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New mental health coordinator at STU
<p>On Oct. 21, St. Thomas University announced the arrival of a new campus mental health coordinator — Shane Clark. Clark will be working at STU until next October. Starting just two weeks ago, a hectic time for students with schoolwork ramping up, Clark has already been busy. “I came right in around midterm time, so […]</p>

STU
Nov 11, 20243 min read
‘Scared for my future’: International students fear cost of living creates barrier to immigration
<p>When Ecuadorian international student Kristel Paredes arrived in Canada to study at St. Thomas University she expected to encounter opportunities just like her sister, who has lived in Canada for almost four years. Her sister found easy access to affordable housing and quick employment when she first moved away from home. Paredes’s experience couldn’t have […]</p>

STU
Nov 4, 20244 min read
English professor discusses autistic children’s depiction in literature
<p>In this year’s Centre for Interdisciplinary Research on Narrative (CIRN) lecture, Brandi Estey-Burtt, part-time professor with the English department at St. Thomas University and an associate with CIRN, delivered the lecture titled “How to Eat a Book: The Monstrous (Autistic) Child and Children’s literature.” During the lecture, Estey-Burtt explained the powerful metaphor of children ‘devouring’ […]</p>

STU
Nov 4, 20242 min read
‘Nuclear is not the solution’: STU students engaged in research
<p>With an unprecedented number of heat waves hitting Fredericton this past summer and a Halloween night that broke heat records in the city, that were held since 1901, climate change is a topic that has been on the public’s mind. Some researchers are pushing nuclear energy as the solution, but not everyone is convinced. In […]</p>

STU
Nov 4, 20242 min read
Alternative creations market Esoterica partners with Freddy Fright Fest
<p>This isn’t Fredericton’s typical craft market — it’s odder. From chain mail jewelry to taxidermy, to horror art, the Esoterica market gave alternative creators a space for their “weird and wonderful” creations. Partnered with Freddy Fright Fest for the first time, the most recent Esoterica was held on Oct. 27 at the Capital Exhibit Centre. […]</p>

STU
Nov 4, 20242 min read
Where are they now? STU alum at Johns Hopkins
<p>After graduating in 2022, if someone had told St. Thomas University alum Flo Awde that she would go to Arizona State University, Johns Hopkins University, become a practicum student at Harvard and move to Geneva, Switzerland to intern for UNICEF, she would not have believed it. But this is Awde’s reality — a path that […]</p>

STU
Nov 4, 20244 min read
Has the pandemic changed the way students interact with school?
<p>With the 2024-25 school year underway and the COVID-19 pandemic almost two years behind us, there are now vast differences between student’s schooling experiences. Many fourth-year students ended high school in lockdown or with some kind of hybrid layout and started university with restrictions. Many incoming first-years have never known high school before COVID-19 lockdowns, […]</p>

STU
Oct 28, 20243 min read
Where are they now? STU alum at Harvard
<p>From Fredericton to Montreal, to Boston, St. Thomas University alum Abbie LeBlanc’s journey to Harvard was not all smiles and laughter. For LeBlanc, studying at STU was not a tough decision. As a Frederictonian born and raised, she always had a passion for the liberal arts and knew what she wanted to do. “I came […]</p>

STU
Oct 28, 20243 min read
‘Like losing a Beatle’: Fans react to Liam Payne’s sudden death
<p>The evening of Oct. 16 created shockwaves internationally when it was announced that Liam Payne, a former member of One Direction, had passed away at 31. The cause? Falling from a three-story balcony in Argentina. Regardless of where and when fans found out, the consensus was devastation. Sarah Tapley is a fourth-year student who was […]</p>

STU
Oct 28, 20243 min read
N.B. woman revives the lost art of broom-making
<p>Many people think of a broom as a housekeeping tool, but for Barbara Little, it’s more than that. “It’s a lost art, certainly,” said Little about broom-making. Baba’s Brooms is a small business run by Little. She travels to craft markets in New Brunswick selling handcrafted, old-fashioned brooms all made from imported broom corn or […]</p>

STU
Oct 21, 20242 min read
‘A hug from a grateful nation’: Quilts of Valour program honours veterans across Canada
<p>When Tim MacDougall received his Quilt of Valour, he joined over 24,000 Canadian veterans to receive one since 2006. On Sept. 27, he was also a part of New Brunswick’s largest presentation ceremony, where he was honoured with 49 other veterans. His first reaction was one of gratitude. “It was just a very nice gesture […]</p>

STU
Oct 21, 20243 min read
Commentary: Ecuador faces its worst drought in 60 years, students react
<p>Latin America is widely known for its beautiful landscapes, warm people and some of the world’s most biodiverse environments. Of the 33 countries that form this region, Ecuador stands out as one of the smallest in territory. Yet, it’s the fourth most megadiverse country behind Brazil, Mexico and Colombia, according to the United Nations on […]</p>

STU
Oct 21, 20244 min read
Satire: Vicki the vending machine at odds with STU students
<p>The following piece is a satire. The quotes and people named are fictitious and do not necessarily represent the views of The Aquinian. There’s a new girl in town at St. Thomas University in the form of a recently installed vending machine on campus. If you walk in to get a muffin from Tim Horton’s […]</p>

STU
Oct 14, 20242 min read
Piecing together history — retired lawyer unveils Loyalist history in the Maritimes
<p>When Brian McConnell retired from his career as a lawyer three years ago, he didn’t have to worry about finding a project for his downtime — he already had one. For the last ten years, he’s been a student of history, contributing to the research of Loyalists in the Maritimes. “It’s not particularly Loyalists that […]</p>

STU
Oct 14, 20243 min read
Campus Ministry’s Hearty STU lunches teach students the value of cooking
<p>At the kitchen door of St. Thomas University’s Holy Cross House, hungry students are met with the smell of provençale soup au pistou bubbling in the two large slow cookers and three freshly baked focaccia made with herbs from STU’s edible garden. The hearty soup, filled with potatoes, pasta, string beans and beans, is more […]</p>

STU
Oct 7, 20243 min read
‘It’s discriminating’: ACORN rally advocates for liveable disability support
<p>On Sept. 27, people gathered in Moncton and Fredericton for NB ACORN’s Raise the Rates rally — an attempt to raise awareness for the lack of support given to people with disabilities in New Brunswick. Ralliers consisted of concerned citizens and members of NB ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now), a group that […]</p>

STU
Oct 7, 20243 min read
‘I lost my breath’: Hospice Fredericton receives $100,000 donation
<p>When the CEO of the Hospice Fredericton, Cindy Sheppard, first heard that they were receiving a $100,000 donation, she was speechless. On Sept. 23, Hospice Fredericton announced that the Honourable Joan Kingston Foundation, sponsored by Fredericton Senator Joan Kingston, had chosen them for their first donation — a total of $100,000. Sheppard said when she […]</p>

STU
Oct 7, 20243 min read
STU holds ceremony ahead of Truth and Reconciliation Day
<p>St. Thomas University held a ceremony on Sept. 26, to recognize the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation which is on Sept. 30. The ceremony began with the lighting of the sacred fire by the Firekeeper Merl Millier, which calls for a moment of reflection, gratitude and a sense of connection with ancestors. “I felt […]</p>

STU
Sep 30, 20242 min read
Student Organizing Collective responds to ‘misleading’ statement from UNB president
<p>Across campus, posters have appeared with the words ‘Missing Person’ in all caps printed above a photo of the University of New Brunswick’s president Paul Mazerolle. Below the photo reads ‘Last seen spreading misinformation and being neutral about genocide.’ These posters, however, are not just a jab at the president, but part of a larger […]</p>

STU
Sep 30, 20243 min read
Students reflect on pressing issues as provincial election approaches
<p>Provincial election day is set for Oct. 21 and with less than a month to go, many students are reflecting on the issues they feel affect them most. Among the student issues, including healthcare, mental health services, abortion and education, the cost of living was a unanimous concern. “Cost of living is one of those […]</p>

STU
Sep 30, 20243 min read
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