Snacks for Studying

Snacks for Studying

By Kiersten Garbutt

It is important to stay fueled during stressful times. Here is a list of quick snacks you can make while you study!

A smoothie bowl! All you need is some frozen fruit, yogurt, and around ¼ cups of either water or milk. Once this is blended you can add your choice of toppings. You can add chia seeds, granola, fresh fruit, nuts, coconut, etc. This snack is healthy, and quick and easy to make.

Next up, are sweet potatoes chips! All you need is a sweet potato, your choice of seasoning, and some kind of oil. First you are going to thinly slice the potato, next lay them on a cooking sheet and coat the potato in oil and then sprinkle the seasoning on top. Bake at 400F for 20 mins, flipping the chips halfway. This snack is not time consuming to make and still very delicious. 

Additionally, there are a lot of snacks you can make just using peanut butter. If you are feeling lazy, here are some foods you can pair with peanut butter. You can pair apples, celery, crackers, and bananas with peanut butter to make a really fast and yummy snack. 

Finally, cheese and crackers. Cheese and crackers are super easy to make all you need is crackers and cut up some cheese. If your feeling fancy you can add salami or ham or even pickles. 

Remember it is important to fuel your brain during studying. Instead of reaching for a bag a chips take a few extra minutes to make a healthier option! 

Valentines in Isolation

Valentines in Isolation

By Kiersten Garbutt

Valentine’s day like any other holiday we spent in isolation will be hard. Valentines day is often spent with the person you care for the most. So, its not wrong to say spending it apart will be tough. Here are some fun isolation valentine ideas to use if you will be apart from your significant other this year. 

The first idea is just to have a movie night together, you can try the feature called Netflix party where you can stream movies together. This feature takes away all the hassle of trying to set up a movie manually by syncing you both up automatically. Its definitely not the same as in person. But you can prepare your favourite snacks and spend the night in together but apart!

Have an arranged facetime dinner! You both can cook your own versions of the same meal and have a fancy virtual dinner date. If you are not into cooking, ordering in is also an option. Either way having a meal together can be a lot of fun!

If you are able to see each other on valentine’s day, then here are some creative date ideas you can do at home instead of going out;

A painting night is a great activity to indulge in, especially if you both enjoy the arts. There are many painting tutorials available on YouTube, and Bob Ross episodes can be found on Netflix! An at home spa day is also a great idea, you could pamper each other with facemasks and bubble baths. If your not feeling up to anything too crazy, a movie night will suffice. I mean as long as your spending the day together its hard to go wrong! 

Overcoming Procrastination: Time management

Overcoming Procrastination: Time management

By: Kiersten Garbutt

The art of procrastination is something I’m sure we have all mastered. But since mid-terms are quickly coming, it is for the best that we all use our time productively. The key to managing your time is to get a calendar or agenda of some sort. Keeping track of important due dates will let you work ahead, and you will have a general idea of your busier weeks, so you can prepare accordingly. Many of us have to work during the school semester, which can be really hard to manage. Like previously stated, writing your schedule down weekly will help you plan ahead. Making a to do list for everyday weekly will help you remember important assignments; this is important because stressing about when you have time to complete an assignment can raise your stress levels even more. This way you know when you will be devoting your time to each of your assignments. The trick to time management is to get assignments done a few days before they are due, when you are working ahead you have more time to study for big tests or mid-terms and to carefully edit essays. Additionally, working ahead allows more flexibility in your life, if you wanted to pick up another shift or hang out with a friend you can and probably would experience less guilt when doing so. 

Studying can be a really hard task when we have distractions like our phone right beside us, I recommend putting your phone on do not disturb and throwing it to the side when you are studying. While studying it is important to limit your distractions, even listening to music can alter how much you are retaining. Studying with limited distractions will cause you to get your work done faster, which in the end makes you more productive. Also, while studying it is very important to take breaks. I recommend a method where you are productive for thirty minutes and then take a five-minute break. This gives your brain a mental break and will allow you to retain information so much easier. While taking your break it is important to leave the ‘productive’ spot. Separating your productive area and your relaxing area is very important, it will trick your brain into thinking that once in the productive spot you should be doing something productive. To conclude a huge part of having good time management skills is using your time wisely and to your best advantage.

Budget Friendly Hobbies for University Students

Budget Friendly Hobbies for University Students

By: Maria Garcia Manzano, AEIC of The Quill

Brandon University, while one of the most affordable post-secondary institution in Canada can still be expensive. As students, we budget our funds towards school, and living expenses. However, we should still find things that bring us joy! Having a hobby can be psychologically beneficial to our health and during these unprecedented times, having an activity that we enjoy may be just what we need to get us through the pandemic. Below I have listed five different budget friendly hobbies that I believe will bring joy to your every day life. 

1 Reading:

Reading allows us to temporarily escape into a different world and this method of travelling costs very little. If you have an amazon account you can purchase ebooks through amazon, download the kindle app and read them. Ebooks are typically cheaper and you are able to start reading as soon as your transaction goes through, rather than having to wait for your book to arrive in the mail. If you have an apple product you can also purchase books through Apple Books. In case you want to have the physical copy of the book you can order through a variety of different retailers. One of my favorites is www.bookoutlet.ca as it has a variety of books offered at discounted prices. 

2 Photography:

Thanks to technology, most people have access to cameras on their phones. If you do not want to splurge on buying a professional camera, you can hone your skills on your phone instead. Additionally, there are a wide range of apps and resources to learn photo editing on either a phone or computer. 

3 Drawing:

If you want to learn how to draw there are many free online courses (https://www.thoughtco.com/free-online-drawing-classes-1098200) that can help you hone this creative skill. The great thing about drawing is that it can be done anywhere and you are able to take a quick photo and share your creations on social media. Or alternatively you can just keep them to yourself. Drawing is also a gateway hobby as it may even lead you to pursue painting and other creative activities. 

4 Cooking:

Many people don’t realize how much they like cooking until they really try it! This could be the case for you. Not only will cooking help save money on your meals since you won’t be constantly ordering skip the dishes, but cooking for yourself can be a healthy and creative alternative way that will allow you to feed your body and spirit. Plus, you will learn a whole array of different recipes that you can then share to your family and friends. 

5 Restoration and DIY:

If you happen to take a walk around your neighbourhood or even inside your home and see a piece of old furniture lying around you may want to create a unique show piece. If you are willing to spend the time requires to restore furniture in creative ways then you will find yourself enthralled by the process. DIY is one of my personal favorites as I love to constantly rearrange my room and décor. I have found that browsing through the Facebook marketplace or on ebrandon I can find a variety of different items that I can restore into unique pieces that fit the aesthetic of my room. 

There are a variety of ways to occupy our time while that do not involve watching Netflix, YouTube videos, or Disney+ etc. While there is no problem watching and enjoying shows it may be getting a little repetitive at this point and we may yearn for something different and a little more stimulating. Now is the time to switch it up and start a new hobby. 

Brandon University Politics Society Hosts “How Inciteful: Reflections on Trump’s Interdisciplinary Impacts on Academia.”

Brandon University Politics Society Hosts “How Inciteful: Reflections on Trump’s Interdisciplinary Impacts on Academia.”

Aidan Trembath

With Joe Biden’s inauguration on January 20th, Trump’s impacts on academia will continue to be analyzed for years to come. The Brandon University Politics Society is excited to host a multidisciplinary roster of professors to explore Trump’s presidency through a myriad of academic fields. The speaker series, called “How Inciteful,” will begin on January 19th, from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM, and will continue for the following two Tuesdays, January 26th and February 2nd. Each Tuesday, three professors from a diverse range of fields, including biology, English, gender and women’s studies, sociology, music, philosophy, and political science, will present on how Trump’s presidency has either impacted their field of study or how their field of study may understand his brand of politics. Trump’s influence on academia has no borders, and Canadians must understand “Trumpism” from the source in order to understand its effects on Canada’s own politics and scholarship.

The speaker series will be comprised of talks by Brandon University’s President and professor of political science, Dr. David Docherty, associate professor of Gender and Women’s Studies, Dr. Corinne Mason, and professor of English and Creative Writing, Dr. Reinhold Kramer. Dr. Docherty will explore the governmental transitions in the American context, Dr. Mason will discuss the intersections of race, gender, and sexuality through a lens of anti-carceral activism, and Dr. Kramer will reflect on Trump’s brand of truth and its reliance on emotional cogency. The 26th will have presentations by Dr. Christopher Schneider of Sociology, Dr. Richard Baker of Political Science, and Dr. Rachel Elliott of Philosophy; the 2nd will be comprised of talks by Dr. Bernadette Ardelli of Biology, Dr. Hailey Murphy of Political Science, and Dr. Leanne Zacharias of Music. 

“How Inciteful” will be hosted over Zoom with the event description and Zoom call link located under Brandon University’s website’s list of events. Each Tuesday’s speaker series will utilize the same call link. A Q&A will follow all three presentations per night to allow audience members to explore the presentations’ insights.

Online Fall Term vs Online Winter Term.

Online Fall Term vs Online Winter Term.

By: Maria Garcia Manzano, AEIC of The Quill

Having achieved the first full week back to school for the winter term I cannot help but compare my experience to the past fall term. While both terms are online, I feel as though something has changed this winter term. Perhaps I have now grown accustomed to what is required of me as I navigate through an online learning environment. Last term due dates and deadlines crept up on me and I felt more stressed than I felt during my first year at BU. During the fall term, I went in with the mentality that it would be easier as it was online and on my own terms. However, I quickly found that not all of my professors would be recording their lectures, therefore, making attendance mandatory, and even if they recorded and posted their lectures, I was behind in schoolwork and would not be able to re-watch them.

             This past fall term taught me that in order to keep up on schoolwork, every zoom meeting would have to be attended and paid attention to. I would log on to the zoom meeting and try to listen and take notes. However, more times than not I would use my phone during class. Whenever I did this, I realized that studying was more difficult as I had not fully paid attention and class and had to read a lot more than I would have if I had simply paid attention to the lecture and taken notes in the first place. During the Fall term, I also left a lot of assignments right to the last minute. I handed in everything on time, but I would procrastinate in beginning the assignment to the point of leaving them the night before and doing them. This worked for some assignments and not others as a lot of my assignments revolved around writing 5–10-page papers. Which is not an easy task to accomplish in one night. Overall, as a result of how I chose to go about the fall term, my stress levels were high. This winter term, however, I am committed to changing the bad habits I formed.

Throughout the fall term I never turned on my camera nor did I participate when the professors asked questions in class. I refused to use my mic and never spoke. This term I have turned on my camera and have begun speaking in class. This has made me pay more attention during class as while I engage, I find I hold myself more accountable if I do not pay attention. I have also made myself listen to all lectures and only re-watch them if absolutely necessary. Furthermore, I am trying to take notes as I follow through with the lecture. I have not had any tests yet, but I do think this will help as I study for them. Since less material will feel unknown. This term I will also try to start assignments earlier, so I do not end up having to work on four assignments over a single weekend. 

7 Ways We Have Adjusted to Living in Quarantine

7 Ways We Have Adjusted to Living in Quarantine    

By Ronnie Kayla Neiman

Throughout 2020, we have had to adjust the ways in which we live our lives. Through the various lockdowns, quarantines and increase in COVID-19 cases, we have found different ways to try to continue our lives similarly to the way they had been before. Nothing stays the same, but we all hope it can. Change is difficult to accept, especially when it is seemingly forced on us. 

1.Going to School Online.

The first COVID-19 lockdown in Canada was in the spring of 2020 in March, which ended up cutting into the end of the school year for anyone attending or working at a school. Students in elementary, middle and secondary school had to stay at home and university and college students had their courses and final exams interrupted. It was a rush to get systems set up to continue classes and exams. The first set ups were not very good, but they did the trick in the short term. It took many people a long time to get used to the changes. This meant doing classes online, taking tests in a way that wouldn’t be considered cheating, and figuring out how to make the best of classroom time to learn and ask questions. 

2.Working from Home.

In the same way of getting used to going to school online, a large number of people needed to do the same for their jobs. Not every job could be transitioned to an online or work from home variant but those that could were able to use the internet and phones to continue work. In my own personal case, I have been able to do the majority of my work from home with going to the office just once a week. 

3.Fewer Shopping Trips for Groceries.

Going to grocery stores just to get milk or some junk food is not a doable proposition right now. People are required to make trips to the store seldomly, and when they do, it’s for the essentials only. There are apps in some cases that allow you to order groceries online by having store employees do the shopping for you and you then pick up the groceries outside without having to enter the store. Remember to shop for what is considered important, like fruits, vegetables, milk, hygiene products and other things, depending on your region and what is considered important and essential.

4.Socializing Long-Distance.

As Human’s we are very social creatures and being suddenly forced to cut-off all physical and close contact is difficult for a lot of us. Technology has helped a lot in that regard. Using Zoom in the same way as school and work to socialize with family and friends helps. Even birthday parties need to be long-distanced. Having a party of some sort over Zoom or something similar helps to fill that gap, especially for young children who usually invite their whole class. At least over Zoom, they will have something to look forward to. 

5.Finding New Hobbies.

It can be incredibly easy to get bored nowadays and hobbies are a fun way to fill our free time. Hobbies can help to relieve stress by keeping you engaged in something you enjoy; hobbies give you a way to take your mind off the stresses of everyday life. Having a hobby can be a great help to your social life and creating bonds with others. Partaking in a hobby can be enriching to your life and helps to gives you a different perspective on things. It doesn’t matter what type of hobby you choose; you will definitely be exposed to new ideas. Hobbies help you grow in various ways, including exposing you to new opinions and to new ways to look at life.

6.Phone Call Appointments with Doctors.

Going to a hospital or clinic to visit a doctor seems like a less than ideal situation right now. Many doctors are doing appointments through video conferencing or through the phone as it limits the potential for exposure. It is still very important to have regular appointments with doctors -- seeing a doctor is a vital investment for your health. Regular examinations catch problems early, when they are more treatable. This is particularly important for older people, as susceptibility to illness increases with age and with the increase risk factor of COVID-19. 

7.Wearing a Mask and/or Gloves.

One of the arguably largest adjustments we have had to make is wearing a mask to cover our nose and mouth whenever we leave the house or interact with another person, even from a distance. Masks are a tool used to suppress virus transmission and save lives. They help to reduce potential exposure from an infected person whether they have symptoms or not. When someone coughs, talks, or sneezes they could release germs into the air that may infect others nearby. Face masks are part of an infection control strategy to eliminate cross-contamination. Washing hands and wearing disposable gloves are of great importance as well. 

Our lives have had to adjust and change. Some of the changes are small, but some are rather drastic and take some time to get used to. The changes and adjustments with various policies are precautions that give people guidelines to follow. Just remember that life continues, and we will get through this difficult time.

DIY Christmas Gift

Let’s BAKE it Happen

Kiersten Garbutt 

This Christmas will surely match how the rest of the year has gone. We will all struggle as local stores shut down or are only allowed to sell essentials. If you are unable to order online, then this article is the one for you! This Christmas, instead of gift-giving items, give some baked goods as an alternative! Here are some easy-peasy recipes that anyone can make! 

Cinnamon buns have always been a family favourite and really, who would pass on such a delicious treat! You are going to need 2 eggs, 1 package of active dry yeast, 4 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 tbsp cinnamon, 1 tsp salt, ¼ cup of white sugar plus 1tsp set aside, 1 1/4 cup butter, 1/2 cup milk, and 1/2 cup water. Step 1, mix water, 1 tsp of sugar, and yeast and let that mixture sit for 5-10 minutes. While you wait, warm the milk in a pot until it starts to boil, then take off heat and add the rest of the white sugar and ¼ of butter. Step 2 get a larger bowl and mix the yeast mixture, the milk mixture, and the eggs. While mixing, gradually add all the flour. Then knead for approximately 8 minutes. Step 3 is to oil a bowl and let the dough sit for an hour with a damp cloth covering the bowl. Step 4 while the dough is rising, melt the leftover butter, cinnamon, and brown sugar together. Step 5 is to cover the bottom of your baking pan with the brown sugar mixture, make sure to save at least half of the mixture! Step 6 once your dough is finished rising, roll the dough out in a rectangle and then brush the brown sugar onto the dough. Step 7 tightly roll the dough and then cut into approximately 15 pieces, then place into the pan. Cover again and let rise for another hour. Finally, place them in the oven at 375 degrees and cook for 25-30 minutes. (recipe: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/21461/ooey-gooey-cinnamonbuns/?utm_source=pinterest.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=allrecipes_allrecipes_11686958&utm_content=easter_verticalimage&utm_term=easter_202002) 

Another recipe is a Christmas classic: sugar cookies! For this recipe you will need 3 sticks of unsalted butter, 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, 2 large eggs, 2 tsp vanilla extract, 1/4 tsp almond extract, 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, and 1 tsp baking powder. First step is mix butter and sugar, then add all wet ingredients and mix, lastly add all the dry ingredients. Once all mixed roll dough into a ball and wrap in saran wrap or place in a bowl and freeze for 30 minutes. Next, roll out dough to ¼ inch thickness. Use cookie cutters of your choice! Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees! Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes before decorating! (Recipe: https://www.handletheheat.com/easy-cut-out-sugar-cookies-with-icing/) 

Hope these recipes help you with the gift giving season! Stay warm and stay home!

DIY Christmas

DIY Christmas

By: Cedric Bell

Christmas can be an expensive time of year, especially for University students. One of the easiest ways to circumvent this problem is by getting homemade or cost effective gifts for others. Not only are they generally cheaper, but they can also be much more personally meaningful to the recipient if they can see the time, effort, and personal thought that has gone into making them. There are a variety of different kinds of DIY projects that can turn into great Christmas gifts, such as art, decoration, trade skills, or items that would be personal to the other person.

Art

There are many different mediums of art that could turn into a great DIY gift for someone, no matter what your artistic inclination is. Whether it's knitting, painting, drawing, or even writing to some extent, like poetry. For example, one of the Christmas gifts I gave someone one year was wood burning art of their favourite animal.

(Photo Credit: artofmanliness.com A Beginners Guide Pyrography, aka Wood burning)

Decoration

This one works especially well for anyone you live with, such as family, roommates, or significant others. Redecorating a room or wall to make it more functional or visually appealing would make for a great surprise as a Christmas gift, provided of course that the person is alright with their things being changed. This could include painting a mural, putting up a shelf for someone's collection, or other things like that to make their living spaces more suited to them.

Trades

If you’re not as artistically inclined, there are still plenty of options to turn to for DIY gifts. For example, if you have any skills in the trades like construction, wood or metalwork, there are lots of gifts you could make someone. Maybe you could make them that shelf they need, or a fire pit for when it gets nicer out. There are also lots of decorative things you can make out of wood and metal, if you want a less complicated but more visual gift to give, like a wooden mug or metal art.

Personal items

While these aren’t as easy to make yourself, they can be cheaper than most gifts, and can carry a lot of personal weight. Meaningful gifts outweigh expensive ones, and as long as you know the person well enough, there should be some good options. For instance, you could get them something with emotional meaning, like a photo album, or something to do with an inside joke. 

Christmas can be expensive and pricey, but it doesn't have to be. One of the best alternatives to make it a better experience is to give out homemade gifts rather than store bought ones. It cuts down on costs, and often means a lot more to the person receiving the gift. These examples should help to get an idea of what you can make for others, but shouldn’t be constraining in any way. There are plenty of creative and thoughtful ways to show people that you care about them over the holidays, and these are just a few.

STUDY TIPS DURING READING WEEK

STUDY TIPS DURING READING WEEK

Hello everyone,

Since we have reading week coming up, sharing some tips and ideas that have worked for me and some of my friends would not be a bad idea. Personally, I know that our gadgets, and some activities that go on in our lives, may serve as major distractions during this week off from school, so I am going to try to address as much as I can.

CURBING SOME COMMON DISTRACTIONS

• Try writing down some of the distractions you tend to face while trying to study. For example, if you begin to think about a movie when you are studying, just write it out somewhere, that way you can just come back to it at the end of the day.

• Create a study group. Most times, all we need is motivation. Find those friends that share common goals with you and have your best interest at heart. They will not let you waste your time when exams are around the corner.

• Make use of apps that help you focus. Fortunately for everyone, technology is making things very easy for us. There are special apps that are built to help you focus, just in case you find it hard to stay off social media.

• Try to motivate yourself and not procrastinate. These tips I have given cannot work if you personally do not have any plans to help yourself. You need to develop the mindset that whatever you study or do is for your own benefit. Netflix and YouTube and other streaming platforms or social media are there to stay and when you pass your tests, you can go back to them.

I hope you find these useful and apply them during the reading week.

Goodluck.

By: Kosy Ijeoma

Lowering Stress During Midterms

 Lowering Stress During Midterms

By: Mary Okorie, Reporter

Exam periods can be extremely stressful, and students tend to face anxiety during this time of the term. This is due to many factors, such as not preparing well before exams, or not sleeping and eating healthy. To reduce stress during exam periods students should make sure to prepare well and study, eat healthy, and have adequate sleep. They can talk to someone if it’s needed.

Good preparation

Preparing before an exam would really help to reduce the stress during midterms. Students would likely feel more confident about the exam and that can help them relax a bit. Due to heavy course load or various other reasons, students might find it hard to study before the day of the exam. This is where time management comes in. students should set apart time to study and reading goals to reach for a particular day. Reading should never be left to the day before the exam. When students study each day and prepare well in advance, they can know their weak points and find ways to clarify what they do not understand. So, when the exam is close, students do not need to start rushing and putting stress on themselves since they will have prepared enough ahead of time.

Healthy Food and Adequate Sleep 

Good food and sufficient sleep also helps reduce stress during exams. The brain needs enough rest and energy to function so students need to eat and sleep well. This goes in hand with preparing because if students prepare well, they will not have to give up their sleep to study the night before an exam or disrupt their eating patterns. Stress levels can go up when there is not sufficient sleep or consumption of unhealthy foods, which can make students fall sick. If students still can not deal with the stress, another effective method is to talk to someone who can give them better advice on how to manage their stress levels during exam periods.

Stress can really lead to a lot of other things and it is much better to try and keep it low when possible.

Trick-or-Treating May Still Happen with new Ideas for Safe Ways to Get Candy

Trick-or-Treating May Still Happen with  

New Ideas for Safe Ways to Get Candy

By Zach Roozendaal, Contributer

Concerned that your friends and family might come down with COVID-19 from trick-or-treating this year? Well no worries, because there are some incredibly ingenious ideas to help you not get Coronavirus yet still allow kids to get the candy they want to get.

        First of all, it’s no secret that with the rising case numbers in the province that many people are planning on boycotting giving out candy due to the risk of infection that it presents, which is understandable, but where there’s a will, you can be almost 100% certain that there is in fact a way, and these ideas may just be the way to getting somewhat of a happy Halloween.

        First and foremost, getting the kids to get the candy without the health risk is a big issue. You’d almost inevitably be coming into contact with kids by handing out candy. Or could you? Some houses in past years that weren’t able to get to the door to greet kids would instead leave a bowl of candy on the doorstep, allowing for the kids to get a candy. Of course, there’s the issue of kids getting germs on the bowl, and greedy kids trying to empty the bowl into their own bags and baskets. The way around these issues is to be by the door to see each group or individual child, and then after they go, spray the bowl with disinfectant and the candies in it. Don’t worry about kids ingesting the disinfectant, as it’ll dry and be harmless by the time they get back home, and the candy is also covered by wrappers that will prevent any of the disinfectant from getting on the candies themselves, as long as you’re not giving out things that come in cardboard or paper packages like say Smarties. 

        By sitting at the door, you can also observe and make sure kids don’t take more than they should, and be there to confront them if they do, as I will be, but while dressed as Michael Myers, because it is Halloween after all. 

        If you have a window by your front door then you can open it and give out candy by taking a cardboard tube and opening the window each time kids come. Simply place a candy in the tube and slide it down to the kids, and therefore you’re putting distance between both you and the kids. If you wan to make sure you can sanitize the tube, then either cover the end with plastic wrap that can easily be sprayed with disinfectant or use rainspout attachments, or a piece of PVC pipe, just whatever you can to keep that distance between you. Make sure that you sanitize after each kid comes, and leave a sign requesting only one child come up to the front of your home at any given time, and that one parent can join as well, but that way you prevent multiple groups from coming into contact with each other.

You can also try something similar to my first idea, and for kids that do come in groups, simply toss a bag on the doorstep with a few candy bars for them to share amongst themselves. Or the other thing you can do is go to the store and instead take small bags of candies and mail them to friends or family who have small children, so it’s like trick-or-treating but without the risk of infection. 

There are lots more ways, but those are just a few, and I hope that maybe it’s given some of you ideas to both combat COVID-19 and still let kids in your neighbourhood have a fun and safe Halloween. I’ll leave you all with my final thought now, as always.

Where there’s a will, there’s almost certainly a way. Creativity is the key to solving almost any problem.

With that being said, hopefully Halloween is saved, or at least somewhat. Anyways, remember to wash and sanitize your hands often, social distance and wear a mask when necessary, and stay at home if you don’t feel well.

Until next time, I’m Zach Roozendaal, signing off. Happy Halloween, stay safe out there, and goodbye for now.

Fun Ideas for Halloween Activities

Fun Ideas for Halloween Activities

By Zach Roozendaal

As the world is still battling the threat of COVID-19, many families are going to unfortunately be looking at having to cancel trick-or-treating this year. But don’t worry, because if you’re one of those families who hasn’t got candy to hand out or is going out to take a child to get a big supply of candy, then here are some great alternative ideas to help you beat your fear of being bored to death this October 31st.

First of all, look at getting a pumpkin. Nothing says fall like pumpkins, and you can make jack-o-lanterns with them. You can carve all kinds of cool designs into them, or go for a classic toothy smiling face with the triangular eyes and nose.

Still wishing to dress up? Invite a few close friends over, maybe like 5 or 6 and get a few drinks and some snack sized candies and have a costume party at your place, just make sure everyone is safe and uses hand sanitizer on the way in and hasn’t been feeling sick lately.

Another great idea you can try is watch a scary movie, as it is Halloween after all. You don’t have to watch a horror movie necessarily, I mean you could binge all the Treehouse of Horror episodes of The Simpsons, or watch the Charlie Brown Halloween special. If you want to watch a scary movie on Halloween, then my personal recommendation is maybe something sci-fi.

If you’re really looking to get into the spirit of all things scary and creepy, then check out the immortal and timeless classic from 1978, Halloween directed by John Carpenter and Deborah Hill, besides despite Michael Myers reputation of being a cold blooded killer he only manages 5 kills in the film, and only 4 take place on screen and they’re not very gory, since it was the 70’s after all and that’s not something audiences were used to at the time.

Go buy yourself a kiddy pool at your local store, and fill it with apples and go bobbing for apples, and buy some caramels and nuts and seeds and candies and you can make candy apples after you’re done. Caramel and candy apples taste great, and if you’re looking for something a little more interesting than caramel, you can always melt down candies like starbursts or Jolly Ranchers to use as a different sweet coating. 

In addition to carving pumpkins, you can use the seeds for some baking. Make some spooky pumpkin seed muffins or cupcakes with pumpkin spiced cream cheese frosting that’ll bring out the fall festiveness in everyone. Get some pumpkin spiced coffee from your local coffee shop, like Starbucks, Tim Hortons or Forbidden Flavours. 

        Make sugar cookies and get pumpkin, ghost, witch, skeleton, bat and vampire shaped cookie cutters. You can also get cat shaped ones or maybe even tombstone or spider shaped ones too. Get lots of multicoloured frosting or sprinkles in Halloween colours like orange, green, purple, white, yellow and black.

        Maybe this year you won’t be going out for treats, but you can still stay at home and do plenty of tricks. For example, you can get a cheap mask from your local costume shop like I did, (I got Michael Myers, what can I say? It’s a great film!) and scare your friends or family.

Looking for costumes ideas this year? Well with my vast pop culture knowledge, that’s no problem my friend! You could always dress up as Joe Biden or Donald Trump, since it’s an election year and those costumes will be trending. Don’t have enough money? No problem. Go to your local thrift store and buy some old clothes or an outfit to do a simple costume. Get a Hawaiian shirt and pop on some shorts and grab a coconut or two and some rum and soda with a pair of shades because who said you can’t go as a beachgoer for Halloween? Put on a black suit and black tie with a white shirt and grab some shades and go as one of the agents from Men in Black. You can also just put on a collared shirt and tie with some dress pants or khakis and carry a mug and go as an office employee. Get some scrubs and go as a doctor, or wear a suit with a white pillowcase and dress as Slenderman. Or you can be like me and print off a Kazakh flag and get a grey suit and beige tie with a fake moustache and go as everyone’s favourite Kazakh journalist, Borat Sagdiyev, which is sure to be a smash hit and a great success, high five wawaweewa!

Go visit a spooky location and record an EVP session. Get palm readings and visit a psychic or do whatever, or take a walk in the woods in the dark, but just in case bring a flashlight or lantern. Play a scary game, like Slender or Amnesia, although my personal recommendation is Dead by Daylight, a game I’ve been hooked on for months on mobile, and they’ll have released their Silent Hill Chapter on mobile by Halloween, meaning you can play as Pyramid Head or Cheryl Mason, or a whole list of other characters, like Ash Williams from Evil Dead, (as voiced by Bruce Campbell), Ghost Face, Freddy Krueger, Bill Overbeck, Laurie Strode, Leatherface, the Demogorgon, and Michael Myers. Check it out as it’s free on the app store.

And there you have it, some fun and safe activities this Halloween. Remember to wash or sanitize your hands often and wear a mask, social distance when possible, stay home if you feel sick and have fun and be safe this Halloween season. And now as always, here’s my final thought for this article:

Fear is something that can both strengthen and cripple us, but in the right scenarios, it prepares us.

Until next time, this is Zach Roozendaal, signing off. Goodbye for now, and Happy Halloween.

My Coming Out Story

My Coming Out Story  

By: Mallory Johnson 

In honour of National Coming Out Day, which was on October 11th, I wanted to share my coming out story. I first came out to my friend Miles over text, this was when I was still questioning my sexuality (at this time, I thought I was bisexual), but it felt good telling someone. A little while after that, I told my friend Ashley that I was bisexual, also over text, and it felt great having another person know about it. A little while after that, I told my friend Brittany (also over text), this one felt really good because Brittany is one of my favourite people and I felt a relief that I didn’t have to hide it from her anymore. Eventually, I had to kind of come out to these three friends again because I realized I was not bisexual, but a lesbian. I am super grateful that my friends all supported me throughout this journey. Then, on September 15th in Brittany’s Brandon University dorm room, I sent my sister a Tik Tok video that had a gay joke in it. She asked me “Does this mean you’re gay?” and I said yes, and she said that she loved me and that she already knew. A little later that same night, I sent my parents Ally Hills’ Coming Out Song video, formally coming out to them. I am so lucky and grateful that I was met with so much love after I did that. The next morning, I texted my other friends, the rest of my family, and formally came out on Instagram and Facebook. I was met with so much love from everybody. After this, I went to the mall and bought a bunch of pride things and ordered a giant rainbow flag off Amazon. I now have a lesbian flag in my room. I am so lucky that I was accepted by everyone I came out to, because I know that not everyone is this lucky. Please remember that outing someone is never okay. If you are wanting to come out, please do it safely, and on your own terms.

2020 Halloween Costume Ideas

2020 Halloween Costume Ideas  

By: Mallory Johnson 

Halloween 2020 is quickly approaching, so I thought that I would share some costume ideas with you! I got most of these ideas from Pinterest, others from pop culture this year, and some just from experience. 

I decided to organize these in age groups, so my first ideas are for young kids. These ideas are simple, with costumes you can probably find at Walmart or Value Village. These include animals in general, superheroes, firefighters, princesses, emojis, witches, ghosts, aliens, and Wizard of Oz characters. These are all classics and are always a fun time! 

The next age group is teenagers, so they are a bit more mature. These ideas should also be easy to find but are a little more homemade then the ones listed above. These include a cheerleader, a skeleton, the Pink Ladies from Grease, Crocs, Beetlejuice (Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice…), Rosie the Riveter, Thing 1 and Thing 2, a deck of cards, a boxer, a ghostbuster, the Joker, Pennywise, athletes, a tourist, and an angel or a devil.

My next age group is young adults like myself. These are simple yet mature and fun. These ideas can be homemade or found at Halloween stores. These costume ideas include different alcoholic beverages, like White Claw or Pink Whitney, red solo cups, Cards Against Humanity cards, The Purge characters, Britney Spears, characters from the musical Hamilton, and Harley Quinn from Birds of Prey.

My final age group is adults, and these costumes are also simple and easy to find. These include Carole Baskin and Joe Exotic, Morticia Addams, The Price is Right host and contestants, The Office characters, a One Night Stand, a clown, and Minnie and Mickey Mouse. 

Regardless of how Halloween looks this year, if you are going out trick or treating or celebrating some other way, please do not forget to wear a mask! Help slow the spread of COVID-19! Happy early Halloween 2020!

On the Future of Lecturing

On the Future of Lecturing

By N. Monk, Futurist and Philosopher          

 In the future, lecturing will look quite different from what the world is used to now because of the further advancements that will be made in education. Continuously, new ways of teaching students are turning up. Before the recent pandemic, it was believed that classes would never be able to take place online after the pandemic the complete opposite was shown to be true. However, lectures being taught online are a mixed blessing.

           There are plenty of technical advantages with online lecturing that do not currently exist with in-class lecturing. For example, in online classes, students have the option of captions in which for people who are hard of hearing or deaf this helps eliminate the difficulty of figuring out what the professor is saying. Another example is that in online lecture form because students and professors can use headphones to listen to the audio, the volume can be adjusted for people regardless of the hearing of the person. This too helps eliminate a problem with in-person lectures. More specifically, the students in the front rows right in front of the professors have the advantage of being able to hear more clearly what the speaker is saying, the further away one sits the more this decreases. Online lectures do not have this problem. Similarly, the people in the front rows have the advantages of being able to perfectly see everything that is written, like the sound this will decrease the further away one is. Once again online lectures eliminate this problem as well.

           Online lectures are not what I believe will be the future of lecturing in general. One major problem with online lecturing is that the sound and audio quality depends on way too many factors. One has to consider webcam quality, microphone quality, internet download speeds, upload speeds, et cetera. For everyone in a class of 30+ or more to have all of these things to a reasonable standard is not a likely possibility at all, and even in the future, this may not be solved either. Physical lectures do not have these problems. From these examples, it becomes more apparent that a balance of virtual lecturing and in person lecturing is needed. This link may very well be with the use of holograms or three-dimensional holographic imagery.

           The first thing one can note that will probably be different about the future lecture room is the seating and shape of the room. Ideally only one row in front or surrounding the speaker, so that the problems of decreasing sound and vision disappear. A circular arrangement of a desk or even a spherical arrangement of desks could be a strong possibility. Furthermore, to eliminate sound problems speakers could be imbedded in each desk and a good microphone placed on the speaker. Even so, if a student does not want to listen through the speaker on their desk, a headphone connection port could be placed in the desk as well and be used. This can be taken even further, a small lengthwise screen could be hidden in the desk and if the student chooses to have captions during the physical lecture the student can view the captions on the screen that pops up from in their desk. This is not all that can be done, for the lecturer, in the future interactive holograms could be a versatile tool. Let us say one is teaching about the solar system, with the use of holograms the lecturer could speak into the air and call upon a solar system hologram to aid instruction, as a bonus each of the solar system holograms can be manipulated by size, colour et cetera. A virtual assistant can also be present in each classroom to ask for all sorts of questions to the ever-growing database of knowledge to once again aid in the instruction of the lecturer. Because this lecture room is in person, the problems of online lecturing I outlined earlier also disappear. The only real problem with these lecture ideas is that they do not exist, but who is to say in fifty years or so it will not?

How Accessible Will the Library and its Services be This Fall Term?

How Accessible Will the Library and its Services be This Fall Term?

By: Maria Garcia Manzano

With Brandon University still operating under their most restrictive phase under their COVID-19 plan (Phase Blue), students are wondering how library accessibility has been affected. Before classes began BU’s library sent out a detailed plan as to how it would operate during the fall term. Attached to the email sent to students were also instructions as to how to book seating in the library for studying and how to make an appointment in case you needed to do any of the following:

• Add Money to your printing queue through Interac

• Pick up Held books and Other items

• Print from the student queue

• Return borrowed books and items

• Use the photocopier

In order to make an appointment for the items listed above and for the booking of seating’s students must follow the instructions provided on the BU library website and book online through the portals that are given. Appointments can be booked from 8:45am – 4:45pm for week days and 1:00pm – 5:30pm on weekends throughout the month of September. In October they are hoping to extend hours their operating hours. 

BU Library Link: https://www.brandonu.ca/library/

Students are reminded that while it may be tempting to access the library you must keep in mind that it is a place to work with very limited space. Individual study places in the Convergy’s computer lab and the individual desktops found around the library must need to be booked in advance in order to use them. While in-person library accessibility may seem limited student are reminded that they still have access to all the physical copies of resources found in the library such as books, journals and all other entries you may need. Student will also have access to the inter-library services to obtain e-resources from other libraries. The library also has a limited number of laptops to lend out in case a student requires one students can complete the BU Laptop Loan Program form and send it to Letain@brandonu.ca

BU link to Form: https://www.brandonu.ca/student-services/files/2020/08/Laptop-Loan-Application.pdf

It is unprecedented times and many of us may feel as though we are unproductive at home and may have the urge to pop by the library and study there, however we must remember there is a pandemic going on and that while online learning from home may seem unfeasible we must work hard and stay at home as this too shall pass. 

Photo Credits: Google Images-Brandonu.ca

Prestigious award recipients at Assiniboine recognized

Media Release

www.assiniboine.net

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Prestigious award recipients at Assiniboine recognized

BRANDON, Man. (September 11, 2020)— The recipients of the Governor General’s Academic Medal and the Lieutenant Governor’s Silver Medals have been presented with their awards in advance of graduation this fall.

James Epp, Network Administration Technology graduate, is the recipient of the first ever Governor General’s award presented by Assiniboine.

"I am honoured to receive this award. I have a great appreciation for my instructors who encouraged and developed my spirit of discovery," said Epp. "Being able to challenge myself by asking the right questions and then having the confidence to find the answers to those questions has given me the skills necessary to develop my career and I am grateful to have this award recognize my abilities."

The Governor General’s Academic Medal recognizes academic excellence. The medal is awarded to the student who has achieved the highest overall average from a diploma program at the college.

“I congratulate James on receiving this prestigious academic award,” said Dr. Deanne Rexe, VP Academic at Assiniboine. “Receiving the highest grade point average at Assiniboine undoubtedly took great determination.”

The Lieutenant Governor’s Silver Medal recognizes two students who have achieved outstanding academic performance and contributed in significant ways to the college and their community.

This year’s recipients are Darise Peters-Fontaine, a graduate of the Office Management program in Long Plain First Nation, and Mariah McCue, a graduate of Practical Nursing at the Victoria Avenue East campus in Brandon.

"Studying with Assiniboine Community College has been such a rewarding experience. It's uncommon for educational institutions to offer programs on reserves, so I knew I had to take advantage of this opportunity,” said Peters-Fontaine. “Receiving the Lieutenant Governor's award is an honour. I am grateful for the recognition this award brings and for the opportunities it opens up for my future."

“I was extremely nervous moving to a new province and starting out at a new school. Assiniboine quickly became like a second home, providing me with both an education and a hockey program,” said McCue. “I was able to receive a diploma in nursing and be part of a National championship team 2019 along with an undefeated season in 2020. To say I’m grateful and lucky is an understatement. Thank you, Assiniboine, for three amazing years.”

Students eligible for the Lieutenant Governor’s Silver Medal are nominated by any combination of three staff and students and selected based on academic and technical ability, participation in college community activities, and good character and personality.

“These award recipients embody what we want Assiniboine grads to represent,” said Mark Frison, President at Assiniboine. “When you see a grad that has been engaged and performed well academically, who has also been involved in the college outside of academics or has been a community contributor and volunteer, that speaks to an extraordinary character.”

Then and Now: Pandemics

Then and Now: Pandemics

By Ronnie Neiman

More than one hundred years ago, the influenza pandemic happened. Brandon University continued its schooling back then as well, but in an entirely different format to the one the university decided on this time around. In 1918, there was no option for a digital format, so those who attended classes, had to attend in person and be extraordinarily careful with distance and cleanliness. 

Another factor that set the 1918 pandemic apart from the current COVID-19 crisis is that a hundred years ago was that the world was at war. It was the end of the war, but fighting was still ongoing, and soldiers were still encamped all over the world. 

At that time all students were affected either by the war, the pandemic or both. Some chose to volunteer their time to help the war effort or to help those ailing from the influenza. This took them away from their classes and the university, and sometimes the outcome was the worst possible, their deaths. In that sense, they are all truly heroes. 

Photo’s from the Brandon University Library archives show what was reported on the pandemic at that time. It wasn’t a lot because much of the news was focused on the war but it still shows the student populace’s state of mind.  

On the Philosophy of Time

More than enough times people will be listening to motivational speakers, and they will say stuff like “every passing moment you will never experience again” or “its not the clock that is ticking away here, it is your life.” While listening to those kinds of things can motivate people to not waste time, it will also cause people to not experience time as well. The famous idea of time always seems to be one of the main pillars of every problem everything has. 

The modern understanding of what ‘time’ is, has led us to believe that all the time we ‘lose’ is time we had to begin with. If one, we to survey a large portion of people about whether or not we could change the future, most would say that the future is not set in stone. The problem with this is that in a way contradicts the current understanding of how time works. The time you will gain or lose does not even exist yet. In other words, how could the future not be set in stone if you had a finite amount of time to begin with? If you did have a finite amount of time, then you would have to de-exist at a specific moment in the future, and there would be nothing you could do to change that. In that sense, the future is set in stone. Thus, we cannot lose time exactly, in order to lose time, you would need to know your own final destination. 

One could argue that death is a final destination. However, do you know the exact moment it will happen? No. It could be in the next two minutes or the next thirty years. In this idea, people lose time in a relative manner. Relative to an unpredictable event. Loss implies and end to something, or so that is how it is perceived. 

Imagine existence without time. Everything would be constant unchanging; nothing could ever do anything. Events rely directly on time. Without the idea of time everything things come to enjoy and seek pleasure would cease to be. All things beautiful, and all things horrifying, must begin to end in order to exist. Trying to hold onto moments, by any means is to try to stop the passage of time. Let’s say a god told you if you took a picture of your girlfriend planting a flower, everything in that picture from that point on would be permanently wiped from existence except the photo of the event itself. Would you still be able to bring yourself to take the picture? No, well why not? People take pictures of beautiful moments to try and capture the moment so that they can return to it again. In that thought experiment you get exactly that. We do not do it because we know there will be more majestic moments like that as well, but the only way that hey will happen if is we do not take the picture. In other words, the moment has to end, we have to experience the moment. This is why the idea of taking photos of beautiful moments is ridiculous. When you take a photo, you are no longer experiencing that moment. So, try not to stop time, live the moment. The purpose of time is to remind us to experience the here and now. 

By N. Monk, The Unofficial Philosopher