The Next Episode: Frosh Week 2013 is a week a lot of us will never forget, and we can’t thank you all enough!  To everyone who helped plan the week, to the Frosh who were absolutely amazing all week long, and to O-Crew and House Presidents.  All around the week was a tremendous success and the feedback we have been receiving is crazy! 

This year the Students’ Union really tried to raise the bar in regards to the week, and we believe we did that!  We’re going to discuss from our point of view, some of our favorite events of the week, just so other schools can realize how much better our Frosh Week is then theirs.! The Graffiti Party with Skratch Bastid, a new event this year, we don’t even know where to begin when explaining the atmosphere of that party, besides sweaty of course.  Skratch tore it up on stage, and started our Frosh Week off with a banger!  StFX truly does now how to party!

The water balloon fight was something else new we brought to Frosh Week, and we are so damn happy we did.  We had no idea how that event would turn out, and it may only have lasted a couple of minutes, but that was insane.! To be a part of a water balloon fight with 16,000 water balloons is something you write home about.  The video footage turned out great too, so props to everyone who helped capture the fun!

When we think back to the night with Wayne Hoffman, we still cannot wrap our minds around what took place.  Like, how did he re-fill that can of Coke, or call a girl’s cell phone in the crowd.  Better off, how the heck did he mark an “X” on one of the twin’s arms, and have it appear on the others.  Wayne Hoffman’s performance = mind blowning!!

PlayFair was once again a huge hit at StFX.  It was so good their company even wants to record the show next year for promotion because StFX always has the best group of participants year after year.  It’s the perfect way to meet other new students, and the energy in the room is exactly what StFX is all about.

Every year StFX has a “tent party” during Frosh Week, it has almost became a tradition to do so.  This year we wanted to do something totally different from other years, so we thought hey, why not make a beach inside of the tent and truck in loads of sand, and we’re some damn happy we did it!  This year the Beach Party with Grandtheft was one for the books!  Frosh partied the night away while Grandtheft ripped it up on stage, making a huge impact on the success of our Frosh Week.

The Trews concert was a tremendous success as well!  We had students of all years come out to see the Antigonish native band perform for StFX! It was great to see successful StFX Alumni perform on stage in what was one of the best concerts to be held at StFX to date!  Thank you those who came out and attended, and a big thank you to The Trews for putting on a sweet performance!

Its hard to believe that Frosh Week has came to an end!  We really hope that Frosh had the best of their lives, and once again thank you so much to everyone who made this week such a success!  First year students, welcome to the next episode of your life!

Tayler Weeks and Kelly Nelson

Hey X,

As we are only days away from the first wing night things are starting to get pretty crazy around the SUB! All of us exec are really excited to see the projects that we’ve been working on over the summer be enjoyed by all the students.

In particular, we’re excited to once again open the doors of the Golden X Inn for the first wing night of the year!! Over the summer it has been a priority for our team to make the Inn as good as it can possibly be, and to do this we have made a few changes which you should be stoked about. The first (and most expensive) change we have made was investing in a fancy new lighting system. This will be sweet for live performances and wing nights through new spotlights and backlighting, as well as for getting your dance on with new unreal dance floor lighting.

We’ve also got a new slushie machine, which will make for some tasty drinks. While the weather’s still nice, feel free to enjoy your slushie outside on the newly furnished patio! We took out the old benches and replaced them with some picnic tables, which creates a lot more space. We’ll even have washer toss set up outside, which will make for a great way to enjoy a cold beverage and some sunshine. As well we’ve got a new some new menu items which include fish and chips and chicken parmesan.

The last big change we’ve made is to establish a set time schedule for our drink pricing, which will be consistent throughout the year.

Gossip Gareth

Only 2 Weeks Away!

WOW.

This summer FLEW by, didn't we just finish exams? Not that I'm complaining, I am SOO excited for students to return to campus and to get the school year started. Our team has been working hard all summer to prepare some unreal events and campaigns that we are putting on this year.

So what's new in the Communications office you may ask, well I'll tell yah! You may or may not have heard that our marketing team has been split into two! There are four people now working specifically to market the Inn and 6 to market Students' Union events, this includes creating posters for societies as well as promoting fund-raising initiatives we will undergo this year. I think that this split is great because in the past there was far to much marketing emphasis placed solely on the Inn. Hopefully now we will be able to divide and conquer, trying our best to let YOU know whats going on within ALL aspects of campus life.

One project that I've been working on these past few weeks is organizing and designing the wall calendar that is handed out every year! We've tried to pack as much info on it as possible! There are also some sweet Pizza Delight coupons included that offer great student deals, so be sure to pick one up from the SUB when you arrive back on campus. One of the first events straight off the back is Society Night, which is on the 10th of September this year, so definitely be sure to check that out, as there will not be a second one next semester.

I am getting so pumped to welcome all the future Xaverians to campus, and really looking forward to welcoming back some special X alum! The Trews are going to be playing on Saturday, September 7th at the KMC and all students are invited to go! The tickets are only $10 and the show is bound to be amazing. And hey, if you want to try and win some free tickets you can enter the X-Factor photo contest, top prize is a $50 gift card to the Shop and two tickets to The Trews.

Enter here: http://www.stfx.ca/prospective/x-factor-photo

Remember Xaverians: Whatsoever things are Trews

Cheers,

Emily!

The Next Episode

Hey Xaverians,

Greenhorn here with an update from the office of  Vice President Activities and Events!  So if you have been keeping up to date with our social media outlets, you are well aware of the insane line up we have for Frosh Week this year.  Your Students’ Union has really raised the bar this year, and will be the #1 Frosh Week StFX has ever had!

 I was super pumped to announce Grandtheft for our headlining DJ for the Beach Party, and things only got better when I signed Skratch Bastid for the Graffiti Party.  These two DJ’s, are not only two of the top DJ’s in Canada, but also have a recording studio together in Toronto, and getting both of them for our Frosh Week is epic!  If you haven’t checked out their newest track together, “Miley”, I highly recommend you do so!  Here is the link: https://soundcloud.com/grandtheft/grandtheft-skratch-bastid

We are starting the week off right, with one of the biggest bangers of the year!  The Graffiti Party ft. Skratch Bastid is the perfect way for Frosh to meet one another, as they will be given a marker as they enter, and get their shirt signed by hundreds of fellow first year students! (A reminder to Frosh to wear a plain white tee!). Be sure to check out Bastid’s website, as well his Facebook:  http://www.skratchbastid.com/ & https://www.facebook.com/skratchbastid?ref=br_tf

Monday night Wayne Hoffman will be at X for his 3^rd time to blow the minds of first year students!  I have personally saw his performance twice, and words can’t explain how crazy this show is!  This is a night you do not want to miss, as you have no idea what you are in for and will leave completely in shock! Also, funny story, he bought me pizza at Pizza Corner in Halifax at 3am, great guy! 

Throughout the week we also have PlayFair, a StFX favorite for years, our first ever Game Show Night, and Frosh Week Talent Show!  All three of these events are a guarantee great time and all being events you will not want to miss. 

A new event taking place this Frosh Week is a water balloon fight.  We purchased over 16,000 water balloons, and first year students will have a massive water balloon fight right before they go down the famous Jello Slide!

After your first week at X, we are back to Friday night already!  This year on Friday night we are taking our tent party to a whole new level.  We are bringing in truck loads of sand and having StFX’s 1^st Beach Party ft. Dj Grandtheft!  This is his 5^th Frosh Week in a row; the dude deserves an X Ring by now.  Be sure to check out his Facebook page here:

https://www.facebook.com/GrandtheftMusic

Saturday night after StFX X-Men’s Football Game, is the Frosh Week Concert ft. The Trews!  Check out their site here: http://www.thetrewsmusic.com/. This event is open to all StFX students and tickets are only $10.  My favorite part about The Trews is that 2 of them have X Rings, but lets not forget the fact they have some kick ass songs. 

Another reminder to first years: Frosh Kits are selling out quickly, so Frosh, I highly recommend you buy one of these before they are gone!  This year I jammed packed them with StFX swag you don’t want to miss out on including your Next Episode tank and StFX sunglasses for the Beach Party ft. DJ Grandtheft. Here is the link to purchase your kit: http://theu.ca/?q=frosh

Words cannot describe how pumped I am for Frosh Week, and I can’t wait to meet all the new Xaverians when they get to the ‘Nish in a few weeks.  Frosh Week is going to be the best week of your lives, so get ready! 

Res Life Update from Kelly!

Hey X!

I hope your summers have all been phenomenal! The last month has been pretty busy for me, as there are officially 32 days left until Frosh Week!!

The Student Orientation Committee, which works to plan Frosh Week, has been working hard – and we’re excited to say the events have all been finalized …INCLUDING THE CONCERT …which will be announced next week! The waiting continues, but not for much longer!

In the past 90 days, the RLCs and I have been working hard to plan Training Week for the House Presidents and Residence Life Staff. This year, the House Presidents will be traveling to Scotian Glen Camp to spend a couple days getting to know each other and doing sessions – so we’ll be hitting the cabin bunks for a few nights!

The House Presidents have all done phenomenal jobs designing their house shirts and many are being printed this minute – so they will be ready for you first-years out there when you arrive on September 1^st!

Meaghan Carmichael and Brandon Hamilton (House Council Coordinators this year) have been working hard on the House Council system this year – so if you’re interested in getting involved, make sure you talk to your House Presidents – as this year it’s going to be something you don’t want to miss out on!

Hockey cups this year have been finalized, and I’m happy to say that there will be a Commemorative Messis Cup! So if you’re from Plessis or lived in MSB you’re more than welcome to play again!

Last week, Amy (VP Union Services) and I had ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training), which taught us how to better address suicide and how to help those who may be having thoughts about it. If you want more information about this, feel free to ask!

All in all, August is going to be a busy one, but I CANT WAIT to see all of your faces back on campus again!!!

32 days ‘til the best week of your lives (again, if you’re in upper years)!

Start collecting all that blue and white, it’s going to get R-O-W-D-Y! 

@Kel_2the_Nel

The Highland Games

Hola all,

This summer the Executive Team here at the U were lucky enough to experience the 150^th anniversary of the Antigonish Highland Games!  What are the Highland Games? WELL:

The Antigonish Highland Games began in 1863 and consists of a variety of Scottish and Celtic inspired events to celebrate lovely Antigonish culture and history! In the late 1860’s, when the 78^th Highlanders were garrisoning at the Citadel in Halifax, they travelled to Antigonish to take part in the Highland Games. They took the train to New Glasgow, and then marched through the woods with wagons to get to Antigonish! They were the first ever pipe band to participate in the events, which is one of the reasons why pipe bands and players are so common throughout the Nish all week!

There were tons of unreal competitions on the weekend of the Games, and some of us had the chance to cheer our own buddies on in events such as the Elite Mile competition, the Highland Dance competition and the Tug of War. Other competitions such as the Scottish Heavy Events and the Farmers Walk were super entertaining and really demonstrated the old-fashioned Scottish culture that IS the Highland Games!

                      

 

Other events that were more casual included the “Stroll the Main Sidewalk Fair” – which most of our team attended. This included a variety of booths demonstrating different services and talents throughout the Nish as well as a DOG FASHION SHOW where your Exec team got a backstage seat!!! There was also the Grand Street Parade, which kicked off all of the weekend field events and competitions! Just wonderful. 

             

For most of our team, however, the most exciting part of the week were the more bumpin’ events such as the Fourth Well and Party Boots shows at the Pub and the Signal Hill (a StFX favourite) show at the party tent the final Saturday of the Games!

It was so awesome seeing so many new faces as the town filled up with crowds of people who came together in kilts and Scottish gear for a week of BEAUTIFUL weather and unreal celebrations! It was nothing short of an amazing experience, and we are definitely hoping to come back one summer to take on a second round of a jam-packed week of fun and Celtic spirit! IONTACH AMANNA!

- Taylor M.

http://www.antigonishhighlandgames.ca

Campus Trust Conference

Hello all,

Here goes my update from the Union Services office! So about a week ago, Sean, Julieanne and I travelled to St. John’s, Newfoundland to attend the Assembly of Participating Organizations for the Campus Trust (our Health and Dental plan program!). Not only was this my first time in Newfoundland (and was I ever in awe!) but it was an amazing opportunity to better understand the Campus Trust and get to know the other board members that we will be working with throughout the year.

While at the conference, we attended presentations surrounding the Trust and other aspects of Health and Dental plans on campuses across Canada. I’m going to let you folks in on a little secret—we are a part of a pretty amazing thing happening in the Student Health and Dental plan realm across the country.  I hope to tell you all a little bit more about this amazing thing known as the Campus Trust.

So what is the Campus Trust? A Board of Trustees comprised of representatives (students and staff) from 9 Student Unions and Associations from across Canada manages the Campus Trust. As Trustees, it is our goal to provide the best plan possible with the investment that students make when they opt into our Health and Dental Plan. While many Health and Dental plans are shaped exclusively by the Insurance Companies or Brokers which provide them, members of the Campus Trust have the unique opportunity to take our plans into our own hands—that means we can determine the coverage that we need and the companies that can best provide this. While decision making is executed in a co-operative structure, each member association has the opportunity to shape their plan to fit the needs of their own student body—that means theU’s plan is specifically tailored to fit our student community here at X. This is an awesome aspect of the Trust—we have the power of the collective, but the space to make decisions that directly affect our own student body.

From a Students’ Union point of view, accountability and transparency are of upmost importance in providing any sort of service for students. Another great thing about the Trust is that it provides just this. Foremost, each member association has access to detailed reports on the claims history of their plan, including what benefits are being accessed the most and which months are higher in terms of use. This means that we know how our benefits are being used and how to continue to make adjustments to the plan to benefit students.

The structure of the Trust also allows for greater control over price fluctuations. While many plans are subject to increases in price each year designated by the insurance provider or broker, member schools of the Campus Trust have the ability to manage the benefits on individual school plans to better accommodate for these changes so that the rate that students pay remains fairly stable.

Lastly, a goal of the Campus Trust schools is to have the Health and Dental plans  break even (so that the amount of money paid into the plan is equal to the amount in claims). However, because of the natural fluctuations in claims that occur from year to year, this is not always the case.  With many other school plans, the insurance company or broker manages this surplus, with little to no input from the Students’ Union or Association. The cool thing about the Trust is that any surplus we may have at the end of the year goes back into our plan so that we can provide additional coverage to our students.

All the members of the Campus Trust 

So why does all this matter? Each year when you opt into theU’s Health and Dental plan, you can rest assured that you are going to receive a great service—not only because the Trust gives us the ability to offer some great (and diverse!) coverage, but also because you know that through every step of the process, the students’ best interests are what matter most!

Until next time,

Amy