The Ruffled Feather

17/09/2020

"To say the least, it was a big day for the MSVUSU Wellness Centre/Food Bank—with a name change, a lost space, an eliminated student manager position, a new coordinator role with practically no compensation, and a delayed curbside pickup program, who knows whether Mount students will benefit at all."



https://www.theruffledfeather.info/post/we-re-back-and-so-is-the-msvusu-food-bank

With a name change, a lost space, an eliminated student manager position, a new coordinator role with practically no compensation, and a del

02/02/2020

"There’s always more to do to push the system towards equity and equality. I hope to see a day when every person can be certain they will have a roof over their head, without fear of making rent. Ideals inform our direction in advocacy—but I couldn't have asked for a better outcome in the immediate."

Human rights is a complex issue—but most would agree that if an individual has paid for a space to live, they have a right to have that roof over their heads fo

30/01/2020

BREAKING (but is it really?!):

"On January 20th, 2020, the MSVUSU Wellness Pantry Manager, who was also acting as interim Pride Centre Coordinator, handed in her official resignation."

Breaking (but not actually breaking because while, it might be old news--the MSVUSU has yet to officially acknowledged it): We just got word that on January 20t

22/01/2020

"Not one SRC member has even attempted to hold VP Communication accountable in any way, and it seems nobody has any interest in impeaching him, despite breaking the NDA being an impeachable offence.

I guess all this stuff is really cool and rad, right? It’s totally normal and not harmful in any way."

I’m disappointed. After a fall by-election cycle that promised reform and promised to challenge decades of systemic harm – you have failed. Resignations are bas

20/01/2020

"There’s free food on campus,” my friend told me. “Nobody really knows about it, and it’s in a weird place."

I just wanted food. My tuition keeps rising, my rent is unreasonable. I work as much as I can, but I can’t keep up. I don’t want charity. I’m not sure where to

16/01/2020

We just received information that union executives have explicitly refused to open the wellness pantry for students in need. Despite this being common practice in previous years, the pantry has not, and will not be accessible to students through the union execs or offices.

Not only has the Wellness Centre lost their location this year, MSVUSU is now denying students access to resources and furthering their complete disregard for student wellness.

Despite the pantry being understaffed and under resourced, we've yet to see direct SU support of this service yet this year. There have been no posts or notices, no announcements of the satellite locations, no delivery schedules, and no volunteer callouts from any of the MSVUSU social media or networking channels, to name a few. The union has completely shunned and shut out one of the most valuable resources on campus and placed the hundreds of students who rely on the pantry in a vulnerable position.

We've received multiple complaints to corroborate these claims and will be investigating further. If you'd like to add a submission or talk to us about the changes to student services this year, please reach out at www.theruffledfeather.info or email us at [email protected]

15/01/2020

"2019 was quite the year for the Mount Saint Vincent University Students' Union (MSVUSU)—and, a week into the Winter semester of 2020, plenty remains to be done—and soon.

We wanted to compile a quick list of items to (hopefully) watch out for in the coming weeks."

Happy new year from all us here at the Ruffled Feather! As we covered in our last post, 2019 was quite the year for the Mount Saint Vincent University Students’

11/12/2019

"We are not the ones who get to say whether or not someone has been hurt by our actions. That’s not up to us, it’s up to them. So if someone comes to us and says “I have been silenced and retraumatized by the SU” we don’t say “well I would never do that, that wasn’t the intention”. We say “where did we go wrong and how can we fix it?”

The most recent SRC meeting, which took place November 29th, made for an eventful conclusion to a tumultuous Fall semester for the MSVUSU. A number of students

04/12/2019

Do you know someone doing something cool on campus? Students, faculty, admin, alumni or workers!

Do you want more information on something you're seeing?

Want to highlight a rad event you know is coming up?

Want to submit an article of your own?

The Ruffled Feather is looking for tips about who and what YOU want to see featured!

Send us an email at @ [email protected],
Visit our website @ www.theruffledfeather.info,
Or send us a message!

This is YOUR news!

04/12/2019

We can't wait to see what these rad students are up to!

Do you know someone doing something cool on campus? The Ruffled Feather is looking for tips about who YOU want to see featured! Send us an email at @ [email protected], visit our website @ www.theruffledfeather.info, or send us a message!

This is YOUR news!

30/11/2019

"We are a feminist institution that is not concerned about feminist issues ...We deserve better than selective criteria and half assed containers and cards."

Periods are the worst. Cramps, feeling bloated, constant discomfort and blood. Lots of blood. I don’t know about other people who have experienced periods, but

27/11/2019

We've just received a tip that another member of the Student Representative Council has resigned bringing the total to 11.

Former Femme Representative, Emma Vibert, echoed many of the frustrations we reported on Monday by publicly stating in a Facebook post, "The lack of accountability and defensive rhetoric by the remaining Executive members is another silencing tactic, which allows them to misuse their power and pad their resumes with presumed wins. The current vindictive male Executive Members have now decided that the menstrual product committee did not exist. They continue to lie, manipulate, and misrepresent the work I and others have done. By perpetuating this false narrative, they are vilifying Nikki Jamieson, Mila Mckay, Brittany Ava M, and Kenya Thompson.

I stand in solidarity with these femme-identifying individuals, who I was elected to represent and now feel unable to serve in my role."

Please find the full statement attached:

25/11/2019

"In the election with the greatest turnout, 87 students voted in the election for Residence Representative, while only 9 participated in the election for Education Representative."

The MSVUSU held its 2019 Fall By-Election on September 26th and 27th. While the MSVUSU announced the results in Vinnie’s Pub and via Facebook live-stream, the M

25/11/2019

"Academic institutions across North America still seem to be hesitant to call out all kinds of hate speech and bigotry when there is any kind of discourse, even if that discourse has no academic integrity."

On the 13th of November, news broke about an anti-2SLGBTQIA+ speaker at a leadership boot camp at Dalhousie. The speaker in question, Laura Lynn Thompson, who i

23/11/2019

"A number of these students are speaking out about why they resigned from their positions, and their experiences within the MSVUSU—citing misogyny, oppression, gaslighting, and disrespect."

Since we last checked in, the MSVUSU has experienced a number of changes in leadership—including the resignations of two Executive members, four elected SRC mem

13/11/2019

Don't worry folks! We haven't gone anywhere.

We're a volunteer based, student ran collective and like many of you, the hubblebubble of midterm season got the better of us! But that doesn't mean we forgot about you!

Our team has been collecting stories and working out logistical kinks to ensure we bring the best, most informative, and raw student content your way!

Stay tuned for updates on SRC meetings, the most recent resignations of elected and hired members, and articles written and submitted by Mount students!

Interested in submitting a story or joining our newsroom?
Contact [email protected] for more information!

07/10/2019

"I believe strongly in democracy and so I can’t stand behind a government system that doesn’t prioritize democratic process.

Regardless of my lack of faith in the system, I personally am voting."

It might be a controversial take, but I’m not demanding that anyone vote. I believe that direct democracy has a stronger impact on the safety of marginalized gr

07/10/2019

MSVU Students encouraged to attend and are also welcomed to volunteer!

Check the link or e-mail [email protected] for more information!

RSVP here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/celebrating-international-day-of-the-girl-child-tickets-65695604321 !

Celebrating International Day of the Girl Child The Alexa McDonough Institute for Women, Gender, and Social Justice and Mount Saint Vincent University invite yo

07/10/2019

You made the request! We heard you! Stay tuned! We've now added an Events section to our webpage!

Stay tuned for rad events happening on campus, submit yours for publication, or tag us .info for shares!

07/10/2019

"This is a historical issue. There has been a problem with communication ongoing for a number of years."

After being shut down and delayed due to inadequate notice to council, a Student Representative Council (SRC) meeting that was originally scheduled to end at 8:

04/10/2019

“We need to do better than ‘I couldn’t find it so I skipped you entirely,'”

Following the adjournment of an Emergency SRC meeting held this afternoon, students and council consented to holding an informal town hall to address a series o

04/10/2019

"As the meeting began today, it was quickly shut down due to a direct conflict with the MSVUSU Constitution."

The Student Union called an emergency meeting earlier this week, and as the meeting began today it was quickly shut down due to a direct conflict with the MSVUS

04/10/2019

"The Student Representative Council (SRC) has called an emergency SRC meeting to happen this afternoon, at 12:30pm."

The Student Representative Council (SRC) has called an emergency SRC meeting to happen this afternoon, at 12:30pm. A public event was made to the MSVUSU Faceboo

04/10/2019