A welcome message from the Mount's presidents



Zach Gallant, president of the Mount's Students' Union, with
Dr. Ramona Lumpkin at Spring Convocation (May 2012).



Today I have the pleasure of welcoming our students, faculty and staff to the beginning of our academic year.  Despite the beauty of our summer campus in bloom and the extraordinary view of the Bedford Basin year-round, the true spirit of the Mount re-ignites each fall when new students join us to embark on a journey to fulfill their academic dreams.

Over the coming weeks and months, I look forward to meeting students, learning about your future plans, and understanding how the Mount can further support you in your studies, your community and campus engagement and your athletic and social activities. Being involved is an important aspect of your student experience. At the Mount, there are countless opportunities for students to get involved outside the classroom that will make a lasting difference in your personal lives and in the broader community.

At the Mount, the Students’ Union plays a large role in student-led initiatives, and today’s guest blogger is Zach Gallant, your Students’ Union president for the 2012-2013 year. Zach speaks to the importance of being engaged, and I fully support his message. Stay in touch, share your stories with us, and be part of something big.

Regards,

Ramona

Follow me on Twitter @MSVUpresident

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Getting involved is key to making the most of your Mount experience

I am always excited to start the fall term as it means new and returning students are arriving to campus. The Mount is a close-knit community filled with people who are willing to offer guidance to those who seek to be part of it. By being an engaged member of the Mount community, new and returning students can take full advantage of the support system I’ve experienced personally.

For those who are not familiar with the Mount’s student body, we’re quite a diverse group! With a maximum of 400 spaces for on-campus residence living, the majority of our students live off-campus, and some even at a distance.

Like many, I lived off-campus for my first year, but was committed to getting involved. My first experience was with the Students’ Union Haunted House after hearing about the event from a student who visited one of my classes to recruit volunteers. The connections I made as a result of this opportunity led me to a position at the Rosaria information desk, and then again in the following year as a Residence Assistant in Assisi Hall.

I owe many Mount experiences to the people I’ve met along the way. I was made aware of opportunities, and was encouraged to go after them. At the Mount, people really do cheer you on, and want you to succeed. This is why I was inspired to give back in a new capacity, by being this year’s Students’ Union President. Working alongside other Executive team members, our goal is to help students make the most of their experience by increasing the level of student engagement.

But what does it mean to ‘be engaged’ as a student? In short, it means something different to everyone, but the idea is about interaction. And whether you’re on campus or at a distance, you can still be part of the community by getting involved in a number of ways:

• Get to know your Students’ Union Executive by attending discussions and organized town halls
• Attend events! Watch for postings, posters and promos around campus!
• Join a student-led society or group
• Volunteer and develop your co-curricular record
• Send us your questions, feedback or input by email or online, or come visit us in person at the Students’ Union offices in the Rosaria Student Centre
• Follow the Mount, the Students’ Union and many others on social media, and stay up to date by visiting the Mount’s and Union’s websites
• Read the monthly Students’ Union newsletter, sent directly to your Mount email

Whatever it is you’re considering for the year ahead, look to those around you for inspiration. Be part of something that inspires you to make a difference, to strive for excellence and to succeed beyond your own expectations. 

As a valued member of the Mount student body, your voice matters to us, and throughout the year you can count on the Students’ Union Executive not only to listen to your concerns and ideas, but to take action. On behalf of the Students’ Union Executive, I hope both new and returning students enjoy their year and take pride in being part of the Mount community. I know I have.

Zach Gallant

President@MountStudents.ca

Aspiring to be Ambassadors of Change

The following guest blog was written by Brandon MacDougall, a grade 11 student from Cole Harbour High. Brandon visited the Mount in early July as part of a winning team from this year’s Accelerating Empathy conference, an event powered by The Empathy Factory that brought together high school students from across Nova Scotia to discuss and respond to several key issues facing youth today. As part of their prize package, members of his team, Scotia Circle, met with Mount faculty and student leaders to discuss and strategize ways to tackle bullying in our schools.

We were proud to sponsor this year’s Accelerating Empathy conference, and delighted to welcome Brandon and his team member Sandrico Provo to the Mount to discuss the many ways Nova Scotia’s youth are taking the lead in making a real difference in the world.

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Aspiring to be Ambassadors of Change

Brandon MacDougall



Bullying, depression and anxiety are not things you can simply solve. Yet I think as a human being, I have a responsibility to do everything in my power to make my community a more harmonious place to be. I didn’t have to go to The Empathy Factory conference three days after having my wisdom teeth out. I didn’t have to write a pitch on how to solve bullying for the 40-minute bus drive there. I guess what I am saying is that nobody sat me down and said I had to care about bullying or any social issue, I just do because it matters.

The Empathy Factory organized a conference called Accelerating Empathy. This is an amazing opportunity for youth to formulate ideas and find some internal empathy to share externally. There were four social issues we could choose to address in our pitch. I chose bullying.

My pitch was done using a form of poetry, and was voted as one of the top two in the subject of bullying. I then recruited a team for a bigger pitch the next day that would be judged by some experts in the various fields of social issues. We performed another poetic pitch, and were chosen to be the top idea for solving bullying. The idea was sort of simple - we would start creative expression groups at schools and hold yearly spoken word and rap competitions themed on things related to anti-bullying.

(Photo L-R: Sandrico Provo, Dr. Ramona Lumpkin,

and myself - Brandon MacDougall, at a recent

visit at Mount Saint Vincent University.

The most important thing I discovered since that day is that if you keep moving forward, regardless of the opportunities you might have missed before, eventually you will find one in a moment that will make the difference you needed. This happened at Mount Saint Vincent University.

We met with a number of wonderful individuals during the day, including the Mount's President, Ramona Lumpkin, student representatives, and three informative and supportive Professors.

We had talks about how school systems can tend to contribute to the issue, how blame can be often be misplaced and how it is so important and much more effective for youth to lead prevention initiatives.

What the Mount really showed me was that there are people who care deeply about these issues. Most significantly though, every single person I met really listened to what I was saying and thus was able to provide me with greater insights and ideas to help move things forward.

To be honest, when arriving at the Mount, I was still unsure if my ideas would ever be able to surmount some of the problems youth face or if I could even find a way to bring it to life. When leaving the Mount, there was no longer an “is this possible?” in my head, only a “when”.

Great ideas will flourish when mobilized by people of great care and empathy. I strongly believe this will one day be proof of that. Look out for “Scotia Circle” in the future, “Where nobody can be cornered.”

Be Part of Something Big - Honour a Remarkable Woman in your Life

The Mount’s commitment to the advancement and empowerment of women is well-documented and is one of the cornerstones of the university’s identity. Founded by the Sisters of Charity at a time when opportunities for women were limited, the Mount has truly been at the forefront of more than 150 years of achievement by women.

Each of us has been touched by the women in our lives. Think of the sacrifice, dedication, and selfless compassion of our mothers. Or of the support, love, and good humour of our closest friends. Or the inspiration and life lessons shared by our teachers and mentors. The women in our lives, and their remarkable stories, have helped shape each of us into the person we’ve become.

Today I want to share with you a personal story about a woman who has had a major impact on my life. My own mother has always been a great inspiration to me. She grew up in hard circumstances, a daughter of a share-cropping family in south Alabama.  She laboured in the fields under conditions hardly imaginable to me, and although she was a bright girl, hungry for knowledge, she was unable to attend high school.  But she read avidly all her life, and when her children had graduated from university she completed her high-school equivalency diploma and went on to enrol in university courses herself.  She set an example for my sister, brother and me and instilled in us a love of education that has stayed with us all our lives.

Artist Rendering of the Women's Wall of Honour

As we prepare to launch the virtual Women’s Wall of Honour, I eagerly anticipate learning about the many women who will be celebrated and remembered, including the story of Noreen Valenta, who was an engineering student many years ago in a class otherwise made up entirely of men. 

The virtual wall (www.womenswallofhonour.ca) is the first step in the real-life Women’s Wall of Honour, to be housed permanently in a garden-like setting outside our new Margaret Norrie McCain Centre for Teaching, Learning and Research.  Unique in Canada, this inspiring project will showcase stories and photos of women from all walks of life.   

I suspect you will also know the story of a remarkable woman who has left her mark on your life. Whether she’s your mother, grandmother, a partner, a friend or a mentor, I hope you will consider the opportunity to honour her by buying a brick in the Women’s Wall of Honour, and sharing her story online. The virtual Women’s Wall of Honour will be live in just a few short days. In the meantime, I encourage you to read more about Noreen’s story and to learn more about honouring the woman in your life by visiting the Wall’s Facebook page or by following @HonouringWomen on Twitter.

Until next time,

Ramona