Spring has Sprung!

March 16th, 2010 Courtney Comments off

It is crazy that this semester is almost over. Only four weeks left. Tomorrow is one of my favorite days of the whole year: St. Patty’s Day! It is a day where all of the school gets dressed in green and we drink and barbecue with friends all day. This year they are having a Gaelic band for the first time which is getting everyone in the spirit.

Over the past month we have had reading week, several assignments and midterms and lots of parties. Bishop’s is great because you can drive 2 hours away and have a great vacation, for example this year I went to Smuggler’s Notch! Now that the vacation is over and everyone is back to work the great weather is starting to roll in. Students get so excited and start wearing shorts in 2 degree weather and play frisbee in any field they can find. The best one is the quad because you can play in between you classes and you run into tons of people you know.

Needless to say I am getting very excited for spring and the greats floats, barbecues, day drinking, and FUN!

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Is that you, Spring?

March 13th, 2010 Nigel Comments off

Judging by the festivities in the quad – frisbees, baseballs and soccer balls, for example –I guess I would have some justification to believing that it is now spring time here at BU. Spring session doesn’t start until May, but many Gaiters have given into the good weather and have taken away from their studies… myself included! Most people were lucky enough to have most (if not all) of their midterms before the break, and that means that they can now spend most (if not all) of their time outside enjoying this gorgeous weather we have here. Unfortunately for myself and just a few of my other friends, the bulk of my midterms are still in the future, which means that study sessions should be taking place… but if you promise not to tell my parents, I’ll fill you in on a little secret… I have also succumbed to the overbearing force of spring weather! Peer pressure usually doesn’t get to me, but when I weigh the enjoyment levels of reading my Economics textbook and hurlin’ a lacrosse ball around with the lads – well, the verdict is quite obvious.

Having said that, all critical work is still being completed. I had an accounting midterm, a media and society midterm, and an economics midterm all scheduled after the break. Not to mention the playoffs for hockey, the busy stretch for my ACE* business work and presentations for the Student Representative Council all occurred post-reading week. So I have been working very hard to balance between schoolwork and fun Fun FUN! The end is in sight, but it will still take some more hours of work before I am able to spend my whole day jammin’ with my shirtless buddies outside, tossin’ the good ol’ pigskin, for example. I’m also going to try to get out for some more spring skiing, St. Patty’s day is coming up and so is the school formal, all of which are activities I am super excited for – which means that it will be even harder to find that balance between school and pleasure!

It’s already mid-march… only 45 days left… where has my freshman year gone?!? With all of the pictures and videos on facebook, it is quite palpable that this has been a majestic year filled with buffoonery, absurdity and tomfoolery. As I previously mentioned, university is so much more than just the academics. And since I can say that my friends and I are receiving the marks to get through school just fine, I am proud to say that the Gaiters here at BU have found that perfect balance to maximize the university education – both academically and otherwise.

But, I should sign off for now. I don’t want my laptop getting water damage: I just noticed that there is a vigilante of gentleman strolling around campus with water guns…

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Finally made it

March 11th, 2010 Erin No comments

I have finally made it home after my visit to Phoenix, Arizona over my spring break. It was quite an experience getting home but it feels so great to be back in town at Bishop’s University. I ended up reading my flight ticket wrong and thought that I was supposed to go home on Sunday, but in reality my ticket was the day before, Saturday! I know…yikes, is my thought too. I found out on my way over to the airport and looked at my boyfriend Robbie and told him the horrible news. Surprisingly, he was quite calm, where I had visions of me spending tons of money and never getting home to my comfy bed in Lennoxville. After getting off the phone with Air Canada I was able to work something out and came home Tuesday. It was nice to drive back into the town of Lennoxville and get back into the swing of things. There are already seven event invitations in my Facebook inbox for all sorts of things happening at school, on top of academic speakers and the play Oliver Twist which I really want t see. Bishop’s really never is a dull moment. I have now since settled in and double-checked my agenda too make sure I wasn’t to behind on anything and hopefully gotten myself together for school. This morning I had a 6:30 am practice at the gym and had trouble starting my car, as the key seemed to be stuck turning. At last, after sprinting upstairs to my place and Googling it, I made it to the gym. I came in about 10 minutes late for practice and a fellow teammate goes, “Oh ah, you must have thought practice was yesterday…” I don’t think my team will ever let me live it down, but either way it feels good to be back at BU.

A shot of the Grand Canyon

A shot of the Grand Canyon

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Jhess Knight… Aussie on EXCHANGE @ BU

March 11th, 2010 Jess Comments off

untitledHey all!! This is just an little introductory bio for the joyous blogs that will inevitably follow!

My name is Jhess Knight, I hail from a small coastal town in Australia and have been studying at Deakin University in Melbourne for the past 2 years. This semester however I decided to do something a bit different!! EXCHANGE!! A daunting process of applications and big decisions!! I knew I wanted to come to Canada as I had already seen alot of Europe and wanted to see something new! Plus, Canada had always fascinated me and I was sure I would have a brilliant time! When looking for Universities, my priorities were finding  a sister school of my university in Oz but also finding one with a program that would be interesting and challenging for me. I am a drama student and so looked at all thew schools around Canada for subjects that interested me. Bishops stood out, having limitless options for courses; directing, lighting, performance, playwiriting etc. I was completely sold on the idea! Bishops was my first preference when I applied and I was absolutely stoked to get accepted!

What will follow this little intro are the blogs I have been writing ever since I arrived in Canada at the beggining of January so some of them will be a little bit dated. You will get to read my experiences at Bishops as well as different events like Carnaval in Quebec City and Drama trips to Montreal etc. So many great times!!!

Stay posted for the awesome!!!

Blog out!

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T-Minus 6 Months

March 11th, 2010 Emily Comments off

Hello everyone!

So yesterday while talking to my future roommate, Brooklyn, she reminded me that school is almost six months away. It’s crazy to think that in just a few months most of us will be experiencing a huge change. However, before that, there is graduation/prom. It’s surreal to think that all of us “seniors” will be the “freshies” again.

As graduation approaches and plans are made, I find myself anxious to get to school. I don’t know what it is about purple that makes me rush towards it in a store. Purple leggings? Hey! I know, I’ll wear them to football games. Basically, purple is the way to go. Everyone talks about missing Bishop’s when they are at home and it’s definitely true. It’s been about a year since I was there last and couldn’t be more excited to return.

Back to reality, sans Bishop’s. (Insert huge pout)

Emily

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Productivity!

March 1st, 2010 Elizabeth Comments off

Well, February is now officially over. The Olympics are now finished. Canada owned the podium. Mid-terms are starting. And I am being productive.

I’m always running around campus, but this semester, I am accomplishing more and sticking to deadlines. This world class procrastinator is quickly losing her title. The interesting thing is that I am not the only. Nearly everyone I talk to mentions how rough last semester was and how quickly and jam packed winter 2010 is. It’s as if we all decided to kick off the decade with new projects, prospects and plans. For example, for the first time since the age of six, I don’t have a five year plan. I decided to enjoy the year and a half that I have left at Bishop’s and not place so much emphasis on where I am going post-graduation. I have the world available, if I just open up to it. I’m figuring out that I want to spend my twenties trying out different fields of work. Non-profits, community organizations, researching…

Even now that March Break is upon us here at Bishop’s, I haven’t slowed down! I part of Mike Medland’s Lighting Design class and part of the course requires being a lighting crew chief on one of the Drama Department productions. I’m working on the Greg Tuck directed, Michael O’Brien adapated Oliver Twist: The Street Boy’s Progress which is this year’s Centennial main stage show. Conveniently and coincidentally, Allie, Ronan and I (all members of the Valentine’s complex) are part of the crew of the show. Then add Shawn as technical director and Kurt acting, and it’s another Duplex project! This is the first main stage production that I get to be involved in and it’s an entirely different beast from spring school or Production I in the fall. First off, my Reading Week kicked off with working Student Patrol on Friday, napping all day Saturday and heading to the theatre for 11 pm that night. From 11 pm to 7 am, it was set load in and build. Most people start to wake up at 7 am, not go to bed. Most people aren’t covered in masonite dust. Most people weren’t routering and drilling at 3 am. I am not most people. It was a great experience. It confirmed that I was right to jump into the department after spring school. There’s something that you can’t quite place about having the chance to earn class credits by building rotating platforms, putting up scaffolding and seeing the sunrise over campus on a fresh spring morning. It’s all part of my Bishop’s Experience. I might be a Drama Minor, but there’s nothing minor about my love for this place or BUDD.

Oliver Twist opens on March 11th and runs until the 14th.

I’m off to another tech call, but I promise to be back on the blog soon.

Cheers!

Bixi Bike Blowout

February 21st, 2010 Nigel Comments off

The referendum to bring Bixi Bikes onto Bishop’s campus terminated on Thursday, and to remain respectful to the losing side of the referendum, I will simply say that there were more against the notion than for the notion…  that may perhaps be a bit of an understatement.  Voting held place for two days, and the Student Representative Council (SRC) tried to get the majority of students walking by the kiosk to vote, which was set up in the student union building and Dewies meal hall throughout the day. The staff running the polling station had a list of all BU students to ensure that no one voted more than once. The loss of the Bixi bike referendum was an extreme disappointment for me, for multiple reasons.  Keeping in mind that I was a member of the organization who lost the vote and also that I do not wish to start another online war, I will express my opinions about this referendum.

For those of you who are unaware, Bixi is the bike-rental organization that started out in Montréal. Locals of Montréal, or tourists to Montréal, simply have to insert a credit card into a podium at any of the many bike-docking stations dispersed throughout Montréal to pay for the rental. Once a credit card has been inserted into the podium, one of the many bikes at the docking station can be removed and driven wherever the driver so pleases. One can rent the bikes for any trip length, such as the five-minute bike from the Eaton Center to Royal Victoria hospital, or the lengthy trip from Trudeau International to the Bell Center. Once the driver of the bike is finished using it, he/she simply has to put it back into ANY docking station (not solely the one that it was initially rented from) and the rental will stop; the user will be charged accordingly, on a time of usage method. These bikes are equipped with a light for driving at night (powered by the user who spins the pedals) and with a GPS chip for tracking purposes, in case the bike goes missing. The bikes are built out of extremely strong and durable metal and are incredibly difficult to damage. Bixi bikes started in Montréal in 2009 with 3,000 bikes and 300 stations, and were such a hit that they now have over 5,000 bikes in Montréal. Bixi has also expanded to America in states such as Boston and Minneapolis, and has also planned to expand to other parts of the world such as Melbourne, Australia and London, England.

One place that Bixi will not expand to in the new future is Bishop’s University, unfortunately. ACE*Bishop’s came up with the idea to bring Bixi onto campus this past summer, the summer of ’09, and the president and vice-president of ACE*, Mike Lavigne and Phil Jennes, worked tirelessly on this project. They presented to multiple boards, got members of the administration on-board with the idea, created a flawless business plan and an attractive financial proposition for the project. Since Bishop’s is a much smaller scale than Montréal (obviously), the system would be slightly altered from that of Montréal. Firstly, instead of paying on a pay-per-use method, students would pay an additional $10 a semester in student fees. This would give them unlimited half-hour usage of the bike, non-cumulative. This means that if I picked up a bike at the docking station at Provigo, rode it to the sports complex in 28 minutes, then that ride would be included. After working out, if I took out another bike and rode it to Hamilton building in 14 minutes, that ride would be included. And so on and so forth. There would be charges after the first half-hour, but very minimal (e.g. 5 hours =  $3). But, with multiple stations around the small town of Lennoxville, one would rarely need to use the bike for more than half an hour. The project would get started from a loan and a deposit from the school, which would be returned through advertising revenue on the bikes within five years. There would be many less bikes (due to the small population of the school) than in Montréal, but same sort of set up, with four docking stations and forty bikes to begin with.

The project did not succeed in coming to fruition this time. ACE* put on an information session, we got Bixi representatives themselves come to campaign on campus, had publicity from CBC and local newspapers such as La Tribune and The Campus. However, other school extra-curricular organizations, Facebook wars and misinformed students all attributed to the project only getting a 30% approval rate at the referendum. Almost 600 students voted, 70% of them saying NO to the Bixi idea. Not all is bad, because although the referendum lost this time, there is still potential to bring Bixi here in the future; it just would have been nice – in my opinion – to have it here ASAP.

I clearly must be missing something, because I thought the idea was so smart and had so much potential, and thought most other students would feel similarly. For ten dollars extra a semester, I would love to have unlimited access to a bicycle to get me to and from anywhere in Lennoxville. With my house being right beside the PML, I have a hefty walk (relative to Bishop’s campus, of course) to the academic buildings and would truly have benefitted from a bike. But BU students lost more than just the convenience of the bikes; they also missed out on an opportunity to give BU more publicity. There goes the recognition for being the first school to have the Bixi bike system… some of us had already gotten cocky and had imagined the Bishop’s name being embellished with compliments…

HOWEVER, on a happier note, the MacLean’s’ new 2010 student-rankings are out, where the judging of the universities is done by students (not external sources) from across the nation… guess my imagination didn’t wander too far from the idea of BU receiving rave compliments… take a look!

http://oncampus.macleans.ca/education/2010/02/15/2010-university-student-surveys-complete-results-2/4/

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Environmental Policy

February 14th, 2010 Jere Comments off

This post is about a class I’m taking right now called Environmental Policy. First off, I should say that I am a Psychology major and an Environmental Studies minor, so the environment is not my specialty. The class is taught by Tom Fletcher, and contrary to me, environmental policy happens to be his area of expertise.

Class usually kicks off with a few announcements about whatever is going on in ESG (Environmental Studies and Geography faculty) at the time, whether it be a trip to Montreal, internship opportunities, on info on student led initiatives like the Lennoxville ban on plastic bags, next is the lecture/discussion.

Rarely, Dr. Fletcher will lecture for the whole class, the more common occurrence is a dynamic discussion period. Students give their input on topics ranging from specific case studies (i.e. Love Canal, Memphremagog watershed issues, South African Basel Convention struggles) to comparing Canadian and US policies and administrative structures. Tom’s expertise and experience prior (including working for the EPA) to Bishop’s gives us a unique and more personal understanding of these topics on national and international scales, and having him to interpret our suggestions/opinions makes the class that much more interesting. I encourage anyone with some interest in environmental issues or politics to take this class. Even if you’re not in the program, your point of view will only make the discussions better.

A few other points about the class…

Course code: ESG266

Size: large this year at 18 students

When: Tuesdays, Thursdays at 2:30 to 4:00

Marks Breakdown: 25% Participation, 25% Mid-term, 25% Final Project, 25% Final Exam

- Jere

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Choices Galore

February 3rd, 2010 Emily No comments

So like many of you grade 12’s, I just finished semester one. I believe that other schools will be sending out their acceptance letters (as well as Bishop’s). I bet a lot of you guys are feeling pretty torn about which school to choose. (Bishop’s). Just kidding, but not really. Many moons ago I was considering other universities in Montreal. I found that the competitive atmosphere and ridiculous expenses weren’t for me. After some more research I came across Bishop’s. After looking it up on wikipedia and google-ing it extensively, I knew it was for me. My advice for all the undecided people is to do some research. See what works best for you. If you have a question don’t be afraid to e-mail the school and get answers. After you have done due dilligence (my step dad always says that about school) make a choice. I have been pretty narrow minded when it came to school. In fact I didn’t apply anywhere else. Personally, I knew that BU was “it” for me. I invite everyone to at least go on a tour.

And for those who make the  best decision of their life, choosing BU, I look forward to seeing you next year.

P.S. Sorry this blog was a bit coercive.

Emily

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Oh, my God it still means a lot to me.

February 3rd, 2010 Elizabeth Comments off

The Wooden Sky played at this year’s edition of Rock 4 Water yesterday at the Gait. The show was insanely awesome. Three dollar cover at the Gait for three music acts (Andriana Chobot, Peter/Potter and the Wooden Sky)? Supporting the bottled water referendum by the BU Environment Club (BUEC)? Going out and having a time? All worthwhile reasons for the slight ringing in my ears.

Rock 4 happens every year. The cause can change from year to year, such as 2008 being Rock 4 Diversity or 2006, Rock 4 Recycling. This was the second edition of Rock 4 Water in a row. Last year, Thousands of Bicycles brought the skankin’ sound to the Gait.

The Wooden Sky are great guys. They’ve stopped to play in the area a few times in the last couple of years. They always come out to party and chill afterwards in what they call one of their “favourite places to play”. Gavin, Kip, Wyatt and Simon killed their set featuring music from their freshman and sophomore releases, When Lost at Sea and If I Don’t Come Home You’ll Know I’m Gone, respectively. Andy, showing off a sick new haircut started off the night with a bang and the Gait kept rocking with Scott Potter and Peter Jarvis.

I’d had been swamped lately with Theatre Activ (which closed on Sunday), research proposals, keeping on top of readings (for the first time in university) and potential projects coming down the pipes, that this was one of my first real nights out in a while. It was so freeing to get to jump around, stomp, hand clap and release some energy front row at my university bar to one of my favorite bands.

Massive kudos to Katrina Kroeze, Cate Collinson, Erika Ide and Kyle Ellsworth from BUEC and the SRC for putting a great night.

______________

The title for this post comes from a Wooden Sky song of the same name Check it out here.