Spending the Night Alone - Professional Loner

If you’re anything like me you will realize your social life revolves around work or (because you like to change things up) school work. The result? You’re spending another night alone.

But weep not for now is the time to raise above your usual snivelling self in order to achieve legendary status. Spending the night alone in style and as if you have more confidence than a sunflower seed.

What you are going to need to manage is a fully functioning liver, an unhealthy coping mechanism and a less than ideal understanding of cooking.

You want to show people that you are successful and the best way to do that is by showing off your culinary skills, and drinking excessively. Follow along with me and after every step, take a shot.

Step one: Purchase  a turkey. (Shot)

Step two: Prepare the turkey with your favourite seasonings. Then stuff it. (2 shots) (whew I’m a light weight)

Step 3: Put turkey in oven (shot) (realy feling this)

Setp for: relax and have a few drinks (shot) (fuck this cannot end well)

Step five: trukey the forget, u r in de pen deep and dont knead no bird. (drink)

Sp 6; Waer is drunk? Turn off oven. (WHere)

step whatever: leaf trukey on florr. Find drink finihs. go to washromm. sLep by toilet.

QMAIL

Dear Quintilius,

How will you be spending Valentine’s Day? Is there a special someone in your life? Need me to hook you up?

Sincerely, Cupid

Dear Demon Archer,

Stay the fuck away from me little nephew! I do not need some  magical flying child in diapers going around shooting improperly shaped heart arrows at my behind! 

You should already know this answer! There was once someone I loved but that was long ago in  a confusing time of my life. Sure she took my breath away and I still remember her eyes to this day but that means nothing! The only thing I love and need in my life is Rome!

From her flows the lifeblood of the earth. She is not just my love but she is the very manifestation of love. Born of the seven hills and ruled by kings, senates and emperors, Rome has persevered through all. If you replace the word love with Rome you would basically be saying the same thing.

They have so much in common. Neither was built in a day. You can say “I ____ you” and both words fit. You can ask “what is _____” and the response “baby don’t hurt me” will be appropriate. That Whitney Houston song “I will always _____ you.” See Rome and love fit synonymously IX out of VIII times!

This V-Day? This Valentine’s Day I shall celebrate my love of Rome by sacrificing her enemies  in front of her gates. I shall deliver Rome’s citizens chocolates, flowers and the heads of barbarians!  Never will there be finer gifts or a more celebrated present.

I will be spending my time preparing and planning a grand feast to the gods and goddesses, my siblings and family! All shall know the glory of Rome and the love she delivers via gladii and pilum!

All Salute The Eternal City,

Quinitilius of Rome

Presents for That Special Someone

It’s that time of year again. The holiday that truly isn’t a real holiday. This is because, unlike other holidays such as Christmas and Labour Day or even Victoria Day for some, you don’t get the day off and you certainly don’t get any holiday pay. That’s right I’m referring to Valentines Day. Every February 14th you and your significant other celebrate the day of love. It just so happens that the “day of love” can get extremely expensive, especially relating to presents.

Most of us have been there, not knowing what to get our partner for a Valentine’s gift. The classic chocolates and flowers may work for a few years but after a while it gets old. Therefore, the questions pops into one’s head of what to get your significant other that will on one hand make them happy and on the other hand not break your bank account.

As mentioned before while the classic flowers and chocolates would no doubt put a smile on the average partners face, at best it will only work a couple of times. There are a variety of different gifts that people give their partner on Valentine’s Day. Starting off at the extreme end some people go all out for the day of love. I’ve heard of some men even buying their girl a car! Now, that’s quite a gift for any occasion much less on Valentine’s Day. Chances are the vehicle they bought isn’t some beat-up old rust bucket either, otherwise you wouldn’t have to worry about Valentine’s Day next year! Therefore, one could assume it, at the very least, cost over $10,000. In order to spend this kind of money on your partner, you must be really committed or just really rich. Since most university students can’t afford to spend tens of thousands of dollars on their significant other it might be worthwhile to explore other options for a Valentine’s gift.

Coming from the perspective of a guy, one gift you could give your girlfriend or wife on Valentine’s Day is something that never goes out of style: jewelry. Of course there are many types of jewelry from earrings to rings to necklaces its actually quite a task to narrow the options down. There are a variety of starting points in which you can use such as their favourite colour or favourite material or even their birth month. In my experience the more “glittery” or “shiny” the jewelry is, the higher the chances are for your girlfriend liking it. However, jewelry isn’t exactly your wallets best friend either. Although it isn’t going to cost you tens of thousands of dollars like a new vehicle would it can still hit the bank account pretty hard. Most jewelry hits around the $100 mark at least. You can, of course, purchase cheap jewelry for under $20 but like the rusted up old vehicle example you could also end up spending next years Valentine’s Day alone.

Rejoice! There are gift options that are both kind to your bank account and will not make you have to change your relationship status on Facebook. One simple yet romantic gift option is a trip to the movies. Some people love a trip to the movies after a long day of work, especially when they do not have to pay for admission or snacks. Of course you may have to sit through some garbage romantic film but, at the end, your partner will know how much you care about the relationship and you’ll know your bank statement will show more than just a fat zero. While it is true some movie theatres charge pretty high prices, especially for popcorn, those prices are far more reasonable then a brand new car or a gold necklace.

These ideas are not your only options when looking for a Valentine’s Day gift this year. Others include a nice meal out, a book your significant other would like or even some clothing. You should tread carefully when buying clothes for your girlfriend or wife though as it tends to be a much more complicated area, should you get the wrong size. Whatever gift you choose remember that its not for you but for your partner. The only thing that you should be concerned about is what they would like for their Valentine’s Day, and maybe the price tag on such an item.

Pop Culture - Love Between The Frames

Connecting with people can be difficult; really connecting with people you kind of, sort of, like can be REALLY difficult. Connecting with people over time-stopping orgasms, BDSM relationship comedies, and sexually ambiguous robots chasing star-crossed lovers across the galaxy, that’s easy. Just buy some comics.

Now you might be thinking, “I am not going to buy a new partner a comic book about sex, are you kidding me?” But I’m not and here’s why. Everyone has an opinion about the arts and opinions about arts can get very…passionate. Add sex into the mix and well, maybe you can get passionate about the arts together – see what I did there?

Sex Criminals is a book written by Matt Fraction and drawn by Chip Zdarsky that centers on Suzie, a young woman who stops time when she has an orgasm. When Suzie meets Jon and discovers she isn’t the only one with the ability to stop time, they naturally have a lot of sex. Oh, and they also rob banks.  If your partner loves cheeky humour, quirky characters and bank robberies, then you’re welcome.

What do you get someone who wants to drag you to Fifty Shades Freed, but has absolutely no idea what BDSM means? Sunstone is a charming character driven story created by Stjepan Sejic. The story follows primary characters Lisa and Ally as they navigate the complexities of a modern day same-sex relationship via fetishism, romance, and erotica. Cuddle up, grab some wine, and read this comic instead of shifting awkwardly in the theater.

Need a little more space in your sex life? A space-opera fantasy comic, Saga is written by Brain K. Vaughan and drawn by the supremely talented Fiona Staples. The series tells the story of new parents Marko and Alana, lovers from opposite sides of a brutal race war, and twisted regimes that want their family dead. Try mixing things up with robots, bounty hunters, trans ex-cons with magical powers, and Lying Cat (trust me, you’ll love Lying Cat).

So, there it is. Your Valentine’s Day shopping is over, and you’re almost guaranteed to have something to talk about with that special someone for the foreseeable future. The rest? Well, that’s up to you.

The Penis Jokes

The penis. God’s gift to women.  The one appendage of the male body that females find attractive. The only thing that can give orgasms, take virginity’s and has a magical hold on a woman’s attention. One flick of the wand or pic of the dick and women basically can not control themselves.

If for any reason, at any point, in that first little paragraph you found yourself agreeing maybe you need to rethink your life. Hi, I’m here to inform you of the dangers of thinking your dick is a gift from the creator. It’s not. It is small, unattractive, smelly and has minimal sway over orgasms. Orgasms are far more regularly stimulated through, oral or digital usage.

The largest sex organ? Nope, not your penis. The largest sex organ is the brain. You want to stimulate a woman? You have the options of exciting her through teasing, foreplay, or helping her live out her sexual fantasies. Making a woman feel wanted, helping her get to the edge then actually taking the time to finish her off are great ways to pleasure your partner. You will not likely get there through penile penetration alone.

Advice: Take your time, find the clitoris and be confident. After century’s of penis jokes, turns out the greatest penis joke of all was the idea you could pleasure your partner with your dick alone.

Meeting People

A long time ago, before the dawn of internet, the only way to meet people was to get your lazy butt out of your apartment to the outside world. But now with an entire generation growing up on social media and smartphones, the only way seems to be through dating websites and apps to meet with new people, as it’s easier. And it’s also partly because most of the time, we being only human, get nervous and sometimes even anxious when we meet someone or talk to someone face to face.

You’re lucky if you’re a first year student in your university, because I’m going to talk about a few things on how to meet people in a small city like Brandon. Especially when Valentine’s Day is getting closer, so you probably don’t want to stay in your room all night alone. There is still the possibility of getting out there and meeting someone special to spend a wonderful night with, and hopefully a wonderful life.

Although there can be a thousand ways to meet people, here are some of the ways that are more promising than the rest:

Weekends and Tavern United always go along well together. The bar/restaurant is always a good pick as it’s filled with people who want go out and have a few drinks. The “Tav” also has really delicious and delightful food. This is a regular hangout place for a lot of students from Brandon University and Assiniboine  Community College.

There’s also The Double Decker in downtown Brandon, another well-known spot for students to meet up and hangout. They serve a great variety of food, and it’s pretty wonderful. There is also karaoke available which is a good opportunity to start conversations with people about songs or by singing along with them!

Then there’s always the Harvest Hall Cafeteria in the university, great place to get to know people living on campus as they always end up chilling there after their long day of classes. Approaching them can be really easy, as a student who lives on campus, I know the environment and the students are really friendly and approachable.

Having said that, all you need to do now is approach people. Have confidence, this is the most important thing when it comes to leaving a good impression. People tend to make this really complicated and over-think about it, that’s what makes you anxious and nervous. But don’t let anxiety come in your way, clear your thoughts, keep it simple, and give your best! Who knows you might actually not end up spending your Valentine’s Day alone!

Love Yourself - Ms. Independent

Ah, Valentine’s Day. It’s cheesy, overpriced and overrated.  I find the idea of being showered with affection on one day of year (when cuddling is more practical to conserve heat rather than express affection), rather ridiculous. If that’s the case, whether single or attached, you might end up being miserable the rest of the year. So that’s why I propose the perfect way to spend this crappy holiday is loving yourself (and not in that way… We really don’t need to know what you’re doing in your down time).

Now is as good as time as any to do so. Especially as a woman living in the 21st century. Historically it’s been a woman’s job to tend to the husband (god forbid you be not straight), children (eww), or tending to the household as we didn’t have the mental capacity to attend to affairs in the public setting compared to men (Oh wait. People still think that?).

So, now that I have the right to study and work my ass off like the other 50% of the population, I might need a little love. And sometimes if you want something done right, you need to do it yourself (I know you just went there in your head.. don’t).

A great way to express love to yourself is ordering a pizza and drinking some wine when you need a pick-me-up. Or bubble baths, a meal out, a little gift, new tattoos, burning everything involving your ex’s. Or maybe you just veg in front of the t.v. or are glued to your phone to have some time to recharge. However you choose to spend your Valentine’s Day, just remember to spoil yourself a little. Or you can wait until the next day and score some cheap chocolate. The choice is yours!

How To Get A Son - Henry VIII

Everyone knows how important it is to have a strong son to continue your legacy. That is why I, Henry, eighth of my name, went through six wives.

My first wife, Catherine, was the love of my life. We were wed for twenty-four years, and I blessed her womb no less than six times. Only one of our children survived, a girl. I needed a boy, and Catherine was getting old, so I made a new church to divorce her.

My second wife Anne only had a daughter as well, and she had a cute handmaid, so I accused her of having an affair with her brother. Off with her head!

My third wife was my favourite because she gave birth to my only surviving son. Sadly, she died shortly after Edward was born.

Wives four through six don’t really count as wives, because they didn’t give me any children. Number five was pretty close to being my next favourite, because she was young and we had all kinds of sex. Sadly, she was actually having an affair, so I had to have her head removed, too.

How Love Has Changed

How each of us view love and relationships has changed a great deal since we were in middle school. A pointless relationship that only includes mainly awkward hugs, winks, smiles, conversations, and constant use of the term “I love you”. Urban dictionary sums it up perfectly: When a kid in middle school (usually ages 11-14) “likes” another kid and they agree to a week of hugging each other every day. It lasts longer if you’re over 13. If you’re 12 and under, it’s basically just spotting your “lover” in their group of friends and hugging them, then standing around awkwardly when alone, every day for a week, or a day or two. It’s completely fake!

Crushes are way better compared to middle school relationships. At least you have something to dream about. Then it seemed so simple and innocent. It was easier because it seemingly had no real-life consequences to a young person. It was a friendship we called dating or having of girlfriend/boyfriend. Middle school is when some decide to try the romance thing, and, as with most experiences, the early and innocent attempts rarely resemble the high school or adult attempts. Relationships sometimes only involve two clumsy conversations: the asking out and the breaking up.

As an older person, that can be more heartbreaking. When you are younger, it doesn’t matter as much, though that is not to say that some early relationships won’t work out. Sometimes they do. Growing up has sadly made the world a much scarier place and romantic relationships are much more complex. It seems almost pessimistic to say that, but it is the truth. The long term is thought about in adult relationships. Even when it becomes stressful, it’s the love that matters, whether it is innocent middle school dating or the grown-up relationships, it’s the emotion behind it that matters. Love is wanting the other to be happy and that hasn’t changed. 

Epic First Dates

Welcome to an experience like no other. In these next few paragraphs we are going to look at some fundamental romantic stories of history. Together we will study them and learn the lessons they have to teach.

Today we are going to be focusing on first dates and  the beginning a blossoming relationship. Before you the reader actually get out there to ask someone on a date you need to study the art of dating. First dates are not something to be trifled with.

Well, let’s see, where do we want to start in first dates? Oh, I know, how about in the Garden of Eden? That’s right, we are going to look at the creation of mankind and assess for ourselves just what Adam  and Eve did wrong and right.

First of all, Adam was not prepared for his first date. He had not even heard of this woman or what a woman was before meeting her. Tough go, people always have an idea of who the person is before meeting them! Second thing, Adam showed up naked, that’s right. Naked. Risky, but a bold move, definitely unable to hide if he was interested in her or not. The lesson here: play it safe, wear clothing. Third and final point I want to make here (we will end on a positive note) they got to name all the creatures of the world. What a great idea and wonderfully thoughtful first date. All in all we will score Adam and Eve at a 3/10 for you know the “Fall of Mankind.” Solid first date but come on guys seriously, there was a whole garden.

Next we are going to look at Paris and Helen of Troy. Well I guess the first piece of advice here is to never get involved with deity business. If someone, especially a goddess, asks you to judge their level of beauty, run. Do not compare them to anything especially if it is a competition and they want to be compared to each-other. It is a lose-lose situation. Sure you get the woman of your dreams but sometimes you bring about one of the greatest wars in Grecian history. Second, if you’re married, especially to a king, do not try to go on a first date with someone else. And if that first date brings you all the way across the Aegean Sea there should be at least one or two red flags or sirens going off. Like don’t get me wrong ladies, go forth and SLAY, but realize war always makes more widows than lovers. Finally lets take a moment to appreciate Paris and Helen. First date, you steal her from her own kingdom. Start a war across the entire Hellenic world. And you end up killing one of the greatest hero’s in history by shooting him in the heel?! Well if that ain’t commitment, I do not know what is. The advice here is stay committed and work it out  after you’ve made a decision, but also practice archery. The couple still only get a 3/10, largely for dragging Odysseus away from Penelope but also killing Brad Pitt.

The final couple we will look at is Romeo and Juliet. First of all, do not fall in love with long time rivals or feuding family’s unless it’s (you guessed it) Family Feud. Second, you met at her family’s feast. Then you trespassed onto her property. You saw her once. People the lesson here is do not fall in love with someone you have seen once. Do not profess your love or try to get them to kiss you. Also thirteen isn’t exactly the age when one knows what love is. Finally, do not pretend to die, do not murder yourself by kissing poisoned dead people lips and then do not stab yourself after previously faking your own death. It’s not that complicated or hard to do. Again 3/10, just slow things down. Literally be patient, wait like an extra thirty seconds and ask yourself “Will there be consequences for this?”

Dates

So you managed to find yourself a Valentine’s date. Lucky you, those of us who are stuck at home going over our lab report to make sure that we really did find all the parasites in that fecal smear congratulate you. Oh, but perhaps you don’t know what to do now that you’ve tricked someone into going out with you. Well, here is what I’d do, should I ever build the courage to ask that brunette beauty out on a date.

You have to start it out right, take her dancing. No, not the kind where you jump up and down like a spastic ape to a deafening cacophony of bad music. I’m talking abou taking her to a ritual and historical dance. One where there is an apple slice under her armpit and the male eats it afterwards to prove his love, just like they did in old-fashioned rural Austria.

After getting to know each other and multiple sweaty apples have been consumed you can get more intimate. Spend the night together in a bed, each tightly wrapped in separate blankets and divided by a bundling board. All under the supervision of your parents of course. Seems weird? No, not at all, “Bundling” was common practice in colonial America.

In the future you ask? How will dating and courtship change by 2075CE? Well, imagine far more pieces of German memoribilia and everyone dressed in the Schwarz-Rot-Gold. After that imagine everyone singing in harmony to the classical music of  Johann  or Ludwig. Wow, dates will be so much more romantic then.

Well, you’re not going to get any more of my good advice for free. If you don’t mind, I’d like to get back to my parasitical shit stain.

Asking For Blessings

Asking for a blessing is sometimes seen as a rudimentary and downright barbaric act by some people in western society. They see it as a demeaning and outdated practice. To many people as long as they say “Yes,” to the time old question, “Will you share my bed, so we can make babies?”, it is enough that their parents don’t have to be involved. I say nonsense! Who else will supply baby-sitters and Christmas gifts for little ones? Parents and potential “in-laws” must be involved with the baby making process! Let’s take a look at history and just how involved families have gotten with the making of miniatures.

In older times and foreign lands, sometimes families were very involved with this process of family extension. It started with the fathers of a household talking. Eventually deciding on value in the form of “Your son’s right to my daughter’s vagina is equivalent to ten head of cattle. Oh and I can use your land out by the sea, and you can name our first grandchild after your favourite horse.” The fathers would then see to the unification of their families. No blessings were really needed as no one got to decide besides the ones really involved with baby making, the old men!

Sometimes though the family was not all about a dowry and alliances between houses, sometimes it was just about getting more free labour. Back out on the farm (if you listen to how your baba  and gidi tell it) they worked  hard day and night for the farm. In the day they were plowing, seeding and fertilizing the land. And at night they were plowing, seeding and fertilizing again. Then poof, out came more children then they knew what to do with. So they used them as labour, married them off to distant farmers or got them to join the nunnery. Far too expensive any other way for one family. Blessings were not required here either as workers were needed in the fields and the more grand babies, the more labourers.

It’s only fairly recently that blessings have been based on much more than wealth or family status. To me, it’s very important to keep constant communication between potential family members. That way they know where two people are in a relationship and whether they need to invest in sound proofing the extra bedroom walls, so when you and your significant other visit you can have loud sex. Or whether they need to sound proof the extra bedroom walls so they don’t have to wake up every fifteen minutes when  grand baby is crying at night.

In all seriousness though it is truly a beautiful thing when two people fall in love. Maybe they are the type to ask for blessings from their spouses parents, maybe they’d prefer making sure that their relationship lasts for a long time. To me asking for blessing is much more than just asking permission. It allows for a safe and smooth transition unto the next adventure in a young couples lives.

Rocket Game Corner - Harry Potter Years 5-7

I own seven copies of Lego Harry Potter Years 5-7. It started out with me just buying a copy for my Nintendo DS, because I’m a giant nerd and portable games are great. That first copy turned out to be glitchy, so I bought a copy on sale for my Wii. I have yet to finish the Wii version, and after my Nerdboy moved in with me, we had one game between the two of us that had a duplicate. If you guessed that game was Lego HP 5-7, you get a virtual cookie.

After we moved in together, he also brought his consoles with him. He already owned Years 1-4 on his XBox 360. He bought 5-7 so that we could play it together for his YouTube channel. 

He bought me a copy of 5-7 for the PS3 as a joke. At some point between when we moved in together and when he bought the 360 copy, I’d picked up a sale copy for my 3DS. We were up to five copies of the same game on four different platforms in our house at this point. It was getting a little out of hand. Adding a sixth copy was kind of icing on the cake. 

I thought we were done after that. I owned a copy for every console that we owned and it existed for. That should’ve been enough, right? Well, wouldn’t you know that Warner Bros. and the company that they work with for the Lego games, Traveller’s Tales, decided to remaster the game for the current generation of systems. So, now I have a copy for the PS4. 

I’m kind of expecting to get a copy for the PlayStation Portable that Nerdboy acquired over the summer. Because at this point, I may as well lean into the joke.

QMail

Dear Quintilius,

Where was the Italian pavilion this past weekend? The English were present (you know, the previous owners of the largest empire in the world) but you Romans were no-where to be seen.

 Sincerely, Rome’s Fallen Off

#SizeDoesMatter

Dear Misguided,

The Romans are always present, at every event, and have a roll to play in every shape and form. The Latin/Roman pavilion is the Multicultural Festival itself. You talk about the English but where did they come from? Do you think they got to be the largest empire on their own or that they achieved superiority through their own political or military might? Who do you think brought order to the island initially?

The Roman influence can be seen in every major leader, in every major city, in every major battle in Britain. Their very language, religion, and weapons were brought to Britain from outside peoples. The Latins, the Germans, the Norse all influenced the England you come to know today.

The British were never truly an empire, merely a successful corporate business. Who really conquered India? The East India Company. Who really governed over 3.9 million km2 of North America? The Hudson Bay Company. Why did the Opium Wars occur? To force China to buy British opium. Why did the 13 States want to be free of British rule? Over taxed items such as tea. Britain has always put business ahead of country.

Here is a quote from a British and French Officer in battle. ‘British Officer: “You French fight for money, while we British fight for honour.” French Corsair: “Sir, a man fights for what he lacks the most.”’

All Salute The Eternal City,

Qunitilius of Rome

#WalletSizeDoesn’tLast

Pop Culture Of The Week- Slang

I’m ‘sups’ sorry for this one ya’ll. It’s gonna ‘b’ a bumpy ride all the way ‘thru’. In fact if you get epileptic seizures from flashing lights ‘u’ may want to sit this ‘1’ out cause it’s going to be Lit AF. For those who can handle it, prepare to get woke.

Slang is short language for short language. Sometimes short language is misspelling a word but so that it has all the proper letters to still sound right or it may be an acronym, initialism or abbreviation of some other type. It may even be just another word that people have accepted to have certain meaning.

Literally the English language is just made to communicate and what I mean by that is there is no absolute proper way to say or write certain words. As long as someone understands what you’re saying and you use the English guidelines for letters and sounds you’re technically speaking English. 

In some languages they have firm rules on what is what. The French have “Academie francaise” which is a council of forty people (Les Immortels) who deal with all matters of the French language. The German’s have the “Council For German Orthography.” In fact most languages in the world are endorsed by their countries and everyone is taught the official standard language.

Not English. Nope, nope, nope. That is why we are able to have all these fancy words that didn’t used to be words becoming slang. Here are two acronyms you may use but take for granted: Zip code (Zone Improvement Plan), and Radar (radio detection and ranging). Here is some slang to describe relationships: OTP (one true pairing), Ship (to describe people you think should be in a relationship), Bae (before anyone else).

This bastardization of the English language through text has been claimed by many to be ruining the English language. But really it isn’t. The English language was first thought to be ruined when William Duke of Normandy conquered Britain. It wasn’t. English was then going to be destroyed by the printing press. It wasn’t.

Texting and young people communicating are just innovative ways that the language is adapting and changing with the times. Adaption and change are not bad ideas. Would you say music is bad now a-days because its not played over a radio or that not every song has Gregorian chanting?

I’ve kept it as real as possible my G. Hundo P gave it all I got to be informative and not just goofy. If you liked this article give me a LB or RT but if you’s a stan, then you can str8 up F yoself. Peace LOL (lots of love).

Lead Up To Elections President

There is only one position that we haven’t gone over yet in terms of the BUSU election, and that is the head honcho themself: the President.

The President has the biggest responsibility on Council, as they are expected to lead effectively and with the best interest of the majority of students in mind. According to the BUSU website, the President is mandated to fulfill responsibilities including but not limited to : Chairing Council Meetings, acting as the main Union spokesperson on all student issues, providing input to all BUSU committees, acting as the Chair of the Campaigns and Government Relations committee, overseeing all campaign and government relations of the Union, providing long term strategic direction for the Union, Chairing executive committee, Board of Governors, KDC Board, Alumni and other committees.

The President is a full-time employee of the Student Union, salaried at 40 hours per week. Like the Vice-Presidents, the President’s salary works out to approximately $14/hour. Like many other salaried positions, there will be times when the President will work more than the allotted 40 hours in a week.

A Presidential candidate should consider that they cannot work alone. They need to be able to effectively lead their Council to make decisions that will impact the entirety of campus. In the past, Presidential candidates have campaigned on promises of integrity, fiscal responsibility, and transparency in their actions.

For more information about the position, contact current President, Nick Brown at Pres@BUSU.ca or pop by the BUSU office on the first floor of the Knowles Douglas Centre. 

You can also visit the Returning Officer, Krystal Kane, at the elections information booth on Mondays in the Mingling Area from 10:00AM to 2:00PM, or on Thursdays in front of the John E. Robbins Library from 9:30AM to 12:00PM.

We at The Quill wish all potential candidates luck in their run, and look forward to covering electoral events.

Keystone Centre Changes Name

Westman Communications Group (WCG) purchased the naming rights for the Keystone Center’s main arena in 2007, but their ten-year contract came to an end in October 2017; the arena will no longer be “Westman Communications Group Place”. 

WCG were the first every sponsor for the arena, providing financial support, high-speed data, internet services, HD cable TV, and most recently, free Wi-Fi. 

Dave Baxter, WCG president and CEO said in a press release, “The Keystone Centre plays a vital role in the Western Manitoba economy. We have been able to provide nearly a million dollars in financial support to the Keystone over the term of our agreement and are pleased that the Keystone has found a new naming rights partner”. In the past year, Westman provided nearly $200,000 in community support through sponsorships, donations, and other services to the community. Baxter says, “Westman will continue playing a leadership role in supporting local events and organizations based in Brandon and Southwestern Manitoba”.

In June 2017, the Keystone Centre sent out a request for expression of interest regarding the naming rights sponsorship. The request outlines a five-year commitment. Keystone Centre board chair Shawn Berry said last year that the contract with WCG had an exclusivity clause to negotiate a new deal; explaining that “we just thought maybe it might be an opportunity to exercise our right on that and maybe look for some expressions of interest just to see if there’s other parties interested”. Signage stayed up during negotiations, but removal began January 30th. The new name for the arena is Westoba Place, with Westoba Credit Union becoming the new sponsor at the beginning of the month.

WCG will remain involved for the broadcast of their 27th season of the Brandon Wheat Kings games on Westman owned radio station Q Country 91.5FM/880AM.

February At The Evans - Jayce Paul

The Evans Theatre film programme is presented by the volunteers of the Brandon Film Festival Inc. The theatre is located in the Brandon University 270 18th Street Brandon, MB, inside George T. Richardson Building (B.U Library). The show-times are 7:30pm Friday, Saturday and Sunday; from September to April. The admission is six dollars cash at the door, with concession items being only two dollars. The contact information is evanstheatre.ca, phone number: 204-727-9704.

The February 2018 movie listings include: 

Call Me By Your Name

February 2nd – 4th

In Northern Italy in 1983, seventeen-year-old Elio begins a relationship with visiting Oliver, his father’s research assistant, with whom he bonds over his emerging sexuality, their Jewish heritage, and the beguiling Italian landscape. 

The Florida Project *

February 9th – 11th 

The Florida Project is a deeply moving and unforgettably poignant look a childhood. Set on a stretch of highway just outside the imagined utopia of Disney World, the film follows 6-year-old Moonee and her rebellious mother Halley over a single summer. The two live week at a budget motel, but despite these surroundings, the precocious and ebullient Moonee is filled with joy, her endless afternoons overflowing with mischief and adventure as she and her ragtag playmates fearlessly explore the unique world into which they’ve been thrown. The Florida Project demonstrates that anywhere can be a Magic Kingdom, it just depends on how you see it. 

So, come out and show your support to your local theatre, with these great films. I’ve added a star beside the titles of the films I’d recommend watching. I’m also looking forward to seeing The Florida Project! If you find yourself bored on the weekends you may enjoy volunteering at Evans Theatre too! Thanks for reading.

BU Open House PSA

That time of year is here again! No, its not quite time for finals just yet, its the time of year when Brandon University puts on their open house. This year’s open house will take place on Tuesday, February 20th from 10:30AM to 2:30PM.

This is when BU opens its doors to potential and future students. While current BU students will be enjoying their February break many future students will be visiting the campus for the first time. Attendees will be able to see first hand what type of education is offered at BU.  Representatives from all five faculties will be there, including the Faculties of Arts, Music, Science, Health Studies and Education!  Attendees will be given the chance to sit in on lectures and attend demonstrations throughout the campus. They will also have the chance to go on full campus tours and get a glimpse of what BU has to offer. Potential students will also have the opportunity to apply for university at the open house. Attendees can bring a copy of their interim transcript and begin the process of becoming a BU student! To top it all off many different booths at the open house will be hosting a series of activities in which prizes are up for grabs! 

This year’s open house will take place primarily in the Healthy Living Centre. To kick things off BU Interim President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Steve Robinson and Acting Dean of Students Ms. Katie Gross will give welcoming remarks.  Following the remarks attendees will either be part of Group A or Group B. Group A will be taken on their campus wide tour while Group B will take in the Information Fair, where the representatives from the universities faculties will be, as well as attend a residence tour and lunch. The lunch will be at Harvest Hall and include a hamburger, potato chips and a drink for $5.00. At noon Group A and Group B will switch places and take part in the other activity, meaning that Group A will then go to the Information Fair and residence halls with Group B taking part in the campus wide tour. Following the completion of the second activity attendees will have a choice in which afternoon information sessions they wish to attend. These sessions will give attendees a closer look at the various degree programs that Brandon University offers. There will be sessions from the Faculties of Arts, Science, Education, Music and Health Studies as well as a general session which will give attendees an overview of all the programs offered at BU.  Following the afternoon sessions prizes will be given out at the Healthy Living Centre with the open house concluding between 2:15PM and 2:30PM.

Registration is required to attend the open house. To register for the open house either as an individual or a student group visit the BU website at www. brandonu.ca. Then proceed to the Brandon University Open House Registration tab. From here you can choose whether you are registering as an individual or as a student group. After filling out the required information you’ll be all set for attending this year’s open house!

Brandon Multicultural Fest

For both those who are Brandon born and those who ended up here, Brandon can be a bit boring. So, when there’s something like the Westman Multicultural Festival going on in town, it’s kind of a big deal. The Westman Multicultural Festival has been running for 15 years. It was previously known as the Lieutenant Governor’s Winter Festival, and is more commonly called the Pavilions. The old favourites included Ukraine, England, Ireland, Scotland, Philippines, Honduras and Métis pavilions with two new additions, India and Mexico. 

I’ve fortunately been able to attend the last two years, and I personally find the pavilions that have less attendance more pleasurable to visit. One pavilion last year was so busy that it felt like people were being herded like cattle, while another that wasn’t liquor licenced, had spectacular entertainment and the hosts were genuinely thrilled that have festival-goers arrive.

This year, I was excited to try the Indian food, but after 15-20 minutes waiting outside without the line moving, I decided I valued my toes more than buying dinner. Saturday night temperatures were expected to drop to -43 degrees with the windchill, so I carried on. I expected that as many people I’ve spoken to were stoked for an Indian Pavilion.  The Métis Pavilion was less populated, in part I would guess is chalked up to the earlier close (11:00PM vs 2:00AM) and that it was non-liscenced), was fantastic. It was located in the Auditorium on campus, and had food such as bannock, rice pudding, stew and bison burgers. The entertainers were a pleasure to watch, and when Ryan Lepin played, he got people up on stage dancing.  There was also cultural displays and Métis lanyards, keychains, etc. for purchase.

After the Métis, we attended the Mexican Pavilion. The Shriners Club has little seating, but I didn’t mind standing to watch the entertainment. Dancers from Cancun were flow in for the festival, which was great to watch. The pico de gallo with guacamole and chips was delicious, and there was also a traditional soup available when I went on Saturday. Although the severe cold can be daunting, making it to the Pavilions is one of the highlights of living in Brandon