International Healthcare At BU: A Brief Overview

Last year the provincial Progressive Conservative government made the decision to revoke access to universal health care from International Students that was instituted in 2012 by the NDP which came into effect September 1 2018. Universities were then left to find avenues that would provide coverage to students on visas at their institutions with Brandon University reaching out to the guard.me plan. The plan is $712.50 for 365 days and students have to pay this amount in their tuition (aka they cannot opt out.) Their website describes them as “among the world's largest insurance providers in international education, protecting thousands of individuals studying and working abroad.” It provides general coverage for doctor visits, medically needed hospital care, urgent dental care, and in some cases paramedic care too. 

These are the services promised by the insurance but how have they applied to our own city and institution? 

There are currently no clinics or walk ins that directly deposit to the insurance in Brandon, so students have to pay up front and then get reimbursed. This creates a problem for students who don't possess the cash flow to pay for doctor’s visits. Medically needed hospital stays are largely done through direct deposit as they posses larger accounting and payment services that handle the students’ insurance directly. The plan also includes access to a “mobile doctor” that allows covered parties to connect with Canadian doctors through the app called Maple. Doctors on this platform are all licensed doctors and can perform the same duties any other family doctor could perform with the exception of the obvious physical checkups. They can provide prescriptions, doctor’s notes, and give a diagnosis through a live chat. 

These are the facts, but the opinions regarding the plan are less clear. The majority of students I have spoken to have said that they do not go to the doctor and thus do not see themselves utilizing the benefits of the insurance. Some, whose name I will keep anonymous, have expressed their distaste at the fact that no clinic in Brandon does direct billing for doctor’s visit despite the university promising three (such as the Brandon Clinic.) The office of International Activities has provided numerous presentations regarding the plan for students to attend and then emailed out the slides to students who could not make it. The slides provided useful information regarding the coverage and how to make claims, but did not provide much information on how to navigate the Prairie Mountain Health system. In the next article I will talk about interviews I have conducted and go into depth of how the province's decision to take universal health care from international students has affected our community. 

Brandon University Plans To Raise International Tuition Fees To Watering Heights

 On Friday Finance and Registration services sent out emails to University members regarding the proposed hike in International Tuition Fees that was recently approved by the Board of Governors. The two tables outlined the differences that can be expected over the next four to five years for returning International students and new International students. The former will be grandfathered into the system with both categories reaching an equilibrium by the year 2023. The calculation of that year reaches upwards of $20,000, not including housing, medical, and other expenses; higher than both the University of Winnipeg and University of Manitoba's current rates. That is over a doubled increase from current rates. 

    Now, let’s discuss both sides, and I really mean sides as there distinct ones in this case, of the situation. You have international recruiters arguing that Brandon University’s relatively low tuition rates are unappealing in the foreign market due to prospective students and their families questioning why a university would charge such low rates compared to other universities in Canada. “Did they have questionable services?,” “Are they compensating for something?;” well at least, that is what they said. Then you have the financiers of the university, pressured by the dropping support from the new conservative government, finding solace in knowing that international tuition fees rates are unregulated and up for exploitation. When support from the outside is declining, ways of filling in the gap is now being searched within the system. 

     But what about the ones most affected by the hikes, the students? Students surveyed have largely contributed to a consensus that their reasons to come to BU was its affordability. The location nor the services of the university, other than the music school, were major attractions for them to come to Manitoba’s second largest city. The low rates of tuition combined with a low cost of living has attracted students from around the world for years, and this hike is likely not to play in the university’s favour. So how come the change? The institution definitely has a strategy up its sleeve regarding how it’s going to attract students to Brandon with rates equal to ones in British Columbia and Nova Scotia, Canada’s steeper provinces regarding tuition; however, they’re not being transparent with us regarding what exactly that is. For now, we will have to rely on mediocre town halls and vague emails to decipher the real plan for 2023. 

A Wheat Queen Ball For Everyone

Lights, cameras, go girls! The mood was light and the lighting was thick with the mystique of midnight on Friday January 11th as BUFASA, BUMS, and the BU LGBBTQ+ Collective hosted the second annual Wheat Queen Ball at the Glen P. Sutherland Gallery of Art. A bevy of bodacious drag queens, led and M.C.'d by Winnipeg's own deliciously diva Prairie Sky, dominated the stage as the four showcased categories of fashion were unleashed upon a raucously receptive crowd. These included: face (how aesthetically pleasing is the contestant's makeup, on a scale of grotesque to glamorous), first time in drag at a ball (who's that new hottie with the killer body?), executive realism (who owns the stage- and the building it's in?), and Vogue (which contestant made the stage their bitch). While some ringers drove in from Winnipeg, many of the impromptu and sometimes somewhat nonplussed ball contestants hailed from the Brandon area as well. All proceeds from this event went to support the future artistic endeavours of BUFASA.

Speaking of artistic endeavours, there is currently an exhibition being held in the the Glen P. Sutherland Gallery of art called “For Everyone”. The show runs from January 10th- 24th. The exhibition's motif is inclusivity and equity for the LGBTTQ+ community in the rest of society. The exhibition's many marvellous artwork contributions were created and curated by BU students and members of the Brandon community at large. Gallery hours are 2:00-6:00p.m. on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday, & 2:00-8:00p.m. on Thursdays.

Getting Ahead Of The New Semester

You made it through the fall semester successfully (hopefully). Now it's time to do it all over again. Here are some tips to help make the long cold winter semester a little bit more bearable.

  1. Use a planner. Paper or electronic, but seriously - use it. Write down the deadlines and the to-do lists, schedule your study time. Add class times, meetings, days off, fun things, everything. Letting your planner do the job of remembering frees up mental space for more important things, for example, the principles of Marxism or the krebs cycle. 

  2. Decide how you're going to study for each class. Right at the beginning of the semester. Like right now. Today. By now you may have realized that studying the same way for every class doesn't work very well. Take some time to reflect on the course to figure out how to best study for it. Is it more important to memorize or conceptualize? How much detail do you need to remember? Will you be tested on information or ideas? The clearer you are about what each class will require come midterms and finals, the sooner you can…

  3. Make study materials. Yes, start this at the beginning of the semester. Nothing is worse than having big plans to make flashcards and summaries, all of a sudden its test day and you’ve only just finished making them, never mind using them. If you know how you’re going to study, you can start making these things at the end of every week, or the end of every unit. Not only will you not have to spend hours upon hours doing it right before the exam, but it will double as reviewing the information and committing it to your long term memory. 

  4. Make a study schedule. I'm not kidding. Its’ the beginning of the semester, why wait for the panic? Determine how much time you think you need to dedicate to each class per week, and put it into your schedule right now. You may need more before tests or assignments are due, but it is truly worth it to set aside time every week for each class regardless of how distant the deadlines may feel. Studying is made easier by turning it into a habit; if, every Tuesday from 2:00 to 4:00pm, you sit down and study for your statistics class no matter what, you eliminate the need for decision making that usually leads to procrastination. And you'll probably be in good mental shape by the time the final comes around. 

  5. Make sure the old version of the textbook is absolutely obsolete before you buy the newest edition. Professors aren't here to put you in debt, ask them if the old textbook is sufficient, they won't lie to you. 

  6. Make goals for your courses that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. 

  7. Get your study space organized. Take everything out, get rid of stuff you no longer need. If it's not for studying, move it. Then put everything away so that each item has its own spot. This will make your space easier to keep tidy and eliminate some of the urge to procrastinate by cleaning. 

  8. Reflect on last semester. Don’t do the same thing over and over and expect a different outcome. Identify which things were especially challenging about studying, going to class, meeting deadlines, etc. Decide what you can do to change it and then actually do it. 

The Plethora Of Possible Preparation Preps

Welcoming in the new year, Brandon University’s Academic Services has a whole new lineup of workshops available for students with the start of the term covering Writing Skills, Learning Skills, and Math Skills. Additionally, other workshops covering Career Planning, Library/Research Skills, and Wellness Workshops will be offered. 

For Writing Skills, the Academic Services will be offering “Essay Basics Workshops”, which will be taking place January 15th at 11:40-12:30, January 30th 1:40-2:30, and finally February 14th at 10:10-11:00am, all of these workshops will be taking place in MCK 005. Students looking for help with more specific topics such as citations, thesis statements, and grammar can book an appointment at leej@brandonu.ca or 204-727-9737. Writing Skills walk in hours are from 1:00pm-3:00pm Monday through Friday, with the exception of reading week where students can bring their papers, but its recommended to also bring in any instructions for the assignment.

Learning Skills will be offering four different workshops throughout the term taking place in MCK 005. The first is titled “Reducing Procrastination” which will be taking place January 23rd at 10:40-11:30 and January 24th at 10:30-11:20. The next workshops “Summarizing Strategies” will be January 30th from 10:40-11:30 and January 31st from 10:30-11:20. “Strategies for Success: The Study Cycle” will be held February 6th  10:40-11:30 and February 7th 10:30-11:20. Their final workshop “Final Exam Prep” will be April 8th 2:00-3:00. They have walk in hours on Fridays 9:00am-12:00pm where students can learn about study schedules, reading textbooks, and other relevant topics. 

Math Skills will be holding a wide variety of workshops taking place in Room 1-53 BB. “Logarithms” will be January 15th 12:40-1:30, “Discrete and Continuous Distributions” will be January 22nd 12:40-1:30, “Linear and Quadratic Equations” will be January 29th 12:40-1:30, “Hypothesis Testing” is February 5th 12:40-1:30, “Exponential Functions, Exponential Equations” is February 12th at 12:40-1:30, “Calculus I (limits, continuity)” is February 26th from 12:40-1:30, “Counting Techniques” is March 5th from 12:40-1:30, “Probability” is March 12th from 12:40-1:30, “Injective, Surjective, Bijective Functions” will be March 19th from 12:20-1:30, “Calculus I (derivatives)” is march 26th from 12:20-1:30, and finally “Statistical” will be their final workshop on April 2nd from 12:40-1:30. 

Career Planning will be hosting “Finding Your Summer Job” on January 15th from 12:20-1:30, “How to Apply to the Provincial/Federal Government For A Summer Job” January 16th from 1:40-2:30, “Planning Your Career” is January 22nd 12:40-1:30, “How to Write your Resume & Cover Letter” January 29th 12:40-1:30, “Preparing for you Interview” January 30th 1:40-2:30, “Networking Skills” February 6th 1:40-2:30, “Employee Rights in the Workplace” February 12th 12:40-1:30, “Creating Your Personal Brand” February 13th 1:40-2:30, “How to Manage Your On-line/Social Media Presence” February 26th, 12:40-1:30, and finally “Finding Your Summer Job” February 27th 1:40-2:30. Career Planning workshops take place in Room 104 CHO.

Library and Researching Skills have their next workshop on “Peer-reviewed Journal Articles” on January 15th from 11:40-12:30 and February 27th from 12:40-1:30 , “Library Databases” January 22nd from 11:40-12:30 and March 6th 12:40-1:30, “Google and Google Scholar for Research” January 29th from 11:40-12:30 and March 12th from 11:40-12:30, “Online Government Documents” February 6th 12:40-1:30 and March 13th 12:40-1:30, “Finding Books and E-books” February 12th 11:40-12:30, “Research Prep for Winter Study Break” will be held twice on February 13th at 12:40-1:30 and 14th at 11:30-12:40. All of these workshops will be held in Library, Main Floor, Rm 111.

There will be three Wellness Workshops held this term, “Test Anxiety” will be February 27th 2:40-3:30, “Sleep Hygiene” is March 13th 2:40-3:30, and “Coping with Stress of Exams” March 20th 2:40-3:30. All of these workshops will be held in MCK 005.

photo credit: Carly

photo credit: Carly

Spirit Of The Land : Art & Performance Exhibition

From Wednesday November 21st until Saturday, November 24th the Glen P. Sutherland Art Gallery at Brandon University held an art and performance exhibition entitled; Spirit of the Land. The Exhibition of Art and Performance by students from Experiments in Performance Art and Experiments in Indigenous Art. Much of the art on display is traditional Aboriginal art created by items found in nature. That includes Birch Bark folded into decorations or patterns used in beading, Wood Nettle which is used to create cordage, bags and even a ‘spider web’, which is not a dream catcher despite appearances but is used to bring good medicine to infants as well as protect them from negative energy.

Other art on display was pottery which used clay found in glaciers and an ancient Lake called Agassi, there was also medicine bags which shows beautiful bead work and are often used in spiritual ceremonies. Each bag contains the story and values communicated by the maker of the medicine bag. At the exhibition, speeches and ceremonies were also part of the four-day gallery showing. Thursday night, the 22nd of November an artist by the name of Lori Blondeau gave a talk on Aboriginal art and her work at the gallery. She works as an assistant Professor at the University of Manitoba. She is highly involved with Aboriginal arts projects and has her own art on display at both public and private galleries. The art displayed in this exhibition is created from nature, and creativity from a beautiful culture. On a personal note, the art was wonderful to view.

December 6th Vigil

On December 6th, from 11:40a.m.-1:00p.m. there will be a Vigil held in remembrance of the Ecole Polytechnique attack on women in Montreal. 

On December 6th, 1989 a gunman chanting “I hate feminists” killed 14 young women at the Ecole Polytechnique. In 1991 Parliament called this day The National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women in Canada. December 6th not only marks this horrible event in Canadian history, but it also reminds us that violence against women still occurs and needs to stop. (Information from the UFCW Canada website). 

Brandon University, The Women’s Collective, The Indigenous People’s Centre, Brandon University Aboriginal Student’s Collective, and The Women’s Resource Centre have joined together to plan the 2018 vigil being held at Brandon University. 

The event will be held in the Mingling Area and have speakers and a musical performance. Elder Barb Blind will give a traditional prayer and blessing, with a performance following by the Sweet Medicine Singers. There will be addresses from Dr. Harms, Dr. Baker, Jenna English, Dr. Mihelakis, The Btandon University Aboriginal Collective and closing remarks from Bobi Stupack who will also give the words of welcome at the beginning. 

The women who were murdered were: Anne Marie Lemay (27), Anne-Marie Edward (21), Annie St. Arneault (23), Annie Turcotte (20), Barbara Daigneault (22), Barbara Klucznick Widajewicz (31), Genevieve Bergeron (21), Helene Colgan (23), Maryse Laganiere (25), Maryse Leclair (23), Maud Haviernick (29), Michele Richard (21), Nathalie Croteau (23), Sonia Pelletier (28). 

Violence against women is still happening at alarming rates. Every six days, a woman in Canada is killed by her intimate partner and 67% of Canadians say they know a woman who has experienced physical or sexual abuse. That statistic only covers people who had told people about those experiences. Aboriginal women are killed 6x more often than non-Aboriginal women. With the rise of computers cyber violence has become a new platform for women to be attacked. These are only a handful of the statistics available from the Canadian Women’s Foundation and while they may not be as current as 2018 it is clear there is a problem.  

This event is open to students and the public and free to attend. 

Women's Collective Paint Night

The Brandon University Women’s Collective will be holding a paint night on Friday, November 23rd, at 7:00p.m. It is being held in Harvest Hall, and there will be a cash bar available. Tickets for the paint night are only $25 because the Women’s Collective is absorbing the rest of the cost for each participant. The artist leading the evening will be Kathleen Lagasse. Kathleen runs Lagasse’s Studio of Fine Art in Souris MB and the picture being painted is the beautiful feather on the background of the poster for the event. Last year the Women’s Collective held a paint night in Forbidden Flavours but decided to switch the location this year to get more people involved. The Women’s Collective hopes by absorbing most of the cost for the paint night the event can be more inclusive. Because let’s face it, we’re all broke as hell. Paint nights are a fun way to destress and come home with a beautiful piece of art and maybe drink some wine (or other beverage of choice). Not sure what you are going to get your parents/grandparents/ significant other for Christmas? How about a piece of hand painted art! They don’t need to know how inexpensive it was, they just need to know you painted it! The event is open to all BU students, staff, or larger Brandon community members. If tickets are still available at the door Friday if the event is not sold out. If you want to assure you have a spot, you can email buwomenscollective@gmail.com to arrange picking up tickets earlier.

The Brandon University Women’s Collective offers safer sex supplies, tampons and pads, and pregnancy tests to students for free. They also sell Diva Cups for $30. If you are in need/want of any of these supplies, feel free to email them! They also offer a safe space on campus to any self-identifying women and have various resources available.

Truth And Reconciliation Posters

Truth and Reconciliation is a hot topic across Canada, for good reasons, and it makes sense that BU is doing its part to recognize the changes called upon by people across the country. You may pass some of the new permanent posters that are being hung up around campus. It’s important to not only take note of them but try to remember what they stand for. These are signs to remind us of the atrocities committed and the work that still needs to be done. It is each and every one of our responsibilities to work towards reconciliation, cause even though you may not have directly caused it, you are still effected from it just because of its long lasting consequences.

The poster features the topics in the Calls to Action on education, highlighting some of the crucial ideas and most beneficial solutions. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s final report is something I highly recommend all students read, especially if your hoping to go into any professional field of education. To find the full documents go check out the TRC website. Literally type “TRC” into Google you will discover the findings of the Commission there.

The poster itself is decorated with the artwork of Coast Salish artist Chad Leon. The first poster was hung up in the Music Office on Friday and a ceremony quickly followed. Ceremony included smudging and prayer from Knowledge Keeper Debbie Huntinghawk and BU Interim President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Steve Robinson.

Posters will be displayed prominently around campus as daily reminders of the work that needs to be continued and carried on through educational institutions. This is all in order to repair the damage done by the residential school system in Canada. The first thing to fixing a problem is realizing you have one. With the TRC they found it and created the Call to Action. It is on each of us to see that these actions are carried out to the best of our abilities and the past is not forgotten.

Voluntary Withdrawal Deadline

The Voluntary Withdrawal date is quickly approaching, Monday November 19th will be the last day to withdrawal from any first term courses, as well as the last day for a 50% refund on both term courses. 

When a student chooses to voluntarily withdrawal from a first term course they don’t receive a refund for the course, the option to withdrawal from a course with a full refund ended a month ago on September 19th. Instead this option allows students to drop a course without having an official grade assigned, instead listed on your transcript will be a VW.  

This deadline is just for first term and both term courses, any changes to your second term courses have separate deadlines during the second term. Second term courses can be dropped with a full refund until Thursday January 17th, with the second term voluntary withdrawal date being February 25th. 

There are various legitimate reasons a student may choose to drop a course. For instance if the overall grade based on current assignments and testing isn’t coming to a passing grade, or it will simply drag down a GPA, choosing to withdrawal from the course will prevent a failing or lacking grade and keep your GPA unaffected. Or if a student is simply overwhelmed and doesn’t see themselves being able to complete the course for various reasons, it may prove to be the best course of action to drop the class as opposed to waiting until it’s too late and a grade will be assigned and placed on the transcript. 

However, if a student choses not to drop the course but still ends up with a failing or unsatisfactory grade the student can retake the course. How this works is that the student retakes the course with both grades appearing on the transcript, but with only the most recent attempted course grade being countered towards the grade point average, as well as counted credit hours. Any previous attempts will have RPT placed beside the course indicating it’s been repeated. 

ACC Students Win National Competition

Assiniboine Culinary Arts students took the top prize at a national competition in Toronto. The two students, Kaitlin McCarthy and Jessi Coulter, impressed the judges at the Taste Canada Cooks the Books competition. The team created an original recipe, Cast Iron Seared Hudson River Arctic Char with smoked maple birch glaze on heritage grain. McCarthy and Coulter were the only team from Manitoba facing off with some much larger culinary institution chefs.

Chef Bryan Hendricks the Culinary Arts instructor coached the duo for the competition and thought his team worked hard to reach the achievements they did. Before going to the actual competition itself, the team had to create their recipes, exact, test and then execute them perfectly. Chef Hendricks said that the recipe they created “was a really good dish. It was really well-balanced. Everyone commented on how beautiful the plate looked. It really showcased Manitoba ingredients.”

The team won the right to represent ACC at the competition when they beat their classmates earlier in the year. Both McCarthy and Coulter are from the region originally growing up in Russel and Brandon, respectively. The students each plan to pursue a career in culinary arts, loving the opportunities they have been given in the Culinary Arts programs.

Congratulations goes out to the Culinary Arts program at ACC and it’s two successful students. Best of luck in your program and careers future chefs!


First Aid Class

Spend a day this Fall reading week learning something potentially life-saving. Registration for the Emergency First Aider 1 training class was so high that Brandon University has arranged for a second session for Thursday, November 15, 201 from 8:30am to 4:30pm. 

The course is intended for individuals who within 30 minutes of a medical facility (essentially everyone that lives in Brandon), the course is useful for anyone wanting to learn how to respond efficiently and safely to emergency situations. The focus of the class is CPR Level C which includes adults, infants, and children, as well as using a defibrillator, and general responses to emergency situations including choking, bleeding, asthma, or allergies. 

St. John’s Ambulance has generously offered a reduced price for BU students and staff at $75.00 per person. You must RSVP to the course as space is limited (and apparently fills fast!) by going to https://events.brandonu.ca/event/emergency-first-aider-1/ and registering for the course. 


Building Your Personal Resilience

On Thursday, November 8th, BU is offering students and staff a ‘Building Your Personal Resilience’ workshop. Most people aspire to meet life’s inevitable conflict and demands with optimism and elasticity, but maybe aren’t sure how and end up feeling stuck or overwhelmed. This workshop aims to teach the skills and attitudes necessary to be resilient during times of stress, both short term and chronic. 

The session will use reflective and interactive exercises to teach you to recognize patterns of reactivity and potential adverse impacts of stress, as well as teach self-regulation that fosters a grounded body, a calm mind, and a strong sense of self. 

The workshop will be facilitated by David Falk, of Facilitated Solutions, an organization that specializes in mediation and conflict management. The event will take place on November 8th, from 9am to 4:30pm in the Louis Riel Room in McMaster Hall. 

Academic Workshops

Academic workshops are offered through the Academic Skills Centre and area intended to provide support in order to help students become more efficient and confident learners. Within the Academic Skills Centre are three related offices for learning, math, and writing. The goal of the learning office is to help students transition to university and learn the skills needed for success in university. Workshops for this semester are as follows: 

Tuesday, November 6th 12:40 to 1:30pm in McKenzie Building, Room 005: “Strategies for Success: The Study Cycle”- Effective strategies to study smarter not harder.

Tuesday, November 6th from 2 to 3 pm in McKenzie Building, Room 005: “Midterm Recovery: You CAN Do This!” - How to review a past test to be able to do better on the next one. 

Thursday, December 6th from 10 to 11am in McKenzie Building, Room 005: “Final Exam Prep” - Emergency exam prep strategies to make the best of cram time before finals.

Thursday, December 6th from 11am to 12pm in McKenzie Building, Room 005: 

 “Strategies for Multiple-Choice Tests” - Multiple-choice strategies to improve performance on tests. 

Walk ins are open on Fridays from 9am to 12pm in McKenzie Building, Room 102. These sessions are focused on learning how to learn; this includes, making a study schedule, reducing procrastination, reading textbooks effectively, preparing and writing exams, and improving memory. The last day for learning skills walk-ins this term is December 14. The ‘Learning Coach’ also offers walk ins on Mondays from 1:30 to 3:30 pm in McKenzie Building, Room 002. The learning coach specializes in helping with, best study practices, reading textbooks to remember what you read, writing multiple-choice tests, getting better connected with campus resources, reviewing midterms to improve on the next, and how to calculate your GPA. The last day for learning coach walk-ins this semester is November 26. The learning skills center also offers online resource guides about reducing procrastination, reading textbooks more effectively, taking better lecture notes, preparing for tests, writing essay exams, and improving memory. 

The math skills center is here to improve your comprehension of basic mathematical concepts. Offering workshops, individual and group appointments, and walk in peer tutoring hours. The schedule for peer tutoring can be found online at brandonu.ca/academic-skills/math-skills/math-peer-tutors-schedule/. All workshops are held in Brodie Building, Room 1-53, this semesters workshops are as follows; 

Tuesday, November 20th 12:40 to 1:30pm: “Calculus I”. 

Tuesday, November 27th 12:40 to 1:30pm: “Two Sample Test for Mean and Proportions”. 

Tuesday, December 4th 12:40 to 1:30pm: “Linear Algebra”. 

Tuesday, December 11th 12:40 to 1:30pm: “Introduction to Statistics”. 

The writing skills center works with students to develop writing skills and assist them at any stage of the writing process. Writing workshops are designed to help in a group setting where students can benefit from hearing other students questions and collaborate in finding solutions. Individual and group appointments are also possible. 

Wednesday, November 7th from 1:40 to 2:30pm in McKenzie Building, Room 005: “Essay Basics” – Students will learn to identify basic parts of the essay and what goes into each, as well as purpose of the essay, selecting and narrowing topics, scholarly language, thesis statements, use of evidence, and how to access resources on campus and online. 

Friday, November 9th from 11:40am to 12:30pm in McKenzie Building, Room 005: “Citation and Reference Basics” - Students will learn the basics of APA, MLA, and Chicago in-text citations and Reference/Works Cited/Bibliography. 

Get Rid Of Nightmares Of Midterm Failures

Have you failed a midterm? Has it ever given you nightmares, whether that nightmare could have been extremely exaggerated or super realistic? Well, first of all take a deep breath, exhale and do not panic. Despite feeling otherwise, it is not the end of the world. One bad grade can be fixed. One of the first steps is to look at your lecture notes and textbook to see if you can identify what you did wrong on the midterm. After that, go talk to your professor, they can help you figure out things you didn’t quite understand when you took the midterm in the first place. Create a plan of action to tackle the problems areas you have identified, collaborate with your professor and find ways to improve.

You can also make appointments with various academic tutors or advisors at student services to get a bit of extra help. Join a study group, find someone who took the class previously to give you some tips, or explore the many other on campus and online resources available to help you out. There is someone out there who can help you before and after a midterm.

If the grade is bad enough that you feel you can’t recover, then it may even be time to consider dropping the class. Depending how late in the year you make this decision, it may be too late into the semester and you may have to take another swing at it next year. There’s no shame in accepting a temporary defeat as long as you learn from it and put together a plan for success the next time.

Just remember to look at all your options before you decide anything about the class, midterm and overall G.P.A. Don’t let the anxiety and nightmares of it get to you. It only seems spooky if you believe it is.

The Light In The Dark: Angel Dresses

The not for profit organization, Manitoba Angel Dresses organization, is hosting a booth at the Shoppers Mall here in Brandon on November 27th from 9:30 am until 9 pm. Jennifer Neiman, group leader for Dauphin and area for Manitoba Angel Dresses will be available to answer any questions. This institution creates bereavement outfits for angel babies. Manitoba Angel Dresses is volunteer driven, and all volunteers believe in the vision and mission statement; “Our vision and mission is to ease the stress on a grieving family by providing the family a beautiful item lovingly created to clothe their precious Angel in.” All Angel items that the volunteers of this organization created are gifted to grieving families while any charges incurred are covered by Manitoba Angel Dresses and its members. Many of the Angel items and dresses are created from donated wedding gowns and bridesmaid dresses.

The booth at the Shoppers Mall aims to educate others on what the organization stands for, why these dresses are being made and to find more volunteers. Volunteers can be those who can sew, crochet, knit, and have many other talents that are used by the organization. At this time, they are not seeking dresses as donations, but are looking for ribbons, threads, and various other items to embellish the angel dresses with. Anyone who wishes to volunteer should go to the booth or to contact the Manitoba Angel Dresses organization. Email them at info.manitobaangeldress.com, and a response should be received within 24 hours.

More information can be found at the Manitoba Angel Dresses Facebook page or at their website; manitobaangeldresses.com. Manitoba Angel dresses has an inspiring vision to help those who are grieving, and these volunteers gain wonderful experience and knowledge from working with those who wish to lessen the burden of grieving families.

Applying For Online Scholarships On BU Website

In case students haven’t had the chance to check their school email in the last few days here’s an important update for you; scholarships, awards, and bursary applications are now open to students via the student information portal. 

The student information portal can be found on Brandon University’s website homepage, simply scroll down a bit and under the heading “Student Resources” click the subheading “Student Information” which will then load a login screen. Enter your username- not your entire email- along with your password. Once logged in go over to the “Apply for Scholarships & Bursaries” tab, then select “Add Award”. There will be an option that simply says “Apply” once you click that select the “Apply Now” option to narrow the result to awards and scholarships that the student has to apply for themselves. There are some awards listed that won’t have this option, the reason being that the recipients of these funds are determined by the various departments. 

There’s a filter available to sort out different aspects of the awards and scholarships to be more so catered towards your specific eligibility, just be sure to read all the information listed next to any scholarships to find out the criteria. Some scholarships are reserved for a department while others are based on other requirements such as financial need and there are one’s that will require supporting documents. 

Click on the “Apply Now” button once a scholarship or award has been selected, the screen will then go back to the scholarships and awards homepage but additional scholarships and awards can be selected and applied for. Only a single copy of any supporting documents is required. Remember to submit all of the required documents on time, if documents aren’t received by the deadline students won’t be considered. Supporting documents can be uploaded after the initial submission of the application, just be aware of any deadlines. 

Review the application to make sure everything’s accurate, then complete the “Self Declared Budget Form,” read the Privacy Information, complete the declaration, then click submit. Ta da! You’ve successfully completed your application. 

Keep in mind there are over two hundred different scholarships and awards. Even if you might be doubtful as to whether or not you might find one that you’re eligible for it never hurts to check. 

Did this article not make any sense? No worries, just go the Brandon University website and select the “Scholarships and Awards” heading, on this page there’ll be an option to read through a step by step process for applying for any scholarships. 

Grim Acres: Face Your Fears

Do you consider yourself brave? A horror movie buff who thinks they are ready for anything? Are you ready to face your fears?

Who doesn’t like getting scared for a good cause? Grim Acres Scare Aware Cancer is open this year from October 25-28th. Their hours are 6:00p.m.-11:00p.m. with a no scare hour from 6:00p.m.-7:00p.m. Amber and Brian Sutherland, who put this haunt on every year, both had cancer affect their lives and they acknowledge that it has touched the lives of most people. They put on Grim Acres Scare Away Cancer to raise money and awareness for the Canadian Cancer Society. 

Getting into the event is free, but donations are accepted at the door for the Canadian Cancer Society (don’t be a jerk, donate some money). They also accept donations of non-perishables for the Samaritan House. 100% of what is made in profits goes to the Canadian Cancer Society. 

According to the Grim Acres website it will take about 5-10 minutes to get through the various haunts, depending on the group ahead of you. They have a concession which sells hot dogs, popcorn, hot chocolate and other items with these profits also going to the Canadian Cancer Society. The haunts are in covered areas, so they are open rain (snow) or shine. Visitors are asked not to take pictures in the haunts and to not touch the props or volunteers. There is also a haunted maze. Every year they make Grim Acres more terrifying by adding props and new twists. This year’s theme is Face Your Fears, and this place leaves you feeling haunted well after you’ve gone home. 

According to the Facebook page for Grim Acres on the 26th Kickin’ Axe Throwing LTD will be at Grim Acres! Being terrified and throwing axes? Sounds great! Grim Acres also does themes for each day they are open. On the 25th the theme is Throwback Thursday, on the 26th it is Freaky Costume Day, 27th is Zombie Saturday and the 28th is Superhero Costume Day! If you plan on going to Grim Acres you are welcome to dress up in the themes.

 There is also a carnEVIL area for children, with over 20 kid friendly games, open from 6:00p.m.-9:00p.m. each day Grim Acres is open. The carnEVIL is free to play, also by donation! Wayyyyy cheaper than those fair games kids love, and donations go to a good cause. There will also be mini golf, laser tag and a bouncy castle if the weather permits. 

To get to Grim Acres: Head west out of Brandon going toward Kemnay. Turn south before the bridge at Kemnay (you know, the one semi’s constantly think they can fit under) onto road 117W (Stanley Road). Drive 4.5 miles to 52030 Stanley Road. 

In the past Grim Acres has done other events to raise money for cancer. This year they did a Brave the Shave to Conquer Cancer World Record Attempt on October 6th which was held at the Roadhouse. They attempted to break the world record for the most heads shaved in one hour by one person. Quentin Derhak, a local barber, was the person in charge of the head-shaving and he needed to shave 76 heads to beat the record. There were also raffle draws, and the final amount the event raised was $18,366.68!

Upcoming Sleep Hygiene Workshops

Many students on campus report struggling with sleep related issues.  Some of the common issues are not getting enough sleep, struggling to fall asleep or stay asleep, as well as struggling with anxiety and stress that negatively impacts their sleep. In the spring of 2017 counsellors for Brandon University, Sherry Sawatzky-Dyck and Marsha Harris, brought the National College Health Assessment survey to Brandon University.  The survey documented that 27.6% of students indicated sleep difficulties that were negatively impacting their academic performance. To deal with this common issue for students, two workshops have been scheduled; Monday October 29th at 1:30 P.M. and Wednesday November 21st at 2:30 P.M. Both sessions take place in the A.E. McKenzie Building in room 005, and students need only attend one if they do wish to attend the workshop.

The purpose of these workshops is to support students in learning new skills or techniques to create healthy sleep habits. Students who have been struggling with sleep can attend this session and receive beneficial tips that can be used to help themselves. Having a healthy sleep is important for physical and mental wellness.  A chronic lack of sleep may have a strong possibility of negative impact on daily performance, ability to concentrate, well-being and mood. Sleep is something that students do sometimes struggle with in order to complete everything they need to do in a day. It can be difficult to balance school and have the proper quality of sleep needed to be healthy.

There are a number of helpful resources available regarding sleep hygiene and how to improve it. If students are unable to attend any of the workshops, they may wish to do some personal research into sleep hygiene. When asked about ways to start improving sleep hygiene, Marsha Harris, BU Counselor at Student Services replied that one thing students can try right away is limiting their screen time before bed, it’s a simple tip but can make a big difference.

In these workshops, students will learn about healthy sleep routines, the current research regarding sleep routines, some hands-on tools to try at home, as well as receive a sleep diary, and handouts related to specific sleep issues in order to help students practice better sleep hygiene on their own. Whether you practice good or bad sleep hygiene is up to you but if you want to get a better night’s rest, the answer often begins with improving your sleep hygiene.

BUAS Bake Sale

On October 31st the Brandon University Anthropological Society (BUAS) will be doing a bake sale in the Mingling Area from 9:00a.m.-3:00p.m. Stop by and grab some delicious baked goods to get you through the day (calories don’t count on Halloween). Better yet, grab a cookie for your Prof to make up for that terrible assignment you handed in, it probably won’t get you a better grade but it’s worth a shot! 

 Some of the money raised from the bake sale will go towards funding for Field School opportunities for Anthropology students at Brandon University. Field School can be expensive, especially because many are not local, and BUAS wants to help make it a little more accessible for interested future anthropologists. This is the clubs first event of the year and the beginning of a new start for the club. After being inactive last year there is a hope to revive it and bring awareness about anthropology as a discipline. 

BUAS will also be putting on a Meet and Greet with Dr. Holland, Dr. Varley, and Alicia Gooden, who is teaching Archaeology classes in the winter term. If you are registered for any Anthropology classes, the Meet and Greet will be a great event to attend to get to know the professors and other Anthropology students. The Meet and Greet will be held on November 20th, with a time and location TBA.