Articles from:October 2018

• Brock reminding its students to be respectful, safe as Halloween approaches

  Friday, October 26, 2018 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 26 October 2018 – R00190

  The sombrero is a useful tool to provide shade on the head, neck and shoulders. But it’s also a useful tool to shed light on the idea of cultural appropriation and what’s appropriate for Halloween costumes.

  With Halloween around the corner, Brock University and the Brock University Students’ Union (BUSU) are reminding students that turning traditional garments into a costume is never OK.

  Cultural appropriation takes an item that has symbolic meaning for a particular people and uses it to mock that culture or turn it into a fashion statement.

  “Such actions remove intentional meaning and often provide another point of pain and discomfort to already marginalized communities,” said Leela MadhavaRau, Director, Human Rights and Equity. “It removes thousands of years of history and culture or religion and uses it in a way that is often inappropriate.”

  In the leadup to Halloween on Wednesday, Oct. 31, the University is educating its students about making smart decisions both on campus and off. Part of that education is focusing on not wearing inappropriate costumes.

  “There are many layers to the idea of cultural appropriation,” MadhavaRau said. “Simply saying ‘don’t wear that’ misses the opportunity to explain why that’s the case. It’s not to say that people didn’t talk about it previously, but I think it’s moved into the mainstream as a point of discussion.”

  To help educate students BUSU, along with the Student Justice Centre (SJC) and the Department of Residences, is continuing its Culture is not a Costume campaign. At BUSU’s Halloween pub night Thursday at Isaac’s, staff were on hand to look for inappropriate costumes that among other things, “reduce cultural differences to jokes, stereotypes or historical and cultural inaccuracies.”

  Thursday also marked the start of ramped up security, with two dozen security staff on hand at Isaac’s as well as five dedicated Campus Security Services (CSS) staff members and other BUSU and Brock supervisors.

  In a message to students, BUSU President Aidan Hibma said it’s all about having a fun and safe Halloween.

  “We all want to participate in and enjoy the Halloween festivities, but it’s important that we don’t put the Bad in Badger,” he said. “Drink responsibly, stay hydrated, ensure your costume adheres to BUSU’s Halloween Protocol, be respectful of your neighbours and don’t drive under the influence.”

  Throughout this weekend and into next week, Brock is working with the Niagara Regional Police Service to provide extra officers who will patrol off-campus student residential areas in Thorold and St. Catharines from 8 p.m. until 3 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 26, Saturday, Oct. 27 and Wednesday, Oct. 31. As part of the Brock Off-Campus Patrol pilot project, two Brock CSS officers will also patrol off-campus neighbourhoods those three nights, allowing Brock CSS to identify any emerging concerns and notify the NRPS.

  Should any issues arise, Brock’s Off-Campus Living and Neighbourhood Relations department will use its response protocol which was developed alongside the Niagara Regional Police, municipal by-law officers, Campus Security Services, and others to provide a variety of co-ordinated responses, including following up with residents and visiting student properties.

  Extra security staff and NRPS officers will also be on hand in Brock’s on-campus residences.

  Brock President Gervan Fearon said the University has taken steps this year to further educate its students.

  “Together with our local municipalities and the Niagara Regional Police, everyone here at Brock University is committed to ensuring we’re a good community neighbour,” he said. “Brock students have demonstrated they can be outstanding community partners and residents, and they’re reminded that it’s their responsibility, both on and off campus to abide by municipal bylaws and the University’s Student Code of Conduct.”

  Brock Student Life and Community Experience (SLCE) staff have been promoting the Don’t Put the Bad in Badger campaign through posters and information booths on campus and have also been visiting neighbourhoods in Thorold and St. Catharines.

  The SLCE team is running its Trick or Eat campaign again this year. Brock Staff and city bylaw officers delivered empty food donation bags to neighbourhoods around the University this week. Brock students in costume will then go door-to-door and pick up the bags up filled with food for Community Care on Halloween.

  “We know that Halloween is a time for celebration and getting together with friends,” said SLCE Director Bradley Clarke. “But we expect our Brock students to do so safely and respectfully, and we want them to realize that the poor decisions of even a small group can reflect badly on us all.”

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  * Dan Dakin, Manager Communications and Media Relations, Brock University [email protected], 905-688-5550 x5353 or 905-347-1970

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  Categories: Media releases

• Groundbreaking research reveals some hard truths about work in horse stables

  Thursday, October 25, 2018 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: 25 October 2018 – R00189

  In the first-ever research of its kind, a new study by a Brock University Labour Studies professor has examined labour issues for Ontarians working with horses.

  The result is a very mixed picture of this province’s equine industries, with half of stable staff respondents saying they’re paid minimum wage — or less.

  “This will be a wakeup call about the severity of some problems,” says Brock Professor Kendra Coulter, Chancellor’s Chair for Research Excellence and Chair of the Labour Studies Department. “My hope is that the report shines a light, inspires new conversations and adds fodder to those that are underway about how to improve job quality in stables.”

  On Thursday, Oct. 25, Coulter released her report, Work in Ontario Horse Stables, which presents key findings from a survey of 1,000 people including stable owners and operators, and current and former workers.

  Coulter says it sheds much-needed light on a widely misunderstood workforce.

  “The results provide empirical evidence of certain trends horse people knew informally were happening, as well as some new and promising insights,” she says.

  Coulter, whose research work on animals, labour and humane jobs has been recognized in Canada and around the world, says those working with horses are often under-valued and under-appreciated.

  “Stable workers are asked to do very difficult work under challenging conditions, and they are excluded from some of even the most basic protections outlined in the Employment Standards Act,” she says. “It can manifest in frustration about working conditions and high turnover rates for front-line workers, and difficulty recruiting and retaining talented and reliable staff for employers.”

  In addition to the low rates of pay, Coulter found many working on the front lines in equine industries are also not being legally classified, or may be being misclassified as independent contractors, a move which downloads certain costs onto staff.

  “This may be unintentional, or it may be about trying to save money in the short term,” she says.

  Coulter, who will discuss her research Saturday at the University of Guelph Equine Industry Symposium, says the number of jobs and the working conditions of people directly affect the care they are able to provide to horses.

  “To work effectively and thoughtfully with horses, people need multi-faceted intellectual and physical skills, knowledge, understanding and empathy,” she says.

  The reasons people had left the equine industries mirrored the greatest sources of dissatisfaction for the current workforce: pay, disrespect and the schedule.

  On the positive side, some employers are trying to tangibly demonstrate their appreciation for front-line workers, despite the high costs associated with running a horse stable. The survey found that workers and employers were united by their commitment to horses, and their interest in providing improved care.

  One discovery Coulter was happy to find was the shared interest in stronger animal welfare laws and greater investment in animal cruelty investigations and prevention. Animal cruelty investigations work and policy is one of Coulter’s other areas of expertise, and she was heartened to see it highlighted, noting that there is growing public interest in improving the province’s approach.

  Coulter hopes this report and further research will help stimulate larger conversations and plans of action.

  “People and horses definitely deserve better,” she says.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  * Dan Dakin, Manager Communications and Media Relations, Brock University [email protected], 905-688-5550 x5353 or 905-347-1970

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  Categories: Media releases