Tuesday, October 7, 2014

A Homecoming 2014 message from the local chapter President

Fellow Xaverians,

On behalf of your local chapter team, I hope you had an excellent Homecoming weekend. Whether you were in Calgary or Antigonish, I hope this weekend was full of good times and fond memories of StFX.

Meet the new StFX President in Calgary!

I was in Antigonish and believe me, there is a lot going on at StFX that is definitely worth sharing with you all. But how about hear it all from Dr. Kent MacDonald '86 '93, our newest President and Vice-Chancellor? Dr. MacDonald will be in Calgary on Friday 07 November and we are holding a reception in his honour in downtown Calgary. We're just putting the finishing touches on the venue but be sure to RSVP your spot on the guest list today.

RSVP for the President's Reception
on Friday 07 November 2014



Lots for our chapter to celebrate

  • Congratulations to Val Turkunova-Rausch '18, who has been named the newest recipient of the Leone Campbell Memorial Bursary. Val is currently in a Bachelor of Science program with aspirations to pursue veterinary medicine after StFX.

  • Thank you to Joy Romero '77 for a generous gift to StFX that resulted in the purchase of much needed equipment in the Material Testing Lab, located in the Physical Sciences building. Over the weekend, StFX dedicated a lab in her honour at a ceremony on Saturday morning. So next time you're in Antigonish, check out the new Joy Romero Material Testing Lab.


  • Congratulations to Dave Bernatchez '85 who was inducted into the StFX Alumni Association's Hall of Honour. Dave has been an incredible mentor to so many Xaverians - including myself - and continues to live the values of our alma mater: Whatsoever Things Be True. Congratulations, Dave, on a well-deserved and long overdue honour.


Thanks and acknowledgements

  • To the current students attending StFX, many of whom took the time out of their busy schedules to meet with myself, Phil Markovich '85 and Lexi Tedesco '09 at the Golden X Inn. We were able to catch up on the first few weeks of the new year and, in the process, make the Calgary crew really make its presence known!
  • To Andrew Gannon '06, for working with X-Athletics to organize a fantastic Homecoming celebration in Calgary on Saturday 04 October. The festivities included watching the game live at Booker's, followed by a spirited pub crawl that evening.
  • To Phil Markovich '85, for completing his three-year term as a member-at-large on the Alumni Council. Phil's leadership and expertise are wonderful additions to the Council and he will certainly be missed.
  • To Jay Donlevy '92, who has decided to step back from the chapter executive team after many years in a leadership role. Thanks for everything you have done for the chapter, Jay! Your leadership and ideas around the planning table will certainly be missed, although we know you won't be venturing too far.

Looking ahead

We need your help and enthusiasm to keep our chapter strong.
  • Recommend more welcome additions to our Xaverian family! StFX thrives on attracting the best and the brightest students to grace its halls, and that process starts with all of us as alumni. Support our Recruitment effort with three simple steps: (1) Know the latest StFX facts, (2) Talk about StFX, and (3) Connect the student with our Admissions Team. CLICK HERE for more information about how you can help recruit.
  • Recommend StFX on LinkedIn! Still love StFX? If you're on LinkedIn, write a recommendation for alma mater! LinkedIn is an incredible social media application that definitely helps to enhance the reputation of StFX. In addition, LinkedIn is a great resource for current students and recent grads to start networking, and we definitely need alumni support to make sure that our younger Xaverians can tap into the strong alumni network that separates StFX from the rest. CLICK HERE to recommend StFX to your LinkedIn network.
  • Help us with our events! We have a strong crew of volunteers to help us with our events but many hands make for light work. Our events for 2014-15 include a President's Reception, StFX Day festivities, a Student Information Night, Student Send-off, and a National Dinner (details on the National Dinner will come soon enough...!). Contact the chapter at calgarychapter@stfx.ca if you can lend a helping hand.

Finally, after almost four years as your chapter leader, I have decided to pass the reins to a new team. I hope you'll join me in supporting Jeff Paddon '09 and Lexi Tedesco '09 as they bring their own flavour and energy to the chapter leadership. Jeff and Lexi will succeed me on 01 January 2015. Thanks to you all for your continued support of the chapter and its activities!

Hail and Health,

Oliver Munar '98
President, Calgary chapter
StFX Alumni Association