Mount Allison University: Featuring (3rd Year International Relations Student) Rebecca Ann Dixon

Here's a short talk I had with fellow third-year International Relations student Rebecca Ann Dixon about Mount Allison University. If you're a prospective student, especially if you're interested in International Relations and/or getting involved on campus you should be sure to listen to what she says.

Note: Some other student videos soon to be posted may include very similar answers, especially in terms of student involvement. Trust me when I say that I didn't tell anybody what to say, much less allow them to give a scripted response. It is in fact very easy to get involved on campus. Case in point: my new role as PR representative for Mount Allison's Amnesty International student group after having learned of the group's existence in December.

Without further adieu, Rebecca Anne Dixon:

An American Turning 21 in Canada

So yeah...this past weekend was my birthday. I turned 21 and went to the pub with a few of my friends. I didn't drink 21 shots or anywhere near that many (which is an American 'coming of age' ritual which is "far more common than expected" according to the New York Times). It was nice and relaxed night, without any of the pressure to binge drink that many American college students face. Even having been drinking here since I turned 19, it's only now that I feel like I can "actually" drink. It'll be especially nice to get some reasonably priced alcohol (1/2 the Canadian price) next time I'm back home, and I'll especially at the Duty Free coming back here for my 4th and final year at Mount Allison.

This wasn't me on my 21st birthday

Amnesty International-- Stand with the people of Egypt: A call for protection

For those of you who don't know, there is a recently registered Amnesty International student group on campus. As the group's PR Representative it is my job to spread the word about our group's activities (which I will do here, on our Facebook Page and Twitter feed) and about the important work that Amnesty International does. I can think of nothing more relevant to international human rights today than the advocacy Amnesty does for those who do not have a voice of their own. I will be bringing attention to urgent action alerts discussed and responded to during our weekly meetings throughout the rest of the semester to highlight the plight of many people who without Amnesty's important work may be left invisible to the rest of the world.

However. sometimes there are human rights violations that capture the world's attention but continue to happen nevertheless. If there's only one thing you do in regards to the situation in Egypt it should be to read about the abuses that government supported thugs are carrying out on protesters and about crackdown on foreign media in the country, add your name to the public petition, and stand in solidarity with those on the ground in Egypt.

If you are interested in learning more about Amnesty International at Mount Allison feel free to come to our weekly meetings Thursdays at 8pm in the Society of All Nations lounge on the 2nd floor of the (Wallace McCain) Student Centre.

 Amnesty International Canada

Skipping Class (Or Not) at Mount Allison University

As the semester continues sometimes classes...aren't quite as full as the first day of class...and then mysteriously there are twice as many people as usual the day of tests. For our latest video Jill and I discuss the new "Should I Skip Class Today?" Calculator and whether or not it's a good idea to use if you're uncertain about making it to all of those 8:30 classes. I realize this video is on the longer end of things, and from now on we'll be sure to shorten them down to no longer than six minutes in the future. We'll be posting a fresh video later this week. For now, sit down, relax, and enjoy our first and last 10+ minutes long video.