me to train every day is my family. Every day that I am lazy it is disrespectful to them because I would not be where I am today without them, and I am thankful. I also plan on making money off this sport overseas in years to come.

Who is the biggest role model in your life?

The biggest role model in my life is my parents. I see them work so hard and I just can't let them down, they inspire me and instilled a hard work ethic in me at a young age.

What is a challenge you overcame to get to where you are today?

A challenge I had to overcome to get where I am today is my confidence, I always had the work ethic but sometimes I doubted myself. I now have no doubts in my ability and believe that I can do anything when I believe in myself.

Advice you would give to athletes looking up to you right now?

Advice I would give to young athletes is to work hard and never stop believing in yourself, enjoy the process of getting better and listen to your coaches and work on being a leader so that you can help your teammates as well.

Congratulations to this week's StFX Subway athletes of the week Dondre and Kimberly and Goodluck with the rest of your season, LET’S FILL THE GYM! GO X GO!