New Year, new U

The Xaverian Weekly catches up with Students' Union President Olwyn Foley

Her new job may be trial-by-fire, but Olwyn Foley is keeping her cool. "The hardest part of this job is how fast the year goes by, and to be honest I think we really need to look at what this organization should be doing, and what it is doing. I want to develop a really strong strategic plan this year... The things I’m working really hard on this year, I want to continue next year and five years down the road," says Foley. The Xaverian Weekly sat down with Foley...

Yellow is the new white

Security and safety at StFX undergo change in structure and direction

Walking into the newly renovated safety and security offices, The Xaverian was greeted by a booming “Hello there!" 

In March, the Xaverian reported that the administration has absorbed the duties of the now defunct campus police and the hunt was on for a director of safety and security.  Well, the university got their man, and a whole new era of safety and security on this campus is about to start if Director of Safety and Security Paul Carey has anything to say about it.

 Entering the offices, located in the...

The Next Chapter

The People's Place library community hopes to count students among their numbers

The Antigonish Town and County Library is creating a buzz, and no librarians are about to shush it.
 Located on Main Street, next to the Capitol Theatre, the Antigonish Town and County Library, also known as the People’s Place Project, is filled with sunlight.
 Large windows can be found on almost every wall and bath the building’s white, sage green and burgundy colour scheme in natural light.
 Replacing the old library, located behind Town Hall, The People’s Place Project has been in the works for ten years. Returning students may...

Pictou County Help Line Replaces Disconnected X-helpline

Students' union confident that switch will benefit students

Callers to the X-helpline won’t be getting a dial tone any more; Their calls will now be redirected to the Pictou County Help Line.
 The decision to cut the X-helpline, previously a union service under the jurisdiction of Vice President of Union Services Mariah MacKeigan, was made at the end of the last academic year. 
 MacKeigan explains that the decision was made after sitting down with outgoing VP Union Services Isabelle Gosselin, Director of Health and Counseling Angela Marshall, outgoing X-helpline coordinator Elizabeth Faour and President of the Students’ Union Olywn Foley.
...

Staff Applications - September 2011

Application for Xaverian Weekly staff positions.   1) Please familiarize yourself with the job description that can below.  You should gear your cover letter and resume towards this description. 2) It is recommended that you contact the outgoing staff member of the jobs you are applying for or the Editor in Chief. 3) You may apply to more than one position. 4) Please submit one application for each job, according to the following specifications. 5) When writing the article please keep in mind that most newspaper writing should be relatively...

Council update: Report from March 20, 2011

The students’ union representative council met last Sunday, March 20 for their fourth meeting of the semester. The meeting began with council’s ratification of Taylor Smith as the students’ union vice president of communications, beginning May 1, 2011. She was hired last Saturday, and the motion to ratify her was carried. Following this, a bylaw amendment was put forward to add a second entertainment coordinator to the office of the vice president of events and activities for the coming academic year. Council debated this issue, with the current vice president...

The final word: Safety at StFX

Campus police vs. campus security

Here at StFX, the university strives to provide a safe and secure campus for all students, faculty and staff. The responsibility of upholding everyone’s safety falls into the hands of the Safety and Security Department, as well as within the collective support and cooperation of the Xaverian community. Traditionally, StFX has employed a student run campus police force, offering employment opportunities and responsibilities for students. StFX has decided to implement a new form of security, creating a campus security force that will be run along with the university’s Safety and...

Triple disaster causes carnage, tragedy in Japan

On March 11, 2011, the earth was shook as Japan experienced one of its largest earthquakes in history. Around 3 p.m. local time, an undersea earthquake hit just off the Japanese coast, recorded at a magnitude of 8.9. This was said to be one of the strongest earthquakes to ever hit the region. The northeast coast of Japan was next hit with a 33-foot tsunami wave that caused major damage and sent thousands out to fend for themselves. The aftershocks reached a magnitude of 6.0, which still shook the earth...

Administration decides to maintain current structure of Cameron and MacKinnon Hall

Wednesday of last week, on behalf of the administration, Vice President of Recruitment and Student Services Keith Publicover announced to the residents of Cameron and MacKinnon Hall that the current structure of the houses within the halls would remain for the coming academic year. After a number of years of bad behaviour, the administration was considering restructuring the houses to solve the problem. Many of the current and former residents saw this as an attack on their traditions, and joined the February student rally in protest. When students who applied...

StFX mourns prominent campus figure and professor, Dr. Ottilia Chareka

Last Sunday, a memorial service for Dr. Ottilia Chareka, a prominent member of the education department at StFX, was held at the university chapel. Hundreds of community members were present to mourn the sudden loss of Chareka, who was killed on the Wednesday prior to the service. Her husband has been charged with the murder. A native of Zimbabwe, Chareka led an incredible life. She was the first female high school graduate in her community, funded her own post-secondary schooling, and taught high school in Zimbabwe. In a country where...

A case for change

Remember when Barack Obama mobilized the masses of American voters under the banner of “keeping traditions”? No. Nobody remembers that because it’s the opposite of what actually happened. He brought millions of people back into the political arena by emphasizing the importance of change, of adapting to modern conditions and governing in the appropriate way – not simply sticking to old policies because, well, they were traditional ones. So why are we, as students of StFX, scoffing at change like an elderly couple being confronted with the issue of gay...

World Water Day at StFX

The world is running out of sustainable resources, and we often forget about the most basic of those: water. Canada Water Week, which began last Tuesday and continues until World Water Day on this coming Tuesday, aims to celebrate this precious commodity and raise awareness of its scarcity. “Water is the lifeblood of the earth, it’s a tangible idea that we can locate,” says Matt Chisolm, a sustainability officer at StFX. “Sometimes it’s hard for people to identify with climate change and environmental degradation of the biosphere. But you look...

A flawed process

Last Sunday, the incoming students’ union president and vice president, Olwyn Foley and Nate Minichiello, presented their selections for next year’s executive team to council. The policies of the union dictate that each year, the newly selected executive vice presidents must be approved by majority of council. The process, known as ratification, is intended to ensure those selected to be part of the new executive leadership team are right for the job. Such is the theory, anyway. The problem is that theory doesn’t necessarily translate into reality. While the intentions...

In Brief

Antigonish hopeful for a top five spot

Last week, Antigonish got one step closer to becoming Kraft Hockeyville, a prize that comes with $100, 000 to upgrade the local arena, an NHL pre-season game held in that arena, and CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada broadcast from the town. Antigonish and Conception Bay, Newfoundland, each made it in to the top ten from the Atlantic region, and voting for the top five ended last Sunday. This Saturday evening, the top five communities will be announced during game two of CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada, and voting for the...

In Brief

Japan disasters might hurt Atlantic fisheries

The recent earthquake, tsunami and nuclear emergencies in Japan could likely have a detrimental effect on the fishing industry in Atlantic Canada, according to CBC news. John Sackton, a prominent seafood industry analyst and editor of seafood.com told the CBC, “the country [may become] so focused on relief and rebuilding that they’re not really thinking more about the high end goods.” Japan currently accounts for a huge portion of Atlantic seafood exports. Newfoundland, for example, sends 40 per cent of their crab catches to Japan annually, according to CBC. Perhaps...