4 UNBC Life

EXAM

Emily Striker
Guest Contributor

t’s is the most wonderful time of the year—

for those of you who actually like exams.
Iam assuming that most of you reading this
are dreading this time. Well, try not to let it
get to you too much. Don’t get me wrong—
stress isn’t a bad thing, depending on how it
makes you feel. If it is going to motivate you
to succeed, then by all means, embrace that
stress. It is the stress that induces anxiety
that you want to avoid. It is important to
do your best and to study hard, but exams
shouldn’t deprive you of your health. As my
grandfather once told me, if you aren’t well,
then you can’t do well. On that note, allow
me to give you my tips on how to stay well at
this time.

First, make a schedule. Studying can seem
daunting when you're focusing on everything
that has to be done. By making a schedule,
you can space out when and how you do

your studying to ensure that it all gets done
in reasonable time. Make sure to actually
write it down—don’t just do it in your head.
By writing it down, your list of things to do
becomes a secondary focus in your mind.

When scheduling your study periods,
schedule in some breaks as well. We aren’t
made to sit and study for hours on end.
Actually, studying non-stop is less productive
than studying in chunks. I find that studying
for an hour and breaking for 20 minutes is
sufficient for me. If that number doesn’t

suit you, then adjust it. Just make sure

you refresh your mind at some point.

During your breaks, try to do something
unrelated to what you were just studying. So,
for instance, don’t read a book after you just
finished rereading your textbooks. Exercise

is a great way to clear the mind, even if it’s
just going out for a walk or doing crunches in
front of the tv. For those of you who don’t like
to exercise, there are other things you can

collegetribune.ie

do. I personally like to knit because it keeps
my hands busy and I still feel like I’m doing
something productive. Other things I enjoy
doing are Sudoku, doodling, those colouring
books everyone’s use nowadays and some
creative writing. My point is that you need to
do something that’s going to help you relax
and draw your attention away from studying.

Another way to refresh the mind is to sleep.
You need to get a decent amount of sleep,
which is at least 7 hours a night. Any less
than this classifies as unhealthy and puts
strain on your brain (see what I did there?)
Getting more than 8 hours of sleep is also
unproductive, unless you have a health issue
that requires more sleep. If so, then stick to
those extra hours. For the rest of you, aim
for 7 hours! You will feel so much better
working on 7 hours of sleep than 5. That,
and you will work without the symptoms

of sleep deprivation, which is usually
headaches and the feeling of “sluggishness.”

Eating is extremely important. I’m sure all of
you have heard the lecture on food leading
to brain power, and I hope you have because
it’s true. Without food, memorization and
problem solving takes more effort than it
should. I know that not all of us are chefs—I
myself am one of these non-chefs. That
being said, it is still possible to eat well. Eat

a sandwich, or munch on some fruits and
veggies. Just make sure to eat something.

My last piece of advice for you is this:
don’t study where you sleep. If you do,
you may have issues turning off your
brain to sleep because you'll feel the
need to study. Think of it this way: you
don’t sleep at your desk, do you? It’s the
same logic in regards to your bed.

This will all be over before you know
it! Just think of the freedom you'll
have over the winter break.

UNBC’s New Chancellor

Jesmeen Deo
Team Member

he sixth chancellor for UNBC has been

selected. James Moore will be following
John McDonald, Alex Michalos, Peter Bentley,
K. George Pederson, and Iona Campagnolo in
the official role.

So what does a chancellor do in their
position? A chancellor is more of a ceremonial
figurehead for UNBC than anything else, one
of the primary duties being granting degrees
at the annual convocation ceremonies.
Traditionally, the chancellor is appointed from
a group of distinguished alumni members, and
Moore is no exception. Moore is an alumnus
of UNBC, having graduated in 2001 witha
Bachelor’s degree in Political Science. One
year before his graduation, he had already
been elected as a federal Conservative MP

at just 24 years old, the youngest Member

of Parliament in British Columbia’s history.
Moore has quite a bit of experience in the
public eye; he was an MP for Metro Vancouver
for 15 years, and a cabinet minister under

the Harper government; most recently as the
Minister of Industry (2013-2015). He retired
from Parliament this year, choosing not to run
for MP in this most recent federal election.

Not everyone is happy about Moore’s
appointment. Some are simply concerned
over Moore’s political affiliation and whether
he can truly represent the north, especially
since he has been representing Metro
Vancouver as a Conservative for the past 15
years and is now in a position that is supposed
to be publically neutral. Indeed, the fact

that Moore is so closely associated with the
same administration that has been accused
of “muzzling scientists”, tried to start a
barbaric cultural practices tip line, and had
avery tense relationship with Canada’s First
Nations peoples, among other controversies,
has left many people wondering after

the announcement about how Moore will
really contribute to the image of UNBC.

He has also been criticized for making

some remarks over the years that some
have considered to be inappropriate or
callous. Some faculty members and alumni
have taken to social media to denounce the
appointment. They point to events as recent
as an election campaign scandal in which
Moore stated the Terry Fox Foundation

was supportive of a Conservative initiative
regarding cancer research, though the
Foundation insisted they were non-partisan
and Moore did not speak on their behalf. An
online petition on change.org has been started
in an attempt to have the decision to appoint
Moore cancelled, and by the time this article
was written, over 500 people had signed it.

Now does any of this really matter for
someone who is simply a ceremonial
figurehead for UNBC? Or is a big deal being
made up of nothing? That is up to the people
of this community to decide. Whatever the
case may be, the Board of Governors has
decided that he was the best candidate,

and Moore spoke on his appointment as
well. “I am humbled and honored to be
UNBC’s next chancellor,’ Moore said in

his statement, which can be found on the
article on the UNBC website. “UNBC is a
great institution with a proud history anda
sterling reputation today. With the recent
number-one ranking in Maclean’s magazine,
and a bright future on the horizon, I am
looking forward to playing my part in the
future successes to this fine institution.”

Moore is slated to be sworn in as the
new chancellor of UNBC at the
upcoming convocation

ceremony on May

17, 2016.