Graduate students have decided to keep their student union representation in an online vote.
Out of a total 440 votes, 244 voted against dissolution and 157 voted in favour.
The vote was prompted by a petition for dissolution from two executive members of the Teaching Assistant Association of Memorial University (TAUMUN) that cited the significant debt owed by Memorial’s Graduate Student Union (GSU).
GSU owes $1.6 million to its healthcare provider, Greenshield, and $355,260 to the Canadian Federation of Students’s (CFS) national and provincial chapters.
Since the release of the petition, GSU announced that it has negotiated a new benefits agreement with Prosum, Greenshield’s parent company, that will serve as a repayment plan.
Students are set to pay the same rates but with reduced coverage.
Compared to the previous year, prescription maximum coverage will be reduced from $10,000 to $2,500 per benefit year with the introduction of a 20% copay.
Dental maximum coverage will be reduced from $1000 to $750 with the introduction of a 20% co-pay.
Under this agreement, the $1.6 million debt will be cleared within four years
In a joint statement from CFS National Chairperson Mary Feltham and CFS-NL Chairperson Nicolas Keough say that GSU’s $355,260 debt to its provincial and federal will be repayed over 10 years.
Max Steffan, otherwise known as Bread Clip, self-produces what he calls “avant-garde Atlantic power pop” from his bedroom in St. John’s.
If Bread Clip’s recent EP, No Matter The Time, is any indication, avant-garde Atlantic power pop might be my new favourite subgenre.
If you don’t know, power pop essentially signifies “immediacy,” and “catchy choruses, chiming guitars, and hooks that refuse to leave your head.”
Pioneers of the genre are often described as ‘Beatlesque,’ though many bands and artists draw from other diverse influences.
Bread Clip leans significantly more lo-fi than power pop heavy hitters like Big Star and Jellyfish, but Steffan’s endearing DIY musicality is warmly welcomed on any playlist.
With captivating sound design that can be likened to bands like Radiator Hospital, Girlpool, This is Lorelai, and, I would argue, of Montreal’s earlier, more stripped back projects like Cherry Peel, Bread Clip offers listeners another ever-charming 4-song EP.
In the few years I’ve followed Bread Clip’s music career, I’m repeatedly amazed at the maturation of Steffan’s sound and how he captures coming of age in song.
(Lee Hurley/The Muse)
Perhaps more lo-fi, DIY-forward genres indicate this feeling due to their accessibility, but regardless, Bread Clip’s bedroom recordings practice a degree of sincerity evocative of the clumsy realities of growing up.
This book I was obsessed with as a young teenager had a conversation between two characters about how we are “accumulating new selves all the time,” and how one person can be made up of fragments of a lot of people, or marks left on them by relationships, good or bad.
One character proposes that “each new self stands on the last one’s shoulders until we’re these wobbly people poles.”
Bread Clip’s music reminds me of this concept, in the way he lyrically captures interpersonal relationships.
He has a whimsical air of both acceptance and indifference, and an aim to find joy in mundanity, while acknowledging that we often define ourselves in terms of other people.
The tracks “Idle Way” and “Yr Eyes” really instill this feeling, and the fact that they sound absolutely fantastic certainly doesn’t hurt.
Something compelling about the project, even outside of the subgenres, influences, and narratives carried throughout the EP, is Bread Clip’s recording process. He recorded the EP on a compact 8-track recorder.
This digital/analog recording device contributes to creating pleasing lo-fi sounds. 8 tracks are not as commonly used in contemporary recording.
It’s great to see audio technology companies revitalizing older products, maintaining the majority of analog qualities, albeit with a few updated features for ease of use.
Major props should be extended to indie/DIY artists, like Bread Clip, who are rekindling more ‘retro’ technology and taking their time with their art – especially during our insatiably fast-paced and highly digital current moment.
I’ve yet to hear a Bread Clip project I didn’t love, but with No Matter The Time, Steffan has mastered intricate subtleties that elevate his music further.
The EP balances jangly, lo-fi sounds without veering into gratuitously abrasive or messy territory, and it has an awkward, yet playful vibe that contributes to its relatability and listenability.
It’s a quick turnaround for the Newfoundland Regiment. The team only found out that they would be travelling to Blainville, Quebec, on Tuesday, and are now gearing up to face off against the Armada on Thursday and Friday for round two of the Gilles-Courteau Playoffs.
The Regiment enter this series as underdogs, as the Armada feature six players that are drafted to an NHL team. The team includes defender Xavier Villeneuve, who is expected to go top-15 in the NHL draft this year, the highest out of any player in the QMJHL.
How both teams shape up ahead of the series
Regiment defender Noah Laberge and Armada defender Xavier Villeneuve in their matchup earlier this season (nlregiment/Instagram).
It’s hard to critique Newfoundland’s offence heading into this series, as they were only shut down once by the Eagles in the first round, en route to a 4-2 series victory over Cape Breton.
Louis-François Bélanger had 4 goals and 3 assists in the first round (Anuoluwapo Abosede//The Muse).
A big key to Newfoundland’s offense in the first round was Louis-François Bélanger, who earned a point in all six games of the series.
Other key contributors were captain Justin Larose, who scored four goals, Dawson Sharkey, who missed two games but still contributed in the games he played in, including the series clinching game with four total points in said game, and Marek Danicek, who also earned seven points throughout the first round.
Meanwhile, the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada entered the playoffs as the fourth ranked team in the QMJHL standings, which resulted in getting an easier opponent in the first round, the Victoriaville Tigres, whom they would sweep.
Armada forward Bill Zonnon ranks second in the league in scoring through the first round of the playoffs (armadablb/Instagram)
Bill Zonnon was instrumental in the Armada’s success, putting up nine total points in only four games. The first round draft pick of the Pittsburgh Penguins ranks second in QMJHL playoff scoring, and will be an absolute handful for the Regiment to deal with.
St. Louis Blues prospect Justin Carbonneau, also a first round draft pick, scored four goals in the series, and led the QMJHL in scoring during the regular season, with 51 goals in 60 games. Xavier Villeneuve had six points in the first round.
Both teams enter the series with hot goaltending, as Newfoundland’s Louis-Antoine Denault and Blainville-Boisbriand’s William Lacelle played huge roles for their team.
What to expect in this series
Regiment forward Dawson Sharkey laying a hit on former Armada forward Alexandre Carbonneau (nlregiment/Instagram).
Both teams only played twice this season, which was all the way back in October. The Armada blew out Newfoundland in both games, however, it is a small sample size, and also happened six months ago. A lot has changed since then.
Newfoundland has made a ton of improvements, while the Armada were not as dominant as they were expected to be.
Dominant or not though, no one can take away the skill and the depth of the Armada. The team can attack in a lot of different ways.
It’ll be key for Newfoundland to play smart hockey in this series. Avoid taking bad penalties, and make sure your foot is on the gas at all times. The team can’t give the Armada any free chances.
The Regiment are absolutely capable of making this a close series. There wasn’t a whole lot that separated these teams in the standings this season, with the Armada finishing with only six more points and two more wins than Newfoundland.
Series schedule
Games one and two of the series begin Thursday and Friday in Blainville.
The series will then shift to St. John’s for games three, four and five on Monday, Tuesday, and Friday night, if necessary.
Should this series need a game six or seven, it will shift back to Blainville next Sunday and Tuesday.
Graduate tudents are voting on whether to dissolve their student union today. Graduate students are eligible to vote online until 11:59pm today.
This comes after it was revealed that the GSU is in debt to its health insurance provider Greenshield, to the tune of $1.6 million dollars.
Despite this, Memorial University’s Graduate Student Union (GSU) says it has secured health and dental coverage for its members for the 2026-27 academic year.
“We are extremely happy that we were able to work together with CFS, GreenShield, and Prosum to secure a path forward for the GSU without students losing health and dental coverage,” said Gaayathri Sukantha Murugan, GSU Executive Director of Communications, quoted in a press release by the Canadian Federation of Students.
This new plan will have no price increase, but with reduced coverage intended to repay Greenshield. According to a proposed benefit plan summary prepared by Prosum, a health and dental broker, which will serve as a repayment plan the debt will be repaid by year four.
Proposed benefit plan summary from prepared by Prosum (Courtesy of CFS-NL)
Kieran Knoll, the president of the Teaching Assistant Association of MUN, says that this plan is not adequate.
“Graduate students are going to be cheated, and those 2,500 people who are at risk of losing insurance, including myself, will now be asked to pay 900$+ a year for a plan that students in other provinces pay a fraction for, with significantly limited coverage,” said Knoll via email.
Compared to the previous year, prescription maximum coverage will be reduced by $7500 per benefit year with the introduction of a 20% copay. Dental maximum coverage will be reduced from $1000 to $750 with the introduction of a 20% co-pay.
Greenshield benefits summary for 2025-2026 (GSU)
CORRECTION: A previous version of this article referred to Prosum as the parent company of Greenshield. This is incorrect, it is a health and dental broker that is autonomous from Greenshield.
Toslow’s exterior exudes comfort before you even step into the bubbly teal and pink building.
Upstairs and downstairs live pastel pink and blue walls, cat sculptures & paintings, plants, board games, and couches that resemble your grandparents’ cozy living room. This little cafe is the dream.
I ordered their breakfast sandwich, which consisted of egg, rich cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, spicy mayo, messily resting between their house-made potato bun. Personally, I avoid red meat, so I opted for the breakfast sandwich with veggie sausage instead of regular sausage.
This sandwich was bursting with flavour. The sharp cheddar cheese was poignant in the best way possible. The fried egg, cooked to perfection, was paired wonderfully with the veggie sausage. The sandwich, despite my valiant efforts, fell apart, but I had no problem picking up the remains in an attempt to put it back together.
As you can see, the breakfast sandwich I ordered was more than generous with the toppings – so much that it was overflowing before I got a chance to tackle it.
It did take me a solid half hour to finish my food, and an abundance of napkins, but if I’m being honest, I went back in the same week and ordered it again.
If you’ve read my previous restaurant review articles, you know what I ordered for my drink. A sweet, delicate iced vanilla latte. This one in particular was so good that I had ordered a second.
Their lattes are fresh and made with just enough vanilla that does not overpower the espresso taste. I’m thinking I need to start reviewing all of the iced vanilla lattes around town, they are my heart and soul.
Sitting in the sun, sipping a latte in a cozy corner (Rebecca Jennings / The Muse)
They offer breakfast and lunch items that can cater to vegetarian/vegan and celiac folk. There is also an exquisite selection of baked goods! Choosing a cafe or restaurant that has accommodating choices for dietary options is important to me, since finding these options is not easy.
As of right now, Toslow is only operating in the daytime. They are open in the evenings for special events and for the entirety of March to participate in the downtown burger battle. The environment undoubtedly transforms into the coziest, most comfortable bar in the evening.
I strongly recommend Toslow as your new location for studying or a midday coffee break. The breakfast sandwiches are a must-have, the lattes are spectacular, and the space is nothing but hospitable.
Newfoundland Regiment fans got a great gift on Easter Sunday, as their beloved hockey team advanced to the second round of the Gilles-Courteau Playoffs, and defeated the Cape Breton Eagles in six games.
Split first two games
Newfoundland Regiment’s Pilgrim-Edwards (No. 7) skates towards the puck on opposite side of the rink after a heated play. (Anuoluwapo Abosede/The Muse)
As mentioned in a previous article, the Newfoundland Regiment split the opening two games of this series.
It entered game one with high expectations, but it was an uncharacteristically underwhelming performance for the team, falling 3-2.
Justin Larose scored the first playoff goal in franchise history, but the team was outmatched, especially in the third period, where Cape Breton’s Caden Kelly netted the game winner, giving the Eagles a 1-0 series lead.
Newfoundland was looking to exact revenge the day after and ensure they weren’t going to Cape Breton down 2-0.
They came out swinging with a goal in the first five minutes of the game from Blake Pilgrim-Edwards. They would continue to add in the second period, as Dawson Sharkey and Justin Larose extended their lead to 3-0.
Momentum seemingly shifted to Cape Breton midway through the period when Dawson Sharkey got a game misconduct for a blindside hit (also leading to a two game suspension), giving the Eagles a five minute powerplay, where Reece Peitzsche would capitalize, before Raoul Boilard got the Eagles within one before the period’s end.
Newfoundland would ultimately run away with this one, dominating the third period with three goals, and winning game two 6-2, tying the series 1-1.
Won two-of-three road games
Alexis Michaud scoring late in the first, tying game 3 for Newfoundland (nlregiment/Instagram).
With that, the series shifted to Cape Breton, where Newfoundland played three games in a row in enemy territory.
It was a perfect start for Cape Breton, which scored 25 seconds into the game, and led for most of the third period, before Alexis Michaud scored his first of the playoffs in the final 15 seconds of the period.
Newfoundland added two more in the second period, thanks to Benjamin Veitch and Tyson Goguen. Cape Breton would score later in the period, but were ultimately shut down after Marek Danicek got a late third period insurance goal, suring up the 4-2 win for the Regiment.
Entering game four up 2-1, Newfoundland was looking to extend their series lead to 3-1, and that they did.
After a 1-1 first period, Ryan Dwyer scored his first career playoff goal early in the second to give Newfoundland a 2-1 lead, before Louis-François Bélanger added insurance late in the period. Newfoundland would score twice more in the third, giving them a blowout 5-1 win.
Newfoundland had the chance to win the series on the road in game five.
It scored three goals in the first period, including a goal from Benjamin Veitch, assisted by Quinn Norman, both of whom are rookies and the only NLers on the team.
Cape Breton nabbed a goal late in the first period, before Newfoundland scored another in the second, meaning Newfoundland entered the third in complete control and 20 minutes away from advancing to the second round.
But in a shocking turn of events, all within the last 12 minutes of the period, Newfoundland gave up three unanswered goals, as Cape Breton tied the game 4-4 and force overtime, where Maxime Sauthier would score the game winner for the Eagles 22 seconds into the frame, sending the series back to St. John’s.
First ever NL-based QMJHL team to win a playoff series
Regiment goalie Louis-Antoine Denault had a 2.66GAA and a .909sv% in this series (Anuoluwapo Abosede/The Muse).
After the frustration of blowing their late third period lead and squandering their chances of ending the series, Newfoundland entered game six determined to finish the job.
Dawson Sharkey gave Newfoundland a ton of momentum early, as he scored in the opening minute of the game. Reece Peitzsche would tie the game for Cape Breton midway through the period, before Tyson Goguen scored a late first period goal to give Newfoundland a 2-1 lead.
The game got out of control in the second. Newfoundland score four unanswered goals, extending their lead to 6-1 after 40 minutes.
While the Eagles scored twice more in the third, this time, their deficit was too large to overcome, as Newfoundland would go on to score an empty netter and win the game 7-3, giving them a 4-2 series win.
After the series, head coach and general manager Gordie Dwyer said “I like the way our team responded after the last game, coming home and a big Easter Sunday crowd here at the Mary Brown’s Centre, so great to see the building alive and electric, and I really like how our team came out [to play].”
Newfoundland’s round two match-up will be determined on tonight.
A plaque in the atrium of the Arts and Administration building on MUN’s St. John’s campus reminds us that our university was created as a living tribute to the enormous sacrifices made by the people of Newfoundland and Labrador on the battlefields of Europe: “In the freedom of learning their cause and sacrifice might not be forgotten.”
This legacy is a moving testament to the desire of the people of this province to build something of beauty and meaning that helps us all live better together now and in the future of this place.
Freedom to learn is something unfettered and unrestricted. It is a freedom codified into sections 3(3)(a) and 3(3)(c) of the legislation covering Memorial University: the university shall, “give instructions and training in all branches of knowledge and learning” and “provide facilities for the prosecution of original research in every branch of knowledge and learning and to conduct and carry on that research work.”
But, the freedom to learn that defines Memorial University has been subject to salvo after salvo in a decade of funding cuts.
Since 2014, every provincial government has reduced transfers to Memorial while professing continued support for the University.
As of 2025, MUN’s operating grant was down 47 percent in inflation adjusted dollars from its level of funding in 2014. No institution, no matter how ‘nimble’, can be what it was before almost half of its budget was removed.
Cuts to the university’s operating budget continue despite two separate studies showing the institution’s economic contribution to be between $1-2 billion.
That contribution means that for every dollar of public money put into the university $2-4 dollars come out into the broader economy. There is not an investor in the world who wouldn’t jump at a chance to double or quadruple their money.
Comparing university budget 2014-2024 versus the economic contribution of Memorial University. Circles are proportional to the numbers they represent.
Yet, when it comes to the public university of this province governments typically treat it only as a cost. Members of our provincial government repeatedly describe Memorial University students as “the most heavily subsidized” in the country while insisting the university get its “fiscal house in order.”
But what do statements like these even mean?
Memorial University is a public university. Public infrastructure and services are, by definition, supported by public money.
Shall we build a public drinking water system and then complain that the water coming out of the tap is too wet?
Transfers of public money to private industry—that’s a subsidy. Meanwhile, it’s academic staff members and students who bear the fallout of unrelenting budget cuts in the form of deteriorating working and learning conditions.
Those cuts—even in the face of clear evidence of the economic benefits of the university—dismantle the very infrastructure necessary to fulfill the core mission of the university.
Budgets are choices.
The decade of cuts to MUN is a shameful choice to abdicate the responsibility to honour the memory of sacrifice and the freedom to learn that our university is founded on.
Previous governments have made that choice, but this one doesn’t have to. Today’s government can chart its own course and help restore the foundations on which Memorial University is built.
Josh Lepawsky, Professor, Department of Geography, Memorial University
In the Summer of 2024, Memorial University Libraries put together an AI Strategic Project Team. The Muse sat down with Chelsea Humphries, the Chair of the Team, to discuss AI and its impact on the libraries and students.
The team was developed “to support learning and information sharing both within the university as a whole around AI” says Humphries. It helps library staff and students “to learn more about AI, how it functions, and how we can make more informed decisions.”
Humphries says that MUN Libraries itself doesn’t “necessarily [use] AI, but [they] do a lot of work around AI literacy. [They] provide resources and instruction to both faculty and students.”
However, there are some specific tools that have new AI features. There are currently “a number of databases that the library subscribes to that have brand new generative AI features in them.
A student at work in the The Commons at QEII Library (The Muse/Anuoluwapo Abosede)
Some examples include Scopus and Web of Science. These are database subscriptions which use generative AI as a research tool that acts as a sort of “super-powered version of predictive text,” but the AI is an “add-on” rather than a requirement to use the database.
These AI add-ons are large language models (LLMs). Scopus and Web of Science are LLMs that are trained on private data, whereas LLMs like ChatGPT are trained on public data. There are some important differences between the two that students should know about.
Firstly, Scopus and Web of Science are “drawing from the scholarly material actually in [their] databases, instead of ChatGPT drawing from the entire scraped internet,” says Humphries.
This makes for a better research tool because of what Humphries calls “retrieval augmented generation (RAG).”
What RAG does is make sure that the output of the AI is rooted in the private database it was trained on. This roots it in the scholarly material and makes the AI less likely to “hallucinate.” These LLMs are also better at providing citations.
Secondly, LLMs like ChatGPT collect users’ data, whereas Scopus and Web of Science do not. “The default setting if you’re using ChatGPT is that it will retain anything you type into it, and anything it spits out. It will use that to continue training the tool for other people.”
“We in the libraries encourage anyone using these tools to refrain from sharing anything super personal. If you’re doing research, consider [it] your own intellectual property. You don’t necessarily want [your work] to be saved in a big generative model.”
Humphries also states that users of these tools should be cautious in giving copyrighted materials to generative AI. Amid ongoing legal battles, “we don’t have any definitive rulings on whether copyrighted content [is] legally allowed to be used… or if that’s copyright infringement.”
This is to say that there could be copyright implications for sharing such material with AI.
Between the bookshelves at QEII Library (The Muse/Anuoluwapo Abosede)
Humphries argues that while AI can be used as a useful research tool, it doesn’t replace having actual human input on a topic.
If students were to instead “ask a librarian, there’s a good chance you’ll get a really robust answer that won’t have the same risk of leaving information out.”
“We are all still the experts and the authorities on the topics that we are doing our work on and the things that we are investigating.”
The Student Volunteer Bureau kicked off the Volunteer Day Awards on March 25th in the Landing, with guest speakers including President Janet Morrison, Associate Vice-President (Academic) and Dean of Students Christine Arnold, Director of Student Life Dr. Jennifer Brown.
The Awards commemorate student volunteers and groups at Memorial. Here is a list of the awards and their recipients.
Volunteer Student Group of the Year
MUN UNICEF Club receiving the Volunteer Student Group of the Year Award (Wasif Hossain/SVB)
There were four nominees for Volunteer Student Group of the Year, with MUN UNICEF Club winning the award.
This award is presented to a Club or Society that has contributed to their university community through their volunteer work this past year.
David Kirkland Student Leadership Award
Norman Burry receiving the David Kirkland Award (Wasif Hossain/SVB)
Amid twenty nominees for the David Kirkland Award (Student Leadership Award), Men’s Basketball Seahawk Norman Burry took home the achievement.
This award is presented to a student who has contributed to the university community and demonstrated leadership in their volunteer work.
Student Volunteer of the Year
Lauren Ringer receiving the Student Volunteer of the Year Award (Wasif Hossain/SVB)
The Student Volunteer of the Year was awarded to Lauren Ringer, who rose above ten other nominees.
The award is presented to a Memorial student who have made contributions to the university community, local community, or the global community. Nominees must have a long-standing commitment to volunteerism.
Volunteer Residence of the Year
Shiwak Hall receiving the Volunteer Residence of the Year Award (Wasif Hossain/SVB)
The Volunteer Residence of the Year was awarded to Shiwak Hall.
This award is presented to a residence at Memorial that has made considerable contributions to the community through their collective volunteer work.
Glenn Roy Blundon Award
Halie Hindy receiving the Glenn Roy Blundon Award (Wasif Hossain/SVB)
Finally, the Glenn Roy Blundon Award was granted to Halie Hindy, amid five other dedicated nominees.
Named after former Memorial student Glenn Roy Blundon, the award is presented to a student who has surpassed their normal volunteer duties to advocate for students with disabilities.
