october 2014 - Letter from the Editor

the
SENTIENT
STUDENT LIFE
20142015
A Evening
of Warm
Music and
Poetic
Lyrics
Algoma
University
The Sentient
Rosters
thesentient_AU
TBIRDS
www.thesentient.ca
GO
GO!
Pg. 4
Written by:
Shayan Afzal
Pg. 2
Photo by: Kenneth Armstrong
Edition 2 Issue 1
SPORTS
STUDENT LIFE: pg. 2-3
SPORTS: pg. 4
ENTERTAINMENT: pg. 5
ADVICE: pg. 6
Page 2
STUDENT LIFE
Photo by: Kenneth Armstrong
True North Strong & Free
Frosh leader, Kirstin Mercer, pictured above pumping up the crowd!
An abundance of laughter and smiles filled the halls of Algoma
University recently due to the week that is jam-packed with events
known as, Frosh Week! For all new students to Algoma University it is
a week filled with making new friends, getting oriented with university
life, and creating memories that will last a lifetime. This year’s week of
activities began on September 2nd with all students that had signed up
for frosh They got divided into teams and found their leaders, which
were upper year students devoting their free time to making it the best
few days for the new students. Following the introductions, a fun play
fair was held out front of the school. Luckily Mother Nature was in favor
of the event and the sun was shining. The next hour was spent getting
frosh to interact and mingle using fun games and activities. With the
sun still high in the air the frosh were instructed to grab pre made
lunches and hop on the awaiting school buses that would take them
out to camp for the night. Not one moment was wasted to chat, laugh,
sing songs, and keep enjoying the fun that had begun that morning.
When students arrived to camp Turtle Concepts were waiting there for
them with team building activities set up in a military format. Students
were instructed to address the people running the stations as sir, yes,
sir. The stakes were high as the students went off to different stations
to work together to beat the other teams. Whether it was working together on a task or screaming to motivate fellow team members, tension was running high. It was all worth it in the end when the winning
teams were announced and everyone could put the competition aside,
for the night. After dinner, rain began to fall but no one let this damped
their high spirits. Cards and board games were distributed and the fun
continued. When the rain cleared up, many took to the water for a nice
swim, some played Frisbee, and some started the campfire. The following day was used to clean up the camp ground and head back to
Algoma University to have a toonie BBQ. Everyone was welcome and
it was only $2 for a BBQ held outside the Speak Easy. With full bellies
and wide eyes the frosh got to meet with their future professors and
learn more about their programs. Following this academically focused
meeting students got to put in some physical activity. Sports were set
up in the GLC and in front of the school, from volleyball to football,
there were options for everyone to get up on their feet and get active!
That evening there was a magician performing various tricks to amuse
and entertain the audience. Following that act was a hypnotist, who
picked guests from the audience to come up on stage and basically
embarrass themselves, in a fun way, unknowingly because they were
hypnotized! Lots of laughs were shared that evening. The following day
was the second last day of frosh week but they were not thinking about
the end quite yet. A city chase in the morning was the first activity of
the day. This events really shows off the beauty of Sault Ste Marie.
With different stations set up throughout Sault Ste. Marie students were
taken on school buses to tour through the town and stop at these stations to add some fun into the few hours on the buses. The afternoon
following was filled with an entertaining comedic play called ‘Single and
Sexy’ which gave the audience tips on how to stay and play safe in university. It informed but in a fun way that had people talking. That evening was the Mardi Gras pub. With everyone wearing masks, given out
for free at the door, and decked out in Mardi Gras pub beads, it was a
night filled with dancing and fun. The first pub night of the semester
and it was very successful. The annual induction ceremony, welcoming
all new students to Algoma, began the following afternoon and included
free food and a special gift for each student. Proud parents and friends
stood in the crowd applauding, showing how proud they were that
these people are taking a big step into a new chapter of their lives. Algoma University and the student body welcomes all new students with
welcome arms and sends our best wishes for a school year filled with
more laughs, dedication, and happiness.
Written by: Alexandra Benacquista
An Evening of Warm Music & Poetic Lyrics
BRAMPTON CAMPUS SPOTLIGHT
Algoma Brampton’s music duo played an hour long set at Orientation Event. This was the second time the duo performed together. The two got back together after a 4 month summer break and hit
the stage right after a brief 30 minute rehearsal. The stage was setup in one corner of the student lounge, the seats were laid out in
half circles with tables in the center and the lights were dimmed
down low.
The evening was graced by a small group composed of students and staff including Extension Programming Director, Brian
Leahy. The musical duo opted to perform using a combination of
electric and acoustic guitars. As appose to the traditional practice of
performing well know crowd pleaser, the duo opted to perform lesser known classic rock, folk and blues numbers. In addition, there
were a number of original songs in the set.
The duo started off the evening with a Joan Baez song titled
“Diamonds and Rust” with Shayan Afzal on vocals and guitar, and
Roy Levi-Harari on guitar. This folk classic was given a new musical
touch. The nostalgic theme of the song coupled with its melodic lyrics helped capture the audience’s attention.
Over the course of the evening the duo went through countless songs including Layla, Ruby Tuesday, Old Love, Mandolin
Wind, Grey Street and Why Should I Cry for You. Every one of
these songs featured original musical arrangements and had new
life blown into them.
One of the highlight of the evening was Brampton Academic
Lead & Professor Mr. Seymour Stein joining in for a guitar jam. The
Chemistry between the three made it seem as if Mr. Seymour Stein
had always been a part of the group. The three then went on to perform their renditions of Bob Dylan’s “All Along the Watchtower” and
Neil Young’s “Keep on Rocking in the Free World”.
This was followed by a pure and simple performance of Skid
Row’s “I Remember You”. The small crowed seemed a bit shy at
first but soon opened up and joined the group each time the chorus
came in. The song was trailed by extended applause from the
crowd.
The evening came to a close with a strong and moving performance of Carlos Santana’s “Maria Maria”, which was followed by
an extended guitar jam. The duo gave an exciting and intimate performance altogether. The music event added an excellent air of intimacy to an already well accomplished orientation thanks to all the
intricate out of sight work by Algoma Brampton Support Services
Coordinator Jo-Anne Watson.
Written By: Shayan Afzal
STUDENT LIFE
Page 3
A Special Thank-you to All of OUR
SPONSERS from Algoma University’s
FROSH WEEK 2014!
The
2014-2015 Algoma University Rosters
Page 4
As this year starts, our Algoma University Sports
SPORTS
Men’s Soccer:
Teams are practicing away and are ready to make our school
proud! Check out the rosters of our Men’s Basketball Team, Women’s Basketball Team, Cross-Country Running Team, Men’s Soccer
Team & Women’s Soccer Team. Coming soon: Skiing, Curling &
Wrestling!
Men’s Basketball:
Women’s Soccer:
Women’s Basketball:
Cross-Country Running:
ENTERTAINMENT
Page 5
REVIEW: U2’s Song
of Innocence
When Songs of Innocence, U2's newest album, was unceremoniously dumped onto the hard drive of everyone who has iTunes
a couple weeks ago, the media discussion and public reaction immediately swirled around the method of distribution rather than the
album itself. Rightfully so, this was a profoundly untested and, charitably-speaking, unique way of getting a record out to the world,
which ranged in its temperament from delighted to confused to irate
at having in their digital possession a set of music they neither
asked for nor knew of this existence of beforehand. In all this, and
the subsequent website that Apple set-up specifically for those who
didn't like or didn't care about the album to delete it, what got lost
was perhaps the most operative question: what is this album and
how good is it?
The basic sound here splits the difference between the lateperiod straight forward stadium rock stuff and the 90's electronic
digressions, with maybe a little modern synthesizer work sprinkles
on top. It's not necessarily a bad lane to be working in, but it
sounds rote at times. The main problem, is that these guys are nowhere near the songwriters they once were, and Bono's lyrics (with
a couple of exceptions) are in vague platitude mode throughout, so,
the choruses here are not as huge or impactful as they clearly want
to be. "Raised by Wolves" in particular is a really clumsy stab at a
punk-edged number from their early days that just does not gel
properly. That said, a couple of the tracks here to recapture that
80's arena grandeur that you want from them, and there's some
genuinely impressive instrumental work on a few tracks (Adam
Clayton's bass work on "Volcano" may be one of his strongest performances in the band's career). Oddly, then, it's actually the slower
numbers here that work the best. "Every Breaking Wave" (despite
the fact that the bass line is basically one note away from "With or
Without You") is solid midtempo number and the closing duet with
Lykke Li "The Troubles" connects the personal and the political in
an understated ballad that's the best
song here.
Overall, this is a better, more thematically coherent and more
focused record than U2's last three or so album, mainly to it being
less content to rest on its laurels and a bit more sonically adventurous. It's still a deeply flawed album and not up to the standard of
their classic work, but it is worth listening to at least once just to get
a sense of where the band is in its lifecycle, especially if you are a
fan. And, hey, the price is right.
Written by: Carter Vance
Page 6
ADVICE
A Guide To Succeeding in University
And yet another year is upon us. No more carefree summer
nights, no more lazy afternoons by the pool. It’s right back into the
daily grind for us lowly students. New year, brings on the endless
essays, the readings that no one really does and the awkwardness
of new teachers and classrooms. If only there were a survival guide
for surviving university— sounds sort of cliché but also not totally
unreasonable. Something that really speaks to the student and all
our bad habits.
Not to say EUREKA! But EUREKA! This will be a student’s
guide to school, written for students by students. Get ready to have
your mind blown by this cheesy, yet crazily relatable, guide to university.
“How’s school going? Is it harder this year? How are your
roommates?” My mother’s voice echoes in my ears; do I really have
to answer? I grasp for my go-to answers: “it’s alright”, “no it isn’t
harder” and “they’re fine.” These are the answers every person has
programmed into their brains when we don’t want to discuss something with our parents.
This is the crux of our lives— accepting that even though we
think we’re all grown up our parents and how they think of us is still
important. So we need to let them in. We need to open up and
broaden our answers because sometimes you just need your mom
to tell you that “you’re going to be alright no matter what happens in
your English class.” It could be a meaningless conversation but it
could also open your eyes to the bigger picture.
The bigger picture, that potentially fictional image of how we
think everything will work out. Sometimes we all need to step back
and be able to assess your life. Are you really going to be able to
manage school and a part-time job, are you really going to be a fancy big-time lawyer in a fancy big-time city, do you really need that
extra order of fries from the cafeteria? No one knows the answers to
these questions. Well technically you don’t need those fries but go
ahead and get them anyway, that’s the whole point to university.
There are a million different ways to succeed in university but
by now you should know them. Especially if you’re here, in university, that place where you had to apply some of your knowledge
gained in high school to get that coveted acceptance letter. You remember high school right? It wasn’t like it was that long ago. They
actually taught some valuable things in that place; nothing too useful
but useful all the same.
Time management for example: that thing where you should
get off your couch/bed/computer chair, don’t click next episode on
Netflix and crack open your ridiculously expensive textbooks to find
a passage about Acadia and their Golden Age. That thing you need
to do so that you don’t end up skipping one class to finish an assignment for another. It’s really simple, don’t do it.
I am close to, if not already, a master procrastinator and I know that
my first year would’ve been far less strenuous if I had of only done
work when it was actually assigned. Obviously I’m not saying go
home and do that eight page essay as soon as you get it but at least
write out a thesis. If you start with one sentence it’s easier when you
actually go, and hopefully it’s not 4:55 a.m. the morning it’s due, to
write the paper/report/assignment.
Stress Management is another tricky topic because it’s so similar to time management. If you manage your time right you won’t be
as stressed. If you finish your paper early then you can take a break
and watch that next episode on Netflix. See what I mean? You can
still do the things you like and want to do but you need to be able to
find a balance.
Being able to balance school, clubs and activities, friends,
work and all the other monotonous things that define our daily lives
is crucial. It could mean the difference between getting an A on a
paper and a date for Friday night and getting a C- and staying in bed
in your pajamas watching re-runs of Friends on your computer. Getting through school, relatively unscathed, is easy if you know how to
prioritize. Balancing school, work, friends and all the other things in
your life can be hard at times but you have to do it. It’s just one of
the many things that you have to do that you don’t want to— like
taxes and writing essays, you don’t want to do it but it’s sort of a life
requirement.
Now what’s my overall message? My thesis of sorts? It’s that
university is about screwing up and taking the wrong bus but staying
on for an hour just because you’re having fun with your friends. It’s
about taking a bunch of different classes and then figuring out you’re
in the wrong program. It’s about finding out more about you and
where you want to go with the rest of your life but you don’t have to
decide right now. So take a breath and enjoy your time at Algoma—
because time really flies here.
Written by: Tyler Harris
Take Care of Yourself, Physically & Mentally
University is a time in your life to develop new life skills, your
independence, to expand your interests, and challenge life with a
new perspective. University has so much to offer, how can you pass
up so many amazing possibilities? From sports, academics, a social
life, possible jobs, it can be hard to stop and take a minute to focus
on yourself. Specifically, focusing on you with physical and mental
health aspect.
half hour is ok!).
If you have a mental illness there are plenty of services located on campus to help you with school. You can contact your academic advisor to make an appointment for any academic counseling. The Learning Centre and Disability Services are here to help
you! They offer many services and programs such as the writing lab,
tutoring, note-taking, and student success workshops. These can
It can be easy to get caught up in everything with such busy help relieve stress; but if you feel you need more services, such as
lives we tend to forget to take a breather for ourselves and remem- counselling, ask to speak to someone in this department. The staff
ber that our body health is just as important, if not more so, as eve- members can make an appointment for you to see the doctor that is
rything else going on. Let’s talk about physical health; there are
associated with the school. Don’t be afraid to speak up, we are all
many ways to stay fit and eat healthy on campus. Many have nohere to help, and your mental health is very important! I also sugticed that this year our cafeteria has switched service providers and gest physical activity, it helps relieve stress, it’s a fantastic study
we now have Morningstar that provides healthy meal options such a break, and exercise even releases endorphins, which make you feel
salad bar, and snacks and drinks with a lesser sugar count than the better. Instant smile!
previous service provider. The George Leach Centre (GLC) is open
University can be hard, especially if this is your first time in
7 days a week (yes, even through construction). There are cardio
such a setting. Keep your mind in a good place and you will find that
machines and a track for those of you who enjoy ‘vertical running’.
university will become a little less stressful. So next time you’re feelNot a runner? No sweat, there are multiple weight machines as well ing overwhelmed take a short break, clear your mind, get some exas free weights, for those of you who enjoy your ‘gains’. The GLC
ercise, read a book you enjoy, watch a movie, or hang out with
also offers multiple workout classes and intramural sports, stop by
some friends. A healthy mind will lead to a healthy body, which in
the GLC and check out a calendar for when all these fantastic
turn, will lead to a healthier and happier you, one who can enjoy unievents take place! Not into the gym scene? No big deal, Sault Ste. versity and everything it has to offer!
Marie has many beautiful hiking trails such as Hiawatha Highlands,
or the John Rowswell Hub Trail, which is throughout the city which
can you take a nice stroll on. So grab some friends, or go by yourWritten By: Amy Donaldson
self, and try to get out for some physical activity every day (even
Page 7
ENTERTAINMENT
Letter From The Editor
To All Algoma University’s Students and Staff,
Welcome back! With our first month already finished, it seems like this year is flying by
already! My name is Tee Komsa, and I am proud to serve in the position of The Sentient’s Editor-inChief for the 2014-2015 school year. I am excited to take on this job, and would like to thank my
predecessor Caleb Smikle for the appointment.
With a new year brings new changes to The Sentient. There are two new sections of the
paper that I would like to highlight. First, we have our new BRAMPTON CAMPUS SPOTLIGHT
section that will highlight a major event at Algoma University’s Brampton Campus, which will be
written by a Brampton student. I think this is an awesome way of staying informed and connected.
Second, we are also adding a new ADVICE COLUMN to our paper. Do you need advice? Email
[email protected] with your question for our experienced Advice writers to answer! The answer
will be either posted in print in our next issue, or will be available on our website www.thesentient.ca.
Be sure to check out our other great articles this month, including a Frosh Week recap, a review of
U2’s latest album, and our Sports Teams Rosters. Don’t miss the deals we bring to you for Little
Caesar’s & Domino’s in this issues’ advertisements either.
I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge and introduce to you The Sentient’s 20142015 Team:
Editor-in-Chief — Tee Komsa
Farah Ayaad — Advice Column Writer
Karina Maione — Managing/Online Editor
Amy Donaldson — Advice Column Writer
Elisabetta Giraudi — Executive Creative Director
Carter Vance — Entertainment Writer
Marisa Stopes — Recording Secretary
Tyler Harris — Freelance Writer
Jack Xu — Online Manager
Jordan Leach — Photographer/Freelance Writer
Shayan Afzal — Brampton Campus Writer
Alexandra Benacquista — Photographer/Writer
All of us are dedicated to producing the best student newspaper for you, the students!
Please do not hesitate to contact me, [email protected], with any questions, comments, or concerns.
Yours in Writing,
Tee Komsa
Page 8

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