9 things you didn’t know about Campus Saint-Jean

So you may or may not know this yet. But. The University of Alberta has many campuses. Yes. There is more than one. There are in fact 5 campuses, 4 of which are in Edmonton  -  and of those four campuses there is one which particularly close to my heart: Campus Saint-Jean. You may have read our piece in October “The Ghost of Frère Antoine,” and if you didn’t know about that interesting fact, then you’ll definitely want to consider this list the 9 other things you may not have known about CSJ. Now, in this list I won’t be giving you something you could find with three clicks and a quick google search. Nope. I’ve carefully (or clumsily) collected 9 tidbits of information that should satisfy your curiosity.

1. Every room in Residence Saint-Jean has a bathroom.

Yeah. And they share a kitchen per five residents. Not much else to it. Just a neat little fact to ease you in to this list. Taking it slowwwww.

2. Saint-Jean is about as old as the University of Alberta!

(Oblate Grandin Archives)

The University of Alberta was founded in 1908 and so was Saint-Jean! Sort of… When Campus  Saint-Jean was still the Juniorate Saint-Jean, it was actually first founded in 1908 in Pincher Creek. The Juniorate moved to Edmonton in 1910 and officially settled in where it is now in 1911.

3. Campus Saint-Jean wasn’t always… Campus Saint-Jean

What’s a Juniorate you might ask? Well, it was a centre where men could train and learn how to properly be members of a religious order. In this case it was the Oblates of Mary Immaculate who built the Juniorat Saint-Jean. In 1941, after the closing of the Collège des Jesuits, the Juniorat accepted to teach subjects that were not religious and was then renamed Collège Saint-Jean. In 1970, the Collège Saint-Jean started offering university level masters programs in education and thus was known as the Collège Universitaire Saint-Jean. In 1976, the Oblates sold the college to the University and Sain-Jean became a new faculty with a diverse range of programs and it wasn’t until 2005 that the name Campus Saint-Jean was finally given. Juniorate to College, to University College, to Faculty, to Campus. Many names but one thing as stood through the ages and that is : Saint-Jean.

4. They make and research music. And it’s great.

CSJ is home to the first (and only) acoustics lab in the country. At the Bel Canto Vocal Acoustics Laboratory, Professor Laurier Fagnan researches and analyses vocal acoustics and visually displays them with special tools so that singers may visually see and improve their voice. Cool. Not only that, Professor Fagnan directs the Chorale Saint-jean (a choir). Composed of students, faculty members and members of the community, the Chorale Saint-Jean is the largest francophone choir in western Canada and has toured in Quebec and Europe. 

5. Not just another French education school

Myth: Campus Saint-Jean only has an education program.

Fact: CSJ actually has undergraduate programs in science, arts, education and has bilingual programs in nursing and business. Not to mention the first year engineers who can take their classes in French (raw raw frengineers) and the graduate programs in Canadian studies and education.

6. Saint-Jean students get to pie their Dean.

Ok. So that’s kind of true. It did happen and who’s to say it won’t happen again someday? The “pie” incident in question was a fundraiser organised by the francophone community in Alberta and if ten thousand dollars were raised the Dean was to be pied. Dean Pierre Yves-Mocquais insisted that it be students who pie him and… well I’m still a student so that’s a good sign… right?

You can watch it here.

7. There is research. And a lot of it. 

Image courtesy of copyrightuser.org

Remember that vocal acoustics lab? Well, that’s only one part of the research that goes on at CSJ. Campus Saint-Jean isn’t only an interdisciplinary post-education institution: it’s also an interdisciplinary hub for research. It includes two research institutions: The Institution for Canadian studies and the Institution for Francophone heritage in western Canada. On top of that, professors at Saint-Jean conduct other research such as (but not limited to) molecular structure calculations and three-parameter s-wave central potentials. (Exciting stuff.)

8. Politics don’t seem to scare away Saint-Jean alumni

Randy Boissonault, MP elect for the Edmonton-Centre riding, is Campus Saint-Jean Alumni! Plus,  he also served as Students’ Union president, was a Rhodes Scholar at the University of Oxford, co-founded Literacy Without Borders and is one of the founders of Startup Edmonton. 

Senator Claudette Tardif is amongst the first women to graduate from Saint-Jean. She went on to become professor and Dean of Faculty Saint-Jean before becoming Vice-President of the University of Alberta. Shortly after that she was appointed to the Canadian senate in 2005.

9. They take their hockey seriously.

The game of hockey has been around at Saint-Jean for about as long as… well about as long as Saint-Jean itself! Dating back to the early 20th century, the Oblate fathers of the Juniorat Saint-Jean would create an outdoor rink where the students could play hockey. Teams composed of Saint-Jean players have held many names as well such as Canadiens, Les Frontenacs, Les Satellites, Les Ours Dorés (play on “Golden Bears”) and finally hold the name of Les Centurions today. Former Saint-Jean students have also played in the NHL such Johnny Gottselig who played for the Chicago Blackhawks between 1928 and 1946 while his teammate Valentin Edward « Vic » Hoffinger who was also from Russia and from Saint-Jean joined him in 1927. Recently, Saint-Jean alumni Mario Giguère has taken up a Don Cherry like persona and publishes hockey stories in Le Franco the weekly francophone newspaper. The current hockey club at CSJ, Les Centurions, now host a Heritage Classic hockey game every year where alumni face off against the young students in the hopes of asserting their hockey prowess against the younger skaters. After having lost last year’s cup, the Anciens (the ancients) alumni team have won this year’s game to reclaim the trophy. 

Colin - YouAlberta Contributor

This is Colin is franco-albertan, hailing from the rural town of Saint-Paul where they have a landing pad to welcome any potential alien life forms. Weird? Maybe, but what's really weird is how many awesome people there are in that town. He loves sports, books and movies and he might love Lego a little too much. Colin is currently taking a victory lap with a political science major and economics minor over at Campus Saint-Jean, and he wants you to know that if you haven't had the chance to go there yet, you're missing out.

The ghost of Frère Antoine

Walking alone at night can be… spooky. Even more so if you believe in ghosts and you don’t have a valiant volunteer member of Safewalk with you. But what if I told you ghosts were real?

Image courtesy of Tumblr

Yes you would probably roll your eyes, tell me to get out and odds are that ghosts are entirely a figment of our imagination. Well, if they aren’t real, then you won’t mind me telling you a ghost story now would you? Now, sit back in your chair and listen (with your eyes).

Our story begins with Anthony Kowalczyk. A polish blacksmith turned priest who is better known as Frère Antoine. In 1891, Frère Antoine felt the religious calling and before you know it he had joined the Oblate priests and spent the last 35 years of his life serving in Edmonton. Many of those years he spent at Collège Saint-Jean (Now Campus Saint-Jean) and therein lies our story. 

At the time, Collège Saint-Jean was an all-boys residential college. One of the buildings in which the boys and the priests stayed still stands today and is known as the Daridon Pavilion. Between the pavilion and the Lacerte Pavillion (one of CSJ’s main buildings) there is a tunnel. 

One night, as Frère Antoine went to bed, raging screams rang out from his room. Other priests attempted to open the door without success. Frère Antoine was locked in and was obviously fighting someone. The battle lasted through the night and come morning Frère Antoine emerged alone claiming he had fought with the devil and kept him at bay.

 The tunnel that once joined the room in question is now condemned and half caved in. No one goes there… no one but ghosts that is. Be wary: for if you walk the grounds of CSJ at night, the ghost of Frère Antoine might still wander. However, it is not his ghost you should fear. No… what you should fear… is the thing he’s still fighting.  

Colin - YouAlberta Contributor

This is Colin is franco-albertan, hailing from the rural town of Saint-Paul where they have a landing pad to welcome any potential alien life forms. Weird? Maybe, but what's really weird is how many awesome people there are in that town. He loves sports, books and movies and he might love Lego a little too much. Colin is currently taking a victory lap with a political science major and economics minor over at Campus Saint-Jean, and he wants you to know that if you haven't had the chance to go there yet, you're missing out. 

The Summer Go-Bag

Or, 10 things you should do before the zombies take over before the summer is over. 

Alright, I know what some of you are thinking. August is at our doorstep and that means that its brother September isn’t far behind. Time may be running short for the warm months of the year but here is a list of things you might want to consider doing before you find yourself back in a classroom.

1. Watch a movie outside. 

This is one of those recipes where you can substitute your milk with water. If you don’t have the luxury of having a drive in theatre/event near your location that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a good piece of cinematography in your own backyard. Grab an old bed sheet and projector, lawn chair and couch and set up your own Cineplex experience before the snow shows up. Remember bug spray! 

2. Go for a run: outside.

Yep. Take one foot, put it in front of the other and repeat. Gradually accelerate until jogging pace has been reached then maintain speed. The summer time may be your busiest period of the year or it could be the time where you have the least to do. In either case, it will undoubtedly be the warmest time of the year and that means that there is a whole world out there for you to stretch your legs in. 

3. Go for a swim.

Whether it’s a lake or an outdoor pool, water does eventually freeze here in Canada. “But I don’t know how to swim”: consider signing up for swimming lessons at your local swimming pool. Besides being one of the best workouts you can get, swimming could one day prove essential to saving your life. That being said, no one expects you to be Michael Phelps right off the bat (I myself do not float very well) but like anything, practise will help you improve. Who knows, you might discover that you’ve been a fish out of water this whole time. 

4. Read a book.

School is approaching and so are textbooks. Why not pick up a book because you want to and not because it is “required.” Any book at all, whether it’s corny romance, sci-fi, a biography, etc. You might not find a book you really like on the first try but keep trying until you find a book that you just can’t put down. (If you need a few ideas, check out these top 10 books every student should read.) A book found only on one syllabus: your own.

5. Eat some ice-cream. 

Nothing is stopping you from grabbing a tub of cookies and cream (my favourite flavor) and destroying it with your spoon during the winter. However, let’s be honest, a nice ice-cream cone during a scalding 30+ degree day is pretty satisfying.  You know what else is good? Frozen yogurt, and there are plenty of places to get some good quality frozen yogurt around campus… or maybe there are only two, either way, frozen treats are a great way to keep your brain from melting on warm days.

6. Take a trip.

Now I don’t mean get a plane ticket and fly away. Those tickets can get quite expensive after all and if you’re planning on attending post-secondary studies, then a plane ticket might be a budgetary stress that you don’t need right now. I'm suggesting that you google your surroundings, find a place that you have yet to go to and go do the interesting things that can be done there. Pick a weekend, pick a spot, pick some friends and go. Roadtrip! Festival! Music Festival! Get a change of scenery. Even if the place you visit isn’t all that exciting, you’ll be able to use that information for future reference and you’re bound to have some conversation worthy stories that come out of it. Which brings me to my next point. 

7. Spend some time with friends. 

This may seem obvious but sometimes it’s easier said than done. We can get so busy with work, school preparations and just “life” in general that sometimes it can be hard to find the time to just “hang out” with friends. Sometimes all it takes is a phone call (not a text) to find an hour or two to spend with your buds. Thankfully, you also have a nice list of things (see above) that you can do together.

8. Spend time with your family.

Family: you know, the ones you love and who love you back? Those people. Sometimes we forget they’re there because they’ve always been there for us. And while you might be thinking “but I see them all. The. Time.” You might even be moving away from home this year to start a new chapter at the University of Alberta you’ll get caught in the endless cycle of midterms/finals cycle and won’t get to spend as much time with your parents, siblings, grandparents, cousins, etc. So  make some time in your summer schedule for the people you love. 

9. Sleep

Sleep. Need I say more? There is not enough coffee on planet earth to make up for the loss of sleep. You need it to function properly. You need it to dream. Sure, some people need less sleep than others; however, it’s important for you to find out how much sleep you really need. Doing so will allow you to build a personal sleeping ritual that reflects your needs. Go to bed at the same time and wake up at the same time every day. That also means turning off Netflix and putting down your cell phone. This may prove difficult, but you’re future you will thank you. 

10. Do nothing. 

Now, I don’t mean actually do “nothing”. I mean make sure to make time for yourself and just yourself. Pick a day where you book nothing, after you’ve already done all your chores and have no appointments and just do something that makes you happy. This could mean painting, playing an instrument, sculpting, dancing, singing, working out, taking a nap, watching the six Star Wars movies before the seventh comes out in December, cooking, learning to cook, baking some cookies, taking a bath, doing every side quest in Dragon Age Inquisition, etc. 

----About the Author

Colin

This is Colin Champagne. Yes. Like the drink. Classy, yet bubbly. No, he’s not crazy but he is nuts about this university and its people. Colin is franco-albertan, hailing from the rural town of Saint-Paul where they have a landing pad to welcome any potential alien life forms. Weird? Maybe, but what's really weird is how many awesome people there are in that town. He loves sports, books and movies and he might love Lego a little too much.

Colin is currently taking a victory lap with a political science major and economics minor over at Campus Saint-Jean, and he wants you to know that if you haven't had the chance to go there yet, you're missing out. He hopes to bring YOU some of the great things happening at our university and maybe even add a little twist of humor now and then.