A Poetic RMC?

Article by 25892 (IV) Meghan Thompson

On January 25th, the English Department hosted an in-house Poetry Reading featuring four local—and I mean very local—poets. This year’s first Poetry Reading opened with slam-poetry by 25927 OCdt (III) Rikki Bell, and poetry by 25786 OCdt (IV) Brennen Roche, Dr. Chantel Lavoie and Dr. Micheal Hurley. Open for all staff and students to attend, the Reading drew such guests as Mr. Joseph Michel Ouellette, our writer-in-resident, Dr. Lawrence McDonough, the Dean of Arts, and Dr. Laura Robinson, the Head of the English Department, not to mention a number of other professors, students from other departments and as many English majors as could make it…considering that it fell on the Friday of the West Point exchange.

The event began with an introduction of our writer-in-residence, Michel Ouellette, and an introduction of the main coordinator for the event, Dr. Hurley. Michel Ouellette was the subject of my first introduction, and many of those in attendance, including myself, had never met him before the Reading. His prolific writing career includes over forty plays, two novels, two works of children’s literature, and a poetic narrative. He is the recipient of the Governor General’s award for French Town, the French Trillium Award for Le testament du couturier and the Prix Michel-Tremblay for Le guerre au ventre, and has been involved with theatre for over 25 years. I also had the chance to ask him to review this year’s semi-bilingual play Shakespeare Wears CADPAT (by 26056 OCdt (III) Aaron Jacques); thus, the Poetry Reading may also have sparked a partial collaboration for the upcoming production on March 1st-3rd of this year.

Next, I had to try to find a way to introduce the very master of introductions himself, Dr. Hurley. Professor Michael Hurley, who has been teaching at RMC since 1988, specializes in what he calls “the imagination,” and by trying to follow the twisting turns that seem to have led him to his “destiny” of “teaching poetry to the military,” I came to see why such an imagination is necessary. As a stand-alone force against the conventional, Dr. Hurley has been graduating Cadets with credentials to go on and be anything from Rhodes Scholars to war-heroes since he began working at the college.

The first presenter was 25927 OCdt (III) Rikki Bell who recited rhythmic poetry completely from memory. More of a verbal performance than a recitation, Bell’s poems “Grey,” “Urban Beat,” “A Response to the Editorial ‘Why Women Shouldn’t Be Allowed in the Infantry” and “Just Breathe” were all composed at different times in her life but hold continued relevance to the concerns of the present day. While “Grey” was written while she was in high school in response to drug use of her peers, her response to an editorial against women in combat had been written and memorized the day before, the 24th of January. With lines that describe children “on the street walking on broken glass in bare feet” and how we can seem to have “lost our eyes while looking for our dreams,” OCdt Bell has an excellent talent for using words to paint disturbingly powerful images for her audience.

Following on OCdt Bell’s heels was 25786 OCdt (IV) Brennen Roche. Different from OCdt Bell’s poems, OCdt Roche’s pieces dealt primarily dealt with a the concept of the type of dystopia that seems to be created by, and exist within, a society established and defined by the technological conveniences of the modern information age. Unlike “Day-to-Day Amusement,” a stream-of-consciousness work, “Your World, If You Please,” and “Clarity of Mind” focused on news headlines and speak of the problems “caused by ignored emotions.” His other poems, “On Humankind’s Pursuit of Answers to Cosmic Questions,” “Lust,” and “Contemporary Intercourse,” also impressed. In his poems, OCdt Roche explores the barriers that form between people when headlines all predict gloom and doom, human kind reaches beyond its limits towards a new home rather than to repair the one we have, and anything one could ever want seems to be available through a screen or gadget.

After OCdt Roche’s presentation, Dr. Hurley called upon Dr. Lavoie to read five original pieces of her own poetry, including a sonnet she wrote while at RMC. She described the story of this poem’s conceptualization as a result of complaints from her ENE 210 class, who, upon being assigned a sonnet to write one year, grumbled that she should write one too; so, she did. Her presentation, which included poems of erasure written after a visit to Guatemala, “Laundry, “Laundered” and “Tangled,” and that more recent sonnet “Weaponry,” was primarily focused on one of her prime areas of fascination: teeth. With the poems “Teething One” and “Teething Two,” Dr. Lavoie introduced the concept of the role of teeth in our lives which she then solidified in “Phillis Wheatley’s Teeth” and “Waterloo Teeth.” Particularly in “Phillis Wheatley’s Teeth,” a poem about a famous female African-American poet from the 18th century, the importance of teeth in defining our lives became evident. In Wheatley’s case, her two missing teeth, having fallen out during the voyage, were used to determine her age when she arrived—seemingly without name, age, and language—as a slave in North America.

To complete this first Poetry Reading, Dr. Hurley presented two longer, hypnotic, flowing, poems which had deep connection to nature. “James Hillman’s Acorn,” according to Dr. Hurley, “pays tribute to psychologist James Hillman whose ‘acorn theory’ proposes that each life is formed round a particular image, a vibrant image that is the essence of that life and calls it to its destiny, just as the mighty oak’s destiny is written in the tiny acorn.” This force, described throughout the centuries in different ways from the Greek “daimon,” to the Roman “genius,” and the Christian “guardian angel,” might be more casually referred to as “our calling” in this day and age, and Dr. Hurley, and in trying to help the audience explore how this destiny concept gets us in “The Zone,” recited this piece as a natural flow of sounds like a soft call for all in the audience to seek their own destiny. Similarly, “The Green Man” also had a heavily meditative tone, although it more directly speaks about nature—literally. The poem is about a “father nature” figure “who seems to have been dropped from Western culture and specifically the Christian church” while “he is still alive and well in the East, just as the Divine there is imaged forth as both God and Goddess.”

At the conclusion of the reading, the audience had the sense that the works shared some common trends. All poems offered a mix of caution and calls for change or empowerment, and thus all served to complicate the presupposed superiority of the status quo and suggest that it can be dangerous to take anything at face value in our world. At the end of the presentations, there was a discussion period that granted the audience a chance to ask questions about methods employed by each poet and the origins of different pieces. Hopefully next time we will see other writers willing to present their poetry.

In honour of Remembrance Day, students in Dr Erika Behrisch Elce’s ENE100 class (first-year English for science and engineering students) were each given the task of writing a sonnet on behalf of one of the men or women of the Canadian Forces – and specifically those connected with RMCC – who died doing his or her duty. Ranging from World War I to the war in Afghanistan, and from national leaders such as Currie and Mackenzie to the unsung Lieutenants of the French front, the Officer Cadets produced thoughtful, heart-wrenching, and deeply respectful poems for their fallen comrades. Here is a sample of their fine work; the entire collection is on display outside Dr Behrisch Elce’s office (M309). If you have a few moments during these hectic days, please stop by to honour their subjects, and to admire their fine work. A printed collection will also soon be available through the Library for general distribution.

“How much does it take?” by Jester Ladia They say you were different from the rest: You had a higher calling, to be brave; Your nation is what you wanted to save -What did it take to pass this daunting test?   Forward and onward you commanded them, Thrust into the darkness of the unknown, This was the life you chose, didn’t you know? They were yours. All yours. Loyal gentlemen.   But there was always something in your head: Your family, your loved ones, those at home. A small post card saying “I am quite well”; Still, beyond the paper, you were alone.   With a heavy heart, you marched, and then fell. You passed the test, who would have ever known? ________________________________ “The Last Op” by Christopher Wright 26860 Lead lightning tore through the wing’d beast of steel. O’er the skies the flames burned like the sun once did, Now shadowed by the flying hell made real; As down into the dark abyss we slid.   My crew rushed out through the billowing smoke, Save one in the turret jammed fast and stuck. I wrenched at the door, axe and hand I broke, But to no avail; we had run short of luck.   You told me to jump, my chute all in flame. A hand at the door to a hero I’d throw, And wait long enough just to whisper your name, Then out the beast to the ground I did go.   T’was on that night I stood saluting thee, Yet here you stand now, saluting me.

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“Day 0” by Morgan Hartlen 26675 A torrent of water, no end in sight. A spark ignites the wall, far from any pier – Just like we’ve trained, boys! It’ll take all our might; Haven’t lost one in almost 50 years!   The choking black smoke, as dense as water, To push through the pain, and combat the fire. Breathing is laboured; it’s getting hotter, Fighting for life, situation is dire.   Things look better with smouldering embers, Off to see the doc, to get all checked out; No time to rest, inspecting the members, – You’re A okay! He says, without a doubt.   With fire in his heart – honey, I’m fine. Hadn’t lost one since 1959. ________________________________ Sonnet for Major CV Strong, by Benjamin Sea 26847 Today I know will be a better day, The nights get longer with no end in sight. But forward we march; we are here to stay, We answered the call of a nation’s plight.   Our rivals hold their ground without flinching – Forward we push, we follow our brothers. My experience has been life changing; We keep fighting to honour our fathers. I long to return home to see my wife; First I must serve with hour, and duty. It is these principles that guide my life; I pray for tomorrow’s morning beauty.   The glorious fallen may rest in peace; Honour I seek, then I shall be released.

The Royal Military College of Canada enjoys a uniqueness not found in other universities: military officer professors. Major Bertram Frandsen has been with the college since 2009 and is highly involved with the history department. He brings an exceptionally excitable teaching style to the institute and has been a welcomed member of the teaching staff. However, he is announcing his retirement from the college and the Canadian Forces beginning September 2012. During his stay at the college, Frandsen has undergone experiences that students and much of the faculty may not know of.

Frandsen began his career with the Canadian Forces in 1976 through the Reserve Officer Entry Program with the intent of becoming an infantry officer. His desires changed a couple years later, and he pursued the logistical branch. After his first posting in Petawawa, he was transferred to Germany to serve as quarter master of 1 RCHA artillery regiment. He returned to Canada in 1986 and worked in the brigade headquarters of Petawawa. He was given his rank of Major in 1987 when he began his first of four postings in the National Defence Headquarters. He held numerous positions before his penultimate position as a strategic Analyst at NDHQ. In 2009, he was posted to the Royal Military College of Canada.

Even before his arrival at the college, Frandsen had a desire to teach at RMC, as he notes, “I was certainly keen on coming to the college, and I consider it an honour and a privilege. I am actually retiring in September after 37 years, and I cannot think of a better spot to retire than here; I am very fortunate that this will be my final posting in the Canadian Forces.”

Since 2009, Frandsen has been teaching the college’s History Department. His courses focus on Canadian history, Canadian military history, and the impact of science and technology on society and the environment. To his surprise, a majority of his students are non-artsmen; he has been trusted with the core courses required of all Engineering and Science students.

“I was looking at the very large graduating class, and I did a quick count: Well over one hundred of the engineers graduating were students of mine over the past few years,” he explains with a hint of pride, “It isn’t your typical University. There is a completely different rationale at RMC; while history is part of the education program, it is also part of the wider sense of developing professionalism for potential future officer of the Canadian Forces.”

History has always been a passion for Frandsen. It began in his youth when he would go to the library and read books on various types of history. It continued as he aged, and it became his best subject in high school. Despite this, he took political science in 1972 at Glennin College “albeit with history overtones” – he claims to defend his love for the subject. He worried that he may not have been given the chance to further his education in his following years in the Canadian Forces, but he was pleasantly surprised when given the chance to complete the MA and War Studies program in Toronto. He began his PhD in history at Wilfred Laurier in 2003 and expects to be finished in January 2013. Teaching military history at RMC has been a delight for him not only for this reason, but also because of the rich military history of his own family – his grandfathers have fought in the Seven Years War and the War of 1812, and his father is a WWII naval veteran.

The enjoyment of Frandsen’s lifelong-desired position was unexpectedly interrupted just before the Convocation Day of 2010 when he awoke aching with full-body pain and was incapable of walking by the end of the day. He had become a paraplegic. Frandsen was hospitalized for four months – after which he would have to relearn how to walk. He spent an entire year off on sick leave where he regained his previous abilities and experienced a different quality of life. He notes the way that people registered him during his time disabled and hopes to one day write of the experience. Despite the hardship, he returned in the fall of 2011 in full capacity to recommence his teaching.

“It was a great challenge – just as much psychologically and mentally as it was physically,” he says and furthers his experience to the cadets, “Having taught and seen the cadets in my office, I see the hardship that they sometimes go through. I advise them that even though we become caught in our day-to-day situations, there will almost always be a light at the end of the tunnel.

“When I look back at my time teaching at RMC, one of the things that I always try to imbue – which some students on occasion find bizarre – is that regardless of what you decide to do with your life, regardless of your current situation, you need to also be able to write and read critically, and that is why I might have been rough at times when it came to grading students’ papers. I know you can do better, and sometimes it is a matter of giving you that little ‘push’ to help you over the top.”

As the summer months continue, Major Bertram Frandsen approaches his perpetual retirement in September due to the Canadian Force’s compulsory retirement age. After being in the Canadian Forces for 37 years, he knows that life will be quite different. He will be receiving his dissertation by January and desires to continue teaching part time.

On the subject, Frandsen jests, “I may be nearing 60, but I’m still alive; I’m not quite over the hill yet!”

~By OCdt 26069 C. W. Kunkel

Upon graduation, students are released into the much wider world and do not know what to expect. This can be an exciting – but ultimately fearful – experience. 7838 Henri Cardinal has led a rewarding career since his graduation from the Royal Military College of Canada, and he has lived an exceptionally varied life. Cardinal has taken his teachings from RMCC and applied them across the span of his career life – making him an admirable icon of life experience.

Henri Cardinal joined the Canadian Forces in 1964 and enrolled at the College Militaire Royale in Saint-Jean, Quebec. His father was in the police force, and Cardinal looked up to him immensely. Cardinal spent time in the Army Cadets during high school, and he developed a taste for the disciplined life that the military provided. Cardinal’s main desire at the time was to pursue a career in the police force, and he was hesitant in joining the Army. However, he realized another option after attending an airshow: a fruitful career as a pilot was waiting for him. His father encouraged that he still pursue further education; he said that it was important to be able to have something to fall back on should his career end shorter than expected. With numerous siblings and his family’s modest means, a University education would have been very difficult for Cardinal.

“I joined the college to get a degree that my father likely couldn’t afford, and it was insurance; I graduated in engineering, but I never spent a day as an engineer!” explains Cardinal, “Yet, my training as an engineer provided me with a logical mind when approaching problems and increased my ability to calculate.”

He graduated in 1969 and says that while his five years spent in the system (3 years at CMR, and two years at RMC) were tough, he realizes now that he did not genuinely appreciate what his time at RMC had provided him. According to Cardinal, the comradeship found in the college is unparalleled compared to many other places, and it truly helped shape him in discipline and self-improvement. It was not until he took a few steps back – or five years away from the college – to realize just how much the college shaped him. During his time at RMC, he also met his future wife, Brenda Hicks, who was studying at Queen’s University. For this, he says his time with the college is more important than he could ever imagine.

After graduation, Cardinal left for Pilot Selection in Borden. This spanned for 13 months, after which he was sent to Moose Jaw. Around this time, delays started to appear because too many pilots were graduating and too few operational positions were available. For a year’s duration, he and several other pilots flew aircrafts in order to maintain the aircrafts and their own abilities. Although he was recommended as a fighter jet pilot during his time in Moose Jaw, the numbers did not stack in his favour and Cardinal was sent to his first and only operational unit in Valcartier where he began to fly helicopters. These came with unique challenges that he formidably encountered, but he left the Regular Force in the summer of 1975 at the rank of Captain.

Reflecting his reasoning to leave his position as a pilot, Cardinal says, “I left because I wanted to see the immediate results of my job: if I’m a police officer and give somebody a ticket, I have done something; if I stop and help someone find their way, I have made a difference. It might have been different had I been in search and rescue, but we were simply preparing for the Cold War – which was a fight that we did not believe either side was foolish enough to start.”

In January 1976, Cardinal fulfilled his early ambitions and became a constable in the Montreal police force. This job proved to be immediately exciting due to the ’76 Olympics. During this time, he helped protect areas during the construction phase and was inside the stadiums during the games. Cardinal found himself in many different stations before arriving to the one he truly desired: the downtown station. Under no means was his time before this less rewarding;  for four years, he was a member of the SWAT division and was involved in several drug raids and the capturing of high-profile criminals. Much to his pleasant surprise, the downtown area was even more exciting than this. He claims, “there, it was highly noticeable when the normal people left to go to bed and the other types emerged.”

After eight years as a constable, Henri Cardinal was promoted to a Sergeant. He was then made a Lieutenant a year (minus a day) later, and he took on the command of several constables and a few sergeants. He learned much from his time in the military, and this experience helped him a great deal in this position.

“I found it is much better to earn people’s respect than them liking you. I’ve seen many people in leadership positions who wish to be ‘popular’ and don’t do the jobs that they’re supposed to do as a supervisor. Their subordinates like them because they get anything they desire, but they do not respect the leaders because they see them as pushovers,” he details, “If you strive to earn people’s respect, they may not like you because you’re tough, but they will follow you if you enforce discipline on not only them, but also yourself. This means leading by example.”  

During his time as an officer in the Canadian Forces and a member of the Montreal Police, Henri Cardinal never fully ended his ties with the military – helping him later in his career. After verifying his schedules and smoothing a few technicalities, he joined the reserves in March 1980 and continued to fly with 438 Squadron in St. Hubert. The unit was equipped with helicopters soon after Cardinal’s arrival, and he was once again operating them. Coincidentally, the director of the police force dreamt of uniting with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in order to engage in a helicopter detachment. With Cardinal’s maintained flying experience, he was a shoe-in for this position. He would fly missions for the Montreal police and RCMP for quite some time. Cardinal’s adjacent responsibilities within the reserves increased, and he was made the Commanding Officer of 438 Squadron from March 1990 to June 1993. During the Oka Crisis in 1990, he flew transport and patrol missions. After this, he was promoted to Colonel and took over 1 Wing from June until 1996. Before his departure from the reserves in 1999, his responsibilities swelled to advising the Commander of 1 Wing (Kingston) on Air Reserve matters. Montreal police, Henri Cardinal encountered many types of people under his command with varying levels of experience. He believes that his time at the Royal Military College truly helped with being able to deal with this because he was able to learn from his mistakes early on. Cardinal stresses the importance of appreciating where you currently are, but he also has experienced the difficulty of stepping out from your current situation to analyze it.

“The best and most rewarding position for a cadet – or anyone else – to be in is when they are able to get to the point where you can appreciate where you are while still there,” says Cardinal, “It isn’t advisable to simply look forward to graduation and marching through the arch as your goal. This isn’t deliverance; you are losing many good years.”

The police force changed the weapon standardization before Cardinal’s eventual retirement, and his final position was supervising and co-ordinating the many instructors in the shooting programs at the Police Training School. He continued shooting as a hobby after his retirement in 2006, but Henri Cardinal mostly travels now with his wife. He has a motorcycle that he uses actively, and he frequents the gym to stay in shape. After a very rewarding career, he is able to look back with ease and appreciate each milestone required to get what he desired.

~By OCdt 26069 C. W. Kunkel

The Royal Military College of Canada is rather extensive, and its teachings go much further than its undergraduate program dominated by officer cadets. Dr. Adam Chapnick has been an associate professor at RMC since 2006, but he does not walk the halls in Kingston; he is situated in the Canadian Forces College in Toronto – a satellite campus of the Royal Military College. Many people are not aware of some of the other dimensions of this institute and, in turn, this celebrated professor.

“In the faculty of arts in the Royal Military College, there is an arch of defence studies,” Dr. Chapnick explains, “That entire department is located here in Toronto. We are a department of RMC, but we are located in a satellite campus.”

Upon his arrival, Dr. Chapnick did not know much about the Canadian Forces College. He quickly learnt the school’s duty in catering towards the education of intermediate to senior-level officers and senior-level public servants. Chapnick’s initial responsibilities heavily concerned teaching the Joint Command Staff program, but his responsibilities have transformed since and now lie more in the National Security program. He has also grown into a role as the person in charge of educational development amongst staff and teachers. He has recently developed a program that aims to help introduce international students to Canada. Dr. Chapnick realizes just how much the College brings together senior military personnel and has thoroughly enjoyed his involvement thus far.

He says, “I think it’s quite an amazing place, and it has grown quite a bit. When I joined in 2006, it had a faculty of four. We’re now a full-time faculty of eleven.”

Dr. Chapnick’s arrival at the Canadian Forces College was a pleasant surprise for him. He has always had a desire for teaching; even before his four years at Trent University where he studied History and English Literature, he knew that he desired a career as a teacher. After completing his undergraduate degree, he decided that he wished to pursue university-level teaching. He wished to strengthen his long-term employability with an interdisciplinary degree and decided to focus on Canadian Foreign Policy at The Norman Paterson School of International Affairs in Carleton University. Dr. Chapnick then spent just under four years with Robert Oswald in the University of Toronto for his PhD.

Atop of his many obligations, Dr. Chapnick currently has a project on the go: He has begun a book that chronicles Canada’s six experiences on the UN Security Council and the eight elections to try and get on it. He has written countless articles, books, and reports on his wide field of expertise.  Numerous writings on Canada’s role in world affairs can be found in his articles – as well as his first book, The Middle Power Project. His writing has won several awards, and he is quite prolific in his field.

Even though he does not interact with the officer cadets regularly, Dr. Adam Chapnick still has plenty of advice for them, saying, “Education, in general, is what you put into it. No one can really teach you as much as they can inspire you to learn more. RMC cadets have an extraordinary opportunity – given the small class sizes at RMC – to learn a lot in a relatively condensed period of time.

“My advice would be to take advantage of this incredible opportunity and spend the time that it takes to really learn while you’re in university. The opportunity doesn’t come back all that often.”

To read more about Dr. Chapnick and to look into his research, check out his website at www.adamchapnick.ca. You can find out more about the Canadian Forces College here.

~By OCdt 26069 C. W. Kunkel

One of the most crucial facilities of every academic institution is the library. The Royal Military College of Canada boasts a highly student-friendly library that has been on its campus for over 52 years. The Massey Library is a crucial part of life at RMCC, and it has changed drastically over the past ten years – and continues to do so. It sees a wide range of students; the library is frequented by officer cadets, graduate students, high-ranking officers of all stripes, non-commissioned members, exchange students, and many guests interested in research or a good book. With the capabilities of reaching out to its partner library at Queen’s University, and being able to access many other universities in the world, the Massey library packs a heavy punch despite its small size.

The leader of front-line activities in the library is Mrs. Clarinda Olsen. She is the Head of Access Services and sees to the efficient completion of inter-library loans, circulation, reference services, collection development, and shelving. She has been with the library since 2001, and several notable changes have been made to the library while she has performed as a key helper at RMCC. Originally in charge of the science and engineering library before it was centralized into the Massey Library in 2006, Mrs. Olsen is a well-informed, able-bodied woman capable of helping students with the toughest research issues and providing valuable information about the library.

“Massey Library,” Mrs. Clarinda Olsen explains, “was opened in 1960 with a ceremony by Governor General Vincent Massey. It is a pleasure working with the students of RMCC. I have worked at numerous other university libraries, and I believe the cadets are a great group to work with and are very focused.”

Academically, due to its large variety of students, the library requires specialization in many fields. This is a daunting task that is surprisingly managed in the library’s quaint location because of its largest change, switching to more electronic-based sources. A large database of scientific and literary sources can be accessed through the library’s computers, and a sample of each of these can be found on the shelves. The library also provides movies, journals, newspapers, and many different magazines for readers’ pleasure. However, the main concern for the Massey Library and its staff has always been focused on creating an environment where students are comfortable to learn and be engaged in.

“Another advantage of working in a small library is that you really get to know the students more,” says Olsen, “I like to think we offer a friendly atmosphere – not that that isn’t possible in a big library, but you have a chance to find out what becomes of your guidance when you work in a small university like this.”

Many student-focused initiatives have also been taken. Recently, the library has boosted its video collection to add a wider variety of films for students to enjoy. Since many students do not consistently have the luxury of renting movies, this is a great kindness. Books and collections can also be recommended for ordering by students and departments. The library is connected to the Writing Centre, and the English and History departments are located nearby, making the area a central academic hub where students have access to ample support when needed. Olsen spends two to four hours a days at the service desk to get involved with the students.

The library’s use is not limited to the student body, however. Guests are welcome to visit and read from the collections. The Massey Library holds heavy ties to its military roots and offers a great deal of books on the subject matter. One of the greatest gems that the library holds is their Special Collection section that can be accessed by all visitors. This collection holds numerous historical texts dating as far back as the start of the 17^th century and contains items of remarkable interest – such as Major General Wolfe’s diary, era-made books on renaissance warfare, manuals on early Canadian battlements and strategy, and even identical replicas of certain Vatican texts. The section is an oasis of literary and military history.

With so much at their disposal, it is important for students to remember to make good use of the Massey Library. The library understands the students’ limitations and is willing to obtain their needed books without them having to leave campus. Ex-cadets are encouraged to visit and observe the exquisite collection of antiques decorating and defining the library. The library team is very responsive to feedback and friendly to all users of their facility.

“I would like to do a survey of our users to see if there is something more I can offer. If people have suggestions of what they would like, we have a suggestion box outside which we like to try to act on right away,” Olsen says, “I have worked at other libraries, and RMCC’s is very special. I would like to make it even more so.”

To find out more about the library, see the catalogue, or contact the staff, check out the library’s website.

By OCdt 26069 C. W. Kunkel

“Every student that I have worked with has been extremely engaged, intelligent, and thoughtful,” remarks Dr. Brandon Alakas, one of the Royal Military College of Canada’s newest professors, “some of the best discussions I have ever had in classrooms are here. I find it immensely rewarding.”

RMCC greeted Dr. Brandon Alakas in the fall of 2011, and he is now celebrating the end of his first academic year with the institute. He is thoroughly involved throughout several areas of RMCC; he teaches in the English department, provides one-on-one tutorials in the Writing Centre each week throughout the academic term and summer, and has organized several discipline-specific workshops throughout the year for writing issues – including Applied Military Science workshops on effective writing strategy.

The Writing Centre has been a particular joy for Dr. Alakas. He has written surveys for faculty and for the student body in order to gauge what different members in the community thought of the Writing Centre. e-Veritas was blessed with an article by Dr. Alakas this year concerning his efforts to reach out for input (see: Article.) The Writing Centre exists in order to help students further their knowledge of communication – a crucial element required of future officers. The program sees over 800 students in one academic year.

“Working at the Writing Centre requires a great deal of intellectual flexibility. It keeps a person nimble and open to different ideas,” he says, reflecting his time spent as an advisor in the Writing Centre, “And I really like reading about all the different research students are engaged in across the disciplines. It’s actually quite rewarding to see what is going on out there.”

Dr. Alakas has plenty of his own research being undergone on top of this. His most recent research endeavours focus on late-Medieval monastic culture in England and have been accepted for publishing with revision. Dr. Alakas has also been published in various academic journals such as Early Theatre and the English Historical Review. Before arriving at RMCC, Dr. Alakas taught classes at Queen’s University after winning multiple teaching fellowships.

On top of his research and RMCC efforts, Dr. Alakas maintains a strong balance in his personal life. He is happily married to Deanna Mason who, too, is a professor teaching writing and literature – as well as someone he can chat and share ideas with. His orange tabby cat, a wonderful part of his family, helps dissolve the stress of even the most hectic of days. He truly enjoys the outdoors and partakes in hiking, biking, and running avidly. While he does not fully consider himself an outdoor enthusiast yet, he is well on his way – making his life a fascinating fusion of nature and academics.

“They are interests of mine just to get away from being stuck in an office – and worse, stuck in my head,” says Dr. Alakas with an easy-going laugh, “The best way to get rid of all the stress that I may be feeling, or may be building up, is just to go outside and enjoy nature. It is a great pasttime for me.”

If you are intrigued by Medieval to early renaissance history, literature, or stories, Dr. Brandon Alakas is certainly one to follow. He is particularly interested in challenging the dominant narrative that states the religious and monastic culture in England during the 15th century and start of 16th century was ready for reformation. He shows that this is not the case; there is a vibrant literary culture that exists within the monasteries which has an overwhelming influence in English religious culture – and also English society.

 By OCdt 26069 C. W. Kunkel