X-Talks: Earth, Ethics and Evolution
/On March 21 at 6:00pm, the Students’ Union and The Xaverian Weekly will host the second, and final X-Talks of the semester. An X-Talk was previously held on January 31 in the Bauer Theatre and focused on the theme of justice. The theme for the upcoming event is “Earth, Ethics and Evolution.”
X-Talks are StFX’s version of the popular “Ted Talks” platform, where students are the primary presenters.
This series’ speakers were selected earlier this week and students are gearing up for the upcoming event. Cecil VanBuskirk, a first year business student, will be speaking on how we can use youth sport to improve our society. Calvin DeWolfe, fourth year honours philosophy, will be arguing against a reductionist ontology and challenging the belief that hard sciences can explain all that is intelligible in the universe.
Christina Minions, fourth year environmental sciences, will be drawing on her experiences in the North and speaking about climate sciences in the Arctic.
The final speaker will be Riiny Ngot, a StFX alum who is making the trip specifically for the event, will be speaking about his journey to Canada as a refugee from South Sudan.
According to Rachel LeBlanc, Students’ Union vice-president activities and events, the goal of X-Talks is to speak on topics that are pertinent to students and that play a significant role in society.
Generally, the Students’ Union will ask around for ideas for a theme for each event before the Students’ Union executive team decides upon a topic.
In terms of venue, the upcoming X-Talks will not be held in the Bauer Theatre but in the Schwartz Auditorium instead. LeBlanc stated the reason for this was the lack of availability for that particular day. The One Act Play Festival is taking place that same week, and the space will be used for rehearsals. LeBlanc did mention that she enjoys using the Bauer because “it helps us and it helps them.”
During the last X-Talks, maximum capacity was almost reached, and as much as the Students’ Union enjoys using and partnering with the Bauer, Le- Blanc stated that if capacity keeps being reached and the event keeps growing, then eventually they will be forced to make a permanent move to the Schwartz.
Students from any background and discipline can apply to be a speaker. Applications for “Earth, Ethics and Evolution” were open for a week and a half with speakers chosen on the basis of their experiences. While this will be the final X-Talk event of the year, the SU plans to continue the tradition in years to come.
