I
Be Your Best with the De-Stress Fest
t is that time of year when the
mornings are starting to get a little
colder, the days are getting a little
shorter, and the homework is piling up
steadily. This semester has been abuzz with
excellent student engagement opportunities,
kicking off with a great Orientation Week
and continuing into the rest of September
with various Orientation events. Hopefully
you have all made some new memories and
some new friends during these first two
months.
Now it’s time to put your nose to the
grindstone and start churning out projects,
midterms, assignments and tests. For
students, this can be an incredibly stressful
time with everything seeming to come to
a head all at once. That is why the PAC
team is running a “De-Stress Fest” from
mid-November until the end of school in
December.
The idea behind the De-Stress Fest is to
provide an opportunity for students to let
loose and have some downtime in between
cramming for final assignments and/or
exams. We have arranged to have an array
of activities and events for students to
attend in order to promote study breaks and
movement to lower overall stress levels and
have a little fun.
Some of the initiatives we have planned for
this month are a “puppy room”, wherein
there will be puppies available to spend time
with. We are also planning to have “pickup” sports in the gym at specific times so
students can head over and exercise. We are
planning to have some giveaways, including
massages and spa days. We are also planning
to hand out hot chocolate and apple cider
in general study spaces during peak hours so
that you can take a quick break and indulge
– free of charge.
The month will kick-off with a comedic
and educational speaker who will be talking
about safe sex practices. (Hey… a healthy
body equals a healthy mind, right?) Our
guest speaker
will be bringing an assortment of giveaways
and SWAG as she is sponsored by none other
than Trojan, so be sure to sign up to hear her
speak for your chance to receive some fun
prizes.
I hope to see you at some of our events this
November-December. Remember that you
deserve a break every now and then, and
try not to be too hard on yourself. Oh, and
puppies. Did I mention puppies?
Erin Siksay,
PAC Team Coordinator
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/Peer Ambassador Committee of
St. Lawrence College - Kingston (PAC)
Concerts on a student’s budget
By J. Kaela Simpson
I
t’s no big secret that being a student is
financially taxing. Taking care of the
necessities (rent, food, heat and hydro)
make up the majority of our budgets. Do
you have a budget that allows for “fun or
entertainment”?
Being an avid concert goer and a postsecondary student has made me get
creative. Not breaking the bank on “extras”
is important. My sanity is maintained by
catching musical artists when they pass
through Kingston on tour.
Here are my observations that have helped
me keep up with live music habit and not go
broke:
2. Have a change jar.
At the end of every day or when you find
spare change place it in the jar. This way it
feels like a small enough amount that it’s not
immediately missed and you can afford to
save it.
3. Plan ahead
You may not get to go to every show but
planning ahead and hitting the shows that
are most important to you will be more
rewarding than going to all the shows and
not having enough money for bills and other
necessities.
1. Pull double of what you need and
save it!
4. Work/ volunteer for the venue or
promoter
Find a place at home where you can stash
your money and after a while you will
have enough to take a road trip to see your
favorite artist or get front row seats at the
Rogers K-Rock Centre.
Sometimes when you work or volunteer for
the venue and the promoter of an event, you
can gain entry just by doing your job.
6 SA Voice November 2013
5. Become a music Journalist, “the
enemy”
Music Journalism is a popular way to get
an up-close look at the touring world of
musicians. This was depicted in the movie
“Almost Famous” released in 2000, where a
young music journalist follows an opening
band on their cross country tour.
There are also many opportunities for free
shows in Kingston alone. “Music at the Bux”
is run by a local author and music lover,
Bruce Kauffman. It showcases local talent
at one of the downtown Starbucks locations
on Wednesday and Thursday nights. Your
Student Association often hosts free coffee
houses that draw student musicians from
many genres.
Take advantage of the opportunities around
you as being creative can be rewarding and
offer an alternative to spending money on
tickets to see an artist. “Pay it forward” by
working the shows. This not only allows
you to see live music, it’s beneficial to your
pocket book and the local/current artists that
are performing.
Student Association of St. Lawrence College | www.SAvoiceSLC.com