Imaginus Poster Sale

Once again the Imaginus poster sale is coming to campus! You can go find some awesome posters so everyone knows just how much you love Star Wars. They will be on campus from 9am-6pm on January 25th and 9am-5pm January 26th. That means you only have two days to come get some great wall decor.

 According to an email sent to Brandon University students they are hiring students to help with set up, take down, security, etc. There is a sign-up sheet in the BUSU office, however the spots are filling up fast. The poster sale will be located in the mingling area (by Forbidden Flavours and the book store). If you are interested in a few hours of work with pretty good pay, go see if there are any shifts left!

          Imaginus is a Canadian group who have been operating in Universities and Colleges since 1975. They boast having thousands of different posters on their website, with categories such as animals, florals, music and travel just to name a few. The prices of the posters are relatively cheap and they look nice on your wall.

Career Planning

So, you got accepted into Brandon University, and now you need to choose your major. Or maybe you’ve been a student for a year or two, but still aren’t too sure what your career goal is. Maybe you don’t have an answer to relatives’ favourite question “what are you going to do with a degree in that?” Well, good news, there is someplace you can go for advice!

Career Planning is located on the main floor of the Mackenzie Building in room 115. They offer a crazy amount of resources to students. I sat down with Doug Pople to discuss some of what student services can do for students.

He first directed me to the Career Planning webpage, which you can get to by going to BU’s website, and clicking “services” and scrolling down to “BU’s Career Planning and Placement Office.” On that main page, you immediately see a list of recently added job listings. On the sidebar, there are links for various resources, careers at BU, student resources and more. One particularly awesome feature was found under “student resources” then “Career Exploration and Planning.” This page allows students to look at careers based on their department! This is so great if you’re super interested in something but don’t know what you would do with it if you pursued it. There is also a link to Career Cruising, a website that allows you to answer questions and they give you the top careers that fit your answers.

So, why go to career planning if it’s all online, you may ask? Doug noted that many students that come into university and don’t know what exactly they want to do when they finish. He equated university to making a major purchase — which is pretty accurate, considering the price of university. You aren’t just going to walk in and throw your money away, you want to use it to get to where you want to end up.  It’s a lot easier for him to help you out at the beginning, than when you’re finished and graduated with no clue what to do next. They can help you with both finding summer/during school jobs, as well as careers when you graduate.

They also work with TREK students, who are still in high school, and offer for them to come make appointments to talk about what their goals are and help make plans for attending university. Doug notes how important it is to make an appointment and come down as early as possible in your education so he can help! Doug found that he can help students who aren’t sure what they want to do by going over their passions and narrowing down career options. He also found that sometimes students can enter into a program because it’s what other people wanted them to do or put into their heads, and he can help them figure out what they actually have passion for.

Career Planning assists students with resumes, cover letters and interviews! This is an awesome thing to take advantage of because you can graduate at the top of your class, but you still need to be able to apply for a job and succeed at an interview. Having a good resume and cover letter are key because they are often the first thing a potential employer sees from you. They even help you prepare for interviews by setting up mock interviews, in which they ask questions to help you prepare. People often find interviews to be intimidating so this is a great way to get some practice in. Doug noted he runs a workshop for nursing students who are about to graduate where three volunteers from the class sit at the front of the room and do practice interviews. He said it was a great way to get them prepared for real job interviews. It benefits those three students participating, as well as the entire class.

Career Planning also has materials at the library on reserve. They are also helpful resources for students looking to start careers or be prepared for them. 

A final note: career planning does five Career Days throughout the year where employers come set up tables in the Mingling Area of the Knowles-Douglas Centre to talk to students about job opportunities. This is a great way for students to get their foot in the door and network with companies.

So, schedule an appointment with Career Planning, because it’s such a beneficial service for students to help them get the careers they want! You can send an email to Doug at: Pople@brandonu.ca to make an appointment! Don’t wait until you’ve finished your degree to figure out your career!

BUSU Meeting Feb.

This past week’s BUSU meeting was a busy one. The Brandon University Students Union (BUSU) held their regular council meeting on January 18th at 4:30PM. Like all other BUSU meetings, it was held in the CLC boardroom on the second floor of the Knowles-Douglas Centre.

One of the first items on the agenda was a letter from Lisa Mizan. At their September 28th meeting, Council chose to take the issue of “Discussion with Lisa Mizan” to a closed session, therefore denying access to those who were not part of council or the immediate situation. At this past council meeting, Mizan sent a letter stating that she was not pleased with the motion and suggested that it be moved to an open session for the record. When BUSU President Nick Brown opened the floor up for discussion on the issue, not a single council member spoke. Council decided to quickly move on to the next item on the agenda.

Next, BUSU executives presented their reports to council. BUSU President Nick Brown stated in his report that he attended a variety of activities in both December 2017 and the early part of January 2018. Brown explained that he attended a Human Rights Day at the Cultural Resource Centre in downtown Brandon, hosted the BUSU holiday dinner, attended Brandon Universities winter orientation and took part in the Presidential Search Student Consultation among other things. BUSU Vice-President Internal Emily Simon then presented her report. In it, Simon stated that she took part in Snowientation during the first part of the winter term. She also stated that, throughout the past few weeks, she was dealing with a large amount of appeals going through her office. Mohammed Agavi, BUSU Vice-President External, also presented his report. Agavi shared details in how he assisted in Snowientation activities as well as the BUSU holiday dinner. He also stated that planning for the mental health week had been in full swing since the beginning of the winter term. Following the executive reports, various BUSU student directors shared how they took part in the Snowientation activities. Health Studies director Megan Stade also shared some exciting news with the rest of council: the Faculty of Health Studies now has additional funds to hire both a clinical instructor and a sessional professor.

Moving into New Business, the item that had everyone’s attention was no doubt the discussion of what to do now that Bill 31 has passed the Manitoba Legislature. Bill 31 allows universities in Manitoba to increase tuition fees up to 5% plus the rate of inflation starting in September 2018. BUSU discussed the possibility of putting forth the “Education for All” motion at the upcoming Board of Governors meeting in March. The motion suggests that Brandon University only increase the tuition in September 2018 by the rate of inflation. Practically, it asks the Board of Governors to ignore the fact that Bill 31 has been passed and continue to uphold the previous increase rates. Council will vote on whether or not to present the motion to the Board of Governors at their next meeting.

Also in New Business was a discussion about Our Turn. Our Turn is a national action plan that is committed to ending sexual violence on university campuses across the country. A number of student unions across Canada have already signed on to the Our Turn plan. With the Canadian Federation of Students, Manitoba branch signing on council held the discussion of whether or not BUSU should sign on to the plan as well. Council members were asked to review the Our Turn plan before the next BUSU meeting in order to gain a firm grasp on the material before the motion goes to a vote.

To end off the meeting BUSU General Manager Natalye Ore gave council some general information regarding the upcoming BUSU election in March as well as an update on the activities of the BUSU elections Returning Officer. Ore mentioned that the voting days for the upcoming BUSU election will be on March 1st and 2nd. She also mentioned that for the first time in its history, BUSU would be allowing students to vote electronically. More details about an electronic voting system will come in the following weeks. The next BUSU council meeting is scheduled for February 1st at 4:30PM in the CLC boardroom.

BUSU Directors 2

Today, we will continue to discuss the responsibilities of Directors of BUSU.

The Women’s Director is the medium for all people on campus who identify as female. They also traditionally work closely with the Women’s Collective to provide services to the female members of campus. This position is currently vacant, but more information can be given by a member of the Executive.

The Indigenous People’s Director looks out for the interests of the people on campus who identify as Indigenous, no matter what band they belong to. The Indigenous People’s Director often works closely with the Indigenous Peoples’ Centre (IPC) and Brandon University Aboriginal Student Council to plan events and provide services for students of Indigenous descent. The current Indigenous Director is Sheree Blacksmith, and you can reach her at Indigenous@BUSU.ca.

The Sexuality and Gender Identity Based Director represents the interests of all students who identify under the LGBTTQ+ spectrum. They tend to work with the LGBT Collective on campus. While this role has previously been difficult to fill on the BUSU Council, the current Director is Jenna Wade, and can be reached at SGIB@BUSU.ca.

The Part-Time/Mature Director’s constituency is students who are either part-time (less than nine credit hours per term) or mature (over the age of twenty-two). The current Part-Time/Mature Director is Steven Holden, and can be reached at PTMature@BUSU.ca.

The International Director looks out for the international students on campus. They often work with the International Students’ Collective to help students get acclimatized to their new environment. The current International Director is Saint Osartin, and he can be reached at International@BUSU.ca.

The Residence Director conveys the needs and desires of the Residence community to BUSU council. The position is currently vacant.

The Accessibilities Director is in charge of those students who require assistance with physical or mental disabilities, and fights for their needs on BUSU Council. The current Director is Whitney Hodgins, who can be reached at Accessibilities@BUSU.ca.

Finally, there’s the Racialized Director, who represents the non-Caucasian students on campus. The current Director is Maya Stirrup, who can be reached at Racialized@BUSU.ca.

BULBfest

Are you a trombone, euphonium, or tube player? Need plans for Saturday January 27th? If so, Brandon University’s 3rd Low Brass Festival (BULBFest), is the perfect place for you to spend your leisure hours. The event takes place from 8:00AM until 5:00pm, and will be located in the School of Music Queen Elizabth II Building.

Why is it the perfect place to spend your leisure hours? You only have to pay ten dollars for registration which will include not only lunch (and who doesn’t love cheap lunch), but also includes admission to the evening concert featuring the renowned trombonist Al Kay!

Al Kay has been performing for the past twenty eight years, playing lead trombone with RobMconnell’s Bass Brass and has worked with multiple jazz artists and entertains such as Dizzy Gillespie, Diana Krall. One review on his website comments on how “he seems to ‘sing’ through his horn.” (musicforbrass.com) He’s definitely a musician worth spending your Saturday evening listening to!

Al Kay isn’t the only notable presence, acclaimed tubist Richard White is another talented musician who has been performing for over twenty years in classical music.  Not limiting his talent to that of music, Richard While is also a professor and motivational speaker. White is the second featured artist present at BULBFest.

Other performers will include Brandon University’s own Brandon University Low Brass Ensemble, the Manitoba Trombone Collective, the University of North Dakota Trombone Choir, and the University of New Mexica Tuba Ensemble. Don’t forget to bring your own instrument as well for the mass festival choir! Needless to say, the event will have a variety of events suited for all low brass ensemble enthusiasts.

For more information contact Aaron Wilson at wilsona@brandonu.ca. Registration can be done on the Brandon University website and the link for BULBFest can be found in the events section.

Don’t blow your chance to attend this festival!

BUSU Meeting PSA

The next BUSU Council meeting is scheduled to be held on Thursday, January 18th, 2018 at 4:30PM. These meetings will be held every two weeks for the remainder of the term, as mandated by BUSU’s bylaws. Specific dates for the meetings are February 1st and 15th, March 1st, 15th, and 29th, and April 12th and 26th. 

As always, students are welcome at the meetings as long as they are held in open session. Students are part of the union, and your council represents you. If you have an issue or event you would like for BUSU to discuss at any of the meetings slated for Winter term, email the executive to inquire. You can reach President Nick Brown at pres@busu.ca, Vice-President Internal Emily Simon at vpi@busu.ca, and Vice-President External Mohammed Agavi at vpe@busu.ca.

You can find contact information for your BUSU council representative in the individual faculties, as well as the representatives for whatever group or subset you feel that you belong with at BUSU.ca under the Council page.

BUSU currently has two openings on Council for Women’s and Residence directors. If you are interested in learning more about those positions, contact BUSU President Nick Brown for more details.

Contact BUSU for more information about meetings, things around campus you wish to bring to their attention, and to find out more about your Council Directors! They’re friendly people who are here to help!

Faculties of Music and Education Raise Money in 50/50 Draw

Through the 50/50 draw and basket raffle put together by university employees in the Faculty of Education and Music, staff and faculty were able to raise $3,656 at this year’s Westman Christmas Cheer Luncheon. The event’s theme was “A Season of Giving” and saw a substantial increase in donations compared to last year. There were also donations of non-perishable food items made towards BUSU’s food bank. This event is among many holiday charities held in Brandon this year. 

Looking for New Web Content Coordinator

It is now second term, and we at The Quill have had to say goodbye to our Web Content Coordinator, Logan Praznik. We wish him the best of luck in all of his endeavours in the remainder of his education, and thank him for all of the amazing things he has done for The Quill in the last two and a half years that he’s been with us.

We will now be looking for Logan’s successor: the Web Content Coordinator is a senior position, which therefore means that it will be time consuming, and you’ll have a few more responsibilities, but you’ll be compensated monetarily — a monthly salary is involved.

The Web Content Coordinator is also a reporter with The Quill if he/she wishes to be. They are welcome to pick up articles at the weekly content meetings, although it is not strictly required. The Web Content Coordinator is responsible for one online exclusive article each week in addition to maintaining the website and uploading to social media platforms. 

If you are someone who enjoys technology and is looking to put a few extra dollars into your pocket each month, apply to be The Quill’s new Web Content Coordinator. 

Successful candidates will be in their second year or above, have a working knowledge or desire to attain a working knowledge of website maintenance, and be willing to join a fun crew of assorted personalities who hermit themselves into an office.

Benefits to working with The Quill include a great resume filler, a sense of purpose, and access to The Quill office, including a very comfortable couch for napping, a microwave, and a safe place to leave excess items like heavy winter coats or backpacks the approximate weight of a small elephant. While we do not have a mini-fridge, we do have an electric kettle with a variety of teas, and a coffee maker with grounds of dubious age and quality.

Apply to EIC@TheQuill.ca if you are interested in the position. Logan has kindly assembled a manual, and we can learn together how to keep The Quill’s online presence afloat.

Pop Culture of the Week: Star Wars The Last Jedi

T’was a few nights before Christmas when Star Wars arrived, and all the fans were out riding good vibes.

They crowded in theatres with joyful glee, expecting to see the normal George Lucas follies.

The theatre dimmed, and that fateful movie began, and then it was Disney’s turn to play in the sand.

The fans knew it was a movie like the ones they loved before, but this one was new and different with laughs galore.

Disney? Disney? Is that you? Star Wars: The Last Jedi was a good example of Mickey Mouse “kidifying” yet another genre. Filled with a lot of irrelevant comedic fluff that doesn’t advance the actual storyline, this movie was quite a change for a devote fan of the series to stomach. But by no means was it a completely bad change, it was still at its core and outline a Star Wars movie, Disney keeping the “George Lucas movie plot”. It progresses in a very linear fashion to the old stories, shadowing the original series with all the same major plot points, but being lighter and more kid friendly. 

This introduced comedic fluff might be less appealing to an adult crowd, but it can be understood as Disney’s attempts to pull in a larger crowd and more profits. But this movie is still greatly recommendable however to fans of the original series and other theatre goers. The movie filled with nostalgic heart throbbing moments surrounding the trilogy’s original cast and even props. The present mystery surrounding Rey, Daisey Ridley’s character, parents has a bit of light shed on it (Editor’s Note: I think the info given is a crock of lies), and follows her character’s development as an entity within the greater force. Part of this progression is her conflict with the dark side of the force. This is mainly depicted through “Force” engineered encounters with Adam Driver’s character, Kylo Ren. 

But enough about that! No spoilers! May the Force be with you in this new year.

Q-Mail: Quinitilius vs. New Year's Resolutions

Dear Quintilius,
This is my year, I can just feel it. I’m going to totally change and just be this super healthy and positive person, I would just like some advice on how to follow through on a New Years resolution?
Sincerely The Pursuit of Happiness

#MyYear

Dear Sycophant,

Ah, I see you are a resolutioner, someone who changes something about themselves by using the New Year as a justification. May I ask why, if there was something you were unhappy with, did you not change your habits until now? Does having to absent-mindedly fill out cheques dated with the wrong year for three months somehow remind you to be a better person?

You do not need the New Year to change who you are. You don’t need anyone or anything to make a firm change in your life other than will power and discipline. Literally nothing will change in your day-to-day life unless you start actually working on it. I think the New Year should be a time to reflect on our year while also reevaluating our purposes and goals.

If you want to be super healthy, reflect on what you did last year that was so abysmal that it hurt your body or made you unhealthy. If you want to be super positive, look at what made you cynical or negative. I believe it’s also important to fill out your why, defining your reasoning behind your goals and actions.

Take your holidays to really define yourself and sort out who you are. If you want to follow through on some sort of resolution in your life, look first for the reason, then reflect on the past shortcomings and finally take action.

All Salute The Eternal City,

Qunitilius of Rome

#Everyone’sYear

Rocket Game Corner: New Year, New Goals

I don’t make resolutions any more. I never follow through with them and then I feel bad. Instead, I set myself loose goals. These are things that I use to motivate myself towards getting shit done. This year’s goals include finishing a game for each system that my Nerdboy and I own.

Guys. I didn’t realize how many systems we own. There are 17 of them. I think I done goofed. Here’s a look at what the first half of my year will be like:

January: I hope to knock out my games for the 3DS and the SNES Classic. For the 3DS, I’m going to be playing Pokemon Ultra Moon and also Pokemon X, because it’s Pokemon. It won’t take a super long time. For the SNES, I’ll be playing Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past on the recommendation of Nerdboy.

February: For the shortest month of the year, I’m going to finish Pokemon Colloseum for the Nintendo GameCube, and replay Hamtaro: Ham-Ham Heartbreak for the GameBoy Advance (don’t judge me. It’s cute and fun). 

March: I’m going to be working on my N64 contribution to this goal, which is most likely going to be yet another playthrough of Mario Party 3. If I have time, I’ll also be playing Pokemon Red for the GameBoy Colour.

April: For the PlayStation, I’ll be taking on Tekken 3, and most likely continuing The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD on the WiiU.

May: I’ll be celebrating my 27th birthday by playing Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets for the PlayStation2.

June: I think I’ll round out the first half of the year by playing Life Is Strange: Before the Storm for the PS4.

In the first six months of 2018, I plan on playing eleven games on ten different systems. Will I be able to actually finish them all in the amount of time I’ve given myself? I hope so. Will I increase my goal if I make it? Not a chance.

Over the summer, you’ll be able to find me taking on Assassin’s Creed 2 on the XBox 360 and Ni no Kuni: The Wrath of the White Witch for PS3, most likely.